Disclaimer: The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, two of the best books I've ever read, are owned by Suzanne Collins and I don't have any rights to them except the right to read them and love them.

A/N: This story now has a companion story titled, Souls on Fire. It is told in Gale and Madge's POV. You don't have to read SoF to read this story, but if you love Gale/Madge, I would recommend it.

Chapter Twelve

When we entered the common room downstairs, I was surprised to see Mayor Snow, along with Commander Vanzant, waiting for us. Gale, Madge, Mayor Undersee, Finnick, Johanna, and I believe Finnick's father were also waiting for us. Haymitch and Plutarch were sitting next to the Mayor at one of the tables in the common room. Snow got up as we entered the room and look over us. "You both look well rested. I trust the accommodations were adequate?"

"I would say they were more than adequate," Peeta answered as he looked at me. I met his gaze and I felt a blush creeping up my face at the heat I saw in them. This was a different Peeta and if I were absolutely honest with myself, I would admit that I was excited by it. I broke the eye contact and saw that Mayor Snow was watching us with a knowing smile.

"That's good to know," the mayor murmured. "Well, I've called this meeting together today because I think it would do the people of the Capitol, as wells as all the Districts, good to hear that both you and Peeta are alive and well. It seems as if my dear brother is spreading the rumor that you've given up the fight."

"Why would he do that?" I ask.

Mayor Snow smiled. "You started the rebellion, at least, in his mind. You defied the Games publicly on national television on a program that was mandatory for the whole country to watch. It just further confirmed what he had already been hearing: the whisper of rebellion. Suddenly, you became the poster child for the movement. It was like an unconscious signal to him. But, I don't believe he would have had the problem with the rebellion that he had until he opened fire on that crowd in District 11. It was then that our spies started to work in earnest" His words were soft, but they didn't hurt any less. I thought of Rue and Thresh's families left behind in District 11 on the Victory Tour. I remember the screams and the gunshots. "Then, of course, when he changed the Quarter Quell rules, well, he never imagined the outrage the people in the Capitol would feel at seeing their heroes going back into the arena to fight. It was a very poor decision on his part."

"He changed the rules?" Finnick rasped out before I could even speak them. I look across to the room to see his pale face. His hands were trembling with emotion. Then I looked into his eyes and I saw pure and simple rage. I know how he felt as I was feeling the exact same thing.

"Yes, he changed the rules. It was the best way to kill Katniss publicly but without having the Capitol to blame," the mayor answered and I saw him back away from Finnick slowly. I looked around. Both Peeta and Johanna were feeling the rage too. No one wanted to return back to the nightmare.

"So," Peeta said through clenched teeth. "How do we do show them that we are still fighting?" His blue eyes glittered with determination. His hand reached down and squeezed mine.

"YOU'RE going to show them," he replied with a smile.

"How?" I asked.

"Thanks to Beetee's help, we have managed to come up with a way to broadcast within the Capitol's Broadcast system, leaving no trace that we've even been there." There was a huge smile across his face. "We already have a script prepared for you and everything!" At those words, Cinna and Portia came into the room with clothing bags in their hands. I felt a stone drop into my stomach.

Cinna must have noticed my expression because he smiled over at me. "It's not that bad, I swear. And I swear you won't have exploding dresses or crowns made out of fire."

"What about the rest of us?" Gale asked and everyone turned to look at him. I can see he felt out of place among the other Victors. This wasn't something he felt included in, and I really couldn't blame him for feeling that way.

"Well, I think I could help you there," the Commander said as she stood in the center of the room. "I was really impressed with your performances on the rescue mission. If you wanted to join the forces, I could begin training today." I watch the light of battle light Gale's eyes and I felt fear. We were going to war and war had casualties. Would I lose my closest friend?

"Of course I want to join," he told her.

"Gale," I said as I stepped forward. "What about your mother and your family?" His gray eyes looked down in mine and I could see the internal struggle he was having with the choices.

"Of course," the commander continued, "you will receive wages."

I saw the decision in Gale's eyes before he answered. "Yes, I would like to join."

"And you?" Vanzant asked as she looked over at Madge.

I watched as she looked at Gale and then back at her father. Finally, she squared her shoulders and asked, "Do you have any room for a medic? I think I would like to do that."

Vanzant looked at Madge with her bright blue eyes and saw something there. An understanding smile lifted the corner of her mouth as she said, "I think we do. Of course, that still requires basic training as well as medic training."

"I understand," Madge answered.

"Well, then, if you two would follow me, we'll let them get to their filming." The last word had a hint of derision in it and I could see Gale's eyes light up with humor. It put my back up.

"Don't worry, Commander, we won't be far behind," I told her.

She turned around to look at us and said, "I didn't think you would be." With that, she, Gale and Madge left the room.

"And now it can't be put off any longer," Cinna said as he came to me. "Up you get," he motioned for the stairs and I started to trudge upwards. I felt a small spurt of satisfaction as I hear Portia and Cinna order up Finnick and Johanna as well as Peeta.

He gave them clothing bags in the hall and then steered me into my room. Peeta was standing in the hall and Cinna shut the door in his face. "Hey!" I started but he just looked over at me and laughed.

I felt a smile lift my lips. It was good to see Cinna smiling again. There were still ghosts in his yes, but at least he was smiling now. "I haven't had you to myself in quite some time and I'm feeling a bit greedy. Peeta can wait," he told me in way of explanation. "Now, get undressed," he told me. I rolled my eyes as I removed my clothes. I no longer felt shy in front of Cinna as I stripped down to my skivvies.

When he opened the bag, I gasped. It truly was a beautiful creation. The dress was white and was made out of something like a butterfly's wing. The material was thin and smooth, and when the dress shifted in the light, it shimmered like a pearl. Cinna slipped the dress over my head and zipped up the back. It had a square bodice with pearl straps that connected the front with the back over my shoulders. The torso of the dress was long and hugged my waist and hips before falling in waves of fabric to my toes. It was simple with no other adornment other than the pearls at my shoulders. "It's beautiful," I whispered as I smoothed the dress over my waist.

"Thank you," he told me softly as he hung the garment bag in the closet. "This is the wedding dress I wanted to make for you."

"Why am I wearing a wedding dress?" I asked him.

"They wanted something innocent looking, pure. What's more pure than a wedding dress?" he asked.

The door opened and my mother came inside. "Oh, Katniss," I heard her whisper as she looked at me. Tears sprang in her eyes.

"Mrs. Everdeen," Cinna said softly. "Can you do her hair? Braid it with these?" he asked as he held up a small bag of different sized pearls. She nodded as she took the bag and started to brush my hair.

Cinna was looking through my pockets until he found the pearl that Peeta gave me. I watched him as my mother pulled and tugged on my hair to get it to do what she wanted it to do. I saw him pull a slim gold chain from his pocket and work on the pearl. Then he threaded the chain through the pearl and held it up. When my mother was finished, Cinna put the necklace on me. He then gave me a pair of shoes that were low heeled and comfortable. I slipped them on. He pulled out a make up kit and just slightly brushed powder on my eyelids and cheeks. Then he finished it off with just a touch of a pink on my lips. When I looked into the mirror, I gasped again. The vision that was staring back at me was so far removed from the girl in the woods, or even the girl in the Games. She was innocent and pure. She was light.

I stepped out into the hall just as Peeta was leaving his room. He stopped and stared at me. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a white shirt. His bowtie had a pearl in its center. His blue eyes widened on mine as he stared at me. "Absolutely beautiful," he murmured as his hand came up to brush my cheek.

"Let's go, lovebirds," Haymitch said from the hall. Peeta held my hand as we went downstairs. When we got outside, there were people on either side of the sidewalk leading towards the Justice Building. Some of them were people I recognized from District 12, and others that I recognized like Bonnie and Twill. There were so many strangers milling out there too but everyone was cheering. Another cry went up as someone followed us. I looked behind me to see Finnick and Johanna both leaving the dormitory. Finnick looked dashing in a tuxedo and Johanna was in a beautiful green dress that shimmered in the lights of District 13. Beetee followed behind in a suit of blue velvet.

"Are we going to a party or something?" Peeta murmured closed to my ear. I shrugged my shoulders as we were lead further into the Justice building and down corridors that I haven't seen before. We were lead into a big room that looked like the interviewing room back in the Training Center. Except this time, there was no crowd and no Ceasar conducting the interviews. Haymitch followed us in and the doors shut.

I was surprised to see Haymitch wearing a suit too, though I had to smile at the fact that he wasn't wearing a tie. He saw me raise an eye brow at his attire and he just muttered, "Damn monkey suit," under his breath. Then he looked at all of us sitting around and said, "Well, sit down."

There were six chairs in the room ranged in a half circle on the platform. We all sat down and as soon as we did, the lights in the room dimmed until they were shining just on us. In front of each of us was a glass plate. Words suddenly appeared on the one in front of me. "Please read the words aloud as prompted."

Finnick began. "There seems to be a rumor circulating around that the tributes from the 75th Hunger Games are all dead.

"But as you can see," Beetee started with a smile.

"We are very much alive," Johanna finished with a smirk.

Then my prompter sounded. "Despite," I said with relish, "President Snow's efforts."

"Though it wasn't easy," Peeta began. "As he had ulterior motives when he changed the Quarter Quell announcement. He wanted Katniss and me to die in the Games. As a matter of fact, he was hoping one of the other tributes on this stage would do it. But as you can see, we're done playing by the Capitol's rules."

"We're done with their Games," Haymitch muttered. "We're done watching our children die for something that happened before we were even born. And I, for one, am tired of mentoring children only to watch them die each year." looked over at Haymitch and I can see the toll it was taking on him. His hands clenched his chair.

"We hear there are rebellions out there," Finnick continued and I could tell his voice was thick with emotion. Haymitch's words would have affected him just as much as Haymitch.

"And we want you to know," Beetee murmured.

"That we are fighting with you," Johanna said softly.

Then it was my turn again. "You have called me the mockingjay and you have rallied behind me. I had no idea that the berries I would use to end my life instead of taking Peeta's life would have caused all of this. It was not my intention though President Snow thought it was. I could not kill Peeta anymore than I could now. I had no idea the damage it would cause to the President's reputation. However, what I do know is that the President has threatened me, Peeta and our families."

Peeta took a breath and said, "He has tortured me for information regarding Katniss's whereabouts, and the whereabouts of the rebellion even though I didn't know either. If it wasn't for the perseverance of those beside me, I would not be alive now."

"We are alive," I said. "We are fighting." Then the prompter told us all to hold hands and we did in one final show of unity. Then the lights came back on and the door opened.

***

It wasn't until later, until we saw the clip on the television that night that I realized just what it was Peeta had gone through during his torture. For interspersed through our clip, we saw other clips and blips of the torture.

A/N: Please be kind and leave a review.