AN: Hello people! If anyone is still sticking around, welcome back - and for anyone new welcome! I know it's been a while (got caught up in another project) but here's the next chapter. I'm not fully satisfied with it, but there was so much information I wanted to cover about the District and the world in general, so it kind of got all smooshed in to one chapter. Oops. Anyways, in with all the world building we see Katniss and Gale start to trust each other and become friends. I won't be detailing every year of their lives, but I wanted to make sure we got some development of their friendship before they become besties.

And if people didn't recognize it. The song here is "Deep in the Meadow", the lullaby from the books

I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Suzanne Collins.

Song of the Mockingjay: Chapter 3

Gale stretched lazily in the autumn sun. He could smell the rabbit his father was cooking over the open fire. The scent of meat, fat and pine mixed together so well it had his stomach growling. Rabbit was probably his favorite. It was always rich and juicy, all but melting on his tongue. His father made the best roast rabbit, stuffing the cavity with mint and berries giving the meat a lingering sweetness. His mother on the other hand made the best rabbit stew; so thick and savory that it had a 'stick to your bones' feel. When they had the money the stew even had small dumplings in it. Gale swore when she made stew with dumplings he was full for days.

She made rabbit stew a lot these days. Apparently when women get pregnant they have cravings and Hazelle Hawthorne craved rabbit. According to his father, every pregnancy has been different. While she carried Gale, she wanted mint, mint and more mint. She would put it in a bit of yogurt and slather it on her meat, she ate it with soft cheese on bread, she even would chew it. She had dropped the habit after the pregnancy and Gale had picked up. He had shoved a few leaves in his mouth one afternoon when he had been particularly hungry and become an addict. He loved the crisp tingle that lingered on his tongue, especially in the summer when it made the hot, humid air seem like a cool drink of water.

A small splash of water caught his attention. Squinting against the sun, he let his eyes shift to the source of the noise. It was Katniss and she was attempting to skip stones and failing. He smirked softly. She was frowning more with every failure, but he knew she wouldn't ask for help; that was only a last resort for her. She preferred to try to figure everything out on her own. It was one of her traits that both amused and frustrated him.

Over the last few months, they had been forced to spend even more time together. With his mother about to pop, they had started seeing more and more of Katniss' mother. Camille Everdeen was a blessing to the people of the Seam. She was an outsider with her blonde hair and pale skin, but she had given everything up for love - her station, her wealth, her home - and now she was one of them. It had been shocking, not only because of what she had lost but also because she had been set to take over the apothecary. The District had a doctor, assigned by the Capitol no less, but he was associated with the mines. Miners were the only ones allowed to see him with work related injuries - this didn't include chronic issues like Black Lung, of course. It was so unfair.

A few years ago, one of his best friends, Thom, had broken his arm. When Gale had suggested that his father take him to the Doctor, Marcus looked at him with such sad and angry eyes.

"He can't." His father had said with a bitter voice. Gale hadn't understood but Marcus had told him it was alright because he would still be taken care of and it would be be better because it was by one of their own. Gale hadn't known at the time what he was talking about, but he understood now. Camille Everdeen was their doctor, their nurse, their midwife and healer of everything from stomach aches to broken bones.

She was the best at what she did and she was supposed to be all of this for the merchants in town, not the Seam. Her family, the Lockes, were very well respected in town. They had been the healers for multiple generations, having their oldest take over the store, no matter if they were male or female. It was understood that no matter who they married, their husband or wife would become part of the Locke family and not the other way around. That is why it was so shocking when Camille Locke, the beautiful and smart heiress of the apothecary had eloped with a miner.

She, of course, had been disowned and her younger brother ran the apothecary now. There was a bitterness towards the miners after that - more so than before and the divide between the two parts of District 12 had become larger than ever. Some merchants still happily traded with the Seam, while others did so with a sour look on their face, charging ridiculous prices for their goods. It strained the people of the Seam, and according to his father, at first some people treated the newly wed Everdeens with the same disdain as the town did, but when Camille opened her doors to the poor at no cost, that quickly vanished. She was welcomed as one of their own and had earned the respect of the people of the Seam with her generosity and compassion.

Gale liked the Everdeens. John was a good man - funny, caring and smart. Camille was everything her reputation said she was, often giving Gale a few mint leaves when he came over with his mother. Thier, youngest child Prim was also a sweetheart. She had her mother's blonde hair and blue eyes and most people in the Seam doted on her everytime they came to visit. Rory had taken an instant liking to her and the two often played together.

And then there was Katniss. Gale let his eyes roam over her face as she picked up another rock. She was prideful, stubborn and quick to anger. She refused to ask for help, but gave it willingly. She was loyal to her family - devoted to her father, protective of her sister, and proud of her mother. She was a child of the Seam, just like him.

Her brow was furrowed in annoyance as the rock crashed into the water but he could tell from her posture that she was relaxed. It was something he never thought he would see from the girl, but then again he was convinced for months that she was plotting to kill him.

After the incident with the bear, Katniss and Gale reach a truce of sorts. To say that they were friends would be pushing it, but they seem to tolerate each other's presence, which given how often he was over there was good - he didn't need his mother grounding him for making snide comments. The constant competition with each other was still there, but the angry, desperate edge to it has eased. It had even started to turn into a game.

Not that Gale would ever admit to having fun with the Everdeen girl.

After another pitiful ploop in the water, Gale stood brushing off his pants and walked over to Katniss. "Here," He said, picking up a rock. The river stone was flat and smooth, fitting perfectly between his forefinger and thumb. He handed it to her and grabbed another one. "Let me show you."

Katniss instantly prickled, fingering the stone. "I'll figure it out on my own."

"Really?" He drawled. He drew his arm back and threw the stone parallel to the water, skipping it five times. "Think you can figure it out before you're ancient?"

She glared at him, trying to copy his movements, but the stone turned in the air and landed loudly in the water. The splash sucked up the sound and the rock as it sank to the bottom of the pond. He wanted to tell her that she's turning her wrist too much, that she should twist her body and throw with her elbow and not her shoulder but the defiant look on her face told him that it would be a waste of time. He was learning to read the small girl. He knew the set of her jaw and the furrow of her brow when she was determined to do things her way, so instead of wasting his breath he grabbed a few more rocks and began to skip them.

She was watching him, taking apart every aspect of his throw, and trying to figure out where she went wrong. They both knew that he was trying to teach her, but since she hadn't asked and he hadn't really offered, it didn't seem like help - not really.

After a few, she picked up a stone and tried it herself. It skipped once and she glanced back at him with a triumphant smirk. "Told you."

With each throw she improved, and soon it had turned into another competition. She was getting there, but Gale was better. Her last throw skipped five times, a personal best for her, but Gale trumped her easily with seven skips.

"Maybe next time Catnip." Gale said. She glared at him, her lower lip sticking out slightly in a pout. It was his favorite look on her - it was both defeated and defiant. She knew she had lost the battle, but the war was still on.

Grabbing a rock she threw it into the water. It was a petulant, childish move - her annoyance getting the better of her. She hadn't noticed that the rock she had grabbed hadn't been smooth, it had been too large and she had hurled it as hard as she could instead of with finesse. It didn't even make it far into the pond, hitting a large boulder close to the edge. It shattered with a loud crack, causing everyone to jump.

"Nice aim." Gale said, but Katniss was already wading into the water. Gale frowned, following her and as he got closer, he saw a glittering purple light shining back at him. The stone had split open and just like like the golden center of the egg, this rock had it's own treasure. The entire center was littered with crystals. They caught the sunlight like jewels, sparkling more than anything Gale had ever seen before.

"Wow," Katniss breathed, picking up one of the crystals and holding it up to the sun. It was a single, large perfect shaft, dark purple and pointed at one end and almost translucent at the other.

"Wow," John echoed, coming up behind her. He picked up the largest piece, throwing it over to Gale's father. "How much do you think we can get for this?"

"More than any rabbit." Marcus said. "Even if we just sell this one it will go for a small fortune in town." He placed it in the game bag with a smile. "Grab everything you can find. We'll head back into town after lunch. I don't think we'll need to hunt anything for dinner."

They collected every other crystal they could find in the shallows, but Katniss' father insisted that she keep the single, perfect crystal. "A finder's fee." He said. She glanced at it with a small frown. Gale didn't understand what there was to be angry about, the gem was gorgeous and he was a bit envious.

With deliberate steps, she walked over to Gale and placed it in his hand, closing his fist around it.

"Winners deserve a prize." She said. "But I like it, so next time I win, you have to give it back."

Gale stared down at the crystal, enjoying the weight in his hand. He couldn't wait to show it off, but he knew he wasn't going to get to keep it for long.

And he didn't. Three days later he returned it to her after she beat him in a climbing contest. It hadn't been a verbal contract, she just assumed that he would willingly give up the small crystal. He did of course because fair is fair, but he was already plotting to ways to get it back.

Katniss sat at the kitchen table watching Gale ignore her. She knew he didn't actually want to be doing his math homework - no one wanted to do math - but he also didn't want to be yelled at. She wondered if she could convince him to go outside and do something - anything - that wasn't homework. Going with Gale would be the only way their mothers would let her out of the house.

"You're staring again Catnip." Gale mumbled, scribbling something down. His eyebrows were furrowed in the same way they were when he was setting up a new snare. Katniss had called it his 'thinking face' and it was one of many. It turned out that Gale Hawthorne was very expressive. When they had first met she was convinced that his face was stuck in a scowl but in the last few months she had realized that he could smile and not only that, his mouth smirked in inches depending on how happy he was. In order from smallest to largest there was his challenging smirk, his victory smirk, his 'job well done' smile and his completely, one hundred percent happy, face splitting smile.

She had only seen the last one once, but the first two were daily occurrences. His eyebrows were just as expressive and she was convinced that one day she would know exactly what he was thinking just by staring at the space between his eyebrows.

"That's because there's nothing else to do." Katniss grumbled, dramatically flopping her head down. She reached across and flicked the small crystal hanging around his neck. After she had almost lost it, her mother tied some leather around it so Katniss could wear it as a necklace. She had waved it in his face the next day before challenging him to a blueberry eating contest. Gale won and wore the gem proudly even though he had been slightly green.

With an annoyed glare, he swatted her hand away. "Why don't you help mom?"

She glanced over at the large woman on the couch. Hazelle was folding clean bandages and packing the emergency kits. A few days ago Mr. Greene had hurt himself trying to fix his roof. Her mother had gone over, brewing pain medication and tending to his various cuts and bruises from the fall. Her emergency bag had been depleted and the women were in the process of replenishing it. Katniss helped for a while, but they were almost done now.

Prim and Rory were too lost in their own make believe world to be helpful either. Apparently they were Storm Spirits - he was Thunder and she was Lightning. It was based on a story their father told them. Whenever Prim was scared of storms he would gather her up in his arms and tell the story of the Storm Spirits. There were four siblings: Cloud, Thunder, Lightning and Rain. Cloud was the oldest, leading the way as they chased their father the sun across the sky and running from their mother the moon who always told them to sleep. Thunder and Lightning were loud, rambunctious twins, always playing together under the watchful eye of their eldest sibling. Rain, the youngest was curious about the world below and would try to escape, but her brothers would snatch her back up and return her to the safety of the sky.

Her father had been telling stories about the Storm Spirits ever since Katniss was a child and he had a dozen different tales staring them and even some stories about animals and trees. Some she had learnt were based on truths, like the story about the Mockingjays, and others were things he made up on a whim to calm her down when she was Prim's age. The Storm Spirits fell into the second category. Even though Katniss would argue that she had outgrown the stories, it didn't stop her from listening in whenever he told them to Prim.

Her mother was in the kitchen preparing dinner for the eight of them but Katniss didn't feel like helping out with that. Family dinners with the Hawthornes and the Everdeens had become a regular occurrence. Between the friendship her father and Marcus Hawthorne had and the quickly developing relationship between the women, it had seemed like the natural thing to do. Katniss didn't mind that much - the meat they brought in on Sundays always seemed to stretch a bit further - but it meant sharing meals with Gale. That seemed almost as personal as hunting with her father and she didn't know how to feel about it.

"Come on Gale!" She all but whined. She knew she was begging now but she had to get out of this house. It was a beautiful autumn day and they didn't know how many more of these they would get.

He just shot her a look that told that he wasn't going to budge from the table until he was done.

"Katniss." Her mother said, saving Gale. Katniss had been on the verge of grabbing him, shaking him and maybe dragging him outside whether he liked it or not. She jumped up excitedly.

"Yes?"

"Can you take this basket to the baker's house? Mr. Mellark asked for some salve for his hands." Katniss rushed over, grabbing the small basket from her mother. There were three bottles, a few pages of handwritten instructions and a bag of some sort of herbal infusion. This was a lot more than just some cream for his hands.

Katniss pulled out the small satchel and sniffed it. It smelt of the woods. "Willow bark tea?" She asked and her mother smiled.

"That's right. Good job Katniss."

Katniss beamed. While her father was teaching her everything he knew about the woods, her mother was determined that Katniss would be a healer. There were many evenings that the two of them would sit around her mother's book of plants - one of the few items her mother had brought with her from town - and talk about healing properties of plants. They focused on identifying plants, since she often collected them on Sunday with her father, and they were starting to branch off into what each plant actually did. She was a long way from understanding why her mother made certain ones into salves and others into teas and why some need to be served hot and while others need to be kept in the icebox - but she was making progress.

Some were easier to remember than others since the plants were pretty distinctive. Willow bark was one that Katniss would never forget, but not because it was easy to find. Once she had twisted her ankle really badly in the woods with her father and he had cut out a small piece of the inner bark for her to chew on. It hadn't tasted very good, but the swelling in her ankle had gone down and she could put weight on it. Ever since then, Katniss had been more attentive when her mother talked about what each plant did.

"Take Gale with you." Hazelle said from the couch. She got up slowly, one hand supporting her large belly. "It's getting late and I don't want you walking back from Town in the dark by yourself."

Gale's head shot up and he gave his mother a pleading look. Hazelle was not one to be swayed - ever. Katniss respected that about her. It took a strong person to keep Gale in line - even his father struggled sometimes.

There was a heated, unspoken battle between the two before Gale sighed and got up. Katniss smirked at him. It wasn't exactly what she had planned when she had wanted to go out, but she still felt like she had won because Gale was forced to drop his homework. Frankly, he should be thanking her. Who in their right minds would rather do math then be outside?

The two walked in silence all the way to town. It wasn't uncomfortable. Over the months he had stopped scowling at her and she had stopped glaring at him and they had found that the quiet moments between them were bearable - maybe more so than when they were talking. Talking still often lead to some sort of argument because they were both too stubborn for anything else.

Town wasn't much, but it was much nicer than the Seam. In the Seam the houses were patched up and worn and everything was covered in coal dust - just like the people. The only people that lived in the Seam were the miners and they tracked in black soot as much as the mines at the edge of town spurted it out. No matter how often her mother cleaned, it seemed to just reappear as soon as her father got home. It stuck to everything: counters, floors, clothing, skin. There was a saying that the miners hadn't always looked so...Seam. Everyone, they said, used to look like the merchants with pale hair and paler skin. Then they went under the mountain and came out covered in soot. When they tried to wash it off, they found that their skin was stained and their hair remained black. It even changed their eyes, dulling the bright blue of town to Seam grey.

The physical differences of the people were only emphasized by the differences in their homes. The merchants clearly lived a very different life than those of the miners. The houses were almost all two floors, with the bottom being the store fronts and the top the homes of the shopkeepers. The square was lined with the brightest and most profitable shops. They were painted beautiful shades of red and blue - the butcher's was green, Katniss favorite color - and they had large displays of their wears in the front. She used to like looking at them until she started noticing the glares sent her way by most of the shopkeeps.

The Mellark bakery was a pale blue with a navy and gold sign. Today they had a large cake covered in small flowers surrounded by trays upon trays of cookies and tarts. Beyond them she could see the display of breads and rolls by the counter and a blonde head rushing back and forth, filling an order for one of the multitude of townsfolk. It was surprisingly full. This close to closing, the store was usually fairly empty.

"Great." Gale mumbled, looking at the group of people. "This is going to be fun."

Katniss nodded. She knew what he meant. Most of the people in town weren't the biggest fans of those from the Seam, her in particular. Her father had told her not to let it get to her, and she did her best not to be bothered by their stares, but she still noticed them. Katniss was contemplating just running in and dropping the basket off and running back out when she noticed Gale's frown in the reflection. He wasn't looking at the people anymore but her.

"Bet you can't get Mr. Mellark to trade you a cookie for the basket."

Katniss turned to him and the frown was gone. His challenging smirk was plastered on his face and Gale crossed his arms, leaning the glass in a daring fashion. Katniss' competitive nature instantly got the better of her - she couldn't resist wiping that look of his face - and she opened the door. Any worries about the merchants and their judgments was forgotten as she strode in with her head held high.

A few people did turn to look at them, and Katniss could hear some of the whispers, but she walked past the line of people and up to the counter. Someone murmured something about Seam kids having no manners and Katniss turned to snap back an insult. It wouldn't have helped their case, but it would have made her feel better. Instead of a blonde head, all she saw was Gale's back, his shoulders square and proud.

"We're here to make a delivery." He said, talking more to trio of blonde boys behind the counter than to the people waiting in line. He didn't take his eyes the crowd, daring them to make another snide comment. Eyes fell away from the pair and Katniss found even she couldn't look at him. She wasn't sure what to do with this Gale - Gale who saw her fears and protected her from them.

Katniss turned her attention back to the counter and almost jumped at the wide blue eyes staring at her. His curly mop partially covered them, but since they were almost the same height, those eyes seemed to bore straight into her.

"Um," She started, suddenly nervous. "We have a delivery for you father. Some herbs and creams for his hands."

The boy stared at her and Katniss fidgeted under his gaze. It wasn't until one of his brothers elbowed him with a hissed "Peeta" that he seemed to snap out of his trance.

"Right, a delivery. Let me go get my dad." He turned around quickly, but Katniss could see the deep blush at spread rapidly over his cheeks.

"What was that about?" Gale asked from over her shoulder. Katniss shrugged. She was as lost as he was. Peeta was in her year at school, but they never talked. They ran in different crowds, well he did. Katniss had problems making friends at school. It wasn't her fault they got insulted when she told the truth.

"What a strange kid." He said and Katniss had to agree.

A few minutes later Peeta came back out with his father in tow, still blushing. He mumbled something to Katniss and ran off to help his brothers with the customers. Mr. Mellark laughed at his youngest and smiled at them.

"You must be Cami's daughter. You look just like she did when she was your age - braid and all. True, you've got your father's coloring but everything else screams Cami. I wouldn't be surprised if you break some hearts when you get older."

Katniss blinked in surprise at the use of her mother's nickname. "You knew my mother?"

Mr. Mellark smiled sadly. "We grew up together. Most of the merchant kids are pretty close, but your mom and I were inseparable."

Suddenly all the extra herbs and teas in her basket made sense. Katniss had never thought much about her mother's life before she had moved to the Seam and married her father, but looking into the sad, kind eyes of Mr. Mellark, she found herself curious.

"What was she like?"

He opened his mouth to say more, but a call from the back cut him off. He sighed and shot her a regretful smile. "A story for another day I guess." Katniss nods, handing him the basket. His blue eyes widen at the sight of all the medication and she can't help but think about how much he looked like Peeta in that moment.

"Did she really send all this for me?" He asked, his voice disbelieving and wistful all at once. He pulled out the detailed note and ran his fingers over the elegant loops of her mother's cursive writing. The way he looked at the note and the medicines makes something in Katniss' gut tighten.

"It's too much." Mr. Mellark said, pulling himself out of his trance. "I can't accept this for free." Before Katniss can argue, he pulls out a loaf of bread and wraps it in a bag.

"Mr. Mellark..." Katniss started, knowing her mother wouldn't like that she came back with payment for the medicine. She knew the herbs weren't worth that much and the prideful, Seam part of her is angry at the gift. It's something she really can't repay, but the way he smiled at her is so kind and so hopeful that she can't bring herself to turn down the food.

He then handed her a small cookie. The creamy pinwheel is filled with a deep red jam and sprinkled with sugar. She could smell the citrus as he passed it and the bread, still warm from the oven, across the counter.

"Those used to be your mother's favorite. Call it a delivery fee. I'll make sure to have a batch ready for you next time you come so you can take them back with you."

Slowly, she takes the gifts and feels the weight of the history between her mother and Mr. Mellark in that bread. She understands his feelings - this is too much. Before he can disappear into the back, she calls out to him.

"Mr. Mellark?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you like umm...squirrels?" Squirrels were hard to catch, but it was one of the few things she could hunt on her own. Gale had taught her a trap that sat in the branches and she was proud to say that she could set and reset it all by herself.

He smiled at her, a smile that warms her all the way down to her toes. "I do."

"I'll bring you one next time...and maybe you can tell me more about my mom."

"Alright. You have a deal..."

"Katniss." She said, "My name is Katniss."

Mr. Mellark finally leaves, calling out to whoever was summoning him. Gale elbows her gently, and Katniss almost jumps. She had forgotten he was there. He nods towards the door and the two exit, leaving the slowly emptying bakery. As the door closes, Katniss turns to look back and finds Peeta staring at her with his bright blue eyes.

"Well," Gale said, as they start back, "I guess this is yours, but I'm not too sure you've earned it." He holds out the crystal necklace, dangling it in front of her, just out of reach. It takes a moment for Katniss to remember the bet and she bites the cookie definitely. The promised citrus is strong and sour, cut by the sweet raspberry jam. It is probably the best thing she has ever tasted and she can understand why her mother loved it so much.

"Can't argue with results." She said and Gale chuckled, handing her the necklace.

"No you can't."

She slipped it on, and then breaks the cookie in half and handed half to him. "Here, for earlier."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." He mumbled, but still took the cookie. He genuinely looked confused and Katniss wondered if he really didn't know. She wasn't about to tell him that the bet had helped her have courage and that something inside fluttered when he protected her.

Is this what it was like to have friends?

She stuffed the rest of her half of the cookie in her mouth and refused to think about it anymore.

Three weeks later, on October 17th, George Victor Hawthorne was born. He was named George for Hazelle's father and Victor for Marcus' Grandfather. His parents had fought over the name, but as usual Gale's mother won. His father didn't really like the name George, so he took to calling the boy Vick every chance he got. It definitely suited the baby more than George, and with his father saying the name so often, even Rory started calling the baby Vick. His mother eventually gave in once Mrs. Everdeen slipped.

Vick, like Rory and Gale, was born with a thick head of jet black hair, olive skin and bright grey eyes. They were lighter than normal and everyone decided that he was going to be a real looker. Gale's father puffed up his chest with pride when he heard this, but Greasy Sae quickly knocked the wind out of his sails when he brought the child to the Hob, saying Vick clearly got all his looks from Hazelle's side of the family.

Gale squinted at the small baby in his arms. Maybe, if he turned Vick the right way, he looked more like his mother. It was hard to tell under all the rolls of fat. Vick yawned, blinking at his brother blearily. Gale couldn't help but smile and Vick smiled back reflexively. Gale had taken to Vick immediately and apparently the feelings were reciprocated. No one - not even his father - could get Vick to smile as much as Gale did.

The door to the Hawthorne household burst opened and Rory and Prim ran in, yelling loudly. Rory was chasing Prim, waving some sort of a frog in her face and Prim was desperately trying to dodge the slimy limbs thrust in her direction.

"Katniss!" She screamed as her sister came in the door after her. Rory just laughed as Prim skirted behind Katniss' legs, sticking her tongue out at the boy. Gale was on his feet in a moment, doing his best to cradle Vick in one arm and grab Rory with the other.

"Quiet!" He hissed, tugging Rory back by his shirt. "Ma is trying to sleep and Vick-"

There was a loud cry and Vick - happy, almost napping Vick - was wide awake and very angry about it. Gale cursed, whacking his brother upside the head. His mother spent most nights up with the baby so that their father could sleep and she was running herself ragged trying to deal with him and the two older boys. Gale had begged Katniss to take Rory so he could focus on Vick and his mother could catch up on sleep. It had worked for a few hours, but all the peacefulness was gone thanks to a few chaotic moments.

"Sorry," Katniss said. "We got kicked out of my house. Mom had some patients and didn't want us hanging out in the Meadow after dark."

It was starting to get late and he understood, but it still didn't mean she had to let them run into the house screaming bloody murder. Gale bounced Vick, trying to get the baby to sleep. Rory and Prim both looked appropriately remorseful and Katniss was able to get the two to sit quietly on the couch while she got a rag to clean the mud from their faces.

A few minutes later, a sleep tousled Hazelle emerged from his parents bedroom and reached out for Vick. Gale handed him over, wincing at how noticeable the bags under her eyes had become. She cooed and spoke soft words to the baby, but he was still crying.

Gale fell onto the couch, between the two kids with a sigh. Vick, while a good kid most of the time, had a very, very powerful set of lungs on him and once he got going, it was almost impossible to get him to stop.

Katniss finished cleaning Prim's hands and looked over at Hazelle and then back at Gale with a smirk. She pointed at the crystal around his neck and said, "Bet I can get Vick back to sleep faster than you can."

Gale, who had the necklace thanks to a winning a fishing contest last Sunday, scoffed. Vick didn't like going to sleep once a full blown tantrum had started. Gale and his mother had a few tricks up their sleeves after weeks of being around the babe, but Katniss was hardly there, spending more time entertaining Vick and Prim these days than with Gale.

"I'd like to see you try."

Katniss, pulled him up off the couch and walked him over to his mother. "Mrs. Hawthorne, you need to rest. Gale and I can handle the kids."

She gave Katniss the same disbelieving look he had. It only made Gale smile more and Katniss dig in her heels. "I promise, if we have any problems we will come get you."

Hazelle sighed and Gale could see the exhaustion coming off her in waves. "Alright Katniss, but if he's not asleep in 10 minutes then I am coming back out."

Katniss smiled and gestured for Gale to take the baby. At eight, Katniss still wasn't allowed to hold the baby unless she was sitting down. Hazelle passed him off with a worried look on her face, but retreated back to the bedroom.

"So what now?" Gale asked.

"Now, you sit down."

Katniss shooed the younger children off the couch and sat Gale back down, growing more curious and skeptical by the moment. She situated herself next to him and the other two filled in on his other side, waiting to see what Katniss was going to do.

At first, all Gale could see was Katniss leaning over Vick, her hands stroking his feathery down hair. Then he noticed her lips moving. He wanted to move closer to hear what she was saying but he didn't need to. Vick slowly quieted and Gale knew that she wasn't talking to the boy, but singing.

Deep in the meadow, under the willow
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow
Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes
And when you awake, the sun will rise.

Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.

Deep in the meadow, hidden far away
A cloak of leaves, A moonbeam ray,
Forget your woes and let your troubles lay
And when again it's morning, they'll wash away.

Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.

Her voice was as delicate as a bird song. Even though she sang just above a whisper, every word was clear and smooth. It was like the world had stopped just to hear her sing. Vick looked up at her with wide, curious eyes but obediently stayed quiet as she started the song over again. She sang until his eyes began to droop - and not only his but Prim and Rory's as well.

At some point during the song Prim had moved next to her sister and began dozing softly using Katniss' lap as a pillow. Rory wasn't far behind and his head fell heavily against Gale's shoulder. If Gale hadn't been so entranced he might have followed their lead, but he couldn't tear his eyes from the small girl next to him. From the soft smile on her lips to her gentle gaze, Katniss was radiating a tender happiness that he would have never believed possible from the fiery, competitive girl that he thought he knew.

As softly as she started, Katniss let the words of her song trail off into nothing. Slowly, the world restarted. Gale could make out the birds outside and the far off sounds people moving about the Seam. Compared to the stillness of the room, they seemed loud and jarring.

"Catnip..." He breathed out. "I didn't know you could sing."

Katniss shrugged. "You never asked and..." She looked away, blushing ever so slightly. "It's more something my dad and I do in the woods. We can even get the Mockingjays to sing with us."

"I'd like to see that."

She looked up at him, fairly surprised and for a moment her eyes are suspicious but she must see something in him that calms her and that small, pleased smile returns. "Alright, but only in the woods."

"Why?"

"Because somethings should just stay in the woods."

Gale felt the corners of his lips curl in a smile. It was hard to argue with that statement.