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This is my favorite chapter so far! Please Enjoy!

"How long?" Haymitch asked Johanna. They were sitting on Haymitch's back steps, watching the geese. Effie had a chair on the back porch where she sat, sewing something. She hummed under her breath occasionally as she did so. Her hair was no longer vibrant colors. Her hair was blonde and curly and she kept it swept back in a bun these days.

"Almost two years." Johanna replied.

"How come you didn't tell anyone?"

"Lots of reasons," Johanna muttered, kicking her shoe against the dirt under her feet.

"How'd you get him back here?"

"I asked. And then he said he'd think about it and after a day or so, I told him he was coming with me. Wouldn't take no for an answer."

"That's my girl," Haymitch grinned at her. "I was worried you'd changed when I heard. That he'd have turned you into some pretty little docile District 2 housewife or something."

Johanna snorted at that. Docile little house wife, her ass. Never gonna happen. She refused to do what other people told her to do most times and she also didn't give a damn what anyone thought of her. Never had. And she wasn't going to change for a man. Fuck that.

"I mean some change ain't that bad." Haymitch added, glancing over at Effie who smiled at him. "But you can't loose who you are, kid. That's when stuff falls apart."

"When'd you get so smart, Haymitch?" Johanna asked him in a teasing tone.

"Somewhere between marrying that one and getting sober." He replied, hooking a thumb back at Effie.

Love did funny things to people sometimes, Johanna supposed. Haymitch, who who had been a drunk since she met him and long before, had decided on his and Effie's wedding day that he was going to stop drinking. And he had. It had taken a while, but he had. 37 months sober, by Johanna's calculations. She was proud of him. He hadn't changed much, he was just more pleasant to be around. Less violent and somewhat less angry. All because he loved Effie. No, change wasn't always a bad thing.

"He helps me. With the bad days." Johanna admitted, pushing her hair back behind her ear before resting her chin in her hand. She didn't have as many bad days as she used to. Whether that was because of time or Gale being in her life she wasn't quite sure. But he was always there when she needed him. He had called off work once because she hadn't slept at all the night before and couldn't pull herself out of bed for anything or even form a sentence, just to sit with her.

"You know, I never liked that boy much," Haymitch told her. "Put up with him when I had to, for Katniss' sake. But you make him sound halfway down decent. Maybe he's not so bad after all."

At that moment, Gale and Katniss emerged from the woods, both laughing. They had gone out together everyday since Johanna and Gale had come to 12, over a week by this point. They had a lot of catching up to do. Johanna had been asked to tag along on the second or third day, but she had refused. The woods were Gale and Katniss' place and it didn't feel right to intrude.

Neither Johanna nor Peeta were bothered at all by their daily escapades into the woods. There was no jealousy harbored. Everything was fine. Johanna had expected Peeta perhaps to be a little irked, but he wasn't. Johanna suspected it was because Katniss now wore a gold band with a stone that glistened in the sun on her left ring finger. He had nothing at all to worry about.

They were far enough what Johanna could only hear that Katniss and Gale were talking, not what they were saying. Johanna however could tell that Gale looked a lot younger, a lot happier. He had his best friend back.

Gale dropped a leaf on Katniss' head and she scowled at him, shoving him playfully. He shoved her back and she dropped the bag she carrying to aim a punch at him with her dominant hand. He moved out of the way just in time and she lost her balance for a split second. He grabbed her arm to steady her, all the while smirking at her.

Katniss shook her head, picked up the bag from the ground and headed towards where Johanna, Effie, and Haymitch sat. Gale was just behind her.

"What'd you two manage to get?" Haymitch asked Katniss as she came close enough. Katniss didn't really need to hunt anymore. They had a grocery store in 12 now, one that had meat fresh from District 10 and produce from District 11. It was affordable too, and sometimes they bought it. But trying to make Katniss stop hunting would be like trying to make Peeta stop baking- impossible.

"Four squirrels," Katniss said, slipping the bag down her arm.

"Would've been more, but someone caught a case of the giggles and everything in a 5 mile radius ran off." Gale added, coming up to stand beside his friend.

"Oh, don't act all innocent Mr. Terrible Accent." Katniss countered.

Johanna had absolutely no idea what they were on about, and quite frankly she didn't care. Gale was happy. And so was Katniss.

"You sure you don't want to come before we go home, Johanna?" Gale asked. The following day was their last whole day in District 12 before going back to 2. Johanna smiled at Gale's mention of 'we' and 'home', but shrugged half-heartedly in response and shook her head.

"You really wanna trust Johanna Mason with a weapon?" Haymitch asked Gale.

"Brave boy," Effie chimed in.

Gale chuckled and Johanna rolled her eyes.

Johanna sighed. "I can't with you people."

"Let's go eat," Katniss said after a beat of silence.

"Sounds good to me." Haymitch replied.

Katniss nodded and walked away, heading toward the house she shared with Peeta. Johanna followed her and Gale fell into step beside her. Haymitch and Effie pulled up the rear.

And so four victors, a former escort, and a rebel soldier sat down for dinner together that summer evening, with lemonade and laughs.

And if Haymitch noticed Johanna take Gale's hand under the table, he sure didn't mention it.