The last and final chapter, the Epilogue. Enjoy!

The minute the current let me go, I collapsed, but was caught by several people in white coats, most likely doctors. I was laid on a stretcher, an IV stuck in my arm, while they hurried around me. The instant we landed, I was whisked off, and rushed to the hospital. I could hear shouts and orders as they began to put my wreck of a body back together.

I was in a white room, getting hooked up to all sorts of machines. But I was hardly aware of it. Sleep dragged me down, and everything faded to darkness…

Bright light greeted me when I slowly opened my eyes. I was in a hospital room, and sitting next to my bed was Haymitch. He was fast asleep, and snoring.

I chuckled a little. "Hey Haymitch." His eyes flew open.

"Well, well. Sleeping beauty awakes. Ya did it kid. Managed to stay alive."

"Yeah, I did it. Where's Katniss?"

"She's not allowed to see you. They want to do your reunion on camera."

"When will that be?"

"In another couple days. You've been asleep for 3. The will be the day after tomorrow."

"I've been asleep for three days?"

"You were exhausted kid. Body needed the rest."

"So Katniss is sweetheart, and I'm kid?"

Haymitch guawffed. "Get some sleep kid." I nodded, and Haymitch left the room. Sleep dragged me under, and before I knew it, I was back in dreamland. I spent the rest of the day, and the next resting up, and eating. And on my fifth day of being in the hospital, I was released to my stylist to be readied for tonight's show.

My prep team was estatic that I had won, and were even more bubbly than usual. But for once, I didn't mind. I was going to see Katniss, and the thought sent my heart soaring.

My scars and blemishes were erased, my skin returned to a brilliant glow. My hair was a mess, but Yavonne managed to brush through the tangles, and make it soft and smooth once more. Finally, Seria entered. She just stood and smiled at me for a moment.

"So you managed to do it. Congratulations Gale."

"Thanks Seria. Now, what's my outfit for tonight?"

"Something stunning." She helped me into the outfit, making sure I closed my eyes first. When I opened them, all I could do was stare. I had on black pants, with a black shirt. But the jacket….It was covered in swirling fire patterns, all glowing and lit up. The light almost made my face glow a little too.

"Seria, it's…beyond amazing."

"I thought it was perfect. Just the thing you need tonight."

"Thanks Seria. For everything." I reached out, and gave her a hug. She seemed pleasantly surprised.

"Well, you've very welcome Gale."

Haymitch arrived to take me to the stage, and we rode the elevator back up to the ground floor.

"Nervous?" Haymitch asked as the elevator raced upwards.

"Not really. Well, I guess a little. About seeing Katniss anyway. She doing okay?"

"She's hanging in there." The elevator doors opened, and when I reached the stage, the crowd went wild. But I hardly heard it. There, sitting near Caesar, was Katniss. She was dressed in a light yellow stylish dress, a soft smile on her face. Her eyes lit up when she saw me, and then, I couldn't hold myself back. I ran forward, picked her up, and twirled her around. The crowd let out an aww…., and started cheering. Caesar seemed at a loss for words as he watched the happy reunion.

I held Katniss close, her hair tickling my neck.

"You did it Gale." She whispered.

"I know. I always keep my promises, remember?" I gave her a quick kiss, and then we had to break away to start the ceremony. She slipped over to the side of the stage to sit with Haymitch and Effie. I took a seat in the plush red throne, meant for the Victor.

"So Gale. You won. Kept your promise to Katniss." Caesar began.

"I told you I would Caesar. Of course, it wasn't easy, having to beat 71 other tributes, but I pulled it off."

"Well, she's quite a young lady. The Games aren't exactly easy to win. What kept you going the whole time? Surely there were points when winning seemed impossible?"

"This." I held up the picture of Katniss in the blue dress. The cameras zoomed in on it. "She sent it to me later in the Games. She wore this at a dance a few months ago, back in District 12. This was a constant reminder of what, or rather, who, I had waiting for me." Both the crowd and Caesar seemed speechless.

"That's a very touching story Gale. Now I wish we had time for more questions, but they'll just have to wait for the interview tomorrow. It's time for the recap of the 76th Hunger Games!"

"Caesar, wait a minute. Would it be possible to have Katniss sit with me?"

Caesar thought a moment. "Well, I don't see why not. You've been apart for 2 months, so I'm sure you're eager to spend some time together." I smiled.

"Thanks Caesar." Katniss hopped up, and hurried over. She curled up on my lap, resting her head on my shoulder. The lights dimmed, and the movie began. Each year, they had to choose a story to tell. Some years it was a story of bravery or survival, others it was just a simple recap of the main events, but this year, they told a story of a boy fighting to return home to his lover. They emphasized the parts where I was thinking of Katniss, where I was calling out her name, where I was clutching the picture. They showed the parts where I was strongest, fighting desperately to win. They showed all the tributes deaths, and I finally learned how Rose and Terra died. I noticed they did edit out the part where Forge saved me. And at the end, they zoomed up on my face right after I had won, where I whispered, I'm on my way Katniss. The show was a bit long this year, because the Games had much longer. President Snow arrived, the Victor's crown in his hand. He placed it on my head, his eyes lingering on me a moment before he disappeared back into his mansion.

Afterwards, the crowd was estatic as Katniss and I exited the stage. Haymitch clapped me on the back, Seria congratulated me, Effie beamed, and Katniss just gave me a hug. We were escorted to the President's mansion for the Victory feast, a night full of eating and celebrating.

When we finally got back to the Training Center, I wandered into Stryder and Eli's room. Their presence still lingered, and I heard footsteps behind me.

"It's hard, isn't it?" Katniss said softly.

"They're never coming back. They're gone, for good. It's just so hard to believe."

"Trust me, I know. I watched all of them die. They were amazing people, and they'll never be forgotten." She took my hand, and led me quietly from the room. I paused at the girls' room, but Katniss pulled me along, and took me into our room. We both changed into pajamas, and curled up on the bed.

The morning we said goodbye flashed through my mind. Katniss had been crying as she hugged me one last time. It seemed like a life-time ago.

"Katniss, do you still love me?" I asked. Her head jerked up.

"What kind of question is that?"

"I mean, I've changed. Maybe I'm not the person you fell in love with."

"You've changed, but you're still the Gale I know. And you always will be." She snuggled up to me, and we both drifted off to sleep.

The nightmares started that night. This one, the huge beast was back, looking scarier than ever. Forge was nowhere to be seen, and I was running, trying to get away. But the beast leapt on top of me, and just before the world went black, I spotted Katniss, injured and bloody.

I woke up screaming. But suddenly, Katniss was there, reassuring me everything was okay, that it was all over. I was drenched in sweat, my heart pounding. Katniss looked at me worriedly, and I half-smiled.

"Never thought the roles would be reversed." I commented. She just shook her head.

"You want to talk about it?"

"No." I pulled her to me, clutching her as though someone might snatch her away from me. I didn't get back to sleep that night, and neither did she. We just snuggled together until the early morning light peeked in through the window.

Soon, Effie was calling our names, saying we had to get ready for a big, big, big day! I slowly got out of bed, got a quick shower, and Katniss and I headed down to breakfast. Today was my interview with Caesar, and would spend the morning being prepped by my prep team, and Seria.

So, after a light breakfast, I headed down to the Remake Center. The Training Center seemed way too quiet now, District 12 being the only ones staying here. As I passed each level, faces flashed through my mind. The girl from 10, Eva from 9, the boy from 4, Tally from 3, Forge from 1. None of them were ever returning. When I reached the level, my prep team was waiting, and after another long morning, and a quick lunch, Seria brought in my outfit. I couldn't imagine what it would be. She had already come up with so many amazing ideas.

Today, it wasn't quite as fancy, though still looked just as stunning. I was dressed in a suit of black and red, and I had to admit, Seria had made me look quite striking in it.

"Amazing as usual Seria."

"Like it?"

"Love it." She smiled, and then my escort arrived to take me to the interview room. There was no audience this time, just Caesar, the camera crew, and Haymitch. As I took a seat on the couch, Caesar began.

"Good afternoon citizens of Panem! With me, I have this year's Hunger Games Victor, ready to answer a few questions I'm sure we're all curious about. Gale, let's start with the first day. What was your strategy at the Cornucopia?"

"Get a backpack, bow, and get out. I didn't want to get injured on the first day."

"Ah, so when Fiona showed up, why did you form an alliance with her?"

"Because she was strong, and capable. I had nothing to lose, and plenty to gain."

"Surely it wasn't that way with Eva?" I got quiet for a moment.

"She seemed like a wonderful girl. She was smart, fast, and she didn't have a single item with her. She would never have survived. So Fiona and I let her come with us."

"Yes, well, tell us about some of the dangers you faced. You know, the snakes, the red flowers, the bees, fighting the other tributes."

"Oh, they were hard to face, but I managed. The tributes, well, the first time I fought with them was a few days after the start of the Games, at the Cornucopia. District 1-4 tributes always seem to be good at fighting, but these seemed to be a bit lazy. Not too much of a challenge. The snakes, the flowers, the well, they were obstacles, but nothing Fiona and I couldn't handle, with a little bit of work."

"Watching Eva die, that couldn't have been easy."

"It wasn't, but she had to go sometime."

"Why did you kill her? You did have an alliance with her."

"The poison was already in her bloodstream. She was a goner. I just ended her pain, so she didn't have to suffer."

"Now, the Games are something only a few people face, and even few live to tell about it. What is it like really?"

"It's hard Caesar. You always have to be on alert, always have to be ready for anything. Killing people, well, it takes everything from you. Necessary of course, but still hard. Watching people die, getting hurt, being scared, it can make you do things."

"What sort of things?" Caesar eyed me, though he was careful not to let the cameras see.

"Things that you later regret. Things the Capitol may not necessarily like. But at times, you just lose your head. It gets to be so hard, so difficult, that something in you just snaps, and you wind up doing something you wish you hadn't."

"Moving on, you already said Katniss was what kept you going, was there anything else that helped?"

"My family. I wanted to get back to them, and didn't want them to have to watch me die a brutal death."

"Yes, family is important. Now, let's touch upon one of the harder times in the Games. The corpses of the people you saw, what was that like?"

"You don't want to know Caesar. For a moment, you're consumed with panic because you think it's really them, but then you realize it's only mutts. Though that realization doesn't help a bit when the screaming and crying starts. It's awful, no, it's nearly unbearable, and the only thing that keeps you going is knowing that it's not actually them."

"Do you think it goes too far? That it was too brutal for the Games?"

"It's the Hunger Games Caesar. There isn't a line you're not supposed to cross. It's a fight to the death, not some tea party. It's going to be hard."

"You and Fiona were alliance for quite a while, yet, even after you broke it off, you still went to her rescue. Why?"

"Because I still cared about her. At the very least, I wanted to end her suffering, and kill the guy who was responsible."

"Burning the Careers food, that was quite a smart move I must say. But afterwards, when Stryder was getting hurt, you didn't go to his rescue."

His question rubbed me the wrong way. "I couldn't! He would have hated me for giving away my position. He knew he was going to die, and he didn't want me to go with him!"

"Alright, alright. There clearly were some tough times for you in the Games, but I think the one that touches me and the rest of Panem the most is when you got that picture of Katniss. What were your thoughts then?"

"I knew why Katniss had sent it. She was reminding me of why I needed to keep fighting, to keep going. And I knew in that moment, that I was going to win. That I was going to get back to her, and my family. I was going to be the last one standing."

"Now, what was your strategy for winning?

"Outsmarting everyone else. It doesn't just take strength to win, it takes the smarts. Being all brawn and no brains will get you nowhere."

"So, the last battle, that was quite a thriller. First the beast, and then the lava. What was that like?"

"Well, the beast was terrifying, but the lava, that was something. I just kept jumping around, hoping that I wouldn't fall.

"Being the last one standing, that must be a pretty good feeling."

"It's an amazing feeling Caesar. To look around you, and realize you're the last one left. To realize that it's over, that you're going home. That you're going to live. There's only one feeling stronger."

"And what feeling is that?"

"This is going to sound cheesy, but the feeling of love."

Caesar laughed. "Well, you've certainly shown everyone that Katniss means a lot to you. What are your plans for the future?"

"Go home. Make a new life in District 12. And who knows, maybe Katniss and I will eventually have some bigger plans in a couple years."

"I think everyone in the Capitol certainly hopes so. Who knows? Maybe Katniss will get her dream wedding after all."

I gave a short laugh. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves Caesar."

He chuckled. "And, I'm afraid we're out of time Gale. So that wraps things up for today! Gale, we'll see you back here in a couple months for the Victory Tour, and then eventually back here for the Hunger Games!"

I waved to the cameras, and then it was done. I shook Caesar's hand, and left the room, Haymitch waiting to take me back to the Training Center.

"How did I do?" I asked.

"Not bad. Not bad at all." Haymitch replied. Katniss and Effie were there to greet me when I got back.

"Splendid! Just splendid!" Effie declared.

"Pretty good Hawthorne." Katniss said with a smile.

"Thanks Everdeen." After a big dinner, Katniss led me up to the rooftop garden. I thought she just wanted to spend the evening relaxing, but no, she had other plans in mind. She turned to me, her eyes accusing.

"What were you thinking Gale?" She said softly.

"What do you mean?"

"When you carved Snow's name into the apple, what the heck were you thinking? That's the kind of thing that will get you killed!"

"Katniss…"

"I didn't bring it up last night because I just wanted to spend time with you. President Snow already has it in for you. You getting into the Hunger Games wasn't by accident."

"What?"

"I confronted Effie. She admitted she had orders to announce your name, no matter what slip she pulled from the jar. Now, you've just made President Snow even more mad."

"I know, I know. But I tried to ward it off. I should be fine."

"President Snow is as cunning as he is ruthless. You can convince the citizens with those words, not the President. It takes more than good acting to convince him. I can't believe you would do such a thing. Haymitch doesn't know. I got a quick glimpse before your screen blinked, and they played a clip from a seconds before while you did it." She turned and stalked towards the stairs.

"Katniss, wait!" She held up her hand, and didn't turn around.

"This was why I was worried about you. You're too rash, you don't think about your actions. This was why I started to choose Peeta." Her words brought me up short, and she disappeared down the stairs.

Great. Now Katniss wouldn't speak to me, and frankly, her words hurt. With a sigh, I ran downstairs to my room, not surprised to discover Katniss wasn't there. I couldn't lose her. I had once, and it couldn't happen again. But yet, I was on the verge of losing my girl on fire for good. Not even bothering to shower, I threw on some sweats, and a t-shirt, and crawled into bed. I slipped off to sleep, and soon, a nightmare filled my head.

I was in the Games, and the bodies of the other District 12 tributes lay around me. They had been killed by a knife. My knife. I was covered in blood, my knife dripping with it. Horror filled me as I realized what I had done. And I knew I wouldn't be able to face District 12, knowing I had killed them. A scream erupted from my mouth, and then I saw Katniss' body. I had killed her too.

"I'm sorry Katniss! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!" I cried as I slit my throat.

I woke up screaming those words. Katniss was beside me, panic in her eyes.

"You wouldn't wake up. I shook you, but…but you wouldn't wake up!" She blubbered, and I quickly pulled her into my arms.

"Please, don't leave me. I'm so sorry Katniss. I know what I did was stupid, and I'm so, so sorry."

"Shh. I acted out of haste. I shouldn't have said what I did. I'm still mad at you for it, but I'll stick by you, no matter what."

"I can't tell you how much it means to hear you say those words." I whispered. She crawled under the covers, and rested her head on my shoulder. We eventually fell asleep, wrapped up in each other's arms.

The next morning, we got ready to leave and go home. Effie rushed about, hurrying to keep us on schedule. We had quick breakfast, got dressed and said goodbye to my prep team and Seria.

"I'll be seeing you in a few months at during the Victory Tour. So, goodbye till then?" Seria said.

"Yes, goodbye till then." I hugged her goodbye, then got crushed as my prep team hugged me and said goodbye.

We rode in a limosine with blacked out windows through the city, crowds of people waving and cheering goodbye as we drove past. I stared out the window, Katniss glancing over at me.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I can just hardly believe it's all over. I mean, I spent 2 ½ months in that arena, and I finally get to go home." She smiled.

"I know what you mean. I can hardly believe it either." Effie said goodbye at the train station.

"Normally I would accompany you home, but I've got a few urgent meetings here. I suppose I'll be seeing you 3 again in a few months. And actually, I've been promoted to District 7. Not a huge jump, but it's something."

"That's great Effie!" Katniss exclaimed. "But we'll miss you." Effie gave a faint smile.

"I turned them down. I suppose I've gotten rather attached to you three. Perhaps District 12 isn't such a bad District to be with." She hugged us all goodbye, then hurried off. We stood there, a little surprised, and touched by what she said. We got on the train, and Katniss and I sat in the window, waving to the crowds of people, and slowly watching the Capitol fade from sight. Soon, we were racing past District, after District, people gathered to watch us go by.

I was going to get to see District 12 again. I would get to see Mom, and the kids, Greasy Sae, Prim. It seemed too good to be true. I put an arm around Katniss.

"Ready to be going back?" She nodded.

"It'll be good to be home again. So I guess this is what our life will be like now. Going to the Capitol once or twice a year. Training the tributes, watching them die."

"Hey, it's okay." I said, pulling her closer. She snuggled against me, and we sat like that for most of the train ride, only getting up for a light lunch. Haymitch sat in the same car as us, staring out at the window as the train rushed onward. And finally, we neared District 12.

"Ready?" Katniss asked, taking my hand as the train came to a stop.

"Yeah." I said slowly. The doors opened, and we stepped out to greet the cheering crowds.

Cameras were everywhere, and I spotted mine and Katniss' family standing near the front. The mayor was waiting, and shook my hand as I stepped up onto the stage.

"Gale, you've made District 12 very proud. You've given us another Victor, and shown that District 12 isn't the weak little district everyone thinks it is. For that, we thank you." The crowd cheered again, and then Mom and the kids ran up the steps to the stage. I hugged Mom tightly, a couple happy tears slipping down her face. I bent down, and picked up Posy, while Rory and Vick hugged me around me legs. I didn't have time to greet anyone else for I was whisked off to the Justice Building where the feast would be held.

Haymitch, Katniss, my family, the mayor, and the Peacekeepers attended. Camera crew hurried around, filming the entire event. Afterwards, we were taken to our new home in the Victor Village. The kids were so excited, and I just couldn't help but smile as I watched them explore our new house. But somehow, I couldn't squelch the feeling that something was coming, something about my little act in the Games…

A couple weeks passed, and finally, everyone from the Capitol packed up and left. All that time, I was filmed constantly, and didn't get a spare moment to myself. But the minute they all were gone, I left for the woods. It had been over 3 months since I had gone there, and I was eager for the quietness and peacefulness of it. My bow in hand, I ducked under the fence, and walked to our rock. Katniss was already there waiting, and she smiled as she spotted me.

"It's been too long since we were last here." She commented.

"It's been way too long. Come on, you up for some hunting?"

"Of course." She replied. The day was the best I had had in months. We didn't say anything, just silently hunted, watching each other's back. A few days passed, with us just hunting, and spreading the food around District 12. Mom and the kids were living in our new house, but Katniss and I often spent the night together. And with the gifts and parcels from the Capitol, District 12 was looking better than ever.

A few days later, I received a surprise visitor. Mom and the kids were at Katniss' house, and Katniss was working in the bakery. I walked into the living room, and found President Snow sitting in a chair. I stopped dead in my tracks, shocked to find him here.

"President Snow. What a surprise. May I ask why you're here?" I asked, once I had gotten my voice back. I set my bag down, suddenly grateful I hadn't been hunting.

"Yes, you may. You see, I have a problem Gale. A problem that started with your little rebellious act."

My heart stopped. "President Snow…I realize what that may seem like. But, being in the Games, you lose your head at times. Trust me, not a day goes by that I don't regret doing it. I'm so sorry for that. I just got angry, angry that Fiona was gone, angry that Stryder and everyone was gone. Trust me, I didn't mean anything by it."

"Oh, I'm sure you do regret it. I just don't think it's for the reasons you say you do. And the thing is, that's not the only problem. Forge, in his own way, betrayed the Capitol. He saved your life, something everyone in the Districts saw. You're creating a spark, just like Katniss did."

"Not on purpose."

"Perhaps not, but you're creating on just the same. And I believe I only see one solution to it."

"Don't kill my family! Please, whatever you do, don't make them pay for my actions!"

"Oh, I'm not interested in them. And I'm not interested in Katniss either. Gale, you are moving to the Capitol."

"What?"

"You will leave District 12, never to return. Katniss will be banned from visiting the Capitol, save during the Hunger Games, and during that time, you will be watched closely to make sure you two do not see each other. This way, I can keep you apart, and eliminate any spark you have created. You will publicly announce that you and Katniss have decided to call off your romantic relationship."

"You're saying…that I will never see her in person again?"

"Oh yes Gale. You will live in the Capitol, and you will never say another word to your precious Katniss ever again."

That's right! The story's not over yet! Coming soon, a sequel to the 76th Hunger Games! The bad news is that I haven't even started yet. I've been busy trying to finish up other stories for another site. I'll get it up as soon as possible, but it may be a week or so. Don't know what it will be called, so just check my profile every few days for the story which will be labled a sequel. And as a thank you for reading, here's a sneak preview!

Several weeks have passed, and I'm now living in the Capitol. Katniss and I were forced to announce on camera that we were ending our relationship. Everyone was crushed, but I couldn't care less. What matters is Katniss and I. Here, I'm forced to date other girls, kiss them, act like I'm falling in love. But if I don't, President Snow will care everyone I care about, though at this point, I'd think it would be better for Katniss. She's sunken into a depression, and I don't know what to do. I haven't seen her in weeks. Thanks to Haymitch, Effie, and Mom, we've been able to send letters, but it's not enough. I want her with me, want to hear her voice, feel her arms around my neck. But I never will, according to Snow. I miss the woods, miss the quietness of District 12. But most of all, I miss Katniss. I have to get back to her, have to give her the life she's always wanted. And there's only one way to do that. The Capitol must come down.

Thanks so much to everyone for reading and reviewing my story, and I hope to see you back for the coming sequel!