I think it's about time to credit J. Michael Straczynski for giving me the idea of the ticker. He did something similar in his wonderful series Babylon 5 (for those of you who remember 90s sci-fi), and Peeta's ticker was inspired by B5. In the B5 counterpart to the ticker, telepaths were involved, they weren't called tickers and they didn't work quite the same way, but the basic idea is the same – that there is something waiting in your brain, put in by someone else without your consent or even knowledge, hidden - until it's suddenly activated, and then there is no turning back.

And as always, thank you so much for your reviews, likes and favorites! There are a couple of more chapters in this particular storyline coming up, then I think I'll start writing on some of the other scenes in the lives of Katniss and Peeta, pre-epilogue. Hopefully they'll be somewhat happier. :)

Peeta is the last to enter the room. I'm sitting by the table, along with Haymitch, Dr Aurelius, another psychiatrist from the District 12 hospital, a Dr Pachatcka, and a psychiatric nurse, who only introduced herself as Rose.

I have a kind of strained relationship to people with flower names.

Rose tries with some small talk at first, but quickly discovers that I'm totally disinterested in it, and wisely shuts up. The silence in the room is heavy. Dr Aurelius is studying me closely, which makes me feel like a child. I haven't turned up to even one single of the twice-weekly appointments he's made with me. In fact, he hasn't seen me at all since I left the hospital. He clears his throat. "You look good, Katniss."

I guess I'm required to answer out of respect to politeness. "Whatever." After all, I wouldn't want to be rude, what would Effie say?

Finally, the door opens. Peeta comes in, alone. No guards this time. He looks pale and thin, he's lost a lot of muscle mass. He looks almost like a lost, little boy. So unlike the man I used to know. He takes a sharp intake of breath when he sees me, but doesn't meet my eyes. He sits down on the only available chair, as far away from where I'm sitting as possible. This has clearly been planned from the outset.

"Welcome, Peeta," Dr Aurelius says. "As you can see, Katniss is with us here today." I know Peeta must've known in advance that I was coming, but I don't know why Dr Aurelius is trying to make it sound like it's something of a coincidence.

"Katniss, we have started preparing for Peeta's discharge from the hospital," Dr Pachatcka says. He's old, older than Haymitch. But he looks kind. I think I like him better than Dr Aurelius. "He has made great progress during his time here. We have to find out what the next step in his recovery is going to be, and you are a crucial part in that."

"I told you I want to go to another district," Peeta interrupts. "I don't want to live in District 12." His voice is flat.

I decide to say as little as possible until I find out what's going on here, to gather as much information about the situation as I can before I take an active part in the discussion. I know what I want, but I don't know how to get what I want.

"We can find a place for you to live in another district, Peeta," Dr Aurelius says. "But we feel you'd be more likely to make a full recovery if you are here, in a familiar environment."

"I'm not doing that to Katniss."

There, now I have to get involved. Peeta looks at me now, his eyes are dark. He's trying to hide his feelings. I know him so well I instantly know when he does that.

"What makes you think you know what I want?" I say slowly.

"Well, you know what I want, anyway," he answers. "You must know, I mean, you've returned my divorce papers four times."

I ignore him. "What's the deal with the… ticker? Is it gone?" I direct my question to the doctors.

Dr Aurelius nods. "Yes. Once it's been activated, it will do what it's been programmed to do. If it's been programmed to incur a permanent change, then the effect is irreversible. But in most cases, like this one, the effect is temporary, and once the program has been completed, it is… deleted, so to speak."

"Are there any other tickers just waiting to go off in his brain?"

"Well, that's the big question." Dr Aurelius sighs. "Unfortunately, I can't give you a good answer. The best I can do is that we don't think there are."

"That's not good enough." Peeta is starting to grow angry. I can tell they've had this conversation many times before. "That you 'think' I'm not a danger to Katniss just isn't good enough!" He's progressively becoming more agitated, at the end of his sentence he's screaming at Dr Aurelius.

Dr Aurelius pauses for a while, allowing Peeta time to calm down. "We have no reason to think there are any more tickers in your mind, Peeta. The first one was only planted just in case the Capitol would lose the war. Snow probably never thought it would be needed, his plan was to crush the resistance, and at the same time kill you – and with you, the ticker. There is no reason to think that he planned for a situation in which a second ticker necessary would be necessary. It would appear to him that losing the war was unlikely in the first place, not to mention you would also have to get through the effects of first ticker with Katniss still at your side for placing a second ticker targeting her to make any sense. There are too many "what ifs" in that scenario."

"You think," Peeta says mockingly.

"We think."

"So what's the plan?" I don't want to talk about tickers anymore. I prefer not to think too much about them.

"Before we decide our next step, we need to find out how you would feel if… Peeta lived in District 12."

So that's it. They have to be sure I can deal with living around him. They are going to put my welfare before Peeta's. If it comes down to it, they'll choose me. Again. I look at Haymitch, and I know what he's thinking. That he's been in this situation before. During our first Hunger Games, he thought I had the highest chance of survival, and canalized all his resources into helping me, at Peeta's expense. He's doing it again.

I know I have to weigh my words very carefully. "Peeta, I… I want you to come home."

There is a shocked silence around the table. Doesn't look like they saw that one coming.

Okay, so I know I may not come across as a particularly forgiving person in general. And what he's done should perhaps be unforgiveable - if only the situation hadn't been what it is. If we hadn't been who we are.

I reach out for his hand across the table, but he retracts it, out of my reach. "We've been through too much, Peeta… The Hunger Games. The Quarter Quell. The torture and its aftermath. The Rebellion. Finding our way back to life. Building a life together, here in District 12. I'm not leaving you again. When I was alone in 13, when you were captured by Snow… I would've give anything to switch places with you. You were supposed to live, yet I was the one they saved. The only reason they went back for you in the first place, was that I couldn't go on being their Mockingjay when I realized what they were doing to you. It was as if they were thinking you were some kind of appendix to me, perhaps a sort of weakness I had that they had to consider in their master plan - when deep down, I knew that you were the good one, the true one. The one worth saving. And you still are. Snow has screwed us over. Again. But we fight back, every time. I won't allow this to be an exception."

Dr Pachatcka looks shocked, I guess this is the first time he's seen a wife begging to be taken back after being assaulted and raped by her husband. But we're not your average couple. We're something more. We have a bond no one else shares. Dr Aurelius, on the other hand, doesn't look surprised. He knows us better. I guess he knows me better than I give him credit for.

"I don't want to endanger you again, Katniss. I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you again. I can't fall asleep next to you every night, wondering if another ticker is just waiting to go off, forcing me to kill you."

The past and the future, they both haunt us.

"I trust you, Peeta."

"I don't trust myself."

We're not going anywhere. Dr Aurelius interrupts our conversation. "I have a suggestion. Would you like to hear it?" I don't want to, but it's not really a question. "The first thing we wanted to find out today, was whether you would be able to live in District 12 together. And that seems to be the case." I nod, Peeta shakes his head vigorously. "Peeta, we have discussed this so many times… The remote likelihood of a second ticker. Let's disregard that for a second. I understand that living together in the same house might be too much for both of you at this point, but what if Katniss stays at Haymitch's place, and you move back home, Peeta?"

My heart makes a leap. It's more than I could hope for. I was afraid they'd ship him off to another district, where I wouldn't be able to locate him. Now he'll be living just across the street.

It takes a full hour to convince him, but finally Peeta agrees.