Chapter 12: What a Tangled Web We Weave

Strong black coffee. Something that smelled of green forests and exotic spice. A gentle thudding underneath her ear. Warm weight across her back and hip. Muffled laughter and whispered comments. This was definitely not her usual morning wake up call. Katniss shifted, gradually regaining consciousness. Pushing a skein of hair away from her face, she raised her head and met five pairs of eyes. Startled, she shifted back and groaned as a hazy pair of blue eyes opened about an inch from her own. He looked confused for a moment, still half asleep as her expression morphed from embarrassment to sheer panic. She wiggled, trying to free herself from his encircling hold but in his bewilderment, he tightened his arms rather than loosening them.

"Let me up," she hissed as she tried to maneuver her way clear.

"Why? I am pretty comfortable right now," he returned lazily, all the while keeping his arms locked securely around her waist.

"In case you haven't noticed, we seem to have attracted an audience," she spat. "I'm not a fan of public performances. Let me up!"

"No, I don't believe I will," he countered. "Not unless you ask me nicely." This pronouncement was met by chuckles which precipitated her face flushing to the hairline, though he couldn't tell whether it was from anger or humiliation. Without warning, she stilled and studied him intently. The edges of her lips turned into a slight smile and her body relaxed against his. Peeta watched the abrupt change in her demeanor and felt a tingle of dread curl through his stomach. She had something up her sleeve, he just knew it. He didn't, however, have any idea what she was apt to do.

"Nicely, you say," she purred throatily. "Nicely I can do." She sat up so quickly that he unthinkingly loosened his hold on her. She slid down until one knee rested beside his hip on the couch; the other folded over him and reached toward the floor to steady her precarious perch. She leaned over at the waist, her mouth mere inches from his and questioned softly, "Is this nice enough for you?" He nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving her face as she bent even closer. She deftly slipped out of his arms, landing softly on her feet beside the couch. Her tone amused, she drawled, "Didn't know it would be that easy. You need to work on your negotiation skills, Mellark. Seem to be slipping just a little bit." She gave him a pleased grin and headed for the kitchen in search of the elusive, aromatic coffee.

Peeta's eyes met Gale's, his face flaming as the other man saluted him with his coffee cup. "I think you let her off a little easy there, Peeta. Should have held out for more."

Finnick nodded, a feigned look of sympathy gracing his features. "In my professional opinion, you blew it big time, Mellark. It started off so promising with the baked goods and moonlit strolls. Now, we are left with trying to gain small scraps of affection through brute strength. I must say I'm disappointed. I expected better."

Katniss strolled back in from the kitchen and retorted, "On his worst day, Finnick, he still does better than a fish net and a trident. Not to mention the stalking incident that I swore I would never bring up again. You forced me to, however, and I have plenty more where that came from. Don't tempt me."

Finnick opened his mouth, intending to let loose a barrage from which she would never recover. He was halted by a small hand covering his. Following the length of arm up to a pair of sea green eyes, he swallowed noisily and halted whatever he was going to say. Annie smirked at his reaction and schooled her expression into one of faint disapproval. "Finnick, really. Leave the poor man alone." The others looked on in amazement as Finnick seemed to freeze, looking mesmerized by her face. He leaned back in his chair and sipping at his coffee, completely ignored the incredulous stares.

Katniss and Johanna exchanged smiles before she plopped down on the sofa, her leg brushing Peeta's. She handed him a cup of coffee and settled back against the cushions. Taking a bite out of the packaged breakfast pastry she was holding, her face screwed into a moue of disgust. Peeta caught her eye and smiled faintly. "It's not as good as yours," she whispered. "I just didn't feel like cooking."

He patted her knee gently. "Do you want me to make you something? It wouldn't take more than a minute and anything is better than empty sugar and calories." She met his blue gaze, tempted beyond words and not just from the offer of breakfast.

"If you two can stop looking longingly into each other's eyes for a minute, some of us could definitely go for a decent meal. All this sweetness and mushiness is about to make me lose my appetite." Gale interjected his contribution to the exchange. He exchanged a teasing glance with Johanna. "Oh, Johanna, please let me cook you breakfast. That poor excuse for pastry is not good enough to touch your fair lips!"

Johanna placed one hand on her heart and the other limply on her forehead. "Why thank you, kind sir," she replied, her tone high pitched and breathy. "I just knew you would save me from the horror of these hideous impostors. My hero!" She swooned into his arms, vapidly batting her lashes. The whole room burst into laughter, including one who silently observed as the others playfully teased her brother and his companion.

Prim had been surprised to find them entangled on the couch, sleeping quite peacefully. She attempted to move quietly, only to jump with a clatter of dropped glasses as a knock sounded at the front door. She warily peered through the peep hole, recognized Annie, and moved to let her in. Prim was slightly amazed when Finnick, Gale, and Johanna trailed in behind Annie. She motioned for them to be quiet and pointed to the sleeping couple on the couch. The varying reaction that the sight of them afforded was a source of entertainment all on its own.

Gale took one look at them and turned to Johanna with a brilliant smile. She merely patted him on the back and went into the kitchen, muttering about coffee. Annie just shook her head and went to examine Rue. Finnick regarded them for a full minute before his gaze swung over to Prim. He seemed to be studying her for any sign of resistance to this turn of events. Seeming satisfied, he pulled a length of string from his pocket and busied himself by tying an assortment of knots. Prim watched in awe as he twisted and manipulated the string seemingly without thought. Finnick's gaze intercepted her intent examination of his pastime. He fished out an additional length of cording, handed it to her and demonstrated various forms, his fingers moving deftly along the length of string.

She sat watching them, her fingers absentmindedly twining the string. Peeta said something too softly for Prim to catch. Katniss, looking surprised, let out a low laugh and nodded. On his way to the kitchen, his gaze intercepted hers and he nodded questioningly in the direction of the couch. Prim let her smile be her answer and was rewarded with a wide grin that she hadn't seen in ages. He continued on into the kitchen, Johanna following behind saying something about helping, and soon a tempting smell wafted through the apartment.

After breakfast and much teasing as to who wore that pants in their relationship, Peeta and Katniss brought the others up to speed on the situation with Rue. Prim sat silently throughout most of it, answering only when asked a direct question. Annie filled them in on the medical side of things, reiterating again that Rue really should have gone to the hospital. Hearing this, Prim reacted, "She can't. We don't know how many people know who she is or where they are. She could get hurt again or worse." Unwillingly, their heads nodded in agreement.

Peeta cleared his throat, "I think that we have a plan that could work. I spoke with my firm's attorney last night. The original idea was to portray Rue as a runaway and that Prim wasn't integrating in the group. Delly basically told me that the runaway thing wouldn't hold up because too many people would be looking for her. Delly has worked out some plans and she and I will go before the judge this morning to get everything signed off on. Another attorney at Delly's firm, Octavia Prius, acting as Rue's guardian ad litem, read over everything and has put in her recommendations. I'm hopeful that we can get this taken care of in such a way that the girls can be granted some form of protection. When I called Darius for the name of someone who could help with the gang part of the equation, he sent me to Detective Flavius Boggs from Special Forces. That team bridges between vice crime and crimes against persons. Katniss has given me all the information that you collected on Enobaria Agnaste, Diana Glimmer, and Clove Jewelton. He read over everything and was interested enough to open up an investigation. He also sent a recommendation to the judge in support of our position that these girls be pulled out of the main rotations for their own safety. I was going to remove Prim anyway after seeing this, no offense. I know the kind of work that your group does, but this is not an ordinary situation."

Annie was the first to chime in with a question. "What does that mean for us? If this is approved, how exactly is it going to work? Are these girls going to be under lock and key all day, being guarded by armed personnel? I personally don't think that either will psychologically benefit from that sort of environment."

Peeta nodded as if he had been expecting this question. "In regards to Prim, the primary responsibility will rest with her guardians and her counselor to make sure that she doesn't break any part of the agreement. You will be responsible for her whereabouts during the therapy sessions. This includes any courses that she was participating in. Most of the time, she will be in the company of myself, my friend Sadie, and/or Katniss." Surprised gazes swung to Katniss and she gestured for him to continue. "Prim will support me in that she and Katniss have become close. Katniss has agreed to act as both probation officer and counselor to Prim. She will have to send in weekly progress to the Judge."

Gale asked, "What about Rue? Is she getting a similar arrangement? "

Peeta glanced at the sheaf of notes before him, seemingly pondering the question. In actuality, he really didn't know how to explain the small, maimed girl's situation. "The responsibility issues are the same for her as for Prim," he said slowly. "Honestly, we have kept the part about Rue's injuries to ourselves. She will go into protective custody. We have decided to modify the usual definition to suit our needs. Her siblings are currently placed with a good foster home. Rue was supposed to go to them when she finished up, but she'll be placed in a safe house instead. The location is known only to those members of Boggs' team and you. If you don't feel like you can participate in this, say no now." Seeing no takers to his offer, Peeta blew out a breath and said, "Okay then. I'll let everyone know the status as soon as I get back."

The others sat around the kitchen table discussing the situation in hushed voices. Peeta gave Prim a quick hug and promised to return soon. He grabbed his jacket and with a tilt of his head, gestured for Katniss to accompany him to the elevator. They walked hand-in-hand down the hallway once out of sight of prying eyes. He grinned at her teasingly, "That was not a nice thing you did this morning. I never took you for a tease, Ms. Everdeen."

She snorted and tossed her head in annoyance. "I didn't tease, Mr. Mellark," she bit out. "I merely took advantage of the situation and manipulated it to my chosen outcome. It's a basic sales technique. You should know that."

"Yeah, right," he retorted. "You just didn't want your friends to know that you secretly wanted to kiss me. I think if you would just admit the truth, you would know that you want to kiss me right now."

"I do not want…" she got out right before his lips descended onto hers. It felt as though she had been dipped into flames. They leapt from the spot where his hand clasped the back of her neck, travelled through her bloodstream until the world fogged up and broke away. It contained nothing but the two of them and the fire that had ignited between them. Her arms tightened, attempting to pull him closer. At the last second before sanity fled completely, Johanna opened the door, peeked out, and gave a loud whoop. The spell now broken, they pulled apart. Hands fell to sides. Breath slowed to a series of gasping pants and eyes locked while each evaluated the other's reaction.

"You do," he whispered into the silence. "And so do I. So it doesn't matter."

"It does matter, Peeta," she retorted. "You are the brother of one of my patients. Until this thing with Prim is done, we need to be on our best behavior. I'm skirting the line as it is. Haymitch is up in arms. I don't need any more trouble."

He eyed her briefly and said, "Katniss, if you can't or won't be Prim's counselor, just let me know now. We still have time to make adjustments," he swallowed noisily. "I wish you wouldn't leave, but I will respect your opinion."

"I don't want out. I want to make sure that Prim is okay. I promised her." She caught his gaze again, her hand curling into his tousled hair. "I want to keep seeing you, too. I'm just saying that we need to be careful and not start something that neither of us is prepared to finish." Her lips touched his again briefly, sweet and warm and giving. "After this is over, we'll make it official. Whatever it is."

He smiled down at her and playfully tugged at the end of her braid. "Nice to know you have it all figured out." He stepped into the closing elevator and tossed her a mocking salute. Katniss was left staring at a pair of shiny doors, her hand lightly touching her lips and her mind running in circles.

Judge Paylor's chambers were reflective of the occupant. There were no frills, nor frivolous decorations. The furnishings were sturdy without being completely generic. The judge herself with brown hair cut short, clad in a simple ivory pants suit and low heels, seemed to be a no-nonsense type who preferred that things be done correctly as opposed to rapidly. She had signed off on Prim's documents after thoroughly perusing the statements from Katniss and Boggs. Peeta was optimistic that things would go as smoothly in Rue's case. He watched, stomach twisting, as Delly handed the Judge the pertinent information.

Judge Paylor read through the documents, her eyebrows rising higher with each new entry. She looked up, nailing both Peeta and Delly with an auguring stare. "The girl was threatened by other juveniles during the course of the program. Did any of the staff witness this behavior?"

Peeta spoke up, "My sister, Primrose, witnessed some of it. She and Rue were roommates. She was present when the three came into their dorm room and threatened Rue. She didn't say anything to the staff at that time because Rue was afraid of possible repercussions."

Delly chimed in, giving Peeta a quelling look. "We are aware that what we are asking for is unusual, Your Honor. We have a time stamped and certified audio recording of Rue testifying that her aunt allegedly traded Rue's younger sister for an unknown quantity of narcotics. Rue volunteered to take her sister's place. The three program participants were in a position to know that Rue had been brought to the Gamesmakers' attention. They knew her before the program. We think it is safe to assume that there are others who will also know her background. That is why we are requesting these extraordinary measures."

Judge Paylor inquired, "Am I to assume that there is a safe house set up so that the girl can be protected? She will be hung out in the wind otherwise. Anyone associated with these characters will be more than willing to take a swipe at her. I also assume that protection beyond a simple unknown address will be put into place. This girl has rights. We want to make sure that those are safeguarded during each step."

"Your Honor, the vacant apartment across from Ms. Everdeen's place of residence has been retained. Detective Boggs and Haymitch Abernathy have both been informed of every aspect that is currently known to be true. There will be a signed log for persons going into the residence. There will be an approved checklist available at all times so that it can be cross-checked. The Better Way staff will continue to offer her the same options that Primrose Mellark has. My firm has appointed Octavia Prius as Rue's guardian ad-litem to make sure her legal rights are watched over. Ms. Prius is one of our best. She will assiduously protect Ms. Matisse's interest."

Judge Paylor examined the documents once again and then hastily signed her name. Peeta turned to smile at Delly, relief surging through him. The odds, at last, seemed to be turning in Rue's favor.

Peeta made a quick stop by his office to pick up a couple of files. He entered his office and stopped in surprise as he caught a glimpse of blond hair and wide shoulders bent studiously over his desk.

"Hey, Daniel," he asked. "What are you doing in here? Where's Sae?"

Daniel Cato slowly turned, offering Peeta a wide smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Hey, Peet, how's it going?" he asked flippantly. "I guess Sae's gone to lunch. She wasn't here when I got here. I was just looking for the revisions on the Heavensbee account."

Peeta didn't feel entirely convinced but he let it slide. "I took the revisions down to printing. I changed the graphics a little bit and lost some of the content. It made it look cluttered. They will do a standard single run and give it to you for customer approval. Sorry, I thought you knew. I updated the status report on the desktop day before yesterday."

Cato grinned and said, "Well, great. That is one less thing that needs to be finished. I guess I'll head down to lunch myself. I should be able to catch the tail end of the rush." Saying this, he glanced at his watch and headed for the door.

Peeta nodded in acknowledgement and waved vaguely in his direction. He glanced up at the wall clock, trying to figure out if he had enough time to go home and change. The clock hands were stuck at four-thirty. Blowing out an irritated breath, Peeta asked, "Do you have the time? My clock seems to have died."

Cato flipped his watch facing around and Peeta caught a brief glimpse as a stylized bird flickered to light before fading. It was clad in eighteen carat gold, the backlight highlighting the intricate work. "It's one-thirty now. I'm sure you have plenty of time."

Peeta eyed the watch and stated, "Nice watch. Was it a present?"

Cato grinned, "It was a present from my mentor as a gift for finally learning patience." He moved toward the door once more and then asked, "Where's your lovely sister these days? I hardly see her around anymore."

Peeta didn't look up as he opened the stack of mail left for him. Most of it went into the dumpster. He commented absently, "She's been pretty busy. She will be by pretty soon, I'm sure."

"That's excellent," Cato responded. "I'll be looking forward to seeing her then." He sauntered out the door, whistling. The flaming bird made another appearance followed by an explosion of laughter. Sometimes, it was just too easy.

End Part 12.