A/N: Thanks to FH11, RR and Arrow for reviews
Chapter 73
Bells
After a lot of chatting and even me trying my hand at hacking we realize this will take some time to work thru. Gale's and my communicators go off.
Mine to report to Makenzie, his to report to Heavensbee. Guess our time alone is on hiatus for now too.
Ziggy and Beetee smile as Gale takes me in arm and kisses me deep, "see you at diner babe" he whispers in my ear. I can feel a blush form as he gives me a final hug and runs off to do god knows what. When he leaves Ziggy clears her throat adjusts her glasses but still has that goofy smile.
"Ah can it!" I snap but can't help the corners of my mouth turning up.
Makenzie is tapping her foot impatiently; when I show up she looks harried but happy to see me. "Good! You saw my page! We need your help, well Aurelius does"
I cut a bow playfully and he smacks me lightly with her clipboard, "at your service" I add after
"Did Heavensbee talk to you?" she asks and I shake my head, when I look at my communicator Heavensbee's page was with Makenzie's, I guess Gale can fill me in or..
"O'dair and Cresta are getting married" Makenzie says
I smile, finally something to celebrate! "They make a good pair" I nod and Makenzie smiles in return, "so what does this have to do with me? Unless Finnick is into a harem I don't-"
"It's for Peeta" she adds, "they heard he can decorate cakes"
I stop, would he remember this? I ask as much, "is he capable of focusing?"
"That's why you're here" she adds as we get to his room. "after Heavensbee told him of the request he asked to see you, apparently you and him can do this stuff"
"Nooo he can do this stuff, he said I couldn't pipe a rose worth a damn" I can feel old emotions attached to that letter he wrote to me before all hell was let loose come to the surface.
"Well in any case" Aurelius hears the end and takes over, "they have you and one guard as his security detail" he says
Peeta is sitting in a chair, his hands are cuffed again but he seems more there. He looks up and sees me as I am ushered in and gives a shy smile.
"Hey Ria" he says, "or is it Lexis, or Ariana or Ari?" he smirks
"Confusing having so many names for one person innit?" I smirk in reply, "pick one"
"How about 'sis'?" and its taking all my resolve not to break into sobs, he seems to realize this, means to open his arms but his hands can't raise more than a foot, "sorry maybe start with Ariana?"
I nod and I go over and hug him, "glad you're getting better Peet" I tell him, "you think you're up to icing a wedding cake?"
"Have to, no one else knows how unless you were practicing while I was in the arena" he pauses, "can we talk later about that?"
"Sure, I think I have some explaining to do anyway" I agree.
We get to the kitchen as he presents me with one of the flower nails and I start working on a makeshift pastry bag.
We use the kitchen staff for the basics, making the sheet cake, helping with making the royal icing for some of the decorations. Preparing the filling which is chocolate. Apparently they have everything, but it's Coin who tells them what to use and how much. With all the supplies they could have hot cocoa for all the residents for a couple months but Coin says it's a stimulant.
"And yet Mason is becoming a morphline addict" I mutter and Peeta hears me, I hated being on the painkillers, especially the morphline drip when I was fresh out of surgery, "Morphline makes me feel disjointed from reality" I add when he cocks an eyebrow.
"I'm on it everyday in my 'therapy'" he looks at me, "it's….helping I guess" his hands are shaking so we stop and I have him sit.
"We don't have to do this" I tell him, "we can tell Plutarch it's too soon, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do"
"That's what Tracker said, just before they cut out his tongue" he says
My god!
"You saw them do it?!" I whisper hoarsely, shocked at what he just said he nods, "oh Peeta"
"So did Johanna" he says looking at me, his eyes are starting to look teary, "I can still hear him saying that line then they strapped him down…and…"
I hush him and wrap him in a hug, "it's okay"
"Why? Ari why did they do any of this? How come I wasn't told?! Haymitch was supposed to tell us everything straight up" he says angrily and yet he's crying.
I sigh, "Peeta blame me as well" I let go and hold his shoulders, "okay? Because we thought the less you knew the safer you'd be. If I had known they were not going to save you all"
"They?" he looks at me confused, "wait you knew they were supposed to take everyone out but-"
I raise a finger to signal to hold that string of questions, "I'll explain everything but not here, maybe if we can get you clearance to go outside. I'll tell you everything, and I mean everything" he seems to understand, "want to try and get a start on this?" we look at the icing, and rose nails. Parchment to hold the decorations as they dry out.
"We should or Finnick won't have a wedding cake" he looks at me, he reaches for one nail with a shaking hand.
I touch his shoulder, "you can do this" I remind him, "it's like riding a bicycle, it's in your blood"
"I know…it's just…makes me think of Pop and Ryen and Buck so much" he says softly, "don't go" he looks at me frightened, "if I go off the deep end….if I…"
"If you do I'll knock you out" I reassure him, "or I'll hold you until you come out of it"
He nods and we get to work.
The cake takes several sessions to complete. Sheet cakes are refrigerated; he works on making the waves as realistic as possible whereas I make small fish and dolphins out of royal icing or marzipan. They really do have everything here! To top off the cake we make a boat with a bride and groom at the head of it holding each other. They are unmistakably Finnick and Annie in wedding clothes. We don't know if they will have a tuxedo and wedding gown but it's the thought that counts.
On our last day, the day before the wedding I manage to get him clearance to be outside the complex…inside the fence but at least he can breathe fresh air and we can talk in relative safety.
This is where we sit, against a guard outpost just riding the fence line; I have an alarm in case my friend, nay my little brother goes into fits.
"So when did this plan start?" he asks I can hear a dash of bitterness, "before or after the announcement"
"Before they announced the quell" I explain, "summer after the seventy-fourth games I was out in district Four" I add
"You were with Finnick?" he looks quizzically and I shake my head
"I was with Snow's extended family, and they aren't on the same page as the president. His own wife thought a war would finally settle things, and then I figured that the lie had gone on too long"
"What lie?" Peeta doesn't know the hard drive, I hadn't told him that information but since he's in no danger…
"The games were only supposed to last twenty-five years Peeta" I explain, "the only person that knows why they continued so long is President Snow"
The realization doesn't go over well, he starts to tremble, I wish I could do something other than rub his back as he tries to get his emotions in check. With the drugs they pump him full of it's a miracle in and of itself that he has kept it together. Mason is a wreck…heck even I am to some degree; the one with the most pieces out of joint is the strongest of all of us.
"Breathe" I tell him, "deep and even" I add and he does, it seems to help because he closes his eyes, "I had told Heavensbee we would use the games to start the ball rolling, I mean using a quell as a switch to the rebellion. It would have worked except-"
"The card said all of us were going back in" Peeta says, "whose idea was it to only rescue some of us and not all of us?"
"Peet…I could tell you but I think you know deep down" I reply, "only people in power could call that shot"
His fists tighten, "Haymitch"
"Among others" I add, "wasn't just him, everyone involved are to blame, even me"
"You didn't do anything" he defends
I nod, "exactly, I should have done something Peeta, then maybe…maybe you wouldn't" now I'm trembling, fighting not to cry, fighting to keep myself together for him, for Gale.
Peeta touches my hand, "I'm not blaming you, ever Ariana, I know if you could have you would have gotten us all out" he sighs, "can we talk about something else…something that won't have you upset?"
"Sure…anything we have until lunch"
"Can you tell me why I love Katniss?" he asks…I have to laugh softly, he looks confused
"Peeta I can't answer that. I can tell you that you really care about her, despite how she acts and responds to you. I can say you do anything you can to keep her safe even putting your life on the line" I tap his fake leg, "you did what you could in the arenas to make sure she was okay"
"I want to talk to her, but first I have to yell at Haymitch, he failed as a mentor" he puts his head against the guard station
"I know" I reply mimicking him.