Chapter 45

Sansa knocked softly on the door to Roslin's bedchamber. Her guards had informed her that Edmure was dining downstairs with Arya and her mother, and Sansa took the opportunity to visit Roslin when she knew she would be alone. Her guards waited for her outside when Roslin bid her to enter.

Roslin was sitting up in bed, holding a tiny bundle in her arms. She smiled when Sansa slipped into the room, quickly closing the door behind her. Sansa took Roslin's hand as she lowered herself into the chair beside the bed. "How are you feeling?" she whispered, smiling at the sleeping infant in her friend's arms.

"I'm all right. Tired, though I'm glad she's finally here."

Sansa looked at Roslin nervously. "Did it hurt?"

She hesitated to answer and Sansa knew that meant it had. "You'll be all right, Sansa. I got through it." She looked down at the bundle in her arms. "And she was well worth any pain. Would you like to hold her?"

Sansa nodded, carefully taking the sleeping infant from Roslin's arms, and settling back in her chair. "She's so pretty," Sansa whispered. She had light brown hair like Roslin, as well as her delicate features, though she saw a resemblance to Edmure as well in the babe's face.

"She has blue eyes like you…and like Edmure," Roslin volunteered as Sansa gently ran her fingers over the infant's hair.

"I saw that my mother…was with you for the birth. So you wouldn't be alone," Sansa said quietly, keeping her eyes on the sleeping babe in her arms.

"You should ask her to be with you, when the time comes," Roslin said. "I know that you want her to be there. I'm certain she would not refuse you."

Sansa shook her head. "We argued the last time we spoke…she hates Jaime. I'm sure she'll hate his child as well," she whispered sadly.

"I'm sure you're wrong, Sansa. Lady Catelyn will see, in time, that there is more to Ser Jaime that what she believes. I have told her how kind he was to me and…Arya is very fond of him. She talks about him all the time. About what he's teaching her and about his own practices with his knights and soldiers."

Sansa smiled as she continued to look at the babe in her arms. "Jaime's very patient with Arya. He seems to understand her. He's going to be a good father. I hope I'm as good at being a mother." She looked over at Roslin. "Are you ever afraid? Are you ever afraid that you won't be good at being a mother?"

She nodded as Sansa handed the infant back to her. "I think that's how we're supposed to feel. But I know you will be a good mother." Sansa nodded, though she wasn't sure she believed it.

…

As Sansa walked back to the section of the castle she shared with Jaime, Arya was careening down the halls and nearly ran right into her. She refrained from lecturing Arya about running around like a wildling. She'd done it often enough to no avail. It seemed to her that Arya ran around faster in this castle than she ever had at Winterfell.

"Where are you off to?" Sansa asked, sighing inwardly at Arya's breeches. She knew Jaime was the one who had given them to her. He's going to spoil our child rotten, I know it.

"I'm…I'm just going to see my friend."

"Which friend?" Surely she's not going down the forge. "Gendry?"

"Maybe," she said quietly.

"Jaime allows you down there?" Arya looked down at her feet, and Sansa huffed. "Sometimes I fear this child will be as wild as you are."

"When will the baby be here?" she asked, looking at Sansa's enormous belly.

"I don't know. Soon I hope." The babe was kicking and Sansa pressed her hand against her belly. "The little one is just as anxious to meet you, it seems," she said smiling.

"I want to feel," Arya said, placing her hand on Sansa's belly. Sansa covered her sister's hand with her own and moved it to the right place.

"Do you feel that?"

Arya nodded. "If it's a girl, will you let Jaime teach her to fight, like he teaches me?" Sansa saw her mother walking up the stairs towards them. "It's kicking hard," Arya remarked, not noticing their mother. "Does it hurt?"

Sansa shook her head. "No. It doesn't hurt. And no, if it's a girl, Jaime is not going to teach her to fight."

"Why not? She might have his talent with a sword," she said, moving her hand over Sansa's belly. Arya turned her head when she sensed her mother behind her. "I hope the baby comes soon."

"I'm certain your sister hopes for it more than you do," Catelyn said, resting her hands on Arya's shoulders. Sansa sensed her guards moving closer, no doubt following Jaime's orders to ensure that her mother didn't upset her. "I imagine it's getting to be uncomfortable?"

Sansa nodded, hesitant to meet her mother's eyes. "My back and feet are sore most evenings. The midwife…she gave me a book about pregnancy. I've been reading about different ways to induce labor."

She saw her mother genuinely smile. "I don't know that those things actually work…the babe will come when it's ready. Enjoy these last moments before you become a mother…your life…your life will change forever when that little one is placed in your arms."

Sansa heard sadness in her mother's voice, which gave Sansa the courage to finally meet her mother's eyes. For a moment, Sansa thought they would be able to speak about the babe, but something shifted, and Lady Catelyn looked down at Arya. "You should get to bed, Arya. You've been running around since early this morning." Sansa watched as her mother took her little sister's hand, and began walking toward their suite of rooms. "You should get some rest as well, Sansa. There won't be much time for it, soon."

Sansa watched as her mother walked away from her, dragging Arya along beside her. Her little sister turned and shouted goodbye to her and Sansa waved at her before turning towards her own rooms.

…

Sansa stood looking out the windows of her bedchamber. For the past two months, there had merely been snow flurries out her window, but she saw that the snow was beginning to stick. Winter is Coming. She could hear her father's voice in her head, saying their words. I miss you, Father.

She shifted uncomfortably, rubbing her hand against the small of her back. Sansa wished she were holding her baby in her arms tonight as Roslin was. She was tired of being pregnant and her back ached if she stood – or sat – for too long.

She felt Jaime's hand move hers out of the way as he began to press against the small of her back to alleviate her pain. She smiled, moving her head to the side as he kissed her neck. "Let me help you with that," he murmured against her neck. "I've had plenty of aching muscles over the years from wearing a heavy suit of armor for hours. I've learned many ways to alleviate the pain."

Sansa sighed as Jaime gently but firmly pressed against her lower back. "I feel like this baby's never going to come." She sighed again in pleasure. "Have you seen Roslin and Edmure's baby?"

"No."

Sansa smiled. "She's so small and pretty. They've named her Bethany…after Roslin's mother." She leaned against Jaime, pulling his right wrist so his arm was wrapped around her. "My mother…my mother was with Roslin when the babe came…so she wouldn't be alone. I always thought that, when I had children, my mother would be there with me. I suppose a lot of things are not the way I thought they would be." She turned and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Though…it's not all bad," she said with a smile.

"I never expected to have this life, either. Though I wouldn't trade it for another."

"I wouldn't either." She burrowed against him, seeking physical comfort.

"Are you still feeling sore?" She nodded against him. He kissed the top of her head before moving away from her. "Take off your clothes." She turned and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, watching as he went into the bathing room and returned with a bottle of oil, that he placed beside the bed. He smiled when he saw her expression. "This will help with your aches and pains once I rub it into your skin. It will warm your skin, and relax your muscles."

She could see from the glimmer in his eye that there was more that he wanted to say. "I looked through that book your midwife gave you. You had marked a page about inducing childbirth and…from what I read, it appears there's only one thing left on the list you haven't tried."

Sansa froze, horrified, knowing what he was referring to. She had tried walking up and down the hallways of the castle for hours; she had taken long hot baths and she had eaten copious amounts of Dornish spices; the latter of which only sent her diving for a pitcher of water as she coughed and sneezed violently, much to Jaime's amusement. She had even sat one night, frustrated, and begged the child inside her to come out.

"Your book," he began mischievously, "says making love could help you go into labor. I've been waiting for you to mention it for the past few days. It seems the most worthwhile option to me, of those listed."

She felt her face heat and knew she was red as a pomegranate, much to Jaime's amusement. "I didn't think…I'm so big…you couldn't possibly want to…"

"Take off your clothes and get on the bed. I'll rub your back for a while and then…we'll see what we can do to get our baby here."

She slowly began removing her clothes. "Will you help me?" Sansa felt Jaime's hands pulling them away as well, until she stood before him naked as her nameday. He helped her curl up on her side on the bed. Jaime took off his boots before joining her on the bed. She waited for him to touch her, but he simply sat there, his eyes roaming over her nude body. She began to blush under his scrutiny.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured. "I never want to forget what you look like…your belly swollen with our child." He softly kissed her belly before climbing over her to stretch out behind her body. She giggled as he poured a bit of the oil on her body. His warm hand slid over her back, gliding over her skin as the oil warmed against their skin, and Jaime began to work the knots in her shoulders. She couldn't hold back a soft moan of pleasure. "I'm not being too rough, am I?"

She shook her head. "That feels perfect. It feels…so good." Jaime had been so careful and gentle with her lately, worried that he might hurt her or the babe inside her. She moved her neck out of the way as he applied pressure to one shoulder and then the other. She smiled as he kissed her cheek, sliding his hand down to the small of her back. Sansa arched her back as he carefully rubbed the oil into her skin.

She felt somewhat self-conscious, being completely naked while Jaime had all of his clothes on, but his touch felt so good, she forced herself not to be embarrassed. She gasped as his hand slid down to her bottom and he gave it a firm squeeze. "I couldn't resist," he murmured, leaning over and covering her mouth with his own. Sansa rested her hand on his cheek as she returned his kiss. He continued rubbing her back as he trailed kisses down the side of her neck. His hand slid to her large belly and she felt Jaime press against her back, his hardness evident, even with his clothes on. She pressed back against him as he trailed his hand up her body, gently massaging her sensitive breasts.

Jaime was breathing heavily against her neck as he pressed against her bottom and moved his hand down to her thighs. She turned her head and kissed him, surprised he still wanted her sexually when she was so big. "Are you up to it?" he asked with a wicked smile, his hand now firmly between her thighs. "In the interests of inducing your labor only, of course. Nothing wanton or untoward intended." She heard herself whimper as Jaime stroked her pleasure spot. Jaime chuckled against her neck. "I'll take that as a yes."

She felt his warmth leave her as she heard the sounds of him removing his clothes. Her breath caught as Jaime's naked body pressed against her back. She felt his mouth moving down her spine and then back up again. Jaime gently urged her onto her hands and knees and Sansa felt her face heat at the scandalous position Jaime was putting her in. He'd talked her into letting him take her this way a few times before she was pregnant. And Jaime had been almost delighted to discover that this was the easiest way to be intimate while she was with child. She usually gave in to his wishes, and it was pleasurable, though she'd die if anyone knew they'd been together in such an animalistic way.

Jaime slid a pillow under her chest before moving behind her. "Are you comfortable?" he asked, his hand moving over her breasts and bottom even as she felt his hardness pressing against her.

"As comfortable as possible in this condition."

He curved his body over hers, kissing her neck, and nuzzling against her, his hands lightly trailing over her breasts, and back to her hips. Sansa moaned as she felt him slowly enter her. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the feel of Jaime inside her.

"I love you, Jaime," she murmured as she sighed in pleasure. She could hear him quietly groaning with each thrust of his hips.

"You know I love you, too, sweet girl," he gasped out between thrusts. He reached between her thighs, stroking her softly, until she gasped his name as waves of pleasure coursed over her. She heard him moan his own release soon after.

He gripped her hip for a few moments as he exhaled heavily, and then ran his hand over her bottom. Sansa rolled onto her side and looked up at her beautiful, golden husband. He smiled at her expression and stretched out beside her, kissing her forehead and running his hand over her hair. Sansa touched his chest, enjoying the feel of his hard muscles beneath her hand.

"Do you think that did the trick?" he asked with a wicked smile. "If not, we can give it another go in a few minutes. Solely for your comfort," he assured her.

She rolled her eyes at him. "I think we should give it overnight to see if the babe comes." She crept closer to Jaime, resting her head against his chest. "Do you think…do you think that I'll be good at it?"

"Good at what?"

"Being a mother? I'm afraid I'll do something wrong and…" Her eyes filled with tears and she couldn't continue.

"Sansa," he whispered, holding her against him. "You might make mistakes, at first but…it will be all right. You're very gentle, and very patient. And you'll love our baby. You already do." She nodded against him. "You're not alone Sansa. We'll raise this child together. I promise you. I've known for a long time that you were meant to be a mother. You will be a wonderful mother that any child would be lucky to have."

She knew that she was beginning to feel nervous about motherhood because her baby was so close to being born. She hoped that Jaime was right – that she would do a good job with their baby. Sansa kissed his chest before she closed her eyes.

"Good night, sweet girl."

"Good night, Jaime."

….

The next morning, Sansa sat in front of the fire, drying her hair. She thought about Jaime's words to her the night before. She did love their babe. Even though she'd not even met it yet. She didn't think that Jaime would lie to her, so he must truly believe that she will do well mothering their babe. I hope he's right.

She felt what she thought was a sharp kick – not like any she had felt before – and rested her hand on her belly. It didn't stop, becoming a dull, throbbing pain low in her stomach. Sansa dropped the brush she'd been using on her hair and put both hands on her belly, breathing deeply as the pain continued.

"Sansa?" She felt Jaime next to her, wrapping a towel around his waist before he rested his hand on her back. "Are you all right?"

She looked up at him in fear. "I think the babe's coming."

….

Thanks to all of you for reading and commenting. It's difficult writing based on a series of books that readers are SO passionate about, especially when there is a variation from cannon. It is nice to know that so many of you appreciate the time spent writing and are enjoying the story. Thank you!

What happens in the next chapter should be fairly obvious…Sansa gives birth.