Day 23: Showing Affection
Robb
The nurse moved the machine over Talisa's belly until she found something on the screen.
Robb couldn't believe how small it was until he noticed the heartbeat.
Talisa had been pregnant for eight weeks now and he had known about it since two or maybe three weeks but it had never felt more real than it felt right then.
He took hold of her hand and he squeezed a little bit while he didn't dare to take his eyes of the screen in fear that the vague image might disappear completely.
"There it is" the doctor said smiling while she pointed at their child on the screen.
"Our baby" Talisa said softly with a huge smile on her face.
Robb had heard people say that pregnant women had a certain glow about them and he couldn't agree more when he looked at his girlfriend.
He pressed a kiss on the knuckles of the hand he was holding.
"Everything appears to be fine" the doctor said "I'm just going to show these pictures to one of my colleges and I'll give you a few minutes alone"
The doctor left Talisa and Robb alone in the room with the young nurse while the screen still showed the image of their child.
They heard a few careful knocks on the door and it opened a little bit.
"Can we come in?" Theon asked looking through the crack.
"I guess one person won't be a pro-..." the nurse started carefully before Jeyne interrupted her.
"Can we see the baby?" she asked excited while she tied to look over Theon's shoulder but failed because she was too short.
"Well it's not really..." the nurse tried before she got interrupted again.
"I want to see it too!" this time it was Sansa's voice he recognized.
Theon couldn't keep the door half-closed anymore to give Talisa and Robb some privacy because the girls were pushing him and soon the door opened completely.
It seemed like a flood of people who entered the small room.
When Robb had told Theon that Talisa and he were going to see a doctor and Theon had told Jeyne about it of course, who in her turn had told Sansa about it, who had apparently told everyone else about it which had resulted into the complete Stark family cramming into the old van once again while they drove to the hospital.
Theon, Jeyne, Sansa, Bran, Rickon, Jon, Ygritte and Arya had all gotten into the van and eventually even his mother had given in.
Cat had been ignoring Talisa but even she couldn't keep it up when seeing her grandchild's first ultra sound was on the line.
"Oh it's so tiny!" Jeyne said and she and Sansa immediately walked to the screen showing the image.
The nurse seemed more than a little bit uncomfortable but no one was paying attention to her soft complaints.
"Congratulations" Ygritte said smiling and Robb noticed that she was holding hands with Jon again.
Apparently she hadn't appreciated the fact that Jon and Daenerys had gone to Arya's concert without her even though Ygritte herself couldn't make it anyway.
It was good to see that they had patched things up again one more time but Robb had to admit that it was starting to become difficult to keep up with the fact if they were dating or not.
"Is there a baby in your belly?" Rickon asked Talisa confused but so many people were talking at the same time that Talisa and he decided to ignore the question.
He wasn't looking forward to having to explain something like that to his little brother.
"Do you think it's going to be a boy or a girl?" Bran asked Robb and Talisa.
"We don't know yet of course" Talisa said "but I think it's going to be a boy"
"We're going to name him Eddard after father" Robb told his little brother.
Robb suddenly noticed his mother standing among the crowd.
A single tear rolled down her cheek but there was a small smile on her face.
"Thank you" she mouthed in Robb's direction before she hugged him and strangely she hugged Talisa too afterwards.
"Welcome to the family" Cat told Talisa who smiled at her in return.
Sansa
Sansa was sitting at a table in the school's library while sketching her prom dress during her free period between her Common Tongue class and math.
Her prom dress was blue this time to match her eyes and Jeyne had helped her pick it out.
Sansa liked the dress a lot more than the one she had worn at her birthday party sine it wasn't as revealing and it didn't clash with her auburn hair.
She looked up from her sketch and checked the clock.
Sansa let out an annoyed sigh when she noticed that she was going to be stuck in the library for another 30 minutes before her next class started.
The teachers hadn't given them any homework because it was the day before prom which meant that she didn't really have anything to do, especially because all of her friends had classes right now.
She twirled her hair around her finger while she watched Tyrion Lannister walk into the library and sit down a few tables away from her.
Sansa remembered how hard she had been on him less than a week ago and she couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty about it.
There was a good chance that she had judged him unfairly.
Jon had told her how much of a help Tyrion was to Daenerys and that he was really doing everything he could to help her become Prom Queen.
Apparently some Lannisters did help other people without wanting something in return even though Sansa had to admit that she suspected that a part of the reason why he was helping her was the fact that he was trying to keep his sister from being crowned.
Sansa knew that that could actually be considered a good cause after everything that Cersei had done to her and other people so she didn't hold the possible ulterior motive against him.
Sansa got up from her seat and walked across the library.
She could feel Tyrion's eyes following her while she approached him and sat down in the chair across from him.
"Hey" she said softly.
"Hello" Tyrion said without looking up from the book he was reading.
She had seen him looking at her before so she didn't get why he was suddenly faking disinterest but she decided not to push the subject.
"I just wanted to apologize for last week" Sansa said looking at her nails instead of him "I shouldn't have judged you because of what your sister has done, it wasn't fair and I regret it"
Tyrion seemed to study her face for a while with his mismatched eyes before he let out a tired sounding sigh and his facial expression softened.
"It's fine" he said "I'm used to it by now"
Sansa bit her lip and she couldn't help but still feel guilty.
"Can I make it up to you somehow?" she asked him carefully.
A sad smile appeared on Tyrion's face and he suddenly seemed a lot older than he was.
"I thought you didn't feel comfortable around Lannisters" he said.
A blush spread across Sansa's face.
"It's probably too late to take that back, right?" she asked him while trying to make him crack at least one happy and real smile.
"Yes" he admitted chuckling "but there's one thing you could do about it"
"What is it?" she asked him and she was too nervous to feel relieved yet.
It wasn't unlikely for Tyrion to make a sarcastic comment at this point which would only make her feel worse.
"You could proof that you've changed your mind by going to Prom with me" Tyrion said "unless you have a date of course"
Sansa shook her head and she had to admit that she still didn't have a date yet.
After everything that had happened with Joffrey and her aunt Lysa Sansa hadn't even felt like finding a decent date for Prom.
The memory of her crying aunt's face while she wrapped her arms around her older sisters neck was a bit too vivid to leave any room for romance.
Lysa was going to divorce Petyr because he beat her after Sansa left the house.
She felt guilty for leaving her aunt behind but she didn't think there had been anything she could have done about it if she had been there anyway.
Her aunt had told Cat that she had to leave Petyr to protect Robin from him and Sansa thought this was the first rational thought her aunt had had in months.
"Sure, I'll be your date for Prom" Sansa said and she managed to put a genuine looking smile on her face even though she felt terribly nervous.
She wondered what people would say if she walked into the decorated gym as Tyrion Lannister's date but maybe the problem was that she just shouldn't worry about what other people were thinking.
"What colour will your dress be?" Tyrion asked her smiling and she could see it in his mismatched eyes that he was still expecting her to back out.
Two can play at that game she thought and she almost smiled.
"Blue" she said "pick me up at seven"
That said she got up from her chair, blew him a kiss and left the library.
Jeyne
The wind was playing with her hair while she leaned on the railing of the sailing boat.
She closed her eyes and inhaled the salty air while she listened to the sound of the waves.
It was the first time since Ramsay's arrest that she felt completely at ease.
Jeyne still had nightmares about him in which he came back to hurt her or Theon and she would wake up covered in cold sweat while breathing heavily.
Theon would comfort her of course and hold her until she calmed down again but she didn't want to stay his broken girlfriend forever.
She wanted him to know that she could take care of him too from time to time and that somehow she could be strong again.
They would have to start somewhere of course but on the sailing boat, out on the open sea, she felt like she could at least give it a shot.
Jeyne turned around and she looked at Theon who was working with the sails.
He was a Greyjoy and Ironborn so the sea was in his blood.
He looked so strong while his white T-shirt fitted him neatly and showed off his fit body.
Theon smiled at her when he noticed that she was watching him.
She blushed a little and she smiled back.
He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his body against hers.
She felt so small and safe in his arms like nothing could ever hurt her again.
"Are you cold?" he asked her while he tugged a strand of brown hair behind her ear.
He had already given her his leather jacket which fitted her slim figure more than loosely.
It was chilly out on the sea but she didn't feel cold when she felt his body's heat against her skin.
She shook her head while she looked at him with her big, brown eyes.
Jeyne realized how stupid she had been when she was younger.
She thought she loved Ramsay but that feeling was nothing compared to what she felt now and to be honest even her crush on Theon before everything had happened seemed childish now.
Somehow they had grown and their bond had become so much stronger.
He cupped her cheek with one hand and smiled at her again.
Jeyne loved his smile.
"Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?" he asked her.
"You don't have to" Jeyne answered quickly.
Jeyne had been told before that she was pretty and she thought Ramsay had used the word beautiful before but it wasn't something she saw when she looked into the mirror.
It wasn't that she didn't like the way she looked but it had always been a little bit too easy to compare herself to her more beautiful friend Sansa.
"I do" Theon said "I don't know anyone as beautiful as you, Jeyne"
Jeyne got up on her tip-toes and pressed a kiss on Theon's lips while his fingers moved through her hair.
"Thank you" she whispered against his cheek while her eyelashes brushed against his skin.
Jeyne looked into his eyes again and she took hold of his hand.
They hadn't done anything more than kissing yet but she was building up the courage to do so.
Her bruises had almost completely faded and her body had healed.
Jeyne wanted to thank Theon, she wanted to love him and most of all she wanted him inside of her.
She moved his hand to her right breast in which Ramsay had dug his nails violently during what could hardly be described as making love.
Theon's touch was gentle though while his eyes seemed to ask her for permission.
"Are you sure?" he asked her softly.
Jeyne nodded and she could feel her own doubts disappear.
"I love you" she said "and I want to show you how much"
A smile spread across Theon's face and he kissed her.
"I love you too" he said while he rested his forehead against hers "always"
Arya
Arya was sitting on the couch next to Gendry who had put his arm around her shoulder while they were watching one of their favourite TV shows which starred a group of stupid but awesome people who preformed what seemed like life threatening stunts.
Rickon was sitting on the myrish rug in front of them while playing with his toy cars and possibly permanently ruining the rug, Bran was sitting on the couch too playing with his game boy while wearing huge, expensive headphones Arya had bought him for his birthday last summer.
Sansa and Jeyne were upstairs and they were trying out different hairstyles for Prom tomorrow.
Arya had honestly never heard of a dumber way to spend your afternoon, except maybe for Robb and Theon who were at the gym right now.
She had seen too many boys showing off in the gym for that to still seem attractive to her.
Gendry was pretty fit too but there was something appealing to the thought of him getting sweaty while training with dumbbells in his garage and it just wouldn't be the same if he did this in a gym.
Suddenly the doorbell rang and Arya let out an annoyed sigh.
"Sansa, can you get the door?!" she shouted while hoping that her older sister would be able to hear her.
Usually they made their mother open the door but she was at aunt Lysa's house to comfort her and eat ice cream or something.
Strangely Lysa's upcoming divorce from Petyr had brought the sisters closer together because for the first time there wasn't a man standing in-between of them.
"Get it yourself!" Arya could hear Sansa shout in her turn.
Arya let out another sigh and she got up from the couch.
"Lazy girl!" Arya shouted while she passed the stairs so Sansa could hear her.
She opened the front door and she honestly had no idea who it could be, but she just hoped it wasn't some annoying salesperson because she honestly wasn't in the mood.
"Hello, love" her father said smiling when she had opened the door for him.
"Dad!" she shouted and she quickly hugged him.
She was afraid that she was going to cry again.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him.
"I've told Robert that I need some time off with my family" her father said while he stroked her hair "I've spent enough time trying to help them but no one will listen to me"
"Well I'm glad that you're home" she said.
"Dad!" she heard someone shout and Bran joined them followed by Rickon.
They heard some doors slam shut and Sansa and Jeyne ran down the stairs as soon as they noticed that Ned had come home for the first time since summer vacation ended.
Both girls were wearing curlers in their hair but they seemed to have forgotten about it.
Arya had to admit that she couldn't think of a single occasion when Sansa had forgotten about something like that so their father's return must mean as much to Sansa as it meant to her.
"Sansa, look how you have grown!" Ned said and he gave his eldest daughter a hug.
"Dad, it's so good to see you" Sansa said and Arya detected tears in her sister's blue eyes.
"It has been way too long, hasn't it?" he asked and they all hugged again.
It was something they hadn't done in a long time and she could finally say that she felt like a family again.
"Where are Robb and Jon?" Ned asked them when they finally let go of each other again "and your mother?"
"Theon and Robb are at the gym" Jeyne answered quickly and Arya noticed the smile that appeared on Jeyne's face as soon as she mentioned her boyfriend.
Arya had to repress the urge to roll her eyes at that but people had told her before that she had started to do the same thing when she talked about Gendry and by people she meant Jon who still liked to tease her from time to time.
"So you finally got together, right?" her father asked Jeyne chuckling who nodded as a response while a huge smile and a blush spread across her face.
"Mom is at Lysa's house" Sansa said "and Jon's at his girlfiend's house"
"Actually I think he's with Dany" Arya said and Sansa and Jeyne shared a meaningful look.
Ygritte wasn't the only one who suspected that something was going on between Jon and Daenerys.
"You can talk to them later during dinner" Arya said and the thought of having a family dinner again with her father couldn't have made her any happier as it did right then "but first there is someone you need to meet"
Gendry had been watching them silently while standing in the doorway to the living room.
"Hello, Mister Stark, my name is Gendry" her boyfriend said while he shook Ned's hand "I'm Arya's boyfriend"
"Boyfriend, right?" he asked Arya while raising one eyebrow at her "well I guess that you're going to stay over for dinner then because there is a lot I want to ask you"
Arya could hear Gendry swallow thickly and she couldn't help but laugh.
"Calm down, you stupid bull, no one's going to hurt you" she said while she playfully punched his arm.
Daenerys
Illyrio had gone to his yoga class and he had left Daenerys alone at his luxurious apartment.
The TV was one but Dany had muted the sound while she looked out of the window and into the garden which was several feet below of them.
Illyrio's apartment existed of the entire highest floor of the building and was both large and beautiful.
Daenerys had to admit that she didn't know many of the other people who lived in her building but she had a feeling that they had all been hand selected by Illyrio.
He was the one who owned the building after all and he wasn't one for taking risks at least not risks of that size.
If someone killed her Illyrio would lose his most valuable possessions even more valuable than the golden statue in the garden below and he would never risk that.
Daenerys wondered if there were still people out there who wanted her family death.
She had to admit that it was hard to imagine for her.
It hadn't been so hard when she still lived across the Narrow Sea.
The people from Westeros had all been faceless to her which had made it easier for her to envision them as murderous barbarians who took down her family's empire out of jealousy and spite.
Viserys had fed these delusions of course and she couldn't deny that there was a huge possibility that he was the source behind these delusions too.
It hadn't made her hard life any easier but everything had changed when she actually arrived in Westeros.
It was almost impossible for her to imagine Jon or his family as one of the people who had had a hand in destroying The Royal Targaryen Enterprise and in killing her father and she couldn't hate him either.
She even considered Tyrion a friend and he was a Lannister!
Suddenly she heard someone knock on the door.
Dany wondered if Illyrio had decided to come home early but that wasn't likely.
She got up from her seat, put on her beaded slippers and walked to the front door.
Daenerys checked the little screen next to the door and she recognized Jorah's face.
She considered leaving him outside for a while but eventually she gave in and opened the door for him.
"Khaleesi, you look as beautiful as ever" Jorah said when she opened the door for him and he smiled as soon as he saw her.
It was a smile that could still break her heart.
Her relationship with Jorah was more than a little bit complicated.
He had been her favourite professor at the last school she attended across the Narrow Sea, he had thought her much about the Dothraki culture, he had protected her when she had no one else and when Drogo had just passed away but he was also the man who had told secrets about her to people who wanted nothing more than to see her head detached from her body and then there was one more thing, maybe even the saddest one, his love for her.
He was older than her, much older but it was not a fatherly love that he felt and she had to admit that she didn't think the idea was completely repulsive either.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him.
Jorah had tried to contact her many times since he followed her to Westeros but he had never come to her house before because she had clearly told him that she wasn't ready for that yet.
"I've come to say goodbye" he said and she had to admit that this took her by surprise.
"Why?" she asked him.
She could clearly see that Jorah was struggling to find the right words but she was going to force an answer out of him if she had to.
"You've made it clear that you do not want me near, khaleesi" he said while avoiding her eyes "there are others in Westeros who do not wish me near either, so there is no use in taking such a huge risk if there is no chance that you'll forgive me"
A part of her wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and bury her head in his chest while begging him to stay, a part of her wanted to kiss him to proof him that she needed him but she couldn't trust those parts.
If I look back, I am lost she told herself again and Jorah Mormont was nothing but her past.
"I see" she said softly and she didn't allow herself to cry but she could feel the tears in her eyes nevertheless.
"Unless you ask me to stay of course" Jorah said looking at her with hopeful eyes.
She could feel her heart shatter into a million pieces but there was nothing she could do about it now.
If I look back, I am lost.
"Be safe, Jorah" she said eventually and she pressed a soft kiss on one of his stubbly cheeks.
"Goodbye, khaleesi" he said using the Dothraki title one last time "if you ever need my help, you know where to find me"
"I do" she said and she managed to give him a sad smile "goodbye, Jorah Mormont"
Hello lovely Readers!
Like usual I want to start with thanking you all for reading this story :)
It honestly means the world to me but like all men must die, every story needs an end and this end is nearing.
As you might have guessed the big climax of this story will happen during Prom which I will describe during two different chapters and after this I might do an epilogue and a bonus chapter.
I would love to see you stick around for this and thank you again for reading.
Lots and Lots of love, Lady Jeyne Deadpoole