"Welcome! Welcome! To the Inaugural Panem Games! Where we will be crowning new Victors, Victors of strength, who show the solidarity of the new Panem! We must also celebrate the brave Victors of the Hunger Games who faced certain death and prevail over the oppressive Snow regime. Therefore it is with the power vested with me by the power of the people I declare the Games open!"

The crowd roars and I cling to Peeta's hand as though my life depended on it. My life does depend on it. How badly would I love to throw myself off this chariot than be reminded of those days spent in the arena. The chariot returns to the staging area and Effie joyfully greets us.

"This is so exciting! Hurry! The adoring public awaits."

We're escorted to the courtyard of the President's Mansion where delicacies are arranged on tables. Flowers and lights on strings line the walk ways. The others catch up with us.

"Quite the opening huh? They like to forget everyone wanted to kill us." Enobaria says when she sees us.

"I feel you there. Ugh. I can't stand the sight of all this food." Johanna replies.

We stay in our garb as we're greeted by the leaders of Panem and the varying districts. It's all the same they're all telling us how we're adored how loved we are by the people. I feel like Johanna I just want to puke. Peeta pulls me close to him and kisses my head. He speaks for me. He returns to his role of the likable one. He escorts me to a corner of the courtyard.

"Are you okay?"

I nod.

"This is really hard for me."

"I understand." He looks around "Come 'on"

He guides me through the corridors turning knobs for unlocked rooms. When there is none to be found we find a dark lounge area overlooking the party. He pulls me in close in the far corner. His hands feeling their way up and down my back.

"Lose yourself for a little bit." He kisses me. When I close my eyes I see the meadow by our house where we make love. I wrap my arms around his neck digging my nails into his scalp. He groans, I push myself farther into his embrace. He turns one of his palms and finds my breast massaging gently. He pulls back from me and looks me in the eyes, and I feel my hunger growing. I feel his eyes looking through me. I remove my hands from his head and pull up the skirt of my dress maintaining eye contact as I do. He wraps one arm around my waist and with the other removes himself from his pants lifts me and plants me against a wall. He swiftly enters me, and thrusts inside me hard and deep. I meet him with my hips. I throw caution to the wind and moan his name, cheering him on. I feel myself losing it, falling over the brink of feeling and ecstasy.

"Oh my God!" It's Haymitch.

"How many times do I have to see this!" He staggers.

Peeta and I freeze. We must look like deer when it knows the end is near. There are more foot steps.

"Did you find them?" It's Johanna. She stops. Laughs. "Jeezus put it away, Paylor is toasting."

I look at them with anger.

"Fuck off."

"Okay, I'll tell them you need to finish up." She walks away with her signature strut. Haymitch tumbles after her.

Peeta and I attempt to reorganize ourselves but instead resume our love making. Pressed for time the pace is rapid and I easily lose myself again and come with good timing as Peeta does too. He sets me onto the ground looking me in my eyes. We laugh. Hand in hand we walk back to the adoring crowds. We missed Paylor's toast but neither of us care. It's Effie who is up in flames.

"Where on this Earth were you? The most photographed moment of the night and you were no where to be found! Where are your manners!? You don't just walk out on a party in your honor!"

Haymitch is behind her laughing. He wraps his arms around her and kisses her cheek.

"Cut them some slack baby."

Her face contorts.

"You smell like a distillery. You've been drinking! You promised!"

"Baby. Baby. You don't understand what this whole thing has been like for me."

The crowd around us goes silent. Effie laughs awkwardly.

"Oh Haymitch! You do enjoy the party." She smiles and the crowd turns away. Tears are at the corner of her eyes. "I'm going home." She says to all of us sternly.

"Haymitch you better go with her." Peeta says.

"Look kid, you should mind your own shit. I'm not the one fucking in the hallway while someone is toasting me."

"Yeah you'd miss an opportunity to drink. Go with her or I'll physically make you." Peeta says flatly.

Haymitch throws his hands in the air.

"Well excuse me sir." He turns and walks in Effie's direction.

"I want to go home too." I tell Peeta.

"We'll go but in a different car. Let's go get the others."

We make our way through the party until we find Johanna and Beetee who are openly holding hands.

"You want to get out of here?" Peeta asks them tapping Beetee on the shoulder.

"Oh fuck yes." Johanna replies.

Beetee finds Enobaria and we all pile into a waiting car and return to the apartment.

"Did anyone see Gale tonight?" I ask

"He was with the President." Beetee replies.

Ambition. I think to myself. We go to our rooms and change. Haymitch and Effie are no where to be found. We sit in the living room together.

"Notice how sloshed Haymitch was?" Johanna asks.

"Yea. He's going back to the hospital." Peeta says.

"If he lives through the weekend." Enobaria quips.

"Excuse me?"

"You know how many Victors have died because of overdose or doing stupid shit when they're loaded? It's not that I don't care, it's just what's happened."

Johanna begins dealing cards. We turn our focus to poker until we all tire. Johanna and Beetee first. Then Enobaria, and me and Peeta. Peeta falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. The stress of the day still weighs heavily on me, I don't want to disturb Peeta so I slip out of the room. I hear voices in Johanna's room. I don't want to pry but curiosity gets the best of me.

I peek through the crack and I see Johanna naked on top of Beetee.

"Do you love me."

"Yes." His hands gripping her waist. "Fuck."

"And the baby?"

"Yes God yes."

He grabs her by the throat and flips her over. Biting her shoulder hard. She giggles and pushes his face away slapping him.

"Wanna see how much? Bad girl."

"Yes."

He ties her down to the bedpost and massages her. I feel incredible guilt for watching, so I turn and walk down the to the living room. Watching television is a better option than watching Beetee and Johanna being kinky. I'm stopped in my tracks by what I see. Sitting on the couch drinking a glass of scotch is Gale. He's still wearing his uniform pants but he's removed the shirt and is in his undershirt. He sees me before I can turn away.

"You're a real piece of work you know that?"

I turn my head down.

"Sit Katniss. We're friends."

I sit on a chair opposite of him.

"You know I really love you. I really do. You think you and him are something special because you were in the arena? You realize I fed you! I taught you how to survive! You strung me along."

"Gale. I was confused I'm sorry."

"Yeah? Well you come home and act like we can be together after you fucked him on the tour! You fucked me while he was in the Capitol, and you pretended like he didn't exist. You're a whore you know that. What would've happened if Prim didn't die. Would it be you and me here?"

"No. I would have chosen Peeta."

"So you lied to me that whole time… I knew you loved him and you lied to me!"

"Gale, it's done now."

"No! Tell me the truth Mrs. Mellark. Did you ever love me."

"I thought I did. I was confused I didn't know what I felt for Peeta either. I… I know now."

"At both our expense you fucking slut. He's a maniac you know that right. He tried to kill you. He did a number on the fucker who raped you too. He acts like he's above all of this. He's not. He's not even a human anymore! And you choose him!"

"I'm not a human anymore either Gale! Peeta is my soulmate!"

He laughs loudly.

"That's rich Ms. I'm never getting married."

Our argument roused Peeta who is now standing behind me.

"What's happening."

"Oh look! The fated boy has come to join our conversation. You fucked her on the train right? Did you fuck her when she broke her heel tell me the truth."

"Yes."

"I was fucking her then too. I was fucking her while they were fucking in your head. She had comfort when you didn't. Is that fair."

I can feel Peeta's rage growing. He's staring a hole into the floor.

"Gale you're drunk."

"Fuck. I'm going to be President one day. And this bitch chooses you. A baker."

"Don't call my wife that."

"Ouch. Show her who you really are. Remember how you castrated that guy, like it was nothing you would've killed him too. I watched you snap a dudes neck on T.V." He spits on the floor.

"Get. The. Fuck. Out." Peeta is shaking.

The commotion has awakened Enobaria as well.

"I killed people on T.V. too. Ripped a guys throat out. Wanna try me too big guy?"

"Oh my God you all think you're special because you survived the Hunger Games. You're a fraternity of mental patients! All of you. Mutts!"

Enobaria storms across the room and wraps her arms around Gale's neck into a full nelson. When he loses consciousness she lets go.

"He can sleep this off. None of this happened. Go to bed." She says

Peeta is stoic. His muscles convulsing. He's fighting within himself. I stand in front of him.

"Peeta. Not real."

Tears flow down his cheeks.

"What is?" He whispered.

"You're a baker, my husband, my soul mate, you make love to me so I can fall asleep, you feed my worthless cat scraps from the table, you love me."

He trembles. I grab his wrists hard and look at his eyes, his pupils dilated to the point they look black.

"Stay with me."

His breath is short, he labors to slow it. He turns his eyes into mine.

"Always."

I keep my hands on his wrists and guide him to the bedroom. He sits at the edge of the bed. I undress in front of him, his eyes focused on me. I straddle him and place a hand on my left breast so he can feel my heart beating.

"Real."

He grips it firmly. His breathing slows. I kiss his lips which slowly react meeting mine. I remove his shirt moving my hands up his chest rubbing the hair on his chest. He takes his strong hands and grips my waist.

"Real."

He kisses my chest then each breast individually.

"Real."

He rolls me over hovering above me looking down on me. I move my hand to his cock which is growing erect and stroke it. His eyes don't move from mine.

"Do you want me?" I ask him.

"More than anything." He tells me.

"Take me then."

And he does. He starts off slowly burying his face into the bed and he strokes inside me. Then he grips my hair and quickens as he scans over all of me. I roll over and rock myself on him, he sits up holding me close and sucking my breasts making me come. We repeat this over and over coming over and over until the sun comes up.