Crimson Fire and Black Smoke

Chapter Two – Phoenix


A/N: Just to let you know, I am about to embark on a massive trip and am not sure if/when I will find time to write. I will endeavor to get a few chapters up on my way around but I can't make any promises. I hope you can bear with me.


Katniss

Katniss swallowed back tears as she stormed through the corridors of the smokejumper base. She wasn't sure where she was headed; she just needed to put as much distance as possible between her and him. Him, Peeta Mellark, the boy who had saved her from her burning home just over ten years ago. 'But he isn't a boy anymore' she thought as she slowed her steps.

The woman sighed. 'What are the odds of running into him?"she wondered as she looked around her. She had wound up in a lounge room of sorts. It was small, scattered with mismatched furniture and was empty making it an appropriate place to sort through her thoughts. Slowly she dropped down onto one of the dark leather lounges and put her face in her hands.

From the moment she recognized his striking blue eyes the memory of the fire had completely consumed her. It had been more vivid than the ones she faced in her dreams during the darkness of the night. The colors had been rich and frightening, the sound had been deafening, and she could almost feel the sharp sting from her burned skin. Then he had said her name and everything suddenly calmed. The smoke had cleared and it was just the two of them on the grass holding onto hope, even though there was none. The pause that followed allowed her to return to reality slowly. In the daze she had stared at him, taking note of the ways that he had changed over the past ten years. He was taller and had the muscular build of an athlete. His golden hair was slightly darker and a light tan shaded his skin. But his eyes were the same, and his mouth, which at that moment had begun to move.

The question he asked was simple and safe and hardly warranted the reaction she'd given him. But she'd panicked. The waves of emotion had threatened to drown her and she needed to get away, only, there had been no way out. Trapped and confused she had let her anger and frustrations dominate most of the short conversation. She had barked questions at him and when she didn't like the answers had dared to make accusations that weren't true.

The woman dropped her hands into her lap and stared down at them, a frown on her lips. It had broken her when she realised that Peeta blamed himself for not being able to save her family. In her mind the only person who carried that blame was herself and she had been completely taken aback when he had tried to explain. She had frozen in shock at the way the light had left his eyes and his voice broke with desperation and sadness. It hurt her to see him in pain over it; more so when she realized that she had caused it.

If Katniss had blamed Peeta for anything over the years, it was that he had saved her instead of letting her die with her family. In some of the darkest hours she had wished that the black smoke had been thicker making it impossible for him to have seen her; making it impossible for him to have saved her. During those hours she cursed his very existence and would blame him for the half-life she had been forced to live; a life without her family, a life without their love. But she had never blamed him for not doing enough, she couldn't, he had been her last hope after all.

The woman sighed loudly and rubbed her forehead with her index finger and thumb. She could feel a headache coming on. More than anything she wanted to run away and never look back, but things weren't as simple as they were when she was a teenager. Running away from her memories had been much easier... Sae had given her the way out and she had taken it without hesitation. Now though, she had to think about supporting herself, and the old woman, and the job at the smokejumper base was a good one.

Katniss had trained as a pilot not long after she had finished school and had found herself a job at a small chartering company. She enjoyed flying the smaller planes and had stayed with company until it closed down a few months ago. After that, things had looked bleak. There was no work in the area and she didn't want to leave her elderly Aunt. The woman had been there for her, she owed it to her to return the favor. Plus, Sae was the only family she had left. So when the job came up at the nearby smokejumper base she had jumped at the chance and had managed to convince the Operations Manager that she was right for the job. 'I suppose it's time to stop running...' she thought.

"Katniss?"

The sound of her name brought her out of her reverie and she looked up at Jessica Paylor. The operation's Manager stood just inside the doorway and looked at her with concern.

"Are you alright?" she asked. "Boggs said that there was some sort of incident..." The woman trailed off and eyed her hopefully, looking for an explanation.

Katniss frowned. "It was nothing," she lied, but the moment she said it she knew it was a stupid response. The intelligent woman was hardly going to take that for an answer. Especially, since she had managed to shrug off the advances of most of the pig-headed smokejumpers. 'She must think he did something horrible to get that sort of response from me'she thought. She looked at the floor and sighed inwardly. Peeta was hardly looking for trouble, or anything else for that matter. She had persecuted him for simply being him and that wasn't fair.

Paylor raised an eyebrow. "You hit him," she stated.

"I reacted badly... I'll find him and apologize" she said quickly. Peeta didn't deserve to be hassled because she couldn't handle being faced with the past, and she couldn't afford to lose this opportunity because he worked here.

"Did Peeta hurt you?" she asked slowly. She looked conflicted, as though the words shouldn't be put together, and Katniss knew instantly that the woman thought highly of Peeta.

"No, no!" Katniss replied with a frantic shake of her head. "No, I was just surprised to see him here."

"You know Peeta?" she asked. Her forehead was creased and Katniss could tell that the woman was more than a little confused. 'She'll just have to get over it' Katniss thought. There was no way she was going to reveal her life story to the woman on her very first day. For all she knew the operations manager might decide that she wasn't mentally prepared for working with fires and give the work to another pilot. Plus, she didn't relive that particular story with anyone... except perhaps Peeta Mellark. And that was only because she didn't need words to do so.

"I did..." she replied carefully. The memory of his azure eyes staring down at her came to mind and she stood up, her decision made. She needed this job and she owed him her life - she needed him to be an ally, if nothing else.

"You are sure you're alright? He didn't hurt or upset you?" the woman asked.

Katniss nodded and forced a smile. "I'm fine. It's nothing," she replied. 'All lies' she thought sadly and she wondered when it was exactly that she had got so good at lying. She muttered an "I'll see you later," to Paylor before heading back through the corridors of the base towards the airstrip. Her steps slowed as she approached her plane and her silver eyes scanned the area for him. 'Definitely not a boy anymore' she thought when she found him.

The blonde had removed his shirt, clearly over-heated due to a combination of effort and the glaring summer sun, and was carrying one of the last supply boxes towards the plane. She was completely engrossed by the way his muscles rippled in his arms as he carried the crate up the stairs to the plane and when he reappeared without it, she blushed hard. His muscular arms, toned chest and v-shaped physique were ridiculously distracting. So much so that she didn't notice that he had seen her until he said her name.

"Katniss?" he questioned.

Her eyes rose to meet his and heat surged in her cheeks.

"You here to finish me off?" he asked slowly.

She paused, slightly taken aback by the comment. "No," she said. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have hit you."

Peeta raised his eyebrows and wiped his brow with the back of his arm. "It doesn't matter," he replied as he searched her eyes. "I deserved it. I should have done something..."

She scowled at him. "No," she snapped "there was nothing else you could do. It's not your fault. It was her... Coin. You didn't light it. You did everything you could."

His blue eyes widened with surprise.

"Just accept that. I have to work here... there is nowhere else... and I don't want you to feel like you owe me. You're the reason I'm alive. Consider us even if you like. I don't really care... just don't blame yourself because you couldn't save them." Katniss didn't realise she was shaking until he gently placed his hand on the side of her arm. His touch was rough and warm, and she felt herself calm under it. She took in a breath and glanced towards the few remaining boxes. "We should finish loading the plane," she told him, deliberately changing the subject.

He followed her gaze and nodded quietly in response. They didn't speak to each other again, working quietly around each other until they exchanged polite goodbyes when they finished and parted ways in the bases corridor. She had just turned towards the offices when she heard his soft "thank you" echo after her. As it resonated in her heart she wondered how she was going to work with the man without falling to pieces.


Katniss sighed as she stared out the car window at the sea of trees. The forest next to the town had always been one of her favorite places and she often hiked or hunted amongst the boundless trees and foliage, enjoying the peace and solitude that it offered. Although all she could think of when she looked at it now was Peeta Mellark who was out there somewhere fighting another fire.

It had been four days since she had been reunited with the man and although they hadn't really talked since, she wasn't able to get him out of her head. Worse than that, she had been keeping track of his comings and goings like some lovesick school girl. It was pathetic... but no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't stop. For some reason she felt protective of him, and she needed to know that he was okay. This, of course, was made complicated by the fact that he jumped out of airplanes into fires.

"Are you alright Katniss?" her friend, Cinna Blaine, asked softly from the front passenger seat.

"Yeah," she replied softly and she blinked out of her thoughts.

"I told you, she doesn't want to go. He is so creepy around her," Portia sighed while giving her boyfriend, Seneca Crane, a pointed look. "Actually, he is just creepy in general."

"Don't be like that Portia," Effie Jamison scolded from beside her. "Carson has never been anything but kind to us and he's always helped Seneca out at the University."

"You have to admit, he is a little strange Effie," said Seneca. The dark haired man who was driving the car glanced at the three women in the rear-view mirror. "Don't get me wrong, he's nice enough, and I appreciate all his help at work, but there is something not quite right... and you know it"

"He's just another nutty scientist you mean," Cinna teased. The two women laughed and Katniss smiled when Seneca glowered at the man next to him.

"Says the gay fashion designer," Seneca retorted. He wore an indignant expression but his eyes were lit up with warmth and amusement. He and Cinna had been friends for a very long time.

"Touché" laughed Cinna.

Katniss shook her head at the group's antics. She had been a part of the motley crew for a few years now and was used to their friendly bickering. Cinna had become a regular client of hers when she worked at the chartering company and eventually he introduced her to the group. To her surprise she had fit in and since then had been dragged along to numerous functions, parties and outings. Tonight was no exception. She and her friends had been invited by Carson Ownlouis, a colleague of Seneca's, to what he called a 'grand dinner party' at his house deep in the woods.

"Wow!" Cinna exclaimed. Katniss glanced up and found that they had arrived and were heading up the driveway to the house, except it was more of a mansion. The large circular entry road was lined with trees and had a stunning rose garden in the center. At the end stood a majestic three story house that was lit up with colored lights.

"Maybe you should hook up with the guy. I mean, look at what you get," Portia commented quietly as they got out of the car. The blonde nodded towards the row of expensive cars that were lined up outside the garage and gave Katniss a pointed look. "I would love to take one of those Beamers for a spin."

Katniss frowned. She really didn't mind the man, but she did agree with Seneca's earlier assessment that there was something that wasn't quite right about him. He was charming and witty, but she never felt at ease with him and the thought of dating the man made her feel slightly sick. "Let's just get this over with. You know how much I hate these things," she muttered, changing the subject.

The group were escorted through the house by a quiet red-haired woman, who Katniss assumed was a maid, until they reached a large courtyard which was bustling with people. Katniss groaned inwardly at the grand scale of the party. She wished that she had made up some reason not to come, especially when her friends started introducing themselves to the other guests.

It didn't take long until the group was scattered throughout the party. They talked, laughed and danced with the strangers, which was something that really didn't interest Katniss. She hung at Portia's side until Seneca had whipped the blonde away to meet one of his colleagues leaving her alone in a dark corner of the terrace. She leaned against the brick half-wall and stared out at the gardens below.

"Hello Katniss."

Katniss tensed and turned to face the host of the party. The platinum blonde grinned at her, his dark eyes wide with delight.

"Hi," she said shortly before turning back to look out at the gardens. He moved so he stood next to her.

"Do you like them?" he inquired smoothly. "I am quite partial to roses. There are over one hundred different species in my collection."

Katniss scrunched up her nose. All of a sudden the overpowering scent of roses seemed to have surrounded her and she struggled to breathe without gagging. "They are okay," she answered with a small shrug. His dark eyes flashed with emotion at her answer so she pointed towards the opposite corner of the gardens. "Are those the aviaries you spoke about?" she asked, hoping to distract him. She relaxed a little when he launched into a monologue about his collection of birds.

Seneca had first introduced Katniss to Carson only months after the two men had met. The scientist had been looking for someone to fly him to remote locations in his search for rare species of birds and Seneca had recommended her for the task. As a result she knew exactly how obsessed the man was with birds and bird watching... or whatever it was that he actually did with them.

"Carson?"

Katniss watched as the man tensed before turning to face the man who had interrupted. She followed suit and found herself looking at a plump man with a giant smile plastered on his face.

"Well what do you know!" the man laughed, "look, the man has actually decided to join us this evening?!"

Her brow furrowed as she looked at the surprised expressions on the faces of the other guests at the party. Obviously it was rare for him to actually join in the festivities, 'but why throw a party if you don't want to join in?' she wondered and, not for the first time in his presence, she felt her stomach twist with knots. 'There is something very wrong with this man' she thought as she watched as he greeted his guests.

Katniss turned back to look over the rose gardens and silently hoped that her friends planned to leave sooner rather than later.


Early the next morning Katniss walked wearily around the smokejumper base. Her group of friends had convinced her to stay out far too late, but at least they had taken pity on her and rescued her from the scientist. She had never been so happy to be asked to dance when Cinna took her hand and whisked her away from the strange blonde. They didn't see him again which had both relaxed and unnerved her. She couldn't help but wonder what he was doing while they were all at the party in his back garden. Katniss shuddered and decided she didn't want to know.

"Hey you! Wait! Come back!" A woman cried.

Katniss stopped in her tracks and turned to look back at the entrance to the room she had just passed. She had been aimlessly wandering the corridors of the base while she waited for a fire to be called in. In her opinion waiting around was the worst part of the job, but at the same time, she understood that while she was waiting nothing was burning. And that she could appreciate.

"Damn it Finnick, stop laughing!" the woman snapped. "What's her name? Someone get her in here. We need some more oestrogen in this place!"

Katniss' brow furrowed as she listened to the banter and laughter that was coming from the room. Staying out of sight she took a few steps closer to the door with the intention of listening.

"I'm not going after her, from what I've heard... she's a little hostile..." a male commented but he was interrupted.

"So Jo and her should be perfect for one another," snickered another deep voice.

She heard a smack which was followed by a loud "Ow" and then a wave of laughter rippled through the room.

"I think you proved his point Jo. From what I heard the new girl smacked Peeta yesterday..."

The room silenced and Katniss found herself taking a step closer to the door. A scowl had settled on her features; she'd hoped that her moment of stupidity and her reasons for it might not make it around the base just yet. She knew it was inevitable, but she needed a bit of time to get settled before everyone started to treat her as though she was a wounded animal. It was a long time ago... yes it still hurt... but it was a long time ago and she wished it wouldn't haunt her so. 'It's bad enough that he's here' she thought.

"What did you do?" the woman asked slowly.

"She's hot," Peeta replied shortly. A few people chuckled but they must have been silenced by the woman because the room quickly fell silent again. She heard Peeta sigh.

"I helped her load the plane yesterday and I thought I'd try my luck with an Odair pick up line. Didn't work out..."

The room exploded with laughter but Katniss didn't notice. She had stumbled back in shock and all color had left her face. 'He lied!' her mind shouted at her. 'Why would he do that?' She turned and walked briskly away heading for fresh air while she considered the gravity of the only answer she could find: that he was protecting her.