Mockingjay: Broken Wings

by Jamie Sommers

A/U Katniss and Peeta are married, expecting a baby. Peeta's unsure of Katniss after the things he's seen while being held prisoner. Is she still trustworthy? With a traitor in the rebellion who can Katniss turn to? Haymitch, after all the secrets he's kept? Gale, who's loyalty lies with President Coin? Or will Peeta open up his heart to her again? Sequel to CF: Rekindling

4. Jabberjay's Defense

Mockingjay: Broken Wings

By: Jamie Sommers

Chapter Three: Jabberjay's Defense

So far Katniss has been deemed loony tunes, and keeps trying to find some sort of comfort from talking to Peeta even though he's not there. Peeta's hijacking has begun and he's having a difficult time keeping a hold of reality. In this chapter, he gets help from an unlikely source. He also mouthed something to Katniss at the end of his damning interview with Caesar Flickerman. Did the rebels notice? Did Snow?

Thank you to all of you for reading and reviewing. I would like to remind all of you that I am writing a ROMANCE/DRAMA based on Katniss and Peeta. This is not a Katniss/Peeta/Gale fic. Thank you to my betas, S and A. I appreciate all of your hard work. BB, I know things have been rough lately and I want to tell you how much I appreciate all that you do for me. Thanks!

Anyone in the mood to find out what's happening with...

Mockingjay: Broken Wings

The soft crying of Annie Crest echoed through the Capitol's prison cells, and Johanna was certain she was going to pull the hairs out of her own head from sheer insanity. Between Peeta talking to an invisible Katniss and Annie's crying, along with several other mentor's that had gotten left behind during the rebel's rescue mission complaining, Johanna was almost looking forward to her daily torture session so she could get some semblance of peace. "Shut up," she said quietly as she paced back and forth in the dark recesses of her cell. "All of you need to shut the hell up." She ran her scaly fingers through her tufts of hair and listened once more as Annie's sobs pierced her eardrums. "Oh, for the love of God shut the hell up!" She grabbed onto the bars and shook her arms, imagining it was the crying victor. "I can't take this anymore! You're stuck here like the rest of us! Get over it!" She whipped herself around and faced the back wall, catching Peeta's eye as she turned. "What?" She glared at him.

"A little tense, Johanna?" Peeta asked her with a hint of aggression in his voice. "I'm not too crazy about the noise either, but the last thing we need is to turn on each other, so quit your bitching."

Johanna arched a brow and sashayed the few feet towards Peeta's cell. "Holy shit. Are you actually pissed at me Peeta?" This was a revelation.

"It's not like I don't get angry," his eyes, which were normally a bright blue, looked almost black.

"Yeah, I know you do, but it's usually because you're defending Fireball." Johanna slid her back down the wall and took a seat close to him, the bars of the jail the only thing separating them.

"What fireball?" Peeta gave her a strange look.

"For Christ sake!" She blew out an exasperated breath. "Not what. Who. Who! Fireball is a who."

"Fine," Peeta snapped at her. "Who's Fireball?"

'Oh goody,' Johanna thought to herself as she rolled her head back, 'It's story time.' "Fireball is your wife...mother of your child..."

"Pain in her ass," another prisoner's voice squeaked out from a neighboring cell.

Johanna held a hand towards the mentor from District Six that had been brought down to join the festivities. "Even he knows who I'm talking about. Now come on and think. Who am I talking about?"

"Wife?! Screw you! I'm not married, and I sure as hell didn't get anyone pregnant!" His body began to shake and he took a few deep breaths then he said in a calmer tone of voice, "I don't know anyone named Fireball."

"That's not her real name. You do know her, and you are married ,and you are going to be a father so quit yelling at me because I didn't tell you to knock the bitch up," Johanna leaned closer to the cell but stayed a fair distance away from him. "Now think. Who could be Fireball?"

Peeta rubbed his eyes with his fists and made a guess, "Fireball...uh...Portia?"

"Geez," Johanna was quickly growing weary of repeating the same process every day. Wake up in the middle of the night to someone's screams, either because of a nightmare or because they were being tortured. Something moldy or spoiled to eat and enough liquid to keep them from dehydrating, but not enough to quench their thirst. Someone getting pulled from their cell to be beaten for information they didn't have, none of the people from the districts other than herself and Peeta knew anything about the rebellion and Peeta was forgetting almost everything to do with Katniss so Johanna had no clue if he remembered anything about the rebellion. Getting brought into a room and dipped into ice baths, or having her hands tied above her head and being lowered into a tub of water just low enough so her eyes could see above the waterline, but her nose and mouth submerged beneath, and then there was Peeta's daily memory lapses which were growing longer and more violent. Throw into that the sound of Annie's crying and death was beginning to sound better and better with each passing minute. "Okay," she let out a breath. "Try and picture the girl. You still hear her, right?"

"Yeah," Peeta eyed up Johanna cautiously.

"Still see her?"

"Sometimes, but she's been fading a lot. I can't really make out her features anymore except..." he lowered his voice down, "I can remember her eyes and her nose."

"Then let's start there." It usually took awhile, Johanna probing Peeta with questions about the girl he saw in his head each day, but he always wound up remembering who she was though lately it was taking longer and longer for him to put it together. Today it took him, by Johanna's estimations, about an hour, or maybe it just felt that way to her since her time with these people was causing premature aging.

Peeta's eyes finally looked a little more normal, his temper wasn't as violent, but he sounded worn out by the time he finally remembered who Katniss was. "Johanna, I don't want to forget her." He turned his head towards Johanna and looked at her with tears in her eyes. "All I can think of are those horrible images they play for me of her and Gale. How do I know they're not real? What if they are? What if..." Peeta started to silently cry, "...if she actually did have something going on with Gale behind my back? That baby could be his, Johanna."

"Now that's the biggest crock I've ever heard," Johanna wrapped her arms around her up-drawn knees. "I happen to know for a fact that she'd never do that to you."

"How can you be so sure when I can't...and she's supposed to be my wife?"

"First off, she is your wife...at least you both act like you're married and second..." she sighed in resignation, "Because..." Johanna really didn't want to admit this. "God, I hate my life." She lifted her eyes to the ceiling then let them meet Peeta's. "She loves you, okay. Now don't make me sit here and get all mushy and shit. I hate that crap."

"Do you really think she loves me?" Peeta wiped the back of his hand across his eyes.

"Okay, look...if I tell you something, you have to swear you won't tell her I told you about it. Then again, the way you've been lately, you'll probably forget I told you about it in about an hour so..." Johanna shrugged. "Might as well spill my guts."

"Spill your guts about what?" Peeta gave her an expectant look.

"It happened in the arena...the night she was trapped in the jabberjay section and you two were on guard. You walked her back to the campsite and...she was all weepy and crap and..." 'My life SUCKS!' Johanna's mind was reeling. "And she told me some stuff about you and Gale and that damn kid of yours."

The sound of sniffling was soooo annoying. Johanna had been listening to Katniss' bellyaching for at least an hour, 'Okay, maybe it's been ten minutes, but still… Freaking cinnamon buns had to go and make her cry. Then again a gust of wind seems to make her cry lately.' Johanna rolled her eyes and said to Katniss, "Some of us are trying to sleep here. Mind keeping your whining to a minimum?"

Johanna had been expecting an argument from Katniss, or at least a smart ass remark, but the girl simply wiped her eyes with the back of her hands and mumbled, "Sorry." She tucked her knees up to her chest and hugged them, squeezed her eyes shut and looked like she was going to go to sleep.

After a few minutes of silence Johanna heard the sniffling start up again and rolled over. "For Christ sake. Are you seriously bawling? So Peeta kissed you goodnight and got all sappy on your ass. Suck it up."

"Shut up, Johanna," Katniss' voice cracked. "He didn't say goodnight, he said goodbye. Goodbye. Okay? Sorry if I'm upset over the impending death of my husband. I really didn't mean to interrupt your beauty sleep, God knows you need it," Katniss threw her a glare through her tears.

Johanna stopped herself from telling her Peeta wasn't going to die, because she really had no clue whether or not any of them would survive until they were broken out of the Games. "At least you got to say goodbye to him. Know how many of us wish we had that chance? A lot." She meant for it to come out sounding like she was pissed off, too bad she sounded like she felt bad for the girl. "Shit," Johanna murmured to herself. If there was one thing Johanna hated, it was showing compassion. To her it was just handing the Capitol another weapon to use against her.

"What are you…shitting over?" Katniss asked her. "Did I offend you?" She shot her legs straight out and said, "Too damn bad."

"No," Johanna narrowed her eyes, ready to warn Katniss to back off, "I wasn't offended. You have to actually care about someone to take offense to what they say, and I couldn't give a rat's ass about you or cinnamon buns for that matter."

Katniss lifted her head a little and gave her ally a strange look. "Cinnamon buns?"

'Man, I'm really stepping in it tonight,' Johanna thought to herself. "Screw it." The only reason she kept the nickname away from Katniss was because of Finnick, but he wasn't here and Johanna wanted to prove her point about not caring. "It's my little nickname for Peeta." She tucked her hands under her head, lay on her back and crossed her ankles, giving the impression of a very relaxed person. "He always smells like cinnamon and I like his ass. Cinnamon Buns."

Katniss' eyes flew open at Johanna's admission. Again Johanna was surprised by Katniss' reaction. She expected fury when talking about Peeta that way, instead Katniss' hand covered her mouth so her laugh couldn't escape. Katniss took a few breaths out of her nose and said in a particularly unresponsive voice, "I'm partial to his abs myself, but his butt is cute."

There was a smile of approval across Johanna's face when she looked at Katniss. "Okay, I'm just going to admit it, and don't take this the wrong way, because he's way too young for me, but cinnamon buns is hot. He's no Finnick Odair, but…damn when I saw him wearing that tight uniform during training this year, I couldn't believe my eyes." She thought for a brief second about his body. "Yeah…he does have good abs."

"Why am I not shooting you right now?" It was obvious by the tone in Katniss' voice she was trying to get a grip on their topic of conversation.

Johanna smirked a little. "My mom used to say, put two women in a room together and within fifteen minutes they're either talking about their menstrual cycle, childbirth or sex."

Katniss eyed up Johanna. "I'm not exactly sure where this topic of conversation falls under those three categories."

"Sex. Definitely sex. Speaking of…it's been awhile. How is the sex?" Johanna asked with a wag of her brows. "Good? Great? Mediocre?"

"Okay, I might actually shoot you now." Katniss shook her head. "There are some things I'm not willing to discuss and that's one of them."

"That good huh?" Johanna let out a little huff of air. "Bet he's one of those guys that always puts you first."

"Johanna!" Katniss was taken aback by the comment. "Do you mind? This is my private life you're discussing here."

The look on Katniss' face said it all. "Yup, he's one of those," Johanna gave her a devilish grin. "I used to have a guy like that. Actually gave a damn about me…put me first."

"What happened? Did he realize that you're a pain in the ass and dump you?"

"He got all…clingy and who needs that shit? Not me." Johanna was glad she got rid of him too. He was too nice for her. She needed someone with a little more fire. "Must suck for you though…Peeta being all sweet and everything. Don't you just want him to throw you on the ground and …go for it?" Johanna asked with wide eyes.

"Seriously, I am not having this conversation with you. I can't believe..." Katniss lifted her hands to her cheeks to hide her blush. "Please stop talking about my sex life."

"Peeta?!" Johanna asked with shock. "No way! You mean he…" there was a modicum of respect in her voice when she said, "Who knew cinnamon buns had passion in him?"

"I did," Katniss answered then clapped her hand over her mouth. "Shit," she chided herself for jumping at Johanna's bait.

"Now look who's shitting." Surprisingly Johanna was enjoying herself with Katniss. "You know fireball, I think this is the longest we've ever talked without trying to kill each other."

The woman had an excellent point. "Who knew all it would take was for you to talk about my husband's ass." Katniss met Johanna's wicked view with her own and both women let out a little burst of laughter. "I wonder if this is what it's like to have a perverted older sister?" Katniss asked with as straight as a face as she could muster up and they both started to laugh again. After a long pause Katniss said, "Didn't mean to wake you up tonight. I know you haven't slept much."

Johanna settled into her position. "It wasn't you. Finnick woke me up with all his whining." Her eyes rolled towards Katniss', "He's actually more annoying than you when he cries. However, I would like to go to sleep."

"Yeah, me too. I think I might be able to now."

Johanna rolled over and said, "Sure, now that I've given you something to dream about. I think I'm going to stick to Odair. He looks pretty good dripping with water and that trident in his hand. Plus I'll be dreaming so I can shove a sock in his mouth to stop that damn crying."

"Finnick Odair has nothing on Peeta Mellark," Katniss had said this to herself once before, but this time her thoughts actually came out of her mouth.

"Damn, if you're saying that, then Peeta must be pretty good." Johanna had been wondering about something for awhile and thought she might as well take a shot and ask about it. "So, what happened in that cave under that sleeping bag last year?"

"Nothing," Katniss grinned. "We just kissed each other."

"And you had to hide it? Must've been some kiss."

Johanna watched as Katniss' fingers brushed across her lips before saying, "It was."

"So," Johanna cleared her throat, "what's up with all the tears tonight? I know he said goodbye to you, but…" she faced Katniss, "…I thought you were stronger than all this weepy, girly crap you've been pulling lately. You used to have balls. What the hell happened to you?"

"Funny…I was wondering the same thing myself." Katniss stretched her arm out and rested her head against it. "Until someone reminded me that these mood changes go along with being pregnant." She stuck her finger in the sand and buried it for no reason but to avoid looking at Johanna. "I'm not very good at being pregnant. Suck at it actually."

"You're telling me," Johanna agreed with her. "If there were warning labels on pregnant women that listed side effects, you'd have every single one of them."

"Not true," Katniss corrected her. "Some women tend to faint and I haven't."

"Yet," Johanna smirked. "Give it time, I'm sure you'll do that too. Gotta be honest here, if you're the example of what strong women turn into when they get knocked up…bet there are thousands of girls across the nation looking at you as their form of birth control right now." Johanna thought that was pretty funny.

"Ha. Ha." Katniss was already disappointed in herself. She didn't need Johanna rubbing it in. "Yup, get pregnant and turn into a sniveling coward just like me."

"A coward? Now that's the one thing I can say you're not."

"Don't try and be nice, Johanna. It's not your style," Katniss almost sneered at her.

"Is that what you think? That I'm trying to be nice?" Johanna let out a little chuckle. "You're right, that is definitely not my style. Look, you came into these Games with a…don't really want to call it a handicap, but in a way it is, and you're still ready to kick some serious ass. Got to give credit where credit is due."

"Yeah, I was so ready to kick ass I jumped into the ocean when the Careers attacked you guys at the Cornucopia," Katniss spit out.

"That took a lot of guts, fireball. For people like us…we face danger, it's in our nature, so when you dove into that water and fought against everything you...are…" Johanna hated to admit it, and she still wasn't sure if she liked Katniss or not, but she admired the girl's gusto. "Sometimes, running takes more courage than fighting. You did what you had to do to save that brat of yours. Who can blame you for that? I'd like to, but I can't," she gave Katniss a firm nod. "Stop taking everything so damn seriously. You need to lighten up and give yourself a break every now and then. I didn't blame myself for Blight walking into the force field. We could've stayed put and toughed out the rain, but I insisted that we move on. Don't see me feeling guilty about it."

"Oh, I don't feel guilty," Katniss wanted to set the record straight. "I'm fine with my choice. I'm just not too thrilled about the way it made me feel."

"Feelings can be controlled," Johanna knew this from experience. "Tune the shit out and move on. Tomorrow will be another day and we'll have another challenge. In the meantime…try not to cry so damn much. It seriously gets on my last nerve."

"I'm not too thrilled about it either, but it's not like I can control this. Too bad there's no off button for the tears. I hate crying. It pisses me off."

"Me too. Your crying pisses me off royally," Johanna actually smiled. "Your puking on the other hand is music to my ears."

"Mine too," Katniss smiled as she let her hand rest against her stomach. "After that first night out here we didn't know if the baby was all right or not. Since then my morning sickness, which is a load of crap by the way, it happens morning, noon and night, it's gotten progressively worse."

"The kid's okay." Johanna was glad for the girl. "Have you always wanted to have kids?"

"Never!" Katniss stated. "Peeta and I never, ever wanted to have a child. Thoughts of it being reaped…" Katniss shook her head. "No, we were too afraid to ever have a baby."

"Then how did this happen?" Johanna made a gesture towards her stomach. "You don't have to go into great detail or anything…unless you want to," she arched her brow in an encouraging manor.

"You're a pig." Katniss was getting used to the woman's crass comments.

"There's nothing wrong with a little vicarious living."

"Choose someone else's life to live through. Mine sucks…well…not all of it, but this whole arena thing sucks." Katniss paused. "My life hasn't been a bed of roses or anything, but Peeta," she grinned, "cinnamon buns…he makes me happy. Since we got married, we had some rough times, but the good times…they outweighed the bad. Even our bad times are good. At least we're together."

"So you decided to get knocked up and...what...give yourself a challenge?" Johanna was trying to understand why the girl let it happen.

"We didn't decide to have a baby. It was an accident. We…" Katniss sighed before admitting, "Peeta and I had been concentrating on training for the Games and in the process our relationship took a beating. When it got to the point in which we had to choose what came first, us or training for the Games, we chose us. Truth is…if it hadn't been for my cousin, Gale, this baby probably never would've been here."

"What the hell does your cousin have to do with this? He didn't…" Johanna made a weird face. "Ew."

"Dear God. NO! Does your mind always go to the gutter?"

"If I'm lucky," Johanna answered honestly.

"Gale and Peeta became friends while we were in Twelve...shocked the hell out of me..." Katniss explained, "Gale saw the way we were acting with one another...stand offish, avoiding contact...none of which was my idea, but Peeta thought...well, he thought we should concentrate on training. Get as strong as possible before entering the arena, but somewhere in the process things between him and I got so tense. I mean...we fight," Katniss kind of grinned. "We fight a lot, but we always make up."

"So, you two had a big blow out or something?" This was getting interesting in Johanna's mind.

"No. Not at all and that was the problem. Peeta and I are actually better when we argue back and forth. We have a spat about something, usually once, and then it's all worked out, and like I said...we do make up with each other, but we hadn't fought at all. We hadn't done much of anything at all except train."

"What does Gale have to do with this?" Johanna wondered.

"Since he and Peeta had developed a friendship, Gale asked him what was going on between the two of us, it was blatantly obvious there was something up, and when Peeta told him what was going on, Gale pretty much called us both idiots and set us both straight. He helped us to see our priorities, which helped because Peeta and I had a fight, and later on that night…" Katniss trailed off.

Johanna gave her a nod of approval. "I'm guessing you did some serious making up."

"We got our lives back that night. We were Mr. and Mrs. Mellark again," she beamed. "No, I never wanted to have a baby, but I'm not sorry. I'll never be sorry for carrying Peeta's child. How could I?" Katniss rolled her head towards Johanna, "Peeta once said that having a child is the ultimate statement of love..." her eyes drifted towards the heavens, "...and he was right." She trailed her fingertips under her navel. "All I can say is, thank goodness for Gale's intervention. If he hadn't said something to both of us, we'd never have this baby and even though I didn't want kids, it's here and I won't go wishing it away...I'm thankful for it."

"Okay. That's enough of that. All your syrupy love crap is making me sick." Johanna rolled over, facing away from Katniss. "Try and remember some of that shit the next time you feel like crying. Maybe it'll save me a headache if you can muster up a happy thought or something."

"Yeah," Katniss closed her eyes then said, "Hey, Johanna...thanks."

"For what?"

"Making me laugh."

Johanna hadn't meant to help the girl, but she had. "Yeah...whatever. Shut up and go to sleep before I make you cry again."

There was complete silence in the jail cells surrounding Johanna. Every prisoner, even the Peacekeepers had been listening to her regale Peeta with the tale about Katniss. "Great," Johanna scanned her onlookers gazes. "I'm not the nightly entertainment so quit staring."

Peeta reached between the bars and touched her hand, "Thanks. I needed to hear that...a lot."

It was the first time she had seen Peeta look like his old self since he was in the arena. "Yeah, well... Don't go thinking I'm gonna be livening up this joint with Katniss and Peeta stories. I've got better things to do." She tilted her head a little and gave him a miniscule smile.

"Oh yeah. Like what?" Peeta took his hand from hers and rested it on his own leg. "Got a hot date?"

The sound of the heavy door that led to the prison opened quickly followed by the stomping of boots. Johanna didn't move. She knew they were there for her. It was punishment for bringing Peeta back to reality after all the hard work the Capitol was putting into tearing the kid apart. The white uniformed guards stood in front of her cell door before their leader waved his hand in front of the lock and released it. Johanna stood up, turned to Peeta and said, "Looks like my date is here. Try not to forget her while I'm gone."

"Johanna," Peeta's voice cracked as he reached through the cell's bars in a feeble attempt to grab onto her. "I won't forget her Johanna! I won't!" Peeta called out to her as she was being dragged by the arms out the door and to her water torture chamber.

She held her head high, took a deep breath and thought, 'Go ahead and do what you want. It was worth it.'

…..

…..

…..

…..

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The worst part of Katniss' life since leaving the arena was bedtime. It wasn't so bad when Peeta was around. The warmth of his body...his arms cradling her whether it was in their bed, in a cave, on a train or on the beach, always provided a source of security for her, but he wasn't there. All she had of him was the few items she brought from home and the items she kept secure inside of a tiny silver parachute in the arena. When she was brought to Thirteen they confiscated her bow and arrows, no one was allowed weapons except the soldiers that patrolled the underground city as well as the medications she was provided in the arena for their medical bay. Katniss was left with the parachute, the spile and the pearl Peeta had given to her on the beach. Each night she would lie in bed and rub the smooth surface of the pearl between her fingertips in an attempt to summon Peeta's strength from it to no avail and when it failed, as it usually did, she would sneak into her mother and sister's quarters with the hopes of warding off the loneliness that plagued her.

Prim could hear the shuffling of the air vent cover and rolled over in bed. It was Katniss making her way into their home in Thirteen via the air ducts so she could avoid the guards that patrolled the halls at night. She got out of bed and moved a chair closer so Katniss would have something to step on when she climbed out, her mother had no clue about the late night visits, and she always moved the chair back to its proper place before she went to bed. "Hey," Prim whispered to her sister's dangling feet. "Couldn't sleep again?"

Katniss' outstretched toes reached for the chair and stepped comfortably onto it. "No." Most nights her sister was still in bed and all she had to do was curl up behind Prim, then go back home before her mother woke up. Tonight however, Prim was wide away. "You should go back to sleep, Prim. I didn't mean to wake you."

"That's okay." Prim held her sister's hand, giving her a helping hand off of the chair. "I couldn't sleep either. Not after seeing Peeta's broadcast."

Katniss froze in place. "Tell me you don't believe the things he said about the war, Prim." She couldn't take it if her sister of all people lost faith in Peeta.

Prim, who was walking towards her bed, stopped in her tracks and gave her sister a worried expression. "Why would I think that? Do you believe it, Katniss?"

"No," she whispered harshly. "Of course not, but..." Katniss had been worried sick about everyone's reactions to Peeta's interview with Caesar. She had wanted to go talk to President Coin about it, but Gale had told her she needed to think about what she wanted to say before going into the control room and coming to Peeta's defense. In his words, she'd most likely get pissed off at someone and 'blow a gasket' then she wouldn't be doing Peeta any good. "I'm just worried about him, that's all." Katniss wasn't about to get her sister worried too, so she stopped talking about it.

As Prim lifted the covers, she felt the cool skin of Katniss' legs touching her. "You need to wear some pants if you're going to climb through the air vents. You might hurt yourself."

Climbing through the vents was the least of Katniss' problems. She'd only be able to get away with that for a few more weeks anyway. After that, she wasn't sure what her body would look like or feel like for that matter. "Let's go to sleep," she suggested.

Prim held onto her sister's hand under the covers and whispered to her, "You can talk to me you know. I'm a good listener and I know how to keep secrets," she stole a glance at their mother, "even from mom." She gave Katniss a sly grin then added, "Even from you."

"What?" Katniss' eyes flew open. "What secrets have you been keeping from me?"

"Well, you didn't know about me and Peeta, did you?" Prim rolled onto her side to face her sister. "And we were friends for a long time before you two ever started dating."

Her sister brought up a very good point and Katniss really did need to share her concerns with someone that loved Peeta just as much as she did. "Prim, I'm going to agree to be the Mockingjay tomorrow."

"Because you want to or because you have to?" Prim asked.

With that one question the idea of Prim being able to hold onto some of her childhood while in this new district was wiped away from Katniss' mind. Her sister knew then...knew that the rebels were using Katniss and Peeta for the war. "A little of both I guess," Katniss answered her honestly. "The thought of kids...anyone really...starving, being worked to death just so the people of the Capitol can live their lavish lifestyles haunts me." She rolled to her side and mirrored Prim's position. "The few times we were there, Peeta and I never understood how those people could live their lives like that...waste so much, when there are so many in this world that would kill...have killed for just a taste of what they have."

"What do they have?" Prim had only seen it on television and was always curious about the place, but all she ever got out of her sister and brother was a change of topic in their conversation.

"Too much." Katniss remembered the Victory Tour banquet in which people were throwing up so they could continue to eat. "The thing is, most of those people don't know any better and the ones that do, don't care. As a matter of fact, they like it the way it is. Using the residents of the districts as their slaves and reminding them how powerful they are every year with the Games." Katniss rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling.

"If you could pick one reason to be the Mockingjay, not because you had to, but because you wanted to, what would it be?" Prim asked and wondered if Katniss' answer would be Peeta.

"To end the Games." Katniss' hand trailed beneath Peeta's pajama shirt and ran along the waistband of her underwear and lost herself in thought. "Peeta and I were always of one mind when it came to that. We knew our child would have to go into the arena which is why we never wanted kids to begin with, but now...everything is different. I can't let the Capitol remain in charge of this nation...of our baby's future. And if Peeta were here I know he'd agree with me." There was dead silence in the room then Prim's hand found Katniss' under her pajamas.

"Katniss?" She looked at her sister with questioning eyes. Prim knew her sister inside and out. She had seen her crumble into pieces when she and Peeta stopped seeing each other after they won their Games and they were still living across the street from one another. Prim had wondered why Katniss hadn't really mourned the loss of her baby and now Prim had to wonder... "Katniss?"

She rolled to face Prim and saw it, felt her sisters fingertips against her stomach and Katniss knew she had seriously screwed up. "Prim," she rolled over and held onto her by the upper arms. "You can't tell anyone. You can't."

"Oh Katniss," Prim's eyes grew with delight. "You are? Really?"

Katniss nodded her head yes and felt her sister's arms wrap around her with joy. It was a welcoming feeling having someone to share this with. "Please promise me you won't say a thing. Prim, it could be so dangerous if you told."

"I won't. I swear it. They can beat me till I'm blue in the face and I'd never break my word to you about this, but... why does everyone think you lost it?"

"I can't tell you that, Prim." Katniss let out a small sigh. "Please, Oh God, please forget you even know about this."

Then Prim realized why. "It's because of this Mockingjay thing isn't it?" Katniss' eyes said it all. Prim was concerned for her sister's well being as well as the life she was carrying. "Katniss, how can you be the Mockingjay if you're still pregnant?"

"I'm not sure, but I'll have to figure it out. If I don't, then...we're all in trouble, aren't we?"

"Not necessarily," Prim took her sister's hand and squeezed it. "I don't think you realize how important you are to this war Katniss. You can ask for anything you want and they'll give it to you."

"Like believing Peeta's innocent of treason?"

"Like anything," Prim assured her. "They need you a lot more than you need them. Think about it. The war isn't going to stop if you decide not to fill your role. They'll keep on going until they either kill each other off or someone eventually wins. It might take longer, but you not agreeing to be the Mockingjay won't be the end of the war."

"What are you thinking Prim?" Katniss was very glad her sister was awake when she got here tonight.

"I'm thinking you're the one with the power here, Katniss. How you use it is up to you."

Her head was going a mile a minute now. She began thinking about all the things she could demand from President Coin in return for her being the Mockingjay. "First thing on my list is that they go get my husband," Katniss crossed her arms over her chest as she looked up at the ceiling. "He's been gone way too long and it's time he came home to me."

Prim leaned her head on her sister's shoulder. "To all of us." There was a moment of silence before Prim said, "I miss him so much, Katniss. Everything seems gray without him around. He brought so much color to our lives."

"Oh, Prim." Katniss put her arm around her sister and comforted her. "Guess I never really stopped to think how his absence was affecting you." She kissed the top of her sister's head. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. If I'm hurting this bad, I can't even imagine what you're going through...or his dad, but he's been so strong for us, hasn't he? Taking care of us just like Peeta would...or when dad was alive." It had crossed Katniss' mind too many times, but Prim was right. Having Peeta's father there was like having their own dad back at times.

"That's my pops. He's the best isn't he?"

"Second best," Prim corrected. "Peeta's the best."

"You're right about that one." Katniss felt her sister's hand reach for her stomach again. "Prim? Do you know much about pregnancies?" The girl was as smart as a whip. Talking to her about this would be like talking to her own mother.

"Suppose so. I used to help mom out, plus I'm working with her in the medical bay everyday and they're kind of obsessed about reproducing here."

"Huh?" Katniss asked.

"I was helping mom out with one of the patients and we noticed that a lot of them had the same things on their records. Apparently they got stricken with some type of pox here that left the majority of them infertile. So they're constantly trying to find a way to protect those that are left with the capability of having kids. I'm not supposed to talk about it though, the doctor in there is kind of strict. When mom and I asked about it, he told us to keep that information confidential."

"Hmmm..." Katniss filed that little tid bit of information away for a rainy day. She wasn't sure why, but she thought it might come in handy when and if Coin found out about Dr. Valero not aborting the baby. "Hey, I thought you said you could keep a secret," Katniss teased her sister.

"Sure, if it's for someone I actually care about," Prim gave her a little grin. "That doctor's kind of a jerk to mom so I don't really care if everyone finds out about it, though I'm not sure that the people of Thirteen are in the dark or anything. I mean they've been living with it for years."

'Yup,' Katniss thought to herself, 'This is definitely something that will prove to work in my favor in the future. How I'm not sure yet, but I'll figure it out.' She and Prim spoke quietly about the side effects Katniss would be facing and what she could do to hide them. When Prim came up with a brilliant idea, Katniss gave her sister a kiss on the head. "Prim, I need to wake you up more often."

"I wish you would. Peeta used to talk to me all the time and he said I helped," Prim stated proudly.

"Peeta's one smart guy," Katniss said.

"Of course he is," Prim cuddled up against her, "he married you."

…..

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Haymitch had studied Effie's note over and over again. There was something wrong about it and for the life of him he couldn't figure it out. 'What are you trying to tell me Trinkie?' He asked himself as he paced around his dimly lit quarters. The second he heard Beetee's announcement about the message coming over the broadcast system Haymitch had thought it was something from Effie, but he wasn't about to get his hopes up over the woman. He saw what Katniss and Finnick were going through and he'd be damned if he was going to get lumped in with the crazies because Effie was stuck in the Capitol. Nope. He put all personal feelings he had for the woman out of his mind and stuck to the business at hand, but damn it was a hard thing to do without the aid of alcohol. He had been fighting the shakes since he was at the Capitol and things kept getting worse for him. The problem was he didn't think his issues had anything to do with the booze that no longer flowed through his system as freely as the blood that pumped through his heart. He was almost ninety-nine percent sure the thing he was missing most had nothing to do with the alcohol that had been his security blanket for over two decades, but the woman that tried to free him from its addiction. "Damn it Trinkie!" Haymitch pounded at the small table next to his bed. "What are you trying to tell me?" He picked up the note and ripped into pieces, scattering the shreds in the air with a throw of his hand. He lay on his back, throwing his arm over his eyes for a few minutes, then picked up the pieces of paper and tried to put it back together so he could read it, but he was missing a few pieces. He'd have Plutarch print him up a new one, but they hated to waste resources in Thirteen and then it hit him. "Son of a bitch!" He didn't bother getting dressed, he just raced out of his room and headed down to the area that Beetee had been holed up in for over a week. None of the security guards bothered to stop him, Haymitch was pretty sure they knew better, all he got was some pretty strange looks. "Where is he?" Haymitch bellowed when he entered the large underground facility designated for designing technology.

"Who..." a young lady monitoring the broadcasts from the Capitol stopped speaking and stared at the half naked man, clearing her voice before asking, "Mr. Abernathy who are you looking for?"

"You," he pointed at her. "This message." He slammed the bits of paper onto the small ledge of a desk in front of her. "Was this the whole thing that came through?"

"I'm sorry?" She asked him trying her best to keep her eyes focused on his face.

"This message that was sent to us from the Capitol. Is this how it was sent to us? Word for word?"

"Basically. We had to condense it in order to..."

"Son of a bitch!" Haymitch threw his hands in the air. "Where's the whole thing? I need to see it."

The girl pushed a few buttons and pulled it up on a computer screen. The note they had gotten was far from the message Effie had sent. They had eliminated over two thirds of it. "What the hell? Why would you people get rid of so much of the message?"

"It was useless information. Much of the message was repeated only using different words."

"This," Haymitch pointed to the screen, "I need this whole thing. Print it up."

"I'll have to get authorization to use the inks as well as the paper. We've already printed it on..."

"PRINT IT!" Haymitch screamed. The second he held it in his hands Haymitch could see it. It was the only code he knew. Granted the rebels stopped using it a long time ago, but Peeta had taught it to Effie and she had sent Haymitch mail using it the entire time they were apart taking advantage of the rebels antiquated code to nag him in print about his drinking, and keeping up to date on Katniss and Peeta until she started to date that blowhard Bettes. After that, Haymitch didn't hear from her again until Reaping Day, but prior to that, he actually looked forward to the letters she sent him. They never had anything of importance written down, but she'd always sneak in something about how she looked forward to seeing him in an upright position instead of face down in a pool of his own vomit or if it was a short note she'd simply say, stay sober. Seeing the embedded message from Effie wasn't as good as seeing the woman herself, but it felt pretty damn good. "That a girl, Effie! I knew it was from you!" Haymitch ripped the paper out of the girl's hand and planted a wet kiss on the young lady then turned to leave. Before walking out of the facility he paused, flashed the girl his cocky grin and said, "Don't get too excited over that sweetheart. That kiss wasn't meant for you. That was for Trinkie."

"Do you hear that?" Prim whispered to Katniss from her sleeping position on the bed. "Someone's banging on your door."

Katniss lulled her head back into the pillow and said, "It's Haymitch." She threw the covers off of herself and walked to her mother's front door, throwing it open in a huff. "There are people trying to sleep here Haymitch."

"Hey," he turned away from Katniss' front door and pulled her out of her mother's quarters. "We need to talk."

"Now? It's the middle of the night."

"Now sweetheart. Now," he grinned like the dickens.

"Wait there."

Haymitch stood in the hallway pacing back and forth for what seemed like an eternity, but was only a few minutes, staring at the Everdeen's door. When Katniss opened up her door instead the man was truly impressed. "Niiiiice. You found a way around this place without alerting the authorities. Your mentor taught you well."

"My mentor is a moron." She held the door open for him. "Come in before you get us both in trouble."

Haymitch walked into Katniss' quarters and took a look around. It was a far cry from what the girl had been living in for the past year, and there wasn't much room for one let alone two, but when he saw touches from their home in Twelve he hoped it would make Peeta's return easier for them. "Looks nice sweetheart. I like the spices on the shelf."

Katniss gave her shoulder a shrug. "Smells like him."

"How'd ya like to sniff the real thing?"

"That's sick, Haymitch," her face was deadpan.

"I mean Peeta. Guess what I've got."

"Knowing you, some form of contagion and I'd rather not know where you picked it up from, or should I say who?" She let out a little chuckle.

"Very funny." he handed her the message and said, "Got some paper and pencils around here? I know you do."

"Of course I do. What is this?" She picked up the piece of paper and walked to a loose tile in the floor, lifting it up to reveal a stash of hidden pencils. "Those are for Peeta. So he can sketch when he gets back."

Haymitch eyed up her loot appreciatively. "Don't blame ya for hording sweetheart, but make sure they don't find out about it."

"They won't as long as you're..." She narrowed her eyes in realization. "This is Effie's message. Why is this version so much longer than the one we looked at?"

"Because they hate to waste so they eliminated most of her text so it would fit on a smaller piece of paper and left us with the basics." Haymitch pulled out a chair. "There's a code in there."

"Yeah, I know. Peeta used to send me notes like this, but I sucked at reading them so..." Katniss took the pencil and found a piece of paper from underneath a drawer she had hidden there. "Have you brought this to anyone else?"

"Came straight here."

Katniss' eyes met Haymitch's. "Okay, let's see if we can figure this out."

He watched her as she worked on it, attempting to look over her shoulder but getting shooed away and wondered how she was holding up. He had meant to ask her on many different occasions but she kept zoning out and moving her lips, blah blah blahing about. Now he noticed how healthy she was looking. She had scars from the arena, but other than that, she looked really great. "Thirteen must agree with you."

"Well, I don't agree with it." She went back to work after her snide remark.

Haymitch went to her bed and kicked back on it, putting his hands under his head. "What I wouldn't give to have my own pillow."

Katniss shook her head at him. "What I wouldn't give to have my husband."

"Yeah, I know, but...you gotta admit...you miss your bed in Victor's Village."

"Not the bed as much as the man that slept beside me." Katniss paused then added, "But I do miss our bedding. If I had thought about it, I would've stopped in the woods and picked up some of that stuff Peeta put into storage for us while I was in Twelve."

"Wouldn't have done you any good. They brought it all here," Haymitch told her and saw Katniss' head snap up.

"What do you mean they brought it here? Where is it?"

"Don't know. Why?" He had to wonder what was in storage that was so important to her.

"There are two trunks that have voice activated locks. They belong to me and Peeta. I want them." Katniss glared at him.

Haymitch held his hands up and said, "Don't talk to me. Talk to Coin. She probably had someone break the thing open and put everything in their stockpile."

Katniss slammed her pencil down. "She better not have or so help me..." her nostrils were flaring. "I'm adding that onto my list." She grabbed another piece of paper from the drawer and started writing, only this time in pen.

"What list?"

"Nothing," she snapped. "You'll find out tomorrow."

Haymitch just nodded his head and waited for her to get impatient and spill her guts. When she didn't he continued to pry. "What's happening tomorrow?"

"Do you want me to do this or did you just come here for a midnight chat?" She slammed the pencil against the table. "Because I don't have to figure this out for you."

"It's not for me sweetheart, it's for you."

"Me?" Katniss looked down at the paper and called him over. "Come here. Start putting these words together and making sense out of it."

It took them about a half an hour to figure it out, but when they did they both sat there staring at it, unmoving with concern filling their eyes until Haymitch broke the uncomfortable silence. "We've got to figure out a way to get them out of there. She's going to get herself killed doing this." He felt the shakes coming on again and lifted his fists to his clamped lips. "There's no way she can keep this up."

"They're killing him," Katniss' eyes were filled with tears. "Haymitch, how quickly can they plan something?"

"Don't know," Haymitch's worst fears were coming to life, "but they better get it done and fast, or we won't have anyone left to rescue."

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"Hey," Katniss had her list of demands in her pocket, was dressed according to Thirteen's standards and was almost ready to face the woman she hated as much as President Snow. She tried to get past Coin's order to abort her baby, but that wasn't something a person like Katniss swept under a rug and forgave. She greeted Gale in the dining hall. "Want to sit next to me this morning?"

Gale's boyish grin met her worried scowl. "I don't date married women." He was pleased when he saw the crack of a smile. "Yeah, grab your tray."

Katniss stuck her arm into the device that read aloud her information before every meal and noticed it was still calling her by her maiden name. "I am so sick of this crap."

"What crap?" Gale asked.

"My name is Mellark. You think somebody around here could get that right?" She blew the few strands of hair that had fallen into her eyes away.

"To be fair, you two only had a toasting." Gale said to her and Katniss filled with guilt. She had assumed that someone had told him about the actual wedding ceremony between her and Peeta, but now she knew no one did. Gale placed his tray down to get his daily pathetic servings. "I'll tell you what I'm sick of, this food. They need some decent game around here." He looked down at Katniss who was chewing at her lip like it was her last meal. "Catnip, you're getting more food than me and Rory combined so quit eating your own mouth. It's not very attractive."

"Hmm? Oh," she chuckled a little and ran through more things in her head. "Yeah, sorry about that. Nervous habit."

"Really?" Gale had reached to carry her tray for her than thought better of it. "Here I thought you just wanted a snack before breakfast."

'Snack before breakfast,' she thought to herself, 'I hope Prim's plan works and Regina doesn't get mad at me for letting her in on the baby.'

"Hello?" Gale waved his hand in front of her face. "You having breakfast with Peeta this morning?" It wouldn't have bothered him if she was, but he was hoping she'd join him for the meal.

"No. I'm just trying to figure out what I can put on my list of demands before going into the command center." Katniss took out her piece of paper and pen. "Want to help me with it?"

Gale read it over and gave her a slow nod. "Good thinking with the first one, but the second?" He twisted his face a little. "Seriously?"

"Yes," Katniss was firm in her thinking. She waited until Haymitch left her quarters before working on the list some more. She had thought about confiding in him about her choice to become the Mockingjay then decided against it. The man was still too involved with the rebels and right now she wasn't sure who was trustworthy and who wasn't, but she'd have more of an idea after the meeting this morning. "Number two is important to number one. Trust me on this. Peeta couldn't live without number two."

"Okay," Gale slid the paper across the table at her and spooned the last of his mashed turnips into his mouth. "We could ask them, to let us hunt."

Katniss' eyes lit up before she started to scribble it down. "That's a good one...and Buttercup. I better put him on here too or he might wind up being served to us tomorrow."

"Yeah, I don't think these people will look too kindly on a useless cat roaming around," Gale agreed.

"Anything else?" She looked over the list and it seemed so paltry in comparison to what she was going to do for Coin.

"Depends on how petty you want to be, I suppose." Gale tapped at the end of the table. "Seems to me you got the important things on there." He gave her a sheepish grin, "Is there anything not so important you want?"

"Yeah, but I'll talk to Coin privately about that." Katniss picked up her empty tray and walked it to the washing area. What she wouldn't do to have Peeta by her side this morning. 'If he were here you wouldn't have to go through this,' she reminded herself. "Hey," she had a thought, "Don't suppose you want to come with me to the command center? They might punish you though...for not following your schedule."

"They already took my communicuff. What more can they take?" Gale's eyes danced with humor.

"Thanks." They walked together to the room where everybody who was anybody was waiting inside for her. "Wait a second," she said quietly to Gale before he opened the door. "I need a minute."

"You okay, Catnip?" Gale asked her.

It was a simple question, one she could have answered with a fine or yeah, but that's not what came out. What came out...poured out was her heart. Gale had no clue if Katniss knew she was actually speaking out loud or not, but she was and he heard every word. "I never asked for this you know...to love someone this way, but I do and now... I don't know what happened to me. Who I am anymore without you." Gale listened to her, but he knew she wasn't talking to him. It was Peeta she was conversing with. It was always him.

"When did this happen to me? When did you become such a vital part of my life? When weren't you a vital part of my life?" Katniss let out a little sound somewhere between a laugh and a burst of air thinking of all the times that Peeta impacted her world without her even knowing. "You keep telling me I've changed...the Games changed me, but it wasn't the Games, it was you." She closed her eyes and pictured Peeta sitting under the oak tree, smiling at her with his perfectly straight teeth, pictured the shape of his lips, the way his hair fell across his forehead and his eyes...the way they looked at her like she was the only person that ever existed. "How did you see me? See what was inside of me when I couldn't even see it myself? How did you find more in me than anyone that ever knew me? Please tell me you can find more in me now. That I'm not going to lose my courage and I'll be able to face this on my own. We've done this together for so long now I'm not sure how to do it alone. God, I don't want to be without you anymore. I need to be that girl you fell in love with again. I have to be the girl that volunteered for her sister during the first Games, and I'm scared...so scared, because I don't know where she is. I need to be the girl that I was in the first arena...the one that didn't think twice before lifting up a handful of berries to her lips. Please...please," she begged him, "come to me now. Just let me feel you near so I can do this."

Peeta's voice spoke quietly in her head, "One," she could almost feel his hand trailing down her braid.

Gale watched her as a tear rolled down her cheek then she moved her lips and no sound came out.

"Two," she held her hand out and felt Peeta's heart beating beneath her palm.

"Three," her hand went to her abdomen where the third member of their family was currently residing. She could feel the warmth of Peeta's hand pressing against her...his lips touching hers. "Thank you," she swallowed the huge lump in her throat then turned to Gale, "Okay," she said aloud. "Let's do this."

"One second," he reached out and wiped the tear away. He wasn't sure if he should say anything or not, she seemed to need support of some kind, but the look in her eyes said she had found all she needed from her little talk. Catnip didn't need him to fill that particular void in her life anymore and he had to figure out what his new role in her world would be. "Okay. Let's go."

They walked into the middle of a debate of some sort. Katniss noticed Haymitch looking exceptionally pissed off and Plutarch's red face. "Am I late?"

"No," President Coin's eyes flashed towards Gale and back to Katniss. "Sit down."

"That's okay, I'll stand." Katniss answered stiffly.

"Do the words orange blossom mean anything to you?" Coin came right out and asked.

Katniss shook her head, "No. Should they?"

"Seems that's the code name of a traitor," Haymitch answered. "We've been trying to figure it out since I decoded Effie's message." Katniss had already known that, she was the one that showed it to Haymitch after breaking Effie's code. If he hadn't told these people she already knew about it, then there was a reason for it and she knew she had to play along.

"A traitor in the rebellion?" Katniss appeared to be dumbfounded.

"You see," Plutarch took up a position next to Katniss, "We've gotten word that there's some problems at the Capitol. It seems there is a traitor in our midst." Plutarch lifted his eyes to Haymitch. "You are aware that Flavius has a relative married to an official, am I correct?"

Katniss pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear, "Yeah. Peeta mentioned it. Why?"

"The person providing information to the Capitol was never able to fully infiltrate our rebellion...had to keep his...or her distance for some reason. We thought perhaps the term orange blossom might have to do with a physical trait." Plutarch tapped at a notebook. "Katniss, we are wondering how much information you and Peeta gave to Flavius while at the Capitol."

She had no clue why they were talking about her prep team. "He did my hair and makeup. He could barely even get through that before the Quell without crying. Why?" She asked again through narrowing eyes.

"He's got those bright orange curls," Haymitch said. "I think it's ridiculous, but these guys..." he made a gesture with his finger pointing recklessly at the people in the room.

"Because he has orange hair?" Katniss was finally catching up. "Orange blossom...orange hair. Are you people stupid? That could mean anything! Do you know how freakish those Capitol people are," she stared at Plutarch with his strange hairstyle and even weirder mustache. "They all have some type of physical alteration done to them. That can mean anything. A flower tattooed on their body like..." She looked around the room and saw a woman with a clematis tattooed up her arm as though it was a trellis, "like her! Look at those flowers! How do you know she's not orange blossom? Or him?" Katniss turned to the man standing next to the flowered woman with a swirl of colors in his hair, "Tell me there's no orange in there!" She whirled around in her chair, "There isn't one person from the Capitol you can't apply that code name to if you're going off of physical traits with the exception of maybe Cinna, who's dead and Effie, who sent the damn message!"

Haymitch threw his hands up in the air and said, "See! I'm not the only one! We're jumping the gun here...doing exactly what they want us to do...looking at each other with accusation in our eyes. We need more information before coming to any conclusions."

"What else did the message say?" Katniss asked.

"Nothing of importance," Coin said before anyone else could answer, but Katniss knew this wasn't the truth.

Effie had said that Peeta's life was in danger, that the original message was a fake and that there was a traitor in the rebellion, but Katniss had no clue where the name orange blossom came from so she asked. "Where did you get the name orange blossom from anyway?"

"We overheard it before Effie's computer died during their meeting at the Capitol," Haymitch spoke up.

"You can hear them?" Katniss leaned against the table so she wouldn't fall.

"Only when Effie turns her computer on, but we haven't heard from her since. Which leads us to believe there's no news or..." Plutarch let his sentence trail off as his face explained.

"Or she's been found out." Katniss stated and hoped with all her might that the woman Peeta adored more than anything in the world was still safe from harm.

Coin quirked her brow. "That's not why you're here though, is it?" She addressed Katniss. "You've made your decision?"

"Yeah, so this is the deal..." Katniss took a deep breath and held Coin's steady gaze, "...I'll be your Mockingjay." The room exploded with cheers with a few exceptions...Coin, who Katniss decided was too composed or dead inside to show any emotions, Finnick who was too caught up in his own emotions, Haymitch who was waiting for the conditions he knew were coming and Justus who knew the dangers of her taking up the position. "But I have a few stipulations." Katniss pulled out her list and flattened it out on the table, again she gave it a once over, thinking it was too small, that something was missing. Shouldn't she be thinking on a grander scale, asking for something for the future when she was powerless? She looked up at the woman running the show...that placed the order to abort her child, thought of the man that sent her into the arena and it came to her. She wrote it out in big bold letters across the bottom, I KILL THE PRESIDENT. She decided to start reading the list with what she deemed the smallest, most unimportant of requests. "First, my family gets to keep their cat." If the reaction she got to this request was a hint as to what was coming, the rest of the list was going to be a nightmare.

"I see no problems with that," Plutarch was fine with it as was his posse of staff from the Capitol.

"Absolutely not!" Coin hollered. "We have limited resources here and I won't waste it on an animal."

The debate that followed was ridiculous until finally it was agreed that Buttercup could stay but Katniss' family would have to be moved to the top level, which meant the Mellarks had to move too which led to another debate because the quarters there had an eight inch window above ground. Finally everyone agreed to it and Buttercup could come and go as he pleased, but he had to feed himself. If he missed curfew, he was locked out and if he caused a security problem, he'd be shot, though Katniss was still pretty sure they'd put him in some sort of stew instead. Since that was pretty much his life in Twelve, with the exception of the shooting, it sounded fine to Katniss. "Next," she said, "I want to hunt with Gale. Out in the woods." There was dead silence in the room.

"We won't go far," Gale added. "We can use our own bows and you can have the meat for the kitchen."

"I can't breathe in here!" Katniss exploded without meaning to. "Sorry, but..." she let out a breath. "Being shut up in here..." Peeta's words came to her. "Some people need food to eat, but I need nature. It feeds my soul. I'd get better a lot quicker if I could hunt." Katniss could see the glint of pride in Haymitch's eyes and wondered if he heard Peeta in her explanation.

"Katniss, I'm sure it would speed up your recovery, but leaving you out in the open that way would be a very large security risk," Plutarch said with sorrow in his voice. "Personally I'm against the idea of you being able to walk freely through the woods..."

"No," Coin interrupted him. "Let them. You can have two hours a day deducted from your education time. You'll have a quarter mile radius with communication units and tracker anklets. What's next?"

Katniss looked up at Gale and was grateful they had gotten this. He wasn't on the list, but he should've been. She should have asked for something for Gale. "Gale," Katniss said. "I'll need him with me to do this." 'At least till Peeta gets here,' she thought to herself.

"With you how?" Coin asked. "Off camera? By your side at all times?" She rambled her questions on and on without giving Katniss a chance to even think of an answer. "Do you want him presented as your new lover?"

Katniss shook her head in disbelief as Plutarch responded to Coin. "I think we should continue with the current romance. A quick defection from Peeta could cause the audience to lose sympathy for her. Especially since they think she's still pregnant with his child."

"Agreed." Coin gave her head a nod. "So, on-screen, Gale can simply be portrayed as a fellow rebel and..."

"Stop it." Katniss was trying to get a hold of the anger that was bubbling up deep within her. "Stop it!"

"You didn't want us to go public with your romance, did you?" Coin asked.

"Wha...What is wrong with you people?!" Katniss screamed at them. "Gale is not my new lover...my old lover or anything of the sort. I am married! MARRIED!" She ran her now trembling hands over her head. "Let's get one thing straight right now, Gale is not my cousin, he's not my lover...my boyfriend...my...anything! Gale is my friend. FRIEND! We have never and never will be anything more than friends." Katniss looked around the room. "Is everyone clear on that?" Mumbles and head nod in agreements were given. "Good. I would like Gale to be by my side as my friend. A person of support. That is it." Katniss addressed Coin, "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Fair enough," Coin's face was rigid.

"Good," Katniss snapped. "Next on my list is very simple. If one more person...computer...machine or anything calls me Everdeen again you can take your Mockingjay position and shove it up your asses. My name is Mellark. Katniss Mellark. Peeta Mellark and I were legally married by the mayor of District Twelve two days before the reading of the card." There were gasps, looks of shock, smiles and one of disappointment on Gale's face, all around the room. "If you don't believe me, ask Haymitch. He was there as well as Peeta's father, my mother...my sister...the mayor himself and his daughter, Madge. So, are we all clear?" She looked around the room and took in the nods. "Great. What's my name?" A few mumbled Mellarks filtered out. Katniss let out a crazed type of laugh and said, "No, you people don't seem to get it. I want to hear it loud and clear. Say my name!"

"Katniss Mellark," rippled through the room at various intervals.

Katniss stared at Coin who didn't say a thing. "President Coin?" There was silence in the control room. Even the sniveling Finnick took a pause from grieving to watch. Katniss noticed Plutarch's look of approval as well as a woman next to him.

"What's next...Mrs. Mellark?" Coin said through glaring eyes and a tight jaw.

"Next is rescuing my husband from the Capitol," Katniss said firmly. "Rescuing all of the rebels from the Capitol." She thought of number two on her list, the one Gale had questioned and said, "Including...especially, Effie Trinket." Haymitch's eyes flashed to hers with excitement.

"No. Your husband," Coin said it as though it disgusted her, "dedicated much of his time with Caesar Flickerman denouncing the war and all of our beliefs. He has committed treason. As far as the rest of the rebels, including Effie Trinket, they knew what they were signing up for when they joined. Their sacrifice will be remembered."

Katniss had been afraid of this when Gale said he hadn't heard Peeta's message to her, but she was prepared for such a thing. "Sorry. Not good enough. When the war is over, if we've won, Peeta will be pardoned. No form of punishment will be inflicted on him or the others that have been captured." She hadn't written their names down, but just in case, she thought she had better cover her bases. "Johanna...Enobaria...or anyone else for that matter that was captured during your botched rescue attempt."

"No," Coin's voice was completely flat and unemotional.

"Yes!" Katniss shot back at her. "It's not their fault you abandoned them. Who knows what the Capitol is doing to them? And Effie! That woman has done nothing but help you people and you're willing to just toss her away like she's yesterday's trash?" She scanned the room taking in the expressions of the rebels she thought she could trust before the escape, trying to determine who agreed with her and who agreed with the president. Much to Katniss' surprise, the majority appeared to be on her side, including some from District Thirteen that looked to the ground, as if shamed, when the president responded to Katniss.

"They'll be tried with the other war criminals and treated as tribunal sees fit," Coin kept her cool.

Katniss didn't. "They'll be granted immunity!" Peeta's girl was on fire again and it felt pretty good to Katniss. "You will personally pledge this in front of the entire population of District Thirteen and the remainder of Twelve. Today!" She held up her piece of paper which had it outlined in writing. "It will be recorded for future generations. You will hold yourself and your government responsible for their safety, or you'll find yourself another Mockingjay!"

Fulvia, Plutarch's assistant, practically jumped out of her seat and said, "That's her! Can't you see it? Smoke...sounds of gunfire in the background...with the costume..."

Plutarch's eyes were all aglow as he said under his breath, "Yes. That's exactly what we need."

Katniss could hear them, but ignored them. She was too busy having a staring contest with President Coin. There was no way in hell she was going to let the woman win. There were still a few other things she needed, but she needed this first and she needed Coin to agree to it publicly.

"Seems to me the girl here is making a good point," Haymitch said quietly. "Sounds like a fair offer to me."

"All right," Coin's eyes twitched slightly at the corners, "but you had better perform."

"I'll do what I need to when you make the announcement," Katniss countered.

Coin turned and spoke to a few people Katniss didn't recognize, "Call a national security assembly during Reflection today and I'll make the announcement then." She turned back and said, "Is there anything else on your list, Katniss?"

"Yeah, a couple of things I need to discuss with you in private, but this one..." Katniss lifted the corner of her mouth in a grin and said to the room, "I get to kill the president." She was treated to a round of applause and the first sign of actual emotion from Coin.

"That one I will agree to without argument." Coin gestured with her arm towards a corner of her room, "Shall we go over your private demands or do you require more solitude?"

"No that's fine." Katniss followed her into a corner of the room while the rest of the rebels gathered around Plutarch.

"What is it that I can do for you, Katniss?" Coin asked her.

"Where are my trunks?" Katniss wondered if the woman had found a way to get into the locks and was using the items Peeta had packed away for her. "The ones you brought back here from Twelve?"

"Everything we brought back from Twelve is currently in storage. We are going through each box and putting the items to good use."

"I want my trunks." Katniss held up her hand to stop the president's comments before they even started. "The stuff inside belongs to me and Peeta, and I want it all back. Including the items inside of the box marked with my name on it." There was a down blanket and a certain piece of lingerie in there Katniss didn't want anyone to know about which is why she asked for it in private, not to mention it was kind of on the shallow side to be demanding such personal items. "I don't want any arguments about this. It means a lot to me and I want it all back...immediately."

Coin gave her head a nod and said, "I'll have them brought to your new quarters. What's next."

"As you know I have some additional nutritional needs due to a form of blood disease I developed after losing so much of it in the arena. It's been determined that I have anemia which hasn't been heard of since before the dark days and there is no cure for it." It was what Prim had come up with the night before. It was a form of blood disease that existed hundreds of years earlier that required specific nutrients to the blood, but no one knew what because it was no longer on record. The only reason she knew about it was because she had come across it in one of the books that was sent to Peeta by Effie Trinket from the Capitol and the chances of someone from District Thirteen knowing about that were slim to none, but Dr. Valero would be the perfect person to help in this rouse. Earlier in the morning, Prim went to the medical bay before her shift started and met with the doctor in private so she could update Katniss' medical records. Prim was thrilled when she made it back to their quarters before breakfast and said that Dr. Valero wanted to move her and their mother to her service in the medical bay. "It causes a person to become weak and listless. The severity of mine can be a bit...precarious at times. I will need...provisions in my quarters." Katniss saw the confused look on the president's face. "I need to snack throughout the day," she dumbed her request down, "and I don't think it would be fair or smart to do it in front of the rest of the residents here. My father in law works in the kitchen. He can provide me with some baked goods...a few vegetables that are high in nutrients...as I said, anemia hasn't been around for hundreds of years. As far as we know, I am currently the only known case in existence and we don't know much about it. I don't know about you, but I don't think it would be too wise letting the others in on this. The last thing we need is a weak Mockingjay."

Coin gave her an approving look. "No, I don't think it would be wise to bring them in on this. I can agree to let you keep some things in your quarters as long as you don't abuse it and feed your entire family or that cat. It must only be what you need for the day."

"Agreed." Katniss was thrilled. She now had a way of getting by when her morning sickness medication was gone. She could eat, puke and then have her regular meal.

"Is that it?"

"Once Peeta is back, if my...illness gets out of hand and he's able to fill the role of Jabberjay, I can step down. No questions asked."

"Katniss, your husband has spoken out against the war, I don't believe he'll ever be able to fill the role as Jabberjay, but yes...if for some reason he is able to...I see no reason why you would have to continue your position. I would hate to put your life in danger," Coin said flatly.

"Oh, I'm sure you're only interested in my well being." Katniss scribbled it down on her piece of paper before handing Coin the pen. "Sign this saying you agree to all of my terms."

Coin read it over including the parts that Katniss added and signed it. "I see no problems with any of this as long as you keep your end of the bargain."

"Oh, I'll keep my end of the deal. Don't worry about that." It took all of Katniss' strength not to punch the woman. She began walking towards the group that surrounded Plutarch. "So, is anyone here interested in the secret message I got from my Jabberjay?" She took a seat next to Plutarch and lounged back in her chair. The hush that fell over the room brought a satisfactory grin to Katniss' face. She could've told them earlier and avoided the entire argument over the rescuing of the rebels, but she needed to see who was on her side and who was with Coin. "Peeta may have said some harsh words for all to hear over the air, but he spoke to me and none of you had a clue, which means, Snow didn't know either."

Looks were exchanged, questions asked until finally Haymitch spoke up. "You gonna explain yourself sweetheart or you gonna make us sit here with our mouths hanging open all day?"

"Is there any way to pull up the interview with Peeta again?" Katniss asked.

Plutarch pushed a few buttons on his portable computer and then the large television screen showed Peeta and Caesar's images. "Where would you like me to start, Katniss?" Plutarch asked.

She wanted to sit there and stare at him...just look at Peeta, but she couldn't. She had to make sure not to get unnerved by the mere sight of him and keep up her strength. "Wherever you want."

"Why don't we watch how he denounces the war we've been fighting so hard to win?" Coin said with spite in her voice.

"Sure," Katniss had no problems with that. 'Then you can choke on your words,' she wanted to spit out in Coin's face.

"This is as close as I can get it," Plutarch said as he pressed a few buttons.

"What about Haymitch Abernathy?" Caesar asked Peeta.

"I don't know what Haymitch knew," Peeta's face was hard as stone when he answered. "If he was part of some rebel conspiracy, he never mentioned it to me."

"What does your heart tell you?" Caesar asked him.

"That I shouldn't have trusted him." Peeta answered. Katniss looked across the room at Haymitch whose eyes dropped from the screen.

"We can stop now if you'd like," Caesar patted Peeta on the arm.

"Did you have something else on your mind, Caesar?" Peeta asked, almost leading the host on.

"I was going to ask your thoughts on the war, but if you're too upset..."

Peeta looked straight into the camera, "Oh, no. I'm not too upset to answer that. I'd be more than happy to give you my opinions on the war." He took a deep breath. "I want everyone watching, whether you're on the Capitol or the rebel's side to stop and think about what this is going to mean for us as human beings. We almost went extinct fighting ourselves before and now there's even fewer of us." Peeta gripped the end of his seat, "Is that what we want to do...kill ourselves off completely until there's nothing left of us but some smoldering remains?"

Caesar tried to ask a question, "I don't understand..."

"We cannot continue to fight one another!" Peeta's voice grew louder. "We must stop this right now!"

"Am I to understand that you're calling for a cease fire?" Caesar appeared to be in shock.

Peeta faced Caesar, "That's exactly what I'm doing," then turned back to the camera, "and Katniss... I don't know where you are or what your role is in all of this, but..." he hung his head down then lifted it up, "Read my lips. You know what you have to do." He lowered his voice down. "Think of our baby Katniss. Think of our child and what kind of future it'll have if...if this goes on." His lips barely moved. "Now Why don't we ask the g..."

"There!" Katniss pointed to the screen and yelled out. "Rewind it!"

"To where?" Plutarch asked while the rest of the room spoke over him in wonder.

"Right after he talks about the baby's future, but before he asks to go to his room," Katniss answered.

Plutarch rewound the feed. "...it'll have if...if this goes on."

"STOP!" Katniss yelled and turned to Plutarch. "Do you have a way of slowing this down?"

"Yes," he moved his fingers over a few buttons then Peeta's face appeared.

Everyone watched as Peeta's lips moved, but no one could make out what he was saying except for Katniss and Justus who turned to her and lifted his fingers counting out to her.

Katniss' hands clapped over her cheeks thrilled that someone had finally understood. "Yes," she was almost in tears. "That's right," she said to him.

"What's right?" Gale asked. "I don't get it, Catnip. What did Peeta say?"

"He said, One. Two. Three," Katniss turned to Gale with a smile. "One, two, three!" She repeated it as though everyone in the room should have just understood, but they all looked at her as though her mentally disorientated bracelet was accurate. She let out a huge breath. "Plutarch, can you get video of mine and Peeta's Games on that thing?" She pointed to his computer.

"Which one?"

"The berries...I need to see the time right before Peeta and I were going to eat the berries. Can you access that?" Katniss hoped so, because it was the only way she could prove Peeta's innocence.

"It was a pivotal part in the rebellion. Of course I have that on here," Plutarch pulled it up.

"Play it," Katniss smiled. "I want everyone to watch me and Peeta carefully right before we lift those berries to our lips. More importantly, listen to what we say."

The image of Katniss and Peeta standing toe to toe, a lifetime ago, filled the control room. In the palms of their hands they each held enough nightlock to kill them within seconds of it hitting their stomachs.

Peeta's voice was quiet when he asked Katniss, "On three?"

Several gasps were heard in the control room along with Haymitch's soft, "Son of a bitch."

Everyone could see them mouth the words I love you to one another right before they followed their ritual of a hand being pressed against a heart, another was trailed down some hair and they counted to three. Katniss was so grateful they actually spoke the words that day. "Thank you, Plutarch." She looked around the room before saying, "It started that day...that moment," she pointed to the screen. "Peeta and I may have gotten married in District Twelve over six months later, but we became of one mind right there in front of the whole world. Peeta's message to me during his interview with Caesar was loud and clear. 'Read my lips.' Our way of saying we love each other while the cameras are on us. He asked me to think of our child's future." Katniss pointed to the screen showing a frozen picture of her and Peeta in the arena holding the berries up to their lips. "That's our child's future. Fighting for its life in the arena at the age of twelve. 'One, two, three.' Our way of saying that we are two people of one mind. That we will face whatever stands in our way together no matter what it costs us." Katniss' eyes lit up. "Peeta Mellark is not a traitor. He is not guilty of treason," she turned and faced Coin head on, "he is the Jabberjay and has been filling his role without question since before this war began."

Haymitch said loud enough for all to hear, "And that ladies and gentlemen, is your Mockingjay."