He was close to panicking.

It's been hours but she has not returned home. She was not responding to his calls and texts and no one from his family has heard from her since her father's funeral that morning. He didn't know how many times he's opened the closet to check if her clothes were still in there…didn't know how many times he's breathed a sigh of relief to see them in place. But the sinking feeling in his stomach won't go away, and he didn't know who to call anymore. Jon asked if there was something wrong, and Gendry didn't have the heart to tell him she has not returned home since that morning. It was something he could deal with alone, because the Starks didn't need another issue to worry about after Ned Stark's burial earlier that day.

He tried her phone again, but for the umpteenth time, she wasn't picking up. He was running the floor ragged with his constant pacing, and his hair was disheveled after running his fingers through it countless times. He knew she needed time. She was Ned Stark's favourite, and his death brought an indescribable sadness to her that even he couldn't take away. He'd give her time alone. He only wanted to know where she was and if she was safe.

And suddenly it clicked. At that instant, he knew where Arya was.

Grabbing his jacket and car keys, he dashed out of their apartment and jumped into his car. He drove as fast as he could, and prayed he was right.

He parked in front of the Stark's lake house thirty minutes later. It was dark inside, but he had a strong feeling she was there. She calls it her safe haven, because all her memorable childhood vacations were spent there. Usually it was with the whole family, but sometimes it was just her and her dad, especially when she and Sansa got into fights with each other. Ned brought her there because it calmed her down, and she enjoyed the moments she was alone with her dad.

"Arya…" he said softly as he approached. She was sitting on the dock, her legs dangling in the water and just staring out there, probably nothing in particular. She looked up in surprise, before holding her hand out to him to make him sit next to her.

"It's late. I was getting worried."

She rested her head on his shoulder, her fingers threading and unthreading themselves with his. He felt more than heard her sigh, and he disentangled his hand from hers to drape it around her shoulders.

"It's cold out here. Let's go inside."

"Later," she replied, her voice a whisper in the darkness. "I just want to sit here for a while."

"Do you want me to leave you out here? I'll be inside if you need me."

She straightened and put her hand on his arm. "Gen…stay. Please. I need you."

How could he deny her that? Her eyes, bright with unshed tears, were staring at him so sadly it was breaking his heart. Tilting her chin up and placing a soft kiss on her lips before moving on to her temple, he draped his arm around her shoulders once more and pulled her close.

"I'm here, baby. I'm always here."

They were silent for a while before she sighed again. "This is my safe haven, you know. This house. It's where Dad brought me when I needed time away from everyone. And now, he can't do that anymore."

His hand made up and down motions on her arm, and she snuggled closer to his warmth. "It still is your safe haven. You can always come up here. And I'm here."

She shifted a little so she could look into his eyes, a small smile touching her lips. "I'd love that," she said, placing a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. "But maybe I don't really need to be here when I need to be calm."

Gendry's brows creased in confusion.

She went on, snuggling back into his side. "You are, after all, my safe haven."