There are some words you never expect to hear. Maybe because they send chills down your spine, set ice in your heart.

There was a day last year when Arya heard some of those words.
"He's in hospital, I'm sorry it's not looking good."
Her dad had died a few hours later and Arya had felt her world crack.

Maybe you don't expect to hear the words because you can't quite bear what they will do to your heart, how it will jump and dance, and how you'll want to cry and laugh at the same time.

A few months ago she had heard another sentence that made her head swirl.
"I'm moving back home."
Jon was coming back, finally moving back home after years away. Arya knew she shouldn't have favourites out of her siblings, but she also knew that Jon was hers. He had held her when she was born, he had ruffled her hair every day since, he had taught her to read and to fight and then he had moved away. The day he returned she had run back into his arms and cried for a full hour.

Maybe you don't expect to hear something because it just seems implausible. Ridiculous. Like something out of a dream.

"Arya? Did you hear me?"

Gendry was smiling at her, but he looked terrified.

"I asked if you wanted to go on a date."

Arya nodded, her eyes frozen in her head, staring up at him. "I heard." They were on the stairwell outside of their last class, not the most romantic of places but Arya was fairly certain Sansa would be jealous of this.

She blinked a few times and felt her stomach slowly climb its way back up off the floor where it had dropped. Only now it was fluttering and wouldn't sit still.

"I would. I would want to. Go on a date. With you. If you're asking."

She didn't smile, but that was okay, because Gendry smiled enough for the both of them, his cheeks red, and a hand twisting at a corner of his shirt.

"Great, how about tomorrow?"

Maybe some words shouldn't be said, but should be whispered, thought, shown.

When Gendry had kissed her she had known what he was saying, and when he pulled her through the door to his room he knew what she wanted to say.

Arya had never expected to hear the words 'I love you' so when he whispered them to her when her cheek was pressed to his chest and the sun was trickling into the room, she was startled. Hadn't he already told her that last night, in all their time together?

But she still said them back. Because sometimes it's nice to hear the unexpected.

Not now though. Now she was shocked and couldn't quite breathe.

"You're pregnant." The doctor said again, unsure whether she had actually heard or was just trying not to.

"Okay." She muttered, wanting her to stop saying it. She said some other things but Arya really wasn't listening. Her hands were sweating as they gripped the seat of the chair.

The doctor kept talking and Arya kept pretending to listen, but all she could think about was Gendry and Jon and Sansa and the boys and her mother and – oh, she felt her heart ache – her father. She could see them, their eyes wide with surprise, narrowed in concern, wrinkling with laughter, their arms warm around her, their words too many and unwanted.

Pregnant.

The fresh air woke her somewhat as she walked home, but when she stood outside her front door, her bag heavy with information leaflets, she was shaking too much to open the door on the first or second try.

Gendry was in the kitchen and when he saw her he dropped what he was doing and ran to her.

"What's wrong? What's happened? Arya? You look like you're about to faint." His panic set off hers and she started crying, and no longer able to hold herself up, sank to the floor.

They sat there for a while, Arya crying onto Gendry's shoulder, unable to say the words.

Finally, when she had been sat down on the sofa and handed a warm cup of tea she took a breath.

"Gendry." He looked at her. He was sitting on the floor in front of her.

"Arya." He smiled.

She didn't.

"I'm pregnant."

His eyebrows raised, but otherwise he didn't look very surprised. She had been expecting shock, tears, anger. Something more extreme than this. Gendry didn't tend to keep his emotions internal, not with her.

"You don't have to keep it."

Arya frowned at him. He said that so lightly. "Just because it's not a person yet, doesn't mean it's not a Stark."

He laughed, "Okay, so we're keeping it."

Her stomach was fluttering again. Maybe it was her imagining tiny feet in her womb or maybe it was Gendry saying 'we' when Arya was terrified.

She nodded slowly.

They sat in silence until Gendry said, "I hope it's a girl."

"What?"

"Well, I think you're incredible, and I want a little girl just like you." His voice was soft, but his smile turned quickly to a smirk, "Partly because then she can protect me from you."

Arya kicked him gently, but he threw himself backwards on the rug.

"Argh! No! See? I need a bodyguard!"

She laughed and sipped her tea.

"I'm sure that's not going to be the last time you'll need protection from me."

"Well, clearly a lack of protection is a recurring problem with us." He smirked up at her, coaxing yet another laugh from her.

The clock chimed in the kitchen and Arya turned her head, letting her hair hide her face from him for a second.

"What if I'm no use?"

"As a mother? How could that be possible? You're brilliant at everything." He shrugged at her so casually she almost laughed.

"That's not true! I can throw a punch, but I've always been terrible at girl things." She wrinkled her nose, remembering when her mother had tried to teach her to sew.

"But being a mother isn't a 'girl thing', it's totally different from sewing and dancing and whatnot, and now that you're pregnant it's an 'Arya thing'. And you're pretty good at all the Arya things."

"Like what?" she grinned at him.

He knelt and leant forwards, resting his hands on either side of her on the sofa. "If you were less emotionally fragile I would pick you up on that compliment-fishing. But as it is, I'll allow it." He gave a firm nod and she laughed a little. "You're pretty good at this-" his lips met hers "-and other associated acts." She laughed again. "And obviously you're good at kicking my arse. And other people's arses, now that I mention it. Really many arse related acts you are good at."

She was laughing properly now, real chuckles rolling out of her. Gendry took her cup from her hand and set it on the table.

"And you're good at making me laugh, particularly when you fall over." He pushed her gently until she was lying back on the sofa. "And then you're good at getting up as though nothing happened, that's always my favourite." He peppered her with kisses as he clambered onto the sofa with her, pressing her gently into it. "And you're really good at puzzles and riddles and clever things I can't quite do but if you gave me more time could probably get to."

"As if." She huffed, as he ran his mouth down her neck.

"Shh, I'm busy telling you how wonderful you are, no interruptions." His hands brushed her waist.

"You're kind and compassionate," his mouth was hot against her neck, "you manage to make amends with Sansa every time you piss each other off."

"I really don't want you thinking about my sister right now." Arya grumbled, before letting out a gasp. Gendry's hands were making their way down her body.

"You're beautiful and the only woman I ever want to think about."

"Better – oh!" she gasped as his hands tightened around her waist, so there were millimetres between them.

He was suddenly intense, and Arya made herself focus on what he was saying, "I love you Arya, and I will love our child, but probably not more than you, its incredible mother."

"Gendry." She smiled against his lips and leant back to look at him, his face in her hands.

"My beautiful girl." He whispered, kissing her softly on the cheek.

.

They didn't quite make it to the bedroom the first time, or the second even, but at some point they got there, and Gendry's tongue was doing subtly brilliant things when the doorbell rang.

Arya was there first, but that in no way meant she was prepared for the person at the door. But then, is one ever prepared for Sansa Stark?

She swept into the house without invitation, gave her sister a kiss and sat herself down in the large chair beside the fire. Arya gave a silent prayer of gratitude that she hadn't sat on the sofa.

"Sansa, how can we help? Do you want tea?" Gendry was always more accommodating to guests than Arya. The kettle was already on before Sansa could reply.

"Oh, that would be lovely, thank you, Gendry!" she smiled warmly at him, and waited until he was busy pottering in the kitchen before turning to Arya.

"Now, I'm not just here as a social call," she began in a tone that made the hairs on Arya's arm stand up. She could smell a lecture coming, "only I saw you earlier today and you completely ignored me walking down the street."

It took Arya barely a second to work out that it must have been on her way home from the doctors. She pursed her lips. Sansa would get no apology for that, she had been in no state to talk to anyone then, let alone carry a polite conversation with her sister.

"Yes, well, I wasn't completely myself."

"Oh no, of course that's okay, I just wanted to make sure you're okay! You did seem a bit out of it."

Sansa swept her long hair to one side as she spoke, and leant forward elegantly to accept a steaming cup from Gendry.

Arya nodded, but couldn't quite find the right words to explain to her sister what today had been like. She looked at Gendry and then back at her sister and just shrugged.

"It's been a long day."

"Well, yes," Sansa smiled in what she surely thought was a kind way, but which made Arya cringe from condescension, "but are you okay?"

Arya nodded and turned to Gendry, gripping his knee sharply, imploring him to speak.

"Yes, well Arya had just had some news, so- um-er-" he turned to look at her, "are we-?"

Arya pressed her lips together and nodded, "We might as well."

Gendry smiled and pressed his lips to her forehead before turning back to Sansa.

"Arya had just been to the doctors and was still a bit shaken when you saw her, I think."

"Arya? Are you okay?"

"For fuck's sake Sansa, yes I'm okay, I'm not dying or anything." She regretted that immediately, but if her sister asked if she was okay one more time-

"Arya." Gendry's voice was low and he was frowning at her. She rolled her eyes, but kept her mouth shut.

He turned to Sansa, "I'm sorry, it's just been a bit emotional."

"What's happened?" Sansa looked pale, leaning forwards in her chair with her hands wrapped around her cup.

Gendry gave a laugh, "Gods, you'd think it was something terrible." His grin didn't appear to soothe Sansa, but it did set Arya's stomach fluttering again. It really wasn't terrible, was it?

"We're having a baby." Arya said before she could stop herself. Gendry looked down at her and beamed.

"Oh!" Sansa's eyes widened and her mouth dropped into a smooth circle, but she found her smile again within seconds. "Oh, that's wonderful!"

"Yes, I rather think it is." Gendry now looked as though he was going to be permanently grinning like a fool, and Arya found she was rather okay with that.

Arya laughed, and leant into his embrace, his arms wrapping around her and a hand resting gently on her stomach, "Yeah, it's not what I expected, but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing."

Definitely not a bad thing.