DISCLAIMER: HG characters do not belong to me.

Chapter 61-Truth

When Gale goes back into the living room he let Dez know he needed to make a quick phone call. He calls Hazelle and lets her know Katniss was on her way over. He then takes a seat next to her on the couch and says, "Sorry about that, but I had to let my Mom know Katniss was on her way."

Dez only nods her head in response, not saying anything more about Katniss showing up without warning. Instead she asks, "So what now?" In regards to the wedding stuff?"

"I was going to ask you about that. If you write down all the contact information I will call the venue, caterers, and the rest of the places and cancel. I know your parents paid for a lot of it already, I will send them the money if it cannot be refunded."

"I will talk to my Mom, I think she can make the calls for me. We'll let you know."

"Do you want me to send to you the rest of your stuff?"

She gets a sad look on her face, realizing that she will be moving out, no longer calling this apartment home. "I'd rather send movers over myself."

"Okay, let me know when you want them to come."

"Will Katniss be moving in?"

"No. I have no plans to have Katniss live here. I always looked at this place as ours, and I feel it is disrespectful to you if she lives here. Most likely she will be in whatever housing PES puts her in during her teaching assignment."

"Then what? You'll be leaving here once she is finished? Move somewhere else?"

"I don't know, maybe" he responds, not really sure what the plan would be after since they never discussed it.

She nods again and says, "Well-I guess this is goodbye then" in a bitter tone.

He gets a look of sadness on his face and says, "Yes. I can't express in words how sorry I am, how badly I feel about all of this. You didn't deserve this. I hope someday you can forgive me."

She starts to tear up again and says, "I don't know if I can Gale-a part of me still wants to be in your life and a part of me never wants to see or hear from you again."

Tears begin to form in his eyes as well, realizing this is finally it. They will no longer be in each other's lives despite being together constantly for the last three years. He feels the tears start to run down his face, he wipes them away and says, "I understand, and Dez?"

"Yeah?"

"Please take care of yourself. Please keep seeing your therapist, and please make an effort to get better. That's all I wanted, for you to be happy and healthy. Just because we are no longer together doesn't mean I don't still care and worry about what happens to you."

She doesn't respond and continues to cry. He then asks, "Can you do me one last favor?"

She looks at him in disbelief and says, "What?"

"Would you consider being a model for the mini fashion show for Posy's school project? She is devastated about what has happened between us. You two were always close, would you please do it for her, not for me."

She sighs and says, "I'll think about it."

"Thanks." He then leans forward and kisses her one last time. A final kiss to say goodbye. But for her, she kisses him back as if her life depended on it. She kisses him forcefully, trying to get him to remember what they had in a last ditch effort to change his mind. She opens her mouth and begins kissing him deeper when suddenly he pulls away and says, "Dez-I can't. I kissed you to say goodbye, I didn't mean to send the wrong message."

"Please" she says grabbing his face, forcing him to look at her. "I'll do whatever you want me to do, please just-don't go. I need you."

He begins to tear up again and says, "I need you to focus on yourself, not me. You're a stronger person than you think. You're beautiful and smart and you'll make someone else happy someday. I know you will."

She pulls away abruptly. Hurt and angry that he rejected her. She finally accepts the fact that she cannot compete with Katniss and never could.

"Fuck you" she says in the nastiest tone she can muster and storms off, slamming the door on her way out.

Harper, who had been laying down in the corner of the living room in his cozy dog bed, becomes alert in response to her departure and starts whimpering. Gale walks over to him and sits down on the floor with him, comforting him and whispering, "It'll be okay. I'm sorry but she's not coming back."

He then begins to sob again, letting the tears fall while Harper licks him, hugging the dog in response.


He doesn't feel like dealing with Katniss right now, but he promised her he would come over and he is anxious to hear what the President said to her. After sitting on the floor with Harper for almost an hour, he finally gets up and washes his face and leaves, bringing Harper with him in case he does go to the Capitol. He takes a taxi to his Mom's, for pets are not allowed on short train rides within the District.

When he arrives at his Mother's he is greeted by her in the hallway. She is surprised to see Harper in tow with him and says, "I take it Harper is staying here again?"

"Maybe-I promised Katniss I'd go back to the Capitol with her tonight. She wants to talk."

"Why don't you go downstairs to talk? She's down there anyway."

"Where's Posy?" He wants to try talking to his sister again, for it is tearing him up inside that she won't speak to him.

"She is at a friend's house tonight. She should be home by 9:30."

He is not sure if he will be gone by then, he takes Harper's leash off of him and lets the dog trot into the living room for he has become very familiar with townhouse the last few weeks.

He goes downstairs and sees Katniss sitting on the couch, watching TV. She looks up at him and says, "You made it."

"I said I'd come."

"Dez's hair is interesting, is green a common look for her?"

He gets an annoyed look on his face, not wanting to hear Katniss's snide remarks. "No-it's not, the only color besides blonde she ever had was once when we first started dating she had dyed the tips of her hair pink."

"Not surprising, a lot of the people who go into her salon dye their hair crazy colors. Very Capitol like."

"I'm not going to discuss Dez with you any further."

"Excuse me?" she says getting up off the couch and walking over to him.

"You heard me."

"I just asked if it was common for her to look so-unnatural."

"What does it matter? She and I are done. I choose you remember?"

"You didn't show it when I left. You didn't even say goodbye you just nodded and ran back into your apartment when I said I'd come here."

"Well, I wasn't expecting you to just show up at my door unannounced. I wanted the two of you as far away from each other as possible."

"I told you it was important. How was I supposed to know she'd be there?"

"Forget about it Katniss-we're past it. So what did you want to talk to me about?"

She frowns at him, not liking where this conversation has taken them. She knows he is annoyed with her, but her insecurity got the best of her. She tries to focus on his assurance that he choose her over Dez and says, "Paylor asked to see me after I did my final interviews. She informed me about the results of your investigation."

"And? He says taking her hands and sitting her down on the couch with him.

"She decided that you are to be suspended from all military duties for one year without pay."

He drops her hands and looks down, trying to come to terms hearing that he is being suspended. It is a blow to his pride and says, "Was that was the committee recommended?"

"No-they recommended you serve a short term jail sentence in District 13. Paylor decided the most lenient punishment was a suspension. You will still be the government official for District 2."

He doesn't look at his punishment as lenient and says, "I don't regret what I did-I never will."

She looks at him sadly and says, "I know, it's why I love you. I asked her to pardon you but she says she can't show favoritism." He hears the anger in her voice.

"You asked her to pardon me?"

"Yeah! If I was still the mockingjay I would have demanded it. I think it is bullshit she won't pardon you."

"I did break protocol Katniss, I let it be known that I didn't have to kill Geffen, I chose to."

"But you did it to protect me."

"I did. But we are trained to think with our heads, not our hearts."

"Well-I'm still angry with her, and angry with her about something else she told me as well."

"What's that?"

"She asked if the Panem Daily article had any truth to it. When I wouldn't confirm or deny it she said there was something I needed to know."

He looks at her with fear and confusion on his face, having no idea what the President told her. "Go on" he says pleadingly.

She pauses and gathers her thoughts before continuing, the pause raising his anxiety to the max. Finally she says, "She told me about how you had asked if the bomb that killed Prim was yours."

"I asked that like-eight years ago, shortly after I first started working here."

"She mentioned that."

"What does this have to do with anything? She never told me whether or not she actually looked into it."

"She did look into it, she spoke with some of Coin's officials. She didn't want to tell you what she found out."

He is devastated by the realization of what she has said, that his biggest fear was indeed true. "It was my bomb wasn't it?"

"Yes."

He looks crushed, as if he has been told he has a terminal disease and only has a few weeks left to live. He gets up off the couch and faces the wall, not looking at her and says, "Well, you no longer have to wonder."

"She told me that Coin picked your bomb on purpose, to get to me. She knew what she was doing that day, sending Prim there, using your bomb. None of it was a coincidence."

He didn't think he could get any more bad news, but to hear that Coin used his bomb to make Katniss turn against him was more than he could handle. Even in death Coin accomplished her goal, to break Katniss.

He wants to break every object he sees in this room, but he is at his Mother's house, not his own. He feels his rage build up inside of him realizing that he was used. His efforts to help win the war used against him.

He sees a glass on the stand by the couch and picks it up and throws it against the wall, the glass shattering instantly.

He screams, getting all of his anger out. Katniss hears the door open and Hazelle begin to walk down the stairs. "What is going on down there?"

Katniss runs up the stairs, not wanting her to come down any further, "It's okay, we were just-having a conversation."

"Gale is everything all right?" Hazelle calls down looking at Katniss with skepticism.

"Its fine Mom, I didn't mean to scare you, everything's okay."

"Okay, I'll be going upstairs now to get ready for bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Mom."

Hazelle looks back at Katniss with unease and heads back up the stairs.

Katniss comes back downstairs and sees Gale leaning up against the wall. She hasn't seen him look so defeated since they returned to District 12 after the bombing.

He looks at her and says, "So, knowing this, knowing that my bomb is responsible for Prim's death, what does that mean for us?"

She walks up to him, getting up close his face and says, "You are not responsible, Coin is. I couldn't see it before, Prim's death consuming me in sadness and hatred. But I know now that she used all of us for her own agenda. Paylor asked me if knowing this changed my feelings for you, I told her it did."

He looks at her with sadness in his eyes, crushed at the thought that she no longer loves him. "You can't love me can you?"

She looks at him with a pained look, she strokes his cheek and says, "My feelings became even stronger, I finally have closure. I have let my anger go, the only thing I know is-I need you, I need your fire. You make me feel alive."

He begins to tear up, he doesn't think he has cried this much ever in one day. Not even when his Father died, for he was in denial when he first heard about the mining accident, not coming to terms with it until later. She continues to stroke his cheek and says, "It's okay."

"Prim-she was innocent" he says through his tears.

"Rain told me once there's a saying in one of the tribe's prayer chants, that the good die young. That couldn't have been truer for Prim. I know wherever she is, she's at peace. She has to be. If not, then there is no goodness in this world, and I have seen good things, kind acts. It is what kept me from losing myself to my grief. I pulled myself out of the darkness, Peeta helping me into the light. But I need you to move forward and live my life."

He leans forward and kisses her. His whirlwind of emotions overwhelming him. She kisses him back forcefully, with even more passion than when they kissed in his hotel room. He quickly scoops her up and turns around, pinning her to the wall, forcing her mouth open with his tongue.

"Do you want-to go-back to-the Capitol?" he asks between kisses.

She breaks his onslaught of kisses and looks at him and says, "I think it best if you don't, I'm sure Ceasar has people watching my every move, just waiting to get another picture of the two of us for the next gossip article."

"Fuck him. I don't care what they write about us. Too many people have tried to keep us apart." And he begins kissing her neck, desire taking control.

She pulls her head away and says, "I care about Peeta, I don't want another article being printed until I speak to him."

He nods and kisses her forehead. For once he is not afraid of losing her to him. He sets her back down on her feet and says, "I need to tell you something."

"What?" she says looking at him lovingly, seeing the unease on his face.

"I kissed Dez."

"What?"

"I kissed her before I came over here, to say goodbye to her."

He can tell she is trying to not to get mad, almost looking as if she is talking to herself without speaking. "What's going on in your head?" he asks.

"Trying not to get jealous."

He kisses her to show her she has nothing to worry about. After the kiss ends he says, "You don't have to be jealous anymore."

She smiles slightly and says, "Who ever thought you'd be saying that to me. It's funny how our roles are reversed."

"I love you."

She smiles at him and says, "I love you" and reaches up and kisses him.


It is exactly 9:30 pm when Posy walks in the door. She is greeted by Harper and begins petting him, surprised that the dog is here. She sees Gale's shoes by the door. Realizing that he is here, she quickly goes into the living room but doesn't see him or her Mother. She figures her Mother is probably upstairs reading in her room as she always does before bed. She goes downstairs to see if he there, shutting the door behind her so Harper doesn't follow. She calls out to him while going down the stairs but doesn't hear anything. When she reaches the bottom of the stairs she sees no one, but sees broken glass on the floor. She becomes nervous wondering if something has happened. She looks around and sees the door to the bathroom is slightly open. She walks slowly toward it and begins to hear sounds coming from it.

Her eyes get wide as she sees Katniss behind the door. Her eyes are closed, her head back and she sees Gale bending down kissing her neck while they are leaning up against the bathroom counter. She opens the door further without thinking and sees his hand down her pants, moving his hand furiously while the other is under her shirt, groping her breast. She sees Katniss's hand down his pants, moving her hand up and down rapidly.

Katniss opens her eyes at the sound of the door creaking and gasps, pulling her hand out of his pants and moving off the counter. "Posy" she says in shock.

Posy unable to speak out of embarrassment turns around and runs out.