Chapter 10
Deep in the Meadow

Peeta held onto Katniss as tight as he could as the rolled across the uneven ground. He held her head in his hands keeping it safe until they came to a hard stop against a rock. Peeta heard a loud crack as his back leg took the worst of the stop. He felt no immediate pain so he knew immediately that his prosthetic had cracked. Peeta cursed to himself but turned his attention to Katniss. He pulled his hand down to her cheeks and held her close. "Are you okay?"

Katniss nodded a few times breaking hard. "A few scrapes but I'm fine."

Peeta pulled her hands from around him and then checked the rest of her body out. He sighed in relief as he found she was unharmed.

Peeta turned sitting up still holding Katniss around the waist forcing her up with him. "Is everyone alright?"

Effie was graced with landing in some ferns, but when she sat up her face told us she was disgusted. "Just awful plants, they just reek."

Peeta laughed and then turned to check the two guards whom he did not know their names. They both gave a thumbs up and stood brushing themselves off. They were large men, much like Haymitch probably was when he was of the age of these two men. They had the statue and the poise of two very well trained guards, for what they were trained for he had no idea.

Peeta felt Katniss' hands move over him. She lifted up his shirt and pulled him around so she could see the now large bruise forming over his back and shoulder blades. "Peeta…..oh Peeta." She kept running her hands over him.

Peeta stilled her hands. "Katniss…"

"Peeta your leg!"

Peeta looked down to his prosthetic and noticed a large crack going up the middle. He pressed down on it gently and the piece gave some give. Peeta cursed and looked to Katniss.

Katniss stood slowly but one of the guards put her back to the ground. "No, not yet."

Katniss understood and she pulled one of her arrows from her back, with much difficulty thanks to them being tied. She started making a make shift support for this prosthetic. Katniss reached over and pulled some ferns from the roots. She braided them, then tied them around the prosthetic. "It won't hold for long. We need to find some way to fix it."

Effie crawled over them. She had fern stick out of her hair. "Peeta, Katniss, I didn't get a chance to tell you but science has been advanced enough to regenerate limbs. The capitol has the science and I gave the information of how it is performed to District 13. Your leg can be regenerated."

Peeta took a few deep breaths. "How long does it take?"

Effie shook her head. "It takes a month, a month of all painful moments."

Peeta looked to Katniss. She was shocked he could see. "Peeta, I'll go with you. Once we get Finnick back home."

Peeta nodded, he looked back to Effie. "When we get Finnick home Effie, I want to go through with it."

Effie nodded and was called over by the tallest guard. She left the two of them alone. Peeta felt his heart constrict and he turned his face away from Katniss.

He tensed when Katniss tried to turn his face back to hers. "No, let me be for a few."

Katniss put her hand down. "Talk to me Peeta. I will now leave you alone. What is wrong?"

Peeta felt the hot tears spill from his eyes. "It's just…..I can finally be a complete man….for you Katniss."

Katniss turned his head to meet her gaze. "You are more than a man to me but if this is what you want I will go with you. I won't leave your side."

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

They moved to a cave a few meters down from where they had jumped. Peeta was leaning on Katniss keeping off his prosthetic which kept cracking under the weight. Katniss stopped and let Peeta sink down to a large boulder. He smiled up at her. "Home sweet home right Katniss."

Katniss gave him her famous glare and turned to investigate with the guards.

The smallest guard this time put his hand up in front of Katniss. "Stay."

Katniss stopped in her tracks and crossed her arms. "They don't speak much do they, Effie."

Effie sighed as she brushed off the boulder Peeta was sitting on and she took the other side. "They are strictly guards Katniss."

The largest guard stood at the entrance of the cave with his arms crossed. "Katniss, Peeta, I am Alax, from district four. That is Pan, also of district four. We were born as fisherman's sons. We both are friends of Finnick. Pan is Annie's second cousin. We are here to keep you safe so you can rescue our friend."

Katniss and Peeta glanced at each other. Peeta stood hopping over to Alax, thank you, we will do our best for Finnick." Peeta turned to Pan who met him and they shook hands as did Peeta did with Alax.

"I grew up with Annie, she is a dear family member; I only have her and my mother left. I will serve you the best I can. First I will fix your leg Peeta. Now sit."

Peeta followed instructions. He sat down next to Effie and pulled his suit leg up to show his prosthetic. His hands moved quickly as he unstrapped everything. The leg popped off and Peeta handed it to Pan. Pan examined the crack and then the hollow inside of the leg. "I can make a paste that will harden on the inside, fill the crack and give you much more stabilization until you can reach District 13 with Finnick. Now I will have to warn you the leg might be heavier than you will be use to, making you slower. " Pan looked up at Alax. "I don't need many ingredients. All I need from you Peeta is a place to mix the ingredients. That boulder if the middle could be broken down to make a bowl like shape. "

Peeta nodded. "I can do that easily. "

Alax came forward with the soft ferns. "Katniss, you need to sleep. We may not get any over the next few days. This paste will take maybe a full day to dry completely."

Katniss shook her head. "I'll sleep when Peeta does. Thank you."

Effie pulled some soft ferns from the cave wall. She produced a small sleeping bag from her backpack. "Well I'm going to sleep. I need some sleep to keep you two in line." Effie set up against the back wall where it was darkest.

Peeta eyed Katniss as she scooted back to the middle of the rock. He had another large boulder in his hand. "Katniss, sleep, please."

Katniss picked up another boulder. "I can't sleep, not without you."

Peeta sighed. "Katniss I'm right here. You must sleep." Peeta held out his hand to Katniss.

Katniss took his hand and climbed into his lap. He took her bow and arrows off her back and put them on the ground. He had to balance so they didn't fall off but he tucked Katniss into his arms. "Listen, you are still running on adrenaline. This is going to be a hard trip."

Katniss leaned her head against Peeta's shoulder. "I'm scared to sleep. The nightmares might be too real."

Peeta pulled her chin up and grazed his lips across hers. Her breath hitched in her throat he noticed. "Real or not, your heart speeding up." Peeta drew his fingers across her lips gently. "Real or not, your stomach is in knots." Peeta drew her into him fast by pulling her in by the small of her back. Katniss had an open mouth gasp and Peeta kissed her in that moment. Their bodies melded together under her fire, both just consumed by each other. Peeta felt himself start to slip and he quickly put his hands behind him to hold himself and Katniss on the rock. The kiss broke.

Katniss took Peeta's face between her hands. "All real." She sighed and glanced at the fern bedding. "Thank you for calming me down. Come to bed soon please."

Peeta helped her down off the rock and watched her go to the back wall where Peeta could still see her. She was asleep with just a few breaths and Peeta relaxed more. He took a few calming breaths and Pan came back in from the rain, that had just started coming down. "We have the right ingredients. Have you started on the hole in the rock yet?"

Peeta looked down and started laughing. "I'm sorry….I was...distracted."

Pan just smiled. "Love will do that. I won't keep you long. Alax is going to sleep and I'll keep guard for half the night. Soon you will be asleep with your girl."

Peeta smiled at Pan. "Thank you for all of your help."

Pan smiled and started stripping some roots. "During the games, the two of you were hope. Don't lose that hope."

Peeta looked back at Katniss. "It was all her. She doesn't know the effect she has on all of us….humans." Peeta looked down at his the large boulder and the rock in his hand. "She is an angel."

Pan nodded and the two went to work, Peeta on the lime scale boulder, and Pan on the ingredients.

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

It was late before Peeta slid off the rock and hopped over to wear Katniss was clutching her bow and an arrow. She knew not to move her hands so he hopped over her and sat down gently behind her. He kept thinking about this leg regeneration in District 13 and how he was so eager to get his leg back. He wanted to be full, the games took so much from him but he gained the best thing in his life as well. He wasn't going to ask to take everything back just for his leg but he did want to be a whole man again, not for himself but for Katniss. Katniss shifted and he noticed she was shivering. Peeta slid down in beside her and drew her into his body. He wasn't sure if she was having a nightmare or just cold. She clutched him in her sleep and soon was limp in his arms, her shivers gone. Peeta laid down totally and stared at the cave ceiling. Soon his eyes closed and he was off to sleep.

(Peeta glanced to his left. He could see Katniss low against the wall with her bow and an arrow ready to launch. Effie was behind her and Pan. Alax was behind Peeta. "Katniss, you much move." Peeta screamed so loud his mouth hurt.

Katniss shook her head and soon Peacekeepers were dropping from ropes onto Katniss, Effie, and Pan. Katniss got off three arrows, taking down three men, but was still over run. Peeta ran to her but was also pulled to the ground pinned by peacekeepers. "KATNISSSSS!" Peeta screamed.

They knocked their hand against her skull and she dropped lights out. Peeta screamed until he was hit in the back of the head as well.

Peeta woke in a cell to Katniss screaming for his name. Peeta threw himself against the familiar jail cell doors screaming for Katniss.

The scene shifted to an outside court yard. Gale was on a stand testifying about Katniss and her war crimes. Others got up as well to testify against Katniss' so called crimes. She was tied to a post in front of the crowd. Peeta was tied up across from her but the crowd focused on her. Her head was looming side to side.

"Katniss, we have heard about your crimes, and we declare you guilty of all of your crimes and sentence you to death by arrow to the heart."

Peeta screamed as the archer steadied his bow and released the arrow sinking home killing Katniss in an instant.)

Peeta screamed himself awake clutching for anything near.

"Peeta Peeta, I'm here." Katniss climbed in his lap. "Peeta look at me."

Peeta ran his hands up and down her body making sure she was real, alive, here with him. He started sobbing into her chest.

Katniss held him and rocked gently whispering over and over that she was there. Peeta finally stopped shaking from the effects of the dream. He pulled back from Katniss. "That's the first time I've woken from a nightmare like that."

Katniss nodded. "I know. I'm worried. Do you want to talk about it?"

Peeta shook his head. "The normal just losing you. This time it seemed more real."

Katniss moved her hands up and down his spine which he had told her comforted him. Peeta looked around at the other three sets of eyes watching him. "Sorry." He muttered.

Katniss turned his gaze back to her just by brushing the tears from his eyes.

Peeta decided to speak his mind and not keep it secret. "If we were alone Katniss, I would make love to you right now. I love you so much and I never know if I express that love truly to you."

Katniss' breath hitched in her throat at his confession but Peeta took it as a good sign. "Let's get back to sleep before I too dismiss that others are here and let my feelings of love override me."

Peeta was shocked at her confession. She never or rarely now expressed her feelings. Peeta laid down against the ferns and took her with him. Katniss rolled to his side and put her head on his shoulder. She gazed into his eyes. "I love you Peeta."