I DO NOT OWN THE HUNGER GAMES

Twenty five years after the war, Haymitch's excessive drinking had brought him to an abrupt death. He was found in what should have been his living room, his body halfway on the couch, while his other half as sprawled rather dramatically across the floor.

Peeta had been the one to find him, as he delivered what had become a customary drop off of freshly baked cheese buns.

Katniss stared at the casket. Haymitch had been her mentor, her guardian, and her friend. He had seen Peeta's love for her, even before she did; and as the years went by, he had seen her fall in love with Peeta and had seen their children.

But that wasn't all he saw.

Katniss thoughts went back to the pictures she had found in Haymitch's house earlier today; and unconsciously, she looked at the man opposite her from under her eyelashes.

Gale.

His features were still very youthful for a man of his age; he had obviously aged rather gracefully. His grey eyes had darkened as he looked intently at the casket, his eyes squinted and his lips slightly pouted as though he was in deep thought.

Next to him stood a beautiful woman of average height, she appeared to be a year or two younger than Gale. Katniss had never seen her before. But by the way she entangled her hand with Gale's as though sensing he needed someone; and by the way Gale's pinched features relaxed, she knew immediately who she was.

When the funeral had ended, the four of them remained, and as if on cue, the four of them walked towards one another.

Painfully, Katniss swallowed. Then she looked up to him.

''Hey" she said softly, and in her mind she wondered if he had even heard her.

"Hey" he replied. He seemed grounded, yet unsure.

His eyes darted to Peeta and then to his wife.

"This is Alexa...my wife." The smile Gale gave to Alexa reminded her of the way Peeta would look at her. Strange thing; she never thought she'd see Gale with that expression.

"Alexa, this is Peeta and ...Katniss" when he said her name, there was a mixture of emotions to it; it was part hesitancy, part relief, part fondness.

Alexa rubbed Gale's arm then looked at them and smiled warmly.

"Nice to meet you...so Peeta, Gale tells me you're a wonderful baker... "

Peeta smiled crookedly, "I could imagine."

The rest of the conversation between Alexa and Peeta was heard by neither Gale nor Katniss, since they were both too uncomfortable around each other to actually concentrate on anything else.

Eventually all four started to walk towards the town, Alexa and Peeta still carrying on their conversation. Eventually Gale spoke to Katniss.

"Err...so how is everything?"

"Good" she spoke softly, nervously.

"Ok" he said.

''How is your family?" Katniss asked rather absentmindedly.

Gale gave a twisted smile, a sense of happiness and contentment emanated from him.

"It's grown..."

Katniss smiled a little. She could imagine that. Posey would be 26 by now, Rory and Vick would undoubtedly be grown men...and then there was his wife.

"That's good...I could imagine you as a big family guy.''

Even though she tried to sound genuinely happy, she couldn't help the bitterness that entered her voice. Her own sister had not lived beyond 13; she hadn't been given the opportunity to grow up.

Gale breathed in deeply, obliviously trying to man-up for what he was going to say next.

"Look Katniss...about Prim..." he faltered, unsure of what to say even though he had practiced many times. Words did not come easy to him when she was so real in front of him.

"Gale, don't...I don't want to..." tears entered Katniss' eyes, but she did not shed them...at least not now.

"I know...neither do I ...but I have to...I need to" there was desperation in his voice now. Gale took an entire minute to compose himself, when he did, he spoke oddly calm.

"I loved her too you know...I treated her as a sister and I loved her as a sister...there is nothing I would not have done for her...its taking me a long time to move on."

Katniss smiled disbelievingly. Harshly she said "you mean it took you a long time Gale..." she nodded to his wife "beautiful women were always willing to help you."

It was a despicable and unlikely comment; Katniss knew that, but she couldn't help herself, especially as she glanced at him. His face remained unchanged; as handsome as ever.

"No, present tense; its taking me...Prim still haunts me Katniss...and as for Alexa...she found me only five years ago. And trust me...five years ago i was probably worse than when you knew me."

Katniss bit the sides of her cheeks, willing herself not to cry, not to show weakness, as her thoughts whirled inside her head.

Twenty years...twenty years of no peace and no comfort...

I don't know you anymore gale...

true...but you do know that he was like a brother to prim...like a father at times...he took care of her...especially when you couldn't...he loved her too...he lost her too...

But he designed the bomb that killed her...

Yes and he suffered for that...he doesn't need your hate...he doesn't deserve it...he would never have hurt her...

But many others were hurt...

yes...but he hurt them because he was fighting for something...something that was worth fighting for...and even he was hurt...you remember how he looked the last time you saw him...no one escaped that war unscratched...no one.

Katniss clamped down on her thoughts and tried to focus on what Gale was saying.

His eyes were trained on the ground, his hands in his pockets. He was talking quickly as though he couldn't get the words out fast enough.

"I know you're not the forgiving type Katniss...and I know I don't deserve it...but...I..." he stopped and licked his lips. Then quietly he said "I need to move on...I need ...just need to tell you that...I'm sorry and that I hope that one day you'll be able to forgive me."

Katniss stopped and looked at him, her head cocked.

"Haymitch helped you with Alexa didn't he? He got you talking to her...got you to open up to her?"

Gale nodded. If he was confused by her question she did not see evidence of it, his eyes were still on the ground.

Katniss swallowed, "Gale look at me"

Slowly he raised his eyes, his head slightly inclined.

Slowly her hand, of its accord, reached up to his face and gently stroked his jaw line.

She remembered a time when he was her best friend, when he alone had made her smile, and at the same time, she remembered how lonely she had felt, even with Peeta by her side, even with her children, she missed the connection she and Gale shared.

A connection that had been severed when she the precious Prim.

No. That voice in her head spoke. You weren't the only one to lose Prim. He lost her to, and he suffered just as you had...perhaps more...because you hated him...his best friend hated him.

Tears fell from katniss' eyes, as she hugged him. He smelled just as he always smelled; of freshness and of the woods.

Against his neck she whispered, "Stay for dinner?" and she felt Gale nod his head.

She didn't know if he was crying or not, if Peeta and Alexa had seen them; all she knew is that she finally had her best friend back.