Author's Note: 1) thanks go to EWD and JB for the reviewing

2) we start to go a little off story here, I had warned this will be a tad AU this is your warning, some of the stuff will be as the books and some of this won't

3) for the next couple weeks I might not have many A/N and thanks since computer is acting weird so I apologize in advance for those who will be reviewing during that time, I love all my reviewers, and I don't want me not acknowledging them personally to deter them from reviewing, I should still be able to reply to you guys thru PM so don't worry I will always read and reply to reviews!

Chapter 67

Diplomacy Doesn't Work When You're in Love

Gale POV

It's nearing ten at night, well past lights out when I hear someone clear their throat. Plutarch.

"What are you doing here?" I glare at him

"Checking on my girl" he replies.

I have half a mind to really hit him, go thru with what Ariana restrained herself on, "I don't think you have any right to be here, should I get Makenzie?"

He sighs, "et tu Brute?" he asks, I have no clue what he means, and what language he is using, its like Ariana's reference to 'Rambo', "I'm not the enemy" he adds.

"No but you and Coin are strange bedfellows" I reply standing up, I am taller than him by a least couple inches, I know I am really tall next to my girlfriend but that's why I love her, she doesn't seem small, her attitude made up for her height but she isn't an angry person she just had a lot of light in her.

"Gale I'm trying to win us a war here, and she's being stubborn" he points to Ariana accusingly, "Coin wants to talk to her when she wakes up"

"President Coin will have to ask Makenzie not me" I reply crossing my arms, "get out"

"Be reasonable!" Plutarch whines loudly gaining an orderlies attention, a big burly guy who could snap Plutarch in half if need be.

"Everything okay here?" he rumbles

Plutarch adjusts his tie and walks out.

We get some visitors, Ziggy for one the next day. I tell her what's been going on, how I have a sinking feeling if Ariana pulls out of this they will find a way to kill her accidentally.

"Don't worry" Ziggy replies, "Beetee and I are working on cracking her files"

"I don't think Ariana-" I start but she interrupts

"We aren't letting on" she replies, "her reluctance is enough of a warning to anyone that what she found is dangerous"

"Surely someone knows something other than you" I look at her

"I don't know" she says, "she might have shown someone her information before me, but the only one who would know is her" Ziggy says, "that or family" she adds

"Family?" I look at Ziggy who has a solemn look in her eyes

"Well not blood related, I mean her brother is dead, but she always said she had family, Maverick is her 'older brother'" she clarifies

"She said so, who else?" I ask

"Well Paylor is a friend" she says, "Tracer and Tracker are from her district, and district sticks together I mean Beetee and I get along famously" she pauses

"What is it?" I look at her because she's holding back

"Well there are two from your district she might have divulges things too" she says

"Peeta" I say and she nods, of course he'd be one they are almost siblings in attitude to each other she's so protective of him, "who else?"

Ziggy goes to contact Paylor to see if she was given any clues as to what is on that hard drive. I go to see a sober alcoholic. Haymitch has been miserable ever since we got here a couple months ago, it's so weird that two months ago or so we were in Twelve and now we have no Twelve left. I bang on his door thinking he's asleep.

He opens the door and tries to slam it shut, I stop it with my steel toed boot.

"I have nothing to say to you" he says grumpily

I have no idea how Katniss, Peeta and Ariana can stand his attitude, yes before I was defending him but right now, "I'm not here for me Haymitch, I'm here for her"

He hadn't talked at the meeting, "how is she?"

"Alive" I say, "not awake but alive, she would have been better off if she had worn armor but then again a consult isn't supposed to be in a firefight"

"That was her decision" he raises his hands in surrender

"Yes but Plutarch is still dogging her even when she can't fight back" I lay into him, "Haymitch weren't you her mentor? Can't you see she needs support and more than just me right now. Katniss is behind us but you're siding with people that have no idea what we are going thru" I have gotten so close to him I can smell the foulness on him, "do you have any idea what is on that hard drive that has Plutarch and Coin so adamant they get their claws on it?"

Haymitch shrugs, "I only know one document, as do Tracer and Tracker. The Treaty of Treason, the one they read from each year? Well it's faked, the real one damned if I know where the tangible one is but there is a scan of it on that hard drive, there were only supposed to be twenty-five games Gale."

I feel my legs give out as I sit on the edge of his bed, yes I can see how that would cause a bigger problem than we can handle, imagine knowing your children were being terrorized for nothing. Not for the treaty some person signed years ago, no after twenty five years we were supposed to stop this madness and rebuild. "Why do something like that?" I ask thru my hands

"Money, power, who knows" Haymitch sits on the other side, "what happened was wrong Gale, how Coin forced Ariana to go to Two"

"She meant to go, to get Maverick his parents back" I reply, "it was bothering her"

"Noble to the last" he says and that is pretty much when I rebrake his nose, because this is not her last not by a long shot.

I head for Tracker and Tracer. They had said once the districts were secure they were heading home, getting Plutarch to send them on a transport to Five as soon as Track had gained some weight and was cleared by Makenzie. I find them packing up. They haven't gone for training they have kept to themselves and have flown under the radar and studied sign language from books and from a nice young nurse from eight who knew this technique, Tracker especially has been learning a lot from the young woman.

Tracker's wave hello and Tracer's smile are a warm and welcomed sight after what we have just been thru.

"How is she?" Tracer says but I shake my head, "no news or not well"

"She's still out cold, hooked up to machines" I reply

Tracker signs something, I look confused

"He says you're worrying for nothing, Ariana is too stubborn to just die on us" Tracer smirks, "Track has a point I mean he was her mentor other than Haymitch"

"So you guys are heading home?" I ask

"Plutarch wants us to take over the power plant in case we have to cut power to the Capitol" Tracer replies

"And you can do that?" I have to admit outside Twelve I don't know the other district too well, my answer are devilish smiles, they are definitely Ariana's family.

"Have you guys been keeping an eye on Peeta?" I ask

Tracer translates for me, because it's Tracker who has been going to watch not her, "the deprogramming is working in a way, they used morphling to calm him to the point where suggestions can be reprogrammed so he doesn't think Katniss is a mutt, and they think it's safe for him to see Ariana since paradoxes are not as confusion as before. But he still has fits, every now and then someone will let slip something and it triggers an attack. Not to the point that he goes into violent seizures he just he goes 'blank' " she laughs, Tracker says something and she replies to him, "well quoting yourself just looks weird Track" he nudges her and looks stern, "fine, he says they were thinking of introducing people that have a closer relation to Katniss sometime soon, you should talk to Makenzie about signing up Gale if anyone is attached to Katniss' history it's you…and Haymitch"

Track does a sign that Tracer doesn't translate

"What did he say?" I ask

"He called Haymitch an asshole" Tracer replies, "we don't get along with him for obvious reasons"

"I think the only ones who did are now insane, injured or unconscious" I reply

"Plutarch likes him" Tracer points out "and Coin"

"Like I said, insane, injured or unconscious, they fall into the insane category" I reiterate.

With their things packed they each give me a handshake and a hug from Tracer before going to transport, seeing their victors home and on the rebellion side will make controlling power even easier. Even if we had the district secure some district didn't take kindly to another dictator. They tried to stay neutral.

Now its time to really pick sides.