**Hi there! I am currently on a small leave of absence from school because I had to have surgery on my throat, but that means that I am able to update some of my stories. I even wrote a few chapters on my original stories so I am happy. I am not officially taking my stories off of hiatus yet because my time is limited, but I am going to try and write what I can over the next couple of weeks. To everyone who is still bothering to read my stories I really appreciate it and I hope you enjoy**

Haymitch escorted Effie to the car with a hand on her lower back. They had just finished dinner and were planning on enjoying a movie together when his cell phone rang, "Hello?"

"Yes, hello, is this Mr. Abernathy?" a voice questioned.

"Yes, this is Haymitch Abernathy," he replied questioningly.

"Mr. Abernathy, this is Richard with District Home Security. We received an alarm from your home a few moments ago. Are you currently at your residence?"

Haymitch glanced at Effie, "No, we aren't currently home. What kind of an alarm?"

There was a shuffling noise on the line before he answered, "It looks as though there might have been a forced entry. I have notified the police and they are currently on route to your home."

"Is everything alright, Haymitch?" Effie asked.

He shook his head, "It sounds like someone tried to break in to our home."

"Mr. Abernathy, I was just informed that the police have arrived on site. Would you like me to stay on the line with you?"

"No, thank you, we are on our way home now."

There was broken glass covering the floors from the windows, the walls had holes created by a sledgehammer that was left in the middle of the living room, and there were torn pictures and personal items all throughout the house, but the worst was the bloody message that was left on the wall over their bed and the animal carcass that rested on the bed itself. The message said Curiosity Killed the Cat.

For about an hour they were asked question after question, trying to determine who could have done something like this. Haymitch knew that his work with the kids was part of this. It was obvious that when he went looking into Peeta and Katniss' past he stumbled onto something, he just didn't know what. The officer blanched slightly when Haymitch recounted his meeting with the two thugs that killed Katniss' sister Prim, but quickly recovered, "It probably didn't mean anything. He just wanted to scare you."

Effie slammed her hand down on the table, "It didn't mean anything?! There is obviously something going on here and I expect you to get to the bottom of it!"

Haymitch clutched her hand in his to calm her down, "I'm sure they will do all they can." The officer forced a smile and nodded. It was obvious to Haymitch that this officer was not someone they could trust or count on for help. They continued to answer questions for a few moments before the officer excused himself. "We won't be able to stay here tonight. I will go pack us a bag and we can stay in a hotel for a few days while I have someone come and repair the damage."

Effie nodded and squeezed his hand once more, "That sounds wonderful. I will order us a new bed and when everything has been repaired I will go through and find out what else will need to be replaced. I just can't believe someone would have the nerve to do this."

Haymitch didn't answer. He knew how cruel people could be. Many of his kids had been drugged, beaten, raped, and tortured; even by their own family. It was obvious that whoever did this wanted him to stop looking into Katniss' past, but it only strengthened his desire to help her…help all of his kids.

Katniss lay in bed counting the ceiling tiles until the time that they would let her out. She had trouble sleeping lately, ever since her night with Peeta. She didn't feel comfortable when he wasn't around her. Her sleep was filled with many different horrors and he was the only one who could keep them at bay. Sometimes it would be her sister's face, covered in blood, her eyes staring blankly up at her. Other times it would be Glimmer's face pleading with her to save her, to do something to help her, but she couldn't move.

When the door clicked open it was Gale who entered instead of Cinna. She was slightly confused by this, but kept her mouth shut. She didn't care who came to get her as long as she got to see Peeta again. It was when she went to get up and he shook his head no before shutting the door behind him that she started to worry. Gale had been giving her odd looks lately and it was making her uncomfortable to be alone with him.

"I just wanted to talk to you for a minute, Katniss. I was hoping we could get to know each other."

Katniss just stared at him. Her instincts were telling her to run, that there was danger here. She wasn't sure what it was about him that was causing her to slip into fight or flight mode, but she always listened to her instincts. As he began to speak again, she mentally calculated the distance to the door and her chances of getting past him, "I was hoping we could be friends. You'd like to be friends…wouldn't you?"

His hand reached for her just as the door opened once more. This time it was Cinna coming to take her to breakfast. He sent a suspicious look towards Gale, "What are you doing in here? You're supposed to be doing the rounds on the second floor."

Gale laughed lightly and put his hands up in surrender, "I was just trying to make friends with Katniss. I'll go take care of the second floor now. See ya later, Katniss."

As soon as he left she could feel her body shaking. Cinna slipped all the way into the room and wrapped her in a hug. It was comforting and natural for him to be here with her. "Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head quickly and took a deep breath, "No, he didn't hurt me. He just freaked me out. I got a really bad feeling about him."

Cinna released her so that she could stand, "I will talk to Haymitch about him. I know he wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable, especially when it comes to one of the orderlies."

Katniss followed Cinna to the dining room and took a seat next to Peeta who immediately wrapped her in a hug, as if he sensed her need for comfort. "Are you alright, Katniss?"

She nodded into his neck, "Gale cornered me in my room. It just freaked me out is all."

Peeta stiffened, "He didn't hurt you did he?"

He pulled back and his eyes roamed her face, trailing across every inch of her that he could see. She shook her head, "He didn't hurt me. He just made me uncomfortable."

Peeta relaxed and turned her in the seat so that she could eat the food Cinna was setting in front of her. It was a quiet meal, but not uncomfortable. They sat with Cinna and Portia, the silence broken only by the clink of forks on plates. Occasionally, Peeta would brush her hand, squeezing slightly before letting go to continue eating his food. It was like a calming balm on her soul each time he would touch her. She was so use to the fire and pain of her existence that his presence was a welcome relief.

The quiet was shattered by the entrance of Cato and Marvel. Both boys were shouting obnoxiously and pushing each other around. Gale was with them, but rather than making the two of them calm down he was staring straight at Katniss. His gaze would slide to Peeta for a moment before returning to her. It was Cinna who forced them to settle down, threatening them with isolation if they continued. He caught Gale's gaze as well and stepped between him and Katniss, "If you cannot control your charges then you will find yourself out of work."

Gale's gaze became icy as he regarded Cinna, "I would worry about your own charges if I were you." The smile on Gale's face caused a shiver to run up her spine. She was relieved when Cinna collected her and Peeta for their meeting with Haymitch. She didn't want to be in the same room with Gale any longer than was absolutely necessary.

Haymitch was exhausted. He hadn't been able to sleep after the break in at the house. He was worried about leaving Effie alone, but when he suggested that she come to work with him she simply scoffed and told him in no uncertain terms that she was not going to allow some faceless menace to keep her from her work. He adored the fact that she was so strong and loved the work she did with the kids that were assigned to her, but just this once he wished she wasn't so stubborn. He needed her safe, and her job didn't always guarantee her safety.

A knock on the door pulled him back to the present and he called for them to come in. He was having a session with both Katniss and Peeta to see how they were progressing. He wanted to do individual evaluations, but they both refused. He only allowed this because of the progress they made together. They seemed to have more setbacks when they were separated.

He glanced up to see Cinna looking severe. Something was wrong, "What is it?"

Cinna moved aside to allow Katniss and Peeta to scoot past him, "We need to talk about Gale."

Haymitch was caught slightly off guard, "Gale? Can this wait until after I've spoken with Katniss and Peeta?"

Cinna shook his head, "This has to do with Katniss and Peeta has already been informed."

Haymitch studied the grim look on Cinna's face before nodding his ascent to begin. It was Katniss who spoke, "Gale entered my room this morning. I thought it was odd that Cinna wasn't there, but I figured he was going to take me to breakfast. When I went to leave he told me no and said he wanted to get to know me. He was making me very uncomfortable. He tried to touch me, but Cinna walked in before he could."

Cinna continued, "He was also staring at her in the dining room. I don't think he should be allowed near Katniss. It would be my recommendation that he be transferred to the second floor permanently or perhaps to another facility."

Haymitch took the safety of his kids very seriously. If Katniss was that uncomfortable with Gale then he would need to do something about it. Transferring Gale to another ward might not help, and if he is harassing one female patient then he might be likely to harass another. Unfortunately, not all facilities pay close attention to what is happening with their patients. He wouldn't want to transfer Gale just to have him hurt someone else. At this point, his only option might be to fire Gale.

"I'll take care of it. Cinna, will you check on Glimmer for me? She has been doing better and will be released soon. Once that is done will you inform Gale that I would like to see him?" Cinna nodded before leaving the three of them to their session.

**Fair warning, do not accept the easy answer**