Gendry

"So what's wrong with it?" she asked before he even got to his tools.

"I don't know, most men need to look at the bike first before they can tell you what's wrong with it. Give me a few minutes and I'll figure it out."

"Well, hurry up then!"

"You got somewhere you've got to be this time of day?" he asked with a bit of a mocking tone.

"None of your business!" she snapped. She was a spirited girl, this one.

"How old are you anyway?" asked Gendry and he started checking out the bike's engine.

"Old enough to know that nothing good comes when people ask you your age."

"Still a child then," said Gendry looking up at her from the bike.

"I am NOT a child!"

"Only a child would say that." He was trying to hold back a laughter.

"FINE! If you must know I am seventeen."

Seventeen? He wouldn't have guessed, she didn't look a day older than fourteen. She was very short and looked skinny. No wonder he mistook her for a preadolescent boy at first. Perhaps if she took off that heavy leather jacket her curves would be more apparent. STOP IT GENDRY! What was he thinking? She is still a child, and grown men should not be thinking about what is underneath younger girls' leather jackets. She was tough for her age though – she rode a motorcycle after all. He didn't even know how to ride a motorcycle when he was seventeen, and he always thought that he was pretty tough. Maybe more stubborn than tough, he thought. He grew up being called The Bull. Also, what kind of a name was Arry? He was pretty sure that was a boy's name. But people these days named their children all kinds of wacky names, so he decided that perhaps Arry wasn't so out of the ordinary after all.

"Hello! HELLOOO? Yes, I'm talking to you," said Arry as she was trying to get his attention, stopping the over exaggerated waving of her hands when his eyes finally met hers. "You know my age. Aren't you going to tell me yours?"

"I'm twenty-one," he replied "wait no, twenty-two," he corrected. "I just turned twenty-two."

"You're young to own your own gas station and shop."

"I don't own it, I work here, repairing cars and bikes," he said pointing to her bike. "Those two boys you met, they work at the gas station. Tobho Mott, that's our boss. We just work here… and I live upstairs," he continued a bit embarrassed to admit the last part.

"I see," said Arry. "So what's wrong with the bike?"

"Well, it looks like the engine is busted, and needs changing. I'll order the new engine tonight, it probably won't arrive until two days from today. This will cost you a lot of money, are you sure this bike is worth the trouble?"

"It is worth the trouble. This bike was the last gift I got from my brother before…" suddenly she stopped.

"Before what?" he asked, suddenly very interested in this tiny woman's (no, girl's – FOCUS, Gendry) story.

"Nothing, forget I ever said anything."

"Where are you off to anyway?"

"North," she said. He could tell she answered without thinking. What was she hiding?

"Oh," he didn't want to push it. "Do you want me to call you a cab? There's an inn about five miles down the road from here."

"No thanks, I'll walk, I really shouldn't be spending money on a cab when my bike needs a new engine," she said, picking up her bag. "I'll stop by tomorrow morning to check on the bike."

"Alright, see ya then," he said as the girl made her way out of the shop. He was unsure of whether or not he should offer her a ride there, but decided against it. Boundaries, Gendry, boundaries.

He spent another 20 minutes checking to see if anything else was wrong with the bike and ordering the new engine. He then stepped outside to make his way up to his apartment upstairs which had stairs leading up to it's entrance. He saw a figure snuggled up lying on the ground right below the stairs and slightly stumbled back from surprise.

"WHO'S THERE?" he yelled, only to be surprised to see Arry peering back at him.

"Hush, what is it? I had just fallen asleep." she said, clearly not amused by being woken up.

"What are you doing here? I thought you said you were going to walk to the inn."

"I would if I had a stack of cash too big for my pocket," she said, still not in a very good mood.

"You do realize I've already ordered and paid for your new bike engine, right? How do you plan on paying for THAT?" snapped Gendry, now angered by this girl, blaming himself for believing a teenager could afford to pay for a new bike engine.

"Calm down! I have money for the engine, but like you said it will cost me an awful lot, I am just trying to save where I can." She seemed a bit taken back by his sudden anger with her.

"But you can't sleep outside, it's still raining, and it doesn't seem like it's going to stop!"

"Then what do you suggest I do, share a bed with a stranger? Share a bed with you?" she said almost too rudely.

"I wasn't suggesting anything, m'lady. If you wish – " he said angrily before he was cut off.

"Do NOT call me m'lady" she seemed annoyed by that title, but he was still annoyed at her thinking he was offering for them to share a bed. She was aware that he was aware of their age difference, right? Was he aware?

"As m'lady commands," he snapped back. Two can play at this game.

"UGH!" screamed Arry as she started stomping away from where they were speaking.

"Where are you going?" He asked. "HEY!" he ran after her, grabbing her by the shoulder, turning her around. "I have a spare room with a couch. It locks from the inside. I won't bother you. I'm just trying to do the right thing here by giving shelter to a child, we can figure something else out tomorrow."

"I am NOT a child," she said with hurt in her voice and she made her way up the stairs into his home.

A/N: I love writing from Gendry's perspective. I am going to be alternating between his and hers throughout the story!