II
It's raining, a rain so fine you can hardly see it. Drops of cold water glisten on her carefully arranged hair, on her veil and her bridal bouquet.
As he hands her into the car she's gripping his fingers so hard he thinks they'll snap. 'Don't leave – don't let me be alone –'
'Peeta will be there –'
'Please –' A smile is frozen on her lips for the sake of the cameras flashing behind them – but her eyes stare at him in terror, and he knows he'll see them whenever he closes his eyes tonight.
He can feel the crowd starting to speculate behind him, wondering what the delay is, feel the dreadful silence at the heart of it all, where Snow is watching.
He pulls his hand away. 'You'll be fine. Now go.' And he closes the door on her and steps away, turning his back on her desperation.
Peeta appears, a smile on his lips, his eyes quietly helpless. As he starts to go around to the other side of the car Haymitch grabs his arm and pulls him close, his other hand planted firmly on the boy's back. To anyone watching it looks like the fond farewell of a mentor to the boy he's kept alive in the face of certain death. But his fingers are a little too tight around Peeta's arm, and he's not smiling.
'Look after her.'
Peeta nods, grim. 'I promise.'
'Tell her I'll protect her sister. Her mother.'
Peeta nods again. The shadow is still there, the shadow that's fallen across his clear eyes.
For a wild moment Haymitch wants to shove him aside, throw the driver out of the car and drive Katniss away, far away. But there's no place to hide. Not since Snow took 13 and doubled his surveillance methods.
'All right.' He steps away, watches Peeta climb in on his side. The car pulls away and he's unable to move, watching helplessly as it slides down the driveway and around a walled bend, out of sight.
A/N: Please leave a review, I'd love to hear from you.
