A/N: It took me about a month to write seven chapters. I hate myself so much right now!

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From Acorns to Oaks

Day Seven: That's Not What I Meant

They went to Braavos for their honeymoon. Gendry was his own boss and Arya could afford to miss a week or two of class, so they combined the holiday break with an extra week for a longer than average honeymoon. Braavos was larger than most Westerosi believed, larger than Arya had believed it to be when she'd first traveled there, and she'd made it her mission to show Gendry all the places she had been to while they were separated.

She'd always meant to go back to Braavos with Gendry by her side, and it seemed like the stars had finally lined up for such an occasion. It was warmer than Wintertown, and cooler than King's Landing, and known for its artisans and craftsmen. Gendry had made a joke about staying there forever, and Arya had laughingly agreed, but there was a strained silence following the declaration that made her wonder if they'd stay in the Westeros forever.

But, for the time being, they returned to their homeland. And they made a small trip of it in itself. They'd skipped out on all the usual familial courtesies involved in the holidays, and decided to make up for it by dropping in on their family members and giving them souvenirs in lieu of actual gifts.

They landed in the Stormlands, and stayed in Storm's End for a night. Like most times they visited, dinner was an awkward affair. Stannis was taciturn, Selyse was judgey, and Shireen did her best to make up for her parents' attitudes by being an actual ball of sunshine. The younger Baratheon did the bulk of the talking, and Arya did her best to not mention that every other sentence out of her mouth was asking after Rickon.

Selyse thanked Gendry for the carving of a flaming heart he gave her, and Shireen gushed over the painted silk dresses he'd bought for her. Stannis was characteristically unimpressed by the red-tinged decorative sword he was gifted. But at least he didn't openly sneer at it like he usually did at Robert's gifts. The quiet "humph" he gave was practically glowing praise from Stannis Baratheon.

Edric was too busy with school to devote any real time to them, but the quick meal they shared in a diner was easy and full of laughter. Arya had thought Gendry would bring some spiced wine for his older half-brother, but he'd surprised her by bringing him a really old history book on the abolishment of slavery and foundation of new government on Braavos. Edric surprised her even more by being genuinely pleased by it.

"Given our heritage," Gendry had explained to her afterward. "Casual drinking is okay, but we probably shouldn't enable each other."

"Oh," she nodded sharply. "Right."

They continued on to King's Landing. They had meant to only visit Renly and his husband, Loras, but unfortunately landed on a day the pair had planned to visit the newly-built, much smaller Red Keep.

Cersei sneered to see the newly-weds, but luckily they had gifts for Gendry's step-siblings that they'd planned to send via mail, and as long as her children had 'what they deserved', the blonde was willing to quietly drink herself into a stupor in a corner. Myrcella was already back in school in Dorne, so they'd have to mail her antique set of parchment and quills anyway, but Tommen was overjoyed at the bestiary Arya had chosen for him. Joffrey didn't seem to understand that the many faced god token she had gifted him was a curse that was meant to get worse depending on how foul the holder acted. Which made it all the more entertaining when he began his usual tirade about 'stupid Stark girls and their senseless gifts.'

Arya didn't really believe in curses, but Joffrey tripped and landed on his nose immediately after rising from his seat, so there was that!

They waited until they were back in the Baratheon-Tyrell residence to give the older men their gift. Both Renly and Loras were charming enough that you'd never know it if they lied about liking a gift, but Arya was sure they appreciated the iron figurine of a stag crowned with roses. Between Robert's gag gifts, Stannis' sensible endowments, and trinkets from a dozen nieces and nephews that didn't really care one way or the other, it was probably a gift from the Old Gods and the New to have a nephew that actually thought about their interests when choosing presents.

They shared breakfast with Mhaegan and Barra. The toddler received half a dozen gifts from her half-brother. Everything from bouncy balls to wooden horses and simple learning tools. Her mother received a generous sum of money from Arya.

They stopped by the Riverlands and Arya was upset that the Blackfish was gone again! On more super secret espionage missions, no doubt, but Grandpa Hoster dutifully agreed to hold the book on Faceless Men history she had brought for him until he returned from his sojourn. Edmure and Roslin were still silly, but at least that made them easy to please. A pair of brightly colored bracelets was enough to sate them. Their oddly quiet son was pleased with his box of clay. . . maybe. And Grandpa Hoster was happy enough with his bathrobe.

Bella pretended she wasn't thrilled Gendry arrived to see her, but it was easy to see she thought of him as a doting older brother. Even though she was older by two years, she was a foot shorter, and had a button nose and cherub cheeks that made her seem even younger. The moment Gendry had found out how she had spent her adolescence, he had been furious at their father for not taking care of his children, and he'd decided to step in as the overprotective masculine presence in life that Bella had deserved.

Appropriately, he'd bought her a floor-length dress in the Braavosi style, made of several layers of soft pink and cinching under her breasts so that it made the curves of her body all but disappear. Bella had rolled her eyes but kissed his cheek appreciatively. Arya snuck her a butterfly knife afterwards, and received a wicked grin in return.

They only went to the Vale for Mya. Strong and sensible and obsessed with mountain-climbing, it was easy enough to buy her some hand-made leather gear and know she'd be thrilled by it.

Of course, being in the Vale meant that they'd have to go visit Aunt Lysa, because if she found out they'd been in the area without seeing her, she'd be calling and leaving passive-aggressive messages for at least three months! Or, at least, until she found another perceived insult to complain about.

Robyn was sheltered, but wasn't too bad. Horribly awkward, and his overeagerness to connect with anybody that wasn't his mother or step-father made his awkwardness all the more apparent. Aunt Lysa was equally as eager to keep her guests as long as possible, but Arya wasn't Sansa, so 'Uncle' Petyr wasn't interested. And with someone on the other side as eager as Gendry and Arya to get them out as soon as possible, they didn't even have to stay a full evening before finally taking a train north.

Winterfell was covered in snow by the time they finally reached it, two days after they settled in their now officially shared apartment.

Arya was doubly excited to reach her childhood home. Sansa had informed her three months before that Nana, the wolf-dog hybrid that had wandered into the preserve two years before after being abandoned by humans and rejected by wolves, had mated with a local stray dog and whelped six pups. Since the puppies were three-quarters domesticated dog, the vet had decided that they were safe to be kept as pets. Now that they were old enough to be separated from their mother, they had been put up for adoption.

Unsurprisingly, the Starks had been the first in line for each one. And no one had put up much of fight against them. Even Jon had come from the Gift to pick one of the six pups.

"Ghost," he declared as he showed her the red eyed, white puppy. "He's as quiet as one."

"Shaggydog's not," Rickon declared happily as his pitch colored hound howled. Or tried to. It was more of a warble, to be honest.

"This one's Summer," Bran smiled down at the sleeping pup on his lap. He stroked its fur tenderly, "He's a calm one."

"Not calmer than Lady," Sansa boasted. "And she's already the best trained!"

Arya wasn't sure if biting at Sandor's boot counted as well-trained, but only shrugged it off.

She raised a brow at Robb and the grey colored puppy in his arms. No showing off? she silently asked.

He smiled ruefully, "I'm just glad Talisa agreed to let us keep Grey Wind."

Gods knew the Volantese woman wasn't the most fond of animals. She'd almost died of fright the time she went horseback riding with Arya!

"As long as you make sure he doesn't pee on our bed," Talisa teased. "And dogs are good companions for children!" She blushed and looked around shyly, seemingly worried to announce, "We're going to try for our first soon."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Catelyn cried and Arya twitched guiltily.

She shuffled on her feet suddenly, "There's one more, right?"

"Yes," Sansa rose to her feet. "A girl. I'll be right back!"

Gendry raised a brow at her and she stuck her tongue out at him, "I'm just going to look!"

"I'm sure," he drawled, but didn't seem too annoyed. In fact, there was a soft smile on his face as he looked at her. Something fluttered in her stomach which only made her anxious and she was glad when Sansa arrived with the sixth puppy in her arms.

Arya wasn't ashamed to admit that she cooed at the sight. Or that she ran to snatch the pup from her sister's arms. Okay, so she wasn't going to just look. She was leaving this house with a puppy, come hell or high water. The puppy wriggled uncomfortably and Arya kneeled to place her on the ground. She trotted and jumped in a circle, yipping happily at Arya. She wanted Arya too! This was fate!

It didn't matter what anybody said. Pets were allowed in the apartment anyway.

"Thought of a name yet?" Gendry asked bemusedly as he kneeled beside her.

"Nymeria," she shamelessly declared.

"Nice name," was all he said. Sometimes, she loved him more than she thought possible. He understood what she needed better than she did sometimes, and he accepted her and all her crazy antics more easily than anyone else.

Arya was once again reminded of what she had discovered that very morning, though she had suspected it for about a week. It seemed like a good a time as any to bring it up. She gathered Nymeria into her arms for courage and looked sweetly up at her husband, "Seeing as you're so okay about bringing someone new into our home, how would you feel about adding one more person?"

To her surprise, Gendry looked shocked and almost disgusted, "Seven hells, Arya! We haven't even been married for a month yet and you already want a threesome?"

Arya's face exploded in a blush, made worse when she heard her father grumble, "Merciful Mother, take me now!" Eddard Stark didn't even believe in the New Gods. He'd made her father change religions with his ridiculousness!

"That's not what I meant!"

"Well, what did you mean, then? Because how else am I supposed to take 'you want one more person in our relationship'?"

"I meant that I'm pregnant, you stupid!" She snarled at her beloved, idiotic husband. Arya had tried to be cute about it, but if he was going to act so dumb, she was going to treat him appropriately. Now he was going to have to explain to their future child why she'd informed him of their existence with an insult!

She had momentarily forgotten that they were in Winterfell.

"You're pregnant?" Catelyn cried at the same time Sansa shrieked in joy and Talisa began babbling about cousins in the same age bracket and pregnancy buddies and Arya felt so betrayed. Wasn't the nurse supposed to be the sensible one?

The ground seemed to move as the assorted Starks and Stark-adjacents rose to their feet to congratulate her. Arya half expected to be trampled by the well-wishers when suddenly she was pulled into Gendry's arms.

He buried his face in her hair, "We're having a baby?"

His voice was quiet and uncertain, and oh yeah, that was why she wanted to be cute about it. Because it meant he'd get all soft and sensitive about it. Because this meant all his dreams were coming true much quicker than either of them had actually planned.

"Yes, we are," she wrapped her arms around him as well, and closed her eyes with a smile. In a moment, her family would interrupt the tender moment to give them their own hugs. In a moment, they'd have to come back to reality and realize that having a baby while she was still finishing grad school and they shared a small two bedroom apartment with a dog was not going to be easy. Not that she had any plans to not take Nymeria with her. In a moment, she'd be reminded that being a Stark meant that she had the duty of throwing a baby shower with a guest list just as complex as her wedding.

But, just for that one moment, they could hold each other in bliss.

A/N: And I'm finally done! With the corniest ending ever, lol. I know that baby shower line makes it sound like there's a sequel in the works, but there's not. Unless I get really inspired. Which I might, but I make no promises.

I decided to add the direwolves in the end because I actually think it's sad to give really young kids like Arya, Bran, and Rickon pets because that means they're going to be teens, maybe young adults, when their beloved pet/best friend dies. And that's if nothing tragic happens! So, in this AU, they're all grown and have been introduced to death (albeit not as horribly as in canon) before they take on the responsibility of a fur baby. And, also, comedy!

I also meant to add Robb and Talisa's "little Eddard" at some point, but as I mentioned before, I had to cut out a bunch of things in order to fit the prompts. So, you can just assume that there was birth control involved. And there will be a race to see who can have the first Eddard amongst the Starklings.

I had so much fun writing this, even though I got lazy about it, and I'm glad you guys enjoyed it as well!

Thank you for reading!

Please review, and let me know what you liked, didn't like, and what could use improvement!

~ Destiny's Sweet Melody