Peeta

Things move along quickly after Snow's death.

Finnick and Annie are recovered from their prison cells by rebel forces; Katniss is worried that the rebels may believe the captured victors have defected and begs to go along to make sure they are released without incident. Boggs assures her that they are under his protection, but she doesn't calm down until he leaves to supervise their extraction himself. I fuss over the wound on her neck while we wait, but Cressida determines it doesn't need stitches and turns her loose with nothing more than a small bandage.

Annie practically leaps into Katniss's arms when they see one another. She covers her face with kisses, and I watch in broken-hearted amazement as Katniss both sobs and laughs throughout the entire exchange. Finn chuckles as he keeps an eye on the two women, before he closes the distance between us and pulls me into a tight hug. Apologies are swapped and brushed aside, and when I see Katniss reach out and lay a hand on Annie's stomach, I whoop with excitement for my friends and the hugging begins anew. Looking at her with Annie, another bit of information slides into place for me; Katniss will always protect someone who needs it, and knowing that Annie is pregnant would have increased that instinct in her ten-fold.

Once things have calmed down to a dull roar, Finn and Katniss step away from the group, speaking to each other in low tones. There's a closeness between them that wasn't there before, and I hope one day I'll be filled in on what happened to them during their recapture by Snow. Before Katniss steps away, Finn cups the back of her head, pulling her in close to him and presses a firm kiss against her forehead. He whispers something and she nods jerkily in response. They exchange grins as they separate – his is teasing and hers is tinged with embarrassment. She returns to my side and tucks herself into my body, her fingers holding tight to my side. My girl is here, and she is whole.

When I ask her what was said between them, she just shakes her head and says she'll tell me another time.

"What happened to your neck?" she scolds instead, her eyes on the dirty bandage covering my neck.

"What happened to yours?" I counter, brushing my finger against the place where Snow cut into her skin.

She scowls at me, and I can feel my heart flip over. Some people may find Katniss's prickliness off-putting, but I find it rather endearing. "You know what happened, you were there! Don't avoid the question, Peeta."

"I don't know to what you are referring."

"Peeta!"

"Fine," I concede. "Mutts." She pales at the word and all the images it conjures.

"Mmmmmm. See?" I tease. "You didn't actually want to know the answer."

"Shut up," she mutters and turns away, but I catch the smirk that's dancing around her lips as she does.


The rebels take the Capitol.

There are arrests of government officials and the trials are subsequently scheduled. President Coin flies in from 13 for the official surrender. When she catches sight of Katniss and I - her Mockingjay and her Guardian, still alive despite her best attempts to ensure otherwise - her eyes narrow just for a moment before she turns away. From what we can tell, she wants nothing to do with us; but for days we sit and wait for the sword to drop. She obviously wanted us dead - is she going to charge us with treason? Have us killed? We have no indication of what Coin could possibly have in store for us in the days to come.

The victors are all invited to remain at the palace with Coin, but none of us are allowed to leave – once again, there is no real choice involved for us. Not one of us feels truly safe, or like the war is actually over. This current fight is more tacit than the physical battles, but the stakes are just as high. At night I curl up with Katniss in my arms, moving around restlessly as the hours pass; we're too on edge to fall into a deep sleep or to be together the way we were before I left 13, and so we spend most of the night drowsing and then flinching awake in a panic nearly every hour. I almost lost her again, so I barely ease on my grip on her throughout the night; I would feel self-conscious about it or guilty over keeping her from sleep, but Katniss's actions mirror my own.

When I watched Snow dig his knife into her neck during his escape attempt, I wanted to toss my gun aside and tear him limb from limb with my bare hands. He had already taken so much from Katniss – from me - and then he tried to take more. Her fierceness won out though, as it always has. I wasn't surprised by her actions that night, she has always been the bravest person I know; but regardless, I can't let my guard down even though the war is technically over, because I won't let her be taken from me again.

Haymitch and Beetee arrive from 13, and if possible, they look more drained than Katniss and me. The stress of discovering Coin's treachery while playing to her in order to stay alive has taken a toll on them both. Haymitch had confided in Beetee after he discovered Coin's betrayal, and the two have been holed up in Special Weaponry virtually every hour since.

Haymitch nearly falls to his knees when he embraces Katniss, much to her embarrassment. He's weepy and ashamed that he didn't see the signs of her being drugged before it was too late; she's forgiving and uncomfortable and assures him that she will harbor him no ill-will as long as he stops being emotional and goes back to being salty.

Later, when I relay what went down between Katniss and Snow, he chuckles and mutters, "So it was just Sweetheart and a syringe against the Capitol? If anyone was going to make that work, I shouldn't be surprised it was her."

After many long days and many longer nights filled with dread and exhaustion, Coin summons the victors to meet with her. We warily trudge into an opulent room with a round table at the center of it – it is obviously the place where Snow would hold summits with his council. It's a beautiful setting for an encounter with a viper. Speaking of….

Coin keeps her eyes trained on us as we enter but does not deign to rise to greet us formally.

"You are the last remaining victors left alive," she states without preamble, leveling her icy glare at each of us in turn. The emotions behind her statement remind me of my mother – disgusted and angry whenever she chased away starving children from the Seam. Coin doesn't want us here, never did and never will.

My heart sinks - I look around at the group of us. Me and Katniss, Haymitch, Finn and Annie, Beetee, Jo and Enobaria. We're it – an endangered species, teetering on the verge of extinction.

"I wanted to meet with you all to discuss an issue that has been plaguing me as of late," she asserts, folding her hands together on the table in front of her. "But first, I wanted to share that I have taken on the burden and the honor of declaring myself the interim president of Panem while we recover from the events of the last year."

"Um, excuse me," Haymitch cuts in. "How long is that interim?"

Coin looks bothered by the interruption but recovers quickly. "We have no way of knowing, Mr. Abernathy. The people of Panem are far too emotional to make a decision about leadership right now; we'll hold an election when the time is right." The lie is smooth and effortless as it leaves her mouth.

He shoots me a look of incredulous disbelief. Coin is rapidly becoming another Snow, stepping in to seize power without giving the people of Panem a voice.

She clears her throat and continues. "When we commence the trials for the members of the former government, the concern is that once we begin doling out punishments, the rebels will not stop calling for retribution. The thirst for blood is a difficult urge to satisfy."

Johanna scoffs and then coughs in a false attempt to cover her derision. "You've got that right."

Coin ignores her. "We are concerned that the citizens of the districts will call for an end to all the lives of the Capitol population in revenge for the lives lost over the last seventy-five years. Panem will not recover from that kind of loss," she states, pausing to let this sink in. "Here is my proposition to you all. In lieu of this barbarism, we hold a symbolic Hunger Games with the children of the leaders in Snow's regime. It will balance the need for revenge with the least loss of human life."

I imagine I must be hearing her incorrectly, but one look at the faces of the others around the table tells me I'm not mistaken.

"You're insane!" Annie yelps. Finn tries to soothe her, but she is too aghast to hear anything he says.

"She's right," I agree. "What have we been fighting for? After all of this…. You're just going to turn around and hold another Hunger Games?"

Katniss grips my hand rigidly, her fingernails digging in so hard I'm sure she's going to leave marks. Her mouth is stretched tight in a grimace and she's pale with shock. There's apprehension in her eyes though, and I'm aware how much she still fears retribution from Coin after being traded to Snow; I know she doesn't want me to fight with the president, and how much she wants to keep me safe from Coin's ire. But I cannot let this go, not after everything we've been through – what was it all for?

"Was this Plutarch's idea?" Haymitch asks as he rubs his chin.

"It was mine," Coin replies, her voice stoic. "I brought you all here for your honest input." She's avoiding everything we're saying to her, choosing to not even acknowledge a viewpoint that opposes her own.

"You want honesty?" I bite back. Katniss yanks harshly on my arm, trying to redirect my attention in order to keep me from confronting Coin. "No! Stop it," I snap at her before turning to meet Coin's stony gaze. "You turned Katniss, Finnick, and Annie over to Snow, knowing full-well they would probably be killed. In fact, I think you wanted them dead, and you reached out to Snow yourself to offer them up in exchange for your prisoners."

Katniss's eyes are wide with alarm. I know she's terrified that I'll be punished for what I've just said. And the truth is I may be, but I'd rather go down fighting than cowering behind the bullshit that Coin is spewing.

Instead of denying it, Coin turns her cold silvery eyes away from me and counters, her tone indifferent, "You can't prove that."

I watch as Finn's jaw clenches repeatedly just before he slams his hand on the table, making Annie and Katniss jump. "I fucking knew it," he shouts in aggravation. Katniss told me of her fears when they woke up in the Capitol - that no matter who won the war, there was a danger that she, Finn, and Annie could end up executed for treason. All it would take was the right kind of publicity by either side, and their lives would be forfeit.

Enobaria taps her fingers twice on the polished table before looking up at Coin. "Cressida was filming," she discloses. "During the confrontation with Snow in the garden. He confessed – told us everything you did."

I expect to see Coin blanch at this revelation, but when she doesn't, I know she's got something else up her sleeve.

Moves and counter-moves, as Snow once said to Plutarch.

"That may be true, Miss Brass, but if you release that footage, the integrity of the entire rebellion could be compromised. Our victory will be for nothing – no one will follow rebels who sold out the beloved faces of the revolution. We will lose everything, and the resulting chaos may leave Panem in a worse state than it started with." She turns to Katniss, a tiny mocking smile hinting at the corners of her mouth. "I'm afraid, Miss Everdeen, that the dangers are more immediate in your case."

Katniss flicks her eyes to Haymitch in confusion but returns her gaze to Coin before he is able to indicate whether he's privy to whatever it is Coin's referring to.

"What -?" she tries to ask before she is directly cut off.

"Your mother and younger sister are still residing in District 13," Coin informs us. We're all aware of this bit of information, but the implicit threat of her words is loud and clear. If anyone outs Coin as being the force behind Katniss and the others' capture, Prim and Mrs. Everdeen will suffer.

Katniss's fingers are ice cold in my hand, and I can feel her begin to tremble with anxiety.

"Oh you fucking bi-" Jo shrieks.

"Please do watch your mouth, Miss Mason," Coin interjects sharply. In this moment, she and Snow could be interchangeable. I'm not the only one who must see it, because I watch a collective shiver work its way around the table.

When no one moves to speak again, she continues, "Now then. I wanted to extend the courtesy to you all by hearing your opinions on the Capitol Hunger Games, but it seems no one here is open to a reasonable exchange of ideas. Therefore, I will be announcing the final Games tomorrow at my inauguration. Good day to you all." She pushes to her feet and leaves us behind, not once looking back.


After the meeting, I leave Katniss with Annie and Enobaria in our room. Katniss is inconsolable at Coin's threat against Prim, but the two of them offer to keep her company while I go with Johanna, Haymitch, and Finn to speak with the others from our rescue mission about Coin's plans. Annie wants to try and make Katniss feel better, while Enobaria does not trust Coin to not make another attempt on Katniss and Annie's lives while they're alone. She will keep them safe - I am as sure of this fact as I am sure I will love Katniss with every beat left in my heart. There isn't anyone else outside of our small circle I would trust to protect her at this point.

The nine of us gather in an open area of the palace gardens, far from any obvious place where either president could have stowed microphones – old victor habits live on, it seems. Gale turns green at the news of Coin's threat; he loves Prim too, and for the time being his own family remains back in 13 as well. His faith in Coin seems to be permanently shaken by the revelation that the president plans to seize power without a vote while also instating another Hunger Games, even if it is with the children of his enemies. Cressida and Pollux confirm they were recording during the confrontation with Snow, but Boggs and Paylor back up Coin's affirmation that instability would likely result if the footage were released. This peace is too new, and the people are anxious to put their faith in a new leader. They want to believe the rebellion was the right thing to do, but if the leader of that movement were exposed to have conspired with Snow behind the backs of the nation, it could all end up irreparably damaged.

I'm beginning to lose faith that we'll figure out a way to prevent the storm that seems to be gathering around us, when Johanna mumbles, "We could kill her."

I expect refusals or cries of outrage at the mere suggestion of committing treason and assassinating the new president, but her suggestion is only met with silence; and the quiet is full to the brim with unvoiced thoughts and the possibility of action.

"How?" I pose to the group.

"It'd have to be understated," Paylor asserts softly.

"Wait," Gale cuts in. His voice is rough, and he looks like he's trying to catch up to what appears to have been decided by the rest of the us. "Is this…. Can we actually do this?"

"Yes," Boggs replies without hesitation. "Not for nothing, but I didn't fight this Odds-damned hard to watch another tyrant slide into the old one's place."

Gale doesn't look like he's on board, so I try to step in. "Gale," I entreat. "She will kill us. All of us. She can't leave any of us alone for too long, not if we know the truth about what happened. You know this. We've all got targets on our backs now. She will kill us all, one by one, until no one is left to oppose her." He still seems unsure, so I ask, "Would you have killed Snow if you had the chance?"

I know the answer already, as does he. Gale would have murdered Snow; now we need to kill Coin. He drops his head and looks away from me, unable to give me a response he'd be happy with.

"Coin won't stop at us," Haymitch adds, his words meant to drive the point home to Gale. "You heard the threats against the Everdeens. What makes you think she won't go after your ma and the kids to keep you in line?"

Finn clears his throat, effectively putting a stop to the points being hammered straight at Gale. "I can get something that'll get the job done," he informs us, refusing to look anyone in the eye. We all turn to look at him. "I have – uh – some…contacts, here in the Capitol that I can call on."

My chest constricts. "Finn, no. You're free from all that shit now! We'll find another way," I assure him. No matter what we're up against, I can't let my friend walk willingly back into the hands of the very people that hurt him so badly.

"No, we won't. Not in time, anyway," he retorts. "I swear," he raises his hands in supplication. "I won't be doing…that. A couple of people owe me for past…transactions and, you know, for not exposing their names and actions in a national propaganda campaign that I happened to be a part of recently." He smirks at this last statement.

He's right. Damn all the Odds, but if we don't figure out a way to take Coin out before her inauguration tomorrow, this will all be for naught.

"Take someone with you at least," Johanna pleas. To my immense relief, he at least agrees to this.

Before she or I can offer to accompany him, Gale steps up. "I'll go," he sounds resigned, but determined. I'm surprised, but ultimately impressed by his offer to Finnick.

Finn chuckles. "Alright Hawthorne, just don't accept any offers for work – you're going to appeal to a lot of people's tastes. I mean, unless that's your thing. I don't mean to presume –"

"Odds, shut up Odair!" Gale exclaims, his expression quickly morphing into one of horror.

Finn turns to make his exit with a small salute and a shit-eating grin, Gale trudging along behind him, probably regretting his offer to accompany him more and more with each step.

The rest of us take a few moments and simply regard one another. We're in this now, we're allies once again.

Haymitch is the one to eventually break the silence. He claps his hands together once and grouses, "Well, I'm going to go get drunk. Any or all of you are welcome to join me." He moves away from the rest of us, but turns to toss some final words over his shoulder, hollering, "Tomorrow is going to be a big big big day!"


A/N: We're getting there, everyone. Almost there.