Johanna woke up from her fitful sleep, and found Peeta sitting beside the foot of her bed, head back; snoring lightly. She prodded him with her foot, and he came awake instantly.

"I knew it was you." She said softly. "By the second week, I knew we weren't Coin's top priority. I was convinced I'd have to wait out the whole war. And to be honest, I knew they'd kill me if the Front ever got that close; just to spite you. The second I saw Gale and Katniss in the door, I knew you'd found a way to get us to the top of the list, Silvertongue."

"Wasn't any fun without you." Peeta said softly. "Sorry I took so long."

She tried to sit up, and didn't succeed. She looked around the room again, as though looking for hidden spies. "Where's Haymitch?"

Peeta twitched, stung hard. She doesn't know. "He… died, getting the forcefield down."

She took it pretty well. Maybe there was a practical limit of how much grief she could feel. She patted the bed beside her. He didn't move.

She did it again, and he came over, slowly. He perched on the edge of the bed beside her, careful not to touch.

"You're wondering how damaged I am." Johanna said quietly. "You want to hold me so much I can feel your arms aching from over here, but you don't know what they did to me, and you're worried you might invoke some bad flashbacks if I felt another person's body on mine."

"The thought occurred, once or twice." Peeta admitted.

"That's a lie." She pounced. "I'm betting horror shows like that were all you could think about the entire time I was gone."

He thought about denying it, before he seemed to deflate. "...yeah."

"Peeta, I've been surrounded by predators since my first Games." Johanna drawled, her old swagger just barely visible for a split second. "Would this be any different?"

"You tell me, Jo. Is it?"

Johanna ran a hand over her bare scalp. "Could be you just don't want to get within reach of me, now that I went and got hideous."

"I don't think I've ever been happier to look at you, Jo." He said honestly, emotion making his voice quaver.

Johanna patted the bed again. "I can take it. If I can't, you'll be the first to know."

Peeta stretched out alongside her and put his arm around Johanna. She didn't freak out. In fact she rubbed her face against his collarbone for several seconds; breathing deep. He could feel her relaxing suddenly. He stroked her head, as though running his fingers through her missing hair. He did his best to avoid the abrasions and wounds; but there were so many of them. He also did his best to breathe shallow. To say she smelled bad would be a kindness; but he didn't care at all.

"Love is weird." Johanna said suddenly, out of nowhere. "And yours more than anyone else I know. Finnick and Annie? It's mutual. So mutual that it's limitless. How did you keep it alive when Katniss ignored you completely for so many years?"

"Same reason Snow made sure there was always a Victor in every Games." Peeta admitted. "Hope springs eternal."

"What about everyone else?"

"She can make friends."

"No, not Katniss. I mean you. You can tell Coin or Snow whatever you want, but if you ever did go out onto a battlefield, your crusade breaks at the sight of the first weeping widow, the first starving orphan. If Snow wanted to break you, all he had to do was target the weak and the helpless… and give you the blame. Because you'd take it, Peeta. You'd blame yourself before blaming anyone, including Snow."

"Coin knows it. She sends me to persuade people, and then she brings the hammer down in my name." Peeta admitted. "But it got you back, so it was worth it."

"That's your weakness. And it's why I love you." She coughed again. "That's my weakness. It's the only thing I have left. Only thing I still had room for, other than my hate."

"I love you too." Peeta whispered back, touched beyond words.

And even after everything, a small part of Johanna wondered if he really meant it. But that was quickly swept aside. "You were right." She said to him softly. "Far better to say those words in a place where we don't have to worry about being watched or recorded."

"We earned the right to say those words in freedom; where nobody would use them against us." Peeta held her tightly. "We earned it, Jo."

And neither of them saw the concealed camera; displaying every single word of this to Alma Coin.

Katniss sat with Gale whenever she was off duty, which wasn't often in Thirteen. Once both Gale and Johanna had recovered a bit, they never bothered with the curtain. The District Twelve Team, reunited again.

Which meant telling Johanna the truth.

"Seven is shredded." Peeta admitted. "The trees are still there, but they figure the casualty rate in the towns is well over eighty percent."

"Not much better in Twelve." Gale admitted. "They left the mine intact. We torched it ourselves; to stop the coal shipments. I don't know where they plan to get people to dig coal and cut lumber now, but-"

"Ohh, they'll find a way." Johanna groused. "I've seen the Capitol Machine. They just pick another thousand people 'suspected of aiding rebels' and send them to a labor camp."

Peeta couldn't help the nod. "You want to see Finnick?"

Finnick was broken. He'd coiled into himself completely, a twitchy mess in his bed. Annie hadn't left his side since he'd been returned. Annie was always fragile, to the point of being unstable at every second, ready to trigger on the most innocuous thing. But with Finnick back, she had gone into something of a zen-like calm. So calm that Johanna almost didn't recognize her.

Annie was holding Finnick from behind, spooning him against her with one arm, the other hand resting directly over his heart. She was crooning something to him quietly, unceasingly. Finnick was swaying with it, like she was an ocean siren, hypnotizing him peacefully.

Peeta wheeled Johanna down to the Psych Ward in a wheelchair. Mags was posted at the door to Finnick's room, not looking that healthy herself. She had reportedly been keeping everyone out, except to bring food and water. Mags saw Johanna and mumbled a welcome to the Victor. Apparently, Johanna was permissible. Peeta came in, but went no further than the door. Johanna struggled out of the wheelchair on shaking limbs.

Finnick saw Johanna, and his eyes focused, as he sat upright. The two of them could barely walk without help, but they fought their way to each other. They didn't speak a word, but Johanna reached out and held Finnick's battered face between her hands. Finnick returned the gesture; and brought her close enough that they rested their foreheads together, eyes closed. The two of them held each other that way for a long breath, before Finnick pulled back and coiled back into Annie again on the bed.

Annie rose from the bed and came over to Johanna. She didn't say a word either, but she gave Johanna a tight hug, a kiss on both cheeks, and then a shorter kiss on the lips. It was the most intensely emotional moment that Peeta had ever seen, and it broke his heart. Johanna nodded to Annie, as though they'd just had a long conversation, and she limped back to Peeta's waiting arms, almost falling over from the exertion of walking across the room to him.

Annie came over to Peeta, and put the little data chip in his hand without letting him see it. "You were right, Storyteller." She said in his ear. "He remembered me long after he forgot everything else."

Peeta nodded. "Whatever he needs for as long as he needs it." He promised. "But you should know-"

"I know about the propo." Annie whispered. "Don't worry. They don't put cameras in here. I don't think Thirteen cares that much about me or Finnick. This place runs on order. They don't think much of the mad ones."

"She seems to think you saved him." Peeta observed to Johanna once they were alone again in the hallways.

"They broke him." Johanna said quietly. "Lots of little pieces. All I did was make sure the pieces were all there. Putting them back together is up to them."

"What about you?" Peeta was almost scared of the answer.

She didn't answer for a long time, and he didn't expect her to. But after what seemed like forever, she gave him something. "We had adjoining cells. You can't keep yourself together in a place like that, because you have a front row seat to every bad thing you ever think. But you don't hear every bad thought someone else thinks about themselves. So it's easier to see hope in the other guy. They put me and Finnick in the same cellblock, and we basically kept each other sane. We couldn't do it for ourselves; but…" She shook her head. "He needs Annie. She knows more about putting the pieces back together than you or I ever will, god willing."

Peeta nodded. "Listen, I have to have you back in Medbay in another hour. You want to find a quiet spot without other people, until then? Just… us?"

Joana's eyes flashed. For a split second, she tried to play 'vamp' again, but it died quickly. "Peeta-" Then she saw the look on his face, and her eyes flicked down to his hand, where he was holding a familiar little device. The bedroom voice came easily then. "I was starting to think you'd never ask."

Peeta found a storage closet and the two of them slipped inside. Peeta opened his hand enough to work the jammer. "Gift from Plutarch."

"Plutarch." Johanna breathed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you he was our contact-"

"I knew when I needed to know. It wouldn't have made any difference." Peeta blew past that. "We have about ninety seconds. Do you feel up to one last con before you can rest?"

"What've you got?"

"I got the rescue approved because of Finnick. I told Coin if she wanted the dirt on Finnick's 'friends' she'd have to get him out and ask."

She swiftly understood. "All that dirt was the Capitol's great fear once they realized they couldn't control him. He told me Annie was free, and then they went to work on his memory. Finnick's brain is a punching bag, with the stuffing knocked out of it." Johanna shook her head. "Drugs, electroshock, beatings. I'm amazed he can remember anything at all. Coin's going to be disappointed."

Peeta held up the memory card. "Finnick's blackmail file. I told Coin it wasn't written down anywhere; but Annie had it the whole time. It was the only way I could get you out."

Johanna stared at him a moment, like she didn't recognize him, before she broke into a thrilled bleat that could almost have been laughter. She fell forward into him. It was like she was trying for a kiss but couldn't make her body aim straight enough to lean in. "Oh, honey; if I could move my body right; you'd get something special for that one."

"Glad you approve, but with Finnick in this state, there's no way he could hold up to them asking. How do we play this?"

Johanna took the memory card. "Leave it with me."

Johanna was declared 'ambulatory', which meant she could leave the Medbay if she came back for frequent checkups. She was given a wheelchair, and Peeta took her up to the War Room. There was a short round of applause as the two came in. Peeta noted that Coin wasn't applauding.

Once the preliminaries were out of the way; Coin got the point. "My people tell me that Finnick is in no shape to help with the 'other' matter." She said to Peeta. "While I'm glad to get them back, it's only a qualified success."

Wheeling herself up to the conference table, Johanna tossed a small bundle of notepapers towards Coin. "That'll help."

Coin took the pages. "What's this?"

"Everything Finnick told me while we were… held." Johanna reported. "Everything I could write down with broken fingers, anyway. You're right, Finnick's in no shape for relieving all that. But he told me a lot of it over the years. He'd never put it on Annie, and there was nobody else he could talk to except the other half of his 'cell group'."

Coin looked through the pages slowly. "This is accurate?"

"It is. Finnick's own exact words, in fact." Johanna said with a perfectly straight face. She'd handcopied the information on the chip precisely. "There should be a few propos in that for you. Give me some time to get my hands working right, and I'll have more pages for you. And when you've gone through all those, Finnick might have his marbles back enough to tell you the rest." Johanna gestured at the pages. "Finnick knew they were trying to beat what he knew out of his head. He told me, trying to keep it all straight. But in the meantime, let him heal a bit before you send him back to reliving all that… torment."

"He told you all this?" Coin was clearly dying to be convinced, already handing the pages around, but she was still wondering about the source.

"They don't soundproof their torture chambers, Madame President." Johanna said flatly. "They like us to hear each other screaming. Softens up the ground for when it's your turn. We had ourselves a few personal chats once the guards had worn their knuckles out for a day."

Coin had no comeback for that. "Well. We'll get right on that. Anything else you can remember that will help…" Coin bit her lip. "It has to be accurate. The whole point of releasing damaging information is that it has to be real. This isn't a Propo. It's an expose. If you're not 100% sure, don't bother. It has to be true."

"It will be." Johanna promised. "Trust me, the truth is bad enough without me making up more."

And then the Alarms went berserk. A concussion of noise and flashing red lights. Johanna let out a shriek before she could stop herself, reeling back enough to fall out of her chair. Peeta caught her tightly, and she thrashed automatically from the panic. Almost nobody noticed, spinning to their workstations.

Johanna took a few minutes to get under control, by which time Coin had made it to the PA. "All hands, report to the shelters! Incoming bombers!" She cut the microphone and turned to Peeta. "You too. You don't have a post up here."

Peeta was already spinning Johanna's wheelchair back to the elevators. "We're going."

The bombing was in its third hour, and fourth wave of distant explosions from above. The people were stoic, but every blast made the walls quiver, just a little.

Johanna hadn't moved an inch since Peeta tucked her in. Finnick was curled up in Annie's lap. Mags was sort of asleep, mumbling restlessly; casting about behind her closed eyes.

Katniss came over. "Gale's up at the War Room, believe it or not. He couldn't get back down after Evacing the Medbay. The War Room was the nearest shelter zone. So, I either pace the cage, or I watch my mom and your dad chat by soft lights in their bunkbeds."

Johanna snorted. "All in this together, Mockingjay." Her eyes clouded. "How many didn't make it in?"

"Hard to tell. This isn't the only bunker. I can't find Madge or my mom, so I hope they made it 'next door'." Katniss said flatly. "By the way, you know you're on, right?"

Johanna snorted again. Peeta pretended not to notice.

"I mean it. Everyone for five bunks in every direction is trying not to stare at you." Katniss pointed out. "Nerves are thin, Storyteller. Everyone's looking to you to know how scared they should be. Especially the Twelve Refugees."

"She's right. You're 'on'." Johanna nodded. "On one level or another, you always are now."

Peeta let out a breath slowly. "I got nothing right now." He admitted. Then, he almost smiled. "Well, one thing."

"Well it better be good." Katniss said quietly.

"Ohh, it is." Peeta said with a demonic grin, and rose from the bunk, pulling Katniss out into view with him. "So, it seems we have a few minutes until the Capitol gets tired of making noise. In the meantime, this is our first night off since I got to Thirteen; and this is no way to throw a party. Fortunately, we're lucky enough to have entertainment…" He grinned wider, dragging it out perfectly. "By any chance... Does anyone know the words to the Valley Song?"

Katniss squawked and tried to run, but Peeta was faster, pulling her back. "Ohh, no you don't, Mockingjay. You've got a literal captive audience, let'm hear what all the fuss was about."

The rest of the bunker laughed a bit, and those from Twelve started applauding. Katniss glared daggers at Peeta, but finally gave in. "Fine. I'll get you for this. Later." Katniss stepped out into the space between the rows of bunks. "That particular song was a favorite of Prim's. I haven't sung it since she died."

The bunker made noises of understanding, though Peeta looked physically struck by the idea that Katniss didn't sing that song anymore.

Katniss gave a nod to Peeta. "But as it happens, there's another one I know that has seemed appropriate since the war began. My father taught it to me. One of those songs that the Capitol didn't like to hear."

Katniss clapped the beat, and Peeta picked it up quickly. Katniss cleared her throat, and started to sing.

"The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone

In the ranks of death you will find him;

His father's sword he hath girded on,

And his wild harp slung behind him;"

Everyone was smiling at the old folk song. Nobody in Thirteen had ever heard it. Music wasn't a big part of their world. They were staring at Katniss like she was something from another planet. Something musical and enchanting, like the song was a magic spell.

"Land of Song!" cried the warrior-bard,

"Tho' all the world betrays thee,

One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard,

One faithful harp shall praise thee!"

Johanna's eyes flicked to Peeta, who looked… entranced. She had seen the Interview from his first Games. They all had. She knew what a song, from his brown-haired girl from the Seam, meant to Peeta in particular. And now she could see it; like Peeta was growing younger. Katniss' voice had sent him back in time to a day when he was a kid in school, falling in love. A world before the Reaping, before the War, before the moral nightmares and… And before he ever met Johanna.

And Katniss didn't even seem to notice that she was singing straight to Peeta.

The Minstrel fell! But the foeman's chain

Could not bring that proud soul under;

The harp he loved never spoke again,

For he tore its chords asunder;

Johanna was stricken by the thought. Even after everything, she was getting a tiny glimpse of the life Peeta would have had if any other name had come out of that bowl. A life where he was with Katniss.

And said "No chains shall sully thee,

Thou soul of love and bravery!

Thy songs were made for the pure and free,

And shall never sound in slavery!"

Ordinarily, it wouldn't get to her. But Johanna had been beaten up one way and beaten down the other for so long it was hard to remember when it started. She didn't have a single inch on her body that didn't hurt in some way, and her self-image was little bits of fake smiles she'd plastered on for a lifetime in front of the Cameras, playing for her life.

Katniss wound the song down, and everyone clapped. Someone called for another; and Katniss sent Peeta a grudging smile. "Another?"

The bunker cheered, and the sound of thundering explosions seemed far away.

Peeta retreated back to his bunk, settling in with a trembling Johanna. She didn't say anything. She wondered if he'd even noticed her scrutiny. She wondered if he'd even realized his automatic reaction to Katniss' song. He's still in love with her. At least a little.

She argued the thought with herself a moment. It wasn't like they'd broken up. The Capitol had taken away their chance, and now they both lived apart from the Capitol… And they were both with new people. If it wasn't for Gale and me, they might even have a chance. Is Gale a consolation prize to Katniss, or the natural result of what's happened in her life?

If it wasn't for the war, where would any of our little foursome be?

Johanna leaned closer to his steady warmth and spoke softly as Katniss started another tune. She whispered in Peeta's ear. "What does 'minstrel' mean?"

Johanna had never heard the word, but Peeta apparently knew. "Minstrels were performers who sang for the nobility in old King's Courts. The people who told stories of heroes and legends."

Johanna scoffed. "A War Song about Storytellers." She rasped. "Wonder what brought that to Katniss' mind?"

The bombing finally stopped. Katniss ran out of songs. Everyone slept.

Coin came over the PA finally. "After ten hours of negative contact, we believe the raid is over. Our casualties were moderate; but could have been much worse. There will be a memorial service at the next Shift Change. Special Ops, report to the War Room. Everyone else, schedules will be adjusted accordingly to make repairs and compensate for our losses. That is all."

"Such a warm, maternal influence she has." Peeta drawled to Johanna. "Special Ops includes me, I'm afraid; but I can settle you back in Medbay before I report in. With all these people, it'll take a while to sort us all out."

When they got to the Medbay, it was chaos. The wounded were thick and heavy. Johanna's doctor spotted them at the door and barked some orders at the triage teams; before coming over. "Peeta, there's no room for her. We lost people in the bombing. Too many to spare a bed for someone who can take a wheelchair. Johanna, we need to check your vitals as normal, but for now we don't have the space."

"She'll stay with me." Peeta said immediately. "You'll have to sign a discharge for h-"

"Later, when I'm not trying to stitch people back together." The Doctor waved them off. "Go!"

Effie found them on the way back to the elevators and started talking a mile a minute. "You're okay! I looked for you in the Shelter, but it was crowded, and ohmigod, it smelled bad; but you're okay and that's what's important; and they say Beetee's been able to crack the encryption on the Capitol, at least for short bursts; and Cressida is turning the top three Sub-Levels inside out looking for you, because they need to get you on screen saying that we survived, and Ceaser Flickerman's been broadcasting about the bombing for the last-"

"Effie!" Peeta interrupted. "What's wrong?"

Effie's lower lip trembled. Her eyes flicked to Johanna.

"I can take it." Johanna said from the wheelchair. "Spit it out."

"Madge." Effie said finally. "Madge was one of the people killed. She was helping out in one of the Medbays when the alarms went off, and… Thirteen is upside down that way. The most important places are down deepest instead of at the top level. The Refugees… Madge didn't make it to the stairwells in time when the alarms went off."

Peeta jerked like she'd hit him with a club. "Gawd, it never stops. The Butcher's Bill just keeps..."

"They dropped the bombs, Peeta. Don't you dare add her to your list." Johanna said seriously. "Especially now."

"She's right." Effie said. "They want you upstairs. They want a response to the attack broadcast fast, before..."

"Take Johanna to my quarters, will you?"

"Don't leave me alone with her." Johanna begged quietly enough that Effie didn't notice.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." Peeta promised.

Effie took up the handles on Johanna's wheelchair, and started pushing her along. Johanna looked up at her 'carer'. "You're different." She murmured. "Your face is different." She raised a shaking hand to run a finger down Effie's face. "Cinna's doing your makeup now?"

Effie flushed bright pink. "He offered. It's not like there's a lot of work for a stylist in Thirteen. I'm... just helping him keep his skills sharp."

"Is that what we're calling it now?" Johanna tried to 'vamp' again. It came out all wrong.

"...recapping our main story: The Capitol's best pilots have struck a major blow against the very heart of the rebellion, destroying the main stronghold of District Thirteen. The Traitorous Victors are presumed dead at this time. -(bzzt)- Our finest, bravest-(bzzt)- most skilled soldiers were able to evade heavy fire to deliver-(bzzt)- explosiv-(bzzt)-"

"This is Peeta Mellark, alive and well, in District Thirteen. Ceaser, tell Snow that if those were his finest, bravest, most skilled pilots? Then it's no wonder we're winning this thing. Citizens of Panem, we're one day closer to Victory. It's Our Arena Now!"

Beetee was still fading in and out a bit, and could only get control of the Capitol's screens for a few moments. But it was all the time he needed. Coin watched, pleased, as her people burst out laughing at Peeta's put down of the Capitol propaganda. "Well, now that we can hack the feed in the Capitol itself, we'd better figure out how best to make use of it. Get Mellark back in here."

Beetee settled back into his wheelchair, when Coin turned to him. "Gibbons, there's something you should know. And I'm afraid it's bad news."

Beetee looked at her. "Wiress."

Coin nodded. "Wiress has a habit of crawling the tunnels. Steam pipes, electrical-"

"She did it all the time back home." Wiress nodded. Then it hit him. "The tunnels. Not the bunker."

"She's alive." Coin said quickly. "But her carers are not, because they couldn't get her to come out and run to the shelter when the Bombing started. It took us several hours to dig our way in just to locate her. Wiress is… I'm told there's little we can do for her. She'll either snap out of catatonia, or she won't."

Beetee looked sick to his stomach. "May I see her?"

Johanna was trying to process the quiet. She was alone. Alone. For the first time in forever, she was unsupervised. Back in her Cell, she'd thought about how to kill herself before they came back for her next interrogation. She had nothing to try it with. Here in Peeta's quarters she had things with edges. She had a bedsheet she could tie into a knot…

It's not your cell. She reminded herself. It's a small room with concrete walls, but it's not the cell. Stop thinking about it, just because you finally have the chance. You don't have a reason anymore, so stop #$*& ^ thinking about ending it!

To distract herself, she stood up and walked around the room. It was slow going, but there was nobody with a schedule in here. And then the door opened, and Peeta walked in. "Hey. Sorry I took so long." He noticed her walking, leaning on the wall. "Looking good! You can walk!"

"I can stand, and I can lean on something. And you left me with Effie." Johanna scowled as turned and limped back to him. "There's nothing a dour person hates more than a bubbly person."

"Where'd you hide her body?" Peeta said, only half joking, looking around the otherwise empty room.

"It took some of my more creative threats, but she finally backed off." Johanna told him, legs starting to tremble. "It was the first time I've been alone in a room since my cell. I honestly don't know if it was great, or terrifying." She wrapped her arms around his neck as he scooped her up and carried her. "Give me the tour."

"You're looking at it. Your cell probably wasn't that much bigger." Peeta quipped. "I know it's not exactly the Capitol's finest Penthouse, but-"

"It's not the Capitol, so it's better than a penthouse." Johanna said shortly. "My oh my, the bed is awfully narrow, isn't it?"

"Yeah, well… On the way back from the War Room, I ran into your Doctors again. I told them I wasn't sure if you'd want your own space. The Doctors say no. They want you supervised. I figured you'd want privacy; given how long you've spent being watched by people-"

"You aren't people." She cut him off. "I'm happy to sleep on the floor if that's what it takes. Just keep the damn lab coats away from me." Stay in this room, Peeta; don't let me think about turning that bedsheet into a rope, don't let me think about it...

"You still trust me then?"

"I do."

"In that case, can I say something that'll make you wanna slap me?" Peeta took a breath. "Johanna Mason, my darling, my heart… Take a shower, will you?"

She shivered, retreating into herself. "I… I'll wash up. I promise."

"With a washcloth and a sink; like you did when covered in bandages?" Peeta guessed. "I convinced your nurses that you were just feeling weak and didn't want to risk slipping in the shower or getting the bandages wet. Now I'm thinking it's something else."

Johanna looked at the door. It was shut. She looked at the mirror and checked it. It wasn't fake glass, recording them. They were alone, and finally she confessed. "Water is what they used."

Peeta nodded, sympathetic. No pity. He told himself. She would hate that.

"They drowned me. They drenched me, zapped me, and drowned me, over and over and over." Johanna said stoically. "They weren't even asking me questions at that point. It was just them inflicting suffering for kicks. But… It's not that I'm scared. It's that I keep… Whenever I hear water running…"

"Yeah, I noticed."

"When?"

"In the shelter. A pipe got blasted open, and we heard water running, you were ready to puke until they locked it down."

Johanna gestured at the shower in Peeta's room. "I know it's not the same. And I know I have to. I'm offending myself every time I breathe in. But I just can't make myself stand under the water, Peeta." She wouldn't meet his gaze. "It makes me… remember."

Peeta took a deep breath, and held out a hand to her. "Last time we were alone together, it was the night before the Games. As I recall, the shower was the only place we felt safe to talk."

Johanna had tears in her eyes. Something she only showed him. "I want to get past it." She confessed. "But I'm… I'm…"

"Finish that sentence. I'll wait." Peeta said gently.

"I'm too scared." She bit out, hating it. "Gawd, I hate that."

Long fragile silence.

Peeta set her down on the bed and went to the bathroom door, and then he held out a hand to her. He could have carried her to the doorway, but he let her decide if she'd even go closer to the shower, let alone start it running. She stared at the extended hand like it was about to attack her, before her eyes went harder than stone, and she took it, following him in.

She wouldn't move a muscle at first. Her eyes locked straight ahead, and she turned herself to stone. Peeta ran the water gently until it was warm enough, then stood under the spray with her, fully clothed. She let out panicked whimpers as the water hit her spine; but she didn't move, didn't even seem to be breathing. She leaned against the wall like she was trying to stop the tiles from falling on her.

Peeta took the soap and cleaned her up carefully, respectfully; talking her through it with such a gentle voice that it felt like he was hypnotizing her. He did nothing without giving her three warnings in advance. She made one move only, turning away from the wall on rickety legs, both hands reaching out and making fists in his soaked shirt, holding onto him like a life preserver.

"You ready to get out?" Peeta said gently.

Her eyes flicked to his. "Keep going." She hissed.

Peeta picked up the soap again and did so, repeating the whole procedure. She moved a bit, this time, making it easier. She still treated the spray of water like the strike of a whip on her shoulders; but she let him wash her clean again, head to toe.

"Turn it off." She said when he finished. He did so immediately. She turned to face the showerhead with a deathglare, and didn't take her eyes off it while he took a towel and wrapped it around her warmly. "I don't like being weak." She mumbled.

"You told me what you were scared of, and why." Peeta led her out of the shower stall. "We just spent twenty minutes wrapped in your worst nightmares, and you think it makes you weak?"

Johanna said nothing to that. "Ruined your uniform."

"Worth it." Peeta said, peeling off the soaked clothes. He had dry ones in easy reach for both of them, but she still hadn't moved. "How do you feel?" He asked once she was dry.

Johanna looked at him like she was haunted by his ghost. Her legs were on fire from standing at rigid attention so long. "I need to lie down." She groaned.

Peeta scooped her up and carried her to the narrow cot. She was asleep before he pulled the sheets back. Even asleep, she still had a deathgrip on his wrist, and he settled beside her.

Peeta, still sitting upright against the wall, half perched on the edge of the cot, woke from a doze as Effie came in quietly, careful not to wake Johanna. "They want you in the War Room."

"Have the meeting without me." Peeta said quietly. "Don't wake her."

Effie retreated.

Ten minutes later, Effie returned. "They insist."

"I'm not leaving Jo." Peeta said simply. "Tell Coin I have absolute confidence in her decisions."

"You don't think that if I went and said that in a room full of Generals, it will sound the tiniest bit patronizing? I mean, coming from an eighteen year old boy who won't come out of his room?" Effie hissed, not liking the certain wrath Peeta was tempting.

"I'm. Not. Leaving. Jo." Peeta said quietly, not so much as shifting beside her on the bed.

Effie retreated.

A soft voice rose from beside him. "Hope you know what you're doing, Storyteller."

Peeta jumped. "Oh. Didn't want to wake you."

Johanna groaned and stretched. "I slept." She said, as if surprised. "I slept hard."

"You needed it." Peeta said softly. "How do you feel?"

Johanna thought about it. "I feel… Cleaner." She settled on finally. "Inside, too. Not enough, but more than yesterday."

"Good." Peeta smiled. "That's good."

Johanna was glad for the company, but needed to move a little. She would take short trips around his quarters, and lay back down when her legs got too rickety. She also went to the bathroom. On her second trip, she felt around behind the toilet tank for the pill bottle she had stashed there, stolen from medbay.

She opened the pill bottle for her next hit… Only to find the bottle was empty. Sometime while she slept, Peeta had found the stash, and likely flushed the whole thing.

I can't call him on it. She thought. But if I don't get the pills, I'm going to have to… Go without.

The idea made her break down sobbing. Her legs were still weak enough that she slid down the wall.

He knocked on the door, and came in quietly, giving her what space he could. "I had to."

"I know." Johanna sobbed. "The Capitol guys gave me meds while they were… Pain control, see. I thought that if I could endure long enough, then maybe they wouldn't notice if I hoarded the pills enough to…" She didn't finish that thought. "Now and then, I wonder if the Morphlings had it right. Dope yourself stupid and paint flowers on your skin. Wait out your life without being able to think of anything."

He held out a hand to help her up. She took it, pulling herself up, still trying to find her balance. She found herself tipping against him. He was warm and solid and just like she remembered. They were cheek to cheek for a moment, and she caught his scent, finally able to breathe past her own, if only for a moment.

Their eyes met, and her face changed as she planted a kiss on his mouth. It started out gentle, then grew hungry and desperate, until it was savage and half-crazed; and Johanna could feel his heart speeding up. Her own pulse had gone straight past lust and now was hammering in outright panic, and she tried to ignore it as his arms pulled her closer…

"WAIT!" Johanna pulled away from him suddenly, wrenching free; fists bunching in his clothes, nails digging into his flesh. She was gasping, then spluttering; then weeping wretchedly like she'd never feel anything else. Huge, wracking, sobs that made her whole body convulse; and even she didn't know which emotion was making her come apart.

Peeta was crying too, holding her tight. "What can I do? Tell me. Anything. What do you need?"

Marry me, was her first thought. Kill me, was the second.

"I need to sleep." She settled on finally. "Stay?"

Some time later, Johanna had settled, stretched out alongside Peeta in a cot too narrow for either of them. She was looking up at his face, fingers exploring his chin like she was trying to be sure he was real. "I do want to." She said quietly. "But then I think about… I wonder if I'll ever feel like myself again. Right now I'm a scarecrow covered in scars; and I feel like it, y'know?"

"I know. You're a long way from fully healed, Jo."

"I know. But some things… I wonder if I'll ever heal." She snuggled into him tightly. "I think about someone seeing me again, and I just… can't. Not yet. Not even you. 'Vamp' is my body armor, and I can't even look at myself in the mirror."

"Jo-han-na." He drew her name out, worshipful. "Your body armor was to protect you from your 'Clients', your 'fans' and the Capitol stars. One way or another, they'll never be a factor in your life. You'll never need to 'vamp' for anyone ever again."

Johanna looked up at him sharply. "Oh. Right." She actually burst into giggles.

There was a knock on the door. They both ignored it, and there was another knock, before it opened quietly, just a crack. "Peeta?"

"You can come in, Katniss." Johanna called, still sounding exhausted. "We're decent. Above average, in fact."

Katniss came in, with a small cloth bag. "For you." She said to Johanna.

Johanna took the cloth bag, and her nose twitched. Peeta could smell pine needles. Johanna was nearly crying as she pulled it close to her face. "Smells like home." She looked up at Katniss. "Where'd you get this?"

"Up on the surface. Now that I'm a war hero, I've been granted some liberty." Katniss pulled her head in. "And I'm apparently worth hearing about. Cressida has asked to take us back to Twelve. She wants some shots of us all there, telling our stories. You, me, Gale, even Jo if she can."

"I haven't been… cleared to leave." Johanna said roughly. "Peeta, you should go."

"I'm good here." Peeta's arms tightened around Johanna protectively. "Have fun, Katniss."

Coin watched the footage out of Twelve. It would help, but for all her sudden status, Katniss Everdeen wasn't the natural motivator that Peeta was. She still hated being on camera. Cressida was making it work, but Peeta's presence would have made all the difference.

"This is exactly what I was worried about." Coin snarled. "We got his girlfriend back, and now he's finished cooperating."

Plutarch tread lightly. "Ma'am-"

"We should have left her in there. He would have fought to the last breath." Coin said flatly. She thought for a moment. "Bring me Soldier Everdeen as soon as they get back."

"-sharing the burdens of war bravely! Hoarding food in a time of war is the act of a traitor! The Capitol's finest families are taking the lead in donating their (Bzzt) surplus to the (Bzzt) defence of-(Bzzt)"

"Are you, are you

Coming to the tree?

They strung up a man,

They say who murdered three.

Strange things did happen here

No stranger would it be…"

"Reporting as ordered, Ma'am." Katniss saluted as she arrived. Coin had not summoned her to the War Room, but rather to the Presidential Quarters. The only concession to Coin's status in Thirteen was an extra room in her quarters, where she had a study. Coin was reading a large paper book, something of a rarity in the Districts. Katniss could smell old paper, and wondered if the books had all been there since the Dark Days. It seemed likely.

Coin held up a finger for Katniss to wait, and then set the book aside. "Soldier Everdeen. You look good on television; but I've summoned you here for more than congratulations. How is Johanna Mason doing?"

"I… am sure I couldn't tell you anything the Medical Staff aren't reporting to you already, ma'am." Katniss blinked.

"Soldier Mellark seems to be less sure. He is withdrawing from his duties in order to care for her. Her doctors assure me it's the best thing for her recovery, but from the position of the war effort, she seems to have neutralized our Storyteller." Coin looked over. "Your actions during the Raid have made you something of an iconic figure yourself."

"All I did was come home alive, Ma'am." Katniss reported, trying madly to figure out the point of this conversation. "Cressida was the one that made sure I did so in a cinematic fashion."

"Mm. Nonetheless, until Peeta gets it through his head that it's safe to leave Johanna's side long enough to do his job, we may call on you to play into the role you have somehow adopted. We need heroes."

"I go where my commander feels I am most useful, Madam President." Katniss promised.

"And Peeta? Where is he most useful now?"

Katniss hesitated.

"I'm not asking you to betray intimate details, Soldier Everdeen." Coin assured her. "But you know him better than almost anyone in here, and it's no secret that you were the motivating force behind much of his public life. Tell me where his head is at."

"Peeta's strength is also his weakest point. Johanna told me that after a while, they didn't bother with any questions. They just kept her alive and suffering horribly. Because the more she suffered, the more Peeta will care about her." Katniss offered finally. "It's the only way he can forgive himself."

"Forgive himself for what?"

"For not being in the torture chamber in her place." Katniss reported. "Snow knew that. Johanna's pain is Peeta's now."

"So how do I get Peeta back in the war?"

"You don't." Katniss said honestly. "He'll never leave her side. Not for anything. Peeta's only move is to give everything he's got. You don't have anything he cares about more. At least, nothing you can leverage him with."

Coin stared at Katniss. More than paying attention, she was suddenly dissecting the girl from Twelve. "Maybe there's still one thing." Coin commented, mostly to herself.

Two days later, Peeta emerged from his room with Johanna long enough to eat. She was walking on her own now, but they still stayed together. They came down to the Mess Hall and lined up, and Peeta looked around automatically. He didn't say anything, but Johanna knew what he was looking for. "Hey, Trinket." She said as they sat down with their trays. "Where's Gale and Katniss?"

"You didn't hear?" Effie was surprised. "Their Unit got sent to District Two."

Peeta was about to take a bite and the spoon dropped from his fingers. "When did this happen?"

Effie didn't want to answer for a long moment. "Shortly after the meeting-"

"-the meeting I refused to go to." Peeta said it with her. "Hell."

"Countermoves." Johanna nodded. "You better get up there."

"Jo…"

"Those two were on the team that hauled me out of that hellhole." Johanna said seriously. "If Coin's sending them to the Front as a way of punishing you for not being on camera when she snaps her fingers-"

"I know, I know. But they've already shipped out."

"So go after them." Johanna said simply. "It's the whole reason they were sent. Coin's waiting for you to ask. If you don't go, what will Coin do with them next?"

"What can I do in a warzone?"

"Something." Johanna said, as though it was obvious.

"Something?" Peeta was incredulous.

"Something." Johanna barked.

"Something." Peeta surrendered and stood up.

Johanna got up too. "Wait." She pulled him in for a kiss that made Peeta's hair stand on end. Effie squwaked automatically, scandalised, as Johanna seemed to be trying to eat his face off. The kiss went on for five straight seconds. Someone in the mess hall catcalled, and everyone laughed. Seven seconds. Ten.

It was mostly for show, because there were other people in the room, and none of them knew about her breakdown the last time their lips met; but Johanna had to admit, it felt good to kiss him again. She broke the kiss, and rested her forehead against his. "Just in case you had stupid ideas about not coming back. I can shower again now; as long as you're there. When you return, maybe we'll do something filthy as a way to celebrate."

"I'll keep it in mind." Peeta said hoarsely, and walked in a daze towards the elevators.

"...assures us that the rumors are false. District Two has successfully repelled a sustained attack by Rebel forces. The victory has inspired a new wave of volunteers in the District, as our patriotic citizens sign up for the Peacekeeper Forces, in addition to (Bzzt) those given the privilege (BZZT) of compulsory service-"(BZZT!)

"This is Katniss Everdeen, speaking from the Justice Building of District Two. This area was a Medical Unit twenty minutes ago. Rebel Medics were treating District Two civilians. The Capitol Forces did not evacuate the infirm and the elderly to their Central Command Base. Our people offered food and care; hoping to win converts to our cause. The Capitol just blew it off the map. There will be no survivors. The only Rebels present were Doctors. This is what the Capitol calls 'peacekeeping'; and it is nothing but fire raining down. But If We Burn, You Burn With Us!"

Author's Note: Reasoning on this chapter: Without the 'cult' forming around our hero this time, Johanna isn't Jacked (See last chapter's comments) so their main focus is on Finnick. In the Canon, Katniss went to Two because she had to get out of Thirteen, and away from the Jacked Mess that used to be her Peeta.

In this fic, Peeta has the opposite reaction, and plants himself next to Johanna like a tree; and ignores the war completely.

In the Canon, the whole third book was a battle for control between Katniss and Coin; except that Katniss didn't want control, only revenge. Peeta has no interest in vengeance; and so his 'game' with Coin goes in a whole other direction. In the Canon, Katniss would have realized Coin was a problem, if only she could have seen past Snow.

In this fic, Peeta has no 'grudge' beyond the same thing everyone feels; so he's aware that Coin is the bigger threat to him and Jo right now. This chapter is Coin's counter-move.

That said, Two is the decisive battle of the war, so Peeta had to be there; except that he's arriving late to the party.

I also wanted to build Katniss up a bit. The main criticism of this fic is that I keep talking like Katniss is central to the story, but she'd been sidelined for several chapters. That was necessary to the plot. In the Canon, half the reason Katniss couldn't let go was because she always felt like she owed Peeta something she'd never be able to pay back. She didn't like owing, but the only thing Peeta wanted from her was love; something she wasn't willing to give anyone.

In this fic, Katniss feels like she's paid him back by being on the Rescue Team. Both at the Arena, and for Johanna. So here, Katniss and peeta are square; and that means they can be equal now; with each other; and to the War, since he's the 'voice' and she's the 'war hero'.

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