Hi, everyone!

Firstly I would like to thank you for helping reach 100 reviews on FFN, I still can't believe it – thank you so much for you constant support and kind words.

Secondly, in case you didn't notice, I changed the rating to mature, not that things will get much more explicit, but I thought it was better.

As always a thank you to my beta - drownedbyyourstandards on AO3 (myrish-swamp and wetwasteofgirl on tumblr).

Enjoy the new chapter!

Catelyn Tully

It was the 26th, a day after Christmas, and as promised Uncle Brynden had taken Edmure for a ride on his new bike, while Lysa had convinced Petyr to take her to the park. As always Father had business to deal with. But besides the empty house, Catelyn was nervous. She had invited Ned over. She hadn't seen him that much during the break and now she was both excited and nervous to exchange presents. She had asked Lyanna for help, but she hadn't been that useful, saying that Ned had always been hard to shop for.

She was waiting for him, pacing in the entry hall and trying to stop herself from biting her nails. She stopped to look in the mirror, and she couldn't help but feel she looked ridiculous – she was wearing a red dress with a Christmas theme, knee socks and huge fuzzy slippers – but she felt giddy that she knew she didn't feel that embarrassed to be like this in front of Ned. She could trust him not to mock her.

"I'm coming," she yelled when the doorbell rang, arranging her hair into a bun.

She opened the door, and found Ned on the other side. He was in jeans, a shirt and a pullover. She immediately pulled him inside the house, giving him a quick peck on his lips, not wanting the neighbours to witness it.

"I hope you had a good Christmas," he told her, taking her hand in his and rubbing it with his thumb.

"Yes, it was very fun. I love having Uncle Brynden around the house. Yours?"

"Good too. The Mormonts and the Umbers are coming over tonight, so it's not over yet."

"I hope you have fun," she told him, before pushing him up the stairs.

"About that. Do you have plans for New Years?" He asked, and Catelyn's heart did a little jump at the prospects of spending New Year with him. She had never celebrated it away from her family, but she didn't think her father would oppose it – thank the Gods, Father doesn't believe the ludicrous idea that the world will end just because the millennium is coming.

"No, not really," she answered him, opening the door of her room for him – she feared it would look a bit childish to him, but he mentioned nothing.

"Ohhh… So would you like to come with me to Castle Black at the Wall?" He asked her, and knowing him, she knew it wouldn't be just them.

"Who else is going?"

"So it's me, Robert and Brandon, and then Maege, Greatjon and Galbart."

"Wouldn't your friends mind?"

"No, of course not. They are kind of dying to meet you."

"Isn't your sister going?"

"She usually comes, but with Robert and the break-up, she decided not to go this year."

"Okay. Also how would I get home?"

"I was wondering if you would like to sleep there with us."

Catelyn knew she immediately blushed at the question, and Ned got nervous immediately, understanding how it sounded, and started scratching his head. "No… I don't mean that. I mean… we usually sleep in the apartment above the bar; it's owned by Maege's brother. The boys and I usually sleep in the living room, and Jeor has his son sleep with him, so Maege and Lyanna can sleep in Jorah's room. You could sleep there instead of Lya, with Maege."

So if she said yes, she would sleep in a room with a complete stranger, at least to her.

"Or I can drive you down if you prefer," he told her, turning to her on the bed.

"I'm not sure, Ned. I need to talk to my dad. But I would like to," she said, honestly, smiling at him, and he pulled her close for a hug and kissed the top of her head.

"You know you can sit next to me." And he did. He still held her hand and played with her fingers, while Catelyn tried to think of the best approach before he interrupted her.

"So what do you want to do today? It's your house after all."

"I was thinking that maybe we could watch a movie or something," she suggested. He agreed, but the movie wasn't fifteen minutes in before Catelyn took the plunge.

Catelyn kissed him, and Ned responded quicker than she thought. His lips felt good against hers, and she could feel he was getting more at ease as they continued, so she decided to move from her side of the bed to his lap, and with that Ned pulled away.

"Cat…" he whispered, bringing his hand to her hair, releasing the bun. "I… don't know…"

"Follow my lead," she whispered before kissing him again. She put her hands around his neck, pulling on the small hairs he had there, and Ned moved one of his hands to her waist, taking that as a good sign. She opened her mouth, and tried to coach Ned to do the same. He squeezed her waist a bit tighter, and let himself open his mouth. Slowly, their tongues touched, and moved together. This time was much better than the first time. Ned let her lead him, and while it couldn't compare to Brandon's experienced kisses, she felt safer in his embrace.

Ned's hand moved to her face, holding her closer, while his other hand still played with the tips of her hair. Soon after, Ned pulled away without moving his hands, just looking her in the eyes, and Catelyn could tell her face was all red.

"You're blushing…" he whispered, and she blushed even more, hiding her face in his shoulder.

"Shut up…" she said as he hugged her closer.

"So… this was… unexpected," she heard him say into her hair.

"Was it okay?" Catelyn asked, still blushing.

"Yeah, I think so – I wasn't so bad this time, was I?"

"Of course not. I like this, Ned – I like trying new things with you, learning with you," she finally said, taking her face from his shoulder.

"I'm glad. I'm sorry, I'm not as experienced as Brandon was, and…" Ned started saying, but she stopped him by kissing him again.

"You need to stop comparing yourself to Brandon." She looked into his eyes. "I like you, Ned, you – not your brother. And I trust you, and just so you know, your brother never made it to my bedroom," she whispered into his ear, and he actually laughed.

"So why do I have this privilege with you? Even with my lack of skills…"

"Shut up, Ned," she said, slapping his chest pulling him closer, kissing him again. Ned quickly responded and moved his hands to her hair. After a bit of kissing, she heard Ned groaning, so she pulled away, biting his lip. She finally left his lap, sitting next to him again, and looking away while he fixed his pants – after all, he might not be Brandon, but he was still a teenage boy.

After a while of looking at the movie she had put on before the makeout session, she felt Ned's hand over hers again, and smiling, she decided it was time for the second part of their date.

"So it was Christmas… and I got you something, I'm not sure if you'll like it or not… but…"

"I'm sure I'll like it, Cat. I got you something too, and to be honest I had to ask Lyanna for a bit of help."

"Me too, but she wasn't that useful. She said you were hard to shop for."

"Really?!" He asked, surprised.

"Yes. Not because you don't like the things people give you, but because you never go around saying what you want, so people have to guess."

"I'm sure I'll like anything you give me."

"Thanks for the comforting words," she said sarcastically, pretty sure Ned didn't get it and stood up, getting what she needed from the closet, while Ned got the bag he had brought with him from the floor. She took a seat on the bed in front of him, sitting Indian style and pausing the movie

"So I go first," she said, giving him her gift. She looked at Ned while he opened it. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, but she hoped he liked it. "I hope it's your size," she said as he took the shirt out of the package.

"I think so. Thank you, Catelyn. It's a good shirt – I like the pattern and the colour."

"I know it's simple, but I know you like things like that," she said.

"I do. Thank you, Cat," he said, stepping forward and pecking her lips sweetly. "Here's mine." He gave her his own gift; it was shaped like a book. "I hope you like it."

She shook the gift before opening it, ripping the paper and finding an old book inside – The Story of the Starks' Wolves.

"I found it in my dad's office, I thought you would like it. After all, we talked about this at our first party, and I know you already have a ton of these old books."

"Are you sure I can have this book?" She confirmed with Ned. After all this wasn't a cheap book, but a family book, for sure.

"Of course, I talked to my dad. It's better in your hands," he told her. "And then tell me what it says – I want to hear about the wolf stories you talked about."

"I will. I'm really excited to read it," she said honestly. She was really proud Ned remembered her love for Westeros history.

"Look inside the book. I had help from Lyanna with that one, before finding the book," Ned told her, and Catelyn looked inside, where she found two tickets to a dance recital. "I hope it's a good one, the lady at the counter said that it was – but neither Lyanna nor I were sure."

"I think it is," she said, looking down at the tickets. "Two tickets," she commented, wanting to know what he planned to do with those.

"I thought you wouldn't want to go alone, you can invite whoever you want – friends, family…"

"You…" she whispered, before asking. "Would you come with me if I asked? I know it's not probably your thing. But I think it could be fun and…" she said trying to think of more reasons.

"Of course I would go, Cat," Ned said, and Catelyn kissed him, finally sitting next to him again.

"Thank you for everything Ned. Your present was perfect, nothing compared to mine," she said, and she felt bad. After all Ned's present was more personal than the shirt she gave him – she hoped he didn't think badly of her.

"I really like the shirt, Catelyn – it's great."

"I do really hope you think that," she whispered, and sat next to him. "So do you want me to rewind the movie?" She asked. After all, they had missed the entire first part.

"No need for me. I've watched it before. But if you want…"

"It's okay for me like this," she said, resting against the headboard, with Ned sitting just a few spaces away from her, and turned her attention back to the movie she had seen a million times.

But Catelyn found herself distracted by the feeling of Ned's hand on top of hers. It made her feel safe, cared for. Discreetly she tried looking at him, without him noticing it, but she soon found out that she didn't need to be that careful, since his eyes were closed. He looked well rested that way, without the worry lines he shouldn't have, so she pulled herself safely closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder, and he squeezed her hand.

"Just resting my eyes," he mumbled, and she smiled at the thought of how at ease his voice had been. It was the one she still rarely heard him use with her, he was mostly nervous with her, but it was normal with his siblings and Robert. She turned her eyes back to the Christmas movie on the TV, and focused on the movie, while trying to ignore Ned's snores.

They stayed like that, even when the movie ended. Not wanting to wake up Ned, she decided to pick up the book he gave her.

Just by holding the book, she could tell without a doubt that it was an old book, that probably had sat on the shelves for a long time – a book she knew that to buy, she would have to spend her entire savings.

She started opening the cover, when she heard the front door open, and then immediately after her uncle's voice, and then footsteps – small footsteps with no sense of boundaries.

"Cat," her brother yelled, pushing the door open. "Why is a boy sleeping on your bed?" He asked, rather loudly – ohhh... I'm sure Uncle heard him, please... don't come in with your shotgun, Catelyn prayed.

The noise seemed to wake up Ned, especially when her uncle entered the room.

"Ned, can you stand up? My uncle and brother are home," she asked him, and he opened his eyes, rubbing them.

"Sorry, I fell asleep. I didn't mean to."

"No problem, Ned," she said, still smiling and forgetting about the other people in the room, until her uncle cleared his throat. "Sorry," she said turning to the older man.

"Catelyn, I thought you told me broke up with the Stark boy." Ohhh... noooo...

"Uncle, I told you about Ned, I even asked you for help with his present."

"Oh…Sorry, Cat. But he reminds me of your old boyfriend."

"Uncle..." she said before Ned intervened.

"I'm Ned Stark, sir. Brandon is my brother."

"Ahhh… Ned, it's a pleasure to meet you. Catelyn has talked about you. So what are you doing here?" Her uncle asked, going straight to the subject and not even apologizing for mistaking him for his brother.

"I came to wish Catelyn a Merry Christmas, and spent some time together," he answered honestly. "Merry Christmas to you too, sir, and to you too, Edmure," he said, ruffling her brother's hair, making Catelyn smile at his attempts to connect with her family.

"Thank you, Ned. Maybe we should go talk in the living room," her uncle suggested. Not that it was really a suggestion; luckily he walked in front with Edmure, letting her have some time alone with Ned.

"Maybe I should just leave," Ned protested.

"Don't, don't leave yet. Do you still have time?"

"Yes, not long, but at least 45 minutes."

"So stay. My uncle will only think you're running away."

"I'm not, Catelyn. I just wanted to make things easier."

"I know, Ned. But come on, before my uncle thinks we got up to something," Catelyn said, taking his hand and leading him to the living room.

"That took you a while," her uncle said, and Catelyn shot him another look, so he ended with, "Just enough time for me to get you some yogurts, and the rest of the cake you and Lysa made yesterday."

"Thank you, Uncle," she said taking her place next to Edmure, with Ned on the other side, while Uncle Brynden sat in the armchair. "Do you want anything, Ned?"

"Try the cake, it's really good," Edmure said, stuffing his mouth with it.

"Okay, I'll take a slice."

"Yogurt?"

"No, thanks," he said, while she cut two slices and opened a yogurt for herself.

"So boy, you know what your brother did to my niece? You understand why I don't trust you,"

"Uncle…"

"Little Cat, I'm talking. If your boyfriend doesn't like what I'm saying he can leave," he said, looking at Ned, who only nodded, letting her uncle continue. "I would like to make sure my niece doesn't get hurt like that again. If it was up to me, I wouldn't let her date until she's thirty, but I understand and respect her wishes, so I let her. And the least I can do is make sure she makes the right decisions."

"Sir, I understand that what my brother did was wrong, and I would never plan on doing the same. We share the same blood and name, but we're not the same person – Brandon and I are different, and I'm not here to prove my brother's innocence. I'm here because I care for your niece," Ned said, and Catelyn was surprised to hear him talk so much.

"Okay, boy. So tell me why should I let you see my niece?"

"Uncle…" Catelyn tried to stop him once again.

"I like her a lot, sir, and I want to make her happy. She's beautiful, smart and fun to spend time with," he told her uncle, looking down at the floor, while she blushed, especially when Edmure started making kissing sounds on her ear.

"I'm giving you a chance, boy, because I do believe you're telling the truth. I hope you treat her with respect."

"Thank you, sir."

"Ohhh… Don't forget, I'm just her uncle, you still have to deal with her father."

"Uncle," she complained again, before turning to Ned smiling. "Daddy will like you too."

"So you go to school with Catelyn, I suppose. What year?"

"He's a junior too, Uncle, and before you ask he's a responsible and good student."

"I'm talking to him, not you, Little Cat. Sports?"

"I'm on the basketball team, but I'm not that good. I like fencing too, I had classes when I was younger. Now I just spar with my brother or sister," he told her uncle, and Catelyn was surprised she didn't know this yet, but she decided to comment on it later, when they were alone.

"Interesting. I always liked basketball, and if you're on the team, you can't be that bad. But I've always been more of a football man."

"I like watching football too, and soccer sometimes."

"Soccer – that's not a big game here."

"My mother was from the UK, she always loved it."

"Was…" her uncle said sadly.

"She died a few years ago – cancer…"

"I'm sorry."

"My mom died too," Edmure said, sitting on her other side, and a bit left out of the majority of the conversation.

"I'm sorry, Edmure," Ned said, while Catelyn pulled her brother onto her lap, and kissed the top of his curls.

"I don't remember her very well…" her brother whispered. "Do you remember your mother?"

"Yes, luckily I do. I got to spend a lot of time with her before she got sick. But I'm sure you know stories about your mother, right?" Ned asked, sharing a look with Catelyn to make sure this wasn't a bad question.

"Dad doesn't talk a lot about her," the boy said again, playing with his fingers. "But Cat does, she says that we usually ate outside by the river, like a picnic. And that we would go swimming, Cat says Mom taught me how to swim when I was this tiny," he said, showing how little he had been with his hands.

"I'm sure she did a good job."

"I think so. But Cat is the best swimmer in the WHOLE world," he said happily, before turning to Catelyn and quickly to Ned again. "Maybe when it's sunny again, you could come and swim with us. I could help Cat teach you if you don't know how," he offered.

"I may take you up on that offer. But I do know how to swim, not as well as you, I'm sure, maybe you can teach me."

"Yes! Yes!" Edmure said nodding enthusiastically, before running off and coming back with a console game. "Do you want to play?"

"Ohhh… I would like to, but it's getting a bit late and I need to go," Ned said looking down at his watch, and Edmure's face immediately fell. "But I promise I'll play with you some other time."

"Edmure…" Catelyn murmured, wanting to keep him from throwing a tantrum.

"Okay," her brother said, still sad. "But you promised."

"I did and I will, Edmure – I promise," he told the young boy. "But I have a family dinner tonight, so I really need to go."

Edmure nodded, showing he understood, and got out of Catelyn's lap and went to get another piece of cake, while Catelyn remembered she needed to get Ned's present.

"I'll go get your gift, Ned. I'll be back in a minute," she said, leaving Ned alone with her family, hoping that nothing bad would happen. When she came back, everything seemed okay. Ned was saying goodbye to her uncle, shaking hands. "Hey, Ned, here you have it," she said giving him the bag. "I'll take you to the car, don't bother protesting," she told him. Ned smiled and wished happy holidays to her family for the last time before walking out of the house.

"Thank you for having me, Cat," Ned said. "I had a lot of fun. And even if I didn't plan it like this, I'm glad I met your brother and uncle."

"Thank you for having patience with them."

"I understand where your uncle is coming from," he said, and after some silence, he finally said. "I meant what I said, you know?"

"I know, Ned," she said, pecking his lips before he got into the car. "And I'll see if I can talk to my dad tonight about the New Year's party, I'll call you when I know if I can or not go."

"Okay. I hope you can come. And if your father needs to talk to Maege about making sure you sleep with her, he can."

"I'm not eight years old, I'm sure my dad can trust me to tell him the truth. I hope to see you then."

"I hope so too. Talk to you soon, Catelyn."

"Bye, Ned," she said before he drove away. She made it back to the house to find her uncle still waiting for her.

"I like him, Little Cat. And I don't say this lightly. Honest boy, he seems. But if he turns out like his brother, I'll cut him down."

"I don't think you'll need to, Uncle," Catelyn told him honestly; she had a feeling she and Ned were in this for the long haul.

Oberyn Martell

The Dornish sun set after a long day, and the last rays of sun shone through the curtains of Oberyn's room, making it in a beautiful shade of orange and red. He held a pair of legs tight against him, making the final thrusts to climax, while the girl bit his neck, almost drawing blood.

"Ahhh..." he grunted having finally spent after giving her a second orgasm. She lay down on top of Oberyn with him still inside her, while he played with her dark hair.

"God... I like the new biting stuff, it comes from lying with wolves, doesn't it?" He asked her, but she didn't answer, only laughed and kissed the marks he was sure she'd left on his neck. "Also you were telling me about some girl before your speech was impaired."

"Right," she said, finally looking up, and before continuing talking she moved just enough for him to pull out of her and put the condom in the bin next to the bed. He kept it there for this kind of occasion (which was more common than someone might think).

"So… her name is Ellaria," she said sitting with her elbows on his chest, looking at him with her purple eyes. "She's beautiful, not like the usual type, but still beautiful, when she walks into a crowd, you are immediately drawn to her."

"She seems great."

"Ohhh... you would love her, Oberyn. Really, she's your perfect woman."

"Isn't she gay?"

"Bi, I suppose."

"Have you fucked her yet? Because I've been dying to introduce you to a few girls, because while I do love our threesomes with Daemon and that other guy, a few more boobs would be good," he told her grinning, and she made sure to rest her elbow on his pierced nipple and ask.

"Are you telling me mine aren't good enough?"

"Of course not, love," he said, kissing each of her breasts, and biting her left one.

"And answering your question, we just kissed. I'm not sure I'm ready for more, she does make me feel good..."

"…But you like cock too much," he told her laughing, but she just ignored him. "And talking about cocks, I thought I was your only permanent lover."

"Are you jealous?" She asked him, tracing his pierced nipple – he knew how much she loved it, she had been so excited when he told her he had gotten it pierced.

"No, if I'm still the better on." He quickly noticed her guilty face. "What?! What does that face mean?!" He asked her looking straight into her eyes. "Didn't I just make you come twice?!"

"Yes. And you, Oberyn, you're still the best at almost everything."

"Almost?! I don't like the sound of that."

"Brandon is better at oral. It's not your fault, he's better at it than everyone I've been with, and you know how good Braavosi guys are?!"

"Yes, I know. But I still don't like it… is he better than Daemon?" He asked and she laughed.

"God... Oberyn... almost everyone is better than Daemon," she said still laughing. "Just because he knows how to go down on a guy, doesn't mean he actually knows how to do it with a girl – he's fucking awful at it. Haven't you noticed I always push him away, before I get more turned off?!"

Oberyn laughed with her before kissing her lips, and whispering in her ear.

"I'm gonna eat you so good, that son of a bitch will have nothing on it. You tell him it's a message from the Red Viper." She giggled just as beautifully as always while he showered her body with kisses. "And you can tell that bastard he can come visit me, if he wants to know how to properly fuck someone," he told her just before kissing her inner thighs.

"Ashara! Ashara!" Oberyn heard someone yell, waking him up, and not five seconds later, the door was thrown open, forcing him to open his eyes. At the door was the person he probably least wanted to see in this moment – Arthur, Ash's brother.

"Who the fuck is calling my name?!" She muttered while cuddling closer to Oberyn.

"Your brother is in the room," he told her, still not looking Arthur in the eyes. Oberyn hated to admit it but Arthur scared him, he was much bigger (and stronger) than him, and Ashara had told him how he had punched Brandon Stark.

"For fuck's sake, Arthur. I'm starting to think you like seeing me with other guys," she said, while reaching for her panties on the floor – throwing Oberyn his boxers in the process – and finding one of his t-shirts to cover herself before standing up. "What are you doing here? Please tell me you aren't here to beat up Oberyn's ass too, can I just remind you he is your friend?"

"I'm here to take you home," Arthur said seriously. "It's Christmas, it's not the time for you to be fucking around, but the time to be home."

"I was home at Christmas."

"You left without explanation."

"Without explanation?! You're kidding, right? I'll give you one right now. You punched Brandon for no good reason."

"No good reason?!"

"Yes, no reason. I don't see you hitting Oberyn right now."

"And you don't need to," Oberyn protested, but neither of the Dayne siblings heard him.

"Do you want me to hit Oberyn now?! It's always about you, isn't it?! You always think that the world revolves around you," Arthur shot back, and Oberyn immediately could see how much that hit Ashara. He knew, she always felt lesser compared to her brother, even after Oberyn and Elia told her it wasn't true.

"No. I want you to leave me alone, and not go around beating people. It's my damn body, Arthur, I can do whatever I want with it," she protested. "But I'm still wondering, why are you okay with Oberyn and not Brandon?"

"He's a fucking Stark, Ash," Arthur said, in a lower tone now, looking at his feet. As always things came down to Elia. "I love Rhaegar, Ash, he's my best friend. But I still want to smack his face against the wall for what he did to Elia. I can't like that Stark girl, because I need to hate her – she ruined Elia, she ruined our group," Arthur continued, and Oberyn remembered that only last year, they had all been hanging out in Elia's room. "I don't want you with the Stark, because it must hurt Elia."

"I asked her, Arthur, I promise I did, and she never said she minded."

"Ashara, you know Elia better than me. So answer me this, would she ever say no, when your happiness is at stake?" Ashara had no answer, they all knew Elia would put them before her without a second thought. "Just think about it. And come home, we want to spend time as a family," he said, before leaving the room.

Ashara stayed frozen in place until she heard the front door close, and then whispered.

"He's right, Oberyn. What if I've been hurting her?" She said, looking at him, with her eyes filled with pain, and tears almost falling. "I can't do that, I could never forgive myself. I cannot lose her – she's everything to me."

"You won't lose her, you could never lose her, Ash."

"Are you sure?" She asked, with the tears threatening to fall.

"Of course. You love Elia too much and she loves you too much," he told her, pulling her down with him. She laid her head on his chest again. "But maybe you should go home. Spend time with your parents and brother – I'll still be here, and Elia too, if you need it."

"Can I stay here a bit longer?"

"You can stay as long as you want," he told her, as she tried to fall asleep again, against him. Ashara was the one of the few girls he actually felt good doing this with, he wasn't a fuck-and-skip kind of guy, but he always feared that cuddling with some of the girls could mean he wanted more. Of course, Ashara meant more than a fuck, but still nothing more than friends with benefits, and she knew it.

He lay in the bed playing snake on his phone for a while, but he could never be still in the same place for long, so he took Ash's arm from his chest, kissed her hair and left the room, going to the kitchen to look for something to eat.

"Good morning, Oberyn," Elia said as he entered the kitchen.

"Hi, Elia. Did you sleep well?"

"Well enough, but I did wake up to yelling."

"Sorry… I had no idea Arthur would burst through the house. Really whose idea was it to give him a key?"

"Yours, if you remember we have ones for the Daynes as well," she said. She sipped on her tea, and Oberyn went around the kitchen to make some French toast for him.

"Did you hear it?" Oberyn asked, after an awkward pause.

"Part of it. I need to go talk to Arthur, it seems. I actually can't believe he can't understand Ashara – she's insecure, and he's breaking her spirit by telling her that," Elia said, pausing to think.

"Do you really don't mind?"

"That what?! That Ashara has sex with Brandon?! No, of course not, I would never judge her for that. She has already has too many people judging her, she doesn't need me too. She isn't as careless as Arthur thinks, she did ask before ever being with him, or with you for that matter."

"She asked you?!"

"Of course. And I said yes, I always thought you two were carved from the same stone," she told him, smiling and squeezing his hand. "And while I'm not Lyanna's biggest fan, neither she nor I control our friends' lives, she doesn't stop her best friend from talking to me…"

"Is that wise?" He said, he couldn't help but suspect the girl's ulterior motives.

"Why not?! Catelyn is a good friend, and I can discuss books or movies with her, the ones Ash doesn't like, that I used to talk about with him."

"You can call me, you know. I've liked every book you've given me to read, and I don't see that changing."

"You live so far away, Oberyn…"

"You could convince Mom to let me go live with you."

"Maybe if you didn't get in so much trouble, she would let you. But with the baby on the way, it's a bit hard to convince her."

"Ohhh… the baby… shit," he swore. "Time?"

"11 am. Why?"

"Fuck. Need to go. The ultrasound is today, and I promised to pick up Vanessa."

"Vanessa? Is that her name? Maybe you could invite her over."

"I'm actually not sure if Vanessa is her real name, or not. And honestly I don't think she would like to come over." he said standing up. "I'll bring you a photo of my baby girl."

"It's a girl?"

"I think so," he said, smiling, before running to the bathroom so he could shower quickly.

When he was done with a towel around his waist and walking to his room, he remembered that Ashara was still sleeping, so he tried to be the quietest he could be.

He dropped the towel at the end of the bed, before looking for clean underwear, jeans and a sweatshirt, and then sat on the bed, still carefully enough not to wake her, to put on his shoes.

"Sleep well," he whispered to her, considering whether he should leave a note or not, and ending up by going with no and just reminding his sister of her sleeping best friend in his room.

As Oberyn got on his motorcycle, he couldn't help but wonder if he should start asking Mother to borrow the car. He didn't have a clue if a bike could cause damage to the baby – okay, add it to the list of the things to ask, he thought. Crossing the next curve to Vanessa's neighbourhood, he could see her at the door already, and she looked pissed. It seemed to him that any good mood she had, she kept it for the clients at the club (all clients but him…)

"You're late, Oberyn. You were the one that insisted on this doctor, I was happy with my old one."

Oberyn ignored Vanessa's complaining, and just waited for her to sit comfortably behind him, before starting to drive to the new doctor's office. After he told his mother about the baby, she had insisted he look for the best OB/GYN in the field, the one who had handled both of his mother's late pregnancies.

After parking the car, and entering the building, Oberyn saw a reason to not like this office that much. Every person looked at him and Vanessa sideways, judging them not just on the fact that they were this young, but also his leather pants and jacket, and her shirt that rose up just enough to show her bump (and her belly button ring).

"Take a seat. I'll get us checked in," he told her, going up to the desk. The woman behind it wasn't that much nicer, looking him up and down.

"How can I help you?" She asked.

"We have an appointment with Doctor Ebrose, it's under the name Martell," he told her, and the woman's face seemed to change immediately. His family name could still hold some power around here.

"Someone will call you, when the doctor is ready," the lady said, and Oberyn made it back to Vanessa who was flipping through a magazine.

Five minutes passed when the secretary called for them. Oberyn rested his hand on Vanessa's back. while they followed the lady to the doctor's office.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Ebrose," the doctor told them, reaching to shake their hands. "You must be Oberyn, and Vanessa, right?"

"Yes, thank you for seeing us on such short notice."

"No problem. Vanessa, if I can ask you to lie down?"

Vanessa did as the doctor said.

"So how far along are you?"

"Four months, I think. Or almost four. Give or take."

"Okay. This will be a bit cold," the doctor warned before putting the sticky blue liquid on her belly, and then the small device. Vanessa grabbed for his hand, and they both looked at the screen, and Oberyn couldn't believe what he was seeing, and hearing. It was the first time he had come with Vanessa, and what he was seeing was… unbelievable.

"That's her heart…" he whispered.

"It's still too early to tell the sex," the doctor said, but Vanessa cut her off.

"He's convinced it's a girl."

"Okay. So you can clearly see the head, now," the doctor said. After looking around a bit more, she concluded. "Everything looks well."

"Could you get us a video of the ultrasound? I would like to show my sister."

"Of course, a video and a photo."

"Two photos, please," Vanessa said, surprisingly. While she hadn't said anything against her initial full custody idea, Oberyn knew she was getting much more attached to the child.

"Of course. Do you have any questions?"

"I have a motorcycle, is it dangerous for the baby if Vanessa rides with me?"

"It's not harmful; the most dangerous part is the chance of an accident. But while for now there's no difference, probably when you're far along in your pregnancy, it'll become too uncomfortable to ride a bike."

"And the piercing?" Vanessa asked.

"It's always different. If you feel any distress I do advise you to take it off – it can be dangerous because of infections," Vanessa nodded, looking down at her piercing. "Any more questions?"

"Pole dancing?"

"What do you mean?" The doctor asked.

"I work as a stripper. And I suppose that when I'm huge I won't be able to do it. But while I can, is it dangerous for the baby?"

"No, I suppose not. But if you feel nauseous, stop – and don't overdo it."

"Okay. Thank you."

"So everything seems okay with you, I would suggest a cream to prevent stretch marks, I don't know if you get them easily or not, but it's better to prevent them, if you can." Vanessa nodded. "The morning sickness must be passing by now..."

"I never had much," Vanessa admitted.

"I have patients who would kill for that," the doctor said laughing. "Okay, in your second trimester you may also experience an increase in your libido – it's normal, and sex is not dangerous to the baby. And of course, even if you're pregnant and there's no risk of getting pregnant, STDs are still a possibility," the doctor told them, and while Oberyn knew she was only trying to be helpful, he also knew that she probably wouldn't say this if they were a thirtysomething married couple.

"I know," Vanessa said with conviction.

"Of course. Could you please go change into this gown, so I can examine you?" Vanessa took the gown and went behind the partition to change. The doctor turned to Oberyn and said, "If you want, you can wait outside. Vanessa will be out in just a few minutes."

Oberyn did as the doctor suggested, and turning to the door, she said, "It was a pleasure seeing you, Oberyn. You were a newborn the last time I saw you. Send my best regards to your mother."

"Of course."

Out in the waiting room, Oberyn decided to pay the bill, it was expensive, that was for sure, but money had never been a problem, and he wanted the best for his child.

"Thank you," the woman said happily. It seemed just a bit of money could change someone's opinion. He sat back down in the chair, waiting for Vanessa, and struck up a conversation with a young man sitting next to him. The conversation went on nicely. The guy was obviously flirting with him (which seemed weird because who would come to an OB/GYN office to flirt with men?), but he did get a weird but familiar feeling from him. He didn't think he knew the guy, but immediately understood when a woman came closer and took his hand (with that Oberyn noticed just the discomfort, the ease he had before was gone).

"Hi. What has my husband been telling you?"

"Nothing much," he guaranteed, sending a look to the man – he really shouldn't hide this from his wife; one day she would find out and her heart would be broken.

"Oberyn, I'm ready to go," Vanessa said, approaching them, and he stood and took off with her.

"It was good meeting you. I wish you the best," he told the couple, leaving the office. "So how was everything?"

"My pussy is in good health, thanks for asking."

"Did you like the doctor?"

"I'm sad to admit that yes. I hate to give in to you money people. But she does know more than my old doctor."

"I'm glad. Do you want to go somewhere?"

"No, thanks. Just take me to the club – I'm taking the girls out for lunch," she told him, while she sat behind him. "Ohh… I have the video and photo for you in my bag."

"Thanks… So you asked for a photo for yourself?" he said, asking himself if this was the right moment to mention this.

"I'm carrying this child for nine months, giving up many things I like to do, Oberyn. I may need a photo to tell me why I'm doing this."

"I'm not questioning your choice to ask for it."

"So what are you saying? Are you asking if I've changed my mind?"

"Vanessa, I just want to know if…"

"You're giving your future away alone," she said. "There's a clear difference between you and I. And you may hang out with people from the lower classes, but if you go home you still have money, and what seems like a family to support you with the baby. I don't have that, Oberyn – so choosing this child can take away every chance I ever had. I need to think," she said, and he nodded at her words. "Just drive now," she said hugging him tighter.

He dropped her off at the club, and they shared no more words than goodbye, even as she gave him the photo and the video. Looking down at his child, he smiled and drove home.

He parked the motorcycle in the garage, gathered his stuff and headed to the house. He looked around for his family, finding Elia in the living room.

"Is Mother back yet?"

"No, still at the office."

"And Ashara?"

"I talked to her, she's feeling better. But she decided to go home. I'll go by sometime tomorrow, to see her family and see if I can talk to Arthur."

"Okay, I hope she's feeling better. Arthur left her in a really bad state."

"I know. There's food for you in the fridge. Hurry up, I want you to tell me how it went."

"Is the food…"

"It's mac 'n cheese," she said, but he couldn't trust her. She shouldn't be eating that, it was bad for her diabetes. "Shut up, you're not Mom. And I found a recipe that's supposed to be diabetes-friendly," she said, making a disgusted face at the expression. He knew she hated it.

He took the mac 'n cheese from the fridge and reheated it in the microwave. While looking for cutlery in the clean dishwasher, the buzz from the microwave rang. He quickly took the plate and took a bite. Luckily it tasted good, not like some of the diabetes-friendly food his mom sometimes cooked.

"This is actually good, Elia," he said coming to the kitchen and sitting next to her.

"Thanks, see that you finish it. Mom doesn't believe I can look after myself." Oberyn sent her a look that said you-what-about-me? "Ohhh… shut up, she has a reason with you. With me it's just because of my health, like I need babysitting. If I need help Ashara will help me."

"You know Mom trusted Rhaegar more to look after your health problems than Ash – she knows Ash is just like me, while Rhaegar was responsible like you."

"Ohh… shut up and just finish it, before I have to explain to Mom why this is good mac n' cheese." He did as she said, and kept eating, while his older sister looked attentively at him, ignoring the TV on the background.

"Just ask, damn it, Elia."

"How did it go?"

"The baby is well. I could hear the heartbeat and everything, and the head is forming, you can see it," he said. "Hold on this," he said as he gave her his plate. He went to retrieve the photo and put the video on; he gave her the photo and took the plate.

"Ohhh… this is my baby nephew or niece…" she said smiling. "I always thought my first nephew would be Doran's."

"I suppose it made sense. But I was never one to do things in order."

"Are you happy? Are you scared?"

"I'm happy, and excited, but I'm fucking terrified, Ells," he said laughing, putting the finished plate aside and lying down. "That will be my responsible, maybe Vanessa's too, but she isn't even sure yet. Fuck, it's so much harder for her. I have the money and the support, she doesn't, but I think she's warming up to the idea of the baby."

"I can talk to her."

"Maybe. But for now, she needs her time," he said, thinking about Vanessa's face when they looked at the picture of their baby. "Do you want to see the video?"

"Yes, please," she said, and Oberyn clicked play, and the baby's heartbeat filled the room. They both watched the baby make just small movements in this mother's womb. "Woww… this is so beautiful, Oberyn. I know this is may be too early for you to be a father, but congratulations – she or he will be lucky to have you."

"Thanks." They stayed like that for five minutes, replaying the video when it ended, until Elia stood up, and wiping her eyes, she said:

"Come on, Oberyn, I need help emptying the dishwasher."

"Why me?" He asked, standing up and following her to the kitchen.

As a warning, school has started again, and I'm now in a new chapter of my life – college, so I apologize if my new schedule gets in the way of writing.

Also I suppose some of you around here are Catelyn and Ned fans – so you can check out the Hogwarts AU I wrote for the Cat and Ned week, it's called 'Before'. And if there are any Gendry and Arya fans around here – you can check out 'Searching'. And as always 'Bits and Pieces' is updated regularly with fills to different prompts and different couples.

See you soon…