She ran along the rocky shore-line, her bare feet sure on the wet stones. The dark shapes of crags and cliffs loomed overhead, silhouetted black against the lighter sky. The only sun left was leaking red and orange out across the horizon. She ran like the wind, down onto the beach, the air cold in her lungs, her feet skimming over the gritty pebbles as if they could run forever.

As she neared the end of the beach, she slowed. Turned a circle, listening to the heavy wash and thud of surf out in the darkness. Where was he?

She knew he would be there. If she trusted in anything in the whole world, it was Jaime. He would be there. She walked towards the huge rocks banked above the sea. Waves smashed against them and white foam sprayed high into the air.

The sand was cool between her toes, and her nightgown billowed loosely around her body. She felt so free, like a caged falcon unhooded and thrown into the sky. Foot steps came from behind; she half-turned, just before hands grabbed her waist with an electrifying suddenness that made her startle and squeal even as she knew they would. Jaime swung her around and her legs lifted off the ground.

'Gotcha!' he said, laughing, and they fell onto the sand. She squirmed away and scrambled on top of him, pinning his arms on either side of his head. Her feet straddled his body, knees on his chest. Jaime let her without protest. 'Help I'm trapped,' he cried out. 'She's going to kill me.'

'Do you yield?' Cersei growled, her hair falling in his face.

'I yield,' Jaime said. He gave a token struggle. 'I am your prisoner, Ser.'

Cersei flicked her hair over his face until he spluttered and laughed. 'I said I yield! Yield!'

'You need to be tortured,' she declared in a deep voice. She reached down and scooped up a handful of wet sand, but in a flash he had easily caught her wrist and twisted it back. The sand fell on her bare leg. Jaime scooted backwards and sat up, pushing her off his chest onto his lap. His arms wrapped around to keep her there.

'My dear sister,' he mock-lamented, 'Ignores me for days and then torments me. How I miss her.'

'I didn't ignore you,' Cersei said. Having him so close to her again made her stomach flip over and her heart race with joy, but it was bitter-sweet. Inexplicably, she felt tears prickle in her eyes.

'Always ignoring me. Always leaving me,' Jaime teased. He tightened his arms around her, so that their bodies pressed close together. His breath hot on her neck.

'I couldn't see you, they wouldn't let me.'

'I know,' Jaime said.

They sat there for a minute, embracing. Their limbs locked together like the missing pieces of a puzzle. Cersei rested her forehead on his shoulder, he smelled like metal and salt. The wind was chill on her skin and mist from the waves damped her hair, but enfolded in her brother's warmth she was whole again.

'How did you get away?' he wanted to know.

'Out my window.'

'But there are no handholds down your wall.'

'I went along the balcony to underneath your window.'

Jaime sounded impressed. 'That's a very skinny balcony. We should dig out some notches under your window too.'

'What, in KingsLanding?' she snapped.

He didn't reply. There was a long silence.

'Is it true, then?' she asked.

'I don't know,' Jaime said. He sounded flat. 'Father says... that you have to go with him. He's leaving in two days, Cers.' He buried his face in her hair.

'We could run away.'

'They'd find us.'

'I'm serious, Jaime. We could run away.'

Jaime pulled back and looked into her eyes. 'Where to? Lannisport? What do you think would happen to us when Father found us?'

'I don't care -'

'And really, Cers. Even if we could, I can't see you happily living on the streets, picking pockets just so we can eat. Would I be a sellsword, or a brigand? Do you have any idea what it's like to live as a commoner? Grow up, you're not a little girl any more.' Jaime sighed and shoved her off him, jumped up. 'Come on. Let's go for a climb.'

Cersei got up too, stung by his criticism. She bristled. 'I thought you wanted us to be together forever.'

'I do. And we will be.' He walked backwards to face her. 'I promise you. Forever. Now come on, lazybones.' He turned and started running. She chased him over to where the ledge of rocks at the far end of the beach towered into the sky.

Jaime was a good climber, but half-way up she found a section of broken rock that graduated like steps. She sprang nimbly up them and beat him to the top by a good second.

Stretching out in front of them was the expanse of a wide flat boulder, longer than their dining table. They walked to the edge and looked down. Far below, the swell of the ocean lagged and boomed. The sun had bled out into the horizon as it sank, leaving the clouds behind glowing with fire.

They sat down, legs crossed. Jaime reached and took Cersei's hand, twined their fingers together. He rubbed his thumb over the top of hers. 'It seems like ages since I've seen you. Like I don't... like you look different to me.' He was staring at her so hard it was disturbing.

'Am I getting fat?' she asked, worried, remembering Father's words.

Jaime considered her, thoughtful. 'Maybe. In some places. But it's... nice.'

'What do you mean? How am I fat?'

Jaime raised his other hand in a slow motion and lightly brushed the side of her chest, under her arm. Then his hand dropped to the curve of her hip and rested there. It tickled pleasantly, like tiny sparks lit up all along her skin. She smiled, but Jaime didn't. His eyes glazed over oddly. 'You're... different,' he said wonderingly, under his breath.

Cersei frowned and pushed his hand away. Unlinked their fingers. She knew she should be appreciating this time with him, but was abruptly infuriated by his seeming lack of concern for their situation. What if this is the last time we're together, ever?

'Father will marry me off to some King or Lord,' she said, sullen.

There was a long moment when neither spoke, then Jaime sighed. 'Yeah.'

'He'll be fat, or old, or stupid. He'll have bad breath and he won't care that I like swimming or that I'm good at climbing.'

Jaime said nothing, but a muscle ticked in his jaw.

'I'll have to be his wife, and kiss him and... lie in his bed with him. Have his babies and -'

'Shhh Cersei!' Jaime grabbed her forearm and gave it a shake, exasperated. 'Seven hells! Just shut... just shut the fuck up.' His eyes were dark and fierce.

'He'll be the one I'll be with forever, not you. And you can't do anything about it.' She started to cry, hiccuping in her throat. Jaime looked maddened. He put his hand over her mouth to silence her, but she twisted to free herself, determined now. Jaime tried to clasp her wrists and she managed to free an arm and slapped him hard, scraping with her nails.

Jaime sat back. His expression was stunned, hurt. Cersei glared at him, breathing heavily. A thin line of blood beaded up along his cheek and she felt a thrill of satisfaction to see it.

'I love you Cers,' Jaime said. He looked like he was about to cry.

'I hate you,' Cersei said. 'You and Father and Septa and Tyrion and... everyone. I thought you... I thought that you...' she couldn't even speak, she was so overwrought.

'You don't hate me, you just are upset right now.'

The sun had gone and all around them the light faded to ash.

Jaime put his hand to his cheek gingerly and looked at his finger tips. 'It's a good thing you're not allowed near swords any more, Cers. You're lethal.'

She giggled.

'I think I'm bleeding to death.'

'Good.' She went to kick him with her outstretched feet, but he dodged. He held her ankle firmly and leaned over. In the darkness, she couldn't see his face very well, but she sensed he was smiling. He crawled on top of her until his mouth was inches from hers.

'Do I have bad breath?' he whispered.

'No,' she giggled again. She could feel her heart beating too fast. Having Jaime so close felt, for some reason, unfamiliar, a little scary, and suffocating. Cersei was reminded of when she'd been too long underwater and was running out of breath.

Jaime opened his mouth and she waited for him to say something, but he didn't. Instead, he gently pressed his lips on her parted lips, and his tongue licked against her tongue. She froze, surprised, because he'd never done that before. It should have felt yucky; she should have drawn away, but it didn't, and she didn't.

It felt... right.

She closed her eyes, and beneath her, the rock, the beach, the ocean all vanished and she was falling backwards into nothing.

Then Jaime lifted his head, and the warmth of his body was gone, leaving only the cold touch of the wind. 'We should get back,' he said. Even though she knew he was next to her, his voice sounded as if it came from a distance.

Cersei sat up, head spinning. The dark night was all around and she couldn't see anything. She was blind. All she could hear was the surf surging and crashing down shore, and the rush of her own blood loud in her ears.