"I think we should get out of the house." Cato nudges me. "You've been in here too long, you're going to get sick just from staying here."

"I don't want to leave, I want to stay in my room." I shift my eyes. "I'm not even presentable." I look down at my clothing. Its stained and old and it smells. "You know what people would say anyway…"

"Don't worry about it Katniss. I know that you've been pretty down lately, you know, with the whole… yeah." He places his hand on my shoulder. "Let me take you out on a proper date."

The idea of that sparks something within me. Cato is actually trying, he is actually trying to build a relationship with me. If only he showed this side of him more often.

"I… I guess I'll go. Maybe it will be good for me to get out a little."

"Great. I'll have someone go up to help you get ready and we'll leave in about two hours." He looks down at his watch. "Yes, two hours."

"Katniss." A deep voice booms from behind my bedroom door. The voice is followed by a few knocks.

"Ci-Cinna? Is that you?" I cautiously open my door. "Oh God Cinna it is you! You don't know how much it means to see a familiar face around here!" I hug him tightly.

"I am here my dear, to make you a fiery flame once again."

"I know what you must think of me right now." My eyes dart to the dirt underneath my nails, and my hand runs through my greasy hair. "It's been a rough couple of weeks."

"Shh, don't worry about anything Katniss. I know what they're putting you through must be difficult. Lets not fret about that though." Cinna lifts a makeup box in the air. "Lets get started shall we?"

My hair is scrubbed, and then scrubbed again, and again. My scalp is raw from all the washings, God knows I needed it. A team of six whole people are currently working on me, doing everything from waxing to painting my nails.

"I can't say that I missed this Cinna, getting my hair pulled and all. But I guess it is good to keep up with appearances, especially if I'm leaving the house."

"Panem has been on a gossip shortage without you. They don't know what you're doing in here. There was a rumor circulating not too long ago that you had actually died. You'll satisfy their appetite for petty conversation for the next few weeks."

"What will they talk about? I'm nothing interesting!"

"What will they talk about? My dear, look in the mirror." Cinna holds up a mirror to my face and I am struck with awe.

"Wow, I can't believe… that's really me?" My skin looks flawless, my lips stained a dark, deep red. My eyes are dark and mysterious; I could stare into them forever. I look nothing like I did a few hours ago.

"You'd think you haven't looked in a mirror for years. Yes Katniss, that's you!"

I peer into the mirror, the girl staring back doesn't look as damaged as I feel. She looks… strong.

"I look-."

"Radiating. " Cinna finishes my sentence. "And don't worry, your outfit is just as beautiful." He pulls out an elegant black dress from behind him. "Would you do the honors of trying this on for me Katniss?"

"It'd be my pleasure." I take the dress from him and quickly change. "So, how do I look?"

"Words can't express what I see." I blush at what he says, he is making me feel like a queen. "It hits you just right." The dress is a few inches above my knees, and come up to my neck. It's fitted, it shows just enough.

"Yeah." I can't contain my smile anymore, and before I know it my grin spreads. "Cinna you don't know how much this means to me, you really don't." I take his hands. "You make me feel like I'm home again, with my family and friends." I wonder what mother and Prim are doing right now.

"Katniss, it is my pleasure." He takes my arm and hooks it with his. "I believe its time to present you to a certain gentleman?"

"I suppose." I almost forgot about Cato.

"You look… wow Katniss you're making my jaw drop."

"You don't look too bad yourself." I look Cato up and down, he is devastatingly handsome in his suit. He chuckles to himself.

"Yeah well…" Cato sticks his hand into his pocket and pulls out a box. "I… I um, well remember in the arena? How I took your pin." He opens the box. "I figured it was time I gave it back to its rightful owner." My pin, the one my father gave me, my mockingjay.

"I didn't know you still had that!" I have to refrain myself from snatching the box from him.

"I shouldn't have taken it from you Katniss. I'm sorry. I wasn't nice, not during the Games." Cato plays around with the pin for a few seconds. "May I?"

"Yes."

Cato strides over to me, and ever so carefully he pins the mockingjay onto my dress. His hands pause, and he brings them to my face, cupping it. We just stare at each other, it seems to be never ending.

"We have dinner reservations at a restaurant that appears to be all the rage here in the Capitol. It's called 'La Faim', I hear it has even better food than what we had for our victory dinner."

"Sounds wonderful." Just the mention of the Games over and over again from Cato has brought my spirits down.

"Well, without further ado, I present to you our transportation." Cato opens our front door and motions to a small two wheeled vehicle.

"What is it?"

"Don't tell me you've never seen one of these! You're telling me you don't know what this is? Katniss, you haven't lived yet!" He suddenly grabs me and practically throws me on top of it. "This is a motorcycle. They're primarily used by peacekeepers, but I figured they wouldn't mind one missing.

"How does it… work?" The motorcycle is floating a few inches above ground, and it looks unstable. "Won't we fall off?"

"Sweetheart, I am not an amateur when it comes to these things." He shoves a helmet over my head, no doubt ruining my hair that Cinna worked so hard on. "Put your arms around me."

"No!" Ignoring me, he grabs my hands and places them on his waist.

"Don't let go unless you want to fall off of this thing when we're going 100 miles an hour."

"You're insane."

"So I've been told." Cato puts his helmet on, and before I know it I'm holding on for dear life.

"Slow down! Please for the love of God, slow down!" My screams go unanswered. I don't know how Cato isn't cut in half by now. My arms must be cutting off his circulation. I'm not even sure that Cato is allowed to drive, with the way we're weaving through cars and narrowly escaping death. I certainly wouldn't allow him to operating a vehicle, especially one that attains such high speeds.

And finally, at last, Cato stops driving. I release my arms and take a deep breath, thankfully I am still alive. Cato steps onto the ground and offers me his hand, I take it, the sooner I am off this monster the better.

An avox appears holding out his hand. I take off the helmet and practically throw it at the poor man.

Cato throws the keys to the motorcycle at a different avox, how almost lets them hit the floor.

"Katniss! Katniss! Is it true what they're saying? Are you really dying of cancer? What about your cousin, is it true that you're having an affair? Your mother, did she really steal millions from the Capitol? Does your sister really milk a goat for a living? What's it like living in the Capitol? Is Cato as good as they say he is in bed? Katniss! Katniss! What about Peeta, aren't you betraying him by being with Cato?"

I hold up my hand to the crowd that quickly circled around me. It's too much to handle, I'm not used to this! Staying inside all that time, it sheltered me, and it kept me from this. Oh, how much I want to go back! I just want to roll up in a ball and cry, how dare they mention Peeta! He saved my life. That fool… I just want to escape these people. I am mere feet away from the entrance to this restaurant before I hear the damning words.

"Katniss! Is it true what they're saying about you? Its been said that you've become the whore of the Capitol. Not only did you sleep with hundreds of men, but also you gave them all several different diseases. Your filthy whore legs spread around-" The man doesn't get to finish his words, Cato is on top of him in an instant connecting fist with face.

"Don't." Punch. "You" Punch. "Ever." Punch. "Ever." Punch. "Talk to her like that." Cato gets up. "Ever." Kick. "Again." Kick.

Nobody dare attempts to stop Cato, I don't even want to try. It would be a lost cause, he would just get angrier. He has a temper, and I know it all too well from the Games. But then again I am the only one here that could save this nasty mans life.

"Stop it! Stop it Cato!" My cries don't halt Cato's beating. "You're going to kill him! It's not worth it Cato! He's a horrible worthless man, but he's not worth it." I grab Cato by the shoulders. He nearly throws me off of him, but he doesn't. He gets in another kick to the ribs, but he finally stops. His hand touches mine and his anger seems to dissipate, he's panting and sweaty still, but at least he calmed down.

"Get this piece of shit out of my sight." Cato wipes his nose with his arm. Blood adorns his once clean suit.

The crowd disperses; it's nobody but Cato and I along with restaurant staff now.

"You know Cato I think we should…" My hand goes to my stomach. "I… oh God what is that smell? Do you smell that? It smells like… like rotting something. I think I'm going to be sick." I run into the restaurant, knocking down anyone and everyone in my way. I locate the restroom within seconds.

Thankfully I reach the toilet before I throw up all over the floor. That'd be a mess to clean up. Cato catches up to me, bursting into the restroom.

"This is a women's facility, you have some nerve to be…" The angry woman notices exactly who she is talking to. "I… I'm sorry." She runs out the door without another word.

"You didn't have to follow me in here." I clutch the toilet, keeping it close to me. For once I thank the Capitol on its germaphobe policy rampage to clean toilets every thirty minutes.

"I just want to make sure you're ok. It wasn't a pretty sight out there, that's for sure. Was it the blood that set you off or…?"

A loud ring is coming from Cato's watch. He looks down and presses a few buttons and a screen is projected across the room.

"Hello Cato, this is Dr. Brown. I am sorry to call you at such a late hour, but I have urgent news. The results from the blood test have just come through. It seems that the urine test was false, and Katniss is indeed pregnant. She is approximately three weeks along, I'll be needing to set up an appointment soon to see Katniss in-" Cato hangs up on her.

"Katniss did you hear that?" I peer up at him for a split second, before retching back into the toilet. "We're pregnant."