Getting to the Capitol wasn't the hard part.

In fact, that was easy. Someone in Trois had the bright idea of disguising one of their hovercraft's by painting on a replica of the Capitol logo. Once we arrived in the Capitol, we were able to land on the roof of an old warehouse that Haymitch had approved ahead of time. It was hardly used anymore and he knew the one guy who still brought in shipments to the warehouse. He was someone we could trust.

We were staying in the attic of the warehouse and as far as attics go, it wasn't too bad. It was large and spacious but there were spiders and a lot of dust that had us all coughing up our lungs. It was our first night there and we were all exhausted. We had traveled most of the day and now that we were here, it was really setting in. We were in the Capitol. We could be caught and killed at any moment. Every single move we made from that moment on was crucial. Every step we took could either have us killed or save our lives. This was it. This was our chance.

And we were either going to make it or break it.

I heard Finnick's laugh from the other side of the attic and I turned, smiling at the sound of my mentor's voice. Finnick had been pumped with the best medicine Trois had the entire hovercraft ride over to the Capitol and his leg, which was in a big and obnoxious cast, would be healed in just a few days, thanks to their medicine. We would forever owe Trois for all they did for us. And if it was all for nothing, if we died in the Captiol... no. I wouldn't allow myself to think like that. We were not going to die. We were going to conquer.

"Katniss?" A hand went to my shoulder and I turned around, finding Peeta standing in front of me, a small smile on his lips. I smiled back, fighting the urge to throw my arms around him. Every time I looked at him lately, I was reminded of all we had been through. I was thrown back into time and reminded of the days in the arena, where we only had each other, where we wanted nothing more than to protect each other, where nothing was enough if we weren't holding each other and keeping each other safe. And after all that we had been through, after all the times we almost died or lost each other or lost our minds, we were finally in the Capitol, trying to kill President Snow. Together. Always together.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Madge found a pack of cards in one of those boxes over there." He pointed across the attic and I had to squint to see what boxes he was referring to. We had one small lantern and it did little in terms of lighting up the dark attic. This was for the best, however. We didn't want any light to peak through from the outside and cause any suspicion. Peeta shoved his hands into his pockets then. "Wanna play?"

I shook my head. "No, that's okay. I was hoping to talk to Haymitch before we all go to bed."

He nodded and then touched my shoulder gently before dropping his hand again. Then he turned and walked away. Simple touches, little smiles and glances. Those were the things I was beginning to notice about Peeta, more so than usual. He was made up of so many tiny, little pieces and whenever I realized another piece of him, I tucked it away somewhere safe where nobody could ever reach it. If I was captured, if I was captured and tutored, these were what I wanted to take with me: the hundreds and thousands of pieces of Peeta Mellark, my best friend.

I walked over to where Haymitch was laying against the wall next to Finnick and Annie, who refused to stay in Trois without Finnick. Trois let our family members stay because we knew bringing them with us was a death sentence. They shouldn't be found in Trois, not now that we were out of there. We were the real targets, not them.

I sat down next to Haymitch, pulling my legs up to my chest. "I want to hear the plan again." I said to him.

He rolled his eyes and turned to Finnick. "Can I just ignore her until she goes away?"

"She never goes away." Finnick mumbled and I glared at him. He may have had a broken leg but he was getting zero sympathy from me. After all, he did practically torture me before the games with his stupid, flirtatious comments.

"He's a little loopy from the medicine. Ignore him." Annie said, before putting her hand to Finnick's knee.

Haymitch sighed loudly and then brought his voice down to a whisper. You could never be too careful in the Captiol. "This is the last time I am repeating this. In two days time, all the remaining districts on our side will start uprisings in their districts at the exact same time. One in the afternoon, Capitol time. This will advert attention from the Capitol and send the majority of the peace keepers to the districts. We won't have much time but we will hit the streets at One thirty, disguised as Peace Keepers ourselves.. Trake, the guy who got us into this warehouse, is working on getting us our Peace Keeper uniforms. From there ,we will head towards the President's mansion. Going in through the back garden, we will cut through the kitchen and head upstairs, to where Snow stays. He is sure to be in the comfort of his mansion, safe and warm. We get into his room and shoot him. Plain and simple."

I pulled my knees closer up to my chest. "Except for the part where the mansion will be guarded and locked. How long will they believe that we are Peace Keepers?"

Haymitch smirked. "That's why Trake gave me this." He pulled out a small, black bottle with a sprayer attached to the top. "We spray this into the air and the guards will be knocked out for a good three hours. We will be smart enough to wear face masks under our Peace Keeper helmets to protect us from the fumes."

I sighed. "All those districts, all those people, started uprisings just so we can even have a chance at this war, they are risking their lives for us." I looked down at the floor, the sweeping sensation of guilt taking over once again.

Haymitch's hand found my knee and I looked up. "No," He began," They are risking their lives for the good of this country. People will die, Katniss. They understand that. Just like we understand that we might die as well. But if we don't die trying to do something earth shattering, then what good are we? What good was any of this? Bombing the arena? Mayor Undersee dying? What good is any of that if we don't give everything we have to bring this country some damn justice?"

I smirked. Haymitch didn't get worked up much about the Capitol but when he did, what he said was always pure gold. I did something strange then. I leaned in and hugged him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and pulling him close. He shifted awkwardly but then I felt his own hands wrap around my back, patting it soothingly.

"Thank you, Haymitch." I whispered. "For... everything."

"You're welcome." For once, his voice wasn't layered with bitterness and and hatred, it was peeled back and at its root, his voice was soft and soothing. It surprised me.

As we pulled away from each other, I said, "So, are we all under the same general consensus that this plan is going to blow up in our faces, like every other plan we make?"

Haymitch and Finnick nodded. Annie just smirked and leaned into Finnick, his arm wrapping around her shoulder automatically. The way I always caught them melting into each other made me certain that their love was irrevocable. They were so incredibly in sync with each other and always on the same page. Maybe that's what irrevocable love did to you; it nestled deep in your bones until two bodies became one.


"You can't play a King on top of my Ace, are you serious? Ace trumps every card in the deck." I said before yanking Kyler's card off the top of the playing pile. The three of us, Kyler, Peeta, and myself, were gathered around a small, candle-lit lantern as we played cards. It was something I had grown accustomed to doing with both Kyler and Peeta back in District Thirteen and it calmed my nerves, brought me back to a place of clarity. It was soothing and therapeutic, in a way.

"Whoever made up that rule was an idiot." Kyler mumbled before shoving his card back into the pile in his hand. "A King rules the land. It should trump every other card."

"Except the pretty little Ace." I said, twirling my card around my finger with a smirk.

He narrowed his eyes at me and Peeta laughed from besides us. Flickering my eyes a little to the left, it was obvious that Gale watching us, his expression soft and curious. I had asked if he wanted to play, but he said he would rather just watch and listen. I gave him a small smile then, which he returned.

A card hit me in the nose and I turned back, giggling. It was Peeta, surprisingly. Apparently, he was signaling me that it was my turn. I played my next card, which was another Ace, making me the winner. I laughed and picked up the cards, a boastful grin painted across my face.

"You must cheat." Kyler said, pointing his finger at me. "Because nobody can beat me. I am literally the greatest card player in the country of Panem."

"Second greatest, actually." I corrected him.

He shook his head at me slowly, a playful look in his eyes. "What am I ganna do with you, Madge Undersee?"

I smiled and opened my mouth to reply. But just then, Haymitch appeared behind me and asked, "Can one of you go down to the ground level of the warehouse? There is a pile in the back room with some thin mattresses we need for tonight."

I shrugged. "I'll do it. Anyone want to join me?"

Simultaneously, Kyler and Gale stood to their feet and called out, "I'll go with you!"

They both turned and stared at each other, the room suddenly far too quiet. Kyler swallowed and threw his hands up in the air. "Go ahead." He said quietly to Gale. Sitting back down on the floor, Kyler took a sudden interest in wiping dust off his pants.

I sighed. I hated that things had to be this way. Motioning Gale to follow me, we opened up the door in the floor of the attic and pulled down the ladder. Slowly and steadily, we moved down it. There was a little more natural light at the ground level of the warehouse because there were high windows that let in the sunlight. We had to do this quickly. If we walked in a straight line, we would hit the hallway of the warehouse and that was where the backroom was. It was much harder to see once we were in the hallway, however. We had to keep our palms pressed up against the wall to guide us.

My fingers ran against the cool, cement surface and then, the texture changed. I felt a smooth, icy metal and knew I had reached the door. Twisting the knob as slowly and quietly as possibly, the door opened and we shut it behind us once we were inside. My hand went to the wall to find a light switch. I found it and flicked it on, the room coming to life with brightness. There were boxes everywhere, like the rest of the warehouse. But there was also thin, rolled up mattresses stacked in the corner. The ropes holding them together would make them easy to carry.

I noticed the mattresses had the Capitol logo on the side of them. Actually, even the boxes in the room had the Capitol logo stamped onto them. It was everywhere, reminding everyone every second of the day that this place owned them. This place they called home would never let them forget, never them escape where they came from. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach.

As I glanced around the room, I noticed that even the walls were painted with the Capitol logo on them. So this was really happening. I was really in the Capitol. I was really hiding out in a warehouse, planning the assassination of the President. My father had probably stood in this warehouse when he was planning my escape from the arena. He might've even stood in this very room. I was becoming rather dizzy.

"I'll take five, you take three, sound good?" Gale asked before walking over to the pile.

I was breathing too hard to answer him. Fear was paralyzing me, overwhelming me, eating me alive. I couldn't do this. I couldn't be here, I couldn't be in the place where my father was killed. It was too much, too real, too brutally exhausting.

"Madge?" Gale looked up when he noticed I wasn't moving towards the pile of mattress with him. He crossed the room back to where I stood but I couldn't even look at him. I could only stare at the floor and try not to have another panic attack like I did when we stayed in that bomb shelter. "Madge? Are you okay?"

He put his hand to my shoulder and that small touch, that microscopic gesture of affection, was enough to have me bursting down into tears. I crashed myself into Gale's chest and began to break down. His hands wrapped around my back and mine clung to the fabric of his shirt. I was sobbing then, babbling incoherent things. "My…my father… I can't… I can't do this, Gale! I can't be here. I am not s-strong. I am not strong enough to deal with this!" I cried, burying my face deep into his chest. I felt his hand tangle itself up in my hair and his chin rested on top of my head. His grip around me tightened and he spoke in soothing words, his voice a whisper.

"Shhh… you're okay. You're okay. You're ganna be okay, Madge. It's alright."

It wasn't much. But it was enough. It was enough to calm me down. Probably because it had been so very long since Gale had shown me any kind of sympathy. My breathing slowed and Gale's hand continued to run through my hair while his other hand ran up and down my back. The room grew quiet as we held each other. Seconds ticked away and I knew we needed to get back upstairs but I wasn't ready to let him go yet. I had wanted him to hold me like this for so long. I had missed his touch more than anything. It had literally been months. I deserved this. I deserved a few minutes of peace, wrapped up in Gale's arms, like those nights in the arena. I breathed him in, closing my eyes and promising myself I would not be the first one to let go.

But Gale did pull away a second later then. Abruptly and sharply, like someone had slapped him across the face. He stepped away from me, backing away slowing, shaking his head. His eyes were clouded with confusion and fear. No. It was happening again.

"Gale. I've had enough of this." I said quietly. "Whenever we get close, you snap back all the sudden, out of nowhere. You have to explain to me what is going on because I honestly cannot handle any more of this." I begged of him. I would get down on my hands and knees if I had to. I needed to know. I needed to know why he treated me this way.

Gale closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair. He was frustrated, I could see that. But so was I. I was so beyond frustrated. I could not handle another day of this; of this back and forth Gale. He either wanted me or he didn't. I wasn't in the mood to play any more games than I was already playing.

"Answer me." I said with a little more force. I crossed my hands over my chest. "Answer me or I swear to you, I will turn around and that will be it, Gale. I'll end this, whatever the hell is it. I'll turn around and never look back. So, I am standing here and I am begging you to tell me what is going on!"

He swallowed and in that moment, he looked so very young to me. Like we had flashbacked to that day four years ago when I watched him get beaten up by that peace keeper. Like we weren't Madge and Gale, the rebels, anymore. No. We were Madge and Gale, the mayor's daughter and the careless, hunter boy. We were young and wild and free and innocent. We were free of pain and bitterness and death. We were just children again.

Gale exhaled slowly and I could tell how badly he was shaking. You could hear it in his voice. His eyes flickered to mine and I had never seen them look so vulnerable before. Like he was spilling out every single one of his secrets to me, like he was suddenly an open book. When he spoke, his voice sounded a million miles away.

"Something happens when we touch, Madge. Something I can't understand."

I took a small step closer to him. "What do you mean?" I whispered.

He shook his head, his eyebrows furrowed. "It doesn't happen every time we touch and it's always really vague, like a blurry photograph. But…" He licked his lips. "It's like these flashes of scenes, scenes that I don't recognize but yet, they shake me as familiar. I can't make out faces of the people or even where they take place but… it's like getting the breath taking out of your lungs every time it happens. The impact of it hits me so hard every time. I don't get it, Madge. I don't understand what is happening but it's terrifying." He blinked rapidly and shoved his shaking hands into his pocket.

I stepped even closer to him now, closing the gap between us almost entirely. We were inches apart then. "You're…you're remembering." I said, coughing when my voice caught on those two words.

Gale shook his head. "I don't know. It's nothing vivid, you know? It's just really vague and weird, almost like a dream."

"Maybe the touch isn't intense enough." I blurted out, before biting my lip, my cheeks turning bright red. Did I really just say that?

Gale considered this, his eyes flicking from me to the floor. Then he whispered, "Can we… can we test it out? To figure out what's intense enough?"

I swallowed hard. I was shaking just as badly as he was now. I could do this, right? I could touch Gale as an experiment. I could separate my feelings enough to do this, couldn't I? My hand slowly, painfully slowly, went to his chest. I pressed my palm right into him, right below his heart.

He stared at me and then shook his head. "It's not enough to trigger it."

I dropped my hand and slid both of them around his waist, bringing him into me. I had to strain my neck to keep eye contact with him. He could probably feel the way my heart was beating outside of my chest. He could probably feel the way I was shaking uncontrollably, sweating and breathing hard.

"Tell me Gale," I whispered, "Is this enough?"

His breathing was becoming labored too. I could tell by the way he had to keep taking deep breaths in and out, slowly. He shook his head no.

I leaned in, my breath hot on his neck and my arms now sliding up his back and grabbing to the top of his shoulders. I leaned in even more so I was right next to his ear. "Is this enough now?" He stiffened for a moment but then whispered out. "Not enough, no."

I pulled back, just enough to see his face. And then, without another word, we were both leaning into each other, closing the final gap between our lips. And when I felt his lips pressed against mine, my entire world shifted.

It was like ever since Gale had been captured, I was holding my breath and drowning under water. I would try to stand back up but the waves would always pull me back out to sea, dragging me down deep into the cold, salty waters. It was like I had been under the water for so long that my lungs were ready to explode, to just burst into a million pieces.

But right then, with Gale kissing me, It was like I had finally swam up to shore and taken my first breath of fresh air again. And nothing had ever felt more reviving, more rejuvenating, more renewing in my entire life.

Everything about the kiss was warm. His lips were soft, so soft. Softer than I had remembered. Shivers ran down my spine as he pressed into me even more, his hand coming up to cup and caress my cheek. This was falling in love all over again. This was coming home. This was the sunlight after the darkest storm. This was the flower that was sprouting in the rubble of destruction. This kiss… this kiss was my entire life falling into place again.

It was long and it was slow and it was sweet. When Gale finally did pull his lips away a few minutes later, he was breathless. I didn't know it, but apparently I was crying. Or so that's the impression I got when Gale wiped under my eye with his thumb. I didn't know it would feel that way; to kiss Gale again. It was like I had no idea how badly I even missed him until that moment.

"Did…" I couldn't even get the words out; I was so out of breath. Not to mention, Gale and I were still holding each other. "Did it trigger anything?"

He nodded and dropped his arms then, taking a small step back from me. His eyes went to the floor as he spoke. "I saw a lot of things. I saw you laughing. You laughing and your hair spilling out across your back. A cave… me and you in a cave kissing. I saw me cupping your face between my hands…" His eyes were begging to flood with tears that I knew he would never let fall. He wiped at his face quickly. "Other things too… a little girl covered in flowers…Katniss and I walking and arguing." He looked back up at me then. "The Games… these are flashbacks from the games?"

I nodded, too afraid to try to speak. The lump in my throat was making it very difficult for me to swallow. If I even tried to mutter a single word, I was sure I would break down into sobs again.

Gale licked his lips again, his expression unreadable. "What we had… it must've been pretty special… if something as simple as a kiss can make me remember." Gale whispered, his voice uncharacteristically small and weak.

"What we had was more than special." I found myself saying, although I was still on the verge of crying. "What we had was magical, Gale."

He stared at me then and when he took a step closer to me, I wondered if he was going to kiss me again. He leaned into me and flicked a strand of my hair behind my hair then pulled back and smiled. "Your hair was much longer in those flashes."

Something between a laugh and a cry escaped from my lips. Gale started to laugh too and then, there was a soft knock on the door. My hand went to my chest out of fear but then it opened and it was just Haymitch. He glared at us.

"What the hell is taking so long?" He practically barked at us.

Gale smiled and picked up five of the rolled up mattresses. "We were just leaving." He walked around me then and towards the door. I picked up my three rolls and followed after him. Haymitch eyed us curiously, especially when I gave him a huge smile. I didn't care if he thought I was completely insane. I had made it out of the water. I had made it out alive. I wasn't drowning anymore. No. Instead, I had finally been saved.


A/N: It's short but SHUT UP because you got a kiss so you can't complain :D And enjoy this tiny moment of bliss because lord knows how long it will last ;) sorry, not sorry. ANYWAYS, I made a trailer for the LAST FIVE FINAL CHAPTERS of this fanfiction. You can find that HERE: watch?v=PgFrPM4f8UE&list=UU_CbqDmuiOH_afiN8z9O0Ow&index=1&feature=plcp

*BUT DON'T FORGET TO COMMENT ON THIS CHAPTER. PLEASE. I LOVE to read all your comments, they make my life. And I am DYING to know what you thought about the kiss and the fact that when Gale touches Madge, he starts to remember? (Thank you, LOST, for that idea. Mauahahaha.) HAPPY READING.*