A/N: I'm not making money off of this. Savera is mine and all else is property of Suzanne Collins.

Seneca grabbed my hand and looked straight in my eye," They wouldn't ask us to be on Caesar's show if they didn't want to see us."

He was right, hopefully. I squeezed his hand, to return the favor and also to reassure myself that he was right. With that, he kissed my forehead, and one of the aides backstage waved us closer to the stage.

"Ready?" She asked both of us.

I looked at him once more and took a deep breath in before nodding.

"Three….two….one…"

And with that, we walked out from backstage and heard the applause of the crowd roaring. The lights were bright and upon seeing them, I was instantly taken back to the first time I was on Caesar's show. My body wanted to run the opposite direction and my heart felt like it would explode from my chest. My brain stepped in and reminded my body,"This isn't't the Hunger Games. You aren't going back into the arena. And Seneca will protect you."

I looked at Seneca and he had instantly transformed into his Gamemaker persona. Waving and smiling, pointing at specific people in the audience. Seeing his performance reminded me to do the same. I plastered the biggest smile I could, waving to the crowd with one hand as my other hand kept a firm grasp on Seneca's. At the middle of the stage stood Caesar Flickerman, joining the crowd in his applause. He was dressed in a magenta suit with subtle matching highlights in his voluminous hair.

I smiled and waved, trying to appear as happy as possible. There was a weight inside that was too heavy. Today would be the first public interview that Seneca and I would do together. My parents, inevitably, were watching at home and this would be the way they learned of our relationship too.

In my head, I had imagined this day differently. Bringing home a significant other to my parents first and then the rest of the world felt healthier to me. However, Capitol life was neither normal nor healthy. I had become so absorbed in this world that sometimes it was hard to remember what "normal" was like.

Seneca and I eventually made it to Caesar, who embraced us both at once. His cologne was...intense. A strong mix of musk and vanilla.

"Seneca, good to see you," Caesar said quietly to him, shaking his hand firmly as the crowd continued to cheer. "As always."

The entertainer's eyes then turned to me. He kissed both of my cheeks before looking directly at me," Savera. Welcome back to the show. It's always been a pleasure."

Pleasure.

I'd imagine it had always been a pleasure for Caesar to interview me. Every time I had appeared on his show, I only added to the drama and social power he built his legacy on. And now, I'd have the opportunity to do so again. I smiled and returned the compliment, but inside, I was fighting back nausea as memories of the Games came creeping back into my head.

After a couple more moments, the crowd quieted and took a seat as we sat across from Caesar on a bright blue, velvet couch. My dress that day was a pale pink, long, flowy, and the stylists had placed delicate daisies in my hair, which was long, loose, and wavy. Today, they sprayed my hair to match the shade of pink on my gown. The look was romantic and easy. Quite the contrast to many looks in the crowd that day. Seneca was dressed in a matching pink suit. His tie was gold, matching the delicate jewelry accents on my wrist and lining my collarbone.

"Wow, wow, wow," Caesar applauded. "Aren't you both just a vision in pink?"

Seneca and I smiled, looking at one another.

"Do you like it, Caesar?"I asked, raising my brow as I looped my arm through Seneca's, pulling him closer.

"Oh, yes, dear," He cooed, before looking at the crowd. "What do you all think? Do we approve of the look?"

The crowd cheered again prompting more waves and big smiles.

"You keep egging them on like that and we won't have time to say anything," Caesar joked, clapping again before the crowd quieted.

"Well, it goes without saying, we are so excited to have the both of you on the show today," Caesar said kindly, smiling at us both. "And the main point of this conversation today was to address the rumors that are floating around the Capitol. So, let's get to it, shall we?"

"Rumors?" Seneca asked, raising his brow as he leaned back, placing his arm comfortable on the couch behind me. "Do tell me more."

"Well, you both are aware of the photographs that have surfaced and when two young, attractive individuals such as yourselves are seen out in public together, well, the natural thing is to start gossiping about what's going on!" Caesar exclaimed, smiling.

I chuckled softly and looked at Seneca again before back at Caesar.

"And what are the rumors saying, Caesar?" I asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

He chuckled and said,"Well, they are saying that the two of you are a couple. Our beloved Savera Stone, Victor of the Games and our beloved young Gamemaker, Seneca Crane. It would be a match made in heaven, if we do say so ourselves, but we'd like to have confirmation. We can only live with this air of mystery for so long, right folks?"

A resounding "Yes!" came from the crowd.

"Do you want to address the question or should I?" Seneca asked; I looked at him, smiling.

"I can," I said and he nodded, encouraging me to continue.

Caesar leaned forward," Before you begin, Savera, if I may put up some of the photos that have surfaced?"

"Of course, Caesar," I leaned back on the couch to get a better look at the large screen to the left of us that would display said photos.

The first photo was of Seneca and I's first date at the restaurant at the top of one of the buildings in the Capitol. It was a profile shot of the table where we were seated. I had reached forward to grab my wine glass and Seneca was leaning toward me. Looking at this photo, he looked so engaged and interested in me and outwardly, I looked comfortable, but I remember the tension and fear of the unknown in this photo.

"This is when the whispers started," Caesar commented before gesturing for the next photo.

The next photo was of Seneca in the lobby of my apartment complex, fixing his suit jacket as he stood at the elevator. There was a single flower in his hand. This was such a flattering photo of him. He looked so handsome and I remember this evening perfectly.

"And then they grew here," He continued, looking over at Seneca. "And just to clarify, Seneca, you can confirm that this is you?"

An obvious question, but the crowd chuckled.

"Yes, Caesar, I can," He smiled, squeezing my shoulder softly as the memories came pouring back.

"And you can confirm that this is the lobby of Savera's residence, yes?"

"Yes, Caesar, you are correct," He laughed, knowing where this was going.

"Ah, okay. Thank you for validating our rumors," He said, gesturing for the next photo.

This photo was of Seneca and I arriving together at a private club in the Capitol. He was offering his hand to me as I got out of our escort's vehicle. I was wearing a deep blue gown and thankful they hadn't taken a photo from the front because this dress was flimsy and constantly had to be readjusted. We again confirmed that this was us and continued this process for several photos as the crowd ooo'd and ahhh'd after each photo appeared.

The final photo took me by surprise.

It was from the evening I wore the golden gown with the slit cut up to my hip. My heart sped up a little as I looked at Seneca who was already smiling. The venue itself told the crowd what kind of a party this was and the fact that the two of us were seen walking down the hallway together was self-explanatory. The photo was beautiful. It was from the back. Seneca in his white suit with his hand on the small of my back. The room with the green light was just in front of us.

Caesar bit his tongue as a raunchy laughter echoed through the crowd.

Heat rushed to my face as I tried to look down. This felt like an incredible invasion of privacy and I hadn't prepared to talk about it.

"Now, it isn't my place to comment on what happened moments after this photo," He looked at the two of us like a parent who was lecturing their child. "However, can you both confirm that this is, in fact, you?"

Seneca and I were bright red and looked at each other before responding,"Yes."

The crowd applauded again and laughed.

"Now, Savera, I hope I didn't embarrass you too terribly," Caesar commented.

"Oh, Caesar. I-I'm speechless. I was aware of all of those photos except for the last one," I said, still shaking my head and trying to beat back the embarrassment.

Seneca's hand was softly tracing circles on my back. It was comforting in the midst of this intimate moment being aired to all of Panem.

"However, I think you both owe us an answer," Caesar said, leaning back in his white chair. "Are you a couple?"

My heart started beating faster than before as I looked into Seneca's piercing blue eyes. The world stopped as I looked at him. His beard was meticulously trimmed today, cut close to his face. Every time I looked at him, all I wanted to do was spend all of my time with him. Warmth exploded to all of my body and the only word I knew to describe it was: love. And maybe a bit of lust, as well.

"I think it may be more appropriate if we show you, rather than tell you," Seneca said and in one swift movement, he slid his hands under me, picked me up into his arms before standing and bringing us both closer to the crowd. I looped my arms around his neck for support and crossed my ankles.

Always one for the drama, I was surprised by the sudden shift in position, but not by the dramatic flair. I placed both my hands on either side of his face and he leaned in quickly, pressing his warm lips against my own while the crowd went wild. I thought this was sufficient for answering the question, but the crowd kept cheering and I felt Seneca's tongue gently enter my mouth. Slowly the crowd melted away and all that mattered was his lips on mine and his arms holding me up.

When we broke away from one another, he pressed his forehead against mine,"I love you."

"I love you too," I whispered back before he turned, carrying me back to the couch and setting me down softly.

Caesar was beside himself. Tears were filling his eyes and pouring down his face as he pressed his hands together.

"Well, now I'm speechless," He said with a smile, wiping away a tear. "Congratulations on finding this love that is obviously so special and just entrancing to watch unfold."

I stayed on Seneca's lap for the remainder of the interview, making sure to answer Caesar's questions intentionally and sneak in a kiss here and there to complete the performance. While this was going on, I couldn't help but think of President Snow in the background. Was he watching? Was this the performance he desired? Was this believable?

Was this enough to convince him that our relationship was worthy of his mercy?

Years later, I would realize the answer was no.

A/N: Like I said, these chapters in 2021 are meant to be an older Savera reflecting back on her life. If you're enjoying them, let me know! I'm going to keep writing regardless because it's brought me a lot of happy nostalgic memories to dig back into this story. :) Cheers!