First, I would like to say I'm sorry for taking so long to post this chapter. Now that the holiday season has started I am spending all of my time cleaning, decorating, shopping, wrapping, baking and cooking. Sigh. That being said I will probably not be posting Chapter Nine until January. Sorry!

I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read and review my story! All of your wonderful reviews keep me going and working hard to complete this story for you! Well, and I just went to see MJ and now I have a new incentive to continue and try and vindicate our Gale!

Cassie: Thanks for your wonderful reviews they help keep me on track and thanks for proofing my stories. When in doubt add a comma or some ….. ! LOL Oh… and thanks for being a sounding board for sections of the chapter 10.

Wolfskin: I really enjoy our length conversations and thanks for being a sounding board for parts of chapter 10 as well!

I do not own these characters or this world that Suzanne Collin's has created if I did she would have been with Gale in the end. But thanks for letting me borrow them for a while.

CHAPTER 8: A FORGOTTEN KISS OR BATHS, CONCERN AND THANK YOU

Katniss sat staring into the fire. She wasn't thinking about Prim or fires or bubble baths. She was thinking about strong sure arms that were soft and giving. She was thinking how right they felt wrapped around her. How safe they made her feel. How safe she always felt when she was with Gale.

It was getting close to morning and Katniss was still awake staring at a few glowing embers in the ashes when a gulping sound, almost like someone was having trouble breathing, caught her attention. She turned toward the window and listened. It sounded like it was coming from her front porch. She got up and went to look out the kitchen window. In the early morning light she could just make out Gale lying on a sleeping bag and straining to breath. Her breath caught in her throat watching him struggle.

Gale twitched and gulped then his eyes flew open and he jerked to his left to grab the lantern next to his head. He switched the light on and sat up, breathing hard and fast his shirt soaked through with sweat. Gale got up and went down the steps to the front yard and stood there staring up at the stars in the night sky, taking in deep even breaths. He pulled his shirt off over his head and tucked it into his back pocket.

Katniss let out a slow relieved breath and stared at the well-defined muscles of his arms and chest. He wasn't that same skinny Seam boy anymore. It's surprising what eating regularly can do for you. She felt a stirring deep in the pit of her stomach that was moving downward. She remembered this feeling. She had felt it once before when they had gone hunting in Two. She had kissed him and he had pulled her into his arms deepening their kiss. Their hands had moved over each other and she had wanted him; had wanted that feeling to go on. But he had stopped her. He reminded her that this wasn't their way and this wasn't their woods.

They had headed back to town hand-in-hand when he had stopped and turned, placed his hand on her cheek and leaned down and kissed her. His lips were soft and gentle and the kiss was long and deep. When their lips had parted he cupped her cheeks with both hands and looked into her eyes, telling her that he wanted her more than anything but he wanted to do things right. That soon, when all of this was done, they would be together and they would have a good life together. She reached up and touched her fingertips lightly to her lips... remembering that forgotten kiss.

Katniss turned and went back to her chair. That little feeling was not going away. In fact it seemed to be getting stronger. All she could think about was his strong arms wrapped around her and that soft kiss. All she could see was her face pressed against his chest. Her lips running over the well defined muscles there. She got up and went to the sink, splashed cold water on her face and gulped down several glasses of the cool water. Damn him!

As the morning sun came through the window she had finally gotten that feeling under control. 'Well now I know where he goes at night when he leaves this kitchen,' Katniss thought. He had stayed near her by sleeping on the front porch. And apparently he was dealing with some nightmares of his own. Some how that all felt comforting to her.

Greasy Sae walked up the sidewalk to the front porch. She could hear Gale out back chopping wood. "That wood pile has to be bigger than the side of the house by now." She shook her head and went up onto the porch. She stopped and bent down to turn off the lantern sitting next to his sleeping bag.

When she entered the kitchen Katniss was standing at the sink splashing water on her face.

"You know you could go in and take a bath. I'll run the water for you," she said hopefully.

Katniss knew she should take a bath. She couldn't even remember the last time she had cleaned herself up. She knew her hair was greasy and tangled and she probably didn't smell very good. And she had noticed that Gale and Sae were sitting farther down the table at meals. She frowned. How could she not have the desire to take care of herself?

"Okay," Katniss replied.

Greasy Sae dropped the bag of groceries she was leaning down to put on the table, the contents spilling all over the floor. She stood there with her mouth hanging open and stammered, "ahhh, right, okay... ummm... give me a second and I'll run the water for you."

Gale came into the kitchen as he pulled his shirt over his head and bent down to help Sae pick up the groceries. "I'm going to grab a quick shower," he said.

"No! You can't," she stated. "I was just going to fill the tub for Katniss."

"Oh?" Gale turned toward Katniss with his mouth hanging open. "Okay. Nooo problem," he smiled.

Katniss slowly crossed her arms and stared at Gale and Sae kneeling on her kitchen floor with their mouths hanging open. If she wasn't so furious at their little game of 'get Katniss in the tub' she would have laughed.

She tilted her head to the side and Gale knew from experience that what was coming next was not going to be good.

"If you two don't like what you see you don't have to come back here." Then she turned and went back to her chair by the fire.

Greasy Sae punched Gale in the arm.

Gale grabbed his arm faked a wince and mouthed 'what?'

Sae got up and set about making breakfast.

Gale decided that he really didn't need a shower this morning and went out to put away his sleeping bag. He dug inside his duffle bag and got out Katniss's prized possessions. He was going to give these to her weeks ago when he first came back but she just silently glared at him most of the time. And when she did say anything to him it was to remind him of Prim and his role in her death. So he might as well just give them to her now. He stood up to go into the kitchen but changed his mind and bent down and stuffed them back into his bag.

Right now he thought he would get an early start on hunting. He hadn't been doing much of that over the last few weeks. Besides he reasoned he needed to take down more food supplies to the cabin He grabbed his empty backpack and headed to the Hob. He would get the food supplies he needed at the rations' station for the citizen's of 12 and then he would grab a quick breakfast in the kitchen tent that was set up for the reconstruction workers. He didn't think of himself as a coward, just a guy smart enough to let Katniss cool down.

Greasy Sae made a quick breakfast of sausages, eggs, and sliced apples with cinnamon. She set the plates on the table and then went out front to find Gale. He wasn't on the front porch so she went around to the side of the house to see if he was stacking wood. Sae scowled and headed back inside muttering, "leave me here by myself, boy... wait until I get a hold of you."

When she came back into the kitchen Katniss was sitting at the table eating. Sae was so shocked to see her sitting there she tripped over a pair of boots and had to fling her hand out to catch herself on the doorframe before she fell.

"Are you okay?" Katniss asked with genuine concern in her voice.

Sae raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Yes. Thank you." Katniss returned to the food on her plate as Sae bent over and moved the boots to the opposite wall.

Sae went in and sat at the far end of the table. Picking up her knife and fork she began to eat. Huh... she thought the girl actually sounded like she was genuinely concerned about her, and she had almost agreed to take a bath this morning. Hmmm... small steps. Sae smiled to herself... small steps.

After a short time of glaring at both the front door and Sae while pushing the remaining of her food around her plate, Katniss got up and went back to her chair.

Sae sighed and watched Katniss starring into the fire. For the millionth time she wondered what she saw in those flames. Truth is Sae wasn't sure she wanted to know but she did know she wanted to help her. She had talked to Doctor Aurelius several times on the phone and he had assured her that Katniss was making slow but steady progress. He emphasized that she should expect the occasional set backs but everyone should continue doing whatever it was they were doing for her as it seemed to be helping. That with time, patience, and continued support she would start to live again.

Sae shook her head to clear her thoughts then went to work cleaning up the dishes. She left Gale's plate in the oven for Katniss to eat for lunch. Then she said her goodbyes, which Katniss ignored, and headed to the Hob to find that 'little coward' Gale.

Sae knew he was up to something but she could never catch him alone to find out what was going on. He would get up at the crack of dawn, gulp down breakfast, and be out the door before she could talk to him. She had heard from some people at the Hob that he and a couple of other guys were going through some discarded material and after loading it into a borrowed hovercraft they would head out into the woods and return well after dark.

Sae went to the Hob and found out that Gale had been there and left a while ago. She headed over to the ration station and learned that he had taken his and Katniss's rations for the next month and then he'd headed to the breakfast line. So she hurried over to the kitchen tent hoping to catch him grabbing a bite to eat only to find out that he had eaten there and left in a hurry. Sae headed to the edge of the meadow and stood looking out into the woods. "Damn that boy. What the hell is he up to?"

When Gale walked into the kitchen for supper carrying the fish he had caught and cleaned, he was met with matching glares. He looked from one to the other then swallowed hard and said, "I had a lot of luck today!" As he held up the fish he flashed his most charming smile which caused neither recipient to change their demeanor toward him. This was something that never happened to Gale; when he flashed his charming smile at girls he usually always got what he wanted. And right now he wanted them to quit glaring at him. Gale flushed and carried the fish over to the sink.

Sae grabbed him by the arm, "I would like to talk to you outside. Now."

"Okay."

Greasy Sae turned to Katniss and said, "we'll be back in a few minutes hon."

Gale followed her out of the kitchen and up the road a short ways before Sae turned on him and demanded, "where the hell have you been? And what are you up to?"

"Oh." Gale breathed a sigh of relief. "I went hunting and did a little fishing too."

"Yeah, I got that from the fish you just brought into the kitchen." She crossed her arms and leveled him with a steady stare. "I mean what have you been up to these last few weeks?"

Gale sighed, "I have a plan. I think I know... no… I know the best way to help Katniss." Gale ran his hand through his hair and stroked the back of his neck.

"Okay. Give. What is it?" she questioned him hopefully.

"The woods," he said as he continued to rub the back of his neck.

She raised her eyebrows at him, "the woods? That's it? That's your big plan?"

"Well... yeah."

She shook her head and smirked at him, "So have you been planting trees for the last few weeks or what?"

"No," he rolled his eyes at her. "Look... there's this place... a lake that Katniss took me to several years ago. It's really special to her because her dad took her there when he was teaching her how to hunt. I thought maybe..."

Sae chimed in, "maybe... she could find herself again there…"

"Yeah! She always went there when she needed some peace and strength. Not to mention it is a great place to fish and gather plants. Anyway, there's a little cabin there and I have been fixing it up so that we could stay there... for a while."

Greasy Sae was smiling, "That's it! The two of you have always loved the woods." She huffed, "huh... truthfully, I always thought the two of you would run away to the woods one day."

Gale was shocked, "you did?"

Sae laughed, "yes! You know, there was a group of us down at the Hob that took bets on when you two would finally run. Then came the reaping... well... that's all history now."

"Really? Because I asked Katniss to run away with me just before that... day."

Sae put her hands on Gale's shoulders and smiled, "well, it looks like you're going to get your chance now. Come on, we have a fish to fry." They both laughed and headed back to the house.

When the two of them left the kitchen Katniss had stared at the door for several minutes wondering what the hell they were up to now. Then she turned back to her fire and added some wood with fragments of Prim and her bubble baths dancing before her eyes in the growing flames.

When Greasy Sae and Gale got to the porch steps they were still laughing. Gale stopped and said, "I better get some more wood for Katniss's fire tonight. I'll be a few minutes."

"Okay." Greasy Sae called over her shoulder as she entered the kitchen still chuckling and in a better mood than she had been in for several weeks.

Katniss glared at Sae over the back of the chair, "what's so funny?"

"Huh... oh, we were just talking about frying a fish... ahh, cooking the fish. Are you hungry?" she questioned trying to change the subject.

"No." She turned back to her fire.

"Big surprise," Sae mumbled under her breath.

Sae put the fish in a pan and placed it in the oven. Then she put oil in an iron skillet and added sliced potatoes. She put some carrots in a pot with water to boil. She set the table and then went into the living room to fold Gale's clean clothes and some fresh blankets for Katniss' chair.

Gale came in with an armful of wood and filled the wood box next to Katniss but she didn't glance in his direction at all. He heard a hissing sound and turned to see the water bubbling over on the carrots. He turned the burner off and then turned the potatoes in the skillet. Sae came in and took the fish out of the oven and placed it on the table. Gale and Sae sat down to eat but Katniss could not be coaxed over to the table.

Gale sat at the table eating and trying to figure out what the hell had happened to make Katniss withdraw again. She was making so much progress over these last few weeks. She was eating more and helping out sometimes around the kitchen. She even talked to him on occasion without bringing up Prim. But now she was sitting in her chair and staring into that damn fire again. He knew she was seeing horrible things in her mind. He needed to find a way to help her get her mind on other things... on healing.

He put his plate in the sink and then went out to the porch. He knew what would help her. Maybe it was a good thing he had waited until now to give back her things. He dug into his duffle bag and pulled out her plant book, her dad's jacket and her parents' wedding picture. Then he went back into the kitchen.

"Katniss... here..." He smiled, "I brought these back from Thirteen for you." He set them on the table one by one.

Katniss turned and stared at each item as he set it down on the table. She was stunned. She couldn't believe they were here in her house again. She thought she had lost them forever. She got up and walked over to the table and ran her hand over the jacket and picked it up to smell it. It smelled like the fresh clean air that you could only breathe in the woods. It had a slight hint of smoke from a fire and something else. Something strong and masculine... something she only associated with her father... and Gale. A smell that always made her feel confident and sure. That was why she always wore her dad's jacket when she went hunting. She walked over and hung the jacket up by the door where it belonged.

She opened the book of plants and thumbed through the first few pages. She flipped through more pages of the book, coming to the plants that Peeta had drawn and colored. Prim and Katniss had sat with him for hours going over corrections on different plants and he had made each and every one with meticulous care.

Prim really knew more about these plants then she did. She knew each one and how they could be used to heal. Their mother would sit with Prim and this book going over how to use each and every plant. They would show Katniss the one's they wanted her to find and bring back. Katniss was more interested in the ones you could eat but she always listen to Prim explain why they wanted certain ones. She closed the book.

Katniss picked up the picture of her parents. This was the only picture she had of her father. As she looked at him his image began to swim and she blinked several times to push the tears back. She missed him so much. If he had been here none of this would have happened. Prim would still be here because he would have kept her safe. She walked over to the cupboard and placed the book and picture on the empty shelf that used to hold jars for the herbs her mother used.

Katniss went back to her chair by the fire but before she sat down she turned to Gale. Only he would have known what these things really meant to her. She simply said, "thank you," then turned and sat down.

Greasy Sae and Gale exchanged surprised looks. "You're welcome." Gale didn't know what else to say or do.

Greasy Sae turned back to Katniss with a determined glint in her eyes, 'it is time for one big change around here,' she thought.

Sorry again for taking so long to post.

Please review and let me know how I'm doing and what you like and don't like about this story! If you have any scenes you would like to see coming up let me know and I will see what I can do!

Happy Holidays to all and I will see you in the New Year!