DISCLAIMER: HG characters do not belong to me.
A/N: to refresh, I mentioned there was going to be a big time jump in this chapter
Chapter 135-Destiny
April 25 (Seven and a half years later)
"Mom!" Juniper says loudly snapping Katniss out of her trance as she stared ahead.
She blinks a couple of times before looking down at the now 8 year old who stared up at her, her deep blue eyes piercing into her gray ones.
"Sorry honey" Katniss says as she bends down and fixes Juniper's fishing pole. It was just the two of them fishing at the lake.
After Katniss finishes setting Juniper's line back in place she hands it back to her and says, "all fixed."
"Thanks Mom" Juniper says, her face showing a troubled look as she stares down at the now fixed pole.
"What is it?" Katniss asks, knowing exactly when something was wrong.
"It's about Dad" Juniper says sadly.
"What about him?"
"He's been different this last week, he's hardly spoken to me."
Katniss gets a saddened look on her face as she says, "It's my fault honey-I told your Dad something that I thought he was ready to hear. He wasn't. It has nothing to do with you Juniper-nothing at all. What I told your Father has nothing to do with you or your sisters or brother. So he's acting different towards you-because he's angry at me."
"Why is he angry?"
"He thinks I lied to him."
"Did you?"
"I hate to say it's grown up stuff but-"
"It's grown up stuff" Juniper says giving Katniss a half smile.
"Yeah" Katniss says nodding her head.
"I hope he doesn't stay mad at you. You and Dad are the only ones who will come down to the lake with me now."
Katniss begins to feel pity for her youngest daughter. Juniper adored her older sisters, but now at ages 18 and 17, didn't want to spend much time with their younger sister. Sienna who was in her final year at school, was looking forward to graduation and attending medical training in the fall. Avery, who ended up being a pretty popular girl in school constantly stayed busy with numerous friends and she currently had a boyfriend, though both Katniss and Gale set firm boundaries with her. Jack was now 13 and stayed busy with his small group of friends from school when he wasn't spending time with the family.
"Jack would still come down with you" Katniss says.
"I know, but he's not patient with me like you and Dad are."
Katniss chuckles, understanding her daughter's frustration with her older brother.
"You know, there were times when your Father wasn't very patient with me when we first became hunting partners."
"Really?" Juniper says in disbelief.
"Mmhmm. I slowly gained my confidence working with him though, and you will too when it comes to fishing."
Juniper nods and casts her line out. Katniss does the same and the two of them stand in silence again as they fish on the calm waters of the lake. It was Saturday afternoon. Sienna was at home studying for her physics final, Avery was over at Jett's, her boyfriend's house though Katniss said she had to be home for dinner tonight, and Gale had taken Jack to Vick's house. Vick and Layla, now had three sons-Taran who was now 12, Sander 10, and Oren who was 8 the same age as Juniper. Jack who had grown up with Taran had still remained very close with Vick's oldest son. Katniss knew that Gale and Jack wouldn't be home till late tonight. She remembers how short he was with her this morning before the two of them left, letting her know that they would be gone all day.
Katniss knows he would be trying to find ways to avoid her as much as he could when he wasn't working. She wonders how long this behavior would continue.
It was exactly a week ago yesterday when she told him information he wasn't ready to hear, information about her future. She had finally told him the truth about what she knew, about what she had seen so many years ago back when she had lived with the tribe. About her two experiences taking the herb-and what she saw in her last vision.
She had a doctor's appointment that morning in the capitol, and had agreed to meet him for lunch for he had a meeting with Paylor that morning and would be finishing his day at the President's mansion before returning back to Silver Lake late that evening. She had gotten bad news, and decided it was time to finally tell him what she knew.
"What is it?" he says to her as she picks at her salad, barely eating it. Knowing from the moment he saw her at the café that something was wrong.
She looks up at him, nervousness taking over. "Dr. Hughes said my blood work wasn't good, my t-cell levels are declining, and my immune system is getting weaker. The medication doesn't appear to be working anymore."
He drops his fork and stares at her in shock. She sees the look of worry on his face turn to defiance as he says, "They'll try another medication."
Katniss looks at him sadly and shakes her head no.
"Then we'll find a new doctor, we'll think of something we can't just give up!"
"No Gale. I'm resigned to my fate. I think instead of constantly going to the Capitol I should just-spend as much time with the kids and my mom as possible."
"You can't just give up! You survived the arena twice! And the war, and Prim's death. After everything we've been through you can't just lay down and die" Gale says in disbelief. Katniss thankful that no one was around them hearing this conversation, for most of the patrons were outside enjoying the beautiful spring day outside.
"Gale" Katniss says softly, taking her hand in his. "This was going to happen someday, you knew it was."
He yanks his hand away and says, "All I knew, was that you were going to fight to stay alive, no matter what."
"I will fight, but-I can't stop destiny."
"What? What the hell does that mean?"
"I knew this day would come."
He gives her a puzzled look.
"I'm going to die from this Gale, sooner rather than later."
"How can you know that?" he says his voice raising an octave higher.
She stares at him for what feels like to him and to her an eternity. For a strange moment, he feels as if she is glaring at him. He then realizes, her glare is her way of keeping her composure here in this very public place.
Still frowning, she takes a deep breath and looks down as she says, "Twenty-one years ago, while living with the tribe, I was given an herb to inhale. This wasn't just any herb. This particular herb makes you see…..visions."
"What kind of visions?" Gale says cautiously.
"Some of the visions that you see, show you the future."
He abruptly takes her hand back in his and squeezes it very tightly and says, "Are you saying you saw your own death?"
"That and other things."
"What kind of things!" Gale demanded, his voice rising.
"Well, I didn't know what it was at the time, but I saw my dorm room in District 4, I saw visions of Peeta back in my old house in 12, I saw a vision of myself being tortured, and I saw….visions of us."
He gives her a hard stare waiting for her to continue.
"One of the first visions I saw-I was in a meadow. I didn't know where. I knew it wasn't 12. When I looked down at my body-I saw that I was pregnant. I became-very anxious. I looked around and I saw…." Pausing to take a sip of water.
"What? What did you see?" Gale says anxiously.
"I saw two little girls, a boy…and you."
"You mean you saw…" but before he could finish she says, "I saw Sienna, Avery, Jack and you in the meadow in our house. Only I didn't know their names at the time, or that it was our property."
He yanks his hand away from hers and says, "You saw this vision before you and I became friends again?"
"Yes" she says without hesitation.
"So when did you see your…impending death?"
"Remember how after we left the wild territory I went back to the tribe?" Gale nods and she continues, "Well, right before I left, I asked if I could have the herb again. I felt it was something I needed to do. I ended up seeing again I didn't know it at the time, one my classroom's here in District 2. I saw a vision of Peeta and I, and I saw what I think will be….when I eventually die."
"What was the vision of you and Peeta?"
"Something that was just a fear, not the future."
"I thought the herb showed you the future" Gale says sarcastically.
"It shows you fears along with the future" Katniss says calmly.
"So what was the fear you saw about Peeta?"
"That he and I had two children. A boy and a girl. We still lived in the house in 12. The children played in the meadow…on top of a graveyard."
She sees the look of jealousy and sadness in his eyes. Then his eyes turn to anger again as he says, "So how does it happen?"
"I prefer to keep that to myself if you don't mind."
"Fair enough. It's not like you haven't been lying this entire time."
"Gale-" Katniss tries to reach for him but he pulls away.
"Look-I get why you didn't say anything back when I was still with Dez. But to still keep this from me after we had gotten together. Knowing that we were going to have four children-"
"I didn't know! I mean, I suspected but-Strong Wind told me, the herb cannot be used to try to prevent or change the future. I couldn't tell you about the things I had seen."
"Then why are you telling me now!" he hissed.
"Because, I need you to understand why I don't want to pursue other treatment options at this time."
"That sounds like giving up to me. Like you said, the herb can't be used to prevent your destiny. How do you know what you saw wasn't a fear?" He suddenly gets up and takes out a wad of money from his wallet and places it on the table.
"Where are you going?" Katniss asks frantically.
"For a walk, then back to the President's mansion. Don't follow me."
"I think we need to discuss this more."
"What's there to discuss? You told me your decision."
"And?"
"You're making the wrong choice. But then again, you made the wrong choice about a lot of things" and he storms off leaving her behind.
When he came home that night, he began sleeping in the basement where he has been sleeping for the past week. The two of them barely saying more than two sentences to each other since that day at lunch. She's relieved for once her other children are too wrapped up in their own lives to notice that something was wrong. She knows she needs to talk to him sooner rather than later, but she was dreading the conversation. While they had their disagreements from time to time, overall they had found it relatively easy to get along these past twenty years and hardly ever disagreed on how to parent their children.
She knows this conversation though, might be the hardest one they ever have.
A/N: so sorry for the late update!
