Disclaimer: I'm just playing with Suzanne Collins' characters and her world. They're hers. Not mine. Any lines from the books are hers too.
AN: I just enjoy toying with this universe too much, forgive me. Maybe in the future I'll write a story with an actual plot/story in this au, but first I'd have to have a plan of where to go. Until then, you just get snippets of the world. If anyone cares. Also, thanks to NurseKelly for the encouragement.
Kaleidoscope, pt 9
Gale pulls his cap lower on his head, turns up his collar to the wind and stuffs his hands deeper in his pockets, trying to stave off the bone chilling air and icy drizzle coming down on him.
The mines closed early today. Several of the loading carts, ancient as they were, broke down, leaving the crews with full loads and no way to empty them. When the engineers failed to get them working after two hours, the decision had come down to close rather than continue to pay men to sit on their asses.
Much as Gale would miss the hours of pay, he won't miss being out in this shit weather.
Glancing up, he spots a curl of smoke rising from the chimney of his house and smiles, quickening his step.
The front porch creaks as he steps up, and a speckled goat peaks out from under it, glaring at him for a moment before bleating a greeting.
She's an ugly, bad tempered old thing, nothing like lady had been, but Wren loved the damn thing the moment she'd seen her in the Hob.
"Please, daddy!" She'd begged, big blue eyes as wide as she could get them, lower lip puckered. "I'll feed her, and wash her, and sing her songs…"
What singing would do for a goat Gale didn't know, but he'd finally relented, bartering for nearly an hour in the sweltering heat to get the stupid thing for her.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you daddy!"
Despite her prickliness, the goat makes plenty of milk, and the cheese they make from it trades well.
Wren had begged Daisy to make the stupid thing a coat out of scraps of worn fabric from her old dresses, then gotten Sage and Miles to build it a little house when winter blew in.
"It's a goat," Briar had grumbled. "It's gonna eat that coat and it's too dumb to use a house."
"She's not dumb," Wren countered, petting her goat fondly and sighing. "She's smart, right Goat?"
Just as Briar predicted, the coat ended up eaten and Gale had yet to see the stupid thing get in its little 'house', but Wren was delighted with her siblings' efforts anyway, maintaining the goat has a reason for her actions and is 'smart'.
While Gale tends to agree with Briar about the animal's lack of intelligence, he doesn't argue it. Wren is happy, and for him that's all that matters.
Pulling out his keys, he pushes the door open and steps into the warmth.
It smells like stew brewing, spices and meat scenting the air, and he sighs at the thought of a good warm meal.
"Gale?"
Madge frowns at him from the entry to the kitchen, her nose wrinkled and forehead scrunched in worry.
"You're early. Did something happen?"
She grips the wooden spoon in her hands, probably already formulating the worst in her head, before Gale shakes his head.
"Equipment broke down and they got sick of paying us for sitting around," he tells her, kicking off his boots, shrugging his coat from his shoulders and hanging it on the hook by the door.
Madge sighs, her expression softening and lips easing into a smile.
"Well, that's not good, but I don't mind you being home early." She shrugs, her smile widening. "It's okay."
"Okay?" Gale grins, crossing to her and pulling her to him and earning a squeal of shock when she collides with his chest lightly. "When do the kids get out of school?"
Madge snorts, rolling her eyes.
"Is that all you ever think about?"
Pressing kisses along her neck, Gale chuckles. "We have five kids. Pretty much."
Laughing, Madge lets him hoist her up and carry her into the bedroom, kicking the door shut before tossing her on the bed.
#######
They only manage to make themselves presentable minutes before the front door flies open, cold wind and dead leaves blowing in along with Wren.
"Daddy!" She shouts, lunging at him and nearly taking him off his feet. "You're early!"
Leaning down, Gale presses a kiss into the tangles of her hair and laughs.
"Yeah, had some trouble with the equipment."
She nods, barely listening as she begins shuffling through her bag, then begins jabbering about her day, unconcerned with broken equipment or lost wages.
"I saw a cloud that looked like a turtle today," she announces, handing Gale a box of what appears to be broken pencils before dropping her bag to the ground. "And Daphne told me I have air in my head during recess. We all have air in our heads though, so I don't know what she was talking about..."
She continues to rattle on, jumping from subject to unrelated subject, when the door opens again and Miles and Daisy hurry in.
Gale looks up to greet them, expecting to have to explain why he's off work early for them as well, but his own question keeps theirs away.
"What happened?"
Daisy's eyes are pink, red-rimmed, swollen, and tear stains are clear on her flush cheeks.
Miles' normally grinning face is pulled in a scowl and he has an arm wrapped around Daisy's shoulder.
Despite being younger, he's already outgrown her, but even before he'd had his growth spurt, he'd taken on the role of protector for both she and Wren.
Briar and Sage take care of themselves, but Daisy isn't a fighter and Wren has a kind of sweet obliviousness about her. Neither one puts up much of a fight when other kids pick on them.
Not that Wren notices.
"Nothing," Daisy quickly answers, shooting Miles a look that plainly says to stay quiet, but Wren doesn't catch it.
"Daisy was fightin'," she answers simply, digging through her box of broken pencils. "I didn't like it."
"It wasn't a fight," Daisy corrects her.
"No, it wasn't," Miles adds darkly, dropping his bag and shooting the floor a filthy look.
"Well there was a lot of yellin'," Wren tells no one in particular. "And cryin'."
Gale instantly takes Daisy by the shoulders, inspecting her for injury, but he doesn't spot so much as a scratch. Other than a rubbed raw nose and swollen eyes, she seems physically fine.
"I'm fine dad, it was just a disagreement."
Miles makes a grunting noise, clearly not agreeing himself, but keeps quiet past that.
"It's fine," she adds quietly. "I'm gonna go wash my face."
Before she can make her get away, Madge emerges from the kitchen, where she'd run to keep the stew from burning, and sighs.
"Oh sweetie, what happened?"
Daisy forces a smile, one so reminiscent of the sad ones Madge wore so often when she was younger that Gale feels his stomach clench up.
"Nothing."
"She was in a fight," Gale tells her.
Madge takes a deep breath, her eyes closing for a moment before giving a sad smile of her own.
This is hardly the first time one or more of their kids has come home from a fight. Normally it's Briar, but Daisy has had her fair share of battles.
Girls are easier targets, and nastier fighters, Gale's learned.
The boys both out shot their classmates years ago, making all them less desirable marks for nasty remarks about Madge, and Wren is more interested in clouds and oddly shaped rocks than what people are saying. Briar and Daisy are the ones taking the brunt of the insults.
"Who was it this time?" Madge finally asks, brushing a wayward strand of Daisy's blonde hair from her face and frowning.
"No on-"
"It was Briar."
Gale blinks, frowns, then looks down at Wren, now lining her pencils up by size.
"Briar?" Madge looks to Gale, confusion etched on her face, then to Daisy. "You were fighting with Briar?"
"No!"
"Yes!" Miles cuts in, arms crossed over his chest as he grinds his teeth. "Briar was yelling at her when I came out of the school!"
"She wasn't!" Daisy shouts, shaking her head, tears welling in her eyes. "We were just having-we were just talking!"
"She was this close to your face," Miles hisses, pinching his fingers together, approximating an inch.
Looking betrayed, Daisy bites her lower lip before muttering that she wants to wash her face and rushing out of the living room.
Madge gives Gale a little look, letting him know she'll check on their daughter, before following her out of the room.
Sighing, Gale looks to Miles, still grinding his teeth and glaring.
"What were they fighting about?"
For a second Gale doesn't think he's heard him and he starts to repeat himself, but then Miles sighs.
"I don't know." He shakes his head, running his hands through his hair and standing it on end. "I just came out and Briar was having a fit. They were both crying and even Wren was upset. Daisy wouldn't tell me what it was about."
Nodding, Gale rubs the back of his neck, feeling the muscles tightening already.
"Where'd Bri go?"
Miles shrugs. "I dunno. I told her to stop yelling, calm down, and she told me to stay out of it, so I got between her and Day and told her no. Then she huffed and left."
Patting Miles on the back, he gives him a smile. They both know Briar is out in the woods somewhere, blowing off steam. It's what Gale would've done, and Briar is nothing if not Gale's daughter.
"Go get on your homework," Gale tells him, jerking his head toward the kitchen.
Reluctantly, Miles snatches up his bag and heads into the kitchen.
Groaning, Gale drops onto the couch, wondering just what kind of teenage bullshit caused his kids to meltdown, when he feels something soft and warm plop beside him.
Wren looks up at him, her big blue eyes wide as she chews her lip and grips one of her broken pencils in her hands.
"They were fighting because of me," she whispers, eyes dropping to her lap in guilt.
Confused, Gale tips her chin up and frowns. "What about you were they fighting about?"
She's going to have it wrong, Gale knows it. Wren inherited Madge's mom's strange way of seeing the world, but there's always a grain of truth in her sideways interpretations. He just has to find it.
"I told Bri about that boy," she explains, her little voice so soft Gale almost doesn't hear it. "He was flirtin' with Day and I told Bri and she got mad."
"A boy?" That didn't sound like Briar. Or Daisy for that matter.
"I think Briar likes him, but he likes Daisy," Wren adds. "And she was yelling at Daisy because she thinks she was flirtin' back, but she wasn't, and Bri wouldn't listen to me when I told her."
It's almost funny. His daughter fighting about some stupid boy, but Gale can't find it in himself to laugh.
"I shouldn't'a told, but that boy is too big for Daisy and I just wanted Bri to keep him away." She makes a face. "I was gonna tell Sage, but he was with Abilene and Miles wasn't out yet…"
She looks painfully close to tears, so Gale pulls her into a hug and presses a kiss into her hair.
"You didn't do anything wrong. You were just protecting your sister."
"But Bri yelled…"
"That's not your fault," he reassures her.
"I always mess up," she whispers, biting her lip. "I don't know what to do and I mess up and now Briar and Daisy are mad at each other."
Pressing another kiss into her hair, Gale sighs.
"No, gorgeous, you didn't mess up. Briar is upset but not at you, and Daisy isn't either, and neither am I, okay?"
He feels her head nod in his side and he pulls her closer, wishing all his daughters were as easy to comfort as her.
#######
They wait until Sage comes home, a few hours later, before Gale trudges into the woods to find Briar.
"I'll come with you," he told Gale, pulling his coat back on.
"No, you have homework," Gale reminds him.
Besides, Gale and Madge had decided it was best he talk to Briar before they come home, get to the bottom of their daughters' fight.
"Daisy wouldn't say a word," Madge told him, pressing her fingers to her eyes. "Just kept telling me it was nothing."
Sage had even tried, but she'd remained tight lipped.
"But I don't see her and Bri arguing over a boy," he added. "I mean, it'd be like me and Miles fighting over a girl. There's just too much distance between our ages."
Wren's words 'that boy is too big for Daisy' echoed in Gale's head at that, and he nodded grimly.
So Gale bundled up and headed out.
It doesn't take him long to find Briar.
She's always been fond of the lake, even when it's too cold to fish.
For several minutes Gale waits by one of the trees closest to the water's edge, watching her as she snaps twigs and tosses them into the frigid water.
Her hair has a few leaves in it, probably caught in it as she ran through the woods, and he can see mud splattered on her school shoes, probably all over her uniform too. Madge will have her laundering skill put to the test once again by their oldest daughter.
Hearing her sniffle, Gale sighs and silently pads over to where she's seated, on a half rotted downed tree.
"Heard you had a fight with your sister," he finally says.
She laughs, a little wet sounding.
"Wasn't much of a fight," she mumbles, wiping her nose on her sleeve.
"Yeah," Gale mutters as he drops down beside her. "That's what Miles said."
A minute passes, then another, before she sighs.
"I just yelled at her." She takes a breath. "I shouldn't'a yelled at her."
Gale just nods his agreement but stays silent. He'd been the oldest of four and he can appreciate how little brothers and sisters worm their way under your skin, push you too far. Granted, he can't imagine Daisy needling Briar the way Rory and occasionally Vick had him, but still, he supposes anything is possible.
"What was it about?" He asks, wanting her to tell him herself. Hoping there's more to it than a boy.
Shrugging, Briar picks up another stick and snaps it in half.
"Rowan was talking to her," she begins flatly. "I didn't think anything about it because she's just a kid, but then Wren, she started pestering me, telling me I needed to go help Daisy because that big boy was flirting with her and trying to look down her shirt."
She tosses half the stick and cracks the remainder, glaring at it.
"So I went over, and Daisy was smiling and laughing. I mean, it was that weird laugh she does when she's nervous, but I don't think Rowan could tell that, so I told him we needed to go and grabbed her by the shoulder and dragged her away. And once we were away, I just…"
She snaps the twig and drops it.
"If she didn't laugh and smile, act like she's enjoying it when she isn't-he's too old for her anyways."
Frowning, Gale nods and tries to piece together Briar and Wren's versions of events. Briar doesn't sound jealous, mostly angry that Daisy didn't get herself away from the boy, but he waits, knowing there's more.
"He's not the only one looking at her," she finally says. "Lots of guys have started noticing her." Her voice drops in a poor imitation of a man. "'Your sister's gotten pretty', 'We know where all your momma's good looks went', 'Are you sure you're related to Daisy?'"
Gale's heart drops to his stomach as Briar gets up, kicks a stone into the water.
"Just because she's blonde and busty-and she's from the Seam so they think-and then all that crap they say about mom…" She glares out at the lake. "They don't even look at me because I'm just plain, and I don't have that little voice like she and mom do, or put up with their crap, and it just isn't fair!"
Lifting his cap, Gale scratches his head, trying to figure out just what she's trying to say.
She doesn't explain though, just stays standing, silently cursing everything with her stormy glare.
"So...you're mad because Daisy didn't tell this Rowan to go to hell or because he was talking to her at all, because I'm not real clear on it," he finally prompts her.
Not looking back, she makes a defeated noise, presses her hands to her eyes before muttering, "Both?"
She turns back, eyes shining in the dim sunlight.
"I don't know. I know it isn't her fault. She's like mom, she hasn't got a mean bone in her body. Goddamn I wish she did though, dad! If she did guys wouldn't look at her like she's-like a few nice words will have her at the slag heap. If she did maybe they wouldn't think she's perfect and they'd see I'm not half as bad as they think."
Pushing himself up, Gale reaches out and pulls her to him, wrapping his arms around her and pressing a kiss to her temple.
"You aren't bad, sweetpea, you're my tough girl."
A choked laugh catches in her throat.
"Yeah, and Daisy's your little cupcake." Her cheek rests against his shoulder and tears begin soaking his coat. "None of the guys like 'tough girls', they want cupcakes like Daisy."
Gale almost reminds her that Daisy is still a kid, even if her body had decided it's done with childhood, but keeps it to himself. He'd been hell with girls when he'd been only a little older than Daisy, even if he doesn't like to think about those times, for more than one reason.
Instead, he kisses her hair again. "Guys don't know what they want."
"They want sweet little daisies," she counters, pulling back and wiping her face on the back of her hand. "Even you did."
For a minute Gale just stares at her, unsure what he's supposed to say to that.
He had chosen a daisy, but she hadn't been his first choice. He wishes she had been, but she hadn't, and he isn't sure if that makes it better or worse.
"Have I ever told you about Katniss?"
Briar's nose wrinkles up as she sniffles, a few more tears leaking out the corners of her eyes as she shakes her head. "Everdeen? The Victor?"
He never has talked about Katniss, he's well aware of that. In fact, he'd be shocked if any of his kids even know he'd ever been friends with one half of District Twelve's very own Star-Crossed Lovers.
Pulling Briar down, back onto the downed tree, Gale takes a deep breath and decides to start at the beginning.
"My dad and Katniss' were both killed in the mines on the same day…"
#######
"So you were in love with Katniss Everdeen?"
"I thought I was," he laughs at the disgusted expression on her face. "But...it was more…I just thought, we're compatible, we're survivors, we belong together."
She groans. "That's weird. She's so...flat. She's got the personality of a dead fish, even Mr. Abernathy says so. Mom is so much more…"
Nodding, Gale chuckles. "Your mom is as different from Katniss as day is from night." He takes her hand and gives it a squeeze. "But I cared about her a lot."
Squeezing back, Briar grins. "So the point of all that is that you were an idiot guy too?"
Rolling his eyes, Gale nods. "Yeah, basically."
A minute passes and her smile fades as she turns back toward the water.
"It all comes down to the same thing though, doesn't it?" She sighs. "You didn't end up with the Girl on Fire."
"The point is she didn't end up with me." He reaches out and takes her chin, turns it back to him. "She ended up with her own softie from town, and we were both better for it. Like doesn't always need like."
You don't always get what you want, but that isn't a bad thing. Sometimes it's for the best if you don't. He'd certainly come out the better for losing to Peeta Mellark.
Nodding, Briar forces a smile before looking back to the lake.
"It could though."
Gale sighs. "Yeah, it could." He makes a face. "But any guy who tries to move on a kid just because she developed a little faster…he's not for you, and I'll thank you to keep his creepy ass away from your sister."
Briar snorts.
"I know, and I will." Her smile softens. "I guess I'm gonna have to put some meanness in Daisy before I graduate, huh?"
Nodding, Gale laughs. "Might help."
Pulling her into a hug, Gale kisses her hair again, pulls a leaf from it, and then steers her back toward the District.
"Your Mom is gonna be having kittens if we don't get back before sundown."
They walk without speaking until they reach the fence and are safely on the right side, then Briar takes a long breath.
"I should apologize to Daisy."
Gale nods. "You should, and Wren."
She groans.
"She's blaming herself for you two fighting."
Briar huffs.
"Well-I know." She shakes her head in frustration.
"She thinks you have crush on this Rowdy guy."
"Rowan," she corrects him, rubbing her nose. "He's just a friend. Or he was. If he's gonna be creeping on little girls I don't know."
Gale nudges her with his shoulder. "So no crush? Wren is usually pretty good about these things."
She'd pegged Sage's crush on the Mellark girl, Abilene, years ago, before her brother even realized why he was so eager to visit the bakery on Sundays. Then there was Rory and Chaparral, she'd seen that when she was only a toddler.
"I think her radar is off," Briar quickly mutters. "She told me Mr. Abernathy and Nona flirt."
Chuckling, Gale wraps an arm around Briar's shoulder. Wren is bound to be wrong sometimes.
#######
"I always thought it'd be Miles fighting with Sage about girls, not any of the girls about some boy," Madge tells him, once evening has settled and all the kids are in bed.
Briar had apologized, and Daisy accepted, though Gale knew they'd talk more about their one sided argument later before they went to sleep. There was bound to be more tension they needed to give voice to, but some things are easier said not under parental scrutiny.
It doesn't matter to Gale. He remembers plenty of long nights spent talking to Rory and Vick after official apologies were given for his mom. As long as they talk and fix whatever is broken between them, he doesn't care when the girls talk or if he's given the details.
Not that he won't try to bribe it out of Wren anyways.
"I can't believe a boy that age was even looking at Daisy," Madge adds, her nose wrinkling up in thought. "She's fourteen."
"Thirteen," Gale grunts, reminding her. "Her birthday isn't for more than a month."
She's a kid.
He just wishes her body realized that.
Briar had to be pulled by puberty an arm and a leg at a time, fighting it every step of the way. She'd reminded Gale of Posy, who'd painfully entered womanhood against her will, and Gale had been all too happy about that.
He'd hoped Daisy's growing up would've been just as slow, if a little less awkward.
Instead, she'd taken after Madge, and while Gale had appreciated her blossoming into a gorgeous woman overnight, he isn't quite as happy about it where his daughter is concerned.
"Not that a pervy guy is going to care," he adds irritably. "They just see...what they see."
Making a face, Madge climbs into the bed and settles beside him, her head pillowed on his chest, and sighs.
"I wish I knew what to tell them both," she whispers.
"Me too."
But there's no easy answer.
They are who they are, and as far as he's concerned they're both perfect, even if they don't see it that way. Even if the idiots at their school don't see it.
Pulling her closer, Gale presses a kiss to her temple.
"They'll get through it. They love each other." Even if they're as different as night and day.
"I hope so." He feels Madge shift. "I never had a sister to be mad at, or a brother. I feel so useless."
Chuckling, Gale shakes his head.
"I had siblings and I still feel useless." He glances down at her though the dark. "It doesn't make a difference."
There's no one way to deal with the jealousies that crop up, or the hurt feelings. They can only do their best and hope they're doing the right thing.
Madge snorts. "That's reassuring."
"It's honest." If not helpful.
She sighs but doesn't say anything more, even though Gale can feel the worry floating around her, waiting to be given voice.
Instead, she drifts off to sleep, nestling closer to Gale and pulling the blankets over her shoulders to hold off the cold.
Closing his eyes, Gale presses his cheek to Madge's sweet smelling hair and tries to think of anything but the rift some idiot boy had caused between his girls and wondering if he'd ever been that much of a jerk.