Many, many thanks to all who keep reading this story and reviewing…I always appreciate hearing what you guys think!

Apologies for the crap editing in the last chapter. I think I had spent so much time with it that I was eager to just get it published and away from me that I didn't pause to clean it up first.

I don't know if you guys knew this, but I don't actually own "The Hunger Games." So, no copyright infringement intended here. Also, song credit goes to Bob Dylan.

Gale's POV

Waking up with Katniss in my arms that next morning was the best feeling I've ever had. I felt like I've devoted so many years to just keeping her safe that now I can help her build a life too. We can try building a life together. For a week or so, our days are perfect. Hunting, swimming, laughing, eating, drinking, making love. All of the things that I wanted to do with her before the Games, during the Rebellion.

I should have known things couldn't go on like that forever.

One morning, I awake groggy and discombobulated. It's too early, I think. Why am I awake? Finally, I register that my communicuff is beeping from the bedside table and my face instinctually darkens. I knew they were going to call me back to Two, but I had hoped that it wouldn't be for a while yet.

"Message for Captain Hawthorne. Urgent. Call Command immediately. Urgent." The robot voice urges. I glance over at Katniss and slide my arm from under her head so that I can gently lift myself out of the bed. I pad down the stairs, silently thankful that the house has no creaking boards to give me away. Lifting the phone from its receiver, I steel myself for an unpleasant conversation. With Trion Blaze, my commander at Special Weaponry, there really isn't any other kind.

I hear ringing once, twice, and I begin to hope that no one will pick up. No such luck.

Blaze picks up right as Katniss slips by me and out the door. She pauses, mouths "Meet me at our rock," and disappears with a smile. I watch her retrieve her arrows and bow from the box she keeps under the cover of the porch and can't help grinning as she saunters down the road.

"…Hello? Hawthorne? Did you hear what I said?" Shit. Blaze's sharp voice, honed into a commanding tone by the military, snaps me back to reality.

"Yessir. Yes, I'm here, sir. Ah…could you, um, repeat yourself?" I mentally flinch.

"Goddammit Hawthorne. I'm sending you on assignment. We need you to go to District 4. There's a pocket of Capitol faithfuls who are starting to stir up trouble and we need you and a special team to tamp that down before it gets out of control. I trust your-ahem—grandmother was buried sufficiently and that you can return to work? I also assume that a certain Mockingjay who now resides in 12 may want to be a part of this mission?" I shake my head, knowing that I'll be keeping Katniss as far away from this fight as possible.

"I'll mention the idea to her, sir." Not. "When do you need me in 4?"

"Tomorrow by sundown. I've arranged for housing. Annie Odair, Finnick Odair's widow, has offered her house to you for the duration of the mission. Are you in agreement, Captain?" In the pause, I hear him giving me time to decide on more than just the mission.

I hesitate momentarily and then hear myself say, "Yes, sir. I'll pack and be out there on time."

Blaze's relief is evident. "Good, good." He says. "I'll send instructions to your Communicuff and you can fill the girl in as well." Fat chance.

"Thank you sir." We hang up and I barely make it to the kitchen table before collapsing into a chair. I begin to trace the whorls in the wood, appreciating the craftsmanship that must have gone into creating this piece. After taking a few moments to plot out how I could possibly spin this to Katniss, I gather myself and take the hike to our rock where I know she'll be waiting for me. Plotting isn't going to help me with this. Katniss will value honesty over anything else right now.

I still pause for a moment before crawling through the open space in the fence. I know that it isn't going to be charged anymore, but the urge to pause and check is a hard one to break. Walking towards our meeting spot, I slow my walk and breathe deeply, taking in the scent of pine and fresh air that reminds me of simpler times. I always assumed that Katniss and I would be together, hunting together out here to provide for our family. The Games changed all that, of course.

I remember the first time I ever saw her kiss Peeta . I had tried to avoid the televisions as much as possible because I just wanted her to come home to me safe, not watch her kill others. Or worse, watch her be killed. I had just happened to be working close to the Square that day and heard the coos and applause from the crowd that signaled that something important was occurring. I looked up and was greeted with the sight that would send my heart twisting through my stomach. My Katniss, kissing that baker's boy as if her life depended on it. Of course, unbeknownst to be at the time, it actually did. I still feel that familiar twist every time I see him, regardless of how Katniss feels about him.

I approach our rock and hear Katniss singing faintly. All the birds have silenced themselves to listen, and I pause for a moment so that my arrival doesn't stop her.

"I've seen love go by my door,

Never been this close before,

Never been so easy, or so slow.

I've been shooting in the dark too long,

When something's not right, it's wrong.

You're gonna make me lonesome when you go."

She continues to hum, but the words of her song cut through me like a knife. She'll come to Four with me, I decide. There's no other option. I'm suddenly struck by how naturally Katniss fits in to this atmosphere. A vision leaps into my mind unbidden: Katniss with a child, bringing it here and teaching it to hunt and fish, singing to it. The child would have an ideal life. The idea warms me.

I let Katniss finish her song and then carefully step on a stick, letting the crack it produces warn her that I'm coming. She spins and bestows me with a rare smile. Even now, after knowing her for so long, it always catches me momentarily off guard when I see her smile. There used to be so little to smile about in the Seam. It's hard to adjust to the idea that Peacekeepers aren't waiting around every corner to enforce the Capitol's rule over us anymore.

Settling next to her, I realize how important it is going to be for me to choose my words carefully. Katniss is not going to take this reminder of the residual effects of the war against the Capitol easily because it will inevitably remind her of Prim. The last thing I want to do right now is set her off the idea of accompanying me to Four. I decide the best way is to tell her about Annie as quickly as possible. She would never refuse the chance to see Finnick's widow. I didn't know Finnick very well, having only worked with him for a short while in District 13, but I know how much respect Katniss had for him.

I clear my throat and she turns her head toward me, understanding my need to speak. "So I, ah, got a call from Command this morning," I begin. Her expression freezes, instinctively knowing that she is not going to like what comes next.

"And?" she prompts me, eyebrows raised.

"And I'm being sent to District 4 to help them suppress a small insurgence of Capitol citizens that are trying to restart the war. It's nothing, really, but they need some people from Weaponry to help out." I sense I'm losing her, so I rush, "We've been stationed to stay with, Annie, Katniss. Annie Odair."

"Annie?" she says hopefully. "I haven't seen her since after...well, it's been a long time." she finishes lamely. For a moment she is lost in thought, no doubt memorializing Finnick once more in her mind. "When do you leave?"

"Well, here's the thing," I forge on, avoiding her question for the moment. "I want you with me. I can't be there without you and I made you a promise. I told you I wouldn't walk away again, and I'm not going to. Come with me, Katniss. You'll be with Annie and I won't have to leave you here."

I take it as a good sign that she's even paused to consider my offer. "Well, what about Peeta and Delly and Madge?" she questions. I feel a flash of anger that quickly turns to jealousy at her mention of Peeta. Even though he's given up pursuing her, Katniss' natural instinct to protect still can't seem to let him go.

"Katniss, this may be hard for you to believe, but they'll be fine here without you for a little while. This place isn't what it used to be. Food's readily available and everyone you care about has a roof over their heads and the complete ability to fend for themselves." I fight to keep my tone even, knowing that my statements could very well upset her and signal the end of our discussion.

True to form, anger does course through her face quickly, to be replaced with...sadness? "I know- you're right. I just am having a hard time understanding what my place is. I've been a caretaker for so long- always feeling like someone is dependent on me to keep them safe or provide for them- I just don't know what to do without that responsibility anymore." She looks up into my eyes and I truly see her confusion and lack of focus. She's right- Katniss has never really known how to just be. I know how difficult it has been for her to share her responsibilities with me over the past week or so, and for the first time, I realize that our Mockingjay might be dealing with more than the loss of her sister. She's also struggling to find herself.

I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her to me. "Katniss, you take care of me each and every day. I can't be in Districy 4 without you. Do you understand? I need you with me to be able to do my job." This was the approach I should have taken all along. The sad part is, it's not just an approach. In the short time since we've reconciled, it's become the truth.

Getting up, she walks away from the rock a bit, pacing. I sense her need for space and stay quietly where I am, watching carefully to see if I could discern the moment when she makes up her mind.

"Fine," she spins to face me again. "I'll come. I've been wanting to see Annie and the baby anyway." She comes back over and grabs my hand, pressing a kiss to my palm. "When do we leave?" she asks again. It is in this moment that I am glad for her previous military experience. It means she understands how quickly things move once they are set in motion.

"We have to be settled into our base by tomorrow at sundown." She nods.

"I suppose it's time to go pack then."As she walks away from me, I am again struck by her beauty and strength. Yet again, I'm convinced that she and I are a true fit for one another.