A/N: Okay, so just as a warning this chapter contains some drug references and a little violence, so in case that is triggering to anyone I placed asterisks by the paragraphs where it starts and ends. Nothing very descriptive, but I'm trying to be cautious. Also let me know if the rating should go up for this. Hope you enjoy!
Sansa
They pulled up into the circular driveway in front of the Baratheon Mansion. A valet came to assist with the car, and as the Starks piled out, Sansa could see the party was already underway. Music, light, and voices floated out towards them, and she took a deep breath, tugging her long coat closer. It will be ok, she thought, Sandor will be there. He won't let Joff hurt me. She knew Sandor was loyal to the family, but she had a feeling, deep down, that he would not let anything come to harm her. Especially since they'd rekindled the odd friendship that had hovered awkwardly in the air between them for some time.
Robert and Cersei were near the front door, greeting people as they walked in. "Ned!" Robert boomed, hurling forward to grab his old friend. Cersei looked as if a skunk had sprayed nearby, and when she fixed her green eyes on Sansa, the red-head was unsurprised to see a flash of cold hate pass through them before she gave a very fake and very forced "Merry Christmas". Sansa answered numbly and moved away to a back room to hang up her coat. She was used to Cersei's spiteful nature; the woman had never seemed to like her, for some reason, though Sansa had always got along well with Robert, Myrcella, and Tommen.
Grabbing her cell phone, Sansa maneuvered through the crowd of expensively dressed men and women, all decked in holiday finery and sipping from chutes filled with champagne or from tumblers filled with whiskey and ice. The sooner she found Joffrey, the better. Then she could figure out when it would be a good time to initiate the break-up. As much as she didn't want to be around him, especially alone, Sansa did not desire to make this a public scene, as she feared Joffrey might make it.
Christmas lights were strung through the trees in the backyard, and most of the snow had been cleared away from the stone path that wound around the yard. Several clumps of people stood outside, braving the chilly weather so that they could be close to a less-crowded bar. Sansa paused and looked around, searching for Joffrey. Or Sandor. Hopefully both.
She spotted them on the opposite side, near the wall. Joffrey was laughing at something Meryn, another employee of the Baratheons, had told him, but Sansa only had eyes for Sandor as she slowly picked her way over to them. He wore a mask of indifference, as usual, and was dressed in a fitted, all-black suit that made him look even more intimidating and powerful. It caused Sansa's heart to pound fiercely, and an image of them together, his strong, muscular arms around her, flashed through her mind, and, as ridiculous and confusing as that thought was, she had to admit that they might make a striking couple. Shaking her head, she tried to calm her nerves and approached them, pasting on a polite smile. She tried to catch Sandor's eye but he didn't seem to be looking in her direction.
"Sansa!" Joffrey exclaimed, and a smile that she had once thought made him handsome spread over his face. He gave her a hug and she tried not show any hesitation. "I can't believe you waited so long to come see me," Joffrey pouted, keeping hold on her hand. Sansa fought the urge to roll her eyes, and instead smiled apologetically. "I know, I've had a lot of family stuff going on, and I had to do Christmas shopping." Her excuse didn't seem to mollify him, but he didn't press the issue. "Well, you're here now. I hope college has changed your perspective on parties, Sansa. You always were such a wet blanket whenever I took you to one. Have you decided to have fun, for once?" Sansa couldn't believe him. She hadn't seen him in months and he was wasting no time critiquing her. His coldness only fueled her determination to be free of him.
"I have, in fact," she said with a forced smile. "Shall we get drinks?" Joffrey seemed surprised, but he readily agreed and they approached the bar area. Sansa snuck a peak at Sandor, but he was looking elsewhere. She felt a little twinge that he didn't even acknowledge her presence, but she knew he was probably just playing the part.
Joffrey was older so he and Meryn got beers, but Sansa decided to have some hot apple cider instead. She needed to keep a clear head for this evening. Joffrey scowled and asked why she didn't want alcohol, no one was going to stop her, but she calmly insisted she would have some later. Sandor was on the job so he couldn't drink, and Sansa felt sorry for him. It was awful to have to work on Christmas while everyone else was enjoying themselves, even those his work that night was most likely not going to be too demanding.
Meryn and Joffrey were joined by Boros, one of Joffrey's college friends whom Sansa loathed with a passion. He was rude, crude, and poked fun at her as often as he could, something that was only encouraged by Joffrey's laughter. They started talking about a party that was happening later in the week. "Of course I'll be there!" Joffrey exclaimed, taking a huge sip of his drink. "You too, Sansa." Sansa bit her lip and was about to protest, but simply nodded when she saw the gleam in Joffrey's eyes. Now was not the time. But when would it be?
She knew if she broke up with him too early into the party, it would be more awkward if she stayed afterwards. Sansa wished that she had driven after all, because then she could just leave. Now she would have to ask someone to drive her home.
"Did you bring it?" Joffrey was asking Boros, and the other man nodded and patted his pocket, smirking. She glanced at Sandor, who could not have missed such an exchange, but his face betrayed nothing. She wished she could say something to him, or he to her. It was strange to be standing so close together and not talking after all the texting they had done. Joffrey finally led them inside and they headed for the stairs. "Hound, you can go somewhere else for a while," he said with a wave of his hand. "We're going upstairs for a while." Sansa started to panic, and she tried to give Sandor a pleading look, but there was nothing he could do that wouldn't seem suspicious. He simply nodded, glanced at her briefly, and walked away. "Come on, Sansa," Joffrey ordered, grabbing her hand and pulling her up the stairs.
Her heart racing, she followed the boys to one of the back rooms on the second floor, a room that served as a parlor or a small sitting room. It was rarely used so the décor wasn't as glamorous as the rest of the house, but still expensive with dark mahogany tables and deep leather chairs. Meryn closed the door behind them.
* Confused, Sansa watched as they gathered in a circle around the coffee table. Boros pulled a folded up plastic bag out of his pocket that contained some white powder and began gently tapping some of it out onto the table.
" Joffrey turned and beckoned her over. "Sansa, you're trying this too. Don't tell me that you haven't done anything like this at the stupid college of yours." She gaped at him. "No, Joffrey, I have never done drugs! And neither should you! How can you even think of it?" Joffrey scowled at her now, and the others shifted restlessly. "Give me a break, Sansa, it's not a big deal. Everyone does it." That was certainly not true, and Sansa was not going to fall for something like that. "No. I'm leaving." She started to head for the door when a hand encircled tightly around her wrist, promising to leave bruises. "Listen, you little bitch," Joffrey hissed near her face. "You go and tell anyone about this, I'll make sure you regret it." He released her with a shove, and Sansa hurried out the door and down the hall.
*Trembling, she went to one of the guest bathrooms and locked herself in, then put the seat down on the toilet and sat. After taking a few deep breaths, she pulled her phone out and scrolled through her contacts before selecting a number.
Can you come upstairs? she texted. Closing her eyes, Sansa tried to gather herself. Drugs. Her boyfriend, or soon-to-be ex, was doing drugs. In his own house. During a party. Filled with people. His parents were right downstairs. It was so unthinkable that Sansa could barely believe it was happening.
Her phone beeped. On my way. Where are you. Quickly she typed, Guest bathroom, by the billiard room.
A couple minutes went by and she heard a soft knock on the door. Tensing, she waited. It could be him, but it could also be someone wanting to use the bathroom. Or it could be Joffrey.
"Little Bird?" With a rush of relief, she stood and opened the door, meeting the gaze of a worried-looking Sandor. "Thank God!" she grabbed his hand and pulled him inside, closing the door behind him. "Are you ok?" he asked, suddenly gripping her shoulders with such an intense and fierce expression on his face that she was almost afraid again, but the feeling quickly dissipated. "Yes…I'm ok…but…" A lump formed in her throat, and she leaned forward, whispering even though it was only the two of them in a small bathroom. "Sandor…they're doing drugs!" The scarred man's mouth twitched and a dark shadow crept into his grey eyes as he slowly released his hold on her. "I see."
He didn't say anything for a moment. "He told me not to tell anyone, but…Sandor, I had to!" Sansa didn't know why she was so close to crying. However was she going to break it off with Joffrey now? "Little Bird," Sandor rasped, running his hands up and down her arms like he was trying warm her, "You did right to tell me. Don't worry; I'll take care of it. He won't know you told me. Go downstairs and act like nothing is wrong." Sansa nodded dumbly, wishing she could just fly away and forget everything she had just witnessed. "Hey," he said, and tipped her chin up. His eyes were still dark and stormy, but she found comfort in them. Sandor was so strong and brave…she leaned forward again, a part of her wishing to draw strength from him just by being in his presence.
Sandor's thumb caressed her chin lightly, then he straightened and reached around her for the handle. "Ready?" She nodded and he opened the door. They walked out, and standing in front of them was Joffrey, Meryn, and Boros.
Sansa gasped and stumbled backwards, her back colliding with Sandor's broad chest. Joffrey was glaring at them both, his face flushed and his eyes had a faraway look to them. "What the hell are you two doing?" he asked. Sansa opened her mouth but no words would come out as a cold sweat broke on her skin. "Clegane," Joffrey spat, "What were you doing in the bathroom with my girlfriend?" Without waiting for a reply, Joffrey reached forward and grabbed Sansa by the arm. "Answer me, whore!" Something in her snapped then, and Sansa slapped him. "I am not a whore!" she cried. "And I am not your girlfriend! We're through, Joffrey!" The moment the words escaped her mouth, Sansa felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders and chest; it even felt easier to breathe.
*Joffrey was staring at her in a mixture of anger, surprise, and confusion, before they melted into one expression of pure hatred, causing Sansa to lose some of her steam and shrink back. He looked like he was going to strike her back, but Sandor stepped around in front of her. "Get of the way, Clegane. This doesn't concern you." A raspy chuckle escaped Sandor's mouth. "Oh, I'm afraid it does. You're not going to lay one finger on this girl any longer. Or should I pass the word on to your mother about what you three have been stuffing up your noses?" Boros and Meryn both lurched forward, their minds warped from the drugs, but Sandor easily blocked their fists and delivered powerful punches to both of them, knocking them to the ground.
*Sansa felt sick but was unable to move, her feet glued to the carpet. Joffrey clenched his fists as Sandor turned to her, took her by the arm, and led her down the stairs.
No one seemed to notice them as he brought her to the room where all their coats were. "I'll take you home, if you want," he said. Sansa could only nod, fearful that if she spoke she would cry. "I'll be right back," he rasped. When he was gone, Sansa fished out her phone and texted her sister. Hey, I'm not feeling good, I'm getting a ride home. Tell mom and dad, please? She found her coat and shrugged into it, her fingers fumbling with the buttons. Sandor returned, and placing a hand on her back, steered her through the crowd and out the door.
They walked to the end of the driveway and around to the side, where a large black truck sat. Sandor unlocked it and opened the passenger door, waited until she was inside, then shut it, walking around to the driver's side. He climbed in, revved the engine and turned the heat up. Sansa realized she was shivering, though not just from the cold. She wondered how Sandor had managed to get leave from the party, but decided not to ask.
They drove in silence, except for the radio, which was turned low on some classic rock station, and Sansa's breathing as she tried to calm herself. At a red light Sandor turned to her. "Are you okay?" he rasped. She swallowed. "I think so. I will be. That was…scary." Sandor looked like he was going to reach for her arm, but the light turned green and he rested his hand on the steering wheel instead. Sansa curled her arms around herself.
"What are you going to do?" she asked softly. "About Joffrey? Are you going to tell his parents?" Sandor sighed and shifted in his seat. "I'm going to tell them. They should know. Cersei…she always thinks Joffrey is an angel. Maybe this will wake her up. I think it's too late to manage him, though." Sansa wanted to ask if he would stay employed to them, but it wasn't any of her business, so she stared out the windshield instead. Snow had begun to lightly fall, creating the perfect scene for a Christmas Eve night. All the houses along the road were decorated cheerily with lights and nativity scenes and snowmen. If Sansa hadn't been feeling so miserable, she probably would have been enjoying herself.
It's over, she thought. I'm free of him. He can't hurt me anymore. The reality of her situation finally hit her, and it alleviated some the stress from the incident at the party. She was free from Joffrey.
A bubble of happiness burst within her and she gave a soft giggle, and then covered her mouth quickly, glancing sideways at Sandor. He was watching her with an amused expression. "Feel better?" he asked. She nodded, biting her lip. "Yes. Very much so. I feel…" she struggled with a word to come up for it. Relieved, maybe? Sandor nodded and reached over, patting her shoulder awkwardly. "You deserve to be happy," he said huskily, and the sound sent an unexpected shiver through Sansa. Even after his hand left her shoulder she could feel its warm weight.
They pulled up to the Stark house, and Sansa turned to Sandor only to find that he had opened his door and climbed out, heading around to get her door. She thanked him and stepped out carefully, her heels digging into the new snow. Sandor offered her his hand and she took it gratefully. He helped her walk up the icy driveway to the front door and waited while she fished the keys out of her purse and unlocked the door. It was dark save for their house's Christmas lights, and the colors glowed softly on Sandor's face as he looked down at her, his hands shoved inside his coat. Sansa suddenly did not want him to leave.
"Do you…want to come in for a bit?" she asked shyly. His eyes told her he wanted to, and the darkness that filled them was different from when he was angry or hateful. It was a darkness that called to her. He let out a breath and shook his head. "No, I should get back." She nodded, it made sense, and she didn't want him to get in trouble.
"Thank you, then, for…helping me." His mouth twitched and she could have sworn he stepped a little closer. "No need to thank me, Little Bird." She cocked her head a little and smiled. Even with her heels on he towered over her, but if she stood on her tiptoes… Before she lost her courage, Sansa leaned up and forward and placed a light kiss on his lips.
A/N: Phew! Well the break-up finally happened! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Sorry about the evil cliff-hanger ;)