When Katniss wakes up she's startled to find that everyone else is already awake and watching as another parachute lands. There is, yet again, another twenty-four rolls from District Three. Once again they are divided amongst the group, leaving eight left. In her muddled up mind from the events on the beach the night before, Katniss gets to her feet and extends her hand out to Peeta.

"Come on," she coaxes, "I'll teach you how to swim."

He gets up immediately, taking her hand, and follows her down to the water.

"Look, the pool is down to eight. I think it's time we took off."

Peeta weighs the proposition for a moment before responding, "Tell you what. Let's stick around until Brutus and Enobaria are dead. I think Beetee's trying to put something together some kind of trap for them now. Then, I promise, we'll go."

"All right," she says. "We'll stay until the Careers are dead. But that's the end of it."

"I have a plan," mumbles Beetee as Johanna calls everyone back over. "I have a plan."

"Whose left?" asks Beetee.

"Brutus and Enobaria," says Finnick.

"And Chaff," adds Peeta.

"I doubt they'll attack again since they're outnumbered," says Finnick. "We're safe here on the beach."

"So what do we do now?" asks Johanna. "Hunt them down?"

"Where do the Careers feel safest? The jungle?" Beetee asks the group.

"The jungle's a nightmare," points out Johanna.

"Probably here on the beach," says Peeta.

"Then why are they not here?" Beetee looks at the group.

"Because we are. We claimed it," announces Johanna.

"And if we left, they would come?" says Beetee.

"Or stay hidden in the tree line," adds Finnick.

"Which in just over four hours will be soaked with water from the ten o'clock wave. Then what happens at midnight?" asks Beetee looking at Katniss.

"Lightning strikes that tree," answers Katniss.

"Here's what I propose," says Beetee as he describes his plan to wrap the wire around the lightning tree, with them leaving to the tree early in an effort to draw the Careers back to the beach, and then run the wire down to the water so that anyone in the water or the damp sand will be electrocuted.

"It's better than hunting them down," says Johanna.

"So what can we do to help?" asks Finnick.

"Keep me alive for the next six hours," says Beetee. "That would be extremely helpful."

A little later in the day the group heads out towards the lightning tree, Beetee seems to know what he's doing so the group trusts that whatever this plan is, it's going to work. The group takes a break while Beetee goes to work on the tree and the wire. While sitting down Peeta cracks open an oyster and pulls from it a perfectly round pearl the size of a pea. "You know, if you put enough pressure on coal it turns to pearls," says Peeta earnestly to Finnick.

"No it doesn't," says Finnick dismissively.

Katniss, who gets the reference, begins to laugh. Peeta extends his hand out to Katniss, "For you."

"Thank you," says Katniss taking it from him.

Peeta looks at her with such intensity that no one would be able to put words to it. A mixture of sadness because there is not much time left to be together, because he has every intention of dying for her, and nothing she says can change that. He's resigned to the fact that he'll never see his child, knowing that at least his sacrifice will give her some kind of life outside of the arena, somewhere where they are safe, and warm, and guarded. Even if he can't be there to protect them, they at least deserved the chance to keep living, and if it meant him dying in the process...that was something he was okay with too.

Peeta gets to his feet and pulls Katniss to her own, linking his hand into hers, she places her other hand over the top of his, pulls it up and kisses it gently. Nothing more can be said now. Neither willing to sacrifice the other, both knowing that they will have no life if the other one dies. Mustering courage she didn't know she possessed Katniss looks deeply into Peeta's eyes.

"Peeta," tears begin to fall down her face. "I can't keep this up."

"It's okay," Peeta wipes the tears away with the thumb of his free hand. "We'll be alright."

"But Peeta…" he pulls her forward and stops her lips with a kiss. Wrapping her arms around his neck she refuses to let him go, even for an instant, afraid that it might be the last time. The feeling of dread so intense she couldn't explain it away.

"Alright lovebirds," snaps Johanna.

They separate, but their linked hands stay together.

This is when Beetee reveals the rest of the plan. He wants Johanna and Katniss to take the coil down through the jungle, unwinding the wire as we go. They are to lay it across the twelve o'clock beach and drop the metal spool, with whatever is left, deep into the water, making sure it sinks. Then run for the jungle. If they go now, right now, they should make it to safety.

"I want to go with them as a guard," says Peeta immediately.

"You're too slow. Besides I need you on this end," says Beetee. "Katniss can guard. There's no time to debate this. I'm sorry. If the girls want to get out of there alive, they need to move now."

"It's okay," Katniss nods, trying to convince herself more than him, "We'll just drop the coil and come straight back."

"Not into the lightning zone," Beetee reminds her. "Head for the tree in the one-to-two-o'clock sector. If you find you're running out of time, move over one more. Don't even think about going back on the beach, though, until I can assess the damage."

Katniss turns and takes Peeta's face in her hands. "Don't worry. I'll see you at midnight." Then she gives him a kiss and, before he can object any further, let's go and turns to Johanna. "Ready?"

"Why not?" says Johanna with a shrug. "You guard. I'll unwind. And we can switch later." Katniss nods in agreement and they make their way down the slope back to the beach. "Better hurry. I want to put as much distance between me and that tree as possible. Frying is not how I want to go."

After several minutes, "I'll take the coil for a while," Katniss says.

"Here," Johanna says passing the coil over to Katniss.

Both of their hands are still on the metal cylinder when there's a slight vibration. Suddenly the thin golden wire from above springs down at them, bunching in tangled loops and curls around their wrists. Then the severed end snakes up to their feet. It only takes a second to register this rapid turn of events. The two look at each other, but neither of them has to say it. Someone not far above them has cut the wire. And will be on them at any moment.

Katniss has just grasped the feathers of an arrow when Johanna knocks her to the ground with the metal cylinder. Johanna pins Katniss down, sitting on her chest, making it hard for her to breathe, jabs her knife into Katniss' arm, digs out the tracker and she wipes down half of Katniss face and arms with blood. "Stay down!" she hisses and then runs away.

Footsteps are approaching, and it's Brutus who speaks, "She's good as dead! Come on, Enobaria!" and the feet disappear into the night.

While trying to regain control of her surroundings Katniss rolls onto her side. "We're okay," she pats her stomach. "I think." It's only now that she sees how profusely she is losing blood in her arm. The alliance is over. And that's when it hits her, if the alliance is over, what about Peeta? She thrusts herself up from the ground as quickly as she can manage and starts to make her way slowly back towards the tree, but she started moving too quickly and just has time to clutch a tree before she vomits up the meal from earlier. "We're okay. He's okay." She shakes her head. "He has to be okay." Going from tree to tree she grabs some moss and wraps it tightly around her arm. "He has to be okay."

The trek back up the hill is proves more difficult that she imagined it could be. Hearing more footsteps Katniss ducks behind a tree, nearly collapsing. "Johanna! Katniss!" hollers Finnick. But Katniss does not move, unsure of who she can trust, then he disappears in the same direction as Johanna and the Careers.

BOOM!

Katniss stops up short at the sound. Someone has died. In the terror of the moment Katniss forces herself into a run, but being nearly seven months pregnant doesn't help matters much and running becomes a challenge, so much so that she has to slow down to a brisk walk. Always moving, never stopping, having to get to Peeta.

Finally making it to the lightning tree Katniss has lost so much blood that focusing on anything is becoming a challenge. Seeing no one at the tree causes a panic in her as she screams into the surrounding area, "Peeta!" There's no answer. "Peeta!" she screams again. Still no response. A moan answers her and it's Beetee on the ground. He's got the wire coiled around the knife Peeta was carrying earlier, looking as if he had hit it against the outside of the arena, Katniss takes in everything that she's seeing. Beetee is nearly unconscious, Finnick and Peeta are nowhere to be seen.

"Katniss!" comes Peeta's voice from far off. Terror in his voice that something has happened to her, and he is defenseless to help. "Katniss!" he yells again, but he's so far away from the lightning tree now that it would take him a while to get back, but if she at least knew he was alright…

"Peeta!" she screams back. "Peeta! I'm here Peeta!" He starts to run, but even as fast as he can go isn't fast enough, not nearly fast enough. "I'm here! I'm here!" She keeps shouting and he keeps running. "Peeta!" and just as he's nearing her someone crashes through the jungle beside him. Brutus.

"Uh-uh," says Brutus with an evil grin. "You're not going to see her again. And I'll certainly make sure that your kid never sees the light of day." Then he laughs, "you don't even have a weapon, what exactly do you think you're going to be able to do to me without one?" His smile fades as Peeta takes his stance.

"I protect my family," snarls Peeta. "Katniss is my family. You're not getting anywhere near her."

"I'd like to see you try and stop me," challenges Brutus.

"Bring it on," Peeta throws his arms up at his side and mumbles to himself, "all that wrestling wasn't for nothing."

Brutus charges at Peeta, and blow by blow they are evenly matched, except for Peeta's unsteady leg. But maybe, just maybe they were close enough to the force field and - no, he needed to get to Katniss. With that in mind he felt a surge of the need to protect, and charged at Brutus knocking him to the ground. Peeta jumped on top of him and in one swift movement broke Brutus' neck, and dropping him to the ground, began running back to the tree.

Hearing the section with the lightning tree start to spring to life, Peeta screams, "Katniss!" but she doesn't answer. He continues running, and has just made it into the clearing when he sees her arm her bow - with the wire attached to it - aimed towards the force field and as it makes contact with the force field the arena begins to fall apart, and Katniss and Peeta are both hurled back by the explosion. Knocked out he's never felt so helpless. After all, Katniss was thrown back too. He can't reach her, he can't move, all he can do is lay there and hope she's alright.

That is when he sees the hovercraft coming to grab Katniss, terrified of what that might mean he tries to move, failing miserably. Paralyzed as his dreams become a reality. Paralyzed and helpless. Paralyzed and useless. Paralyzed and terrified. Paralyzed. And as he considers this he blacks out.

"Peeta," chides the cool voice of a snake. He opens his eyes to see none other than President Snow staring down at him. "Welcome back to the Capitol, my young and foolish friend."

"Where is Katniss?" he tries to move but finds that he is tied down to the table. "Where's Katniss? What did you do to her?"

"Relax Peeta," hisses Snow. "As long as you do, everything I ask you do to, then Katniss will be fine."

"What did you do to her?" asks Peeta through gritted teeth.

"Oh," shrugs Snow. "She's fine. She's next door." Peeta's pained expression causes Snow to continue. "Your child is fine. Somehow Miss Everdeen seems relatively unaffected by her actions in the arena." Then he laughs, "but as they were her actions, and choices she made, we're going to do whatever we can to make her regret that decision."

"What are you going to do to her?" Peeta screams.

"Absolutely nothing," a grin slides across the President's face. "It's what we're going to do to you." Peeta's eyes widen in horror. "Don't worry, she'll stay nicely in that cell of hers while we take care of you." With the sickening grin on his face Snow retreats from the room and walks directly over to where Katniss is. "My dear Miss Everdeen…"

"Where's Peeta?" asks Katniss with her hands pounding on the glass separating her from the president.

"Not a concern of yours, my dear," his smile only intensifies as he walks away.

"Peeta!" screams Katniss as loud as she can. "Peeta!"

"Nooo!" the voice is unmistakeable and Katniss is so taken aback by it that she collapses to her knees.

"Peeta…" her hands fly over her mouth to stifle the scream.

"What exactly is screaming going to do?" snaps Johanna from behind her as another scream emanates from Peeta's location. "All the screaming in the world isn't going to change anything if it's not what Snow wants."

"Whose side are you on?" says Katniss as she turns to glare at Johanna.

"Does it really matter?" she shrugs. "I mean, I don't think we're going anywhere any time soon. And clearly the intent, is to keep you and Peeta separated."

"Can they do that?" asks Katniss alarmed.

"If they forced Finnick into prostitution-" Katniss' look of disgust causes her to pause. "If they forced Finnick to do all that, keeping you two in separate cells will be nothing to them, especially if Snow doesn't have to do anything himself and just as people to do everything for him, which I'm guessing is the case, he's so fucking lazy."

"How can you be so blunt?" asks Katniss pulling the robe up around her shoulders. Looking down around her she notices that she is in a pale pink nightgown, some fuzzy slippers, and a nearly florescent pink robe.

"It is what it is, Katniss," she shrugs. "Nothing I say or do now is going to change anything. So there's absolutely no use to me, getting all bent out of shape." She sighs and slides down the wall opposite Katniss, knees up, elbows place on top of them, and her face in her hands. "I don't know what happens next Katniss. The rebellion failed, that's all I know right now."

"What?" Katniss turns haphazardly and falls into the wall beside her. She positions herself sitting against the wall and looks at Johann. "What do you mean by the rebellion failed? What rebellion? What's going on?"

"I don't know much," she shakes her head, "I just know their goal was to get you out of that arena, and they very obviously failed with that, so I'm not exactly sure what happens next. Not that I care. I mean I care, but whatever. You're stuck here with us, and we have no idea what Snow has planned, or even if the rebels have a plan. Right now whatever happens...happens."

"That's not very reassuring," grumbles Katniss.

"Well tough," her head shoots up from her hands, "there's nothing we can do about it now. So it's best to just move past this unfortunate event...to the next. I don't know if they're going to even try to get us out of this hell hole, so the future is very uncertain at the moment."

Just then another scream from Peeta comes from the neighboring room and Katniss begins rocking herself back and forth. Back and forth. Peeta continues screaming for the next - Katniss can't tell how long - and Katniss is curled up in such a ball that Johanna has to come force her to eat.

"It's probably poisoned," says Katniss as they hear Peeta screams again.

"Yeah," she laughs maniacally. "I don't think they'd do that. You're their biggest bargaining chip. If they wanted you dead, well, you'd already be dead. Clearly, they mean to torture Peeta and make you listen to his screams in the process." Then pulling Katniss to her feet she situates her on the bed at the wall opposite. "Obviously I'll take top bunk, but I just want you to know I'm not happy about it."

"And we don't want that, do we?" mocks Katniss

"Don't tempt me brainless," grunts Johanna getting onto the top bunk. "I didn't like your knocked up ass before, don't think any of that has changed just because we're sharing a cell." The bed creaks as she adjusts and just before the snoring starts Johanna says one final thing, "it'll probably be best for you...if you want to sleep, and I know enough about babies to know you need some...try to block out as much of Peeta's screams as possible. It'll get worse, before it gets better, if it gets better."

"Is that supposed to be encouraging?" says Katniss sardonically.

"No, it's reality. For however long Snow decides, or someone comes up with a half-assed attempt to get us out, we're stuck here." She leans down over the bed to look at Katniss. "Whatever you do, keep in mind you are still pregnant, and that baby is still important, so don't do anything stupid. I don't care, but I know Peeta would." Then she rolls back onto her back. "Don't do anything brainless, brainless."

Johanna is out like a light, but just as Katniss is about to fall asleep, she can hear Peeta muttering her name. So much weaker than he did the day before, so much less hopeful, so much less Peeta. She inches out of the bed till she knows Johanna won't be waking up and then scoots across the floor as quickly and quietly as possible before stopping in the corner between the wall and the door of the cell. "Peeta?" she calls.

"Katniss?" the voice is so hoarse, but she's sure it is Peeta.

"Oh my god, Peeta," she starts crying, "are you okay?"

"Would you rather I lied?" he coughs.

"What did he do to you?" she hiccups.

"Katniss," he coughs again multiple times. "I'm going to spare you the details on this one." More coughing. "You don't need to hear it, and I certainly don't want to tell you. I'll just say it's a good thing there's a wall between us."

"Peeta," she barely gets out before she starts sobbing.

"Are you and the baby okay?" the concern in his voice is palpable. "That's all I care about."

"Yes," she hiccups again. "According to Snow we're fine. But she's moving she at least I can kinda feel some assurance in that." Peeta responds with a muffled sob. "Oh, Peeta," her crying becomes more hysterical. "Peeta, how can I help you?" she turns to the wall and tries to stick her arm through the bars when she's zapped. "What can I do?"

"I don't think there's anything you can do," his voice is calmer now, but still hoarse. "It's alright, Katniss. I'll be okay."

"You were screaming," the sobs come yet again. "I hate hormones!" she shouts. "You were screaming Peeta."

"You could hear that?" his voice is full of horror.

"Yes!" she nearly shouts. "What are the - they - do - ing - to - to - you?"

"Katniss…" his voice is low and measured. "You don't want to know."

Suddenly a screen appears behind her in the cell and she turns to see the face of President Snow. "Citizens of Panem," he begins. "It is with great pleasure for me tonight, to tell you that I was able to rescue some of the victor's. Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, and Johanna Mason. Every measure is being taken to ensure they are kept well. No need to worry friends of the victor's. They are fine." Snow smiles. "Hopefully you'll hear from them soon." And the screen is gone.

"Peeta?" Katniss turns back to the wall. No answer. "Peeta?" she screams, and is answered with the most egregious scream she had ever heard in her life. Bursting into tears she crumples against the wall. Wishing she could reach him, and being utterly helpless as they did who knows what to him. This went on for several hours. When Katniss had finally cried herself to sleep she awoke with a start, covered in a blanket. Looking around the room she sees Johanna with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders as well, curled into a ball on her bed. "What happened?" she listens for signs of screams, but hears nothing.

"He screamed for a long time, Katniss," the look of terror on Johanna's face lends to the fact that it was worse than before. "Then it stopped all at once."

"Is he alive?" she squeaks and pulls the blanket tighter around her shoulders, only realizing now how cold she was.

"Caesar had him on the show," Johanna shrugs and then shakes her head.

"How did he look?"

"Like he had a lot of makeup on," she sighs heavily. "Katniss, whatever they're doing to him...it's horrible. I can barely stomach his screaming. I'm pretty sure you passed out from shock, because it hit a point where I'm sure it was worse than any Jabberjay's scream you heard in the arena."

"Thank you," says Katniss swallowing hard.

"For what?" asks Johanna.

"Telling me the truth," she half smiles but it falters as another scream eminates from the cell beside them.

"NO! NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" Peeta's voice is unmistakeable. "NOT THAT! NOT THAT MOMENT!"

Katniss puts her hands over her ears to try to block out the sound, but he is yelling so loudly that nothing she tries helps. This is when she realizes that that is the form of torture Snow has planned for her … making her feeble and completely useless, unable to help Peeta as he screams and screams and screams and...she passes out again.

"I'm so sorry, Katniss," says Johanna, her voice cracking. "You got the short end of the stick for sure. I'm so very sorry."

The next two weeks the screaming continues, nothing changes, nothing stops, nothing is different. Peeta screams, Katniss cries till she passes out, and Johanna makes sure Katniss eats and sleeps. Everyone feeling helpless, everyone useless, everyone in a constant state of terror. Till one day there's some loud crashing in the hall and Haymitch appears outside the cell.

"Katniss!" he yells.

"Haymitch?" the shock and disbelief in her voice is unmistakeable.

"We've got to go Katniss," he urges. "Come on, get up!"

"Get Peeta," she says unmoving.

"Get up brainless!" shouts Johanna yanking her to her feet. "Get her out of here Haymitch."

"Peeta…" Katniss's voice void of emotion, of anything but utter wreckage.

"We'll get the boy," says Haymitch, "we've got to go Katniss. I don't know how much time we have."

"Peeta…" her voice cracking as Johanna yanks her to the opened cell door. "Where's Peeta?"

"Finnick and Gale are getting him now," he scoops her up into his arms realizing that she's not going to walk on her own. "Come on, sweetheart." It's then that Gale and Finnick emerge from Peeta's cell carrying him between them. The sight of him is so ghastly, so horrifyingly injured, that Katniss breaks into a sob that makes it difficult for Haymitch to hold onto her, and then she passes out again. "Oh Katniss," mutters Haymitch.

The way back to the hovercraft is completely uninterrupted. They ascend back into the the hovercraft and make their way to District 13, unhindered. While Plutarch rejoices over the radio, Haymitch, Finnick, and Gale all share a look. It should not be that easy to take them back from Snow. What had happened? Why did he just let them go? They didn't know, but seeing as how that was out of character for Snow, they figured it was not a good thing, so their celebrating will have to wait.

"Why did they just let us leave?" asks Gale.

"I don't know," Finnick shakes his head in disbelief.

"But we can bet," says Haymitch glancing over at his damaged victors, "that there was some strategy to this. Some plan. Something that we can most assuredly know is not good. Snow doesn't just let people escape. Something is wrong." A single tear slides down his face. "Anybody got something? I don't like emotions." Gale and Finnick raise their eyebrows at him. "How do you think I've coped with the horrors I've experienced over the years? Somebody hurt my kids, I don't take kindly to that."

"See Haymitch," jokes Finnick, "you do have a heart."

"If that's true," he mutters, "it's breaking."