Summary:
What if Coin convinced Haymitch, Plutarch and the tributes to save Peeta instead of Katniss during the Quarter Quell? What would happen?
" But Katniss… This is Peeta! You know him… He wouldn't do that! "
" Oh yeah, I know him. I do. He totally would. "
She laughed and turned away from Haymitch.
Chapter 37: He saved me?
Finnick pouted, but eventually gave a nod. What Katniss was doing made sense after all, she wouldn't jump into any relationship blindfolded to avoid hurting anyone, including herself. He put his fork back in his backpack, and took a water bottle out of it, opening it and taking big sips from it.
" Do you think Boggs will make us run with that storm starting outside? " he asked Peeta.
His friend shrugged, " Maybe, " he sighed. " We have to make progress, our goal is really far away, " he continued. " If rain stops us, this part that's supposed to be quick and easy will take forever. "
Finnick tilted his head to the side, " I guess you're right, " he agreed.
Peeta drank some water as well, then put his shoes back on, lacing them tighter so they wouldn't fall off. The inside were still soaked, but he didn't mind.
Katniss was staring right at him when he looked up.
He couldn't look away, her grey eyes darker than usual. And Peeta wondered what she was thinking about.
She didn't move, didn't even blink, but eventually her stare fell to his mouth. The boy wetted his lips by habit, wriggling on the ground.
They shared a silent dialog that nobody dared to disturb, eyes more expressive than simple words.
" Soldiers, let's move on! " Boggs shouted. " We have to get going! "
The blond shook his head multiple times.
Finnick got up by his side, and he grabbed his own bag, along with his weapons. His real leg was feeling numb, and he growled in his throat, mumbled under his breath.
He joined the rest of the squad with his friend, right behind Coin's secondhand. They waited for further instructions, closing their jackets, knowing the storm was still going strong.
They stepped out of the building, rain thick and unforgiving, plugging their vision, blurring it.
Boggs established a steady rhythm, wanting to reach the first marked shelter by nightfall. With the workaround, they lost a precious hour, lengthened their journey to the core of district 2.
/
The squad was finally getting closer to the quarries, symbolism of the District's speciality, and of the District's real demarcation.
Soldiers were tired, wet again, and wished they could finally see the walls of the city.
" We'll go through the quarries, it's a shortcut, " Coin's secondhand explained. " Perhaps you should film as we walk, Cressida. "
Katniss herself curved an eyebrow at that instruction.
The blond woman nodded, " Yeah, " she replied. " Pollux, you heard him, " she told her co-worker.
Peeta didn't know many things about that woman, except that she was a talented film director, originating from the Capitol itself. A part of her crew was present as well, including Messalla, Pollux and Castor. He remembered hearing about Pollux's story, how they cut his tongue, and why it made Cressida change her political position.
Peeta was glad people could realize how wrong the situation was in Panem, even people living with ease.
But he still disagreed on the whole filming situation, convinced it would make their journey even tougher.
" Let's slow down a bit, " Boggs ordered, motioning to the ground with his palm. " I think we'll reach the town in a couple hours, " he added. " So we can take some time to film Katniss. "
Cressida helped her teammates with their gears, fastening their helmets and checking the batteries.
Katniss was soaked, her hair already wet, but Boggs seemed really eager to record this sequence for some reason.
" You don't have to say anything, " Cressida told Katniss. " Just walk through, with the rest of the squad. "
She placed Pollux in the center of the quarries, Messalla by her side and Castor right behind Katniss, to film her back.
" We're rolling, " Cressida stated.
They started walking in formation, jogging with the wind blowing in their ears, freezing their noses, hands and feet.
Finnick and Peeta found the situation extremely strange, stopping to capture some footages of the mockingjay when they were fighting a race against time. Katniss looked rather comfortable, simply following the leader's steps and not focusing on the cameras.
After two long minutes, the film director nodded, " Cut! " she announced.
Boggs waited for rest of the crew to put their equipment back in their bags quite impatiently, checking their surroundings suspiciously.
They were totally exposed, and Coin's secondhand couldn't help but worry about getting spotted. He shot anxious looks at the blonde woman, waiting for her team to finish packing.
" That's a wrap, " she stated, pulling on the shoulder straps of her backpack.
The squad leader clapped his hands once, " Let's go soldiers, we have to catch up! "
Peeta still didn't understand why making a short footage of them in District 2's quarries held such importance in that moment.
The storm seemed too strong to disappear by sunset, the first shelter was hours away, but yet, they took the time to film Katniss.
" Come on, we've lost a lot of time today, " Boggs insisted, running towards the borderline of the District.
Finnick let out an heavy sigh, rolled his eyes in annoyance but did not voice his opinion. President Coin apparently had a very specific plan regarding this mission, and wasn't willing to let anybody alter it.
Rain seemed to find its way inside the soldiers' coats, chilling them to the bones, making their teeth chatter wildly. Their skin turned a bit purple, blue, from the coldness.
They ran in never-ending puddles, sometimes two and a half inches deep, drowning their boots. Nobody complained. None of the soldiers, and none of the members of the filming crew.
In the late afternoon, the sky turned into a dark grey, with touches of brown and purple. The sun was falling down, depriving the dozen of rebels of its warmth, disappearing behind heavy clouds.
By nightfall, they were nowhere close to the first shelter, where Paylor and her group arrived a few minutes earlier. It forced them to settle on another place.
" The sewers are the best option we have, " Katniss stated, running a hand on her wet face, wiping the rain away.
Boggs shook his head, frowning, " The President told me we should rather find a dark alley, somewhere near the market place, " he replied. " Beetee is sending the coordinates to the Holo. "
The black-haired girl looked up at the sky, blinking the rain away, " Is it really safe to stay in the open? "
" We will follow Coin's orders, " the man retorted simply.
The discussion ended there, and Boggs guided the squad through the borders of the city. It didn't make their itinerary longer, located close to their standard route. During the journey, he gave the soldiers their order of watch for the night, told them they'd have to leave before sunrise.
Once they reached their goal for the day, every soldier was exhausted, could barely walk. Tents were installed on the bare ground, sleeping bag lazily laid inside them.
" Who's sharing Katniss' tent? " Finnick asked, taking off the vest of his uniform.
Peeta shuddered vaguely, massaging his tibias, " I don't know, probably Gale. "
Both boys were too tired to hold a real conversation, so they just changed and slid in their sleeping bags.
Peeta felt as if his legs were buzzing lightly, sore from running so much. His eyelids soon got too heavy for him to resist the need to drift into sleep.
/
He woke up sweating, gasping desperately for air, surprised by the violence of his nightmare.
Finnick got on his elbows, rubbing his eyes, " Hey, you alright? " he mumbled.
His friend didn't answer, focusing on his breathing, lungs burning from the lack of oxygen.
It had been a while since his last bad dream, but it still ended the same way. Katniss closing her hands around his neck and suffocating him. It seemed so real that he couldn't relax his throat to let some fresh air in.
He sat up, checking his bracelet for the time. He gestured vaguely to his friend and put his uniform on, trembling from head to toes.
" Is it already time for your watch? " Finnick asked, eyes fluttering close.
Peeta nodded, " Yes, " he managed to articulate in a gasp.
A few minutes were necessary for him to be able to stand up.
Before he left the tent, he grabbed his crossbow, and told his friend to go back to sleep.
It wasn't raining anymore, but the coldness was worse than during the day. Peeta shivered as he made his way through the tents, teeth chattering noisily. He stopped by the end of the alley and inhaled deeply through his nose, eyes falling shut.
There was no reason for him to look into his nightmare too much, what he needed was some calm.
" I thought you were going to let me guard alone, " a feminine voice sighed in the blond's back. " You're late. "
He pivoted on his heels, losing his balance in the process, switching from his fake to his real leg to gain some control again. It was Katniss, he knew it, but his vision was blurry. All he could see was her silhouette, the bow in her right hand.
" Sorry, " he muttered, frowning.
She took a couple steps forward, " Are you okay? "
A hand settled on his shoulder, and Peeta jolted in surprise, his body leaning towards her unconsciously. Her fingers closed around him, and she squeezed slightly, waiting for an answer.
He shook his head, " I-I don't know, " he mumbled. " Had a bad dream. "
" You want to talk about it? " she suggested. " It might help. "
Peeta groaned, feeling dizzy, " I'm not sure it will, " he told her, shaking his head.
He regretted that action immediately, and held a hand to his pounding temple.
Katniss didn't insist, and Peeta mirrored her, a hand climbing on her shoulder. She didn't question this movement, fingers massaging him unconsciously.
" Was it that bad? " she asked, her voice gentle and soft.
He looked up at her, found her concerned stare, " It was, " he uttered in a breath.
Slowly, he let his hand slide off the place where it was anchored, and he took a better hold around his crossbow. He didn't want to tell her about his nightmare, it would only make things worse, he was sure about it. So he was relieved when she didn't question him about that subject.
They stood side by side, staring at some pigeons eating off some bread on the wet ground. Peeta was finally breathing normally, but he still felt as if there was some sort of rope around his neck, pushing on his throat. It was an uncomfortable sensation, and there seemed to be no way to get rid of it.
" Feeling better? "
He shot the brunette a sight glance, and gave her a slight nod of approval.
Coldness forced the blond to walk in circles around their camp, between the tents and along the white houses surrounding it.
A sewer would've been a better option, would've let them all have a full night, and he mentally blamed Coin for her choice.
" How is Finnick doing? "
Peeta turned around and looked at Katniss from where he was, " I guess he's doing fine, " he stated. " Tired and nervous like the rest of us, " he added. " You should ask him directly. "
She smiled, and sat down, her bow on her lap, " You're right, I will, " she agreed.
Another dozen of minutes passed, and they didn't say a thing, silently waiting for their watch to end.
The boy finally joined her, sitting on her right, his back against the rough stone of a house.
" I'm sorry, " he sighed, out of nowhere.
He had no idea what he was talking about, the words slipping out of his mouth without his consent.
" About what? " Katniss asked. " You have nothing to apologize for. "
Peeta hummed to himself, " I'm not sure why, I felt like I had to say it, " he explained. " Probably. "
" We probably won't get out of this mission alive, " Katniss stated. " There is no room for regrets, Peeta, " she continued.
There was a hundred things he wanted to talk about now, a thousand things he wished he could say. But it got stuck somewhere, and he stood there, muscles tensing up. He didn't know what he was afraid of, but it paralyzed him.
" You know, I still have some doubts, " Katniss blurted out. " About you, I mean. "
Peeta inhaled in a sharp breath, turned his head so he could face her. Distant noises came from the inside of the city, kilometers away, but he made his ears buzz.
" I figured that I would think about them once we're back home, " she continued, staring down at her hands.
The blond's eyes widened, and his mouth opened. A strangled moan passed past his lips. She believed they could both survive this hell, and he wasn't sure how it made him feel.
Katniss shifted, her body closer to his, " While we're out here, I want to forget these questions, " she told him. " And if there's a little chance for us to be alive at the end, then we'll talk. "
Her right hand lost its grip around her weapon, settled on top of Peeta's. All he could do was stare at it, his mouth closing.
" For now, " Katniss said in a breath, " I want this. "
The palm of her hand was surprisingly hot against the top of his. Fingers gently slid through the empty spaces between Peeta's, and she held his hand strongly.
" It's fine by me, " he managed to answer.
Her whole body relaxed, and her head found his shoulder, hair tickling the boy's skin. A shudder traveled from the bottom of his spine to his neck, and he sighed, feeling at ease.
It almost felt as if they weren't going to face a war.
/
At some point, they both got back on their feet, walked side by side aimlessly in the dark alley.
Their breaths were warm, forming a nice fog when they expired. Hands were turning slightly purple, and they rubbed them.
" Only half an hour left, " Katniss stated.
Peeta shivered, nodded, " Yeah, I'm glad, " he replied. " Not that I don't enjoy being around you, but I'm freezing. "
The girl laughed, punched his shoulder playfully.
" There's no need for you to make excuses, " she mocked him.
Peeta smiled, and let out a shaky laughter, scratching the back of his neck. He felt like a ball of awkwardness, but the good kind.
He calmed down, " It's so quiet, it seems so unreal, " he sighed.
Katniss gave him a strange look, but deep inside, she understood how he felt.
" We should enjoy it, it won't last. "
She wanted him to be closer. He did too. But none of them mentioned it.
After a few minutes, Katniss gave in, and sat back at the spot they were earlier, " Come here, " she gently told him.
Peeta couldn't hold back the smile growing on his face while he took place next to her.
She looked at him. From his red hands to his blue eyes that looked almost black in the dark. She remembered the night in the cave, the one in the tributes' center, but informations were messy and missing in her mind.
It still felt oddly normal when she settled her head on his lap.
" Is that bothering you? " she asked.
He shook his head slightly, " No, but you're not exactly being effective as a guard, " he teased her.
She rolled her eyes, unable to contain a giggle.
" You said it was quiet, " she simply said.
Peeta had to repress a sudden urge, sudden need, to run a hand in her black hair.
" You did that before, " he told her. " Once, " he added.
Katniss stopped looking at the clouds, and found Peeta staring back at her. The look on his face didn't reveal anything about what he was thinking. Not at all.
" I can't remember doing that, " she admitted. " How was it? "
She could have asked when it was instead, but no. Peeta felt something tingle inside of his stomach, and he shivered slightly.
" How it was? " he reformulated.
He stared in front of him, let his eyes fall close for a while.
" We spent our day on the roof of the tributes' center, " he whispered, eyes still shut. " We both wanted to be on our own, before the Quell. "
Katniss hummed, her gaze dropping to his mouth for a second.
" You fell asleep with your head on my lap, " he continued. " I woke you so you could see the sunset. "
She moved her head around, getting more comfortable, " Why? "
Peeta smiled to himself, looked down at Katniss as he opened his eyes.
" I didn't want you to miss such a colorful sky, " he replied. " It was so beautiful. "
She nodded vaguely, eyes switching to the clouds again.
" I… ", she blurted out. " I can't even remember it, that's a shame. "
Peeta looked away from her, " That's no big deal Katniss, " he reassured her. " Really. "
Her hands moved her jacket up her neck, a vicious breeze sliding beneath the fabric.
" Are you cold? "
She shrugged, arms closing around her flat belly.
Peeta chuckled, " You definitely are. "
" It's fine, " Katniss assured him. " Our watch is almost over, I can handle it. "
His left hand reached out, to touch her hair, probably. He stopped, not willing to do something she didn't want.
" It's fine, " Katniss repeated.
The boy swallowed with difficulty, " What is? "
She held out a trembling hand, grabbed his.
" This. "
They stared at each other, some birds chirping in the distance.
Peeta wrapped her hand between his, and pulled it towards his mouth. He blew on it, never breaking their eye contact.
And the world seemed to stop turning for a couple minutes.
/
Peeta was about to crawl back in his tent, but Katniss took his wrist, pulled gently on it.
" Do you need something? " he asked.
She shook her head, pulled him closer and wrapped her arms around him, locking him in a tight hug. His eyes closed on their own, and he inhaled deeply.
" I think I needed that too, " he sighed. " Thank you Katniss. "
Their embrace lingered, and Peeta's fingers crawled up her back, found her neck where they rubbed her cold skin.
She trembled lightly in his hold, drowned her face in his shoulder.
" We're ready, you can go back to sleep, " Leeg 2 announced. " Oh-Hum, sorry. "
They didn't let go for another ten minutes. They didn't care about their watch being over, about how cold they both were.
/
Finnick groaned when Peeta opened the fly of the tent, a fresh breeze entering the cocoon his body heat had created. He pulled his sleeping bag up his neck, curled up on his side.
" Sorry buddy, " Peeta whispered, making room for himself.
His hands got warmer in a short time and he sighed in relief.
His friend groaned and sat up, rubbing his tired eyes, " Did it go well? "
Peeta gave a nod, " Yeah, nobody in town, " he replied, taking off his jacket.
Finnick reached for his backpack and grabbed a water bottle, drank from it.
" Katniss asked me how you were doing, " Peeta added.
The blond by his side settled down his bottle, " Oh yeah? What did you tell her? "
" That you seemed fine, that she should ask you directly, " Peeta answered.
His friend nodded, pouting.
" I don't think she would've come by herself if you didn't suggest it, " he sighed. " We've never been close. "
And that was the reason he in fact told her to do so.
Peeta unknotted his shoelaces, kicked off his boots, " I think she cares about you. "
Finnick laughed, " Believe me, she doesn't need somebody else to worry about. "
His friend found no response, slid in his sleeping bag instead.
/
Inside her tent, Katniss was reading her sister's notebook, Gale snoring by her side.
" I knew Katniss would make it, I knew it but still, I'm glad, so glad, so, so glad. Peeta was willing to die to let her win the Games, but she refused categorically.
There is this strange connection between the two of them, quiet and invisible, but it's there, I feel it. They are both refusing to see the other die, and I think it's because they can't think that living would be possible without the other. I'm still convinced that it's related to that time Peeta threw Katniss the bread. I'm sure it is. "
She stared at this passage, read it an additional time, then another. If Prim said that, thought that, it had to be true.
Katniss couldn't imagine her sister lying about such things.
If there was a thing she remembered, it was the day Peeta Mellark threw her loafs of bread.
She could still feel how soaked her sweater was, how hollow her stomach was. Above it all, she could still see Peeta's cheek reddening after his mother hit him. How he shot her a glance, then decided to give her some burned bread instead of giving it to the porks.
" He saved my family, " she whispered to herself. " He saved me? "
This single information, affirmation, unsettled her. She wanted to trust this boy, felt like she could.
But it was so scary.
It felt like she meant a lot to Peeta. But it wasn't enough, not yet.
She kept reading for a moment, hearing Leeg 1 and Leeg 2 conversing outside of her tent.
/
Peeta felt someone shake him around, and he growled, rolling on his back.
" We have to leave, " Finnick told him. " Come on buddy. "
The blond lazily opened his eyes, his stomach grumbling.
" That's right, let's eat first, " Finnick said, smiling.
Peeta stretched his legs and arms, " I should've removed my earpiece, " he mumbled.
His friend burst out in laughter, shaking his head as he opened his bag. He pulled out a can of apple sauce, along with a plastic spoon.
" You'll break it if you forget it, " Finnick told his friend.
He nodded it off.
They decided to share the can, since it couldn't be closed again.
Finnick opened the tent, stared at the sky, " I think we should hurry, sun's coming up. "
/
Ten minutes later, the squad members were refolding their tents, Boggs checking the street.
" We have to reach the shelter before work hours, " he explained. " We'll have a change of clothes, some sort of capes to cover our backpacks and weapons. "
Nobody questioned this order.
" Luckily the weather's on our side today, " he added, smiling.
He opened the Holo, programed it while the soldiers finished packing.
Peeta stared at Katniss, already done. Finnick kicked him playfully in the ribs with his elbow.
" Always on your mind, uh? "
The smaller blond shrugged, putting his shotgun back in his belt.
" Try to hide your guns for now, " Boggs said, out of nowhere. " We don't want any citizen to pay attention to us. "
Finnick eyed his trident, and retracted it, pushing the only button on it.
Peeta curved an eyebrow, " I didn't know you could do that, " he stated, a bit in awe.
" Beetee said he added it in the last minute, " Finnick explained. " He said it could be useful. "
Then, he put it in his backpack, a small part of the handle still apparent. It still looked more casual then when he held it in his hands.
" There shouldn't be any traps in this District, according to the Holo, " Boggs stated in a sigh. " Let's move on. "
The soldiers followed their leader, jogging faster than the previous day, the sole of their feet still painful.
Thankfully, they reached the shelter a short hour later.
Boggs gave two knocks on the front door, and a short man opened it. He was short, but had broad shoulders, like most people working in the stone factory.
" Your team mates left around 5 this morning, " the man told them. " You should stay here until 10 or 11, most people will be working. "
Coin's secondhand started discussing with him, wanting to know if the Capitol had made any special announcement since their departure.
A woman walked in the living room, " If you need anything, " she said. " Water, more cans of food, I'll be in the kitchen. "
She quietly walked away, blond bangs hiding her eyes from the soldiers.
Her husband smiled, " You can rest anywhere, even upstairs if you're willing to take a nap. "
Boggs thanked him, but said that they all just woke up one or two hours ago.
" Let's seat buddy, " Finnick said, pointing to a sofa.
Peeta nodded and followed his friend's steps and took place next to him.
He let out a sigh, checked his prothesis just in case. Katniss' eyes widened from across the room, and Finnick grabbed Peeta's forearm.
" W-What? " the smaller blond asked, surprised.
Finnick didn't talk, but motioned to the girl with his chin.
" Oh my, " Peeta breathed out. " Oh my god. "
He jumped on his feet and reached for her, his hands cupping her face gently. Calm, calloused fingers caressed her cheeks, jaw, forehead patiently.
" What's wrong Katniss? " he asked, in a soft tone. " Tell me. "
She was trembling, her hands paralyzed by something. It didn't look as if she could articulate a single word.
" I think she's in shock, " Finnick told his friend, setting his hands on his shoulders.
Katniss managed to relax an arm a little bit, and put the palm of her hand on Peeta's fake leg. She let out a high pitch moan when she felt the fabric underneath the uniform.
" Hey, it's okay, " Peeta assured her. " It doesn't hurt, and I can still walk and run. "
The boy did not expect that. He was sure she would remember this information above all the others. But she didn't.
Her fingers wouldn't let go of his left leg, the false one, and Peeta gave her some time to calm down.
" I promise Katniss, it's okay, " he repeated. " It doesn't hurt. "
He rubbed her back and shoulders gently, whispered some reassuring words, waiting for the panic attack to disappear.
" Ho-How did this happen? " she asked, sobbing. " How? "
Peeta inhaled deeply, " During our first Games, I was injured. "
Grey eyes narrowed in concern, and she reached out for his face.
" Was it my fault? " she asked, her voice shakier than before. " W-Was it? "
The boy smiled, shook his head slowly.
" It is your fault I am alive Katniss, " he replied.
NDA : I'm extremely late, and immensely sorry. I've been in Holland for 4 days, and studied a lot for my exams, so I didn't get to write a lot.
I hope you enjoyed this new chapter guys.
Thanks for reading me,
Bisous.