It's not Wednesday? Really? It's Saturday? And I'm updating. Oh my god... it's a gift to my amazing followers and reviewers. Without you guys, I wouldn't be putting this story up, so here you go. It's an early update. I have some warnings at the end of this chapter that might turn some of you off but you'll see it once you get there. Excited that I updated this early, bet you guys are too!

Setsuna Hyuga: Well, is this soon enough? Early update, yay! So glad to hear this is your favorite, that means so much to me. Thank you.

writer with no words: I can't do short chapters like, ever. I just can't do that less of detail. If I try, it comes off sloppy and not that in depth, which annoys me. Enjoy this chapter, thank you for reading and reviewing!

DrarryFrerard: XD Is it mean to say I'm glad you teared up at some points? I've never had a reader cry over my work. Unless they didn't tell me... but anyway, thank you for reading and reviewing!

MangoMagic: Only a couple more chapters of Peeta's confusion, I'll give you that. It does go on a little more because, honestly, Cato hasn't done anything to disprove that Peeta should be okay with just caring for him. But just bare with me for the next couple of chapters and then you'll see. Thank you lurve!

Lolitadelirium: Cato might be so in love with him, yes. I'm not giving anything away haha. Oh, enjoy this chapter of Clove-ness.

SakuraDrops141: Well, your wait is over! And yes, I'm sure Cato would kick District 12 butt for Peeta. Oh, I'm going to keep the question more simple for this chapter to make it easier haha.

Abysslullaby: I feel bad for Cato, at times, because you're right. It would hurt Cato. I never go into Cato's head but hey, maybe after I finish putting this story up, I'll rewrite one from inside Cato's head. Would you like that? I just might. Thank you for reading!

mmleach: Sorry, no Cato in head-ness. But as I said above, I just might do a rewrite from Cato's POV. That would be interesting, right? Anyway, I'm glad you agree that slow-building romance is the way to go. And it improves the plot a lot. Thanks for reading!

And now, my gift to you readers, an early Chapter Nine. Enjoy.

Chapter Nine.

Peeta's on instant fight mode. He grabs her wrist and he feels the knife piece his skin briefly, feels a warm, sticky liquid begin to travel down under the collar of his shirt. It isn't bad, though, because it isn't a lot of blood. Just a small cut. He slams her back into a tree as he twists her arm. She gasps out, dropping the tiny knife but her other hand comes out. Peeta catches a gleam of a bigger knife, nearly the width of Cato's sword but shorter and bulkier, and he's glad his reflexes are quick. They have to be, working in the bakery, with the fact bread might fall in and they have the catch it and risk getting burned instead of losing food. He grabs her forearm, the tip of the knife just an inch from his wide blue eyes. Clove kicks out, catching his shin and he hisses in pain, shoving her arm down. He feels the knife against his outer thigh, the sound of fabric ripping as it manages to get through his pants. He feels the cool blade against his skin and he trys to shove her arm away but she's stronger than she looks and she kicks his shin again. He hisses and twists her other arm more, receiving a sound of pain from her. He grits his teeth, his fingers digging into her arm through her jacket, as he hears a bone cracking.

He doesn't stop, he keeps twisting her arm as her eyes grow wide, her mouth opening in silent pain. Suddenly, she throws her body into his, with such force, they're both going down. He releases the one arm he was just managing to break with strength he's surprised to find in himself but keeps a hold of the other. That one, after all, is the one with the giant knife that was digging its way into his skin. He clenches his jaw in pain as the blade slips into his skin but it doesn't feel like it cuts too deep. Still, he feels blood coating his pants leg at an alarming rate. The arm that he nearly broke comes up, planting itself on his throat and cutting off his air as she digs the knife deeper into his thigh. He lets out a pained grunt, his nails digging into the arm with the knife and he yanks it away, blood getting flung to the side. He uses his other hand to grab her elbow, trying his hardest to lift her off his throat so he can breathe. But she leans forward, concentrating all her weight right there, and he chokes, trying to suck in air. He digs his nails into her elbow, pushing harder, his muscles straining but somehow, she manages to put more weight on it as she tries to wiggle her other arm free. She's grinning, a grin that's different from Cato's. More twisted, more insane, more excited. Her eyes dance in excitement, in joy, with the blood-lust he's seen in Cato's eyes.

"I don't know what you're doing to Cato, Lover boy," she hisses, applying more pressure to his throat. He chokes again and yanks on her arm with the knife. She jerks a little but manages to stay in place. "But you won't be doing it anymore."

What is she talking about? Cato's been fucking with his head, not the other way around. Cato's soft eyes flash behind his eyes and he wonders if he's affecting Cato as badly as Cato is affecting him. Was Cato changing because of it? Were his words true last night? Was he confused about who he was anymore? Was he really questioning his District and the Games? Is that why Clove was so angry, because Cato's changing and she's seeing it? He cuts his thoughts off as he concentrates on getting this stupid girl off of him. He can think about it all later. He yanks on her arm harder and she falls off, Peeta's strength overpowering her. Or maybe she thought she was winning and let some of her weight off, he isn't sure. He takes in a much needed breath and rolls with her, not missing a beat. He grabs both her arms, pinning her down. "What the fuck are you talking about?!" he snaps in her face, her arms pinned under his knees. His thigh feels disgustingly wet, as does the part of his shirt that got heavy with blood but he doesn't lighten up, if anything, he pushes down on her more.

Anger flashes in her eyes and she snarls up at him. "You should fucking know! You're changing him! And you will die for it." she jerks against his weight, trying to get out, but Peeta knows she's only wearing herself down. He won't let her get the upper hand again.

He's changing Cato. So was he right? Is Cato as badly affected by himself as he is with Cato? That makes no sense. He thought the Careers were closed off from their feelings but the Careers have feelings too. The Careers, they're just as much as a victim as he is in this sick world. The thought catches him off guard. It was true. The Careers didn't want to be raised the way they were, Cato proves that, and they had feelings. Marvel's hidden grief, the sadness that was in Clove's eyes after they went back to see if Glimmer's weapons were behind. Even Cato seemed to have a brief pause of hurt before he buried it. But what if Clove is a part of Cato's game? Just another player told to fuck with him, trick him? Kill him so Cato wouldn't have too? He's so confused, so torn. He doesn't know what to think, what's true or who's doing what. He feels anger and his hands go to Clove's neck without a second thought, circling her throat and he's choking her, all of his anger draining into it.

He lifts her off the ground a little, shaking her in his anger as she chokes for air, her eyes wide and her face turning a strange purple color. She hadn't expected Peeta to gain the upper hand, she hadn't expected Peeta to have the balls to actually go through with killing her. Of course Peeta had the balls to do this. He had the strength to win. Her face is turning a deeper purple, her eyes beginning to roll back in her head. This was it. She was about to die, the cannon would sound, and Marvel, Cato, and Three would know something happened. Would they stand by Peeta? Would Cato? Or would he attack Peeta and kill him for killing Clove? All these thoughts were running through his head and as Clove's eyes rolled back into her own head, choked little gasps leaving her, he expected to hear a canon. What he didn't expect to hear was a explosion, loud and so close, he could feel the air pick up and suddenly, a strong wave came through, literally knocking him forward, his hands slipping from Clove's neck. She gasps, sucking in deep breaths, and Peeta realizes, with a panic, her arms are free. Before he can act, he feels the pain in his thigh, the knife digging deeper as she drags it through his skin, muscle, veins, blood pouring from the large wound.

He lets out a pained cry and pushes himself up, as her other hand comes up and punches him in the face. His jaw is not painful compared to the pain in his thigh. The knife is still in there, as she thrusts as deep as she can get. She gets it so deep, he can feel her fingers inside of it. The pain blurs his vision, makes him see spots, and he lets out another pained cry before he smashes his hands down on her face, trying to get her to stop. Her teeth latches onto his hand and he manages to stop a whimper in time. He wasn't going to let her kill him. The knife is ripped from his leg and another yell leaves him as he uses the hand not being bit to punch her in the throat. She chokes, letting his hand go, and he quickly grabs for the knife. He can hear Cato screaming, screaming about what the fuck happened, and he's wondering if they've been found but they haven't been because nobody's pulling him off as he wrestles the knife from her hand. The pain in his leg is unbearable and he can feel the blood gushing from it, coating his pants leg, her side, and the dirt below. Each time he moves, pain jolts through his body and he feels his vision become blurry but that doesn't stop him. Clove twirls the knife in her fingers to the point where it cuts Peeta on the wrist but that's manageable pain. The cut on his thigh is not manageable. He snatches the knife from her hand and she gasps. He's glad he's on top of her, she won't be able to get to her other knives, lined up perfectly in her jacket. He raises the knife, ready to bring it down on her, intending to get her in the eye, when he hears Cato screaming for them. Realization flashes in Clove's wide eyes.

"Cato! Cato!" she begins screaming, taking advantage of Peeta's moment of shock. She goes for his face, grabbing it and her thumbs going for his eyes. He jerks back, sucking in a sharp breath as he moves his leg, and her nails catch his jaw. He feels the stinging of two scratch marks and briefly curses the damn stylists for leaving her nails sharp enough to cut. "CATO!" she keeps screaming and Peeta hears the running footsteps on the leaves, only one pair, and acts quickly, without a second thought. If Cato's going to kill him, he at least wants to kill Clove. He digs the knife into her eye, efficiently shutting her screams up, and he slumps a little, breathing heavy. His head is spinning with pain, his vision blurring and dotting. He doesn't know how he managed to get the knife from her and kill her but the cannon confirms she's gone. A few seconds later, another cannon follows and at that time, Cato bursts through the bushes, eyes searching everywhere. Peeta doesn't see Marvel and wonders if that cannon was for him but he doesn't have much time to wonder. Cato's eyes land on the scene before him.

Peeta quickly stumbles from his feet, clenching his jaw in pain. He can't even put weight on the leg Clove cut without it hurting. He manages to stand up straight though, looking at Cato, whose eyes are locked on Clove in pure shock. Peeta looks down and takes a step back, nearly falling. The knife was sticking from her wide, open eye, her mouth open in a 'O'. Her side was covered in blood from his leg and her neck was bruising, forming in hand prints, where Peeta's hands would fit perfectly. He knows he looks worse though. The cut on his neck is still oozing blood, as well as the scratch marks on his jawline. Clove packed a punch and he knows his cheekbone is most likely bruising. The slight throb in his wrist reminds him he has a cut on it but his leg is the worse. He looks down and feels slight panic feel him. The cut is deep, so deep, he can catch a small glimpse of white through the blood pouring out of it. Bone. Goes through his mind as he stumbles back, his heart hammering. Will he live through this type of injury? He doesn't have time to panic over it because Cato's whispering Clove's name, slowly walking forward. He falls to his knees beside her, staring down at her, still in shock.

Was Cato the only Career left? Peeta wasn't going to wait around to find out. He needed to get going, before Cato comes to his senses and attacks him. As always, his sword is in his hand and Peeta doesn't want his blood coating it. He turns and tries to run but he falls against a tree. The pain in his leg makes him want to throw up. His stomach is threatening to spew the sandwich he had as he begins to limp forward, dragging his leg behind him. He uses trees as support, breaking out in a heavy sweat. The more he goes on, the worse he feels. He swears he might have heard Cato yell his name, not 12 or Lover boy, but he blames it on the pain. His head is spinning, the trees beginning to flip upside, become blurry.

His head feels heavy and his vision is blurring worse at the edges. But the thought of Cato chasing after him, the intention to dig his blade deep into his gut, keeps him going. He can barely breath, it was getting harder and harder to suck in air. He hears the rush of water and jolts, trying to put himself on full alert. It won't be hard for Cato to follow his trail, broken sticks, ripped leaves, blood-slicked trees. Water was his only chance. He forces himself that way and falls onto the last tree. It's all rock and river from here. It looks similar to the area they found Katniss but he's too muddled, too heavy, and too weak to try and remember if this is the place. He begins to drag his leg across the rock, blood smearing over the smooth surface, and falls near the ledge of a rock. With shaky, bloodied hands, he reaches into the water and washes his hands off before cupping them and drinking. He drinks until the pain in his leg is too much and he grips the ledge of the rock, forcing himself up on his good leg. He feels like he's about to pass out any second. But he can't just allow himself to pass out in the open. Cato would certainly find him.

He sees a strange rock formation and heads towards it. One rock is on top of another, hanging off, creating a sort of small roof. He knows he won't be able to fit his whole body in there but he has an idea. He just hopes he had the strength to go through with it. He manages to make it back into the woods, from the way he came, and saw what he almost tripped over. A fallen branch. He grabs it with one of his hands and begins his painful, slow journey back to the rock. He grunts as he has to use the weight of his good leg and the branch lightly rubs against his injured leg. He swallows, trying to will his body to keep what little it has down and to not pass out right there. He falls onto the top rock, the branch falling beside him. He uses his upper body strength, lifting the branch up and placing it against the upper rock, so it covers the opening of the tiny roof. He forces himself up, grunting out. The pain is worsening and he lets out a heavy breath, sweat dripping into his eyes. He wipes the sweat away with the back of his hand and gets back to the woods.

He slips off his jacket and leans against a tree, sliding to his butt slowly. He lays his jacket out and puts piles of leaves in it, plus some piles of dirt. He zips it up and carries it like a bag, making his way back to the water. He lays on his stomach and unzips the jacket, grabbing a handful of the dirt and turning it into mud, with the help of the water. He rubs it on his face and into his hair, spreading it over the scratches on his jawline and the cut on his neck. He winces as he does so, spreading blood around, and then washes his hands clean once he has his face and neck covered. He uses his nails to cause shallow lines in the mud, trying to reassemble the cracks in bark, but he can't see it and he's shaky from pain and weakness and he gives up trying to make sure it's perfect. He grabs his jacket, all the dirt gone and drags it with him as he makes it back to the branch. He falls onto his stomach and pulls himself under the branch. He lets out a small yell as a smaller branch rubs against his open wound. He turns his body, his legs under the rock, and pulls his jacket with. He uses the edge of the rock to pull himself up and he scoots back, with a handful of leaves. He scatters some leaves from the woods to the tree branch, trying to make it seem like the branch fell and toppled over onto the rock. He scoots back, biting his tongue in pain. He bites it so hard after he slips back under the rock, he can taste coppery blood. He sets the rest of the leaves aside and slips on his jacket, zipping it up.

The nights have been getting colder. He won't have a fire or the warmth somebody gives him tonight. He lays back, having a view of leaves and the sky, which is steadily growing darker. He uses the rest of the leaves to spread over his body before he reaches up and angles the branch, to where it's over him more. There. That's the best he can do in his state. The instant his head falls back against the rock, his eyes are closing. He's emotionally and physically tired, the pain in his leg throbbing like his own heart beat. Cato wants him dead but he might not get that chance. If Peeta doesn't get help, he would surely die here. Why wasn't Haymitch sending him anything? Oh, right. He was probably helping Katniss. Just as he's beginning to drift into a fitful, pain-filled sleep, the anthem blaring jerks him awake, his breath leaving in a whoosh. It reminds him when he woke up from his nightmare after the tracker jacker attack. It was such a petty nightmare; a nightmare of Cato killing him. That might be a reality. He watches as Marvel's face flashes above, followed by Clove's face, Three's face, and the girl from Eleven's face, the same one that had been Katniss' shadow during training. So Marvel is gone... and so is Three. That explosion... had Three accidentally step wrong and blew it all up? That's all Peeta could think of happening. The reason for Cato's scream of what happened, what did he do. Peeta closes his eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Before he can drift off, though, Cladius Tempsmith's voice booms down from overhead. Why would there be an announcement? Was a feast happening? It's not like Peeta can manage to make it to the feast to get something he might need anyway.

"Attention, tributes, attention," he says, sounding slightly confused and shocked. "There's been a, erm, slight rule change." Peeta finds himself pushing himself up onto his elbows, willing himself to stay awake. A rule change? When were there rules in these Games? "Instead of one victor being crowned, two victors can be crowned." Peeta's eyes grow wide as he falls back to the rock, staring up at the dark sky. Is this real? As if answering Peeta's silent question, Cladius repeats the shocking news, "Instead of one victor being crowned, two victors can be crowned."

Static fills the air and then everything is silent, before the natural sounds of the night start back up. Two victors can be crowned. Two victors. Peeta wishes he can get up. Instead, he finds himself drifting off to sleep, his leg throbbing, head pounding. But as he begins to drift off, he thinks... will Cato find him and team up with him? Or will Katniss? Will they fight over him? Or does Cato want him dead and will Katniss have to protect him? Or, in some sick twist, does Katniss want to kill him and Cato has to protect him? He grits his teeth and squeezes his eyes shut tighter.

Whatever happens, he tells himself... he will be going home.

...

A lot of schmidt went down, right? I hope it was good. Oh and I'm sure you're curious about those warnings... The warnings is that, and I'm not afraid of giving this away, in the next few chapters, there's really no Peeto/Potato. You'll see why when you read it but I'm just warning. I have to give time to their relationship and c'mon, Peeta just ran off. Let's be realistic, for a few seconds... Peeta killed Clove. Cato doesn't know Clove attacked Peeta. Cato isn't sure if Peeta is out for all their blood so... yeah, I shouldn't have to explain that but for anyone who didn't realize it, there ya go. I lurve you guys and I know you can stick with me. OH QUESTION OF THE CHAPTER!

Would you kill Clove?

Short, sweet, simple, and to the point. Enjoy answering it. Till next time, my lovelies. Much love, LW.