Disclaimer: I recently got obsessed with Game of Thrones, but doesn't mean I own it!
Story: Shireen has a hard time with people, but Sansa has always been there and parents her more than her actual parents. She doesn't even know where her mother is and her father tries but ends up awkward or distant. But she has Sansa and band, so it's alright, she supposed. Sansa had been taking care of Shireen for a long time. She's been to each of the girl's band concerts. She also makes sure Stannis gets the invites and pictures. He just hadn't realized how much a part of their lives she was until she was practically gone. These two awkward Baratheons have had their lives entwined with Sansa's so much that they couldn't picture life without her.
Set as a modern day AU.
Spoilers: No.
Warnings: No, I don't think so. Cursing and maybe sexual situations?
Pairings: Stansa (Stannis/Sansa)

March to My Heartbeat
Chapter Two: The Girl

Shireen felt her nerves lighting up and down her body, making her feel jittery. Sansa, as always, was supportively by her side and wrangling her hair into a flower crown braid to match hers. She'd even weaved actual flowers into her hair!

"So…nervous?" she asked and Shireen huffed.

"Of course I am! I don't want to be the one girl who messes it up for everyone," she said, feeling like she wanted to bite her nails. A bad habit that she'd mostly grown out of.

Sansa smiled sweetly at her. "You'll be fine," she said encouragingly. "You've been in band since your first day in middle school, and you practice for hours every day, sweetheart."

"But this is high school!"

"And you, Shireen Baratheon, are an accomplished saxophonist," her older friend said firmly and her cheeks flushed in pleasure at the praise, looking up at Sansa happily.

Sansa Stark was more like a sister than a friend. In fact, Shireen amended that to Sansa being more like an actual mom than anything else.

Sansa, after all, has been there for the longest time. Shireen could even pinpoint the exact moment that she came into her life and became more than just Uncle Robert's best friend's daughter.

It was an impulse really. They'd asked her for what elective she wanted and, remembering her mother's disdain for music overall and feeling a bit rebellious, she'd chosen to have band as her elective class.

But as she was actually in the class, she started to feel lost and alone. And when they started having the students try each instrument over a few days to see for a good fit, Shireen was convinced they wouldn't find one for her.

And then they gave her the saxophone.

She was horrified. It looked too complicated and when they'd had her tried it, she hadn't thought she sounded good at all! In fact, she thought she sounded like a complete mess and couldn't follow any of the directions in the basics to use one.

She'd debated on renting or buying one, not even consulting either of her parents. She knew her mother would be just as horrified as her, magnified by the fact that not only was Shireen not paired with an 'elegant' instrument, but that Selyse abhorred music in general. Her father cared about her, but he was too busy and working too much to really scrutinize her likes and dislikes, nor wonder too much about this kind of thing (or oppositely analyze it too much).

She debated asking Davos, since he was very much like an uncle and even second father to her…but then it would get back to her father, which would bring her back to her original points.

Uncle Renly was here now though —maybe she could ask him? He didn't tell her father everything and he'd been much nicer to her ever since her parents' divorce and after meeting his new boyfriend Loras.

When she quietly told him the problem, he actually seemed enthused.

"Oh! You should talk to Sansa. You've met before, but you were much younger —back when you and your parents regularly attended the Baratheon parties. She's a family friend, my best friend actually. She's also friends with Margaery and Loras, and how I met Loras in the first place."

She grew excited at that. "Really? I think I sort of remember her…" Not really. Maybe just a blurred outline of an older girl and lots of red.

Not creepy blood red like that Meli-something that her father worked with. It was a nice, pretty, fiery kind of red…

"You think she'd help me?" she asked him.

"Sure she would. I know Sansa —she's a sucker for cute little strays like you," Uncle Renly grinned, pinching her cheeks.

"Uncle Renly!"

And when her uncle drove her over to meet Sansa, her first thought was —

'Wow —she's really pretty,' and she got embarrassingly starry-eyed, ignoring her uncle's snickering beside her.

But then Sansa smiled warmly at her and said, "Hello, Shireen. Welcome to my home. Won't you come in?"

A part of Shireen already didn't want to leave.

After that, Sansa had helped her decide whether or not to buy a saxophone. For once on a whim after seeing Sansa's own saxophone, a beautiful alto that had an aged brass finish that made her want one too ("If you're going to stick with it for the long run and really want to play it, then yes, a permanent one that you'll become familiar with is best. Otherwise, rent it! You wouldn't want to be stuck with it!"), Shireen had bought a smaller, cheaper one to start with the next day with permission from her father and Sansa had then helped her to figure out the basics that very afternoon.

Ever since then, Shireen had always had Sansa in her life —she went to all of Shireen's concerts, volunteered for the band events and helped her fund raise (seriously, and not just throw money at Shireen's band program, even though both of them had family money to spare), and chaperoned for the competitions. And even more, when it came to just regular school stuff, Shireen could count on Sansa to be there too.

After all, every parent-teacher conference since the beginning of middle school was attended by her! The rare field trip was signed off and sometimes volunteered as a chaperon by Sansa, and sheepishly Shireen usually bothered Sansa with papers that needed to be signed.

Her dad was just always…busy. And her mother? By now, her mother had stopped answering phone calls and hadn't picked her up for her time with Shireen in over a year.

It was something bitter to swallow.

But, as she glanced at Sansa, she could bite down on her unhappiness at remembering her biological mother and focus on someone who actually cared to be there for her.

"Hey, my custom band shirt came!" Sansa said cheerfully, reaching for the plastic bag by the vanity. "I haven't seen it yet so we can see it together."

"Let's see!" Shireen echoed her cheer.

When Sansa pulled out the black shirt, silver glittered picture of Mickey Mouse on the back with a saxophone, the redhead grinned brightly. But then she let out a surprised "Oh!" when she saw the front.

"They made a mistake," Sansa blinked. "They put 'Band Mom' instead of 'Band Sis.'"

"It's fine," Shireen blurted out. She couldn't picture her own mother wearing something like that or coming to any of her concerts.

Sansa smiled warmly at her, making Shireen's cheeks warm in happiness in response.

"You're right. It doesn't really matter, huh? It's just a shirt and I just wanted to wear something to support you. It's the thought that counts!"

Maybe if Shireen could bribe Trystane with Myrcella's number, he'd convince his mom to do more mistakes like this in the future…

"Come on, Shireen, it's time to go!"

"R-right!"

She carefully packed up her saxophone and hurried after Sansa to her car. After putting her saxophone case in the back, she sat beside Sansa and then the older female was driving off.

"So I emailed and text your dad about today," Sansa told her, keeping her eyes on the road.

"Oh?" Shireen asked, frowning. "Did he answer back?"

"He hasn't yet," Sansa said apologetically.

"I doubt he will," Shireen said, voice unintentionally letting out a little bitterness.

"He'll come today," Sansa said. "I'm sure of it."

"You always say that," she mumbled, staring down at her lap. She looked up at Sansa then. "But you'll be there the entire time, right?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course! Nowhere else I'd rather be," Sansa promised.

And she had never broken that promise to be at a concert for Shireen.

Back to smiling, Shireen hummed and waited to reach her high school.

Stannis's brain seemed to have short-circuited. He swore that somehow he'd forgotten how to speak and he'd spent practically a minute just staring at Sansa Stark like an idiot.

"Mr. Baratheon?" she looked worriedly at him.

Gods, he didn't know what was wrong with him.

He didn't know what was worse either —that he was so surprised she was there and was the one who had been keeping him apprise of Shireen, or just how utterly stunning she'd grown up to be.

She had always been a pretty child. He'd remembered that much. But then…

Sansa was older and she'd never been as beautiful as she was now.

"Mr. Baratheon, come on over," she smiled sweetly at him. "I have a seat saved for you, just in case you came!"

She'd…she'd saved a seat for him, even though she hadn't known he'd come for sure? And with his track record, probably wouldn't have come.

"Thank you," he forced out stiffly after he'd walked over. He wanted to say something else, but he didn't know what. Instead, he just sat down.

"Shireen will be really happy to have you here," Sansa said excitedly. "I told her I felt you'd be able to come today!"

"Did you?" he asked awkwardly.

"I did," she sounded earnest, continuing to gift him with her sweet smile. "I wish I could bring you over to her right now, so she'll be pleased to know you're here and come out and play confidently!"

Part of him just felt caught off guard and pleased that she seemed to care so much for his daughter and how she felt. Selyse certainly hadn't and Stannis had trouble conveying affection to Shireen, though he tried his best.

Sansa, openly affectionate and kind, seemed to be someone who genuinely cared about Shireen and was probably a welcome change for his daughter against himself and her mother. A welcome change and who gave Shireen things she was desperately missing and starved for.

No wonder Shireen had gravitated towards Sansa.

"I really do appreciate what you've done for Shireen and all the support you've given her," he said, feeling at ease at that moment, pushing himself to speak his gratitude and not fumble it around her. "All the time and effort you took to email and text me all about her band activities was very kind of you and you hadn't needed to do all that in the first place."

"I hadn't minded at all, Mr. Baratheon," she said, touching his arm lightly. "Shireen's a sweetheart and she's become like a little sister. I was glad to help her out."

Stannis felt himself unwittingly smile, an unfamiliar gesture and it felt strange on his lips.

"Thank you, nonetheless."

Sansa smiled sweetly again and before he could ask her more about Shireen's showcase and her band stuff, Sansa's eyes widened and she took out her phone.

"Oh, I know! If I take a picture and text it to her, she'll know you're here and be happy!"

Sansa began typing on her phone before she surprised him by moving in closer and sliding into place against his side, placing her head on his shoulder and holding her phone out. She took a selfie and then began typing into her phone.

Stannis was pretty sure he looked like a moronic imbecile.

Shireen adjusted her clothing, making sure her band uniform was fine and that she didn't have a last minute wardrobe malfunction.

Her phone buzzed then though, and she took it out of her instrument case to gasp.

Guess who's here!

And after the text, she got the picture of her father with Sansa, looking utterly bewildered and cheeks slightly red.

Her father was actually here!

Shireen guessed Sansa had been right after all, and had called it right about her father that day.

Started 1/29/20 – Completed 1/31/20

A/n: Haha, I was so dumb I posted the wrong document for the first time around and didn't know until way too long XD Big thanks to Sadie for pointing that out! I'm surprised for such a short first chapter, it's received a fair amount of attention :D Thanks, guys, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Quick Points:

1. Current GoT Fics: Her Song of Fire and Ice (SansaxRoose/Stannis/Tywin), A Red King Bowed (Roose/Sansa), and March to My Heartbeat (Stannis/Sansa). Also hoping to post Deck the Halls today, to get started on that 'verse~

2. Went with a saxophone for Shireen! I was thinking about it, and was convinced when someone else suggested it to me as well. Was also considering a cello and violin.