Author's Note: Not in a big chatty mood, just gonna thank HL, EWD and JB for the reviews…
Chapter 51
Baby Steps
Katniss still has some recovering to do. She still refuses to follow the regime. Still stubborn as a mule. Still infuriating Heavensbee.
This is the only thing that makes my inner rogue smirk happily. Gale keeps an eye on her. I am glad he keeps me informed, other than him I don't think I'd know what was going on.
I don't go to meetings; I kind of avoid them like the plague. I visit Gale's apartment just before reflection and he fills me in.
It's more of the same, since I am AWOL and they need my codes to crack that monster of a hard drive they can't do much. Vivian is gaining power in her district, district Seven and Eleven are rising their own rebellions and the soldiers that were dispatched from here are helping.
Training of the new recruits of Twelve has gone to him. Gale is a commander; the first meeting I didn't attend they gave him a comunicuff.
This past meeting Katniss shows up, Gale looks like he is going to step on eggshells around me, I don't know why but he continues.
She showed up at the meeting and said she'd help if they did some things for her.
This is the meeting right after Peeta was shown on television. It was one of the few I had gone to. And it wasn't Plutarch or Coin screaming my attendance, no Ziggy said I should show up.
He looked okay. Healthy at least, though his body language said otherwise. He was stressed. It was a play that was obvious; coming from someone used to putting on a show for others you recognize a ploy when you see it. After which Katniss tried to run for it. It didn't go over well.
"You are not dismissed!" Coin snaps at her but she dodges the guard and makes it out.
Gale means to go but I stop him I give a small shake of my head.
"Well this is new" Coin says, "restraint from Crane?" she teases
"Common sense" I retort, "you had her watch something that either upset her or she is overwhelmed to the point she doesn't want to cry in front of everyone" I look at her, "leave her be" I nod to Gale to go
"He isn't dismissed either!" she cries angrily, "you have no right!"
"You have me at the meeting since I'm special ops and both Gale and I have communicators I can fill him in later. Katniss trusts him, let him talk to her" I nod again and Gale nods and heads off. He gives a dirty look to the guard and the guard snaps and punches him in the face. He ducks the next blow because I block and have the guard pinned.
I had words with Coin after expressing if this is how things will be, with physical violence the chances of getting the codes will be even harder.
Nothing compares to what Katniss has cooked up. A small part of me was telling me to not allow Gale to stick close to her.
Hunting outside, clemency for Peeta and the other captured victors, keeping that feral cat for Primrose, she wants to have first shot at Snow (I mutter 'get in line' and Gale says Coin said something along the same line and I feel sick from that)…he leaves the awkward part until last.
She wants constant access to him. Coin had said as to what Gale would be, her cousin like the Capitol had him to be, or a replacement lover.
"They want to keep up the pretence that we are related" he quickly finishes, but he looks shocked when I smirk. "you're not worried"
"No, she's getting desperate isn't she?" I smirk
"Katniss?" Gale looks confused, "I told her to think of the list, I'm sorry I didn't know she'd be like this"
I shake my head, "Coin brought up the 'lover' angle she saw how you and I were close, how we were listening to each other. She wants me to storm her office in righteous indignation that she would take you away" I look at Gale, "I won't loose you will I?"
He chuckles and wraps his arms around me; I rest my hands on his chest.
"Not if I can help it, just know whatever you hear about her and I" he says that calmly
"I know don't worry" I pause in my thought I really do feel comfortable with Gale Finnick must miss Annie so much. Like how I felt the first time I couldn't sit with Gale for a meal.
"Does Annie come up in the meetings much?" I ask
Gale looks down at me, "not unless Finnick does, and Coin usually steamrolls over it, he's worried we all can tell"
Gale is thinking I can tell, "Gale what are you thinking?"
"We should talk to Haymitch, since he was a mentor he might have seen her" he says to me, immediately registering I don't like his idea, "it's either him or Plutarch"
I groan, "I don wanna" I whine mimicking Posy as I pout my lips, "Gale he pretty much sentenced Peeta, Tracker and Johanna to god knows what"
"I know but the sooner we get Finnick to come out of his stupor the better isn't it?" he nudges me, "I'll hold you off if you need it, though I missed you breaking his glass jaw"
"Just keep some furniture between us" I tell him, "and don't take a lot of what I say too seriously okay?"
"Gotcha" he winks at me and we head off
"Oh for the love of hell!" Haymitch grumbles, "can't yeh just leave me alone to my misery!"
"Where's Annie" I spurt
"Who's Annie?" Haymitch says, he's been forced back into sobriety and he hates it, he can't numb himself so he finds ways to aggravate everyone else.
"You know bloody well who she is!" I snarl and Gale touches my arm and gives a small shake of the head.
"Annie Cresta, Finnick is distant and Ari thinks it's due to not knowing what's going on with her" he adds
Haymitch chuckles, "oh does she now?" he looks at me, he still has the scratch marks from Katniss and his nose is crooked from when I punched him, "and despite landing me with your role you think I'll help you?" he snorts, "spare me"
That arrogant, pompous sobering drunk!
"I have no motivation to help a coward, a spineless capitol ass, a tyrant and a brat that doesn't know how to deal with discipline" I reply, "show me a reason to help you and I will"
Haymitch glares at me, I stare coolly back, but he doesn't retort.
"See, you can tell Katniss you had no choice, you will probably tell Peeta that if we get them back but you can't tell me Haymitch can you?" I add
"Ari enough" Gale says softly placing a hand on my shoulder, "can't you see he's hurting?"
I shrug off his hand, "Gale he knows better, he knows the real powerhouse to rally people is in the capitol, and yet he does nothing"
He holds up a hand to calm me, "okay, I know, but it doesn't help that situation" he looks at me with a gentle gaze, "we have to take this in baby steps, okay, help Finnick, then maybe if you feel they have redeemed themselves a bit we might be able to help Katniss and Peeta"
"Oh well Gale you already have to help with Katniss" Haymitch says, "Plutarch is setting up propos angle as we speak, when he says go we will need you on the team"
Gale and I exchange glances; we barely see each other now! Them pulling him into Katniss' circle will just make it even harder.
I know we have to do this, I know that for a fact.
Doesn't mean I have to like it.
Gale doesn't seem to like it either maybe not to my degree but I understand. He knew Katniss his whole life, if it's not amorous its definitely familial.
"If he isn't gonna help I am gonna do this solo, like I've done before" I stare at Haymitch who clams up, "fine"
Gale follows behind me, "nice performance but you know he's gonna cry to Coin now?" he finally gets in pace with me, "getting angry isn't gonna help either you know"
I sigh, "I know, and I know it's really Coin trying to piss me off Gale but I'm not cold, it still stings"
"You're not the only one y'know" he says, I looks at him quizzically, "when they said Katniss needed training she said she didn't want anyone training her, but I brought up you and she had to pause before answering even you, if anything you made an impression" he sighs, "but you have to admit if you were at the helm of this whole propos thing it would run smoothly"
"She did on me" I nod a bit, "but I can't do it Gale, I can't do something to risk the life of her, despite how I feel about her I know how much she means to Peet and doing these video feeds will paint a giant target on her face"
"So it's not that you hate her" Gale looks at me
"I never said I hated her, I don't understand her, she doesn't trust anyone…maybe you and her family but she questions everything. If she's smart she'll use that stubbornness to her advantage" I reply
"So what's your next move?" he asks just as our comunicuffs go off, he frowns
"while you are at another meeting I am gonna hit Ziggy's lab, see if communication with four is up" I reply, I stand on tip toe a bit to kiss him, "be good in school Gale" I add and head off.