Hi guys, finally a new chapter for this fic, I haven't abandoned it despite the lengthy delay again. I am struggling with ideas for this one, which is why updates won't be as regular as my lotr fanfic, but still I like writing the story and it seems you like reading it, so there will be updates, just not weekly.

Hope you enjoy the chapter :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing. All characters/locations etc. belong to GRRM.

For what seemed like the hundredth time that evening, Ned stood up and began pacing. He felt incredibly useless, but he knew that childbirth was a woman's battle, and as Nan had reminded him several times, the man's part was done several months ago. But still, that didn't stop him from being on edge. He had not been present for Robb's birth, but Catelyn had informed him it was an easy birth and there was no issue, and Maester Luwin had assured him on several occasions that Catelyn would be fine, and that she had the perfect body shape for childbirth.

But over the last few months, he had been unable to get the picture of Lyanna out of his head. Her blood everywhere, Jon in her arms as she pled for her older brother to protect him, and in his dreams, he saw his wife perish giving birth, the child along with her.

"Honestly, Ned, you will ware the floor down if you continue to do that," Old Nan said, a stern look on her face as she stopped reading to the boys to chide the Lord of Winterfell. "Sit yourself down and relax. Lady Catelyn is a remarkably strong woman for a southerner, and she will be just fine."

Feeling scolded, Ned sat down.

"Forgive me, Nan, I am just nervous."

She let out a little chuckle and handed the boys a toy so they could amuse themselves while she spoke to Ned.

"I know you are, my boy, just as many men are. I remember your father being nervous whenever your mother gave birth. In fact, he was in this exact room pacing when Brandon was born."

"My papa!" Jon shouted, having heard Brandon's name. Jon was still very young, and did not quite understand the situation of his parents, but Ned and Catelyn had explained to him that his father was Brandon but he wasn't able to look after him, so they were and they assured him that they loved him very much, and since then, Jon had taken to shouting the word 'papa', whenever Brandon's name was mentioned.

It made Ned smile to see that, but also cut deep at his heart, for it was still a lie, and it would be many years before Jon would learn the truth, if ever. Ned had been contemplating whether or not he would one day tell Jon about Lyanna and Rhaegar, but he considered it far too dangerous, and if Jon grew up happy believing Brandon and Ashara were his parents, would it destroy him to find out the truth.

The lie had actually sold much better than he thought it would. He had no doubt that the people of Winterfell suspected something was not right, for Jon was clearly younger than Robb, despite the fact that him being Brandon's son meant that he had to be older, but none had questioned it, and now the two boys were heading towards three years old, the age difference could hardly be seen, and what Catelyn had said about the age difference not being a problem was true.

There was also the support of the Daynes, who had been in constant contact with Ned, sending letters for him to read to Jon, and Jon was now aware that his mother's parents lived in Dorne, but sent him lots of letters, because they wanted him to know how much they loved him. He had extended an invitation for them to visit Winterfell for Jon's third nameday, which would be in a couple of months, and so for the first time since their first meeting with Jon as a baby, they would be able to see him again.

But there was always the worry at the back of his mind that Robert would find out the truth. He would gladly sacrifice himself for Jon, but the thought of what would happen to his nephew made his stomach turn, for Robert would not let the boy live. He put these matters to the back of his mind, though, hoping that the day would never come.

"That does little to comfort me, Nan. My mother died giving birth," he said, for he too remembered watching his father pace as the screams of his mother were heard throughout Winterfell the day she died. Her fifth child, a baby boy who remained nameless, died with her.

"Oh, Eddard, you worry far too much. Your mother had several complications during her pregnancy, and she was much older than your Lady is." Ned still wasn't convinced, after all, the two women in his life had died in childbirth, and no matter how much Nan tried to calm his nerves, he feared the same fate would await Catelyn. It was true what Nan said, she was an exceptionally strong woman, but the fear lingered.

"You truly are your father's son. You were always far too serious, even as a boy. The others had more of Lyarra in them, but you are Rickard through and through."

She turned her attention to the boys, trying to lighten the mood before Ned drove himself mad with worry.

"Are you two excited to meet the baby?" she asked, and they both perked up, putting the toys down.

"I am!" Jon shouted, and Robb nodded in agreement.

"I have brother, papa?" he asked, as he walked to sit in Ned's lap.

"I'm afraid that's not how it works, son," he said with laughter, it seemed Nan's trick had worked for his mind was now on the boys. "Don't you think a girl is needed. After all, your mother is already outnumbered by us three," he said, jokingly, for he would be happy if the baby is a boy or a girl.

"No, want brother, I don't like girls."

"Don't let your mother hear you say that," Ned said, amused, for he knew that Robb's favourite person was his mother, who happened to be a girl

"Not mama or Old Nan, but other girls," Robb said, and this time it was Jon who nodded in agreement. It seemed that the two of them had formed a formidable team and would agree with each other about anything. Ned only hoped that the bond they had formed remained as strong as they got older.

"Well, it might be a boy. But a girl would not be a bad thing." He gestured for Jon to come and join them and sat each boy on either of his knees. "If the baby is a girl, both of you will have to protect her, and I know you will be her two favourite people."

"Really?" Jon asked, seemingly coming around to the idea of a little girl rather than another boy.

"Really," Ned replied, and Robb jumped off his knee, brandishing an imaginary sword.

"I protect my sister from all the monsters!" he shouted.

"Me too!" Jon joined in, and the two of them began to play one of their games which involved them being the heroes and having to defeat Ned, who gladly played the part of a dragon, wanting to destroy the kingdom.

It didn't take long for them to become tired, and Nan took them into their chamber so they could get some sleep before the baby arrived. Ned had been successfully distracted by the boys for an hour or so, but now they were gone, his mind was back to Catelyn.

Unable to contain his thoughts, he had to see her, and he headed toward her chamber. It was custom both in the North and South that the fathers are not present during the birth, but he was about to disobey the orders of the midwives and Maester, for he needed to see his wife, and help her in any way he could.

Of course, the moment he stepped into the chamber, he was met with a gaggle of women telling him he should not be here, but he was not focused on them. Instead, he looked straight ahead at the woman on the bed, sweating and screaming, but somehow, she still looked beautiful. He scolded himself for thinking such things when she was in such pain and ignored the complaints of the women to sit by her side, holding her hand.

She was pleased to see him, though no words came out for a contraction hit and she screamed. She squeezed Ned's hand as she screamed, and he hadn't realised how psychically strong his wife is, for he was certain his bones were breaking, but he remained silent, knowing his pain is small in comparison to hers.

"I'm glad you're here," she managed to pant out after the pain had hit, and he kissed her on the forehead in reply. "Please stay."

"I am not going anywhere, My Lady," he assured her, and she smiled at him, but the smiled turned into a wince of pain as another contraction hit.

Ned winced himself, though he made sure Catelyn did not see it, and he thought that the entire scene before him was awful. He knew that bringing a child into the world was the toughest task a woman would ever face, but this was unlike anything he had ever seen before, and it was easy to see how so many women perished in this battle. Do not think of that now, Ned, he chided himself, needing positive thoughts to help his wife through this.

"I need you to push now, My Lady," Maester Luwin said, and Catelyn nodded, breathing heavily before straining and pushing and screaming. It took several minutes, and Ned was sure the bones in his hands would need setting, but eventually, the screams of Catelyn were replaced by the cries of a new-born.

"Congratulations, My Lady, My Lord, you have a baby girl."

Ned beamed and watched as the Maester handed the baby to the nursemaids to be cleaned. Beside him, Catelyn smiled tiredly too, and he saw tears of joy in the corners of her eyes. He wiped them away, and kissed her on the forehead, the words his brain could not form were translated through that kiss.

The nursemaid returned with the baby in her arms, swaddled with clothing and now clean. She placed the baby in Catelyn's arms and Ned's breath was taken away. He could not believe that this perfect, tiny human was his. He was in complete awe of this little girl, his perfect little girl, and just as he had done the first time he met Robb, Ned fell in love.

"She looks just like you," he said to Catelyn, observing the blue eyes and red hair of the child. His heart felt like it was bursting, only in a good way, and after the stress of worrying about Catelyn and the baby all day, he felt happier than he ever had done before.

Of course, he had been incredibly happy when the news of Robb's birth reached him, but he was at war, and the shadow of battle was constantly on him, but this time, he was actually present for the birth of his child, and the feeling was unlike any other he had ever experienced.

"She needs a name," Catelyn said, "I named Robb, and I also named Jon, so now its your turn."

Ned thought long about it. His immediate thought was Lyarra or Lyanna, but he felt the babe before him would not suit the name, and he also thought it was best to not tempt fate, however much he loved his mother and sister. His mind went back to some of the older Stark names, and then the perfect name entered his mind.

"Sansa," he said. A name he thought fitting for such a perfect babe.

"Sansa Stark," Catelyn murmured, eyes fixed on their daughter, "I like it. Would you like to hold her?"

Ned nodded, and carefully took the newly named Sansa from his wife's arms. A small hand poked out of the blanket she was swaddled in, and Ned took the hand in his own. He was mesmerised by the child, and when her blue eyes stared up at his grey ones, he knew that she would be precious to him for the rest of his life.

The three of them spent several minutes alone together, in silence, and then Ned handed Sansa back to Catelyn.

"I will be back shortly. I believe two small boys would love to meet this little one."

Catelyn smiled at the mention of Robb and Jon, and he gave both mother and daughter a kiss on the forehead before leaving to find them. He could hear that they were awake from their nap before he even opened the door, and when he did, the two of them flung themselves at him, bombarding him with questions.

"Is my brother or sister here?"

"Can we see baby?"

"Is baby boy or girl?"

"Settle down, boys," he gently reprimanded them, and they quietened down quickly. He kneeled to be eye level with them. "How would you like to meet your baby sister?"

As soon as he asked the question, he was bombarded by excited arms, shouting about how they wanted to see the baby.

"You have to be quiet, though, she may be asleep," he said, and they listened to him, quietening down immediately and vowing to be quiet. Behind them, Nan smiled and offered her congratulations, and Ned made a mental note to remember to introduce her to Sansa later on in the evening.

He walked through the corridors of the castle with two excited but quiet boys, each with a hand in either of his, and when they opened the door, he was surprised to see Catelyn sat up, but he marvelled at her strength once more.

"My boys," she said, smiling when she looked up and saw them. She gestured to the two of them to join her on the bed, but they were still too small to climb up alone, so Ned lifted them both on, and they clambered towards Catelyn, gently peering at the bundle in her arms.

"Is that my sister?" Robb asked, eyes wide in wonder as he looked at Sansa.

"Yes, Robb. This is Sansa."

"She's little," Jon said, and Catelyn laughed at his words.

"So were you once."

"I was that little?" Jon asked, shocked that it was a possibility.

"You were."

"I will protect my sister, mama," Robb said, proudly, puffing his small chest out slightly.

"And I will too," Jon vowed, and Ned smiled at the two of them, for he knew the words would be true as they got older. Though, he did know younger sisters could become incredibly annoying at times, so he did not doubt the pair would cause trouble for Sansa.

An hour or so passed, and all three children had fallen asleep. Catelyn was tired too, and so Ned decided to squeeze on the bed, and the five of them fell asleep, their small family was growing and Ned could not be happier.

Well, hope once again the wait was worth it and you enjoyed the chapter. I do have a busy month ahead with finishing my dissertation, and my priority for writing is my LOTR fic so I likely won't have an update for this until at least mid May, but who knows, I may have some spare time on my hands and try to write a chapter.

You'll have to forgive the parts which involve Robb and Jon talking. I have literally had nothing to do with babies and toddlers my entire life so far and therefore don't really know how their speech develops, so just going with it really.

I do plan for the next chapter to be from the POV of Brynden Tully on a visit to Winterfell. I was wondering if you guys think that would work or if you would prefer a different POV.

Anyway, thanks for reading :)