We Didn't Start The Fire
by FanficAllergy & RoseFyre

oOo

Chapter Four: On Your Mark

oOo

Last Time in We Didn't Start The Fire:

I don't have a lot of time to consider the greater implications of what the doctor's told us because the brown haired nurse returns, a tablet in her hands. "I have the DNA results." She looks up at me. "Congratulations, Mr. Mellark. You're going to be a father."

oOo

I sit down heavily, my hands still holding Gale's and Katniss's.

I'm going to be a father.

I mean, I knew I was going to be a father, but to have it confirmed that the baby is mine, really mine, that it's really real... I'm just overwhelmed.

Katniss is having my baby.

I glance up at Gale and immediately feel a stab of guilt rush through me.

Our baby, I correct myself internally.

Katniss is having our baby.

I'm sure the nurse didn't mean anything by it, but I'm afraid that this little piece of news is going to tear at our family. In some ways, it would be better if we didn't know. Jealousy is a horrible thing. I've seen what it does to a family firsthand. My father never stopped loving Violet and my mother never forgave him for that. He tried to be a good husband, but even so, my mother could never reconcile that he was being honest with his affections towards her. And her insecurities carried over to the rest of us.

I can't let that happen to my family. Not again. I won't. I look up at the brown haired nurse and get to my feet, removing my hands from my spouses'. "We're going to be a father," I say, pointing to my husband and myself. "Gale and me. Both of us are going to be this baby's father."

The nurse blinks at me in confusion. "But the test results are clear!" she protests. "The baby's yours, Mr. Mellark. Genetically!"

"It doesn't matter," I tell her, shaking my head. "He's ours. All three of us."

"That's not how this works! It's not how any of this works!"

Katniss sits up, pushing the doctor away. "It's how it works in our family." She glares at the other woman as if daring her to say any more.

I turn and smile at her. I'm grateful for the assist. I know Katniss is worried about how jealousy will affect our marriage too. She's always been worried about it. I admit that Gale's and my initial rivalry didn't do much to alleviate that concern. But we worked past it. We created something good. And now, with this revelation, I can't help but be afraid that our carefully built happiness is about to be tested.

I feel Gale's hand clasp my shoulder. "Congrats, Peet. Looks like you got another first."

I turn slightly to see that his smile is real, genuine. I ask him with my eyes if he's really okay with this.

His gray eyes crinkle slightly. Yes, he is.

I feel a rush of relief. "So we're tied then." I keep my tone light.

"I can't believe you guys are keeping score," Katniss says, shaking her head.

"We're not, really," I tell her.

She raises an eyebrow.

"Okay, I guess we are."

"But we don't mean anything by it, Catnip," Gale breaks in. "It's not like we're gonna break into a fist fight in your hospital room over who's got the bigger dick or whose little swimmers got there first."

"You better not," she grumbles. "I'll shoot the both of you."

Gale and I share a grin. The crisis is mostly averted. We're still going to have to have a talk later, but that's better saved for someplace more private.

The rest of Katniss's tests are anticlimactic. After the excitement of seeing our son move and the revelation that I'm our baby's biological father, nothing else can really compare.

It's still morning, but for some reason it feels like it's already been a full day and, if I'm being honest with myself, it has been.

I'm not the only one feeling that way. Katniss is starting to show signs of needing to escape and while Gale is better at hiding it, I'm sure he feels the same way. I know I do.

"Maybe we should talk to Boggs, see about going hunting," I suggest.

Gale looks over at me gratefully. "They did say we could do that."

"Yeah they did," Katniss agrees, a real smile of relief crossing her features. "I can't wait to get a bow in my hands."

The doctor cuts in. "You're going to have to wait a bit longer, Ms. Everdeen. I'm afraid, this close to your delivery date, you shouldn't risk anything that might cause premature labor."

The smile on my wife's face falls away and her ever present scowl returns. "But I'm fine! You yourself said I'm surprisingly healthy!" She glares at Dr. Andrews. "Why can't I go outside?"

"We just can't risk you or the baby," the man answers. "I'm sure you understand." His tone is crisp, like the reason is obvious.

It isn't. Not to me and definitely not to Katniss.

"No! No, I don't!" she protests. "I was hunting two days ago! Alone! In the woods! Where bears live! I'm sure it's much safer here!"

"I'm sure it is too, but as your physician, I cannot and will not allow you to put your life and the life of your unborn child at risk with your selfish need to go gallivanting through the woods."

I'm unable to stop myself from wincing. Katniss is going to kill the man and I'm not that far behind. "Would talking to President Coin, having her permission, change your mind?" I ask.

Dr. Andrews shakes his head. "You can talk to the president all you want. It's still not going to happen. The life of the baby is of the highest priority here in Thirteen." He tries to give a comforting smile to us. "As soon as you recover from the birth, I'm sure you'll be allowed to go outside, Ms. Everdeen. Naturally the baby will stay in the nursery where it's safe, but you can go outside with your husbands." He pauses for a moment. "I would not object if your husbands wanted to bring something from the outdoors in to you," he offers in what I'm certain he thinks is a gentle tone of voice. "I would allow it if that would make you feel better, so long as I was able to examine the object for any harmful substances prior to your receiving it. It's the best I can do, Ms. Everdeen."

I see it for the olive branch it is. The doctor isn't trying to make our lives more difficult, even though he's managing to do so anyway. He's just very focused on one goal: healthy babies.

He's the first person in Thirteen who hasn't batted an eye at our relationship, and he's the first who's accepted us unconditionally. Dr. Andrews might not be our favorite person right now, but we can't afford to alienate anybody who's at all in our corner while we're on essentially hostile ground.

Katniss looks over at Gale and me. I can tell she wants to fight but she's not sure if she should. We've talked about how we need to be in this together while we're in Thirteen, and after Gale's explosion yesterday, we shouldn't waste our time and political power on battles we stand no chance of winning.

I take her hand. "Thank you for being willing to compromise as much as you are," I tell the doctor. "I understand that you're just trying to do what you feel is best for our child."

"And for your wife," the doctor cuts in.

"And for our wife. Maybe we can try to figure something else out for the future, armed escorts or maybe Katniss's mother accompanying us. She is a healer, you know." I pause, trying to figure out how to explain to this man why being able to go outside is so important to us. "I just - we just feel that confining Katniss would be more harmful than helpful and might cause our baby undue stress. She's not, as I'm sure you're aware, the typical woman from Thirteen or even the other districts." I'm deliberately not fighting, but I am trying to break through Dr. Andrews's stubbornness.

The doctor does seem to consider it. He turns to Katniss and asks, "Is it true that you've been living out in the wilderness all this time?"

She nods her head. "That's what I've been trying to tell you!"

"If your mother's a healer, what restrictions did she place on you?"

"No lifting anything heavy, no running, have to stay within earshot of the cave or somebody else, and no eating or drinking anything unless I clear it with my mother first." Katniss ticks the restrictions off on her fingers.

The doctor nods his head. "We can discuss this, but I wouldn't want you to go very far from the opening. And I want to get the rest of your test results back first, including your fasting bloodwork. Then, maybe, we can reconsider."

"How long will that take?" Katniss asks intently.

"For all of the tests we need to run? About a week."

"Any way we can do it faster?"

Dr. Andrews shakes his head. "Five days is the fastest we can go. Some of the tests take time."

"Just… do it as fast as you can."

"We can start the first round of tests tomorrow morning," he tells her. "No eating or drinking anything other than water after seven pm and you come here first thing in the morning, before doing anything else, to provide blood and urine samples. Oh, and no intercourse until the tests are done, assuming you're still having intercourse." We are, not that we want to talk to the doctor about it. Dr. Andrews goes over to a screen and types something in. "I've updated your schedule to reflect this."

"Schedule?"

The doctor holds up his arm to show the schedule printed in purple ink. "It should have been in the welcome packet you were given, but since you said you haven't received one, you might want to talk to somebody else about how things are done here in Thirteen. I have another patient to see and I don't want to get too far behind."

I reach out to shake the man's hand. "Thank you for all of your help. We'll be sure to be on time next time."

He snorts. "You'd better."

oOo

It must have gotten out that nobody showed us how Thirteen works, because the rest of our day is spent with President Coin's aide, James, who walks us through how Thirteen does things. He explains terms that have a different meaning to us, like Reflection. Which is apparently an hour's worth of time when we're supposed to think about the day's events or just cool down that apparently most people in Thirteen use to take naps or explore interpersonal relations - James's words, not mine.

He also shows us how to access our weekly and monthly schedules, and I note several doctors' appointments have been written in for Katniss, including one on May 16th labeled "Inducement." I make a mental note to find out what that means, but it sounds ominous.

On all of our schedules, we have listed the word "Training" and the location where it's supposed to take place. Not that it helps any, since I still have no idea where I'm going. James shows us how to get directions for any of our appointments, which requires us to hold our pre-printed schedule underneath a scanner in one of the hallways. Good. I don't have to remember where everything is. He explains that there are no maps for security reasons, which I suppose I understand. Coin is that paranoid, and I bet there are several places hidden here in Thirteen that she doesn't want anyone finding out about.

We ask James to work in several outdoor excursions. The man makes a face, but slots in two hours outside tomorrow. Unfortunately, Katniss can't come. It's during her morning doctor's appointment, and then there's Dr. Andrews's restrictions.

Gale looks over at Katniss. "We don't have to go," he offers. "We can wait for you."

Katniss shakes her head. "No, you need this too. Just…" she trails off.

I can sense her disappointment so I reach out and clasp her hand. "We'll bring you back something green."

She smiles at me. "Thanks."

The following morning, we say goodbye to Katniss and head out. Gale picks up his bow and quiver from the guards stationed near the entrance. They offer me one of the bows and I wave it away. It still bothers me that I can't use a bow, but there's no point in me even trying. Instead, I grab a gathering bag and a hunting knife. I'm not about to go out unarmed in a strange wilderness. My spouses have taught me that.

Gale and I quickly move away from the entrance, looking for a location where we can have our talk. There's only so much you can communicate non-verbally.

We find a fast-moving stream and sit down beside it. It's not our river or the two streams that flow into it, but it's the closest place we've found around here that reminds me of home.

"So what'd you want to talk about, Peet?" Gale reaches over and takes my hand.

"How are you doing?" I ask, getting straight to the point.

"Fine?" he answers. "Frustrated that Katniss can't be out here with us, annoyed at people not understanding that, no really, all three of us are married, happy to be outside, and a little horny." He waggles his eyebrows at me. "How about you?"

I laugh at the last bit. "Pretty much the same, except for that really wasn't what I was asking."

"Then spit it out."

I take a deep breath and plunge in. "Are you okay about the baby?"

"What about the baby?" Gale sounds confused.

"That - what that nurse said." I squeeze his hand. "About the baby being mine. Mine biologically."

Gale gives me a look. "You think that matters?"

"Not to me, but…" I trail off, words failing me.

"It doesn't matter to me either. This is our kid, Peet, our son," he tells me, squeezing my hand gently. "Just because your little swimmers managed to beat mine, which considering how you can kick my ass is not that surprising, doesn't mean I'm gonna love this child any less." He pauses. "That I'm going to love you any less."

"The next one's yours, I promise."

"Aren't you listening to what I'm saying?" he asks, his voice intent. "It doesn't matter. Not to me. Besides, it's not our decision to make. Katniss might not want to have another kid."

I nod my head. He's right: it is Katniss's decision if we're going to have more children. She's the one who has to carry them and has to give birth to them. Becoming parents affects all of us, but it affects her the most.

"I want to give him your last name," I blurt out suddenly.

"What?"

"I want to give him your last name," I repeat. "I want him to have something of yours."

Gale squeezes my hand again. "You sure?"

"I know we haven't talked about it, but yeah, this is what I want."

"So long as Katniss is okay with it, I'm okay with it." He leans over and kisses me. "Thanks, Peet."

I reach up and take his face in my hands. "I just… I want you to know how much I love you. How much I love both of you. I mean, Katniss is easy. You and me?"

Gale cuts me off. "I get it. Love you too. Just 'cause these assholes don't understand how we work doesn't mean that I don't. I married both of you, and I wasn't just doing it because I wanted to bone Katniss. I love you, Peet. Just because we don't fit their definition of love doesn't change how I feel about you."

I lean over, wrapping my arms around my husband. He puts his arms around me and we stay that way for a while, just listening to the sound of the stream and feeling each other's beating hearts.

oOo

"Come in, come in!" Fulvia greets us effusively. "We have so much to cover! How are you settling in?"

"It'd've been nice if we'd gotten the transient handbook we've been told so much about," Gale grumbles.

"Oh but that doesn't apply to you! You're the Mockingjays!" she exclaims in a perky voice. "You're not going to be peeling potatoes or doing the laundry. You're not just the rank and file! You're not him." She motions towards Neil, who's apparently been assigned to be our guard and protection in Thirteen. "No offense, darling."

Neil waves her comment away.

"Still. The guide would have been useful," Katniss says. "How were we supposed to know about schedules and appointments? We're not mindreaders!"

"Speak for yourself," I tease. "Personally, I find it very boring to hang out in people's minds. That's what attracted me so much to my husband and wife here, I couldn't get a read on them at all."

"You're just like Edward!" Fulvia squeals, clapping her hands. She turns to Gale. "Which makes you Jacob!" She then regards Katniss with a happy smile on her face. "And you're Bella! Only you've chosen both of them! Oh, I wish Twilight had ended like this! I always hated the ending, you know!" she tells us with a little shudder. "Super creepy! But Finnick really was a wonderful Edward, don't you think?"

"Oh absolutely," I say, playing along.

"Finnick Odair is one of Peet here's favorite actors," Gale stage whispers to Fulvia. "Asked for the whole Magical Moments boxed set for his birthday." He winks at me.

I stick my tongue out at him. It's a bit of a running joke between my spouses and me that I have a Finnick Odair obsession. I don't. I find his movies hilariously bad and I feel a lot of secondhand embarrassment for the handsome Victor. But I don't mind the teasing. It's just one way that my emotionally constipated spouses show me that they love me.

Fulvia apparently completely misses Gale's teasing tone because she replies to him with, "I got that for New Year's last year!" She pouts slightly. "Unfortunately I had to leave it behind when I fled the Capitol. Otherwise, I'd love to watch it with you."

"Maybe after we win this war." I'm a bit amused that Fulvia is such a Finnick Odair fan, but I really shouldn't be that surprised considering the Capitol's obsession with him. However, I'm glad that my teasing comments got us another person in our corner. Now that she equates us with the Twilight trio, she's less likely to want to separate us. I suppose that makes up for her abominable taste in movies.

Fulvia sighs. "Yes, yes, you're right. We have so much to do. I think the first thing we need to discuss is your appearance. This," she waves her hands, indicating all three of us, "won't do. You're all too… dirty. Rugged, don't get me wrong, but our audience would respond better to something softer. More refined."

"I don't do refined," Katniss says.

"We'll work on that, dear." She smiles at my wife. "Besides, you're not the problem. No, no, it's the boys that need the most refinement."

"What do you mean?" Gale asks.

"Well, that hair. Those beards. Those eyebrows! They're all far too hairy and haphazard. It's like you haven't trimmed or sculpted them at all, just let them grow in willy-nilly."

I can tell Gale's struggling not to laugh in Fulvia's face. "Well, we have been living in the wilderness for a year."

"And it shows! No one is going to recognize you as Sweetgale Hawthorne-"

"Gale!"

"Right. My apologies. No one is going to recognize you as Gale Hawthorne. Rebel. Inspiration. With a bird's nest on his face." She turns to me. "And you. And you, the pictures we have of you, my darling Peeta, are of a sweet curly-haired cherub and sitting before me I see a rugged mountain man."

"Thank you? I've worked hard to become so."

"I know. Survival and all that. But what this rebellion needs are inspirations everyone can relate to." The woman is gesticulating wildly and I watch her hands fluttering with a bit of fascination. "I'm sure your haven't-shaved-in-months look will be a big hit in the wilds of District Seven or the fishing crews of District Four, but it will offend the order of District Two and the glamour of District One."

Gale scratches at his beard. "Don't we want both?"

"We do. Of course we do. But, looking at the big picture, there are certain districts that are, well… more strategic than others."

"And I take it District Four and District Seven aren't strategic?" I ask pointedly.

"Exactly!" She pauses for a moment. "Now, District Two has the largest military force other than the Capitol. As for District One, it's nearest to the Capitol and cannot be underestimated."

"So what other districts are of strategic importance?"

"Well, all of them, to some degree," she admits. "But in order of importance after Two, we really need District Six, as it's the nearest district to Thirteen," she tells us. "And then Districts Three and Five are also quite important, as are Districts Eleven, Ten, and Nine."

"Where does Twelve fall on the list?" Gale asks.

"Unfortunately, District Twelve… it does come in last. Only because of its size!" she hastens to explain. "Your district is the smallest district and the most removed from the Capitol's influence."

I wince. "That also means it's the most expendable, doesn't it?"

The woman shakes her head. "Not to us. Never to us. To the rebellion, each innocent life is as important as the next!"

That's a lie.

Fulvia believes what she's saying, but I have no doubt President Coin would happily sacrifice District Twelve if it meant winning her rebellion. I think that's going to be our next fight, to save the people of District Twelve. I have no idea how successful we're going to be.

"But returning to my initial point," Fulvia says. "I think we need to do something about your appearance, to bring you back to the images we all remember and give you a little special something that will make you even more special in the eyes of the people."

"Like what?" Katniss asks.

"A full body wax, for one," she answers, looking over my wife with a critical eye. "My dear, you are far too hairy. And a little bit of eye makeup, I think. And your lips. And, oh, I would just love to pierce your ears! And maybe a tattoo."

"Um, ma'am?" Neil cuts in. "I think you might want to keep it simple. That sounds a bit Capitol to me."

"Oh you're right you're right you're right you're right!" Fulvia gushes. "Of course. Forgive me. Old habits and all." She makes a vague gesture of absentmindedness.

Neil smiles at her. "It's quite alright, ma'am. I do think that the beards are a bit much, though. They're not allowed here in Thirteen."

"That is an excellent point, Soldier Hayes," she beams at the young man before turning back to Gale and me. "We must also have you appeal to the people here in Thirteen."

"So I'm guessing that we're shaving?"

She nods. "As soon as possible."

"I guess we know what we're doing tonight," Gale murmurs over at me ruefully.

I nod my head, wincing internally. Removing several months' worth of hair is not a task I'm looking forward to. But their point is well-made, and it's not worth fighting over, and even Katniss can understand the need to be more presentable.

Gale says, "I suppose I get why you want us to be your Mockingjays, but you'd think you'd want somebody who was, I don't know, more well-known. Someone who's been on TV, who's been spreading rebellious words. We're just a bunch of nobodies."

Fulvia sighs. "True, you aren't ideal. But as much as we'd love to have someone who publicly defied the Capitol in something like the Hunger Games or on the Victory Tour, it just wasn't going to happen and you're really our best shot."

"And I guess the rush is because of the illness?" I ask carefully.

"Well not just the epidemic that happened several years ago in Thirteen, but also the recent influenza epidemic," she confirms. "The Capitol really mismanaged its resources, and there are several districts that are quite devastated by the Capitol's indifference. They're ripe for rebellion, they just need a little push." She mimes pushing something.

I tilt my head. "And the Quell announcement wasn't enough?"

"Not completely. It was another stick of fuel for the fire, a large one even, but what every rebellion needs is a spark. And you, my darling Mockingjays, are that spark." She spreads her arms wide to include all of us. "You just need a little bit of tinder and some tender care and you'll soon be a full-grown bonfire, sweeping Panem and cleansing it of the filth of the Capitol!"

I refrain from pointing out that Fulvia herself used to live in the Capitol. I can see that Gale is struggling to do the same.

"I guess I get it?" Katniss says. "But you mentioned the Hunger Games. What about this year's Victor?"

"Taylor Paylor? What about her?"

"Why not use her? She's obviously a winner from an unusual district, those don't come along all that often," Gale points out. He's right; with a name like Taylor, she has to be from Eight. They don't win the Hunger Games that often.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Hawthorne, I'm afraid that Taylor would be unusable."

"Unusable? Unusable how?"

Fulvia sighs. "Well, I think you'll just have to watch the Games so that you can understand."

Katniss's face goes hard. None of us want to watch the Games, and we thought we'd escaped watching children die when we fled District Twelve.

We were wrong.

oOo

The viewing room is small and entirely gray concrete, just like everything else in District Thirteen, from the clothes to the food. I'm starting to hunger for color.

Fulvia is with us, as are Neil and President Coin's aide James, who, we've learned, has the unfortunate first name of Topsy, a name he clearly does not want us to use.

Fulvia is bouncing in her seat while both James and Neil look dour. We're lucky. We only have to watch the three hour recap and Taylor's final interview with Caesar. But even three and a half hours is too much.

I feel Gale reach down to clasp both Katniss's and my hands. This is going to affect our husband the most; he was supposed to have been in these Games and only because he had the forethought to run, did he survive. We've only had two Victors in District Twelve, so even though Gale is strong and a good hunter, the odds, to quote Effie Trinket, were not in his favor.

When Fulvia's ready, she starts the tape, and we brace ourselves for the worst.

The footage starts as it always does, with a highlight of Reaping Day. The tributes look a lot like every other year of tributes, but I notice there seems to be an odd time skip in both District Five and District Twelve's Reapings. Based on the clothing and the way the camera is angled, the male Reaping for District Five appears to be taking place on a whole different day from the female Reaping, while District Twelve's Reaping for the boys takes place at night, when it's clear that the female Reaping happens in the early afternoon.

"What's up with the time skips?" Katniss asks.

"To the best of our knowledge, they only chose to show the actual Reapings for those people who ended up in the Games," Fulvia explains, pausing the tape. "District Five had a similar situation to District Twelve, where a dead tribute was called initially for the girls, and there they had to wait for a solution. For the boys, it was much more complicated. The initial tribute for District Five, Coil, died enroute to the Capitol and a replacement Reaping took place a few days later."

"That poor kid," Gale says. "Probably thought he was safe. He looks like he was older."

Fulvia nods. "He was. Eighteen."

"Fuck. That's messed up."

Gale gets no argument from me.

"What about Twelve?" I ask.

"Well as you know, Gale here was called initially. According to our sources, they then conducted a very thorough search of the district before concluding that you'd escaped your cage," Fulvia explains. "By the time the search was finished, it was already night, so they did what all the other districts did when they had a dead or otherwise ineligible tribute and drew another name."

"Who was called for the girls?" Katniss asks.

"I'm assuming you mean originally?"

My wife nods. "Yes."

"Delly Cartwright."

I feel Gale's hand squeeze around mine. Delly was a friend. She was everyone's friend. Nobody hated Delly. She, along with Madge, were probably my two best friends in all the world. She'd been part of our bad movie group and she'd let me stay at her house a lot more than she needed to, just so that I could get some relief from my mother. She'd also managed to bridge the whole merchant/Seam gap and was dating a man, Thom I think, for the last few months before school closed and she died. I wonder inanely what Thom's doing now.

Fulvia unpauses the tape and the Games go on. They briefly show the parade, and I note that District Twelve is dressed in the typical miners' costumes from the year before. No one's going to notice Buster or Nancy. Not like it matters. They're both so young. They don't stand a chance.

It's during Caesar's interview that we finally get introduced to the tribute that would go on to win. Taylor Paylor is a pretty girl, but very monotone. She's got straight medium brown hair and unremarkable brown eyes. Her skin is nice, but it's the same shade of brown as her hair. Her stylist has clearly tried to give her some color, but instead of playing up the warmth in her skin with rich earthy colors, they've used insipid pastels, which do nothing for her. My artist's eye winces in sympathy.

She seems nice, if a little afraid, but absolutely nothing she says is memorable. In fact, the most memorable interview is with the boy from Six, Spork, who is clearly so excited, he just runs out into the audience to start giving everybody hugs.

Once he's corralled back to the stage, Caesar says, "Looks like you really like it here in the Capitol."

"Oh it's great! Me and Chewy are having the best time!" He holds up a little stuffed dog, indicating that it's the Chewy he's speaking of.

Beside me, Fulvia murmurs, "We found out later that he was encouraged to volunteer. He was from the Community Home and developmentally delayed. Poor boy had no idea what was in store for him."

"And the Capitol allowed it?" I ask.

Fulvia shakes her head. "It's not against the rules."

"But he had no idea what he was signing up for!"

"It's an unfortunate occurrence, one we've seen a few times in the past. It's just one more reason why this rebellion must succeed."

For the first time since we came to District Thirteen, I find myself in agreement. People not in their right minds shouldn't be taken advantage of like that. I'm angry at District Six for pushing Spork into volunteering. I'm angry at the Capitol for allowing it. What happened wasn't right and it just shows that desperate people do unspeakable things in their desperation.

It's unsurprising perhaps that the first death of the 74th Hunger Games is Spork. Before the countdown finishes, the poor kid drops the stuffed dog he's still holding and immediately jumps after it. The smile on his face never leaves until the moment it's disintegrated by one of the buried mines.

The bloodbath is brutal, as always. The two tributes from Nine, Gera and Theresa, go down next, killed by the big hulk of a beast from Two. Taylor gets a kill, knocking Moira, the girl from Four with the withered arm, on the head with a rock before grabbing her pack and running away. Poor little Nancy, Delly's replacement, dies next, killed by the male tribute from District Four. The girl from Ten, Sue-Ellen, is killed by her own district partner. These Games are brutal. Normally district partners don't turn on each other until much later in the Games. What's worse, when he does it, there's a little smile playing across Bronson's face and an eerie coldness in his eyes. I'm almost grateful to see the boy from One, Marvel, take out Wool, the male tribute from District Eight, next. At least Marvel flinches a little when he makes his first kill.

The action slips away from the bloodbath momentarily to show us that the youngest tribute in the Games, Rue from District Eleven, is dying. She'd been leaping through the trees and happened upon a tracker jacker nest. I avert my eyes to avoid seeing the gruesome damage the mutated insects wrought. I can hear that the action slips back to the bloodbath and Dante, the boy from Five, the one who wasn't even supposed to be there, goes down fighting, killed by Cleo from District Two.

The action lingers a little on the excitement at the Career camp. They accept both the District Four boy and, much more unusually, the District Three boy into their pack, and set up camp near the Cornucopia. The District Three boy starts digging up and rewiring the mines to form a shield around the supplies at the Cornucopia, which explains why the Careers let him into the pack. By the time he's done, no one can get to the supplies without jumping over a series of mines. It's an innovative and unique way to keep the supplies safe while the Careers go out hunting.

The next death is anti-climactic. The girl from Three, Ada, expires that night of exposure. She doesn't have anything, no fire, no blanket, no nothing, and dies shivering under a bush.

Buster, Gale's replacement, doesn't do much better. He hung out near the Cornucopia after the bloodbath and saw where Curie from Three had placed all of his mines. He tries to jump over them to get at the supplies early the second morning, but stumbles and falls, setting them all off, which ends up killing Glimmer from One in the process.

The loss of the supplies and one of their members angers the remaining Careers. Cato from Two and Kai from Four just want to kill Curie for his mistake, but Marvel states, "We have to put on a good show," and elects to torture the poor boy from Three. Cleo is an active participant and the recap lingers on Curie's abuse.

I can't watch.

I turn my head and I find myself meeting Katniss's eyes. She can't bear to look at it either. The sound is bad enough.

Gale clutches at our hands, his eyes fixed on the screen. I know what he's feeling. He feels responsible for all of this. He feels he should have been in there, that he could have done something, anything. If Buster hadn't set off those mines, then Curie wouldn't have been tortured.

It's not Gale's fault.

Our husband is never going to believe that.

The action switches to another tribute and I feel a bit of relief. How pathetic is that? Watching the girl from Seven, Bjork, die at the hands of Thresh, the huge boy from Eleven, is a relief. Thresh dies a few hours later, his body convulsing. He'd been sick with the flu, and it looks like the flu has another victim.

I'm grateful that the next death we see is Curie. Cleo finally kills him, clearly taking pity on the poor boy.

But Curie's torture is just the beginning. The Careers stumble across Bronson next. The unrepentant boy from District Ten is tortured by Marvel and Cleo, just like Curie. But unlike Curie, he's got an unlikely defender.

"This is wrong!" Cato shouts at the other two.

"But we need to put on a good show!" Marvel screams. "This is what the Capitol wants!"

"This is wrong! This isn't a good show! This is torture," the boy from Two snarls back. "There's no honor in this! There's no glory. He's just meat." Cato stabs Bronson through the heart, putting him out of his misery. "And I don't like playing with my food."

"Big mistake, Two," Marvel growls.

Cleo places a hand on Marvel's shoulder. "Let me handle this. Cato, I understand that you are troubled by Clove's death. But you're letting it cloud your judgment."

"My judgment is clear." Cato holds his head up high. "You have no honor."

Cleo's face spasms and I know that look. She's in love with the boy from Two and his words have wounded her to her core. I don't relish being in Cato's shoes right now. She doesn't strike me as the kind of woman who you'd like to scorn.

I'm unfortunately proven right when, with a high-pitched screech, she leaps forward and slashes the knife that she'd been using to torture Bronson with through Cato's throat. The boy from Two falls, drowning in a pool of his own blood.

It's enough for Kai. He slips away, not even bothering to announce he's leaving their alliance. I don't blame him.

The next death is anticlimactic and I feel horrible for thinking that. Kiefer, the boy from District Seven, is killed by a falling log. One moment he's walking through the forest, the next moment he's dead. I'm sure his death was only included in this recap for completeness's sake, rather than anything else.

"Where's Taylor?" Katniss asks Fulvia. "The last time we saw her was at the bloodbath!"

"And there you pretty much have the reason why she's unusable," the other woman answers. "She and a couple of other girls formed an alliance and spent most of the Games doing nothing. They hung out in a cave near the edge of the wheat field and spent their time getting fat off of fish and grain and whatever supplies they'd managed to grab from the Cornucopia."

"Doesn't sound like that bad of a strategy," Katniss says.

"It is an effective strategy, I suppose," Fulvia concedes, "but it's also dreadfully dull. I'm surprised you even remembered she was in the Games. I certainly didn't when I was watching the first time."

Somehow I'm unsurprised that Fulvia watched the actual Games. For all of her enthusiastic support for this rebellion, she's still at her heart a Capitolite. It makes it doubly confusing why she's a rebel, but it's not my place to ask her reasons.

The remaining two Careers go on the warpath, hunting down the last few tributes. They stumble upon Kai first, and Marvel kills him as the fifteen year old from Four tries to escape. In a way, I'm happy Kai dies cleanly. I'm not sure I could bear to watch or listen to another torture session.

As if the death of what they consider the last of their real competition signals a change, Marvel and Cleo turn on each other. The fight is long, over an hour of the three hour long recap. Both of the Careers are skilled fighters. Both of them are attractive, good-looking. They taunt each other throughout the fight, but over time Cleo's stronger stockier build and better training with the sword become more important. Marvel might be fast and have a longer reach, but Cleo's better.

The boy from One gets in several debilitating hits, but for every wound he inflicts, Cleo inflicts two more. He finally collapses to his knees, panting heavily, and Cleo decapitates him with one swift blow. It's the kind of fight the Capitol will talk about for years.

And the Games aren't near being over yet.

The next part of the recap shows Cleo searching for the remaining few tributes, but the three girls of Taylor's alliance refuse to be budged. Not even a wildfire that sweeps through the wheat field causes them to move. They have enough grain stored and fishing hooks to keep them well-fed.

But their luck runs out eventually. Chrys, the girl from Six, has the unfortunate luck of being spotted by a now-delirious Cleo. She tries to put up a fight, but Cleo, even in her wounded and fevered state, still gets the better of her.

Now it's down to three. Tesla and Taylor, alerted by Chrys's dying screams, are ready for the Career. The fight is short but brutal. Tesla and Taylor gang up on Cleo, leaping in and attacking from behind while Cleo's busy with the other in front. It's a good strategy and has some success, but Cleo's still better trained than either of them. She's able to get a good belly jab to Tesla and the girl from Five goes down, but while she's pulling her sword free, Taylor jumps in and stabs Cleo in the back before darting out of range.

She runs, with the Career chasing her, until Cleo finally succumbs to her injuries several long minutes later.

The trumpets blare, announcing that Taylor Paylor from District Eight is the winner of the 74th Annual Hunger Games.

Taylor's exit interview is nearly as boring as her initial one. Caesar Flickerman tries his best to add a little spice to the proceedings, but the girl is still shy and quiet and doesn't even seem to register that she's won the Games.

But I also see something else.

Perhaps it's just years of putting up a faҫade and knowing how to keep myself out of trouble, but I see intelligence in her eyes, a type of cunning. She knows she's boring, and what's more, that's her goal.

I wonder why it's so important for her to be unremarkable. Tributes who stand out in the Games get more sponsors and, as far as I'm aware, Taylor and her group never got a single sponsorship gift. Even Bronson, the creepy boy from Ten, received a little something.

When the interview is finished, Fulvia leans back and says, "So you can see our problem. That girl, she's… nice, but she's… nothing. No one will follow her."

"Why not someone else?" I ask. "Why not Finnick Odair?"

"Oh, Finnick!" Fulvia fans herself. "We'd love to get him on our side! Don't think we haven't considered him. But there are too many complications with that one. Most of the districts don't like him, you see," she whispers conspiratorially. "They see him as a Capitol sympathizer. He's also far too well-guarded."

I sigh. "So I guess we're it."

"You are correct. So!" She claps her hands. "We have a lot to work on and not much time to do it. We'd like for you to make your debut soon."

"When?" Katniss asks.

"Well, we're still trying to figure out what day would resonate the most with the districts. I'm arguing for Reaping Day, personally, the symbolism of announcing you on the very day your defection was discovered is far too poetic to pass up." She pauses, frowning. "But there are still detractors. Some feel we should announce you as soon as you're ready." She makes a face, showing what she feels about that suggestion. "Others feel that a better time would be the Victory celebration. There's really far too many options, and it all ultimately comes down to two variables. When the technicians feel they can break in and when you three, specifically you, Gale, are ready to make your debut."

"Wonderful," Katniss grumbles. "At least by then we'll have the baby."

oOo

AN:
Written: 4/12/15
Revised: 7/8/15
Revised 2: 7/14/15

The title of this chapter is from Chage and Aska's J-Pop hit, "On Your Mark." This was the perfect storm of Title, Lyrics, and Music Video all fitting this chapter beautifully. This chapter was supposed to be part of the following one but we realized we had too much to cover. This thing was almost 6K without authors' notes and we had three more major scenes planned. We also wrote this entirely in six or so hours. So yay another chapter?

So if you've read FanficAllergy's fic "Spectator" you'll know that covering the Games is hard. This was even harder because we couldn't devote multiple chapters to it. But it was important that we show why they needed Gale, Katniss, and Peeta to be their symbols. It also has other ramifications later. But in a very real sense, the Capitol wanted Cleo (or possibly Marvel) to win and instead they got Taylor, who is unmemorable and boring. Which is good for her, but not the kind of person you'd think of being a catalyst for a rebellion. Yes, she is Commander Paylor's daughter. Yay circumstances changing.

Also, if you want to, we recommend reading our side fic, "In The End," which shows a little more about each tribute, as well as the 74th Games as a whole.

Things We Randomized:
- Pretty much everything about the 74th Games, including which tributes died of the flu, who the Victor was, and the order of deaths

Thanks for reading! We hope you're enjoying!