Disclaimer: The Hunger Games Trilogy is property of Suzanne Collins. This is a parody fanwork by fans for fans. No money was made off of the creation of this fanwork.
Odyssey
by FanficAllergy & RoseFyre
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Theme: 34:Time
Words: 850
Summary: Katniss is never Reaped. Neither is Prim or Peeta. This is what happens over the course of the next thirty years.
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Primrose Everdeen is never reaped.
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Neither is Peeta Mellark.
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Three days after Katniss's last Reaping, Gale Hawthorne proposes marriage.
She says no.
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A month later, she lets Gale kiss her for the first time.
It feels like kissing her brother.
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Eventually, she learns to tolerate the kisses.
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Three months later, he asks her to marry him again.
She says maybe.
She doesn't love him.
She thinks she'll grow to love him.
She gives him a chance.
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A year later, she finally says yes.
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Three months later, they're married.
Katniss wears one of her mother's old dresses. There isn't enough money to rent one.
After the ceremony, they move into their Capitol-assigned house in the Seam.
It doesn't feel like home.
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That night, they toast a loaf of dry bread in their newly laid fire.
The bread tastes of ash.
She tells herself it's from the char.
She knows it's a lie.
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The first time they have sex, Katniss wonders what all the fuss is about.
It doesn't seem worth the effort.
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Gale works in the mines.
Katniss hunts.
Two kids get Reaped. Many more die of starvation.
Time passes.
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On their one year wedding anniversary, Gale brings up the subject of children.
She says no.
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He tries again in six months.
The answer's the same.
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They have their first real fight two months later.
It's the same topic: children.
She will not give in.
Katniss spends the night curled up in her chair by the fire.
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It becomes a theme.
He wants children. She doesn't.
So long as the Games exist, so long as District Twelve can starve in safety, Katniss refuses to bring a child into the world.
Gale doesn't understand.
"But I love you!" he cries.
It's not reason enough.
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They go about their lives.
Cray retires.
Darius is appointed Head Peacekeeper.
Nothing changes.
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Three years into their marriage, Katniss and Gale stop sleeping in the same bed.
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A year after that, they stop talking.
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That spring, Katniss moves in with Prim and her new husband.
Gale doesn't even say goodbye.
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Divorce is illegal in Panem.
But everyone knows someone who's separated.
It's as common as knowing someone who died in the Games.
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Life goes on.
The baker dies.
His wife remarries.
His oldest son takes over the bakery.
His youngest son stays on to help.
He likes squirrels.
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Prim gets pregnant.
When Katniss asks her why, Prim answers, "I've always wanted to be a mother."
Katniss doesn't understand.
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When she holds her nephew in her arms, Katniss gets a glimmer of what she's missing.
But the want isn't great enough to overcome the fear.
It's not worth the pain.
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Two years after Katniss leaves, Leevy Hatfield moves in with Gale.
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She's pregnant six months later.
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Gale's daughter is born in June.
Katniss is happy for him.
They speak for the first time in over three years.
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That autumn, the baker's youngest son, Peeta, asks her to go for a walk.
She says no.
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A month after that, he invites her to stay for dinner.
She shakes her head.
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Prim asks her why.
Katniss doesn't have an answer.
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She dreams of him that night. Of a world where her child could be safe.
It's a lovely dream.
She knows part of it will never come true.
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A week later, she asks him to watch the sunset with her.
The smile on his face is blinding.
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They kiss for the first time during a snowstorm.
Katniss doesn't feel the cold.
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His kisses fuel a hunger within her.
She thinks she will never be full.
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He says I love you.
She says it back.
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They make love in the bakery storeroom, surrounded by flour and baking supplies.
Katniss finally understands what all the fuss is about.
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She still doesn't want children.
Peeta understands.
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Their toasting takes place in autumn. The bread is dark, rich. Full of nuts and fruit.
It tastes like heaven when he presses a piece against her lips.
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She moves into the bakery the next day.
It smells of home.
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Katniss hunts.
Peeta bakes.
The Games continue.
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Gale's daughter is Reaped when she's thirteen.
She dies in the bloodbath.
When her body is lowered into the ground, Gale finally understands.
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Twenty years pass.
Katniss has never been so happy.
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Gale dies in a mine explosion.
Like her father.
Like his father.
She still hates the mines.
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Katniss grieves for the loss of her legal husband, but his death doesn't incapacitate her.
She gives the family benefits to Leevy. Katniss hasn't been Gale's wife for over twenty five years.
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On her fiftieth birthday, Katniss dons a rented white dress and officially changes her name to Katniss Mellark.
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That night, when she and Peeta make love, they both cry tears of joy.
"You love me?" he breathes, resting his forehead against hers.
"Always."
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AN:
Written: 12/7/15
Revised: 12/8/15
We've always wanted to write what would've happened with Katniss and Gale if they'd married in Panem, but we wanted to do it extremely minimalist.
We like Gale. Seriously. We do not hate Gale. But he and Katniss don't work as a couple without a serious change in circumstances.
We hope you enjoyed.