author's note: me again! i am sorry for the late update but it has been a long week…. i won't bore you with the details. anyway, thanks to everyone who is reading this story and special thanks to everyone following it and favoriting it. virtual cookies to Charley, CagedCircusFreak and gurrrl who reviewed!

Charley: it would have been awkward if i had been a guy, wouldn't it? i wasn't happy with the last chapter but i'm glad you thought it was good and here's the new chapter. i'm glad you're enjoying the story. i also want to give you a virtual wand for reviewing i'd never sing of love if it does not exist. i really am the queen of crack aren't i? i'm glad you liked it.

gurrrl: i'm glad you're enjoying the story.

we're in catching fire of the hunger games. i will update this once a week hopefully. i am not great at writing characters as they would act in their respective fandoms, so i apologize for the oocness of these characters. i hope you enjoy the third chapter of maybe that will kinda make the pain go away.

warning: spoilers for the hunger games. there will be cursing and death. but i think you were expecting that... also, in this chapter there's homophobia. i do not approve of or encourage homophobia. and shelby bashing because i really hate shelby. sorry!

disclaimer: i do not own the worlds of glee or the hunger games. i also do not own any characters associated with these fandoms. i do not even own the laptop i'm using to write this story... oh well. :p


Katniss sat down beside her sister as they waited for their mother to begin explaining about their cousin and why they had never heard about her.

"Your father had an elder brother named Hiram," she began.

"Hiram?" Katniss asked, recognising the name but unable to place how.

"Yes." her mother nodded, "And well... Your grandfather was very strict and... Hiram was gay."

"So?" Prim asked.

"He disapproved of Hiram's sexuality and well... He disowned him," she said without looking at either of her daughters.

"What?" Prim asked horrified.

"Hiram was gay and your grandfather didn't approve of his sexuality so he disowned him," their mother said quietly.

"Where did he go?" Katniss asked.

"Where could he go?" their mother asked softly, "He was shunned through the entire District and so he lived on the outskirts of the town. And he met a man called Leroy and they lived together."

"You're making it sound like a tragic love story." Katniss said looking at her mother.

Her mother shook her head and said in a soft voice, "Wasn't it? Disowned from their families and living practically in the wild... Doesn't it sound like a love story?"

"Yes," Prim answered with tears in her eyes, "But how did they have Rachel?" Their mother winced and said in a slightly trembling voice, "They paid the Escort of the District at the time, Shelby Corcoran, a sizeable fee and she was their surrogate."

"Where did they get the money?" Katniss asked.

She sighed and rubbed her head from all the questions and said, "They may have been outcasts but they were able to find some work in the Seam, however small. Hiram worked in the coal mines and Leroy hunted in the woods."

Katniss realized where she had heard of Hiram from before and asked, scared of the answer, "Did Hiram die in the coal mining accident with Dad? Did he?"

"Yes," her mother whispered and watched as her daughters shook at the realisation of what had happened to their uncle.

"What happened then?" Prim asked still crying.


Shelby Corcoran relaxed in a chair in her compartment and smiled at the little blonde girl sitting beside her, "Alright Beth?" Beth smiled up at her and nodded. Shelby was happy to have some alone time with Beth before she would have to watch the Reapings with Mags and Finnick.

She wasn't looking forward to watching previous Victors head back into the Games. She knew some of them personally and didn't want to lose them, but she knew she would have no choice. She sighed as she checked her watch and picked up Beth, "Time for your nap."

As she settled Beth down for her nap, she couldn't help but be extremely glad she had adopted her from the young couple in District 4. They had wanted to keep her but she had used her status as an Escort to obtain Beth.

She had instantly wanted her after seeing how perfect she looked and how different she was from her own baby. At this thought she froze and her eyes glazed over.

Rachel was her baby and she had been forced to give her up. Her heart had broken when she had to give up her Rachel but there had been nothing she could do. She hadn't wanted to remain as Dictrict 12's Escort when Rachel had come of age and she had put in a request for a transfer.

She had been transferred from District 12 to District 4 after their Escort had died. Many of the other Escorts had complained about her obtaining the position until one of her Tributes had won the Games easily.

That Tribute was Finnick Odair and she swore she would do everything within her power to keep him alive through the Quarter Quell. She owed him all her success and Beth.

After settling Beth done, she joined Finnick and Mags to watch the Reaping. She was taking notes of everyone entering the Quell and was discussing strategy when District 12 came up. She watched as Peeta volunteered as Tribute and was about to turn off the television when she heard the next name being called; "Rachel Berry."

Shelby stopped and stared at the television screen as her daughter Rachel walked towards the stage. Towards the Quarter Quell. Towards her death. She felt faint and the last thing she remembered was Finnick calling her name.


Haymitch left the compartment first, tense and unhappy with all his friends heading back into the Games. Effie left next after a few useless bits of information about the Tributes like, Sugar is the daughter of the mayor of District 9 and that some of them were weaker due to old wounds and previous injuries.

Then Rachel and Peeta were left alone with Rachel still clutching his hand as tears fall. After a few minutes she let go of his hand and muttered, "Sorry."

"Don't be," he answered, staring at her concerned. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"No," she said, still brushing away tears.

"Why don't you get some sleep?" he asked, not looking forward to another night of little sleep and nightmares.

"No," she answered, standing up and reaching for the box of tapes of the old Hunger Games. "I won't get any sleep tonight so I might as well watch these and learn about what we're up against."

He nodded and leaned back in to the sofa as she turned on the first tape. She curled up beside him and put her head on his shoulder. He tensed up for a moment and then he relaxed and began writing up notes about the Tributes; their strengths and weaknesses, how they won their Games, etc.

After watching all their opponents' Games, Rachel asked, "Are there any tapes left?"

Peeta looked in the box and turning to her said, "Just the one." In his hand he held a tape with the name 'Haymitch Abernathy'.

She stared at the tape and slowly shook her head, "We can't watch it."

He gave her a strange look and she said, "It would be a huge invasion of his privacy... Like if we watched your Games just for no reason... It wouldn't be fair."

"Watch it," Haymitch said from the door.

Rachel turned to look at him, "Are you sure?" He looked at her for a minute and then turned to Peeta, "Watch it." And then he disappeared to his room.

And so they watched his Games where the arena was so beautiful, fluffy golden squirrels were carnivorous and the force field at the end of the arena saved Haymitch's life. They sat in silence as they digested the information they had just learned.

"No wonder I've never seen this on television. The Capitol must have felt stupid after Haymitch used the force field as a weapon."

Peeta nodded at Rachel's statement and stretched. "Ready for tomorrow?" he asked.

"No," she answered quietly, looking him in the eye, "But when can you be ready?"


Meeting Her prep team for the first time wasn't easy. They were crying over losing Her, and what if Peeta died and how scared she must be going into the arena with Victors... So she, the girl who was entering the Quell and certain death, had to comfort the prep team.

So when Cinna walked into the room and she was in a thin robe with stinging skin, she couldn't help but glare at him and hiss, "You couldn't have warned me that the waterworks were on today?"

He smiled at her and teased, "Have a damp morning?"

She glared at him and hissed, "Don't make me hit you."

He laughed and said, "Oh yes. I definitely like you."

They spent lunch talking quietly and Rachel ate as much of the food as possible. "So what are we wearing for the Opening Ceremony?" she asked curious.

"I told you that you were my diamond in the rough, and so you will appear," Cinna said confidently. When it was time to get in her costume, Cinna turned to Rachel and asked, "Sing for me?"

Rachel stared at him and asked, "Are you serious?" At Cinna's nod, she rolled her eyes and began singing:

No, I can't take one more step towards you,

'Cause all that's waiting is regret.

Don't you know I'm not you're ghost anymore,

You lost the love I loved the love the most.

I learned to live half alive,

And now you want me one more time.

Who do you think you are?

Running 'round leaving scars,

Collecting your jar of hearts,

And tearing love apart.

You're gonna catch a cold,

From the ice inside your soul,

So don't come back for me.

Who do you think you are?

I hear you're asking all around,

If I am anywhere to be found.

But I have grown too strong,

To ever fall back in your arms.

And I've learned to live half alive,

And now you want me one more time.

And who do you think you are?

Running 'round leaving scars,

Collecting your jar of hearts,

And tearing love apart.

You're gonna catch a cold,

From the ice inside your soul,

So don't come back for me.

Who do you think you are?

Dear, it took so long just to feel alright,

Remember how to put back the light in my eyes.

I wish I had missed the first time we had kissed,

'Cause you broke all your promises.

And now you're back,

You don't get to take me back.

And who do you think you are?

Running 'round leaving scars,

Collecting your jar of hearts,

And tearing love apart.

You're gonna catch a cold,

From the ice inside your soul,

Don't come back for me.

Don't come back at all.

And who do you think you are?

Running 'round leaving scars,

Collecting your jar of hearts,

Tearing love apart.

You're gonna catch a cold,

From the ice inside your soul,

Don't come back for me.

Don't come back at all.

Who do you think you are?

Who do you think you are?

Who do you think you are?

At the end she looked at herself in the mirror and she couldn't help but stare. Cinna had covered her in black body-paint and she was wearing a simple white floor-length dress.

Cinna gently spun her around and she could see how the dress was covered in little rhinestones and how they glittered under the lights. He pulled her hair back into a bun but left a few tendrils of hair to frame her face.

She pulled Cinna into a hug and whispered, "Thank you."

He hugged her back and pushed her towards the door, "Let's knock them dead." And then he lead her out the door.


author's note: again sorry for the late update. i just had a lot to do this week and i'm very, very sorry! i am writing other rachel x crossover stories and was wondering if you would be interested in these couples?

harry potter x rachel berry (glee x harry potter crossover)

jacob black x rachel berry (glee x twilight crossover)

edmund pevensie x rachel berry (chronicles of narnia x glee crossover)

percy jackson x rachel berry (glee x percy jackson and the olympians crossover)

spencer reid x rachel berry (criminal minds x glee crossover)

alex summers x rachel berry (glee x x men crossover)

and because my brain seems to want to give me lots of ideas, i also want to know what you guys would think if i put peeta x rachel into a disney storyline? i think i know which one i'll go with if i decide to write it... thoughts and ideas would be very appreciated!

the offer of being a beta still stands but i don't think any of you are interested... as always, reviews will receive virtual cookies and flames will be put out with a slushy. sorry for the long author's note... longer chapter next time to make up for it?

songs used:

jar of hearts - christina perri

-stars4redvines