I Don't Own Game of Thrones, the Song of Ice and Fire or any of their Characters

Daenerys

Week 3

It was Thursday and Daenerys was in her room reading through one of her books. Some wanker backed up one of the faucets in the public bathroom with pieces of cloth and all the pipes in the wall burst, including the ladies room because the sinks were on either side of the same wall. The entire cafe was flooded so Sophie had to shut down for a week so it could be prepared. Now everyone was on paid leave until it opened back up next week.

Jorah was in his study. He'd been there since this morning after breakfast. He told her in advance that there was a serial killer at large at the moment and that he'd been assigned to help with the case.

They'd grown considerably closer in the last few weeks. Sometimes they even acted like a couple. Sneaking kisses whenever they were alone. Him caressing her cheek with his strong fingers. The way he would look at her whenever she entered a room.

I truly have fallen for him. She mused to herself. The way he embraced her as she released her deepest darkest secrets out to the world. Things she had never told anyone else. It was as if it only made him care for her more.

Suddenly bored with her book, she dropped it on the duvet and hopped off the bed. She let out a slight eruct and patted her sternum. It was then she noticed her profile in the full-length mirror by her closet. Frowning slightly at her reflection, she stroked her hand along her lower abdomen. Curious, she counted the days on her fingers. Her period had just ended. And it wouldn't be due again for nearly two. Which wasn't that unusual for her. They were always far apart. She never thought much of it before. But now that she was thinking about, she was wondering if it would affect her chances of having children in the future

Suddenly, she imagined little boys and girls with blue eyes and silver hair. The image of Jorah's smile flashed in her mind and she blushed. They haven't' even slept together and she was already thinking about the concept of children with him? She really was getting ahead of herself.

Regardless, she was due for a checkup anyway. She picked up her phone and dialed the clinic she was familiar with. The phone call was all less than ten minutes long and they were even able to set up an appointment for her that afternoon. She hung up and then went in search for Jorah to let him know.

Finding him wasn't too hard. He was in his study, staring intently at his whiteboard. Which was usually blank, now was covered with arrows pointing at pictures and maps. Surrounded by papers and photographs. Looking rather disheveled. His blonde hair was sticking out in several places atop his head. He must have been scratching at it in stress. The shirt he wore had the two top buttons undone and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He was so focused on the whiteboard that he didn't even hear her come in.

"Well, you're certainly busy," She observed, looking at the mess.

Her words startled him, making him jump in shock. "Khaleesi!" He gasped. "I didn't hear you come in."

Her brow went up in amusement as she looked at the mess. "I can see that."

He rubbed the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed. "I...er...needed to bring my work home with me. This case has everyone at the precinct walking on eggshells."

She tilted her head, curious. "It's that bad?" Then she looked closer at the victims' identification pictures. "They're all brunettes. Was the cause of death the same for all of them?"

"All but one," he said pointing at one of the pictures. "The others have all been killed by a bullet to the head. Execution style. This one, however, was killed by asphyxiation. A crime of passion more like. Judging by the marks on her neck. Maybe by an old lover."

"And the others?" She probed.

He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger and they rested on his nose. Something he did when he was stressed. "We suspect that this is the work of one individual. Clearly, someone that has a vendetta against dark-haired women."

Daenerys made a face. "Another Ted Bundy."

Jorah gave her an exasperated look. "Don't even joke about that. I remember hearing about it back in the '70s. I was just a boy and my father was terrified because Mother was in Seattle for a fashion show. Which was where the murders were occurring at the time. She was only away for a week but he called her every morning and night to make sure that she was alright. Even though she didn't fit Ted Bundy's M.O."

"I think that's actually rather sweet of him." She said thoughtfully. "He was worried about his wife and he just wanted to assure himself that she was safe."

A hint of a smile touched his face as he collapsed in his chair with a tired sigh. "He was such a doting husband from what I could remember. He couldn't bear the thought of someone taking her from him before her time." A shadow then passed over his face. "Only for her to be taken from us by a disease a year later instead."

"I'm sorry, Jorah," She knew that this was a sore subject.

He waved his hand, dismissing the subject. "Anyway, this suspect isn't a necrophiliac from what I gather." He shuddered. "Thank the Gods for that. Nor were there any signs of sexual trauma on any of the victims' antemortem. So the motive doesn't appear to be sexual."

"Well," She fiddled with her thumbs, "Speaking of sexual motives." Both his eyebrows suggestively went up to his hairline and she gave him an impatient look. "I don't mean that. I'm due for a checkup with a gynecologist and I made an appointment to go in today."

He glanced at his watch. "What time is the appointment?"

Her smile turned sheepish, "In an hour."

"I'm up to my ears in leads and follow ups." He dropped his wrist and leaned back against the chair, stressed.

"I can go on my own." She offered with a shrug. "Gods knows that Viserys is useless in this area. So, I always went by myself."

He got up from his chair and walked around the desk to stand in front of her. His arms crossed his arms over his chest and regarded her thoughtfully. "I'm not keen on the thought of you going somewhere without me there to protect you with a killer on the loose."

"I go to work without you there to shadow me and I'm also not a brunette." She pointed out and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Jorah, I'll be fine."

"If this case wasn't so paramount, I'd go with you." He ran a hand through his messy blonde hair and regarded her carefully. "You're sure you'll be alright on your own?'

She rolled her eyes at him. "It's not like you can come in with me anyway."

His arm came around her shoulder and neck so he could bring her closer. Sighing wistfully before he kissed her on the forehead. "Let Davos take you. It'll give me some peace of mind." He leaned in to rub his nose against hers. "Please?"

It was almost ridiculous that she was actually considering it. She didn't need a babysitter! But Gods, how could she deny him when he made that face? "Alright,"

His relieved smile made her heart skip a beat. "Thank you, Khaleesi." He pecked her on the lips before removing his arm and pulling out his phone. "I'll text Davos and let him know. Wait outside and he'll get the car."

She bobbed her head once. "Sounds good. I don't know how long I'll actually be there. You sure he won't mind sitting in the car the whole time?"

He'd started tapping away on his screen and kept his gaze downward. "He's getting paid either way." His eyes met hers briefly before they went back to the screen. "Don't worry, love. He'll have a book handy. Or a crossword puzzle. The man has plenty of hobbies to pass the time."

"He ever help you with these?" She asked, glancing at the whiteboard as she exited the room. "Sherlock and Watson?"

She heard him laugh as he called after her. "Not his thing! He hates mysteries!"

Daenerys has always hated hospitals. Despite the shiny floors and bright lights, there was something about the aura of hospitals that made her feel claustrophobic. Not to mention that people died. Granted, people died everywhere. But in places like this just had something in that made the tension in the air so thick that it could be cut with a knife.

Especially in the sitting areas. Where everyone was waiting. Either for their own appointments or news of some kind from a loved one.

"Daenerys Targaryen?" Someone with a particular accent called out.

She jumped in her seat. Shaken out of her thoughts, she looked for who it was.

"Daenerys Targaryen?" The person called again, and she finally saw her. It was a woman who appeared to be Indian wearing scrubs with a clipboard in her arms.

"Here!" She stood up from the seat, her bag in hand.

The nurse nodded, "This way, please."

Daenerys followed the woman down the corridor before she was led to an exam room. The nurse pointed at the items sitting on the chair next to the desk. "Please strip and put on the gown. The doctor will be right with you.

"Thank you," Daenerys said and was left alone in the room. She took off her clothes piece by piece before pulling the gown's own. Or the two pieces of a gown. One went over her shoulders to cover her breasts and the other was meant to be draped over her lower body as she lay down on the exam chair.

Left with her thoughts, she wondered about the future. The real reason she had come here was to see what her odds were regarding children. She wanted to have her own someday. Not right now but in time. When the image of Jorah suddenly flashed in her mind, her cheeks began to feel warm. She could envision his beautiful blue eyes on the face of a little chubby baby.

A knock sounded on the door, interrupting her thoughts. She adjusted the gown a little more before replying, "Come in!"

The door opened slightly and a blonde female doctor dressed in a lab coat and dark scrubs. The woman greeted her without looking at her, "Hello, Ms. Targaryen, it's nice to see you again. I'm Doctor Metsker." She sat down on the desk and moved the mouse around, turning the computer on.

Daenerys looked at her thoughtfully. "Have we met before?"

"Once." The doctor typed away on her computer without glancing up when she replied. "I was the doctor that examined you fourteen years ago. After the fire."

That made Daenerys really study the woman. That was where she had seen her. It couldn't have been for long, but she does remember seeing this doctor throughout her stay at the hospital back then. "It was so long ago. I didn't recognize you."

"Well, you were very out of it at the time." She looked down at the spreadsheet. "So, what brings you in today?"

"I..." She played with the paper gown, suddenly shy, "I've come to get a fertility test."

"Oh?" The doctor stood up, putting a pen in her breast pocket and slipped on some latex gloves. "Why the sudden interest?" She leaned over and began to examine Daenerys's breasts. "Have you been experiencing any pain in your ovaries?"

That piqued her interest. "Erm no. I just thought that being 30 now, it might be a good idea to make sure that everything is accounted for...down there. In case I want to have children with my significant other."

"Uh-huh," The woman finished with her breasts and wrote some down some more notes on the clipboard. She checked the time on her watch, "When was your last menstrual cycle?"

Daenerys counted on her fingers again, "I just finished about three days ago."

"Right," She scribbled something else down. "And before that?"

She blinked, "I believe it was eight weeks prior."

The doctor stopped writing, "You said eight weeks?"

"Yes, something wrong?" She asked, suddenly nervous.

The other woman looked at her cautiously, "It's just on the longer side of menstruation periods that's all. Are they usually so far apart?"

Unfortunately, that made her think back to when she was young. So long ago. "I think so."

"What about when you ovulate?"

That got Daenerys thinking. It wasn't like she paid that much attention when she did her business on the privy. "Now that you mention it, ever since what happened back then, I think it's even rarer if at all."

Well that, apparently didn't seem to please her. The doctor continued to press her for questions as she continued the examination. Going over her health history and whatnot. All the while keeping everything professional. Then came the pap smear. She hated this part. Lying on her back with her legs up on stirrups as her cervix is exposed. Then that metal contraption called a speculum slipping into her most intimate area spreading her open. And blast that thing was freezing! It was hard not to flinch

"Please keep still." The doctor implored. It was when this was happening that she reached for something on the medical tray, "I'm going to take a swab for testing now, Ms. Targaryen. You'll feel a slight tickle."

Daenerys rolled her eyes. There's literally a piece of cold metal holding my cunt open and you're worried about a q-tip bothering me? "Sure," What else could she say? 'Shove off'? She ignored the flick of the fuzzy end as the doctor got her sample.

Satisfied, the doctor put the sample away and took out the speculum. Taking off the gloves, she stood up from the stool and picked up the clipboard again. "Alright, Ms. Targaryen, go ahead and put your clothes back on. I'll be back with the results."

Relieved to be alone, she slipped off the examination table and took off the sheer paper gown. She had just slipped her head into her shirt when Doctor Metsker came back in. From where she stood, Daenerys could see the results of the test. "That was fast. Well?"

"I compared it to your medical records from after the fire." The other woman looked at her with pity. "I'm sorry, Ms. Targaryen, but given your genetic history, you will not be able to bear children again. Even if you did conceive, the child would potentially suffer the same fate as your first."

Daenerys blinked. Twice. Did she just say…? "Wha...what?"

Dr. Metsker took another glance at what was on her clipboard. She tsked and shook her head. "You're infertile. Most likely a cause due to your parentage."

"I can't have children?" Confusion along with denial filled her mind. She's infertile? Her hands went to her lower abdomen subconsciously. Where she had hoped that one day a child might grow. Along the line, she had hoped that maybe one day she would have a child of her own. Then the rest of the sentence had her backtrack. Her parentage? What did her parents have to do with this? "What? Did my mother take some medication while she was pregnant with me? Was there some kind of reaction that affected me before I was born."

The doctor seemed perturbed. As if there was something obvious that Daenerys was missing. Dr. Metsker pinched the bridge of her nose, "You really don't know?"

Now, this was getting ridiculous. "Don't know what?"

She sighed. "Your parents and their parents were full siblings. They were brother and sister. You and your brothers were born through incest. This information was released when you were in hospital after the fire."

Daenerys thought back to that night. Most of it was still foggy. Probably from all of the smoke she'd inhaled. All she could remember was some pieces of the ambulance ride and talking to a detective for a small while. "The most I remember from back then was when Viserys had come running in and demanded to take me home. Then I was in and out of sleep for the next few days. I never actually looked at the case file." Then the reality of the woman's words hit her so hard that she nearly fell out of the examination table. Her parents. "Wait, you're saying my parents were siblings? That they had the same parents and that they were siblings too?"

The woman nodded. "Your mother was pregnant with your brother Rheagal when she and your father, her brother, fled to Paris under an alias and eloped. She kept her alias so no one would discover their secret. There were already rumors about your grandparents. So they didn't want to take any risks."

"Wait," She held her hands up. "Wait a moment. You're telling me that my parents and my grandparents were siblings? That's two generations of inbreeding!"

Dr. Metsker held up her pen, "And you're extremely lucky to not have any other ailments that plague inbred children. Such as physical deformation or hemophilia,"
"'Lucky?'" Daenerys repeated incredulously. "Lucky? Are you mad? You've just told me that I'm a second-generation inbred! Who's infertile to boot!" She jumped off the examination table and went to grab her things. "If that were true, how was I able to get pregnant before?"

"I'm guessing it's because you were so young." The other woman held her hands up as if to calm her. "You did get pregnant but you also miscarried, and the child was severely deformed."

That's right. She remembered that night. The pain she had to endure. The only solace she had in those times was knowing that soon her son would be born. At fourteen, she knew there was no way she could provide for him. So she'd intended to place him for open adoption. That way she could still see him. But he never lived. When she was in hospital because of severe bleeding, she knew she'd lost him. But they wouldn't even let her hold him! Not even see him! She'd fallen unconscious. They said that he had been too grotesque and signed for his remains to be taken care of before she woke. They'd at least been decent enough to give her his ashes after she was discharged.

"So it's my fault then." It wasn't a question. It was a fact. "My son died because of my weak body. Because the two previous generations of my family had children with their siblings. Condemning us."

Dr. Metsker sighed helplessly. "Ms. Targaryen—"

Danaerys threw on her jumper, ignoring her. "I'm leaving." She didn't wait for the woman to respond. She shoved passed her, out the door, down the hallway, into the waiting room, and down the elevator. She sped through the main lobby and headed straight for the car in the parking lot. When she approached, Davos looked up from the newspaper he was reading and started the engine.

He frowned when he glanced at her in the rearview mirror as she got in the car. "Is everything alright, Ms. Targaryen?"

She didn't look at him. Couldn't. She kept her gaze focused outside the window. "Nothing. Please, drive."

Clearly he didn't believe her, but he didn't push her either. Instead, he drove them out of the parking lot and back to the house.

Daenerys's mind was in a whirlwind of denial and frustration. Her thoughts going from place to place a thousand miles a minute. Everything that she had grown up with was beginning to come to light.

Everything in her life was a lie. Her parents were siblings! Full-blooded siblings! Not step-siblings or even half-siblings. They had the same mother and father. They grew up together. And their parents before them did the exact same thing. Almost like it was some sick tradition.

How could they do such a thing? She thought in disgust. They grew up side by side! They were created from the same side and born from the same womb. Was this why Mother died when she gave birth to me? It made sense. They were together for years. She was their third child from incest. It must have played a part in her death. How could it not? What were they thinking? Didn't they know the risks of having children together? The whole thing was sickening!

Pureblood indeed. Now she understood what her father was talking about. Her parents must have had some sick twisted notion that being siblings and having children would keep their blood purely Targaryen.

How selfish was that? Looking back, even though it wasn't how he died, she remembered Rheagar had a strange sickness. She couldn't remember exactly what it was, but it was respiratory. He'd be away at the doctor's almost every week.

Viserys didn't seem to be too badly affected. Aside from extreme stupidity. But it wasn't as if there was any mental retardation. His grades in school were average and he did graduate. He must have been the lucky one. Prick.

"Ms. Targaryen?" Davos called out, pulling her from her thoughts. "Are you sure everything's alright?"

She shook her head too clear it and smiled kindly at him, "I'm fine, Davos."

He didn't look convinced. "It doesn't seem so. I don't mean to sound intrusive, Ma'am, but I've been trying to get your attention for the past few minutes."

She blinked, surprised. "Really?"

"You seemed to be in a whole different world." He said, his face filled with concern. "I can't help but be a little concerned."

She offered the most convincing smile she could, which wouldn't fool an infant. "It's...complicated." Not wanting to say more, she looked back out the window and let her thoughts wander again. Luckily, Davos got the message loud and clear and left her alone for the rest of the ride.

Which wasn't as good a thing as she had hoped. The view out the window was nothing but a blur as the car kept driving. Her mind was becoming so filled with possibilities that she'd feared she was going to have an anxiety attack. Despite the large size of the vehicle, it felt as if she were sitting inside of a cardboard box.

Her entire life was a twisted sick fairytale. Her parents were full siblings that had three children together. Not one or two but three! And they obviously knew that what they were doing was wrong because the fled and her mother changed her name. She understood that they must have been in love but that doesn't excuse them risking children. How could someone willingly risk the lives of their children before they're even born?

Daenerys and her brothers didn't deserve any of this! She's always dreamed of having children of her own. Bringing life into the world with them and she loved. But because of her parent's selfishness, she never will. Put that and all of the hell their father put her through after their mother died. Even go as far as to pimp her out!

Then it hit her. Jorah knew about the fire. He saved her from the fire. He was working with the police even then. He also mentioned that he was at the hospital for a short while after she was admitted. No doubt he'd seen her father's file...and her mother's. He must have also seen that she was living under an alias for during her later years before she died.

No.

Davos pulled into the driveway and she didn't even wait for him to put into park before she threw the door open and dashed into the house. Jorah was already there, she'd seen his car out front. She ran up the stairs two at a time, something she never did and went straight towards her "room".

She didn't even glance at him as she sped passed his study, even though he smiled at her in greeting. She nearly missed it as it was only visible from the corner of her eye.

"Daenerys?" He called after her. She ignored him and kept walking. It wasn't long before he stopped whatever he was doing and followed after her. "Khaleesi, what's wrong?"

When she finally got to her room, she realized he'd followed her in and tried to grab her arm. She pulled it away, still refusing to look at him. "Don't touch me!" She walked over to the vanity, keeping him at bay.

Letting her make more distance between them, he remained on the other side of the room. But he still looked baffled. He held out his hands with his palms out. Showing her that he meant her no harm. Right.

He tilted his head as a worried expression adorned his face. "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not!" At the end of her rope, she picked up a bottle of perfume and threw it at the wall. "I'm not alright!" The pieces scattered all over the floor while the perfume soaked into the carpet. She braced herself against the vanity, hanging her head. It took her a few minutes and several deep breaths before she finally managed to calm herself down as he just stood there in shock.

"Did you know?" She eventually asked after she could find her voice again. "This whole time, did you know?"

It takes him a good moment before recognition spread over his face. His mouth moves but no sound comes out. He cast his eyes down in shame. "Yes,"

She breathed in through her nose. "How long?"

He kept his eyes on the floor. "Since after I made the deal with Viserys."

Her body went stiff, "Does he know?"

His gaze lifted to meet hers and he shook his head. "No, he doesn't."

"How did you find out?" She asked, impatient.

He didn't hesitate, "I looked up your case file after the deal was final. As soon as I realized her you were, I wanted to learn more about what happened that night. Your father's history and whatnot. Tracked his marriage license. Looked into your Mother's maiden name before she married your father. Her name had been Rhaella Coldwater. But there was a problem."

"Oh great." She groaned, "What now?"

He placed his hands on his hips. "There was no record of that name before the date they got married. Meanwhile, Rhaella Targaryan supposedly went missing. Found a family photo and there I saw Aerys and Rhaella as children. Siblings. I ended up tracking their parents records. They were siblings too."

She scoffed as she bit her lip. "All this time." She muttered, "I can't believe you knew about it and you didn't tell me."

"You know what you mean to me." He murmured gently. His voice was low and comforting.

She sniffed, "I thought I did. Now I don't anymore."

"I know you do." He swore gently. "You felt it every time we touched. Every embrace. Every kiss. What's between us is powerful. I told you I wanted to protect you. Your family's history is horrifying and there was no reason for you to carry any more burdens. There was no need to know."

"Really?" She asked her voice with sarcasm. "You mentioned that you were the man who saved me from the house thirteen years ago. Did you just want me to know that part? So I could see you as my hero?"

"Never!" He exclaimed as if hurt. "Daenerys, I didn't tell you any more than you needed to know. You connected the dots. Not me. The truth of your conception was the least of my concerns."

"Well, it wasn't the least of mine!" She had already started crying. "I…" It became hard to breathe. "I can't have children, Jorah. Being a third-generation inbred child has rendered me sterile. Any child I would bear wouldn't survive long enough to term."

"Khaleesi, I―"

"It's, Daenerys!" She shouted. No more terms of endearment. Not from him. "You don't get to call me that anymore!"

He looked like he desperately wanted to come to me. But knew it wasn't wise. "I swear on the graves of my parents that I didn't intentionally keep this from you. I forgot about it because my only concern was protecting you."

She shook her head, trying to clear it. "I don't understand. How can you just forget something like that?"

"Because you outshine all of it!" He insisted. "I didn't give a shite about where you came from or who you were related to. I just wanted you. I've wanted you since I walked into that cafe. And the time we spent together has been the most at home I've felt in years. I love you, Daenerys."

"Don't." She had to use her hand to cover her mouth to muffle a sob. Damn him. "How could you say that? After everything you've done, you expect me to believe that?"

"I have protected you." He said firmly.

"You kept me here to pay off a debt." I reminded him.

"To keep you from your brother's schemes!"

"This whole thing was a scheme!"

"I took care of you!"

Her jaw tightened and she fought to keep herself from throwing something directly at him. "Congratulations, you're ridiculously rich and can afford an extra mouth to feed. Was it all to get me into bed?"

He stepped back as if she'd burned him. "You know it was never about that. How could you ask such a thing?" He looked genuinely hurt.

Too bad. "How could I not?" She threw her arms out, showing the room they were in. "You did all of this just to 'make me feel at home'. If I've learned anything in my life, it's that there's always an ulterior motive."

He held up a finger, anger now flitted in his eyes. "From day one, I never denied my attraction to you, Daenerys. You know this. You also know that if I really wanted to, I wouldn't need your consent to get you into bed. You are strong, but I'm stronger. If that was all I wanted, you wouldn't be able to stop me."

"Makes it all the more sweeter, doesn't it?" She goaded him.

"Daenerys," He said, histone much calmer. "I won't lie and say that I didn't hope that we would be more than housemates. But it was never my intention to hide anything from you either."

How had it come to this? For this first time in her life, she had felt like she belonged. She didn't have to work long hours and hope that there wasn't a mountain of bills waiting for her at the door. Being greeted by someone who made her see more of what was inside herself instead of what was only on the surface.

All for nothing. "I want to go home."

He closed his eyes, "Daenerys—"

"Will you really make me stay?" She demanded. "If there is any truth at all to what you're saying, you'll let me go."

"Please, give me another chance." He implored. "You'll want for nothing."

In her peripheral vision, she noticed the Nikon D500 sitting in her suitcase. Her first professional camera. It had been bought for her. She did nothing to earn it herself. Mind made up, she turned and picked it up.

Jorah noticed her taking it out of her suitcase. "Why are you leaving your camera?"

"This is not mine." She insisted, putting it down on the vanity. "Things that are yours are earned on your own. They can't be given to you."

He let out a sigh of frustration as he ran a hand through his hair. "It was a birthday gift, Daenerys."

"People don't buy other people £2,000 presents." She pointed out. "Birthday or not."

He crossed his arms. "I beg to differ. And it wasn't at an expense I couldn't afford."

"So you keep telling me." She muttered while she shoved more things into the suitcase. "Where's my duffle?"

He pointed at her, no, the room's closet. "In there."

Sure enough, it was. She grabbed it and the clothes that were still hanging. Throwing all onto the bed, she started taking her things off the hangers. Jorah didn't say anything while she kept packing. He just watched her.

Her laptop and Drogon were the last things she shoved into her suitcase. She zipped both items of luggage shut and grabbed her jacket. When she looked up, he was still standing there.

"You really want to leave?" He asked, hopelessly.

Determined, she looked him straight in the eye. "Yes. Will you let me?"

He closed his eyes, breathing deeply. A sign that he had given up. "You aren't a prisoner, Daenerys."

"And you'll waive Viserys debt." It wasn't a question that time.

His eyes remained close but his head tilted back as if in pain. "Yes,"

"Good." She said in final, getting her phone out. "I'm leaving then." He finally opened his eyes to witness her leave the room. She heard him sigh behind her when he tried to follow. "On my own."

"Daenerys, don't be foolish." He said, his tone condescending. "It's getting dark and your house is miles from here. Let me drive you."

"I'm neither blind nor a child, Jorah." She refused to look back at him when she descended the stairs. But she made sure her voice was loud enough as if it were. "I can see that it's dark. I have no intention of walking."

He was hot on her heels. Clearly, determined to get the last word in. "Then how do you intend to get there?"

She held her phone up, still refusing to turn. "There's this thing called Uber. I've requested a car. It's more reasonable than calling a cabbie. It's just a few minutes away." He was still following her. "I don't need you to keep me company while I wait. I can take care of myself."

She felt his hand on her shoulder before she could reach the doorknob. "Daenerys—"

The next moment was a blur. One second she was looking at the front door and in the next...she'd whipped around and slapped his hand away. Outrage filled her to the core as she stared into his horrified face. "Don't you dare presume to touch me. Or speak my name. Ever. Again."

He was slack-jawed as he looked at her in amazement. It came as a surprise to her too. She'd never struck anyone in her life. Not once. It was only his hand, but it was still him. She was that angry.

His hand slowly went back down to his side. He just kept looking at her. Stunned.

Before she could do anything else that she would later regret, her phone dinged at the same time a flash of headlights shined through the windows. A quick glance at the screen notified that her car had arrived. She looked up Jorah one last time, a part of her wanted to drop her bags and run into his arms. Pretend for a moment that everything was alright. But it wasn't. He'd kept valuable information from her, and she couldn't let that go. She then pulled the door open and slammed it shut behind her.

The car was waiting outside. The driver came out when she saw her bags and went to open the boot. Daenerys offered a thankful smile and let the other woman take them. She made her way into the backseat, casting one more look at the house.

Jorah had followed her out after all. He stood on the porch, his arms crossed and his expression remorseful. He kept his eyes on the car even as the driver got in and drove away.

Daenerys looked through the rear window to see him still watching as she was driven off into the night.