Happy Birthday, Mick! I hope you have an AMAZING day, Mackenzie, and of course, a GREAT week and year! Have fun and do everything you enjoy! And as you requested here you have Arya and Gendry doting on their children (two older girls and a little boy) :)

But then I realized your birthday actually feel on the third day of this year's Arya and Gendry Week, and that the idea I got from your prompt fitted really well with the day's prompt – "You'll be back" – so this is also a fill for today's prompt.

So Happy Birthday, Mick! And Happy Gendry and Arya Week for every fan around here :D

Arya had just come from a meeting with Bran, it seemed there had been a murder in a village a bit further north, and they needed a Stark to pass justice. But since the trip took a few days, she just wanted to find her kids before having to leave.

Alyssa was in the training yard. She was her oldest daughter, and at ten Arya had finally convinced her to try archery – not for the reasons Arya had hoped for, but because a bow and arrow seemed like a ladylike weapon, since it used a lot of concentration and good posture.

"Alyssa, where's your sister?"

"She's sewing with Aunt Sansa." Arya rolled her eyes at that, she couldn't believe both her daughters enjoyed and were so much better than her at all that ladylike things.

"And you aren't?"

"Uncle Bran said he would be training archery today. So I'm waiting. I was with Sansa before."

"But can you make it to the forge in awhile. I need to leave tomorrow morning, and I wanted to…"

"Of course, mother. And Ned is with Dad." Ned was their little boy, not two yet, but he was really quiet – sure her girls were ladylike girls, but they had never been quiet, Arya was glad she had them so close in age that they could entertain each other. Ned really liked sitting on the bench at the forge, and the clients loved little Ned, with his father's looks but with the name and manner of their lost Lord.

Arya went back to the castle at Alyssa's indications and walked up to Sansa's quarters, expecting to find both her sister and daughter there. Arya's relationship with Sansa was easier now, since after everything that happened they could now accept each other; Arya wasn't as happy now that it seemed both her daughters preferred Sansa's way. But this time she didn't find them in Sansa's room, and moved on to the library, since they sometimes used that room.

"Sansa, Cat," Arya called, entering the library.

"Arya, don't make noise, we're in the library."

"It's just us and you're not even reading," Arya complained, and reached in time to see Sansa roll her eyes, and little Cat snicker.

"But you're too loud even when people are trying to read," Sansa said.

"No, I'm not," Arya argued, before turning to her daughter. "Cat, I was looking for you. I need to leave for a few days."

"For how long?" Cat asked with a sad smile.

"Less than a week," Arya answered, but Cat didn't look any happier. "You could come with me," she offered. Arya had been so jealous when Father had taken Bran to see the Lord's justice but not her; she promised herself she would always offer the choice to her daughters as well – Alyssa said she didn't want to see any killing, but maybe Cat was different.

Is it okay? Cat's eyes asked Sansa as they crossed eyes, and her aunt, looking directly at Arya, rested a hand on Cat's leg.

"Okay, Mom, I can go. I'll be strong."

"You're always strong. But can you come to the forge. If you're coming with me, I'm sure your father will want to smother you and try to convince you not to leave."

"Okay, Mom," she said kissing both Sansa and Arya's cheeks. "See you later, Aunt Sansa," she said before disappearing.

"Arya, I'm not sure if it's safe to take Cat with you."

"You told her if it was okay."

"If I said no, you were going to hate me," Sansa told her. "But it can be a bit too much."

"She has seen me in the courtyard before. This man is a murdered and a rapist, I want my daughter to know about this kind of men, I want her away from them. I thought you wanted the same."

"Arya, of course, I want to man to ever touch Alyssa or Cat, or…" Sansa said, resting her hand on her belly. Arya could barely believe that Sansa was having a kid almost a decade after herself. "But death… I want to protect them, Arya. I don't want them to see what we did."

"Sansa," Arya whispered, coming closer to hug her sister. "Nothing will happen to them. This is justice, Sansa, and they will live in a world with justice."

"I'm sorry… I just…" Sansa whispered, before recomposing herself. "You're still joining us for the evening meal, right?"

"Yes, Bran insisted I wait for the morning to leave. First light."

"So you aren't breaking your fast with us?"

"No."

"I will talk to the cook to get you something ready to take with you."

"Thank you, Sansa," she said, hugging her sister again. "I should get to the forge, I did ask everyone to meet me there."

"Go, Arya…"

"Do you need help…"

"I can still move, Arya. Go," she said with a smile, shooing her away.

Arya left Sansa alone, and then the keep, making her way to the forge just out of their castle. There was no line at the forge, so she supposed Gendry didn't have any clients right now, and she was right, finding them alone; Gendry had his arms around Cat, while Alyssa had Ned bouncing on her knees.

"How long have they been like that?"

"Since she got here and told Dad she was going to go with you."

"Does he realize we'll come back?" Arya asked, playing with her son's black hair. All of their children had black hair and blue eyes (Cat's were a bit more grey), but Alyssa had the high cheekbones of a Tully, with their quick blushing ability, Cat had a bit of a Stark look on her face, but Ned was all Gendry, but with her father's and Bran's mannerism and calm.

"If Dad has anything to do with it, you two would never leave."

"Yeah… your dad can be a bit too much."

"I can hear you, Arry," Gendry said, lifting his head from Cat's head. "Do you really need to take my baby with you?"

"I'm not a baby, Father. I'm a lady."

"Sure, you are," he said, pulling a way, after dropping a kiss on the top of her head. "But are you sure you want to go?"

"It's not far, right, Mom?"

"Two, three days," Arya answered, climbing onto the bench.

"I'll be back soon, Dad, see…"

"Okay, but I'll still miss you."

"And you won't miss me," Arya complained. "I feel shocked," she said with a smile, going to kick Gendry.

"Of course, I will," he said, going to rest near Arya, with his head on her lap.

"I can get into extra trouble," Alyssa suggested, as she picked up Ned and threw him up in the air. "I can pull an Arya…" Arya was not happy how many stories her siblings shared about her, that it had started the term "pulling an Arya" to refer to someone getting into trouble, not that her girls got into trouble.

"You never get into trouble. You would have made my mother pride," Arya said, with a sad smile.

"You would too," Gendry whispered in her ear. "Family, Duty, Honor." Arya lived by those words, as much the Stark ones. And Arya took his hand and squeezed it – Gendry always knew how much she missed her family.

"So what did Ned do today?"

"He did not touch the fire if that's what you're wondering. The baker's wife came by and gave him a cake."

"Did he eat it?"

"I took most of it," Alyssa admitted.

"He had on bite before putting it down," Gendry said with a smile. "Do you really need to leave?"

"It's less than a sennight, stupid. I used to go for a moon sometimes."

"Really?!" Cat asked.

"I think I found out I was pregnant with Alyssa still beyond the Wall, or at the Gift."

"Where was dad?" Cat asked again.

"Here, working. I went in Lord Bran's name," she told them. But now, the North had settled with the war against the Others over, and winter was almost over, so they didn't need the Starks as much now. "Uncle Bran doesn't need me to travel as much now. But we're the closest house to the incident, so I need to go."

"But Dad fought in the war, right?" Alyssa asked with a smile. Both girls knew the answer and the stories already, and Ned would too, if he remembered any of the thousand times he had heard the stories before.

"Come on, give Ned to your mother and sit on the bench with your mother," Gendry said as he pulled away from her, taking his son, and giving him a kiss before giving him to his mother.

"It's dirty, Dad," both girls complained.

"Okay, get a stool from the back, and share it. I don't think I have two." The forge came with a small chamber in the back, Gendry did not use it, since he and Arya had their own room in the keep; they did use it sometimes, when they wanted some privacy and the ability to be as loud as they wanted.

The girls got the stool, and both found a way to sit on it, as Arya prepared to start the story again.

"What are you doing, Gen?"

"I need to finish a few things tonight. But I'm listening."

Arya started the story. The same story that had been turned into song in the North – "The Song of the She-Wolf" – how Arya rode into battle riding a direwolf, and with her own pack of wolves, but also how she advised Kings, Lords and Ladies, and inspired men and women to fight behind her. Their favorite story was the one where the Night King was brought down by their Uncles Jon and Bran, and how Arya had seen from the top of Nymeria as she fenced off wights and Others. But tonight they asked by the time Gendry and Arya fought back to back.

"As you know, your dad had an important role creating more dragon glass and even Valyrian steel."

"He's the greatest smith in the land!" Cat exclaimed, making Gendry smile cockily, and for her to mouth to him "stupid".

"Yes, also the stupider."

"Aunt Sansa says that's a bad word," Cat argued.

"Maybe your aunt Sansa is stupid too."

"Arya…" Gendry warned, before turning to Cat. "Yes, sweetie, your aunt is right, so don't say it. Your mom can because she's older; also don't tell your aunt that Mom called her stupid."

"So as I was saying, we needed all the help we could get by the end of the war, and your dad didn't have anymore steel, so he decided to go with us to fight," she said, bouncing Ned on her knee.

"Using the hammer," Alyssa said, pointing to the hammer proudly displayed in the wall.

"Yes, that hammer," she answered with a smile. "Your father was a great fighter. Strong, a single swing slowed down the wights. And he did remember to stand sideways," she said, throwing Gendry a smile. "We fought on foot…"

"Mom, jump to the kiss!" Alyssa and Cat requested – again too much like Sansa, loving all the romance.

"Okay, we fought and fought, and then the-"

"-then the fight was over, and you crossed eyes with dad across the field-" Cat tried.

"That's not how it went," Alyssa corrected. "Mom continue."

"We were tired, and taking our meal by the fire, as all the bodies burned."

"And your mother came to give me a bit of her 'stew', we shared the bowl. And then she told me she was worried when she saw me fall."

"And then he said he didn't know I had seen, and that he was okay. And then he told me that-"

"-was how he felt everyday," both girls said, with a goofy smile on their faces. "And then you kissed Dad, and he freaked out."

"Your mother is a lady," Gendry said. They had been together for a decade, and Gendry still felt weird when they were around Lords and Ladies, like he was less than them.

"No, she's not. She's wearing breeches. Aunt Sansa is a lady."

"That's what I told your dad."

"And then you kissed him again."

"Yes, and then I kissed him again," she confirmed. "You two already know the story by heart why are you always asking."

"It's so romantic," they said.

"Sure… go on to the Great Hall, it's almost meal time."

"Do you want me to take Ned?"

"I'll bring him later. I'll just wait for your father." The girls left after that, but Arya continued sitting on the bench, playing with Ned's little ten fingers, and then his nose too.

"Do you really think it is okay for Cat to go?"

"It's not like she hasn't seen it here in the courtyard."

"I was there, Arya. She flinches sometimes, and I put my hand on her shoulder."

"I'll make sure she's okay. I'll talk to her. I made it clear she didn't need to come – she knows Alyssa doesn't come with me."

"Okay, if she's sure," Gendry said, and Arya came over to hug him, holding Ned with just one arm. "I think maybe we could stay here tonight, since you're leaving tomorrow."

"I approve of that thought," she whispered into his back with a smile. "How much do you still need to do?"

"Not much," he told her. "But you can go…"

"Shut up, stupid," she told him, kissing his cheek, before going back to the counter, where she sat and continued to play with her son. Ned's hair was great, it was black just like Gendry's, but he had wild curls just like Rickon (calmer than Rickon's, more like Robb's had been); when she touched Ned's hair, she realized why her mother had always wanted to brush Sansa's hair, and her own – Arya wished she would have let her mother touch her hair more often.

They left for the evening meal a bit later, after Gendry stopped by the bakery to leave a few new pans, and told the baker that they could just stop by tomorrow to pay, but as it was habit the people bowed their head when they noticed that Lady Arya had come in with Gendry.

The meal was as expected. Bran took the time to go over the plans for tomorrow with Arya; Rickon spoiled Ned and tried to feed him food he shouldn't be eating; Gendry tried to spend the most time possible with Cat, making her family mock him; and finally at the end of the meal Sansa came to Arya to say goodbye and promise her that everything was ready for her to leave – she had even packed a few lighter dresses for Cat, that would make it easier for her to ride, since they both knew she wasn't a fan of breeches.

They sent each of their kids to bed. The girls shared a room next to Arya and Gendry's, and unlike Sansa and Arya when they had been young, they actually liked it; Ned normally slept in his parent's room, but since they were staying at the forge today, he was staying with the girls.

"Cat, I will come here to get you. Please be ready."

"I will, Mom. Alyssa is the one who sleeps late."

"Yes, she is," she said, coming to kiss the top of the head of both the girls, as Gendry followed her, after getting Ned ready for bed.

"You don't mind having Ned, do you?" he asked, and while both said they didn't, Alyssa blushed knowing why her parents were leaving Ned with them – that had been a weird talk to have with her daughters, but at least they didn't ask as early as Arya had.

They both left all their kids in the chamber, and almost ran to the smithy, where they quickly stripped and fell into the bed. Gendry hated every time Arya had to leave, it reminded him of every time she had left before and taken too long to come back; it was always hard for him to realize that Arya was always coming to him and their family. So this night repeated her name and the words I love you more often than usually, and when they finally fell asleep he hugged her tighter.

Arya didn't feel any different than him. She knew she was coming back, and that Gendry would still be here, and so would Bran, and Sansa, and Rickon, and her beautiful children. But she still feared. She feared too much sometimes, the war had done that to her. But when she woke up with Gendry's arms around her, she smiled and she felt safe and loved; she turned around to give him a quick kiss in the lips before getting up.

"I'm coming with you…" he mumbled.

"It's still dark, Gendry. The morning meal won't be ready for awhile."

"I'm coming," he said, pulling the bed furs away. Arya had always known he would come. They dressed quickly, Arya knew she should have washed a bit, since she wouldn't have a chance in the road, but the water here was too cold (she should watch her face in the girls' bedchamber).

They walked to the Great Keep, and then made their way to the rooms' hall, and knocked on their daughters' bedchamber. Cat came to open the door, already dressed and ready to go, but they still came in. Alyssa was still asleep, with the furs over her head, and Ned seemed to be sleeping well.

"Your brother didn't give you any trouble, did he?"

"He woke up once. Alyssa got him," she answered, while Gendry came to pull her for a hug. "Dad…"

"Okay… We better go, before we wake up your sister," Arya suggested. "Ours is the Fury," she whispered, with a laugh. Gendry's Baratheon ancestry was common knowledge, even if he had never been acknowledge – he never wanted to; his cousin Shireen had inherited Storm's End and was a great lady to all her people.

Arya went to give a kiss on the top of Alyssa's head, who didn't even gave any sign of being awake, and then picked up Ned to give him a strong hug, and Cat did the same, taking a bit longer with her sister, who still didn't move.

Gendry was holding both Arya and Cat's hands as they made it to the stable, they found their horses ready, and the servants had already attached their things to their backs, and the couple of men that were coming with them were already ready as well.

"So I guess, this is goodbye," Gendry said, pulling his daughter immediately for a hug. "You'll be okay, and listen to your mother."

"Yes, Dad. I'll be okay." Gendry gave another kiss, before picking her up and putting her on top of the horse.

"Gen, she'll be okay," Arya told him. "And we'll be back in just a few days."

"I know. I just worry. I'll be here, and I'll make sure Ned and Alyssa are safe."

"I know," she said, before kissing him, a light one, proper for the courtyard – they had their goodbye last night. Arya climbed on the horse on her own, and then Gendry took her hand again.

"You'll be back," he said, looking deep into her eyes, before turning to Cat as well. "You'll both be back." They both smiled at him, and realizing that their men were ready to go, they told him a final goodbye before riding away. Gendry looked on as far as they walked out the gate, and then started his normal day, going back to the smithy.