Disclaimer: I'm just playing with Suzanne Collins' characters and her world. They're hers. Not mine. Any lines from the books are hers too.

Shared Time

Gale sighs as he eases into the wooden rocker, Savanna cradled carefully in his arms, sobs replaced by little hiccups as she continues to calm down.

They'd gotten lucky with Glen. He was an easy baby, never fussy or demanding, quick to sooth, and generally happy, which Gale's mother attributes mostly to Madge.

"You had colic," she'd told him.

Gale had only nodded. So had Rory and Posy, he remembers it distinctly. He can't even remember how many school days he'd gone to exhausted from staying up listening to his younger siblings crying for long hours during the nights, nothing helping to console them.

"Vick was the only one that didn't," she'd added.

That had gotten a roll of his eyes. Of course Vick hadn't. He's her only even tempered child, of course he'd been the only one of her babies to not steel her sleep for months on end.

The only explanation then, had been that Glen's good nature was inherited from his mother, something Madge wasn't so sure about.

"My mother never really talked about what I was like as a baby, and my dad wouldn't have told me even if I was a high holy terror," she'd joked. "Mrs. Oberst claimed I was a brat though."

Gale hadn't put much stock in her old family housekeeper, though he really wouldn't like to get all the credit for their daughter's late night fussiness and her generally less pleasant disposition during that time.

He knows he should share his late night duties with Madge, but worry over not having time with her when he goes back to work makes him hypersensitive to every sound she makes.

All Gale's free time is spent acquainting himself with his daughter. Madge and Glen will have her all to themselves during the day, and Gale is a little jealous. Work will eat up too much of his time, keep him from getting to know her as well as they do. Their late nights are all he's going to have, but they exhaust him, so much that he falls asleep several times while reading Glen his bedtime story several times a week before he asks Madge to simply take over his nights too.

When Glen was born Gale had taken extra weeks off. Anxiety had made work too much stress.

Were they doing everything right? Was he developing normally? Would they know if he wasn't?

"You'll be more at peace with the next one," his mother had told him. "Firsts always get all the trial and error."

While that seems more or less true, he isn't nearly as jumpy with Savanna, he isn't anywhere near peace. The same worries that plague him with Glen, even though he's older now, hover over Savanna. The only difference is, Glen can tell him if something is wrong, he has a little personality that Gale feels like he knows as well as his own. Savanna, even with her fussiness, isn't formed yet. Gale barely feels like he knows her, and that terrifies him.

He needs more time with her before he goes back to work, that's all there is to it.

Smoothing her hair, he smiles down at her, now calm and snoozing against his chest.

She's not a bad baby, even if she demands more attention than her brother did. That's a good thing in Gale's opinion. No one is going to push her around and she is going to make herself known, whether anyone likes it or not, which he sees as a positive.

Rocking back and forth, he starts to hum a song to her, stopping dead when he realizes it's 'The Hanging Tree'.

Not appropriate, he thinks to himself, shaking his head and deciding the creaking of the chair is enough noise for now.

Slowly, his eyelids begin to get heavy, dropping closed against his will despite his efforts to keep them propped up and before he knows it, he's asleep.

It's only been ten, maybe fifteen minutes, when he feels a little hand on his forearm, patting it softly.

Suddenly, he isn't in Two, safe with his wife and kids, but in Twelve, in his family's crumbling home, fourteen years old, cold and hungry and destined for the mines. He isn't rocking Savanna, but Posy, and the small, dark haired boy trying to wake him isn't Glen, but Vick.

Heart racing, he blinks several times, reminding himself that's all in the past. He's safe now, they're all safe now.

Finally, Glen's little voice pulls him back into the moment.

"Daddy," he whispers, breaking the silence of the room. "Daddy."

Gale jerks, his mind instantly telling him he's dropping the baby, quickly pulling her tighter against him, waking her up.

A loud wail fills the room, forcing all lingering sleepiness from Gale's head.

"Glen," he hisses, "what?"

He doesn't even wait for a response, just instantly starts rocking again, trying to quiet the baby again.

Looking up at him with wide eyes, filled with moonlight and tears, Glen steps back, lower lip quivering.

"I jus' didn't wan' you't drop the baby," he mumbles between sniffles. "I'm sorry."

Biting his tongue, Gale lets out a long breath, trying to ease his now frazzled nerves. "It's okay, buddy. Just," he forces a smile, "got back to bed, alright? I won't drop her."

They'd have been just fine, might even have gotten half a night's sleep if Gale hadn't just had ten years shaved off his life by a stealthy toddler.

Sniffling again, Glen nods, his feet making a loud scraping noise as he shuffles across the floor and back to the door. With one last tearful look, he glances back at Gale and Savanna before his noisily heading back across the hall.

Sitting back, Gale curses himself. He'd only been trying to help, there'd been no reason to snap at him.

Glen has been fascinated with Savanna since before she was even born.

He's talked to her, sang to her, attempted to help feed her once or twice, and her walls are covered in roughly drawn pictures of suns and flowers and animals, all created by Glen to make her room more pleasant.

It had only been out of concern that he'd woken Gale up, nothing more.

He'll make it up to him in the morning, Gale thinks drowsily, letting his head drop back against the little cushion his mother had sewn for them back when Glen had been newborn.

In the morning he'll make him pancakes or waffles then take him for ice cream. That'll make him happy.

#######

All thoughts of breakfast and afternoon snacks are forgotten when Madge comes in that morning, plucking the baby up and hurrying off.

"She has a doctor's appointment, Gale, remember?" She chides him as she picks up the dress Posy had bought months prior and begins dressing Savanna.

Sitting forward, elbows to knees, Gale groans. He had forgotten.

"I'll go get ready," he tells her, standing up and popping his back, stiff from the night in the chair.

Turning, Madge shoots him a look. "I thought you were taking Glen fishing?"

Halfway to the door, Gale frowns, racking his mind for that detail.

Had he? He doesn't remember, if he's being honest with himself, but he might have. He has been a little distracted since Savanna was born.

Panic sets in as he imagines himself out with Glen, fishing, while his wife and tiny baby daughter try to traverse the District Seat on a bus or, just as bad, riding with Rory, the only person that would have the day off. What kind of dad and husband subjects his family to that?

"We can go another day," he tells her, taking a deep breath. "I can't let you go by yourself."

Picking Savanna up from the changing table, now clad in yellow and white, Madge comes over, giving him a small smile.

"Gale, you promised him you'd take him, and you've already cancelled on him once."

Cringing, Gale runs a hand through his hair. He had already promised Glen to take him out shooting a bow only a few days before, but had to change it to fishing when Savanna had gotten the sniffles.

Memories of babies dying from simple colds, sometimes several a year, had made going hunting impractical and stupid. He had needed to be with his sick baby, there was no getting around that.

Glen had never been sick, not once in his first year of life, though he'd caught a nasty couple of colds since then. Savanna's illness had put him on edge, even if it turned out to be only minor.

When he'd told Glen about it, he'd been understanding, much more than Gale would've been at that age.

"Is okay daddy," he told him, patting his hand. "We can go 'nother day."

They'd decided on fishing, which now seems on the verge of being passed over as well.

"I'll take him out for ice cream later," he tells her, "and we can go fishing tomorrow."

Madge shakes her head. "It's supposed to rain tomorrow."

"Then the next day." Or however many days it takes for the sun to reappear. Gale isn't about to let her and the baby go to the doctor by themselves. "Don't worry about it."

Without waiting for a response, he takes off.

Glen will understand, he's a good kid, and his love for his sister and mother's welfare will make him see Gale needs to go.

#######

Just like Gale had thought, Glen agrees that it's best for his dad to go with Madge and Savanna.

"Is okay daddy," he tells him, even though he's already up and dressed, the buttons on his favorite fishing shirt askew and his shoes on the wrong feet. "You hafta make sure 'Vanna is okay with mommy."

They dropped him off with his Grammy, Gale promising to take him fishing and hunting just as soon as the sun comes out and that Glen will be allowed to try daddy's big bow even.

The dreary and rainy days stretch on, first one week, then two, and slowly the promise slips from Gale's mind.

Finally, he gets up to get ready for work, his first day back since Savanna was born, and the sky is clear and blue, not a cloud on the horizon.

Without disturbing Madge, he cleans up, gets dressed, then sneaks into the baby's room.

She's asleep, only having woken up once during the night which Madge had tried to quiet.

"You need your sleep, Gale," she yawned. "You always get her, I can do it."

He'd pulled her back into the bed, kissing her soundly.

"You're going to have her all to yourself soon enough. Let me take care of her during the night." Even if it means being dead tired the next day.

Thankfully, she calmed quickly and Gale hadn't lost much sleep, and he hopes it's a new trend.

Smiling to himself, Gale leans over the crib and kisses her dark hair. "See you when I get home, princess."

Walking into the hall, Gale peaks into Glen's room.

The floor is a mess, toys strewn everywhere and clothes tossed haphazardly around, causing Gale to frown as he steps in.

Glen is gone, his comforter and sheets thrown to the floor in a heap and his pillow inexplicably across the room.

"Glen?"

When he doesn't answer, Gale's eyebrows pull together and he goes down the hall, the stairs, and into the kitchen.

Sitting at the table, once again dressed in his favorite outing clothes, legs swinging under the chair as he munches happily on an apple, is Glen.

For a second Gale just stares at him from the entryway, trying to piece together just what he's seeing, then Glen notices him and grins.

"Ready, daddy?"

The air instantly leaves Gale's lungs. Their trip.

Groaning, Gale runs his hands over his face, up into his hair, tugging it up wildly. "I'm so sorry, bud." He walks over and drops into the chair opposite Glen. "I go back to work today."

The little smile, so bright and excited, slowly slips from Glen's face. "Work? But you supposed to be off for the baby."

Gale nods. "My time off is over." He forces a smile. "We can go this weekend, okay?"

Eyes dropping down to his lap, Glen nods, answers softly. "Okay."

Reaching out, Gale ruffles his hair. "Hey, I promise. You and me, we'll get dinner for mommy, alright?"

When that doesn't perk him up, Gale tips his chin up gently, smiling and hoping for his happy child to reappear.

"Maybe I'll start teaching you to clean the fish. How does that sound?"

Lips twitching, Glen slowly lets a smile slide back onto his face. "With you special knife?"

Gale nods. They'll have to keep it a secret from Madge, but he will teach Glen to gut and clean, even use his specially made knife if it'll make him happy.

Jumping from the chair, Glen throws his arms around Gale's neck. "Okay."

#######

He's too tired the next weekend from waking up with Savanna to do much of anything but sleep and rock her.

"Maybe next Saturday," he tells Glen, who nods sadly and stays close to Madge, helping her make ice cream, plant, fold laundry, and generally just avoid Gale.

It stings, but Gale mentally tells himself he'll make it up to him, soon.

The weekend after that it rains again, and Gale's many broken promises to Glen fade from his memory, only to be brought up by Madge before they go to bed one Friday when she tells him she'll get up with the baby during the night so that he has plenty of energy the next day.

"I know you love Savanna and you want to spend time with her, but Glen still needs you," she reminds him. "You can't keep forgetting about him. Just because he doesn't act upset, doesn't mean he isn't. I told him you'd take him tomorrow."

Grumbling, Gale nods. He knows Glen is hurt, and he hates that. The last thing he wants is to do is make his little boy upset. He needs time with his little girl though, she's new, small, needy, and Glen understands that.

When Savanna's nightly cry time comes around, he expects to hear her sharp wails coming from down the hall. It's the right time for it after all and his body is adjusted to waking for it. No cry comes though.

Rolling over, he sees Madge, still sleeping soundly.

Stomach lurching, he gets up and heads down the hall.

When he gets to the doorway of Savanna's room he freezes.

On the floor beside the crib is a pile of Glen's blankets, wadded up and lumped in a sort of pallet.

Eyes rising, Gale looks in the crib and finds not just Savanna, soundly sleeping, but also Glen, one arm stretched up, head resting on it, and the other draped over his baby sister.

For a moment Gale just stares at the scene, trying to work out just what happened, before he cuts across the room and leans over the side of the rail.

Reaching down, he brushes a finger over Savanna's cheek before smoothing out Glen's wild hair. "Glen, buddy."

"Daddy," Glen mumbles sleepily, rubbing his eyes and nose. "What're you doin'?"

Gale laughs. "Checking on you and your sister. Why are you in the crib?"

"I'm keeping 'Vanna from waking up," Glen explains.

"You know that's me and mommy's job, right?" Gale asks, watching Glen carefully set up.

"I know," he says, looking down and toying with the edge of his blanket sadly. "But she always cries 'cause she's scared and you won't let mommy help and I wan' you to sleep a'night so we can go fishin' in the morning and you not be tired."

A sharp pain shoots through Gale's chest.

He's let his little boy down.

Ever since Savanna was born, he's been so absorbed with getting to know his new child that he's been neglecting his all too patient oldest. His dismissals and rescheduling, like spending time with his son is a meeting he's trying to avoid, clearly stung Glen more than he'd let on. Enough to make him wake up in the middle of the night to fight off another complication, another excuse, to keep his dad from bailing on him again.

Running his hand over his face, Gale lets out a sigh, his gaze settling on Glen.

"I haven't been a very good daddy lately, have I buddy?"

Glen frowns, his eyes still focused on his blanket, shrugging. "You're busy, an' 'Vanna needs you more."

Smiling Gale nods. "She does, but you need me too."

And while Gale knows that, he had been ignoring it. He'd wanted to get to know his daughter, but trying to do that might slowly erode the special relationship he's built with his son.

Looking down at Savanna, resting so peacefully, Gale takes in a long breath.

She's only a few months old, he doesn't have to get to know her forwards and backwards right this minute. It had taken him all of Glen's life to get to know him, and he still surprises him.

There'll be years to map out his daughter's personality. Losing a few hours a day to keep the country from being the terrifying place it had been when he'd been small isn't going to stop him from having time with her. He's always managed to make time for Glen, he'll figure this out.

Smiling to himself, Gale wonders how his mother did it with four kids. At least Gale has Madge, his mother had lost his dad right before Posy. She'd juggled them all on her own, and Gale doesn't remember ever being starved for attention.

"Come here," Gale tells him, holding out his arms.

Hesitantly, Glen reaches out, letting Gale pull him from the crib.

Settling him on his hip, Gale kisses Glen's forehead. "Let's get you to bed. We have a lot of fish to catch in the morning. They've had it too good for too long, right?"

A tiny smile twitches on Glen's lips. "Promise?"

Gale nods. "Cross my heart." He shifts Glen, giving him a stern look. "Even if it rains."

He's put his son on the backburner for too long and he's going to make it up to him.

Looking down at the crib, Glen's lip puckers. "We can bring 'Vanna." He looks back at Gale. "She'll like that."

Chuckling, Gale reaches into the crib and pulls Glen's blanket out and wraps him in it.

"Maybe next time. Tomorrow it's just you and me. Mommy's gotten to hog you, I need to make up for that."

And a lot more it seems.

Gale smiles, tapping the end of his son's nose.

"You're a good big brother, you know that?"

Glen shrugs.

"I was jus' bein' like you," he tells him simply.

Gale doesn't remember being half as patient or gentle with his younger siblings, except for maybe Posy.

Kissing his son's hair, Gale hugs him closer.

He might not be doing the best at juggling parenting two kids at once, but he must be doing something right to have Glen be such a good kid.

Or if his own mother is to be believed, Madge's genes have struck again.

He doesn't want to give her all the credit though.