Star-Crossed

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games, but I wish I did. This fanfiction is strictly for entertainment purposes only. The plot is mine, but I don't own any of the characters or novel concepts.

Thank you so much for all the reviews! I hope you like this chapter. It jumps back and forth between Katniss and Peeta POV because I think it is necessary in this chapter. Please read and enjoy. Review please and thank you!

Chapter 10 – Katniss's POV

When I return to the house, Gale is nowhere to be found. I know he is with Peeta. I will be watching him like a hawk from now on, but I need to ensure that he will visit Peeta again before the wedding tomorrow afternoon. I would have to pretend to believe Peeta had abandoned me. I would have to resign myself to this marriage in order for Gale to go to Peeta and gloat. I knew he would do that. He hated to lose and he would want Peeta to know I had chosen Gale and not him.

I would wait until Gale left and then I would find a way to free Peeta. It was a simple plan, but a good plan. I run to find Prim. She has been staying with me at the house and I know that Gale brought her back this morning when she went out to the cave to find Peeta and me.

I embrace Prim and cry into her shoulder. I usually try to remain strong for Prim, but I need someone so much and she is there for me, as always. She hugs me tightly as I cry. After a few minutes, I pull away and furiously wipe at my eyes. She hands me a handkerchief.

"Katniss, you have always been so brave. You are so brave. I know that Peeta did not leave without us. I saw the look in his eyes when he came to our home to see you and you had been forced to move in here. He loves you."

"I know," I tell her impressed by her maturity beyond her fifteen years. "I think Gale has Peeta somewhere in this house. I am going to be watching Gale like a hawk. I need you to be ready to go at a moment's notice, Prim. I need you to be ready to run when I tell you, okay?"

She nods at me vigorously. "I will be ready, Katniss."

Now I need her to know my plan. "I am going to pretend that I believe Peeta left me. I am going to agree to marry Gale because I think I could love him. I am going to lie through my teeth and hope he buys it."

Prim nods thoughtfully. "He will buy it, Katniss."

I look at her in shock. "How do you know?"

She shrugs. "It is what he wants to hear and he thinks he is the best choice for you. You can do this, Katniss. I know you can."

I wait in my library for Gale to find me. He does an hour later. I look at him as he strides across the room. He is good looking and I have always thought so, but now I know that underneath those good looks is a tyrant who will do anything to get what he wants. I remind myself of this as I start speaking.

"I spoke with his mother. He did leave me." I sound so sad and broken. I am sad, sad that I never really knew Gale. Sad that I do not know what has happened to Peeta.

Gale sits down beside me and reaches out to take my hand. I have to concentrate a great deal so I don't flinch away from his touch. I manage to remain in control though barely. "I am sorry you are hurting, Katniss. I knew Mellark would hurt you. I knew he would break your heart. He only cares for himself. I had to tell you the truth because I love you."

Tears blur my vision for different reasons than Gale thinks, but I allow the tears to trickle down my cheeks. I am upset that Gale is such a monster. When did that happen? Why did it happen? "I just can't believe it," I choke out. "He told me he loved me and I believed him. I am so sorry." I turn away and look out the window and he moves closer to me eating up every word.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I hope you will marry me tomorrow though and we can put all this behind us. Start over fresh."

He doesn't waste any time does he? I hate him so much. "Yes, Gale, I will marry you tomorrow. I still love him, but in time I think I could learn to love you more."

He wraps his arms around me and pulls me against his chest. Bile rises in my throat but I swallow it back down. "I will do everything in my power to prove myself to you. I love you so much."

He pulls away and leans in to me and I know he wants to kiss me. I can't do that. I turn my head away and then look back at him apologetically. "I need a little time, surely you understand that." He eyes me carefully and the nods.

"Of course I understand. We have the rest of our lives to be together."

I cringe inwardly, but I am glad he bought it. I nod at him. He stands up and smiles at me.

"I have some business to take care of in town. I will not be long." He tosses me another smile over his shoulder before leaving the room.

I jump up quickly and put on my slippers. They help me to move quietly through the house. I follow Gale…always just out of sight. My father taught me how to stalk my prey when he was teaching me to hunt. I had followed his directions and learned well.

Gale stopped in the kitchen and left carrying some sort of bag. He also grabbed a book from a shelf in the living room and shoved it in the bag. What was he doing with all that stuff? I knew it was for Peeta. He was going to see Peeta to rub it in that I had agreed to marry him. In this way, Gale was so predictable.

I followed him at a great distance down into the basement of the house. It was cold and wet down here and I knew this is where Peeta was. I waited until Gale got all the way down the stairs before I padded silently down the stairs. I stopped around a corner hidden behind some boxes. Gale had gone into the room around the corner, but he had left the door open. I could hear the conversation and I sat down silently to listen.

Peeta's POV

I heard the door open and I didn't even look up. I didn't want to see Gale anymore. I had only been down here for half a day and I could feel myself getting depressed. Katniss was going to marry this man tomorrow and my father obviously hadn't said anything in my defense, scared of my mother as always. My deceitful, conspiring mother.

Gale sits down in a chair. I am sitting on the floor with my back in a corner. I don't want to sit in the chairs he has provided. I do not want anything from this man.

"I just wanted to come down here and tell you that Katniss went to visit your mother. She came back devastated of course. Your father walked her home."

My father? I feel hope rise in me and I do my best to not let anything show. I still have not looked at him. I can't. I say nothing.

"I brought you some food and a book to read. After Katniss and I get married tomorrow, I will find some time in the next week or so to get some painting supplies for you. I am the only one who knows where you are down here. I did not even trust any of my servants. No one can know you are down here."

I still say nothing and continue to look down at the floor in front of me. I think about Katniss and how she will be forced to marry this man tomorrow because she does not know where I am. I have left her no options. She does not have any money or any other connections. I was her only way out and I failed her. I still had all the money my father and my brothers gave me in my pocket. Gale didn't seem to care I had money with me or he didn't even check. He just needed me to be away from Katniss and that was all.

Gale continues speaking to me. "Katniss has agreed to marry me."

I laugh a bitter laugh and finally look at him. "Like she had a choice."

He grins at me. "True. She did not have a choice. She was going to be my wife. I decided that long ago. Even before Katniss's father died I wanted to marry her. Her father would never have let me; of course, he knew she did not love me that way. He wanted the absolute best for his daughter. He wanted her to marry only for love. It is why she had never accepted a proposal of marriage. He never encouraged her to marry just for marriage sake. My father called Mr. Everdeen a fool. He could not live forever and when the fever took him last winter I knew I had the chance; I finally had the chance to make Katniss mine."

I stare at him and his words cause a shiver to go up my spine. He was cold and calculating. I had never known him to be this way.

I decided to speak again. "Her father was a great man. Everyone who knew him adored him. He adored Katniss and Prim. He loved their mother. It makes me sick to think that when her father died you just thought about how you had won while she was grieving the loss of her father."

Gale's eyes fill with anger. "You were there with her during those days. You brought her food and you sat with her all the time. She allowed you to be with her. She did not want me there. She told me she needed to be alone, but she let you comfort her."

I did not know that Katniss had told Gale to leave her be. Maybe somewhere inside of herself she knew his intentions and needed her space from him. "I do not know what else you want me to say to you, Gale. Do you want me to apologize to you for falling in love with her? Because I will not. I have loved her for years, but kept my distance. Her father knew of my intentions and he was supportive of me…of us. She never knew that of course. Her father wanted me to wait until she was ready to return my love. He picked me for her, Gale, and I will not apologize for that, not ever."

Gale's eyes are fiery with rage. I had never told anyone that, not even my father. It was a private conversation between Mr. Everdeen and me. I had never planned for anyone to find out, but something told me that now was the time to say it. He does not say another word to me. He drops the sack of food to the floor and leaves the room slamming the door. I hear the deadbolts lock and then silence.

Katniss's POV

Gale's voice makes me lean against the wall slightly to listen more intently. The wall is very solid and I can just make out his voice. "I just wanted to come down here and tell you that Katniss went to visit your mother. She came back devastated of course. Your father walked her home."

I knew Peeta was here! I had found him. Peeta does not speak and Gale continues.

"I brought you some food and a book to read. After Katniss and I get married tomorrow, I will find some time in the next week or so to get some painting supplies for you. I am the only one who knows where you are down here. I did not even trust any of my servants. No one can know you are down here."

My blood runs cold. He alone knows Peeta is down here. If something had happened to Gale for any reason Peeta would have died down here all alone. I ache for Peeta. He is at Gale's mercy and I feel anger course through me as this registers. Peeta still doesn't speak, so Gale continues his chatter.

"Katniss has agreed to marry me."

I hear a bitter laugh. "Like she had a choice."

He spoke. He is here and alive. He is okay. I knew he did not leave me. I rejoice in this before settling down to listen again.

"True. She did not have a choice. She was going to be my wife. I decided that long ago. Even before Katniss's father died I wanted to marry her. Her father would never have let me; of course, he knew she did not love me that way. He wanted the absolute best for his daughter. He wanted her to marry only for love. It is why she had never accepted a proposal of marriage. He never encouraged her to marry just for marriage sake. My father called Mr. Everdeen a fool. He could not live forever and when the fever took him last winter I knew I had the chance; I finally had the chance to make Katniss mine."

My heart squeezes in my chest. I had never known Gale at all…not really. He had wanted me…I had become an obsession to him and little else. He did not really love me. He only wanted to obtain me. It hurt to hear him talk about my father and having a chance when he died. That had been the worst day of my life when my father died.

Peeta starts to speak again and I listen intently to how he will reply to this. "Her father was a great man. Everyone who knew him adored him. He adored Katniss and Prim. He loved their mother. It makes me sick to think that when her father died you just thought about how you had won while she was grieving the loss of her father."

My eyes fill with tears. Peeta had been thinking along my same wavelength. He was sad for me and he had been there for me when my father died. He had just been there without any hidden agenda.

Gale's voice is filled with anger. "You were there with her during those days. You brought her food and you sat with her all the time. She allowed you to be with her. She did not want me there. She told me she needed to be alone, but she let you comfort her."

I knew Gale had been hurt I did not want him around me during that time. It just did not feel right. I did not want to be around him and now I know why. My father had never really liked Gale and I knew that for sure now. Gale had never liked my father either and he was not sad when my father died.

Peeta's voice is filled with anger. I have never heard his voice angry before. "I do not know what else you want me to say to you, Gale. Do you want me to apologize to you for falling in love with her? Because I will not. I have loved her for years, but kept my distance. Her father knew of my intentions and he was supportive of me…of us. She never knew that of course. Her father wanted me to wait until she was ready to return my love. He picked me for her, Gale, and I will not apologize for that, not ever."

My heart stops and I take a deep breath. My father and Peeta had spoken often. I knew that. Peeta had been around for a long time, but had spent more time with my father than with me. I know now why. He and my father had been talking, about me. My father had wanted Peeta to woo me. He had wanted Peeta to be my husband. He had chosen Peeta for me, but had not said anything because he wanted me to choose him myself. So many things made more sense to me now. My father had wanted this and I knew that now in my heart. Somewhere inside of myself I had always known.

As I am busy processing this, Gale leaves the room and slams the door. He slides the deadbolts in place and then takes off up the stairs angrily. I have to move fast. I do not have a lot of time. I wait until he has climbed the basement stairs before heading over to the door and pulling back the deadbolts as quietly as I can manage. I push open the door and I see Peeta sitting on the floor. He doesn't look up at me.

"What else could you possibly want?" He says. When I don't make a sound he looks up at me and I see tears in his eyes and a huge smile on his face. "Katniss?" He says in a voice filled with love and wonder.

I don't even reply. I race up to him and throw my arms around his neck. I snuggle him close to me and we hold each other close. I pull back and we lean in to one another for a kiss. This kiss is not slow at all. It is intense, hot, and passionate the moment our lips embrace. I can feel his desperation and longing in this kiss. After a minute, I pull back and we are both breathless.

"We need to leave, Peeta. We need to leave right now." I tell him and he nods before standing up beside me and following me out of the room.

Thank you for the reviews so far! Please keep reviewing! Reviews make me write faster!

I don't usually switch viewpoints so much but I thought it was necessary in this chapter. I know that Gale is way out of character, but I needed that for this story. I hope I don't offend anyone with how Gale is in this story. In my other two stories, "The Arrangement" and "Lost in a Haze" Gale is not like this. He has his jealous moments, but their friendship is more important and he doesn't go too far. I need Gale this way for my story though…sorry if anyone is upset by this. I really appreciate all the reviews! Please keep reading and reviewing!