IMPORTANT:

Hey guys, so some of you might have heard that the US government is trying to pass a Copyright bill that would make illegal streaming of copyrighted works a felony.

This basically means that it would be illegal to stream cover song videos or lyric videos on youtube. This would also affect everyone here on FANFICTION. Anyone who writes about a character from Harry Potter, a character from Doctor Who, a character from Twilight, a character from The Hunger Games, etc. will be breaking the law and charged with a felony. THIS GOES FOR EVERY CHARACTER FROM EVERY STORY EVER. If the character was created by someone else and you use it in your story, you would be breaking the law.

This is also not the first time the government has tried to do this. Remember the internet blackout day back in 2011 when Google, Wikipedia, and sites like them shut down for a day to protest the SOPA bill? Well apparently the government made some changes to the same bill and is trying to pass it again. I am beyond annoyed and angry about this.

Personally, I am not a fan of Justin Bieber's music, but he was discovered on youtube by singing cover songs. Therefore, he could be sent to jail for breaking the law. He spoke up against the last SOPA bill attempt, and I can only hope that he and other musicians like him speak out against it this time as well. So many artists use other people's work merely to express themselves, it's not about making money.

There is a petition that is aiming to stop this, and the link is below. (take out spaces).

I am in fact Canadian but this project will affect me too. I cannot just watch this happen.

I am obviously unable to sign the petition but I am begging you all to do so. This is important!

.gov/petition/ stop-sopa-2013/LMzMVrQF

or google Stop SOPA 2013.

Please go sign it! Please spread the word! We need to stand up for our right to freedom of speech! We write because it's what we enjoy, it's how we express our point of view, and it's what we love. We have to do what we can to stop this from being taken from us.

Thank you.

I'm sorry that this is so long, but it is really important.

Now on with the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, but I would love to continue writing anyways.


It had been two months since the FBI had found Brian's abandoned home, two months since they'd gotten a single lead.

The man seemed to have vanished off the face of the earth.

Meanwhile, Katniss struggled to find her place again.

She couldn't stay trapped in this place, unable to move forward. Her education was lacking at best, she hadn't finished high school, so she took online courses.

Maybe she could get accepted somewhere local at least; she'd dropped her dreams of Harvard and MIT long ago, it seemed that State was her best shot.

She needed to get out into the real world, out of her parents' hair; she needed to find the independence she'd once had.

After all, she hated depending on people.

She pulled on her dark tresses, slowly braiding them together. Already the signs of her kidnapping were fading.

She'd gotten back to a normal weight, the colour had returned to her cheeks, and maybe, just maybe she'd lost that haunted look.

Of course, Peeta helped with that.

She'd been free for three months, that had to count for something. Yet still the dark cloud above her head rained heavily.

It seemed that he always had a hold on her.

Her parents had gone out of town (after much prompting) for a long needed vacation, so she was by herself for a few days.

She was surprised at how at ease she was being alone... It was somehow easier to deal with her memories without worrying about how it affected others.

It was only her.

She walked to the supermarket, just grabbing a few essentials. She of all people was not very demanding when it came to means of surviving.

And she personally wouldn't mind living off Peeta's baking for the rest of her life either.

Katniss stood in the check-out lineup, suddenly spotting a familiar face.

He turned towards her, his eyes wide in recognition.

"Katniss..." he whispered, almost with disbelief.

"Hey Gale." she looked him over.

He really didn't look that different, darker in the eyes maybe.

"I..." he started, unsure of what to say. "I wanted to see you, while you were in the hospital."

She shrugged, things had been tense between them. They hadn't really spoken since she'd gotten together with Peeta.


6 years ago

Gale Hawthorne had always figured that Katniss Everdeen would be his.

They'd known each other forever, and he'd taught her everything. He was always by her side, watching out for her, keeping her safe. He was one of her only friends.

He was the only logical choice.

Too bad Katniss was anything but predictable.

Suddenly, another pair of eyes were met across the hallway, the brilliant blue a great contrast to her stormy gray.

Something had changed, and Gale had not gotten a chance to notice.

The blond boy became the one to pick up her books, the one who stood by her side with a grin.

He was everything that Gale was not.

He watched as the girl he'd always thought was his fell for someone else. He watched as a smile lit up her face every time he neared, how she seemed to laugh at his every word.

He wished that he was the one who caused those things.

He did everything he could to pull her back to his side, but it just ended up making her hate him more.

He learned that he could never cross that line.

He'd barely brushed his lips against her before she became furious.

"What the hell was that for?!" Katniss yelled, pushing Gale's body off of hers.

He couldn't find the words to reply.

I love you? I want you? I care?

No...

He just wanted to know what it would be like. He wanted to know what kissing Katniss Everdeen would feel like.

From then on he stayed away from her, watching from afar as every step away from him lead her closer to Peeta.

His heart slowly shattered to pieces.


"You should have." Katniss said after awhile.

"What?" he asked, forgetting where the conversation had been.

"You should have visited me; I could have used a friend at the hospital."

"I didn't think we still were friends." he replied bitterly.

"We were once." she whispered, almost looking hurt.

He reached out a hand to pat her shoulder, his fingers brushing against her neck accidentally.

Katniss shivered, and for a moment, Gale's face transformed.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled involuntarily, jumping back from his touch.

He just looked shocked.

"I mean-" she started. "I'm sorry."

She wrapped her arms around her body, her head hanging in shame. There was no stopping the flow of memories that ran through her head.

She hadn't meant to lose control, but something about that situation had seemed all too familiar.

She fought back tears, pushing her way back into the line. She ignored her former friend's distraught expression. The faces around her blurred, asking her if she was ok. The simple whisper of 'I'm fine.' fell from her mouth continuously.

I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine.

Was she really?

After she paid, Katniss ran into her car, unable to stop the flow of tears. Her body shook with sobs, and she couldn't stop. The memory was just out of reach, and that terrified her. She could feel cold hands around her neck, choking her, but nothing more. Why couldn't she remember?

Once she calmed, she drove in a trance to Peeta's apartment, but she couldn't make herself open the door. She had already thrown so much on his plate, he didn't need to know more of her problems. He didn't need her to be breaking down every few minutes, running to him for help. She just waited, frozen in place.

She didn't know how long she stood there, but eventually, Peeta came to the door.

"Katniss," he whispered.

She stood awkwardly, unable to move.

He grabbed her hand and brought her inside.

Peeta made tea for the both of them, and they sat in silence for a few moments, just enjoying each other's company.

"Why do you keep helping me?" Katniss asked suddenly.

Peeta looked at her, his eyes intense. "Because I love you," he choked out. "I never stopped..."

He grabbed her hands, pulling her closer to his side. "You're so strong Katniss,"

"I'm not," she almost scoffed. She was anything but that.

She couldn't even sleep with her lights off.

"You escaped," he said. "You were there for four years and you escaped."

"I only managed because of you," she whispered. "I held onto the thought of you, and it kept me going." she blushed. "If I hadn't had you to come back to, I would have died in that house. Maybe it took longer than it should have, but Peeta," she looked up at him, eyes shining. "I realized that I love you."

He watched her cheeks flame at those words, loving the look on her face. They leaned closer and their lips brushed together for just a moment.

Peeta pulled back quickly. "I'm sorry..." he whispered.

She smiled, softly pressing her lips to his again. She hadn't known how much she'd missed this; feeling so loved and cared for.

"I used to dream about you a lot," he admitted. "Often nightmares about what was happening to you but every once in awhile, I would dream of what we could be like together. I saw you as my wife, as mine forever; and it was beautiful. You were as radiant as the sun... But then I'd wake up and you'd still be gone."

"And now? Do you still have nightmares?" surely he wasn't the only one who woke up with heart wrenching fear every morning.

"Yes..." he admitted. " But I'm ok once I realize you're here."

She reached her hands around his neck, running her fingers through his unruly curls. He kissed her again, more passionately.

"I love you," he whispered through kisses. "So much."

"Real?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Real Katniss," he held her close. "Always real.