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 26

PEETA POV

I am brought into a white room with a single table; its the same room the doctors have been working on me in for weeks now. I am strapped to the bed, though I struggle against the two guards but it is no use. I am so weak, so frail, and so tired. I am certain one snaps my wrist with the force he uses to tie me down.

"The President said to double the dose," One of the guards tells the doctors.

I don't know what dos he is talking about but they must be doubling it because I screwed up the interview with Caesar.

I see one of the doctors take a large needle out and move toward me with it. I wonder if it's poison, part of me hopes it is. If they kill me then Katniss can lead the rebellion, and then Snow will die to. Yes, maybe that would be best.

I feel the needle pierce my skin and I close my eyes, blocking the doctors' faces, but I can't block their voices.

"Katniss Everdeen is a mutt...Katniss Everdeen tried to kill you..." One doctor says.

I shake my head against his words, they are lies.

Then I feel them pry my eyes open, and this is new to the treatment they have been giving me thus far. They hold my eyelids open as they show me flashes of the Games Katniss and I were in.

But these images aren't right. In some Katniss is trying to kill me. In others, she is killing Rue and Mags. In one, she is stabbing our child right out of her stomach. I shake my head.

"No! This isn't right!" I try to look away, but the doctors won't let me. In fact, every time I try to move my eyes from the image in front of me, I am struck by a small batten across the face or ribs until I am sure my cheek is cut open. I have no choice, I have to watch.

I don't know how long they keep me like, that but finally it is over and I am brought back to my cell and though I am so tired, so many contradicting thoughts are running through my head.

I am angry. I hate Katniss. But I don't hate her. I love her. She is the mother of my child. She tried to kill my child. Katniss is good. Katniss is pure. I love Katniss.

"Peeta?" Johanna calls from her cell.

I glance up and realize I am crying.

"What happened?" Johanna asks.

Suddenly I am angry for a moment because this is all Katniss' fault. She started a war and Johanna and I are the casualties of it.

"No…" I shake my head and close my eyes. That isn't right. None of this is Katniss' fault.

"Peeta?" Johanna questions again.

"I'm just confused," I admit.

"About what?" Johanna asks.

"Katniss...did she...did she do this to us? Is she a mutt?" I ask quietly.

Johanna seems confused by my question. "No, Peeta…"

I nod; that seems like the right answer.

"Peeta...what are they doing to you?" Johanna asks and I can hear the concern on her tongue.

"I don't know," I admit and curl up in a ball against the back wall. I close my eyes and lean my head against the brick wall, banging it a few times as tears flow. I don't know what is happening to me but I don't like it. I try to calm myself with memories of Katniss, but even now they seem frightening.

KATNISS POV

My eyes flicker open and I find myself curled up in the living quarters I share with my mother or sister. I don't remember how I got here, in fact, the last thing I remember was being in District 8, looking at my growing stomach.

I glance down and see that my bump is showing through the tight sleepwear I have on. Someone must have changed me.

I slowly sit up, afraid of the morning sickness I have become accustomed to, but am surprised when I do not feel any. My mother told me that it would wear off eventually, so maybe it is now.

Just as I swing my legs off the bed, the door opens and my sister comes into the room.

"Good, you are awake. The doctors said you should be by now," Prim says, but I can tell something is wrong. Prim can never keep things from me.

"Prim, what's wrong?" I ask, fear in my own voice. If doctors were checking me I don't believe that is a good sign.

"The baby is fine. Doctors checked up on you since you passed out. They said everything looks great...that you are right where you should be at three and a half months," Prim tells me.

I must admit I relax a bit. Even though the thought of raising this child still scares me, and I don't know if I will ever really want children, I am glad to know its okay. I can't let Peeta down, I need to keep his baby safe.

"President Coin needs you downstairs," Prim says quietly.

Now I know something is wrong; Prim doesn't particularly like Coin, not any more than I do. She never spends much time around the President.

"Prim…" The alarm in my voice is apparent and Prim winces at it.

"Katniss, just try to stay calm...for the baby. Head down there," Prim says quickly and leaves so that I cannot question her anymore.

I sigh and get dressed as quickly as I can. I will say, I don't love the jumpsuits that they issue to everyone in District 13 but it does make me look less pregnant, which I like. I am getting used to the baby growing inside of me, but I hate when people stare. The jumpsuit hides my pregnancy, at least for now.

Once I am dressed I head down to where President Coin is, in a large conference room. I am surprised to see Haymitch, Effie, Beetee, and Gale there and I am about to ask what is going on when suddenly I hear his voice.

I can feel the color drain from my face as I rush into the room. There, on the screen is Peeta's face. I feel the tears immediately well in my eyes. He looks so sickly, so frail. he has easily lost 10 pounds and his voice shakes.

"What are they doing to him?" I manage out, covering my quivering lip with my hand.

No one responds to me, but Haymitch does put a hand on my shoulder as we listen to Caesar twist Peeta's words, and finally we hear Peeta's advice to me. He wants me to be safe.

"What a coward…" Gale mumbles.

I turn and glare at him. "What did you say?"

"What he said...he can't even pick a side. He says maybe? A ceasefire is not the answer. I mean...the damage that could have done..." Gale shakes his head.

My mouth gapes open but nothing comes out and I feel angry tears rise up in my eyes again. Why is Gale being like this? "Did you not see what Peeta looked like?"

"He didn't look that bad," Gale shakes his head again.

I can't believe what I am hearing. How could Gale think that Peeta looks fine?

"Well, hopefully it doesn't hurt us in the other Districts. We can't afford people not joining us. We need to respond," Coin says, in agreement with Gale.

My eyes dart back and forth between the two and suddenly I am disgusted by Gale. He never cared for authority and now he is practically Coin's lapdog.

I glance back at the screen that Peeta's face was just on, but it's blank now. As angry as I am with Gale I am more worried about Peeta. He looked sickly; I don't know what Snow is doing to him but I am certain he can't take much more.

"We need to rescue Peeta," I say.

"No, we need to respond right now," Coin says as she seems to already be planning the response.

Her cold words are enough for me and the tears spill over. I turn on my heel and run out of the room. All I can think about is getting out of that room, the awful image of Peeta fresh in my mind. My hands move to my belly as I head back to my living quarters. I rub small circles, suddenly feelings extremely close with life inside of me, because it is part of Peeta, and all I can think about is getting Peeta back.

PEETA POV

It's been at least a week since the interview with Caesar and I am again strapped down by the doctors who are showing me distorted images of Katniss while pumping that fluid into my arm. This time the images are of us in the second arena with the monkey mutts. In the images Katniss is stabbing at me rather than the mutts.

I know if I concentrate enough that these images are false; that Katniss tried to protect me from the mutts, but I can't concentrate. The liquid they are injecting into me is making the images of Katniss trying to kill me so real and the doctors are yelling awful things about Katniss in my ear. Every time I try to fight back they poke or prod at me, this time with a hot iron to my arms. The pain is excruciating, but not as horrible as the images they are playing about Katniss.

I continue to watch and suddenly I am overcome with the notion that Katniss is a horrible monster. Surely, she must have tried to kill me in the second arena. After all, she is the reason that these doctors are even attacking me. It's all her fault.

This knowledge makes me fight back less and the doctors burn me less.

Finally, they are done and I am escorted back to my cell.

"Remember why you are here, Mr. Mellark. Katniss Everdeen put you here," One of the doctors says as the guard tosses me into the cell like a piece of trash.

When they are gone, I curl up into a balls and lean against the backwall. I check my arms and the burns are fresh. Katniss is the reason they are burned.

"Peeta, are you okay?" Johanna's voice breaks me from my thoughts.

I glance up at her and notice she looks just as awful as me and for some reason she is soaking wet.

"Burns…" I mumble out, still looking at my arms.

"Water torture," She laughs and points at the water dripping from her clothes.

"Katniss did this to us," I tell her what I know is true. "She wants us to suffer."

Johanna looks at me with confusion on her face. "Peeta, you know that isn't true. Shit...what are they doing to you?"

I stare blankly at Johanna for a long moment and say nothing.

"Peeta...Katniss cares a lot about you. She didn't cause any of this...President Snow did. We're here because we all decided to protect Katniss. Don't you remember?" Johanna pushes.

I close my eyes and try to focus on Johanna's words. They seem right. They seem much more real than the glossy awful images that the Capitol doctor's put in my head.

"Katniss never tried to kill me in the arena, did she?" I ask finally.

Johanna shakes his head. "No, she didn't. Katniss has her flaws, believe me, but she always tried to protect you."

I close my eyes and am suddenly ashamed. Now that I can think straight, and Johanna has spoken I know none of this is Katniss' fault. I love Katniss. I just want to keep her safe.

"I don't know what's happening to me," I admit. "The doctors...they take me into a room and they strap me down and they pump me with something...and they say awful things about Katniss and show me things that aren't real, but seem to real."

Johanna laughs a little to herself. "Well, they are torturing each of us in our own way, I suppose. Even Annie…"

"Annie?" I am surprised to hear the name.

Johanna nods. "I saw her upstairs. They must have taken her to punish Finnick...just like they are punishing Katniss by holding you here. Unfortunately, I have no one that is hurt by them keeping me here...maybe I am better off that way."

I watch as Johanna slides back across her cell and I can hear in her unevening breathing that she is exhausted.

I realize that I have been an awful friend to her, while she has clearly been keeping an eye on me. "Johanna, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Loverboy. Just...keep your head on straight, you've got a baby we need to get you out of here to meet," Johanna says.

I nod though I am not sure if Johanna can see me. I try to settle in against the wall and close my eyes to sleep a bit. With all of the confusing images in my head, there is one I can hold onto that is crystal clear, one that I don't think they will ever be able to confuse me about, and that is of Katniss curled up against my chest as we lay in her bed the night we conceived our baby.

I know I need to get out of here in one piece, or at least I need to do all I can to make sure Katniss and that baby have a safe future. Because I love them both.

KATNISS POV

I sit on my head in my living quarters, rolling the pearl Peeta gave me on the beach between my fingers while looking at the two paintbrushes I found of his in District 12. These items and the child inside of me may be all I have left of Peeta. He looked terrible on the television. Whatever Snow is doing to him is going to kill him, it's just a matter of time now.

I look down at my pregnant stomach. The bump is visible, making it all the more real. All I can think about now is how I hope this baby has Peeta's kind eyes, because those eyes have brought me so much comfort. As much as I continued to push the baby out of my mind, looking at is as objectively as I could, it has someone crept its way into my heart. Now, especially knowing that Peeta's life is on the line, this baby means more than ever. I think I love it, because I love Peeta. I know that now.

I gently glide my hand over the bump. I know most pregnant women do this, but I have tried to avoid touching it on purpose. I know I have instinctively grabbed at it as if to shield it from something awful the past few weeks, but I never touch it on purpose. It makes it too real now, but maybe that is good. I need something real and true to hold onto.

I hear the door to our living quarters open and I am broken from my thoughts. I look up, expecting to see Prim or my mother but instead am shocked to see President Coin walking into the room.

"Katniss, may we speak?" Coin asks but I don't know why. She is already sitting herself down on the bed Prim and my mother share.

I simply nod, though I don't have anything I would like to say to her right now. In fact, her being so close makes my skin crawl. She was just as calloused as Gale when it came to Peeta. She doesn't care about saving him, she only cares about her rebellion.

"I understand you are upset right now, but we need to stay focused," Coin starts.

I can feel tears threaten my eyes and I hate them. Tears make me look weak, but lately, with my hormones, I can't seem to control them. "The only thing I want to focus on is saving Peeta. He is going to die...Snow is going to kill him."

"We don't know that-" Coin starts.

"Of course we do!" I cut her off aggressively. "Did you see what he looked like?"

"He didn't look any worse than any of my soldiers. Right now, we need to focus on the big picture. The things Peeta said-" Coin tries again.

"He only said them to save himself. He is doing whatever he needs to in order to stay alive," I say because I know it is true. Peeta is a survivor, just like me, I know he is only doing what is necessary.

"Peeta signed up to be part of this rebellion. He understood the consequences and the risks. He knew he could end up in the Capitol and still wanted to be part of this," Coin says.

"He just wanted to keep me safe," I sigh and look down at the pearl in my hands, thinking that Haymitch was right. I could never really deserve Peeta.

"And he did that. You are safe here, and I promise you, we will do all we can to get him back as soon as we can. Right now though, we needed to counter his words, and we were able to, and it will be a success," Coin says.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Come see. We were able to put your Propo together...and it will get our message out to all those who wish to join us," Coin says and stands.

I don't want to follow her, but I also know by the way she is looking at me that I do not have a choice, so I slowly climb off my bed and follow Coin down to the large center of District 13, where the entire District is waiting.

"Come with me, Katniss," Coin says and motions for me to follow her out onto the balcony where she likes to address the citizens of District 13.

I follow her out and am overwhelmed by the cheers from the crowd below.

"Citizens of District 13 and 12, our Mockingjay, Miss Everdeen, has been able to show the other Districts what can happen when we unite. We would like to show you all our Promotion to fight against the Capitol," Coin announces. She won't call it propaganda because it will make her look just like Snow, like she is twisting words to make people believe her, but that is what it is. Its propaganda.

The crowd cheers and the screens below begin to show me walking around District 8, the hospital, the wounded, the attack by the Capitol, and finally my speech. It is almost nauseating to watch after having lived through it.

And when it is over, the crowd cheers even louder. I realize the power the message holds, the power my image holds

"This message has been sent to every District and we hope it will unite us all in our battle for freedom!" Coin says and raising my hand in the air with hers to mass applause from the audience.

The crowd loves it, but I hate it. I am just being used as a pawn in another game, and worst of all, I fear that this move will cost Peeta his own game. If Snow sees this, it will only make things worse for Peeta and I am certain Snow will see it.