This chapter, in the books, is the moment when I knew Katniss didn't really love Gale. Not as much as Peeta. And although I am an avid Galeniss/Kale/Everthorne/Hawdeen, whatever you want to call them, shipper, I could tell in chapter 10+ of Mockingjay that they wouldn't end up together. Why? Because if I was Katniss and I was in this situation, and I was in love with Gale, even if I didn't know it yet, this is what I would have done.

I have no claim over these characters, you know Suzanne Collins owns them - I hope! The first paragraph is a direct quote from Mockingjay, Part II /The Assault/ Chapter 11 (I won't bother with pages because we all know that differs from version to version) after they recieve the warning from Peeta and get locked in the bunker. And from then on is my own fan fiction. Enjoy!

This is also my first fan fiction I have ever written or submitted, so please rate and review, I welcome criticisms as well as compliments! Just let me know how I'm doing, thanks for reading!

"What will break me?

This is the question that consumes me over the next three day as we wait to be released from our prison of safety. What will break me into a million pieces so that I am beyond repair, beyond usefulness? I mention it to no one, but it devours my waking hours and weves itself throughout my nightmares."

Is it Peeta? Would his death be the decider for me? If President Snow threatened Peeta's life, really and truly, would I give up all of this and surrender? No. I wouldn't. Rather than guilt, or fear, or sadness, I feel relief at this realisation. I know I love Peeta, and our love may have been a show at first, for me at least, but from that pretence grew something real. But it isn't the same for me, not the way it is for him. I find myself questioning my feelings every day, what is real or not real.

I don't sleep the first night in the bunker, but I hold Prim as she does. I think about her words, her wisdom, and I wonder when she became so smart. So worldly. Since when did my little sister have a better grip on reality than I did? She's a survivor, Prim. I know she'll make it through this. When the war ends, however it does end, she'll train to be a doctor, like she said. She'll be the best doctor Panem has ever seen. And she'll fall in love, and get married and have beautiful children. And that wretched cat will live nearly as long as I do.

Who knows if I will survive. Even if we win, I won't be the same. And if we don't, surely I'll die. I won't be allowed to live. And Peeta might never return to me. He might be dead already, or he might die from the injuries he suffered as he tried to save me. Save my family and our friends. It's selfish, loving Peeta, because I will never love him the way he wants me to. The way he loves me. Because all the while I sit and think of Peeta there's another concern in my head. It's always there. It was there in the 74th Hunger Games, when I cuddled next to Peeta for warmth in the cave. He was in my thoughts when I kissed Peeta on the beach. Even when I liked kissing Peeta on the beach.

I have hurt Gale too. My selfishness and my incapability to think of anyone but myself hurts everyone I love. It started with my mother, then Peeta. Prim as she ran to save Buttercup, and now Gale. But no one ever admits it. None of them tell me when I'm wrong. "It's okay, Katniss, I know you didn't mean it." "We were just trying to survive, Katniss." "Katniss, anyone would have done the same." Except Gale. He tells me. When I do something wrong, when I upset him. He tells me everything. And that's why I can't live without him, either.

'Because I'm in pain. That's the only way I get your attention.' He doesn't know. He doesn't understand that it's for his own good. Nothing can happen between me and Gale. not because of Peeta, but because of me. Because I hurt people. He thinks I only care when he's in pain, but that's not true. I just care more, because it's always my fault. I'm always the one who causes his pain, and there's only one way I know the take it away, even for a little while. And then I do this; I avoid him, I hide, I don't speak to him. Not about real things, not about /us/ things. I try not to because I don't want to get his hopes up, I don't want him to think that we have a future. The truth is I don't have any future, with anyone. I should have died in the 74th Hunger Games.

Not a lot of action, I'm sorry! But I wanted to do just a short intro chapter, so I could get a feel for what I wanted to write and ease people into the idea. I love Galeniss fanfics but they always seem to jump straight in without explaining how they came to suddenly fall into each other's arms, and I hope I've avoided that and made it seem more realistic, more in character. The next is coming up shortly, it's already written I'm just triple checking and getting some opinions. So if you would like a sneak peek of any of my chapters let me know, because I'd love any and all feedback before or after posting them on here!