A/N: I'M BAAAACK! Sorry to keep you all waiting, thanks for being patient. I hope you like this new update and thank you once again to everyone for the amazing response!

Guest: Thank you very much, here's the new update you wanted!

Right-ho, onwards!

:)

Crumble

When Lanette's period of mourning was judged to be officially over she was expected to go back to her duties as Lady of the Rock. Jaime had offered to speak to his father on her behalf about her having some more time to grieve but she had dismissed his offer and told him she was happy to begin her duties again. It wasn't entirely true but neither was it entirely false. Part of her thought it might do her good to keep busy and so she had left her chambers when Jaime had and they had gone down to break their fast in the great hall. When that was done with he went out into the tiltyard and she went down to the kitchens to converse with the cooks about supplies before taking the list up to the Maester to make sure everything was ordered on time. The Maester didn't have much for her to attend to, merely some inquiries about seamstresses and how many nurses she was planning on bringing into the keep to help with the baby. She hadn't known what to say to that and he had raised his eyebrows in surprise when she had told him that one would likely suffice. After that he had listened at her stomach with that strange instrument of his and declared that the baby's heart was regular and strong. Lanette had checked and double checked with him then that there was only one baby inside her and he had assured her that there was.

When she was finished with him she had an early luncheon as her stomach was growling before deciding she would like to take a walk down on the beach before going to see the steward. Usually he didn't want her for anything anyway and she was almost certain that the journey to his workrooms would be a wasted one. If he ever needed anything he always seemed to go to Jaime or his father and that was fine by her. Her name was called as she made her way across the entrance hall though and she turned, a look of surprise crossing her features when she saw her good-father approaching her. She tried to gauge his mood but his facial expression never changed much so it was next to impossible to know what he was thinking.

"How are you feeling my Lady?" he asked her and she blinked a few times in surprise.

"I am very well, thank you my Lord. I trust your own health is good," she replied.

"As good as ever," he replied, smiling thinly, "I have just spoken with the Maester"

"I see," she said, searching in her mind for something she could have possibly done wrong.

"He tells me you are only intending to have one nurse for the child," he said.

"Well … I … I hadn't really thought about it until he asked …" she stuttered out.

"Joanna had two for the twins," he stated.

"But then there were two of them my Lord," she said before she could stop herself.

"Indeed … true indeed," he chuckled slightly, an odd look in his eye.

"I'm sure another can be found if necessary," she said then and he nodded his agreement, his eyes dropping to her stomach as her hand came to rest on it.

"Are you quite well?" he asked as she rubbed the spot.

"The baby is a lively little thing," she told him, a smile gracing her lips.

"May I?" he asked after a moment, his hand hesitating slightly near her belly.

"Of course my Lord," she said, surprised at his request but glad he was taking an interest, it would be his grandchild after all.

She noticed a slight shake to his hand as he rested it gently atop her swollen stomach and she watched him carefully, seeing his eyes widen slightly before they lit up with a smile. There was such an expression of wonder on his face then that she had never expected to see on the hardened, stone man that she thought for a moment that she was dreaming. He pulled his hand away then, meeting her eyes for a moment, a warmth present in his green eyes that she so often saw in Jaime's. It was gone in the next instant though, his stone mask back in place as he nodded curtly to her.

"I'll not keep you any longer my Lady," he said, backing away from her.

"No my Lord," she said in a slightly dazed manner, "I would not keep you my Lord."

He merely nodded again then before he wheeled around and marched off in the opposite direction, his footsteps echoing away down the hallways. It took a moment for Lanette to decide that her encounter with him had indeed been real before she shook her head as though to clear it and set off on her own interrupted journey down to the beach. When she reached the steep, winding stone steps she slowed her pace, keeping one hand firmly on the sides of the stone that the steps were cut into. The last thing she needed was to lose concentration even for a second. Her stomach was more rounded now and it was difficult for her to see much more than the very tips of her toes as her other hand held her skirts up well above her ankles so she wouldn't trip on them. When she reached the bottom she breathed a sigh of relief and took a long, grateful gulp of sea air. She much preferred being out here with the sun on her face than stuck indoors sewing yet more clothes for the baby with her handmaiden's. It seemed silly to her that they were sewing clothes when it was impossible to know whether she was carrying a boy or a girl.

Everyone seemed to be working on the assumption that there was a boy inside her. That she would do her duty first time around and deliver Jaime the son he needed. No one seemed to consider the alternative, that she might bear him a daughter. Would that really be so bad? She didn't think so herself; both she and Jaime were young enough to have more children and judging by how quickly she had fallen pregnant it should not be too difficult for them to conceive again. Perhaps some people would be disappointed with a girl but she wouldn't be; she would treasure the little bundle no matter what it was. She sat down on her favourite rock then and ran her hands over the swell of her stomach, smiling slightly to herself as she thought about the little dresses she had sewn in secret and placed in a box under the bed. Perhaps she would have need of them and perhaps she wouldn't, but at least her baby would have something to wear either way and either way she would be thrilled. Jaime would be too. At least she hoped he would be. She sighed again then and fixed her eyes on a boat in the distance with bright red sails as her baby moved insistently inside her again. In just under four moons time everyone would be able to stop guessing and would know; and she could not wait.

Jaime hadn't even asked anyone this time, he just knew she would be out on the beach again and he wasn't wrong. A smile came to his lips as he stepped onto the deserted sands, no one but her there as she sat there gazing out into the distance. The light caught her hair just right then, illuminating the sheer beauty of her and in that moment he knew beyond any doubt that he loved her. He loved her. Gods he loved her. He was crossing to her then and she turned at his approach, just in time for him to cup her face in his hands, kneeling down before her and pulling her lips to his. She kissed him back, the first time he had kissed her like this since the first time he had felt the baby move beneath her skin and he was craving her in seconds. Her tongue came to dance with his as his hands slipped back to tangle in her soft hair, her own coming down to his shoulders. For a moment he thought she would push him away but she didn't, merely shifting herself closer to the edge of the low rock she was sat on so she could press her body against his.

He couldn't help himself then, his hands coming from her hair and grabbing at her hips in an instant, pulling her down off the rock and shifting her as carefully as he could onto the sands beneath them. She gasped as he came to tug up her skirts and he pulled away from the kiss, his eyes meeting hers as his hands stilled, convinced she would tell him to stop. She held his gaze for what seemed like forever as he loomed above her, forcing his body to stay still as her chest rose and fell deliciously quickly. Her heart was racing as quickly as his was, she wanted him. She could deny him and part of him thought she would but he knew that deep down she was craving him as much as he was craving her. He kept her gaze, wondering which part of her would win the battle he could almost see raging in her mind. Would her stubbornness win out or would her lust for him take her over. He tugged her skirts a fraction more up her legs then and she finally caved in, her own hands coming up and grabbing his face to hers, kissing him furiously as his hands continued frantically pulling up her skirts.

Her hands wandered to the laces of his doublet then, loosening the top as he tugged her skirts firmly up and around her waist before he dropped one hand to his laces, the other bracing himself above her so his weight didn't crush her blossoming stomach. She was breathless as she tugged his doublet open, her fingers pulling desperately on the fastenings of his shirt, loosening it just far enough so she could slip her warm hands beneath it and let them roam across his chest. He groaned into her mouth then as he managed to free his length from his breeches, her legs coming to clamp high around his waist as he positioned himself at her entrance. He could feel her warm and wet for him and feeling her so aroused made him lose his senses, everything consumed by her as he thrust inside her in one quick motion. She cried out, her lips wrenching from his as she gasped for air, her hips rising to meet his as he rocked into her harder and harder. So hard it was almost painful but it felt so good to be with him again like this, the pain felt so good she couldn't stop herself asking him for more. Begging him for more.

Jaime thought he might lose his mind as he pounded into her tight warmth over and over, hearing her mumble and moan desperately for him to give her more. He didn't know how much more he could give her and he was certain that he must be hurting her but still she demanded more and still he thrust hard and deep into her. Her hands snuck under his shirt again, finding their way to his shoulders and digging their nails hard into his flesh causing a low hiss to leave his mouth. She somehow shifted her legs higher up around his waist, still asking him for more despite the pain. The pain felt so good. He felt so good as each stab of pain brought an overwhelming wave of pleasure crashing down with it. How could it be possible for it to feel so good but hurt so much? Jaime could see the tears welling in her eyes and he knew he should slow his pace, stop being so rough with her but her mouth was still moaning out for more and he could do nothing but surrender to the power of those lips. He kept his eyes trained on them, watched as they formed his name over and over as she began to close in around him. Gods she felt good, she felt so fucking good he could barely stand it and when she screamed out her release he followed right after her, twitching to his end inside her and collapsing down against her, stifling his own groan of pleasure in the soft skin of her neck.

Somehow he had managed to keep one arm braced by her waist so he didn't crush her stomach and he thanked the Gods for it as a hint of shame crept into him. He had been rough with her. Too rough considering her condition but she had begged him and he had been unable to resist. He had been without her for so long that the lust had taken over him and blinded him to everything else, even the health of his child. "Are you alright?" he managed to ask her then, his breathing still ragged as his lips fluttered against her delicate shell of an ear. He could feel her nodding then, the motion making her soft cheek rub against his own rougher one and relief spread through him. "I hurt you," he breathed then, kissing at her neck and along her jawline, each feather light press of his lips an apology to her as her hands came from beneath his clothing to stroke through his hair. "It felt good," she panted back to him then and he felt gratification and regret all at once. How did she do that? How did she make him feel simultaneously pleased with himself and more ashamed than he had ever been in his life? "I shouldn't have … you're with child," he practically moaned against her ear then but she merely turned her head in response and pressed firm kisses to his temple, her hands tightening in his hair. "I wanted it Jaime," she whispered to him; "I wanted you … I needed you more than I've ever needed anything …"

"You are all I need Lana," he responded, "you are all I'll ever need, all I'll ever want"

"I love you Jaime," she said then, so quietly that had it not been for the fluttering of her lips against his temple he would have sworn he had imagined it.

"I love you too," he whispered against the skin of her neck; "Gods I love you … I love you …"

Lanette didn't regret their little tryst on the beach until she was sat in the tub trying to rinse the sand from her hair. The little grains had seemingly got everywhere but it was a small price to pay for hearing Jaime utter those three words to her over and over. They sounded like magic the way he had spoken them to her. They sounded like the sweetest music to her ears as he had whispered her name into her ear so sweetly it was as though he was uttering a prayer. No longer could she keep herself guarded from him. No longer could she keep her distance. He had wound his way around her defences and now her walls had crumbled to rubble and dust and nothing. She was completely bare and open to him just as she had been when they had first wed only now she felt a thousand times more vulnerable. He had sworn never to hurt her again and she had to believe him, she had no choice but to believe him because she loved him. She couldn't help it. She was his just like she had promised and all she could do now was hope and pray that he was hers as he had promised her. He was hers, he had to be; she couldn't let him go now. Not ever.

He entered their chambers then just as she rose out of the tub and wrapped a large towel around her. She sent him a smile that which he returned, that familiar glazed look in his eyes that she had not seen in so long. "Seems like I came back just in time," he commented and her smile widened as he crossed over to her and rested his hands gently on her hips before bending to gently peck her lips. "I do hope I didn't keep you from anything earlier," she said, her hands coming to rest on his chest and toy with the lacings of his doublet. He merely kissed her forehead in response and she smiled widely at the affectionate gesture, feeling so complete in his arms. "Not at all," he finally answered her question and she drummed her fingers on his chest for a moment before leaning up and kissing him again. "I ought to dry myself properly," she said regretfully and he sighed, capturing her lips in a long kiss before he finally released her from his grip. "If you must," he said heavily and she merely smiled in response before stepping away and heading into her bedchamber. Jaime sat himself down on the sofa then, watching the fire dancing in the grate as he sighed out in utter contentment. Finally everything seemed to be heading in the right direction for himself and Lanette. There had been times when he had thought he had lost her forever but knowing she had forgiven him, more so that she loved him, made him feel invincible.

"How attached are you to your bedchamber?!" she called from her own then.

"I'd rather be attached to yours!" he called back, hearing her giggle in response.

"Then you have no need of them?!" she asked him then.

"Not particularly," he frowned slightly, "why do you ask?"

"I thought perhaps we could turn it into a nursery for the baby," she said, emerging from her own chamber, rubbing the towel through her hair as she approached him.

"If you like," he said, opening his arms and encouraging her into his lap.

"I know there is a nursery but it is in the opposite tower, I had hoped to have our baby close by," she explained.

"As I said, whatever you like," he told her, kissing the side of her neck exposed by the way her hair was fallen over the other side.

"You don't mind?" she checked with him, slinging the towel back over the sofa and turning her eyes on him.

"You, and our baby," he began, slipping his hand between the folds of her robe so he could place it on her bare stomach, "can have anything you wish for"

"You may regret saying that one day," she told him, leaning back into his embrace.

"Why is that?" he murmured into her ear, kissing down her jawline as he rubbed her belly.

"Children can ask for the most extraordinary things," she answered him and he chuckled.

"Perhaps you better not tell them I said that," he said in an amused tone.

"Hmm … perhaps you ought to persuade me to keep quiet," she returned and he nuzzled her neck more insistently.

"I'll persuade you all night if you're not careful," he growled and she smiled widely.

"You would deprive your poor, pregnant wife of much needed sleep?" she asked with a raised brow.

"You have an answer for everything," he said disbelievingly.

"I have to keep you on your toes," she smiled, "we don't want our marriage to grow dull now do we?"

"That would be a great shame," he murmured, turning his attention back to her neck.

"Jaime?" she asked.

"What?" he returned, his voice muffled by her skin.

"Do you want a boy or a girl?" she asked.

"Is that a trick question?" he answered and she swatted him playfully.

"No I'm serious," she told him.

"I suppose I ought to say I'd prefer a boy," he said, "but in truth I don't mind"

"Truly?" she sounded sceptical and he grinned at her.

"As if I would be disappointed in a golden haired girl in the image of her mother," he replied.

"You would say anything to get into my bed," she retorted and he chuckled.

"Perhaps," he said, sliding his other hand up her thigh, "but where else am I to sleep, dear wife, when you have stolen my own chambers from me?"

"I think it is you who has an answer for everything, dear husband," she smiled and he couldn't resist leaning in to capture those smiling lips.

Jaime decided to spring Tyrion from his lessons with the Maester the next morning after trying and failing to coax Lanette awake. She seemed to sleep in later and later as her pregnancy progressed and he supposed he had rather tired her out the night before. It couldn't be helped though; he had been without her for so long that he hadn't been able to resist making up for lost time. He replayed some of his favourite parts of the night then and grinned in a slightly dazed manner as he knocked on the door of the Maester's workroom. When he was called to come in he did as he was told, his eyes searching for Tyrion who was busy scribbling away in the corner of the room. His little brother looked up after a moment and caught his eye to which Jaime widened his own and tilted his head a fraction towards the door. Tyrion grinned then and Jaime knew he had received his silent message.

"What can I do for you Ser?" the Maester asked then and Jaime turned his attention to him.

"Well … I was just wondering if I could ask a few questions about my wife being with child?" he said.

"Of course, of course, what do you need to know?" the Maester asked.

"Well …" Jaime began, a slight smirk on his face as the Maester took the bait so easily.

They were laughing raucously a few hours later as they reclined back on the beach, a large flagon of ale between them that was almost empty. Tyrion closed his eyes to the hot sun as he lay back further, his head spinning slightly. Jaime chuckles and followed suit, the sun warming his face nicely as he lay back against the sands. He knew he shouldn't really have sprung Tyrion from his lessons and then proceeded to get him drunk for the first time but he had spent precious little time since being back with his little brother. He had spent the majority of the weeks and months trying to persuade Lanette to give him another chance and now that she had he had promised himself he would devote more time to Tyrion. Lanette seemed encouraging of his intentions, especially since he had told her about his father's feelings towards his youngest son. He doubted she would be quite as pleased if she knew he had taken him out drinking but what she didn't know would not hurt her.

"What's it like Jaime?" Tyrion asked him then, voice slightly slurred.

"What's what like?" Jaime smiled, his own head perfectly clear.

"Being in love … being loved," Tyrion answered and Jaime felt a rush of pity for him.

"You are loved," he told him firmly.

"No … not by you … Gods … by a woman," Tyrion sighed in exasperation.

"It's … difficult to explain," Jaime told him honestly.

"It must be wonderful …" Tyrion said wistfully and Jaime smiled slightly.

"It is," he agreed, that much he knew was true.

"Do you think a woman will ever love me Jaime?" Tyrion asked then.

"I don't see why not, you are a Lannister of the Rock after all," Jaime told him.

"She would love my name," Tyrion said sadly and Jaime regretted his words at once.

"She would love you no matter your name," he insisted, "you're a good boy Tyrion, better than I ever was – if I can get a woman to love me I have no doubt you can"

"But you're a knight," Tyrion said.

"That matters not to Lana," Jaime told him honestly.

"I like her …" Tyrion said sleepily then and Jaime turned to see him yawn widely.

"I'm glad," he replied with a smile, "she likes you too, very much"

"Not as much as she likes you," Tyrion said then.

"Well I should bloody well hope not," Jaime chuckled and Tyrion smiled widely.

"Father will be angry with me again," he said.

"Leave father to me," Jaime returned.

"Thank you Jaime," Tyrion said after a long moment of silence.

"You're welcome," he said, pleased that Tyrion had enjoyed his afternoon of freedom; "although you may not be thanking me when you wake up with a pounding head tomorrow."

A/N: Yay for a happy chapter. Hope you enjoyed it! The Cersei issue won't just disappear obviously, she will rear her head in time!

:)