Author's note: There's some Gadge in this chapter. Everlark coming very soon, I promise.

Huge thanks to my beta JavisTG. Go read her stuff ASAP!

Happy reading!

Chapter Thirteen

Gale heard Katniss and the girls in the kitchen. He knew it would be okay for him to go in there, normal. But it wasn't really anymore. He rubbed his face and looked toward the clock to see it was just a little after seven. He rarely slept this late on a Sunday.

He stretched just before someone tapped on his door. "Yeah?" He called.

Becca pushed the door open and peered around it. "Daddy, Mama wants to know if you're coming for breakfast."

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'll be in there in a few minutes."

She brightened and started to close the door. Then she thought better of it and ran into the room, jumping up on the bed and throwing her arms around Gale's neck. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, Becca." He held her close and kissed her temple. "Go on." He sat her on the floor. "I'll be right behind you."

"Okay." She ran out of the room calling, "Mama, he's awake!"

Gale dressed and made his way to the kitchen. Katniss handed him a plate before she filled her own with bacon, eggs, home fries, and biscuits. She smothered it all in pepper gravy and sat down with the girls at the table. Gale filled his plate in the same manner as her and joined them.

"Anyone want to go do some target practice today?" Gale asked as he took a bite.

"Ooh, me!" Becca said. "I'm getting so much better."

"You are." Katniss said with a proud smile. "Sam-Sam?"

Sam shrugged. "I guess."

"You guess?" Gale asked.

Sam shrugged again. "Are we really going to do family things when we aren't a family anymore?"

"We're never going to stop being a family, Sam." Gale said firmly.

"Then why don't you want to be married to Mom anymore?" Sam demanded.

Katniss placed a hand on Sam's arm. "You don't need to worry about it, okay? This is between me and Dad. If you don't want to go to the range, that's fine."

Sam scooted food around on her plate. "I don't feel like doing anything."

"That's okay." Katniss said.

"But I wanna go." Becca protested.

Gale looked to Katniss who gave a small nod. "You and me can go, Becs."

Katniss turned to Sam. "And you and I can do something. If you want. Just watch a movie. Sit in the same room and do different things."

Sam sighed. "I just want to be alone."

"You can be alone with me." Katniss suggested.

"Maybe." Sam picked up her plate and sat it by the sink before heading out of the room.

"I'm done!" Becca announced. "Can we go yet?"

Gale laughed. "I need to shower first. Go change and get your bow. Make sure the string is still in good shape. We'll leave in, like, twenty minutes." He pointed out the time on the kitchen clock.

"Okay. Don't take forever." Becca ran from the room.

Gale shook his head and scraped his fork across his plate. "I think we'll only be gone a couple hours."

"Maybe take her for ice cream after." Katniss suggested. "And make quality time with her, please. Don't call or text Madge."

"Katniss—"

"No, listen. I know she's your soulmate and you get to do stuff a little more freely now that it's out in the open. But you and I are still married and it wouldn't look right. You said that yourself." She grabbed his arm when he stood. "You're spending time with Becca. And right now we need to make sure that our kids know how much they matter to us. Eventually it's going to hit Becca and she's going to be a mess. Today, make it about her."

Gale nodded. "I get it."

"I don't mean not to text Madge at all, just pay attention to how Becca's shooting. She is getting better and I want her to know you care about that."

"I do."

"Good."

Gale rubbed his face. "You're just aching for a fight, aren't you?"

Katniss sat her plate in the sink. "Maybe I am, but we have more important things going on." She walked out of the kitchen without another word.

Gale listened to the faint tread of her feet on the stairs before he made his way to his room to shower.

Katniss was sitting in the living room with a book in her hand, staring at the page but not comprehending, when Sam wandered down the stairs. Katniss sat down her book and held out her arms. Sam curled up into her side and pressed her eyes into Katniss's shoulder.

"Can we still go to the range, Mama?" Sam asked.

"Sure." Katniss kissed her temple. "Go get your bow and I'll text your dad."

Katniss: Sam changed her mind. On our way to you.

Gale: Sounds great!

They were out the door a short time later. The range was next to the Hawthorne Sporting Goods shops. Katniss often brought new designs here to test them out.

Gale's truck was parked near the front. A familiar red car was parked beside it. Katniss let out a soft curse under her breath. Of course he would go against my request.

Sam huffed. "If Madge is here, I change my mind."

Katniss tried to keep her anger to herself Just because she was upset, didn't mean she couldn't be civil. She turned. "I thought you liked Madge."

Katniss could see the muscle working in Sam's jaw. She got that little quirk from her father. "I did."

"She's going to be around a lot, baby. Whatever it is about her that's upset you, we need to fix it."

"You're upset, too. You said 'shit' just now." Sam pointed out.

Katniss nodded and placed a hand on her daughter's knee. "I want you to be comfortable around her. No matter what I think or feel. That's between me and your dad."

"I don't want to shoot anymore." Sam crossed her arms. "She's such a bitch."

"You watch your mouth, Samantha." Katniss warned. "Madge has been my friend almost as long as your dad. I want what's best for all of us."

"But you can't like it." Sam said.
"It's not anything you need to worry about, Sam-Sam." Katniss opened her car door. "Let's shoot away some of that aggression."

After a few more moments of silent rage, Sam reached for the handle and rolled out of the car.

Inside the range, Gale stood behind Madge showing her how to hold the bow. Katniss's stomach did a little lurch and she heard Sam grumble beside her. Why was she here? Katniss had asked Gale not to call her.

Becca looked on. She pointed to Madge's left hand. "You got it a little high, Madge."

Gale nodded. "Good eye, Becs." He helped Madge readjust her hand and then stepped back. "Now, try it."

Madge pulled the string back and the arrow clattered to the floor. She tried again. The arrow went a few feet down the lane, but landed on the floor again. She laughed and shook her head. "I think I'll leave this to the experts." She handed the bow back to Becca.

"You should try mine." Katniss said as she walked over, dragging Sam in her wake. "Mine has a hand grip you can rest the arrow on and we can adjust the tension." She opened up her bow case, adjusted the string a little, and handed it over.

Madge did a little better with Katniss's bow, but she gave up after a couple more arrows.

"I'll never get the hang of it." Madge said.

"Not everyone is an archer." Gale said. "But we can keep working on it." He gave her a wink.

Sam dropped her case on the floor with a little more force than was entirely necessary.

Madge looked over to Sam as the girl took out her bow. "I want to see what you got, Sam."

Sam looked between her parents and walked to the end and set up a target.

Katniss leaned close to gale and said, "I thought we'd discussed this."

Gale murmured back, "She said she was driving by to go to her office and saw my truck. I promise I didn't text. Or invite her."

Katniss gave him a hard look and then moved her attention to Sam.

Sam took her place and fired three shots in rapid succession, all three landing just shy of center. She groaned and Katniss walked over just as she sent the next arrow down the line, getting a bullseye. Her next arrow fell close enough to the last one that it knocked it out.

Katniss gave her a proud smile and a wink. "Good job, baby." She said softly, squeezing her shoulder.

Sam perked up a little and fired another arrow toward the target. She got another in the center and Gale moved closer.

"Look at you." Gale said proudly. "Get another bullseye and I'll buy you a couple new arrows."

Sam grinned and picked up another arrow. She looked down the line and everyone held their breaths. Sam easily made the shot and threw her hands up in the air in triumph.

Becca huffed. "You didn't offer me that."

Gale knelt in front of her. "How about if you get two more arrows in the target, we'll look at getting you a new bow string?"

Becca shook her head. "I want a new bow. My own. Not Sam's old one. I want to pick one out for me."

Gale and Katniss shared a look and nodded in unison. Gale turned back to Becca and held out his hand. "Deal. But you have to get six in the target."

"Four." Becca countered.

"Five." Gale negotiated.

Becca thought a moment and then slipped her hand into her father's. "You got yourself a deal, Mr. Hawthorne." She picked up her bow and made her way to the target. It was closer than the rest. The first arrow fell short. But the next one stuck on the outer edge. The other four that she shot stuck all over the target. One even made just off center. She looked up at Gale. "Let's go get my bow now."

Madge covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

Katniss smiled at her younger daughter. "You're going to have to wait, kiddo. I get to make a wager next."

"Oh?" Gale asked. "And what would you like to wager?"

"You and me go shot for shot. If I beat you, then owe me new arrows. One for each point I beat you by. If you beat me, I owe you new arrows. Same rate." Katniss held out her hand. "What do you say?"

"Deal." Gale shook her hand. "Madge, can you help keep the tally?"

Madge looked around the family. "I'm not sure…"

Sam said reluctantly, "I'll help you."

"Me too." Becca was more enthusiastic.

It was a close competition. There was a lot of trash talk between each shot. Madge sat against the wall with Sam and Becca on either side of her helping her to keep up with the points.

"Okay, this is the last arrow." Gale said.

"It's close, Daddy." Becca said. "You better shoot true or Mom's going to kick your butt."

Katniss laughed. "You heard her."

Gale stepped into place and pulled the bow back, aimed, and set the arrow flying. It hit just outside of center.

With a smirk, Katniss sent her own arrow to the target. It hit dead center. She turned to the three with the paper.

"Katniss wins." Madge said with a grin.

Gale sighed. "Okay, I guess I need to go shopping."

Katniss laughed. "You don't have to go right away." She glanced toward Madge and then said. "What if we go for ice cream?"

"Ice cream?" Becca asked, her eyes wide. "I want ice cream!"

"Sounds good to me." Gale looked to Sam and Madge. "What do y'all say?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, okay."
Madge shrugged, "I don't know if I…"

"You need to come, Madge." Becca said. "Please?"

"If it's okay?" Madge glanced to Katniss.

Katniss swallowed past the lump in her throat and nodded. "Sure." She leaned down and put her bow back in its case before she moved to gather her arrows.

Madge pulled Gale to the corner of the room and talked softly to him for a few minutes. She squeezed his arm and then followed Gale back to the group. "Thanks for the lesson. I think I'll head home." She winked at Becca. "Raincheck on the ice cream."

"Raincheck?" Becca said.

"It means another time." Madge clarified, rubbing Becca's back.

Katniss felt a great sense of relief as Madge made her exit. Katniss helped the girls put their arrows and targets away.

"Girls, go ahead and get your stuff loaded in the truck." Gale handed over his keys.

"Which one?" Becca asked.

"Either one." Gale said. He watched the girls go. "I'm sorry. Madge just came in and I couldn't just tell her to go away."

"She's a part of your life now." Katniss chewed her lip a moment. "I was worried she would take over, but she didn't."

"She was the one who backed out of ice cream." Gale said.

"I figured. She didn't need to." Katniss let out a breath. "I like that we're still okay, but we definitely need to start having time apart. You do things with the girls separately. With Madge. And I'll do things with the girls and Peeta."

Gale nodded. "We're being too civil."

"It never seems like the right time. I don't want to yell at you in front of the girls or in public." Katniss picked up her bow case. "Come on, let's get some ice cream." She led him out of the building.