Disclaimer: All characters and things associated with The Hunger Games belongs to Suzanne Collins and Lionsgate. This writing is for pure entertainment only.

Summary: Peeta's lie about Katniss' pregnancy is tested by the Capitol, leaving the Lethal Lovers only one option going into the Quarter Quell.

CHAPTER 18

PEETA POV

Johanna and I sit straight in our seat as President Snow eerily smiles at both of us. I believe him. I don't think he wants to kill us, yet, but I know he wants us dead. First, though, he clearly has something he wants us to do and I will do whatever it is. As long as it keeps Katniss safe, as long as our child stays safe, I will gladly die.

"What do you want from us?" I ask after a long moment.

President Snow chuckles a bit, which causes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. "What I want is very simple. I want to know where she is…"

"Where who is?" I ask. I know whom he wants but I will never give him Katniss, besides, I don't even know where she is.

"Don't play coy with me, Mr. Mellark. Where is Katniss Everdeen?" President Snow's voice stays even tempered which makes it all the more eerie.

"I don't know," I say which is partly true. I do know, if Snow didn't find her that she is alive and more then likely on her way to District 13 but I have no idea where that really is. I have never been there.

The President pounds his fist on the arm of his chair now. "You lie!"

I see the President snap his finger and the next thing I feel is the butt of a gun connecting with my cheekbone.

I see stars and instantly know that my cheek is split open. I blink a few times and see the Peacekeeper moving away from me. I then turn my focus back to President Snow.

"Where is she?" President Snow asks again.

I wipe the blood from my cheek and shake my head. "Even if I knew, do you think I would honestly tell you?"

"Do you know what I think happened, Mr. Mellark?" President Snow leans closer to me. "I think she shot the arena down and left you there to get caught. I think she used you to save her own skin. So typical of Miss Everdeen, don't you think?"

"You don't know anything," Johanna speaks up when I am silent. I don't believe a word Snow says because I knew this was apart of the plan all along, but I don't know what to say without giving too much away about what I do know about Katniss and the Rebellion.

"I know that there are Rebels in District 13 and I know that is the perfect place for a menace like Katniss Everdeen. Now, you will play by my rules or I will blow them all to dust, do you understand?" President Snow sneers.

My breath catches in my throat as my cheek continues to bleed. President Snow knows much more then I thought and so I don't respond to his question.

Johanna, however, does respond. "Like hell."

Snow looks at me and when I don't respond he merely laughs and stands up from his chair, looking over our shoulder to where I know the Peacekeepers are standing. "Alright then…please escort our Victors down to the lower levels then…"

Before Johanna and I can even register what that means we are being ripped out of our chairs by two Peacekeeper's each and escorted back to the elevator.

KATNISS POV

My eyes flutter open, but the room is too bright and I quickly close them. I want to shut the entire world out. I want to be left alone. I want Peeta.

At this thought my eyes open again and my hands move to my flat stomach, which holds Peeta's child.

An odd choke comes out of my throat as I realize Peeta may never meet this child, assuming the baby is okay.

"You're okay, Catnip…" I hear a familiar voice.

I move my eyes and see Gale sitting on the side of my bed. He is smiling down at me but I can see half of his face is badly bruised.

"Gale?" I ask in bewilderment. What he is he doing here? We must be home. This gives me hope. Maybe everything about District 13 and Peeta being trapped in the Capitol was just a big lie. Maybe we are all in District 12 now, and maybe we are all safe.

"Hey, Katniss…you're okay. You have just been sleeping for a few days," Gale smiles sweetly.

"Peeta?" I nearly sit up. The hope in my voice is so clear.

I see Gale frown at my words. "He's not here, Katniss."

"Are we home?" I ask numbly, fighting sleep, fighting the drugs I can feel in my system.

Gale's frown even grows larger and I feel my heart skip a beat. I really look at his face now, the bruise is worse then I thought. Immediately my thoughts move to my sister. "Prim?"

"She is safe, Katniss. I got her out alive…your mother too…" Galen says quietly.

I hear the panic in my voice as I feel tears I do not even understand rise in my eyes. "Got them out? Gale, where are they?"

I immediately try to sit up but Gale pushes me back onto the bed.

"Easy, Katniss. The doctor said to not move too much…because of the…the…baby…" Gale seems to choke the last word out as if it is poisonous.

Again my thoughts shift and I touch my still flat stomach. "Is it—"

"Its fine. The doctor checked," Gale says quickly, almost bitterly and looks away for a moment.

I understand why the thought of the child makes Gale uncomfortable but I need him to explain everything to me.

"Gale, what happened? Why aren't we home?" I ask quietly.

"We don't have a home, Katniss. We're going to District 13," Gale says, still not looking at me.

"What do you mean?" I ask, so confused. My eyes are filling with tears and my chest with more panic. Why won't Gale just tell me what is happening.

"District 12 is gone," Gale looks down at his hands.

I take a moment to grasp his words. "Gone?"

Gale nods and looks back at me. "After the Games…the Capitol sent in Hovercrafts and they just…they started in town…started dropping bombs…I hardly had time to get anyone to the meadow. I saved who I could…"

"What?" Now the tears are flowing from my eyes.

"Katniss, calm down…" Gale tires.

But I am frantic. I am screaming. I don't even realize the sounds coming from my throat as I thrash on the bed.

Within seconds Gale is pushed aside by two doctors who are checking me over.

"Miss Everdeen…please calm down," One Doctor says.

"The baby is fine," The Second Doctor says as he rubs something across my stomach.

The mention of Peeta's baby only makes me cry harder. My home is gone, people I love are destroyed, Peeta is trapped in the Capitol, a War is starting, and I am pregnant. Everything is unraveling at the seams, and then everything goes black as I feel another needle sink into my side to put me back to sleep.

PEETA POV

Johanna and I are led deep below the training center by two Peacekeepers who immediately separate us and throw us into jail cells that are across from one another so that we can still see each other.

They are, of course, as rough as possible and throw me hard against the concrete floor my splitting my lip open.

"BASTARDS!" Johanna spits in the Peacekeeper's face, earning herself a hard punch across her right cheek, which sends her down to the ground hard.

"JOHANNA!" I call out, scrambling to my feet and leaning against the bars on my cell.

"I am okay," Johanna tells me as the guards leave us alone.

"Where are we?" I glance around. I had no idea the Training Center had cells below it like this.

"Didn't know they had one of these down here, did you?" Enobaria's voice hisses from her cell. "I knew…I learned after my second year as a mentor here…"

I stick my head against the bars and see Enobaria leaning against her cell bars. She does not look nearly as bruised or battered as Johanna or I do. In fact, Enobaria doesn't look like she has been touched at all.

"Why are you down here? Aren't you the golden child of the Capitol?" Johanna moves toward her bars though, because she is on the same side of the hall as Enobaria, she cannot see the Victor from District 2.

"Same reason you are here. Some of the Victors escaped…" Enobaria snorts. "They think I would know a damn thing about what your lunatic of a wife did…"

I bang the bars of my cell because I know Enobaria is talking about Katniss. "Shut up!"

Before Enobaria can say something back, a Peacekeeper has walked up to my cell and wrapped my fingers with his stick, instantly cracking at least two of my knuckles against the bars.

I cry out and pain and fall back away from the bars. I see stars and I know at least parts of my hand are broken.

"Peeta!" Johanna is concerned but Enobaria simply snickers.

It takes me a few minutes to pull my wounded hand close to my chest. I could cry or cause a scene but it will do no good. The hand is broken and I am stuck in a prison cell so there is no point in making it worse then it is.

"I am fine," I say after a long moment.

"We have to get out of here," Johanna says.

"Good luck with that," Enobaria says.

I glance over at her, wondering what she is even doing down here. The President would be crazy to think Enobaria has anything to do with this. She tried to kill us all numerous times.

"Katniss wasn't picked up by Snow…we know that. She is safe," I continue speaking, ignoring Enobaria completely.

Johanna nods, seemingly bored because she already figured out what I am saying. "And?"

"And so I can't risk anything. I need to keep her safe," I say, my mind racing, I need to figure out a way to ensure Katniss, and our unborn child stay safe. I need to keep Snow away from them as long as possible, and I need a plan to do that.

As I contemplate how I am going to do that, two Peacekeeper's come down and stop in front of Enobaria's door.

"You're out of here. President's orders…you are heading home," The Peacekeeper's tell Enobaria as they release her from her cell.

"What about us?" Johanna asks as Enobaria is led past us.

One Peacekeeper merely laughs.

"Wait!" I scream out, realizing this is my opportunity.

One of the Peacekeeper's turns to look at me. "What?"

"I want to speak to President Snow," I say simply.

"The President is far too busy—" The Peacekeeper starts.

"Tell him I will tell him anything he wants to know. Anything…" I stress the last word.

The guard seems to think for a moment and then nods, leading Enobaria and the other peacekeeper out.

"What are you doing?" Johanna is nearly spitting across the hallway at me.

"Just trust me," I say simply, knowing now that I need to figure something out before the guards come back and bring me to President Snow.