GALE'S POV

Katniss and I finally break away from our kiss, my lips tingling. I see Katniss wet her lips with her tongue and I smile. She blushes.

It's about sunset now, and we are still deep in the woods. I tell Katniss this, and she tries to sit up. "Ah," she winces. I gently push her back down onto my balled-up shirt.

"Katniss," I ask, "My house is closer than your house. Think it would be okay if you sleep over? It will be dark soon…" Katniss nods.

"I don't think I can walk. And by the time you carry me all the way to my house, it will definitely be dark," she answers. So I put my arms around Katniss to pick her up, and she's quivering.

"Katniss? Are you cold, or are you hurting?" I ask her. She shakes her head.

"I'm cold, I guess. But it's okay," she assures me. Still, I un-ball my shirt and button it onto her, over her own shirt. Her eyes look guilty.

"Are you sure you won't be cold yourself?" Katniss asks. I shake my head no and pick her up. My whole body still feels warm and tingly from her kiss. She rests her head on my chest and we walk (actually, I walk, but whatever) to the electric fence in silence.

I listen for the hum of the fence. Nothing. I set Katniss on the ground so I could crawl under when I hear the hum starting up. I yank myself back. Crap. We have electric for the evening hours, when the nocturnal creatures start waking up. I sit next to Katniss by a huge tree trunk. How are we going to get past the fence?

I see a little boy walking by on the other side of the fence.

"Hey! Hey!" I call to him. He looks at me.

"Do you know where the Everdeens' house is?" I ask. He nods.

"I know where everybody's houses are. The Rubafellas, the Traparaps, not to mention the-" he lists. I roll my eyes.

"Okay, okay. Can you just take a message to the Everdeens' house?" I interrupt. He shakes his head no. I pull a silver coin out of my pocket, and his head shaking quickly turns to head nodding.

"What's the message?" he asks eagerly.

"Tell whoever answers the door not to worry, that Katniss is safe, and that she's with me, Gale," I instruct. The boy sprints off.

In about 10 minutes, he returns.

"A little girl and a goat answered the door. She said 'Oh thank goodness'."

He holds his hand out for the coin and I toss it to him through the fence. He runs off. The fence still hums.

Katniss has been nodding off periodically just for her head to snap up, trying to stay awake. So I put my arm around her shoulders. She immediately leans over and lays her head on my chest. "Go to sleep," I whisper, stroking her hair. Katniss mumbles something I couldn't make out, then she slumps into me and I know she's finally sleeping. Now I wait for the humming of the fence to stop.

TIME PASSES

I'm sitting with one arm around Katniss's shoulders and my other arm around her tiny waist, her body pressed to mine. I listen to the forest sounds: birds calling, frogs croaking, bugs chirping, and the fence… quiet. Quiet! I lift Katniss up, gently, so she's still sleeping, and I near the fence. Yup, no humming.

I set Katniss down right next to the fence, so I can grab her from the other side. I crawl under, still listening for humming in case it would turn on, and I slide Katniss towards me. I work her through the hole on the fence, and we made it. Finally! By now it is about 10 pm, but there is a full moon so I can still see pretty good.

Katniss and I are the only ones on the street. It's so dark and empty that I hardly recognize the town - but still good enough to find my house. I shift Katniss so that her legs are around my waist and her arms are around my neck so I could hold her with one arm. I bend down to grab the key under the mat and I unlock the front door.

I shut the door behind me and I carry Katniss to my room. I set her down on my bed, trying not to wake her, and I tuck the covers over her. But her arms are wrapped tightly around my neck. She opens her eyes.

"Don't leave me, okay?" Katniss asks groggily. I nod, and unhook her arms from me. I get dressed in my pajamas (just boxers and socks) and slide into my bed next to her.

Immediately Katniss scoots next to me and buries her head in my neck. I wrap my arms around her shoulders, like in a hug; our feet are tangled together. We fall asleep together.