Chapter 51 – The Most Dangerous Game 2

AN: Many thanks to my reviewers [Matainer, Trude, Lillian, LACR and Manaliac], your comments and reviews are greatly appreciated. I do appreciate your patience since I have disrupted my weekly update due to work. My respect to Suzanne Collins for creating the best character around; all rights and characters only belong to her.


Johanna POV ––

The hovercar dropped Rory and I at the crash site. Haymitch recommended that we travel alongside the tracks where the train was headed. I argued against since Gale was probably thinking the same thing. We were easy pickings at the tracks. Before being dropped off, I reviewed the lay of the land leading to the endpoint of the tracks. By cutting through the forest we would reach the destination no longer than 2 days and a half.

The hair on the back of my neck stood up. The flora around me was familiar as we reached a grove of trees hiding the sun above us. I felt eyes on me. I raised my fisted hand to Rory in hope that he knew what it meant. He stopped like a trained soldier would to my command. The irritation and frustration I felt compounded my fear and anxiety for Peeta. I needed to find him. 'So help me God, if Gale did anything, touched a single hair on Peeta's head or spilled a drop of his blood, I swear he's dead,' the voice echoed in my mind. He didn't survive everything he lived through, to finally have Katniss' love so some jealous psycho would make his life miserable. He didn't deserve it. I recalled the last day the Peeta I knew transformed from after his 'sessions.' It haunted me with guilt and shame for months wishing I had done something to prevent it.


Flashback ––

Peeta whimpered in his sleep. It was dark, cold and quiet. Too quiet. The empty, soundless night unnerved me. For many days and nights our cell was barraged with sounds and voices hoping to shatter our thoughts and mind from the incessant noise. It was meant to drive us insane, like the MockingJays they used in the arena. It was what they used to keep us awake hours on end, depriving us from sleep.

I stood up from my cot wrapping a thin blanket around me. The floor was cold but I couldn't feel it. I felt numb. Our clothes barely fit with our bones and limbs jutting against the material. I could count all my ribs. "Peeta, wake up," I said to his trembling body as I knelt beside him. He was in the midst of a nightmare, thrashing on his cot. He was so gaunt and black and blue all over from the beatings. Both Annie and I had lost a considerable amount of weight since our abduction. It was expected after starving us for weeks. I had watched Peeta physically transformed from the golden hair, optimistic loving boy I knew to a shell of his former self. "Peeta, please wake up. You're having a nightmare."

"Katniss, help me," he simpered before his eyes flew open and sat up on the cot. Once he calmed down he rolled into a fetal position, hiding his face between his knees. "I'm sorry I woke you," he said. I couldn't recognize his voice. It was scratchy and dull.

"You didn't," I said to him in comfort while I rubbed the hair on the back of his head. He sighed, his breath sputtered through his mouth as if he could barely breath. "I couldn't sleep." He reached for my bony hand into his; clutching it as tight with the remaining strength he could muster. Long stretches of silence fell between us.

"Go to sleep Peeta. I'll be right here." I leaned against the wall behind me pulling back when my baldhead contacted the cold wall. I was never much for physical affection, but my need to hold onto his hand was my lifeline. After weeks of torture, his strong arms comforted and soothed me. I could do no less for him now in return. We needed each other. I listened to his uneven breath for several minutes. He sobbed into his knees.

"I don't…I don't know how long I can hold on, Johanna," he confessed. "My head hurts so bad. They keep…making me see things. I don't want to believe them but…"

"What things?"

"I don't know what's real anymore," he continued. "I just want to go home and see my dad. I miss him so much." After the first time they took him for his 'treatment,' he disappeared for several days. I was convinced that they had finally killed him. When they returned him, he didn't talk or look at us. The fact that he no longer talked about Katniss disturbed me. She was the light in the end of dark tunnel, his strength and purpose for living. I knew he was giving up. We all were. After all these months, we knew our chances for a rescue was non-existent. We were abandoned and forgotten. Lambs sacrificed for the cause. I didn't have the energy to bring her up. "I need you to promise me something, Johanna."

I knew this was coming. "What?"

"If I don't make it––"

"Peeta." I sighed. If he wasn't going to make it what made him think I would without him and Annie? Snow was probably planning our grand execution for the entire districts to witness. It would be glorious. We were going to die together. Executed as traitors to Panem.

"If I don't make it. Promise me that you tell my dad that I love him. That he did the best he could and that I don't blame him for…anything that had happened to me."

"You're going to tell him yourself." I knew it was a lie but I needed to encourage him to stay alive. To stay alive for someone who loved him. He looked at me wanting to believe me.

"I'm done, Johanna. I can't…I can't do this anymore. I have nothing left to give," he said as his hand shook between mine. The light in his eyes was gone. I had watched it dimmer with each passing day.

"But what about…what about Katniss?"

"She's safe in District 13 and with…him," he sighed. "As long as she's okay then, I'm…I can let go." He closed his eyes.

"Peeta? What do you mean about District 13?" I nudged him with my leg. He shifted his body laying his head on my lap. I was suddenly alert to his ramblings. He knew about 13. When? How? As far as I knew Haymitch never told Peeta and Katniss about the rebellion and District 13. It was Haymitch ill-conceived notion to 'protect' them from Snow by letting them be oblivious to the chaos around them. It was cruel of him to have manipulated them that way.

"I'm so tired. I just want to sleep." My throat felt constricted as I held a sob threatening to explode from my chest. After that night, the Peeta that was returned to us was never the same. He scared me. He was quiet and wild eyed, but he never touched or talked to Annie and me. He kept to himself. I knew that they were torturing him as I noticed the bruises on his wrists, neck and leg. They were prominent on his fair skin; big, black, purple and painful bruises that never had time to heal. They had finally broken him. As for me, they tried to break me by drowning me. They tried to take what was what left of my identity as a woman; they shaved off my hair.

"You're still you, Johanna," Peeta said to me once they dropped me back in our cell. His strong arm was around my shoulders, pressing his lips on my forehead. "You're hair doesn't define. You're still beautiful no matter what." I sobbed in his arms, wishing I had this kind of comfort when I first returned as a Victor in my games.

I knew I lost him that night. However, somehow the Peeta that protected Annie and me was still there the night those two men tried to rape us. After a few weeks of isolation from Peeta he was returned to us just in time to save us. We saved each other as best we could all those months in the Capitol. My love and loyalty to Peeta was not a debt to be paid in return but a vow to be kept. We protected each other then as we promised to protect each other now.

End of flashback ––


"Where are you Peeta?" I mumbled to myself. "Give me a sign that you're okay." Rory stood a couple of feet behind me, looking around us. I looked up at the trees that towered over us. It was past 5 o'clock in the afternoon. We have been traversing the woods for nearly two hours and found nothing. The sun was behind us, dipping onto the horizon. Night would come soon. The scent of pine and dirt comforted me for a few seconds. I miss District 7, but 12 is my home now. Images of my former life in 7 flashed in my head. I was petulant and hard with everyone around me except with Finnick and Annie. They were the only two who had cracked through my hard exterior, seeing and accepting me for I am. I never thought anyone could do that until Peeta and Delly came along. My heart shattered when I lost Finnick. I couldn't bear to Peeta again.

I took several steps ahead of me when I heard the sound of a branch break. Rifle in hand, I twirled around looking for where the sound came from. Rory stood beside me. Ten yards in front of us was a stag. He was large and magnificent, a wonderful sight reminding that nature had survived man's greed and destruction. That despite the horrors life went on as nature had intended.

At the corner of my eye I watched Rory raised his rifle, aimed to kill. I grabbed his rifle out of his hands. "What the fuck, Rory? " I seethed with anger then shoved him making him land on his backside.

"That was our dinner, Commander," he explained, his face a look of surprise and hurt.

"You're a fucking idiot," I returned. "You have your food rations."

"It's not enough––"

"Do you even realize how many ways killing that stag would have been wrong?" He stood up and brushed himself. "One, he's too big. What are going to do with the rest of him? It's a waste. Two, we packed our food rations enough to last for four days and if it takes longer to find Peeta and Katniss. We'll forage around and get smaller game. And three, the most important of all, do you want to announce to your brother our location?"

Rory looked stunned and embarrassed. I knew the moment when Peeta and Katniss went missing; it was his Gale's fault. The accident was too coincidental. He separated us from them on purpose. Setting off any sounds would alert him of our presence and location if he was close by. I wanted to catch Gale unawares.

"Sorry, Commander."

"Just don't do something that will endanger us. I don't know if you're familiar with the woods but I told you before. You will do what I say and don't get any bright ideas about saving your brother over Peeta. I'm trusting you with his life, Katniss' and my own, understand?" He nodded his head.

"And another thing, stop with the commander or captain crap. You can call me Mason." I threw his rifle at him. "Come on let's follow that sucker. I hope he'll lead us to fresh water."

For another hour, we trailed behind the stag as best we could. To our relief, he did lead us to a river. I decided to set up camp and call it a night. I told Haymitch that I wouldn't call him at all. He could track me with my necklace. As long as I kept moving into the designated area with the GPS functioning, there would be no need to contact him. Once it turned off for more than ten minutes then he can decide his next move.

The sun set two hours later. Rory complained about not lighting up a fire when the air around us got chilly. "Stop complaining. I thought you're used to this cold by now seeing how you grew up in the Seam."

"I haven't been back to the 'Seam' since it was destroyed."

"Aren't you lucky that your life is so much better now because of the rebellion. Where do you think you'd be right now?" I asked him, but pondered whether I was asking that question to myself. Rory sighed in melancholy.

"I would be with my family starving and freezing from the cold. My little sister and brother would not be as healthy as they are right now, living in the new District 12 in their own bedroom playing with their toys. They wouldn't have the childhood they have right now."

"Exactly, so shut up and stay alert. Once the night passes I'll build a fire if the temperature drops to a level we can't handle. You're asshole brother is looking for Katniss and Peeta so I don't want to let him know I'm hunting for him."

My thoughts wandered to Peeta and Katniss hoping that they were safe and secured for the night. At least I hoped they are together and not in Gale's hands. Later that night, I started a low burning fire that would emit enough heat for the both of us without the flames alerting anyone of our location. I slept intermittently waking up to every sound. Rory's snore first awoke me causing me to poke him in the chest. He turned around in agitation.

By dawn, I was sore and grumpy from sleeping on the cold, hard ground. Breakfast was the same as last night, a dried nut and fruit bar with a beef jerky. I washed it down with hot coffee feeling queasy as the meal settled in my stomach. It was a far cry from the meals Peeta and I prepared during the past several weeks. I miss his Cheese Buns and sweet treats he prepared for dessert. He spoiled all of us with his creations. One morning I realized that I couldn't fit in my favorite pair of jeans. I blamed him for my weight gain.


Flashback ––

"I'm getting fat because of you," I pretended to be angry with him showing him my unbutton pants. "Look at me. I can't fit into these pants anymore. Ugh…what happened to me?" I cried in frustration. Peeta stared back at me for a few seconds then smirked.

"No once forced you to eat all the Cheese Buns I made, Johanna," he snorted. His eyes twinkled in amusement.

"Peeta."

"Johanna?" His blond brows furrowed in response as he sucked in his lips trying hard not to laugh.

"I say this with no malice in my heart or hurtful intention," I exclaimed.

"Okay."

"You're a menace to a girl's figure and diet. I fucking hate you." I smiled sweetly at him.

"Oh, Johanna," he laughed. "I fucking hate you more. By the way, I made a batch of Cheese Buns. They're in the kitchen. You better get some before Delly and Katniss eat all of them." I reached over and messed with his hair laughing at my attempt to punish him. I missed his laugh and happy disposition. To see him in any other way was disturbing and unnatural for him. I'm relieved that he had found himself again. With the help and support from Haymitch, Delly and Peeta, I had recovered enough to appreciate the new life given to me. I couldn't let the Capitol win.

End of flashback ––


"Do you have any idea where we should be headed?" Rory asked as he walked beside me.

"The training terminal."

He gasped in surprise. "You know about that place existed?"

"Hello, it wasn't a secret training facility just undisclosed," I sneered back.

"Gale told me that no one knew of the location for the training camp or so he told me?"

"You hear things in the hospital after the rebellion. The rumor was the training was so brutal that they created a temporary medical clinic on the sight. Not just providing a doctor but a whole operating staff. I knew it existed but not which District," I explained. "They needed to retrain the former Peacekeepers and integrate them into the Guardsmen military." I wondered what Paylor intended to do with the rebel army. "I can understand your brother in the Guardsmen but you, Rory. I never pegged you to join them."

"I didn't," Rory spat. "My mother and Gale suggested that I do something with my life and since I had no formal training. He made me volunteer." He shivered at the memory. "It was horrible. Former peacekeepers and rebels hated each other, but Gale was strict with everyone. If anyone whether you were a rebel or former peacekeeper started trouble, you were booted out of the camp. I didn't want to join the Guardsmen, he made me do it."

"Wow, he volunteered you? How nice of your older brother to do that to you. If you didn't want to be become a soldier what would you have done?" He blushed for a second and looked away. "Well, what occupation would you like to have trained in?"

"You'll laugh at me. Gale did," He said with a tinge of petulance. I had forgotten that Rory was still a teen, barely 16 years old. Wearing the uniformed aged him not just physically but psychologically as well. He grew up fast like the rest of us. I softened my demeanor reminding myself that he was still a child at heart. He'll never be reaped but he felt and lived through the ravages of war.

"It couldn't be that bad."

"No, you don't understand. He made fun of me. Said I was a sissy boy for even thinking about it," he added. "He said my career choice was women's work." My brows lifted in curiosity. "I wanted to become a…chef."

I laughed, not because it was ridiculous but because I could imagine Gale's reaction. "See you're laughing at me." I shook my head.

"I'm not laughing at you, Rory," I guffawed. "I was imagining Gale's face when you told him."

"Oh, I guess that's okay." I stopped in front of him.

"Listen, there is nothing wrong with wanting to become a chef if that's what you want."

"Most of my life I was starving, you know. We barely had food on the table if it hadn't been for Gale hunting and trapping game." I nodded my head. "When Gale was transferred to District 2, we went out to dinner. Mom usually cooked breakfast and lunch, but Gale took us out to dinner most nights. I visited the kitchen once and I was just…I wanted to prepare food for a living. Learn from the bottom up, you know?"

"It's no wonder Gale forced you to volunteer. I can imagine him displeased and disappointed with your career choice." At least he had a chance to have a career choice.

"He said that I would change my mind once I finished boot camp, but he was wrong." Rory kicked a rock beside his foot. "It made me want it more since the food was horrible there."

"There's nothing wrong wanting to become a chef, Rory," I repeated.

"Well, tell that to my brother." I thought I detected tears in his eyes. "He said…he said only pussies and wimps like…like Mellark could never attract girls with that kind of job. I still don't understand how my wanting to become a chef has anything to do with girls."

I snorted. "Really, so tell me Rory. What do you think?" He shrugged his shoulders. "If that's true, then your big manly brother should have gotten 'The Girl,' don't you think? Since you know, Peeta is a baker and a big pussy and all." He was about to open his mouth when I heard a sound behind me. I raised my rifle while Rory followed suit. A figure appeared behind a tree. My visibility was impaired since the sun was directly in my eyes. The figure was lean and lanky, like Gale. Oh shit.

Remembering we were out in the open, I ran towards the trees for cover. Rory followed right behind me. He wasn't agile or coordinated as he crashed onto the tree trunk. "Ouch," he gasped in pain.

"Shut up, you big baby."

"Is it Gal?" he asked with fear in his eyes. This was hard on him. He loved Gale but knew he was a danger to Peeta and everyone around him.

"I can't tell," I told him. "You head over there." I pointed to a row of trees opposite us. "I'll flank the left side. You get his right. When you get to the tree throw a rock at his direction to distract him. I'll try to get him from behind."

He moved as instructed but I grabbed his arm the last minute. "If that's Gale and you betray me. I'll shoot you both without any hesitation." He gulped and nodded his head. I crept forward as I moved my feet in slow deliberate steps. After several feet I had approached the figure from behind him. I couldn't tell who he was but knew he was crouched down on his knees. Rory threw a rock at him helping me to creep from behind him.

"Put the gun down and hands in the air," I yelled at him. The intruder dropped his rifle and raised his hands. From behind, he wore the rebellion uniform complete with backpack and gear. "Turn around Gale."

"Don't shoot Johanna," he said as he turned around.

"What the fuck?"

"Hi, Johanna. Remember me, Alec. Alec Baylor from District 12," Alec announced himself. Rory charged from behind him and forced Alec onto his knees.

"What the fuck are you doing here? I could have blown you head off."

"You know him?" Rory interjected.

"Um…Haymitch sent me," Alec explained.

"Great. Thanks Haymitch," I blurted to the air as if he could hear me. "Now I get to babysit the two of you." I was upset that Haymitch sent Alec let alone made me bring Rory.

"I don't need babysitting," Alec said as he stood up and brushed his clothes. "I was a soldier during the rebellion. I was in District 8, you know. I joined the rebellion once I knew it existed. I can help you."

"Why did you he send you?"

"I volunteered." Damnit, this is what Katniss created. People volunteering left and right since her reaping. It was becoming a trend.

"What's in it for you, Baylor?"

"I wanted to help you find Peeta and Katniss," he explained.

"You don't even know him."

"He was really nice to me when I lost the baking competition. He offered me a job once the bakery has completed construction," he continued. "I didn't have any where else to go." He shrugged his shoulders. However, I knew Peeta's motivation for hiring Alec. He wanted to have someone incase something happened to him. Peeta wanted his name to live on but have Alec would work there in his place just in case.

"You're a baker?" Rory asked. He was flummoxed looking over Alec. Alec was lean and medium height. He didn't look like a baker. Not that there was a stereotype. He was soft spoken and gentle like Peeta. I didn't believed him when he said he was a soldier during the rebellion. I didn't know if he was former Peacekeeper or rebel. I didn't care. But, there was a tired look and weariness about his demeanor; like someone who had lost a lot during the war. But as for being a baker, I wouldn't have guessed.

"You know what?" I interrupted Rory. "Time's a wasting. We need to move. I'll deal with Haymitch later for not telling me that he was sending someone."

"It was a last minute––"

"No matter. Move." I commanded them. "Follow me or stay behind. I can care less." After an eight-hour walk, we travel 19 miles of terrain that ran from varied levels of elevation. Our feet were sore while our backs ached from lugging 20 pound of gear on our person. We reached a summit that availed us the view of the valley and for anyone who may approach us from below. We had a great vantage point. The air was thin but we managed as best we could. I was used to it. It was not the case for Rory and Alec. We had to stop several times for them to adjust to the elevation.

We set up our campsite an hour before sunset when I realized that Rory was missing. "Where the hell did he go?"

"I think he needed to do some…business," Alec revealed. He had his back turned to me. Rory hadn't appeared another ten minutes and I was losing my patience. My mind flashed images of Gale and Rory secretly meeting up and leading him back to us. My state of paranoia only added to my frustration. "Damnit, he's been gone too long. How long does take for you guys to do your business," I said in irritation. Alec ignored me. "What are you doing?"

"I'm making dinner," he said as he started a fire.

"Just wait a minute. Gale will see that," I said, as I was about to douse the fire.

"We have an hour before we lose daylight," he explained. "I can make some flat bread real quick before he can see the fire." He ignored my scowl. Then, Rory appeared out of nowhere holding two dead rabbits in his hand.

"Look what I trapped for dinner." He said so proud of himself. I walked over to him and push him on his chest.

"What the hell, Rory," I grumbled. "Do not ever go out there on your own without telling me where you're going. This is not some summer camping trip. What if Gale found you? What if you got hurt?"

"I'm sorry." He didn't sound apologetic. "But at least we can have real meat for dinner."

Irritated, I walked off away from the idiots. One was building a fire to make bread while the other was skinning the rabbits. I was surrounded by imbeciles. My nerves were raw from not finding Peeta and Katniss. I took several deep breaths to calm my shattered nerves. My emotions were mixed with anger and fear. It was feeling I was not accustomed to other than for myself, Annie and Finnick. This is what happened when you let people in to your life and heart. Maybe Katniss had the right idea about not letting people into your life. I would have lived a life of ignorant bliss.

I found myself at the peak of the mountainside. The sun had dipped into the horizon. The view before me was grand and majestic. I missed District 7's trees and forage. I felt at peace for a moment. Forty-five minutes later Alec appeared behind me. My reaction was to aim my rifle at his head. They left me alone to my own device as I watched the sun set before me. The silent moment of peace calmed me until he came along. I looked down the valley below wondering where Peeta and Katniss might be, and hoped that they were unhurt.

"It's just me, Alec," he said while he held onto a small metallic bowl with two pieces of bread. The aroma of rabbit meat filled my nostrils. "Here I saved you some before Rory ate everything." I looked at him with suspicion. "There's more I saved up incase you want seconds."

"Thanks." Within minutes, I ate my warm meal consisted of bread and rabbit meat. Savoring the taste of real protein in my mouth, it settled in my stomach filling me. It was more than enough. He pulled out his cantina. My belly felt full and heavy, but satisfied.

"I hope the rabbit wasn't to gamey," he wondered. "I don't cook rabbit often so…" 'Was he waiting for a compliment?' What was that proverb, 'a way to a man's heart is through his stomach.' I recognized that look he was giving me. The same adoring look Peeta had whenever he was with Katniss. I had no patience or time for that kind of love in my life. I lost that ability to love anyone with the exception of Finnick the moment my mentor informed me that my entire family was killed in an accident. I didn't or wanted to love anyone.

"It wasn't. Thank you, I was too hungry to notice if it was." I swiped my mouth with the back of my hand and belched out loud. Effie would have been horrified at my dinner etiquette. I miss everyone even Bron. Alec smirked back. I was about to head back when Alec stopped my by placing a hand on my shoulder. I reeled back in surprise. "What?" His touch startled me.

He dug into his pant pocket and pulled out a military tag. "Haymitch said to make Rory wear this." The tags swung in the air between his fingertips. I grabbed it to the read the inscription. The etchings read, 'Corporal Rory Hawthorne.'

"He got promoted? For what?" I gasped in surprise and a tinge of anger.

"For his continued service in helping out the Star-Crossed Lovers of District 12," he explained. "Haymitch and Paylor thought it would give him an incentive to…protect them. Give him some purpose."

"Or guilt him more than likely." I felt the weight of the tag. It was heavier than usual. "Hmm…sneaky Haymitch."

"What?"

"It's the same tag that Bron wears." Alec looked confused. "It has a GPS embedded in it."

"Oh, I see." He pulled out his own and compared the weight against Rory's tag. "Another security measure." I looked at him closely for the first time since his arrival. He's tall but not as tall as Gale. Alec was leaner than him with dark brown hair and gold highlights. His bushy eyebrows were prominent against his green eyes. I felt…a second of…interest, lust? Then remembered why he was here. He was here to help me find Peeta and Katniss. Besides, I'm too broken and skittish to even contemplate having any relationship with any man. I trusted only Peeta, and Haymitch to some degree. And, Bron because of his relationship with Delly.

"Johanna?"

"Sorry," I said. "My mind wandered for a second. We should head back to camp before Rory eats all our rations." I grabbed the tag and turned to walk back to camp.

"Johanna, Rory meant well," Alec started. "Listen, he's still a kid. He's never experienced what we did. He's really trying hard to impress you. And…"

"And what?"

"I think you're missing the fact that he's here with you…hunting down his own brother. It's must be really hard for him, you know." I stared back at him. He sounded like Peeta.

"I told him the repercussions and consequences of coming with me. He made that choice."

"I'm not making excuses for him. I want you to understand him, that's all," Alec concluded. "Just give him some slack."

"Listen, what we're doing is dangerous and very important to me. Peeta and Katniss are very important to me. They're my concern. You look after Rory if you're worried." Without waiting for a response I walked off and headed back to the campsite.

We took turns on guard duty. Rory, Alec then myself kept watch in that order. Alec suggested I take another hour of sleep since I was up from 2-5am. I couldn't and told him I was used to staying up. My stint at the Capitol trained me. By midmorning, we were close to the terminal. I drove the boys hard through the forest denying them rest or stops unless for a bio break. As expected, Rory complained and whined all the way.

By noon, we found ourselves facing a large open field. The train tracks ended half a mile in the distance. My heart stopped, in my field of vision was a terminal. It was destroyed. In the middle of the wreckage was the train. The lead engine that Peeta and Katniss were on before we were separated. I ran across the field with Rory and Alec right behind me.

"Peeta. Katniss," I screamed. 'Please don't be hurt, please,' my mind chanted. Fear and the feeling of desperation fueled my legs. I was tired from our long trek but after seeing the wreckage, my aches and pains diminished in an instant. I felt my heart beating against my chest while I breathed through my mouth. The air was cold. I felt the chill as it passed through my throat and into my lungs. "Peeta, Katniss." Both Rory and Alec yelled for them as well.

The train was pile of mangled and twisted metal. It was destroyed and obliterated. "Oh God, oh God," I yammered. My feet were frozen to the ground and I'm paralyzed with fear and anticipation. "Katniss, Peeta."

"Johanna, stay back," Alec instructed. "Let Rory and me see through the wreckage." I nodded my head. For several minutes I held my breath waiting for Alec and Rory as they examined the scene.

"Please don't be there," I chanted to myself in a low whisper. If there was a God, I prayed to him or her bargaining for Peeta and Katniss' life. 'I swear to live my life to the fullest. That I would not take the people I love for granted and that the people who lost their lives didn't die in vain. Please don't be dead.' I negotiated.

"Rory, Alec," I hollered. "Are they in there?" Alec appeared first, dirty with ash and grime smeared all over his hands and face. Rory was nowhere to be seen.

"I looked everywhere. Every nook and cranny, Johanna," he said. "I found nothing." He smiled, weak but relief apparent on his face. I hugged him, tight. He looked startled as he returned my embrace in return.

"Thank you, thank you." I held on to him longer than I should have but my fear and concern for Peeta and Katniss overwhelmed me. His arms felt right at the moment. I wished I were hugging Katniss and Peeta, knowing that they were alive and safe. I pulled back. "Where's Rory? He was right behind you."

"I don't know––" A crash sounded in the wreckage.

"Rory!" He appeared with a big smile on his face, holding a medium size metallic box.

"Look what I found," he said with glee and surprise. I peered inside the box. There inside were eight Cheese Buns, cold but intact.

"Oh my God, are those––" Alec started and reached for the container.

"Give me that," I said as I snatched it away from him. Of course, Rory would have rummaged the kitchen/galley of the train. What I hadn't expected was that the bread survived the impact. Silly but desperate, I thought that this was Peeta's way for telling me that he and Katniss were alive and okay. It was a sign I was looking and praying for.

For a moment I felt relief since I knew it was fleeting. So imagine the look on my face when suddenly a barrage of gunfire was shot in our direction. "Run for cover," I yelled.

We scattered in different direction as I lost sight of Rory and Alec for a few seconds. The bombardment pelted us into position. We were trapped. Adjusting my bearing, I found Alec crouched to my left behind a large pile of twisted metal. Rory was flat on his stomach covering his head with enough cover to protect his body from the onslaught.

The gunfire stopped providing us a moment to regroup. I fired several shots and was greeted with artillery fire in return. When the gunfire stopped again, I realized that it's a single shooter firing at us.

"Alec," I shouted to him. "Where is it coming from?"

"Twenty yards straight ahead," he answered back. "Someone is in the building."

"Rory," I shouted. Silence. "Rory, are you hurt?" Still no answer returned. I looked back to his inert body. He turned his head to me. He had tears in his eyes and a look of fright that I recognized. He was scared to death. Poor kid. "Just stay where you are and don't move." He nodded his head and closed his eyes. I gestured to Alec transmitting hand signals to him.

I'm assuming it was Gale so I called out to him. "Gale," I shouted at him. He didn't answer back. "I know it's you asshole. Only a coward like you would go after Peeta this way." I needed to rile him so I could pinpoint his location.

"You couldn't get to him so you're going after the people he cared the most. Me, Delly, Effie and Haymitch." I signaled Alec to sneak up to him while I distracted him. "Well, you failed killing me in the hovercraft. And Bron is safe is District 4 with Delly, Haymitch and Effie." Alec reached the building undetected where the shots were fired. Unfortunately the building was concrete with windows only in the front of the exterior. Alec couldn't approach him without being seen.

"You're really messed up man. You need help. Just because Katniss didn't love you doesn't mean it's the end of the world. Just move on already and leave Peeta alone." A hail of gunfire answered me back. 'Oops, I think I hit a nerve.' "Even your little brother Rory thinks you need help." I returned several rounds of gunfire. Again he retaliated with more fire. Then I had an idea.

"You know Hawthorne, Katniss will never love you back," I yelled at him. "She's too crazy in love with Peeta that it's really quite sickening and sweet. I mean, the sounds coming from their bedroom. Oh my God, you should hear her yelling his name like some wild banshee. He really knows how to give it to her good." I listened and I got no response. "I mean, why not? Right? I mean I never seen a cock as big, thick and beautiful like Peeta's. Why would she want you when she can have that every night, right?"

As expected by taunting Gale's fragile ego and his masculinity in question, he lost his cool and opened fire. No man ever wanted to be told that his rival was a better lover and had larger equipment.

The deluge of gunfire was relentless as debris and dirt showered down on Rory and me. Gale was pissed angry and mad as hell. I finally hit a nerve. The gunfire went on forever. Well, it felt like it did until it stopped. I dared to peek from my spot. Alec was backed against the wall listening. It was quiet again.

I watched Alec slowly creep forward to the large window where the fire was coming from. He ducked fast as rifle crashed against the window and landed in front of the building. I guess Gale ran out of ammo, which I hoped would happen. Alec looked in the window then shouted, "Johanna and Rory, run."

Without any hesitation, I picked my weary body off the ground and ran. I lost sound and my sight blurred as I felt my feet lift off the ground, propelling me into the air. The concussion from the explosion burned and singed my back and neck. I lost the grip I had on my rifle as I spread my arms like wings. I thought, 'This is what it feels like to fly.'

Suddenly, my life flashed before my eyes; I remembered my first birthday, my first kiss. I remembered my reaping, the face of my first and last kill that won me the arena. I recalled the headstones of each family member I buried in one day. Then before hitting the ground I saw Finnick, Annie, Haymitch, Delly and Katniss. I landed on the ground headfirst and felt the pain of the impact on my neck, shoulders and back. Before the world turned dark around me, I saw a face of a boy with crystal blue eyes and blond hair. I whispered one word as my eyes closed, "Peeta."


Katniss POV ––

The space between was wide, as wide as the land of Panem. Peeta was close behind me but faraway in spirit. I didn't mean to be short or be frustrated with him. I was annoyed that he dismissed my idea of searching the train terminal. He was convinced it was a cornucopia and Gale had sent us there to ambush us. It made sense at the time, but now I'm not sure. What added to my frustration were his loud steps as he traversed in the woods. I recalled the downward spiral of his mood and emotions to set off his quiet and dour behavior.


Flashback ––

"Peeta, we should have looked around the wreckage and see if there was anything we could find in there," I reiterated for the third time. "The building could have had a radio transmitter, video feed."

"It's too obvious and coincidental for that building to be there. It was a trap, Katniss." I huffed in annoyance at his explanation. "Gale sent us there for a reason and I wasn't about to find out hard way."

"You're being paranoid," I suggested. The steps he took dragged on the ground that a nearby squirrel ran off from fright. "Damnit."

"What now?" he said in annoyance.

"You scared off a squirrel that we could have had for dinner."

"Sorry."

"You've been scaring of all the game with your loud footsteps," I complained. "Can't you walk quieter with your feet. I mean––"

"Well, excuse me for not walking any quieter for you," he seethed in anger. The fire in his eyes and harsh tone in his voice surprised me. "It wasn't as if was raised and hunted in the woods all my life, Katniss."

"I just…I want to catch rabbit or squirrel and you're scaring everything off."

"For God's sake, Katniss. If you're hell bent in arguing with me then walk back to the terminal, get the fucking squirrel you're determined to catch. If being with me is such a nuisance since I can't walk any quieter, it's best that we separate right now, damnit."

He was closed to tears. His fists were clenched by his side, as he favored his left leg. I hadn't noticed until now that he was limping badly until he walked passed me. "Leave me the hell alone."

"Peeta, you're limping."

"No shit, Katniss."

"Why didn't tell me?" I exploded. I was concern of our situation that I didn't realize that he may have seriously injured his leg during the jump off the train.

"You've been bitching for the past three hours about the train terminal and my walking too damn loud." He stopped and bent over rubbing his left knee. He winced as his hand felt for the skin around his prosthesis.

"Sit down and take a––" I walked over to him and was about to grab his waist when he pulled away from me.

"I'm fine." He continued to walk slow and steady. I followed behind him ashamed of my behavior. "Maybe we should separate."

"What the hell, Peeta!"

"Gale is after me, Katniss," he said with finality. "You're in danger because of me."

"Peeta. I'm not about to leave you to face him alone."

"I'm just so tired of this––"

"There is no way in hell I'm gong to––" I started.

"I want this to be over. I never wanted to kill anyone in life ever. To make him pay for ruining so many lives, Bron, Eva and Delly. For almost fucking killing me when he abducted me." He raised his head towards the sky gazing at the tall trees above us. "Come and get me you fucking coward," he screamed into the air. "Come out and fight like a man." He turned around. "Face me right now, Gale. Come and get me."

"Peeta, keep your voice down." He was losing it. His chest heaved from his rant. I grabbed him by the arms and he twisted away from me. "Peeta!"

"Leave me alone, Katniss," he muttered through clenched teeth. "I don't know if I can hold off…I'm so mad, angry…run before I hurt you." He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. "Not real, not real. I can't do this."

"I'm not going anywhere without you," I said to him, low and soft. He was fighting himself, fighting the thoughts and images that could trigger him. "I did that once, and I almost lost you." I did lose him. "You haven't had a single episode since…we left District 12." I couldn't see his face but I knew he was in agony not just physically but emotionally as well.

"But I had my wristband, Katniss. I relied on it. It helped me focus." He fought off the tears that ran down his cheeks. I felt helpless watching him trying to control his anger and his cries of pain.

I moved in front of him. "Kara took it off for a reason. She believed that you could function with it. She believed in you. Just like I do. I do believe that you don't need it."

"I don't think I can ward off an episode without it." He turned his face away from me.

"Listen, Peeta. I know you can." He closed his eyes as I placed both hands on his face and forced him to look at me. "I'm not scared of you. You won't hurt me."

"How can you say that? I already have." He opened his eyes. His beautiful blue orbs went directly to my neck. Tears tracked down his face streaming past his lips and onto his shirt.

"It wasn't your fault."

"I had my hands wrapped around your neck, Katniss. I remember it, I see it in my head every day…"

"Why didn't you say anything? I told you, Peeta. I forgave you."

"I can't forgive myself. That day haunts me, Katniss. I was programmed to kill you and I almost did." Weary and tired, he wrapped his arms around me. I sighed in relief. I missed his arms around me. "I'm sorry, Katniss. I'm so sorry."

"Shh, hey, it's done and over with," I said as I smoothed his back with my hands. "That's the past. I've forgiven you a long time ago."

"I'll never forget it."

"Peeta, have you forgiven me for the way I treated you," I asked him.

"That has nothing to do with––"

"Yes, it does, Peeta," I said. "I treated you badly for months and you forgave me."

"I didn't have the right to be mad at you just because you didn't love me," he sighed into my neck. His breath was warm and comforting. I laid my head on his shoulder relishing his strong muscled chest against my breasts. "You love you who love and you can't force anyone to love you back."

"Peeta, you once said that everything that happened in the past stays in the past."

"How can you forgive me for almost killing you?" he asked.

"How can you forgive me for denying how I felt about you?" I countered back.

"Because I love you, Katniss." He smiled in his shy and adoring way whenever he looked at me. Like I was the moon and the stars in the sky. He had looked at me with such adoration and awe in his eyes. It unnerved me before, but now I craved it. He made me feel loved and wanted.

"I do love you, Peeta," I reaffirmed his declaration. "I don't ever want you to forget it." We held each other for several minutes. The temperature in the air quickly turned. I felt him shiver. "Come on. We should keep moving. I want to find a safe spot for us to settle in for the night." I took his hand and we continued to walk until there wasn't any daylight left.

End of flashback ––


We had settled into the night in quiet reflection. I was able to trap a rabbit for dinner. We worked beside each other while Peeta build a fire and I skinned the rabbit. Throughout the evening Peeta was quiet. He spoke when I spoken to but didn't initiate conversation during dinner. After our little spat, he held my hand as we walked in the woods. He didn't ask or wonder which direction I was leading us. He just followed and obeyed my commands.

"Are you okay, Peeta? Do you want to stop for a few minutes?" I asked him at one point. He just shook his head.

"I'm cold and tired, but okay, Katniss," he answered back. "Let's keep moving and get away from the terminal. The farther we are away from that place, the better I'll feel."

However, his sullen behavior continued after dinner. The night was cold. I nestled my body against Peeta's chest as I sat between his legs. With his chest covering my back and his arms around me, I felt safe and warm.

I swore to myself that I would temper my anger and frustration to the situation on hand, and not on Peeta. We were alone without anyone to help us and in a strange place. I couldn't lose focus.

At morning during breakfast he stared into the trees beyond us. His eyes were unfocused as if he was in the midst of a daydream. It wasn't a good one since his face was scrunched and his lips was in a thin line. "What's wrong, Peeta?" I asked him.

"Nothing," I returned. "I thought I saw something but…"

"Like what?" I queried.

"It's nothing." He turned and passed me a cup of tea and cold cheese bun. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Yes, I did. I always do when you have your arms around me," I told him. "I have to tell you though, my butt hurts from the cold ground we were sitting own. How about you?"

"I did for a bit, but I stayed up half the night watching over us."

"Peeta!" I scolded him. "You should have woken me up. I would stayed up with you."

"It's all right, Katniss. I was too nervous and scared to sleep." I looked at him for a few seconds. He looked tired and worn, but alert. "Katniss?"

"Yes."

"Do you remember our Geography class in school?"

"What about it?" I wondered where this conversation was leading to. Thinking about my school years was the last thing I wanted to remember. It brought back memories of Prim and my father.

"Do you remember what our teacher Mrs. Roberts said about District 3?" he asked.

"Not really, Peeta? Why?" My brows furrowed in curiosity.

"She said that the forests in District 3, and 7 were almost the identical. That they had the same plants, forage and creatures inhabiting the woods."

"Yea, I think so."

"Does these trees look familiar to you?"

"Not really." I drained my tea to wash down the cheese bun I ate while I spoke to Peeta. I noticed that his piece was half eaten.

"I guess, I'm just seeing things," he sighed.

"Peeta, tell me what's wrong?" I stood up and sat next to him taking his cold hands into mine. "Tell me."

"I woke up just as the sun rose. And for a moment I didn't remember where we were or…what day it was." He stopped to gather his thoughts. I watched his Adam's apple work up and down his throat. "I mean, I thought we were back in the first arena." I gasped.

"What do you mean?"

"I thought that we were in the 74th Hunger Game. Instead of waking up in the cave, I woke up in the woods with you in my arms." He tugged my hand into his chest. "I thought I dreamt of the cave…that it never happened…and we were still being hunted down by Cato, Clove and everyone else." He shifted his left leg. "Then I felt for my leg and remembered that we're in District 3 being hunted down by…Gale."

"Oh Peeta." I wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "You must have been so scared. Why didn't you wake me up?" I hated that when he had a nightmare, he never woke me up to comfort him.

"You were in my arms, fast asleep...sleeping peacefully." He touched the tip of my braid just like he did during the berry incident in the first arena. I grabbed his left hand and rubbed his wrist where the band used to be. It was odd not seeing it there after the many months he wore it.

"I scared myself when I woke up. When I didn't find my wristband, I thought that everything that happened between us these last few weeks was a dream. That I dreamt it all…I didn't know what was real for a few minutes."

"This." I gestured between us. "Is real and good…so good that I'm never letting you go. I've never been happier in my life as I am right now with you."

"So…we survived a train crash…we're in the middle of the forest in District 3, lost and lone. Gale is hunting us because you love me…not him. He's obsessed in killing me because he's convinced that you're really in love with him."

"Well, I said the things between us are good, Peeta," I teased him. "I didn't say that everything else around us was." He smiled. It was the first time in hours since leaving the train terminal. I missed it. "No matter what happens, this…right here, right now is where I want to be."

Thirty minutes later, we cleaned up our campsite and packed our belongings. "Have any idea where we are?" Peeta asked.

"Well, I know we're northeast of the railroad tracks. I have no idea where we're heading so I figure we continue going east until we find something. I just that Haymitch sent air and rescue after us." I looked at the sky above us. I figured it's close to 8 in the morning. Spending days and camping out at nights with my father taught me how to determine the hour of the day.

"I hope not." Stunned, I stared at Peeta. He looked ragged from lack of sleep. I wanted to stop and let him rest for an hour or so but argued against it. If Gale was at the terminal, he would surely be right behind us.

"Why not?" I asked flabbergasted as I stopped in my tracks at his response.

"Gale shot at Johanna's hovercraft in the air, Katniss. Anyone traveling in this area would probably meet the same fate. If I were him, I'd keep this to myself. I don't want any more people involved. I don't want any more blood in my hands."

"You know that Johanna is probably somewhere out there looking for us."

"I thought of that. I just hope she isn't," he said.

Close to noontime, the sun was blistering hot and the air turned arid and dry. The drop in temperature made the trek hard and overbearing. The cold air turned to heat causing us to dampen our clothes with our sweat. I felt sticky and uncomfortable wishing for a nice cool shower. Peeta kept up with my pace not complaining as the terrain changed from clear to wild and heavy underbrush. I knew his leg ached but he didn't utter a word but walked along side me. It felt like we were back in the arena the first time. Just the two of us alone trekking in the woods trying to stay alive.

We took a half hour break during lunch eating berries I picked along the way. It blended well with the cheese buns Peeta divided between us. We didn't know how long we would be in the forest before we were rescued or found our way back to civilization. So we ration the food we packed. Along the way, I found medicinal plants that I rubbed on Peeta's sore and aching leg. He had landed on it roughly causing the prosthesis to pinch and jab his limb. A few minutes later, he sighed in relief as the healing nutrient worked into his skin.

Every few miles, Peeta was looking around him. I felt his uneasiness and discomfort. "Not real, not real," he whispered.

"What's wrong? You want to stop? Is your leg hurting?" I bombarded him with questions. He kept to himself and it bothered me. If he was hurting he would never tell me, feeling as though he was a burden to me. It didn't help that I lost patience with him the day before. I was scared and frustrated with our situation.

"Nothing, I'm having flashes of memory, I think," he scrunched his face. "I can't help but feel like I should know this place." I nodded my head in understanding since I felt it too. Like as if I was walking back into a bad dream.

I stared at Peeta. He held a long staff in his hand that he carved by himself during a break. It helped him traverse the uneven ground, steadying his steps. He was filthy, smeared with dirt and sweat gleaming on his face and skin. The ground evened out as I heard Peeta sigh in relief. Suddenly, I stopped and looked around me.

"What's wrong Katniss?" he asked with concern on his face. I glanced at the trees and bushes surrounding us. It looked familiar.

"Peeta does this place remind you of someplace?" He turned in a complete circle then stopped. With his free hand he rubbed his palms on his pants then reached for a knife in his backpack. A look passed on his face as if it dawned on him what I had discovered. He sighed.

"I didn't know if I was imaging it."

"Why didn't you say anything?" I blustered.

"I…I thought that I was just remembering a false memory. I didn't know if it was real," he admitted.

"Oh my God, Peeta," I exclaimed. "This looks exactly like the woods in our first arena." I pushed my legs and darted to a familiar path. "Come on, follow me." I ran in a pace I knew that Peeta could catch up to. I didn't want to lose him as anticipation and hope filled me.

"Where are you going?" he yelled from behind me. After several yards, we cleared the forest to find the river exactly like the one in the arena. "Oh my God, Katniss. Is this real?"

"It's real. I think the woods were based on District 3 foliage. How else did I guess that this would be here? Come on." I ran towards the water praying that Gale was nowhere in sight. It was déjà vu as I remembered the sight before me. Flashes of memories filled my mind. I felt the fear and excitement return remembering tracking down Peeta. Hoping he was still alive when the Gamekeepers changed the conditions of the game.

As I reached a familiar slope, I descended down the river following the water that led to a waterfall. "Oh my God, Peeta. Look." I pointed at it. It was beautiful and majestic as large trees and rock formations surrounded it.

"Where are you going?" he yelled as I tread through the water. The water was cool and comforting. It swished around my legs reaching my kneecaps. I extended my hand. He grabbed it.

I led him to the waterfall walking through cascade of water and entered through a small opening right behind the fall. We were soaking wet when we reached the end of the damp cool cave. On the stony interior were patches of fluorescent moss that lit the cave in an eerie green color. "We can take break here. We're safe."

"Let's get out of these clothes and clean up after ourselves," Peeta suggested. "I'm dying for a hot bath but this will do." He removed our packs as I stripped myself from my shirt and pants. I wished for a bar of soap but this was better than I expected. At least we could get clean in privacy without Gale catching us. I stood before Peeta with only a pair of soaking wet panties and bra that clung to my skin.

"You need to take those off too, Katniss. They'll never get dry." Ordinarily, I would have been embarrassed and screamed at him for suggesting the idea to be completely nude in front of him. But he was my boyfriend and my lover. He had seen me naked more times than I can count with both hands. The thought of his naked body sent a chill up my spine but the need to remove my filthy and stinky clothes outweighed my desire and lust for him. There was time for that later.

We stood besides the fall washing our bodies with cold water. It was intimate and relaxing to be with him that way without a stitch of clothing between us. After a few minutes of cleansing ourselves, Peeta reached out and grabbed me by the waist. He held me for several minutes relishing his warm body against mine. It was a gesture of comfort not out of lust or desire. We felt safe if only momentarily. "Do you need help to brush out your hair?" he asked me as he rifled his fingers through my wet locks.

He discovered an activity he enjoyed doing during one of our showers together. Peeta would run his long fingers down my strands, separating the tangles through his fingertips. He loved the texture and length of my hair. I then taught him to braid it into one single braid. Just the way he liked it. When we were in bed together he would fan my locks on the pillow beneath my head, telling me that he loved the way it spread on the pillow like sunbeams.

"A painting or drawing can never capture the way you look right now," he said one night as he hovered over my, his body nestled between my legs.

Sitting on a rock with his shirt used as a cushion, Peeta braided my hair without a brush or a comb. "I did the best I could," he winced. I kissed his cool cheek in gratitude.

"I feel so much better now that we washed ourselves," I admitted. Our clothes were spread out on a rock to dry. We slipped onto a new pair of pants and shirt that Peeta had packed in our duffel bag. He's resourceful and smart for thinking ahead. "Do you think you're up to hunting for our dinner now?"

"We're not going to move forward, keep moving until we find help?"

"I'm tired of the long trek we had," I answered him. "I think we walked at least 15 miles yesterday and at least 10 since this morning. Let's rest today and start again tomorrow."

"But what about Haymitch and everyone? They'll be worried sick about us."

"I know they are," I cringed at his logic. Haymitch and everyone must be beside themselves with worry. But I didn't have the heart to tell him the real reason why I wanted to stay put. Peeta was limping, badly. He was in pain from hurling his body off the train.

He never admitted it when he died hitting the force field during the last arena. You don't come out of that kind of experience without sustaining some kind of damage. Finnick admitted to me that Peeta was hiding his pain from me when I left him to watch over Beetee.


Flashback ––

The dining area was empty. It was the only place I knew that wouldn't be populated at the late hour. Dinner was over three hours ago and I usually spent my free time with Prim, but I couldn't rest and I felt anxious. I needed space away people. Prim's presence and comforting words were fleeting as fear and worry filled my mind thinking of Annie, Johanna and Peeta. I heard his voice before he sat next to me startling me from my concentration.

"Peeta had heart palpitations after he hit the force field. He lost his hearing on right his ear for a while and he had a network of burns all over his body." Finnick said to me out of the blue. He had a piece of rope between his fingertips. "He felt numb on the left side of his body."

"Why didn't he say anything to me?" I sobbed into tears.

"He said he didn't want to worry you and you already had to much on your mind, Katniss," he confessed. "He didn't want to burden you. To look at him for being weak and stupid."

"He isn't stupid, but he's an idiot," I laughed in anguish. "I should have known he would have side effects from hitting the force field."

"Peeta would have never had told you anything. No matter how much pain he was in, he would have never said anything to anyone, especially you."

"But you knew because he told you," I accused him with a tone of anger in my voice.

"He didn't', Katniss." He looked at me with sad but understanding eyes. "I've seen the effects of what lightning does to your body if you're struck by it. He never said anything to me. But I did call him on it. I told him I knew he was suffering."

End of flashback ––


Pain was something Peeta was accustomed to just as I was. I lived in pain for years after my father passed away. I never told anyone. I suffered through it alone because I was busy trying to keep Prim alive and safe.

"I know they're worried but…I can't walk another mile and I'm hungry for some rabbit or squirrel." I swore never to lie to him again, but this was different. He was lying to me by omission. He was hurt and in pain. I detected a sigh of relief when he took a long cleansing breath. "Can we stay here for a while? We can start again tomorrow, I promise. I want to rest for a bit today." Peeta would never deny me anything.

"Okay." I walked over to him and hugged him tight against me.

"Whatever you want or need, Katniss," he whispered in my ear.

"You know that I would anything for you, Peeta," I told him. "Anything. You make me happy."

"Even while we're being hunted down in Gale's version of his Hunger Game?" he teased me, touching the end of my braid in affection. He was teasing me but underneath it he had hidden his insecurity and fears. If I had to reassure for the rest of my life, I'd gladly and wholeheartedly do it.

Three hours later, we returned to our temporary haven with two rabbits and bag full of berries. Along the way I also gathered the medicinal leaves for Peeta's aching limbs. When he saw me he leaned over and kissed my cheek. It was chaste and short as he placed an arm over my shoulders. "You're the best and sexiest girlfriend ever," he praised me. I blushed at his compliment.

"Peeta, I've been your only girlfriend," I gushed back.

He squeezed my shoulder. "Then that makes me pretty lucky that I got it right the first time."

We ate dinner side by side needing the comfort of each other's presence. The air turned chilly within seconds as the sun kissed the horizon. We afforded ourselves the luxury to have an open fire since we were hidden inside the cave. I sat in front of Peeta nestled between his legs with arms around me. I'm warm and full of dinner snuggled against the love of my life. When said 'love of my life' winced behind me when I shifted in his warm embrace.

"What's wrong? And don't say you're fine."

"I'm just a little sore from all the walking today," he admitted. I turned around facing him.

"Take off your pants," I ordered him. He had a look of surprise on his face.

"Katniss, I don't think that it's a good idea that we––"

"Not like that," I snorted as reached over to unbutton his pants. Peeta grabbed my hands away from his waist. "I want to see your leg."

"No, don't do that. I'll do it." He shivered then shifted as he lifted his butt and slid his pants off him. I ignored the tent forming in his boxer shorts. Since becoming sexually active with each other, it didn't take much to turn him on. I praised the high heavens that his time with Eva didn't permanently scar him mentally. "Sorry," he whispered. "I can't help it when you touch me sometimes."

"It's all right, Peeta," I reassured him by placing a hand his upper thigh avoiding his erection. "I feel the same way when you touch me too." Fortunately, as soon as I detached his prosthesis his erection waned while Peeta sighed in relief. The skin around his stump was red and swollen. "Oh, Peeta." I leaned down and kissed his sore leg.

Getting up on my feet, I walked over and grabbed a handful of leaves I gathered hours before. I sat in front of him and placed his stump on my lap. With a wet cloth I massaged his leg for a few minutes then wrapped the leaves around it. With downcast eyes, Peeta watched me in awe and appreciation as I showered him with some TLC on his swollen leg.

When I was done playing nursemaid, he snatched my hand. "Thank you. You're best girlfriend ever," he reiterated. We quickly put his pants back on since the air dipped lower in temperature.

"Lie down," I instructed him. Peeta placed his duffel bag on the ground to serve as a pillow for his head. As soon as he was horizontal, I slid next to him placing my head on his chest. We lay there for a few minutes as the last two days events rushed back in my thoughts. I wanted alone time with Peeta but this was not what I expected with Gale on our heels.

I sighed in melancholy of the old times I shared with Gale. He was lost to me the moment I volunteered for Prim. I fought every inch of the way to not let the games changed me or change my life, but it did. Peeta Mellark happened and he changed me; Peeta, the boy who once saved me from starvation and brought me hope for the first time.

The soft thumping of his heartbeat lulled to me sleep.

"Katniss?"

"Hmm…what?" I murmured as I fought to stay awake.

"It's like déjà vu being here with you in this cave, you know?" He said while he rubbed his hand up and down my back. I smiled and shifted around fitting me just right with my head nestled at the crook of his neck. We were a perfect fit.

"I know. I thought about that too," I admitted as I placed a hand on his chest.

"I guess were back to full circle. Back to the place where it all began for us."

I wondered if this was a sign, to remind us that this was where it started and that we were fated to be together. That it was no coincidence that we were right back in a small cave where our relationship started in front of the entire country while we fought to stay alive. That the hunger I felt was love but was too oblivious to have realized it.

"Go to sleep," Peeta said as he placed a kiss on my forehead. We were safe for now and I wanted to relish it. Tomorrow was a new day.

AN: Thank you for reading this chapter. I will be updating in the beginning of the week [Monday, Tuesday, or Wed.] instead of the end of the week like I have in the past. Thanks again for your patience and resilience in continuing to read my story. Have a great weekend.

AN2: Thanks also to those you have liked, shared and shown interest for my brother's book, "Attack of the Peacekeepers." You're support and best wishes are appreciated. My eternal thanks to you all.