DISCLAIMER: HG characters do not belong to me.
Chapter 93-First Meeting
Katniss stares at the TV screen in shock, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Dez's Father is possibly a Jay Killer.
"Do you really think he is one? Or do you think he's just a supporter who doesn't really know what they are about? She asks looking at Gale while he continues to stare at the TV.
"I don't know. I know three years ago when you were in the wild territory he was still in District 2. But, they've always had people who still stayed behind in Panem when the majority were in the wild territory."
She lays her hand on his shoulder in comfort, he gently shrugs her hand off and says, "I'm going to take Harper out" and without another word he gets up and heads out the back door with the dog happily trailing behind.
Katniss knows he is upset about the fact that Dez's Father could be part of such a dangerous group. She wants to ask him what he plans to do, will he contact Dez and see what she knows? She decides instead to give him his space, knowing he will tell her of his decision when he is ready.
A half hour later he comes back in and takes his seat beside her on the couch. Katniss had changed the channel and was watching a different show. She notices that he is not paying attention to the show she is watching.
"Do you want to watch something else?" she asks.
"This is fine" he replies blankly.
She nods her head and turns back to the TV. An hour later he tells her he has to get ready for bed, for he has to go to the office tomorrow and has to leave the house at 6 am.
When she walks upstairs shortly after he has left to say goodnight, she sits on the edge of the bed and says, "Are you sure you are alright?"
"Yeah, I'm just…distracted."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"I don't want to pass judgment on Dez's Father until I know for sure what is going on."
"Makes sense."
"You do know I will have to reach out to her right? I would-prefer to talk to her about it in person. If she has anything to hide I can read her facial expressions better than anyone."
"Will she agree to meet you though? I mean…after your last conversation with her when you told her about us?"
Gale looks down, not wanting to remember his last conversation with Dez, for it was not pleasant. Shortly after he found out Katniss had written Peeta a letter he decided to give her a call at her parent's house to inform her of the news. It took her almost a week to call him back, he had wondered if her Mother had even given her the message that he called. Dez however, brushed off taking so long to call him back saying that she has been busy.
He got right to the point of his call, not wasting anytime.
"I wanted you to hear this from me first, before Ceasar finds out about it and informs all of Panem. Katniss and I…we got married."
He hears nothing but silence before she says, "Recently?"
"No. We got married before the new year."
"You got married eight months after you ended our engagement?"
"I'm sorry" he says, pain evident in his voice.
"Not enough to take my feelings into consideration. Let me guess….she said she was leaving if you didn't marry her? My Father knows some people who live in Silver Lake, I hear she has not gotten the warmest reception there."
"That's not how it happened. I'm sorry that you are still hurting."
"I'm not hurting Gale. Believe it or not I have moved on from you. I've dated other men after I broke up with Atticus, men who accept me the way I am. Men who don't try to change me."
Gale knows she is talking about his history with her in regards to her eating habits and weight loss.
"Well then obviously these guys don't care about you the way I did. I did what I did because I loved you too much to ignore what was going on."
"So you gave me an ultimatum? Either change or we break up?
"I wasn't going to stand by and watch you slowly starve yourself to death. I was trying to help you, not change you."
"I wasn't starving myself."
He decides not to let the conversation escalate by saying that being able to see and feel her ribcage or the fact that she wasn't menstruating meant in his mind that she was starving herself.
While enough time has passed that he no longer misses her the way he once did, he still worried about her, and hopes that someday, she finds someone who can help her the way he couldn't. He decides to leave his feelings unsaid.
"Well, I'm glad to hear you are happy" he says in response instead.
"Is there anything else you need to tell me? Are you going to say next that you married Katniss because you knocked her up?"
"Katniss is not pregnant."
"We'll see how long that lasts."
"Take care Dez." His way of letting her know he was ending the conversation for he had nothing more to say and he hangs up before waiting to hear her response.
He looks back up at Katniss, staring into her gray eyes. "You know if I ask her to meet me she won't say no."
Katniss can only nod back in response. She knows Dez can never refuse Gale, just like she never could either.
She forces herself not to get jealous, reminding herself that Gale is hers again. That they were closer now than ever before.
She leans in and kisses him goodnight, he hugs her tight not letting go from his embrace.
"I better let you get some sleep" she whispers into her ear.
"I never sleep well without you beside me" he says softly back.
"I'll be back up in a little bit. I have to call Haymitch and find out when he needs me for the next meeting regarding the Jay Killers."
"I'll be waiting" he says finally letting her go and gives her a quick kiss before she gets up from the bed and heads downstairs.
June 23
Katniss walks towards the President's mansion, going up the stairs to the front entrance. She is meeting with Haymitch and his group to discuss the recent activity of the Jay Killers. She's eager to hear what Haymitch has to say.
When she walks in, she sees Haymitch at the head of the table and sees Johanna, Enobaria, Beetee, and other people she does not recognize sitting on both sides.
"Hey girl, I saved you a seat" Johanna says as she points to an empty chair beside her.
Katniss smiles appreciatively as she takes her seat beside Johanna.
"Good to see you again Katniss" Beetee says, sitting directly across from Katniss.
"Good to see you too" she says politely back. It was weird to see Beetee again, for she had not seen him since the end of the war. He looked the same, though age was beginning to catch up with him, realizing that he now looked like a man who was in his 60's as opposed to his 50's when she last saw him.
Haymitch begins the meeting with introductions, Enobaria giving Katniss an annoyed look after Haymitch introduces her.
She learns the other people in the room were recruited by Haymitch. Most lived in the Capitol, but some of them lived in District 1. All of them have ties to Jay Killer members.
"So we still cannot get footage from the hidden camera" Beetee informs the group.
"And how's the new camera coming along?" Haymitch asks.
"I'm hoping it will be ready by next month."
"Let's hope we have better luck with the next one. Enobaria, what do you have?" Haymitch asks.
"More protests are planning to take place in the Capitol. From what I've been told the next protest is set for July 1. I have been asked to attend."
"I suggest you go then. Keep your eyes open for anything suspicious. I'll make sure you are given a distress watch before you go. We can't take any chances."
"Planning to address the crowd about how much Panem sucks now?" Johanna asks Enobaria, content evident in her voice.
Enobaria shoots Johanna a look and says, "If I am asked to speak I will. I do have to pretend I am with them do I not?"
"I don't think you are pretending" Johanna says accusingly.
"Ladies….we are all on the same team here" Haymich says in an authoritative tone, indicating that Johanna was to knock it off.
"If you call being bought out a sign of loyalty to the cause sure" Johanna says rolling her eyes in disgust.
Enobaria turns her head and says to Haymith sharply, "You told them about that?" angered that the others now know that she is receiving money from the Capitol.
Haymitch tasks his flask out and unscrews the lid as he says, "People were….concerned to hear that you were helping me. I had to prove that you can be trusted."
"Except we don't all trust you" Johanna says, not letting it go.
"For what it's worth, I trust you" Beetee says gently to Enobaria.
Katniss remains silent. While she trusted Haymitch, Beetee, and Johanna, she did not trust Enobaria. While she didn't think Enobaria was with the Jay Killers, she thinks if they were to pay her more than the Capitol was, she would switch loyalties in a heartbeat.
"That makes me feel so much better" Enobaria says sarcastically.
Haymitch slams his flask down, startling everyone and says, "Enough! Look, we all have to get along and put our differences aside. The past is the past. What we are trying to do here is ensure that everything we fought for in the war remains intact."
"You're right Haymitch" Katniss says, finally breaking her silence.
"Thank you. I will make sure to inform the President about the planned protests. She will want to increase security."
"What is going on with the President's informant? They guy who was in District 1?" Katniss asks.
"After the train accident last month the President decided to have him stay in 1. He reported back to the Capitol that membership has increased by twenty percent."
"Damn! Because a train derailed people want to blame Paylor?" Johanna says in disbelief.
"It's easy to blame the person in charge of the country is it not? Especially when the majority of people use those trains daily, fear clouds a person's judgment." Beetee says.
Suddenly, they hear knocking at the door.
"Come in" Haymitch says loudly.
The door opens slowly and Plutarch Heavensbee pokes his head in the door. "Excuse me for interrupting, but I heard that there was a meeting today. Haymitch, do you mind if I borrow Miss Everdeen for just a few moments?"
"No problem" Haymitch says and looks at Katniss. Not wanting to protest in front of everyone Heavenbee's request, she slowly gets up from her seat.
Sensing that something was bothering her, Johanna takes Katniss's hand and mouths, "Should I come with you?"
Katniss gives Johanna a look silently letting her know that she was fine. She quickly heads out of the room and closes the door behind her.
She gives Heavensbee a hard look as he says, "I hear congratulations are in order."
"For what?"
"For becoming Mrs. Hawthorne."
"How do you know about that?" Katniss says sternly, not allowing herself to show her discomfort in front of him.
"I have my ways."
"Is there something I can help you with?" she says in an annoyed tone.
"Come with me" he says extending his hand out for her to follow him.
She lingers for a few moments before slowly moving towards him, following him down the hall, her anxiety rising.
A/N: Sorry for the delay with this update! I hope to have another chapter posted by Friday.
