~Peeta's POV~
Katniss and I are quickly led back inside the Justice Building just as a gun shot sounds. Katniss shrinks against my body, my arm tightening around her. I can feel her arm shaking slightly under my hand. I just knew she was going to blame herself for this.
"What happened? The cameras were shot off after Katniss's beautiful speech," Effie says looking between Katniss and I.
"You two with me now," Haymitch's voice was hard and demanding. He waved for us to follow after him. Katniss looks up at me her grey eyes filled with dread. I lean down so my lips are at her ear.
"It's not your fault. You tried." She just shakes her head.
"That's not what I'm worried about," her voice is hushed just quiet enough for me to hear. Haymitch a door to a room almost stomping in.
"What were you thinking Katniss?" Katniss pulls away from me at this clearly irritated now.
"Excuse me. I was just doing what I was told to do. I'm sorry if they took it the wrong way. That's not exactly my fault is it?" Katniss's voice comes out defensive and snappy. Haymitch seems unaffected.
"'Murder.' That's exactly what you called it, sweetheart. Hate to break it to you but you just threw fuel into a fire." I watch as the two stare each other down.
"You told me to speak. I was more than okay with sitting back silently." Katniss's hands rest on his hips as she glares at Haymitch.
"Next time say something like lover boy says. He knows what he's doing," Haymitch jabs a finger in my direction as he says this.
"Are you serious? I'm probably more trained in the public speaking area than he is," she snaps.
"Shut up you two!" I say stepping forward my arm going around Katniss's waist to pull her back. She pulls away from me though. I let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry Peeta but this is mine and Haymitch's fight," I'm taken back by the snappiness she uses with me.
"Look Katniss. The boy is right now's not the time to have this fight. We have a fire to control and so far you're not going that." Katniss throws her hands up in exasperation.
"I'm sorry I'm such a screw up. I don't care what happens to this god damned country. It's screwed up anyways. Maybe a rebellion is what we need. All I care about at the moment is keeping Peeta safe from my father." This time when I wrap my arm around Katniss she doesn't push me away.
"I know that, Katniss! Controlling this fire is probably the only way to do that," Haymitch lowers his voice now rubbing his hands over his face. Katniss's arms wind around my waist tightly. I place a soft kiss on the top of her head.
"Kat, look everything will be fine. We'll figure out some way to fix things," I say placing my hands on either side of her face making her look at me. One of her hands comes up to rest on mine.
"I won't let something happen to you. If I have to start a rebellion myself to make sure you don't, I will." I sigh placing a soft kiss on her lips.
"There won't be need for that. You'll see." Her grey eyes bore into mine causing me to forget about Haymitch and the situation we're in.
"I love you," she whispers. I smile softly.
"I love you too."
"Alright you two that's enough we need to go before somebody gets suspicious. Your next stops you'll have to do some major damage control." Haymitch brushes past us and out of the room. Katniss takes my hand in hers with a sigh and we follow him out. The upcoming weeks run through my mind. We'll be in the Capitol in no time, and it'll be time to do what I want to.
"Kat, wait." She stops turning to look at me concern written plainly on her face.
"What is it?"
"I just...you remember that everything I say I mean. Not one bit is for the cameras, or to keep us safe, right?" She nods raising an eyebrow.
"Of course. Why do you keep reminding me?" I shake my head letting out a soft chuckle.
"Just making sure. Let's go." Suspicion crosses her face but she drops it and follows me down the stairs to Effie and Haymitch.
"Is everything sorted out?" Effie asks clearly flustered with the turn of events.
"Yeah. Everything's good," I say with a hint of doubt in my voice.
~Katniss's POV~
Mentally I yell at myself for letting myself get vulnerable. The more vulnerable I get, the easier it is for my father to hit me where it hurts. I look up at the blonde hair blue eyed boy beside me trying to figure out how he got through my walls. Something I'd probably never understand. I stay silent as Peeta, Effie, and Haymitch all chat idly. My head spins with thoughts of what my father could do.
Haymitch and Peeta didn't live with my father for seventeen years, they didn't know what he was really like. I've seen people turned into avoxes, people tortured, people killed, the evil grin of satisfaction that crosses his face when his victim is punished. He really is a snake. My punishments were always watching things like this happen. I would never forget the first time I watched someone become an avox.
I was kicking and screaming tears falling freely down my face and a peacekeeper drug me into the torture wing of our house.
"Please no," I pleaded. The peacekeeper - Marcus - stayed silent as my father walked behind us. "Daddy please." My father had no reaction what so ever. Even if I was only five. Marcus tossed me gently into the large white room. The room was almost completely dark aside from the few flickering lights revealing blood stains here and there, drains, and the red headed girl in the middle of the room sobbing.
The drains made my stomach twist even at that age I knew what they were for. I knew my father, it was a drain for the blood of his victims. The image of blood going down the drains was enough to almost make me throw up.
"What are you going to do to her, daddy?" I asked my voice shaky as I looked up at my father.
"Be patient, child." The calmness in his voice sent chills up my spine.
"Please don't! I'm sorry! Wasn't killing my fiance enough!?" The girl yelled in between sobs her body was visibly shaking.
"Enough!" Marcus's voice rung throughout the room causing an eerie silence. He slowly walked forward a small curved knife in his hands. I turned to run but my father caught me forcing me to turn and watch.
"Daddy stop him! Please! Don't hurt her!" I watched in horror as Marcus made his way towards the girl. She was yelling and crying and trying to scramble away but it was clear she was injured in some way making movement hard for her. Marcus finally caught her and I watched as he pulled her tongue from her mouth. "No!" I screamed trying to break free of my fathers grip.
"Any last words, sweetheart?" Marcus taunted just as the knife blade hit her tongue causing a scream of agony unlike any I've heard before. The knife drove further into her tongue until it was cut just enough that when she was screaming it was more of a gargling noise. Blood rushed from her mouth down her chin and onto the floor. It trickled into the drains making me scream. The girl tried to speak but only noises came out. She was crying a choked sound.
My father dragged me out of the room and from the day I knew how awful my father was. He was a monster, a killer, and I was his daughter. I was the president's daughter and I never hated that fact so much.
"Kat." Peeta's voice calls me back to the present and I notice goosebumps have risen on my arms.
"Sorry.." I whisper my voice shaking slightly. I look up meeting Peeta's blue eyes. I would not let him be in that position or in any position in my father's grip. Peeta's the one thing that's made me happy, made me not hate my life. Peeta is mine, I love him, and my father can't have him.
"Are you okay?" I give a slight nod of my head. Yes. I am okay. I will not let my father win. "Okay, well it's time for the dinner." I nod and we follow suit after Haymitch and Effie. We eat dinner, take pictures with people, answer questions, and eat some more. Finally when the dinner is over we head back to the train. Peeta and I collapse onto the bed in our room, his arms wrapped tightly around me.
"I'd love to go to bed like this every night," Peeta's voice breaks the comfortable silence between us, making me smile.
"I wouldn't object to that," I reply. A smile spreads across his face.
"I was hoping you'd say that." I arch an eyebrow the smile remaining on my face.
"How else would I have replied? No? You're stuck with me, Mellark," I give him a smirk which causes him to chuckle.
"I'm okay with this." He winks cause me to let out a soft laugh.
"Go to sleep, Mellark," I say snuggling into his side as I close my eyes.
"Goodnight, Kat. I love you."
"I love you, too." I fall asleep with a smile on my face despite the events of today.
The next week is pretty much hell. Giving speeches to bored crowds, excited crowds, rebellious crowds, and of course the sad crowds. Each district has a different reaction to us. I get the sense after every speech that maybe we are too late, that the fire can't be diminished like Seneca and my father think. Although, Peeta and I get to have some good moments with each other in some of the Districts.
In District Four we go to the beach after our speeches. It was almost like a date you could say. It finally felt like we were a normal couple. Not "star-crossed lovers". A few of the other Districts though, we would just wonder away amazed by the different Districts. I being the president's daughter have been to more of the Districts but Peeta had never been outside District Twelve and it was fun watching his reactions.
Even though we had these moments after they were over all of us - Haymitch, Effie, Peeta, and I - would get back on the train and make ourselves miserable wondering if our performances were good enough. Are we diminishing the flame? Are we just adding fuel to the fire? Are we succeeding? Are we failing? We lose sleep over this. The nightmares get worse and become more frequent.
My nightmares were all of the things my dad could do to Peeta. Peeta in the games. Peeta being tortured. Peeta dying. Peeta. Peeta was having nightmares too. He tells me all of them are of me dying, my father hurting me, all of me. I don't know why he seems to be worried about me. I survived sixteen and a half years with my father, this was nothing. When we finally make it to the Capitol our burden only gets heavier. This was it. This was our last chance.
~Peeta's POV~
"Haymitch, can I talk to you alone for a moment?" I ask him as I fidget nervously with the sleeves of my jacket. Today was it. There's no going back. Not that I want to.
"Sure." He nods and I follow him down a couple halls until he seems to think we're perfectly alone. I don't see why Snow wouldn't have camera's here, but Haymitch thought it was okay so I suppose it was.
"Well, I uh.." I fumble tripping over my words, something I never do. I reach into my pocket pulling out a black velvet box. Haymitch's eyes get three times bigger when he realizes what it is.
"Are you sure?" He asks. There is no traces of him being drunk as he speaks. I nod swallowing hard. Terrified Katniss will say no.
"I'm more sure than...I've been of anything," I say honestly. Haymitch smiles genuinely.
"Well, good luck lover boy. You sure you want to do it on camera though? She may think it's just a show."
"I'm sure. I want all of Panem to know she's mine, and see how much I love her. I've reminded her everyday since I decided to do it that everything I say I mean. Nothing's for the cameras." Haymitch gives me a pat on the back.
"Well, then you seem set. Good luck, buddy," he says and walks back to Katniss's door. I follow after him and find Cinna has finally finished prepping her. She's in a light sunset orange dress that hangs to her knees. The straps fall just off her shoulder. I look away from the dress and up to her face once again struck by her beauty.
"God, you're beautiful." A light shade of pink colors her cheeks widening my smile.
"You're not so bad yourself," she says causing me to full on grin. I lower my lips to her ear reminding her once more.
"Everything is real. Not one thing is for the camera, please remember that." She nods suspicion crossing her features again.
"Alright you two lovebirds let's get this show on the road." We both nod following after our stylists, Haymitch, and Effie. Cesar introduces us nicely, and the crowd goes wild. We are greeted with five minutes of applause. The kiss I managed to sneak in made it last longer. Cesar and I have an easy banter going as we usually do while Katniss remains quiet aside from a few comments.
"Cesar, if you don't mind there's something I'd really like to do." Cesar nods motioning for me to continue. This is it. I stand from the couch and kneel down on one knee in front of Katniss. Her eyes grow large as the audience gasps in unison. I swallow hard before starting. "Katniss Snow, since our first encounter in District Twelve I've never been able to shake you. You were always on my mind, I was always looking for you on the TV. Then I had the luck of being reaped and you cared enough to want to save me. I never thought I'd fall so hopelessly in love with anyone, but Katniss I love you with everything I have, and more than words can express. I'd like to spend the rest of my life trying to show you how much I love you though. So, will you marry me?"
