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 27

KATNISS POV

Three weeks have passed since Coin sent my message out to the other Districts and her plan has worked. The other Districts are uniting, they are following the cause, the rebellion, they are following me.

And although I should be happy that there is unity and that there may be a chance that Peeta's child will get to live in a much better world then I grew up in, all I can think about is how this must be effecting Peeta. Surely President Snow is taking all of this out on Peeta.

My fear is only mounting because we haven't seen Peeta on the television since the night we sent our Propo out. For all I know Peeta is already dead.

My stomach has grown a bit more and it's pretty clear I am now pregnant. I don't remember seeing women looking like this at only four months, but my mom has told me I look healthy, that the women in District 12 were simply too starved to really nurture a child properly. At least I know I am doing one thing right for this child so far, making sure it has a healthy environment to grow in. There is some comfort in that. I haven't let Peeta down completely.

Since our message from District 8 has been sent out, I have tried to avoid leaving my living quarters except for the necessary times to eat and at Coin's request. Thing are on such a strict schedule here that I don't see my mother or Prim most of the day, but no one bothers to put me on a schedule besides what times I should eat.

It's better that way; I like being alone.

But as I lay in my bed and roll the pearl from Peeta between my thumb and forefinger, i remember I am not alone. Peeta's child is always with me now.

I glance down at my bump and try to envision what this child will look like, who it will act like. I think it will be more like Peeta then me. Peeta is a good person, and I can't imagine any child of his would be anything less. Its funny because I can't imagine the baby being anything but a boy; a little Peeta.

I think I will like that, it will make the baby easier to love if it's a boy, if it's a miniature Peeta, especially if my Peeta doesn't come back.

My thoughts are disturbed by Gale's tall figure moving into my room.

"Hey Catnip," Gale smiles at me, but I can tell by the way he looks at the bump in my stomach he is slightly uncomfortable. It seems the more pregnant I get, the stranger he gets.

I sit up and smile a tight smile back. The only time I have really spent with Gale recently has been with Coin around and I don't love it. "Does Coin need me again?"

"No exactly," Gale says and I can hear the excitement in his voice. "I actually spoke with her earlier and convinced her to let us hunt on the surface."

I can't help the smile I know that moves quickly across my lips. The woods, I miss them so much, and I hate being down here in the dark. I would give anything to be out in the sun, among the trees and animals.

"Really?" I ask.

Gale nods and now I see he is carrying my bow as well as his own crossbow. "Do you want to go now?"

I nod and hope out of bed, though with the extra baby weight I am starting to put on I am not as graceful as I once was.

"You okay?" Gale asks, helping steady me on my feet.

I nod, feeling slightly embarrassed but too excited to really care. "Let's go."

Gale laughs at my excitement and hands me my bow before leading me out of my living quarters and toward the elevator that we can take to the surface level. The bow feels good in my hands as we ascend to the green world above.

PEETA POV

The torture has increased since my last interview with Caesar and the food rations have diminished greatly. Both Johanna and I receive daily beatings and there is hardly enough food for one of us, yet we have to share it.

Yesterday Johanna came back down screaming, soaked, and her hair was shaved. I don't know what they are doing to her, but I know she hardly drinks the water they give us anymore. She is afraid of it.

For myself, they continue to pumple me, beat me, break my bones, and pump my body with the liquid which has distorted my memories so much. It's getting so hard for me to hold onto Katniss but I do it with all my strength. Johanna has helped greatly but if something happens to her, I don't know what I will do.

The only thing I can do is remind myself of all the memories I know are true, the ones the Capitol doesn't know about so they can't tamper with them. One, is when I threw Katniss the bread years ago; I know, despite what the Capitol is trying to do to my memories of her, I would never have taken a beaten like that from my mother if I didn't love Katniss. The other memories are of our train rides, the nights Katniss needed me to comfort her, and the best memory is of the night Katniss and I decided to conceive the child she is now carrying. I know it's selfish to hold that memory in such high esteem because we were forced to do it, but that memory is so pure, so filled with love, that the Capitol cannot destroy it. I am so thankful for that memory.

"I don't know if we are going to get out of here…" Johanna's voice breaks my concentration.

"What?" I ask her and realize how labored my own voice is. Maybe this is really what dying feels like.

"We won't last month like this. We can't...maybe it's better that way," Johanna says quietly.

It's hard to make Johanna out in the dim cells but I can see she is laying on her side, staring out at nothing. She looks defeated; she is so thin, nearly a skeleton.

I glance down at my own wrists and realize how tiny they are as well. Maybe she is right. We are starving to death.

"Just fight it, Johanna. We can't let the Capitol win," I remind her.

Johanna laughs at my words and I wait for her to explain her laugh because it confuses me.

"The Capitol isn't going to win. They know that...if they thought they were going to win they would keep us in better shape, they would need to use us as puppets but now they are just trying to slowly kill us," Johanna concludes.

I realize Johanna may have a point. When Snow thought he was still in control he was taking better care of us. I wonder what changed.

I don't have to wait long for an answer because a few minutes later two guards come into my cell and yank me to my feet, nearly dislocating my weak shoulder.

"President Snow wants to see you," One guard grunts at me.

I let the guards drag me to Snow, mostly because I am not interested in making things easy for him and I am too tired to really make an effort to walk.

I am brought to Snow's office and dropped in a chair across from the President. They don't bother tying me up anymore. Probably because I am so pathetic and weak looking they know I don't have enough energy to lay a finger on Snow.

"Mr. Mellark," Snow grins madly at me.

I glance up weakly at him. My right eye is still slightly swollen from a beating I took a few days ago and it makes it hard for me to focus on the old man.

"You look terrible," Snow comments.

"What do you want?" I ask. I am done being formal with him. If he wants to kill me, then he can kill me, but I won't be respectful anymore.

"We need you to address the nation again," Snow tells me.

I can't help but laugh in his face. In fact, I am surprised by how powerful my laugh is. It takes so much energy but I can't control it. I think Snow has completely gone crazy.

"You have no idea what is going on out there. The Districts...they have gotten away from us. Katniss has caused so much damage and we need to counter it or we will all end up killing one another," Snow explains.

"You can't possibly blame Katniss for this. This all can't be her fault," I counter.

"Peeta, my boy, she is not what you think she is. Look at what she has started," Snow says, forcing a screen to come up on his desk and I watch as Katniss speaks about rebellion with a burning ship behind her. It looks like a dangerous place for her to be.

"Where is she?" I ask, concerned.

"District 8, getting the rebels excited. This video has been played throughout the Districts, and people are dying because of it. The Capitol is capable of destroying all of the Districts, and we will if we need to," Snow threatens.

But my eyes are just locked on the image of Katniss standing on a battlefield, pregnant. She looks like she is glowing, I can notice the tiny bump. She is keeping the baby safe.

"Peeta, do you want to see all of humanity wiped out because of Katniss?" Snow pushes.

"It's not her fault," I snap back.

Snow seems surprised by my reaction to his words, puzzled even, as if he expected me to agree with him. He seems to wait for a long moment, contemplating what to say before he opens his mouth again.

"She is risking her life and your unborn child's life for these rebels. If she truly doesn't understand what she is doing then the Rebels are risking her life and your child's and we will have to stop them. And if she does understand it, then she doesn't care about the child," Snow says.

And suddenly I am angry with Katniss. Snow does have a point, she is putting herself and our child in immediate, unnecessary danger. I knew she wasn't thrilled about the baby, but I never thought she would go out of her way to put it in jeopardy. I try to concentrate on all the good things I know about Katniss but I can't focus now. Shiny images of Katniss flash through my mind and I can't concentrate.

KATNISS POV

Gale and I walk along a stream on the surface of District 13. We tried hunting but it seems even the slightest amount of weight I have gained from being pregnant has made my steps heavy and we have more then likely scared any game in the area off. It doesn't matter anyway, we don't really need the food. I am just so happy to be in the fresh air.

I walk a few feet ahead of Gale, mostly because neither of us has had much to say to one another. Truthfully, I am still angry at him for calling Peeta a coward but I know it's not worth a fight. Plus, he is probably the only reason I am even allowed above ground right now.

I hit a patch of sunlight along the bank of the stream and stop, turning my face toward the sun and closing my eyes. The warmth feels good on my skin, and the sun makes me think of Peeta. His favorite color was the color of sunset. It is the one thing I know about Peeta that is purely him, and something I realize I will be able to tell his child in the future.

As I stand in the sun, I think about the other genuine details I know about Peeta. One, he always liked to sleep with the window open. He told me once it was because living above the bakery made their home hot in District 12, and the cold air, even in the winter, was refreshing. Two, he always double-knotted his shoe laces since he had tripped once when he was young and busted his front lip open.

I keep my eyes closed as I try to think of any other small detail about Peeta that will be important to remember.

"You look happy out here," Gale says, breaking my train of thought.

I turn to look at my Gale, but offer no smile. I am almost angry he made me lose concentration.

Gale must take my silence as resentment and it forces him to do something he doesn't do often. he apologizes.

"I shouldn't have called Peeta a coward. I'm sorry. You're right, I don't know what he is going through," Gale says quickly.

I nod slowly. I agree, Gale has no idea what is happening to Peeta, and I can only imagine it, though I doubt my imagination is capable of considering all the awful things Snow may be doing to Peeta.

After a long moment, I can see Gale is waiting for me to speak, so I do.

"It's fine, Gale. You don't have to apologize to me," I say because in truth he doesn't. He didn't call me a coward.

"Well, yes I do, because I know it hurt you when I said it," Gale sighs and kicks a rock into the stream. "I know you care about him."

"Of course I do," I say simply. After all Peeta and I have been through, how could I not care for him?

"But not just because of the baby, right?" Gale asks.

I sigh. I know what Gale is trying to get at and it's just not something I feel like talking about now. I hardly understand my feelings for Peeta and right now, with the impending war, Peeta's capture, and my pregnancy trying to explain and sort out my feelings for Peeta and Gale seems too hard.

Or maybe it's too hard because I know in the end I will have to hurt Gale and I am not quite ready to lose him yet.

Gale takes my silence for confirmation to his question and now he sighs. "Sometimes I wish I had gone into that first arena with you. Then maybe you would look at me the way you look at him. Maybe that baby would have my eyes…"

"Or maybe we would both be dead," I say quickly. I would never wish that arena on anyone and it almost bothers me that Gale is saying now he had wished he could have gone.

"I doubt it. We have always been resourceful. We would have survived," Gale says with a small smile.

I, however, do not find his comment funny and ease myself down onto a rock so I do not have to look at Gale.

Gale seems to miss the cue that I want to be alone and quickly sits down next to me.

Silence fills the air now, and although it is not the carefree silence we once shared in the woods, Gale does seem more relaxed.

"I really missed hunting with you," Gale says..

I nod; this is something even I have to agree with. "I know."

"I keep thinking if we survive all of this that someday we can go back to the way things were. You and I out hunting together, a team, but I don't think that will ever happen again," Gale says, looking down at my stomach which is the obvious reason his dream won't come true, but we both know there are so many more reasons now.

"I don't think so," I speak truthfully. There is no point in trying to lie about it. I don't want to intentionally hurt him but I don't know how else to answer his question.

"I lost you the second he went into that arena with you," Gale says, looking down at his feet.

Again it comes back to the arena. It comes back to me being a prize that he thinks he had when in fact it was never that. I never belonged to anyone. He was my friend, and he never lost me, he just lost me in his own head now.

"Gale, you never lost me. You have always been one of my only friends," I say again speaking the truth.

"Don't you ever think it would have been more than that? If the Games had never happened?" Gale pushes.

I sigh. I guess that is a fair questions. I never wanted a family but I always assumed if I had to marry it would be Gale. it would have made sense for survival reasons; we could have pulled our resources, but in my head when I thought about that future it was never anything more than our deep friendship. There were not other feelings rooted in it.

"You knew I never wanted to marry anyone or have a family…" I reminded him.

Gale quickly looks up at me and then at my pregnant stomach. "But that changed now…"

"It changed because of the Games. If there hadn't been one, none of this would have happened," I say.

Gale seems to think about my words for a long minute and the nods. "Yeah, I know...it just doesn't make it easier, Katniss. Despite all of this, every time I look at you, I just want what Peeta has. I want to take his place…"

"You want to be tortured by the Capitol?" I scoff at his words, almost angered.

Gale laughs slightly and sadly. "No...I just can't help but be jealous. If he lives, he gets you."

"I am not a prize," I say quickly.

Gale looks up at me with sad eyes. "You are to me and I think Peeta would agree."

"I don't know about that," I say simply, unsure of what to say.

"But it's not just about the baby. I mean, you do love him, don't you?" Gale asks me suddenly.

I am caught off guard, and I don't know what to say, and so I say nothing.

My silence seems to be enough for Gale who doesn't press the matter of Peeta or the baby any further but I can see it in his expression as he looks back down. His eyes are so sad, so defeated, as if he is coming to terms with something I could never possibly understand. Even if I could understand, I have never been good with my words.

I decide to do the only thing I can think of and reach out to hug his shoulder. He is wounded and all I want to do is make him feel better.

Gale lets me embrace him but only for a moment before he stands up, gathering his crossbow.

"We should head back. Coin will be wondering about us," Gale says.

I nod and allow him to help me to my feet. The second I am steady, he drops my hand and moves ahead of me, back toward the entrance to District 13. I walk silently behind him, noticing that the extra weight from the pregnant belly makes each of my footsteps heavy in the woods, just like Peeta's steps.

PEETA POV

I am still trying to sort through the images of Katniss I know are real and the ones that are confusing me as I am lead by Snow's guards into a small room to get prepped for my national address.

The further away from Snow I am the more clear it is to me that he was trying to make me angry with Katniss and I understand that. What I don't understand is why it works. I love Katniss and I know Snow is just trying to turn me on her, but it's hard to remember that all the time.

I sit down in a small chair and wait for whoever is coming to dress me. I glance up at myself in the mirror and am disgusted by the skeleton staring back at me. I look horrible, nothing more there mere bones and my face is filthy. I look away in shame.

The next time I look up, however,I am shocked to find Portia standing behind me. She gives me a sad smile and I notice how thin she is, how washed out her skin is. She hardly has her standard makeup on and her hair is a dull shade of the blonde I remember it. I wonder if Snow has been holding her prisoner since she was my stylist for the Game.

Still, I am happy to see a familiar face.

"Portia," I stand as quickly as my defeated body will allow and try to hug her.

"Peeta, you are all skin and bones," Portia whispers in my ear as I feel her grab at my back.

I finally let go of her and climb back into my seat. I am nearly out of breath from her hug. "I apologize for how I look. I would imagine you were hoping for a better subject."

Portia shakes her head, though I can tell she feels sorry for me. "You were always my favorite muse."

I give her a weak smile and let her do the best she can with me. she manages it get me into a black suit and pull a red tie loosely around me, the way she positions it makes me look slightly bigger than I am now, though I notice the shoulders are rather loose.

"They measured your suit off of your measurements before the Game. I don't think anyone realized how much smaller you would be now," Portia comments, noticing the sagging shoulders I see in the mirror as well.

"Trust me, it's not like I want to be starving," I comment with a sigh.

"I know that and I admire you for it, Peeta. Such bravery...Katniss is lucky," Portia keeps her voice low as she speaks Katniss' name.

I look up at her with a cocked eyebrow. Does she know about the rebellion? Surely, if she was part of it, Haymitch would have tried to get her out.

"What do you mean?" I ask, equally as quiet, as if we are telling a secret.

"We all make sacrifices. Some have already made theirs, and you surely are one that has sacrificed enough, as has Katniss. But both of you are still here, both of you are still sacrificing for each other. Maybe in different ways, but I suppose loves makes you do that. You both have always fought for each other. It's refreshing to see, and I hope, when this all ends, you get the happiness you both deserve together," Portia says.

Her words are somewhat cryptic, but eerily calming. "So you think Katniss and I are still in love?"

"I saw you two in the arena. The way you both looked at one another...no one can deny that is true love. I hope you never lose that," Portia says and then leans in to add. "Remember what I said to you before the Games?"

And the image of Portia telling me how much Katniss loved me before I was sent into the arena does come back into my mind. That image is so clear, so fresh, that I know it's real. The memories I am confused about are too shiny to be real. It's hard, but if I try hard enough I can tell a difference between what I know to be real and what I think may be untrue.

I just need to remember the difference. I need to remember what is real, and with Portia's words I realize I need to continue to help Katniss. What Snow said earlier was not true, Katniss is not the enemy. Snow is the enemy.

"Just keep helping Katniss, okay?" Portia whispers to me and then helps me out of my chair.

I give Portia a nod and follow her out onto the stage where Caesar is waiting for me. I am not surprised to see the purple-haired host, but I am surprised to see President Snow standing in the corner.

"Good to see you, Peeta," Caesar grins madly at me.

I just give him a simple nod. I cannot take my eyes off of Snow. I know it will be harder with him in here, but I know I need to get Katniss and those in the Districts a message of hope. They need to keep fighting.

"Did you have a good talk with your stylist, Mr. Mellark?" Snow asks me, hardly stepping out of the shadows.

I am confused by Snow's question. I am assuming Snow is talking about the brief but meaningful conversations Portia and I had about Katniss moments earlier, but surely he could not have heard that. It was so quick and hushed.

"I don't understand," I say simply.

"Let me remind you then," Snow says and motions to the guards near the door.

Suddenly, Portia is pushed into the room and on her knees. The guard behind her holds a gun to her head.

"What are you doing?" I stand quickly but am shoved back down by another guard I didn't even notice.

"Katniss does not need help. Anyone who thinks she does or supports her must be punished, and I can make sure that happens," Snow says as he grins madly between Portia and I.

Then with a simple nod by Snow the trigger is pulled and Porta slumps to the floor in front of me, out of view of the camera that will begin rolling in mere minutes. I glance up at Snow, the shock must be written on my face but all he does is give me a crooked, mad grin, and I realize that no matter what I do, he is still in control.

But I need to try and keep Katniss safe.

KATNISS POV

Gale and I head back to District 13 and I realize I am suddenly very hungry. I suppose that is the pregnancy but I also didn't eat a huge breakfast, and hardly anything after my routine round of morning sickness.

"I'm hungry...I think I may grab something to eat," I say to Gale as we get closer to the cafeteria level.

"I'll go with you," Gale offers.

It's in between meal times, but Coin has been very lenient with me and even has made sure I know where all of the extra, portable food is. I guess she thinks she is making friends with me this way, or at least forming a delicate relationship .

I don't really want Gale's company, especially after our awkward conversation in the woods. I just want some time to think about how to handle him. I have never been great with others feelings or how to compartmentalize my own really. I feel bad for him, but I don't know how to make him feel better or get him to realize its not a competition between himself and Peeta, it's just the way things have gone.

But I don't want to make Gale feel worse today then I think I already have and so I nod, welcoming his company.

However, the second we enter the cafeteria I wish Gale wasn't with me because there, on the screen in front of us, is Peeta giving a speech for the Capitol.

I move forward, covering my mouth with my hand. I feel my own lips trembling at the sight of Peeta. He looks so thin, and it's hard to hide the bruises now.

"What are they doing to him? He looks so thin…" I whisper out loud.

"He doesn't look that bad," Gale says.

I glance over at him to see he is standing in a combative stance, his arms over his chest and his back arched straight. Even his jaw is set.

"What do you mean? Look at him, Gale. They can't cover those bruises if they tried," I defend Peeta quickly, anger towards Gale boiling in my veins as tears for Peeta rise slowly in my eyes.

"Listen to him. They aren't killing him, not with those words," Gale says.

I turn back to the television and actually listen to what Peeta is saying. Up until now all I was focused on was his appearance.

"I just want everyone to listen…" Peeta's voice is shaky. It doesn't even sound like him. There is no hint of confidence or the Victor who could talk he and I out of anything. "Keep yourselves safe. Know that there is a balance in all of this, and we cannot afford to disturb that. We can not afford to run ourselves extinct."

"Just listen to him! He is making it harder for us!" Gale yells at the television. "He's being selfish."

"Selfish? Peeta has never been-" I start.

"Listen to him, Katniss. he is only worried about keeping himself safe. Whatever Snow is making him say or do, he is doing for himself!" Gale nearly yells at me.

"He is doing it for me! For this!" I point down in anger at my pregnant stomach. "He's still playing the Game!"

"Really? Because he hasn't mentioned you once in this whole thing!" Gale stares straight at me but points at the screen. He refuses to look at my pregnant stomach.

I go to defend Peeta again but it's as if Peeta is still watching out for me, because the next words out of his mouth make Gale's point invalid.

"Every child deserves a chance to live in a world that does not know war. That is what I want for my child and for Katniss. So Katniss, if you are watching this, I just want you to be safe. Whatever that means, whatever you need to do, stay safe," Peeta rushes his words at the end and I can see he is afraid of something in the corner of the room because he keeps looking there.

"And what do you mean by that Peeta? Do you think that Katniss is not safe right now? Are you saying the rebels may have captured her?" Caesar asks.

I can see that Peeta is unsure of how to answer this question, and his eyes dart to the corner a few more times before his unusually unsteady voice answers. "I...I think maybe that could have happened. I...I don't know. I just know I want her to be safe…"

"Well, Peeta, I seriously doubt that the rebels that are holding Katniss hostage will let her see your message, and I doubt safety for her or your child is what they want, otherwise they wouldn't parade her around like she is disposable," Caesar says.

Peeta glances once more into the corner of the room and then back at Caesar. "I agree."

And then Caesar thanks Peeta and the screen goes back to a picture of the government seal.

"Unbelievable. Now we are kidnapping you," Gale scoffs.

I turn my attention back to Gale now that the image of Peeta is no longer on the screen. "You don't know what is happening to him."

"I know that it doesn't matter. He knew the plan going into that arena, and so he of all people should never be saying those things!" Gale snaps back.

"He is playing the Game! That is all it is! He is trying to stay alive," I try to reason with Gale but I realize there probably is no reasoning because Gale will never understand it. He will never know the horror the Capitol is truly capable of. Not as intimately as Peeta or I do.

"He is practically defending a Capitol that murdered our entire District! That murdered his entire family!," Gale says with venom in his words.

And suddenly I realize something that I can only assume Gale has not realized. "He doesn't know that, Gale. How could he possibly know what happened to District 12?"

To my surprise, however, Gale sighs and nods, looking away from me. "Coin figured as much. I guess she was right in wanting us to film in District 12."

"What?" My eyes narrow at Gale and the anger is clear in my voice as well as the shock and confusing. "What did Coin figure?"

"That Peeta doesn't know about 12. She wants us to show him...to film you there like we did in District 8. I didn't think it was a good idea to bring you back there so I told her we wouldn't do it," Gale says.

"Why didn't you ask me what I thought? Why are you making decisions without me now?" I am angry at Gale because I think it's a great idea. Peeta needs to know I am safe but also know what happened to our home because he needs fuel to fight whatever Coin is doing to him.

"You haven't exactly been in the right frame of mind lately," Gale snarks back at me.

And that is enough for me. I don't need to stand here and listen to Gale make decisions for me especially when I don't agree with them. I know I need to talk to Coin about going to District 12 because for once I agree with her. I need to go to District 12. I need to show Peeta what happened to our home so he can understand what game he is really playing. I need to show the other Districts what the Capitol is truly capable of.