A/N: Hey guys sorry I haven't been on this site in a while. We are getting really busy in school especially with mid-terms coming up, anyway please enjoy the chapter!

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By the time John woke up, the house was already a bone chilling cold. The golden embers in the beat-up old fireplace were the only evidence of a fire from the night before. It gave off a feeble, flickering light and no warmth at all. John stretched weakly, hand groping the other side of the bed in the vain hope of finding another presence there. He finally gave up after a few seconds and sat up with a sigh, scrubbing feebly at his eyes with the heels of his hands, he looked around the room in search of the sad human-shaped lump he knew would be on the floor. Said lump twitched as his sock covered feet hit the ground with a soft thump. John padded across the floor as softly as he could, ever wary of the sleeping form of his sister on the floor. He crossed the room throwing a wool shirt over his head as he walked, and at the door of the dreary house, slipped into a pair of well-worn leather boots, long since moulded to the shape of his feet. He opened the worn wooden door with a soft creek and strolled out into the early morning.

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This was always John's favorite time of the day. No one was up this early, everyone in the district trying to cling onto the few blessed moments of sleep before having to wake up and face the harsh reality that was this dreary life. Where empty stomachs and dying children were a common occurrence. The miners had not yet risen to descend into the black-coated coal mines and the silence hung over the district like a heavy cloud of fog. John made his way along the edge of the district looking for the hole in the electrified fence that he had long since memorized the location of.

Ducking under it he began to lightly jog towards the line of trees in the distance. He started to run faster the closer he got to the trees, a smile finally spreading along his face, seemingly taking off 10 years from his age, making his features appear boyish and joyful. Harry had often said when they were younger that the only time that John looked truly alive was when he was in the woods. He stopped only briefly to retrieve a small sack of hunting knives from a hollowed out tree trunk. Slinging the bag over his shoulder he slowed his pace to a leisurely stroll, not making a sound despite the autumn leaves coating the forest floor. He had long ago trained himself to walk as silent as a mouse no matter what he was walking on.

Eventually the thick forest thinned out into a peak over looking a valley. John's smile grew as he drew near a boulder on top of the peak. Clambering over the rock, he dropped down into the little shaded alcove the boulder created.

"Happy Reaping day eh Doc?" The "Doc" in question looked up at the girl standing right in front of him. Short blonde hair cut at her shoulders, a thin lithe body fit from running in the woods, and a small roundish face, Mary Morstan. Mary had been his hunting partner since he started to hunt in the woods on the edge of the district four years ago. The two of them were thick as thieves and would do anything for each other.

"Happy Reaping day to you too, Mary." Mary smiled and plopped down in the small space beside him.

"So you going to volunteer this year, family glory and all that." Mary said knocking her shoulder against his. John just laughed. It was unheard of for someone from District 12 to volunteer, ever, they didn't even have a victor to their name in the Victors Village.

"How many times are you in today." Mary said, her voice taking on a note of worry.

"Sixty-four, why?"

"Sixty-four?! John, how did you get so many?"

John looked down at his lap avoiding Mary's sky blue eyes. Mary looked at him with a sigh.

"John you can't keep on taking terasse for your patients, you'll end up in the arena at this rate."

"Better me than them, Mary, they're poor what else can I do, I can't just sit there and watch as they slowly starve to death when I could do something about it!"

Mary watched him with sad eyes, she sighed once again in resignation then averted her gaze to where her hands were fiddling in her lap.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt John, you are too selfless for your own good, you already have you and Harry to take care of, why do you think it is your responsibility to care for everyone else in the district."

John looked at her, his sea blue eyes bore into hers with an intensity she had only seen when John was either holding a knife or a scalpel in his hand.

"I'm a doctor Mary, or I will be, it is my responsibility to take care of my patients."

"John if this is about your parents there was nothing you could have-"

John stood up abruptly, slinging the sack of knives over his shoulder as he walked.

"Goodbye Mary I will see you this afternoon."

"John wait I didn't mean it like that, John!"

John ignored the protests and strode determinedly through the woods, never once looking back.

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By the time John got back from the woods his mood hadn't improved one bit, and coming home to a drunk, passed out sister on the floor wasn't helping his mood. John strode over to the blanket covered lump on the floor and non to gently tapped it with his foot.

"Up Harry! It's Reaping day, come on we have to be in the square in a couple hours." The lump on the floor gave a very loud groan and rolled over.

"Let's go or I will have to pour water on you again!"

"A'ight a'ight, 'm up, happy."

"Very, now come on, let's go, I already put out your dress for you."

Harry rose from the floor, the blanket pooling into a puddle of wool at her feet. She had the look of someone who could have been beautiful once, but stress and pain seemed to be permanently etched into the lines of her face. She was a little bit shorter than John and quite a bit paler. Her eyes sunk into her skull slightly and her skin hung off her too-thin frame giving her a sickly appearance. She looked over at the dress hanging off of one of the worn down chairs near the kitchen table.

John turned away from the sad sight of his sister and walked over to the kitchen table fiddling with the assortment of plants and medical instruments that were strewn across it. He had been taught since a very young age how to be a healer. It was what his father had done as an occupation and he had been training John to take his place ever since he could walk. After his father had passed away from the same sickness that had taken his mother mere months before, John had taken over the family business and was now just as accomplished at seventeen than the doctor in town. Most people in the Seam knew of him and his business and would come to him for medical services. Mary had often said he was a walking contradiction. A hunter and a doctor, a healer and a killer. John was well known throughout the entire district. Not just for his healing skills. Mary had been hunting with him since before his parents had died. They were a well known hunting pair and often even the finer parts of town would buy some of their kill.

John was shaken from his trance as Harry put a hand on his shoulder.

"You alright Jonny?"

John looked over at his sister, "I wasn't the one passed out on the floor all night." Harry chuckled weakly and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Don't you worry about me Jonny boy, just get through today and then we'll do something special tonight." Harry mussed his hair one last time before walking over to the other side of the room.

"After all this is the last time you will have to go through Reaping day huh? If that isn't something to celebrate then I don't know what is."

John smiled weakly, knowing full well that celebrating for Harry meant opening one of the bottles of liquor stored in the cabinet under the sink.

"Come on Harry we have to get to the square."

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Reaping day was quite possibly John's least favorite day of all time. Closely followed by the days of the Hunger Games, but John hated Reaping Day even more simply because you know the people that walk up onto that stage won't make it back. It is like leading a pig to slaughter. There is nothing you can do to stop it and the worse part is the stupid people in the Capitol act like it is an honor to die in an arena of dying kids. John was not only a healer in one of the poorest districts but he was also a hunter, he was accustomed to death but that didn't make watching the Hunger Games any easier. He walked as if in a daze. Lost in his own thoughts, oblivious to the worried looks that Harry was shooting his way. His last year, after this John would be old enough to no longer be eligible for the Hunger Games. Harry was already free at 21 years old she had nothing to worry about. Right before John went to get registered Harry pulled him aside to the end of the line.

"Alright John last year no worries right, after today you're free." Harry smiled weakly at him and nodded her head once. John tried to smile back but it mostly came out as a grimace. Harry walked away to over where the parents were standing and with one last glance John turned to get registered.

Jennifer Wilson, the escort of District 12 was already on the stage by the time John had gotten registered. This year her outrageous Capitol outfit consisted of a bright pink dress with matching high heeled shoes. John rolled his eyes when he saw her outfit. Jennifer Wilson was the stereotypical Capitol person, with bright neon clothes, make-up and a clipped Capitol accent to match. Plus an enthusiasm for the games the president himself couldn't beat.

"Hello everyone and welcome to the 78th annual Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor."

John glanced over to where he knew Mary would be standing, their eyes met and they exchanged an eye roll. This routine was repeated almost every year without fail, Mary and John never missed a chance to mock her for it either.

"As always ladies first," She walked over to the giant glass ball full of thousands of tiny slips of paper. Slipping her hand into the opening on the top she let her hand pause dramatically right above the slips of paper, before snagging one and walking back to the center of the stage.

"And the tribute for the girls is… Molly Hooper!" John felt his face pale a little bit, he knew her. Not well but Molly was the daughter of the Healer that used to work with his dad in the town. Molly was often who he went to if he needed supplies. He searched the girls area of the square looking for a small, shy girl with mousy brown hair. He finally spotted her being lead up the stage by two peacekeepers. She was shaking visibly and it looked like all of the blood had drained from his face. She marched up the steps slowly and walked to the middle of the stage.

Jennifer clapped her hands excitedly before moving across the stage to the other glass ball, "And now for the boys," Jennifer repeated the process of hovering her hand over the slips of paper before snagging one and walking back to the microphone.

"And the male tribute for the 68th annual Hunger Games is… John Watson!"

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P.S. Please Please please review I would love to know what you think, even if you hate it. Your Fantabulous!