Author's Note: One night this week I will have to do homework (or I'll never finish my degree!) so it may be a few days before I get another chapter up. This one again, wrote itself by taking me on a tangent. Can you tell? Is it disjointed?
My beta-reader is in Taiwan for few weeks. I think I got all them all, but if you write…you know how it is.
I'm working on dialogue in this chapter so PLEASE! Tell me how you think it's going. So, good dialogue? Need work? More thoughts and less talk? Less thoughts more talk? Do you like the 3rd person shifting POV or do you prefer one POV? Please help me out.
Gale circled the food laden table, piling and scooping different things on his plate, then sat on the opposite side of the table from Prim.
"Can we be like we used to be?" Gale asked, tucking into his stew. He realized that was different from his resolution to be all business, but he wanted her as a friend. He had co-workers and acquaintances, but no one who knew him like Prim did. And he thought she understood him better than everyone, including…well, Katniss.
"How did we used to be?" Prim cocked her head making one of her braids fall around her shoulder and onto the table. "I don't need you to hunt for me anymore and you don't need milk from my goat." Prim went back to dipping bread into her hot chocolate. "I don't want to be like we used to be, Gale. I don't want to be Katniss' little sister that you have to take care of. Prim died, remember?"
Gale always underestimated Prim's insight even though she was always dead on. "No. You're not Katniss' little sister anymore, that's for sure. You carved your own identity in my mind when we fled District 12." And again by kissing me back like that. Katniss NEVER responded like that. He knew his indiscretion was not the sole basis for the way he saw Prim. He remembered how lost she looked when the fire bombs first hit, but then she snapped into action. She was calm and reassuring while she was tending to someone's injury. She methodically worked on whatever was in front of her no matter how gruesome or gory. She held people as they died, and then comforted the loved ones they left behind. She communicated love and sympathy with her big blue eyes and through the touch of her capable, healing hands. Her calm demeanor spread to those around her. Katniss was a head case when it came to that stuff and she fled. Prim's fire was definitely different than the Mockingjay's.
"So what do you want to be the same?" Prim repeated her blues eyes inquisitive and no malice in her tone. They both wondered if he just want the comfort and ease of their previous relationship. During the Games, Gale practically lived at their house if he wasn't in the mines or out hunting to feed his family and her own. Prim spent a great deal of time trying to comfort him while watching the Katniss/Peeta love story. At the same time, she tried to prepare him for heartbreak. It was not an easy task. She tended to him emotionally like he tended to her basic physical needs of food and shelter. There had to be a better balance.
"Huh. When you put it that way, I don't know." Gale thought a bit. "I liked it when you'd hug me when I came in the door." But that could be dangerous. "I liked it when you wouldn't let me get away with fooling myself in some delusion. And you always made me take my boots off before I came into the house. After the hug, of course."
"Sounds like you want a mother or a maid," Prim teased.
"I have both," Gale replied. "That's not what I want."
"You have a maid?" Prim asked.
"I travel a lot. She takes care of my little errands. I guess she's more of an assistant." That intrigued Prim. She didn't know much about Gale's new life. The more she wondered, the more she realized how much she missed him, too. The pain was ebbing away. Maybe they could be friends.
"Do you have a girlfriend?" She smirked while congratulating herself on her boldness.
"No," he stammered, "I don't." What do I do with that? "The last one didn't want the job and I haven't filled the vacancy."
Prim wanted to know the answer to the question but she didn't quite know why. His reply made her a little sorry she asked, but she was happy the answer was no. Again, she did not know why-well maybe she knew why. She enjoyed making out with him very much, but she still didn't know if she could trust him to see her and not Katniss. She didn't need that kind of heartache. But he'd already promised not to do that again, and she admitted to herself that was a bit disappointing.
"What, no nationally known, emotionally unavailable girls with good archery skills available in District 2?" Prim quipped. She tried to lighten the mood, but something dark crossed Gale's face. He shook it off, though.
"Nope. There weren't even any available in District 12 or 13," he mused. "Plus, none of them know how to braid their hair or put up with a cat no one can love or kill."
Wow. He could joke about the situation now. That's a good sign. "Do you have a cat that no one can love or kill?" Prim responded. She cut herself a piece of chocolate cake, placed on a new plate in front of and began to eat it. Not as good as Peeta's, but she was not going to say that out loud for obvious reasons.
"No. But some people would say I'm a lot like that cat. I need someone with that skill," Gale concluded though he'd never really thought of it that way before.
"No. Katniss was like Buttercup. Not you." Prim chewed her mouthful of cake. "That's why they hated each other. And," she hedged, "it's also why they understood each other." A sharp longing struck Prim as she remembered her cat and her sister.
"Yeah. And the Capital couldn't kill either of them," Gale said.
Prim looked up from her cake. "What do you mean 'either of them?'"
Gale smiled. He could give her some good news. "The last time I talked to Haymitch on the phone he was yelling at Buttercup who likes to come into his house to catch mice. Apparently Buttercup showed up in District 12 about a month after Katniss returned there. He says they're 'two peas in a pod: Sweetheart and Buttercup. And they're going to open a candy store because they're so sugary sweet.'"
Prim laughed out loud because Gal did a very good impression of Haymitch. Much to her surprise, the vision of Katniss and Prim's beloved cat hissing at each other with Haymitch scowling behind them was not painful. It made her happy and it felt good to laugh. Maybe leaving 13 could be symbolic of leaving all the pain of the Games and the rebellion behind. There was still nothing but desolation to be seen through the windows; evidence of the Capital's retaliation. It would take a while to get to where the green grass grows. It took Prim four years to get to this point. Four years of pain and loneliness was enough and now new opportunities were open to her. All she had to do was change her name—which wasn't so different. Gale could be her first friend as Rose Aeon. They needed to get to know each other in this new life anyway. As her laughter faded, a smile remained on her face.
Gale hadn't heard Prim laugh like that in way too long. And her smile transformed her face. "There's my old Prim," Gale said.
"No." She stated resolutely. "I'm not Prim. I'm Rose. Rose Aeon. It's nice to meet you Mr. Hawthorne." She extended her hand across the table.
Gale hesitantly took her hand, but understood what she was doing. "You can call me Gale. Rose is a beautiful name. Can I call you Rosey?" Gale smiled at her. Prim raised an eyebrow. She wasn't sure about that.
"By any other name would I smell as sweet?" She almost gagged on her own corny reply.
"Yes. And you would be just as thorny," Gale barbed back with a coy smirk. The both realized that the conversation was quickly deteriorating. But, how quickly the atmosphere changed. Gale was having fun and it looked to him like Prim was too. No, things wouldn't be the same. But, they could be better. Gale felt a twinge of desire at the thought. Prim is 18 now. But you're 23 you creepy man!
Prim smiled at what might have been a double entendre and decided not to push it. He had given her enough fuel to feed her ego for a while. I'm a fantastic kisser. It's not that he didn't enjoy it; he doesn't want to take advantage of me. That gave her a sense of security with him and that was something she had not felt in a long time. In fact, she had not really felt anything in a long time-not since that night when so much pleasure turned to fear, hurt, and anger.
Prim looked out the window and could see trees. She gasped and moved to the window to get a better view and Gale followed. "You haven't been out in a while, have you?" Gale looked down at her, concerned.
"Well, not in the greener parts. That's why I wanted to take the train. You offered the hovercraft, and it would have been nice to see my mother for the extra four days. But, I haven't seen any of Panem and I figured this could be my chance." She continued to look out the window as she said this.
Gale was standing close enough to smell her. Damn. It's not going away. "Well, my job is to travel the districts. I can tell you about them as we go through them if you wish; well, I can tell you what I know anyway. Your mother lives on the west side of 4 right on the coast. You'll get to go to the beach if you want. The route we're taking will skip 12, but run a long way through 6. District 6 has nice, green, rolling hills. You'll like it. We'll also hit a part of 11 before we get into 4. I get to escort you to District 2 and see you settled into school, as well. Would you like to take the train then, too? I think I can even arrange for your mom to travel with us to get you settled."
Prim turned around and looked up at him. She did not realize how closely he was standing to her. Two hours ago she would have considered this a way to manipulate her feelings. Looking at it differently she saw that he truly did care for and love her. He wanted to make her happy for no other reason than to make her happy. And while that may have begun as a promise to her sister when she was still very young, it had developed into a strong bond forged by the fire of the revolution. He did love her for her sake. She wrapped her arms around his waist, buried her head in his chest, and hugged him tightly around his middle. There was nothing romantic about it. She was just so grateful to have him in her life still and again.
Gale almost fell backwards at the force of Prim's hug. He gently wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back. This was an old Prim hug. He knew this and no words were needed. This was her saying thank you for being so good and so kind to her. This did not stir the desire he felt just a few moments ago. This was relief from the long dull ache of loneliness he had been enduring since he left District 13 for District 2. Never knowing who you could completely trust is just exhausting.
"Prim, it's really not that hard. Your mom has some vacation time coming anyway. You know she never takes any time off without a good reason." Prim smiled into his chest. They stood there for a long time swaying with the motion of the train. Prim gave him one last tight squeeze and loosened her hold enough to lean up and look at him, but her arms still loosely encircled him. He was always handsome, but he had filled out in his face and shoulders and his beard was a lot thicker. He was clean shaven, but Prim could tell that it would be stubbly by the end of the evening.
"So, Emissary Hawthorne, what is on our schedule today?" she asked. She dropped her arms and went to sit on the purple sofa with red pillows.
"So, it's 'Emissary Hawthorne' now and not 'Parole Officer Hawthorne'?" Gale followed her and sat in the adjacent puffy chair.
"Well, we're not fighting anymore. I reserve the right to call you by either depending on my mood," Prim replied.
"What law gives you such rights?" Gale asked.
Prim smiled and shook her head. "It's the law of nature, silly. Haven't you learned anything? I'm the one who's been stuck in District 13 and you've been traveling all over Panem and you still don't get how women work. No wonder you don't have a girl friend."
Gale's jaw dropped as he plastered a mock look of pain while clutching his chest. "Ouch, Rose! Are you going to give me advice on my love life when you move to District 2?"
"Well I have been told that I am a fantastic kisser."
She smirked.
His desire twinged…again.
A/N2: Second time through with the fine tooth comb I added a few phrases. I had no idea where this story was going to go when I started it, and now I do. So a few things were added for subtle foreshadowing.