Author's Note: Don't own the Hunger Games. However, I'd like to point out that I really need to stop being so generous with the way I'm breezing through this. Anyway, there are a few questions I must answer. I study psychology for fun (oh god I am SUCH a nerd). Also, I hadn't meant for her to seem like Clarisse from Fahrenheit 451, but I do love that book. And I'm working on a songfic for a certain chapter as well! It'll be a treat. Also: loyal readers, you are sweet and I love you. Onward we go.

"You already had," Venus pointed out, "and it's about time you came back from hell, isn't it?"

Gale had spent half the night thinking about what Venus had said… and couldn't help but realize she was right. He had spent a good six years in Hell, and now Venus was coaxing him out of his own personal hell. For the first night in over ten years, he got dressed for a date. It seemed like ages since he went on a date… and he realized that it was like his first date part two. He couldn't imagined how he ended up on a date with this girl… this girl who was not the Mockingjay. No, she was Venus, ever changing and never predictable. He hadn't the faintest idea who he was going out with… and it excited him.

He nervously fixed his collar as he knocked on Venus's door. For someone who had so much money, she hadn't chosen to live the life of luxury. A simple house, though he couldn't be sure how large it was inside. Appearances could be deceiving, something he learned quickly around her. Venus opened the door, and his breath was very nearly taken away. The way the white dress hugged at her curves, the red heart that took over the top half of the dress, the hem stopping just short of her knees… and despite the three inch heels, she barely reached up to his shoulder.

It was at that point he realized he was looking at a very attractive woman. One who could also easily break his heart or fix it. The smirk on her face showed she knew of his attraction, she knew her power right now, and she was eager to use her power over him. "Hey, Soldier. Looks like you can clean up very nicely."

Her eyes raked over him appreciatively before she met his eyes. She smiled, the smile that she had to know he loved. It seemed that she knew him like the back of her hand, and he barely knew anything about her. He needed to know more about this girl, and he was hoping he could get more out of her on this date. "Well, I do like to look my best. You look amazing."

She grinned, tucking a curl behind her ear. There was something to her that said she was tensed for anything to happen, but trying to relax as well. It seemed so natural for her to be ready to strike at a moment's notice that he had never questioned it before. But now that he noticed, Gale could understand this, as he too was always ready for the worst to happen. He was pretty sure her past figured into it as well. She didn't survive the Games by not being prepared. "So, where are you taking me?"

Gale hadn't exactly thought out their date, as he didn't have much experience to go on. The last date he went on, he was a broke hunter who thought offering a girl squirrel meat that he had caught himself was "romantic". Granted, at the time it was a pretty romantic gesture to feed someone as half the people in the District were starving. He was pretty sure it wouldn't fly this time, however. "Uh, I didn't really plan anything," he admitted, figuring he might as well be up front and honest with this girl.

Instead of being angry or upset, she laughed and shook her head. Her eyes were sparkling, as if she didn't care where they went. Of course, he realized, she probably didn't. Venus had spent time in the arena and another part of her life as a soldier, fighting to free others from those vicious Games. The fact that Venus was even still alive and sober was nothing short of wonder. "It's alright. Just as long as we don't go anywhere where someone wants to chop my head off, eat us as stew, torture us, or blow us up, I'm sure it'll be a fine date."

He couldn't help but stare at her in wonder. She wasn't afraid to mention the fact they had dealt with bombs and the very real idea that they might have gotten beheaded or tortured in the war against the Capitol. She didn't avoid the reality, and seemed to be comforted by reality. He knew he was breaking their rules and agreement by asking the question he asked. "Why do you seem so comforted by reality?"

She seemed taken aback for the first time since he'd met her. She blinked twice, as if trying to register what exactly he was saying to her. "I told you. I hallucinate. It's a comfort when you realize that the person in front of you is real and can hold you… keep you safe from the monsters in your head."

It seemed Venus too had been living alone, scared to let anyone close to her. He couldn't imagine why, but then again, he rarely did understand her. The fact was, he couldn't understand her without asking questions, and when he asked the right questions, it caught her off guard. However, he also loved when he asked her a question only to see her face light up in delight. "So… you're comforted by the fact that something's real because that means you aren't trapped inside your head?"

Venus smiled and nodded. "Something like that. I have a question for you. What did you think when you thought I was part of your imagination?"

Gale couldn't help but smile at her question. "I thought I was going insane."

A smile played on her lips, and the next thing Gale knew, she kissed him lightly. "That's how I feel half the time. The other half, I feel as if my sanity's finally returning."