DISCLAIMER: HG characters do not belong to me.
A/N: So, there appears to be some confusion from my last announcement. While this is a Galeniss story, Katniss and Gale actually becoming a couple won't be happening anytime soon. What I was trying to do was pre-warn that when it does happen, the story rating will change to M (but I decided to change it to M anyway). I was just trying to give people the heads up. My apologies. I thank you all for your reviews and continued support for my story. I don't know how many chapters there will be at the end of this, but this story will be ONE story, no sequels so, it could very well have many more chapters. This is my first attempt at M rated material-I hope it is not too terrible!
Chapter 30-Reunion
Gale knew Dez would be home. Today was Thursday and her day at the salon usually ended by 2 pm. He knew her routine on Thursdays was coming home and spending time with him and Harper when he was home. She also liked to stay home on Thursdays because it was her favorite night for TV watching.
It was 4:20 pm. He got out of the vehicle and told the driver he would meet him back here at 8 pm sharply to get back to the Capitol. Gale thanked him and hurriedly walked into his apartment building and took the elevator up to the 18th floor. This apartment like his mother's townhouse was new construction.
He decided to knock on the door so as not to startle her since he didn't tell her he would be coming. After two knocks she answered.
"Gale! You came." She immediately flung herself up into his arms, suctioning her legs around his waist. She was on the short side, a little shorter than Katniss and very thin so it is extremely easy for Gale to lift her.
"Hey Dez" he managed to get out, he was almost suffocating she had her arms wrapped around him so tight. She leans back and looks at him, smiling brightly and starts kissing him passionately. He slowly enters his apartment with her still in his arms. He was glad he knew where he was going, for he found it difficult to walk and kiss and hold someone at the same time.
Once he got inside and let the door close behind him, he felt something sniff at his knee. He broke off her onslaught of kisses and said, "I think Harper wants to say hello".
She laughs and lets Gale lower her to the floor. "Hey buddy" Gale says and bends down and pets Harper, his tail wagging furiously and he begins licking Gale's face. Harper is a large dog, about 100 pounds and is mostly black and has white and brown coloring. He is also a hairy dog and very sweet natured. Gale got him as a puppy while on a business trip in District 10. He was visiting a livestock farm and the owner's dog had puppies 7 weeks earlier. The owner saw how smitten Gale was with Harper for Harper was following Gale around, never leaving his side. Gale was with the government official from District 10 on the visit. The two of them were working together on a project for coming up with ideas to make improvements to the livestock farms and increase recruitment for veterinarians to come to District 10. In the past, the Capitol never cared about the living conditions or health of the livestock animals. In the new Panem, this was a focus change. Gale and the other official were interviewing the owner's to gather information.
As a sign of their gratitude for coming to their farm and taking an interest in their needs, the owner's gave Harper to Gale. They offered the other government official a puppy as well but he politely declined. At first Gale declined the offer, but the owners were quickly able to change his mind.
Six weeks after bringing Harper to District 2, he met Dez. So together they have raised him. Even though he was 2 he still acted like a puppy at times.
After saying hello to Harper Gale rises and hugs Dez again, holding her tight. He gives her a quick kiss and says, "I wanted to surprise you, I figured you'd be home."
"Yeah, it's Thursday. I was going to order take in and get ready to sit on the couch tonight." She says with a laugh.
Gale smiled brightly at her. "That's what I was hoping" he said.
"I'm so glad you came."
"Me too, I can't stay too long. I have to be back in the Capitol by 9, my ride is coming back for me at 8. I just came from my Mom's."
He saw a slight look of disappointment on her face. She tried to hide it by asking, "Are you going back to the wild territory?"
"Yes. I leave early tomorrow morning. The President gave me permission to search and bring back the militia group that is looking for Katniss. She also gave me 20 more soldiers."
"That's good, but I still worry, must you go?" He saw she was trying her hardest not to cry in front of him. He gently puts his hand on her cheek and says, "I won't be one of those leaders who sits in a control room giving orders. I need to be out there fighting with my squad. Remember we have advanced weapons they don't."
She nods not saying anything, the tears begin to fall. Gale bends down and says, "First Posy cries and now you, I somehow have managed to make both of my favorite girls cry in the same hour. I think that's a first."
She smiles through her tears and says, "I'm sorry, I am just so happy you are here, and so sad you are leaving again."
"I'm sorry too. But let's try to enjoy this precious time we have together ok?" He begins wiping her tears off her face and then bends down, kissing her softly.
She wraps her arms around him again, trying to get as close as she can. She starts kissing him more passionately, kissing him with need, hunger, and desire. He happily gives into her wants and picks her up, carrying her to their room.
He sets her down on the bed and they both undress each other quickly, as if their clothes were on fire. Once undressed, they stare at each other. She gets off the bed and stands up off to the side, Gale sitting on the edge of the mattress, facing her. Gale interrupts the silence by saying, "You've lost weight."
She looks down at her feet and says, "Yeah, I have lost some weight. It's stressful being here all alone sometimes."
"You need to eat more, you are too skinny and you look unhealthy" he says sternly.
She looks at him wearily and says, "Don't start this again-not now."
"I'm starting this again because I love you and care about you. Did you eat today?" He gives her a look warning her not to lie to him.
"No, I was running late this morning and was too busy to get lunch, I had back to back appointments. That's why I was going to order take out."
He bends down and grabs their clothes from off of the floor, handing her clothes to her he says, "Let's go for a walk with Harper and then we will go get food to bring back here."
"But Gale, what about—"but before she could finish he interrupts her saying, "There will be plenty of time for that when we get back. Come on, we have to get you fed."
She sighs and begins putting her clothes back on. While Gale feels his relationship with Dez is solid, her eating habits or lack thereof have always been the one problem in their relationship. While she was always very tiny and thin, he noticed as their relationship progressed that she started to get thinner. Some days she would hardly eat or not eat anything. Growing up starving in District 12, this behavior was not acceptable to him. He often reminded her that in a lot of districts, people didn't have the luxury to choose not to eat. She defended herself by saying that when stressed she losses her appetite and admitted to Gale that she feels she has to stay skinny in order for him to continue wanting her. Gale thought her reasoning was absurd.
He told her many times that he loved her and would never leave her if she gained weight, but he did threaten to leave her if she didn't make an effort to adopt more healthy eating habits. He knew what she was doing to herself was not good for her body. He couldn't commit to her if this continued. Along with her not eating, he also felt she was too dependent on him. He had learned pretty quickly when they first started dating that she never stayed single for long and that she didn't like to be alone. This concerned him because his job requires him to travel a lot. While he never thought she would cheat on him he was concerned that emotionally she couldn't handle being by herself. He expressed this concern with her as well. She took his threats seriously however, and started seeing a therapist. During the past year she had gained about 20 pounds and looked healthier. It was her willingness to get better and her attempt at being more independent that he finally was able to propose to her and make that commitment.
He was not happy to see that she broke her promise while he was gone. Staring at her while she was naked, he guessed that she lost about 15 pounds.
He didn't want to ruin the moment, but her health was always the first priority. Sex could wait. Eating couldn't.
He knew once the mission ended and he returned he would need to focus on this with her again. He knew deep down this would always be an obstacle he would have to face with her. The day he told her if she didn't get help he would leave her was the day he figured out she was no longer menstruating. They argued over the subject when he confronted her on it. Her response was always that she was too young to even think about having children right now. And she reminded him that she along with many other women in Panem have the birth control implant and that why even worry about something that is not even a possibility at the moment.
He told her she was missing the point and laid the ultimatum on her. At first she was too stunned to respond, storming off and going back to her parent's house. The next day though, she returned to his apartment and agreed to get help.
They had come a long way in the last year, he hated to see that she was regressing back into old habits.
Once they were dressed he grabbed Harper's leash and they went outside. He grabbed her hand the minute they were outside, not letting go.
Since a lot of District 2 had to be re-built, the area where Gale and his family lived was new development. There was a lot of things within walking distance such as shops and restaurants. Dez could walk to work and the two of them often walked to his Mom's townhouse. He tried to get Harper out and moving around three times a day since he was a big dog and living in an apartment.
While they walked he gently asked her a question he needed an answer to. "Are you still seeing Genevieve Higgins?" Genevieve Higgins was Dez's therapist.
"Yes, but she has been out of town for the last month, my next appointment with her is a week from tomorrow."
This relieves him somewhat and he stops walking to kiss her. "I promise no more questions about this" he says smiling at her.
She gives him a half smile and continues walking, dragging him behind for a brief moment. They end up at one of her favorite places to eat, a small café called Two Hearts. It was named after District 2 and for it being known as an intimate place for couples to eat, since it was small most of the seating was for two.
Gale goes inside and orders food while Dez waits outside with Harper, sitting on a bench giving him lots of attention. Even though growing up she never had any pets, she took to Harper pretty quickly. He was a really good dog.
Gale comes outside ten minutes later, the food bagged up. They head back to the apartment and sit down at the kitchen table to eat. She sees that he got her a pasta dish, penne noodles with vegetables and oils. He got for himself lamb stew. He started eating it after he came to District 2-remembering how Katniss often raved about how good it was in the Capitol. He found she was pretty spot on.
While they ate he told her about his squad, about how he enjoyed their company but that he did have his favorites, like Spencer. He also told her about Sequoyah and Trent. She didn't have as much to say, saying that work was going well and that she picked up about 5 new clients since he was gone. She said that her family was doing fine and she told him about her biweekly dinners with his family.
"I've been helping Posy come up with ideas for a dress she wants to make for your brother's graduation" Dez informs him.
"That's great. I told him I would try my hardest to be there."
Dez smiled gently and took his hand saying, "I'm sure you'll be there."
"With double the soldiers there should be no reason I am gone longer than a month. That's my plan anyway."
She nods in approval.
After dinner they take Harper outside to play fetch with his favorite ball. There is a park around the corner of the building that has a large grassy area and a playground. The neighborhood children have come to know Harper by name, often trying to get on his back for rides.
While playing fetch Dez grabs the ball out of Gale's hands and playfully runs off. He quickly catches up to her and wrestles the ball out of her hands. They fall to the ground in laughter. While on the ground she touches his face and leans in for a kiss. He eagerly kisses her back, feeling the heat rise between them. He says in between kisses, "We should—head back."
"Mmmhmm" she says, finally breaking off the kisses and standing up. They quickly walk back to the apartment hand in hand with Harper at Gale's heels.
Once they get inside he drops Harper's ball to the ground and scoops her up, carrying her back into their bedroom. They quickly remove their clothes again, tossing them off to the side. She gets up on her knees, facing him. He stares at her for a moment then quickly forces his mouth on hers, devouring her. She gives into his kisses and gently touches his back, running her hands over his scars. She knows how he got those.
He moves from her mouth to her right breast, sucking mostly at her nipple. Her breasts were small to begin with, with her losing weight again there was even less flesh there. He tries to not think about it while he moves his mouth to other breast. She's holding onto his head and softly moans while he reaches down and begins stroking her, eliciting louder moans.
He lowers her down to the mattress, he could tell she was starting to lose her ability to stay up. He begins kissing her, his tongue in her mouth while he continues stroking her clit, working her to release. When she finally does, her face flushed—she opens her eyes and looks at him lovingly. He kisses her forehead and gets up off the bed. "Don't go" she says pleadingly, reaching for him.
"I'll be right back" he says grabbing her hand and kissing it. He quickly washes his hands in the attached bathroom and returns to the bed.
She sits up and hugs him. She says into his ear, "I love you, I can't tell you how much I missed you being here with me."
He smiles into her shoulder and says, "I missed you too."
She reaches down and begins stroking him hard. He closes his eyes-savoring the feeling. After a few moments he quickly takes her hand away and pulls her down below him. He inserts himself in her and begins thrusting. She wraps her legs around his hips and grabs his shoulders. They look in each other's eyes the entire time, never breaking the stare. He watches her as she comes first, he following soon after. It was one of the most intimate moments he's ever had with her. When he pulls out, he leans down and kisses her before rolling over. He's panting heavily. She curls up beside him while he moves his arm around her. He turns his head and whispers in her ear, "I love you. I hope that was worth the wait."
She chuckles and says, "Definitely."
They doze off in each other's arms. When Gale wakes, he looks at the clock and sees that it is 7:30. He needs to get in the shower and get ready to go. He quietly moves his arm off of her and gets up. After he showers and gets dressed, he sees it is 7:50. He knows he needs to wake her though he doesn't want to. She looks so beautiful and peaceful.
He gently nudges her and says, "Dez."
She slowly opens her eyes and sees he is dressed and ready to go. She sits up and says, "Why didn't you wake me?"
"I figured I'd let you sleep. If you came into that shower with me you would have made me late" he says grinning at her.
She smiles, but it is a sad smile, knowing he has to leave now. He gets down on his knees and leans over to her and says, "I doubt I will have access to a phone. I will call if I can. Please remember what I've asked in regards to your health. I need you to be around for a long time."
She shakes her head in response leaning for a hug. She gets up and puts on a long T-shirt and walks into the living room with him. He sees Harper get up from the floor, pick up his ball and trot over to Gale. Gale takes the ball from his mouth and gives the dog a hug. Harper responds by licking Gale's face.
"I'll miss you buddy, but Dez will continue taking care of you." He gets up and puts the ball away. He turns to Dez before heading for the door and says, "You still have the emergency number I left?"
"Yes."
"Good. Thanks again for taking such great of Harper."
"We take care of each other" she says reaching for Harper's head to pet.
He heads for the door. Before opening it he turns and grabs her for a final kiss. "Goodbye Dez" he says sadly.
"Goodbye Gale" she says holding back her tears.
"Remember I love you" he says then turns around and shuts the door behind him.
While in the car ride to the hovercraft, he thinks about how he didn't tell her about his agreeing to begin a friendship with Katniss again. He didn't want to hide it from her, but after seeing that she hasn't been taking care of herself, he didn't want her to have yet another reason for not eating.
He hoped the next time he saw her, she gained the weight back. If she didn't, he didn't want to think about what that would mean for them. The last thing he wanted was to call off the engagement. But he knew it might come to that. He didn't want to get his mother or her parents involved, but he told himself that he might have to in order to save the relationship.
He was still fully committed to protecting Panem and Katniss, but he needed this mission to end, and soon.
