Title: Dandelion – Chapter Eleven: Confusion

Warnings / Spoilers: I don't usually do Katniss/Gale, and this is probably the only chapter you'll see it in / THG, CF, and MJ

Pairing(s): Katniss/Peeta, Katniss/Gale, Gale/Delly, future Haymitch/Hazelle

Word Count: 808

Over dinner, Delly expressed an interest in returning to District 12. She was apparently impressed with how we were all getting along here, and she probably assumed Posy would be a good influence for Beetee. She was smiling so widely, Gale could hardly say no, but everyone but Delly knew it was a bad idea.

"You're all so close to each other here. It's really lovely," she kept exclaiming. "It's the perfect place to raise a baby." At this point, she looked across the table at me and asked, "Will you be having any children?"

I hesitate. Biting my lip, I answer quietly, "…It's a little early to be thinking about that."

I can feel Peeta looking at me, and for a second it's like I'm inside his head. I can feel him fighting back the tears, and I know this wasn't what he'd wanted to hear.

It is, however, better than a no.

I find myself twirling the ring on my finger and staring down at my plate, wishing that everyone would just stop staring at me.

After a long awkward silence, and everyone goes back to eating, I burst out, "You can't live here." And they're all staring at me again. "I'm sorry, Delly. I just…I can't."

"I…I don't understand."

"If you and Gale and your baby move here to District 12, I'll have to leave," I explain, cheeks red. "I can't… I'm not ready to be around him yet. And I'm definitely not ready to watch him walk around her home every day." This said, I spring from the table and run out the front door.

It's Gale, not Peeta, who comes to find me in the woods. "Go away," I warn, but he doesn't retreat.

"I'm sorry, Katniss," he whispers, drawing closer to me. "I didn't think she'd ask to stay," he continues, kneeling beside me. I recoil slightly as he reaches for my hands, but he catches them anyway.

"I don't want to see you," I mutter, shutting my eyes, rather like a child wishing for a monster to disappear. However, unlike the child's nightmare, Gale's still there when I open my eyes. And he's even closer to me than he was when I shut them. "I said go away," I repeat.

He releases my hands, and I assume he's going to do as I ask and leave me alone. But just as soon as I allowed myself to believe that, his hands have found my cheeks and pulled my lips to his.

Part of me wants to pull away from him as fast as possible. But another part, a deeper part, has missed this too much.

When he stops to breathe, I ask, "What about Delly?"

"She needed someone, so did I. Didn't really mean anything," he answered, lips colliding with mine again.

"But, Beetee," I gasp out.

"He'll always be my son, and I'll always treat him that way. But he was an accident."

Maybe I'm a home wrecker. I'm not sure. I'm also not quite sure that I care. But then the weight of the new ring on my finger reminds me. "Peeta," I say as I push Gale's face away from mine.

"So you really did pick him, huh?"

"I'm engaged, Gale," I explain, standing and walking away. Turning, I continue, "He asked, and I said yes. And it wasn't required. No one told me I had to. I wasn't protecting anyone. I wanted to say yes, so I said it."

"I always thought I'd marry you," he mutters, looking down at me with a deep sort of sadness in his eyes.

"…Really?"

"I loved you long before the Games took you away –" I could hear the anger building in his voice. "Long before Mellark and Haymitch turned your feelings into a Game-winning strategy."

My hand finds his chest. "Shh, it's okay. They were protecting me. The same as you when you 'buddied up' with Coin." My touch seems to calm him a little; he nods, and the color starts to drain back out of his face. My head is spinning. I'm more confused about my feelings now than I've ever been – and I had assumed it would all be so clear when I was marrying Peeta and when I hated Gale. And it all did make more sense when Gale was out of the picture. "You can't live here, Gale," I add quietly.

"…I know."

"And you should talk to Delly if she really doesn't mean anything to you…"

"Well, she does. But I don't quite know what yet."

"I know the feeling."

As we walk back to the house, he says quietly, "I'll talk to Delly about leaving in the morning."

"…Yeah, that's probably best."

He stops me at what used to be the fence. "You're sure you want me to leave?"

"…Yes."

"Then it's settled."