DISCLAIMER: HG characters do not belong to me.
A/N: To the guest reviewer who asked if Johanna Mason would be entering the story-the answer is yes-but not right now. You will see her and other victors enter the picture later on (all part of the seeds I planted). I guess you could say this story has 4 parts-part 1 was Katniss with the tribe, part 2 was Katniss reconnecting with Gale, Part 3 was Katniss and Gale getting together and we are about to enter part 4 which you will have to wait and read to see what happens. I appreciate everyone's reviews and continued support for the story, I know it is a long story. But like I said before it will be ONE story-no sequels! And I like to keep the chapters short because I can update more often and I personally do not like reading extremely long chapters but, the downside is there is a lot more of them.
I also just wanted to make it known-because I have seen a couple of comments on this, Gale has forgiven Katniss, but he has not forgotten about what she did. Just something to keep in mind. As for Dez-you'll see what happens next with that!
Chapter 82-The Party
Over the next couple of weeks Katniss remained busy teaching in Harvest Moon. She remained positive that she was on track to finish on time and was hopeful that McKenna would be giving her a satisfactory grade. Being so busy kept her mind off of Gale and the fact that she missed him. It was a strange feeling for her. For years she kept him out of sight and mind and when she did allow herself to think of him, she forced her feelings to turn to anger-reminding herself of how horribly Prim died right in front of her. She finally let go of her hatred of him and when they reconnected she suppressed her feelings again but for a different reason. She had to suppress her feelings of wanting to be with him because he was engaged to Dez. After his engagement ended and she was finally with him, her feelings and emotions were all over the place due to abusing morphling pills, the guilt she had for leaving Peeta, and trying to forget what happened on the boat. As a result, she distanced herself from him and while she managed to earn his forgiveness, she knew she needed to ensure he never felt insecure in their relationship ever again. She wouldn't let herself completely miss him before, for a part of her didn't want to get too attached. Losing Prim made her realize anything that makes her happy can be taken away at any time. She allowed herself to be somewhat happy in 12, but never to the point that she was afraid of losing what she had. But fast forward to the present, her daily phone calls with Gale have resulted in them being closer now than ever before, even closer than when they were best friends in the Seam. They were now best friends and lovers, to say she was attached at this point was an understatement.
On weekends is when she missed him the most. Missed his touch, his lips, his embrace, and most of all she missed his company. She could always be herself and say what she thought around him. She looked forward to the day when they could hunt together again, just the two of them. Telling her he hadn't hunted since the day they went in District 13. He told her he could never hunt after the war ended because it hurt too much being in the woods without her. She wished she could have said the same. They had agreed when she first arrived back in District 9 that they would go hunting once her injuries were healed. And they finally had.
At times her shoulder and arm ached, but she continued to do the exercises she learned while in therapy. Last weekend she was finally able to practice using her bow out in the woods not far from her apartment. It amazed her that even though the fences will never again be turned on, no one wondered past them, except the Jay Killers.
Haymitch had called Katniss and informed her that he had managed to put together a small team to help him identify potential informants. He said that he somehow was able to recruit Enobaria. Haymitch told Katniss that she still lived in District 2 and was still loved by the District and how she would be perfect for helping him obtain the information he needs in regards to what is happening there.
"She is asking for money of course but I told her it wouldn't be a problem" Haymitch said to Katniss during their phone conversation.
He also lets her know that Effie is part of the team as well. Katniss eagerly asks Haymitch what she has been up to and he explains that Effie works in a marketing position in the Capitol for RAVE, a clothing store that sells fashionable clothes in the Capitol and Districts 1, 2, 3, and 4. Katniss had seen the stores in District 2 and 4 but had never shopped there. She knows Posy is a fan of the store, and knew that she and Dez used to go there together.
She wonders if they still do.
Katniss tells Haymitch she is happy to hear that Effie was getting involved and that she hoped she can see her again in the future. She lets him know about the information she found out from McKenna that there may not be many Jay Killers in District 9 if any at all.
He tells her he will call her again in two weeks, but Katniss informs him she will be in District 2 by then and gives him Gale's number to call. She is surprised when he doesn't make a snide comment in response, only saying that they will talk soon.
Katniss's last day at the school was the same day as the children's. It was August 15th, 15 days away from graduation. She walks into the classroom expecting to get there before McKenna like she usually does but when she arrives, she is shocked to see McKenna already there.
She looks around and sees the classroom has been transformed into a party room. She sees balloons, decorations, and a large banner hanging above the main teaching board that says, 'Congratulations' in big gold lettering. Each student's desk has a different color table cloth on it with green plates and green silverware. At her desk is a large cake with the words, 'Good Luck Miss Everdeen' written on it. The letters green.
She is overwhelmed and says, "Thank you" in a very appreciative manner.
McKenna smiles and says, "You deserve it. I have to say, I was really impressed with how well you caught on. You listened to feedback and implemented my suggestions, not every student I have had has done that. You also took initiative which I appreciate as well. You will definitely get a good reference from me when you start looking for jobs."
Katniss didn't want to think about looking for jobs, for it wasn't that she wasn't excited about it, she was just nervous that District 2 would reject her like they had before.
"How did you know I like the color green?" Katniss asks.
"You wear that color a lot."
Katniss smiles and says, "I'll miss you."
"Hey the day hasn't even started yet! We have all day to say goodbye. But-I will….somewhat miss you" McKenna says with a wink.
The kid's begin arriving shortly after, all coming in with excited looks on their faces when they see that they would be having a party instead of doing work today.
The day flies by for Katniss and kids. They spend the morning playing games, McKenna orders pizza for lunch, and they have cake for dessert. In the afternoon Katniss reads to them a short novel, with each kid following along to help practice their reading. Right before the day ends Katniss says her goodbyes to each child, some of them asking when she will be back and Katniss sadly explaining she might not get a chance to come back for a long time. Some even ask if she would be their teacher for grade 4 next year. Sadly informing them most likely not.
Katniss helps McKenna clean up after everyone is gone. Once finished, McKenna says, "Well-I guess this is it."
"Yeah."
"Here" and McKenna hands Katniss a piece of paper with her address and phone number on it.
"Thanks. I will call you and let you know where I end up. I hope to see you again, the next time I come back here to visit Jocelyn."
"You heading to District 2?"
"Actually I will be heading to District 4 for a few days to see my Mom. I'll be putting in applications while staying at her place. I go to see Gale on August 23rd, that's when he is coming back from his trip."
"He goes away a lot doesn't he?"
"Yeah, he does."
"Good thing you'll have a job to occupy your time."
"IF I get a job."
"You will, it may not be near where he lives though, District 2 is pretty spread out you know. I have been told some of the more rural areas of the District historically were not as wealthy as the more populated areas, I am sure many of those areas need younger teachers. With the grade I plan to give you they would really need to justify to PES why they won't hire you."
Hearing this makes Katniss feel slightly better. She wouldn't mind living in a more rural area of 2, and hopes Gale would be okay with that. She figures it may be the only option she has.
Before she gathers her stuff to leave, McKenna surprises her by leaning in for a hug. Katniss smiles and hugs her back. McKenna walks Katniss out and they see the other teachers Katniss has become friendly with during her time there. She receives a lot of congratulations and well wishes.
She heads back to her apartment feeling a sense of accomplishment, and hope.
Katniss's visit with her Mom goes by quickly. On the days her Mother was at work, she goes to the library and used the computer to search for jobs in PES schools. She sees a lot of openings in District 11 and 10. And a few listed for the other Districts as well. She sees only two openings in District 1 and sees four openings in District 2. She applies for all four jobs. One of the jobs listed was near Gale's apartment, the other in areas and towns she had never heard of. She writes the names down to tell Gale later.
When her Mother wasn't working, they spent time together at the beach which had become a routine for them each time she visited. She also got to try some new restaurants that had just opened by the main shops and marinas.
The morning she gets ready to leave, she is sad her visit went by so quickly, but was excited to finally see Gale. Her train leaves early-7 am but was set to arrive in District 2 by 5 pm. Once they arrive at the station her Mother wishes her luck before she boards.
"I'll call you after I get to Gale's."
"I'll see you on the 30th." Her Mother accepted Gale's offer of staying at his place and would be staying from the 30th to Sept 1.
The hours dragged on for Katniss while on the train. She managed to get a three hour nap in which she figures might come in hand later if what she thinks will happen does.
When she finally arrives in 2, she sees Gale waiting for her in the main terminal. She restrains herself from running into his arms and calmly walks over to him reminding herself what Haymitch told her. "I think if you could-keep your relationship with Gale out of Panem Daily that would be best" his words repeating in her mind.
"Hey" Katniss says when she walks up to him.
"Hey" he says giving her a look that shows he can't wait to leave.
They quickly head over to pick up her luggage and once they do, get on the next train back to his apartment. He chats with her about his trip and she quietly listens during the short ride.
Once inside his apartment she is greeted by Harper. She is unsure if he still remembers her but she sees he is excited none the less. Once she stands back up after patting the dog for a few minutes she turns around and immediately Gale's lips are on hers, devouring her.
Still in the living room, he reaches down and picks her up, carrying her to the couch. Once he finally breaks away to allow her to catch her breath and his he says, "Are you ready?"
"For what?" she asks confused.
"For me to go crazy on you. I've missed you so much" and he leans back in and begins kissing her not giving her a chance to respond.
She feels Harper sniff her shoulder while laying down on the couch, Gale above her. She stops his onslaught of kisses and says, "Can we go…to a bed?"
He pauses unsure which bed to take her to. He had originally planned to stay with her in the guest room, still feeling uncomfortable having her stay in the room he shared with Dez for so long. But after knowing what Dez had done in the guest room while he was away made him realize he didn't owe Dez that courtesy-not anymore.
He still didn't know what he wanted or should do however. In order to deflect the question he says, "How about a shower with me instead?"
She grins at him in response and quickly gets up heading for her suitcase. He doesn't allow her to reach it and instead picks her up and throws her over his shoulder carrying her into the second bathroom by the spare room.
They strip off each other's clothes as they wait for the water to heat up. She feels him start to get hard while they embrace each other in a deep kiss. Once they both are in the shower he wastes no time lifting her up and moving her against the wall.
She has a hard time breathing between the water running down on them and his continuous kisses. She breaks away and places her head on his shoulder and pulls him closer to her as he pushes inside her. She unconsciously starts to scratch his back while he slides in and out faster and faster, eliciting a loud moan from her in response. She scratches so hard he winces slightly in response. Before she can apologize he reaches back and grabs her hand, lifting it above her head, the other hanging onto him. He holds her hand in place as he moves in to kiss her. She's amazed how he is able to hold her hand above her head, have his other hand under her bottom, and kiss her while continuing to push inside her. Her back along the shower wall, she feels the coolness of the shower tiles as her back slides up and down over and over.
Her body starts to tremble, she allows herself to lose control as her body shakes while she orgasms, collapsing on him in exhaustion. He quickly lowers her to the ground and helps steady her. She gets up on her toes and kisses him softly and then says, "Did you-"
"No, I could you feel start to slip so I had to get you down."
She gives him an apologetic look and he says, "Don't worry-you will make it up to me later."
They laugh as they continue to playfully kiss each other, not able to get enough of each other.
After their shower, he lets her unpack her stuff in the guest bedroom and he cooks dinner for them. After dinner they take Harper on a walk and head to park. Katniss plays fetch with him, trying to bond with the dog again. Once back at the apartment they watch TV in the living room before passion over takes yet again and before she knows it, they are having sex on his couch. Harper asleep on the floor, she moves up and down while sitting in his lap. This was a new experience for her, for her and Peeta never had sex outside of their room.
Part of the reason was because for so long it was just her, Peeta, and Haymitch. They never locked their doors and she never wanted to risk Haymitch drunkenly barging into their home, for he sometimes did. In the bedroom she knew she would always have privacy.
This time she watches as he comes inside her, seeing the look of pleasure on his face. She is not able orgasm this time but still savored the moment of knowing that he was the one receiving pleasure for usually it was the other way around.
Later on that night, they finally decide to head to bed. They are both exhausted from traveling all day. She begins to head to the guest bedroom when he grabs her arm and pulls her into his room.
"I thought we agreed I was not to be in here" she says as she is pulled into the room, Harper following them.
"I changed my mind" he says as he leads her over to the bed. He quickly walks out and returns a few moments later with her suitcase and sets it down by the bed.
"Gale-maybe we shouldn't" but before she can say anything more he says, "My bed is bigger and we'll need the space."
She raises her eyebrows in confusion at his comment and he laughs and says, "Harper has been sleeping with me on the bed at night. I hadn't allowed him to do that since he was a puppy, but I recently let him start again. I hope you don't mind."
"Good thing I like him" she says with a smile.
She sleeps with Gale on one side and Harper on the other that night, wedged between them. It takes her longer than usual to fall asleep for she wasn't used to hearing a dog sleep beside her, but once she does, sleeps soundly for the rest of the night.
The next day was Saturday and they spend the entire day in his apartment. They each take turns taking Harper out and spend the day hanging out, and having sex, a lot of sex.
She knows that they are acting like love sick teenagers, but she tells herself she is making up for lost time, having been apart from him for two months.
At one point they fall asleep on the bed. She wakes up realizing that she was sweating, the heat accumulating inside the room for they had the windows closed. She looks at the clock and sees it is 4:30 pm. She quickly gets up and opens the window and slips back into bed, but when she does, her movements rouse him from sleep.
He blinks a few times and smiles and says, "Hey beautiful."
She gets butterflies in her stomach. She loves it when he calls her that. The only pet name he uses besides "Catnip" is beautiful which suits her just fine. While Peeta often told her she was beautiful, she sometimes never felt like it. When Gale tells her she is beautiful with the look of pure love that he gives her when he says it makes her feel wanted in a way Peeta never could.
She pushes the thought of Peeta from her mind not wanting to be reminded of how this was yet another way that she has hurt him. Giving Gale a playful look, she moves on top of him and begins kissing him. She continues to move further down kissing his body softly before taking him in her mouth, hearing sounds of pleasure coming from him as she begins moving her head up and down.
On Sunday they head over to Hazelle's townhouse for Posy's party. The minute they arrive she sees Gale's demeanor change for he suddenly becomes less affectionate with her. She doesn't ask why, for she knows the answer.
She was informed on the train ride there that the guest list for today included the two of them, Hazelle, Vick, Layla, Posy's friends from school, and Dez and her new boyfriend.
