A/N:


Hey Catnip, Katniss read. She cringed at his pet name. The first time she and Gale had met, she had introduced herself in such a quiet voice that he had misheard her, and even though he knew perfectly well what her real name was, the nickname had (unfortunately) stuck.

Hope u still use this number. How r things with u? Need to talk. Can you pls call? Thx, Gale

"What's it say, Katniss?" said Prim, peering over her sister's shoulder to try and catch a glimpse of the message.

Katniss quickly locked her phone and put it back in her bag, concealing it from her sister's prying eyes.

"Aw, come on. When did you get so darn secretive? If you won't tell me what it says, at least tell me who sent it."

Katniss hauled her bag back onto her shoulders without saying a word, and then took off, walking away so quickly that Prim was forced to run after her.

"Katniss, wait! Wait!" shouted Prim, panting as she tried to keep pace with her sister's strides. "Who it's from isn't that big a deal, is it?"

Katniss slowed her frantic pace, considering her sister's words. She didn't really want Prim to know what the message actually said, but figured it could do no harm to say who had sent it. Prim at last caught up to her sister, and Katniss finally answered the blonde girl's initial question.

"Gale," she said softly. "It was Gale Hawthorne."

Prim gasped in recognition, but – of course – once she had heard the name, she wanted, no, needed to hear more. During the course of the next ten minutes as the girls made their way home, Prim badgered Katniss for more details.

But her sister's lips were firmly sealed.

By the time the girls arrived home, Prim had recognised defeat and had given up pestering Katniss for information.

Instead, she plopped herself down on the sofa, grabbed the TV remote and switched on what their mother jokingly referred to as "the idiot box".

"Turn the volume down, Prim," said Katniss, as the TV blared into life. "Mum might be sleeping."

The girls' mother, Violet Everdeen, was a nurse who worked late-night shifts at RPA Hospital, and who therefore would spend much of the day catching up on much-needed rest.

Katniss climbed the stairs, and knocked softly on her Mum's bedroom door. When she received no response, she opened the door carefully, and saw her mother curled up under the blankets, fast asleep. Her golden hair – which Prim had inherited – lay spilled across the pillow.

Katniss quietly closed the door and tiptoed across the hall to her bedroom. She shrugged her bag off her shoulders and flopped down onto the quilt covers.

And nearly received a mighty scratch down her right arm. The thing that she had almost lain on top of hissed at her in a wounded fashion, and Katniss leapt up to find Prim's moth-eaten old ginger cat, Buttercup, glaring at her. At least, Katniss thought he was glaring.

"Get lost, you hideous thing," she said, glaring right back at him. "This is my bed, not yours. Go on – shoo!"

Buttercup didn't budge from the bed, where he had clearly found himself a comfortable spot.

There was a stand-off for a moment, where both Katniss and Buttercup refused to give an inch. Then, making a decision, Katniss grabbed Buttercup and carried him to the door. He wasn't going anywhere without a fight, however, and yowled and squirmed furiously, his claws lashing out madly, so that Katniss eventually had to hold him at arm's length before she dumped him – none too gently, either – on the floor.

"Go and find Prim, you wretched cat," she told Buttercup fiercely. "For the life of me, I can't see why she took you in in the first place. Get out of here," she said again, resisting the urge to kick the creature. The cat gave one last resentful hiss, and then scampered off to look for Prim.

Katniss closed the door behind him, and then flopped down again on her bed, now mercifully, Buttercup-free – and her thoughts inevitably began to stray towards Gale's message.

She had first met Gale when she was 13, and he was two years older. This had been shortly after her father had passed away, and her mother had sunk into a deep depression – so much so that she couldn't even look after her daughters properly.

Katniss, as the elder of Violet Everdeen's two daughters, had to take up the role her mother had abandoned upon the loss of her beloved husband.

The little family had been lucky enough to receive compensation from the construction company Lucas Everdeen had been working for, as well as a Bereavement Allowance from Centrelink - all of which Katniss had to apply for since her mother had become incapable of doing even the simplest tasks.

It was Katniss who had to learn to pay the bills. Katniss who had to put food on the table for her family. Katniss who was tasked with maintaining the illusion that everything was fine so that no-one would get suspicious of the Everdeens' circumstances and report them to DoCS. Because if there was one thing that Katniss could not bear, it was being separated from her sister. Prim was relying on her, and she could not – would not – let strangers tear them apart. Prim needed her.

Enter Gale Hawthorne. He had seen Katniss at school, had watched as she grew thinner when the money began to run out and she saved every spare morsel for Prim. Gale had known what it was like being short of money and feeling the pressure of looking after family members who had difficulty looking after themselves.

He had reached out to her, behaving as normally as he possibly could all the while– because he knew Katniss would never accept his help if she thought for one second that he felt pity for her. He shared his lunch with her when she came to school with her lunchbox empty and couldn't afford anything from the canteen. Comforted her when she crumbled under the pressure she was under. He also helped her with her schoolwork so she wouldn't fall behind.

Gale was a friend to Katniss when she felt she had no-one else to turn to. He was her best friend.

Until everything changed yet again.


So, how did you find that ending? Too awkward?

Not sure how long it'll be before the next chapter, depends on my thinking process. Sorry I can't be more specific than that.

I forgot to mention this earlier, but PLEASE, if you have a spare moment, take the time to post your review. It's really important to me that people review my work because they can tell me whether I'm not the right path or if I'm going totally off the rails. Constructive criticism is very welcome, in fact I need it 'cause it'll make this story better. So, even if you just post a smiley (here's one :) please let me know what you thought.