The characters of The Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me.

I know this is a bit short but it's packed. Also, Peeta is such a loyal brother.

Truth with Consequence

Chapter Two

"What are you doing here?"

The steel in her choked voice surprised them both. Peeta stared at her for a moment and she could see him struggling to find an answer to her question.

A rush of footsteps interrupted her interrogation and she turned to find Gale approaching her followed by the blond man, Alcott—the baker's oldest son.

Gale rushed over to her, his eyes filled with sadness. "Oh Katniss, I'm sorry…" He took her hands, gripping them tightly even when she tried to rip herself away, as another sob took over her body. "I never meant for this to happen."

"How long?" she managed to ask through her tears. "How long has this been happening?"

Before he could respond, Peeta approached them. "I think we better go somewhere a little more private." His eyes met hers briefly. "It's the decent thing to do for her."

She allowed Gale to help her straighten herself before pulling her hands away from him. Leading them towards the open part of the fence, she watched Peeta go through first. Katniss followed and he held out his hand to help her out onto the solid path.

Katniss remembered Peeta briefly from school—when she wore two braids instead of one. He decorated the cakes that Prim admired so much whenever they walked by the bakery window.

"Thank you," she said as she stood up. Katniss turned to him and she could see the concern swimming in his eyes. "We should go back to my house."

Peeta nodded. "Just lead the way."

She walked steadily for the first few paces listening to the footsteps behind her. Katniss could hear her husband whispering to Peeta's brother and something sliced through her. Was this how it felt to have your heart broken?

"You okay?" She turned to see Peeta staring at her.

"We're almost there," she replied ignoring his question as they turned a corner.

Her married home came into view and her insides clenched. It was supposed to be the home where her and Gale's children would grow up, where they were supposed to celebrate their anniversaries, and where they were supposed to grow old together.

Katniss stepped onto the porch and opened the door. Peeta walked inside first, followed by his brother who she ignored and when Gale reached her-she had to stop herself from falling apart.

"Just go in," she hissed, not meeting his eyes.

Gale looked at her once more before going into the house, and she looked around to make sure no one was around. Their house was relatively isolated but it was still possible that someone could have spotted her entering the house with her husband and the Mellark boys.

Closing the door behind her, Katniss went to their living room and sat on their lounger. Gale stood by their fireplace while the Mellarks sat on the couch.

The room was lit by the oil lamp that Gale had turned on as he rested against the mantle unable to look at anyone.

"How long?" she asked once more breaking the tense silence.

"Before us," Gale said as he turned to her. His eyes met Alcott's briefly. "We didn't mean for anything to happen. I never meant to hurt you."

"Why?" she choked out and Katniss buried her face in her hands. "Why would you marry me?"

Gale was immediately on his knees before her gripping her wrists. "Because I love you."

Katniss looked up at him. "You've made a fool of me," she choked out. "You made me think that there was something wrong with me. That I was undesirable." She ripped her wrists away from him. "All this time, I thought it was me!"

"I told him that he should propose." Katniss turned to Alcott and her eyes narrowed. "It was for the best. I only saw him once, right before you got married-to give him the bread."

Her husband's lover had made their toasting bread.

"And when did it get too hard to stay away?" she dared to ask.

"After your eighteenth birthday," Gale said to her quietly. "That night—"

"Don't talk about that night." Katniss felt her eyes water and she looked to him. "And what now?"

"I don't know," he told her, tears rolling down his handsome face. "I just don't want to hide from you anymore. Katniss, you're my best friend."

"Gale, I'm your wife," she replied brokenly. "You stopped being my best friend the moment you started lying to me. You robbed me of a life I could have had; of places I could've gone, of people I could've met and you robbed me of the chance of ever really falling in love. Was it worth it for you?"

He couldn't answer.

"Do you love him?"

They lay in bed side by side, the sun was just beginning to rise, and the Mellarks had left an hour before.

"Yes." Gale sighed. "God help me. I do."

She looked over at him. "But you love me too?"

"Differently, I guess," he replied and Katniss didn't pull away when he took her hand. "Loving you comes naturally and with you I feel safe—comfortable."

"And with him?"

"It's like a freight train hitting my gut."

It could have been her lack of sleep or the beginning of her breakdown, but Katniss couldn't help but let the chuckle escape her mouth.

"I guess that's the difference between loving someone and falling in love with someone."

"I want to change," he told her. "I've talked to Al." She flinched hearing his name. "I want me and you to work. He agrees and there are ways that I can try to stop this."

"What do you mean?"

"There are treatments in the Capitol," he informed her. "To stop this behavior." Gale turned to her. "I can go and be back in a week or two."

"Is it dangerous?" she asked nervously.

"I'm willing to risk it. I just want us to be okay again." He pulled her against him and she laid her head against his chest. "I want us to forget all of this."

"The thing is," she said as she closed her eyes trying to prevent the tears from escaping. "I don't think we can."

"Katniss."

She turned to see Peeta walking towards her. His golden Merchant features looked so strange in the greyness of the Seam. Placing her laundry basket down, she wiped her hands against her dress and placed them on her hips.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she surveyed the area to make sure that no one was around.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you. Can we go inside for a minute?"

She studied him for a moment and then nodded. "Bring the basket in with you."

Katniss opened the door and walked in. Peeta followed as he carried in her laundry basket. "Where did you want me to put this?"

"Just by the door." Katniss sat tiredly on the small couch in the sitting room. "What can I do for you?"

"I heard that Gale was thinking of going to the Capitol," he said and she nodded in affirmation. "Can I sit?"

Katniss nodded and she was surprised when he sat next to her. It was the first time she got her first real look at him. His short blond hair was slightly wavy and he had a strong chin. His blue eyes were warmer than his brother's and the shape of his eyes were from his father, who she often saw when she sold game to him. He was broader than Alcott and she remembered that their other brother had a similar physique.

"I wanted to give you this." Peeta reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small book. "It's a book about Capitol medical procedures, including the one that Gale is thinking about doing." He studied her for a moment. "I know you're angry but I just wanted you to read this before you consider letting him go."

Katniss placed her hands on her lap and turned to him shamefully. "I can't."

His eyes narrowed. "Can't or won't? I know you love Gale and you could give a shit about my brother but—"

"It's not that!" Katniss shouted and took a deep breath before continuing, "I don't know how to read."

"Oh." Peeta looked embarrassed at his accusation. "I can teach you-if you want."

"Will you tell me what the book says?"

He opened it at a marked page. "The procedure is an injection laced with Tracker Jacker venom. They inject it directly into the blood stream during the patient's therapy session. It causes a similar effect to having electro-shock therapy whenever the person is triggered." Peeta closed the book and turned to her. "You can keep the book. If you don't believe me, you can have someone else you trust read this to you."

Katniss shook her head firmly. "I believe you," she told him. "What does this mean?"

"With procedures like these, there's a chance of memory loss and personality changes," Peeta explained. "Are you willing to risk the chance of Gale losing memories or changing completely-to stop something that seems to just be?" Katniss felt her face heat under his penetrating gaze. "My brother was thinking of doing it too. That's why I got this book. I didn't want him to risk losing himself in the process because he's in love."

Katniss chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully. "He is?"

Peeta nodded, his gaze remorseful. "I was there to be their lookout that night. I did tell them that they had to tell you eventually," he said gently. "I only found out two months ago—caught them in the back of the bakery."

"How could I be so stupid?" she asked quietly. "It was right in front of me."

"Gale really does love you. Just not in the way that you expected," Peeta told her.

"Thanks for bringing this to me." She took the book and placed it on her lap. "Will you really teach me to read?"

"Of course." He smiled at her and Katniss found herself responding to his infectious grin.

That afternoon, Katniss waited for Gale by the mine entrance. She avoided the other miners' wives, ignoring their curious stares. She was never the friendly sort so they knew to keep away from her. Instead, they huddled together as she stood in front.

When the elevator to the mines opened and she saw Gale step out—she rushed to him throwing her arms around his neck. He buried his face in her shoulder as they held each other. There was soot on his face but he smiled brightly not caring.

His smile never changed—it always assured and comforted her.

Her heart hurt thinking that these little moments could be lost forever.

They walked hand in hand as they left the mines and passed through the town. Their hands tightened as they walked by the bakery. She looked through the window to see that it was the shrewish Mrs. Mellark manning the counter.

She looked up to see Gale watching her with an amused smile. He knew how much she disliked Mrs. Mellark. The woman had always had it in for her because long ago Mr. Mellark courted her mother, who in turn, ran off with her father.

Needless to say, it was Mr. Mellark who was always there to receive her deliveries.

"What are you thinking about?" Gale asked as they reached their house.

The sun was beginning to go down, painting the sky with streaks of orange and pink. They both stopped to watch it and she looked over at Gale admiring how handsome his face was highlighted by the shades of the sunset.

Before everything, they had many peaceful evenings like this together.

Katniss realized that if he went to the Capitol—if it all went wrong, then he could be lost to her forever. The memories of everything they shared would disappear and the person she loved would be a stranger.

Peeta was right. She couldn't lose her best friend—her rock; even if it meant sacrificing herself.

"Sit with me," Katniss said and they sat on their porch steps. She wrapped her arms around herself before turning to him resolutely. "I won't let you do it. Don't go to the Capitol—stay. Stay with me."

"I want us to be okay again." His face pained as he looked at her. "I just can't help how I feel, and if there is any way to fix our marriage—I want to do it."

"Peeta came by," she told him. Gale turned to her, surprise in his eyes. "He brought a book about medical procedures done in the Capitol. He told me about the injections and the therapy—and the side effects. It's barbaric. As angry and as hurt as I am, I can't risk losing our memories together to change one thing about you-as serious as it is."

"Katniss, you don't know what you're saying," he protested. "Can you imagine if anyone found out? We would be ostracized-not just us, but your family, my family and even the Mellarks."

She took his hand and met his eyes. "What are your favorite memories of me?"

Gale leaned back against the steps, deep in thought, as she waited in anticipation. Finally he turned to her, a grin on his face.

"The first time you hit a squirrel right between the eyes," he told her. "Your smile—so proud. Also, the way you wore your hair the day of our toasting—you looked like a real lady."

"Are you willing to lose those memories of me?" she asked and he shook his head, his eyes filling with tears. "Are you willing to lose possibly everything that makes you the person you are?"

Katniss reached to wipe the tears tenderly from his face before placing her head on his shoulder.

"I'm not willing to give up all the memories we've created together as friends," she said quietly. "I'm too selfish-I can't lose us."

So, it looks like Katniss is about take on something major.

I always wondered how homosexuality was taken in the Districts. Also, what the Capitol's take on it was though I suspected it was kind of an "everything goes" in that area of Panem.

This chapter is slightly based on an episode from "Masters of Sex" in which a homosexual character in the show, considers electro-shock therapy to get curtail his behavior. However, his wife learns about the side effects, which does include memory loss, of the procedure from a psychiatrist. She then refuses to let him go through with it.

Feedback, reviews, and greetings are always welcomed on AO3, FF and Tumblr.

-JLaLa