A/N: So, this is kind of a heavy chapter. It wasn't easy for me to write, because I hate the Games and because I had to change so much after Peeta's death. Like, there is so much of the story that is Peeta and Katniss, and that all had to be rewritten because I didn't let Finnick revive him. Still though, I had fun writing certain parts...

With that in mind, if you don't want to read anything lemony, you should probably skip the section in italics. Not the whole section, but where it says "I try to show her what I need," you should probably just skip to the end of the italics. On the other hand, if you don't mind a little smut, read on!

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~J~

I hold her as she sobs over the death of her friend, and though I truly do understand why she's crying, I still feel a little spike of jealousy poking at my heart. Perhaps it makes me as horrible as everyone else believes me to be, but I console that spike with the knowledge that Peeta really is dead, that he is gone and there is nothing he can do to take my love away from me. Not like Cashmere anyway, who I can't kill unless she actually attacks Katniss. Stupid alliance...

When at last her tears begin to abate, I lift her face and look into her eyes, my regret shining through as I say to her, "I'm sorry Girl on Fire, but I have to go. I gotta find Nuts and Volts, they have a plan to get us out of here." My voice is soft enough that I know the cameras can't hear, and I'm glad I even took the risk because she smiles at me, and though it is wet and not very confident, it is still a Katniss smile and my heart swells.

She lets go of me and then Finnick takes her place, just for a moment, just long enough to tell me to be careful out there and keep my axe close. Then he pulls me to my feet and I pick up my weapon, and when I turn for one last look at my Mockingjay, I can see that she is holding out a belt with three throwing axes in a holster and there's a huge grin on her face. "Thought you might like a few extra toys, so I got you these. Wasn't sure when I'd be able to give them to you, but here they are." I take the belt and strap it to my waist without losing her eyes, without letting go of the attention we share, and I use that look to tell her all the things I cannot say just yet. 'Stay alive. I love you. I will find you. No matter how far, I will find you so just stay alive.'

~K~

Hours have passed and still we can't seem to find water. I can feel my throat constrict every time I swallow, but it isn't painful yet, not like last year. Finnick and Mags are keeping things light, and I appreciate it. Somehow, when they are around I can't focus on the horrible things that have happened to us already, and that is exactly what I need. It also keeps me from thinking of Johanna, out there on her own and searching for two people who may or may not be dead.

When the last of the daylight fades, we decide to set up camp. I leave Finnick and Mags to take care of that since he has a sly grin on his face when he mentions shelter, and I ghost into the jungle to try and find water. I spiral outward around my teammates, staying close in case they need me, but I lose heart the more I search without finding anything, not even a muddy puddle. I do see these large squirrel-rat things in the trees, their tails wrapped around the branches and their eyes watching me with no fear whatsoever. We need food as well since all the Cornucopia had was weapons, so I shoot one down. When I pick it up though...

"Finnick!" I cry as I dash straight back to camp. "Finnick, look! This tree rat thing, its muzzle is wet!" He looks at me with clear and happy eyes. "that means there must be water nearby," he chuckles, "Do you know where it is?" I shake my head no, but then we both hear a tinkling sound and look up. It's only then that I realize I dove through the doorway of a small hut to get to Finnick, and that when I hit the ground I landed on a springy mat of woven grass. "Whoa... nice digs..." I murmur as the fisherman steps out to grab something. He comes back with a parachute, and inside the little box it carried there is a sliver tube. We puzzle over it until I remember the wet muzzle of the rat we still haven't tried to cook and the teeth in its mouth. Without saying a word, I snatch the tube and go to the nearest tree, stabbing it into the trunk and knocking it in with a rock. After a few moments, clear water begins to run, and I grin at him.

~J~

I have searched for them for hours, the two people in the arena that I see as the weakest, because of one thing Haymitch said to me. "Beetee has a plan, get him to Katniss alive and he can get you both out." Fuck you, Haymitch. Fuck you. Fuck you and your friendship with Blight, that alone pretty much the only reason that I'm even still doing this.

Then in the distance, I see them. Nuts is bent over Volts, and it looks like she's trying to take care of something, like he was injured. I sprint to reach them as the sky clouds over, and I sigh with relief. I have found our ticket out of here, and it's about to rain. I laugh and look up, only to find that what falls from the clouds is not water... but blood.

~K~

I am woken by the sudden silence in the middle of the night. The lightning has stopped, and the murmur of the rain has gone as well, and now there is nothing. Somehow, it smells wrong. Like a bad wound. I creep out of the hut, cursing myself and Finnick for forgetting to set a watch schedule, to see what the silence brings. At first I only see mist and it seems that everything is normal. After all, rain falling as it cools down leads to mist, every hunter knows that. But still, something about it bothers me. It seems too uniform, almost like the fire in the arena last year, like it's made my more intelligent hands than falling water. I reach out as it gets closer, and that is all the proof I need.

I scream in pain when it touches my skin, and all I can feel is razorwire dipped in acid and running up the nerves of my arm. I stumble back and shake the others awake, crying that we need to go and we need to go now. They don't understand until they see me cradling my other hand, then they get up silently and we run. The mist fills the space we just left and at first we think we'll be alright, that we'll outrun it. Then I feel the nips of the cloud on my ankles and I begin to stumble. If it's catching me, then the others are being injured too. I turn to meet Finnick and I see that both he and Mags are covered in burns. He staggers bravely on, but he won't last long without help. I grab him under one arm and try to tug him on faster while keeping him upright, but soon he can't go on carrying Mags and I'm having enough trouble that I can't take over. Before we can stop her, she kisses him on the cheek and hops off his back, turning into the mist. We stay frozen for a moment, then run as fast as we can and still it's not enough. I trip and tumble down a steeper slope, accidentally bringing Finnick with me, and when we stop rolling we cannot move.

I know we are about to die, but... the mist has stopped. We are safe, and I register that we are on sand instead of leaves.

~J~

I stagger almost blindly through the trees, barely able to see through the curtain that my hair has become since the blood rain. I stop every few minutes to make sure that Volts is still with us, and every time he somehow is. Maybe Nuts is better at first aid than I thought. I move on quickly, she's getting on my nerves just saying 'tick, tock, tick, tock' without end. I have to get out of here, return to Katniss and some fucking sanity. First though, I need to not be soaked in blood. I feel like a roll of fly paper, as sticky as I've become since the rain stopped.

Finally, I can see a reprieve when the trees start to thin out and I can see the beach. I holster the axe in my right hand and turn to grab Volts, hoisting his arm over my shoulder and pretty much carrying him out of this fucking jungle. Little miss Nuts runs after us, still repeating 'tick, tock' every couple seconds, and I can't take it anymore. When Volts collapses on the sand I let him go and turn to her and shove her as hard as I can, all of my frustration just surging up. I lost Blight, who I guess really isn't a big loss but he was my mentor when I was in the Games, and Katniss lost Peeta. We're in the Games again, and here I am getting two tech nuts when I should be with the woman I love. I scream at her as she slowly rises to her feet again, "Will you just shut the fuck up? I can't take anymore of your goddamn tick tocks!"

The leaves rustle behind me and I turn, my axe raised up and ready to strike, when another person drenched in red tumbles out onto the beach. Even covered in blood, I can recognize Cashmere, and I can see that she's hurt. "Shit, Cash! Cash, come on look at me!" My weapon falls to the ground and I scramble to her, turning her over to check for the injury that is so obvious once I spot it. Her face is torn open on the left, almost like she was gouged by the guard of her brother's sword.

I hear my name called from down the beach and I look up. There's Finnick running towards me, and then a tiny form running around him and kicking sand up higher than her own head with as hard as she's running. I scramble away from Cashmere and put her out of my mind for a moment, and when she slams into me again, everything is alright. The world is fixed, and I can put up with anything. When I look at Finnick though, I see the burns that cover his face and his neck, and I register that the top half of his jumpsuit is missing. The burns continue onto his chest, and I assume that his back is worse. I'm almost afraid to, but I look down at Katniss anyway, and I see that she is worse still. Her hair is choppy and uneven, and there are angry red marks that cover most of her body. There is so little untouched skin that I am amazed she can even stand contact, and all that survived of her clothing was her bra and enough of her jumpsuit to cover her from her waist to her thighs.

~K~

As the sun rises, I stroke Jo's now clean hair and remember the night before.

I hear Finnick call Jo's name and we both stand out of the saltwater. Somehow it had cured us of the effects of the mist, and now we sit in it just because it cools our wounds, but we're both running. Finnick has the head start, but I'm the faster runner and I have a target. She opens her arms, and though I'm worried about why she's covered in red, I dive right into her embrace and laugh a truly happy laugh as we tumble to the beach. She looks at me and she's got this look of pain on her face and I worry that I've hurt her until she asks quietly, "What happened to you?"

I explain about the mist, how it chased us out of the jungle, how it felt when it touched us. I tell her what happened to Mags, and then we both just hold Finnick as he finally lets himself feel the grief of losing a part of his family. I tell her how we've been pretty much just sitting in the water because of how good it feels, and then she smacks her lips and I realize that she probably hasn't had a drink.

I tell Finnick to take care of Nuts and Volts, grinning as I say it because it makes Jo obscenely happy to hear those names come from my mouth. A moment later I catch sight of the other body on the ground, and it doesn't take me long to recognize the woman. Johanna answers the question in my eyes in a quiet murmur, "I don't know how she was hurt, but considering that she's covered in the same gook as me, I'm guessing she was in the rain when I was. We're not dead, and she's alone, so I can guess. She's on our side, Kat."

I take her hand and lead her back to camp to grab my bow and the spile. We walk into the forest a few meters and I set it into the tree, taking a quick drink before I let her step forward. Her moans of ecstasy are almost erotic and I find myself squirming a bit, until I happen to look up and see the branches are lined with small orange creatures. They aren't doing anything right now, but they are staring at us and I feel like any sudden movement will set them off. I quietly call her name and tell her to take the spile out and slowly walk to me, but to get the tool she has to move too harshly. The critters start to screech and divebomb us, and though I fire as quickly as I can it's not enough. She busies her axe and slips the spile into her belt, but even working together, there are too many and I can't stop them all.

Just before one sinks its teeth into her, we hear another screech, a human sound, and one of the District Six tributes lunges out of the trees and snatches the critter off of Jo. She sinks her knife into it as it clamps its mouth around her throat and they die together, but she just saved Johanna for me. The fight continues, but Finnick has now joined us and his trident turns the tide for us. We stand facing out, Jo and Finnick using their weapons as extensions of their own arms, and me thinning the herd before they reach us. Just as I notch my last arrow, the critters stop attacking and slowly fade into the trees.

We pant for a bit, then we laugh, then Jo sets the spile again and we drink all we can. Finnick goes to get Wiress and Beetee so they can drink as well, and Jo and I gather my arrows. Johanna plucks a leaf and folds it into a cup and fills it, and I know what she's doing but I don't object. If Cashmere is really on our side, then this is the best thing we can do right now. When we return to the beach, she drops her weapons and I do the same, and we race to the water. I win, though not by much, so I proudly grab her and sit her down between my legs. I carefully wash her hair out, using every motion to caress her and tell her that I love her and the water runs red. Eventually though, she is clean and leaning against me with a languid smile on her face, and I know that in that moment we are both content.

We trudge up onto land to the hut that Finnick had made for camp after we healed up and I push her inside. Finnick sits up and grins at us, saying he'll take the first watch, which also conveniently means that he'll be out with the other two and we'll have the shelter to ourselves. For the first time since we entered this hell, I take her face in my hands and I kiss her, my lips sealed to hers with my need and my love as my tongue slips between us to dance with hers. Her hands stroke my bare skin and it burns, a fire that I want to be consumed with entirely. I gasp for air, and for the words to say, but none come so instead I try to show her what I want. I try to show her what I need.

While I keep her lips engaged with my own, my hands move to the neck of her jumpsuit and slowly unzip her. With the room to move, I stroke my fingers over her bare skin and delight in the shiver that it elicits. I have no idea what I'm doing, but whatever it is, it seems to be enough. She shrugs out of the sleeves of her suit and wraps those delightfully strong arms around me, every inch of skin between us set ablaze by contact. We both moan the pleasure into the air and I can't stop myself, I wrap my legs around her waist and grind my hips just a little. Suddenly she is frantic and breaks our kiss to yank the shoes off of our feet, thens he is at mu mouth again and hesitantly stroking her fingers up the insides of my thighs. I get impatient, and though I don't know what to do or what to expect, I grab one of her hands and grind it into my groin, and even over the remains of my clothes it feels... amazing. Her hesitance and apprehension is gone, and she grabs my suit at the waist and yanks down, almost shredding what I have left but managing to get it off without destroying it.

She continues to kiss me, but now she moves slowly along my jaw and down my neck to my collarbone, where she nibbles and licks while slowly shucking her suit as well. Then she lays her body over mine, and the only clothing we are still wearing is our bras. I can feel her stomach ripple as she slides up between my legs, and it drives me wild. I tangle my fingers into her hair and tug her up to drown her in kisses and desire and need, and she gets the message. Her hand slips between us and finds my nub, rubbing and swirling with the wetness of my passion making it slick. She rubs and she teases, but she won't give me what I want. I want her to claim me, to take me in every way she can, to mark me and make me hers, and she isn't doing it. I pull back just enough to see her eyes, and I do what I would never have done with anyone before her. I beg her to take me.

She purrs and her husky voice makes me need it more, and when I hear that all she was waiting for was me to ask, I growl playfully and say that I've asked so why isn't she doing it? She kisses me tenderly and teases her fingers at my center, and then whispers that this might hurt a little at first so she'll be gentle. Then she slips two into my body and I cry out because she's right. I can feel a tearing just inside and it's all I can do to blink back the pain, to cling to her and not beg her to stop when I need this so much. She waits there, whispering apologies and promises that it gets better, that it won't hurt again, and when she finally moves her hand again, she's right. This time, Jo's fingers only deliver pleasure that I've never felt before, and my body rocks with wanting more. I don't have a clue how to do this myself, but somewhere in my mind I decide that it's not fair to her to only take, so I slip my hand between us as well and tentatively touch her clit. When she bucks and moans onto my skin, I move my fingers in a slow circle and she moans again. Her motions have faltered, and though I want that ecstasy again I'm pleased that I broke her concentration. Then I hear her murmur, "Inside. Now."

I obey, unsure of how to give her pleasure like she's been giving me. When I slide two fingers into her though, she is so tight and warm that I get lost in that sensation and my fingers seem to move on their own. She groans and takes my lips feverishly, her ministrations on me resuming and driving me to greater heights. As her fingers dip into me, mine slide out of her, and when I plunge back in she teases me to the edge of losing her pressure within my body. We find a rhythm and a pace, and I can feel a wet heat building inside me, filling me up and leaving no room for anything but pleasure. I feel it run out of room to grow, and suddenly there is a pressure deep in my core that I can't stop, and when it becomes too great I tumble over the edge of a precipice I didn't know I was standing on and plunge into a sea of contentment. At that moment, a cry I've never voiced before climbs out of my throat, and I can hear her exclamation of release as well, her walls tightening around my fingers as waves of joy rock my body and grip her touch deep within me.

I don't know how long we lay there like that, but some time during the night we fell asleep curled around each other. Hours later, Finnick knocks on the outside of the hut and calls through that we need to get up, it's our turn for watch. We get dressed in silence, but we are both glowing. When we step outside, Johanna still zipping her jumpsuit, Finnick winks at us before standing and retreating into the shelter.

Since then, we've sat here on the beach, her head in my lap and our weapons within easy reach, just enjoying the night. We haven't actually said a word, but what is there to say? We have now truly claimed each other. I turn and look at Beetee, who is asleep but no longer bleeding, and wonder what that cylinder he carries is for. "Jojo, you awake?" I ask softly. When she nods and looks at me, I speak again. "What's that cylinder for?" All she can say is, "I don't know."

~J~

I can't believe that I almost lost Katniss to the Gamemakers. We had just moved to the Cornucopia to figure out the set up of the arena when everything went to hell. One minute, Volts, Kat, and I are kneeling on the ground correlating what we know about the sections, then the next thing we know Nuts goes quiet. Katniss moves as fast as I've learned she can, her arrow sticking out both sides of Gloss' pretty face by the time I see what's happening, then there's no time to think and I just throw, one of the axes she gave to me burying itself in the Cornucopia next to Enobaria's head. She's so lucky she managed to duck. Brutus and Enobaria try to take on Finnick and have exactly as much luck as I would expect them to. Brutus manages not to die, but the trident rips the muscle in one shoulder and renders that arm useless, and Enobaria can only knife Finnick in the leg before she has to duck behind the Cornucopia to avoid an arrow in her throat.

Katniss and I start to chase after them when the ground beneath our feet shifts and the island begins to spin. It's all I can do to drop to the ground and bury an axe so that I have something to cling to, then I'm reaching for Katniss and she grips my wrist. Even then, we both know she's slipping. Just before I lose her, the ground stops and we go limp, panting and shocked at how quickly three tributes died. Then we remember that there really aren't that many of us left, that it's just us five, Cashmere somehow still with us even after that spin, and Brutus and Enobaria. It's only been two days.

Now we lie on the beach again, restocked with weapons and prepared for whatever comes next. I haven't let go of Katniss' hand since we got here, and I don't know that I'll be able to before we execute Beetee's plan. Maybe not even then.

~K~

Beetee runs through the plan one more time, even as he unspools the wire and leaves it laying on the ground before even starting to attach it to the tree. "Katniss, you and Finnick are going to take the spool and lay out the wire. Now remember what I said about this last night, once that wave hits, the beach is going to be completely soaked, so once you have the wire in the water get the hell off the sand. Johanna, you and Cashmere stay here with me as guards." He holds up his hand to forestall the protest he knows she's about to make. "Don't argue with me. I know you want to go with her, I know you want to keep her safe, but I need you here as a guard. As good as Finnick is with that trident, we've already seen that against Brutus and Enobaria he has difficulty. You're quick, you have more than one weapon, and you're a harder target to hit." He turns back to me and continues, "Stay in the trees after you set the wire, they should give you enough cover that you can disappear if you need to. Go over one section then head back up the rise, we'll meet you there okay?"

Then he gets to work, weaving the wire around the tree with Finnick's help. Jo and I stand side by side, her hand in mine as we watch the men set an intricate pattern over the trunk. I don't know whether it actually serves a purpose that way, but it's certain to raise some questions with those watching the Games at home so that's something I suppose.

We hear the wave go crashing through the trees and we know it's almost time, so I turn to her and give her another kiss, one that I hope puts the others to shame. I try to say that I'll stay alive, that I'll come back to her, that we're almost out. We know that Beetee has another goal, that he has a reason for leaving so many yards of wire on the ground instead of on the tree, so I try to convey my faith that this is it. This is the moment when we win the Games and escape, something I never thought I'd be doing beside a Career, let alone Cashmere. Still, she's with us now for better or worse, and that's all that we can ask.

She returns my kiss with all the passion she can. When we pull apart, I can see that she has tears in her eyes. As I wipe them away, she mouths, "I love you." I smile and mouth it back, knowing that if we succeed, I'll be able to say it to her every day for the rest of our lives. Then Finnick is tapping on my shoulder and I have to start running. I have so much respect for the half of our pack that remains, and their faith in each other means so much. I turn to him as I hoist my bow and say with a grin, "I'm ready. Let's go, Triton." Johanna and Finnick both laugh at my new nickname for him, and then we're off.

He and I move silently now, no laughter or banter. It's a straight run down to the beach, so I don't expect his leg to bother him at all and it doesn't. We run without stopping, and sometime in there he tosses me the spool and I start to lay out the line for a while. I even let myself believe that we may actually succeed when the wire goes taught. Suddenly it's not bouncing anymore, and Finnick and I both look at each other with worry on our faces. The next moment, the wire springs lose and starts to coil at my feet, and I know that someone cut it.

I don't get time to react to anything before the butt of his trident smashes into my temple. I crumple to the ground, stunned and paralyzed as Finnick scrambles over my inert body. I feel a stab in my right arm, his finger digging around for a moment, then his bloody hand on my throat as he leans close and whispers, "I'm sorry. You have to be the Mockingjay." Then he is gone, and I am left with this deep feeling of betrayal. How could Finnick do this to me, how could he give me time with Johanna only to kill me when she isn't there to see? It's when I hear the crashing that I understand at least part of what's happening. I see Brutus pause as he looks at me, but I look dead or dying and he turns to follow Enobaria as she springs past. They run in the direction Finnick disappeared, and a moment later I manage to gain some coordination back. I can barely walk, but I can move well enough to start moving back up hill.

I try to go back the way we came, retracing our steps to reach the tree. I feel a panic that I know is rooted in the fear that the District Twos got to Johanna and Beetee and killed them, but I shove it down. I walk until I can run, then I run until my lung burn and my chest feels like it's about to burst. I see a flash just up ahead and I'm afraid I'm already too late, but a few meters more and I see Beetee on the ground, twitching and alive. Johanna is nowhere to be seen. A few feet away from him is a knife wrapped in wire, and I finally understand. Volts wants to use the lightning to destroy the forcefield, thereby giving us a way out of here. I frantically grab the weapon and start to unwind it, laying an arrow out on the ground as I do so. When the knife drops to the ground, I wind as much of the wire around the arrow's shaft as I need to and set it to my string.

Just then, I hear someone moving through the undergrowth and I grab the knife, preparing to throw it. Johanna stumbles to a halt, axe in hand, and I relax. Her eyes go wide when she sees my bleeding arm, but I shake my head and motion for her to stay there. Then I pick up my bow again. There isn't much time left, and I have to get Beetee's wire through the field before the lightning strikes. I draw as far back as I can, take a breath, and let go...

Then my world explodes. The lightning strikes as the arrow leaves my bow and I can watch the current race down the line as the forcefield swallows my arrow through the chink in the armor. When the energy of the lightning reaches the point my arrow went through, there is a massive overload and I am blasted backwards. Nothing works anymore, I can't move and I can feel my heart struggling to stay alive. A hover appears overhead, and I fear we have failed.

...I hear movement...

...I can see dark shapes all around me...

...I feel the bed beneath me...

...I smell antiseptic...

With a gasp, I sit upright and take in my surroundings. I am plugged in to all kinds of machines, and the beeping is already giving me a headache. There are IV needles in my arms, and the sight of them making my veins move threatens to make my throw up though I have nothing in my stomach. I close my eyes and start to rip things off. I can't take it, I won't be plugged in, then I realize what it means, what it must mean. We failed. We blew the forcefield, but the Capitol picked us up, and now they are fixing us up so that they can execute us publicly.

I won't let that happen, I can't let that happen. Not to Johanna. I don't know what to do, but I have to do something, so I scramble for the door and fight with it until it lets me into the hallway beyond. I don't know where to go, so I decide to go right and I start to walk, looking for a door that might lead to another medical bay. I don't find one, so I go through the first door I come to. Or at least, I intend to, until I hear voices on the other side. I recognize Plutarch Heavensbee(so I was right, the Capitol does have us.), but the other voice sounds like...

I slam the door open, and sure enough, there is Haymitch with Heavensbee. Before I can move, Heavensbee holds up his watch just like he did on my Victory Tour and I see the mockingjay again. And now I understand, he's on our side. It doesn't make me hate him any less, but it tells me why my mentor is standing here with him. Instead of attacking one or both of them, I just run to Haymitch and wrap my arms around him. He got me out, and that's all I can think of right now. I stay like that for several minutes, smelling the alcohol on his breath and his clothes, before I notice another scent. I can smell pine trees.

Haymitch has never smelled like that before, so I look up to ask him why he does now and my gaze is captured by burning hazel eyes looking over his shoulder. Without a thought, I shove him aside and wrap Johanna in as tight an embrace as I can manage and start to sob. I cry tears of joy because we got out, I cry tears of betrayal because Finnick knew and I did not, I cry tears of sadness because so many of us died just to get Jo and I out, and I cry tears of relief because I don't have to try and make myself kill her to save her from the Capitol. My knees give out before long, and we end up cuddled on the floor against a wall with her murmuring to me and kissing my face and my hair, assuring me that we're safe and that everything will be fine.

00000000

A/N: And now I can talk about the real difficulty of writing this chapter. The Games are so damn long, they're an entire section in Catching Fire. I realize that The Hunger Games pretty much WAS the Games, at least after about halfway through part two, but still. You know what I mean. Also like I mentioned up top, I had to do a lot of rewriting because of Peeta's death. Partly because of that, I kinda missed the section with the jabberjays. I'm actually a little sad about that, since I love that section and I feel like it's truly powerful. On the other hand, me missing it really isn't a bad thing because there are a couple one shots you can find here on this site that pretty much cover what I would have wanted to have happen.

I changed who went with her for two reasons there at the end. One, Finnick isn't in love with her, so he'd have an easier time doing what needed to be done. That actually played a huge role in the choice to do it, because she still needed to be hurt and the team still needed to be split up. The other reason is because now this lets me do something so much more tragic to the one left behind. That second reason is actually two-fold. Finnick being the one left behind sets up a good tragedy, and Johanna being the one to make it out with Katniss lets me change the course of events. Not, you know, hugely change them, but change them enough to make this story mine. It also give me more time to work with them being together, which I like. I think that Katniss and Johanna are so adorable together.

Catching Fire is done. Next chapter, Mockingjay begins!