A/N: I'd like to thank everyone who has stuck with me and this story. I know I've been a horrible, neglectful author to this story but if you've ever experienced writer's block then you'll know how much of a bitch it is.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games.

I'm sorry for any typos.

Chapter Twenty Four

"Late at night, when everyone else were in bed, Finnick used to take me down to the square. He'd ride a bike and I'd sit on the handle bars . . ." Annie's eyes are distant, a dulerious smile on her face. She's captivated the entire foyer with her memories. She'd started just by rambling but her stories were so fascinating, everyone listened. "He used to tell me that someday we'd be able to show people how much we loved each other. Show them how much we care about each other."

Katniss stood at the back, leaning against the doorframe of the door to the office she'd wrecked trying to get information. She had never seen so much affection in someone's eyes before, so much desire and intensity. Annie Cresta may have lost her mind the day Finnick was shot but she never lost her love for him. It made her heart swell.

"He promised me that someday they'd let us hug in public," Annie sighed, playing with her brown hair. "That everyone could see that we were together. That he could shout how much he loved me from the rooftops and no one would give a damn but he'd keep yelling it over and over again so the whole of Panem were aware that he was in love with me, Annie Cresta, and that he didn't care if he looked like an idiot. He was a lovesick fool. But I didn't care, because I was one too."

Katniss hadn't realized tears curling up in her eyes until they obscured her vision. She stood up straight and wiped them away with her thumb. A part of her wondered what it would be like if Peeta said those sort of things to her. It was a ridiculous idea but it made her feel warm inside, like a little ball of fire had settled in her gut.

She closed her eyes and thought of him. When had she last since him now? When the clip got leaked of the sensory deprivation punishment? It reminded her of a poem Prim wrote for an English competition when she was ten. They had been given themes to choose from. Love, conflict or childhood. Prim had chosen love.

I see your face on the computer screen,

reminds me of the things you've seen.

I guess we both played a part,

but the smile on your face is like a knife in my heart.

She'd won first prize. For months after that, people assumed that Prim was a lesbian since she wrote about love because, of course, there was no way she was talking about a man. Katniss was the person who cleared it up, saying that her sister was not gay and was just writing about love on a whole.

"Fascinating, isn't it?"

Katniss looked to her right to find Clove leaning on the other side of the doorframe, her arms folded. "What's fascinating?" she asked.

"That the only way people seem to associate love is all frilly and girly. All pink hearts and flowers," Clove replied. "I mean, look at Annie, for example. She keeps talking about her affectionate moments with Finnick but look at the baby bump. That has to speak for something."

Katniss frowned. "What do you mean?"

Clove shrugged. Her black hair hung around her face like a dark curtain. "She's pregnant. Which means there's a part of her love with that Finnick man that she doesn't speak about."

"And that is . . . ?"

"Lust," Clove stated. "It seems that the rebel girls are so caught up in the fight for the freedom of males that we ignore the sides of ourselves that are just like the non-rebel women. There's a part of us-no matter how small or big that part of us is-that wants to have sex just as much as the other women."

Katniss regarded the District 2 girl with confusion. Out of all the rebellious things she had heard, a lot of it coming from herself, she didn't understand what Clove was saying. Was she implying that the rebel women were just like the ordinary, slave owning women? "Are you trying to say that all women are the same?"

"Not all the same," Clove replied. "But similar. In the end, we're all no different."

"I think I know what you're talking about." If she was being honest, Katniss wasn't completely sure what Clove was trying to say but she decided it would be best to just let on that she was.

Clove nodded and they turned back to Annie to contine listening for a while. Katniss was almost completely emersed in the girl's story when Clove muttered, "I'm sick of standing around and doing nothing."

"We're waiting until we have enough numbers to take on the Capitol," Katniss replied. "Madge said we can't do that until we have enough soldiers."

"But how long is that going to take?" Clove asked. "I mean, Jesus, who knows what could be happening to your boyfriend right this minute!"

Katniss' eyes fell to the floor. She couldn't imagine what they were doing to Peeta right now, it hurt too much too think about. She squeezed her eyes shut and breathed out shakily, trying not to focus on it. "I don't want to think about that," she said.

"Because it hurts, right?" Clove replied. "If there were rebels making their way here, wouldn't we meet half way if we started making our way to the Capitol now?"

Katniss frowned. That actually made sense . . . . But Madge would never allow it. She insisted that they couldn't do anything until they had greater numbers. But, like Clove said, the longer they waited, who knew what was happening Peeta and the other slaves? "I can't go against Madge's word," she finally decided. "She's in charge, not me."

Clove raised her eyebrows. "You're the Mockingjay, not her."

"That's just an image. I honestly don't know what I'm doing," Katniss admitted.

"Oh, I know that," Clove answered. "But it doesn't mean you're not capable."

"But I'm not."

Clove rolled her eyes. "Have a little faith in yourself, will you? Okay, here's my plan: I know Cato's willing to leave now, he's just as desperate as I am to do something. If we can gather, four, five more people, then we'd have enough to sneak out as a mini platoon. I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard."

"I don't know Clove . . ."

"Just think of him," Clove insisted. "Think about him for five minutes and I'll see you at the doors at midnight tonight." She flicked her ponytail over her shoulder and went up the stairs, probably going to talk to Cato in the first aid room Prim set up. Katniss turned and went into the office, shutting out the others by closing the door tight behind her. Think about who? Peeta? She wasn't sure if thinking about him for five minutes was going to be enough to convince her to go against Madge-who had more military experience than her-'s word. But she gave it a go anyway.

She sat down at the desk and shut her eyes.

It hit her like a tidal wave.

"The torture floors."

"Stuck duct tape on my mouth for three months."

"You can't be down here."

"Everything else shuts down and you get trapped in your own head."

Scary. Terrifying. Frightening. Yelling. Screaming. Pain, anguish, despair. Agony. Lonely. Unloved. Torture. Butchering. Venom. Hallcunations. Jackson. Harper. Experiments. Hijacked.

"Your song was beautiful."

"We need someone to stand up for the little guys."

So genuninely sweet with a touch of shyness.

"You're not starting a rebellion, you're leading a revolution. Be the Mockingjay."

He threw me bread . . . he saved my life . . .

"Maybe you can buy me a coffee sometime."

"I've spent years being treated like dirt. They've beat me, they've made me feel like I'am nothing and I'll never be anything because I'am the way I'am. And yet . . you're different. You talk to me like I'm your equal. There's no divide. That I'am not dirt. I'am not nothing. That I'am really just like you. I wish I could say all this to you face, I really do, but everytime you look at me everything just crumbles apart and I remember my place, where I stand in this country, and yet also feel like I could do anything. Walk on water, soar through the sky like a mockingjay . . . live a normal life . . . with you. Always with you."

Incredible blue eyes. Golden hair. A smile that could light up the dark. Bruised and scarred and abused but still able to laugh and make jokes. Who at one point suspected to be gay. Caring. Kind. Considerate. Loving. Humble . . . Beautiful.

She loved him.

Always.

Katniss opened her eyes. She had to do it. She had to save him.

And she couldn't wait any longer.

~xXx~

"I knew you'd come," Clove stated, folding her arms. It was midnight and the girl from 2 had managed to collect a band of rebels within the rebels. The group consisted of herself, Katniss, Cato, Cashmere, Thresh and Rue. Katniss was glad that she hadn't asked Prim or Rory to come along. They were too young and were safer here in the justice building.

"How are we going to get past the law abiders?" Rue asked.

Clove grinned. She went to the stairs and pulled out a large rucksack. "Look, it's full of uniforms! I found it out back!" she said. "We can just put these on and they won't even know it's us!"

"But if they see us coming out of the building, then they'd know," Katniss pointed out. Clove started handing out the uniforms, instructing people on how to buckle up the helmets and lace up the boots.

"We'll just have to get out when they're not looking," Cato said.

Katniss felt nervous, pulling the helmet over her head and buckling it under her chin. The uniform Clove handed her was a bit tight but she decided it was easier maintanence that having one which is hanging off her arms and pooling at the ankles. What if the PLA's saw through them? They'd be arrested and taken away to the Capitol to be tortured and brutalised into avoxes or subjects for the slaves to practice sexual encounters on.

"Sadly, there weren't any weapons," Clove said as she threw the rucksack away. "We're just going to have to walk as if we own the joint."

"Shouldn't be too difficult," Cato replied.

"Easy for you to say," Rue piped up. Her visor was already down over her face, blacking out her face completely. "You're not four feet tall!"

"If you get asked, you're just a short person," Clove instructed.

"And they'd believe that?" Cashmere asked with a frown.

Clove shrugged. "I don't know. It's worth a shot." She peered out the door and made a gesture for the others to follow behind her. "Quickly guys, they're not looking!" She then bolted out the door and hurried down the steps. Katniss pulled down her visor and slipped out next, her heart beating in a frenzy when her eyes locked on the abiders with their backs only turned momentarily. She jumped down the steps two or three at a time, landing on the ground beside Clove. Cato then came out, with Cashmere in close tow and Thresh and Rue coming out together. It was pitch black outside, the only light being provided by the street lamps that lined the pavement.

When the abiders looked back in the direction of the justice building, the six of them stood as straight as they could and started walking in the direction of the fence. Katniss was sweating underneath the heavy uniform, her eyes squinting to try to see through the black visor. The diguise was working-they had passed several abiders who didn't give them second glances-but Katniss couldn't help fearing that her pounding heart was going to alert them of their deceit.

They passed a group of abiders who were chatting anamantly to each other about the current crisis. "The Mockingjay boy is so sexy," one of the woman said. Katniss found herself stopping in the street and listening in. She created a chain reaction where the others bumped into her but she paid no heed.

"Yeah," her friend agreed. "Too bad he's so corrupted."

Corrupted? Katniss scowled and turned to show them what corrupted was but got stopped by Cashmere grabbing her arm and shaking her head. Katniss knew what it meant. 'They aren't worth it.' But the anger wasn't decreasing and Katniss felt an urge to punch those women in the mouth.

"Keep moving, we're almost there," Rue whisper-hissed.

"But-"

Clove grabbed Katniss' other arm and yanked her forward. "Don't do something stupid, idiot. It's just some passing comments. Don't blow our cover!" Katniss reluctantly nodded but was still shimmering beneath the surface as the coal-dusted grounds of 12 started to give way to the grassy land of the meadow. How dare those women say those vulgar things about Peeta. Talking about him as if he wasn't a proper person, it was disgusting. How could they be so horrid?

"They always say the fences are electrofied," Katniss said to distract herself from her rage. The fence itself was now in their sights, just a stone's throw away.

"They must have been lying," Rue whispered. "Because we got through just fine."

"I suppose," Katniss responded. She didn't understand why they felt the need to lie about something like whether the fence was electrofied or not. Clove spared no time in starting to climb over the fence. Katniss had never scaled a fence before in her entire life so she found it difficult to get the hang of.

Due to the heaviness of the PLA suit, the fence bowed a little bit under her weight. Swallowing her fear, Katniss hauled herself up and over the fence. She slipped a little bit on the way down but stuck the landing.

"You know what I just realized?" Cashmere asked when she landed on the other side as well. "Those PLAs probably thought that Cato and Thresh were some pretty broad shouldered women."

Clove snorted. "Oh yeah," she said. "Thank goodness we didn't have to explain that one."

Katniss took in her surroundings. In the darkness, she could make out the forms of the trees in the distance. She curled her fingers into the grass underneath her and took in a deep breath. The night air was fresh on this side of the fence, so clean that Katniss felt like she was breathing in silk.

"We should get out of the PLA's eyeline," Cato said once they were all over the fence.

Everyone agreed and they set off deeper into the forest. Katniss was amazed that they had done it, that they had actually defied Madge and set off on their own to save Peeta and take on the Capitol. She wasn't regretful, in fact, she was glad that they had finally started to do something. Clove had been right. They had been waiting around too much. It was time to get moving.

They were finally going to save Peeta and the slaves.

A/N: Again, thank you to anyone who has stuck with me with this! And also big thanks to everyone to helped report the plagarized story I mentioned in the previous chapter. As far as I'm aware, the story's been taken down, so thank you to anyone who helped! :)

Please R&R with your thoughts! :D