So here we have chapter 20 my beauties! Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me for so long! We're starting to approach the end of this fanfic ever so slowly. I'd say we have about 7 or 8 chapters to go.

Enjoy!

Chapter 20

Arya sat usually quiet during lunch, to her and Gendry it was understandable. He kept giving her encouraging smiles across the tables and she would give him a grimace that was her best impression of a smile in return. Hot Pie and Lommy however did not understand her need to be quiet and just think for herself.

But whilst Hot Pie remained oblivious and just thought Arya was stressed from homework or such, Lommy kept narrowing his at her and looking between her and Gendry as if he was freaking Aaron Hotchner from Criminal Minds. It almost felt like he was, just like Hotch always managed to stare his way to a confession from any unsub on the show, Lommy made her want to scream out to him that she was pregnant and he could now stop silently judging her.

"Arya, how are you feeling?" Lommy asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. She looked up pretending that everything was perfect and tried to give him an easy smile.

"Fine" she lied. "Why do you ask?" He looked between her and Gendry again before speaking. Gendry suddenly seemed to be very fascinated by his fork.

"Because you're not usually this quiet, you're usually the life of the table."

Damn him and his ability to read people! "I'm just tired. Lots of homework."

"Mhm. And that's why you've suddenly stopped eating?"

"Maybe I just haven't gotten my appetite back yet since my food poisoning." She gave him a defiant glare. Apparently Hot Pie only noticed the tension now as he suddenly looked up from his food and looked between Arya's and Lommy's staring match to Gendry's fascination for utensils.

"Oh, and that nonexistent appetite is stopping you from talking as well, is it?"

"What's going on between the two of you?" Hot Pie asked.

"I'm talking, and Arya is dodging my questions" Lommy answered.

Arya suddenly stood up. She couldn't handle them anymore right now, she needed to be alone until her last class before fencing. Then she would have to tell Edric and travel even deeper into the seven hells.

"Thanks for the profiling, Hotch" she said sarcastically. "But I'm just tired, and if there were something else, it would be my business until I chose to come forward." And with those words she grabbed her food tray and walked off to dispose of it and seek out a quiet corner in the library where she could bury herself in The Great History of Westeros until lunch break was over.

She was halfway there when she heard someone calling her name. Gendry was jogging to catch up with her. He grabbed her gently by the elbow and walked her to a corner nearby.

"How are you holding up?" he asked and used the hand he had grabbed her elbow with to put it on her shoulder.

"Besides the fact that I'm nauseous twenty-four-seven and my boobs feel like one touch could set of the atomic bomb inside them, excellent!" Arya answered. Gendry smiled at her sympathetically and drew her in for a short hug. Since they weren't a thing (yet) neither of them wanted to show more feelings than they usually did in public, but Arya needed this hug and he understood it. "I'm going to tell him after the fencing practice today…" she murmured into his chest.

Arya couldn't see Gendry nod, but she felt it. "Good luck…" He released her so they could look into each other's eyes easier. "You know I'm right here if you need to talk, right?"

"Yeah, I know. Thank you."

"Anytime." He pressed a fleeting kiss to her temple, despite their quiet agreement before he walked away, presumably to his next class.

XXX

Arya thanked her lucky star that they practiced technique today, which meant no sparring with other people, which in turn meant no jumping around that might harm the embryo. She might not want to keep it, but Arya wasn't heartless. As long as it still was inside her, there was no point in putting it at risk.

After Syrio announced that they were done for the day, Arya tried to drag Edric to the side as casually as she could.

"We need to talk" she whispered and casted glances around her, paranoid that everyone could hear.

Edric eyed her up and down before answering. "Outside in five minutes."

And then he just walked off. She wondered if he was pissed at her or something. From time to time he still gave her those looks he kept giving her before they hooked up, only now they also had something in them that said 'I know something you don't'. Arya wasn't sure if that message was for her or everyone else around.

But if he was pissed at her, then why? He didn't have any reason to be. She had stated that nothing more would happen between them, it was a onetime thing. She hadn't spread any rumors about him and as far as she knew, he hadn't done anything either.

She tapped her foot nervously on the ground as she waited for him. When he finally appeared he had changed into his normal clothes but definitely hadn't had a shower yet.

"Want a smoke?" he asked when he leaned against the wall where she stood.

Arya shook her head, trying to look causal. "Trying to quit." And that was the truth. It was fucking hard sometimes, but both she and Gendry were honoring their promise. Oh yeah, and there was also the part about her being pregnant.

"Suit yourself." He put the package in his pocket. "Why the sudden need to talk?"

"I'm pregnant" she blurted before she could stop herself. To her surprise, Edric barely reacted. She thought he would scream or lash out at her, or even worse, start telling people.

"Congrats" he said and looked at her stomach from the corner of his eye. Arya couldn't tell if he was sarcastic or not.

"You do understand that it's yours, right? Otherwise I wouldn't tell you." Edric snorted, and she took that as a 'yes'. But here came the one question she dreaded the most. "Are you going to tell anyone?"

Finally he looked at her. But when he did, it made things worse and she wanted to cry again. "If you're looking for someone who'll spread rumors, tell Ramsay Bolton."

"So you won't tell anyone?"

He sighed and closed his eyes for a second. In that moment, just during that fleeting second, Arya was sure that she saw the real Edric Dayne and not the douche bag that got her pregnant. "I'm not entirely heartless, Arya. You can do whatever you want, abort it, keep it, it doesn't matter to me. But I want nothing to do with it, okay? If you choose to have it, then I'm not the father of that child."

She watched him walk off. Tears pooled in her eyes, but she wasn't sure why. This was the best outcome she could have hoped for, to be honest. So why did she feel like the world was crumbling down? Maybe it was just her letting go of the fear and tension she that had been harboring in her heart since she bought that fucking pregnancy test…

Nobody was there when she entered the dorm. Thankful, she took a long shower and then dressed in comfy sweats and let her wet hair cascade around her shoulder. She lay down on the couch and started flipping through channels until she found a documentary about wolves which suited her perfectly. There she remained until the others came home.

"Anybody home?" she heard Gendry ask when he entered the apartment. Arya raised her hand and waved it in answer. Gendry disappeared into his and Hot Pie's bathroom to wash his hands and then walked up to the couch.

"Hey…" she said.

"Hey" Gendry answered when Arya sat up to allow him space on the couch. "How are you?" She shrugged in response and let her head rest on his shoulder.

"I told him…"

Gendry's arm came around her shoulders and pulled her close. "How did he take it?" Arya let out a breath and snuggled closer to him. Suddenly Gendry's voice became hard. "I swear to all seven gods, if he hurt you in any way-"

"He didn't!" Arya interrupted quickly. "That's the thing. I asked if he would tell people, he said no. Then he said that I could do whatever I wanted but he didn't want to be a part of it." She felt the tears pool in her eyes again and tried to blink them away, but not before one slipped free.

"Maybe that's for the best?"

She nodded and closed her eyes. "Can I ask you something?" There was still one thing she was scared of.

"Of course." He shifted their positions so she would be able to meet his gaze. "Anything."

"I don't want to go through it alone, will you go with me? I booked an appointment for this weekend."

Gendry smiled softly at her and nodded. "I won't leave your side."

Leave a review with all your thoughts! I'm going on a mini vacation to see some family members during the weekend so I won't be able to write anything. But I'll try and get the next chapter out as soon as I get back, so we'll see. Take care everyone!