This is the end friends. What a bittersweet moment this is in what has been an insane journey. I promise I have more Sansa/Tyrion love coming. I'm just not one hundred percent sure when.

The song title for this chapter is Nobody Knows by The Lumineers.

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Disclaimer: A modern Sansa and Tyrion fic? Does that mean that copyrights exist now and are mine? No. GRRM knew what he was doing when he claimed them for his own. Clever little bastard.

Chapter Eighteen: Nobody Knows

"It wasn't supposed to end this way," Tyrion said, staring at the new headstone somberly. "This… mess got completely out of control."

"You're right," Jaime said from beside him. "Things definitely didn't go according to plan."

"No one was supposed to die," Tyrion said bitterly. "Why did we possibly think that we could pull it off without casualties? Are we really that stupid?"

"The plan was a good one. If Sansa hadn't been…"

"Don't," Tyrion said lowly, turning his eyes on his brother for the first time and they were edged with fire. Jaime raised his hands in surrender.

"It's just senseless," he explained. "Joffrey thought he was burning those files."

"I suppose it is a bit ironic that you switched them out for Sansa's transfer paperwork earlier in the day," Tyrion admitted. "Anything new with Cersei?"

"She's cooperating. I guess the fight has gone out of her."

"I don't like how high the cost of this has become. I especially don't understand how you could know the entire time that helping with the investigation meant you have to go away. What the hell, Jaime? I'm never going to see you again, am I?"

"I couldn't tell you," Jaime said in exasperation. "You know why I couldn't tell you. I love you, Tyrion, but this surpassed that. I was hoping Sansa would help you work through the shock of it but…" Tyrion's eyes honed in on his brother.

"Sansa knew about your deal?" Jaime smiled bittersweetly.

"She cornered me while you and Brienne were arguing about escape plans that first night."

"So much for that," Tyrion muttered.

"She was suspicious that we didn't have a plan worked out for me. She badgered me about it until I fessed up. But I think she knew that was the case the whole time." Tyrion's face broke into the ghost of a fond smile. His clever Wolf Girl. "She promised not to say anything and told me she was genuinely sorry that we wouldn't have the opportunity to get to know each other better." Tyrion's heart stung. They wouldn't get to know each other. Sansa would never truly get to see why Jaime held such a special place in his heart.

"How long do we have before you're whisked away to anonymity?"

"They're waiting for me in the car. I made them promise I could come out today to do this with you." Tyrion turned around to look at the black SUV and flipped them the bird. "Don't be bitter, Tyrion. I knew what I was getting myself into. We all did. Even Sansa."

"I'm fairly positive that had she known she was going to be shot, Sansa would have told me to piss off," Tyrion growled.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Sansa was never one to shy away from danger." Tyrion chuckled softly, his eyes burning.

"Very true." They stood in companionable silence while Tyrion tried to figure out what he wanted to say to Jaime. So many things he'd always assumed he'd have time to say, so many events he was going to miss.

"Look after Mom," Jaime said after a few minutes. "I hate that I'm leaving right after she left Dad. She needs support and love."

"I still can't believe that she did that for us," Tyrion said in awe. "I mean, I knew he would be unreasonable and blame us when Joffrey and Cersei were the ones having people killed and stealing but I can't believe she told him to drop it or she'd leave."

"Mom loves us. So make sure she's looked after."

"I swear, Jaime, I will keep an eye on her and do whatever I can to help her."

"Tell her I love her," Jaime said quietly, voice a little thick and Tyrion felt his own eyes burning with tears. He'd cried more in the last week than in his entire life which was a truly terrible thought now that he considered it.

"Promise," was all he said. Jaime knelt down and pulled his brother into a tight hug.

"I'll see you later," he said into Tyrion's shoulder. Tyrion gave something between a laugh and a sob.

"No you won't," he said thickly. Jaime huffed out a laugh and then released him.

"Take care," he said solemnly and Tyrion wiped his eyes, feeling that sense of loss echo around his chest like a cave.

"You too." Jaime nodded and then walked slowly to the black SUV and got inside. It drove away and Tyrion turned back to the headstone to stare at it darkly before walking dejectedly back to his waiting towncar.

~~~~~SIN~~~~~

He closed his apartment door behind him and leaned against it for a moment, listening to the silence around him and allowing himself to wallow, even if just for a moment. He kicked off his shoes and walked to the kitchen, grabbing his scotch and pouring himself a generous glass. He took a few gulps, eyes moving aimlessly around the room before he sighed and set the glass down. He walked down the hall and opened his bedroom door.

"Hey stranger. I didn't hear you come in." He smiled and moved to the bed where Sansa was sitting up, reading a book. He climbed up next to her and gave her a sound kiss before settling gently next to her and resting his head on her shoulder.

"I thought you'd be asleep. Those drugs have had you dead to the world." Sansa's face furrowed in distaste.
"I know. But I wanted to be awake when you got home." Her voice held heavy implications but he couldn't find it in himself to be angry with her.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew," he asked her.

"I promised not to. It was his secret to tell, not mine. I only knew because I forced him to tell me."

"Badgered was the term he used," Tyrion said fondly. Sansa chuckled and then winced. "Sorry. Are you hurting? I can get you some medication." She smiled at him, stroking his cheek with her hand.

"I'm okay. Just no laughing. Which is just another reason why I question this arrangement, I might add."

"Not a chance in hell that I'm going to leave you home alone to recover from a bullet wound to the abdomen," he said indignantly. "You'll be here, where I can see you at all times." His voice had an edge of panic in it and Sansa recognized this. She leaned her forehead against his, holding his face in her hands tenderly.

"I'm not going anywhere," she promised quietly. His hands moved to her shoulder to grip tightly.

"Don't say that like it didn't almost happen," he whispered, tears forming in his eyes at the memory. Sansa, white and covered in blood, unconscious in his arms while they waited for paramedics. Doctors telling him that they'd lost her heartbeat in surgery but managed to get it back. The only reason she was home was because she'd demanded to be released as soon as they'd let her go.

"You're going to have to do a lot more than that to get rid of me," she teased and he rolled his eyes.

"Like I'd ever want to be rid of you. I think it is you who would want to be rid of me."

"Never," she vowed and his breath caught at the steeliness in her eyes.

"Then I vote we just be together. Always."

"I like that idea," she said.

They turned on a movie after that. While Cary Grant charmed his way across the screen, Tyrion looked down at Sansa snoring softly against his chest. He'd lost a lot over the last week. His family was torn apart, nephew dead, sister imprisoned, brother exiled. And yet he couldn't help but feel a fiery warmth in his chest at the knowledge that through it all, he had the most beautiful woman in his arms, drooling on his shirt. So much had changed from that day when he sat across from her at that meeting. He used to hate change, usually instigated by his father. But now that it was all behind him, he found himself impatient to spend several more nights just like this -minus the near death experiences and injuries of course.

He pulled Sansa a little closer, smiling when she muttered something that sounded like 'peanut butter' and kissed the top of her head lovingly.