So last time we learned a little more about Gale's and Delly's relationship. They are settling down little by little in their relationship - are they able to put things aside and return to having the deep conversations they used to have? And will they stick to the No Sex rule?

He still hunted with Katniss but was careful to only bring home the prepared game, and he changed at his mother's palace because Delly could not stand the smell of blood. It was a trigger for her nausea. At home, they switched to a vegetarian and fruit diet because that's what the baby favored.

It was March and she was twenty weeks, her belly was growing. Mrs. Everdeen came to check on Delly regularly. Because of Daniel, Mrs. Everdeen wanted them to make an appointment with the town doctor to do an ultrasound. This service was very expensive. They were saving up to have it done.

Gale had his hand on top of their baby. "Why don't we stay in bed today, and sleep? I'll cook, make anything you want."

"Gale, there is a snowstorm outside. We have to stay in."

"That's never stopped me before. Remember over the summer when I took you into the woods."

"It was so beautiful."

"I was so nervous, you wouldn't show up. I'd never taken a girl out to my space." Gale remembered how Katniss yelled at him for scaring away the game.

It was a perfect summery day. The woods were quiet and there weren't any signs of predators. Gale was glad the day had turned out so great. He couldn't wait to see his girl.

He waited for her. He had rushed through hunting and trading with Katniss to be early. Needless to say, Katniss was upset with him. He was pacing when he saw Delly coming over the small hill wearing those tight pants that showed off her figure. He was both dry-mouthed and utterly jealous of any man that gazed at her.

"Hi." She waved.

Her smile calmed him down.

"Come on," he held her hands, and together they went underneath the fence and walked along the high grass of the meadow on the opposite side. The forest loomed in the background. It was hot outside and the moment they reached the forest a cool breeze touched their faces. Delly stood still.

Gale stopped moving and turned to see her face. Her eyes closed as she took in the sounds and the scents of the woods. She embraced herself. He had never seen the woods like that. It became magical, everything sparkled.

He couldn't help the lopsided grin that developed on his face. She caught him, but he didn't care. Delly looked beautiful.

"It's wonderful."

He laughed at her enthusiasm. "Better than the Slag Heap?"

Her reaction to the Slag Heap was imprinted in his mind. At the beginning of their friendship, she'd been curious and he took her at a time he was sure that business was dead. When she saw the scantily clad waiters and waitresses she turned red. It was when he knew that he was dealing with a different type of girl and not the ones he was used to. He didn't bother waiting for their drinks. He took her by the hand and led her out of the Slag Heap instead he took her to the clearing that led to the railroad tracks.

"Gale!" Playfully, she took a swing at his arm. He gathered her in his arms and kissed her, what was supposed to be a playful kiss turned into something more.

"Delly," he whispered desperately as his hands slipped from her face. One slid through her hair cupping the back of her head. The other slid down her back and pressed her closer to him. The kiss grew wilder, hotter, and his member stirred to life. They had just done it for the first time a few days ago and he needed to calm down. Though seeing how flushed and ready for his touch she became didn't help.

He tore his mouth away from her. "This is not how I planned this day going." He kissed her again, and again. He couldn't get enough of her. He dragged himself away. His breathing was rough. "We've got to stop, Red."

"You're going to have to keep your paws off of me." She wiggled her eyebrows.

"Crap, I'm in trouble." He was stormy because he wanted to be with her but he forgot to bring protection with him.

She chuckled at his words."Why?"

"Because you're a distraction and the woods are not a place for Little Red Riding Hood when the hunter is too busy trying to keep his hands to himself."

After retrieving his bow, he held her hand as they walked further into the forest.

Delly was amazed by the things she saw. She looked up with glee when she saw the birds flying from up above. She gasped at the sounds of wild turkey and stood in awe of the lushness of the forest. He came to his bluff overlooking a valley below and mountains in the distance. This was a place he'd never taken anyone to, a place he often came to, to think and reflect. Sitting down, he looked into the distance. Delly sat next to him. Putting his arm around her, he felt a serene peace fall over his shoulders. "I love it here."

Delly didn't say anything. She put her head on his shoulder. They sat staring at the vastness of what Gale had once described as freedom. In that moment of peace, he felt he couldn't have imagined how much he would miss her when she was no longer with him. How his jealousy for a certain blond baker led him to destroy the one thing he treasured. His relationship with his Red.

Gale realized what a precious chance he was given. If no blood test had been required, Delly would've married Peeta and he would have never known that the child she carried was his. He would have been alone, or possibly settled into a marriage that wouldn't hold a candle to the relationship he had with Delly.

He closed his eyes once more, recalling that moment in the woods. That was one of his best days. He had shared something deeply powerful with her. Gale was glad there had been a test and that Delly was here in his arms with a second chance to be with her. Maybe in the summer when their baby was older he could take their baby and Delly out to the woods again.

He looked into her eyes, his hand softly stroked the bump. A lot of his anger came from the things he experienced as a kid. The woods were his escape, the place that somehow had all of the answers. "I want to take our baby one day to the woods so that he or she can experience it with me. I want to do the things my dad didn't do."

"We've never talked about your dad."

Gale swallowed. He never mentioned his father for reasons that were private. Delly never pressed him, but he needed to be honest with her. "I avoid talking about him."

"Baby," Delly put her hand over his. "The day you want to talk about him, I'm here."

Swallowing, he thought about taking the out she gave him. The baby swished and he felt it. He hadn't felt it yet, every time he missed it. "Red, the baby moved," he said in awe. "What does it feel like?"

"Sometimes it feels like a swish, and sometimes it feels like the baby is hopping around in there."

"Hey, I'm your daddy." The baby moved again. "I'm going to show you everything I know about hunting and we can go camping." It felt like the baby was getting excited by what he was saying.

"The baby loves your voice," Delly exclaimed with excitement.

Feeling their child move solidified the notion of fatherhood. He had so many fears about becoming a dad. He didn't want to be like his father, who was seldom sober. If anyone needed to know about his dad it was his Red.

Taking a deep breath he said, "My dad was a complicated man."

Delly didn't speak, she listened. Her face was open, her eyes filled with concern.

"He liked to drink. Often, he would spend his salary at the Slag Heap or buy white liquor from Ripper. I loved him and when he was sober, he was great, but he wasn't so nice when he drank. He'd make my mom cry. As a kid, I had to find ways to help feed us, especially when Rory and Vick were born."

"Gale."

"When you told me I had to control my temper and use my words, it made me think of my dad. I don't want my kid to hide because I'm yelling. I don't want to hurt you in my anger. I'm scared that I'm going to turn into my dad." Unwanted tears formed in his eyes. "I want to be able to talk to you, tell you how I feel."

Delly touched his face, and he breathed in and out. "You would never hurt me, and if it's any consolation, you're a horny drunk, and you're a lightweight."

He laughed.

"It's true, remember that night we made this little bundle...two glasses of wine and you were two sheets to the wind."

"Was not…"

"Gale, you chased me around the house naked, wanting to play big bad wolf."

"In my defense, I was only trying to eat you?" He wiggled his eyebrows and licked his lips.

Delly groaned.

She was the only girl he loved to eat out. He'd tried it once and hated it, but Red smelled so delicious. Every time he made her come with his fingers, her scent on his fingers made his mouth water. He remembered how she was lying beneath him soft and pliant after her orgasm. His fingers were still within her, and when he pulled them out, he couldn't resist.

He licked his fingers before jamming them in his mouth, and it was better than the juice of fresh blackberries. Dazed by what he had sampled, he'd gone down on her and the taste intensified. She tasted like honey, fresh blackberries, and sweet cream. Gale wanted to hear her cries of passion, wanted to see the blissful surrender when she came. He loved the soft look on her face afterward. His mouth watered just thinking about it. It was hard focusing on anything when he could smell her faint arousal.

She cupped his face, and he thought of how beautiful she was to him. How another girl wouldn't be as invested in him. He listened to her, thinking other men were fools for having passed up on his Red but, was extremely grateful they did. No one would ever know just how passionate Delly was.

Focusing on her lips he began to hear her words. She was talking about his dad and she made sense.

"...and your father did the best he could given his illness. I believe drinking in excess is an illness. Your dad was probably crushed by having to work in the mines and unable to say anything, turned to drink and other vices. I know the system isn't great. I hate it, hate knowing that to survive, we have to sell our children in marriage to a person they may never love. But getting back to the subject at hand, Gale. If you don't want to be like your father, you just have to work on your temper. I know there are a lot of injustices in this society, but look at it this way. We don't have to deal with the Hunger Games."

What she said made sense. His dad was checked out most of the time, not present. He was on a roll so he thought to continue telling her more truths. "You know, Red. You're the only one that I've ever let in, Delly, the only one that I let loose with. The only one I can be myself with and not be afraid to get hurt. When I thought you were with Mellark, I was so hurt and angry and I couldn't express it. The guy drives me crazy because he has a part of you and I'm jealous of him."

"You shouldn't be. He's my friend, more like my brother, and yeah, I tell him a lot of things, but I save the important stuff for you."

"You do?"

She nodded. "He doesn't know how much I love pears."

He chuckled. "It's close to an obsession, really."

"He doesn't know that I wanted to teach preschoolers, how much I like walking in the rain, or the fact that I dislike cheese-or how much I love to walk around naked." She took in a deep breath. "Or how I don't want to be a robot; like my parents. I want to give our baby love and support."

"You would never be a robot. You're too good, even for me. That's why you'd be a phenomenal teacher. As far as walking around naked, I need a demonstration of such an act to be sure that you are one hundred percent in the buff." She giggled as he continued speaking, "Though we have to talk about your dislike of cheese. As a lover of all things cheesy, I am deeply offended." He winked at her, though his voice sounded outraged. "Is it all cheese or do you have a preference?"

She leaned up and kissed him slowly. A slow moan emanated from him as he tasted her sweetness. His heart rate exploded, rushing a mixture of blood and thick desire south, causing him to get hard.

Gale wrapped his fist in the sheet to keep his hands from touching her. He wanted to do more than touch, he wanted to devour her.

"Gale put your hands on me," she said between kisses.

"Red, if I touch you, we'll break the no-sex rule."

"Screw the no sex rule." She panted, grabbing his face.

"Delly," he didn't want to go to a place they weren't ready for yet.

"Okay," she breathed out. "Okay, how about we make a new rule? Sunday morning we can do whatever we want." She traced his lips with her fingers. She swallowed thickly. "But only before you go hunting, because afterward, you smell funny."

"Okay, I can live with that." He let go of the sheet, and his hands touched her face. He kissed her and was surprised when Delly paused to squirm herself out of her clothing. She attacked him with a voracity he had never experienced. She sat astride him, seeking his cock. She licked her lips and made the sexiest noise when she sunk herself onto him.

"Delly," he moaned the moment they were joined. He was so ready to have her and by the intense heat and the slick way he easily slipped inside of her she was just as starved.

The coupling was fast as she set a quick pace and before he knew it he saw the flush on her body, the way her nipples tightened right before she came, and that pushed him over. And later, as she paraded buck naked in front of him, Gale thought Sundays should be considered a darned holiday.