Peeta.
I wake up to the sound of Clara screaming. "Give me my bear!" she yells.
"No!" yells back Orion. "I want him back."
"Too bad! Mom and Dad said that I get Katie," she screams. I roll over in bed and look at Katniss.
"This has to end," I say.
"I know," she says. "Who should I ask to come visit?"
"Ask whoever you want," I say.
"Whoever I want? Even-" she starts.
I interrupt her, "If you think it will help."
"Thank you, Honey," she says. She kisses me on the cheek and gets out of bed. I get up and walk upstairs.
"Orion, give Clara the bear back," I say.
Orion looks upset. "But-"
"No buts," I say. He makes a huff and hands back the bear. "Where's Thunder?"
"He's in my bed," Orion tells me.
"Play with him," I say.
"Fine," he says, walking back to his bed.
"Would you two like to have someone visit us?" I ask.
"Yes!" they both say.
"Is it Annie?" asks Clara.
"Is it someone we know?" asks Orion.
"No and no," I say. "You're mother wants you to meet her old…best friend."
"Is she nice?" asks Clara.
I laugh. "It's a boy," I say. "And he was very nice to your mother."
"Was he mean to you?" asks Orion.
"He wasn't mean. It was just that he liked your mother, so I never really liked him," I say.
"Oh. Well I can't wait to meet him," says Clara.
"Me neither," says Orion.
"What's his name?" Clara asks.
"Gale," I say through gritted teeth.
"The one you got my name from?" she asks.
"Yes," I say. She understands that it's not the same name, but with Katniss' random thoughts, it was originated from it. "Now, you two get dressed. Gale should come tomorrow if he agrees to come and he is able to."
"Okay," they both chime in. I leave and they go into their closets to change. I walk downstairs and see Katniss in the kitchen.
"You're cooking?" I ask. She's not a very good cook unless it's a recipe her mother or father taught her or it's something very easy.
"I'm making toast," she explains.
"Okay," I say. I go to the fridge and get the bacon. I put it in a pan and put it on the stove. I get out some eggs and put them in a pan. I put them on the stove too and begin to scramble them. "So did you call…him?" I ask.
"Yes," she says.
"And?" I ask.
"He's coming tomorrow," she says.
"Where will he stay?" I ask.
"Guest room?" she says, unsure.
"Okay," I say. I'm very frustrated. The man who used to love my wife will be staying in our house. "Will his wife be coming?"
"He's not married," she says.
I sigh. "Great," I say. "That's just perfect."
"He's over me. He just hasn't found the right person," she says.
"Are you sure?" I ask.
"Well that's what he says," she tells me.
"He's lying," I say.
"How do you know?" she asks.
"Katniss, it's impossible to get over you," I explain. "Even when I was hijacked I still loved you. That's how hard it is."
"Well maybe people don't like him," she says. "Maybe he likes me and another person, but they just don't like him."
"Then he's available," I say. "He wants to come and win you back."
"He knows we have children. He won't try anything," she says.
"He doesn't care," I say.
"He won't do anything. I promise," she says. I know she's lying, but I accept it for now. The phone rings. "I'll get it." She walks to the phone and picks it up. "Hello? Oh, Hi. Really? Um, sure, I guess. Yeah. That's okay. We'll pick you up at the station later. Bye."
"Who was that?" I ask.
"It was Gale. He wants to come today," she says.
"Won't it take a while to get here?" I ask.
"We'll pick him up at night," she says. "After the kids are in bed."
"Okay," I say. Now the man who currently loves my wife will be in my house tonight. That's just great.
Gale.
The train is arriving. I'm here. I'm home. I step off the train and onto the hard concrete. I look around. It's dark, but you can see all the stars.
"Gale?" I hear from behind me. I turn around. It's Katniss.
"Hey Catnip," I say. I walk over and we hug each other. The years haven't made her any less beautiful. "Where's Peeta?"
"He's watching the kids. They're already in bed and he didn't want them to be alone," she explains.
"That makes sense," I say. Perfect, we have some time alone. We walk to the street. "Do you have a car?"
"Yeah, but I felt like leaving it at home. If Peeta and the kids are in trouble they can go get help," she says.
"Okay," I say. Even better. We're walking, so it will take longer.
"Gale," she says. "Don't try anything." She always could read my mind.
"I won't. I promise. I'm over you. Now you're just my really good friend," I say.
"Okay," she says. I think she knows that I'm lying, but she's acting like she doesn't. Maybe I shouldn't try anything tonight. I should just act normal and then do it when the time is right.
It's a shorter walk than I remembered. We're at her Victor's Village house in no time. I guess they redid it after the bombing. We walk inside and I see Peeta and two little kids.
"Hey, Peeta," I say with a fake smile on my face.
"Hey, Gale," he says back. His smile is fake too. "This is Clara and this is Orion." He gestures to the kids and they wave as he says their names.
"Hello," I say.
"Hi," they both say back.
"This is Thunder," says Orion, holding up a teddy bear.
"Nice to meet you, Thunder," I say. The bear is black with gray eyes. I look at Katniss with a smile and she just shakes her head. "So, where am I staying?"
"I'll show you," says Peeta. He stands up and leads me down a hall. We pass a bathroom. "This is your room."
"Thanks," I say. I guess their room is further back into the house. Peeta nods and leaves me. I put my suitcase next to the dresser and lie down. It was a long ride here and I'm tired. I get under the covers and fall asleep. I dream of Katniss leaving Peeta for me.
I'm going to explain how the names are similar.
1) They both have a long A sound
2) They both have an L
3) The G sound and the C sound are alike
Make the C sound
Now make the G sound
See the resemlence?
R&R