Here's the next chapter! Enjoy! I do not own Mockingjay.

Ch. 52

"Elma Coin was nothing, but good to us. She lead our District right. What the 'Mockingjay' did was cold blooded murder!" It's a small mousy woman and you wouldn't expect her to yell, but she felt strongly. Obviously she had only seen the good side of Coin, she hadn't seen the power seeker, a woman with a flaw. A woman that could easily move our country backwards. I don't say any of this of course because we are in court and the lady looks vulnerable. Cameras are all over the room. Plutarch sits in the back smiling at how great this will be for the audience. I think, how sick, we're deciding whether Katniss should live. But I have to remind myself that even though Plutarch is a rebel he still designed arenas for children to die in. It isn't sick to him, it's just all a game.

The lawyers ask the lady a few more questions, she's crying by the end. Some of the gray uniformed people from Thirteen cry too. I find myself wondering how Boggs would feel about this. He seemed to like Katniss, but I knew he was loyal to Coin. It would be a mystery to me who he would be fighting for.

Octavia comes up to me and puts some makeup on my face while saying, "You're up next. You always knew how to prove a point. Go on up."

It was already evident that Katniss was going to live. A countless number of people had testified in her defense, I was pretty sure Plutarch was paying people to testify against her. Even so they saved the hardest arguments for the end. Haymitch had gone before that woman and I was up next, after that Dr. Aurelius whom would argue that Katniss wasn't even in the right state of mind. They couldn't-wouldn't-convict her after that.

"Peeta Mellark, please step forward." Not many court cases took place when Snow was in charge, if fact I'm almost convinced that none took place. I was almost positive that these "lawyers" were actors. After all, there was no judicial kind of thing in place in our government. The country before us, the United States of America is what I think it was, had a judicial branch. I had learned about it precisely once in school, but it sounded like such a beautiful idea. Rightful justice, no ruthless killing, a right and a wrong no way about it. We were going to take these past ideas because after all it wasn't the Government that had caused the war that almost brought total world destruction, but the people in it.

I step forward, readjust the suit that they had given me. They said Portia had made it for me a while back and I never got to wear it. It fit me perfectly even after all this war and torment.

"You promise to tell the truth." A small Capitol woman that squeaked when she talked says to me. It's more of a statement than a question, an of course you'll tell the truth, after everything that's happen you have to tell the truth.

"Yes of course." I answer, a big man leads me to the front and gestures for me to sit down.

"Please state your name."

"Peeta Mellark."

"Relation to Ms. Everdeen."

"Fellow victor, friend." The person looks at me questioningly. Really that's all? But if he wanted me to state every relation that I had with Katniss the list would never end. "Ally." I add just to make the list I had said out loud longer.

"And how long have you known her?"

"A long time. We didn't start talking until about two years ago. I haven't been able to talk to her much lately though. Different wings of the hospital, complications mentally. I haven't been able to get a real good read on her in about a year, when we were in the 75th Games." I hear the click clack of a key board behind me, I turn to see a woman typing as fast as she can. Keeping track of our conversations. I wonder with all these cameras around why they would need that, I decide that it's for show more than anything.

"And had you talked to her at all the morning that she shot and killed Elma Coin?" The man asking me the questions was small, he had spiky blonde hair and his suit hung closely to his small body. I wonder which District he his from and how Plutarch had found him.

"All of the alive Victors had a meeting together. I don't believe I said anything directly to her. She seemed like Katniss would seem. She looked nervous, but she had been in the hospital for weeks, she had just recently began to speak. It was normal." The small man nods his head as if he was expecting something like this.

I catch the eye of the woman that went before me, tears still fell from her eyes.

"Did you notice any hostility towards Elma Coin in this meeting?"

"No, she answered her questions, she even voted to continue on with the Games for the Capitol children like Coin was wanting. I didn't expect her to do that." I take a deep breath.

"Do you think what Katniss did was a rightful action?"

"Yes, absolutely. I'm not just saying this to save her life either. Elma Coin was power hungry she could've possibly brought our country right back to where Snow had left it. She never once tried to help the other Districts until it was possible that they could win the war. Elma Coin did not care about the Districts. If Katniss Everdeen had not presented herself with a flicker of hope Coin would've been happy to stay to herself. She only fought this war because she knew that she would be the one in charge. She wanted to fight violence with violence and that is never the answer." A loud sob breaks through my words, the woman that had gone before me cries into her lap loudly not trying to muffle her sounds at all. She's escorted out by Plutarch himself, who shakes his head as he goes.

I finish with, "If Katniss hadn't done it right then we would be in a whole different predicament. Everything that we had just fought for would be nothing. Katniss had every right to do that."

"One last thing Mr. Mellark, do you think Katniss mistakenly shot Coin?" I almost laugh. The arrow had shot her right in the heart and it was nowhere near President Snow.

"No, Katniss did it on purpose, but she should not be executed for doing something that was for the betterment of our country."

"Thank you Mr. Mellark."

Dr. Aurelius took the stand after me and it was decided later that day that Katniss would be released. She was sentenced to go back to Twelve and Haymitch was to go with her. Dr. Aurelius wanted to work with me more, they did not let me go to send her off. Haymitch told me she is already traumatized enough as it is, and seeing my face might set her off. I feel as if I am back to my old school days, wanting her so badly, but knowing I will never be able to have her.

You guys are awesome! You are out there reading my story! I can't believe it! Thanks for all the amazing reviews, and now that I'm getting feedback I'd like to talk about a few things that were mentioned.

SO, a few of you felt like that last chapter was a filler, but it really wasn't. I wanted Peeta to see the woman again, she was an unexpected character that basically just came to mind as I wrote that chapter, I wanted Peeta to be able to thank her because I know that he would want to do that. IF you guys don't like Lily, well then that's too bad.

If that felt like a filler, then this probably did too, but Plutarch mentions the trial to Katniss and I knew that Peeta would be involved in it, I couldn't just skip past it. It is near the end of the story, but there is still quite a few things I want to put in. I know you are excited for Peeta and Katniss to get back together, I AM TOO. I can't wait, but it would seem silly for me to skip over important things. THis is Peeta's POV and he experienced things that Katniss never experienced, I need to have it in here.

Sorry for the late update, I have been extremely lazy. This also might be the last update for about a week, I'm travelin' somewhere! Sorry guys! I posted the first chapter of The Fate Games on July 7th of last year so I hope to finish around then, preferably before...

Please keep the REVIEWS up! It was nice to open my email every so often and see a little gift from you guys! Keep it up. Sorry for this long afternote! Don't forget to REVIEW on the way out! Thanks! ~Boywithbreadlover