Dangerous Suspicions.

Summary: Given the claims Petyr Baelish had made about Catelyn, Ned and Cat do not believe him when he said the dagger used in Bran's assassination attempt belonged to Tyrion. They are at Petyr Baelish's brothel in King's Landing and they have a serious conversation about their marriage.

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As soon as Baelish left them alone in the room, Ned turned to his wife.

"My Lady, how are your hands?" Ned asked his wife looking at her bandaged hands.

"Still attached to my wrists" she said with a dry smile. To be truthful, the Valyrian steel of the dagger had cut deep and her hands were still burning. "How are the girls? I miss them"

"I know, my love. Sansa is still dreaming of knights and songs, and Arya is, well, still Arya" sighed Ned. "So, the Imp?" he said nodding at the dagger in Catelyn's hands.

"Yes, that's what Petyr said. It was Petyr's dagger until the Imp won it in a bet at the tourney."

"Do you trust him?"

"I do. He was my friend. He wouldn't lie to me."

"Why would the Imp want to kill Bran?"

"I don't know, but if Petyr said so, I find no reason not to believe him".

"You put too much faith in him, my love. Has he ever lied to you?"

"Not that I know of. We were very close friends as children."

"So I have heard"

"What do you mean?"

"What is Littlefinger to you? Is he just a friend?"

"What are you implying?" she asked sternly

"Since I arrived in King's Landing I've heard stories"

"Stories" she repeated. "What stories?"

"About you. And Littlefinger. Back in Riverrun before we married, before Brandon."

"So, stories about Petyr and me when we were kids in Riverrun. What about them?"

Ned took a step back and replied:

"You slept with him. You gave him your maidenhead and you never told me. You never told Brandon, either"

He was not prepared for the slap that followed.

"Eddard Stark, how dare you?" she said sharply. "How dare you throw that in my face after what you did? I was never unfaithful and I have never lied to you. You, on the other hand .. argh … I still can't bring myself to talk about what you did! You wedded me, bedded me, left me with child and then rode to some other woman's bed. To add insult to injury you brought your bastard baby to my house and treated him just like a true born. Do you have any idea of the grief you caused me? The shame? The humiliation? The hurt? And now you have the nerve to imply that I have been untruthful? I have fought an assassin protecting our son and ridden thousands of miles to warn you of possible dangers and you accuse me of being a tart. How dare you?"

"I'm sorry my love, but that's what he said"

"Who? What did they say?"

"Littlefinger. He said he had taken your maidenhead back in Riverrun when you were younger".

"He did no such thing. I did no such thing" she replied indignantly.

He stood closer to his wife and took her hands in his.

"Do not touch me Eddard Stark!" she yelled and withdrew her hands sharply.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I misjudged. I should have known better" he said softly.

"Unlike you, I have only been with one person" she said with venom

He couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye. They stood face to face in the middle of the room uncertain of what to say or do next.

"He lied to me" Catelyn said after a while, realization suddenly dawning on her.

"Why would he do that?" Ned asked her in a soft voice.

"He wants to drive a wedge between us. … My feelings for him were brotherly. His ran a bit deeper."

"Do you think he might have lied to you? About the Imp and the dagger?"

"I don't know. Maybe I didn't know him as well as I thought" she replied pensively.

.

Catelyn walked to the bed and sat down. Her husband followed suit and sat next to her.

"I don't trust him", he said with anger.

"I don't know what to think. How many people did he tell that I slept with him?" she asked him.

"I don't know" he answered honestly.

"It makes no sense" she said suddenly.

"What?" he asked confused by the abrupt change in his wife's tone.

"For the Imp to try to kill Bran. After the attack on our son, I found out that Jamie Lannister had not joined the hunt and had remained in the castle the day Bran fell. I didn't remember seeing him in the castle that day. I also didn't remember seeing Cersei. Lysa had warned us about the Lannisters. So I started thinking. What if Bran saw something? Something that involved Cersei and Jamie; something they didn't want anybody to know. I started suspecting they might have something to do with Bran's fall. But then Petyr said the dagger belonged to Tyrion and I completely forgot about my initial suspicions"

"I've been doing some digging of my own, as well" Ned said. "Jon Arryn suspected something was amiss with Robert and the children. We know Robert has not been faithful to Cersei. He had many bastards. What if Cersei did the same thing? What if Joffrey is not Robert's son, but Jamie's?" he said in a conspiratorial tone.

With everything that had just taken place, he didn't really want to talk about a husband being unfaithful to his wife. And neither did she. Fifteen years later, for her the wound was still fresh and opened at the slightest comment.

"Then I would say he got his just deserts" she said evenly, and he didn't miss the accusation in her tone. "Ned, if that is true, that changes everything. Some of our children have my looks, some have your looks, or a mixture of both. But all of Cersei and Robert's children have a Lannister look. There is nothing Baratheon about them"

"We should go to Robert. We need to tell him about our suspicions."

"What makes you think he'll believe you? Not all men are so fast to believe their wives have been unfaithful?"

"Cat, I'm sorry. I really am. I should not have believed Littlefinger. I should have trusted you more. … But he'll believe me. He doesn't love Cersei"

"Oh" she replied coldly. "So you do not love me. Is that why you were so ready to believe Petyr?"

"Oh, gods, no Cat! I'm sorry I hurt you. I don't know what else to say. I love you, a lot more than I could express. I'm not Brandon. I don't have his exuberant and charming personality. When he died, you married me out of duty and I have always been afraid you didn't love me and that you would leave me. But then we managed to build a beautiful life together and I am more than sure that you do love me just as I love you. Yet, when Littlefinger said that, all my fears and insecurities returned. I love you too much. I can't afford to lose you" he said wiping the tears that were falling down his wife's face.

"All right" she said "So, we tell Robert we suspect his children are not his and that Cersei and Jamie tried to have Bran killed, and then what?"

"We'll see. … But there's something we need to do first" he said, a mischievous smile forming on his lips and his hand patting the bed.

"And what would that be, my lord?" she asked playfully.

"Well, here we are, in a fine room in a very refined establishment. I have not been with my wife in almost a month."

"Oh, Lord Stark, after this conversation, I believe you have a lot to make up for."

"And I shall pay gladly" he said kissing his wife hungrily on the lips.

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"Ned, Cat, what can I do for you?" said King Robert Baratheon sitting on the Iron Throne. "Have I told you how much I hate this throne? Have you ever sat here? Argh, it kills my butt and breaks my back. Here, Cat, would you like to try it" he said getting on his feet.

"No, thank you, You Grace" replied a surprised Catelyn.

"Robert, can we talk in private? Just the three of us" said Ned.

"Yes, of course. Shoo, all of you, get out" he said to the men in the court. "You too Cersei".

When they were alone, Ned said:

"Your Grace, we have something to discuss with you. Please do not take offence."

"To hell with it Ned! Just talk! We're brothers you and I! Yes, I know, I sit on this god-awful chair and you kneel in front of me. Who would have thought? So, what is it?"

"Do you remember when Bran fell from that tower? Your brother in law, Jamie Lannister, did not go hunting with us and stayed in the castle. Nobody saw him nor your wife for the whole day. My wife and I believe they were engaging in dirty affairs and when Bran saw them, they pushed him through the window. A few days after I left Winterfell with you, an assassin was sent to kill Bran. My wife thwarted the attack, at no small cost to herself" Ned said pointing at Catelyn's hands. "She came all the way to King's Landing to warn me and was told the dagger belonged to Tyrion Lannister. However, we have reason not to trust the source."

"Who told you that?" asked Robert

"Littlefinger"

"Ah, Littleshitter. Don't trust him."

"I have also been delving into Jon Arryn's death. I came to the conclusion he believed your children were not really your children. Your grace, pardon me for being so bold."

"So you think my wife has been fucking her twin brother, that my children are actually his, and that fearing they would be discovered they tried to kill your son."

"I'm sorry, Your Grace, but yes, that is what we believe"

"I see" said the King pensively.

"I'm sorry to bring this matter to your attention, Your Grace, but.."

"Ned! Ned! Don't fret. You're my brother ... I guess I've always known it" he said resigned. "I was just waiting for confirmation. Leave now. Go back to your chambers. Let me deal with this shit."

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"Are you ready?" Ned asked his wife when they had finished loading their trunks onto the cart.

"Let's go home" she replied.

"Father", asked Sansa, "what's going to happen to Ser Jamie now?

"He's been sent to the Wall."

"I hope Jon kills him" said Arya.

"Arya! Please, that is not very lady like" her mother chastised her. "Besides, it's not Jon's place to do that. They will be Brothers of the Night Watch. He can't do that"

"I hate him. And I hate Cersei. I wish I could kill her myself with Needle. Now that she's been banned to Casterly Rock, I will go there myself and kill her, and Joffrey!"

"Arya stop it!" cried Sansa.

"Shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"Girls please. Calm down! Cat, how do you deal with them?" a resigned Ned asked his wife as she was trying to suppress a giggle. "You have no idea how much I suffered on the trip from Winterfell to King's Landing. They're always bickering and shouting and fighting. It's unbearable! … Are you laughing at my misfortune, my lady?"

"No my lord, I would never …" she said as she burst into laughter. …

THE END