Author's Notes: First let me apologize once again for posting a chapter with spelling errors. I feel bad because I know how much I hate it myself. I did reread the chapter, but because of my battery running low I thought I had caught them all. It's not an excuse, but I will do my best to post chapters that are free of those awful mistakes. So if you will stick with me, I think you will continue to enjoy the story.

As always please read and review

Chapter Four: The Victor

Third Person

It took some convincing, but Beetee finally agreed to travel from District 3 to 12. He was curious why we found 13's communication cuff interesting. Katniss smiled remembering Peeta mention a device of the twentieth century called a cell phone. He had said he was curious if the cuff could eventually work over great distances much like the cell phone. Beetee agreed then to come and discuss the unlimited possibilities with the communication cuff. He would be arriving on the afternoon train from the Capitol.

Peeta watched Katniss pacing back and forth. He understood her anxiety over the entire situation. He was just as nervous over what Beetee could in fact tell them. Was time travel even possible and was the Capitol even working toward it? The whole war as well as the fate of Panem could be drastically affected by the possibility. The moment Beetee stepped off the train he had to hold himself back. This was not the time or place to discuss the matter closest to his and Katniss's heart.

Katniss smiled brightly at Beetee. The aging man looked at both she and Peeta with a puzzled expression on his face. Katniss glanced at Peeta and she knew why. He had the exact same expression on his face that she had. It seemed they both were thinking the same thing. Well, at least they were on the same page, but now they had to get Beetee on it as well.

"It's good to see you, Beetee. It's been too long," she said stepping up to hug the man.

"Yes, it has," Beetee agreed returning the embrace before turning toward Peeta. "You're looking good," he said extending his hand.

Peeta smiled as he shook Beetee's hand. "I'm taking it day by day, Beetee. That's all I can do."

"Yes, I think that is all we can ever do, Peeta. So, what's the real reason you two called me?"

Peeta's smile froze on his face as he clasped Beetee on the back leading him away from the train station. He knew the man would be curious, but he didn't think he'd ask them right there in the open. "Why don't we head away from town, and we'll fill you in," he said noticing several glances following them as they walked by. "We've got a lot of catching up to do."

Beetee nodded his head realizing his mistake. He knew after he had hung up the phone something more was going on than mere curiosity about the communication cuff. What he hadn't realized was it was something much bigger than Katniss or Peeta wanted to discuss in public. Once they were away from prying eyes, he apologized for his mistake.

"Beetee, it's all right. We knew you'd be dying to know why we wanted to talk to you," Katniss assured him.

"Yes, I am," he agreed.

Katniss looked over at Peeta biting her lip. How in the world were they going to ask him without sounding completely crazy? She frowned seeing Peeta smile and the shake of his head. What was the smile for? This was a serious situation they were in.

"I'm sorry, Katniss. I'm not laughing I swear. I just realized who Rue gets her lip biting from."

"She bites her lip?"

Peeta nodded his head before replying, "Just like her mother."

"Mother? I didn't realize you had a child, Katniss. Congratulations," Beetee said smiling.

Katniss turned her head toward Beetee and shook her head. "I don't, Beetee. At least I… we don't have a child yet."

"I don't understand."

Peeta turned his eyes toward Beetee. Here goes nothing, he thought. "She hasn't been born yet, Beetee. The reason we called you is to ask you about time travel."

Beetee frowned as he looked between the two people in front of him. "Time travel? Why would you want to know about that?"

"Peeta and I have met our sixteen year old daughter. She's come back twice clearly trying to get us back together, but we think more is going on," Katniss explained.

Beetee was very intrigued, but time travel wasn't possible. There were too many variables that needed to be taken into account. Not to mention the possibility of changing something in the past that could destroy the future. "Even if it was possible Katniss, no one would risk destroying their own future by coming to the past."

Peeta felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach. "So it's not possible?"

"No, it's not possible."

"Then how did she do it? If it's not possible then how did she come here," Katniss demanded.

"I don't know. I'm sorry."

Peeta wrapped his arms around Katniss's trembling shoulders. He held her even when her fists began hitting him in the chest. He understood her grief and anger. He had the same feelings going through him, but he also knew this could be a possible answer to their question. It didn't make it any easier to swallow though. A part of him had wanted Beetee to tell them it was possible.

"How can we help them now, Peeta? How," Katniss sobbed.

"We'll find a way, Katniss," Peeta promised.

Beetee watched the two teenagers feeling their sadness. "What do you mean help them?"

Peeta turned his tear stained face toward Beetee. "We think sometime in the future the Hunger Games will begin again. If we're right, our daughter will be thrown into that arena to die. We can't allow that to happen."

"But what could you do, Peeta? It hasn't happened yet."

"I don't know. Try to find out what happens so we can stop it from happening. We really hadn't thought that much ahead. We needed to know if it was possible first of all," Peeta replied.

Beetee shook his head as he placed a hand on both Peeta and Katniss's shoulders. "Even if it was possible, neither of you could go there. If you were to die, your daughter would never be born. You would wipe her from existence. I understand your determination to help her, but here and now is the only way to do it."

"How?"

"We need to look at what you do know, or what you think you know. Why do you think the Hunger Games begin again?"

"Rue's wearing the same clothes when we both see her even though it's weeks apart. I know it could be the same day, but her clothes are dirtier and torn," Katniss said pulling herself from Peeta's strong embrace.

Peeta let Katniss go reluctantly. "There's also her grabbing her left arm in pain right before she stepped into that large swirling circle of light. It's where the tracker would be."

Beetee's head quickly turned toward Peeta. "Did you say a swirling circle of light?"

"Yeah, why?"

Beetee smiled as he began pacing. His mind rapidly forming the calculations needed. "I think I know how your daughter came here. It's extremely dangerous, but she must have been very determined to see you both."

Katniss crossed her arms as her eyes focused on Beetee. "How?"

"A wormhole."

"A what?"

Beetee stopped his pacing momentarily to look at Peeta and Katniss. "A wormhole, Peeta. It's a theory from the twentieth century. This wormhole could be used to travel across vast distances and possibly even be used to travel through time. It was a theory that was shelved by our scientists because we know just how unstable these wormholes can be. If you were to enter one there would be no guarantee you'd come out the other side before it possibly collapsed."

"What would happen if it did collapse," Katniss asked fearing the answer.

"You'd be trapped inside never to return home. You'd end up hitting the collapsed wall just like Peeta did in the arena. The impact would kill you," Beetee said as Haymitch approached the three of them.

"Beetee, it's good to see you. So, what do you think of their insanity?"

Beetee shook Haymitch's hand knowing he would know what was going on when it came to his Victors. "It might not be insanity, Haymitch."

Haymitch raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You're not serious?"

Beetee chuckled as they began walking again. "I am. I'll need to see the girl for myself, but if what Peeta and Katniss described is a wormhole then time travel is very possible."

Haymitch was left speechless. This was defiantly not what he expected to hear. He had only gone along with Peeta and Katniss because of everything they had been through together. He never actually thought it was possible to travel through time no matter how much they insisted it was. His mind quickly changed as a large swirling circle of light suddenly exploded to life in front of them spitting out a girl before silently vanishing.

"Rue," Katniss screamed running over to the crumpled girl on the ground.

Rue felt her body being rolled, and she couldn't stop the cry of pain from escaping her throat. She had failed to save Finn. The image of his body being slammed into the bloody trap set by the Gamers still fresh in her mind. They had changed the rules again much like they did the year her parents entered the arena for the first time. They knew she would never kill her brother. The people must have cried out for an exception to the rule of a single victor.

She should have realized the Gamers wouldn't make the same mistake of their predecessors. They would find a way to guarantee only one victor this time. As she and Finn hugged thinking the Games were finally over, a nearby explosion sent a shockwave at them throwing them off of their feet. She landed on Marcus's dagger feeling the blade sink into her stomach. Finn landed in a pit of Mutts that had appeared out of no where. There was nothing she could do for him.

Rue looked up into the concerned eyes of both her parents. She knew she shouldn't have, but she wanted to see them once more before she died. "I'm sorry. I couldn't save him."

The moment she turned Rue over, Katniss knew her child was dying. The dagger in her stomach was buried to the hilt. If she removed it Rue would bleed to death faster. She felt so helpless. How could this happen? She brushed the sweat slicked hair out of the trembling girl's eyes.

"Sshh Rue, don't talk. It's going to be all right."

"No, it's not. They killed Finn, and I couldn't stop them," Rue cried realizing they wouldn't know who Finn was, but she wanted them to know. She began coughing spitting up blood.

Peeta gently lifted Rue elevating her head so she could breathe. "It won't happen, Rue. The Games won't start again. We'll make sure of it. You and Finn won't ever have to live through that. I promise."

Rue shook her head denying his statement. "You won't be there to stop it, Dad," she gasped.

Katniss shook her head. "Rue, please stop talking. You need to save your strength."

"No, I need to tell you, Mom. You have to know, because I can't lose my family again."

"Then tell us, Sweetheart," Peeta said trying to keep his voice from trembling while he held his daughter against his chest.

Rue grabbed their hands as she struggled to catch her breath. She knew she was running out of time. She looked up at her dad then at her mom squeezing their hands. "I love you both so much, but you can't trust him."

Hot tears slid down Peeta's cheeks as he returned his daughter's squeeze. "Who can't we trust, Rue?"

"Dar…"

"Rue," Katniss cried shaking Rue's shoulder. "Baby, please."

Peeta dropped his head laying it against Rue's still form. He continued to hold her against his body not wanting to let her go, but seconds later she faded away slipping from his grip anyway. An anguished cry ripped its way from his chest as his hands found the dagger that now rested on the cold ground. It remained while his daughter's body vanished.

The whole scene unfolded before him, but Haymitch still couldn't believe it had been real. He felt frozen to the spot seeing that girl laying there in Peeta's arms dying. All he could do was watch helplessly. Now, he had to help them cope with the memory of their child dying right before their eyes. His fist priority was getting the dagger from Peeta's death grip.

"Peeta, give me the dagger," Haymitch said taking a step toward Peeta. "Peeta…"

"NO!"

Peeta shook his head gripping the bloody dagger tighter. This was real and the dagger proved it. Rue had been real and she just died in his arms. It was the Capitol's fault this happened. He would make them all pay for the injustice of it all. He slammed the dagger's blade into the hard ground just as the wind began blowing around him.

Katniss's head snapped up feeling the wind slap her in the face. What was happening? Her eyes widened in fear as the swirling circle of light reappeared behind Peeta. The wind swirled violently around them, but it seemed the only one affected by it was Peeta who was the closest to the circle.

"Peeta!"

"Stay back, Katniss," Peeta yelled digging his feet into the ground as leverage.

He had to put some distance between himself and the circle. He inched himself forward using the dagger as an anchor. The force of the wind increased pulling hard at him. His artificial leg slipped on the loose gravel around him slamming his body into the ground. He clawed at the ground as he slid backwards closer to the circle swirling behind him. He slammed the dagger's blade into the ground again holding on to the hilt for dear life realizing Haymitch and Beetee were too far away to help him.

"Peeta, hold on," Katniss cried inching forward on her stomach toward Peeta ignoring Haymitch who was yelling at her to stop. She had just lost Rue. She was not going to lose Peeta as well.

Peeta's head jerked up hearing Katniss's voice calling out to him. He knew what she was doing, but he couldn't let her risk her life yet again to save his own. All he had to do was let go of the dagger and let the circle take him. Yet when he tried to release it he found he couldn't. His hand was frozen to it much like when the electric current froze him to the ladder of a hovercraft. He saw Katniss inch closer toward him and he used all his body weight to push against the dagger.

"Peeta, no," Katniss screamed launching herself toward Peeta grabbing a fistful of his shirt as the dagger came flying out of the ground.

"Katniss, NO! Let me go!"

"No, I can't, Peeta! I won't!"

Peeta struggled to release both the dagger and Katniss's hold on his shirt. He succeeded in pulling her hand free, but it was a moment too late. The wind around them increased lifting them both from the ground and sucking them into the circle's deep depths. He grabbed at Katniss pulling her against his body as they tumbled through the circle. What lay at the other end he had no idea, but this time he would protect her. He would protect her or die trying.