A/N: This one is up earlier than expected as apparently I'm losing internet access from tomorrow morning until Wednesday (boo!) Anyway, I couldn't leave you all that long before an update so here you go! Hope you enjoy it, thank you as ever to everyone who's reading and reviewing. Over 200 followers - phew! Much appreciated lovelies.

Guest: Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed it. Here's the new update!

IloveStallison: Here's the new update you wanted, enjoy!

Right-ho, on with the chapter!

:)

Roar

Lanette breathed deeply as she leaned over the bedframe, rocking backwards and forwards slightly as Jaime's hand rubbed soothingly up and down her back. This had been going on for hours. Sometimes she lay down. Sometimes she paced the room but nothing she did seemed to soothe the stabs of pain that came for her every few minutes. The pains were more frequent now than they had been when she had woken in the small hours and she knew that meant that the time was growing nearer. The Maester had been told that her labour had begun and after examining her he had told her to send for him again when her waters broke. When she asked him what that meant he had chuckled at her and told her she would know when it happened. That had infuriated her and she and thrown a pillow at the door just as it closed behind him, much to Jaime's amusement. He hadn't been laughing since though as he stayed with her as her pains grew steadily worse and came closer together. Each time she let a noise of pain escape her an almost tortured look would grace his own features for a moment. She was even more pleased with her decision not to let him in the birthing chamber with her now as she knew damn well things were only going to get worse.

She straightened up when the pain passed, grimacing slightly as she rubbed at her belly. Jaime's hand came to settle on hers then and she looked up at him, seeing the concern in his eyes and managing a small, reassuring smile for him. "I'm alright," she told him, "it's more uncomfortable than anything else." He looked sceptical despite her assurances, especially as just a moment later she was wincing again in pain, a sharp gasp leaving her mouth. "Another already?" he frowned at her as she nodded, watching as she took deep, steadying breaths. "I've got a feeling it won't be much longer," she told him weakly and his already pale face blanched even more. "Should I get the Maester?" he asked her then and she began to shake her head. A moment later though it turned to a nod as she gasped out in surprise more than anything, a trickle of what she hoped was water running down her thighs. "Oh Gods," she whispered, her eyes wide as she met Jaime's. "Oh Gods," he agreed with her.

It was torture hearing her moan out in pain every few minutes but he couldn't help the small smile that tugged on his lips every time he heard her curse and threaten the Maester. Right now silence was the only thing he feared. The one thing he did not want to hear coming from their bed chamber as he paced up and down outside in the living area. Once the Maester had come he had been all but thrown from the room, barely even given the chance to tell Lanette he loved her before the door was slammed in his face. No men in the birthing chamber save the Maester. That was the rule. Part of him wanted to be in there with her but the other part of him was glad she had refused his offer. Hearing her in such pain was bad enough but the thought of seeing it was even worse. A soft knock came on the door then and he paced towards it, glad of something to do. When he opened it his father was revealed and he tried to smile, no doubt failing miserably if his father's raised brow was anything to go by. Jaime turned away without a word and resumed his pacing, seeing that his father had settled himself down when he turned back from the window to begin his journey back to the door. When he turned back towards the window again he saw that shake in his father's hands again that he had seen when Cersei had been birthing her boy.

It was seeing that that snapped him out of his pacing and he came and sat down opposite his father, training his eyes on his hands as he clasped them together to hide the shake. Weakness was one thing his father never showed. Affection was rare but weakness was non-existent. To the untrained eye at least. Jaime knew better. He knew his father held a certain respect for Lanette, it wasn't quite affection but it was as close to it as Tywin Lannister could muster. Jaime kept his eyes on his father's clasped hands, counting each breath that he took as he sat there and did his best not to focus on the moans of agony coming from the bedchamber. When another knock came Jaime barely heard it, his father calling for whoever it was to come in. He didn't realise it was Tyrion until he hopped up onto the sofa beside him. Jaime noted his father's hands shaking again despite how tightly clasped together they were and he knew damn well what he was thinking about. He knew damn well that his father didn't love Tyrion. He couldn't love Tyrion after his wife had lost her life bringing him into the world. Jaime had promised Lanette that he would love their baby no matter what but he was terrified that he would not be able to if he lost her. He didn't have the first idea how to be a father, all his memories from childhood were of his mother or one of the nurses taking care of him. Memories of his father were fewer and far between and had mainly revolved around being taught to ride a horse or wield a sword and the right way to carry a tourney lance.

If Lanette birthed him a son then he had no doubt that he would be able to teach his boy all of that once he grew big enough but what would he do before then? He wished he could believe that he would not be a distant figure; that he would be there day after day so his child knew who he was. Doing it without Lanette though … And what if it was a girl? What in the seven hells was he supposed to do with a daughter? He didn't know how to sew, he had no patience for reading and he had a distinct memory of ripping the heads from all of Cersei's dolls and throwing them out of an open window. He had been trying to see whether he could get them into the sea but he was so high up that they disappeared from his view before he could work out where they would land. Perhaps he could teach his daughter to wield a sword? He thought of Lanette's reaction then. Perhaps not. Perhaps the bow instead. He could definitely teach her to ride a horse, everyone had to know how to ride a horse. Beyond that though he just did not have a clue. Lanette had to be alright. She couldn't die and leave him to be a lone parent. She just couldn't.

Lanette fisted her hands in the sheets beneath her and gritted her teeth as another pain hit her, one of the matron's wiping a cool, damp cloth across her blazing forehead. She was exhausted already and still it seemed as though her baby was not quite ready to make an appearance. The Maester was lifting up her nightdress again then and she prayed that this time he would tell her that she was ready. She had been fighting the urge to push at his instruction; if she pushed too soon she could endanger herself and the child and so she had forced herself not to. The urge to do it was overwhelming though as the pain ripped right through her stomach and throbbed down between her thighs. It was bearable at least. As much as it hurt she could deal with it. She had no other choice. "My Lady, you are ready to push … when you feel another pain push as hard as you can," the Maester told her then and she could have cried in relief. Finally. Finally she could give in.

When the pain came for her she clenched her teeth together, gripping the sheets tightly before she pushed down with all her strength. She couldn't help the cry of pain that left her as the throbbing between her legs turned into a burning. Gods she felt as though she were being split in two, the pain more intense than anything she had ever experienced in her life. "Very good my Lady," the Maester praised her. Good? Good? Was he mad? There was nothing good about this experience, the sooner it was over the better. In her mind Lanette was damn certain that she would never let Jaime between her legs again; not if this were the consequence. "And again my Lady, keep it up," he encouraged and somehow she managed to do what she was told as another pain came for her. It seemed to hurt even more this time, the pain almost blinding as she pushed down with everything she had inside her. Gods it hurt. It hurt so damn much she wondered that it didn't kill her. "The head is born my Lady," she heard the Maester as though from far away, his words faintly registering with her. "Just a few more pushes now and it will be over," he promised her and through her haze she managed to nod for him.

She could feel it now when she pushed, she could feel the little body coming from her and she could feel the tears stinging her eyes as she knew that it would soon be over. Her agony would soon be over and then she would have her little baby safe and secure in her arms. Thinking of that gave her the strength to push again, a final cry of pain leaving her mouth as the baby finally came from her. A seconds relief then as she let her head drop down against the pillows, feeling the cool cloth on her forehead again as she lay there gasping for air. She could still feel the pain but it was as though she had become detached from it, as though she were in some sort of daze. Her vision was blurring slightly now but through her haze she could hear the baby crying and she wanted to cry. It was the singular most beautiful sound she had ever heard in her life and she opened her mouth to say so, to ask for her baby but no words would come out. The haze was creeping closer around her then and her head was swimming. One of the matron's appeared above her then, her face swimming in and out of focus. "My Lady?" the question came from far away, as though the woman were miles away from her, not inches. She blinked slowly then, finding it so difficult to open her eyes again but somehow she managed it, this time seeing the Maester's frowning face above her. "My Lady?" his questioning tone sounded so faint as her leaden eyelids tried to flutter closed but she forced them open. She had to answer the Maester. Tired. She tried to say. I'm tired, I'm just so, so tired …

Tyrion had clapped him heartily on the back when the sounds of crying could be heard from the bedchamber but still Jaime sat with his head in his hands and his leg tapping furiously up and down just waiting for them to come and get him. Surely they should have come to get him by now? The longer it went on the more panic rose up in him. Was something wrong? Why were they taking so long to at least come out and tell him whether or not he had a son or daughter? Just as he was about to give up and stamp through into the room without invitation the door opened and he was on his feet in a flash. His eyes went straight to the bundle in the matron's arms and he almost laughed in relief as he saw a little arm poking out from the blankets. It took him a moment to take in the grave expression on her face and the blood that was coating her apron. "You have a daughter Ser," she told him then, a slight shake in her voice and he swallowed hard, wondering how to even ask the question his mind was screaming at him. "Why is she not with my Lady?" he managed to whisper, feeling someone, he imagined his father, standing up and coming up behind him. "There were complications," she told him, the shake still in her voice, "the Maester is working on her."

Complications. Working on her.

Those words spun around and around in Jaime's head then as he stared right out at nothing. He barely felt his father's hand come to his shoulder nor heard Tyrion's words of concern. He could see nothing, hear nothing and feel nothing but pain. Anger. How could this happen? How could she do this to him, leave him after everything they had gone through? In the next moment rage took over him and he upended one of the side tables, sending everything that had been resting upon it sideways. He heard the matron's shriek, his father's words of caution but he couldn't stop himself. His legs kicked out at something else then and his arms came to sweep the decanters of wine and the glasses from another side table, everything shattering to the floor. He went to tear down one of the bookcases then, unable to imagine his life without her. How could he ever love anyone like her again? No one would ever love him the way she did. She knew everything about him and she loved him despite it all. He would never be able to find that again. Ever. He didn't want to find it again. He wanted her. He wanted Lanette. He pulled down the other bookshelf then and was about to upend their table and chairs when the cry of the baby stopped him.

The baby. His daughter. He froze, his mind thinking of everything and nothing all at once. Remember what you promised me Jaime. Yes. He had promised her. He had promised her that he would love their baby no matter what. Love them twice as much if she was not there to give them her share. He had never imagined having to keep that promise but he was faced with it now and he slowly turned on the spot, his eyes trained on the baby. When he took a step forward his father did the same, as though worried about what exactly Jaime would do next. Before he could utter a word though Jaime had come forward and gently eased the bundle of blankets and baby from the arms of the matron. She looked utterly bewildered and almost frightened but she let him take her. His daughter. He let his eyes drink her in then, her little face with all her little features. She was all Lanette. Her mother's daughter. He supposed either one of them could claim her fine, fair hair but her nose, her lips, the shape of her eyes and even her ears were just like Lanette. A sob choked from him then as he cradled her closer to him, his knees buckling as he sank to the floor with his baby daughter in his arms. He vaguely heard his father telling the matron to fetch the wet nurse and a moment later the opening and closing of the door. In the next moment his father's hands were on his shoulders as he knelt down opposite them. He said nothing but Jaime was glad of it. He didn't want to hear anything but someone telling him that his wife would be alright.

Tyrion came and sat by his side in the next moment, he also said nothing and again Jaime was glad of it. "Perhaps you should fetch a few maids Tyrion," their father said after several long minutes of silence that Jaime spent staring at his daughter; "Lanette will not want to wake to find her chambers destroyed." Tyrion agreed, squeezing Jaime's shoulder tightly before making his way from the room. Jaime looked up to meet his father's eyes then and immediately thought he would break down again. "Do you really think she'll wake up?" Jaime asked him quietly and he thought he saw a flicker of pain cross his father's features before he answered him. "We have a skilled Maester here," he said, "I think there is every hope." Jaime could only nod then before turning his attention back to the baby in his arms. Her eyes were open now and he saw that they were that blue colour that all babies seemed to begin life with. He knew from experience that they would change over the next weeks and vaguely wondered if they would be Lanette's too or if they would end up Lannister green. She was so beautiful and so tiny and Jaime felt overwhelmed by her. He wanted her to have her mother though; he alone would not be enough for her – she was far too precious and perfect.

A knock came at the door then and his father looked at him worriedly for a moment before he hesitantly got up to go and answer it. It was the wet nurse and she was just in time as the baby in Jaime's arms had just started to grumble. He was loathe to let her go, to hand her over to yet another woman who was not her mother but she was hungry and someone needed to feed her while Lanette was unable. He slumped back against the wall then and closed his eyes, trying not to imagine what was happening in the next room. Gods what if she didn't make it? How would he ever cope without her? He looked towards his father then who was sitting rigidly in an armchair and staring out ahead of him with a stony expression on his face. What if he ended up like that? He looked towards his feeding daughter then and prayed that she would keep him from becoming cold and detached should the worst happen. He shook his head then. He needed to stop thinking about it, he needed to stop thinking that she would die and start believing that she would live. That she would survive.

It felt like hours before the handle of the bedchamber door turned but when it did Jaime was up and on his feet at once. The Maester's robes were too drenched in blood and he felt sick, knowing that it belonged to his wife. His face was grave and Jaime steeled himself for the words that he was sure were coming. "Her Ladyship has lost a lot of blood, she will be incredibly weak for the next days and weeks but I am hopeful that she will live," the Maester told him then and Jaime laughed out in astonishment and relief, his hands coming to clamp around his mouth as he thanked the Gods over and over. "Unfortunately," the Maester went on and Jaime snapped his eyes back to him, fear rising up in him again; "I had to go to desperate lengths to save her life … it was a traumatic delivery for her body and I am afraid that there is little hope that she will be able to bear any more children." Jaime blinked rather stupidly then, feeling as thought the Maester had just clubbed him around the head. "No more …?" he whispered, his head shaking slightly and the Maester nodded, a sympathetic look on his face. "But she's alright isn't she?" Jaime went on, "The baby, she's alright?"

"She is perfectly formed and perfectly healthy," the Maester confirmed.

"And Lanette will live?" he asked, his eyes boring into his, searching them for a hint of a lie.

"I believe so, yes," the Maester answered him, his gaze holding firm and Jaime was finally satisfied, his head nodding as he turned away again.

He heard his father and the Maester exchange murmured words then but he didn't care what they were talking about as he eased his daughter back into his own arms now she had finished feeding. No more children. She was it, all that he would ever have and he gazed down on her, seeing her eyes blink slowly as she battled against sleep. A smile spread across his face. Lanette was going to be alright and if the tiny baby in his arms was the only child they would have then so be it. She was the only child he would ever need so long as he had his wife by his side.

Tywin stopped for no one as he pounded down the hallways towards his study, his fists clenching and unclenching by his side. For a moment back there he had seen himself in Jaime. He had seen his own grief over Joanna manifest itself in his son as he tore apart his chambers. Only Jaime had managed to stop himself. Jaime had done what he had never managed to do. He had calmed himself down and taken his child into his arms, the child that could have killed its mother. Jaime had taken that child with such care and tenderness, the very thing that he had never brought himself to do when Tyrion had been born. Tywin slammed the door to his study closed behind him, taking several steadying breaths before he crossed to the side table and poured himself a hearty measure of strong wine. The Gods knew after today he damn well needed it. As he sipped it down his head began to clear and he thought about exactly where today had left his family. No male heir for Jaime unless Lanette did succumb to her ordeal and die. Even if that did happen Tywin could not see Jaime consenting to another marriage. No. One daughter. She would have to be well looked after and nurtured, kept safe at all costs and married into a great noble house.

He determined that if one of his direct descendants would not inherit the Rock then they would damn well inherit something else of great importance. Already he had a grandson who was set to be King one day, now he just needed to work our which house to marry his granddaughter into to ensure the Lannister blood flourished and lived on into greatness. He crossed to the round table across which his map of the Seven Kingdoms was spread and tapped his finger along the lines, lingering on some seats for longer than others as he tried to recall who had sons of the right age. Already he knew that Jaime would not tolerate his daughter being married off to some Lord twice her age or more and so his potential matches were all limited. He drained the last of his wine then as he let his index finger travel upwards, a smile crossing his face as he tapped it triumphantly against the map. Perfect. They had a son, a few years older than his granddaughter if he remembered rightly but that was perfectly acceptable. It was a great house and a vast Kingdom of great importance despite it not being the wealthiest. His side of the family would bring the wealth, they would provide the lands. His smile faded slightly then as he thought of their reaction. Jaime was not the most popular man. He tapped his hand against his chin then as he thought of the best way to approach the match.

The King.

It came to him in one shining moment. Yes, he might not be able to broker the deal himself but some persuasion from Robert should have the match agreed. A nice fat coin purse should have Robert more than willing to conduct his business for him. Tywin allowed another smile to come to his face as he looked down at the map once more, his finger again tapping on his target.

Yes. House Stark was the perfect destination for his granddaughter. One day she would be the Lady of Winterfell, wife to the Warden of the North, the largest of the Seven Kingdom's. He would have a grandson on the throne and, with luck, a great-grandson as the future Lord of Winterfell. It was the best outcome he could hope for given the circumstances and should his plans succeed then he would be able to pass on into the arms of his sweet Joanna a happy man.

A/N: Rather traumatic I'm afraid but a (relatively) happy ending! Hope you enjoyed and you're not disappointed that there won't be any mini Jaime's. More soon!

:)