A/N: Thanks for the recent reviews, follows, and favorites! They mean the world to me. Sorry if you think Gale came back too soon. I know you loved it when he was gone... (SARCASM!)

Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Hunger Games!

Gale. He was alive. The entire family gathered around him and we had a giant group hug. Except for Haymtich. He missed his alcohol and was in a foul mood. After our group hug Gale hugged us all individually. When he came around to me I punched him in the shoulder and said, "Gale Hawthorne! Don't you ever do that-"

Before I could finish his lips were on mine. I was stunned just as I had been the first time. "-to me again," I finished when we parted.

He grins. "Don't do what again? Scare you or kiss you?" he asks.

I sigh and take a step back. I stare at the ground as I say, "Both," then look to his face just as it begins to fall.

"I'm sorry," I whisper. "I'm glad you're okay."

The disappointment is written across his face and he's giving me the look that I was afraid of. I never wanted Gale to be unhappy. But I couldn't love him back. Not yet.

We go hunting the next day; just Gale and me. We had been hunting for almost an hour and hadn't said a single word to each other.

He sighs, "Come on, Catnip. We need to stop ignoring the elephant in the room."

"Well, you see," I begin. "There's two problems with that. First of all we're out in the forest and second there isn't an elephant."

He frowns. "I'm serious, Katniss. We need to talk about this." I knew he was serious when he called me by my real name.

"What is there really to talk about?" I ask.

"Oh, I don't know. How about the fact that I finally said 'I love you' to you? Or the fact that you blew it off like it was nothing?" he says heatedly.

"That's because it is nothing!" I reply. "You don't love me."

"Like hell," he retorts. "Do you even know what love is?"

"Of course I do!" I exclaim.

"Okay, yes you know what love is. You love your sister and your mother and your father. But do you know what it's like to be in love? Do you know what it does to your heart?" he asks.

"No I don't. I don't know what it's like to be in love because I'm not in love with anyone. I've never been in love with anyone and I probably never will. I don't want to fall in love, Gale, even if it's with you. I-I'm sorry. But I don't want to fall in love with you. We're too close. We've been through too much together to just throw it away. And if I fall in love with you? And we try this? What if it didn't work? We'd have this wonder of what used to be and what could have been and-"

"Stop," he interrupts. "Can I just tell you what being in love is?"

"How do you know what being in love is? You can't just think you know because you think you're in love with me."

"I don't think that I'm in love, okay? I know. I-I asked my father. I told him how I was feeling about you. He just laughed. He said that it was normal. 'Just a man falling in love' he said. I told my father that I was constantly thinking about you. And every time that I am with you, I just want to hold you." I was shocked to see tears running down his face.

"It feels like you're the only thing in the world that could make me happy," he whispers. He steps forward taking my hands and placing his forehead to mine. "I want to be with you. I love you! I know I do. This is it. You're it for me, Katniss. I'm never going to want anyone more than I want you."

I sigh and pull back slightly. "Listen to me. How do you know that I'm the one forever? I don't understand that. I don't under-"

"I don't either. I just know, Catnip. I know that I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I don't know how, but I know." he responds.

"I want you, when we get to District Thirteen, to find a girl that deserves you," I say and his face falls once again. "One that's not broken. I don't want to hurt you, Gale."

"I hate to say this, but you're hurting me by rejecting me," he says angrily.

"Now that's a low blow," I reply just as heatedly. "You can't force someone to fall in love with you! Okay? I'm sorry that I don't love you, but you're just gonna have to deal with it. Find someone that deserves you."

I turn and walk back to the camp but not before I hear him slump to the ground and try to stifle his sobs. Great. This just got ten times harder. When I return to camp there is no mistaking the same tear streaks on my own face.

I sit in our makeshift tent that night. We didn't travel any today. Gale still wasn't back. Of course, we were all worried, but no one wanted to risk going out in the dark to find him. We would wait until morning, but don't I think I could wait that long. Something was wrong. I could feel it.

An hour after sunset, we ate dinner, and after that I knew I could wait no longer and I stood. Everyone looked at me.

"Where are you going?" Prim asks.

"I have to find Gale," I say. I grab my bow that is sitting beside me and toss the sheath on my back.

"Katniss, it's too dark."

"Yeah wait until morning."

"Don't go Kat Kat."

Dad, Hazelle, and Posy. All knew would protest.

"Look. I'm the reason he hasn't come back yet and I can't shake the feeling that something's wrong. Even if I did upset him very badly, I know he has enough common sense to come back before dark," I say. "I'm going. If we're not back by sun up, leave without us. We'll find you."

I kiss Prim on the forehead. "I love you." And I walk out the slit in the blankets into the frosty air.

Wow! I gotta know... Was it too early for Katniss and Gale to have that heart to heart? Was it too much? Too OOC? Review or PM me and let me know!