As Arya clung onto Gendry as the big bike roared away from Winterfell, she knew this was the start of another chapter of her life. Maybe it had been coming for a while. She couldn't deny she felt that something had called her back to spend the summer at Winterfell. If she hadn't come back now, who would have gone with Gendry to the hospital? Who would have been there for him when he met his father? Gendry needed her and now she needed him.

She couldn't believe she felt so calm after turning her back on her parents. Maybe she was in shock? But she felt calm, knowing the decision she had made was the right one. Was that what shock felt like?

Her Mother's behaviour hadn't surprised her: Arya had seen her do worse to Jon before, particularly after she'd been drinking, but her Father trying to slap her had shocked her. She had never seen him lift his hand to any of his children before. The secret about Lyanna must be a terrible one to provoke a reaction like that. She remembered what she'd shouted at him, just before he'd raised his hand - "Did you save her from making a mess of her life?" She'd only said it because her Father told her that was what he was doing by stopping her seeing Gendry - saving her from making a mess of her life. Did he mean that a man had ruined Lyanna's life? Was the secret a love story that had gone horribly wrong? Well, that was never going to happen to her with Gendry, but she needed to find out what Lyanna's secret was, and as soon as possible.

She'd walked out with nothing. Before she'd had everything that money could buy, yet she'd felt empty and alone. Now she had nothing except the clothes on her back but she felt protected, loved and happier than ever. She squeezed Gendry tightly with her arms and her thighs. He pushed up his visor and looked over his shoulder at her, his wonderful blue eyes shining with the same love she felt for him. As long as the two of them were together she just knew everything would be fine.

It didn't take long to get to his flat. As they turned into the car park, she saw there was a huge black car parked in Gendry's space. Gendry slowed the bike to a standstill in the visitors parking space and waited for Arya to slide off the back of the bike before easing the bike onto it's stand. She loved the way his hair was all tousled when he first took his helmet off and wished he wouldn't immediately start running his hand through it to smooth it down. As she watched him fix his hair she asked him who he though had parked in his space. He looked uneasy and avoided her eye contact. She knew he was hiding something. He'd always been a terrible liar and she was glad to see that didn't seem to have changed. She walked over to have a look at the car. It was about half again as long and wide as every other car and barely squeezed between the lines of his parking space. There was no denying it was gorgeous and super sporty. As she got closer she see the badge - 'Aston Martin Vanquish'. Hmm, wasn't that one of those James Bond cars men lusted after?

"Just how much money did Renly give you babe?"

Gendry looked sheepish. "£50,000" he mumbled.

"Hmm, I thought a car like this would have been much more expensive." Boys and their toys! She couldn't believe he'd blown £50,000 on a bloomin' car. Then she remembered their conversation in Baratheon's garage about her birthday Mercedes (the one that she was never going to get now) and realised that's exactly what he'd spend his money on.

"Umm, yeah, it was…err…I mean they are. Nearer £200,000"

"WHAT!?" She yelped. He was looking everywhere but at her and fiddling with the visor of his Bull helmet. Stupid Bull Headed Boy!

"Oh Gendry, please tell me you didn't get into debt to buy that?" she moaned

"What? Don't be daft! Who'd lend me £200,000?"

"So…did the fairies give it to you then?" For some reason that made him laugh

"Well, that's closer to the truth! Renly and Loras just turned up with it yesterday. Renly thought I'd like it and… well, he was right!" Gendry picked her up and twirled her around, whooping

"I've got a fucking Aston Martin!" at the top of his voice. His laughter and obvious delight were infections and she couldn't help but be happy for him. He was like a kid at Christmas. But what had happened to 'I don't want your money Renly?'

"I'll tell you all about it later, but I need something to eat, get changed and we've got to get to that gig. Come on, I'm starving!" Arya groaned. Here he goes again with that 'I'm starving' thing. Imagining them going to McDonalds for a drive through in his new car gave her a laugh.

He made her steak and salad for dinner. He'd boasted he was 'handy in the kitchen' to her before, but she'd thought he was referring to that sex on the breakfast bar. It turned out he meant he was a good cook. And he was. The steak in a peppercorn sauce was the best she'd ever had, but it was an odd combination. When she'd asked if she was getting potatoes or chips with it, he'd looked horrified. 'Too many carbohydrates!' he'd told her, taking off the tight white t shirt and showing off his rock hard abs. 'Low carbs, flat abs, babe.' She guessed she'd better get used to it if she was going to live with him and she did like those flat abs!

Gendry's idea of getting ready to go out on Saturday night was changing his T shirt. Instead of the white one, he pulled on an identical black one. He said it was a compression top for running, but whatever it was, it showed off his physique perfectly. It had a silver 'X' across his shoulders and shiny details in exactly the right places to emphasise his muscles. Never mind him worrying about her going out in leather jeans and a sparkly top, she wasn't sure she wanted HIM going out looking that hot.

No matter how many times, she tried to ask him about Renly, he managed to change the subject. Oh, he told her that the car was a 'peace offering' and that Renly and Loras had turned up at his work with it on Friday. He told her that Thobo Mott nearly fell over himself fussing around Renly and when Renly said he was 'borrowing' Gendry for the rest of the day Thobo's face was a picture. But he never got around to telling her exactly what Renly had said about anything. Arya was dying to know what Renly had said about her Father and Aunt Lyanna, but as Gendry kept avoiding the issue, she began to wonder if he'd even asked his uncle anything about that at all. Maybe they just talked about bloomin' cars all day. It certainly sounded like it.

-o-

The gig was in area of Westeros she'd never been to before. 'King's Landing' Gendry called it. It looked old and rundown. The streets were narrow and most of the shops were either boarded up or selling downmarket, cheap goods. Gendry obviously knew where they were going and he guided them smoothly through the narrow streets. Eventually, she could see neon lights in the distance, on the front of a big black building spelling out 'The Tourney'. As they got closer she could see a row of motorbikes lining the road in front of the hall and crowds of people, all in black, milling around outside.

Gendry slowly rode along the row of parked bikes until they got to the end, where he reversed the bike into place at the end of the long row. After Arya took her helmet off, she had a chance to look at all the bikes. She didn't see any as big and shiny and green as Gendry's and for the first time, began to see why he was so proud of it. This wasn't the kind of place you'd bring an Aston Martin and she understood now why he'd insisted they go on the bike.

It seemed that the bikes were part of the show. Certainly some had stunning paint jobs, but beyond that, Arya knew nothing other than it felt very cool and daring to be dressed in black leather, helmet slung over her arm, walking towards the gig with Gendry. There was a queue lined up outside the main entrance and a 'Sold out' banner across the closed ticket office. She noticed quite a few people had 'Fire and Blood' T shirts on, or had the words sprayed across the backs of their leather jackets; often with the image of a dragon. For a support band, they seemed to have a lot of fans.

Gendry didn't stop at the end of the queue and instead walked right up to the entrance. The biggest bouncer on the door greeted Gendry by yelling "Hey Bull! On the guest list tonight?" as they approached. Arya felt dozens of envious eyes on her as they were waved through into The Tourney.

The skinny boy in the cloak room was slipped a twenty pound note by Gendry, along with their helmets and jackets, to make sure his precious Bull helmet was safe. Gendry nodded appreciatively when the skinny boy put it on the highest shelf at the furthest end of the cloakroom.

Arya had worried she might have been over dressed, or at least over exposed, in her backless, sparkly top, but there was such a variety of old, young, tattooed and bare flesh on display, she decided no-one would be paying her any attention - except Gendry, who protectively slipped his arm around her waist as they walked up the stairs, following the crowd.

Everyone was wearing black as Gendry had predicted and the walls and floor of the place were painted black too, but the paint was scratched and tatty. Old gig posters and flyers were randomly stuck on the walls, frequently ripped and if not ripped, peeling at the edges. The ceiling was low and the whole place reminded Arya of an underground bunker. It certainly wasn't anything like the sports arenas she'd seen bands in before.

The ceiling was so low, Arya felt that a tall man could have jumped up and touched it. The black ceiling was, incongruously, decorated with random disco balls, slowly spinning and reflecting little squares of brilliance around the otherwise gloomy, black hall. As they walked across the floor towards a quieter bar at the far end of the hall Gendry remembered to say

"Hey, Arya, if anyone asks if you want a drink tonight, don't you dare say 'Pinot bloody Grigio!"

"Don't worry babe, I'm on Jack and Black tonight!" Arya had never even tried Jack Daniels and coke before, but Rickon had told her that's what all the bikers drank and Gendry seemed pleased.

"Good girl" he laughed as they reached the bar.

As Gendry got the drinks she watched the people at the bar, fascinated by the wide range of ages and styles. One man standing at the far end really caught her eye. He stood out, not just because he was very tall, but mostly because he looked so smart. Although he was wearing the ubiquitous black, his shirt was ironed, tucked neatly into black suit trousers, and he had that, ramrod straight, ex forces way of standing that she had noticed Loras and Lord Baratheon's bodyguards all had. But he had long hair, swept to the other side and none of the bodyguards she'd seen before had long hair. She decided she was probably just being paranoid, and anyway, what was so unusual about ex military types going to rock concerts?

While she watched Gendry have his usual effect on the barmaid, Arya noticed that the ex-forces man was also watching Gendry. Maybe the man was gay. Surely Gendry didn't have the same effect on gay men that he had on woman? Arya didn't think she could cope if everyone fancied her man. When Gendry moved away from the bar to find his way back to her, the tall man moved too and as he turned to follow Gendry, Arya gasped when she saw the other side of his face. Although the long hair was swept over the other side of his face, that side was horrifically scarred, puckered and red, just as Sansa had described her burned close protection officer. It all fitted, the height, the stance, the scarring, but why would a Lannister bodyguard be interested in Gendry? Suddendly she realised it was obvious - the Lannisters knew. Somehow they knew Gendry was the true son of Lord Baratheon and they were keeping an eye on him. Why she didn't know, but none of the scenarios that sprung to mind were pleasant.

As Gendry handed her the Jack Daniels and coke she hissed at him to 'Don't look now' then proceeded to tell him about what she'd seen and what Sansa had told her (she left out the bit about the blow job). To Gendry's credit, he didn't look around, but didn't seem very impressed with what Arya had told him either.

"Don't you think you're just uptight Arya? How could the Lannister's know about me already? Jeez, I only found out about me three days ago!"

"Well, there's one way to find out. Sansa said his name was Sandor. Let's find out if that's him."

"And how do you propose we do that Sherlock?"

"We'll obviously he knows I'm with you now, so I can't do it, but we get someone else to talk to him, say they think they know him from somewhere and ask if his name's Sandor. Then we'll be able to tell from his reaction if we're right."

"So what fool are you going to get to do that Poirot?"

"Well, who else do you know that's here? Someone that's smart enough to do it?"

"Are you being cheeky about my mates Nancy Drew?"

"Haven't you run out of stupid detective names yet?"

"Never will Miss Marple – I watch that shit on the TV all the time."

"You know what I mean." Arya huffed. "Who can we call on their mobile and get to talk to him?" Gendry sighed. She could tell he was pissed off. They'd both agreed to just go out tonight, have fun and forget about all that other stuff that had been going on. Yet here she was, reminding him all about it again.

"Jon's here somewhere with his team from Winterfell. They're probably down in the front row already, but you phone him if you want and see if he'll play your silly game."

"Give me your phone then. I've no pockets – see?" and she turned around and wiggled her arse at him to prove it. That always seemed to make him happy. Sure enough, when she turned back, he had his phone in his hand and a grin on his face.

She phoned Jon, who answered straight away, didn't seem very happy about it, but reluctantly agreed to go and speak to 'Sandor'.

While Gendry kept his back to the man, Arya watch Jon appear from out of the crowd, scan the bar for the man fitting Arya's description, then head for a space at the bar beside him. Jon was good. He tried to catch the attention of several bar staff unsuccessfully then turned, as if to moan about the service with 'Sandor'. Arya could imagine her big brother saying 'Hey, don't I know you from somewhere – the Alps maybe, or was it the Pyrenees…it's Sandor, right?' Sure enough, the big man was startled at being recognised, but recovered quickly enough and walked away from the bar, without looking back at Gendry. Jon disappeared back into the crowd with his drink. A few seconds later Gendry's phone flashed with a text.

"It IS him, I knew it!"

"Bloody great Arya. The Lannister's are tailing me. That's just made my night." Gendry muttered gloomily.

"Well it looks like he's gone now and anyway, what's going to happen in a crowded place like this? I'm not going to worry about it until tomorrow and you shouldn't either. Can you get me another Jack and black before the band starts? And make it a double this time honey?"

-o-

As the house lights went down, they moved away from the bar and into the crowd. Gendry stood close behind her, planted his feet, legs wide apart and wrapped his arms around her. She felt like a tsunami could break behind them and she would still be sheltered and protect in his arms.

As soon as the lights went down, the crowd surged forwards, around them towards the stage and the whistling and clapping started. Anticipation rippled through the hall. The clapping started out randomly, but quickly became rhythmic, punctuated by piercing whistles, yells of 'Fire and Blood' and 'Here we go!'

The crowd were chanting something, but Arya couldn't make out what it was. She had to ask Gendry who said it was 'Griff, Griff' - the singer's name. The rest of the band were on stage now and just as the chanting was reaching a crescendo a figure whirled onto the stage, running and executing a perfect cartwheel tumble across the stage, like Arya had seen footballers do when they scored a goal. He was all hair and limbs and electric energy and the crowd went wild. It was only when he grabbed the microphone stand, Arya was able to see he had shoulder length blue hair, pale, pale skin, make up around his eyes and what looked like a blue, sleeveless superman T shirt on. The T shirt was tucked into tight leather trousers with scarfs and belts hanging around his waist; kind of like Steve Tyler. He looked amazing.

He shouted out "Hello Westeros!" and the crowd went wild again. He made them a heart shape with his hands before breaking into the first song. Arya couldn't make out any of the words, but it had a thumping rhythm, catchy chorus and the crowd were loving it, singing along with every word. She could even feel Gendry behind her, bumping her ass in time to the music. The music was so loud and the place so cramped that the 'thump' of the bass vibrated in her chest . It was so loud it was painful, but the atmosphere was electric. The first thirty or so rows were moving up and down as one, like a wave, dying out as it reached the spaces in the crowd around where they stood. Nobody around them was jumping and Arya felt they were on the edge of the sea, standing on the beach, while all the other kids had fun in the water. She wanted to have fun too. There was no way Gendry would hear her, so she uncrossed his arms from her chest and tugged him forward until he got the message.

He mouthed "Are you sure?" with a rather worried look on his face, but she was sure and she hauled him behind her as she barged into the crowd.

Nobody paid them any attention as everyone was focused on the man on the stage. He was a natural. Arya had never seen any man work a crowd like this. Any concerts she had gone to before had involved sitting in or standing in front of your numbered seat, watching expertly choreographed dance routines and showbiz. But this was raw and powerful. He was their leader and they were his pack. He was whipping them up into a frenzy and one word or look from him was enough for the pack to go wild.

Arya loved the feeling of the strange bodies pressed tight around her, loved how, although she had never met any of them before, would never even exchange a word with them, they were all united by this common purpose - to worship the band and wring every last ounce of feeling from this night. The very best thing was having Gendry behind her, ready to catch her if she stumbled, ready to shove an erratic dancer out of their way if their flailing arms or legs threatened to hurt her. She was wild and free, but she was also safe.

Every time a song finished, the crowd would show their appreciation, all arms aloft clapping until the blue haired singer had the band start the next song, then there would be a few seconds silence, until the crowd recognised the first few bars of the song and then the singing along and the jumping would start again. Song after song came and the crowd knew every single word. Why had she never done anything like this before? Although her hair was plastered to her face with the exertion and the heat from the crowd, she loved it. Gendrys arms were burning on her waist. After every song she would turn around to grin at him and he would bend down and kiss her hard as he sneaked a quick grope of her breast under her top or even sliding his hand down the front of her trousers, oblivious to the others around them, before the next song started and they were moving again.

After a particularly fast number, the blue haired singer shouted that this was the last song and

"If you enjoyed this gig, guys take your tops off and give us all a show!" with a deafening roar, most of the boys and the men in the audience took their T shirts off. Arya had never seen anything like it: fat or thin, no-one seemed to care, only having to do what the blue haired boss told them. Arya looked expectantly at Gendry. He hadn't made any move to take his hands off her waist to remove his shirt. She mouthed to him to 'come on' and he reluctantly pulled his tight T shirt over his head and looped it through his belt. His chest was soaked in sweat, the black silky hair glistening under the strobe lights. She turned her back to the stage and grabbed him and kissed him just because he was gorgeous and she could and it was great to be alive.

As the lights came up and the roadies darted form the shadows onto the stage to disassemble mic stands and guitar stands, the crowd turned and made for the bars and the relative cool of the back of the hall. Genry pulled Arya around behind him as they fought their way, like the rest of them, through the slow moving throng to find some space. He stopped half way up the hall and turned to face her.

"Well?"

"It was magic. I've never experienced anything like that. It was the best thing ever!"

He grinned at her

"Are you sure – the very best thing ever?"

She playfully punched his sweaty chest.

"Oh you know you're the best thing you big Stupid, but that was just amazing…"

While she was still talking he leant down to kiss her and crushed his sweat soaked face onto hers. Just as she said 'amazing', his tongue snaked into her mouth. It was so unexpected and they were both so high from the gig that the fact his hair was dripping onto her face and her own was plastered to her back didn't matter. All that mattered was his tongue: smooth and wet and sexy, sending shocks of electric current straight south. His hands were on her bare back, slick with sweat and hair. She ground her hips into his and squeezed his hard arse in the leather bike trousers, wanting him to take her right here, right now. She had to break away to come up for air, and when she did she was horrified to see Jon, standing with his arms folded across his bare chest watching them. Not only was Jon there, but five other guys, all stripped to the waist and soaking in sweat, were standing in a half circle round them.

Arya pulled back from Gendry in embarrassment – shoving him away, but Jon was laughing.

"You two weren't hard to find - snogging in the middle of the floor."

Arya had a quick glance around, and sure enough, everyone else seemed to have disappeared off to the bar, leaving the two of them putting on a show of their own in the centre of the hall. Gendry didn't seem at all phased, obviously getting caught groping your girlfriend in front of your mates wasn't mortifying, but getting caught groping your boyfriend by your big brother was! Actually, Gendry was looking suspiciously pleased with himself.

Arya glanced around the circle at the men she didn't know. She recognised one from her last visit to see Jon and she presumed this was Jon's Winterfell team. They all looked like they'd been pulled from a river, absolutely soaking. Their T shirts were looped through their belts and each one of them was more ripped than the last. Arya had never seen so much muscle and had a hard time trying to stop her eyes wandering over every bare torso, as Jon introduced her

"This is Grenn, Pyp, Jeren, Halder and Tim.."

The first one, Grenn moved to hold out his hand to shake Arya's hand, but as soon as he realised how sweaty it was he pulled it back and just shrugged at her and smiled "Hi". They all did the same and Arya was struck by what friendly, open faces they had. They just seemed to be there to have a good time; with none of the posing and drama that she associated with the boys she knew from London.

Just as she was wondering where Sam was, he waddled up, mercifully with his t shirt still on, carrying a tray laden with pints of lager. Every man grabbed one and drank it down like it was the last drink they'd ever see.

Gendry and the other guys were as excited as teenage girls as they discussed the song order, the merits of the venue and the bum note someone had played two thirds through some song Arya had never heard of. It was all over her head and only because she wasn't paying much attention to their conversation did she notice the shock of blue hair striding towards them. Arya had never seen a man with eyes that colour before. The only way to describe them was 'violet' and they were fixed on her. The electric blue hair just made him look even more other-worldly. His skin was so pale it was almost translucent, making every vein and tendon visible. He was simply stunning and having him stare at her was making her very nervous indeed.

Arya nudged Gendry in the ribs and at the same time, everyone else seemed to notice Griff approaching. They all turned around to welcome him in to the centre of their circle. He gave each one in turn a 'Hi Five' while calling out their name. Each of Jon's friends virtually fell at Griff's feet. Arya had never seen men behave like that before.

When it was Arya's turn she couldn't speak for staring into the violet eyes rimmed with black make up. His alien eyes were locked on hers and without breaking eye contact he reached for her hand and gently brushed his cool lips to the back of it. Despite herself, she felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment.

"My Lady Stark" He whispered so softly that Arya doubted anyone else could have heard the emphasis on the 'My' but never the less, she felt Gendry's arm slide around her waist, marking his territory.

"What did you think of my band?" He asked, his eyes never leaving hers.

"You were… I mean they were… amazing" and she found herself fumbling over her words as if she was seventeen again. Griff's eyes were dancing with amusement, clearly aware of the effect he was having on her. Gendry pulled her into him, away from the spotlight of Griff's attention, forcing Griff to let go of her hand. Unperturbed, Griff turned smoothly to Gendry and clasped his hand around Gendry's free forearm, giving The Bull no option but to grab Griff's forearm back.

"You lucky Bastard" Griff said with a sly grin. Arya was painfully aware of the tension arcing between them and Gendry's tight smile as he returned Griff's forearm grip.

Jon was the last to be favoured with Griff's attention and to Jon he simply said "Brother" and the two of them embraced, only breaking apart when Sam arrived with another tray of drinks and shyly offered one to Griff. Without hesitation Griff grabbed the nearest one while telling Sam he was the truest friend a man could ever have. Sam also blushed furiously and Arya could only marvel at the effect Griff had on all of them. If this was star quality, Griff had it in spades. She caught Jon's attention as Griff spoke to Sam and mouthed "Brother?" at him questioningly. Jon just shrugged his shoulders and grinned back at her.

There was a gaggle of girls outside their circle. When Griff was finished holding court in the centre, the circle opened and Arya was able to see that they were surrounded by tiny girls, almost all wearing the same dragon T shirt that Griff wore, but in black, rather than his Superman blue. Actually, the girls weren't so tiny, it was just that Griff and all the men she was standing with were so tall. Suddenly Arya was aware of twenty pairs of jealous girl's eyes giving her evil looks. It wasn't hard to see why. There she was, surrounded by six ripped men, all stripped to the waist, Sam, Gendry who towered and smouldered over them all and Griff the Rock God. Oh – what would the Arya of two weeks ago made of all this? 'She would have hated me too' Arya thought to herself with a smile.

The girls now flooded into the circle and it was clear that some of them knew Jon's friends as there seemed to be quite a bit of greeting and groping going on. Arya couldn't help notice that Jon and Griff were now too deep in conversation to notice or care what anyone else was doing.

It didn't take much to get Gendry to agree to take her to the bar to get another drink. He seemed to be so relieved to get her away from Griff that he didn't protest when she ordered another double 'Jack and Black'. He had a pint of coke.

They were standing at the bar and she knew she was pushing her luck when she asked him about Griff. She wanted to know all about him, but Gendry obviously didn't want to discuss Griff at all. When she asked what age Griff was, Gendry pulled a face and reluctantly muttered

"About twenty one I think."

When Arya asked what Griff's second name was Gendry groaned

"He doesn't have one. It's just 'Griff'. His father was a big rock star and he thinks that if it comes out who his father was, then he'll be accused of riding his father's coat tails and being another wannabe 'son of someone famous'. He wants to make a name for himself first."

Arya wanted to know more

"But you know his real name?" There was no way Griff would be calling Jon 'Brother' if Jon didn't know who he really was, and if Jon knew - his best friend Gendry knew too.

"Yeah, Arya and I'm not telling you. Now stop asking me about that blue haired twat before you really piss me off and I start thinking you're more interested in him than in me." Gendry was scowling and his brows were down. He looked just like a little boy in a big sulk. She suddenly realised he was jealous!

"Ok, Ok, I'll not ask you about him again, but he's gonna be huge isn't he and I'm just curious." And after that she shut up about Griff the Rock Star. Just because she wasn't talking about him, didn't stop her thinking about those violet eyes, rimmed with black make up.

The main band was nothing compared with Griff's Fire and Blood. Arya would have quite happily left to go back to Gendry's flat, but he wanted to stay. So she kept drinking the Jack Daniels and he watched the band.

Once they were outside in the fresh air, the alcohol hit her and she felt herself stumbling down the last few stairs from the venue. As usual, her knight in shinning armour was there to put his arm protectively around her and help steady her.

John and most of the other guys were already waiting outside. Grenn was singing one of the Fire and Blood songs very badly at the top of his voice. A few random passers by were joining in.

"Want to come back for a party in the barracks" Sam offered enthusiastically.

Gendry looked at Arya, nestled against his chest and drawled

"Nah, I want to take my girl home."

"Well, you both come." Sam obviously didn't want to take 'no' for an answer.

"Yeah, you could Bull as I don't want to be the only sober bastard with this lot of piss artists" Jon moaned. As the boys argued, Arya let her hand and her mind wander. Gendry's buttocks were rock hard and she was enjoying trying to distract him while he was talking to the guys, but her eyes wandered to the old man selling tomorrows newspaper outside The Tourney. He was behind a red, moveable stand with the front page of tomorrow's paper on it. She was too far away to read it properly, but, even in her drunken state, she didn't like what she saw. Extracting her hand from Gendry's pants, she felt for some money in her jacket pocket and staggered over to buy a newspaper. As she got nearer she was able to read the headline.

"Respected doctor dies in horrific accident"

Her heart was pounding and her hand shaking as she handed over a fiver for the paper. She waved away the old man's attempts to give her change. Maybe Gendry was right and she was paranoid, after all every doctor was 'respected' weren't they? As she unfolded the paper her worst fears were realised

Under the headline there was a picture of Dr Cressen, just as she'd remembered him, looking serious in his white shirt, sleeves rolled up. She couldn't take in the whole report, her eyes just flicked between the lines, picking up the words "Maesters Hospital…genetic research…skidded…no other car involved…Lord Baratheon…wife distraught…"

She felt Gendry's strong arms around her again and his warm breath on her neck

"What's up Arya?" She couldn't help herself bursting into tears. It was all too much, the fight with her parents, Sandor, the Lannisters and now Dr Cressen was dead. She was terrified for Gendry. She couldn't even speak to him for sobbing into his chest. He smoothed his hands over her hair and down her back, murmuring 'Shhh. Shhh' after a few moments he must have caught sight of the front page as she heard him exclaim

"Oh shit!"

Within moments Jon was beside her too. She heard Gendry explaining about the doctor and poor Jon's worried voice when Gendry told him he was now concerned for her safety. The two of them were arranging for Arya to go back with Jon in his Land Rover, but she didn't want that. She wanted, she needed, to be with Gendry. She wanted to be able to cling onto him on the back of his bike to feel his heart beat and know he was safe and alive. She hugged him tighter and told him she wasn't letting him go. He soothed her again and stroked her hair and asked Jon if he would drive behind them back to Winterfell where he'd drop her off to stay at the barracks. That's not what Arya wanted either and it was Jon that came to her rescue telling Gendry he didn't think she should sleep alone tonight. Thank God for Jon - he always seemed to know what she was thinking.

The two of them then had a discussion about it all over her head. Gendry told Jon briefly about his finding out who his father was. Arya knew how pleased Jon would be that Gendry now knew who both of his parents were and how much Jon longed to know that too. The two men decided Arya would go back to Gendry's flat for the night and then Jon would also come back to stay at the flat, after he'd dropped the piss artists back at the barracks. Arya heard Gendry tell Jon he'd got some information for him from Renly and that he'd tell him later. Despite the shock, Arya desperately wanted to hear what Renly had said, as Gendry's uncle seemed to hold the key to everything.

Within minutes of it being agreed, she was on the bike and Gendry was pulling out to follow Jon's black Land Rover home.

She'd never clung onto him so tightly and they'd never ridden so fast. Getting out of King's Landing had been tortuous, with every red light seeming to be against them. As soon as they hit the motorway Jon's Land Rover sped away and Gendry's bike responded with a deep, powerful roar, as they sped after him. Arya had no idea how fast they were going, but it must have been way over the speed limit and as fast as the Land Rover would go. The motorbike felt smoother than ever and she even felt safe as Gendry leant the bike right over into the bends as they raced home.

Once they were off the motorway again they had to drop the pace, but it wasn't long before the gates of the Winterfell Estate were looming and Jon had to turn off the main road to take his Team home. As they sped past, Arya caught a glimpse of five hairy arses pressed against the windows of the Land Rover, giving them a send off before they disappeared through the Winterfell gates.

Back at the flat, Gendry made her change into one of his T shirts and tried to get her to go to bed. She wouldn't go to sleep without him and he wanted to wait for Jon, so still fully clothed, he climbed into bed beside her. There was so much to say, but she was now so tired, she didn't even have the energy to quiz him about Renly. They just cuddled and she was drifting off to sleep when she felt him get out of bed. He whispered

"That's Jon. Just go to sleep and I'll be back soon" as he got up and quietly closed the door behind him. She tried to stir herself to get up. She HAD to hear what he was going to tell Jon. Sleepily she dragged herself out of bed and stumbled into the living room.

Instantly she snapped fully awake, adrenalin pumping through her veins like never before. Gendry was standing, frozen against the wall, with his hands over his head, while a masked man pointed a gun at his head. It was as if she was viewing the scene in slow motion. She was able to take in everything - the silencer on the gun, the front door still ajar, the panic on Gendry's face when he saw her - in an instant.

Without moving the gun away from Gendry the masked man tilted his head to Arya and snarled

"I thought you said you were alone you Baratheon Bastard! But never mind, it's all the better for my employer. She's going to get two for the price of one tonight."

The masked man waved the gun at Gendry.

"Get on your knees bastard. You can watch as she gets hers first."

As Gendry slumped to his knees, the masked man kicked him. As Arya heard the dull thud of boot connecting with flesh, there was a blur of movement from behind the door and, quicker than Arya thought possible, Jon had a knife to the masked man's throat.

"Drop the gun." Her brother ordered. Instead of complying, the masked man whirled around to point the gun at Jon. Maybe the assassin hadn't realised the object held to his neck was a knife, sharpened to a needle-like point. The movement of his neck as he brought the gun around was enough for the blade to slice through his carotid artery, sending a column of blood spurting four feet in the air and splattering the ceiling of Gendry's flat. The man didn't even seem to realise he was fatal wounded, still trying to turn the gun on Jon, as his life's blood spurted out his neck. Arya noticed with a horrible fascination that each spurt didn't reach as far, and by the time the man sank to his knees, the blood was no longer spurting but slowly pumping out of the gash in his neck, soaking his clothing and the floor.

Jon took a few seconds to recover, dropping his knife like it was on fire and then trying to press his hands over the wound in the man's neck to stem the flow of blood. It was no use; the blood was still oozing through Jon's clasped hands.

Arya realised Gendry was yelling something at her.

"Get my phone and phone Renly. Do it NOW Arya!" She stumbled into the bedroom and came back with it.

"Why not the police?" Surely it was the police you phoned when something like this happened?

"NO! Phone Renly and tell him I need help here NOW! Don't give him details, just tell him it's started." Arya did what she was told. While she waited for Renly to pick up a bewildered, bloodsoaked Jon asked Gendry,

"What's started?"

"A war Jon. A Goddamn war."

-o-

So, who killed Dr Cressen? Will Gendry save Lord Baratheon? What happened in Winterfell 25 summer's ago that led to Robb, Jon and Gendry all being born 9 months later? Why doesn't Ned think Gendry is right for Arya? So many questions to answer and we've also got Arya's 21st birthday, Jon leaving Winterfell and Robb's wedding (with kilts!) on the horizon…

But what happened to chapter 25? Well, I've had a burning idea consuming me that I need to get out. I have always seen Gendry as an Alpha Male and I have been watching Teen Wolf (I have to thank Venessia for that). So, in a weird mash up, I NEED to write about Gendry, in fact all the Baratheon's, as Werewolves. Obviously the Starks are going to feature in this, but none of them are currently Werewolves and if you want to find out why, you're gonna have to read the missing chapter 25/chapter 1 of Wolf's Helmet where Renly will explain it all…

So, I'm going to take a break from Bull's Helmet here. This has been my first Fanfic and I've learnt soooooo much, but I have to admit, I've been a bit disappointed by the lack of reviews. Venessia deserves to get a special mention again here as she has give me 14 fantastic reviews which, alone, is a third of my total. Only a few people out of hundreds of viewers have bothered to review. So I'm going to ask you, for the first and last time, if you enjoyed this (or I suppose even if you didn't) will you please say something - anything about it?! I hope to come back to Bull's Helmet, but if there's not enough interest I might not bother!

So I hope to meet you again in Wolf's Helmet - available next weekend. Hope you come along for the ride…

Lady3jane

5th October 2012

Shit. Arya had forgotten about Gendry's promise to Ned. She didn't want to go back to Winterfell on her own. It was only ten thirty and she plans to get Gendry out of those leather trousers that had been tempting her all evening. She was too tired to argue, but snuggled in closer under his jacket and started working her hand down the back of his trousers, hoping he'd decide to take her back to his flat first.