Sorry this has taken me so long guys! I have a respiratory infection, apparently, so I'm not feeing so clever atm. I'm trying though! This is a pretty long chapter, for me. And I'll try and continue to write until I feel like passing out again.
There's definitely some Quinntana goodness coming up, I promise. :)

Katniss's face is a mixture of shock, embarrassment and horror. I can see Sue nodding subtly out of the corner of my eye, and one of the mentors from the other districts hand has shot up over her mouth. Quinns eyes narrow like she's thinking about something, and Johanna laughs under her breath. I want to smack her in the back of the head.

"Oh, that is a piece of bad luck," says Artie, and there's a real edge of pain in his voice. The crowd is murmuring in agreement, a few have even given agonized cries.

"It's not good," agrees Peeta.

"Well, I don't think any of us can blame you. It'd be hard not to fall for that young lady," says Artie, smiling slightly. "She didn't know?"

Peeta shakes his head. "Not until now."

Katniss's eyes flicker up to the screen for a second before they return to her lap.

"Wouldn't you love to pull her back out here and get a response?" Artie asks the audience. The crowd screams assent. "Sadly, rules are rules, and Katniss Everdeen's time has been spent. Well, best of luck to you, Peeta Mellark, and I think I speak for all of Panem when I say our hearts go with yours."

Peeta returns to his seat, then we all stand for the anthem. All the screens in the square are filled with images of Katniss and Peeta, two star crossed lovers.

We return to the training center soon after, and just as my lift doors are closing, Katniss slides through them, ignoring me completely. She looks absolutely furious.

As soon as we're on the floor, she's out of the elevator cab, and into Peeta's face. She slams her hands into his chest and he goes sprawling into an awkwardly places table, knocking off the vase that was resting on it. He lands in its shattered remains, blood spewing from his hands almost immediately.

"What was that for?" he says, aghast.

"You had no right! No right to go saying those things about me!" She shouts at him.

Now the elevators open and the whole crew is there, Effie, Sue, Cinna, and Portia.

"What's going on?" says Effie, a note of hysteria in her voice. "Did you fall?"

"After she shoved me," says Peeta as Effie and Cinna help him up.

Sue turns on her. "Shoved him?"

"This was your idea, wasn't it? Turning me into some kind of fool in front of the entire country?" Katniss answers.

"It was my idea," says Peeta, wincing as he pulls spikes of pottery from his palms. "Sue just helped me with it."

"Yes, Sue is very helpful. To you!" Katniss replies.

"You are a fool," Sue says in disgust. "Do you think he hurt you? That boy just gave you something you could never achieve on your own."

"He made me look weak!" Katniss says.

"He made you look desirable! And let's face it, you can use all the help you can get in that department. You were about as romantic as dirt until he said he wanted you. Now they all do. You're all they're talking about. The star-crossed lovers from District Twelve!" says Sue.

"But we're not star-crossed lovers!" Katniss cries.

Sue grabs my shoulders and pins me against the wall. "Who cares? It's all a big show. It's all how you're perceived. The most I could say about you after your interview was that you were nice enough, although that in itself was a small miracle. Now I can say you're a heartbreaker. Oh, oh, oh, how the boys back home fall longingly at your feet. Which do you think will get you more sponsors?"

She shoves Sues hands away angrily and paces a little.

I move over to her and place an arm around her. "She's right, Katniss."

"I should have been told, so I didn't look so stupid." She sighs.

"No, your reaction was perfect. If you'd known, it wouldn't have read as real," says Portia.

"She's just worried about her boyfriend," says Peeta gruffly,tossing away a bloody piece of the urn.

"I don't have a boyfriend."

"Whatever," says Peeta. "But I bet he's smart enough to know a bluff when he sees it. Besides you didn't say you loved me. So what does it matter?"

Katniss looks like she's considering this for a moment before she replies. "After he said he loved me, did you think I could be in love with him, too?"

"I did," says Portia. "The way you avoided looking at the cameras, the blush."

The rest of the people in the room make noises of agreement. I remain silent though.

"You're golden, sweetheart. You're going to have sponsors lined up around the block," says Sue, looking like she could actually smile.

She turns to Peeta, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry I shoved you."

"Doesn't matter," he shrugs, "Although it's technically illegal."

"Are your hands okay?" She asks him, frowning slightly.

"They'll be all right," he tells her.

The arguments stop as the smell of dinner wafts in from the dining room. Before we begin to eat, Portia takes Peeta for medical attention, as his hands are bleeding heavily. They're back before our starter is over though. I don't know what to make of the day's events, it's definitely been a long one.

After dinner has finished, we sit down to watch the replay in silence. Katniss is worried about how she appeared during her interview, but we all assure her she was charming.

After the anthem finishes, the room goes quiet.

This will be last time any of us see the tributes until after the games, and it's hard. Everyone's taken a shine to both of them, even if I think Peeta is a little creepy, and we don't know if either of them will be coming home.

Effie is the first to say goodbye, taking them both by the hand and actually showing some real emotion, which is rare. She gushes about them being the best tributes she's had until she ruins it by tacking on the end. "I wouldn't be at all surprised if I finally get promoted to a decent district next year!" It wouldn't be Effie if she didn't say something unintentionally awful. She kisses them both on the cheek before rushing from the room.

Sue crosses her arms, looking down at both of our tributes and pouting a little.

"Any final words of advice?" Peeta ask her.

"When the gong sounds, get the hell out of there. You're neither of you up to the blood bath at the Cornucopia. Just clear out, put as much distance as you can between yourselves and the others, and find a source of water," he says. "Got it Doughboy? Coal girl?"

"And after that?" Katniss asks.

"Stay alive." I tell her, leaving the room.