A/N: Wow! Thank you all sooooooo much for the reviews for the last chapter! I'm so glad you liked it. Sorry it was so short. I just felt a shorter chapter was necessary, but this is longer so I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Hunger Games!

Chapter 8

I'm in love with you...

Those words were etched into my mind as we walked through the forest. Posy had long fallen asleep in John's arms and Vick was soon to be the same. We had been walking for an hour and a half, and it was a two hour walk.

Flashback

"Please!" I pleaded. "Please just tell me what he's doing!"

We were at the fence and I refused to cross until I was told the reason that Gale might die tonight.

"We-" John began. But the loud explosion behind me was enough to answer my question. Dynamite. They must have stolen it from the mines.

I turned around and looked across the meadow. Above the other buildings you could see the fiery smoke that began to rise.

"No!" Hazelle screamed. "My baby!"

And I took off running but my run was short lived for my father caught me and dragged me over the fence. John was soothing Hazelle as the tears rolled down all of our faces.

My father and John pulled the entire family into the edge of the woods so we would not be seen by Peacekeepers that were bound to pass any minute to investigate the explosion.

We laid on the forest floor for an hour before my father and John insisted that we had to leave.

End of Flashback

Tears were streaming down my face as I recalled what had happened just a couple hours before. In love with me? How could I have never known? All the signs were there.

Vick stumbled over his own two feet.

"We're almost there, Vick," John says. "Just hang in there."

Fifteen minutes later the cabin came into view. We walked in and my father and I immediately went to the pile of wood that we had collected before he was taken. I helped him carry a few logs to the fire place and he began to start a fire while I helped the kids make pallets on the floor out of the few blankets that we brought with us.

The kids fell asleep quickly but it took a bit longer for the parents to fall asleep. I'm glad they all could find sleep. I couldn't even shut my eyes. Every time I tried all I saw was Gale going up in flames. One of my worst fears had come true. Gale was dead.

I found sleep close to sun up. We had decided before going to bed that we would wait until the sun was up before leaving again. That would give Gale plenty of time to find us, if he was still alive that is. Last night I tried to convince myself that he was dead. I saw the flames; he had to be dead. But I didn't feel the empty feeling of the dead. I could feel him; he could still be alive.

Posy woke a few times in the night whimpering for her oldest brother and Hazelle had to console her. It was difficult. I can't imagine what is going on in little Posy's head right now. She must be terrified. Hazelle ended up bawling with her. Although I could tell she was trying to be quiet, she wasn't hiding it very well.

We all eventually fell asleep and stayed asleep. I woke up just before the sun as usual. I went to hunt on my own. It felt strange not to have Gale flanking my left side. I felt bare without him and ended up missing a fat dear that would have been great for breakfast. I ended up with three fat white rabbits that would have to do until I could hunt again.

The sun was peaking over the horizon when I returned to the cabin. John had a small fire going in front of the cabin big enough to cook our breakfast but not big enough the draw any hovercrafts our way if any were to pass by.

"Goodmorning," he says.

"More like just 'morning'," I mutter.

John sighs,"Look, I'm sorry about Gale, Katniss. But-"

"Why are you not worried?!" I interrupt. "That's your son! He could be dead and all you're worried about is saving your skin!"

"No!" he exclaimed. "What I'm worried about is getting as many people as I can safely to District Thirteen and if lives have to be lost then so be it."

"You're crazy! You're telling me that you're not the least bit worried about your own son?" I ask.

"Of course I'm worried! That's my son! He made the sacrifice though. He knew what he was getting himself into. I begged and pleaded to him to let me take his place and you know what he said?" he asks. I shake my head.

"He said, 'I want to be a hero. I want to be the person that people remember, especially Katniss. I want her to know that I risked my life to make sure that she had the life that she wanted, the best life she could have.'"

"Well, guess what?" I say and I choke up. "The- the joke is on him. Because- because I don't want a life that doesn't have him in it. He was always a hero to me, whether he knew it or not."

We traveled twelve hours that day, only stopping for restroom and snack breaks. We found a clearing that we thought would be perfect for the night. The only problem was we would have to be outside.

There were a few bare branches that hung down from the trees above. We decided to spare a few blankets. We hung three of our largest blankets into a small triangle from the branches and tied the corners together forming a small "tent". Hopefully it would keep the wind chill out for the night. We didn't have enough blankets for each of us so some had to share. Posy and Vick shared one and Prim and I shared one. It was a tight fit in our makeshift tent but the closeness kept some body heat in. We all quickly found sleep.

It was the middle of the night when I woke to the sound of footsteps outside our tent. I grabbed my bow and stepped out, careful not to wake anyone.

I stepped slowly around our tent looking in all directions and keeping my bow knocked. Nothing. I took one more glance around before turning to step back in the tent. That's when I felt the hands grab my arms and I screamed.

"Wake up! Help! Somebody wake up!" I scream.

"Shhhhh," I heard behind me but it was too late. My family was already up. And that's when all of their faces lit up.

Posy stands with a grin on her face. "Gale Gales!" she exclaims.