Thank you for all of your reviews! They mean so much to me, I cannot even explain how happy it makes me to see other people enjoying what I do. I've had a really rough road back to writing, and wasn't feeling so confident about this story, but you have eased my worries. At least somewhat, hehe. Anyway, I'm publishing this a bit early because I've decided on a new posting schedule: Mondays and Thursdays. This will be kept to my best ability. I'm job hunting, so if a job or two happens it might get a little... shaken up.

This chapter contains sex and death. Doing my best to keep it at the 15+ rating that is the highest rating fanfic dot net allow.


It had been four days since the last time they had been in the woods, and sealed the date of their upcoming marriage. That same day they had went to the justice building to put themselves up for one of the houses at the edge of the Seam, and with that the date of their wedding. People outside of the Seam didn't understand how they could decide to get married while Gale's younger brother was in the games, but those in the Seam, those who had lost the most children to the games, and family and friends to hunger, they understood the need for life to continue even when death was imminent in a family.

That day was when they caused an earthquake in the arena, and about two thirds of the arena disappeared in it, pushing them all together. Five days, eight tributes still alive, they wanted it to end soon. There hadn't been a death in over twelve hours, they were growing bored with how things were going, and nothing was keeping them entertained while waiting for deaths.

Most years there was something interesting, in their opinion, to follow. Like how a tribute manages to hide, a special talent, deception amongst the careers, but with only two careers left there wasn't much to follow there. This year, however, was just about brutality and strength. Most of them were large and strong, preferring close combats to long-range ones. Maybe they would call this year's game boring, in the Capitol, when the tributes were equally eager to engage in battle as the capitolites are, it would be over quick then. No challenges to get them together, no creativity. Except for the earthquake.

Rory was still alive, hiding in the mountains when the earthquake hit. Gale and Katniss were skinning squirrels when they heard the sudden blast on the TV screen. Both of them looked up, and saw large parts of the arena collapse, and quick shots of all the tributes running from the mountains and down to a field. There was a quick glimpse of Rory, trying desperately to get down from the ledge he had been camping out on during these days, but falling off of it because of the shaking. He disappeared from view and instead they showed a girl from eleven running down the hills.

Katniss and Gale looked at each other, color draining from their faces as they just realized what they might've witnessed. That could have been Rory's death, not from fighting, not an honest death, a death by gamemakers growing bored. Bile rose in Katniss' throat, and Gale was fighting his tears. Quickly she got up and walked around the table, sitting down in his lap and hugging him close to her, allowing him hold her for comfort while they waited to see if their fears were true. The cannon wouldn't have been heard, the blasts from the earthquake breaking the mountains were too loud.

The earth quake lasted for about five minutes, and by the end of it there were only four tributes left alive, three killed by the quake, the boy from five died from a slit throat when he ran into a girl from two. Rory wasn't one of the survivors.

The day after Rory's death was when the victor was announced. The girl from eleven won, a victor no one saw coming. People from the Seam passed sad glances towards the Hawthorn house, and towards them wherever they went. Even though they wished the world would stop for a moment to let them grieve, feel the pain, life did not stop.

The Hawthorn family was in pieces, after having lost both their father and brother, husband and son, every second was a painful reminder that there was so much missing. Gale wanted to lie under covers for a week, just to conjure up one last image of Rory, one more memory to hold onto for dear life, but life continued and he had to go down into the mines everyday. Down in the mines he would sometimes feel relief for his little brother, who might have been old enough to understand the struggles of the district, but too young to have experienced most of it. He wouldn't have to spend even a day down in the mines, he was supposed to start after summer, so eager to help out with everything, with food and money. That was when Gale's heart would break, because he would remember Rory's eagerness for life, to do things, and now there were so many things he would never be able to do.

Gale hoped that Rory died without regrets, but within his heart he knew that there was probably a lot of things Rory wished were different when he died.

Three days after Rory died his casket arrived to district twelve, a simple casket painted white to be lowered into the ground in the tribute cemetery. The white stood for sacrifice and honor, which they were trying to trick them into believing that a tribute was about. The casket would be Rory's last resting place, his last prison which he would never escape. Sixteen years old was too young to die, and Katniss thought of Peeta lying in his grave just a two spaces away from Rory. Neither of them deserved such a faith, both of them were pure, willing to sacrifice themselves for the wellbeing of other's, Peeta saved her life, and Rory was one of the people who saved her heart.

Like most burials in the district it was only family present, and Katniss and her family. People wanted to care more about the deaths of children, but if they did it would break them. The cemetery for the district was filled with children who had died from starvation before their fifth birthday, so when a sixteen year old died in the games people were content that it wasn't a young child that had died. At least the boy got some of a life, before he died. They were all sad, but they couldn't let it get to them.

Life continued, even though all they wanted to do was lie down on the ground and cry, they needed food, they needed money, they needed to survive.

Katniss and Gale hunted after Rory's burial, hoping to clear their minds with the fresh air in the forest, and the sounds of birds chirping in the trees. It let them escape, but not completely. Gale had an image of Rory stuck in his head from when Rory was six years old and trailing after him like a puppy. Then it had been annoying, today he would have given anything to get that back.

Afterwards they went to trade their game, and most of the people in hob were very generous, this one time, with their trading. They got soup stock for some berries, a bag full of coal for two squirrels and a bag of grains for one squirrel. At the baker's they got three loaves of bread for only one squirrel, and before they walked away from the door the baker stopped them.

"I know you're getting married in a few days," the baker said, and Katniss and Gale nodded in unison. "I want to make a cake for you, not out of sympathy but because I know it's what Peeta would have wanted, he… he had a soft spot for you, a big crush." The baker laughed sadly at the mentioned of his dead son.

"I don't think…" Katniss started, but was cut off by the baker.

"I will make it anyway, and then it's your choice if you want it or want to let it go bad." They both knew that Katniss would never let food go bad, not when people were starving, not when her family was going so hungry. "I think your little sister would love it." Katniss would never deny her sister a treat.

"Thank you Mr. Mellark."

"It's nothing," he said, tears in his voice. Before much else could be said the baker closed the door.

When they got back to the Hawthorn's house Gale cleaned three squirrels for all of them to eat while Katniss heated up the stove with some of the coal they had traded for that day. The house slowly started to warm up, and Posy peeked out from under her covers, smiling at Katniss. Posy may only have been six years old, but she knew just as well what had been lost, yet her childlike wonder kept the worst of it from biting into her, making it possible for her to shine light onto the family.

It was late June when they had their toasting, it was after a long day at the justice building where they waited in line and had to sign documents and were read rules and regulations, benefits and requirements. It was exhausting for the both of them, and their heads started swimming with all of the information. The only thing that stood out for Katniss, that caused her blood to run cold, was the requirement of a child. Some way she hoped that they would be able to get out of that, claim that she was unable to bear children, something. They would figure it out, she thought. They always did.

Their house was small, with a bedroom upstairs with two beds, a small wash room downstairs, and then a kitchen with a table next to it. It was very similar to the house that they had grown up in, and they had expected nothing less. It wasn't falling apart as their houses were, this one stood steady still.

On the opposite wall of the kitchen was the fire place. She put in the coal and some logs in it, and Gale then lit it as she spread a blanket out on the floor, Greasy Sae had sown it for them with the help of many people in the Seam giving patches of fabric for it. It was a thank you, from many, for brining in affordable meat into the district, for finding herbs for medicine and a condolence over Rory. Her throat tightened when she remembered what a mother had said to her when she got that blanket. She was only a few years older than her, carrying her toddler on her hip and her rounded stomach told her that by wintertime she'd have another baby. With a smile on her face the woman had said "that will come in handy when you have your child." She couldn't tell them that she had no plans to have a child, that would be against the law, so instead she had just smiled, and given the blanket to Gale that admired it carefully.

While Gale made sure the fire got going properly she brought the bread out of the bag, remembering the cake that they had gorged on before they went to the justice building earlier today. Prim and Posy had stuffed themselves so full that they had gotten nauseous, it had been a lovely cake, just perfect, and Katniss didn't regret agreeing to it at all.

They both sat down on the blanket, listening to the crackling of the fire, then Gale tore a peace of bread off of the loaf, put it on a metal stick and held it over the fire. She took a hold off of it, too, her hand over his, looking at him instead of the bread.

She couldn't believe that she was married, that she married Gale. He'd turned twenty just a few months ago, and she turned eighteen just last month, time had gone so quickly that she felt forlorn. Things had changed so much, and Gale had changed the most since the hunger games this year. After Rory died it was like he'd given up, the fire and passion had died in his eyes. No longer did he rant about the Capitol, or how we would be better off running away. He'd given into the fact that his life wasn't his own. He was resigned. And she'd noticed that, she'd noticed that he moved much more quietly, talked more subdued, and observed more than talked. She hoped that it was the grief, that he would return to his old self eventually. It would take a while, grieving could take a long while, but eventually you found yourself staring at something that resembles your own self in the mirror again.

When the bread was toasted, both of them smiled at each other, tore it in two pieces and quietly ate it as their bodies grew warmer in front of the fire. It was in the beginning of summer, and the heat was stifling during the day. They wouldn't need to light another fire until fall, and the fire they had started now heated up the already warm house a bit too much. It didn't matter to them, the sweat running down their forehead and backs, they were used to seeing each other like that out in the woods.

He smiled at the thought of her out in the woods, with sweat collecting at her brow that was furrowed, aiming her arrow at a bird flying by. The first time he noticed just how pretty she was he had been sixteen and she had just turned fourteen. Back then it was a harmless crush, but it would haunt him, and he'd start imagining how her lips would feel like against his, how it would feel like to brush his hand across her cheek. Slowly the imaginary would turn to something that would make Katniss blush, would he ever share it with her. It wasn't something he was proud of, but the thought of touching the more intimate parts of her caused desire to course through his veins, and beg him to try to see if she would ever feel the same way.

Without saying anything he leaned over and kissed her softly. This was what he wanted to do four years ago when he'd seen her walk over to him in the woods, and was suddenly struck by how beautiful she was.

"We're married," he said, his eyes still closed and his forehead resting against her. A smile spread over his lips.

"Yeah," Katniss answered. She knew he was happy, but she was just mostly scared. Marriage scared her, the duties of marriage scared her. There wasn't much of a choice for people in the district, especially not for young girls. Marriage was necessary, given, a woman who wasn't married was looked down upon. She was different, wrong, and wasn't doing what was necessary for the district. Ever since they were kids they'd been told that marriage and children were essential for a districts well being, to bring riches to the district, and for the approval of the state, a district that has children is a district that has potential. Without marriage there is no way to control child bearing, and without child bearing the district would die out.

"I don't know if you know it Katniss, but I really love you," he said and kissed her again. He didn't need her to respond because he knew Katniss. Katniss wasn't a person who was attuned to her feelings, she needed time to process, time to understand and time to come to a conclusion.

She was slow to respond, but didn't object. It was natural that he loved her, and she knew she loved him too, but she did not know in what way. The four years they've known each other and been friends had naturally caused a bond between the two of them which was some kind of love. It was the love shared between friends, love that a family shared, and maybe in that love that two lovers had for each other. The way he kissed her made her forget the world in a way that no one had ever managed before. It made worries, fears and obligations shrink and disappear, in a way that was addictive, enticing and dangerous. Forgetting meant making decisions which would impact them in a way that neither was prepared to deal with.

His kisses did the same thing, this time too. It woke up that yearning inside of her, one she had not known existed before, a need to be sated. She felt the tickling sensation low in her belly, the anticipation grew as he touched her, pulling her into a hug. They were hot from the fire, and another fire that grew inside of them.

He pulled at her lip gently, holding her tighter, brushed his tongue against hers as she gasped. The tickling sensation became a knot, begging her to pull him even closer, that it was the only way to untie it.

They both lowered themselves down to the floor, laying on the blanket they'd been given as a wedding gift. His mouth traveled down her throat as one of her hands tightened in his hair and the other pulled his shirt higher, grasping at his lower back. One of his hands held her close and the other pushed the skirt of her dress, the blue one she'd wear to the reaping, higher up her thighs that on instinct spread wider as he settled between them.

The low moan that escaped her throat surprised her, it sounded nothing like her, and for a short moment it brought her back to reality, before his hips pushed against hers, and reality disappeared once again.

Never before had she felt this alive, felt her whole body, been so acutely aware of how the fabric of his jeans brushed against her legs, the feeling of his fingertips brushing her ribcage, his lips finding hers again. She pushed her hips against hers, trying to bring back the feeling he'd given her when she'd done that. He moaned this time.

He pushed her skirt up higher, pushing it up over her stomach, and as he kissed her feverishly he trailed his hand into her underwear, caressing the soft curls before touching her just where she needed it the most. It startled Katniss, she had never been aware of her sex before, aware of the feelings and pleasure it could give her, and as he touched her there she threw her head back, unable to speak, or think, all she could hear was her breathing, she was breathing as if she'd been running, as if she could not get enough air into her lungs.

"Oh," she whimpered, pushing herself into his hand, begging that he wouldn't ever stop, holding his head tightly to her chest neck where he was kissing and licking at her skin. She couldn't think, she didn't know what she wanted, she wanted him so, so bad. "Gale."

"You're so warm," he whispered into her ear, his fingers still touching her. "I love you." He kissed her, swallowed her moans as they grew louder and came more and more often until she fell over the edge silently, mouth falling open and eyes tightly closed. It was far from what she ever could have imagined possible, far from what she had ever experienced before. She hadn't known this was possible, that this was why people risked it all, everything.

After, he held her close, hugging her to his chest as they lay before the fire. It was too hot, but neither of them minded. She felt him against her thigh, his desire. She sighed, wondering what they'd do now. She was starting to think a bit more clearly, able to understand that they were very close to risking everything.

"I'm sorry Gale," she whispered as he pulls her against him, putting her leg over his hip, and pulling her head against his chest.

"Why are you sorry, Catnip?" The smile in his voice made her smile.

"We can't do more, not unless we find out a way to not risk me getting pregnant," she said. He just smiled at her.

"I wouldn't dream of that Katniss, we won't do anything that can risk it," he whispered. She wondered then how they would look like to anyone watching them. Their hair messy, her dress bunched up at her waist, her leg draped over his hips, his hand resting low on her back, and the obvious bulging of his pants. She remembered waking up once in the middle of the night, she must have been about eight years old, and she had looked over to her parents' bed and saw her parents make love. It wasn't strange, she had seen it many times before, but that time she'd noticed the way her father looked at her mother, the adoration and bliss that radiated from his face, and it was that look she could see begin forming in Gale's eyes. Gale resembled her father in many ways, in his large built, the dark hair and grey eyes, how sure he was of himself, his sense of duty and need to protect, his love for his family.

She took a deep breath, breathing in his sent, and something else, something she hadn't smelled before. It was a heavier scent, and she couldn't quite place it.

"I just…." She blushed, and gestured awkwardly to his pants region. His laugh in response was low.

"There are other ways to take care of that… if you want to," he said. She chewed on her lower lip before she nodded. If she could make him feel how she did without risking her getting pregnant, why wouldn't she want to help with that? "Here…" He took her hand in his, and put it on top of the bulge, pressing down slightly. His eyes closed. "Are you completely sure, Katniss?"

"Yes," she whispered, she knew he'd heard her by his sharp intake of breath. He took her leg off of him, before slowly unbuttoning his pants, watching her reaction as he did it. She watched with anticipation, not quite sure what was going to happen.

She had seen naked men plenty of times, they had been brought to my mother after mining accidents, or other accidents in the districts. She had seen a penis plenty of times, but she had never seen a penis during an erection. From how it'd felt against her thigh it was bigger than most of the men's she'd seen, but she was sure she had heard somewhere from the gossiping girls in school that they became bigger when boys turned on. It was big, which let off an alarm in her body because she knew that it was supposed to fit somewhere she didn't see it fitting. But if a baby could fit through there, why wouldn't that? Still, she winced inwardly at the thought.

"Here…" He took her hand again, guiding it to him and making it grasp around it. He held his hand above hers. It was warm, she thought, and soft and hard at the same time. He squeezed a bit harder than she would have done if she decided, it looked fragile. "You… do it like this," he said, his breathing labored. He guided her hand up and down, twisting and turning a bit. It wasn't too complicated, she thought, and after a while he let go, falling back with his face buried in his hands, releasing a low groan that started twisting that knot in her stomach again.

She listened to his moans, adjusted the speed and pressure sometimes to see how he'd react. She watched him, watched his face contort and relax, watched his mouth pucker, fall open, how he'd look down at her touching him, and then look at her like he saw straight into her soul. She kissed him then, an opened mouthed kiss where his hands wound up in her hair, messing up the hairdo her mother had done this morning for her even more. Then, with a jerk of his hips and a moan into her mouth she felt something wet on her hands. She paused what she was doing and looked down. The white fluid was all over her hand, on his yellowing shirt and some spots of it on her blue dress. It was warm, and seemed impossible to keep from running off of her hand and stain his pants further.

She let out a laugh at the sight of it. They hadn't thought this one through, and now both of their clothes were ruined.

"What are you laughing at?" he asked lazily, pulling her in for a kiss.

"There's white stuff everywhere," she said. He looked down and groaned.

"Shit." He pulled his shirt off and then his pants, leaving him completely naked in front of her. "I'll get a towel so you can wipe that off," he said and walked away. It was the first time she had seen him completely naked, she thought. She watched as the muscles in his back and legs relaxed and flexed as he walked, unable to help the knot that twisted again, despite the fact that not so long ago she had given into it and let it have what it wanted. She sighed.

The semen, she thought as she looked at it, looked harmless, but it was capable of ruining both of their lives. She watched her hand as he got a towel out of the bag of clothes and necessities they had brought with them and gotten as a moving in gift from the capitol. It was nice enough of them, after having threatened them with their lives for six years. If they hadn't managed to be married for more than four hours before doing this, she wondered how they would manage years without having sex that risked a pregnancy.

In her mind she knew that at some point they would risk it, and the only thing she could hope for was that she was unable to bear children. Her heart still hoped that they could avoid it, though. This, what was on her hands, was the danger.