Katniss

"Here, I'll take the bow." Peeta smiled. I think my brain short-circuited for a second because I had heard him ask for my bow. "I'm just kidding. I'll gather some berries."

"Good because you stomp around like a bear." He really did. I was sure that ever rabbit and squirrel in the arena could hear us. "You would make a terrible hunter."

"You said something like that before. When we were in the cave is that a new moto?" Peeta was really enjoying himself. His leg was so much better and there were hardly any tributes left so we could be less careful. It was nice to see him smile again.

"Oh Cinna sent me a note that said 'a good hunter knows the forest.' I guess it has been on my mind." It had turned into a personal mantra for me in these last days. I said it over and over in my head to keep from analyzing everything.

"Cinna doesn't know the first thing about hunting." Peeta looked confused.

"What?" I wasn't following.

"He asked me if a shot to the eye was good."

"It was signed with a C. Who else could have sent it?" I asked. Peeta just shrugged but in the back of my I saw another blond boy who had mentioned hunting. But there was no way he had sent that note.

She pushed that thought from her head because it was time to hunt. They would need food soon and the games were coming to a close. Katniss emptied her mind, readied her bow and moved.

The boom of the cannon was the worst thing she had ever heard. It sunk into her and felt like an explosion.

"Peeta!" Not again. No she was not losing some one else. She was so blinded by relief and terror that she barely heard what she yelled at him. She was just so angry. He wasn't supposed to die on her, he wasn't allowed to.

They found Foxface then, with nightlock smeared on her lips. Four. They were down to four. There was only Maze and Thresh left. And Katniss was pretty sure that Maze had gone after Thresh when Thresh had killed Clove.

"Maybe Maze likes berries too." Katniss said scooping up the rest of the nightlock. They moved back so the hovercraft could come pick up Foxface.

"What time is it?" Peeta asked a little while later.

"About noon." Katniss looked at the sky and knew that it was getting darker by the minute. "I guess they are in a hurry to end it."

They crept along now in complete darkness. Katniss motion for Peeta to follow her and step where she stepped. He nodded in understanding and they set off. It was barely ten minutes before they heard it. Howling and excited barks followed by a death scream. Then silence and finally the cannon.

"What was that?" Peeta asked searching the trees with his eyes.

"The finale." Katniss said knowing that they were in danger now. That sounded like wolves or maybe closer to the wild dogs that she had to deal with back home. Which meant they needed to get off the ground. She turned to say as much to Peeta when she felt the eyes. They were being watched.

The creature leapt from the trees and ran at Peeta. She fired. It went down. But there were more. She wanted to yell run but they were both already moving, sprinting for the cornucopia and the lake.

Peeta reached the cornucopia first and scrambled up, he turned and reached back for Katniss helping her practically vault onto the top. But they weren't safe. Maze barreled into Katniss throwing her backwards and out of the way. It took her a second to regain her balance and grab her bow. Peeta and Maze grappled. A backpack was thrown at her suddenly and Katniss ducked on instinct.

It was only as she came up that she saw the knife coming for her, and then Peeta. The horrible noise of metal meeting flesh and she fired her last arrow into Maze's eye. He toppled backwards to the waiting creatures.

"Peeta!" She cried, the danger gone. The lay on the surface clutching his side where a rather nasty looking knife handle protruded from his abdomen.

"I told you. Always in the eye." He smiled weakly at her. It wasn't that bad of a stab really, if they came now he would be fine. She was sure of it.

"Hang on. They are going to come." She felt helpless and found herself brushing his hair and running her hands along his face and arms.

"No, no they wont be." Why was he still smiling?

"But we get to go home together." They said, the rules were different. She got to keep him. The rules were changed.

"No just you sweetheart." Peeta reached up with his right hand and rubbed the end of her braid. Something about that on act broke something inside her. Made something come out that she didn't even know was there. Say it, the piece of her cried.

"I love you." Because she did, maybe not all the way maybe not fully but still she loved him. He had saved her. She had saved him. They had saved each other. He gave her a real smile, his last real smile.

"I love you too." He coughed. "You know in a way the games are the best thing that has ever happened to me." Katniss felt tears on her face but had no idea how they got there. "Could you sing?"

"Yes." So Katniss sang The Valley Song for the second time in the hunger games. And when she was done Peeta kissed her for the last time and closed his eyes. She stayed there with him as the cannon fired. When the ladder was lowered for her she didn't budge, she was shaking to hard to stand. It hurt too much to unclench her hands. They came eventually and took him from her and she screamed.

She had lost him. She lost everyone. They were all taken from her. Father. Rue. Peeta. She was strong, but it didn't matter, they left her nonetheless.


Cato

It took him longer to find the phone that it should have. He blamed the lights being off and the mess on the floor. But he preferred the room that way. Chaos was real, order was an illusion.

"Haymitch," Cato said when the man picked up. "Get me the arrow out of Maze's skull."

"Why?" Haymitch's voice broke and Cato realized he was crying.

"It's a present." He explained and then hung up. Cato didn't know how to deal with tears. So he dealt with what he could understand. He dialed a different number.

"Platinum Jewelry and Commemorative Associates, this is Irra speaking."

"This is Cato. I will be having another one sent over shortly."

"Very good sir. And how would you like this one treated?" Irra asked in her high pitch accent.

"Same metal and design, only this one with Peeta's information." Cato's voice sounded colder to him than it had in a while.

"Excellent choice sir. This brings your total to two items." He could hear furious tapping in the background of the call. "They should be ready at the original date given. Can I do anything else for you?"

"No that will be all." Cato hung up. There it was taken care of, hopefully they would give her something he had never had, closure. She was alive, that was what really mattered. And as long as she was alive there was time. Time could fix a person, just not him. But maybe she had a chance to be whole again.

In a dark empty room in the center of the capitol surrounded by broken things Cato said the only thought in his mind.

"Not dead." Sitting there alone on his bed he felt the same twinge in his chest he had felt over a month ago.


Are you crying? Because I was crying. In fact I need a tissue and some water stat.

So yes big emotional finish for Lover Boy. Next chapter though we get almost entirely Cato/Katniss interaction. Yay! And you get to find out what he has been planning. Don't you want to know? Isn't it just killing you?

I have also realized I tied my sail to the right Ship. You ladies are ready to cut a bitch. While the Peeta and Gale girls just yell at each other. I am glad I joined the right gang, the one that useses box cutters.

I went and saw the movie again this weekend so the end was a bit more like the movie because it worked better for here. Also if you want to hear about the adventures I had on Saturday while at the movies you should go to my tumblr. It's going to be funny.

People who subscribe but don't review I want you to know you make me sad. I get excited when I see the email and then instantly depressed when there is no accompany review. Please don't make me sad. When I am sad I tend to do weird things to my characters and you don't want that.

To tumblr to chronicle what we are now calling "The Hemsworth Double Feature!"

-E