This is my first Game of Thrones story set inside an AU reality. It's more modern and I've had this idea stuck in my mind about the lives of our favourite characters. Mainly based on the Stark family. I hope you enjoy :)

Jon waited, the clock ticking as he leant back on the sofa and puffed out a breath of air.

Then he heard it. The scraping inside the keyhole.

"You took your time," Jon said standing up, grabbing his jacket and messenger bag.

Sansa winced. "Arya was being a little bitch as usual." She grumbled. "You can go to work now, I'll look after Bran." She glanced towards the closed door of their younger brother's and sighed. He wasn't the same and she didn't think he would ever be the same.

Jon looked at the door too. "Give him time."

"It's been a year and a half."

"And so?" He shrugged. "The rest of us may be resilient to grief but he's just seventeen."

Sansa sighed, rubbing her face. "I know. I know I shouldn't be mad at him but we're hurting too. Seeing him fade away as the days go by... it hurts, okay? He blames himself for our parents', Robb's, Rickon's and Robb's wife and kid's deaths."

Jon placed a kiss on her head. "And we have to keep telling him that he's not to blame until he's ready to accept it. I have to go, I won't be back home. I'm staying with Dany."

Sansa rolled her eyes, breaking away from him as she hung her jacket up and went into the kitchen to get started on Bran's breakfast.

"What?"

"Is she all you think about?! What about paying the rent on time? What about Bran? What about Arya's school fees? What about my uni fees?"

Jon scoffed. "I'm not listening to this. I have to get to work." He leant in to kiss her forehead but she stepped away to grab milk from the fridge. "See you tomorrow then," he muttered darkly.

He left, leaving his sister seething in anger as Jon's wolfdog, Ghost, wrapped himself around her legs.

...

"Dr Snow, you've made it."

Jon kept walking, Daenerys matching his steps as she raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Sansa. Bran. Arya. Every bloody morning."

Her gaze softened as she stopped just short of the staffroom, waiting until he had finished getting changed and exited. "Your first patient - Jorah Mormont."

She'd left him to his own devices, treating the man's burns from a fire which took his neighbour's home as he tried to save the young daughter stuck upstairs.

"You're a hero, huh?" Jon asked, making small talk. However, the man seemed interested in Dany. "That's Dr Targaryen. I'd stay well clear of her, she's a dragon."

Jorah burst out in laughter before wincing in pain. "She just reminds me of someone I used to know..."

"A girl?"

He shook his head. "No, a man." He looked up at Jon. "Not what you're thinking. No, he was someone I served with when we were in the army."

Jon clicked his tongue, nodding. "Ah. Well, there aren't many natural white-blondes in the world."

"How did you know he was white-blonde?"

Jon smirked. "Rough guess. Now, I'll get a nurse to come and wrap that up for you but I've managed to extract your shirt from your burns."

"Cheers, mate..." Jorah replied, lying back down. "What was your name again, kid?"

"Snow. Dr Snow."

Jorah nodded. "Now, you don't get many people with the name Snow going about."

Jon chuckled, leaving him for his next patient. Jon's father had told him when he was little that he had his mother's name to stay close to her even though they weren't together. Robb had been older by a month and Ned had cheated on Catelyn during her pregnancy due to a horrible argument. But they quickly made up. The trust had somewhat diminished when Jon's mother had turned up before taking her own life that day when Jon was a week old. He wasn't sure if he believed his father's words but when he was eighteen, he found no trace of his mother so decided to leave it be.

Ned was his dad, Catelyn his new mother and the children that followed in their marriage, his siblings. That was what was important.

After work, Jon's lips met Dany's as she struggled to get her apartment door opened.

"Hmm, you're going to have to give me a second if you want me to get this opened."

Jon released her and she got the door opened and entered, throwing her coat and bag on the ground and pulling him in for a kiss. He closed the door behind them, remembering to get the keys from the hole and put them in the key bowl.

"Bedroom?" He asked her.

She nodded, pulling him behind her. "Give me a second." She grinned, kissing his nose as she disappeared behind the bathroom door.

His phone beeped and he took it out of his pocket, unlocking it.

From Sansa Stark (Sister):

Bran is in hospital. Get here NOW.

His heart dropped and he quickly rushed out of the bedroom, putting his boots on and getting his coat and bag.

"Jon?"

He turned around to face Dany. "Bran's in hospital."

...

It felt like forever when they finally returned to the hospital where they worked at.

"Jon, over here." Jon heard from his good friend, Samwell Tarly.

His face looked sympathetic and in distress as he led Jon into the private room set aside for his family.

Arya stood by the door, hood up and eyes down with her hands stuffed in her pleated skirt's pockets. Sansa stood by the bed, nervously biting her thumb as tears ran down her cheeks, watching Bran on the bed with his eyes closed and an oxygen mask over his face.

"Sans... What the hell happened?"

Sansa looked up. "I went to give him his dinner and that's when I noticed that he was fitting. His eyes were white and he kept shaking. I-I didn't know what to do!" She sobbed. She wiped her eyes to clearly see him and she noticed Dany standing behind him. "Get her out of here."

Jon turned to face Dany with an apologetic smile. "I'll look for you."

She nodded leaving as Jon glared at Sansa.

"She didn't do anything."

"She's a witch." Sansa spat out. "I bet she did this to Bran. Did a spell, or something!"

Jon looked at her in disbelief. "Are you hearing yourself, right now, Sansa?!"

"Shut up. The both of you!"

They both turned to Arya who pulled her hood down. "All you do is argue. You never even really focus on Bran or me. Maybe my headteacher was right. We'd be better off away from you."

"You spiteful, ungrateful child!" Sansa hissed. "Jon and I work hard so you can still go to your stupid private school and so that Brandon can actually walk again! I'm working two jobs and still going to university and Jon's here sometimes even doing twenty-four-hour shifts just for the both of you."

"Sansa..." Jon warned, bringing Arya in for a hug.

Sansa rubbed her face, sniffling as she wiped her nose. "I'm sorry. I..." Tears slipped down her cheeks. "I can't bear to lose any of you. After what happened with R-Ram..." She took a deep breath in and out. "I'm sorry, Ary. Forgive me."

Arya rolled her eyes, pushing Jon away from her as she stormed out, stuffing her hands back in her pockets.

"I'll look after her," Sam promised, leaving them alone.

"I love all of you, you know that. You guys are my priority over Dany."

Sansa shook her head, shrugging. "Doesn't feel like it."

Jon sighed. "We're going to get through this, together. We can do this. We won't let anyone take them away from us."

Her eyes warily met his before she sat on Bran's bed and started to stroke his hair. "Can you promise that? Just like Mum and Dad did? Before they met their gruesome deaths?"

Jon swallowed deeply, kissing the top of her head. "Yeah. I can."

...

Arya kicked the empty Coke can with her shoes as she paced, angry tears slipping down her cheeks. Weak. So fucking weak!

She was about to punch the wall when a pair of arms wrapped around her, making her relax immediately.

"Thanks for coming," she said.

Gendry smiled, stroking her cheek as they kissed. "Can't have my favourite girl in tears, now."

"Did your groupie follow you?"

He sighed. "No, but my dad will be sending out a search party soon."

"Perks of dating a model..." Arya replied bitterly. "How long do we have?"

"Not long. Half an hour probably? Today... Today is tough for us. Dad's divorcing Cersei and well the argument is all about how much money each party gets. She's trying her luck by getting him to continue to pay for her bastards' educations. Dad's not stupid though."

Arya smiled. "Remember when we were little and she'd get in trouble for hitting us across the face whenever we did something childish and innocent?"

"I'm glad we're finally shot of her. How's your family?" They were now walking to their usual café where they were sure that they'd get privacy. It was hard dating a celebrity, especially when you were a poor nobody. At least she still had private schooling despite her family's money woes.

Her mother had been a lawyer and her father, a doctor. A profession which his two eldest sons were eager to join. Sansa had dreams of becoming a model but since the deaths of more than half their family, she'd continued to study in university for a degree in Business. The Starks and the Baratheons knew each other very well though, Gendry's father and Arya's father had been best friends since childhood. Robert was in a way godfather to all Stark children.

"Alright. Bran was taken to the hospital a couple of hours ago. Jon's texted me. He's woken up but in a catatonic state."

"I'm so sorry."

Arya smiled softly. "It's not your fault." They found their usual table left untouched, the waitress smiling in acknowledgement as she did every time they came in. Her son went to Arya's school and after school, he'd work at the back with his mum's boyfriend as a chef. Arya knew they too were going through hard times in keeping Hot Pie in school. His true name was Elliot but the kid ate so many pies for lunch at school, the nickname stuck.

"I've got fifteen minutes..."

Arya turned to face him after realising their moment of silence. Hot Pie's mother had come and went, deciding to leave two glasses of water. This was a flying visit.

"Let's run away. You and me."

Gendry chuckled in disbelief. "I think your brother would kill me. And my dad. And your sister."

Arya rolled her eyes. "I'm serious. I'm eighteen, I am an adult. My sister doesn't have any hold over me and nor does my brother."

"We can't," Gendry said, placing a hand on hers. "Finish school first then, we'll talk."

"You should get going."

"Come on, Arry. Don't be like that..."

She blinked. "Like what?"

Gendry frowned. "You know what? I should get going." He leant in for a kiss but she backed away, sipping her water. "Fine."

Once she was sure he had left, she let a few tears fall.

"Oi, Arry! No tears before you try my new hot pie recipe!"

She sniffled, mustering a smile for her friend. "Go on then." She took a pound coin out and gave it to him in exchange for a large slice. It was no secret he indulged his friend more than customers.

"Did that Z-Lister dump you?" Hot Pie asked as she dug into her slice.

She shook her head. "No. Don't insult him. We just... had a silly argument. It's all me."

"Did you just own up to having a fault? Damn, Arry... Maybe I was wrong about the guy."

Rolling her eyes, she gave him a smile. "It tastes amazing. I'm hinting a bit of paprika?"

Hot Pie grinned. "Spot on, as usual, Nobody."

"I hate that name."

"Well, you are. Gendry's a celebrity and you're his nobody girlfriend. No one notices you at school... You're Nobody."

She bit her lip and glanced down at the pie, not feeling all that hungry anymore. She knew that Hot Pie had special needs, was a bit abrupt sometimes but that was why they were friends. He had never once explained his reasoning to his nickname before and hearing it hurt her. She'd rather not had known.

"Sorry. Did I say something bad?"

"No, you're right. As usual, Elliot."

Hot Pie winced. Only his mother and her boyfriend called him that. Arya hadn't in a long time. "I'm sorry."

...

Jon downed his last pint before grabbing his jacket and bag. As he was about to leave he was stopped by a certain redhead.

"Jonny Snow." He recognised that thick Irish accent.

"Ygritte."

She smiled, holding her glass of white wine. "How have you been?"

"Good. You?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. Heard you and Targaryen were an item now?"

Jon returned to the bar, Ygritte following. He knew he wasn't going to get rid of her just yet. "We're casual."

"Like we were before you played the 'my family died, I'm grieving' card?"

"I ended things back then because I had to be there for my younger siblings. We were - no, are still grieving."

"But you got blondie, now."

Jon sighed. "It just happened. She lost her brother around the same time."

Ygritte smiled sadly. "Two lost souls finding each other, huh? How're your sisters? Bran?"

"They're fine, thanks."

"Sansa still pursuing her modelling career?"

Jon shook his head. "She's not going after something as stupid like that. She's going to get a proper degree."

"Isn't it about what she wants?"

"Modelling is not all about looks. They'd use and abuse her. I know because my dad's friend would tell us. He works as an agent."

Ygritte pursed her lips. "Robert Baratheon?"

"How do you know?"

"Everyone knows his connections to your late father and stepmother. Your stepmother got him out of precarious predicaments a lot. Look, I know a couple of people who can get Sansa where she needs to be and-"

Jon shook his head and stood up. "Don't you think we'd have gone to Robert for this? She's not doing it and she doesn't want to. Now, I have to get home."

He left, stepping into the cold air as he took a deep breath. One of these days, I'd go insane.