Arya Stark was a nervous wreck.

She had been for a week now. It was one thing to be moving to another place without your parents, but it's another thing to be moving to another place AND living with an entirely different set of family with only one other female member. Given that her brothers are also going to be there, she was still dreading the thought of actually living in a testosterone-filled household.

Plus, Cersei is as girly-girl as Sansa Stark is.

Good God, have mercy.

Her parents, along with Bran and Rickon, left for Storm's End left the day before she did; and Sansa left for the Vale the week before. She was the last person to leave Winterfell, but Miss Mordane and the rest of their staff made sure Arya had all her stuff with her before she left for King's Landing. They made sure she was brought to the airport on time (because everyone knew Arya would have slept the morning away if they didn't take charge) and that her suitcases were with her at all times. It wasn't the first time she would be traveling alone, but Arya had a knack for forgetting things and being late.

"You're off to a different place, with a different family. Make sure you get your priorities straight and be responsible enough to look after yourself. Your brothers won't always be there to pick up after you, young lady," Catelyn had reminded her numerous times before they left. "And don't forget your manners, please, Arya. I know you can be hard-headed at times, but please, please…don't make a bad impression on the Baratheons. They're a long-time family friend of the Starks, ever since Grandma and Grandpa Stark became business partners with Robert's parents."

Half of her wanted to laugh at how desperate her mother sounded; begging and pleading with her to make sure she remembered her good manners and right conduct. The other half was actually insulted that her mother actually had to beg and plead about it. I'm not entirely an insufferable human being! Arya thought. But then again, the voice inside her head added the word "much" to that statement.

From what she remembered about the Baratheons, they were a pretty fun and outgoing lot. They spent a couple of summers at either the Stark or Baratheon beach houses or that private snow lodge in Switzerland, but it's been too long since they last saw each other and Arya found the memories a bit hazy now. She remembered Robert and Cersei, the middle brother Joffrey (who was a certified player but still sort of nice), and Tommen, who was still so young when Arya last saw him. And who would forget the eldest of the three brothers. She remembered him as this chubby, annoying kid who used to bury her in the snow during snow fights and pulled her pigtails at every possible opportunity. He wasn't really a bully, but she just hated how he used to follow her around and bug her even if he was the same age as her older brothers.

Gendry, she thought. As if I would forget that stupid name.

She found Robert and Cersei at the Arrivals section of the airport, along with Jon who was practically grinning from ear to ear. She hasn't seen her brothers since Christmas, and she missed even her endearingly obnoxious cousin, Theon. She resisted the urge to run to Jon, but her mother's voice kept yapping inside her head to remind her about manners.

Remember your manners, Arya. Young ladies are always refined.

But fuck refined. Arya Stark was no lady.

She let go of her luggage and ran the rest of the way and into Jon's waiting arms. Her brother laughed, but he sure didn't mind her unladylike manner of greeting. For Arya, who cared about manners when her heart was full to bursting at seeing Jon. If this was her reaction at seeing Jon, she wondered what it would be like to see Robb and Theon as well.

Arya let go of her brother so she could properly greet Cersei and Robert. They immediately pulled her in for a hug and she noticed that Robert had grown a bit on the heavy side over the years, while Cersei remained as slim as she always had been. Her blonde hair was longer but it suited her.

Wow. She looks like she just stepped out of a fashion magazine.

"How are you, Arya? I haven't seen you since Gendry stuck gum in your hair!" Robert laughed heartily, obviously happy to remember the incident.

Arya wanted to dig a hole from here and straight into her bedroom in Winterfell.

Cersei playfully slapped Robert's arm. "Honey, don't embarrass her! Don't worry, Gendry's no longer the annoying chubby 12 year-old you remember. He's a man grown now, my Gendry." She sounded really proud of her eldest, and Arya wondered if there would ever be anything to erase the image of Gendry's annoying self.

"I'm sure," was all Arya could say. She noticed Jon's knowing grin; as if he had a secret and he didn't want to share it with her. Arya made sure to ask Jon about it later.

Cersei looped her right arm around Arya's left and signaled to the men to take care of Arya's suitcases. "There would be plenty of time later for reminiscing. Right now, let's get Arya home!"

It was almost dinnertime when Robert pulled up in front of the sprawling Baratheon house. Like the Stark home, it had a modern look to it. The front had a spacious, semi-circular drive, with a small fountain right in the middle of it. The well-lit, two-storey house was painted a pristine white, and surrounded by high glass windows. Arya's awe must have been evident because Cersei giggled, then gently pulled Arya with her towards the house.

"There'd be time for a tour, later. Let's get you something to eat, I'm sure you must be hungry." She said, leading Arya across the living room.

Oh. My. God.

"Your house is amazing!" Arya couldn't hide her excitement at seeing the inside of the house. She looked around the space. Arya liked everything she saw-the light hardwood floors, the white walls, black and white furniture (reminds her of home, actually)-everything was to Arya's liking. Maybe she wouldn't have a hard time adjusting to life in King's Landing, after all.

"Where's Robb and Theon?" she asked Jon, who was busy putting away her suitcases.

"They're out for the night. You know, last day of classes, so they're out with a few friends to celebrate." Jon replied.

"Then why aren't you out celebrating with them?" Arya inquired, her brows furrowed together. She was staring at the framed charcoal sketches decorating the walls. She couldn't figure out who the artist was, but she thought they might be from the same person. Every sketch had the same style, but nothing was the same, really. She loved them.

Jon chuckled. "Well, seeing as I just picked you up at the airport, I couldn't be in two places at the same time, you know."

Arya said, "Ha ha, very funny. You could have just seen me tomorrow at breakfast, idiot. There's no need to cancel your plans just because I'm coming."

"Of course I want to pick you up at the airport. Anyway, Joffrey and Gendry are with them. And you can't expect Robert and Cersei to remember what you look like. You were 10 when they last saw you. You're 17 now and every bit a lady, if you know what I mean." Jon said, wiggling his brows playfully.

"Eww! You're disgusting, Jon. I hate it when you do that wiggly eyebrow thing. You look like Theon when you're doing that."

Jon stopped wiggling his brows.

"Come, Arya," Robert called out as he stepped back into the living room. Chef Baelish has prepared a fantastic dinner for us. Are you keen on having seafood tonight?"

"Anything would be fine, thank you. And I love seafood. " Arya said, following Robert and Jon towards the dining room.

"That was the best chili garlic shrimp dish I have ever tasted! Chef Baelish is my new best friend." Arya said, earning the laughter of her three companions.

After dinner, they all went down to the pool area and spent the rest of the night talking about anything and everything. Arya admired the expansive pool area, and noticed that there was a Jacuzzi at the rightmost part of the pool. They were sitting on lounge chairs and outdoor couches at the front side of the pool. The night air was not too chilly and not too warm. Arya would have preferred to feel a cool breeze, but tonight was almost perfect as it is.

"Your father is one of the best out there," Robert said, taking a shot of whiskey from his glass. "He's one of the few honorable men in this business and I don't think there would be anyone else who could take his place."

The Stark siblings nodded in agreement. Ned Stark was one of the best in the restaurant business and most people would have loved to strike a partnership with him. But it was only the Baratheons who have a close partnership with the Starks and it might remain that way for a long time.

"My brother in law, Renly, took Tommen and his cousin Shireen out to the movies," Cersei said, taking a sip of her wine. "Renly's a pretty cool uncle. He takes the boys out from time to time and they love him for it."

"Stannis could take a lesson or two from Renly on how to be The World's Best Uncle, as Tommen puts it." Robert added with a guffaw.

Arya had never met both men, so she reserved judgment for later. "Uncle Benjen's pretty cool, too. Isn't he, Jon?"

"Definitely! He used to let us stay up late and eat pizza because Mom made us eat vegetables for dinner." Jon said, smiling at the memory. "He joined this group of climbers called, The Black…although I have no idea why it's called that. He's out climbing The Wall as we speak."

"I asked Dad if I could go with Uncle Ben one time." Arya said.

"Oh dear. How'd that go?" Cersei asked.

Arya laughed. "Mom almost had a heart attack! She talked Dad's ear off, nagging him for days and days about keeping me away from Uncle Ben and his adventures."

"I can't imagine Joffrey climbing walls and mountains. It'd melt the wax out of his hair, he'd probably say!" Robert said, shaking his head. "Gendry's the adventurous one. You might get along with that one, Arya."

Oh, I doubt that. Your son's a dick, Arya thought, although she made sure not to say it out loud.

Arya's eyes must have started to droop because she suddenly felt Jon pull her to her feet.

"Come on, get up now," he said, pulling her from

the couch. "You've had a long day and I'm guessing tomorrow's going to be even busier what with the start of summer vacation. Get your cute little butt straight to bed."

"Thank you for dinner. And for letting me stay here. You have a beautiful home." Arya said before leaving.

"It's no problem at all, sweet girl," Robert replied, waving a hand in dismissal. "We're glad to have more people in this house. Makes it feel more like a real home."

"I'll show you to your room, little wolf," Cersei said, her eyes twinkling.

Arya smiled. She had forgotten Cersei's pet name for her when she was younger. Arya is as feisty, playful and intelligent as wolves. You are our little wolf, Arya Stark, she remembered Cersei telling her when she was younger.

"Lead the way, my queen," Arya teased.

Arya woke up to the sound of laughter. She looked over at the clock on the bedside table and groaned. It was only 7:30 am…how in the world is everyone up at this hour?!

"Here, Gendry! Pass it to me!"

Arya figured that must be Tommen. With a sigh, she got out of bed (more like ninja-rolled out of it). Thirty minutes later and freshly showered, she left the room in search of her brothers.

Apart from a few of the staff, she couldn't find anyone. Finally deciding on a detour to the kitchen, she was surprised to find someone rummaging through the contents of the fridge. She almost laughed at the view: the guy was bending forward, going through every item in the fridge, and his butt sticking out. Actually, his huge butt is more like it.

Ahh. Finally found Gendry Baratheon, douchebag extraordinaire.

Sensing that someone else is in the room, the guy quickly shut the fridge door and turned towards her. He looked like he was caught with one hand in the bowl of leftovers.

Oh, wait. He did have one hand in the bowl.

"Ah…hello," the guy said, his forehead creased. "Are you looking for your brothers?"

She nodded.

"Arya Stark," the guy said, looking a bit relieved this time. "Nice to meet you. Your brothers are in the backyard, playing a little football with the others."

"And you're not playing with them."

The guy shrugged. "Well…I'm not the athletic type…obviously."

Arya decided not to reply.

"Oh, well. Come on. I'll show you where they are."

Arya followed as the guy went out the kitchen door, passing through the pool area before making a right turn. Arya would have gotten lost if not for Gendry.

"Arya!"

She finally saw Robb, Jon and Theon running towards her. Arya panicked because they looked about ready to either trample her or hug her (she didn't know which was better), but they were not wearing shirts. Arya could see sweat glistening on their skin, and so she panicked.

"Oh my god, don't come any closer!" Arya exclaimed, taking a few steps back.

"What the hell? You've seen us without shirts on!" Theon said, putting both hands on his waist.

"But you're all sweaty!" Arya shrieked. "And you all stink! Get away!"

Robb kept walking menacingly towards her. "But I want to hug my little sister!"

"Fuck you, Robb! Get away! I just took a shower!"

"Language, young lady." Jon said in a growl.

"You're not mom." Arya replied.

"No," Jon answered. "But I'm her spy."

"Shut up." Arya snapped.

Your sister is still very charming, I see."

Arya turned to see who she assumed was Joffrey. Tall, lean and muscular, blonde hair that looked like he took time to style it even if he was just out here playing football with her brothers. He was attractive, but he was more of a pretty boy type, and Arya doesn't like pretty boys. She prefer guys who are ruggedly handsome. Joffrey would be Sansa's type, she guessed.

"Hey…Joffrey?" Arya half declared, half asked.

Joffrey laughed. "Yes. Glad you still remember me. And this one's Tommen."

He put an arm around a younger boy of about 10, who was standing beside him and looking at Arya curiously. Arya gave a little wave, much to Tommen's delight.

"Have you met Gendry?" Joffrey asked.

Arya nodded. "Yeah. Uh…he showed me out here. I met saw him back in the kitchen…" Arya's voice trailed off, leaving the part raiding the fridge.

The guys looked confused. "Gendry was never in the kitchen. He was with us the whole time." Joffrey replied, his brows furrowing in confusion.

Arya was confused too. She turned and saw the guy walking towards the group, looking happy as he devoured what appeared to be a multi-layered sandwich. "Ah, here he comes. And he looks happy with his sandwich."

The guys looked at each other and laughed. Arya was both puzzled and annoyed. "Can someone please tell me what's wrong."

Theon put a sweaty arm around his cousin, much to her horror. "What the hell, Arya. That's not Gendry. That's our friend, Hot Pie."

Hot Pie gave her a small wave with his left hand, while his right hand was still holding the ginormous sandwich.

"Okay, so this is Hot Pie. Where's Gendry?" Arya said in a huff. She was getting annoyed now.

"Did I just hear my name?"

Arya did a quick turn and found herself staring into the bluest eyes she has ever seen.

Seven. Hells.

She couldn't resist. She stared. Arya Stark stared at this guy she doesn't even recognize. Gone was the chubby 12 year-old she remembered him as. Her gaze swept down from his face…to his neck…his sweat-glistened chest (Lord Almighty, she wanted to lay her head on that chest and sleep for days)…down to his stomach. No, abs. He had rock-hard abs. Sweaty, shiny, rock-hard abs she could probably scrub laundry with.

Fucking washboard abs.

Wait, what?

Arya snapped out of her daydream and found Gendry staring at her with a stupid grin on his stupid face looking like a stupid GQ model.

"Arya Stark. We meet again."

Gendry Fucking Baratheon is now officially a member of Team GQ.