Hey guys! So after posting the last chapter I got 5 reviews, which is more than I've gotten in a while so thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! Responses will be at the end of the chapter as usual. I wanted to get a new chapter up earlier but I have finals this week so I've been studying like crazy for those. I will try to post one more chapter tomorrow because I am going out of town on Friday and won't be back to update until after Christmas but if I don't get to it then I will definitely update next weekend when I get back :) Enjoy!

Peeta POV

I've been sitting at a table in the cafeteria alone, picking at my food, my appetite nonexistent. Beetee told me that they were going to try Prim's idea on Katniss today. They've been planning it for days, deciding which tape to use and calculating how much morphling to give her. Beetee has also made sure to tell me, multiple times, that it is highly unlikely it will even work. He's not the only one either. Plutarch, Haymitch, and even Finnick have been trying their best not to get my hopes up. And it's been working. The more they tell me it won't work, the more I start to believe them. By this point I have almost no expectations.

I look up to see Haymitch walking towards me from across the room. I am standing by the time he reaches me, "So?" I ask, "Did you try it?"

He nods, "It went...alright." he says hesitantly. I raise an eyebrow at him, imploring him to continue. "It was a little strange. She went into a kind of trance. She didn't seem to hear anything for almost an hour."

"What did you show her?" I ask.

"That night in the Quarter Quell when you gave her the locket." he says.

My heart jolts remembering it. That was one of the only times her actions towards me seemed real, "Well what did she say when she came out?" I ask.

"She just asked what deal she made with me." he says, "It seems like she is trying to focus on the least confusing thing about the tape. And that is something she can figure out easily, unlike her feelings towards you. I don't think she is as terrified of you as she was before so I guess it worked to some extent." I nod and he adds, "We let her go back to her room to sleep on it. See if she comes up with any more questions when she's had more time to process it. I'll update you if anything happens but in the meantime, Coin wants you in Command."

I take the elevator down to Command where a meeting is already in full swing. Gale is there arguing with Plutarch about something.

Coin notices me enter and says, "Oh good, Haymitch told you."

"What is this about?" I ask.

"We are talking about sending a team into District 2." Plutarch says wearily, "To try to sway them to our side."

"Plutarch wants to try to go in there and get you to give some big, well-rehearsed speech to rally them." Gale says in mock enthusiasm.

It's obvious he's fed up with Plutarch and though I hate to admit it, I think Gale is right. District 2 is the Capital's main supply of Peacekeepers. The Capital has been treating them like lapdogs for years. Their minds aren't going to be swayed by an inspiring speech.

I shake my head, "You have to know that won't work Plutarch." I say. Plutarch's jaw drops. I can tell he thought I would be on his side for this. "The are too loyal to the Capital." I continue, "It will take a lot more than that to sway them."

"Well what do you suggest then?" Plutarch asks sarcastically.

I shrug, "Do we have anyone over there on our side?" I ask, "Like Paylor in 8?"

Coin nods, "We have a rebel commander there but the rebels forces are small compared with those still loyal to the Capital."

"Then don't we need to confer with her on this too?" I ask, "I agree we need to send a team in but we need to come up with a better plan before we make any moves."

Coin nods, "You will still be a part of that team I hope?" she asks. I nod and she says, "You leave tomorrow morning. I will put together a team tonight."

She dismisses us and I leave to try to find Finnick. For some reason, Coin has stopped including him in these Command meetings which is strange because he has been doing so much better since Annie got back.

When I find him, I tell him Coin's rudimentary plan to head into District 2.

"I'm guessing I won't be a part of that team?" Finnick asks.

"Do you even want to be?" I reply, "I didn't think you would want to leave Annie."

He shrugs, "I don't know. I mean I don't want to leave her but I feel like I'm being useless just sitting in 13. I want to do something to help."

I nod, "I can request to put you on the team if you want?"

He sighs and shakes his head, "No. If I leave they'll put Annie back in the hospital and she can't handle that."

Haymitch appears, interrupting us. He grabs my arm urgently, "Katniss wants to see you." he says.

I raise my eyebrows, "She wants to see me?" He nods. "Are you sure?" I ask, "Because last time she saw me..."

Haymitch nods, "I know, but she requested it. They have her restrained so she can't hurt you." I grimace at the thought of Katniss tied down to her hospital bed but I nod, following Haymitch back to the elevators.

We enter a room full of doctors, part of Katniss's recovery team. Haymith explains that I am to go in ad just answer her questions. Try not to bring up anything about 12, or anyone who died. Choose my words carefully. I can see her through the one way glass. It's the first time I've seen her since she attacked me and although she's gained some weight back, her eyes have a glazed, unfocused look that scares me. Haymitch fits me with an earpiece and tells me that when it is time for me to go, he will tell me. Then I am sent in.

I walk to the end of her bed cautiously, gauging her reaction. When she sees me, she frowns and tries to sit up but the restraints won't allow her to do much more than lift her head to look at me.

"Hey Katniss." I say. She doesn't respond so I swallow quickly and continue, "Haymitch said you had some questions you wanted to ask me?"

She hesitates but eventually she nods her head, "They showed me some tapes...I don't really know what to make of them." she speaks slowly as if she is struggling to find the right words. "In the first Games, you were with the Careers, hunting me."

I shake my head, "I wasn't hunting you. I was with the Careers to lead them away from you. To protect you."

She frowns at this, "In the Quarter Quell, we were kissing. Was that part of the act?"

I'm not sure if she means the act that we began in the first Games to fool the Capital, or the act she was brainwashed into thinking I was playing the whole time, onscreen and off. Haymitch's voice appears in my ear, startling me. He tells me to be honest.

I shake my head, "No, it wasn't part of any act. It was real."

"The doctors here tell me that you would never try to hurt me. They say it's the Capital's fault. They say you...loved me. Is that true?" she asks hesitantly.

I feel a lump in my throat but I try to swallow and answer, "Yes. All of that was real."

"Is that why you gave me the bread?" she asks softly, "That day in the rain."

The lump rises higher in my throat, "You remember that?" I ask her.

She nods, "You were supposed to give it to the pigs but you gave it to me instead. Did you do that because you loved me?"

"Yes." I say quietly.

She closes her eyes tightly, almost squinting. I hear Haymitch's voice again, "She does that when she is trying to collect her thoughts. Just give her a minute. She'll come back. I think you're almost done though."

I wait a minute before she opens her eyes again, the frown back on her face, "In the tape you said something about a deal with Haymitch..?"

I nod, "I made a deal with him when we were reaped for the Games. I made him promise to try to save you in the arena."

"You tried to protect me?" she asks in confusion.

I nod and she closes her eyes again, this time laying her head back down on the bed.

"She's done for now." Haymitch says in my ear, "That's good for today."

I let myself out of the room and let out a sigh of relief, "That went better than I expected I say. You said she hadn't made a lot of progress?"

Haymitch shrugs, "She's definitely made progress but she's still so confused. She'll close her eyes like that and become unresponsive for hours at a time. And she's unstable. Today was a good day. On the bad days...she reverts back to what she was like when we first picked her up."

"Why didn't I know any of this?" I ask.

"Coin ordered her doctors to keep it confidential, especially to you."Haymitch says.

"So what was the point of those meetings that were supposed to be updating me about her?" I ask angrily.

"We've been telling you the truth..we just haven't been telling you everything." Haymitch says.

That night, I think about Katniss's condition. Tomorrow, before we leave for 2, I need to go to Coin and demand that she open up Katniss's case to me. How are we supposed to come up with ideas to help her if we don't even know how she is doing? She has made some improvements though. She remembered the bread. That's a good sign I guess.

That night, I dream of that day in the rain.

So that's it for this chapter! It's a little short but I wanted to get one out before I go out of town. Sorry for the wait but I hope you enjoyed it!

Here are review responses from last chapter:

BehindTheseHazelEyes14: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like this plotline and I really appreciate the constructive criticism. Not sure I really followed through with that on this chapter because I was rushing a little to get it out but it's definitely something I'll keep in mind in the future. Hope you liked this chapter!

ButterManFTW: Thanks! Glad you are liking my story! Hope you liked this chapter too :)

Everlark is Life: Thank you so much! Being compared to the amazing Suzanne Collins is the biggest compliment ever! So glad you like the story and sorry it took a while to update but here it is!

spectrum700: Thank you! Glad you liked the last chapter. It took a while but here is the next one :)

fangirldisaster: I'm so happy you love my story! I know I didn't update as soon as you wanted but I hope you like this chapter anyway!