Savior

Chapter Twelve

Author's Notes: Warning: There is MATURE CONTENT in this chapter. Actually this is a bit of a first for me so any constructive criticism/feedback is very welcome.

Sorry it has taken so long! I hope that the fact that it's the longest chapter I've written yet will make up for it. ** To all those waiting for the Reason… thank you for your PM's and reviews. I promise that I am not abandoning it! The next chapter is on the way!

A big thank you to Salanderjade for her feedback and support! It is very much appreciated!

Katniss: Burning

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"I'm don't like the idea of using Katniss as a distraction. I understand the importance of getting those plans Alma, but it's too big a risk…"

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Two weeks, it had been two weeks since Peeta and the others had been rescued from the Capitol, and since then her life had become a blur of new people and places. Coin had given them only moments together before her husband had been whisked into the care of doctors and she had been drafted for the fight. She was the mockingjay, the symbol of the resistance and it was clear that everyone agreed it was time for her to be seen.

What followed was the making of a series of short films, or propos, as the District Thirteen leaders liked to call them. She wasn't sure how easy they had expected it to be, but it had taken a few days before they realised that she could only give profound and moving speeches under pressure, no matter how much they tried to guide her. So, they shifted her out… first to visit District Twelve where she had come through on her promise to sing, and then to where she was now… District Three.

The technology district was very different to Twelve and Thirteen. She remembered its grey gravel paths, endless shanty homes and huge silver factories from the victory tour but she hadn't realised the extent of it. The industrial buildings took up so much of the small district's space that people had no choice but to construct the small corrugated iron homes along the edge of the district. It was the worst example of repression that she had seen so far, and it made her absolutely furious.

"This is so wrong…" Gale muttered beside her, voicing her thoughts. The two old friends stood side by side as they quietly compared the district to their own. "Suddenly District Twelve doesn't seem so bad," he added. The slight quiver in his voice brings about a fresh wave of grief for her razed home. Visiting had been hard on her and it was becoming difficult to simply channel her grief into anger; but she really didn't have time to cry.

"Katniss, everyone is nearly in position," Jackson, Bogg's second in command, says as she sidles up beside her. "Everything is going as planned, so we are going to go ahead with the blackout and disable these weapons factories."

"Have we got all the civilians out yet?" Gale asked.

Katniss quirked an eyebrow at his use of "soldier jargon" as Finnick had labelled it. It seemed that while she was in the Capitol her best friend had established himself in the rebel army. She wasn't surprised, he had always been anti-Capitol, but it amused her to see how easily her hunting partner had slipped into the role of a soldier.

"All the workers are being evacuated quietly. We can't get them all out until the last moment because it will look too suspicious," Jackson replied, a frown tugging at her lips. It was clear that the middle aged woman was worried that something may tip off the peace keepers before they were ready. And it's not just because of civilian casualties, Katniss thought as her gaze lingered on the sluggish looking sniper.

The young victor was well aware that there was a large chunk missing from her briefing on this mission. She knew the group were doing their utmost to keep it from her, but she wasn't stupid and she didn't appreciate being kept in the dark. She was especially annoyed because Gale seemed to be in on whatever was happening and he hadn't told her. Even though he knew she had overheard Boggs and Coin's whispers. The idea of him keeping secrets from her frustrated her to no end, confidentiality or no.

Katniss was aware that she wasn't really meant to be part of the fighting. Her primary role was what Boggs called a Public Relations representative, otherwise known as a rebellion inciter or better yet a rebellion recruiter, because everyone who met with her promptly signed up to help. She wasn't necessarily happy about it, she was already haunted by the ghosts of an arena and a district and she didn't want more people to die because of her. But, as Haymitch had so wisely told her, they were fighting a war. And with war comes death, Katniss thought sadly. Her silver gaze flickered to Gale who was still at her side, and then to Jackson and she couldn't help but wonder if they would make it beyond this afternoon. Will I even make it beyond this afternoon? She wondered. More importantly, do I want to?

The District Twelve victor was dragged out of her thoughts when a small hand slipped into hers. She looked down to find a little girl with red curls and bright green eyes looking up at her in amazement.

"Are you the Mockingjay?" she whispered, hope written all over her features.

Katniss nodded gently in reply and bent down so that she could be level with her. The child was dressed in a faded yellow dress and was holding a small bear by its arm. She couldn't be much older than five or six. "Some people call me that," Katniss replied softly, a kind smile on her face.

"Are you really going to save us all?" she asked.

Katniss had to fight to keep the horror from her face. The child didn't know how loaded the innocent question was. She didn't mean to send waves of fear and worry and guilt crashing over the seventeen year old. All she wanted was to confirm what someone had undoubtedly told her: that the Mockingjay was their Savior. The young woman swallowed before forcing a smile on her face. "I'm going to try," she replied honestly.

The girl studied her for a moment before giving Katniss a giant smile. "I think you will," she stated before letting go of her hand and running off in the direction of the shanty village. She looked back twice on her journey, the same smile on her face... until she saw the hoverplanes.

The black jets had dropped silently out of the clouds, the hum of their engines barely audible over the noise from the factories. They are going to take out the village, she thought as she started running towards the girl who was staring up at the sky, frozen in fear.

"Katniss! No!" Gale cried as he grabbed hold of her arm forcing her to stop. She tried to fight free of him as her silver eyes remained fixed on the girl. "No Katniss, we have to get to cover," her friend yelled desperately. She wanted to turn and fight him, she wanted to try and save the child, like she had promised she would. But the bombs were already falling…

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM

The sound of the missiles hitting the buildings echoed through the district. The iron squealed as it crumpled and twisted in the blistering heat, red flames and black smoke bellowed into the sky and the people screamed in agony and horror the bombs continued to rain down.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM

The torturous noise brought Katniss to her knees and her hands to her ears as she tried to shield herself from the piercing sounds. She stared wide-eyed at the carnage as though she couldn't quite believe it was happening. People were running out of their burning homes only to disappear as dust and smoke blew up around them. And the child, the one she had promised to save, lay fallen in the sand; her pretty yellow dress, slowly turning red.

"Katniss!" Gale roared over the noise as he came to his senses. He dragged her to her feet as the planes swung in the air, heading for the factories.

"They're going to wipe it out," the young woman cried out in shock. No, she thought in horror. Her eyes burned with unshed tears. These people haven't even had the chance to truly live…

"EVERYONE RETREAT! GET OUT OF THE DISTRICT NOW!" Jackson shouted frantically over her radio as she ran alongside them. "TAKE ANYONE YOU FIND WITH YOU!"

"They're going to go for the weapon's factories!" Boggs yelled; his voice laced with horror as he ran to meet them. The older man grabbed Katniss' other arm and he a Gale forced her to run between them as the district exploded around them. Dust and ash gusted around them, shrapnel cut at her body armor, and the noise pounded in her ears. Gale and Boggs picked up the pace and she fell in step, forcing herself to sprint towards the woods behind the burning town. They had just reached the safety of the trees when they heard the missile hit the Capitol's stockpiles of explosives hidden amongst District Three's factories.

Gale and Boggs dropped her arms so that she could weave through the trees as fast as possible. Burning metal and wood flew through the air above them and ash rained down on them. They had just made it into the thick of the forest when the shock waves from the giant blast wiped them off their feet and they all fell into the ground hard. Katniss breathed raggedly, taking in the scent of the wet earth below her. She swallowed back her tears and ignored the throbbing in her knee and her forehead. A whole district, she thought as guilt coursed through her, he took out a whole district to get to me. Boggs was right to warn Coin before they came; the rebel leader had seriously misjudged what Snow was willing to sacrifice for the Mockingjay's life.

"Katniss?" Boggs questioned and she felt his large hand on her shoulder. She pushed herself up so that she was sat back on her knees and let her eyes meet his. They were clouded with horror and sadness, but there was relief there too, relief that she was alive; it made her feel sick.

"I'm okay," she choked out, even though she really wasn't.

"All operatives, report," ordered Jackson. Katniss' eyes snapped up to look at the sniper. The woman was sitting on the ground about a meter away, staring at the radio she was holding. It crackled with electrical noise but there was no response. "All operatives, report," she repeated desperately.

"Neptune reporting." Katniss let out a breath as the sound of Finnick's voice came over the radio. "Squad 444 is clear. We've got a group of civilian's with us. Three are seriously injured."

"Zeus reporting." It was Beetee's voice this time. "Squad 333 is also clear. We've also got civilians. Minor injuries only."

Five more teams reported in before Jackson dared to speak. She turned her dark gaze towards Boggs, her commanding officer. "We've lost three squads and potentially most of District Three's rebel group," she reported quietly, even though Boggs probably already knew this. "What orders should I give?"

"We need a rendezvous point, and we should get on to Commander Paylor. She's in District Six at the moment, she might be able to lend us some hovercrafts to get the civilians back to Thirteen in exchange for some of our soldiers," Boggs told her.

"Shouldn't we contact Coin?" Gale questioned.

"She'll have already heard," Boggs replied quietly. Katniss' brow knotted as she noted that Boggs had dodged the implied question. Gale was suggesting that they go to Coin for further orders, not to tell her what had happened. Interesting, she thought.

"We're not too far from the Hovercraft," Jackson states. The woman was standing now her far-seeing eyes carefully surveying their surroundings. "I'll get everyone to start heading towards its location for now. We can reassess when we have access to the equipment on board," she adds, her eyes on Boggs.

The hike to the Hovercraft was made in silence, and it wasn't until much later that anyone mentioned making a video. Katniss cringed at Octavia's suggestion, but the woman was right to make it. The Capitol had to pay for this, and unless they put it out there no one would know what really happened in the technology district. So on their way to District Six they hovered over the razed region and she explained to Panem what had happened, what the Capitol had done.

"And to all the people of the Capitol, you are just as guilty as the government you stand behind. Men, woman and children, people like you and me, were murdered here today because you were too ignorant or too weak to stop this from happening AGAIN. Are you really so cruel that you can put up with this? Are you going to let your government continue to burn us? Because if you are… be warned: fire is catching and you will burn with us."

Peeta: Forget

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"What are you doing!?"

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Peeta looked up from the dough that he had been carefully kneading to find a confused Katniss standing in the doorway of the large District Thirteen Bakery. His eyes widened slightly as they trailed down her body, taking in the way her curves were accentuated by the figure hugging mockingjay outfit. "Did you just get back?" he asked, ignoring her question. His gaze lifted to meet hers.

"You're not their prisoner!" Katniss snapped impatiently, "you don't have to do this."

Peeta sighed and gave her a strained smile. "It's fine Katniss, I actually don't mind. It keeps me busy." He looked down at the bench, his blue orbs haunted. Once the remnant effects of the drugs had completely worn off and his strength had started to return he had suggested to Doctor Aurelius, the man in charge of his recovery, that he needed something to keep him busy. The doctor seemed happy with this request and had, with Coin's permission, set him to work in the bakery.

At first it was difficult. He had no experience and the District Thirteen workers went out of their way to make him feel unwelcome. But he persisted, and by simply watching he learned to bake the artless loaves of bread that they made on mass to feed the district. And, to his surprise, he quite enjoyed the process of baking as it provided the escape he needed.

"It's nearly midnight," Katniss stated with a frown.

Peeta looked back up at her noting that she had moved next to him. "Really?" he asked with honest surprise. He had lost track of time since arriving at the underground district and no one seemed to worry whether he followed the timetable stamped on his wrist. So he would spend hours after work learning different recipes and experimenting with flavors until he was so tired that he couldn't stand any more.

"You haven't been sleeping," she observed quietly.

Peeta sighed, "Have you?" He asked in reply. The nurses had, quite cruelly, made him watch Katniss' latest propaganda video. He wasn't sure what they had expected to be the outcome of their little experiment, but he had heard the surprise in their voices when he had crumpled to the ground with tears in his eyes.

The President's son had spent a lot of time in District Three over the past few years. It was one of the worst treated districts and he had worked hard to get basic needs to the people who lived there. It was one of the few places who knew what he really was, who knew that he didn't follow in his father's footsteps. And now, it was gone.

The young man watched wearily as Katniss shook her head in reply, her silver eyes sparkling with tears. He pulled off the white apron he was wearing and wiped his hands on it before pulling her into his embrace. Her arms snaked around him and her face pressed into the hollow of his neck. She shook as she quietly cried into him for the people who were lost.

"Stay with me," she sobbed.

"Always," he whispered into her hair. He gently pulled her back so that he could look at her face. "You need to sleep Katniss," he told her, "come on."

Peeta quickly cleaned up the counter he had been working at before slipping his arm around his wife's waist and guiding her out and through the large sprawling corridors of District Thirteen. It didn't take long for them to arrive at one of the suites with the label 'Mellark' on the door.

"I've been renamed," he explained to a confused Katniss with an amused smile. "It's really ridiculous, everyone knows who I am. But if it makes Coin feel better…"

"She really doesn't like you." commented Katniss as they wandered into the small apartment.

"No, I remind her too much of my father," Peeta stated gently as he rummaged through the small chest of drawers for something that Katniss could wear to bed. He pulled a grey sleep shirt and passed it to her. "There's a small bathroom through that door, you can get changed in there if you like," he told her kindly as he found himself a pair of pants.

Peeta's sapphire eyes widened slightly as he turned to find that Katniss hadn't moved. She was nervously twisting the sleep shirt in her hands. "I actually, I can't get out of this thing without help," she mumbled, a rosy blush spreading across her cheeks.

Peeta stifled a grin, knowing that Katniss would not appreciate him laughing at her. "I thought Cinna was more practical than that," he commented. He regretted the words as soon as he'd said them. Her eye's dropped to the floor at the mention of her missing stylist, and he felt his heart ache for her. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he pulled her into his arms for the second time.

The young woman sighed as she leaned into him. "It's not your fault," she mumbled into his shirt.

Peeta's blue eye's clouded at her words. He couldn't help but wonder if Cinna's disappearance was partly his fault. He sighed thinking that the list of things he felt guilty of seemed to grow daily. He glanced at Katniss and knew that she was thinking the same thing, only about herself. He lifted his hand to her chin and tipped her face up so that he could look into her eyes. "It's not your fault either," he whispered before his lips gently met hers.

The young woman sighed softly against his mouth and she pressed her body into him. He cupped her face with his hands and hesitantly slid his tongue against her lips, silently asking for her permission. She parted her lips and he delved in, his tongue moving against hers in a slow and sensual dance. Her hands rose to rest on his chest while his slid down the curves of her body to her hips.

Peeta's heart beat quickened as the kiss became more desperate, her open mouth moving hotly against his. She tasted like peppermint and blackberries, fresh and sweet. Her hand glided up his body and raked through his hair, her touch sending shivers down his spine.

She cried out as he gently pushed her away, his sapphire eyes earnest as they looked into hers. "Katniss," he rasped, "are you sure this…"

"Get me out of this," she replied before she caught his lips with hers.

Peeta spun her in his arms and made quick work of the hidden buttons and zip that ran down her spine. His hands ran along her soft skin as he slipped the top over her shoulders and off her arms. He spun her back to face him and quickly unbuttoned and pulled off her pants. "You're so beautiful," he whispered as his eyes roamed her body, hidden only by a white cotton bra and underwear. He tugged the band off her braid and ran his fingers through her hair, watching as it tumbled over her shoulders.

"I missed you," she whispered as she pulled his shirt up and over his head. Her hands slipped over his toned chest and abdomen until she reached the band of his pants. He groaned as she brushed her fingers against him as she unbuckled his belt and watched, entranced by her movements as she slipped of his trousers. She paused, her silver eyes examining his body, as he had done hers, and he smiled as a blush lit up her cheeks.

Peeta snaked his hands around her waist, pulling her to him. He guided them backwards before gently lowering her onto the bed. Her hair was in disarray under her head, and her tanned body seemed to glow in the dim light. "Beautiful," he whispered again as he trailed kisses along her neck, nipping and sucking gently in the places that made her mewl. He followed her collar bone down, his hot kisses making her shudder under him. Tentatively he kissed the soft skin in between her breasts as his hands slithered around her back and unclipped her bra.

Katniss breathed-in sharply causing Peeta to freeze, his eyes lifting to meet hers. "Are you all right?" he asked gently.

"Yes, I mean, I've just, Peeta I've never done this before," she stammered out, her eyes darting away from his.

Peeta closed his eyes for a moment and smiled, "we don't have…"

"No, I don't want you to stop!" she rushed, her face and neck flushing red at her admission, "I just thought I should tell you that I don't really know, that I don't know what I'm doing."

"You're safe," he promised, knowing it was what she really wanted to hear. He gently pushed a stray curl away from her cheek and leaned down to kiss her. As his mouth moved against hers he slowly pulled away her bra and let his hands ghost across her breasts. She moaned as he cupped them with his large hands, his thumbs rubbing over her nipples, making her back arch and her hips rock into his. His mouth followed his hands and he sucked and nipped at one of the dusty pink peaks. He felt her shiver and she breathed his name, her hands running roughly through his golden locks as his mouth and hands moved between her breasts.

"Peeta, please…"

"What?" He asked his eyes sparkling. "What do you want Katniss?" he murmured as he kissed along the curve of her breast.

"I don't know…" she started, her face twisting into her customary scowl when she realised that he already knew. He lifted himself with his muscular arms, and began to pepper feather-light kisses along her jaw until he saw her lips quirk with a smile. He kissed it, gasping in surprise when she returned it solidly, thrusting her tongue into his mouth, demanding more. He grinned against her lips as his hand slid down her body, tracing the soft curves as it went. His mouth moved to the arch of her neck which he kissed and sucked feverishly as his fingers dipped into her underwear.

Katniss gasped when he slipped his fingers between her wet folds, brushing against the bundle of nerves hidden there. He smiled into her neck as his fingers traveled down further to her warm entrance. "Peeta!" She cried out as he slowly slid one finger into her opening.

"Is that all right?" he asked huskily his eyes darkened with lust.

"Yes," she whispered, humming as he slid his finger slowly in and out.

She groaned when he pulled away to travel down her body and strip her of her underwear. He parted her thighs slowly then leaned into her and trailed kisses down her hip bone. She gasped and sat up in surprise when she felt his warm breath over her core. "What are you doing?" she asked.

He lifted his gaze to meet hers and smiled. "Trust me," he whispered and he dipped down and darted his tongue over the small nerve centre. She shuddered, taking in a sharp breath and easing herself back down to the bed as he slowly licked her. She moaned, arching against his mouth as he swirled his tongue faster, drawing small circles. Tentatively, he slipped his finger into her and thrust in time with his tongue. She tangled a hand in his hair, while the other was twisted in the sheets, anchoring her to the bed. He crooked his finger, searching for the one spot that would make her let go, and then she was undone, flowing over his hand with a whimper.

"Wow," she whispered, her face flushed.

He ran his fingers through her hair. "Do you want…"

"Yes," she answered.

Peeta raised an eyebrow, a smile growing on his face. "Do you even know what I was going to ask?"

She scowled, "Yes, no, sort of… please just…"

He rocked himself against her wet core as his lips met hers. She moaned and her hands glided down his body to his hips and then shyly over his gray cotton undershorts. He groaned as she grazed her fingers along him, desire coursing his body. She bit her lip as she gently tugged at his underwear, her eyes holding his and her face flushing a darker shade of red.

He kissed her lips gently, "If you want to stop…"

"Make love to me Peeta," she told him calmly, "make me forget everything."

His face lit up with a smile at her words and he brought his lips down to meet hers in a long tender kiss. He moved to kick off his underwear then rose up so that he hovered above her. He hummed, his mouth moving to kiss her neck as he slid himself against her wet core.

Katniss shivered, "please…" she whispered as she nuzzled his neck.

Peeta groaned as he slowly slid himself into her. Her eyes flashed with pain as he tore through her. He paused; giving her time to adjust to the feel of him between her thighs, then withdrew with aching slowness. By the time he surged forward once again, she had wrapped her arms around his shoulders, desperate to drag him back into her.

He started moving and she matched his rhythm, whimpering against his mouth every time he slid home. Never still, his hands stroked and soothed every inch of her skin as he whispered beautiful words against her lips. She screamed out when he gently pulled almost completely out, then moved back in, her hips soon matching his change in pace. His slipped his hand between them and dragged his thumb over her as he moved inside her, and the combined sensation sent her over the edge.

"Peeta!" She screamed as her body arched and exploded, convulsing against his final ragged thrusts. He moaned, the sound of his name on her lips snapping his control, and came in a steady stream. He collapsed onto her, his heart thumping his chest, his mind spinning.

"I love you," Peeta murmured as coherency returned. He shifted so that he lay next to her, his arms pulling her flush against him, keeping her safe as he had promised. She tugged at the sheet, pulling it so that it covered their rapidly cooling bodies as they drowsily stared at one another in wonder.

"I love you too," she whispered, her eye's fluttering closed and a small yawn escaping her lips.

Peeta smiled and closed his own eyes and drifted into a peaceful, sleep… his ghosts (and hers), for one blissful night, forgotten.