Author's Note; ding ding ding! Heres another chaaaapter! How are you liking it so far? It's a nice long one so why not give me nice long reviews? Or lots of little ones, I dont mind, either one :) Review and let me know if you want more!

Peeta's P.O.V

It's the last day of school today and Katniss is still in the hospital, they're letting her out this weekend to make sure her head has healed as best as possible before we go to her mums. I've been there with her in her room every day for as long as possible with her family and even Gale coming in and out to see how she is doing but I never left, I lay next to her in her hospital bed, stroking her and talking to her about how everyone at school is and to comfort her until I was kicked out by the nurses when visitor hours were over. I can't tell if there are any problems psychologically seeing as though she hasn't been out of that single room yet but her psychical injuries are healing well, the bruising going down and the cut coming from her hairline is healing. Naturally everyone in school has heard about what happened but obviously not the details seeing as though Katniss herself doesn't even know so rumours have been spread to fill the gaps. One rumour is that I did it to her but that one die down really quickly when I exploded at some poor guy who told me about it and nobody dared talk about it again. The second was that Glimmer and Katniss had a bitch fight in which Glimmer won which anyone should be able to tell is utter bullshit comparing the two but Glimmer seems to be promoting that particular one. The last was that it was Cato. I knew he had some weird crush on her or something but I didn't believe that even someone like him could do that to her so I personally assumed it was someone outside of school. I mean, who could do that to her and then have to see her every day at school after and most likely get caught unless they just didn't come to school..? Not coming to school.. I haven't actually seen Cato in a while, we don't have any classes together but I do see him walking round the school with his group of jerks sometimes. With this information settling in my head I get up from the lunch table I'm currently sitting at with my friends and get up to find one of Cato's group. They normally occupy the comfier seats by the stairs so I head over there to find Marvel sitting there with Glimmer and her other annoying friend Clove.

"Hey Peety! Finally decided to come looking for me now your other toy is broken?" Glimmer nearly literally spits out at me. I feel my face actually crinkle slightly at her remark. It's gotten to a point where this girl actually disgusts me.

"Broken? Katniss is unbreakable. Especially from pathetic people who try to intentionally hurt people, even if that were remotely possible, I'd rather a broken phone than a slutty Barbie doll any day." I say which shuts her up and whispers something into Clove's ear which I can't be bothered to dwell on so I turn to Marvel who was just looking at the display in front of him with mild interest.

"Where's Cato been?" I get straight to point.

"What does it matter to you?" He says with a kind of snorting sound like he's gotten one over me.

"Coach wants to know why he didn't turn up to his one to one with him." I easily lie, making Marvel's face turn more concerned but not by much.

"His mum has taken him on holiday early or something." He says with a shrug of his shoulders which I don't fully believe but I keep the scenario going.

"Oh right, when was that? So I can tell coach." I prod.

"Ermm, when was it? Like three days ago?" He asks with looks to the girls sitting next to him for confirmation, who both nod and look back at me. That was the night Katniss was found.

"Great, thanks." I mutter and turn on my heels and leave again. Now I'm pretty sure the third rumour is true. Cato did this to my girlfriend and I'm going to kill him.


It's finally the end of the day and as the last bell goes off I literally jump out of my seat and make a beeline for the door to get out. For the last two lessons I've been letting the thoughts of what Cato was trying to do to Katniss simmer in my head from not being able to stop them and now it is time to get her justice. Without saying goodbyes to everyone I practically sprint to my truck outside the school and jump inside. Luckily everyone knows where Cato lives due to the sheer amount of parties that have been thrown there so I didn't have to ask anyone and reveal any intentions I have. It takes me about five minutes to get there, the journey consisting of me pushing as hard as possible on the gas and drumming my thumbs on the steering wheel in anxiety and anger. I hastily brake outside of his large house, climb out and run up the front path. I ring both the doorbell and knock really roughly on the door to make sure anyone inside the house will actually hear me and so it cannot be ignored. I wait outside for a while before I knock again but there still isn't any answer. Another five minutes go past so I walk over to the side of the house to peer inside the garage to look for signs of a car and therefore life in the house but I can't see clearly into it as the windows are slightly blacked out. I'm on my way back around to the front when I hear another car come to a speedy halt outside and my heart quickens at the thought that its Cato but I'm disappointed. It's Gale that's coming out of what must be his car.

"I saw your truck going the opposite direction from the hospital and knew you must have found something out not to go straight to Katniss's side." He says striding up the path. "He's not here, he's hiding." No shit I think. "But I know where he is. He's staying at his Uncle's till it dies away, at least that's what he hopes." Gale says in a rushed voice.

"For fuck sake!" I shout as I kick a stone from the path in aggravation.

"I know where it is. His uncle orders from the butchers I work at and I delivered there once. Follow me in your truck, I'll take you there." Gale abruptly says and marches back to his car and I follow in haste to my truck, get in and wait for Gale to pull out. The route we drive is one I don't recognise, it leads us into a really, really rich part of the town that I've never been in so I keep my eyes focused on the back of Gale's car so I don't lose him and pray he knows where the hell he is going. Right before we park in front of what I'm presuming is Cato's Uncle's house my phone vibrates in my pocket and I pull it out to read a message from Katniss.

Where are you? I miss you. And I look at the time to see I would normally have been at her side half an hour ago. I quickly type back.

Gotta take care of some things quickly but will be there as soon as possible. I love and miss you so much already xx Katniss doesn't need to worry about this right now so I hide the truth from her, she just needs to heal and I'll tell her about it later. Gale and I get out of the car and make our way up to the big polished oak doors and ring the bell. I give a quick glance at Gale and he nods back at me when the door opens to Cato himself who quickly tries to shut the door once more but Gale stops it with his foot which must have fricking hurt but he doesn't even flinch.

"Why are you hiding Cato?" I ask, taking control of the situation from Gale's silence and I know he's letting me do this for Katniss even know I know he must be feeling exactly the same as me. Cato looks from me to Gale and then he visibly inflates himself to try and exert dominance over the situation but it doesn't affect me in the slightest, nothing's going to stop me.

"I'm sick so taking time off school." He says shrugging his shoulders, looking confident in his answer.

"What, with amnesia like Katniss has?! Bullshit!" I spit in disgust. Cato flinches at Katniss's name and that's all the evidence I need or the decision I'm about to make. Within seconds I've re-positioned my footing and clenched my fists. Gale takes the hint of my positioning and uses his foot to push the door fully open, leaving Cato completely unprotected by it and I make my move. I lunge my right arm forward to crash it against the side of his face, just below his left eye with a satisfying impact noise. Cato barely moves from the hit but he does reach up and clasps his face where I struck him and before I knew it I was being knocked off of my feet an to the ground behind me. Cato had flung himself forward and rugby tackled me in the stomach, knocking the wind from me. A couple of seconds of confusion where all I had before what felt like a brick smashed into my shoulder, my stomach and what I saw to be a hand lifted again, aiming at my face before the crushing weight on top of me was removed. Coughing an gripping my stomach to regain my breath I slowly got up with pain pulsing all over my body and to the left of me I see Gale pinning Cato to the floor and punching him as he had done to me. I see the anger in Gale and it scares me as he carries on punching and punching Cato to the extent that Cato is starting to stop trying to defend himself. At that sight something inside me clicks. Katniss wouldn't want this.

"Gale! That's enough!" I yell moving forward to him but he doesn't respond so I lunge forward and stop his fist from contacting Cato's again. "Enough." I whisper as I look him in the eyes as he still lingers over Cato and I see the anger slowly drain from his eyes. Cato has enough strength in him to push a now relaxed Gale off of him and stand up and so does Gale so we both are facing him. His face is already bruising and swelling and his nose is trickling with blood.

"I'm going to fucking get you for this!" He yells out, wiping some of the blood away.

"No you're not. You're going to tell everyone you did this at a small rugby training we did just like what we're going to say about our bruises or else we'll report you to the police and believe me, you'll get a hell of a lot more than we will." I stare him right in the eyes and I see something flash in them and I know he's thinking over how he can get out of it but he can't so me and Gale simply turn around and walk back to our cars.

"I see what she sees in you now. You see reason, which you need with some as hot headed as Katniss and I guess that's why me and her aren't together, there's too much anger and flames with both of us together. I wouldn't have stopped." He finishes with a lowered head and I don't think there's anything I can say to that. Did Gale actually just admit I may be better for Katniss than him? His face is full of sadness so I know he isn't mocking me for making him stop but I still don't understand.

"I'll see you later, I know you'll look after her." Is the last thing he says as he gets in his car and drives back down the road.