CHAPTER 3.29
Run past the rivers
Run past all the light
Feel it crashing and burning
Till it all collides
Dazed, Indiana paid no attention to the halls and doors that passed as she was escorted back to her room. Hands shoved into her pockets, she thanked the soldiers that had been responsible for keeping her safe during the ruckus and slammed the door shut. Collapsing onto the plush mattress, she glanced down at her red fingers, surprised to see how steady her hands were. Two evils had been eradicated within a moment. The courtyard descended into chaos as people rushed to get away from the broken and bloody body of President Coin.
Katniss had been swarmed by soldiers are dragged away from the scene before she could cause any more harm. Uncertainty over who would govern Panem was high but Indiana had never felt so level-headed. All the bad memories of her time in imprisonment remained. Killing Snow hadn't eradicated them but living with them felt less heavy as she looked at the remnants of Snow that coated her hands.
A creaking sound caused Indiana's head to whip around, and she threw her hands behind her back as the door opened. Taken aback by the alarmed look on his wife's face, Cato thanked the men who guarded him on the way back before shutting the door in their faces, and quickly locking it.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He asked, scanning her over.
Checking the bandages on her leg, he was relieved to see she hadn't bled through during walk back to their room. Trepidation had smothered him when he felt her small hand ripped from his as people swarmed together. Unable to see her over the mass of heads, he had fought against the sea of people in a valiant effort to find her.
"Cato..." Indiana whispered. "It's over. It's really over."
"I know, baby. Coin is gone and Snow was killed during the mob. They're still trying to figure out who did it but nobody saw anything."
Reaching for her, Cato was surprised when she shuffled back slightly instead of leaning into his touch. Was she giving him the cold shoulder after the way he had treated her earlier? I can't say I blame her, thought Cato. He had been cruel to her over her own opinion when he should've supported her regardless. She supported his decisions and his actions. Whilst the rejection stung, he nodded in understanding and turned to enter the bathroom. All he wanted was to wash away the events of the day.
"Cato."
Humming in response, he turned with his shirt in hand. The tremor in her voice had him looking at her in sympathy, believing the events had shaken her up. If they hadn't, then his behaviour would be the only other thing that could have upset her. He never wanted to be the reason she sounded like that.
Teeth nervously chewing the inside of her cheek, Indiana hesitated over what to say. After his reaction to her decision earlier, she was unsure how he would respond to what she had done. Pulled out of her thoughts when he called her name, Indiana realised she hadn't spoken in a few minutes. Taking a deep breath, she pulled her hands out from behind her back. Mouth dropping open, Cato struggled to form coherent sentences as he looked at the colour on them.
Hurriedly reassuring him that it wasn't hers, Indiana explained what the Mockingjay had done for her. She described the emotions that she had felt Snow's blood wash over her hands as she pulled the knife across his skin. Blood stained up past her wrists and she could feel herself smiling as she spoke. Maybe she truly was broken. After her initial check-up when she had woken up at the Mansion, Indiana had been told some news that made her believe she could never be happier than she had been in that moment. Hearing the news that Snow had choked to death on his own blood had somehow almost topped that. Joy sparkled in Indiana's eyes, and as Cato glanced into the shining blue orbs, he knew that his wife had gotten some form of closure. Some part of her broken soul had pulled itself back together when she had dragged the blade from one ear to the other.
They were free. Panem was free. And Indiana had been the once to reclaim the part of herself that Snow had stolen. Disregarding the bloody handprints being left behind on his skin, Cato allowed Indiana to trail her hands up his arms and into his hair as he yanked her forward, smashing his lips onto hers. They could finally start planning their lives together. All those nights spent discussing what they would do after they won the Games - where they would live, how they would spend their evenings, what they would cook for dinner – were finally becoming a reality.
Small droplets of blood dyed the strands of his hair an odd shade of red as she pulled on them. Neither one of them cared. Wrapping her legs around his waist, Cato pressed her against the wall. President Snow was dead and gone. He had no allies left that could bring his body back from death.
Indiana and Cato Hadley had won.
With each passing day, the Victors' breakfast table shrank and the private room where they dined grew quieter. Haymitch had been the first to depart. The morning after Katniss had executed President Coin, the rest of the Victors had hoped to gain some insight about where she had been taken from her previous mentor, but he hadn't showed up. A few days later, a telegram was delivered to them with news that Haymitch had escorted Katniss home to District Twelve. The woman in question had been cleared of all charges. Relief rippled through the crowd. Katniss had been declared not guilty by reason of insanity and allowed to return home, as long as she checked in with her psychiatrist over the phone.
A week after they had received the news, Finnick and Annie announced they would also be leaving. Finnick had been cleared for travel and his prosthetic arm had been fitted with no issues. Promising that they would see each other soon, Finnick swore he would ensure that the house next to his had been cleaned and decorated; all ready for the Hadley's to move in. Remembering the conversation he had with Indiana during their mission in the Capitol, Finnick had begun preparations for the Hadley's to move in next door the moment he had been discharged for the medical wing. Annie had been delighted to find out Indiana would be her neighbour (in happier circumstances than the last time they were neighbours). Everybody was ready to put the horror of the Capitol behind them and never return.
Standing on the platform before the silver train, Indiana had a melancholy smile as she stared at the metal contraption. Marvel had been by her side the last time she had boarded the sleek mode of transportation. Cashmere and Gloss had been waiting for her inside already. They had been there to support her and comfort her for what Indiana had believed would be the hardest time of her life. For this journey, all three of them were already on the train but they would be unable to console her. Trapped inside three silver coffins, their bodies were being preserved for the journey to District One so that the smell of their decaying flesh didn't cause anyone on-board to spew their guts into the nearest toilet bowl.
Once the madness of President massacre had passed, the Victors had stumbled (purposely) across the stolen bodies of the Fallen Tributes so that they could return them to their rightful place. Smashed vials had been discarded on the floor, and the documents containing the information about the chemical necromancy drug had been destroyed. Surprisingly, the amount of Fallen that had been frozen were minimal. One of the government officials informed them that after a Victor passed away, Snow ordered Peacekeepers to sneak the body of their Fallen into the empty graves that had been dug for them. The whole process was disgusting.
Initially, Indiana had held a tiny glimmer of hope that she could resurrect her aunt and uncle, her best friend – her family – because if it had been done for she and Cato, then it could be done for them somehow. Even if it had meant hunting down every Capitol medic until they found one that had worked on the project. Unfortunately, when they had finally found one, the medic informed her that their bodies had been cleansed of the chemical. Not a single trace of the drug remained in their blood. Apparently Snow had ordered for the necromancy chemical to be flushed out of their bodies the moment Katniss had blown up the arena. It was his most substantial act of ensuring that Indiana Summers was alone forever.
Shifting her view from the train to the two men stood behind her, Indiana knew that she would never truly feel alone. Sure, her entire family had been murdered, but she had made a new (albeit slightly dysfunctional) family.
"I'm going to miss you so much," sniffled Indiana, pulling Peeta in for a tight hug. "I hate that you're being forced to stay here on your own. Are you sure you don't want Cato and I to stay with you until you're allowed to go?"
"Indie, for the millionth time, I'm sure. I'll only be here for a couple more days. You and Cato have a house that you need to move into and a life to start. Now, have you got everything you need? Your aunt-."
"They're already safely on the train. It's a shame Katniss couldn't be here to see all of this happens." Indiana commented, watching as people flitted from one place to another.
All around them, people in Capitol clothing or broken, ripped Peacekeeper uniforms moved rubble or cleaned up the streets. People who had never had a hard day's work were down on their hands and knees scrubbing away blood and vomit. Buildings were being repaired. Burn marks were being painted over. Everyone was working together.
Soldiers adorned in the bland uniform of District Thirteen had filled the role of Peacekeeper nicely as they marched Capitol officials to the stark white building that housed the cells Indiana and Peeta had once lived in. In a few days, they would stand trial and their sentences decided. However, they most likely wouldn't be executed until after they had been forced to watch the 76th Hunger Games, much like the rest of Panem had had to do.
"When you see her, can you tell her that I said well done, and thank you? She'll know what it's for."
Chuckling under his breath, Peeta nodded. It hadn't taken long for the Victors to figure out who had assassinated President Snow once the details of his death had been revealed to them. A small knife had been found beside his body and Indiana had been unable to contain her grin as Paylor described what had happened. Each one had found a way to secretly congratulate her on ridding Panem of such evil but they'd been subtle about it. None of them had dared speak outright about what had happened that day. Even after everything that had happened, the walls of the Capitol had been filled with listening ears. Despite having helped save Panem from the clutches of Snow, none of them were deemed trustworthy by those now in power.
Brushing away her tears, Peeta released Indiana from their embrace. "Don't cry. You know this isn't goodbye. I expect a call when you arrive in District One, then another when you get to Two and then the minute you're settled into your new home. You can be sure that I'll be up to visit all the time as well. There's no way I'm going to miss out on meeting Annie and Finnick's child."
Agreeing to his 'demands', Indiana took a step back so that Cato could also bid his farewells by pulling Peeta in for a warm embrace. As the two men thanked each other for keeping their partners safe during their times apart and spoke sweet words to each other (although they would deny it when Indiana brought it up in the future), the women from One shrugged out of the loose cardigan she had been wearing. The cream vest beneath clung tightly to her body, showing off the muscle that she had been working hard to regain.
"We have some good news for you, mate." Cato grinned, frightening the younger man slightly.
Cato had never been that happy whilst looking at Peeta. As Cato stepped aside, Peeta's eyes were drawn downwards.
"I'm pregnant," announced Indiana.
"Wait, what?" Peeta stammered, blue eyes shining as he waited for confirmation.
Glancing between the two spouses and Indiana's stomach, he struggled to comprehend what was happening. Surely it was all just some cruel joke, he thought. Why would they do this to him? It wasn't that long ago that Indiana had claimed Peeta's foolish mistake during the 74th Games had cost her the chances of having children.
"When they were healing my leg, I plucked up the courage to finally ask about the damage done to my womb. Apparently the medics that brought me back for the 75th were kind – and female – and they repaired the tear. And now we have two healthy babies growing inside me."
"Two?!"
Cato nodded, glancing down at his wife proudly. "We want you to be the godfather."
As Indiana beamed at him, Peeta Mellark burst into tears.
Through the warmth
Through the cold
Keep running till we're there
We're coming home now
A/N: Sorry it's short. It is kind of a filler but I liked it this way. No, it's not the end of the story.
