A/N: Hey again! Sorry for the incredibly long wait. I haven't been feeling so hot and I have been busy with school stuff. My apologies!

So I know that last chapter was really long. I will try not to make these ones as long.

I hope you like this! By the way, I am picking up exactly where I left off. Well very extremely close to it.

Katniss POV

The hovercraft landed at the Remake Center, where we were immediately whisked inside to get cleaned up.

The four of us took showers to get off the main layer of dirt and grime, and then we were handed over to our prep teams. As soon as we were brought back to health and at least good looks, we would be doing an interview with Caesar Flickerman.

I never thought I would see the day when seeing my annoying, perky prep team would mean a whole lot to me.

"You did such a good job out there!"

"I can't believe you made it!"

"You're amazing!"

The whole time I just smiled as they remade me to what they called Beauty Base Zero.

For about two hours, I laid there on that table. They fixed my overgrown nails, combed through and nourished my matted hair, and put on this special cream that would clear up all of my scars and treated my cuts.

When they were done, I looked much better than I had in the arena, but not good yet. The cream had to work and the cuts had to heal overnight, so I still looked beaten up to a degree.

They also braided my hair for me, almost exactly like it was when I came to the Capitol for the first time.

Almost exactly like my mother had braided it.

"Here you go," said Octavia. She handed me some clothes.

They left the area so I could put them on, and then came back to guide me to where some very important people were standing.

Haymitch, Effie, and Cinna were standing in the room in front of me.

I surprised myself by launching myself into Haymitch's arms first, and he hugs me tight.

"Great job, sweetheart. You did it," he says and smiles. I can't help but smile back. As much as I used to hate that man, I know I really do like him.

I turned to Cinna, who stood there with a small smile on his face.

"You did it, Girl on Fire," he said. He pulled me into his arms.

When I let go of Cinna, I turned to Effie. She was smiling. I figured she would be angry or something that all four of us got out.

"Congratulations," she said, and she shook my hand.

"Thanks, Effie," I said.

She nodded.

Suddenly I was aware of two things. One, nothing could hurt me anymore. And two, I was starving.

My stomach rumbled as if to voice my thoughts. I laughed.

"Come on, let's go eat," said Haymitch.

"Will Cat and Jade be there too?" I asked hurriedly. I didn't want to go a minute without those two.

Cinna laughed at my urgency.

"Don't you worry. They'll be there," Cinna said.

He put his arm around me, and we headed down to where Peeta, Cat, and Jade were probably already seated, waiting for me and Cinna, Haymitch, and Effie.

Peeta POV

I sat with the others at the table. We were all waiting on Katniss to get here so that we could all eat together.

Finally, the beautiful girl who I was lucky to say that loved me walked in. She was wearing something similar to the rest of us. A black t-shirt and gray pants.

Everyone smiled as Effie, Cinna, Katniss, and Haymitch took a seat. Effie, Cinna, and Haymitch sat on the other side of the table. Katniss sat in the fourth seat that was right next to me.

"I'm almost afraid to eat," said Jade with a slight laugh. "I haven't had rich Capitol food like this in a while."

I nodded, agreeing with her. I remember what it was like for Katniss and I after we ate this rich, delightful Capitol food for the first time. Both of us felt sick afterwards.

Slowly but surely, we did all eat. We ate little bits at a time, of course, but we ate.

"So, how do you feel right now?" asked Cinna with a smile. I understood why Katniss made friends with him so easily; he's just a friendly man.

"Safe," Cat said immediately.

Effie smiled, but I could tell she was hiding something. There was just something not right about her expression. I decided to brush it off until later, when we could talk in private.

"Happy," I said. That was the truth; I was out of the arena. I was safe from harm at the moment. Nothing could go wrong.

"Free," said Jade. "Free from the arena, free from harm."

Katniss sighed before saying what she did next.

"At home, almost," she said. "I have all of you here with me. My mother and Prim are not that far away, and I will see them soon. So yeah…at home."

I smiled at her.

Then she did something that, even after she admitted she really did love me, sort of surprised me.

She took my hand underneath the table. It was her this time. It wasn't me.

And her hand stayed in mine the dinner.

Haymitch sighed as we all finished our dinner.

"Could I get some liquor over here?" he asked. We all shook our heads with a smile.

Haymitch got his liquor, and by then it was getting quite late. All of us were tired.

"Well, I'm exhausted. Goodnight guys," said Katniss, pushing her plate away from her.

"You remember where your bedroom is right?" asked Effie.

Katniss simply laughed.

"Yes, I remember. Its only been a month," she said. It had been about a 4 week time in that arena, so technically she was right.

Effie smiled.

"Where will we sleep?" asked Jade, motioning to Cat as she did so.

"We were thinking that you could go down to the District 11 floor. No one else but us 7 are in the building," said Haymitch.

Jade and Cat thought for a moment.

"The elevators will still work at night, right?" asked Cat.

"Yes, they will," said Effie.

Both Jade and Cat seemed to relax a little.

"Alright. Goodnight, guys," said Jade. Everyone chorused their goodnights, and Effie took the two girls down to the floor below us.

Cinna, Haymitch, Katniss, and I still remained on the District 12 floor.

"So, where are you two going to sleep?" said Katniss.

"I was thinking I'd sleep on the couch," said Cinna. I saw Katniss smile a little bit.

"I'm going to go down to the District 10 floor. I like my peace and quiet," said Haymitch. He sounded pretty drunk.

"Alright. See you tomorrow morning," said Katniss.

"Yep, and you better be ready to do an interview with Caesar," he said. We both nodded.

Haymitch headed down to the 10th floor, and Cinna went and lie down on the couch.

I went into my bedroom, and memories flooded back into my mind.

All I was thinking about was Katniss in that bedroom nearby before the Games. I only thought about her and her safety.

I almost feared lying down and going to sleep, because I knew all about the nightmares that usually followed. That's why Haymitch is drunk most of the time. It helps him fight off the nightmares.

I had a strange feeling that Katniss was going to end up having nightmares, and that we would end up meeting up again at the roof like we did before the Games.

I sighed and closed my eyes.

Within minutes, I was asleep.

Jade POV

Blood was pouring down my face. My head was pounding, and it was hard to focus.

I looked around. Katniss and the others were nowhere in sight. I couldn't hear them. I couldn't hear anything.

Then I saw him. Marvel. His spear was in his hand, and he stared at me with malicious eyes.

"You're next," he said. His voice was messed up…raspy, almost like a hiss.

"Next?" I croaked.

Marvel laughed.

"The others are all dead. Katniss. Lover Boy. All of them. Its just me and you," he said.

The truth set in. Katniss and them…they were all dead. Gone.

I decided I had no reason to stop him in what he was planning to do.

"Ok," I said. That was the last word to ever leave my mouth.

I closed my eyes and waited.

I woke with a gasp.

My eyes shot open. It was dark outside still. I was lying in the room that little Rue had lain only a month ago. Marvel was dead. Cat, Peeta, and Katniss were safe.

I took a deep breath and sighed.

So the nightmares had already begun.

I decided to head up to the roof, because I couldn't fall back asleep if I tried.

I slipped out of bed and noticed that a sheen of sweat covered my forehead and lips. I walked into my bathroom and splashed cool water on my face, which felt very good on my burning skin. Then, I walked out of the bedroom and to the elevator.

When I reached the roof and opened the door, I found I wasn't the only one there.

Katniss, and only Katniss, sat there, looking out onto the ground below. Lights were everywhere in the Capitol; the sight reminded me of pictures I'd seen of this place called New York City.

She heard the elevator doors open and turned to me.

"Hey," she said quietly. I waved at her and walked over.

"Mind if I sit down?" I asked. She motioned for me to sit, so I took that as a "go ahead and sit down."

We looked out at the lights below us, the still-busy streets of the Capitol. Evil lurked around every corner, in every shadow, in any place not lit by the moonlight or the streetlights.

Silence filled the air between us, until finally Katniss broke it.

"You have a nightmare?" she asked me, her voice sounding different than its usual, confident self.

I nodded, watching as a car drove by below us.

Katniss nodded too in understanding.

"Did you?" I asked her.

"Yeah…" she said.

Silence.

"I hate this place," she whispered. I just looked at her and waited for her to continue.

"Everyone here seems to think that killing little innocent kids is perfectly fine, that no one freaking cares if they die," she said. She didn't sound ridiculously angry yet, but the fury in her voice was noticeable.

"It makes me sick," I said, completely agreeing with her. My thoughts wandered to Rue and Eli.

"I just don't get it," she said. "I don't get this whole thing. I don't get any of the people here except Effie, Cinna, and Haymitch. I don't get why everyone else but them is so okay with this. Don't they get what they're doing?"

I nodded, knowing where she was going with this.

"No, they don't get what they're doing. Because they don't have to suffer the emotional distress that it causes. For the kids and the families," I said. I immediately regretted it, because I knew by Katniss's expression that she remembered Prim and her mother at home.

She nodded.

We sat in silence again. I stared at Katniss, trying to read the expression on her face. But she wore a blank mask that hid all of her feelings. The same mask that I always used to wear, and will still wear unless it all becomes too much.

"I'm going back to bed. Sorry for just blowing up on you," she said as she stood up.

"Nah, its fine. I understand," I said. Katniss nodded and tried to manage a smile.

I decided that I had best get some sleep as well, for tomorrow would be very busy.

The two of us rode silently down to the District 12 floor.

"Get some sleep," I said to Katniss. I don't know why, I just did.

She turned to me as she got off the elevator.

"You too," she said. I nodded.

When I got back to the District 11 floor, I lie down in bed and closed my eyes. I was sure I would go right back to another nightmare, but oh well. Nothing I can do about it.

Cat POV

I woke up to Jade shaking my shoulders.

"Cat. Come on, get up," she said, the coldness I had heard in the training center returning to her voice. I understood though; we've been through a lot. It makes sense.

I turned to her and opened my eyes.

"Ok," I said wearily. Jade backed off and went into her room to get dressed in what was designed for her by her stylist.

A dress hung on a mannequin in front of me. It was absolutely stunning; simple, but stunning. It was silvery and light-looking. It appeared that it would come down to my knees and then slant down to my left ankle.

I went in to the bathroom and took a quick shower, letting the water massage my sore muscles.

Peeta POV

I woke up to someone shaking my shoulders.

"Peeta, come on. We've got to get ready," said Katniss, sounding rather tired herself. I opened my eyes and turned to her. she looked on at me urgently, as though impatient.

Instead of replying with a weary "ok", I decided to do something nice to make her happier.

"Good morning, beautiful," I said with a smile.

The urgency fled from her face, and you could visibly see that she had relaxed. A smile crossed her face.

I sat up in bed and kissed her on the cheek. Katniss smiled again and looked down at me, as though she wanted another or wanted more.

I stood up and stretched a little, and then I turned to her and hugged her tightly. She hugged me too, and she ran her fingers through my hair.

I pressed my forehead against hers.

"Thanks Peeta," she said, smiling that shining smile of hers. I smiled right back at her.

"You're welcome," I said.

"Now come on, we've got to get ready," I said in a high pitched voice mocking her own. Katniss scoffed and smacked me on the arm.

"Shush, Bread Boy," she said with a laugh as she headed back to her own room.

I looked around for clothes for the interview, finding none. I sighed.

I heard footsteps, and I spun around to see Cinna standing in the doorway. He held a good looking blue suit in his hands.

"She really loves you, you know that?" he said as he walked up and handed it to me.

I nodded. Cinna smiled.

"Thank you for protecting her," Cinna said, using a tone I had never heard from him before.

"Y-you're welcome," I replied. He clapped me lightly on the back and left me to get ready.

I went into the bathroom and turned on the warm, soothing water of the shower and stepped inside.

Haymitch POV

It was 9:45 AM, and the interview was at 10:00.

We had all just finished eating breakfast, the victors all dolled up in their interview outfits, and we were heading down to the amphitheater where the interview with Caesar would be held.

We all walked in silence down to where Effie, Cinna, and I would have to leave them to wait.

"Alright, we're going to go out and sit down. We'll be in the crowd watching you. Just be natural. You'll be fine," I said.

The four of them nodded, and Effie, Cinna, and I walked into the theater and sat down.

Jade POV

We four victors stood together in the same place where we had stood a month before, where there were 24 tributes being interviewed rather than just 4. I thought of Cato, who had been standing in front of me at that time.

"You'll be fine. Don't sweat it," a voice whispered in my ear.

It was distinct. I knew it wasn't any of the other victors, for they were all in front of me.

I would know that voice instantly in a crowd of screaming people.

I turned around to face him, and he smiled at me with crossed arms.

"I'll be watching you. We all will," Cato said. Well mouthed…I think he wanted it to be a surprise for the others. Seeing them out there in the crowd.

"We'll be towards the back," he whispered. I nodded.

I turned back to the others and stood with them.

"May I present to you…the victors of the 74th Hunger Games!" rang out Caesar's voice. The four of us walked in, and the crowd went absolutely insane.

We sat down in the chairs Caesar had put out for us, and the crowd continued to roar.

I looked around for Cato and the others, and suddenly I found them. Cato waved at me. Eli was on his shoulders.

As we waited for the crowd to dull down, I whispered to the others.

"In the very back, smack in the middle," I whispered. The three of them looked, and smiles crossed their faces.

Finally the crowd did quiet down though, and we had to turn to Caesar.

"Wow. Let me just say that you have officially made Hunger Games history. There has never been more than one victor, let alone four. Congratulations," Caesar said. Again, the crowd went wild. We continued to smile and wave at the crowd.

"Alright settle now. So tell me…what was it like? Having such a strong alliance?" asked Caesar.

Surprisingly, Cat was the first to speak up.

"It was nice. We felt safe and we had reliable, comforting friends," she said in her childish voice.

"I agree. Not only were we physically strong, but emotionally we were stronger than everyone else, and continue to strengthen as time went on," said Peeta. He grasped Katniss's hand, and an "awww" rang out through the crowd.

Caesar smiled and laughed.

"You say you were very emotionally strong too. I don't say this to defy that, but I must mention the many tears shed in that arena. Can you tell us more about why there were so many?" asked Caesar. A normal person would have been like "oh that's so stupid, why would he ask that?" but for some reason it seemed absolutely understandable to me.

"Well for one, it was scary," said Cat, causing the crowd to laugh. Cat smiled a little too.

"And…we were thinking about people," I said, remembering the many nights where I had cried over Eli or I would find Katniss bawling because she missed Rue or Prim.

"People. What people?" pressed Caesar.

"Well…there was Jade's little brother, Eli," said Peeta. "He was killed in the last Hunger Games."

Caesar nodded in sorrow.

"His valiance will not go unforgotten. He was a great little fighter," Caesar commented. We continued on.

"And Katniss's little sister, Prim," said Cat. "She means the world to Katniss."

Caesar closed his eyes and nodded.

"And then there was Rue," said Katniss, looking down at the ground in sorrow.

Silence fell throughout the whole theater.

I looked out where our lost loved ones stood. Rue looked on at us, waiting for Katniss to continue.

"That poor girl…she could have had such a life ahead of her. I'm sure she appreciated that last song you sang to her," said Caesar, taking Katniss's hand for a moment.

Noticing the tears in Katniss's eyes, Caesar moved on.

"Jade," he said. I perked up and turned to him.

"I think we were all very moved by the story you told about your friend. What was her name again?" he asked me.

"Clove," I said.

"Ah yes, Clove. What do you imagine she felt like, watching you in these Games?" he asked me.

"Well I…I bet she was worried," I said, sounding a little bit stupid.

Caesar nodded.

Katniss POV

The interview went on forever and ever. Caesar asked us about EVERYTHING; our relationships with the others, our past lives, the whole experience in the arena, just everything.

"We are running out of time, but there is one last question I would like to ask. Or rather, a scene I would like to know more about," he said. The four of us listened for what he would ask about.

"The last scene before you left the arena. When you saw lost loved ones you thought you'd never see again. Tell us…for one, was that real?" asked Caesar. I could see why he asked; it seemed nearly impossible, and the Capitol could have created the scene themselves. There's a lot they can do with technology.

"Yes. It was real," said Peeta.

"Wow…never in the years I have been doing this have I ever seen anything quite like that," Caesar said.

We just sat there in silence.

"How did it feel to see them?" he asked us.

I sighed and then started our answer.

"It was…a blessing and a curse. A blessing because…well, you never forget the faces of the people who had been your last hope, your last will to survive, to keep fighting. Their faces appear so often in dreams. And to see them again, talk to them, let them know that you're alright…it was more than we could have ever wanted," I said. There I go again. Pouring my heart out to people I barely even know.

I found Effie and the others in the audience though. Cinna flashed a thumbs up.

"And a curse, as well. Because you know you can never be with them. You know you can never have a life with them. You don't know when you will see them again, or if you ever will for that matter. You don't want to let them go again," said Peeta, backing me up.

"Wow. That's very deep. I must ask…do you regret seeing them?" Caesar asked.

Cat was the first to respond.

"Never in a million years would I regret that. Sure, it hurt when they were gone again, but we got to see them. We got to learn that they would always be there, whether we could see them or not," she said.

"Knowing that I will have them with me somehow is my only will to keep living," Jade said.

There was a moment of silence as if to dramatize what had just been said, then Caesar continued.

"Katniss, I have to ask you this. When you saw your father again…how did the feel?" Caesar asked.

By now, there were tears in all of our eyes threatening to spill over. A tear leaked from my eye, but I wiped it away quickly.

"It was…the best feeling in the world, but the most heartbreaking at the same time," I said said.

"My father has always been one of the most important people in my life. When I was younger, before the accident killed him, we would go out and he would teach me all he knew. About everything. And his voice…god, his voice," I continued. Jade put a hand on my back in a comforting gesture.

"He would sing all the time. And the mockingjays would sing right along with him," I continued, pausing to try and swallow the knot in my throat.

I looked out at the crowd, searching for my father. I saw him standing there next to Tori, smiling at me.

"As long as he was with me, I felt safe. And then he was killed in that mine accident," I said.

"For eight years, I suffered through grief and feeling like I was in danger. For eight years, I felt alone even in a crowded room. During those eight years, I forgot what it felt like to have his arms around me, to hear his heartbeat," I said. There was no point in trying to stop crying anymore.

"And then at the end of those eight years, I finally felt safe. I remembered what it felt like to have his arms around me and to hear his voice singing in my ear," I said, "and that feeling is one that can never be replaced, and one that I will cherish for as long as I live."

It was to my utter shock that as I looked out into the crowd and found Effie and the others, I saw tears flooding Haymitch's eyes.

"I can only imagine, Katniss. Let's all have a moment of silence. For Mr. Everdeen, for Rue, for Eli, and for all of the others who these four magnificent young people have lost," said Caesar.

Heads were bowed and eyes were closed. The only sound that could be heard was the breathing of the five of us on stage.

"Thank you," said Caesar in a soft voice.

"I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Thank you, Victors, for doing this interview. Let's hear it for them!" said Caesar, and suddenly the crowd was raging.

"Have a great day everybody!" Caesar yelled over the crowd, and the lights on stage dimmed as we all walked off.

Next stop; home.

A/N: So much for a short chapter. Sorry about that. Anyhow, I think I may be able to have another chapter up tonight but I'm not sure!

Hope you enjoyed this!

-Brave