CHAPTER 3.25

'There's two sides to every story.

But I don't know how this one ends.

You want fire and you want glory.

But there's a struggle that lies within.'

Metal cooled the slick palm of her hand as she tightly gripped the silver lock that hung around her neck. Running her thumb over the picture of her aunt and uncle, she looked down at their smiling faces and prayed that, against all odds, she would not be reunited with them any time soon.

Pain had been her constant companion since she had entered the arena during the 74th Annual Hunger Games. When death took her at the end of them, Indiana had accepted her fate as the warm blood spilled from her abdomen. Wakening a few weeks before the 75th Games to discover that President Snow had hoarded all the bodies of the fallen tributes had ignited her desire to fight once more; she had to ensure her best friend's body was safely returned to his parents. Finding the love of her life during the Games hadn't been part of the plan but it had made her want to live, not just for glory but for a chance of having a happy ending.

By the time smoke cleared from the aftermath of the 75th Games, every thing she had held dear had been ripped from her. Enslaved in the clutches of Snow, Indiana had begged for death each time she was encased in darkness. She had wanted nothing more than to slowly slip away. Cato hadn't even entered her mind in those moments of suffocating pain and she cared little for the fact that death would mean leaving him behind. Glancing down at the ring that now rested permanently on her left ring finger, Indiana realised that she refused to die now.

A whole life worth living waited for her once the rebels defeated the oppressors that hid behind the protected walls of the Capitol. She had a husband who loved her, who made each breath worth exhaling. She had a best friend's body to reclaim and bury in accordance to District One traditions, along with the bodies of her surrogate parents. She had a family-in-law to meet that (according to Cato) would do nothing but care and protect her. And, Cato's favourite part of the future that they were fighting for was to meet their children. Snuggled under the covers the previous night (neither one able to sleep due to their impending mission), one large hand rested on her flat stomach as the young couple fantasised about their life once the war was over.

Tucking the locket safely back under her shirt, Indiana smiled at the familiar weight of it between her breasts. Cato smiled solemnly at her as he pulled the bullet-proof vest over her head, checking it was securely fastened. He pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead before turning to check Katniss' for her.

Some part of Indiana bristled slightly at the visual reminder that her husband had a close friendship with the woman but for the most part, Indiana was grateful that the Girl on Fire had been so kind to Cato and vice versa. Most people from the other Districts had only rallied together to fight against the Capitol because of Katniss' actions and her continuous efforts to thwart President Snow. Katniss' compassion was the reason Indiana had been given another chance at life, regardless of her also being the cause behind Indiana losing her life in the first place.

Hand in hand, Cato and Indiana Hadley clambered aboard the hovercraft behind the dark-haired woman from Twelve. All of them were ready for the final fight that would result in victory or death.

When informed that she would be returning to the Capitol to take down the government that had caused so much bloodshed and trauma, boredom was the last thing Indiana pictured herself feeling. Surprisingly, it was her most heightened emotion, followed by anxiety and a slight pang of fear. Finnick and Cato had been reluctant to leave her side since the moment they had landed and every now and then, they would shoot her a quick glance to assess how she was faring. Biting her tongue, she refused to snap at them.

All week she had been forced to endure therapy sessions with Vasha to ensure she would mentally cope with being back in the Capitol and despite being cleared (as always), she was still being observed. Whilst the two men sat beside her were only doing it out of care and not doubt of her capabilities, it was still irritating. Unfortunately, there had been no action for the past three days to distract her mind and the blonde warrior was beginning to feel antsy. There was no sign of any imminent threat and whilst the rest of the squadron were grateful that they hadn't been plunged into the fray straightaway, it set every nerve in Indiana's body on edge. There was no way their presence hadn't been detected yet unless the rebels truly had disadvantaged the Capitol more than Snow was willing to admit. However, she didn't voice the fact that at least if Mutts attacked them, they'd have something to do.

On the morning of their fourth day in the Capitol, the looks from her guard dogs had decreased but they still refused to leave her alone for longer than it took to relieve herself. By the time she had torn her gun apart and reassembled it for the fifth time, she could feel agitation beginning to grab hold of her. Boredom was never a feeling she had gotten used to. Life in District One had been a flurry of training exercises and survival skills so that by the time her body rested, her mind shut off along with it and she slipped into sleep. Waiting out in the open like some easy target didn't sit right with her. Fidgeting with her wedding band every other second, she twisted it round and round just so that her mind felt as if was doing something productive. As she opened her mouth to snap that she was more than capable of being on her own for two seconds, her self-appointed bodyguards moved closer towards her and dragged her to the floor. Soldier Leeg 2 had triggered a pod and now she lay on the ground with a metal dart embedded in her brain. Not wasting any time to mourn her death, Cato gripped his wife's hand as they continued with their slow journey.

As evening fell on the next day, Leeg 2's replacement arrived. Pushing past Finnick, Indiana ignored Cato's hand as he reached for her and raced towards the newcomer. It was a pleasant change to see him free of chains for the first time in a while. When she embraced him this time, he tightly hugged her back.

"The President assigned me herself." Peeta informed the squadron, ignoring the looks everyone shot him as Boggs stripped him off all his weapons.

Genuine fear flickered across Katniss' face. Both she and Indiana knew that Peeta hadn't been sent into the field because he was stable enough to be allowed on a mission. Instead, President Coin no longer cared if Katniss died and as Katniss looked helplessly at the blond boy, Indiana knew she had reached the same conclusion.

Ignoring the bustle of the squad as they adjusted to the new member, Indiana pulled Peeta down to sit with her and the pair refused to acknowledge the unsettled whispers that circulated around them. Tracing the wounds on his wrists where manacles had sat for far too long, Indiana pulled the wounded man in for yet another hug. Smiling, he wrapped his arms around her, still shocked that he was able to reciprocate the gestures of affection.

Since their capture, all he had felt was the warm grip of her hand in his through the bars of his cell. Now he was able to squeeze her tightly just as her arms squeezed him. Mostly, he marvelled at the fact that he was able to move his hands far enough apart to wrap them around another person. It was the first sliver of freedom he had been granted in months.

Boggs returned to the camp a few minutes later, undeniable anger pained across his face. The soldier did their best to give him a wide berth. Storming over to Katniss, Boggs led her away from the rest of the camp, the two of them conversing as they walked. On his way out, Boggs instructed Soldier Jackson to set up a schedule for a two-person guard to be assigned to Peeta at all times. Furious that she was not allowed to be part of the guard, Indiana ignored Soldier Jackson as he explained that regardless of the fact that there would be someone to guard him with her, Peeta and Indiana were too close. If it came down to it, Indiana couldn't be trusted to do what needed to be done if Peeta turned feral. Essentially, she couldn't be trusted to kill Peeta if he became a liability.

Orders were handed out and as she and Peeta were forced to sit and do nothing, Indiana glared at the two men that seated themselves behind Peeta. Hands on their weapons, they ignored Indiana as she exclaimed that the blond boy posed no threat to Indiana. Both of them cared for the smaller girl and felt uneasy at her close friendship with the volatile and unpredictable man.

"In a weird way, I'm glad you're here." Indiana admitted to Peeta, ignoring the incredulous look that Finnick made no effort to hide. At least Cato turned his face away in an attempt to hide his furrowed brows.

"See, I knew I'd grow on you." Peeta chuckled.

"Yes because all the best friendships begin with one impaling the other," she teased, happy to see a genuine smile on his haggard face.

Cato glared down at the ground, his hand twisting the ring around his own finger. Some part of Indiana still remained hidden from his understanding. He hadn't been aware that she had developed an ability to be so cavalier about her own death considering she did her best to avoid talking about when Cato had died. Instead, he had assumed that Peeta and Indiana's friendship was based off the foundations of them never mentioning the fact that Peeta had murdered her during the 74th Games.

Watching the two of them laugh about it was yet another cruel reminder that the pair of them had suffered through things far worse than death whilst they were trapped together. Cato would never know that part of her because she locked it away and refused to relive it by talking about what happened. Peeta had witnessed and suffered through it with her so she could talk about the parts of it she wanted without having to explain other painful emotions. Clenching his jaw, Cato wished (not for the first time) that it had been him who had been left behind in that arena.

"Seriously though," Indiana continued. "We started this together and we're ending it together. Katniss and Cato are here so I'm glad you are too. It wouldn't have felt right without you."

Darkness surrounded the small camp and the majority of the people within it attempted to get a few hours rest. Lying on the ground, Indiana gazed up into the black abyss of night, counting the twinkling lights that hung from the sky. Warmth radiated from the body next to her and the reassuring rise of his chest calmed her racing nerves. Eyelids fluttering shut, she startled awake when morbid memories danced across her mind.

A dark-haired head turned to face her, bow raised at the prospect of a threat. Realising it was simply her sleep-deprived ally, Katniss lowered her weapon. Allowing Indiana to take a long swig of water, she inquired after the blonde's wellbeing. Indiana forced herself into a sitting position, knowing that attempting – and failing - to sleep would only cause further frustration. Enduring conversation with a concerned Katniss seemed to be the lesser of two evils.

The grey eyed girl had withdrawn into herself since Peeta had arrived at camp and whilst she knew the two of them would disagree on the subject matter, Indiana decided to bring up the topic of conversation in order to diffuse the tension between the two of them. Neither girl had spoken to the other since Peeta had joined the squadron.

"I'm not going to let him hurt you so you don't have to be so worried." Indiana reassured. "I know it'll emotionally destroy him to ever hurt you if we get the real Peeta back but you have to remember that he's not in control of his actions or emotions right now. But, I promised I would help keep you safe, Katniss, so I'm not going to let him hurt you. I don't go back on my promises and you've just started to grow on me."

"Why are you being so nice to me lately? One moment you're nice and the next you act like you still hate me. I mean, we've been civil to each other lately and you've let me open up to you but every now and again, I catch you looking at me as if you're figuring out which way would be the best to kill me." Katniss blurted out, not sure she was quite ready to begin discussing Peeta.

Death could be coming to claim them soon and this might've been the last chance they had to get some things off her chest. Not that she was able to comprehend why but there was something about Indiana that made Katniss feel safe about offloading some of the terrible thoughts she kept from everyone else. Possibly because Indiana would understand those thoughts better than anybody ever could.

"I do," she admitted simply. "I've thought about how to kill you at least once a day since the 75th Games because I can't get the image of you murdering my uncle out of my head. Some people might sit there and say that I should get over it, stop whining about it after everything that has happened since. But, somehow, holding onto that little bit of hatred for you helps me cling onto the girl that I used to be. And I miss her. I miss that girl. She was stronger."

"Then why are you here? Why do you fight beside me instead of just killing me? You have the perfect opportunity right now. You've had the perfect opportunity numerous times and yet you haven't done it."

"Because as much as I hate to admit it – as much as Coin tries to deny it – you're the key to ending all of this." Indiana let out a humorous chuckle but her eyes didn't move from her tightly clasped hands. "I'm so sick of fighting, and for what? I just want to rest."

Throat closing up, she choked on her words as she struggled to force herself to say the truth. A few moments of silence passed between the two girls until Indiana managed to scrape together the courage to speak once more.

"Most of all, I admire you."

"I'm sorry, what? I don't think I heard you." Katniss taunted, nudging the blonde.

"Don't push it. I admire that you've fought for those you love and you've fought against the Capitol because it's what's morally correct. No one had to force you into the rebellion. If we're continuing to be honest with each other, I'm pretty sure I'm only here because Cato had the guts to form an alliance with you. If I had never fallen in love with him, my life would've continued as normal. I would've been crowned Victor, I would've returned home to One and I would've watched from the sidelines as the Games continued each year. My life would've been an endless cycle of mentoring and lavish parties and I would've been content. The rebellion would have no impact. You would be dead by own hands during the 74th Games, as would Peeta and Cato too. I would've never had the courage to do anything other than what was expected of me and I would've done that role well. You, however, chose not to conform. I can't help but wish that was a quality I possessed."

"You can't honestly believe that the good parts about you come from Cato," said Katniss in disbelief.

"He was the one who made me realise that I was capable of good so yes, I do. I think that's why it's been so difficult to accept that I'm fighting on the right side because I know that if the circumstances were different, I would currently be helping Snow destroy you. I was raised to strictly follow the rules of the Capitol and I broke them just by falling in love with a tribute. I wake up every morning and have to remind myself where I am and who I'm fighting for. Don't get me wrong, I fully support the end of the Games. I'm so glad that I'm fighting for the freedom of Panem but I only got this far because Cato made me." Exhaling shakily, Indiana finished her rant.

Finally glancing up at the younger woman next to her, her blue eyes shimmered with emotion. Katniss, still in shock, struggled to process the honest truth that had just been unveiled. Just when Katniss believed she had Indiana Summers all figured out, the blonde would surprise her once more.

Indiana Summers was many things. She was resilient, she was a fighter, she was cruel and calculated, and she had no qualms about stepping on others in order to get ahead. However, Katniss had also learn that she was compassionate, she was caring, she felt strongly and loved deeply, and most importantly, Indiana was beginning to learn how to work in a team and how to accept help from other people. She had learnt to open up to people and not shy away from expressing her feelings. Katniss had so much respect for the girl that had become her ally.

"Coin wants me dead. "It's why Peeta's here. She's hoping that being near me will trigger him and he'll kill me, which in turn will kill him." Katniss confessed, uttering the words she hadn't spoken to anyone since her conversation with Boggs earlier.

Perhaps, she had thought, no one would believe me. But, she knew that if anyone would believe her, it would be Indiana. Both of them shared an equal dislike for the apathetic woman.

"Look, I know she's clearly crazy and she's not at all likeable but why would she want you dead? You're the Mockingjay – the whole symbol of the rebellion."

"Exactly. For some bizarre reason, people listen to me. Coin thinks that when it's time for the new leader to be appointed, I won't provide my support and therefore, I'm a threat to her future rule. We all know that threats need to be eliminated."

Indiana lowered her voice and leaned in closer. "Well, when the time comes, maybe someone should eliminate President Coin."

Both of them glanced over at where Peeta was supposed to sleeping in full view of everyone so that he was never allowed a moment alone to do anything in dangerous. Instead of sleeping like the rest of the squadron, he's sat up with his sleeping bag pulled as high as possible for warmth. In his hands is a length of rope (no doubt given to him by Finnick) and he struggles to make clumsy knots with it.

For Indiana, seeing the rope in Peeta's hand symbolises that Finnick is remembering himself that Peeta isn't a threat to anyone but Katniss and that he's just scared and confused about his own head. For Katniss, it's a reminder that she's cast Peeta off.

"It's not his fault, you know. He can't control what's going on his own head and there's nothing scarier than that. You make him confused and terrified and then you're cruel to him. It's no wonder he lashes out." Indiana said not unkindly.

"I know." Katniss hissed vehemently. "Everyone seems to think that I don't know that."

"You don't act like you know that. Tracker Jacker venom is lethal and in small doses is causes delusions. You've witnessed that first-hand. He was subjected to it so many times that it's warped all of his memories. People branded me as insane because I saw things that weren't truly there. Peeta is also suffering from an inflection of the brain and in a way, he could be classified as insane as I was. The only trouble is that mine was deemed curable and his isn't. You should treat him the way you've been treating me."

Shame filled the Mockingjay because she knew Indiana was speaking the truth and she was just reiterating what Haymitch had told her. But, some part of Katniss struggled to be near the Mutt version of Peeta. And that was the problem, she no longer saw him as Peeta. He wasn't damaged, broken Peeta. He was a Mutt that the Capitol had created to kill her. His warped mind had been regarded as an irreversible and chronic condition that rendered him a threat and so imprisonment had been deemed his only cure.

Perhaps, if Katniss could just talk to him then she might be able to help him see the truth once more. She knew she should be kinder to him and make more of an effort to help him but she wasn't ready to die, and the memory of Peeta's hands attempting to crush her windpipe haunted her. Not wanting to discuss her feelings for Peeta in any more depth, Katniss remembered hearing about a dispute that had occurred between Indiana and Soldier Jackson. Before she could stop herself, the words were out of her mouth and hung in the air uncomfortable between the two girls.

"If it came down to it and Peeta was attempting to kill me, could you stop him?"

"You shouldn't ask questions you don't truly want to know the answer to." Indiana said after a few tense seconds.

Remaining silent, she knew Indiana was right but Katniss also knew that she needed to hear the answer out loud. Katniss needed to know that if Peeta lashed out then there would still be someone who would be willing to fight to save the Boy with the Bread. Someone who wouldn't let him get slaughtered by the rest of the soldiers. If Indiana fought for Peeta's life, Cato and Finnick would to just to protect her. Together, the trio might have a real chance of keeping Peeta alive, even if Katniss died. After all, the part of her that loved him and had fought so desperately to keep him alive in the past knew all of this was her fault. If death came for her by Peeta's hand, it would only be fair. Indiana sighed, knowing Katniss wouldn't drop the subject until she had her answer.

"If I had to choose then I would save Peeta and let you die."

'There's a war in my head and I don't understand.

How we ended up here?

...

Whose side are you on?

War lines have been drawn.'

Sorry for the filler but the action should be starting again soon and the story will be coming to an end. I thought this was a nice chapter to show more layers to Indiana other than fighter or crazy lady. And it shows the strong bond between Peeta and Indie.