From the Ashes (ASOIAF) (Sandor Clegane x OC)

Chapter 45: Tyrion

"Do you think we should get married?" Sansa asked.

Tyrion looked up sharply from the letter he was writing. She'd caught so much by surprise that he forgot to lift his pen and an ink blot began to spread across the parchment. He cursed and put it down.

"Sorry." Sansa said, "That was rather out of no where wasn't it?"

"Just a little....' He said. He hopped out of the chair and walked over to where she was sitting on the bed, he took her hand in both of his and kissed it, looking up at her. He tried to figure out what in the world had prompted such a random question.

"Where did that come from?" He asked.

"Well...." She said, "I've just been thinking a lot about it. I've been very happy this past year, and it seems like you have as well."

"Of course I have." Said Tyrion, he crossed his arms in front of him on the bed and rested his chin on them, "it's hard to remember a time when I was this happy actually."

"So....if we're happy." She said, reaching out and ruffling his hair, "then why not make it official? Or I suppose it would technically be re-official? I'm not exactly sure how that would work."

"Sansa.....you know I don't need that right?" He said, "I am happy. The fact that you weren't interested in marriage was established at the beginning of this relationship so I hope I haven't made you feel pressured in some way."

Sansa moved from her position on the bed. She laid down crossways and put her chin on her arms just like his so their faces were inches from each other.

"Of course you didn't." She said, "this is coming completely from me. I've just come to realize some things in these past few weeks that you've been here, and it's made me look at our situation differently."

"And what have you come to realize?" Tyrion asked. He reached out and entwined his fingers with hers. He loved her hands, they were so soft and delicate.

"That I love you." She said simply.

He looked up at her sharply again. His heart was pounding. He'd never even allowed himself to dare to hope that she might say those words to him some day. He'd known from the start that in the end Sansa would eventually grow to the point that she wanted more, that she was ready for love again, but he'd always assumed that would be the time when they parted ways. That Sansa would go on to find a more suitable partner. Never in his wildest dreams did he believe that she could actually fall in love with him.

"Tyrion...." She said, looking into his his eyes, "Did you hear me? I said that I..." He cut her off by grabbing her face and kissing her. She buried her hands in his hair and kissed him back in kind.

"Can I take that to mean you feel the same?" She whispered against mouth, as she pulled him into the bed with her.

"As if there was any question." He answered, she kissed down the side of his neck and across his chest.

"So say it." She said, looking up at him with a coy smile. He grabbed her and pulled her mouth back to his.

"I fucking love you." He said.

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"You know you completely distracted me from our original conversation." Sansa said some time later. Tyrion was lying quite comfortably with his head resting on Sansa stomach and she was running her fingers through his hair.

"I would say that I'm sorry....but I'm really not." Tyrion said, she gave him a playful swat.

"So you were asking if we should get married?" He said, "what, in your mind, would us being married look like? You obviously aren't going to be leaving Winterfell, so would you want me to give up my position as Hand and come here to live with you?"