The Games were in their sixteenth hour. Katniss hadn't slept for two days, glued to the screen. Gale sat with her. He tried to offer her comfort, but she didn't even seem to be aware of him. It was as though she could physically keep Prim safe if she stared hard enough at the screen.

"I still can't believe Peeta joined the Career Pack." Gale observed.

Mama Everdeen was in her chair, watching. She wasn't as fierce about it as Katniss, dozing occasionally when the action lulled. "I can." She yawned. "But while I don't know Peeta that well, I know his father. If he's inherited his father's patience, then I think he's got a trick up his sleeve."

Gale looked over. "That story he told, about you and Mister Mellark. Is it true?"

Katniss twitched, though she didn't look over. Mama Everdeen pretended she hadn't noticed. "He made one last attempt, a few days before my wedding. But I was far too in love to consider… Well, we all have a road not travelled." She looked at Gale, then back to Katniss, then back to Gale. "Don't we?"

"Very exciting, Panem! The bookmakers have recalculated the odds in the wake of the surprise Alliance inclusion of District 12 Tribute, Peeta Mellark. For more on this, we have Capitol Bookmaster, Londo Rooney. Londo?"

"Thank you, Ceaser. It's not uncommon for Alliances to form among the more privileged Districts. As a result, it's not uncommon for the 'long odds Tributes' to team up; out of a simple lack of options. It's never made a difference before."

"Before? So it has now?"

"Peeta Mellark's invitation to join the other Alliance is almost unheard of."

"With the chatter after his Interviews, a lot of the more recusant Sponsors have taken an interest in this one. They rarely send sponsor gifts to anyone but wildcards; and even then, usually to make Bookmakers like you tear their hair out. Hahahaha."

"Tell me about it, Ceaser. Wealthy, time-rich people who like to make folk like me scramble. I usually content myself with the knowledge that they never win, betting on the longshot. This is the Hunger Games. The Capitol always knows who the real winners are."

"Londo, I'm going to have to stop you there! It looks like our two Allied Tribute Groups are about to test their mettle against each other!"

Cato crouched next to the thin metal wire. "It's a snare." He said. "Not one of ours." He followed the line without touching it. "Hooks up higher in those trees. It's a trap for someone who doesn't want to walk around ground level to get their dinner."

Rue. Peeta thought.

"There!" Marvel shouted, pointing. Rue and Prim suddenly lurched out of the bushes, knowing they'd been spotted.

Like a wolfpack on rabbits, the Careers gave chase.

"Prim." Peeta breathed, and started running.

Katniss was on her feet, bouncing off the walls, as Prim and Rue sprinted for their lives towards the trees.

The career pack gave chase. Beside her, Gale was leaning close, looking for Peeta, who wasn't fast enough to get in Cato or Glimmer's way. "Cato will do it. The other Careers will be content to let him. They aren't as eager."

"Cato's the most eager killer I've seen in the Games for a long time." Mama Everdeen commented darkly, as Rue and Prim bolted up a tree.

Katniss nudged Gale. "I taught her that." She told him. "I told her what to look for so that she could pick a tree that she'd be light enough to climb, and nobody could chase her without falling."

Sure enough, the next few minutes passed with the Careers each trying to climb the tree and failing. Ceaser played the most amusing pratfalls a few times on a loop, with sound effects. Peeta didn't try. Cato and Glimmer stood back and ordered the others to try again.

But there was no way to slice it. Rue and Prim were trapped at the top of a tree.

"Chop the tree down." Glimmer told Cato.

"That axe is for combat, not for woodchopping. You'll ruin the blade before the tree even quivers." Peeta countered. "Besides, Rue is from Ten. Agriculture. We saw her climb in the training grounds. Smart money says she can jump from branch to branch. You spend half an hour trying to fell one tree, and she's in another before you can shout 'Timber'."

"What about Prim? I bet she'd be slower." Glimmer countered.

"I think that's what Loverboy is antsy about." Cato said, eyes on Peeta. "Set up camp, right here. It'll e dark soon, and we can wait them out for one night." He told his people. "I'll take the first watch. Anyone get any matches?"

"Fire is too risky." Peeta said automatically. "Or so Haymitch taught me."

"That drunk taught you how to be hunted. You're part of the Pack now, Mellark." Cato said savagely. "Avoiding campfires is a job for prey."

As if to answer him there was a ringing sound; and a silver parachute dropped. A sponsor gift.

Cato caught it before it hit ground. The Number Twelve was displayed on top. "It's for Mellark." He sent a look back at the sky. "That's doubles for the guy from Twelve. Not feeling the love here, Two!"

"Breaking news, Gamers! Peeta Mellark, from District Twelve, has received his second Sponsor gift! It looks like… well, this is a surprise. It's a camp-stove and what looks an awful lot like a spice rack."

"Well, Ceaser; we know from previous games that some spices have medicinal, or even combat applications. Don't forget the 50th games; where practically everything was secretly toxic. Though I have to admit, this is the sort of cookout gear that someone carries when they're luxury camping. No fuel cell or gas cylinder, of course. That'd never make it past the Gamemakers. But the utensils will make it much easier for Mellark to feed himself; and even do so comfortably."

"An odd choice, from Haymitch Abernathy. I've never seen such a… luxury get sent into the Arena before. Sending a feast isn't new. Sending a kitchenette? Unheard of. Maybe we should get Haymitch up here? He's been a Victor for more than twenty years, and never been on our show."

"If you do, make it fast. Happy Hour is almost on us."

"Hahahaha! Claudius, you're horrible!"

Within minutes, Peeta was at the campfire. The Sponsor gift had a pot big enough to serve everyone, if not enough for seconds. Peeta had been experimenting with the foodstuffs everyone had secured; and turned up his nose at them. A few minutes later, his little camp kitchen was set up at the campfire; and he was working the survival rations, mixing portions, and adding herbs from the Sponsors, and roots and berries from the Arena.

"Capitol Food not up to your usual standards, Loverboy?" Clove mocked him.

"Well, I figure if you're going to make 'hunger' a factor, you may as well beat the odds with some class. What did they leave you? MRE's, some fruits and breads? You either have something filling, or something that tastes good." Peeta said lightly. "Haymitch was generous, but I didn't need half these things. The whole larder is right here." Peeta gestured around. "Some of these roots aren't all that good; but you boil them up? They add starch to the water, which thickens the gravy. Those leaves over there? Edible in small amounts, but too toxic in a steady diet. But you grind them up, and it'd be as good as this shaker of salt. With two pots and some cups to work with; I can whip something up." He took a bite. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

"Twelve, what do you think this is? A restaurant?" Glimmer demanded, taking the spoon from him automatically. "The goal is to stay alive, not-ohmysweetsavory, that is amazing!" She tilted back the mug of spiced stew that Peeta had given her and nearly inhaled it.

And that was all the others needed to hear, gathering around quickly. For all the talk about District Twelve Tributes being 'soft and weak', most of the Careers ate pretty well back home. Hardtack Rations and hunger were not things they were accustomed to.

The cameras caught the moment Cato passed the watch off to Peeta. But the Gamemakers had an angle that Peeta didn't see. Katniss strained her ears, but couldn't hear what Cato said to Glimmer. But the cameras saw his lips move; and kindly put up subtitles. "Don't trust Peeta. He'd let them get away. Don't let him take the watch alone. And if he tries something, kill him."

Katniss felt her gaze harden. Prim was settled in for the night, huddled with Rue for warmth.

"You should sleep." Gale said in her ear. "I'll watch a little longer, wake you if anything happens."

"You really think I'm going to sleep tonight?" Katniss retorted. "What did you make of the Sponsor gift?"

"You can't put messages in Sponsor Gifts. And even if you could, Peeta's surrounded. I think Haymitch is trying to tell Peeta something, without actually being able to say something."

"I agree." Katniss nodded. "Haymitch was telling him to be popular with the Careers. They've never had to chew hard on their food before; and they didn't like being limited to survival rations. Making Peeta their chef made him likeable to them."

"Enough that Glimmer will keep him alive when Cato gets frustrated. At least, for a while."

"Peeta already played Cato and Marvel into a fight. Think he can do that again, fourteen more times?"

Glimmer sat the watch with Peeta, but her eyes were drooping. Halfway into their watch, she had fallen asleep.

Peeta's eyes flicked up the tree. As if waiting for the look, a shadow detached from the high branches and snuck down silently.

It was Rue.

Peeta glanced at Glimmer. There was no way to get up without waking her. Peeta gestured back up the tree, then at Rue, then out into the night. The signal was clear: You and Prim can get away.

Rue shook her head, and crept silently to the pot, tossing something into the mixture. She made eye contact with Peeta, gestured at the pot. She mimed eating, and made a big 'no' gesture; before creeping back to the tree.

The whole thing was done in a few minutes, and without a word being spoken aloud. Peeta crept over to the Pot and poked at the remains of the feast; trying to figure out what she had done to it.

"What's going on?"

Peeta jumped, and looked. Glimmer had shaken off her doze, eyes flicking guiltily to Cato.

"I won't tell him you slept." Peeta promised.

"I wasn't asleep." The beautiful girl hissed quickly, gripping her weapons. "But did I miss anything?"

"Nope." Peeta kept his eyes on the pot. If he'd had to look her in the eye, she would have known he was lying. "But I thought, since the coals are still hot, I could get a jump on breakfast; let it slow-cook. Less smoke, won't need much firewood."

"Mm." Glimmer settled again. "What are we having?"

"Mostly, what we had for dinner." Peeta admitted. Plus whatever Rue added to the pot.

Glimmer shivered at the thought of falling asleep on Watch. Being well fed after a full day in the Arena had lulled her. To keep herself awake, she spoke quietly. "Dinner was amazing. You'd have made a good baker." She said softly, to not wake the others. "And you were right about freshwater. You've proven to be the most useful one in the group."

"With a little help from Haymitch." Peeta said softly back.

"My Mentors all told me not to worry about you or Haymitch. They figured he'd be dead drunk by now." Glimmer yawned. "If I'd known you'd be such a wildcard, I'd have spent more time with you in Training."

"Don't let Cato hear you say that. He still thinks you were sleeping with him because he was just that good looking." Peeta joshed her.

"And here I thought I was being discreet." Glimmer smouldered. "Back in One, blonde hair and long legs is all you need. You lead a man by the balls just right, you can put a knife between his ribs and he'll thank you for it. I figured there's no reason the rules would be different in the Capitol. They haven't been so far."

Glimmer had her back to him, but Peeta caught the moment Cato's eyes opened a little. He'd heard every word; feigning sleep; but with her focus on Peeta, she hadn't noticed.

"Cato never would have seen you coming." Peeta said softly to Glimmer, as though they were in on a great secret.

"He still won't." Glimmer promised; and settled back. She yawned widely again, still fighting sleep. "Screw this. I'm tired. It's close enough to someone else's turn for the watch."

She shifted over, and lay against Cato. He was still faking sleep; and she pushed at his cheek with her nose. Adorable, desirable, irresistible…

Cato's arms went around her warmly, and she hummed as she settled in beside him for sleep. Cato's eyes opened slowly, making eye-contact with Peeta over her shoulder as his arm tightened further… and further. Glimmer casually tried to wriggle a bit of room for herself, but she couldn't, and she suddenly realized she was in trouble.

Peeta didn't move, the only witness as Cato pinned Glimmer down with his body, covered her mouth with one hand... and slid a knife into her ribs with the other, practically in slow motion. There was almost no sound; almost no movement.

The Cannon went off; and everyone was awake instantly.

"What happened?!" They all demanded at the same moment, when they saw Glimmer was the only one not getting up.

"She was trying to steal food." Peeta said immediately, pointing at the cooking pot. "She was trying to steal food, and Cato caught her."

The Pack traded looks, weighing that. Stealing food was the Cardinal Sin, even in the Capitol. It wasn't uncommon in Career Packs for there to be casualties before the official 'breaking' of the Alliances. Cato and Glimmer's fling in the Training Centre was a badly kept secret, so this was shocking enough that nobody believed it. But nobody was willing to call Cato on it.

Besides, Peeta thought. Cato being a cold-blooded killer is not a surprise, is it?

Even so, nobody was going to sleep again tonight. Everyone gripped their weapons, watching each other, and Cato especially, with deep suspicion. Peeta glanced up the tree. Prim had woken from the cannon, but they weren't moving. They'd be sleeping better than anyone on the ground.

"We can't leave this spot without letting the girls escape. Twelve, take Glimmer far enough away that the Hovercraft will come for her." Cato said flatly, staring everyone down. "Don't worry, I won't let anyone touch the food before breakfast."

Peeta set his jaw to the unpleasant task, but Cato and the Careers said nothing as he carried the body away.

"Two down." Katniss observed. The first words she and Gale had spoken to each other all night.

"And we still don't know what Rue did to the cooking pot." Gale commented back. "The good news is, with all the cold-blooded killers watching each other, nobody's going to worry about Prim until morning."

Katniss groaned. "I agree, but I still won't be able to sleep." She looked over. "Isn't Hazel wondering where you are?"

"Mom knows where I am." Gale shrugged.

Katniss clocked the answer but didn't respond. She didn't want to think about that.

"Well, loyal viewers; if you're still with us at this time of night; you must be like me; unable to look away from the thrilling Hunger Games action! Last night's shock elimination of the female Tribute from District One detonated the odds again; as did the actions of District Eleven Tribute, little Rue. Oddsmakers are watching for the dawn with bated breath. I'm here with Hunger Games Herbalist, Gigi Fitgerald. Gigi, is it fair to say that you pick which plants go in the Arena?"

"We all contribute, Ceaser; but final say rests with me. It's always a balancing act between dangerous things, and helpful things. The cunning Tribute knows how to take advantage of both. And Nightlock is one of the more crafty poisonous berries you'll find in the Hunger Games Garden. Almost identical to some of the tastier berries on sight. Little Rue is to be commended for both recognizing the dangerous properties of the Nightlock; and doing more than just avoiding it."

"In fact she's weaponizing it, right now. Do you think this is a strategy that involves Peeta Mellark? After all, that cooking pot was a Sponsor Gift, selected by District Twelve Mentor, Haymitch Abernathy; and Rue has allied herself with the female Tribute from District Twelve."

"Obviously, I defer to the Games strategists on such a ruling; but if it's a plan, it's a very clever one. Mellark provided a feast, earlier in the evening, and nobody's going to suspect a double-cross now. Cooking the berries won't destroy the Poison, but it may delay the deadly effects by a few minutes. Enough that the poison won't show until everyone has eaten. But I will say this: If Peeta isn't in on the plan, he may yet take a bite of the stew himself come breakfast. Don't count out the youngest competitor this year."

"I just hope nobody goes looking for a midnight snack. This'll be an exciting moment, and scheduled just in time for the morning Prime Time."

"Oh, Ceaser; do you think anyone's sleeping through a Games like this?"

"I'm certainly not! Bring on the caffeine! Ahahahaha! Love it!"

Dawn came, and Cato was up, knife drawn. His first glance was up to the tree; where Rue and Prim were still asleep, huddled together for warmth. "They're still there." He told the pack. "Enough of this. Let's burn the tree. Set a fire at the base, smoke'em down."

"Can we eat first?" Clove yawned.

"Breakfast is on." Peeta nodded; and everyone crowded around quickly, scooping mouthfuls, straight from the pot.

Peeta handed Cato the only mug that came with the stove, a portion of the stew already in it. Everyone else was eating eagerly, direct from the pot. They were crowing up at the youngest Tributes, who were waking up at the sound. Rue's eyes went to the pot, then to Peeta.

"Hey, Twelve?" Cato said quietly, not looking up at them. "You want to know what I think?"

Peeta looked up at him. "What?"

"I think that you're the only one here not eating." Cato said silkily.

"Chef always eats after the others have been served. You're from Two. Don't they have restaurants there?"

Cato said nothing to that, setting down his food, untouched.

And then Clove started to gag.

Cato was up and lunging for Peeta instantly. Peeta was already running. The rest of the career pack was choking, trying to cough up whatever was in their food; but too late.

The chase went on for ten seconds before they reached Rue's snare. Though he'd spotted it the day before, Cato was in a hurry this time and didn't see it. The homicidal Career was promptly upside down. His head hit a rock as he went head-over-heels, and the warrior from Two was suddenly out cold, his snared ankle strung tightly enough to bleed.

Peeta paused, breathing hard. Cato was swinging from the snare, helpless. For a split second, Peeta looked at the rock Cato had hit his head against. A few seconds, a few swift blows...

Peeta hesitated... and walked back toward the tree; as the Cannon went off again, over and over. "Prim! Rue! We gotta move!" He called.

"What the hell?!" Katniss demanded of the screen. "W-" She rubbed her eyes and looked again. "Is Cato breathing?"

"He is." Gale confirmed. "Look! He's already coming around."

"Then what is Peeta doing?!"

"I… don't know."

"Oh! And The Mighty Pixie from District Eleven comes out of nowhere, with an instant kill count of five! This puts her in the lead! She warned us in the interviews not to count her out; and she has now taken out more than two thirds of the heavy favorites! Back with us now, Capitol Bookmaster, Londo Rooney. Londo?"

"I'll be honest with you, Ceaser; the odds are wrecked. All the standard or traditional Alliances are destroyed, and some of the heaviest wagers have just been lost. The Longshot Tributes are at the top of the scoreboard."

"Does this change your opinion on whether or not Mellark was part of the Eleven/Twelve Alliance from the start?"

"If he was, the strategy worked perfectly; and we have to assume Peeta sparing Cato's life is just another stage in the strategy. If he wasn't in on it, he's the luckiest kid who ever missed a meal!"

"HAHA! I Love It! Never a dull moment in the Hunger Games!"

Rue and Prim were thrilled to see Peeta. The younger Everdeen saw him coming, and ran to give him a tight hug. He hugged her back tightly. "You're Safe!" They both exclaimed at the same time, and started laughing.

Rue had already collected some gear and weapons from the dead Careers, and they all agreed to get moving as the hovercraft came for the bodies. The three of them walked for a few hours, getting some distance. Peeta led them to water, and they drank their fill, then filled their canteens. Rue was able to find food, Prim was harvesting plants left and right. They were all armed and carrying food, a Career Pack themselves now.

They walked for most of the day, scrambling over rocks and streams. They were making he circut from one water source to another, knowing that Cato couldn't follow without a Canteen of his own.

"You look sad, Peeta." Prim observed. "Last I checked, we were winning."

Peeta sent a quick look to Rue. "Kid… I'd do anything to protect you two; you know that. But I didn't know you were poisoning the pot."

Rue shrugged. "It worked."

"Rue…" Peeta said quietly. "The killing changes things. Changes you."

Rue looked up at him. "I know. It's happened in Eleven too."

She was talking about the executions. The sort that could change a whole District. Prim cleared her throat carefully. A subtle reminder that they weren't the only ones in this conversation. Rue got the point and changed the subject to something light and distracting for the Capitol Audience. "Hey, Peeta?" She asked brightly. "That story you told, about your father. Was it true?"

Peeta flushed a bit. "Every word."

"Too bad."

Prim looked over at her Ally. "You wanted it to be made up?"

"I like stories." Rue excused. "The made-up ones always have the happy endings." She looked back and forth between Peeta and Prim. "Somehow, I don't think that's on the cards here."

Peeta and Prim traded an awkward look. She wasn't wrong about that.

"Anyway. We should find somewhere to set up a camp." Peeta said finally.

"I got a true story with a happy ending." Prim offered. "About 'The Boy With The Bread'."

Peeta looked at her in shock. "Katniss told you about that?"

"She did." Prim smiled, and started telling Rue, though everyone knew she was really telling the audience. "Years ago, when I was small-"

"Right. 'Was'." Peeta scoffed quietly.

"-we were in a bad way. It was after our father died, but before Katniss could sign up for Tesserae. The food had run out, and we were starving. Not hungry. Starving. To death." Prim shivered. "I still remember the way Katniss looked when she went for food. She bundled up everything we had, from my old baby clothes to dad's shoes, and took them out to try and trade for food. But it was pouring rain, and nobody was trading. Katniss couldn't come home without something for us to eat; and there was just nothing. We weren't the only ones starving in Twelve that week." She grinned at Peeta.

"Nope." Peeta shook his head, smiling back. "This is your story."

Prim giggled. "Well, Katniss had hit up everyone she could think of, and had nothing. So she went to the local Bakery. The baker's wife threw her out of the store, so Katniss went around to their bins, looking for anything halfway edible in the garbage. Mrs Mellark ran her off, and Katniss was so weak from hunger at that point, after giving me all her food for a week-"

"Oh, I knew it." Peeta scorned at that.

"So Katniss could only get about as far as the bakery's back fence. Then she heard Peeta getting chewed out by his mom, for burning two large loaves of bread. Just a bit scorched on top, but it meant you couldn't sell them at a bakery. So Peeta is ordered to toss the useless loaves to the pigs out back."

"Our bakery shared space with the butcher." Peeta explained to Rue. "We traded our bread for his meat."

Prim smiled at the next part. "Then the hero of this story, already sporting a sweet shiner across his face for burning the bread, makes his way out back… and throws Katniss enough bread to keep three Everdeens alive for a few days."

Peeta pulled his head in a bit at the two of them, smiling at him. "Anyone would have done it."

"Your mom didn't." Prim countered instantly. "Anyway, it kept us alive, and then the rain stopped and we noticed some wild Katniss plants had sprouted." She winked at Rue. "Dad named us after wildflowers that were edible. Said, 'as long as we could find ourselves, we'd never go hungry'. That kept us going until Katniss could sign up for Tesserae."

"I wanted to go talk to her the next day." Peeta confessed. "But I figured, if she didn't want to talk about it; my pushing it would only make it worse."

"It wasn't that she wasn't grateful. It was that she couldn't pay you back." Prim told him. "Katniss hates to owe people anything. Even me and mom. And something like this? How could she make it up to you?"

"I did get paid back for the bread." Peeta countered. "I got to see her again, alive."

"And if you'd said so, she'd have decked you." Prim said simply. "Rule Number One about the Everdeen girls. You can't ask more of us than we're willing to give already."

"Including you?" Peeta couldn't help but ask.

"Can't say. Nobody's tried to tell me 'no' yet." Prim admitted. "Well, except for the Reaping, of course."

"I can believe that." Peeta agreed. "Rue, what are you staring at?"

"I think there's a cave, or something… Under there." Rue scampered forward, and pushed her way past a bush. "Yup. Cave. Big enough for all of us!" She stuck her head back out. "Doesn't look like anything else has been living in here. And it's dry."

"Good enough." Peeta agreed, and pulled back the bush for Prim. The three of them spent a few moments arranging some cover to the entrance, and arranging their gear. "If Cato finds us, I go out first." Peeta said to them seriously. "He decides to smoke us out, we've only got one entrance. I risk it before either of you do."

They both nodded.

"So, your turn, Rue." Peeta yawned. "Tell us a story."

"Back home, I knew this girl once. She worked in the Ghettos, over on the poor side of town; y'know?"

"Sure. In Twelve we call it The Seam." Prim nodded.

"Well, in the Ghetto back home, there are rules about work hours. You miss ten minutes, your ration gets docked." Rue told them. "But I heard this one girl; she had smuggled in a book. Punishable by a month hard labor. So she would skip sleep to memorize a page; and then she'd walk up and down the Ghetto, quietly telling a dozen people the story. She was a hero there, until they caught her reading."

"What happened to her?" Peeta asked.

"We don't ask those questions." Rue said plainly. "But she was halfway through a story. None of us know how it ended, so we sorta took turns making things up. I have no idea what my version was going to be." Rue made a face. "Lucky for me I was reaped before it got to my turn. I'm not much of a storyteller."

"If not stories, what is your thing?" Peeta asked lightly.

Rue didn't hesitate. "Music."

"Yeah?"

Rue gestured at Prim's pin. "It's why I decided to partner with Prim. I like Mockingjays. We use them to signal to each other during the workday back home."

Peeta sat down against the cave with a grateful groan. "Sing us a song, Rue." He yawned. "And then I think we should get some sleep."

Rue didn't sing. She whistled. Four tones, in a cute little musical arrangement. Outside, a tree full of Mockingjays sang it back.

Prim smiled in wonder, and whistled the same tune. The Mockingjays answered again.

Peeta flushed. "I can't whistle." He confessed. "Weird thing, I know, but I've never succeeded in blowing a single note."

"Really?" Prim found that hilarious for some reason.

Peeta put his lips together and tried to whistle a note… and what came out was a gust of air, barely audible, completely atonal.

The girls giggled, and Peeta did it again, hamming it up just to make them laugh.

"Rue and Prim can feed themselves. Peeta's with them. They're in for the night." Gale said in her ear. "Even Cato is asleep."

Katniss was barely conscious, upright through sheer willpower; eyes glued on the screen. Gale reached out one finger, and pushed her shoulder gently. At the end of her strength, she went over easily. Gale scooped her up and carried her to her bedroll. She used it while out hunting in the woods, and had set it up for herself in front of the Screen.

"Wake me if anything happens." She murmured.

"I promise."

She felt him move away and flashed a hand out to catch him. "Stay?"

"I will."

The Games had settled into a lull at last. They were not uncommon. The Commentators had plenty of carnage to work with, plenty of things to talk about while the Survivors regrouped. The Gamemakers created rain, heavy enough to keep everyone in cover for a while. Those that had been losing to dehydration drank deeply. The loss of the Career Pack made the Gamemakers take mercy on the stronger, but thirsty, survivors.

Cato returned to the lake, and ate hearty from the supplies. The Career Pack was all but gone. He had more than enough for himself, and the one member of the Career pack; left to guard the supplies. The Capitol experts mentioned that Cato's foodstuffs were all survival rations. Dry, tasteless, and unappealing. Peeta had recovered his spice rack, and Rue was a good forager. Prim had learned enough from Katniss to work a slingshot, and Peeta kept them fed comfortably in their cave, the rain making them isolated enough to risk a fire.

With Cato and the boy from five barely speaking, and the other survivors all holed up alone; the camera spent a lot of time on the Twelve/Eleven Alliance. They were entertaining each other with stories and songs; and the audience ate it up. They'd never had anything like this before. There was no hint of restrained violence between the three most unlikely of Contenders.

There was some talk from the commentators that Peeta's recipes would make a fine cookbook in the Capitol Bookstores; or that Rue might have a fine singing career if she won. Ceasar reported that stuffed toy Mockingjays that sang Rue's tune when squeezed were now selling in all Capitol Stores, and they were simply flying off the shelves.

The experts picked apart combat styles, and the odds shifted. Cato finally received a sponsor gift. More weapons. A subtle reminder from his Mentors that he'd better get hunting again, because the audience had been without violence for almost two days, and his quarry wasn't starving to death like they were supposed to.

Katniss woke up after a long rest and discovered she was on the sleeping cot that Gale had been using since the Games started. She hadn't woken up when he moved her. Her mother hadn't remarked on the fact that he'd moved in until the Games were over. His own family hadn't come looking for him, which meant they already knew where he was.

It was another thought that Katniss wasn't willing to think on just yet.

Then, on the third day, the stalemate broke.

"The rain has finally stopped." Peeta told the girls as they woke up.

Rue nodded. "We should shift our camp. We've trod the ground around here pretty thoroughly, picked all the bushes clean. The rain has washed our tracks away, but with all the rain, we don't need to be here for drinking water."

They climbed out of the cave. The rain had given the air a fresh, clean smell. "Huh. It's a beautiful day." Rue commented.

"Hey, don't get relaxed, cutie." Peeta reminded her. "We've spent two days eating, telling stories, and singing campfire songs; but don't think this is a camping trip. Eyes open, always."

They walked for a few hours, until they made their way to a river, with heavy rocks on each side.

"What do you think?" Prim asked. "With the river, there'd be caves or overhangs around. Enough to hide in."

"We'll have to find a good one." Peeta agreed. "What about food?"

"All around us." Prim said easily, and led the way over to some bushes. She pulled at the wildflowers on the branches, and paused. "Here!"

The other two came over. Prim had discovered a new cave. Peeta edged his way into it ahead of them. "Looks perfect." He reported. "Ignore the bushes at the front. They're cover."

"My dad kept this book. He was putting together and encyclopedia of plants that were edible, medicinal… Katniss and I were helping him, bringing in plants. My sister taught me to forage all the time." Prim reported. "I've seen some of them here in the arena."

"Get as many of them as you can." Rue agreed. "I've seen nuts and pine cones in the trees. They're edible if you've got a decent cook." She grinned at Peeta. "And we've got you, so…"

Peeta chuckled. "Don't go too far."

Rue went to the trees and just went straight up the nearest one like a squirrel. Prim smiled up at her ally and went by the river. Peeta got to work on the entrance to their new cave, gathering branches and vines to create a concealment for the entrance-

A twig snapped behind him. Peeta spun instantly to face it. "Girls, RUN!" He shouted before he even saw what it was.

There was an explosion of noise from the bushes as Thresh emerged, lunging faster than Peeta's eyes could follow. Thresh missed the smaller blur up above as Rue leaped from one tree to another, heading for the river to join Prim.

Thresh didn't see Rue. Peeta thought as his hands came up. Would that matter?

Thresh was reaching for Peeta's throat, and Peeta caught his wrists. It was clear the bigger boy was improvising. He'd been waiting for a moment when he'd stepped on that twig unexpectedly.

Thresh knew Peeta was trying to flip him, and the two grappled for a moment, trying to force the other onto the back foot...

"Peeta! HELP!"

Peeta froze, releasing Thresh instantly. Prim?

Prim and Rue were down at the turn in the river. And Cato already had Rue by the throat.

Thresh saw it too. He suddenly forgot all about Peeta. "RUE!" He screamed, and for a moment, Peeta wondered if Rue had a sister too.

Katniss was bouncing off the walls, completely feral as the horror show played out on screen. Peeta and Thresh were suddenly allies, trying to get to the youngest competitors in the games.

She let out a breath when Cato tossed Rue aside. The smallest Tribute went rolling, and Prim hauled her ally up, the two of them running for cover. Cato didn't even look after them. Thresh was faster than Peeta, and hit Cato like a missile. The impact was heavy enough to make Katniss wince, even over the screen.

"Oh! Now that's a charge! Let's see that again on Instant Replay!"

"What's really amazing is that Cato seemed to be ready for it, Ceaser! There's no question this was a trap. Rue and Prim are already clear."

"Every District sends two Tributes. Using one to bait the other is a time-honored tactic, but you don't often see it this late in the lineup! Losing more than half the heavy favorites so quickly upended the usual patterns completely."

"There it is! Thresh is down! Cato baited him perfectly!"

"Wait! What is Peeta doing?!"

Peeta caught a glimpse of Rue and Prim going up a tree again, and hurried to the scene of battle. He got there just in time to see Cato move, quick as a rattlesnake, and deliver a right cross that Thresh practically charged into. The strike was so quick that there was no way Cato hadn't planned it to work exactly that way.

Thresh was stunned by the blow, seeing six of everything. Cato crowed happily, and drew his blade…

And that was when Peeta hit him. Cato had been expecting Thresh. He didn't expect Thresh to have help; and was caught off guard.

"He should have held back." Gale hissed. "He should have let Cato and Thresh soften each other up more."

Katniss shook her head, glued to the fight. "We agreed that Cato put everything into the first strike. Peeta avoided that by hitting him before he was done with Thresh. It's a straight fight now."

"A straight fight on rock and river." Gale added. "Peeta's a wrestler. First one to fall loses."

Cato was trying to swing at Peeta side-on. Peeta had hit him from the side, and he couldn't get enough force, swinging outward sideways instead of straight ahead. All he could do was jab. Peeta took half a dozen blows, but not enough to break his hold. Peeta finally got a grip on Cato's arm, and turned into it, enough to flip Cato over his shoulder, and flip him over hard. The rock they fought on was enough that Cato was concussed by the blow, eyes rolling in opposite directions.

Gasping for air, Peeta coughed, sniffing back the blood leaking from his nose. He looked left. Thresh was gone, vanished into thin air.

Peeta looked back to Cato, still alive, moaning incoherently. Peeta looked around, and picked up a rock. He looked up to the sky, and brought the rock down hard… an inch to Cato's left. Peeta looked back to the sky for a long moment. The Message was clear: I could have done it. I didn't.

Cato tried to reach up, and failed, the concussion making him vomit. Peeta turned the warrior over, so that he wouldn't choke. "Don't you die on me, big man." He told Cato. "We aren't finished yet, you and me."

Peeta rose and started moving, looking for Prim and Rue.

He didn't see what the cameras did. Thresh had not gone far.

Katniss was in a combat crouch, like she was ready to leap into the arena herself. "Don't fall for that! Don't fall for that!"

"He's falling for that." Gale was physically holding her back by the shoulder. "Thresh is stalking him."

"Trying to find his supplies, his allies… And he's going to lead the guy straight back to Prim." Katniss hissed. "And why the hell won't he just end Cato?! Two chances. District Twelve Tributes don't get one chance, usually."

"You know what I think?" Her mother commented. "I think Peeta believes he can't win the Games straight up. I think he's winning attention and supporters and Sponsors. I think he's doing what he does: He's crafting a story. An Underdog winning is good. A nemesis story? A tragic romance? A grudge match that everyone has a side in? That's something people will talk about. Nobody bets on the guy from Twelve; but Peeta's building an ending that will have people cheering him on, even if they wagered against him."

"He doesn't need to play on anyone's sympathies." Katniss objected. "Cato's the heavy favorite, and Peeta's had him cold twice. How does letting him go help Peeta survive?"

"I didn't say it would help Peeta survive. I said it would help him win." Her mother shot back.

"It's the Hunger Games. Surviving is winning." Katniss blinked, unable to process that.

"No, it isn't." Gale said quietly. "Not for Peeta."

It took Katniss a full ten seconds to work it out, reliving what he had told her before he left. And then she remembered a few days before, when she had said it herself: If Peeta opposed Prim's survival in any way, she'd kill him.

And Peeta surely knows that. Katniss sank into herself, suddenly overwhelmed with shame. "Oh no, what have I done?"

AN: Reasoning for this chapter: In the books, Cato wounded Peeta in straight combat, sword to knife. But that was when Peeta and Cato were both Tracker-Jacker stung, and Peeta was focused on protecting Katniss. In this fic, Cato and Peeta went hand-to-hand, with Cato distracted on another fight.

Also, in the books, you couldn't add messages to Sponsor Gifts, but Katniss was able to determine what Haymitch wanted from the gifts he sent. Messages were added to the movies for exposition. In this fic, we go back to no messages at all. You'll find out why in the future.

(And to be clear, it wasn't the same tree that Katniss was in, so dropping the nest wasn't an option.)

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