Authors Note: Okay so sorry sorry sorry that its taken me this long to update! I just really wanted this chapter to be perfect and it's extra long so hopefully that makes up for it. Anyway more from me at the end...

Glimmer felt a tear run down the side of her cheek as Cato's eyes locked onto hers. For a moment she felt the weight of the tribute straddled on top of her disappear, along with the ground beneath her. It was as if Cato knew everything she had wanted to tell him just by looking at her.

Suddenly however the moment was broken, as the heavy sound of footsteps began. Spontaneously, Glimmer decided that now wasn't the time to die; she still had too much left to say to Cato, however she knew deep inside that no amount of time with him would be enough. Quickly moving her gaze she saw the female tribute begin to run forward, trying to escape Cato. In her haste however she had forgotten about Glimmer lying on the floor.

Feeling adrenaline pulse through her Glimmer managed to free her arm and swing it out in front of the girl, causing her to trip and fall head first into the dirt. She was just about to try and free herself from the boy- who seemed temporarily paralysed at the sight of Cato- when she heard him splutter violently and felt his body go limp. A warm liquid sprayed across her face as the boy crashed forward on top of her.

After a few seconds of being blinded by the tributes dead body, he was suddenly pulled off her. Without looking at her, Cato then proceeded to push his knife into the other tributes chest, just as she was trying to get up. He then turned to face Glimmer who was laid on the ground shaking, whilst wiping the dead boy's blood off her cheek.

"What the hell were you thinking? You could have been killed!" Cato's sudden shout shocked Glimmer, who was still trying to piece together what had happened; how close she had come to death.

"I…I was only trying to follow you, listen about Marvel…it wasn't what it looked like," she gabbled whilst trying to stop anymore of her tears from falling. Death she could deal with, but Cato being mad at her? Suddenly dieing didn't seem too bad after all.

"I don't care about Marvel; I care about you. Look Glimmer, what if I hadn't shown up?" Cato felt his voice crack slightly as a hundred different thoughts entered his head. Glimmer on the other hand looked strangely calm as she stood up and looked straight into his eyes.

"Then I would have died," she replied simply. Cato opened his mouth, for once in his life having no idea what to say. Even if he did the huge lump in his throat would probably have stopped him anyway.

All of a sudden he could hear the sound of voices, and turned around to face a small rocky hill where they were coming from. Both he and Glimmer readied their weapons as they waited for the tributes to come into view. After a few more sentences however, Cato realised that they belonged to Clove and Marvel, who must have come looking for them. A few seconds later they appeared, and began climbing down into the clearing.

"So if your not too busy giving away your position arguing at the top of your voices, do you want to maybe apologise for taking off like that," Clove said crossly as her and Marvel walked over to the two of them.

"Sorry it's my fault," Glimmer said, suddenly stepping in to take the blame before Cato could. She then tried not to wince as Clove walked towards her, until there was only an inch between them.

"Well a word of advice, maybe think next time before running off again because next time I won't be so-"

"Look!" Marvel's shout cut Clove off and caused all the careers to look into the forest, to see a female tribute limping through the trees. Even from this far away Glimmer recognised her as being the female from twelve. All of a sudden she found herself trying to catch up with the rest of the careers, who had run off at full speed as soon as they had seen the other tribute. As soon as she began to run, sharp pain began to shoot through her legs, a painful reminder of how she had run after Cato earlier. Luckily however, the girl seemed to be injured and she was able to catch up quickly. She then watched as Cato reached out to grab the girl, but just missed as the girl began to frantically scramble up a tree.

Glimmer had to blink a few times to make sure that she wasn't seeing things. No, the girl had actually climbed up the tree.

"Glimmer!" Clove's stern shout forced her to shift her gaze from the girl in the tree back to the careers, who were all looking at her expectantly. Shit, she hadn't been listening. Clove seemed to realise this but instead of shouting, simply sighed before looking at Marvel, who was holding out the bow and arrows she usually used when they went out hunting.

"I thought you might want these," he said smugly as Glimmer reached out, suddenly realising that they wanted her to shoot the girl in the tree. Just thinking about it caused Glimmer to feel her self being taken over by the Capital Glimmer, the Glimmer she had forgotten to be for a while. Realising that the Capital audience were probably becoming bored with her, and remembering how upset she was with Cato for shouting at her, she smiled at Marvel.

"Thanks babe," she said, as she clasped the bow firmly in her hand, trying to ignore Cato, who she was fairly certain had just winced.

"Just shoot her, I've had enough of all these star-crossed lovers," Clove said glaring at Glimmer, before shifting her gaze to Cato. All of a sudden Glimmer felt her hand go limp as she realised why she had recognised the girl. She was the one who was in love with the boy from her district.

"Hurry up," Marvel's harsh voice caused Glimmer to regain her composer and aim an arrow at the girl in the tree. For a moment she saw a look cross the girls face. A look she knew too well. It reminded her of the way Cato had looked at her that day in the training centre, when he thought she wasn't looking. When she had been pretending to try and make a fire or something.

Just remembering the way he had looked at her made her stomach flutter and her hand go weak, allowing the bow to fly out, and miss the girl. Crap. Not wanting to turn and see the annoyed and mocking looks she would be getting off Clove, she quickly pulled out another arrow and tried again. By now however the girl had had chance to position herself solidly on a branch, giving Glimmer a lot less to aim at. Nevertheless she still let the arrow fly, however this time she wasn't shocked when it flew straight passed the girl.

As if sensing her desperation, Cato leaped up and began climbing the tree, sparing her the embarrassment of missing again. After a few seconds however it became clear that Cato wasn't going to be able to reach the girl, however instead of getting flustered as she had, Cato simply jumped down and allowed a small smile to cross his face.

"Well it's not like she's going anywhere, I say we set up camp here and wait until morning, we can last longer than she can," he said. The rest of the careers nodded at him, apart from Glimmer, who was still having trouble looking him in the eye.

"I think there might still be a dead squirrel in my backpack, from when I was hunting last night, I'll skin it and we can have it before it gets any darker," Clove said, looking up at the evening sky that gradually seemed to be turning black.

"I'll go and collect firewood," Glimmer suddenly said, wanting nothing more than some time to her self, to think about everything that had happened. Just as she began to walk into the trees, she heard Cato's voice.

"I'll come with you," he said firmly as he jogged to catch Glimmer, who was speeding off into the forest. For a couple of minutes they both remained silent, as they picked up stray pieces of wood and branches that had fallen off the trees.

As soon as Glimmer was sure they were out of Marvel and Clove's hearing she shoved Cato roughly.

"Why did you do that?" She demanded, almost dropping her armful of wood.

"Do what?" Cato asked, looking confused.

"Say you'd come with me, I don't need protecting."

"Oh yeah, well it really seemed like it earlier."

"I didn't ask you to save me."

"If you hadn't been so reckless I wouldn't have had too!"

"Yeah well it's not like-" All of a sudden Cato cut Glimmer off by leaning in and kissing her squarely on the lips, dropping his handful of twigs. After a brief moment of surprise, Glimmer threw down the firewood she had been collecting and moved her hands to cradle the back of Cato's head. She then felt his hands move to the top of her thighs, leading her into jumping up and wrapping her legs around his waist.

They stayed like that for several minutes, until finally Glimmer broke away.

She then jumped down so quickly that she almost fell over, only being saved at the last minute by Cato's strong hand steadying her. He looked at her worriedly as she winced slightly.

"What's up?" He whispered, his eyes searching her face for answers.

"I…I can't keep doing this. Leading you on, I mean. Sooner or later I'm…I mean one of us is going to die and I don't want to hurt you," Glimmer stuttered all at once as tears began streaming down her cheeks. The same tears that threatened to spill from Cato's eyes as he took in what she had just said.

"But, it doesn't have to be like this! I want to be with you, no matter how long we have left," Cato said, wiping his eyes roughly with the back of his hand, as he watched Glimmer shake her head.

"I know you don't see it but I'm holding you back. Like today for instance, you could have been killed when you went off after you saw me with Marvel, and when you saved me from those tributes. You can't keep putting yourself at risk because of me," Glimmer said, gulping back another round of tears. Cato grabbed her arms and looked at her desperately.

"Don't leave me," he whispered, but instead of the answer he was looking for, Glimmer closed her eyes for a moment, before leaning in and kissing him softly. She then drew back, but only a little, so their noses were still touching. Cato then placed his hands on the back of Glimmers head, as if trying to hold her too him as a small tear drop escaped his eye. She was so close he could feel her breath on his face.

"I love you," she whispered so quietly that if Cato had been another centimetre away he wouldn't have heard.

He then watched as she gently broke away and started walking back towards the camp, reminding him of that day in the training centre, when she had kissed him and walked out so confidently. Today however Glimmer couldn't hold her self together and found her self practically sprinting away from him after just a few strides, knowing that if she looked back she would crash into his arms and never let go.

…..

The rest of the evening went by slowly, and without much conversation. Due to the lack of firewood and the red circles surrounding her eyes, Marvel and Clove soon figured out that something had happened between Glimmer and Cato and wisely decided not to ask them about it.

This is why, at around ten, all four careers found themselves sat around the fire eating squirrel and not talking. Cato kept trying to sneak glances at Glimmer however each time he looked at her, he found her to be studying the floor and avoiding looking at anyone. It was going to be a long night.

Luckily as soon as they had finished eating, Clove suggested that they got some sleep. They didn't bother with a guard because surly they would hear if the girl attempted to escape. It didn't matter anyway, Glimmer was wide awake. She sat for about two hours in the same position, clutching her knees to her chest, leaning on a log whilst watching the warm glow of the fire gradually fade out.

She was trying desperately to distract herself from looking at Cato, although you can only stare at a fire for so long. Deciding to distract herself by biting her lip, Glimmer tried to focus on stopping shivering. Why hadn't she taken a sleeping bag with her when she ran off?

"You look cold." Hearing his voice made her jump, causing her to bite down and puncture her lip. Looking up she saw Cato crouched down beside her holding out his jacket for her to take. Even though she knew it was selfish and he was probably freezing too, she reached out and took it, whilst trying to avoid looking him in the eye.

"Couldn't sleep?" She asked. Cato shook his head.

"No, I keep picturing another tribute finding us here asleep… I'm beginning to wonder if not having a guard is a good idea," he said as he sat down next to Glimmer.

"You're worried you'll die?" Glimmer asked, trying to stop herself from curling her arms around Cato.

"Worried that I won't be awake to protect you," Cato whispered, before blushing in the mercifully dark light. It was his turn to look at the floor. Instead of blushing too, Glimmer surprised her self by breaking her previous vow to stay away from Cato. Maybe just one more night together wouldn't hurt…

"I don't want to leave you," Glimmer said finally moving her gaze to look at Cato, who was staring back at her. It was then that Glimmer felt herself begin to shake violently. Cato felt her and moved in to wrap his arm around her. Glimmer knew she wasn't helping Cato get over her, but couldn't help but give in as she nestled her head against his chest.

"Go to sleep," Cato whispered wrapping his hands more firmly around her as her shivering began to subside. He then forced himself not to drift off in case Glimmer needed him. After a while however he felt his eyelids begin to flutter shut and knew it was only a matter of time before he unavoidably fell asleep. At least nothing could happen to her now she was with him.

"I love you, and no matter what happens I know I'll never find anyone as perfect as you" he murmured into her hair, thankful that she was unconscious and wouldn't hear him. What he didn't know however was that she was awake. She had never gone to sleep as she was too busy savouring every moment she got to spend with him, listening to his heart beat wildly in his chest. That was why after he had spoken she felt a grin spread across her face and knew that this was the happiest and at the same time saddest she had ever felt. She was so happy that she couldn't help but embarrass Cato a little.

"You've always been perfect to me," she whispered, opening one eye just in time to see the mortified expression cross Cato's face as he realised she was awake and had just heard everything he had said. Glimmer smiled as she leaned up and kissed Cato on the forehead, who still seemed to have lost the ability to speak.

"I think it's time we both went to sleep," she said as she sank back into Cato's arms, saving him from having to say anything, given his embarrassed state.

She then allowed herself, to drift off into dreamless sleep protected by Cato's strong arms, arms that she never wanted to leave.

Cato also felt the feeling of tiredness wash over him, as his cheeks gradually began to turn back to their normal colour. He then joined Glimmer in going to sleep, trying to stay still so he wouldn't disturb her- even though the log was sticking painfully into his side. He soon decided however that this was a small price to pay, if it meant he got to spend the night with Glimmer in his arms.

All too soon the artificial sun began to rise over the edge of the arena, causing Glimmer to involuntarily be pulled out of the world of sleep and back to cold hard reality. A reality that after remembering whose arm she was resting on, somehow didn't seem so bleak. Feeling Cato stir slightly she turned to face him, unable to stop a smile from creeping across her lips.

"Morning sexy," Glimmer purred, fighting the urge to laugh as she lowered her eyelids and saw the confused look that crossed Cato's face, before he realised she was playing to the audience.

"Morning," he grinned, before continuing. "So I still need to get you back for pretending to be asleep last night," he teased leaning in slightly towards Glimmer. Following his lead Glimmer shuffled up until she was inches away from his mouth. Leaning in she couldn't help but love the almost taste of cinnamon, before her lips reached his, she was just about to close the gap between them when- CRASH!

The sound of the end of the world filled the small clearing, as hundreds of black dots began to swarm around them.

Glimmer felt something nip at her neck, no, nipping was the wrong word- the small dots seemed to be ripping away her skin. She heard the frantic sound of Marvel and Clove as they scrambled up and tore off into the woods without looking back. She was just about to join them when it hit her. It was time. She had planned to wait a couple more days before thinking about dieing however now she quickly decided that this was the best way out.

It meant that her family wouldn't have to watch her suffer through a long drawn out death. Cato wouldn't have to risk his-

"Cato!" Glimmer suddenly heard herself scream, but not because she wanted him to save her, she wanted him to leave. What was he still doing here? She felt him grasp her arm however pulled it away with all the strength she could gather. Her head suddenly began to spin as the venom spread through her body- she knew she didn't have long left.

Her last view was Cato's face contorting with pain as she mouthed 'leave' to him. She then laid back and allowed the pain to course through her without resisting, as more and more of the flies began to tear away at her skin. With each bite she felt more and more of her life drain away, until she could only form thought. The word she should have used to answer Cato the other day, instead of trying to spare him the pain of watching her die. She now understood that ever since that day when she had first kissed him, he would never leave her. She would never leave him. Never.

…..

Cato felt his feet stumble clumsily through the forest as he tried to follow Marvel and Clove. Don't think. Just don't think. He repeated the same line over and over again as he ran blindly through the forest. He then willed his mind to go blank as his body numbed over with pain.

Finally they reached the lake and he dived in, along with Clove and Marvel. Unlike them however, he didn't resurface after a few seconds. He opened his mouth to scream and allowed the tears to fall, only to be washed away by the water. He felt like someone was stabbing him in the heart repeatedly, as he re-lived Glimmer's death a thousand times.

The look of pain in her eyes as she screamed out to him. The way she had torn herself away from him. And finally the fateful moment when she had told him to leave and he had.

Only when every ounce of his body screamed for air did he finally re-surface. He then began to scrub at his lips frantically, as the minutes ticked by. How was the Earth still revolving? Surly he had fallen off when she left it. He stayed in the water until long after dark, scrubbing at his lips until they were raw with pain; but even then he couldn't wash it away. Couldn't wash away the taste of Glimmer's lips and a kiss that he would now never have.

Right so even though I knew how it was going to end it was still sad to write. Since I have enjoyed writing this so much and don't want it to end just yet, I have decided to write one more chapter to kind of round things off. I will try and write it as soon as possible. For now though I will leave you with this- Thank you so much for reading so far and please let me know how you found this chapter- I tried to give Glimmer and Cato as nicer end together as I could, but I'd love to know how you think it went!