Disclaimer: All characters and things associated with The Hunger Games belongs to Suzanne Collins and Lionsgate. This writing is for pure entertainment only.

Summary: Katniss finally thought everything was going to be alright and her children would grow up in a safer world then she and Peeta had, but something changes and a new set of games begins.

CHAPTER 36

KATNISS POV

I am in complete shock. I feel like every ounce of blood in my body as rushed from me as Emberly plunges the knife into Damir and pushes him backwards into a bush.

I realize after a long moment that I am screaming hysterically, worse then Haymitch is. He has merely thrown his liquor across the room and stormed toward the window, pounding on the glass, but I am screaming, kicking, clawing at my own head.

Peeta grabs me and merely throws me onto the couch, pinning me down so I can't hurt anyone, or myself. I am sure Galen is frightened but I can't even think straight. What has my daughter done?

Haymitch's pounding has caught the attention of everyone on our floor and Effie is at his side in a moment with two guards. They drag him out, or so I think, I am too frantic to recall.

All I remember is Peeta lifting me and moving me to the shower. The next thing I know cold water is coming down on me in rushes and I try my best to get off the floor of the shower.

"Calm down, Katniss!" Peeta's voice is loud but soothing.

Soon, I feel his hands holding me in place while the water continues to hit my face. It does have a sobering effect though and after a moment I am merely sobbing, soaking wet, on the floor of the shower.

After a moment the water turns off and Peeta climbs in next to me, ignoring how wet he is getting. He wraps his arms around my tightly and I collapse into him.

"What did she do?" I manage out.

"She survived," Peeta says into me. He repeats himself four or five more times, stroking my hair with each set of words and I realize, once I get myself under control, that he is doing it merely to calm himself.

Instantly, I pull away. The blue of his eyes is nearly gone and I know he is fighting back a flashback. I push any thoughts of Emberly or Damir aside and focus on my husband.

"Peeta…Peeta, stay with me! Please…stay with me. You're right, she survived. Stay with me," I beg him.

Peeta closes his eyes for a moment and swallows and when he opens them they are blue again. I let out a breath that I was holding in.

"She survived," Peeta nods once more at me.

I nod back. I don't know what else to say.

Peeta pulls me in and hugs me again. "We can't worry about what she did to survive. She is coming home."

"Damir…" I manage out.

"Emberly had to make a choice. She made it. We might not understand it, Katniss, but she has to live with it and so do we," Peeta kisses my forehead as he speaks.

"But Haymitch…" I look up at Peeta.

Peeta nods, because he knows what I know. We have lost Haymitch. Emberly took his son's life. She had a choice and she chose Gale's son; a boy she hardly knows over her best friend.

I blink back tears as I realize someone could have said the same about me. Sure, eventually I knew Peeta better then I knew myself, but Gale never saw it that way. Gale saw me with someone I hardly knew. But even that was different. I didn't kill Gale, I just broke his heart.

"We have to support Emberly now. It's crucial," Peeta says after a minute, holding my face in his hands so my eyes are locked on his. "You know that, right? No matter what we think…people are going to be angry with her."

"That was the point, wasn't it? No matter what, someone would be hurt by her decision…Emberly looks like a murderer…" I snort, knowing the Capitol's motive behind it all.

"Yeah, but now its our District that will think that. Our neighbors…Haymitch," Peeta reminds me how deep these wounds will run. "We need to protect her, and stand by her."

I nod. I know that is true. I know what an angry crowd can do to a person.

"How?" A small voice comes from behind Peeta.

Peeta and I both look up to see Galen standing in the doorway of the bathroom. His eyes are bloodshot from tears but he looks so angry.

"How?!" Galen repeats himself angrily and steps into the bathroom. "How can we stand by her? What she did! She killed Damir! He's family! She killed family! Would she have killed me if it had been me? Or anyone else we care about?!"

"Galen," I surprise even myself at how quickly I get to my feet. I kneel in front of him, knowing when Emberly comes home we all need to stand by her. The camera's will eat her alive otherwise. "Emberly did what she had to do."

"No. No she could have killed that kid from District 2," Galen says. "She chose, and she chose wrong."

"You can't talk like that, Galen. We have to stick by her," Peeta joins me because he too knows how imperative Galen's cooperation is. If this somehow looks like Emberly was trying to send a message to the Capitol by killing her best friend it would be bad. We cannot show we are angry. We have to act like a team, like it was just a game.

"I can't. And how can you? Damir has been at our house every week since before I was even born…and she just—" Galen's eyes brim with tears.

I pull my son in for a hug and hold him closely to me as he cries a little more. I know he was close to Damir too. "Please, Galen, understand that she had her reasons. Whatever they are, she has them. We need to stand by her. If we don't, we could lose her too. Do you understand?"

After a long moment Galen nods and I know he may not understand my words completely but he does enough to know that as upset as he is with Emberly he will need to put on a brave face when she returns. Everything else, we can sort out back in District 12.

EMBERLY POV

I stagger backward with Damir and as he falls down, I manage to slide the small knife I stabbed him with into his hand. Despite the initial shock on his face I can see now he is not as surprised. He knew this was what was going to happen. I told him before we attacked Regal, now I think he is just concentrating on the pain.

Damir's finger's grip around the blade and he pulls it under him, so the cameras do not see it.

I narrow my eyes at him, I can tell he is in pain but I want to make sure he can handle it. I hope he understands what my eyes are asking.

And, in true Damir fashion, he does. He has always been able to read me better then anyone. He gives me the tiniest smile and a single small head nod and I am relieved. I know he is okay. He can handle this, and he will stay true to the plan.

I stand, pushing him further into the bush so he is out of view from the cameras and as soon as I turn back to Mason, the snow begins to melt in the arena.

I glance back in the direction I left Damir one more time. I hope he can cut the tracker out of his arm and find the others who I can only hope are still alive throughout the arena. They need to stick together now and stick to the plan; I just hope the Capitol did not find any of them. They have a lot of work ahead of them yet if they are going to make it out of the arena without being found but they all agreed to that, and I hope it works the way we planned it.

I focus my attention back on Mason who moves toward me, gathering me in his arms and kissing me deeply. Part of me thinks it's for show, part of me thinks it's for real.

"We did it," Mason says when we break apart.

I smile back at him, as big as I can for the cameras, so grateful that I will have him by my side now. "We did."

"Its only the beginning for us," Mason says as the Hovercraft comes to pick us up.

I nod because I know Mason's words hold so many more meanings then those watching the Games think that they do. Our real mission has only just begun.