[IC] Beyond a Fire's Embers

[Genkai]

Sleeping wasn't something Katniss did ever since she had returned to District 12 with Peeta and Haymitch after she and said baker had claimed a reluctant victory from the Capital. Katniss didn't care that she had ruffled President Snow's feathers in the process, all Katniss had been focused on was getting back to her sister and mother alive. And being able to take care of them for the rest of her life was an added bonus. She and her family moved into the newly furnished home and were still adjusting to the lavish changes. She still went out with Gale and trampled around the woods and out of bounds areas. They were still friends after all, but he avoided bringing up what he saw with Peeta because he knew Katniss shouldn't have to deal with the bloody complicated past.

Seeing Katniss in The Hunger Games was surreal for Gale. He had grown up with Catnip and the two had been rather close. There had been times when he wanted to cross the line, from friendship to something more but he often got the feeling that she would want to keep things as they were. So when he had to see her kiss the nobody, Peeta, it brought up feelings again and the only distraction from watching his best friend battle against death, was taking care of Prim. The two had grown to get to know one another better, trade stories about Katniss and how things in District 12 never really changed. Sure, Gale knew Primrose since she was just a kid but they hadn't spent a whole lot of time together but with Katniss gone, they began to rely on one another more.

As the morning turned into the afternoon, Gale and Katniss were turning to the Victor's Village after exploring the snow covered area around them. Even though she had enough food and was giving it to many of the people around her, Katniss still liked to keep her skills fresh. Gale could tell that archery was still a passion for her, which he was glad the Capital hadn't ruined for her. As the two slowed down as they entered the lonely selection of homes, Katniss noticed Gale glance toward where Peeta's home was. He was still trying to get used to his new leg and after she confessed her feelings for him were purely fabricated and not at all real, their relationship became strained and awkward. Katniss felt bad for using him though part of her knew that they were using each other.

"Katniss, what should we do about lunch?" Gale asked her, trying to keep their attention away from Peeta.

"I'm not sure." Katniss answered, slipping her pack of quills and bow off her shoulders as they kept walking through the ankle deep snow to get to her home. Haymitch lived further down, but all three victors had some space between them, which was just fine with The Girl on Fire. "Maybe Prim's made something." She muttered, smelling the sterile air. She could detect something like stew but she wasn't sure if it was her stomach playing tricks on her mind. The two finished making it to their destination and upon entering, her mother greeted them by explaining that Prim had in fact made some strew and bread and that Gale was welcome to join them. She brought up Peeta but Katniss lied, "He's busy with his parents." She answered quickly and headed up to her room to put away her weapon.

Gale watched her leave and followed the older woman into the kitchen and saw Prim with Buttercup. "Hey." Gale smiled to her. "It seems really good." He said. Being out in the cold took a lot out of a person and he was happy to get a chance to try some of her cooking, it was something he knew she was trying to improve. "The announcement is tonight isn't it?" He asked her. The Capital would announce the details for the Quarter Quell and in a month the reaping would take place. Of course he and everyone else knew it was tonight but he didn't want to let the elephant in the room win. He pet the cat a little and soon Katniss joined him though she didn't say anything. "You should come out with us sometime. It could be fun." Gale told Prim. When katniss was gone, he did try to help Prim learn how to forage but it wasn't a natural talent for her, as it was for Katniss.

"You're getting tired of me already?" Katniss teased Gale though her smile wasn't entirely sincere.

"Maybe it's hard to get used to having you back." Gale teased right back.

"What if you invited over Haymitch and Peeta for tonight? We could have a potluck." Mrs. Everdeen asked Katniss while Gale reached over to dip some bread into the stew Prim had made. Katniss gave her mother a look and rolled her eyes. Gale could feel the room get more tense. "Peeta probably needs the company and poor Haymitch shouldn't be left alone, you know that."

"I'm not their babysitter." Katniss muttered bitterly and began to walk out of the kitchen.

"Catnip," Gale started to say and looked to Prim for any help but ever since she got back from The Hunger Games, she had become more emotional. That was to be expected but Gale sometimes had no idea how to deal with her outbursts. Sometimes he'd watch her out of the corner of her eye and it would seem like Katniss wasn't even present in whatever they were doing or talking about. He couldn't imagine how hard it was to be Prim's position. "we're all curious about the announcement, we might as well try to have fun." He was sure his word choice was poor but he was trying. He hated how Katniss had come back, he blamed the pointless fighting for ruining such a good person. Hadn't the districts suffered enough?

"Fine. Whatever." Katniss said as she went into the living room, having stopped to at least hear Gale out. Her mother called both Peeta and Haymitch's homes and much to her delight, they both agreed to attend dinner and watch the announcement on tv. For the rest of the day Katniss took a bath, had some of Prim's stew, practiced with her bow outside in the back, and took a long slow walk around the district to calm her nerves. She knew she had nothing to worry about since she and Peeta had already won but she was still worried about Prim and Gale and everyone else she knew. It would be their last year to be reaped but something told her to not count injustice out yet. As everyone gathered in the living room with their dinner, Katniss kept tabs on how much alcohol Haymitch was consuming, as she didn't want him bothering Prim or passing or vomiting somewhere.

The Capital symbol came on, as did the usual patriotic music and Snow's face appeared. "Good evening Panem. It is once again time to declare the rules for the upcoming 75th Hunger Games Quarter Quell. This is a special occasion for us and we take it very seriously." He began to say, his holographic image flickering in the low light of the living room. Gale had finished his plate of food quickly but he noticed Prim nor Katniss had touched much of theirs. Peeta meanwhile was oddly quiet, but had brought a cake to the gathering, which was nice of him. "This reaping will include four tributes from each district. Two will be randomly selected as usual but the other two will be from a smaller pool, previous victors who have already won. It will be a brilliant spectacle to behold. The Reaping Ceremony will be held in a month and may the odds be ever in your favor."

Katniss' heart fell and so did her plate.

She couldn't believe it.

She had to go back, there were no other female victors except for her.

She looked to Peeta and then to Haymitch and then to her sister. How could she leave Prim again? And there would be twice as many people to kill or be killed? And half would be experienced? Her head was spinning and she felt like throwing up and screaming and crying and running. This was an obvious tact Snow had pulled and Katniss was slowly beginning to understand just how badly she screwed up. Looking down at the shattered china at her feet, she felt her heavy legs moving toward the door and she pulled it open before running into the darkness. She didn't know where she would go. Maybe run to President Snow and stab him in the heart? How could he do this?! Katniss ran out of the village but her heart had yet to function properly, forcing her to slow down and fall to her knees. She couldn't breathe but she could at least scream, so she did.

Gale felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. How could they demand Katniss to go back? And who would be by her side? A cripple or a drunk? He could tell the horror on Peeta's face said it all, he knew he was going to die. Gale wondered if Haymitch would be any better. Gale couldn't watch Katniss struggle again. He knew Primrose and her mother couldn't endure the agony either. He also knew that his fate as well as Prim's was still up in the air. After Katniss ran out, he felt the need to go after her but he didn't. He just slumped against the wall and excused himself into the kitchen. He rubbed his face with his hands and turned to quickly slam his fists into the marble counter when Prim came in after him, obviously shaken up to say the least. Gale had no idea what to say to the poor girl. Could they really handle another long bout without Katniss? "I'm really sorry Prim." He wished he was better with words and comfort but like Katniss, he was pretty awful.

"She'll be okay, we both know that." Gale said and pulled her into a sudden strong embrace. Maybe he needed hug, she probably did too but it seemed better than punching something until his fists bled. The dark haired boy was angry and scared and his heart went out to the Everdeens. It hadn't yet occurred to him that he and Prim might get involved in such dark matters. Katniss and Peeta had finally finished their tour and things had slowly died down.

So much for a normal life.

"She'll come back and maybe you'll get two houses." He joked a little and pulled away.

[mmidnight]

It wasn't supposed to be this way. Ever since Katniss had volunteered for her at the Reaping, Primrose Everdeen had been weighted down by guilt, and living with the overwhelming sense of knowing she should be dead. The 74th Hunger Games were meant to take her life, her name had been drawn from the bowl, and she had only taken a few hesitant steps toward Effie Trinket on stage before the desperate and frantic scream of her sister interrupted everything. The young blonde didn't know how she was supposed to express her gratitude to her older sister, nor convey the overwhelming sense of relief in her heart when she watched Katniss and Peeta Mellark win the games and defy the Capitol all at once. Their homecoming was bittersweet, the house in the Victor's Village was cold, and Katniss wasn't the same. It wasn't supposed to be this way—this wasn't living, it was simply existing.

The winter day was harsh and cold with a chill in the air that kissed the windows, causing the glass to frost over from the outside in. Prim was in the kitchen, working dutifully on a stew while Katniss was out with Gale in the wilds beyond 12. That was one thing that hadn't changed, and Prim was happy to know that Katniss still took joy out of something. Admittedly, she wasn't an easy person to get along with, but Prim took her older sister for what she was, and loved her more than she could say. After what she had been through, Katniss deserved something normal and Gale had been a constant in their lives for as long as anyone could remember.

“Smells good,” Mrs. Everdeen smiled softly, having lifted the heavy metal lid from the pot on the stove. Steam wafted lazily into the air, and Prim turned back from the window with an equally soft expression. She had been working on her cooking for quite some time, and although it wasn't anywhere near as good as something her mother or Katniss could whip up, she thought it was coming along just fine.

“It's ready now, but a few more hours would do it well,” the blonde mentioned, crossing the kitchen to take a taste from the pot. The rabbit went nicely with the root vegetables, and the stew was sure to be satisfying after a long day out in the cold. They had fresh bread as well, and Prim was looking forward to a nice dinner with her family. The occasion wasn't exactly something to celebrate, but this was the first year of the Hunger Games that Katniss guaranteed to be safe, and Prim thought was as good a reason as any to have a special meal.

With only Buttercup to keep her company, Prim occupied herself with tending to her cooking, feeding the cat a few scraps here or there and humming to herself. She was anxious for the Hunger Games announcement from President Snow that evening, but did her best to put it out of her mind. Soon enough, the sound of heavy boots coming up the steps piqued her interest and Prim looked out the window to see if it was only Katniss who had come home. She wasn't surprised to see Gale in tow behind her sister, and assumed that he would be staying for lunch and dinner. Ever since they had moved houses, out of the Seam and into the Victor's Village, Gale had been over a lot more. It was the least they could do for him, considering what a help he had always been.

After Prim listened to Katniss dismissing Peeta for the hundredth time that week, the kitchen soon filled up again. The blonde girl turned away from the stove, appreciating Gale's compliment as he gave Buttercup all of the attention the cat often craved. In the same breath, Gale invited her to come hunting with himself and Katniss, and Prim couldn't hold back her laughter. She was awful in the wild, dreadful in every sense of the word and the few times that she had gone with Gale while Katniss had been away had been pathetic. The patience he had with her had been astounding, and his sincerity never failed to produce a brief flutter in her chest for the huntsman.

“I--” she began, only to shut her mouth when Katniss interjected.

It was silly of her to think that Gale belonged to anyone but Katniss. In spite of what had happened with Peeta in the Hunger Games, Prim knew her sister, and she knew of the connection that she had with the other boy from the Seam. Peeta was nice, a good person, but he wasn't Gale. Anyone who thought to stand beside either of them and hope to catch an eye was a fool. Besides, Prim had always been on the outside looking in when it came to Gale and Katniss. They were so similar, in personality, in interests and in life where Prim was more inclined to braid hair than shoot an arrow from a bow, or identify a plant than set a trap for a squirrel.

Silly.

“There's plenty here,” Prim piped up, finally finding her voice through the sudden tenseness of the conversation. “Invite them.” In the months since the conclusion of the Games, Prim had grown increasingly worried for Haymitch and Peeta, both men now seemed withdrawn, and Haymitch tended to drink more than ever. She knew very little about him, and Katniss may not have considered him a friend, but Prim certainly thought their relationship was close. After all, they were the only three in all of District 12 who could relate to one another, and a bond like that wasn't something to be ignored.

The rest of the afternoon was spent around the house. Prim continued to perfect her stew while taking breaks to tidy up. The move hadn't done much for mother's depression, so the cleaning was often left to the blonde girl. She didn't mind the work, and the only time it became a problem was when it came to cleaning up after Katniss's muddy booths on a freshly swept floor, or finding squirrel fur in places that it had no business being—the corners of the living room, or under the kitchen table. Chores kept her busy, and when Prim was busy, she wasn't feeling guilty.

Every seat in the living room was occupied, and Haymitch sat draped in a cozy armchair, largely ignoring his dinner in favor of white liquor. He continued to drink through the announcement, unimpressed and apathetic to Panem's anthem, and even more unmoved by President Snow's speech until the theme of the years Quarter Quell was announced—they were obviously going for torture that year. It made the weathered man sick in the pit of his stomach (and it had nothing to do with the alcohol) to think that the number of tributes would be doubled yet again, but twisted in with past victors. There were only three in 12, and both he, Peeta and obviously Katniss knew what that meant.

The plate shattering to the ground brought Prim back to the real world, the sound causing her to flinch as she held her breath. How could the Capitol do this? Why would they? She looked over to Katniss just in time to see the dark-haired girl running from the room. It wasn't fair that she would have to return after just barely getting out, it wasn't fair that 12 only had three Victors. It wasn't fair.

“Katniss, wait!” Prim called, her blue eyes brimming with tears. She swallowed the lump in her throat and ducked into the kitchen, not wanting to cry in front of the others. Getting emotional was selfish when she hadn't even experienced the terror that Katniss had endured, and in a way, Prim was the one who had sent her sister into the arena. Her name had been called, and Katniss had felt responsible. She was sending her sister to die, and this time, she was sure that the Capitol wouldn't allow a repeat of two Victors. This was terrible, unthinkable, just--

The heavy sound of flesh and bone on the wooden counter top was startling and caused timid Primrose to jump where she stood. Gale was there, looking just as broken up as she felt on the inside. Katniss being gone had been hard on him, and it wasn't fair to anyone to lose her so soon after getting her back. “I'm sorry too,” voice quavering, Prim sighed. “I didn't think this would happen.”

Before she knew it, Prim found herself crushed against Gale's strong chest, able to feel the beating of his heart against her cheek. She closed her eyes as her arms found their way around his middle. The embrace was secure, and somehow, Gale's words seemed true; Katniss would be okay. “You're right,” she agreed, “she's strong.” She managed a laugh at his joke as Gale slipped away from her, and fidgeted with her braid as her eyes drifted to a second presence in the room. Haymitch was there in the doorway, bottle of liquor in his hand and coat already on.

He took a swig from the bottle, “didn't think you'd go after her.”

Whether he was talking to Gale or Prim, she wasn't sure, but Haymitch was soon gone and the front door closed behind him.

There were Katniss-sized footprints in the snow and Haymitch followed alongside them, his own overlapping and zig-zagging here and there as his gait swayed. It didn't take him long for him to find her, and the weary man supposed that he could have followed the sound of her scream, but his senses were dulled and occupied by the drink in his hand. Still, he felt the need to comfort her and obviously come up with a plan to keep Peeta safe. Katniss Everdeen may have been a difficult girl, but she wasn't without merit, and although she could have lived a thousand lifetimes and never deserved Peeta Mellark, the ways she sought to protect him were noble. Haymitch would have done anything for either of them.

“We'll figure it out,” he told her with a groan, bones creaking as he took a seat on a log beside her. “We'll figure it out, we'll get you back here, sweetheart.” The former Victor wasn't sure how, but he would find a way. Snow wasn't going to take this one down if he could help it.

[Genkai]

Gale whirled around when he heard Haymitch, of all people, speak up.

What could Gale say to that? That Katniss would be impossible to console? That being around Prim wasn't as complicated as walking around Katniss with careful footing? Gale would talk to Katniss but he didn't think she'd even be able to hear him at the moment. He was about to say something but Haymitch had already fled. Sighing, he looked back to Prim, not sure what else to say. Neither of them wanted to see Katniss struggle again and she was still damaged by the most recent Game, he wasn't sure if she could pull herself together in time to make a stand. It wasn't that Gale was questioning his faith in her or her ability but he wasn't sure if she could mentally go back out there, let alone only a year after getting out.

With Katniss an automatic tribute for the impending reaping, it made Gale wonder if it would be Peeta or Haymitch. And then their district needed another male and female duo. He wondered if he could volunteer as Katniss had done last year. He wished they had run away when they had the chance. Gale could have helped Prim survive and none of this would have ever happened. Katniss wouldn't have been forced to pretend to be in love, and she wouldn't have come back so broken and hollow. "Maybe I should volunteer." It would give Katniss a better fighting chance but at the same time, he wasn't sure about Prim, she would be truly alone if he did go along with Katniss willingly. Then again, she had a home now and her mother was becoming more present in their daily lives.

Outside, Katniss tried to cam her breathing, tried to pull herself together.

It wasn't really working.

After she finished screaming profanities at Snow in the sky above, she found the cold finally hit her. She was outside and angry and couldn't even begin to comprehend the consequences of her actions. She did hear someone approaching and out of instinct, her mind went into survival mode. She may not be armed but she could still fight if need be. When she saw Haymitch take a seat close by her on a log, she found it still rather hard to relax and put her guard down. Haymitch attempted to assure her that she'd be coming back which only made her lips twitch in a sarcastic grin. The girl let out a bitter laugh and shook her head. "I'm not worried about me." She was thinking of Prim and Peeta and even her mother. She knew there was a target on her back now and she had almost resigned already, accepting that the Quarter Quell would finally take her out.

"You can't be serious." Katniss laughed at him. "I'm not coming back." She wasn't sure and she had lost the ability to pretend that good things happened to her, that fairness ever existed. She wondered if she could do anything about Peeta. With his leg, he wouldn't make it very long with nearly fifty killers swarming around them. She could only hope the past victors had let themselves go with all the fancy luxuries they had been given as prizes. Katniss shivered but she wasn't sure if it was really due to the cold or to the fact that she was laughing at death again and this time, she honestly had no idea where to get strength from. She won already, Prim would be taken care of surely. Gale could help too, so if she really didn't come back, would it be so bad? "For all we know, Snow is going to make sure of that." She muttered, grim smile fading as she dig her fingers into the snow beside her.

Gale knew his thought about being a volunteer was unsettling but it was something to think about. He was sure he'd last a decent amount of time and would be able to help out Katniss and whoever went along with her. Something told him that she'd want Peeta to sit it out and have Haymitch go in his place. He wasn't sure if he could picture the drunk stumbling around the arena. If that was the case, it would be wise of the mentor to sober up before the Games even began. It still made Gale want to jump back into the fray with his friend. He could tell his random idea hadn't reassured Primrose much but he couldn't take it back now. And if he told Katniss, she'd refuse to let him do such a thing but it wasn't like she was in charge of him. "I know she'd want me to look after you but someone needs to look after her." He shrugged.

Looking over her shoulder, Katniss still didn't feel like going back. She would have to deal with her mother and then Peeta who would try to reassure her or make a terrible joke and Katniss couldn't handle them right now. She didn't want to leave Prim again though, Katniss would volunteer again if she could, as she didn't regret it the first time. Prim was all she had and that sliver of hope could be the key to bringing back the old stubborn determined Katniss. "Peeta won't...make it." She said quietly, trying to improve her tact since she got a hard time from Haymitch and Effie about being more likeable. "I need you." Katniss said bluntly and looked to Haymitch. "I wouldn't...you know I wouldn't ask you if..." She felt downright sick for asking him to take Peeta's place if it needed to happen but she needed him safe and Haymitch could be somewhat useful.

[mmidnight]

The archway was soon empty once more, and Prim felt her cheeks heat up with a mixture of embarrassment and shame. It was true that she hadn't thought to go after her older sister, but it wasn't due to a lack of concern, but rather, a loss of what to say. Words weren't going to help Katniss forget that she was going back into the arena so soon after getting out, and promises of being okay wouldn't comfort the dark-haired girl now that Snow had violated the longstanding rules of the Hunger Games. The blonde knew that she could have been a shoulder to cry on, a presence of comfort and a tangible sense of calm before the storm, but that Prim felt that should be done behind closed doors. Katniss was her rock, and Prim wanted to comfort her in her own way, whether Haymitch Abernathy approved or not.

Swallowing hard, Prim did her best to get herself together and focus on one thing at a time. Her mind was racing with thoughts of Katniss never coming home, with Snow winning again, and then there was the issue of Peeta and Haymitch. One of them would have to go back into the Games as well, and neither were exactly spry and healthy considering Peeta's leg and Haymitch's affinity with alcohol. Katniss would have no allies this time.

Gale's words put a stop to her depressing thoughts and a look of shock crossed her delicate features. “You can't be serious,” she said, sounding outraged. Volunteering hadn't crossed her mind, mostly because someone needed to be there for Mrs. Everdeen, but Prim knew that she wouldn't last a minute in the Games, especially not when the number of tributes would be doubled and the field would be flooded with the vicious Victors of the past. “Gale...why would you volunteer? What about your family and everyone who depends on you?” That was a horrible idea, and Prim couldn't let him make it a reality. “The Capitol isn't going to let more than one person come home this time. They won't make that mistake again. Just...think of what you're saying.”

It was cold outside. Haymitch could already feel his fingers starting to tingle in the winter wind, and the tip of his nose and cheeks had already gone a little red, but it was easy to ignore. He had half a bottle of liquor left and that was sure to warm him up at some point. Knowing Katniss, he was sure to be out there for a while.

When the dark-haired girl began to calm down, Haymitch was left unmoved and unsurprised by her words. Katniss Everdeen never worried about herself, she was too busy taking care of everyone else—whether it was her sister, or her mother, or the put upon people around the Seam, and even Peeta during the Games, she never gave a second thought to herself. “Someone has to worry about you,” he mentioned flatly, his tone not exactly conveying that that person was him. He tipped the bottle back to his lips, taking a long drink and enjoying the strong burn that came with it.

Haymitch didn't want to acknowledge the announcement yet, or even let it sink in that he was more than likely going to be going back to the arena decades later. It wasn't fair to recall Victors when they had already done their time, and already suffered great physical and psychological damage. Why he thought the Capitol would ever keep its word on anything was beyond him, but Haymitch didn't have the stomach to think on the situation directly as of yet. However, the only thing he was sure of was Peeta. The boy with the bread wouldn't last this time around, not with that leg of his. By some cruel joke of the universe, he was more able bodied than Peeta Mellark and Haymitch knew that Katniss knew as well.

The year before, his role as mentor had been to protect the two kids from District 12, do what he could to help them win. He may not have been the most compassionate man around, but that sense of responsibility had never left him. After years of watching tributes from his home get slaughtered, it had been easy for him to grow attached to the two had managed to save their necks and Haymitch wanted, perhaps more than anything, for them to stay safe.

“You got away before,” Haymitch shrugged, “we can get you again.” He took another drink from the bottle, the cold starting to creep back into him. He looked over at Katniss, the darkness concealing the concern that he couldn't keep from his eyes. “Snow's got nothing to do with this.” Defying the Capitol was possible, and Haymitch knew that Panem would be angry about the new rules and the notion that no one was ever going to be safe. Past Victors had become like family to those people, household names and brands all their own. No ordinary citizen would want to see them killed.

The kitchen was starting to feel too small, and Prim was itching for an excuse to get away from Gale and his bad ideas. “She's not going to let you volunteer,” the blonde told him, although she was sure that he already knew that. “She won't let any of us volunteer.” If any of them tried, Prim was sure that Katniss would never forgive them. She had worked so hard to keep everyone safe, and volunteering to be killed was a slap in the face; she didn't deserve that, and she didn't deserve to be forced to return herself. Presently, the best idea to beat this was to run away.

“I should clean up in the other room,” Prim said aloud. “I hope you've forgotten about volunteering by the time I come back.” She disappeared from view then, entering the living room to collect the shards of shattered glass from the floor.

Katniss's request hit Haymitch like a ton of bricks. While he had already decided to volunteer in Peeta's place, hearing ask made it so much more real. He was well past drunk at this point, but his mind still had moments of clarity, and Katniss asking him to volunteer without actually saying the words was sobering. “Way ahead of you,” he said, downing another drink from the bottle. “He's not gonna like it much, you know,” he pointed out, knowing Peeta didn't want to be treated like he was useless, “but you can break it to him.” If anything, Peeta was going to volunteer anyway, and Haymitch could easily step in. This wasn't something that was going to be negotiated with the boy, but it was probably best that he know ahead of time. Being a mentor wasn't easy, and charismatic and friendly as he was, Peeta had his work cut out for him.

[Genkai]

Haymitch mentioned Snow probably wasn't behind the rules this time, but she wasn't so sure. And his nonchalant encouragement didn't help her much either. Katniss was still trying to figure out the mess. With double the opponents, her odds were pretty terrible. It hadn't crossed her mind that making any alliances would help. As Haymitch took another drink, she grabbed it from him as he said she would need to tell Peeta herself. That stung but she knew she had to. "You've had enough." If he was going to try and be useful, he needed to start cutting back on his nightly binges. She glanced at the contents, they were nearly gone which wasn't a surprise to her. Still, she couldn't believe she asked Haymitch and he agreed. She couldn't let anything happen to him now but taking on the role of guarding three others from District 12 was crazy. Katniss knew she needed to give Haymitch more credit, he was clever when he wanted to be.

"Thank you." Katniss said quietly. It wasn't easy to thank someone for their sacrifice. Katniss was determined to make sure Peeta was kept safe, and she hoped Haymitch wasn't the price she'd have to pay in the end. She really did hate herself for asking but the alternative was foolish, Haymitch had to go in. Did she have to ask him? The girl wasn't sure but she did appreciate him understanding, even in his drunken state. There was hope for him, under all the crap, she was sure he'd be alright. She took a drink and threw her head back, finishing off Haymitch's drink since, as she said, he had had enough. Her face scrunched up and she shuddered, face still cringing. "That is awful." She coughed and set the empty bottle beside her, away from Haymitch.

She did feel warmer though, for a moment at least. Katniss leaned over and placed her hands on Haymitch's arm, using him to help her get back on her feet, as the snow was heavy and tricky. "Come on." She tugged on his arm. "If I don't make sure you get home, you'll pass out along the way or take off or something." Katniss told him. Katniss was grateful for Haymitch's cooperation, it took her by surprise and she in turn felt responsible for him. In the back of her mind, the warrior wasn't sure how she'd cope with her family for the next month. Then there was Peeta, who she wasn't sure how he'd react to being their mentor. Katniss had faith in Peeta, everyone loved him. Well, everyone except her. This was the only way though. Katniss knew he'd be mad but as long as he was away from the Games, he could hate her for all she cared.

As she half walked, half guided Haymitch to his home, Katniss went from being hopeful about the Games to being cynical. Coping with stress wasn't her strong suit. Archery helped but right now she just needed to get back home where it was warm. She told herself that she'd see Cinna and his words would be golden. As she opened the door and turned on the light, she shook her head. Bottles were everywhere, it was a mess. Usually she'd say something sarcastic about how he lived but not tonight. Katniss helped him over to the touch and set him down. Then she went over and checked the heating system, it was on so he wouldn't freeze to death. The filter on her mouth kept a comment bottled in about how he'd be no good to her dead before the Games. Even she couldn't say something horrible like that. "Try to eat something." Katniss just sighed/

Moving to the door which she left open, she looked over her shoulder. Dread still infected her heart, now she had to go home and talk to Peeta and Prim and Gale, hopefully she could ignore her mother. Nothing else came to mind so she headed out, shutting the door behind her. She trudged back to her house and entered. She saw Peeta and her mother talking. "Katniss, I was waiting up for you." He said and she walked over to him. She glanced to her sister and figured this talk was better in private. She helped him to another room while Prim and her mom went to clean up. "I know this isn't going to be easy for us-"

"You're not going back in." She cut him off.

"What?"

"Haymitch will take your place, you'll be safer as our mentor. You're charming and sweet and-"

"I want to be with you, I can help."

"Yeah, just not in the arena. It's best for everyone if you-"

"I'm out of the way?" Peeta cut her off and looked down at his leg. "I can train and practice, hell, if I need to, I can use this as a weapon." He insisted.

"No." Katniss pleaded. "Peeta, please, let me do this. You know things will be different, much harder-"

"And I barely made it out the last time." He glared at her. "You're trying not say it Katniss but I know you better than to be tricked. If this is about you and me-"

"It isn't!" She rolled her eyes, patience thinning.

"I get it. I won't get in your way, I'll leave you alone." Peeta muttered and headed off to go home. Katniss followed him, trying to offer to help get him home but he waved her off. "Just do whatever you want Katniss, you don't care who gets hurt as long as you get your way! We're all just obstacles for you anyway!" He slammed the door behind him. Katniss turned around and rubbed her face, leaning against the door. She wasn't trying to be selfish, she was trying to keep him safe like he did for her. She knew he'd likely cool off in time but she couldn't stomach Peeta angry. It didn't suit him. Katniss thought she'd handle it if he was upset with her but now that he really was, she felt even more lost. She saw the mess was cleaned up thanks to Prim. Katniss headed into the kitchen and saw Gale and Pim had finished packing the food and everything else away.

"Hey." Gale smiled slightly, having heard the last bit of the conversation. He'd love to take a shot at Peeta and comfort Katniss but he couldn't do it. "He'll come around, catnip. I think what you're doing is brave. Same with Haymitch." Gale said, trying to be supportive, aware of how badly things had gotten in such a short amount of time. He looked to Prim, knowing she was still upset about his idea of volunteering. He knew she didn't like it and he knew Katniss wouldn't either but Katniss proved that choices made were about survival, not being liked. He wondered if Prim would tell Katniss about what he said. He wished he hadn't, he wished he had kept it to himself. He was still considering it though, regardless of what Prim though. Gale could understand that she didn't want to possibly lose her sister or him. His goal was to help Katniss, not hurt Prim in the process. "I better be going soon too. I can drop some leftovers at Haymitch and Peeta's. And make sure Peeta made it back okay." He offered, knowing the girls wouldn't eat all the food themselves.

He knew Katniss probably wasn't up for talking and he also knew it was more of Prim's place to comfort Katniss right now. He grabbed two small boxes and put some leftovers in each of them and headed for the door. He didn't feel right leaving, not if Prim was upset with him. He didn't mean to upset her at all. He hoped she saw the logic behind his idea, as crazy as it was. The other candidates for the reaping weren't great and Gale could change his mind. Either way, they shouldn't worry about things that had yet to take shape. Gale doubled back and motioned Prim to meet him in the living room as Katniss got herself some hot tea. Good. "Listen, it was just an idea I had, it makes sense to me but I can see why it wouldn't to you." He considered. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or make you worry more than you probably are. I wish I considered that before blurting it out." He told her.

Gale sighed softly, fairly certain that she wouldn't tell Katniss since it would only make matters worse. At least Prim thought before she spoke, a talent Katniss had yet to figure out. And her blunt approach had rubbed off on him but thankfully it wasn't too bad, usually. "I'll see you later." He smiled gently and turned back to head out. It was late and Gale still had to make some stops before he got to see his own family. Thanks to Katniss, his family wouldn't freeze or starve. She had been generous with her new found luxuries. Kindness was a trait which both Primrose and Katniss thankfully possessed. As he walked out and off to right, he got to Peeta's home first. He gave his mother the box of leftovers and she thanked him. It seemed Peeta made it back alright, though his mood was still rather rotten. Gale then stopped by Haymitch, someone he didn't know well but knew Katniss looked up to, even if she'd never really admit it.

Knocking on the door, he set the food down and headed out of the village of modern styled homes and headed for his own humble abode. Back in the kitchen, Katniss finished making her tea and went out to see what Prim and Gale were up to. It seemed Gale was gone, like the wind. Katniss looked to her sister. "Come on." She said to Prim, It seemed their mother was already in bed which gave the sisters time to talk. Katniss went into Prim's room which was a lot more inviting than her own, and sat on the edge of the bed. It was so soft and comfortable compared to sleeping on the ground in the arena, or in a tree, or one a makeshift hay filled bed like the one in their old home. It was fine and nice but Katniss could never enjoy it without thinking about Rue and the others who had to die in order for her and her family to be safe. She patted the spot next to her for Prim, figuring the company shared would be welcomed after quite a turn of events.

Once home, Gale set his own leftovers down and saw his mother asleep, as were Rory and Vick but Posy was up and seemed to be waiting for him. He laid down beside her and pulled her close, glad to be home. Posy asked how Katniss and Prim were, inquisitive as always. Posy was the youngest and the only girl so Gale was pretty protective of her. Rory and Vick were protective of her too and sometimes hung out with him and Prim during the Hunger Games. He told Posy a story and she was quick to go to sleep. He stayed up, just watching the fire near the door. He was unsettled, he had a few reasons for being so, but even knowing them didn't give him a lot of comfort. Gale wanted to keep Katniss safe but he had his own family to worry about. Even if he didn't end up volunteering, his name was in the reaping ball, on about 50 slips now. His odds were pretty awful. How could he sleep knowing Katniss was already leaving? Who else would the Capital kidnap from their home?

Thankfully, Prim's name was in the reaping ball on less than ten slips of paper. Her odds were much better and that was sort of comforting. He didn't think his own idea of volunteering would give Primrose any crazy ideas, she was smart. She wasn't a fighter, she was safe at home, like Peeta. Gale just wanted to do something because he was sure that he could. He closed his eyes and figured he'd see Katniss and Prim sometime the next day. Maybe they could go out and get their minds focused on something else. Gale soon drifted off to sleep, after adding another log to the fire, the pile was huge thanks to Katniss. As she sipped her tea, she wasn't sure what to say to her sister. She just set it down on the floor by the bed and pulled Prim into her arms, propping her own chin on Prim's slim shoulder. Katniss had no idea what to do anymore. Did she make the wrong choice? Did it matter if she would be dead in the end? "I want to come back to you." She muttered to Prim, voice pained.

[mmidnight]

With his head spinning and a little bit of double vision going on, Haymitch knew that he wasn't much help. Katniss was painfully stubborn, and more than likely already had her mind made up about how the games were going to be played. It was sad to know that she had already accepted her fate, that she thought she was going to die, and that Snow was betting on it. He had been with her and Peeta through their tour, saw the unrest throughout the other districts and anyone with half a brain was able to see that something had been sparked across Panem, and Katniss was inevitable fire. Maybe he was wrong about Snow, maybe he would have been more inclined to agree with Katniss had he not been so drunk, but that was neither here nor there. He was determined to save her, and anyone else he could, for that matter.

“You don't get to decide when I've had enough, sweetheart,” Haymitch snapped, displeased to find that he no longer had the bottle grasped between his increasingly cold fingers. The older man knew very well that his alcoholism couldn't continue on if he was going to volunteer in Peeta's place. There was no place for weakness and disease in the arena, and Haymitch would be of no use to anyone if he was dead before the countdown even ended. Regardless, drunk Haymitch didn't appreciate being treated like a child by some angry, teenage girl.

He frowned as he watched her down the rest of his drink. There were more full bottles back at his house, tucked away in cabinets, sitting out in the open on the coffee table, and a handful scattered around his bedroom. The alcohol was no loss to him, but he didn't want to see Katniss go the same route, especially when she had so much to do and so much to live for. As for himself, there hadn't been much keeping him around, not until she and Peeta had come along. He hadn't wanted to care for either of them, and his new sense of responsibility was starting to wear on his paper-thin nerves.

A wry smirk crossed his face as Katniss sputtered and coughed. Haymitch was openly happy that she hated the drink. “That's what you get,” he chided. The situation softened immediately as Katniss placed her hand on his arm and he found the smirk slipping away from his face. He didn't try and argue as she helped him to his feet, and Haymitch leaned against her in his inebriated, unsteady state. He had never noticed how strong and solid Katniss was until she walked him home. As frail-looking as she was, she easily kept her balance under his weight.

Each step was heavy as Haymitch trudged up the stairs with Katniss. The cold combined with the alcohol he had been drinking for the better part of the day was finally caught up with him, and the former Victor felt woozy as he laid down on the battered couch near the window. His eyes followed her form as she poked around his living space, and for some reason, held back any criticism that was surely on the tip of her tongue. Haymitch couldn't say that he didn't appreciate it, he wasn't up for an argument at the moment. Shifting around, he made himself comfortable, head resting on the arm of the couch and arms folded around himself.

“You eat something,” he mumbled to her back, eyes already closed. Sometime later, a knock at the door would disturb him from his sleep, but Haymitch wouldn't budge from his place on the sofa.

Back at home, Prim was busy with being busy, trying to stop her head from hurting and her heart from aching. The thought of losing Gale to the games was fleeting, and anemic in comparison to the loss she already felt for Katniss. It wasn't fair that she was being taken away again when she had only just returned and Primrose had been allowed a taste of the new normalcy that winning and stability brought. How could the Capitol take that away? What gave them that right?

From the kitchen, Prim heard the exchange between Peeta and Katniss, and gathered that Haymitch had agreed to take his place in the upcoming games. The young blonde wished to intervene on her sister's behalf and explain that Katniss was only slightly overbearing because she cared, because she didn't want to see more innocent people die, but Peeta had left in a huff before she could force herself to move. Heavy guilt sat in her stomach, and Prim had always been timid, but she was suddenly ashamed of her inaction all over again. Volunteering crossed her mind just then, a way to repay Katniss for what she had done the year before, but she knew better than to do that. There was mother to take care of, residents of the Seam to help heal and Prim knew exactly where she was needed. She could already picture the look Katniss would give her if she even mentioned such a thing; probably similar to the look she had given Gale a short time ago.

Prim offered Katniss a sympathetic smile as the dark-haired girl joined she and Gale in the kitchen. “You just need to give him some time,” Prim added to Gale's impromptu pep-talk, although Katniss seemed less than optimistic. In a way, she was glad that Gale was choosing to leave for the night, Prim didn't want to be around him and couldn't figure out if she was more angry with him or herself. Wanting to volunteer was the noble thing to do, but a selfish part of Prim wanted him to stay, to have another chance to spend long afternoons with him, to pick berries and clean squirrels for supper at the end of a long day, and be close. Sometimes, Prim really made herself ill.

As Katniss made tea, Prim passed by her from behind and gave her shoulder a kiss, letting her know that she would be back and ready talk to talk once she saw Gale off. She didn't know what he wanted to say, but she owed him a moment to be heard. In the foyer, Prim crossed her arms and listened to the explanation that Gale was giving. Emotions were running high, and Prim knew that she should have accepted his apology and taken his word for it—that he hadn't done anything in order to hurt her. Instead, she remained silent, her sad, blue eyes a direct betrayal of the blank look on her face. “Goodnight, Gale,” was all she said before closing the door behind him.

Once again, the house was quiet and Prim locked up for the night, turning off all of the lights before finding Katniss in her bedroom. She was exhausted and sat down with her sister on the bed, sinking into the soft, fluffy mattress. She was at a loss for where to start, but the feeling of Katniss's arms around her, and the weakness of her normally strong voice caused the blonde's lower lip to quiver. She swallowed the lump in her throat, wanting to be the rock for a change when Katniss was so vulnerable. “You will,” she whispered, hugging the other girl tightly. “You belong here and,” she took a deep breath, “nothing is going to keep you away for long.”

That night, Prim fell asleep with Katniss, sharing the bed the way they had when they were small. It felt nice to be close again, and Prim would savor every moment while she could.

[Genkai]

Nothing else was said as Katniss curled up with her sister and the two fell asleep.

Their love for one another didn't need to be spoken when it was surrounding them so tightly.

The following morning Katniss awoke feeling more refreshed than she had been in months. A typical morning didn't start until she woke up from a dark nightmare. And yet the dreams she had were beyond her reach but they didn't matter since they didn't plague her like those she had when she was alone in her room. Sleep wasn't something Katniss enjoyed ever since she returned from the arena and the nightmares were frequent visitors whenever she settled down to close her eyes. Haymitch may ward them off with drinking but she and Peeta had yet to find their own coping mechanism. The next two days were quiet. Katniss stayed at home and no one visited her. She had expected Gale to drop by but she didn't know he and Prim had hit a snag in their friendship. If she knew he was considering volunteering, she would have been angry but understanding. District 12 didn't have a lot of athletes and his intention would make sense to her, though it wouldn't be met without a fight.

And since she and Peeta had a falling out, she didn't think he'd stop by but she did spot him heading over to Haymitch's a few times, likely to begin cleaning out his liquor supply, as well as his stash. Katniss knew she'd have to go over and help but she didn't want to run into Peeta, so three days after their disagreement she finally got up the courage to pay him a visit so they could sort things out. If he was helping Haymitch, it at least meant that Peeta accepted his position in the approaching Quarter Quell. When she got to his house, the two sat down in the dining room, his parents were out and his siblings at school. Somehow Peeta's accident improved their family's relationships so for that, Peeta was slightly grateful. Over the next two hours, Katniss would make them tea and they would hash out the events from a year ago. Katniss and Peeta would talk about their feelings and she'd explain that while she cared deeply for him, it had no romantic connection. Peeta didn't mention Gale but Katniss at least apologized for not including Peeta in the decision made to save Peeta. And in turn Peeta apologized for lashing out at her.

It wasn't yet decided if their charade would continue or not, Katniss thought she should tell Cesar when they got to the Capital and did their usual interviews. Peeta wan't sure how it would help their public image. He'd need to use his connection with Katniss to pull sponsors but if either of them took the blame, it would be costly. Katniss offered to blame their breakup on the Quarter Quell, that the Games changed them and going back in was too much for them to endure. Katniss didn't want to hurt Peeta by continuing to pretend to be in love with him. It was decided they'd talk it over with Haymitch and maybe the other tributes might be useful for getting the public's sympathy. For now, the two were back on friendly terms and headed off to finish cleaning up Haymitch's house. Haymitch didn't have the blessing of time so rather than ween him off the booze, it had to be done cold turkey. Katniss coaxed Haymitch to do some training but it was very little and the two ended up having a loud argument in the process. Over the next week and a half the dynamic between the three improved as Haymitch overcame the worst stages of withdrawal.

Gale contented himself with hunting alone while his siblings went to school. The snow was beginning to soften which meant winter was ending soon. He was sure by the time Katniss came back, spring would be upon them. He thought about how hard things must be for Katniss and her family. He thought about the nightmares Katniss didn't like to talk about. He also thought about how tricky her relationship with Peeta was. Gale loved Katniss but he was beginning to question the strength of his feelings the more he considered that she would never view him as anything more than a friend. Katniss was important to him and he kept thinking how different things would have been if they ran away. They might still be able to do it. Katniss had more supplies with her prizes from the unholy Capital. That idea was weak and he knew she was too stubborn to consider being a coward and hiding the rest of her life. As Gale came back from another long afternoon of exploration and hunting, he thought about Prim again. They hadn't spoken in two weeks and it was weird. They saw each other nearly every day.

But he said what he could and the rest was up to her.

Deep down, the dark haired man knew his choice would be made at the ceremony, in only a matter of seconds. As cruel as it was, he had to consider Katniss and Prim's situations. If the tributes were weak, he might volunteer to help Katniss. But on the off chance they had some potential and that Katniss wouldn't feel the need to save them and just focus on surviving, then he'd stay behind with Prim and look after her. He had to weigh lives against one another but if he could, he would always do what was best for those he cared about. He dropped off the slain trio of quail at home and saw a basket of bread and inside was a note from Peeta who said he, Katniss and Haymitch would be busy until pretty late, training to deal with night situations and to stop by and check on Prim. Gale had a feeling Katniss told Peeta to pass the memo along with something to eat. The sun was beginning to go down and he grabbed a small roll and told his mother he'd be back later and to start making dinner without him. He'd usually help prepare the game he brought home but his brothers had learned enough to help out in his absence.

Walking through the district, he saw many people were hurrying to get home. He didn't blame them. Recently peacekeepers were becoming more strict with their rules and it was making everyone on edge. Gale could accept the rocky relationship with some while others in the past were more lax with punishments and rules. Now things had changed and new peacekeepers had been brought in to be tougher on everyone. It wasn't fair. He hated how the Capital could just toy with everyone as if their lives were a game, as if no one but themselves mattered. The Capital was filled with selfish shallow people and he wished there was some way for him to take them all out, that would fix everything. The poor shouldn't outweigh the rich who relied on them to begin with. He took a large bite from his snack and tried to calm down as he approached the Victor's Village. He assumed the ragtag trio had gone into the wilderness after dropping off his basket of bread and baked goods. He was still uncertain as to how useful Haymitch would be but Katniss seemed to trust him. He approached the Everdeen household and finished his roll, dusting the crumbs off him.

Behind him the sun was just slipping past the white horizon. The temperature was dropping and if some people didn't starve to death this winter, they might end up freezing to death. Life was grim and listless in District 12 and his insides cringed when he thought how the Capital must be living. Katniss told him things but she didn't like to talk about it much. He rang the doorbell which wasn't something he really did. He usually just let himself in, as he was close enough with the family but he still wasn't sure if Prim was still upset with him. His visit would be quick hopefully, he couldn't stand seeing her so cold and unhappy, it didn't suit her and it just made him feel bad. Meanwhile, Katniss was navigating through the knee deep snow with Haymitch. Peeta had dropped out at the last minute and said his leg was giving him trouble but it was alright because he had to sit out on many of their exercises. It was Katniss' intention that they'd focus on starting a fire, finding a decent place to consider safe and practice being in the cold for a couple of hours. She brought along food and drink so Haymitch wouldn't complain as much and every couple of feet, she'd assure him they'd stop soon.

The arena could be anything but thanks to this little test, they'd be able to deal with someplace cold or at least miserable.

Pulling up her hood, she sheltered her ears from the wind and slow down, spotting a small rock formation that could get them off the wet snow covered ground. "How about that?" She asked and went for it without waiting for Haymitch's approval. "These should still be warm from the sun we had today, it's been getting warmer." She said as she threw her pack on top and tried to get up to the top herself. It wasn't too high, only five or six feet but she couldn't find a way to get any grip to haul herself up. Trees still surrounded the area but she backed up enough to get a running start. Rather than have the momentum help her get leverage, the girl ended up hitting knee against the rock when she jumped up and dropped to the ground. "God damnit!" She rubbed her knee. It wasn't broken or bleeding but it hurt like hell. She glared up and saw Haymitch get up easily though it had something to do with his height, she was sure. By now they were getting over the issue of asking for help from one another. Hanging onto pride was a big mistake and they had to count on each other if they were going to make it through. So Katniss got up and grumbled, face a little red and reached out so he could help her up. "Someone would have killed me by now, I know I know." She sighed.

When the door opened and revealed the mother and not the smaller resident of the home, he let out a small sigh of relief. He was invited in and he was thankful for that. He glanced around, nothing had changed since he left. It had been so long though, that it felt like everything had changed. Missing Katniss was easy. The time they shared was usually in silence when they went out to shoot or hike around. But when it came to Prim, they liked to talk and try different things. He'd pick berries with her, they'd try to cook and not cause a massive fire. Katniss had been gone so long during the Games. Seeing her on the monitors wasn't the same but he at least had Primrose. But with her being mad at him, it didn't feel right. It felt like he was sort of nonexistent. It as hard to explain. "Katniss hasn't come by has she?"

"I haven't seen her since this morning, she's always busy training. You've been busy too." She smiled. "Prim, Gale's here!" She then called out, as she usually had done when Katniss was away.

"Oh yes." He glanced down. "I came by to mention that Katniss might not be back for a while, maybe not until the morning, she wanted me to make sure you guys didn't wait up or anything." Gale told her. His chest felt heavy even though he had apologized. He really didn't like the distance between him and Prim. it was nearly dinner time and he wanted to get away from the awkwardness as soon as possible. "I should be going, it's dark." He started to say, raising his head.

[mmidnight]

In the weeks that followed the announcement of the latest Quarter Quell, Haymitch had his life turned upside down. Sometimes, he really hated that Peeta and Katniss had won their games, and the aging Victor would have loved nothing more than to hide away in his house, and stay drunk until the damn train came to take him to the Capitol to die. Instead, the two of them had devised a plan to get him clean and whip him into shape for the arena. Haymitch still had every intention of taking Peeta's place, and that wasn't going to change, but there was a method to his madness and he didn't appreciate not being able to make his own decisions.

Those first days without liquor were hard. Haymitch found himself shaking, sweating, vomiting and wishing for death. Thanks to Peeta, his stash had been cleaned out, mercilessly dumped down the drain, never to be heard of again. Going cold turkey had been hard, but as the days went by, Haymitch felt better and better. Of course, there were new issues to deal with when it came to sobriety, like the night terrors that plagued his no longer intoxicated mind and the stress of knowing that the Quarter Quell was just around the corner. The winter wouldn't last for much longer, and then the Reaping would come.

When Haymitch had finally gathered enough strength to leave the house, he started to train with Katniss and Peeta. It was nice to have the boy around, he was a natural buffer between himself and Katniss, whose personality grated on his raw nerves even worse now that he was sober. There had been a few shouting matches between the two of them, and Haymitch didn't think the Girl On Fire was taking things as seriously as she could have been. Winning the games, being the solitary Victor through sheer brutality and wits, was difficult. The goal was for Katniss to win, to come home and finally put all of this behind her. Haymitch didn't like being asked to die is training was going to be treated like it was fun.

The weather was caught between winter and sprint, with chilly days and cold nights, and Haymitch had been following Katniss through the wilds behind 12 for the better part of the afternoon. It was extra training, now consisting of just the two of them since Peeta's leg was giving him trouble. Every time he was reminded of that damn leg, it was became that much more difficult to be cross with the baker—he wouldn't have lasted two minutes in another games with a handicap like that.

Even though they were now minus a foil, he and Katniss were getting along just fine. The sun had began to dip low in the sky when it was finally time for a break. Large rocks had sat baking in the sun all day, and that would make for a perfect seat, long enough to rest before heading back into town. Haymitch pulled himself up onto the structure after helping Katniss up before him. “Victors who can't climb a rock don't last long,” he agreed, feeling the need to remind her. Letting out a deep breath into the cold air, Haymitch rubbed his gloved hands together. “Any hopes for the arena?” he asked. The Games weren't the only thing to talk about, but they were the most present and obvious. Haymitch had never been a conversationalist anyway.

Back in the Victor's Village, Prim had been keeping herself busy as usual. When she wasn't cooking or cleaning up the house, her nose was stuck in a book, reading up on healing and learning more about the plants in the area, along with new natural remedies for just about everything. There was no telling when this sort of information would come in handy. One major plus to keeping her mind occupied was that the young blonde wouldn't have to think about Gale. Their conversation from the week before hadn't gone well, and Prim had stayed mad at him in the days that followed. However, she quickly let go of her anger and was left with a sadness for that apparent failure of the friendship. She missed him, especially now that Katniss was gone so often to train with Peeta and Haymitch.

The day had gone on without incident. Katniss had left in the morning before Prim herself had even woken up. She did a little sewing with her mother and then started on dinner for that evening in the early afternoon. The blonde suspected that it would just be her and her mother, but she hoped that Katniss would come home for a meal, and she didn't mind if her older sister dragged Haymitch and Peeta as well. When the house was full, Prim felt more secure. She wasn't used to such a large space, considering where she had lived before, and people helped to make everything more cozy.

It was late in the evening, close to sunset when the doorbell ran and Prim jumped slightly, startled. No one ever rang the bell. Frowning, she closed her book and listened closely, able to hear her mother talking to someone, but she couldn't quite make out the conversation. It wasn't until she was called did she come out and see Gale standing in the doorway. He seemed bashful, as if he didn't really want to be there. Briefly, Prim wondered if he was still upset with her, or if they really weren't going to be friends ever again.

“Have you eaten?” she asked, surprised to find her voice so easily. Primrose was never one for confrontation. “Dinner is almost ready, and if Katniss isn't coming home, we'll have plenty.” An extended invitation was as much as Prim could handle. If Gale rejected it, she wasn't likely to ever try again. She bit at her lip, her fingers curling around a loose thread found on the hem of her sweater. He made her so nervous; it wasn't fair.

[Genkai]

It really wasn't fair.

Of course Katniss knew she was in bad shape if a rock was giving her trouble. "Shut up." She snapped at him, having already contended to her inability to conquer it. When Haymitch helped her up, she bent her knees, tucking them against her chest. Even though the rocks were warm, they wouldn't keep them cozy for very long. As she pulled open her pack and began setting up the tinder and twigs she brought to make a small fire, she was asked what sort of arena she'd prefer. A dry sarcastic smirk made its way to her lips as she began to hit her two stones together that were made to create a spark. "I know what I don't want and that's water. Not a fan of swimming, let's say it's out of my depth." She could swim but she wasn't great, probably not even good by most standards. There was a lake in their district but because it was hard to get to, most people didn't swim. "I'd like a forest like last time, it at least makes me feel like I could be home and not running for my life."

She then considered as she finally got some spark to snag on the tinder. She blew into it and the smoke circulated around them. She coughed, trying to unclog her throat as she let it sit between her and Haymitch as she added some of the sticks and twigs she brought along with her. Her survival skills had been improving but she knew she had other areas that needed improvement. She wondered what she'd get to brush up on when it came to train in the Capital. They would have a week, that was a lot of time. Katniss hadn't thought about who the other two would be, she would want to look out for them, even if she didn't know them. They would be like family to her, no matter what. That was a weakness she couldn't concede. "I doubt they'll do it again though." She shrugged as she turned toward the fire, a lovely heat and light source. It was windy but there was no hint of snow or rain in the air.

For once it was dry and meant change was indeed coming to the tiny coal mining district. Her mind could only think about places she would hate to be in, like sand or rock. Or water. She rubbed her hands together and pulled her own leather gloves off before she got another item out of the pack, two small loaves of french bread courtesy of Peeta and his parents. They weren't burnt. She handed one to Haymitch and looked at hers fondly, that day in the rain meant different things to both her and Peeta, she never thought she'd be fighting for her life alongside him years later. Nor did she think she'd even be talking to the town drunk. She had been so used to see him lurk around that when she first saw him on the train, outside of the district, she was a bit shocked. Though that likely had to do with her just leaving District 12. She took a small bite and chewed.

Even though she still considered Haymitch her mentor and looked up to him, they knew very little about one another. Maybe that was a good but then again, maybe it wasn't. Either way, she was struggling to make idle chit chat, it wasn't her strong suit either. They may have more in common than they realized. A part of her wanted to ask about his friends who would be showing up but she really didn't want to hash details about the Games. Training was tiring enough and for all she knew, she wouldn't have another chance to talk to Haymitch candidly before cameras were watching their every move. As she tried to sift through her thoughts, all she kept coming up with were rude things to talk about, and she was trying to work on her personal skills. "You remind me of a fox you know. It might typical to say wolf but I don't think you're that vicious. Foxes can survive on their own, sure but they do well with others even though they might not admit it. And foxes are more cunning I think, always so damn hard to catch so I'm sure a fox and a mockingjay can catch a bunch of career snakes without too much trouble."

He wasn't sure what to say, let alone do.

If her mother hadn't said anything, Gale would have been fine with turning around and going back home. At least there he wouldn't have to deal with a bunch of petty dram and awkward interactions which he hated. He didn't like feeling this way towards Prim. He had no idea if she was still mad at him. He was pretty sure she was still holding some sort of grudge like her older sister could. Even though she offered for him to stay, he wasn't sure how to respond. Gale wondered if she was just being polite in front of her mother. Prim was normally nice to most people, but he wasn't sure if her vision of him had changed over the time since they last spoke. He didn't know and he didn't like it. Should he go back home to his own family or should he stay? If Katniss was around, he probably would have stayed but he would have preferred to stay because of Prim, not out of guilt or duty. Nothing like that.

He glanced up to Prim and then to her mother who was also awaiting his reply. "I haven't eaten yet, no." He admitted. The house smelled good, as it usually did. He knew if he didn't come back home soon, that his family would assume he was with Katniss and her family. Several times they had come over to the Everdeen household for weekend dinners together. It was nice but Gale was never fully relaxed in such lavish settings, nor was Katniss from what he could tell. Maybe that was why she liked to train or hunt as often as possible. While the reward of the home and money and goods were amazing, he had a feeling his friend would trade it all if it meant never having to go back and leave her family. Gale figured spending some time with Primrose wouldn't be so bad, he did miss her. He just wasn't sure if she missed him.

"I can stay a little while, thanks." He ended up giving in. If things between Prim and himself could be mended, that would be great but he wasn't sure what to expect really. The last thing he wanted though, was for him to end up leaving Primrose with them still on bad terms. No, he wasn't sure if he'd volunteer but if he did, he would prefer having the support of Prim, even if she wasn't happy about it. Gale couldn't really go if he didn't have someone like her to come back to. Katniss was lucky to have a loving sister who could put up with her. And in turn, Prim was lucky as well, for so many reasons. He was sure the sisters' relationship was still strong and that was what was most important. The boy walked in further as the mother headed into the kitchen. "It's been a while." He commented to Prim as he followed the older woman into the kitchen to see if he could do anything to help now that he was staying.

From the look of things, the table was already set for three people so he didn't have to help there. And whatever was in the oven was just about done. He moved over to the sink to wash his hands. He was still adamant that he said all he could. If Prim wanted to stay mad, he'd understand but he had nothing else to say on the matter of him volunteering. It was a heavy topic and one he didn't want to bring up until it really mattered. "Anything I can do?" He decided to ask, just in case. The mother waved him off and told him it would be another ten minutes and that he could go hang out with Prim until then. Nodding, he headed back out of the kitchen and up the stairs, surprised to see Prim hadn't moved from where she was. Evidently they weren't sure how to act around one another, as they hadn't gotten into many fights before and weren't sure how to act. "What have you been up to, with Katniss always away?" He worried if she was lonely or trying to get used to her sister being gone again, the idea unsettled him greatly.

[mmidnight]

Beyond the fences that held District 12 hostage, out in the wilds, Haymitch finally felt free. He carried with him a new sense of terrifying clarity from being sober, and it wasn't something that he was going to get used to anytime soon. Knowing that he would have to participate in another Quarter Quell, that he wouldn't be coming back this time, made him crave a drink, just as a way to escape. Although he hadn't yet accepted his fate, facing the coming storm with Katniss made things a little easier. Her company was hard to enjoy from time to time, but it was her strong personality that reminded Haymitch that he needed to be strong too. After all, he was a man, and he needed to keep things in check and set the stage for the upcoming Reaping.

It was obvious what kind of arena Katniss would have preferred, but he doubted that the Capitol would want something else with a forest after the year before. The Quarter Quell was extravagant, meant to draw in viewers and was always more grotesque and shocking than the games preceding it. Haymitch remembered his games like it was yesterday, the vivid images still haunted his dreams and the trauma slipped into his waking life every now and then. Becoming a Victor was bittersweet—even though he had survived, he had become a killer and that fact alone made him wish that the winner would have been anyone else. Years later, survivor's guilt still lingered heavily on his head.

“Probably not,” he agreed and let the conversation trail off as Katniss started the fire. The heat was welcomed, as the rocks had only absorbed so much warmth from the sun that day. Winter was still hanging in the air, and Haymitch found himself wishing for spring as he rubbed his hands together, and warmed his cold fingers by the growing fire. The air was starting to warm around them, making the hard rocks seem somewhat cozy and Haymitch found himself relaxing. He accept the bread from Katniss when she passed it to him. The roll was from Peeta, and the older man found himself wishing the younger could have toughed it out and kept up with them.

He tore a chunk off of the bread and took a bite, savoring the perfectly baked texture. Haymitch took another bite and raised an eyebrow as Katniss spoke. He didn't understand what she was getting at when she began, not thinking himself to be anything like a fox. His body was shot, ruined from years of alcohol and his mind, although still sharp, was nothing compared to that of his youth. However, he had to smile when she mentioned taking down the careers together, a hidden optimism in her voice almost made him think that he would be coming home too.

“They're not as bad as you think,” he mentioned, “well, not the older ones.” The new careers grew more dangerous each year, but some of the past Victors had become friends of his. He didn't want to see them in the arena, though. “All this, making us all go back—I say we refuse.” he was joking, kind of, but he didn't think the Capitol could force all of them to compete when they had already done their duty and offered their sacrifice.

Although she was very different from her sister, much more warm and inviting, Prim didn't have that many friends. She had a hard time keeping people close to her, and her main concern had always been her family, Katniss and their mother, who needed so much help. Normally, the blonde chose to keep her mother company rather than hang around with the other girls in the Seam, and soon, people stopped inviting her places. After Katniss had volunteered for her the year before, Prim could feel others judging her, pitying her, and she hated it. The comfort and isolation of home was better than the outskirts of the district. The only saving grace from the loneliness that sometimes cropped up had been Gale and their sudden friendship, but after their disagreement, she wasn't sure about him anymore.

Losing out on a friendship that had barely had a chance to begin was difficult to think about, and for Prim, there was more to it. She knew that Gale and Katniss were magnetic, and when her older sister had been away in the Capitol, Prim had the chance to find out just how wonderful Gale actually was. The silly crush she had on him made her feel guilty, and stupid for thinking that she wouldn't be easy to walk away from after a disagreement. The only constant in her life was Katniss, and Prim knew to be grateful for that.

She found herself surprised when Gale agreed to stay, and went to close the door behind him as he followed her mother into the kitchen, making mention that it had been a while. It hurt to know that he knew how long it had been, and Prim had a paranoid passing thought that he had been avoiding her on purpose, and had only agreed to stay because he was polite. She shook her head at herself and closed off her emotions, trying her best to prepared for an awkward and stiff evening.

When Gale reappeared, obviously having nothing to do in the kitchen, Prim forced a smile at his question. “I've been studying healing. There are a lot of herbs that will start to come out in the spring. I wanted to know what to do with them beforehand,” she answered. Healing was something that was all her own, and Prim was proud of herself and her knowledge. “What have you been doing?” She assumed he was hunting, trading like normal and taking care of his family, but she wanted to hear anyway. If he wanted to talk, maybe they could still be friends.

[Genkai]

Haymitch didn't say much in regards to her thoughts on his spirit animal. It made her go back to thinking about Peeta and Gale and Prim. As she considered Gale, weighing his traits she knew so well, the man spoke up, regarding the career victors they'd be facing. She knew he was likely friends with many of them and that seeing them all in the arena would be painful, but she couldn't be as sentimental as he was. That was a strength for her as well as curse. She didn't know anyone else, she wasn't tied down emotionally. On the same issue, they knew each other well. They knew everyone's strengths and weaknesses while she was an outsider, still new to the damned politics of being a victor who had some kind of image to uphold. Katniss wasn't sure what to say to him. Her first instinct was to dismiss his comment about them not being all bad.

If he had personal reservations, then her plan had to change if she couldn't count on Haymitch to be loyal. Katniss just took another bite, soon finishing off the roll which would provide them with a decent amount of carbs. She was unsettled with the idea of how things would play out when they all had weapons. Would Haymitch be able to react? Or would he get cold feet? She tried to think what it might be like for Haymitch or the other veterans. To have to kill friends you knew and cared about, to have to kill when you thought you'd never have to. It was hard for her since making and keeping friends wasn't something the girl was used to doing. But the idea of killing loved ones and dirtying her hands again did bother her. She wasn't proud of those she killed even in defense. She dusted some crumbs off of her and shrugged at his next comment about refusing.

She knew he wasn't serious but the idea was so lame that it almost made her smile a little.

Refusing would be even worse. There had to be some way to not become puppets again. Or as Peeta might say, a pawn in their game. What made things tricky was the idea of having experienced victors among fresh blood, tributes who already had terrible odds. What was the point in including them? It was sick. Katniss remained silent as she listened to the fire crackle between them. "Gale wanted us to run away last year, on the day of the reaping...I guess he had a bad feeling. Maybe I should have gone." Prim would be safe, like Gale and his own family. "Then you wouldn't be going back in and Peeta..." She trailed off, having forgotten about him. He still would have been reaped. Probably not made it out. She stopped herself from saying anything else after that. Running away wasn't something she ever considered though and while she sometimes thought about what ifs, she didn't regret staying. "I guess we can't fake being sick the day of the Games." She swung the tone back around to something light as she scratched her nails against the stone.

Gale was curious as to why Prim wanted to learn more about healing herbs and the like. He figured it was something to pass the time, which he understood. He slipped his hands into his pockets and nodded at her comment, not sure what to say. Usually things between him and Primrose were casual and if there was any silence, it wasn't at all awkward. And yet Gale felt very awkward in the moment with Prim. It was weird. He felt like quicksand had gotten hold of him and he was struggling to not sink further in. Still, he knew he had to be careful, try to tread lightly if possible. "Oh I've been hunting, taking walks, taking care of the others, the usual." He replied to her, not sure what she was really expecting to hear from him. His life wasn't that noteworthy, she knew that. She didn't have to ask but she did. Gale still wasn't sure how to read their situation but for now, he was just deal with it as best he could. Prim was around the age where feelings were complicated and muddled.

Thankfully they were called in to eat and he perked up, hungry but also relieved that they had a distraction.

Allowing Prim to go in first, he followed after her and moved to the large table where they could sit and eat, catch up. Gale helped himself to the food and began to eat. It was tasty and he made a mental note to bring home some to his family, if possible. He was usually allowed to without having to ask but now he felt like an outsider, a stranger in their home. He could sense things with Prim were still weird and he wondered if he should just cut off ties now, maybe that would be easier, better for her. That notion made his insides cringe. He had Katniss, he couldn't just pretend he and Prim weren't friends anymore, or ever for that matter. Gale complimented the meal and looked up, still not sure what to say to Prim. He wasn't sure if she was still cross with him or not and he didn't feel right about bringing it up, especially at the table so he went back to eating.

In the back of his mind, he wondered if he should try consulting Katniss would help. Maybe Katniss knew what was going on in her sister's mind. That didn't seem right though, not to Gale anyway. The dark haired man slowed down and sat back as he was almost done eating. He figured all of his work today had resulted in a hefty appetite. And he had things at home to eat too so he reminded himself not to be too greedy. "I hope you and Katniss are spending time together." He commented aloud. It was meant for Prim but he left it open in case her mother had anything to say on the matter. He knew Katniss should train but he also wanted to hang out before she left and he was sure her sister felt the same way. Maybe there was a way the three of them could hang out together. Or maybe tag along with Haymitch and Peeta. He wasn't sure but he knew their time was limited together, that was certain.

[mmidnight]

In the arena, there were no friends and everyone was fair game. Haymitch had gone into this once before with the mentality that friendship could conquer some of the brutalness of the games, that sticking together and forming alliances would do good. In the end, becoming a Victor had only hurt more and Haymitch still remembered Maysilee Donner, and what it felt like to feel someone die. The whole time while in the arena, he had tried his best to protect her and then she struck out on her own, not wanting to be the one to kill him. She had only been on her own for a few minutes before she was attacked by a flock of neon pink bird, their razor sharp beaks slicing through her neck like a warm knife in butter. Haymitch had saved her pin, the Mockingjay that was passed onto Madge from her mother, and then to Katniss. Haymitch may not have been able to save Maysilee, but Katniss still had a chance.

He stuffed a large bite of bread into his mouth and chewed slowly, still listening to Katniss as she went on to mention Gale's brilliant idea from the year before. At sixteen, if someone had mentioned running away to escape the Hunger Games, he probably would have taken the chance. Of course, years ago, the fence that kept the residents of 12 hostage still worked, and getting out would have been just as deadly as any arena. “Could of,” he finally nodded, finishing off his bread. “Should of,” he added as he scooted closer to the fire and warmed his hands.

Snorting, Haymitch nodded again, and even cracked a smile. That would be something to see, a tribute faking sick. “Can't die today, I've got a fever,” Haymitch mocked, laughing. He rubbed his hands together for the friction, warmer already thanks to the flames. “The other winners are just as angry about this as you are, I'm sure,” he began, “but you've got an advantage. You're the new thing, the hot commodity. You're going to have alliances and you're not going to need Peeta to win people over for you.” Everyone in Panem knew what Katniss could do with a bow and arrow, any tribute, past or present, would be crazy to not want to join up with her.

For a brief moment, Haymitch thought of telling Katniss about his own games, but he wasn't sure he was ready to go into the gory details. At the time, he had been happy to come home, but returned a different person and drank to forget. The memories would always be there, and Haymitch hoped that when he stepped into the arena for the second time, it wouldn't be anything like the first. He didn't want to see a single candy-colored sunset, or artificially green leaf, no neon blue water and definitely no birds that were capable of sawing necks in half. Katniss didn't need to hear those things from him, she would see for herself eventually, and hell, she had lived it to an extent. However, she deserved to know more about him, and what he had to say could help to save her life down the line.

“Has anyone ever talked to you about the year I won?”

Standing there in front of Gale with nothing to say had never been more awkward. Normally, conversation came easily between Prim and Gale, but things had obviously changed and that was unsettling. She hadn't thought that telling him not to volunteer, that trying to protect him, would drive Gale away so quickly. Perhaps it had been silly of her to think that their friendship had meant something, that it had been special and not just something to do while Katniss was away. Everything was a mess, and the secret feelings that Prim had for Gale only served to complicate things even more. The young blonde had never had her heart broken before, and she was growing nervous as she wondered if this was the last time they would really have together.

There wasn't time to say much, to ask questions about his hunting, or his family, because it was time for dinner. Prim didn't have much of an appetite, and found herself pushing her meal around her plate with her fork. Occasionally, she would glance over at Gale and want to say something, but no words came out. Besides, she didn't want to worry her mother, the woman was just starting to recover from the knowledge that Katniss would have to go back into the arena, and Prim didn't want to add any stress to her life. She was content to eat, to take a few bites here and there and let her mother field Gale's questions about spending time with Katniss.

“That was good, Prim,” the older blonde smiled at her daughter and Prim smiled in return. She could tell that her mother needed rest, her blue eyes were starting to flutter.

“You should go to bed, mom,” Prim suggested with a soft smile as she got up to gather the plates. The older woman agreed, giving her daughter a kiss on the head a polite goodnight to Gale before leaving the room.

The air between them was still awkward, but Prim took his plate anyway, setting the dishes in the sink to be done. She ran the water, trying to distract herself, but all she could think of was Gale in the next room and trying to fix their friendship. Biting at her lip, the blonde turned off the water and quickly strode back into the dining room. She licked her dry lips, “I'm sorry for the other day. I...if you want to volunteer, you should. I didn't mean to...” She sighed, heart beating rapidly in her chest. “I'm not mad at you.”

[Genkai]

Haymitch's encouragement of having left left with Gale wasn't surprising in the least.

Looking back, she probably should have. It would have saved her and those she knew a of pain and trouble. Then again their district wouldn't be filled with new found hope and it meant two other lives could have also been spared since she and Peeta both came back, even with targets on their backs, they were alive. He then faked having a fever to get out going into the Games. This caused Katniss to give a gentle chuckle as she imagined herself trying to feign sickness and Snow actually buying it like some dear old dad. Then again, they surely wanted tributes at the top of their game. It was a wild shot in the dark but maybe it would work, if all else failed. She glanced at Haymitch, cracking an actual grin. They could come up with the weirdest things sometimes. Well, when he was sober and in a decent mood and when she wasn't worrying about her loved ones and trying to keep everyone at arm's length, then yes, they were a weird duo.

He then assured her that she was a "hot commodity" and that people still liked her and that she could use it to her advantage. Katniss chewed on that idea for a moment. The others were surely pissed, like she was. Why would Snow risk poking them all with a large stick when they were all pretty deadly? She didn't understand it. Haymitch had tried to tell her before they left the Capital when they had won. He tried to warn her but she didn't understand. It was slowly coming into focus but Katniss was still struggling to figure out the big picture but in her mind, she didn't need one. All she needed to do was protect Prim and Peeta and Gale and Haymitch and her mother and anyone else who didn't deserve to see such horror and destruction. "Thanks." She said lightly, her grin having faded to just a small smile. Haymitch didn't dish out compliments very often so she appreciated it.

"No." She replied when he brought up his own Games. Katniss knew she could have looked at the footage with Peeta but when they sat down, he didn't seem to have the stomach for it. And whenever the Games came on when she was back home at the Hob, she paid little mind to them, not due to their nature but because she didn't care. She didn't want to care and watch people get killed. Katniss was still interested in what had happened to Haymitch and how someone like him managed to outsmart a good number of people. She knew he was a good tactician and his physical capabilities were also good but to come from nothing to becoming a victor was a pretty big feat and she wanted to know how he did it. When they first met, she wanted to ask him but Peeta advised her against it, since she and Haymitch were already on shaky terms with one another. "What was it like...for you?" She finally asked him, unknowingly holding her breath.

The more time the trio spent around the table, the more evident the shift became.

Gale knew he would have to go soon. He knew his family would want to spend time with him, as they had been doing a lot recently. It was a good, welcomed change for the usual day to day life he had developed when Katniss was away. He wasn't sure how things would be different this time, his mind was not that far ahead. The boy just continued to eat and when things appeared to be wrapping up, Primrose suggested her mother turn in for the night. Then she cleared the table. He stood up to help but then sat back down, unsure if his aid would be well received or not. Gale drummed his fingers on the table and mentally decided to at least say goodbye before leaving. Even though things between them were tense, he didn't want to be rude and not thank Prim for her hospitality.

In the background he could hear the water turn on and then off. He got to his feet, figuring now would be the best time to try and slip out without doing anymore damage than he had already done. He didn't really need any sort of leftovers, even if the food was pretty good, he had things back at the Seam. Prim returned and before he could excuse himself with proper politeness, Primrose spoke up. She apologized and said if he wanted to volunteer, he should and that she wasn't mad at him. The last bit made Gale smile and relax a bit more. It was pretty clear they were unsure of how to proceed after things had been said and time had slipped away over the past two weeks. "I don't...I don't want to volunteer but I might have to." He said, trying to be careful with his wording. "I won't know until the day the others are reaped." He said and shrugged a little.

This wasn't easy for either of them. "And I'd hate for me to leave without us clearing things up." Gale added, looking back up to the blond. "I care about you and your sister a lot." He said. "I want to protect her but I also want to look after you, not because Katniss asked me to or because I think you're helpless-" He stopped himself and glanced off, not entirely sure where he was going. Wherever it was, it was off track. "Katniss is capable of coming back, maybe I am too...but I don't want us to think about any of that. I mean the Capital shouldn't be able to take away our time together and peace of mind." Gale told Prim. "I get why you were angry but...it was a little lonely without you around. I missed you and would have preferred you talk to me rather than brush me off." He said quietly. "Besides, girls look a lot cuter when they're smiling." He smiled a little, wishing Katniss would do it more, but Prim had a good enough smile herself and he hated to think he caused Primrose to frown or even worse, cry.

[mmidnight]

There were things that Haymitch had never wanted for Katniss, and being on Snow's bad side just for doing what she had to survive was one of them. He thought back to the previous year, the lie that the Capitol had interjected into the Game; two winners. He remembered how absurd it sounded, how he and the other mentors, even the ones whose tributes had already died, didn't like the sound of it. The Games were hard enough to get through as it was, but the one thing they had going for them was that they were straight forward—twenty-four kids went in, and one came out. Altering the rules in the middle of the competition was the first warning sign that no one was safe, and Haymitch should have known that something like this was coming for the Quarter Quell. This wasn't just about Katniss, this was about all of them, everyone in Panem who even though to put a toe out of line.

He wished she would have run away with Gale, he really did. “Yeah, you're welcome,” he replied with a single nod, thinking her smile to be infectious. A smile looked nice on Katniss, made her look pretty and much more human. Haymitch knew that she was tough, but it was refreshing to see that she was still capable of letting her emotions come through. It was something he hadn't done for years himself, and Haymitch hoped that she never lost the ability to connect with others; it would have been a damn shame.

Hearing her answer, Haymitch breathed a sigh. He hadn't thought that anyone would bother to tell her anything, and really, there wasn't much of a story to tell. What had become of his life after the games was nothing to be proud of, and he knew that he should have died. He had already been half-dead when that girl from District 1 threw her ax, but lucky for him, she hadn't anticipated the rebound from the fore field. Haymitch didn't even remember winning.

“It was beautiful,” he said bitterly, speaking of the arena. “They really outdid themselves for the big five-oh.” Haymitch went on to tell her about the sweet-smelling meadow that stretched on for miles, the perfectly blue sky, the lush, green forest and the snow-capped, picturesque mountains. “It was all a trick, though. Every last thing. The mountain was a volcano, killed the whole career pack when it erupted. Everything was poisonous, the food in the forest, the water in the streams, the meadow knocked you out dead if you got too close to a flower. And the butterflies,” he shook his head, skin crawling as he thought of their stings. “The only safe thing was the rain water, and the food from the Cornucopia. At least half of us were dead before nightfall.”

Looking over at Katniss, Haymitch did his best to gauge her reaction. He didn't want to scare her, but she needed to know just how dirty the Capitol was. He continued with his story, talking about how survived by collecting rain water and stealing food from the packs of the dead tributes. Then there was Maysilee, and thought of her death always made him sick with regret. He spoke of the birds, the way their polished beaks had sliced through her neck and how he stayed with her and held her hands as she died. Although, Haymitch left out the Mockingjay pin, assuming Katniss would eventually find out for herself. “After that, it was me and three others. One went down in combat, and the other was,” he sighed, staring into the fire, “eaten by a pack of squirrels.” It didn't sound terrible when it said it out loud, but he had watched the tape during his first interview as Victor and the way those animals tore that kid apart still haunted him.

“That left me and the girl from 1. She caught me off guard, stabbed me in the gut. I couldn't do much but crawl away from her while trying to hold everything in,” Haymitch ran a hand over his face, emotionally taxed from the story. “Before she caught up with me, she lost an eye and there was so much blood between us that I'm surprised we didn't both die from shock. Anyway, she chased me to a cliff, right at the edge and I had turned over on my back just in time to see her throw her ax at me. She missed and it went over the side, but there's a force field there...to keep everyone in line and the thing bounced back, came flying through the air and impaled itself in her head. I passed out after that, but...still a winner, no matter how unconscious.”

The Capitol had done a good job of fixing him up, and not a scar had been left on the outside of his body come time for the interview with Caesar Flickerman. He remembered talking with the blue-haired man about his victory, but everything was so surreal. District 12 finally had a Victor, a child had finally come home, but Haymitch buried himself in the bottle and didn't think he would ever have to look back.

Prim was very clearly on edge and she wrung her hands as she waited for Gale to speak. She hoped that she meant something, that he would still want to be friends. At the moment, he was the only stable thing in her life, guaranteed to be there through everything and now that Katniss was going back to the games, Prim needed someone. Her mother was a good, kind woman, but unreliable and Gale was the only thing keeping her sane while Katniss had been fighting for her life the year before. If she lost him, she didn't know what she would do.

When he did speak, Prim licked her dry lips and nodded. She didn't want him to volunteer, and selfish as it was, she forgot that members of his family could be selected this time around and Gale had always done what was necessary to protect them. Truthfully, the blonde couldn't blame him, but she still hoped that it wouldn't come to that. Forty-eight tributes was a big number for anyone to fight their way out of, and there was no way that President Snow would allow for more than one winner for two years in a row.

Furrowing her brow, Prim continued to listen. She understood what Gale was getting at, and she knew that he couldn't protect everyone even though he wished to. He and Katniss were the same in that respect, and Prim felt useless in comparison. She would never be able to protect anyone from anything, not the way her sister and Gale could. “I missed you too,” she smiled, thin shoulders finally relaxing. “I understand why you would think about volunteering, I was just...upset about the Quell and losing Katniss again.” However, Prim couldn't help the way her cheeks flushed as Gale indirectly called her cute, and smiled in that way of his. She shook her head, cheeks still pink as she met his eyes. “We'll never fight again, okay? We're friends and I—I really care about you.”

[Genkai]

When he and Prim finally got over the awkwardness, things felt much better for Gale.

The anxiety was gone and he felt much better, more himself.

He wasn't sure if they'd never fight again but it was a good sentiment, though a bit unrealistic. Even so, he nodded in agreement. "Let's leave the fighting to those in the arena." He said to Primrose. "I know, I care about you too." Gale also added when Prim said she cared about him. He smiled and pulled her into a close hug. Things felt much better now and for a while he had forgotten his best friend would be leaving again. He needed to remind himself that she was Prim's older sister too. And that she was a daughter as well. Katniss was so many things to different people and he knew he wasn't alone in wanting to protect her. His way would be volunteering, if he felt the need but for now, he just wanted to forget about all that and catch up with Prim some more.

Now that their rift had been repaired, Gale felt better about leaving and invited Prim to come along with him to see his own family. They brought over some sweets to his siblings and mother and everyone had a nice time together. It was pretty late by the time everyone was put to bed so Gale insisted he walk Prim back home. He didn't think anyone would attack them but Peacekeepers these days, were capable of anything it seemed. As they walked, he wondered what Katniss was up to. He thought about her a lot but now he also thought about Prim. Both ladies were great in their own right. It was hard to imagine where they got their sparkle from, he knew it had to be their father, or perhaps even their mother, who was thankfully coming back to life. When they got back to her place, he gave her a hug goodnight and kissed her on top of her head since it felt like the right thing to do after having reconciled.

"Night." Gale waved and watched her head in before he headed back to his own home.

Having challenged the Capital's rules, Katniss was sure some tributes (returning or not) hated her. She was sure some people wished they could have kept their other tribute safe and not have been a lone victor. Katniss didn't intend to anger anyone, she only wanted to escape and thought the best way would be to make sure neither her nor Peeta won. She didn't think either would have been stopped and crowned victors. She was sure some past winners were bitter about the outcome of the 74th Hunger Games, and she couldn't do anything about it now. After she asked him about his experience, he was quiet and she wondered if he would even tell her. Knowing his story would be helpful but she would understand if he didn't want to talk about it. But if anyone in District 12 could understand him, it was her. Yeah, there was Peeta but he wasn't as poor as her, didn't know the same struggle of losing loved ones or going without food for days and days. Peeta was a good guy, who got lucky a lot.

Soon he divulged what the arena had been like, how lush and beautiful it was, and how appearances were deceptively deadly. Seeing a great place would fill someone with hope but to then see its horror would be awful, she figured. That was cruel but it didn't surprise her, it just filled her with anger and sadness and she had more than enough of that bubbling inside of her. Katniss tilted her head at Haymitch as he spoke about how by nightfall, half were already gone. Her expression was soft but poised, neutral. He then went on to talk about how he stole food and used rain water to survive. That at least meant he could push past adversity and keep trying. She knew by the end, that his strength would be robbed and he'd be left as a lonely victor who probably wished he hadn't won, and that someone else had suffered in his place. He then mentioned Maysilee, which surprised her but she didn't show it, except for her eyes.

Inwardly, she smiled to herself.

Haymitch and a girl?

But Katniss knew better than to let her smile show, because he soon spoke of her death and it brought back memories of Rue and everyone else she had to kill in order to save Peeta and herself. Haymitch then went on to talk about the others who were left and then about the final two: himself and a career. He explained how she attacked him and how he tried to get away while trying to keep everything in, medically speaking. She cringed a little, sure that the pain and fear were still haunting Haymitch. Before Katniss could tell him he could stop since he was clearly struggling to finish, he went on to finish up by explaining how they exchanged attacks but ended up by a cliff where he won thanks to a force field which allowed her ax to bounce off and kill her, rather than him. After hearing his tale, she felt like she had gone through the Games all over again. A knot had nestled itself back in her chest and she felt sick to her stomach.

The right words couldn't come to her, not could the right actions.

Even though she was affectionate with Prim and Gale, she wasn't good with other people. Her forced interaction with Peeta in the cave was proof of that. Still, the girl on fire knew she needed to say something to Haymitch, or do something. As she watched the fire between them, she debated on how to try and comfort Haymitch or thank him for sharing what he often drank to forget. "They can't hurt us anymore than they already have." Katniss said quietly and reached around the fire to place her hand on his leg since it was what she could reach. "We'll figure out a way to make them pay for all the families they've ruined, lives they ended prematurely and pain they've inflicted on everyone." She tried to assure him by curving her lips up into a half smile-half smirk. "They'll regret putting everyone, not just us, into an arena and making them kill each other." She was even more determined now, to do something. Not just to get back to Prim, Gale and her mother, but to ensure no one else died for someone's twisted amusement.

While she didn't want to start any sort of crazy rebellion or war, Katniss was fired up to not let anymore lives get stolen by the Capital. There had to be some way to save everyone, all 48 of them. The rest of the night was spent wandering around and practicing knots and other techniques such as identifying leaves and testing things before eating them to make sure they were safe. By the time she and Haymitch made it back into the Victor's Village, the sun had risen above the run down district. Katniss went right home and collapsed in bed. She didn't need to fidget in the mattress or deal with nightmares. The night training had done more than prepare them for the arena, it tired her out and let her sleep for quite a long time. The night, she invited Haymitch, Peeta and Gale over for dinner. Haymitch showed up which gave them all time to talk about the upcoming reaping but Katniss didn't want to talk about it in front of Prim.

The next week went by smoothly, with Katniss buckling down more with training alongside Haymitch. They had one week to go until Effie came back to take her away from her home again. If Katniss knew that she'd be dealing with Effie again, she would have tried harder to be nice the first time they met but Katniss knew by now, that Effie didn't always like what the Capital had in store, and Katniss understood that Effie couldn't be blamed for much, and that the bubbly woman was doing her best. As she and Haymitch began to get ready to take another night jaunt into the wilderness, she heard Gale call out to her. "Hey catnip!" He waved to her and tapped Prim on the shoulder before he jogged over to where she was, outside Haymitch's house, digging around her backpack. "We're going to tag along too." Gale said. He saw her face drop, "Before you tell us it isn't safe, remember who you're talking to." Gale smiled softly. "We hardly see much of you and we'd like to spend time together before you go." His voice grew quiet as he saw Haymitch had finally made his appearance.

"Gale, Prim, I don't-" Katniss began to speak but Gale cut her off.

"We won't hold you two back, and if you want to spar, I'm happy to volunteer." He added earnestly. "Prim and I have been going into the woods again like we used to when you were gone, she's getting the hang of it." He said. "Just humor us, if you can't take a break from training, that's fine, we're happy to just be around you, catnip." He glanced to Prim. He could sense Katniss was feeling wary of the idea but he hardly saw her and he knew Prim felt the same way. "If this is how we can hang out, it's fine. We'll try and take it seriously like you and Haymitch." He then looked to Haymich, making a mental note to talk to him alone before they were whisked away to the Capital. Gale wanted to make sure Haymitch's head was in the right place and that he looked after Katniss and didn't let her take on too much. Gale knew Katniss could act without thinking and get in over her head, he hoped he could count on Haymitch to help out and not let Katniss get carried away.

"I don't know. What do you think?" Katniss looked to Haymitch. Gale and Prim had discussed packing up and tagging along, a few days ago. They had only now bitten the bullet and actually raised their hands. He knew Prim deserved to spend time alone with Katniss but from what he heard, Katniss spent her time with Haymitch and sometimes Peeta when he felt up to it. Katniss wasn't sure if Prim would be okay or not, going out into the wilderness. "It's different at night." She muttered to Gale who rolled his eyes a little. He knew that and he still had faith that Primrose would be fine. Katniss figured Haymitch might get the most annoyed so it was up to him. Gale looked from Katniss back to Haymitch. He knew this trip was meant to be serious and that they'd have to set up camp and everything, and Gale was just fine with that. And he knew Prim would catch on quick and be just fine.

[mmidnight]

Spring was at the doorstep of Panem, bringing on longer days full of warmer weather, where the snow had finally melted and gave way to the lush landscape that surrounded District 12. Prim was grateful for the seasonal change, and happy to see that people of 12 were coming out more often. There was activity in the Seam again and in the markets too. It was shaping up to turn into a fine summer if it weren't for the Reaping that was hanging like a black cloud over every family across the country. It was especially hard on Prim, though, having to lose Katniss again and this time, she wasn't sure if her sister would make it back. In the last few weeks, the younger blonde had been having trouble sleeping, dealing with nightmares and regret over what she had gotten Katniss into. If the older girl never would have volunteered for her, President Snow wouldn't have a vendetta against Katniss now. Prim should have done what was necessary, and died to protect her family.

During the day, Prim did her best to hide her growing anxiety, and she spent most of her time hanging out with Katniss or going out into the wilds with Gale. It was nice to have him back in her life, and when they had been angry with each other, his lack of presence had put a damper on everything. With the situation now righted, the two continued to grow close, and Prim liked learning from him. Gale was an excellent teacher, and with a little more practice, Prim guessed she would be able to hit something with an arrow, and not just get them stuck in low-hanging tree branches. Alongside the adventures in the woods, Prim continued to work on her healing and went about expanding on her father's plant book, and studying all she could.

It was one week until the reaping when Prim found herself over at Haymitch's place with Katniss. They had just eaten dinner, and Prim had brought the older man some leftovers, along with packing food for he and Katniss. They had been going out into the wilds almost every night recently, and Prim had mentioned wanting to go with them to Gale, who liked the idea as well. Neither she nor Gale had brought up the idea in depth yet, but Prim had the creeping suspicion that it wouldn't go over well with Haymitch. Even though he was now sober, he was still prickly, and rough around the edges. Truthfully, Prim was a little intimidated by him. She supposed that was why he and Katniss got along so well.

“Be safe tonight,” Prim wished, watching as Haymitch and Katniss packed up for the night. In the distance, she heard Gale's voice and smiled as he jogged over. She didn't expect him to mention tagging along, but the blonde found herself nodding, even as Katniss dismissed the idea. She did miss her sister, and she wanted to spend as much time with her as she could. Blue eyes traveled over to Haymitch, who was frowning at the thought of company.

Haymitch didn't have an outright dislike for Gale or Prim, and he found them both to be likable, good kids in their own right, but it bothered him that they seemed to think this was some fun, camping trip. After watching what Katniss had gone through the year before, the former Victor would have thought that they, of all people, would be the last ones to want to play pretend in the woods. This was training, not a time to sit around a campfire and tell stories. The trek past the fence wasn't about bonding, it was about survival and could possibly be the difference between life and death. Prim and Gale needed to stay home where they belonged, where it was safe and thank god that they didn't know the pressure of being forced into an arena to either live, or die trying.

He listened as the tree spoke, and finished packing when Katniss asked his opinion. He responded by giving the dark-haired girl a look, one eyebrow raised skeptically. “Look,” he began an attempt to be diplomatic, “you two can run around in the wilds and do whatever you want on your own time, but this isn't some game. We're training, and you,” he gestured to Prim, “wouldn't last out there at night.” It was nothing personal, but Prim was...waifish and delicate. She had no place climbing over rocks and up trees, or starting a fire with her hands. She was only going to slow them down. Then there was Gale, and Haymitch wasn't going to watch some pathetic, misplaced attempt at romance.

Prim frowned, tired of being underestimated. “The Reaping is in a week and if this is all the time we have, we want to go with you. I want to spend time with Katniss.” And that was final.

“You got all day for that.”

“You keep her busy all day, every day. All she does is train with you!” Prim pointed out.

“You want her die?” asked Haymitch coldly.

“No! But--”

“Then stay put.” Haymitch looked to Katniss and picked up his pack, done with this conversation. He knew that she would want to bring Gale and Prim along, but he wasn't going to be responsible for them. At a certain point, Katniss needed to choose living and picking up her life when she was back home, or dying and throwing it all away for a few extra minutes of quality time. “You want them to slow us down, that's on you, sweetheart,” he finally ended, ultimately leaving the decision to the Girl On Fire.

[Genkai]

While Gale had a feeling his presence may not be as troublesome as say, Prim's in their eyes, he still wanted them both to be accepted. Gale wouldn't tag along if Prim couldn't go. He wasn't sure why Haymitch and Katniss were being so weary about them accompanying them. In his mind. he and Prim had valid points and needed to spend time with Katniss before it was too late. Katniss on the other hand, looked from Haymitch to her sister as the two began to exchange words. Katniss knew Haymitch had been stealing her away but Katniss needed to train with him. Their dynamic of mentor and tribute was beginning to dissipate and they were beginning to rely on each other, which was a priceless asset in the arena. Gale looked to Katniss as well, wondering what she would do now. He had a feeling she'd let them tag along but he could tell it bothered katniss to ruffle Haymitch's feathers.

Gale wouldn't back down though.

"Haymitch, they won't slow us down." Katniss said, her voice less angry and more sincere, which was a surprise. She wasn't too happy with Haymitch but he had a point, but so did Gale and Prim. The wilderness was dangerous but Katniss had her supplies with her and was sure they would be just fine if they stuck together. Katniss wanted to look after everyone even though deep down, she knew she couldn't. She'd have to let someone go and trust that they wouldn't get killed because of her. Her hands were already covered in layers upon layers of blood. For a moment she found herself back in the arena after she blew up the trap at the Cornucopia. She left Rue, trusting she would be okay and yet she heard her scream and then it was too late. Gale noticed Katniss spacing off, her eyes becoming distant.

"Katniss." He reached out and touched her arm. "Let's get going." He said, knowing how the conversation would go if he asked if she was okay. She would say she was fine, he'd give her a look, she'd insist she was fine once more, he'd ask about the Games, she'd change the subject and he'd be left on the outside again. he gave another glance to Haymitch, almost daring him to act like an asshole before he removed his other arm from Primrose but not before giving her a bit of a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Great, it's settled then." Without anymore remarks from Haymitch, they headed off, Katniss and said drunk leading the way. Gale watched Prim out of the corner of his eye, not doubting her ability like everyone else was. "You'll be amazed at how much Prim's improved." He told the two in front of them though it was more for Katniss who knew Prim, than it was for the dubious grump.

Katniss was still a bit out of it as she walked alongside Haymitch. Her mind was prone to wander, fall back into the past due to the simplest of triggers. She saw so many similarities with Rue and Prim and she couldn't lose Prim. She wouldn't. She would die if it meant Prim would live. The nightmares still plagued her when night fell but with the training tiring her out, they didn't come as frequently to the exhausted teenager. When she brushed against Haymitch and he mentioned something to her which helped snapped her out of her violent fog. The girl looked around her surroundings and back over her shoulder at her best friend and little sister. Then she looked back to Haymitch, her eyes lingering. She knew he wasn't fond of the new addition but it was just this once and Katniss was sure things would be alright. "I can understand them, you know, missing me..." She nudged him a little. "You can't keep me all to yourself forever. Soon we'll be with forty-six other trained killers, you gotta learn to share, Haymitch."

Her tone was quite but playful, the sort of gentle sarcasm.

As the quartet continued onward into the darkness of the night, they settled on a place to make camp. Katniss and Haymitch took care of the set up which meant clearing the area of bigger objects and rocks until they had a decent foundation that was comfortable but still secluded and unsuspecting. It was pretty dark but Katniss was used to seeing in the dark. Gale on the other hand, needed more time to adjust. He didn't go out at night too often and the area beyond the fence that they were in, was rather unfamiliar to him. Even so, he kept up with the two and made sure Prim was doing the same. "What can we do to help?" Gale asked, still trying to figure out when the best time to confront Haymitch would be. Haymitch was intimidating but Gale cared about Katniss enough to put that aside and make sure Haymitch was taking it seriously. Based on the chilly welcome they got back in District 12, he had a feeling Haymitch's mind was indeed in the right place.

Still, he wanted to be sure.

"We're gonna make a fire and practice climbing trees tonight." Katniss just said, trying to find the most suitable middle ground between being their friend and sister, and being a trained tribute with her mind steadily focused. Gale turned to Prim, his eyes finally adjusting to the darkness. The only source of light was the crescent moon off tot he side of them. Gale nodded and looked over at Prim who looked a bit out of place. He had faith in her and knew she could handle herself.

"We can gather things for the fire." Gale said and reached out for Prim's arm. he knew how to start a fire and he knew what was needed to do so. Katniss glanced to Haymitch, aware he wasn't fond of their slow pace.

"Hurry back and stay close."

"We'll see what we find, it hasn't rained in a few days but you never know." Gale said and headed off with Prim but made sure to stay around the perimeter of the general area. As he began picked up dry objects which would act as tinder, he felt eyes on him but they weren't the eyes of humans. He leaned over to Prim and placed a hand on her back while the other dropped the dry brittle branches. "I think we have company." He had a knife but it was attached to his ankle. He had packed Prim's bag with a bow and arrow and could use it. She could grab his knife and they be armed at least. In the distance, a deer was watching them. It was weak but still dangerous enough.

"I know you're not happy but you could pretend to be, for me." She told Haymitch. As Katniss retied her shoes to make sure they were tight for climbing trees, a skill she wasn't great with, even in the daylight, she felt the air change as Gale had. "We need to find Gale and Prim." She muttered, licking her lips as a new rush flowed through her veins.

[mmidnight]

The walk through the wilds was a little more difficult than Prim had expected. In the past when she had gone out with Gale, the forest had always been brightly lit and felt secure but now that the sun had set, it was hard to see and Prim's eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness. She stumbled here and there, just like Haymitch thought she would, but the blonde girl made sure not to complain and to keep moving so as not to slow anyone down. She didn't care what Haymitch thought of her; Gale and Katniss were a different story and Prim never wanted to look like a burden. She didn't want the two of them to feel responsible for her anymore and it was hard not to feel guilty whenever either would ask how she was holding up, or if she was alright.

It wasn't long before the four of them found a place to make camp for the night. There was a small clearing among the trees with little debris that needed to be moved out, but the area was cleaned up in no time at all. “You know how to climb trees, Katniss,” Prim pointed out, curious as to why that needed to be practiced. During the last games, the dark-haired girl had spent half of her time in the arena up a tree, so Prim didn't see how that would be useful practice. The same could be said for making a fire—even Prim knew how to do that thanks to Gale. Bitterly, Prim thought that maybe it was Haymitch who was holding Katniss back, and not the other way around where the people who loved and cared about her were seen as a distraction. He had her sister doing things she already knew how to do, instead of preparing for more dire situations.

Prim kept her mouth shut, sure that Gale saw the look on her face and extended the offer to collect wood and brush for the fire. She managed a smile at Katniss's warning before slipping into the darkness with the tall huntsman. The night was quiet and cool, and Prim found many small branches and patches of grass for kindling, which she carried in her arms as they stayed close and moved along together. It wasn't until Gale reached out to touch her did Prim start paying any kind of attention to their surroundings. She dropped what she had gathered and stilled, trying her hardest to see through the trees and feel any kind of gaze in return and then finally, she saw a deer moving through the trees. Its gait was unstable, the poor thing was probably sick of wounded; she didn't want it to suffer.

“Can you get it from here?” she whispered to the boy at her back. They were incredibly close at that moment, and the breeze that wafted through the forest carried the smell of pine, earthy and familiar—very much like home, very much like Gale. Prim shook her head, blushing in the darkness and embarrassed for thinking such things at a time. She crouched down slowly, knowing Gale kept a knife on his ankle. Her finger brushed over his skin as she grasped the handle and held the weapon firmly in her hand. Deep down, she knew that she wouldn't be able to use it, but she wanted to look brave.

Back at camp, Haymitch had just finished clearing out a space for the fire. It was away from the wind, not too close to the trees to be dangerous, but sheltered enough to keep it from going out. He stood up from the ground to stretch and looked over at Katniss as she spoke to him. He wasn't happy with the choice she had made, but stood by his decision to let her do what she wanted. He wasn't her mentor anymore and he never had been able to make her do much of anything when her mind was already made up. Haymitch would bear it, but he wouldn't pretend to do anything for her.

“Stop trying to be friendly with me, kid,” he felt the need to take her down a peg or two, although he wasn't sure why. In the last few months, he and Katniss had grown incredibly close, and she was the closest thing he had to a friend there in District 12. It was strange, because the former Victor had always though it would be he and Peeta that would bond, the baker being a guy and all. Maybe that was reaching a little, Peeta was too sweet to hang out with someone like him on a constant basis. Frowning to himself, Haymitch did his best to stop thinking and clear his head. He needed to focus on training, not the inner-workings of his odd relationship with a girl who had a bad attitude.

Scratching at the back of his neck, Haymitch raised an eyebrow at Katniss's words. “For what?” he questioned the girl, “they went to get firewood.” Unlike Katniss, Haymitch didn't have a sixth sense when it came to the woods, he had never been a hunter and preferred hanging out around the Seam in his youth rather than trying to get past the fence that had worked once upon a time. Regardless, Katniss worrying about Gale and Prim was the reason he hadn't wanted them to come along in the first place—they were slowing them down already, being distractions when Katniss needed to train and work on getting herself up a tree easier than she had in the last Games. He remembered watching her struggle with the other mentors, the way Gloss had mentioned taking her out himself had he been in the arena, and the shouting match that ensued afterward between himself and the other victor. Even then, Haymitch had felt the need to protect her, to cheer her on and help her even though no one liked her much, and she was rough around the edges. In a way, Katniss reminded Haymitch of himself, and he was left wondering whether that was a good thing, or a bad thing.

Even though they were home, and nothing too threatening could be lurking through the woods at this time of year, Haymitch was compelled to follow Katniss into the woods. “They went this way,” he sighed, nodding toward the north side of the clearing. He walked forward, leading the way as he checked the weapon secured on his hip. It was a small ax, something he had picked up at the Hob to train with. He had never been one for spears, or swords, or anything flashy; this worked just fine.

Keeping his voice quiet, Haymitch turned to the dark-haired girl, “do you hear them?” he asked, straining himself to hear as well. There was rustling not far off, but he couldn't be sure it was Gale and Prim.

[Genkai]

Katniss didn't think her comment would have annoyed him so much but for whatever reason, it did. And that annoyed her. She clenched her jaw and made a quick remark. "Fine, fuck off then." She snapped. She wasn't a kid and if anyone was acting immature, it was him. Katniss decided to give up on being patient with him for the rest of the night. She was insulted and mentally threw her hands in the air, frustrated. There was another comment lingering on the tip of her tongue, that Haymitch would probably be a horrible friend but he'd never know because he probably never kept any and that she didn't want to be his anyway. That stayed with her because even Katniss knew it was pretty mean and being a bit anti-social herself, she didn't have much to stand on herself. At any rate, the two had something new to focus on. She could feel like like Gale, that's why their bond was so tight, they were rather in tune with nature around them. The girl moved closer to the edge where she last saw the two, trying to swallow her lingering anger directed towards the jerk known as Haymitch Abernathy.

Gale held his breath and quickly spurred his thoughts together, collecting them.

He pulled the bow as well as an arrow out but did not set it up as Prim bent down to retrieve the knife, as if able to read his mind. Prim had asked if he could get it from here. It was dark, so it would be a challenge. His best choice would to lure it close with the knife and then shoot it down as it got closer and thus easier to see. In the back of his mind, he knew Katniss was close by and would be able to handle things if they somehow got out of hand. But Gale, at the moment, felt collected and calm. Now they were both armed. Good. "Don't worry, you're strong." He told her quietly and took the knife from her and gave her the bow and arrow to hold though he didn't think she would use it. From time to time, he would help her practice but the situation was different now. He felt a strong need to keep Prim safe just as he had done many times before. That feeling hadn't gone away like it had with Katniss. It wasn't that he considering Prim weak, no. He just wanted to make sure she was safe and happy, simple as that. "It needs to get closer." He whispered to the girl. "I'll hit it and then you shoot." He said.

Having heard Gale's voice, she followed it. "Yeah, come on." Katniss said to Haymitch, even though she was still upset with him. The girl moved slowly but with purpose. She saw gale and Prim off to the side in front of her. She had taken her bow and arrow with her and was ready to take a shot when she saw Gale launch the knife at the deer. It rose on its back legs and she saw that one of its front legs was bitten by something, possibly another, more dominant deer in the area. From the look of it, the poor thing really needed to be put out of its misery. "Gale-" She was cut off by him holding up a hand to her, signalling her to wait. She bit her lower lip and looked to see Prim with a bow and arrow. Katniss mentally willed her sister to land a good shoot but as the deer came closer, she began to worry and pulled her string back. There was a sudden woosh of air and the deer fell down.

She retracted her string and threw it down, absolutely stunned that Prim could shoot.

"That was amazing, Prim." She hurried over and Gale moved so Katniss could pull the girl into her arms. Katniss was so surprised and so proud to see her sister shoot that well. "I had no idea you could shoot. Did Gale teach you?" Katniss felt a little bad now, that she had not been the one to bring out the best in Prim. "I am so proud of you." She grinned, her chest warming up with pride and love in her sister. She let go and glanced to Gale, her grin turning into a smirk. "Thanks." She felt guilty for missing out on so much and she knew when she was gone, she'd miss Prim and her achievements even more. He smiled to her and saw Haymitch lurking with an ax, looking rather unhappy. Katniss looked back and rolled her eyes, not willing to let Haymitch spoil her mood for a second time that night. "Let's get this thing cooked huh?" She suggested and helped Gale drag it closer so they could skin it and take the parts they needed. Since food was hard to come by, at least for Gale and the other non-victors, they decided to take back the leftovers with them.

"You did really well, Prim." Gale said as they now sat around the fire while the meat was cooking.

The dark haired boy had already retrieved the knife he threw and had used it to skin and carve the deer. For now, it was tucked away where Prim had found it. In his mind, Prim had done a lot of growing up in her sister's absence. In a horrible way, Katniss volunteering saved Primrose in more ways than one. It pushed her to be strong, to take care of her mother and to learn real survival skills. As he turned over the meat, he could tell Katniss' silence was due to some kind of issue but he could only assume it had something to do with Haymitch, since otherwise, she was thrilled with her sister's impressive aim. He got up from where he was sitting and moved deliberately around his best friend, not wanting her to lash out at him, and stood by Haymitch. "I'd like to talk to you." Gale said, trying to assure himself that Haymitch was harmless and that if he ever needed to, Gale could protect Katniss for whatever reason.

When the two moved away enough for Gale's comfortable, he began. "Look, I know your relationship with Katniss is weird but believe it or not, she does look up to you and cares about you." Gale said. If Katniss could hear him, he'd probably get kicked for sure. "I know you like to hate everyone and that's fine but Katniss is important to me and her being sent back out there again is the last thing I want." He said. "She's taking this seriously and it might do her some good if you didn't put more pressure on her." She had a hard enough time with eating and sleeping, though ever since she had begun training with Haymitch, she had been getting better, but Haymitch didn't need to know that. "She's going to want to save you and whoever else has to go in for 12 but you have to make sure she-" He stopped himself before he misspoke. "Just please look after her...and cut her some slack."

[mmidnight]

Deep down, Prim knew there wasn't anything exceptional about her when compared to her sister. Katniss was the best at everything—she was strong, independent and could fend for herself without a second thought. Throughout her life, Prim had always needed someone there by her side, whether it be her mother for a short period of time, or Katniss, and when she was gone, Gale had stepped in. The young blonde hated that about herself, which was part of the reason she had agreed to go out into the forest with Gale the year before, and why she continued to try and land just one shot with a bow and arrow. When everyone was gone, just as Prim knew they would be sooner rather than later, she wanted to be able to take care of herself.

It was dark among the trees, and only a few peaks of silvery moonlight managed to shine through to the forest floor. Prim's eyes had adjusted to the night, though, and she could make out the shape of the deer as it moved about around she and Gale. It was stumbling, but a wounded animal was perhaps more dangerous than a hungry one—Katniss had taught her that years ago. Her fingers were curled around the knife in her hand, but she was surprised as Gale took it from her, and handed the bow off instead. She was confused, unsure of why Gale would take the chance with a throwing knife when the bow was more reliable.

As Gale threw the knife, Prim nocked an arrow onto the bow and took the proper stance as she pulled back. The deer had risen up on its hind legs, and somewhere behind her, but she remained calm and kept her hands steady before releasing the arrow toward the deer. It flew off of the string with incredible speed and wooshed through the air before burying itself thickly in the animal's chest. The creature dropped dead to the ground and Prim's eyes were wide with disbelief. It was hard to believe that she had done that, and not Katniss or Gale. For the first time, she was starting to see that she wasn't as helpless or ordinary as she once thought, and that it was possible that she could be the key to her own survival.

From the trees behind her, Katniss had rushed forward and Prim found herself wrapped in her sister's arms. She laughed softly into the other girl's coat, hugging her back as she was still in shock. “Yeah,” she nodded, “Gale started teaching me last year.” Looking over Katniss's shoulder, Prim could see that Haymitch was sulking, looking angry that he had been wrong about her. Prim liked that feeling, the pride that came along with shutting up a person who had underestimated her. She stood a little taller, and began to gathered up the firewood that had previously been dropped before following along with Katniss, Gale and the deer on the way back to camp.

After the four of them had made it back to the clearing where the deer was soon skinned, portioned and put on the fire for dinner. Prim was sitting close to Katniss, watching the fire crackle and waiting for their meal to cook. “Thank you,” she replied to Gale with an appreciative smile before he got up to speak with Haymitch. Prim then turned to Katniss and gave her a nudge, “thanks for letting us come with you tonight.” She hadn't thought Katniss wanted her around. “I miss you now that you're out with Haymitch so much.” Not that she didn't miss Katniss any other time.

Haymitch had been debating on whether or not to leave the group and go back to 12. The night clearly wasn't going to be productive, as Katniss was too distracted by her sister being able to shoot one arrow the right way to train for the upcoming Games. Haymitch couldn't say for certain that he wanted to train either, but over the last few weeks the pair had a system of pushing each other and it didn't function when one of them didn't have any motivation. On top of that, Katniss was angry with him for not wanting to be close. The aging Victor didn't understand why she wanted to be friends in the first place when he was just going to die. Hadn't getting close to Rue been enough of a lesson for her? As it currently stood, Haymitch was starting to think teaming up was a mistake.

Suddenly no longer alone, Haymitch looked over when he saw that Gale had moved seats. He raised an eyebrow at the younger man, nodding so that he could say whatever it was he needed to say.

By the time Gale was done, Haymitch was in dire need of a drink. It had been a long, long time since he had heard such a stupid, self-involved warning wrapped up in the need for a favor. He had already done what he needed to do in order to keep Peeta out of the games entirely, and he had spent the better part of time since the Quarter Quell announcement training with Katniss and putting up with her bad attitude and random bouts of anger. Why Gale thought he needed to be reminded about how important the Games were was beyond him, but Haymitch wasn't going to be lectured.

“She knows not to save me. Believe it or not, pretty boy, there's things she doesn't tell you.” At least, Haymitch assumed Katniss knew better than to worry about him once the Games began. The whole point of him volunteering for Peeta was so that he could die and she could live, and her trying to protect him would really defeat the purpose of everything thus far. “You know how she won the last time?” He asked rhetorically, “she did what she had to in order to live. If she wants to keep living, she'll do it again. That's how these things work.” He wouldn't expect Gale to know anything about that, though. “Now, get the hell off my back about it.”

Haymitch knew that he was hard on Katniss and he pushed her to do things she might not have wanted to do, but there was no time to be courteous of her feelings. She had to win, and if that meant making her uncomfortable or making her work out until she had to literally crawl into bed at night, he would do it. This wasn't just about Katniss anymore, this was about all of them and Haymitch was angry that Gale couldn't see that and instead was projecting his feelings for Katniss into this misguided talk.