Brand New Breeze
by FanficAllergy & RoseFyre

oOo

Chapter Nine: Forever Love

oOo

Last Time in Brand New Breeze:

Gale slips off the bed and gets down onto one knee. He reaches back into his pocket and pulls out two rings. "I just don't think I can go on without letting you know how I feel. I'm in love with you. It may not be the kind of love most people understand but we get it. I love your soul and that's enough. Marry me, Peeta. Be my man bride." He holds out the larger of the two rings to him.

Peeta takes it with a smile.

Gale beams at him, then turns to me. "I may not have been in love with you as long as Peet here, but I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You're my stubborn, beautiful, wonderful, sexy piece of my soul. Marry me, Katniss."

He holds out the smaller ring to me and adds, "Marry us."

oOo

I stare at the proffered ring in shock. I don't know what to say.

Should I take the ring?

If I take the ring, that means yes.

I don't know if I want to say yes.

If I don't take the ring, that means no.

I don't know if I want to say no.

I don't know what I want.

Peeta slips his ring onto the ring finger of his left hand and says, "I'd be happy to marry you. We'll need to negotiate a few things later though, I'm still not sure I want to touch your penis."

"Wasn't asking you to, Mellark." Gale's tone is tender, teasing.

Peeta tilts his head. "So does that mean I'm going to be Mr. Hawthorne?"

Gale shrugs. "Only if you want to be."

Both of them turn to look at me. "Katniss?" Gale asks, pushing the ring a little closer to me.

I stare at it. I stare at them. I don't know what to say. So I tell them that.

"It's a yes or no question," Gale says. I can see the hurt forming in his eyes.

I don't want there to be hurt in his eyes.

Peeta shakes his head. "No, not really. There's a yes." He lifts up his newly ringed left hand to count off the possibilities. "There's a no. There's also a maybe. There's a 'let me think about it.' There's an 'I'm not sure.' There's an 'oh fuck you just surprised the shit out of me and I'm standing here frozen like a tribute on Reaping Day-'"

I stop him. "That. That one. I don't know what to say. I love you both, please don't think otherwise," I say mostly to Gale but also including Peeta in my frantic pleading. "I just don't know if I'm ready for marriage. Hell, I don't know if I want to get married at all. When we were back in Twelve-"

Gale interrupts me. "But we're not back in Twelve. We're here. We're free."

"Is that what you're concerned about?" Peeta asks.

"Yes. No. Maybe? I don't know!" I stare down at my hands. "I just haven't thought about it! It wasn't ever an option! Marriage leads to death and babies, and babies get Reaped! That's just how it is!" I'm trying to get them to understand but it's hard because I don't fully understand why I feel the way I do.

"No. No, Katniss, that's how it was." Peeta stresses that last word. "We're free of that. We're clear. The Capitol isn't going to come after us," he tries to soothe me. "Or any kids that we have. You're safe. You're safe here. With us."

Gale takes up the cause. "Please, Katniss. We can't do this without you."

I take the ring and I hold it between my fingers. I feel the worn metal and study the little nicks and dents. This is a well-worn, well-loved ring. It's probably been in Gale's family for generations. I turn it so I can see the inside of the ring. There's a faded inscription. I can't make out the words and I wonder what they were.

"Um, can I think about it?" I ask finally, looking back up at Gale. "The answer isn't no. But I'm not sure if the answer is yes, at least not yet. I need time."

Gale places the ring in the palm of my hand, closing my hand around it. "Take all the time you need."

oOo

I wear the ring on a cord around my neck. I want to keep it close. Safe. But out of sight.

Peeta keeps his on his finger and I'm a little bit nervous about someone spotting it. I'm not sure I want to have that conversation with anyone yet.

The following day, Peeta joins us out in the main room to discuss fortifications. He's walking slowly and leaning heavily on Gale, but he's up and moving. That, more than anything else, proves to me that he's alive and he's going to make it.

I couldn't be happier.

I find out why Gale wanted Peeta involved in the discussion once we actually start talking. He's got an almost encyclopedic memory for things he's heard, seen, or read, as well as an amazing ability for camouflage.

Peeta smiles self-deprecatingly. "I used to decorate the cakes at the bakery. It's not that different."

"Yeah, but decorating cakes doesn't teach you how to set pit traps."

"No, but the weekly movie marathons I used to have with Madge and Delly did. One of our favorites was 'Swiss Family Robinson' starring Finnick Odair as the oldest son."

"Of course it was. You've got a Finnick Odair obsession, Peet."

"Talk to Madge and Delly about that. I was outvoted most of the time." He takes a breath. "Anyway, it's one of his earlier roles and the acting is horribly wooden, but it's still hilariously bad, even though I wanted to smack the youngest kid most of the time." He shrugs at the memory. "But one nice thing was that the end of the movie did a pretty good job of showing how to defend a place in the wilderness, complete with tigers."

"I think we're going to have a little trouble finding a tiger," I say dryly, "but pits we could do."

Peeta nods his head. "They'll be a lot of work and we might not need them. I was thinking more in terms of snare traps. For humans, not animals. We also should see about setting an alarm system for the areas we can't see, like above the cave. It doesn't need to be intricate, just stand out enough to alert a nearby sentry."

"We should also see about disguising our smokehole," my mother says, speaking up. "We don't want someone or something coming in that way. Also, when it starts to snow, we don't want it to get covered over."

That seems to be the signal for everyone to chime in with their thoughts. "We also should see about making more weapons," Rory says. "I'm getting pretty good with a bow and we've got the other one, so someone should learn how to shoot it."

"I've got nothing better to do," Peeta volunteers. "I'm not going to be much use hauling things around for a little while. I can try to learn. If one of you is willing to teach me." He looks at me and Gale.

I shrug. "I'll do it. I should probably teach you too, Mom. Prim too. It's never too early to start learning. Dad started teaching me before he died." I make a face at Prim. "I probably should've started teaching you earlier."

"It's okay, Katniss. I didn't really want to learn anyways," Prim says. "But I probably should now."

Rory sits back. "So. When do we start?"

oOo

We start immediately, hauling stone to build Gale's wall along the east side of the ledge as well as constructing a sort of chimney over our smokehole. We set several traps and alarms around the cave and areas we often frequent, like the latrine, the smokers, and my mother's garden.

Gale and I also set several traps along what we thought were game paths that we realize now could have had more human architects. We mostly set tripwires and we carefully mark where these traps are so our people don't get caught in them.

The one final fortification that we make is a door. Using some of the scavenged materials that Rory found, we construct a door that we can use to close ourselves in and hopefully any animals or other intruders out. It won't hold up to anything from the Capitol, but against stone tipped spears it should be enough. Peeta also assembles several muds and pastes to try to camouflage the opening and Gale's wall.

While we're working on the door, Rory spots Peeta's ring. "That's a wedding ring! You're wearing a ring! Did you get married, Peeta? Who'd you marry? Katniss..." He turns to me. "You threw my brother over! You married him, didn't you?" He points at Peeta accusingly while glaring at me. "I am so mad at you! You could've married them both! Why didn't you marry them both?"

Gale looks up from where he's trying fix guide rails to the floor. "Rory, knock it off. It's none of your business."

"But she ditched you!" Rory rounds on his brother. "It's my right as your brother to stand up for you especially if you're not gonna do it yourself!"

"Rory, you need to drop this. Right now." Both Gale and Peeta are shooting nervous glances at me.

I can't take it anymore. I run out of the cave and down to the edge of the creek. I sit down on the bank, dangling my feet into the water. What am I going to do?

I slip the necklace over my head and hold it up, contemplating it. The ring catches the sun's rays as it twirls lightly, flickering like a firefly.

"I was wondering where you'd run off to." I hear my mother call behind me.

I quickly try to hide the necklace but it's too late.

She motions to the half-hidden ring. "So I'm guessing Gale asked you too?"

I nod.

"And your answer?"

"I don't know."

"Well, I suppose that's one answer," she says, sitting down next to me. "Katniss, are you really telling me that you don't know your own heart in regards to those boys?"

"Yes. No. I don't know." I look at her, willing her to understand, to help me make sense of this. "I love them, I don't want to live without them, I just don't know if I'm ready to marry them."

My mother shakes her head. "Listen to yourself. You love them. You want to be with them. You're scared of losing them and don't tell me that you're not." She fixes me with a look. The same look she used to give me when she caught me dressing up in her old merchant dresses before my father died. "Those boys have been beyond patient with you. I don't know what else I can say to make you realize what's standing right in front of you." She sighs. "Oh Katniss…"

"Just come out and say it," I growl. I feel myself starting to getting annoyed. Good. Annoyance leads to anger and I can deal with anger. It's worlds better than this torn confusion I'm feeling.

"Why are you so afraid of marrying them?" she asks me. Then she holds up one hand when I start to answer. "And don't tell me it's because you're going to lose them. We already had that conversation. What's really bothering you?"

I squirm under her stern gaze. I feel like I'm a child again and I wish my father were here to make it all better. But he's gone now and his death effectively orphaned both Prim and me. Which brings me to the core of my indecision. "I'm scared they're going to be taken away from me like Dad was taken away from you."

"Oh Katniss," she sighs again. "You can't let your fear paralyze you like this."

"I'm not letting it paralyze me! I'm dating them, aren't I?" I want her to agree with me. To see that I'm nothing like her.

She doesn't. "I'm sorry, dear, but you are. You might be young, this might be sudden, but now or five years from now, do you really think that you're going to change your mind?" she asks pointedly. "Do you really think that you're going to stop loving them? That you're going to stop wanting to be with them?"

"No! Of course not!" The words slip out before I even have time to think.

"Then you've got your answer." She reaches out and clasps my hand. "Seize the day, Katniss. Don't let fear take away the good parts of life. That would just mean the Capitol's won."

I pull out the ring again and hold it up to the light, watching it twirl. "I'll think about it."

oOo

On July eighteenth we take a break from working on the fortifications to celebrate Gale's nineteenth birthday. It's an important birthday for us in Twelve, since it means that you're no longer eligible to be Reaped. Even though it's not a big deal anymore, it still feels that way.

Rory gets a turkey and I find several plants in season that will make a good stuffing. Peeta also makes his delicious squirrel stew with katniss tubers, seasoned with sweetgale and thyme. My mother and Prim join forces to make a sweet jelly-like dessert out of gooseberries and raspberries.

Over dinner, we talk about the projects that we want to work on and my mother mentions making soap and candles for the coming winter. It's going to be a fairly major project but it's also an important one. We're going to need a lot of fat in order to make both possible. So my mother gives Gale and me leave to start hunting again, but only animals that are, in her words, chubby. It'll be nice to be able to hunt again and I foresee lots of hunting dates in Gale's and my future.

Then it's time for presents. Rory insists on going last, claiming, "I know I've got the best, you guys can't top me."

"I don't know," Peeta says, pulling out a bouquet of flowers, "I know what your brother's really been wanting."

Gale takes the bouquet of blue and orange flowers with a wry smile. "Thanks, Peet. Just what I always wanted."

"Well, I did also get you this." He places a pearl in Gale's hand. "I wouldn't want you to get jealous of Katniss now, even though she did throw hers away."

The words are light, but I flush anyway. I feel a little guilty at my treatment of the boys' gifts even if they were acting like idiots at the time. I wonder what happened to the necklace and pearl the boys gave me. They were gone when Rory and I returned.

I distract myself by handing Gale his present. Like Peeta, I also got Gale a bouquet of flowers, this time edible flowers and greens. But that's not my main gift. I've killed a few bluejays and stripped them of their feathers and, using what little carpentry skills I have, I crafted a crude picture frame that I decorated with the bluejay feathers.

Gale takes it from me carefully.

"For your family," I say.

I see his Adam's apple bob up and down and he hovers his fingers over the blue feathers, like he's afraid they're going to fly away. "Thank you, Katniss."

My mother goes next and hands Gale a pillow. "I didn't realize it was the bouquet birthday, otherwise I would have gotten you that," she teases. "But I hope this works."

He takes the pillow and feels the soft fabric. "It works just fine, Mrs. Everdeen."

She shakes her head with a laugh. "I've said it before and I'll say it again, call me Violet."

Gale blushes and nods. He'll never call my mother Violet. It's been too ingrained in him by his mother to call all adults Mister or Missus. Even though he's an adult himself now, my mother will always be Mrs. Everdeen to him.

"My turn!" Prim sings out. She reaches behind her and pulls out a large package.

Gale unfolds it to reveal a leather vest with carved wooden buttons. "Wow, Prim. This is something else."

"I thought you'd like it!" She beams at him. "I figured you and Peeta wouldn't want to wear your heavy winter clothing all summer."

"Too bad my birthday's in the fall," Peeta teases.

"Oh don't worry, I've got an idea for you," she replies airily.

"That just leaves me," Rory says. "I'll be right back with your present." He slips off into the storage room and comes back carrying a large black plastic bag almost as big as he is. He drops it in front of Gale and says, "Here you go!"

"Do I want to open this?" Gale eyes it warily.

Rory nods his head empathically, his eyes twinkling. "Oh yeah, absolutely."

Gale opens the bag and pulls out a shiny bright pink satin and tulle floor-length ballgown encased in some kind of clear plastic. "I didn't know we brought Effie Trinket along."

The thing is hideous, covered in sequins and beads. There's some water damage along the hem and neckline, but if anything it improves the dress. The dress itself is huge, bigger than either Prim or me. In the bottom of the clear bag are other items of clothing. Some of them are stained or have frayed hems but nothing is as bad as the pink dress.

As Gale pulls out item after item, Rory can't stop himself from laughing uncontrollably. The pre-teen clutches his stomach and gasps, unable to get words out.

Finally, Gale pulls out a one-piece jumpsuit in a blue and white pattern with a different pink and orange pattern on the bottoms of the legs. "Who ever thought this was a good idea? It reminds me of the tributes' parade! Who knew the Capitol was inspired by pre-Cataclysm fashion?"

I wave my hand at the pile of hideous clothing. "Well, now you know."

Peeta makes a face at the riotous mix of clashing colors. "I think I'd have been happier not knowing."

"Is this really what you got me for my birthday?" Gale asks, eyeing Rory.

The boy takes several deep breaths, trying to stop his cackling. "Naw, I was just pulling your leg," he gasps out. "Let me go get your real gift."

He slips back into the storeroom and returns carrying a large flat black plastic storage container. "Happy birthday."

Gale makes no move to open his 'real' present. "You don't have more horrible clothes in here."

"Just open it," Rory urges.

His older brother narrows his eyes. "I'm not sure I can trust you."

"Up to you, but if you don't want it, I'll take it."

"Fine." Gale opens it up and his jaw drops.

I lean over to look and mine drops too.

It's a black bow, made of some kind of material I've never seen, with several strings and composite arrows nestled in little niches in the top of the case. It's the most modern looking bow I've ever seen and that includes the ones I've seen in the Games.

Gale is equally overwhelmed. He runs his hand over the black bow reverently. "Rory, I… just wow, thank you."

His little brother beams. "Told you mine was the best!" He sticks his tongue out at all of us.

We laugh. Rory's right, his gift is the best.

oOo

That evening, Gale, Peeta, and I walk up to our maple at the top of the hill and watch the setting sun.

"Thanks for the birthday, guys," Gale says, sounding a little embarrassed. "Rory just got lucky."

"It's okay, it's not a competition," Peeta says. "I'm just glad you enjoyed the day."

We sit down and Gale motions for Peeta and me to sit on either side of him. We do and he wraps his arms around us. I revel in it before realizing that I still haven't given Gale an answer and it's hanging over our heads. I really should, but I need more information before I do. And the only way to get that information is to ask questions. Something I hate doing.

"So…" I start awkwardly. "How do we do this?"

"Do what?" Gale asks.

"Marriage. What changes?"

Peeta looks over at me. "What do you want to change?"

"I don't want anything to change, that's what I'm scared of!"

"Then nothing will change," he says soothingly. "Marriage is what you make of it, Katniss. If you want to keep things going the way they are, they can keep going that way. If you want more, we can have more. If you want less, we can have less. You've just got to tell us what you want and we can work on it together, as a… trio." He pauses. "How is that gonna work?" Peeta asks. "Not the marriage. But some of the other logistics. Like arguments or children or even our last names."

"I don't know," Gale says. "You're the guy with all the answers. I'm just waiting to see what happens."

"What will I call you?" I ask. "I mean, you'd be my husband." I point to Gale. Then I motion to Peeta. "And you'd be my husband."

"Personally, I recommend the term man bride," Gale suggests, a smile crossing his lips.

"Do you really watch that stupid Capitol movie?" Peeta asks, rolling his eyes.

Gale drops a kiss on Peeta's brow. "Apparently I'm not the only one."

"What are you two talking about?" I ask, confused. I'm missing something and I don't like feeling left out.

Peeta's the one who answers. "Apparently Gale's got really horrible taste in movies."

"Like you can talk." Gale snorts.

"Fine. It's not like I wanted to watch it, it's just on every New Year's Day," he explains. "It's this stupid Capitol movie about a caveman dude who steals another caveman dude to be his man bride. It stars Finnick Odair and I think it's called… aw, hell, I don't remember what it's called."

"I think it's called Clan of the Cave Man or something," Gale supplies helpfully.

"You mean Clan of the Cave Bear?" I ask.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's not the same as the book your mom's been reading." Peeta pauses for a moment, considering. "Though now that I think about it, there are some startling similarities…"

"I'm not sure I want to know," I cut him off, dragging the subject back to my original question. "Still, you'd be my husband and Peeta would be my man bride… what would that make me?"

"You'd be Katniss," Peeta answers.

Gale adds. "And if you want to be, our wife."

"Does that mean that-" I start.

"Katniss, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do," Peeta interrupts before I can get going. "We can figure out what each of our chores and roles are together. You don't have to be the one to cook and clean. You don't have to be the one to provide everything. You can just be you and we'd be happy with that. In fact, that's what we want. We've only ever wanted you as you."

"But what would I be called?" I can't let it go. For as long as I can remember, I've had this litany I recite in times of stress. My name is Katniss Everdeen. My home is District Twelve. My father died when I was eleven. My name is an integral part of that litany.

"You don't have to take my name, Catnip," Gale says. "Not unless you want to."

A little of the worry I've had eases when he says that. My name is important to me and I don't want to lose it.

"I hope that means I don't need to take your name either. Peeta Hawthorne just sounds weird," Peeta teases. "But seriously, I don't think any of us should change our last names unless we want to. We can figure out what to name the kids if and when that time comes."

I blanch. Kids. They're going to want kids. That just adds another dimension to my deliberations.

It must show on my face because Gale says, "You still need time, don't you, Catnip?"

I nod my head.

"That's okay. Take all the time you need. We'll be here."

oOo

With the fortifications finished, we turn our attention to learning how to fight. Peeta gives all of us some basic hand-to-hand training. He's hampered a bit by his leg and he's walking with a limp, but he's still able to take each one of us down with minimal effort. It's a little humbling. Especially for Gale and Rory.

I also start training my mother, Prim, and Peeta in how to use a bow. It quickly becomes apparent that Peeta is absolutely horrible with a bow. He's just not built for it. His muscles are too developed for wrestling to be able to use a bow effectively. My mother isn't much better, but at least she can sometimes hit what she's aiming at. Prim, to my surprise, is a natural, and I regret not teaching her sooner. Much like me, with some practice, she can hit pretty much whatever she aims at. She must get that from our father.

We have to pause our training when another salmon run takes place. We don't get as many as previous runs because Gale and I are standing guard the whole time. There's no sign of any raiders, but that doesn't mean we're going to lower our guard. The biggest threat we face during this run are several fat black bears looking for an easy meal. Gale and I quickly dispatch them. We can use the fat for my mother's projects.

The day after the salmon run, Rory, Prim, and I head east over a large ridge and stumble upon what looks to be a field of corn. It's odd and I'm immediately on my guard. There's nobody around and nothing guarding it. But I'm still unconvinced.

"Do you think this belonged to those raiders?" Rory whispers to me.

I nod my head rather than answering out loud. I'm on high alert and I don't stop my surveillance. There's no sign of other people, but that doesn't mean that they're not here. I motion for the kids to stay down while I scope out the area, my bow ready to be drawn at a moment's notice.

I find signs of human activity, including several other fields of crops, but no humans. From the weeds and lack of fresh tracks I guess the place hasn't seen a human in over a week. But I can't be completely sure.

I motion for Rory and Prim to follow me, I don't want them out of my sight. We follow a well-worn path from the cultivated clearing through the woods to what has to be the remains of a camp. I can see tramped-down earth and places where temporary structures once stood. Everything is now gone. This may have been the raiders' camp, but there's no one here now. All that remains are a few miscellaneous pieces of trash and other signs of human habitation.

Still, that doesn't stop Rory from rooting around to see if he can find anything of interest. The boy is naturally curious and I don't see any reason to stifle that.

"I wonder what made them all leave," Prim says, surveying the former camp.

"Us, probably," I say, thinking it through. "I don't know about you, but if five of my most able-bodied members went off and disappeared, I'd leave too. I'd think it was the Capitol or another group of raiders. I sure as hell wouldn't stay nearby where they could find me."

"So… what are we gonna do now?"

I smile, thinking of the fields of corn, squash, and beans that we've found. "There's no point in letting their crops go to waste. So we might as well harvest them. I still think we need to stay on alert. For all we know, they left to go get reinforcements and they could come back."

"Do you think that's likely?"

I shrug my shoulders. "There's no way of knowing. Better safe than dead."

The two kids nod solemnly and we head back to gather what we can, spending the next several days reaping the spoils of the raiders' planting and hauling it back to the cave to store.

Things are still awkward with Gale, Peeta, and me because even though the boys are trying their best to make sure that nothing has changed, everything has.

I'm still torn. I love them. I want to be with them. I don't ever want them to leave me, and I'm scared, if I say no to Gale's proposal, that that's exactly what's going to happen. But, at the same point, I know if I did marry them, that they'd be mine til death we do part. But that's what scares me. I don't want them to die and they can't promise me that they won't.

My mother's birthday comes at the end of the month. Again we get a turkey. Peeta smothers it in a cherry brandy sauce with garlic and pork belly seasoned turnip greens and a few new potatoes from my mother's garden.

Before we give my mother her gifts, she pulls me off to one side. "I've got something for you, Katniss."

My brow furrows in confusion. "But it's your birthday."

"I know. But I want to give this to you." She reaches into the pocket of her dress and pulls something out and places it into the palm of my hand. "It was your father's."

In my hand is a simple gold band. A wedding ring. My father's wedding ring. "I can't," I say to my mother.

"Yes. You can," she tells me softly. "He would've been so proud of you. You're so strong and capable and you've got so much to offer. But he'd be sad too. He wouldn't want his death to ruin your life. All he ever wanted was for you girls to be happy and safe. Make him happy," she pleads with me. "Make yourself happy."

I close my fingers around the ring. "Thank you."

oOo

Sitting on the ledge of the cave, my back to Gale's newly constructed wall, I let my mind wander as I survey the countryside below. I need to make a decision. It's been almost a month since Gale first asked Peeta and me to marry him. It's not fair to both of them to keep them waiting like this.

I wish I could be like Peeta and leap in feet-first. But I can't. I'm just a scared girl from the Seam and that's never going to change.

I pull out my father's wedding ring and stare at it. I know my mother meant for me to give it to Gale and that feels right. But I'm not sure how to approach them, how to tell them.

Why does this have to be so hard?

And that's when it hits me. It doesn't.

I stand up. Gale and Peeta are working down by the smoker making a large pit oven. They should still be there. And, more importantly, they should be alone.

I gather my courage and walk down the hill to find them.

I hear them working before I can see them.

"Can you hand me that shovel there, Peet?"

"Sure thing. You want the pick to go with it?"

"Yeah, that'd be good."

I smile. They really do make a good team. We make a good team.

Clearing a copse of birch trees, I watch them work in the hot summer sun and try to convince myself that I've made the right decision. I know I have. But that doesn't stop my stomach from doing flip flops. I clear my throat and both boys look over at me.

"Catnip?"

"Is there something wrong, Katniss?"

I shake my head. I open my mouth to say something but the words won't come out. I've never been so nervous.

Gale hoists himself out of the pit and walks over to me, Peeta at his side. "Are you okay?"

I nod my head.

Peeta regards me seriously. "Is there something you want to tell us?"

I nod my head again.

"What is it?" he asks.

I open my mouth but the words still won't come out. I'm just too nervous. Scared. But if I can't tell them, there's still one way I can show them.

Pulling the ring Gale gave me over my neck, I slip it off of its cord. It sparkles in the sunlight across Peeta and Gale's faces. Both boys' eyes follow my movements intently. My hands are shaking a bit and I almost drop the ring, but I manage to place it on my left ring finger and slide it down until it's snug.

"Katniss…" Gale breathes, his voice full of hope.

I hold up my hand to stop him. I can't let him say anything. I'll lose my nerve. I take my father's ring out of my pocket and step over to Gale. Taking his left hand in mine, I place the ring on his finger. I take a deep breath and look up to meet Gale's eyes. I reach my other hand out to take Peeta's in mine.

Whatever thing preventing me from speaking snaps and I'm finally able to breathe out what I've been wanting to say for so long.

"Yes."

oOo

AN:
Written: 3/22/15
Revised: 4/19/15
Revised 2: 5/18/15

The title of this chapter comes from the X Japan song "Forever Love" whose English translated lyrics really fit the emotional turmoil that Katniss has throughout this chapter. Yay J-rock?

This chapter came into being when we realized that we had too much to cover between the previous chapter and the next, specifically Katniss's reluctance to get married. We realized that Katniss wouldn't rush into marriage, she's got too much baggage and even though she's happy with Gale and Peeta it's still not going to totally assuage her fears.

Plus we needed to deal with the fact that "Hello! There are other people out here and they're hostile!" That's going to cause some concerns for our group and it should. Yes, we actually did get inspiration from Disney's "Swiss Family Robinson" which is a wonderful movie to watch while slightly inebriated or when you're six, which is pretty much the same thing. There is the world's most annoying child who you want to strangle or see win a Darwin Award because he totally deserves to win a Darwin Award. There is also a character who pretty much runs around shirtless the whole time, which totally fits into our Finnick Odair headcanon so the poor guy got to be in this mess of a movie as well as anything else we decide to subject him to. This is better than killing him, right? Although the fic's not over yet… oops?

Also, congrats to ForFutureReference for figuring out that we placed our characters near Mount Union, Pennsylvania. You win a drabble by FanficAllergy, please send her a PM sometime soon with what you'd like.

Things We Randomized:
- Everything they gathered. Yes, that includes the corn - we rolled it from our list of (currently) 202 plants they can gather, and we realized the only place they'd find corn was stuff the raiders planted. So… they got the corn and a whole bunch of other plants from the raiders.
- The bow. Yes, Rory found that randomly.
- The clothing. The stuff that survived is all non-natural fibers, primarily polyester, acrylic, and nylon. This is basically stuff from the 70s and 80s that managed to make it, thanks to the black garbage bag and garment bag it was stored in. For the record it was headed to donation along with several other garbage bags of clothes that didn't make it. To pick what they got (which is listed in a deleted scene on FanficAllergy's tumblr) first we rolled clothing off our list of salvageable items. Then we rolled for how many pieces of clothing, ranging from one to ten. We managed to get a ten. Then we went to Macy's website and rolled by category - Men's/Women's/Juniors'/Children's. Then we rolled from the list of categories of clothing (i.e. shirts, pants, etc.). Then, once we had a type of item and a general size, we picked something. Google image searches can get you the craziest stuff.

Thanks again for reading!