The Games We Played
Chapter 21: Reunions & Disappointment
Brutus finds Cato and Gale sitting outside the tent where Peeta and Clove are sleeping.
"I hear we got a new team member," he says as he sits by the two guys. "And I know about this situation as well. I have an idea that will probably help you guys."
"Right now I don't see how anything can help," Cato says hopelessly.
"You're a fighter Cato! Fight for Peeta! Fight for your love!" Brutus says as he stands up. "Come with me – both of you. Enobaria will be here soon. She will keep an eye on Peeta and Clove, finding us later. Let's try and fix this mess boys."
As they follow Brutus, they pass Enobaria.
"I certainly hope you two look better when I find you later," she says as she walks past the three of them on her way to the tent that the guys just left.
Cato and Gale turn and look at her in confusion but say nothing.
Enobaria reaches the tent and peeks in. She sees that the two hurt ones are still sleeping. A small smile crosses her face as she takes in their position. Brutus had told her to wake them in half an hour and take them to get ready. He also reminded her to let no one else in the tent.
About 25 minutes later, she hears movement within the tent. She walks in and sees Peeta and Clove sitting up on the cot.
"Great, you're awake," she says when they look up at her. "Let's go you two. You need to get ready."
"Ready for what?" Clove asks tiredly with a touch of skepticism.
"It's a surprise," Enobaria replies cryptically. "Oh, and if you haven't heard, Coin sent Leonitus here to District 5. And before either of you say anything; Jackson has him staying in one of the buildings on the other side of camp for now. But we do need to get going, so move it!" she adds.
They follow Enobaria to another tent. Once inside Clove and Peeta were slightly confused to see Cinna and Portia.
"Don't ask questions, just get ready," Enobaria says. "I will be waiting outside. Just do as you're told."
30 Minutes Later
"I let you doll me up but there is no way in hell I am wearing heels!" Enobaria hears Clove snarl. Then, "Alright, I guess I can wear the flats." Clove says calmly.
Moments later Peeta and Clove walk out. He's wearing a blue button down shirt and khaki pants and his hair has been trimmed, no longer in his eyes. She is wearing a gray sweater, a knee length black pencil skirt, black tights, and gray flats. Her hair is down and in soft curls.
"You guys look great! Let's go," Enobaria says smiling. She leads them over to the Mayor's house and knocks on the door. Tigris opens the door, letting them in.
"They're waiting in the living room," Tigris purrs as Brutus walks into the entry hall.
"This way Peeta and Clove," Brutus says winking at the confused pair.
They follow Brutus into the living room where they see Gale and Cato standing by the fireplace. They notice that Gale is wearing a black sweater and gray slacks. Cato is wearing a light blue button down shirt and khaki pants.
Clove grabs Peeta's hand nervously. He can feel her tremble. He squeezes her hand as Cato and Gale turn towards them, his nervousness starting as well.
"Dinner will be ready in about 30 minutes," Brutus tells them.
""You four should talk until then," adds Enobaria.
They shut the double doors leaving the 2 couples alone. Peeta and Clove move to a couch as one. Gale and Cato sit in the chairs directly across from the couch. The room is silent.
Finally Gale speaks first. "You look nice Clove," he tells her.
"Thank you Gale," she replies quietly.
"Did you get a haircut Peeta?" asks Cato.
"Yes, Portia said I was looking a little shaggy," Peeta answers softly.
The room falls silent again.
"This is ridiculous," Gale says suddenly causing Peeta and Clove to jump. Gale looks directly at Clove, "I am so truly sorry for earlier today Clove. And I don't really blame you, either of you. If it hadn't happened the way it did, it could've happened some other way. That idiot has been after Peeta since that day at the cornucopia when he saw Peeta and Cato kissing."
"Peeta," Cato says softly yet sincerely. "I'm sorry as well. And I don't blame either of you either. I actually blame Coin. She let Leonitus out of that dungeon he truly belongs in." He looks at Peeta. "Please forgive me," he begs.
Peeta looks over at Clove and sees that she is looking longingly at Gale. He squeezes her hand to get her attention. When she looks at him, he darts his eyes to Gale and back to her before giving her a barely noticeable nod. She squeezes his hand and gives him a smile before standing and taking a step towards Gale. Gale stands, takes a step towards Clove before pulling her into his arms.
Peeta looks at Cato, a soft smile on his face, before patting the empty space on the couch next to him. Cato returns the smile as he gets up and sits where Peeta indicated. Peeta then leans over to lay his head on Cato's shoulder.
"Cato, I'm really scared," Peeta admits quietly.
"Why love?" Cato inquires just as quietly.
"My nightmares feel like they're coming true. You know, with him,"Peeta admits before looking Cato in the eye. "I don't want to lose you."
Cato pulls Peeta onto his lap, holding him close. "That is never going to happen. I'm fighting for you, for me, for us!" he exclaims gently, pressing his forehead to Peeta's.
"Cato, we need to tell them," Gale says moments later, looking down at the couple.
"Not right this minute," Cato says without moving his head. "It can wait until after dinner."
"Do we not get a say?" Peeta asks curiously as he leans away from Cato.
"Because I don't think secrets among the four of us works well," Clove adds.
Cato sighs. "Please Peeta; I haven't got to see you in three weeks." He pulls Peeta as close to him as he can. "I just want some time to forget about everything and be with the one I love," he begs.
"And then you'll tell me?" Peeta asks, willing to concede.
"Yes," Cato replies. "And because you're willing to wait, I will tell you a small piece. Something happened while you and Clove were asleep together earlier." He sees Peeta's eyes widen. "Johanna dragged us to see you and proceeded to chew our asses afterwards."
"Finnick too," Gale adds contrite. "Then everyone took off and left us there to deal with our guilt."
"Finnick chewed you out?" Clove asks Gale before turning to Cato, not waiting for a response. "You should know Cato that I talked with Finnick after the incident with Peeta and Leonitusback in District 13. He loves Peeta, said he always will, but he also told me that he'd rather see Peeta with you than with Leonitus. He also told me that he'd do whatever it took to see you two get your happy ending." She looks down at her hands, "I believe him too. He even tried to get Peeta out of that date. He went to your dad and Mr. Mellark to figure something out. Unfortunately there was nothing he could do. They wouldn't even let him and I be the other 'couple' because they didn't us starting a fight with Leonitus." She looks back at Cato. "You should know that everyone in District 13 want you two to be together. And Foxy is studying the District 2 ring laws looking for a loophole with your dad."
"My dad enforces that law Clove," Cato says dejectedly. "I doubt they'll find anything."
"You're going to give up then? Because Foxy is the smartest person I know and if she thinks there might be a loophole, I'm going to have faith that she will find it!" Clove states upset with Cato. "Don't give Leonitus what he wants Cato – which is for you to give up!"
"Clove, I don't think Cato is saying that he's giving up on Peeta," Gale says gently. "And didn't you hear him tell Peeta he was going to fight for him? Have faith in that as well. Cato is your best friend. Believe in him."
"How can I do that?" Clove asks heatedly. "He says he's fighting but when there is a glimmer of hope staring him in the face, he doesn't seem to want to grasp it! Is that truly fighting? Not really Gale."
"Hey! I'm right here! Stop talking like I'm not here!" Cato says just as heatedly. "And for the record, I really do hope they find a fucking loophole! I'm just stating facts! I just –."
Peeta jumps off Cato's lap and runs to the door, throws it open, and runs into Brutus who can see the anguish in Peeta's tear-filled eyes. He looks at Enobaria before taking Peeta away.
"I cannot believe the three of you!" she says sadly walking into the room. "The guilt that Peeta is feeling has just been added to by you three." She looks at Clove, "Clove, I believe your heart is in may be in the right place as far as Peeta is concerned. But you know as well as Brutus and I just how fragile Peeta is right now. Picking a fight with Cato wasn't a smart move." She looks at Cato, "Cato, while you may be justified in your anger, Peeta has enough to deal with without you yelling at Clove. Not your best move Loverboy." She looks at Gale and shakes her head slightly. "Gale, your mediation techniques need work. Especially with these two boneheads." She sighs looking down, "This in the middle of a war is certainly trying my patience," she says quietly, almost as if she was talking to herself. She looks back at the 3 in front of her, noting their guilty, downcast looks. "Look," she begins to get their attention. "We all make mistakes. Peeta just happens to feel things deeply. His guilt is eating away at him." She turns to Cato, taking his hand, "After that farce of a date, Peeta stayed with Brutus and me all night. He admitted that he wants this marriage with you Cato. Not to stop Finnick, but because he loves you! In fact, his biggest fear before the Leonitus fiasco was that you were being forced into something you didn't want. He feels so alone even with friends and family supporting him." She looks at all three of them after letting go of Cato's hand. "Now is NOT the time for fighting and blaming! That young man is in pain. He's not eating or sleeping! The point of this dinner tonight is to show our love and support, to make him feel better. You 3 are going to put your own feelings aside and help Peeta through this. Now, while I go find Brutus and Peeta, you are all going to kiss and make-up. And when I get back, you all better be united together to help him!"
Enobaria turns and exits the room, leaving the three others feeling like fools. Clove knows how Peeta is doing. She's been there with him. How could she forget that?
"I'm sorry Cato," Clove says reaching for Cato's hand. "This whole thing is driving us all a little crazy. Forgive me?" she asks quietly.
"Of course I forgive you Clove, and I'm sorry as well," Cato says before pulling her into a hug. "And I truly do want nothing more than Foxface to find a way for all this to be over."
The three of them sit down with Clove in the middle.
"I keep hearing that Peeta isn't eating, but that's not true," Cato says looking down at Clove. "I saw him eat lunch today."
"Cato, that's the first thing I've seen Peeta eat since this all started with Leonitus and the elevator," Clove tells him. "Sae and his dad, as well as Mrs. Everdeen and Gale's mom, have all tried to make him his favorite foods but he wouldn't eat any of it."
"Finnick said you weren't eating either Clove," Gale says.
"Well, he wasn't being totally honest," Clove admits. "I did eat some at first but only to throw it up later." Clove studies her hands that are folded in her lap. "It's hard to eat, or keep food down, when you know that you basically ignored the requests of your boyfriend and your best friend. I honestly didn't want to leave Peeta alone that night, knew I shouldn't. The only reason I did was because it was his dad! I guess I let myself think that Mr. Mellark would take Peeta back. Or rather I just let myself assume he would is more accurate."
"You didn't know that his dad wasn't going to take Peeta back. No one can fault you that logic Clove," Cato reassures her.
"For me, the worst part was that Peeta wasn't only emotionally hurt, but physically as well," Clove says before taking Cato's hand and looking him in the eyes. "Eno was telling you the truth Cato. Peeta really did want to marry you. He still does despite Leonitus' interference."
"Not after I screwed up earlier. I think I made things even worse between us," Cato says as he takes his hand from Clove and runs his hands through his hair. "I'm just a screw up."
"No, you're not Cato. And you haven't screwed up. I love you. I always will," Peeta says from the doorway.
"Peeta!" Cato gasps standing up.
As Peeta walks into the room, Cato walks towards him. They meet halfway.
"Peeta, I…" Cato begins.
Peeta wraps his arms around Cato's waist, cutting him off. Cato wraps his arms around Peeta. Both revel in the comfort of the other, wishing it could always be just the two of them.
"I love you Cato," Peeta says, his face buried in Cato's warm chest.
"I love you too Peeta," Cato says, his face buried in Peeta's hair.
Cato leans back slightly so he can look at Peeta. Peeta looks up at Cato when he feels him move.
"I am going to fight for you Peeta," Cato tells him looking deep into his eyes. "You are my life. And just so you know, and to set your mind at ease, I want nothing more than to marry you. There will never be anyone else for me." He sees Peeta tear up. "No baby, please don't cry anymore," he says tears welling in his own eyes.
"They're tears of happiness love," Peeta tells him quietly. "And you're crying too," he points out as he reaches up and uses his thumb to wipe a tear that was falling down Cato's cheek.
"Yeah, well, my tears are happy tears as well," Cato says just as quietly before leaning down to kiss Peeta. "I refuse to give you up Peeta. You are mine and I am yours," he adds before their lips touch.
Neither wanted to stop, yet both knew they couldn't take it much farther. They reluctantly broke apart, yet foreheads touching.
"And with that, dinner is ready," Brutus snickers from the doorway. Enobaria also smiling widely.
Dinner was filled with talk and laughter. Enobaria and Brutus joining the two couples as chaperones. Pollux was there to film the meal. When the meal was over, Pollux left the three couples to relax and enjoy some quality time. The 6 went back into the living room where Gale and Peeta heard stories of Clove and Cato's childhoods. In return, Gale and Peeta shared tales of their 'illegal' hunting and how they once had to sleep in a tree in the forest because the electric fence had been turned on.
All too soon they had to call it a night. Peeta and Cato didn't want the night to end as they would be separated and forced to sleep apart – something they had to endure when Cato was here in District 5 and Peeta was in 13. Now that they were together again, they were being forced apart. And it hurt them both a lot though neither would say it out loud. Brutus decides to give the couple 5 minutes of privacy to say goodbye.
Once alone, Cato and Peeta come together, kissing, touching, and holding each other. Neither wanting to speak for fear of wasting their little bit of time together. All too soon Brutus comes in and tells them it's time to go. They stand up, share one last kiss before Brutus leaves with Gale and Cato. Enobaria and Clove walk in to collect Peeta and they leave moments later. Pollux catches the groups leaving separately on film.
Peeta enters his tent and sees who he is sharing it with. It shocks him that he isn't upset or worried to see Finnick in a cot as well as Marvel, Tavin, and Boggs. As Peeta climbs into his cot, Brutus comes in and takes the cot next to him. Peeta gives Brutus a small smile before closing his eyes and going to sleep.
He hears a baby crying. He gets up and follows the sound. He's mildly surprised that he hasn't tripped over anything on his way to the infant. He opens the door and turns on the light. The pale pink walls don't surprise him as he makes his way over to the white and pink crib. He looks over the side and sees the crying infant under a pale purple blanket. He pulls back the blanket and lifts the baby. The baby stops crying and whimpers.
"Shh, that's daddy's little girl," he hears himself say. "Let's get you changed before we get you your bottle, alright little one?"
He takes the infant over to the changing table and changes his daughter's wet diaper. He redresses her and picks her up, snuggling her to his chest. As he makes his way downstairs, he notices pictures hanging on the wall. One in particular catches his eye. It looks pretty recent. He stops to look at it. There are three children in the photo, one looks to be a 6 years old boy, next to him is a 2 year old boy, and in front of them, leaning on a pillow, is the little girl in his arms. The 6 year old looks familiar with his bronze colored hair and green eyes. The toddler boy is blonde with blue eyes just like the infant girl in his arms. He suddenly realizes that these are his children and it makes him smile.
He continues down the stairs and makes his daughter a bottle, all the while holding her safely in his arms. He takes the warm bottle and heads back to his daughter's room to feed her. He sits in the rocking chair and proceeds to feed her. As he gently rocks and watches his daughter drink, he hears a small voice call for his daddy. He starts to get up but a familiar voice stops him.
"I'll go check on our son, you take care of our little princess," the voice says.
The voice fills him with such joy and happiness. He can't help but smile. He listens as it talks to the younger boy.
"Hey buckaroo, what's the matter?"
"Daddy, I think there's a monster in the closet," the little voice says. "Can I sleep with you and papa?"
"Well, let me check the closet first son. We certainly don't want any monsters in our house," the voice says.
"No daddy! Don't open it!" the little voice calls out.
"Shh, Galen Marvel, it's okay. Come here to daddy."
He can hear movement in the other room.
"See there are no monsters in the closet Galen. But you can come with me and fall asleep in Daddy and papa's room."
He hears the pair walking back down the hallway and past the room he's in. He shakes his head as he moves his daughter up to his shoulder to burp her. He hears the little burp and brings her back down and rocks her to sleep. As he hears her little snores, he gets up and lays her back in the crib, covering her with the purple blanket. As he stands there admiring the little angel, he feels a pair of strong arms wrap around him from behind.
"Did Galen finally fall back to sleep?" he asks whispering.
"He was out as soon as his little head touched his papa's pillow," the voice whispers back.
He leans back against the taller figure as they both watch their daughter sleep.
"Sweet dreams Rueby Glimmer," the voice behind him whispers as the pair leaves the room. Once in the hallway the voice says, "I still think we should adopt one more, a little girl. To balance out the kids and give lil' Rueby a playmate."
"Can't we just enjoy the kids we have for a little while longer before we add one more?" he asks teasingly. "Rueby has only been with us a couple months. Besides, I don't know if we can handle another infant right now. We've still got potty training with Galen too."
"Oh, I think we can handle it. There are plenty of aunts and uncles to help us. Not to mention Grandpa Fennel and Grandma Hazel." says the voice.
"We are not going to pass our children off so we can go get another baby girl," he says.
"Come on love, one more little girl. We can't let our little princess be the only girl. She needs a sister to play dolls with, someone to share secrets with, someone to tease Finn and Galen with. Please baby?" the voice begs.
He turns to the owner of the voice he loves and looks up into a pair of icy blue eyes. "Cato, please tell me you didn't go back to the orphanage again!"
"Okay love, I didn't go back to the orphanage," Cato says smiling, eyes twinkling. "In fact, I didn't even have to leave our house."
"What are you not telling me Cato?" he asks lowering his voice as he remembers the little boy sleeping in the bed behind him.
Cato wraps his arms around him, "Well, while you were in your studio, your dad took the boys to the beach and Rueby was sleeping. I got a visitor."
He cocks a brow. "Who?"
"Portia," Cato replies. "She gave me this," he says as he walks over to his nightstand and grabs a photo. He hands it to him.
He looks down at the picture and can't breathe. "C-Ca-Cato, what's this? Who is this little girl and why does she look like lil' Finn?"
"That is the daughter of Annie and Finnick. She is lil' Finn's twin sister," Cato replies as he helps him sit on the edge of the bed. "I don't know the details but Coin had something to do with it I'm sure. Anyway, Portia is bringing Fiona here tomorrow to meet us."
"Cato, if she truly is Finn's twin, we HAVE to bring her into the family," he says excitedly before standing and heading to the door.
"Hey, where are you going?" Cato asks.
He turns to look at Cato. "To get our new daughter's room ready. She can have the room across from Finn. I just need to move a few things out of there first."
Cato chuckles. "Babe, she's just coming to meet us not move in."
"Oh, she's moving in love. Maybe not tomorrow, but she is going to live here with us, her family," he says. "We are her family now. Besides, she's going to want to live her and learn more about her family. And who better to tell her than her father's two best friends."
"Okay baby," Cato says. "I'll come and help you," he adds before giving him a toe curling kiss.
The next morning after breakfast, Portia shows up with Fiona. Cato answers the door while he stays in the living room with Finn, Galen, and Rueby. When Fiona walks into the room next to Cato, Finn spots her and stops what he's doing.
"Daddy, who is that?" Finn asks pointing at Fiona.
"My name is Fiona and you are Finn, my twin brother," the young girl says matter-of-fact like. She turns to look at Portia, "I will be staying here if they want me."
He looks up at Cato with shock but is able to nod his agreement.
"Yay! I got a family now!" Fiona shouts as she turns to hug Cato first. She turns to face him. "You loved my real daddy once, didn't you?" she asks.
He swallows before replying. "Yes I did. It was a long time ago. How did you know that sweetie?" he asks.
Fiona rushes over to her bag that Portia had brought in when none of them were paying attention. She takes out a disc and hands it to him. "My real daddy made this for Finn but I somehow got it instead. You and daddy should watch it while I play with Finn and Galen. Auntie Portia can take care of the baby."
He and Cato watch the disc with the kids in the room. Every once in a while, lil' Finn will stop and listen to Finnick talk. The video starts off sometime after Finnick finds out Annie was pregnant and goes up until Finnick is on his deathbed. That was the hardest part to watch as Finnick left a message for both him and Cato. Cato's played first.
"Cato, you were always the better choice for 'our' boy. I knew that when I say the two of you that first day in the arena. My head knew it but my heart refused to listen. I am so truly sorry for all the pain I caused you at that time. There's something you should know, something I just found out myself. Our little Finn has a twin sister. Coin had taken her. Please find her. She's your daughter now. Take care of her. Let her know that she is loved. Please tell her about Annie and me if she asks. And don't leave anything out, not even the 'bad' stuff. I mean it Cato. She needs to know her birth father was a broken man that was healed by his 2 best friends. As does Finn. Just please wait until they're both old enough before you tell exactly how I was broken. Stay brave and take care of Peeta and our kids."
"Peeta. Sweet Peeta. I owe you about a million apologies. The biggest and most important would be for the way I broke your heart. Then again, if I hadn't, you may have missed out the best thing in your life – Cato. I guess things work out the way they were supposed to. I don't know if Cato ever told you or if you figured it out on your own, but I was the one who helped get Leonitus to stop chasing after you. It began in District 5. I tried every trick I knew to get the guy interested. At first it didn't work. But I slowly got him to start being with me. By the time we reached District 2, we admitted that we cared about each other. But then we bombed the 'Nut'. Leon ran in to find the man that raised him and never came back out alive. I miss him Peeta. But now I'm ready to let go and be with him again. I get it now, the way you feel for Cato, that feeling of being whole and complete when the one you love is next to you. I've been feeling that. I think Leon is close by, waiting for me to join him. It won't be long now before I see him again. I'm so tired Peeta, so tired of fighting. Don't be sad or angry when I'm gone. You will always have the best part of me – my children. They're yours now. I signed the paperwork earlier so that you and Cato will have all the rights of being their parents. Love them the way Annie and I should have if we were still living. I love you all. Good bye Peeta."
The screen goes black. There was nothing else on the disc. Peeta and Cato look at one another, both with tears in their eyes. Finnick was the one who saved their relationship and did it for them! They had suspected something when Finnick got depressed when Leonitus' body was finally removed from the 'Nut'. But others were lost that day too.
"I'll have the paperwork sent over this afternoon," Portia says handing Rueby to Cato. "You two have quite the family now. I'm so happy for you both."
Peeta wakes up and feels the tears running down his cheeks. It was a strange dream. Good but strange. He sits up on his cot and sees Finnick sleeping on his cot on the far side of the tent. In the dream, Finnick was the one who helped Peeta get his Cato. And they all ended up friends too. How in the hell did that happen? It wasn't explained in the dream. And it sounded as if Cato and Finnick actually enjoyed each other's company. And what was up with the whole twin twist? He had been there in the hospital wing with Cato and Finnick when little Finn was born. He only heard one infant crying. So the whole twin thing was just a random and odd thing to happen. Oh who was he kidding? The whole fricking dream was odd. Well, except the part where he and Cato were together. That was a dream come true moment.
"Hey, you okay Peeta? You look kind of out of it," Brutus says quietly from his cot.
"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine," Peeta replies startled from his thoughts. "Just thinking about this strange, yet seemingly realistic, I had."
"A dream? Not nightmare?" Brutus asks a little confused. "You usually have nightmares."
"Yeah, a dream," Peeta tells him. "But very 'odd' in a good way, maybe?"
"Are you asking me or telling me?" Brutus asks teasingly.
""Both I guess," Peeta snickers. "I, uh, yeah both."
"You don't have to talk to me about it if you don't want to," Brutus says unsure of what Peeta is thinking.
"No, I don't mind telling you," Peeta rushes, a slight blush on his cheeks. "It was in the future, about 6 years from now. I was married to Cato, only I didn't know it until about half way through the dream. I could hear a familiar voice, but I didn't see his face until the half-way point."
"So, you're saying it was a good dream then?" Brutus teases.
"Shut up!" laughs Peeta. "Anyway, we had kids – 3 to be exact." He looks down to his hands, a look of sadness flashes across his face. "One of the kids was Finnick's son," he adds quietly.
"Oh?" questions Brutus.
"But it was weird. Not that we had little Finn, but that Finnick had died. He died as a really good friend to both Cato and me," Peeta tells Brutus, slight confusion tinting his voice. "Anyway, it starts out that I got up to take care of our infant daughter. Cato got up when our middle child, a son named Galen, called for him. I got a feeling he was named after Gale. After we got them both back to sleep, Cato began talking about adopting another child, a girl. Then he shows me a photo. It was a female version of lil' Finn. That's when I realize that Annie had twins! Finnick had a daughter and I didn't know if he knew."
"Wait! What? A twin? How?" asks Brutus.
"That's the thing, it was Coin's doing and I don't know how! After I woke up and before you spoke to me, I was actually thinking about that day that lil' Finn was born. Finnick, Cato, and I were in the hall waiting. I never heard more than one baby crying," Peeta tells him. "But the dream made me think it could've been possible. I sound crazy saying that."
"You're not crazy. Then what happened?" Brutus asks intrigued.
"Thanks. Well, Portia brought the little girl over to meet us. Her name was Fiona," Peeta tells him. "She was, uh precocious, to say the least. She knew that I had loved Finnick once, knew the names of our kids, and gave us a disc to watch. It was of Finnick talking to his son." Peeta takes a deep breath. "Almost like he knew he'd never see his son grow up. But the last part was for Cato and me. In Cato's part, Finnick calls him his friend, telling him to look for the girl, uh his daughter, and to take care of me and the kids. To me he tells how he used Leonitus so I could be with Cato only he fell for him. He sadly tells about losing him in 2 after the bombing and cave-in of 'the Nut' and -,"
"What did you just say?" Brutus interrupts again.
"Leonitus dies in the bombing and cave-in of 'the Nut'?" replies Peeta questioningly.
"Where'd you hear that name?" Brutus asks.
"Uh, my dream," Peeta says confused.
"No one mentioned that name to you before?" Brutus questions.
"Not that I recall, why?" asks Peeta still confused.
"I promise to explain everything later," Brutus says as he looks around suspiciously, noting the others are still sleeping. "Anyway, please continue. Finnick says Leonitus dies in 2," Brutus adds when he's done looking.
"Yeah, okay, uh," Peeta begins still really confused. "So I, rather my dream-self, could feel the sadness in Finnick's words as he admits that he fell in love with Leonitus but lost him. We won the war but Finnick lost his will to live. He talked about feeling Leonitus near him. And that's the dream in a nutshell."
"Well, thank you for sharing that Peeta," Brutus says. "It actually sounded, uh, good. You know, other than certain things."
Peeta smiles, "I understand what you mean. It was pretty good. And I always wanted to be a dad someday but…"
"Difficult to do being a guy, loving another guy, and neither able to bear kids," Brutus finishes for him. He stands up and stretches. "Let's go see if there's any breakfast ready."
"Sounds good," Peeta says as he stands.
They walk out not noticing that Finnick was awake and had a stunned look on his face. He had been awake the entire time Peeta had been talking about his dream. It was shocking to hear that Peeta had dreamed about him, sort of, and that he had been friends with Cato and Peeta. But if he's honest with himself, he wants Peeta to be in his life. Even if it's just as a friend. And if he wants Peeta in his life, Cato would be part of the package. Maybe he could help Cato and Peeta get their lives together. And to do that he will have to take a page from Peeta's dream, so to speak. He's going to have to get Leonitus interested in someone else. To get this plan to work, he was going to need help. He knows exactly who he wants to help him – Clove. He jumps up and heads to the mess hall for breakfast, hoping that Clove will be there. He admires her spunk.
Finnick arrives and gets his breakfast. He turns to look for Clove. When he spots her, he's a little disappointed to see her sitting with Gale. Crap, he'll have to wait until she's alone. He turns to find a table but nearly bumps into Cato.
"Hey Finnick," Cato says.
"Oh, hi Cato," Finnick replies.
"O'dair, Muscles, over here," they hear and see Clove wave them over.
"After you," Cato says smiling.
They walk over to the table and see Gale and Clove grinning at them. Cato immediately sits across from Gale.
"Sit with us Finnick," Clove says gesturing to the chair next to Cato. "We need to talk."
He sits down and looks at his dining companions. 'Aww crap' he thinks to himself. 'This is going to be bad'.
"Uh, Fi-Finn-Finnick," Gale stutters.
Finnick looks at him. "Yes Gale?" he asks.
"Crap this is hard," Gale mutters. He takes a deep breath. "Look, you were right about me, uh us, yesterday. And we understand where you were coming from."
"Finnick," Cato begins. It takes him another moment to continue. "The way we treated you after your first mission was wrong. We didn't even give you a chance to defend yourself or explain what happened in your own words. We were wrong and we are sorry."
"I see, uh, wow," Finnick says shocked. Then shame hits him. "Actually, it's I who owes you an apology Cato. The truth is I did climb into Peeta's bed to quiet him down from his nightmare. But I could've and should've gotten back into my own bed when he had calmed down and went back to sleep. It's my fault because waking up next to him, after telling you both I wasn't going to go after him again, made me want him again."
"Thank you for being honest with me," Cato says. "I'd like to forgive and forget. Can you do that too? Because, well, we kind of need your help with this whole Leonitus and Peeta situation."
"Yes, I'd like to forgive and forget as well," Finnick tells Cato honestly. "What can I do to help you?"
The 4 put their heads together and begin to devise a plan to help keep Peeta and Cato together. They are unaware of the confused looks that Brutus and Peeta are sharing when they see the 4 together.
1 hour later
Jackson and Boggs have their teams in the war room. They just finished going over the plan for capturing the remaining peacekeepers again and were preparing to head out to their positions. Boggs squad would be leaving first. As they walk out, Finnick puts the plan into motion that he, Clove, Gale, and Cato came up with. As he walks by Leonitus, he slips him a note with a flirty smile.
Leonitus' eyes widen as he feels a piece of paper slipped into his hand. He looks down at it confused. He looks around, checking to see if anyone had noticed or was now paying attention. He opens the note and reads:
Leonitus,
I want you to know that I will be watching your back out there. Just try and stay by Cato. Stay safe.
Finnick
His confusion worsens. He reads the short note 2 more times. All he can think is 'what is Finnick up to?' and 'why should I stick by Cato?' He tucks the note into his pocket and stands to join the rest of his squad. He knows they all hate him for what he's doing to Cato and Peeta. He's not sure why he's acting the way he is. Ever since he laid eyes on Peeta, he's wanted to be near him. Peeta is good looking and he'd love nothing more than to make Peeta his. Peeta has a certain quality that makes him want to change. He sees Cato from the corner of his eye. He can see the change Peeta made in Cato. Just before the games, Cato was a bloodthirsty fighter. After spending time with Peeta, Cato seems softer and kinder. Speaking, or rather thinking of Cato, Leonitus notices him making his way over towards him. 'Surely this can't end well' he thinks.
"Hey Leonitus, can I speak to you really quick?" Cato asks.
"Sure," Leonitus replies curious.
They fall to the back of the squad.
"I just wanted you to know that I requested that we be partnered up," Cato begins. "And not so we can fight it out between us but for Peeta. I love him and if we're together, it'll be easier for him to keep an eye on us. And to be honest, we've already put him through enough."
"Good to know," replies Leonitus cautiously. He's still unsure of what exactly is going on.
"The other thing you should know is that I will be fighting for him until my dying breath. He is my life and I'll only give him up when I'm dead!" Cato says with fervor.
"As well you should," Leonitus replies with a smile. "But you should know that what started as a game to hurt you has changed for me. I find myself truly wanting to get to know Peeta. And I want him to get to know me, the real me, not the guy everyone believes me to be."
"And just who is the real you?" asks Cato harshly, trying to stick to the plan. "The guy that uses others? The rapist? The bully?"
"I do have a good side you know," Leonitus says quietly, nearly a whisper, before turning away and following the others.
Stunned, Cato rushes to catch up to Leonitus and grabbing his arm, "Than prove it! Show how different you are."
"And how do I do that?" Leonitus asks.
"When we get back, you hang with me and my friends," Cato suggests.
"But they hate me! Especially Clove!" exclaims Leonitus.
"Change their minds!" Cato exclaims right back. "Just stay by my side and show us you are different from what we think we know of you, please."
'What if this is a trick? Should I really trust Cato? He seems rather sincere…' Leonitus thinks to himself.
Cato watches Leonitus' face and knows that he is questioning Cato's honesty. "I realize that this may seem like a trick. So, don't do this for me, or even yourself. Do it for Peeta. Let him see you in a different light," Cato says genuinely. Noticing the skeptical look on Leonitus' face, he continues, "Look, what's the worst that can happen? For me, that would be losing Peeta to you."
"We both know that's not the worst that can happen!" Leonitus replies, thinking of the 2 suitor rule.
"Leonitus, just what do you think this rebellion is about?" Cato asks studying the skeptical look on Leonitus' face. "It's to change things, to make things better for every one of Panem's citizens! Imagine for a moment that our roles were reversed, wouldn't you do everything you could to wipe out things like the 2 suitor rule and the Hunger Games?" asks Cato passionately. When Leonitus doesn't say anything, Cato continues, "Just give this a chance. You could end up proving all your critics wrong about you – including me! And do it with the support of those who could become your friends."
Leonitus studies Cato and sees that he is being serious. This Cato is so much more different than the Cato he thought he knew. "Okay Cato, I'll give this a chance. But at the first sign that I'm being played a fool, I will not hesitate in seeking my revenge!"
"Deal," Cato replies his hand out to shake hands. They then rush to join the rest of their squad.
2 hours later
"Well, that was just too much fun!" exclaims Johanna sarcastically and annoyed.
"Yeah, and no one got hurt," Delly says a little too happily. The rest of the group groans at her.
"Stuff it Dels," Johanna retorts under her breath.
Jackson's squad is heading back to headquarters to rejoin with Boggs' squad again. All this time here and the remaining peacekeeper suddenly decide to give up without a fight or a single shot fired.
Walking along, Cato feels a tap on his shoulder. He's stunned momentarily by who it is.
"Can we talk again?" asks Leonitus shyly.
"Sure," Cato replies adjusting his step to walk next to Leonitus. "What's on your mind? You look like you've been doing some serious thinking."
"It's about this mission and how this just doesn't feel right. It was way too easy to get control today. I think Snow is up to something big," Leonitus says just loud enough, and with a touch of worry, for Cato to hear. "When I was with him, he was adamant about ending this rebellion quickly and on his own terms. Plus, he still has Ariel and Bree with him. Their mission was to try and capture one of you guys that were in the games. I have yet to see or hear of an attempt."
"I agree with you that today was rather easy," Cato responds. "But why are you telling me about the girls and their orders?" he asks curiously.
Leonitus stops walking. "Honestly?" asks Leonitus.
"Yes, please," Cato replies standing next to him.
"I just spent the last 2 hours seriously thinking about what you said," Leonitus answers looking Cato in the eye. "My life wasn't as great as many people in District 2 think."
Cato waits for him to say more. When he doesn't, Cato says, "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
"Actually, I was just thinking that maybe I should tell everyone later. Try and 'earn' the trust of the others, if you will," Leonitus explains as he rubs the back of his neck. "Do you think Peeta could join us as well?"
"I think if we tell Brutus and Enobaria, there shouldn't be any problems. Are you sure you want to do this?" Cato asks.
"No, but I need to do it," Leonitus replies resignedly. "I've never had friends before and watching you and Clove with the others has made me realize what I've been missing. " He looks at Cato shyly, "I've always been jealous of your friendship with Clove."
Cato could hear sadness and even fear in his voice. "But you always seemed to enjoy hanging out with those people back home," he says shocked.
"You'll understand when I explain later," Leonitus tells him sadly. "We better get going. I'll talk to you again later," Leonitus says as he starts heading for the door to the command center.
Cato watches as he walks away. He is confused by Leonitus' behavior. The change in him is shocking to say the least. A part of him wants to try and trust the guy while another part thinks that it's a trick. Cato follows him into the building, hoping that Leonitus will clear up this confusion he's feeling.