Ages:

- Robb, Jon, Gendry, Meera – 27; Sansa, Joffrey – 26; Arya,– 24; Bran, Jojen, Myrcella – 23; Rickon, Shireen, Tommen, Robin – 19

BRAN

Bran slammed his head on his car's steering wheel before starting the engines. "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" He cursed himself. "You're a fucking idiot."

Ever since last week, Bran somehow couldn't bring himself to say no to Meera. One minute, they were eating pizza in the kitchen, exchanging stories about how their day went. And the next thing he knew, he was having sex with her while her Dad and younger brother was in the same house.

He decided not to worry about that now, since he had another problem at hand when he reaches Stark Manor: facing his parents. He had promised to be home before dinner. Now, it's almost eight in the evening, which of course is an hour after they normally eat dinner in their home.

To calm himself down, Bran ordered a coffee decaf in a Northerners' Brew drive-thru in Moat Cailin before driving to Winterfell.

Bran took a deep breath before he entered the Stark Manor carrying his backpack. He expected his parents, Ned and Cat, on the foyer with their arms crossed and deathly glares on their faces, and his Mom's iconic complete-name-pronouncing whenever he and his siblings did something wrong.

Brandon Eddard Stark! He imagined his Mom yelling at him. What time is it? Where in the gods' names have you been?

He entered the front door and sighed in relief. His parents weren't on the foyer. In fact, it was quiet except for the voices in the living room. Too quiet. And the dogs would be running to him by now, but nothing.

Bran walked towards the living room and he found his sisters, Arya and Sansa, and his younger brother, Rickon in the living room working on their Christmas tree.

It was a real pine tree about sixteen feet high and the base's diameter of the branches were probably around six feet. And there were two stepped ladders on either side of it. It was also a good thing that their living room had a high ceiling, which was probably about two storeys high, or else that pine tree would've hit the actual ceiling if it was placed in the family room.

Arya was standing on one of the stepped ladders with a lopper in her hands as she pruned the overgrown branches of the tree. Sansa, still in her corporate attire, though without the blazer, was sweeping the floor with a broom, cleaning up the branches Arya had pruned down. While Rickon was kneeling on the floor trying to entangle Christmas lights and tinsels.

"Just the silver ones, baby brother." Sansa said as she swept the dirt into a dustpan.

Rickon looked up at Sansa. "Why?" He asked.

"Because this year's theme for the tree is Winter Wonderland." Sansa explained. "So, it'll be all white and silver. Also, there'll be snowflakes and silver Christmas ball ornaments, white and silver ribbons and glitter—"

"Oh, fuck glitter." Rickon complained. "Who came up with this idea?"

"We did," Arya argued. "Now, shut up and do as we say."

Normal sibling bickering, Bran thought. It's good to be home.

"Um, hi." Bran spoke up, which startled his siblings.

They turned to him standing on the archway on the foyer.

Sansa was the first to speak. "Hey, Bran!" She smiled as she ran to him and gave him a hug. "Welcome home, little brother."

"And where the fuck have you been?" Arya demanded. "It's already dark out and you promised to be here before dinner."

Rickon burst out laughing. "Great Christmas spirit, Arya." He said sarcastically. "Just wonderful."

Right there, everyone can distinctly tell how different his sisters were from each other by just greeting him.

Arya cut out an overgrown branch from the pine tree and threw it at Rickon.

"What the fuck! Really?" Rickon glared at Arya, who had a mischievous smile on her face. "I'm gonna shake you off that ladder."

"Go ahead." Arya dared. "And if I fall and survive, I'll kill you." She threatened.

Sansa turned back to them. "Will you both stop it?!" She scolded, then turned back to him. "Have you eaten dinner yet?" She asked.

"Yeah, in Greywater." He replied. "I ate pizza with the Reeds."

"You look tired." Sansa noticed. "Are you okay?"

Before he could answer, Arya spoke up. "Of course, he's tired." She said. "He just travelled through four regions in a matter of hours."

Sansa glared at Arya. "I wasn't talking to you."

Bran placed his backpack on the floor, sat on one of the couches and sighed, mostly from exhaustion. "It's quite the day I'm having." He said. "Jojen and I were sort of stuck in Storm's End." He explained. "We became an instant live audience to the family reality show with the Baratheons. And if you ask me, it was pretty intense."

"Ooh, family drama?" Sansa guessed. "I'd like to hear this."

"Yeah, and then I got stuck in Greywater again," Bran continued. "Because Meera wanted us to recount the things that happened in Baratheon Manor." And I had sex with her too, he thought. But he didn't dare say that out loud.

"So, what happened with the Baratheons?" Sansa asked anxiously.

"Hey, was Gendry there?" Arya asked as she stepped down the ladder, placed the loppers on the floor and sat next to him. "Because he hasn't answered any of my calls."

"Oh, yeah, Gendry told me to tell you about that." Bran said. "He had fourteen missed calls from you. And he wasn't able to answer because, well, family drama."

Sansa raised an eyebrow at Arya. "Oh my gods. And I thought I was paranoid."

"Oh, shut up!" Arya yelled, before turning back to him. "What happened in Storm's End?" She demanded.

Bran took a deep breath. "It's Tommen," He said. "He came out to his parents and brothers." He blurted out.

"What?!" His siblings all said in unison. His sisters, Sansa and Arya were completely surprised, but Rickon was mostly worried.

"Wait," Sansa spoke up. "You're telling us that Tommen Baratheon is…gay?" She asked as if she'd misheard him.

Arya made a face at him. "Are you serious?" She asked. "It's not a funny joke, you know."

"It's not a joke, Arya." Bran insisted. "I know, because I was there when he 'came out'." He quoted his fingers in the air. "And I happened to walk in on Tommen and his boyfriend…last week. That's how I knew."

"Wait, boyfriend?" Sansa repeated. "Who is this boyfriend of his?" She asked.

Bran noticed that his brother Rickon was very quiet while his sisters interrogated him. "Well," He spoke up. "I shouldn't be answering these questions. If you want details, you should ask Rickon."

Sure enough, Arya turned to Rickon. "You knew about Tommen being gay the whole time?" She asked.

Rickon shrugged, like it was no big deal. "Pfft, of course, I knew." He said. "I'm his bestfriend. It's funny, because Shireen and I found out almost the same way."

Bran's eyes widened. "What?" He asked as if he'd misheard. "Seven hells!"

"They were only on the first base, Bran." Rickon said. "When Shireen and I walked in on them. Not the third base."

Both his sisters made gagging sounds.

"That is so gross!" Arya pointed out.

"I'm just glad we've already eaten dinner." Sansa said.

Rickon frowned at him. "How did the Baratheons take it?" He asked.

"They took it well, actually." Bran informed. "And stood by Tommen's side. Except one. And I think you can guess who that is."

"Hmm, Cersei." Arya guessed.

Bran nodded in confirmation. He decided not to tell them about how Cersei yelled at him, how she basically declared that she loathed their family, and how she hated the fact that Gendry was dating Arya.

"Ugh, she's such a homophobe." Arya complained. "Gendry said she's giving Renly weird looks when he came out of the closet."

"Wait," Sansa spoke up. "You've never answered my question. Who's his boyfriend?" She asked again.

Bran and Rickon exchanged glances.

"You tell them." He urged. "You know them better than me. You're bestfriends with both of them."

Rickon sighed. "Godsdammit, Bran!"

"Hey, language!" Sansa scolded. "Now, come one, baby brother. Spit it out." She insisted. "Who is it?"

"It's Robin." Rickon revealed.

Both his sisters' jaws dropped.

"Robin?" Sansa repeated. "As in Robin Arryn? Our cousin from the Vale?"

Rickon nodded.

"Oh shit!" Arya exclaimed. "Aunt Lysa's gonna flip when she finds out her only son is gay."

Bran decided to change the subject. He had retold the tale twice already, to Meera earlier and now to his siblings. He remembered that they seemed to be alone in their house. "So, anyways, where is everyone?" He asked.

"This is everyone." Sansa said.

"Where's Mom and Dad?" He asked. "And Robb and Jon? I thought they'd be here."

"They're in the North General Hospital." Arya explained. "Jon broke his arm when he was plowing snow from the canopies on the second floor."

"What?" He exclaimed. "Oh, gods."

"Well, I think they're gonna cast his arm." Sansa said. "Because it looked way more bent than Robb's when he broke his arm in that game."

"Also, where are the dogs?" Bran asked.

"Oh, I had the six of them on the second floor," Rickon explained. "In one of our rooms. Because they're just gonna mess up everything down here. Shaggy almost swallowed a Christmas ball and Nymeria destroyed a few tinsels. So, you know."

"And don't let them out until we're done with the tree." Sansa instructed.

Bran glanced at the newly-trimmed pine tree a few meters from their fireplace. "This tree looks great. Where did you get it?"

"Robb and Jon did." Sansa said. "They went to the Karstarks' Christmas tree farm in Karhold and bought one. But that was before Jon broke his arm."

"Yeah, and they dragged it here inside." Rickon recalled. "With the huskies clinging onto the branches with their teeth and paws. And Robb even told me to record the whole thing for it to be featured in the next The Adventures of Grey Wind episode."

"Mm-hmm," Arya agreed. "Oh, and also, please make yourself useful by changing the busted light bulbs out of these Christmas lights with the new ones Dad had brought earlier."

"Sure," Bran said as he stood and grabbed his backpack. "Just let me get my stuff to my room, change out of this clothes and see Summer."

Bran grabbed his backpack and went for the staircase. But before he could get to the hallway to their rooms, he went for the rail of the indoor balcony on the second floor that overlooked the living room on the main floor.

"Hey!" Bran called his siblings, and all three of them glanced up. "Who's room are you keeping the dogs?" He asked.

"Robb's room." Rickon yelled.

Bran went to his room first to change. His room was like it's as if he never left. His bed was already made with his sheets, pillows, and comforter exactly where they were supposed to be.

He placed his backpack on his room's bay window seat before changing into his house clothing and sat on his bed.

Once seated, Bran buried his head in his hands as he contemplated on the things he did with Meera in their house in Greywater. Everything that happened was just plain wrong. And the part that's weighing him down was that he betrayed his bestfriend's trust by sleeping with his sister, thrice.

He didn't understand what he was feeling and he didn't know what to do. Obviously, he needed to talk to someone about it, but he didn't know to whom. The first logical choices would be his two bestfriends: Jojen and Myrcella. But if he told Jojen about what went on between him and his sister, there's a huge chance that he's gonna be beaten up after, so no. And if he told Myrcella, there's also a huge chance that she's gonna tell Trystane about it, so again no.

The next logical choice was his family. In those coming-of-age stories he'd read in novels and seen in movies if the characters didn't go to their friends, they approach their families. Usually, a child-to-parent or younger-sibling-to-older-sibling kind of things, but it won't work in his case. There's no way he's telling his parents that he had slept with their family friend's daughter thrice so definitely no. As for his siblings, the only ones he'd considered were Robb, because he's the older brother with the good advice and Arya, because she's dating their older brother's bestfriend, Gendry, and to a certain degree, she might probably relate to him in a way, probably. But unfortunately, it's a no again. If he told Robb about him and Meera, who is also his bestfriend, his brother might be the one who'd beat him up or he'd do something to Meera, and he cannot ever let that happen. As for Arya, it's a riskier choice, since his sister had a reputation of getting back at you and exposing you if you did something to offend or hurt her so, no.

Bran decided to take off his mind off of it and went to see the huskies, which Rickon had kept in Robb's room.

As soon as he opened the door to Robb's bedroom, all the six huskies leaped at him, making him laughed.

"Hey, guys!" He greeted as he sat on the carpeted floor while the huskies fought for his attention. "Whoa! Take it easy." He said as he patted each husky on their heads. And once he did, the huskies went on to their thing either, scratching the carpet, playing with a plastic ball or a stuffed animal, walking on Robb's treadmill and/or barking at a slice of lemon on the floor—how a slice of lemon got into Robb's room, he didn't know. Maybe it's one of the slices he puts in his tumbler of water on his nightstand.

Only Summer remained with his attention to him and sat on his lap. Bran gently petted his husky's hide. "I miss you too, buddy."

In return, Summer licked his face and wagged his tail playfully.

He chuckled. "I don't suppose you can help me about everything going on with Meera, huh?"

Summer simply stood wagging his tail, which hit him on his face, and went to bark at the slice of lemon with Shaggy.

Bran sighed. "You're a great help, Summer." He said as he stood. He was about to head out to help his brother and sisters with the tree, when the door suddenly opened.

Rickon peeked his head in. "Bran," He called out. The instant he did, his husky, Shaggy ran to him and tackled him.

"Yes, I'm going right now." Bran replied. "I'm not ditching, I just came to see the dogs."

That's when Rickon stepped into the room, shut the door behind him and crouched to pet his husky. "Great," He said. "Because I need to tell you something."

He frowned. "What is it, now?"

Rickon took a deep breath. "Okay, look, before the break, and probably two days after you caught Tommen and Robin together in our room in the frat house," He started. "They both made a pact to me and Shireen. That they would come out to their families before the year ends."

"Well, Tommen just did." Bran brought up. "Even though his Mom didn't take it well, he still did it. She kicked him out of the house, but his Dad and siblings insisted that he stay. Any word from Robin?" He asked.

"No," Rickon admitted. "That's exactly what I'm worried about. I don't know if he had told his Mom yet or not, but…"

"But what?" He asked.

"We both know how Aunt Lysa is," Rickon said. "She's unpredictable and controlling. And you just said Tommen was nearly kicked out by his Mom."

Bran shrugged. "So? What's it got to do with Robin?"

"So," Rickon continued. "We all know Aunt Lysa is probably as worse than Cersei. I mean, what if she kicks Robin out of their house? Sure, with Tommen, he's got his Dad, his brothers, sister and Uncle by his side, but Robin doesn't have any of that. You know Uncle Jon's gone, and he basically has no one there to stand by him. Where would he even go?" He asked.

Bran understood what his brother was trying to imply. Robin basically only had his Mom, their Aunt Lysa, and she even took over as CEO of the Arryn family airline company, the Falcon Airways, and the head of their household in the Arryn Estate in the Eyrie.

Their Aunt Lysa had a reputation of…being unpredictable at times. One time, she can be all sweet and caring and then the next minute she'll be in rage that'll make you wonder what you did wrong.

And the only one who can keep her in line besides her husband, was their Mom, Catelyn. That's it, no one else. Even their Uncle Edmure's terrified of her fits.

"You need to talk to Mom about this." Bran suggested. "Just in case, you know, all seven hells break lose. She'll understand, I'm sure."

Rickon nodded. "Tell Mom about it." He repeated. "Okay, I'll do that."

"Wait," Bran interjected. "Why did you have to tell me about this in here?" He asked. "You could've brought this up when we're helping the girls with the tree."

Ever since Rickon started college, he started opening up to Bran about his problems and sometimes even asks for his advice. He considered it a good thing, because Rickon had trouble opening to him, mostly because he usually goes to Robb and Sansa at times. But part of him thought that maybe since they were closer in age, he understood him more than his siblings do, and/or because Rickon believes that single people, with Bran himself excluded, are the best advisers.

Rickon grunted. "I can't stand Arya and Sansa being mushy and be all, aww, it's so cute! Like, what the fuck? It's so annoying. How come they don't do that to you?"

Bran chuckled. "Because, little brother," He said. "I don't complain about everything out loud, I just sit in the corner and keep quiet."

His brother sighed. "That doesn't work for me." He said. "I just don't like being treated like the baby in the family."

"Mm-hmm," Bran said as patted his shoulder as he walked pass him towards the door. "That's the problem. And technically since you're the youngest, that makes you the baby in the family."

Rickon glared at him and groaned. "Let's just get out of here and get that tree done." He suggested. "And then we can all go to go sleep."

"Way ahead of you." He replied. "I just need to get the toolbox."

Bran and Rickon then went back to the living room to help their sisters with decorating their Christmas tree.

He managed to replace two dozen busted light bulbs as his sisters emptied ten cans of flame-resistant and faux snow sprays on the tree. He and Rickon then helped in assembling and wrapping the lights around the tree.

It took them two whole hours to decorate the tree with Christmas balls and snowflake ornaments and it involved climbing up and down the stepped ladders. Afterwards, Sansa and Arya sprinkled glitter on the tree, which is why he and Rickon volunteered to put the wreaths on the main and back doors of their house, garlands on the fireplace, and on the stairs and balcony rails and hanging stockings with theirs and the huskies' name sewn on them.

Afterwards, he went back up to his room and crashed since he was too tired to wait for his parents and his older brother and cousin from his long day.

. . .

The following morning, Bran woke up to sister Arya repeatedly hitting him with a pillow.

"Wake up!" She yelled at him. "It's breakfast."

"Go away." He mumbled, with his head still buried under the covers. "Leave me alone."

"Sansa told Mom and Dad the exact time you arrived last night." Arya informed. "And if you ask me, they didn't look happy. You really don't want them coming up here to get you, do you?"

Reluctantly, Bran sat up and glared at his sister, who was still in her pj's and her hair in a tangled mess.

"I'm up." He said, rolling the sleep out of his eyes. "Godsdammit."

"Good." Arya smiled. "Now, get down there. They're looking for you." She said before storming out of his room.

He stood and stretched before turning to his pet husky, Summer, who was still on his coffee crumble donut design cushion pet's bed that Sansa had brought.

"Come on, buddy." Bran called. "It's breakfast time."

Summer rose to his feet immediately at the word breakfast, and scampered after him downstairs.

Everyone was already in their dining room. Their Dad, Ned was reading a newspaper, Westeros Today while enjoying his coffee; their Mom was still in the kitchen, probably cooking more food; Sansa, Arya and Rickon were seated by the table, eating either French toast, sunny-side up eggs, bacon or pancakes; Robb was feeding the huskies with dog food on their feeders. Jon was nowhere to be seen, probably still resting.

"Well, well, well," Robb crossed his arms when he saw him enter. "If it isn't the Oathbreaker."

"You never even ate dinner here last night." Bran brought up.

"Yeah, but still," Robb argued. "Oathbreaker! Where were you anyway?" He asked.

Before he could answer, Arya spoke up. "With the Reeds in Greywater." She said, her tone voice clearly annoyed. "Rickon already told you that earlier, Robb. What the fuck?"

Ned looked up from his paper "Arya!" He called out. "Language."

"Sorry, daddy." Arya apologized.

Robb sighed. "Whatever, just go eat your breakfast, little brother."

"Thank you." He said in return.

Just as Bran sat on his seat, their Mom came out from the kitchen with a plate of French toast, eggs and bacon.

"Good morning, Brandon." Catelyn greeted as she placed the plate on the table before him. "Your favorite."

Bran smiled. It looked and smelled good. "Thanks, Mom."

Catelyn kissed his forehead, then returned to the kitchen and came back carrying a breakfast in bed tray with food on it.

"Robb, honey." Catelyn called. "Would you deliver these to Jon, please?"

"Sure, Mom." Robb replied, then took the breakfast in bed from their Mom and headed upstairs.

"Um, how is Jon?" Bran spoke up. "Is he gonna be okay?" He asked.

"He's alive." Arya pointed out. "It's just a broken arm."

"Yeah, but it can't like Robb, right?"

"Nope, it's far worse." Rickon answered. "Robb had only his ulna angulated interiorly," He explained. "Whereas Jon had both his ulna and radius angulated interiorly and his radial head is dislocated."

Even with Rickon's wild personality and antics, Bran kept forgetting that he's a Medical student.

"Ohh-kay." He said. "You lost me at angulated interiorly. Can you explain again in layman's terms?" He asked.

Both his sisters chuckled.

"I'm an Engineering student." Bran argued. "How in seven hells am I supposed to know Medical stuff?"

"Calm down, little brother." Sansa said. "I didn't get it at first, either."

Rickon rolled his eyes in annoyance and sighed. "Humans have two long bones on the forearm called the ulna and the radius." He explained to him carefully like he was some kindergartener. "Robb had only his ulna split in half, while Jon had both his long bones split in half."

"What?" He asked as if he'd misheard.

"I think it might have something to do with his fall." Rickon speculated. "He fell from the second floor. And that's like—?"

"Four meters." Arya spoke up. "I measured."

"Oh, gods." Bran said.

Bran flinched at the idea. Of course it would be far worse than Robb had. Their eldest brother was only tackled in the middle of a football game and landed on his arm when he fell. In Jon's case, there was more impact and force when he landed on his arm.

After eating breakfast, Bran was tasked by his Mom to give Jon painkillers in his room and then take out the breakfast in bed tray with all the empty plates.

He went upstairs and gently knocked on his door.

"Come in." Jon responded.

Bran opened the door and found Jon seated on his bed with his back resting on his bed's headboard and the breakfast in bed tray across his lap. His left arm was wrapped in a plaster cast mold and another green top layer, fiberglass maybe. An arm sling supported his casted arm, along with a swathe shoulder immobilizer, just like Robb's then.

"Hey, Bran." Jon greeted. "Welcome home."

"Hey, so, how are you doing?" Bran asked.

Jon sighed. "Well, I got this to worry now." He gestured to his casted arm. "They installed a titanium plate implant inside my arm." He explained. "Internal Fixation, they called it. Said it'll help guide my bones while they mend. Otherwise, I'm fine now."

"How long will your arm be in that cast?"

"How long will I suffer the consequences, you mean?" He said with distaste. "Six months. And that's excluding the removal of the titanium implants through surgery, and then waiting for it to heal before going into physical therapy for another six months."

"That's a bummer." Bran said as he sat by the foot of Jon's bed.

"Yeah, it is." Jon complained. "Worse, I can't drive my own car for now."

Bran cleared his throat. "Anyways, Mom said you should take these painkillers now." He handed Jon the pills before giving him a glass of water.

Jon swallowed the pills and placed the empty glass on his nightstand. "So," He started to say. "Arya said you promised to be here before dinner," He brought up. "What kept you?" He asked.

Bran shrugged. "Jojen and I were stuck in Storm's End," He explained. "When Tommen came out to his family. Then, I was stuck in Greywater, when Meera battered us with questions about what happened in Storm's End."

"Yeah, Arya also told me about Tommen's…sexuality." Jon leaned back on his headboard. "By the way, how is Meera?" He asked as he adjusted his casted arm.

"She's fine." He assured. "But she was furious when Jojen and I arrived at the Reed mansion at like seven in the evening."

"Hmm," Jon eyed him suspiciously. "Are you still having sex with her?"

That caught him off guard. Jon had guessed it right and it's exactly what kept him in Greywater.

"What—No!" He lied, keeping a straight face.

Jon snorted. "Bran, I graduated top of my class in the academy," He explained. "Of course, we were trained to detect lies, and you're definitely lying. Arya said it was eight-thirty in the evening when you got here last night." He narrowed his eyes at him. "So, what kept you in Greywater?" He asked again.

Bran simply looked down in guilt. "I'm telling you the same thing I told Arya, Sansa and Rickon when I got here." He said as calmly as he could. "Meera kept pestering Jojen and I for what happened in Storm's End and we basically told her the whole story."

"So, it took you two hours to tell her the whole story?" Jon speculated. "Rush hours in the interstate freeways are only until seven, Bran. Even with that Winter Olympics going on. It only probably took about thirty minutes to get here from Greywater." He said. "I am positive that something else happened within those few minutes. And I don't know how you got Jojen to—"

"Jon," Bran interrupted. "Just…" He sighed, giving up trying to lie about it. "Just don't tell anyone about it." He pleaded.

Jon shook his head. "Bran, I know you like Meera." He said. "And I've known that you've had a crush on her since forever, but you don't have to keep doing this. You should ask her out or something." He suggested. "Go on a real date, just the two of you."

"I don't have a chance with her anyway." Bran concluded.

"Have you at least tried?" Jon asked. "So what, now? You just get closer to her by occasionally fucking her? That's not right." He said. "What if she finds herself a boyfriend? You think you can still have sex with her if she does? No."

Bran sighed. "It's complicated." He said as he stood.

"I imagine it is." Jon said. It took a moment before he spoke again. "You're in love with her?" He blurted out.

It was more of a statement than a question. It made Bran turned away from Jon and stare out the bay windows of his cousin's room. He tried blinking back the tears that's forming in his eyes.

When he didn't answer, Jon spoke up. "You are, aren't you?"

Bran had thought last night that he needed to talk to someone about his feelings, but couldn't find the right person to vent to. Maybe Jon is that person. After all, it was him who figured out that he was messing around with Meera behind everyone's back.

"Honestly, I don't know." Bran admitted. "I don't understand what's going on with me. But there's this feeling I get when I'm around her."

And what he didn't say: the whole thing that happened in Greywater last night had definitely confused his feelings for Meera. Big time.

"Let me guess," Jon said. "You can't stop thinking about her. How her eyes sparkle, how her smile brightens your day, and you love spending time with her."

Bran turned to Jon and frowned. "How do you know that?"

Jon snorted. "I've been there, Bran." He explained. "With Ygritte. I talked to Uncle Benjen about it and he sort of, explained it to me."

"But I don't get it," Bran said. "Why her? Out of all the girls out there, why did it have to be her?" He asked, half muttering to himself.

Jon took a deep breath. "You can't decide not to fall in love, Bran." He said. "It just happens. And you can't stop it anymore than you can choose whom you fall in love with."

He sighed. "Jojen's gonna murder me."

"If your intentions aren't good," Jon chuckled. "Yes, he will. But I know that it's not. I've seen the way you looked at her. And yes, I started to notice since Robb's graduation in ATU. And I firmly believe it's the reason why you still don't have a girlfriend."

After a moment of silence, Jon spoke up again. "You have to tell her how you feel."

Bran shook his head. "No." He said. "No, I—I can't."

"Look, Bran, just—"

"Please," He interrupted. "Until I figure this out, only then will I take action."

Jon shrugged. "Fine, how about I just make a deal with you?" He said. "By the time my arm heals, you'll already figure out your feelings for Meera. And I already estimated earlier how long it's gonna be. So that's generous enough."

"No, Dude—" He started to say.

Jon raised his eyebrow at him. "You have to agree to this." He insisted. "Or I'm telling Robb and Jojen." He threatened.

"What? No!" Bran exclaimed. "Don't, please. Just don't." He pleaded. "They'll both kill me."

"Nah, I think it's the price you have to pay for doing it behind everyone's backs." Jon pointed out.

"Jon, please." Bran begged. "I'll do anything. I'll drive you back to Summerhall, if I have to." He offered.

Jon smirked. "You don't have to." He assured. "Aunt Dany's picking me up later today, with her Unsullied guards. Anyways, do we have a deal then?" He asked.

Bran took a deep breath. Godsdammit! He thought. I guess there's no other way around it. "Fine, it's a deal."

"Good." Jon then held out his good arm for a shake. "And I meant what I said, I will tell Robb and Jojen."

Bran reluctantly shook his cousin's hand. "I won't disappoint." He promised.

Suddenly, the Jon's bedroom door opened and Rickon came in. "Bran!" He called, then smiled at Jon. "Morning, Jon."

Jon merely nodded his head in greeting.

"What is it?" Bran asked his brother.

Rickon held out his phone. "You need to hear this."

Bran picked up the breakfast in bed tray with the empty plates from Jon and went out of the room with Rickon.

"What do I need to hear?" He asked as they were in the hallway.

"Okay," Rickon fiddled with his phone. "I received this voicemail from Robin like, fifteen minutes ago and it does not sound good."

He pressed play and the audio-recording started playing.

Hey, Rickon, It was Robin's voice. Um, I did it. I told my Mom, but she didn't take it well. And she kicked me out. He heard a sniffle, like his cousin had been crying. I'm on the road now, I'm just lucky I was able to grab my car's keys, packed a bag, and head out before she throws all my stuff out of the house. Listen, I need a huge favor. I need a place to crash for the night if it's okay with your folks. I promise, I'll head out in the morning to find myself a place. I'll drive North as soon as you call me back. Thanks.

"Holy shit!" Bran said. "Aunt Lysa did kick him out. That's terrible."

"I told you, she's crazy." Rickon concluded.

"Did you tell Mom about this already?" He asked.

Rickon scratched his head. "Well, no." He admitted. "I mean, not yet. I already fell asleep before Mom and Dad and Robb and Jon arrived home last night. And I was sort of, hoping that you'd help me do it."

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Bran, come on!" Rickon pleaded. "You have to help me with this. He's our cousin. And partly because you can prove that Robin is…that. I mean, you've seen him and Tommen and—"

"Alright," Bran interjected. "Fine. But you're going to be the one who'll tell her. And I'll just jump in for details. You're his bestfriend and you know him better."

Rickon huffed. "I guess that's fair."

Bran and Rickon went to their Mom made her listen to the voicemail and explained to her their cousin's situation. Thankfully, their Mom approved of Robin stay with them and told their sisters to have a guest room cleaned and ready for their cousin.

Rickon had then called Robin and told him that he was welcome to stay with them in Stark Manor in Winterfell, and not an hour after, Robin's car pulled up before their porch.

Robin got out of his car with a backpack and a duffel bag before walking towards their porch.

Their Mom came to greet him. "Robin," Catelyn called.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Aunt Cat." Robin apologized. "I didn't know where else to go."

"Rickon told me everything." Catelyn said, which made his eyes go wide in surprise. She spread her arms for a hug. Robin put down his stuff and embraced his Mom's sister. "It's going to be alright." She assured, as she gently patted his back. "You're going to be alright. Lysa will eventually come to her senses and will realize she's done a terrible mistake. But for the meantime, you can stay here for as long as you want."

Robin frowned. "Really?"

Catelyn smiled and cupped his chin. "Robin, we're family. And families are supposed to be there for each other, right? She said.

"Thank you, Aunt Cat." Robin said.

"And you're just in time," Catelyn said. "Because I had just pulled the casserole from the oven. I bet you're hungry."

Robin stayed with them for three days until they got an unexpected doorbell at six in the evening, the day before Christmas.

At that time, their Dad had just sat on living room for the evening news; their Mom and their sisters, Arya and Sansa were in the kitchen preparing dinner; while Bran himself and his brothers and cousins were playing Cards Against Humanity in the family room.

The way the doorbell was ringing was it's as if it was pressed by someone who has either urgent business or is impatient person.

"Hey, will one of you get the door?" Arya yelled from the kitchen. "It's not gonna open itself, you know."

Bran stood from the couch. "I'll get it." He then ran to their foyer and opened the main door. He was surprised to find an auburn-haired man and woman standing on their porch.

"Aunt Lysa?" Bran said. "Uncle Edmure? Um, do come in, please." He gestured for his Aunt and Uncle to enter.

His Aunt and Uncle had similar features as their Mom, Catelyn, with their auburn hair and blue eyes. And even though his Aunt Lysa was only two years younger than their mother, she looked older. Their Uncle Edmure, however, looked like his brother Robb, except he has a beard, a stocky build and had a lighter shade of auburn hair.

"Thank you, Bran." His Uncle Edmure said.

"Brandon," His Mom called as she was walking towards him, wiping her hands on her apron. "Who's at the—?"

"Cat!" Lysa turned to his Mom. "Is my son here?" She asked, gripping Catelyn's shoulders. "Is Robin here?" She asked with her eyes watering.

Before Catelyn could answer, Edmure spoke up. "Lysa came to me at the family estate in Riverrun, looking for her son." He explained. "And she asked me to help her find him."

"Cat, please tell me my son's here." Lysa said.

Catelyn nodded. "He is." She confirmed.

Lysa's face brightened. "Where is he, Cat?" She asked. "I need to see him."

Catelyn narrowed her eyes at her sister. "You're not going to hurt him again, are you?"

"Why would I do that?" Lysa said. "He's my son."

"You already kicked him out of your house!" Catelyn blurted out. "I won't allow you to hurt my nephew again."

"You, what?" Edmure exclaimed. "Lysa, you told me Robin ran away. Seven hells."

"Cat, please," Lysa pleaded. "That's why I'm here, to make amends. Please, let me see him."

Catelyn took a deep breath, then turned to him. "Brandon," She gestured to him to lead his Aunt and Uncle to their living room where his brothers and cousins were playing a game.

Rickon frowned. "Aunt Lysa? Uncle Edmure?"

They all stood when they saw company.

"Sweetrobin," Lysa smiled, as she ran to Robin and embraced him, much to his dismay. "Oh, my baby boy." She then held his cheeks, felt his head as if checking if he had scars or have a fever. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Mom." Robin said as he shook out of Lysa's embrace and stepped back. "What are you doing here?"

Lysa took a step closer to her son and took his hand. "Robin, I need you to come home back to the Eyrie with me."

"Why?" Robin said with distaste. "I'm not welcome there anymore. You said that yourself before to told me to leave."

"Robin, please," Lysa pleaded. "I need you to listen—"

"Listen, huh?" Robin interrupted. "You never listened to what I had to say. So, why should I listen to you now?"

Holy shit! Bran thought. First it was the Baratheons, and now the Arryns. He really should avoid walking into real-life family dramas.

Their Dad, Ned was suddenly standing beside their Mom, Catelyn. He looked confused when he saw Edmure, but when he saw Lysa talking to Robin, his gazed softened.

"Hey, what's going on?" Bran heard someone whisper from his right. He turned and saw his sister Arya, standing beside him and his other sister Sansa on his other side. And both of them had aprons and oven mittens on.

"Family drama 2.0." He whispered back.

"Was it this intense as well?" Sansa asked.

"Not really." He admitted.

They got back to watching the show.

"I was wrong." Lysa continued. "As your mother, it's me of all people who should understand you and—and be there for you when you need me most. And I'm so sorry, honey." She apologized. "I'm not saying that I agree with every decision you make. And I still don't believe it's right for two men to have intimate relations. But I have to accept that, because it's who you are. And like what your grandfather told me and my brother and sister, that the Tully words were Family, Duty, Honor. Family comes first and it's the most important thing in the world. And I love you, Robin. I don't want to be the person in your life that causes you pain."

Robin nodded. "I love you too, Mom." He said.

Lysa smiled and gave her son a hug.

"Aww, that's so sweet." Sansa snifled, then tugged his shirt. "Can you get me a tissue or something?"

Bran frowned. "Sansa, are you—are you actually crying?" He asked.

Arya shook her head in annoyance. "Oh my gods, Sansa."

"Don't judge me." Sansa said.

Robb snickered before grabbing the box of tissues on the coffee table and handing it to Bran.

Bran handed the box of tissues to Sansa. "Here you go, sis."

Sansa took a tissue from the box and wiped her tears with it.

"Well," Edmure broke the silence. "I think it's safe to say that Sansa got that from our side of the family." He said. "You didn't know this, but your Moms used to cry a lot watching chick flicks."

Everyone burst out laughing.

Catelyn sighed. "Ed." She said. "Really?"

"Yes, because apparently," Ned spoke up. "We Starks are too stoic even shed a few tears at a funeral." He said sarcastically.

Edmure snorted. "I said that, didn't I?"

Before Ned can reply, Arya spoke up. "Hold on," She frowned. "We're not stoic!" She argued.

"And also has a temper." Edmure added.

Arya made a face. "Okay, that last part is kind of true."

Catelyn cleared her throat. "Alright, since everyone is here," She turned to her brother and sister. "Lysa, Ed, we would be delighted if you join us for dinner."

Lysa smiled. "Of course, Cat," She said.

"Yeah," Edmure agreed. "And besides, I miss your cooking."

"Oh, I didn't cook, Ed," Cat replied. "My girls did."

Edmure frowned, like the idea terrified him. "Arya was cooking?" He asked, sarcastically.

Arya glared at their Uncle. "What—?" She started to say. "If you're worried about being poisoned—"

Edmure snapped his fingers. "Temper." He interrupted, chuckling. "You were right."

Arya sighed. "Oh, gods."

Everyone burst out laughing again. Their Uncle Edmure always knew how to ease tension with his dark humor.

"Okay, going back to dinner," Catelyn spoke up, turning to Robb and Rickon. "Boys, I need you grab extra chairs for your Aunt and Uncle."

For the first time in years, the Tullys, the Arryns and the Starks ate dinner together on Christmas Eve.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I was having trouble uploading the part 1. Didn't know what the hell happened with the server, but it's fine now. Sorry about that. Stay tuned.;)