Thank you for your feedback. It's been a tough couple of weeks and hearing your encouragement means the world to me.
The characters of The Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me.
Fated to Love
Part Two, Part Twelve
"I thought you were coming in the day of the show!" Katniss pulled away, socking Gale in the arm, before turning to the gallery director Portia and leading the man forward. "This is Gale Hawthorne, my business associate and former art teacher.
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hawthorne," Portia said, giving him a congenial smile. The two shook hands before she presented the plan to Gale. "Feel free to take a look around, make suggestions, and so forth."
"Thank you, Portia," Gale replied. "Also, please call me Gale." He turned to Katniss. "Classes are already over so I thought that I'd come by. Plus, I'll be setting up my new place."
"I didn't know that you were both coming back," Portia remarked with a smile, looking between the two.
"Oh…no. Gale just rented out a new apartment—on his own," Katniss clarified. "I'll be staying with my friends, Delly and Seneca. After the show, I'll be staying in my art studio and apartment here in town."
Gale chuckled at her words. "I think she gets it, Katniss. We're not together."
"I actually thought you were related," Portia concluded with a grin. "Brother and sister, maybe?"
"Pretty much," Katniss replied.
"In that case—" Portia reached into the pocket of her blazer and handed Gale her card. "—if you ever have any…questions." She winked at him before turning to Katniss. "I'll be on a conference call for the next twenty minutes so feel free to show Gale the layout."
The woman walked off, a slight sway in her gait, displaying her elegant movements for Katniss' business partner.
Gale had been a good friend to Katniss for the last four years. She was aware that he had harbored a crush on her, but as time passed, it seemed that the divide between friends and more was much too wide.
Katniss had no intention of closing it in and by then Gale discovered the Parisian dating life.
They had talked about their friendship two years ago and Gale realized—as Katniss already knew—that nothing would ever blossom between them.
Not when Peeta's eyes were what she dreamt about and Toad was always what kept her anchored to reality. However, he could see that she was hurting, so Gale became her confidant and with his encouragement, she flourished into the artist that she was meant to become.
"So…how were your first few days in Panem?" he asked as they walked along the empty walls.
"Delly and Seneca are engaged," Katniss began with a grin. "I'll be designing their wedding invites. Prim and Cato are doing great and so is Arena. Jace is huge…but what did I expect? He was only a baby when I left. Mom and Uncle Haymitch still travel between here and Seam Island though my Mom is thinking about moving here."
"Okay, cut the crap." Gale turned to her, his grey eyes firm. "Have you seen Peeta?"
"No." She moved herself away from him. "What do you think of this space for my Lyon painting?"
"Looks fine," he told her. "Why are you avoiding him?"
"I'm not!" Katniss burst out. "I just need…time." She felt her eyes beginning to burn. "God, I don't know what we'd do if we saw each other."
"You think you'll fight?" he questioned tentatively. Katniss shook her head. "Cry?"
"Maybe," she whispered tightly. "Maybe we've distanced ourselves too much from we used to be. I'm not the same girl. And according to Johanna, he's not the same man. What could possibly come out of us meeting?"
"Something akin to love?" Gale suggested with a smirk.
Katniss looked to her friend, giving him a watery smile. "You've lived in Paris too long." She took a deep breath, looking around the empty gallery and picturing her paintings inside of it. "Everything will be sellable…except for one."
"You don't have to put that on display," Gale told her. "You're already putting a lot of yourself out there."
"He needs to be seen," Katniss replied with a sigh. "Can you do me a favor and make sure that Portia has the right measurements for my Prim portrait? I need to get some air."
Gale nodded and she swiveled out, the need to exhale overwhelming her.
Pushing the doors open, she walked out into the cool air and rounded the corner.
Katniss knew that she would eventually have to see Peeta. It wasn't as if they had ended things badly, but she was afraid.
Afraid to let him see how damaged she was—to see how damaged he was.
Johanna didn't go into details but she could see that there was something more going on with Peeta. There was sadness in her former cousin's eyes when she spoke of him and, by the strange glances passing between everyone else in her family whenever his name came up, she knew there was more.
The breeze swept down and Katniss reached into her jacket pocket to pull out a hair tie—
A bouquet of white tulips.
It rested right at her feet as if someone had accidentally dropped it in a burst of panic.
Picking it up, she touched the delicate petals before looking around to see if anyone was searching for it.
His bell-like voice suddenly rang out, 'They're meant for you.'
"Hardly," Katniss replied.
She took the bouquet, anyway.
"This is insane," Peeta said to himself. "I'm insane."
His Google search query for the last thirty minutes was 'Katniss Everdeen/Gale Hawthorne relationship'. There was no information confirming it but there were photos. Most of them were just of the two walking together—no hand holding or anything denoting that they were involved. They were Parisian darlings, lauded in the art world, and never seen at any public event without one another.
Only one article quipped that their relationship was 'close' at best.
'This doesn't mean anything,' his whispery voice assured him.
"Hey, Peeta?"
Johanna entered his quarters and he slammed his laptop shut causing her to jump at his sudden movement.
"Sorry," he said to her. "I was just finishing up some work."
"No problem." Johanna sat next to him, her eyes looking him over. He knew that she was taking in his rumpled appearance. He had abruptly called Rue to tell her that he was heading home and didn't speak a word to either Enobaria or Brutus before rushing to his room. "I have to tell you something."
Peeta took her hand. "Is everything okay?" He offered her a smile. "Man troubles?"
Johanna scowled though the telltale blush was prominent on her cheeks. "Not funny." She sighed before squeezing his hand. "Katniss is back."
He rested back against the cushioned couch before meeting her eyes. "I know."
Johanna raised a brow in surprise. "How?"
"Seneca and Delly," Peeta informed her. "She's staying with them."
"I saw her," Johanna abruptly continued. "About a day ago."
"And, how did you find out before me?" he countered.
His cousin stiffened. "I…have my sources."
He chuckled at her words. "Is that what they call it now?" Johanna shook her head at him in annoyance. "Is she still as luminous as ever?"
"Yes," she replied slowly. "But, there's something sad about her…and though she looks very beautiful, she also seems like she's on the brink of a breakdown."
"I'd never want that," Peeta found himself saying.
He really meant it.
For all Peeta's suffering, he never wanted Katniss to be that way. However, it seemed unavoidable. Their son was gone, their hearts were still broken, and he didn't know when they would get better.
"Neither would I," Johanna concluded.
They went into a calm silence, their hands still entwined, both contemplating how they were going to deal with the arrival of the lovely Katniss Everdeen-formerly-Mellark.
After a moment, Peeta squeezed Johanna's hand, bringing her back to reality. "Have you had lunch?"
"No. I was looking for you," his cousin replied.
"Then let's go," he told her. "I feel like I haven't talked to you in a while."
"You haven't," Johanna replied bluntly. She felt herself hesitate. "And, I've missed you."
"I'm sorry." Peeta gave her a grim smile. "I've been stuck having too many lunches with Madge. I don't know who your father is trying to punish—her or me."
"Her." They stood up and Johanna entwined their arms. "Dad wanted her to see what her actions have turned you into."
Peeta looked to her. "And, what did they turn me into?"
Johanna went silent—and he realized he didn't want to know the answer.
"Please Mom, can I just talk to him?"
Gale's gaze went to his apartment door and he stood up from his still-wrapped couch. He had finally gotten everything into his new place and was in the process of unpacking when he heard the muffled voice.
Standing, he went to the door and opened it to see a blonde-haired woman struggling with her key ring. Gale watched as she unsuccessfully tried to put her key into the lock before dropping the set to the ground.
"Crap!"
He reached forward, picking them up, and she whipped around at him.
"What are you doing?"
"You don't look like you're in the right mind to even open your door," Gale stated calmly. He easily put the key into the keyhole and turned it, opening the door for her. "There you go."
"Thanks," she muttered. Bending down, the woman gathered her purse and he could see that under her coat were a pair of tights with leg warmers. "Appreciate it."
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Looking to him, the woman put a hand to her hip, her pink lips pursed in a tight line. "I don't think it's any of your business."
"Well, it's my business when you're shouting in the building's hallway," he retorted gingerly.
"I apologize," the woman said tersely. "The next time my mother refuses to let me greet my dad for his birthday, I'll let you know."
With that, she stomped into her apartment and slammed the door behind her.
Gale walked towards her door, reading her last name under on the viewer: Undersee.
The name sounded familiar.
He didn't have time to contemplate it before his phone rang and pulled him back into his apartment.
"I'm real proud of you, Katniss." Uncle Haymitch put an arm around her shoulders as they walked along the newly set-up gallery. Her paintings were now hung in their appointed places, ready for tomorrow's opening. "This place is amazing."
"From Seam Island to this," she replied with a smile. She looked over to where the rest of her family was along with Seneca and Delly. Her mom was currently cooing over Sparrow while Jace looked at each piece from atop Cato's shoulders. Katniss' gaze then went to her Uncle, clean-shaven and looking neater than usual. "You look nice. You doing anything fun later on?"
"Just hanging out in the city," he explained. They went to the final painting which was covered by a sheet. "And, what is this?"
Katniss stilled. "My pièce de résistance." She turned to him with a strained smile. "For four years, I couldn't get this image out of my mind…or my dreams. One night, I decided that I had to put it on canvas or I'd go insane."
The sound of footsteps interrupted her thoughts and Katniss found her family behind her. Her mother put a hand to her shoulder and Prim reached to take her hand.
"Will you take the sheet down?" she asked her Uncle, her voice thick. "You and Cato?" Katniss looked over at her brother-in-law with a small smile. "You're both tall enough."
"Of course, sis," Cato responded.
Cato and Uncle Haymitch went to the covered painting, each taking a side before carefully lifting the sheet off the painting. Her mother gasped, her hand covering her mouth as Prim's grip tightened on Katniss' hand when they saw the painting.
Her Uncle and Cato returned to the group and they all examined the painting in silence.
"I talk to him a lot. In Paris, we roamed the streets together learning about 'La Vie En Rose'," Katniss explained to the group, her voice cracking at its ends. "In the end, I knew he belonged in Panem, where his family was—where I came to know of him, where I loved his father."
"It's really beautiful, Katniss," her mother said, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
"You've really captured a lovely moment for you," Delly said as she went up to her. Seneca and Sparrow followed behind with identical smiles. "This is a wonderful tribute."
Katniss nodded, looking back at the painting. "Thank you."
"Why the orange backdrop?" Cato asked curiously.
"It's orange—like the sunset," Katniss explained. "It was always a special time for me in Paris."
"It's also Peeta's favorite color." They turned to find Johanna walking towards them with a trembling smile. Next to her was Uncle Snow, who beamed at Katniss through watery eyes. "Sorry we're late. We came right over after we finished up at the office."
There was no mention of Peeta and Katniss breathed a sigh of relief.
She rushed over to them and towards Uncle Snow, who embraced her. He seemed to sag against her and she pulled him close, reminding her of a moment long ago when she slept in a hospital bed.
"Katniss, you're back," Uncle Snow said as they pulled apart. He cupped her cheek affectionately.
"I remembered when I was asleep—before the surgery," Katniss told him. "You whispered in my ear and I heard you."
"I said, 'Come back to us.'" Uncle Snow let out a deep breath, clinging to her hand. "And, now you have." He looked to the painting. "It really is perfect."
"It will be the centerpiece of the show but it's not for sale," she informed everyone.
"How will anyone know that?" Seneca asked from where he stood next to the painting.
"The red dot sticker by the painting's information sign," Katniss explained after gathering herself. "Tomorrow, the installation team will mark it indicating it's not for sale." She entwined her arm with Uncle Snow's. "It'll go back to my studio and apartment after the show."
"Your apartment?" Uncle Snow repeated and she nodded happily. "So you're staying?"
"I thought I'd keep it a surprise," Johanna supplied. She looked around at everyone else. "I brought some champagne so we could toast to the opening." She looked to Prim and Delly. "Either of you pregnant?"
"Not at the moment," Prim said.
"I think I'm done for now," Delly added.
"We can go to the back office," Katniss suggested.
Everyone agreed and Katniss shooed everyone along before going back to the portrait of Toad. She gathered the white sheet in her arms before looking up the portrait once more.
Closing her eyes for a moment, Katniss wished that Peeta would have a chance to see their son.
"He's staying late at the office." She turned to see Johanna waiting for her. "I may have slipped a little notice to Rue about the opening of the exhibition while he was in a meeting." The woman shrugged. "It might somehow end up on his calendar."
"You're too much," Katniss said with a smile.
Johanna put an arm around her. "But you like that about me."
The two walked towards the back office, not even glancing back to see the fallen red dot sticker on the floor.
'Just go in.'
"I'm going to look like a creepy stalker ex-husband," Peeta replied.
'You're sitting in your car across the street from the exhibit, looking for her—you already look like a stalker,' Toad responded bluntly.
"Where do you get that sarcasm from?" he asked softly.
'Part you, part Mommy. Go!'
Opening the car door reluctantly, Peeta stepped out, looking around to see if anyone spotted him. Closing the door behind him, he headed across the street to the gallery entrance. The entryway was congested and he slipped in-between the crowd of people walking through the door, accepting a program from one of the gallery attendants.
He examined the program, Katniss Everdeen: Outside the Seam, opening it and reading through the introduction she had written that explained her inspirations, her past, and how her time in Paris shaped her craft.
There was no mention of himself or Toad causing a slight sting within him. However, he understood that it was better for her to keep it to herself. The subject would definitely bring up more questions—questions he knew that she wasn't ready to answer.
Roaming about, Peeta felt himself swell with pride. Each painting was spectacular, her brush skills precise and exhibiting that bit of solemn whimsy. His eyes went to the painting of Prim as a young girl—large blue eyes, and curved rose lips crowned with two long golden braids.
As he walked further in, Peeta examined each painting, trying to get a grasp on the life his ex-wife led while they were apart. He saw her solitary walks along the Seine, her wonderment at the Eiffel Tower, and her melancholy during the Fête des lumières in Lyon.
Something suddenly shot up his spine and Peeta felt himself slowing as he turned to a solitary display.
He gasped, slowly walking towards the medium-sized portrait.
The boy in the picture was a primary player in his dreams…thick, dark hair that he could still feel as he remembered cradling his small head…bright blue eyes holding all the happiness that Peeta once had…and that teasing smile of his mother's…
The boy extended his arms out as if he were flying, the sunset that Peeta used to love behind him.
Katniss had captured the essence of their son—luminous like his mother, confident like his father, and far too high in heaven for him to belong on earth.
Peeta let out a shaky breath.
In a few achingly heartbreaking brushstrokes, Katniss had made him fall in love with her all over again.
He could see her despair, but he could also see her hope for both of them in Toad's portrait.
"Sir?" An attendant approached him in concern. "Are you alright?"
Peeta turned to the young man in front of him, tall and dark-skinned with large brown eyes.
He looked to the attendant's nametag.
"Thresh, I'd like to buy this painting."
Katniss wasn't one to stand around her own work so she waited until closing to come to the gallery. The first day was over and Portia had declared it a success with several of her paintings being sold off—one was even taken home that very afternoon.
However when she found the space with Toad's portrait empty, she felt her heart plummet into her stomach.
"This painting wasn't supposed to be sold," she said tightly.
Beside her, Gale looked to Portia. "I thought there was supposed to be a placard to let visitors know that this painting wasn't for sale."
The woman's brow furrowed, a frown on her face. "Let me check with the installation manager."
Portia rushed off, leaving the two staring at the blank space.
"We'll figure it out," Gale assured her.
Katniss couldn't speak, the tears threatening to burst out of her at any moment. However, she was a professional and couldn't bear the thought of letting the whole gallery team see her fall apart in some crazy tantrum so she remained as cool as she could.
"Ma'am?"
She turned to see a young man around her age and about Gale's height, with dark skin and soulful eyes, looking shame-faced at her.
"Yes…" Katniss looked to him, her eyes going to his tag. "…Thresh?"
"I sold the painting," Thresh explained. "There was no sign indicating that it wasn't for sale…and the buyer was persistent." He looked at Portia approaching. "This is completely my fault."
"Thresh, what is going on?" Portia asked as she stopped in front of them.
Katniss took a long breath. "Thresh was just telling me how much he enjoyed my work."
Portia looked at her regretfully. "I'm so sorry, Katniss. The installation crew didn't see the sticker which makes me believe that it could've fallen off and swept up by the janitorial staff. The notes from the installation crew indicate no sign was created." She handed Katniss a piece of paper. "The buyer was anonymous and paid for their anonymity."
Katniss looked at the invoice before her head snapped back in shock.
Behind her, Gale let out a low-whistle seeing the amount.
"Someone paid a million dollars," she said slowly. "Cumulatively, my paintings aren't even worth that."
Portia handed her a Post-It. "I didn't get any other information from the buyer's form but I have a cell phone number. Maybe you can call or text the buyer. I really am sorry."
Katniss gave her a smile. "It's fine, really."
"Miss Everdeen?" She turned to Thresh. "If it makes you feel any better, your painting seemed to really effect the buyer—had the buyer in tears after spending nearly thirty minutes in front of it. Your paintings mean something, Miss Everdeen."
"Thank you, Thresh," she replied, giving him a genuine smile.
However, it didn't keep her from bursting into tears later that evening.
Meanwhile at the Mellark Compound, Peeta rested the painting against the wall of the half-finished nursery.
Reaching for the bottle of bourbon, he raised it to the painting.
Staring at the portrait of what Toad could have been didn't bring him the relief that he thought it would.
Instead, it made him lonelier.
"Welcome home," he whispered before bringing the bottle to his lips.
Madge waited impatiently for the elevator. She was running late for her class and those ballet moms were always intent on getting their money's worth. The job didn't pay much but she adored the little girls who worked diligently to be graceful.
Once upon a time, she believed that being a mother was a detriment. However upon getting her job at the small dance studio, Madge had come to look upon motherhood with a sort of longing.
She just had to find the right guy.
The elevator door opened and she quickly stepped in, pressing lobby button.
There was a sudden rush of steps and before the door could fully close, her dark-haired neighbor stepped in.
"Thanks for holding the door for me," he said breathlessly.
Madge looked to him, her eyes meeting his intense grey gaze. "I wasn't."
The man shrugged, looking her over. "So you're a dancer?"
"I'm an instructor." Why was she even telling him this? "There's a small studio a few blocks away where I teach little girls how to pirouette in front of their judgmental mothers."
He snorted. "Those dance moms." The man held out his hand. "Gale Hawthorne."
Madge shook it warily. "Madge Undersee." The elevator door suddenly opened and she rushed out. "Got to go, Gale. See you around."
"See you in our hallway, Madge," Gale called out as she walked out the door.
Despite her annoyance at being late, it felt nice to have someone look forward to seeing her.
The weekend arrived quickly.
Katniss spent most of her time with her family at Arena and with Delly, who was planning what she dubbed 'The Wedding to Surpass All Other Weddings'. Delly and Seneca agreed that they wanted to marry as soon as possible as they were hoping to add to their family—and this time, not out of wedlock.
Her Sunday was spent cleaning her studio and making it livable. The monotony of cleaning helped ease the pain of not having Toad's portrait around.
It hurt so much that her stomach twisted in all kinds of directions. Her depression had turned physical causing her body to feel lethargic. Every now and again, she still had phantom pain from the accident and her legs would ache until she could do nothing but lay down.
When she was finally done, Katniss decided to head over to Arena. Her studio was only a few blocks away and the evening air was still warm. She wrapped a green scarf around her neck to keep herself warm since she was only in a pair of jeans and a white button-down. It was serene, the streets calm in the Sunday lull.
As she approached Arena, her eyes went to the large windows and she froze.
Peeta was there, his back to the window.
Beside him was her mother and she recalled that he often came by for Sunday dinners. From her distance across the street, Katniss examined her ex-husband. His profile was still striking, but even from her perch, it was evident that he was a little gaunter.
But so was she.
'Go inside!' his voice suddenly urged.
"I can't…not right now…not looking like this," she groused.
There was a small laugh. 'Daddy doesn't care what you're wearing. He only wants to see you.'
Katniss wasn't ready yet. She could feel it in the trembling in her hands.
So she decided to enter through the back.
Rounding the building, Katniss took her key out and opened the employee entrance. She passed through the kitchen and found Prim in her chef's coat along with Cato. The two were chatting as they shucked peapods.
They turned toward the rear entrance and Prim rushed over, giving her sister a bright smile. "Katniss!"
"I thought I'd come in through the back this time…" she replied weakly.
"Or, you saw Peeta through the window so you chickened out," Prim finished for her and with a sigh, her sister waved her inside. "Well, come in!"
Katniss walked in and Cato pulled up a stool for her. "Let's put you to work."
"Please," she responded with a smile. "I taught Prim how to do this. Also, let's not forget who taught you some skills in Home Economics. You were barely passing, brother!"
"That is true." Cato looked to his wife. "That first dinner I made for you was with Katniss' help. I mean, I wouldn't have learned how to julienne without her."
"That dinner was remarkably adorable," Prim responded. She turned to her sister. "Did you know he made radish roses for me?"
"Now that's love," Katniss told her with a wink.
The two burst into a fit of laughter and Cato threw his hands up in mock exasperation.
"You Everdeen girls!"
The swinging door that led to the dining room abruptly opened and Peeta walked in, looking handsome in his button-down and jeans, his expression cheerful.
"Prim, can I get a cup of coffee?" He stopped seeing Katniss before him, his blue eyes boring into her. "Katniss."
Her chest felt tight, beating with dread and anticipation. Katniss jumped from her seat, causing it to tumble to the ground. She gathered her bag from the steel prep counter, walking backwards with her eyes still on him.
"I have to go."
With that, Katniss turned and pushed open the backdoor to run away.
"She was beautiful, Toad." Peeta sat in the nursery in front of the painting, the next evening. "And, I went and scared her off."
His trembling hand went to the nearly-empty bottle and he twisted the cap before bringing the head of it to his lips. He wanted to forget about Katniss and that look on her face—the look that made him remember how it felt to lose Toad and her all in one swift moment.
'Don't do this,' his voice whispered sadly. 'You need to be better.'
Instead, Peeta went in search of a new bottle.
Katniss had a headache.
She couldn't believe that she ran off like that. There was no reason to. However, years after what they had been through, seeing him in front of her was still too much. Her feet found themselves back at her studio, searching her bags for the sleeping supplements that her doctor in Paris recommended.
Tonight, she had returned to Arena with her tail between her legs. Fortunately, the dinner crowd was huge with two tables having at least seven or more guests seated, enough to keep her preoccupied. Katniss had helped out by taking orders and then 'assisted' Jace with pushing the dessert cart as he explained to their customers what their selections were.
"You're an expert on desserts," she told her nephew after Arena closed for the night. Cato and Prim were cleaning with the kitchen crew while her Uncle tidied the bar. Her mother was doing the closing paperwork at the table adjacent to her. "How did you get so knowledgeable?"
"Mommy and Daddy," Jace said simply as he helped her fold clean napkins. "Also, Uncle Peeta taught me about making cakes and eclairs like his Daddy did. I want to a baker one day. Then, there will always be fresh bread here for sandwiches!"
She beamed at her nephew. "You like sandwiches?"
Jace nodded eagerly. "My favorite is Nutella and banana on wheat."
"That's different," Katniss remarked.
"It's Uncle Peeta's favorite, too," he told her cheerfully.
It was obvious that Peeta was a big part of her nephew's life—even more than she was. Katniss wasn't jealous, but she was saddened to have missed out on Jace growing up—to miss out on all of their lives.
"Jace, I think it's time to head up to bed." They turned to find Cato walking towards them. "You have school tomorrow so give your Aunt Katniss a kiss."
Jace went to her, wrapping his arms around her neck and pressing a kiss to her cheek. She responded, giving him a kiss that ended with a loud smack on his round cheek. Her nephew giggled before joining his father. Their apartment was across the street and Katniss watched the two disappear into the stately brick apartment building.
"You look lost in thought," her mother said as she joined her.
"I was just thinking about how much I've missed out on." Katniss turned to her mother. "I don't have any memories with Jace or even Sparrow. Sammy is what…nine now? Johanna told me that he said hello and wants me to visit." She sighed. "And, obviously I'm not going to be visiting the Mellark Compound anytime soon."
"I'm sure that if you asked nicely, Peeta, Johanna, or Coriolanus would gladly have you back." Hani put her hand over Katniss'. "You and Peeta can grow from this. I don't know if it will become friendship or more but you can't go on like this—pretending that the other is not here. We're a family, Katniss. You and Peeta did that—you turned us all into a family."
"Mom!" came a garbled shout.
They both looked up to see Peeta stumbling through the entrance, disheveled and reeking of alcohol.
Hani turned to her brother, who nodded and rushed over. Katniss watched in disbelief as her mother went to Peeta, her hands going to his shoulders to steady him.
"Peeta, what's going on?" Hani asked gently.
"I can't get rid of her ghost," Peeta replied brokenly. "I can't get rid of Toad's either…" Katniss felt her throat tighten at his words. "At the same time, I don't want him to go…he's my only friend."
"That's not true, sweetheart," her mother explained. "You have me and Haymitch…Johanna, your Uncle Snow, Prim, Cato, Jace…that's a lot of people who love you."
"And, her?" His bleary eyes focused on Katniss who was standing by her table, frozen in place. Peeta staggered towards her until he stopped directly in front of her still body. "She looks like this in my dreams…" His hand reached to cup her cheek tenderly, drunken love shimmering in his blues. "…even feels like this." His other hand went to her hair, reaching to caringly touch the tips. "Are you real, dream Katniss?"
She swallowed, not bothering to hide her tears.
"I'm real, dream Peeta." Katniss covered the hand on her cheek with her own. "Wake up now."
Peeta nodded, his eyes rolling before he stumbled backward.
Uncle Haymitch caught him easily. "There, there Peeta." He chuckled roughly. "Bourbon always does this to you."
Katniss looked to her Uncle. "This has happened before?"
"Yes. It always happens around this time," her mother replied, brushing the tears from her worried blue eyes. "His birthday is coming up next week."
Peeta's birthday—and the hardened ache of what had happened after.
The end of their son, the end of their marriage…the end of them.
"Good morning, starshine."
Peeta looked up from his desk to see Rue walking over, a cup of coffee in her hands. He groaned at her before resting his head back down on the cool wood.
"What do you want?" he asked.
That morning, he awoke at the Mellark Compound on his couch with Johanna asleep in the adjacent chair. Peeta thanked his lucky stars that he closed the nursery room door lest his cousin see the Toad painting. She told him that Hani and Haymitch had dropped him off and his Uncle, along with Brutus, brought him back to his room.
"I need you to sign off on the expense account," his assistant replied. "Also, I wanted to ask you about this." Placing the spreadsheet in front of him, she pointed a sharp red fingernail to a line. "A million-dollar purchase at an art gallery?" Rue grinned at him. "It isn't like you. But, then I remembered that a certain pretty brunette had her exhibit recently. So what did you get?"
"Her masterpiece…our masterpiece, really," Peeta replied cryptically. "God if I told you, you'd think I was insane."
"Try me." Rue sat down in the chair in front of him, her brown eyes solemn. "I've watched you suffer for four years and I can't imagine what she went through…but she had an outlet. You didn't."
Peeta was too exhausted to fight her words, the hangover draping over him like a soaked coat.
He slowly told her about seeing Katniss with Gale, obsessively trying to find information about their relationship, visiting the gallery and buying the Toad painting, keeping it hidden in what was once Toad's nursery to talk to it.
Rue listened, never speaking, and digesting his words with an unreadable expression.
When Peeta was done, he waited for her response. "Should I be expecting your resignation?"
Rue shook her head after a moment. "I mean, you could've asked me to get some information on her and that Gale fellow." She smiled sadly at him. "You talk to your son? Nothing bad about that."
"Thank you." He reached over and squeezed her hand, resting on his desk. "You deserve a raise."
"I've fixed the books," Rue joked. "I'm making more than any other assistant I know."
There was a beep on Peeta's phone and he reached for it.
His eyes widened at the message. "Oh shit."
"What?" Rue grabbed his phone to read the message out loud. "'Hi, my name is Katniss Everdeen. You purchased one of my paintings and unfortunately it wasn't supposed to be sold. Would you consider letting me buy it back or exchanging it for another one of my paintings? Please respond. This is an important painting to me.'" She gaped at him in panic. "What do I do?"
"I don't know!" He looked to Rue. "Say something…anything!"
Hurriedly, Rue began typing: 'I'm sorry, my dear…I'm an older woman…and don't go down to Panem all that often. Going to your gallery was one of the few visits that I've made in years.'
She sent the message and Peeta let out a yell. "Why did you write that?"
"I'm not good on the fly!" Rue screamed back. She tossed the phone at him. "This is your problem now!"
Peeta groaned as his assistant ran out of the office in a flurry.
Sinking back into his chair, he put his head in his hands.
What did he just start?
A rather abrupt ending, I know.
Oh and if you're wondering, Peeta has changed his number in the last four years thus the reason Katniss doesn't recognize the number.
If you've watched the series, this is definitely in there. There are actually a few references to the series in this chapter.
So now you see just how much Galeniss there is—there isn't any at all.
For all of you who made guesses on the mystery couple, most of you were right. I keep them behind the scenes—a backstory that's never mentioned.
Madge and Gale…those two will definitely play off one another…and yeah.
Thank you for all of your feedback. I'm going through a lot right now and am actually leaving my job. There's just too much going on in my life.
Some of you are truly upset with me in which I can only let you choose to continue reading or not. Keep in mind, a lot of this is from the source material—I'm just molding it to the THG characters.
However, the feedback that I've received just proves that people really care about these characters—though I do hope that no one places blame on any one person. No one is sadder than the other…no one is better than the other. They just deal with things differently—like any other human being.
Just trust me. Always trust me. I have a purpose for everything.
Everlark is endgame—and if you don't want it to be, you should probably not be reading this story.
Next, Part Thirteen: Happy Birthday Peeta, Part Deux and of course, Toad's death anniversary.
Until then, JLaLa