Well, let's see. About 15 reviews later and I've found out that all people don't want Cato to die and I might die if I DO kill him. And people don't want Peeta to die either. So.. I guess we'll just wait and see..

~.**.~

Peeta ignored the branches hitting his face and bare skin as he ran away from the Cornucopia and the Career's little camp. He couldn't stay there knowing that he would die.. And Cato would be the one to kill him. He wasn't going to let that happen. He was scared of Cato's power.. his pure strength and ability to just kill in cold blood without a second thought.

There had to be a way out of the arena. A glitch in the system. Something the Gamemakers overlooked. He kept running, just running straight. Maybe he could find the edge of the arena and just scale it.

But it wasn't meant to be.

Peeta could hear someone following him. A rustling in the leaves, a stick snapped every now and then. His breathing quickened, fearing for his life. It was the Hunger Games, after all. He was meant to die. He stopped running, standing still. "I'm ready to die.. " he whispered.

"You're the boy from 12, aren't you.. "

Peeta opened his eyes again, feeling the cool steel of a knife lightly tracing over his neck and collarbone. Clove.. "Y-Yeah.. P-Peeta.. "

"I know your name. You're the little bitch that keeps hanging around Cato. My Cato."

"Y-Yours?"

"Yes, mine. If we hadn't volunteered for the Games together, we'd be married. Why would he want a no-talent loser like you when he can have one of the strongest in District 2. Me."

Peeta swallowed a bit, watching her and her knife. "I left him alone. What do you want now?"

Clove only smirked. "Do I really have to spell it out for you? What is the point of these Games?"

"T-To kill.. the other tributes.. and win."

"And what do you think I'm going to do to you.. "

"K-Kill me."

"Mm.. Maybe.. But it won't be quick. I think I'll make you suffer.. " Peeta gasped, shaking a bit as he looked down and saw Clove's knife buried in his thigh, blood slowly dripping down his leg and soaking his pant leg. "I think I'll let infection kill you instead. Make it painful for even thinking you could have Cato." Peeta watched the knife slide out of his leg, watched Clove blow a kiss his way before disappearing into the woods back to their little encampment, or what was left of it. He looked down at his thigh. Blood was steadily streaming from the wound, soaking his pants. He felt faint..

Peeta leaned against a tree, ripping off the pant leg of his wounded leg, ripping the fabric to strips to tie around the wound. It hurt like hell, but he could get through it. Infection, though.. Shit.. And it wasn't like he'd get many sponsors to help with this. Katniss was the wonder child, the one that people paid attention to. The girl on fire. He was the weak target. The one everyone was hoping on to lose and be killed.

"C-Cato.. "

He tried to stay in the same place, managing to paint himself so he wouldn't be found against the trees and leaves he was hiding in. The pain was intense from the wound, but he tried to keep himself quiet, whispering Cato's name every once in a while to keep himself sane and a bit hopeful.

"Attention, tributes." Seneca's voice rang through the arena, bringing Peeta's attention up to the sky. "There will be special treats for you at the Cornucopia until tomorrow." And his voice stopped there.

Special treats? Maybe.. medicine.. something to help Peeta with his leg. He couldn't move, though.. If he did, he would probably be found and be killed. His eyes closed, falling into a painful sleep.

"Peeta!"

"C.. C-Cato.. " Peeta mumbled in his sleep. His eyes opened when someone grabbed his shoulders, shaking lightly.

"Peeta, Peeta, please wake up.. " Cato held his shoulders, hands lightly moving to the cut on his thigh covered with the strips from his pants, crusted with dried blood. "Peeta, please.. What happened.. "

"C-Clove.. you.. c-can't.. " Peeta was weak. He couldn't form full sentences.

"Here." Cato pulled out the bags from both District 2 and 12 from his jacket. "I got these from the Cornucopia. Yours has medicine in it. I'll help you. You'll be fine. I promise."

Peeta was too weak to even argue or run away from the man he both loved and feared. He was still, whimpering and hissing a bit as Cato spread the medicine over the wound from Clove. It started to feel better. It'd heal as time went on. The older blonde helped him stay sitting up, feeding him soup from his own bag to help him out until Peeta fell asleep.

And woke up to the sounds of screaming.

"Peeta!" Katniss.. Cato was gone, Peeta was alone.

Katniss ran up to her fellow tribute, helping him stand. "Peeta, come on! We've got to hurry!" Peeta glanced down at his leg. It was almost completely healed. It'd leave a scar, but other than that, no more pain.

"W-What's happening?" he asked as Katniss helped him stand, following her quickly.

"Muttations," she answered quickly. "Thresh is dead. Clove is dead. Marvel is dead. Everyone's dead but you, me, and Cato. We have to get to the Cornucopia."

Peeta wasn't about to argue. But he couldn't help but wonder where the Career was.. If he was okay..

The two tributes from District 12 started running when they heard the mutts getting closer, saw their eyes.. the eyes of the dead tributes.. Peeta helped Katniss up on the Cornucopia, climbing up after her and getting to a safe point. The mutts stayed down below, barking and trying to get them, waiting for someone to make a mistake and fall down to them.

"What happened to you?" Katniss asked as they sat. "I lost you after the Games started. I kept watching the sky for your face to flash as a dead tribute. Last I saw was you running from the tracker jackers."

"I haven't been doing anything, really.. " Peeta lied a bit. A bit was truth. "Clove stabbed my leg.. left me to die. Got a parachute with some medicine to help. You?"

"Killed the boy from 4 when he killed Rue, the girl from 11. Been surviving ever since. Thresh saved me from Clove when she tried to kill me. Then the mutts started coming after us. All of us." Only three left.. Her.. Peeta.. Cato..

Peeta stood, just walking to one side of the Cornucopia. And gasped when Cato grabbed him suddenly, holding him close. He made it look like Peeta was a hostage of sorts as he held him, facing Katniss. "Drop the bow," he ordered in a low growl. "Or I kill him. I can snap his neck like a twig."

And Peeta knew it. He was genuinely terrified that this was how he was going to die. "P-Please.. "

Katniss looked between the two of them, notching and arrow and letting it loose. It buried into Cato's hand, making him fall off the side of the Cornucopia, releasing Peeta.

"NO!"

~.**.~

Cliffhanger! Oh, I am evil. I know it. *rubs hands together and laughs evilly*

And for so long, I've been trying to think of a last name for Cato. And I kept thinking Hawthorne, but I couldn't remember where that was from. Then I skimmed through my books and saw it was Gale's last name so that wouldn't work. So.. I've decided on a regal-ish name. Crowne. Cato Crowne.

Peeta Crowne. Got a nice ring to it, don't it;)