Friday night dinners were almost a sanctuary in the Stark house, especially since the older children had gone off to college.
It was the time when the whole family was assembled together again.
Robb and Sansa came home from college, sometimes joined by Robb's best and close family friend, Jon Snow.
But this night it was different. And the weekend that followed turned their lives upside down.
Friday
At first everything had been as usual.
While preparing dinner, Catelyn and Arya had one of their many conversations about the sort of friends she was hanging out with.
Recently Arya had spent more time out and about than at home and her mother was concerned.
"How many times have I said that at Friday you have to be home by five o'clock to help with the food? It is half past six! Where have you been?"
Arya rolled her eyes. It was her last year of school and she was counting the days to graduation so she could move out and live on her own. Without curfews.
"I was just meeting some friends and we forgot time. It isn't that bad."
"Some friends? It's this Gendry boy, isn't it?"
"And what if? Is it because he comes from Flea Bottom?" One of the more shabby quarters of King's Landing. "He is still the son of father's best friend."
"And have you seen Robert lately?" Robert Baratheon may have been handsome and strong in his youth, but now after a loveless marriage and even uglier divorce he was a mess, drunk almost all the time.
"He is nothing like him! If you would care just to spend a few seconds with him, even you could see what a great guy he truly is!"
"I am just worried, Arya. That he will hurt you."
"If somebody should be worried about getting hurt it should be Gendry." Robb had entered the kitchen and grinned widely.
"Do you remember the black eye Joffrey had after his and Sansa's breakup?" He pointed toward his sister.
Catelyn turned her head. "You did what?" She prepared to hold a long speech about how a proper girl should behave but Robb cut in.
He embraced her and murmured. "Calm down, mother. It was years ago. And let's face it. The bastard deserved it."
Catelyn could not object. Joffrey had mentally abused Sansa and all of them had been glad when it ended.
"So Arya." Robb went over to her. "Any news of where you want to go to college?"
Arya shrugged. "I have looked through some of the brochures. Braavos seems interesting. They have a large sports program. Harrenhal sounds interesting, too, very mysterious with a large history. Who knows. Maybe I'll stay here in Winterfell."
Catelyn sighed. She never understood the looseness with which Arya approached these important decisions.
"You'll make the right choice, I am sure of it. Where is father and Bran and Rickon?"
"Your father is working late. Again. Robert did not show up today so he had to take over his clients, too."
"Bran and Rickon are in the garden. Somehow the idea of doing a barbecue came to them just an hour ago. Now they are broiling everything they can get hold of." Arya replied. "By the way. Isn't Sansa with you? Or Jon?"
"Jon has so much stuff to do for university, so he won't make it. And Sansa..." The eldest Stark grimaced. "I do not know. She did not answer me when I asked if I should pick her up. I just figured she will come on her own. Anyway, I'll go and have a look on what the boys are fabricating outside."
When the meal was almost ready, Ned entered with a sour face.
"Hello, darling." He placed a kiss on Catelyn's face.
"Is everything alright?" She asked him.
"Work was very stressful and after that I drove by Robert to see if he is doing okay."
"And?" Catelyn's concern grew.
"He was drunk, couldn't even talk any more, just laying there. So I tried to get him to sober up" He frowned. "I guess he is better for now. I will visit him again tomorrow."
He sat down and poured himself a glass of water. "Speaking of Baratheons, I met Gendry."
Arya and Catelyn shifted simultaneously.
"After I left Robert's house I saw him. He wanted to look after his father, too. I talked to him for a bit. He seems like a decent fellow."
Arya faced her mother with raised eyebrows that said something like "I told you so.".
"Like our Arya, he does not have a plan what to do after school, either. He is very interested in law, so I offered him a job as an intern in our office. To see if he can imagine himself heading in this direction."
"That was really nice of you, father. Right mother?" Arya expressed.
"We will see." Were the only words Catelyn could get out.
The family assembled at the dinner table. Loads of roasted food were on the table that Bran and Rickon had proudly presented.
But still no sign of Sansa.
"Has anybody heard of her?" Ned asked around.
But nobody had. They had called her but she had not answered her phone.
"Maybe she is just having an exhausting day or is still studying and turned her phone off and completely forgot what day it is. It has happened before." Robb tried to calm the others down. "I would not worry too much."
His words did not convince them but they had no other choice than to start eating.
Nobody said a word during the meal.
Sometimes one of them would try to break this awful silence but then decided not to.
Ned was still in thoughts what to do with his and Robert's partnership. Robert's brother Stannis was also a lawyer. Ned considered asking him if he would help out for some time. If he had to do all of his and his best friend's work any longer he was sure he would lose his head.
Catelyn was worried about Sansa. She had never missed dinner before and Robb's words had not calmed her down at all. On the opposite she had been shocked about her son's casualness.
Robb himself, he had an idea where his sister might be. But he could not tell his family.
Arya on the other hand was thinking about her father's surprising news. Gendry would be an intern at his office. She was not sure if she should be scared that her father and her best friend (Best friend...you know he is more than that, a voice in her head said) should be spending so much time together.
Lastly Bran and Rickon were just thinking about what a success their barbecue had been and that they should do this more often.
Suddenly the phone rang and the whole family startled.
Arya was the quickest. "Hello? Arya Stark speaking." She turned red. "Father, it's for you. It's Gendry."
Ned was surprised by this. He took the phone out of Arya's hand and answered. "Gendry, tell me what's happened...I understand...I'll be there as soon as possible. Thank you for calling." He hung up and rose. "Robert had gotten worse. So Gendry had to call an ambulance and needs help now with all the forms and so on. I will drive to the hospital."
"Can I come with you?" Arya exclaimed.
Ned looked into his daughter's eyes and nodded. "Maybe it's better if you do. Gendry seemed stressed out and might use a friend right now. "
Catelyn wanted to protest at first but she trusted her husband.
At the sound of the parting car Catelyn muttered. "There goes the family evening." She had always emphasised how important these dinners were- and family in general.
Robb noticed her sadness. "We'll make us a lovely evening, the four of us, right boys?"
He encouraged his brothers to nod and continued. "We will do whatever you want. Maybe watch a film or play a game?"
"You know what would be really helpful at the moment?" Catelyn's tone was sharp. "If you would go outside and clean up the mess you made with the barbecue at the terrace. And then you can come inside and continue in the kitchen. I will go upstairs. Good night."
She put the dishes she had held in her hands back on the table and went upstairs.
Robb smirked and faced the younger ones. "You better go and do as she commands. You know how easily she turns into a heartless monster when she gets angry." He stated theatrically. "Go!"
"She addressed you, too, idiot." Bran uttered.
"No, no. It was your idea to do this barbecue, I was merely watching. You got yourself into that mess, now you have to get out by yourself, too."
With that he went into the living room and sat down on the sofa, turning on the television.
An hour later he heard a car in the drive way. When they entered the living room Robb asked. "How bad was it this time?" He heard Arya clear her throat and turned around, only to see Gendry standing with them.
"I am sorry." Robb was embarrassed.
"It's alright." Said the one his apology was pointed at.
"The doctors had to pump his stomach and he is spending the night at the hospital." Arya whispered.
And then she suggested. "Do you want to go outside? Catch some fresh air?" Gendry nodded relieved and both left the room.
Ned sat down on the sofa next to Robb and laid his head in his hands.
"The doctors said that they were surprised he was even still alive. I should have seen it when I was at his house this evening. Then Gendry had to deal with it. He didn't know what to do so he called the ambulance. This turned out just to be the right thing."
"I did not know the both of them kept in touch."
"Well, Robert did not really care for Gendry all the way through his childhood. He only sent some birthday cards and helped out with the finances once in a while. But Gendry...he always wanted to know his father. And after the divorce he visited Robert regularly, seeing if he is doing alright."
"Why did you bring him here tonight?"
"He is in shock. And his mother is on a business trip. I did not want him to be alone at the moment."
"I am sure Arya will see to this." Robb said with a wink. His father became even more severe.
"Come on, father." Robb said yielding. "It was just a joke."
"Safe the joking around for another time. I have to go to bed now. Bran and Rickon?" He asked Robb.
"Already in their rooms. After mother made them clean up the whole kitchen." He grinned again and even his father could not suppress a smile.
A sound from outside caused Robb to pause the film he was watching. It was the sound of the front door being opened and a person quietly tiptoed through the hallway. Robb got up and opened the door only to behold a frightened Sansa.
"Sansa! Where have you been? Mother's been worried sick." His reproachful attitude only lasted a second because Sansa had started to cry.
"Oh Sansa, come here." He said in a softer tone and embraced her. Her whole body was shaking and big tears ran down her cheeks.
"Come, I'll get you something to drink." He lead her towards the kitchen. "Hot chocolate?"
She nodded thankfully and sat down.
He placed a steaming cup before her and sat down, too.
She took the cup in her hands but did not drink.
"I am so sorry to have caused such a fuss. I did not want to. I forgot to call and then..." She did not finish the sentence.
"You don't have to talk about it now. First go to sleep and tomorrow we can talk if you want to."
"Thank you, Robb."
"No problem. It's just what brothers do for their baby sisters."
She seemed a bit disturbed at his words but Robb thrust it aside.
He just hoped that everything would be resolved in the morning.