CLOVE'S POV

The morning of the feast is cold. I wake to find Cato's torso practically on me.

"Cato" I groan.

His voice groans back in the morning hour. He pulls himself up to his knees. We both know the plan. He will keep watch, while I grab our bag. In the morning air, I can see my breath for the first time. Way to go gamemakers. Cato and I stalk the cornucopia that now holds four bags. Each of them with a number, in cronological order. Ours is first.

"Twelve?" I ask.

"No. Just ours, we don't need trouble, not until my hand is stronger." He glances down to the palm of his hand that is crusted over in infection. In the flash of an eye, a ginger comes darting like a fox with her bag. She dissapears into the forest. Cato and I exchange glances. He nods. It's time. Just as I begin to creep from behind the brush, Cato grabs my upper arm. I take in his eyes.

"Give them a show." He says as a reminder.

I grin slightly and nod. He pats my shoulder. I sprint to the "feast", and take the long way. Sure, I could drive straight for the bag, or I could wait behind the tail for her.. I know she is coming. She has to be, anything to save her lover boy. There's a rustling of brush, I hear it, and it's not from the direction of Cato. It's then, I see her in the corner of my eye. When I turn the corner of the cornucopia, I know she is there. She is there, and I know exactly what I have to do. I promised a show- a show to Cato, to the Capitol. I throw a knife, and it gazes her forehead. It doesn't stick, but leaves an awfully deep gash in her temple. Dammit Clove! Throw harder. Katniss is desperately trying to load the bow, and manages too. But even the best miss. She misses twice. That's when I tackle her to the ground. I pin her shoulders to the ground. This is it Clove. This is it.

"Where's your boyfriend, District Twelve? Still hanging on?" I remember to ask, Cato's sword sunk pretty deeply into his leg the last time we saw him. Should've killed him then, but would there have been a rule change then? There's not doubt in my mind that the rule change wasn't for us, it was for them. Stupid 12.

She snarls her words right back at me; "He's out there now. Hunting Cato." She screams his name into the air. "Peeta! PEETA!" My fist meets her throat. I look from side to side quickly. No blonde male. No one to save her.

"Liar." I grin sadistically. "He's nearly dead. Cato knows where he cut him. You've probably got him strapped up in some tree while you try to keep his heart going. What's in the pretty little backpack? That medicine for Lover Boy? Too bad he'll never get it."

Dramatic. Choose your words for the show Clove.. make the Capitol love you, not her. I grab a knife from my jacket. It's one that I've used quite often in this arena. So it's dainty, and the blade is curved. Katniss is struggling beneath me, when will she learn? Don't struggle, it will only make it worse.

"Forget it, District Twelve. We're going to kill you. Just like we did your pathetic little ally . . . what was her name? The one who hopped around in the trees? Rue? Well, first Rue, then you, and then I think we'll just let nature care of Lover Boy. How does that sound?" Where to start, where to start? I ask for her opinion.

"Now, where to start?" Do I go for the open wound? No. Too cliché. Should it be a pattern? No. I'm not into Satan. However I'm thinking it might just be lovely for her. The blood from her forehead is running towards her eye. No. No, she needs to see me. She needs to see her death knocking. Katniss bares her teeth and lunges for my hand. I pull her hair, and forcefully throw it back to the ground- where it will stay until the hovercraft picks her lifeless body up.

"I think . . . I think we'll start with your mouth." She got to kiss her boy in the arena. I didn't. I don't get to do that. God forbid the world know about Cato and Clove, the star-crossed lovers of District Two. My rage is growing, I'm getting excited. I outline her lips. Brutus always said to show them what we were made of. So I am. Right now.

"Yes, I don't think you'll have much use for your lips anymore. Want to blow Lover Boy one last kiss?" I tease. Her response is a mouth full of blood and saliva. Wrong answer.

"All right then. Let's get started." My knife tip sinks into the bottom of her lip, but I am forcefully thrown from her. I start to scream, I know Cato won't disappoint.

"CATO . . . CATO! CATO!"

District Eleven corners me. "What'd you do to that little girl? You kill her?" I scramble backwards. This certainly wasn't a part of the plan.

"It wasn't me!"

"You said her name. I heard you. You kill her?" I only respond by screaming Cato's name. It booms off the cornucopia. I heard him. I hear his voice.

"CLOVE! Clove!" He's sprinting, I can see it. Eleven has a rock dangling above my head. It's coming closer, and it's coming fast. I feel the impact of the rock to my skull, my temple is pounding, my vision is blurring. Cato is closer, I hear his screams much more clear now. He's by my side in an instant, and it's just us now in the middle of the field. Cato pulls my head into his lap.

"CLOVE!" The cry is full of agony. I start to black out, I am fighting for my life. But it becomes clear, I will not be saved.

"Stay with me Clove." His voice is so muffled. I hear bits and pieces. "Clove . . . always. I. . . love . . ."

Am I under water? My vision is tunneling. The only thing I can focus on are the eyes staring down at me. I feel a drip of water. Tears, it pulls me out of a blackout. It's getting harder to keep them open. Focusing on his eyes, all I can think;

And I remember when I met him

it was so clear that he was the only one for me

we both knew it right away and as the years went on things got more difficult

and we were faced with more challenges

I begged him to stay

try to remember what we had at the beginning

he was charismatic, magnetic, electric and everybody knew it

and when he walked in, everyone's head turned everyone stood up

to talk to him, he was like this hybrid, this mix of a man who couldn't

contain himself. I always got the sense that he became between being a good person and

missing out on all the opportunities that life could offer a man as magnificent as him

and in that way, I understood him. Oh I loved him. I loved him, I loved him.

I get what Marvel meant now, despite everything that happened, real love burns even in the darkest hour. And Cato, I loved.