Author's Note: I thought I would send out chapter four early for all my lovely reviewers. The past two days have been crazy, I've had four 3-hour exams in 2 days! But oh well, last exam is tomorrow.

This chapter is really long, I warn you now. I was going to split it into two, but I really do want to get on with the story line, because a lot is meant to happen in this sequel! Please do review this chapter and tell me how you think the story is going, not just this chapter. I've been reading Wrong Crowd tonight and I'm pondering about whether this story is as good. Thank you so much to those who have reviewed so far, and if not, please do!

Crowd of Two

Chapter Four

Cato's POV

I have two nightmares while I sleep beside Grey but I expected more. I am a monster after all, and there are many murders by my hands that I could relive. After the first nightmare I wake up in a cold sweat, my heart beating fast and the covers thrown off my body. It takes a few minutes before I even begin to relax, and I think about giving up on sleep and watching a rerun of the games instead, but the thought that Grey could wake up after her own nightmare in an empty bed keeps me grounded. I made her cry last night so it is the least I can do.

I turn to look at the sleeping figure beside me in the dim light. Grey looks calm and content, but the way she is breathing tells me that she might just be pretending to be asleep. I decide to humor her and gently touch her cheek, making her sigh softly, before turning over and trying to get a few more hours of sleep.

This time my nightmare is about going home to District 2. It starts off fine; as the train comes into the station we can all hear the cheers of my friends and family as they wait in earnest for me to disembark. But as Grey and I are stepping off the train I realize that they are booing, not cheering. It's too late to get back on the train, so we are forced to take the jeers head on. My friends from the academy are all looking at me with vicious glares, calling me names that have never had such maliciousness behind them before. They are saying that I am weak, that I left a hero and came back a disappointment. In 74 years no one has come out with another victor, and in District 2 it's an embarrassment. One of my training buddies throws a can and it hits Grey in the forehead, earning a cheer from some people in the crowd.

I grab Grey roughly by the arm and pull her to me, ignoring my jealous friends and instead looking for my parents. I locate them standing on the edge of the crowd and I run towards them, pushing the crowd of people away from Grey and I. They try to grab hold of me and I nearly fall backwards when someone pulls at my collar, but I manage to get to my mother and father. I smile at them, awaiting the congratulations that I have been waiting my entire life for, but instead my father slaps me in the face.

"You killed Chase," He says murderously, "You are no son of mine." I gape at my father, unsure of what to say, and my reply comes out hoarse.

"But father, I didn't. Chase was in the games 4 years ago, it wasn't me! It was the careers, they turned on him! Please, you have to believe me!" He looks me in the eye and then spits on the ground at my feet.

"You're just as bad as that murdering career. You turned on Clove, your own district partner, for this." My father points at Grey, who had been trying to stay unnoticed and now cowers at the attention. "You are no longer welcome in this family Cato."

I try to argue that I couldn't save Clove, that her and definitely Chases' deaths were not my fault, but my father won't listen, and my mother stands like a lifeless doll beside him as he pushes me roughly away. I was never as strong as Chase, never as strong as my father, so I have no way to retaliate as I fall backwards and get enveloped in the crowd that is District 2. I hear Grey screaming my name and I try to reply but it's no use, I'm surrounded by people who are jeering at me, telling me to get out of District 2, but I can't escape.

I wake up with a start, sitting dead straight in bed, but Grey stays sleeping beside me and I'm glad that I didn't scream as I woke up. I hadn't dreamed about Chase for a long time, since even before the reaping, and I feel like the dream is a bad omen. My parents always wanted Chase to win, wanted Chase to bring them fame and riches. Chase could do everything. What would my parents say when I came home a joint-victor with a District 4 girl?

I slip out of bed without disturbing Grey and go out into the lounge carriage of the train where it's eerily dark, no one else being awake yet. I sit on the couch and watch the 70th Hunger Games, re-watching my brother's death over and over again.

Grey's POV

When I go out into the dining carriage of the train the next morning, I find Cato asleep on the couch; his head leaned back at an odd angle to accommodate the piece of furniture. A replay of a Hunger Games that I don't recognize is just ending, and I witness the brutal battle between two strong looking tributes. They are covered in blood and are fighting with no weapons, only their fists. I stand watching out of morbid curiosity for a few minutes, my hand resting on the top of the couch where Cato's head is resting.

On the screen, one of the fighters gets a good punch in and his opponent topples to the ground. Taking advantage of his opponent's weakness, he grasps the man's neck in his hands and pulls, making a terrible cracking noise that had to have been added later. The action looked strangely familiar and I realize after a second of thought that I saw Cato perform a similar movement in the bloodbath of our games. I wonder why he had been watching this particular year but put it down to insomnia. I didn't want to wake him, any sleep a victor could get when they weren't plagued by nightmares was important.

But as the cannon sounded for the last remaining tribute, the scene quickly changed to a shot of the Capitol loudly cheering for their victor and I cringed at the increased volume.

"The winner of the 70th annual Hunger Games is Darryn from District 7!" I catch a glimpse of the new victor throw his fist in the air before the screen abruptly switched off and Cato is standing in front of me, breathing heavily and looking agitated. The cheering must have woken him out of his slumber.

"Grey, how much did you see?!" Cato said angrily, coming up to me and trying to ward me away. I look into his eyes, the tell-tale sign of what he was really feeling, but instead of the expected anger I see a deep grief.

"Nothing Cato, I just woke up and came to see if you were okay." I used my calming voice and it did the trick, making the blonde victor nod and bring me into his arms.

"I'm sorry I left you alone in your room, I had a bad dream and thought I'd watch some tv." I know he's lying; the 70th games haven't been replayed in a long time, the Capitol liked to replay the most recent one so the pain was still fresh. But I know Cato will tell me if he needs to so I let it go, I don't want to set him off; we're arriving in his district today. I smile at him to show that he's forgiven and he squeezes me tightly before heading back to his room to shower before breakfast.

By the time we've sat through a comedic breakfast with Finnick and Domitia (Cato's mentor and escort are expectedly absent), Cato is back to normal and actually a little excited about going back home. He has a twinkle in his eyes that I haven't seen before. Our prep teams do our hair but we're still done up from the end of the games and don't need the whole waxing palaver. I get given a grey knee length dress made of a beautiful silk material with a bejeweled bodice that I think is a little over the top for meeting Cato's friends and parents, but when he sees it he nods and tells me I look perfect, so I must be underestimating District 2's formality. Cato himself is wearing a crisp navy suit with a blue tie that brings out his eyes, and if I hadn't met him in the games I would have assumed he always wore one. My curiosity begins to peak as I wonder just what I am going to encounter when we get to District 2.

By the time the train inconspicuously pulls into the District 2 station, both Cato and I have our faces pressed to the window overlooking the district. I'm not sure what I had expected of Cato's district, but I'm surprised none the less. Firstly, the whole place is empty and I'm about to ask Cato why no one has come to greet us, when he grabs my arm and tugs me forcefully out the sliding door like a child entering a bakery. He makes no indication that the lack of fans surprises him and he barely gives me any time to look around before we are ushered into a black car. I have time to look at our surroundings once we begin driving and I take the opportunity to glue my face to the window.

As far as the eye can see are grey, dreary factory buildings with large fences separating one from another. I can see lights on in most of the buildings and there are shadows moving around inside. I'm sure this place would look okay if it was a little brighter, but even though it's mid-morning the sun seems to have permanently disappeared. I look to Cato for an explanation and by the way he instantly replies I figure that he expected me to be curious about this.

"This is what we call the dark section of District 2, and it's not a very nice place. It's where all the masonry factories are found and the people who work here are usually less well off. The government won't admit it, but we all know that the station is in this part so we can show everyone passing through that we do in fact mine in the mountain." I nod without saying anything; it makes sense. District 2 is known for training peacekeepers and building weapons in secret, but if anyone tries to uncover it, the district always has masonry to fall back on.

"Why is it so dark here?" I venture, slipping my hand into his as if the darkness is going to suddenly turn into a mutt and engulf the car.

"Look out my window." He says as an answer, and when I lean over him to look I see why it's self-explanatory. There's a giant mountain situated a few kilometers away from the road we are driving on and I can see that the sun is being hidden completely behind it. By the way this area is called the "dark section" I figure that the sun never gets over the mountain, leaving the area in constant darkness.

"It's our district's military base. Very secretive, we tributes are told nothing about it. Less is more if you're ever interrogated. My father works somewhere inside there, I've never visited him though; too much effort getting cleared. I guess you can figure out we didn't have a 'playing catch in the yard' relationship."

I don't reply to Cato and instead sit quietly in my seat. I wonder what Cato's family is going to be like when I meet them; the idea Cato had given me so far wasn't particularly positive. I try not to think about it as the car turns onto a newly sealed road and sun beams into the window, bathing us in sunlight. I catch glimpses of expensive houses with picket fences and perfectly pruned trees but we continue to drive deeper and deeper into the district, until each house looks about as expensive as my whole street back in District 4.

Cato and I sit in silence for the remainder of the journey, as he makes no move to start a conversation and I have a feeling he's steeling himself for this reunion. The car turns into a clean crisp driveway with tall trees shrouding it, causing the car to go dark for a few seconds. In that moment Cato finds my hand and whispers, "Don't worry, they'll all love you." I don't reply because I'm afraid that I'll ask why he's so nervous to see his own parents again, and I can't do that, so instead I just make a grunt that I hope sounds like I'm fine and sit straighter in my seat.

We drive up to a magnificent house and I can't help but stare because of how impressive it is. The car drives in a circle around a large fountain and I get a full 180 degree look of what I presume is Cato's house. I'm in awe of it and can't quite believe that this is where the man sitting next to me, who just days ago was standing in the arena covered in grime and blood, comes from. Suddenly the dress I am wearing doesn't seem so out of place and I realise why Cato looks so natural in his suit; this is his life.

My family back in District 4 were relatively well off, but this puts us to shame. The house looks like it could pass for one in the Capitol; enormous and slightly frightening. There are acres of land on either side that I can see from the windows of the car and even straining my eyes I can't find the edge of the property. Cato sits dead still and avoids looking out the windows, staring at the back of the seat in front of him with almost a sour expression on his face instead, the perfect image of a career.

The car slows to a stop and I would have tumbled out of the car in excitement, if it weren't for the fact that my side door was locked. I gape at no one in particular because Cato is busy getting out of the car himself and has his back to me. Before I can slide over the seat to exit from his door, he slams it shut and moves round the side of the car, opening my door himself and gesturing me out with a wave of his hand. It seems so strange but natural for him to do it that I don't even question as he shuts the door and walks me away from the car. His hand gravitates to the small of my back and he bends his head to speak quietly in my ear.

"I hope you know how to curtsy."

Cato's comment makes me unnecessarily stressed, which knee did you bend in a curtsy again? It pains me to imagine the dumbfounded expression I must have given Cato's parents when they first opened the large door to their house, wondering just how formal I was expected to be. At least I presumed the two adults standing in front of me were Cato's parents, the way he enveloped the woman in an embrace cemented my inkling. Cato shared her eyes and hair, but apart from small similarities, they could have just been people meeting in the street. It was obvious that Cato took after his father, the domineeringly large man standing in the corner that was pretty much Cato in every way.

Even thought it was obvious by how Cato was holding himself, his chest pushed out slightly, that he expected recognition for his victory from his father, the man merely sniffed in disdain and disappeared inside the house without a word or a look in my direction. I hadn't even had time to curtsy… Or was I meant to kiss his ring?

I watched this interaction occur silently, not wanting to intrude but not wanting to leave either. I heard Cato growl and his mother sigh, showing the obvious difference of how they both acted in the presence of the man that had disappeared into the house. It wasn't difficult to imagine many confrontations between the men of the house, and seeing Cato's father I didn't think Cato came off the winner very often.

As if he had forgotten I was even standing there, Cato suddenly whipped his head towards me and his eyes widened.

"Oh! Mother, I'm sure you… This is Grey." He stumbled on his words slightly and I wondered if he was still thinking about the rejection he had unjustifiably earned from his father. Cato's mother's eyes tune on me and I feel myself being subtly searched for flaws, as if I would be dirty from not just the games but District 4 itself. I take this slightly offensive action graciously and curtsy with possibly the most grace I had ever managed before in my life, and it obviously pleases her because she turns to her son and giggles.

"Cato, you told her to curtsy didn't you? I'm not royalty you know!" Her expression told otherwise but the way Cato was smiling told me that this had been his plan all along. Obviously his mother valued her status very highly and I decided to keep that fact lest it be important in a later confrontation.

Cato's mother, "Julia" as she is later formally introduced to me, welcomes us inside and Cato ambles in while I tentatively follow his mother in her exceptionally high heels. It's not until we enter an expensively decorated living area that I realise Cato did not follow us in. Julia notices my confused expression and grasps my hand, pulling me further into the room.

"Cato will have gone to see his friends, love," She smiles kindly at me, "You can meet them after we have tea. I wanted you to meet the ladies first." I send a hopefully not too fake smile her way and when she turns to lead me towards a group of sour faced ladies, I look towards the door and wish Cato had taken me with him.

Holding a possibly million dollar china cup in my lap, I listen to the rambles of middle aged District 2 women as I try to keep the expression of boredom off my face. I'm sure Julia only wanted to include me but it seems that as soon as she introduced me to these ladies, I was instantly forgotten about. My eyes roam around the room lazily and are instantly brought to attention when the door opens and Cato pokes his head in. He catches my gaze and I mouth 'Help me' to him, relishing in the smirk that he sends back my way.

"Mother," He says with touch of a whine in his voice as I rise and walk over to him, "Can I take Grey outside to meet the boys? We've been traveling all day and I think she'll want to rest soon." I reach Cato and his arm snakes around me, and when he places his hand a little inappropriately low I realise that I probably won't be resting alone.

"But of course," Cato's mother says royally, waving her hand at us, "I ordered her bags to be delivered to the spare room so they will be there already. The party will go on long into the night, but I'm sure you won't be disturbed by the noise. Goodnight Grey." I quietly call out a thank you and farewell, and Cato and I hurry out like two teenagers caught in the act of misbehaving.

When Cato slips the door closed, he smirks at me and brings me closer until my back is pressed against his chest.

"I can't wait until we're alone," He purrs in my ear, "But my friends want to meet you and I promised them that I'd rescue you from the clutches of my mother and introduce you to them." My mind drifts to what Cato and I would be doing later that night and I hazily nod before Cato opens a door and leads me into another large room. I'm starting to think that every room in this house is enormous.