Sounds of wet, slapping flesh echoed off of the wall as Ned slid in and out of Cat in pure ecstasy. His wife released an abrupt grunt as she pushed back against him and her hand reached behind her to grip his waist. Sharp fingernails dug into his skin, but Ned didn't notice.

Effortlessly, he picked her up, so Cat's feet were no longer touching the floor and ground into her mercilessly.

A sharp cry escaped from her throat.

Ned sat Cat back on her feet and let her balance herself against the table as he grabbed the back of her shirt.

"You like that," he grunted and Cat pushed back again.

Cat liked it rough. She wanted to be fucked, not made love to. Ned didn't think they ever made love even after getting married. Oh, but they fucked. They fucked a lot and it was rough. Catelyn could play the role of a wife well, except when it came to sex. 'No lovemaking,' she said. She could give him everything, but the love she had for Brandon. Ned could accept that.

Firmly, Ned pulled his wife up by the shoulder, and held her close to his body while his stroke remained steady. Cat yanked Ned's hair and pulled him into a passionate kiss. Hungrily, she licked and sucked at his lips and Ned responded in kind. They moaned loudly as Ned's strokes became more demanding and unrelenting. Cat moaned in pleasure as she grabbed Ned's free hand and gripped it tightly.

"Ned, Ned, Ned," the woman chanted.

Again, he was pulled into another kiss, but this time she stuffed her tongue down her husband's throat before biting at his lips.

After Ned had gotten over the unexpected pregnancy, he made arrangements for him and Cat to get married the following week. There wasn't any argument from Cat because she knew the consequences of their actions. Although it was unfair, Ned getting Cat pregnant wouldn't have gotten a second thought, but she would be seen as the irresponsible one.

Despite the fact that they did have unprotected sex the first time and the few times after that, it was when she was on the pill and he was wearing a condom when Cat had gotten pregnant. Ned couldn't help but laugh.

When Ned told his father of his impending grandfather status, Rickard looked at him in disappointment. His father's face clearly said, "How could you take advantage of her?"

But, he didn't. He didn't take advantage of Catelyn. It may have been wrong to think, but Ned believed it was the other way around.

Ned had been grief stricken for months when he finally visited Cat. It was clear that she wasn't coping well either and he thought that they could work through it together. The first few days were fine. They would sat in silence and grieve Brandon. It made him feel closer to his brother, but Cat started to look at him strange—as if he was Brandon. Ned wasn't a fool. He knew he wasn't nearly as good looking as Brandon or close to it, but he was of the same blood as Brandon and they had been close. Grief could do weird things to a person.

Cat would sit very close to him, rest her head on his shoulders, and touch him for no reason at all. When Ned said that grief could do weird things to a person, he wasn't just referring to Cat. It had crossed his mind that if he had "indulged" the same things as Brandon, then perhaps, it would keep his brother alive in his heart even more. Brandon adored Cat. Why couldn't he? But, Ned pushed the thoughts away and suggested that they go to the gardens. He thought it would put some sense into Cat by reminding her of Brandon and prevent him from acting out his inappropriate desires.

But, Cat seemed to have other ideas.

"Are you hungry," Ned asked as he briefly glanced at Cat before staring back at the road. An odd expression danced across Cat's face before she answered.

"Yes," she said in a low tone.

Ned rattled off some places that they could go if she was interested as Cat pretended to listen. The hunger she had was nothing food could satisfy. Oblivious to the change on Cat's demeanor, Ned kept providing options as the woman coaxed him on to continue.

"For someone who claims to be hungry, you sure have no interests in eating anything," Ned laughed.

"No, I'm hungry," she supplied as she eyed him.

They parked in an abandoned packing lot to figure out where they were going to eat and so Ned wouldn't waste gas. Ned tried to persuade Cat of the many good places there were to dine in at as she surveyed the area of them.

"Do people come to this parking lot often," Cat asked.

"No. People rarely come over here. Why?" Suddenly, a look of excitement crossed his face as he reached into the glove compartment. "I'm surprised I forgot about this place," he said as he pulled out the menu. "It's not an upscale place, but it is my favorite place to eat."

"I don't want to eat there," Cat said quickly.

"Cat, trust me," Ned grinned. "You'll love the food. Their menu has a variety of things to choose from and they're all delicious."

"I don't want what is on the menu." Ned made an exasperated noise.

"How can you not want what is on the menu when you don't know what is on the menu," Cat's expression gave no room of negotiation. "Come on, Cat, work with me here. "

She grinned mischievously and Ned's stomach dropped for some unknown reason.

"Okay." She agreed.

"Okay," he parroted. As he picked up the menu Cat shoved his hand down. "Cat, I thought you said you would work with me.

"I am."

"Then choose something off of the menu."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because what I want is not on the menu."

"Cat, for the last time. How can you—" Ned abruptly shut up as Cat grabbed a handful of cock through his pants. Her grip was firm, but gentle. It was then that her question made sense. "We can't do this."

"Why not," Cat ask as she sensuously rubbed Ned's man hood. Despite himself, Ned moaned. She increased the pressure and Ned began to thrust into her hand. "It looks like you want to."

"It's not about what I want," he supplied. "This is wrong."

"No, it's not," she denied.

"Yes, it is," he argued back. "You were engaged to my brother and he died very suddenly. I know you are hurting right now, but this isn't going to make you feel better."

"Yes, it is," she parroted his response from a moment ago.

"No, it isn't. You fucking me isn't going to bring him back. It's only going to make you—"Ned's cock was in Cat's mouth as bobbed her head up and down. "Oh Gods…Cat. Oh Gods."

'What is wrong with me,' Ned thought as Cat's warm mouth enveloped his cock. It baffled him that he didn't notice Cat undoing his pants as he argued against them having sex. She intentionally distracted him in order to get into his pants. Ned knew better than to think that this night was going to end with him just getting his dick sucked.

"Cat, stop," Ned demanded, but Cat ignored and put pressure on his penis with her tongue as he fought the urge to thrust into her mouth. "Stop!"

Ned's penis slowly slipped out of her mouth as she lifted her head to look at him.

"What has gotten into you?" He incredulously asked.

"Nothing yet." Ned was about to argue with her, but she stopped him. "Fuck responsibility, Ned. Fuck what we shouldn't do. How about we do who and what we want and deal with the consequences later."

"This could dishonor you," he said simply.

"Then please do me the honor of dishonoring me," she stated as her mouth hovered near his cock. "Let me have this, Ned."

"This won't bring him back."

"I know," she whispered.

Catelyn felt disappointed when Ned pushed her away and pulled up in pants, but he didn't button them. His cock was stood proudly and waved at her as he opened the door and got out.

"Where are you going," she asked in confusion.

Ned bent down as he rested his arm on the roof.

"To the backseat." Catelyn's stomach jumped. "Are you going to join me?"

Catelyn sat a plate of food in front of Ned before sitting a bottle of beer beside his plate. Usually they drank wine for dinner because Catelyn preferred it with their meals, but tonight was an exception.

"Dinner looks fantastic," he genuinely complimented, and then sipped his beer. Besides dinner looking great, it was his favorite meal: steak, potatoes, corn, and sweet dinner rolls. Catelyn always put effort into the meals she cooked for her husband, but she put extra effort into his favorite meal. Ned could only drink beer for this particular meal, which he was grateful for. What was steak without beer?

Ned and Catelyn told one another about their day as they ate their meal.

Over the next few days, Ned's schedule got a bit more hectic. His schoolwork had increased and so did his responsibilities at his internship. He didn't get to spend a lot of time with Catelyn, as he would have like. It also felt weird for him to go without sex for so long. They may have not been making love, but they did enjoy fucking each other's brains out, despite her pregnant state.

"You should take a break," Catelyn suggested as she rubbed Ned's temples.

"I have a lot of work to do," Ned sighed. He sat the file down in his lap, and then closed his eyes. "It's not going to get finished with me on break."

"It's just fifteen minutes," Ned opened his eyes and looked at his wife.

"Yeah, fifteen minutes I could be devoting to getting work done," he countered. "Even if I did take a break, I wouldn't be able to relax."

"You'll thank me later," his pregnant wife said as slid off of the couch and positioned herself in front of him. Ned's cock hardened in anticipation.

"How about I thank you in advance," he whispered while Cat unbuckled his pants. She placed a kiss on the head of his cock before licking her way down his shaft. Her eyes never broke contact.

It was just what he needed.

"I don't know whether I should envy Cat or pity her," Lyanna said. The fifteen-year-old girl had dropped by with their brother Ben to see Ned after finals had ended.

"Why do you say that?" Ned asked his younger sister while him poured all three of them cups of coffee.

"Because he would have broken her heart eventually." Lyanna took her cup from Ned. "She thought she was about to marry some prince charming rather than a man whore. I don't know if I should envy her false idea of him or pity the fact that she doesn't know the truth about our brother."

"We don't know that, Lya," Ben said neutrally. "Brandon seemed to change his ways for Catelyn."

"Exactly," Ned pointed towards his brother. "And how do you know what a man whore is?"

"Because I am fifteen and not a kid." Lyanna rolled her eyes. "Ned," she made an unbelieving face at her oldest living brother. "I loved Brandon and all, but it's no secret that our dearly departed brother loved the ladies. I know you two don't want to speak ill of him, but what do they say about cheetahs and spots? Besides, that whole waiting to consummate the marriage in front of the Gods was your idea."

"It was not," Ned denied, but it was clear that he was lying.

"Yeah…it doesn't seem like something Brandon would say," Ben admitted. "He would say something like 'we have all the time in the world to show the Gods how much we love each other.'"

The siblings began to rattle off ideas that we Ned's passed off as Brandon's ideas.

"Moving to Riverrun."

"Introducing her to the family."

"Their first date."

"Finding out her favorite flowers."

"Okay—enough of that," Ned held his hands up. "I'll admit that I did give Brandon some help, but we all know that if they did have sex, Brandon would have left. I just wanted him to get to know her in a non-sexual way to see how different it could be. He did have feelings for her."

"Yeah, but not the spend-the-rest-of-your-life-with-someone type of feelings," Ben replied. "That just wasn't who he was."

Lyanna laughed.

"What?" Ned looked at his only sister.

"The irony: the dishonorable brother doing the honorable thing by trying waiting until marriage—even thought it wasn't his idea—and the honorable brother doing the dishonorable thing and knocking the girl up." Ben snorted.

"It was complicated," Ned stated.

"Of course it was," Lyanna agreed.

"I loved Brandon and I miss him like hell," Ben said suddenly. "But, this is the best thing that probably could have happened to Cat." Ben looked regretful at his remark. "I don't want to speak ill of him, but he would have cheated on her and broke her heart. I mean, we all know he almost cheated on Catelyn the night he died. You basically had to fight him just so he would remain faithful."

The room got quiet.

"I know the situation is fucked up," he said uncomfortably. "But, you look really happy with Cat and she looks happy too. You two may not be in love, but despite the circumstances, the future looks promising."

The first few times Ned and Catelyn had sex after the doctor cleared them post pregnancy Catelyn seemed insecure and hesitant. She didn't like the way her body had changed and was afraid of what Ned might have thought. Well, she was at first, until she saw how enamored Ned was by her figure. Desire burned in his eyes and his hands never left her body when they were near each other. He thought motherhood and pregnancy suited her well and it turned him on.

Both of their bodies were slicked with sweat as Ned watched his wife slowly ride up and down on his turgid penis. Catelyn peppered kisses on his bearded face as his hands moved up her back. They looked one another in the eyes before Catelyn gently grabbed his face and kissed him passionately. Ned pulled her close before rolling them over so he was on top. Slowly, he slammed into her as fingernails pierced his skin.

A hand was placed on his back as her legs wrapped around his hips. A free hand rested in Ned's hair.

There was a quick draw of breath before Catelyn cried out, "Ned."

This…whatever this was felt different and more intimate than any sex they had ever had before. Tonight they explored each other in ways that they had never done before. They way that lovers did in every sense of the word. It all began when Catelyn asked if they could try something new. She wanted Ned to take his time and be gentle with her—she wanted him to express how he felt about her.

She wanted Ned, not Brandon.

It seemed as if he orgasm hit her like a tidal wave and she was struggling to get above water. Ned rolled off of her and Catelyn put her head of his chest.

"I know," she whispered.

"Hmm," Ned stroked her back, and then placed a kiss on her forehead.

"About Brandon, I know," she clarified. "I overheard you all talking."

"Cat…" Ned began as he wondered why she waited months before saying anything.

"It's okay," Cat looked her husband in the eyes. Lovingly, she stroked his face. "Brandon was who he was, but you are who you are." She gave him a warm smile and a moist kiss.

They may have not been in love, but they were working on it.

The future did look promising after all.