A/N: I co-wrote this story with my good friend KAB. You can see our paring list .com/IDVParings

PRIM'S POV

"Primrose Everdeen!"

Hey… that's me. Oh crap, I'm going to the Games. I glance over at Katniss and see that she's nodding reassuringly and waving me forward. "Go Prim!" she whispers. Well, if Katniss thinks I should go, maybe it'd be better this way. I make my way towards the stage. Effie pulls me up and I keep my face straight. Haymitch, on the other hand, lets his face crack into a smile. He limps over to me.

"Nice kid," He laughs drunkly "Hey, you're Katniss' sister, right?" I give a slight nod "Well, I like your sister. She's got spunk. More than you!" He points a shaky finger at the cameras. Haymitch might be taunting the Capitol. Yikes. "More than you!" He repeats.

His body tilts forward a little mid-taunt and he plunders to the ground. Some Peacekeepers carry him away on a stretcher. I recocnize a stretcher because my mother still has one from her apothecary days as we call them.

"Now onto the gentlemen!" Effie trills. She plucks a slip from the top of the boys' bowl. "Gale Hawthorne!" Oh great, I'll be trying to kill Katniss' best friend! I watch Rory's face. It sinks as Gale walks forward.

"No!" Rory cries "I volunteer for Gale Hawthorne!"

"Rory, no." Gale says firmly, his hands clenched in fists. He shakes Rory off.

"Oh, we have a volunteer!" Effie's nearly beside herself with excitement.

"No, we don't!" Gale shouts "I'm Gale Hawthorne and I volunteer for myself! Now shut it, Capitol!" Peacekeepers start dragging Gale away from Rory. He curses at them and yells at Rory. "Let me go!"

"Unfortunately for you, rules are rules." Effie pulls Rory onto the stage next to me "This young man volunteered first." She turns to Rory "What's your name?"

"Rory Hawthorne." He chokes out. Now Katniss' face is truly shocked. Rory has real guts to do this.

"I bet my hat that was your brother, hmm?" Effie jokes gingerly. But Gale will not take it as a joke, I know that.

"In case you haven't noticed, YOU DON'T HAVE A HAT!" Gale screams. He's getting dragged toward his mother, Hazelle. She hugs him and starts crying into his shirt. Posy doesn't know what';s happening. Vick just stands frozen in disbelief. Gale is trying to be strong for his family.

While the cameras are trained on the Hawthornes, I turn to Rory. "What made you do that?" I ask.

"Gale has so much to live for." He says, his gray eyes pouring deep inside of me "He'll keep my family alive. I, could never do that." The sadness in his eyes is relentless.

Out of impulse, I hug him. "I think Katniss thought that about herself." I laugh "She was obviously thinking about taking my place."

"It'll be okay, Prim." He's smiling now "We'll just kill eachother, all right? Save our families the pain."

Mayor Undersee starts the Treaty of Treason and soon Rory and I are at the Justice Building. We'll each be allowed an hour for visitors. Surprisingly, my first guests are Gale and Katniss. Gale's arm is slung around her shoulder. I suddenly wonder what was happening.

"Prim!" Katniss runs over to me, pulling me into a hug "Try to stay alive, okay? For as long as possible. I heard what Rory said. Don't. You're going to win."

"What?" is all I can manage. I can't win and all of Panem knows it. But I nod anyway. "Okay. How come you didn't volunteer for me?" I ask

"I was considering it," Katniss says guiltily "But I didn't because I have faith in you. Killing might not be your forte, but when it's for your life, you'll be a natural." Tears are forming in her gray eys and she walks out

" Keep Rory alive." Gale says "Don't kill him like he wants. Katniss told me everything. Don't let him lay a finger on you, either." He bends down to whisper something "Don't tell him I said this, but he actually likes you." Gale pats my backs and laughs

"I will." I say smiling "He won't hate you for it. I might actually like him, too, but I don't know for sure…"

"Admit it." He says "At your interview. It'll be good for sponsors. I'll be waiting." With that, Gale leaves and waits to visit Rory. My mother walks in next. She's not crying, so that's a good sign. As soon as her arms are around me, she starts sobbing. Be strong, Prim. Don't crack.

"Hey, Mom?" I half-ask "It's okay. I'm gonna be fine." She nods and wipes her tears away; this must be hard for her.

"Yes, Prim, you'll be fine." Her saddened face cracks with a smile and a shard of laughter "Here, Prim. It's from Katniss, but she was trying to be strong for you. Please use it as your district token." My mother slides a piece of paper into my hand and closes my fingers around it.

I open my hand and read it. "Mom, this is a Webkinz code!" I laugh in her face "No one plays Webkinz anymore. Tell Katniss that."

She laughs back "I told her that, but she insisted. Try it out. Maybe you'll like it." I give her one last hug and she leaves. Hazelle visits me for a while and them my hour is over. Rory walks out of his room clutching something in his hand. Must be his token. I'm about to ask when Effie starts hauling us to the tribute train.

"Come along, children." She trills in an annoying Capitol accent "Haymitch should be on the train soon. It's just after that fall he might need a little healing time, no?" I look around, waiting for Gale's taunting voice to yell out an argument on that. Effie notices my looking and laughs. "Planning an escape, are we?"

"No." I say "Just checking around. Thought that Gale might show up and make a comment like earlier. Always can count on Gale for that." Me an Rory start laughing. Effie just looks at us like we're two pitiful kids eating out of her garbage. "Oh, sorry if we disgusted you." I add quickly "It's just, Gale's a little…"

"He always says what he thinks, really." Rory says

"Exactly." I say.

A/N: So, whatdya think? This was fully KAB's idea. You guys can be sure you're getting a good story with both of us. Great seprate but unstopabble together. Thanks for the idea, BFF!