*Bonus Chapter- Fight*

Cato's POV

They walked down to the lake, their shoes crunching against the dirt and mulched mixture that made up the path. He glanced sideways at her, a feeling of nervousness floating over him that rocked him to the core. He was never nervous around girls. It had taken him at least two days to muster up the courage to ask her to take a walk with him, and even then he had been anxious.

And even now with her walking beside him in the moonlight he felt like he was about to do or say something completely and utterly stupid in front of her. But why should he care? Why did this girl matter so much?

He wasn't sure why this Clove girl put him on edge. Maybe it was the way she rarely spoke and when she did – she said things with purpose. She didn't chatter endlessly about stupid crap the way other girls did, and she seemed clever. And she was pretty, of course. He wouldn't have wasted much time with her if she hadn't been. In his mind he worked very hard for his physique and he figured the girls he was seen with should too. Not that Clove had any problems in that department; she was small and slender and had the body of a gymnast and a diver, which was what her sports were back at school he remembered. Her skin was clear and tan from the summer sun, a light dusting of freckles over the bridge of her nose that made him a little crazy. He fought the urge to pin her against the nearest tree and kiss each and every one of them.

I'm losing it, he thought with a shake of his head. He found himself watching her as they walked in the moonlight, her ponytail swinging from side to side.

"Can I help you?" she asked coolly, sensing she was being watched.

"Nah," he said casually, shrugging his shoulders. Clove made a huffing sound in her nose and kept walking.

He felt another jolt of energy roll down his spine. She made him absolutely crazy by practically saying nothing at all. While girls like Glimmer never shut up, always yammering about this or that or something else stupid…Clove rarely spoke. She was a mystery that gave no clues. She was the Mona Lisa. A puzzle. He found himself afraid to miss something, so he actually listened to her.

They paused at the end of the dock where it met the land, looking across the dark expanse of Lake Panem. The moon was full and glittering above them, casting a dim silver glow across the water. He wiped a bit of sweat off his brow and looked at the water longingly. The days had been long and hot and he actually wanted to go for a swim – but not if she didn't want to. Now that he finally had some time alone with this mysterious vixen he wasn't about to waste it.

"The lake looks um….really nice."

She hummed to herself for a moment, pressing her thin lips together as if deep in thought. "Yes."

"I saw you uh…doin' dives that day. You're pretty good."

Clove turned her head slightly to give him a raised eyebrow. Her expression clearly said, 'I know.'

He shifted his weight on his feet and kicked at the dirt, trying to think of something –anything – to say.

"Do you like to swim?"

"I'm on the diving team at school."

"I know," he said cockily, nodding. She clenched her jaw and narrowed her dark eyes at him.

"I'm going swimming," Clove said simply, brushing past him. He watched her small, sleek form move down the dock, her small hips moving as she walked. He almost tripped over himself following her down to the end. She stripped off her shirt with little care, revealing a blue cotton bra.

"You're serious right now?" he challenged.

Clove's dark gaze met his as her hands worked on the fastening of her khaki shorts.

"Yeah. I'm hot."

Cato watched her drop her shorts to the dock with ease and stand before him in her underwear. His eyes raked up and down her body one time in appreciation as she stood, looking at him expectantly.

"I know you are," he flirted, trying to sound cocky. Chicks loved cocky.

Clove only raised her eyebrow again as she unzipped the skimpy shorts. Cato's eyes moved across her face, her sleek, dark brown ponytail catching his eye. Without a second thought, he reached over and tugged the elastic from her hair.

"You should wear your hair down more."

She snorted. "To hide how ugly I am?" she laughed. The sound of startled him; he didn't expect the sound of her laugher to be so light and chime-like. He paused for a second, watching the way her dark brown waves fell around her shoulders. Her hair was actually quite long, but it was hard to tell with it always up in ponytails or messy buns. He had done a lot of watching that summer; that is, when he was out of Glimmer's spell. When Clove was diving or swimming, she had it in a ponytail; when she was fencing, she had it in a bun.

"You're not ugly," he said firmly. "Far from it."

Clove chewed her lip and gave him a self-assured stare. "I was just kidding. Can't you take a joke?" she challenged.

He glanced down her body again, raising an eyebrow when he saw her belly button piercing. A simple bar bell stuck out slightly from her tan skin, instantly drawing his eye.

That's sexy as hell, he thought. I wonder what else she has pierced?

"Never noticed you had that before," he said dumbly, gesturing to it.

"Did you ever look?" she asked pointedly.

Cato snorted. What was her game? And better yet, who did she think she was? He peeled off his shirt and dropped it to the dock, letting his jaw jut out slightly as he struck a pose. Girls loved to ogle him without a shirt on. Disappointment surged through him as Clove merely shoved past him and dove head first into the black water.

"Hey wait up!" he called as soon as she surfaced. He dove in after her, his own entrance making more of a splash than he had hoped. What was it about this girl that made him so unnerved?

He knew why, in the deep, dark corners of his mind. It was because she made him try. Feel. Care.

Words he wasn't used to…at least not anymore. But he refused to believe that she was the reason he was so guarded. How a girl from his past could shatter him to pieces at even the tiniest thought?

As he swam through the dark water towards Clove, his mind flashed back to the thought of his first girlfriend. Well, his first real girlfriend. The first girl he told his secrets to, made out with, groped in her driveway, and said those three special words to. The girl that knew everything about him. He had fallen so hard for his first love that he had actually believed at the tender age of sixteen that they would be together for always. He had given his heart to that girl, and she hers in return. She wore his number painted on her cheek at his football games, and he had even snuck over to her front porch in the middle of her night once for a steamy make out session. Cato loved her with all of his young heart.

He could still remember the look on his father's face when he had told his son she was dead. Cato doubted the ink on her new driver's license had time to dry before she over compensated on a curvy road and smashed the SUV into a tree. He had been numb for months after that, refusing to believe that his girl was gone forever.

He hadn't fully given his heart to anyone since.

Only pieces were left anyway, and he guarded those with all his might.

It was easier to distance himself from people now, especially girls. If he didn't really care, if he didn't really give a shit what happened tomorrow, then how could he get hurt? He couldn't. It had worked for nearly six years now and he had no intention of stopping.

They came to the surface out in the middle of the lake, Clove hurrying up the ladder to the diving dock. It was the dock that was about a hundred yards out in the deep water, housing two diving boards and a slide. It was where she had first caught his attention by doing a perfect swan dive into the sparkling water below. Ever since that day he had been quietly watching the shy, dark haired vixen from afar.

Cato easily scaled the ladder up onto the small dock, the wood rocking slightly as he moved his large frame onto the platform. Clove gave him a smirk.

"Bout time."

Cato puffed out his chest at her words, eying her scornfully. Girls didn't usually challenge him the wayshe did and he wasn't used to it. Girls like Glimmer usually threw themselves at him and were easily placated with any attention he threw their way. But not Clove. He felt like he had to earn every single inch with her.

"Why don't you try being nice to me?" he teased.

She laughed. "I'm not nice," she said, wringing out her long hair. Her eyes caught his for a second and he felt his heart speed up slightly.

"Well fine then. I like bad girls too," he flirted.

Clove didn't answer. Instead, she leaped up the ladder to the high dive and walked carefully out to the edge.

"You're gonna jump?"

"Nope, just came up here for the view!" she laughed before spiraling off the board. She landed in the dark water with a splash, her dark head bobbed to the surface seconds later. He shook his head and chuckled.

"You're a daredevil. I like you," he laughed as she climbed up beside him again. She stopped for a second, eying him carefully.

"No you don't," she challenged softly.

"Do too," he said quietly.

Clove cocked her head to the side. "Was Glimmer busy tonight?"

Cato crossed his arms and felt his cheeks redden. "I duno. Haven't talked to her in a few days."

Clove clicked her tongue and readjusted her bra straps. "Love em' and leave em', eh?"

"It's not like that."

"Then how is it?"

"It's different with you."

"How so?"

He paused, his temper suddenly flaring due to the fiery answers of the girl in front of him. Clove stood in front of him in a challenging stance, her dark eyes unwavering. She thrilled him to no end. It was like she was daring him to do something, but what?

He grabbed her cheeks and kissed her hard.

Then, she kissed him back. Again. And again. Their tongues met, dueling fiercely as he wrapped his arms around her tiny frame. Clove seemed to mold against him perfectly as she held him back. Her strength surprised him. He pulled away to breathe only to have her jump into his arms, hooking her ankles behind his back. He groaned in pleasure as she kissed him aggressively, her hands finding his short hair. Her nails scraped at his scalp as he held her under her thighs. He could feel himself growing impossibly hard as she continued to kiss, nip, and tease him. And then, she pulled away from him with a short gasp and jumped back down onto the dock. Cato shifted in his wet boxer shorts and tried to keep his cool.

Clove unnerved him even more now.

"Finally," she hummed under her breath, smirking to herself.

"What do you mean, 'finally'?" he asked indignantly, reaching out. His hand touched her wet arm, pulling her back towards him. Clove resisted, dodging his grip.

"You noticed me. I thought you'd never even realize…" she trailed off, shaking her head at herself. "It's stupid."

"What is? God, would stop talking like that? Just say what you mean!" he begged, reaching for her again.

Clove allowed him to pull her closer, her dark eyes flicking up to meet his. "I wanted you to notice me all summer, but you've been too busy with that twit Glimmer to even look my way. Never thought I'd do it, that's all," she replied. She sounded almost…triumphant.

He liked it.

"Glimmer actually talks to me and acts like she likes me. You…you confuse me."

She raised an eyebrow. "Not easy enough for you?"

"It's not that," he snapped. "I would have talked to you soon, I just…I duno."

She snorted, moving away from his grasp to stand on the edge of the dock. "Don't explain it all at once now."

He sighed in exasperation, rolling his eyes. "You make me crazy!" he snapped. "Why do you make this so hard for me?"

"Would you rather I made it easy, like Glimmer?"

"No. She's….she's easy, okay? It's easier to talk to girls who throw themselves at you and act interested. You…make it hard."

Her eyes moved downwards. "Obviously," she quipped, turning to face him. Cato grumbled to himself as he cornered her on the dock. She giggled and jumped into the water, her eyes beckoning him forward. He jumped in as well, his hands easily capturing her. She allowed him to back her up against the ladder, her body pinned between it and him. He growled in frustration as she gave him the coy smile she was famous for.

"What do you want, Cato?" she asked.

He sighed, leaning closer. His forehead met hers, leaning against it. His nose brushed hers, their lips just centimeters apart. He listened to her breathing; it was light and quick. His lips ghosted hers.

"You. Just you."

*Hides*

I know you are all DYING for the do-over chapter (and I promise, I'm working on it) but the masochistic side of me wanted to attempt to write some Clato. Thoughts?

Also, some of you have recently discovered my other fic, Love This Pain. I'm *THRILLED*. It's a Twilight Story (no Edward and BElla) and it is my pride and joy. Please, check it out. Many of my HG homies have discovered it this week and loved it! yay! *happy dance*