DISCLAIMER: HG Characters do not belong to me.

Chapter 48-Confrontation

When Dez comes home after going to her parents, she doesn't find Gale. She doesn't see Harper either. She wasn't sure if Katniss was here or if Harper was possibly in the room with her. Harper had really taken to Katniss, despite Dez's displeasure. She always looked at Harper as her and Gale's, she didn't like sharing the dog's affection with Katniss.

She approaches Katniss's room and knocks on the door and says, "Katniss-you here?" and slowly opens the door. She sees no one in the room either. She takes the opportunity to observe the room, never having been in it since Katniss arrived. She sees Katniss's large textbook and notebooks on the desk. Hanging by the window she sees a circular object, the object has a web in the center with beads and a feather inside it. She has no idea what the object was, but Dez couldn't deny the object was beautiful. She touches it lightly.

She looks down at the nightstand sitting beside the bed. She sees the green necklace she often sees Katniss wearing, along with two journals. She also sees a locket. It looks familiar but she can't place why. She knows she shouldn't, but she reaches out and grabs the locket, opening it.

She immediately frowns at what she sees, inside the locket is a picture of Katniss's mother, her sister, and Gale. Gale's picture right in the middle of the two. It is a younger picture of Gale, in clothing that looks worn out. Clothes he wore when he lived in District 12. She sees he looks just as handsome as he does now.

She finally remembers where she's seen this locket, it is from the arena. Her memory flashes back to seeing Katniss and Peeta in the Quarter Quell, and Peeta giving her the locket on the beach. 'I can't believe she still has this' she thinks to herself.

She closes the locket and puts it back on the nightstand. She quickly leaves the room and goes to sit down on the couch. She begins twirling her hair around her finger, a gesture she does when she is nervous. She knows Gale is most likely out somewhere with Katniss, probably getting food.

Her thoughts turn to her conversation with Gale last night. She was upset that he wouldn't let her console him, for that had never happened before. She knew he was angry about what happened at his Mother's, she had hoped by picking at the food and moving it around it would look more like she had eaten it. But she should have known Gale would have seen through what she was doing. It felt good knowing he was so concerned about her, but she was also annoyed by it. He couldn't understand why it was not so easy for her to just gain the weight back, or why she was worried about Katniss staying with them. And she couldn't figure out why he cared whether she had her period or not. What did it matter? They didn't want children right now, and besides, most men would be happy to be able to have sex whenever they wanted, without that time of month getting in the way.

She sat on the couch lost in her thoughts until the door opened, Gale and Katniss walking through the door, engulfed in laughter. 'They laugh together a lot' she thought to herself watching them come in.

She sees Gale is caught slightly off guard, seeing her sitting there, patiently waiting for them. "Dez" he says.

"Hi you two, did you have fun at dinner?" she tries to say in a cheerful tone.

"Oh we weren't at dinner, we got ice cream" Katniss responds quickly.

"Ice cream huh, was it good?"

"Yeah, you guys are lucky you have so many options for places to get food, there is nothing even close to that in 12."

"Well, District 2 always was one of the best Districts." She sees Gale form a look on his face after she says that.

She could tell Katniss didn't like the comment, but responds saying, "District 2 has always been fortunate, there is no denying that. Well, I've got to get back to studying, I need to get ready for what I need Vick to help me with tomorrow." And then she retreats back to her room, wishing them both goodnight.

"Dez-we need to talk" Gale says after Katniss shuts her bedroom door.

"Okay."

He sits her down on the couch, giving Harper a bone to chew on to keep him occupied. He takes her hands in his and says, "How as your visit with your parents?"

"Good, they are well."

"Did you eat?"

"Gale-"the annoyance in full force in her voice.

"Dammit Dez why are you being so difficult?" he says raising his voice and pulling his hands away.

"I don't like feeling like I have to report to you every second of the day what I am or am not eating!"

"Until you gain the weight back I will keep asking, you have been eating even less since Katniss arrived."

She curses inwardly to herself. 'Does nothing go unnoticed by him?' she thinks angrily. "Okay fine, I ate a little bit of a vegetable sandwich, happy now?"

"Do you have plans after work tomorrow?"

"No."

"Do you want to go to dinner with me?"

"Okay, but if you are going to be lecturing me about how much I should eat-"

"I just want to have a nice dinner with my fiancé, how about we go to Dino's, I know it's your favorite."

She perks up at the suggestion. Dino's is her favorite, they don't go there often because Gale knows the owner of the restaurant, a man he knows from work. From the way Gale tells it, the owner is not friendly towards Panem's new government. The fact that he is willing to take her there shows he must be wanting to make things right between them.

"Dino's sound great-thanks Gale." She leans in for a kiss, he responds to the kiss, kissing her back sweetly.

They watch TV together before going to bed for the night, she wants him to make love to her, but she doesn't want to jeopardize anything. It was only yesterday he refused to talk to her, she knows she needs to give him more time before wanting things to go back to the way they were. She hopes their dinner tomorrow helps make things progress faster.


The next day, Katniss goes to the Hawthorne's right after class, arriving there at around 6:20, the train ride was a little shorter than to Gale's apartment. When she rings the doorbell, Posy answers.

"Hey Katniss" Posy says opening the door for Katniss to come in.

"Hi Posy, how was your day today?"

"Pretty boring actually, I just stayed here all day."

"Well, enjoy it while you can. Before you know it you will be back in school."

Posy laughs and escorts Katniss down the hall into their kitchen. Katniss sees Hazelle preparing dinner-a pasta dish.

"Hello Katniss" Hazelle says in the same monotone voice Katniss heard the other day.

"Hello Hazelle, dinner looks wonderful as usual."

Katniss quickly eats with Posy, Hazelle and Vick. She listens as Posy talks about her love of fashion and Vick talking about his aspirations of becoming a pilot. Hazelle however, says nothing to Katniss and silently listens as her children engage in conversation with Katniss.

Once dinner ends, Katniss and Vick go outside to study while Posy and Hazelle clean up. It was warm outside, and they still had enough sunlight. Katniss shows Vick which sections of the math assignments she is struggling with.

Katniss figures out pretty quickly that Vick is a good tutor, he's very familiar with geometry and helps give Katniss some pointers to help figure out some of the geometry problems she is having the most trouble with.

After the sun goes down they go back inside and finish up in the dining room. Katniss decides to leave around 9:30. Thanking Vick for all of his help, they arrange to meet again on Thursday.

"See you Thursday Katniss" Vick says as he goes upstairs to his room. Posy already upstairs in her room as well.

Once Vick is out of sight, Katniss turns to Hazelle and says, "Thanks again for dinner, it was delicious and I appreciate you letting me come over here."

"I hope Vick is helping you" Hazelle says, with the same monotone voice.

"Oh yes, he really knows his geometry."

"Yes he does, well, we will see you on Thursday."

"Hazelle-before I go, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" Katniss can't help but think she almost has an annoyed tone in her response.

"I feel like things are not same between us, you seem to be keeping me at a distance."

"You would be right, I am."

"Why?" Katniss shocked that Hazelle admitted what Katniss theorized.

"Katniss, I don't think you realize how much your actions hurt my son the day you blamed him for Prim's death. It was unfair of you to do that. He was hurting too when Prim died, and you just threw your friendship with him in the trash."

"I was not myself after Prim died. Everything I did, I did for her, to lose her like that, was unbearable. Snow was dead, Coin was dead, but I still had no closure, my grief had just begun. I had to blame somebody."

"So you blamed my son?"

"Yes-it was easier that way. It is easier to hate than to be sad."

"My son did not deserve that."

"I know."

"Do you know how much time he spent at your Mother's house when you were in the games? He spent more time with them than with us! And he brought food to them before us! His devotion to you was something out of a fairy tale. At times I wondered how it was even real, how he could love you as much as he did. But you didn't even care, all you cared about was Peeta."

"Hazelle I know it may seem like I didn't care, but that's not true, I did-"

"But not as much as Peeta right?"

"My relationship with Peeta is hard for others to understand."

"No, I get it. He saved you and you saved him. I get that the two of you shared a traumatic experience in the arena. But to just forget what my son did for you…..."

"I used to think the only thing I needed in life was Peeta."

Hazelle stares at Katniss, replaying those words again in her mind, after a few seconds she says, "So what changed?"

"Time."

"What?"

"Time-as time went on instead of being angry at Gale I grew sad, missing what we had. My grief of losing Prim still as strong as ever. Peeta might have helped me get back on my feet-get off the chair I was firmly planted to, but I realized I needed more. I used to look at Peeta as my dandelion in the spring, the only person who could remind me that life can go on-no matter how bad. And it was that way for a while, but then I realized I wanted-needed more. Gale was always my fire, the person who ignited strong feelings in me. I used to think I didn't need Gale's fire, but I do. Peeta helped me heal and learn to love again, but I need Gale to keep me going."

Hazelle has a look of shock on her face, trying to come to terms with that Katniss has just confessed.

"Gale is with Dez now Katniss."

"I know."

"He loves her."

"I know."

"Is that all you can say? I know? You break my son's heart, he finally moves on, and here you show up again, telling me you need him to keep you going?"

"Look Hazelle, I don't plan to interfere in Dez and Gale's relationship. You asked what changed and I told you. Please don't tell Gale what I said. I don't know what my future holds or where it will be. And I don't know how I am going to officially end things with Peeta, but I know I have to. He deserves better than me, he and Gale both do."

"Well that is one thing we can both agree on."

"Does our friendship bother you?"

"Yes, I think it will turn into more than just a friendship."

"I won't lie, I'd like it to-but like I said, I won't do anything to interfere. As long as I have Gale's friendship, it can be enough."

"Will it really?"

"It will have to be."

She can't explain it, but Hazelle gets the feeling Katniss knows something she is not saying, something concerning her relationship with Gale. Saying his friendship is enough is not something she is buying, she knows that is not enough for Katniss. Not after what she just said. So why is Katniss saying his friendship is enough to satisfy her?

She only hopes that whatever happens, Dez doesn't end up getting hurt.

"I won't tell Gale what you said. The last thing I want happening is him getting hurt again. You say you need him, but I believe you only think you need him."

"Thanks Hazelle."

After Katniss leaves, the phone rings, Gale on the other line.

"Mom, I'm going to need to ask you for a favor….."