Gale Goes Crazy

Part 1: The kiss

(This story is dedicated to Gale lovers)

~Gale~

I take a deep breath, as I step off the train. The air smells like pine with a scent of dying things. I take my time getting to the woods. There is no guarantee that she will be there. She could be dead for all I know. Just at the thought, a pain shoots through my chest. She can't be dead. If Katniss is dead, I'm as good as dead.

After a while, my slow tread breaks into a run.

Please be there; please be there I think over and over again.

It's the beginning of spring, perfect hunting weather. She has to be hunting. Surely she's gotten over the whole "killing Prim" theory by now. I grasp onto this hope like nothing before. Then I think the thought I have been fighting ever since I decided to get on the train. I run faster, and faster avoiding what is probably true. Avoiding the main reason it's taken me this long to come to 12 in the first place.

She could have chosen Peeta, I finally admit to myself. The thought makes me stop. Peeta, the boy with the bread. Images flood my head. The first reaping when they called his name. Katniss and him in the cave. The moments of extreme pain I felt when she kissed him. Again and again and again. I think back to the Victory Tour and Peeta's proposal and how even though it was supposedly just an act, how real it seemed. And then the Quarter Quell. Them. On the beach. That was worst of all. I could deal with the cave. I could deal with the Victory tour. But that' when the TV went off. That's when I walked away. The way she was kissing him…well it doesn't take a genius to figure out she's in love with him. But then, things got complicated. Peeta gets captured. We go back to 13. And for a few brief moments, I feel alive again. When we were in the woods of district 2, alone at last, I kissed her and she kissed me back. But it didn't feel right. It didn't feel real. And that's when I gave up. I secretly let her go.

Then why am I here? If I have honestly, turely, let her go, why am I back here, trying to win her back?

Because I'm still in love with her. I never gave up. I never let go. How can I? How can I forget about everything we had? The bond, the trust? A twig snaps and I'm lurched back into the present. In my haste, I've gone on autopilot and am at our special place. I look around, somehow expecting her to be here. I start to walk in circles loosing myself in memories of her.

~Katniss~

I can't let him see me. He'll flip out. My hand goes down to my stomach. I feel the smooth, round bump, that seems to grow larger every minute.

Why is he here? I ask myself. He has to know that I don't want to see him.

I duck behind some more bushes. The position is extremely uncomfortable given the fact I'm carrying a lot of extra weight. After a few minutes I can't stand it, and stand up. Bad idea. Standing before my eyes, is the one person in the whole world I don't want to see. Gale.

~Gale~

As soon as she stand s, my mouth drops open. "She's here, she's alive!" I want to scream. Before I can register everything, I run to her. I scoop her up in my arms.

"I've missed you so much, Katniss," the words tumble out in a rush. "I can't live without you."

She starts to struggle and push me away. At first I don't understand why. Then I see when I step back. She's holding her stomach protectively as if maybe she had something to hide. Tears prick her eyes. She looks distraught. Finally I make the connection. She's pregnant.

I'm an idiot! A complete idiot!

"I should have known," I manage to whisper. "I'm too late."

"I'm sorry," she croaks. "I didn't want you to see me. I knew it would hurt you."

I don't know what to say. I stumble on words. "I…I…I seem to recall you saying you never wanted to have kids." I stutter out.

"Well it's a different world now and…well you know how persuasive Peeta can be." she says quietly.

We stand there very awkwardly. I can't just walk away. Not after I've seen her.

What can I say, what can I say?

"You know, I was going to make my move that day. The reaping day. That night, afterwards. " I say after about 3 minutes of awkward silence.

"What?" she's sounds surprised.

"I was going to tell you…tell you how much I…well never mind. I'm too late. 10 years too late." I finish.

"No, tell me. It's ok," Katniss soothes.

"Tell you how much I loved you. How much I still love you." I can't believe I'm saying this to her, but I am. "I should have told you that morning but…you brought up the fact that you never wanted to have kids so…I figured that probably wasn't the best time." I finish, lamely.

She starts to cry and slumps down against a tree. I want to comfort her but I don't think I can. This is too much for me. Too much for anyone…

~Katniss~

I can't believe this. I just can't believe it. What am I supposed to do now? Just run away from Gale and go back to Peeta's comforting embrace? I can't do that to Gale. Not now. Not after his confession. The guilt I somehow feel is overwhelming and I slump to the ground. Tears start coming and they can't stop. Everything I have ever felt for Gale hits me like a ton of bricks and I cry harder. I'm unaware of the conflict Gale is struggling with. I slowly raise my head and see him awkwardly standing there unsure of whether to console me or not. This is not like Gale. He is always sure of himself. My baby has thrown him off.

He wasn't expecting this, I think. He came to get me back, not knowing I already chose…

Suddenly, I rise to my feet. I wipe the tears away.

"You're right. You are too late," I say, anger entering my voice. "You should have thought of that before you killed my sister!" I scream at him. Once I start screaming I can't seem to stop.

~Gale~

Even though she is screaming and yelling and hating me, she looks beautiful. Her long, dark braid blows in the wind, the soft gray eyes I've looked at a million times seem to call my name. Her face is glowing in the afternoon light. And so, for the moment, I lose control of myself. I lose the ability to reason. I'm so desperately lonely I can't stand it.

I grab her face in my hands and kiss her right then and there. Just like I did so many years ago. Right in the middle of whatever she was going on about. The sensation is so real, so vivid, but it seems like a dream. It's been so long. So long since I've been with her I'm sure it can't be real. She struggles at first, but for some reason gives in. Maybe she feels it too. The long lost connection that has resurfaced. When I finally begin to think that I have her back, that even though she's obviously carrying Peeta's child, I somehow won her over. But then, she steps back gives me one last look, and barrels me into a tree.

~Katniss~

I struggle at first, but I'm quickly pulled in. I seem to be in some kind of trance. Hypnotized almost .to the point where we are the only 2 people in the entire world. I feel like I'm on the morphing again. My thoughts sneak back into the recesses of my mind, pulling out random memories. Suddenly, I'm back at my house in the Victor's Village. Peeta and I are in the living room huddled together in the middle of the night. I'm weeping quietly, unable to get the nightmare out of my head.

"Shh…its ok Katniss, I'm here. I'm always here," Peeta says, trying to comfort me.

I brush my tears away and try to be brave for once. We sit in silence, listening to the sounds of the night, watching the dying embers of the fire. I'm almost asleep when Peeta abruptly gets to his feet, and pulls me up beside him. He tilts my chin up to his face and I stare into those big blue eyes. His lips aren't smiling, but his eyes are, and it looks like his face is glowing in the moonlight. Without warning, her leans down and kisses me. My arms go around his neck and I melt away. And once again, I feel an emotion that I have only felt once or twice before. Love. You could argue and say that I loved Prim. That I loved my father. But this is the unconditional love. The romantic love. Something I never thought I was capable of. Then, as if reading my thoughts, he pulls away and whispers in my ear, "You love me, Real or not?"

My ears bring back the sound of my voice saying "Real." Real. Real. Real. It echos in my ears and bounces in my brain. Right on cue, my conscience shoots a pang of guilt all through my body. It starts in my chest then spreads to my arms and down to my toes. The guilt swallows me whole. Betrayal. Now I know what it feels like to betray someone.

When I can stand no more, I pull back from Gale and take one look at his questioning eyes that seem to ask "What's wrong?"

You're wrong, I think. You are so very, very wrong.

I muster up all the strength I can and shove him into a tree, knocking him to the ground.

~Peeta ~

I am running. Faster and faster. I can hear her voice echoing through the trees. She's screaming horrible things. Things I've never heard her say before. I slow down as I get closer to her voice. When I finally see where she is, I duck down behind some bushes. I peek my head out to the side just a little to see who her victim is. I swallow hard. Gale's back.

Just when my life was getting perfect, I think.

I'm about to step in and save Katniss the trouble of cussing him out, when he does the unthinkable. He grabs her head and kisses her. My heart stops. Literally, my heart stops. I watch in horror as Katniss lets him. I want to back away, to look away and never look back. But something holds me there. I want to see how far it will go. But the fact that Gale has the nerve to come back to 12 after all these years and start making out with my pregnant wife, disturbs me so much I just have to look away. CRASH!

I stand up. Gale is lying on the ground moaning in pain. It's all I can do not to laugh. I look over at Katniss who starts to cry. I walk over to her and guide her to a small little clearing we sit down and she crys even more.

"It's ok Katniss, it's over, you're ok," I tell her.

"Please don't hate me." She gets out, in between sobs.

"I could never hate you." I reply.

"But…I…shouldn't have let him…do that!"

"I thought it was very nicely handled, Katniss," I say with a smile.

She stops crying and wipes her eyes. "Really?"

"Absolutely"

She looks up at me and smiles her big beautiful smile. I hear footsteps approaching and look up to find Gale looming overhead fists clenched, eyes narrowing. I rise to my feet so we're eye level.

"What's your problem, Gale? Why can't you just leave us alone? I won, alright? Whatever contest you and I ever had over Katniss is over. So why don't you just leave?"

Gale slowly raises a clenched fist. It's the perfect time to taunt him.

"Go ahead, hit me. I know you want to. Even though it will hurt Katniss…" I say, very tauntingly.

Katniss jumps up in between us.

"Stop it both of you! You're acting like morons!" she yells.

Gale shifts his penetrating stare to Katniss and says, "I'm sorry it had to be this way. I'm sorry I never told you. I really am sorry."

He turns and stalks away.

~Gale~

I walk away. I turn and just walk away. When I'm sure they can't see me, I run away. I run, I scream, I cry, I hallucinate. This is a nightmare. A very bad nightmare.

Why did he have to show up? Does he like, stalk her? The only reason she die that was because of him! I think bitterly.

I take out my hatred of Peeta on a tree. Ripping off bark, leaves, anything. AHHHHHHH! My screaming echoes all around me. I hate. I despise. I love. I go through all the emotions I have ever felt until only one remains. Despair. I sink to the ground and lash about wanting the pain to go away and then, the last thing I remember is the needle going into my arm.

This is my first story that I've put on here and I hope you all like it. PLEASE tell me what you think and if you like it i will type the rest of the story. Its in 3 parts. This is Part 1/chapter1. PLEASE REVIEW! THANKS

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