Chapter forty-two: Changes

"I want love to conquer all. But love can't conquer anything. It can't do anything on its own. It relies on us to do the conquering on its behalf." —David Levithan

"Gale!" Prim exclaims, darting forward and throwing her arms around his waist.

With startled eyes—one of which I notice is pretty badly bruised—he looks down at her with the smallest trace of a smile and pats her on the shoulder. He seems hesitant to move all the way into the apartment, though, as if uncertain he's actually welcome. He simply stands frozen in the doorway, his gaze sweeping around the place, his eyes narrowing the more he takes in. He looks to be as out of place as I feel.

"Hey…" I finally manage, my voice coming out hoarse and wobbly and sounding more like a question than a greeting.

When his eyes finally meet mine, I find myself extremely aware of how intimately Peeta and I are still holding onto each other. I imagine Gale also witnessed our display of frenzied kisses a moment ago—or, rather, my display of frenzied kisses. With deeply flushed cheeks, I clear my throat and separate myself from Peeta's embrace. Then—because it's an indescribable relief to see Gale too—I move forward and give him a quick hug as well, with Prim sandwiched between us.

"God, I'm so glad to see you two are okay, you have no idea…." he says as I step back; his voice sounds as exhausted as he looks. "Things have been really crazy the last few days, Kat."

"What's been going on?" I ask, looking quickly from Gale to Peeta and back again in concern. "Is your family okay? What happened to your eye? And not that I'm unhappy to see you, but what in the world are you even doing here?"

"The family's okay, don't worry. They're staying with my uncle a couple towns over till things settle down. As for the eye and why I'm here, well, that's kind of a long story." He moves awkwardly into the apartment, looking akin to a cornered animal as Mr. Mellark shuts the door behind him and quickly proceeds to lock everything.

"I don't care how long the story is, I want to hear every word of it," I adamantly reply. As the rush of relief at their arrival begins to subside, I'm once again reminded of the many knots that have tangled my gut all day. I cross my arms and raise my brows at Peeta. "And I'm assuming you'll also explain why you've been so obnoxiously vague in your texts all day? And why you lied about where you were going this morning?"

Peeta cringes slightly at my tone and immediately begins apologizing, "I'm sorry, Katniss, I really am, but you wouldn't have let me leave if I'd told you. I didn't want you to worry any more than what you already were—"

"I didn't want you to leave this morning as it was but that didn't stop you from going anyway, now did it?" I retort. "You shouldn't have lied to me. I was still worried sick all day. Some sort of hint would've been nice. It's not like I could've left this place to stop you even if I'd wanted to, and I would've rather known what to worry about rather than worrying about every worst possible scenario."

Peeta bites his bottom lip and nods, raising his eyebrows in apology. He doesn't look sorry for lying, however, just sorry that I'm upset with him over it—and perhaps a little mortified that I'm chastising him in front of his dad and Gale. Agitation flickers in my chest like fire, but I inhale deeply to extinguish it.

We'll discuss the whole 'lying' issue later, without an audience. For now, I just want to know what's been kept hidden from me and why. Bringing my thumb and index finger to the bridge of my nose, I give a heavy sigh of relent.

"Nevermind all that for now. Can someone just please tell me what's been going on? I think I deserve to know."

Peeta nods and parts his lips but before he can get a word out, Gale speaks up.

"Well, the short side of my story is that I was arrested over the weekend for starting a small riot outside the police station." He says this all in a very nonchalant way, as if it's something that happens all the time—he even sounds sort of proud of what he did. I narrow my eyes at him, slack-jawed and momentarily speechless at his recklessness. He isn't fazed by my reaction, though; he simply shrugs and points at Peeta with his thumb. "Your little boyfriend here pulled some strings and got me out, for some reason I don't know. Until just now, I thought you put him up to it."

"No," I give an adamant shake of my head, "I would've let you stay in there and rot for being such a damned idiot! Why in the world would you go and provoke Coin at a time like this? What the hell were you thinking? Do you want to get us all killed?"

"Believe it or not, that was the exact thing I was trying to prevent," Gale replies with a deep frown, "That is, if you weren't dead already. I had no way of knowing, Katniss, and I wasn't going to keep quiet one way or the other."

I don't know what to say; my mind is a whirlwind. Of course I shouldn't have expected Gale to sit quietly in the shadows during all of this, but I also didn't think he'd take things to such an extreme. Now that he's asserted in the worst way possible that he's an enemy of Coin and his crew, they're going to go out of their way to make his life hell—and his siblings will undoubtedly be caught in the crossfire. And, of course, anyone else that helped him….

I quickly turn to Peeta in a panic, dread washing over me like ice water. "You went to the police station? That's possibly the stupidest thing—"

Peeta shakes his head quickly, holding up his hands in defense, "No, no, no. I didn't. I wouldn't. I had someone else pay his bail. I didn't go anywhere near the police station."

"Who did, then?"

"I don't know. No one you know either. I paid Haymitch to pay a guy he knows to do it, no questions asked, and I trust his judgment." I scoff and roll my eyes at this, but Peeta's expression remains serious. He reaches out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear and I have half a mind to swat his hand away; instead I only deepen my scowl and cross my arms over my chest again.

"Yeah, well, Haymitch gets paid to spy on others, and I don't exactly trust anyone whose trustworthiness can be bought. All it takes is someone paying more before they turn on you. All it takes is one little slip up—"

"I assure you my name wasn't involved in any way and neither was yours. No one saw me anywhere but the bakery, which Dad decided to close after noon. I put up window decorations and painted a pumpkin; it was all very inconspicuous," Peeta reassures. "And I know you have your issues with Haymitch, but as far as his job goes he's very professional. He knows what he's doing. I wouldn't have hired him if he didn't have a track record of getting things done right."

I'm just about to argue the point that there's always a first time to fail, but Gale speaks up again before I can, "For what it's worth, the dude that paid my bail and gave me a ride—he seemed alright. Didn't ask or say much, didn't even give me his name. Just dropped me off at a truck stop outside of town and told me to stay there till someone came to get me. I asked who was picking me up, who gave him the money to bail me out and why, but he wouldn't say—just that 'a friend' helped me and that's all he could tell me. Since none of my friends have money, let alone enough to pay my way out of jail, it didn't really answer anything. So I waited there till after dark, not sure what or who to expect, and was just about to start walking home when these guys pulled up… and here we are. Why I'm here, I don't know. I'm as in the dark about that as you are."

With that, I turn to Peeta again with searching eyes, ready to probe him with a million questions, but before I can ask anything he places his hands on my shoulders and gives them a gentle, consoling squeeze.

"Look, I know you have a lot of questions, and I intend to answer each one as best I can," he assures as if reading my mind. "So how about we all just calm down a bit, go sit in the kitchen, have something to eat, and we'll talk everything out in there?"

Although I have no appetite and couldn't care less about food at the moment, I nod in reply, and before I can stop him he leans in and kisses my forehead.

As he lowers his hands from my shoulders and steps back, he adds in a would-be casual tone, "I, uh, also have some really good news that might make you a little less angry with me. Or, at the very least, a bit happier in general."

"What is it?" I ask, my mind immediately reeling with all the possibilities of what he'd constitute as 'really good news'. Peeta is a naturally positive person; it could be anything.

A smile tugs the corners of his mouth and he gives a quick wink, "You'll probably want to be sitting down when I tell you. Like I said in my texts, I wanted to wait and tell you in person."

Then with a wave of his hand, he indicates for us all to follow him. I glance questioningly at Gale; he simply shrugs, seemingly as in the dark as I am, and promptly follows Peeta into the kitchen.

Prim and I are just about to join when Mr. Mellark informs us that he's going to check in on Mom and that he'll catch up with us in a little bit. His voice is hushed and his eyes are fixed on the floor. Standing only a few feet from us, he seems to be a million miles away.

My heart sinks to my stomach as I remember the journal, my brother's name… and I can't help but wonder if my suspicions are true—and if they are, if he's already put the pieces together.

I say nothing in reply; I nod once and stand awkwardly, fidgeting with my fingers and feeling as if my thoughts are written all over my face. Prim, however, is quick to inform him of Mom's 'progress' of going to the bathroom and singing today. As she does so, I notice a small, wistful smile come to his face. It's a smile of wanting to believe, of wanting to hope, while also being scared that it'll all be in vain; it's a smile of which I've become very well-acquainted.

Without saying much else he goes down the hall to Mom's room, and Prim and I proceed to join the guys in the kitchen.

As we approach the doorway, I overhear Peeta and Gale having a rather heated conversation. It makes me hesitant of whether to enter the room or not; at a time like this, I really don't want to be the mediator of some sort of testosterone- driven showdown between my boyfriend and best friend. As I get nearer, however, I'm relieved to find that while their tones are tense, their actual discussion remains civil—perhaps overly so. I glance warily at Prim. She raises her eyebrows and shrugs before entering the room, leaving me with no other choice but to follow her.

"You don't owe me anything. What you've done to help Katniss over the years is priceless. Consider it a payment of gratitude," Peeta says, leaning back against the counter with his arms crossed and a strained smile on his face.

I glance over at Gale, who is sitting at the table; his eyes are narrowed and he looks a bit insulted.

"I helped Katniss because she's a friend, because it was the right thing to do. Not because I expected anyone's gratitude or anything else out of it," he dismisses. "I'll pay you back."

"I helped you for the same exact reasons, because it was the right thing to do and because you're Katniss' friend," Peeta counters. "I consider the money well spent and I don't want it back. Seriously. You helped out a lot more than you realize—"

"Yeah well, like it or not, I'm still going to pay you back," Gale gruffly replies. "I knew what I was getting into when I did it; I didn't ask for anyone's help."

"I know you didn't ask for help and I doubt you ever would. Usually the people who need help the most are the least likely to ask for it."

By the redness of Gale's face and the clenching of his jaw, I know that he's holding back what he really wants to say. Blunt as he's being, this is about as polite as he gets, and while I'm sure he's truly thankful for Peeta's help, he'd never admit to needing or wanting it. He'll only accept the charity as a debt owed. I know this because we're very much alike in that way.

Thankfully they both stop pushing the issue, falling silent as I sit down across from Prim and Gale at the table and clear my throat. "So how about this good news you mentioned…?"

"Right. I'll be getting to that in a second, just let me get the food right quick," Peeta says as he walks over to the refrigerator and opens the door. "So what do you all want to eat? Sandwiches sound good? I'm feeling kind of lazy about cooking. It's been a long day. Hope no one minds?"

"Sandwiches are more than fine, Peeta," I snap, growing more frustrated and impatient with each passing second.

After a few minutes he brings over a huge dinner platter and places it down in the center of the table. On it lies ham, roast beef, bologna, salami, turkey, four different cheeses, every condiment you could think of, and of course his own hand- made bread—two kinds, wheat and white. Leave it to Peeta to turn the simplicity of sandwiches into a miniature feast. I glance over at Gale to see him staring at the food with both hunger and resentment. He's no doubt facing an internal conflict, debating whether or not he wants to add this meal to his self-proclaimed debt to Peeta.

"Please, help yourselves. There's plenty here and more besides," Peeta encourages as he brings a stack of plates over.

Gale shakes his head and crosses his arms. "Thanks but I'm good."

Peeta shrugs and takes a seat beside me, wasting no time in preparing his own food.

"Suit yourself but I doubt whatever you had in jail was very filling let alone appetizing. Like I said, there's plenty here. Not eating it would only be a waste."

For a moment Gale says nothing. His body language screams volumes, however; his hands clench and his brows draw together to form a deep crease between. His lips settle in a taught line as he tries to figure out what the catch is to Peeta's kindness and how much it'll end up costing him.

"Oh, just stop being stubborn and eat something already," I finally blurt. "I assure you Peeta won't expect you to trade your soul for a sandwich, Gale."

Then, knowing he won't eat anything unless I do, I hastily begin making a turkey sandwich for myself.

Gale scowls at me before turning his gaze to Prim, who simply smiles encouragingly and begins making a sandwich as well. Grudgingly relenting, he gives a small shake of his head, releases a breath, and reaches for some bread. He winds up only making a bologna sandwich, with a single piece of lunchmeat and nothing else, and when he finally takes a bite he looks down at the table in shameful defeat, carefully avoiding eye contact with the rest of us.

"So now that we're all sitting and eating," Peeta announces with a sudden air of excitement, "I guess I can share the good news now…." He pauses and looks around at us for dramatic effect with a smile on his face to rival the Cheshire cat.

Gale chews slowly and looks at him as if he's an idiot, Prim pauses with wide, expectant eyes, holding her sandwich halfway to her mouth, and I turn to him with raised eyebrows, hoping his announcement is something greater than simply discovering a new recipe or something.

"Which is…?" I prompt.

"Which is, a couple hours ago Coin was arrested along with most of his staff—"

As soon as the words leave his mouth and before he can even finish his sentence, Gale begins bombarding him with a flurry of questions. I can't make out what they're saying, though… it's all muffled background noise as I process the news. My heart is pounding in my ears and I feel as if I'm in a very lucid, impossibly hopeful dream, bound to wake up at any moment to crushing disappointment.

I search Peeta's face with disbelieving eyes, looking for any sign of deception. It'd almost be easier to believe he's lying, that he's playing some sort of cruel joke. But when I see the spark of triumph in his eyes and the radiant grin on his face, all I see is honesty. All I see is hope. And it causes fear to strike through me so strongly that it takes my breath away.

It's frightening to be so close to a happy ending—or rather a happy beginning—knowing it can slip away at any moment. For years, all I've known was torment and struggle, starvation and worry; the mere act of waking and breathing was an enormous triumph. Hollow hope was all I had to live on. The simple notion that things could be worse is what kept me alive. 'Good' before Peeta was really 'good enough' and good enough was feeling elated at having the first and only filling meal in months. But now, good enough has elevated to great, on the verge of becoming wonderful. It's so close that I can touch it with the tips of my fingers, yet still too far away to grasp… and it fills me with dread that I may never reach it.

"You're 100% sure?" I hear Gale ask as my ears begin to focus again, "You know for sure they were taken away in handcuffs, that they've been charged?"

"I'm 110% sure," Peeta nods, "Haymitch watched it all go down, saw them being escorted and driven away, even talked to the FBI agents afterwards to make sure he was right before telling me anything. Seems we got you out right before it all happened."

"Damn," Gale shakes his head, looking completely flabbergasted as he sits back in his chair, "I kind of wish you would've let me stay in there. I could've died happy seeing those bastards taken away in cuffs."

"For what it's worth, the case is bound to get a lot of publicity. It'll be all over the news and the internet. You definitely haven't missed your opportunity to see them in handcuffs, not by a long shot," Peeta replies.

"Remind me to avoid the TV at all costs then," I mutter. "I'd rather not see them ever again. Not on the news, not anything. Not unless it's behind bars. Not even then, actually. I'd be happy to forget they even exist."

Peeta places his hand over mine, giving it a gentle squeeze as he turns to me and states with no trace of doubt, "There's no way in hell they're getting out of this, Katniss. In a few years, you'll have a new life—a happy one—and they'll cease to matter or even exist to you. This'll all just be a bad memory."

I nod and look over at Gale; he quickly averts his eyes from our clasped hands as if he'd been caught being a voyeur or something. With reddening cheeks, I promptly take my hand from Peeta's and rest it upon my lap. I know it's as weird for Gale to see me with a boyfriend as it is for me to get used to having one.

It's merely hand holding, innocent enough, but I feel as if those little gestures give hints to the other not-so-innocent things Peeta and I have done. It's not that I regret them or that they embarrass me, really—after all, I'm positive that Gale isn't exactly innocent himself, but I'd rather keep the awkwardness between the three of us at a bare minimum.

"You seem awfully optimistic. Let's just hope they don't weasel their way out of everything or get a slap on the wrist," Gale dryly remarks, cutting his eyes at Peeta with a frown. "Lord knows the courts tend to view all cops as noble, respectable heroes, no matter how corrupt and sadistic they may be."

"From what I hear, the FBI had someone undercover in the department for months, so they've collected more than enough evidence against them. They wanted to go into this thing with enough proof to rid any question of innocence," Peeta states. "They would've been arrested eventually anyway, but with the reports of fake deaths, the recent town riot, and a bunch of uproar in the media, things got pushed forward really quickly. Haymitch supposes most of the officers will cave and make a deal to testify against Coin, claiming they had no other choice but to go along with what he ordered. Even if they do get a slap on the wrist—which isn't even a possibility for Coin at this point—at least they'll never work in this jurisdiction again."

"If all that's true, good riddance," Gale replies. "In any case, I'm sure there'll be more than enough witnesses to testify against them—including me, if need be. Every person they dicked around over the years is now a stepping stone closer to them hanging themselves. Hard to think of anyone in their right mind who'd even try to defend them or be on their side."

"Right," Peeta agrees. "Like I said, there's no way they're getting out of this, and that's not me being optimistic… just realistic. They've been flinging dirt for so long they've created a hole they can't climb out of."

"I'm glad about Coin being arrested and all, but what about Snow? Was he arrested too? Did you give them our notebooks and stuff?" Prim asks in a small, timid voice. Throughout this entire exchange, she's been silent and pensive, probably ruminating over the news and what it may mean for us, as I have.

Needless to say, this question is one I was too afraid to ask myself, and it immediately gets my full attention.

My heart leaps to my throat, however, as I see Peeta's smile instantly wither into a frown.

He heaves a breath and shrugs before answering, "I'm… I'm honestly not sure about that yet. They do have your notebooks—and the pictures—Haymitch gave it all to them in person right after everything happened this afternoon. They haven't had a chance to look through any of it yet, though, at least not that I'm aware of anyway, since they've been preoccupied with the arrests and the state and attempting to get the police station in working order again. Haymitch said they'd be getting hold of him for more information as soon as they get a chance to look it all over, though. Should be within the next few days.

For the time being they do know you're alive and safe and also why you're hiding out here, so at least there's no worries about that.

As for Snow being arrested, a lot of people were arrested today and all the names haven't been released yet, but I'm not sure if he was one of them since he was at the hospital and not at the station. I have no doubt he'll be arrested soon, though, if he hasn't been already. It's only a matter of time. Haymitch said he'd check everything out tomorrow as best he can, so we'll know something soon."

"Even if he hasn't been arrested yet, Katniss took a huge chunk out of him and Coin isn't there for him to fall back on. He's up shit creek without a paddle right now; likely he'll hide with his tail between his legs. I don't think you need to fear him any, especially if you all plan on staying here. He's not smart enough to get past the front gate, let alone all the security," Gale assures Prim before turning to me with an approving look. "Way to go on shooting the asshole, by the way. Should've aimed for his head, heart, or a leg… but at least you shot him. It was a long time coming."

"Yeah, well I never planned on it. Thought of it a million times, but I never would've done it if I hadn't been forced to," I reply with a heavy sigh as I absentmindedly pick at the crust of my uneaten sandwich.

"After it happened, Coin came to my door asking if I was hiding you all out somewhere, that if I knew where you were to fess up or pay the consequences. I didn't know where you were, but of course I wouldn't have told him shit even if I did," Gale says. "He made a bunch of threats, basically saying whoever was hiding you was going to regret it, that you were dead either way. I didn't really get it until I saw the smoke coming from your place and heard the news the next day. After that, I knew they were up to something and that something was going to affect us all in a very bad way. I wasn't going down without a fight, not without shedding some light on their crap, and apparently I wasn't alone. All it took was me and a couple others and it didn't take long at all for the rest to join in. Power in numbers, and numbers multiply."

"Did you know we weren't dead?" I ask.

"Well, I reasoned that if you were dead they wouldn't have come to my door asking for you, but I didn't know for sure after that. It was impossible to know if they'd found you and killed you, and if the reports of murder and arson were just a decoy to throw the public off. I remembered what you said a couple days before though, about your boyfriend calling the FBI and hiring a PI or whatever and you being all worked up about it, so I just hoped you'd gotten over it and he'd somehow gotten you to a safe place. I didn't know for sure, though. There was no way of knowing. I just hoped… and worried. I'm just glad I hoped right and you got away safely," Gale says, frowning and looking lost in his thoughts for a moment. He then glances over at Peeta and gives a small nod as if to say thanks, which he silently returns.

"He couldn't have been very far behind us. If Peeta hadn't come when he had…" I shake my head, trying to rid my mind of the horrific alternatives of what could've happened.

"We'd be dead," Prim finishes for me. She doesn't look up from the plate in front of her. From her quiet tone and solemn expression it's as if it's just now hitting her how narrowly we escaped death.

"But you're still alive, aren't you?" Peeta asks, raising his eyebrows. She nods and shrugs a shoulder, but still doesn't look up from her plate. "You're alive and well and you will be for a very long time. Things happened the way they did because they were meant to happen that way. There's no point in dwelling and being sad over bad things that could've happened, otherwise you'd never be happy—and you deserve to be happy."

"Exactly what he said, kiddo. Being happy is the best revenge you can get against those suckers. Just think of it this way: they're gonna be the ones losing their lives soon, and yours is only just beginning," Gale adds. He then reaches over and playfully tousles her hair, bringing a small, reluctant smile to her face as she shoos him away. Her smile doesn't quite meet her eyes, though; whatever is on her mind is weighing pretty heavily.

"I am happy, mostly," Prims replies with a shrug. "But people can't be happy all the time. Even if they wanted to be. It's impossible." Before anyone can reply, she scoots her chair back from the table, leaving a half-eaten sandwich on her plate. She glances over at me with red cheeks and watery eyes. "Do we still have some of Mom's mix in the fridge? I think it's time for her to eat again. Mr. Mellark will probably help me…."

I nod slowly, feeling as if I should say something comforting or positive to cheer her up, but no words come to mind. Instead I only question her with my eyes, which she purposefully avoids as she retrieves the puree and leaves the room without another word.

"I didn't mean to upset her," Peeta says, giving me a worried look.

"Me neither," Gale adds.

I sigh and shake my head.

"Neither of you said anything wrong. She'll be alright. It's just kind of hard to be happy when people expect it of you. She's only eleven-years-old and she's been handling all this a hell of a lot better than I've been. She needs her moments of sadness. It's better than keeping it all bottled up."

"Of course," Peeta agrees. "I didn't mean she should never be sad and I wasn't expecting her to be happy. I only meant that the things you guys have been through are already more than haunting enough, it doesn't do any good to dwell on horrible stuff that could've happened but didn't. I know from experience that once you start down that path of thinking, it's hard to step out of it."

"I'm sure she knew what you meant, Peeta, and I doubt it's just one thing that has her upset right now. It was already really tough on her to write everything down the other night, and then with Snow being a big question mark at the moment… well, she's probably feeling how I am: worried that he'll somehow slither away from all this and we'll always have to live in fear of him striking out of nowhere. Coin was the big-bad for the town, and so it's great that he's arrested and all, but Snow was our personal big-bad… and we just want all this to be over with for good."

"We all want this to be over with for good," Gale says.

"That goes without saying," Peeta remarks. He rubs his eyes as he turns to me. "I'm going to go talk to her—"

"Peeta, you really don't have to," I begin to counter, but I stop as he shakes his head.

I can tell by the look on his face that his mind has already been made up. The truth is, if any one of us has the right words to cheer Prim up right now, it's Peeta. I should probably be the one talking to her, but at the moment, with all the anxieties and fears going through my head, I'd likely wind up making everything substantially worse. In fact, guilt fills me as I recall today – how Prim had to once again be my rock.

She's tiny for her age, but she's stronger in mind and heart than most adults I know, so much so that sometimes I forget that she's only a child. A child who has been through hell and back and needs a rock of her own—one that's not crumbling like me.

"No, I do. Even if she knew what I meant, I still want to make sure she's alright. Besides, I need to talk to Dad about something and I'm sure you two would like to talk for a bit without me hanging around like a third wheel." Peeta says the last part like a joke, but his voice and demeanor doesn't match. I search his face, but it's once again masked behind an unreadable, somber expression.

Gale snorts and arches an eyebrow at Peeta. "Believe me, you're not the third wheel here," he says. "But I would like to talk to Katniss alone for a few minutes, now you mention it."

At this, Peeta's already solemn expression sinks even further. His eyebrows furrow and his lips tighten as he looks from Gale to me in question. When I say nothing—because I really don't know what to say—Peeta sighs heavily, looking reluctant but resigned, and replies with a curt and quiet, "Okay. I'm going."

I search his face, wondering why he suddenly seems so defeated, but he avoids looking in my direction. If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was mad at me… but I didn't do anything wrong, so why would he be? I then notice him glance furtively over at Gale once more, almost as if warning him, and that's when it hits me: Peeta is jealous.

And though he's trying his hardest to hide it, he's not doing a very good job.

It's absurd, irritating, and adorable, and it takes all my willpower not to tell him he's a huge idiot if he's jealous about Gale. Then again—the guilt returns to my stomach—I have been sort of pushing him away since they arrived, just so I wouldn't make things awkward. I didn't think it was affecting Peeta… but evidently it had been.

Just as he moves his chair back to stand up, I place my hand on his leg and lean over with the intention of giving him a quick peck on the cheek, just to let him know he has nothing to worry about. Peeta, however, abruptly but gently places his hands on the sides of my face and brushes his lips against mine before I have time to react.

"Real subtle," I hear Gale scoff as Peeta pulls away. "Dude, I know she's your girlfriend. No need to mark your territory."

"I know there's no need," Peeta replies dismissively as he stands up, "I just wanted to, so I did. Happens a lot." As if to prove his point, he places his hands on my shoulders from behind, leans over, and kisses the top of my head. Gale stares unblinkingly at him in a bored, unimpressed way, and I roll my eyes at both of them, my cheeks burning hotter than the sun.

"See you in a bit," Peeta tells me with a forced half-smile, "Try not to say too many bad things about me."

I give him a weary, disbelieving look, "Really? Peeta, the worst thing I have to say about you is that you make way too much food. Thanks… for talking to Prim. Actually, thanks for everything."

This gets a grin out of him—a real one that meets his eyes—and in turn, it makes me smile as well. "No need to thank me. See you in a bit," he says, then begins walking towards the doorway. He stops suddenly, hesitates, and turns back to me. "I love you, Katniss," he states quickly, then turns around to leave again without waiting for an answer.

I avoid Gale's eyes as I quickly call after him, "I love you too."

Gale snorts at this and mumbles something under his breath, and I cut my eyes at him. He looks as if he's just sipped sour milk or something. Instead of the self-consciousness I felt earlier, now all I feel is defiance. Peeta is my boyfriend, I love him, and he's not going anywhere. Gale will just have to get used to it or get over it. Things will only be awkward as long as we tiptoe around the subject.

"What was that, Gale?" I challenge, raising my eyebrows at him. "If you have something to say, then say it."

"Nothing, it's just… you love each other? Really? You've only been dating for like what, a month or two?" He raises an eyebrow at me and shakes his head.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do love him," I admit without hesitance, my heart thumping hard against my ribs. "And whether it's a day, a week, a month, a year… when you love someone, you know it. It might seem like a short time to you, but we've been through a lot in the time we've been together. He's stood by me through everything, lifted me out of hell. It feels like I've been with him for years, and yet it also feels like being with him forever wouldn't be long enough. So yeah, I love him."

Gale doesn't seem convinced, he simply continues to look at me as if I'm a child trying to make him believe in Santa.

As if everything I just said went in one ear and out the other, he leans forward and asks in a low, serious tone, "So are you really happy here, Kat? Honestly. If you're not, I can take you guys with me—"

"I am," I answer with a wave of my hand before he can finish, "at least as much as I can be given the circumstances. Besides, Prim loves it here and we're safer here than anywhere else."

"I know you're safe here, that's not the point," he says, raising his eyebrows. "Then what is your point?"

"Is dough boy taking advantage of the situation?" he blurts, looking mortified at his own implications. "Is he taking advantage of you?"

"Did you hear anything I just said a minute ago?" I ask incredulously. "For one, do you think he would've brought you here if he was? And secondly, do you honestly think I'm easily taken advantage of?"

"I heard you and all. I just think you're willing to do whatever it takes to keep Prim safe and happy, especially under the circumstances—even if that means pretending to love the guy. Look, just because you're dating him and living here, just because he's nice and gives you things, that doesn't mean you're obligated to do or say anything you're not comfortable with."

"I know that. I'm not an idiot. I appreciate your concern, but rest assured Peeta has never once made me feel obligated to do anything. He's been a perfect gentleman," I assert, my hands trembling with adrenaline.

"Has he?" Gale asks dryly. "Just from the look on your face and how lovey-dovey you two have been in front of me in the short time I've been here, I find that hard to believe."

"Yeah, well, I really don't care what you believe. It's none of your business, Gale. If you really want the gritty details of our relationship—"I begin in a heated fluster.

Gale holds up a hand to stop me and shakes his head with a cringe. "I don't."

"Good, because it's not like I was going to tell you anyway," I counter, crossing my arms. "With everything going on, after all Peeta has done for me and Prim, how he bailed you out and brought you here when he didn't have to do a damn thing, I can't believe you're still second guessing his motives. He doesn't have any. He's just a genuinely good person. And he's not going anywhere, so you might as well get used to it."

Gale crosses his arms and studies my face for a minute, as if trying to figure something out. I cross my arms and look at him just the same, refusing to avert my eyes. After a moment, his shoulders fall and he looks around the room in a tired way before rubbing his eyes.

"Look, I had to ask, okay? I worry about you," he says softly. "I don't want to see you go from one abusive situation to another of a different kind. You know better than I do how love can blind you sometimes. I'm sure your mom thought Snow was a wonderful—"

"Gale, stop. You're treading a very fine line," I assert through gritted teeth. "I'm nothing like my mom, and to even compare Peeta to Snow… that's ridiculous and wrong on so many levels."

"I wasn't comparing anyone, calm down," Gale replies, narrowing his eyes. "He seems like a nice enough guy and it looks like he cares for you quite a bit—"

"He does, for some reason I don't quite understand."

"I understand completely," Gale replies strongly, causing me to give him a strange look. "You're a diamond in the rough, Katniss. You and Prim, both. I'm surprised—and relieved—that it's taken this long for a guy to fall for you. I'm glad he seems to be a decent guy. But don't let your guard down and don't take anything for granted, and don't let yourself be taken for granted. He has money and all that, but you're not beneath him. That's all I'm saying. You might think you owe this dude a huge debt for all he's done, but you don't. You don't owe him squat."

"Peeta has never given the impression that he thinks he's better than me. He's not like that at all. He's a total sweetheart, and he treats me way better than I deserve most of the time—"

Gale looks at me sternly, "You deserve to be treated the best at all times, no matter how annoying you may be."

I roll my eyes and continue, "Anyways, he doesn't expect anything from me. And he doesn't expect anything from you either. Even though you're an idiot who doesn't know how to say thank you."

"That's my debt, Katniss, and I'm going to pay it," he stubbornly replies. "I don't know why the hell he paid my way out of jail in the first place. We barely even know each other."

"Perhaps you should stop lecturing me and learn to accept help without feeling indebted, yourself?" I loftily point out. "Just a thought."

We both fall silent for a moment until Gale speaks up again, his voice distant and thoughtful, "So what's going to happen now?"

"Not sure what you're talking about in particular, but I do know that my answer is 'I have absolutely no idea'," I reply with a heavy sigh.

"Everything is on the verge of changing, you know that right? Nothing will ever go back to how it was before."

"And I couldn't be happier for it."

But I also couldn't be more worried.