Author's note: Sorry this took a little longer than I planned. I had foot surgery recently and I wasn't able to get to this as soon as I had hoped. I hope to get more to you quickly. We'll see.

I am excited to see what you have to say about the events of this chapter. Katniss and her daughters meet Peeta's parents!

Thanks so much to JavisTG for betaing this. In light of some events at the end, she pointed out something I had completely overlooked. So be prepared, readers, for some big things happening in the coming chapters.

Happy reading!

Chapter Fourteen

Gale stopped the truck in the Hawthorne Sporting Goods parking lot and leaned his head against the seat. "We really need to talk to my parents about this."

Katniss nodded. "Do you think they'll be okay with me staying?"

"Why wouldn't they be?" He gave her a concerned look. "This was your job before we were married. They won't be able to find anyone as talented as you."

She chewed her lip and nodded. "Okay."

"Come on." He slid out of the driver's seat and walked around to meet her as she got out. "We'll go talk to them before we get to work."

"Will you do the talking?" She asked as they walked toward the door.

"Sure. Yeah." He opened the door for her and noticed Madge waiting just inside. "Hey, Madge." He reached out and brushed his fingers over her exposed wrist, feeling the tension leaving his body.

Katniss cleared her throat.

"Katniss and I have some stuff to do." Gale stuck his hands in his pocket. "Can I come talk to you later?"

Madge nodded. "Yes, of course." She turned and headed to her office.

"With the door open." Gale assured Katniss.

Bobby was behind his desk squinting at his computer when Katniss and Gale stepped in. Hazelle finished making coffee.

"Your reading glasses are on top of your head, Dad." Gale said as he shut the door.

Bobby chuckled and pulled them off. "I can't see through the damn things anymore. I need to get stronger ones." He sat them on the table and rubbed his eyes. "What's going on?" He looked over the both of them, his yes landing on Katniss's middle.

Katniss waved her hands with an uncomfortable laugh. "Not pregnant. Far from it."

"We're getting a divorce." Gale said in a rush. Better to get it all out.

"Oh." Hazelle sat down at her desk. "This a little sudden. Are you sure?"

"We are." Gale said. He looked to Katniss for assurance and then turned back to his parents. "We found out we have soulmates. And it has a potential to be romantic." He swallowed. "We never were very romantic together. Which I'm sure you must have noticed. So we've decided to split."

"And what about Sam and Becca?" Hazelle asked. "You've told them?"

"Yeah, they know." Katniss said. She chewed her lip.

"And how are they taking it?" Hazelle asked.

Gale sighed and dropped to the closest chair. "Sam is taking it pretty rough. But Becca's pretty good with it."

"It hasn't hit her yet." Katniss said. "My soulmate is her best friend's dad."

Bobby gave them both a critical look. "Can you still work together?"

"Of course." Gale said.

Katniss nodded. "Yes."

"If it starts to interfere with your work, then I hope you can be as adult about it as you are now." Bobby turned back to his computer.

Hazelle leaned forward. "I want to meet this man of yours, Katniss." She looked to her son. "And who is your soulmate?"

Gale swallowed hard. "It's Madge."

Bobby looked up sharply. "Madge? Madge Undersee? Our head of social media?"

Gale nodded uncertainly.

"And we're just now hearing about it?" Bobby stood. "She's been here for nearly six years."

Gale sighed and rubbed his face. "I know. I should have said something sooner. I've beat myself up about it every day."

Bobby ground his teeth and shook his head. "I can't believe you, Gale."

"I can't believe myself." Gale felt his heart pounding. "I had so many chances, Dad and I didn't take them. But that's all done. We're out in the open now."

Bobby shook his head. "You had six years, Gale. You have a daughter younger than this."

Gale let out a huff. "I fucking know it, Dad."

"Gale." Katniss placed a hand on his shoulder. "Bobby, it's something Gale and I are working on."

"Katniss?" Hazelle asked. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." Katniss said.

Gale relaxed a fraction. "Mom, you know Katniss keeps things close."

Hazelle leveled a look at her son. "So how is she?"

"That's her business." Gale stood and headed for the door. "I have seven orders to finish." He walked out and headed into his shop.

Katniss shook her head. "Always over dramatic." She said under her breath as she left the office.

Hazelle caught her arm. "Katniss, please, tell me—"

"I'm fine, Hazelle. I really am." Katniss assured her.

"If you need the girls to stay with us for a while or if you need a place to stay…"

"Gale and I decided he's going to live in the guest room for a while." Katniss chewed her lip. "But thanks."

"Just, if you need it." Hazelle gave her a motherly smile. "I suppose you know yourself better than anyone."

"Thank you again." Katniss walked to her shop, pausing just outside of Gale's.

Madge sat up on one of his tables with her camera and a pad of paper. She laughed softly at something Gale said just before she snapped a picture. Katniss saw a flash of a smile on Gale's face. It was something she was sure she hadn't seen from him in a long time. Not like that, anyway.

Katniss swallowed past a lump in her throat and continued on to her work. She moved on autopilot for the morning. The bows she was currently working in were standard, so it was easy to let her hands move and her mind shut down.

Everything was starting to hit her all at once. Having a soulmate. Sam's reaction. Becca's lack of one. And Gale being happy with Madge.

Gale knocked on her door and pushed it open.

Katniss blinked a few times before she realized it was him. "Come in here. Close the door."

"What?" he did as she requested.

"I thought I could handle seeing you with Madge, but I can't." She felt the lump forming again.

He nodded. "I'm sorry, Katniss."

"You need to stop apologizing for things you can't change. We can't change the fact that we have soulmates." She felt the tears stinging her nose. "But it still hurts. Because you lied to me. For five years you lied to me."

"Catnip…"

She shook her head and shoved him out the door. "Just go away, Gale."

"Katniss, come on." He stood in her doorway and didn't allow her to close the door. "Talk to me."

"No. I'm done talking to you." She put her hand on his chest and pushed against him. "I'm telling you to leave me alone."

Gale ground his teeth and worked that muscle in his jaw. "I'll bring you lunch."

"I'm not hungry." Katniss closed the door in his face, flipping the lock as soon as it clicked closed.

She picked up her phone and sent Peeta a text. I'm not having a good day. She started at her phone until Peeta's reply came through.

Peeta: I'm sorry to hear that. Anything I can do?

She looked toward the door. No. I'm just jealous and hurt and I have no right to be.

Peeta: Of Gale?

Katniss: Yeah. I just saw him laughing with Madge and it felt like being punched in the face and now I'm pissed off and I shouldn't be. Should I?

Peeta: You have every right to be.

Katniss: You think so?

Peeta: I do. You were married to him for a long time.

Katniss: When the girls and I come tonight, can you and I have a private talk?

Peeta: Yes. Absolutely! Dad and Cara are very excited to meet you and your girls.

Katniss: I'm excited to meet them too. Do we need to bring anything tonight?

Peeta: Just yourselves.

Katniss smiled to herself. She would probably feel much better if Peeta could touch her, but just talking with her soulmate made her feel calmer. She went back to work, letting Gale in long enough to hand her a bag from the deli down the road.

"Cheese fries and a Reuben." He said with an apologetic smile. "You okay?"

She nodded. "I talked with Peeta for a while."

"You want to talk with me yet?" He asked.

She pulled the sandwich out of the bag and unwrapped it as she spoke. "I walked by your shop and Madge was in there and you were laughing with her. You were laughing in a way that I haven't seen in a while."

"And you're jealous?" Gale closed the door and moved further into her space. "Of a laugh?"

"I'm jealous and I'm mad." Katniss took a bite of her sandwich and chewed thoughtfully. "You were never that kind of happy with me. You could have been this happy five years ago."

"I was this happy five years ago." He said. "I was happy six years ago. Ten years ago. I love you, Katniss."

"Gale," She sighed, "I can't help but love you."

He smiled and opened the door. "You better get back to work soon, Catnip. You have a date tonight." He winked.

She laughed. "It's not a date."

Katniss ate her lunch quickly and then went back to her projects. She was a little more focused for the afternoon. Talking with Peeta and letting Gale know how she was feeling really helped.

Callie ran out the door just as Peeta placed Cara's mac and cheese in the middle of the dining table. "You need shoes and a coat, Calliope!" He called after her.

Katniss came into the house with the girl in her arms. "Some little urchin escaped your house." She said with a smirk as she sat Callie down just inside the door. "But I brought her inside to stay warm.

"Thanks." Peeta reached over to smooth a hand over Callie's hair, but she moved away to pull Becca up to her room.

Samantha stepped through the door and stood just inside it.

"Hi, Sam." Peeta said with a welcoming smile.

"Hi." Sam looked around nervously.

Katniss draped an arm over her daughter's shoulders and guided her further into the house. "I'm still amazed that she speaks." She said with a laugh.

Sam shrugged Katniss's arm away.

Cara stepped in from the kitchen and sat a pan of chicken in the middle of the table. "Hello!" She walked around the table and held out her hand to Sam. "You must be Samantha."

"Sam." The girl corrected as she took the offered hand.

Cara smiled. "Sam. I'm Cara."

At a gentle nudge from Katniss, Sam said, "Nice to meet you."

"And this is Katniss." Peeta said, indicating the other woman.

Cara held out her hand to Katniss. "We have heard so much about you."

Katniss shook her hand. "Peeta's talk y'all up."

Conrad walked into the house holding a box in his hands. "Leftover baked goods are the best baked goods." He said, sitting the box down on the table. He walked over to the group with a smile. "I'm Conrad." He took both Katniss's hands in his own. "My goodness, you look familiar."

"Do I?" Katniss laughed. "You must have seen me around."

Conrad snapped his fingers. "Iris Abernathy. That's who you look like."

"Abernathy." Katniss smiled. "Not a lot of people call her by that name. They mostly know her as an Everdeen."

"That's right. Are you Caleb and Iris's daughter?"

Katniss nodded. "The older one. I have a sister."

Peeta looked between the pair.

Conrad laughed. "I didn't know you were her." He clapped Peeta on the shoulder. "Son, you should have told me."

"I didn't even know." Peeta said.

Conrad laughed heartily. "This is amazing. Iris and I were friends in school. Caleb, too." He looked around. "I'll have to pull out my yearbooks later." His eyes landed on Sam. "You must take most of your looks from your father."

"I do." Sam grinned.

"Gale and I both have the gray eyes." Katniss smoothed her hand over Sam's hair. "I'm sorry you can't meet Becca yet, Callie dragged her away as soon as we walked in the door."

Peeta laughed. "I hope those two are always as close."

"I bet they will be." Cara said. She indicated the table. "I need to finish off the potatoes, but everything else is ready." She headed back in the kitchen and Conrad followed.

Peeta pointed up the stairs. "Callie's room is the second on the right, Sam. Will you go get them for us?"

Sam nodded and wandered up the stairs.

Katniss held out her hand and Peeta quickly slipped his into it. He felt the soothing electricity move up his arm.

He sighed. "I'm so happy you're here."

She smiled. "Me too."

"You said you wanted to talk." He pulled her toward the table.

"Later." She said as the girls headed down the stairs. "You can show me the bakery." She slipped into the chair Peeta held out.

"You can sit right here, Becca." Callie patted a chair near the end and sat in the one right next to it. "And Sam here. Grandpa always sits at the very end."

Peeta sat in the seat opposite Sam and gave her an encouraging smile.

Cara walked in with a pan of potato wedges. Conrad followed with a bowl of salad in one hand and two bottles of dressing in his other. They sat them all down and took their seats. Conrad bowed his head and said a quick prayer before motioning for everyone to dig in.

Katniss watched anxiously as Callie and Becca helped each other. She rarely let Becca have a lot of independence when it came to dishing out food, especially something as messy as macaroni and cheese. But she did well.

Conrad and Cara both asked Sam and Becca a lot of questions about school and what they liked to do. It set both girls at ease, especially Sam. Conrad even had the older girl laughing at a silly joke about baking.

Cara turned to Katniss. "So you make bows?"

Katniss nodded. "I do. I took over for my dad after he passed away." She smiled at her girls. "I'm planning on passing on the legacy. Sam already knows a bit."

"Is that so?" Conrad asked. "It's so much more rewarding when you learn from your parents."

"I'm going to make kayaks like my dad." Becca said around a mouthful of fried chicken.

Conrad nodded. "That's a good plan."

Peeta chuckled. "And Cal is going to be a baker. Like the past five generations of Mellarks."

Conrad gave his son a proud smile before he leaned back in his chair. "That was a good meal, Cara."

"Your son did half the work." Cara said as she took one last bite and pushed her plate away. "I need to stop." She laughed. "I made a big mistake marrying into a baking family."

Katniss laughed. "I love food. Good thing we're soulmates, huh?" She nudged Peeta's arm with her elbow.

Sam's face dropped.

Conrad must have noticed and smoothly stood from the table. "Sam, Becca, what do you say to looking through my old yearbooks? See if we can find my signatures from your grandparents?"

Sam nodded and followed Conrad toward the living room. Becca and Callie shared a look and then shrugged at the same time. They bolted into the other room.

Cara started gathering the dishes.

"You did most of the prep, Cara." Peeta said as he reached for the pans in the middle of the table.

Cara took the pan from his hand. "You've been up since before four." Peeta tried to protest some more, but Cara cut him off and gave a little wave. "Go on out of here."

Peeta chewed his lip and asked, "You want to go for a little walk?"

Katniss nodded. "Sure."

They gathered their coats by the front door and walked out into the cool December evening.

"So is everything okay?" Peeta asked.

Katniss sighed and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her coat. She looked over her shoulder to the front door of the house. "I saw Gale and Madge in his shop today. And he was laughing with her." She swallowed. "I don't know, it just…" She let out a slow breath. "I feel cheated."

He was silent for a while as they continued to walk around the front of the bakery. He leaned against a railing that separated the parking lot from the road. "You went to school on the other end of the city, didn't you?"

She nodded. "I graduated the year before the schools were consolidated."

He let out a low thoughtful sound. "Wonder what would have happened if we'd gone to school together."

"We wouldn't have our girls, I don't think." She sat up on the railing. "It would be very different."

"It would." He kicked at a rock. "I get why you're worried about Gale."

"Do you think I'm being ridiculous?" She asked uncertainly.

Peeta turned and placed his hand on top of hers, looking up into her face. A mask of relief spread over Katniss's face. "How long have you been married?"

"Ten years."

"And for five of those, he knew he had a soulmate and never mentioned it. You have every right to feel cheated." He rubbed a thumb over the back of her hand. "He kept this from you for half of your marriage."

"I didn't tell him about you right away." She argued lamely.

"If you want to feel bad about that, then you can. I'm not going to tell you if it's right or wrong. But it doesn't excuse his deception. It doesn't make what he did okay." Peeta raised his hand and cupped her cold cheek. "You should probably have this conversation with him. But I will say that if he cared about you nearly as much as he claims, he should have said something sooner."

Katniss leaned into his hand just a moment before sliding off the railing.

Peeta heard the sound of the kids laughing. "I promised a tour of the bakery." He waved her ahead to find the girls running along the length of the porch.

Sam laughed reluctantly as she watched them. Conrad's familiar guffaw floated across the lawn.

Peeta called, "Who wants to take a look at a bakery?"

"Me!" Becca grabbed Sam's hand and pulled her down the stairs.

There wasn't much to show, but Katniss and Becca seemed impressed. Sam didn't look bored out of her mind, so Peeta supposed that meant she liked seeing the inner workings. They circled around to the back room once more where Peeta decorated cakes.

"We should go." Katniss said. "School night and work night."

Peeta nodded and motioned for the back door.

Katniss handed Sam her keys. "Go get in the car."

The girls ran out yelling, "Bye, Peeta!"

Katniss turned to Peeta. He grabbed her hand and held it warm in his own for several silent moments. She looked into his eyes and a million images of many other lifetimes flashed in front of her eyes. Katniss placed her free hand on his cheek and felt the warmth spread up her arm. Her chest grew tight as she felt the love of thousands of years flowing through her veins. She leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. There was a different kind of electricity in that moment. It was a spark that started a fire in her belly.

She pulled away and looked into his eyes. They were a million colors and shapes, but she knew they were all the same as the beautiful blue irises that paused in front of her vision as she blinked back into the present.

Peeta stared with wide eyes, his fingers rubbing his lips like they still stung.

"I'm..." Katniss dropped her hands and hurried out the door.

"Katniss, wait." Peeta called after her.

She launched herself into the front seat of her car, pausing long enough to see that the girls were strapped into their seats.