Everthorne

Just One Night

Mrs. Everdeen's POV
After dinner, Hazel and I work on the dishes while the kids go their separate ways. Prim, Vick, and Rory sit on our living room floor playing a board game. Gale and Katniss are curled up together on the couch with Posy snuggled up in between them, asleep with her little head in Katniss's lap. She and Gale are whispering trying not to wake Posy.
"Don't you just want to stay here with the kids?" I ask Hazel. She sighs and shakes her head, "Gale says we'll be okay. He doesn't want Katniss to be the one taking care of him. He feels like he should be the one providing for her." I look at her and say, "I'm not letting you and Posy go back to that cold house tonight. Just try it." Hazel smiles and thanks me for the offer, "Let me speak with Gale before I fully agree to this. Thanks again," she says drying her hands on a dish towel before exiting the kitchen.

Katniss's POV
My mother calls me into the kitchen. I gently slide Posy all the way onto Gale before getting up and going to see what I'm needed for. "Go get the other rooms ready. The Hawthorne's will be staying with us for the night," she says as soon as I enter. I hurry up stairs and clean my room up before getting to the others- maybe Gale will get to stay with me!

Gale's POV
After Katniss left, Posy began to stir in my arms. My mother comes in the room sitting down next to me and takes little Posy into her arms. "I spoke with Mrs. Everdeen and she has asked us if we would stay here tonight because it's going to be so cold. Now, I know you're going to object and I'm not going to pretend that I don't know why. Please think about it. I think you should put away your pride just for one night, if you can't do it for yourself, at least do it for Posy and your brothers. You know how cold it is and how little they are," she looks at me, begging for me to agree to it. I bet she doesn't know that I've already told Katniss I would. "Sure," is all I give in response and get up to go find Katniss.

Katniss's pov
Just I as finish making the last bed, I feel Gale come up and hug me from behind. I turn around in his arms and he plants a kiss on my nose. "I'm glad you're staying," I say as he pulls me close. "I'm happy that I could make you happy," he smiles down at me.
We head downstairs and I split off into the kitchen to tell my mother that I had finished making the beds. She and Hazel are sitting at the table drinking coffee and laughing about how cute Gale and I are. I roll my eyes and walk back out, plopping back down on the couch with Gale. The younger ones are now watching something on our small TV, laughing occasionally.

~time skip~

It's late now and time to get our siblings to bed. I show Hazel to the room she'll be sharing with Posy and she continuously thanks me for letting them stay in my house. "It's no trouble really," I tell her, "we have plenty of room here, more than my family needs."
As I shut their door, I can here Gale trying to wrestle his brothers into the room they're sharing and laugh to myself. He'd make a great Dad one day. But, I don't know if I want kids or if he'd even want kids with me. I sigh and walk down the hall to check on them. Gale comes out laughing and shuts their door, and I grab him and pull him into my room.
"You're with me tonight," I say winking as I peck him on the lips. He laughs jumping onto the bed and pulling me down with him. I giggle and snuggle up close to him, falling asleep in his arms almost instantly.