Catelyn wasn't sure of what she wanted when she was a young girl. Everyone always told her what she should do and who she should be, but that wasn't her. She followed her own rules

Everything changed when she met Brandon Stark. It was love at first sight and Catelyn wanted to be desirable by being the proper lady for him. He was so handsome and charming.

She was eighteen and he was twenty-one when they met. Brandon was in the Army and had just completed his tour. He had stopped in Riverrun by chance and wandered around aimlessly until he happened upon the gardens. It was one of Catelyn's favorite places to visit, which she did frequently. Their eyes connected and Catelyn knew that Brandon was the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with even if she didn't know his name.

Although, Catelyn never shunned marriage, kids, and love, she found that she wanted all of those things in that very moment. A shiver ran down her spine as the soldier gave her a small smile.

School became so hectic that she hadn't gotten a chance to visit the garden for two weeks. When she did, Brandon was waiting for her with a dozen passionflowers that were red and white. Catelyn had graciously taken them and shyly smiled. Brandon took his hand in hers and kissed it.

"My favorite," Catelyn said in awe.

"I know. I asked the people who work here," he supplied. "These flowers speak my intentions better than my own words can."

Catelyn looked at the passionflowers again, and then the colors. Red meant love and white meant purity.

"But, you don't know me," she said softly.

Brandon grabbed her hand and placed it over his heart. "But, I do."

"How did you know that I would be here?" The soft wind blew between them as the sun began to set.

"The workers said that you would show up eventually, so I came everyday in order to see you again." Brandon looked love struck and her heart melted.

It was a whirlwind romance. They dated for four months before getting engaged. Brandon bought a place in Riverrun to be near her while she finished school. Catelyn dated before, but she never felt a passion for any man the way she felt for Brandon. She wanted to be near him all of the time and touch him as much as possible. Every time she tried to have sex with him, he would stop and say that he wanted to wait for their wedding night. He wanted their first time together, to be special and in the eyes of the Gods.

A month and a half later, a drunk driver killed him.

For months, she locked herself in room and didn't talk to anyone if she didn't have to. Her family worried for her, but she didn't care. Brandon was gone and so was her heart. Peytr would come by to talk to her, but she didn't want to be around him. He made her feel uncomfortable for some odd reason.

One day, Ned dropped by. He looked as distraught as her, if not, more. He did not say anything, but his tear stained cheeks and red eyes spoke volumes. For a week, he would come by and they would sit in silence—companionable silence and mourn Brandon.

Catelyn always liked Ned. He was a year younger than Brandon and was nice and very honorable. It was great that she was not alone and that Ned felt her pain, which was very deeply.

They deviated from the script on day eight. Ned asked her to take him to the gardens after Catelyn had asked him to come over because she was lonely. He said that Brandon used to rave about the gardens…the ones they used to go to everyday after they started dating. Catelyn was reluctant, but agreed anyways. It was hard for her to return to the place she met Brandon as well as their first date and where they got engaged. But, Ned's reaction said it all. As much as his brother's death troubled him, this place made him feel closer to his brother.

And Ned made her feel closer to Brandon.

She never expected her first time to be grief sex with her dead fiancée's little brother in the back of his car.

His hard, slick cock rhythmically moved in and out of Catelyn as she tried to discard the contradicting feelings. She simultaneously felt grief and happiness, pleasure and pain, loss and completeness—Ned and Brandon. She saw Brandon as she looked at Ned and closed her eyes to image that he was the Stark brother that she was making love to. Brandon was so gentle and tender and Catelyn cried tears of joy that she finally got to be intimate with him.

Then she felt wetness from on her skin that was not her own.

Not Brandon, Ned.

"Harder—fuck me, harder," Catelyn gasped.

Panting filled the car as Ned complied and Catelyn left scratch marks down Ned's back. She felt partially guilty for using Ned this way, but only partially. He was using her as well as a way to cling on to the memory his dead brother. Catelyn felt guilty because Ned was interested in some girl named Asha Dayne and was supposed to be on a date with her and was with her instead—fucking her.

"Ned, don't hold back, please don't hold back," the intensity of Ned's strokes increased and Catelyn found herself making indistinguishable noises in response. It hurt so good. She was numb and felt dead on the inside.

Her climax shook her to the core.

Silently, they got dressed. Ned pulled up his underwear and pants and Catelyn put on her panties and pulled down her dress.

"That was my first time," she said in a matter of fact tone.

"It was mine too," Ned whispered.

Later on, as Catelyn undressed to get in the shower, she felt Ned's cum run down her legs.

Numbly, she stared at the ceiling rather than going to sleep.

Months later, that same numb feeling returned, but it was on the backburner as she cried out Ned's name. Although she didn't have anyone to compare Ned to, he was phenomenal in bed—like really phenomenal. And he was equally as inexperienced as her, which was baffling. What was more baffling was that he was ever better at oral sex than penetration. Ned lifted a leg and moved it back until her knee was near her head.

Another loud cry filled the room as Catelyn braced herself for her climax.

"Oh, God—I'm pregnant," she blurted out.

Ned's heart snapped up. "What?"

Catelyn shook her head up and down. "I'm pregnant—who told you to stop?"

"You just—" Catelyn cut Ned off.

"Who told you to stop?" Ned continued. He was too shocked to process it.

When Catelyn first found out that she was pregnant, she tried to convince herself it was during their first time together. It would have made her less guilty for having a sexual relationship with Brandon's little brother. In her mind, although she had gotten pregnant, it would have been only one time. But, it hadn't been one time, it had been numerous and that was inexcusable.

They would have to get married for Catelyn's honor to remain intact. She would be Mrs. Stark, but not Mrs. Brandon Stark—rather Mrs. Eddard "Ned" Stark.

Everything changed when she got pregnant by Eddard Stark. It wasn't love at first sight, but Catelyn wanted to be desirable by being the proper lady for him. He was also handsome and could be charming.

She was nineteen and he was twenty-one when they got married.

THE END

Review please. :-) Let me know what you think.

A/N: So, I'm writing my second chapter of "Like Branches in a River" when I began to write this story. I don't think you understand, this story has been LITERALLY lifted word for word from my second chapter. It went on too long about Catelyn/Ned/Brandon that I couldn't put it in the story, but I refused to just got rid of it as well. This just came to me-I freestyle all of my stories in a sense where the basic idea is mapped up, and then then I just write from there. I always had intended to let the readers know that Catelyn and Ned only got married because she was pregnant with Robb after having grief sex with Ned, but damn, I didn't know it would turn out like this.