Thanks reviewers for your kind words! As promised here is Chapter 7 (can't believe I'm already on ch. 7 btw). Enjoy!

For everyone that loves Hazelle Hawthorne as much as I do...this one's for you! :)


Chapter 7

It takes me longer to make my way home than it did for me to return back to the woods near District 12. There is nothing to look forward to, no anticipation about what could be. I'm returning empty-handed. I really thought there was a possibility that I could have returned with her by my side.

With each step I take, I can feel the locket pounding on my chest with a heaviness that is overwhelming. I pause to tuck the locket under my shirt hoping this would make a difference. The thumping sensation is gone but I can't say I am at ease. I can now feel the metal against my skin reminding me of her. I don't want to be reminded of her. I want to forget her. I want to forget what I did. In a rather brash moment, I whip the chain off my neck and let out a frustrated grunt as I throw it into the woods beside me. An overwhelming guilt overcomes me and I feel as if I'm abandoning her again.

"Catnip." I whisper as I run in the direction I threw it. My hands move over the foliage as I try to undercover it. The more I search, the more frantic I become. It takes me the better part of an hour to find the locket. I rest against the base of a nearby tree and clutch the round disk of the locket in my fist. I place the chain around my neck and let the locket fall against me. I close my eyes and take comfort in it, knowing a piece of her is with me.

After taking a few controlled breaths, I reach down and flip the latch to open it, revealing her image. I feel fortunate that at least the image is a smiling Katniss. I wonder when the photograph was taken, what made her look so happy. I wonder if I could ever make her that happy. Maybe I could if I could find a way to get her out here, remove that stupid tracker. I'd even bring Peeta and her son with us if she would smile like that at me.


It takes me an extra day to get home. Upon opening my front door, I am greeted by my three younger siblings clinging onto me.

"Whoa, what's this?" I chuckle, still surprised.

"We missed you, Gale." Posy said.

"I expect this much from you…but not the boys."

"What, can't a guy miss his big brother?" Rory asks, slinging his arm around my shoulders. I catch my mother watching us in the doorway to the kitchen, her arms crossed with a smile on her face. Her expression becomes more serious when I have her attention, silently asking me how it went. I shake my head as I try to drown out my sibling's endless questions about my journey.

"Kids, why don't you go outside check the snare line and the berry bushes." she suggests. The only way I can get them out the door is to promise to tell them everything at dinner. I settle on the couch and my mother is soon by my side.

"Did you find her?" she asks, taking my hand.

"Yes." I mutter.

"How did it go?"

"Not good, Mom." I say, choking on my words. I collapse forward into her arms, finally releasing the tears that are long overdue. As she comforts me, I wish to be young again, to feel my body nestled against her like I used to do when I was upset as a boy. It must look ridiculous seeing a petite woman try to soothe a man of my size and stature. I remove myself from her and rest my back against the couch as I stare off into the distance, trying to figure out where to start.

"It was hard to leave her there."

"I'm surprised you returned alone."

"I tried…she just couldn't…" I trail off looking towards the ceiling to thwart my tears. "They put a tracker in her arm after there was some sort of rebellion from some victors. We wouldn't have made to the edge of our woods before they realized that she was making a run for it."

"I'm sorry." my mother says, rubbing my shoulder.

"And that's not all, Mom. She's married to Peeta Mellark." I tell her, my fury bubbling inside me. It becomes too much and I feel the need to unleash my anger and some way. I spring up and grab a nearby footstool. "Those assholes made her marry him!" I rant as I throw the stool at the stone mantle, causing a leg to fly off. "They have a fucking kid together!" I continue.

"Gale!" my mother snaps at me. I'm not sure if she's madder at my outburst or my cursing. She was never one for either of them.

"You know what I hate the most. She named her kid after me…her poor friend that was blasted into bits by the Capitol. That's the other thing. She thought it was her fault I was dead. If I couldn't feel any worse about leaving her, now I find out that she blamed herself." My mother leads me back to the couch and sets me down. She wears a curious expression and my eyes follow down to where she's staring. Somehow in all the commotion, it managed to free itself from its hiding place. She takes the pendant in her hands and opens it.

"Still beautiful." she comments.

"She'll always be beautiful." I add. My mother looks at me with sympathetic eyes. "I love her so much."

"Did you tell her that?" she asks. I shake my head. "Why not?"

"It wouldn't have done any good. She's married and I was leaving."

"Happily married?" my mother asks with raised brows. My eyes widen when I realize what my mother is saying.

"Married is married." I say, repeating words I've heard her use before.

"What about her? Did she seem to share your affections?"

"I don't know…maybe. I really can't tell if it was that or if she was just happy to see me alive."

"Maybe both."

"She seemed more relaxed around me. Didn't try to put up any walls when I was near her."

"Perhaps she finally realized how special her relationship is with you."

"Mom." I exhale with an eye roll.

"It's true. I saw it; everyone in the Seam and Hob saw it. We all knew it was a matter of time before the two of you would realize that you were more than just hunting partners." My mother takes my hand to get my attention. "You were meant for her Gale, and she was meant for you."

"Maybe back then. It's different now. Complicated."

"So there's no hope?" she asks.

"A lot of things would have to happen Mom." I say easing up off the couch. "I'm going to lay down before dinner. Think about what I'm going to tell the kids. They are expecting stories."

"Try not to be to hard on yourself, son. You couldn't have known things would turn out this way."

"Thanks Mom, for listening." I say giving her one last hug before walking down the hallway to my room. I collapse onto my bed and close my eyes to get some shuteye before tonight.


"Gale, wake up!" Posy says bouncing on her knees as she shakes my body.

"Pose." I groan. "Jeez how old are you again?"

"Nine." she answers.

"Well, maybe you should act like it." I say, swinging my legs onto the ground.

"Just wanted to hear your stories." she said with a pout. I can tell I've hurt her feelings.

"Sorry, Posy. I'm just so tired." I say wrapping my arm around her shoulder.

"You can be a real meanie sometimes."

"Meanie, hmm? Haven't heard you call me that in a while."

"I missed you a lot." she says, changing the subject.

"I wasn't gone that long." I tell her.

"A whole week. I don't think you ever been away for that long."

"Well I promise it won't happen again. I'm here to stay." I say, pulling her in for a hug.

"Good." she says, content. "Now come on! Dinner's ready and we want to hear everything!"


I hate lying to them, I really do but I also love seeing the way their faces light up when I recount what "happened" in the woods. Lucky for me, I have plenty of stories from my times in the woods outside of District 12 that I haven't told them yet. I find myself happy for the rest of the evening, forgetting about the girl that has plagued my mind.

It isn't until bedtime that my depression returns. I miss her. My bed feels too large; she would fit so well beside me. She's hundreds of miles away though, lying beside another man. What I would give to be Peeta Mellark right now. She might even be happy with me. I try to resolve her feelings for me during my trip back. She seemed to welcome my proximity to her, allowing me to hold her close to me. I'd never even hugged her before, with the exception of our goodbyes in the Justice Building. Maybe my absence finally made her realize how she really felt about me.

Part of me curses myself for not revealing my love for her. There were times that would have lent themselves nicely, allowing me to show her without words, something I've never been good with. My lips on hers would have been enough. She might have even kissed me back.

Maybe I should just forget about her. It would be for the best. There are girls around my age that live out here, having also escaped from their respective districts. I'm sure I could easily find someone. I've seen the way a few have grinned when we cross paths. Who's to say I could not eventually feel for one of them what I feel for her? I quickly sweep that from my mind. She's all I want, all I need.

I close my eyes and wonder if she's thinking of me right now. I grab onto the extra pillow beside me and clutch it to my chest, pretending it is her. Pretending she is with me in the woods. A grin reaches my lips as I drift off to sleep with the image of her in my head.


She afflicts my dreams, turning them to nightmares instead. Each time I drift off there is a brand new scenario of me trying to save her. I try to cut the tracker out of her skin and she bleeds to death in my arms. I take her with me deep into the woods where the Peacekeepers find her and execute her. Those are some of the horrific images seared into my brain.

On the third time I wake up, I find the weight of someone on top of me, pressing their palm against my mouth.

"Pipe down!" I hear hushed warning spoken my way. I recognize the voice as Rory's. I stop my failing and shouting out her name. Rory lets go of his restraint on me and sits with his back against the wall. I prop my pillow against the wall and do the same.

"You wanna tell me why you were shouting Katniss' name out in the middle of the night."

"Nightmares."

"All of a sudden you're having nightmares about Katniss Everdeen?" he says rather slyly. "You went back, didn't you?"

"No, that's ridiculous."

"You're lying." he refutes.

"Yes, I did." I reply. I know there is no use in lying at this point.

"Thought as much. You got a little sloppy with your stories at dinner. Retold the one about the black bear."

"Shit." I reply, realizing it wasn't my first time telling that one.

"It's ok. Don't think the other two caught on. So I'm assuming you ran into her."

"Yes, in the woods."

"So…how'd it go?" he asks elbowing me in the ribcage.

"Horribly. She's married to Peeta. Has a kid with him…all brought on by the Capitol."

"Sucks. Did she mention anything about Prim?" he asks curiously.

"Not much, she's managed to escape the Reapings. Why do you care so much about Prim?" I ask, taking off guard by his random question.

"Oh, come on, like you didn't know! I had the biggest crush on her growing up." he says with a laugh.

"So that's why you were always begging to come with me every time I had to deliver something to the Everdeen house." I say with a laugh, now grasping my brother's childhood affections.

"Bet she's more beautiful than ever." Rory says. I can't help but laugh when I hear him gushing about Prim. "You have to take me with you next time."

"I'm not going back." I tell him. He looks at me like I'm crazy.

"Why not?"

"Because there's no reason. She has her own life now, even if she is unhappy. I could never be anything to her."

"She's still your friend."

"I can't be near her. I don't know if I'd be able to control myself around her. It was bad enough this time." I mutter.

"Maybe it's because you haven't been laid in 5 years."

"Rory!" I exclaim as I go to smack the side of his head. He jumps off the bed with a chuckle as he dodges my attack.

"What it's true and don't even try to deny it. You haven't even looked at any of the girls out here."

"This conversation's over." I tell him as I flatten my pillow and lay down on my bed.

"Well if you change your mind, I know several girls that would let you have them." he says with a laugh before closing my door. Great, now I my family concerned about my sex life. Something definitely needs to change…soon.


Lots of Hawthorne conversations. Hope you liked this chapter full of Hawthornes.

Let me know what you think of the story so far. Feel free to make a prediction!

Also, I've never written a story for Gale's POV. How do you think I'm doing? Is there any facet of Gale I haven't touched upon or one you would like to see in future chapters? Let me know ;)