A/N: Thanks for reading & reviewing! This chapter contains smut, so skip that part if you're not into that. You have been warned.

This one goes out to starkwaters, because she's the best Gendrya shipper I've ever known. :)

Arya did her best to keep up with Professor Hodor's lecture and still keep up with typing the notes on her laptop. They were in Advertising class, and Arya found it to be really interesting albeit challenging. Professor Hodor was a pleasant surprise, too, that despite his boring appearance, he was one hell of a riot in the lecture room.

"People get rejected every day," Professor Hodor said, as he walked up and down the aisle. "Boys get rejected by girls, girls get rejected by boys. Even well-known celebrities get rejected at aspired roles. Rejection is part of our lives, and it's most common in advertising."

Hodor walked back towards the front and faced the class, leaning on the desk as he folded his arms over his chest. "Advertisers get constant rejection from their bosses because excellent work is demanded of them. And then there's the client, who even after the boss's approval, may still accept or reject the proposed project. Not every concept you creat and not every idea you come up with will get an approval. And you won't always win awards for the projects you spearhead. But coping with the rejection is a survival skill that the people in this creative line of work should develop and master."

Arya listened as the professor droned on with his lecture about the creative media. She seemed genuinely interested that she almost jumped out of her seat when Edric lightly nudged her foot with his, making Arya turn towards him abruptly.

"What?" she hissed at him.

"The guys from the archery team are throwing a party this Saturday," he whispered as he leaned closer to Arya. "Do you want to drop by? You can bring Gendry with you."

Arya shifted so she was facing the front, although she was leaning towards Edric so she could still hear him. "I don't know if he's free this Saturday. I think he has plans already."

"Then why don't you go alone? Or I mean meet us at the party even without Gendry?"

"I'm not so sure," she whispered back.

Professor Hodor's voice cut through the air as he called Edric's name. "Do you have something important to talk about, Dayne and Stark? I'm sure the corridor is most suited for your storytelling hour."

Edric and Arya stared at him, not daring to say anything more. When Hodor finally turned his back to walk behind the teacher's desk, he called out a question once again.

"Who once said that 'very, very few can write funny commercials that are funny?'' Mr. Dayne, you might have the answer lurking somewhere inside your head?"

Sitting straighter in his seat, he muttered to Arya, "We'll see you on Saturday, Stark," before responding to Professor Hodor's question. "David Ogilvy."

Robb slabbed a generous amount of mustard in his sandwich before grabbing the last slice of bread and placing it on top of his three-layered sandwich. His stomach growled at the scrumptious sight, but it didn't last for long. Right across the kitchen island, Grey Wind, Ghost and Nymeria were staring at him as if begging for a scrap of meat. He tried to ignore them by putting jars back into the pantry and fridge, as well as washing the utensils in the sink. He gave occasional glances in their direction, and almost laughed to see that all three wolves were closely watching him; following his movements with their head as if watching a tennis match. With a chuckle, he took out the remaining meat from the package and handed them a piece each, much to their delight. Unconsciously, he began to softly sing the chorus to Hungry Like A Wolf as he fed the pets piece after piece of meat.

"Straddle the line in discord and rhyme, I'm on the hunt I'm after you…"

Arya stopped by the doorway and listened as her brother sang the Duran Duran classic, trying her best not to be seen by the wolves. She covered her mouth to stifle a giggle as she listened to his off-key version of the song.

"Mouth is alive with juices like wine, and I'm hungry like the woooooolf!"

Not able to hold it off any longer, she started clapping her hands, and Robb jumped up in surprise as Arya walked into the kitchen. The wolves rushed over to her side, and were rewarded by kisses and fond pats on their head. She dropped to her knees and let Nymeria lick the side of her face, laughing as she tried to keep the wet tongue away from her face now. "Hey, baby! I think you've grown more since you got here."

"They're always hungry," Robb said, finally putting everything away. "How was your day?

Arya sighed. "Tiring. I don't know how many more reports and presentations I could handle before this year ends."

"And you've only just started," chuckled Robb. "You want me to make you a sandwich?"

Arya's face brightened at the thought of food. "Yes, please!"

While Robb made another sandwich for her, Arya took out her books and notes and frowned at how much she still has to accomplish before the week ends. "I can't even concentrate right now," she muttered before shutting her Advertising book with a loud smack. She stretched and yawned, mumbling a quiet thanks at Robb when he placed her sandwich in front of her.

"Eat first," he said. "You might feel better with a full stomach."

"Thanks, Dad."

Robb laughed. "Hey, I do know how to look out for my siblings!"

"And I love you for it, Robby" Arya said with her mouth full.

"I'm not Robby, okay! It sounds like a four year-old whiny little boy."

Arya laughed. "Kill joy."

"Hey, I'm actually going out with a few of the guys in my class," he said, changing the subject. "We're going out for a couple of beers and Jon and Theon are coming with us."

Arya nodded. "Have fun."

"And since Robert and Cersei flew to Storm's End with Mom and Dad, there's no one home except for a few of the staff and you. Make sure the house is locked up, okay?"

"Where's Joff and Tommen?"

"Tommen's staying with Renly for a few days and Joff's class ends at 5. He's meeting us at the bar as soon as he gets out."

"Is Gendry coming with you?"

Robb shook his head. "Nope. He said something about rushing home after class for some unfinished business with his Anatomy report?" Robb frowned as he explained. "I didn't even know they had Anatomy subjects in Engineering?"

Arya almost snorted out laughter because she knew whose anatomy Gendry would be studying about tonight."Have fun with the guys!" she said, trying not to sound too cheerful lest she gave herself away.

"We'd probably get back late so I'll see you tomorrow morning instead," Robb said with a wave as he exited from the kitchen.

Arya called out before he was totally out of earshot. "How late will you guys be out?"

"Probably after midnight!"

With a victorious "Yes!", she took out her phone and sent Gendry a message.

"Stupid, how fast can you drive home without breaking the speed limit?"

The board room was filled with business partners of the Starks and Baratheons. They have been discussing in great detail where they were in the Bolton case, and everyone agreed that it would be best to have the authorities involved as soon as possible, to avoid prolonging the matter. It was tedious a task, but it had to be done. Those involved should no longer be allowed to drag the reputable name of the company as well as its owners.

"So it's been months, possibly years, that Roose had been dealing with this and we had no knowledge of it?" Robert's booming voice filled the room as he stood abruptly from his chair. "What are the audit people doing? Nothing? Or are they in on this too?"

Cersei placed a hand over her husband's arm to get him to calm down, which helped a little because Robert sat back down and nodded to her. Rubbing his temples with his fingers to ease the pain, he turned to one of his partners and asked if they had enough evidence to push through with the case filing.

The man nodded. "Yes, sir. We have documents and video and phone records, meeting logs, ledgers, contracts and photos from the private investigators. We got the full support of our business partners and investors because they too ar worried about how this would affect the business in the long run."

"Good," Robert said before turning to Ned. "Good work, Ned. You and your men deserve a bonus for finding out about this shit Bolton's running, my friend. Do not doubt that."

Ned frowned. "I'm not doing this for the reward, Robert."

"Don't you think I know that?" Robert exclaimed, patting Ned's shoulder with his beefy hands. "You're one of the most honorable men I've ever known, Stark. I know you're doing this for the company, but I'm giving the bonus to you and your men anyway."

Ned looked at Catelyn and found her staring warily back at him. They were not one to ask others to sing them praises, but they knew Robert would still insist. Any which way it ends up, it would be a blessing and so Ned just nodded in understanding and muttered his thanks. "I'd still prefer that you reward the employees, Robert. That would be more fitting. Besides, Bolton is still out and about. We shouldn't be thinking about rewards yet until he's behind bars with his son."

One of the business partners cleared his throat to call their attention. "Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Stark. But are you saying his son Ramsay is in jail?"

Ned nodded the affirmative. "He was caught a few months back using and dealing. He's behind bars now, so there's no need to worry."

The man frowned. "But sir, my son used to be a friend of Ramsay Bolton. He mentioned to me the other day that he ran into Ramsay at a club last weekend."

Ned, Robert, Cersei and Catelyn all looked at each other with shocked and worried faces.

"Last weekend?" was all Catelyn could say out loud.

The man nodded, his face now equally masked with worry. "I'm afraid we've got two Boltons to worry about now."

"Okay, watch as she gets hit by the ball and she has to pretend to be in pain!"

Arya laughed as she listened to the excitement in his voice. They were watching a movie in the tv room; her back was pressed against his front, their legs entangled with each other's as they half sat-half laid on the enormous couch. Arya watched as the female lead, who's actually pretending to be her twin brother, was hit squarely in between the legs. Figuring that she was supposed to be a guy and getting hit in the balls with most definitely hurt, she pretended to scream in pain. Arya and Gendry both laughed at how comical the scene was played out, and Arya laughed more because Gendry seemed to be enjoying himself despite his busy day.

"You want me to get you anything to eat?" she asked, turning her head a little so she could look at him.

He stared at her for a while before answering. "I think there's left over pie from last night?"

Arya had to think hard about what pie he was talking about because Gendry's lips started trailing along the length of her exposed neck. She was wearing her loose sweater, and the neckline was big enough for it to fool loose down one shoulder. Finding access to her smooth skin, Gendry seized the chance and started placing soft kisses over the skin of her neck and right down to her exposed shoulder.

"Gen," Arya whispered. "Pie, remember?"

"Hmm…" was all Gendry's response. He mumbled a few more as he dragged his lips up and down the column of her neck, lingering on her sensitive pulse spots, and making Arya tilt her head back so as to give him more access to it. "You smell soo good…hmm…"

She let him kiss her up to the underside of her jaw, until she felt his warm, calloused hands sneak under her sweater and onto her bra-covered breasts. Putting all her energy and effort to it, she covered his hands with hers and pushed them away.

"Not yet," she muttered before getting up from the couch and putting distance between them. "First, I'll get you some food. You're going to need the energy," she said before exiting the room. She sneaked a peek at his reaction and found him staring open-mouthed at her little game. Before he could go after her, she dashed out of the room and walked towards the kitchen.

It wasn't long before he came after her. She was placing a slice of the peach mango pie on a small plate when he went to the fridge to take out a bottle of water. Without a word, he twisted the cap and took large gulps of the liquid, fighting a grin as he watched her watch him with a hungry expression. Two can play the game, he thought, and at that moment he figured they were equally scored.

They took the food with them as they returned to the tv room, although all thoughts of watching the movie had already fled their minds. They sat on the couch within a few spaces from each other, staring at the tv but nothing is really so interesting anymore. She watched distractedly as he leaned back on the couch, arms placed under his head, his shirt rising a little to reveal the strip of skin between his shirt and the waistband of his jeans. Unbeknownst to Arya, Gendry was watching her all the same and feeling the same fast beat of his heart as he watched the neckline of her sweater ease down some more to reveal more of that sweet-tasting neck of hers. He almost groaned out loud when she stretched her back and neck and moaned at the effort, and Gendry had to forcibly tear his eyes from staring at her to staring back at the tv.

"We're pathetic," Arya muttered, inching her way across the couch and closer to where he was.

"Why are we pathetic?" Gendry asked, although he sort of already knew the answer.

"We're sitting here, pretending to watch a movie when we're alone in the house and we could absolutely do anything we want," she said as she finally crawled over to straddle his lap, earning a groan from him at the feeling of having her center pressed tightly to his now semi-erection.

"You're pretty clever, aren't you?" he muttered as he finally got to her neck for the second time, his warm hands sneaking underneath her sweater to touch the bare strip of skin of her hips and lower back. He heard her hiss her disappproval when his hands gripped her hips to keep her from making further movements over his hardened state.

"What are you doing, stupid?" she muttered angrily when his hands went around her back and onto her shoulders to pull her back for a bit.

"There's no rush, Arya. Take it slow," he mumbled his reply.

"I don't want it slow! I want now, Gen!" she cried out in frustration, and Gendry felt smug that he was able to make her feel this way.

"As m'lady commands," he muttered before his lips crashed hard over hers.

This was no sweet kiss, nor was it a slow one. It was all impulsive fire and careless abandon. Their mouths slanted over each other's again and again until there was nothing else to do but to drown in each other's need. Gendry's fingers went to the button of Arya's jeans and popped them open, and Arya took the hint by getting off his lap for a few seconds to slide them down the length of her legs until she could kick them off her and onto the floor. Her panties came off next, and were now laying on top of her discarded jeans. Gendry, on the other hand, took both his jeans and boxers off at the same time, without actually getting off the couch. He was all thumbs because of his hasty movements, but he finally managed to lift his ass off the seat and slide them down his legs. They were still bunched up at his ankles and not completely off when Arya straddled him again, making him groan once her center came in contact with his now-full erection.

Her lips went straight to his neck, sliding up until she pressed wet kisses down the line of his jaw. He couldn't control the moan coming out of him; because Arya, even as hot and giving as she turned out to be during sex, this was the first time he'd seen her lose control like this. He liked it though, and let her take the reins and lead him however she wants him to be led.

Her hand crept downwards until he felt her holding his hard length, and Gendry thinks he almost fainted. He let her hand stroke him up…down…hard…soft…but it was all fast and he realized it too. He was close to coming at this point, but he wanted to be with Arya when he reaches it. With a grunt, he lifted her a little so she was poised over his tip, making her eager hands stop their motions for now. As if on cue, she took him in and felt his hard, smooth length slide into her, and Arya had to squeeze her eyes tightly shut before she could explode from the sheer carnality of it.

Seeing her throw her head back with eyes tightly squeezed together, he growled when he felt her hips move of its own accord. She lifted herself slowly at first, switching from upward and downward motions to rotating her hips at a full circle. Gendry threw his head back and groaned louder than he did earlier, and his right hand let go of her left hip and pressed them over his eyes.

"Fuck," he moaned as she started taking him in faster, the sound of flesh slapping flesh added to the sound of their shallow breaths and audible groans. Taking the pressure of his hand off his eyes, he placed it back on her hip and gripped it tighter, lifting her a little until he slid a little down the couch and started taking control of the movements. Her moans came out a pitch higher when he started pumping hard and fast into her, and she called his name out repeatedly until it almost sounded alien even to his own ears.

"Don't…stop…oh god…" she cried out when he felt her freeze on top of him and let him take over from thereon. "Don't…fucking…stop…Gen!"

Their bodies were slick with sweat, making Gendry's grip on her hips slip from time to time. Arya's were clawing his shoulders, and he could feel the bite of her nails as she lost all thought and gave in to a purely physical state of consciousness. During his sharp movements, he must have hit the right spot because Arya suddenly shrieked his name out and started cursing repeatedly, and Gendry knew she was close to the edge.

"Close…so close…" she cried out. "So…fucking…close…oh god…"

With renewed effort, he wound his arms around her and took her harder still, crying out in short, panted breaths, "Come on, baby…come on…"

When Arya's cries stopped and he watched her head fall back, her mouth agape, Gendry's hand sneaked between their connected bodies and his thumb flicked over the sensitive nub of flesh. A strangled cry came out of Arya, and Gendry put a little more pressure to it until she finally gave in to her orgasm.

"Coming, Gen…coming…" she panted softly this time until he felt her squeeze the life out of him. He came with her then, and Gendry shouted an expletive at the strength of how it came.

"Fuuuuuck…" he groaned as she let him ride his orgasm until they both felt their limbs turn to jelly. Arya's body fell onto his, and he was surprised that he had the strength to wind his arms around her still-shaking form.

It was some time later before they could speak, and Gendry was the first to say something. "You okay?" he whispered, noticing how she shivered when his breath tickled her sensitive ears.

"Mm-hmm…" she mumbled in reply, not even daring to lift her head from the crook of his neck.

"Happy Arya?" he said with a soft chuckle. He ran his fingers up and down the length of her back, and he felt her skin prickle with goose bumps at his touch.

"Happy Arya," she replied with a chuckle of her own. "Happy Gendry?"

"Very happy Gendry," he said before pressing a kiss to her temple.

Before she could fall asleep, Gendry turned the tv off and reached for their clothes on the floor, all these while they were still connected. Shoving their clothes to Arya, he stood from the couch, making Arya cry out in surprise. She felt how he was half soft-half hard inside her, and the feeling was fucking amazing.

"So soon?" Arya teased, as Gendry carried her out of the room and up the stairs. Pausing a while to decide which room to take before finally carrying her towards his room. She laughed when he struggled with the door knob, so she had to reach down and open it herself.

"You could just put me down, you know," she said, a little embarrassed that she's feeling a fresh stirring of desire within her.

"I could," he said as he placed a kiss on her mouth. "But I don't want to."

They went at it twice more after that; once while he took her hard and fast against the door, and the other being a total 360 because it was back on the bed, sweeter and unhurried this time around. But each time was better and each time somehow makes it even harder to think about not being with him or her at some point, both in the physical and emotional sense.

Gendry was already asleep when Arya finally came out after sneaking into the bathroom. Before she crept back in, she stared at him for a while as he slept; noticing how attractive he looked lying there with nothing but his birthday suit on. She bit her thumb to keep herself from bursting with laughter because she was just that - really happy. Picking up his shirt and putting it on en route to the bed, she crawled back in and pulled the covers over a stark naked Gendry. Placing a kiss on the underside of his jaw before settling in, she noticed the framed photo on his bedside table. It was taken a few summers back, and she grinned at seeing how thin she was and how chubby he was. She ran a finger down the photo before placing it back on the table. With a sigh, she settled with her back pressed to his chest and his arms automatically finding their way around hers even in sleep.

The week rolled by fast and Arya found herself on the way to the party to meet up with Edric and the archery team guys. Her brothers, cousin and Joffrey were out climbing with their friends up at The Wall, while Gendry was out of town with his course mates for a little field research. Robert and Cersei were still at Storm's End, and Tommen was staying at Renly's. She has never felt so lonely in a huge house before, and it sucked that everyone was out while she was stuck at home. So at the last minute, she decided to go to the party and hoped that she'd at least have a fun night.

The party was in full swing by the time she got there. She found Edric in the game room, along with the rest of the archery team: Anguy, Lem, Harwin, Tom and Thoros. The rest, she knew by face, but she's never been introduced to any of them. Edric introduced them to her finally, and soon they were talking comfortably and laughing the night away. She had no problems hanging around with the guys, but she was also grateful that some of them brought their girlfriends with them so at least she wasn't the only female in the group.

By the time midnight came, she was a little tipsy but wise enough not to drink much because she's driving to and from the party. Plus, she's driving Gendry's car, so that's probably not a good idea if she still wants to live through the weekend.

Her phone buzzed a text message and she found out it was from Gendry.

Gendry: You still at the party?

Arya: Yes. I'm leaving soon though.

Gendry: Having fun?

Arya: Surprisingly, yes!

Gendry: Not too much fun, I hope :P

Arya: Not without you :P

Gendry: Have you had anything to drink?

Arya: Just a little. I know I'm driving, stupid.

Gendry: Good girl. Drive safely.

Arya: Will do!

Gendry: I love you, Arya.

Arya: Bye, Gen!

Gendry: Arya…

Arya: Hehe. Just teasing. I love you, too.

Her phone battery died before she could wait if he's sending another response. With a shrug, she tucked her phone back into the pocket of her jeans, and jumped in surprise when she found a familiar face standing right in front of her.

"Nice to see you again, Arya Stark."

Catelyn stared at Ned as he tried his sons' cellphones once more. "Have they responded to any of your text messages, yet?"

Ned shook his head. "No. Arya said last night that Robb, Jon, Theon and Joff are going climbing with some friends up at The Wall."

Cersei bit her lip in nervousness. "I'll call Gendry now to ask if he's with Arya."

Ned exhaled loudly and said, "I can't get through Arya. Her battery's probably dead. But she did say she was going to a party tonight."

Robert took his phone and dialed Gendry's number, but it was out of coverage and so it kept going to his voicemail. "Why is it that when there's an emergency, no one can be reached through their cellphone?"

Ned looked at the clock and sighed. "It's past midnight now. I think we should all rest and continue tomorrow. In the meantime, leave messages for everybody to take extra care. These kids have to know that Ramsay Bolton is out of jail."