(The wind is still and no-one is crying)

The day before the Games, Castiel gave Dean a list with alliances. He didn't say anything else, he just wished him good luck.

"These are going to be your Games, Dean. Play them properly."

Dean wrote them down on Jo's whiteboard.

Careers:
Michael Desnato (1)
Ruby Lamior (1)
Gordon Walker (2)
Lillith White (2)
Gabriel Laufeyson? (5)
Crowley King (8)
Raphael Barnes (9)

Alliances:
Castiel Novak (7) + Balthazar Damar (10)
Gabriel Laufeyson (5) + Crowley King (8)
Dean Winchester (12) + Jo Harvelle (12)
Chuck Shurley (11) + Becky Rosen (11)

Jo nodded. "11's not going to last long. They die in the slaughter at the Cornucopia. I don't know what Anna's odds are."

"I can't believe she and Cas split up." Dean murmured, chewing on the marker.

"I can't believe Castiel gave us the list of Careers and Alliances." Jo shook her head. "Why did he add the alliance Gabriel and Crowley? They are in the Career pack together."

Dean grinned, he had asked Castiel about this as well: "Apparently Cas eavesdropped on them yesterday. Gabriel is going to fake his death during the slaughter, then Crowley will get him to weapon and Gabriel will sneak up on the pack. It's how they plan to win the Games."

"But only one wins," Jo raised an eyebrow.

"One will turn on the other eventually." Dean shrugged. He didn't care.

There was a knock at the door. It was Horatius.

"It's time for make-up Dean."

Dean sighed and followed Horatius to a busy make-up room, full of other Tributes, stylists and make-up people. They got him dressed in a black smoking.

"Not with the coal tonight?" he asked Portia, who was shortening his right sleeve.

"No-" she said with her mouth full of needles. "We're going classy tonight."

She fixed his bowtie and took a step back. "Good, good," she smiled.

"Yeah?" Dean asked, a little insecure. He stuck his hands in his pockets and shrugged. He didn't know what to think of himself dressed up like that.

"Well, some kids your age look like boys in their father's clothes, but you look more mature."

She walked out into the hallway and he followed her to make-up. Jo was there already.

Cinna, her stylist, was applying smoky eyes and Flavia was putting her hair up in a messy knot.

Dean sat down in the chair next to her, and Horatius and Lucia started applying layers of make-up to his face. Portia did his hair, not that there was much to do about it, but she did her best.

"Are you looking forward to your interview?" Jo asked smiling. She was wearing a long, black dress with an open back.

"If Caesar starts about my brother, I will punch him in the face." Dean growled.

"You know he will," Jo smiled.

"And you know I won't punch him."

Portia released him from her custody and he offered Jo his arm.

"Look at us," She smiled, they walked to the green room. "All dressed up, like a turkey for Thanksgiving.

"Uriel from District 3! Give him a warm round of applause!" Caesar barked over the television.

After a while of watching interviews, Dean got bored. He left Jo on the couch and walked over to Castiel and Anna.

"Hey," he smiled,

Castiel smiled back. "Good evening, Dean."

"Looking forward to the Games?" Dean asked jokingly. Castiel didn't catch it though.

"No, not quite actually." He said confused.

Dean laughed.

Jo joined them, "Thanks a lot for the list, Castiel. It really helped us," she smiled, "But we don't understand your alliance with Balthazar."

Castiel nodded. "I understand."

"Bela Talbot from district 5 ladies and gentlemen, isn't she beautiful?" Caesar laughed over the television.

"Balthazar has a great potential. He is strong," Castiel continued. "I don't believe we will have a mild Arena this year, there is a new head Game maker who needs to impress the Capitol."

"Yeah, what was his name again? Something with a bird?" Dean asked.

"Oh! The guy with the Devil beard?" Jo nodded.

"Seneca Crane!" Dean and Castiel simultaneously said.

A Capitol lady in black clothes approached them. "District 7?" she asked.

Anna and Castiel nodded. The lady took their arms and practically dragged them to the edge of the stage.

Dean and Jo turned to the television again.

Anna's interview went by normal, she was chatting with Caesar about her chances, being lovely and all, and in the end he told her that he would like to see her win, like he said to every Tribute.

"And now, also from district 7, Castiel Novak!"

Castiel walked up the stage, dressed in a black suit and a blue tie.

"Hello Castiel," Caesar smiled.

"Hello." Castiel said, staring absent into the distance.

Caesar put an arm around Castiels shoulders. "So, do you have anything planned in the Arena? Any alliances, any idea of how you are going to win?"

"That's a rather stupid question," Castiel frowned.

Caesar laughed: "So, nothing planned, or a lot planned?"

Castiel shrugged. "We'll see what happens in the Arena tomorrow, won't we?"

"Okay, we will. So tell me Castiel, do you have made new friends here, that you might or might not be in an alliance with?"

That made Castiel smile. "I befriended Dean Winchester from 12, but the girl, Jo, seems rather distant to everyone."

Dean face palmed: "What and idiot."

Anna just nodded, she looked sorry for Castiel, all alone on the big stage. "He can't help it, it's like he's from another world. Quite wonderful tough, because he always listens, he always knows where to be. Castiel is smart, but in his own way."

The lady in black came to fetch Dean and Jo and after Jo's interview, it was finally Dean's turn.

"Dean Winchester!" Caesar smiled bright and the audience cheered.

Dean flashed a charming smile at the audience and winked.

"Dean, might I just say you look fabulous," Caesar said.

"Ah, thank you Caesar," Dean smiled. "I hoped you would like it, it's thrilling to meet you!"

"But I think we are all a bit sad that you're not wearing your armour tonight." Caesar grinned.

"Well," Dean shrugged, "It was my stylist choice, she wanted to see me in a smoking."

"And right she was, because you look fantastic! Too bad you can't wear it in the Arena."

"I'd rip it quickly, and that would be a shame. But, when I come back, I'll wear it at the interviews, promise." Dean said.

"So you're going to win, Dean?" Caesar started changing the topic. He always did that, sliding from happy interview to what are your motives interview.

"Yes, I have to, Caesar." Dean said.

Caesar nodded, as if he understood how Dean felt. "Is that for your brother?"

Dean nodded, acting all emotional. "On the morning of the Reaping, I promised him he would never have to go in the Arena. I need to win, because if he gets pulled next year, or the year after, I can volunteer for him again."

"So you would do that, for your brother?" Caesar asked.

"For him, I'd volunteer a thousand times over." Dean nodded.

"Oh- for him, I'd volunteer a thousand times over," Jo said teasingly. She threw a piece of popcorn at Dean's head.

They were watching the recaps of the interview, because neither of them could sleep. Tomorrow, the Games were on.

"It's actually quite deep though," she said quietly after a moment. "That you'd win and then endure the Hunger Games again just for the sake of your brother."

Dean chuckled: "I read it in a book."

"You read books?" Jo laughed.

"All the time," Dean shrugged, "Since you started hunting I didn't have a lot of friends to play with. They all worked."

"Tell me the story." Jo asked. She muted the television.

Dean scraped his throat. "I don't entirely remember what it was about. It was an old book, about kites. It was set in a city or country called Kabul. I don't think it's in Panem, so maybe it's made up, like Narnia."

"Maybe it's old, from before Panem." Jo shrugged.

"I don't think we are allowed to read books from before Panem." Dean said.

"Narnia is from before Panem." Jo sat up. "It was the only book I read really, since we had to for class."

"But Narnia is made up."

"So is Kabul."

It was silent for a minute, Jo turned the volume back up and they watched Seneca Crane talk about the potential of the Tributes.

"So, Seneca," Caesar said, "Who is this year's victor?"

Seneca shrugged. "I wouldn't know. The Arena is very dangerous this year and there are many strong Tributes, also from the Districts further away."

"Yes- a volunteer in 12. Highly unusual, don't you think?" Caesar nodded.

"I wouldn't know what to think of him, but this is certainly a Tribute to watch out for." Seneca nodded.

"So he's your winner?"

"I don't know. He's has a lot of passion and I think that his enthusiasm to win might be his death. I think that the Tribute either dies in the slaughter at the Cornucopia or he wins the Games."

Commercials.

"What are we going to do tomorrow Dean?" Jo asked.

"We try not to die." Dean shrugged.

"Dean, I'm serious." Jo sighed.

Dean couldn't resist. "Hi serious, I'm Dean." But he quickly apologized when Jo started hitting him on his chest. "Okay, okay," he coughed. "Jo, I need to go in the Cornucopia, I need weapons, you need a slingshot and we need to eat."

"But I can't go in, they'll slaughter me." Jo said.

Dean shook his head. "First thing we do, is run towards each other, then we go in and I promise I won't let you get killed."

Silence.

"I should go to bed." Dean got up.

"Dean?" Jo called him back.

"Yeah?"

"I don't want this to get weird in any way, but," Jo sighed. "I don't want to be alone tonight and I probably won't sleep anyway."

Dean sunk back on the bed. "Okay." Truth be told, he didn't want to be alone either. He didn't want to sleep either.

They climbed under the covers together and Dean grabbed the remote. "But I'm picking the movie."

After a couple of hours, Jo had fallen asleep anyway. Dean noticed that it didn't matter how hard he tried, he couldn't.

Even a three hour long documentary about a tree couldn't bore him to sleep.

Morning came quicker than he wanted though, Bobby knocking at the door at 7 A.M.

"Jo! Are you up?"

Jo shot up: "Yeah, yeah!" she shouted back.

"Okay- I'm going to get Dean, breakfast in ten minutes!"

"I'm here too!" Dean called, "We couldn't sleep, decided to watch a movie."

Jo got up and wrapped herself in a bathrobe, yawning. "When did I fall asleep?"

"Halfway through the second movie." Dean got out of bed too and they walked to the dining table.

Effie was staring at them with big eyes.

"Jeez, Effie, nothing happened! Isn't it sort of normal that people on death row don't want to be alone in their last night of safety? I still have a little thing called self-respect." Jo sighed. She poured syrup over her pancakes.

"Don't say that." Dean mumbled.

"Say what?" Jo asked.

"Death row. I don't want to think about the fact that we could be dead by the end of the week.

After breakfast, two Peacekeepers escorted them downstairs, to a big field with a helicopter on it. The other Tributes were there too.

They said their goodbyes to Bobby and Effie, they wouldn't be tagging along to the Arena.

"Thanks Bobby," Dean said.

"Don't thank me yet, the real Games start in an hour. Stay strong Dean and please remember that it is you, or them."

Dean nodded. Effie hugged him too and he climbed into the helicopter, after Jo.

They were strapped to their chairs, so they couldn't move during the flight. A woman with a big machine in her hand walked towards Jo.

"Your arm please." She said cold.

"What's that thing?" Jo asked.

"It's your tracker. So we can follow you in the Arena and keep track of your vitals."

Jo hesitatingly gave the woman her arm and she popped the needle in.

The helicopter landed and all the Tributes were taken to different rooms, where their stylists were waiting.

Portia was standing in the middle of the room, a set of clothes in her hand.

"Come on Dean, we need to hurry, platform up in thirty minutes."

Dean got dressed. For this year's Games, the Gamemakers had provided them with long, black jeans (JEANS!), a black t-shirt with the number 12 on it and a thin, long coat. It was sort of trench coat like, but not entirely, because you couldn't close it.

"No shoes?" Dean asked, staring at his bare feet.

Portia shrugged, quickly applying a thin layer of make-up to his face and doing his hair. "They didn't give me any, I checked, but it's not a mistake, no shoes in this Arena."

"Awesome." Dean said sarcastic.

"One minute until take off." The metallic voice said.

"Damn," Dean said, smiling, "She is everywhere, isn't she?"

Portia smiled back and hugged him: "Good luck Dean," she said in his ear. "Do you have your district token?"

Dean tapped the golden hanger Sam had given him, he hung it over the t-shirt. "There wasn't much to check about it, so they gave it back after as much as a glance. I'm glad I can take it."

"Thirty seconds until take off."

Dean stepped on the platform. "See you when I get back, Portia!" he smiled.

But when the platform rose and darkness surrounded him, he wasn't so sure about that.