A/N: Sorry, I had total writers block and it took me a while to upload this. Anyways, better late than never!

I wake up at six o'clock sharp to the ear-splitting alarm. It's a good thing I don't sleep with a knife under my pillow (like Haymitch), or I would have stabbed someone from being startled like that. One thing all people should know: don't freak out a victor. Finnick has to wrap his arms around me to slow down my breathing. "Just the alarm clock." He tells me, kissing my forehead. "I'm gonna go get dressed. Meet me in fifteen minutes at breakfast? We gotta get you to Medical and get out of here." As soon as the heavy (probably bomb-proof) door clicks closed behind Finnick, Prim groans, and pulls the blanket over her face.

"I know, I know." I sympathize with her, yawning. I stand up and stretch my arms above my head. I throw on a clean pair of District 13 clothes – oh, how I hate the wardrobe here, but at least I don't have to worry about looking fashionable for the press – and braid my hair. "Make sure you're at school by eight. I'm going to breakfast. I'm gonna be out the whole day, with rebellion stuff. Have a good day, and I'll be back for dinner." I tell Prim, kissing her forehead. She nods, and stifles a yawn. The only times I woke up earlier than this were when I was hunting to feed my family. But back then, I wasn't haunted by nightmares every night. Only the occasional one about my father, and I thought that was bad. If only I knew how lucky I was back then.

I go to the medical center and hand the gray-eyed nurse at the counter my slip of paper. She nods and unlocks a counter, giving me a long white pill and a tiny circular red one. "The second one is a painkiller for your concussion." She tells me, her smile never reaching her eyes. I take a sip of the water she gave me in a small plastic cup, and swallow the two pills, feeling them slowly go down my throat. I'm not crazy, and I don't need medication for anything. But Dr. Aurelius only has my best interests at heart, so why shouldn't I cooperate? Maybe it'll help. I sure hope it will.

I sit with Finnick at a table by ourselves for breakfast. We eat oats with small dried fruit and some type of sweet bread. It's good, but I miss being full. The District 13 natives keep whispering and pointing in our direction. It takes me a little while to figure it out. We're the only source of drama or entertainment they've had in a while. I was used to it in the Capitol, but here, it's slightly unexpected. Then again, they really don't do much during the day. And since they're not constantly living in fear of the Capitol, they must get pretty bored here. There's literally nothing to do.

As soon as we've finished our meal, Finnick leads us to the hovercraft launch pad. President Coin's assistant and right-hand man, Boggs, is waiting for us. "Good morning." He greets us. I guess he's used to the schedule here, since he seems to be ridiculously energetic. Where as Finnick and I are still waking up, and I have to try not to fall asleep on the hour and a half ride. Boggs briefs us on how this'll work. He and Finn will have headsets, and I'll have a matching one that goes in my ear. I clip it on right away. They'll both be up above me, the invisible shield on so it looks like they're not there. Even though the Capitol has no reason to be in District 12, it's really better safe than sorry.

The hovercraft materializes right above what Boggs tells me is the Justice Building. "Good luck." Finnick tells me, kissing me quickly. I don't know what he means until I reach the ground. The Justice Building – or rather what used to be that building – is a pile of bricks. I try to locate myself. It's difficult. There's coal dust all over District 12, and I guess everything just went up in flames when the bombs dropped. I can tell what used to be the Hob. I manage to find my old house, but on the walk over there, I trip over a rock. It's not a rock though, it's a skull. I have to put my hands on my knees and bend over to calm down my breathing.

All that's left of my old house is the fireplace. We were completely moved out, but still, I feel like I've lost something dear. Ashes fall from the two crumbling walls onto my badly worn-in shoes. I decide to check the Victor's Village to see what's left of it. To my surprise, it's untouched.

I open the door to my mansion – it's slightly ajar, and I feel like I'm intruding to some level, even though it's mine. I take my game bag from the hook behind the door where it always has been, and start piling things in it. I start by getting three pairs of my shoes, and a pair of Prim's favorite sneakers. I also take my parent's framed wedding photo and my father's old hunting jacket. My face lights up when I see my closet. Still hanging are at least a dozen pairs of bras and underwear. I grab them up, and throw in five or six of Finnick's shirts and a few pairs of his boxers. There aren't any pants, but I do see a few pairs of my sweats so I stuff them in the large bag. There still is a good amount of room, and I leave them there with the hope that one day, I can come back here for good. I never thought I'd actually like the idea of living here. But then again, District 13 isn't that great.

I decide to peek inside my mother's room. Maybe I'll find something of hers to bring with me. Instead, I'm hit with the overwhelming smell of something strong. On the nightstand, in a tall glass of water, is a single red rose. Those aren't ordinary roses though, they're his roses. He was here, recently. I slam the door to her room so hard the walls seem to shake. I quickly walk down the hall and go into Prim's. I pick up a few of her notebooks and and some colored pencils. She loves to draw in her free time, so I might as well try to give her something to do. On my way out of the house, I lock the door behind me. I set the passcode on the door to 6573, the dates of the years of Finnick's and my respective Games. The Victor's Village is extremely secure, and now nobody will be in there.

I decide to stop at Haymitch's house next door. It's in worse condition. All the windows are open, and there's ashes all over the floor. It's a mess. I decide to head up to his room in hopes of maybe bringing him some bottles of liquor. I don't find any. Just as I'm walking out, something catches my eye. A red envelope. Labelled to me. The handwriting isn't Haymitch's, and it isn't Hazelle's, so that means chances are, Johanna wrote it. I'm still not quite sure why they broke up – Johanna claimed that it's because they disagreed on whether or not to tell me something, which really makes no sense to me. Anyways, I tear open the envelope and read what she wrote.

Katniss,

You're the only person who would find this. If your reading this, and I died in the arena, you might wanna stop. Just sayin'. I mean I know you miss me a lot and all that, but it might upset you or something. Just don't do it.

So you've kept reading. Guess I'm alive and so are you. And I'm not in District 12 and this hasn't been burned. So that probably means that the Capitol took me. And chances are they took Finn too. I can't leave you a lot of details about the rebellion, since I don't know who could be reading this. Maybe Snow? If so, then fuck you, asshole. Anyways, I had Hazelle place this here as soon as the Games started, so Haymitch wouldn't find it. He doesn't like me telling you shit. I guess the good question is why are you back in District 12? Haymitch said that you'd wanna come back, some type of nostalgia thing. I've never really had a home so I don't get that. But whatever.

Damn, I really can't focus, can I? So assuming the Capitol has me and Finn, you're probably a mess. Hang in there, okay? Talk to Beetee, he knows people who will come to break us out, and they definitely won't let you come, but it might give you some peace in mind.

Then again, shit usually doesn't fork out in my favor, so I could easily be dead in the Capitol. That's not the point. You need to do this. D13 is a pain in the ass, but think of what our future could be like? You could have kids, and not fear for their lives the day they turn 12.

A long time ago, maybe 7 or 8 years ago, we were talking about how one day, someone's gonna come along, and maybe they'll be able to finally change Panem, and get rid of the Games some day. And that person is you. Katniss, you're the mockingjay. Go out there and act like it.

I'll see you soon, okay? I promise.

Jo.

PS: Can you burn this when you're done. There's matches in the nightstand drawer.

I stand up straight, and smell the paper. It smells like her. I didn't realize how much I missed Johanna. She's really my closest female friend. I take out the matches, and bring the paper to the en suite bathroom. I turn the letter and envelope into ashes and let the water run until they're all down the sink. Haymitch comes in on my ear piece. "Sweetheart, care to explain to me why you're in my house?"

I grab my game bag, and walk outside, and wave my hands. "I was just looking for something to drink I'd bring up for you. There isn't." I say quickly. It's a half-truth, so I don't feel bad. Haymitch grumbles, and a hovercraft appears above me, sucking me up. I drop the bag at my feet, and slide down the wall of the small plane. Haymitch raises an eyebrow at me, and shakes his head. Finnick comes over, and wraps his arms around me. I lean my head on his shoulder.

Finnick kisses my forehead. "What'd you get?" He asks me. "And how bad was it down there? I didn't want to look."

I don't even notice that I'm crying until I see that Finnick's shoulder is a darker grey than the rest of his shirt from my salty tears. I wipe my eyes, and lean my head back. "Everything's... gone. The Hob, the school, all the houses, and even the Mayor's home and the Justice building. It's just ashes and bones. Except for the Victor's Village. And it's all my fault. All of it."

Haymitch's eyes meet mine. He shakes his head and simply says "No." It's said with such certainty that I think I believe it. "It's really not, Katniss. You're too emotional about all the wrong things, and you don't seem to care about the right ones. It's like you don't want things to change, at all. "

"That was a bit too much." Finnick tells him. "She lost everything. How did you feel? How did Jo feel? Remember when Annie went mad – how I lost it? This isn't easy at all, and being relocated to fucking District Thirteen of all places doesn't help." He's right, and I appreciate him standing up for me, but I hate how they talk about me in third person like I'm not even in the room.

Haymitch nods in agreement. "You're right. Look, Katniss. A lot is going on, and there's a lot that has to be done in the next few weeks." He lowers his voice. "No matter your feelings about Coin, if you want to be a part of the rebellion, and you want to be the Mockingjay, so that way you can have kids and never worry about what happens when they turn twelve, and not be so scared of the Capitol, then you need to team up with her, and be a little less hostile towards District 13."

"If I had never volunteered, everything would've been so different." I say, awestruck.

"I never would have met you." Finnick adds quietly.

"Do you know if we'll be able to rescue Gloss and Jo anytime soon? I really miss them." I ask Haymitch.

"Me too." He admits. "But I have no idea. Again, you have to bring that up with Coin." *

We get back to District 13 three hours early, which is nice. Finnick helps me carry the over-stuffed game bag to my room, where we dump it on my bed. It seems a lot heavier than I remember. Prim's at school, so she's not in the room. I put all of Prim's stuff on the foot of her bed, and put up the few mementos from home on our dresser. I go to take out my father's hunting jacket when a large furry mass attacks me.

Finnick jumps up and scrambles for a weapon. I laugh, and then my expression turns a little solemn. "Oh, my god. That's Prim's cat, Buttercup. I hate him." He hisses at me. "She's gonna freak out when she sees him. I didn't even know he was alive."

Finnick drops the bombshell on me as I hand him a few pairs of his pants and some of his shirts that I'm not hoarding. "I want you to move in with me." He says plainly, while folding a deep blue shirt. Before I can object or even try to question that, he continues, "Well, for here in District 13. It's not really a big deal, and I think it would be better for both of us. Prim can get more sleep since you won't be waking her up with nightmares, and you really don't need to take care of her. She's not a little girl anymore. And we'll have each other. I would really like that. If you don't wanna do that, it's really okay, I get it."

"No, I'd really like that. Let me just make sure Prim'll be okay with it." I smile, kissing Finnick sweetly. And he's really right. I woke Prim up enough, before the Games. And even though a good part of me wants to me a mother figure to her, she's not the scared twelve year old she was on Reaping Day two years ago. She's grown a lot and she doesn't need me to be a mother. She needs me to be a big sister, and I also need to take care of myself.

Haymitch stops by the room around three thirty to bring us downstairs. We're meeting with Plutarch, Coin, Boggs, Fulvia and Beetee. I'm surprised to see that Thomas and Gale are also there. They're sitting at a conference table in a room different from what we were in last night. There's a fruit plate on the table, and Plutarch seems to be the only one who's touched it. I sit down in between Haymitch and Finnick. Thomas winks and me, and I blush a little. Sex with him was probably the only time that I enjoyed while on the job. Still, it's weird. I mean, considering that he's Finn's friend. "I'm still mad at you about that." Finnick tells Thomas under his breath. Thomas whispers something in Finnick's ear, and he responds with "I know. But stop it. Not again." He puts his arm around me.

President Coin gets everyone to quiet down, and then says in her annoyingly boring monotone, "So, Katniss. Have you reached a decision?"

I nod. "I'm going to be your mockingjay, but under two circumstances." Coin cocks her head to the left, and I can tell she's new to not getting what she wants. She motions for me to continue, so I do. "First of all, you grant immunity to the victors who were captured by the Capitol and we try to get them back here. And the second thing – when all of this is over, I get to kill President Snow." Haymitch pats my back, and Gale gives me a high-five.

For the first time, I see Coin smile, her icy eyes seem to light up a little. "We'll flip a coin on that one. But I can agree to your terms. Looks like we have our mockingjay." She turns to Fulvia, who takes out a notepad. "Ms. Cardew, would you like to explain the next part?"

Fulvia sits up a little straighter. She looks so out-of-place in District 13. Even in her District 13 clothes, she doesn't fit in. Maybe it's the barely noticeable pink tint to her skin or something less subtle like her lilac hair and silver cheek tattoos. I'm not sure. She flips back a few pages on her notepad, and begins to read off her notes. "With Plutarch's assistance, I came up with the idea for propaganda videos, or propos. You, Katniss will star in them as the Mockingjay. Basically, they're videos that should help the people who are still in the districts rally and help the rebel wars beat the Capitol. Beetee can send them over the airwaves."

"Yes, I can. You see, I designed the system that the Capitol uses to broadcast in the Districts, and in the actual Capitol. So I can create a false mandatory viewing in any of the Districts one through eleven – or any of them specifically – and the Capitol. Or, all of them. I guess it depends on what we're showing at the moment."

"We'll start on these tomorrow. Are there any questions?" Coin asks. "No? Good. Alright, I'll see you all tomorrow morning at nine forty-five, sharp. Meeting dismissed.

We all walk back up to the elevator. Gale ends up next to me. "So you went back home? How was that?" He asks me quietly. There seems to be a tinge of hurt in his voice, and I hear him catch himself on a few of his words. I wonder what he's thinking.

"Terrible. Everything's gone." I say, looking at my feet. "I don't wanna talk about it." The elevator stops, as if we're about to get out, but we don't. We're stuck. Me, Haymitch, Thomas, Finnick, Plutarch, Fulvia and Gale are all cramped together in the tiny space. That's pleasant.

Thomas puts his hands up in the air and laughs nervously. "I know, I know. You're in love with her. But damn, it was good." He looks around and sees that the elevator is silent is completely silent, with the exception of him. "What? Oh, hey Katniss."

"Stop. It." Finnick says slowly and eerily calm. "You're really pushing it, Tom."

"Don't worry, Finn." I assure him, though I'm not really sure why. Finally, the elevator moves, and in a few short seconds, we're out of the cramped metal box and I can breathe. I hold his hand down the hallway and don't let go as we get to my room, I push open the door, and bring him in after me by the neckline of his shirt. My lips are on his as soon as we get in the door, and after a few seconds, he pushes me against the door, and starts leaving a trail of kisses down my jaw. He reaches my neck and sucks on my pulse point. There's definitely gonna be a hickey there tomorrow, I say to myself. But then again, does it really matter? I tip up his chin, and reconnect our lips. Our tongues battle for dominance and it's just lips and teeth against each other and my hands fisting at the base of his neck, where his too soft to be real hair ends.

I break us apart reluctantly, and Finnick takes the opportunity to start kissing my neck again. I fumble with the buttons on his shirt, getting the top half of them undone, and Finnick starts working on mine. It's sloppy and we'd probably get our clothes off a lot faster if he stopped leaving bites all over my collar bone and neck, but I don't want him to. But things don't always go according to plan.

"Guess what? I found a bottle-" Haymitch busts in, holding a bottle of liquor. He almost drops it when he sees what we were doing. "Come on you two. Finnick, keep it in your goddamn pants. And really, Sweetheart? Your sister could walk in at any minute. Be a little responsible for once." He stops for a second. "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean that. Anyways, wanna drink with me? District 13 has a whole cellar of vodka, but none of them drink! It's perfect."

Finnick and I both shrug. "Why not?" I smile, buttoning my shirt back up. *

In maybe twenty minutes, the three of us finish a small bottle of the liquor. According the the clock on my nightstand, it's only five thirty, so we've been here for less than an hour. Shit! Prim'll be home any minute. Haymitch, seeing my alarm, looks over at the clock, and sits up, almost stumbling over. For someone who's always drunk, he really can't manage himself like that. It's sad.

He stumbles out of the room, and I laugh a little, laying my head on Finnick's chest. "I love you, you know that, right?" I tell him, sighing. I feel so... peaceful. No, that's probably just the liquor coursing through my veins.

"I love you too, Katniss." Finn brushes a few strands of hair out of my face with his hand, and tilts my chin up to kiss me. It's less desperate and passionate, but it's sweet and just as loving. For all of his player, over-sexed rep, he really knows how to be romantic without even trying. It's perfect, and there's nobody I'd rather be with.

I hear Prim open up the door, but I can't will myself to get up. "Hey Katniss." She says, dropping her schoolbag on her bed. She squeals a little when she sees the clothes on her bed. "You went home? Wow. Thanks, really." She hugs me, and sniffs. She must smell the liquor in the air. "Why don't you just move in with Finnick already? I mean like for here – while the war or second rebellion or whatever you wanna call this – is going on."

"You sure?" I ask her, a little worried. "It's just that I don't wanna abandon you or anything."

"Katniss." Prim smiles at me, shaking her head. "Don't worry about me, okay? Seriously, I mean you were my mother for the last seven or eight years. Relax a little, enjoy your life, okay? It's perfectly alright to take care of yourself. I love you, now go get packing." I see Prim pull Finnick over while I start folding my clothes. It's hard to make out what she says, but I hear it. "Finn, I like you a lot, but if you ever hurt her, don't think you'll get off so easy."

Prim? Protecting me? Oh, how the tables have turned.

A/N: How was that? Did you like it - make sure to review!

Yes, Trident is on an indefinite hiatus. And by indefinite, I probably mean until March.