She heard his pleading cries in her dreams and she tossed and turned the entire time. Images of his bloody, broken body filled her mind and she woke with tears streaming down her cheeks. She collapsed on her back and ran her fingers through her hair as she stared at the ceiling. She jumped off the bed and hurried over to their bags. Rifling through, she pulled out one of Peeta's shirts and brought it to her face. Yep. There it was. His sweet scent of cinnamon and dill as if his very sweat was sweet. She inhaled his scent, closing her eyes and pretending she was burying her face in his chest. She could feel his strong arms close around her, his heart race beneath her cheek. When she opened her eyes again, she was alone in the room, clinging to a piece of fabric. She slumped forward and groaned. She pulled her shirt off and replaced it with his. She buttoned it up and rolled the sleeves up, smiling when she saw how it engulfed her.

There was a soft knock at the door and she nearly tripped in her haste to answer it. Duartyr smiled as she yanked the door open.

"I thought you should know, Doctor Everett is finished and leaving Peeta to rest. I thought you would like to be with him." She nodded eagerly and followed him back to Peeta's room. The doctor gave her a kind smile as he passed, clutching his medical bag. Peeta was sleeping on his stomach, his back covered in strips of material that smelled as if they had been soaked in some kind of medicine. His chin rested on his hand and he was dressed in a loose pair of grey pants. Katniss pulled a chair over to his bed and brought his hand to her face.

"I'll give you two some privacy," Duartyr whispered. "Alert me if you need anything." She nodded but didn't take her eyes off of her husband. He looked a hundred times better. She couldn't see his back under all the material but his cheeks had returned to a normal color and he looked to be sleeping peacefully. She rubbed her cheek against the back of his hand and sighed. His eyes fluttered slightly but he remained asleep. Katniss rested her elbow on the bed and leaned her head against her hand. Before she knew it, she was asleep again. His presence kept the nightmares away and she had no idea how long she had slept. When she opened her eyes, however, he was gone.

Her head shot up and her hands searched the empty space. The bed was empty in front of her and she jumped to her feet.

"Whoa, easy," a voice said behind her and she whirled around. Peeta was sitting in the armchair, his legs crossed as he ate something from a bowl. He watched her with a raised brow.

"You ok?"

"Am I- Peeta! You're sitting up!"

"Oh… yeah, I am. I mean, Doc fixed me right up."

"You're telling lies, Peeta," Duartyr scolded as he entered the room with another bowl in his hands. "Doctor Everett said you are better but you need to put the medicine on your back every 6 hours."

"OK fine, every 6 hours. But I hardly feel anything at all, Katniss. It's amazing."

"I made some stew," Duaryr handed Katniss the bowl, which she accepted with a grateful nod. Katniss took a spoonful but set it down to go inspect Peeta's back. She gasped when she saw how the wounds were closed and looked weeks old rather than just days. There would definitely be scars, she knew, but she was stunned at how well the doctor had done. If medicine and technology were this easy in the districts, their population wouldn't be dwindling. She reached out to touch his shoulder and he pulled her hand around to his lips.

"See? I'm just fine, love. Better than fine."

"You should finish your dinner and then sleep, Peeta."

"I've slept for nearly 30 hours, Felix," he said in exasperation. "I'm healed."

"You know how this works. On the surface it can look great but there is still deep hurt underneath."

"We need to talk about the rebellion," Peeta argued. "And the evacuation of 12. And what about-"

"Peeta," Duartyr said firmly. "You and Katniss have been through a lot. I want you to rest tonight and tomorrow, we will talk about what is happening. Alright? I'm still your General, Captain Mellark." Peeta scoffed.

"Yes General." Duartyr nodded and left the room. Peeta rolled his eyes but finished his stew. Katniss ate quickly and Peeta pulled her onto his lap.

"I was kind of out of it most of the time but I'm pretty sure you were the best caregiver anyone could possibly have." She smiled as he pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Not really. I just made you as comfortable as I could."

"Thank you." His thumb traveled over her lip and her tongue followed. His eyes darkened as she wet her lips and his hands moved to her hips.

"I know I was still really out of it… but I heard you say something important on the train." She frowned but her eyes widened in realization. Peeta cocked his head and wrapped his arms around her.

"Should I pretend I didn't hear it?" She sucked in a breath as he watched her anxiously.

"No," she whispered. "You don't have to pretend."

"Then you wanted me to hear it?"

"I…" His hand moved up and down her back before slipping under the shirt. His palm against her warm skin made her eyes flutter shut.

"Did you mean it?" She opened her eyes again and nodded.

"I meant it. I can't lose you, Peeta. Ever."

"You won't," he promised her. "I'm right here." He slipped both hands under her shirt and traveled down her spine.

"This is my shirt."

"You want it back?" He grinned and shook his head.

"It looks better on you." She leaned back slightly.

"You want me to show you where we're sleeping?"

"Yeah. It's been hell trying to sleep without you in my arms the past few nights."

"I know the feeling," she muttered, tugging on his hand. She lead him to the guest room Duartyr had showed her to and Peeta closed the door behind them. He glanced at the bed and Katniss leaned against the wall.

"Are you tired?"

"Like I said, I've done nothing but sleep. I just devoured two bowls of stew and have so much energy right now."

"Well that's not fair, I've spent the past few days losing sleep, worrying over you," she said with a small smile. He moved toward her and tugged her by the waist.

"You never left my side," he muttered, running his other hand through her hair. "And I love you for that." He lowered his lips to hers and she released a needy little whine as his tongue raked across her bottom lip.

"Is this ok," she asked as he ground his hips against her. "You were so close to death and now-"

"Now I'm fully healed and desperate for you." She shook her head and backed up toward the bed but he followed her down and caged her in his arms.

"We can't," she insisted as his tongue raked down her throat. "I don't want to risk hurting you."

"Katniss, I'm telling you, I don't feel anything. If it would make you feel better, I can hold your wrists down so you don't touch my back." He didn't miss the way her eyes darkened and the sensual way she bit her lip. His lips curved into a smirk as he lowered his head to trail his tongue along her ear.

"So that turns you on, does it? Should I tie you to the bed? Have my way with you?" She squirmed underneath him and he chuckled softly in her ear.

"Interesting. I wouldn't have thought my strong Mockingjay would be submissive in bed." He gathered her wrists in his hand and pulled them over her head. She gasped as he pressed them into the bed and he hovered over her, his eyes glittering.

"Keep them there," he grunted as he reached down to cup her center. Her legs fell open and he hooked his thumbs in the waistband and tugged. She lifted her hips, her hands still twisted in the sheet over her head. Peeta gave her a smile as he bent to kiss her ankle, placing tender kisses along her leg and thigh. She gripped the sheets tightly as he came closer and closer to where she needed him the most, her hips jerking up toward his face. When he skipped over her pelvis and placed a kiss on her stomach, she growled and he snickered, knowing exactly what he was doing. She moved her hands to his hair and he pushed them back down again.

"Stay still," he told her in a low voice. She nodded and watched him trail his lips across her belly before he pulled her up.

"You know, I think I do want my shirt back after all." He smirked as he worked the buttons and pushed it down her arms. Her nipples strained against her bra, and Peeta's roughened palm flattened against her left breast before tweaking her peak between his fingers. She released a cry and bit her lip as she realized they weren't alone in the house. His eyes lit up as he bent to take her breast into his mouth.

"This should be fun," he muttered. "Think you can stay quiet while I kiss every inch of your flesh?" He didn't wait for an answer before he pulled the bra off and moved to her other breast. She fell backwards onto the pillows and he climbed over her, pulling her hands over her head again. Keeping one hand around her wrists, he bent low to suck at her neck and she whined against his shoulder. His other hand moved to her center again and he audibly groaned and dropped his forehead against her chest.

"Holy fuck, Katniss, you are so wet right now." She was so desperate for him that she didn't have the capacity to feel embarrassed about the sounds coming from below as he plunged his fingers in and out of her. Peeta was torn as he hovered over her; he wanted her to cum quickly but he also wanted to drive her crazy with his tongue until she was quivering with pent up desire. He pulled his fingers from between her thighs and wrapped his tongue around his digits, his eyes slamming shut at her familiar taste. Katniss bit her lip, her hands moving to grip his shoulders before he slammed her hands back down and bent low, his face inches from hers.

"You just can't follow orders, can you?"

"I'm not the follow orders type of girl," she said haughtily. Peeta grinned and hopped off the bed. He rifled through his bag until he found what he was looking for, and pushed his sweat pants down his legs before returning to her side. She groaned when she realized he hadn't been wearing underwear and was now kneeling beside her, naked and hard. He leaned over her as he bound her wrists with a tie, his eyes finding hers.

"Keep them there," he murmured, making her shiver with how husky his voice had become. He gripped her hips as he moved between her legs, kneeing them further apart before pulling her panties down around her ankles. Katniss watched him take her all in and it was endearing that no matter how many times they did this, he acted as if he was just seeing her for the first time. He gazed at her with such longing and adoration that she felt her heart speed up even more. Peeta gave her a wink before lowering to his knees and tugging her to the end of the bed. She wanted to wrap her fingers around his curls but she dutifully kept them above her head as his tongue flicked across her clit.

"Peeta," she whined, turning her head so she could moan into the pillow. He spread her even wider, his thumbs holding her open so he could plunge his tongue deep inside her. Her back arched off the bed as her body started to shake uncontrollably. He moved back up to hold her so she could stifle her cries against his chest, his arms wrapping around her until her tremors subsided. He pulled the tie off and she wrapped her arms around his waist as she panted against his skin. After a few moments, she pulled him over her and gripped his erection in her fist.

"Get a condom from your bag," she mumbled and he leaped across the room, his bare ass flashing in the moonlight. Katniss stifled a giggle as she waited impatiently, tapping her fingers against the sheets. Peeta looked back at her, his smile faltering.

"I think we've used them all. I had planned to get more but…" he trailed off, shaking his head and throwing his bag aside. Katniss chewed on her lip as she motioned

for him to come back to her and he obeyed, lying beside her.

"It's ok," he whispered. "We don't have to do anything else. I just wanted to get you off, to remind myself that you're here with me." She leaned up to kiss him and tugged at his shoulders.

"We don't need one." His eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"I mean, we can just… uh, you can… you know."

"I'll pull out," he nodded, moving to his knees. "Are you sure though?"

"Yes," she said firmly, her palms running over his chest. His hand shook as he guided himself inside her and he squeezed his eyes shut as he felt her wet walls clamp down on him for the first time. "Yes!"

"Oh fuck," he whimpered. "Katniss, you feel… oh god, I'm not going to last long. I'm sorry. You're just-"

"It's ok," she said soothingly, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "You feel so good inside me." She reached up to touch his face and he captured her wrists with both hands and pushed them down into the bed. He rose up and increased his thrusts, her hands on either side of her head. She sucked in a breath as she gazed up at him, his strong chest heaving with the effort of holding her down and moving at a rapid pace.

"Katniss," he gritted his teeth. "Please tell me you're close. I can't hold on much longer."

"I am," she moaned. "Oh Peeta!"

"Oh my god!" He pulled out of her suddenly, his cum spurting across her hip in thick pearly drops. He gripped her hip with one hand, his chin lowered as he tried to catch his breath. She started to sit up but he pushed two fingers inside her, curving them upwards and grunting when he felt her walls contract. She clapped a hand over her mouth as she let out a scream.

"God I wish it was my dick you were squeezing like this right now. One day I want to feel you cum around me like you're cumming on my fingers." He thumbed her clit, determined that she would be a giant puddle of incoherent mess when he was finished with her.

"Fuck you're still cumming. And you're soaking my hand. That's it my love, I've got you. Cum for me." When she couldn't take anymore, she reached down to grip his wrist. His actions slowed until he had coaxed the last remnants of her orgasm from her, allowing her limp form to fall to the bed. Her limbs felt like jelly and she was sure she wouldn't be able to move until morning. Peeta curled up beside her and kissed her temple, breathing against her hair.

"I have no words to express how amazing that was."

"Mmm," was all she could say in return. She was starting to nod off when she suddenly sat straight up, making him jump.

"Your medicine!"

"Every 6 hours," he said gently. "I'll be fine."

"How do you feel? Did we… you're not sore?" He smiled and stroked her cheek, pressing his forehead to hers.

"No love. I feel wonderful. Floating on cloud nine, in fact. I have an alarm set to put more medicine on my back," he indicated a device on his wrist. "So let's get some sleep, ok?" She nodded and allowed him to pull her into his chest.


When the alarm on his wrist started to beep, Katniss sat up and pushed her hair out of her eyes. Peeta continued to sleep beside her and she grunted as the alarm got louder.

"Peeta," she gently shook him and he groaned.

"Come on, time to put some medicine on your back."

"Let's just do it in the morning," he hid his head under the pillow.

"Absolutely not. We are obeying the doctor's orders. Go get the medicine so I can help you." He growled and threw the pillow across the bed, hurrying over to pull on a pair of underwear from his bag and the soft grey pants he was wearing.

"I left it in the other room. Be right back." She nodded and he opened the door, wincing when it creaked loudly. He hurried down the hall and found the medicine where the doctor had left it on the vanity. He cradled it closely as he walked back to the guest room but paused when he saw a flood of light coming from under another door. It was nearly three in the morning, who was awake and why? He leaned in close, already scolding himself for eavesdropping.

"You don't seem to understand what I am saying. The President is close to death and we still have no idea who poisoned him. Nor has he chosen a successor. I do not like the fact that Captain Mellark and the Mockingjay are in the Capitol. They are in danger every minute they stay here." Peeta's grip on the bowl tightened. He heard a loud thud, as if Duartyr had slammed his hand against something.

"Listen to me, Colonel. Peeta nearly died today. Thread knew exactly what he was doing, arresting Katniss. He knew Peeta would volunteer for her. It was a surefire way to get rid of him. Thread is following someone else's orders and they are calculated and clever. Minister Antonius is still missing, so he is either dead or is a traitor. We NEED to get Katniss and Peeta to 13, now. You need to tell your president she must send a hovercraft. We can't risk sending them by train or by car. You want your Mockingjay safe and sound? You need to come get her out of the Capitol. Today." Peeta waited while whoever Duartyr was speaking to replied.

"Good. I'm glad we have an understanding. I'll make sure they are ready. Send me the details of the extraction as soon as you can. Yes, Plutarch Heavensbee will make arrangements. Thank you, Colonel. Good night." Peeta backed away from the door and ran back to the guest room. Katniss was still under the sheet and he could see she hadn't dressed. Focus Mellark, he gritted his teeth.

"Are you ok?" She could immediately tell he wasn't.

"Yeah, fine," he grunted as he closed the door. She sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest.

"Don't lie to me."

"I just heard Felix talking to someone. They're sending a hovercraft to get us later on today."

"Who? 13?" Peeta nodded as he set the bowl of medicine down.

"Well… you're better. There's no reason you can't go with me now."

"I don't plan on letting you out of my sight," he reached over and stroked her cheek with his knuckle.

"Let me put a shirt on so I can help you with that."

"Clothes aren't necessary to take care of me," he said with a grin as he leaned over to pull the sheet down. She scoffed but allowed him to worship her neck with his tongue.

"You're impossible," she said breathily.

"I've been head over heels for you since I was a kid. Can you blame me for touching you whenever I want, simply because I can?"

"OK loverboy, lie on your stomach for me. Did he say how long we need to leave it on?"

"Just to let it soak for a few minutes," he mumbled as he stretched out in front of her, pulling the pillow toward him.

"Ok." The strips of material were soaking in the medicine, so she lifted one from the bowl and lay it across his back. He drew a sharp breath and she froze.

"Peeta?"

"I'm fine."

"Does it hurt?"

"I won't lie. It burns like hell. But that means it's working. Keep going." Chewing her lip, she lay the strips across his back, wincing at his small gasps of pain. When his entire back was covered, she leaned down to kiss the back of his neck.

"We'll let the medicine do its job and then I'll take them off. Can I get you anything?" He reached up and grasped her hand.

"Just stay with me." She squeezed.

"I'm not going anywhere."


Peeta's back was stinging when he woke up but he forced his face into a neutral face so Katniss wouldn't know he was in pain. Besides, if he had been as close to death as Duartyr had said, he was pretty damn lucky. If he had stayed in 12, he would have surely died. He pushed the covers aside and leaned down to kiss his wife's shoulder. The sun streamed into the window and danced across her delectable skin. She moaned and turned over onto her back, smiling sleepily up at him.

"Morning beautiful."

"Morning. How are you feeling?"

"I woke up next to the most perfect creature on the planet. How could I feel anything other than content?" She rolled her eyes and sat up to inspect his back.

"Looks even better today. Guess that medicine really does work."

"Let's get dressed so we can talk to Felix."


Peeta did not hide the fact that he had eavesdropped from his general. Duartyr sighed and nodded.

"I suppose it is better that you know everything. There are some who said you only need to know certain details but I think being kept in the dark will do more harm than good."

"So what is happening? Is the Minister still missing?"

"Yes, and President Snow is dying from a slow poison."

"Wait, what?!" Katniss jumped up from her seat.

"We don't know who has done it, although we have our suspicions."

"Caius," Peeta said immediately. "He's next in line. It only makes sense."

"Except that Snow hasn't chosen a successor," Duartyr shrugged. "Apparently there was some family drama some time ago and the President called for his advisors and lawyers. He wanted to change some things in his final wishes and he stated that he did not want his son to become President. But when urged to choose someone, he couldn't name anyone. Some people say he wants his granddaughter to take his place."

"She's only sixteen," Peeta said in horror. "How can a sixteen year old protect a country?"

"Well, it was done thousands of years ago. Many rulers were early teenagers when they ascended the throne. But Aurelia is Caius's only child, so he will do everything to sway the advisors to support him. And I'm telling you, we do not want Caius Snow to hold that title. If you thought Coriolanus was bad, Caius is twice as bloodthirsty and depraved."

"Yeah, I got a sense of that when he was introducing us to his new tv program," Peeta snarled in disgust. Katniss gripped her hair as she started to pace back and forth. Peeta glanced up at her and sighed.

"What does Coin think of all of this?"

"She wants to proceed as though nothing has changed. She has enlisted Plutarch Heavensbee to coach Katniss on how to film a propaganda video. Propos, he likes to call them. It is how our former Mockingjay got his messages out to Panem." Katniss froze.

"I have to appear on screen, for the whole country to see and hear?"

"You are the Mockingjay, Katniss," he said patiently. "The people need to hear your message. They need to hear about your family, how you lived for so many years, what they did to your father. That is what will call people to stand up against the Capitol."

"This should be Peeta," she shook her head desperately. "He's a better speaker and he's charming and knows how to deal with crowds. He should be the Mockingjay."

"Katniss, you are the Mockingjay," her husband said as he jumped to his feet. "The country loved and respected your father. Now they will love and respect you.

They'll look to you to lead them."

"I don't want anyone looking to me," she exclaimed. "I can't help them! All I want to do is keep my family alive!"

"They very nearly killed your husband, Katniss," Duartyr stood up too. Peeta threw him a look but his general ignored it. "Your sister has three more years of Reapings. Don't you want it all to stop? Don't you want to give the country, your district, a new chance at life?" Peeta brushed past Duartyr and grasped Katniss's hands in his.

"We all believe in you," he said earnestly. "I know you can do this. And just think about the rewards waiting for all of us. Prim can study medicine and can travel, or she can settle down with someone she loves- she can do whatever she wants to do. Your mother can be a real doctor, not just a healer with limited resources. And I'll take you wherever you want to go, until you've seen enough of the world that you want to settle down in a nice little house. And we can fill it with babies that will grow up in a world so completely different from the one we know now. A world where they'll go to bed with food in their stomachs and they won't have to get jobs when they are young, they can have an actual childhood. And they won't ever have to worry about having their names in a bowl, and we won't ever have to worry about seeing them on a screen. You can give us that, Katniss. All of it and more."

"What about the dangers, Peeta? The risks? The sacrifices we will have to make?"

"There's risk in everything we do. We risk death as soon as we wake up but that doesn't keep us from leaving our beds in the morning. It just makes life more valuable." She looked into his eyes and found that despite her fear, she felt calm and grounded.

"Fine. I'll film their propo videos. Is 13 getting us out of the Capitol today?" She turned back to Duartyr.

"I'm waiting for more details but yes, you'll be under the protection of Colonel Boggs, President Coin's second-in-command. I told them it is vital to get you out of the Capitol as soon as possible."

"Won't Headquarters be alerted that I'm here? You once told me the Peacekeeper higher ups can rarely go anywhere without being tracked."

"Haymitch put Ryen's and Madge's names on the passenger list. It will throw them off temporarily but Thread surely knows that you will come here for healing. If he's working for someone here, they will be looking for you. That's why I said we couldn't take you to the hospital." Peeta stretched his arms and winced slightly. Katniss's eyes narrowed and he shook his head.

"I'm fine," he said dismissively.

"That medicine has done wonders but you have to keep applying it for it to work."

"We have been. Katniss helped me last night. Or this morning, rather."

"Good. I need to make a few calls and you should both make sure you are all packed and ready to go. I'll be in my study, should you need anything." He bowed slightly to Katniss, which took her aback, before shutting himself in the next room.

"Better do as he says. Is all of our stuff in that room?"

"Should be. I didn't unpack anything except some clothes." He grasped her hand as they headed into the guest room, making sure all of their belongings were packed securely.


They sat on the bed together, Katniss resting her head on his shoulder while Peeta's thumb gently rubbed the top of her hand. Their bags were lined against the wall as they waited with baited breath for their next move.

Duartyr knocked at the door and Peeta jumped to his feet.

"We have a slight problem."

"General?" Katniss noticed Duartyr was donning his official Peacekeeper uniform and she frowned.

"What's happened, Felix?"

"Peeta and I have been summoned to speak to President Snow." Peeta's jaw fell open.

"I thought he was close to death."

"He is. That's why he's requesting to speak to his Head Peacekeepers. It seems that he has declared Thread a traitor and has made you Head Peacekeeper of District 12. General Mellark." Peeta turned back to Katniss and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Shit," he said softly.