Hey guys! So sorry for the delay, I had some family drama that messed up my writing schedule, but hopefully, this is worth it. I seriously can't believe it's already the middle of April, time is seriously flying by. Life has been so crazy lately, and I've been thinking of changing the day of the week I update the story, but I'll have to get back to you guys on that. Now let's quickly get into some reviews!

Gryffindork923- Oh, gosh. This was heavy. But I liked it.

It was definitely weird to have to write the ending scene. I've never written an action scene, so I hope it came out okay, but Thresh's death has always gotten to me, especially since he was such an honorable person. I'm glad you liked the chapter!

Rawlimad000- Wow! Amazing chapter! It's really different reading the book from katniss's POV and Lily's POV, and I really like it. Can't wait to read the next chapter!

Thank you! And yea, it's more laborious than I thought it would be, writing about the tapes, but I'm enjoying it. It's fun writing about scenes that were talked about in the Hunger Games that we are never explicitly shown because Katniss wasn't there, and hopefully they are adding some interest in the story.

Thanks to all of you who left reviews, I appreciate them so much! Now, let's get into the story!

~Jillian

Xoxo

(Lily's POV)

The four of us stare at the screen, frozen. My mouth is partially open in shock, and I can practically feel the wrinkles forming in between my eyebrows. Thresh is dead. Murdered. The man, no, boy, who spared my mother's life, saving both her and Peeta as a result, has been murdered.

I don't know why I'm so shocked. I knew that Katniss and Peeta were the victors of these Games, so obviously Thresh had to die. But seeing it actually happen, that's very different from just knowing it. I'm honestly surprised by how sad this death has made me. Maybe it's just because of how good Thresh was, how honorable and honest. Maybe he just reminds me of my parents in that way.

I hear a sniffle from down in front of me, my eyes flicking down to catch Celia wiping away at her eyes quickly. I noticed Celia closely watching Cato and Thresh fight, drawn into the action the same way I was. She didn't have time to close her eyes this time. She watched Thresh go down, watched him take his dying breath. That has to be the reason for the tears.

People often associate crying with weakness, thus believing that Celia is too emotionally frail. But I've come to admire how Celia expresses herself without shame. I get embarrassed when I cry, even in front of my friends and family. But even though Celia gets emotional, that doesn't mean she's innocent. She's just as strong as any of us.

"Hey," I whisper, leaning forward to place a gentle hand on Celia's shoulder. She looks over her shoulder up at me, a slight sheen under her eyes. "You okay?"

"Yea," she sniffles, "I'm fine. It was just… disturbing the watch the light...the light fade out of his eyes."

I nod sadly, noticing the sweet way Adrian laces their fingers together. "I know honey," I reassure, "There's really nothing I can say except, at least he went out fighting."

She nods, reaching up to squeeze my hand. A quick look passes between us, a look of understanding. Though I may not be showing it, I'm feeling exactly how Celia is. Can you mourn someone you never even knew? Someone who's been gone longer than you've been alive?

The screen changes, bringing our attention back up to it. Katniss and Peeta sit huddled next to each other under their sleeping bag little cave, ignorant as to what has just occurred at the other end of the arena. It seems to be the same time, still raining and just getting dark.

"Peeta," Katniss says, seemingly breaking a long stretch of comfortable silence, "You said at the interview you'd had a crush on me forever. When did forever start?"

Peeta's eyes light up slightly, and he turns his head to look at Katniss, "Oh, let's see. I guess the first day of school. We were five. You had on a red plaid dress and your hair… it was in two braids instead of one. My father pointed you out when we were waiting to line up."

"Someone has a good memory," Adrian jokes, making me chuckle.

"Five?! He's had a crush on her since he was five?" Celia squeals, "That's sooooo romantic!"

"Your father?" Katniss questions, her face scrunched up in confusion, "Why?"

"He said, 'See that little girl? I wanted to marry her mother, but she ran off with a coal miner," Peeta says. My mind instantly goes to the strange situation between Devin and me. His father wanted to be with my mother, but she chose someone else. Someone better for her. Just like my grandmother did. Eugh, weird.

"What? You're making that up!" Katniss exclaims.

"No, true story," Peeta says, "And I said, 'A coal miner? Why would she want a coal miner when she could have had you?' And he said, 'Because when he sings… even the birds stop to listen.' "

I smile, suddenly feeling a huge wave of emotion. I can so vividly hear the sound of my mom's voice, singing me to sleep or comforting me. It's not hard to believe that her father, my grandpa, had the same talent.

"That's true," Katniss confirms, "They do. I mean, they did." I see Katniss retreat into her mind, I'd guess thinking about her father. I know especially how close Katniss keeps her feelings. My dad and Haymitch are practically the only people she confides in regularly, but she's been opening up to me more since everything around us blew up. Now I've gotten much better at reading her, being able to get an idea of what she's thinking.

Peeta opens his mouth to continue, "So that day, in the music assembly, the teacher asked who knew the valley song. Your hand shot right up in the air," he chuckles lightly. "She stood you up on a stool and had you sing it for us. I swear, every bird outside the windows fell silent."

"He has to be exaggerating," Adrian teases, shooting me a challenging grin.

"No it's true," say, happy to share this tidbit about my mom, "my mom's voice is beautiful, you heard her sing to Rue. I wouldn't be surprised if every detail of Peeta's story is true."

"Oh, please," Katniss laughs.

"No, it happened. And right when your song ended, I knew - just like your mother - I was a goner," Peeta says. "Then for the next eleven years, I tried to work up the nerve to talk to you."

"Without success," Katniss adds.

"Without success. So, in a way, my name being drawn in the reaping was a real piece of luck," says Peeta.

"Huh, that's one way to look at it," Devin comments. I look at him quickly, noting the almost awed look in his expression.

"What?" I ask him.

"Nothing, I just admire his optimism. I doubt that was a common personality trait before the revolution."

I smirk, giving his hand a squeeze, "That's true. I honestly don't know where he got it from."

Katniss finally speaks up after a brief moment of silence, "You have a… remarkable memory."

"I remember everything about you," Peeta tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You're the one who wasn't paying attention."

"I am now."

"Well, I don't have much competition here," Peeta says, making yet another one of his classic self-deprecating jokes.

I see the hesitation, the instinct in Katniss' eyes to pull away, to close herself off. Luckily, she doesn't, instead saying, "You don't have much competition anywhere." This time Katniss leans in, but the sound of something outside makes them flinch apart, and the four of us tense.

Immediately, Katniss has the bow in her hands, and an arrow ready to fly, but no sound follows the initial clang. Peeta leans forwards to peer out through the rocks, and his face breaks out into a wide grin, letting out a woop. Before Katniss can stop him, Peeta blindly runs out into the rain and grabs what looks like a basket attached to a silver parachute. A sponsor's gift.

He hands it to Katniss excitedly and she rips it open. What's inside is glorious, even to someone like me: a person who isn't starving. Roll, cheese, apple, and even a shining silver tureen of some sort of stew.

"Oooo, they even got them some of that lamb stew," Devin mentions, a hungry look on his face. Ah, so that's what that is. I guess they remembered all that talk about lamb stew from Katniss' interview.

"I guess Haymitch finally got tired of watching us starve," Peeta comments.

"I guess so,' Katniss answers.

I shake my head, suddenly annoyed. "Peeta really doesn't see that this is just a strategy for Katniss right now. He's blind to it. Blinded by his real genuine feelings for her. It's not fair."

Adrian shoots me a look, "Well no it's not fair, but it's not like Katniss has a choice. She's doing what she has to in order to survive."

I let out an exasperated sigh, "I know, I know that, but it's just- it's painful. Knowing the truth." I cross my arms, hugging myself.

I feel a warm hand on my arm, and I turn to gaze sadly at the source. Devin's swirling silver eyes look into mine with understanding and affection. "We get that Lily. I get it. But they love each other now, reciprocally. So try and take comfort in that fact."

Devin breaks my gaze for a second, both of us noticing Celia and Adrian looking at us quietly. This time Devin speaks to all of us. "The tapes were filmed over thirty years ago. All of this we are just seeing now, all of it is long over and done with. They have healed." His eyes pierce mine once again, "And so will we. I have no doubt I'll probably get nightmares for a few weeks from watching these. But it's worth it, isn't it? To know?"

I see Celia nod from the corner of my eye, then Adrian, until all three of them are looking at me. Waiting for some sort of confirmation. Heaving another small sigh, my eyes flit back and forth between the three of them before finally landing back on Devin.

The corner of my lips quirks up. I finally offer a simple nod, leaning forward to accept his offer on a hug.

Katniss and Peeta have to restrain themselves from eating their entire feast in one sitting. After painstakingly eating a small portion, Katniss can't help but exclaim, "I want more."

"Me too," Peeta admits, "Tell you what. We wait an hour, if it stays down, then we get another serving."

"Agreed," Katniss says, "It's going to be a long hour."

"Maybe not that long," Peeta says bashfully, before shooting a smile over at Katniss, "What was that you were saying just before the food arrived? Something about me… no competition… best thing that ever happened to you?"

I can't help but smile at Peeta's over the top flirtations, catching the blush that's just barely visible on Katniss' face. "I don't remember that last part," Katniss says.

"Oh, that's right. That's what I was thinking. Scoot over, I'm freezing."

"Hey Lily," Adrian calls out with a chuckle, "Your dad is super cheesy. He ever grow out of that?"

"Please!" I laugh, "I hear things like that every day! I'm sure that's how he won her over."

The pair of them lean against the wall of the cave, Katniss resting her head on Peeta's shoulder while he wraps his arm around her.

"So, since you were five, you never even noticed any other girls?" She asks him.

Peeta smirks, "No, I noticed just about every girl, but none of them made a lasting impression but you."

"I'm sure that would thrill your parents, you liking a girl from the Seam," Katniss replies.

I see Celia tilt her head in confusion, "Why wouldn't his parents approve?"

"Didn't mention the other day that there was a divide in District 12?" Devin says, looking at me.

"Yea actually, an 'ethnic and economic divide' she said," I answer, mimicking our history teacher's voice. "People in the Seam looked like my mom and Devin's dad: olive skin, dark hair, and gray eyes. Where people in the town looked like my dad and Celia's mom: Paler skin, blond hair, and blue eyes. I'm sure it wasn't an absolute one or the other, but apparently, it was very typical."

"Right," Devin says nodding at me, "Those in the Seam often worked in the mines, like my dad. Where those in the town usually had merchant jobs, like the bakery."

"Oh…" Celia says, looking slightly uncomfortable. She tucks a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, her eyes lingering on the color.

I giggle at her antics, "Oh stop it, Celia. You did nothing wrong by being born looking the way you do, but I do think that this is something important to talk about."

"You're right Lil'," Adrian says, "from the things I've heard about the other districts, it's scary to think how people were treated because of how they looked."

"Exactly."

I tune back into Peeta and Katniss' conversation, "Hardly. But I couldn't care less. Anyway, if we make it back, you won't be a girl from the Seam, you'll be a girl from the Victor's Village."

I feel a chill run down my spine at the mention of my neighborhood, and I'm sure all my friends are thinking the same thing.

"But then, our only neighbor will be Haymitch!" I can't help but laugh at this, now, very true statement.

"Ah, that'll be nice," Peeta grins, "You, me, and Haymitch. Very cozy. Picnics, birthdays, long winter nights around the fire retelling old Hunger Games tales."

Katniss can't contain her laugh, "I told you, he hates me!"

"Only sometimes. When he's sober, I've never heard him say one negative thing about you," Peeta says.

"He's never sober!"

"That's right. Who am I thinking of? Oh, I know. It's Cinna who likes you. But that's mainly because you didn't try to run when he set you on fire. On the other hand, Haymitch… well, if I were you, I'd avoid Haymitch completely. He hates you."

I let out a chuckle at this banter, all their poking fun at my grandpa Haymitch. "Little did they know…"

"I thought you said I was his favorite," Katniss says.

"He hates me more," Peeta assures, "I don't think people in general are his sort of thing."

Celia speaks up, "I'm surprised at how much they mention your grandpa Haymitch and his drinking. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised based on his little performance during the reaping-"

Devin looks at me in confusion, I give him a nonchalant smile-

"- was he some sort of alcoholic?'

I frown, not liking the hint of judgment in her tone, "Well, yea. He watched people die in front of him, probably some at his own hand. He lost his entire family after President Snow had them killed. He was all alone. Though it may not have been smart, he felt like he needed it to cope. He wasn't a bad person."

Oh shit, am I glaring? I'm definitely glaring at her. Celia has that look on her face she makes after she realizes she messed up. Her mouth opens and closes for a couple of seconds, rapidly trying to find the right words to say.

"Hey Lil', chill out, you know that isn't what she meant." Adrian pushed himself into my eye-line. Catching his scolding look, I suddenly become embarrassed, shrinking away, and focusing my attention back on the screen. I feel Devin's arm around my shoulders.

"How do you think he did it?" Katniss asks abruptly.

"Who? Did what?" Peeta says, confused at her sudden question.

"Haymitch. How do you think he won the Games?"

Both of them take a second or two to ponder this question, but I don't need to. My grandpa Haymitch is one of the smartest people I know. He knows everything about everything, or at least he acts like he does. So the answer is obvious,

"He outsmarted the others," says Peeta.

Katniss nods, and there's a time cut in the tape. Based on the sky outside, now being a near pitch-black compared to the deep clue from before, I'd guess it was an hour or so later. The anthem blares, just as Katniss is serving another portion for the two of them. Peeta looks up, while Katniss is intently focused on her glorious stew.

"There won't be anything to see tonight," Katniss says flippantly, dishing a bit of stew onto her plate.

"Katniss," Peeta says quietly. The screen shows us what we already knew we were gonna see, Thresh's face illuminated in the dark sky.

"What? Should we split another roll, too?" Katniss asks, eyes still looking down at the basket.

"Katniss," he repeats. Katniss ignores him.

"I'm going to split one. But I'll save the cheese for tomorrow," she looks up to see Peeta staring at her, "What?"

"Thresh is dead," Peeta says.

Instant denial comes first, "He can't be," Katniss says.

"They must have fired the cannon during the thunder and we missed it," Peeta explains quietly.

"Are you sure? I mean, it's pouring buckets out there. I don't know how you can see anything," Katniss pushes past him, squinting up into the night sky. And there it stays, for just a few seconds longer. Thresh's face. He is dead.

A million tiny emotions fly over Katniss' face. While Thresh being gone is one less tribute to face… he saved her.

"You all right?" Peeta asks.

"It's just… if we didn't win… I wanted Thresh to. Because he let me go. And because of Rue."

"Poor Rue…" Adrian mumbles.

"Yeah, I know," Peeta says, trying to comfort her, "But this means we're one step closer to District Twelve." He nudges the plate in front of her, "Eat. It's still warm."

Katniss struggles to look uncaring as she starts to eat, her jaw tense and her eyes red. She's more upset than I expected her to be.

"So, Katniss really cared about this Rue girl? I think I must have missed her," Devin admits.

Adrian shifts slightly to face Devin, "Yeah, Rue was the girl tribute from District Eleven. She and Katniss formed an alliance. I think Katniss really cared about her but… she died in her arms." The light from the screen reflects off of Adrian's eyes, revealing a hint of tears that he refuses to let build up. "She was twelve."

"Oh…" Devin says quietly, "I see."

I can almost see the gears turning in Devin's mind as he comprehends what Adrian just told him. He's a lot less vocal about his feelings in here compared to the rest of us, but I'd guess that's due to him being the newbie. I wish he'd talk to me though.

Katniss swallows, "It also means Cato will be back hunting us."

"And he's got supplies again," Peeta says.

"He'll be wounded I bet," Katniss notes, looking convinced.

"What makes you say that," asks Peeta.

Because Thresh would never have gone down without a fight. He's so strong, I mean, he was. And they were in his territory," she explains. All the while, the four of us are nodding our heads in near tandem, as this statement could not be more true given what we saw earlier this afternoon.

"Good, the more wounded Cato is the better. I wonder how Foxface is making out." Peeta says, and I think back to her and her handy new night vision goggles. I worry they might actually be helpful, but it's possible she won't even get the chance to put them to good use.

"Oh she's fine," Katniss says, bitterness lacing her voice, "Probably be easier to catch Cato than her."

"Maybe they'll catch each other and we can just go home," Peeta says, goofy optimism shining through. "But we better be extra careful about the watches. I dozed off a few times."

"Me too," Katniss admits. "But not tonight."

The two of them finish their small meals, before Katniss curls up into the sleeping bag and pulls her jacket hood over her face. Just as she falls asleep, I feel it. A yawn. A big one too.

Celia actually lets out a giggle, "Tired Lily?"

I shrug actually thinking about it, turning my head to look to the window.

"Oh wow," I blurt, "It's darker than I thought it would be." The rest of them each look for themselves, subsequently letting out their own small noises of surprise.

"Shit," Adrian mumbles, his face illuminated by his phone screen, "It's almost 10:00, my Dad's gonna kill me!"

"Crap," I run up to the tape player, pausing it. All of us are in a frenzy, turning on the lights, grabbing our bags. Except for Devin, who calmly picks up his backpack from where he left it by the door, and waits patiently for the rest of us to get situated.

"Was I the only one who didn't get overly comfortable?" He teases, after hearing Celia yell about not finding her right shoe.

Pulling on a light sweatshirt, I breathe out a laugh, "We aren't overly comfortable, we're comfortable. This is our place. Sometimes we just forget we have curfews." Grabbing a hold of his hand, I look up at him, "When you lived in District Two, did you and your friends have a place? Something to call your own?"

Devin shrugs, keeping his eyes on Adrian and Celia as they help each other pack up, "Not really. I always had a small group of friends, but I was always the newbie. My dad was an officer, so we were always moving around the district to where they needed him to be. I was always the new kid who got adopted into a group of friends, but it was obvious that they were all much closer with each other than they would ever be with me." Devin gives my hand a quick squeeze, smiling down at me, "It was alright though, I still had fun."

I scowl at this description of his childhood. I can't imagine not having the stability in my life that has been Celia and Adrian. It makes me sad to know that Devin never really got that. Leaning up on my toes for a second, I place a quick kiss on Devin's kiss, as if to say "You have us now."

By his embarrassed but excited smile, I think he gets the message.

Devin walks me home like the gentleman he is. After the two of us had said our goodbyes to Adrian and Celia at the edge of the meadow, he tugged on our joined hands, leading me to the Victor's Village.

"Aren't you worried your parents will be mad at you when you finally get home? I don't want to make you get home even later because you walked me back," I ask after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

Devin smirks, "Nah, my parents are used to me coming home this late. I think they trust me. Back when I lived in Two, I always wanted to go rock climbing and explore the mountains with my friends. When I was younger I used to get lost all the time, hence why I would get home so late. But then I started staying on purpose, waiting for it to get dark."

"Why?"

"For the stars," Devin shrugs, eyes downcast, "I've always loved staring up at the stars when I'm in the mountains. Being in the town, the lights messed up the sky or something, I couldn't see the stars."

For some reason, I'm jealous of this freedom, "So your parents just let you stay out until long after dark? Isn't that dangerous?"

"They trusted me. It's not like I was gonna run away," Devin explains. But it's not his role that I would be worried about. Why would his parents be okay with their son just running around at night? Weren't they worried he would get hurt?

"I'm just saying, it sounds kind of irresponsible," Devin stops walking, and his hand goes tense in mine.

"Lily, would you stop? You don't know my parents. It's not fair of you to judge them." We stand, facing each other, right at the gateway into the Village. I don't know why, but I'm annoyed.

"I don't need to know them personally to be able to make a small judgment," I defend, "If I told you my parents just let me do whatever I wanted would you think they were responsible?"

"You've told me a lot of things about your parents, Lily, and I don't think I've made a snap judgment about them," Devin's voice is low, in pitch and volume both. "And let's be honest here, out of the four of them, which mistakes were worse?"

"Hey," I growl, slipping my hand from his, "you know that's different. They've been through Hell, it makes sense they wouldn't want to share that with their daughter. They've learned."

"Well, your parents weren't the only ones involved in the war, Lily!" Devin says. His voice is enthusiastic, but not angry. More frustrated. "You ever think maybe my dad was okay with me spending time out in the woods and mountains because he knows it's a comfort to me? Something he can relate to?"

I chew on my lip, embarrassed. "I just think that your dad-"

"What do you have against my dad Lily?" Devin's face morphs into one of hurt, disappointment even. But I can't get my stupid mouth to shut up.

"I just- the way you talk about the things he's told and how he describes my parents and their relationship… it's rubbed me the wrong way okay? It's like he wants their love to be fake. Sorry if that bothers me." I take my arms, hugging myself. It's mostly against the early November wind, but also to deflect the chill radiating from Devin. I curse myself, "I've already screwed this all up, haven't I?"

"What?"

"I've screwed this up. I've ruined it." I turn away from Devin, not being able to bear the look of confirmation I know will be on his face. But instead of hearing a curt agreement, I feel a pair of arms wrap around me. Devin lets out a deep sigh that musses my hair.

"No, you haven't screwed anything up Lily. You were just being honest."

I pull away from him, "Stop being so forgiving Devin! You keep- you keep letting me make mistakes and just saying it's okay, when it's not!"

Devin's face scrunches up in confusion, "You want me to be mad at you?"

"No! I just," I let out a groan, frustrated at myself, "I don't want you to let me get away with being a bad girlfriend." Taking a deep breath, I force myself to take the three small steps it takes to reach him once again. "I want to be better. So hold me accountable."

The corner of Devin's lips quirks up slightly, "My dad says, and yes I know you aren't his biggest fan, but he says that the most important strength you can have is the strength to forgive others."

I snort, "Just...don't let me be a bitch, okay?"

Devin barks out a laugh, leaning down to quickly kiss me, "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

I smile happily, satisfied at finding an understanding after our first real argument, "Okay."

The rest of the way home is barely even a walk, and in just a minute or so, I'm pushing open our heavy front door and slipping into the quiet house. But it's not quiet, not like I expected it to be.

I hear my father's laugh from the kitchen, along with another man and a woman's. Confused, and honestly a little nervous, I creep out of the doorway, and into the house. Both of my parents are sitting at our small kitchen table, laughing and talking with a woman with gray streaks woven throughout her dark brown hair, and a tall man with deep tan skin and bronze hair.

I let out a gasp of excitement, "Oh my God!"

My Aunt Annie turns around in her chair, a beautiful grin spreading across her face, "Lily!" She rises from her place, and I rush to meet her in a hug.

Though she may look small and frail, my Aunt Annie is weirdly strong, so her hugs always leave me practically breathless, but I can't stop smiling.

"Hey, no hug for your favorite cousin?"

I laugh, turning to the bronze-haired man, "Finn!" Finn is nearly a head above me in height, so it's a bit of a struggle for him to hug me without my feet leaving the ground. See, Finn isn't really my cousin, but our parents have always been so close that we're practically family. He's known me since I was an infant, having been around my age when I was born.

"What are you guys doing here?" I ask, after pulling away from my broad cousin.

"Well dear, your father and I haven't seen each other in a while, and we figured now was as good a time to catch up as any, so here we are!" Aunt Annie explains, sharing a smile with my Dad, who wraps an arm around her shoulders. She and my dad are practically best friends, the way my mom and Aunt Johanna are with each other. We visit each other from time to time.

But something doesn't make sense, "So you're just here for fun? Why not just wait until Finn's wedding? It's not that far off."

Finn frowns teasingly, "What, you don't want to see us? Too cool now to hang out with your lame family?"

My mom chuckles, "Oh yea, she's way too cool for us now. Always out with her friends, hitting the town, coming home at ten on a school night." She shoots me a glare, which I brush off, I can handle the lecture later.

"Seriously though, is there another reason? I've missed you both so much, but this just seems pretty out of the blue," I look at my Aunt Annie. She's always had a soft spot for me, being that she never had any daughters.

I see the hesitation, the fear, and then finally-

"Well actually, I thought it would be helpful if we, Finn and I that is, talked to you about everything that's going on," She admits, patting Finn's arm lightly.

"Going on with…?"

"The tapes silly, we know you're watching them. I think we should talk about how the Games have impacted Finn's dad and I." The smile that had been lingering on my face finally fades, replaced by confusion.

"Wait what?"

Xoxo

Yay! I've been wanting to bring in Annie and FInn for so long, and I've finally done it! I hope you guys liked this chapter, make sure to leave a review letting me know what you thought, and follow to keep up with any updates. The next chapter should be up by May 1st!