Just a fluffly update. I hope you love it!

Chapter Seven

I thanked my lucky stars that Annie and Finnick's wedding was just days away after my siblings arrived in 13. It would have been so much harder to deal with everything if I hadn't been so busy. It was difficult to think of anything else but tending to Annie and helping Plutarch get every last detail arranged.

On the day of the wedding I had sent Talon and Tama with Gale to keep them out of my hair. I had never been happier to see them in my whole life, but I knew that Annie was nervous and that having them fidgeting around wouldn't help anything. Gale gladly took them away for the few hours before the wedding to play with his own brothers and sisters.

I walked into Annie and Finnick's room and saw her sitting in front of the mirror. She glanced at me in the reflection and then looked away. Finnick had not stayed with her the night before as everyone knew it was bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.

"Are you alright?" I asked quietly.

"I'm so nervous, Tinka," she admitted.

I sat down on the bed and met her eyes again in the mirror. "Oh come on. What do you have to be nervous about? You love Finnick, Finnick loves you. There's nothing that could make you nervous. You finally get to be together. That is a cause for rejoicing, not nervousness."

She nodded. "It's not that. I know I love him and that he loves me. It's that this whole thing is going to be televised and I'm so nervous I'll mess something help."

I laughed out loud. "Oh Annie, who cares? It's a wedding. Not everything is bound to go right. What you have to understand that this is still your wedding. It is still your big day. Plutarch is only having this shown to Panem to give everyone hope. He wants the people to see that there can still be happiness even in all of this turmoil. He wants to show them that there will be good times in abundance to come if they all keep believing and fighting for the cause. I agree with his idea. Don't you?"

Annie gave me a huge smile. "You're right. I just need to think about it like that. The people don't care if something goes wrong; they want to the see the happiness that can be theirs if we all stick together."

"Exactly," I said. "Now let's get you ready for your wedding."

The wedding ceremony was beautiful. It was much more lavish than the normal ceremonies in District 4, but then again Annie and Finnick had District 13 footing the bill. It was a typical ceremony for 4 and it brought tears to my eyes to see two of my favorite people so happy. I sat between Talon and Tama and I could see my sister fighting back her own tears. She was, no doubt, going through the time when she was beginning to think such things as weddings were sentimental. Talon managed to fidget in his seat after the first five minutes and I had to lay a settling hand on his legs.

After the ceremony there was a huge party. Peeta wheeled out a huge cake he had decorated. Thankfully, he had become less hostile and was allowed to partake in the festivities for a while. We all watched as Annie and Finnick shared the first piece of cake and as they danced together for the first time as husband and wife. After that we were all allowed to dance.

A lively song from District 4 started up and I walked to Gale. "Do you dance, Soldier Hawthorne?"

"Not like this," he said.

I took his hand. "It's not hard." I pulled on him, but he fought me.

"Tinka, I can't," he whispered urgently. "I don't know how."

"You'll learn," I said sweetly as I managed to get him onto the floor. The men and women were in lines on the floor and they were weaving between each other and going down the aisle of people. Gale was nervously trying to mimic the steps and he did alright. I laughed the hardest I had in a long time. I wasn't laughing at him, but at the mere fact that I was free enough to dance and twirl and have fun.

The song ended and slowed to a much softer tempo. Gale pulled me into his arms, against his chest. "This is more my style," he said in my ear.

I chuckled against his strong shoulder. One of his large hands held onto my waist, the other held my smaller hand in his. I held onto his shoulder and could see his face. Everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time and the wedding was a great distraction from the ruin that our reality was.

"Look at Tama," Gale said nodding to a corner spot of the dance floor. She was dancing with an awkward teenage boy. I smiled at the pair. My sister was beautiful and had truly grown into herself since the last time I had seen her. "That's Soldier Abalone," Gale told me. "He's a good kid."

We danced in silence for a few minutes and we spotted Talon. He was sprinting around the dance floor chasing a little girl his own age and I had to chuckle. I could already tell that Tama would be pursued by many and that Talon would pursue many. They would both have to guard their hearts.

"So, Tinka, have you ever thought about getting married?" Gale asked me genially.

I thought for a moment before answering. "I haven't given marriage a whole lot of thought actually. I was so young before the Games and you don't really have time for such frivolous thoughts once you're in the Arena. You don't even know if you'll be alive a week from then, let alone who you're going to marry," I sighed.

Gale kissed the top of my head and pulled me closer to him.

"What about you, Gale? Do you want to get married?" I asked, my voice muffled by his chest.

He didn't answer immediately and I pressed my ear to his chest. I could hear him breathing and beneath that I could hear his strong heart beating rhythmically. I knew that there would soon be a final stand by the Rebels and I hated to think of not hearing that beating. I couldn't imagine it. Gale was so strong and vital and young. But I knew better than to believe that just because we were young we couldn't be hurt. I had seen young men like Gale fall in the Games. I had caused some strong, young men to fall. We were not invincible.

"I have thought about it actually," he responded. "I wouldn't consider actually getting married until all of this is over. For me, marriage is about being able to protect the woman I love and to provide her. I can't do that right now. Everything is so unstable. I probably won't marry if things go back to the way they were either. I wouldn't want a woman to have to live like I did my whole life. I want to be able to give her everything she wants. I want to be able to provide for my family's wants and needs."

Gale was above all things a man. I understood that if a man couldn't provide for and protect his family he was nothing. I also thought Gale had the right idea.

After a few more hours of merriment of dancing we found a table to sit at as the party died down. Talon had come over and crawled into my lap and was, before long, sound asleep. He was getting so big at ten years old that my legs were falling asleep. Tama was sitting at another table talking with her beau of the evening, the soldier Jaymes Abalone.

"Are you ready?" Gale asked, yawning. I nodded and before I could even stand up Gale was in front of my chair, lifting Talon off of my lap and holding the little boy securely to him.

I went over and spoke to Tama. "Did you see Mags?" I asked her.

The old Victor had come to District 13 shortly before the wedding and had taken part in the festivities. She had been my mentor during the Games and was incredibly important to me. When I left for the second time she had promised to keep Tama and Talon safe. We had caught up at the wedding and my heart was warm to see the old woman.

"Yeah. Talon and I were going to stay with her tonight." Tama said. She gave me the room number and I almost smacked into Gale and Talon as I turned to leave.

"Soldier Abalone, Tama had better be in that room within a half an hour. Understand?" He asked, the authority in his voice, his soldier voice, sent a wave of longing through me.

"Yes, sir," The young man replied.

"Hey Mags," I said as we walked by. "Talon and Tama wanted to spend the night with you and spend some time together tomorrow."

The old woman merely nodded. She latched onto Gale's arm and smiled him around him at me, a knowing look in her eye. I gave her a hug at her door as Gale walked in to lay Talon down. We then left the little boy and old woman to get some sleep.

We stood outside of my door and I looked up at him, wrapping my arms around his middle. "I'm going to be all alone tonight," I said in the sultriest voice I could manage.

"You don't have to be." Gale put his hands above my head on the door and pushed his lips to mine. I fumbled with the doorknob behind me and we well into the bedroom, laughing for a moment before Gale kicked the door shut on the rest of District 13.

There you go! Let me know what you think!

Happy reading,

Avonmora