SANDOR

Sandor's heart picked up a steady drumming in his chest as he walked towards her hospital room. He wasn't sure if the little bird would be thrilled at seeing him. He wasn't family and they had only known each other for a short period.

The nurse waved him into the room as he paused at the threshold, before stepping out and closing the door behind her.

The little bird's brother had told him that she'd refused to speak to anyone since the detective had broken the truth to her about the Baelish fuck.

Sandor lowered himself into a chair stationed by her hospital bed.

She was pale and staring silently up at the ceiling, still refusing to acknowledge or talk to anyone apparently.

He would have chuckled at her stubbornness if he wasn't filled with such fury at the bastard that called himself her uncle. But for her, Sandor hid his rage.

His mouth opened and words started pouring out before his mind registered what he was saying. "I was six," he rasped, "my brother and I were given toys by a woodcarver who was renting a warehouse that my father owned. My brother was gifted this amazing replica of a knight. As realistic as they come. Shiny and new.

"I always envied his knight. My own superhero figure paled in comparison. Superheros weren't real. I didn't believe in their magic. But knights were real and brave and survived by brute strength and skill alone. So one night when my brother, only eleven, was out causing havoc, I sneaked into his room and stole his knight. He didn't care for it, mind you, but it was his and he was furious that I had dared to touch it.

"Gregor, silent as a ghost, his eyes burning brighter than any hell, grabbed me, and shoved my face into the burning coal that heated our fireplace. My father lied for him. Protected him. Told everyone that I had been playing with the stove and my hair caught on fire." Sandor snorted. "Gregor and my father were two of a kind, I tell you. Never met two crueler souls that took such pleasure in preying on the weak."

The room was silent when he finally shut his mouth, and when he looked down at her he found her haunted eyes staring into his.

"He was no true brother. Family don't hurt each other." Her lips trembled as her words reminded her of the prick Baelish, and tears spilled down her cheeks.

He grasped her hand gently, running his thumb down her wrist in a comforting manner. "I'm sorry about everything, little bird. He shouldn't have done what he did to you in that hotel room." Sandor barely managed to keep the fury out of his voice.

"I let him do it," her voice was small and scared. "Don't tell my brother."

Her words slammed into his chest, painful as a freight train. But he pushed his emotions away, keeping them locked up as tightly as possible. He didn't trust himself not to find where Baelish was being kept and disassemble him limb by limb. "He took advantage of you," Sandor rasped. "… And I did too when I kissed you."

"I let him do it," she repeated hollowly. "I thought he loved me."

"That fuck only loves himself," Sandor growled.

She was quiet for so long that he thought she wouldn't speak to him again. He tensed as he wondered if she had taken her uncle's side. The sound of her voice startled him.

"He kissed me a lot. And sometimes he touched me... but he always said that he did it because he loved me or I looked really beautiful in that moment and he couldn't help it."

She stared back up at the ceiling and Sandor wanted to say something. But he suspected that any interruption would only make her clam up.

"It made me uncomfortable but I didn't really realize just how wrong it was. Or maybe I did but I didn't want to think about it so I pushed how sick I felt to the back of my mind and I just let him." Her eyes slowly found his, as if she was afraid that he would judge her. "Petyr was all I had and I was afraid of losing him too and being alone in the world." Her gaze silently implored him to understand.

There was a bitterness in Sandor that wanted to refuse to understand. The bitter part of him that had been contaminated and turned dark and rotten by his brother's abuse. It flipped the blame on her instead. You should have known what he wanted. What every male would want from you.

But she was a kid, trustful of the adults in her life. Trustful of him. And he had also forced his attention on her.

A war roared to life and raged inside of him. Light against darkness. And fueled by fury. Fury at her uncle, fury at her, fury at his brother, fury at himself, fury at the world for allowing the innocent to be hurt and broken.

He had been a broken child. He'd buried that broken child. Buried his past. But his guilt weakened him. Giving way for that broken child to attempt to claw back to the surface.

She was digging up that broken part of him with her vulnerability. Her innocence. And her pain.

In his mind Sandor was back in that inn, stepping into the tiny room. Coming face to face with the sight of her in a rumpled t-shirt that rode so far up her thighs, stopping only centimeters short of exposing her modesty. Her eyebrows had been furrowed as if even in her sleep peace evaded her. He had stared speechless, before the cops quickly led him back out.

Fresh ire arose in him as the thought of the hotel room forced his mind to think about what had occurred in it.

A great wrath that caused him to want to lash out at everyone. Lash out at her for succumbing to her uncle's lies. But especially at himself because he'd tried to protect her and never realized that her biggest threat was the one that she'd run away from. Even if only subconsciously.

His internal war raged and raged, picking up steam the longer he reflected on the events that had occurred; and then he felt her squeeze his hand.

"Jon said that you found me...Thank you for finding me."

The quiet voice drew his attention, guiding him out of the darkness that had been consuming him. The ugly feelings started to recede as Sandor took in her small, wobbly smile, and the uncertain but shy and hopeful look in her eyes. He slowly stroked her fingers before he returned her gentle squeeze.

"Anytime, little bird."