A/N –Number one, sorry for making you wait a little longer for this! But I thougt it far more appropriate to upload it today rather than last week ;)

I just realised that I never explained the chapter titles, as they are probably seemingly incredibly random. Each one comes from a quote, proverb or poem about that particular month. So this one comes from the famous poem, "Remember remember the fifth of November, Gunpower treason and plot." The chapter has nothing to do with Guy Fawkes, other than the date it's set, but as it's set on the fifth, it seemed a perfect chapter title!

Thanks as always go to Court81981 for tremendous beta work, and especially for keeping me calm through the potentially disastrous tea-spilling-over-the-laptop-incident of the last week. You're a legend, lady!

Also, the Wrath oneshot I did for Prompts in Panem would appear chronologically not long after this chapter, and certainly before the next chapter is set. So if you want to, feel free to read The Second Hurdle after this chapter.

Anyways, Happy Halloween, and enjoy! Don't forget to leave a review, they make us fanfic writers smile so much :)

November

Jo had wanted Katniss to take her to Thorpe Park at Halloween for the last couple of years. She had described the mazes that got set up purely for the Halloween season, filled with actors in costume ready to jump out at any moment, and how she desperately wanted to go. Katniss had made excuses each time as to why she wouldn't go, but the truth was she was nervous. She wasn't a fan of rollercoasters or indeed anything where her life wasn't firmly in her own hands, and the idea of being in a darkened maze while blood-covered actors jumped out on her wasn't her idea of a good time.

Much to Katniss' utter horror and chagrin, this year Jo happened to mention her desire to go to Thorpe one evening when Gale had stopped by for a beer.

"Thorpe Park's owned by Merlin Attractions, right?" he asked.

"Dunno," replied Jo. "Sounds about right."

He nodded thoughtfully before speaking again. "You remember that shoot I did earlier this year at the London Eye?"

"Uh-huh," said Jo, while at the same time, Katniss felt a sinking sensation in her stomach as she began to predict where the conversation was going.

"As part of my payment, I was given four VIP passes to any Merlin-owned attraction in the country. We'd get free entry, be able to queue jump all day, even get discounts on food and drink."

"Well," said Jo, with an unnaturally wide grin on her face, "that's settled. Try and worm your way out that one, Brainless. No excuses this time."

She allowed herself a small smirk as she pulled out the ace up her sleeve. "I'm not doing anything like that without Peeta. Sorry," she added glancing between Jo and Gale. She hated using Peeta as an excuse, but she really did not want to be forced into going. The last time Peeta and Gale had been in the same room, they had been at severe loggerheads, resulting in Gale showing Peeta that Katniss had not been entirely truthful with him. It had almost cost them their entire relationship.

Gale seemed to be debating something with himself. He rubbed his hand over his face briefly before pushing his hair back off his forehead. "I've got four passes, Katniss. You should see if he wants to come." She stared at him for a moment, completely speechless, before he continued talking. "I mean it, Katniss. He's part of your life now, it's not like we can avoid each other forever."

"It probably wouldn't be his thing," said Katniss, desperately clutching at straws.

"What do you mean 'it wouldn't be his thing'? Who doesn't like theme parks?" said Gale incredulously.

"Peeta has better things to worry about than rollercoasters and scary mazes."

"He wants to know when we're going so he can see if someone can cover him at home," piped up Jo, reading a text from her phone, a sly smirk across her face.

"Did you….did you just text him?" said Katniss, anger lacing the edge of her voice.

"Yup. And I'd say that judging by how quickly he got back to me this is precisely 'his thing.'"

"How—? What —? How do you even have his number?" stammered Katniss.

"Got it off your phone ages ago. Just in case."

"Oh, and do the pair of you have long cozy chats often?"

"Alright, Little Miss Jealousy. Calm yourself down. I'm not after your man, you'd know it if I was. But you can quit making excuses now. We don't have to pay, there's no waiting around, there's cheap food, and you get to cry on Peeta's shoulders if it gets too much."

"Not necessarily. He might not find cover. We've had to put plans on hold before because of that."

"How about you find out when he can get cover, and we'll plan it from there?" suggested Gale.

Katniss seethed at her friends for a moment before snatching up her phone. "I'm so unimpressed with all three of you right now," she muttered as she stormed in to her room. As soon as she slammed her bedroom door, she dialled Peeta's number. After just a single ring he answered.

"Hey gorgeous, I've missed you."

"How long have you Jo been texting each other?"

The pause he gave before speaking seemed, in Katniss' mind, to drag on for hours. "What?"

"You heard me. Text each other often, do you?"

"What? No!"

"What do the two of you talk about?"

"Katniss, I— "

"Do you talk about me behind my back, is that what's going on?"

"Katniss, nothing's going on!" he said, and he sounded so amused by the situation that Katniss began to think that maybe she had overreacted. "I got a text off her about two months ago saying 'Its Jo, this is my number just in case you ever needed it' and I haven't heard from her since. Until just now."

"Oh." Her room suddenly felt incredibly hot, and she could feel her cheeks burning.

"So, um… When are you planning this trip to Thorpe?" he asked, clearly trying to change the subject so she could save face.

"You don't really want to go, do you?" she asked, sitting heavily on the end of her bed.

"Absolutely, I want to go! I think I was about twenty the last time I went to a theme park."

"Even with Gale there?"

"Gale will be there?" he repeated, and Katniss was pleased to hear that his tone was flat. Maybe there was still a chance that she could get out of it…

"Yes," she replied. "They're his passes we'd be using."

"Ok," he said at last.

"What?"

"Ok, I mean, you said ages ago that we couldn't avoid each other forever. You're right. And if he behaves, I will too."

She closed her eyes and collapsed back against her bed, feeling her last excuse to get out of the trip disappear. Neither Gale nor Jo would take 'no' for an answer, and she didn't want to let Peeta down when he'd initially been so excited over it…. "When can you make it?" she said eventually. "We'll have to work around you."

As it turned out, they almost missed out. The mazes stayed open until the fifth of November, and this happened to be the only day that Peeta was able to get Finn and Annie to cover for him, having still not found a suitable volunteer. When Jo was able to get the day off work too and Gale called to say that he didn't have any assignments that day, she had to hide her mixed fear and disappointment. She was out of excuses. They were going.

He arrived the night before so that they could all travel down to Thorpe Park early and make a full day of it. Gale turned up just as Katniss was making her first coffee of the day. His presence, coupled with the stiff and oddly formal greeting he and Peeta gave each other, did little to ease her rising anxiety.

The three of them sat in Katniss' living room, silently sipping at their tea and coffee, waiting for Jo to get out of the shower so they could make tracks. Eventually Gale broke the awkward silence. "Look, um, no hard feelings, ok? I was out of line. I know that."

As far as apologies were concerned, Katniss had heard better. But Gale's pride meant he wasn't big on apologies. If that was as good as it would get, so be it.

"Thank you," said Peeta quietly, and Katniss could feel him relax ever so slightly next to her. He took a few more silent sips of his tea before breaking the silence himself this time. "So, how did you get these passes, then?" As he spoke, Katniss stretched her legs out over Peeta's lap, cradling her mug of coffee while Peeta absent-mindedly ran his fingers up and down the side of her calf.

"It was a promotional shoot at the London Eye. I photographed the Olympic Track and Field team, and was given them as a gift. Well, I say the Olympians. Wasn't quite as good as that. Turns out it was only the Paralympic team."

Katniss felt Peeta tense underneath her; his fingers ceased moving and she noticed his mouth had become a hard line. "That was still a great job, Gale," she said, hoping she could get his focus to shift to a more positive view.

"It's hardly as prestigious though," he retorted. "I mean, come on, name one Paralympian. Other than the guy who's standing trial for murder." When both Katniss and Peeta failed to answer, he said, "See? And I bet you've only heard of Pistorius since he killed his girlfriend."

"They're incredible athletes, though. Better than any of us."

"Oh come on, Katniss. No one watches it for the athletics. They watch it for the freakshow."

"Freakshow?" said Peeta quietly. His grip on Katniss' leg had become almost painfull, but she didn't want to draw any extra attention to Peeta.

"Gale, they're not freaks. That's a horrible thing to say."

"Whatever, Catnip. But if I was given the choice between Jessica Ennis or one of her limbless Paralympic counterparts I know who I'd choose. Am I right?" He directed this last at Peeta, trying for some typical male camaraderie.

It took Peeta a moment to answer, and when he did, Katniss couldn't help but notice the tone of forced calm. "I'd hope that I'd be able to see past anything like that."

Gale raised his eyebrow before he gulped back half of his coffee. "Well, you're either trying to sound noble to impress Katniss, or you're a braver man than me."

"Brave? What's bravery got to do with it?"

"When I got offered the job I was halfway through a shoot for Men's Health magazine. They were doing a spot on Christopher Marvel."

Katniss looked utterly blank while Peeta continued to stare blindly in front of him, all the while gripping tightly to her leg.

"You know," continued Gale, "England's centre-forward? 'Captain' Marvel? Anyway, he's a right laugh, and I got the call for the Paralympics job when we were on lunch. He showed me something on his phone, and once you've seen it, you can't un-see it. Look up 'Two guys, One stump.' Believe me, you see that shit you'd never want to hook up with one of them either. When I was photographing them it was all I could think of."

It was lucky that at that moment Jo came bursting in to the room. "We ready to go then?" she said.

Gale knocked back the remainder of his coffee and stood up, following Jo from the living room. Peeta stayed sat unnaturally still for a few moments longer before Katniss spoke in a hushed tone. "He doesn't know, Peeta. He wasn't saying those things as a dig at you."

After a moment Peeta sagged in apparent defeat. "I know, Katniss. Can't you see how much worse that makes it? He wasn't saying it to have a go, that's what he actually thinks."

"We don't have to go," she suggested hopefully. "We could have a day here, just the two of us."

For a moment her hopes were raised as he appeared to be considering her offer. "No," he said at last. "No, I want to go. I've been looking forward to it."

With a nod and a defeated sigh she swung her legs off him and stood up. "Let's go then," she said. It was going to be a long day.

Jo didn't drive, and living so close to Central, Gale couldn't see the point of owning a car in London, so it was up to either Peeta or Katniss to get them to Thorpe. Peeta tried to insist, but Katniss shot him down; her car was bigger, more comfortable, and she didn't think it fair to get him to drive after he'd driven all the way from Suffolk the night before. She also thought that the drive would help steady her nerves by giving her something to focus on.

It took just under an hour to reach Thorpe, and the car park was surprisingly empty for such an unseasonably sunny day. This surprised Katniss until she remembered that the kids had just returned to school after half-term.

"Perfect," said Jo, as they clambered out of Katniss' car. "It feels a bit like summer but with the added bonus of no brats running around under our feet."

"So, what do you want to do first?" Gale asked as the four of them made their way towards the entrance gate.

"Get a tea. Without a doubt," replied Peeta.

Gale looked at him incredulously for a moment. "You had one less than an hour ago," he snorted.

"Yup. And blood analysis would show I'm made of about seventy-five percent tea. If I don't keep my levels topped up bad things start to happen."

Peeta's request turned out to not be as simple as it initially sounded. The four of them trawled the food kiosks for a good twenty minutes until they finally found one that offered soy milk as an option. Katniss noticed that Gale had been biting his tongue, stopping himself from making any kind of comments, while Jo was shifting impatiently from foot to foot. Their obvious agitation at waiting around while Peeta nursed his prize caused her already frayed nerves to build even further, compounded by the discussion Jo started about where they were going to begin their day.

After looking at the map they had picked up on entry to the Park, Johanna insisted on doing the Saw ride first. Katniss swallowed apprehensively. She wasn't a fan of the Saw movies and she wasn't a fan of rollercoasters; the two combined felt like something from her worst nightmares. Then there was the fact that she was dreading the mazes they'd be going through later. As they arrived at the queue entrance, the sound of tortured screams were being played out over the PA system. Panic welled up in her.

"No," she said firmly. "Fuck this, you guys go on, I'm not doing it."

"Really?" Peeta said, disappointment evident even in just that one word, as he looked up at the ride in longing. He turned to Gale and Johanna, who were itching to go. "We'll wait here for you."

"We? No, Peeta, you go, I'll be fine."

"I'm not leaving you on your own."

"I'll be fine."

"But I'm not leaving you."

Katniss took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "You really don't have to, Peeta."

"Look," he said, his tone light-hearted as he pulled her into a hug. "I just want to spend the day with you. If that means I have to spend the whole day on the side-lines watching other people have fun and missing out on it myself then so be it."

She glared daggers at him as he tried to hide the fact that he was trying not to laugh. "Fine," she snapped. "Let's go." She grabbed hold of his hand and marched towards the fast-track line.

"Nice manipulation," Gale chuckled, as he patted Peeta on the shoulder, a newfound respect in his voice. "Never known anyone to be able to get her to change her mind on anything so quickly."

Katniss put on a brave face, but she still held steady to Peeta as they made their way closer and closer to the start of the ride. She hated feeling like this - and it was daytime and out in the open. She dreaded to think what it was going to be like in a dark and enclosed space when the mazes opened later, with the bloodied actors running at them. Her sense of dread increased as they quickly moved ahead of the waiting people thanks to their fast-track passes. The waiting area had been designed to look like Jigsaw's workshop: dead bodies, blood splatters, spiked torture devices, chains, and in pride of place a reverse bear trap. She kept her head down and clutched Peeta's hand a little tighter.

"Are you ok?" Peeta asked her, slipping his arm around her waist as they stood at the head of the queue, waiting for the next carriage.

"Mmm-hmm," she nodded, unable to trust herself to open her own mouth.

When the carriage finally arrived, and the previous occupants departed the seats, windswept and exhilarated, Katniss felt barely able to breathe. Peeta leant in towards her and whispered, "Are you sure you want to do it? I won't think anything less of you if you've changed your mind."

He was being genuine, she was certain. But his kind words made her even more determined. Gripping his hand tighter than ever, she marched through the barriers and took a seat, ensuring Peeta was one side of her, Gale on the other.

As the safety locks came down, securing them in place, she felt like she was being led to her death. This wasn't helped when the cart stopped abruptly just around the corner. A loud chuckling noise echoed all around them and from around a corner, cycling in on a tricycle, the puppet from the Saw films appeared.

"Holy shit," she whispered, as he slowly turned to look at them.

After a moment he spoke in a menacing rasp. "You have been locked in to a mechanical restraint from which there is no escape. Ahead are a series of devices that will determine your existence. Time is against you. Live or die. Make your choice. Let the games begin."

She was vaguely aware of the laughter coming from either side of her; Peeta, Johanna, and Gale were having the time of their lives as the carriage jerked in to life again.

"Peeta, I've changed my mind," she called out, turning her head slightly to face him, just as the carriage began to move inexorably forward.

"You'll be fine," he called back. "Try and relax." He dropped his arm so she could grab hold of his fingers which she gratefully gripped as tight as possible.

She took a deep breath, trying to keep her breathing under control. Swinging in front of them were two giant blades. 'They'll stop when we reach them,' she thought desperately. 'They'll stop when we reach them.'

But just before they reached the point of no return, the carriage plunged vertically downwards into blackness. She screamed as she immediately dropped Peeta's hand, clutching for dear life on to the safety harness holding her in place. Strobe lights afforded the riders glimpses of bloodied spikes below them, which they seemed to avoid by millimetres, and all hell broke loose. Air cannons fired in their faces as the sounds of guns roared in their ears. Water sprayed in their faces from severed arteries, bodies were everywhere… And suddenly they were back outside as the train seemed to slow to halt. Katniss breathed a sigh of relief but only momentarily. The track in front of them was pointing directly into the sky.

Televisions flicked in to life on either side of them, and that hateful puppet was back. "Game over."

She kept her eyes tight shut as she could feel herself flat on her back tilted towards the sky. "Ohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuck…."

"Open your eyes," she could hear Peeta laughing. "This is amazing!"

She dared to open them just a crack just as the carriage came to the very top of the incline. She had no idea how high they were, but the wind was far more pronounced up here, whipping her hair around her face. Risking a glance at the ground, she looked at the people walking on the safe earth below, at how small they appeared from way up high. "Peeta, you fucking arse," she cried, her words becoming lost as the carriage reached the very top of the incline, flipping over to face directly downwards, and it plunged towards the ground, narrowly missing more spinning blades and throwing them into several loops and twists. She clung on for dear life, completely unable to move until, at long last, the carriage finally came to a complete stop and their safety harnesses were released.

She clambered unsteadily to her feet and staggered off to one side, Peeta supporting her with an arm around her waist. As she looked up into his grinning face, his clear blue eyes sparkling mischievously, she began to laugh uncontrollably. "You ok?" he grinned.

"Yeah," she chuckled. "No thanks to you." She playfully smacked the top of his arms.

"What?" he said, mock offended. "I looked after you!"

"How, exactly?!"

"You're safe, right?" he said, still chuckling. She rolled her eyes at him in response. "And," he continued, "I bet you feel really alive right now, yeah?" She pursed her lips, refusing to answer and prove him right. "Well. You have me to thank for feeling that way. You're welcome."

"I'll get you back for this," she promised.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, throwing his arm over her shoulder as they left the ride exit.

Despite her show of annoyance, Katniss was immensely proud of herself for overcoming her initial fear. And Peeta was right. She really did feel alive - and strangely excited to try the next ride out.

Her confidence increased as the day went by; the only ride she couldn't bring herself to go on was Stealth; the 200-foot practically vertical drop was simply too much for her to handle. Peeta stayed by her side as Gale and Jo rode it together. "I'm sorry," she said to him. "It's just too much."

"You know," he said thoughtfully, "I'm really surprised. I mean, I've seen how you climb trees, so you can't be scared of heights."

"Ok, buster, number one, I've never climbed a 200-foot tree before, and secondly I'm not afraid of heights. It's the plummeting towards the ground at eighty miles an hour I'm not too keen on."

He swept his arms around her waist and pulled her in close to him. "I told you," he said, pressing gentle kisses down her neck and sending a jolt of heat straight to her core, "I'd look after you."

She melted into his embrace, cupping the side of his face and bringing him to face her, meeting his lips with hers. "You could have gone on without me," she said, flushed and slightly breathless.

"I could have," he replied. "But I've wanted to get you alone all day."

"We're hardly alone, Peeta," she chuckled as she looked around at the masses.

"I know, but this is the most alone we've been." He pulled her body flush with his and let out a heavy sigh. "God, I can't wait to get you home," he said in a low voice.

"Ugh, me too."

"You're having a good time though?"

"It's ok," she replied, not wanting to admit that she was enjoying herself far more than she had anticipated.

"Just ok?"

"Yeah. Well, better than I thought at least. It's ok," she replied.

"Bollocks. I think I actually heard you laugh more than scream on the last ride."

"Alright, alright. I'm having a good time, ok?"

"Have you got your camera?" Peeta asked, seemingly randomly, and with a tone of urgency in his voice.

"Sure," she replied, pulling it out of her handbag and handing it to him. He put his arm around her shoulders and held the camera at length, pointing it at themselves. After he took the photo and checked that it had come out ok, Katniss asked, "What was so urgent that it needed a photo there and then?"

He shrugged. "I just wanted to capture the moment that Katniss Everdeen admitted she was wrong."

She playfully pushed him away. "Yeah, well, don't tell Jo, ok? I'll never live it down."

"Your secret is safe with me," he winked.

It didn't take long for the Gale and Jo to return to them, by which point it was nearing four o'clock, and the mazes were about to open. According to the park guide they had picked up when they first arrived, the nearest one to them was Asylum.

"You ready for this?" Jo asked them all as she led the way.

Swallowing the nerves that threatened to overcome her, and clutching even tighter to Peeta's arm, Katniss said, "Fine. Let's get this over with."

She very nearly bottled it. A park attendant lined them up before they went in to explain the rules, and Katniss focused all her energy on breathing and trying to stay calm. The only real thing in the world was the warmth of Peeta's hand as it engulfed her own.

"Number one rule," called out the attendant. "Do not touch the actors under any circumstance. They are going to come very close to you. They are going to be moving erratically. Do not touch them and certainly do not hit them. You will be removed from the park if you do. It is their job to scare you, not the other way around, so don't try to scare them. It won't work and you'll only end up looking like a fool, and ruining the experience for yourself. Do not enter the maze if you suffer from light sensitive epilepsy. Do not enter if you have a heart condition. Do not enter if you are pregnant."

For a moment Katniss seriously considered lying in order to get out of having to go in but before she knew it they were entering… god only knew what. She made Peeta go first, clutching him round the middle and resting her face on his strong back.

They stepped inside, Jo leading the way, Gale not far behind her. As soon as the doors to outside were closed behind them, they were plunged in to a world of darkness and chaos. They were in a long corridor. Low lighting showed more blood-splattered walls and up ahead, at the end of the corridor, strobe lighting flickered violently.

Even through closed eyes, she could see the strobe lighting flashing through her lids as she buried her face in to Peeta's back. As they rounded the corner, she could feel the muscles in his back tense as he paused and let out a low hiss of an exhalation. She risked opening her eyes a crack, and as she did, she suddenly felt all the nerves melt away.

There was no real danger here; it was all just a game, a pretence. The strobe lighting meant she was able to see the actors as they climbed along the top of the wire fences. She peered round the side of him and could see Jo and Gale a little way up ahead, Jo jumping a little as an actor approached them before she fell on to Gale, howling with laughter. "Peeta," she shouted over the incessant noise of the room's soundtrack, as she squeezed him a little, "We don't want to get left behind."

He seemed to remember to move as she spoke. He took a couple of hesitant steps forward, and as he did, Katniss noticed movement above them. A girl in a nightdress, with long lank hair and a cut running diagonally across her face, was scampering along the fences and bars above them. She paused just ahead of where they were walking, swung down and dropped to her feet, landing just inches in front of Peeta before screeching and running away. He practically jumped out of his skin. "Ah, fuck!" he exclaimed, tensing even further.

Katniss started to laugh at the ridiculous situation. "Are you ok?" she asked.

"Mmm-hmm," he responded, before shouting, "Shit!" moments later as the girl darted in front of them again.

"Are you… are you actually scared?"

"It's fine. I'm fine," he said, continuing to shuffle forwards but gripping on to Katniss' arms around his waist.

"Do you want me to go first?" she said, a grin spreading over her face.

In response he nodded briefly and manoeuvred her in front of him, pushing her forwards. Every now and then she could feel him tense up, or hear him swear. The actors in the maze seemed to pick up on his reactions and focused all their attention on him. Running her fingers over the back of his hands, she could feel how cold and clammy his skin had become as he gripped her tighter and tighter.

She was amazed at how quick the actors were, how agile and nimble, how they could appear from nowhere and vanish in a split second, but she found the whole scenario funny rather than frightening.

At long last, they rounded a corner in to what looked like the final corridor. There were no strobes here. Instead, the corridor was bathed in dark red light that very occasionally flickered off and back on again, and all she could feel were Peeta's arms shaking slightly around her. Just feet to their right they were startled by a loud sound - that of a small petrol engine starting up and being revved. It sounded like a chainsaw.

"It's ok," she heard Peeta saying behind her. "It's not real. It's not real. It's not real."

Ahead of them, a small patch of natural light showed that they were close to the exit when out of the shadows burst the final actor, wearing an open straitjacket and wielding the chainsaw high above his head. He charged towards them. "Fucking run!" shouted Peeta, pushing her forwards towards the safety of the real world. They burst through to find Jo and Gale waiting for them, breathless with nervous laughter.

"That was fucking awesome," said Jo, doubled over to get her breath back. "We're definitely doing that one again."

"No. No way. Fuck that," said Peeta, shaking his head. Katniss noticed how furiously flushed his cheeks were and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Oh, come on," said Jo, standing up straight again, "You some kind of pussy or something?"

"If it means I don't have to go back in there then yes. And proud."

"Your loss," she shrugged in response.

Ignoring her jibes Katniss stepped in front of him and ran her hand down the side of his face. "Are you ok?" she asked him gently.

"Uh-huh. That was fucked up." He pushed his hair back of his face and began to laugh nervously. "I need a drink."

"Whatever happened to 'I'll look after you'?"

He looked a little sheepish as he spoke. "Maybe….maybe we need to make that more of a mutual arrangement?"

"So we'll look after each other from now on?"

"Perfect," he said as she melted in to his arms.

"You know I'm going to have to make you go through all the other mazes too, though?"

"Why would you be so cruel?"

"I did promise I'd get you back. And I don't want to break a promise."

His usual self-deprecating laugh caused Katniss to chuckle as well. "Fine," he answered, shaking his head with a half-smile. "Find me a beer first though. If I'm going through that again I need a little Dutch courage."

Peeta didn't fare much better going through Hellgate or The Curse, even with the addition of the confidence-bolstering alcohol coursing through him. He flat-out refused to go through Se7en.

"Please, Katniss, no more. I can't take it," he said as they stood outside the maze's entrance, and Katniss had to admit that even in the low-light Peeta looked far paler than usual. "I just want to go and sit down somewhere with a beer and a packet of crisps and try and feel a bit more human."

"This one is supposed to be the most tame out of all of them," said Gale, and Katniss really hoped that Peeta didn't pick up on the slight smirk in his voice.

"Honestly, I don't care. I think a child in a white sheet saying 'Boo' would be enough to give me a heart attack right now."

"You two go ahead. We'll be in the bar, ok?" said Katniss, talking Peeta's clammy hand in her own. "How are you doing, soldier?" she asked him once they were alone and seated, Peeta clutching a pint of Peroni and a pack of salt and vinegar crisps.

"Better, thanks," he said, staring at a few drops of condensation that had formed on the side of his pint glass, tracing their path with his fingertips. He sighed heavily before taking a swig.

"What's wrong?" she asked, laying a hand on his forearm.

"Your friends probably think I'm a right dick."

"Who cares?" she said. "I know you're not and that's all that matters, surely?"

"Thanks for confirming it," he said with a slightly sad smile.

"I didn't mean it that way, and you know it," she countered, tucking a few loose curls behind his ear. "I just meant that you need to stop worrying about what other people think, because it doesn't matter."

"I can't help wanting to be liked, Katniss. No one wants to be disliked, do they?"

"No, but you're never going to please everyone," she replied.

"Doesn't stop me from wanting to try."

They sat together in silence for a few moments before Katniss spoke up again. "Thank you for giving Gale another chance, Peeta. I can't tell you how much it means to me. And I know you two stepped off on the wrong foot— "

"Understatement of the century."

"—And I know he inadvertently messed up first thing today— "

"Again, bit of an understatement."

"—So thank you for keeping your cool over it. Really did mean a lot to me."

"Look, Katniss, I doubt we'll ever be best friends— "

"I'm not asking you to be," she interjected.

"I know. And to be honest I don't know that I can promise I'll ever count him as a mate. We're just too different. But for you, I'll keep trying."

She cupped the side of his face, and he closed his eyes at her gentle touch. "You're a really great guy, Peeta. I don't think I've told you that enough lately."

"Even though in the event that we find ourselves in a haunted asylum full of chainsaw wielding zombies I'll need you to take the lead and save us?"

"Despite that, yes."

The corners of his mouth lifted in a genuine smile for the first time since they sat down. "Thanks, kiddo. You're not so bad yourself."

"And hey, if we find ourselves in some kind of situation where we're 200-feet in the air, strapped in a car and hurtling to the ground at eighty miles an hour, I know I'll be able to count on you."

As his smile widened she brought his face to hers for a kiss. They had promised to look after each other. And she fully intended to keep that promise.

A/N – I thought long and hard about who was going to be most scared in the mazes. Originally it was going to be Katniss, but honestly, it makes far more sense for it to be Peeta. I'd like to just iterate – it doesn't make him a coward! I worked as an actor in scare mazes for 6 and a half years (and have worked at the ones mentioned in this story!) and it was amazing how much being in those places changed people. People who were utterly terrified before they came through might end up seeing it for what it was and just finding the whole thing a bit boring and silly, and people who were fine outside ended up getting really into it once inside. We'd often see boyfriends cowering behind their girlfriends, but one thing was very apparent; creative minds were always much more affected than logical, analytical ones. And as I said, I worked in these places for 6 and half years and I still get scared going through them, even though I know exactly what the actors are going to be doing moments before and after I've seen them, how all they'll be talking about is what they want for dinner, how bloody bored they are, how they'll be taking the piss out of whoever just screamed etc etc… They still get me every bloody time. So yeah, bearing all that in mind it really does make more sense for Peeta to have been really affected in there, far more than Katniss, Jo or Gale would have been ;)

Anyway, thanks for reading and don't forget to let me know what you think. I'm on tumblr too. Find me at alatarielgildaen dot tumblr dot com and come and say hello!