Story: So I'm a HUGE Gale fan, and honestly I don't believe his ending did him justice. A fancy job in District 2? Yeah right. And he barely got an explanation at the end, which is surprising considering how important of a character he was. When I heard she would end up with Peeta, I prepared myself for Gale's death. When that didn't happen, I almost thought that death would have done him more justice than being left with nothing at all with Katniss. So this is my version of how Gale went out, and Katniss's view seven years after.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Hunger Games. If I did, Katniss would have been with Gale.
Though it's been seven years, our woods appear almost unchanged. Almost. The blackberry bushes are ripe, just waiting to be picked. Our rock stands unchanged, overlooking the valley, our meeting place. The one place I was truly happy-until now. Now I come here to mourn. This is where your grave is, where you will always be from now on. I know I shouldn't come as often as I do, but I cannot seem to stay away. I remember the day you died so clearly, for it haunts my dreams nightly.
We had made it through all the pods, losing so many in the process, but not each other. As we go around the corner, I see them; Capitol children around Snow's mansion, guarding him from the Rebels. Sick man, only he would think to guard himself with harmless children. As a hovercraft appears, silver parachutes come floating down to the children. Recognizing them from countless Hunger Games as gifts, they eagerly await them. When the parachutes hit the ground, that's when half of them explode. Dead, or injured and frightened, the children start screaming for help. That's when the Rebel medics come to their aid. Unbelievably, that's when I see a little blonde girl appear in a white medical coat, far younger than all the other medics. "Prim!" I scream, unbelievingly. Why is my little sister here, in the middle of a battle? Before I can start running for her, Gale holds my arm. "Katniss listen to me. Go find a way in to that mansion to kill Snow. I'll get Prim and we'll catch up with you." Before I can say anything in response, he's running right to the circle of children. He finds Prim and makes her run to me while he picks up the child she was working on, so I assume she wouldn't leave unless he agreed to move the child for her. As she makes it to my side, I hug her for dear life, and then look to see where Gale is. Just before he makes it out, the other half of the bombs go off. By the time I reach him, screaming his name over and over, I can tell his burns are too bad to heal, even with capitol medicine. The only part of his body that doesn't seem to be bright red or blistered is most of his face, but he's still conscious. Barely, but he is conscious and alive at the moment. As I reach his side, he looks up at me, his grey eyes intent. "Catnip" he chokes out, "I-" before he can finish, I kiss him on the lips, and finally say what my heart is telling me for once, "I love you." I can see him fading fast, breathing small, short gasps, but there's a slight hint of a smile as he says his final words, "I love you, too." Then he closes his eyes. Tears stream down my face, and I bury my head on his now silent chest. Prim comes to me and doesn't say anything, but just sits there and lets me wallow in my grief, tears on her face as well.
As I sit here at our place in the woods, I still grieve, though it has been many years and life has gone on. The rebellion was won that day, with the bombing of the Capitol children crushing whatever was left of Snow's support. When I found out that it was in fact Coin who sent the bomb on the children, the bomb that killed you, my decision was made. And so on the day that I was to kill Snow, I shot her instead. Snow died laughing at me and drowning from the blood of his own mouth sores. Prim and my mother came back to 12, and are helping with the new hospital. I came back to 12 with Haymitch after my trial, and Peeta followed some months after, fully healed from the hijacking. Though he knew I was still broken over you, he was patient, and I eventually found myself in his arms, because you left me no choice. You left me, making the decision for me on who I would end up with. Yet here I am, coming to our place, just to talk to your grave. Because I did love you, and to be honest, I think I would have chosen you over Peeta if he got better like he did. You saved Prim from that bomb. You saved my mother from depression when I went into the games not once, but twice. And you saved me. Hunting gave my family survival, but it also gave me you; my hunting partner, my best friend, my happiness. And of course now that it's too late, I realize you are the one I love. There will always be a hollow hole in my heart, though I try to live my life, go on with it, with Peeta. Though he is happy that we are together, and I do love him, I think he knows that he will never truly have my whole heart. Because a part of it is buried six feet under, with yours.