74th Hunger Games Challenge: We Always Were

by Jamie Sommers

A/U This is based on a challenge in which K&P enter the 74th Games as a couple. This is based on the book, the movie but mostly my imagination. Everyone's POV. Find out how Peeta gets with the Careers. What Gale thinks about K&P's relationship... Sequels are Catching Fire: Rekindling and Mockingjay: Broken Wings

14. Run

74th Hunger Games Challenge: We Always Were

By: Jamie Sommers

Chapter Fourteen: Run!

In this chapter Katniss finally gets her bow and arrows! Yay! Peeta spends the night under the tracker jacker tree and we're introduced to Rue. If you haven't noticed by now, I write one chapter for every chapter in the book. I start and finish them the same way the book does...or as close to it as possible since this is AU and all. Thanks again for A who caught a HUGE boo boo for me. It's good to have two sets of eyes. And thanks again for such sweet and touching comments in regards to this fic.

74th Hunger Games Challenge!

Her body ached. Her stomach growled and her skin was blistered. Below Katniss were the Careers. They were building a campfire and talking to each other as if it was just another day at school. Peeta barely spoke, but when he did, most of his comments were directed at Glimmer. Katniss felt a surge of jealousy run through her when she saw him lean over and whisper something into Glimmer's ear, but then she saw what Glimmer had hanging off of her shoulder. It was Katniss' sheath of arrows. Katniss rolled her eyes and thought, and you thought I was simpleminded for falling for the sappy romance stuff? Only Peeta could get a girl to act like a flirtatious fool in the middle of the Games.

On occasion she'd see a Career looking up at her with hatred, but night was slowly starting to fall, and she was hidden in the branches of the tree. As opposed to her hunters, Katniss had darkness on her side, whereas the Careers were illuminated by the glow of their fire. This gave her a minor sense of ease. At least she could make sure Peeta was safe. Her mind began to wander. How would she get out of this? No, she realized, how would they get out of this? Peeta could no longer stay with this group. She would make sure that he came with her when she escaped, but how…how could she get away? And what was that noise?

Katniss turned her head slowly towards the soft hissing sound. There was an animal staring at her from a neighboring tree. Great! Now the animals are trying to kill me, she told herself. Then she saw a tiny hand poke out of the branches and point. Katniss sat up and looked at the strange animal, trying to make out what her eyes were seeing. This was no animal. Katniss smiled at the memory of the little girl from District 11 who stole Cato's knife during training. She was in the tree next to hers, trying to get her attention and pointing at something overhead.

Katniss followed the girl's finger and saw what had been hanging above her about fifteen feet up in the tree. There's something there, but what? She tried to focus her eyes, but the familiar buzzing sound mixed in with the night air told her what she was staring at. There was a nest overhead. Peeta's words echoed through her ears.

"Just do me a favor. Don't go messing around with any bears or beehives in the arena, okay?"

She skimmed the tree, taking special care on the smaller branches, and studied the hive from afar. After careful scrutinizing, she came to the conclusion that this was no ordinary beehive. This was a nest of tracker jackers, a mutation the Capitol had created to help win the war. Their venom could be deadly if stung enough times and Katniss needed something deadly to get her out of this mess. If she tried to saw the hive down from its branch, she could be risking her own life, but her life was already at risk. However, she'd be putting Peeta's life in danger by dropping the nest on the pack of Careers. Time wasn't on her side. The sky was getting dark and her only chance to saw at the branch was during the nightly anthem that played for the entire arena to hear. She looked down at Peeta, trying to determine his proximity to the nest if and when it would crash down. He was in the center of the group. A dangerous place to be. The music started to play and Katniss began sawing. The entire time she kept saying to herself, don't sting Peeta. Don't sting Peeta. Not once had the thought of being stung herself, crossed her mind. The blisters from the fire were causing her hands to scream out in pain, but she bit her lip and kept up the pace. The song was coming to an end and she hadn't yet made her way through the entire branch. Tomorrow, she thought, I'll wake up early and finish it before the Careers get up. Maybe I'll be able to warn Peeta…somehow. She slid back down to her spot on the tree branch and her eyes lit up. Sitting a top of her sleeping bag was a silver parachute, a gift from a sponsor. Katniss read the note Haymitch had attached to it and looked out into the night, mouthing the words 'Thank you.' The moment she applied the ointment she felt relief. Things were starting to come together. Now all she had to do was warn Peeta…and Rue. Yes, Katniss reminded herself. The little girl told her about the nest, the least Katniss could do was give her fair warning as to when she'd be dropping it.

She overheard Peeta saying he'd be right back. After some grief from a couple of Careers, Peeta yelled at them and walked into the woods behind Katniss' tree. Her head followed him on his path. Where was he going? Katniss looked down to make sure she was hidden from the Careers and climbed around the back of the tree. Peeta had been standing in some bushes far enough away so his new friends couldn't see him, but close enough so that Katniss could still make him out. His eyes were scanning the tree's leaves in search of her. There was no way she could make it down without the Careers getting to her. No way she could make it to the tree next to her without the branches breaking. They were too thin. But she could climb down the back of the tree a little further and try to let Peeta know about the tracker jackers. She shimmied to the end of a branch, as far as it could safely take her and pulled a tiny bit of bark from the tree. She hurled it into the bush he was standing next to and waited for him to find her. It didn't take long. They were at least fifty feet apart, but Katniss felt like he was right next to her. Peeta was trying to mouth something to her, but she couldn't make it out. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders letting him know that she didn't understand him. The clock was ticking. She knew she didn't have much time. She made a sawing motion with her hand and pointed up to where the nest was. Peeta's eyes tried to follow her direction, but one of the Careers called out to him. He headed back to the pack slowly, trying to see what it was that Katniss had been pointing at. She kept gesturing to him as he walked back. She was making a sawing motion with her hand. He was almost in view of the Careers; Katniss had to think of something. She put her hand out, as if to stop him and he paused. He bent over and pretended to adjust his shoe. Katniss lied flat against the tree's branch. Cato had come to see what was taking him so long. Peeta had actually removed his shoe and shook it out as though there were something inside of it. Cato waited for him as he put it back on. He glanced once more at Katniss when Cato's back was turned and then went back to the group around the fire. This time he sat on the opposite side of the hive. Katniss breathed a sigh of relief, but he was still too close for her comfort. She stayed on her branch for a few moments longer then went back to her sleeping bag, allowing herself to doze off, but never really falling asleep. She listened as Peeta talked to Glimmer and the rest of the group slept. Though she knew sleep would never really come for her that night, she waited for him to lift his eyes to her, as she knew he would, and once he did, she whispered to him, "Goodnight, Peeta." Tonight when she said the words her heart ached more than ever before. Peeta, she thought, please get out of here before dawn. She knew that if she had caused his death, she'd break all promises she had made about winning the Games and die. Allowing him to give his life for her survival was one thing, she couldn't control that, it was what he wanted, but killing him herself…she'd never be able to live with that.

…..

…..

"She looked pretty beat up when she was climbing that tree," Marvel said with a wicked smile. "Guess the Gamemakers wanted to see what the girl would really look like if she were on fire." He laughed and the rest of the group laughed with him.

Glimmer looked at Peeta and rolled her eyes at Marvel's joke.

"Think she's hurt?" Clove asked.

"I'd say so," Cato answered. "She got the brunt of that fire."

"Well, she was strong enough to make it up that tree." Clove commented.

Cinna sat with his sketchpad in his hand and tried to ignore the dialogue coming from the Careers. They were taking pleasure in Katniss' pain and for the first time in Cinna's life, he wished death upon a tribute. Whenever he heard Peeta's voice he'd lift his face to the screen to see if there was anything useful, but Peeta was just playing along with the group for the time being.

"We could take the first watch if you want," Peeta leaned over and whispered into Glimmer's ear. He gave her a soft smile and the girl looked like she was going to melt.

"The kid's brilliant!" Haymitch said as he walked into the room. "That girl is tripping over herself every time he suggests they do something together."

"And you think that's brilliant?" Cinna asked. In the back of his mind he couldn't help but think that Katniss probably wouldn't find it brilliant at all.

"Hell yes!" Haymitch took a sip of juice and cringed at its blandness. "She's got what Katniss needs."

Cinna did a double take and looked at the screen. That's when he noticed the sheath of arrows hanging off of the girl's arm. His laugh started low in his belly than filled the room. "Now how did I miss that?"

"Don't know, but the kid's a genius." Haymitch sat on the sofa in front of the screen and watched.

Peeta started looking around the woods.

"Who are you looking for?" Clove asked with a questionable stare.

"I'm just…" Peeta stood up and started walking away. "I've got to go."

"Where ya going, Lover Boy?" Cato stood up and began giving him a hard time. "Trying to help your girlfriend escape?"

"I need to use the bathroom, is that okay with you?"

"I don't trust him," Marvel stood next to Cato. "How do we know this isn't what they've been planning all along?"

"Are you kidding me?" Peeta yelled at them. "Yes! You've got me! My plan was to get the Gamemakers to set us on fire! And then get Katniss stuck up a tree!" Peeta rolled his eyes and said, "If I was going to help her, don't you think I would've done it by now?"

"Leave him alone," Glimmer made a disgusted face at Cato. "The guy's got to go."

"Well if you're going. I'm going." Cato told him.

"Wanna hold it for me while I take a whiz too?" Peeta was nose to nose with him. "I'm sick of fighting with you guys. That's all you ever do! Geez!" Peeta started to walk away. "I'm going to go to the bathroom. If you want to come, then come!" He stormed off behind the tree Katniss was in.

"Do you think he's trying to find a way for her to escape?" Cinna sat down in an empty chair.

"You can bet on it." Haymitch's eyes were glued to the screen.

The Careers sat down as Peeta walked behind the tree and into the bushes behind it. "We should just kill him and get it over with," Marvel took his sword and pushed the tip into the ground. "We've got the girl and she's not going anywhere."

"I agree," Clove said with a blank look on her face. "One less tribute to deal with later."

"Okay. Let's do it. Maybe seeing her Lover Boy suffer will get her to come down from that tree," Cato suggested.

"I think we should let him stick around till Thresh is dead," Glimmer poked a stick into their fire. "I don't know about you, but once Katniss is dead, we've got to deal with Thresh and I say the more of us against Thresh, the better."

"We can take Thresh," Marvel exclaimed.

"Oh please, Marvel! I don't know why you're all high and mighty. Peeta could've killed you…twice…and his ankle was twisted. You really think you can take Thresh?!" Glimmer stared at her tribute partner.

They were all silent for a few seconds until Clove spoke up. "Maybe we should wait until Thresh is dead."

Cato looked at each one of his group. "Lover boy did get the upper hand on you, Marvel." There was a hesitant look on his face. "He's pretty strong for a baker."

"All I'm saying is that Thresh is our next biggest threat and I think Peeta could help us with that," Glimmer shrugged. "But it's up to you guys. If you want to kill him now…before she's dead, then that's fine."

"I'm for killing him now." Marvel put his two cents in.

"I say we wait," Clove added.

Cato questioned Clove with his eyes. "Till Thresh is dead?"

"Yeah," Clove nodded her head. "The second he's dead, one of us can kill Lover Boy."

"Okay," Cato said. "We're agreed."

"I didn't agree to it," Marvel protested.

"Sorry, Marvel." Glimmer leaned back on her hands and gave him a righteous look. "Majority wins."

Haymitch lightly pounded his fist against his thigh and blew out a breath. "That was close. Told you the kid was smart for flirting with her."

"If Katniss makes it out of that tree, Haymitch. Peeta's got to get away from the Careers." Cinna's voice was worried.

"I already told you. The kid is smart. He'll get away from them." Haymitch stood up and went to the bar. He contemplated adding something to his juice then opted not to. The ice in his glass was making a tinkling noise. Haymitch's hand was shaking. "I wouldn't be surprised if he convinced Glimmer to join him too." Haymitch chuckled thinking, that wouldn't be a bad idea. Then he'd definitely have Katniss' weapon.

…..

…..

Where are you, Katniss? Peeta's mind was in high gear. He scanned the tree she was hiding in, hoping he could see her, but it was too dark to make anything out. He jumped a little when something flew at him and landed in the bush. He followed the direction it came from with his eyes and saw her face peeking out between some leaves. His heart began to race. He mouthed to her, 'The branches. Use the branches.' He pointed to the tree next to her, but she couldn't understand him. He took a step out from his hiding spot, checking to make sure no one was around. She was making a sawing motion with her hand and pointing to something. 'What are you pointing at, Katniss?'

"Hey, Lover Boy! What's taking you so long?" Peeta could hear Cato calling to him.

It took everything he had to drag his eyes away from Katniss. He walked around the tree and kept glancing upwards in the direction she was pointing, but he couldn't see anything. Was she going to drop a branch on them? That had to be it, he thought. She was going to saw a branch and let it fall onto the Careers. He bent down and pretended to fix his shoe.

"What the hell?" Cato came from around the tree. "You've been gone long enough."

"I've got something in my shoe." Peeta took it off and stuck his hand inside of it, shook it out then put it back on. Cato started talking to him, but Peeta didn't hear anything he was saying. He was too busy trying to see what Katniss was pointing at. When his shoe was back on he took another peek and that's when he made it out. There was something hanging from a branch. He didn't know what, but it was large and he was sure that that's what Katniss was referring to.

He and Cato rejoined the group only this time, Peeta sat as far away from the branch Katniss was pointing at as possible. If it fell, he didn't want it to land on him. He was sure that she was trying to warn him.

"I'm going to sleep," Marvel announced. "I'll take the third watch."

"Of course you will," Glimmer said under her breath.

"Lover Boy," Cato said. "You and Glimmer can take the first watch." Peeta was nervous. His insides were shaking with anticipation.

"That's fine." He gave Glimmer a hint of a smile and saw the bow lying precariously close to the branch Katniss had been pointing at. If it fell, the bow would be lodged under it. He made a motion with his head to Glimmer as if telling her to sit by him.

She picked up her bow and arrows and perched herself too close to him for his liking. "Guess it's you and me again."

"Yup," He tried to hide his displeasure with a smile.

They sat quietly until the group fell asleep, then Peeta told her, "Glimmer, if you want to sneak in an hour of sleep…I won't tell."

"No, that's okay." Her voice was soft. "I don't mind sitting up with you."

Peeta hated the way she flirted with him. Hated the way she flirted with all of them. When Cato wasn't looking she used her sex appeal on Marvel. When Marvel wasn't around, she tried to work her wiles on Cato. Sadly both of them fell for it. He tried to start a conversation that wouldn't lead to her making any suggestive comments to him. "That was a close call today."

"Guess the Gamemakers hate her as much as we do."

"What makes you say that?" Peeta asked.

"Why else would they try to force her out of hiding, Peeta?"

Peeta blew out a breath somewhere between a chuckle and a sigh. "You know…that's the first time you've actually used my name."

"Really? Sorry about that." Glimmer didn't appear to care one way or another. "Guess Lover Boy just has a ring to it."

"That's okay. It's kind of funny anyway." Peeta's mind was going through a plan. If he waited another half an hour to make sure the rest of their group was asleep, he could probably force Glimmer into the forest and kill her for the bow and arrows, but what would happen if she made a noise? He was sure that if he tried to drag her away, she'd be kicking and screaming. So don't drag her… Peeta got a glint in his eyes. "Glimmer, have you thought about how this is going to end?"

"What do you mean?"

Peeta lowered his voice down to a whisper. "I mean… Do you really think you'll make it out of this group alive? I know I won't."

"No you won't. They're going to kill you as soon as Thresh is dead." This was news to Peeta, but he didn't care. He wasn't planning on sticking around that long. "They wanted to kill you tonight. They thought torturing you would bring…her out of the tree." Glimmer looked at it and rolled her eyes in disgust.

"What made them change their minds?" Peeta had a new found fear running through him. It was now or never.

"Me." She stated proudly. "I figured you saved my life in the fire, so I owed you one." Guilt washed over him, but he pushed it away.

"Would you consider…" He stopped and shook his head. "Never mind."

"What?" She looked at the sleeping group and whispered, "Would I consider what?"

Peeta looked to his sides then back at her. "Maybe breaking away from them? Two against two?"

"Two against three." She corrected.

"I'm not counting Marvel. He's useless." Peeta knew Glimmer would find that funny. He wasn't disappointed when she turned her head to stifle her laughter.

She sat for a minute, taking in everything around her and asked, "When would you want to ditch them?"

"The sooner the better as far as I'm concerned." Now! Peeta wanted to scream.

"Okay." Peeta couldn't believe his ears. "As soon as girl on fire is dead we go. We'll take the first watch when we get back to camp, stock up on some stuff and head out."

"Why not now?" Peeta tilted his head down to hers. "We could make a break for it now and they wouldn't know till morning. We'd have hours on them." He was desperate to get her away from the Careers.

"No. We need to make sure fire girl is dead first." Glimmer was firm in her statement. Peeta knew he wouldn't be able to convince her otherwise. His only option was to wait for her to doze off and take the bow and arrows. If he could make it half as far as Cato, up the tree, Katniss would be able to come down and take them from him. He'd be dead before he hit the ground, but at least Katniss would be alive and she'd be able to escape.

"Okay," Peeta agreed. "But you can't give anything away. If Cato finds out…"

"Don't worry about Cato." Glimmer glanced at the sleeping tribute in a provocative way. "I'll give him something else to think about."

Peeta sat with Glimmer for several hours. Once again he suggested they take the longer watch in the hopes that she would doze off. If someone else took over for them, then they would expect Peeta to go to sleep, and that wasn't an option.

He could tell she was getting sleepy, but so was he. He couldn't remember the last time he slept. He willed Glimmer to fall asleep, he was even tempted to tell her to lie her head down in his lap, but the thought of touching her that way made him physically ill. It was bad enough he was trying to lead her on. He actually felt guilty over it, thinking that in a way he was cheating on Katniss. Glimmer's head kept bobbing up and down. Peeta's eyes kept drooping.

He saw Katniss. She was walking towards him and the silver mist that had been splashing about her feet, by the river, was now completely surrounding her. She was talking to him. He couldn't make out what she was saying. He listened harder, trying to focus on her voice. It was weak, but she was giving him a warning. "Run, Peeta." His eyes flew open the second the tracker jacker nest hit the ground. "To the lake, Peeta." She was calling out to him. Glimmer was screaming. Peeta didn't try to save her this time. He just ran to the lake like Katniss told him to. Behind him he heard the rest of the Careers. They were screaming. He hoped they were being stung to death. He jumped into the body of water and submerged his entire being. Katniss! She was still there. He knew it. He touched the bottom of the lake's floor with his feet and propelled himself upwards. When he felt the early morning air he took in a huge breath and started to make his way to dry land. He had to go back for her. He had to save Katniss. Marvel's sword was on the ground at his feet and he grabbed it as he ran. He pushed through the brush, he could feel the pain of a jacker's sting under his ear and on his chest, but he kept moving forward. Back to Katniss. He saw her going through the arrows as if she were counting them. She looked like Haymitch after he had too much to drink.

"What are you still doing here?" He grabbed at her arm and lifted her to her feet. "Are you mad?" She kept collapsing. "Get up!" He pulled her to her feet again. "Get up!" He could hear Cato screaming at him in the background. "Run! RUN!" He watched her as she made her way into the woods. Away from the Careers. He turned and held onto Marvel's sword with two hands. "All right, Cato." His breath was ragged. "Let's do this!"

Cato's scream was echoing throughout the woods. "You're dead! You're dead!" His sword came down against Peeta's in one hard swing.

"Go ahead and try!" Peeta pushed him backwards and lunged for him.

Cato grunted as he slashed his sword through Peeta's thigh. "I should've killed you when I had the chance!" He yelled out.

Peeta felt the blood pouring out of him. His leg was cut badly and he didn't know how much longer he'd be able to stand. He had to run and hoped that Cato and his crew would chase him. That would give Katniss the best chance of survival. "You want me! Come and get me!" His adrenaline was still flowing as he ran towards the river, away from Katniss. He heard Cato screaming in frustration and listened as the other two joined him in his search. Peeta fell to the ground. He was tempted to stay there and let Cato finish him off, but thoughts of them turning around and finding Katniss penetrated his mind. He used the sword for leverage and got to his feet, but the sword quickly began to glow so Peeta threw it into the bushes as he ran. The ground ahead of him started to warp. His body seemed to be tilting to the right, but the earth was tilting to the left. He struggled to keep his balance as he made his way to the river. Every tree appeared to come to life. Their leaves began to shimmer as he made his way through the forest. He was getting weak. He knew he had to stop the bleeding from his leg or he'd die, but he couldn't stop running. There were no sounds around him only the bright colors of exploding flowers that showered him in sparkling lights and the glistening leaves. The riverbank was up ahead, he could see it, but the water was filled with swords. He could see the reflection of the sunlight on the blades bobbing up and down as he fell to the ground.

"Katniss," he knew he was dying. He fell face first into the mud as it sucked him into the earth. "Katniss," he tried to call out to her. To tell her he loved her one last time, but he was buried alive in the arena.

…..

…..

"Told you she was smart," Gale grinned at his little sister.

"Do you think she'll get hurt?" Vick asked him.

"Don't know," Gale worried about the tracker jacker hive that Katniss was going to cut down. "But she's come this far." He smiled at his siblings and said, "You think she's going to let a couple of bee stings stop her?" He winked at his sister as he lifted her up in his arms. "Come on Rosy Posy, it's time for bed." He felt his sister's tiny arms wrap around his neck and he wondered how Prim was doing. Tomorrow, he vowed, he would find out.

He went to the bakery, the next morning, for the first time in days. So much had happened since he last saw the baker, but after Peeta's display of courage in the arena, Gale felt he owed the man a visit. He knocked on the backdoor and waited for him to answer, but his wife did instead.

"What do you want?" She barked at him.

Gale quickly put the squirrels he'd been carrying behind his back and said, "I'm here to see your husband, ma'am."

"We don't want anything from you, so just go away before I call the Peace…."

"Stop it!" Gale heard the baker yell at his wife from inside the bakery.

The woman turned to her husband and said, "I don't want these Seam…"

Once again the woman was interrupted. "Go inside," the baker's voice was low and powerful. When his wife didn't move he repeated himself. "Go inside."

In all the years Gale had been coming to the bakery, he'd never seen the woman say one nice word to anyone, least of all her family. Gale wondered how Peeta turned out to be as friendly as he was. The baker was pretty quiet and only spoke on occasion. Even Peeta's brothers were a lot like his father. Quiet and they only spoke when spoken to. If Peeta hadn't looked so much like his father, he'd question Peeta's parentage.

"Sorry about that. She's not her best in the morning," the baker tried to make an excuse, but Gale knew his wife wasn't her best in the afternoons or evenings either. "It's good to see you."

"You too, sir." Gale handed him the squirrels he had behind his back. "I got these for you this morning. Thought…well…it's been awhile since I've been here so…" Gale was at a loss for words.

"It's been a hectic few days, hasn't it?" The baker stepped outside and closed the door.

"Yes it has," Gale answered sheepishly. He wanted to tell the man how grateful he was for Peeta's sacrifice in the arena, but he didn't know how. "Things were a little confusing for awhile there."

"I suppose it could've seemed that way to some."

"Sir…I wanted to tell you…to say…" Gale swallowed and finished his thought before he could chicken out. "What Peeta did…it was the bravest thing I've ever seen."

The baker's eyes were sorrowful. "Thank you. That means a lot." He hung his head. "Won't be long before the cannon shoots out announcing hi…his…"

"He still has a chance." Gale put his hand on the man's shoulder. "He does. He's still alive and he was smart enough to go to the river."

The baker nodded his head, but they both knew that Peeta wasn't coming home. He had done what he had set out to do. Katniss had her bow and arrows and the Careers were down to three.

"Thank you for the squirrels. Wait here and I'll get you something."

"No, sir. I don't want anything. I just wanted to say thank you and…you should be proud of Peeta."

"I am." The baker went back into his shop and closed the door. Gale headed for Katniss' house to bring her family some much needed food.

Prim came to the door and greeted him with a sad smile. Gale gave her two squirrels a rabbit and some things he had gathered in the woods. Prim returned with some goat cheese and milk. They had barely said a word to each other. He looked over Prim's shoulder and saw her mother staring at the television set.

"Anything new happen?" He asked.

"No. Rue hid her and put some leaves on her stings, but Peeta is…" Prim's eyes filled with tears. Gale panicked, thinking that Peeta may have died while he was out.

"Is he still alive, Prim?"

"Yes. Barely." She turned to look at her mother then stepped out the door a little more. "But I'm worried about him dying before Katniss gets to see him again."

Gale didn't think that Katniss and Peeta would see each other again, but he didn't want to break Prim's heart. "I'm sure she'll find him when she's better."

"She has to, Gale. Katniss will never forgive herself if he dies for her."

Gale didn't have the heart to tell her that Peeta had to die in order for Katniss to come home. Prim, like everyone else, knew how the Games worked, but the thought of Peeta dying seemed to cause her enormous pain. "She'll find him, Prim. She will."

His walk home seemed miles away. When he entered his house he found his brother's and sister watching the other tributes on television. It was the first time since the battle at the Cornucopia that Katniss or Peeta hadn't been a feature on the main screen. They were both lying in wait. The Careers made it back to their camp, but they were passed out. Gale wished someone…anyone would come along and take advantage of the situation. Even little Rue could've killed them in the condition they were in.

He walked into the kitchen and helped his mother with her laundry. It wasn't long before he felt her arms take him in a hug. The last time she held him that way was when he was younger. She hadn't held onto him like this in years. Gale was grateful for the comforting touch of his mother.

"She'll be fine," Hazelle tried to console him. "Once she recovers from those stings, there'll be no stopping her."

Gale hugged his mother. "And then what? What happens after that mom?"

"I don't know, sweetie."

"Prim thinks she needs to find Peeta."

Hazelle had a pained expression on her face when she said, "Prim's a smart girl." He felt his mother give him one more squeeze before letting him go.

…..

…..

"Psst…Psst…Rue." Katniss called out to the young girl in the neighboring tree. Within seconds she saw her big eyes staring back at her. The girl made a sawing motion with her hand and pointed to the tracker jacker nest. Katniss nodded her head, yes and watched as Rue hopped from one tree to the next without making a sound. Now all she needed to do was warn Peeta, but how. She looked down at the group of Careers and noticed that Peeta had fallen asleep, but he was still the furthest away from the pack, so she took some comfort in that. The girl with the bow and arrows, Glimmer, Katniss' glared at her, she was asleep as well. Some watch guard, Katniss thought.

Katniss picked a few pieces of bark from the tree and tried to hit Peeta with them. Wake up! Wake up! She wanted to scream it at him, but it would kill them both for sure. Instead she watched as he swatted at the bark and rolled further away from the Careers. Time was running out and she knew it. There was only one thing she could do. Before dropping the hive she would yell out to him and tell him to run. He was a good five feet away from the rest of them, and that would make a big difference when it came to the tracker jackers. She packed her gear and strapped her backpack on then went to finish what she started. When the first one stung her on the neck, she swatted at it and tried to pull the stinger out as she continued to saw. By the time the branch was about to fall, she felt the other two stings and knew she was in trouble. "Peeta. Peeta." She didn't know how loud she was, but it felt like she was screaming. No one moved. One last saw of the blade and the branch began to break. "Run, Peeta!" She yelled as loud as she could. She saw his eyes fly open the same time the nest hit the ground. "To the lake, Peeta!" She screamed at him and saw him fly away with three Careers on his heels.

Katniss didn't know how much time had passed since the Careers had left, but she had a bow and arrows now and Glimmer was dead. Too bad she was oozing green slime. She was such a pretty girl. Katniss' mind seemed to be floating in and out of space.

"What are you still doing here?" Peeta came back for her. She wanted to show him her bow and arrows. "Are you mad?" No. I'm not mad at you, Peeta. How could she be angry with him? He got her the bow and arrows. She didn't understand why his eyes turned into pretty little butterflies though. "Get up! Get up!" He was pulling on her arm. Come with me, Peeta. She couldn't seem to find her voice. "Run! RUN!" Why was he pushing her away? He wants you to run, Katniss, she answered herself. Then I guess I better run, she thought as she stumbled her way into the woods.