Ooooh sorry my wonderful readers, I know cliffhangers are terrible but that's how we authors keep you on the edge of your seats ;) well, here's a quick one before I run to work! I'm loving everyone's guesses on upcoming chapters ;)

You'll notice that this one is a "two-parter" because Peeta's chapter was just too short. Warning: Dark stuff up ahead! Just a fair warning :)

Enjoy and keep those reviews coming! XOXO

I've never heard Johanna sound so panicked before and I am out the door so quickly that I'm not even sure if I remembered to lock it. I could care less. All I care about is making it home to Katniss.

I burst into the house and freeze, horrified. Katniss is sprawled at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes wide and blank. Johanna and Haymitch are around her, patting her cheeks and talking to her.

"Katniss? What happened? What the hell is wrong with her?" Johanna looks up at me and I see that she's crying. I can feel my heart ceasing to beat right now.

"She fell down the stairs," she chokes out. "She was having some sort of episode and I couldn't calm her down." I kneel beside her and pull her into my arms.

"Katniss? Look at me sweetheart. Can you hear me? It's Peeta," my tears splash her face as I gently shake her. "It's me, Katniss. I'm right here. Right beside you." She doesn't respond and I lower my head to her chest, my tears soaking her shirt.

"Please Katniss. Please come back to me. Don't leave me here. I need you. Damn it I need you more than I need air. Come back to me, please. I can't live without you, Katniss!" I feel her take a shuddering breath and her eyes close. I look at Haymitch and Johanna, confused, and turn back to Katniss.

"Katniss?" Her breathing is steady and it's almost like she's sleeping.

"Why don't you take her up to bed? I think she'll be fine once she wakes up."

"How do you know," I choke out. "I've never seen her like this. She's had episodes but never like this."

"Before you returned, she would sit in that rocking chair and just stare at the walls. Those big blank eyes you just saw are the same that I saw. She'll be alright, kid. She just needs to sleep and wake up in your arms. She just needs to see that you're still with her."

"I don't understand." I blink back tears and lift her up carefully. When I enter our room, I stop at the sight of the chaos. Pillows and blankets are everywhere, our picture frame has knocked over, drawers have been turned over.

What the hell happened?

I gently set her on the bed and gather all the blankets and pillows and put them back where they belong. I prop the pillows up underneath her and bundle her up in the covers. I quickly put the picture frame back and pick up what I can. Giving her one last concerned look, I head back downstairs and see that Johanna and Haymitch have moved into the kitchen.

The first thing I see when I enter is the almost-empty bottle of wine on the table.

"You got her drunk?!" I explode.

"She had two glasses! Brainless is a light weight!" Haymitch is laughing and I am shooting daggers at both of them.

"She doesn't drink, Johanna! So not only did she have an episode and she fell, but she's drunk too?"

"I think they all coincide, boy," Haymitch says quietly. I groan and cover my face with my hands.

"Unbelievable. And what the hell happened to our bedroom? Drunken rage?"

"She discovered that her pearl is missing," she snaps and I feel my heart sink. Oh shit.

"Did…what did you tell her-?"

"I told her I would help her look for it. And then she started saying that she always held it because as long as she had it, she thought no harm would come to you. So she started seeing pictures of you tortured and beaten. She was crying for me to tell you she loves you, that she doesn't want to ever hurt you." I squeeze back tears. Damn it, I really know how to make a mess of things. Haymitch watches me knowingly.

"I think you should plan on calling into the bakery in the morning, Peeta. Sweetheart is going to need you." I nod and brace myself against the wall.

"Yeah. You're right. Look, I'm going to go up and be with her. You two can see yourselves out?" I gesture to the door and they nod. I make my way back upstairs and quickly check on Katniss. She's sleeping soundly and you can't even tell anything happened. Hesitantly, I pull her clothes off and slip her into an old shirt of mine. I put the drawers back in order and hurriedly change for bed. Propping my prosthetic against the wall, I settle in the covers and instantly feel too hot. Hopping over to the window, I push it open and sigh at the cool breeze. I get back into bed, pulling Katniss into my arms and nuzzling against her.

"I'm here, Katniss," I whisper. "I won't ever leave you." Her arms wrap around my waist and my hold on her tightens.

"Peeta," my name escapes her lips on a whisper and I squeeze my eyes shut.

"I love you, Katniss. I love you."

Peeta thrusts into me one more time and I feel him spill inside me. He collapses on my back, his cheek pressed to my sweaty back as he heaves for breath. I turn toward him and push his hair out of his eyes, giving him a gentle kiss on his lips.

"Katniss," he gasps and I hold his face in both my hands. There's the sound of clapping from behind us and I jump. Peeta's arms immediately go around me and pull me into his chest.

"That was a splendid show," I hear someone say in a Capitol accent. "Snow wasn't exaggerating when he set the price for you both. Well done."

"Thanks. I assume you're done with us?" Peeta wraps both arms around me and pulls me into his lap. He tenses and I turn to see the Capitol man is standing just inches from the bed.

"Not quite." I feel Peeta's veins twitch.

"Yes you are," he argues. "You paid for an hour of the star-crossed lovers. We're done. Let's go, Katniss." Peeta is suddenly jerked away from me and I hear him let out a hiss of pain. I look up into his face and see another man holding him by his curls. The man's fingers bury in Peeta's hair and he winces. At the same time, someone has grabbed my hair and is yanking me backwards. Peeta's eyes flash and he tries to get to me but a shining blade is held to his throat and he is forced to be still.

"You're not done," the man growls at us, "until I say you're done."

"Let her go," Peeta says through gritted teeth.

"But we still have twenty minutes left of the star-crossed lovers," the man says mockingly. "And we intend to get every cent out of you." Peeta fights but the blade slices his neck and he hisses again. Tears fill my eyes as I watch him try to get to me. I feel something cold at my own throat and Peeta's eyes widen in horror.

"Unless you want to watch us spill every drop of blood from your girl on fire, I'd suggest you start behaving."
"Wait until Snow hears how you're treating his victors," Peeta snarls. The man hits him and his head is sent in the other direction. I cry out as I watch blood trickle down his chin. One of the men yanks on my hair and pulls me to my knees.

"On all fours, little victor," he spits in my ear. I try not to whimper as I move onto my hands and knees and I wince when he smacks my bare ass. Peeta grunts as he struggles against his captor but I hear the sound of cuffs and Peeta's arms are yanked behind him, chained together.

"Don't make us gag you too," the Capitolite snaps at him.

"Turn around, baby, and show us that you want it." I glare at all of these disgusting men. If I could fire arrows into each and every one of their hearts right now, I would. One of them yanks on my hair again and forces me up. Tears stream down my cheeks as I feel my hair ripping from my scalp.

"Head down. Hands behind your back." I obey and grimace as my ass is elevated. One of them touches me and his fingers slide into me. I wince and try to sit up but I feel a foot on my neck and I whimper into the bed.

"I swear to you, you sons of bitches, if you do this-"

"Shut him up!" I hear Peeta's curses be muffled and I can't help but release a sob. I want to tell him to be quiet, not to anger them further. I couldn't bear if something happens to him because he is protecting me.

"Turn around baby." I rise and turn to find his hard cock mere inches from my face. I give him a disgusted look and he forces my head down.

"Suck. Now." I contemplate biting it off. He grabs me again and turns me to face Peeta. His face is red, his eyes are narrowed in hatred, but there is sadness and sorrow etched into every line of his face. Two men stand behind him, with firm grips on his cuffed hands and his hair. A wad of material is stuffed into his mouth and he is shaking.

"If you don't want anything to happen to your precious little baker, you'll do what we say. Suck it." I close my eyes as I take him into my mouth and then he is thrusting against my throat. I gag but he doesn't care. He winds his fingers around my hair and pulls, hard, while I suck him off. A moment later, he pushes me away and comes on my face. I blink and try not to look at Peeta but his hard stare is focused on me.

Forgive me, Peeta. I can't help this. I can't do anything about this.

One of the men turns me around and pushes me back down. I feel him probe my entrance and I glance up into Peeta's eyes.

They are full of tears.

As the man thrusts into me, Peeta struggles and yells into his gag. I close my eyes and try to leave the room behind me.

I sit straight up, tears streaming from my eyes. I can still taste the Capitolite's semen in my mouth and I swallow repeatedly, shaking my head. The nightmare lingers and I try to shake myself free of the horror. I blame Johanna and her fucked up attempt to comfort me. Or maybe she wasn't trying to comfort me, maybe she was just scaring me with what happened to her. That's more likely.

I shiver and wince as I feel every inch of my body aching. My head pounds as if someone is beating on my brain with a hammer.

Ugh. This is why I do NOT drink.

I glance sideways at Peeta and see he is sleeping peacefully. I start to slide the blankets off but let out a tiny moan when I feel a pain in my arm when I try to move forward. Peeta is awake in seconds. I don't know how the man does it but he always knows when something is wrong with me.

"Katniss!" He sits up and just stares at me. He brings his hand up and it hovers beside my cheek. His eyes fill with tears and I move forward, ignoring the pain. I take my usual spot on his chest and bury my face in his shoulder. His arms wrap around me and he holds me close, kissing my hair and whispers 'I love you's' in my ear. I glance at the window and see that it is still dark outside. He pulls away and gently strokes my cheek with his knuckles.

"Are you…alright?" he asks tentatively.

"I'm not sure. Could you please bring me some water and some medicine?"

"Of course." He tosses the blankets back and pulls his prosthetic on quickly. I watch him jog from the room and I hear his heavy footsteps on the stairs. Moments later, he is back with a glass of water and two white pills in his palm.

"One for the pain, one for the hangover. Drink all of the water too." I nod and toss back the pills, draining all of the water. Peeta sets the glass aside and pushes a strand of hair out of my face.

"Do you feel sick?"

"Not really. Just…really sore."

"Johanna says you fell down the stairs." I nod. Yes, it comes back to me. And the bruises on my body remind me of it.

"I'll be fine," I say dismissively. Peeta closes his eyes and pulls me into his lap. I wince and he doesn't miss it.

"Want some more of that healing salve?"

"I'm fine, really." His lips thin but he doesn't press the subject. I feel his thumb rake across my cheek and he looks worried.

"Nightmare?" He guesses. I sigh. He always seems to know.

"Johanna told me what our lives would have been like if there had been no rebellion," I launch into my explanation. "That we would have been sold, like Finnick and the others. I guess Johanna was too. And she said…I think she tried to kill herself. Once. But they found out and killed her loved ones. So she was forced to endure this lifestyle, all alone, and it just made me think…at least I would have had you. But in my dream, they tied you up and you fought against them and they were hurting you. You're always willing to get hurt for me. I hate it," I add. His face has gone pale, his eyes wide. But I continue to talk. I can't seem to stop.

"And you were cursing at them, yelling at them to leave me alone but then all I wanted to do was to protect you. So I did whatever they told me to. We're always protecting each other. I don't think it would have been any different, if things had happened differently. I would still belong to you. But you looked so…betrayed when the other men took me. I don't know, I wanted to apologize and beg you to forgive me but I couldn't speak. That's the first time I have ever dreamed something like that. I blame Johanna. I have to say it's a nice change from watching them pump you with tracker-jacker venom or beating you with pipes," he blanches and I instantly feel like the most awful person in the world. "Oh god Peeta, I'm sorry. I didn't…I wasn't thinking. Forgive me."

"There's nothing to forgive," he says firmly. "Your nightmare is…well, I've dreamed of that before. It was one of my worst fears when we were in the Capitol. But I would die before I let another man have you."

"Stop getting hurt because of me."

"I can't," he says sadly and I'm instantly returned to that terrible day in the Capitol, when I was saying farewell to the world and he stopped me from taking the nightlock. He seems to be remembering too and his grip on me tightens.

"Katniss, we may never get better. I mean, I'll always have flashbacks and you will always have these nightmares. But can't we at least try to live happily? Can't we make that promise to ourselves, to each other, that we will try to focus on the here and now and just enjoy being together?"

"Yes Peeta, but-"

"Promise." I look into his gentle eyes and bite my lip.

"I promise." We seal that promise with a gentle kiss and he brings me back down into the blankets.

"Peeta," I say after I'm sure he's fast asleep.

"Mmmhm?"

"I…the reason I was so upset tonight…I lost the pearl. The one you gave me…I'm so sorry." He's silent and I'm not sure if he heard me. I hope he didn't. But I feel him shift underneath me and I feel his hands in my hair.

"I came back to you didn't I," he says through a yawn. "Things always have a way of coming back to you." And with that comforting thought, I lay my head on his chest and fall straight to sleep.