The reason I'm posting this story so fast is, to be honest, because I'm afraid I'll get tired of writing and then want to give up, which would be no fair to you guys. Also, I'm incredibly impatient, and hate waiting for things, and I think it's sort of unfair, you know, because when you read a book, you don't have to wait for the next chapter, you get to read it all in one big gulp. So, in essence, I really hate making you guys wait.

Summary: In which Arya attends the party at the Forge and Gendry gets a surprise visit from Jon.

Arya smiled at her reflection in the mirror. It was good, to feel like herself again. It was like she had been a completely different person living in Arya's skin, walking around with her face and hair and eyes, but not really being her. And now, she not only felt like herself, she looked like herself too.

She had showered and washed away all the months of depression, scrubbing herself until her skin glowed pink. And then she had brushed and blow dried her hair, putting on make-up using the tips Sansa had taught her, and then dressed up (as much as she could for the cold). Black skinny jeans and one of his old t-shirts (it was cold outside, but the party would be warm). It was simple, but it was nice. It was nice to be happy again.

She could barely eat dinner she was so excited, but Ned had made her promise that she would, and so she did. She might have shoved the food down her throat, but at least she was there. And even thought Catelyn looked as unsure as Ned, she seemed to be happy that Arya looked so excited.

"It's good to see you smile again," she said.

The party was in full swing by the time she got there. Yoren's favorite music was blasting, and there were swirling lights and the sound of laughter and cheering drifting through the air, the beat of the music vibrating in the ground. Arya couldn't help but smile, because it seemed so much like home. And all this, the Forge, the music, the laughter, made her feel like herself again.

Grinning, her heart starting to swell happily, she did her very best not to run and burst into the Forge in all haste. No, tackling Gendry was probably not a good idea.

Instead, she walked calmly to the Forge and opened the door, nearly blasted off her feet by the overwhelming music and the smell of alcohol. She wondered if Yoren was drunk yet, but then brushed it off. Of course he was drunk. The party had been on at least a half an hour.

She pushed through the fevered crowd, looking everywhere for Gendry. It was quite a crush. There were people packed in like sardines, all singing and shouting and drinking and laughing. It was overwhelming, but in a good way. It was strange to be around so many people when she had spent so much time shunning society.

After a good deal of time looking for him, she was beginning to fear that he wasn't there. Maybe he had heard she wasn't coming and had stayed home.

And then she saw him.

Her hand shot up, as if to wave, a step behind what her eyes were taking in, her lips jumping into a half-smile, her heart, for a split second, leaping merrily in her chest. But that all turned to ice, hard, cold, freezing ice, as the world stopped and began to tilt, her brain rushing with an ear-splitting silence, loud enough to waken the dead.

Gendry was leaning down, his body curved against another girl, his hands holding her to him as he kissed her lustily, passionately, their heads turning in a battle of lips and tongues.

Arya felt her lungs shrinking, her throat burning as though someone had set flame to it, and realized that she hadn't been breathing. She couldn't breath. And then she could, and she was, taking quick, feverish gulps of breath, panic gurgling in her throat as her mind spun in disbelieving.

This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening.

But it was.

Even as she opened and closed her eyes, no matter how many times she tried to blink it away, Gendry was still there, and the girl was still with him.

She stumbled backwards, bumping and blending into the crowd, noise crashing in her ears, falling away from him. Away. Away.

She ran into the wall of the Forge and slid down, stunned, unable to process anything. Was it possible for someone to feel this much internal pain? It couldn't be, and yet there she was, living, breathing, while her insides ripped to shreds.

She brought her head to her knees, curling up into a ball, trying to block out the world, to clear her head so that she could do something, anything. So that she could get to her feet and get away without shaking so much, tears leaking from her eyes, threatening to transform into a waterfall.

And it's all my fault too.

"Arya?"

It was Hot Pie.

"Arya? Jesus! Are you okay?"

How could she be okay? Her heart was broken.

"Arya?"

And then... All in one, great rush, it was like she had no heart at all. As though it had just slipped from the cavern in her chest and was gone, leaving only emptiness.

"I'm fine," she said, pulling herself to her feet. Hot Pie looked uncharacteristically concerned.

"You're been crying," he said, pointing to her face.

"I'm not anymore," Arya said coldly. "I'm fine."

"Shit. Jesus, you didn't see-"

"See?" Arya said sharply, raising her eyebrows. "See what?"

Hot Pie didn't answer. He looked almost frightened.

"I'm sorry," she said briskly, "but I really have to go. It seems like it's a great party."

Hot Pie opened his mouth, as if to object, but she didn't give him time to. She didn't care what he had to say, what arguments he had to shit out. What lies would he tell anyway? How they wanted her there? How they missed her?

No one missed her. Not Robb, not Sansa, not Jon and certainly not Gendry. No one had need for Arya Stark.

She was No One.

Oooooooooooooo

Gendry closed his eyes, trying to stop thinking so much. He shouldn't be thinking when he was kissing this girl. She was gorgeous too, all lips and tits and ass. But, even as she worked her tongue in his mouth, he just couldn't. He just couldn't get into it.

She snaked her hands up and then ran them through the back of his hair, and in that spark of a moment, all he saw was Arya. Arya used to do that.

"I'm sorry," he said, pulling away from the girl. "I can't. I'm drunk. I need to go."

She looked surprised, but she had no time to respond because he was stumbling away from her, suddenly feeling crushed, unable to breath. He practically threw people to the ground in his effort to get away, to get out.

At last he broke away, banging open the door and tripping outside, slamming it shut behind him. He closed his eyes, his head spinning, and then opened them again to hear the sound of a cars wheels screeching, and a car that looked similar to Arya's sped away. But this was ridiculous. He was seeing her every where. It was probably the alcohol.

All he knew was that he couldn't stay there. And so, half drunk and falling all over himself, he took the bus home.

He staggered into his apartment and collapsed on the couch, staring up at the ceiling which was starting to tilt. He could already feel his hangover coming on, and he knew that he would probably throw up soon, but he was too tired to think. He was too tired for anything. The insides of his eyelids itched and his tongue felt like it was made of rubber.

But he feel asleep all the same.

He was having the dream again. The one where he and Arya were in his flat, having just made love, laying in his bed, laughing and talking. And all he could think was that there was something bad in the closet, and that it was going to come out at any moment. And he told Arya, and she just laughed at him, like she always did, and got up to go check. And he watched her walk inside, and then the door slammed shut, and when he ran up and opened, it, she was gone.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Gendry jolted awake, heart beating wildly and covered in a sheen of cold sweat, his entire body shaking. He hated that nightmare, because every time he had it, it always felt so real.

"GENDRY! GENDRY I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! OPEN UP OR I'LL BREAK THE FUCKING DOOR OPEN!"

Gendry sat bolt up right, his head swimming. What on earth...?

BANG!

This time, there was the sound of a foot hitting the door. Not about to pay for a repaired door, Gendry leapt to his feet, stumbling forward and hastily unlocking the door.

It burst open, nearly sending him flat on his back, but suddenly Jon Stark's hands were on the collar of his shirt, yanking him forward.

"WHERE IS SHE?" Jon roared. "IS SHE WITH YOU?"

"What?" Gendry sputtered, completely at a loss as to what was going on.

"ARYA!" Jon shouted, and he looked close to madness. "WHERE'S ARYA?"

"I don't know," Gendry said, wrenching away from Jon's grasp and stumbling backwards. "I haven't seen her in months. She's probably with her new boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Jon spat. "She doesn't have a boyfriend!"

"But I thought..." Gendry said. "Wait... What's going on? What's going on with Arya?"

Jon looked wretched.

"She's gone," he said brokenly. "Her clothes, her money, her car, everything. Gone."

Only a few more chapters to go, three or four I'd say.

Fun fact: as I was writing this, I listened to my favorite song ever, called 'Love' by daughter. Idk I just thought it fight how Arya felt after seeing Gendry with another girl perfectly.

ALSO: I was scrolling tumbler and saw that someone had put up the link to my fanfic and I nearly peed myself from happiness. And I wanted to say THANK YOU! You guys are so awesome! Thank you all so much for your awesomeness! Like seriously so many feelings.