I don't own these character or the world created in the HG books.
Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to read, review, follow or favorite my story! Your support keeps me writing.
Leah: Chapter 4 brings Gale Home!
Guest: Yes, more Galeniss!
Gote: Wow! Thanks, I will try to my best to bring closure to the things ignored by SC in the books.
Cassie: Thank you! I always wanted Gale to come back at the end and take Katniss out to their woods to heal. - Sae will play a rather large part in this story. - Yes, it will take time and patience for Both of them to heal. - I will certainly add that scene you suggested!
Kingfloppy: Thank you! I hope I live up to the potential of this story.
CHAPTER 4: GALE'S RETURN
Katniss just stared at him. The air in the room seemed to disappear and she was finding it hard to breath. Her heart began to beat wildly in her chest and hammer in her ears. Gale! Gale was standing here in her kitchen.
She was drawn up out of her chair by an electrical current that coursed between them. She wanted to run to him and disappear in his arms. She wanted to feel safe and whole again. The way she always felt when he was with her.
No. NO! She mustn't feel this way... not after what he had done. Not after his betrayal. He was responsible for making the bomb that killed her little sister. He was responsible for not letting her end this unbearable existence after she killed Coin. He was the one - according to Haymitch - that uncovered Coin's agenda and stopped her trial. He above anyone else should have known to stay out of her way. But, he didn't... he wouldn't let her go.
They stood and stared at each other for a long time, both daring the other to flinch first. It was Gale who finally lower his eyes and Katniss who spoke first.
"Why are you here?" Her voice sounded foreign and hollow to her, maybe… because she hadn't spoken in such a long time. Or maybe because she didn't trust herself to talk to him without falling apart, running to him and crying out everything she was feeling.
"You knew I would come back." Then he added with a hint of desperation in his voice. "I had to come back."
"Really! Her eyes took on a fiery glint. "Really! You HAD to come back. Why, Gale? Huh! For me? Or did you come back for Prim?"
Any thought of falling apart was slowly seeping away from her. "Well, guess what Gale. She isn't here."
He stared at the floor. "I know that Katniss. I... I am so sorry. I... "
"Sorry! You're sorry? Why? Was it your bomb Gale? Were you responsible for what happened?" The fire was spreading from her eyes to her whole body. Her voice was becoming stronger.
"I don't know." He looked up with unshed tears in his eyes. "I don't know. No one is sure who designed what. I gave Beetee some ideas but... we never... I never really."
She stepped closer to him and placed her hands on her hips. "You never really what Gale? Never really wanted to destroy the Capitol and all those people?"
He glared at her. "Yes! I wanted the Capitol to fall. It had to fall. You know that's true. I won't apologize for that."
She narrowed her eyes, her voice becoming hard. "And you would do anything. RIGHT! Anything to make that happen."
"I did what NEEDED to be done. I did what I was ordered to do." She could hear the old Gale from the woods in his declaration. The Gale that would rant against the Capitol and the unbearable hardships they placed on the District people. The Gale who would talk about rebellion knowing that it would never happen. That nothing would ever change. But it did happen and the old Gale rose to the challenge. Didn't he!
"Yes! Like the good soldier you are. You created that horrible bomb that took innocent lives." She stepped closer and pointed at his chest. "YOU KILLED HER!"
He stepped backwards, "I wasn't even there... I couldn't. I wouldn't have order that bomb dropped." He was slowly shaking his head no. "Not on a bunch of kids." The hint of desperation was back as he said, "you know that Katniss. You have to know I wouldn't have done that. I wouldn't have been a part of that."
"You all ready told me that you would have done what needed to be done. You would have followed ORDERS!"
He lowered his eyes and whispered, "I couldn't have done that."
"It was your design Gale, wasn't it?!" She demanded.
"I don't know." Gale shook his head. "I don't know. Katniss, I would never hurt Prim. Ever!" As she stared at him she could see the once tall and proud Seam boy - start to slump and look defeated.
"Well, she's gone. GONE! Because of your traps… your snares. I watched her Gale. I watched her burn right before my eyes and I couldn't save her." She was close to tears but she would never shed them in front of him. Never again would he see her weak.
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry won't bring her back." In an exasperated voice she said, "Why are you here?"
"I came here for... you." He cleared his throat nervously, "I hoped... that we could... work things out."
She stared at him with a stunned look on her face. "Really? I don't need you. I don't need anyone." She felt an overwhelming need to hurt him as much as he had hurt her. To watch him slump defeated to the floor in front of her. She smiled inside because she knew the best way to accomplish his defeat. "Besides," she paused for effect. "Peeta will be coming home soon. Haymitch told me he is working hard to get better. For me."
Gale looked like someone had just punched him in the gut. Katniss gave him a smirk but, for some reason, she felt like someone had just punched her too. No. She wouldn't - couldn't feel sorry for him. She needed to think of Prim and why she wasn't here with her.
Gale turned and walked to the entryway door. He stopped and looked back at Katniss. "Fine. But, I'm not leaving. I will stay until," his voice became hard. "Mallark gets here." He walked out of her front door closing it quietly behind him.
Katniss stared at the closed door in front of her. She wanted to run after him. To tell him she was sorry for what she had said. NO! It wasn't going to be that easy. She had trusted him to take care of Prim. All those years they had worked side by side to take care of their families and he had betrayed her. He had betrayed Prim.
She stood there staring at the doorknob, when it began to slowly turn. Her heart began to jump in her chest as the door swung open and Greasy Sae walked in. They both jumped startled to see the other. Greasy Sae's mouth dropped open and she stammered out, "Ahh, good morning."
Katniss stepped forward and took the bags out of Sae's arms and said, "Good morning" in a clipped tone.
Greasy Sae stood there, stunned, and watched as Katniss took the bags to the kitchen table and began to unpack them. She stepped forward and tentatively asked, "Are you hungry?"
Katniss was just as surprised as Sae was when she said, "yes!"
They both worked to prepare breakfast and Katniss washed up the dishes from the night before. Greasy Sae wanted desperately to ask Katniss what had happened. What had produced this change in her, after all this time. She kept her silence afraid that if she asked Katniss would go back to sitting in front of the fire, lost to the world around her.
They ate their breakfast in silence and they both did up the dishes. Then just as Greasy Sae had feared Katniss returned to her chair in front of the fire. Sae didn't know what had caused the change in her this morning but she was damn sure going to find out, one way or the other.
Greasy Sae stood on the front porch with her arms crossed over her chest. She reached up to push the hair off of her face when she noticed a duffle bag and sleeping sack leaning against the railing. She walked over and read the ID tag on the bag - Soldier: Hawthorn, Gale. She smiled the biggest smiled she can ever remember smiling. Gale had come home!
"Well, no wonder! If there was anyone in this world that could get a rise out of that girl," she laughed, "it was Gale Hawthorn." Greasy Sae left in search of the instigator of Katniss Everdeen's miraculous momentary change.
Gale had to leave. He had to find a place to be alone. Where he could get himself together before he faced her again. He knew this wasn't going to be easy when he decided to come here. He had faced an angry Katniss before but this was different. This was deeper. He would sooner face a starving bear then go through that again.
He headed for the meadow and the woods. It's funny how old habits never change. Though, the fence was no longer there his feet carried him to the same spot they crawled through when they went hunting.
He stood there in the meadow remembering how crawling through the fence always meant freedom for him. Freedom from all of the worries he shouldered when his father had died. The woods - their woods - was the only place he could be himself. And Katniss was the only person he could be himself with. He took one step forward - crossing an invisible barrier - and felt the change immediately. It was almost like a peace settled over him and he began to feel stronger.
"Old habits." He laughed, when he found himself standing next to their meeting spot.
He plopped down on his half and immediately felt like something was missing. Their spot felt cold and empty. Just like the Katniss he had seen back at her house. She had lost weight and looked tired and beat, nothing like the old Katniss.
He had felt the electricity between them. The same pull he always felt when she was anywhere near to him. He had wanted to take her in his arms and hold her. To get lost in her embrace but he knew better. He knew her better then anyone and he knew she was not going to make this easy for him. She may always hate him for what he had done. But, he knew he had to try. Try to make things right. Try to help her find the girl she was before all this happened. And in the end, if she chose Mallark, well, he would just have to find a way to deal with it.
What would he do then? He wasn't sure. It wasn't even something he wanted to think about. He remembered what it felt like to watch her kiss him during the games. And when they were on the Victory Tour he watched him get down on one knee and profess his love for her in front of everyone. And then hear her say 'yes.' It had felt like someone was ripping his insides out.
He had wanted to get down on one knee and tell her how much he loved her. He had dreamed of her saying yes to him.
What did she have in common with Mallark? They had nothing in common but the damn games. As far as he knew Mallark never talked to Katniss. Not at school and not even when they went to the bakery to trade, their squirrels, for bread. What did Mallark have that he didn''t?
His father was the town baker. He probably never, in his life, went to bed with an empty stomach. He didn't know what it was like to have to fight a daily battle for survival. He didn't know what it was like to go to bed hungry most nights because you gave all the food to your family to eat. She did. He did.
They had so much in common. They had both lost their fathers in the mine.
A place Mallark would never have to face.
Not like he had to do. He still remembers the first day he had to go down in the mines. He was scared. More scared then he had ever been in his life. He was sweating, breathing hard and felt like he would throw up. Thankfully, he hadn't eaten since noon the day before so, there really wouldn't have been anything to throw up. Mr. Gains, who had worked on the same crew with their fathers, came over and took him aside. He assured Gale everything would be all right and helped him get himself together. Then he walked Gale over to the foremen and asked him to assign Gale to his crew. He stayed with Gale throughout that week and over the time he was in the mines Mr. Gains taught him all he would need to know to survive.
Mr. Gains was killed when Snow bombed twelve. Gale couldn't save him. But, he will always be in his debt and he will never forget his friendship.
He shook his head to bring his thoughts back around to Katniss and how, for all those years, they had fought side by side for daily survival. Developing their relationship over time. He always marveled how they knew each other's thoughts and moved as one unit. They loved these woods and felt alive here.
Mallark could never share that with her. In the games when she tried to hunt with him, he had made so much noise he scared off all the game. That's when she sent him to gather berries. He couldn't even do that right.
They both knew when to lead and to follow and neither felt the need to compromise. They were each other's best friend and knew each other better than anyone. They were two halves to the same whole and she made him stronger. He always felt alive when she was with him. No! He couldn't let her go. Not without a fight. If that is what she wanted, then so be it. He would fight until she forgave him or left him for Mallark.
He had a new found resolve. One he hadn't felt when he decided to come home. But one that was growing deep inside of him, in the place where he had pushed down his love for her. Back when the whole star cross lover thing was going on and she had agreed to marry Mallark. Gale thought he had lost her forever. That she had never loved him. So, he buried his love for her deep inside... so deep he never thought he would find it again.
Even when they were in District 13, he kept the walls around his love for her, and focused on the Rebellion. While, she was lost... crawling into air ducts and closets... sleeping all day. Spending her time worrying about Mallark. He tried to be only her friend and continue to take care of her and her family. Just like he had always done. He even listened to her talk about Mallark and how she was worried about him. Truthfully, he was worried about him too. No one deserved to be tortured by Snow. Yet, another reason they had to win the war.
He sat and looked out over the valley in front of him. How many times had they sat in this very spot? How many times had she patiently listened to him rant about the Capitol and how unfair their lives were? He would go on about how people needed to band together and fight. Bring the Capitol down and live free. Then there would be no more reaping and no one going hungry in the Districts while the Capitol people had everything.
She would stand up and brush her pants off and tilt her head to the side saying, "What are two kids from the Seam going to do to the Capitol? Nothing today. So, lets go hunting!" Then she would reach down and help him up. He would just sigh and follow her to the logs where they hid their bows and then he would forget about everything. He would focus his attention on the hunt and her.
The noise of his stomach rumbling jolted him out of his thoughts and reminded him he hadn't eaten anything since last night. He got up and brushed off the seat of his pants and headed back into town.
He had just left the meadow and stepped onto the road when he heard someone yelling his name. He turned around to see Greasy Sae heading straight for him.
"It's about time you brought your skinny butt home, Gale!" She exclaimed breathlessly. Giving him a quick hug.
He laughed and said, "It's good to see you to Greasy Sae!"
She placed her hands on her hips and said, "So, what do you intend to do about our girl?"
He let out an exasperated sigh, "I wish I knew." He was shaking his head and looking back toward their woods. "She certainly isn't planning on making things easy for me."
She crossed her arms over her chest. "Has she ever made things easy for you?" She laughed.
Gale shook his head and smiled. "No!" He looked down at his feet and whispered, "But I guess that's why I love her."
"Come on. I have a soup kitchen set up over where they are building the new and improved Hob."
They started walking in the direction of the old Hob. A path Gale knew so well.
"You must have gone in to say hello to her this morning." Sae smirked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah. Something like that." Grunted Gale. "I was lucky to leave there with my head still attached."
"Well, all I have to say is; this is the first time, since she has been home, that she has gotten up out of that damn chair and done anything. She actually helped me cook and wash the dishes. And she ate! Ate everything on her plate." She stopped and looked at Gale. "It was because of you, Gale. You got a rise out of her. You got her out of that damn chair."
Hope started to rise in his heart and he smiled at Sae. "Me! Huh... well, I could always get a rise out of her. When I wanted to."
They laughed and headed toward a hot bowl of soup and some warm buttered bread. Both lost in their thoughts of how to help Katniss Everdeen heal the pieces of her broken heart and learn to live again.
Please review... I love to hear what you have to say about my story and if you have any suggestions or things you really want me to add... let me know and I will try my best!
Thanks for reading!