"Nice throw, Hunt!"

Owen turned around and smiled as Teddy walked towards him. Owen had been practicing his knife throwing, again, and was destroying the dummy targets with ease. Teddy picked up one of the knives and twirled it between her fingers.

"Five bucks says I get the dummy in the head," Teddy said. Owen nodded and turned to face the target. She exhaled slowly and focused on the head, blocking everything else out of her mind. She pulled her arm back and threw the knife with devastating speed, hitting the dummy where its heart would be. Teddy's shoulders slumped as Owen held out his hand.

"Pay up, Altman," Owen said, smirking as a crisp five dollar bill was slammed into his hand. "Stick to the bow, Robin Hood."

Teddy pushed him playfully.

"That was a one off. Plus, the guy would be dead with a knife to the heart anyway. Win-win."

Owen nodded and stared at the knife in his hands. He and Teddy had been best friends since middle school, inseparable since high school. They entered the Academy as soon as they heard whispers that the Capitol was planning a takeover. Day in day out they trained relentlessly, perfecting their skills with the weapons that felt right to them. No one else in their class even came close to their skill level and that was the way they liked it. By the time the reaping came around, they had been training furiously for four years and felt ready to enter the arena, so they volunteered. As far as Owen was concerned, they were the best team here.

But Teddy had been acting strange around him lately. She laughed at everything he said, touched his arm whenever she talked to him and the other day he could have sworn she was wearing make-up to training. Owen wasn't interested in a relationship right now and he had expressed these feelings to Teddy on the train into the Capitol. She had simply laughed and said she didn't think of him that way, but had proceeded to lock herself in her carriage for the remainder of the trip.

Teddy picked up another knife and began scratching it lightly against her palm. She watched Owen who looked deep in thought. She cleared her throat.

"Hey, um, so I was thinking, do you want to go grab some dinner tomorrow night? Like, at a restaurant or something outside of the hotel? Explore what the Capitol has to offer while we have the chance?" Teddy asked with a nervous smile.

Owen glanced up at her, confused. Why would they leave the hotel for? The food was delicious and at least it was safe in here. God knew what kind of things were on the streets of the Capitol.

"Uh, no, I'm good. The hotel food is fine, can't really be bothered going out," he finished with a shrug.

Teddy's face fell, her expression clearly showing disappointment, but soon being replaced by one of annoyance. She twirled the knife between her fingers, gritting her teeth. The sudden hostility wasn't missed by Owen, which confused him even more. What was her problem?

"Hey, Teddy, are you oka-?"

"I'm fine," Teddy spat, "I'm going to practice climbing the nets with Arizona."

"Isn't that where you just came from?" Owen replied.

Teddy ignored him and made to leave. She paused, turned, and flicked her wrist, sending the knife she was holding into the groin of the closest dummy before stalking off.

Owen gulped.

A horn sounded through the gym. All the tributes stopped what they were doing and looked for the source of the noise. Robert Stark came wandering in, holding an air horn and a sheet of paper.

"Gather round tributes!" he called in his nazily voice. Stark was the mentor that the Capitol had supplied the tributes and he was useless. He barely knew anything about combat and was only useful for discussing strategies with, from which he no doubt passed onto the Game Makers. He was a short, balding man and he stood on a bench as the tributes gathered around him in a semi-circle. He cleared his throat.

"As you are aware, you will be entering the arena in exactly one week's time. Precisely two nights before you enter, we will be holding the Last Chance Ball."

This was met by a few whoops throughout the crowd. Owen had no idea what a Last Chance Ball was, but judging by the excited murmuring around him, it was a good thing. He returned his focus back to Stark.

"Yes, yes it's all very exciting," Stark continued. "For those of you who don't know what this is, it is an event held in your honor, marking one of your last days on eart- uh, in the Capitol. You will be expected to dress and behave appropriately as there will be officials from the Capitol in attendance."

Stark pulled some glasses from his pocket and perched them on his nose. He began reading from the sheet of paper.

"Tributes are not allowed to engage in inappropriate behaviour with guests or each other. Tributes may not be intoxicated or on any kind of drug at the event. Tributes are to speak in a professional and eloquent way any guest who approaches them. Every tribute must attend for at least four hours before heading to bed." Stark folded the sheet and put it in his pocket. "Any questions?"

A hand at the back of the crowd was raised. Stark nodded towards it.

"Mark Sloan, District Two. I was just wondering sir, have you ever been to a ball before?"

A few sniggers followed this comment.

"I don't see what that has to do with anything Mr Sloan."

"Respectively sir, it has everything to do everything. Those rules you just listed, that's not a ball. That sounds like a play group where our mothers stand around and hold our hands." More sniggers echoed through the crowd. "From what I've heard about the Last Chance Ball," Sloan continued, "It's your last chance to get drunk, last chance to get laid-"

"That is enough Mr Sloan!"

"I'm just saying sir, there's no way I'm following those rules."

Stark sneered.

"Well then, perhaps the Peace Keepers can change your mind."

At that, two Peace Keeper's came running forward grabbing his shoulders and steering him out the door. Sloan fought them before one brought his gun down on Sloan's head, his body falling limp. Owen stared at the ground. Sloan would be lucky if the gashes he was about to receive would heal before they entered the arena.

"Now, any other questions."

The crowd stayed silent. Stark nodded and promptly walked from the room. The group immediately broke into discussion.

"Do you reckon Sloan will be alright?"

"I mean he was right, there's no way I'm going to follow those rules either."

"Me neither, I just didn't say anything 'cos I didn't get the chance."

Owen glanced towards the back where he saw Callie with an arm around a sobbing Lexie, trying to console her as she fought back her own tears. Owen spotted Teddy standing next to Cristina Yang and made his way toward her.

"That was pretty crazy, huh?" Owen said when he was within distance of her. Teddy nodded and sharply walked away from him to stand with Arizona, who was watching Callie with a pained expression on her face. Owen stood bemused. What the hell had he done to deserve this?

"Looks like you pissed her off pretty bad."

Owen looked down to see Cristina Yang, eyebrow raised in his direction. She had her arms crossed and looked like she couldn't care less about the situation.

"Yeah, I have no idea what I've done though. She just won't talk to me."

Cristina shook her head.

"God, men are so blind. Every tribute sees the way she looks at you. You're the only one who's oblivious to it. If it was me I'd be pretty pissed too."

"What do you mea-"

Owen's words were drowned out by two women yelling. He turned and saw Callie and Erica, faces inches apart, screaming at each other.

"How dare you say that," Callie screamed, "Nobody deserves that you absolute bitch!"

"He was going against the rules, what do you expect!" Hahn spat back.

"Not everything's about the rules, Hahn! He's a person who's about to get the shit beaten out of him for expressing an opinion we were all thinking!"

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be there to kiss him better," Hahn retorted. Callie drew her fist back, but was grabbed by Addison Montgomery before she could punch the smile off of Hahn's face. Derek Shepherd ran between them and forced them apart.

"She's not worth it Callie," Derek said, "Just leave it."

Callie wrenched her hand free from Addison's grasp and glared at Hahn.

"Yeah, I will leave it. I'll leave it for the arena. You're fucking dead Hahn." With that she turned on her heel and strode out the door, Lexie running after her. Hahn watched them go before stalking to the nearest punching bag and releasing her frustrations out onto it.

"Well that's enough excitement for one day," Cristina said as Meredith came wandering over, pulling a flask from her pocket. Owen shook his head.

"You two drink too much you know that? It's bad for your health. Why don't you train for once? Go practice with the swords or something?"

Cristina and Meredith stared at him before they burst out laughing. Owen sighed and put his hands on his hips.

"I'm serious. I'll help you guys if that's what you want, I can show you a few basic moves that you'll be able to master before we go into the arena."

"Yeah, yeah sure," Cristina choked out, "Right after we go to confession and declare our sins to a priest."

"Yeah," Meredith added, "But first we're going to give up drinking."

"And sex."

"And swearing."

"Preach that shit!"

They cackled and high fived, before leaving the gym, swigging from the flask as they went. Owen watched them go before turning his focus back to Teddy. She was in what looked like a serious conversation with Arizona and he knew she'd tear his head off if he interrupted.

Women, he growled as he headed for the door.

It was the day of the Last Chance Ball and tensions were running high. Every tribute training, even Meredith and Cristina, though they put that down as wanting to look fabulous in their dresses. Teddy was still avoiding Owen, opting to hang out with Arizona and Alex and steering clear of any station Owen was on. He couldn't believe she was acting this way so close to the Games, all their years of training ruined because of a stupid crush.

Owen didn't understand Arizona and Teddy's relationship. They seemed to get along like they had known each other for years, when Owen was sure they had never met before. Nevertheless, Teddy seemed happy to spend her days with Robbins so Owen never got a chance to ask for an explanation.

Sloan had returned to the gym the day after Stark's announcement. He was a complete mess, sporting a black eye, multiple bruises and a bad limp. He insisted on training and had tried to throw a spear, resulting in a yelp of pain as the gashes on his back reopened, soaking his shirt in blood. Callie and Lexie had rushed over with towels and ice and attempted to mop him up.

The next day had been even more unusual. Sloan came limping into the gym again but this time walked straight over to Arizona Robbins. He grabbed her by the arms and demanded she give him something. She insisted she didn't have any, to which he called her a lying bitch. Callie and Addison came rushing over to separate them while they screamed profanities at each other. Callie took Arizona to the side and talked to her in a desperate murmur. They argued in whispers for a few moments before Arizona threw her arms into the air and stormed out the gym, shaking her head profusely. Callie watched her leave sadly, before returning to Mark's side.

Lexie had spent the past few days with an ice pack resting on Sloan's back, her head against his as they talked. Owen watched as they became closer, hardly ever going anywhere without one another. That was a dangerous relationship, Owen thought. It would only hurt more when one of them was killed.

Owen looked over to the wall where Cristina Yang was now standing. Meredith Grey was sitting next to Lexie, talking to her and Sloan, happy that she had someone else to talk to who didn't want to train. Owen wandered over to Cristina.

"Why do you two refuse to train properly?" he asked.

Cristina turned and looked at him for a moment, before returning her gaze to Meredith and Lexie, smiling sadly.

"Because we don't stand a chance."

"You don't know that. Anything can happen in the arena."

Cristina sighed and stood up straight.

"Actually, I do know that. Meredith has more of a shot then I do, but she's given up. Seeing her sitting with her sister so happy…" Cristina trailed off. Owen moved towards her.

"No, listen. Everybody has a chance okay? It doesn't matter which district you're from or how much training you've done, once you get out there everything will change."

Cristina looked up and met his eyes. She sighed loudly and crossed her arms.

"I just hope it's quick and painless, you know? Someone like Burke. He wouldn't mess around; it would be a clean cut."

Owen stared at her bemused. He couldn't believe how defeated she sounded. She wasn't even going to try and fight.

"So that's it then? You and Grey have just decided to sit around in the gym all day, messing around and not even bothering to pick up a sword?"

Cristina laughed and shook her head.

"We may be standing around but I wouldn't necessarily say we're messing around."

"That's sure what it looks like."

"Look I appreciate the pep talk, but you can leave now. We've decided to spend our last days doing things we actually enjoy rather than swinging some weapon around. I'm as ready as I need to be for the Games."

Cristina turned to leave. Owen reached out and grabbed her arm spinning her around.

"Prove it then. Tell me one thing that you've learnt since you've been here. How to drink a bottle of Vodka without throwing up? That doesn't count. Neither does learning how to stay drunk for five weeks in a row."

Cristina glared at him and Owen was certain she was about to walk away. However, she turned to face him and stared directly into his eyes before taking a deep breath.

"Your favourite weapon is knives. You like how small they are, allowing fast movements with your hands to make up for your slow footwork. Teddy is good with a bow but absolutely shit with a sword. She moves through trees quickly but has trouble moving on rocky terrain. Miranda Bailey hasn't touched a weapon since she's been here, sticking to the non-violent stations such as fire-starting and stitching. Derek Shepherd can fight using two short swords but is absolutely rubbish with every other weapon. Burke prefers to use spears over knives or swords. Arizona is deceivingly good at running through trees, which may be the reason why she and Teddy get along so well. She is useless with most weapons but will probably choose throwing knives as they are small and easy to carry."

Cristina ran out of breath and puffed for a few moments. Owen could only stare as she took in another big breath and continued,

"April Kepner can tie every knot imaginable, Alex Karev started out crappy wielding a sword but now he's easily the best here at it, Jo Wilson is an excellent climber and Addison Montgomery shoots a bow nearly as well as Teddy does. Richard Webber is fantastic at disguising himself using mud and leaves, George O'Malley is the fastest runner on all terrain and, despite what you think, Sloan and Torres are the best team here. Do you need me to go on?"

Owen stared at her with his mouth slightly open.

"I-uh, guess I owe you an apology."

"Save it, I already know I'm brilliant. It usually takes people awhile to realise just how amazing I am."

With that she strode over to Meredith and Lexie, bringing a flask to her lips and smirking mischievously back at Owen as she took a swig.

Owen knocked on Teddy's door.

"Come on Teds, we're going to be late. You saw what the Peace Keeper's did to Sloan and all he did was smart mouth them. Hurry up."

Owen fastened the cufflinks of his suit and straightened his tie. He hated wearing suits. They felt so restricting. He wished he could wear his training gear to this stupid ball, at least then he wouldn't feel like he was suffocating. He knocked again.

"Teddy, come on!"

Owen waited for a reply then sighed. She hadn't spoken a word to him all week and frankly he was sick of it. She was being totally unreasonable. It wasn't his fault he didn't want to focus on a relationship this close to the Games. Not that he didn't think of Teddy in that way, but he had to keep his priorities straight. Maybe if they both survived this thing they could give it a shot. He couldn't see why not. Owen's thoughts were interrupted by the door opening.

"Finally! We're going to be so-"

Owen stopped his sentence as his brain registered what Teddy was wearing. A long midnight blue gown fell to the floor, clinging to her body in all kinds of amazing ways. Her hair was hanging in soft ringlets and she had on just enough make-up to look nice, but not over the top. Owen's breath hitched in his throat.

"W-wow, Teds you look-"

"I know, I know, it's too much. The stupid woman from the Capitol wouldn't leave me alone so I just let her do her thing," Teddy interjected harshly.

"-beautiful," Owen finished.

A slight blush crept up Teddy's neck and she suddenly became interested in a speck of dust on her shoes.

"Oh well, um, thanks Owen. You don't look so bad either," Teddy replied, looking up and smiling at him for what felt like the first time in weeks. Owen beamed back at her and held out his arm. She wrapped her arm around his and they started towards the elevator.

"Let's get this over and done with," Teddy breathed out.

"You want to meet in the gym tomorrow morning?" Owen replied.

"Oh my God, yes."

And with that they headed downstairs.