Sansa She was stuffed in the corner of the wrap-around couch, the large piece of furniture a necessity for their equally large family. Cocooned in a fluffy Disney princess blanket she had had since she was five and a large pillow in her lap, Sansa felt comfy and peaceful. It was so nice to sit and enjoy a Christmas movie with her family, even if it was one they had seen a hundred times and could quote by heart. Bowls of popcorn were being passed around, and everyone had a cup of cocoa filled with generous helpings of whipped cream or marshmallows.
Ralphie was about to help his father fix the flat tire when Sansa felt her cellphone vibrate in her lap. She reached under the pillow and peeked at her screen. It was a text from Sandor. Hey. She bit back a smile, trying to ignore the rising butterflies in her stomach. Since their run-in at the mall yesterday, she and Sandor had texted back and forth about seemingly mindless things, but Sansa held on to every word. It was strangely exciting to be texting him, knowing that she was probably the only person he was relaxed around enough to let his guard down a little.
She responded with a Hey, you and tucked the phone away. Her parents frowned upon texting during family nights, a rule that was grumbled about on more than one occasion, and Sansa did not want to be caught, but she also wanted to keep texting Sandor.
A minute went by and her phone vibrated again. Sansa read the screen stealthily. How's family night?
She suppressed a giggle and glanced around the living room. Her siblings were packed onto the rest of the couch, with a dog sprawled out here and there, and her parents were sharing Ned's giant easy-chair. They were so cute, Sansa thought. She hoped she could find someone to have such a relationship with one day.
It's nice. We're watching A Christmas Story. Ralphie just got his mouth washed out with soap.
She wondered if Sandor had ever watched Christmas movies with his family when he was little. She didn't know much about his past except that his horrid brother, Gregor, had held his face down in a campfire, and that their little sister had died in some sort of accident, with his parents following after. Sansa's heart ached for him. She couldn't imagine losing any of her family members or being enemies with them. Even though they fought sometimes, Sansa knew she was very lucky and blessed.
Her phone buzzed again, and after glancing around, she swiped her thumb on the screen. Ha, Tommen is watching the same movie. So he must be over at the Baratheon's. What a miserable way to spend the night before Christmas Eve, Sansa thought sadly. She suddenly wished she could invite Sandor over to her house. Despite what everyone thought, he was a way better person than Joffrey would ever be. She was pretty certain that Joffrey had a lump of coal for a heart. Sandor, on the other hand, seemed to be more like a diamond in the rough. The illustration brought a smile to her face, and she hurried to text him back. That's cool. I wish we could hang out. She sent the text and waited, feeling nervous. Was that being too forward? Surely not. They were friends, after all. And ever since the flight, Sansa had been unable to push away her growing attraction to the scarred man. There was something about him that was drawing her in, something that was wonderfully dangerous. He was the Hound, a large, violent, brooding man, but instead of making her fearful as those qualities once had, she found herself mesmerized and pulled in, her curiosity fueling this forbidden attraction.
He answered after a few minutes. Me too. Guess I won't see you until the party tomorrow. Sansa sighed inwardly. The party. The Christmas Eve party. Where she was going to break up with Joffrey. She had been "practicing" what she was going to say to him, but as the time drew nearer she felt increasingly nervous. She wished someone else could do it for her, but Sansa knew that she needed to step up and not be a scared little girl anymore.
She glanced at the text again and smiled a little at his words. He wished they could hang out too. I know, I'm dreading it. Do you think you could try to be nearby? I don't know what Joffrey will do. The thought that Sandor would be near for the break-up eased her anxious mind. He wouldn't let Joffrey hurt her, would he? I will try, was his reply. Thank you, she responded. Np, little bird. She smiled at that, and tried focus once more on the movie.
Later that evening as she was sliding under her covers, she plugged her phone in and decided to send another text. Good night. See you tomorrow. She set her phone on the night-stand and got comfortable. Her eyes slid shut, and she fell asleep without hearing her phone buzz in response. It wasn't until morning that she saw Sandor's text.
Sansa fidgeted with her dress and tried to calm her shaking nerves. Joffrey had texted her earlier that day, stating that he wanted her to come to the party a little early. Sansa had wavered, trying to figure out what she should say. She had finally told him that she could, but not by much since they were taking a family photo right before. Which was true. She hoped for the first time in the history of Stark family photos that this would take so long that she would have to ride with her siblings to the party.
Taking one last look in the mirror, Sansa took a deep breath. She was wearing a short, sleeveless fitted black dress that had a peplum gather at the waist. The top of the dress was ordained with dozens of gold and silver sequins, curving into a V-shape over her chest and spreading up to her shoulders. Underneath she wore black tights, since it was very cold outside, and had chosen a pair of solid black booties. The heels weren't too high and she wouldn't be in pain after only an hour of wearing them. It was a beautiful outfit, and Sansa had been excited to wear it, but knowing she would soon be facing Joffrey made her stomach clench.
She had chosen to leave her hair down and wavy, and kept her makeup light. Attracting attention to herself was not what Sansa wanted tonight, and she didn't really feel like loading on makeup anyways. "Come on, Sansa," Arya called from the doorway of her room. Her sister was wearing a long-sleeved, dark purple dress that looked good with her brown hair. She had combed her hair for once and was wearing a pair of black flats. Arya refused to wear heels. "They're death traps," she had stated on more than one shoe shopping adventure. "What if I need to run?" But she looked nice anyways, even with her arms folded and her mouth working noisily on a piece of gum. Sansa smiled at her. "That dress looks great on you, Arya." Her sister gave her a doubtful look. "Really? Thanks. Mom made me." "It was a good choice," Sansa said softly. The two girls made their way downstairs where the rest of the family was fidgeting with collared shirts and ties and hair.
"Alright, let's get this over with," Catelyn announced, instructing them all on where to stand by the Christmas tree. "You all know the drill. No pushing, shoving, bunny ears, or tongues." "That's no fun!" Robb called out, and Jon made exaggerated bunny ears over Bran's head, stopping only at Catelyn's death glare. Ned was setting up the camera on the tripod while the dogs lounged on the couches, barking suggestions and wagging their tails at their masters' antics. "Ok, ten seconds!" Ned called, and he hurried to stand in the back with Catelyn. They held their grins until the camera flashed. "Wait, we have to make sure!" Catelyn protested as the kids began to disassemble. She checked the picture. "Looks good!" "Hooray! Let's go party!" Robb yelled, laughing as Grey Wind ran beside him to the door.
The Starks piled into the Escalade and set off for the Baratheon's home. Sansa texted Joffrey to tell him they were on their way and to say she was sorry she couldn't be there early. He texted back that it was fine and she should come find him in the backyard. She texted Sandor next. Here we go. She didn't really expect him to answer, since he was probably busy doing security stuff, but he did. Indeed. You'll be fine. She clung to those words, hoping he was right.