The procrastinator is back!! I am sooooo sorry this update took so long but I have been enjoying the last remnants of my summer holidays! Back to school next week and oh god the summer flew by! And typically, the weather is picking up for the start of term! Perfect :D

This chapter took me a while to write because I had a lot of content to fit into it and so some of it is slightly smushed in so I apologise for that but I hope that you like it anyway!

I would like to give another shout out to my FABULOUS REVIEWERS!! You guys rock! I have ONE HUNDRED AND TEN REVIEWS!!!!!! Woop woop! :) Thanks to PeetaMellarkLove who was my hundreth reviewer and to xX-ATwiNaturalHungerForVic-Xx who always has the most interesting reviews!

Also, I recently decided to go through all of the junk in my email inbox (I had 1000 emails! Oops ;P) and I noticed that a lot of people have added my fic as a favourite! If you are one of those people, thank you so much, it really means a lot to me! So thanks to LaurenG, emeraldDaze and Maggie Puddles. If I missed your name, I'll thank you next time :DSo here is the next chapter of my fic! I hope you like it and as usual, please review!

****************************************************************************************************************************************************

Chapter Eleven - Peeta.

The sad thing was, when it happened, I wasn't suprised.

I think I had always known, somwhere deep down in my subconcious that this was how it was going to turn out. I just decided to not think about it and savour the moments while they still existed, but the truth is always inevitable.

Broken.

Thats how I felt when I watched him kiss her.

I should have just stayed in the tent. But Caius, one of the older rebels, had asked me to find Katniss and when he asks something of you, you do it. I knew that a few of the younger ones were afraid of him. I didn't blame them. So I nodded and ducked out of the tent to look for her. The first place I checked was the tent that Prim was staying in.

She had been on edge about Prim lately, I could see it in the tension of her stance. To keep Prim safe, if she could do that indefintely, she would be happy. But Prim was alone, sitting up in a nest of blankets in the far corner of the tent, swiping her arms about in the air. I frowned. Stepping in quietly, I watched her for a moment. A glint of light sliced through the air in a quick, delicate arc.

"Prim?" I called softly and she jumped in suprise. Her arms dove to her sides and I caught the flash of silver as she stowed something under the blankets.

"Hi Peeta," she smiled, wide awake.

"I was just looking for Katniss..." I trailed off due to the obvious fact that Katniss wasn't there.

Prim shrugged.

I hesitated but then decided to go in for the plunge. "What were you doing just now, before I came in?" I asked quietly.

She blinked a few times and started to say something, but thought better of it. Her head drooped slightly and a red heat brushed her cheeks. Slowly, as if her arms were heavy, she reached under the covers and pulled something out and dropped it into my hands. The metal felt cool against my skin and I looked down to see a short dagger with a silver rusted hilt.

"Practising," she mumbled into the confused silence.

"Pract-" I fumbled over the word, "What?"

It dawned on me then that when she had been swiping her arms about in the air, it was in cutting and stabbing motions. Fighting motions.

"Oh Prim-" I started but she put her hands over her ears.

"Don't," she said, "Don't talk to me like I am a child, because I'm not. I want to help."

"I know you're not a child," I tried to sympathise, "But you don't need to be doing this. We have plenty of people for... this. Just leave it to us."

"It's just in case," she explained, "When it comes down to it, don't you think it's important that I should at least be able to defend myself? I won't be helpless."

The stubborn wink in her eye of determination reminded me so much of Katniss.

"Don't tell Katniss I said this," I smiled, "But I agree. There's no harm in it, I suppose".

She grinned. "Speaking of, shouldn't you go find her?"

"Speaking of, doesn't she think you're asleep," I retorted jokingly.

"Point taken," she rolled her eyes and smiled before burying herself in the blankets. I left quietly.

I didn't realise untill the next day that I never asked her where she had gotten the blade.

Prim had a knack of making people smile. She had a special gift for it. And so I was still smiling when I saw them. At first, I thought Katniss was sitting by herself up on the boulder and I started to call out to her, but then I noticed the dim outline of someone sitting beside her. Gale. Who else?

I didn't have time to register any feelings of envy or hurt because no sooner than I recognised them, their outlines slowly meshed into one and I realised they were kissing.

Broken.

I turned away abruptly, trying to not feel anything, to not care. I walked blindly, unaware of where I was heading. I could have walked into a group of Peacekeepers for all I cared. This was it. Before, Katniss and Gale had just been close friends with strong feelings for each other that they hadn't acted upon, or so I had gathered. But now that both Gale and I had declared out loud, she had to choose. This was it. I had wanted to fight for her. I should have known he would fight back.

Had he already won?

Maybe she had just been waiting for him all along. Maybe I was just her ploy to survive the games to get back to him.

Was I really insignificant to her?

Did she-

"Peeta?" I stopped walking to find Madge standing behind me, her eyes searching mine.

When I didn't say anything, she didn't look suprised or embarassed. We had been spending a lot of time together on the base and we had gotten to know one another. She was used to my moodiness.

"I followed you," she admitted, "Were you trying to sneak away? Because you weren't being very quiet about it."

I took in our surroundings and realised that I had blundered past the edge of the clearing, into the dank forest, without even realising it.

"No, I- I don't think..." I trailed off realising I wasn't sure about the answer.

Sighing, I sat down on the damp ground and after a moments hesitation, Madge copied me. She studied me for a minute.

"So you did see them?" she assesed, "I thought that you might have but I didn't want to say anything in case you hadn't. You did see them, right? Katniss and-"

"Yes!" I cut her off hoarsly, "I saw."

"Sorry," she added quietly and I felt guilty about being so abrupt with her. This wasn't her fault.

"It's alright. It is what it is."

We both pondered that one for a few moments.

Madge smiled gently and bumped her shoulder against mine playfully. "Anyway," she sighed, "I understand better than anyone."

I frowned and looked up at her. Twilight was upon us so I wasn't sure, but I thought I saw a light haze of pink spread across her cheeks.

"It's ok," her laugh was breezy, "I hide it well."

"Gale?" I asked softly.

"Sad as it is, yes."

"Why would it be sad?" I wondered aloud.

"He hates me," she sighed, "Resents my family, the privileges I was born into. We live so close and yet have such completly different lives. I might as well live in District One or even the Capitol."

"I'm sure it's not that bad," I offered.

"Maybe," she shrugged, "But it's nowhere good. You should have seen him when you were gone. He was nothing without her."

"I think she is the same without him."

We sat and brooded in the dark for a few minutes. Then, all of a sudden, Madge laughed, loud and clear as a bell ringing and it was as though it was contagious because I couldn't help but laugh with her. We laughed until our sides hurt and I had tears in my eyes.

"What are we like," she grinned as we calmed down, "Sitting here complaining in the dark while the people we love get jiggy with it."

"Jiggy?" I scoffed, appalled and she laughed again at my expression.

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah," I added darkly, "I do."

She pulled a face but smiled weakly.

"It would have never worked with Gale and I anyway," she linked her arm with mine, "I'm too complex for him."

"You're about as complex as a crayon," I teased and she grinned and swung her hand at me fast but I caught it just before it came in contact with my shoulder. She seemed to pause and I when I looked at her, I couldn't read her expression.

I didn't let go of her hand and she didn't pull away.

She turned her head suddenly, still holding onto my hand. I followed her gaze. "What-"

"Shhhhh!" she hushed gently and I looked back to see her face closer to mine than I had expected. My mouth ran dry.

"Do you trust me?" she asked, moving my hand she held in hers to rest on her waist.

"I..."

"Do you trust me?" she persisted, her eyes burning into mine.

"Of course," I answered, still confused.

She smiled briefly, then leaned in, coiled her hands around my neck and kissed me softly on the mouth. I was shocked, but I didn't pull away. My hands were on her waist and she moved her lips with mine slowly, gently, sending light sparks shooting through my veins. She tasted sweet, like peaches in summer.

Then as soon as it started, it ended and she pulled back and looked at me bright eyed.

"What was that for?" I asked lamely. She stared into my eyes solemnly, then suddenly grinned.

"Katniss was just here," she grinned.

"Wait, what?"

"She was here a minute ago. I saw her watching us from over there," she gestured with her hand, "So I thought it wouldn't do her any harm to see that you are desirable too."

Madge seemed pleased with herself. I had been about to yell at her, but the way she put it, it didn't sound so bad after all. I barely registered the fact that she thought I was desirable.

"Ok... well..." I coughed akwardly, "Thanks?"

"You welcome," she was unfazed, "Now lets start heading back before it gets too dark."

I thought it would have been strange between us after that, but Madge was perfectly at ease and I decided I would be too. After all, it was just a bit of friendly help. Madge was just another follower of Gale. I hope she realised that she had good competition.

I noticed, though, that despite her comfort with me, she carefully kept her distance on the walk back.

****************************************************************************************************************************************************

The atmosphere at the reaping was unsettling and reminded me of the calm before a storm. A horrible, consuming storm. Katniss seemed to be brooding about something, tense and unsure of herself though I couldn't think to blame her in a situation like this. When I talked to her, her responses were short and unfocused.

I wondered what it was that she couldn't get off of her mind.

I drifted in and out of the polite speeches and jibes from Effie Trinket and before I could register the feelings, a small girl was dragging her feet up the stairs. I felt her defeat in the dull light of her eyes. She was so small. So young.

"I volunteer!"

Someone called out loudly before I had even realised Effie had asked for volunteers. Everyones head started whipping to the direction of the voice, like dominoes falling in a timed sequence. I turned, shocked, to look at Katniss but what I got shocked me even more.

An empty chair, shaking slightly as though she had left so fast that she nearly took the chair with her.

"Katniss?" I asked no one in particular.

But I couldn't worry about her for the moment. There were more pressing matters at hand. I turned back to face the tribute I would inevitably help to put in a graveyard.

"Primrose Everdeen, I volunteer as tribute!"

My blood sounded like a roaring river as it drained from my face. I looked at the empty seat beside me again. Prim, who noticed my look, followed it and I saw her face crumple for a split second. So this hadn't been premeditated. Maybe Katniss just couldn't deal when she saw Prim, so she left... That didn't seem likely, but I was grasping at straws to make sense of it all.

Prim bounded lightly onto the stage, nodding at Haymitch but she avoided my stare. I stared through a fog as the reaping proceeded. What wa going on? Was this some kind of plan or strategy?

"I volunteer too..."

Oh, what now!

Slowly, painfully, I looked up to see Reed, Gale's younger brother slouched on the stage. He exuded nochalance confidently, his hand running through his hair. Like brother, like brother. Ugh. But despite my slight contempt, I would not wish this fate upon anyone and I couldn't understand what was going on.

My mind was in a spin.

All centering on one thing, a giant question mark.

?

But above all questions, one was more dominant, more clear than the others as Prim and Reed were lead into the Justice building.

Where the hell were Katniss and Gale?

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************

After the reaping, I waited around for Katniss but she never appeared. We still had time before we had to leave for the Capitol so I decided to head to the clearing. I had already said my goodbyes to my family.

I knew that Katniss was there even before I reached the top of the hill.

She was barking orders out at the top of her lungs, anger and fear lacing through her voice. I broke through the trees into the clearing and headed straight for her. When she saw me, she didn't say anything and neither did I. I just walked straight up to her and took her firmly into my arms, wrapping her safely with me.

I felt her body sigh with either pain or anger.

But I went on holding her until I felt her relax into me, leaning heavily as though her strength was gone. I wanted to hold her forever.

"Gale," she whispered and I froze.

"What?"

"It was Gale a-and Prim," she sounded hoarse but whether it was from shouting or crying I would never know, "They planned this. He... he trained her for this."

She spat out the words like venom.

I held her at arms length, "Are you sure?"

"Told me himself," she looked crazy. Her hair was in a mad tuft, as if she had been frantically running her hands through it and she had a poisonous glint in her eye that put me on edge.

I gritted my teeth, "Is he here?"

She nodded and before she could say anything, I stalked towards the main tent, as I was pretty sure that was where he would be. Gale would be leaving District 12 soon after Katniss and I. He and a select few of our finest rebels would be going on a mission to the other Districts to recruit more rebels and to stir up the rebellion wherever possible. And when it all hit the fan, and the real war began, his group would lead the attack on the Capitol.

I couldn't say I envied him.

"Gale," I shouted as I crashed my way into the tent.

"Peeta?" Gale turned around to see me with a raised eyebrow. He looked maddingly calm and it only fueled my anger.

"How could you do that? How could you send Prim to her death?" I shouted loudly and a few people turned around to watch curiously.

Katniss ran in behind me. "Peeta, don't even bother."

"But I-"

"No, Peeta," she didn't turn her murderous glare off of Gale, but I could hear the venom in her voice, "I can fight my own battles."

I had no doubt about that.

"Can we talk alone?" Gale asked Katniss quietly, still showing no signs of remourse.

I started to say something but Katniss held up her hand to cut me off. "I have nothing to say to you," her voice was as cold as death and Gale searched her face desperatly.

"Well I have something to say to you," he replied, his tone neutral, "Come on."

He moved as though to take her by the arm and she jerked back from him sharply, giving him a dark look. For the first time, his face showed some emotion, his expression reminding me off a wounded animal. She couldn't even bear to touch him. I didn't like to admit it but that fact gave me a slight twinge of pleasure.

They stared at each other for a few moments and I began to feel awkward. Then finally, Katniss said coldly, "Five minutes". She stalked on ahead of him, out of the tent. Gale gave me a quick, blank stare and then loped out after her.

I rubbed my forehead frustratedly.

"Hey," a hand touched my shoulder and I turned to see Madge. Her face was flushed as though she had run all the way here and she was still wearing the blue dress she wore at the reaping. "I caught the end of that. What's going on? Why did Prim volunteer? This wasn't planned, was it?"

"You're not going to like it," I sighed and moved so that I could sit on a nearby crate. She sat on the bare ground beside me, not worried about her clothes.

"Tell me."

"Gale.... Gale trained Prim so that she could volunteer for the Hunger Games. As you can imagine, Katniss is furious about it."

Madge's hand moved silently to cover her mouth.

"No," she shook her head, "No it has to be some kind of mistake!"

"It's not," I said tonelessly.

It was at that moment that Gale decided to walk slowly back into the tent.

I noticed that Katniss wasn't with him.

"I'm gonna go talk to him," Madge announced, "I have to hear this from him."

"Ok," I said, barely listening, my eyes moving to the outside of the tent of their own accord. Madge smiled as if she knew exactly what I was thinking and brushed my shoulder with her hand reassuringly before heading over to Gale. I watched them talking intensly for a minute before I got up and left the tent.

I knew where to look even before the question had formed fully in my mind. Sure enough, there she was, standing outside Prim's tent, staring dejectedly into space.

"Katniss," I called softly, to let her know that I was approaching. I wondered if she would still be angry or if she would be sad or upset.

But when she turned to face me, there was something else on her face, something it took me a moment to place.

Determination.

And then she walked squarely up to me. She stood so close that I could feel the heat of her body mingling with mine and feel her light breath tickle my skin.

Then she pulled me firmly to her and kissed me urgently on the lips.

She tasted just like I remembered. Like sunshine on a late summer evening, her fire blazing behind the lids of my closed eyes. The smell of the forest clung to her hair and her clothes and wrapped me in her essence. A shivering spark of electricity short circuited all of my nerve endings. It happened so quickly, like a short, sharp breeze, and ended before I could be certain that it really happened.

Then she stepped back slightly and I stared at her dumfounded. All of those moments we shared in the Games came flooding back to me like the tide of the sea pushing the waves ashore.

She smiled uncertainly, waiting for me to say something.

"No," I suprised myself by bursting out loudly, "You can't keep doing this Katniss! I can't be someone that you just fall back on when you are unsure about Gale."

"But-"

"Look, Katniss, I know when he's been on your mind. You get this look in your eyes and I can't live like that anymore." I paused.

"You're right, we're not in the Games anymore and that makes this different. I can't share you with him."

"You know that I would fight for you, right? But how can I fight when I don't know if you want me to?" I took a deep breath and forced the rest out.

"I want all of you, Katniss and anything that comes with that is fine by me."

"But it's now or never," I decided on the spot.

All or nothing," I said everything I had been holding in since the Games and I realised how strange it sounded but it needed to be said.

I couldn't do this anymore.

She couldn't keep shining her light on me and then just switching it off with no notice, leaving me in the dark. I would eventually adjust to the dark if she would stop turning the light on and off.

I half expected her to just walk away or to not answer or to say that she was in love with Gale. But she didn't.

"Peeta," she hesitated, "I realised something when I was talking to Gale. The Hunger Games will always be a part of me, I can't change that. And... so will you."

She stumbled over the words quickly, uncomfortable in her emotions, I knew.

"If I had never gone to the Games, then maybe... Gale and I could have... But I did... and I'm different now. And I can't... with him. Not as this new person."

I struggled to catch all of her mumbled sentences and she toed the ground with the front of her hunting boots nervously.

"What I'm trying to say is, I know why I was afraid of... of being with you."

I gulped. This wasn't going where I had expected it to.

"You see, in the Games, I was supposed to be with you. Almost like a rule. Like being forced to enter the reapings, to compete in the Games. I just... I don't want to be with someone because I have to be, but because I want to be," she frowned as she tried to explain.

"And what do you want?" I asked softly after a moments silence.

She stared into my eyes, suddenly looking composed, sure.

"You."

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************

Ok thanks so much for reading this and I hope that you review! I have had over 3000 hits on this story so far and it has been added to the David vs. Goliath community archive! Thanks to everyone who takes time to read this! I love you all x

CATCHING FIRE RELEASE DATE IN UK AND IRELAND - 8TH SEPTEMBER!!!!!!! WOOOO! :D

For all you lucky Americans, please don't tell us lowly Irish what happens in the book before it is released here! OMG that would suck! I think I might refuse to go online until I have actually read it myself lol