"You Think I'm Pretty Without Any Make Up On, You Think I'm Funny When I Tell The Punch Line Wrong, I Know You Get Me So I Let My Walls Come Down. Before You Met Me I Was Alright But Things Were Kinda' Heavy You Brought Me To Life, Lets Go All The Way Tonight, No Regrets Just Love, You Make Me Feel Like I'm Living A Teenage Dream." – Katy Perry; Teenage Dream.

"Go away."

I murmured, burying my head deeper into the pillow, squeezing my eyes tighter as sleep faded away and consciousness reared its ugly head, a few more minutes, that's all I wanted, a few more minutes of sleep before insomnia would take over me for the next few weeks. I heard Cato chuckle from beside me, continuing to nuzzle his face into the crook of my neck, breathing in the scent of my hair which was sprawled out over me. His warm breath caused the skin on my neck to tingle, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up as he caused the butterflies in my stomach to soar, only he would have the ability to do such a thing at such an early time in the morning.

"Come on sleepyhead, big day today."

His lips softly made contact with the skin beneath my earlobe, before the warmth of his body and arms completely disappeared as he hauled himself out of bed, pulling the duvet and sheets with him. I groaned in disdain as cold air kissed my skin in an unpleasant manor, rolling over and rub my eyes a little as the early specks of sun made its way through the window.

"It's not like we actually have to be there, we could just sleep in until we have to board the train," I mumbled, lying flat on my back and staring at the ceiling above, yawning openly as Cato shuffled around the room, pulling out his clothes for the day and for his shower.

"As tempting as it is to spend another couple of hours resting beside your snoring face, we have mother dearest and Ellie to say bye to, and the reaping's televised … so yeah we do kinda' have to be there."

I ignored the second half of his response and launched one of my pillows at him, succeeding in it hitting him at the back of his head, not that he took much notice to it, nor did it have any real effect except for bouncing off of him and falling to the floor. He snorted as he turned his head back to look at me, a playful glare dancing on his lips as he came to sit on the side of the bed, placing his large hand on my knee as I grumbled out a reply.

"I do not snore."

"Your ability to only listen to the insults out of the many things I say to you is really remarkable."

I rolled my eyes at his words, swatting his hands away from my knee before getting up myself, and walked over to the drawer across the room, picking out an outfit that I knew would cause Gold to have a seizure, not that I cared much on how I was present on television today. It wasn't exactly something to celebrate in the first place, only I seemed to be the only person in District Two to think so, while everyone else practically bounced with excitement in excitement and anticipation for this day, now that confidence and belief in District Two bringing back winners had been restored, people were practically itching to see the Academy's volunteers this year.

"Hey," Cato's voice lost the teasing tone it once held, taking on one of softness and concern, his arms wrapping around my waist, chin resting on my shoulder as he pulled my back into him.

It was common knowledge between us both on why exactly I was dreading this, because exactly a year ago today was when Mico and I were entered to play the Games, a memory I would give anything to erase from my mind. Unfortunately for me life was no where near that easy, and attempting to bear the pain that came along with the next coming weeks was all I could do until it was over. I leaned my head back against Cato's chest, who still towered over me in his ridiculous height, his arms encasing me in warmth and some form of serenity.

His dipped his head down, softly kissing my bare shoulder, whispering in my ear soft reassurances, "it'll be over before you know it, I promise. I'll be there for everything."

I nodded, turning around in his embrace to face him, my hands grabbing onto his upper arms, although due to his large muscle tone could fit no where near around it, and looked up into his crystal blue eyes. They looked far beyond his actual age, like an adult who had seen many things in their life, when in reality he had only just reached the age of twenty, already he had seen things that had forced him to behave older than he actually was. From such a young he had done nothing but help his mother get by, never having a constant male figure in his life to look up to, and he took it all in his stride, on the outside he didn't seem like anything of the sort, just a strong, confident and arrogant District Two winner.

I reminded myself that that was the Cato I would most likely be spending my time with in the Capitol, not that his alter ego was that bad, he was the one I had spent most of my time with in the week leading up to the Games, he was the one who had clashed with my personality so much. Although that still happened now, both being fairly confident, and in some ways individually independent, so we were bound to clash heads from time to time. I was extremely relieved when our playful insulting banter had returned, because it was what I was first comfortable with when around Cato, what I knew best to be like when around him, and learning of his other side only made me feel as if I knew him that little better.

Which was more than I could say for me, guilt coursed through me every time I failed to confess of my real occupation to him but for some reason I failed to do so every time I tried, it was as if my brain was physically stopping me. I don't know I guess this was my own way of protecting him from anymore chaos, with his own occupation and the stress of having a family to look after, I didn't exactly think this was another burden that he deserved to carry, it was something I could handle myself; that's what the old Faith would have done.

Although arguably I could say that she didn't exist anymore, not after the Games, I had become too broken to return to the stoic and passive girl I once was, my ignorance was in definite need of going, especially as that exact trait was what cost me so much. I was scared to be completely honest, I had grown to know Cato like the back of my hand, and he was not the person to just sit back and watch this happen, he would get himself killed trying to get me off the hook, and no one else was going to die because of me.

I stood on my tiptoes to unite in a kiss with him, a tender one which reminded me of one of our earlier kisses after I had met his mother, it felt shy and new again, like I was meeting him for the first time. It never got old, not once did I ever have a thought where I was used to this sort of affection, I felt like some giddy school girl every time he laid eyes on me, because I knew he looked at no one else the way he looked at me, and it made me practically jump for joy inside.

His arms tightened around me, almost lifting me off the ground as my hands grabbed onto his neck, him deepening the kiss until he practically forced my mouth open for him to dominate, I smiled through it as I bit on his lip slightly, my hands weaving into his hair. Seconds could feel like minutes with him, sometimes even hours, and even then it still never felt as if we had enough time together, especially when I kissed him, and I heard him growl softly as he backed me into the drawer behind me, hearing a loud clang with it.

"Whoa," he breathed as he parted from me slightly, breathing in air as he looks at my flustered face, his eyes dark as he loosens his hold on me.

"Cold shower … definitely a cold shower."

I grin at him as I ease out of his grip, flicking his forehead out of habit and picking up a hairbrush, watching him as he pulls of his wife beater, leaving be gaping at the defined muscles in his shoulders. It still shocked me now, how well he kept in shape and how perfect he managed to look, it were almost as if he were genetically enhanced by the Capitol, and he could definitely give Finnick Odaire a run for his money.

"Why didn't Enobaria mentor with you last year?"

Cato briefly turned to be as he stood at the doorframe, a fresh towel and set of clothes in his arms, his eyes becoming hard as I assumed thoughts of Enobaria crossed his mind. The woman was vile and bluntly rude on the rare times I had met her, her cold chilling gaze practically screamed that she wanted to tear your throat out, and the thought of having her as a mentor was far from a pleasing idea.

"It was her own personal punishment to me," he scoffed, a hand running through his blonde her as he sneered at the thought of her, "suffering the first year of mentoring because of my failed victory."

I stopped midway of my actions, pulling the brush away from my hair, which had grown a considerable amount, due to the good care that the Capitol it always felt soft and replenished now. I walked towards him, standing in front of him on the doorway, knowing that the conversation of Enobaria was over, and poked him on his bare chest with the handle of the brush, earning a tired grin from him as I attempted to return the mood to what it once was.

"Race you to the bathroom."

I bolted before I had even finished my sentence, catching Cato off guard as I raced down the hall and heard his chuckle behind me, my bare feet padding against the floorboards. I let out a surprised yell as I felt one arm snake around my waist, the other grabbing onto my bare legs, his hand feeling cold against my skin there in the pyjama shorts I wore. He held me rather lopsidedly as I laughed at him, his half hearted grip on me making me think that at any moment I could drop to the floor, I looked up at him as he arrogant smirk was aimed at me.

"You cheated," I huffed out, as he softly put my back on my feet in the bathroom, and I smacked him on his shoulders with the brush I still held.

He rolled his eyes at me as he turned on the faucet in the shower, the entire thing encased in glass, while the rest of the bathroom was white marble, the bathtub on the other side of the room a large oval shape, clearly made for relaxation rather than actually washing. Steam slowly rose from the steaming hot water in the shower, and I kept my playful glare aimed at Cato as he tested out the water, chuckling once more as he briefly looked me at.

"I never said I played fair ginger," his eyes took on a mischievous glint, "now, you getting in or what?"

My face must have taken the colour of beetroot red, because he began laughing rather loudly at my expression, and I cracked a smile with him, letting him encircle his arms around my waist, his lips claiming mine for the second time that morning.

The morning went from good to bad practically in a second and now as I sat on the train in chair besides Cato, trying to bear the awkward silence between us and the two tributes before us, I couldn't help but add on another reason as to why I wished I wasn't here. One leg was crossed over the other in the black pencil skirt I wore, my cream blouse tucked into it, and my elbow rested on my lap as my chin lay in my palm.

I softly let my chair swivel from side to side as the silence continued on, Cato's impassive yet intimidating stare beating down on the promising tributes in front of us. His button up shirt was undone from the top, no longer tucked into the plain black trousers he wore, leaning back into his chair with his hands resting on the handles as if it were his throne.

The male tribute this year was a volunteer – shock there – and was the epitome of a model winner for District Two, his hair a dark and dirty blonde, and eyes as dark as his heart and soul appeared to be, matching Cato in muscle tone yet not fully reaching his height, though both men still towered over me a dramatic amount. He was undeniably good looking, only it was easily overshadowed by the chilling smile he wore, as if he weren't fully there, as if he could snap and grab a knife at any moment, I don't ever recall seeing Cato appear that way.

Strike Walter was his name, and it seemed to fit rather well, it matched his crazy-for-murder persona in a nutshell, and I was more than pleased I wouldn't have to be spending anytime with him for the next week; he was Cato's problem, and Cato looked as if he were going to have a field day putting this kid through hell.

The girl – Noelle Aubrey – was without a doubt one of the most beautiful girls I had ever seen, she was destined to take the breath of every single Capitol member the moment we stepped off the train. Her almond shaped eyes were coated with thick lashes, and skin a perfect bronze colour with perfectly long and thick black hair, lips full and a dark pink, but her best feature was the remarkably bright blue eyes of hers, drawing in even the most cold hearted people.

They stood out like a sore thumb and I knew for a fact that was a done deal in terms of sponsors, she was going to be worshipped like a goddess one we arrived, and I could already imagine her face printed on shirts and banners that would become merchandise once she entered the arena.

She did have a flaw however, which was her ridiculous knack for showing no form of emotion on her face, not even a glare, she didn't look pleased or cocky, no confidence, not even a word had been uttered from her mouth; she was a robot. That was a lot coming from someone like me, and I was the ultimate emotionless bitch when I first stepped on this train, but this girl wouldn't even respond to a simple question, and I knew that the key to her would be patience.

"Wipe that stupid smirk off your face kid, 'cause that's whats gonna cause your death the moment you step off the podium."

Cato's voice was hard and calm, keeping his face neutral as Strike's grin only became wider, making me feel uneasy as he watched us both, his eyes skimming my attire briefly, turning into a smirk as his eyes connected with mine. I stared back at him, daring him to break contact first, and from the corner of my eye I could Cato's grip on the arm chair tighten; he hated this kid.

"Sorry," he muttered cockily, his eyes going back to Cato before he hunched into his seat lazily, rolling his eyes as if he were the mentor when Gold stepped into the compartment, sneering at her as she happily greeted us all.

I was the only one who stood to actually welcome her in a soft hug, watching her pour a glass of red liquid for herself before she took a seat to my right, babbling on about gossip from the Capitol, assuring the tributes that they would love it, completely unaware of the tension that filled the room now.

Her hair was still the platinum blonde it was the last year, although she had swapped all the silver clothing and accessories for midnight black, her eyebrows and lips coated in the colour, and my simple guess was that she had been inspired by Karina's dark punk look. Her tight black hot pants were matched with a black camisole, a short black blazer over it, sipping on her wine as she gushed excitedly about this years Games.

I looked back to both tributes, Strike still having a cocky glaring contest with Cato, while Noelle continued to stare at the wall behind my head, both of them dressed in the maroon coloured Academy shirt, the Districts logo imprinted on the left breast, it was a shirt only the last year graduates wore. I cocked my head to the side, aiming to catch the attention of Noelle, momentarily distracted from her daze locked eyes with me, and I had to hold in a gasp at the way she stared at me, as if she could see completely through me and into my soul.

She was definitely not going to be just a pretty face; this girl could probably even make Strike feel intimidated by that plain stare of hers, which made me curious to see what a glare on her perfect features would look like. I gave her a small uneasy smile, trying to rid myself of the tension she brought with her stare, trying to encourage some sort of reaction out of her, after all I was going to be giving tips to this girl on how to survive, not that she looked like she needed to, she was clearly the top female in her class.

This was not going to be easy.

"I hate him," Cato seethed, his fists clenching as he paced back and forth in the carriage bedroom, I nodded absentminded as I still pondered on why Noelle was so emotionless, changing into the cotton pyjama shorts and a shirt that I had brought a long with me.

They would have to tie me up and gag me if they wanted me to get into this ridiculously short silk night gowns they provided in my closet next door, as they all though I would have a separate room to Cato. Who looked as if his head were to implode, not that I necessarily blamed him; Strike was a rather annoying piece of shit, turning his nose up every chance he got at the dinner table.

"I couldn't tell," I muttered, wondering just why Noelle was so persistent in keeping to herself, when she clearly held just as much skill as Strike did, it had me thinking that maybe she wanted to keep people guessing on what she was capable of, or maybe not bothering to make ties because she knew of the odds in the Games, but then again for a typical District Two citizen losing never crossed their minds.

"He's so fucking arrogant, and nasty … he already thinks he's got it in the bag!"

"Remind you of someone you used to know?" I mused, a small smile playing on my lips as I pulled back the duvet, my smile growing wider at the irritated glare he gave me, standing at the foot of the bed in boxer shorts and a plain white T-shirt.

"That's not funny," his tone was dark, clearly not amused by my input, "I was nothing like him when I volunteered. Cocky and rude yes, but that kid looks like he'd be ready to eat the flesh of every kill he makes."

I rose an eyebrow at his way of describing Strike's personality, not that it was completely off key, but the fact he was so clearly rattled by this little boy was amusing, I stifled a small chuckle as I fluffed my pillow, throwing all the decorative ones on the floor beside the bed, leaning over to do the same for Cato, who still continued to pace back and forth throwing every insult at the boy he could possibly think of. Bringing in Strike's ignorant and blood thirsty comments on each tribute we saw as we re-watched the reaping in a viewing room, he looked ready to pounce on the District One female, almost as if he could barely keep it in his pants; almost as if he were fourteen years old and not eighteen.

"And the way he looked at you," Cato scoffed out, standing once again at the foot of the bed as he made eye contact with me, his eyes burning with anger, "like you were a piece of meat, like he could have you in bed in a second."

"Is someone jealous?"

I begun laughing, pulling my hair into a messy bun as I stood on top of the bed, making my way to the end of it where he stood and towering over him, my hands resting on his shoulders as he looked up at me, an irritated look on his face at my question. His arms gripped my waist in a possessive manor, pulling me closer to him and off the bed, so that I eased down to the floor, now looking up at him amusedly my hands still resting on his shoulders.

"I don't need to be jealous of him," He stated, his face inching closer to mine as he whispered his next two words, "you're mine."

I laughed again, elated that he would care this much over a silly boy ogling me, but entertained by the fact that it was simply that; a silly boy two years younger than him pushing on all his buttons.

"You know why it's so easy for him to push your buttons?" I asked him, my eyebrow rose as he shrugged non-committed, "Because you practically wave them around in front of him like a white flag."

He followed me as I crawled onto the bed, collapsing so that I was staring at the ceiling, feeling his arm move underneath my neck and pull me onto his chest, feeling it rise and lower as he let out a long breath, I wrapped an arm around his waist as he pulled the covers over us, his long arm then reaching over to the light switch beside the bed, encasing the entire room in darkness as we lay awake for those few minutes.

"Just cut him a little slack, be patient and don't give in … for all you know this could just be some big front and he might be shitting bricks behind it."

He snorted, lips grazing my forehead softly, "Yeah, he must be a real angel underneath it all."

"I'm being serious Cato."

"So am I."

I let out a little huff, my hand moving up to his shoulder and squeezing it softly to re-enforce my point, my eyes looking up and search for his in the darkness, not that it was a difficult task, and rested my chin on his torso as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, a small smirk playing on his lips.

"He's not nice at all Faith; you know you're wrong about this."

"I've been wrong before," I muttered, my eyes staring hard at his as I spoke my next words, "I thought you were a heartless asshole, how wrong was I there?"

His eyes narrowed at my use of tactics, knowing what I was doing and knowing he couldn't argue against it, and I grinned in victory as his face relaxed once more, giving me a silent form of compliance to my request. I leaned up, pecking him on the lips and whispering my thanks. His hand grabbed onto the back of my head, pushing me down for our lips to touch once more in a few soft kisses, and I had to admit I liked the growing confidence Cato had when it came to be affectionate with me, it were as if he was coming out of this shell where he locked up all forms of intimate contact with someone.

I sat up after a few moments, resting on my knees as I watched him with a smile on my face, laying there with one hand behind his head, the other holding mine as it rested on his chest.

"What?" He asked, remembering to lower his voice as everyone else on the carriage had retired to bed hours ago, and I placed a finger to my lips to emphasize this point, having Gold catch us out was top of not to do lost.

"It's just things are going so perfectly right now," I whispered quietly, watching his eyes soften a little, "and I can't help but think sometimes that its all gonna go wrong."

His brows furrowed in confusion and exasperation, sitting up softly, his face close to mine as his stare pressed me on for more answers, and it was a proximity I had grown to like. I let out a small sigh, my hand grabbing a fistful of his shirt, as if it could keep him put should he ever disappear, an old habit of mine that always kicked in at odd places.

"Things only stay good with me for a while, and everything fucks up after that," I said, watching the crease in his brow ease off, "that's why sometimes I get nervous, wondering if it'll happen this time."

His hand rested on the back of my neck, pulling my closer towards him so that our noses were practically touching as he spoke his next words, sound tired in a way, as if he'd worn out these words, when it was our first time having this conversation.

"You are just like my damn mother," he muttered, the other hand resting on my thigh as his eyes concentrated on mine, both my hands touching the base of his neck as I listened to his next words, his warmth breath kissing my skin, intoxicating me in a way that only Cato was capable of.

"There is nothing wrong with you Faith, nothing bad is going to happen now … yeah its been pretty shit lately but that's all behind us, I'm here and we are now … that's all you need to think about."

I blush softly as the ridiculous swarm of butterflies invade my stomach once more, making me feel like a silly school teenager like they always do, and it appeared as if I loved to hate them, because they had never attacked me before I met Cato, and I knew that only he would be able to make them surface from their slumber every time he so much as glanced my way, let alone said unbelievably sweet things like this.

"How is it that you always know the right things to say?"

I ask softly, my forehead pressing into his as he lets out a small quite laugh, our lips briefly skimming each other before he replied.

"I don't; they just sound right in the moment."

I nodded in agreement, mostly to just end the conversation, and force him back as our lips making contact, him pulling me along with him as he head touches the pillow below him, and our previous conversation now forgotten.

First off – even though this isn't a Batman fic – I would like to offer condolences to those who have lost family members to the shooting in America at the Dark Knight Rises midnight screening, truly was heartbreaking to hear about and I hope the idiot who referred to himself as 'The Joker' is locked away for a lifetime.

That being said the movie was beyond phenomenal, it literally took my breath away, and it exceeded my expectations! Especially since I have waited four years for that film, I had to watch it twice in once day because I loved it so much! I strongly recommend that anyone who hasn't seen it … to go watch it NOW!

Anyway this really was the last hurdle of the 'filler season' and now that its out of the way it feels like a friggin' breath of fresh air! So glad that I'm done with it, I seriously felt so lazy when it came to the filler chapters, I just wanted to hurry on to the rebellion already, but this is good enough, because things really will change from here! As you'll later see Faith really can't seem to catch a break as the story goes on, but yes thank you for all the reassuring reviews, it did make me feel a lot better! And I hope you all continue to stay patient with me for the next few chapters as I build up the next plot!

But I am thankful that all of you have stuck through all my bullshit! So thank you, and I hope you liked the first glimpse of this years tributes, I LOVED writing Noelle, she's so much fun because she's like … just a blank board.

Replies:

AlwaysAMarauder16: But you are caaayute! Haha! And you'll have to tweet me what other chapters are in your top 3! I keep forgetting to ask! I love writing him this way, I'm writing him as he goes along two years after his games so he's going to change and grow up in ways, same with Faith, she knows she can't be the way she used to needs to mature. And muahahaha you'll have to wait a while for the rebellion! Although it's killing me that it's taking this long! I do want it to hurry up! For everyone's sakes! Thanks for reviewing my love and LY2!

Geekinpink22: Hey there! Thank you so much, I'm glad you like and I'm always thankful for your kind words of reassurance! It's so flattering to see that you think that! Means a lot so thank you for taking time to review my dear!

Justapersonwithapony: Thank you so much! It really has boosted my confidence back up! And thank you, I thought it was due time for a Cato POV since we hadn't had one in a while! And really? That means so much thank you! So lovely of you to say :3 Thank you as well for reviewing yet again, you never disappoint!

Kiralol101: Sorry I thought it was time to remember Mico a little, because I honestly miss writing him so much, and I miss him as a character! Yeah I think it was time for her to break down a little again, because she hasn't since her little 'episode', and yup I was glad he was there to pick her back up! Yes definitely, Cato had an aim to finish what his dad started, because it was like closure for him! And yep she's definitely found a place in the family dynamic of Cato's household! Hahaha, yep I was definitely screaming about being 'a blast in a glass' on that night, totally a good time! ;)

KnucklePuck26: Hey! Don't worry about it! Haha yep definitely twisted, not exactly functional or healthy at all! I know it is a little cringe worthy seeing him reduced to that level! And thank you that means a lot coming from a fellow author, especially one I'm a fan of! I know! I've noticed it in other stories, it's like people have given up a little! Ahh well I'll just keep on writing because I love this story too much to give up Thank you for your kind review and hope to see an update from you soon too!

HermoineAndMarcus: Thank you and I shall!

Guest: Thank you, I hope this chapter does it for you and that you enjoy it!

Rena: Thank you for taking the time to write a review for me, it makes me feel exceptionally happy so thank you! Yeah I thought it was a bout time I did another Cato POV! Because people seemed to love it last time! And ahhhh I don't think that'll be for a while I'm afraid! Thank you for reviewing and hope you like this chapter!

Brooke332: Thank you so much! Honestly encouraging reviews such as yours really do make me feel better! And yeah I get what you mean, I'm just so glad the filler part of this story is over and done with, and thank you for taking time to review this chapter and reassure me! It means a huge amount!

Guest: Hey! Thank you and I hope it was worth the wait!

IloafPeeta3: Loving the name! And ahhhh I'm glad you did too! Always lovely having a new reader! And It honestly means a lot for you to say that, it brings huge smiles on my face no matter where I am! Thank you for waiting patiently for each update and I hope this one was worth your while!

Lorraine: Thank you and I'm sorry! It's just rather difficult to write this, amongst the fact that I have work and ATTEMPTING to have a social life … isn't working though!

SaiyanPrincess711: Half way through editing what you sent me and than you, yeah I think its definitely needed, she needs some sort of stability in her life as the only constant thing before that is gone … Yeah I hope it does too! And That's something I actually hadn't given the time to think about, but it's open to interpretation so you can go ahead and think they did! Thank you for reviewing yet again my dear, you've been here from the start and that means a lot!

AlexShah: I miss him too! Yes, I think she really would have hit rock bottom if she didn't have that beautiful blonde in her life, and haha used from the Batman Comics my dear! Forget the film because that was just a joke! I know! It was so awful, because you can tell she's still beating herself up about it, thank you for reviewing dear and hope you like this chapter!

Guest: Thank you, thank you and thank you! Again it's great to know that people are taking time to review and reassure me of that little blip, and that honestly means so much to me! I love that you love this fanfiction ha! And I will definitely finish this story, whether it takes one month or one year! This story will be finished!

Well that's all folks! (looney toones style) HA! So yep, rate, review, fav, follow … do whatever you like and hope you all enjoyed the chapter!