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 37

EMBERLY POV

The hovercraft ride was so much shorter on the way back then I remember it being on the way to the arena. Mason and I hold hands, and I even manage to drift off to sleep for a moment, leaning on his shoulder, but then we are woken up and ushered off the Hovercraft by two Peacekeepers.

We step off and the sun on the landing pad is unbearably bright. I guess, being in the heavily overcast or dark arena for the last week is the reason I can hardly open my eyes.

Mason guides me along with my hand clutched in his and within seconds we follow the Peacekeepers into the basement of the training center where we are met by President Snow's Grandson, our new President and Enobaria.

"Congratulations to both of our victors!" The new President Snow shakes Mason's hand and gives me a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you," I try my best to sound excited. I am not really sure what I would say if this situation were completely true, if Mason and I were really the only survivors, but I know better. People are still alive in that arena and they will get out, and President Snow will only find out when it's too late.

"We're honored," Mason adds for good measure.

"And we are honored to have you both back!" President Snow says.

"Yes, especially with the awful luck we seem to have finding some of the other Tributes bodies…" Enobaria says slyly.

My brow furrows at her words and wonder why she would bring them up. Could she possibly be on to us? The only good thing that has come out of her comment is that I know not everyone has been found, which means some are alive.

"Right well…I guess Snow and darkness weren't the best for trying to pick up bodies in after all. Next time we will do better! Now, we need to get you fixed up, those injuries taken care off We can't have our Victors looking so…well…beat up!" President Snow laughs but Enobaria merely smiles.

Mason and I force a laugh as well, but by the way Enobaria is looking at me, I think she can tell the laugh is not genuine.

"Well…Mason, please follow me down this hall and Emberly, Enobaria will take you to your prep team to fix you up!" President Snow pats Mason on the back and moves him away from me.

Our hands stay locked as long as they can but at some point we have to let go of one another. Neither Mason nor I want to. I suddenly feel so alone when Enobaria wraps her arm around my shoulder and leads me away from Mason.

"Come on, we have a lot of work to do with you," Enobaria gives me a slight push down the hall she is leading me but refuses to make eye contact with me as we walk. All I can see is her jagged teeth as she runs her tongue across them.

KATNISS POV

It taks Peeta, Galen, and I nearly an hour to get off of the floor in the bathroom but when we do we move around the penthouse in awkward silence. None of us seem to know what to do, there is no direction and so eventually the three of us end up on the couch in silence.

Galen sits between us and eventually even nods off, leaving Peeta and I practically alone.

"She is going to come up broken," I say after a long moment, speaking of our daughter.

Peeta twitches her eyes up to me. "She will be different. She won't be broken. She's stronger then that."

"Peeta…you know what it was like," I remind him. I know he doesn't want to think Emberly may be damage beyond repair but the chances that she is are large. She just murdered her best friend in front of the world.

"Yeah, but we are here. We can help her," Peeta says and takes my hand over a sleeping Galen, squeezing it tightly.

A knock on the door breaks us apart and startles Galen awake. Two Peacekeepers enter.

"You will be heading back to District 12 this morning. The other parents from District 12 left a few hours ago," One of the Peacekeeper's tells us, speaking about Haymitch and Sarah. I guess they assumed putting Haymitch on a train back with us or with Emberly would only end badly, and I wouldn't blame Haymitch or Sarah if they did something drastically. I can't imagine being in their shoes, what I would want to do to Damir if he had taken Emberly's life.

"They did?" Peeta asks, more for conversation.

However, the response of the Peacekeeper shakes me to the bone. "Well, yes. Without a body there was no point in making them wait to head back."

"Without a body?" I ask with bewilderment. What happened to Damir's body?

"Yes. We were unable to obtain it from the arena. The snow may have had something to do with it a few bodies went missing," The Peacekeeper explains.

I feel numb. I can't imagine how many families are going home without even the slightest piece of their child. I don't know how to react.

"Emberly is back already then?" Peeta assumes, breaking me from my thoughts because I know my mouth must be hanging open in disbelief at what this could possibly mean.

"No. You all will be heading out ahead of her. President's orders. She will join you in a few days," The second Peacekeeper says.

"But—" I begin though I don't even know my own objection; I just know I want my daughter to come home with me now.

"President's orders," The Peacekeeper says again and then they are both gone leaving me alone with Galen and Peeta again.

"Why don't we get to go home with Emberly?" Galen asks. He seems to have at least partially forgiven his sister for killing Damir. It seems that sleep has helped him rationalize what it all means to the best of his ability.

I give him credit, because I am struggling to truly understand her actions, though I do know I won't question them. I can't, because I don't have the right to. She did what she thought was right no matter what anyone else thinks; I did the same thing in my Games, and I hated when I was questioned.

Peeta gives Galen a tight-lipped smile and ruffles our son's hair. "Mom and I didn't go home with our families when we won."

"They were already in 12," I remind Peeta before I can catch myself. I instantly see the weight my words have on Galen, and then quickly add. "But there is nothing we can do here. We would probably be bored. Emberly needs to prep for the interview."

Galen just gives me a small nod but I can tell my words bothered him. They shouldn't. Emberly is coming home. She is safe. I look up at Peeta hopelessly for help on how to comfort Galen.

"Emberly is coming home. That's the important part," Peeta says what I was trying to get the right words together for.

Galen nods more freely now. "That's true."

"Why don't you go back up?" Peeta suggest to Galen.

Galen looks between us both. He knows he doesn't have much to put in a bag before we leave but he is smart enough to know Peeta and I need a moment alone and so he quietly walks back to his room.

"No body?" I barely breathe out. I know the room is bugged and Peeta and I must talk cryptically.

Peeta sighs and rubs the back of his head. I can tell he wants to say so much but we both know this isn't the safest place to do so. The conversation over what could have happened to Damir's body will have to wait, but one thing is certain.

"Haymitch will never forgive us," I add after a moment.

"Probably not," Peeta agrees and moves toward me, gently wrapping his arms around me. "But Emberly is alive. We have her…that's all that matters. Haymitch…we can't fix that. I don't think anything will ever fix that now. Just keep thinking about Emberly…"

I nod into Peeta's chest because I know he is right and that is where my focus needs to be right now. Emberly is alive and we will see her in a few days, back home, safe in District 12. We can help mend her then. We can keep her safe now.

EMBERLY POV

I follow Enobaria down the hall and she eventually leads me into a large white room with a sterile table in it and my Prep team.

Flavius runs up to me quickly and is hugging me. Octavia and Venia join him and within minutes they are fussing over how happy they are to have me back and how dreadful I look. Tears are even shed and then before I can even register what is going on I am being led to the table and stripped of my clothing.

"What are—" I start, very confused when I see the Capitol Doctors coming closer to me.

"They are going to replace your dreadful leg. Get you a new one!" Flavius tells me.

"Much better then that primitive thing…" Venia taps the metal hunk that has become my new leg. The one Mason's father sent me in the arena.

I look over at Enobaria, bewildered. I know they replaced my father's leg but this is all so much so quickly.

"They will fix the leg and any other injuries and get you a little more nourished. I will see you in a day. By tomorrow, you will be brand new…" Enobaria tells me as one of the doctor's puts a mask over my mouth and everything goes black…

…And then everything is bright again. I wake up in the penthouse that Damir and I lived in before the games. The sun is shining through the windows and takes me a moment to adjust.

I stretch out and suddenly realize I can feel my wounded leg again. Not well, but enough. I pull the sheet off of me and realize my entire body is nowhere near as sore as it had been when I left the arena.

I get out of bed and balance on my new leg. It feels numb but there is enough feeling that I know some of my damaged nerves must have been fixed by the Capitol's doctors. I flex my leg and move into the bathroom where I examine myself. I can't imagine what I looked like in the arena but I doubt it was remotely what I look like now. Now, the image looking back at me in the mirror is a better version of myself then I have ever seen.

I run my hands over my face. My skin is flawless. I left my shirt, knowing my ribs were beginning to show in the games only to find a tone but flat stomach. The muscles in my arms seem to have come back and even the scar I have had on my left eyebrow since I was six, from a time Galen and I were fooling around with sticks in our backyard is gone.

I lift the leg of my sweatpants to find a flesh colored leg that has replaced the metal one. I touch it and it does feel like skin, though much harder, so I know the metal must be under this layer of fake skin.

I am amazed at what the Capitol was able to do. If possible, they have put me in better shape then I was even coming into the Games.

A knock on my door breaks me from my thoughts and I move back into the bedroom. I wonder if it is Mason.

"Come in…" I call out, but my voice seems horse. I can only assume it is from the cold of the arena and the fact that I have been asleep for at least a full day.

Enobaria enters the room and immediately my guard is up immediately. I counter each step she takes into my room though she hardly seems to notice.

"I see you are up already. Rather impressive for someone who is recovering from major surgery less then twenty-four hours ago." Enobaria says.

I just nod. I don't like her being in my room. I don't trust her. I glance sideways at the bedside table next to me, wondering if there is anything on it I can use to protect myself.

Enobaria seems to be one step ahead of me however and even laughs, bearing her pointed teeth. "Come on now, Emberly. You just won the Hunger Games. Do you really think I would hurt you? The world cannot wait to see you."

I relax a bit because I realize she is technically right, but I am still on guard.

"What do you want?" I ask, rather cold, but I don't care. I don't owe her anything.

"I wanted to make sure the little Mockingjay was comfortable…" Enobaria shrugs.

I cock an eyebrow at her choice of name for me. "I thought the Mockingjay wasn't something you would like to mention."

"Really? Why is that? Its not like a rebellion is coming…its not like your allies in the arena are still alive and safe…its not like you have a plan, right?" Enobaria adds an emphasis to the last few words of her sentence and gives me a little smile. I am not sure but she may even wink as she speaks these words.

A chill goes up my back as she speaks. Her words hit a spot far too close to home for me. Is it possible they have already figured out what Mason and I were trying to do? If so, we are all dead now.

"Um…right…" I manage out, unsure what else to really say.

"Right. We figured as much," Enobaria agrees with me and then gently moves to pat my back, though I wonder who she means by "we". I can only assume it means President Snow and herself, which only makes me more nervous. "You should rest. The rest of the day is yours but tomorrow is your interview."

And with that, she is gone, leaving me in the wake of confusion that her words have brought on. I have no idea if she knows everything or knows nothing, but if she does know something it could mean everyone I care about is in danger; that my family is in danger. They are the ones I want to protect the most, and that means I need a new plan. I need a way to detach them from my plan, just in case Enobaria and President Snow have figured it out already.