Nate awoke to a world of white. Then the events that landed him in this situation came to mind. The eighteen year old bolted out of bed in a panic. He had to get to Sophie. He had to make certain she was alright. The last image he saw was her limp body being pulled away from him. Her blood had been staining the white suits of the peacemakers and he tried to reach out to her but black had taken him. He had to find her. She was the only thing he had left. She was everything. He needed to get out and find her.

Nathan twirled around the room in search of an exit. He couldn't see any so he just decided to test out the walls. He knew one of them had to have a hidden door. He frantically tried to tap the walls to find a weakness. Soon his impatience finally got to him though. He slammed himself into the walls like a crazy person. He banged on everything and shouted with all of his might. He needed to find Sophie. He didn't care about anything else. He was willing to do anything for her.

Finally, the avox who waited on him before the games entered the room. Nate grinned when he saw the entry way and raced towards it with all his might. Hurley caught him by the shoulders and stopped him though.

"No!" Nate begged of the avox desperately as the door pinged close. "Sophie! I have to find Sophie! I have to know if she's alright!"

Hurley put his finger to his lips and shook his head vigorously.

"No!" Nate huffed towards the avox as he slammed into his shoulder again, "She needs me! You don't understand! I have to find her!"

Hurley just calmly placed him back on the bed and continued shaking his head. He then pointed to his shoulder and mimicked a syringe before gesturing to his tribute charge in return.

"She's dead isn't she?" Nate sighed before the syringe could be applied to his limbs, "That's why you won't let me see her!"

The avox blinked at the desperate statement before he quickly shook his head in the negative. He then plunged the syringe into the boyman's shoulder without a moment of warning.

"She's not dead?" Nate asked desperately as the sedative started to take effect.

The avox shook his head no again with a gentle smile on his face. He knew exactly what the boy was thinking.

"She's not dead," Nate sighed in relief before the sedative finally knocked him out.

%

The next time Nate woke up, he was latched to the bed. He couldn't move and he saw nothing but machines surrounding him on all sides. There was a blue liquid pumping into his veins and a mask was on top of his face. He struggled against his restraints a little bit until he felt a little prick in his finger and heard the sounds of a gas hissing into the air. His vision began to speckle and his mind drifted to Sophie again. He smiled at the image of sunlight in her hair and the familiar sound of her laugh as he fell back into sleep.

%

"No more!" Nate begged the next time he awoke.

"Don't worry," a fantastically familiar voice informed him with an air of glee. "You're done. It's all over."

"Tara!" Nate sighed in relief as his favorite stylist finally appeared into his vision.

"Nate," Tara smiled back ecstatically, "You won the hunger games."

"Sophie!" Nate shouted in worry the moment those words slipped out of her mouth, "I have to find Sophie!"

"Don't worry!" Tara stopped him before he could even think about making a move, "She's fine!"

"She's okay?" Nate stared at her in disbelief, "She's fine? Sophie's alive? The Capitol let her live too?"

"She's fine," Tara confirmed with a sad smile and a nod. "She won the hunger games too."

"She's okay," Nate grinned foolishly at the news. "My Sophie's okay!"

"Only you, Nathan Ford," Tara rolled her eyes at the boy's thoughts, "Would come to the hunger games to fall in love."

"Hey, I didn't come looking for love," Nate argued before he could even process the words pouring from his mouth. "It found me."

"At least you admit it," Tara sighed at the blunt honesty coming from her charge. "Are you ready for your costume?"

"What's Sophie wearing?" Nate demanded quizzically. There had never been two victors of the hunger games before. He wasn't exactly sure how it worked.

"That's for you to find out," Tara replied sharply to the young man's thoughts. "I'm sorry about Maggie."

"Maggie's in a better place," Nate swallowed at the unwelcome memory pouring through his mind. "But thanks."

"Here," Tara handed him his outfit with a few tears at this. "I figured we'd go young man this time around instead."

"Thanks," Nate smiled shyly as he stared at his suit in surprise. "Sophie'll love it."

"Let's hope so," Tara nodded at the thought. "Hurry up! Your post-game interview is almost up. The sooner you get into your outfit, the sooner you…"

"Get to see Sophie," Nate cheered as he matched step with her already dressed perfectly in his excitement to see the tribute from district one already.

"Wow," Tara smirked at the eager display, "I guess I'll leave you to your pod."

"I'll see you again, right?" Nate stared at his designer in sadness, "For the victory tour?"

"Of course," Tara smiled at the reminder as she pulled him into an unexpected hug, "Good-bye Nate! You take good care of her!"

"I will," Nate promised as they left the embrace and he stood on his panel.

"Up you go," Tara waved towards him before the glass container encircled him and brought him towards the surface. The platform rose higher and higher until all that was left was the air, the audience and a stage.

Nate stared at the stage in desperate search of Sophie. He knew he wouldn't be able to go on without her. He had to know she was safe. He refused to take another step until she was safe.

She appeared on stage on the pillar across from him. She was wearing a simple yellow dress with intricate white beads in the skirt. She was a Greek Goddess. She looked like a caged animal the way she was hungrily searching the stage. Her eyes fell upon him in disbelief. Nate raced towards her with open arms. Sophie jumped into them not even a second after he stopped. They somehow managed to meet on center stage and the crowd was eating it up. They had defied the odds and became victors of the hunger games together. They survived.

Sophie started to pull away but Nate held on tight. He wasn't letting her out of his sight again. He spent too long without her to lose her now. He needed her with him. She belonged by his side.

"I was so scared," Sophie whispered when she realized exactly what was going on. "They wouldn't let me see you!"

"I asked for you every time I was awake," Nate promised as his heart clenched at the tears in her eyes. "They had to chain me to the bed in order to get me to take treatment."

"They roped me to the bed too," Sophie stared at him in disbelief. "I think I bit one of the doctors when they brought me back to the room. They wouldn't let me see you!"

"Shh," Nate tugged her into a soothing embrace before he took notice of the cameras pointed towards them in eager anticipation. "We've got an audience to entertain but I promise I won't let you out of my sight for another minute longer."

"Hold me the whole time?" Sophie begged of him with wide eyes.

"Of course," Nate nodded as he kindly escorted her to the love seat and made a big show of squeezing her to his hip without a care in the world at the laughs it received.

"Ooh," Caesar smiled at the couple moment in glee, "I see you two don't want to be separated for a minute!"

"No!" Nate laughed at the thought as he tucked Sophie against him even more just because.

"Well," Caesar laughed at the pair before his face started to grow serious. "Let me ask you a couple of questions then."

"Ask away," Nate ordered in complete joy. Sophie didn't seem able to speak now. During the interviews she had been the one doing all the talking. Now, words seemed to be running away from her mouth and leaving her behind. The questions kept coming but she was doing everything in her power to redirect the questions to him. Nate merely smiled because he was only too happy to answer them. He couldn't stop talking apparently.

"Now, Sophie," Caesar directed towards the district one champion with an important air to his voice. "When did you first realize that the boy from district twelve you selected as an ally was starting to become something more to you?"

"Oh," Sophie ducked her head at the question and her cheeks began to turn a very vibrant red in embarrassment, "I don't know."

"Oh come on," Caesar pressed with a smile, "You can tell us. We can keep a secret."

"Well," Sophie gulped and started to move away from Nate for some strange reason. "In all honesty I had thought he was in love with Maggie when this whole thing started."

"Really?" Nate stared at her in disbelief, "Why would you think that?'

"Well the way you kept trying to bring attention to yourself instead of her for one," Sophie pointed out towards the floor. She couldn't make eye contact for some reason. "You also were pretty avid that she was going to be your ally so I just assumed you were in love with her. You were very protective of her, Nate."

"She was my friend," Nate nodded at the thought. "Of course I was protective of her. I wanted her to win if I couldn't."

"Which was why," Sophie gulped and slid further away from him before she spoke again, "Which was why I was going to get in between the two of you to drive a wedge. I planned on getting you to like me instead so I could get rid of Maggie."

"But it didn't work," Nate grinned as he realized exactly what was happening. "You came to meet with us during dinner and discovered that your plan was a dud."

"You caught onto my game before I even had a chance," Sophie shrugged with relief in her brown eyes as she finally dared a glance in his direction. "I was so surprised that I knew you had to be my ally and I knew you weren't coming without Maggie so I stayed to ask her questions about her knowledge. I decided I wanted the two of you to be my allies when we were done."

"So how did the whole love thing happen?" Caesar pressed delicately.

"I don't know," Sophie stammered out guiltily. "One moment I was all set to kill him because I knew he would be my biggest opponent. The next minute I'm killing people because of Maggie… Then James tried to kill him!"

"Yes," Caesar interrupted to give Sophie a moment to breathe, "That must have been difficult for you."

"He was going to kill you, Nate," Sophie explained towards the champion from district twelve in desperation. "I had to do it!"

"Shh," Nate yanked the woman into his arms and held her close, "It's okay. You saved me."

"I didn't mean to fall in love with you," Sophie whimpered in agony of the whole situation.

"I didn't mean to love you either," Nate admitted casually. It felt like he was stating a clear fact the way things were going. "But I did. I didn't realize just how deep I was until you tried to sacrifice yourself for me. God, the moment I realized you were the one I stabbed instead of me…"

"I'm sorry," Sophie peeked out from his arms long enough to stare him straight in the eyes and plant a quick kiss on his lips. "I'm so sorry! I didn't want you to die! I wanted you to win because you would be alive! I only did it so you would live!"

"I know," Nate felt his eyes tear up as he witnessed the tears falling from the district one champion's eyes. "Why do you think I stabbed myself afterwards? I couldn't handle living in a world without you. Once I got a taste I was hooked."

"Me too," Sophie cried out with a sad smile as she crawled into the district twelve champion's lap and planted her head squarely in his neck. She curled into a tiny ball and refused to move. Nate just wrapped his arms protectively around her and cradled her close. He wasn't going to let anyone come near her. They were both perfectly content on staying this way forever.

"What are you going to do after the train ride?" Caesar questioned softly with tears in his own eyes at the way they were acting. "You both have to return home to your separate districts until the next hunger games come about."

"We'll have phones," Sophie popped her head out long enough to announce. She turned her head desperately towards her fellow champion with wide eyes of terror.

"I'll call you every day," Nate promised with a quick kiss on her nose. He hadn't been thinking about that either. They were both so wrapped up in the idea of losing one another to death that they hadn't even thought about the fact that they lived in separate districts. They might be allowed to live together after the victory tour was over, but that would be months of separation. Would they be able to last that long?

"Twice a day?" Sophie proposed with a tiny pout. It was the pout she had used to get her way in the games but this time it was different. Her eyes actually did the begging as well.

"Three times if I can manage it," Nate winked at the offer gladly. He didn't know what he was going to do when they had to get off the train to go home.

"Ooh," Caesar smiled at the interaction, "I could just eat you up."

The rest of the interview passed by in a blur. Sophie hid her head in Nate's neck when Maggie's death appeared on the annual recap. She missed the part where all of Panem oohed over the fact that she took the time to decorate Maggie's hair. The young woman from District One didn't come out of Nate's clutches again. Even when Caesar and Nate both tried to get her to talk about her feelings when she betrayed Nate to win the games all by herself. Then Haymitch appeared out of nowhere and the two of them were quickly pulled away towards the train station.

Haymitch was watching them with a scowl the whole time. Nate didn't care. He and Sophie spent their entire ride home holding hands and ignoring the fact that they would be gone soon.

"Look up my number as soon as you have your house," Sophie ordered once they were at the gate for District One.

"I will," Nate nodded at her request.

"Call me every day at six o'clock on the dot, Mr." Sophie ordered again. Fear and sadness were etched in her gorgeous eyes.

Nate pulled the girl into a deep, passionate kiss. He tried to put everything in that kiss. He felt Sophie doing the same. They were fighting for control and neither one seemed to mind. It was the only kiss they would share until the victory tour was over. They were going to make it last.

The pair broke apart with heavy breaths and needy moans.

"I'll call you," Nate promised against her lips.

Sophie just smiled at the answer. Tears were sparkling in her eyes and she looked downright fearful of the next step. She gently rubbed her thumb on his cheek.

"You better," she said. And then she was gone.

End of Merger One