Peeta set down two mugs of tea on the sink and leaned over to study Rosalie's drawing. She wasn't a wonderful artist but she was getting the point across and the more that Peeta guessed, the more he remembered. After dinner, they had gone back to the bathroom to "take another shower". Peeta imagined, if someone was listening to them, they would think the couple was either sexually insatiable, or very big on personal hygiene.

Rosalie drew something out and let Peeta guess what it was. She started out trying to remind him of District 12. Now she was sketching something in someone's hand. She'd grown frustrated with herself more than once when she couldn't write the word out. He had assured her he would help her with the words once they were safe.

His brow furrowed and he cocked his head.

"Um… what is the man holding?" She circled the sketch and drew a B, one of the few letters she actually knew. She huffed and hid her face in her hands.

"It's ok! Don't get upset. Ok, it starts with a B. Banana?" She shook her head and suddenly, her eyes lit up. She held up a finger, pulled the paper closer, and started to draw something else. Peeta recognized it as a cake, and she added candles on top just for good measure.

"Cake?" She nodded frantically, looking excited. She pointed at the other item he was trying to figure out, then circled the man himself.

"Is that bread?" She nodded again, giving him a pointed look. She circled the man again and Peeta shook his head.

"Is he a baker?" She dropped the paper and grabbed his face with both of her hands. His eyes widened in alarm but she nodded and he sighed in relief. She gently pressed her finger to his chest and he reared back.

"I'M a baker?" She picked the paper up again and drew something else. He watched over her shoulder.

"Is that… my family?" She smiled and nodded, pointing to the building behind him.

"I have two brothers… and… we worked… in a bakery." She pointed to him again and images flashed in the back of his mind.

MELLARK'S BAKERY.

"Our bakery… like… OUR bakery? Mellark's?" She nodded, her grin widening. Peeta inspected his hands with a frown.

"I bake? I don't know if I can believe that. I feel like I would burn anything I would try to make." She circled his family and wrote out a question mark. Peeta swallowed in confusion.

"What are their names?" She pointed to the question mark again, then at him.

"Oh," he understood what she was saying. "You want me to remember them." She nodded and crossed her arms. Peeta inhaled sharply and stared at the paper.

"OK, well… my name is Peeta… I'm guessing my parents gave us bread names. Or was it just me?" She tapped the sketch of three brothers with her pencil.

"All of us then. What do they start with?" She drew a B next to one of them and thought for a moment before drawing out an R.

"Rye," he said immediately and her jaw dropped. He noticed and sat up straighter. "Wait, am I right?" She nodded slowly, turning back to the drawing. He studied it for a moment, then closed his eyes.

"Rye was… older than me but the middle child. He played with me the most, watched over me. He was… a bit of a trouble-maker, I think." Rosalie made a noise in the back of her throat and nodded. She remembered when they were younger and in school, Rye and several other Merchant boys lifted up the skirts of several of the girls in the school yard and took off running when they screamed. Rosalie had tried to pretend it hadn't bothered her but some of the cruder Seam boys whispered filthy things in her ear after that. It didn't surprise anyone, really, when she had started going to Cray for money. He liked them young and she'd been so scared of starving to death.

She shuddered and shook herself. Peeta noticed and blinked up at her.

"Are you alright?" She nodded and shrugged, as if to tell him they were moving on.

"Ok. My family are bakers. I have a mother, a father, and two brothers. I'm the youngest, my Dad used to…" his face went blank and he mouthed wordlessly. Rosalie's brow furrowed in worry. She waited but he didn't continue. She gently touched his shoulder and his head snapped up. She held up her arms, as if to placate him and she saw him blinking back tears.

"He used to call me… Sonnenschein. It was his nickname for me." Rosalie smiled fondly and he cleared his throat.

"Do you know any, uh, personal things about me? Like… the deep stuff?" He chuckled lightly but Rosalie held up her hands in question.

"Like, um, what's my favorite color?" Her face fell and she shook her head.

"That's something I should never forget, you know? Like, how do I take my tea? Do I like the rain? Do I prefer sweet or salty? Do I sleep with the windows open or shut? WHO am I," he ended, sounding desperate. Rosalie bit her lip, uncertain as to how to comfort him. She hadn't been close to him or to Katniss. She couldn't answer these things. She was sure Katniss could but would they ever make it to 13 to ask?

Peeta sighed and set the paper and pencil down.

"Thank you for your assistance, Rosalie. You helped me remember a lot tonight." She nodded and stood, stretching her arms before reaching for the papers.

"Um...Rosalie?" She paused, blinking up at him. Peeta rubbed the back of his neck and was chewing on his lip. Rosalie found it quite endearing, when he looked so embarrassed. She held out her hand, urging him to continue.

"I just… I know you said this… relationship is fake but… I was just wondering… that is, I'm curious… have we ever…-?" He trailed off, his face burning up. Rosalie looked surprised for a moment then shook her head, smiling.

"Really? Not even when I first… woke up?" His face grew even redder and he ran a hand through his curls. "I'm s-sorry to ask! I just… you're lovely, truly, and I hope… well, I hope that I haven't done anything to offend you, now that I know you had a husband, and I… well… do I have anything to apologize for?" She shook her head slowly before leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. She cupped his chin and tapped on his breast pocket, before collecting the papers and leaving the bathroom.

Peeta sighed and leaned against the sink, staring at his reflection.

"He certainly never asked me anything of great importance, like my favorite color for example." His eyes widened as he heard the soft voice in his head.

"It's green, of course." He heard his own reply and tried to remember the conversation. He could just see her there, staring at him with wide silver eyes as she asked her next question.

"And what is yours?"

"Orange," he mumbled.

"Orange."

"Orange? Like Effie Trinkett's hair?" He chuckled, remembering his horror when he first laid eyes upon Effie Trinkett.

"A bit more muted," he chuckled. "More like...sunset." He blinked at his reflection and cocked his head.

"Sunset," he muttered under his breath. He pulled the photo of her from his breast pocket and ran his fingertips over her face.

"Katniss," he whispered. "Wait for me, ok? I'm coming."


"Soldiers, prepare to disembark!" Finnick gently shook Katniss awake and she blinked up at him.

"Come on Brainless, time to go save Lover Boy," Johanna cackled as she started to gear up. Katniss quickly rubbed her face and shook herself, glancing out the window.

"Won't the peacekeepers come running when they see this hovercraft?"

"Commander Lyme's troops have cleared this area," Boggs waved toward the window. "This is rebel territory. But we can't just go charging in. We need to play this safe. We will get Peeta back, Katniss, but we have to be smart about it, ok? To them, he is still a traitor to the rebellion. Try not to let your emotions get the better of you, yeah?" Katniss nodded, chewing her tongue. She dared any rebel to stop her from getting to him. She was done waiting and needed him back in her arms. And from the video she had seen, he hadn't been treated well in their captivity. She hoped Lyme had kept her promise and kept her troops away from him.

"Finnick, you stay with Katniss, alright? Don't leave her side. Given the circumstances, I don't want Katniss to meet with Peeta alone. You understand, don't you, Katniss?"

"Sure," she mumbled, turning away. Finnick shot her a sympathetic smile before saluting Boggs.

"She's safe with me, Colonel."

"Alright, the rest of you lot, listen closely. I want one person to stay with the hovercraft. If the pilot hears anything out of the ordinary, radio me straightaway."

"I'll stay," Rory said, though somewhat begrudgingly.

"Excellent. Ryen, you stay by Madge's side and escort her to Commander Lyme's office. As the daughter of the Mayor, I imagine you know how to negotiate quite eloquently," he addressed Madge, who smiled grimly.

"I learned a lot in my dad's house."

"Good. I'll escort you there. Gale, you and Johanna guard the area and make sure the rebels know we are on their side. Commander Lyme said some are hesitant to trust the Mockingjay because of her… mixed loyalties." Katniss's face went red.

"Mixed loyalties?! This is bullshit! Has everyone here forgotten exactly what Peeta has done for this rebellion?" No one said anything and she glared at each and every one of them.

"He took a flogging and nearly DIED for me. He became a spy because he loved me. He kept me alive! Your Mockingjay wouldn't have survived without Peeta Mellark! So everyone can shut the hell up about him being a traitor."

"This is why I said try not to let your emotions get the best of you," Boggs said, surprisingly gentle. "I know what he means to you and I get it, I do. But you need to see it from the other side… from their point of view. He's the Head General of the troops, the troops that are executing civilians every day. He reports directly to Snow, who has slaughtered hundreds, only in his first month of being in office. Not a lot of people know about the hijacking or that he has forgotten you-"

"He hasn't!"

"But imagine if they did. It would be even worse in their eyes."

"Why? Because he was POISONED? TORTURED? Nearly destroyed, completely? Why wouldn't that make them want to save him? Why is everyone so quick to write him off?"

"People don't understand, Katniss," Rye stepped in and squeezed her hand. "You and I know exactly what he endured. What he overcame. No amount of poison can make him completely forget you. So let's go get him back." Katniss smiled gratefully and nodded.

"Alright, head out. Keep your radios on and your eyes open!" Finnick offered Katniss his arm and she just laughed, shoving him aside. Chuckling, he hurried to catch up to her and held his rifle steady as they approached headquarters. A tall, imposing woman was waiting for them at the entrance, her hands folded behind her back.

"Soldier Mellark?"

"Yes," Katniss said, sounding braver than she felt.

"I'm Commander Lyme of the District 2 Rebel Unit. Is Colonel Boggs with you?"

"I'm Colonel Boggs, ma'am," Boggs said from behind Katniss. "Allow me to introduce to you a few more members of the Rebel Squad. I'm sure you already know Victor Finnick Odair," Lyme nodded to Finnick, who shot her a cheeky wink. "This is Madge Undersee-Mellark and her husband, Soldier Ryen Mellark."

"Pleasure, Soldiers. Colonel, we need to speak in private. If you'll follow-"

"Excuse me," Katniss stepped forward. "Where is Peeta?" Lyme's lips tightened and she glanced at Boggs.

"Please, Commander. I haven't seen him for nearly two months. Please take me to him. Finnick has agreed to escort me and won't leave my side. I need to see him."

"I'd prefer to speak to you, Colonel, first-"

"No," Katniss's voice strengthened as her tone became firmer. She stood up straight and took another step forward. "I'd like to see my husband. Now." Lyme's eyes flickered over Katniss and landed on Finnick.

"Escort her inside, Victor Odair. Colonel Boggs and I will be along shortly." Rye and Madge tensed up as they waited for Katniss to explode.

But she didn't. She stood, calmly, her nostrils flaring as she reached for her bow. Lyme, Finnick, Boggs, and Rye all jumped but Katniss stood her ground.

"Take me to Peeta," she said, her voice like ice. "And stop talking around me. You wanted a Mockingjay to lead this rebellion? You've got her. Now show me some respect, if you don't mind, and tell me what is happening. You can speak to Colonel Boggs AND me." Lyme's eyes flashed but Finnick, Rye, and Madge were all staring at Katniss with a newfound respect and admiration. Boggs was staring at the ground.

"Very well, Soldier Mellark," Lyme said slowly. "Let me escort you to his cell." Finnick hung back with Madge and Rye as Katniss stepped in line with Boggs.

"Have you ever seen a baby bird leave the nest for the first time," he whispered to them.

"I think I just did," Rye muttered, his wide eyes on Katniss's back.

"I told you," Finnick whispered back. "Whether we get Peeta back tonight or not, we are about to see the Mockingjay take flight."

"Pray that she doesn't destroy everything in her path when she does," Madge mumbled, barely moving her lips. Rye scoffed.

"If Peeta isn't in that cell, she's very likely to do just that."