Familiar Feeling / Ned Stark

10. The Cold Shoulder

Everly didn't say anything when Catelyn fell pregnant, Ned hadnt said anything and usually he needed some of Everly to get him going. She pushed it from her mind, Catelyn was his wife and maybe they were getting along, she didn't think so but who was she to be jealous? Ned wasn't her husband.

Everly was the mistress here.

Catelyn was beaming the entire pregnancy, trying to be more loving to Ned. Everly hated it. She knew she had no right to be mad but she was furious. Ned was hers. Ned was hers and Ned knew it.

"There you are." Ned remarked fondly when he found Everly in the study.

"Hi." Everly said shortly when Ned found her.

"Hey," he leaned over to kiss her but she blocked his advance with the book she was pretending to read. "Oh, what did I do?" Ned questioned settling beside her.

"Nothing." Everly answered hotly.

"Nothing? Nothing gets me the cold shoulder and no kiss?" Ned countered wrapping his arm around the back of the chair. His fingers trilled over her shoulder. 

"I'm just reading, this is a very good book." Everly corrected. 

"A really good book you are reading upside down?" Ned mused and Everly pulled the book back, Ned chuckled out. "Gotcha." Everly offered him a pinched smile. "Okay, whats going on?" 

"Nothing, I already told you nothing, why dont you believe me? Thats your own untrusting mind. Not me." Everly snapped and Ned rose his hands in surrender. 

"Sorry, I didnt mean to... Sorry." ned whispered kicking his feet up, his hands lay uselessly in his lap. "If its nothing, it's nothing." Ned agreed. Everly huffed out a breath, clearly he really didnt know what was wrong, he looked like a beaten puppy. A frown on his face as he sat there silently, like he was in time out. Gods that is what he looked like, like he was slapped and put in time out and he didnt know what he did. 

"Ned, Catelyn is pregnant." Everly remarked after an excruciating moment.

"Yes, she has been announcing it." Ned agreed. 

"Why didnt you tell me?" Everly questioned. "Did you think I would be mad? I am not." Everly looked to Ned as he cocked his head back at her. "I'm not mad about that I'm mad that you didnt tell me you were fucking her." Everly rasped. 

"I... that's because I dont remember the last time I bedded her." Ned whispered back. 

"What?" Everly countered. 

"Everly I swear maybe I was too drunk to know what I was doing, maybe she drugged me but I can't get it up for her. I... I love you." Ned whispered taking the book from her lap and tossing it aside he slide in next to her. "I love you. I dont want her, I was done with children, unless you were going to give me another babe."

"So this babe-"

"Maybe its not mine." Ned mused. "I love you, I would have told you. I'm sorry I upset you, I didnt think about how you would feel about that." Ned admitted. "But I didnt, I havent, not with her." 

"Sorry for overreacting." Everly offered snuggling into him. 

"Gods Everly, you had me thinking the worst." ned remarked enveloping his arms around her. 

"Sorry." Everly whispered kissing his cheek. "I am bleeding and it makes me moody at the moment thinking my man is fucking other woman." 

"Only you." Ned assured. "My man." He repeated waggling his eyebrows at her. 

"Mine. You are mine, Ned Stark." 

"You are mine Everly should be Stark nee Velaryon." Ned whispered against her lips. 

"Let's get out of here so I can kiss you properly." Everly requested and he pulled her to her feet. 

Everly's door sealed closed and their lips crashed against each others. Letting her explore his mouth. Let her fingertips trace the planes of his jaw down to his shoulders. Let her control the kiss. Until he didn't. He couldn't quite say when he took over, probably when she yielded to the pressure of his lips. Everly moaned into him fisting his shirt.

Maybe he took control when his hands moved from her jaw to the back of her head. Most likely when she pushed him to the bed and crawled into his lap and melted against him. It didn't really matter because they were both breathing heavily unable to catch their breaths not wanting to break apart. While the world continued to move around them, the only thing that mattered to him was more. More of this. More of her. He wanted to make her Everly Stark and knew it was stupid, unrealistic but he wanted it all the same. He wanted her forever.