The car shudders as Arya makes her way back down Cajon Boulevard. "Come on, come on," she whispers. "Don't break down on me now." It was too dark outside to assess the damage, but considering how far the hood was bent in, it's amazing that the car is running at all.

Arya licks her lips and wipes a hand across her damp forehead. It comes away sticky with dark blood. But she still can't feel the pain. She feels lightheaded and anxious- but there's no pain. The sign for Gendry's shop appears in the distance, and Arya puts more pressure on the gas pedal.

As she turns into the lot, she glances at the time. It's seven o'clock, and the lot is empty, but the garage door is open, and there's a light on. Arya pulls into the garage, her car rattling as she shifts it into park. I've made it, she thinks. Gendry will fix my car, and everything will be all right.

Arya spies Gendry through her cracked windshield. He's underneath a different car, but he slides back on his dolly as she shuts off her engine. Arya exhales. Yes, Gendry will fix it. She opens her car door and starts to stand up, but suddenly it feels as if all the blood has drained from her body. Vertigo washes over her, and she feels nauseous. She stumbles, tries to stand up, but instead rolls out of the car and lands hard on the concrete ground.

Her head is pounding, dull and heavy. She tries to open her eyes, but even the dim light makes her grimace in pain. She feels cold and weak. Her brain is fuzzy. She can't remember what happened or where she is.

Again, she opens her eyes but this time forces them to adjust to the light in the room. She's lying on an old, worn couch inside what looks to be someone's office. She slowly sits up, despite the sharp pain in her head and a stitch in her side. She has to take small, shallow breaths. What happened, she thinks.

She shivers and goes to tug her jacket more tightly around her body. It's only then that she realizes she's not wearing her own clothing. She looks down at the shirt. It's much too large for her, dark grey, and buttoned all the way to the bottom. Her pants have been stripped off, but the shirt is so large that it reaches to her mid-thigh. Arya narrows her eyes. There's a tag on the shirt, with a name stitched with white thread: Gendry.

And then it all comes rushing back to her in quick, sharp flashes. Racing down Cajon Cross. Crashing into the tree. Blood. Crawling out of the car. Blood. Blood. Driving to Gendry's shop. Opening the door...and then...

She must have passed out. Which means Gendry must have taken her to his office. And made sure she was all right. And stripped off her bloody clothing. Her cheeks flame with embarrassment. The thought of him looking at her unconscious body makes her shiver.

If he thinks he's going to get away with taking her clothes off than he really is an idiot. Slowly, Arya swings her legs over the side of the couch. Even that slight movement hurts, but she's intent on finding Gendry and giving him a piece of her mind. But just as she's figuring out how to stand up, the knob to the office turns, and Gendry walks in.

His surprised blue eyes catch hers. He's wearing jeans and a white tank top. There are splotches of dried blood on his clothing. "I didn't think you'd be awake yet," Gendry says. He's still standing in the doorway.

"Just thought you'd have another look at the unconscious, naked girl?"

"You're not naked."

"I'm more naked than when I got here."

Gendry narrows his eyes. "You weren't wearing a shirt when you got here." He takes a few steps forward, hesitates, and then walks all the way up to Arya. His blue eyes look worried. He crouches down so that their heads are at the same level. "Do you remember what happened, Arya?"

"Yes." She pauses. "Mostly. What do you mean I wasn't wearing a shirt?" But even as she asks the question, she remembers a glimpse of stripping off her shirt and tying it around her head. Her hand goes up to her head, but she's scared to touch anything. "How bad is it?" She asks.

Gendry looks down at the ground. His hands are clutching a greased rag, and he turns it in his fingers. "I thought you were two steps from dead when you pulled in here. I looked up and saw your bashed up car, and then your door opened and you crumpled into a pile of blood. I thought-" Gendry looks up. He grabs Arya's hand and runs a thumb against the warm skin. "I wasn't sure if you'd make it. What were you thinking driving yourself here?"

Arya's first instinct is to pull her hand away, but the touch of his skin against her own is oddly comforting. "I guess I wasn't really thinking. I saw my car- saw how much damage there was, and I decided that it needed to get fixed right away."

Gendry laughs short and sharp. "Oh god, Arya Stark. Risking her life for a hunk of metal. I can't say I'm surprised really." He takes his hand away, and Arya feels cold without the contact. "How do you feel?"

"Fine. Sore. A little woozy. Pounding headache. My side hurts. Mouth is dry."

Gendry laughs again. "But besides that, you're totally fine, right?"

Arya manages a grin. "Right."

"Well I bandaged your head. You lost a lot of blood, but once I cleaned everything out, the cut was surprisingly shallow. I don't think you'll need stitches."

"I didn't know you had such an aptitude for nursing. Maybe you should give up cars, buy some scrubs, and start giving sponge baths."

"Doesn't sound like much fun."

"Depends who you're giving the bath to." Arya pauses and then blushes. Why the hell did I say that? "I want to see my car."

Gendry hesitates. "Maybe you should rest a bit more. You were only out for an hour, and-"

"I want to see my car."

"But, if you-"

"Gendry. I know it's bad, but I need to see it, all right?"

"Fine. All right." Gendry stands up. "Do you need help?"

"I've got it," Arya says, though she isn't sure if she does. Bracing herself, she grabs the end of the couch and slowly tries to stand up. "Fuck," she says, breathing deeply, her chest tight.

Gendry rolls her eyes before grabbing Arya and lifting her up bridal style. His strong arms easily hold her weight. "Hey, I said I've got it!" Arya says, struggling to get out of his arms.

"And I'm sure you do, but I don't feel like waiting around for another hour while you make it into the other room. I'm a very impatient man."

"I've noticed." Realizing there's no point in arguing, Arya relents and lets Gendry carry her. He has one arm around her back and the other splayed under her bare legs. She flushes at the touch, surprised at her slight arousal. Her eyes flash to Gendry's, and the way he looks at her tells her he's probably thinking the same thing.

"I still can't believe you took my clothes off," Arya mumbles as they make their way into the garage.

"Well I wasn't going to let you lie around in bloody clothes."

"My pants weren't bloody."

Gendry snorts. "Everything was bloody." He adjusts his hand, placing it further up her bare thigh. Arya bites her lip. She wants him. Despite him being stubborn, rude, and overprotective, she still wants him. And the look in his eyes makes her wonder if he wants her too. "Now," Gendry says, "Why don't your either shut up or say thank you for saving your life?"

"You didn't save my life."

"Yes, because if I left you lying in that pile of blood, I'm sure you'd be perfectly fine right now."

"If I were perfectly fine, I wouldn't have to be carried by you."

"You wouldn't have to be carried by me if you hadn't gone and gotten yourself in a fucking car wreck." Gendry puts Arya down on the workbench a bit too harshly, and the pain in her side sharpens. His blue eyes flash angrily. "Seriously, Arya, what the hell were you doing out there? I told you it wasn't safe to race alone, and then you go and do it anyways." Gendry starts pacing back and forth in front of the bench. "What would have happened if you were knocked out cold? What if you couldn't have driven over here?"

Here he goes again, Arya thinks, and I have a feeling he isn't going to stop this time. She grabs the bench and uses it to steady herself as she stands up. Gendry is so busy yelling that he doesn't notice as she approaches him. "There's no cell reception out at Cajon Cross. You could have been lying dead in a ditch. Fuck, who knows, wolves could have gotten to you. Or worse. Not everyone is nice Arya, what if someone else found you? Or what if you broke your legs or-"

Arya takes another step forward so that she's right in front of Gendry. She grabs him by both his arms and turns him towards her. "Gendry. Calm the fuck down," she says slowly. She pulls him closer. He's breathing heavily, his hard chest rising in and out. His blue eyes look wild. "I'm fine. I was stupid, but now I'm fine. Look-" She grabs one of his hands and presses it to her chest, right above her heart. "You feel that? My heart is still beating. I'm fine."

Gendry looks down at her, and her heart starts beating even faster. He takes another step forward, and for once in her life, Arya doesn't back away. His hand clutches Arya's shirt, pulling her closer. "You're fine," he repeats, his voice low and rough.

"Yes."

They stand there for a moment, both breathing heavily, eyes locked, hands clutched. And then something flickers in Gendry's eyes, and he leans forward and kisses her.

She knew it was coming. When she grabbed his hand, she knew it was coming. When she stood up from the bench, she knew it was coming. But the feeling of his lips against hers still manages to take her completely by surprise.

His lips are soft, warm, and his kiss is long and deep. Arya shivers, shocked at how arousing a simple kiss can be. She presses herself closer to his hard body as his hands tentatively wrap around her small back. She kisses him, breathing him in, overwhelmed by everything flooding through her.

He kisses her once more on the lips before moving away, tracing his lips across every inch of her, brushing kisses against her jaw, her ear, the side of her neck. Arya leans into the touch, clutching Gendry tightly. She's never been touched like this. She can feel the desire pulsing through both of them. And all she can think about is how she wants more.

She grabs Gendry by the back his neck and drags his lips back to her own. She kisses him hungrily, slipping her tongue into his warm mouth and gasping as soon as it touches his own. "Arya," he breathes, shuddering, as she attacks his mouth again and again. His hands skim down her back, brushing over her bottom and tracing her bare legs.

They take a step back, moving towards the workbench, lips never separating. Arya's body is on fire, and she grabs Gendry's shoulders, intending to push him onto the bench, but then her step falters, and suddenly she feels incredibly dizzy.

She tries to take a deep breath, but she falters again.

Gendry immediately notices that something is wrong. He takes Arya's arms and helps lower her to the bench, sitting her down gently. Arya's head is pounding again. Too much movement. Too fast.

She looks up. Gendry has taken a step back. He's breathing heavily, dark blue eyes filled with mixed emotions. "I shouldn't have done that," he says.

"Yeah?" Arya's chest is tight as she gathers her breath. "Why not?"

"God, I'm a fucking idiot."

"Well, we already knew that."

"I'm serious, Arya." He takes a step forward. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I just need to rest, that's all." Obviously, I got myself a little too worked up. Even now, she can't keep her eyes off of Gendry. She wants to kiss him again. Wants to strip off his shirt. She wants so many things, but she knows her body isn't up to it right now.

"I can't believe I did that." Gendry runs a hand through his already messed-up hair. "You get in a car accident, pass out, and the first thing I do when you wake up is fucking attack you."

Arya smirks. "Attack me?"

"Well, you know-"

"Gendry Waters, are you blushing?"

"Shut up." Gendry takes a breath and shakes his head. "Really, Arya, are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

"I don't want you passing out on me."

"Why not? I'll probably wake up with even less clothes on."

Gendry starts blushing again, and Arya grins. "Joke," she says. "Kind of. Actually, could I please get some pants?"

Gendry's eyes skim over her bare legs, and the single look fills Arya with arousal all over again. God dammit, she thinks, this is obviously just a day of terrible decisions. I told myself I wouldn't get involved with him. I can't. But it's hard to tell herself that when Gendry keeps looking at her with that intense stare.

"How about I just take you home?" Gendry says. "That way you'll have you own clothes and you own bed, and we can...sort everything out tomorrow."

"Yeah. Sure. That's probably a good idea."

"Come on then. I'm assuming I can pick you up this time without you freaking out?"

Arya doesn't say anything, and she still squeaks a little when Gendry picks her up. It's just an odd feeling to be swooped up like a sack of flour. She feels almost weightless in his arms. She catches his eyes but then immediately looks away. It's probably best not to look at him when his warm hands are placed against her bare skin. She licks her bottom lip. Definitely not a good idea.

Gendry starts walking, but after a few steps, Arya says, "Stop."

"What?"

"I never saw my car."

Gendry curses under his breath. "I thought you'd forgotten about that."

"What, thought you'd just kiss me into distraction?"

"Well it worked for a while, didn't it?"

Arya blushes. "Shut up."

"Really, Arya. Let's just wait until tomorrow."

"No."

Gendry sighs. "Fine. But just promise me that you won't freak out. It's not as bad as it looks. I can fix it. Okay?"

Arya nods her head.

Gendry walks around to the other side of the garage, rounds the corner, and there it is. Arya's car. Except it doesn't look like Arya's car. It looks like a hunk of metal sitting in a junkyard. The front is completely smashed in. Arya's mouth feels dry, and she tries to swallow the lump in her throat. "You can fix that?" She asks.

"Yes." But he doesn't sound so sure, and despite herself, Arya feels a tear fall from her eye. What is she going to do without her car? Go home? Go to college? Any option means admitting failure and facing her parents. "Hey," Gendry says, "Look at me."

Arya draws her eyes to Gendry. "I'll fix it. I promise."

"But it's destroyed."

"I'm very good at my job."

"But-"

"Cat of El Cajon will be racing again by the end of the week. I promise."

"But-"

"I promise."

Arya isn't sure if she believes him, but his voice is strong, and his eyes are true. So she lets a last tear fall, gathers her breath, and says, "All right, Gendry. Take me home."

A/N – So the chapter is a little shorter than usual, but I thought you guys wouldn't mind considering the content ; )

I hope you enjoyed the first kiss, but there's still a lot of story to go. Next chapter will be a San x San for those of you who were wondering.

Thank you so much for all of the reviews- I really appreciate the long ones. It makes me feel great that you guys take the time to give me your honest opinions.

Question: Do you guys want most of this story to just be Arya x Gendry or do you like Arya's interactions with everyone else (Jon, Sansa, Joffrey, etc)?

Thanks for reading!