"Thank you, Officer Stark," District Attorney Stevens thanked with sincere gratitude. "Your testimony was vital."

Arya gave Fiona Stevens a small smile.

"It was my pleasure," she began. "There is nothing I enjoy more than testifying to make sure scum rot in prison other than arresting scum, so they can wait for their trials in order rot in prison."

The woman chuckled, and then turned to gather her papers and put them back in her suitcase. Arya stared at the DA as she gathered her belongings. For a moment, she got lost in thought as everything and nothing raced through her mind.

"Is something wrong, Officer Stark," DA Stevens questioned as she threw her a semi worried glance.

"No," Arya shook her head. "Everything is fine."

While she walked out of the courtroom, Arya checked her messages. She quickly replied to Sansa and Robb and ignored Jon's text. Briefly, she glanced at her e-mail as she walked down the stairs to her car. In irritation, a dramatic sigh was exhaled. Ned was waiting for her.

"What do you want?" Daggers were shot at her ex-boyfriend as she clicked her remote to unlock her car and walked to the driver's side.

"Uh…hey, Arya," Ned replied as he nervously rubbed his hands together.

"I asked you what did you want." Ned was usually great at communication, except when it came to Arya and speaking about his feelings. "You're lucky that I'm not ignoring you like I've been these past few months."

Ned opened his mouth to speak, but abruptly stopped. Every few seconds, his mouth would move as if he was going to say something, but sound never came out. Hesitantly, he scratched the back of his neck before he began to pace back and forth. It was obvious that he had a lot to say and was trying to collect himself, but Arya didn't care. He was the one who came to her, so he should have been prepared.

"I don't have time for this." Arya opened car door to get in when Ned's words stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Gods, you're so selfish," he spat. "When do you ever think about me or anyone else?"

"Excuse me," Arya slammed her door and made her way to Ned. "I'm selfish? Me? Arya Stark? What the fuck are you talking about, Ned? Just because I don't still have feelings for you anymore don't mean that I am selfish. So, if that is what you have come here for, then fuck you."

"No, fuck you." He shot back. "You're selfish because you only think about yourself. You only think about how other people effect your life and not how you effect theirs." Ned's words struck a chord with Arya. "Yeah, I screwed up, Arya, but you never gave me a chance to explain myself…you—you—you, just cut me out of your life as if we didn't have history together…as if we weren't friends. As if we hadn't been friends for 13 years."

Arya was at a loss for words for the moment. Stubbornly, she began, "No, don't try to turn this around on me. You—"

"I what?" Ned dared her to list his wrongs. "I exposed your secret? Well, that wasn't my intention. But, I was hurt. And you know that I would never intentionally hurt you. I didn't think. I didn't know that that would happen when I figured out Gendry was the guy. At that moment, all I could think about he had a piece of you that I never had and would never get. But, other than that, I had been a good—no, a great, fucking friend."

And he was right.

Besides, spilling her closely guarded secret, on accident, Ned was and had been a great friend. Although it was a very big secret to let out, it wasn't malicious or intended to hurt her, yet; she hadn't spoken to him since that day. She had cut him out of her life. Arya had been thinking about herself and not him or them as friends.

Despite Ned being interested in her since day one, he had always respected and supported her. His friendship had added a tremendous value to her life. Even when they dated, Arya still considered him her friend. Their breakup had been hard on him, but he never lashed out at her and tried his best to get things to return back to normal in their friendship.

The first and only time he had really screwed up, she immediately cut him from her life.

That could be considered selfish.

It was selfish.

"I have no idea what this guy means to you. But, it's clearly a greater deal than I ever meant or ever will, but this has nothing to do with him." Ned harshly rubbed his face. "This has to do with us and the fact that I shouldn't have been as easily discarded as I was. Or, despite that fact that we could have a great friendship, at times, it seems as if everything revolves around what you want and how you feel. I'm tired of that shit. I'm tired of the times when you take me for granted or don't appreciate me. I'm tired of feeling like the only one who cares when shit gets tough."

"Ned—"

"No, Arya, you don't get to talk," he interrupted. "You wanted to stay silent all of these months, well, you can stay silent now." Arya listened.

It was then that the power dynamics had changed in their relationship. Arya no longer had all of the control and Ned wasn't in complete control either, they were equals. No one person was calling the shots over another. That was a first.

Almost everything that had happened between them since they had known one another was because Arya initiated it or allowed it to happen. Ned followed her lead. This was actually true of most friendships and relationships that she had. Bran called it accurately months before: she did have control issues. Arya controlled what people knew about her as well as the relationships she had with them. If she could not control them, she didn't have them in her life.

Ned had been a casualty of this philosophy.

"So, you don't get to call the shots or end this friendship—no, not anymore. If anyone is going to end this friendship, it will be me because I deserve better than this." Ned then turned to leave.

"Ned, wait." Arya grabbed his arm and Ned snatched it away.

He glared at her. "This is what you wanted, right? Oh wait, it's different because I am the one walking away." A humorless laugh filled the air. "Sorry, sweetheart, you can't always get what you want."

With that, he left and didn't look back.

A week later, as Arya ran with Nymeria, she reflected upon Ned's word. Each word, each thought, and each argument of his was taken apart and carefully analyzed. Every since Arya could remember, she had never taken well to criticism no matter how well intentioned it was. In her mind, it was a personal attack, despite the fact that she knew better than to take it as such. Oddly enough, Ned's words didn't have the same affect on her, as she would have expected. The irony was not lost on her that Ned's words could be considered as a personal attack, but Arya could understand the reason for such harsh words.

Ned had been right on all accounts. He had been a great friend and only made one mistake. It hadn't been intentional on his part and if she hadn't been so secretive, perhaps, the outcome would have been different. Well, not her parents reaction, but Ned mentioning the extent of her relationship with Gendry. She doubt that her parents would ever be okay with their fifteen year old almost having sex with a twenty one year old. Maybe if this was England back in the day where they married off their young daughters to older men after they got their first period. Hell, they would have been eager to marry her away.

Arya shuddered at the thought as she followed Nymeria up an incline.

Well, if it had been Gendry that would be a different story. Inwardly, Arya rolled her eyes at herself as she pushed herself harder to beat her personal best. The burn in her calves was growing while she pumped her arms.

It would be a lie for Arya to say that she didn't mean to hurt Ned because she did; she just didn't think that his hurt extended beyond his romantic feelings for her. She assumed that everything was about their previous relationship and, maybe a little bit of it was, but his hurt had honestly stemmed from how easily she casted him aside once he fucked up.

Gradually Arya slowed down as she approached the guesthouse, and then walked up the steps. She stood on the porch for a moment to catch her breath and stretched for a moment, and then opened the door. Before seeing to tending to her needs, Arya filled both Nymeria's food and water bowls.

After a brief search, she settled on two cups on yogurt, an apple, and a bottle of PowerAde. For a while, she listened to some music, and then had a mini marathon on Netflix.

As Arya stood up, her phone rang.

"What's up, Franny," she held her cellphone against her ear while she straightened up the living room.

Francisco groaned which Arya smirked at in response; she knew that he hated the nickname.

"Will you be on your way any time soon?"

"Yeah, why?" Arya threw up on a light jacket and gathered her keys.

"I just wanted to know when to order the pizza, so you could pick it up," he explained before clearing his throat.

"Don't worry about it," she dismissed. "I'm going to order from a real pizzeria, so we don't have to eat that imitation pizza."

"Ha ha, you think you're funny, don't you?" Arya grinned.

"I know I am," she quipped. "Alright; I'll see you in about thirty—forty minutes."

"See you then," the line disconnected.

Over the past few months, Arya and Francisco had gotten closer. As unexpected as their friendship had been, it seemed to baffle them that it took them so long to actually establish a friendship. It took Francisco getting shot for them to truly get to know one another. Before, it was simply banter, shoptalk, and the rare serious conversation. Now, they conversed about a variety of things and frequently spent time together.

She and Gendry hadn't spoken much since that fateful night; he said he needed time. At first, it devastated Arya before she speculated that she needed time as well. Although she had many things figured out, her mindset wasn't one of them. As cliché as it sounded Arya was her own worst enemy—an enemy that was meticulously created to protect herself, but secretly sabotaged instead.

The time she spent working on understanding herself had been for nothing. She wasn't any closer to resolving the conflicts that lay within her. Ned had been a testament to that. If she had honestly made progress, she would've realized her folly with how she handled him.

"Hey, Arya," Francisco opened his door to let her in.

"Hey, Franny," she explained as she carried the pizzas in. "How are you feeling?"

"I've seen better days." He shrugged as he tenderly touched his side before he walked into the kitchen and looked at the contents. "Want anything to drink?"

"No, thanks," she replied, and then thought better of it. "As a matter of fact, do you have any beer?"

Francisco chuckled. "Did you honestly just ask me that?" He stared at her unbelievingly before pouring two cups. "The home brew is finished. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I think it may be my best yet," he boasted.

Arya sat the pizza boxes on the living room table and held out a hand to grab her glass of beer.

When Arya first visited Francisco's place, she was impressed with the décor. His place had a nice blend of traditional and contemporary style. There was different kind of art that occupied the apartment—both paintings and sculptures. She knew his musical collection was eclectic and to be envied (she regularly borrowed music from him), but she was amazed at seeing it in person.

"Is everything going well with your rehab," she inquired. Arya lifted up his shirt and gently rubbed the scar. The bullet penetrated Francisco just below his ribcage and barely missed hitting vital organs.

"Yeah, but surprisingly, that's not the hardest part," he said cryptically, and then rubbed his neck. "It's the mental/emotional stuff—that really fucks up your pain."

Absentmindedly, Francisco rubbed Arya's leg.

"My therapist—no therapists—I have a psychiatrist and physical therapist, said that most of my pain is psychological." Her companion solemnly stared at his lap. "They said that everything looked great and I am the only one holding myself back."

"So, what is it—you're issue, I mean?" Arya finished off her drink. "This really is good beer."

"Just good?" He rose and eyebrow at her compliment. "Anyways, that's what Wendy, my psychiatrist, and I are trying to work through." He took her cup and went to refill it along with his own. "I just want her to tell me what it is, so I can go back to work."

Arya laughed to herself. "It doesn't work like that. Therapy is about you working on your problems. Therapists are there to help and point you in the right direction. Wendy might know what is wrong with you, but your sessions with her will only be successful once you realized what your problem is and what to do about it."

Francisco gave her an inquiring look to explain her insight on therapy.

"I went when I was a teen; it helped a lot," she nodded before taking a sip of her beer. "I think it would be good for you."

"Would you recommend your former therapist," Arya laughed as toppings from Francisco's slice fell on his white shirt. He shrugged and ate the food off of his shirt. "I may go to him instead, mine isn't working for me."

"Her," Arya corrected. "And no. You would have to be a participant of the program I went to, which you are too old for. Besides, therapy is only as effective as you allow it to be. Some relationships between client and therapists are shitty, but other times, therapists are limited in their effectiveness because the client doesn't say shit to them or they are selective in what they say. Hell, I was," she admitted. "The reason it isn't working for you is because you aren't letting it. This isn't like you getting shot, and then getting surgery and going to physical therapy to recover. Therapy—psychology is deeper than that. It deals with the mind and the mind isn't always honest with itself. Sometimes, it doesn't even understand what the issue is. So, you work with your therapist to find out what that could be and, even when you do find out, it is still a process. You aren't 'fixed', you're just aware and have to make steps to deal with the issue."

Her companion looked at her in awe.

"What?" Arya was unnerved by his stare.

"You have no idea how amazing you are, do you?" He scooted closer to her.

"You're crazy," she brushed off.

Francisco shrugged. "That may be, but that doesn't make it isn't less true. Crazy people make valid observations sometimes."

"Well, this is an invalid observation; my shit isn't together in the least bit and, to top it all off, I'm a shitty friend as well." Arya tiredly exhaled as she evaluated herself.

"Arya," her co-worker gave her an assessing look. "And you are aware of the issue, so what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "I don't even know where to start."

"Start by not being so hard on yourself," he offered. "Before that, take a deep breath and say, 'I'm only human'. We make mistakes, okay. Sometimes we aren't the best people or even the best friends. Sometimes, our shit isn't together—it happens. After you realize that, you make a game plan. It doesn't happen overnight. It takes time. You have to realize some fucking ugly truths and Gods knows people hate to hear the truth about themselves, let alone confront it," he finished off. "So, don't be so hard on yourself. Arya Stark, you're an amazing person and having flaws doesn't change that."

Hurriedly, Arya blinked back tears. The past few months haven't been the greatest for her and, after Ned gave her some perspective the dynamics of her friendships, she had been feeling pretty low. To have someone think she was amazing…it touched her. It made her feel happiness in a way that she couldn't adequately express.

The two finished the first box of pizza before moving onto the second as the conversation was steered to another subject. Arya filled him in on what was happening at work and summarized her encounter with Ned. The topic then switched to overrated/underrated actors and movies.

"Although I hate to admit this, you were right: I was about to order shit pizza," said randomly. "You've shown me the error of my ways. How can I ever repay you?" Arya laughed at his overdramatic nature.

"By refusing to give any business to those con artists," she answered.

"You're wish is my command." He slowly bowed, and then went to turn on the gaming console.

"Ready to get your ass beat, Franny?"

"How cute. Trying to pump yourself up with false confidence," he retorted as he tossed a controller to her.

"You wish. Ain't nothing false about my confidence," she bragged.

"Well, then you're deluded because this ass," Francisco said as deliberately directed his ass in Arya's face as he squeezed between her and the table to sit down. "This never been bruised—not even touched."

They played a best of series and, although it wasn't a clean sweep, not even close to it; Francisco was a worthy opponent. Arya managed to walk away with the victory, but his skillset impressed her.

"I guess I've been humbled," he smiled and hung his head. Francisco finished off his beer, and then leaned back against the couch. "Now I know who to call when I play online." He yawned audibly as he closed his eyes.

"Are you about to go to sleep on me?" Arya asked.

"In a bit; I'm tired," he answered. "You can continue playing online if you want."

"Come on, Franny, play with me," Arya shook her friend. Francisco opened his eyes. "I knew that would get you…Franny."

Francisco closed his eyes again and as Arya was prepared to say the despised nickname again, he pounced her. He began to tickle her and she laughed uncontrollably in response. Every time she tried to outmaneuver him, it seemed as if Francisco anticipated her moves. Arya laughed so hard that tears fell from her eyes and she struggled getting her breath.

"Franny, Franny," Arya, screamed as she wiggled against his body, which was positioned, between her legs.

"Gods, just give up," He offered

"Never!" Francisco chuckled at Arya's rebellious nature as he continued to tickle her.

Suddenly, he stopped as if distracted by something. Arya took that as her opening and tackled him to the floor. She didn't waste time in straddling, and then tickling Francisco, preventing him from gathering himself. Guffaws filled the air and echoed off of the walls.

As expected, Francisco overpowered her and as he sat up, he puts her hands behind her back. It was then that Arya understood why the momentary pause earlier. An erection pressed into her ass as she contemplated her options.

On impulse, Arya kissed Francisco before he could say anything. Involuntarily, he returned her kiss and inserted his tongue in her mouth. The longer they kissed, the deeper and more intense it got. Arya struggled against Francisco's grip as a signal for him to let go of her hands. He complied immediately and laid her on her back. As if they had done this a hundred times before, they expertly took off of each other's clothes.

Arya licked her way up from Francisco's chest to his neck to his face, and then bit his on his lips. The biting turned into kisses as Arya wrapped her arms around his neck. Francisco picked her up by her thighs and sat on the couch with Arya straddling his legs. She took his cock in her hands and stroked it firmly. Her partner grabbed her hips and lifted her up on her knees. Slowly, he pulled her forward as she lowered herself and directed his cock inside her. Simultaneously, they both groaned, and then Arya rocked her hips.

The next morning, Arya woke up alone on the couch. A sheet was thrown over her and a pillow was under her head. She put a hand to her head in response to the slight hangover. Cautiously, she sat up and tightened the sheet around her body. As she tried to get up, she felt disoriented and knocked a cup over on the table. Arya grimaced at the loud noise.

"Oh, Gods," she moaned.

Francisco peeked his head in when he heard the noise.

"Finally, you're up," he smiled. Arya gave him a forced smile in response, which Francisco read before scratching his head. "Umm, I washed your clothes so you could have something clean to wear. After you take a shower, breakfast should be ready."

"Okay," Arya mumbled and went to go wash up.

As she water splashed against her skin, Arya tried to work out what came over her the night before. She wasn't interested in Francisco that way. Well, she wasn't interested in him romantically. To be honest, she had wondered what it would be like to have sex with him, but she didn't expect it to happen. And not in the way it happened either. Arya was reckless the previous night. Unprotected sex? Gods, what the fuck was wrong with her? No offense to Francisco, but she didn't know what he had and she could end up pregnant.

A trip to the pharmacy was in her near future. Near as in an hour from that moment.

Without wasting time, Arya finished her shower, got dressed, put away the things she used, and joined Francisco for breakfast. He fixed eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Fresh squeezed orange juice was served.

"I hope you don't mind that I used your shampoo," Arya, said as she cut up her pancakes. She hadn't looked at Francisco since she walked into the kitchen.

A muffled laugh escaped Francisco.

"What?" Arya stared across the table.

A forkful of eggs was stuffed into Francisco's already filled mouth, as he said, "Nothing."

"Clearly, it something," she argued. "Now tell me what it is."

"You," he said without hesitation. "You're ridiculous. And before you get upset, I don't mean that in a bad way. It's just that…" He smiled to himself. "I know what it was—just sex. I'm not looking anything into it, okay. I know the deal. You don't have to worry about me asking you to be my girlfriend and me giving you a promise ring. Hell, you don't even have to worry about wanting some friends with benefits type deal either. So, there's no need for you to avoid eye contact with me as if I'm going to pounce when out eyes meet."

"Are you insinuating that I'm bad at sex?" Arya raised an eyebrow as she waited expectantly for an answer.

The male chuckled. "See? Ridiculous. You're more concerned about me not expecting sex with you than you are with me be uninterested in a relationship." He shook his head. "If I didn't know you as well as I did, I would come back for seconds. Last night, my dick was screaming, 'encore, encore,' after every round and, keep in mind, I was tired before we had sex. If that isn't testament about your…. performance, then I don't know what is."

Arya shook her head. He was right; she could be ridiculous at times.

Francisco winced as he got up and searched a pantry filled with prescriptions. After a moment of looking, he found the bottles he was looking for. He dry-swallowed his medicine, and then joined Arya at the table again.

"Pain management, anxiety, depression, and so forth," he said as way of explanation.

"Oh," Arya sipped her juice.

"One of the reasons I can't come back to work," he offered vaguely. "Not all the meds, but the anxiety. I didn't' get shot while on the job, but it's difficult to be around guns. That's something hard to admit, but getting shot is getting shot. Regardless of how it occurs, you still almost lost your life." Francisco tightened his jaw and swallowed hard. Arya grabbed his hands in hers and gently squeezed.

"Everything will work out," she whispered.

"Maybe."

Arya looked at her watch. "Oh shit."

"What? You have to go?"

"Yeah," she replied, as she stood up. "I'm having lunch with my brothers and sisters today."

"Well, just so you know, it was a pleasure having you over." Francisco stood up and began to follow Arya to the door.

"No, the pleasure was all mine," Arya, grinned at Francisco shaking his head. "Remember, I'm ridiculous." She pointed to herself as she spoke.

Arya slapped his ass and Francisco winced, and then grinned. There was a bite mark on his ass. "There's a bruise now."

They hugged one another and Francisco waved as Arya drove off. She arrived at her destination with a few minutes to spare.

"Marco!" Arya shouted as she raised her hands in the air.

"Arya!" Marco mimicked her behavior.

They laughed at themselves before Arya took a seat at one of the table.

"You're back, again," Marco asked as he sat down across from her.

"If anything, I am persistent in my quest to bed you," she replied. "Now, if you'll just say yes and reward my hard work, you'll be a happy camper."

"Don't you mean, you?" He corrected.

"I know what I said," Arya looked at the menu out of habit. "No man can please me, I'm just in it for the chase. Once I catch you, you'll understand what all of the fuss was about."

Marco rolled his eyes and laughed. It never failed; Arya always found a way to make him laugh with her sexually laced conversations. She was quick with her retorts and knew how to give as much as she got. Marco usually would entertain her, but his boss was around, so he didn't want to get in trouble.

"So, how are you?" He asked as he played with the salt and peppershakers. Before Arya could answer, he replied. "I'm not asking about how's work and the family—I'm asking about you. And don't tell me what you think I want to hear."

Arya stared out the window as she contemplated her answer. "I…" the Stark woman licked her bottom lip, and then bit it. "I…" Mirthlessly, she laughed before leaning back in her chair. The words struggled to come out and Arya was unable to articulate her thoughts. In frustration, she shrugged and blinked rapidly at the moisture in her eyes. "Getting to okay."

Marco rested a hand on hers. In that moment, she truly felt fine.

After conversing for a few minutes, Marco went back to work. Soon afterwards, her siblings began to show up. Bran and Rickon arrived first, followed by Robb, and then Sansa. Jon hadn't showed up yet. Arya figured he was still upset at her for ignoring his calls and messages and was undecided about showing up.

He would show up. She knew it.

"Willas and I went to the doctor yesterday," Sansa said excitedly. She pulled two ultrasounds out of her bag and handed one to Arya and the other to Rob.

"What did the doctor say?" Rob inquired as he grinned at his future niece or nephew.

"She said that everything looks great," Sansa smiled proudly. Unexpectedly, she had gotten pregnant again, but this time she found out sooner and was being cautious. The doctor had explained that her current routine was fine as it was, but Sansa didn't want to take any chances. Her family understood her reaction and kept quiet on any opinions they had. Sansa needed to feel in control and they wouldn't take that away from her.

The waitress came to their table and sat the food down as well and a waiter followed behind with the drinks.

"We didn't order," Bran replied as he looked at the food then the waitress.

"I did," Arya, answered as she dug in. "And there's no point in putting up any argument; you know you all are going to love it—smell the aroma," Arya did a quick wafting motion as she inhaled the scent. Her siblings laughed at her. "And we always order the same drinks."

"Whatever," Rickon dismissed playfully before loading his plates up with pizza.

Bran followed his younger brother's lead as he looked to his oldest sister. "So, have you guys decided on any names yet?"

"Well, we're going to wait until the baby is born to find out the sex, but if it's a boy, he'll be named after Willas. If it's a girl, I was thinking maybe naming her after mom or perhaps the name Hope."

"Where's Ygritte when you need her," Arya quipped. Sansa gave her sister an exasperated look. "I'm sorry, Sansa, but it's boring, it's safe. But, it's not my kid, so you can name it whatever you like." She gulped her glass of water, and then sat the cup down.

"You're right," Sansa agreed. "It's not your kid. I don't see why you always have to comment every time this is mentioned."

"Don't be overdramatic, Sans," Arya drawled. Sansa stared in annoyance at Arya nickname for her. "This is what? Our third time talking about it. If it's that important to you, I won't say anything anymore."

"Thank you," she softly remarked. Sansa would've comment on the nickname, but she knew that if she acknowledged it the name would stick. At the same time, Arya most likely already knew she hated it, so the nickname was official. No one could win for losing with Arya. No one.

Throughout the conversation, Robb kept looking at Arya and grinning, which unnerved her. She had no clue as to what was making him grin and how to stop it.

"What, Robb?"

"Nothing," he held his hands up to indicate that he was innocent.

"Nothing my ass," she retorted. "Your poker face sucks ass. The difference between you and Sansa is that she would have told me already."

"Hey!" Sansa exclaimed.

"Hey!" Arya mocked. Sansa hit her sister on the arm. "You know you can't bluff to save your life. The features aren't the only strong Tully genes in Robb and you."

Robb gave his sister a mock glare before laughing. "You're such an ass, Arya, you know that?"

"Yes, and you wouldn't have me any other way." She smiled broadly.

Robb sipped his beer, and then tapped his neck. Arya looked confused, and then his meaning dawn on her when he raised an eyebrow.

"Someone got lucky last night?" He crossed his arms and leaned forward. "Who's the guy?"

"None of your business," Her siblings gave her a knowing glance. "I am not secretive! Ugh,…fine! But, I don't see why you perverts want to know anyways. It was a co-worker."

"Is this leading anywhere?" Jon asked protectively and Arya stared at him defiantly. She wondered when appeared and why he didn't announce himself sooner? More importantly, what made him think his concerns was wanted.

"Yes," she lied. "I turned in my letter of resignation today. I'm currently pregnant with his child and plan to stay home and raise all of his babies—out of wedlock, of course."

"Gods, Arya, why do you having to be so fucking stubborn?" Jon complained. "I just want to know what's going on with you?"

"Jon! Arya!" Sansa said in a firm voice. Both Arya and Jon looked at her in surprise. "Can you two cool it for a moment? How about we eat in peace for once in a long time?" Sansa faced her siblings when she addressed them by name. "Jon, you can cool it with the whole protective, big brother shtick? Arya's a grown woman, okay; she doesn't need you assessing every guy she is interesting in whether it's dating or fucking. And, Arya, I know Jon's prodding into your personal life, but you don't have to be such an asshole about it."

Jon ran a hand through his thick locks and groaned. "Arya, is it so wrong that I'm trying to protect you. I just want to look out for you."

"I don't need you to look out for me—I'm an adult, Jon. I'm a cop, for Gods sake. I can take care of myself, " Arya said passionately.

As hard as Jon tried to hold his tongue, he couldn't resist. "Like you did with Gendry?"

"For the last time, I didn't have sex with Gendry when I was away. He didn't take advantage of me," Arya, delivered in a clipped tone. "I don't want to hear anything else about him supposedly manipulating me."

"Gods, Arya, I don't know what kind of hold this guy has got over you. He almost took advanta—"

"Shut the fuck up! Shut the fuck up! Shut the fuck up!" Arya jumped up abruptly and screamed. "I'm tired of hearing talk about Gendry. Talk about something else—anything else and I will gladly listen. But, I swear if you utter Gendry's name again, I will walk out this restaurant; if you make hints about the situation that occurred YEARS ago, I will walk out this; if I even sense that thoughts about the matter is formulating in your mind, I will walk out this restaurant."

"There's no getting through to you, is there?" Jon mumbled.

Arya laughed at the irony. She was fully prepared to leave as she promised she would, but decided against it. "Jon, you're right; Gendry almost took advantage of me." Jon's face dropped. "You're completely right. I wasn't experiencing intense, sexual feelings that I never felt before and wanted to explore with a guy I was very attracted to. No, that wasn't me that was someone else. I'm asexual. To be honest, I don't even know why I have sex now—I think I'm just a victim of all of these men taking advantage of me." Jon glared at his sister. "I mean, I thought I was the one who initiated sex with Ned, but nope, I was manipulated into doing it. My former lover…he manipulated me too by asking if I wanted to have sex? Aegon, Gods, he manipulated me by asking me out on a date—he knew that would lead to sex. I don't know if I've ever made a decision to have sex where I wasn't manipulated."

"Arya, that's not what I mean and you know it!" Jon was seething

"No, I get it now, Jon, I get it. I mean, I can only imagine if Gendry had had his way back then. He would've done any and everything to me and I would've thought I wanted it. But, I really didn't. I understand. I do. I don't have any agency in ANY decision I make. You've made that clear." Arya's jaw tense as she looked at he favorite brother.

"No, Arya," Jon paced back and forth. "Gods, you can be so stubborn. The difference is that you were young and shit and Gendry should have known better."

"And he did, which is why he didn't fuck me! Do you not listen or are you just hard at hearing? You keep speculating about his motives, but nothing ever happened. Why do you insist on judging Gendry for lusting after me, but not acting on this desires? It could've happened and I wouldn't have said shit about it to anyone. We had time and opportunity." An expression that danced across Jon's face indicated that he had entertained those thoughts as well. It was probably what terrified him the most. "But, he put a stop to that. How many guys do you know would stop a sure thing? I wanted it so bad, Jon. So bad. And he was on top of me and I could feel how hard his cock was every time he had grind against me—it made me even more excited—"

"Arya, stop," he interrupted. "I don't want to hear this."

"No, you do," she contradicted. "And then I was on top of him," she continued. "I had unbuttoned his pants and was about to take them off when he stopped me. Can you believe it? He stopped me. Jon, I promise you, I was a sure thing that night and he stopped me."

"I don't care—he almost…" he provided weakly.

"…took advantage of me, I know, I know," she said unentertained. "After that night, all I ever dreamed about was fucking him and they weren't elementary either." A small smile played on her lips as her tongue moved across to moistened them. "Like gagging his big, fat cock—I dreamt about that a lot. I would get the wettest would I dreamt about screwing his brains out, which ended up with me touching myself a lot. But, my dreams didn't stop there..."

"Enough, Arya!" Robb exclaimed. He looked at his little sister as if she had grown an extra head. When she and Jon started conversing after Sansa spoke, the other three siblings silently agreed to let them talk it out. But, he was hearing far too much about his little sister's sex life and fantasies than he ever cared to know. Although he had gained perspective on the Gendry situation, he still felt minuscule resentment towards the man.

"Is it enough, Jon?" Jon rested his hands on his hips, and then scratched his beard.

"I just…" he walked out of the restaurant.

It was decided after Jon left, that lunch was over. Arya apologized to her other siblings as well as the people who worked at the restaurant. Her behavior was inappropriate regardless of how much Jon had pissed her off.

Sansa had rode home with Arya just to spend time with her. When they arrived to her place, Arya went to run and Sansa visited their parents while she out. After her run, Arya tore off her clothes and jumped in the shower. The water sluiced Arya's skin, as she got lost in deep thought. Absentmindedly, she put soap on her body and in her hair to clean herself. She came to understand that her biggest regret wasn't the blow up she had with Gendry, but rather, the way she ignored Ned. As much as Arya tried believed for a while that she no longer cared for Ned after the incident, it was clear that she still did. He was important to her than and now, but she had been blinded by her all or nothing attitude to understand this.

Her pride and secrecy led to her losing an incredibly important friend. Arya considered the situation with Ned worse because it really showcased her selfishness as a person. He was supposed to be her friend, but she refused to talk to him. It was something that she had done before with he and Mycah—she was hurt, but wouldn't let them in. It was her being consumed with her pain and not considering how others felt when she pulled away. Arya didn't think that her absence in their life was important; it was all about her pain. Never theirs. She can't say that she never did that with Gendry, but she did try to be more aware of how he felt.

Without warning, a huge sense of loss and grief consumes Arya as heartfelt sobs wrecked her body. For a while, she sat in the shower and cried. When she was done, she took a deep breath.

What next?

"Everything will be all right," Sansa reassured her sister. With care, Sansa runs her fingers through Arya's hair as her head rests on the older girl's lap.

"Yeah…it will," she replied as she turned her body to face her sister. Sansa's belly is in her face and which makes her smile. Tentatively, Arya rubs the pregnant belly and Sansa rests a hand on hers. "I wonder who name the baby responds to. Willas? Catelyn? Hope?" After she said each name, she wanted for the baby to kick. It didn't kick for any of them.

The improvement in the relationship between Arya and Sansa came the day when their mother asked Arya to forgive Sansa. Usually, Arya honored requests from her mother to placate her, but during that moment, she did agree with her mother. And she didn't want to spend her whole life hating her sister for something she did when she was young. Arya didn't want to hate Sansa for a mistake for the rest of her life when she had made thousands of mistakes herself.

From that on forth, Sansa and Arya carefully worked on their relationship so that they could be better sisters. And, so that they could understand one another better.

Arya supposed that she needed to do that with Jon as well. It's not that they didn't understand one another; they just tended to get very hotheaded and not listen to one another when they were upset. But, in Arya's defense, she had more reason to be upset with Jon than he did with her.

Over the next few weeks, Arya became very wrapped up in work. There were a few open cases that she was investigating, so she didn't get a chance to talk to Jon. After she closed them, she called Jon and they decided the best time to meet up.

"Hey, Arya," Jon waved her over to sit at his table.

"Hey," she smiled at her brother, which he returned. Jon gave her a bear hug and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"So, are you gonna sit down?" He laughed. "So, I've been going some thinking and I've decided that there isn't much to say."

Automatically, Arya became defensive. "There isn't?"

"No, there isn't," Jon sipped his coffee. "I was an asshole, plain and simple."

Arya smiled in relief.

"I guess I was so upset because I felt like everything had been my fault," he explained. "You're strained relationship with your mom at the time, getting into the fight with Joffrey—the first time…and the second, having no one to talk to when you guys moved to King's Landing," Jon sighed. "Then to compound the fact that I always used to think that when you entered high school, I would be there to protect you—that I would have to fight off the boys. I know, Arya, you don't need protective, but I can't help but feel protective towards you." Jon looked around the café for a minute before continuing, "And I wasn't there. And Gendry may be a good guy, but what if he hadn't been? Gendry was like the symbol of my failure in being there for you."

"Jon," Arya sighed. "Gods, why do you have to be so stupid?"

Jon laughed.

"You have never failed me," she replied. "Upset? Yes, from time to time. Failed? Never." She took a piece of Jon's muffin. "But, I wouldn't have let myself be taken advantage of like that. It pissed off at you for thinking otherwise."

"I know, Arya; but I'm a big brother, I don't think, I just react." He hung his head guilty.

"Apology accepted!"

"Now, that that is settled," Jon began. "I got you an early birthday present."

"My birthday isn't for another six months," Arya stated the obvious.

"No shit," Jon shot back. "I'm your favorite brother; of course, I know this. BUT," he said with emphasis. "Since I am your favorite brother, I always have to find ways to ensure that my spot isn't threatened."

"What did you get, Jon?" Arya asked excitedly.

"Close your eyes," he instructed. "Close them!"

"I am," she responded. Arya heard him half job, half run away, but didn't hear him return.

She felt hands cover her eyes "Just to make sure you aren't peaking," he said in her ear.

"I'm not," she denied.

"Are you ready?" He teased.

"Yeah."

Arya opened her eyes slowly to see Gendry sitting in front of her. As if not believing what she was seeing, she looked at Jon, and then back to Gendry. He wore a deep green shirt with a bright red bow attached to his. Gendry looked the same, except there was sadness to him. She could tell that he was happy to see her, but he wasn't her old, care free Gendry. It looked as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulder. But, they could talk about that later. Arya was just glad to see his blue eyes and stupid face. A nervous smile played on his lips as he rubbed his hands together.

"I was stupid before," Arya said. "I'm a little less stupid now."

Gendry smiled broadly.

"Me too."

"No, you weren't as stupid," she remarked. "I was really, really stupid. And I missed you a lot. I'm sorry for pushing you away."

Gendry grabbed her hand and pressed it against his check. "Just don't do it again."

Arya reached across the table to seal her promise with a kiss. "I won't."

She took the bow off of Gendry's shirt.

"This is the best birthday present ever," she smiled suggestively.

TBC…

A/N: I'm a so, so sorry about the long delay. Although I had this part of the story mapped out, I was experiencing massive writer's block. There may be parts of the chapter that some don't like, but it was the only way to get me through the writer's block, finish, and get the story back on track. I'll try to be much quicker with the update next time.