Spoilers: Mostly movie goodness with some book details thrown in. Notes on what comes from where are at the end of the chapter. Enjoy my geek-out... if you dare.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games, but I own my fangirl squee. Fear the power of the Squee.

Theme music: "Fair Fight" by The Fray

The Allies

"Psst!"

I just about crash backward into a tree. Whipping around, I look up, squinting against the glare of the afternoon sunlight, and find myself staring at Rue, still tree-bound and out of reach. Well, at least she'd waited until I'd answered the call of nature to scare the crap out of me. I have to clench my jaw shut to keep from snorting with humor at the unintentional joke.

"Hey," I breathe, grinning.

"Thanks for the food," she whispers.

"Sure. You need anything specific, Rue?"

She watches me for a moment – weighing my sincerity much the same way Katniss had done that first day in the Capitol – before she guardedly answers, "A sleeping bag or a blanket?"

"I left one by the river, among the rocks on this side." I point in what I'm pretty sure is the correct direction. "Near a waterfall, I think. The water was pretty loud."

She nods. "I know the place."

"If it's not there, I'll try to bring you another one." But I hope she finds mine because I don't relish the thought of trying to sneak a bedroll past the Careers. I glance over my shoulder in the direction of the meadow camp. All is quiet. Cato and Glimmer are moving around. It's their turn on guard duty. Clove and Marvel were ducking into the tents as I'd left camp for the illusion of privacy. The girl from Four and Bobry are not in sight.

That last observation worries me. I hastily tell Rue, "I know it looks like easy pickings, but don't go for the supplies yourself. The ground is mined."

"Oh. Thanks."

I smile again, relieved. She grins back.

"Are you trying to help Katniss?" She asks so softly I almost don't hear her at all.

I nod. "Have you seen her?" I can't help blurting out the words even though Bobry and the female tribute from Four might be approaching us even now.

Rue shakes her head. I tell myself that's a good thing.

"I don't know where we'll be hunting tonight," I say, apologetically.

"I'll stay out of your way," she replies. Then, tilting her head to the side, she adds, "But I don't think you'd tell them even if you found me."

I chuckle quietly. "Yeah. I'm pretty bad at this stuff."

"I noticed."

I quirk my brows at her.

"I saw you offer your food to the boy from Three."

Well, I guess that explains it. I'm gonna die in here because I'm a nice guy. Wonderful. "Yeah," I say. I head back into the clearing, my lips twisted into a self-depreciating grimace.

"Lover Boy, we were just about to launch a posse," Cato drawls as I make my way over to the camp. He doesn't even look up from polishing his sword.

Somehow, I manage not to roll my eyes. Just then, a motion in the distance snags my attention: Bobry and the girl from Four are hauling water up from the lake. They hadn't overheard my conversation with Rue, after all.

I feel a layer of tension slip from my shoulders.

When I don't answer Cato's jibe, he grunts, "Make yourself useful."

I decide to gather wood for a fire.

As evening approaches, I finish the ration from my pack. Bobry sits on his bedroll not far away, chewing on his nails. He's anxious all right. I would be, too, if I'd just completed my usefulness to the Careers. He'd saved himself from the bloodbath at the Cornucopia, true. He is enjoying life with a full belly, also true. But he has to know that his time is almost up. Unless he can figure out a way to outsmart the Careers, they're going to be scheduling his demise. Imminently.

I don't try to talk to him. He seems to be trying to draw as little attention to himself as possible. I guess as long as there are unpleasant tasks that need to be done – the fetching and carrying of water, for instance – they'll keep him around.

My stomach twists as I contemplate his likely fate. I can't really help Bobry. I wish things were different. I wish all we had to do was survive a week in the arena and then all of us – or whoever was still left alive – could go home. But that's not the way it is. There can be only one victor.

I don't have to like it. I just have to accept it.

I try to get some sleep, knowing that we'll be out hunting again tonight, knowing that I have to be sharp. The Careers are well-rested now and if I screw up tonight, they'll notice. Big time.

Cato kicks my boot when it's time to go. Marvel hands me a spear. I doubt he actually expects me to use it. More like he just doesn't feel like carrying a spare.

We head back to the place where I'd spotted the traps the night before and I quickly find several others… leading us deeper into the forest, away from the river. I wish I could convince myself that this is a coincidence, but the new snares have been set up in places with little coverage for game. They're just dummy traps. I'm not a hunter and even I can see that. But just in case it wasn't blaringly obvious, Katniss had thought to leave a signal for me. I crouch down next to one snare and place my hand on the bark of the tree. A few long strands of her hair have been caught in the trunk. The evening breeze blows them over the back of my hand.

Katniss would never be this careless. She must have unbraided her hair just to pull these strands free and leave them here for me. Knowing that she wants me to follow her trail unsettles me. What is she thinking?

After hours of reconnoitering her hunting ground, I still have no idea. There's no sign of her except for the snares and the last one is at the base of a gnarly, leviathan of a tree, gone all knotty and twisted with age. Its branches look arthritic in the moonlight.

We scout the area until dawn.

Katniss stays hidden.

Cato is starting to get frustrated. And, given how much he likes showing off his sword technique, that is not a good thing. "What the hell, Lover Boy?"

"We've got her," I assure him when we reach camp again. I don't put down the spear. I may not be able to use it as well as Marvel can, but it's better than nothing. "We know where she hunts, just not where she sleeps."

"Right," Marvel agrees easily. "So we change the time we hunt. Problem solved."

I hold my breath, waiting for the verdict.

"Okay," Cato concedes. "Let's head out at noon. We'll skirt her hunting area to the south and follow the river up, blocking her in."

I plop down on my bedroll. The girl from Four is guarding the camp with Bobry. I look up and watch his gaze slide away. Yeah, he probably figures that I'm not exactly helping the Careers track Katniss, but he doesn't say a thing… and I have no idea why.

Maybe he's hoping to get my help in taking out the Careers. Maybe he's just biding his time, hoping I'll take one or two of them out for him. Maybe there's a girl back home in Three that he likes. Maybe he's imagining himself in my place and her in Katniss'.

It's all so damn unfair.

I close my eyes…

…and open them on a frown. Something's not right. I sit up, scanning the clearing as a distant sound tickles my ears.

"What is that?" I mutter the words as a strange, subtle roar echoes in the suddenly silent arena. I check the position of the sun. It's only about an hour past dawn and it sounds like the world is ending.

I scramble to my feet, reaching down to collect the spear that I'm still not entirely sure I'll be allowed to use. Squinting, I survey what I can see of the arena, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise. It seems to be coming from the forest. From the direction of Katniss' hunting grounds.

Oh, God. No.

I know I must look pale, slack-jawed, and blank-faced with panic. My mouth moves and I breathe her name. The lack of recent deaths has driven the Gamemakers to "liven" things up. Just as this thought occurs to me, I see the plumes of thick, white smoke billowing up toward the sky. My hands curl around the shaft of the spear until the fleshy pads at the base of each finger feel hot and raw.

Unthinkingly, I head for the forest.

"Whoo-hoo!" the girl from Four calls. "Lights, camera, action!"

I barely hear her. I barely notice that she has abandoned her guard post beside Bobry to shake the tents, waking her alliance members.

I'm busy practically holding my breath, waiting for the boom of the cannon, waiting for another death to be announced, wondering if I'll go insane as the hours drag by until the anthem plays after sunset.

If I see Katniss' face in the sky tonight, I don't know what I'll do.

The touch of a hand on my shoulder startles me. I turn and find Bobry gripping my arm, slowly shaking his head back and forth, warning me away from the thoughts that have prompted my panic. Now that I'm aware of the fact that I am totally losing my shit all over the place, I can hear myself hyperventilating.

I clench my jaw and try to pull myself together. When it's clear that I'm not about to pass out, he steps away. Just in time.

The others are flopping and stumbling out of their tents and peering in the direction in which the female tribute from Four is pointing. She squeals with obscene amounts of excitement.

"Right," Cato decrees, "break time's over. Let's catch us a girl on fire."

I've never hated that Capitol moniker more than I do right now.

Bobry is ordered to stay behind. The Careers don't need me to lead them to Katniss now, but no one objects when I fall into step with them. I keep up as best I can despite my churning stomach. There still hasn't been a boom to mark a new death in the arena. I'm almost afraid to breathe, to blink, to hope. Surely, the moment I relax, it will echo through the warming air, obliterating my heart.

Cato leads us on the trek he'd outlined earlier and, the closer we draw to the southern edge of Katniss' hunting grounds, the more certain I am that she'd been the target of the Gamemaker's attention. But there hasn't been a cannon – only the pounding of our footsteps – so Katniss is alive.

Alive, but what about injured? Can she run? Can she hide? Is she armed? Is she ready for this because I don't think I can lead all five Careers off her trail once they catch the scent of blood.

We break from the forest to tromp along the rocks that line the river. Marvel pulls ahead a bit, scanning the water and then—

"There she is!"

I look across the rushing water—

—and right into the pale, drawn features of Katniss Everdeen.

And she is not okay.

She struggles to pull herself out of the water, clawing her way into the brush, the orange backpack is a bright bull's eye affixed to her back.

Cato whoops. Glimmer cheers. Clove laughs. Marvel tries to call dibs on her death. The girl from Four – I still haven't learned her name – screeches with the rush of adrenaline.

The hunt is on.

I keep up, trying to conserve my energy, trying to remain inconspicuous. I need a plan. I have one spear and five enemies. Oh, God. What the hell am I going to do?

The Careers dive into the forest, hot on Katniss' tail… which is a trail I recognize. This path leads toward the ancient, crippled tree at the end of her line of snares. My heart slams against my ribs and I grit my teeth together; something is about to happen. We are heading for a battleground of Katniss' choosing, but I have no idea what to expect. None whatsoever. Although I trust Katniss and I know she's smart, I fear that I'm overestimating her. She's only human, after all – capable of making mistakes – and in this place, mistakes can and will get you killed.

The Careers' taunts chase her deeper into the woods. They're not in a hurry, though. There's nowhere for Katniss to really hide in this thinned-out part of the forest. The only place she can go is up. Despite the futility of it, she draws them in, uncaring of the trail of upturned forest debris that she's leaving in her wake. I pray to God she doesn't stumble. If she falls, it'll be all over and shit what the hell am I going to do?

Oh, God. I can't stop them from killing her. They'll get her just as soon as she's within throwing range. Even if I pull ahead of them, I'll never be able to come between both Clove's knife and Marvel's spear and her. The trees have thinned too much and they'll have a clear shot before I—

I let out a gasp of relief when I see the old tree and spy movement at least thirty feet up. Katniss is climbing. From here, I can see the scowl of determination on her face as she methodically pulls herself up into the massive boughs. I crash to a stop at the base of the thing and gape up at her.

"That's not gonna help you, Katniss!" Glimmer shouts.

I barely hear her. Katniss pauses long enough to look down. Our gazes meet. I let out a breath in relief. She still looks pale and she's moving a little too slow, but maybe she really is fine…

She's careful not to let her gaze linger on me. Her pauses barely lasts a heartbeat before she's climbing again.

"I'll bring her down," Cato announces and, before I can advise him against it, he starts pulling himself up the tree, hand over hand with that damn sword still clutched in his grip.

From above me, I hear a quiet, hoarse laugh. Katniss thinks this is funny? What the hell?

She decides to share the joke with all of Panem, "Coming to rescue a Katniss stuck in a tree, Cato?"

I feel my mouth drop open in disbelief.

Marvel guffaws. "Are you stuck, Katniss?"

"I think so." From what I can see, she appears to be double checking that conclusion. "Yup. Can't come down. Guess that means I've only got one place to go."

She pulls her feet under her and I can see her wince. She is injured. And Cato is gaining on her. Goddamn it.

Just as she reaches the next branch, I hear a distinct snap! …then that lack of sound indicative of shock… and then the solid thud! of a body landing on the ground. I twitch my chin down, my brows arching at the sight of Cato lying flat on his back at the base of the tree. It's too much to hope that he'd broken his neck, of course. Coughing and gasping, he pushes himself to his feet, throwing aside Glimmer's offer of assistance.

And then, amazingly, Katniss snarkily commemorates Cato's failure: "Oh, no. My rescuer has been defeated. Whatever shall I do?"

I think I fall in love with her all over again just for that droll tone.

I remind myself that I'm not supposed to chuckle or smile in response to her jibes. I have to keep up the act until I can figure out what to do, what she needs me to do.

Clove grins evilly up at Katniss. "Don't worry. We'll send Peeta up to fetch you."

I startle at the sound of my name and take a nervous step back from the tree, my grip tightening on the spear in my hand. I can feel Katniss' gaze on me and that, combined with my exhaustion and terror for her, pushes me well into the realm of Useless Nervous Wreck. I shake my head adamantly. "No way. I told you guys I'm not going anywhere near her." I know I've got to give Katniss more information, so I gesture expressively. "I track her, you kill her. That's the deal."

Marvel laughs. He seems to be in an exceptionally good mood. Or maybe he's just a jovial kind of guy when it comes to murder. "I've gotta know. What did you do after that interview?"

Shit. I'd known that lie would come back around to bite me on the ass. Katniss is going to kill me for this. Provided I survive long enough.

I rub the back of my neck, honestly mortified and ashamed of myself. "Uh…"

And then Katniss comes to my rescue in the most unlikely of ways. She calls down in a tone far too playful given the circumstances, "Why, Peeta. How lovely to see you. Why don't you come on up, sweetheart? Haven't you missed me?"

Marvel roars with laugher. Glimmer shrieks gleefully. Clove snickers. The female tribute from Four actually doubles over, wheezing with mirth. Cato shakes his head in bemusement. "Damn, Lover Boy. She's got us all wondering now."

"Um…" I grit my teeth as I contemplate what I'm about to say next.

Katniss beats me to it. "What's wrong, Peeta? Afraid of a little pussy cat?"

Oh. My. God. I feel my face flush bright red and I go with it. I fist my hands, set my jaw, and take all of two purposeful strides toward the tree as if I'm intending on just stomping my way up there and getting this confrontation over with.

"Oh, man," Marvel sputters, holding out a restraining hand. As if he's actually attempting to stop me from heading up the tree after her. "You better not even. She's gonna claw your face off."

I think I see Katniss smirk in my direction. And it looks pretty genuine.

I swallow thickly. I guess she is kinda pissed at me. For getting caught by the Careers. Or maybe for my choice of lies. Or both. As far as screwing up goes, I've done a pretty epic job of it.

"Just tell me one thing," Marvel continues. "Was it worth it?"

I glance at him and force a knowing smirk as if I'm reliving something very, very naughty. "Oh, yeah," I answer, turning away to grin up at Katniss. Widely. "It was definitely worth it."

It's not until the words are out of my mouth and echoing in the forest that I recognize my tone. I'd used it once before, for Katniss only: "I'm with you, together or apart, no matter what."

Glimmer makes an exasperated sound. "Forget this," she huffs, clearly getting bored. I watch as she nocks an arrow onto the string of Katniss' bow and lines my partner up in her sights. Before I can dredge up a memory of her proficiency with the weapon from the Training Center, she lets the arrow fly. It lodges into a branch about ten feet above Katniss' head. I start breathing again.

"Gimme that," Cato demands, collecting the weapon. Again, my brain is steeped in terror. Time stops. The arrow misses.

"Maybe you'd have better luck throwing the sword?" Katniss proposes.

Shit. Shut up, Katniss! Don't push your luck!

"Let's just wait her out," I interject, voice on edge. I'm eager to forestall any other projectiles being hurled at Katniss. There are no words for how nerve-wracking it is to stand by and force yourself to watch someone shoot arrows at the girl you're up to your neck in love with.

When the Careers look at me expectantly, I explain with a careless shrug, "She's gotta come down sometime. It's either that or starve to death. We'll just kill her then."

A long moment stretches out before Cato relents. "Okay. Somebody make a fire."

Whew.

As Clove starts dictating the layout of tonight's camp, I reluctantly begin collecting windfall. I'm still busy with that as the Careers settle down to enjoy a late lunch, pulling supplies from their packs. I'm tempted to look up and stare at Katniss, but I force myself not to try and catch her gaze. If Katniss has a plan, then I had better not draw attention to it.

You'd damn well better have a plan, Katniss, because I've got nothing.

I wonder how many of the Careers I can spear in the neck while they're asleep before someone wakes up and takes me down. I guess I'll find out tonight.

It takes about fifteen minutes for me to run out of arm room for hauling more kindling, so I force myself to return to the camp. I use a match from my pack to get a fire going.

Task completed and plan set, all that's left for the time being is to wait.

Notes:

Right, so Rue and Peeta kind of team up here and Katniss has some kind of plan - she's led the Careers to the tree where she'd set her last "obvious" snare. Something's up. (Pardon the pun.)

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Snippet of what's to come next in "Tracker Jackers":

My jaw aches from how tightly I've clenched it. My breath shortens with terror that I struggle to keep in check.

No, Katniss will not be coming down from that tree unscathed.

Recommended fic:

"Saving the Boy" by Embracing_Immensity on Archive of Our Own (AO3) - A great AU in which Katniss mentors Peeta in the Games, and Peeta teams up with Rue.