Chapter Text
Thanks to the overwhelming amount of people in the cafe, Jamie began to feel more panicked than he already had been about his meeting with Brienne. He was certain that at any moment his father or sister would appear from one of the corners of the room, ready to try to reason with Jamie. He wanted out of the family business, but Jamie also knew it would take very little for Tywin or Cersi to convince him to rethink his decision to talk to the police.
It had all started when Brienne Tarth joined the same gym that Jamie frequently went to. They were both interested in judo, and despite a rocky start to their friendship, they had grown to respect each other. Brienne liked that Jamie was willing to fight her even though she was a woman, and that he saw her as a worthy opponent. Meanwhile Jamie appreciated that she always called him out on his cocky behavior.
So when Jamie was stressed about work one day he finally opened up to Brienne about all of the questionable ways his father dealt with his business rivals. The Lannisters were currently in charge of Golden Lion Banking, the most successful bank in the country, but Jamie knew how devoted his father was to keeping their family on top. Tywin's methods ranged from blackmail to kidnapping, and for the most part Jamie obeyed his father's orders. It wasn't until Jamie ran over the young Bran Stark that he understood how far gone he and his family were. While Bran might have survived the accident, he'd never walk again, and Jamie would have to live with that knowledge for the rest of his life.
Somehow Brienne convinced him to talk to one of her supervisors at the police department. They planned to meet at a nearby coffee shop first, so that Jamie could go over his confession one more time with Brienne. As Jamie absentmindedly chugged down his bitter cup of coffee, Brienne assured him that Renault Baratheon would be firm but fair. "You'll probably end up needing to serve a few months in prison, but your family's influence will probably help shorten your sentence, especially since you're voluntarily giving the authorities this information," she explained.
The thought of going to prison was terrifying to Jamie, but the he saw the strange look of pride on Brienne's face. For most of his life nobody, not even Cersi, had thought he was capable of doing the right thing. But Brienne's small smile helped reassure him, made him eager for her approval. "So Tarth, when I finally do get out of jail, what do you say we meet back here for a cup of coffee? I'll probably be desperate for caffeine once I get sprung." She just rolled her eyes and gave a gruff laugh, but Jamie considered that a yes.