A/N: Thank you for all the reviews for the last chapter. I was pleasantly surprised that so many sent me reviews and PMs...I am genuinely touched by the support (excuse the Oscar-like speech) and no, I wasn't planning on ending it abruptly.

Neither am I ending this story anytime soon :D

Thank you! You know how this goes...you guys rock, and especially GRRM because I'm sort of playing with his characters.

I hope you enjoy this one. Sansa wasn't in this story much so there's more Arya/Sansa bonding. And my apologies in advance...major Gendrya cheese up ahead.

"Psst! Arya!"

Arya turned around to find Sansa hiding behind the door to the upstairs bathroom. She raised her brows in question, to which Sansa only answered with a wave of her hand which meant for Arya to follow her inside. Taking a quick look down the hallway, she followed her sister inside and closed the door.

"What are you doing here? They've been looking for you," Arya said.

Sansa held a finger up to her lips. "Sssh! I'm hiding!"

"From whom?"

"Sssh!" Sansa hissed again. "From your brother-in-law!"

Arya stepped back. She stared at Sansa with an incredulous look on her face. "Why are you hiding from Joff? Did he do anything to you? Like, anything?" She said the last part with a little squint of her eye.

Sansa shook her head, making her fiery auburn hair sway softly around her shoulders. "He didn't do anything like that. It's just that he's been following me around, staying in the same room as I am although he doesn't say much. I just find it…"

"Annoying?" Arya provided for her.

"Nerve-wracking, actually," Sansa sighed. "He makes me nervous just sitting there, not saying anything. It feels like I'm being watched. I mean, I've been here since yesterday, but he hasn't said a word to me except hi and bye but he's always around." Sansa tilted her head and said, "Okay, now that I think about it, it is kind of creepy and annoying."

"Joff's totally harmless," Arya remarked. She closed the toilet lid and sat on it. "He just has this little, tiny, teeny-weeny bit of a crush on you," Arya added as she grinned up at her sister.

Sansa rolled her eyes.

Wow, I missed that eyeroll! Arya thought.

Sansa crossed the bathroom to take a seat on the edge of the tub. "I guess he's okay. But it's like we're 10 years old again and honestly, I'd prefer it if he talked to me instead of following me like a lost puppy. Lady didn't even follow me around that much!"

Arya laughed. "You want me to talk to him? You know, just give subtle hints or something?"

Sansa reached over to hug her. "Thank you! Thank you!"

"Well, come on then," Arya said as she helped Sansa up. "Cersei's taking us out for lunch and we need to get ready."

Arya stuck her head out to check if the coast was clear before pulling Sansa out with her. They crept towards the room where Sansa was staying and shut the door as quickly as possible before anyone found them.

"You do realize we're acting like idiots, right?" Arya asked, putting both hands or her hips.

"I know," Sansa whined. "I'm sorry! I wasn't ready for Stalker Joffrey nor did I sign up for a Stalker Joffrey vacation getaway either."

"Okay," Arya said as she crossed over from the bed to the luggage placed all around the room. "We need to get ready to go out and why in the world are your clothes strewn across the floor? And please tell me you did not pack your entire wardrobe for a short trip?"

Sansa flushed with guilt. "I didn't know what to bring, really! So I just put everything in there. At least I won't have problems dressing up for something."

"What are you going to be dressing up for?" Arya asked, her brow lifting to as high as her hairline. "Did someone ask you to the Oscar's?"

Sansa looked over to where Arya was pointing and found the little black dress she shoved in her luggage. The glittery red killer heels she usually wore with the dress was peeking out of her shoe luggage.

"I told you, I just shoved everything in there."

"Hooh-kay, Dorothy," Arya said as she started rummaging through the pile of clothes. "Let's find you something to wear because we are going to Oz."

"Since when are you interested in clothes, my dear sister? What happened?" Sansa asked with amusement.

"The joint forces of Cersei and Renly Baratheon happened. Okay, why don't you go to my room and we'll change there? I just need to get something from Gendry's room."

"Are you leaving clothes in Gendry's room now?" Sansa choked out the question.

Arya rolled her eyes. "No, stupid! He left his phone in his room and he asked me to get it for him when I went looking for you."

Both girls walked out of Sansa's room, with Arya pointing a finger to where hers is. Sansa gave a her a knowing glare before walking in and closing the door. Arya, on the other hand, walked to the opposite end of the hallway and into Gendry's.

"I'll meet you guys in a few," Gendry said as he got up from the couch. They were waiting in the family room while Arya, Sansa and Cersei got ready to go out.

"Couldn't you wait until they get down here?" Joff asked, a knowing grin spreading across his face.

"I left my phone in my room, you idiot," Gendry replied nonchalantly.

He left the room before anyone could say anything else. He asked Arya to get his phone for him, but he figured it might be the only chance they would be alone, even for a really short while. He stopped himself from almost whistling as he skipped up the stairs and into his room, which he found was empty. With a quick turn, he made a detour towards Arya's room and slowly pushed the door open.

It was empty as well. Gendry frowned, until he heard the water in the shower stop, the taps turning to a close. Feeling a bit dangerous, he stepped towards the bathroom to give Arya a little surprise. The shower's glass door was all fogged up, and Gendry couldn't exactly see Arya from out here. He fought back devious laughter when he opened the shower door, sliding it to the left before sticking his head in.

He didn't find Arya, but he found a piss-scared Sansa tucking the ends of a towel to secure it from falling.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeee!" Sansa shrieked. She put her arms around herself to keep the towel from falling to the floor.

"GODDAMN MOTHERFUCKING…" Gendry cried out in alarm. He quickly ran out of the bathroom and back into Arya's room to find her standing there with a shocked look on her face. Apparently, it wasn't just Arya who had a shocked expression to her. So did Jon, Robb, Theon and Joffrey, as they stood in line behind Arya to find out what has distressed Sansa.

"What the fuck are you doing in there?" Jon said angrily, as he stared at Gendry to Sansa and back to Gendry. "My sister's in there!"

"I didn't know that, bro!" Gendry said, putting both hands on his head and shuffled his feet in a nervous manner. "I was looking for Arya and obviously, I found the wrong sister." He turned to Sansa and muttered an apology, to which she waved her hand in dismissal, muttering "It's okay" before going back in the bathroom to change.

"Well, if you're looking for Arya, why were you snooping into her bathroom anyway?" Robb asked in all curiousity.

"I have his phone!" Arya quickly interjected to shift everyone's attention. "Boys, Cersei's almost done and she says you should all go ahead and we'll just meet you at the restaurant as soon as we're ready here. Okay? Bye, guys!" She all but shoved everyone out of her room, except for Gendry.

"What were you doing in here?" she asked as soon as they were alone. "I asked Sansa to come get ready here while I got you your phone."

"I checked but you weren't in my room!" Gendry argued.

"Cersei called for me! She asked me to tell the guys that…okay, you know what? Whatever. Let's just go wait for Sansa and your mom downstairs, okay?" she said, tugging his arm as she led him towards the door.

Gendry's shoulders slumped. "I think I freaked her out."

"Who? Sansa?" Arya said. "Nah, she'll get over it. Once she gets over the shock, she'll just ask what you were doing sneaking into someone's bathroom while they're taking a shower."

"By someone, do you mean you?" Gendry asked with a hint of a smile.

"By someone, I mean me," she answered with a smile. "But you do know that my brothers would now get a hint that you sneak into my room, right?" She asked as she gently reached out to move the hair out of his eyes. Her fingers made a quick detour to his cheek; caressing the soft skin with her thumb until he closed his eyes and sighed.

"Still here," Sansa said as she came out of the bathroom, now fully-dressed. "Stop making me feel like a third wheel."

"Sorry about earlier," he said as he shyly turned to her.

Sansa gave a soft chuckle. "No problem. I wouldn't have screamed, you know, if I was actually dressed. But now that I think about it, had you snuck in there a couple of minutes earlier than you did, you would have seen me minus the towel," she shuddered at the thought. "That would be embarrassing."

"Not as much for you as it would be for me," he said with a nervous laugh.

"Okay, this is getting a little weird," Arya said. "We'll be waiting downstairs, so just come down when you're ready."

"See you later," Sansa replied as she watched her sister and her boyfriend walk out of the room, playfully nudging each other as they went.

"Wow," Sansa said to herself with a deep sigh. "Never thought I'd see the day where I was the bloody third wheel."

"Maybe if you talk to her, you wouldn't have to be following her around like a lovesick puppy," Arya whispered to Joffrey as they walked down the busy sidestreets of King's Landing.

It was a nice day out and people were either running errands or simply just enjoying the weekend's beautiful weather. After having lunch at the ever-popular Braavos, Cersei wanted to shop for a few things so the girls-yes, even the guys-tagged along. No one was happy about shopping with Cersei, except maybe Sansa who had a deep love for shopping.

Arya slowed her steps so she would fall behind Joffrey, who was content walking at the tail end. She waited until Gendry was distracted with talk about photography with her brothers before sneaking at the end of the line with Joffrey.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Joffrey replied as he looked anywhere but at Arya.

"All I'm saying is that maybe you should just strike up a conversation. It's what normal people would do," Arya said with a soft laugh.

Joffrey stopped abruptly, making Arya trip over her own feet, making her throw Joffrey an annoyed glare. "Am I that obvious?"

"Dude, you have a sign above your head that says 'I have a crush on Sansa Stark'and it's all in neon."

Joffrey sighed. "You know I've had a crush on her since years ago."

"I know! Which is why you should just talk to her, be natural about it. You know…go with the flow?"

Joffrey stared at the Stark girl walking beside his mom right at the front of their little procession. She was everything that Arya was not-surprisingly tall, long auburn hair falling in soft waves down her back, slender figure, long legs from here to eternity. Although it didn't mean that she was the better Stark. Both girls were said to be amazing in their own way, and Joffrey had already known Arya for a while. Maybe getting to know Sansa would be a good way to start forming a friendship with her, if nothing else.

With renewed determination, he walked towards the front of the group, leaving a baffled Arya at the tail end.

"Oi! What are you doing?" she asked.

Joffrey gave one last look at her before sauntering towards the older sister. He smirked the famous Joffrey smirk and said, "Going with the flow."

"That tickles," Arya said with a soft laugh.

"Didn't know you have a ticklish spot here," Gendry murmured as he nuzzled her left shoulder. He tugged the soft material of Arya's sweater down some more until her entire shoulder was exposed. He placed a few more kisses on it and chuckled when Arya threw her head back with a sigh.

After an entire day of being with the rest of the family, they were both ready for a little Gendry-Arya time. So now, they were sitting at the back seat of Gendry's Impala, watching the red-orange hue of the sun as it set in the horizon. Gendry drove them to one of his favorite quiet spots; a secluded space overlooking the city which is about an hour's drive away from the city proper. He knew he made the right choice when Arya's face broke into a grin, although she teased him about only wanting to make out with her some more.

He felt her shift when she leaned her back to his chest, enjoying the feel of her pressed close to him. They were quiet for a time; just watching the round, orange ball drop lower and lower into the horizon until it was almost gone to be replaced by the incoming darkness. He felt more than heard Arya's sigh and this time, he couldn't resist the urge to kiss the soft, sweet spot behind her ear.

"It was nice of you to talk to my brother about your sister," he murmured in between kisses.

"Well, it's not as if I was match-making or anything," said Arya. "It was more like making him comfortable with talking to her, with him sporting a big crush and all. And besides, he was close to creeping her out."

"Joff's never been good with talking to the ladies," he added.

Arya shifted to face him. "So you're the smooth-talker in the family?"

Gendry laughed. "No! That would be Tommen."

Arya laughed along with him. She went turned to the front again and resumed her former position of leaning her back on his chest. "He's a sweet kid. I'm going to miss that squirt when I go back-"

Her voice trailed off and Gendry felt her stiffen. They've always known that she would eventually go back to Winterfell when things at Storm's End are in order, but hearing it aloud gave them both a feeling of dread.

"What are we going to do when I have to go back to Winterfell?" Arya whispered, reaching her hand back to his head to thread her fingers into his hair.

"Distance will be the only hindrance to this relationship. Phone sex or video sex wouldn't exactly feel the same as opposed to actually doing it live, but otherwise we're good," Gendry said as Arya laughed. "We're good, right?"

"We're good," she replied.

Gendry placed one last kiss on her exposed shoulder and pulled her to face towards him. He was leaning on the side of the door, his legs stretched out on the length of the back seat. Arya slowly sat astride, encircling her arms around his waist and leaning her head on the side of his neck. She inhaled his scent, which was somehow like he had just stepped out of the shower, fresh and clean and all male. He smelled so good and inviting, she calls the scent uniquely Gendry.

"I don't want to talk about that," she whispered. "And school's starting in a few weeks. I just want to enjoy this for now."

"Me too," he murmured into her hair as he inhaled the scent of her shampoo, knowing by now that she likes fruit-scented shampoo. "Hmm…smells fruity."

Arya threw her head back and laughed, knocking Gendry's chin by accident and hearing him howl in pain. "Oh my god! I'm sorry! But that doesn't sound so romantic, to be honest."

Gendry rolled his eyes as he rubbed his chin. "I'm not Shakespeare material, you know."

"Nope," she said with a lopsided grin. "You're different. You're just…just Gendry."

Gendry held her stare for as long as he could. He kept his expression blank, until he muttered, "Eww, cheeseball," making Arya start another fit of laughter.

"I'm sorry about barging into your room and taking up bed space," Sansa whispered the apology. "I didn't realize how much I missed talking to you up until the wee hours in the morning."

They were tucked in Arya's bed, catching up on gossip and just about anything and everything they could think of. It was almost 3 am, but Sansa and Arya were very much awake.

"Same here," Arya answered. She turned to her side to face Sansa, who was on her back and staring at the ceiling. "But now that you're here, I miss Mom and Dad and the little brats, too," she added, her voice turning soft and sad.

"The brats miss you too, you know," Sansa said. "Good thing they chat with Tommen all the time. He sort of distracted them from noticing that you don't chat with them as much as before. Gendry's a good guy, from what I see, but you do realize that the rest of your family is also craving for a little time with you, even if it's just through technology."

"You sound like Mom," Arya said, wrinkling her nose.

"Actually, those were Mom's exact words. Mine are actually along the lines of 'Call Storm's End at least once a week, you beyotch!' although I'm sure I've edited out a few bleeps in there."

"What happened to the guy you were dating?" Arya said, making Sansa gasp at the swift change of topic.

"The usual. You know how someone turns out different as soon as you get to know them more."

"So, you're not dating anyone right now?"

"Nope," Sansa answered. She turned to face her sister, an accusing finger pointed towards her. "BUT, I'm not going to date Joffrey Baratheon. It might be a start to a good friendship, but nothing romantic's going to go from here."

Arya chuckled. "The guy's going to be crushed."

"I'm sure he'll live."

"I hope you don't lead him on or something," Arya said in all seriousness. "You know that the guy's sporting a major crush on you, so don't do anything that'll make him think there's hope for JoffSan or something."

"JoffSan? What the hell?" Sansa said with a laugh. "So I assume you're Gendrya?"

"Oh my god," Arya said, shoving her head under the pillow. "Shut up!"

"So wait," Sansa said as she pulled Arya from under the pillow. "We're going with the guys to the gym tomorrow, right? This…what's the gym called? Draco's?"

"Drogo's," Arya answered. "They've been teasing Joff about his newly-developed man-boobs. And since the guys are actually looking pretty hot right now, I assume the work out's working for them."

"I'm sure you're checking out just Gendry! But do you think we could develop bigger chests with a work out?" Sansa said with a laugh.

Arya put a hand on each breast, squeezing them a bit to check their size. Sansa went into a fit of laughter as Arya stared at her breasts. "Actually, mine are pretty big. At least Gendry likes the feel of them in his hands."

It was Sansa's turn to bury her head under the pillow. "What the-! Stop!"

"He says my breasts are quite big and perky and that he gets instantly hard when he remembers how my nipples stand erect when I'm aroused."

"Arya!"

She didn't fight the laughter this time. "Okay! Okay! I was just messing with you. Although, he did actually say that."

Sansa turned her back from Arya. "Okay, good night, Arya Stark!"

"No! Don't sleep yet! I have to tell you how hard his dick gets when I…"

"That information's not really going to contribute to anything important to society so…good night!"

Arya pinched her sister's arm, earning an annoyed growl from her. "I was kidding! Okay, not really, because I told you the truth, but I was just teasing you with torturous information."

"Too much information."

"Good night, San," she whispered when the laughter died down.

"Night, Ar. Sweet Gendry dreams."

Silence.

"Do you know that it actually feels better when you're sitting on…"

"Arya!"