Chapter 25: Love Story

'Cause you were Romeo - I was a scarlet letter,

And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet"

But you were everything to me,

-Taylor Swift

I walked down to breakfast slowly; hair still wet and simply balled up on the back of my head. I left the red strand hanging out, nicely dried and smooth. There was sheer pleasure in reminding Darren I wasn't my sister.

Darren Broderson, the jump-back kid. Was it only four days ago that he confessed his stupid dire love for me with a dagger at my throat? Now every time I saw him he reached for my sister, playing with her hair and holding her hand. It was disgusting, yet consisted of perverse happiness for me considering May had no idea why he was doing it.

"Wake up a bit late this morning Snow?" His voice stopped me in my tracks, the voice that hadn't said a word to me in four days. I wanted to hurl.

"Yes. I was sleeping like a baby, not a thought of anything or anyone on my mind." I turned to see it obviously had not been the same for him. Darren had dark circles under his eyes, his hair completely disheveled.

"Well, we can't all be so… lucky." His voice was cold and he refused to meet my eyes again.

"Hush up, Broderson. It's not like I've been the one throwing myself at someone I don't care about all week." I clamped my mouth shut after I finished, realizing it should have never opened. Grandmother's stupid lessons never exactly prepared me for this.

"You aren't throwing yourself at anyone." That's when I laughed. If only you knew. "I told you December Snow. I told you I wouldn't wait and I'm not." We had reached the eating room doors in the area our families rented and he threw them open fast, crossing over to May in a hurry.

"Morning, my rose." Papa called to me from the table, flipping through a delivery of papers from the Capitol that required a signature.

"Where are Mother and Cory?"

"Your mother took Cory for a breakfast picnic by the Cornucopia." I nodded as he focused back on the papers. "The Gamemakers want a raise, Tauro. Two weeks until the 74th games and they are threatening to work half time if we don't."

"How much?"

"Up five percent, it isn't bad."

"I bet Crane is behind it, he always likes to cause last minute trouble." Tauro thought for a moment, leaning back in his chair. "We can afford it if we cut a bit from District 8, there's been a little extra I hear the Mayor is passing out on his own whim. It's you call."

Papa nodded, signing the paper to raise the Gamemakers' pay, then pushing the clipboard off to the side. "No more petty business today, we only have a short time left on this trip to enjoy ourselves. Plus, the kids need to spend the train ride home catching up on school work."

I moaned, taking my seat on Papa's left and motioning for an Avox to fill my plate. "Must we? We have a month before Game break to catch up before grades are due."

"Same argument Darren used on me last night." I couldn't help but look at Darren and May all cuddled up in the window seat across the room, Darren feeding her bits of fruit. Tauro followed my gaze before leaning into the table so just Papa and I could hear. "That's a sight I never thought I'd see."

"Why not?" I looked at them innocently as both men stared at me, not saying a word. "I think breakfast in the arena sounds like a great idea." I couldn't help that my voice was snappy; I just didn't want to be there anymore.

"I'll come with you, we haven't had much time just the two of us." He gave an Avox instruction to pack up a picnic brunch and deliver it outside when it was ready.

We walked in silence, arm in arm, through the doors into the arena and past the Cornucopia. Papa shouted to mother, promising we would stay away as this was scheduled time for the two of them. Papa picked a spot, and we stopped as the Avox following us set up the picnic.

Once alone with Papa, I smiled. This was easy and peaceful, just the two of us together liked we loved. I looked at his face, the face of the man who understood me better than anyone in the world. Papa leaned against a tree, and I sat beside him, resting my head on his shoulder and snuggling in close.

"Love is a funny thing, my rose, and I'll tell you that none of us ever can figure it out." I turned to look at him, stunned by the sudden topic my father was wasting no time in getting at. "You are the most like me out of my children, which has always surprised me. I guess it's your free spirit but sometimes that free spirit can get us into trouble. Souls like ours might hurt before we even know there was something there to be hurt."

"You have no hurt Papa, that I know."

"No, child. I've buried it all inside for better or for worse. Can I tell you a story?" I nodded, unsure of where he was going with this, but I knew somehow he deemed it important in the moment. That's what politicians did; they picked an important topic but talked it in circles for hours until hitting the target.

"When I became President, that very first night, I seemed to find myself suddenly alone in the world. In my youth, my parents were a dominating force that controlled every day, yet the moment my name was announced as the election victor, they stepped back. For a few years I had known that once my position was secure I would want, and need to, establish a family. There were countless girls I was introduced to, ones with powerful jobs but I didn't really care about any of them. Then, I met your mother.

She wasn't much in the way of fortune or connections, getting into the parties mostly as media and not a true guest, just by using her father's name loosely. I fell in love with her that night, I fell in love with the way she had a face that just said 'one day I will be better than all of you'. She had the most beautiful hair and the world's greenest eyes." He stopped speaking, but only for a moment before continuing on. No one ever spoke past that last part.

"For two years she said nothing to me but asking a few questions to try and get a press release out. When I realized she hated media, I pulled some strings to get her a job on the Presidential Palace party board. I think one day I might have gotten a 'Thank you, President Snow' one day passing her in the hall, but that was it for another year until they sent her into my office to go over a few details. It was for a more private party, not one of the full-blown and media covered ones, just a sit down dinner. She asked if there was anyone in particular I would like seated next to me and I replied I would very much like her there. She said 'Very well, Sir. I shall check with the rest of the board and see what can be done.' I got to the party and the seat was filled with someone else. When I inquired about the next morning it was made clear that she never even brought up my requested seating arrangements.

Our relationship continued on like that, her ignoring my advances until she started to realize I was her best option. I provided a future that no one else could, though your mother still was determined to have power on her own account and wary of me. Our dating life was off and on, never clear cut until…."

He stopped, growing eerily silent as he gazed off in the distance. My whole mind was entrapped in the story. "Until?"

"Your mother wouldn't like me telling you this story, my rose."

"You already started it."

He sighed, knowing I would continue on fighting him until he told me more. "Until we spent a night together and I got her pregnant." Immediately, I started added up years, the math not working. "She aborted the baby right away, but was still frightened about her reputation and agreed to marry me. It was another eleven years until she was pregnant again, the time with you and May." He just rambled on, never allowing me time to interrupt. "I loved her truly, and I convinced her to marry me by saying her reputation was in ruins. I couldn't live without her." I tried to process what he was telling me, clear the facts in my mind, but he only continued talking adding on more. "Love is a strange thing for us, for anyone in the Capitol. The world isn't an easy place, especially with cameras watching and looking for the next daily gossip. Yet, knowing its difficult makes it all the more exciting. You and me, my rose, we like challenges. Loving your mother then was a challenge, no matter how easy it is now. For you, loving Darren when he is more interested in May..."

"Loving Darren? Do you honestly think I love Darren?" He watched me as I laughed, finally understanding why he was telling me all of this. He thought I loved without anything in return.

"Then who is it?" That question stopped me. Suddenly my throat was dry and I couldn't make a sound. "Did you think I didn't notice? You've been smiling more, day dreaming and thinking about your appearance before we go anywhere public. Your sister even said that you told Margarita what necklace you wanted to wear once instead of letting her do anything."

"That was for the first night of your birthday celebrations. Of course I would want to wear something you directly gave me."

"Ember, I don't want you hurt. You are in a dangerous position because everyone in Panem wants an in with this family for their own gain. If you love Darren, just tell me, because I know then that the only way he can hurt you is not loving you back for innocent reasons. I don't trust young boys, I was one of them once." My father glanced off to mama in the distance, smiling softly as she played a hand game with him.

"Papa," I turned his face back to me with the palm of my hand. "He won't hurt me. I know you, denying things will do me nothing. Just trust me that he won't hurt me. He's not looking for the President's daughter."

Papa smiled, wrapping an arm around my shoulder once more and kissing the top of my head. "So, who is he? A random boy from Capitol Prep, or one of the lesser elite kids who go to the Academy? Maybe he's homeschooled…"

"No Papa, you don't know him or his parents or any family, I promise."

"So, an outskirts boy, huh? You always like a challenge. All right, I'll keep out of this one, my rose, but just enjoy it for a while and know it can't get that far." He was laughing, knuckling my forehead and I just played along. "You should have seen my father's face when I was about your age. There was an Avox girl working in our house, exceptionally beautiful I might add, who I was a tad enamored with."

"Seriously? An avox?"

"A very interesting first kiss, and terrible conversation afterwards." I laughed along with him, tossing a grape into my mouth. "My father let it go onto for a while, then had her transferred. I want you to enjoy yourself, my rose, but if this little romance starts to get in the way of your duties I will have it ended, understood?"

I nodded, making a mental note to find some outskirts boy to play the part. I couldn't risk losing my luck on such a trivial detail. After all, papa was right when he said any Capitol boy would play for the president's daughter. "Understood, papa."

"Ah my little girl falling in love. It does make me feel a bit old. The natural white hair helps hide…"

A high scream interrupted him, my mother's scream. "Coriolanus! Coriolanus! Come quick!" We snapped into awareness, our attention turning to the other picnic set up in the arena. Mother was leaning over a small body trashing on the blanket, moaning and mother trying to hold it in place.

Cory was having an attack, worse then before and we had all thought him cured.

Best thing I could want for the New Year: Reviews! They keep me so motivated guys!

(And 74th games start next chapter :D- the time you've all been waiting for)