Thanks for all of the reviews, it's always great to hear from you! I know some of you were shocked there was no Galeniss kiss. Don't worry, it's coming. ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games or any of its characters.

Chapter 12

When Katniss woke up, she found Peeta gazing down at her. Great.

"Hey." he said before pressing his lips to her forehead. It was just another reminder of how much he cared for her. She slid slowly off the stool, onto the floor, feeling defeated. He sat beside her.

"Katniss, what's wrong?"

"I'm not ready for this." she said, not even being able to look at him. "I'm sorry." This was it. This was the end of everything between them. She felt him take her hand. She supposed this is the part where he convinces her that she's making a mistake. Instead she just heard him reply "Ok."

Katniss looked at him.

"What do you mean ok?" She never thought he would be able to let her go without a fight.

"It's ok if you need time. After all that you've been through…well, anyone would understand that." he said. Her heart sank even lower. She thought she was letting him down easily. He took it to mean that eventually, she'd let him be with her. She couldn't tell him, not right now. She decided to let him think that for the time being, until she could figure out how to say it better.

"You should go now. School's in an hour." she told him.

"Yeah you're right. What are you up to today?"

"Try to hunt some more. I couldn't find anything yesterday."

"Don't stay out too late ok?"

"I won't. I might stay in the Seam tonight."

"So I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes." she replied. Maybe by then she will have figured something out. She walked him to the door. Before he left, he took her in his arms. Katniss felt her heart jump. She wasn't sure if it was because she felt so bad about what she was doing to him or if it was because she might have feelings for him. She hoped it wasn't the latter.

Once Peeta had departed, she went to her room and got ready to go into the woods. She warmed up some soup from the fridge and placed it in a thermos to keep it warm. Next, she retrieved some non-perishable food from the pantry and placed them in her bag along with a few bottles of water. Before she left, she told her mother she would be staying in the Seam for the night.

She then made her way to her old house to collect some more things for Gale. She sorted through her parents' closet, retrieving some of her father's winter clothes. She also grabbed a pair of scissors and her father's razor so Gale could get rid of that horrible beard. She also packed a heavy blanket, a pillow, a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, soap, a small pot, a cup, a bowl, utensils, matches, some rope, and first aid supplies. When she lifted her bag, it was a lot heavier than she anticipated. She knew it was going to be an even longer journey to the lake than it usually was. She slung the bag over her shoulder and made her way to the fence. She had to empty some of the bag's contents and shove them to the other side of the hole in order to get the supplies to the other side. After quickly repacking the bag, she retrieved her bow and quiver, and was on her way. By the time she reached the clearing, she was out of breath. She sat on her rock to rest until she could continue. It might take her hours before she could reach Gale.

Katniss shielded her eyes when she saw something move by the edge of the forest. A big smile spread across her face as she saw Gale emerging from the trees.

"Hey Catnip." he said sitting next to her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked happily.

"I thought I'd surprise you." he said. "What this?" he asked picking up the bag. "I'm impressed you made it this far with this. You carried this the whole way?"

"Yes."

"What did you bring me?" he asked curiously. She dug through the bag.

"Here, put these on." she said handing him pieces of clothing as she found them. He removed the jacket she gave him yesterday followed by his jacket from the arena, exposing his bare skin. Katniss covered her mouth with her hand as the shock set in. His once defined torso had been replaced by a hollowed abdomen. She then turned away, unable to look anymore. She didn't realize it was that bad.

"I'll be ok, Katniss." he told her after he saw her reaction. He quickly changed the rest of his clothes, shoving his old clothes back into the bag and put on her father's hunting jacket. He sat beside her with an arm wrapped around her. "I don't want you worrying about me."

"I always worry about you." she said.

"Come on, let's get to the lake." he said as he helped her up. They split the load so it would be easier to carry. They didn't say much on the way there, but that was usual for them. When they reached the cabin, Katniss unpacked the contents of the bags. She handed Gale the scissors, soap, and razor.

"You really don't like it, huh?" he said as he laughed.

"It's itchy." she said.

"Ok, well I guess it has to go." he said. Katniss helped him trim it first before she went to retrieve some water from the lake. He stood in front of a small mirror on the mantle of the fireplace and slowly moved the razor along his jaw. When he was finished, he grabbed the toothbrush and toothpaste to clean his teeth.

"How cold do you think the water in the lake is?" he asked her as he cleaned up.

"Cold."

"Do you think I could handle it?" he asked her.

"No Gale, you'd freeze."

"Just a quick dip to wash myself off. In case you haven't noticed, it been a while since I've bathed." he said.

"It's almost January. The water temperature is too cold." she told him. He obviously didn't feel like listening to her because he started stripping off his clothes. When he was down to his underwear, he grabbed the blanket and soap and made his way outside.

"Gale, stop!" Katniss said trying to pull him backwards. He was still too strong for her to stop, even with his decrease in weight.

"I'll be done before you know it." he said as he threw the blanket down at the edge of the lake. He took a running start before he plunged into the water. When he came up, he was gasping for air. It was probably a lot colder than he expected. Katniss stared angrily at him as he washed his body with the soap. He started with his hair and worked his way down. She noticed his shallow breathing and that he was starting to slow down a little.

"Gale, hurry up." she said with worry.

"I'm almost done." he puffed. By the time he made it out the water, he had trouble moving and collapsed to the ground. Luckily, he was still conscious. Katniss took the blanket and wrapped it around him. She somehow managed to get him inside the cabin, and let go of him as he collapsed against the cot. She propped him against the wall. Then, she started to remove her clothes until she was only in her undergarments. A large smile appear on his face as she got inside the blanket and pressed her body against his. His skin was so cold it sent chills through her body. She also noticed that his lips were slightly blue.

"You're not supposed to be enjoying this." she said as she glared at him.

"I didn't ask you to take your clothes off." he said. She rolled her eyes at him.

"It's so you don't die of hypothermia. Do you even know what that is?"

"Of course, I've seen it in the Games before."

"That was really stupid of you…what you did." she scolded him. "Do you always have to be so stubborn."

"Looks like the pot is calling the kettle black." he retorted.

"I would have listen to you if you had told me not to."

"Really? What about all the times you didn't listen to me before…times when it really mattered?"

"Really like when?"

"At least a handful of times in the arena alone."

"That was different. I was trying to save you. You just wanted to be clean."

"It doesn't matter, you still didn't listen." he said.

"Gale, let's not fight about it." she said softening her voice. The last thing she wanted to do was argue with him.

"Ok." he said as he calmed down. "I'm sorry."

"I just don't want anything bad to happen to you ever again. I already lost you once."

"And you'll never lose me again. I won't let that happen." he said lovingly. He slid his hand up her back as he pulled her closer to him. He immediately pulled away from her and she could see a look of confusion on his face. He opened the blanket and leaned forward.

"How…" he trailed off. Just like Peeta, he was surprised to find her back free of scars.

"The Capitol." was all she had to say. He wrapped the blanket back around her and pressed her closer to him. "How are you feeling?" she asked him.

"Still cold." he said.

"You need something warm to drink." she told him as she freed herself from the covers. Katniss quickly dressed herself, then grabbed the thermos from the shelf and brought it to him. She carefully tipped it forward as he slowly drank from it. She could see the color return to his lips.

"Thanks." he said. She retrieved his clothes and helped him dress, starting with the top half of his body. She gave him the long johns and pants to put on himself but first instructed him to remove his underwear since it was sopping wet. She turned around as he did so she wouldn't see anything.

"You know you don't have to turn around." he said with a chuckle. "You know I wouldn't mind."

"Gale." she snapped at him. He knew how she felt about the topic. She waited a few minutes before turning around just to be safe, and then she joined him on the cot.

"You haven't told me what you've been up to the past few months. I want to hear all about it." he said as he turned the blanket around and wrapped it around them.

"You need to put your socks and shoes on first." she told him. She knew she was being awfully strict, but she had to make sure that he warmed up.

"How was it after you got home?" he asked.

"It was horrible. I caused a huge scene at you burial—"

"What did you do?" he asked as he cut her off. She looked down and blushed with embarrassment at the thought of her behavior that day.

"I tried to jump in your grave." she said quietly. She expected Gale to burst out laughing at such a ridiculous image. She looked up when the room remained silent and saw Gale's painful expression. "After that, everything just got worse. I couldn't get out of bed and it just hurt so much."

"How did you get through it?" he asked her. She paused before she gave her answer. Even though it was his idea to seek out Peeta, she wasn't so sure he would like it now.

"I did exactly what you said. I started talking to Peeta Mellark." she said. She left out the part that Peeta sought her out. She could see a jealous glint in his eyes that he quickly tried hide.

"Did you tell him what I told you to tell him?"

"No, it wasn't necessary."

"Well, I'm glad he could help." was all Gale could say. She could tell he didn't want to talk about it anymore. "What about that Victory Tour. How did that go?"

"President Snow wasn't thrilled by it." she said.

"What happened?"

"When I was in District 5, just as I was going to speak, the power cut out. The people started singing that rebellion song I sang in the arena and they made a Mockingjay flag that they dropped over the flag of Panem."

"That was Foxface's district, right?" Gale asked. She nodded.

"The Peacekeepers started firing into the crowd. It was horrible." she said with sorrow. "We left the district immediately."

"What else made the tour so bad?"

"Cato's brother tried to assassinate me…took a bullet to the head before he got to me."

"Careers." Gale jeered. You wouldn't see anyone in District 12 do anything like that.

"Snow said that uprisings started occurring across the districts after that little bit of the uprising from five had aired." she told him. She saw Gale grin a little. "Gale it's not good. If they don't stop, I could be in serious trouble."

"What are they going to do, kill you? That would cause even more of an uproar."

"He mentioned Prim. What if she gets reaped?" Gale's expression fell.

"They wouldn't do that, would they? Rig the reaping?"

"It's the Capitol. They can do whatever they want. It's a Quell year too so I'm sure the Games will be even worse than usual. If she gets picked, there is nothing I can do. Victors can't volunteer."

"She won't get picked." he told her.

"You said that last year."

"Because her name was only in there once. How was I to know that Effie Trinket would happen to reach in that bowl and pick it."

"Whatever happens, I'm sure President Snow will make sure that the Gamemakers will give my tributes hell in the arena."

"At least they will have a good mentor this year."

"Gale, Haymitch was good to us. That medicine saved your life. He actually cared last year."

"After a lot of convincing. He should have been like that from the start. Make sure he gives a shit this year." he told her.

"I will. You don't even know everything he did to try to help us."

"Yes I do. He sent us medicine and food. I was there for all the parachutes."

"But there was more. He tried to get us both out of there."

"He did?" Gale asked raising an eyebrow. He looked intrigued.

"He drafted a petition to get us out of there and somehow managed to get all these signature from the Capitol. He took it to Seneca Crane but of course he had no interest in what the Capitol citizens wanted."

"Whatever. Those Capitol citizens did it for their own selfish reasons. They just wanted the couple to make it out together for their own emotional wellbeing."

"They got in trouble though. It was leaked and all those people had to go to jail. Octavia had to sleep on a gym floor for a whole week because they ran out of place to put people." she said with a laugh. This made Gale smile.

"Your prep team signed it?"

"Yes, and I'm sure yours did too. Flavius said that no one in the Capitol had ever done anything like that before."

"Capitol citizens rebelling against the Capitol. I like it."

"Yeah well I'm sure Snow isn't liking it. They never rebel." she said. A though suddenly flashed in her mind, something that she had been wondering about but could not get an answer about. "Gale, what did you say in the arena before you killed yourself?"

"Pretty much every bad thought I've ever had about the Capitol." She knew that couldn't be good. When they were hunting in the woods, he would sometimes share those thoughts with her.

"Do you think they are still searching for you?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think they expect me to have made it this far."

"You should still be careful. Hovercrafts make food deliveries at the beginning of every month. Try to stay hidden and don't light a fire unless absolutely necessary."

"Ok. What is the date anyway? I kind of lost track."

"January 3rd." she told him.

"Posy's birthday." he said quietly. She took his hand. She could tell he missed his family. "I wish I could be there."

"You can't."

"Maybe you could tell them about me, so they wouldn't worry."

"Gale, no one can know you are alive. If someone found out and went to the Peacekeepers, they'd find you and ship you back to the Capitol. Who even knows what they would do to you there."

"You've been taking care of them, haven't you?"

"Yes, my mother has been taking them food, and they come to our house for dinner sometimes."

"How are they?"

"Good, I guess…I can tell they miss you though. And your brother hates me."

"Rory?" he guessed.

"He's said some pretty hurtful things."

"What kind of things?"

"He said that it was my fault you were dead and that I tricked you into letting me win by pretending to be in love with you." she said. She could see the anger in his eyes. "He's just grieving, Gale."

"He still shouldn't be saying those things."

"He's twelve, what do you expect?"

"He knows better than to talk to you like that. Don't let him get away with it again." he said.

"Ok."

"When do you have to leave today?"

"I was actually thinking about staying here tonight." she told him. His face lit up when he heard her say this.

After Gale had rested, they decided to go hunting in the woods around the lake. Gale set up some snares before they went deeper into the forest into new territory. As they made their way through the woods, they quickly fell back into their old hunting patterns. They knew exactly what the other wanted to do just by looks or gestures. An hour into their hunt, they reached a small field with a stream running through it. They decided this would be a good place to rest. They drank from the stream and stretched out on the ground. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a hovercraft appeared. Gale grabbed Katniss' hand, leading her back into the cover of the forest. Once the trees surrounded them, Gale pressed Katniss against a tree and used his body to shield her.

Katniss was too panicked to speak. Had they seen the two of them? She could feel her heart racing as the sound of the hovercraft drew near. She buried her face into his chest and closed her eyes. When it passed over them and floated into the distance, she could feel her muscles relax. It wasn't sent out for him. It was probably the parcels for District 12. She felt him release his arms from her shoulders but he still remained close to her. When she looked up at Gale, she didn't see fear or worry on his face. It was something else she couldn't decipher.

"Gale w—" she started. Her words were cut off by his mouth on hers. She gladly accepted the kiss, letting it build to an intensity she had never experienced before. It was nice not having to worry about there being cameras around to capture every second of it for the entire nation to see. It was private, just as it should be. She could hear him unzipping her jacket, unsure of what exactly it was that he was doing. She then felt his hand make its way under her shirt, gliding slowly up her waist. When his hand reached her ribcage, she gently put her hand over his, stopping him from progressing any further.

"Gale, it's cold." she said.

"Sorry." he said as he slid his hand from under her shirt. She quickly zipped her jacket.

"It's ok." she told him as she pressed her lips against his for a short kiss.

'He bought it.' she thought. It was a good save on her part, blaming it on the temperature. It was a lie though. To be honest, she couldn't feel the cold at all now. The truth behind that statement was that fear and panic prevented her for letting him go any further. She had never been touched like that before.

They decided it was best for them to turn around and head back to the lake. They didn't want any more surprises for the day. Gale checked their snares as they reached them and found two rabbits had made their way into them. He killed the rabbits and released them from the snares before carrying them back to the cabin. Gale waited until twilight before lighting the fire inside the cabin, hoping the darkening sky would conceal the smoke of the fire. Gale and Katniss sat in front of the fire as they ate, taking in the heat before they had to extinguish the flames. They knew it was going to be another cold night.

(Gale POV)

They didn't settle into bed until late in the night. Katniss was too busy telling him more about what happened since she returned back from the Games. By the time they were actually under the covers, he was sure that it was close to 1 in the morning.

"Gale I'm still cold." she said him, even though she was clinging onto his body.

"I know." he told her, wishing there was something he could do. He rubbed his hand vigorously up and down her back, hoping that it might generate some heat.

"Mmm, that feels good." she sighed.

"Well I can't do this all night." he said with a laugh.

"I know." He continued rubbing her back for a few more minutes.

"Close your eyes and try to get some sleep." he whispered. She did as he said and she quickly fell into a slumber.

He watched her as she lay there peacefully. He couldn't help but think about their future now that he was confined to the woods. He didn't even know how long this might last. Could he really expect her to come out here everyday? And what if, for some reason, the fence started having power once again. He didn't want her to be trapped on either side of it. As nice as it would be to have her with him all the time, he knew that was impossible. Now that she was a victor, she had responsibilities to the Capitol. Failure for her to show up could put her family in danger.

He was also unsure about where their relationship would lead. He knew that they wanted very different things. She didn't want to be married or have children the last time they talked about it. He wondered if that had changed since their relationship began. Even though he was only 18, he knew what he wanted. He wanted to be with her forever. He wanted to have a family with her. He thought that life in District 12 might not be so bad if he could have those things with her…not that he would ever find out. He could never go back.

With the way his life was now, he knew he could never have that, even she wanted it as well. He closed his eyes, holding back the tears, hoping that something good would come along and change all of this.

The next time Gale opened his eyes, it was daytime. He woke up to an empty bed. He quickly went outside, hoping that Katniss was still there. He saw her sitting by the lake.

"I thought you had gone." he said as sat next to her.

"I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye." she said as she cuddled next to him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "I do have to leave soon."

"No, not yet."

"I need to get back, it's already close to 2."

"I slept that long?" he said with disappointment.

"I'll be back tomorrow. I'm sure you can survive a day without me." she said lightly.

"I'm not so sure I can." he admitted. He could see a look of concern appear on her face. She knelt in front of him and took his face in her hands before she kissed him.

"You can do this. You are strong." she told him. He wanted to believe her but he knew there was huge difference between physical strength and emotional strength. He shook his head. "Gale, everything will be ok. We'll figure something out, I promise." she whispered.

He wrapped his hand behind her neck and pulled her towards him for one more kiss. Katniss leaned forward, causing him to fall back to the ground with her landing on top of him. He quickly rolled her around so that he was hovering above her as he continued to kiss her. His lips parted hers as he moved down to her neck, starting with a few, short kisses. He then drew out the kisses, as he gently sucked on her skin between each one. He could hear heavy breaths escape from her, followed by a light moan, letting him know that she was enjoying it. He brushed his lips against hers one more time. As much as he wanted to continue, he knew there wasn't enough time and he didn't want her pushing him away again. Gale pulled his face away from her as he took her in. Her cheeks were now flushed and he could see her chest rising and falling as she tried to get breathing back to normal.

"You should probably go now. I wouldn't want for you to be late again." he said. He stood and helped her up

"Yeah, you're right."

"Do you want me to walk you back?"

"No, I'll be fine. I'll see you tomorrow." she said. Gale kissed her one last time, after she collected her hunting gear from the house. He watched her as she made her into the woods towards home.

So you got not one but TWO Galeniss kisses this chapter. What did you think?

Sorry things got a little depressing during Gale's POV, but I really think that he would be thinking those things.