Author's Note: From the start of the Hunger Games series, I absolutely loved Peeta! I was so glad Katniss ended up with him, but I never disliked Gale, and I felt that their friendship shouldn't end. So here's my point of view on what could have happened. Should I continue the story? I'm kind of new at this whole fanfic thing, but I love writing and the Hunger Games was one of my favorite series. Please review and tell me what you think, it would mean the world to me!
Disclaimer: The original characters belong to the wonderful Suzanne Collins, author of the Hunger Games series. The plot of this story was mine, and I added a couple of characters along the way, but the original ideas belong to her!
"Old Friends Restored."
Chapter 1 ~ The New Neighbors
A soft knock on the front door startled me. It was about noon, so both Daisy and Will were in school. Peeta had the key, and he would be busy at the bakery regardless. My bow and arrows were slung across my shoulder, since I was about to go hunting. Maybe it was Haymitch. Since the kids had been born, he was mostly sober for their sake. It was amazing the kind of wonders my children had performed. And to think it took 15 years for Peeta to get me to budge on the matter. Warily, I opened the door. Before me stood a boy about Daisy's age (10 years old) and a little girl about Will's age (7 years old). But it was their appearance that sent my heart hammering in my chest.
Both of them stared up at me cheerfully with their olive toned skin and grey Seam eyes. My eyes. But even worse, they were Gale's eyes. Gale Hawthorne, who was brilliant at designing weapons, so brilliant that the rebels entrusted him with that task. And though I could never confirm it, the bomb that killed Prim was most likely one that he assisted in making.
Back then, our relationship had been complicated. We used to be hunting partners, helping each other survive back in our starving days in District 12. Best friends, kindred spirits. He fell in love with me, but I was too damaged to truly straighten out my feelings for him. And though I know we would have never worked out anyways, I blamed him for Prim's death. That was the final blow to our already rocky friendship, and at the time, I felt that I would never separate Prim's death from him.
More than twenty years had passed since then, and I was now 43 years old. Though I was still damaged, nightmares still came and went, I had Peeta whom I loved and stood by my side. My children were a blessing who enriched my life, helping to heal me further. But these two kids who stood in front of me opened up a page that I thought had been closed forever in my life. And what they said next confirmed the new fear that sprung up within me.
"Are you Mrs. Catnip?" asked the little girl. The boy elbowed who I assumed was his sister. "Her name is not Mrs. Catnip, Rena! It's Mrs. Katniss!" he reprimanded. "Are you Mrs. Katniss?" corrected Rena, unfazed and still cheerful. "Our daddy sent us here to see if you still lived here!"
Though my head was spinning, I attempted to answer in a level headed manner. "Yes, I am Mrs. Katniss. Who is your daddy?" I was pretty sure what the answer would be. The boy took my hand and started pulling me outside of my own house. "My name is Luca. We can take you to our daddy if you want to meet him!" I let Rena and Luca pull me along without protest. They chattered on about moving to a new house.
Surprisingly, we stopped at the house beside Haymitch's. The kids opened the door to the house while calling out "Daddy, where are you!" I decided to simply stand in the doorway, waiting. Both the children had run up the stairs, still looking for their father. And that's when I heard it. The unmistakably soft tread of a hunter. One that only a fellow hunter could recognize, even after many, many years. Coming down the stairs, silent as always, was my old best friend. "Hey Catnip." said Gale as if no time at all had passed since our last encounter.
So I did exactly what I would've done, so many years ago, when I was a broken teenager. I ran like hell, ready to demand an explanation from an alcoholic.
I burst through Haymitch's door, startling him immensely. He jumped from the couch he'd been sitting on, looking at me perplexed. "Katniss, what's wrong? Is it the kids?" Anger coursing through me, I pounced on him. Though I wasn't in the same shape as I was before, Haymitch was much older than me, so I pinned him to the ground easily. "You knew didn't you? Why didn't you tell me?" I roared, right in his face.
He looked at me as if I was a lunatic while struggling to unpin himself. I supposed that right at this moment, I looked pretty crazy. "What are you talking about?" he growled. "Gale! You knew he was moving in!" For weeks there had been rumors of new people coming to the Victor's Village. Since I'd never been on for district gossip, I didn't pay much attention. But I was positive that no one really knew who the neighbors would be. My attacking Haymitch seemed pretty ridiculous when I considered that, but the obstinate side of me never faded with the years.
"What are you talking about Katniss?" Resigned, I stood and extended my hand to help him up. "Gale. His kids knocked on my door today and led me to their house. He lives in the house next to you now." Shock registered in Haymitch's face. Though he had kept things from me before, I was sure he would never fail to tell me something so important.
He took my hand and led me to the couch. "Katniss, I swear I didn't know. I would have told you." His voice was earnest. "I don't understand why he's here!" There were so many possible answers to his question, but there was only one way I could get the real one. So I took a deep breath and put on my brave face, determined to speak to the man who used to be my best friend.