HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
Hope you enjoyed your holidays.
Once again, thanks to everyone who's still reading this :) As promised, here's the new chapter.
I have absolutely no control left over the characters. All I can do is throw things at them and see how they react. But that's fun too :D
At first he ignored it. The scratching noise at his door was probably nothing interesting, and after his long day, he wanted nothing more than to relax and forget about the rest of the world for a while. But then the sound was followed by a powerful bark, and he was on his feet before his brain had fully processed the information.
The sight that greeted him when he opened his door left him speechless.
Nymeria's head was covered in cuts and blood, her look was feral, her teeth bared, her body so tense she seemed ready to attack any second. Yet it didn't occur to him to be scared. He instantly crouched down in front of her and tried to take her head in his hands to get a better look at her wounds, but she slipped out of his grip and jumped back in the hallway, turning her back to him, looking at him expectantly over her shoulder. Only then did he notice that Arya wasn't with her. Once again, his body reacted before his mind did. He'd grabbed his keys, slammed the door shut, and was running behind Nymeria before the thought took form in his mind.
What the hell?
He didn't realize he was barefoot until he felt the pavement, still warm from the heat of the day, under the sole of his feet, but he didn't even think about going back to his apartment to get his shoes. Nymeria was hurt and Arya was not with her. That meant Arya was hurt too. Or worse. Nothing mattered but the growing panic that was threatening to crush his chest.
He was running as fast as he could, but he could still feel the dog's impatience as she had to stop and wait for him a few times.
He'd have apologized for his slowness, but what little oxygen he managed to get into his lungs through the breathtaking fear, he used to fuel his muscles and run faster.
It felt like a year before he finally saw the outline of Arya's car, though it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. Nymeria disappeared behind it and he ran after her.
What he saw then stopped him dead in his tracks. She was on the ground. She was not moving. Her eyes were closed. And there was a pool of blood at her feet.
"Arya!"
Shaking his head to try and get rid of the blinding horror, he made his feet move again and he fell to his knees beside her. He wanted nothing more than to shake her until she woke up, but he managed to stay rational and he placed two fingers against her throat.
To say he was relieved to find a pulse would have been the understatement of the century.
A single sob fought its way to his throat, but he instantly pulled himself together. He would not break down until she was out of danger.
He couldn't find any wounds apart from the cut on her temple where she must have hit the pavement, which meant that the blood at her feet was probably not hers.
Standing up, he went to the car, noticed the shattered window on the driver's side, opened the back door to find Arya's handbag where she always dropped it carelessly behind her seat and found her cell phone. In his haste, he hadn't thought about taking his when he'd left his flat.
As soon as the phone was in his hand, Nymeria growled. He ignored her in favor of typing 911, but before he could press the call icon, she attacked, her teeth closing around his forearm, not hard enough to do any lasting damage, but definitely hard enough to inflict pain and pierce the skin. The phone slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground, thankfully still in one piece.
"Damn it! Nymeria, I have to call for help!" he exclaimed as he bent down to retrieve the small object from the pavement and used his shirt to wipe his wounded arm clean.
Her bark was a clear warning, and he realized that if he tried again, she'd bite him again. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, his fear mingling with anger at the dog's irrational attitude.
"What the hell do you want me to do?"
In answer to his question, she turned towards Arya, and then back to him. He sighed and shook his head in dismay. He didn't have much choice. He didn't think Nymeria would really harm him, but if he didn't do what she wanted him to, she could easily pin him down to the ground and only let him go once he was more willing to do her bidding. He couldn't afford to waste any time when Arya was injured and he didn't even know how badly. He put the phone back in the bag, throwing a pointed look at the dog, who signaled her approval with a quick nudge to his leg.
Then he climbed in the driver's seat, checking to see if the key was in the ignition. No, of course not. It would have been too easy. He quickly looked around, but it was nowhere to be found. For all he knew, whoever had done this to Arya had taken it. Trying to locate it would be another waste of time. Sighing, he went back to his friend and picked her up in his arms. He stood up, Arya safely tucked against his chest, and he saw that Nymeria had taken the handbag in her mouth. He gave her a barely there smile and began to walk. If he was not mistaken, there was a hospital not too far from here.
He'd only taken two steps in that direction when Nymeria jumped in front of him, let the bag fall to the ground, and bared her teeth at him. He rolled his eyes.
"Come on! She needs medical attention! I'm trying to help here."
He tried to walk past her. She growled threateningly, her ears flattening against her skull, her body tensing as if ready to pounce.
"Nymeria, please..."
She was unyielding. Gendry sighed. He didn't understand why she hadn't wanted him to call for help or why she was trying to prevent him from bringing her mistress to the hospital, but the fact that Nymeria was no ordinary dog hadn't escaped his notice and he had to trust that she knew what she was doing. It wasn't like he had a choice anyway. He hesitantly turned away and started walking back the way he'd come. She dropped the menacing attitude, picked up the bag in her mouth, and started trotting happily next to him. After a few steps, he tried to take a wrong turn, just to see what she'd do. She was in front of him instantly, blocking the way. Resigned, he shook his head, and he followed her back to his flat.
If the damn thing kept ringing, he was going to throw it out the window. She wouldn't like that, so instead he found the phone in her bag with the intention of turning it off. But the caller ID caught his attention.
Jon.
The 2 messages and 12 missed calls were all from him as well. He pressed the answer button. Arya would probably not like that either, but her brother must be worried sick if he'd called so many times in so little time.
"Hello?"
There was a pause at the other end of the line, the caller obviously not having expected to hear an unfamiliar voice.
"Who are you?"
"Jon?" he checked instead of answering the question.
"Who the hell are you and why are you answering my sister's phone?"
"Arya's..."
His hesitation only lasted for a second, but it was enough for the voice to go from furious to fearful.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
"She's ok," he said hurriedly. "Well, she... She was attacked, but she's ok now. She's sleeping. I think she bumped her head on the pavement, but I'm not sure what happened. Nymeria led me to her, but I got there too late to see anything."
"Damn it Arya! Bran was right. I told her to be careful."
Gendry sighed. He knew the reproach wasn't addressed to him, but he answered anyway.
"So did I."
"You're Gendry." Not a question. He kept silent. "Where is she?"
"At my place. Her dog wouldn't let me bring her to the hospital."
"That's weird. She didn't tell you what happened?"
"Nymeria? I know she's smart, but..."
"Not Nymeria. Arya."
"Oh. Sorry. No, she hasn't woken up since I found her."
"When was that?"
1 hour, 42 minutes and 17 seconds ago. But who was counting?
"About 2 hours ago."
"What? How do you know she doesn't have a concussion or..."
"I don't," he answered honestly. "But every time I try to pick up the phone to call a doctor, Nymeria looks like she wants to bite my hand off."
"What the hell is wrong with that dog?"
"Beats me."
There was nothing but silence for a minute as they both tried, and failed, to come up with an explanation as to why Nymeria was behaving this way. After a while, Jon sighed.
"Ok, we have to trust her. She wouldn't endanger Arya's life."
"Let's hope so. Look, if I know your sister, the pavement's probably in a worse shape than she is right now."
He relaxed when he heard the chuckle coming from the other end of the phone.
"You're right."
Gendry hesitated. He wasn't sure he should say what was on his mind, this man was a stranger to him, but if he was in any way like his sister, there was a chance he would understand the implications. He took a deep breath.
"Jon... Your sister lied to me."
Silence again. The voice was guarded when he spoke again.
"About what?"
"She was supposed to be home tonight. Said she was going to have an early night. The next thing I know, I find her unconscious in an alley, miles from her place. Believe me, if I'd known..."
"Are you beating yourself up about this, or are you angry with her?"
He gave a humorless chuckle. It seemed Jon was a perceptive guy who knew exactly what kind of feelings his sister brought out in people.
"Both."
"That's Arya for you. Listen, don't you dare feel responsible for something she did, or she'll kick your ass. Arya does whatever Arya wants to do, as I'm sure you're aware. Our father was the only one who ever..."
His voice trailed off as he realized what he'd been about to say. Gendry smiled sadly.
"She told me about him."
"Oh. Good. I guess."
"I won't let anything happen to her."
He winced at his own words, wondering if he'd said too much, if he was out of line, if Jon would tell him to mind his own business. This was how Arya would have reacted. But when her brother spoke again, Gendry could hear the smile in his voice. It was faint, but it was there.
"She'll kill you if I ever tell her you said that."
"I'm pretty sure Nymeria's on my side on this. I'm safe."
"True. Do you know if she made any progress in her investigation?"
"Yeah, she..."
He stopped talking. From the way Arya had talked about Jon, Gendry knew that she wasn't trying to hide anything from her brother, but it wasn't his place to tell him about the strip club, about Littlefinger, or about the fact that he'd met Ned Stark. Actually, that last piece of information might be his to share, but he didn't think now was the right time. He was saved from an awkward refusal to talk when Jon finished his sentence for him.
"... will tell me all about it when she wakes up. Have her call me as soon as she can."
"I will."
"Take care of her."
Apparently, he didn't need to answer that, because when he tried, Jon had already hung up.
There was none of that fluttering eyelids thing you'd expect when waking up from a blackout. No confusion or fear either. Her eyes flew open, and she knew at once where she was. The sheets were unfamiliar, but Nymeria was lying down next to her on the bed, keeping guard but not nervous, which meant that she trusted whoever it was Arya could hear showering in the next room. And there weren't that many people Nymeria trusted. Knowing this, she didn't panic or try to get up. She stayed where she was, slowly bringing a hand to her head to try and feel her wound. Her fingers found bandage. Not professional work, but neatly tied and applying just enough pressure. She was sore all over, her throat was hurting and there was a dull ache in her head, but she couldn't complain. The way she saw it, she should be dead right now.
She tried to move her legs, winced at the pain that radiated through her left ankle. Taking a look at it, she noticed the redness and she sighed in partial relief. Most likely sprained, not broken. Again, could have been worse.
Feeling her move, Nymeria came closer to her and rested her head against her shoulder. She wrapped her arm around her dog and scratched her behind the ears, finding comfort in her presence. This was when she noticed the cuts all over her head and neck. Arya gasped.
"You broke the window, didn't you?"
There was no dried blood on her fur and the wounds had been cleaned. She felt her throat close up at the thought that he'd taken the time to do that. She fought down the tears that were threatening to spill, the terror of her near-death experience mingling with unspeakable gratitude and relief. The water stopped running, and a few moments later, Gendry emerged from the bathroom clad only in his underwear. Despite the circumstances, Arya smiled a little at the sight, idly thinking it was only fair that she finally saw him almost naked after he'd gotten to watch her dance at the strip-club.
"You're awake."
Her eyes travelled back up his chest to meet his. She nodded, watched him hesitate. After a beat, he went to the wardrobe first and put on some jeans and a t-shirt. Then he walked over to her and sat down in the chair next to the bed. He took her hand in his, stilling her movements. She hadn't realized she was fidgeting with the bandage on her head. She wasn't sure what to say, so she went with the first words that came to mind.
"You took care of Nymeria."
Her voice was raw and talking hurt. His lips twitched upward, but it didn't turn into a real smile. He handed her a glass of water that had been resting on the nightstand and she gratefully took a few sips before handing it back to him.
"You almost got killed, and that's your main concern?"
"Well, yeah. You're obviously well enough to walk around, so I'm not worried about you. That leaves her well-being as my next priority."
"What about yours?"
She shrugged.
"I'm alive. Thanks to you, I assume."
"Thanks to Nymeria," he corrected.
"What happened?"
"I was hoping you'd tell me."
"I was attacked."
"I gathered as much."
"Why did you bring me here? I'm grateful, mind you, but why not the hospital?"
"Nymeria wouldn't let me."
Arya smiled and stroked Nymeria's fur.
"Good girl."
"You know why she..."
"Yeah. Hospital admissions can be traced and... Oh shit!"
She sat up so abruptly that Nymeria growled her disapproval. She fumbled with the sheets, trying to fight through the light-headedness to get out of bed. She let out a cry of pain when she put her weight on her injured ankle. Gendry was up and at her side in the blink of an eye, bringing one arm around her waist to support her. She was grateful, since the room had started spinning and it took a few seconds for the world to be set right again.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"We have to get out of here."
"Why?"
She found her shoes at the foot of the bed and sat down to put them on while Nymeria paced back on forth in front of them, rendered nervous by her mistress' obvious distress. It was weird that her dog had known the hospital was a bad idea but had felt this place was safe enough.
"No one was supposed to know where I was. The guy who attacked me... He must have followed me. He'd probably been following me for a few days, waiting for the right moment to strike. It means he saw us together. He has to know where you live. It's not safe here. Come on!"
Too stunned to protest, he followed her out of the bedroom and into the living room as she hopped on her good leg, keeping one hand against the wall for balance.
"How much cash do you have?"
She was glad to note he'd gone into crisis mode and he didn't waste any time asking questions. He went directly to his coffee table to retrieve his wallet.
"Fifty bucks."
"Take it. Leave the wallet here."
She was nearly out of the apartment when she changed her mind. Time was precious, but she had no idea how long they were going to be on the run, and with fifty dollars plus the twenty bucks tucked in her back pocket, they wouldn't get very far unless they planned ahead a little. She came back inside.
"Pack some clothes. I'll go raid your fridge and cupboards."
He obeyed at once, and in less than five minutes they'd gathered enough clothes and food to last for a few days. She also picked up her handbag but took her cell phone out of it and left it in the apartment, making sure Gendry left his behind as well. She didn't know if she was being paranoid or cautious, but better safe than sorry.
Once they were on their way down in the elevator, she noted regretfully "We can't even take my car. Too easy to trace."
"It's still back in that alley anyway."
"What?"
"I couldn't find your keys."
"You carried me here?"
He shrugged.
"You're not that heavy."
She watched him incredulously. It was a good 3 miles from here to Anna Delario's place. She shook her amazement away. She'd have enough time to thank him later. Right now, she needed to focus on getting them somewhere safe.
"You'll need to call Jon back."
"You talked to my brother?"
"I answered your phone on his fifteenth try. Sorry."
"It's ok. At least he knows I'm safe. Sort of." They finally made it into the lobby. Glancing outside, Arya raised her eyebrows when she noticed it was still dark. "How long was I out?"
"About four hours. It's three in the morning."
Damn it. No chance to hop on a bus at this time of night. They'd have to call a cab. Not only was this going to be expensive, phone calls were too easily traceable. Seeming to understand her dilemma, Gendry nodded towards a corner.
"There's a nightclub three streets down. There's always a line of taxis waiting in front of it, even during the week. Can you make it?"
She nodded, but after a few steps it became obvious that it was going to take forever to reach the nightclub. Gendry took her handbag out of her hands and gave it to Nymeria, who held it in her mouth without a single protest. Then he shifted the bag of food from his right to his left shoulder so he could wrap his right arm around Arya, relieving some of the weight from her sprained ankle. With the bag of clothes in her right hand and him supporting her like that, they made it to the waiting taxis in a few minutes. They climbed in, and Arya gave the address of a 24/7 supermarket where she knew they'd find another cab. They were silent the whole way. Once they reached the supermarket, she paid the 18 dollars, and they waited until the taxi had disappeared from view before getting into another one. This time, she gave an address closer to their final destination. Barely half an hour had passed, and they'd already spent two thirds of their money. It was frustrating to think she had a pile of cash waiting for her at home from her two days of work at the strip-club and from Gendry's 5000 dollars and they couldn't go and get it for fear someone was keeping an eye on her place.
The taxi left, and they walked the hundred yards or so to the motel. She breathed in relief when she pushed the reception door open and saw who was behind the counter. If anyone else had been on shift tonight, her plan would have been worth nothing.
"Ar'! Need my help to bust one of my valued customers?"
She gave him an exhausted smile.
"Hey, Hot Pie. Not tonight, no. I need a room for a few nights. I can't pay yet."
That's when he took notice of the bandage and the way she was leaning into Gendry for support.
"What have you gotten yourself into?"
"It's complicated. Please. You know I'll pay you back as soon as I can. See this as an investment."
"Is this going to get me into trouble?"
"It might."
He frowned.
"Is this going to keep you out of trouble?"
"I hope so."
"Fine. But don't let that beast of yours scare off my customers. And I don't want to know who that guy is," he added with a wave of his hand to indicate Gendry.
"Deal."
He gave her a key. Before leaving the reception, she held out her hand.
"Give me the security tape."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"Damn, girl, I really don't want to know what sort of trouble you're in."
"You really don't," she agreed as he gave her the tape, the only existing proof of their presence here.
A couple of minutes later, she was locking the door to their room and leaning back against it as Gendry sat on the bed and Nymeria settled on the worn couch. The words that fell from his lips were not unexpected.
"We need to talk."
TBC...