Allies

"It's good that you're getting along with Katniss," I said as Clove and I hiked through the forest next to the arena. I could tell that Clove was uneasy about walking back into the arena, even if Eight had disabled the forcefield around it. Clove was sure that once we stepped back into the arena's range the forcefield would spring back to life and the Capitol would finish the games with just us two.

"I am not getting along with her," Clove snapped as we stepped inside the arena. Clove stiffened and paused just inside the invisible line of the arena waiting for the barrier to return. I took her hand and got her to start walking again as the barrier stayed down.

"You sure seemed to get along with her," I said forgetting to release her hand.

"No I have to live in close proximity to her for an extended amount of time, therefore I'm trying to play nice." I laughed at Clove and she glared at me. "Cato," she snapped at me anger boiling in her little blue eyes. I chuckled a bit remembering watching those blue eyes light up with so many emotions from across the table at banquets both of our families were invited to.

She was always in some frilly dress and high-heeled shoes. She was the girl who pulled eyes off of every other girl or woman at the party. From when she was five to ten she wore colorful ribbons in her hair. They would choke her hair up into pigtails that bounced around her when she walked or danced. When she turned ten she started drawing her hair up high onto her head to sit at the top being choked by her ribbon. It wasn't until she was sixteen that she discovered her hair looked much prettier hanging down caressing her shoulders.

I remembered at the party her parents through to celebrate her eighteenth birthday. She wore a Capitol endorsed dress that was white with black lace sticking out from the left side. She looked radiant and even though my crush had started years ago I still refused to admit it to myself even as it was impossible to take my eyes from her.

She had many suitors lining up for her yet, for some reason, she still volunteered for the games. When she had volunteered it didn't worry me too much and I was able to stuff my feelings away. But now that we were both alive my feelings were churning again and my head was clouded with confusing thoughts.

"Cato," Clove's voice sprung to my ears. I looked over at her as we approached the same entrance to the Peacekeepers hideout. We went through the invisible wall and entered the metallic rooms. The large projection screens were next to the entrance we just walked into. In front of the screens were keyboards with all kinds of buttons.

"So what exactly are we looking for?" I asked as we started walking through the room. It was large and had the door we came through and a door to another, unknown area.

"I don't know things to make life easier," Clove said looking beneath the keyboard system.

"Yes Clove that's were they hide all of their important stuff, under the keyboard," I rolled my eyes at her.

She stood quickly blushing and gave an indignant huff. I smiled at her before moving to the room where we had spent the night a few nights ago. It was in a long hallway and my right hand rested on the hilt of my sword automatically.

"The beds will make life more comfortable," Clove said beginning to strip the mattresses of their bed coverings and piling them up.

"How are we getting everything back to camp?" I asked again.

Clove huffed letting the pillows in her hands fall into a new pile. "First off stop raining on all of my parades I'm trying! Second it's not camp, not anymore, now it's home," she took another pillow and added it to the pile. "We have eight pillows, four sheets, and mattresses."

"We could continue to look for things for, home," I hesitated not wanting to upset her again. "There are more rooms, I'd say use caution going in though."

We walked together, her attitude towards me improving since I was one of the few people she actually got along with at home. We walked into the next room with was diagonal from the bedroom. We opened the door and I thought Clove was gonna go nuts. She started bouncing around the tiny kitchen with three refrigerators and examined the food closely quickly moving to the cabinets.

"Do you think Lover Boy could make cabinets in the houses?" Clove asked while taking some food out and checking dates.

"I think it'll be complicated but doable, he may need some help," I said leaning against a wall, my hand still on my sword.

"Maybe if we bring some of these back he can model the new ones after these?"

"Why don't we take food back first since we know we'll need that and ask him if bringing these will help?" I offered running my eyes along the only wood we'd seen so far.

"Ok that sounds like a good idea," Clove said piling food up on the metal counter below. She then dropped down to look under the sink. "Think we could remove this?"

I looked at her and shook my head "where would we get water to go to it?" I asked her.

"We could figure something out," she said running her hand along the pipes. "I think we should try to get it."

"That's fine but we'll come back for it ok."

"Fine," she stood and we walked back into the hall and heard a soft hum. I quickly unsheathed my sword and walked out into the main room with Clove close at my heels. I sighed when I just saw that the large screens had turned on. Clove grumbled and returned to the hallway. I returned my sword to it's sheath and went to follow her until I took a good look at the screen.

"Clove!" I screamed at her.

She came running and seemed annoyed, as nothing in the room had changed. "What?" Clove asked putting her hand on her hip.

"Look at who's on that screen," I said grabbing her hand and rushing.

"That was Rue taking out a Peacekeeper!"

#

Thresh, Eight, Peeta, and I had been quiet at first but once the Peacekeepers realized they were dropping like flies they stormed us. We were swamped but fought back viciously, Eight was the one with the fewest wounds, Thresh was targeted early on and suffered a few deep cuts because of it. Peeta and I were overlooked at first until my sharp shooting had caught their eyes.

The Peacekeepers seemed to descend on my all at once. Like there was some signal that blew and ordered them to kill me. With only the arrows on my back and the bow in my hand I was forced to run. A bow and arrow was not a close range weapon. "Katniss," I heard Peeta yell after me as I began scaling the rocks.

I reached the top and turned around on a dime. I took an arrow in between my fingers and shot the first things I saw when I spun. The first of three Peacekeepers pursuing me fell to the rocks below, arrow lodged in his eye. I took the last arrow from my sheathe and shot it into the second Peacekeeper. I saw Rue shoot out from the trees and attack the third Peacekeeper. The two fell down and landed on the ground roughly.

"Rue!" I screamed, tears I my eyes.

Rue was rubbing her head sitting beside the Peacekeeper and was making unhappy grunts. She looked up just in time to see the sword raise above the man's head. I was scrambling to get back down to her when a whip appeared from within the woods and clutched the man's sword wielding arm. Just as the Peacekeeper looked up to examine the whip it went electric and he passed out. I reached the bottom of the hill and took his own sword and drove it threw his heart.

#

AN: So there's more action in this one and some insight into Cato and Clove so hopefully you really enjoyed it and I'll try to update either tomorrow or the next day.