Game of Thrones: The Heart Wants What It Wants

by Amara Lightskipper

"You can't decide not to fall in love, Bran." Jon had said. "It just happens. And you can't stop it anymore than you can choose whom you fall in love with." He's right. You can't stop the feeling, even if that person happened to be your best friend's older sister. Modern AU. Mainly [Bran/Meera] with few pairings in the background. Rated M for explicit scenes.

25. Distress

Ages:

- Talisa, Willas, Ygritte – 30; Robb, Jon, Gendry, Meera – 28; Sansa – 27; Arya, Alys – 25; Bran, Jojen, Myrcella – 24; Rickon, Tommen – 20

MEERA

Meera's life changed when she discovered she had a bun in the oven.

The following week after Robb's wedding, Bran had called her multiple times and left her messages. But she never answered, partly because she didn't know what to say to him and it would just make things awkward.

Also on the same week, she woke up in the mornings to having mild headaches and nausea that she was feeling dizzy half the time until drinking tea. Even at work, she would suddenly feel nauseous that she had made it a habit of bringing tea to work, placing it in a little thermos to keep it hot.

Meera didn't know what in seven hells was wrong with her. The following week, she was easily worn out and tired and constantly going to the bathroom to pee. Even her colleagues in the hospital had started to notice.

"Meera, are you okay?" Rylene asked once, when they were on rounds.

"I'm fine." She assured. "Don't worry about me."

And she was, until she started throwing up. The first time it happened was while she was at work in the hospital. At first, she had just shrugged it off, like maybe she had just eaten bad lunch or something. But when she had thrown up on several occasions, something was wrong.

Meera had tried connecting the dots. Headaches, dizziness, nausea, food cravings—as she had been eating veggie and berries salad a lot lately, and she had also been sleeping a lot. Why it's the very same symptoms of…

No, no, no, no! She thought. This can't be right.

It only occurred to her that she had been weeks late. On Tuesday that same week, she took a half-day sick leave and then drove to a pharmacy to buy test sticks before going back to their apartment to take the pregnancy test.

All she had to do was to simply remove the cap and point the absorbent tip downward in her urine stream for five seconds and the results will be read in two minutes.

She did as what the instructions had said and waited. To know it if it's positive, two red lines will show on the stick and just one if it's negative.

Meera took a deep breath before looking at the stick. And she nearly dropped it when it showed two red lines.

She covered her mouth with her hand in shock. Oh my gods! She mentally screamed. I'm pregnant. Tears had then started falling down her cheeks. That's why she was experiencing all those things because she was pregnant. And with Bran's child.

Meera had then buried the test stick in the bathroom's garbage bin beneath used tissue paper, cotton swabs, q-tips and wet wipes, and tampon packaging before locking herself in her room.

She sat on her bed, buried her head in her hands and wept. How in seven hells is she gonna tell anyone about her condition? She thought. Her concern is how everyone will take it. How her Dad and her brother will react. Will her Dad have a heart attack? Will Jojen go onto rage mode just like Robb? Oh, fuck. She cursed. How will the entire Stark family take it? How would Bran even handle it if he finds out it's his?

It's pretty clear that she has to tell someone about it, at least. But she didn't know to whom. Her three bestfriends, Robb, Jon and Gendry were definitely not candidates for it. Robb and Jon are of the Stark family so there's no way she's telling them. And as for Gendry, well, he's dating a Stark, so it's a no. So, it's either her brother, Jojen or his girlfriend, Alys.

And since she haven't made up her mind yet, she acted normal, as if everything's fine and nothing interesting had happened. The rest of the week, Meera would show up to work, do her usual routine as she'd do her chores in their apartment. But behind the closed doors of her bedroom, she'd often think about what she's doing to do about it, sobbing and clutching the stuffed animal Bran had given her.

By the end of the week, she drove back to their apartment after her shift and cooked Alys' and Jojen's dinner, which was spicy jambalaya. But since, Meera found out that she was pregnant, she settled for a veggie salad.

Meera knows both Alys and Jojen's time off. Her brother's off at 5pm, but since he's in Highgarden it's a twenty-minute drive to their place. Alys' off at 6pm and the hospital they're both working is ten blocks away from their place so she'd still take the transit to get home.

Maybe it's the hormones, but Meera had texted her brother a long grocery list so she'd be alone for the next hour until Alys get home.

She was sitting on the couch, drinking tea for her nausea, with her feet on the coffee table and a pillow on her lap when Alys arrived from work.

"Hey, Meera." Alys greeted.

"Hey," She greeted back, forcing out a smile. "Your jambalaya's getting cold." She pointed out. "You better start eating it."

"Ooh!" Alys said as she headed to the kitchen counter for her bowl. "This is just what I need from a rough day at work."

Meera frowned. "You had a rough day at work?" She asked.

"Not really," Alys picked up her bowl and sat next to her on the couch. "Except an intern couldn't figure out how to put a thermometer on a kid's armpit."

Alys had then explained how the kid had a racecar print on his t-shirt and asked if he liked driving racecars. So, she suggested that they should race, but for the car to run, they need a key. And the key was that the thermometer had to be placed in his armpit, that's how she convinced him.

They both chuckled.

"But, hey." Alys said. "It's all in a day's work for us doctors, right?"

Meera nodded. "Of course."

"So," Alys placed her feet on the coffee table as well. "Where's Jojen?" She asked. "Isn't he home yet?"

"Jojen is in the supermarket." Meera said. "I sort of, texted him to buy a few stuff. It'll be awhile before he gets here."

Alys raised an eyebrow, then placed her bowl of half-eaten jambalaya on the coffee table and faced her. "Okay, since we're alone, I wanna talk to you about something that I found, rather interesting."

Meera knitted her eyebrows at her.

"I was taking the garbage bins like a few days ago so I can segregate them for the chute," Alys explained. "Like I always do. And there was something in the bathroom bin underneath the wadded up tissue paper and used wet wipes."

Oh, no, Meera thought. She's on to me now. But she kept her expression guarded.

Alys sighed. "We're the only two girls in this apartment." She continued. "The thing I found is an item customary used only by girls, and I know it's not mine, which means it could have only been yours."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Meera managed.

"Meera," Alys inched closer to her. "You're really not gonna tell me about the stick?" She asked.

Meera's eyes started tearing up. At that point, she was just holding up her tears from falling down her cheeks and looked away. "It's nothing." She lied.

"Meera, it's okay." Alys assured. "You can trust me. Just tell me what's going on so I can do what I can to help."

Then she lost it. All the tears she was holding in, just streamed down and sobbed. Alys pulled her into a hug.

"Oh gods." Alys said in a small voice. "You're gonna be okay." She reassured, stroking her back and calming her down. "It's gonna be okay."

When Meera stopped sniffling and sobbing, Alys turned to her. "Bran's the father, isn't her?" She asked.

Meera nodded, then looked down. "Don't tell Jojen," She pleaded. "He'll beat him up when he finds out."

"What?" Alys said in disbelief. "But we—"

"Please, don't." She pleaded. "If someone's gonna tell him, it has to be me."

Alys sighed and reluctantly nodded. "Okay, but how long are you gonna hide this from your brother?" She asked. "Or your Dad?"

"I don't know." She admitted.

"You can't hide the baby forever, Meera." Alys pointed out. "Have you even gone to see an Ob/Gyn about this?"

Meera shook her head. "No, but if I do everyone's gonna know." She said. "I know every doctor in that hospital, Alys."

"Maybe not in the hospital we work at." Alys said. "And I happened to have a friend in Honeyholt who's an Ob/Gyn. I can take you to her tomorrow."

The following day, Meera and Alys drove to Honeyholt, a town beside Honeywine River. The Ob/Gyn friend Alys was referring to, turned out to be her college roommate, Alys Beesbury-Tyrell.

Alys had said that she had no idea how they were assigned as each other's roommate back in their college years since they had the same first name and were both medical students. They went to see her for a special appointment Alys had arranged the night before.

Her worse nightmares came true when Dr. Beesbury-Tyrell confirmed that she was indeed pregnant. Two weeks pregnant, all because she had an unprotected one night stand with Bran Stark.

Meera used to keep track of her safe days/periods, but that night with Bran, she got careless. She never bothered to remember if it was one of her safe days, she just allowed Bran to do his thing. But at a cost, now she was pregnant with his child.

Dr. Beesbury-Tyrell or as she liked to call her, Dr. BT , had prescribed her some prenatal vitamins and advised her on what to eat and drink, and what to do, like to reduce her number of activities to avoid complications and be on bed rest whenever she can.

The week after that, Alys was the one doing most of her daily routines in their apartment, brewing their daily tea, vacuuming the carpets and cooking breakfast which, of course earned a head-scratch from Jojen. But thank the gods, he didn't suspect anything.

Until, that one night in the middle of the week. Meera was doing her usual routine, preparing their dinner. Jojen was on the couch with his laptop on the coffee table, probably working on another paper on something. Alys sat next to him and was separating their white and colored clothes for the laundry, which she was going to drop-off before driving to work.

While in the middle of tearing lettuce for the dish, Meera suddenly felt dizzy and her hand gripped the counter while her other hand went to her temple.

Unfortunately for her, Jojen saw it and turned to the kitchen. "Sis, are you okay?" He asked.

Meera took a deep breath and went back to tearing the lettuce. "I'm fine." She assured.

"You know what?" Alys placed some of the white lab coats aside and stood. "I'm going to help you." She walked towards a rack where they hung the aprons and took one.

Meera felt a slight pain in her lower abdomen area and her legs started shaking. "I can handle making a fucking vegetable salad." She insisted, leaning on the counter for support. "I don't need your help."

"Oh, come on," Alys said, putting on the apron then walked towards her. "I'll slice the cucumber, if you don't mind and—Oh my gods!" She exclaimed, stopping at her tracks.

Meera turned to her. "What?" She asked weakly.

"You're turning pale." She pointed out. "And, um…" She looked down and her jaw dropped. "Meera…" She faltered and motioned her eyes down her waist.

Meera looked down and saw what she meant. She was bleeding. Her shorts were stained red with blood and it was also running down her legs to the floor. Looking at it, she started to see spots dancing across her peripheral vision.

"Jojen!" Alys called. "Throw me one of those towels, please."

Jojen looked up from his laptop and tossed Alys a towel from the laundry sort. Just as soon as Alys had caught it, Meera lost her balance and started falling to the floor.

Fortunately for Meera, Alys was able to catch her, barely by her shoulders.

"Meera, oh my gods!" Alys cried, slowly kneeling to the floor and rested her head on her lap. "Jojen!" She yelled in alarm.

Meera could see Jojen rushing to them and gasped when he saw Alys clutching her on the floor surrounded by a pool of blood.

"What happened?" Jojen knelt and gently tapped her cheek. "Meera, sis?" He called.

She wanted to answer, but she couldn't. And her vision was starting to blur.

Jojen turned to his girlfriend. "Alys, get my keys," He instructed. "We're taking her to the hospital. And bring her some extra clothes."

Meera could hear Alys' footsteps running around the apartment as Jojen lifted her up and carried her. Then everything went black.

. . .

She regained consciousness in her brother's car, with Alys on the wheel and Jojen on the backseat holding her close to him.

"—the hospital is that way!" Jojen yelled. "This is the road to Honeyholt. What the fuck are you doing?" He demanded.

"I know what I'm doing," Alys countered. "And I know where we're heading—"

"My sister's life is in peril, Alys!" Jojen interrupted. "If anything happens to her, I swear to the gods—!"

"Oh, save your threats, Reed!" Alys interjected. "And just let me drive."

Meera blacked out again. The next time she woke up, she was on a hospital bed. She sat up and saw green curtain partitions then looked around, with all the medical equipment, she assume she was in an emergency room of some hospital.

She was just about to call out to someone when she heard voices just beyond the curtain partition.

"—but, it's okay." A voice said. Meera knew that voice. Dr. BT. Well, that means that she's in a hospital in Honeyholt, as Alys Beesbury-Tyrell worked here. "She and the baby are safe and healthy. That's what matters."

When she heard that, she thought, Uh, oh. This is not gonna be good.

"I beg your pardon?" Jojen asked as if he'd misheard her. "She and the baby?" He repeated. "What baby?"

Well, great! She thought. Now, he knows. And he's not gonna take this well.

"Isn't that what I just said?" Dr. BT said, clearly annoyed. "I know you heard me right, Jojen."

Meera wasn't surprised that they'd have that interaction. Dr. BT was technically Alys' bestfriend/roommate in college so of course, she and Jojen knew each other.

"Beesbury, come on, this isn't a funny joke." Jojen insisted.

"Jojen—" Alys Karstark started to say.

"Just tell me what's wrong with my sister." He persisted.

"I would never joke about this, fyi." Dr. BT said. "Especially in this situation seeing that your sister actually never told you about her condition." She paused. "There's no easy way of saying this, but Meera is three weeks pregnant and the bleeding is caused by implantation."

"Okay, what is that?" Jojen asked.

"Implantation is when a fertilized egg attaches itself to the uterine wall where the baby will remain until birth occurs." Dr. BT explained. "In your sister's case, you said there was a lot of blood, so it's classified as heavy implantation. But that's not really what caused her to faint. It's the implantation plus overfatigue and stress."

"Well," Alys spoke up. "Meera's sort of a workaholic type of person."

"I can tell." Dr. BT said. "She was making dinner when she fainted, like you said." She recalled. "She needs to rest. And if you can convince her not to show up to work tomorrow, please do. We're lucky it was just an implantation with heavy blood flow and not a miscarriage. But if she keeps up with her daily routines, she's gonna miscarry."

Before she could stop herself, Meera cleared her throat, which made someone slide the curtain partition to her left.

Dr. BT, Jojen and Alys stood in surprise looking at her.

"You're awake," Jojen rushed to her and wrapped her in a hug. "Thank the gods," He said, before letting go. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm good." She assured. "Now, can we please go home?"

"Well, I—" Dr. BT started to say.

"It's okay, Alys." Meera said. "I overheard what you guys were talking about. Implantation, and the heavy blood flow was caused by overfatigue and stress."

"Mm-hmm," Dr. BT said. "You need to rest, seriously." She reminded. "And have you been taking the pre-natal vitamins I prescribed to you?"

Meera nodded. "Three times a day, just like you said."

All three of them thanked Dr. Alys Beesbury-Tyrell and drove back to their apartment in Brightwater Keep. On the ride home, none of them said a word to each other, but clearly, there was tension among them. Jojen was on the wheel, Alys on the shotgun and Meera on the backseat.

Luckily for Meera, Alys had bought her some extra clothes since it was stained with blood when they brought her to be examined. And she had also called and ordered a pick-up meal for their dinner.

When they arrived home, the tension rose. Alys brought the ordered meal to the kitchen for it to be transferred to plates. Meera went to seat on the couch as Jojen closed the door the apartment.

"So," Jojen spoke up as he made a show of putting his keys on the side table by the coat rack. "Are we just gonna ignore the elephant in the room?

"Not now, Jojen." Meera said.

"Not now, huh?" Jojen repeated. "When were you planning to tell me that you're pregnant?"

"I was waiting for the right time—" She started to say.

"The right time?" He interrupted, placing his jacket on one of the couches' headrest.

"Because I know you'd freak out." Meera pointed out.

"Who wouldn't?" Jojen said. "Of course, I'd freak out! I ran to the kitchen earlier and found you surrounded in a pool of your own blood. And I had to carry you to the hospital only to have the doctor drop the bomb on me."

"Jojen, please," Alys said, handing a plate of vegetable salad to Meera. "I don't think your sister needs this right now."

Jojen turned to Alys. "You knew about this?" He guessed. "And you never told me? Alys, she's three weeks pregnant! How the fuck am I supposed to take this lightly?!"

Meera stood and placed an arm before Alys. "Jojen, please don't take it out on Alys," She pleaded. "She didn't tell you only because I made her promise not to."

"Why?" He demanded. "'Cause you're afraid that I'll beat the shit out of the guy who knocked you up?"

"Jojen—"

"Please tell me it's not who I think it is." Jojen said.

Meera had looked down, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"It's Bran, isn't it?" He speculated. "The guy who knocked you up?"

When she didn't answer, Jojen suddenly had a murderous look on his face, took back his jacket from the couch and went to grab his keys.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

Jojen turned to her. Her brother's face has turned into a shade of red. Oh, no! She screamed internally. She knew her brother so well that when Jojen does just that, it either from embarrassment or rage. But it's only phase one.

"I'm gonna fucking kill him!" Jojen yelled as he trudged towards the door.

"No," Meera cried as he rushed after him. "No, don't do this, please." She pleaded, gripping his arm. "Jojen, don't make things worse than it already is."

Jojen turned back to her. "Do you realize how stupid this is on my part?" He said, his breathing becoming shallow. "Knowing how oblivious I am from the fact that my bestfriend had been sleeping with my sister? And now he got you pregnant. I'm not just gonna sit here, I'm doing something about it!"

"Jojen, please!" Meera gripped his arm tighter. "Please, he doesn't know." She blurted out. "He doesn't know."

"What?" Jojen and Alys exclaimed at the same time.

Alys knitted her eyebrows. "I thought Bran knew about this."

Jojen started hyperventilating, a health condition he has when he's nervous and/or in rage. "I'm gonna—" He gasped. "—fucking kill-him!" He held on to the side table for support and to avoid stumbling to the floor.

"Oh my gods!" Meera yelped, guiding him to sit on the couch. She then turned to Alys. "Alys, could you—" She started to say.

Alys understood immediately. She grabbed one of the brown paper bags from the console table behind the couch and sat beside Jojen. She placed the opening of the paper bag directly and completely over Jojen's mouth and nose.

Jojen began breathing in and out of the paper bag. And about the tenth time he breathed in and out Alys removed the paper bag from his mouth and nose.

As for his episodes of hyperventilation, it is usually states of panic or anxiety which causes the increased breathing rate of a person. The increase rate of breathing results in unusually low levels of carbon dioxide in the body. Thus, using the paper bag.

Jojen began to breathe normally.

"Feeling okay now?" Alys asked.

"Yeah." Jojen said weakly.

"Okay, now lie down on the couch." Alys instructed.

"What?" He complained.

"Just do as she says!" Meera insisted, transferring to one of the armchairs. "She's a doctor, like, for humans."

Jojen snorted, then obliged.

Alys had placed cushion pillows underneath his knees for extra comfort. But when Alys started unbuckling Jojen's belt, he gasped and stopped her.

"What are you doing?" He demanded.

"I'm not gonna give you a head." Alys said. "I'm taking off any tight and restricting clothing. Your belt."

"Oh," Jojen said. "Sorry."

Alys had then placed another cushion pillow on Jojen's stomach. "Breath from your stomach," She said. "And try to relax."

Jojen smiled at Alys. "Thanks, babe."

Alys made a face, then kissed him on his forehead before going back to the kitchen.

"She's a keeper." Meera said as soon as they were alone.

"Now aren't you gonna answer my question?" Jojen asked. "How come Bran or the Starks don't know about you being pregnant?"

"I never told him." She replied.

"Clearly."

"I don't know." Meera shrugged. "I just…I can't face him or the rest of the Starks. Not now."

"When?" Jojen asked. "You can't hide from them, you know." He pointed out. "No matter what you do, my little niece or nephew has Stark blood. They will find out about it, maybe not now, but they will, eventually."

"Then I'll move somewhere far." Meera blurted out. "Where they can't chase after me. To Essos, maybe."

Jojen shook his head. "No," He said. "No, I don't think Dad would like that. And I don't like it either." He declared. "And by the way, how are you gonna tell Dad about this?" He asked.

"I don't know."

"You can't just answer every question with I don't know, Meera." He pointed out. "You're going to have a kid now. You can't just wing it, you need to have a plan."

Meera sighed. "I don't have one, yet." She admitted. "Because, honestly, I don't know what to do." She sighed. "I'm a mess."

Jojen sat up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're not a mess. You basically raised me, and I turned out awesome, it means you're doing something right." He said. "And don't worry, sis. We'll figure something out."

. . .

Her brother did have a plan. And it's a ridiculous one because it involved them alienating from the rest of Westeros. But if it means getting away from the Starks for a while, she had no other choice.

On the weekend, Meera went home to Greywater with her brother as they always do. As usual, she had morning sickness and kept throwing up, which of course, caught their father's attention.

That afternoon on that same day, her Dad invited himself into her bedroom.

"Hey sweetie," Howland said as he closed the door behind him.

"Dad, um," Meera sat up. "You need anything?" She asked.

"Not really." Howland said as he sat beside her. "You vomited when you and your brother got here. I just wanna make sure you're okay."

"Oh, um," She started to say. "I'm fine, Daddy."

"It is from carsickness?" He asked.

"Uh, probably." Meera replied. "And also the burrito I ate went bad."

Her father frowned. "You ate a burrito?" He asked as if he'd misheard her. "But you're a vegan. Or is there such a thing as a vegan burrito?"

"There is, actually." Meera said, matter of fact. "From the Red Dunes, that Dornish restaurant chain? They have a vegan menu."

"But that doesn't explain why you kept throwing up." Howland said. "So, what is really going on?" He asked.

"Nothing." She lied as she grabbed her phone by the edge of the bed and called her brother Jojen on it before turning the call off after five seconds. "Everything's fine." She forced out a smile.

Suddenly, her bedroom door opened with Jojen bursting into the room.

"Meera, what?—oh." Jojen started to say, then noticed their father in the room staring at him. "Hi Dad." He greeted as he closed the door behind him.

That's when their father's scowl deepened. "What is going on?"

"I, um—I mean it-it's nothing." Jojen said nervously, then turned to her for help.

Howland raised an eyebrow at her brother. "You're stuttering." He noticed, then turned to her. "You think I haven't notice that you're both acting strange since you arrived earlier? Now, would you mind telling what in seven hells is going on?" He demanded. "Because I feel like both of you know a family secret and I'm left out of it."

Jojen sighed, then turned to her. "I'm sorry, sis." He apologized. "But I think you should just tell him." He urged.

"Tell me what, Meera?" Howland asked turning to her.

Meera knew her brother is a terrible liar, and he's literally all she has right now. But he's right. Their Dad was their only parent left. If anyone else should know besides Jojen and Alys, it's him. She just hoped he won't disown her or throw her out of their house.

Meera bowed her head and suddenly, she just broke down, tears came rolling down her cheeks. "Dad…" She faltered.

Howland stared at her, waiting.

She took a deep breath and touched her belly, which made her father's eyes widened.

"Meera, are you pregnant?" Howland guessed.

Meera fell to her knees before her father. "I'm so sorry, Daddy." She sobbed. "I'm so sorry."

Surprisingly, she felt her father arms wrapping around her.

"Shh," Howland said, gently rubbing her back, a thing he usually does to calm her down. "Shh, it's gonna be okay, sweetie." He assured, pulling her closer as she wept. "It's gonna be okay."

Once she had calmed down, her Dad asked her the next question she knew he would ask.

"Who's the father?" Howland asked.

Meera once again, looked down in shame. And she couldn't find to answer her Dad's question.

"It's Bran." Jojen blurted out.

Howland turned to her brother in astonishment. "Bran…Stark?" He went back to facing her. "So, you're dating your brother's bestfriend all this time?"

Meera shook her head. "We're not dating, Dad." She admitted. "We were never together."

"Do the Starks know about this?" He asked. "About you and Bran? And your child?"

"No," She replied. "I mean yes, but not Ned and Catelyn. And no, they don't know I'm pregnant."

"What?" Howland exclaimed. "Not even Bran? Meera, he's the one who knocked you up, he should've been with you when explaining your situation to our families."

"I know, but…" Meera faltered. "I don't know how to tell him or his family." She said. "I'm not ready to face them. Especially since the Stark siblings are still kind of scandalized about Bran and me."

"You cannot run from the Starks about this, sweetie." Howland pointed out. "Whatever you do, Bran is still the father of that child you're carrying. You cannot deny the truth. Especially since we're good friends with them."

"I know that," Meera said. "But I just can't face them right now." She admitted.

"You cannot hide forever, Meera." Howland brought up. "You should know that."

"I know that, Dad." She insisted. "But I'm not gonna hide forever, just right now with a child in my belly."

"Even if you don't answer their calls or messages, they know where we live." Howland pointed out. "You do know I can't turn away Ned Stark's children. And even if I told them you're not here, they'll ask for your address in Brightwater Keep."

Meera turned to Jojen, who was still standing by her door. Her brother had a proposition

"We thought about that too, Dad." Jojen spoke up. "I came up with a solution to keep away from the Starks for a while." He held a long white envelope with its one side torn. "Meera seems to like the idea. But we need your approval." He handed it to their Dad.

Howland took out the contents and began reading. "Oldtown?" He read out loud, then turned to Jojen. "I thought you said, you're not going to take this job offer."

Jojen shrugged. "It's the only way I can think of without Meera having to move to Essos like she once suggested. And also because I can keep an eye on her there."

"Are you sure about this?" Howland asked, holding out the envelope. "This is a three-year contract. And Oldtown is a closed city."

"I know it's that long," Jojen said. "But at least the Starks won't be able to follow us there. And it came with family privileges, which they're gonna house us inside the Citadel's complex just by the coast of the Honeywine River and the Whispering Sound Bay."

Howland slowly nodded. "I have no problem with that," He said. "But what about your sister? The job offer was addressed to you."

"I'll resign from my job in Brightwater, Dad." Meera blurted out. "I'll be at rest and unemployed for a few months until I give birth. But don't worry, I have enough savings that'll keep me afloat."

"And Alys and I had agreed to take care of her and my would-be niece or nephew." Jojen brought up.

"Your girlfriend is coming with you?" Their Dad asked. "Was she offered a job there as well?"

"No, just me." Jojen replied. "They're both gonna resign from their jobs at Brightwater Keep and travel to Oldtown with me. But don't worry, Dad. Besides me, Alys and Meera graduated from Westeros' top university, so finding a job in Oldtown won't be that hard. And we need your permission before I'm sending an e-mail confirming me taking the job offer."

Their Dad seemed to be in deep thought, before nodding. "Alright." He agreed. "If this is what you think you should do, I'll support you." He said, turning to Meera. "But, I need to be there when you give birth. I cannot miss the birth of my first grandchild."

Jojen nodded. "Visitation policies in Oldtown are strict." He said. "You have to file six-months earlier unless you live in the five surrounding towns. But don't worry, Dad. I'll take care of that." He promised.

Meera wrapped her arms around their Dad. "Thanks for understanding, Daddy."

Howland kissed her forehead. "Of course, sweetie."

Jojen smirked. "I swear to the gods if you name the kid Howland or Jojen Jr., I'm gonna kill you."

All three of them chuckled.

That night, as Meera was bringing her Dad his tea before bed to his room, she found her father standing out in the balcony and staring out to the Northern Lights display in the starry night sky.

It only meant one thing. And it's either there's a problem he refused to discuss or he's thinking about his late wife and their late mother.

Meera placed the tray with the tea on his nightstand, before walking towards him out the balcony. "Dad?" She called.

Howland straightened and wiped his face with his hand before turning to her. "Meera, what are you doing here?" He asked.

His eyes were red like he had been crying and he sniffled. And the last time she had seen her Dad cry was when her Mom died.

"I brought you your tea." Meera replied. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine, sweetie." He assured, then a tear fell of his cheek. "It's just everything that's happened reminded me of your Mom."

"You never talk about her or what happened." She recalled.

Howland sighed. "When your Mom was pregnant with your brother, the doctor said that it was going to be a difficult one." He remembered. "She never minded the risks all that mattered to her was that we were going to have a son and you a brother. Then her water broke a month early. I rushed her to the hospital, that's why I left you in the care of the Starks." He started tearing up again. "The doctor said that they could only save one life out of both mother and child and gave me the most difficult question to answer, that I should choose who they would save. Your mother answered for me, to save your brother's life in exchange for hers."

Not knowing what to say, she wrapped her arms around her father's waist and embraced him.

"I want you to update me when you have your check-ups." Howland said. "If there are any complications or health issues, leave nothing out. You have to tell me everything, okay?" He insisted. "I just don't want the same thing happening to you."

Meera nodded. "I will, Dad." She promised. "And you don't have to worry about me. I can handle this."

Her Dad sighed. "You know, if your Mom was here, she'd jump up and down to the idea of having a grandchild."

. . .

The following week, Meera and Alys had resigned from their jobs in Brightwater Keep, much to most of their colleagues' shock and dismay. She had to explain to them that Jojen got offered a job with family privileges in Oldtown. As soon as she mentioned Oldtown, they understood it somehow, since it has the highest pay in medical jobs compared to the capital, King's Landing.

That was true, of course. But it wasn't the real reason why they're going to Oldtown. Jojen didn't even want to go as he was already happy with his job in Highgarden, and he only accepted the offer for her. To keep the Starks from going after her. And they can't follow after her in Oldtown as it's a closed city.

Also that same week, they started packing their stuff out of their apartment in Brightwater Keep for it to be brought to their house in Greywater.

They were scheduled to arrive in Oldtown on Saturday that week, which meant they also had planned on when to meet and tell their friends about it. Meera herself was going to meet with Robb, Jon, and Gendry on Thursday and tell them they're leaving on later that day, and Jojen meeting with Bran and Myrcella on Friday and tell them they're also leaving on that same day.

To make the story short, it's Meera going ahead on Thursday, with Jojen and Alys leaving the following day. That way they can avoid mostly Bran from knocking on their doors in Greywater demanding to speak to her. But in reality, all three of them will leave on Saturday and taking a different route to further avoid suspicion.

When the day came for her to meet her friends, she had never been so nervous. Mostly, because she hadn't seen or contacted any of them since Robb's wedding, which was nearly a month ago. Worse, she left at a moment's notice with Robb's brother, Bran, slept with him and now she's pregnant with his child. But they can't know that. Not yet.

Meera met with her friends at some high-end restaurant, which she can't pronounce the name, in Cobbler's Square.

She took a deep breath before walking into the restaurant. Robb and Gendry were already there, both in their corporate attires, being CEO of two of the biggest companies in the country and all.

"Hey, guys." Meera greeted casually as she reached their table.

Robb scowled when he saw her. "Well, well, well," He said. "Hello Meera."

She could tell he was mad. Of course, he would be. Her subconscious yelled back. You slept with his brother on his wedding night.

"I know, I'm late," Meera said as she sat down. "I'm sorry. I was packing my stuff up."

Gendry held up his palms up. "Okay, before you both say anything," He said. "I wanna hear it from you. Because when Arya told me, I didn't believe her. And just earlier, Robb told me the same thing, I still think he was kidding."

Meera turned to Robb.

"Yep, I told Gendry, like thirty minutes ago." Robb informed. "He still doesn't believe us. You need to clear the air."

She took a deep breath. "Alright—wait," She faltered, turning to Robb. "What did you tell him?" She asked.

"I told him what you and my brother had been doing since we were in college." Robb said.

"Tell me," Gendry said. "Is it true? You've been doing this with Bran since we were in college?" He asked. "Like since the time when Arya and I were still hiding our relationship from Robb?"

Meera gulped. "Um, actually, it was sort of, way before that."

Robb nearly spat out his coffee. "What?" He exclaimed. "You mean you've been doing it since high school or something? What the fuck, Meera?"

"No!" Meera said. "No, just…" She sighed. "Remember when you broke your arm? And Tyrek followed Gendry to King's Landing? Tyrek tried to take me by force. And it was Bran stood up to him, and I sort of, kissed him as a thank you."

"And then you started sleeping with him?" Robb speculated.

"I never slept with him," Meera started to say. "Well, until that Open Mic Night, like the night before you found out about Arya and Gendry."

"Holy shit!" Gendry exclaimed.

"What I want to know is, why with Bran?" Robb asked. "There are literally loads of guys out there, guys who had actually asked you out. But you chose to do it with Bran. Why?"

Because I love him. Meera wanted to say. At the moment, she was only pulling herself together and tried hard not to cry. "I don't know, probably because he was always there." She said. "And he's single and not mingling." She sighed. "Look, I know it's immature and immoral and…kind of insulting because we left at your wedding night. But I want you to know that I'm really sorry. And trust me, there's nothing between me and your brother. It's just sex, that's it. You probably just wanna shove me to a wall or something, but I won't care because I totally deserve it."

Robb snorted. "I know you are sorry." He said. "And I'm not gonna hit a girl. What the fuck do you think my wife will say about that? You know, I'm surprised Bran hasn't got you pregnant."

Meera froze when Robb said that last sentence. But when Gendry laughed, she nervously chuckled alongside him. What they don't know, was that she is already pregnant with Bran's kid.

"Oh, come on, dude," Gendry said. "She was medical student. They had more access to contraceptives than we do."

She cleared her throat. "Anyways, speaking of your wife," She said, turning to Robb. "How's the baby? Is it a boy or a girl?" She asked.

Robb smiled. "Oh, we just found out yesterday." He said. "It's a boy."

Meera and Gendry gave each other a fist bump and squealed.

"Congratulations again, dude." Meera said.

"Now we have a Robb Jr. in our midst." Gendry brought up.

"Actually," Robb said. "We're naming him Eddard, after my Dad." He pointed out. "And we'll call him Little Ned."

And Meera won't be surprised if her son or daughter would be good friends with Little Ned when they meet. They are, after all, cousins.

"By the way," She spoke up. "Where's Jon?" She asked.

"Oh, he's not coming." Robb replied. "There's an emergency at Castle Black."

Meera screamed in relief internally. She knew it's wrong to think this way, but she was glad Jon wasn't with them today. Jon knew about her and Bran, or might've guessed how she really felt about his little cousin, and he might've force and trick her into revealing her feelings. It's the very thing Meera feared about Jon, the fact that it seemed like he's got it all figured out.

"Okay, since we're all here," Meera said. "Might as well drop the bomb."

Gendry frowned. "Oh—kay?" He said in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

Meera took a deep breath. "I'm leaving." She blurted out.

"What?" Robb and Gendry said at the same time.

"What do you mean you're leaving?" Robb asked. "Where are you going?"

"To Oldtown." She brought up. "Jojen got this job offer from the Citadel Research Institute and it came with family privileges. So he's taking me and Alys with him."

"Dude," Robb started to say. "You, Jon and Gendry are gonna be godparents to my kid. You can't leave."

"Wait," Gendry spoke up. "Isn't it only one pair of godparents? Like a godfather and a godmother?" He asked.

"Oh, fuck having two." Robb countered. "I want you three as the godparents."

"Wasn't there some law about that?" Gendry asked.

"Yeah," Robb said. "But even if we can get approval from a politician, it won't be valid. There's a reason that there's a section called The Separation of the Church and State in the constitution." He explained.

"Fuck." Gendry muttered. "This is why I'm an atheist since age fourteen."

"Anyways, he's still your son," Meera pointed out. "Which means it's still your call."

"Thank you, Meera." Robb said., then frowned. "Anyways, why do you wanna go to Oldtown?" He asked.

"Yeah," Gendry added. "And Oldtown's a closed city in the Reach. You can't just go in and out whenever you want."

"I know that," Meera said. "And this also means we won't be seeing each other for a while, with me being there."

Gendry leaned on the table. "How long is this 'a while'—" He quoted his fingers in the air. "—you're talking about?" He asked.

"Um, three years." She revealed.

Gendry nearly spat out his iced tea. "Dude, that's way too long." He said. "A lot can happen in three years."

"It's contractual." She explained.

Robb was studying her. "I still don't get it." He said. "Aren't you checking on your Dad during the weekends? And I thought the job offer was for Jojen, what's in it for you in Oldtown?"

"Firstly, because Oldtown has highest pay in medical jobs compared to King's Landing." She brought up. "And second I could really use that for my Dad's treatments and therapies, and also save up for the future."

"Well, I don't blame you, Meera." Robb said. "In our age, we should be saving up for our futures. I mean, I got a kid on the way now. And who knows how much the additional expenses are going to be."

"Let's hope you'll finally have a boyfriend when you leave Oldtown." Gendry said.

"Whoa!" Meera raised her hands in surrender. "Let's not go back to that again."

"It's better than occasionally sleeping with my brother." Robb agreed. "By the way, how did your brother take it hearing your side of the story?" He asked.

"Furious." She recalled. "He was ready to drive to Winterfell just to punch Bran in the face."

"When are you leaving?" Gendry asked.

"Um, after we're done here."

"What?" Robb and Gendry cried out simultaneously.

"What about Jojen and Alys?" Robb asked. "You're not going together?"

Meera sighed. "Do you guys remember that Dornish girl from Rho Nu Kappa, Teora Toland?"

Robb shrugged. "Not really."

"Well, she's in Alys' year, and she's going to be our neighbor in the Citadel's housing complex on the Isle of Ravens." She explained. "And she's gonna help us settle."

That was true, of course, after Jojen sent an e-mail to confirm that he had accepted his job, he was sent back details of everything: sent a map of the city; on what to do when you reach Oldtown; that he was to be working in the Citadel's Botany building; and the address for the assigned home in the Isle of Ravens, while also informing them of their soon-to-be neighbors. And their neighbors were, Teora Toland and some guy named Mark Mullendore and their families.

Alys had contacted Teora afterwards, and she was thrilled to know that they were going to be neighbors and agreed to help them settle.

"Holy crap, Jon should've been here." Gendry said.

After they ate their meals, they said their goodbyes and both Robb and Gendry tackled her with a hug.

"We're gonna miss you, Reed." Robb said. "Now, we'll have to find a substituted Vet for the huskies and the dragons and also, a couples' counselor for us."

Meera made a face at him. "You're married now, Stark." She pointed out. "You should be solving your own problems." She turned to Gendry. "As for you, well, good luck, dude." She patted his shoulder.

Robb burst out laughing. "Don't worry, man." He assured. "You can always call Jon when you and Arya have your differences. Or me."

"No, no," Gendry countered. "I'll go with Jon."

Robb looked offended. "What the fuck?" He complained.

"Arya listens to Jon than you." Gendry pointed out. "No offense."

"He's right, you know." Meera agreed.

Robb sighed. "Well, at least you will have peace until tomorrow, dude."

Meera frowned. "Why is that?"

"Arya's in Meeren." Gendry explained. "And that's not true, man. Our arguments only happen when I go against her for no reason."

She cleared her throat. "Well, I better get going." She said as she gave them each one last hug. "Just give Jon a hug for me."

"Will do." Robb agreed.

What they know is that she's heading for Oldtown, but really she's just going home to Greywater and won't be leaving until Saturday.

Before driving home, she drove on the street where the Starkitects building was located, hoping she could get a glimpse of Bran for the last time before leaving. Luckily enough, the rush hour traffic caught her right in front of the building and she saw him.

Bran stood out before the building's entrance in his corporate attire with a suitcase and a roll of blueprints on one hand and a white hardhat on the other. He seemed to be working late as it's almost seven in the evening.

Meera wanted to pull over and tell him how she really felt about him and everything that's going on, but decided against it. It's easier said than done. She never had the stomach to do anything at the moment so all she did was stare at him as tears started to form in her eyes.

He was in the middle of a conversation with a building security officer, probably, when he suddenly looked at her direction. Of course, she thought. Bran recognized her car, or at least the car paint, but it was too far away to confirm as he would have to look at her car's plate. Her windows were heavily tinted so, of course, he couldn't tell if it was really her.

But Meera couldn't place Bran's facial expression. He was still staring at her direction, blankly, like he was having flashbacks of memories. Bran then smiled, and placed his hardhat between his arm and his side and pulled out his phone. He did a few swipes before pulling it close to his ear, like he was calling someone.

Sure enough, her phone lit up from the shotgun seat and rang. Bran Stark, it displayed.

Bran was calling her, which meant he knew it was her car and that it was her driving.

She was tempted to answer, like many times she was aware of him calling and sending messages, but she never could.

Knowing that it'll probably be the last time she'll ever see him as she'll be leaving for Oldtown, she rolled down her window, looked at his direction and waved at him.

Bran placed down his phone and wave back at her, with his smile growing wider.

Seeing Bran again, made her smile with her heart doing somersaults. But it also made her sad.

A tear trickled down her cheek. Goodbye, Bran, she thought, before closing her window as the traffic light went green and drove ahead.

BRAN

The past few weeks, Bran had been miserable. Partly because work had been keeping him busy that he rarely went out with his friends, but mostly because Meera hadn't returned his calls or replied to the messages he'd sent. Bran only assumed that Meera's busy too, with her being a Vet. And he'd been meaning to visit her at work in Brightwater Keep, but he was so occupied with his job, especially with Arya travelling here and there that he never found the time.

Three days ago, Arya left for Meeren for that restoration and documentation project of the Great Pyramid that they were commissioned to do. With his sister away for three days, he was the de facto CEO of Starkitects. It wasn't an easy task, considering he'd have to juggle Arya's routines with his. Having to run the whole company and at the same time, mentoring the apprentices, double-checking plans, supervising site and building inspections, and having to do official turnovers to the clients and building management teams.

Bran usually never brought his work home, but for now, he had to until his sister will be back. He was working late and left at almost seven in the evening with a roll of blueprints he had to double-check before he can give a go signal to start construction.

"Working late, Mr. Stark?" A voice asked.

He turned and saw Harwin, their building head security officer walking his way. He and his siblings had known Harwin since they were young, as he was their family chauffer, Hullen's son.

"Oh, hello Harwin." Bran greeted. "Uh, yeah. I had to. I even had to bring this home." He gestured to the roll of blueprints in his hand. "With Arya away, someone had to step in her place."

"When will Ms. Stark return, sir?" Harwin asked.

"Tomorrow, at the latest." He replied. "And then I wouldn't have to work late. Anyways, I better get going. Have a good night, Harwin."

"You too, Mr. Stark." Harwin said.

Bran picked up his keys from his pocket and thought of just ordering a take-out meal for himself and a snack for Summer since it's already late and he was too tired to cook dinner.

He got out the building and cursed as he saw the rush hour traffic right before his eyes. As he was about to head to his car parked on the parking lot beside the building, he saw something that made him freeze.

On the street, had cars caught to a stop by the red traffic light. One of the cars looked really familiar. It was painted rose gold. But it wasn't just any ordinary car, it was Meera's. Bran was sure of it. And seeing it made him smile.

Bran hurriedly pulled out his phone and called her. He knew she'd probably not answer since she was driving as her phone only kept ringing.

Suddenly, the car's driver window slid open and Meera peered out her head, smiling and waving at him.

Seeing Meera again, even just for a while, made his entire day. All the stress and weariness disappeared. And for the first time in weeks, he went home with a smile on his face.

The following day, he got a call from Myrcella that Jojen wanted the three of them to hang-out after work.

It made him nervous. He hadn't seen or spoken to Jojen ever since he and Meera disappeared at Robb's wedding night. But what made him more nervous was the fact that Jojen hadn't sent him any death threats. Which meant, he'd probably set up something that'll kill Bran the moment they meet later.

Just don't be late! Myrcella yelled through the phone. Or he will really kill you.

They met at a Sharp Point in Cobbler's Square, because Bran knew Jojen loved seafood the same way Meera hated it, due to her being allergic to some.

His heart was pounding against his chest as he stepped into the restaurant. He even stupidly checked the floor for landmines Jojen had probably installed or something that might get him back for sleeping with Meera.

"Bran!" Myrcella grinned as she ran and tackled him with a hug.

"Hey, 'Cella." He greeted.

Myrcella leaned in closer to him. "So, is it true?" She asked. "About you and Meera? Because when Gendry told me about it, I thought he was joking. And Jojen hadn't said a word about it when he called earlier and also because I was afraid to ask him."

He took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, it's true." He blurted out.

Myrcella's jaw dropped. "Holy shit!" She exclaimed. "On your brother's wedding night? Oh my gods, Bran!"

"Will you please, lower your voice?" Bran scolded.

Myrcella raised her hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry." She sighed, then patted his arm. "You are so dead. Good luck facing him."

"Thanks a lot, 'Cella." He murmured.

Just as they were guided to their table and Jojen entering through the doors, Bran could feel the color drain from his face.

Myrcella greeted Jojen with a hug and all, because she's that affectionate. But when Jojen saw him, his smile disappeared replaced with a cold glare.

"Hey, man." He greeted casually.

But Jojen only raised an eyebrow at him, not even making a move on their handshake.

Bran took a deep breath. "Okay, I'd like to go first and clear the air." He said. "The thing with your sister…I know it's wrong and-and stupid and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Especially since it's Meera's, and it's way, way out of line. And if you wanna punch me in the face or shove me to a wall, go ahead because I totally deserve it."

He flinched for any impact of Jojen's fist anywhere on his body. But it never came, as Myrcella stepped between them.

"Hey, hey!" She scolded. "No violence, please." She said. "We don't want the restaurant management kicking us out of here, do we?"

Jojen exhaled. "I'm not gonna punch you in the face, Bran." He said. "Maybe just here." Out of nowhere, he drove his fist hard onto his gut, making Bran double over and muffle a scream.

"Ow!" Bran rubbed his gut where Jojen punched him. "It's okay, I totally deserved that."

Jojen straightened. "I wish you can un-fuck my sister," He said. "But I'll let that be in the past."

They ordered their meals and ate.

"So Jojen," Myrcella spoke up. "This was all-of-a-sudden and you never just call for all three of us to hang-out. What's up?" She asked.

"Well," Jojen said after taking a drink for his iced tea. "There's probably no other way of saying this but…I'm leaving."

Bran nearly choked from his food. "What?"

"Jojen, what in seven hells are you talking about?" Myrcella asked as if she'd misheard.

"Remember that job offer in Oldtown?" Jojen recalled. "Well, I accepted it. I'm gonna work there now. I'll start next week."

"Dude, are you serious?" Bran asked.

Jojen nodded. "Yeah, they even sent me the names of my would-be neighbors in the housing complex on the Isle of Ravens. And because they have the highest pay in medical jobs compared to anywhere else in Westeros and they also have family privileges."

"Family privileges?" Bran repeated, then asked the question he dreaded to ask. "What do you mean? Is- is Meera coming with you?" He asked.

"Yeah," Jojen confirmed. "And Alys as well. They both resigned from their jobs in Brightwater Keep."

Holy shit! Bran mentally screamed. He's got to tell her how he feels and hopefully convince her from going to Oldtown. It'll be now or never.

"Wait," Myrcella interjected. "How is Alys granted permission to go? I mean, she's not technically family, right?"

"I made some arrangements in the papers." Jojen explained. "If you look through them, it'll come out that she's my fiancée but that's a different story, and a long one."

"When will you guys leave?" Bran asked.

Jojen sighed. "Alys will be picking me up after we're done here." He blurted out. "And then she and I will be on our way."

"What?" Bran and Myrcella exclaimed at the same time.

"You're going directly to Oldtown?" Myrcella asked.

"Well, I never actually had time to plan things," Jojen admitted. "Since I was busy processing the paper works and you guys are busy as acting CEOs to your family companies."

"Hold on," Bran raised his hand. "You said, she and I will be on our way, what about your sister?" He asked. "I thought Meera was coming with you."

Jojen shrugged. "She already left yesterday." He explained. "After she had dinner with Robb and Gendry.

"What?!" Bran said in disbelief. "How long are you gonna be there?" He asked.

"It's a three-year contract." Jojen informed. "And renewable, but I don't think I'd renew."

"So we won't see you in three years?" Myrcella said. "What the fuck?"

"I know," Jojen said. "Sacrifices have to be made. But it'll be worth it."

When Bran heard that, his heart sank Meera left without saying goodbye, he thought. At that point, he regretted not walking towards her in the middle of that traffic jam last night. And it pained him to know that the memory of the last time he saw Meera was through a car window smiling and waving at him.

He was so deep in thought that he hadn't notice Myrcella calling his attention. "Bran?" She said. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"Oh, I'm fine." He lied, but in truth, he was barely keeping it together.

The whole evening after Bran found out about the Reeds leaving for Oldtown, he was suddenly not in the mood. And he knew that Myrcella noticed, but he was busy trying hard not to cry in front of everyone to care about it.

When they left, Bran and Myrcella both said their goodbyes to Jojen.

"I'm gonna miss you, Reed." Myrcella sniffled as she hugged Jojen. "Keep in touch, okay?"

"I will, 'Cella." Jojen promised, then went on to give Bran a hug. "You better have a girlfriend when I get back, Stark."

Bran snorted. "I'm not promising anything."

"Oh, by the way." Jojen said, handing him a paper shopping bag. "Meera said I should give it to you."

He took the paper bag from Jojen. "What's in this?" He asked before opening it and pulling out a grey jacket.

I'll return your jacket, I swear. Meera had promised.

It made Bran smile. He then placed it back into the bag and handed the bag back to Jojen. "Tell her to keep it." He said. And hopefully, it'll help her remember me. Bran wanted to add, but decided against it.

Jojen took the bag back from him. "Alright then." He said, walking towards his car. "I'll see you guys in three years. And keep in touch."

As Jojen was a few meters away, Bran called and ran up to him. "Jojen," He said. "Could you please give a message to your sister from me?"

Jojen shrugged. "Sure."

"Please tell her…" Bran faltered, then took a deep breath before uttering a word again. "Tell her I'll wait." He promised. "I'll wait for her until you guys return."

It was literally all he could do. To wait. Because there's no way he can go after them into Oldtown as it's a closed city. And he remembered what Meera answered when he asked who would to go there if they're to be locked out from society. People who liked to be left alone, apparently. She had said.

Jojen nodded. "I will."

After Jojen left, Bran wiped the tears gathering in the corners of his eyes before turning back to Myrcella.

To his surprise, Myrcella had her arms crossed and had her eyebrow raised at him. "What in seven hells was all that in there, Bran?" She asked.

He shrugged. "What was what?"

"Don't play games with me, Stark." Myrcella said. "You really think I haven't noticed?"

"It's none of your damn business."

"Oh, it most definitely is my business, Bran." Myrcella insisted. "Come on, you helped us a lot with things, especially with you know, relationship troubles. Let me return the favor now."

"I appreciate that." Bran said. "But you can't help me now, 'Cella. She's already gone."

Myrcella gave him a sad smile. "I knew it." She said. "It's Meera. You love her." She guessed, then nodded. "Okay, I understand now."

Bran shook his head. "No, you don't."

"I do," She said. "I understand that you've never had a girlfriend, because you have something going on with her. Not just the sex but you know, you found a companion, a shoulder to cry on, a confidant in her. And then poof! You never even realized that you've fallen hard."

"Yeah, well," Bran sighed. "The story of my life. It's complicated."

"Nothing is too complicated, Bran." Myrcella assured. "Gendry taught me that. It's some saying incorporated to fixing machines."

"This isn't a machine, 'Cella." Bran reminded her. "This is life."

"It's just problem-solving." Myrcella said. "Like in Math class. You're a math prodigy, which means problem-solving is cake to you. It's the same concept: figure out the problem, and then find a solution."

"I already said I'll wait when she returns." He pointed out.

"And then what?" She asked.

"I'll finally tell her how I really feel." Bran blurted out. "It's one of my biggest regrets right now." He admitted.

Myrcella smiled. "Well, there you go." She exclaimed. "And don't worry, Bran. I'll be here when you need me."

"Thanks, 'Cella." Bran said, giving her a side hug. "But I need another favor."

"Sure, what is it?" She asked.

"Please, don't tell anyone about this." He urged. "Not even Trystane."

"What? But—" Myrcella started to say.

"Just, please." Bran insisted. "I don't ask you for favors that often."

Myrcella sighed. "Alright." She promised. "Your secret's safe with me."

. . .

On the way back to the penthouse, Bran cried in his car. He was absolutely devastated. You're a fucking idiot! He cursed at himself. Why didn't you just tell her then? When he arrived at the penthouse, he was greeted by Summer, which lifted his spirits a little.

"Hey, buddy." Bran greeted as he bent down and stroke his husky's hide.

Summer seemed to sense his master's troubled expression because he started licking his face and jumped onto his lap, which made him sit on the floor.

Bran saw what his husky was trying to do and smiled. Dogs can recognize human emotions and instinctively try to make their masters feel better by either flashing their puppy-dog eyes or becoming clingy, or both.

"I'm gonna be fine, Summer." Bran said. "Hopefully."

He brought out the doggie treats he had bought for his husky, placed them on his feeder before going to the kitchen himself.

Bran took out a bottle of Arbor gold wine from the wine bar and sat on one of the barstools on the kitchen counter. He popped the bottle open, poured it on a wine glass and slowly drank all of its contents by himself.

Afterwards, Summer suddenly sat on the floor, by his side, leaning his head on his leg and giving him the puppy-dog eyes.

"What do you want?" He asked, then tossed him another doggie treat.

Summer took the doggie treat by his teeth but surprisingly did not eat it, but instead placed it on his feeder and went back to sitting by him.

"Summer, what is it that you want, buddy?" He demanded. "Can't you see I'm brooding?"

His husky bolted away from him and ran up the stairs, a minute later Summer returned with something in his mouth. He went back to him and placed an object before him, before sitting down again.

Bran looked closer at the thing Summer brought him. He realized it was the garter he himself had placed into Meera's leg when she caught Talisa's bouquet.

He snorted and got up, nearly tripping as he was a bit tipsy already, sat on the floor and picked up the garter.

Bran turned to Summer. "So, you miss her too, huh?" He asked. "Me too, buddy. Me too."

Summer scampered towards him and licked his face again, and Bran was flattered to know that his pet husky was trying to make him feel better.

Bran unknowingly wrapped his arms around Summer. "She's gone, boy." He sniffled. "I was too late."

Afterwards, Bran noticed that he had emptied the bottle he was drinking from so he got up and took another Arbor gold from the wine bar and popped it open.

At the same time, Summer ran towards the main doors, barking playfully. The next thing Bran saw, was Summer wrestling and rolling on the floor with another husky, Nymeria. Which only meant one thing: his sister Arya was there.

He went back to his seat, placed the garter into his pocket and saw his sister stepping into the kitchen looking very concerned.

"Hey sis." Bran greeted, wiping his tears with the back of his hand. "How's Meeren?"

"It's fine." Arya replied. "But that's not what I'm here for." She said as she sat beside him. "Gendry told me about the Reeds going to Oldtown. I had to come here and make sure you're okay and not killing yourself."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that with me." Bran assured. "I'm not suicidal unlike some people."

"So what will you do now?" Arya asked.

"I don't know." He admitted, then preceded to drink from the wine glass. "I—"

"Wait!" Arya interrupted. "I know what." She plucked the wine glass from his hand and the Arbor gold bottle away from him.

"What the fuck?" Bran complained.

"Drinking won't help you, little brother." She pointed out. "You need to stop it and pull yourself together."

Bran buried his head in his hands. "I'm so stupid." He declared. "I literally had many chances, but I—" He choked. "I never did." He started tearing up, not even caring that Arya was around and might tease him about it. "I fucked up. And now, she's gone."

That's when he sobbed. And he expected Arya to just laugh at him, but she didn't. Instead, she put her arms around him and patted his back.

"It's going to be alright, Bran." Arya said. "It's gonna be okay." She assured, before breaking it off. "I'm gonna help you through this."

He frowned at his sister. "How?"

"Well, since you've already expressed your emotions and talked it out," She said. "We'll go to the next phase of moving on—"

"Hold on," Bran interrupted. "Moving on? What in seven hells are you talking about? I'm not giving up on Meera, she'll be back, in three years."

"Of course, she'll be back." Arya pointed out. "Do you think the Reeds would just leave their Dad in Greywater, didn't you? And many things can happen in three years, Bran. How are you even sure that Meera would stay single in that city?"

"I told Jojen to tell her that I'll wait when she returns."

"How are you even sure she'd listen to that?" She asked.

"I don't care about that!" Bran snapped, his eyes started tearing up again. "I love her." He blurted out. "And I should've told her that." He gritted his teeth. "And if I had to wait three or thirty fucking years for her, I will."

"But aren't you relying on false hope?"

"That's my problem to worry about," He pointed out. "Not yours. Whatever happens, I'll deal with it on my own."

Arya shook her head in disbelief. "Bran, you're torturing yourself—"

"Don't we all do crazy things for the person we love?" He interjected.

His sister snorted. "Everyone does, little brother." She said. "And also you're quoting lines from one of those romantic movies Sansa watches, which is…kinda weird. But fuck it! Who knew you can be as stubborn as me?"

"Well, I can never surpass you," He said. "Or Rickon, for that matter. But you get my point, right?"

Arya nodded, giving him a sad smile. "I know you would say that." She said. "And who knew that we have something else in common besides us being in the construction industry, falling for our brother's bestfriend."

"Just please don't tell anyone about this." Bran pleaded. "You owe me that much. I kept your secret then, before it came out. And Robb went on rage mode."

"That was your fault." Arya reminded him.

"I didn't mean for that to happen." He said. "You know that."

"Anyways, Meera won't be back in a few years," Arya said. "So all we need to do is find you a distraction, something to do to keep you busy and just not worry about her now." She pointed out. "As it happens, our job is the perfect distraction. And most of our clients have recommended Starkitects to their families and friends, which means we'll be commissioning more projects across the country."

He forced out a smile. "That's great."

"But Bran," She continued. "When Meera comes back from Oldtown, and she will be back. Please, man up and tell her how you really feel. Promise me that."

Bran nodded. "I promise."

"Now, get some sleep." Arya instructed, then took the second Arbor gold wine he had opened earlier from the kitchen counter. "And I'm taking this with me."

MEERA

Meera's resignation from Brightwater Keep General Hospital was finalized only three days ago. Afterwards, they took all their stuff back to their home in Greywater Watch and she and her brother had stayed there since. It was only temporary as they were leaving for Oldtown on Saturday, which is tomorrow.

And since going back home, everynight she'd go out of her room's balcony and stare out at the natural light display in the starry night sky. It never gets old. She thought. But looking at it now, made her sad, knowing that it was a coping and calming therapy of her Dad regarding their late mother, and also because it was also under the stars that she and Bran shared their first kiss.

Not a moment later, she heard a knock from her door before it opened and her brother walked in. Apparently, Jojen was back from going out with Bran and Myrcella.

"Hey sis." Jojen greeted.

Meera went back to stargazing. "So, how did it go?" She asked.

"It went well." He said. "Though I think Bran cried after I left or something."

She frowned at him in confusion.

Jojen shrugged. "He was suddenly not in the mood after I told him we were leaving for Oldtown." He explained. "And also I punch in the gut."

"What?" Meera exclaimed. "I told you, no violence!"

"Oh, come on," He countered. "Bran deserved that. He admitted it himself."

There was a dead silence for about thirty seconds, before she spoke up. "Did he say anything about me?" She asked before she could stop herself.

"Well, he was constantly asking about you." Jojen said. "Oh, by the way," He raised the paper bag she had handed him before he left for King's Landing earlier and placed it on her bed before going out the balcony with her. "Bran wants you to keep it. And also he said something about waiting for us returning from Oldtown."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I don't know, that's all he said." Jojen recalled. "That he'll wait for you until we return. Now, what the fuck does that mean?" He asked.

Meera snorted. Sometimes, her brother can be clueless. But hearing Bran's message made her smile. Now, at least, she knows that he's not mad at her at all for not answering any of his calls or messages.

"You know, I don't get you at all." Jojen said. "Why are you running from him?" He asked.

"You already know why, Jojen." Meera snapped. "We don't have to keep talking about this."

"But you love him."

That caught her off guard and she turned to her brother in surprise.

"That's right." Jojen said, matter of factly. "I know. You defending Bran when I threatened to kill him was kind of a red flag, sis."

Tears started streaming down her cheeks, and she wiped them with her hand. "Shouldn't you be mad at me about this?" She asked. "I screwed your bestfriend." She reminded him.

"I am, yes." Jojen admitted. "But other than that, he makes you happy. I can't put a stop to that. Just like what Robb said, you can't trust anyone better than your bestfriend. And I know Bran, he's a good guy."

Meera smiled, knowing her brother actually approve of Bran. But clearly, Jojen's still pissed at Bran for knocking her up.

"So, I'm gonna ask you now," Jojen said. "Do you still wanna go to Oldtown?" He asked. "There's still time to back out, Meera. You can stay here with Dad and Alys and I would still go." He suggested. "And you could talk to Bran about this, about your kid."

Meera was tempted to do so, but she decided against it. "No," She said. "I told you, I can't face him now. And as much as I don't want to go, I have to." She admitted. "Not for me, but for my kid. So I could earn and save money for his/her future."

Jojen nodded. "Okay." He said. "But know that whatever happens, I'll be by your side, me and Dad both."

She made a face at him. "I know that."

The following day, they had placed their packed up stuff into their cars and said their goodbyes to their Dad and their house staff as they would be gone for three years.

On the way to Oldtown, they took a different route, just to be sure. They took the Kingsroad to the Riverlands; then from the Crossroads Circle, the Riverroad to Casterly Rock in the Westerlands; then the Searoad Boulevard to Highgarden, the highway next to a promenade overlooking the Sunset Sea, and then the Roseroad to Oldtown.

About a kilometer from Honeyholt, the road to Oldtown turns into a toll road. Well, it wasn't really a tool plaza where cars were made to stop to pay some road fee, but cars were made to stop to check on documents.

Once they made it through, they drove another kilometer until they saw the massive, thick, high stone walls surrounding the city.

They were once again, made to stop for inspection before allowed to enter the closed city.

"Welcome to Oldtown, miss." The inspector said as he opened the gates.

The first thing Meera noticed was the Hightower, a massive lighthouse atop its own island and considered the tallest structure of ancient Westeros. Then she noticed the entire city was built in stone, with all its streets cobbled and the tallest buildings being only twelve storeys high—which was probably some ordinance so the National Landmark will remain the tallest in the entire city.

She was also impressed on how the Hightower wasn't visible outside the stone walls, despite it being the tallest structure then it occurred to her that the city's topography was moderately sloping downwards toward the Whispering Sound Bay. It was also supposedly the largest and oldest city in all of Westeros, but unlike King's Landing, Lannisport and White Harbor, (which were also ancient cities back in the day, but developed and modernized with technology), it also developed and grew but retained its ancient staple.

"Wow." Meera muttered in awe, as seeing everything she had only read or heard about was really overwhelming.

It also made her sad, Bran would've loved to see this, as he was sort of a history nerd and would spout out facts whenever he can. A thing he does that she always found adorable. But even without him, at least Meera will be raising hers and Bran's son or daughter in this beautiful city.

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

This is NOT the end, guys! There are many more chapters and BRAN AND MEERA WILL MEET AGAIN, I SWEAR! (Don't hate me). There will be a few years time jump in the next chapter, btw. Stay tuned.;)