A/N: I think I'm spoiling you all a bit :P
Anyway, there was concern raised for when Gendry had a go at Arya's parents and the fact they should have suspected what was happening – the main point being that by him telling her that about her parents, he isn't allowing her to draw her own conclusion and it could be counter-productive. The other point is that he should have let her leave when she wanted to go, but that one was intentional, a pre-planned Gendry-mistake.
I admit that first point was a mistake on my part; I'm basing these interactions/sessions LOOSELY on previous counsellors I've seen over the years. The most recent had a go at one of my parents and I thought that it would fit nicely in this fic, and of course I'm trying to think of everything to make this as authentic as possible so I did forget that detail.
But I digress, here is chapter Seven :D

Arya had never met anyone quite as infuriating as Gendry Waters: the way he correctly assumed things about her and what she was feeling, the way he never fought back when she attacked him verbally and physically, how calm he was when she was a ticking timebomb that would go off at any second and, above all, what he had said about her parents being virtually neglectful.

Arya was walking around the athletic track, trying to clear her head before training. Who was that arsehole to say that he thought her parents sucked at being parents? Arya surmised that from an outsider's point of view, her parents could be seen as neglectful, but Arya knew that, despite everything, they loved her and wanted what was best for her. It wasn't their fault that she was too secretive, stubborn and independent to tell them what was happening with Joffrey and his cronies.

Arya blamed one person in particular for the way things had turned out and that was Sansa. Sansa, who was perfect, who could do no wrong, who was beautiful, popular and a perfect little lady…Arya kicked a stone bitterly. She could see absolutely no way in which to forgive her sister for what she had done and Theon and Robb could argue all they wanted, but Sansa had given Arya no choice but to cope with sharp objects and drugs. If Sansa was a better sister and stuck up for her once in a while, things might have been different.

Arya furiously wiped away her tears as she thought on what Gendry had worked out. "You blame yourself, don't you?" he had asked in a soft tone, like she was too fucking fragile for him to ask it normally. Of course she blamed herself for Jon's death. She had sent him away as much as her mother had, had practically told him she didn't care whether he lived or died…well, she was paying that price now. She never wanted him to die but those rash words were the last Jon heard from her, the sibling he had always been closest to, before he had died and Arya would never forgive herself for making him feel like she hated him.

Arya jogged to the starting line of the track when she saw a group of girls and guys with Syrio Forel and decided that she would see Gendry afterwards and talk to him about how she wanted the counselling sessions to be.

"You are late, Girl!" Syrio called.

"Sorry," Arya replied, stopping next to Ramsay; not exactly someone she wanted to be near but a familiar face at least. She could feel his eyes on her but determinedly kept her focus on Syrio.

"I am Syrio Forel, former Track and Field Champion of Braavos," Syrio introduced himself to everyone. "You will be training in hard conditions, in the rain, snow, sleet, sun and rain. You will commit yourself to this training and will come out feeling as though you have accomplished something. You are all here for specific reasons and this is your outlet." Syrio put them into three groups of four. Arya was placed with Ramsay, a girl named Monyka and another boy named Devan. The latter two gave her a friendly smile which she managed to return before they began the drills.

…

Three hours of hard training later, Arya had showered and eaten dinner and decided to see if Gendry was in the staff room. She knocked on the door and it was answered by Varys. "Miss Stark," he greeted, looking unsurprised to see her there. "To what do I owe this late pleasure?"

"I need to see Gendry," Arya said quietly, looking at him directly. Varys looked concerned and stepped out of the staff room.

"I'm afraid Gendry isn't inside," he told her softly. "But he may be in his counselling room, he did say something about finishing some paperwork."

"Thanks," Arya said and she walked off without waiting for a reply. She arrived at Room 31 and took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

"Come in," Gendry's voice sounded from the other door. Arya entered and saw Gendry sitting at the desk, typing something into his laptop before he turned his head and saw her standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Arya," he said in surprise. "Is everything okay?"

"Sort of," Arya replied, shutting the door. Gendry closed his laptop and stood tall, crossing his arms.

"Is there anything you need to talk about?" he asked her.

"Yes," Arya answered. Gendry gestured to the couches and Arya sat in one, Gendry in the opposite one.

"What is it?" he asked quietly, looking at her with a hint of worry in his gaze. Arya raised an eyebrow at him and sat back, crossing her arms.

"I have a bone to pick with you," she said.

"Go on," Gendry encouraged.

"I want you to know that I don't like you," Arya said. Gendry flinched slightly but didn't look surprised.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," he said, looked at his hands. "I didn't think I handled that session very well. I told Varys what happened; he told me he wouldn't be surprised if the limited trust you had in me on Monday would have gone. I made too many mistakes."

"I want to keep coming to you," Arya continued. "But I want them to be on my terms. I seem to open up with you, even though I don't like you. There's something about you that makes me want to talk so I don't think trust is an issue."

"Name your terms," Gendry replied, looking back at her. Arya swallowed and crossed her legs.

"One," she said. "When we talk, I want to feel like I'm confiding in a friend, not a shrink. That means you're to sit next to me or on the couch adjacent to me." Gendry nodded his assent; that he could do for her. "Two, you are to never, ever have a go at my parents again. They love me and they're doing what's best for me. Don't assume anything about them because you don't know them."

"Alright," Gendry agreed. "I'm sorry for what I said about your parents."

"Don't worry about it," Arya said tersely. "Three: if I feel like I can't talk anymore, you have to let me go. I'll come to you in my own time, but you were part of the reason I had that violent meltdown, the other being that I haven't had pills for too long."

"I promise," Gendry said instantly. "I know I was too pushy with you Arya and I didn't mean to freak you out. Now, here are my terms."

"Your terms?" Arya asked incredulously, sitting up straight. "I-"

"One," Gendry interrupted. "If at any point you feel like you need to talk, come to me. Night or day, it doesn't matter. I'm worried about you and I want to help." Arya was stunned into silence.

"Why are you worried about me?" she asked quietly.

"You're handling things a little too well to be totally convincing," Gendry said. "I mean it Arya. I want to help you as much as I can." Arya nodded and Gendry continued.

"Two," he said. "I want you to be honest with me. Don't lie about how you're feeling, just come out and say it. Depression is difficult enough to deal with without lying to yourself and those around you as well."

"Yes," Arya agreed. Gendry cracked a smile.

"Three," he finished. "I want to talk with your family members at some point so that this tension you have in you can just stop. I swear I will be professional and I won't tell them anything without your written consent." Arya opened her mouth but Gendry cut across her. "It doesn't have to be the first visitation. I want to gain your trust and I want you to feel as though you trust me enough to come to me. I want you to be with me and your family when we chat."

Arya mulled over this condition. He was giving her time to get used to the idea so that they wouldn't have to talk with her family straight away and if truth be told, she wanted to stop feeling so negative whenever she was around her parents and sister. She looked at Gendry as she considered. His unwavering stare and the way he set his jaw as he watched her made her decision for her.

"Alright," she said. "But I'm doing the talking with my family and you will be my moral support." Gendry nodded and they shook hands.

"We have ourselves a deal then," Gendry told her. They stood and Gendry walked Arya to the door where Arya looked up at him.

"I do trust you, you know," she said and Gendry looked at her in surprise. "Only trust could have torn down the walls I've had since I was eleven." She gave him a small smile and left, hearing him close the door behind her.

Arya strolled at a leisurely pace back to her dorm, thinking over what she had said. She may not like the shrink guy, but she knew she trusted him. He was different, genuine. She wasn't an idiot, she knew he was being paid for his work, but the way he said he was worried about her…

A shiver ran down Arya's spine and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Though not overly concerned, she quickened her pace when she sensed eyes on her and entered the girls' dorm buiding and running into Monyka.

"Arya," Monyka said with a smile. Arya smiled back – her track teammate was friendly and bubbly and Arya couldn't imagine for the life of her why she was in a place like this.

"Hi," Arya replied. "Where are you off to?"

"Rec room," Monyka replied. "Did you want to come?"

"No thanks," Arya said instantly. "I'm really tired from training. I was just heading to bed."

"The training gets easier," Monyka promised with a smile as she left. Arya watched her go before going upstairs to her room and found Dany at the desk.

"What are you doing?" Arya asked casually, stripping down to get into her pyjamas.

"Looking at universities," Dany replied. "There's a really good one in Braavos, but I don't want to be far from home, and there's one in the Reach, Dorne, the North and Pentos. I'm torn about which one to apply for."

"Apply for the one that you think is right," Arya said with a shrug, going to the bathroom they shared with the girls next door to do her teeth. "That's what my father said to my brothers when they were applying."

"It's too much tonight," Dany sighed. Arya finished brushing her teeth and came back to the room, flopping on her bed. "How was training anyway?" Arya groaned and Dany laughed. "It wasn't that bad was it?"

"No," Arya admitted. "He worked us really hard but it was a good hard, you know? Like I had something to focus my energies on. I'm in a team with three other people, Monyka Wiley, Devan Seaworth and Ramsay."

"Monyka's lovely," Dany told her. "And Devan is really sweet."

"It's Ramsay I'm worried about," Arya said.

"Don't worry about him," Dany replied. "He's not a bad guy." Arya remembered the feeling of eyes on her and wasn't so sure, but she was in no mood to argue.

"I saw Gendry as well," she said, noticing that Dany sat up straighter at this.

"And?" she asked. Arya shrugged.

"He freaked me out a little two days ago in our first session," she admitted and Dany immediately looked concerned, which Arya noticed. "Not in a bad way," she continued in a rush. "More like, he's…learning on the job a bit and making a few errors?"

"What were these errors?" Dany asked.

"I'm not sure," Arya answered. "He didn't let me out a couple of times and he had a go at my parents, but he talked with Varys afterwards and I told him my terms."

"Do you trust him?" Dany asked.

"Yes," Arya said. "I swore when I came here that I wouldn't let anyone inside my head and nothing but trust made me open up to Gendry straight away. Anyway, he's not having another go at my parents, he's to sit closer to me and not at a shrink-like distance when I'm talking to him and he's to let me out when I've had enough. Then he added conditions of his own-"

"He shouldn't be able to do that," Dany said sharply.

"I know," Arya said with a shrug. "But I think it was more making a deal with him. Just, whenever I need to, I can talk to him, he wants to talk to my parents when they visit at some stage and he wants me to be honest at all times. He compromised and I'm talking to my parents when they come down and Gendry will be my moral support. I thought it was a fair deal so I took it."

"As long as you know what you're doing," Dany said, calming down.

"I do," Arya assured her. "I'm not a little kid and I can take care of myself. Gendry isn't nearly as smart as he thinks he is."

"Aegon likes you," Dany said casually, changing the subject. "He thinks you've got spunk."

"That's nice to hear," Arya replied. "At least someone likes me." Dany smiled at her.

"I like you too," she said. "And so does Ramsay, though he doesn't really know how to express positive feelings."

"I noticed," Arya answered. "Is he autistic or something?"

"I can't tell you," Dany said seriously. "Confidentiality and all that." Arya blushed.

"Sorry," she said.

"Don't worry," Dany replied. "It's all good." Arya yawned and got under her covers, falling asleep in minutes.

Twelve year old Arya could hear raised voices from the kitchen, though she couldn't make out the words they were using. Her father and her half-brother were shouting the place down and no one knew why.

Arya was a little frightened – neither her father nor Jon were shouters, that was her mother, hers and Sansa's job – but for the argument to reach this scale…she looked at her ten-year-old brother Bran, her thirteen-year-old sister Sansa, her six-year-old brother Rickon, her sixteen-year -old brother Robb and her twenty-one-year old brother Theon and saw that they looked shocked as well.

It was hours later when Arya was in her room, hugging her stuffed wolf Nymeria to her chest when she heard her door creak open slightly. She looked up at Jon, dressed in a black shirt, pants, boots, his dark brown hair hidden under a cap.

"Jon?" she asked, watching as Jon knelt down beside her bed. "What is it? What were you and dad yelling about today?"

"I'm leaving," Jon whispered.

"Where are we going?" Arya asked instantly; she would follow her favourite brother anywhere. Jon shook his head, looking pained.

"Little Sister, I'm going to live with Uncle Benjen," he explained quietly. Arya's foggy mind didn't register at first, but the haze cleared and she jumped out of bed.

"You can't!" she cried, leaving the room.

"Arya-"

"No!" Arya cried, her shoulder-length hair swaying with every movement. "No, Jon! You can't leave!"

"I've wanted to be a soldier since I was a boy," Jon murmured, following her to the living room.

"What's all this noise?" The light switched on and Arya saw that her father, mother, older brothers and sister were awake.

"No, Jon," Ned said quietly, instantly understanding. "Think what you're doing."

"I've thought about it for years," Jon pleaded. "I've always wanted to be with Uncle Benjen, fighting…since I was a boy listening to Uncle Benjen's war stories I've wanted to be a soldier." He held Ned's gaze for a few moments before Ned sighed.

"I can't stop you" he said resignedly. "You're twenty-years-old son. Do whatever you feel is right. But please, leave in the morning so we can say goodbye properly." Jon nodded and everyone went back to bed, but Arya lay awake, dreading the morning.

Jon was ready to leave after breakfast and the family lined up outside the front. Jon and Ned shared a long hug and whispered conversation, Catelyn hesitated before pulling Jon in for a quick hug, whispering something in his ear, Theon and Robb embraced him, Sansa hugged him quickly and kissed his cheek, Bran hugged him and Rickon jumped in his arms. Finally he reached Arya who looked back at him stonily.

"Arya," Jon said, his voice cracking. "Please understand-"

"How can I understand?" Arya asked bitterly. "You're leaving us Jon. You're leaving me." Jon swallowed and went to muss her hair but Arya took a step back.

"Little Sister-"

"I'm not your sister," Arya said coldly. "You chose to leave. You can die for all I care, Bastard." Jon's expression was one beyond any pain, any hurt and Arya felt a stab of remorse for her harsh words before pushing it down. Jon held her gaze for a moment before standing tall.

"I'll miss you," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion before walking off.

Arya woke up, realising she was sobbing quietly and she hugged Nymeria to her ever tighter. Jon had bought her the wolf for her fifth birthday and she had shown her at school, naming her after the ancient warrior queen she idolised.

Arya lay awake for the rest of the night, the thoughts you killed him repeating themselves in her mind like a mantra, her nails digging into the sides of her wrists in an attempt to distract herself from the dark thoughts clouding her head.

A/N: So we find out the last exchange between Jon and Arya and it broke my heart :/ trust me I did not want to kill Jon off.
So Arya has realised that she does trust Gendry, but she still doesn't like him. Monyka is based on Weasel (the little girl who hangs around Arya, Gendry and Hot Pie for a bit), albeit an older version.
What did you think of Arya going to Gendry and giving out terms for him? What did you think of the flashback she had? What did you think of Syrio Forel? Don't worry, we'll be seeing more him him *Winks*.
Until next time :D