The Lady of the Lake

So here we are again for Chapter 12! And we've reached 100 reviews! Congrats to the lovely Its-A-Passion for being the 100th reviewer!

This chapter features Teesa being smart, Cato being furious and Katniss with the Careers supplies.

Comments and Review responses at the end of the chapter.

Enjoy!


Chapter 12

My first thought upon waking up is that I've forgotten something.

"Balls!" I tumble out of my makeshift bed and scramble for my clothes, relieved to find that Cato hadn't stripped me out of my wetsuit while I wasn't conscious. The fact that I'd almost died was mortifying enough. I hop over to my clothes and quickly tug them over my head. I yank my boots on and grab my hunting knives, the only weapons I really have left. I don't count the fishing trident, I can't even catch a bloody fish with it.

I hurry out of my cave and race into the forest, taking the familiar route towards the cornucopia.

I slow as I approach and then slide into the familiar grove of trees. A pair of dark brown eyes glares at me and I wince.

"Sorry?"

"I'm not even wearing a dress." Teesa grumbles as she waves me down to join her, "I'm only supposed to be stood up if I'm wearing a dress."

"If it helps, I was genuinely indisposed?" I tell her, crawling to peer over our log into the Career camp.

"For two whole ruddy days?"

"I can explain?"

"'See you tomorrow' she says," Teesa grumbles, "You know I was really considering raiding them on my own, that's how desperate food is getting."

I silently offer her the tiny container of chocolates the sponsors had sent me after Cato's outburst. She eyes them and then finally plucks one from the pot.

"You're forgiven."

That makes me grin and we settle down to watch the Careers.

Darrien and Marvel are goofing around with spears, their laughter carrying to our hideout as they play fight together. Clove is ignoring them and pulling faces at their excitable noises. The boy from 3 sits separately, clutching a spear of his own and obviously trying to be unobtrusive.

For a moment I can't see Cato, and then I spot him, walking up from the lake, bare chested and glistening with water droplets. I know I'm staring, but I can't stop, even when Teesa sends me an amused look.

"You're drooling milady."

"Shut up," I mutter, but finally manage to tear my eyes away, "So the pack's back together."

"Mmmhmmm." Teesa's eyes are still on me, but there's a small frown on her face as she lightly touches my neck. I wince, as the unexpected gesture twinges with pain, "So, unless you decided to try and throttle yourself, and I'm not discounting that as an option, who tried to choke you to death Schuyler?"

I pull a face as unwilling memories of hands on my neck, not like Cato's warm, possessive touches, but actually squeezing, intending to hurt me, fill my mind. I remember the water around me, unable to save me, lapping around me as my air ran out.

"The boy from District 10."

Teesa's eyebrow shoots up, "The one alpha dog over there took out?"

"Cato killed him yes," I say warily and Teesa stares at me.

"And you're not dead?" She pokes my shoulder, "You're not dead are you?"

"Stop that." I poke her back, "No I'm not dead. Cato saved me…to pay back a debt I owed him."

Teesa shifts around to face me completely, "Start from the beginning," she orders, "Leave nothing out."

And I do.

It's almost a relief to tell her the full story, about Cato's and my confrontations, about finding him stung in the woods, about our kiss and then subsequent fight, about the boy from 10, and how Cato had been the one to save me.

At the end she just stares at me and then she smacks me across the head, even as her other hand slaps across my mouth, muffling the resultant 'ow!'.

"You're an idiot," she hisses at me, "He was vulnerable! You could have taken him out! Both of them! Him and Peeta!"

"And then I'd be dead," I point out from behind her hand, "10 would have killed me."

"Maybe." She wrinkles her nose, "It would be inconvenient if you were to die. This partnership has its useful moments. When you aren't ditching me to make out with the enemy."

I give her a look, "You know that's not how it was!"

"This Game is all about the odds Schuyler." Teesa tugs on a tangled curl of my hair roughly, "With Peeta and Cato dead our odds would have been fantastic! I can't believe you didn't take the opportunity!"

"That's not me," I hiss back at her, gently pushing her hand away from my mouth, "It was never an option for me not to help them, either of them."

"And of course…you're the one who gets the ruddy opportunity," Teesa flops down and peers over at the cornucopia, "The world is so unfair."

"Would you have just killed them?" I ask her quietly.

"In a heartbeat." Her response is steady, "Fewer Tributes mean better odds for me. And they are physical threats. Peeta less so than Cato, but still…I wouldn't want to face him hand to hand."

I just shake my head and after a moment's silence I feel Teesa's slender fingers touch my wrist.

"Anywhere else," her voice is soft, "And I'd admire your compassion. But it's the Hunger Games. And right now? It's your greatest weakness."

I look at her and shake my head, "You can rub it in my face if Cato or Peeta kill me,"

She snorts and her fingers tighten for a moment and we go back to watching the Careers.

"I'll be too busy being pissed at you for getting yourself killed."

I grin slightly.

"So will Finnick."

She snorts softly and the two of us lapse into comfortable silence.


It's just heading into afternoon when a column of smoke draws the Careers attention.

They burst into a frenzy of activity, swarming around and Cato even drags the boy from 3 along with them as they head off towards the fire.

I glance at Teesa and she has her mouth pursed.

"What?" I whisper.

"It's a set up," She mutters back, "A fire? In the middle of the day? One using green materials to smoke that much? Someone wants the Careers away from their camp and maybe towards a trap…"

My heart lurches with fear, for both Darrien and Cato and I look in the direction they'd disappeared before Teesa's hand grips my shoulder, "We have to go in now. We might not get another opportunity like this."

"Right," I nod, and look towards the supplies, "What about the mines?"

"We go one at a time," She replies, getting up on her hands and knees, "I'll go first, and then once I'm clear, you go."

I nod again, and she gives me a quick, nervous little smile.

Then she's gone, darting into the meadow, quick and lithe and fast, watching all around her as she races towards the pyramid of supplies.

She pauses at the ring before lightly hopping forward, dancing and jumping through the dangerous minefield.

I can't breathe; I'm that tense, poised to move, even though I know I'll be less than useless should she set one off.

She overbalances on one of her last jumps and I shut my eyes as I watch her fall, wincing in anticipation of my friend being blown away.

Silence.

I look up and she's pushing to her feet again, unharmed, and I'm almost weak with relief.

She leaps onto a box and begins rifling through the supplies, taking just enough here and there and pouring them into her pack. Things are getting tight now, and she takes more than what we'd dared take earlier. Who knew when she'd get a chance to steal from them again?

Then she moves once more, leaping and hopping until suddenly she's out and streaking back towards me in my trees.

It's my turn, and I shoot out of cover, running towards the supplies, passing Teesa.

Everything is going well until I get to the pyramid. I hesitate at the ring, unsure of myself, and my neck suddenly prickles.

I look up wildly, concerned about the Careers, had they figured out there was a trap? Had they returned?

Instead I look across the clearing to my right and I see Katniss standing there, the bow and arrows in her hand. She's looking from me, to the supplies, to the fire and I realise that she's the one who wanted the Careers gone.

She's let Teesa go, but she knows, as I know, time is running out. Soon the Careers will realise they've been tricked, and will race back here.

We stare at one another, frozen in place for long moments, before she draws her bow.

She doesn't aim at me, but my eyes track the curve of it towards a sack of apples hanging on the side of the stack and suddenly I realise what her intention is. Destruction. She wants the Careers starving like the rest of us.

She's going to use their defences against them.

An arrow slices through the air and nicks the bag and I turn to bolt.

Her intent is serious, she's ready to do whatever it takes, and I'm far too close to the explosion. If that bag bursts now, I'll die.

"Sky!"

My heart leaps into my throat and I skid to a stop, twisting.

Darrien is racing across the field, his spear held loosely in his hand and he's waving at me frantically, looking back over his shoulders, "Go! Go!" he shouts.

He's warning me about the approaching Careers.

He hasn't seen Katniss.

My head jerks around, wide eyes finding the girl with the bow.

"No," I whisper.

But she's seen him, and her second arrow has swung around from being pointed at the bag of apples, to tracking my District partner as he runs towards me.

"No!" I lurch forward but it feels like I'm moving through molasses. Time is slow, thick around me as I try to move, try to run. Almost in slow motion I see a brief flash of silver, and then suddenly Darrien is reeling, crumpling to the ground as hot, shockingly red blood sprays from him, "DARRIEN!"

The world narrows for me as I run towards him, my legs weak and not working. I'm stumbling, running, sprinting for my brother, the only person I knew I could count on in this Arena.

I don't make it.

For a moment there is silence as suddenly I find my feet leaving the ground, and I'm flying through the air. As I hit the ground, time seems to return to itself and suddenly noise booms around me. I'm showered with flaming debris and smoke and I cough, gasping weakly as my ears ring.

Curling up on myself I cover my head with my arms and gasp as something burning lands on me, searing my skin. I push it away wildly and scramble away, disoriented by both my inability to see and my loss of hearing.

For so long I've relied on my ears, on my fingers and nose to guide me where my eyes could not.

Now my ears are gone, and all I can smell is smoke.

My fingers scrabble at the ground even as my arms burn with agony and I crawl desperately forward.

Darrien.

I have to find him.

When I do, I almost miss him, so blind has my terror rendered me. But what I can see I wish I can forget.

The arrow hit his shoulder, not a fatal wound.

But the sharp, seared, large hunk of metal from the shelter that is buried in his belly is.

I begin to sob, my fingers fluttering helplessly as I brush his coal black hair from his eyes, smooth the ash from the sun bronzed skin. I can't hear myself, I only know I'm crying because I can feel it, feel my chest heaving, feel the tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Darrien," I whisper, or at least I think I whisper it, "Darrien!"

Something suddenly looms over me, a shadow, and I rear up, my hunting knife coming to my hand as I slash out wildly. I have to protect him, I have to save him!

Cato dances back from my blade, eyes dark as he looks at me, and my face crumples, the knife falling from my hands.

Kill me, I think, looking up at him, kill me now.

Then Marvel is there, his face shockingly pale and green hazel eyes haunted as he dives beside me, fingers finding Darrien's as he clutches at him. Darrien's blue eyes turn to him and I sob harder at the softness in them, the care, the love as he looks at the other boy.

"You can't leave me like this," I hear Marvel's voice, as though it's from far away, "You can't leave me here like this Darrien! You promised!" His voice breaks on the 'promised' and I squeeze my eyes shut; rocking over his body as though I too have taken a fatal strike to the chest. "You promised!"

"It's a promise…I can't keep." Darrien's voice is weak and I have to strain to hear it over the ringing, "Marvel…"

"No." Marvel wipes his eyes bitterly, face determined, "No! I'll save you." He looks up at the sky and screams at it, "I'll do anything! Please!"

We all look up, but nothing happens, no parachutes appear, no soft chiming.

"Please…" Marvel whispers.

"Marvel…" Darrien, grips his arm, "It was never going to work…"

"Don't say that…" he leans over Darrien and I look away as he kisses him, frantic little kisses that cling longer and longer, "Don't say that, I'm going to save you."

"Cato…" Darrien's voice is slightly louder and the tall boy steps forward, his face tight with grief and fury, "Cato…I need to speak to Sky…take him away from here…please…."

"No!" Marvel screams it, shouts it as Cato nods, moving forward and grabbing the other boy, hauling him, fighting like a wildcat, away, "Darrien!"

Darrien's blue eyes slowly turn away from his anguished lover being dragged away to find mine and I feel my sobs wrack my body even harder. The smile on his mouth is sad, and his hand comes up to take mine in it. "Sweet Sky…"

"Please don't go…" I beg him, my voice sounding distant to my damaged ears, "Please Darrien…."

"I've…protected you…as best I could." He coughs wetly and I cry harder as blood slowly dribbles from the corner of his lips, "I just…wanted you to be safe."

"I am…" I whisper, clutching at his hand, "Darrien I…"

"Come here," he tugs me down and holds me close as I burrow into his shoulder like I had that night in the Capitol. He kisses my hair and I feel my tears slowly dampen his shirt, "You're the sister I always wish I'd had."

"You're my brother," I sob back, "The best brother I could ever want. Darrien…"

"I love you…" he tilts my head up and his smile is soft, "I always will Sky…"

Slowly his eyes close and then he coughs again, "Marvel…."

"Marvel!" I cry, and then Marvel is there, wild eyed and I move back, hugging myself.

"Darrien!" Marvel kisses him fiercely, and I see Darrien reach for him, his fingers clutching a small leather band.

"Come on," Cato is there suddenly beside me and his arms are surprisingly gentle as he lifts me up, carrying me away from the wreckage.

We walk away; me nestled into his large chest, the tears still flowing unchecked.

It's only when I hear the primal wail of loss and pain behind me, accompanied by the boom of the cannon that I know that Darrien is gone.

Cato puts me down under one of the scattered trees and turns back to gaze out at the wreckage, every line in his body tense with fury. Everything is hazy for me, but he is in sharp relief, standing there, fists clenching as he looks at the smouldering remains of his large pile of supplies.

I can feel it building, his fury, his grief, his anger and I stay still, watching him through eyes, swollen with tears.

Movement out of the corner of my eyes, and I see the boy from 3 tossing small rocks into the wreckage. He's testing that all the mines detonated.

Cato's eyes snap to him, and I wince, cowering down. He's an outlet for Cato's fury. It was his mines, his trap that sent the precious supplies up in smoke.

It was his work that killed Darrien, one of Cato's pack.

I try to move, wanting to stop what I know is about to unfold, but a second later it's over.

Another cannon booms through the Arena as the boy from 3 slumps to the ground, his neck broken neatly.

The display of controlled aggression, of cold blooded murder causes me to twist away, retching into the grass as I throw up green bile from my stomach. I haven't eaten, apart from some chocolate, there's nothing in my belly to throw up.

Cato's hand rests on my shoulder, and I flinch away from him, away from his concerned blue eyes, and the deep anger in them. Cato is grieving for Darrien in his own way, I know that, but I cannot grasp that the man now crouched beside me, is the same one that just killed the boy lying a few feet away.

"Don't touch me…" I whisper.

He rears back and stands, face impassive, before stalking away, back towards Marvel and Darrien's body and I curl in on myself, hugging my stomach.

"He's a brute." Clove's voice is quiet above me, and I see the grass rustle as she moves to sit down, a dagger in her hand, "He's always been shit with people. He's never learned to channel things healthily. It's why they marked him to Volunteer this Hunger Games." She looks at me, and I swallow, "The arrow. Who shot it?"

"Katniss," my voice is dull, soft, "The girl on fire."

Clove's face hardens and I hear a choked growl nearby. Slowly I look up and I meet two pairs of burning eyes, one pair blue, one pair a fevered hazel green.

"That bitch has been nothing but trouble." Marvel spits, "First Glimmer and now Darrien. She has to die."

I don't say anything but Clove nods. Cato just eyes me, arms folded.

"Did she die in the explosion?" Cato asks his eyes on mine.

I shake my head, "She set it off from a distance…"

"Which way did she go?" Clove's voice is low, but eager.

"I didn't see…" I look away.

"You had other concerns," Cato nods and turns to Marvel and Clove, "We're going hunting."

"What about her?" Clove nods at me.

Cato just looks at me, I can feel his eyes prickling along my skin, but I just look at the ground.

"Stay here Sky." He says finally, and nods to the other two, "We'll be back after the bitch is dead."

Slowly they disappear into the forest and I'm left alone in the clearing as night slowly begins to fall.

Except I'm not as alone as I think.

As the anthem begins to play and the seal appears in the sky a warm body settles beside me. I don't have to look around to know it's Teesa although why she has returned is beyond me.

Together we watch the boy from 3's face in the sky, before it melts away to be replaced by Darrien's warm, smiling face.

I don't even realise I'm crying again until Teesa gently wipes my eyes with her slightly grubby t-shirt.

Together we stay there until the night is almost impenetrable and then Teesa helps me to my feet.

"Come on," She says gently, "We need to disappear."

Together we disappear into the forests, and then we part ways, but not before Teesa passes a handful of the supplies she'd gathered from the pyramid into my numb fingers.

"May the waves carry you home." She says softly as I look at her, "As one day they will carry me."

"How do you know all these things?" I ask her, touched despite myself.

She just smiles and pats my cheek before disappearing into the forest.

Our alliance is over, I know that. It ended with the explosion of the supplies that had bound us together. But I am grateful to Teesa for her words, for coming back for me.

For giving me something of home, something to cling to now that Darrien is gone.

For the first time since I saw Katniss' arrow aimed at him, I feel something like peace. And something like determination burning in my chest. I would survive.

For Darrien.

For Finnick.

But also, for the first time, for myself.

"Home…" I whisper, and turn towards the lake, and towards my hideaway.


Oh god, this was agonizing to write.

I had my Lady of the Lake playlist on and was repeating the songs for sad scenes and bawling my eyes out. Darrien's fate was decided from the beginning of this fic, although the means of it coming about varied as I grew to love him, and as Marvel too grew attached.

Sugarpearl - I'm glad you liked the kissing scene. It was so good to finally write it :)

Queen of sharks - :P

CatoSkyOBSESSED - Oh god I hope you're still a fan after this chapter :( I'm glad you like the supporting cast, I'm rather fond of them myself, which is why I was a blubbering mess writing all of this. I'm glad you liked the kiss scene though. More Cato/Sky to come, I promise.

Luli Cullen - Thanks! xoxo

cp6 - I know a lot of fics have a change in POV from the first person to the mentors, but that sadly won't be happening in this fic. I have reasons for that, reasons which you will find out later :) Maybe after all is revealed I will be able to go back and give you all snippets of Finnick, Mags and co watching the games.

Guest - Trust me there will be many more long Skato scenes to come!

StardustIsMagic - :) I'm certainly rolling. This chapter progressed the games, and although it didn't directly involve Cato and Sky as a couple it certainly affects them both as people. There will be more Skato scenes soon I promise you...and I'm glad you liked the kiss. Cato is a very animalistic passionate kind of person. There's lots of fire between them.

Loopyloola - Less Skato this time around. But I hope you'll stick around.

IamCharliedaughterofPoseidon - You are obviously correct as here is an update! I'm glad you liked the Sky/Cato moments! There will be more...many more :)

countrygirl1994 - I'm so glad I was able to make your day a little brighter sweetness.

blackraven88 - Woo party at the Lady of the Lake fic! :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter too.

Eve - He likes to establish dominance, and nothing does it as well as backing a girl into a tree :D and they enjoy bantering with one another. It's something they both enjoy, and they're both quite intelligent.

EGilly - Thresh will be coming up in later chapters. I promise you that.

Its-A-Passion - Your review was my 100th lovely! Lots of love for Finnick, even though he wasn't in this chapter. He'll be sending Sky a little gift and comfort next chapter. He understands what she's going through.

trinketlove - Glad you like Cato! He's very fun to write, and I'm so glad you love this fic. Welcome :)