"Katniss…" I said, not knowing what else to say. I had killed her sister. She'd ignored me, shut me out, spurned me. And I knew I had done it. I hated myself for it. If I had known, I wouldn't have done it! I was only doing what I was told! And now, I met her on the street of the new Capitol, where I had been visiting for business reasons. And for once, I was tongue-tied.

She looked at me, and I could feel the fire behind that gaze. But the same time there was… I couldn't tell. I tried again, "Hi."

Well, now I felt like an idiot. Hi? Really? That's all I could say? But it seemed that I had surprised her into a small smile. "Hi," she murmured back.

I looked at the glossy brown hair. She looked good. Healthy. I wondered how things were at home, for I couldn't return. My conscience wouldn't let me. Which is why I was in District Two, far away from Twelve. But Katniss was a bit awkward too, and politely asked, "How are you?"

"I'm...uh… I'm fine. Busy. You?"

"Yeah. Busy. Lots to do."

"Yeah." I agreed. Then I threw it out there with a wing and a prayer, "Would you...um… would you have a bit of lunch with me? I haven't eaten yet."

She weighed her options, unsure of what to do. I waited, understanding if she didn't want to. Again, my conscious pricked me. But finally she sighed, seeming to remember something, and nodded, "Okay. Lunch can't hurt."

Smiling in relief, I pointed to a nearby restaurant, saying, "That one is good. I've been there before. Let's go sit outside, yeah? Beautiful day."

Katniss smiled again and we made ourselves comfortable at the table, where the brightly coloured waitress served us. We both picked simple foods to eat, reminiscent of home. At first the silence dragged out, then suddenly I asked "How's your mother" at the same time that she asked, "Do you like your job?"

We stared, then laughed heartily, like we used to. Then the awkwardness was broken, and we grinned at each other. "I'm sorry, you first," I nodded at her and motioned.

"Mom is fine, thank you, Gale. It's been… hard… but she's doing well." Katniss told me, watching my response carefully.

Wincing, I gave a long sigh. Then I met those eyes once more, and softly told her, "I didn't know, Kat. I honestly didn't know. I… never would have done it if I had. I just… just…. wanted to be part of the rebellion. To do what I've always wanted... and play my part in bringing down the Capitol. The assholes deserved it. But… the children…" I covered my face with my hands at the enormity of it all. This was an all too familiar feeling, and I hated it so much. I had been filled with hate and anger, knowing the casualties of war would happen as long the end result was worth it. But never in my dreams did I want to kill children!

Surprisingly, hands pulled at my face, and Kat made me look at her. Softly, she admitted, "I know. I know. I…" she took a deep breath. "I should have known in the first place, Gale. I needed someone to blame. And you… happened to be it. It wasn't fair to you."

"But it was my fault."

Shaking her head, she curled her hands into mine, and said, "I've thought things over for a long time. And… it wasn't your fault. Even if you did help set up the whole thing. You didn't know. You were just following orders. It… it…" she dropped her eyes again, and a tear ran out of her eye. Her voice was hardly audible as she whispered, "It could have been me."

I instantly countered that, "No… it wouldn't. They would have never allowed you to do that. You're the Mockingjay. You're way too important."

"Am I?" the harsh snap surprised me. She had a hard expression on her face, "Am I? They used me, Gale. Both sides used me! I was only a puppet for them, even though they fawned over me. You had a much more important job… you helped the leaders directly. You helped bring it down. You…" she trailed off at last as more tears fell.

"Katniss…" it was my turn to shake my head. Then I shuffled my chair close to her as I wrapped an arm around her shaking shoulders. "We both got used. And we are both paying the price. Dearly." I could tell she was listening, even though she didn't look at me, so I continued, "I wish I could turn back the clock, but I can't. I would rather have died than have Prim die."

She looked at me then, and had to smile grimly, "I know. And I would have hated you for killing yourself, do you know that?"

Even though the situation was serious, I couldn't help the snort. Of course she would. But I had to be sure, "So… are we… okay? I mean… you don't…"

"I don't hate you now. I did. Oh, I despised you! I thought you were a fucking bastard for what you did. But… in the end… if Snow had lived… he'd have killed her anyway. And all of us." She still had that pained tone in her voice that I wished I could just erase altogether. She sighed then continued, "I wouldn't be the person I am today without you. You're my best hunting buddy, you know." Now she gave me a ghost of a smile and her voice was louder, "And I miss it. I miss how we were."

"I miss it too, Catnip." I loved seeing how her eyes lit up at the old name, and the smile became broader. Then our food came, and we had relaxed enough to be able to poke fun at it. I laughed like I had not in a long time, and her laughs were music to my ears. I wished… but it was not to be. It had been bad timing altogether. Then the baker boy had gotten in the way. Speaking of which… I did have to ask her, "You didn't tell me how Peeta was."

The smile slipped off her face and she said, "Well, he's very busy. They offered him to be one of the leaders in the Capitol. He's… considering it."

Raising an eyebrow, I cocked my head at her, wondering how she felt about that. But that was not a question I wanted to ask her today. Today was about reconnecting. Rekindling old friendships. "I see. Well then you have time to hang out with me. I'm sorry to say there's not much venison around though." I put on a sigh of mock disappointment, causing her to swat me for it. That made me grin right back at her.

I invited her over to my temporary apartment. It was lush, far too much so. That was the one thing that was hard for me to adjust to. I preferred the wilds. Nature, and hunting. And here was… the opposite of that, even with the rebuilding. I felt trapped here sometimes. But I saw Katniss looking out the window, deep in thought. I came up behind her and wrapped my arms around her, and she immediately leaned her head against my shoulder. We stood like that for a long time.

When we sat down later in the evening after a bite of food, Katniss seemed to be pondering something. Finally she just blurted out, "Peeta and I aren't together."

Not together? So, I was right, wasn't I? The whole star-crossed lovers thing was a lie? She could see the question in my eyes, and nodded. So it was. I cocked my head, and asked bluntly, "Do you not feel anything for him?"

She snapped her head up at me, but shrugged. "I… I don't know. I…"

I cut her off there, "You do. He does. But it's not enough, is it?"

She flared up at me, "Damn you, Gale! You and your stupid straight answers. It's all black and white to you, isn't it! Bastard!"

I snorted, quite used to that. She had always hated it when I called her out on her lies. And I knew her too well to be fooled by them. Crossing my arms, I insisted, "It's. Not. Enough. Is. It?"

"No!" Katniss yelled at me. Finally she shrugged her hands in defeat. "No, it's not. We like each other, and maybe if I gave it a chance, it could, but… I don't want to end up…"

"Unhappy? Disappointed? Regretful?" I finished for her.

She muttered her breath, "You know me too well. Finishing my own damn sentences." She looked up at me, and finally answered, "Yeah."

That's when I lost my head altogether. I shouldn't have done it. I really shouldn't have. But I went over to her, marched, in fact… and kissed her.

Katniss made a surprised squeaking noise, then yanked back away from and raised her hand. SLAP.

I rubbed my stinging cheek ruefully, but my eyes held merriment in them. I had to stand there, grinning my face off at her.

"What is so bloody funny, Gale Hawthorne?" She snapped at me, eyes flashing, huffing at me.

I couldn't help the smirk, "You liked that. You started to kiss me back."

That made her mad, and she turned around, made her way to my door, opened it, then slammed it shut behind her as she left. I still couldn't help the laughter bubbling up inside of me. She had kissed me back! Then got mad when I again called her out on it! That was rich. And I knew her too well.

Three. Two. One. And…

Click. The door opened again, and Katniss peered in, flushing with embarrassment. She looked at me still grinning at her, and huffed, "You knew I was coming back, didn't you?"

"Of course, Catnip. I know everything about you. That just… sounded creepy," I mused suddenly, rubbing my chin in thought.

Katniss agreed very seriously, "It did. But you're right." Again she flushed even redder as she admitted, "I did… like it though."

I asked with my eyes if I could try again. She hesitated, then nodded. Smiling, I stepped forward again, this time putting my hands on her hip and shoulder, and kissed her again. I felt her hesitated, then start to kiss back. Soon the kiss erupted to something on fire. I was kissing the Girl On Fire. And I was being consumed in the flame. I could feel her lips part and she asked entrance. I moaned lightly as I opened my mouth and allowed her in. Her hands started rubbing my arms and I gripped her more tightly.

I'm not sure when we fell to the couch, but we did at some point. The air filled with our happy sounds as we continued the make out session. I wanted her. How I had envisioned this happening, over and over again.. and not once had I ever dreamed it might become reality. I had told Catnip that I loved her. But with everything that had happened… I thought my chance ruined. It wasn't. It wasn't! There was still a chance!

She moaned into my mouth again before pulling away with a panting gasp. I was breathless too, after that kiss. I merely watched her, my heart full for once. Not of hate and rebellion. But of love blossoming. Still, I was afraid to say anything. Do anything to break the spell.

"Can I...stay here? Tonight?"

I could tell she wanted just my company. Nothing more just yet. That was okay by me. We had just started this thing again. No need to go too fast. I nodded, and we moved to the bedroom. I gave Kat an old shirt of mine that would cover everything. It was a bit awkward, and I did offer to sleep on the couch. But she insisted on company. Something about not liking to sleep alone. So I slipped under the covers and stared at the ceiling.

When my eyes blinked open the next morning, I heard a soft voice beside me asking, "You know, you never answered my question." I sat up so hard, I made Katniss laugh. I'd completely forgotten she was there! Looking over at the brown haired girl, I stared, then grinned back at her. It was so good to have her back in my life again. And I was excited to see where it would go from here. Settling back onto the bed and propping up an elbow, I asked, "What question, Catnip?"

She giggled at the nickname, and said, "The one at lunch. I asked if you liked your job. But we got to talking… about other things." She looked genuinely interested in my answer and seemed completely relaxed now that we had sorted things out yesterday.

"Oh, that question," I managed to say as I tried to remember when exactly she'd asked that. Nevertheless, I answered, "Well, it certainly is different. No more digging around in a hole in the mines. I hated that job with all my heart. You know me, I want open air, sky and forest around me. But as for my job… it's okay. I certainly get paid enough, and I send a lot of it back to my family. But it… uh…"

Her voice was full of understanding, "It could be better?"

She knew me too well. Nodding, I replied, "Yeah. I mean, I like it. I deserved it, after being a big part of the rebellion. I accepted their reward. But at the same time…" I tried to gather my thoughts together in a coherent way. "I miss… hunting with you. I miss the forest. I miss all that. I don't miss the stupid Peacekeepers though."

That elicited a snort, and she smiled again at me. "I get it, Gale. I miss it too. It was fun. I'm sorry you don't get to do that anymore. Do you get to have any… fun times?"

I appreciated the concern and interest. "Yeah, I do. I have a few guys I hang out with, and drinking buddies. I li-" I got cut off with a smack, to my surprise.

"Drinking buddies? Don't tell me you're turning into Haymitch, Gale Hawthorne!" Katniss scolded me with a serious look in her eyes.

Rolling mine, I answered, "No, I'm not like the drunk bastard! He's a cool guy and all… but getting drunk like that scares me, Kat. And I don't like getting embarrassed by something like that. Getting whipped was enough." I was dead serious about it. That had been terrible. And the whispers had persisted for a long time. I remembered hearing tell about one of the other Tributes, years ago, Xander LaRose. He'd been whipped three times in his district. How had he done such a thing? And not have it stop him from fighting back? I shook my head to clear it from those dark thoughts. "Honest, Katniss. I'm not going to turn into Haymitch. I promise."

Katniss had a sigh of relief and got up to grab her clothes and use my washroom to change. Coming out again decent, she smiled again, "Thanks for letting me stay over. It was… so good… seeing you again. And being friends."

I watched her for a good bit. I was so happy we were friends again, even if I wanted more. But I'd let her lead things this time. There was that spark from yesterday… and it was still there between us. "Chemistry" as people would say. "I know. I'm glad about us, too. It was… really hard, Katniss. But thing can only go up from here."

I let her leave then, as she had things to do. So did I, to be honest, but I smiled, knowing that I'd see her again. Maybe she would come visit me in Two. Or… maybe I'd actually go home to Twelve for a visit. In either case, Katniss was part of my life again, and that made me feel so happy.

"Wow. You look great," I said as I looked over Katniss, who was wearing my favourite colour on her: red. The Girl on Fire. Nothing would ever match Cinna's dresses, but I love this on her. We'd just come back to my house after a date night in District Two. I'd been back and forth from Twelve and the Capitol over the last few months, and had seen a lot of Katniss. If we weren't together, we exchanged letters and pictures, which helped us both get through the times when we couldn't see each other.

Each time we'd met up again, we'd share what was going on in our lives. If I was at Twelve, yes, we would go hunting, and found that we were still the team we had been as children. Nowadays, there were a few trails around each District where people could go for a walk or a hike if desired. It was still much frowned on in Two, so I didn't get much opportunity to do that. Another reason I looked forward to visiting Twelve.

Now, Katniss twirled for me, the same way she had done at her interview with her first Games. Too bad the dress didn't catch on fire. I must have said it aloud when she flashed her eyes up at me, and snapped, "Gale!"

Grinning, I replied, "Now, I didn't mean that. Well, I mean… it's a faster way to… nevermind."

Huffing, Katniss eyed me, measuring me with her eyes, before she smiled and came over to give me a soft kiss. I wrapped my arms around her, and kissed her back. We had certainly made up for much lost time on this dating business, but every time she kissed me… I felt on fire. I loved her. So much. And I wanted to make absolutely sure I didn't screw this up again. We hadn't moved past kissing and making out for that reason, as we wanted to be absolutely sure about us. And I had told her that if she wanted more, it would be up to her. I wouldn't push. But it still didn't stop me from teasing her like that at times. And I loved every smack I got for it.

I ran my hands over her body as I continued the kiss. I had memorized every line of her by sight, through the Games… both of them… in 13… and I now was doing the same by touch. And I could feel her hands on me… one gripping at my shirt, and the other wrapped around my neck. It felt good, and right. We fit together. We belonged together.

Suddenly, I realized Katniss was saying something in my ear and I had to ask her to repeat it again. She did, shyly, "I'm ready."

"Ready for what, Catnip?" I asked in confusion. But I saw the nervousness and love shining in her eyes and suddenly I knew. Again, I asked, but a bit more certainly this time, "Are you ready for more, Katniss?" She gave a shy nod, and I could hear the nervous flutter of her breath. I asked with my eyes if she was truly sure about this. And I could read her expression that she was. With a smile that threatened to explode, I nodded, took her hand in one of mine, and drew her to my bedroom. It was plain and simple, lacking in any feminine touches perhaps, but I didn't care right now.

Katniss watched me with a faint flush on her cheeks, and I looked at her again. I loved making her blush… it brought out a sweetness in her that I didn't get to see otherwise. I laid her gently on the bed and kissed her once more, feeling her tense muscles relax once again. Then my hands crept up to her shirt in an ask. Katniss only hesitated once, but again, I felt her relax under my fingers. I gently pulled off the shirt, quick to kiss her again afterwards.

When I pulled away, I studied her as she watched me. I lightly fingered the scars on her body, and sighed when I saw the jagged one on her arm. Then I began to kiss each one I could see, and twitched off the bra at the same time. Sitting back up, I pulled off my own shirt, and reveled in the feelings of her hands on my bare skin. They crept up and around to my back, and felt my own scars too. We locked eyes with each other and the message was understood by both. We had our scars. And always would. But it didn't matter to either of us. They were a part of us, but they didn't define us.

We fell back to kissing, and I don't even remember when the rest of our clothes came off exactly. But what I do remember is the heavy breathing on both our parts, the feeling of her fingers on my skin, the silky strands of her hair, the fire on my lips and in my heart as I made love to her. How amazing she felt when I was inside her. The moans that echoed mine. The way I lay on top of her when we were done, heartbeat to heartbeat.

Reality had fled as we had our passion. The world was very far away, or at least, the world only included Katniss and me. No one else mattered between us. Our mistakes, our stubbornesses, our anger, all of that melted away in a flame of love. We fell asleep together in a tangle of limbs that was just as comfortable as anything else.

When I woke, I found Katniss using me as a pillow. I smiled at that, and didn't mind one bit as I stroked her face gently. I pushed a strand of hair away so I could study her better. She made me so happy, this Mockingjay that I had believed in for so long. Even other people had noticed how well we worked together. Why, yesterday, Petal had said to me privately, "It's like you can read each other's minds. Have you always been like that?" At the time, I'd just laughed it off, but now I remembered. We'd nearly always been in sync with each other. Even in the heat of battle, I would give her a look, and she knew exactly what I wanted, and I was the same with her. We could read each other's bodies well enough, and even though we had different viewpoints on things, we made it work. I was the hot head, and she would tame me. And I would encourage her to step out of her comfort zone. What one lacked, the other made up for it. I could only hope we could continue this, for I never wanted to let her go again.

I was back in District Twelve, after deciding I wanted to be near Katniss more. As in every damn day. She had been so excited when I came back, and had helped me set up my house. It wasn't far from the Victor's Village, and I was pretty happy about things. Best of all, I still kept my role as an Official, but this time I was helping to coordinate things between Twelve and the other districts and help with the rebuilding. We were making the place better than ever before, and I was excited to help.

"Catnip, want to go for a walk with me?" I smiled at my girlfriend. She shot me a look, mentally ran through the list of things she had to do, but ultimately decided, "Sure. Would love to."

We held hands as we walked through the leafy path. It was spring, and the flowers were starting to shoot up and make themselves seen. Some of the trees were also blossoming and putting out their sweet fragrances. I relaxed, feeling quite at home in the forest, and I looked at Katniss out of the corner of my eye. She was smiling as she looked at the beauty around her, and her own beauty took my breath away. How long had I been wanting her? So long. So very long.

Finally we reached where I had been guiding Katniss. There was a beautiful meadow, and I peered through the trees. "Shh! Look!" I whispered as I pointed out to a spot. Katniss leaned into me as she peered where I was looking. A deer was grazing out there, but this time, we did not look at it as something to be hunted and eaten. There was something about this delicate deer. And soon enough she looked at the ground and nosed something. A tiny fawn, born probably last night, struggled up on even tinier hooves. It swayed there, then it got balance and followed after its mother.

We watched until we were sure they were gone. Katniss's soft voice came to me, "That was beautiful, wasn't it Gale?"

"It was." I agreed equally softly. I kissed her temple, then tugged at her hand, "Come on, let's go in the meadow." I eagerly found the large rock that I had spied the last time I was here. We sat down on it and just breathed in the fresh meadow scent floating around us.

"It feels like we could have been here since the dawn of Time, Katniss," I mused aloud as I laid a hand on hers.

She looked up at me carefully, and curiously asked, "What's going on with you, Gale? It's not like you to be so… um… sentimental."

I could feel the heat rising on my face and tried to shrug it off, "It's… nothing, Catnip. I was just thinking of something."

"Maybe it's something I can help you with."

I looked into those wonderful grey eyes and smiled as I tugged her braid. "Perhaps." I leaned in for a kiss, which she happily did right back. We lingered there for a little while, just being comfortable with each other. Well, she was comfortable. I was very nervous, but I did a good job of not showing it. I saw a bright red bird and pointed at it. She smiled and looked at it, not noticing me slipping off the rock.

When Katniss looked back at me, her eyes widened with shock. I was down on my knees, looking up at her with all the love in my eyes that I could muster. I held a small box with a ring in it to her, and she just stared at me. I must speak. I must… but for a moment, the only thing we could do was stare. Finally I got my wits together and spoke slowly, "Katniss… I've loved you for a long time. I loved you since we were children, and I should have told you that. We've been there for each other for so long. And I still loved you even after you walked away from me. I've loved you even more since you came back into my life. We were always friends, best friends. and even as my lover, you are my best friend. I don't ever want to lose you. I want you at my side, forever. Katniss Everdeen, will you marry me?"

I waited, holding my breath after my little speech for her answer. If she said no! But I looked into her eyes and saw the shock leave them. A look of pure love and happiness replaced it, and she literally threw herself on me, tears rolling down her face. But the word that was whispered in my ear was, "Yes."

I seized her hard into my arms and stood up quickly. She found herself laughing as I scooped her up and flung her arms around my neck. Then we kissed passionately. The fire was a burning flame around us and in us and shared between us. Finally, Katniss was truly mine at last. We would grow old together. We would still be each other's best friends, forever.

Katniss was still smiling, and laughing breathlessly in joy as she slipped the ring on her finger. "I love you, Gale Hawthorne. So much. So much." Her eyes were shining, and I kissed her trembling lips lightly one more time.

Though I had to tease, "What are you doing, calling me by my full name? The only time you do that is when I'm in trouble…"

A giggle was my answer and the saucy reply, "Just like keeping you on your toes there, mister."

I woke up slowly, feeling a lack of warmth beside me, and looked at the empty pillow next to me. Of us both, Katniss was usually the one to sleep longer, so I sat up confused. I looked around for my wife, and threw on my pants. "Hey, Catnip?" I asked when I finally found her in the kitchen. I still hadn't gotten used to that kitchen… the Victor houses were all quite nice, but right now, my concern was Katniss.

She looked up at me from sipping her tea, and smiled wanly, "I'm okay, Gale. Just… couldn't sleep."

I slipped into the chair beside her, taking a hand into both of mine and locked eyes with her. "Having nightmares? Feeling confused?" I knew that every Victor did go through nightmares at times, even though hers seemed to be getting better the longer she was with me. But I knew she got confusion from that head injury at times. Something had been damaged, obviously. But I was here for her. And she for me. That's what love was all about.

Looking at me in appreciation, Katniss squeezed my hand, "Neither, hon. It's… I have a lot on my mind. I was confused yesterday though. But it's okay now. I just remind myself that I'm alright. You're my husband. I'm your wife. We live together. We're happy."

Uh, oh, here she went again, going through her list. But I cupped her chin and warmly smiled at her, "Yes, Catnip. We're happy. So very happy. I love you so much. No matter what happens. This last year has been so… amazing to me. I have you." I remembered the wedding last year, how wonderful and bittersweet it had been. Prim should have been with us. Her father. Mine. Some friends we had both made along the way. But the love between us was not overshadowed by our losses. Instead it made it stronger. We both lost a lot. But we both gained even more: each other. I gently reminded her verbally of everything, and she listened carefully.

Finally Katniss seemed to have it all together and we went about our day. But we made plans to get together for some lunch later. After a kiss, we went our separate ways. I was busy, for sure, but Katniss was never far from my mind. I know she had a bit of trouble this morning, but I also knew there was something that triggered it today. She'd share with me when she was ready. I had since learned not to push.

I eagerly trotted to Greasy Sae's, for that's where Kat and I agreed to meet. I had to smile at the place, for it, along with the rest of the District, had undergone a great change, but for the better. Now her dive was a nice restaurant, and she had actual good food to work with now. And such dishes! However, the name had stuck.I gave a nod to her and she pointed me to a table outside where my wife was. Thanking her, I made my way over and sat in front of Katniss.

That got a smile from her, but I could see she was troubled by something. After a long silence, Katniss breathed a long sigh, and there was a slight tremor behind it. Still I waited, but I did reach forward to hold a hand. That steadied Kat a bit, and she finally locked eyes with me. "Gale… I… I went to the doctor this morning."

Instantly on alert, I glanced quickly down at Kat's body to see if there was anything glaringly wrong. I knew that this was another improvement in the district: an actual hospital. That was one thing we had agreed among districts, to provide better for each other and share the wealth. So, if she had gone to a doctor, she was in good hands now. But I still worried, "What is it, Katniss? What's wrong? You can tell me anything, you know."

She blurted out, "I just don't know if I'm ready."

"Ready for what, sweetie?" I asked, quite puzzled. She looked… ashamed? Why? I didn't understand at all. "It's okay, Kat. I'm not gonna get mad. Just tell me what's going on, okay?"

She squeezed my hand harder, and sighed. "With everything that happened… I never thought it'd happen. And with my own mental health, and all… it…" she trailed off again.

Clearly, this was getting us nowhere. I made her look at me. In a firm tone, I lightly snapped, "Katniss! What the hell is the matter with you?"

Katniss looked up in surprise, but then sighed again, "It's… there's nothing wrong. It's… just… I… Gale, I… I'm pregnant." Immediately her eyes dropped to the table and she tried to loosen my grip from her hand.

Pregnant? She was pregnant? She was… going to have a baby? Our… baby. My baby! The sudden rush of thoughts almost overwhelmed me, but I was suddenly grinning at her. "Katniss! Why the fuck did you scare me like that! This is wonderful news!"

Staring at me, she asked hesitantly, "You're… glad about it? I mean, I don't think I'll make a good…"

Grabbing her shoulders, I told her, "Catnip, listen to me. You will make a wonderful mother. And I don't know how I'll be as a dad, but you know what? We're in this together. And we're going to both try our damndest, okay? I love you, Katniss Hawthorne."

Now she finally smiled and shyly said, "I'm excited. I just… I don't know what I was thinking. I'm so happy to start our family… in a time of peace. Never will our child ever see a Hunger Game. Never will it be reaped."

"No, and it is a good time for a child, love." I agreed, and now my heart exploded for the love of my Girl on Fire. She saw the look in my eyes, and flushed to my delight. I patted those wonderful pink cheeks, then brushed my hand on her still flat belly. "Hello in there! I can't wait to see you!"

Giggling, Katniss gave me a light kiss on the cheek, and looked down at her own belly. "It'll be a journey. For both of us. But together, Gale, we can do anything."

I waited nervously in the waiting room, straining to hear something good, anything. Peeta had come home for a visit, and he'd happened to be here at just the right time. I glanced over at him, gave a quick smile, then it slipped off my face at the noises in the hall. I was going to be a father soon! But I still was wary of this hospital, even if I knew it was a good place. It was just… we never had one before. But Peeta said, "She's in good hands, Gale. She's got the best doctors, you know."

Looking over again, I gave a tense sigh, but nodded, "I know. It's just… different. And I… I promised her I'd always be there for her. But what if she needs me!"

"She's with her mother. She'll be okay. And you know how strong she is," Peeta reassured me. I took comfort from that, and gave him a half-hearted smile. It must have been hard for him. I knew he had loved Katniss too, but they were friends. Very good friends. I had at first balked at it, but logically, I knew that this was right. They should be friends after all their history. Even after Katniss' choice, I was glad that I hadn't interfered with that friendship. And, after all, I was glad to have someone I knew here with me at this time.

"Yeah," I said. "I'm just…well." I trailed off, not wishing to say that I was embarrassed for being so scared. For goodness' sake, people had babies all the time. It was nothing new. But it was new to me. And I couldn't help the nerves. Would I be a good dad? I knew Katniss had reassured me multiple times by this point, but now when it came down to the crunch…

Peeta looked at me knowingly, "You're going to be an amazing father, Gale. I know Katniss will help you too. You're…" he sighed, and gave a wry smile. "You fit together better than I did. You deserve this, Gale. You're going to have beautiful children."

My voice was soft, "Thanks. I… do appreciate that." And I did. I really did. I had harboured jealousy against Peeta for so long, but when it came down to it, he was a good guy too. Katniss would have been lucky with him too. But now was not the time to think of it. I leaped from my chair in a bound as Mrs. Everdeen came into the room. She beamed at me and said, "Congratulations, Dad!"

Even though I knew we were having a baby, I still stood there in shock. I really did have one? Really? She was okay? The woman giggled at the look on my face and motioned me to come with her, "Come on. Katniss has been asking for you. And a little someone would like to meet you." She ushered me into a room where Katniss lay on a bed, pale and exhausted. But so happy looking. And in her arms, a small bundle.

"Catnip?" I asked hesitantly, and waited for her to focus on me. To my relief, she smiled warmly at me, and said, "Hey. Come here, love. Look at what we made!" Her voice was soft and gentle, but full of love and excitement as well. I drew near in wonder to look at the small one. I looked down into tiny grey eyes that had a hint of blue. And a full head of hair! Katniss didn't say a word, but only smiled in pride. I reached down with one finger and traced the little one's face. Had we really made this creature? "Boy or girl?" was the only thing I could ask.

Her smile became even broader as she looked up at me, "A baby girl, Gale. A little girl. We have a perfect little daughter."

A girl! My heart overflowed with happiness that my wife was safe, and we had a healthy and beautiful child. I sat down next to her, pulling up my chair to be as close as possible. Katniss looked over at me and sat up better. "Come on, Gale. You can hold her, you know."

For once I was a bit flabbergasted, a strange feeling for me. I stared at the baby and back at Katniss. But she was encouraging, and showed me how to hold the child, and the next thing I knew I had my daughter in my arms. I was speechless for a long moment, but the little one looked at me with curiosity in her eyes. "Do you… do you think… she knows? That I'm her daddy?" I asked in wonderment.

A giggle from the bed, and Katniss looked at me, "I do. She cried every time a nurse tried to hold her. She cried when Mother held her. She's not crying now. She knows you."

Pride exploded from my heart and made its way into my face. I was so proud of them both. I leaned in and gave her a soft kiss and then asked my wife, "What did you name her?"

"I didn't." Katniss told me softly. "I was waiting for you. What would you like to call her?"

We had thrown names around before, since we had decided we didn't want to know the gender. We wanted it to be a surprise, but we'd never come to any agreement on a name. For either a boy or a girl. I'd have thought Katniss would have instantly named her as soon as she laid eyes on her, because that would have been typical of her. But I saw in her eyes how much Katniss trusted me, and I studied my daughter in my arms. I knew what I'd like… but I didn't want to bring up bad memories. But I decided to try anyway, "I… um… I like the flower names. You're Katniss. Primrose…" I trailed off to watch her closely, but I didn't see the blinding pain in her eyes. Only an expectant look. "Me, with my last name. So… I'd like to continue that." She nodded in agreement and I continued, "So… my pick is…Rosemary."

"Rosemary," Katniss tried out the name. She understood so well. Rose for Prim. But a different name altogether. "Rosemary Hawthorne." She looked up at me, and the sweet shy smile was back, and I loved her all the more. "I love it. I love you."

"I love you too, Catnip." I gave Rosemary back to Katniss and leaned in for a kiss. It was soft and gentle, but soon turned passionate. We were a family. A beautiful family of three. And we were Hawthornes. Someone had once told me that a hawthorn tree was a symbol of love and protection. That was us, all over. We would love and protect each other fiercely, with everything in us. The flame of love burned eternal within all of us, and it would never die. Katniss, the Girl on Fire, had made her nest in my tree.