Hey everyone! I've been in a Hunger Games mood lately, so excited for the movie, and just had to write this story!
Warning: If you haven't read Mockingjay, I don't recommend reading this. Not only are there spoilers, you probably won't understand parts of it.
Basically, the story's like this. What if the Districts hadn't won the Rebellion? I've seen tons of alternate endings based on when they did win, but what if they didn't? The story starts around page 207, when they're firing on the Nut to destory it. The only main difference is Haymitch is in one of the hovercars, not in District 13. I hadn't planned for the story to be really long, but it's going to wind up being many chapters, something I realized as I started writing. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Suzanne Collins. I do not make money off of this! If I did, would I be sitting in my bedroom torturing Katniss? I think not!
From where I was standing on the roof, I could see what Beetee meant about not being able to control the avalanche. Tons of rock and dirt surged down the mountainside, and I could only take a guess at the mayhem going on inside the Nut. "Katniss, get inside. Just in case the Capitol decides to try something." Haymitch said in my ear. Quickly, I descended the ladder, Boggs and a few other soldiers behind me. Soldiers were running towards District 2's plaza, the center of town. Gale was among them, but I didn't volunteer to go. I could see why we needed to do the plan; I just didn't really like it. So many people would be mourned today. So many lives lost. But then again, the Capitol had done that, and worse. The Hunger Games were proof of that.
I was deep in thought when the shots started ringing out. I didn't think much of it, besides the fact that I didn't think people would have been able to get out of the Nut as quickly as they did. And then the shouting started.
"It's an ambush! There's soldiers on the ground waiting for us!" Someone shouted.
"To the hovercars! Retreat, retreat!" Someone else ordered, and our soldiers began rushing past us, hurrying to evacuate District 2. There was an ambush? I had no idea what was going on, and stumbled backwards, trying to avoid the people running past me. Lights burst on, and I could see Peacekeepers running towards in the distance. Hovercars flew over, and shots continued to split the air.
"Up Mockingjay!" Boggs voice sounded behind me, as he yanked me to my feet by my arm. He pushed me roughly towards the hovercars, a few soldiers gathering around me as bodyguards. I started to run, but something, or rather, someone, caught my eye.
Gale, clutching his arm, blood seeping through his lower pant leg, stumbled towards us. One of the people from District 12 was holding onto him, keeping him upright.
"Gale!" I cried, shoving through the mass of people.
"Katniss, no!" Haymitch's voice sounded in my ear. "Get to the hovercars!" But I ignored him. I had to get to Gale. The soldier who was holding onto Gale got caught in the crowd, and he lost his grip on Gale. Gale, suddenly having no one to help keep him upright, tripped, and fell to his knees.
"Gale!" I screamed again, vaulting to his side.
"Katniss, go. I'm expendable, you're not!" Gale said through clenched teeth.
"Katniss, you have 5 seconds to turn around, and get to the hovercar! Someone else will help Gale!" Haymitch snapped. I ignored them both, and got Gale to his feet. Despite him telling me to go, he leaned heavily against me as soon as he was upright, and I could see a couple bullet wounds, as well as cuts. I pulled his arm across my shoulders, and we limped forward.
Boggs, who was clearly angry, strode forward, and took Gale's other arm. He didn't say anything to me, though I could see he was seething. But at the moment, he knew better than to tell me to leave Gale. More soldiers crowded around us, and shots rang out again. We pushed forward, finally reaching a hovercar. Boggs shoved me inside, and helped me get Gale in as well. Haymitch was in the car, glowering at me. But I paid no attention, Gale being my upmost concern at the moment.
A couple more soldiers jumped in, and the hovercar lifted into the air, and took off. Haymitch continued to glare, while I took a look at Gale's injuries. His head was in my lap, and he was wincing a bit.
"What happened?" I asked Boggs.
"They made us think they hadn't spotted us. They guessed what we were trying to do, and arranged an ambush to be waiting for us on the ground. The minute all the hovercars had landed, they opened fire. They swarmed us, and the only thing we could do was retreat. "Boggs replied shortly, still furious with me.
He passed me some bandages, which I pressed on Gale's injuries. Thankfully, his upper body hadn't been hit, erasing any danger of injuries to his internal organs. But his arm and leg had been, and he had a blow to the head, as well as a countless cuts and bruises. As I applied pressure on his leg, a small gasp escaped him.
"Sorry. Hang in there, okay?"
"You're…the stupidest…person I ever…met. Shouldn't…have gone…back to…get me." He got out.
"Shut up, and let me work on you. You really expected me to stand by and watch while you fell, and got trampled?"
"No…expected you…to run…"
"Oh shh. Save your energy." I wrapped the cloth tightly around his leg, then moved to his arm.
"He has a point." Haymitch spoke up. "We wouldn't have left him behind. And besides, we can replace him. We can't replace you."
I gave a furious look to Haymitch. "He can't be replaced."
"Katniss, I know what he means to you. Especially with Peeta the way he is, but in terms of the war, he can be replaced. We can't just find ourselves another Katniss."
I knew Haymitch had a point, but still. That was my best friend lying there for goodness sakes!
"Katniss, you need to learn to follow orders. Next time, if you disobey, you may not be allowed to come anymore. Especially now, since we just lost a major battle. We may not get a chance to get the Nut again, but if we do, I can't have you, or anyone else messing it up by not following orders. Understood?" Boggs said. I stared at him for a moment.
"I can't just stand by if someone I care about like Gale is hurt."
"We were already trying to get to Gale. A couple other soldiers were reaching down to help. Trust me, Gale wouldn't have gotten left." Haymitch responded.
"I get it Haymitch. Just…tell me you understand why I did what I did."
Haymitch let out a long breath. "I do Katniss, I really do, but it doesn't make it right."
I gave a small nod, and turned back to Gale. His forehead was sweaty, his pupils dilated. The gash on his head was continuing to bleed, and I pressed a clean cloth to try and slow it down.
"It's his head injury that's worrying me the most." Boggs said, kneeling down by Gale. "It doesn't look good."
"Will he be okay?"
"We'll just have to wait and see what the doctors say." I looked back down at Gale, fear filling my eyes. He noticed, and gently reached a hand up to brush my cheek.
"Takes more than a cut to stop me Catnip. I'll be fine." He said, with a half-smile. I gave him a smile in return, and brushed his hair out of his eyes.
The minute we landed back in District 13, a team from the hospital hopped on, and got Gale on a gurney. In a matter of seconds, he was whisked inside, and taken to the hospital. Around us, hovercars were landing, and soldiers were getting taken inside to be treated.
Boggs hopped out, offering me a hand to help me down. I took it, and jumped to the ground, Haymitch right behind me.
"I've gotta get to a meeting. Find out what our next plan of action is." Boggs said.
"Should I come?" I asked.
"No, you'd be welcomed, but you need to get yourself checked out, and you'll probably want to be with Gale. You look fine to me, but nobody takes things that have to do with the Mockingjay lightly."
If it wasn't for Gale, I might have protested, after all, I was fine, and wanted to know what we would do next. But I needed to be with him. So I nodded, and hurried to the hospital. As soon as I arrived, a doctor came over, and said I needed to be examined. Though I felt fine, I knew protesting would only get me in trouble, so I followed him to the examining room. After him, and a couple nurses went over every inch of me, and declared me to be fine, I was allowed to put on my usual clothes, and leave. Once I reached the waiting room, I inquired about Gale, and was told that he was in surgery, but that I would be notified of any changes.
I sat down in a chair to wait, making knots with my rope to pass the time. Finnick walked in a few minutes later, dressed in the usual District 13 clothes.
"I heard about Gale. He's strong though. He'll pull through." He said, sitting down by me.
"I know, I just can't help but worry."
"Good thing you have that rope then." I gave a small laugh, and Finnick kept me company while I waited for news on Gale. We passed the time with idle chatter, and making knots. Finally, a nurse walked over.
"The surgery went fine. He'll spend several days here, but he'll make a full recovery."
A wave of relief washed over me. "Can I see him?" The nurse nodded.
"I'll wait here." Finnick said, and following the nurse, I entered Gale's room. He was lying on a bed, a bandage around his forehead, arm, and leg. A few other cuts had been stitched, and he was wearing a hospital gown; a blanket wrapped around him. I stood by his bedside, gently caressing his cheek, and he slowly opened his eyes.
"Hey Catnip." He said hoarsely.
"You scare me like that again, and I'll kick you into next year." He gave a small smile.
"How do you feel?" I asked.
"Like I got run over by a train. But I'll be okay." I smiled, and sat down on the edge of his bedside.
After a moment, he spoke up. "You think I'm heartless."
"No I don't, cuz I know you aren't. But Gale, how are we any better than them, if we do the same things they do?"
"We don't have much of a choice."
"Of course we do! There could have been other methods to taking the Nut!"
"Really? Then please, tell me, because I'd love to hear them." His voice had taken on a slightly sarcastic tone.
"Surrender…um…"
"They wouldn't have surrendered, and you know it. And clearly you don't have any other suggestions. But my plan didn't even work, so I guess I don't have much room to talk."
"It would have if they hadn't spotted us so quickly. They must have been guessing we'd try something like this."
"Maybe, but we'll never know. Still Katniss, that brings us back to the same issue. You think I stoop too low, that I cross the line."
"No I don't!"
"You do, because you always counteract whatever I say about things like that. And even when you do agree, it's always half-heartedly."
"Gale, while we were there, I couldn't help thinking about the mining accident. About how this wasn't really any different than that. We may not have won, but we still killed many. Husbands, friends, brothers, fathers were lost today."
A hurt look came over him, and I quickly tried to backtrack, realizing this time, I was the one who had gone too far.
"Wait, that wasn't fair, I shouldn't have-"
He cut me off. "No, you're right. It isn't any different. I crossed the line, I'm too heartless, I shouldn't have done it. I get it. Look, just go Katniss."
"Gale-"
"I said just go!" He was more forceful, and I couldn't remember the last time he had raised his voice at me. I saw that it dawned on him too, but he didn't say a word about it.
"Katniss, maybe we're just too different. Maybe things just won't work out between us anymore. Before, mutual survival bonded us, now, it's slipping anyway, along with the friendship we shared. Maybe you just shouldn't hang around me anymore. Maybe we should just-" I cut him off with a kiss on the mouth. I didn't always agree with Gale, but I still cared about him. I couldn't lose him. I just couldn't.
He made a surprised noise in the back of his throat, but his good arm came up to wrap around my waist. Finally, I pulled back a little, but still close enough that only a few mere inches separated us.
"Now, what was it you were saying?" I said, looking almost teasing.
"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all." He said, with a half-smile, and pressed his lips against mine.
Behind us, someone cleared their throat, and we hurriedly pulled apart. A nurse was standing in the doorway, a look of amusement on her face. "Gale needs to rest. I'm afraid your time's up Katniss."
Sighing, I gave Gale a quick kiss on the cheek, and slowly made my way towards the door.
"When can I come back?"
"Tomorrow." That irritated me, but I said nothing, knowing the doctor had made that decision, and that the nurse wouldn't be able to do anything. But I intended to find the doctor as soon I left the room, and demand to be allowed in later tonight. As I passed the nurse though, she leaned over to whisper something in my ear. "I work tonight. You can slip in then." With a sly smile, she went over to Gale. Grinning a little, I quietly left the room.
I asked for directions to whatever meeting was going on, and was directed to a room. Since I was the Mockingjay, I was allowed to enter. Coin, Boggs, Haymitch, Plutarch, Beetee and several others looked up as I entered.
"Uh, I had to leave Gale's room, and Boggs said I would be welcomed here." I stammered.
Plutarch smiled at me. "Of course, of course! This is a war meeting, and you are the Mockingjay. But Katniss, please, only speak when necessary. We're in the middle of a big discussion, and unless you have some brilliant idea, stay quiet. Alright?" I nodded, and took a seat next to Haymitch. Though I was important to the Rebellion, I got the hint that I didn't have some high army position, and wouldn't be allowed to know about every little detail. Especially with my past mental issues.
"Now, as I was saying…" Plutarch continued. "To take over the Nut, our only chance will be to do a full scale attack on District 2."
"There has to be some other way. The Capitol will be guarding it more closely now, and besides, where do you intend to get all the equipment needed for such a move?" Boggs said.
"We'll find it. Gale's plan would have worked, but it won't now that the Capitol will be putting up more defenses, knowing we may try again."
"So they shouldn't be able to use it now right? I mean, we did the avalanche." Haymitch said. "We may not have been able to the plaza, but didn't the plan still work?"
"Wrong. They managed to block some of the blows, though how, I have no idea. And they're already airlifting the rocks away. Remember the point was to gain the Nut, to then gain District 2. It wasn't just to demolish their war base. If the plan had worked, we would have gotten control of District 2 so they wouldn't be able to get in to do it." Plutarch replied.
"How are they airlifting it? Gale said we would lose it entirely, and that nothing would be able to be done to save it."
"They were prepared. They were ready to handle it. They were smart, and figured out our plan the minute rocks started sliding. They got defenses up, and were able to save a lot of the Nut. Had the plan gone accordingly, they wouldn't have paid attention to us till it was too late, and by then, the avalanched would be uncontrollable."
Haymitch nodded, finally satisfied with the explanation.
"Why don't we just give it up entirely? Focus on the Capitol." Someone else suggested.
"Because we must cut off all of their resources." Coin responded.
Back and forth the discussion went for a good 3 hours, and still, they were no closer to finding a solution. Finally, I just got up and quietly left, having no "brilliant" suggestions to offer. I had my meal at my usual table, Gale being the only one missing. Later that evening, after spending an hour in our compartment, I slipped to Gale's room. He was sleeping, and the nurse winked at me as I entered. She quietly left, closing the door behind her.
I thought Gale was sleeping anyway, but the minute the door closed, his eyes opened.
"Hey Catnip."
"Hey yourself. Look, I was thinking about earlier today, and I-"
"I was too, and I need to say something." He interrupted.
"No, what I need to say is more important. I'm not going to "not be friends with you," just because we can't agree on a few things. I don't always agree with you, and that's just the way it is. There's not point for me to try and dictate what you think, and vice-versa. So can we just agree to disagree, and when we do have an argument, just work it out calmly?"
Gale gave a smile. "That was exactly what I was going to say." I sat down on the bed, and he pulled me close to him. After giving me a kiss, he looked at me and said, "What about Peeta?"
"What about him?"
"What about things between you?"
"Gale, the Peeta I loved no longer exists. What we had was gone."
"So…you really did love him?"
I chose my next words carefully. "I think what I was thinking when I did say I loved him, was that if I didn't love him, everyone I did love would be killed by President Snow."
"Yeah, like that's not confusing."
"I know, I know, I didn't say it right. What I'm trying to say is, is that I let myself fall in love with Peeta because I didn't have a choice. In the Games, a lot of it was an act. If I intended to survive, I had to give the audience a show, and to do that, I had to love Peeta. In a way, I did love him, just maybe not in a dating sort of way. And afterwards, to keep everyone I cared about alive, I had to marry him. I didn't really have a choice, so I just sort of ignored whatever feelings I had for you, because I'd never be allowed to fall in love with you. But now that I'm free of that, and that the Peeta I fell in love with is gone…" I trailed off.
In the shadows, a small smile appeared on his face. "So you did choose me? Really, and truly? Cuz well, I chose you. Long time ago actually. But when I saw you and Peeta, I just pushed those feelings to the back of my mind."
I gave him a smile in return. "Of course I chose you." I was silent for a moment. "Gale, why did you choose me?"
He looked straight into my eyes when he answered. "Because you were the most amazing girl I had ever met. I just didn't realize it till later." I smiled again, and snuggled up close to him, careful not to bump his injuries. His arm came around me, and I rested my head on his chest.
"I really shouldn't stay long…" I murmured.
"What was that? I think you said that you really should stay a while." Gale replied.
"I'm going to get you one of these days." Gale just smiled, and leaned back on the bed.
The next several days passed in a blur. I trained, spent time with Gale, did propos, attended meetings where no solution on our current problem was ever reached… Basically, everyone was hunkering down, and waiting for someone to come up with a plan of action. I was headed to training one morning when Finnick ran up to me.
"Katniss, they need you in the hospital right away!" My heart lurched.
"Gale?" He had been released this morning on orders to take it easy, but if something had happened with his head…
"No, he's fine. It's Peeta; they think they've gotten through to him. They want him to see you." My spirits soared. Even though I had chosen Gale, I didn't want to lose Peeta as I friend. I tore down the hall, seeing Haymitch, Plutarch, and doctors crowded around the glass doors of Peeta's room.
Plutarch spoke first. "Now, we'll let you go in the room, but avoid questions about memories you two shared. Don't say anything unless he asks you a question we say you can answer. You'll wear this earpiece to communicate with us."
"Got it." I took the earpiece, slipped it into my ear, and spotted Gale walking over.
"Be careful Katniss. They think the cure they did work, but you can never be sure." Gale said.
"I'll be fine Gale." I lowered my voice a little. "I'll have to act like I'm still in love with him, so don't freak out on me, okay?"
He gave a smile. "Don't worry. I won't." A doctor opened the door, and I slipped inside.
Peeta was sitting on his bed, his legs crossed. He looked up as I entered, and smiled.
"Katniss. I haven't seen you in forever. You okay?" He sounded like the old Peeta, and I couldn't help but feel hopeful.
"You can answer it." Plutarch said in my earpiece.
"Oh, I'm fine. How are you?"
Peeta took a second to answer. "I'm doing great." He got up and wandered around the room, going to the door, the window, his bed.
Plutarch spoke again. "Let him wander."
"That's good to hear." I replied.
He nodded. "Katniss, come closer. I've missed you so much." He said, sitting on the bed again.
"Go ahead, but be on alert." Plutarch said.
"I've missed you too." I said back, and walked over to him. He embraced me in a tight hug, and gave me a kiss on the lips. I kissed him back, and he seemed to relax.
"So you're not a mutt."
"Say no. Say that was just a bad dream." Plutarch told me.
"No, of course not. That was all just a bad dream. I mean, I love you Peeta."
"I love you too." His hand moved, but I didn't really notice it.
His expression changed, and I got a little nervous. His arms which had felt welcoming to me before, felt like they were trapping me now.
"You know, I lied to the doctors. I lied to get them to let you in here. Because they wouldn't listen. I know who you really are. I know you betrayed me." I froze.
"Katniss, get back. Get back!" Plutarch's alarmed voice sounded in my ear. I pulled back, and got off the bed, but Peeta grabbed my arm, preventing me from going any further. A knife was in his hand.
"Gale!" I screamed, and quick as a flash, Peeta brought the knife into my side. The pain was intense. It rippled through me like a rock skipping across a pond.
I let out a cry of pain, and fell to the ground, blood staining my shirt. I could hear yells behind the door, and part of me wondered why no one was coming in to help.
"I locked the door." Peeta said, smiling. "I figured out how to do from the inside." I stumbled backwards, my hand slipping on the tile floor, now slick with my blood. My heart was in my throat, and I glanced anxiously around, hoping to find something to fend Peeta off. He followed me, and the knife came down again.
"Gale, help me! Haymitch, Plutarch, somebody, please do something!" I cried, feeling a little woozy from the loss of blood. The knife came down a third time, this time on my legs. I let out a scream, and suddenly the door came crashing down. Peeta instantly grabbed me, and held the knife to my throat. Gale was in the room, Plutarch, and doctors right behind him.
"Let her go Peeta. She never hurt you." Gale said slowly, making very subtle eye contact with Plutarch.
"Stay back!" Peeta warned.
"Remember your paintings? I asked you to show them to me, but you never did. Katniss said you were really good."
A look of confusion came over him. "I don't-"
"You're a wonderful painter, a wonderful baker too." Plutarch crept close to me, while Gale distracted Peeta. Blood was pouring from the wounds in my side and leg, and my shirt was drenched in blood. Soft gasps escaped me, and I could see panic reflected in Gale's eyes.
"I remember I bought one of your cookies one time." He continued. "Your mom could bake so well, and you iced them so beautifully." A distant part of my brain knew Gale was just keeping Peeta distracted. He could never have afforded those cookies.
The grip on the knife loosened slightly as Peeta grew more confused. "I don't think you-"
"All those colors. All those paints. But you were never able to get a rainbow. They went away so quickly. A bit of blue here, a dab of yellow there, a splotch of purple over here." Faintly, I remembered Peeta staying those words to the morphling when she died in the 75th Hunger Games. Peeta's grip on me loosened, and fast as lightning, Plutarch yanked the knife out of Peeta's hand. The confusion disappeared on his face, replaced by anger. Both of his arms came to grab me.
"Move another inch, and she dies!" He yanked me upwards, getting me to my feet, and I cried out.
"Gale, help me please!" My cries seemed to cut right through him. He glanced at Plutarch, and the other doctors, not sure what to do.
"Peeta, she's not a mutt. We told you that." Plutarch said slowly.
"You really think I believed that? I'm smarter than you think I am." His grip on me tightened. Blood was dripping to the floor, and I struggled to stay conscious… Time had seemed to stop in the room.
Gale was panicking, trying to get to me…
Plutarch looked desperate, trying to come up with a plan.
The doctors were scrambling, trying to save the Mockingjay…
I was hurting, my blood slowly spreading out on the white tile floor…
"Gale…" I said slowly.
"Hang in there Katniss. Hang in there."
"Peeta, let Katniss go, and we'll take care of her." Plutarch said.
"You...believe me?"
"Of course. She is a mutt. Hand over Peeta. We can do all official-like." Peeta looked confused again, but only for a moment.
"No, you're lying!" He started dragging me towards the door, and Plutarch and the others could see they didn't have much time left to save me.
Suddenly, Gale couldn't stand it. He surged forward, reaching to knock Peeta out. Peeta squeezed me, and I screamed. It turned into utter chaos. Gale caught me as Peeta lost it completely, and I fell to the side, moaning a little.
"I've got you Katniss. I've got you." Gale said, pulling me close to him.
"Gale…"
"Shh… Save yourenergy." I could hear the shouts and screams of Peeta and, for a moment, I caught sight of his face as he tried to get back to me. I screamed and clutched Gale, who pulled back, me in his arms.
Everything faded away for a moment. The room was swaying, the shouts getting fainter and fainter. I didn't know how much longer I could hold on. I was drenched in blood, the gaping wound showing no signs of clotting. Everything seemed to be getting whiter, and brighter. The sounds were softer, and then everything came rushing back as Gale yelled at me to stay awake. I was jolted out of my stupor, gasping in pain.
I felt Gale stand up, run towards the door, shouting for a doctor. I screamed again, and Gale rushed me out of the room. I caught a glimpse of Prim, my mother, heard Gale's voice telling me to hold on. And then I looked towards Peeta's room.
He was swinging wildly, a knife, and gun in his hand. Boggs and the others were trying to get a hold of him, but he kept screaming, and swinging the knife and gun. I heard Boggs yell something, hold up his gun, and shoot Peeta in the head. Everything stopped. Peeta…he was just…shot. He fell to the ground, and I heard myself scream his name. I forgot about Gale, forgot about my injury, forgot about everyone else. My heart chilled, a wave of panic slowly spreading through my body. I didn't feel the pain, I didn't feel anything. The lights were dimming, the pain easing off as the world began to slip away. There was only one thought that went through my mind.
Boggs just killed Peeta.
And then everything faded to blackness.
I like Peeta. I just don't like Peeta with Katniss. Sorry Katniss/Peeta fans, but I think Gale is just the right one for her. But because I'm not against Peeta, and still like him, I won't be mean by making him face the pain of losing Katniss. This was just the kindest way for him to go. I did sort of cry when I killed him, so no, I'm not mean and heartless. Peeta is very sweet after all. So at least he gets a nice ending. I'll try to update as soon as possible. As I said, this story is going to be really long. The start of the 76th Hunger Games won't even happen for another couple chapters. Those who review get a spoiler on the next chapter, so make sure to review! I love hearing from you guys, and please, please, tell me what you worked for you, what didn't. Just please don't flame me for killing Peeta. I know some of you love him, but I'm sorry, he just had to go. Hope you enjoyed!