I don't have much free time on my hands.

I wake up at four in the morning, come to the office gym and work out with Jo (which usually consists of biking/running double-digit distances). I shower, get dressed, putting me in the executive office suites by 7:30. Madge arrives earlier than any of my other direct staff, greeting me at my door with an Iced Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks in one hand and her infamous clipboard in the other. I gladly accept the beverage, breeze into my office (Madge following a respectful distance behind), and listen as she rattles off my schedule for the day- quick and concise- just the way she does everything. I nod attentively as I hear every other second of my day mapped out, knowing that she'll buzz my intercom every hour on the hour, to remind me of aforementioned events because I will undoubtedly forget something.

I prepare for the meetings that I'll never be ready for. I practice the smile that my father wore so comfortably that put everyone in his presence at ease, but I'll never quite master. I think about the business strategies I gathered in my thirty minute crash course one of the vice presidents gave me the day before assuming this position.

Sometimes I feel like crying. But that's one luxury I will never allow myself.

From the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep someone needs something from me. I try not to allow that pressure to loom too greatly over me, but more frequently than I would like to admit, I find myself forgetting.

Today is no different than any other day.

Except the fact that Johanna hasn't been able to shut her mouth since the moment I arrived to the gym. She'd already been in doing a lower body workout for about an hour when I finally stumbled through the door, still overwhelmed with the events of the night before.

"Oh hey, brainless, guess they caught you slipping last night." I snapped my head in her direction and dropped my Everdeen Athletics Signature Duffel on the ground next to the door. If it was later I would have considered putting it in a locker, but at this ungodly hour, we were the only ones awake to care.

"What are you talking about?" I sat on the floor and did a few quick stretches. I was more strained today than I had been in weeks.

"I'm talking about the story about little miss lover girl on E! online's homepage. The one that has you featured in photos side-by-side with your two men of the evening; one for show and the other for sin?" She took her ear buds out of her ear and pressed the power on her iPod, aggressively. This was one of the nights where she hadn't slept- I could tell. Jo suffered from terrible nightmares; she attributes them to her childhood. It was one of the shared traits on which we built our friendship. On those nights, she'd come to our 24 hour gym, before the night owls had even gone to bed.

"It's really not that big of a deal. Seriously, I bailed immediately after making my donation and Peeta came after me." I stood up to do some upper body stretching.

"Oh, so I see he's back to being Peeta instead of Mr. Mellark like you were trying to address him the other day." She scoffed. I didn't know what her deal was with this whole thing. She'd been riding me since I had told her about him in the first place. "At least you're attempting to own it. You know, brainless, for someone who wants to focus on her image so much, your love life sure is commanding a lot of public attention."

And she'd always be especially irritable. "Can you give it a rest, Jo?" I didn't know what article she was talking about, specifically, but I had an idea. One of the photos of Gale and I on the red carpet, probably one from the fight with Cato, and a secret snapshot of me and Peeta in front of Central Park. I had been caught slipping. I knew that. I didn't need her to beat the idea into me. "Sorry I went out and had a little fun for once?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" She put her free weights down and snapped her head in my direction.

I just shook my head. "Just drop it, Johanna. I messed up again. I get it. I'm sorry we can't all have our relationships together like you." I added sarcastically. A flush crept up her neck and found her face.

"You're such a bitch, Kat." She stood up from her bench and cross over to me, standing inches from my face. There aren't many people I fear in this world, aside from Jo. Separate from her mental fortitude, she is also one of the most physically impressive women in history. Standing at a solid 5'9", she's tall but firm, with muscles that will make you think twice before crossing her. Her dark brown, nearly black hair is styled in a fierce pixie cut that just challenges you to doubt her. She doesn't say much to people she isn't close to, but when she does, she surely means it. "Just because nobody else is willing to be honest with you, doesn't mean you need to take cheap shots at my love life. You know what? Just forget it. I'm out."

"What is your deal, Johanna? You're completely overreacting about this whole thing!"

She stopped at the door and quickly turned in my direction. "They're going to can your ass, Everdeen! The board has been itching to get rid of you since the day you took your dad's place." Her voice was low and very much in its signature honest form. "Wake up, Katniss. Get your head out your ass, stop focusing on things that don't matter and pay. attention."

She marched out the door, her back perfectly straight.

Prim got me hooked on and ABC political drama called Scandal two seasons ago and I've been fitting episodes in here and there ever since. It's taught me a few key lessons in the time I have been a fan.

Number one: Extra-marital affairs with the president can be dangerous, which is why I've turned down the many dinner invitations to the White House (I wish).

Number two and perhaps most importantly: Everything can be fixed, but that doesn't mean it'll stay fixed.

My father putting me in charge had been a temporary solution to a permanent problem.

He was gone and he was never coming back; which meant that no matter what, this company was never going to be the same- regardless of whether or not it was still in the family. I could keep this business afloat. I had kept this business afloat, and thriving for that matter. I was never going to be him, but I was doing a damn fine job trying. If the board was going to try and vote me off the island, they were going to have to fight for it.

I buzzed Madge into my office and she appeared in front of the glass wall almost immediately. "Yes, Ms. Everdeen?"

"Madge, sit down. We need to have a conversation."

Her usual smile immediately turned into a look of pure fear. I'd personally selected Madge from a stack of applicants for her purity, among other valuable traits. She'd graduated from Washington University of St. Louis with degrees in Business Administration and Corporate Law and a 4.0 GPA. I knew she was too qualified for this position, but she needed a job after graduation and I needed someone next to me that really had it together. I trusted Madge.

With great apprehension, she sat down in the oversized white leather chair that sat nearest the door. "Ms. Everdeen, let me begin by apologizing for not having your drink this morning. The train was stalled by some issue or another and I couldn't get-"

"Madge, please, I'm not firing you. I couldn't replace you if I tried. I needed to ask you a few things about me getting fired." Her face relaxed marginally, but immediately tensed up at the mention of my job. I could see a flash of recognition in her eyes. "So you've heard."

"Yes ma'am. But it's all just flippant water cooler conversation. I don't even entertain it." She looked sympathetic.

I didn't know what to say. Jo had been right. "Why didn't you tell me?" I tried to keep the wounded little girl out of my voice, but I heard it anyway.

"You've been so busy lately- with everything. I didn't want to add anything more to your plate than was already there. And I didn't think it could be true, honest, Ms. Everdeen. This is your dad's company and he left it to you. That should count for everything."

"Madge, do you have a boyfriend?" I blurted out quickly.

Madge looked around the room, probably searching for a way out of this awkward conversation. "Yes ma'am." She answered quietly.

"Okay so here's the thing, you've been working for me for two years, and I didn't know that." I rationalized before I continued. "How have you managed that much privacy? Separation of work and home, I mean. How does that work?"

She looked deep in thought. Madge wasn't one to act without thinking first. That was probably how she kept herself out of so much trouble. Unlike me, who increasingly more often, found herself in constantly compromising situations. "Well, I think that you make your private life a separate priority."

"If you don't mind me saying, Ms. Everdeen, you work too hard to please everyone all of the time. Maybe if you focused on you, you wouldn't be it wouldn't feel like such a chore, you know, having a personal life. It wouldn't come as a surprise to anyone either, it could minimize shock value even." Her face lit up. I rarely asked for her advice, even though she was as well informed on matters of business as any of my formal advisors.

Then it hit me.

"Madge, could you help me with something?"

There were a lot of bridges that needed repairing from this week.

Between the two blowouts with Gale, the argument with Jo this morning, barely speaking to Prim all week and the kiss-and-run with Peeta, I just couldn't seem to win. But Madge had impressed upon me the importance of strengthening and finding solace in my home life, so that's exactly what I intended to do. If I wasn't ashamed of it, the media couldn't exploit it.

Secrets are only valuable if they're being kept.

So after back to back meetings at the office, I was headed to The Hob.

I could only hope that one of the people I owed an apology to would be there, because in reality, I was too much of a coward to meet with them on purpose. Gale frequented the joint, especially on Friday nights. Johanna didn't drink, but like me, enjoyed the solitude of being alone in a crowded room. And the most unlikely agent to attend The Hob, considering I'd only seen him there once was Peeta Mellark. And he, perhaps more urgently than anyone, I wanted to speak to right then.

I mean, Peeta had made it very clear by not returning any of the calls from my cell today (but promptly answering Madge's direct line), that he had meant his comment about business and pleasure. By walking away from him, I had decided to keep our relationship completely above board. And while I'd thought that was what I wanted last night, today I wasn't so sure.

I found my usual seat vacant among the bustle at the bar and Haymitch dutifully slid me my regular Coke with a grunt. Scanning the room was more difficult on nights like these- harder to make out the plausible backstories for people. Everyone was with someone, it seemed. It didn't take long for me to notice the dark-haired tower of a man at a table in the corner. Gale was surrounded by a couple of guys I recognized from various functions he'd invited me to for Capitol. One copper haired noticed me before I remembered him.

He stood up and pointed, directing Gale's attention my way. I waved shyly and he stood up, nearly knocking over the ginger. Finn, his name was Finn. "Well if it isn't Catnip Eversneeze!" Gale was drunk. He was really drunk. That was the only time he reverted to calling me by my adolescent, allergy-inspired nickname. "You come over here!"

I slid off of my barstool and halted when I felt a hand on my elbow. "He's been here for at least 12 hours, sweetheart. I haven't kicked him out because he ain't caused any problems yet. You know what I'm saying?" I understood. Haymitch wanted me to take him home before he got himself into any trouble.

My patent leather Jimmy Choos clicked across the floor of the bar, narrowly avoiding being crushed beneath the feet of a drunken dancer. When I reached the table, a couple of the guys looked confused, one was clearly staring at the V-neck of my blouse and Finn seemed to be one mimosa from passing out. Gale threw his arm around my shoulders, sloppily introducing me to his friends. "Speaking of the devil, you fellas know Katniss!"

Finn drunkenly pointed a finger in my direction and guffawed. "The heartbreaker!"

A chorus of shouts from the rest of the guys followed that comment. "The heartbreaker!"

"Gale, buddy, maybe I should take you home. You're pretty wasted." And that was putting it mildly. Gale wasn't a lightweight by any means, but he rarely got to the point of total incoherence- which was the level he had reached within the past 24 hours.

I was nearly supporting his body with my own, his limbs more or less turned to jelly. "Guys, I gotta do what the boss lady says. I'll just be going now." Another chorus of boos accompanied us as I ushered Gale out of The Hob. My apartment wasn't too far away, so I rationalized taking him directly there. He could sleep on my couch since neither of us had to work in the morning. Well, it was a Saturday, which would normally mean that I didn't work. But this weekend was going to have to be a different story.

"Why are we going to your apartment, Catnip?" Gale slurred as we approached the front door of my apartment building. The doorman held open the door and tipped his hat in my direction. I didn't bother wondering what he might be thinking. "Are you going to have your way with me? Because, I have to tell you, I'm a pretty cheap drunk."

"You wish, Hawthorne." As soon as the words had left my mouth I felt the body leaning on me completely tense up. "Er uh, just come on, big guy." I guided his body into the elevator, immediately putting the key in for my floor.

The door had barely shut before the tension in the air turned palpable. "You're right, Everdeen, I do wish." Gale's form had been repositioned in front of me, his hands on either side of my face. I was pinned by his stare, which had gone from glassy to ravenous in a matter of seconds. "I've always wanted you."

My breath hitched. His face was so close to mine, I could feel the heat of his words on my cheek. The smell of whiskey permeated the air around us.

"Gale…"

I felt his lips graze my ear as he lowered his voice to a whisper. "I want to take you right here in this elevator." The hand that had been next to my right ear was now on my waist, inching its way underneath my silk Michael Kors blouse. "I want to take off these stiff business clothes and take you right against this wall." I was paralyzed. With what, I couldn't tell you. I mean, Gale is an undeniably attractive guy and I really did love him.

Just not the way he wanted me to.

Gale had been a constant presence in my life for as long as I could remember, regardless of the capacity our friendship had taken. Despite his hard exterior, he had always gone out of his way to protect me- to care for me. But that wasn't enough to build a romance off of, at least not for the two of us.

The elevator dinged, snapping me out of my reverie. I slid away from Gale and into the hallway. His look had returned to that of the glassy-eyed drunk I took home from The Hob. He followed me inside the door of my apartment and looked around slowly. "Looks just the way I remember it." It had barely been a week since the last time he'd been here. I'd given Thresh the day off, so luckily he hadn't been a party to any of this. I directed him to the couch and he plopped down, removing the now soiled button-up he had worn to the gallery the night before. His olive skin rippled across is broad chest, causing me to reconsider my boundaries. No, Gale was still my best friend. Nothing more. Nothing less.

I went to the kitchen to grab him an aspirin and a glass of water. By the time I returned, Gale was knocked out, his snores ripping through the open space. I grabbed a blanket off of my bed and draped it over him.

We hadn't exactly done the talking I had hoped for, but then again, we never do. But there was one thing I could always count on;

He'd still be there in the morning.