Warning: this is a pretty dark chapter, but, I think, consistent with the characters

…

Chapter 51

Jaime awoke with a start, his heart racing. Images of the broken bodies of Sansa and their baby – of Sansa lying dead in his arms – floated through his mind as he looked around the darkened chamber. It was just a dream. He looked down and breathed a sigh of relief. Sansa was draped across his chest, her leg across his hips. Sansa had returned Julianna to her little basket after nursing her during the night, and shifted herself into Jaime's arms. Jaime knew that Sansa needed him to hold her as much as he needed to feel her in his arms, her heart beating against his chest. They both needed the reassurance that the other was alive and well.

It was still dark out. Not that there were many hours of light in the day as winter progressed. Soon it would be dark for days at a time. The window in the hidden chamber was small, but it was large enough to allow whomever was inside to monitor the time of day and whether the castle was under siege. Jaime wasn't ready to wake up and remained in bed, holding Sansa in his arms, lightly running his hand over her hair as he thought about what he was going to do when Cersei arrived at the Rock.

Jaime lay there with Sansa for hours until the door to the hidden chamber opened silently and Pia quietly crept in, leaving a tray of food for he and Sansa to break their fast. She nodded to him in greeting before slipping out of the chamber, no doubt to sit in the hallway where Gendry was standing guard, until she was needed.

He carefully moved Sansa onto the mattress, gently kissing her forehead. He looked at the bruises on her throat – her attacker's finger marks becoming even more visible against her pale skin – and felt consumed with rage. He carefully unlaced her gown and saw scratches where she had tried to pry the assassin's hands off of her throat.

He heard little gurgles coming from the baby and leaned over Sansa, looking into the basket. Julianna was lying there, staring up at him. He smiled and reached for her, lifting her into his arms. "Good morning, little lioness," he whispered, resting her in the crook of his arm. "How about you let your mother sleep for a while longer?"

It still amazed him how much the baby looked like Sansa. She rubbed her little head against his chest as her tiny hands grasped at him and he gave her one of his fingers to grip tightly. He was filled with a renewed anger at Cersei as he thought about her plans for his infant daughter. Knowing that she had sent someone to kill the baby in his arms made him hate her in a way that he never could have imagined. He smiled faintly at his daughter as she cuddled in his arms. It shouldn't have surprised him that Cersei wanted his daughter dead. He had heard about the slaughter of Robert's bastards on Cersei's orders. Why would she act any differently with this child, who she must feel is a threat to something she wants?

"No one will ever harm you as long as I draw breath," he promised the baby. "I will do whatever is necessary for you and your mother to be safe." She squeaked in reply and Jaime felt Sansa's eyes on him and turned to see her sleepily watching him. She smiled as she stretched and sat up, leaning over to kiss him and gently kiss the baby's head. "No one will take her from us," he told Sansa. "I promise you."

Sansa threaded her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck. "Are you all right, Jaime?" she asked quietly.

"I should be asking you that."

"I'm fine. But you…you don't seem all right." He nodded, surprised at how well Sansa had come to know him. Jaime was still shaken over finding Sansa like that and knowing Cersei had done it. Jaime was not looking forward to dealing with his sister, though he knew it had to be done. "Cersei will be here soon, won't she?" Sansa asked quietly.

"I expect she will."

"What will you do?"

"Make sure she never harms you or our girl ever again." He turned to look at Sansa, still holding Julianna in his arms. "I'm not the same man I was before we married. I hope you know that. You've changed me…loving you has changed me."

Sansa smiled. "There was always good in you, Jaime. Though, I can't imagine the Jaime Lannister who came to Winterfell so long ago being so content to hold a baby in his arms, as you are." Sansa leaned against him. "I worry that…I worry that Cersei will hurt you."

"She won't hurt me. She's already tried to hurt me in the worst way possible. But she failed. Hurting you or our girl…is the surest way to hurt me. To break me." He nodded toward the tray of food at the foot of the bed. "Have something to eat before the little one starts demanding your attention." Sansa shifted toward the end of the bed and reached for a bowl of fruit, helping herself to some and enjoying the sight of Jaime and their baby. "I expect you'll have to be in here all day today, Sansa. And possibly part of tomorrow, depending on when Cersei arrives. Pia will stay with you and make sure that you have food and anything else you need. Gendry will continue to stand guard."

"He's very sweet. He takes the duty you've given him very seriously," she said quietly. "And Arya's quite fond of him."

"She is that. I suppose I shouldn't mock her about it as much as I do."

Sansa rolled her eyes. "I don't think you can stop yourself."

Jaime smiled, shifting the baby in his arms. "When Cersei gets here, I'll send Arya to stay with you. I don't want Cersei to see her."

Sansa nodded and he could see that she wondered what he was planning. Jaime returned his gaze to his daughter, happily snuggled up in his arms. It's my responsibility to protect her. No matter what it costs me personally.

…

It was early evening when the scouts spotted the Queen Regent's wheelhouse from the top of the battlements. She was escorted by a thousand Lannister soldiers. No doubt Ser Kevan had refused to spare any others. As soon as he received word of her arrival, Jaime moved to sit in the library, not wishing for Cersei to be drawn anywhere near Sansa's hiding place. All of the doors to his and Sansa's rooms were bolted shut from the inside and Gendry was under strict orders not to allow anyone to enter.

He didn't have to wait long before Cersei appeared in the doorway to the library, all crimson and gold. She'd had her winter furs dyed crimson, with golden buckles and golden threads, and her golden hair shone brightly. She was still every inch the perfect, beautiful queen. Every inch the woman he had loved for most of his life. She didn't appear to have suffered much during her imprisonment. She looked just the same as he remembered. Jaime turned his eyes away from her, preferring to focus on the wine in his hand, lest she see his anger.

"Are you not going to welcome me home, Jaime? We've not seen each other for many months. I have missed you." He felt her move closer to him and took a large swallow of his wine as the smell of her perfume assailed his senses.

Jaime nodded. "You seem well. None the worse off after being imprisoned. Why are you here?" he asked, draining his glass. Jaime felt like a tightly coiled ball of anger. All of his nerves were firing at once as he spoke to the woman who had tried to kill his wife and child.

"What do you mean, why am I here? Of course I would be here, Jaime. For you," she whispered, leaning on the arm of his chair as she began stroking his hair. Jaime fought every instinct that he had to pull away from her. It wasn't the time. Not yet. The servants were fluttering around and bringing in food for their queen. "I know that you cared for her. I could not stay away and leave you here alone with your grief."

Jaime laughed bitterly pulling away from her and rising from his chair to refill his wine. "Don't pretend to grieve for Sansa or for me. We both know you're rejoicing at her death."

"That's ungenerous. I came all this way for you. To comfort you. Even if you didn't come to me when I needed you." Her tone gave her away. She was angry and jealous that he had ignored her request to be her champion. "I protected you," she whispered. "I never named you, only Lancel."

"You protected yourself. They'd have executed you if you'd named me."

She pouted, taking a sip of wine. "You promised to always love me. Always protect me. I waited for you and heard nothing."

"Surely you haven't forgotten this, sister. I recall with perfect clarity your disgust at my disfigurement. I believe the words you used were 'useless cripple,'" he said, thrusting his golden hand in her face, his anger at her rejection of him coming forth. "I could hardly have won a trial by battle."

"You would have won. With my life on the line, you would not have failed. I thought perhaps Sansa would not let you come to me."

"Sansa was due to give birth. I couldn't leave her to walk into certain death. Not when I promised to be with her for the birth of our child."

"So you chose her over me?"

"She was my wife, Cersei. I should choose her over all others. I took vows to love her, to protect her…to be loyal to her."

He could see the jealous rage in Cersei's face at his words. "Of course. Now vows are suddenly important to you. What about her relations? Do you think I don't know that Catelyn Stark and Edmure Tully are living here? It's bad enough that you liberated the Northern Lords that Walder Frey took as prisoners at the Red Wedding. At least they are in the dungeons like actual prisoners. In the morning, I'll see to it that all of the prisoners are sent to the dungeons."

Jaime felt anger overcome him. "You are not in charge here, Cersei. I am Lord of the Rock. You are nothing here."

"I am Queen Regent."

"Ser Kevan is Regent. Not you. You have no authority here. Not over me or anyone else. It is for me to choose how my hostages are treated."

He saw her tamp down her rage. She must want something from me, still or she would certainly shriek as I know she wishes to. Perhaps sending someone to kill Sansa was about more than punishing me.

"Let's not fight brother. Not after all you've been through. It's not good for you to stay here alone. And I need your help. For Tommen. They won't let me near him, Jaime. The Tyrells…perhaps you would return to King's Landing with me? We…we could rule together. As you always wished for. It might do you well. To give you something to forget your grief. You could help me fight Stannis and get your revenge. For what he did to Sansa and the child," she offered.

Jaime met her eyes and really looked, trying to see the monster that he knew was inside her. He should have known this was about power. That she wanted to wield him as a weapon. Again. "I'm going to bed. The staff will see to your needs." There were far too many staff members around for him to speak openly to her, and Jaime was not in the mood to spend any more time with his sister than necessary.

"Jaime, don't be this way. Stay here with me for a while." She clearly noted the direction he took. "Where are you going? The lord's chambers are the other way."

"I can't sleep in there anymore. I can't sleep in the rooms where Sansa and the babe were murdered. Good night, sister."

…

Jaime sat on the bed, in his childhood room, leaning against the headboard and thought about his relationship with Cersei. They'd always been close but when their mother died, and their father spent even more time in King's Landing – devoting all of his time and energy to being Hand of the King, Cersei had been his only solace. Now, she was the root of his misery.

It wasn't long before the chamber door opened and Cersei silently entered his room. He watched her as she bolted the door and slowly made her way towards him, wearing only her dressing gown. She quickly shed the thin silk and climbed atop him, naked as her nameday, and pressed her breasts against his chest. Jaime gripped one of her arms, holding her still. He had been waiting for her to come to his room, but he had thought she would be a bit more subtle about it. She can't honestly believe that I would welcome her back into my bed before Sansa's body is even cold.

"What are you doing?" he ground out.

"I merely wish to comfort you. I know you cared for her and the child." She gently kissed his forehead. "Sex has always comforted you in the past," she murmured, sitting back and exposing her body to him. He looked at her, wondering how someone so beautiful, could be so ugly on the inside. He'd been agonizing over his options for dealing with Cersei for the past day, but he knew what he had to do. She had not left him any options.

"Why do you come to me now? After rejecting me so cruelly in King's Landing the moment I wasn't perfect? After proclaiming me useless and saying Sansa could have me?"

Cersei leaned forward and kissed him. He returned her kiss for a moment, knowing it was goodbye, before gripping her tightly, holding her on his lap. She began to reach between them for the laces on his breeches. "Take me, Jaime. Get inside me. We'll both feel better if we can join as one again."

He held her hands still. "Did you ever love me? Or was I only ever another soldier you could send into battle for you?" He knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from her own lips.

"Of course I loved you," she whispered sweetly, using the voice that had always seduced him into believing her.

Jaime moved his hand to her neck, initially as a caress, until he tightened his grip, pushing Cersei onto her back. He could see the excitement in her eyes. She thinks I've given in – that I'm going to fuck her brutally, as she likes. He simply held her there for a few moments, looking at her and wondering where it all went so wrong. Cersei began to shift uncomfortably, realizing he was just holding her down, and making no move to fuck her. She met his eyes and he saw fear reflected back. She must see the anger in my eyes.

"What are you doing, Jaime?"

"How could you? How could you send an assassin to kill what I loved? To kill my wife and my child?"

"I didn't…I…It was Stannis."

"Don't lie to me. I have news for you. You failed. Sansa and the babe live."

"But you said –"

"I knew you'd come here once you heard that your lover had killed Sansa."

"What did you say?"

"You heard me. I don't imagine you care, but he's dead. The fool may have loved you, but we both know, sweet sister, that you didn't love him. He was only too happy to answer my questions after some…motivation. He told me you sent him. That you said Sansa had weakened me and that she had to be killed for the good of House Lannister."

"She has weakened you," Cersei roared back, freeing herself from his grip, not caring about her nakedness as she screamed at him. "She and that little mongrel of hers weakened the warrior – the lion – inside you. Before her, you would never have been content to sit here at the Rock, gazing at a baby, as if you were some sort of wet nurse. You would have come to me, no matter what. Instead, you left me there to die! What was I supposed to do?"

"I couldn't be your champion. I would have died."

"You would not have died. We came into the world together and will leave together. I can't die as long as you live."

"I guess we'll see about that," Jaime murmured to himself. "Tell me, sister, how would having Sansa raped by your lover benefit House Lannister?" Cersei looked at him defiantly. "I suppose, that was only for your own pleasure. For your own revenge. But, that's what this whole thing was about. Revenge. You had already prevailed in your trial by battle. What good was killing Sansa? It wasn't going to bring me to your side."

"Where is she? Where's the little brat?"

"Don't speak of my daughter that way."

"Your daughter," she snarled, shoving him away. "You have a daughter. You have two children who are pure Lannisters. But you think only of Sansa and her little pup. Fine. Leave them here. Leave them here, and return to King's Landing with me. That's all I want. They can live here, safe and happy."

Jaime shook his head. "It's too late for that. My place is with Sansa and our daughter. My only true born child. The only child I've been permitted to love. She's such a tiny little thing. And she looks just like her mother. Just like Sansa. Except her eyes. Her eyes are bright green…just like ours. There's no denying she's a Lannister."

Jaime took a deep breath, fighting back his emotions. "You know, after I joined the Kingsguard and Aerys sent me away – back to King's Landing…I've not been happy. Not in all those years. Not until father gave Sansa to me." He met his sister's eyes – so like his own. "I finally found happiness, after years of misery, after losing what I thought was the best part of me, after your rejection…and you tried to take that happiness away."

"She's ruining everything," Cersei blurted out. "You are mine."

Jaime held Cersei against the wall by the throat. "You've proven that you can't be trusted," he said quietly. "I thought about imprisoning you in the dungeons or simply telling you that you failed and banishing you from the Rock but…I know that won't stop you. You'd still find a way to harm Sansa. I could never let my guard down. Don't you wonder why I let you believe Sansa was dead? Don't you wonder why I lured you here?" Cersei struggled against him, trying to push him away, but Jaime did not yield. "It was because I knew you would never give up until you got what you wanted. You're relentless like that."

He could see that Cersei could hardly breathe. She certainly couldn't scream. "I suppose it's fitting that our relationship would end in the same room where you gave me your maidenhead. Though, now I see it was you who took my innocence, not the other way around."

Her eyes widened and she shook her head as she realized what he was saying.

"I know that you're my sister. And I'm supposed to love you and take care of you. It's even a vow I swore when I became a knight. But you've gone too far. And…you've left me no choice. I have to protect the innocent. Sansa and our daughter – my daughter – are innocents. I can't allow you to harm them again."

He felt tears burning in his eyes. "I know you understand," he whispered. "You'd do the same if someone tried to have your child killed."

Jaime closed his eyes and turned his head away as he squeezed harder, pressing the metal hand against her throat. He felt her trying to scratch it away, but the gold was unyielding. He heard her whisper his name and met her eyes, watching as the light slowly died. Jaime began to sob as she stopped moving and he no longer felt her heart pounding against his chest.

He gently lowered her body to the ground and held her in his arms, forcing his grief away. You had no choice. Sansa would never have been safe. Julianna would never have been safe. He forced away his grief – as he had so many times in his life – and rose to his feet. He left the room, closing the door behind him. Jaime slowly wandered back to his solar and waited for a servant to find Cersei's body.

…

I think this was in character for Jaime, given the intensity he feels for those he loves, but let me know what you think…

Next Chapter: Sansa learns of Cersei's death and tries to comfort Jaime