Author's Note 1: So we get to the excecution...of whom? and by whom? we shall see *evil grin*

thanks to Abby and JB for the reviews

Chapter 96

A Shot in the Dark

I was wrong.

I didn't get closure from the point of an arrow going thru the heart of President Coriolanus Snow. Coin was adamant that we hear her condemn the former dictator. Sentencing him to death and then directing everyone to watch as Katniss loaded her bow. We all knew Snow was sick; there is blood on his lips, and he's wheezing. I'm standing in the middle of the throng, as close as I can get. I have to, I have to see his end.

There stood Katniss bow in hand about to shoot the snake that took my life away. But instead she chooses to shoot Coin.

Not that I don't agree the bag had to go but damn! Talk about messed up. The chaos that surrounds me goes after Katniss while Snow collapses on the ground heaving and coughing. I bee line for him kick him in the gut to knock the wind out of him and drag him away. The rest weren't watching me so I have to do what she didn't do.

Gale POV

As soon as Coin falls from the observation box all hell breaks loose. Thankfully Maverick kept to the sidelines with Johanna so they were safe but Ari was in the thick of it all. I look for her, I call out to her but hear nothing.

"Gale do you copy?" Mav comes over my earpiece, we had agreed to keep eyes on both Katniss and Ari today, so we're wearing the old communicators now pretty much up for grabs because no one needs them anymore.

"'m here you see Ari?"

"Negative she not with you?"

"No she wanted a good view she went center, if she could I am sure she'd have been on the stage"

Maverick swears, I don't know why until he asks "do you see Snow?"

"What?" why do we need to know that?

"DO YOU SEE SNOW?!" he asks again this time panic is lacing his words.

It hits me...if Snow is still alive...oh no…

"No, no sign of him" I say, I'm working my way to where he was last standing and there is a splatter of blood and a partial boot print. She's gone and she's taken Snow somewhere. My girlfriend has taken Snow!

"She took him" I reply, I have to yell because there is so much noise around me that it's hard to even hear myself.

"Shit! We have to find her, head for his mansion I'll get Finnick and Annie" Maverick says

"What about Katniss and Peeta?" I reply, "and why are we stopping her?"

"If you run into them fine, otherwise just get in there!" Maverick snaps, "I made a promise to her in our games she'd never have to kill anyone again and I meant it, now go Gale!"

I run into the building there are trace boot prints here too and the small drops of blood. God Ariana what are you doing?

Ari pov at the same time

He's hacking and coughing and seriously will probably keel over and die anyway but I want him to suffer. For Hellen, for Katniss and Peeta...for Seneca especially for him.

"Ingenious using my own people against me" he wheezes.

"Shut it! You don't get to speak," I snarl.

"So all this time when you helped Arora and my family..."

"I was gathering intel. Now shut it!"

"So what are you going to do to me?" he asks, I don't think he understands when I told him to shut up.

I just about had it so I throw him into a nearby room and close the door behind us. I take out the six shooter I had kept thru this whole ordeal, it was a gift of sorts from Boggs when I bested him once at the gallery and give a small smile.

"Any last words?" I say so calmly President Snow grows if anything paler.

Gale pov

"Ari!" I yell, how Katniss and Peeta caught up with me is beyond my understanding, but they did and we have been searching for about twenty minutes when we hear a gun go off at the far end.

I'm fastest and get there first, I push the door open.

Ariana is standing across from Snow holding that six shooter. Snow is laying on he floor, dead with a hole between his eyes.

She's just standing there quietly. Until a floorboard creeks and she spins around holding the gun away from everyone.

"We won" she says looking back at Snow, "another mercy kill but we won."

I touch her shoulder as some peacekeepers come in and arrest her.

"Where are you taking her?" Peeta asks before I can even get the words out, Ariana isn't fighting it, I don't know if it's shock or just giving up right now.

"Don't worry Mr. Mellark she isn't under arrest we just want to detain her, for now" They say as they slap cuffs on her and then they do so to Katniss.

"You however are under arrest for the murder or President Coin" they say to my friend.

Katniss isn't fighting either; the Mokingjay and the Phoenix are under arrest.

A/N # 2: well there is a window of twenty minutes we don't know about...what could Snow have said?...hmmm? I'll let your imagination wander on that.