"What happened," Peeta asked as Ryen half dragged Darius into the living room.
"His tongue has been cut out," he said in a low voice. Katniss clapped her hand over her mouth and Peeta looked sick. Rosie knelt next to her husband and cried into his shoulder.
"Whoever did it just left him on the front porch. Rosalie was the one who found him and I was walking past when I heard her screams. I told Madge to stay inside and I ran over to see what had happened. He's in bad shape, Peet. He's been beaten pretty bad and the cut isn't a clean one."
"Ok," Peeta was pale and clutched his stomach. "Katniss, we need to go get your mother."
"What about curfew," Ryen asked hesitantly.
"I'm First Lieutenant. Fuck the curfew. A fellow Peacekeeper has been assaulted and you're worried about-"
"Slow down, Peeta," Ryen frowned. "I'm not the enemy here." Peeta took several breaths and nodded.
"I'm sorry. I'm going to call Thread and inform him of what has happened. We need a Healer as soon as possible. Katniss, you might want to get dressed," she
pulled the towel tighter around her and blushed, glancing at Ryen. He blew out a breath and avoided her eyes.
"We were just about to take a shower," she mumbled. "Not WE, I mean, I was about to get in… Peeta was changing out of his wedding clothes…"
"We have bigger things to worry about, Katniss," Peeta muttered, nodding his head toward the living room.
"Right. Be right back." She hurried into the bedroom and slammed the door.
"Um, you might want to go do the same," Ryen glanced down at the towel wrapped around his brother's waist.
"Do me a favor and call some of the men. You know which ones. They need to know what happened."
"Anyone else?" He gave Peeta a pointed look and the Peacekeeper Lieutenant nodded.
"Call him first. Tell him what has happened. He will need to act fast." Peeta gripped the towel and rushed into the bedroom.
Katniss's head shot up as Peeta opened the door and he cleared his throat.
"Rye is making some calls but as soon as we dress, we need to go get your mom and sister. I'm afraid Darius is losing too much blood." She nodded as she buttoned her pants.
"That kind of injury is tricky and I won't be any help at all. I can't stand the sight of blood."
"There is a lot of it. More than when I...when Jacobson…" he trailed off and shook his head quickly, hurrying into the closet.
"Mom and Prim won't get in trouble, will they?"
"No, I will escort them and will explain everything to Thread. He needs to know what happened and most likely will want to come over to talk to Rosalie."
"Poor Rosie," she shook her head. "Maybe someone should stay here with her and make her some tea."
"Rye and I will go to your mother's house and you can watch over her and Darius."
"I'm coming with you, Peeta. Two Peackeepers knocking on my mom's door in the middle of the night might give her a heart attack." He looked like he wanted to protest but it was obvious he was shaken up. He finished dressing and rushed into the kitchen where Ryen was hanging up the phone.
"I need to call Thread."
"I just did. Told him you were already on your way over to the Everdeens'. He said he would meet you back here."
"Stay with Rosalie," he said quietly. "Make her some tea and try to calm her down. Katniss and I will be back soon."
"You sure you don't want me to come with you?" Ryen looked uncertain. His fears went unspoken but Peeta understood. They had thought the threat was gone when Jacobson was sent away but then who could have done this to Darius? Who would dare do this to a Peacekeeper? Ryen shook his head.
"I don't like you both going out there by yourselves. At least let me call some back up."
"Fine, but we are going now. Tell them to meet us at the Seam." Ryen nodded and picked up the phone again. Katniss was talking to Rosalie in a hushed tone, patting her back comfortingly.
"Katniss," he said softly and she squeezed Rosalie's hand before joining her husband at the door.
"We will be back with some help, Rosalie," Peeta nodded. "Ryen will stay with you. Stay inside and keep watch over him. We will be back as soon as we can." Rosalie nodded miserably, taking Darius's hand and kissing it. Peeta lead Katniss out of the house and gripped her hand tightly all the way to the Seam.
Purnia and an older Peacekeeper, a graying man they called Elias, were waiting for them at the end of the road. Purnia nodded to them, looking grim.
"Is he alright?"
"We need a Healer," was all Peeta said. Purnia swallowed and briskly turned on the road, leading the way to the Everdeen house.
Katniss knocked several times before the door opened and Violet's eyes widened as they swept over her daughter and the Peacekeepers.
"We need you and Prim to bring whatever you can for severe bleeding." Her mother flew into Healer mode once again and summoned Prim to her side. Peeta offered to carry the basket of supplies but Prim kept a firm grip. On their way back to the house, Katniss told them who the patient was and what was wrong.
"He can easily bleed to death from that kind of injury," Violet said worriedly. Purnia inhaled sharply.
"That's why we were in such a hurry to get to you," Peeta said gently. Violet nodded and picked up her pace, so that they were leaving Elias in the dust behind them.
Two Peacekeepers waited on Peeta's porch when they returned and nodded as they passed. Commander Thread stood in the entryway, his fingers wrapped around a baton.
"Commander," Peeta nodded as Violet and Prim rushed to the couch to tend to Darius. Katniss lead Rosalie into the kitchen to make her some tea.
"Your brother was just telling me that he found Murphy like this, on his porch. Didn't he attend your wedding, Mellark?"
"Yes sir, he did. The party hadn't been over long. We were some of the last ones left," he gestured to his brother. "And I thought Darius and Rosalie went home not long before we left. However, Rosalie said that she left before Darius did because she wasn't feeling well. Darius didn't come straight home, so she figured he was still at the party. Between leaving the Mayor's house and returning home to the peacekeepers' quarters, someone attacked him."
"Lieutenant, did you see anyone hanging around?"
"No sir. I escorted Katniss home after the ceremony and we were getting ready for bed, when we heard Ryen pounding on the door. There wasn't a lot of time for this kind of attack. It had to have been calculated."
"I'm sure we would all agree, two attacks on Peacekeepers is two too many," Thread said bitterly. "These filthy coal miners think they can get away with anything because they're far from the Capitol's reach. We need to show them we can make them hurt too."
"Sir, with all due respect, we have no idea who is responsible and we can't implicate an entire district of people." The old Peacekeeper's eyes flashed and he stepped in front of Peeta, leaning in close. The young Lieutenant stood straight, though the look in his commander's eyes terrified him.
"You're not one of them anymore, Mellark," Thread hissed in his ear. "You're a Peacekeeper. A First Lieutenant. And I can see to it that you'll be so much more." Peeta's brow furrowed in confusion as Thread leaned even closer.
"What if I told you that I can reassign you? We can allow you and your wife to relocate to another district, or even the Capitol itself. What would you say to that?"
"That's...very kind, Commander. But it's not nece-"
"Think about it," Thread cut him off. "Something to consider. Talk to your wife about it. She might fall in love with the Capitol when you visit there next week." Peeta highly doubted it.
"Of course, sir. I will definitely consider it."
"And it would keep her away from trouble." Peeta started, his face turning pale.
"What do you mean, Commander?"
"I need to speak to Mrs. Murphy. Where did she go?"
"Katniss escorted her to the kitchen, sir," Ryen waved his hand. Thread nodded and stomped off, leaving Peeta a pale, shaking mess.
"Peet? You ok?"
"Not in the slightest," he shook his head but they were cut off by garbled screams, coming from the living room. Darius was gaining consciousness and the Everdeen women gasped in horror.
"Darius, listen, you have to stay still," Violet said soothingly, pleading for him to lay back on the couch.
"Oh man," Ryen muttered, shaking his head. Peeta's wide eyes locked on his fellow soldier and swallowed heavily.
"It's no good, Mom, we need Morphling."
"We don't have any," Violet said with a shake of her head. "Darius, listen to me. You must calm down. My daughter and I will help you, alright? But you have to calm down." Darius wasn't soothed and continued to writhe all over the couch.
"He's going to pull these stitches," Prim said nervously. "Peeta, get Rosalie in here. He needs to see her." Darius started at the mention of his wife and Peeta nodded, hurrying into the kitchen. Thread was sitting at the table with a notebook in hand while Rosalie and Katniss stood behind the chairs.
"Rosalie, Darius is awake and needs you." She cast Thread a nervous glance before she rushed out of the kitchen.
"How is he," Katniss muttered, going to Peeta's side.
"Not well. He's panic-stricken and keeps tossing about. They're trying to keep him calm and still but hopefully Rosalie will help soothe him. He really needs some morphling"
"Miss Everdeen," Katniss whipped around, her back stiff. "Did you see anyone hanging about when you left Mayor Undersee's house?"
"It's Mellark, Commander Thread," she said softly. "And no sir, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary."
"Of course. My apologies...Mrs. Mellark." Katniss swallowed, never taking her eyes off of Thread. Likewise, he fixed his icy stare on her and Peeta cleared his throat.
"Katniss, can you take a bowl of water and some towels to your mother and sister?"
"Of course. Excuse me, Commander." She lowered her head and grabbed the bowl from the counter, filling it up quickly and tossing some towels over her shoulder.
"Why did you bring them with you," Thread nodded toward the kitchen door.
"Who? The Everdeens?"
"Yes. Murphy is a Peacekeeper. Surely he deserves better than a simple Coal miner's wife working on him." Peeta felt his blood boil but told himself to calm down. His Commander was one person he did not need to get into an altercation with.
"With all due respect Commander, Violet Everdeen is Darius's only hope. Aside from the fact that she is District 12's only Healer, she's excellent at what she does.
We don't really have any hospitals or doctor offices here in 12. And Primrose is her protege. I would trust both of them with my life." Thread grunted as he closed his notebook.
"If we could get some morphling from the Capitol, he would heal even more quickly. We don't have any here."
"Someone clearly thought they had gotten rid of Darius Murphy. Let's hope the Everdeens prove him wrong." Peeta frowned after his Commander, feeling like there was something else on the end of that sentence, something Thread wasn't saying.
"I will make a call to the Capitol and have some morphling sent on the next train."
"But sir, the next train could take-" but Thread had walked away and Peeta had to take a moment to get his temper under control. Like he had told Katniss, he was tired of it. What made it alright for one man and those close to him decide they would be in charge of the rest of the world? Thread thought himself superior to anyone in 12 and he wasn't even from the Capitol! He sat down at his table and rubbed his temples roughly. One thing was clear. No one was safe in 12 anymore.
It took several long hours but with some herbs from Peeta's kitchen and whispered words of love from Rosalie, Darius fell into a fitful sleep. Peeta grimaced at the sight of the blood over his couch and floor but he wasn't insensitive enough to say something aloud. Rosalie leaned against the couch, looking exhausted, while Thread spoke with the other peacekeepers. Prim and Violet had washed up in the bathroom and Peeta had offered them the bedroom since they needed to stay and keep an eye on Darius. Violet had offered to take the floor in the guest bedroom but Peeta refused to let his mother-in-law and sister-in-law sleep on the floor, even if that was what they were somewhat used to. He took blankets into the guest bedroom and created a fluffy pallet for himself and Katniss.
His wife knelt next to Rosalie and murmured comfortingly, finally convincing her to stand and follow her to the kitchen. Ryen turned to Peeta and sighed.
"We're all leaving, Peeta. Commander Thread has called a meeting early next week."
"I'll be in the Capitol," he shook his head. "But I'll tell him myself. You go on home to your wife and try to enjoy what's left of your wedding night."
"Yeah, not likely," Ryen squinted at the clock on the wall. "Don't think I could actually enjoy it anyway. Not with a fellow Peacekeeper lying there on the couch, hovering between life and death."
Violet and Prim had done the best they could but Darius's injuries were severe. In addition to blood loss, there was massive trauma from the beating and one of his eyes seemed to be sewn shut. He had drifted in and out of consciousness, his pained screams made that much more horrible by the fact that he could not actually speak.
"Something is bothering me though, Peet." Ryen glanced back at the peacekeepers and the Commander and lowered his voice.
"I don't think anyone in 12 would have done this."
"Who do you think it was then?"
"I mean, Peacekeepers create Avoxes. No one in the Seam or Merchant Circle knows how… it just feels like it was a peacekeeper who did this." Peeta nodded in
agreement.
"I'll keep my eyes and ears open when I am in the Capitol."
"Please take care of yourself, Peet," his brother implored. "Just...watch your back."
"Don't worry about me, Rye. Go home to Madge. I'm sure she's worried. I'll see you before we leave 12." Ryen patted his brother's shoulder and joined the other peacekeepers. Purnia glanced sadly at Darius, then back at Peeta.
"Tell your mother-in-law we are grateful. For taking care of him."
"I will." Thread pocketed his notebook and stuck his baton through his belt, clearing his throat loudly.
"I will make a report tomorrow morning, Lieutenant. Expect a call from the Minister sometime tomorrow."
"Yes sir." Thread and the others walked down the porch and headed back toward town. Peeta closed the door and pressed his forehead to the cool wood.
In the kitchen, Katniss pressed a mug of tea into Rosalie's hands and Rosalie sniffed.
"Thank you, Katniss."
"Drink up. I'm sure all of this can't be good for the baby." Rosalie rubbed her belly and blinked back tears.
"What am I going to do if… Darius has to be ok, Katniss. He just has to be."
"He will be," Katniss said with more assurance than she felt. "My mom and Prim are great. They can fix anything, it seems. Peeta was attacked the other night and by the time they were finished, he was so much better."
"Peeta was attacked?" Katniss's eyes widened; she hadn't meant to say that aloud and Rosalie looked stunned.
"Someone attacked the First Lieutenant? Who was it?"
"I, uh, I'm not sure-"
"It was Jacobson, wasn't it," she said, shaking her head. "Darius told me about the trouble they were having with him. He went after Peeta on his own?"
"It was three Peacekeepers. But I have no idea who it was," she lied.
"Well I'm sure they're all dead now, if the Capitol got hold of them. Darius has told me they prize Peeta… like they treat him differently. Not like he comes from 12 but like he comes from the Capitol! President Snow himself asked to speak to him. No other Peacekeeper in 12 has met the President. And the way that new Commander talks to him… he's never talked to Darius like that. To any Peacekeeper, that I know of."
"But Peeta is First Lieutenant," Katniss shrugged.
"And you don't find that strange? Someone from 12 being made First Lieutenant? Darius would never get that kind of promotion and he's not even from here! He's just lived here for so long. The Capitol has this personal vendetta against District 12!"
"Shh, you need to calm down, Rosie," she said, nodding toward her tea. She prayed that Peeta's house wasn't bugged or they would be in a lot of trouble.
"I'm so tired, Katniss," the young woman whined, covering her face with her hands.
"I know. Why don't you go get some rest? I'll look after Darius for awhile."
"I don't think I can rest," she sighed. "Every time I close my eyes, I see him with his mouth full of blood and his eyes swollen shut. Who could do that to him, Katniss? Who would hurt him like that? Darius, he's...he'd never hurt a fly!"
"I don't know, Rosie," she shook her head. "But Peeta and the others will find out. Don't worry."
"I think it finally caught up to him," Rosalie said over the rim of her cup. "They finally found out."
"What are you talking about?" Rosie's grey eyes were wide as she lowered her mug.
"They know what's happening in 12. And now they're going to kill everyone who is involved." Katniss's eyes widened in horror. How could she silence Rosalie without revealing that the house might be bugged?
Her husband, however, saved them all as he walked into the kitchen.
"I've set out some blankets for you, Rosalie, so you can get some sleep."
"Thank you so much, Peeta," she stood and her hand rested on her belly. "You and Katniss have been so great."
"We will find who did this," he said in a hard voice. "They're going to pay." Rosalie nodded and trudged out of the kitchen. Katniss sighed and pressed her hand to her forehead.
"Are you alright?" She felt his hand on her shoulder and she nodded.
"I'm really tired."
"Go get some sleep. I'll stay up and watch over Darius." She sighed and nodded before leaning up to kiss his cheek.
"Good night, then."
"Sleep well, Katniss."
Peeta settled in the chair across from the couch and watched Darius sleep. Every now and again the peacekeeper would jerk and shake his head but then would settle back into his dreams fairly quickly. Peeta's eyes felt heavy and he checked the clock on the wall. It would be light out soon and everyone had been asleep for several hours now. He wondered when he should wake Violet to check on Darius. He winced as he shifted in the chair, his side throbbing. He mentally scowled, remembering that his friend was much worse off than he was. He could handle a little aching pain.
"PEETA!" His eyes shot open and he made a grab for his rifle, but forgot he had left it by the door. Grunting in frustration, he ran down the hall and burst into the bedroom, ready to murder whoever had disturbed his wife with his bare hands.
Katniss was fighting with the blankets, her hair a tangled mess and her eyes streaming.
"Peeta, no! Please no!"
"Katniss!" He rushed toward the bed and reached for her, pulling her to his chest. She continued to fight, struggling against his hold but he held on tightly.
"Katniss, I'm right here. You're ok, love, I'm here."
"Peeta," she whimpered, hiding her face in his shirt.
"It's me," he kissed her hair. "You're alright. I won't let anything happen to you." He kissed her temple and rocked her gently, until she went limp in his arms. He only released his grasp when he was sure her nightmares had left her alone. He kissed her forehead and pulled the blanket up to her chin. As he turned to leave,
he felt her fingers close around his wrist.
"Stay with me," she whispered softly, her voice so intensely vulnerable that it made Peeta want to gather her in his lap and hide her from the world. He draped himself over her and she immediately nuzzled into his chest, his hand reaching for her messy braid. Her breathing evened out again and he trailed a single finger across her cheek, lovingly memorizing every part of her.
"Always," he breathed before leaning in to kiss her forehead and resting his head over hers.
It was horrifying, the sound that was coming from the living room. Peeta jerked awake and looked around. Katniss was sitting straight up in bed, her eyes wide.
"Is that-"
"Darius," he said before throwing the covers aside and rushing into the living room. Katniss nearly slammed into him as they saw Darius writhing on the floor, tossing his head in agony. Rosalie and Prim knelt next to him, attempting to calm him and Violet was hurriedly mixing something in one of Peeta's bowls.
"Listen to me, baby, you have to calm down," Rosalie pleaded, her eyes full of tears. "The Everdeens will help you but you have to calm down. It's going to hurt worse if you keep moving around like this."
"Mom, he's pulled the stitches," Prim said softly, jumping up to grab her bowl of supplies.
"He needs morphling," Rosalie shook her head. "Why won't the Capitol rush it? Why do they want him to suffer like this?"
"I'm going to call the Minister of Defense," Peeta said stiffly, making the women jump. They clearly hadn't realized he was in the room, and Violet nodded.
"Good. Prim, go ahead and redo those stitches. Rosalie, see if you can coax some of this down his throat, to help with the pain."
"Let me get a glass," Katniss rushed past them toward the kitchen. Darius was starting to calm down slightly but tears of pain streamed down his cheeks.
"I know, baby," his wife stroked his cheek. "I know you're in pain. But here, maybe this will help some." She lifted his hand to her belly and clutched his wrist. His eyes rested on their joined hands before drifting up to hers.
"We need you, Darius. Don't think about leaving us." Peeta swallowed thickly as he tore his eyes away from the scene and headed into the kitchen to make the phone call.
Katniss was pulling a glass from the cabinet when Peeta entered and she sighed heavily.
"I hate that you have to deal with all of this."
"I'm his Lieutenant. I'm the one who should be dealing with this."
"I just mean, after everything… I know you're in pain. I can see it on your face."
"I'll manage. My main concern is him right now." She nodded and brushed past him but he grabbed her wrist and merely held it for a moment. Just the feel of her skin against his gave him strength, feeling connected to her in whatever way he could at that moment. She squeezed his hand before taking the glass to her mother.
Peeta picked up the phone and dialed the number, waiting with bated breath while the device played some kind of annoying little tune. Capitol people, he rolled his eyes and shook his head.
Katniss stood back and watched as Rosalie tipped the healing concoction down Darius's throat. She used her fingers to gently massage his adam's apple, the way Violet had shown her.
"Will it help him," Katniss whispered to her mother.
"It might alleviate some of the pain but it won't do a lot. We had to perform surgery to fix some of the damage. Whoever did this had no idea what they were doing. He's going to be in a lot more pain unless we sedate him and I can't really do that when we need him to swallow medicine. I don't know, Katniss, I'm not sure what else we can do." Katniss chewed on her lip as Rosalie pushed his red locks out of his face and cradled his head in her lap.
"Let's let him sleep some. I doubt you and Peeta got much rest, so why don't you both head back to bed? Prim and I are fine to look after him." She wanted to refuse but she was exhausted. She wondered if she could convince Peeta to come to bed with her.
"I'm going to make him some more of your herbal tea, see if I can help him relax a little."
"Good idea. We don't want him to make his fracture any worse either. Convince him to take care of himself first."
"That's going to be hard. Peeta puts everyone's needs before his own."
"Perhaps if you show him that he has something to keep fighting for… the way Rosalie did for Darius…" she trailed off and Katniss's eyes went to the floor. She knew what her mother was referring to but she didn't have a response to it. So she cleared her throat and headed toward the kitchen. Peeta was just hanging up the phone when she entered, and she went straight to the stove.
"What did the Minister say?"
"He's outraged that another peacekeeper has been attacked. He said he would send morphling by train but it will take too long so instead, we are taking Darius to the Capitol with us. He will be taken care of there."
"Rosalie too?"
"He didn't say but I can't imagine she wants to stay behind. I'll ensure their safety, as District 12 citizens." She nodded and set the kettle on the stove.
"What are you doing?"
"Making you some of Mom's healing tea. She said you need to take care of yourself too."
"I'm fi-"
"And stop saying you're fine," she cut him off, shooting him a glare. "You're in pain and you need to relax. Once you drink your tea, you head straight to bed."
"You're bossy," he approached her and rested his hands on her hips.
"I just fight for those I love," she said, her steely eyes locked on his. His lips curved upwards and his azure eyes swam. She pressed forward and kissed him, her hand tangling in his curls. The kettle started to whistle and she jumped back, moving it off the stove and reaching for the mint leaves. He stopped her, however, and cradled her face while he leaned forward to kiss her again.
"Ok, that's enough, tiger. What we did last night could not have helped your injury."
"Probably not but I don't really care," he mumbled against her lips.
"Well I care," she took a step back and placed a finger on his lips. "You need rest. Mom said she and Prim will watch over Darius. Here." She handed him a mug and added another mint leaf to it.
"Let me check this." He nearly choked on his tea as she lifted his shirt and her palm gently pressed around the bruise. She hated how it looked, marring his fair skin, and he grunted when she prodded a particular area.
"Thought you weren't a Healer," he tried not to smile.
"I'm not but that doesn't mean I can't check in on you."
"Do I pass inspection?"
"Hardly. I would rather you healthy and pain-free."
"When you touch me, the pain goes away completely." She rolled her eyes and stood back up.
"You're such a sap."
"I prefer to be called a hopeless romantic."
"Ok Romeo, drink your tea."
"Romeo? As in Romeo Montague?" She shrugged.
"As in that horrible book we had to read in English class."
"Romeo and Juliet were star-crossed lovers. Are we star-crossed?"
"I don't even know what that means," she scoffed. He chuckled and caressed her cheek.
"You weren't paying attention in class?"
"Mr. Edwins droned on and on and on! I think I fell asleep at least three times a week."
"He was passionate about literature and it showed in his lessons."
"Clearly I didn't care as much about books as he did."
"OK well, back in ancient times, people said they could read the stars and that the stars controlled someone's destiny. So the term 'star-crossed lovers- means the couple is fated to fail from the start. That the universe is working against them and it will most likely end in tragedy, like in Romeo and Juliet." She wrinkled her nose and he laughed.
"So I ask again, are we star-crossed?"
"No," she leaned forward and left a sweet kiss on his lips, relishing his sugary taste that came from him and not from the tea. She raked her tongue along his bottom lip and his parted slightly with a groan, his tongue slipping into her mouth. He cupped her cheek, his other hand still holding the mug of hot tea away from them both and they had to break away for breath. She kissed the tip of his nose before stepping back.
"We're not star-crossed." She gave him a smile and turned to pour some tea for her mother and sister and Peeta watched her, thinking that she might just be right.
