In the woods, Gale finally shows up, calming Katniss down a bit as she had almost expected him to not show up at all. His anger, palpable. His face, hard. Bringing with him the gifts he won't accept because of how angry he is at her. Refusing to withhold anything from him about Peeta, or the Tour, or anything she gets straight to the point.
"President Snow personally threatened to have you killed," she says.
"Anyone else?"
"Well, he didn't actually give me a copy of the list. But it's a good guess it includes both out families," she says.
"Unless what?"
"Unless nothing, now," she says.
After a moment of silence, Gale speaks.
"Well, thanks for the heads-up."
"I do have a plan, you know," she says.
"Yeah, I bet it's a stunner." He tosses the gloves from the bag back at her. "I don't want your fiance's old gloves."
"He's not my fiance. That's just part of the act. And these aren't his gloves. They were Cinna's," she says.
"Give them back, then," he says. He pulls on the gloves, flexes his fingers, and nods in approval. "At least I'll die in comfort."
"That's optimistic. Of course, you don't know what's happened," she says.
"Let's have it," he says.
She begins to recount everything that has happened since the night her and Peeta were crowned victors of the Hunger Games, and how Haymitch warned her of the Capitol's fury. She tells him about Snow's visit, the murders in District 11, the tension in the crowds, the last-ditch effort of the engagement, the president's indication that it hadn't been enough, the near guarantee that she will have to pay for failing.
"Well, you really made a mess of things," he says.
"I'm not even done yet," she says.
"I've heard enough for the moment. Let's skip ahead to this plan of yours," he says.
Taking a deep breath she says, "We run away."
"What?" He asks as this catches him off guard.
"We take to the woods and make a run for it," she says. "You said yourself you thought that we could do it! That morning of the reaping. You said-" He steps in and lists her off the ground, and spinning her he starts to laugh. Finally! Something that doesn't include Peeta. He thinks selfishly to himself. Slowly he puts her down but doesn't let go. "Okay, let's run away."
"Really? You don't think I'm mad? You'll go with me?" she asks.
"I do think you're mad and I'll still go with you," he says, and he means it. Welcomes it. Relishes it. So happy for the chance to not have to share her with Peeta. She was his first. Peeta couldn't have the only claim on her life. Her life was his, from the moment they met.
"You're sure?" she says. "Because it's going to be hard, with the kids and all. I don't want to get five miles into the woods and have you-"
"I'm sure. I'm completely, entirely, one hundred percent sure." He rests his forehead on hers and pulls her closer. Hoping that this is the time, this is the moment when she will finally be his, mind, body and soul. Completely and utterly his. "I love you."
"I know," she says. He starts to pull away, but she pulls him back. "I know! And you … you know what you are to me." Her words have hurt him. He thought she loved him too, that she was as enraptured and consumed by him as he was with her. He breaks her grip and pulls away. "Gale, I can't think like that about anyone that way now. All I can think about, every day, every waking minute since they drew Prim's name at the reaping, is how afraid I am. And there doesn't seem to be room for anything else. If we could get somewhere safe, maybe I could be different. I don't know."
"So, we'll go. We'll find out." It's not what he was looking for, and it sure as hell wasn't what he wanted, but if this was going to get them going somewhere, he was okay with that…for now. "My mother's going to take some convincing."
"Mine, too." She says. "I'll have to make her see reason. Take her for a long walk. Make sure she understands we won't survive the alternative."
"She'll understand," he says. "I watched a lot of the Games with her and Prim. She won't say no to you."
"I hope not." She says. "Haymitch will be the real challenge."
"Haymitch?" His change is instantaneous. "You're not asking him to come with us?"
"I have to, Gale," she says. "I can't leave him and Peeta because they'd-" She looks up at his scowl. "What?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize how large our party was," he snaps at her.
"They'd torture them to death, trying to find me."
"What about Peeta's family? They'll never come. In fact, they probably couldn't wait to inform on us. Which I'm sure he's smart enough to realize. What if he decides to stay?" He asks.
"Then he stays," her voice cracks.
"You'd leave him behind?" Gale asks.
"To save Prim and my mother, yes," she says, "I mean, no! I'll get him to come."
"And me, would you leave me?" His expression is rock hard. "Just if, for instance, I can't convince my mother to drag three young kids into the wilderness in winter."
She avoids answering the question. "Hazelle won't refuse. She'll see sense.
"Suppose she doesn't, Katniss?" He presses. "What then?"
"Then you have to force her, Gale. Do you think I'm making this stuff up?" Her voice is getting louder in her anger.
"No. I don't know. Maybe the president's just manipulating you. I mean, he's throwing your wedding." His voice catches briefly on the word. "You saw how the Capitol crowd reacted. I don't think he can afford to kill you. Or Peeta. How's he going to get out of that one?"
"Well, with an uprising in District Eight, I doubt he's spending much time choosing my wedding cake!" She shouts at him.
He's not there with her anymore, the possibility of war has taken over the entire conversation. An uprising that begs for change, that is willing to insist upon it, and he wants in. He wants to know everything, all that she's seen, all that she's heard.
"It's my fault, Gale," she says. "Because of what I did with those berries, none of this would've happened. Peeta could have come home and lived, and everyone else would have been safe, too."
"Safe to do that? Starve? Work like slaves? Send their kids to the reaping? You haven't hurt people - you've given them an opportunity. They just have to be brave enough to take it. There's already been talk in the mines. People who want to fight. Don't you see? It's happening!" His tone shifts from anger to hopeful. "It's finally happening! If there's an uprising in District Eight, why not here? Why not everywhere? This could be it, the thing we've been-"
"Stop it! You don't know what you're saying. The Peacekeepers outside of Twelve, they're not like Darius, or even Cray! The lives of district people - they mean less than nothing to them!" She says.
"That's why we have to join the fight!" He answers harshly.
He won't hear any of it, he throws Cinna's gloves at her and leaves.
After composing herself she makes her way out of the woods and back toward Victors Village, hoping to find Peeta…to convince him to leave. It doesn't take long to find him, as he is exiting at the same time.
"Been hunting?" He asks.
"Not really. Going to town?"
"Yes. I'm supposed to eat dinner with my family," he says. He can tell just by looking at her that something is on her mind, he won't pry, but he does hope that she'll tell him. He never expects that of her, he'd never force her into something, the Capitol had already done so much of that, he wasn't about to start forcing her to talk about things that she wasn't ready to talk about.
"Well, I can at least walk you in." They walk alone in silence for a few moments, their hands constantly bumping into each other. They're so rarely separated when they're together, that it's only natural when Peeta grabs ahold of hers. She doesn't pull away, instead she pulls him to a stop and swings him around to face her. "Peeta," she says, meeting his gaze. "If I asked you to run away from the district with me, would you?"
"Depends why you're asking."
"President Snow wasn't convinced by me. There's an uprising in District Eight. We have to get out," she says, almost pleading.
"By 'we' do you mean just you and me?" He knows it doesn't. "No. Who else would be going?"
"My family. Yours, if they want to come. Haymitch, maybe," she says.
"What about Gale?" He doesn't want to know, but he asks anyway. Assuming already that this escape plan she's worked out in her head, also includes the Hawthorne's, much to Peeta's dismay. Though it did give him a little satisfaction that Gale probably didn't want him to tag along either, but he'd never let Katniss go anywhere alone…and by alone, he just meant without her. They're supposed to take care of each other. Of course Katniss could take care of herself, but she was only one person.
"I don't know. He might have other plans." She shifts uncomfortably.
"I bet he does." He looks down into her eyes earnestly. He reaches a hand up to brush the hair from the front of her face, and slowly brings it down to grab their already entwined hands. He sighs. "Sure, Katniss. I'll go." She's surprised, but in her excitement she goes on her tiptoes and kisses him full on the mouth, before realizing exactly what she's doing he pulls her into him and embraces the kiss. This kiss wasn't because of the cameras and it wasn't because of Snow's threat. She had chosen to kiss him.
Their linked hands drop and wrap around the other. His arms hold her tightly and she melts into him. They'd shared so many kisses since the Games, but this was the first one completely unprompted by anyone in the Capitol. Her arms curl inside her onto his chest and she grips his shirt tightly in her hands. Willing him to stay there, and completely unwilling to let him go. A hunger like she's never experienced washes over her and suddenly, all she wants in this world and in this moment, is Peeta. The way he feels wrapped around her. The smell of cinnamon and dill. The fact that he would never let anything happen to her, and despite Gale's presence, he would never let her leave the district alone. If she was going, so was he.
Neither knowing how long they've been there, Peeta slowly pulls back his head. With his hand on her chin, he pulls her face gently up to look at him. He places a smaller, gentler kiss on her lips and relaxes his arms around her, but doesn't let go. She relaxes but continues to cling to his shirt with her hands. They look into each other's eyes for a long moment, no one saying anything. Katniss finally breaks the silence between them, albeit, a little winded.
"You will?" She asks, hopefully, nearly forgetting what conversation had prompted her sudden — but sweet — loss of self awareness. She wasn't supposed to love Peeta, that was the Capitol's doing…but Madge had said that it would probably have happened anyway. Would it have? All she knew in this moment was she wasn't sure what she would do if he refused to go, too. After everything she'd already done to save him, how could she possibly make that journey without him? They were together, the Games had cemented that as much, Gale deciding not to go wouldn't change that. She'd never leave without him. Peeta was her family, her safe space, her shelter from the harshness of their world…of course she wouldn't leave without him, that thought had never occurred to her. She'd never leave him behind. Not for anything. Not for anyone. If Gale wanted to be mad at her and stay, that was his prerogative.
"Yeah," he says. "But I don't think for a minute you will."
Angrily she pulls back from him. Putting space between them. Releasing her grip on his shirt and giving him a slightly offsetting shove. "Then you don't know me. Be ready. It could be any time." She takes off in a fury toward the square, leaving Peeta behind. The irony of her previous and current thoughts do not escape her. Why did this make her so mad? Wasn't she convinced she was going to go? And why of all people did Peeta think that she wouldn't?
"Katniss," Peeta says. She doesn't slow down, but he can take one step for every two of hers. "Katniss, hold up." She starts to kick snow on the path so he can catch up. "I really will go." He grabs her hand again. "If you want me to." He bobs their hands up and down a couple times. "I just think we better talk it through with Haymitch. Make sure we won't be making things worse for everyone." He leans down and kisses her forehead. "I know you couldn't leave if you knew people would suffer because of it. That's why I don't think you'll leave, you're plenty stubborn and no doubt would survive wherever you called home…but you care about people, you couldn't live with yourself if people were hurt because of you."
He was right.
"I suppose that's true," she nods, pulling him into an embrace. "I'm sorry I yelled at you." She shakes her head in his chest and mumbles, "I don't like rejection."
"No one does," he says, with a laugh. "I definitely don't."
She tucks into his embrace and lets all of the stress go, if only for a moment.
His head shoots up and darts in the direction of the square, pulling slightly on their entwined hands. "What's that?" He pulls her into a walk, still holding her hand. "Come on," he says. His face betrays him, because she knows him so well. They know each other so well, it was harsh of her to say he didn't know her, he obviously knew her better than a lot of people. Whatever he heard, it wasn't good.
Peeta knew that sound. The sound of a whip making contact. The crowd gasps did nothing to calm him down. All he could think and wonder now was who was being whipped? And who was doing the whipping? It wasn't common practice in Twelve. As they rush, they're stopped by the gathered crowd. Peeta looks around quickly, and finding a crate, he stepped up on it to look over the people there. No sooner had he started to pull Katniss behind him, than he sees what everyone had been watching. Gale on the other side of a whip. He quickly drops her hand and looks at her in earnest, hands on her shoulders.
"Go home, Katniss!" It wasn't a request. "I'll be there in a minute, I swear!" he says. Not sure what he would do himself to help Gale, but absolutely refusing to let Katniss get anywhere near what was going on, what could either of them do? He didn't know, the only thing he knew was he needed to get Katniss out of there.
Katniss pushes herself through the protesting crowd. Many people tell her to leave, that she's going to make things worse, or a whole slew of other responses. Peeta follows mutely behind her, not sure what she was going to do, but making sure he was there in case she did something stupid, which in this situation, he figured was a likely outcome. It takes less than half a minute for everything to soak in with Katniss. Peeta tries to grab her, but to no avail, she's already moving toward Gale.
"No!" She screams and leaps forward. Throwing herself between the Peacekeeper and Gale, just as the whip is swung down and just catches her face. Peeta watches dumbfounded, and tries to figure out what his next move would be when Haymitch comes bounding past him, woefully out of breath, and into the square. Peeta tries to get his attention, but Haymitch is already by Katniss.
"Hold on!" the Peacekeeper yells.
Haymitch trips over someone, gets back up and stops in front of Katniss, forcing her back to her feet. "Oh, excellent." His hand locks under her chin and turns it toward the Peacekeeper. "She's got a photo shoot next week modeling wedding dresses. What am I supposed to tell her stylist?"
"She interrupted the punishment of a confessed criminal!"
"I don't care if she blew up the blasted Justice Building! Think that will be camera ready in a week?" He's really hoping he's making his point, because he didn't want to fend the Capitol off from her for this exact moment by itself, let alone what she's already done and failed to do. She hadn't convinced enough people, and now they would all pay…in one way or another. He's been on the bitter end of the types of payment that Snow accepts, and he never wanted that for Katniss.
"That's not my problem."
"No? Well, it's about to be, my friend. The first call I make when I get home is to the Capitol," says Haymitch. "Find out who authorized you to mess up my Victor's pretty little face!" His arms are up defensively in front of him, blocking Katniss.
"He was poaching. What business is it of hers?"
Peeta, unable to stand to the side any longer, rushes forward and answers the question. "He's her cousin." Peeta grabs her arm protectively, ensuring she is securely behind him. "And she's my fiancée. So if you want to get to him, expect to go through both of us." Peeta watches the face of the Peacekeeper as he looks between the three of them. Quite possibly the only three people in the District who could stop it. The new Peacekeeper asks the others about the protocol, and is informed that the correct number has already been given, and that if the decision was death, they usually carry that out by firing squad.
Reluctantly, the Peacekeeper tells Katniss she can take him. Many hands reach to help, including Peeta's. Once someone hands Peeta a knife he cuts the ropes currently keeping Gale in one spot. The square empties quickly, and soon there's only a handful of people there. Peeta offers to buy the counter off the old woman at the clothing stall to get Gale to Katniss's mother. Once they get Gale on the stretcher, Haymitch, Peeta, and a couple of the miners on the same crew as Gale lift him up. Leevy from the Seam offers to go get Hazelle and watch the kids so she can come right away. Grabbing Gale's jacket off the ground, Katniss takes off after the others. Haymitch hollers at her to get snow on her injury and she does, numbing it a little.
As they walk, Bristel and Thom recount what happened. Gale, like usual, went to old Cray's house to sell him the wild turkey, instead he found the new Head Peacekeeper, Romulus Thread. No one knew what happened to Cray, he was still in command as far as anyone knew that morning. Gale was put under immediate arrest, and since he was standing there holding the turkey, he was forced to plead guilty. He was lashed at least forty times, and had passed out somewhere around thirty. Darius tried to step in at twenty and was knocked out by the butt of the whip, no one knew what happened to him after that.
Once they get to Katniss's house, her mother, who was waiting for her after her prolonged absence, takes in the scene. She looks to Haymitch for an answer and he obliges.
"New Head," he says, and she gives a curt nod as if no other explanation is needed.
Asterid gets right to work on Gale, and Prim helps. She glances at Katniss, "Did it cut your eye?"
"No, it's just swelled shut," says Katniss.
"Get more snow on it," she instructs.
"Can you save him?" Katniss asks her mother.
"Don't worry," says Haymitch. "Used to be a lot of whipping before Cray. She's the one we took them to." Asterid glances up at Haymitch and offers a smile. A lot of history in that glance.
Asterid continues working on Gale. Peeta, noticing Katniss, walks her to a chair and instructs her to sit down. She does. He briefly steps out of the room and then hands her a cloth filled with fresh snow that he got on his own, and places it against her cheek. He doesn't move after that, just stands there by Katniss, in case she needs him. Haymitch thanks Bristel and Thom and with some money, he sends them on their way. It's then that Hazelle shows up.
As the final bandages are placed, Gale lets out a moan. Asterid decides on an herb concoction to try to help him out. Haymitch stands close by her, in case she needs anything, knowing if he can help…he will.
"That won't be enough," says Katniss. Everyone stares at her, and Peeta puts a hand gently on her shoulder in a reassuring gesture. "That won't be enough. I know how it feels. That will barely knock out a headache."
"We'll combine it with sleep syrup, Katniss, and he'll manage it. The herbs are more for the inflammation —" Asterid begins.
"Just give him the medicine!" Katniss yells at her. "Give it to him! Who are you to know how much pain he can stand!"
"Take her out," says Asterid, nodding at Peeta and Haymitch. They need no more words, Haymitch and Peeta together pick Katniss up and carry her from the room as she screams violent and rude things at her mother. Haymitch, having known Asterid before Burdock's death, knows none of it is true, but knows she will roll it off, because that was the type of person she was. Nothing phased her, except for Burdock's death.
Haymitch and Peeta deposit Katniss on one of the extra beds and hold her down until she stops fighting. Both of them feeling utterly helpless, not knowing how to really help her, but wanting to nonetheless. Katniss begins to sob, Haymitch having already let go of her, is standing up. Peeta waits a couple moments before moving the hair out of her face, and stroking her uninjured cheek, before standing up and going over to Haymitch.
"There's an uprising in District 8," Peeta whispers to Haymitch. "She wants us all to run." Haymitch nods, but says nothing. Taking the empty seat in the corner, Haymitch sits down. Peeta walks over to look out the window, not knowing what else to do, and wanting Katniss to feel what she was feeling.
After awhile Asterid comes into the room to work on Katniss's face. She holds Katniss's hand and strokes her arm. Looking at Haymitch they share a look of concern. Finally she asks Haymitch, "So it's starting again? Like before?"
"By the looks of it," he answers. "Who'd have thought we'd ever be sorry to see old Cray go?" Asterid gives the faintest of smiles and nods at him. Their relationship had been strained for years, but they still knew each other enough that words weren't always essential for communication.
There's a knock at the door.
"They can't have him," says Katniss.
"Might be you they're after," Haymitch reminds her.
"Or you," she says.
"Not my house," Haymitch says, making a circular motion in the air with his pointer finger. "But I'll get the door."
"No," says Asterid. "I'll get it." However, they all go anyway.
At the door, Madge stands there in the ever falling snow. She holds out a small, damp cardboard box to Katniss. "Use these for your friend," she says. "They're my mothers. She said I could take them. Use them, please." After a faltering smile she shoots Peeta's way, she runs back into the snow before anyone can stop her.
"Crazy girl," Haymitch mutters as he, Peeta, and Katniss follow Asterid into the kitchen. Asterid fills a syringe with the liquid Madge gave her and Gale's pained face relaxes with the injection of it.
"What is that stuff?" asks Peeta.
"It's from the Capitol," Asterid tells Peeta. "It's called morphling."
"I didn't even know Madge knew Gale," says Peeta.
"We used to sell her strawberries," says Katniss.
"She must have quite the taste for them," says Haymitch.
"She's my friend," says Katniss.
After a little while, Hazelle insists she must go check on the other children, but that Gale is in very capable hands. Peeta and Haymitch offer to stay, but Asterid tells them that he'll be okay and Katniss can keep an eye on him. If she needs them, she will call.
"Okay," nods Peeta.
"See you later, sweetheart," Haymitch says to Katniss as he heads for the door.
"Katniss," says Peeta, looking at her. "If you need me, I'll be here in an instant."
"I know," she says, giving the best smile she can muster.
"Okay," he says. "I'll see you soon." She nods. Slowly he walks to the door, feeling like he's back where he was at the beginning of the day. Like the whole thing on the walk to the square with Katniss, never happened, or didn't matter. His heart breaks a little. When will he ever not lose to Gale? What was it all for anyway? They were engaged now…they'd spent all those nights together on the train…but what were they now? Maybe nothing was different for her. He couldn't get himself together, because to him, that kiss was the best one they'd had since the cave in the Hunger Games…and this one wasn't forced because of a camera. Walking out the door he almost runs into Haymitch standing on the porch.
"Come on, Peeta," says Haymitch. "I stand by what I said at the train station. She'll come around." He slaps Peeta on the back. Now go home and worry about Katniss tomorrow. I promise you can go check on her just as soon as you get some sleep." Peeta tries to protest. "No, go home, Peeta." His voice is slightly harsh, and so Peeta listens and walks off to his house.
Haymitch sighs as he nearly falls down the stairs and heads to his own house. He would definitely need a drink tonight, especially with the memories of another Mellark trying to do something heroic. Funny to think that if he hadn't kicked Otho, Peeta probably wouldn't even be here…and Katniss needed her Lenore Dove. Haymitch had come to that realization quite early on, something about throwing flour…odd thing for a girl to remember about a guy she doesn't know…or care about. He rested in the fact that he knew exactly who Katniss was, she was him, with braids. Burdock would be so proud, he thought with a laugh.
Once entering his house, he grabs a bottle, whips off the cap and takes a swig. "Hello, my love, suppose you'd like to hear about the children again?" He chuckles to himself, slamming the door behind him. "These two. You'd have had a lot of fun with them, I know they would have loved you." He sighs, taking another swig. "I don't think I've ever cared more for someone than you, and perhaps Burdock, Asterid…these kids. Katniss, who is so much like her father, makes me miss him. And dreadfully similar to me, makes me wonder how Burdock would feel seeing that now…or were there moments she made him think of me?" Another swig. "I miss my friends, my love, and I miss you." He collapses into a chair, puts the chilled bottle to his forehead as tears fall from his eyes. "I love you like all-fire, always." He raises his bottle in the direction of the meadow, takes a huge gulp, "Nothing you can take from me, was ever worth keeping…except, maybe these kids." The tears began to flow freely, "I've gotta stop the sun from rising on another reaping…we can't have another Beetee. I'll be damned if Katniss has to send a kid into my nightmares." He downs the rest of the bottle. "No more gumdrops!" Then he laughs so hard he falls out of the chair, "All of this because of some berries."
Just then, the phone rings. Haymitch gets haphazardly to his feet and meanders over to the wall mounted telephone, knocking over several things on the way. "What do you want?" He hollers, yanking it off the wall.
"Hello, Haymitch," says Plutarch.
"Oh, great," says Haymitch, dryly. "What do you want Plutarch?"
"A little bit of fire…"