Chapter 19

Gendry's jaw was clenched tight as he stared at the television. Arya's mother is dead. Suicide, they said.

Fucked up bullshit, is what that was. Lies. Orchestrated lies. Lannister lies.

"Who's going to tell her?" Tom asked behind him, but all Gendry really heard was, 'you're the one who has to tell her.'

And Gendry knew everyone was right in thinking it was his job to do it. He was her friend, after all.

The pub was quiet, besides the television, so everyone was able to hear the gasp, and Gendry's heart skipped a beat, for he knew the sound had come from Arya before he turned to face her, as did everyone else in the room.

On her forehead was that little wrinkle that always gave her emotions away. Her eyebrows were furrowed as she stared up at the screen with glassy eyes.

She shook her head in disbelief, and turned away, running for the main doors.

"Arya!" Gendry yelled after her as he slid off the bar stool and followed after her.

The cold outside was biting, and the shock of white nearly blinded him.

Arya was running across the parking lot, towards the highway. Gendry started running towards her, hoping she wouldn't try anything stupid.

There was very little traffic, and for that he was thankful.

Arya had stopped though. She was right infront of the motorway, staring out, but she was no longer running.

Gendry came up a few feet right behind her, his heavy breaths rising up in clouds.

"Arya." he said when he caught his breath.

She turned to face him, her face wet with tears, and more threatening to come out. She was biting her bottom lip, and shaking her head, and he felt his jaw tremble and his own eyes fill with tears.

What happened next, caught him so off guard he nearly fell from the impact.

Arya ran. She ran to him, her body crashing against his.

She let out the most heart wrenching sob, so full of pain and hopelessness.

"I've got you." Gendry whispered into her forehead as wrapped his arms around her quickly, feeling her slip from his grasp like water.

He pulled her up, holding on tighter, and she sobbed away against his chest, whispering no. No. No. Over, and over again.

"I've got you." he managed to whispered through the knot on his throat. Arya was a small thing, quite weightless.

But right now, she felt so heavy. And she was slipping.

"...I won't let go." he said through his teeth, marking every word. "I've got you."

Her small hands clenched to his shirt, and her knees gave up, and she began sinking down, nearly dragging him down with her.

He held her though. The muscles in his neck and arms corded from the effort.

He held her.

He fought for her.

She was not falling. He wouldn't allow it. Not without a fight.

In one swift move, he slipped an arm behind her knees and picked her up in his arms.

It was beginning to snow again. Lightly.

Someone yelled his name from the hotel, and he could see Tom and the rest walking towards them.

It was cold, and neither Arya or him had a jacket on. He had to get her out of the cold, he told himself as he turned and headed towards the hotel.

Lem ran up to him, meeting him halfway. "Give her to me!" he yelled, but Gendry just kept walking.

When he reached the hotel, Harwin and Tom quickly opened the front doors for him, and he walked right in and straight for the elevators.

Anguy ran past him and pressed the elevator button, quickly moving out of the way.

The doors slid open, Gendry stepped in, and Harwin after him.

The old man pressed their floor button and the doors began to close, giving Gendry a last look at Lem, Tom, and Anguy; their faces full of genuine concern.

Gendry fixed his eye on the elevator buttons, never looking down at Arya, though he could hear her, weeping softly now, occasionally sniffing.

The door opened at their floor, and Harwin followed Gendry out in silence, until they reached their room door, and he asked Gendry where his key was.

"Back pocket. " Gendry said.

Harwin pulled the key out and opened the room for them, walking in only to place the key on a small table.

"If you need anything. Let us know." he said to Gendry, and turned towards the door, closing it after himself.

Gendry walked to the bed, gently placing Arya down. Her hands still clasped to his shirt, so he carefully moved her aside so he could lay himself next to her.

He said her name out loud once, but she didn't open her eyes, and he didn't say another word.

He just listened. Listened for hours as he rubbed her arms and back gently.

To her sniffs and soft cries at first, and then to her slow, even breaths, which let him know she was asleep.

Her head was pillowed on his chest, and her hands still held on to his shirt, though not as tightly.

Gendry brushed her hair from her face.

Her eyes were puffy and her cheeks were streaked with tears.

He took in a deep breath, to calm himself.

He felt like crying, but he swallowed back the tears and closed his eyes. He had to keep it together. Arya needed him right now, and she needed him composed...

Soon, he was asleep too.

He didn't know how long they had slept for, but when he woke, it looked like it was morning. Again.

Arya was still asleep, and he slipped from under her to go to the toilet and change out of his jeans.

He walked around the bed to Arya and carefully unlaced, and pulled off her boots.

The movement made Arya stir, and her mouth parted, as she said something inaudible.

Gendry carefully laid himself on his side next to her, careful not to put too much weight on the bed, turning him body to face Arya.

She spoke again, this time he heard what she said.

"Jon." she said a third time.

Gendry reached across the bed and grabbed her hand, giving it a small squeeze.

Her eyelids flew open, and for the first time in the months he had known her, he saw right into her.

It was not the tough Arya staring back at him.

Not the brave little kick-ass who stood up to anyone.

Not the little fighter.

But a girl. A little girl that had lost her parents.

A little girl that looked so very lost herself.

"They died, right?"

Gendry could only nod.

"Yes." she whispered with a small nod, looking away from him.

Gendry's mind felt like it would explode, as he searched for the right words to say, but each time he thought of something, it stuck in his throat.

Nothing was enough. Each thing he thought of saying, sounded stupid, and the next, even more stupid.

"I saw my father. From across the party hall." she whispered. "I saw them take him. And I ran. I had taken my gun with me to the party, to make wearing a dress bearable." she

Gendry smiled.

"I followed them into a hall way, and pulled my gun out. I felt ready to do anything. Whatever was needed to help my father. Even kill."

She turned away from him, her body belly side up and her eyes to the ceiling.

"I heard them. Behind a door. I could hear them yelling at my father. And hitting him. I wanted to kill them. I would have. When I finally reached the bottom of the stairs and the end of the small corridor, I was behind them, and I was going to kill them. But Yoren stopped me, and pulled me away. To keep me safe, he later told me."

A tear rolled down her cheek.

"Then we heard a shot. I pushed Yoren aside and ran towards my father. He was on the floor. They had shot him."

Gendry squeezed her hand, feeling tears roll down his cheeks.

"They were about to kill me, but Yoren shot them. And I ran fell on my knees next to my father. He was still alive, but he couldn't speak. He tried... There was so much blood."

"Arya." Gendry whispered, bringing her to look at him.

"What's worse. To have someone you love die in your arms, or to know that they died alone? Cold, and alone... My mother died alone... Jon died alone."

He squeezed her hand again.

"I'm sorry Arya." he let out raspily, inching closer to her. She turned her body on its side, so that it was facing Gendry's.

"I'm sorry that you have to go through this... that there's people out there that get away with murder."

"They're all going to pay." Arya said in such a low, bitter voice that made a chill run down his spine.

It took him a seconds to compose himself from the chill, but he nodded. "We will find a way. Whatever Jaqen's plan is..."

"No." Arya cut him off as, as she sat up.

Gendry did the same.

"I don't care about Jaqen's plan anymore. If I hadn't been so stupid, we may have been at grandfather's... No... It's just my brothers and sister now. That's all the family I have left. We need to leave, Gendry. Now"

These words were exactly what he wanted to hear yesterday. There was something about the way she was saying them. The missing life in her eyes, that made him want to take a pause to think this over.

"Arya, wait." he grabbed her shoulders. " Just think about this..."

"No, there is nothing to think about, you said it yourself, we might not have another chance to leave." she pulled free of him and crawled off the bed, running for her coat.

"What about money. Our papers." Gendry said as he slowly slid off the bed and walked around it towards Arya.

"Who cares!" Arya cried out desperately.

"It's freezing outside. We won't last an hour if we walk. We need money. We need our papers. We can't just leave, just like that without money."

Arya turned to face Gendry, and he could tell she was beginning to see some sense.

"Then lets get them." she nodded at him, and walked up to her boots, picking them off the floor.

"And how do you intend we do that." he said as he roughly pulled the boots from her hands. "Stop!" he cried, as if to a child. "Just and think for a second!" he yelled.

She bit her bottom lip, and let her gaze fall.

Gendry sighed, licking his lip.

"We go downstairs. They're at the bar. They're always at the bar. We take the key. I come up to their room and take our stuff and make a run for it. Give me ten minutes before you leave outside. For air or something. We can meet..." she trailed off as she walked to the window and pulled the curtains back to take a look at their surroundings.

The window lead to the back of the hotel.

Ayra swept the area before she pointed to a small building a little less than a kilometer from the hotel.

"...There."

Gendry groaned. "The key. How are we suppose to..."

"Didn't you ever pick pocket as a child? I'll take the key, Harwin has it no doubt. And he always places it by his drink. You distract them while I come and get the stuff."

Gendry looked her face up and down for a moment. Her nose was still red from crying. She had just lost her mother. She should be mourning her still, not planning their escape.

He shook his head lightly. "Arya, you've lost so much, I don't think you're thinking straight. Yesterday you we're willing to trust Jaqen...you we're thrilled over his plan, putting all your trust in him, and you wouldn't even tell me! And now..."

Arya growled and turned away from him, stomping towards the bed. "You are impossible," she yelled turning to face him. "Why are you so stubborn?!"

"WHY ARE YOU!?"

Arya closed her eyes against his words, and Gendry instantly felt a shock of regret. He shouldn't have yelled at her. She just really got under his skin.

"I don't want to fight Gendry." she said calmly.

Neither do I.

"Please. Just do this with me. I need you."

Those last words really did it for him. He felt his heart twist in his chest.

Damn you Arya Stark. Damn you for being such an amazingly persuasive pain in my ass.

He exhaled sharply, and he thought he saw what might have looked like a smile threatening the corners of her mouth.

"Where will we go?" he asked in defeat.

"Home. I will find that will. Clear my father's name. Make sure the Lannisters pay."

He raised an eyebrow. "Find the will? How?"

Arya sat on the bed, taking a small breath before speaking again. "The day they killed my father, he said something...I know he said it to me."

Gendry sat next to her. "What did he say?"

"He said, 'your birthday'"

Gendry looked away from her, thinking. "That's in... two days." he remembered.

He had decided he would wait until they returned to Sheffield to tell Arya about her gun, but when he found out about her birthday, he decided he'd give Brienne a call and if she had managed to find it, he would let Arya know for her birthday. It wasn't a real birthday gift. But It was all he could give to her for now. Especially since the guys had taken their money.

"Yes." Arya said. "I'm not sure what he meant by it, but he decided to say that to at that moment. He knew he would die. He knew I was listening. It was right when the men asked him about the will. It's not much I know, but it's all I have. It could maybe have something to do with the date, or maybe.."

"A password." Gendry cut in. Arya nodded.

"A safety deposit box. Or maybe an account. Something."

"I have a friend." Gendry's eyes widened. "Her roommate works at a bank."

"Can we trust her?" Arya asked.

"Yes. We can." he said as he stood from the bed and walked towards the phone.

"Are you sure?" Arya insisted behind him.

"More than we can trust Jaqen." Gendry said as he punched in the numbers on the phone.

Behind him, he heard Arya scoff.

It took four rings, but finally, Brienne answered on the other side.

"Brienne!"

"Gendry." she said.

"Brienne, how are you?"

"Good."

"I'm glad."

"You?"

"I'm alive, so I'm doing rather well."

"I'm glad you are."

"Where you able to find it?" Gendry looked over his shoulder and saw that Arya was still there.

"Yes. It's with me. Safe." Brienne said to him.

"Thank you so much Brienne. If I make it out of this... beers are on me, for, like... forever."

Brienne let out a small weak laugh. "It's fine. That's what friends are for."

"Yes. And you've done so much already, but...I need to ask you for another favor. Your roommate..."

"Renly?" Brienne asked warily.

"Yes. Does he still work at the bank."

Brienne hesitated. "Yes."

"I need you to see it he can find out some information for me. About an account, or a safe deposit box. Under Robert Baratheon, or Eddard Stark. Maybe Catelyn Stark. Anything Stark or Baratheon, really. I have a number."

He put his hand over the speaker and turned to Arya. "What year were you born?"

"95"

Gendry spoke into the phone again." Brienne? Yes, It's 08121995."

"08121995?" Brienne repeated.

"Yes. I know how this sounds, but trust me, I'm trying to clear Ned's name. You need to trust me Brienne. This could very easily mean my life."

"I trust you." Brienne answered. "I'll talk to him, see how much he can do."

"I'll call you tonight. See how much he was able to do. I'm on my way home. Depending on the weather, I expect to be home in a few days."

"Gendry..."

"Thank you so much Brienne. I really owe you one."

"Don't mention it."

"Brienne...take care of yourself." Gendry spoke softly. He was really putting her in a lot more danger than she knew.

"You too Gendry."

"I love you, mate."

"I love you too. Please. Be careful."

"You too. I'll talk to you soon Brienne."

"Bye."

He hung up and turned to Arya. Her eyebrows were raised.

"She's just a friend?" she asked.

"Yes. Just a friend." Gendry said, holding back a smile. Was that a hint of jealousy?

He grabbed his jeans and boots and headed for the bathroom, closing the door after himself.

His mind went over their plan, searching for anything they may have over looked. Any place they may fail at.

He changed into his jeans and fed his feet in his boots, combing a bit of water into his hair, and splashing a bit on his face.

In the mirror, the blue eyed guy staring back at him was older. Tired. His hair longer, his beard beginning to grow.

Arya had slipped into her shoes, and was waiting for him by the door when he walked out.

They walked down the corridor in silence.

She's nervous.

"Remember. Give it 10 minutes. from the moment I leave, before you head out. Say its for some air, a walk, anything." she said as they stood in the elevator, watching the digital number descend.

"Alright." Gendry said, trusting she would have enough time. Arya was a smart girl. She was quick. She could do it.

"You don't have to do this, you know." she said in a small voice, keeping her eyes on the elevator doors.

"You really want to bring that up again?" he asked glanced over to her out of the corner of his eye.

She simply shook her head.

Gendry sighed, "I do this, because I want to. You're right when you say I don't have to, because I don't. But I want to... Is that enough?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but the elevator doors opened and she walked out instead.

Gendry sighed. "Here we go." he said, as he followed her out and into the lobby.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Don't mention it." Brienne said into her phone.

"Brienne...take care of yourself."

"You too Gendry."

"I love you, mate."

Brienne closed her eyes at his words. "I love you too... Please...Be careful."

"You too. I'll talk to you soon Brienne."

"Bye." she said, and the call ended.

"How very touching!" Jaime said as he held his hand out for her to toss him the phone.

She did, her eyes never looking away from the gun pointed at Renly head.

"This couldn't be more perfect." Jaime said with a smile, keeping his distance from Brienne.

She closed her eyes agaisnt the tears. I'm sorry Gendry.

AN

Thanks so much for all your reviews, as usual. You're all my fuel, filling my inbox with lovely cupcakes.

Short chapter, but I do want to know what all of you think? About Jaime. About Arya and Gendry? Everything?

I love you all, and i promise the next chapter will be a long one.

I have a new trailer for this story, check it out, the link is on my profile. Please watch and tell me what you think. Leave me a comment on youtube, or here :)