Here we are at Chapter 10! This story has almost 100 reviews and I'm so excited. I love getting them so keep em coming. Or PM me. I love talking Hunger Games and I'd love hearing what you think. I'm currently trying to set up my tumblr so I can start posting updates and stuff there. If anyone knows how to do that, please send me a message, because I'm kinda lost.

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I'm not here looking for absolution

Because I found myself an old solution

This is his body

This is his love

Such selfish prayers, I can't get enough-

Bedroom Hymns- Florence and the Machine

Pya was a hell of a woman. She was tall, lean, blonde, with deep blue eyes and when she smiled, her white teeth showered light into the dismal meal hall. Each time, her musical laugh rang out, Haymitch would glance around him, catching the eyes of others who couldn't help but smile at the sound. She was telling him a story from her days in twelve where she'd lived the typical life of a woman her age. She was widowed, poor, raising two starving kids by herself. Her husband had died and left her with nothing but a complete loss for what to do with herself. Since leaving twelve, she looked at her new life as an opportunity to start over. She had shed her quiet demeanor and left it in the ashes along with the rest of her shattered life. Pya loved being in thirteen. She had purpose here, her kids had purpose. Unlike most, she hadn't shed a single tear over the loss of her home or her former life. There she'd been a nameless pawn who the Capitol had tried to destroy. She'd begun her own personal rebellion by surviving their bombs and continued it by packing up what little things they owned and joining the caravan as it got the hell out of there.

Haymitch had gotten to know her over the months since Peeta had come back into all of their lives- that had been exciting. Haymitch had been spending a lot of time in the hospital ward, attempting to talk some sense into the boy only to get crazy ravings and a couple of punches for his efforts.

Little bastard.

Pya had been training in the ward the first time that it happened and since then, had taken it upon herself to separate them, push sedatives into whoever needed it more, and clean them both up from the spat- by herself. The last time, when the drugs had worn off, she threatened to kill them both with a scalpel if she had to break up another fight.

Yup, a hell of a woman.

He'd seen Pya around twelve and lately had been kicking himself for never really noticing her before. Not that it would have done much good. Pya was a classy lady and classy ladies didn't give a second glance to the town drunk. Through sheer force of will and a LOT of alcohol, he'd managed to suppress that part of his brain to the point that sex was a distant memory. A hallucination. A Capitol plot convincing the population to continue breeding while telling people that it was their own idea.

Screw that.

Unfortunately, ever since he'd been forced into sobriety, his dormant libido had been acting up again and he realized to his horror that there were women everywhere. Not only that, but he had no idea what to do about it. His social skills weren't exactly up to par. Twenty-five years of intoxication will do that to a person.

He did his best not to look at Pya like that. Sure, she was beautiful, but she had her own mess of a life to work out just like he did. For the moment, he was just glad to have someone his own age to talk to.

As Pya told her story, she gestured a lot, using her hands to tick off lists and punctuate points, her eyes lighting up as she went on into the tale that he'd lost track of awhile ago. She interrupted herself to look around his head at something behind him. Haymitch turned around to find Johanna sitting a few tables away with a tall gawky looking soldier.

The mess hall had finished serving food over an hour before, but occasionally people would linger, either because they'd arrived just before the end of meal service, or because they chose to spend their "Reflection" time here. Doors were locked until the end of the hour, ensuring that no one was wandering the halls who shouldn't be.

"Who's that she's with?" asked Haymitch.

"Jahn Neuman," Pya told him, "He came in for his physical a couple of days ago. If he passes his test tomorrow, he ships out with everyone else. Who will you mentor with all those kids gone?"

Haymitch shrugged, "Maybe, they'll all fail."

"Doubtful," she replied before taking a sip of her water cup, "by the way, Katniss and Johanna still haven't come in for their physicals."

Haymitch smiled, "I'll yell at them in the morning."

Pya nodded over the top of her cup, "Much appreciated. You really think any of them are gonna be left here?"

He gave an uneasy glance at Johanna and muttered, "Maybe."

After a second, he shook his head, almost sadly, "They're ready. Those damn kids are gonna free us all. God help us."

Pya offered her cup in "cheers" and they both emptied their waters in one gulp just as the doors opened to signal the end of the hour. Haymitch still looked uneasy as he reached for his tray.

Just as Pya stood, a small device attached to her wrist began to beep. She hit a couple of buttons, groaning as a series of words flashed across the screen.

"What's wrong?" Haymitch asked.

She pushed a few more buttons before looking up at him, "They need me back downstairs. A soldier was found unconscious in a closet almost beaten to death. It looks like someone tried to kill him."

"Does it say who it was?"

Pya shook her head.

"I think you should come with me," she told him.

Haymitch raised an eyebrow in question.

Pya took hold of his arm and pulled him up from his seat, "Every time something happens, it tends to involve one of your victors."

There was a laugh on his lips despite the seriousness of the situation.

"Fine, lets go."

They rushed to the hospital ward not meeting a soul until they reached the floor that housed the medical facilities. A man stood just outside the hospital entrance watching them approach, as though anticipating their arrival. Haymitch grunted impatiently as he recognized the man as the pain-in-the-ass Head of Security.

"Carr," Haymitch nodded to the officer, who for once, was neither smug nor seething- actually he looked worried- "Almost didn't recognize you without my tribute under your boot."

"Stick around," Carr replied, mustering up some of his usual boorishness in the face of Haymitch's attitude, "You might see a familiar sight."

"Is it one of yours?" Pya asked him, trying her best to remain calm in the presence of the officer. If Carr was here in the infirmary, something very bad had happened.

Carr nodded, "Found him about half an hour ago. The doctor is in there now trying to put his face back together."

Pya retreated to the back. Carr had a hand on the door to follow, when he turned to Haymitch.

"You should come too," he said, "see what happens when you slack off on the job."

He entered the hospital, slamming the door behind him as he went. Haymitch followed Carr into the first room they came across. A doctor was speaking a string of medical jargon into a tape recorder while Pya wrung out a cloth over a sink before returning to the man in the bed. Haymitch didn't recognize the poor unconscious creature but that could have been due to the bruises, bandages and broken jaw he was sporting.

"His name is Laris Horrman," Pya said.

The name sounded vaguely familiar to Haymitch. He turned to Carr, "He's new with you, isn't he? One of the transplants from twelve?"

"Started last week," Carr confirmed, "Fifteen years old, family died in the bombing, showed up here with his girlfriend and her parents. He's a good kid. Got through basics fast, has impeccable aim and floored all of his classmates in the training room. If he was two years older, he'd be taking his test tomorrow."

"What happened to him?" Haymitch asked, though he knew what Carr was about to say.

"Someone beat the shit out of him," Carr said through his teeth, "That's what happened?'

Haymitch cocked his head, angrily curling his lip up, "That line is getting old."

"Yeah, I'm sick of hearing it, too," Carr agreed, "but until you get your guy to stop beating up my soldiers, we're both gonna have to deal with it."

"Is that what you call 'dealing with it?'" asked Haymitch, "because I call it unnecessary force."

"I'll run my department anyway I damn well please. If you were doing your job better, we wouldn't be here right now."

"Peeta didn't do this," Haymitch growled.

The doctor turned around suddenly, "You two! Shut up, or get out. You're ruining my dictation."

Pya took them both by an arm and steered them out the the door.

"What do you think?" Haymitch asked, awaiting her professional opinion.

She folded her arms over her chest, glaring at them both, "I think you're going to get me fired." She turned to Carr, who was still fuming, "Whoever did this, worked fast. The doctor said that there were multiple contusions on his ribs, making him think that Horrmann was attacked from different angles. You're likely looking for more than one assailant. Also, most of the bruising on the face looked like it was done with a fist so your man will also have bruises on his knuckles and possibly fractured bones in his hands."

"If someone comes in-"

"You'll be my first call," she assured the officer, "For the record, the damage to his chest was likely caused by someone kicking him once he was brought down to the floor."

"So?"

"So," she continued irritably, "if you'd like to blame Peeta Mellark for this, you'll have a hard time proving it. His left leg has been broken so many times he'd be a fool to to use it to support his weight. On the other hand, were he to kick out with it, he couldn't inflict that sort of damage."

"He could if he had help," said Carr thoughtfully, "I hear he's been shacking up with Everdeen. She has two legs that work perfectly fine."

"Bullshit," spat Haymitch with a cursory glance at Pya, who looked startled.

"My guys saw them pawing each other in the gym today. He went all buggy and she was the only one who could get him out of it. How else would she know that?" Carr assured him, "It sure would explain where he's been running off to."

"You're saying he'd risk getting in trouble just to have sex?" asked Pya. Simultaneously, Haymitch and Carr laughed at the ridiculous question. She glared at them.

"I think I'll go find out," said Carr, as he turned on his heel and headed to the door. Once it had closed behind him Pya turned to Haymitch, "You think?"

"Find me a phone. I'll let you know."

She took him down the hall to where a white house phone was built into the wall. Haymitch dialed the extension to Katniss's room.

"Damn kids," he grumbled to himself becoming more impatient every time he heard another ring coming from the vacant line. He was suddenly grateful that they would all be gone soon. All this dramatic crap would go with them. He glanced over at Pya who stood expectantly beside him with her arms crossed.

"Can you go down and find Johanna in the mess hall?" he asked, "Tell her she needs to be in her room right now."

Pya nodded before rushing out the door.

"Come on," he seethed into the receiver, "pick up."

Peeta had been hoping for sleep. Seven hours was the goal but if he was really lucky, he'd knock out soon and get himself a rare, solid eight. For over a year, the idea of such a long stretch of uninterrupted slumber seemed like an impossible luxury. In fact, he was pretty sure that the last time he'd gotten any decent rest- without being drugged anyway- was before his first Reaping. Before any of this mess had even started.

Not that he was gonna get it tonight. The silence and solitude gave his addled brain the chance to rummage through the garbage it liked to hang on to. Within a few short hours, this would undoubtedly lead to nightmares, screaming, and paralyzing terror.

The only times he seemed to be able to avoid this path were on the nights when he would sneak off to see Katniss. By the time he'd get back to his room, he was usually too tired to get angry. That's when other kinds of dreams would come to him, most of which involved Katniss wearing nothing but leather hunting boots and a smile. Either way before the night was over, he'd be waking up yelling, thrashing in his bed, and covered in sweat.

He hadn't been in his room long, maybe fifteen minutes. It was early to be lying in bed, but his day had been chaotic and exhausting. He felt drained and wanted to pass out, but his body was still buzzing from the trip to the closet and he was having trouble focusing his mind into a calm enough state for sleep.

Everytime he closed his eyes, he'd see her face contorted into that exquisite agony just before her body released, branded behind the back of his eyelids. He could still feel her heat under his hands, hear her husky breaths in his ears, and taste the flavor of her skin on his tongue. It had barely been an hour since and he wanted nothing more than to sneak out of here and get back to her.

As if the universe had heard his wish, the door opened and Johanna poked her head in.

"Oh, thank god," she said in a relieved voice.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she replied with a grin, "I thought you might be in here abusing yourself. I really wasn't up to seeing that."

Peeta took the pillow from under his head and chucked it at her.

She caught it, "Come on. I'm busting you out of here."

He didn't have to be told twice. He threw the covers off, grabbed his sleep pants from the floor and pulled them on.

"Boxers huh?" she asked as he passed.

"Shut up."

The last thing she said before handing over her key card was, "If you have sex on my bed, I will kill you. Seriously. You will be dead tomorrow if I find any of your nasty man juice on my sheets."

He pocketed the card, "Thanks, Jo. Where are you staying tonight?"

"I'll figure it out. First, I gotta go back to the mess hall." She narrowed her eyes and muttered, "Stupid Neuman." A second later she brightened, "Oh well. Have fun fucking your girlfriend."

"I will," he assured her watching her departure. As she turned the corner, he turned the opposite direction muttering,"I'm gonna miss that crazy bitch."

As the light from the hall entered the room, he saw Katniss asleep in her bed. She slept deeply, so quiet, he could barely hear her breathing. He flipped on the lightswitch and she didn't even move. One of her hands dangled over the edge of her mattress, gripping something small in her fist. Spread across the nightstand were an assortment of random objects that he recognized from, what felt like, a lifetime ago. The stile, the locket he'd given her, the little silver parachute- all from the Quarter Quell. Symbols of their time in that hellhole.

Why had she kept them?

He took hold of her closed hand, attempting to open it, so that she wouldn't lose whatever she held. As he began to pry her fingers, her hand suddenly turned upwards and opened revealing a small white pearl.

"I remember this," he said, lifting it, rolling it between his fingers. He turned to find her eyes open, gazing dreamily at him.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon," she said.

"I'm full of surprises," he said, climbing into the bed, sliding in between her and the wall. Katniss turned towards him, fastening her arms around his middle.

"How'd you get here?" she yawned, her body limp against him.

The moment he was settled into the bed, many of his amorous intentions were pushed aside for the comfort of the mattress and the warm girl wrapped around him who was quickly slipping back into sleep.

"Johanna gave me her key card," he replied, feeling his eyes slip closed as the pillow cradled his head.

"What'd she say?"

Peeta yawned, "That she'll kill me if we have sex on her bed."

Katniss curled closer nuzzling the top of her head just below his chin. Peeta could feel the weak laugh she gave as she replied, "Sounds like her."

They fell into silence as the weight of oncoming sleep fell over them.

"Sorry if I'm not very lively," she slurred, "It was a long day."

"It's fine," he assured her, "I'd rather be here with you just sleeping than stuck alone in my cell."

"I thought they moved you down the hall."

"They did," he said, "but anywhere that has guards in front of the door is just another cage, no matter how comfortable it is."

Katniss opened her eyes. Her face remained buried in his neck and he could feel the kiss of her eyelashes against his skin every time she blinked.

"How bad was it at dinner?" she asked.

Peeta looked down at her, surprised to find a newfound alertness in her eyes that hadn't been there seconds before. He couldn't believe she wanted to talk about his blunder in the mess hall.

"It's been worse," he reminded her.

"That doesn't count as an answer and you know it."

Peeta pulled his head off the pillow and rubbed his eyes.

"I slipped for a second, ok?" he told her irritably, "Can't we just go to sleep?"

"Fine," she said, rolling away from him. Everything in her tone told him that it was most definitely not fine. He looked up at the ceiling, throwing up his hands in frustration.

"Do you want me to go?" he asked.

"No," she replied, "Just go to sleep."

He turned toward her and encircled her waist, pulling her back against his chest. Katniss didn't protest. She simply lay there like a dead weight, allowing her irritation to radiate off her skin. Peeta soaked up every wave of her frustration until he couldn't stand it. Wearily, he dropped his head onto her shoulder.

"I hate it," he said in a defeated voice, "I hate being so confused all the time."
He felt her fingers trail along his forearm where he held onto her waist, "I know."

She turned back over to face him, reaching a hand up into his hair. Peeta closed his eyes to her touch, focusing on the feeling of her fingertips as they brushed his scalp. Her other hand went to his shoulder and gently pushed him onto his back. She hovered over him, pressing her lips to each temple and then to his forehead, just as she had weeks before on that night in the supply closet.

"Does that help?" she asked, her lips still against his skin.

He took her by the hips and pulled her down an inch so that her face aligned perfectly with his own. Their lips met and the rest of the world was forgotten.

Katniss's lips were slow and indulgent, taking a rare lead on his. She felt shivers at the pressure of his mouth, tingles that shot all the way to her toes. She pulled away from him, hovering on her elbows over his face. She gently pushed her hair over one shoulder, so that it created a thick curtain, blocking out the world to his right.

"Look where we are," she said.

"In your room?" he asked innocently.

Her teeth grazed his ear as she murmured, "We're in a bed. Just like you wanted. You've got a pillow and everything."

"So we are," he agreed. In a quick move, he rolled, putting her back to the mattress, "Now what am I gonna do with you?"

"Well," she began conversationally as she turned to plant a kiss on his bicep, "First, you're gonna let me back on top. Beyond that, we'll just have to see."

Peeta raised his eyebrows in a look of pleased surprise.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied.

She slipped out from under him, stopping every second or so to press a her lips to the nearest patch of his skin that she could reach.

As she straddled his waist, the bottom of her long nightshirt rode up to the very tops of her thighs. Peeta's palms followed the hem up her legs, pushing it up inch by inch. He'd almost reached her hips under the fabric when he realized that she wasn't wearing anything underneath. A staggered breath escaped through his parted lips. Katniss took his open mouth for an invitation and leaned over him, capturing his lips with her own, gently at first, becoming more insistent as his grip upon her waist tightened under the nightshirt. Katniss's hands travelled over his chest, idly tracing the muscle she found there with her fingers. Peeta, always on guard, waited until she'd reached just below his ribs before taking her by the wrists and removing her hands.

She pulled away from his mouth, "What?"

He didn't want to remind her of his little "sensitivity" there, or worse, embarrass himself by allowing the woman of his dreams to reduce him to an uncontrolled giggling mess of a man for the sake of her own amusement. He sat up, leaning his back against the pillow and pulled her forward so that she faced him in his lap. Her knees were bent at the outside of each of his thighs and her arms were around his neck. Katniss lifted herself up straight so that her face was above his. Her fingers wove into the hair at the back of his head. She tugged until his face pointed to the ceiling before leaning down to kiss him, darting her tongue through his open lips. He reached under her shirt, running his palms along her sides and up her back. His touch left a scalding trail. She wouldn't have been surprised if her skin was glowing where his hands had been.

She lifted his shirt over his head, dropping it to the floor at the side of the bed.

Katniss leaned down to press her lips against his exposed throat, astonished at how far they had come in such a short time. Not a month before, the thought of being in such a vulnerable position would have set him off. Perhaps he was simply too tired to argue. Or maybe her imminent departure had moved him to give her whatever she wanted. In any case, he closed his eyes, relinquishing control to her.

His features relaxed as the ever-present noise in his head went quiet. She watched it happen. One second he was torn, struggling with the constant fight over where he was, who he was with and what was happening to him. The next second, he relaxed and all she could see was the tranquility of a man who had put himself trustingly into her hands for the first time in months. She smiled, her lips spreading across the skin of his neck. Katniss trailed kisses along his collar bone, bending her knees as she dipped her head lower to access his chest. As her hips dropped closer to his lap, she could feel him, straining through his sleep pants, poking upwards against her wet center. She let out a loud moan against his chest, not recoiling in surprise as she once might have, but settling herself lower, grinding against the tented fabric as she flicked her tongue over his left nipple. Her fingers found the right one and together with her mouth, worked his chest, attempting in a small way, to pay him back for all the attention he had paid to hers earlier.

His head still back, he hissed in a deep breath through his clenched teeth. She could feel his stomach muscles drawing inward as his breath deepened. His hands, becoming impatient on her back, wandered to her thighs, pushing the bottom of the nightshirt back up to her waist, but not making any move to remove it just yet. For the first time ever, there was no hurry and no one around to hear them. Peeta was determined to take as much time as he wanted with her.

Katniss returned her mouth to his, relishing the feeling of his hands on her waist, as they pulled her closer and more tightly against him. She reached a hand between them, attempting to release the drawstring of his sleep pants. Working blindly, she only managed to tighten the knot.

"Damn it," she cursed softly, looking down at the tangled mess she'd made of the string. Peeta took over, grumbling at the knot. While he did his best to untie the string, Katniss wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning in to graze her teeth across his earlobe.

"Hurry," she whispered.

"I'm trying," he insisted, "Got any scissors?"

She laughed lightly, pushing her hot breath against his ear.

"Screw it," he said, taking the string between his fists and pulling until it snapped. Katniss swung herself off of him so that he could slide the pants off. She hopped up from the bed, took the pants by the leg bottoms and pulled. His boxer shorts followed immediately after, catching slightly on the fleshless metal bones.

"Doesn't that freak you out?" he asked as she dropped the shorts on the floor with the rest of his clothes.

"What? This?" she asked, running a hand up the metal rods to the place they joined with flesh. She shook head thoughtfully, "No." She placed a kiss on his thigh, "Trust me, I remember this leg. You look much better without it. After all, I prefer men who are alive."

Peeta shook his head ruefully, "You and your ridiculous standards."

He took hold of her arms, and pulled her forward so that she faced him in his lap again. She wrapped her arms around his back, bringing her lips very close to his own.

He leaned his head an inch forward to close the gap between them. Her lips were soft, yet demanding against his. Peeta took hold of the nightshirt and lifted, pulling it off her body and depositing it on the floor with his own clothes. He dropped his head to her shoulder, watching as his hands slid over her waist to the soft skin of her stomach. Goosebumps lifted on her flesh, making a tingling path where his hands had passed over.

His fingertips traveled up her thigh towards the place between her legs where he planned to unravel her. Katniss took his hand and pushed it away. She reached between them, taking the full length of him into her hand. Peeta sucked in a loud breath watching her deft fingers as they wrapped around the base of his shaft, sliding up to the very tip before descending slowly back to where they began. The sight of her hands on him became too much and after the second stroke, he had to close his eyes to maintain himself. This backfired almost immediately as once his vision cut off, every other sense intensified ten fold. The sounds of her breathing was all that he could hear and the scent coming off of her skin was intoxicating, leaving any rational part that remained of his brain swimming in an ocean that consisted of Katniss and nothing else.

"God, Katniss. You're gonna destroy me," he said huskily, hoping she would take it as the compliment he'd intended it to be. As proof, his hips bucked up into her grip as she stroked downward. Still slumped against her shoulder, he could feel the breathy laugh puffing through her chest. She stopped the movement, leaving a hand on him as she lifted herself up onto her knees over him. Peeta looked up as she rose above him, wide eyed, already panting in anticipation. His hands inched up her thighs to her waist where they took a firm hold, guiding her as she lowered herself onto him with such agonizing slowness that he had to bite his lip to stop himself from thrusting upward to rush their connection. Her warmth engulfed him as she finally settled onto his lap, resting her head on his shoulder as she gasped loudly into his ear, indulging in the feeling of being filled, completed.

He lifted her gently by the waist, raising her up so high on her knees that they were almost separated, then, continuing in her achingly slow tempo, lowered her over him again going inch by inch until he was buried to the hilt inside her. Once again, he lifted her, and again he brought her body back down onto him, digging his fingers into her skin to keep himself on pace.

Once she was settled, she began to rock against him, gently at first, then harder, more intently, increasing the friction between their bodies. Her arms were locked around his neck, her passionate moans in his ear. Each movement was harder against him, more insistent than the one before. Katniss could feel her already tense muscles becoming tighter, the strain beginning in her stomach and spreading out until it felt like the very tips of her ears were screaming for release.

Soon, she was screaming too. Her mouth dropped open and out came an exquisite burst of air carrying upon it her pleasure, made into sound. As it filled his ears, he brought his knees up behind her, giving him the leverage to push against her, thrusting upward into the grinding of her hips. His fingers dipped between their bodies going back to the sensitive spot between her legs where he'd been headed before. This time, she didn't stop him. Within seconds, every nerve in her body was alight and the pressure in her head was pushing so hard in her skull that it felt close to bursting. Peea was crying out with her, pumping faster to meet her, working together with his thumb as it made rapid, hard circles around the mound of nerve endings currently setting fire to her entire body. His hips had become an unstoppable force of their own, pushing up over and over until finally with an elated cry, her back arched, her face pointed up to a sky that she couldn't see, and she released in wave after wave of shudders that racked her every muscle. She collapsed onto his shoulder, gulping up the surrounding air with ragged breath. Peeta had stopped his thrusts and now lay spasming beneath her. The warmth that spread through her lower abdomen was a telltale sign that he had finished in unison with her. She could feel him making a conscious effort to relax his fingers from their painful grip on her waist, despite their desire to hang on and not let go.

His heart thrummed wildly in his ribcage, causing the pulse to be felt throughout his entire chest as she leaned against him.

"Peeta," she whispered, her voice shaking. Her arms came up to grip his shoulders from behind as she tilted her head to rest it against his, "You better be here when I get back."

Her words startled him. He pulled back to look in her face, surprised to find her determined eyes glossed over as though tears might slip out at any moment. Her jaw was set, but her lip quivered softly.

"I mean it," she said.

Peeta used his fingers to brush her sweat soaked hair behind her ears. He closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against hers.

"Katniss," he began in a level voice. He was about to make excuses to her, excuses that she had already decided she would not accept. He'd tell her that it wasn't up to him, that there were forces beyond his control, that he would try, that he was sorry.

But he didn't say any of these things. Instead, he looked deep into her eyes and said, "Your phone is ringing."

"What?" she asked in confusion. Then she heard it. The phone gave an incredibly loud ring on the nightstand right next to her. How long had it been going off?

Katniss reached over and lifted the receiver.

"Yes?"

"Is he with you?" Haymitch's voice demanded from the other end.

"What are you-"

"Don't bullshit me, Katniss!" he shouted, "Is he in the room with you?"

Her admission was low and withdrawn, "Yes."

"You have incoming in about ten minutes," Haymitch growled into the phone, "put your clothes on and get him out of there. Tell him to take the north elevators. He can avoid Carr by going down through reclamation on the bottom floor."

The line went dead.

Katniss leapt off of Peeta.

"Get up," she said, pulling on his hand, "Carr's on his way here."

Peeta reached for his shirt and threw it over his head, "I guess word got around."

Katniss didn't answer as she dug a pair of sleep pants out of her dresser.

Haymitch knew and by the sound of his voice, she was gonna hear about it in the morning. As Peeta finished dressing, she spun around, searching the room for any evidence that he might have been there. There was no doubt that Carr would want to search the room and she refused to allow something as benign as a sock get them in trouble.

On the dresser, amidst her collection, sat a keycard.

"Its Johanna's, keep it," he said, pulling her into his arms for a final time. She reached for his hand, took the pearl from the dresser and placed it in his palm.

"This went through a lot to get here," she told him, "Keep it safe, I'm coming back for it."

There was no time to argue. Peeta shoved the pearl into his pocket, took her face into his hands and kissed her. Katniss wrapped her arms tightly around his middle, pushing herself against him, trying to put all the words she wanted to say into the movement of her lips upon his.

When he pulled away, his hands slid down to her neck, resting behind her head, while keeping his eyes fixed on hers. He took a deep breath and told her, "I love you."

For the second time that day, Peeta watched her eyes become very wide and her lips part in an expression of surprise. Her mouth opened and closed; like a fish searching for water, she struggled for the right thing to say in return.

She never got the chance. He pulled her close and just as his mouth claimed hers once more, someone began to pound on the door. They spun towards the sound. In a motion somewhere between instinct and chivalry, Peeta moved so that he stood between Katniss and the door. Gripping each other's hands, they waited.

Carr had two guards in tow as he descended upon Katniss's room. He slammed his fist against the door, shouting, "Security! Open up!"

The door cracked open and a very hazy looking Katniss peered out into the light of the hall.

"Hello, Aldred," she said teasingly, "What can I do for you?"

"I'm looking for Soldier Mellark. I was told he was here."

"I don't think so," she replied innocently. Katniss turned her head back into the room, "Hey Jo, are you hiding Peeta under your bed?"

"I wish!" Johanna called back, "Mmm mmmm."

Katniss returned to the three men who stood outside her door, "I don't think he's here."

Carr insisted on checking for himself. Without a word, he shoved the door aside and walked right past her into the room. After his search came up empty, he stormed out and headed up the hallway to the elevators, his men at his heels.

The moment they were sure that Carr was gone, Johanna turned the lamp on.

"I hate that guy," she spat.

Katniss nodded her agreement, "I'm just glad you got here first."

Johanna had been slamming on the door, while Katniss and Peeta were saying their goodbyes. When she heard Johanna cursing on the other side, Katniss had thrown open the door and dragged her roommate inside. Peeta had given Katniss a final kiss and Johanna a final thanks, before darting out into the hallway and out of their sight. From there, he was officially on his own.

Katniss had been biting her lip with worry ever since he'd vanished into the hall. She reached for the phone and dialed, praying that she had the right extension.

Haymitch answered, and she released the breath she'd been holding. "Carr just left. He'll be up there in a few minutes. Did Peeta make it?"

"Just got here," Haymitch's voice left its usual irritated growl and became much more light and conversational, "He and I are gonna have a little talk."

"Go easy on him," she warned.

Haymitch laughed heartily into the phone, "I wouldn't worry about him, Sweetheart. This is gonna be a slap on the wrist compared to what you're in for."

Katniss didn't like the sound of that, "Meaning?"

"Meaning that while I was up in the hospital earlier, I happened to run into your mother."

"You didn't!" she cried in horror.

"She expects you first thing after your test." Katniss could hear him laughing to himself, "Oh, and don't forget to go in for your physical."

With that, he hung up. Katniss was left sputtering into the receiver.

I'm already working on chapter 11. Keep an eye out for it in the next couple weeks.

Please review.