14.

Gale had been too close to the shelves. The explosion threw him right into them and it sucked the breath right out of his lungs. Then, of course, gravity happened and he slammed back down on the ground with a groan of pain.

Behind him the floor-to-ceiling high shelf wobbled and…

"No!" a familiar voice shouted.

Impossible, he thought, dazed, just as a blast of magic rushed past him, through him.

The shelf stopped wobbling and Gale lifted his head to find Effie Trinket with both hands raised in his direction. She was blonde once more, too thin with shadows under her blue eyes, and she barely met his gaze before her legs gave under her and she collapsed in a heap on the floor.

There was a movement on his right. Abernathy. The right version. Shaggy long dirty blond hair, no scar on his face, tired-looking… Mean looking knives in each hand…

"I'm fine!" she called before he could try to get to her.

Gale let his head hang with pure relief.

It had worked.

It had worked.

"What the hell?" Katniss spat from the other side of the room, brandishing a not yet fledged arrow in her hand. She had probably been fixing it when he had appeared, he figured. She had… Prim was behind her.

And…

He spotted Sejanus getting to his feet and he quickly grabbed a nearby chair to haul himself to his feet, pointing at him. "He's a vengeance demon!"

Katniss, to her credit, didn't hesitate one second. She pushed Prim further behind her and took a fighting stance. Abernathy's eyes lingered on Gale a moment longer but he also turned to face the threat, flipping one of his knives so he was holding it by the tip of the blade, ready to toss it – and, fine, that move was pretty cool and maybe Gale wouldn't mind learning it. Trinket was still on the floor, her nose bleeding, looking both close to passing out and ready to cry.

Sejanus brushed himself as if to get rid of imaginary dust, making a small face. "I prefer justice demon, actually. And…" He inspected his hands with a small frown. "It seems, thanks to your brash actions, I'm human again. That was… unexpected."

"Gale?" Katniss barked. For an explanation, he figured.

"He's…" he started only to fall silent when he realized… He looked to the spot Mellark had been kneeling but there was no trace of chalk on the floor, no… "Where's Mellark?" he asked, panic making his chest feel too tight. He turned to Sejanus, glaring accusingly at him. "Where's Mellark?"

"I'm here."

Gale whirled around, his eyes darting up in the direction of the voice… And finding the other boy on the wooden pathway that circled the second floor of the library, his hands clutching the balustrade as he leaned over to see what was going on below… Dark shadows under his eyes, the same haunted look on his face, the same distance he seemed to put into anything since hell but…

Two legs.

No glowing white halo around him.

Gale swallowed hard. "Not you. The other one." He turned back to Sejanus. "Where's the other Mellark? He was right there."

He was very aware everyone in the library was puzzled and at least two of them were ready to attack the vengeance demon at the smallest provocation but… He needed Sejanus to tell him where Mellark was because…

"In his own world, I would imagine." Sejanus replied with a shrug. "Where he belongs."

"No." Gale snarled, taking a threatening step toward the demon, fists bunched at his side. "I promised Trinket I would get him out. I promised I…"

"Boy." Abernathy cut in, swiftly stepping in his path – preventing him from getting closer to the demon. "We're gonna need some explanation here. But first… Effie, that one's a demon or what?"

Trinket didn't seem in any state to give a definite answer but she made an effort to sit up, dabbing at her upper lip and the fresh blood there with the back of her hand. "Hard to say. He feels human to me but…"

"Gale destroyed my talisman. I am as human as you." Sejanus answered quietly.

"Doesn't seem to be bothering you much." Abernathy growled.

Gale tried to step around the man to confront the demon again but the Watcher wouldn't let him. He kept blocking his path. Frustrated, Gale finally hit his arm to make him understand, earning himself a glare for his trouble.

"You don't get it! Mellark's in trouble. He…" he insisted.

"I'm here." Mellark said again from the upper floor.

"Not you!" he shouted back, passing a hand over his face, sick to his stomach. He had left the other boy behind. He had…

"If the demon… Former demon wanted to harm us, the wards would kill him." Trinket muttered. "I suggest tying him up until Gale can explain himself. Does that sound reasonable to you, Gale?"

He wasn't an idiot.

He knew she was only asking his opinion because he looked upset.

They were all looking at him like he was about to blow, like he was about to prove them right when they said he shouldn't be involved.

He wouldn't give them the pleasure so he nodded, stepping back while Abernathy took out some rope from wherever he kept it – who kept ropes in a library? – to tie an unresisting Sejanus up. The demon seemed unconcerned.

At a loss for what else to do and because Katniss was still watching Sejanus, ready to intervene, Gale walked closer to Trinket and offered a hand to help her up. A flash of surprise passed on her face before she grabbed it and let him pull her to her feet. And helped her to a chair because her legs didn't seem to be able to support her.

"I will make some tea." Prim offered once the demon was tied up on another chair.

"Anything but tea." Gale begged, making a face as he remembered the disgusting taste of that thing they had been drinking in the other world and…

"Hot cocoa, I think, if you don't mind, dear." Trinket amended after shooting him another curious glance. "A soda for me. And anything sugary you have on hand in the kitchen."

Abernathy rounded the table to rest a big hand on her shoulder, peering at her with worry. "You're okay? Did you get it back?"

"A fluke." she dismissed, shaking her head. "I saw him in danger and I simply reacted but… It was barely a flicker of power and I feel just as empty as before if not more."

The Watcher squeezed her shoulder. "Well, at least we know you've still got it in you…"

She sighed. "I suppose."

Abernathy took the chair next to her, his face looking strained. The other Abernathy hadn't looked like that. He didn't know if it was the drinking or the weight of the magic wards, like Katniss claimed, but…

"So?" the man challenged as Katniss finally, reluctantly, took a seat. She had exchanged her arrow for a knife. Prim came back with some drinks, handed them around and sat down before anyone could tell her to go up to her room. Mellark didn't come down, he sat on the pathway, legs dangling between two bars of the balustrade and watched…

Gale couldn't sit.

He could only pace and glare at the demon who still looked entirely too placid.

After a few seconds of frantic walking – and worrying about the other Mellark – he turned an accusing look – a hurt look – to Katniss. "I've been gone two days and you didn't even worry?"

The girl's eyes grew wide, her eyebrows flying high.

"You've been gone an hour and a half." she retorted. "You stormed out. We haven't even patroled yet!"

That brought him short and he stopped moving to stare at her, arms limp at his side…

"When you broke my talisman all the wishes came undone." Sejanus offered, not unkindly. "You brought us back to the moment your wish was made."

"Yeah, about all that wishing business…" Abernathy said, sarcasm heavy in his voice. "Care to explain, Hawthorne?"

No, he didn't particularly care to, not when all the gazes in the room were accusatory or judgmental, even Prim's. He needed some air. He felt claustrophobic in that library. And…

And he needed to call Madge, to hear her voice, to make sure she was still his Madge and not that bitter version who…

"I… I got fooled." Gale forced himself to admit, his jaw clenched, not meeting anyone's eyes and certainly not Abernathy's. "I thought he was my friend but he turned out to be a vengeance demon and…"

"Justice demon." Sejanus corrected, looking a bit miffed.

Gale ignored him. "And I made a stupid wish except I didn't know it was a wish and then… And then it was hell."

"What's a vengeance demon?" Katniss asked with a frown.

"Trouble." Abernathy muttered.

"What did you wish for?" Trinket asked curiously.

Gale made a face. He had hoped… But he would need to explain, there was no going around that. "I wished Abernathy never became a Watcher."

"And I told you it was a mistake…" Sejanus hummed.

The reactions around the room were varied.

Katniss was furious, that was plain to see. Abernathy looked a mix of angry and thoughtful. Trinket's face was unreadable. Prim's lips were pursed in obvious disapproval.

He didn't dare look up to see what expression would be on Mellark's face.

He started explaining. Before they could ask questions. He started telling them about that other nightmarish world and… He caught Trinket's genuine surprise when he got to her role in things, the admirative if slightly reevaluating look Abernathy tossed her… Finally, he finished his story and instinctively turned toward Trinket because she was the magic expert and…

"Can we… I don't know… Find a way to get Mellark or…" he asked, not even caring that he sounded desperate. The other boy had helped him and he had left him stranded all alone. He had promised Trinket he would get him out and…

"He wouldn't want you to risk your life for his." Mellark said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Gale startled because he hadn't heard the boy come down or creep closer. "From what you're saying… He probably knew he was already going to die anyway." His blue eyes glided to Katniss. "Real or not real?"

"Real." Katniss whispered softly.

Mellark nodded as if to himself and then patted Gale's shoulder. "It's good you managed to make it back. I'm glad."

"Yeah." Abernathy commented, studying him. "Good job on that front, at least."

"For future reference, you should ban the words I wish from your vocabulary. That goes for all of you, children." Trinket added. "I know it sounds pedantic but you have no idea how much trouble it can save you… Well… I guess now you do have some idea…"

They all started standing up as if the matter was closed, as if…

"What do we do with him? We kill him?" Katniss asked, nodding at Sejanus.

"We can't kill him if he's human." Mellark said quietly. He sounded hoarse. As if he hadn't spoken that much in a while.

To be fair, it was the longest Gale had seen him interact with anyone since the Reaping.

"Well…" Abernathy said thoughtfully, his fingers drumming on the hilt of the hunting knife at his belt.

"I have not been human in centuries…" Sejanus hummed. "I think I would like to enjoy it. It is a gift, truly. I won't be any trouble."

Abernathy clearly wasn't convinced and, for once, Gale was in agreement. They should kill him and…

"We do not kill humans." Trinket reminded him – them, really – in a firm voice, echoing Peeta. Then she turned her blue eyes to the former demon and she might not have been as scary as her dark counterpart but she still looked pretty scary. "Which does not mean we won't contract someone else to kill you, should you cause mayhem. I would not go looking for revenge or justice about what Gale did either. You do not want to cross me."

"No…" Sejanus replied with a little smile. "I do not, witch."

"Not much of a witch anymore." she granted with a tilt of her head. "But I have other aces in my sleeves."

"You are every bit a witch." the former demon answered calmly, as if they were discussing the weather. "And not the kind anyone with a brain goes against. I will not hurt you or yours."

That seemed to satisfy Trinket.

It did not satisfy Gale but nobody seemed to care.

Katniss declared she would drop Sejanus out somewhere on her way to patrol and then went to gather her things. Mellark disappeared somewhere, Prim wandered away, Trinket dragged herself out of the room… He didn't want to stay with Sejanus, he was too tempted to punch him, so he followed Abernathy when the man walked out.

He followed him all the way to the kitchen, not surprised when the Watcher waited for him to step in before closing the door. Abernathy was still studying him, smirking but not in a pleasant way. "So. You hate me that much."

"On the bright side, I could have wished you dead." Gale grumbled, burying his hands in his pockets. A part of him wanted to challenge the man, keep provoking him, but another part felt strangely subdued after this little trip to hell. "Look…"

"You did a good job getting out of trouble." Abernathy cut him off. "It was sheer dumb luck, sure, but when kids don't die and keep all their limbs I consider it a job well done." The Watcher gave him a long hard look, arms crossed in front of his chest. "I don't like you. I don't like you 'cause I don't trust you. This ain't a democracy and you ain't the hero of this story, boy. She is. And if not liking you is what keeps her alive, then I will keep on not liking you until you prove to me you can be trusted." Gale opened his mouth but Abernathy lifted his hand to tell him he wasn't done. "You ain't bad in a fight. When I say you should train, it ain't an insult. If I didn't think you could handle it, I wouldn't have offered in the first place. Thing is, you're stubborn and arrogant and you think you know better. You don't."

Gale swallowed back the instinctive urge to tell him to go fuck himself.

"Yeah." he reluctantly spat out. "I get that now."

"Well, that's something I guess." Abernathy snorted. "Guess some lessons have to be learned the hard way."

It took a lot of self-control not to lash out. "In that world… Everyone seemed shocked when I told them you had six Slayers." The man didn't say anything, simply turned back to walk to the sink, watched the backyard through the window like it held all the answers in the universe. "I thought it meant you were bad at it but… Most people don't get that many, right?"

It took a while for Abernathy to answer and, when he did, he kept his back on Gale. "It's not unprecedented. But it's not that common either. The best Watchers usually get three top. Then again… Slayers have been dying faster lately. And more and more Potentials slip through the Council's fingers. Rogue Slayers are harder to train. And you could say Rogue Slayers are my specialty, more so than any other Watcher currently on payroll, so… It makes sense. Probably doesn't say anything about me. It says more about the state of the world."

For all his dislike of the guy, Gale wasn't sure that was the truth.

Because, clearly, without him as a Watcher… The world had crumbled.

He still didn't get it but…

"I will come to training." he declared. "And I'll try to stop second-guessing everything you say."

Abernathy still didn't look at him but he nodded once. "Good. I'll try to be less of an ass."

Gale nodded back even though the guy couldn't see him but he didn't turn to leave just yet either. Instead, he found himself talking, saying something he hadn't meant to say. "The other you… He said… He said surviving fucks you up."

The Watcher let out a long deep sigh. "It does. Yeah, I'm fucked up if that's your point. Never tried to hide it."

But that wasn't his point.

He swallowed hard, staring at the tiles on the floor. "I keep thinking about it. The Reaping. The kids…" He took a deep breath, didn't look up even though he heard the man turn around. "I have nightmares. Every night. I see their faces all the time. At school sometimes. It's…"

He fell silent.

Abernathy was silent too, so long that Katniss must have had time to get ready because she was calling out for them from somewhere down the house. No urgency in her voice though so he didn't rush and neither did the Watcher.

"I don't have any word of wisdom about that." the man eventually offered. "If I did, maybe I'd be less fucked up… It's fine to be angry, it's fine to use that anger against the demons but… Don't let that anger fester, kid, 'cause that… That's the real danger. And you don't wanna become like me." The silence stretched again for a few heartbeats before Katniss called out again, a little more irritated this time. "Go on patrol with her tonight. Follow her lead." It felt like a test of some kind but Gale nodded and turned to leave. He was halfway to the door when Abernathy spoke again, his tone contemplative. "You ever tried a crossbow?"

He frowned and looked at him over his shoulder. "I've got a bow."

"Yeah, and you're fucking good with it. But I've been thinking for a while a crossbow would suit you better. More strength than speed." Abernathy shrugged. "Just an idea."

An idea, not an order.

That was an olive branch so Gale forced himself to consider it. After all, if he didn't like it, he'd simply stick to his trusted bow. "I can try."

The Watcher acknowledged that with a nod and Gale resumed his path to the door only to stop with his hand on the handle, not turning it quite yet.

"It's none of my business…" he hesitated.

"Quit while you're ahead, then." Abernathy advised, a hint of warning in his voice.

Gale rolled his eyes and, not unlike what the man had done earlier, he didn't turn to face him. "In that world… You didn't know her and you never wanted to come back to the Seam but, when she called, you came running. And you didn't even know her. He said it was Fate. The other you. Just saying. The others won't say anything because, you know, they like you but I don't so… It's ridiculous the way you two look at each other. I don't know what you've done to fuck it up but just bloody fix it and spare us all the tension."

He didn't wait to see if Abernathy was speechless because he was stunned or enraged.

He opened the door and hurried after Katniss so he wouldn't have to face what he had just unleashed.

Abernathy might try to kill him when, really, Gale was doing him a favor by voicing out loud what everybody was thinking…

Only one chapter left... At least, hey, Gale managed to get back to the right reality! And look at THAT! He's become a hayffie shipper... XD Do you think we made progress?