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

8. Song of the Mockingjay

Mockingjay: Broken Wings

By: Jamie Sommers

Chapter Seven: Song of the Mockingjay

Katniss has left to film a propos in District Eight. Peeta remembered her clearly and was called in to face Snow. What will his punishment be? Effie was put in charge of hijacking Peeta, and her security guard figured out she was a rebel spy. Has he informed the president or will he keep his word and help to get Effie and Peeta out of the Capitol?

Hello one and all. I have been a busy beaver. Chapter eight is finished and being given some tweaks prior to my sending it off the the betas. THANKS S AND A! I'm not worthy. Thank you to all of you that have been reading and reviewing. Please feel free to subscribe to my tumblr page to see updates at least a day or two before they are posted here. I enjoy giving everyone a sneak peek into my wacky mind. jamiesommers23 dot tumblr dot com.

Don't know about you, but I'm wondering what the heck is happening in the world of...

Mockingjay: Broken Wings

Being summoned to the command center was nothing new for Katniss, but being summoned by Haymitch was. The second she entered she couldn't help but notice the odd assortment of people in the room. Her nextdoor neighbor from the Seam, Leevy, Greasy Sae, her prep team, Plutarch, Fulvia, people from District Thirteen that Katniss had never met, Gale, Justus, and a cattle expert from District Ten named Dalton. Katniss had spoken with him a few times during meals. One of their first conversations popped into her head the moment she laid eyes on him.

"They need us more than we need them," Dalton was speaking in a hushed tone of voice explaining his theory on why the people of Thirteen were so willing to share their resources with strangers. "They had some kind of illness that left many of them sterile. They look at us as breeding stock."

Katniss hadn't even thought of the conversation with the man until she saw him in the command center that morning. 'If he knows about it, then why is that doctor so determined to keep it a secret?' Her question went unanswered the second President Coin entered and Haymitch began addressing the room.

"Plutarch pull those recordings up," Haymitch stood by the large television screen and made the entire room watch Katniss' failure while trying to act out the script that had been provided for her the day before. "Would anyone like to argue that this is of no use to us winning the war?" Haymitch asked the room, but no one argued that the recordings were horrible. "Now, let's watch this," Haymitch gave Plutarch a nod and a recording began to play of Katniss speaking with Prim about Peeta and President Snow.

Her eyes flew open when she saw...heard what was being played for all to see. Katniss had no clue the camera was still on her while she went on her little diatribe against Snow...against the Capitol. She was embarrassed by her reaction to being made up to look like a glamorous soldier, took a peek at her prep team who seemed unaffected by her' complaining during the recording, and attempted to defend herself the second it was through. "I didn't mean anything about..."

Haymitch's hand shot up in a manner which suggested that she should keep her mouth shut. "Now this...this is the girl we need to see. The one that actually moves you." He walked slowly around the room and spoke to everyone, "Can anyone think of an instance where Katniss...and I'm not talking about her shooting an arrow, or Peeta getting you to like her, I'm talking about the girl herself...can you think of an example of when her actions actually moved you?"

No one said a word, and Katniss thought, 'Told you, Gale. Peeta and my prep team were responsible for my success in the arena, not me.'

"When she volunteered for Prim at the reaping," Leevy spoke up.

"Excellent," Haymitch jotted it down on a piece of paper. "Anyone else?"

To Katniss' surprise Boggs, the man that elbowed Gale in the nose, spoke up, "When she sang the song after the little girl died."

"When she drugged Peeta so she could get his medicine at the feast," a stranger from Thirteen spoke up.

" Sang song. Sleep syrup," Haymitch added it to his list.

It was odd for Katniss listening to people talk about her like she wasn't even in the room. "I cried when she finally told Peeta she loved him. She told him to read her lips and then mouthed I love you." Octavia blurted out, then clamped her hand over her own mouth in fear that she may have said too much.

Katniss remembered it well. She ran through the wooded arena after the Gamemakers announced the death of another tribute. Katniss was sure it was Peeta until she smacked right into him.

She saw the clump of berries he held in his hand and smacked them down to the ground. "That's nightlock, Peeta! You'd be dead in a minute!" She threw her arms around his neck and tried to control her sobbing.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." Peeta squeezed her and held her close. "I didn't know. Shhh…I'm okay." He stroked her hair. "I'm sorry."

She was certain the sound of the cannon had meant Peeta's death. The sight of the deadly berries piled up next to the rest of their food Peeta left on a rock, and the Capitol's signal that a tribute was dead was torture for Katniss. When her father died she didn't think she could ever experience that kind of pain again. It was the most traumatic event she'd ever gone through…until she thought that Peeta had died. Her heart was overflowing with grief at the thought of having to go on without Peeta. Living without him was unfathomable. The rush of emotion that went through her when she held him against her, brought her to her senses. "I love you, Peeta." She kissed his ear. His cheek. "I love you," she choked out between cries.

Peeta cupped her cheeks and pulled her face away from his in order to look into her eyes. "Katniss?"

She gripped the back of his jacket and saw the question in his eyes asking if this was for the viewing audience or if she meant it. She needed to tell him…to let him know how she felt. "Read my lips, Peeta." She mouthed the words, "I love you. I love you."

"Good. Good," Haymitch wrote it down, "told Peeta she loved him." Haymitch held the pad up in his hand and said, "The question is, what do these things and that recording," he pointed to the screen, "have in common?"

"They're all Katniss. Just Katniss. No one telling her what to say or how to say it," Gale spoke knowingly.

"Unscripted! Yes!" Beetee said aloud and Katniss wondered when he and Finnick showed up. "We should just leave you alone, Right?" Beetee reached out and patted Katniss' hand.

"That's all well and good, but it's not very helpful," Fulvia spoke the voice of reason apprehensively. "There aren't many opportunities for her to show these sides of herself here in Thirteen. So unless you're willing to throw her into the middle of combat..."

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting!" Haymitch pointed at Fulvia.

Katniss was trying to get a grasp on what Haymitch and some of the others were suggesting. Many people in the room didn't think it was wise, but most of them thought it was a great idea. Katniss on the other hand knew she couldn't do it.

"I think it's a great idea, but we've got one big problem here. People in the nation think she's still pregnant," Gale pointed out.

'Thank you, Gale. That should shut them down,' Katniss thought to herself.

"We can spread the word that she's lost the baby," Plutarch spoke about it in passing. "Very sad, but it does happen."

Katniss could feel her airway starting to constrict, her heart begin to thump violently against her chest while everyone around thought Plutarch's suggestion was fine, they blew past it and debated whether or not she should be going into battle as though her child's life...death was nothing more than a footnote. "Stop," she whispered, but no one paid any attention to her. "Stop," she said it again only louder this time.

"You okay, Catnip?" Gale leaned close to her, "You don't look too good."

"Stop it!" Katniss got to her feet and yelled out putting an instant silence to the current debate. "I...I can't go." She knew everyone would be questioning where the brave girl they had just described had disappeared to, but there wasn't any way she could go into battle. She looked to Haymitch for help, but he was the one that suggested she go out and fight. If it were just her, she'd do it. She wanted to do it, but it wasn't only her life she had to worry about. She quickly racked her brains, thinking up an excuse to get her out of the situation. "How could you want me to go out and kill people again?"

"No. No, sweetheart," Haymitch rushed around the table to her side. "I'm not asking you to go out and kill people. Meet people. We can find an area that's fairly safe."

"We're at war, Haymitch. No place is safe." Katniss had to tell them. She had to.

"Are you backing out of your deal to be the Mockingjay, Katniss?" Coin asked her through a narrowing stare.

"No," Katniss sat back down and considered her options. She could stay and Peeta along with the others would be put to death, or probably not rescued at all, simply left in the hands of the Capitol to be tortured to death. She'd be taking her life, her baby's, Regina and Justus' baby's life into her own hands, and what if Coin decided to exact her revenge on Prim or her mother? If she went into battle she'd have Cinna's body armor to protect her and it would only be her and the baby's lives at risk. Either way her child could be killed. How many people died alongside of her was another story. "I'll go," Katniss focused on nothing as she stared straight ahead. "I'm of no help to the rebellion here."

"There we go, sweetheart!" Haymitch's plan began to form as he spoke with Coin and Boggs about keeping her safe.

"What the hell was that about?" Gale said softly to her. "Never seen you back down from a fight before."

"I...I don't..." Katniss turned to face the room. "I don't want anyone saying I lost the baby." Thoughts of Peeta hearing the lie turned her insides to jelly. "Peeta will hear about the baby from me."

"Do you have any idea what kind of message we'd be sending to the rebels if I allowed a pregnant woman to go into battle?" Coin's normally stone face turned harsh. "No. We'll spread the word..."

"You will not!" Katniss yelled. "I can't have him learning about..." she could barely get the words out, "...about losing the baby from someone like Snow." She couldn't allow Peeta to hear the terrible lie she was living. "No," Katniss lowered her voice down. "You want me out there, then I go under my rules."

"Sweetheart, think about what you're saying," Haymitch tried to reason with her. "Coin would look no better than Snow if she let you out of here in that condition. We're trying to let people know we're better than the Capitol, not as brutal."

Katniss heard Haymitch go on and on about how they were only thinking of the rebellion's image. How horrible it would look if the rebels put Katniss in the field while pregnant. Plutarch joined in...Beetee weighed in with his two cents, and the entire time Katniss just kept repeating, "no," over and over again.

When Gale leaned over and said, "Peeta will understand, Catnip. He'll be fine. Look at how well you're handling it. Like nothing happened at all." Katniss' eyes almost popped out of her head.

"The decision has already been made," Coin said. "We don't make it a habit of lying to the people of the districts, and we will not start now because of some childish notion that..."

"You don't lie?" Katniss felt her entire being start to shake as she cut Coin off. "That's all you people do is lie!" She threw a fiery glare in Coin's directions. "Why don't you tell them the truth now?! Tell them about the order you gave to my doctor!"

Coin's eye twitched. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't you?" Katniss began to walk in Coin's direction. "Don't you remember telling my doctor you couldn't send a pregnant woman into battle and that she should abort my baby...tell me I had a miscarriage? Because I remember. I remember it all too well."

The entire room fell silent until Coin said, "The only thing I recall is you having a mental breakdown and throwing around accusations after the loss of your child."

Katniss shook her head slowly from side to side. "That's what you'd like these people to believe, but don't go spouting your lies to me. I heard you...heard you tell Dr. Valero to abort my baby and when she refused you said you'd get another physician to do it. In your words; I'm young. I can have another child, after all, you're fond of children here in Thirteen."

There was a stand off between Coin and Katniss. The tension in the room was so thick you could barely walk through it without feeling mucked down. "Obviously you telling your husband about the loss of your child means a great deal to you, so I'll agree to keep it quiet...for now," Coin spoke with hatred in her voice.

"Come on, sweetheart," Katniss could feel Haymitch's hands guiding her back to her chair. "Let's sit down. You've been through a lot. We know you didn't mean what you said here today. Just letting your emotions get the best of you." The pressure of Haymitch's hands on her shoulders told her she had said more than enough. "No one will say a thing about the baby. If people ask, you tell them what you want." Haymitch looked to Coin, "Fair? It was her kid after all."

"I already said I would agree." Coin snapped. "Where are we sending her?"

Talks resumed about Katniss' destination, and Katniss' mind was racing out of control. 'What did you do? Why would you put yourself, your baby..." She saw Justus standing in a corner of the room, '...Justus and Regina's child, in danger? Stupid, Katniss. That was stupid.' She had to figure out a way to make it right. "President Coin," Katniss spoke in an even tone. "It was wrong for me to say those things out loud." Katniss refused to apologize for what she had said, but she was telling the truth. It was wrong...dangerous for her to speak her mind. "I was having a lot of problems when I first got here...determining what was a dream...nightmare, and what was actually real."

There was a hint of relief in Coin's eyes when she said, "Apology accepted."

Katniss wanted to scream, 'I didn't apologize. I was covering my ass.' Instead she gave the woman a curt nod and waited until the rebels came up with a plan of action for her. The people called into the meeting were dismissed, Coin left, Beetee was wheeled out by Finnick, and the only ones left were Gale, Haymitch and Katniss. She could see the look on her mentor's face that said she had gone too far today, knew Haymitch would want to talk to her alone. "Gale, go ahead and go without me. I'll meet you there."

She sat across from Haymitch and waited for the lecture to begin. "Having a rougher time than you thought without Peeta?" He asked her. Katniss just shrugged. "Katniss, you're lucky she thought you were apologizing to her or you might be the one on trial for treason."

Katniss' eyes lit up a little at Haymitch's comment. Her mentor knew she wasn't saying she was sorry. "Yeah...well...better me than Peeta. Or Effie for that matter."

"Always willing to sacrifice yourself for your fellow man. That's why you're in this position, sweetheart. Because you always have to step up."

"But I didn't today. If I had..." Katniss rested her head in her hand.

"If you had, what?" Haymitch asked.

Did she tell him? How many more people could she let in before everyone found out. At this point she wasn't even sure if she could trust Haymitch. "Why didn't you tell me and Peeta about Thirteen? About the tunnel that could've led to our freedom?"

Haymitch slugged down in his chair. "I should've. In the beginning I looked at you two as weapons against the Capitol."

"Sort of like these people look at us now."

"Yeah, but then... Ya gotta understand sweetheart, I didn't expect to actually care about you and Peeta, so when I did, it came as a bit of a shock to my drunk ass. Kept telling myself to put the rebellion first. That's what was important, but then Effie..." Haymitch ran his hand down his face, "...that woman just can't keep her mouth shut. Always making me...think! I hate it." Haymitch turned towards Katniss. "She told me to watch out for you. Said everyone's using you two like objects, not looking at you as people. That's what she wanted me to do out here...take care of you the way she would, and the only way I know how to do that is by putting an end to this war so we can all go on living the way we want, not the way the Capitol wants us to."

"If Effie were here, do you think she'd let me go out into a combat zone?"

"Only if you were protected beyond belief."

"Would she let me go out if I were still pregnant?"

"Hell, I wouldn't let you go out if you were still pregnant. Would never risk my grandkid like that," Haymitch gave her a lopsided grin. "I understand you not wanting Peeta to find out about the baby that way, but he's gonna find out Katniss, and it's still gonna hurt him no matter who says it."

She had to tell him. Had to. "If I were still pregnant and I went to the districts, what would you do to keep me safe?"

"Doesn't matter sweetheart," Haymitch ran a hand over hers then placed it on his lap. "The baby's gone."

"Right," Katniss whispered. "Gone."

"You can have another one you know. When this war is over, hell, you and Peeta can fill your house up with 'em if you want, but nothing you say can bring the baby back, Katniss." Haymitch's voice cracked. "Wish you could, but..." he paused and said with regret in his tone, "Peeta's gonna find out whether you want him to or not. You're gonna tell him...it'll get out that you lost it...something, but you can't keep it from him."

"Haymitch," Katniss stared straight ahead, "Did you know we wanted to name it after Maysilee if it was a girl?"

Haymitch sucked in a breath. "No. Didn't know that."

Katniss nodded and said, "Clayton, after my dad if it was a boy, and Maysilee if it was a girl. Peeta and I were going to talk to you about it first, but he didn't think you'd mind."

"I would've liked that."

Katniss looked around the room and said, "You know what I really hated about the Tribute Center? Even though there were no signs, I still knew they were listening to every word I said."

Haymitch stood up and headed for the door. "Yeah, I always hated that too. Good thing they don't do that sort of thing here in Thirteen." He held the door opened for her. "Ready to go sweetheart?"

"Yup," she followed him into the deserted hallway then led him to one of her favorite hiding spots. "I'm assuming they don't keep old storage closets wired for sound."

"Nah, just the places that require extra security." Haymitch leaned against the wall between an old piece of machinery that looked like it swept floors. "They don't have resources to waste out here so they're not going to spy on anything that ain't worth spying on."

Katniss turned to see Haymitch's eyes filled with pain, took his hand in hers and whispered, "I was telling the truth earlier...about the baby. It wasn't an emotional outburst. Coin wanted it dead so I could be the Mockingjay, and now that I am...I have to do whatever I can to keep..." her hand went to her stomach. "I've got to protect myself." Haymitch's eyes followed her hand. "I need to be protected out there today."

"Think I'd let something happen to you?" He stared at her in wonder. "I know I screwed up not filling you and Peeta in on everything, but I'm gonna make that up to you. No more secrets sweetheart. I find out something, I'll let you in on it whether they want me to tell you or not."

"You swear?" Katniss studied her mentor. "Promise me that you won't keep anything from me anymore?"

"On my life," he shook his head. "No. On Effie's life. I swear you can trust me."

Katniss gave her head a nod. "I can trust you?"

"That's right."

"Then why didn't you let anyone know I was the one that broke Effie's code?"

Haymitch took a second then said, "First thing Coin said when I told her about the message was 'don't tell Katniss.' She didn't want to get you all worked up."

"Yeah, sure she didn't." Katniss sneered. "Is there anything I don't know...about Thirteen?"

"Honestly I don't know a lot about this place myself. It's not like Coin and I were pen pals or anything." Haymitch carefully scrutinized her. "My turn to ask a question."

"Go ahead."

"What was up with that outburst in there today? Making those accusations towards Coin... Not good sweetheart. Not good," Haymitch hung his head a bit and shook it from side to side.

"I told you already, they weren't accusations." Katniss leaned back against the wall, mirroring Haymitch's image.

"Sweetheart, do you know what you're saying?"

"Yes. I'm very well aware of what I'm saying. That woman ordered Dr. Valero to abort our child. She stood in the dining hall and let everyone assume the worst of Peeta...Effie, and then led everyone to believe that I could care less about treasonous acts. Come on, Haymitch. Do you really trust this woman?" If Katniss was going to get Haymitch on her side, she'd have to use the best weapon she had in her arsenal. "I know for a fact that Effie doesn't trust her worth a damn."

Haymitch's eyes flew towards Katniss'. "What makes you say that?"

"You...Regina..." Katniss' tone took on one of knowledge. "Effie thought Coin would do anything to use me and Peeta in this war, and she was right. Problem is, no one knew to what extent. Well, now I do."

Haymitch's expression changed to thoughtful. "Effie warned me before getting onto the hovercraft...told me Coin wanted to prove she was just as powerful as Snow. Make a statement. That that was why she insisted on rescuing you from the arena instead of letting you use that escape route in Twelve."

"Our new president has some twisted ideas about doing the right thing." Katniss finally confessed to Haymitch exactly what happened the morning Regina was ordered to terminate the pregnancy. "Regina said she'd do it, but..."

"No. I can't believe Regina..."

"Shut up, Haymitch." Katniss stepped closer to him speaking gently to him, "Like I said...if it's a girl, we want to name her Maysilee. If it's a boy his name will be Clayton, after my father."

"You...uh..." He gave her a strange look and picked up her wrist that used to hold the bracelet that said, mentally disoriented. "You think maybe you should stop in and see the doctor again sweetheart?"

Katniss let out a soft laugh. "No. I'm perfectly healthy."

"Maybe that anemia thing is causing more problems than they're aware of?"

"My...anemia should be cured in about," She stopped and counted, "Oh, I'd say about six to seven months."

"Sweet mother," Haymitch took on an expression of disbelief. "I saw the scan, Katniss. We all did. There was no baby in there."

"Regina disguised her husband as an Avox for...how many years, Haymitch? Think she couldn't figure out how to hide this?" Katniss rubbed her stomach. "I'm trusting you, Haymitch. I'm trusting the life of mine and Peeta's child to you. If Coin finds out, she'll get one of those other doctors to..." Katniss grew angry. "You have no clue how badly I wanted to give everyone at that meeting today all the disgusting details! Show them who she really is!"

"Wouldn't have mattered Katniss. A lot of these people think the same way she does. They're looking at the bigger picture, and right now they're looking at you like you're their last hope." Haymitch's hand ran back and forth across his chin. "Are you sure about this? I mean...you were having a lot of problems keeping things straight in the head for awhile there. These people have been living with Coin their whole lives. To them she's someone they can trust. You...you're the girl that walks around moving her lips talking to her missing husband."

"Haymitch, I can't stop puking and their DNA scanner detected it yesterday."

Haymitch's whole face lit up. "Holy shit! This...this is a good thing, right? I mean...you want it don't you?"

"Yes," Katniss grinned at him. "This is a very good thing, and I want it more than anything." Saying it out loud was kind of strange considering she spent her life swearing she'd never have kids. "Now, all we have to do is keep me safe. Can you do that? Keep me safe out there?"

"Yeah," Haymitch worried. "Effie would kill me if she knew I was letting you go out in your condition."

"Effie would kill you if you didn't do everything in your power to save this child's life," Katniss corrected him. "Now, I have to go put on that Mockingjay uniform and face...Where am I going?"

"District Eight. They had some heavy bombing this morning, but the raids are over now. It's the safest place we can think to send you."

"Haymitch," Katniss held the doorknob in her hand. "Wipe that stupid look off of your face."

"What stupid look?"

"The one that's practically screaming, 'I'm gonna be a grandpa!'" Katniss chuckled.

"Yeah, sorry about that, but..." Haymitch smiled. "This is the first good news I've heard in a long time. I'll make sure no one questions your...condition. Maybe I'll put the word out about that anemia thing. What the hell made you think of some antiquated blood disease?"

"Prim," Katniss grinned. "Turns out, my sister is a genius."

"I'd say. Imagine what'll happen when we get her and Effie together."

"We'll win this war in no time," Katniss walked into the hallway followed by Haymitch. "Keep us safe," she said quietly before turning for Special Weaponry.

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Peeta's eyelids continued to droop, his head continued to fall forward then snap back up. He couldn't let himself fall asleep. Snow had him strapped to a chair with electrodes on his chest. "We're able to determine his heart rate now Mr. President. That last little snooze was all we needed to get a fix on his current beats per minute." A physician spoke to Snow.

"We're going to try something new and exciting tonight Peeta." Snow turned to him. "Did you know when people fall asleep their pulse...breathing...heartbeat all tend to slow down? Your breathing becomes deeper as you relax. The heart no longer has to work as hard trying to pump blood uphill, so to speak, and it takes a little rest. The opposite occurs when you're...excited...hard at work... However, everyone has a normal heart rate, and now yours has been determined which is where this little device comes into play," Snow rested a palm on a machine to his right. "If your heart speeds up, you will receive an electrical jolt. If it slows down, you will receive an electrical jolt. In other words Peeta, your life is in your hands. Stay calm and you'll be fine."

"You decided to take me up on my advice I see," Peeta glared at Snow.

"What advice would that be?"

"To kill me now before I got to you," Peeta could feel a little zing flowing through his skin.

"Excellent," Snow lit up. "You're doing quite well. A little excitement...a little jolt. Understand?"

"Do what you want. I don't care anymore." Peeta turned away from Snow and saw Katniss' face light up a television screen. He sucked in a deep breath and felt a huge bolt of electricity go through his system. "Aaaaah!" He screamed out at the top of his lungs.

"Seeing her is painful, is it not?" Snow's evil leer hung over Peeta's panting body. "You've got twenty seconds to try and return your heart rate back to normal before the device works again. I shall warn you Peeta, no one can stand too many jolts to the heart without dying."

He took several cleansing breaths before Snow began to play a scene between Katniss and Gale walking through Twelve's Town Square which were quickly replaced with pictures of burnt buildings, smoke...dead bodies. "She didn't do that. Katniss had nothing to do with it." A slight zing started again and Peeta slowly released a breath between his lips trying to focus on the story he told Johanna and Annie about that special day beneath the oak tree. Peeta's eyes glazed over as he imagined Katniss meeting him day after day. Smiling at him. Holding his hand. The way they would slowly move closer and closer to each other until their knees would touch during their lunch period. His eyes drifted downward to the device that shot the tubes into his veins, his heart began to race and another jolt shot through him. "Noooooo!" This time when the drugs hit his system, Peeta's body reacted in a way he could have never predicted. For some odd reason he almost craved the putrid poison they were pumping into him.

"Enjoy the viewing, Peeta. If you'll excuse me. I haven't slept much and I am quite tired," Snow walked towards a door. "Doctor, you know what to do."

"Yes, sir," the physician Peeta had come to know as his torturer continued pumping the glowing green substance into his veins. "This will help you to see...clearly."

There was nothing clear about the shimmering scenes that continually played before him or the way he was starting to enjoy the way his limbs felt at the first rush of the venom, the way his head got slightly fuzzy. His brain was saying, 'Fight this,' but his body was reacting on its own. 'Whatever this stuff is, they're getting you hooked on it,' he warned himself before refocusing his attention on the quickly changing photographs flashing before his eyes. Pictures of his father, his brothers, and a woman Peeta thought looked familiar, but couldn't put a name to, were being shown to him. Then burnt bodies, charred beyond recognition lying in front of what used to be a bakery in District Twelve. Peeta's pulse began to slowly increase. Electricity bolted through his body causing him to convulse and jerk. "St...stoh...stohp." He took a few more shallow breaths, closed his eyes and was woken up by another burst through his system. "You want me to believe Katniss did this, but I won't. I'd rather die." It was time to put an end to this. To show Snow he was willing to take his life into his own hands. Peeta let his thoughts travel to killing Snow. Dreaming about tearing him limb from limb with his bare hands. He could feel little bursts of electricity running through him, but there was someone he hated more. Gale. A picture of Gale and Katniss flashed onto the screen and Peeta remembered the scene of them kissing in the woods of Twelve. He concentrated on the way Katniss had deceived him, led him to believe that they were in love all the while her heart belonged to Gale. His heart began to race at an uncontrollable rate as did his mind when he pictured Gale...his friend...acting out on his urges with Katniss. "Aaaaah!" Peeta screamed out with the bolt of electricity shooting through him. There was no attempt to control his breathing, his pulse or his heart. As far as he was concerned, it was broken...smashed into a million pieces. He no longer wanted this woman in his life. The one that could cause so much pain he preferred death over a chance at life. "I hate you! I HATE YOU!" He closed his eyes and began breathing in and out at a ridiculously rapid rate. Dwelling on the pain Katniss brought into his life and said goodbye to it all.

"What are you doing?" The doctor began adjusting the machine hooked up to Peeta. "What are you...STOP IT!" Peeta's heart kept beating faster and faster. "President Snow," the doctor pressed a button on a remote control. "Sir, he's trying to kill himself."

"What do you mean, kill himself?!"

"He's...Oh my," the sound of a steady beep blared through the speaker system. "He's dead. Peeta is dead."

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Waiting for her in Beetee's new home was Boggs. "Did you need something?" Katniss still wondered about this man. He was one of the people from District Thirteen that didn't flinch when Coin threatened to bring all the Capitol rebels up on charges.

"I'm here to escort you to Airborne Division."

Katniss looked down at her uniform Cinna designed, 'my suit of armor,' she thought of the story Peeta had told a group of kids from the Seam about a knight wearing shining armor. Beetee placed a helmet of interwoven material on her head. A snug fitting hood of sort that felt like soft material was pulled over that. Both could withstand not only bullets from traditional guns, but the Peacekeeper's magnetic weapons as well. She was dressed in thin woven metals that bent and formed to her skin over the same soft material that covered her hood. Special plates that covered her entire torso protecting her womb.

"We created this before you lost..." Beetee cleared his throat. "It was designed for you before we knew your current medical situation, so your abdomen has an extra layer of protection over it. I suppose we could remove it once you get back..."

"No," Katniss said without concern in her voice. "It's best to leave it in place. Wouldn't want to cause any internal bleeding after all I've been through."

"Yes," Beetee turned to grab a vest, "Excellent point. Here," he slid the tight yet fashionably designed vest over her arms. "This will protect your vital organs." he lifted a white wire off of her shoulder and handed her an earpiece. "This will allow you to speak with your handler. In this case, Haymitch and this," he secured a mask onto her belt. "This will protect you from any chemical attacks. Gas and such. If you see anyone dropping without reason, put it on immediately."

"Seems Cinna thought of everything," Katniss said as she looked at the different weapons strapped onto her uniform. "This is much more complicated than the uniform you put on me yesterday."

"That was designed for the propos filmed here, not for battle." Beetee strapped a quivver divided into three cylinders of arrows onto her back. "These are designed to work with the bow I created for you," he handed her the bow. "Right side," he pointed to the cylinder on her right, "Fire. Left side, explosive and Center, regular. You shouldn't need them, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

Katniss held the bow in her hand and said, "Good morning." The vibrations of her weapon 'waking up' still shook her to the core. "It really is alive isn't it?" She looked at Beetee with excitement in her eyes.

"As close to alive as can be," he said proudly.

She really shouldn't have felt a thrilling rush at the thought of using the weapons against Snow's army in battle, but she did. It was like the vibrations of the bow were sending a burst of excitement through her entire system. Thoughts of being extra careful were slowly beginning to vanish. She felt alive...like her old self again, and it was an almost welcome relief to put her hatred for Snow in the forefront of her mind, and stop worrying.

"Ready to go?" Boggs stood to the side.

"Let's do this."

"Katniss! Katniss!" Finnick started running in her direction just as the elevator doors were about to close on her and Boggs. "They won't let me go!"

Katniss bit her lip, trying her best to hide the smile at Finnick's appearance. His bare legs sticking out of his hospital gown, slippers on his feet, a rope with worn, twisted knots dangling from his fingertips, and a wild look in his eyes that matched his hair. She hadn't noticed how distraught he looked during the meeting that morning, but now, amongst the pristine computer room and Boggs, a well groomed soldier, Katniss had to fight the urge to laugh at the once stunning victor that stood before her. "Oh," she tapped at her head, "I forgot. I was supposed to tell you to report to Beetee. Something about a new trident for you."

"Really?" Finnick's eyes grew bright, and for the first time in a long time Katniss felt like she was looking at her ally again. "What's it do?"

"I don't know, but if it's anything like my bow and arrows, you're going to love it." She took a second trying to figure out how to keep Finnick in Thirteen without complaints. "You'll have to train with it for awhile though."

"Right. Of course I will." Finnick turned in a rush flashing Katniss and Boggs a glimpse of his underwear. "Guess I better get down there."

"Finnick?" Katniss took her bottom lip between her teeth. "Maybe some pants would be good?"

He glanced down at his bare legs, ripped his hospital gown off and struck a pose. "Why? Do you find this...distracting?"

Katniss let out a roar of laughter, not only at Finnick's signs of life, but at Boggs who looked completely flabbergasted at Finnick's half naked pose. "I'm only human, Odair. Don't tell Peeta I said that when he gets back," Katniss winked. "Wouldn't want him to get jealous." She continued to chuckle as the elevator doors closed on her and Boggs. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be. You handled that very well." Katniss was amazed at how proper Boggs' posture was as he spoke. He'd make Effie Trinket proud. "Better than my having to arrest the man."

"Yeah, suppose so." She took a good long look at him from the corner of her eyes trying to decipher him. On one hand he was practically glued to Coin's side, on the other that was the second time today he had said something somewhat friendly to her. Katniss' hand reached out and grabbed onto the railing attached to the wall when a loud series of clicks shot through the elevator car and they began moving to the left. "This thing moves sideways?"

"Yes. There's a whole network of elevator paths under Thirteen. This one lies just above the transport spoke to the fifth airlift platform. It's taking us to the Hangar."

Katniss began thinking of all the areas in Thirteen's hidden fortress. The Hangar, Special Weaponry, Meadowlark Room, Medical Bay, the section of housing that was blocked off, a place where food...crops were grown... "Thirteen is a lot larger than I thought."

"Can't take credit for it. We basically inherited the place. Since the..." he paused before continuing. "It's all we can do to keep it running these days."

"Since the..." Katniss faced him, "...what?"

Boggs answered without looking at Katniss. "We've had a hard time keeping things going on our own."

The elevator doors opened to reveal a hangar full of different hovercrafts, most looked fairly dated, but three of them were sparkling and appeared to be brand new. "Inherit these too?"

"Some of them were manufactured here. Some were part of the Capitol's air force, and then we have those that were acquired during your escape thanks to the resourcefulness of the rebels in the Capitol."

"You mean, thanks to Effie Trinket," Katniss stepped out and walked along a path. Her hatred for District Thirteen...for Coin was growing with each step. "You had all of this, and yet you left the rest of the districts defenseless against the Capitol?"

"Until recently we were in no shape to launch any form of counterattack. We could barely stay alive. After we'd overthrown and executed the Capitol's people, only a handful of us even knew how to pilot them. We could've nuked them but if we did that, then there was always the chance that they'd respond in kind. If we engage in that type of war with the Capitol, would there be any human life left?"

Katniss stopped walking and turned to him, "You sound an awful lot like my husband, and he was called a traitor."

"He called for a ceasefire," Boggs said in his defense.

"Oh, well," Katniss rolled her eyes, "That makes all the difference in the world."

"Neither side is launching nuclear missiles." Boggs said avoiding Katniss' statement.

"Guess both sides think like my husband," She glared. "Too bad they're not as brave as Peeta and willing to speak their minds."

"This way soldier Mellark," Boggs led her to a smaller hovercraft.

Katniss mounted the steps to the small hovercraft and noticed the group of people District Thirteen's rebels decided to send with her to make sure she was safe. Plutarch, his assistant Fulvia by his side as usual, Gale and Haymitch who looked exceptionally uncomfortable wearing Thirteen's dark gray military jumpsuit, plus a few other people Katniss had seen, but never officially met. Her film crew.

"Ugh," Fulvia held Katniss' face in her hand by her chin turning it from side to side. "All that work down the drain. I'm not blaming you," she turned her back to Katniss. "Most people aren't born with camera ready faces like him," she took Gale by the chin. "Now this is handsome. Isn't he handsome?" She turned to Katniss who gave Fulvia a strange look.

"Don't expect us to be too impressed. We just saw Finnick Odair in his underwear." Boggs said as he strapped himself into a seat. An image of him flashed through Katniss head, holding a child, smiling in the dining hall. With the exception of elbowing Gale in the nose and being a fan of Coin's, Boggs was actually a likeable guy. Taking all of that into consideration, and the fact that she'd been wanting to elbow Gale in the nose herself lately, Katniss decided she was going to like Boggs.

She looked around the strange group of people surrounding her, wondering how they were going to win a war... 'A war you have no clue about,' she thought to herself. "Um...so...what is the state of the war right now?" Katniss asked no one in particular hoping that someone would answer.

Plutarch took a few minutes to explain to Katniss about all of the districts that were fighting against the Capitol with the exception of District Two which was where the Capitol's defense was based out of after the Dark Days. It was a little surprising to hear that people, who weren't exempt from the Games, gladly took on the role of protecting the Capitol, for Katniss. "They supply weaponry as well as train and provide Peacekeepers." Everyone always assumed the guards came from the Capitol, but Plutarch explained the way the system worked. "You're supposed to believe they hail from the Capitol, but the fact is, many people have debts they cannot pay. In lieu of going to jail, working in quarries...a life of poverty, the residents of Two have the choice to become Peacekeepers to wipe their slate clean. The Capitol excused all debts owed for a mere twenty year commitment of their life."

"Twenty years?!" Gale asked from his spot next to Katniss. "Why would they do that? I mean...I can understand not wanting to be in debt, but..."

"You've seen how eager their children are to volunteer for the Games. They're bred...trained their whole lives for battle."

"They want to kill," an image of Cato snapping the boy from District Three's neck popped into Katniss' head.

"Unfortunately, that's an accurate assessment." Plutarch's explanation continued. "Not all of them are like that, but most are. Some do it because they actually believe in the oath they're swearing to uphold, but most do it for the money."

"Probably why the ones in Twelve were fine with trading with us," Gale said to Katniss. "Signed up to have their debts wiped out and wound up in the poorest district in the nation."

"What happens after...I mean, we're fighting in each district...then what?" Katniss asked.

"We plan on taking over each district,Two will be the last since they have such loyalty to the Capitol, then all of the districts will fight together as we invade the Capitol," Plutarch answered.

"No...after that." Katniss was trying to imagine their world with no President, or worse, with Coin as the head of their nation. "Who runs the government?"

"We all do," Plutarch took on an excited expression. "The districts will form a republic where the people of our nation, including the Capitol, elect their own representative so their voices will be heard."

"So no president?" Katniss asked cautiously.

"No, we'll still have a president, but that president will not be surrounded by his own people." Katniss didn't believe Plutarch's description of their new government for one minute, which he must have recognized by his next statement. "Each district will have their own voice...and it will be the president's job to listen to them...work with them. Don't look suspicious, Katniss. It worked in the past."

"In books," Haymitch gave Katniss a wary look.

"Yes, in history books." Plutarch said.

"Great," Katniss rolled her eyes. "We all know how accurate they are."

Plutarch chuckled a bit. "Not the ones provided by the government for your education. The ones that survived the Dark Days. Our nation's real history."

Katniss leaned forward. "There are books about that...that survived the Dark Days?"

"Oh yes," Plutarch answered. "Many."

"Why wouldn't the Capitol destroy them? I mean...wouldn't' that just give people like us...ideas?" Gale asked Plutarch.

"Which is why they are in storage...hiding with many relics from our nation."

"What else do you have in hiding? And...and where are these things?" Katniss wondered.

"District Thirteen has many of them in their underground facility," Plutarch looked down at his computer, punched a few buttons then flipped it around to show Katniss. "This might be something Peeta would be interested in when he returns. There's a forgery located in the art museum in the Capitol, but the real works of art are in Thirteen."

Katniss reached out to touch the computer's screen. "That's it. Starry Night," Katniss' eyes flew to Plutarch's. "It's in Thirteen?"

"Yes," he answered. "We have music, art, history books, even something called a bible. Apparently our ancestors were very religious."

"Why?" Gale's face twisted.

"They believed in a higher power of sorts," Plutarch sat back and pushed a few buttons on his computer screen turning the page to black. "God, Buddha...a few others, but yes, they were quite fond of religion."

Katniss had heard of it, everyone did, but no one she knew ever believed in anything of the sort. "Angels," Katniss whispered to herself.

"What Catnip?"

"Angels." She looked down at her feet and remembered the morning Peeta had first showed her the tunnel out of Twelve. "Peeta believed in them. Well, I don't really know if he believed in them, but he... he called me one," she smiled softly to herself. The thought of seeing Peeta's favorite work of art and reading about angels struck a curious note. "I'd be very interested in seeing this area some time Plutarch."

"Oh, I'm afraid it's off limits. Must protect our history you see."

Katniss didn't worry about it. She'd find it on one of her explorations. "Sure." There was silence in the hovercraft for several seconds before a thought came to Katniss. "What happens if we lose the war?"

"If we lose?" Plutarch's face looked towards the sky floating by, an ironic smile on his face. "I would expect next year's Hunger Games to be quite unforgettable. Oh, that reminds me. Here," he removed a small vile from his vest and shook a couple of dark violet pills into the palm of his hand. "They're called nightlock. You must swallow it whole for it to work. Once it disintegrates it will do no more harm than a blueberry."

Haymitch's head snapped around. Katniss' eyes flew open. "You...you want me to kill myself?" she asked.

"The rebels can't afford for any of us to be captured," Plutarch tapped to a tiny pocket on Katniss' shoulder where the pill slipped in. "We named it after the berries in honor of you and Peeta," Plutarch said as though Katniss should be flattered.

"Gee. Thanks," she took the pill and slid it into the tiny pocket located on the front shoulder of her left sleeve. She stared into space, trying to figure out what she would do if she was captured. Injury even death had crossed her mind, but never being taken hostage, and definitely not suicide. Could she swallow the pill for the sake of the rebellion? She stuck her finger into the tiny pocket where the pill was hidden and something pressed down against it. The pill Plutarch had given her was now crushed into dust. Her mind instantly went to Cinna. 'It seems you did think of everything, including making my decision for me.' Katniss swallowed the pain of her friend's death. She knew, without a shadow of doubt, that Cinna was one of the rare people in the rebellion, like Effie and now Haymitch, that put her above their cause. For the first time since agreeing to become the Mockingjay Katniss felt like a human being and not just another piece in another person's Game.

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The hovercraft left them on the outskirts of District Eight. Gale along with several others surrounded Katniss leading her to a hospital where bodies of injured people were being treated by medical personnel flown in from Thirteen. "I can't do this," Katniss said quietly. "I was expecting burnt out buildings...wreckage, not wounded. How am I supposed to help these people?"

Gale was trying to think of something to say to her, but it was Boggs that stepped up and put a hand on her shoulder. "Your being here will help them more than any doctor ever could." He led them towards a woman, obviously in charge, with dark hair and eyes to match. A bloody bandage at her throat, the weight of her weapon causing the strap to pull at it. "This is Commander Paylor of Eight," Boggs turned to Katniss. "Commander, Soldier Katniss Mellark."

"Yeah," Paylor gave Katniss a once over. "I know who she is. Glad you're alive. We weren't sure."

"I'm still not sure myself," Katniss looked nervously around.

"She's been in recovery," Gale could've sworn he heard a hint of dissent in the woman's voice. "Bad concussion...miscarriage, but she insisted on coming here to see the wounded."

"Gale!" Katniss snapped at him.

"What?" He didn't know what he said to make her so angry. He was only trying to stand up for her.

"Sorry to hear about the loss of your baby," Paylor said in passing, "but we've got plenty of wounded if you're interested in meeting them."

"I..." Katniss stuttered, "I...didn't..." she let out a soft burst of air. "Where to?"

"You think this is a good idea?" Gale spoke to Paylor. "Assembling your wounded like this?"

"I think it's slightly better than leaving them to die," She said harshly.

"That's not what I meant," Gale said defensively.

"That's my current option, but you think of a third and get Coin to approve it, I'll be all for it." She turned to Katniss. "Come on Mockingjay. This way. Feel free to bring your friends." Gale felt out of place surrounded by the camera crew filming every move Katniss made. "There's a mass grave started a few blocks west of here, but we don't have the manpower to move the deceased yet." Paylor led them to a makeshift building filled with their wounded.

Katniss' hand flew to her nose before they entered the facility. The stench hit Gale the moment he stepped into their hospital. "Don't leave my side," she whispered to him and dropped her hand from her face.

He glanced down at her and took her wrist in his hand, felt her tug a little then whispered, "Just this once, I'll let you pretend I'm Peeta." It took about three seconds before she threaded her fingers through his, and Gale instantly regretted saying those words to her, because it wasn't his hand she was holding, and he knew it. She gave it one big squeeze then let go.

"Katniss?" Gale heard someone speak her name which quickly spread throughout the facility.

Children as well as adults came up to her in awe. "You must be so worried about Peeta. We know he only spoke that way to protect you..." Their words of encouragement towards Peeta seemed to provide a sense of relief to Katniss. Gale watched her closely as people touched her like she was some form of miracle worker. They spoke to her, asked her about Peeta and the baby, but Katniss kept turning the questions around, never answering them directly, always focusing on the patients. That's when he realized he had done exactly what she had insisted they didn't do. He spilled the beans about her kid. He didn't know why it bothered him so much, but her lack of acceptance was wearing on him. She had to face up to it and move on. There were more important things to worry about like the people they were surrounded by, and truth be told, he was glad she didn't have to worry about raising a kid anymore. She never wanted it, and it would've been nothing but trouble if she kept puking like she did while she was in the arena. This country needed their Mockingjay to be strong. He looked over his shoulder and took in the casualties of war, lined up side by side. The sound of Katniss and Peeta's names being chanted as she stood on a table waving farewell to them. The cameras recording her as she fulfilled her position as their figurehead, and it brought a fresh wave of emotion towards her. His Catnip no longer existed. She was gone and in her place stood a woman of great power. Power over the people of the districts, and Gale had to wonder, 'If this is how they're reacting with just you here, what's it going to be like when Peeta's by your side?' The one thing he knew for certain was that she wouldn't have dropped Peeta's hand as soon as she walked into the hospital.

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"Sir, I understand the danger involved, but imagine the outcome if I succeed," Effie stood at the window of the hospital room Peeta was sleeping in. "He attempted to kill himself due to the images you were showing him today. Maybe if he saw the real thing with his own eyes..." Effie let the suggestion hang in the air.

President Snow narrowly glared through the window at Peeta, "That boy is causing us more problems than he's worth. I should have let him die today instead of ordering that idiotic doctor to revive him." After a few moments of silence he began speaking again. "We'll need to make sure District Twelve is secure before your arrival. I'll want an army of soldiers to accompany you while you're there. Show him that bakery...the dead bodies," Snow faced Effie, "and do not let him out of your sight."

Effie's heart began to race at the prospect of getting Peeta out of the Capitol, but the army of soldiers would be a problem. "I'm sure once he sees the devastation she caused to his home, he'll feel as much hatred towards Katniss as we all do. A quiet walk through his old home...nothing to distract him...no thoughts of the Capitol attempting to put images in his head... Yes, sir. I believe this is a perfect way to get him on our side."

"A quiet walk," Snow said softly. "Miss. Trinket, there are a few things I'll need from you while in Twelve. First, do not let Peeta know his mother is dead. If he asks, you are to tell him you have been filling that role since he left Twelve and took up residency at the Capitol. Second, I want you to take him to that blasted tree he's so fond of and place a recording device on it. If Katniss returns to Twelve chances are she'll have fond memories of that area and pay it a visit. I want to know if she shows up there so we can send in our troops immediately."

"Yes, sir." Effie would have to figure something out about that too. Perhaps let the rebels know it's there so they can get rid of it. "How many soldiers will be accompanying us into Twelve sir?"

"One," Snow answered. "Your private guard has been doing a remarkable job. If you only knew how close to death you came last night, Miss. Trinket, you'd be thanking your lucky stars for that man."

"Whatever do you mean?" Effie's fingers went to her throat.

Snow took one last look at a sleeping Peeta, "There was a murder...two actually, in that bar the rebels used to send communications."

"My word!" Effie gasped. "Is that why they wouldn't allow me inside?"

"Yes, I heard you arrived within minutes of the bodies being discovered." Snow led her down the hallway towards the elevators. "Fortunately we haven't lost all of our spies. Your Peacekeeper has done a wonderful job keeping you from harm. I should move him to my own force, however, your life is now of the utmost importance to our cause."

"It is?"

"Unfortunately our agent orange blossom was killed by a rebel last night. We can only assume they struggled with one another. She was found burned to a crisp and he was found with a gun and a knife wound." Snow sniffed. "My agents are currently investigating Mr. Darlington's establishments as we speak."

"Darlington? Carter Darlington? The sponsor?" Effie feared that Snow's men would discover the hidden room, the medical supplies, worst of all the music box she had left for Katniss and Peeta in case they ever made it back to the Capitol. The tiny music chip she left inside would be the end of her.

"It seems Mr. Darlington was working with the rebels for quite some time. Unfortunately when we sent our agent in to infiltrate the rebellion Mr. Darlington's emotions got the best of him. He refused to allow her to get too involved with the group in case she was ever captured." Snow smiled a bit, "But now we have you, and you're going to be a much bigger help than she ever was."

Terror began to fill every ounce of Effie's being. "By helping Peeta to think he's now a Capitol resident. That I have adopted him as my own...by turning him against Katniss."

"The boy should have nothing but hatred for his own mother. Why not provide him with one that cares? Perhaps then these treatments we've been giving him will work."

"We can only hope, sir." Effie stayed in the elevator as the president stepped out and Mr. Tanner entered. "I shall wait by his bedside, sir."

"Excellent. In the meantime, I shall prepare for your trip. I'll allow you to enter Twelve with your own guard, but we will have reinforcements standing by." President Snow dabbed at his lips with a blood stained handkerchief. "I believe Peeta may respond better if we keep Capitol security to a minimum while touring the remains of his district, but have no fear. My soldiers will be only a minute away at all times."

"And I shall have Mr. Tanner with me," Effie gave him a curt nod. "As you said, he has done a remarkable job."

President Snow gave her a nod, "Inform me when our patient wakes. We'll want to make sure he has plenty of tracker jacker venom inside of his system. Now, if you'll excuse me. I have a broadcast to air," Snow sneered.

The doors to the elevator closed and Effie let out an enormous breath of air. "Either he doesn't know about me or is playing me for a fool," she said quietly to Mr. Tanner.

"Not wearing your brooch with the hidden recording device I see," He glanced down at her jacket.

"There was an unfortunate incident at the hospital. It seemed to slip right off of my person and land under the wheels of a moving hospital bed." Effie pursed her lips in delight. "I must really be more careful." Steven Tanner let out a snort. "My. My. Are you laughing Mr. Tanner?" She turned to face him. "I didn't think you were allowed to. Wasn't that in the oath you took? No laughter or humor of any kind allowed?"

"It was actually part of my training," He said with a straight voice. "Sometimes my human side does pop up."

"Must be quite an inconvenience for you," Effie faced the elevator doors. "Goodness knows, one can't feel safe with a Peacekeeper that has a sense of humor." She heard another little burst of laughter coming from him. "Now stop that. I might mistake you for a human being."

"Miss. Trinket, has anyone ever told you you're quite funny?"

"Yes. I've been called funny looking on more than one occasion by that...vile little man, Haymitch." She hadn't realized she sighed after saying Haymitch's name.

"Vile little man, huh?"

Effie crinkled her brow. "Yes. He's a buffoon. A drunken buffoon."

"Miss. Trinket," Steven Tanner leaned closer to her, "you may want to avoid talking about him to other people if you don't want them to know how you feel about him."

"What..." Effie flustered. "I have no feelings towards him whatsoever."

"You're about as convincing as that wig you wear," He held his arm out to her once the doors opened.

"Why I never," Effie said in a huff as she clicked her heels towards Peeta's hospital room finding him awake and looking around in a panic. "Peeta!" She rushed to his side. "You're awake."

"Yeah," he gave her a strange look. "Mom, what happened to me?"

Effie's heart jumped at the term, mom. "Oh darling," she stroked the hair off of his forehead. "You got a little carried away today during your...questioning."

"Questioning about what?" He sat upright and looked at the Peacekeeper. "Is everything okay? Why do you have a Peacekeeper with you?"

Peeta was aware that Mr. Tanner was her personal guard so she wasn't quite sure why he was asking. "Don't you remember the president appointing me a personal security detail?"

"So, he's okay? I mean...you want him here?" Peeta asked.

Effie stole a quick peek at Mr. Tanner. "He has a tendency to get on my last nerve, but I've been learning how to deal with his presence."

"Wonderful!" Dr. Avalon entered the room. "He's awake, and...how are you feeling Peeta?"

He eyed up the doctor and answered with a cautious, "Fine, I guess."

"You must tell me if you find yourself getting the shakes or begin to perspire uncontrollably." The physician began to do an exam of Peeta. "Your heart is sounding strong. Excellent. President Snow will be happy to know you're doing well."

"Okay?" Peeta reached a hand out to Effie. "Who is this guy?"

That was the second person Peeta was having a difficult time remembering. "Peeta," Effie asked, afraid of the answer, "Do you remember where you are?"

"I'm assuming I'm in a hospital," he answered.

"Where is the hospital located?" She asked.

"The Capitol?" Peeta paused and said, "I'm home, right?"

"Home?" Effie's eyes began to fill with fear.

"This is wonderful," the doctor began tapping on a computerized note pad. "Peeta, where did you reside before the Capitol?"

"Uh...District...Four? No...Twelve."

Effie's stomach was churning as Peeta went through a question and answer series with the doctor. "What happened to bring you here from Twelve?"

"I accepted a position with the Capitol to be Caesar Flickerman's co-host," Peeta squeezed Effie's hand. "Right? That's why you took me in? Because I was too young to live on my own." Effie simply stared at him blankly. Her worst fears were coming true.

"Who did you leave behind in Twelve?" The doctor continued.

"People? Um...my dad and two brothers, and...did I have a little sister?"

"No," the doctor said quickly. "Who is Katniss Everdeen?"

"Katniss Everdeen? You mean..." Peeta thought for a second then asked, "Didn't she enter the Games with me?" He turned to Effie, "Mom, why am I having a hard time remembering this stuff? Did I hit my head or something?"

"Yes," the doctor lied. "You have a terrible concussion, but don't worry, it will come back to you."

There was no way Effie could tell Peeta the truth in the middle of the hospital without giving them away. "Peeta, do you remember the Games with Katniss?" She asked hoping he would say yes.

"I think so. We both volunteered for them, and you..." He gave Effie a tiny smile, "...you helped us so we could both leave the arena. Thought up a story." His face lit up. "Yeah, I remember now. We were the Star Crossed Lovers of District Twelve. You and President Snow said if we pulled it off we could both leave the arena and I could accept that job with Caesar."

Effie's eyes flashed to the physician. "What has happened to his memory?"

The doctor pulled Effie aside to speak to her in private. "Miss. Trinket...Effie, I'm pleased to say I have finally discovered the reason Peeta hasn't been responding to the treatments we've been giving him. It seems there was a mix up in the science lab. The labels were put on the wrong containers and we have been giving him jacker juice instead of the actual tracker jacker venom." Dr. Avalon spoke with pride. "Fortunately I was able to resuscitate him and when he awoke, he ripped the tubules out of his arm. The moment I caught a whiff of honey I knew why he wasn't responding the way we wanted."

"So he's not in the hospital because of his heart?" She asked.

"Oh, no. Once he was brought back, I was able to administer the proper medications, and he was fine. If Finnick Odair has access to those drugs during the Quell, Peeta would have been back on his feet within seconds," the doctor said slyly. "He's been given his first real dose of tracker jacker venom and I must make sure he doesn't go through withdrawal from the tracker juice."

"Is it addictive?" Effie feared the worst.

"The touches of morphling in the drug tends to give it an addictive quality to one that uses it often, and Peeta has been exposed to quite a bit of it." The doctor paused before adding, "To be honest, I'm surprised he hasn't overdosed by now. Normally one can only stand so much of it."

"But...I thought it was weaker than the regular venom?" Effie's mind began to race at the thought of hurting Peeta by switching the drugs.

"Yes, they are. However, they are recreational drugs, Effie, and can be fatal if too much is given." The doctor paused then added, "He has quite a tolerance. Under normal circumstances I would have had to given him shots to revive him after the treatments." He began to speak to himself, "I wonder if this means he'll be resilient to the regular venom? Perhaps I should increase his dosages," his fingers went to work on the computerized note pad.

'Dear me,' Effie panicked, 'My darling boy, what have I done to you? What have I done?'

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"Prim, look here," Regina motioned towards a dusty cardboard box hidden away in the room that held all of the paper files for the residents of District Thirteen.

"This looks pretty old," Prim lifted the cover off and began thumbing through each individual file. "Dr. Valero, all of these people died within the same year." She read a few of the files and noticed the date. "These three within days of each other."

"Shh," Regina pulled Prim away from the box behind a shelving unit.

Prim's eyes grew wide with fear when she heard the shuffling of footsteps. "It's coming from the vents," she whispered.

Regina began to slowly sign to Prim, "Do you know what I'm saying?" Prim nodded. She had been taking Justus' classes and learning their language everyday since joining Regina in the medical bay.

Prim could sign the alphabet with no problems, knew quite a few words in sign language now that she and Regina were working side by side, but she stuck with using one hand and spelling her words out. "We need to bring this box back with us. Hide it in storage."

"They'll notice," Regina spelled out to her. "If they search this room they're going to know someone took it." She thought for a second. "Let's take those three files you read and look them over." Prim nodded and grabbed the files. "Let's go," Regina signed to her.

Once back in the medical bay Prim said, "I wish we could copy some of them, but they'd definitely notice if we used any of their resources."

"Oh, Prim. That's a wonderful idea." Dr. Valero dug through her pocket and found the monitoring system she used on Katniss. "I can scan the files into this. It can hold up to twenty thousand patient files."

"How do you do that?" Prim leaned over Regina's desk with her.

"It's simple, but tedious. You have to run the device over each piece of paper." She put on a pair of gloves and picked up the file of the first patient. "We'll number them. Katniss is in here as patient zero so we can start with one and then their date of birth and death." She pushed a few buttons on the little device and slid it over the first page. "One down, about a million to go."

"Why are you wearing gloves?" Prim asked.

"Fingerprints. Don't want to leave any sign of us behind. In fact, I'm going to make up some new files for these three and get rid of these. Your prints are all over them." Dr. Valero took out a few manila colored file folders. "You should go check on your mom. She's probably wondering where we've been."

"Okay, then I'm coming straight back here. I'll tell her we're studying," Prim hurried out of the room and down the hall to the main hospital. "Hi," she greeted her mother who was working with a few plants she had asked for from Thirteen's garden.

"Hi sweetie. Where have you been hiding?" Evelyn stopped working for a moment.

"Not hiding. Just studying with Dr. Valero. She's been teaching me an awful lot," Prim picked up one of the plants. "What are you going to use these for?"

"This one works well on burns, and these two can be dried then ground and put into liquid to help with digestion. Dr. Valero mentioned she was having some terrible morning sickness and I thought it might help."

"Is that the tea you used to make in Twelve?" Prim asked.

"No. This is much better. Should eliminate the doctor's sickness as long as she drinks it before each meal." Evelyn began snipping sprouts off of the plants and placing them in beakers of water. "I'm going to root them and grow some for use in the hospital only. The doctors here were very supportive when I asked them about mixing up medicines."

This gave Prim an excellent idea. "You know mom, Katniss is hunting again. Why don't we get permission for me to go out with her once or twice a week and I can forage for some herbs. I bet the doctors around here have no clue what to look for in the woods."

"Hmmm, I could ask. Do you think Katniss would mind if you went with her?" Evelyn began pulling some leaves and placing them on a wired rack.

"I'm sure I could talk her into it," Prim grinned. "She'll probably be fine with it as long as I don't try and heal all the game she shoots." Prim's mom seemed to be lost in her work. "Well, I'm going to study with Dr. Valero. See you later, mom."

"Hmmm? Oh...bye Prim." Evelyn went back to work.

Before Prim left her mother Dr. Valero entered with a uniformed soldier. "We'll be ready," Dr. Valero said to the man in uniform. "Prim," her voice was steady, but her eyes were filled with fear. "Evelyn, we've got wounded from Eight on their way in."

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"We got some great shots in there," Cressida said to Katniss.

"Wonderful footage," Messalla agreed and scribbled some notes down.

Katniss had no clue what she did. "I walked around their hospital. What did I really accomplish."

"Give yourself some credit for what you've done in the past," Boggs gave her a pat on the shoulder.

The smell of rotting flesh still stung Katniss' nose, the sight of bloody bodies, a child with one eye bandaged and the other aglow when he met her left Katniss weak in the knees. She hunched down, looked up at Boggs and said, "What I did in the past? Depending on who you talk to, I either helped or hurt this nation."

"Well, you're not perfect by a long shot, but times being what they are, you'll have to do," Boggs stood above her with a tinge of humor in his eyes.

"Gee thanks," Katniss chuckled.

"I can't believe you let all those people touch you," Gale took a spot next to her. "When that woman hugged you and said that stuff about Peeta still being a hero to her, I thought for sure you'd make a run for it."

"Shut up," Katniss tried to make a joke out of it, but he was right. It took everything she had not to race out of the giant tent the people of Eight had constructed to house their ill. She turned her attention to Boggs, "Is it like this everywhere?"

"Yes," he nodded. "We try to get aid to them, but it's never enough."

"Time to go sweetheart," the sound of Haymitch in Katniss' earpiece shocked her.

"Let's go. We've got a problem," Boggs grabbed hold of Katniss arm and hauled her to her feet.

"What kind of problem?" Katniss followed Boggs, who didn't answer.

"Get the hell out of there Katniss. Bombers are coming in!" Haymitch's voice bellowed through her ear.

Boggs reached around, pulled up Katniss' protective hood and yanked the helmet Cinna had designed onto her head. "MOVE!"

"What's going on?" Gale jogged alongside of Katniss.

"Bombers," she turned her heard towards the sky, looking for their arrival, but the sky was clear.

"There's a warehouse about two blocks up," Plutarch's voice came out over the earpiece instead of Haymitch's. "Get her to safety."

Katniss, who was surrounded by soldiers and a camera crew wearing portable recording devices that resembled the shell of a beetle, jogged as quickly as possible behind Boggs when suddenly the sounds of hoverplanes roared behind her. As she flew through the air, her body being thrown into the side of a building, thoughts of never making it out alive began plaguing her. A sharp stabbing pain shot into the back of her leg as Boggs threw himself over her, shielding her from bomb after bomb being dropped. 'I'm sorry,' she thought to herself. 'I shouldn't have come here, and caused this destruction.' Her presence had to be the reason for the Capitol's assault.

"Katniss!" Haymitch's voice echoed through her earpiece the second the bombs stopped dropping. "You need to get out of there before they see you."

"You mean they don't know I'm here?" She asked Haymitch.

"Intelligence doesn't think so. They think this was planned already. Now get the hell out of there!" Haymitch screamed.

Katniss ran as fast as her injured leg could take her, finding her feet springing to life from the boots Cinna had created for her. Again she was surrounded by the group, all of them determined to protect her at all costs. "Where to?" She asked Boggs.

"This way."

The next wave of planes came in and this time it was Gale that covered her body. Katniss hunched over, one arm over her head the other in the same position it had been when she ran from the deadly jungle during the Quell. Sounds of blasts, the earth shaking beneath her, and Gale's eyes were piercing through her system. "You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah," She got to her feet the second the planes fell back. "If the Capitol isn't bombing them because I'm here, then why are they doing it?"

"The hospital," She and Gale spoke at the same time and ran towards the paltry shelter.

A term her father used to use on occasion while hunting instantly came to mind, sitting ducks, when Katniss saw the damage that the bombs had caused. This, she knew, was the reason Gale had questioned Paylor about the way they gathered their wounded together. They were easy targets for the enemy to attack, but why the hospital? Why defenseless people? The instinct to protect these people, to fight was overwhelming.

Paylor whipped her head towards Katniss and Gale, "Boggs know you're here?"

"Yeah," Katniss lied. None of her group wanted her to run towards the fighting, and she was shocked when the film crew took their position alongside of her.

"Get down," Paylor warned her. "The next wave will be coming in less than a minute."

Offers to use the guns District Eight had were declined. The bow and arrow was her weapon as was Gale's. Haymitch's constant screeching in her ear to get out of the area was making it hard for her to concentrate. She yanked the earpiece out of her ear, took position on the ground and loaded her bow with one of the fire arrows Beetee created. It had been awhile since she and Gale were able to communicate with one or two word phrases, the distance between them continued to grow, but this was the reason she wanted him by her side during Peeta's absence. Calling out the word "geese," him knowing that it meant the hoverplanes were flying in a V formation, that she should shoot the front, he the back, much like they did in the woods of Twelve. With each wave of aircraft that came in bombing the hospital, those that could ran from the structure in an attempt to be free of the fiery inferno. The ground shook, the stench of smoke and death filled the air. It all seemed to disappear as Katniss' old self resurfaced. She had a one track mind. Kill her prey. Fire arrows weren't doing the job so she and Gale switched to explosives for the next wave, and Katniss got to her feet, taking aim at the deadly hoverplanes as they soared overhead, dropping bomb after bomb, taking the lives of so many. The last of the bombers exploded midair at the hands of Katniss' weapon. Her eyes drifted down to the people that were racing around. The hospital that was no more. There was nothing she could do to help these people. That horrible feeling of helplessness raged through her as a scene from her past flashed through her mind.

She couldn't sleep. Thoughts of Peeta had kept her up half the night. Since the day he took her hand under that damn tree her mind kept recalling the feeling of his fingers entwined with hers. The gentle way her stroked the inside of her wrist with his thumb. The way his breath felt against her skin when he rested his forehead against hers was igniting feelings deep inside of her. Feelings she swore she'd never allow, yet here she was not only wanting it, but welcoming it. Not just welcoming the rush of emotions, but welcoming them with open arms. 'Peeta,' even thinking his name made her stomach flop like a fish out of water. She needed to do something to get him out of her mind. Predawn darkness cloaked her as she headed into the forbidden woods of Twelve. Hunting was the best medicine for the disease that she found herself plagued with. 'Is this love?' She wondered as she quietly walked through the dark woods. 'It has to be.' But love wasn't what she had planned for her life. Letting an emotion like that into her heart was dangerous, almost as forbidden as the woods. She had watched her mother go through hell since the death of her father, practically letting her children starve to death. It was that loss she knew she could never afford in her life. 'This is not love,' she thought to herself as a group of pigeons flew unnoticed over her head. 'Like. I like him. This is like.' She had to be satisfied with that. 'We have to go back to being just friends. It's for the best. He'll understand. Peeta will just be happy spending time with me. We'll share lunch and be friends. That's it. It'll be easy. I can be his friend...can't I?' Gale was her friend and she never faced problems like this. Never even thought of him in a romantic way and she had held his hand before, but she couldn't' recall what it felt like. Was it hard or soft like Peeta's whose skin was smooth, not at all like she imagined a man's hands to be. Like her father's were, but Peeta was a baker not a hunter or miner so it only made sense that his skin wouldn't have been affected by the harsh elements of Twelve. His grip, on the other hand, was strong, firm a total contradiction to his demeanor, 'Or the way he touched your face,' she thought to herself. Why did she think there was much more to the boy that had taken a black eye at the age of eleven so she could have some bread? The rustling sound of leaves caught her attention, pulled her from the deep thoughts she had gotten lost inside of. Three squirrels met their demise that morning yet Katniss' problems were still alive and well. She didn't ask herself why she shot the critters when the sky was filled with birds flying south for the upcoming winter. She knew the reason as well as she knew who would buy the squirrels. The Baker. Peeta's father. A light tap on the bakery's back door produced the man. She let her eyes drift past the baker as he spoke to her about their trade, in search of the boy she was trying to convince herself she only wanted a friendship with. She thought she was being careful but the baker asked if she was looking for someone and Katniss hoped the man didn't notice the blush that crept up on her cheeks as she ducked her head down and shook her head in answer. Would he figure it out? Did he know she was there to see Peeta and not trade in her game? The sound of something metal crashing to the ground caused her to lift her eyes towards the disruption. The bellow of screaming, the witch was on a rampage, quickly followed. As Katniss accepted a few coins from the baker, she opened her mouth to say her thanks, but the door was shut in her face. Why she stopped at the tiny window a few yards down allowing a person to see into the kitchen, she didn't know, but that's when she saw it. Peeta being hit across the head with a heavy baking sheet. "Peeta," escaped out of her mouth. Anger ripped through her as her feet raced to the bakery's backdoor. She lifted her hand to bang on it and stopped. What good would she be able to do him? The image of a little boy with a black eye flashed in her mind. Katniss' presence could actually bring on more trouble for him. She rested the flat of her hand against the door and whispered, "I'm here, Peeta. Right here." She could hear the screaming, Peeta saying he was sorry, the witch yelling not only at Peeta but his father as well when he tried to defend his son. The need to keep him safe and sound, to rescue Peeta the way he rescued her when he threw her the bread so long ago consumed her. It had been years since Katniss allowed herself to cry. She didn't need tears. They were for the weak and she was far from weak. There would be no crying for her, but telling herself that and actually complying were two different things. She could feel the threat of anguish seeping through her. The burning in the back of her nose, the tightening in her throat. She tried to take deep breaths as she slowly backed away from the door and ran back into the woods telling herself she wasn't going to cry. She wouldn't do that, but she did. She sobbed for the helplessness that ate her up inside, for the years she had let Peeta go without thanks for saving her life and being there when her family so desperately needed food, and for the boy she wasn't supposed to love.

Her film crew stood by her, the red light of a camera pointing in her face. "Katniss, President Snow has just aired the bombing in District Eight live. He says this was his way of sending a message to the rebels. What about you? Do you have a message to send them?" Cressida asked.

Haymitch's voice screamed at her through the earpiece that dangled on her shoulder. She was sure she had gotten rid of the man when she pulled the plug. "Damn it, Katniss! Think of Maysilee...of your father... You want the same thing to happen to you?!"

Katniss couldn't help Peeta the morning she discovered his mother's abusive ways. There was no one to talk to, to reach out to for help, but today...today, she realized, was a different story. She had an entire nation to make her plea to. Haymitch's message, which went out through everyone's communication device, may have caused those around her to give her questionable looks, but Katniss knew what he was saying. Think of your child. Up to that point it hadn't even crossed her mind. As she stood with her bow in hand, she finally thought of the baby she was carrying and all of the children that were lying dead, burning in a hospital, blown to bits, that were constantly threatened by the chance of being reaped, her sister who had been reaped, and Rue...all of the tributes that gave their lives in the arena. This would be her child's future if she didn't do all she could now. "Yes," she answered Cressida's question softly at first then cleared her throat and spoke with an authority she had been missing for too long. "Yes," she stared into the red light of the camera as those around her withdrew, giving her the space she needed. "I want to tell the rebels I'm alive. That I'm right here in District Eight where the Capitol just bombed a hospital full of unarmed men, women and children. Why? Because Snow looks at them as slaves. When this war is over, what good will a bunch of slaves be to the Capitol? They won't be able to work so the residents of the Capitol can live in the lap luxury. There will be no survivors here in Eight." The camera panned to the hospital and all of its victims then back to her. Katniss could feel the anger building up inside of her. Emotions she had been suppressing for too long began to spill out. "I want to tell the rebels that Snow will continue to hold us prisoners in our own districts...our homes...working us to death...starving us...making our children fight in an arena to the death, just to show his absolute power, but Snow...the Capitol...they aren't as powerful as they think. See that?" She pointed to a few hoverplanes that she and Gale had shot down, the camera's lens followed her finger. "That's what we're capable of! That's what happens when we fight back!" She glared into the red light of the camera that was focused on her again. "When we say, we've had enough! When we stand up, united for the rights that any human being deserves! You want a fight, Snow?! We're ready for you. We are not in these Games for the Capitol's entertainment purposes." Her voice began to grow louder with each phrase. "We are fighting for our way of life! For our children's lives! For our nation's survival! For the right to be free from tyranny and oppression!" She pointed her bow towards the burning hoverplane again, the camera zooming in on the Capitol's symbol glowing bright red amongst the flames. "Welcome to the rebel's arena! The odds are finally in our favor!"