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.