Katniss opens her eyes, familiar blue orbs melt into her own as they break away, she feels herself give an outtake of breath she didn't even know she was holding. The whole world just seemed to whip around her, her mind registering everything that had happened, her hands shaking as they now rest on Catos shoulders which pull her from falling. She can still smell the faint smoke and her hair rests wet upon her shoulders, her braid now being a straggled mess.

Breath, she tells herself.

But she can't. Her whole body aches with adreneline and she can now hear Catos voice running through her brain as she uselessly tried to process his words. Her grip fell tighter on his shoulders as a dose of dizziness rose upon her. However, an incessant darkness begins to flood within her, trapping her; she feels herself falling to the pits of it. Her hands grasp for anything near; the last thing she remembers is a pair of arms before everything goes black.

Katniss awakes suddenly her eyes meeting with a dull light reflecting into some old boxes. She looks around with her eyes, unmoving her head, not wanting to be too obvious she's awake. She's in some sort of basement she knows that for sure. She closes her eyes again, everything that had happened is all muddled, she can't remember much. Her body still aches but she has a feeling they've put her on some sort of numbing drug. So pretending to be asleep, she stedies her breathing until she hears two familiar voices echoing in the room, she wanted to open her eyes, however she knew if she let on she was awake she wouldn't hear the rest of this conversation so she tuned in silently.

"You know I can't do that" she hears Gale his voice harsh but quiet, probably doesn't want to wake her she thinks to herself.

"I mean it though...If I ever found out I harmed her, I couldn't live with myself" Cato says slowly.

Her heart beats rapidly at his words, what does he means by harm? She knows he has no intention of harming her now, so why should he be worried if he does? She carries on listening to the conversation.

"You already have harmed her" Gale says bitterly "You've gave her the one thing she never wanted, if it wasn't for you she wouldn't be here now" his voice is aggressive and Katniss feels herself stifining, Gale wasn't like this, isn't, she knows he hates Cato but blaming him for her fate isn't something she likes. Gale is meant to be her best friend and she knows for sure best friends are meant to respect them weather or not they can hear what they're saying.

"No, she'd be dead" Cato replies back his voice slightly hoarse. She's surprised he's kept his cool, then again, the capital has changed him...

"What are you implying?" Gale asks cautiously.

"If I wasn't there, Katniss would be dead by now, I'm the only thing that stopped snow from killing her off and calling it a tragic 'accident'. Snow loved the fact me and Katniss were together against her will, it was better than seeing her die because he wanted to see her break. And if it wasn't for me...it was only a matter of time before she did break. I can't let that happen though, even if things are pretty confusing at times" Cato says his voice echoing off the walls and his voice holds a sense of authority...or was it just maturity? She couldn't tell.

Gale huffs, he seems annoyed, Cato always managed to 'upstage' him somehow and Katniss has a feeling his fuse will blow out soon "I didn't think you liked her at all, at first, if I'm honest, I thought you were just dating her for money...it's not up until I saw your sister that I realised you had a family to protect too...I still hate you. But part of me respects you for doing what needed to be done. I guess you don't realise how precious things are until there gone..." Gale seems almost lost there's a sadistic humour held behind his voice as he says the last bit, like he's remembering a bad dream. She knows deep down though he's speaking about her.

On the other hand, Katniss is surprised by his response and her heart warms at the thought of Gale finally coming to terms with everything, all she ever wanted was peace, she didn't want Gale to feel jealous or pushed away, if anything she wanted the opposite. It's not her fault though, she had to protect him, it often crosses her mind though if they would have been something if not for the games.

Her thoughts are cut off by Catos voice though and she has a feeling this conversation will end soon "I didn't like her at first. She was my enemy, an obstacle, even at the start when we were both victors I hated her for taking away what my sister deserved. But, I don't think she realises the type of effect she has on people, something changed when I knew she was having my child...it was different" he says and for once she realises what Cato means, he never shows emotion, especially towards her and after all this time she feels slightly guilty for hating him for hating her too. He had every right to just like she did to him.

She doesn't know if Gale agrees to what he just said because he's silent, but what does throw her of guard is his next question "I'm not going to 'steal' her off you if your worried. You have a child, it would be shameful of me to do that. As much a sit pains me, I know you care about her...and your child. But if you harm her I will not hesitate to shoot an arrow through your head"

silence.

"That was the agreement" Cato says bluntly.

Katniss' heart beats rapidly in her chest. Cato wanted Gale to kill him if he ever harmed me? Was he really prepared to sacrifice himself if it meant saving me? I know he said so in the games but that was different, I didn't understand him then like I do now' she thought to herself her mind completely boggled, she couldn't ignore the sinking feeling in her gut at either thought though. She can't, or more like won't, let Gale kill Cato just to let her live.

She pretended to stir and opened her eyes looking at the two of them who looked for a second guilty but quickly looked away from each other. No one would have saw the flash of guilt though if not having heard their conversation before hand.

She pretened she didn't hear anything.

"Good morning" she said smiling sleepily.

"Morning" Cato said slightly smiling.

Katniss tried to sit up but a jolt of pain swept through her body and she felt herself sliding back down again.

"Easy there, your still pretty bruised from that stunt you pulled saving Finnick and your left rib is fractured" Cato said helping her sit up properly.

Katniss squeezed her eyes for a second to block out the pain before asking "How is he? Finnick?"

Cato sighed "He's in a bad way, he's unconcious, you just about saved him in time. However, Cressida called for an air craft after you passed out to come and fetch him. They want you to go back too y'know. Your in a bad shape, I don't think you should hang around in the Capital Katniss your like a target waiting to be shot at"

Katniss' eyes narrowed and she burned with determination once again "No! I won't go back to District 13 Cato! I started this rebellion and the best thing I can do is end it, fractured rib or not!"

"Your hurt Katniss and someone needs to be home for our son" Cato says searching her eyes for anything that agrees with him.

Imstead this gave her more fuel and made her anger even more so "Your the one who left him to come here! I want Snow dead and if that means fighting every god damn pod and peace keeper, I will!"

Now, she could see he was getting angry "All I've ever wanted to do was protect you and our child! I risked my life for you and him, I could have just left you in that areana but I didn't did I? So don't for one second presume I left him for the capital! I've got to extreme lengths to prove it!"

Katniss huffed in anger, her left side was begging to hurt now and she didn't have the energy to fight back. She'd have to let him have this one, she needed to rest as much as possible so she can convince everyone here she will be the one to kill snow.

"Your right. Now leave it" she said sternly

He looked taken aback for a second and nodded wearily at her sudden agreement until after a minute or two sat down next to her too. It wasn't long before Pollux, Cressida, Gale and the others carrying Finnick all woke up and made their way out of the basement of the abandoned apartment.

They walked through the rubble of the walls before they reached day light and she saw Cressida talking into a walkie-talkie and a hover craft landing infront of us. A large man who had a beard and green over alls that Katniss recognised as the nursing uniform. She'd seen prim and her mother wear it a few times when going off thirteens premises to help the wounded.

He walked up to them and checked Finnick over before ushering the other five over to come and help him on a table before approaching Katniss.

"Hello miss Everdeen, I'm just checking you over and giving you a support for your waiste this will help keep things in place"

He checked her over and secured a black hard piece around her waiste and told her it was bullet proof and should detain any other damage from things too.

"It should take up to four days for the wound to heal if you take these tablets every day, once a day" he passed her the tablets "apart from that, they should decrease inflammation and pain and help speed up the healing process" Katniss nodded and out the tablets in her pouch after taking one now.

The only thing she can really thank the capital for is their availability to increase the healing process that district thirteen seems to have caught on to. It seems to work too because it's not long after when the tablets start working their magic and the pain almost goes, at least Katniss can now stand.

The group now just consists of her, Cato, Gale, Cressida, Pollux and a few of the cameror crew however numbers are slowly decreasing and Katniss just hopes this doesn't put Cato or even Gale in danger. Huffing she walks over to Cato who's talking to Cressida about something.

"-is it really that far away?" She hears Cato say as she joins him.

"Is what far away?" She asks tuning in, curious as to what they were saying.

"Cato and I were just discussing how far away it is from president Snows mansion" Cressida says blankly however Katniss is still confused.

So she asks "Why would you want to know that?" She turns to Cato looking baffled.

However, it's Cressida that replies for him "When you were knocked out there was a broadcast saying president Snow is asking for all refugees to come and meet outside his mansion, Coin wants us you and Gale to go down there acting as if your part of them and find a way to get into Snows mansion"

Katniss nods, it was a good plan she'll admit to that, but katniss was weary about it Coin was planning something and Katniss was more than cautions around her 'plans' now.

The squad decide to head out after they pack the rest of the stuff and they make there way through the streets once again, Katniss was growing tired of seeing the maze like structure, concrete bored her now and the buildings were too high and daunting.

Katniss' mind skips to what she overheard, she can't help but what to know and she almost feels guilty having to keep it a secret that she heard them. She won't say she heard all of it but she'll definitely let them in on it. What was it about anyway? Was Gale going to kill Cato? She hopes not, as much as she hated Cato before they are now friends and she can't not notice the stabbing feeling in her stomach at the thought. As much as she never wanted to admit it she neeeded Cato, as a farther and also as a friend. He's the only one that really knows what she's been through and although she has Gale Katniss feels as if even he sometimes is naive to what she's been through. Sighing to herself at the exertion it takes just to think about this she decides that it's best to go up and confront Gale, secrets don't last long anyway, not in her world she'd learnt that from Finnick. So leaving behind her troubling thoughts she made her way to the back with Gale deciding she needed to have a talk with him over what she'd heard.

"Hey" she says quietly.

"Hi" was all she gets back.

She wanted to make this easy but it looks like Gale is in no mood for conversation, something's been wrong with him ever since Cato and him had that talk and she hopes that just telling him straight will help just get it over with.

"I know I shouldn't know this, but I don't want you to hurt or even kill Cato, Gale" she says skipping to the point.

Startled, he looks over his shoulder at her and almost stops, his eyes are glowing with surprise "who said anything about me wanting to kill Cato?" He said sceptically.

Katniss takes in a sharp breath and hopes Cato is so far ahead so he won't hear their discussion "You and Cato, last night"

Gale looks guilty, she can always tell when he's hiding something and he knows it so he says quietly "So you heard?"

She nods.

He sighs and replies "There's really no point in hiding it now then, do you want to know? If so I'm going to have to tell Cato you heard"

Katniss thinks on it for a second, Is it really worth Cato finding out and possibly getting angry? Then again, she can't help what she hears. Does she really want to know why though? She doesn't have any longer to think further though as she finds herself nodding slowly and as if it all happens in a second, Gale is calling Cato over and the three of them are slowly walking at the back.

"She heard our conversation" Gale says bluntly to Cato.

His eyes flash to Katniss' and they flash with fear and upset his eyes a mixture of emotions she'd never encountered before but it's gone in a second and she's left staring into his blank crystal eyes.

"How much did you hear?" He asks.

"Only up until Gale agreed to do it. If your hiding something though Cato I have a right to know, you can't go around throwing my life around like it's something you get to decide, we're not in the Capital anymore!" Katniss says starting to get aggravated at how slow they are being at just telling her.

Cato sighs and rubs the back of his neck before coming to a complete stop and saying "I didn't want to hurt you, that's all. The doctors, they said that Tracker jacker venom can sometimes make you hallucinate even after treatment and that as the treatment goes on and I'm becoming more...me...I might become more violent. The capital, they made me so afraid of you that...it could possibly result in me wanting to hurt you if I'm ever in an episode. I can't let that happen, so I did what needed to be done. No one else would do it Katniss. I'm a threat, not only to you, but to everyone here too"

For the first time Katniss feels something for him turn inside of her, her gut twists into regret, horror but most of all sorrow. Cato doesn't deserve this, no one does, hell, he was her worst enemy once and not even before she would have wished this on him. She looks up into his eyes again...why was he trying to protect her so much? Confusion swept within her like waves taking over and she felt dizzy as different questions hurdled her mind. Was he just doing it all for Tommy? They were friends now, so she tells herself any friend would want each other to be safe. Even people who aren't friends still don't want to hurt people. So she shrugs the questions off and applies 'common sense' to each one instead. Even though Katniss was now a mother, she was still naive and she felt trying to work out the opposite sex was like trying to work out why the Capital people made Green skin a fashion statement, it just didn't make sense.

Those blue eyes were so welcoming but so scary too, they reminded her or death and hurt however when they looked at her now they showed slight warmth like if she went near it there'd be a risk of it spreading and she could also see fear too, the fear of her, but he didn't flinch or move as she walked closer to him.

Katniss pulled him towards her and rested her head on his chest her arms sliding round his muscly build, he was firm and she found herself almost sighing as she leaned into his warm embrace.

"Thankyou...for protecting me, but I don't want you dead" she says looking up at him her.

He looks down and smiles slightly his eyes now warm like "It's okay. But I have to protect you Katniss even if it means dying"

she smiles back slightly for a second before pulling away and asking "But why? Why do you want to protect me?"

Cato looks taken aback and then smirks and says "well isn't it obvious? God Katniss your so naive sometimes, I can't exactly let you die and I thought we're friends? I don't want you to die and I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you or even...murdered you"

She'd never heard Cato say the word murder before and it made her shudder, Careers don't usually refer to death as murder, even in the games they say 'their kills' or 'kill'. So she just nods before carrying on walking with him whilst trying to catch up with the others, Gale had decided to start walking ages ago when he could see they were talking and is now way ahead.

Her mind went back to thirteen and what they could be doing there, was prim helping out at the hospital with her mother? Or was she petting buttercup with Caia and Rory? The three of them were all friends now, more Caia and Prim however before she left Rory and Caia were getting to know each other. What about Tommy? Had he grown? We're they looking after him properly!? She's sure prim would do a fine job though, even if Caia isn't too keen she knows Prim is probably dragging her over there everyday just to see him. Katniss smiles, it warms her heart to think of all these people in her life now and she can't wait to just go back and see everyone again. Make prim laugh, watch her son grow, help Caia walk again and go to the meadow or the woods. The thought of being free was something she'd yearned for for so long, her heart and her mind twisted in fustration at the thought of waiting a second Longer.

When her thoughts then goes to the one thing that's been plaguing all this time and her thoughts grow solemn. What about the letter? She's not really heard much more about it and her heart races at the thought, maybe it was time to bring it up? Would Cato be angry though? What about Joanna, could she really be telling the truth? There's only one way to really find out and seen as he confessed to his conversation with Gale maybe now was a good time to bring that up too. She doesn't want this on her mind anymore.

So she takes a deep breath and asked almost carefully "When you got back I spoke to Joanna" Katniss says testing his reaction but he just looks down at her unentertained so she carried on "She gave me a letter, it was to president snow, addressed from you. I don't know how she got it...but I think it's best if we talk about this Cato"

She looks at him and sees his wide eyes and a terrified expression, this edges her on more so she asks unpatiently "What is it Cato? I think I deserve an a-" however she can't even get her sentace out as Cato grabs her hand and he drags her into a sprint.

"WHAT ARE YOU DO-" but she looks behind and sees a black mass of...Beetles? Making it's way towards them. Anything in their path is being stripped away and she can see Gale and Cressida along with her crew upper head. They make their way through a small alley way that seems to help keep the beetles away, they literally ate anything in its way though and Katniss sees them crawling all over the walls. But she pushes further and they run through back alley ways and shortcuts, Cressida shouting orders and leading the way all the time. They sprint for what seems like hours and Katniss' side begins to hurt and her rib is throbbing, her lungs are burning and she can't seem to take in enough air when they do eventually stop.

They all make their way under a building and sit underneath a sheltered area, it was now raining and the air was getting cold. Katniss leans up against an old pillar and closes her eyes trying to create things in her mind to keep the pain at bay. It was something they'd taught her in her therapy, and about the only thing that worked. When she opens her eyes again the pain seems to have slightly subsided and it's not long before Cato sits next to her again and says "Do you still want to talk?"

She turns her head slightly to look at him before nodding slowly,then looking away at getting ground, whatever it is she better brace herself she thinks. However, Cato sits infront of her forcing her to look into his eyes, she tenses as he leans over and places his hand on her chin and looks at her with a desperate expression, her stomach flips and she finds herself sharing his fear as she looks into his ice blue eyes.

"You have to promise me Katniss, you won't look at me any differently after I tell you this?" He says and for once she can see he's nervous and he's in deep thought, whatever that letter was about he really remembers it.

Katniss doesn't know what to say though, but she wants to know and it's not like she can ignore it now, it would be like a wall that she had to climb but couldn't. So holding her breath she whispers "I promise"

Cato nods and looks down his hands going from her chin to her neck to then rest on her arms, the contact makes her shudder, she remembers those arms and how strong they were and how they could easily break a bone but what she feels now isn't fear. It was nothing like their first night on the train.

"I wrote the letter because I wanted to stop you and Tommy from being sent into the games" he says looking at her expression, she just nods urging him on "Well, Snow disagressed at first when I asked him, it was a week after we found out you were pregnant when I sent him a letter and a request that we meet instead, so we did and I told him that I would sell myself to him...in order to save you and our son"

Katniss' lungs hurt as she takes in an intake of breath so sharp, Cato would really do that, for her? She thought he hated her then? How could he ever do something like that? Something inside of her is mirroring worry as she thinks over this. However, She doesn't really know how she would have felt if it had actually happened, because it didn't, did it? She finds tears pricking her eyes and her gut swerve into all types of emotions when she finds herself flinging her arms around him and saying "Cato you shouldn't have...y-" but she doesn't know how to continue and she has to wipe her eyes and steady her breathing until he can continue, she sees sympathy in his eyes which she'd never saw before and she leans further into his arms which still embrace her.

Katniss wanted to kick herself and tell her she had to get herself together, she was better than this; showing her emotions. But something felt right about this and for once she felt like she didn't have to be the one in control of everything, like someone else could handle it for her. She'd never felt that before and it felt scary but also comforting because it meant for once she can be the one who is letting out their emotions.

When he says softly into her hair "Its fine...I had to. I had to protect you..." his voice sounds unsure though and Katniss can tell he's shaken up about this, it's probably just being reminded of the Capital though and she shakes away the fact he almost sounds even more guilty.

He breaks away from their embrace and says "I'm sorry"

She cocks her head to the side in confusion and says "Don't be, you did what needed to be done" and she finds herself leaning forward her lips locking with his, it was slow like the time on the beach and his lips were soft against hers everything around her seemed to fade away and she found herself leaning closer until she broke away and she was peering into blue crystal eyes once again.

However, their trance was broken as they heard a cough from behind them, they both broke away startled and looked towards their intruder. It was Gale, his face was hard and showed no emotion, the hurt that would have covered his face if he saw them months ago was now gone and his whole exterior was sharp and rigid...it reminds Katniss of when she first met Cato. Her heart broke slightly at how much more of a stranger Gale was becoming and the distance between them, she can't even remember the last time she laughed with Gale and she feels she's loosing him.

Cato on the other hand doesn't seem to notice and just puts his arm around her and says jokingly "So was that kiss an invitation Katniss? Because there's no more excuses now to get in bed with me" he smirks at her.

She scrunches up her face and pushes him away jokingly making him louse his footing slightly "No way indeed Mr Embry, anyway I can find better"

Katniss walks of confidently trying to act like he doesn't effect her and she finds herself smirking when he catches up and says "Wow, as if, your joking right?"

She puts on a straight face and says "of course not!"

She then walks faster and catches up with Pollux who seems to be a bit cheerier than before and looks at her smiling and then at Cato and shakes his head at them silently laughing.

"Like who? Who's possibly better than me?" Cato says his voice was sounding like a child moaning as he said it and Katniss can't hold it in any longer and laughs hysterically.

"Your face!" She says between laughter again and again.

"It's better than seeing your morning face everyday" He says rolling his eyes.

Katniss was about to reply back another comment when Cressida ends it and says "Katniss, Cato you both need to calm down, We're nearing a friend of mines home and hopefully she can help us. You need to be quiet, this part of the Capital still has refugees around and if anyone catches us we will all be killed"

Katniss and Cato are quiet as they watch Cressida make her way to a house and knock on the door silently. Meanwhile Katniss pears over her shoulder at Gale who's looking at the floor and shuffling his feet, regret immediately washes over her, it was unfair to act the way she did with Cato infront of him. It was like telling a child the cake was for them but instead giving it to another and making them eat it infront of the.

But should she really feel guilty for simply having happiness that she hadn't felt in ages? Another part of her told herself, it felt right joking with Cato, it was a different kind of humour that was pretty similar to her own.

It's not long before Cressida comes back over though and ushers them inside and shuts the door. A woman stands there in a dark cape and when everyone is taken into a large living room with expensive furniture she takes away the cape. Katniss almost gasps, she's a tiger. Her whole face painted with stripes and whiskers implanted into her cheeks with dark eyeliner round her eyes.

"I will help you, I used to be a stylist in the games. My name is Tigris" She says.

"How do we know you want just hand us in?" Gale asks wearily.

"Because president Snow did this to me and I would gladly help you. It seems he was not satisfied with my work, so instead of killing me like the rest, he made me what he said was 'living up to my name'" she said solemnly.

Katniss gulped, president Snow really was a sick man.

"We'll stay the night for now and when morning comes you and Gale will join the refugees, thankyou Tirgris" Cressida says.

The woman does not smile but simply bows her head, Katniss has a feeling she's lost the ability to smile, weather that's through the surgery or feelings. She turns around though and she gracefully walks us to our room. The way she spoke and acted was certainly like most Capital citizens however Katniss knew this woman was not a threat.

They all decided to settle down, most of them sleeping on the floor, Katniss herself did too. She'd gotten used to it now and it was almost comfortable. She leans against the wall and Cato comes next to her. Before she can even protest he puts his arm around her and says "Tomorow it could be a new world"

and she looks at him and says "And hopefully a better one"

Heyy guys, I'm so sorry for the very late update, I've been stuck on what to do and my whole plan and I just couldn't find any words to write. I didn't want to write anything stupid either or unrealistic so I just went for it. Lol. So yeah, you finally know about the letter however if you feel this was a let down then you don't have to feel that way because the next thing that you'll find out is how Joanna really got the letter and why. I feel so evil sometimes whilst thinking of plot twists XD. But I really hope this was okay and I made sure to make it pretty long, or what seems long to me. So just a few questions:

1. Do you think prim should die? Or not?

2. Should I try my best to stick to the book or not? I do like to move things around a lot and I did so in this chapter, was it too much?

But I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I look forward to writing more! - Ella 😁