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

12. Used and Abused

Mockingjay: Broken Wings

By: Jamie Sommers

Chapter Eleven: Used and Abused

Well, readers...I was going to post this when I was done writing chapter twelve, but it's my birthday today so I thought I'd give you all a gift and post it early.

Since my last chapter was pretty much a continuation of K/P's reunion, this one is HUGE! Thank you so much to my betas who continue to give of themselves, and all they get in return are some recipes for crumb cake and balsamic glazed pork loin from me. S and A, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

If you have questions regarding this story or any others, feel free to follow me on tumblr. jamiesommers23 dot tumblr dot com. You'll usually get info on there about my story and sneak peeks into the newest chapters. And if you have a question that you MUST have answered, that's where I'll answer it.

So, is anyone wondering what's happening in the world of...

Mockingjay: Broken Wings

Effie sat in one of the familiar rooms President Snow used to question his prisoners, waiting patiently. Her hands were cuffed to the chair as were her ankles. A Peacekeeper stood next to her, and Effie immediately took notice of the bump next to his boot, the gun at his waist, the club they used to beat anyone that looked at them the wrong way and began rehashing the ways to disarm the man like Mr. Tanner had taught her only hours earlier. Though she was concerned for Steven's well-being, Peeta was the prominent figure in her mind. She wondered if he was safe in the arms of Katniss, and how she was handling Peeta's failing memory of her. 'Do not be concerned, Effie,' she thought to herself, 'Katniss will help him to remember.' She was thankful her plan to get Peeta out of Snow's clutches was a success. If they had returned to the Capitol together, there would be nothing left of her darling boy. He would have been turned into a killing machine for the Capitol. His target...Katniss.

"Dr. Avalon, do you think it's wise to be giving Peeta tracker jacker venom prior to my being alone with him in District Twelve?" Effie asked as they prepped Peeta for their trip.

"This is jacker juice," the doctor plunged a syringe into Peeta's vein. "We wouldn't want him to have another episode like he had yesterday. Withdrawal can be deadly when it comes to this particular drug unless handled with care, and we wouldn't want him to die when he's almost where we need him to be."

Effie couldn't help but wonder what they had planned for Peeta, "And where do you need him to be exactly?"

The doctor checked Peeta over after he let out an almost grateful sigh, "Very good." The lecherous grin on the physician's face turned Effie's stomach. "I have been weaning Peeta off of the jacker juice...replacing it with the actual tracker jacker venom, however I agree with you in your assessment of our prisoner. Treating him with the actual venom prior to his trip could have an adverse reaction." The doctor tossed the needle he used on Peeta into a small trash disposal container that ground it into miniscule bits almost instantly. "Once he returns we will give him another treatment of the actual venom...tell him the destruction he saw while touring his former district was due to Katniss."

"How will that work? Will he believe you?" Effie could only hope Peeta would be able to fight the venom if her plan to get him out didn't work.

"Oh yes," the doctor said proudly. "Between the recordings we've shown to him of Katniss and Gale, walking amongst the corpses of Twelve, and the venom, it shouldn't be difficult at all. By my estimations, one more dose will wipe the memories of he and Katniss' relationship, two more doses of venom will turn Peeta completely against her...against the rebellion. Not only will we be able to use him to execute Katniss, we should be able to use him to get rid of any rebel soldiers as well...if they haven't killed him by then." He gave Peeta a pat on the arm. "How are you feeling Peeta?"

His eyes were closed, his head a little wobbly, "Fine...good."

Effie stared at Peeta, hiding her concern for him, and asked, "Do you know where you are?"

"Yeah," Peeta licked his lips. "I'm in the Capitol."

"I've given him enough to last between eight and nine hours, but not enough to overcome his mental faculties. We want him to be very aware of his surroundings." The doctor motioned to a Peacekeeper. "He'll be fine while in your care though I'd keep very close tabs on him. There is still a chance of him having side effects to the drug." He reached out and patted Effie's hand in a friendly manner. "Not to worry Miss. Trinket...I wouldn't put you in any danger." The physician handed Effie a syringe. "If he has signs of withdrawal, give this to him. It must be injected into his bloodstream, but do not give it to him before the eight hour time window is up or it might cause severe violent outbursts."

"Well, I wouldn't want to do that," she took the needle with the jacker juice in it and placed it in her jacket pocket. "Thank you, Dr. Avalon." She turned to Peeta and Mr. Tanner. "Shall we?"

Once in the elevator Effie slipped the needle into Peeta's pants pocket, and gave him a small smile. "Hopefully we'll be back before any episodes occur, but just in case, the doctor gave me something for you. A shot in the vein and you'll be right as rain."

"Make sure you keep it away from him, Miss. Trinket," Mr. Tanner gave her a friendly warning, unaware that Peeta was already carrying the drug. "I don't want him getting a hold of it and using it against anyone."

"Of course, Mr. Tanner. Do you think I'm a fool?" Effie harrumphed and gave Peeta a little wink.

Effie didn't know how much time had passed since Peeta was given the shot, but she hoped and prayed that her boy wasn't going through any signs of withdrawal. If he was in Thirteen then surely Dr. Valero would be treating him and finding a way to free him of the addiction Effie felt she had caused.

"Miss. Trinket," President Snow entered the room. His eyes were filled with rage, his cheeks pasty white with splotches of red, and a small drop of blood dried in the corner of his mouth. "Imagine my surprise when I was told our prisoner escaped, and you were the reason why." Snow ran his hand over the back of her chair. "All this time I thought it was Peeta who formed some sort of...sick bond with his escort, and now the truth has finally come to light." He snarled, "The feelings were mutual." Snow lifted his head, his nostrils flaring, a look of utter disgust scrawled across his face. "I was certain you would have more sense than to fall for that mongrel's trickery."

Effie arched one brow, "The only mongrel I know is standing before me." If Effie was right, now that Snow knew about the personal bond she had with Katniss and Peeta he would use her much as he had used Peeta against Katniss as an emotional weapon. The smack she received across the side of her face didn't come as a surprise. Her goal in coming back to the Capitol was to direct Snow's anger at her, not the others still in captivity. If that meant antagonizing the man, then so be it. Effie remembered Johanna's tough edge when the Peacekeeper hit her, and licked the blood off of her lips. "You're much weaker than I expected. I suppose tha..." another smack, this time with the back of Snow's hand across her cheek. Snow shook his hand out a bit. "I think you may have injured yourself more than me. Perhaps you should seek medical attention," she said with a stiff upper lip doing her best to hide the radiating pain shooting across her cheek. "If you recall, I was a punching bag for Viggo..." Effie gave Snow a conniving look, "...he prepared me for moments such as this when he talked me into joining the rebellion." Though the man was dead, it was important that Snow still believe Bettes was a traitor. There were still identities to protect within the Capitol.

Snow gripped the handles of her chair and leaned his face into hers, "Why are you provoking me, Miss. Trinket? I despise this sort of barbaric treatment."

"Yes, I'm sure you do," Effie held his stare. "You'd prefer it if someone else did your dirty work for you."

Snow held her by the chin, digging his fingers into her flesh, his hate for her written all over his face. "I trusted you...made you a part of my inner circle...provided you with the opportunity to become something more than an escort for the lowest form of creatures on earth, and this is how you thank me for all that I've given to you?!" He threw her face to the side.

Effie's expression quickly feigned remorse. "When you put it that way...I really must think of another way to express my gratitude to you." She quirked the corner of her lip the way Haymitch did when he flashed his cocky grin. "I have a wonderful idea, why don't you hand me a dagger and I can slit your throat? I believe that would be an extraordinary way to say thank you for what you've done." Being on this particular end of questioning was not Effie's forte so she continued to channel her friends strengths. Haymitch's cocky attitude, Johanna's fierce determination, Peeta's endurance, Katniss' fiery temperament, and both of her kid's courage. "What do you want from me? You know I won't tell you anything about the rebellion, so why bother with this unless you enjoy beating women."

"You are no woman! You are a rebel spy," his growl was low and deep. "You are barely even human." Snow's chest was moving up and down as he breathed, like he had just run some sort of race. "We will find him, and when we do, he will watch us skin you alive."

"Find who?" Effie said as light as day thankful that Mr. Tanner's plan to drain the Capitol's hovercraft of power prohibited them from making too many trips over District Twelve in search of Peeta. "Oh, Peeta? No you shan't. He's gone. They've taken him back to Katniss...where he belongs, and don't worry about his memory of her...he still has very strong emotional ties to her," at least Effie hoped he did. "The two of them are probably curled in each others arms by now lying in the safety of their quarters." Effie's sweet tone when speaking about Katniss and Peeta was obviously infuriating President Snow, but that didn't stop her. "I can see them now, she's resting her head against his chest like she always does, he's wrapped his arms around her...keeping his wife and child secure."

"Secure?" Snow leaned over her. "Allow me to show you how secure they are, Miss. Trinket." He pulled a control out of his pocket and began speaking. "I want bombers. Coordinate an attack on District Thirteen." Effie's gasp caused Snow to quirk a brow at her. "Oh, yes, Miss. Trinket. I'm well aware of where they are hiding."

"Thirteen no longer exists," Effie said as convincingly as she could.

"The dredges of Thirteen live underground like vermin. They have kept to themselves for three quarters of a century and I've over looked them...their almost defiant way of surviving when they should have been dead, but now it's time to rid this country of the pests that threaten to infest it."

A voice called out through a speaker, "President Snow, we can have all of our bombers gathered and ready to go by nightfall."

"Get it done," Snow ordered then turned to Effie. "Miss. Trinket, you had an opportunity to put an end to this war, yet you chose to help in fanning the fire that's spreading across our nation." He grabbed the back of her hair by her bun, and yanked so she'd stare him straight in the eyes. "The blood of those living in Thirteen is now on your hands." He released her forcefully, and took a seat. "Now, what do you say we have some tea, and discuss your punishment for being a treasonous rat?" He snapped his fingers and an Avox appeared with a tray laden with delicacies, a pot of tea and cups. The Avox poured two cups, then Snow dismissed her with a wave of his hand. He pulled a small vile out of his inside jacket pocket and poured it into Effie's tea. "Don't worry my dear," he said to Effie when her eyes grew wide with horror, "I'm not going to kill you...today. If I wanted to do that, I would have injected it into your bloodstream. The poison is slow acting...causes terrible pain in your extremities. You will most likely be begging me to kill you by nightfall, but..." his lips formed a bloodcurdling smile, "...I am a kind man...compassionate. Killing someone like yourself, a brilliant rebel mind able to pull the wool over my eyes, so quickly, would be a complete waste to me. Instead, I plan on making you suffer..." he lifted the tea to her clamped lips as she struggled to keep them closed. Peacekeepers held her head in place, digging their fingers into her cheeks, forcing her mouth open. "Tell me all about the rebel's plans and I promise, I shall make your death swift." The first of the tea went into her mouth, dripping down the sides of her face.

"President Snow, sir." The door to the torture chamber was thrown open. "Rebel forces are cutting into our broadcast again, and sir...we believe we've detected life signs in Twelve."

The cup at Effie's lips was set back down on the tray as she spit out as much of the tea as possible. "Signs of life, you say?" Snow leered at Effie, "Perhaps I pulled my search party out too soon."

"Your men are wrong. I watched them take him away." Effie glared back at Snow, the inside of her mouth burning and a slight twinge in her stomach from the little bit of poison that entered her system.

Snow looked to his guards, "Throw her in Peeta's cell until further notice." He picked up his cup of tea and sipped. "Looks like you've been temporarily reprieved, Miss. Trinket. Once I find that boy, we shall skin you like an apple. I do so like an audience."

…..

…..

…..

…..

…..

Listening to Catnip sing, watching her hold onto that locket that Peeta gave to her, seeing her cup her hand over her stomach, and crying, broke Gale's heart. He wished he could take her pain away. Almost wished Peeta was dead so she could move on with her life, instead of being tortured in the Capitol. He'd rather pull the guy out of there, but Coin told him earlier in the day that they were postponing the rescue mission once again, and he wasn't allowed to tell Katniss. When she asked if she could meet them in the village, Gale didn't' want to let her go off on her own. His first instinct was to say, no, but then he saw her face...that lost look in her eyes...the way she held onto the locket, and knew she needed to mourn. He hoped she would finally come to grips with the loss of her child, and Peeta being absent. If she did, then Coin was planning on calling the rescue mission off completely. Another thing Gale wasn't allowed to tell Katniss. He would have broken his word to President Coin if he hadn't agreed with her. Going to the Capitol and getting the rebels out was too risky, and now that Peeta went on television and spoke against the rebellion again... It was time to cut ties. Gale had lost too many friends in the bombing of Twelve to let one more death get the best of him. People he had been a lot closer to than Peeta were dead now because of President Snow, so he didn't allow the pain of Peeta's capture to get to him. Besides, he needed to be strong if he was going to help Katniss through losing the guy. Gale walked up to Plutarch, pointed to the cameras and asked, "Are those things off?" The cameraman named Pollux nodded and flipped a switch cutting the red power light. "Plutarch," he held his hand out for the man to take a few steps away from their group, "can I have a word?"

"Of course," Plutarch followed him. "What can I do for you?"

"Not for me, for Katniss. She needs to spend some time alone." Gale looked out to the distance and said out loud what he was hoping in his heart, "I think she's finally coming to the realization that Peeta's gone...that he's not coming back." Plutarch had been in on the meeting with Coin that morning and knew what Gale was speaking about. "There's a safe passage here."

"Yes, I'm aware of it, but I have no clue as to its precise location," Plutarch said.

"I'm sure Katniss knows." Gale wondered, "If we led her to the spot where she could get access to it, could we let her go on her own to Victor's Village?" Gale saw Plutarch's hesitation. "This might be the best thing for her. Let her say goodbye to Peeta...to their baby, and move on with her life. Maybe then she'd be more willing to do what's necessary for the rebellion."

Plutarch nodded, "Yes...yes, you may be correct." He tapped at the edge of his computer then said, "Yes, okay. I'll agree as long as she stays in contact with us the entire time."

"I'm sure she will," Gale gave the man a pat on the shoulder. "I'll let her know."

There was a look of shock on Katniss' face when Gale told her what she was allowed to do, then walked ahead of the group right next to her. "Thanks, Gale. Don't know what you said to Plutarch, but I'm grateful. I really needed some time to myself."

"Need to say goodbye?" He asked almost suggestively.

"Goodbye to who?" Katniss stepped over a rock.

"Peeta? Your baby?" Gale lifted a hanging branch out of his way.

Katniss gave him a strange look. "Why would I say goodbye to them?"

He hated doing this, but it was what she needed to hear. "Katniss, you're moods have been all over the map since you lost the baby and Peeta. Don't you think it's time to let them go?"

Katniss stopped, crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "No. No I don't. Do you think it's time I let them go?"

"Yeah. I do." Katniss didn't respond to him, she just turned and headed towards their destination. "I know it's painful to hear, but it's time Catnip. Peeta isn't doing too well...how much longer do you think he's going to last?" Still Gale waited, and got no answer in return. "I miss him too, you know? He was my...my friend."

"Is that why you're so willing to write him off now?" She asked harshly.

"I'm not writing him off, I'm facing the truth." Gale finally confessed, "I'm not sure that Coin is going to go through with the rescue mission in the Capitol after the things Peeta has said."

"I was wondering how long it would take her to go back on her word. She's very good at that."

"She hasn't gone back on her word, Catnip."

"Gale, do me a favor, stop defending that woman to me," Katniss snapped. "I'm sick of it. Sick of her." Katniss reached out and picked up the hand that Gale wore his communicuff on and said, "You may want to inform our fearless leader that if she doesn't get Peeta and Effie out of there soon, I'm sticking to my word and hanging up my Mockingjay uniform. Now," she dropped Gale's wrist, "if you don't mind...I'd like to walk in silence."

"I'm getting really sick of this, Katniss."

"Sick of what? Me not wanting to put up with Coin's bull?" She let out a huff of laughter, "That shouldn't surprise you in the least."

"No, this attitude you've got towards me. Snapping at me all the time...thinking I don't care about you."

Katniss didn't say a thing for a few minutes then asked him, "If we just met, would you choose me as your friend?"

Gale thought about it for a second then answered honestly, "Not a friend...maybe something more than that."

"Why?"

"Why not?" He shrugged her question off.

"I'm serious Gale. Why would you want something more with me?"

Did he really have to answer her? He glanced over at her blank expression and said, "You know why, Catnip."

She nodded absently and said, "You think you love me."

"I do love you. I know it's not the same thing you and Peeta had, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you."

"Okay," Katniss said conversationally. "Let's say you do love me...and let's say I loved you back... Would you leave me in Snow's hands?"

Gale knew what she was getting at, and answered, "I already did. Every time you left Twelve and went to the Capitol...to the Games, I left you in his hands."

"It's not the same, Gale. You didn't have any way of helping me then, but...let's say you did have a way of helping me, would you have?"

He stared straight ahead and finally admitted, "Yeah."

"Yeah," she repeated.

"I'll talk to Coin...plead Peeta's case or something," Gale offered.

"Don't," Katniss grabbed onto his arm to prevent herself from tripping, then let go. "I don't want you to say a thing. She made a promise to me, and if she doesn't live up to it, then I'm the one that should handle it. Peeta's my husband...he's my responsibility, and I'll take care of him. I'm tired of everyone around me trying to fight my battles for me without my knowledge. Sometimes I think all of you have forgotten I survived two arenas. I'm not made of glass."

"Well, if you need someone to talk to her..."

"I have Haymitch. He'll fight like hell for Peeta and Effie to be rescued." Katniss stopped next to a group of willow trees and Gale could've sworn her eyes filled up with tears.

"You okay, Catnip?" He looked around to see what could have upset her.

"Yeah," she looked straight ahead and continued on her way. "That spot...Peeta and I threw down a blanket one morning and watched the sunrise before we went to the Quell."

"You did?"

"Yeah," Katniss' expression softened. "He described it for me...the colors of the sunrise...the colors of Peeta's Sunset..." She sighed.

"Peeta's Sunset?" Gale thought it sounded familiar then remembered where he saw the name. It was sewn into a garment he had stuffed in his old clothes pocket. "Uh...hey, Catnip," his whole face turned red. "I think I have something of yours."

"What?" She looked like her head was in the clouds.

"Peeta's Sunset," Gale said sheepishly.

"What!?" Katniss halted her tracks. "YOU..." her eyes were wide open.

"Prim pulled out a blanket from a box and it fell out. I shoved it in my jacket...I didn't think she should be looking at that."

"Oh my God," she hid her face behind her hands and her shoulders started to shake.

"Don't cry. I'm sorry. I should have given it back the second I saw you, but I really didn't know how to..." The sound of her laughter floated through the air. "You're laughing?" Gale let out a little burst of laughter too. "Would you stop doing that to me? I keep thinking your crying and you're laughing."

"Oh my God," Katniss put her hand over her stomach. "I can't believe you have that!" She smacked his shoulder. "Pig," she teased him. "I want my drawers back."

He grinned at her. "Don't worry. I'll get them for you when we get back to Twelve."

"Hey," she turned to him, "How'd you know they were named Peeta's Sunset?"

"It's on the label inside."

"It is?" Katniss bit her bottom lip. "I don't remember seeing the names sewn into any of the others," she said absently.

"There are more?" Gale gave her a nudge, "Lucky guy that Peeta."

"Go to hell, Gale," She chuckled.

They walked for a few more minutes in silence until Gale said, "We still fighting?"

"I don't think so." She put her arm through his. "The strangest things seem to be pulling me from my sour moods since..." she faltered then said, "...since I was in the arena with Johanna and she told me she called Peeta Cinnamon Buns."

Gale let out a laugh after finding out what it meant. "And you thought Dough Boy was bad?" It felt remarkably good to be on speaking terms with her again. "Yeah," he said, "I'd choose you to be my friend, but...and don't get mad at me after I say this, I'd probably choose Peeta first. He's such an easy going guy."

"Yeah, I'd choose him first too. Though he's not as easy going as you think. The man can fight."

"Oh, I know...I saw the Games."

"No, I meant with me. We've had some doozies. Puts yours and mine to shame," Katniss said it like she missed it.

"Like I said, I've seen the Games," Gale glanced down at her. "He never puts up with your shit, Catnip."

"Nope," she said proudly. "I love that about him."

"You hate it about me," Gale teased.

"That's because you should just cave into me at all times like a real best friend would." She grinned. "There it is," she pointed the rock out. "You guys should head to Victor's Village." Katniss started on her way then turned back, "Hey, do me a favor, grab Peeta's blank canvases for me. I forgot them the last time I was here, and they're too bulky for me to carry."

"Yeah, sure." He stole a glance at the flat rock that masked a storage unit and asked, "Guess I'm not learning how to get into it, huh?"

"Nope. If I show you then Plutarch's going to want to film it." Katniss looked over her shoulder at the film crew. "Go occupy their time or something while I disappear."

"Sure thing," He gave her hand a pat. "Be careful."

"Gale there's nothing in there but dirt and synthetic fire."

"You have no idea if some rodents or...pests got in there."

"If I come across any pests, I'll make sure to shoot them and bring them back for dinner." Katniss gave her bow a pat.

"Don't do that," Gale stepped away from her. "I'd rather have venison stew instead of rat stew."

"Mole casserole," Katniss called to him from over her shoulder.

"Skunk soup!" Gale laughed. "See ya, Catnip," he lifted his chin in departure, and turned to Plutarch's group. "Okay guys, time to head to Victor's Village. Plutarch can that hovercraft pick us up?" Gale pointed into the distance, "There's an area...a cliff that way. It's got a large clearing so the hovercraft can land."

"Can't we just walk to the village?" Cressida asked.

"It'll take a couple of hours for us...traveling through the woods and stuff, but Katniss will probably be there in about an hour. She's got a straight path there."

Plutarch looked over Gale's shoulder. "Where is she?"

Gale looked behind him. "She's safe. You should check and make sure we have communications with her though."

Plutarch spoke into his device, "Are you able to hear me, Katniss?"

"Yes," she answered. "I'll call you when I'm in Victor's Village."

"Shall we?" Plutarch gestured for Gale to lead the way.

"We should've given something to Katniss before she left," Gale spoke of the cheese sandwiches and bottles of water they were consuming. It hadn't even crossed his mind that she might be hungry or thirsty.

"She'll be fine. We'll be meeting up with her in roughly... Did you say something Katniss?" Plutarch could've sworn she spoke to them.

"No, just talking to myself," She answered.

Their entire hovercraft went silent when the sound of Peeta's voice coming over Plutarch's computer was followed up with Katniss saying his name through their earpieces.

"Was that?" Gale looked up to Plutarch's startled expression. "Holy shit, that's Peeta!" They could hear Katniss and Peeta saying a few things to each other then were accosted with all too familiar noises.

Plutarch began speaking into the device, "Katniss, did we hear you right? Is Peeta with you?" He turned to the pilot, "I thought this area was swept for signs of life?"

"It was, sir," the pilot answered while tapping at his control panel. "They did a sweep of the area last night, and less than hour before we arrived."

"Is that really him!?" Gale started calling out to Katniss through the earpiece, but she wasn't responding.

"I'm not detecting any Capitol crafts in the area, sir," the pilot spoke. "Our anti radar is fully functional, so they shouldn't be able to detect us if they are here."

"Wouldn't they have anti radar as well?" Gale was growing more and more worried.

"We disabled those capabilities prior to our escape from the Capitol." Plutarch answered. Gale began to lose control, but Plutarch silenced him. "Soldier Hawthorne, I am trying to determine if this is actually Peeta, or an altered recording of his voice, please silence yourself."

"They're not talking," Cressida said as the unmistakable sounds of two people kissing one another echoed through their earpieces.

"Wow," Peeta's voice was heard.

"Yeah...wow," Katniss responded.

"Give me a second while I check this for authenticity," Plutarch told them. Within a minute his face lit up, "That's him. That's Peeta!"

Everyone on board the craft called out in celebration, but Gale. "This could be a trap. How do you know there's not Peacekeepers down there?" But his concern was blown aside by those around him. "Is anyone listening to me!?"

"Gale," Plutarch seemed to be thrilled with the current situation, "if there were Peacekeepers down there, we would have heard them by now. They're not the quietest of sorts."

Cressida's entire face lit up, "My goodness! Our Mockingjay and Jabberjay have been reunited! We must notify President Coin immediately."

"Shouldn't we confirm it first?" Gale suggested. "Snow could be using Peeta as bait for a trap to capture Katniss."

"Such a smart young man," Plutarch's voice sounded condescending to Gale. "You were a coal miner in Twelve, yes?"

"Yeah," Gale answered wondering what his former profession had to do with the situation at hand.

"What a waste." Plutarch drank from his water bottle like he was sipping a cup of tea.

"Um...don't you people think we should be trying to get a hold of Katniss?" Gale was eager to find out if she was with Peeta, and no one else seemed to be concerned that this could be a trap.

"Of course." Plutarch began speaking to her. "Katniss, did we hear you correctly? Is Peeta with you?" They waited and got no response.

"Catnip?" Gale's voice was urgent. "Catnip!?" His eyes flashed open when she didn't respond. "We need to go back!"

"Calm down, Gale," Plutarch had a look on his face like he knew something Gale didn't.

"She's not answering!" Gale was tempted to shake some sense into the man.

Plutarch pressed a few buttons on his computer and amplified the sounds of Katniss' microphone. "Katniss is...busy," there was a hint of humor in his voice when he said it.

Gale listened closely to the sounds coming through his earpiece, and his face flushed when he heard her let out a, "Dear God," that sounded like a woman in the throes of passion.

The sounds got muffled, and Plutarch's adjustments did nothing to help. "Can you hear them?" Cressida asked.

Plutarch looked as though he were struggling. "Only a few sounds, but I don't think we need to worry. Sounds to me like they're just getting reacquainted," a smile of pleasure crossed his lips. "Pilot, have you detected any other hovercrafts in the area?"

"No, sir."

"Any life signs in Twelve?" Plutarch asked.

"I can't even find Katniss and Peeta's life signs. Wherever they are, their signals are masked."

"Wonderful!" Plutarch's exuberance was annoying the hell out of Gale. "We'll need to rework the latest propos, Cressida," Plutarch began rambling on and on about the different ways they could work the footage they had gotten that day.

Gale was tempted to pull the earpiece from his ear, the muffled sounds of two lovers being reunited was a bit much to take, but someone needed to make sure Katniss was safe, and the group on the craft was too busy discussing how exciting it was that their lovebirds were back together again. He was grateful when they landed in Victor's Village, but surprised there were no signs of Snow's army searching for Peeta. He excused himself the second the steps were in place, and headed for Katniss' house to get Peeta's blank canvases leaving the rest of his group standing next to the hovercraft. The second he entered their house he was accosted with the memory of his family spending the night there. The bond he had forged with Peeta had taken Gale by surprise back then. Gale gathered as many paint supplies as he could, shoving them inside of an empty box then folded up the wooden easel and shoved it under his arm. His eyes scanned the room for blank canvases, then he saw the large crate and looked inside. "Damn," Gale couldn't believe how many blank canvases were inside of it, and briefly wondered what it was like to have disposable income to spend on something so frivolous.

The muffled sound of Peeta's voice saying, "I can't," perked Gale's ears up.

"Peeta?" Gale called, but got no answer. He made two trips to the hovercraft and kept his ears pealed to the conversation that began between Katniss and Peeta. Though it sounded like Katniss was holding her hand over the microscopic mouthpiece attached to her listening device, Gale could understand everything that was being said which meant everyone on the hovercraft was probably glued to it too.

"...shame we didn't fit her with a camera before she went down there," Gale walked into the hovercraft in the middle of Plutarch's sentence.

"We've still got audio," Cressida said with hope. "Maybe Beetee can clear it up? We did record it."

Plutarch's eyes picked up when Peeta said, "No. Not yet. I need to feel you...just let me feel you."

Gale closed his eyes trying to ignore the sound of Katniss' begging, "Touch me. I need to feel you too...feel your heartbeat against mine." Then followed up with, "You're home. You're home."

"I'm home," Peeta's voice cracked.

"That's it!" Plutarch called out. "My God these two are priceless!" He licked his lips.

Cressida moved closer to Plutarch, "We should get them to reenact this in the woods of Thirteen. Can you imagine what this would do for the country's morale?"

Gale couldn't help but notice how none of them commented on Katniss telling Peeta she loved him. 'God, these Capitol people don't even realize the importance of his homecoming to her,' he glared at Plutarch and Cressida.

"...she's such a horrible actress though," Gale picked up on Cressida's comment mid sentence. Katniss and Peeta's conversation was quickly being ignored by the Capitol crew as well as Gale.

"Yes, but he's a wonderful actor. Magnificent. Honestly, I was almost disappointed he didn't join Caesar as a co-host. Peeta's so photogenic, and an exceptional wordsmith."

"If only she had an ounce of his talent on camera." Gale wanted to smack Cressida. "She's brilliant when she's unscripted, but..."

An evil grin crossed Plutarch's face, "Then let's get their unscripted reunion."

"What do you have in mind?" Cressida stared at Plutarch's computer as his fingers flew across the screen. "Oh my," Cressida's eyes were aglow. "That's perfect. Shall I have the pilot contact Fulvia?"

"We should inform our leader first." Plutarch looked to Gale. "I think it's safe to inform President Coin now, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah." Gale could have sworn he heard something crackling over the pilot's radio. "What was that?" He stood up and made his way towards the pilot.

"I'm not sure," the pilot reached for a few buttons and pressed at them. "Probably just some radio static."

Gale kept his spot next to the pilot, not wanting to sit with the rest of his group, and continued to listen to the conversation filtering through his earpiece.

"...you were in the woods with him...he cradled your cheeks and asked you how I kissed you," Peeta sounded like he was hurting. "Then he...he kissed you. First a light peck, then a...much more involved kiss. Good God, Katniss, when I saw Gale doing that to you...I wanted to wring his neck."

"What did he say?" Gale's brows shot up. His eyes darted to the back of the craft and saw several sets of eyes glaring at him. The group continued to listen as Peeta spelled out the details of his torture to Katniss.

"Gale?" Plutarch called to him. "Join us, won't you?"

He honestly didn't want to, but still he replied, "Yeah." Gale took his seat and waited for the obvious question.

"Is there any merit to what Peeta is saying?" The corner of Plutarch's mouth twitched. "Not that anyone has the right to tell you and Katniss how to live, but you must understand how important those two are to the rebellion. Word of your affair must not leak out."

"Affair!? Katniss and I never had an affair. We never had anything."

"Those recordings were a fake, Peeta," Katniss' comment instantly backed up Gale's statement. "Gale and I...those things never happened."

"See?" Gale practically snarled at the group. "Nothing happened between us...ever."

"Well, that's a relief," Plutarch seemed to accept it now that Katniss had denied the accusations.

No one said a word until Katniss said, "I should probably get dressed."

"Don't rush on my account," the sound of Peeta's voice brought laughter to everyone on board, but Gale.

"I guess that answers why it sounded like her communication device was under a pile of clothes," Plutarch's voice was full of excitement.

"Well, who could blame her," Cressida said off handily. "They haven't seen each other in how long? Did you think they'd just shake hands and say, let's go meet up with the crew from Thirteen?"

"Plutarch?" Katniss' voice rang clear.

"Katniss! Thank heaven!" Plutarch's voice was suddenly full of concern.

"Sorry about losing communication with you, but... Plutarch, Peeta's here. Effie helped him escape, but he's in need of medical attention."

"Yes, we overheard you greeting him," Plutarch said with a hint of teasing in his voice.

"Katniss how bad is he?" Gale asked before the man started begging Katniss for details of what went on inside of the tunnel.

"Bad. I'm not sure if he's strong enough to make it through the tunnel to the village. We're closer to the woods, can the craft pick us up there?"

"You'll have to make it to that clearing," Gale said to her. "Can you do that?"

"We really have no choice. I'll contact you when we get close."

"See you soon, Catnip," Gale said and hoped Plutarch and Cressida didn't give him any shit for taking over the conversation.

"...D9 On...you copy?"

"Affirma...Dni...One One. Thre...eeps...er Vict...Vi..."

"What the hell was that!?" Gale asked of the sounds that came over the pilot's radio.

"Capitol hoverplanes!" The pilot's head shot around to Plutarch.

"Pull up," Plutarch ordered. "Get us out of here."

"What the hell are you doing!?" Gale yelled, "We can't just abandon them!"

"Pilot, get us to the outskirts of Twelve immediately, and I'll cut our communications with Katniss."

"Yes, sir."

"NO!" Gale jumped out of his seat. "I knew this was a trap! I knew it! Go back for them! We've got to get them out of there!"

"What good will we be doing them if we're dead?" Plutarch's voice grew stern. "None of us can be captured, soldier Hawthorne."

Gale remembered the nightlock pill in the pocket of his uniform. "And if they capture Katniss and Peeta?"

"Peeta was hiding in that tunnel, and we were unable to detect him, so it's reasonable to assume that they're safe." Plutarch pushed a few buttons on his computer. "Now sit down soldier and do as you're ordered."

"Catnip!" Gale called through his communication piece. "CATNIP!"

"She can't hear you. I've killed the feed," Plutarch glared at him. "Pilot once we're..."

"We're not de...crafts in the area...ne Two. It...enter...space." The sound of the Capitol's pilots crackled over the radio.

"Should I kill the radio too, sir?" The pilot asked.

"Only if District Thirteen attempts to contact us." Gale noticed a distinct transformation in Plutarch Heavensbee when he spoke. He was no longer in the presence of a flighty Capitol resident, but a former Head Gamemaker. The Capitol's radio transmissions continued to break through in little bits and pieces as they headed for safety. Plutarch gave further instructions to the pilot, "Once we're out of range, radio Thirteen and inform them of the situation."

Gale sat quietly until he could no longer hold his tongue. "Plutarch, how will we know if Katniss and Peeta are in danger if we don't have communications with them?"

"I'll open up the lines once we can no longer hear the Capitol's army."

"If the hovercraft's radios won't be able to pick them up, how will we?" Gale asked.

"Our communications are linked into my computer, and Peeta obviously has it's partner, which means I should be able to use it to link our systems. Now sit down and take note of what these pilots are saying. I'm sure President Coin will want a briefing once we're back."

'If we get back,' Gale thought to himself as he sat in silence.

The moment they lost the Capitol's transmissions the pilot opened up a line of communication with Thirteen and got orders from President Coin. A heavily armed craft would be sent in along with a medical team for Peeta and they were to pick the pair up from Twelve. In the meantime, Gale's hovercraft was to head back into radio range and listen in to the Capitol's transmissions. Gale didn't know how long the entire process had taken but it felt like a lifetime.

"When are you going to open up that line of communication with Katniss and Peeta?" Gale asked Plutarch remembering that the man said he'd do it as soon as they were out of radio frequency.

"I think it's wise if we wait until we no longer hear the Capitol's army communicating with one another."

Gale blew out a frustrated breath, and waited for Snow's army to get the hell out of Twelve. "I haven't heard a transmission from them for over five minutes," Gale focused on Plutarch.

"Thirty minutes of silence and I shall open up a line." Plutarch gave Gale a look of warning. "Don't worry soldier," Plutarch sat upright and kept a cool, decisive tone in his voice. "We won't leave them here. When they try to contact us, they'll figure out that something is wrong and stay put."

"How do you know that?" Gale ran a troubled hand through his hair leaving it in a disheveled mess.

"This is Katniss and Peeta Mellark we're talking about. Victors of the Seventy-Forth Hunger Games. Do you honestly believe they would leave their safe haven if we don't respond to them?"

He pierced Plutarch with a damning stare and wondered if this was how Katniss felt about Coin continually putting off Peeta's rescue mission.

The second Plutarch opened the lines he gave Gale a curt nod and pointed a finger at him, "You're a go."

Relief washed through Gale at the sound of Katniss' voice. He would have felt better if he were the one to pick them up from Twelve, but that wasn't the case. The trip back to Thirteen took forever, and once they landed Gale was instructed by Plutarch to brief President Coin in the Command Center. He wanted to wait for Katniss, but Plutarch's order wasn't to be ignored.

"Soldier Hawthorne," President Coin stood with her hands behind her back. "Update."

"Pilots from," he had to think about how they identified themselves, "They used the call signs D9."

"District Nine pilots," Coin stated.

"From what we could decipher, they detected a life sign in Victor's Village," it suddenly dawned on Gale that he may have been the life they detected, "and did a search for Peeta Mellark who escaped with the help of Effie Trinket this morning in District Twelve."

"I was informed that he was discovered." Coin made motion with her hand for Gale to take a seat. "Anything else, soldier?"

"No ma'am."

"Then it's time to discuss your next mission." Coin stood a few feet away from Gale. "Now that we have our Jabberjay I believe that our Mockingjay will be looking to him instead of you. There are problems in District Two, and we're in need of soldiers."

It hadn't dawned on Gale that he would no longer be fighting alongside of Katniss until Coin said that. "You think Katniss will be okay with me not helping her?"

"I was under the impression when she gave us her demands that you would no longer be needed by her once Peeta returned. Do you think she'll feel otherwise?"

It was hard for him to admit, but he knew the answer to that question. "I don't know ma'am. Maybe."

"If you can convince her to go to District Two with you, then I'd be happy to send her."

There was no way on earth Katniss would leave Peeta's side, and it killed Gale that he wanted to convince her to go on his mission with him. 'You'd rather she be in the line of fire than here with Peeta?' He asked himself. "I think she'll want to spend some time with her husband." Coin gave him a curt nod. "When do I leave for Two?"

"In the morning. Dismissed," Coin turned her back to him.

Gale headed for the door and started thinking about Peeta, the things he had said about the torture he endured while at the Capitol. Gale was flooded with guilt for suggesting to Katniss that she say goodbye to him, for going along with Coin when it came to his rescue. Katniss had only been out of reach for a couple of hours at best, and Gale thought he'd lose his mind. He couldn't imagine what these past few weeks had been like for Katniss or Peeta. "President Coin?"

"Is there something else?" She turned to him.

"Yes, ma'am." Gale stood tall. "Peeta Mellark."

"What about him?"

"I overheard some of the things he went through at the hands of Snow and...ma'am, I'm not sure what your plans are for him, but I'm hoping if you do decide to bring charges of treason up on him once the war is over, you'll take into account all he went through."

"Do you make it your business to speak for the Mellarks, soldier Hawthorne?" Coin asked with an edge to her voice.

"No ma'am but, he's my friend and..."

"Personal relationships while in battle can cloud a soldier's judgment. Putting the needs of one person ahead of the masses during this war can be the equivalent of a death sentence for our cause. Remember that, soldier."

"Yes, ma'am." Gale knew he had just been put in his place.

"Dismissed," Coin said harshly.

There were a million things running through his head. Things he had to get done before he left. Gale headed back to the Hangar for Peeta's art supplies to find that they had already been removed. He stopped by his quarters and caught his family right before they left for the medical bay to greet Peeta. "I'm going to be leaving in the morning," he told his mother who held her head up high as his siblings teared up. His family's visit to Peeta's hospital room was now postponed until Gale told Katniss about his mission. He grabbed her clothing out of his closet, then headed down to Special Defense to see Beetee, who had already left to see Peeta. He ran into Delly and Greasy Sae in the elevator who were talking a mile a minute about Peeta's return, and Gale silently scolded himself for already growing sick of hearing about the guy.

"He looked so tired, but so happy, don't you think?" Delly turned to Gale.

"Haven't seen him yet," Gale said to her.

"Oh, you should. I bet he'd be thrilled to see you."

'I bet he wouldn't,' Gale thought to himself remembering what Snow did to him at the Capitol. He searched for Katniss at the hospital only to be told she went to her quarters and finally caught up with her in the halls of the medical bay. "Hey," he called out to her. "I've been looking for you."

"Well you found me," her tone was as carefree as Gale had ever heard it.

"I need to tell you something," he wondered how she'd take his news. "A couple of things, really."

"Would you mind walking and talking? I want to get back to Peeta." Gale watched as her face glowed when she spoke about him. "I can't believe he's here."

"Yeah," Gale couldn't believe it either. "Kind of a shocker, huh?"

"Shocker is right."

"And here I thought you might find a rodent in the tunnel."

"Nope, just a husband," Katniss' smile illuminated the hallway.

"Well, I don't want to keep you, but I thought you should know...I've been asked to go to District Two in the morning and help out with the rebellion."

Katniss slowed down her pace, and gripped the items she held in her arms to her chest. "Asked or ordered?"

"Both, I guess." Gale answered. "Coin thinks you won't need me by your side anymore now that Peeta's back." He waited for her to say something to the contrary, only to have her stare straight ahead with a face made of stone. "Guess, she was right."

"Gale..." Katniss looked up at him. "There are things you need to know...things that Snow tried to convince Peeta of while he was in the Capitol."

"I already know, Catnip. We overheard him telling you about it."

Katniss let her head drop backwards. "Great. So they heard everything between us?"

"Not everything. We cut our feed once we picked up those radio transmissions."

Katniss stopped walking. "When was that?" She had a look of concern on her face.

"Right after I signed off with you the first time. Why?"

Katniss looked down the hall then back up at him. "Nothing."

"There's something else I wanted to tell you too," Gale hoped she wouldn't get angry with him. "I spoke to Coin about Peeta...tried to convince her not to bring him up on charges of treason."

"You did what!?" She snapped at him.

"I wanted to help after I heard about the things he went through."

"Even though I told you not to?" Katniss stormed down the hall and stopped a few feet away from Peeta's hospital room. "I told you not to say a thing, Gale. God, you ha..." Katniss stopped talking when a nurse walked past them and into Peeta's room. "You have no idea what's going on Gale. You only know what she's telling you, not the truth. I really wished you wouldn't have done that."

Gale crossed his arms over his chest and asked, "Why don't we go in and ask Peeta if he minds that I spoke on his behalf?"

"No," Katniss gripped Gale's arm stopping him in his tracks.

"Why not? You think he'll take my side? That he'll realize I was being a good friend?"

"I don't think you and Peeta are friends anymore, Gale, and..." Katniss took a long drawn out pause before she added, "...I don't think I can be your friend right now either."

"Because I talked to Coin?" Gale's brows shot up in panic. "Katniss, don't do this."

"That's not why, Gale. I told you...there are some things you don't know about, and..." She threw a hand up in the air, "Why do you have to leave tomorrow? It would be so much easier if you waited a few days, then I could tell you everything."

"You could come with me you know," Gale gave her a boyish grin. "Think of how good it felt when we were in Eight standing side by side, fighting against the Capitol."

Katniss gave her head a slow shake. "That didn't feel good at all, Gale. It was one of the worst decisions I've ever made."

"Katniss you were brilliant out there," he held onto her arm. "I've never been more proud of you than I was in that moment. Not even when you won the Games."

Katniss' eyes shot up to his. "You should go now Gale. I need to get back to Peeta."

"Can I at least welcome the guy back home?"

"I don't think that would be too wise, Gale. He's pretty upset with you right now."

"I didn't do a damn thing with you, and he needs to hear that from me, Catnip." Gale pointed towards Peeta's room.

"Christ," Katniss blew out a huge breath. Neither one of them noticed the nurse leaving his room or leaving Peeta's door open. "He thinks you were the one that got me pregnant."

"Are you kidding me?" Gale felt like he had been slapped across the face when she said that. "I'm sorry, Catnip," he whispered so quietly he didn't know if she heard him until she gave him a sad smile and nodded at him. "Look, I didn't want to cause any trouble. I just wanted to..." his sentence trailed off. He wanted to help, but it seemed that the more he tried to help her the worse things got. 'Maybe she's right, and I should just mind my own business,' he thought to himself.

"Gale, he's my husband. I told you earlier, he's my responsibility. I'll take care of him."

"I know that," Gale said frustrated with his own actions

"Then act like it," Katniss said back to him in a scolding tone. "Once he's back on his feet...hopefully we'll be able to pick up where we left off," there was a hint of hope in her eyes.

"You really think we'll ever be able to do that, Catnip? Now that he's back...now that he thinks these things about me?"

"I hope so. I don't want to lose you, Gale, but he needs me."

"Yeah, and the rebellion needs both of you." He thought of how excited Plutarch and Cressida were over their reunion in the tunnel. "Now that their Jabberjay is here, they'll need to make sure they get plenty of great footage of the two of you. Just like the Games."

"That's not fair, Gale."

"It was never fair, Catnip. None of this was fair to you." It wasn't fair to any of them. He contemplated insisting on seeing Peeta, then let it go. It was time to let them both go. "You know what...go to him. He needs you." Gale paused. "I don't," his attempt at sounding strong fell flat. "I'm not going to sit around waiting for you, Catnip. I've got to move on." It was time to say goodbye.

"I know," she looked down between her feet. "I'm sorry, Gale."

"Yeah...well..." He stuffed his hand in his pocket and felt the silky material. "I wanted to give this to you before I left," he gave her a timid smile.

He was thrilled he was able to make her laugh one last time before she said, "Thanks."

"I'll miss you, Catnip." Gale reached out and took her hand.

"I'll miss you too," she stood on her tiptoes and hugged him. "Take care of yourself," she kissed his cheek.

The sound of Peeta's voice booming at them turned both their heads. "Is this how it happened in Twelve too!?"

"Peeta..."

"This isn't what you think," Gale defended himself.

"Oh, and what do I think this is, Gale?"

Now what was he supposed to do? The only thing he could think of was to explain things to Peeta. "Katniss told me what Snow did to you Peeta, and I'm here to tell you it was all lies."

"Peeta, please...let's just go back to..." Katniss attempted to usher Peeta back to his room to no avail.

"Don't touch me! You almost had me fooled...two timing bitch." Gale had no clue who this man was standing before him, yelling at Katniss then talking to her like she was trash, but it sure as hell wasn't the guy he knew in Twelve.

"That's enough of that." There was no way he was going to let Peeta talk to her that way regardless of whether or not he was her husband.

"This is none of your business, Hawthorne. This is between me and my...wife. For all I know that was a lie too. Why the hell would I marry someone like you?"

"You don't know what you're saying Peeta," Katniss began scanning the hall for what Gale could only assume was a doctor.

"You know what," Gale tripped slightly backwards when Peeta pushed past him, "from what I understand, we didn't even have a ceremony. It was some sort of private toasting. Why don't we consider this a private divorce."

"You should go back to your room, Peeta," Gale warned, "before you cross any more lines." He was about ten seconds away from punching Peeta in the face.

"And you should go to hell!" Peeta yelled as he beat Gale to the literal punch.

"You son of a bitch!" Gale had been waiting for this day for a long time. When they lived in Twelve he was certain that he and Peeta would come to blows, then they became friends and Gale thought that was all behind them. Now Gale was filled with the anger he had back when he first found out about Peeta and Katniss. Gale fought the guy, but it didn't matter how many punches he threw, Peeta was always one step ahead of him. He took a lot more blows than he landed against Peeta, and tasted blood when a fist smashed into his mouth.

"You were supposed to be my friend!"

"Back off dough boy!" Gale grunted as he tried to push Peeta off of him, but the guy was relentless.

"PEETA!" Katniss tried to jump between them and Gale saw her flying into a wall as a result of a punch Peeta threw.

That was it, now he was going to kick the shit out of the guy. Gale was determined to teach Peeta a lesson, but he had forgotten that the guy he was fighting, though shorter than him, thinner than him, appearing weak, was a wrestler. Most of all he was a victor. One of Thirteen's soldiers appeared out of nowhere and took Peeta's foot in the stomach just as he twisted himself around to take Gale in a choke hold. Gale's throat began to burn within seconds of Peeta putting him in a headlock. For a brief second he was sure Peeta was going to snap his neck. He tried to claw at Peeta's arm, tried to take a step back, and break free, but his body went into panic mode without oxygen flowing to his brain. He thought Peeta had finally released him until he saw the guy lying on the ground, and Boggs standing over him with something black in his hand. "Yo..." he tried to speak, but his throat was burning. He reached out to Katniss who shot him a glare, and thought, 'What the hell did I do?'

"Are you okay?" Katniss asked him, the glare gone.

"Th..." he swallowed a few times, then tried again, "think so."

"Did he hurt you?"

"He almost killed me," Gale attempted to holler, but his voice cracked mid sentence.

"You should have stayed away, Gale." Katniss shook her head from side to side, and pushed a doctor's hand away. "Leave me alone. I'm fine."

"Katniss," Evelyn and Dr. Valero rushed down the hall and led her behind Peeta's unconscious body into his room.

"Is he okay?" Katniss reached for Peeta as they walked. "Did Gale hurt him?"

"Did Gale hurt him?" He repeated out loud. "Are you shitting me?" Gale turned to Beetee who was standing behind him. "She's kidding, right? I was the one in the headlock."

"He was the one that's been tortured for weeks," Beetee said as he pushed his glasses onto his nose. "The one that's been drugged with a deadly venom that's compromised his mental well-being."

"I know he's been drugged, but that was when he was in the Capitol."

"No," Beetee corrected Gale, "Katniss had to give him the drugs in the tunnel. Peeta almost died out there today."

Gale squeezed his eyes shut. "Holy shit," he said as he hung his head down. "What the hell happened to that guy?"

"More than we will ever know," Beetee walked towards Peeta's room then stopped and added, "You're lucky he was in such a weakened state, or you'd have been dead within seconds."

Gale followed a doctor down the hall towards another exam room and thought, 'If that's Peeta's weakened state, I don't want to find out what it's like to be on his bad side when he's fully recovered.'

…..

…..

…..

…..

It had been only hours, less than a day, since Peeta had been in Effie's presence, yet the signs of torture were written all over her face. The makeup, which had been artistically applied, no doubt by Portia, failed to hide the bruise just underneath Effie's cheekbone, and he wondered if his stylist allowed Effie's injury to show purposefully. Though she sat with pride, her chin held high, Peeta still noticed the slight slump in her shoulders, the nervous twitching of her high heeled shoe tapping away at the chair they had her bound to. "She's being tortured," his voice was deeper than normal, quiet, yet it silenced the room of rebels who had begun to argue about the warning Effie had given them.

"Peeta," Katniss wrapped her hand around the one he was clutching the arm of his wheelchair with.

"Don't touch me," he said in warning. A new found rage coursed through him. The desire to retaliate, to head back to the Capitol and follow through on his promise of killing Snow was overwhelming. "Cuff me," he said to no one in particular. "NOW!" A metal shackle was snapped onto his free hand, linking him to the chair, but it wasn't enough. His hands began to shake, tremor with a burning fury. "LEGS!" He yelled out, "DO IT!" His focus was straight ahead, staring at the now black television screen that had held Effie's image only a few seconds before. It didn't matter who put the chains on him, all that mattered was that he was now bound, unable to break free from the chair.

"Take him back to the hospital," a strong female voice ordered.

Peeta's eyes slowly followed the sound of President Coin's command holding her still with a deadly glare.

"I wouldn't recommend that," Katniss' words came out sounding much like a threat. "Peeta knows what they're going through out there. He's lived through it. He's the only one of us that can give us an accurate assessment of this situation."

"Effie's warning us," he spoke with an unmistakable quake in his voice. "Snow's going to do something to Thirteen."

"What'd I tell ya?" Haymitch's hand flew up in the air. "She's telling us they're coming!"

"There's no proof of that, Haymitch," Coin shot a glance in his direction. "For all we know she could be the traitor and lied during that recording."

"Effie killed the traitor!" Peeta yelled out. "You people have no clue," the muscles in his jaw clenched, "no clue what that woman has done for me...for this rebellion. She purposely let herself get captured so Snow would take his anger out on her, so I could be free and you people could have your damn Jabberjay." It took every ounce of self discipline to keep himself from shaking the chair in a violent outburst of anger. "You honestly think she'd risk everything...get me out of the Capitol, just to turn her allegiance around? If you do, then you people are idiots, and deserve to fall victim to Snow's attack."

"Peeta has an excellent point madam president," Plutarch spoke in an even tone. "He's confirmed what Miss. Trinket said in the recording she sent to us. What would be the harm in preparing for the worst? If we are attacked, then we'll be prepared. If not, then we can consider it a drill."

There was silence in the room until Coin said, "We have been overdue for a level five drill. Sound the alarms. Evacuate to the lower levels."

The room full of people scattered about, each one on their own mission. Each person had a job to do, and very little time to do it in. Everyone seemed to have a purpose, but Peeta. Minutes? Hours? He had no clue how much time had passed since he was wheeled into a bunker in the depths of Thirteen. Katniss' offer to stay with him was brushed aside. Peeta could no longer see her in the way he had earlier no matter how hard he tried. She was now the enemy.

"I'm not leaving you," Katniss crouched down next to Peeta's wheelchair and spoke to him. "I told you already, you don't scare me."

A flicker of ice...hate, glimmered in Peeta's eyes. "This is your fault. If she hadn't gotten me out of there to be with you, I'd be the one on the end of Snow's threats, not all of these people. Not my mother." The look of horror splayed on Katniss' face told Peeta he had accomplished his goal and caused her as much pain as he felt. "Now get out. I don't want you anywhere near me." She stood, her feet plastered to the concrete floor. "I SAID GET OUT!" With a hand clamped over her mouth, and one clutching at her stomach, Katniss turned on her heels and ran from the tiny room Peeta now thought of as his jail cell.

…..

…..

…..

…..

…..

"You look divine Miss. Trinket. Like a proud Capitol resident," Snow stood to the back of the stage, hidden in darkness behind the chairs that had been set out for Caesar's guests. "Where's that stylist?"

"There sir," someone pointed to the side of the stage at Portia.

"She's looking a bit...peaked, don't you think?" Snow stepped up to Effie whose legs were being fastened to her seat. "Much like a starving puppy unable to find shelter in the rain," he tilted his head to the side giving Portia the once over. "It's a good thing my officials aren't picky." He gave a nod to the Peacekeeper that held Portia by the arm, an unspoken signal to hand her off to the burly official licking at his lips with anticipation. "I do believe he outweighs her by about a hundred pounds or so, don't you?" Snow let out a low chuckle that left Effie's skin crawling.

"What's wrong Snow, can't get it up yourself so you have to have your cronies rape innocent women?" Johanna, who had been standing behind them the entire time spat out.

"Miss. Mason," Snow turned to her. "I understand you're not willing to speak on camera."

"No, I'll speak," Johanna struggled to loosen her guards' grip on her limbs. "I'd be happy to tell the world exactly what type of despicable pig you are."

"Yes, you do have a terrible habit of letting your tongue run rampant, but I have a little incentive for you," Snow snapped his fingers in the air, and Annie Cresta was brought out by four Peacekeepers the size of brick houses. "If you don't do what I ask, Miss. Cresta here will suffer the same consequences as that stylist, with the exception of a few things." Snow paced around Johanna in a circle. "I'm growing tired of her whining, so she'll be turned into an Avox first."

"You're killing an entire country full of kids. You think your threat is going to change my mind?" Johanna was cuffed to her chair. "Her crying has been getting on my nerves for weeks. Let your officials have her!"

"Did I say she'd be going to an official?" Snow leered. "No my dear, Miss. Cresta will be used as a plaything for my elite guards as a way of..." he faced Effie, "...expressing my gratitude. Those men that brought her in are just an example of who will be using her as their toy."

"Johanna, please," Effie pleaded. "Please do what he says."

Her hands began to shake, her nostrils flared. Johanna Mason couldn't care less about Annie Cresta, but she did care about Finnick. 'Guess you were wrong,' she thought to herself. 'They can still hurt you. There is still someone you love in this world.' "What do you want me to say?"

"Excellent," Snow's puffy lips formed a lecherous grin as he gave each person their instructions. "Now, Miss. Cresta," he spoke to her like a child. "All you have to do is read, and if you don't cry while doing so, when I capture Finnick Odair, I shall make his death a swift one." Annie sucked up her tears. "Good girl."

"Why's Trinket here?" Johanna glared at Snow. "The people in this country are only going to see her as one of you."

"Not all of them." Snow turned to Effie. "She will be sending a message not only to that scourge, Katniss and Peeta, but also to the residents of the Capitol. Miss. Trinket will be a shining example of what happens to the people that choose to turn their back on their government and take sides with the rebels." Snow took his place in the darkness. "What is that saying you have before going on air, Caesar?"

"Break a leg," the host took his designated spot in the spotlight.

"My how appropriate," Snow let out a laugh. "Break a leg," he said to the three women sitting on stage, the humor gone from his voice, and a demented gleam in his eyes.

Caesar began the interviews with introductions, "Annie Cresta, victor from District Four. Johanna Mason, victor from District Seven. Any comments before we begin Annie?" She shook her head no. "Johanna?"

She peered dangerously through squinted eyes. "No."

"Then let's move onto the disastrous happenings in our nation."

Johanna saw her name on a prompt, and her scripted dialogue slowly scrawling its way upwards. Did she follow Snow's orders or take matters into her own hands? The temptation to speak her mind was so great, but the sound of Finnick's cries when they were stuck in the jabberjay wedge of the arena, seeing him curled into a fetal position with his hands cupped over his ears when he thought Annie was being tortured, churned up emotions she hadn't had since her family was murdered. She had no clue if Snow would keep his word or not, but Johanna could not hold herself responsible for Annie being turned into an Avox and raped by a swarm of Peacekeepers with a blood lust that could never be quenched. "What you're seeing here are the remains of District..." She narrated the damage done in each district with a monotone voice except for District Four, which Annie did through continual hitches in her throat, and a surprisingly dry face.

"Thank you, Annie...Johanna," Caesar faced the camera. "Finally, I would like to introduce Effie Trinket, former escort for District Twelve, and prominent Capitol resident." Caesar turned to her and said, "But that's not so accurate a description for you now is it, Effie? In the past day it has come to light that you have been a member of the rebellion for quite some time now. Aiding in the escape of Peeta Mellark, notorious rebel leader. Do you have anything to say about that?"

There was plenty to say, but Effie was unable to voice her opinions if she was to go through with her plan. "I am an example of what happens when you fall victim to the rebellion. I was once a popular public figure, and am now no better than those that are causing the people of this nation to suffer."

"Is that all?" Caesar asked her.

"No," she turned to face the prompter and read out loud. "What you have seen are the remains of a once great nation," Effie held her chin up and worked up as much courage as she could. What she was about to do would most likely cause Snow to act upon his earlier threats. She continued to read the script provided for her then took a deep breath, and placed the thousands of lives living in District Thirteen before the four that were currently being threatened in the Capitol. "Please my darlings," Effie could only hope Haymitch knew she was including him in her sentiment, "My sweet boy, Peeta...my fiery girl, Katniss... there in Thirteen...dead by morni..." The butt of a rifle struck her in the middle of her back, knocking her, and the chair her feet were cuffed to, to the floor. 'No, please, no!' Effie cried out in her mind when she saw Annie and Johanna being ripped from their spots, and Portia being dragged away by Peacekeepers instead of the Capitol official.

Johanna had to give credit to Effie Trinket. It took balls to do something like she had done. With each kick Effie took by a Peacekeeper, Johanna fought harder and harder to break free. Annie was screaming out in terror as a Peacekeeper forcibly dragged her off stage. Johanna could no longer yell due to a hand gripping her around her throat. Snow's voice boomed, "Cut the feed!" A large fist caught Effie across the face, her shriek of horror pierced Johanna's ears, and her blood sprayed everywhere. "Take them away!" Snow screamed out.

Effie's limp body was being dragged by uniformed guards. One shoe was dangling off of her foot until it finally fell off at the edge of a stage. Her golden wig was now stained red with her blood. Her clothing torn. Her body bruised...beaten. Stabbing pains, throbbing aches attacked her muscles...her bones, and her heart. She had no idea where Annie had been taken, or Portia for that matter, but Johanna was still by her side, and giving her a look of approval. That was all Effie needed to know she had done the right thing before she allowed the darkness to consume her and drifted into a world of unconsciousness.

…..

…..

…..

…..

…..

The first bomb hit District Thirteen, shaking the underground city, causing children to cry, and race into their parent's arms. Causing parents to find a hidden strength for the sake of their family. For Katniss, the rumbling of the building reminded her of Peeta's episodes that exploded out of nowhere. Her eyes continuously darted toward the tiny room he had been locked in with only a doctor and armed soldiers as guards. When her mother had been called to help in medical, only thirty or so yards away from where Katniss and Prim took shelter, Katniss had hoped her mother would be caring for Peeta. A loving hand to help guide him through this time of uncertainty, but there was no such luck. She stared at the box Gale had brought her when he went to her mother's quarters, Peeta's art supplies sticking out, her parent's wedding photo, and various other items that meant the world to her, and let her eyes drift to her sister and Buttercup. 'Oh, Prim, what were you thinking?' Katniss let her head fall into her hand and tried to put the memory out of her mind.

"Prim? Have you seen her?" Katniss' mother was visibly searching the bunker for her youngest child.

"Isn't she with you?" Bing asked.

"No. She left the hospital ward ten minutes before I did."

"Dear God," Katniss knew exactly where her sister had gone. "Buttercup! She went back for that damn cat!" The argument that broke out between Bing, Katniss and the security officers prohibiting people from leaving the shelter grew out of hand. Katniss flung herself, fists pummeling into a chest of one of the soldiers as Bing pulled her off and dragged her back to their designated area.

Within minutes Gale entered with Prim in tow. "Hey," he set the large container down at Katniss' feet. "Was just checking to make sure everything was secure up there and thought you might want these things. They wouldn't survive if bombs went off up there."

Katniss spied the parachute she kept the spile and pearl in and held it against her chest, the book Regina had given to her stared back at her, almost taunting her to use it to talk to Peeta the way she had prior to his return. "Thank..." Prim was being hugged by her mother and Peeta's father, kissed and scolded at the same time. "Thank you...for everything," it took a lot for her to keep her emotions in check.

"I wasn't able to bring all of Peeta's canvases, but I got a few of them. I know how much that stuff means to him, and your dad's jacket is in there too. Hope you don't mind that Prim unlocked your room for me so I could get that stuff."

Katniss nodded silently then gave into her emotions and gave Gale a quick hug. "This means the world to me...to Peeta."

"How's he doing?"

"I don't know. He doesn't want to see me," Katniss' head hung down. "He blames me for this."

"He doesn't know what he's saying, Catnip. Beetee told me about that crap they gave him at the Capitol." Gale pointed towards Peeta's door, "That's not Peeta. That's the effects of Snow's drugs."

"I know, but it still hurts that he won't let me be in there with him."

"Give him time, Catnip. No one loves you the way Peeta does." Gale stroked her upper arm. "If he doesn't remember how much he loved you, there's no doubt in my mind that he'll fall in love with you all over again."

Time was a double edge sword. Katniss either had too much of it or not enough. During the Games there were times when hours seemed like minutes, and seconds seemed like days. Since being in Thirteen the only time that sped by was when she left and went to Eight. Shooting at Capitol hoverplanes with her bow and arrows, causing them to explode midair, gave her a sense of power. Of course that came to a screeching halt the moment it was over and she remembered why she never should have gone there in the first place. She had craved Peeta's strength then, like she did now, but he had been gone, over a thousand miles away, and now when he was within walking distance of her, he felt even further.

"How are you doing?" A deeper version of Peeta's voice asked Katniss. She needed to answer her father in law, but she couldn't find it in herself to look at him for when she did she saw Peeta. A version of her husband Thirty years in the future...a future she now thought was unattainable. Katniss merely nodded her head in answer to Bing's question and pushed her sorrow deep within.

A mattress from their bunk was pulled onto the floor, an unused bed was made for buttercup out of a small drawer built into the rock wall, and Prim curled up with the cat in a ball, fast asleep, was what Katniss focused on. She was desperate to lift her eyes to the room where Peeta stayed. Temptation to go to him was so great, but being turned away again by the hospital staff who continually checked in with him was more than her shattered heart could take. She thought of the times she felt this way in the past, heartbroken, and lost. Wondered what helped her out of those situations. "What makes you happy, Katniss?" Peeta's voice spoke to her in the back of her mind.

"You do," her lips moved in the darkness. "I need to talk to you, Peeta. Please forgive me for causing this." He was right when he told her she was the reason for putting all of these lives in danger. She was the reason Twelve was destroyed. The reason former victors were called back into the arena.

"Bing," Katniss' mother had sneaked up on Katniss and interrupted the blame game she was currently starring in. "Peeta has calmed down some if you want to try again." Katniss' hand shot out, gripping her mother's arm, but her mother didn't need to speak. The expression she wore did all the talking Katniss needed to hear. Peeta didn't want anything to do with her anymore.

Bing took out the items from the box, her mother's houseplant, the picture of her parents, the book that continued to haunt her, the parachute was tied to a belt loop on Katniss' pants, and carried the paint supplies into his son. Katniss' eyes were glued on her father in law's back as he stood at the doorway leading into Peeta's room, watched, and waited. A mixture of relief and jealousy flooded through her when he stepped into the room and the door closed behind him. She snatched the book up, held the tiny flashlight that had been provided for her in her sack, one for each member of her family, and stuck it between her teeth. The blank white page stared up at her, the pen she kept tucked between the pages was in her fingers, and she did what she needed to do. She stopped listening to her head, and started listening to her heart. Her words to Peeta...to herself were written down as her lips silently moved as though she were having a conversation with the one person in the world she didn't have a problem talking to.

"Dear Peeta,

Though you're only a few feet away from me, I now know that we are a world apart, and we'll probably never breach that gap again. I'm sitting here listening to the sounds of bombs drop, your pearl in my pocket, your locket around my neck, and a feeling of sorrow that runs so deep for what we've lost. We were so in love, weren't we? I often wondered growing up why I was so dead set on never having a relationship, never falling in love, but those questions were answered the day we got married...the night we had our toasting. It was in that moment that I realized what it was that had been keeping me from love, and as I sit here now I want to tell you that I don't regret letting you in. I'll never regret loving you...letting you love me. How could I? You gave me more than anyone could have asked, and I'll always be thankful for the life we created together. No matter what happens between us, our little banana nut will grow up knowing it was conceived in one of the greatest love stories ever told. You were right when you said our love was planned out before we were even born. I wonder sometimes if our child will be blessed that way. I hope it is. My hope is for this baby to grow up appreciating the type of love you allowed me to experience. Though we weren't able to spend decades together like we had planned, I want you to know...the time we did have together...our love...it was a lifetime's worth. If only..."

The flashlight she held between her teeth fell, causing its light to shine upwards highlighting her face. As her body quaked with grief, she picked up the pen again, held the light in her free hand and let the misery that flowed through her out onto the page.

…..

…..

…..

…..

…..

"Leave the paints and go," Peeta spoke harshly from a hospital bed, laying on the flat of his back, to his father.

"I'll put them down, but I'm not leaving." Bing placed the box on the floor in the corner of the small room. "I'll be staying here with you till this is over."

Peeta sat upright, "No! Get out!"

"That's not going to happen son." Bing sat in the only thing available, the wheelchair they had rolled Peeta in on. "Whether you like it or not, I'm your father, and you're still considered too young to make these choices on your own, so..." he pressed his elbows to his knees, "...you're stuck with me."

Peeta flopped back down on the bed, threw his arm over his eyes and said, "I'm married. I don't need parental consent for anything anymore. You lost that right when you signed me over to...her."

"You go ahead and be angry. I'm just gonna get some rest." Bing sat back in the chair and closed his eyes. "Goodnight, Peeta. See you in the morning."

Sleep was nowhere to be found in the tiny bunker Peeta Mellark felt he was trapped inside of. Blasts went off, not bothering him at all, it was the images that came when he closed his eyes that intruded on his slumber. Effie being beaten. Johanna when she returned to the cell after her water torture, and Annie...innocent Annie that knew nothing of the rebellion and was being held just to torture Finnick. With each nightmare his arms and legs shot straight out, paralyzing him with fear, unable to move anything but the blue eyes that glowed in the dark zipping from side to side, searching his surroundings for an unattainable sense of security. Confirming he was no longer at the Capitol. A doctor came in and gave him a shot in the base of his neck just as the tremors started, but the anger never subsided, instead it slowly burned a hole in the pit of his stomach. He waited for the familiar feeling of lightness in his extremities from the shot, but it never came. The shakes never fully came either, but neither did the pleasurable sensation the drug normally brought, which frustrated the hell out of Peeta. The metal bars preventing him from rolling out of his bed felt like ice as did the blood that flowed through him. A chill shot through him, a blast of cold from whatever it was they shot into his system. 'I can't be here,' he thought to himself as he sat up, intent on leaving his room, only to be stopped by a guard's watchful stare, and his gun. Peeta's eyes darted towards the box of art supplies. It had been so long since he had painted he wasn't sure if he knew how anymore. He paced quietly around his room, not wanting to disturb his father who had instantly fallen asleep, walked to a window that was no more than twelve inches big, and peered through the plastic curtain. It was like looking into the coalmines of District Twelve. Darkness. Rock. Metal beams, and a light coming from a miner's helmet. Peeta squinted into the blackness trying to make out the sole miner. The light on his helmet fell a short distance highlighting its owner. "Katniss," he briefly wondered if this was a dream. Temptation to run to her and play their game, ask her if this was real or not, flashed through him. Her face was illuminated by the edges of light that came from what Peeta could only assume was a flashlight. Her shoulders were quaking. Her face buried in her hands. He may not have been able to make out the tears that were streaming down her face, but Peeta didn't need to to know she was sobbing. He let the curtain fall back in place before he let himself fall victim to her again. A knot formed in his gut as his fingers spread the curtain open an inch...two. He sucked in a deep breath between his clenched teeth, "Don't cry," he mouthed to her. He backed slowly away from the window, turned and headed for the box of paints.

Shame had quickly become a driving force in Peeta's life. Disgrace for things he had said...done. He had continually allowed animosity into his life, welcomed it in some instances, and in doing so caused those around him, those that loved him, to go through emotional turmoil. 'No more,' he thought to himself. After seeing Katniss crying in the darkness of Thirteen's depths, Peeta could no longer put her through a living hell. He would do what he had promised. He would be the Jabberjay like he and Katniss talked about, he would demand that she was allowed to stay in Thirteen...take care of his responsibilities as a provider for their child, but he would not allow weakness, for that's what she was to him, back in. 'They're better off without you,' he thought to himself as he lifted a canvas and placed it on his easel. 'Once you're out of here, tell her it's over, and mean it this time.' A cardboard flap was ripped off of the box to be used as a palette, the world shut out, Peeta dipped a brush into various colors until he created a black that looked blue. His intention had been to paint his nightmare. The dank cells of the Capitol, but his fingers seemed to have a mind of their own. A dark sky was painted joined by shimmering stars, a silvery moon that radiated into a bedroom. Curtains fluttered as they hung over an open window, billowing in the late spring breeze. A full length mirror at an odd angle at the end of a bed, joined the picture, slowly completing the supporting cast of his portrait. The stars of the show had yet to be introduced.

"Peeta, you need to eat," the sound of his father's voice was ignored.

When his eyes grew heavy with sleep, Peeta grabbed a blanket from his bed and curled onto the floor in front of the picture, finding the cold, hard surface a form of penance. His body trembled, and a shot was given. The fits of outrage were temporarily quelled for reasons unknown to Peeta. The only time he spoke was to say, "No," when he was asked if Katniss could see him. Others came, but they were ignored until finally no one came at all, and only he and his father remained in the tiny room. The guard now stood outside as Peeta captured a split second of his life on canvas.

Sheets with a satiny finish were added in the center of the portrait, tangled between a pair of feminine legs, the flesh tone of a prosthetic, and a masculine calf covered in dark blond hair. With each stroke of his paintbrush, Peeta felt himself falling in love with her. With Katniss. He no longer questioned the emotions that consumed him while in the tunnel, he knew them to be true, and it was because of the deep seeded affection that now powered his moving hands, he let Katniss and his unborn child go. There were no tears when he added the finishing touches to the scene painted out before him, but adoration. Fingers peaked out from between flowing chestnut locks. A bent elbow hid the soft white flesh of her bosom. An expression of complete and utter devotion radiated between them, an unmistakable flow of love shared between two people. 'Rapture,' Peeta thought to himself as he set the paintbrush down on the cardboard palette. He trailed a finger along the outer edge of the canvas and mouthed, "I'm sorry." Peeta stood staring at the portrait until he felt his father's arms pull him in.

"That's remarkable," Peeta could hear the slight hitch in his dad's voice as he spoke.

"Don't show it to her, dad. She can never see this."

"Why no..."

"Please," Peeta interrupted him. "I have to end it dad. I could kill her."

"Peeta, you wouldn't do that," His father stroked the back of his head.

"Dad, what if it had been Katniss I attacked instead of Gale?" His father was silent. "All it takes is one time...one explosion and I kill not only her but our baby." His father's arms gripped him tightly as President Coin's voice spoke over a loudspeaker informing the population that they could now head to their new quarters if their old ones had been damaged during the bombing. Peeta released his father, looked around the room and asked, "Dad, how long have we been down here?"

"For over three days now, Peeta."

"Three days?" He ran a paint covered hand through his hair. "Guess I should eat something, huh?"

"You ate a couple of hours ago, but if you're hungry..."

"I did?" Peeta interrupted his dad, not remembering a thing from the past few days. "So, it's over...the bombing?" His father nodded. "Did...did anyone get hurt?" He fought not to ask how Katniss was doing.

"She's fine, Peeta. Pretty shaken up after the things you said to her, but she's fine."

"Good. I'm glad she's okay," he turned to his dad. "What do I do now?"

"I'm not sure what we do. I know I'll probably need new quarters since mine were on the top floor next to Evelyn's." Bing rested a hand on Peeta's shoulder. "I should probably find out about that."

The tears Peeta didn't know he had shed, dripped down his cheeks. "That's not what I mean." Thoughts of a life without Katniss...without his child cut through him. He lifted his gaze to his father. "What do I do now, dad? What do I do now?" Peeta felt like he was a child again, only this time the physical pain was brought on by his own actions. He had to cut Katniss out of his life for good.

…..

…..

…..

…..

…..

'Are you alright? Are you dead? Of course you're not dead. There's really no purpose in killing you. It's not like you're a wealth of information for Snow,' Finnick's head was reeling as he made knot after knot in the worn rope. His eyes briefly lifted to scan his surroundings. It was like being on the bottom of the ocean's floor, minus the water. Darkness swelling in, unable to see a few feet in front of your face, the rocks each bunker was carved into were like underwater caverns, the occasional group of soldiers pacing through the area like a school of fish you caught glimpses of on a deep sea dive. It was the closest he felt to home since he left the arena's ocean. A tiny burst of frustration escaped from his lips. He was not home. No place felt like home while Annie was at the mercy of the Capitol. He yanked firmly on the rope untangling the perfectly formed knots into a straight line again, then started over.

"Hey."

Finnick's head popped up at the sound of Katniss' voice, then went back to his knot tying. "Couldn't sleep?"

"No." Katniss paused. "You?"

"Don't want to. Too many nightmares," Finnick answered.

"Are you holding up alright?"

There was no easy answer to such an uncomplicated question. Was he alright? Since becoming a victor it had been one of the most terrifying questions to answer. Each interview he sat down for with Caesar Flickerman had started off with, "How are you doing, Finnick?" Even now, every time he was put in front of a camera to film a propos, the question was asked.

"Don't answer that," Katniss quickly stated. "It's a God awful question even on a good day."

Though he wanted to know how Katniss was doing, what Peeta's medical status was, Finnick couldn't muster up the courage to ask her the same thing she asked him. "Sit down," he nodded towards the end of his bunk. "What brings you here, Katniss?"

"I...I don't know." She gripped her arms as though she were chilled. "No, I do know, but I can't bring myself to talk about it...unless you wanted to talk about it."

"Annie," he whispered as a tear dropped onto his now still hands.

"Peeta..." Katniss whispered back as her hand automatically went for the spot most pregnant women cradled.

'How many times has she done that since being released from the hospital?' Finnick wondered. 'How many signs were there that everyone ignored including myself?' "He still won't see you?" Finnick couldn't imagine what his life would be like if Annie was so close yet refused to be in the same room with him.

Katniss shook her head, "Tomorrow will be three days. His dad says he's painting so..." she gave her shoulder a little shirk, "...he always gets lost when he paints."

Finnick reached out a hand to her and gave hers a little squeeze quickly releasing it. "I'm sure that's all it is. Once this is over he'll want to see you, Katniss."

"How can you be so sure?" Her eyes almost glowed behind the alligator tears that threatened to fall.

"Because I know he loves you...we all do."

"Not anymore Finnick. Snow's taken that from him," Katniss looked over her shoulder towards the area Peeta was in.

"You're wrong, Katniss." He wasn't sure if he should tell her. Not because they were ordered not to, but because Finnick didn't know if she could handle one more burden. If he were in the situation would he want to know? Yes, he would. "Katniss, there's something you should know."

Finnick raced behind Beetee as they headed for the medical bay. "Is it just him or...or did others get out too?" He asked of Peeta's return.

"I believe it was only him," Beetee spoke, "but there is a bright side to this scenario. Not only will we be able to get valuable information from Peeta regarding the goings on in the Capitol, he'll be able to give us an update on the rest of the prisoners Snow has taken into custody."

The dejected feeling that had shot through Finnick suddenly perked up. He'd be able to find out about Annie. "Yeah," Finnick's long legs raced past Beetee's in lengthy strides. "I knew I should have shoved you in that wheelchair of yours. You're too damn slow."

Finnick stood back until Beetee had greeted Peeta then stepped forward. "Finnick," Peeta reached a hand out to his shoulder and the men embraced. "She's okay. They don't hurt her...just questions," Peeta filled him in on Annie's status without Finnick having to ask.

Being dismissed by President Coin wasn't something Finnick particularly cared for, he wanted more information regarding Annie, but then he saw Katniss waiting patiently, a difficult feat for her, against a steel counter. When Haymitch and Plutarch suggested that they leave and listen to Effie's recording, he didn't argue in the hopes that Effie's message would provide more updates on Annie.

"May I suggest we listen to this privately prior to playing it for President Coin?" Plutarch suggested.

"Why?" Finnick asked. "Think there's something on there we shouldn't let Coin hear?"

"I do," Haymitch's grip on the computer Effie sent was deadly. He took a quick peek over his shoulders making sure no one was around, speaking quietly, "Effie isn't the biggest Coin supporter. She's afraid our new leader is going to take advantage of Katniss and Peeta...endanger their lives, so to speak."

"All of our lives are in danger, Haymitch," Plutarch commented offhandedly.

"I'll rephrase...unnecessarily endanger their lives." Haymitch led them to one of Katniss' hiding places. "There's room in here, but it'll be a tight squeeze," he spoke of the tiny closet that held medical supplies.

"Here, I'll..." Haymitch pushed Plutarch's reaching hands away from the computer.

"I know how to pull up sponsors and lamb stew," Haymitch snapped.

"Yes," Plutarch resigned, "I'm certain you do."

Finnick stood, eagerly awaiting the sound of Effie Trinket's voice.

"Hello friends," the recognizable Capitol accent filtered quietly through the closet. "If you are listening to this, than Peeta has successfully reached you, and is now in the hands of Katniss, and I'm hoping Dr. Valero." There was a tiny pause. "I shall start with Peeta as I feel he is the most pressing issue." Effie spoke of the drugs he had been given, the recordings he was subjected to, the beatings, Snow's objective, then finally addressed the boxes she had sent. "Inside you will find tracker jacker venom, a failed attempt at its antidote, jacker juice, and the injections I gave to Peeta to help counteract the jacker juice poison. There is a limited supply so I would recommend attempting to replicate it as Peeta will be in desperate need of it. There is no known cure for the damage that has already been done to him, but I have no doubts that Katniss will once again find a way to bring Peeta back to life." She then went on to talk about Portia...Johanna... "I worry so about her as she has been subjected to terrible acts of water torture. She calls herself a human tea bag, unfortunately her assessment is spot on. They have dunked her continually in a small pool of water, and her heart has stopped twice already only to be brought back to life so they could continue their brutal tactics. As far as Annie goes...dear me, that poor child. Though they do not treat her as poorly as the other prisoners, she has been going through her own personal hell. I was able to protect her in the beginning, but once the rebels had control over District Four Annie's safety was out of my hands. Please tell Finnick that she thinks of him constantly, and I believe, that is the reason she has been so brave...so strong. A true victor." Finnick wiped his hand across the back of his eyes as Effie continued. "Now, it is time to discuss my knowledge of Snow's plans. I shall start with the traitor who is now dead. Carter Darlington and his love interest have been murdered. I am unsure of Carter's murderer, but I was the one that put an end to Ianthe, the orange skinned girl from his watering holes. Fortunately Snow does not know that I took her life, and assumes that she and Carter had a disagreement...that he found out about her traitorous ways, and they took each other's lives. There are many things that I am aware of, being Snow's personal assistant has given me the opportunity to search various files, overhear many of his secrets, and all of these things will be of use to the rebellion's efforts, however, and please forgive me for doing such a thing, but I must. I will not release any of this information until we have been pulled from the Capitol. Johanna, Portia, Annie and myself must be rescued." Effie's tone was much stronger and demanding. "I fear now that I have helped Peeta to escape there will be no reason for the rebels to free us from here, however these women that Snow has been putting through hell, have gone through far more than their fair share of punishment. It's time to show your appreciation for those that have risked it all for the rebellion, and pull them out of this nightmare." Effie's voice quickly changed to one of compassion and desperation. "Haymitch, I've held up my end of the bargain," her voice cracked and the unmistakable sound of crying could be heard, "it's time for you to hold up your end. I am waiting for you darling, and I promise...I will not stay back this time. I will follow you...I will follow you anywhere." Finnick could see the grief spreading across Haymitch's face, the red nose...crinkled brow. "And if by chance I do not make it out alive, I want you to tell my darling children how much I love them, and how very proud I am of all that they have done...all that they are. They have made me a better person, and I can never thank them enough for that." There was silence, a sniffling, then the sound of Effie clearing her voice. "I promised myself I would wait until I saw you to say this Haymitch, but circumstances being what they are... I do not want you to live the rest of your life wondering. I want you to know that I...I..." a breath was released then Effie spoke as clear as day, "You are loved my vile little man. Truly loved."

"Effie?" Peeta's voice spoke in the background. "Do you know anything about makeup? I'm af..." The recording went dead.

Three men, two victors, one Head Gamemaker sat in silence. Finnick feeling almost relieved knowing Annie had yet to go through what Johanna and Peeta had. Plutarch with his brain in autopilot figuring out a way to keep Effie's ultimatum from Coin's ears, and Haymitch, brought to his knees by an outpouring of emotion from the most unlikely of sources.

"Hand me that computer," Plutarch took it from Haymitch's grasp.

"What are you doing?" Finnick noticed the way the man's fingers were flying across the screen.

"Making a few...adjustments." Plutarch answered without lifting his eyes from the task at hand. "I do not believe our president will take too kindly to Effie's threats, so I shall do what I am good at...work things to the Gamemakers' advantage."

"How ya gonna do that?" Haymitch finally came back to life.

"Just wait and listen." Plutarch took about five minutes, rewound, fast forwarded, clipped sound bites, then said, "Voila!" and played the edited version of Effie's message.

"There are many things that I am aware of, being Snow's personal assistant has given me the opportunity to search various files, overhear many of his secrets, and all of these things will be of use to the rebellion's effor..."

"Effie? Do you know anything about makeup? I'm af..." Peeta's voice was cut off.

"How the hell'd ya do that?" Haymitch reached for the computer.

"It's all in the fingers," Plutarch smiled, his jovial mood restored. "I thought it best to destroy the remainder of the message, I do hope you don't mind, Haymitch."

"Nah, that's...okay...fine."

"So now what?" Finnick could sense from the expression on Haymitch's face that erasing Effie's words hurt a hell of a lot more than what he was letting on. "Do we play this for Coin?"

"Absolutely," Plutarch's face was bright and cheery. "Imagine how badly our president will want to rescue the prisoners now that Effie has promised valuable secrets, but was cut off by an unfortunately timed interruption?" He lightly laughed to himself. "Yes, I do have a knack for this sort of thing, don't I?"

"Yeah, Plutarch," Haymitch stepped out the door, "You're a friggin' gem. Let's go."

"Oh, you have no clue," Finnick didn't know if Plutarch missed Haymitch's sarcasm intentionally or not. "Wait until you see what I have planned for Katniss and Peeta's reunion propos. Now that will be something to talk about."

"The kid is sick," Haymitch snapped. "Don't count on him performing for you anytime soon."

"I won't need him to perform. We've already wired his hospital room with recording devices so we could pick up a more...realistic version of Katniss, and now that we know what Peeta has gone through, I can't help but think of the brilliance of this plan."

"You mean you're...you're recording them without their knowledge?" Finnick stopped dead in his tracks.

"Don't be so surprised Finnick. We all know Katniss is at her best unscripted."

"Pull those cameras out of there," Haymitch shoved a finger into Plutarch's chest. "Those two have already gone through enough of that shit."

"I'm sorry, Haymitch, but President Coin thought it was a tremendous idea. I shall be monitoring them on my computer." Plutarch pushed a few buttons on the computer Haymitch held. "Here, now you can be privy to their reunion as well."

"I don't want to see this shit!" Haymitch yelled. "No one should be watching this!"

"I agree with Haymitch on this one Plutarch." Finnick took a step between Haymitch and the former Gamemaker. "We're supposed to be their friends...watching out for them...I for one don't feel comfortable with the idea of watching their private moments, and I know Katniss and Peeta would hate it."

"They'll have to get over it." Plutarch's good mood had yet to falter. "Really, you two should understand how important showing a united front between the two of them is for the rebellion. What I wouldn't give to capture Snow's reaction when he sees them together."

"That's it," Haymitch turned around. "I'm telling them."

"I wouldn't recommend that," Plutarch gave him a light warning. "Coin wants to keep knowledge of this to a minimum. I will be the only one watching their feeds...editing them. Well, other than you Haymitch." His eyes motioned to the computer. "If you feel there's something on there I shouldn't be seeing then feel free to tell me, but I can tell you, there's nothing I haven't seen of these two from their time spent at the Capitol." Plutarch headed towards the Command Center. "Let's go gentlemen. Our president awaits."

"How much did he hear?" Katniss lifted her worried face to Finnick's.

"Enough," Finnick glanced down at her stomach then back up again. "We thought it best to keep Peeta's list of demands, as well as a few other things to ourselves. Plutarch erased it, but he does have...enough footage of the two of you, Katniss."

"Like?" She asked.

He hated that he saw these things, but it was either watch and listen through Plutarch's earpiece or trust the former Head Gamemaker, and Haymitch refused to watch, but he did listen. "Let's just say, we saw you play an...intimate game of real or not real." Finnick could see the visible tension in Katniss' jaw, the way her idle fingers continually opened and closed. "Take this," he handed her a rope. "Tomorrow we'll get you your own, but for now you can use mine."

"Thanks," she wrapped the rope around her fingers.

"I'm sorry, Katniss. I really am."

Katniss nodded at him, her lips practically white from how tightly they were clenched. "I know."

"Haymitch and I were going to warn you as soon as that meeting was over, but then that broadcast from the Capitol came through and..." Finnick watched as her shoulders slumped. "You should get some sleep, Katniss. Why don't you lie down here," he suggested. "I wanted to take a little walk anyway." He was surprised when she let her body fall face down into the thin mattress and closed her eyes. "I'll sleep on the floor when I get back." Finnick had a destination to reach, and an idiot to chew out. Unfortunately Peeta never turned around when Finnick yelled at him. He didn't even flinch when Finnick ripped the paintbrush from his grasp. Instead Peeta reached for a new one and continued spreading colors across a canvas Finnick hadn't even bothered to glimpse at.

…..

…..

…..

…..

…..

Peeta lifted his eyes , ducked his chin downward, and stole a peek at Katniss as she exited from the elevator. The order to report to the new remake room, though every room was new to Peeta, had come in within minutes of their release from the bunkers of Thirteen.

"There he is," Haymitch walked up to Beetee. "Got it?"

"It's right here," a black uniform was handed to Peeta. "Alright kid, put this on and let's get this over and done with."

"Peeta, I shall show you how the uniform functions at a later date as well as this," Beetee handed him a heavy looking metal glove of sorts. "Right now all you'll need to know are the basics." He looked at Peeta expectantly. "Go ahead and slip it on."

"It's..." Peeta made a fist testing out the strange glove, "...light."

"Yes. It should feel like your very own skin," Beetee said proudly. "I won't go into all that I've done to create the weapon," Peeta's eyes flashed to Beetee's when he said, 'weapon.' "Suffice to say, your fingers will never lose their grip again."

"They're repaired," Peeta told him. "The Capitol fixed them for some reason," but he now knew it was so he'd have full strength when he was used as a weapon himself.

"Even better," Beetee said unaffected. "All you have to do is say good morning to it. It's designed to respond to your voice, and only your voice." Beetee waited. "Go ahead."

It was an odd request, but Peeta did as told. He held up the glove and hesitantly said, "Good morning." A slight vibration tingled his skin before it molded to his hand. "Holy cow," Peeta's brows shot up. "What does it do?"

"More than we have time to delve into," Beetee answered. "To shut it down simply say, goodnight. I would suggest doing that now and avoid turning it on while you and Katniss are filming your propos. It will provide your hand with exceptional strength, and we wouldn't want you to injure anyone. You'll need to train with it."

"Okay," Peeta held his gloved hand close to his mouth and said, "Goodnight." The glove released its hold and slipped easily off. "Will this fall off or anything?" He handed it back to Beetee.

"Not while it's on. Its weapons are built into the wrist, and parts of your Jabberjay uniform. Again, we'll go through training, but for now, it's time to suit up." Beetee showed Peeta how to get into and out of his suit with ease. "It's much easier than Katniss'. Hers has an extra metal plate over her abdomen. Cinna added on once...well that doesn't matter much anymore." Beetee flustered a bit. "I shall leave you in the hands of the prep team."

"Thanks," Peeta was ushered into a chair and overheard Finnick offering Katniss a sugar cube. He didn't know why it aggravated him so much, Finnick was in love with Annie, but Peeta felt a shocking surge of jealousy shoot through him at the man's offer.

"It helps the taste of the coffee," Finnick dumped some sugar and cream into the cup.

Katniss swirled a thin wooden stirrer around in the cup of warm liquid before taking her spot across from Peeta. She sipped at the cup thinking the flavor had been greatly improved and how she could get used to the hot beverage.

"What are you drinking, Katniss?" Octavia gave her a concerned look.

"Coffee," Katniss was about to take a sip just as Octavia snatched it from her hand.

"That's not good for you. No caffeine."

"Why not?" Katniss argued trying to pull the cup back.

She had never seen Octavia get upset before, but she was decidedly perturbed with Katniss. "It's not good for..." Octavia glanced downward towards Katniss' abdomen, "...for your health. Stunts your growth."

"I'm done growing," Katniss reached for it again.

"Are you?" Octavia flashed another look at Katniss' belly.

"Oh," Katniss dropped her hand. "Well, I don't really like it anyway."

"Fabulous," Octavia's sunny disposition returned. "I'll be working on you while Venia takes care of Peeta, and Flavius will be working on Finnick and Gale. Now let's get to work."

Katniss caught Peeta's eye more than once in the short time span it took to do her hair in her trademark braid and apply a light dusting of makeup. They hadn't spoken since the incident in the Command Center and now they were supposed to act like they were madly in love while showing the destruction of Thirteen. She had no clue how he would pull it off, or how she would for that matter. Every time she looked at him she heard his voice blaming her for the damage they were about to highlight for the cameras. The small amount of breakfast she forced down that morning threatened to reappear regardless of the cup of tea her mother prepared for her. Her nerves were getting the best of her while being in such close proximity to Peeta and not being able to reach out to him.

"Hey...oh, I thought you were alone," Gale spoke to Peeta. "Sorry. I'll catch up with you later."

"Come in," Peeta looked up to him as a brush was run through his hair. "Let me start by saying I'm sorry for what I did. It was uncalled for, and I apologize," Peeta's voice was steady, yet there was a hidden aggression within. The last thing on earth he wanted to do was apologize to Gale, but Haymitch had told him they needed to bury the hatchet during filming.

"Me too," Gale stepped closer to him. "That's why I wanted to talk to you. Just wanted to tell you..." Gale held out a hand to Peeta who stared at it for a few seconds before shaking it. "No hard feelings. We both screwed up, now let's put it behind us." Gale dropped Peeta's hand and walked towards Flavius. "They said I needed to see you."

"Yes, we'll need to hide these bruises on your face," Flavius held Gale's chin in his hand and examined his facial features. "I should be able to cover that cut in your lip as well. Take a seat."

Gale looked around the tiny room noticing the only two chairs in there were occupied. "Where?"

"You can have mine," Katniss stood up. "I'm done. I'll meet you out there," she said to no one in particular and left with Octavia.

"You two still on the outs?" Gale asked Peeta and got a glare in answer.

"That's none of your business." Peeta released the pent up frustration inside. "This isn't easy for me."

"No. Don't suppose it is." Gale gave Flavius a dirty look when the man pressed a little too hard on his bruise with a makeup sponge.

"I'm sitting here being made up while Effie has probably been killed," Peeta squeezed his eyes closed.

Gale gave him an inquisitive look. "Katniss wasn't kidding when she said Effie was like a mother to you, was she?"

"Effie Trinket is my mother," Peeta spoke to Gale harshly. "She's the closest thing to one I've ever had, so no...Katniss wasn't kidding when she said that."

"Does Snow know this?" Gale asked.

"Finished," Venia announced in the middle of their conversation. "You'll need to find Plutarch so he can instruct you on your part of the propos," she said to Peeta then left.

"She helped me to escape...Snow's not an idiot. He'll figure it out." Peeta stood to leave, he could no longer pretend to be on speaking terms with the man.

"That's why she's still alive," Gale said as though he knew something Peeta didn't. "Snow won't be able to use her against you...either one of you if he killed her." Peeta stood with his back towards Gale listening intently. "He lost you...the only weapon he could use against Katniss, and now he's moved onto you and Finnick...using Annie and Effie to get the best of you."

Peeta's shoulders slumped as he walked from the remake room and was ushered by Haymitch towards Plutarch where Katniss waited for him. "So...what am I supposed to do here?"

"Finally," Plutarch appeared unaffected by the remains of the bombing, instead thrilled with the idea of having both the Mockingjay and the Jabberjay at his disposal. "Our fiery birds are united as one." Both Peeta and Katniss looked away from Plutarch's innocent comment. "Boggs will give you a brief tour of the damage where you will comment on the destruction, then Cressida will lead you to the Justice Building for the filming of your scripted portions." Plutarch handed them each a script. "Any questions?" They both shook their heads. "Wonderful!"

The effects of the Capitol's bombs on Thirteen's surface was far from wonderful. The top portion of the building where Katniss and Peeta's quarters were located in had severe damage. Katniss pointed it out for the camera. "That's the window in our bedroom," she said to Peeta. "That's where Buttercup slept, and..." she sucked in a breath when she saw the caved in roof that had belonged to her father in law's room. "That's where your dad's quarters were."

"Thank God he got out in time," Peeta stared at the room with no roof, bricks and stone scared with black char marks. "Looks like that's where the bomb hit," he turned from the wreckage, and walked further across the strange, new district. Each step bringing with it its own new horror.

Katniss lifted her fingers to her nose. "Do you smell that?"

"Burnt chicken," Peeta said of a chicken farm that had been blown to bits.

"No," Katniss walked in the opposite direction of where Boggs was headed, and Peeta followed.

"What is this?" Plutarch blurted out.

"Don't touch them!" Katniss yelled, preventing Plutarch from picking up one of the roses that had been showered across the woods of Thirteen. "They're for me," she turned her head.

"Snow," Peeta recognized the stench of the roses anywhere. "I think they're for both of us." He lifted his hand and said, "Good morning," to his gauntlet, remembering how Beetee had said his hand would be stronger, picked up a blood red rose, and squeezed until the rose had been crushed to bits. "Goodnight," he spoke softly then turned to find Katniss running away from him.

"Follow her," Plutarch's order went out to two cameramen, yet Peeta was the one on her heels.

"Katniss," his intentions of keeping his distance from her went out the window when he saw her bent over next to a tree. He stood by her side and fought the urge to rub gently between her shoulders...to speak words of comfort as she dealt with the side effects from a combination of their child and Snow's flowery message. He stood next to her, feet planted firmly on the ground and blocked the cameras from recording.

As the wave of nausea swept over Katniss she wanted desperately to reach out a hand and force Peeta to help her the way he had while in the arena. His focus was on something else, not her, but she couldn't blame him for that. Who would want to watch a girl throwing up? She stood upright, wiped the back of her hand across her mouth and backed away from the tree. "I need some water," she said in a flat and even tone. Still Peeta didn't say or do a thing, just followed her like Plutarch had directed him to, looking like a lost kitten in search of its mother. 'That's what he is,' she realized. 'He's like Buttercup when he was a kitten. Beaten within an inch of his life, then nursed back to health by a loving hand, like Prim had done.' Katniss thought about the story she had told Peeta when they were in the cave, about throwing Buttercup out of the house and the cat continually showing up in her house. 'He was in search of his mother...Prim. Like Peeta's in search of his mother...Effie.'

They were guided towards the wreckage of the Justice Building and directed to say their lines. They were simple enough, one or two sentences to the people of the districts encouraging them to fight on. Telling them that their Jabberjay had come home, and what happened in Thirteen was the result of it.

The corner of Peeta's lip began to twitch slightly as he swallowed the tears that built up inside him. He had told Katniss she was the reason for this, but the truth remained that he was the one that left Effie to face Snow on her own. He could have stayed instead of abandoning her, instead he allowed her to convince him he was much more important to the rebellion than she was to him. He could feel himself beginning to hyperventilate as the first tear spilled over his bottom lid, getting trapped in a cluster of long blond lashes, then finally rolling down his cheek. A distant look in his eyes, lips slightly parted, sucking in an excessive amount of air, and the realization that Effie was now being put through the sort of hell he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy, engulfed him as he dropped to his knees and sobbed.

Katniss' chin was jutted outward, lifted towards the gray sky looking as though the smoke from the bombs had stained it. Peeta was crying on his knees to the side of her. All she had to do was reach out and touch his shoulder...the top of his head...anything to comfort him. A tiny breath escaped from her lungs as a lone mockingjay flew across the top of the Justice Building, a repeat performance of the footage the Capitol had been using for years in their reports of Thirteen. The same footage she saw the day she and Peeta got married. Her hand reached blindly, landing on the soft downy curls of Peeta's head. He dipped his head, pulling it away from her, and she sucked in a breath. She clutched her locket, closed her eyes and wept for all that Snow had taken from her...Peeta. Finally, Katniss mourned the loss of her husband.

"What's wrong with them?" Plutarch asked Haymitch, but it was Gale that answered.

"They know now...the extent that Snow will go to break them."

The sound of Finnick's sobs came from behind Haymitch who turned and walked off the set without saying a word. There was a war being waged across a nation. The rebels were close to victory, but this particular battle had been won by Snow.