Thank you for the reviews. Get ready for some Galeniss ;)


Chapter 17

We walk for most of the day, taking breaks to rest and eat meals. When the sun starts to set, we find a safe spot to set up camp for the night. Rory helps me set up the tent, which takes some time. I'm confident that the more times we do this, the easier it will become. Katniss take her mother and sister with her to collect edible plants in the area. When they return, Katniss even surprises us with a pair of squirrels she managed to shoot. We make a small fire to cook them on and to also use as warmth. It's almost fall and some nights are cooler than others. As we sit in a circle and eat, I ask everyone to tell us his or her favorite part of the day, trying to keep this experience a positive one. Rory immediately jumps in about the fishing, which Vick agrees. Prim mentions making the flower crowns and my mother says seeing her children happy makes her happy. Katniss says hunting by the lake. I add in my own favorite thing…the fact that we are all safe. Mrs. Everdeen doesn't seem willing to share anything. I'm not sure if she is even too keen about our decision to go into the woods. I'd rather her say nothing at all than something negative.

"What about you Pose?" I ask, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. She's been awfully quiet.

"I miss my friends." she says quietly. It's totally off topic but it must have been on her mind. The weekend plus today makes three days since she's seen her school friends, which is a long time for a 5 year old. "Why did we have to leave Gale?" she asks me, tears glossing over her eyes.

"It wasn't safe, Posy." I explain as best I can.

"Can we ever go back?" she asks.

"No." I bluntly answer her. She clings onto me and sobs into my shirt. I can feel my heart ache. The last thing I want is for her to be unhappy. I try to calm her but she's inconsolable. My mother comes over and lifts her off of me, hoping to calm her down. My mother whispers something to her but she shakes her head. I stand up and walk away to a more private place. I sit on a log and pull at my hair in frustration. I hear some footsteps on the ground, advancing towards me. I hide my face as the person sits next to me and rubs my back.

"That was too much." I grumble.

"She'll be ok." Katniss coos.

"And what if she's not? What if she hates me for this?"

"She could never hate you Gale."

"I made the right decision, didn't I?" I ask her for some sort of confirmation.

"Yes."

"I thought today was a good day. I wasn't expecting that…especially not from her."

"There will be good days and bad days."

"I know. I just didn't think the bad days would come so soon."

"We should get back. I'm sure she's better by now." she says. We stand up and make our way back to our campsite. Posy's tears have disappeared and everyone was getting ready to turn in for the night. Katniss helps me put of the fire before we join our families in the tent. Most of them have already settled into their spot, leaving a small space in the corner for Katniss and I. I smile, happy about our sleeping arrangements. I'll get to sleep close to her tonight. We make our way to our area when I feel a tug on the back of my shirt. I turn around to find Posy.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Posy asks.

"You don't want to sleep next to Mom?" I ask crouching down. She shakes her head. I let out a sigh, knowing I won't get what I want tonight, to sleep close to Katniss.

"Come on Pose." I say, letting her go ahead of me. We make our way to the empty space, where Katniss has already stretched out. "We have a visitor." I tell Katniss through the darkness.

"Who is that?" she asks as she turns on the latern above her head.

"Me!" Posy exclaims as she jumps on Katniss.

"Posy, apologize!" I reprimand her, a little mortified for my sister's behavior. Katniss laughs.

"Gale it's ok." she says with a smile. I am quiet as I lay down. When I'm settled, I reach for the lantern but Posy stops me.

"Can we leave it on? I don't like the dark." she says with a scared expression.

"Yes, we can." I say giving her a hug.

"Gale tell me a story."

"I don't have your storybook with me." I tell her.

"Then make one up." she says. I look up to find Katniss staring at me with intrigue.

"Ok…once there was this boy and this girl."

"Is this a love story?" Posy asks.

"No, it's not Posy."

"Can you make it one?"

"Since when are you so interested in love?" I ask my sister with a laugh.

"All my stories have love. Prince and princess."

"Ok." I think for a moment about a solution and I come up with a rather clever idea…a story that Katniss might benefit from hearing. "Do you want me to tell you how mom and dad met?" I ask her.

"Yes!" she says with excitement.

I start the story, talking about how our parents grew up next door to each other and how they were best friends. I add in little stories about our parents that my mother has shared with me. I then go on to tell about how our father confessed his love to my mother a week before their final reaping. My mother was mortified and hid from him for the rest of the week. The Reaping came and they stood in the square, our parents separated by an aisle as they nervously awaited their fate. They called the girl's name first and our mother was safe. When they got to the boys, the boy that was selected had the same first name as our father. For a split second, our mother thought her best friend was going into the Games, that he would be lost forever. When the Reaping had ended, our mother pulled our father into a deserted alley. She had a confession of her own to make through her tears. She told him that she was sorry for how she behaved earlier that week and that she was in love with him too. She had just been afraid to do anything about it. They kissed and they were together ever since that day.

"I like that story." Posy says with a smile.

"Me too." I agree. I look up and see Katniss' eyes on me, full of questions. I know she won't talk with Posy around. I need to figure out a way to get her alone.

"Hey Pose, can you sleep with Mom tonight?"

"I want to sleep here with you guys." she tells me with a pout.

"If you go sleep with Mom, I promise I'll find your storybook tomorrow." I bargain with her.

"Ok." she says, hugging me and giving me a peck on the cheek before crawling towards our mother. I look to make sure she is with our mother. When I turn back around, Katniss' eyes are still fixed on me.

"What is it?" I quietly ask her.

"Was that story true?"

"Every word of it."

"I've never heard it before."

"Did you like it?" I ask, curious for her opinion.

"Yes, but…" she trails off with an unsure expression.

"What?" I ask. She looks a little embarrassed to reply. "Katniss, whatever it is you can tell me." I whisper.

"Do you think that can happen? Do you really think you can change how you feel about someone?"

"People change all the time."

"How did your father realize he liked your mother as more as a friend?"

"I don't know. Maybe he just saw something that he never noticed before. A look. A touch. Something small that ignited a fire that couldn't be ignored."

"Gale, have you ever been in love?" she asks me.

"Yes I have." I simply say. I'm not about to reveal that she's the love I'm in love with.

"What does it feel like?" she asks. I'm surprised by her questions for me tonight and I am so curious to know if she's feeling things about me.

"Happiness and warmth. Bliss...like nothing can make you unhappy. I think everyone should experience it at least once in their life." Her eyes avoid my gaze and I start to wonder it I upset her. It shouldn't surprise me. We've talked about love and marriage once before just before the Reaping. She opened up to me and told me that she never wanted to marry or have children, although maybe her intentions have changed, now that we are far away from the coalmines and Reapings of District 12.

"Your parents really loved each other, didn't they?" she asks me.

"I have never seen two people more in love." I reply.

"How did your mother not fall apart after he died…like my mom did?" she asks.

"People handle grief in lots of different ways Katniss."

"If that happened to me, I wouldn't want to be like that. The way she…" Katniss says choking up. She sits up and hides her face from me, embarrassed by the emotions that follow. I sit up and position myself close to her.

"You would never do that. You're strong. Think of all things you've overcome." I whisper, my face close to hers.

"Maybe it's better just to avoid it all together."

"Love?" I ask. She nods her head. "It's worth it Katniss. No matter what happens in the end…I don't think my mother has ever regretted loving my father even after all that happened."

"We should get some sleep." she says abruptly laying down, facing away from me. I lay down next to her, leaving some space between us.

"I'm sorry if I upset you." I murmur into the quiet air. She turns around to face me with a frown.

"It's not you Gale, it's me." she confesses. She looks so sad. I let go of my overanalyzing thoughts and scoot closer to her, wrapping my arm around her, diminishing the space between us. She doesn't push me away or even flinch at my touch. She seems to revel in it, taking in my close proximity to her.

"The last thing I want is cause you any sort of pain." I softly tell her.

"I know." she replies. It's a very vague statement. For all I know I could have totally let the cat out of the bag about my true feelings for her, but right now, in this moment, I don't care.


Let me know what you thought about this chapter and anything you'd like to see in future chapters :)

Also, if you get bored between updates, check out Dotted Lines, another story I'm working on ;)

I also might make a short story about how Gale's Mom and Dad fell in love based on what was revealed in this story. Let me know if you are interested in this idea.