DISCLAIMER: HG characters do not belong to me.
A/N: I get that some people might think that Posy is being too hard on Katniss. She's 13 so I'm trying to approach it the way a teenager would look at it. She's upset because Dez cut her off and feels she is losing not only a friend, but a sister. As for Katniss being selfish, of course she is! She's mad because Dez kept Gale away from her. And yes, Gale did make snide comments against Peeta in the books, for this story I wanted the roles to be reversed.
The next chapter will have a lot of Everlark in it. I had to youtube the ending scene of Mockingjay part 2 and watch the "growing together" scene to help get some motivation. While I thought the scene was decent in the movie, it was way better in the book and actually made me like Katniss/Peeta for a brief moment, until I read the epilogue. I actually like Peeta's character, I just never liked him as a romantic partner for Katniss. I just thought the relationship was off from the beginning and I always preferred her with Gale from the minute she started contemplating if he could be her boyfriend in the first book. I felt Katniss ended up with Peeta by default. As a reviewer pointed out, everyone who was important in Katniss's life (Prim/Mrs. Everdeen/Gale) were all gone in the end and the only person left was Peeta. I know there are about 10 times the amount of Everlark fans than there are Galeniss, and I really don't see why! Even in the movie I felt the actors lacked serious chemistry. Plus I thought more people would be Galeniss fans for shallow reasons (i.e. Hemsworth being way better looking than Hutcherson). Oh well, this is all just my opinion. The motivation for this story came after seeing Mockingjay part 2 for I dreaded seeing it in the theater and I wanted to do a story that totally erased that god awful epilogue! No offense to the author, I felt the first two books were excellent and really good, just wasn't a fan of the last one.
As always thanks for the reviews and let me know what you think!
Chapter 62-Making Amends
Katniss and Gale quickly move away from each other and fix their clothing, completely caught off guard that Posy saw them. While zipping up his pants Gale says, "Dammit, now she has even more of a reason to hate me."
"Hate you? What are you talking about? Posy loves you more than anything. She is to you what Prim was to me. She could never hate you."
"She won't speak to me because Dez refuses to see her."
Katniss makes a face in annoyance and rolls her eyes. Of course Dez would take out her anger about being dumped by Gale on Posy she thinks to herself. She hopes Posy someday cares for her the way she cares for Dez.
"Let me talk to her." Katniss says putting her hand on Gale's shoulder.
He looks at her with doubt that it will work but says, "You can try."
"If she won't let me come in I'll leave, I have to go anyway."
"Okay, are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"
"I'm sure, thanks though."
"Okay, I will call and arrange for a guard to meet you when you get off the train to escort you to your hotel. I will take you to the train station" and he goes upstairs to use the phone.
Katniss walks up to Posy's room, she hasn't been upstairs in the Hawthorne's townhouse since she stayed with them last summer. She knocks on Posy's door gently and says, "Posy, it's Katniss, can I come in?"
"What do you want?" Posy calls back from behind the door.
"I just want to talk, it won't take long. I have to leave soon."
"Whatever."
Katniss assumes by that response she is okay with her entering so she quickly turns the doorknob and opens the door and goes in. She sees Posy laying on her bed face down. Katniss shuts the door as Posy sits up and crosses her legs while continuing to sit on the bed, Katniss standing by the doorway.
"What do you want to talk about?" Posy asks in an unfriendly tone.
"First I wanted to apologize, I'm sorry you had to see that, Gale and me I mean."
She shrugs in response and says, "What I saw didn't shock me, a lot of kids in my class feel each other up."
Katniss cringes inside, growing up in District 12 she had no desire to do such things at Posy's age. She doesn't know if kids in District 2 grow up faster due to the culture of being so close to the Capitol or if she was just clueless back in 12. Either scenario is possible. She knows Prim never did such things either.
"Well, I hope that's all they do" Katniss says in response.
"I ran away because it was weird seeing my brother do it, not the actual act itself."
"I understand."
"I don't get why he broke up with Dez, especially for you."
"I think Gale and Dez didn't have quite the perfect relationship you might have thought they had."
"I knew there were problems! But he loved her and she loved him. It wasn't hard to see there were times he got upset by her behavior. But she was really close to our family, and now she won't even speak to me."
"I'm sorry, truly I am."
"Like you care, you are just happy you have Gale all to yourself now."
"Posy, that's not true. I'm going to District 9 for my teaching assignment, I'll hardly see him."
"Good, maybe he'll realize the mistake he's made and go back to Dez."
Katniss had been patient with Posy for she understood how she felt hurt and betrayed by Dez, she herself remembering at that age things seemed a lot more dramatic than they really were. However, she was starting to lose her cool by Posy's hurtful words.
"Need I remind you, that you were the one who told me that night at dinner last summer that Gale didn't love Dez the way he loved me. Or have you forgotten?"
Posy looks at Katniss in anger, realizing that her words were thrown back in her face. "No I haven't forgotten. I just-I think my brother is moving too quickly. One minute he's about to get married and the next he is with you. You two about to have sex in our house!"
"I know that was inappropriate, I'm sorry."
"I need to get ready for bed, I have school tomorrow."
"Okay, but I can ask just one last thing?"
"What?"
"Please try not to be angry at Gale. If you want to blame somebody, blame me. I-I let Gale know how I felt about him, that I regretted what happened between us. I should have kept my feelings to myself. But I felt I had to let him know, that if I didn't, I would have even more remorse than I already do. I know it's selfish, but-I need him, I want to be with him. I get why you have doubts about my loyalty, but trust me, I appreciate and love your brother more than you will ever know, and I was too blind to see it before."
She turns around and begins to turn the doorknob to walk out, she hears Posy say, "I blame him because he didn't have to act on it and hurt Dez."
Katniss nods in understanding and says, "We love each other, sometimes people do crazy things for love, and he is hurting and feels awful about what he did to Dez. He's really upset that you won't talk to him, I just wanted to let you know."
Katniss turns around and quickly leaves, heading down the stairs.
On the walk to the train station, Katniss tells Gale that her assignment is in District 9, forgetting that she didn't get a chance to tell him before. She also tells him about the interviews and how surprised she was not to get an invite to teach in District 4.
"Their loss" Gale says trying to make Katniss feel less rejected.
"I'm excited though, I really liked the people I interviewed with from District 9. And I will at least know Jocelyn there and maybe I can even go see the tribe. I do get a one week leave midway after two months."
Gale smiles at her encouragingly, but he is sad that she will be so far away and says, "I'll miss you so much."
"I'll miss you" Katniss says as they reach the train station.
"Call me when you get to the hotel room, just so that I know you are okay."
"Okay" and she leans up to hug him, he in turn wraps his arms around her tightly, not wanting to let go.
"What did Posy say?" he asks when he pulls away, suddenly changing the subject.
"She's upset about Dez not talking to her like you said. She's also upset that you left her and ran to be with me. She thinks it is too soon. I asked her to try to not be angry with you, and that you are hurting too."
"I asked Dez to reach out to her."
"Do you think she will?"
"I don't know."
Katniss doesn't envy Gale at all. He learns he is suspended from his job, that the bomb that killed Prim was his, and that his beloved little sister is still angry at him. He's had quite the day she thinks.
"Well, I hope she does."
"Do you?" Gale says skeptically.
"I do. Look-Dez might not be my favorite person, but I hate to see Posy hurting, she doesn't deserve that."
Katniss's train pulls into the station, Gale walks with her to train's main door and says, "I may not see you until after you get to District 9."
"I know, but I will be in District 4 next week at my Mom's."
"If I have time I will try to come out." He then leans in for a quick kiss, making it brief in case anyone is watching.
She smiles and gets on the train. Taking a seat by the window and waving to him as it takes off.
When Gale goes back to his Mother's to get Harper before heading home, he is greeted by her at the front door and tells him she wants to speak with him in the kitchen. He can tell by her tone she is angry.
"Is something wrong?" he asks while getting Harper's leash off the kitchen island.
"After you and Katniss left I heard Posy crying while getting ready for bed, I made her tell me what was wrong. She told me she was still upset about Dez, and about what she saw, how she walked in on the two of you."
"Mom-"
"You are not a teenager anymore. You can't have spontaneous sex wherever you want, especially under my roof with my youngest daughter here" Hazelle says harshly.
"We weren't having sex, we got caught up in the moment, but our clothes were on. I'm sorry, it won't happen again."
"If she had come down even ten minutes later, what would she have seen? Something tells me a lot more than touching."
"I'm sorry okay. Like I said, it won't happen again. I've had-a trying day to say the least. I found out I've been suspended from the military for a year without pay."
Hazelle looks at Gale in shock and says, "Because of what happened with Geffen?"
"Yes. The committee recommended a short term jail sentence but Paylor decided on a suspension instead."
"Oh Gale, I'm so sorry" Hazelle says, her tone softening.
"You know what else I found out?"
"What?" she says cautiously.
"It was my bomb that killed Prim. Coin decided to use my idea to sacrifice Prim and break Katniss."
Hazelle hugs her son, holding him tight, not saying anything. Gale hugs her back, trying to hold back his tears.
When Katniss gets off the train in District 12 two days later, it is late morning. She is greeted by familiar faces, all shocked and pleased to see her return.
She goes to the bakery to see if Peeta is there. He isn't but Delly is. She greets Katniss warmly and tells her he is at their home. "He'll be so happy to see you" she says cheerily to Katniss. Katniss not having the heart to tell her she seriously doubts it after she tells him why she has come.
She walks to the Victor's Village, contemplating what to say the entire time she walks. She sees that District 12 hasn't changed at all, and that new buildings have gone up since she left.
When she gets to the Victor's Village, she sees Peeta tending to the primrose bush outside their house. She slowly approaches and he hears her footsteps and turns around, stunned to see her.
He stands up, blinking his eyes several times to make sure she is really there.
"Peeta" Katniss says softly, finding it hard to speak.
"Katniss" he says with a look of hope in his eyes.
