You would not believe how long I've been working on this. This is my pride and joy and my first fanfiction. Flames are lame!

Side note: This is a slash story. Slash is beautimous. Don't hate on beautimous things

Disclaimer: I don't own Hunger Games! If I were Collins, I'd probably end up killing Katniss. Seriously. She gets annoying

ANYWAY, Enjoy!

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Gale P.O.V.

Isn't it fun to wake up thinking that, hey, today you might get the awesome opportunity to die?

If you said yes, you're a sick person, and I'd gladly let you take my place. That's exactly how I feel today. That offer is still available.

I'm standing in the square, under the perfect blue sky that's trying to hide all the heartbreak destined to happen today.

Great. Best day of my life.

I watch as more people fill the square, the families surrounding the roped off enclosures that all of us kids are kept in as we wait to see who's going to be destined to die this year.

I see the people who don't have children or don't give a shit take bets on who is being sent off.

It makes me wonder how many of them are betting on me. If I were them, I'd bet on me too. I don't know how I've made it this long.

My name's in that pretty glass bowl of death forty-two times.

Forty-freaking-two.

If that doesn't make my life a miracle, I don't know what does.

It makes Catnip's life a miracle too. Me and her are in the same boat.

Both of our dads died in a coal accident. Both of us have to support our families now. Both of us still have nightmares about it

Both of us don't talk about it.

Effie gets up out of her chair and walks to the podium. It's a wonder she doesn't fall off the stage walking in a skirt that tight with skyscraper heels to top it all off.

That might actually succeed in brightening my day.

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!" Effie's voice seems even shriller than usual, if that's even possible.

I hardly listen as she gives her little speech about how she loves it here and all of the other things that are complete bullshit.

I search the crowd of teenage girls until my eyes land on Catnip.

She looks on edge. I imagined she would be, with her sister being here for her first reaping.

When we meet eyes I try to smile. I really don't like seeing her upset. She's my best friend.

"Ladies first!" Effie screeches. And now I have to worry about whether or not Catnip will be hunting with me tomorrow.

Effie's hand sinks into the bowl of slips.

If only they were carnivorous.

Everyone holds their breath. Her hand escapes the slips excruciatingly slow. Even the mockingjays are silent as her hand finally rises above the top of the bowl. She slowly unfolds it and I feel as if I could burst.

Can she be a little less over the top? Is it really that hard to pull out a slip of paper?Effie holds the slip out in front of her like it's something precious.

I want to punch her.

It will fix whatever it is she's done to her face.

"Primrose Everdeen." No.

Not Catnip.

Please no.

Wait.

Effie didn't say Katniss. She said Primrose. Prim. It almost made me feel happy.

At least, until I realized that Catnip's sister was going to die.

And that Catnip isn't about to let that happen.

"Prim!" Her voice comes out mangled. This is going to get bad. "Prim!"

Catnip runs up to the stage, and seizes Prim's arm just as her foot lands on the first step. Prim tries to shake her off."I volunteer!" No. She was going. I should have known.

No one could get that lucky.

"I volunteer as tribute!" I realized that if it had been Rory or Vick being called up, I'd be doing the same thing.

I realized I'd die for them, just as Katniss is going to die for Prim.

But maybe she won't die. Maybe Catnip can win this.

If anyone from this sorry district could do it, she could. She's the toughest girl I've ever met.

I walk towards the stage as Prim starts screaming bloody murder. I don't think Katniss can take it.

"Let go!" Her voice was near cracking.

I lift Prim off the ground. She's still screaming, and now she's doing a pretty good job of nearly pummeling me to death.

"Up you go, Catnip." I'm surprised by my voice. It almost cracked.

I carry Prim over to her mother. She hold prim close, stroking her hair. I don't know if she's going to make it. She doesn't look good, with her face now so pale.

I turn around just to see something amazing.

Everyone in the Square brings their three idle fingers to their lips and turns them outwards towards Catnip.

This is a sign of respect. It says thank you and goodbye. They do it at funerals.

I guess that would be pretty appropriate.

I can't think anymore after that. I completely shut down. Or try to.

Just before I do, I hear a shrill voice.

It says,"Peeta Mellark."

And I thought my day couldn't get any worse.

Why Peeta?

I never thought he would get called.

Nothing makes any sense.

How am I supposed to live without my best friend and the boy that I'd been in love with for as long as I can remember?

I can't.

And I definitely can't watch Peeta die.

I'd die too.

I began to take a step forward. I am willing to die for him. So why not?

But it's too late. It was over with.

Peeta is going into the Hunger Games.

This knocked some sense into me.

I have to support a family. Two, now with Catnip being gone and all.

The most I can do now is say goodbye.

I watch as they are escorted into the Justice Building. No one seems to care about Peeta dying. They're all still caught up in Catnip's sacrifice for Prim. It's pretty awesome she did that, but Peeta.

How could no one care?

Besides me. I care.

And now it's time for me to go show him that.

I follow the small crowd heading towards the Justice Building behind the two tributes. They split into two lines, and I don't know who to go say goodbye to first.

I decide I want to be the last person Peeta sees and since Catnip's line is significantly longer, I stand at the end of it.

What was I supposed to tell her? Great being friends with you, sorry you're going to die?

She'll have to die if Peeta was coming back.

Unless she does something crazy, which i won't put past her.

Suddenly, Madge comes up behind me, looking all nervous, looking over her shoulder. I wonder if her dad let her come say goodbye, or if she snuck out. When she sees me staring at her, Madge blushes and looks down at her feet.

"You wanna go ahead of me?" I ask, because obviously she's in a rush. She looks up at me surprised, and then nods. She takes her place in front of me, and leaves me to my terrifying thoughts.

What if neither of them come back? No one from District Twelve hardly ever does. I have to stop thinking like that, especially since it's my turn to go say goodbye.

Oh joy.

When I walk through the doors, the first thing i do is absorb Catnip into a hug. She looks so damn sad, and I hate seeing her sad. She's practically my sister.

Too bad she's going to die.

I could at least pretend like that might not happen. Cheer her up some before her imminent doom.

"Listen," I tell her, not knowing what I'm going to say until it comes out. "Getting A knife should be pretty easy, but you've got to get your hands on a bow. That's your best chance." Go me! I'm giving good advice. Hopefully she'll take it.

We kept discussing this, and I could tell she had no faith in herself. I really wish she did. If anyone could do this, Katniss can.

And maybe she'll help Peeta.

"You know how to kill." Kill anyone who comes near Peeta, will you? I'll be your best friend...

"Not people." Oh great. Just what I need. More self consciousness.

"How different can it be, really?" I tell her grimly, realizing she's just as likely to kill Peeta as she is anyone else in the arena. Maybe my advice should've been saved for him.

I needed to tell her one more thing.

What was it again? Oh yeah.

She needs to know that I'm know what? She doesn't need to know.

She won't live to see me again.

Now the Peacekeepers walk in, and it hits me. Katniss, my best friend, is being sent to death. I'm never going to see her again.

Oh shit.

"Don't let them starve!" She screams, tears in her eyes. Please. Her family won't starve unless I die.

"I won't! You know I won't! Katniss, remember I-" I get dragged out of there, unable to finish my sentence. What was I going to say? The door slammed in my face, and my mind went blank.

Oh well. One more thing to do. I look down the hall at the place where Peeta is being held. I stop thinking and let my instincts carry me through those next doors and into that room.

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It's raining outside. The lightning's kind of scary.I'm sorry if you hate cliffies!

I love them, they let your imagination roam.

Review? Maybe I'll stop being so hard on Catnip if you do...