Thank you for voting - it has helped me tremendously but it means I've got to do some re-writing. Thank you to my beta norbertsmom for her patience, sometimes a writer needs someone who champions them even when they are down and can't find it to be able to string two words together. That's what Norbertsmom is to me. She's my bestie. Thank you to everyone who have supported me and this story. Se lo agredesco desde lo profundo del corazon...from the bottom of my heart I'm so greatful. I do not own The Hunger Games

The last time Katniss had given that powerful speech as time was running out for the rebellion. Katniss and Peeta narrowly escaped and the next day comes with its own perils.

The Next Morning

In the bunker, Peeta watched Katniss sleep. He kept his arms around her. After they locked themselves into the old bunker, people were quickly assigned a bunk to sleep in. Because they were engaged they were given two bunks, a top and a bottom located in a back corner. The barrack was a long building. Unlike the modern building that had small compartments for the senior officers, this had long rows of double bunk beds in the middle with bathrooms and showers elsewhere in the building. Peeta thought they passed a common area last night. Hazelle commandeered one end of the bunker for the infirmed. They put up a plastic tarp to separate the area.

Last night everything was a little blurry. Katniss and Peeta opted to sleep together on the bottom bunk and put her bow and arrow in the small trunk at the foot of the bed. The rest of their gear piled up on the top bunk. They were so exhausted they didn't bother removing their suits; they fell asleep entwined on the bottom bunk.

Katniss sighed in her sleep.

Peeta looked at the digital clock that read 5 AM. He only had a few hours of interrupted sleep, but his body was used to getting up early. Those baker's hours were ingrained into his system. He gently rubbed Katniss' back. Currently, her nose was pressed into his neck. Before all of this started, when she would sneak into his room, she would seek out his scent in her sleep, especially when she was stressed.

After what they experienced last night it was only natural she sought the comfort of his scent. Katniss had a restless sleep, as did he. He supposed she had seen a lot more action than he did. Katniss had blown up several buildings. And she somehow got into the fray. Peeta closed his eyes, something he rarely did, and when he opened them again it was 9 AM.

Hazelle sat down across from their bunk. Peeta sat up.

"How is she?" Hazelle asked, yawning.

"She hasn't slept well."

"She saved a lot of lives last night."

Peeta smiled gently at Katniss. She was amazing. He glanced at Hazelle and took a deep breath before asking, "How's my brother?"

"Alive, but not well. When we took his suit off we noticed the skin that was closest to the fire was damaged."

"What about the suit?"

"The suit can take up 850-degree Kelvin for up to 35 seconds. Your brother was in that inferno for more than 35 seconds, Peeta."

"Will Rye make it?" His voice trembled.

"I can't tell you. There's a Peacekeeper who is a medic. He put Rye in a machine that they had in this bunker. It's hooked up to a generator. It's supposed to help with the burns and some inhalation. He says that Rye's chances are slim. As long as we have fuel for the next two-and-a-half days and then maybe we can take him to district three for more sophisticated medical equipment."

Peeta closed his eyes. At that moment he felt Katniss's hands wind themselves around his shoulders as she sat up next to him.

"I'm sorry, Peeta," Hazelle said.

Everything that happened last night and facing the reality that he might lose his brother caught up with him. In his mind's eye, he recalled he and Rye opening up the pantry to see Katniss hiding there. Rye bursting into his room to warn them their mother was on a rampage. Rye catching Katniss climbing out of the window. Rye sneaking home from the meetings with Madge. Rye speaking passionately about the rebellion, telling him he wanted for this country to be free. Rye joking around with his dad about the stolen nuts.

One thousand other little memories filtered through his mind. Pain laced in his heart and squeezed. Peeta turned his head and cried bitterly into Katniss' neck.

"I am going to get some rest," Hazelle said. She glanced down at Katniss. "Take care of him."

"I will," Katniss said.

When Hazelle was gone, Katniss placed a kiss into Peeta's soft hair. "Peeta?"

Peeta looked into Katniss's eyes. He was heartbroken; there was a good chance his brother wouldn't make it. "Rye."

Katniss held him as he cried and mourned for his brother. They lay face to face. Her arms wrapped around his body. When he came to from the fog of pain, he rubbed his nose against Katniss.

"I'm sorry Peeta. I wish there was something that I could have done differently."

Peeta looked into her beautiful grey eyes. "It wasn't your fault. You told him you were going to blow the HVAC because they couldn't get it to stop working. Rye knew the risks when he volunteered. He had been working with Madge almost from the beginning."

"But…"

"But nothing. You're not to blame and Rye would tell you the same thing."

Katniss nodded. She shifted closer to Peeta and shyly kissed him. It was a soft kiss that became passionate.

Peeta sighed when their lips parted. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Besides, you helped me save him. Without your speech, we could have all died out there trying to get to this bunker. You helped save so many people."

"Peeta, I didn't do anything."

He laughed, as he cupped her face. She didn't see what he and everyone else saw last night. "You just don't know the effect you have, Katniss Everdeen."

She grunted.

It occurred to him Katniss had been sharp-shooting by herself and then last night she apologized to Hazelle. "What happened to Gale?"

Katniss remained silent.

"Katniss," Peeta searched her face.

"He was wounded, and I think he's de…I saw the knife hit him in the chest."

"What, how?"

"Gale followed Corky to the Citizen's lair," she whispered.

"He followed Corky?"

Katniss became pale as she nodded.

"The Citizen killed him?" Peeta put his hand on her cheek.

"I got there too late. I saw the knife lodged in Gale's chest; there was so much blood. I shot the Citizen."

Peeta was shocked. She too lost her friend; someone she saw as a brother. And then he thought about Delly. "How did Delly take it?"

"She lost it when she saw Gale's inert body."

They were quiet momentarily then Peeta asked, "Did the Citizen escape?"

"No."

By the way, she whispered her answer, it was clear Katniss killed the Citizen. "Who was the Citizen?"

Katniss's gaze lowered, her lashes cast a shadow on her cheeks. She whispered, "Mrs. Undersee."

"Madge's mother?"

"Yeah, apparently Madge's family was originally from the Capitol. They were brought here to spy on the districts. Madge was devastated."

"I can't imagine being the leader of the rebellion and having your mother be the Citizen, a spy for the Capitol. Someone who told the Capitol to burn the Hob to the ground and cause all of those innocent people to die."

"Her mother snitched on Ara, her own housemaid."

"Mrs. Undersee had Ara executed." Peeta was reeling. War and violence made no sense. He gathered her closer. "I'm glad we have each other."

"We're a team." Katniss moved closer to him.

Peeta nodded. "We are a team." He kissed her forehead. Katniss poked him in the chest. "Why is your chest so hard?"

He looked down to where she poked him. He frowned at first trying to make sense of what Katniss was doing.

"What is that?" Katniss rapped her knuckles on his chest.

It dawned on Peeta he had brought his sketch pad with him and hid a few pencils. "It's my sketchbook."

"You brought your sketchbook with you to a fight?"

"Well, I figured I would be stuck somewhere in the Peacekeeper compound without you or Rye. I'd have three days worth of downtime and needed something to do other than worry about you or my brother."

"Can I see your drawings?"

Peeta smiled.

He was about to say yes when one of the rebel Peacekeepers interrupted them and said, "Hey, thought you guys might want to freshen up. We're all taking turns to bathe. You get a ten-minute shower and a change of clothing." His eyes took in Katniss's diminutive size and blushed. He was a young Peacekeeper, with fair skin, red hair, and a smattering of freckles on his face. He reminded Peeta of Darius. "We only have guy's uniforms."

"What of the women Peacekeepers?" Katniss asked.

"They sleep in the guardhouse," the young peacekeeper said. Red splotches appeared on his pale face. "To keep from…er... fraternizing. If you know what I mean."

Katniss blinked not understanding. But Peeta understood. He grinned much to himself. Despite their intimate moments, Katniss was pure of heart. "I suppose women don't want to deal with stinky feet."

"Er...yeah," the Peacekeeper nodded. "So, like I said, we don't have any female clothing but what we do have will be clean. We're also rationing food if you're hungry. It will be some MRE's."

"MRE's?" They both asked in unison.

"Meals Ready to Eat, we call them meals rarely edible. It's what we eat when we're in the field or don't have fresh meals...or a kitchen as in this case. The kitchen is in the guardhouse. The MRE's aren't that great, but in a pinch when we don't have fresh rations, they do."

"You up for a shower and some questionable food?" Peeta asked Katniss.

"We'll be right there," Katniss said.

"Sure, just head for the door where you guys came in through and you'll find the showers. Mrs. Hawthorne set up the laundry so your uniforms will get cleaned."

The peacekeeper left and Katniss turned to Peeta. "Will you show me your book after?"

"Sure," Peeta said, taking the book and his pencils out.

As they stood in line for their time to bathe, one of the peacekeepers looked at Katniss. "You shot Thread in the eye." It was more of a statement than a question. The peacekeeper sounded just like Comando Corky. Peeta could imagine Comando Corky giving Katniss the same narrow-eyed look.

Katniss' face hardened.

"I recognized your bow," the Peacekeeper said.

Katniss gave a brief nod.

"I hated that bastard," the Peacekeeper said gruffly.

Another man in line said, "That was one hell of a shot." His voice was smoother and he gave Katniss a devil may care smile. Peeta thought to himself this man reminded him of James Double O Corky. Just then the two doors of the shower opened and the two men who were ahead of them stepped in, leaving Katniss and Peeta at the head of the line.

"They remind me of Corky's brothers."

"Corky has brothers?"

Peeta put his arms around her. "Imaginary ones."

Katniss frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"You'll see, when we get back to the bunk. I'll show you." Peeta grinned, his mind coming up with something that would entertain them.

The shower and the change of clothing did them good. They also shared an MRE. It contained quite a lot of food: crackers, jalapeno and cheese spread, candy, tea, dried fruit, two oatmeal cookies, an entree of rice with dried vegetables, and a powdery substance that when added to water would turn into a juice. They packed so much food in one package that Peeta shared his with Katniss. She wasn't hungry so they split the rice with vegetables. They both marveled at the easy way they heated the main dish.

After eating, they took a walk. Peeta wanted to check up on his brother so they headed toward the infirmary. They had to disinfect themselves and they were given gowns to wear. When they entered the spot where Rye was kept, Katniss squeezed his hand, a gentle gesture to let him know he was not alone.

It was strange seeing his brother so still and ashen. The machine beeped and whooshed. "How is he?"

"The machine is helping heal his wounds, but it isn't nearly as good as the ones in district three or the Capitol," the young Peacekeeper said.

Peeta nodded. He sat down in a chair watching Rye inside of the machine. There was an IV contraption that was delivering fluids and antibodies to Rye. The wires and IV traveled along the side of the chamber and into a small panel. Outside of the chamber, there was another panel with tubes and wires that were connected to the machinery that monitored his Rye's health.

After a while, Peeta closed his eyes. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes.

Katniss gripped his hand. "He's a fighter. Your brother is going to be alright."

Peeta nodded.

Katniss held his hand, squeezing it. "You know you never told me how buttercup ended up with your orange scarf."

"Corky."

"Corky wrapped your scarf around Buttercup?"

He chuckled. "No I did, but I remember finding him on the branch outside of my window. Most likely he was chasing after Corky and he shut the window on him. Corky's really smart."

"If I didn't know the rodent so well, I wouldn't believe you."

"Do you know my father still doesn't know it's Corky that's been stealing his nuts?"

Katniss chuckled. "I'm surprised he hasn't made the correlation."

"I remember that's what happened that day with Buttercup. Corky got into his nuts. I don't even know how he does it, open those tins. But somehow the nuts are slowly decreasing."

Katniss raised an eyebrow.

"Rye saw Buttercup and let me tell you he was shocked. I believe he asked me how I knew that thing."

Katniss laughed. "He called him a thing."

Peeta smiled as the memory floated into his mind. "If I recall correctly my brother thought Buttercup looked like he could eat me. He told me to be careful, because it could have a harmful disease. When I told him your sister's cat was harmless, Rye said Buttercup could take on an entire battalion of Peacekeepers and win by scaring them to death"

Katniss's shoulders shook.

"I called him a little guy and Rye nearly choked and exclaimed, Little, he looks bigger than Misty's dog."

"That fat pampered hairy dog?" Katniss shook her head. "At least Misty's dog is cute."

Peeta smiled fondly. "I told him he belonged to your family and his exact words were, Crap, it makes sense Katniss would keep such a ferocious beast around. "

Katniss tried to hide her laughter and got a dirty look from the attending nurse.

"You know Rye was the one who suggested I write a note to you, right after letting me know he had a bat ready if Buttercup attacked me." Peeta sighed, "I felt so sorry for the little guy. I wrapped him up in my orange scarf and let him loose."

Katniss's eyes swam with mischief.

"What?"

"The day you sent Buttercup our way. My mom and my sister were being watched to see if they were being compliant." She glanced around and whispered. "We had two Peacekeepers in our home checking everything."

Peeta didn't like hearing they had been watched. He hoped that they were free of that now. After this, Katniss and her family would never again be put under the microscope.

"When they couldn't find anything they left. But as they were leaving Buttercup scared the living daylights out of them: one of them climbed on a mountain of snow. Buttercup was hissing and acting his natural charming self. I had to shoo that darned cat. He had them cornered." Katniss chuckled.

Peeta then imagined a pair of grown men decked out with weapons quaking at the sight of a helpless kitten and he laughed so hard his eyes watered and he wiped the corners of his eyes.

"Guys," the young Peacekeeper who was a nurse said, "some of the injured are trying to rest."

"Sure sorry, I was just remembering what a weirdo my brother is."

The Peacekeeper nodded but Katniss winked at Peeta when the guy wasn't looking.

They sat there for a while longer before moving toward the common area because it was nearly six o'clock. More food was being handed out but they still had one MRE at the bunk that they were going to share.

They found Cressida and the surviving members of her team in the common area. Cressida's team had their equipment spread out on one of the tables. The equipment looked dinged and one of the outer shells looked singed.

"Hi I'm Peeta, we didn't get to meet before."

Pollux waved.

"You can hear me?" Peeta thought Pollux was deaf.

Pollux nodded.

"My brother's an Avox. His tongue was cut out; he can hear but he can't speak," Castor said moving his hands. "He's the reason I joined the rebellion. My brother suffered because of one of Snow's deputies."

Pollux pointed to Katniss then began to make motions with his hands.

"That was some speech you gave last night," Castor said, translating.

Katniss nodded. "We couldn't keep on fighting."

"I hope that it got transmitted before we lost power," Cressida said. "But we still have it recorded just in case."

"You lost power?" Katniss asked.

"As you can see the packs that we use to record and transmit were damaged in the explosion." Cressida pointed to the equipment.

Pollux began moving his hands, "We lost power. My brother and I are going to try to fix the power packs to be able to recharge them and maybe see how we can transmit when we can communicate."

"Right now, everything is down," Castor said.

Pollux began gesturing with his hands again. "The severe weather is causing disruption in communication. We haven't heard anything from the Capitol or from the guardhouse or headquarters."

Cressida sat back. "I really want to know if we were successful in taking down the Capitol."

"We need to find a way to create a signal to broadcast," Castor said.

"Kind of like morse code," Katniss said.

"Morse code?"

"We use it in the mines, every kid is taught morse code in District Twelve."

"It's a series of combinations of long and short signals of dots or dashes that can be made from light or sound. We could possibly send signals using static images."

"We can transmit a blinking flashlight if we don't have sound or even a picture of the code."

Pollux tapped his brother on the shoulder and quickly signed something. Castor frowned but began speaking when Pollux repeated the same message. "We can send a facsimile, using the helmets."

"Right," Castor said nodding his head.

Pollux kept signing. "Maybe not to the Capitol, but definitely short distance to say the guardhouse and the guardhouse can do the same to Madge and Haymitch."

"The guardhouse can transmit to the Capitol," Cressida said, sitting up. "If we show them how to do it."

"I'm not very good with morse code," Peeta admitted.

"But I am," Katniss said.

"Let me get a hold of Hazelle. We can see if she needs supplies...maybe even ask for help for my brother or others whose injuries are critical."

"I think that's a good idea," Cressida agreed.

"Wait we need to think this through," Katniss said.

"What do you mean?" Cressida asked.

"We know District Three and Six were easily taken over and we're waiting for District Five to fall. One, we don't know if the Capitol fell. All we know is the Capitol didn't have power. And two, we don't know about the other districts."

"Do you know?" Peeta asked.

"To be fair we only know what you know."

"If we weren't successful in the Capitol, chances are we weren't successful in other districts. If we manage to broadcast, how can we make sure the transmission isn't accidentally picked up by the Capitol or one of the districts that are still aligned with the Capitol?" Katniss asked.

Katniss's argument was valid. "I agree with Katniss, how can we guarantee they won't listen?"

"We'll start with trying to make contact with the guardhouse," Cressida said. "Then we'll be able to make contact with Haymitch and Madge. We'll let them know of our concerns about the Capitol."

"But we need supplies," Castor said.

"Agreed," Peeta said. He wasn't sure they had enough supplies for the number of injuries they had.

Pollux tapped his brother's shoulder before gesturing. "Beetee from District three will be able to send us medical equipment and medicine."

"I think we should continue, but we should do so with caution," Cressida said. "Should we use Peacekeeper helmets?"

"Their helmets have better communications," Castor said.

Pollux began to gesture. "I can try to disable any Capitol protocol that will enable a message sent to the Capitol."

"Okay," Cressida said.

"First we need to repair the equipment," Castor said. "This can be used as the power source for the helmets."

"We can round up some helmets and get the information from Hazelle."

They worked with Cressida, Pollux, and Castor the rest of the evening. They got a few helmets that weren't damaged, some from the rebels and a few Peacekeepers helmets that were not damaged. Hazelle wrote a list of the materials they needed and a list of the patients that were worst off.

At one point they broke out the MRE and shared the meal.

"Guys, I think we should call it a night," Cressida said.

"I agree," Castor said.

Peeta and Katniss meandered back to the bunk.

Katniss sat on the bunk, and removed her boots. When she was done, her hands gripped the mattress. They had given her the smallest clothing they found. She was so petite she still needed to roll up the pants at the cuff and the shirt she wore was a long-sleeved grey and white henley. The shirt was wide on her and fell to her knees. She and Peeta wore similar outfits. The socks they were provided with were soft and warm and had little rubber dots on the soles that prevented them from skidding.

Peeta sat next to Katniss and he too removed his boots. It occurred to him this was the first time in ages they had time alone. His hand lay next to her and although he was worried about his brother Peeta was glad they were together and that they both survived unscathed. He watched her swing her feet. Katniss's small feet wiggled in the thick socks. She looked adorable.

Peeta propped the pillow against the wall and scooted back, sitting up against the pillow. Katniss snuggled up against him. She watched him pick up his book and the few pencils he brought with him.

"So are you going to show me your drawings?"

"Ah sure." Peeta thumbed through his sketchbook and the image of Corky dressed as a knight made him smile. "I thought you would be sleepy."

"Not tired."

"Is that Corky in a suit of armor?" Katniss asked.

"Yes and no," he grinned. "I drew him like that and then I had the dream about his brothers."

"So you dreamt of Corky in a suit of armor?"

"I drew him in a suit of armor, though in my dream this guy introduced himself as Sir Corky Reginald."

"Wait, they talk?"

"In my dream Corky and his brother's did. Corky sounded like a wiseguy and Sir Reginald," Peeta said, pointing to his drawing. "He sounded like that book Madge is always quoting."

"Romeo and Juliet?"

"Yeah," he grinned. "He carries a sword and is always very chivalrous."

"You're so creative. The most I can draw is two sticks and a circle."

Peeta chuckled. "But you're the brave one...I'm just a baker." Katniss punched him on the arm.

"But you're the strong one. I've seen you lift hundred-pound bags like nothing and toss them over your head."

"Have you been stalking me again?"

"Hey, I'm not a stalker."

"So said the girl who used to climb the tree to….wait you're not a stalker…"

"I told you!"

"You are a voyeur…"

"A what?"

"A peeping Tom…."

Katniss bristled, her eyes narrowed and her face became red. Peeta laughed. "You can't deny you'd been watching me for years until Corky forced you into my room."

Her lashes fluttered, she blushed pink just before her eyes widened with understanding, "I'm never going to be rid of the label, am I?"

"I'm lucky you were a peeping Tom."

Her face softened and once more his heart leaped in his chest. Katniss was as radiant as the sun. He placed a chaste kiss on her lips. His insecurities about being not good enough reared up again. "I know we've talked about this, but after this is over..."

"Peeta don't." She shook her head. "One way or another...even if Corky never happened. We would have found a way to be together. This," she pointed between them. "As much as I fought against our bond... was going to happen. If you're trying to get rid of me, buster, I'll sic Corky on you!"

"Alright."

"Now tell me about Corky's brothers." She peered at the book. "This one's wearing a uniform but it's green and beige."

"That's Comando Corky." Peeta grinned, "He sounds gruff like that Peacekeeper we met while waiting for the showers.

Katniss nodded and Peeta watched Katniss reach out to touch the drawing.

"Comando is pretty rough, but he has a soft squishy middle."

"This one is dressed in all black and he's wearing goggles, is that a rope with a grapple?"

"That is James Double O Corky he is rather dapper and has an accent that sounds like he came from the Capitol."

She grinned and then giggled. "This one is wearing glasses, and is holding a tissue."

"Ah, that's Virgil. He is allergic to everything and he's the baby of the family. He's actually very intelligent."

"Hmmm," she hummed. "Tell me a story about them."

"A story?"

"Yeah," Katniss said softly pulling the blanket that was folded at the foot of the bunk over them before snuggling up next to him.

"Okay...once upon a time…"