Gale is falling for Delly but Jackson is a thorn in her side, no worries Corky took care of him...lol...But the Peacekeepers presence what about them? Why are they there? As the temperature falls and the holidays roll around what is the Capitol to do? Well, of course, there has to be Capitol style holiday shouldn't there be?

Speical thanks to Norbertsmom for betaing...this story wouldn't be half as exciting without her. PS...you I do not own the Hunger Games -sorry about the mix up guys I uploaded an incorrect chapter

Katniss watched helplessly as the seven Peacekeepers searched through their meager belongings. They weren't the only ones being inspected today. There were multiple homes that were being searched for non-Capitol approved items.

It was the night before Christmas Eve, a night where every kid fantasized about the one gift they were going to receive within the next forty-eight hours. School was closed as Christmas Eve and Christmas day were a holiday. Yet in the Seam, the blissful ambiance of Christmas and the hope that it carried were shattered by the presence of the Capitol.

The radio crackled from the uniform of the leader.

"Squad three, check in."

The lead Peacekeeper touched a button on his shoulder. "Squad three checking property S73."

"Rodger."

Right around dinner time, two large all-terrain vehicles with the emblem of the Capitol showed up in the Seam. Peacekeepers poured from the back of the vehicle and made their way to the homes they were assigned to. All over the Seam, Katniss could hear the cries of women and scared children as the soldiers ransacked their homes.

The men in her home were not like the ones she met in the field a while back. These had numbers on the side of their arms. They carried larger weapons and were almost like robots carrying out their duty. Unlike the other ones, these had protective armor. Their boots were different too. These were heavier, with thick soles.

Prim trembled. Katniss put her arm around her baby sister and her mother. The squad leader stood in front her, his weapon pointed at them, as if three defenseless females were able to strike a heavily armed man.

Katniss saw the way her sister cried, in the reflection of his visor. Her mother had her eyes cast down. Her own reflection scowled back at her. Katniss didn't stop staring at him. He was the one who determined whether they lived or died.

"We found documentation."

The leader took the paperwork. "Base come in. This is squad Three."

"Report Squad three?"

"Found documentation, need confirmation."

They found the paperwork and it was given to the leader. Katniss was eternally grateful for Darius who helped her get all of the documentation in line.

"Rodger, please scan."

A beam came out of the squad leader's helmet and scanned each page. Katniss had never seen this done before. These uniforms were far more advanced than the previous ones. She waited with bated breath until the radio crackled again.

"Scan complete," the voice at the other end of the radio said.

Katniss clenched her jaw as she swallowed. By now all of the members of the squad were assembled in the kitchen. Empty handed, they silently stared at the Everdeen women. Once again, Katniss saw her and her family's reflections in the visor. None of these men had a heart. None cared that Prim was just a child.

It occurred to Katniss that at one point these men were children, scared children brought to be trained. In the process, the Capitol took their humanity and destroyed it, creating a proficient mutt able to plunder and obliterate without a conscious.

Darius said they had a 20-year contract. When those twenty years were over and they were no longer needed, they were tossed aside, labeled unfit, becoming rabid, like the wild dogs in the forests. Possibly ending up in some cosmic stew consumed by those that helped make them.

It was a sad and lonely existence. Her face softened and she saw it reflected back, not just in the visor but also in the posture of the men. Their shoulders relaxed in all except the leader of the group.

The static of the radio brought everyone's attention. "Squad three, come in."

"Squad three, waiting," the leader confirmed.

"Everything is Capitol Compliant. Move on to the next location."

"Copy that."

The leader slapped the paperwork on the kitchen table, as he ordered, "Move out to S451." His jerky movements indicated that he was angry or at the very least disappointed that nothing had been found.

The door was closed behind them. The Everdeens clung to each other in those precious moments afterward. Slowly, the noise that surrounded them infiltrated the walls of their home. Quiet. Katniss only heard the quiet peace of the Seam. They must have moved on to another section.

Her mother muttered, "Dammed idiots."

Katniss shoulders shook. Her mother never said anything like that in her life. Katniss chortled, her mother laughed and it caused Primrose to giggle. All three of them hugged each other, not of joy but out of relief. They had pulled it off, they survived. The Everdeen home was filled with non-Capitol compliant things, but thanks to Darius, they had passed.

Silently, they picked up and straightened their home, dinner forgotten, relieved to simply have each other. In the end was the most important thing. They went to bed. Her mother settled in with Prim, each one reliving those tense moments when the Peacekeepers came.

There were others that were not so lucky. Katniss heard their cries as their loved ones were carted away. Others, whose possessions were taken outside, ripped to pieces and burned. A declaration that the Capitol could not be ignored. Snow was always watching.

Right before curfew, Katniss heard her mother sooth Prim's nightmares. Katniss tried to ignore it but the desperation grew in the pit of her stomach like a whirlwind until she could no longer contain it. The only place where she could rest was in his arms.

Katniss turned around in her bed and punched the thin pillow. Tonight, she told herself, was not the night to go out. Tonight was a night to stay in, stay safe.

But nothing that she did prevented her from the truth. She would sleep better in his arms. His arms were warm, calming, and safe. She closed her eyes and an ache spread from her chest to the very tips of her toes. It was as if she was parched and he the only substance that quenched that thirst.

Katniss tried counting sheep. She tried clearing her mind. But nothing took away the need to be with Peeta.

As soon as it was possible, Katniss quietly left the room and slipped out into the night. It was a bad night to be out in the Seam as the Peacekeepers were everywhere with their bright lights and the all-terrain vehicles. Oddly enough once she made it to the road to town they were nowhere to be seen.

The rest of the trip was cold, as the temperatures dipped so low that snow began falling. When she arrived at the tree the last thing she wanted to see was that damned squirrel. But there Corky was waiting for her, as soon as she climbed up to the branch that led to Peeta's window.

The little bushy-tailed critter had hands on his little hips, his little eyes were narrowed as if her presence disturbed him. His lips twitched as they stared at each other. Neither one wanted to relent as they were both there for the same reason, Peeta.

"How come you're not asleep you little menace?"

Corky responded with a few high pitched sounds.

"You protecting him? You know he's the only good one between us."

The squirrel turned its back on her and she swore it mooned her right before it jumped up and grabbed hold of a small twig and disappeared quickly into the higher branches of the tree. With the furry menace gone, Katniss quickly scampered along the branch and slipped into Peeta's window.

He was asleep on his bed.

The last time she'd been here she'd been so scared for asinine reasons. Hearing her mother say that she'd relive the pain of losing her father caused Katniss to recognize that her selfish denial was for naught. If something happened to Peeta she was going to be irreparably damaged either way. They were living in harsh, uncertain times, and she couldn't afford to be afraid because tomorrow wasn't promised. She was going to live in the present.

Not wanting to bother him, she slipped off her shoes and left them on the floor before sliding in beside him. Normally she would wake him up, but tonight she just needed to hear his steady heartbeat.

Katniss didn't know what time she woke up, but it was still dark outside. She found herself not piled on top of him, but beneath him. His body pressed into hers, and her legs were wrapped around his middle. His lips pressed into the crook of her neck. The proper reaction should have been to get away, as Katniss hated to be touched.

However, her nostrils were filled with the heady combination of cinnamon, dill, and Peeta. The warmth he radiated caused her to want to snuggle in closer. It was funny, there were times sharing a bed with Prim was tenuous. Her sister's arms flailed about when she had a nightmare, as a result, Katniss had woken up black and blue.

Peeta hardly moved. To find them in this position should have made her feel trapped, but instead, she felt alive, like a live wire. She gasped and wiggled a little beneath him and a feline part of her purred at the contact.

It made no sense but it felt good, delicious even.

Katniss wiggled again and a flush spread across her body. Engulfed by pleasure, she did it once more, unable to stop herself. As if his body was a feast and she was starved for it.

When he groaned, she stopped moving. Caught, she closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep, hoping that he wouldn't see right through her, wouldn't see how ravenous she was, by the experimental moves.

"Oh," Peeta muttered before he quickly left the bed, the door clicking silently as he left.

Katniss eyes opened the moment he left the room. Her eyes were opened for the first time to something new, something she'd never experienced before and she wanted to feel it again. It was strange and wonderful at the same time, not scary at all to feel so hungry.

Strangely enough, she yawned and slipped back to sleep. She didn't hear when Peeta returned to the bedroom nor felt when he skillfully arranged her on his chest. When she woke up again it was still dark outside. The weak light of the porch light traveled into the room. Her head was pressed against his chest in the usual fashion.

"Hey."

His voice rumbled through his chest. "Hi. I didn't even wake up when you got here."

She stood, not knowing how to speak to him. At school, she had seen him from afar, but she had never gone up to him. She didn't have the words to say anything.

"So," Peeta sat down on the edge of his bed. "How have you been?"

"I'm sorry…," her words faltered her.

"For what?"

Clumsily she replied, "I tried walking away from you."

He grinned, "How did it work out for you?"

"Not well." she blushed.

"So was it something I did?"

"No," Katniss sat down on the bed. "I'm not good at this, being friends. Not good at talking. Not like you are."

"You think this is easy for me?"

"Well yeah, you got all these words and you can use them to...to...to you know, talk. I mostly grunt."

Peeta chuckled. He ran his hands through his golden curls. "Honestly, I'm constantly afraid that I'm going say something to you that will make you mad at me. I always think I'm talking too much."

Hearing his confession made her stare at him.

"It's true, the luckiest day for me was when you fell into my window. I wanted to be friends with you, but I didn't know how to approach you. I was so nervous!"

"You wanted to be friends with me?" All this time Katniss was stalking, no strike that, she wasn't a stalker, she was merely making sure he was well, not knowing he was afraid to talk to her.

"Are you kidding me? You're by far, one of the most dynamic, interesting, wonderful girls. Anyone would be lucky to call you friend. You're amazing, and I'm," Peeta shrugged, then laid on his back, "I'm just a nobody."

"To me, you're a somebody." She lay back down by his side.

"Really?"

"Really." Katniss smiled, pressing her nose against his chest. Her stomach chose that moment to protest its emptiness.

"You're hungry."

Katniss didn't want to admit to it. Every time she came over he was constantly feeding her. At this moment she didn't want him to get up, she wanted him to stay. Her arms slipped around his chest and she hung on to him as he tried to move.

"Katniss," Peeta tried to move, but she held on tighter to him. "You're hungry. I should get you something to eat."

But everything that happened the night before came crashing down on her. A single tear slipped from her eye. Peeta must have felt some change in her because he turned her so that she was on her back. He leaned over her. "Hey, you okay?"

Angry over her emotional display, she pushed away from him and sat at the edge of the bed.

He sat behind her, but not touching her, giving her the support she needed without crowding her. Katniss wiped her face then slowly leaned back into him until he was hugging her from behind.

Eventually, she began speaking. "The Peacekeepers came last night. They did a portion of the seam. It was bad. They didn't find anything in my house because of Darius. If he hadn't helped me with all of the stuff my mom keeps to help people, we would have been punished."

Peeta hugged her closely.

"I kept on thinking about my sister in the hands of the Capitol, in the hands of the Peacekeepers. Prim had nightmares," Katniss swallowed before saying, "The leader didn't take his gaze off of us the whole time they were there. His visor stayed on us, his weapon was trained at me. It was like we weren't people." Katniss turned around to face Peeta. He would understand what she was about to say. "The sad thing was the man in front of me once had dreams, desires; his empathy toward others was stripped and he was molded according to what the Capitol wanted of him. But what happens to him when his duty to the Capitol is over?"

Peeta sighed. "I feel bad for him, and for others like him. The Capitol changes people, makes them, a shadow of their former self. He'll remember everything and unless he finds someone to help him, it will always be with him like a ghost who haunts him for an eternity."

Katniss nodded. Had she shared this with Gale he wouldn't have understood. He would have wanted for that Peacekeeper to suffer the consequences. Gale would never see that the hellish future that the Peacekeeper would have to face day in day out as he too would become abused by a fellow member and it would burn even more so.

"I'm sorry that happened to you too, but I'm glad you and your family are safe."

"Thank you, Peeta," Katniss whispered.

"How about I make you something to eat and if you want you can stay a little longer. You don't have to go anywhere for awhile."

Katniss mulled it over in her mind. She didn't want to leave his side. "Okay."

Peeta grinned. "I'll be back."

She watched him go and flopped back into the bed. Snuggling into his sheets, her feet curled out of pure happiness. Although she loved her mother and sister, the more time she spent with Peeta the more she was convinced this was where she belonged. It scared her though, because they were living in uncertain times.

Downstairs Peeta entered the bakery to find something to eat for Katniss. "Hey Rye," Peeta said. His brother stuffed something in the pantry. Peeta raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, lil brother," Rye greeted.

"Who are you going to see?" Peeta opened the door to point to the coat. "You only do that when you think mom or dad are coming downstairs"

Rye flushed. "Listen, I can lie to you easily, but I'm going to tell you the truth. I'm going to see Madge Undersee."

"Rye," Peeta couldn't help the warning tone he took on. "Madge is a nice girl, not like the other girls you've dated."

"Trust me Peeta, that's the last thing on my mind." Rye took out his coat from the pantry and put it on.

"Just be careful."

Rye winked as he left. He jumped over the fence and saw the ugliest yellow cat hissing at him. The cat wore a ridiculous blue bow, its ID collar something new the Capitol required. Its name tag read Buttercup.

"Ugh," Rye exclaimed. "Someone owns you for a pet?"

Buttercup gave him a dirty look.

"Okay, okay I'm a good guy. No need to get your furriness in a huff." Rye raised his hands in the air. A bit of snow fell on his nose.

The muddy yellow menace growled as it looked up. Rye also looked up and saw a squirrel on a branch that reached out over the fence. Rye swore the squirrel lifted its fist and then mooned the cat. The cat scampered up a snow mound and onto the fence. It jumped from the fence to the branch.

Rye heard the crackle of a Peacekeeper's radio, so he quickly ducked behind a pile of snow.

"Unit 3, we have a report of suspicious activity in this sector, please confirm."

"Roger," there was a pause. "Split up."

From his hiding point Rye could hear them, they had to be in the street. He closed his eyes as he heard the crunching of snow as they neared. The light swept over him. At that precise moment, Buttercup screeched as he fell from the branch to the feet of the Peacekeeper.

Startled by the cat, the Peacekeeper jumped back.

"Confound it," the Peacekeeper said.

The cat hissed.

"Stupid cat," the Peacekeeper said. "Command, no suspicious activity to report, only a large ugly cat."

"Join your unit. Will make note the report was incorrect."

"Roundup," the lead Peacekeeper shouted.

The Peacekeepers moved away. Rye fell back onto the snow, relieved to have survived. From his vantage point, he saw there were two squirrels on the branch. Rye chuckled, "I owe you guys and the ugly cat."

Rye blinked. He thought he saw the squirrel salute him before scampering away. The cat growled and left, its tail swishing in the air slowly. That was one mad ugly kitty, Rye thought to himself, beauty was truly in the eye of the beholder. Taking a deep breath, he moved on.

Thankfully his destination wasn't that far. He crossed next door into the abandoned Apothecary. He walked toward the door and knocked.

"Rye," Thom greeted.

"Thom," Rye said as he slipped inside.

Madge Undersee was standing in the middle of the group dressed in black, her hair pulled back into a bun. Rye thought she looked insanely hot. She was the one girl he always liked, but for some reason could never find the courage to speak to.

Now it was impossible for him to say anything to her as she was the leader of the insurrection.

"Okay boys, let's get to training. This rebellion isn't going to be won by doing nothing. Purina, you ready for tonight's demonstration?"

Rye watched Purina pick up a weapon and begin to explain how to use it. He was committed to freedom even if it that meant self-sacrifice. Glancing around him at the other guys, he knew he was not alone in that commitment.

The rebellion was coming.