Sundays are still the only day Gale gets to spend more hours above ground than below so we typically head out hunting before dawn. I know he could use the extra sleep but Gale's spirit could use the clean air of the woods even more. Our Sundays are still not the same, despite how hard we've tried to keep them that way. A bone deep weariness is ever present in the forming lines on Gale's handsome face. We check the snare line and don't wander too far from the fence with our bows to hunt. Needless to say, Sundays are rarely my big haul days but hunting with Gale has become a different kind of survival for him, it's not the sustenance -which we always could use more of- but the freedom of being outside the district and breathing clean air.

It's to both of our shock and delight when we hear the distinctive sound of geese honking. Gale spots the gaggle flying in a V formation coming up over the tree line first. We both nock our first arrow and square off our feet. A quick, silent jerk of his head tells me he'll start at the left and I'll start at the right of the formation and we'll work our way to each other in the middle. As they fly within shooting range, Gale and I react like a well oiled machine simultaneously letting the first arrow go and not pausing to see if it hit its target before nocking the next. Before they've flown out of range, we've managed to bag three geese, more than a decent haul when combined with the rabbits from Gale's snares. Gale's smile at our success and thrill of the hunt is infectious and I can't help but return it.

We retrieve our kills and sit side by side in our meeting place to pluck the feathers. We'll be able to stretch a few more coins out of the hunt by selling the feathers and meat separate. Conversation flows easily and I can truly say for the first time in a while, we're both enjoying each other's company without any tension.

The feathers go for a higher price than expected, largely due to cold winter we've been having and Gale's excellent salesman skills at what nice stuffing they'd make for a quilt. We're floating high on our success and decide to stay for a large bowl of Sae's stew rather than getting directly back to the house as we've become more accustom to. Prim has been in full healer mode lately with the cold. Today she's grinding up herbs to make medicine and I make sure to keep some goose grease for her to use as a salve.

Our buoyant mood seems to be catching, we've drawn quite a few more people over to linger at Sae's stall. I'm able to relax next to Gale and enjoy my stew with a small smile on my face. The Hobb has never been a center of entertainment and merriment but for a little while, it almost feels like we're all doing more than just trying to survive. Shortly, Darius and a younger Peacekeeper I've never seen before saunter up and sit down next to us at Sae's counter. Darius gives a quick nod and flirtatious smile to Sae and throws a few coins down in front of her. She rolls her eyes, sweeps the coins quickly into her apron pocket, turns her back to grab new bowls and begins filling them.

I slide a bit closer to Gale when the new guy sits sideways on his stool so he's mostly straddling mine, far too close for comfort. Darius shoots me a tight smile and tries to engage his colleague in conversation, already recognizing the danger in messing with Gale and I. Darius knows the uniform he wears safeguards the two of them from any harassment but he respects Gale and I enough to want to avoid any confrontation. I do my best to ignore him and finish my meal quickly, thankful we've already conducted our trading for the day. What I can't ignore is how his leg begins to brush up against mine and his hand slides up to play with my braid in attempt to get my attention.

"Take your hand off of her." Gale spits at him.

"Chill out Seam, no harm done. Besides, it doesn't look like the little lady minds." The guy tries for a light, casual tone but fails miserably to ignore the challenge in Gale's voice. His smile is much more mocking and his eyes more menacing.

He was dead wrong about not minding but I am too scared for Gale's reaction to say anything else. The last thing Gale needs is an excuse to punch the guy. Instead I lean away as best I can while still remaining in my seat.

"That's my wife, she definitely minds." Gale clenches his jaw and leans over towards the guy.

"Wife is it? I would have never known." He reaches out and tucks a tray hair behind my ear showing his uneven, slightly tobacco stained teeth. "If she ever gets sick of coal dust in her bed, I'm sure we can work out other arrangements." He gives Gale a predatory smile and shifts his gaze back to me, allowing his eyes to appraise me in a way that makes me feel entirely too exposed. It's all I can do to stop my heaving stomach from emptying it's contents all over the ground.

In one quick movement Gale has pulled me to my feet, pushing behind him, and knocking over his stool in the process. His back is coiled and fits clenched tight at his side. Darius makes a hesitant move between Gale and his colleague but is held back by a stiff out stretched arm. I can hear the calculating thoughts running through Gale's mind; he's about ten seconds away from deciding it's worth the ten lashes he'd receive to hit this guy in the face when I reach out and grab his hand. His hand tightens in mine and he takes an instinctive step back towards me. I scramble to grab our game bag and pull Gale away from the scene with me. Just when I think we're going to make a clean get away a cocky voice behind us calls.

"You know we've all got your number, right? It's choice alone that keeps you from the stocks or worse. Everyone knows about your illegal activities, you'd do well to remember that."

I tighten my hand in Gale's and he throws his arm over my shoulder in response. I'm unsure which of us is leading whom out of the Hobb but I don't really care as long as we leave immediately. I'm trembling, out of fright or rage I can't be sure.

"Damnit Gale! Why did you have to do that?" I move to the side, extracting myself his grasp as soon as we hit the crisp air. I'm still shaking and there's tears blurring in my eyes but I know instantly that I've pushed one button too many.

"He put his hands on you Katniss! You're my wife! Why the hell wouldn't I?" Gale bites back, not even trying to control his anger. He rakes his hand through his hair making the ends stand up in disarray.

"I could have handled it. He wasn't hurting anyone. Darius teases me all the time." I can't help but clench my teeth in vain attempt to control my emotions. I know this was different with a visceral fear but now isn't the time to get into that with Gale.

"That wasn't teasing Katniss. He thinks he had a right. You know what happens around here when someone thinks they have a right." Gale says coldly. "Why, did you want him to put his hands on you?"

"No! How could you even think that?" He must be joking; I've never heard Gale be so intentionally cruel. I know he's upset but I can't reconcile how Gale could suggest any part of that interaction was wanted.

"So I was just suppose to let him touch you?" He ignores my question. His face is a blank mask but his eyes are dancing with rage. This is a level of anger I've never seen from Gale.

"No but I was handling it Gale." My clipped tone makes it clear this discussion is over. I begin to walk back toward our house.

"That didn't look like handling it Katniss. Don't ever expect me to sit back and let someone touch you like that." The finality is clear in his voice and I don't like it. Rationally, I know I should wait until we've both calmed down to respond but the fuse has been lit and either of us are able to stop it.

I spin around on my heels to face him. "What else should I add to the list of things to expect from you Gale? One minute you're the Gale I've known hunting for years and the next you're some jealous, angry version of Gale I don't know what to do with."

"That makes two of us." Gale mutters under his breath.

"I'm sorry, what was that? I didn't quite catch what you said." I ask dripping with sarcasm. He knows full well I heard what he said.

"Yep. I don't know what to do with you either Katniss. One minute I think things can work between us, the next minute I have to throw on all the breaks so I don't scare you off, and then just for fun you decide you don't want anything to do with me. There's no rhyme or reason to which Katniss I'm going to get. I'm getting whiplash. Make up your damn mind."

"You knew what this was Gale! You knew why I was marrying you! As you so bluntly pointed out to me, I didn't have a whole lot of option. You're the one that keeps touching me and acting like I'm your damn possession." The words come erupting out of me before I can stop them and I instantly wish I could recall them. He did me a favor by marrying me and I'm repaying him by throwing it back in his face.

"I can't help it Katniss! I'm sorry I'm not perfect. Do you know how hard it is to go to bed next to you every night? To come home from work and see you in the kitchen? To watch you with your sister? To spend time with you in the woods and want so badly to have all of you? To have all of that and know you're my wife? My wife who was just being pawed at by some asshole in uniform that thinks he has a right to you. My wife that doesn't want me to protect her unless it's on her terms. I know this is just some game to you but it's not for me. Don't you get it?! I want all of you Katniss."

"Gale... it's not like that between us. You told me you understood! You said you'd respect that!"

"Damnit Katniss! So I'm just suppose to be celibate the rest of my life? Or would you prefer me to sneak around behind your back down at the slag heap? Everyone already accuses you of being a bad wife, I can sleep around on you and confirm it. Quite frankly I'm getting sick of defending you all the time."

I feel like I've been slapped. I can't help the red flush that creeps up my face and all I want to do is run. I know I'm a bad wife. I know I'm not enough for him. I know he deserves better but I just don't know how to be that for him. It's one thing to know that, it's another to hear it from Gale directly.

"Maybe you should then. You knew what this was when you married me Gale." I say in a voice that doesn't sound like mine, so cold and detached.

"No, I guess I didn't Katniss. I knew you needed time but I didn't know it wasn't ever going to change between us." I can hear the hollowness to his words, I've gone too far but that doesn't stop me from being angry.

"Gale I went from your hunting partner to your wife over night, I'd say a lot changed between us!"

"You don't know the first fucking thing about being someone's wife Katniss. The only person you genuinely care about and do more than tolerate these days is Prim."

"You're right. I've been tolerating you. I've been tolerating your touches, the way you talk to me, the pretending we're doing. I'm done tolerating it. The gigs up. I'm done with it. Feel free to go screw whoever you want. It'll be just like old times, won't it?"

Steel flashes in his eyes and his face darken. He turns on his heels and stormed up the path to our house, slamming the door behind him. My fists are balled and my nails are digging into my palms. The recess of my mind makes me dimly aware that we just screamed at each other in the middle of the Seam. More neighbors than not are peering through front windows or standing on their front porch. The whole valley had been witness to our fiery fight and those that weren't certainly would hear about it. I had an overwhelming desire to tell them all to go fuck off but slinked up the the dirt path to the house wishing I could just disappear.

Gale was laying on the couch with his back to me, pillow tucked under his arm and his lanky legs awkwardly arranged on the too small makeshift bed. Pretending not to notice him or the look of bewilderment from my sister in the kitchen, I thundered back to our room and closed the door.

Stretching out in bed, unaccustomed to the extra space, I can't help but feel utterly alone. More than just the absence of his physical presence, I miss the ease of our relationship. I am so sick of doubting or reading into each smile, each time his arm brushes mine, how much of our relationship is real and how much of it has become some twisted game of not real.


AN: Thanks for sticking with me. This is unbeta'd for the moment because I just wanted to get it out. I definitely owe you guys. Please let me know if there's mistakes, I want to fix them. The next chapter is 99% written and my absolute favorite.