A/N: First off, I aplogise for the longe lapse in time for this update, finals + writer's block = not good for the story. A big big thanks to Katheryne B (who is currently in the process of rewriting her own Jaime fic) who's been a big help and honest reviewer with me -thanks for the support and for your honest opinions. Also a big thanks to the Guest that reviewed my story, so nice to hear you're enjoying this!

I'd like to address the issue of Jaime and Lorraine "moving forward" in the last chapter. I know it might sound uncharacteristic of Lorraine since she was herself very angry, and it was a tough decision to make (i'm still considering going back and adjusting some things) but I ultimately wanted things to move in that direction. I feel like I should explain that in terms of Lorraine, her going all the way with Jaime had more to do with her own want for sexual exploration than her willingness to forget. Because, trust me, Lorraine has not entirely forgotten -which you will notice in the coming chapter.

More than anything, I want these characters to be real. And I hope to show that in the way Lorraine doubts herself -much in the same way i'm sure many of us doubt ourselves for making certain choices, and that we also sometimes forgive someone despite ourselves -i'm just saying it happens people! I just think Lorraine would really not have forgiven Jaime if she truly thought he would do that again or if he didn't think he was in the wrong. And don't got me wrong, Lorraine may have let Jaime "hit it" but she is in no way going to be a peaceful, doting and easy wife to have. Part of what makes Lorraine special to me as a character is she disregards the technicalities that come with speech and therefore has very little limitations when it comes to calling people out.

Moreover, personally I feel like i've been moving slow in terms of intrigue and drama. I had a lot planned but I felt like I didn't want all of that to be going on whilst Jaime and Lorraine were still on the outs. So hopefully, this chapter will contain the beginnings of my master plan. Mwahahaha.

Enjoy, and please review!

Jaime

He was strangely almost giddy with excitement. Something about being rushed blindly through the halls and up and down the stairs led only by Lorraine's small hand gave him the strange sense of adventure -an adolescence he had all but forgotten.

She laughed when he bumped against the wall at a sharp turn and he finally used his weight to stop her wild run. He spun her against the closest wall and faced her, the dizziness of their recent escapade still fizzing around his mind and he could faintly see stars dance around his wife's face. With a lazy stroke of her cheek he proceeded to tell her just what he thought of her sense of direction.

"I see being cooped up in your own fortress has done nothing stimulate any proper coordination in you." She scrunched up her nose at him in that way that he so adored.

"Tours have been scarce" He raised his eyebrows at that, drawing himself even closer against her frame.

"I see...you need me for something, as it turns out, don't you? How curious." The rough punch she awarded him with against his shoulder, it was safe to say, was not too harmful -if it had ever been. He found comfort in it, for it meant that things were alive between them. And Jaime wondered sometimes if he had truly ever been alive before then.

Could he have ever anticipated feeling so invigorated by such a lady upon first meeting her? When he thinks back to it now he recalls how her enigma frustrated him at a time when his character demanded that he headed no one else any mind -and so he tried. But there was something burning in her that drew him to her. Parts of him could not help and compare her to every one else he had known in his life at times. Nothing like Cersei, he was always so quick to say, but at times -when she was sound asleep, he would look upon her and wonder freely in a way he felt he could not when her consciousness consumed him. In those long moments he would openly compare the two women he had known so well, part of him alarmed he would find any similarities, all the way from their hair to how they sipped their wine. And what he found eventually was that he was right and assured at assuming she was nothing like Cersei. It made him think about whether there was any goodness in Cersei at all, and he felt a little sad for both Cersei and himself. Other parts of Lorraine, he noticed, he could only match to Tyrion -surprisingly yet another person he did not relish in thinking about. He was not entirely sure if it was guilt or misery, but his head throbbed and his chest heaved in shallow wheezes whenever he remembered the sinister look in his brother's eyes as he vowed his hatred to him, listing their sister's lovers to spite him and proclaiming himself the murderer of his bastard -even though Jaime knew fully well it was not Tyrion who murdered Joffrey. Lorraine's loyalty reminded him of Loras Tyrell, the man Jaime best believed had replaced him. Her love for cats so like Tommen, and her stony disposition when she thought no one was looking while she concentrated so like a certain bastard from the North he had long since forgotten about.

He looked down at her as her being so asked for a challenge. Her eyes were of such a rich brown, he had never thought to look at anyone's eyes that way before. Even eyes of deep green like his, or the bright sapphires of Brienne's, he had never given anyone's eye colour much particular thought or affection. Perhaps it is shallow of me to divulge such an interest in the ins and outs of a person only after she has let me have her truly. He did not care, really. For he had peace now -although he did not know how long that would last for.

He pushed himself away from the wall, and her smirk only grew. He was sure his wife thought him incapable of suppressing his want for her now that she had become more receptive to him. But being receptive to Jaime, as Jaime had quickly realised after their first real night together, did not mean that she was prepared to give in to every whim he may have had. And while Lorraine did show her desire to him more often than he had expected he also learned that she was still reluctant to think of herself as awaiting his mercy. He extended his hand back towards her once more,

"Should you? Or shall I?"

And with a gleam of a dare flash through her eyes her small form was once again bolting through the halls with Jaime in close pursuit.

He had told her they were receiving his cousin and newly appointed Hand of The King, Daven Lannister, and his wife today at the Lion's Mouth and she had insisted she knew the way, after all it had not been long since she had been led in from there.

Finally sensing an end to the hapless journey Jaime and Lorraine arrived at the top of the steps that stood at the peak of the entrance to find Daemon already dutifully awaiting for the party to arrive.

"Ah! My Lord, my lady. I hope you are well!" Jaime only nodded swiftly, not wishing to further engage in idle chit chat, whereas Lorraine turned to face their loyal castellan and proceeded to award him with a warm smile -indicating he had her full attention.

Jaime imagined that by now Daemon had grown used to being ignored. He was a short, aging man with little to no valuable skills and unfortunately for him that left him very little place in this world. If his last name did not match mine I don't think he'd ever rise above a stablehand, Jaime thought to himself silently as he once again looked over the man now conversing with his wife.

"I must say my Lady, the work in the south garden has truly been inspiring. I must ask, were you always such an avid gardener in Ashemark?" Daemon spoke as if he were discussing dragons or unimaginable treasures. It was naïvety at best, but he felt a little respite that now there was yet another person Lorraine could interact with. Daemon, as Lorraine had described, had grown instrumental in her regrowing the garden and, being the loyal servant he prided himself on being, he adapted quickly to her mode of communication.

By now Lorraine and Daemon were having their own conversation about a foot away from Jaime and Jaime decided to focus out on to the surrounding open area in search for the anticipated arrival.

Despite Jaime not being easily impressed, he could admit that Daven Lannister was someone he was not at all ashamed of having as kin and say in all honesty that given the circumstances Daven was the smartest choice to be placed as Hand. That was not to say that Jaime was very fond of him -but he recognised that he could scarcely claim to be any better. Daven was a strong man, and loyal as far as he could tell. Jaime was sure that there was no sour taste left in Daven's mouth at Jaime's reclaiming of his titles as Warden of the West -Daven had himself admitted it was not something he wanted. And he had been all too relieved at Jaime's arrival at Riverrun to take over the siege. Daven Lannister may have been loyal, but he was not very accountable, which worried Jaime since he was placing him in such a high position, but for now they all just needed a semblance of stability.

Just as he thought of that he noticed a cloud of debris gather around a moving mass approaching the gates. He moved to face Lorraine then and found that she had already extended her hand for him to take. Placing her arm on his he proceeded to walk down the great steps with Lorraine in no particular hurry. By the time they made it all the way down the horsemen were at the gates and Jaime turned once more to find Lorraine's sweet and usually short-lived façade resting on her face.

Jaime wondered sometimes if it was a conscious decision or not for her to so swiftly change her disposition and then back again when she was at comfort. For now, he inwardly smirked at the fact that she may just be accidentally perpetuating the image he wanted to present to Daven upon his arrival. He did not care for appearances or politics all too much, but a small part of him wanted to remind Daven who was still the reigning Lion -it was partly why he did not want to give him the opportunity to ride up the steps to the Lion's Mouth.

Finding his face now, Jaime could not grasp why he may have been so worried. The hardness that revenge had encrusted in his features had almost disappeared, and all that was left were green eyes buried in a golden ball of facial hair. Especially now that he was standing next to his wife, scrawny and simple, Jaime could not see the threat Daven stood to be to him except for the fact that Daven's sword hand was still in tact.

After he had settled out of his horse Jaime decided it was time to approach him and made sure that Lorraine's arm was still firmly placed on his and her stride matched his own. He wanted to present them as equals, which Jaime thought they were -for in the short time that she had been at Casterly Rock she had been just as big of a help to the fortress as himself. She handled all the staff personally, and in the short weeks that they had been there she had become much appreciated and loved and Jaime thought then that that was perhaps why so many of Ashemark's staff were in attendance at their wedding.

"Cousin! Welcome." He could hardly tell but at his greeting Daven's beard slightly upturned and Jaime recognised his broad grin then, not too far from his own.

Daven returned Jaime with a shallow bow and then proceeded to firmly shake Jaime's hand, his eyes slowly moving to explore his cousin's new wife.

"My Lady, I am honoured to have been received by you so." He kissed her hand, and Jaime wondered whether his beard tickled her skin. He could not help the slow burn of his gaze onto the affected area.

Lorraine nodded to Daven, strangely affectionately, one would not even be able to tell that Daven was older than Lorraine.

Daven then introduced his wife, Marla Frey, who's eyes never left the ground. Even with Lorraine's forward hug and insistence she face her the little Frey still stood behind her husband looking dull and acutely afraid. Jaime did not miss the subtle frown Lorraine displayed at such timidness. No doubt she is already making plans to take her under her wing. It certainly would not do for Lorraine for anyone under her roof to remain in that condition and seeing how she had adamantly taken steps to welcome Roslin Tully under her wing Jaime had a strong feeling Lorraine was not about to hesitate to do the same to Marla. He almost let out a chuckle then as he realised that Marla Frey and Roslin were in fact sister, or was it cousins? He thought. Either way it was a little laughable that they should be reunited under his roof, and he gave himself a chance to wonder if Walder Frey's daughters would even want to be reunited.

"Are we to stand here and make idle chatter or will you show us inside, old Lion?" boomed Daven, and Jaime made sure to return his smile with only vague irritation.

It was true that he was not the fondest of Daven Lannister, but he did like him. And above all that he knew he could use his council here. Not just as a trusted advisor, but for company for both him and Lorraine.

"Shall we, then?" He all but challenged.

Lorraine swiftly moved to loop her arm through Daven's, looking back at Jaime with an insistent smile and a subtle nod to walk with Marla.

He felt like he was walking with a slightly warmed statue, if anything at all. He tried conversing, which was awkward enough as it is, but he had to admit that he scarcely even heard her replies and did not want to harass the poor girl into repeating her answers, it was not as if they had much value to him regardless.

Lorraine and Daven on the other hand seemed to be getting along nicely, and he traded the silence of his conversation for shamelessly listening in on theirs.

She reached out to touch his long golden beard, and she laughed at his jokes. He could not help but take note of the fact that Daven's hair was of a stronger golden hue than his. His right hand was still there, and it cupped Lorraine's with such ease.

Jaime had never doubted himself very often. Especially when it came to his youth and vigor. But he could scarcely ignore the fact that although she displayed superior maturity Lorraine was younger than he and Daven was of a closer age. After hearing of all of Cersei's exploits and having confirmed that she had taken his cousin Lancel as a lover, someone who was said to look exactly like himself in his youth, Jaime could not help but recall the sting of being replaced. He did not want to ask himself what it would be like to have both the women he had ever known so intimately take a younger cousin of his as a replacement.

She is nothing like Cersei, he kept reminding himself.

Once they had reached the agreed upon chambers Daven thanked them for their welcome and his wife all but scurried into the room. Before he himself could retreat he told Daven he would require his company in his study later on before dinner in the main hall.

"If I should find it well enough, i'll be there."

"Good, I will see you then."

After everything that had gone on with Lorraine and her more than reasonable willingness to move forward with him he had taken it upon himself to be more forthcoming with her with his intentions for now and the future -and he was quite glad that there had been no mention of the past. When she lay her head in his lap to idly read or sew on the lazy afternoons in which he would have a moment to respite with her he would detail his day to her, even if she had not asked. He would tell her what he did within his duties, why he had done them and the reason they were imperative. She had admitted that it helped her understand the way things worked better and he had joked that she was probably preparing to take over his duties for him once he "mysteriously vanishes". She had laughed at that.

Before Daven's arrival Jaime had explained to Lorraine why exactly he would needed him to come to Casterly Rock before heading to the Capital. Granted, Lorraine was not overly apposed to more company at Casterly Rock, but he still thought she should be aware of the circumstances. He needed Edmure Tully to arrive at King's Landing with someone he trusted, and Daven was the best option seeing as he was the Hand now. He had asked Lorraine how she felt about them leaving and whether she was sad that she would not share Roslin's company for probably a long time after they are gone but she had nodded in good faith and taken it in stride. He nodded back, telling her she would have plenty of guests and she could invite her sisters as often as she wanted, but he did not miss the sadness that graced her brow.

The political tension was thickening still even after the Riverlands had been effectively muted -there was also the issue of the Iron Born raiding the North that he had yet to even think about, he needed time with Daven to discuss these matters and what action both him and the crown should take to prevent further chaos.

As they made their way back to their chambers, Lorraine with elation in her step and Jaime slower as he was still deep in thought, Jaime ended up walking slightly behind his wife. Once he had come to his senses and refocused on the figure before him he eyed the intricate detail in her dress. He had never been so proud of a dress.

He had it ordered for her, she seemed to have thus far liked the dresses he had so far ordered to be made for her -granted they were all plain, loose gowns made for labouring tasks, but Jaime had decided that he wanted to see Lorraine in his house colours. Something about that nagged at him, another itch for a reminder of reality.

Now staring into the deep red folds of the dress, laced heavily in gold, his lips quirked up and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"My, how wonderful you look in that dress."

She turned to him then, her face the epitome of smug coyness.

"Really?"

"Yes. Matter of fact I don't think i've had much of a chance to take in the dress in its entirety. Would you do a quick twirl? For me?" He was toying with her, but her face remained neutral.

With her chin high she stepped in front of him and gave him a gentle nod before spinning around at a high speed in never ending circles. She twirled and twirled in front of him with no sign of stopping as the colours of her dress seemed to blend into one, a field of crimson and golden wheat.

He gave out a loud bellowing laugh before he reached over to stop her. Her hair swung wildly around her face and her breath was heavy as she panted, he could only look down at her panting frame with a smile. And she giggled. And so they stood in the middle of a spinning corridor laughing at one another.

After they had made it back to their chambers Lorraine scoured the room quickly in search of Amber, who had in recent days become scarce in appearance. They had initially attributed it to her perhaps getting lost and getting used to new surroundings but Lorraine had then suggested that she simply did not appreciate being cooped up in one place for so long. Was she perhaps speaking for herself? He thought it unlikely so since she hadn't ever really left Ashemark until she had gone to Silverhill before it had been taken.

"Do you not tire of constantly searching for that cat? Leave it be!" He sat down on the couch, stretching his muscles in the process in an attempt to have some quick rest before having to head out again.

"I've seen her with another cat" She motioned as she sat on the other end of the couch, resting her feet on his lap with caution.

"Then she has a new friend. Just like you." She dug for her notebook to respond.

"I wonder when you'll start making new friends."

"HAH" he laughed.

"I don't need new friends. I have you."

"And our cat."

"And our cat."

She moved herself then, replacing her feet on Jaime's lap with her head and she climbed further up his chest -much like a cat, Jaime thought ironically. They stayed there, content with silence as they entwined their fingers with one another's, it felt unusually warm.

After a long while Jaime regretfully withdrew from the strange embrace they had created and made to stand up as Lorraine's eyes scoured for his explanation.

"I must go see Edmure Tully now." A part of Lorraine looked slightly shocked at his forthcoming revelation. While walking, eating and talking with Roslin Tully had now become a mandatory part of Lorraine's day Edmure Tully still remained an elusive character to her as she had never met him and he rarely ventured out of his rooms. She understood that Roslin did not feel comfortable discussing her husband with her but she did give out the idea that, understandably, he was not entirely happy with their current situation.

"What about?" She inquired, and Jaime could tell she was more curious about whether he would actually answer her. Everything seemed to be some sort of test now.

"With Daven's arrival I believe it is time to inform Edmure of the plans we have for him. It is still a little early to send him off to King's Landing yet but at least now he can grow accustomed to the notion and we may ...quell any concerns he might have about the matter." She nodded understandingly, but with silence.

Moving down to place a chaste kiss on her cheek, he nodded to take his leave.

"I will see you at dinner tonight"

As he left his room and trailed through the upcoming halls he thought that while he did not fear Edmure or whatever his reaction would be, he would still long for the silence he had with Lorraine.

A/N: Bit of a filler chapter but I felt like I couldn't post such a long update to get back in the groove of things. Hopefully will have more before the start of the next week, i'm inspired to work again!