When he arrived to the laboratory, he could see the young peacekeeper tied to a tilted chair, his face white as a sheet under bruises and blood. Snow exhaled loudly.

"Where is Antonius?" The doctors quivered in the corner.

"The Minister went to get the General's wife, Mr. President."

"Release him."

"Sir?" Snow whirled around and bared his teeth.

"Did I stutter? Release him. Now."

"Yes, Mr. President." They rushed forward and worked at Peeta's binds, allowing him to sway before he toppled forward. Snow held an arm out to support him before he could fall to the ground.

"Easy Mellark." Peeta blinked at the president and frowned.

"I… don't understand," he wheezed. There was no doubt his ribs were bruised, possibly even broken, from the savage beatings.

"This wasn't supposed to happen, Mellark. I'm sorry. I promise we will deal with the people who did this to you." He lowered Peeta into a chair and snapped his fingers. The doctors hurried toward Peeta and started to clean him up. Peeta frowned, trying to focus.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the President of Panem. Caius Snow. Do you know your name?"

"P…" he frowned, his mouth trying to form the word. He searched his brain for the name. HIS name. Why had he forgotten?

He looked desperate and the President patted his shoulder.

"It's alright. You've been through a terrible ordeal. Your name is Peter Mellark, General of Panem."

"What happened to me?"

"Rebel forces almost killed you. You were brought here for healing but they mistook you for a prisoner," he shot the doctors a glare. "But we will get you the medical treatment you need. You'll be better in no time."

"Rebel forces?" Peeta's brow furrowed. "I don't understand."

"There's a war going on at the moment, General. You were fighting on the front lines when she attacked you. She tried to kill you."

"She?"

"The Mockingjay is what they call her. She's a witch and we don't even speak her name. She's bloodthirsty and vicious, and kills for sport. She has been murdering Panem citizens by the thousands."

"Someone has to stop her," Peeta said weakly.

"I have no doubts you will, General. First we need to get you better. Come with me." Peeta's legs shook as he followed the president into an elevator, which lead into the presidential mansion. A laboratory right under someone's house? It seemed a little out of place to Peeta.

The President lead Peeta down a winding hallway until they stopped in front of a gold door.

"This will be your room while you stay with us."

"Stay here?"

"Well of course. I want you to heal quickly and I can provide the best treatment possible in the comforts of my own home." He twisted the knob and pushed the door open. Peeta's eyes widened at the opulence. Wasn't he used to this though? The President had called him General. Surely he was used to these luxuries.

He shook his head and took a step into the room. His side ached and he found it difficult to breathe. He wrapped an arm around himself and steadied himself against the wall.

"I'll bring your wife to you and then a doctor will stop by to check your injuries. There are fresh towels in the closet if you wish to bathe."

"I… I have a wife?" The President gazed at him with sympathy.

"What has that monster done to you," he shook his head. "She must have cast a spell over you. Made you forget your life. Not to worry, General. You are safe with us and we will do what we can to restore your memory." Peeta nodded, still looking confused and miserable.

"I hope it won't take too long."

"Lavinia will help you."

"Who?"

"Your wife," the President said gently. "My friend Antonius took her to see the doctor for a check up."

"Is she sick?"

"No, dear boy. She's pregnant. You're going to be a father. You can't even remember that?" Peeta pressed his palms to his temples and moaned.

"My wife is pregnant? Why wouldn't I remember?"

"It's alright. Once you are better, you will help us capture the Mockingjay." His head snapped up as two people entered the room.

"Right on time," Snow said with a smile. "Peter, your wife. Lavinia, please help Peter clean up and I will send a doctor straight up to tend to his injuries."

"Yes President Snow," Lavinia said, her head lowered. Antonius gave her a little push forward and she nearly stumbled into Peeta.

"Are you ok," he stammered.

"Yes," she pushed a strand of dark hair behind her ear. "Thank you."

"Please rest, Mr. and Mrs. Mellark. We will be in touch soon. If you require anything, ring the bell. My servants will attend you." Snow closed the door behind him and Antonius. Peeta swallowed, glancing at Lavinia. The room was thick with tension and Peeta rocked on the balls of his feet.

"I think I'm going to take a bath," he finally said.

"Should I bring you anything," she asked, not meeting his eyes.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you though." He reached out to touch her but his hand froze. "The President says I was attacked and I've forgotten a lot of things about my life. I'm sorry that I don't remember you. I hope you'll help me get my memories back." He saw her rub her pregnant belly.

"Of course. We will be fine." Before he could say anything else, she hurried away from him and into the bedroom.


Snow closed the door and turned to Antonius, his eyes glittering.

"Sir, before you get angry-"

"I'm past angry, Antonius. You disobeyed my orders. I told you the torture has been too much. He was starting to forget. It wasn't necessary to keep going. You could have killed him this time."

"He said the girl's name. He asked where she was and why she hadn't come to see him. We used a very low dose this time, just enough to incite panic rather than making him forget everything."

"Bullshit. He has forgotten everything. Hijacking is supposed to condition someone to fear something, not forget completely. But, fortunately for you, him forgetting works in our favor, so I will spare your life this time." Antonius exhaled and Snow jerked his head down the hall.

"No more torture. I want Mellark to think he's one of us. When he's ready, we will send him out to destroy her."

"You believe he will?"

"We can make him hate her, Antonius. We can make her seem like a threat. To him, to his wife… to their child. Since he can't remember anything, it's a clean slate. We will fill in the blanks for him. You just make sure that the girl doesn't slip."

"Oh she won't. We threatened her baby with the same thing we did to her husband. She may be from 12 but she's not stupid."

"What about the other soldier? Is he still alive?"

"He's not talking. I'm tempted to cut his tongue out myself."

"And then we would know absolutely nothing about the rebellion," Snow snapped. "You have a habit of burying people before they're dead. Make him talk, Antonius. You have ways."

"He's stubborn, Mr. President. And loyal to the rebellion."

"And does he have family?"

"None that we can find."

"Find another way then. I want to know what they're planning. What that District 13 fool hopes to accomplish with her little Mockingjay."

"Yes sir."

"It seems we also have General Thread to worry about as well." Antonius stopped in the middle of the hall.

"Sir?"

"He came to see me earlier and says that you have been telling him things. He threatened me, and I don't take kindly to threats, Antonius."

"Of course sir, but-"

"Get rid of him," Snow said through gritted teeth. "He knows too much."

"President Snow, Romulus Thread has been very valuable and could be-"

"Get rid of him, Antonius, or I will have to get rid of you." Antonius swallowed.

"I'll take care of it sir." Snow nodded and stomped off, leaving the Minister glaring at his retreating back.


Peeta sighed and closed himself in the bathroom, glancing at the luxurious bathtub.

"Your life will be different here. I'll see to that." He heard his own voice speaking the words in his head and he frowned. He shook his head as he leaned over to turn the water on. The shower came on and he jumped back.

"You could join me," he heard a soft voice say. He whirled around, searching for his wife but didn't see her anywhere. Strange. His brow furrowed as he stripped his clothes off and tossed them aside. They were mostly covered in blood anyway. He surveyed his own body and his eyes widened. The President hadn't been lying when he'd said Peeta had been through a terrible ordeal. His torso was completely black and blue, some bruises fresher than others. He was filthy, though he supposed that was from fighting a war. He shook his head and leaned over to press one of the buttons on the wall. A very strong aroma filled the air and he hurriedly punched it, hoping it would shut off. He gagged at the smell of roses and wafted his hand through the air. The tub filled quickly and he released a small moan as he lowered his battered body into the steaming water. He racked his brain for anything to tell him about who he really was. He had come to while soldiers were kicking the shit out of him and he had pleaded to know what he had done. As he was being kicked and beaten, one of the doctors in a white coat had stuck him with needles and whatever they had injected him with made him want to scratch his skin off. He couldn't remember anything before that though. He couldn't understand why he was being beaten, or who these people were. For a frightening moment, he hadn't even known who he was.

Peter Mellark, he reminded himself. That's what the President had said. A Peacekeeper General in Panem's army.

A knock at the door broke him from his thoughts and he sat up straight.

"Yes?"

"Peter, it's me," the door cracked open and Lavinia stepped inside. "They sent up some lavender for your bath."

"Oh, uh, thank you. I'll take it." She pushed the door open a bit more and leaned around the corner, stretching her arm out toward him. His brow furrowed when he saw her eyes were squeezed shut. Perhaps she was extremely shy? They were having a baby together, though. He felt more and more frustrated that he couldn't remember anything. He grabbed the package from her fingers and nodded.

"Thank you." She nodded and stepped back out of sight.

"They also sent some salve for your injuries. The doctor should be on his way up. Do you need help with your bath?"

"I'm fine," he mumbled. "Thank you." She shut the door again and he leaned against the wall. Had he done something to her to make her wary of him? Was he not a good husband? She had yet to meet his eyes, so he didn't even know what color they were!

Grey, a voice in his head said. More like molten silver.

He sighed and dumped the package of fragrance into the water. His muscles were instantly soothed, his pain fading away. He brought a cloth to his skin and gently wiped at his chest. The water turned red from his blood and he winced.

"I hate seeing you with marks on your skin," he heard the voice from earlier. He sat up, eyes wide, and looked around the bathroom. He was alone, just as he knew he was but the voice sounded like someone was sitting right beside him in the bath.

"You said my kisses can heal you," came the voice again. It was soft and gentle, and sent shivers down his spine. "They're gone. Never happened."

"Who are you," he whispered. There was another knock and he huffed.

"Peter, the doctor is here."

"Be right out," he called, reaching for a towel and struggling to his feet. He still found it hard to breathe and clutched his abdomen in pain.

"You're a Peacekeeper General," he told himself bitterly. "Buck up and stop acting like this. The President is counting on you." He wrapped the towel around his waist and went to meet the doctor.


The Minister was waiting with the doctor and his wife and Peeta nodded to all three of them.

"Peter, I was hoping to have a word with your wife while the doctor examines your injuries. We won't be long."

"Oh, of course." Antonius held the door open.

"After you, my dear." She glanced back at Peeta with what he swore was fear in her eyes, before she disappeared through the door.

"Now then, General Mellark, let's have a look at those ribs. Lie back for me," the doctor gently pushed Peeta into the couch cushions and he nearly yelped when the doctor brought his freezing stethoscope to his bare chest. The man poked and prodded with gloved fingers and Peeta bit down on his tongue to keep from crying out.

"Bruised ribs," the doctor muttered. More like broken, Peeta thought bitterly. "Multiple contusions to the head." From my own soldiers beating the shit out of me.

"And your back has not healed from the beatings the rebel soldiers gave you. We will need to transport you to the medical center, to make sure there is no lasting damage."

"Ok, but what are these tiny holes," he indicated the marks he had found on his hands and neck.

"Bullet wounds," the doctor said dismissively without looking at him.

"That's… a tiny bullet."

"Yes, a rebel tactic, to maim but not kill. I will inform the president you need transport. In the meantime, I will leave these for the pain. Take care, General." Peeta blinked at the door through which the doctor disappeared. He had left so fast Peeta hadn't had a chance to say a word. He gripped the small bottle of pills the doctor had shoved into his hand, and he frowned at the bottle.

"That was… strange." Since the pain was still fairly intense, he found a glass to run some water, and he popped one of the pills into his mouth.

"Never put anything from a stranger in your mouth. You never know about an assassination attempt until you are dead." He frowned at the voice. It was gruff and sharp, full of authority. Perhaps his superior?

He set the glass on the table and gripped his head with both hands.

"Where are all of these voices coming from? Just go away!" He shook his head and rubbed his face roughly. He decided sleep would do him good so he went to the bedroom, where he found a pile of clothes waiting for him on the bed. He quickly changed into a pair of underwear and a loose pair of grey pants before he fell onto the bed and was lost in the comfort.


"You just remember your duty," Minister Antonius snapped. "For the sake of your child."

"I understand, Minister. I told you I understood the last time you threatened my child. I will keep up pretenses and make sure he believes your story."

"Your story, dearest. I don't want to hear you crying for that worthless peacekeeper anymore, do you understand? Peter is your only husband. That child inside you will have a Capitol pedigree. I rescued you, did I not? I saved you from the soldiers who killed your husband, and who would have killed you too. How will you show your thanks?"

"By living the new life you provide," she said without emotion.

"Very good. You are a Capitol woman now. A General's wife. You will play the part, or we will kill you and your child. If Peter mentions that girl's name, you inform me immediately."

"You have put so much of that poison inside him that he can't remember his own name," she said bitterly. "So why do you worry so much, Minister?"

"Because one slip of the tongue could bring everything back. And President Snow has forbidden any more venom to be used on him. So we have to hope this time it works. The last time we weren't so lucky, even with you caring for him in the cells. His memory came back."

"I had nothing to do with that," she protested.

"You'd better not. Now get back in there and play the role you've been assigned. We need to keep up all pretenses until he's well enough to fight. Then we can unleash him on the rebel force."

"You're sending him after Katniss," she said quietly. "To kill her." She cried out as the Minister buried his hand in her hair.

"You speak that name again," he growled in her ear. "And I will make sure you never see your child."

"Yes, Minister Antonius," she whimpered, cradling her stomach. He released her and she took a step back. He scoffed and stomped off, leaving her alone in the hall. She choked back tears as her hands covered her stomach.

"I hope you somehow come out with red hair, my sweet little one," she whispered. "You only have one daddy. It's not the man who helped make you and it's not the man in there. I hope you have red hair and dimples and a kind smile and a loving heart. So the truth can be shown, one way or the other." She took a deep breath before returning to the bedroom, where she would be forced to once again forget about her real husband and help make sure a man could never remember his real wife. Sighing miserably, she twisted the knob and walked inside.


So, things starting to make sense a little more now? ;)

Have a great week everyone! XOXOX