A/N - A hundred thousand apologies for how long this chapter has taken for me to write. (I know, it's not been as long a wait for this one than for the last one, but this took longer to write. I literally started this chapter back in November, when I was first writing the story. Ooops.)

Anyway! Thanks to Court for making sense of everything I write. You're a star.

Please leave a review, they make my muse work faster. Otherwise you're setting yourselves up for another four month wait ;)

April

Katniss thought back to the first night that she and Peeta had ever spent together—how she had still been intent on exposing his group as criminals and vandals, and how Peeta had insisted she join them as they broke into a factory farm and liberated eight hens from the hell of the battery cages. She recalled the fear that they would be caught; she recalled the disgust at seeing the birds first hand, the helplessness at having to leave so many of them behind… That rescue mission seemed like a walk in the park compared to what they would be attempting tonight.

Since meeting with his brothers again, Peeta had become agitated. They may have parted cordially enough, but that hadn't stopped the little digs his brothers had given him about what he had chosen to do with his life and inheritance. Katniss had told him to ignore them, that siblings would always try to wind each other up. But he took their jibes very personally and, as a reaction against them, threw himself back into caring for his animals to the extent that Katniss began to feel that he didn't have time for her anymore.

In his own words he was "fed up with how fucking complacent" he'd become. It seemed that he used to take every opportunity he had to protest, to go on rescues, to go sabbing, but since he had been with Katniss he had been far more content to sit at home and just be with her, his only activism taking place behind a keyboard. Katniss had watched him becoming moodier and surlier, getting angry at every advert on TV, every cooking programme. She could see him seething at strangers in the street, hear him clicking his tongue in disgust at the supermarket… He seemed to be angry at the whole world.

And so Katniss suggested he try and get a bit more involved again. If he could focus his anger on a task, do something that made him feel like he was achieving something, she thought it would help bring him out of the spiralling descent of rage that he appeared to be falling in to. And she was worried for them. She missed Peeta being sweet and kind. She missed his easy smile and his ready jokes, his self-deprecating humour and witty banter.

He started small, by ordering a batch of stickers from a no-holds-barred animal rescue charity that showed animals in the process of being slaughtered with the caption 'This flesh had a face.' On his next trip to the supermarket he went straight to the meat aisles that he usually avoided like the plague. The packaging on the beef and steaks showed an idyllic scene of one or two cows grazing in a wide open field, clear blue skies overhead. Peeta picked up a packet, pretending to be interested although Katniss could feel the discomfort and repulsion emanating off him in waves. When the packet was replaced, instead of the idyllic scene it now showed two side-by-side images that were closer to reality. One showed several cows jammed together in a factory feedlot. They were covered in filth and faeces, with open sores around their legs. The other showed a cow strung up by the hind legs, fear in her eyes as blood poured from her opened throat. He moved on to the dairy aisle, placing stickers of tiny day-old calves lying in the mud with a bullet through their brains with the caption 'I was killed so you could drink my mother's milk' on the cartons of milk, yoghurt, and packets of cheese.

It seemed to appease him for a while— he wasn't even bothered about the lifetime ban Asda placed on him when he was caught— and Katniss was beyond happy to see him smiling and back to his happy-go-lucky self. But it didn't last. He was itching to do something more 'hands-on' and direct. And so he had made enquiries with Thresh, who was the most deeply involved activist he was still in contact with. And through him, Peeta heard about the raid on a vivisection lab. This was far more dangerous than breaking into the battery farms, and would carry a higher penalty if they were caught. Peeta had tried to persuade her to stay behind, but she was worried about how reckless he would be without her influence and so had insisted on coming along too. She was beginning to regret the decision as the time drew nearer for them to leave the safety and comfort of his cottage.

"Peeta," she said soothingly, "you don't have to do this."

"And you don't have to come," he replied tersely as he pulled on a black hooded sweater.

"Yes, Peeta," she sighed. "Yes, I do."

He stopped dressing for a moment and looked up at her, his expression softening. "I mean it, Katniss. I want you to be safe, and you'll be safest here."

"And what about you?" she asked, stepping closer to him. "I want you to be safe, too."

"I'll be fine," he replied, not looking her in the eyes. Katniss was not convinced.

"Peeta," she said, reaching out and stroking the side of his face. He closed his eyes and leant into her touch. "If you go, I'm coming with you. You can't stop me."

"Why?" he asked, his fingers reaching up to entwine with hers.

"Because," she replied. "Just, because. That's what I do. I look out for you."

"We look out for each other," corrected Peeta. Their fingers were still knotted together, and Peeta raised their hands together, placing her fingers at the nape of his neck, before he gently cupped her chin and drew her towards him.

His lips ghosted over hers, and immediately Katniss felt the desperate hunger that she always associated with his kisses. One kiss would never be enough for her. She drew his bottom lip into her mouth, grazing her teeth along it, revelling in the little moans of pleasure she could elicit from him.

They paused for a moment, gazing deep into each other's eyes, both utterly breathless. Katniss smiled a little at the flush that had crept across Peeta's cheeks before she grabbed the hem of his sweater and pulled it up and over his head in a single movement. His t-shirt followed a moment later, and she pushed on his chest, walking him backwards until he collapsed on to his sofa.

She could clearly see his erection tenting the black jogging pants he had chosen to wear, and an anticipatory wave of pleasure spread outwards from her belly.

"Katniss..." Peeta's voice was quiet, husky with desire but tinged with an edge of worry. His eyes flashed towards the wall clock, but Katniss didn't care. She had to do something for him, something to make him happier...

"Katniss..." he repeated, a slightly more desperate edge to his voice, as she knelt before him and hooked her fingers through the waistband of his pants, pulling them down over his hips.

As she palmed his erection through his boxer briefs, his head fell back against the sofa, and her name fell from his lips once more. "Shhh, angel," she whispered as she encouraged him to lift his hips so she could pull his boxers down too.

As soon as she wrapped her lips around him, he began to moan incoherently. She relished in how his fingers tangled into her hair as she ever so slowly pulled away from him. Pausing briefly, she looked up. Peeta's eyes had fallen closed, his head resting back against the sofa. For the first time in weeks, he looked relaxed and carefree.

Very slowly, his eyes fluttered open and he looked at her questioningly. "Please?" he whispered, as his fingers gently massaged the back of her head.

She allowed him a slight smile before dipping her head back down and slowly licking the entire length of his shaft, from the base to the very tip. She repeated this move several times more, until Peeta began to whine in frustration. She rewarded him by kissing the very tip, then lapping at and swallowing the pre-cum that began to form.

Part of her wanted to keep teasing him, while another part wanted nothing more than to give him his release. Her tongue flicked over the head of his cock, circling around the ridge, while she wrapped her fingers around the base. As he groaned in approval, she started steadily stroking him as she took as much of him into her mouth as she could.

"Katniss…" he whispered, the 's' of her name turning into a long, drawn-out, sibilant sigh. "Oh, Katniss…"

Encouraged by the sounds escaping him, she took him even deeper, and as he began to gently thrust upwards into her mouth, she could feel the wetness pooling between her thighs. He managed to warn her just moments before he came, and she continued to suck him through his orgasm until he was utterly spent and begging her to stop.

Breathlessly, she climbed onto the sofa next to him, swung her legs over his lap and rested her head against his shoulder. Her hand drifted down to cover the tattoo that sat over his heart, and through his ragged breathing she could feel the strong pound of every beat.

A deep sigh came from him as he wrapped his arms around her. "You want me to stay here tonight? If that's what you want, I'll stay."

Hope welled up inside her, and she looked up into his eyes. All she could see was sadness. Her gaze drifted down once more to his tattoo: a raised fist and a raised dog's paw side by side, directly over his heart. He had once explained to her that it symbolised animal liberation. He'd had it done over his heart as an everyday reminder to him of what was most important to him: nothing more or less than doing everything in his power to eliminate suffering in the world.

This was important to him. And what was important to him was important to her. He'd never forgive himself for passing up this opportunity to save at least one life...

"No," she said at long last. "But we'll go into this together as one, ok? You're not leaving me behind."

The kiss he placed on her forehead was so soft and gentle, so sincere, that for a moment Katniss felt a slight pricking behind her eyes as she was overcome by her feelings of love for him. She quickly blinked the feeling away as she swung her legs off him and stood up off the sofa.

"Don't you want me to make you happy?" Peeta asked her, hooking a finger in to the back pocket of her jeans.

"Later," she said. "If we get back safely."

"When we get back safely," he corrected her.

Despite his confidence, Katniss did not feel especially reassured.

This was to be a highly organised operation, with activists converging on the lab from various sabbing groups around the country. They had organised to meet at a location near the labs, and then they planned to break in through the fences surrounding them. Research had shown that the security was at a minimum between midnight and 6 a.m., so they would arrive at around 1 a.m. to be on the safe side.

When Thresh pulled up outside the cottage around midnight, Katniss had to physically swallow her nerves. She didn't want Peeta seeing how scared she was. But she was determined that no matter what, she would help Peeta, and bring him home safe and sound.

Peeta loaded his rescue equipment into Thresh's van. The activists were each going to be targeting a different part of the lab to get to different animals and save as many lives as possible. Thresh, Katniss and Peeta had been assigned the beagles. He took with him a pet-carrying case, together with the usual bolt cutters, crowbar, wire cutters, and various other tools that could come in handy.

The three of them travelled mostly in silence, until at long last, they reached the laboratories. Thresh drove straight past them for nearly a mile, finally turning into a layby and parking the car under cover of dense woodland. The van was perfectly well hidden and would not be noticed by anyone casually driving past.

"We need to head through the trees," said Thresh, as he unloaded the equipment from the van. Peeta took the largest, heaviest burlap sack, and flung it over his shoulder, as if it were weightless, while Katniss took hold of the carry case. Thresh then handed both Katniss and Peeta a black balaclava, before picking up a bag of his own and leading the way through the woods.

Katniss could not help but worry about the difficulty Peeta appeared to be having in picking his way across the rough terrain. Every single one of his footfalls sounded like a clap of thunder in the clear night air, and he seemed to stumble on more than one occasion.

"Are you ok?" she whispered, reaching for his hand. He squeezed hers in response, but offered no other answer.

Eventually, they reached a small clearing. The flood lights of the laboratory could clearly be seen a little way through the trees, and Katniss began to feel nervous with anticipation. She forced herself to focus. She had done nerve-racking things many times as an undercover reporter. But, she realised, it had only been her in danger. She'd never before had to worry about someone she cared so deeply for as Peeta.

There were around 25 other people in the clearing, all dressed in black or camouflage, and all wearing or carrying balaclavas. It would be an absolute miracle if they all got out of this safely.

Katniss was barely aware of how long they had been converged in the clearing, when suddenly they all began to move. "Let's go," said Peeta. "Stick close to me."

Each group of activists had a plan of the lab so they were able to find the quickest way in, and also the quickest way out once their rescues were complete. Katniss suddenly had to supress the most inappropriate laugh. A year ago, this would have been precisely the sort of activity she would have sought to expose in an undercover story. And now she was genuinely taking part in a rescue. Funny, the way life could turn on its head like that.

She felt as if she were trapped in a strange, dream-like state as the activists began crawling through a hole that had been cut into the wire fence. Once she, Peeta, and Thresh were through, along with a group of seven other activists, they quickly crossed to one of the lab's entrances. "This is where we see if we've been sold out, I guess," said masked woman's voice, as she swiped a card over the security post and tapped a number into the keypad. The door buzzed very gently and opened a fraction.

Katniss released a breath that she hadn't realised that she had been holding. She had been certain that they were about to set off alarms.

Once inside, Thresh pulled out a miniature torch to check their position on the laboratory plans. "This way," he whispered, turning off the torch, and setting off down the hallway at a speedy pace.

After several twists and turns through the corridors, Thresh stopped outside a locked door. "Keep an eye out," he whispered as he reached into his bag and withdrew a rather illegal-looking set of tools. Placing the miniature torch between his teeth, he then inserted a couple of the tools into the keyhole, twisting and turning them ever so slowly and gently, until a satisfying click sounded their entry into the room beyond.

When Katniss had her first experience of breaking into a factory farm, she had felt physically sick at the sight of the thousands of birds crammed together in cages, all awaiting their fate. Once again, she gasped at the sight before her.

The walls were lined with cages, and each one housed a beautiful beagle. Most of the dogs were asleep, but at the sound of the intruders, one or two started to stir. They raised their mournful eyes and watched Katniss, Peeta, and Thresh warily. Katniss was certain that they would start to bark soon, and give their rescuers' positions away, but the dogs remained eerily silent.

Almost as if he could read her thoughts, Peeta said, "They tend to use beagles because of how trusting and passive they are." The disgust and anger in his voice was apparent, and Katniss felt a thrill of nerves. She couldn't allow Peeta's passion to overrule his judgement.

"Let's just get this done quickly, ok?" she said, forcing her voice to sound calmer than she was.

"Agreed," said Thresh, stopping before one of the cages. "Over here, Peeta."

Both Katniss and Peeta joined Thresh, and Katniss melted at what she saw. Inside the cage were four beautiful beagle puppies that could not have been more than a couple of months old. All four were fast asleep. "They're gorgeous," she whispered.

"I know," replied Peeta. "But not for long if they stay here. They're coming with us."

The front of the cage was padlocked shut, and so Peeta pulled the bolt-cutters from his burlap sack, cutting the lock away in seconds. The puppies put up no protest whatsoever as they were moved from the cage to the carry case, but Katniss could not help but notice that sad sighs coming from Peeta.

"What is it?" she asked, although part of her already knew what his answer would be.

"I just… I wish we could help them all," he said, looking around at the remaining caged dogs. "It feels so wrong, leaving them here to die."

"Stop," said Thresh. "Focus on what we can do." He threw his rucksack over his shoulder and said, "Let's get out of here."

Thresh gently pushed upon the door and looked around the corner. "It's clear," he said, but barely a second later, the lights in the corridor turned on, and an alarm started to wail. Heavy footsteps and shouting could be heard, and Thresh ducked back inside, into the dark relative safety of their room, pulling the door closed after him.

"What the hell—?" whispered Peeta.

This was it. They were going to be caught and she was going to be arrested, she knew it. The noise of the klaxon was agitating the beagle pups in their carrier, as well as the remaining dogs in their cages. Peeta was gripping her hand tightly, and she could hear his ragged breathing in the darkness. "Wait here," he whispered as he edged his way towards the door.

"Be careful," she whispered back in response, as his fingers left hers behind. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat at the lack of contact, and could just about make out his shadow as he approached the small square of light spilling through the door's glass panel. Suddenly he ducked back down into shadow as the thunderous sound of footsteps came charging past. The sound seemed to get louder and louder, and Katniss held her breath until she realised it was the sound of her own pulse rushing in her ears. It took her by surprise when Peeta was back by her side, his hand resting between her shoulder blades.

"Someone sold us out." Thresh's harsh whisper cut through the darkness.

"Not necessarily," replied Peeta. "If they'd known we were coming they wouldn't have allowed us to get as far we had. They'd just close the doors on us and arrest us all."

"How are we going to get back?" Katniss whispered, hating how her worry was apparent even in her whisper.

Neither man answered at first. Then Katniss heard the distinct jangle of keys, before a small bunch were pressed in to her palm. "We're not," said Thresh. "You two are."

"What the fuck are you on about, man?" whispered Peeta urgently.

"We're not all getting out, it'll be an impossibility. But you have to, Peeta. You have responsibilities. I don't. I'll distract them, draw them away, and it will give you the chance to get out."

"Don't be a dick."

"Don't you be a dick, Peeta. Get her out of here safely." He tapped the top of the beagles' cage. "Get them out of here safely."

"Thresh…"

"Get back to the van. If you haven't heard from me after twenty minutes then go, ok?"

In the near darkness, Katniss could just about make out the two of them embracing for a moment before Thresh released him and swept her up in his arms. "Look after him," he whispered to her. "Don't let him try for any heroics. Just get out of here."

He released her and crept towards the door. "Be ready," he said, turning towards her and Peeta, who were still crouched down in the darkness. They watched as he gently opened the door and silently pulled it to. Peeta encouraged her to get to her feet, grasping the cage in front of him, and momentarily peered outside.

After a minute or two, they heard an almighty crash coming from nearby, followed shortly after by more crashing footsteps heading towards the source of the disturbance. Peeta seemed to be psyching himself up for the inevitable. He took three deep breaths, and he turned to her. "Ready?"

She nodded affirmation, unsure how ready she ever would be.

"Ok. Let's go."

He opened the door and slipped outside, Katniss following directly on his heels. Each of his footsteps rattled around the corridors like gunshots, and she cringed at how loud he was, imagining that the law would be on top of them at any moment. He jogged as fast as he was able while carrying the pups' cage and with the heavy burlap rucksack slung over one shoulder, and thus Katniss was easily able to keep up with him.

The labs seemed positively labyrinthine compared to when they arrived; around every corner Katniss prayed to see an open exit but expected to see a foe waiting to ensnare them. She was always wrong on both counts. From the crashing sounds in the distance, Thresh was still putting up a fight, destroying as much property as he could to buy them time. They had to get out before the police arrived. Security guards they could escape from, but once the police were on the scene, a perimeter would be set up and there would be no getting out.

Sticking as close to Peeta as she could, she almost cried in relief when they finally came across an exit that led back outside. Together they sidled up to the door. Peeta still carried the beagle pups, so he indicated to Katniss to try the door. "It might be alarmed," he warned her as she reached for it. "So be prepared to run."

Endless scenarios of them getting caught, of watching Peeta dragged away from her in handcuffs, of appearing in court and being sent down ran through her mind as she reached for the door handle. Steeling herself for a moment, she pushed down hard. It was locked. "What do we do?" she whispered desperately.

The cage of whimpering beagle puppies was handed to her, and he pulled a crowbar from the burlap sack. Putting it in position against the door, he looked up at her, and despite his face being almost entirely covered by the balaclava, she was terrified to notice the fear in his eyes clearly mirrored her own. "Katniss, this is likely to catch their attention. When we get outside, if the coast is clear, run straight to the fence. We don't have time to find where we came in from; it'll be quicker to cut a new exit. You carry the dogs, and I'll try and get to the fence first and cut a way through. Stick to the shadows as much as you can. I love you."

"I love you too," she responded, ashamed at how much her voice was shaking.

"Ready?" She nodded her response, and Peeta piled his strength against the crowbar, forcing the door open. As he predicted, more alarms began to sound. Security would be on their way; they had to get out now. "Go," he hissed to her, and she began to run.

Adrenaline took over, almost silencing the alarms. She could see Peeta charging up ahead, but she was encumbered by the beagle puppies and couldn't go as quickly. In the corner of the compound was an area mostly hidden in shadow by the trees on the other side of the chain link fence, and that was where he appeared to be heading. She risked a glance from side to side and was beyond grateful that no security guards appeared to be on the scene yet. By the time she reached Peeta, he had already used wire cutters to cut a sizeable hole, and he pulled back a corner of the chain link fence so that Katniss could dart through. Once she was safely outside the compound, he crawled through the hole as well. They were nowhere near where the van was parked, but had no choice but to head further in to the dark woods in order to stay clear of the eyes of security.

"What will happen to Thresh?" Katniss hissed into the darkness. Up ahead she could see Peeta stop in his tracks and look down towards the ground.

"I don't know," he said at last, before heading further into the cover of the trees. At that moment, Katniss noticed Peeta was limping very slightly.

"You ok?"

"Fine," he said quietly, although Katniss could hear the edge of pain, both physical and emotional, lacing his voice. He paused in his movements and held his arms out towards her. "I can take them," he said, indicating the puppies. She pressed the carrier into his arms and together they kept on making their way through the trees, Katniss wincing, as Peeta seemed to step on every dry twig and branch. The resultant cracks echoed through the cool night air, and she was convinced that at any moment the police would descend upon them.

Further and further into the woods they crept, until the floodlit laboratories behind them were entirely blocked from view and their progress through the trees hindered by the complete darkness. Peeta stopped moving suddenly, a sharp inhalation of breath indicating that he was hurt. "What is it?" Katniss asked him.

"Nothing."

"Don't tell me that. What have you done?"

"Nothing. I'll be fine. I just… I must have landed too heavily when we were running. I'll be fine."

"Peeta…."

"I'll be ok," he said with a finality that stopped Katniss from protesting again. "Just need to…. Get back to the van."

Despite their close proximity, she could barely see him, but she could hear his frantic breathing and he jumped slightly when she reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Peeta?"

"I…. I don't know where to go," he admitted at last.

A cold wind blew through the trees, and goose bumps were raised over Katniss' arms and the back of her neck that were only in part due to the sudden drop in temperature. "It's ok," she whispered to him. "I'll get us back. We need to get to the other side of the compound. If we can keep the lab constantly on our left, we should be able to circle round and get back to the van."

"If Thresh doesn't make it back, you'll need to drive."

Katniss could hear the embarrassment in his voice, and she squeezed his shoulder reassuringly before taking the lead. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Peeta limping very slightly, occasionally hissing as he took a step.

"Stop," she said. "Just, stop." She took the cage of puppies back from him and he immediately bent double, rubbing at his left leg. "What is it?"

"Nothing," he said after a moment's hesitation. "Just my own stupidity. I've been meaning to go and see the prosthetist for ages but… I just haven't had time. And I've had so much on my mind that... anything to do with me gets pushed to the bottom of the pile." He straightened up again, wincing as he did so. "I'll be ok. It's a little ill-fitting. Nothing life-threatening."

"You shouldn't have come out like this, Peeta."

"This was more important!" he said, his voice raising. Katniss quickly glanced over her shoulder, fearful that they had been heard. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice lowering. "But look at them," he said, placing a hand on top of the beagles' cage. "Look. They would have been cut up, injected, forced to smoke, operated on, force-fed pills, slowly and painfully poisoned… And none of it, not a single jot, would have benefitted human health, because we're not the same! What works for an animal doesn't work for a person, and certainly not when the illnesses have been artificially induced in a laboratory in the first place! Their lives would have been miserable, and they'd have just been killed at the end. We've saved them from that. What's a little discomfort of my own in comparison?"

Katniss looked down at the four tiny puppies in her arms and tried to picture them on an operating table. The idea made her shudder, and she blinked back the tears that were forming. "You're a good man, Peeta Mellark," she said. "The world could use a few more people like you."

In the dark, she could see the flicker of a smile upturn his lips, and he reached towards her, cupping the side of her face. "Let's keep moving," he said. "Don't worry about me."

With Peeta moving at such a slow pace, it took them nearly half an hour to get back to the van. Peeta secured the pups in the back then climbed into the passenger seat, while Katniss got into the driver's seat. She quickly glanced at her watch, and let out a deep breath. Thresh had twenty minutes—otherwise they would be driving away.

"I'm sorry," said Peeta into the darkness, after they had sat in silence for a few minutes.

"For what?" asked Katniss.

"Putting you in danger. I've been on so many rescues before, but never had to worry about… I mean, even when I was with Jenn I didn't feel like I do now, and I always used to think that if anything happened it wouldn't matter. But it does. It really does. When I was on my own, if I'd landed in prison, well, so what? But I'd never, ever, ever forgive myself if anything happened to you."

Katniss stayed silent as she listened to his confession, her heart swelling.

"Say something," he implored her.

"I don't know what to say," she replied.

"Then come here," he said, reaching towards her. He held her in his arms, and whispered in her ear, "I never want to let you go."

She pulled away slightly, looking deep into his cerulean eyes, before reaching her hand behind his neck and pulling him towards her. Their lips met, as Katniss kissed him once slowly, then drew away from him slightly. Their lips were almost brushing, and Katniss could feel the heat of his breath as she ran her tongue over her lips, moistening them.

"I love you," he whispered. "I love you so much."

She pressed her lips into his once more, deepening the kiss, and sighing into him as his tongue gently probed her own. "I love you, too," she sighed. The wind picked up outside, making the trees' branches creak. They would never hear someone approach in this weather, and the thought made her nervous. She glanced down at her watch. They had been in the car for just over ten minutes. "Do you think Thresh meant for us to wait twenty minutes from the time we got back here, or twenty minutes from the time he left us?"

Peeta didn't answer immediately. His hand dropped to grasp hers, and he turned to look out of the window. "Let's just wait a little longer, ok?"

She nodded, and squeezed his hand a little tighter, before the two of them lapsed into silence. She was lost in thought, in the worry of what could have happened to Thresh. Suddenly, a loud bang on the door pulled her immediately out of her reverie. Katniss looked up fearfully, expecting to see a uniformed officer before them. She laughed with relief when she saw Thresh's grinning face peering in at the window, and opened the door to him.

"You should have left ages ago," he said, as Katniss shifted over to sit on Peeta's lap. "So I guess I should be grateful for your terrible time-keeping."

"How'd did you get away?" asked Peeta.

Thresh shrugged, as he took the keys back from Katniss, and started up the engine. "Usual security guards. Over-fed and under-paid. They didn't give me any trouble and I managed to hide before the police showed. Took me a while to get back here though, the place ended up crawling with cops. They nearly got me as I crawled back through the fences, but none of them could keep up once we got into the woods."

"What happened? Who set off the alarms?"

"I don't know. They caught a few people, but I think at least half of us got away. Dogs ok?"

"They're fine," replied Peeta. He held tighter on to Katniss and squeezed her gently, saying, "Everything's fine."

As Thresh started to drive away, Katniss felt overcome with exhaustion. She leant closer into Peeta, resting her head on his shoulder. Everything was more than fine.