So sorry this came out so late. Now listen. Some of you may be a little let down by this - there was such a build-up that this might a disappointment.
It's just that it didn't feel right to have Katniss throw herself in Gale's arms or have her hit and shout at him. Keep in mind that she hasn't seen him for twenty-four years.
It's a shock to even see him - not to mention, aged and all - that what he has to say has to take time to settle for her.
I think next time they meet it'll be more intense. Gale's confession might have sunk in a bit more. Maybe next time she can look at him and have the calming feeling of familiarity.
I honestly don't know - but that's what I think.
I could however use the back- up - if there's anything that you feel isn't right, please, tell me.

Enjoy,

I leave the door open an inch and sit down by the wall shared with the living room.
"Ignis – fire." Gale says. "Figures."
"It's Latin." Mom responds.
"I know."
Why does it figure? The first thing that comes to mind is my mom's nickname; the Girl who was on Fire. Is that why she named me Ignis? A reminder of who she was? Who she is?
I sigh at the newly raised questions. Will they ever stop coming?

They don't talk anymore and I find myself wishing there was a hole I could look through; see if they're staring at each other or refusing to meet each other's eyes.
"Why are you here, Gale?" Mom finally asks.
The question isn't meant to be casual. She's demanding to know what he's doing here. But why is she asking this? They were best friends. Doesn't she miss him? They haven't seen each other for over twenty years. There is something more here between them – my first guess had been that they had grown apart. But this is more.
"I wanted to tell you that the bomb–" Gale breaks off. "It wasn't mine."
Definitely more.

"What do you mean it wasn't yours?" She asks. It's like his declaration shocks her – she wasn't expecting this.
"I didn't kill Prim, Katniss."
Oh, crap.
"What?" She pauses. "No."
"Katniss –" Gale starts.
"No, stop. Don't do this. The bomb was yours." She says, her voice stern. But something tells me it's herself she's trying to convince.
"Look, just let me explain. The bombs that day were Beetee's own inventions – he needed my help to modernize them, make them more useful. But we had used up all of them that day when we ambushed the Nut in Two – that's what's been killing me ever since, Katniss. I knew there was nothing left – only the old ones. Those are the ones Coin used." He pauses. "It wasn't my bomb."
"Why are you doing this?" Mom whispers.
Wait – whispers? How am I hearing this?

I look up and see Haymitch standing by the doorway, the door open widely - wide enough for me to hear more clearly.
Somehow I can't help but notice there's no bottle in his hand.
"What are you doing here?" He asks.
"Shh!" I hiss, furiously. I grab his hand and pull him down beside me. "Gale's in there. Gale Hawthorne."
He freezes. "What?"
"Gale Hawthorne is in the living room. Now shut up and listen." I whisper as low as I possibly can.
Maybe the man is in his sixties and I should be a bit more respectful but… well, it's Haymitch.
"And close the door." I tell him.
Then we sit in silence and listen.

"… you to know the truth. What kind of question is that?" Gale asks.
"What is he talking about?" Haymitch murmurs.
"Prim. Bomb." I whisper, curtly and return my attention to the conversation.
"Ah…"
"It's been more than twenty years, Gale. Why now?" Mom asks.
"I just found out. Coin kept a journal – wrote about how she couldn't find any of the bombs I designed with Beetee and had to take whatever was available." He explains. "Why are you like this? I thought this would be good news to you."
Mom doesn't answer. I sigh heavily and meet Haymitch's eyes. I would give anything to be in that room right now. See the positions of their stance – is Gale standing up in defense? Is mom sitting down in defeat?

"I let the dust settle, Gale." She says, finally. "I convinced myself and accepted that you had killed her. For the past twenty-four years it was impossible for me to think of Prim and not of you – this just… it's making me remember, Gale. It's making me remember those days with such clarity. Boggs ordering me to say my name into the Holo, Finnick's screams when the mutts killed him –" She breaks off. "The burning heat on my face from the explosion that set her on fire…" She finally says.
Gale doesn't say anything first. "I'm sorry… I didn't think of it like that. I just thought –"
"But how can I forgive you for the rest?" Mom breaks him off. "How can you tell me that all those people in the Nut weren't going to surrender that day? Can you tell me that all of them were evil – the fathers, the sons, the brothers, the husbands."

Again he's quiet. "Why are you – here I come with the news that I didn't kill your little sister and you find another way to make me the bad guy – come on, Katniss."
"Even if it wasn't your bomb that killed Prim, you killed the people in Two. It was your idea; that was your bomb. It might as well have been our fathers' in there; choking, gagging, dying." Mom continues.
"They killed the kids and women in Eight, wiped Twelve out of the map, threatened everything that was dear to you; me, Prim, Peeta, your mother, made us fight every day for things that were handed to them on a silver platter and you're accusing me for killing a handful of them?" He pauses. "Katniss." It's like he wants her name to snap her back to reality; as if he wants her to see the logic in his words.
"You don't regret it." Is the only thing she says.
"Damn right, I don't." Gale tells her.
"How can you be so –"
"So what?" Gale demands.

"So ruthless?" Mom finally says.
"Ruthless." He snorts. "I'm not ruthless – I'm fair. Eye for an eye, Katniss. And even so – we lived under the Capitol's reign for countless years. They were sitting there eating their fancy cakes, watching children getting murdered; one after the other – addressing it as the best entertainment possible and reminding us who the real boss was. Do you want to count all the dead, Katniss? The starved, the dehydrated, the tortured, the children, the women, the men, the sick, the healthy, the poor, the helpless, the strong, the weak, the old, the young – if there is anything justifying what I did that day, it's that."
Gale starts walking towards the door and I hold my breath and meet Haymitch's eyes. I put a finger to my lips. "I'll be in town for four days – there are things I need to get done. You know where to find me." He pauses and then I hear a slap. It's not the sound of hitting flesh, it's something else. "That's Coin's journal. Feel free."
Then he walks out the door and through the hallway. I hear the front door opening and then closing on its own.