GALE'S POV

Katniss and I set up our little table/shop in the Hob. We make most of our money this way. Here's the look of our little table: four tall legs, a square top that has been stained and scratched over the years, and three tall stools (one for me, one for Katniss, and one for a customer taking too long to make up his mind). That's pretty much it.

Katniss and I lay our goods on the table along with the 2 rabbits and 3 fish left over: 3 dresses my mother knitted, 2 pairs of pants my mother put patches on, a deerskin Katniss tanned, various medicines Katniss's mother whipped up and put in stone cups, a pint of Prim's goat's milk, and a hair comb I had chiseled out of stone.

TIME PASSES

We did a lot better than I thought we would! We sold the goat milk, 2 rabbits, 3 fish, a couple medicines, 2 of our dresses, and a pair of pants. In total, we have 70 silver coins! Katniss and I split the money and pack up the merchandise we didn't sell. I lock the compartment and hook the key back on my necklace.

Katniss and I walk out of the Hob, calling goodbye to Rob and other regular customers we know. On our way through the fence, Katniss cries out and holds her knee. Now, she's sitting on the forest floor just outside the Hob's fence.

"Katniss, you okay?" I ask her, worry in my voice. She lets go of her knee, and winces. A bloody gash about 2½ inches oozes blood. My eyes widen.

"Go… back to the Hob and get some medicine… that my mom made," Katniss says through winces. Then she laughs harshly and says, "God, this stings. Anyway, get the green-ish paste in the white stone cup, just a finger-scoop worth, and it will stop the tetanus." I look at the rusty fence. Crap, tetanus. I nod.

"I'll be right back, Katniss. Don't worry!" I call, already halfway to the Hob. I dash inside, rustle through our secret compartment, scoop the medicine on my finger, lock it, and run back.

I crawl through the fence, but Katniss isn't there.

"Katniss? Katniss?" I call, balancing the green goo on my index finger. Then I hear moaning in the bushes. I jump through the brush and see Katniss.

"Katniss!" I say, at her side in a second. I decide to rid myself of the goo, though, so I rub it on her knee. Her bottom half of her leg twitches once, so I guess it stung.

I put my hand on Katniss's forehead. My hand moves backwards, into her hair. A bump. A big one, at that. That's when I notice a couple silver coins spilled out of her pocket. Huh?

I put my hand in her pocket. Empty, except for those two coins. I check her other pocket. Empty. Somebody must have attacked Katniss, stole the money, and dragged her over here. A rush of anger comes over me. Why Katniss? Why her? She did nothing. Nothing to deserve being attacked.

I have to get her out of here. I pocket her two coins (I will give them back, but I want to hold them for her), and I stand into a crouch. I slide my right arm under her shoulders, and my left arm under her knees. I lift Katniss up.

She is surprisingly light. Well, not too surprising. She's always been really short and thin - petite. Her head rests against my chest, and her flowing hair cascades down my stomach. I kiss the top of her head, and notice the warm glow off her skin.

All of a sudden, Katniss's head tilts back, her thick eyelashes flutter open into a squint, and she whispers, "Gale?" I smile and kiss her forehead, just before her head collapses against my chest.

I finally get back to our meeting place, and I gently lay Katniss down in front of the boulder. I don't want to leave her head just laying on the ground, so I take off my shirt, bunch it up, and slide it under her head. She sighs softly, but makes no other noise or movement. Now I sigh. Why won't she wake up?

I take a deerskin canteen of water from a hole in our boulder and pour some in my hand. I pat Katniss's cheeks with my wet hand, and her eyes flutter open. Again, she asks, "Gabe?"

I wipe my hand dry on my pants and I brush some hair from her eyes. She blinks. "Gabe," she says, "What happened?"

I grab her hand and reply, "You scratched your knee on the fence near the Hob. I went to get some medicine for it, and when I get back, you were gone. I found you in the bushes with a huge bump on your head. Your money was gone exce-"

"My money is gone?!" Katniss interrupts. She lets go of my hand to quickly sit up, but she winces and holds her head and lays back down.

"What's wrong?" I ask, concerned. She just shakes her head, and holds my hand again.

"Head-rush, I guess," she explains, "But is my money really gone?" Her eyes well up.

"Katniss, Katniss," I rush to explain, "You only had two coins next to your pocket. Somebody must have seen you looking vulnerable and taken advantage of that." She gently shakes her head and checks her pocket just to find it empty. Katniss swears under her breath.

"I'll give you half the silver coins I have…" I start digging in my pocket, but Katniss stops me by putting her hand on my bare chest. Oh… right. I don't have my shirt on. Her smooth, cool hand all of a sudden seems very small compared to, well, my hands. I take my hand out of my pocket and slowly take her hand off my chest into my fist. Now I'm holding both of her hands in mine. I lean in and gently kiss her.

Her lips are warm and soft. I noses are barely touching, and my shaggy black hair brushes against her cheeks. I start to pull away, but she pulls one of her hands out from mine and intertwines it with the hair at the back of my head, pulling me in for a longer kiss.