Summary: "Attention Tributes. Attention. The regulation requiring a single victor has been suspended. Two victors of opposite gender may be crowned. This will be the only announcement."

Chapter 1

Katniss stared into the crowd without ever really seeing any of them. Their overly enthusiastic clapping was dying down, and she hoped that at any moment she would wake up from this terrible nightmare. She tried to focus in, remembering the threat that President Snow had personally delivered.

Caesar leaned towards them, "I know normally we let ladies go first, but I'm just so excited to hear your takeaway on the games."

His arm brushed against Katniss' dress as he patted Cato on the leg twice. Katniss gave a faint smile. She was supposed to smile, right?

"I'm glad to tell it all." Cato smiled, and Katniss could hear the front row sighing with admiration. "I volunteered for the games with one goal. To win the games. I always knew I was going to walk out the victor. There was never any doubt in my mind."

"And we never doubted you. You were a fan favorite from the very beginning. Let's look at some of the highlights."

The screen behind them began playing. Katniss fought the urge to cringe at each death. She just had to make it through this one interview. Then she could go home, and she could forget all about the games until the victory tour.

Her facade nearly crumbled when she heard Peeta's voice in the midst of the careers right before Cato killed another tribute. It wasn't until the reel quit playing that Katniss realized that she had been holding her breath.

"And what an amazing victory it was." Caesar beamed as the crowd cheered wildly once more.

"Thank you, Caesar. It was an honor to represent my district. One of the highest honors a citizen has is representing their district well in the games." He sounded like a Capital propaganda tool. The worst part was he truly believed what he was saying.

"I'm sure District 2 is as proud as we all are."

"Thank you." Cato flashed a smile, and Katniss was sure that every woman in the audience was ready to take him home as if he were a stray pup. "I didn't just walk out victor of the games. I take away quite a bit of knowledge that I learned from my time in the arena."

"Oh. Don't leave us hanging!"

"I learned how far strength and determination will take you. I'm almost ashamed to admit, but in the arena, I learned about my weaknesses. I learned there are things that I could work on." The women all sighed before a clip of Cato failing to chase after Katniss once she had climbed up into the tree. "These lessons served me well in the games, but I walked away with the knowledge that these aren't even the most important things in life. I never thought that I would be thinking such a thing, but the games proved me wrong." He reached over and held Katniss' hand, resting both of their hands on her leg.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I think we missed something." The crowd gasped and turned their heads asking their neighbor on either side if they had any suspicion. Caesar moved in his seat and leaned towards them. "Tell me when did this come about. How did it come about?"

This? What was he talking about this? What was this? Katniss realized her hand was being held, and she looked down at it. It was the wrong hand. There should have been a different hand. The hand she wanted belonged to a boy who was kind and enamored with the Capital upon arrival. It belonged to a boy who tossed her bread when she was cold and wet and starving. The hand holding hers belonged to the brute who had snuffed out his life without a second thought. She withdrew her hand from his and clasped her other one before folding them both into her lap.

"I know you're hoping for me to tell you that it was love at first sight. To be honest, I hated her upon first sight. She was a rival I didn't think worthy of consideration, but she had this determination about her. Then she kept doing things that brought attention back to her. She scored an 11 in her session."

"You received a 10, correct?"

"Yes, I couldn't understand how she could have possibly have done better than me."

"Katniss, tell us. What did you do to make such an impression?"

"I was just my normally overdetermined self." She smiled and wondered how much longer this would go on. The last time she had been on this stage she had been told to make herself appealing to gain sponsors. This time she had been told not to upset the balance.

"Cato, how did you go from hating this beautiful creature to wanting something more?" The audience leaned in as if they were about to get a scandalous piece of gossip.

"I suppose there was always something there, and that's why I was so driven to get rid of her. When they announced that there could be more than one victor, I was certain that Clove and I would make it out of the arena."

Katniss remembered the announcement. "Attention Tributes. Attention. The regulation requiring a single victor has been suspended. Two victors of opposite gender may be crowned. This will be the only announcement."

"Katniss, did you have a similar thought?"

"Yes, I ran to find Peeta."

"How did you feel when you found him?"

"I was so relieved, and I thought we had a real chance of going home together. Even with his injury, we could make it we just had to stick it out."

"So we have the star crossed lovers from District 12 and the Tributes from District 2. Both teams aiming to go home together. If Clove had made it out instead of Katniss, would the two of you be a couple?"

"No. Clove was my friend, and it's hard knowing she didn't make it out of the areana, but we would have always just been friends."

"What was going through your head when you realized that Clove wasn't making it out?"

"I was angry, and my first thought was I had to get vengeance for Clove. He was a dead man walking from the moment his name was drawn, but I was going to kill him."

"And you did."

"Yes, and then I was left with nothing. The cannons had fired twenty-one times. There were only three of us left, but by that point, I was uncertain as to who the other two were. As I hunted to find them, I realized I wanted it to be her. I wanted her to make it out of the arena."

"You find them, but you don't make your presence known."

"No. I really had to think. I knew they were on the lookout for me, and I knew that at least one of us wasn't leaving that arena. I knew that if she spotted me before I did what had to be done that she would attack me to save him, and I might injure her instead."

"It didn't stop her from attacking you though."

"No, she was just so overwhelmed with his death. I think she thought that if I was gone then it would mean that he wasn't."

"How did that make you feel?"

"I'll tell you. It hurt. Here I had just had this revelation that I wanted her to be victorious so I that I could have the opportunity to get to know her, and here she was trying to kill me. Thankfully, I'm quite a bit stronger than she."

"Will you be going to the ball together?" Caesar asked, wiggly his eyebrows.

"No" He had implied it like it was a date. She had forgotten about the ball tomorrow night. She would be forced to go to yet another event where she would be forced to play nice and act like Cato wasn't a bad person while everyone fawned all over him.

"I'm hoping I can change her mind before tomorrow night."

"Well you've got quite a challenge on your hands."

"I love a challenge."

"Ladies and gentlemen, your 74th Hunger Game Victors." Katniss and Cato both stood with Caesar before exiting the stage as the crowd cheered.

The moment she was able Katniss fled from the stage and returned to her apartment. Effie and the rest of the team trailing after her. She locked herself in her room, refusing to listen to her team's pleas that she did fine. Then, she heard Haymitch's voice and one she didn't recognize.

"What game is he playing?" Haymitch asked.

"I don't think he is playing a game."

"He came out a victor. What does he get by mocking their love? From shoving it in her face, that Peeta didn't make it out?"

"He's not mocking her. We all knew the star crossed lovers were doomed from the start. The boy is honestly smitten with her."

"Bullshit. I don't buy it for a minute."

"Haymitch, no one is asking you to buy it. Go back to your drink and convince the girl to go with him tomorrow. The Capital will love it. She's pretty lucky that a Victor from District 2 has any interest in her. I'm sure he'll go back to District 2 after the ball, and by the time the victory tour rolls around, he'll have forgotten all about her."

A/N: I haven't decided yet on a title so it may change, and I'm open to suggestions on it.