Ch 3: Come to My Window (March 1994)

There were three days left in Highgarden's spring break vacation, two days until Robb and her were going to the train station together to pick up Sansa. She had wanted to plan an awesome spring break for just the two of them, this being Sansa's first college spring break and their first real break since they'd officially started dating, but Mrs. Stark had called last month, complaining of missing her baby girl, and reluctantly Sansa had agreed to spend the week back at Winterfell.

This was exactly why she was surprised to hear Loras yelling across the house for her at 10pm, saying that Robb Stark was at the front door asking for her.

"We don't go pick up Sansa for like, two days, Loras," she yelled back from her spot at the kitchen table. Early March meant she had little time left to go through her seed catalogs for this year's garden, which was what she was busying herself with at the moment. She wasn't alone, the two girls, Sarah and Kelly, who shared the room next door to hers sat at the table with her, looking through an old issue of Cosmo, and another housemate was making a pot of coffee in the kitchen.

About thirty seconds later, Loras came into this kitchen with Robb at his heels. "I know we weren't supposed to pick her up until Sunday, but this is important. We can't pick her up then, she's been here since Wednesday morning."

"What?" Margaery asked loudly. Calm down, there's gotta be a reason. Family things, right? "Why didn't you tell me? …why hasn't she come over here?"

"Come over to the house, I'll explain what I know," Robb said. Margaery quickly placed a bookmark in her catalog, put on a pair of sandals that were sitting by the door, followed Robb next door and joined Jon and Theon who were already sitting in the wicker porch chairs.

"Now, we don't really have much of an explanation. I called our dad and he said she got into a huge fight with mom, and just to give her some time to cool off," Robb started, sitting down in one of the chairs and motioning for Margaery to take a seat too. "She called from the train station early Wednesday morning and just told us to come pick her up and not to ask questions. She went straight up to her room as soon as we got back and she's been there ever since. Door's locked from the inside. She won't talk to any of us when we knock, but we hear her up there walking around, hear the music from her stereo change."

"Wait, so she hasn't been eating?" Margaery asked, the worry starting to come through in her voice.

"She comes down at night," Jon said. "I think she waits until we're all asleep and then raids the fridge."

"We talked and we were hoping she might let you in," Theon said. "Maybe she'll talk to you about whatever happened. It's not like her to argue with Catelyn, they always get along so well. You'll try though, right?"

"Yea," Margaery said, nodding her head yes. "Of course I'll see if she'll talk to me."

Jon opened the front door and the three boys watched Margaery climb about halfway up the stairs.

"Sansa! It's me, babe, Margaery. Your brothers and Theon are worried sick about you up there. You okay with unlocking that door and letting me in?"

They waited in silence for a few moments and heard nothing. Margaery asked again and they could plainly hear Sansa's footsteps and the creak her bed always made whenever you first sat on it, but nothing like what the door unlocking would sound like.

Well, I can see where this is going. Probably gonna need to break out some strategy for this.

"Alright boys, out of the way. I've got an idea that'll get this done." She turned and hustled down the half flight of stairs, turning the corner and letting herself out the door that led to the Stark's small back yard. She was quickly followed by Robb, Theon, and Jon, the first which turned on the lights in the backyard in time to see Margaery already making her way back from the garage with a ten-foot tall ladder.

"Seven fucking hells, Margaery," Theon swore, "You're not actually going to climb up to her window are you? It's pitch dark out here."

"It's not like any of you had better ideas. She's still hiding away after two days, isn't she?" She paused for a minute, pushing the ladder open and securing the legs apart. "Robb was the one that decided to wait until it was 10pm and pitch dark out to tell me that my girlfriend is in trouble, so yes, I am going up there right now. Jon, if you'd be so kind as to hold the ladder, since you're closest and all."

Jon stepped forward and held the legs steady on the poured concrete deck as Margaery made her way up the ladder, silently cursing her quick decision to wear sandals. Crawling the couple of feet on the shingles, she could see Sansa on her bed, sitting on top of the comforter, upright against the gold-toned metal bed frame with a pillow behind her back. The overhead light in the ceiling fan was turned off but both of the pastel blue lamps on the bedside tables flanking her bed were on. At her left was the Adidas shoebox which Margaery recognized as the one Sansa kept all of the pictures she'd brought with her from home. Most of those that had been taken since she'd moved to Highgarden were stuck in a half circle around the mirror on her dresser. She was going aimlessly through a handful of pictures and didn't look up to notice Margaery on her roof until she heard the noise of the window opening and saw her climb inside.

Sansa squared up the pictures she had in her hand and set them carefully back into the shoebox as Margaery closed the window tight behind her and toed off her sandals. There was not much room on Sansa's bed, but she scooted over a bit, allowing Margaery to fit herself in next to her. A few seconds went by and then she felt Sansa finally relax a bit, slumping down and allowing her head to rest on the shorter girl's shoulder.

"Sansa, you've gotta tell me what happened. Robb said you got back early two days ago and have just sat up in your room since then. He said you've been coming downstairs after the guys are asleep and taking food from the fridge. I'm just worried, that's all," Margaery explained, trying her hardest to get her worries out into words, but not sound upset. "You didn't even tell me you were coming back early."

"I didn't expect to, but, crap, Mags, it just got so out of control. I couldn't deal with it. I couldn't deal being around her knowing I was making her feel like that. I had to leave so I called Jeyne and had her drive me to the train station a couple days ago."

"Her? You mean Arya? Did you two fight again? Because if this is all her -"

"No, not Arya. She's been lovely actually." Sansa had reached her right arm out by this point, her right hand finding Margaery's left, lacing their fingers together as she took a deep breath. "It's my mother... I sort of awkwardly came out and told them about us. I didn't mean to, but she just kept going on and on about all these nice, attractive, and single male interns at the hospital, how they'd be perfect for me, and how much I needed to make sure I found myself a good man while I'm at university. It was all I heard for practically thirty six hours in a row."

XXXXXXX

Despite listening to her mother gossip about all the new interns at her work through most of family dinner the previous night, Monday lunch actually came around fairly quickly. Arya's mid-winter break was the previous month when she'd visited Highgarden, so she was home and had invited Sansa to hang out with some of her friends on Sunday night since Jeyne had to work. However, with Arya at school, now it was just her and her father sitting around the kitchen table as her mother finished bringing in lunch.

"Mom, you know you really don't have to cook up lunches like this just because I'm home. I don't eat like this at school. It's really not necessary," she said, staring at the trays of homemade sandwiches and potato salad, deviled eggs, and fruit that Catelyn was carrying in. "Jon's actually perfected the best cooking time for cup noodles and believe it or not, Theon makes about the greatest grilled cheese this side of the Wall."

"Oh, I think it's perfectly necessary for lunch, Sansa," Ned replied, tapping his foot against hers under the table. Sansa knew this lunch was made especially for her and also knew that her father rarely came home from work for lunch, choosing to eat his sack lunch with her brother Benjen and the other hourly workers. Solidarity, or something like that, he'd told me once.

"So, Sansa, if you're not busy tonight after dinner, there's an intern at the office who's dying to meet you," Catelyn started, bring the last of the food over and sitting down across from Sansa and her father. "I know he's a few years older than you, but he's going to be a doctor one day, you know, and those ones don't stay unattached for long."

"Mom, I really don't –"

"Now don't worry, it's just coffee. Besides, I think I know your type by now. Fair-skinned, dashingly handsome, bright eyes… oh! I think I might have a picture in the office from our last work dinner. I'll just run and –"

"Mother, stop!" Oh, crap that was too loud. "I'm sure he's an awesome guy but I'm not meeting him for coffee. I'm not meeting anyone for coffee."

When her father took the conversation away from Catelyn for a second it felt like a gift from the Seven, but Sansa was wary of the road this conversation was heading down. She knew she would need to tell her parents about Margaery at some point in time, she just didn't expect it to be now. "No worries, sweetheart. You don't have to meet with anyone you don't want to. Besides, sounds like you've got someone back at school anyways. Who's the lucky guy that's gonna steal my daughter away from me?"

Moment of truth.

"…Margaery Tyrell," she answered quietly, knowing she was mumbling out the majority of it.

She watched as her mother's eyes instantly lit up and saw how excited she got. "Tyrell? Is that what you said? It must be that older one, Willas, right? Oh, honey, why didn't you tell us you met someone? It makes sense that it'd be a Tyrell. From what I hear they practically own that whole school."

You've got to say it, Sansa. The guys have known since the beginning and even Arya's known since her visit. I'm actually quite surprised that all of Winterfell doesn't know by now.

"It's not Willas, mom. It's his sister, Margaery."

"Sansa, don't joke with us. If it's not Willas, then it's Garlan, right? I thought you'd said he had a girlfriend already."

"It's no joke, I'm very serious. Margaery was the first person I met down there and we've been inseparable since pretty much the first weekend. It just started out as friends and progressed from there. We've been going out for about three months now and gods, it's wonderful. You'd love her, you both would. She's super smart and focused, really driven and committed to her studies so she understands why they're so important to me, but I've never had someone that I could just chill with after class or on weekends that makes me feel like I don't have to hide and I can just relax." She realized she'd been on a tangent a bit and stopped for a moment, waiting to see any responses. Ned was calm as always and she could tell that at first he was not sure he understood correctly, but she noticed the small smile he was trying to hide from his wife.

"I can't believe this," Catelyn responded, breaking the moment of silence and also noticing the look on Ned's face. "What is that smirk for? Did you know about this Ned?"

"This is the first I've heard too, Cat. And yes, it is a bit surprising."

"A bit surprising? You act like you're okay with this. And you, young lady what do you have say for yourself?"

"What do I have to…? Mom, I think you're overreacting a bit. I'm sorry for waiting to tell you, but I wanted to do it in person. Dad didn't know, but Robb and the guys know, Arya does too. Everyone else really likes her – Arya even got along with her enough to spend half a day with her while I had class. I honestly don't see what the big deal is."

"I should've known. I should've known this would happen at a place like that. Ned, I can't believe we sent her to that public university. We could've saved for Maegors and this could all have been avoided," Cat said. She'd pushed herself up from her chair and was pacing back and forth around the kitchen.

"Cat, now, if you would just sit down for a –" Sansa knew her father's calm reasoning was not going to help at all in this situation. She'd seen her mother get angry at Arya before, she knew how this went.

"Really, mom? You think Highgarden is to blame? You don't think I would've been a lesbian if I'd attended Maegors, an all girls school? You think all I've been doing up at school has been thinking, 'Gods, you know what would piss off my mother? If I decided to date a girl! Wouldn't her daughter being a lesbian just be the perfect punishment for shipping me off to this public school?'"

"Gods, Sansa, don't say that word so loudly. What if the neighbors hear?"

"Mother, our closest neighbor is a half mile down the road. And what word are you talking about? Lesbian? Well, I'm sorry, but that's what I am. I apologize that your perfect daughter turned out this way, but I can guarantee you it wasn't caused by what school I went to or some girl's bad influence on me, or whatever you're thinking. This just happened. I'm sorry for not thinking about your feelings, or what the neighbors might think. I was just too busy being happy."

She'd tried to hold it together. She'd never gotten angry like this with her mother, never raised her voice to her before. Her mother had always been there for her, always accepted her, told her she was beautiful no matter what. When she was in eighth grade and Arya put three mouthfuls of gum on top of her head the day before school picture day and they had no choice but to buzz it all off. When she cried hysterically about how she'd never get into Maegors with a B+ in Algebra on her record. When she didn't know any better and got so upset when the Baratheon scandal hit and Joffrey was shipped off to the Westerlands. When she started off at Winterfell Schools on the wrong foot, not thinking and wearing her Mordane's uniform on the first day when everyone else, including her sister, had dressed in street clothes. When she'd come home from Winterfell upset because she'd never make friends, got made fun of for her fancier clothes she wore, for always raising her hand to answer questions, for being perceived as thinking she was better than all the other kids of working class families, when really she just wished she could let her guard down, forget the last ten years of prep school and finishing classes, and be carefree like they could. When her husky dog Lady, not even a year old, had ran out into the road, got hit by a car and was barely hanging on and her father had to rip her out of Sansa's arms to "take care of the situation."

The second she saw her mother carelessly sit herself back down in her chair and start crying, she couldn't hold it together any longer.

XXXXXX

"None of this matters, babe, not in the long run. She'll come around, I know it," Margaery said, pulling Sansa closer into her side and smoothing down her hair, trying her best to make Sansa realize that this was not the end of the world, just one hurdle for them.

"I'm just not used to not being accepted by her. Even if I felt like no one else was on my side, I knew that she would be. It's like starting at Winterfell High School all over again."

"It was just your mom that was upset, right? What about Ned?"

"He's fine. A little caught off guard but we talked about it for a while afterwards."

XXXXXX

Once Sansa had started crying she immediately got up from her spot at the table, grabbed her coat and shoes, and ran outside to the only place she could think of. She'd been sitting on the leaf-covered ground in the Godswood outside their house, in the very back by the largest weirwood tree and pond that Arya and her brothers used to swim in during the summer. It was about an hour before she heard the sound of footsteps and then saw her father walking towards her.

"Are you going to cry too? Or would you rather yell at me?"

"I'm not upset at you, Sansa, just surprised, that's all."

"You're not? But mom, she..."

"Your mother overreacted. She's just shocked. I don't think she meant all those things she said. Heck, like I said, you took me by surprise too. But, so far as I'm concerned, you're old enough to make your own decisions. Not only that, I just spent forty-five minutes on the phone with Robb, Jon, and Arya listening to them gab about how happy you've been these past months. You're beautiful, you're smart, and you've got such a sweet and caring personality. Anybody you choose to love would be stupid not to love you just as much as I do."

"You mean it?"

"Would I lie to you?" Ned asked. Sansa shook her head. "That's right. Now, we're going to have to meet this girl pretty soon though. I'm actually looking forward to it."

She leaned over and wrapped her arms around him, starting to cry again, but happily this time. She'd never really come to her father for comfort, at least not since she was very little. That wasn't to say he was not supportive of her, it was just always her mother who she ran to, and Arya that ran to their father when things went wrong. It felt amazing to know that he was on her side through this.

They sat there for a little while longer, not saying anything. Finally, he asked if she thought she was ready to head back and helped her off the ground.

"Now, tell me about this Gendry fellow," Ned asked once they started the walk from the back of the godswood.

"What's there to know? He's just one of the guys' friends. Really nice though, seems like he's got it all planned out. Why are you asking?"

"Just a feeling, kiddo. Ever since Arya spent that week visiting you on her break, all I her about is Gendry Waters this, and Gendry Waters that, did you know that Gendry has his mechanic's license. It never stops. Your mother thinks something's going on, but I don't know what to think. Arya's never shown any interest in any of the local boys that way before. I thought I'd be getting today's confession from her eventually, not from you."

"Dad!" She yelled and then let out a loud laugh. "You better watch out or I'll tell her you said that. Arya did spend a day or two hanging out with him while the rest of us had classes. No clue what they did, but I don't think any of us noticed it."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure. She's probably just got a crush on him. He seems her type – dark and broody, leather jackets and old motorcycles, always sorta smells greasy."

"Good guy?" He asked, looking her in the eyes as he did so. He'd always told her and all of her siblings that he had a sixth sense for lies and half-truths.

"Great guy, actually," Sansa answered, meeting his gaze and wrapping her arm in his as they walked back. "Hey, dad, I don't know if I'm up for family dinner tonight with mom. Is it okay if just you and I grab something?"

"Of course, whatever you think you need."

XXXXX

"Doesn't sound like it ended that badly. Why'd you end up coming back early?"

Sansa had stopped crying for a moment and shifted herself out of Margaery's arms, sitting up straight with her legs crossed in front of her. "Dad and I grabbed dinner but it wasn't until the drive home when I realized that I was still going to have to spend the next five days or whatever in the same house with my mother. Jeyne was working, Arya was at school, so it'd be just me and mom the majority of each day. I couldn't do it. At that point I was just so tired of yelling and crying that I told Dad what I wanted to do, called Jeyne as soon as I got home, grabbed my bags, and she swung by and dropped me at the train station. I got back here and even though I know that Robb and Jon and Theon are all on my side I was scared."

"What? What's there to be scared of?"

"Everything. I just had a lot of time to think on the train, that's all, and I realized that my mother's reaction and opinions are not going to be the last. There'll be reactions like hers all of the time, or maybe just the silent ones. I don't know which are worse, and I certainly don't know if I'm strong enough for something that seems so difficult."

"Sweet summer child," Margaery said, scooting herself directly in front of Sansa, crossing her legs, and leaning up to kiss her forehead. "It is difficult, but it's worth it. There are plenty of people in my family that aren't cool with you, that weren't cool with any of my previous girlfriends, or with Loras and Renly. There's plenty of people out there that you'll meet who will judge you immediately and there are obnoxious people that will yell horrible things at us when we hold hands in public."

"I know!" she yelled, flinging out her arms in disapproval and letting them drop back down into her lap. "I don't know how you've dealt with it. I don't know if I'm brave enough for that, for everything they'll think or say."

"Hey, don't talk like that," Margaery replied as she lifted Sansa face up so she could meet her eyes. "Look at me. I don't care what they think. I don't care what they say. What do they know about this love, anyways?"

Sansa's expression softened as she looked at Margaery for a few moments, and then a slow grin broke out on her face as Margaery lowered her hands.

"…did you just quote Melissa Etheridge to me?" Sansa asked.

"Maybe."

"Maybe nothing," she replied, letting herself laugh a bit. "You totally did."

"Okay, okay, I did, but that doesn't mean it's not true. They don't know shit about our relationship, Sansa, about what we've got, or what we're working on building here. We're in this together, yea?" Margaery said.

"Yea," Sansa replied softly, nodding.

"Of course. Now, ready to come out of your room for a while?" She pushed herself up and off the bed, holding her arms out in front of her towards Sansa.

"Are you kidding? I could kill for some real food right now." She grabbed Margaery's hands and stood up off the bed, using the momentum to push herself towards Margaery and kiss her properly before walking over to her closet. "I've been living off nothing but leftovers and Diet Coke for two days." She grabbed a thick green Highgarden hooded sweatshirt off a hanger and quickly pulled it over her head.

"And that's different from every other day?"

Margaery avoided the push from Sansa and unlocked her door, pushing it open, its normal creaking noise sounding extra loud. "Come on, let's go. Whatever you want at the diner, my treat."

Note: I was initially going to write this in order, but I've decided against it. The whole story will get told, but not in the exact timeline. The chapter title and a bit of theme is from Melissa Etheridge's Come to My Window, which was released in 1994. I knew I couldn't tell this story without this chapter and I thought this song was great for it.