I'm sorry it's taken me so long to write this chapter, but I have my GCSE (majorly important!) exams in five weeks, so revision kinda had to be more important than this! Thanks go to PeetaMellark'sKatniss, iluvdinos, jenna2468, Zelda12343 and HopeNeverDies for reviewing! I've had more response to that last chapter than ever!

I try to keep my head down in the rest of our time in 13 and it works, for the most part. Peeta doesn't try to speak to me, but then he's always good at respecting my needs. Also, I manage to avoid Gale until the day before we leave 13. I'm walking back to my compartment after dinner when he literally walks right into me.

I'm already walking away before he's gathered himself, not wanting to speak to him, at all.

'Katniss,' he says, catching hold of my arm as I try to walk away from him.

'Gale,' I sigh, now knowing that this confrontation is unavoidable.

'Woods?' he asks, echoing my thoughts exactly.

'I'll just get my coat,' I reply. 'I'll meet you in five!' I call after him as I head towards my compartment.

I walk towards my compartment, contemplating not going to the woods. But I know I've got to speak to Gale, as I don't know when I'll next see him.

I rush to my compartment, grabbing my jacket and walking out to the edge of the woods. Thankfully I don't come across anyone else on my short journey.

When I reach 'the spot', Gale is already there, seemingly deep in thought. I sit down and wait for him to speak.

'I'm sorry,' he says, after a silence that seems to last forever.

'What for?' I ask, my head full of all the things I've done wrong that I should be apologising for.

'The bombs...' Gale replies, my mind flashing back to when Coin told me that my sister could have been killed by said bombs.

'You didn't know,' I say, kindly. 'You didn't, did you?' I grow more nervous as he stays silent. 'You didn't know that Coin was going to use them in that way, did you?'

'Sort of,' he replies, my heart crashing through the forest floor. 'I knew she was going to use them in Capitol. She said something about getting people on our side, but I didn't ask too many questions.' He looks ashamed.

'Why not?' I ask, confused as to why Gale, the most sensible person I know, would just 'go along' with something that Coin, of all people, was masterminding.

'I was scared,' he mutters, so quietly that I think I've misheard him. Gale, scared? That doesn't happen. I shake my head, too much has changed. Gale continues: 'I know she's not your biggest fan' – understatement of the year – 'and she knows how I feel about you, so I guess I was worried that if I didn't do what she asked, she'd hurt you. Or my family.' He adds quickly.

'Like Snow...' I mumble; more to myself than anyone else.

'What?' he asks, concerned.

'Another time,' I say dismissively, wanting to stick to the subject in hand.

'Prim-could-have-been-killed-by-your-bombs,' I blurt out, needing to tell Gale what I've wanted to tell someone for weeks.

Gale looks like I've slapped him in the face.

'I'm so sorry,' Gale garbles, 'I had no idea...'

This is wrong, this is all wrong. Gale is the strong one, yet I seem to have broken him.

'If Coin hadn't made her stay here...' I mutter, not wanting to think about that eventuality.

'Thank God she did,' Gale says, seeming more composed yet deep in thought at the same time. 'I've got to go,' he finally says, unsurprisingly; Gale has always been of few words.

I watch him as he walks away, wondering where I should go. To see Annie, I finally decide. I've been spending a lot of time with Annie in the last few weeks, since I've been avoiding Peeta and Gale. She really isn't as mad as everyone thinks she is – and I think being pregnant has helped her stay grounded. I can talk to her about everything, and I've even felt the baby kick. I'm going soft, it's magical, I still don't want kids though.

I arrive outside Annie's compartment in two minutes, but she's not there. Weird, I think. Oh well, I'll go see where Prim is.

The next morning I'm woken with a jolt by my mother shouting my name and shaking me.

'Katniss, wake up!' she yells. 'It's Annie!'

I sit upright almost immediately; I should've known something was up when she wasn't in her compartment last night.

'Where is she?' I ask, tugging the nearest clothes on.

'The hospital,' she replies as we rush out of the compartment and towards the hospital.

Arriving at District 13's hospital I'm filled with relief to hear what I assume is a baby crying.

'You could have told me she's had the baby,' I mumble at my mother. 'I was worried.'

When we were deciding where to go when we leave 13, both me and Prim had already decided we didn't want to go back to 12. With a new President, and New Panem, we wanted a new home too.

It didn't take much persuading for mother to realise that there are just too many bad memories in 12. What was difficult, was deciding where to live instead. I was set on going to District 4 with Annie, even before the baby was born. Mother wanted to go to District 3, where they're building a new hospital. Prim, on the other hand, wanted to live in District 6, commonly known as the 'gardening' district – it's full of plants and flowers, of course Prim wants to live there.

In the end, it's Annie who clinches it. Prim seems to bond with the baby before it's even born, and mother seems to want to mother Annie and the baby.

If they weren't already sold on District 4, the baby's birth means that mother and Prim will follow Annie and Finnick Junior anywhere.

A few weeks after we're settled in four, I receive a letter from Coin. It's inviting (well, summoning) me to Capitol for an 'awards ceremony' for the 'heroes of the rebellion'. Annie and Prim insisted I go, so we all journeyed to Capitol together, even baby Finn. Now that District-to-District travel is allowed, the trains are busy. It seems as though the whole of Panem is heading to Capitol to celebrate their rebel heroes.

Reaching the Capitol, I'm whisked away to the penthouse that me and the other 'heroes' are staying in. I give Prim, Annie and my mother quick hugs and tell them that I'll see them later at the ceremony.

In the penthouse, I avoid Peeta and Gale, staying with Johanna Mason and Beetee instead, until I'm dragged off to be prepped for the ceremony. I daydream to forget about every hair on my body being painfully ripped out, wishing that this is the last time I have to go through this.

After being primped and plucked to within an inch of my life, I find myself alone in the penthouse with Peeta. I know I may not have many more opportunities to speak to him (as he now lives in 12, still running his families bakery), so I walk over to him, and sit down on the seat next to him, waiting for him to hear what he has to say.

'I won't pressure you, Katniss,' he says, his head in his hands. 'I'll always love you, but I'll respect any decision you make.'

I put my hand on the side of his face, using it to lift his head so I can see his face.

'I care about you, Peeta, I really do. I just need to sort out my life at home before I can do anything else.' I see a glimmer of hope In Peeta's eyes – he really must have given up on me before today. 'When I know, you'll be the first person I call.'

Peeta tugs me into a tight embrace, which shocks me, but I let him hold me, until I hear a cough. Haymitch. I move away from Peeta and see our mentor smiling at us.

'C'mon kids,' he says, 'It's time to go.'

I resist making a sarcastic comment and begin to follow Haymitch out. Just then, the phone rings. Peeta answers it. He says 'yes' a few times then puts the phone down.

'I've got to go somewhere first,' he says, distantly, 'I'll see you two there.'

Once we arrive, I'm shocked to see that the ceremony is being help in the same place as all other Capitol 'required viewing' has been – interviews, Quell announcements, the whole lot.

I spot mother, Prim and Annie in the front row (Finnick Jr. Is being looked after by, weirdly, Johanna, who refused to attend the ceremony) as I take my seat in what used to be one of the tributes interview seats, up on the stage. I notice my mother has a rather large bag on her lap, and I wonder what is in it, but the thought quickly passes when President Coin walks out.

Most of the ceremony passes without anything monumental happening. Mine and Gale's names are called at the same time, and we walk up to the podium together. I kneel down to receive the 'Mockingjay Medal' from Coin.

And that's when I hear the screams.

Reviews are greatly appreciated! I know that chapter wasn't that great, it's a bit of a filler preparing you for the next chapter/rest of the story. I don't know when I'll next be updating, because my exams are in five weeks. I'll try and upload the next chapter at some point in the next month or so, as it is a good one (and I have started to write it as I'm quite excited to get your reactions!) but otherwise it'll be about 10 weeks till the next chapter, as my exams finish on 17th June.

If I get more reviews I may be more inclined to write the next chapter a bit faster