The ground floor of the tribute center was a mess of horses, and people dressed ridiculously. Stylists, escorts, tributes, and victors all gathered around one another talking, giving directions, fixing makeup, and adjusting costumes. It was all a bit overwhelming. Amerite was fussing with the pins draping the fabric around him, and Enobaria was talking about balancing looking vicious and attracting sponsors. Brutus had disappeared somewhere to chat with District 4's shining victor, Finnick Odair. Cato had always felt empathy for the man, he doubted that Finnick's whole peacock playboy act was real.

The games don't stop when you leave the arena boy, once you volunteer, you're in for life.

Cato drove the thoughts of Finnick Odair out of his mind, but they lingered for a second too long. What if the capitol did the same thing to Katniss? He felt his blood run like ice through his veins as she imagined her hanging off the arm of a man with dyed blue skin, who looked at her a bit to heatedly and had a bit too much money. He imagined Snow's snake eyes boring into Katniss's own as he threatened Prim's life so he did her bidding. No. Cato would find a way to stop that from happening too.

You can't protect her if you're dead.

Interrupting his inner turmoil, was the sight of the back of Haymitch Abernathy's head. He could see her olive skin, just the shoulder, standing in front of Haymitch. He willed the drunk to move, practically pleading in his mind for just a glimpse of her. He wanted to see her eyes burn like that in person. He scanned the rest of their group; a stylist was talking to them. Explaining something in a very serious tone. Her district partner was tall and blonde, and when Cato followed his eyes, he saw they led to Katniss. He looked at her the same way the boy from the reaping did, maybe even the same way Cato would. Cato clenched his jaw at the green jealousy that punched him in the gut but shook his head to clear it. Katniss was not his, no matter how much he wanted the opportunity for her to be. Cato would probably be dead before he had the chance. This could be useful though, perhaps he could get the boy to help him on his quest to save Katniss. He doubted that the schoolboy crush echoed on her partner's face would be enough to convince this boy to die for her, as Cato was willing to do, but it could still prove useful. He ignored the green monster for now. Maybe he was just jealous because he knew Katniss didn't see her district partner as a monster, he would never have to convince her of that.

That was when Haymitch moved, and he finally saw her. If he thought she was beautiful before, there was nothing compared to her now. In an all-black outfit that clung to her body, with her hair tied in a similar braid to the one before, and very little makeup, Katniss looked breathtaking. She wasn't looking at him but glancing around the tributes worriedly. Her eyes didn't have the raging fire behind them, but it was still there. It was simmering under the surface, waiting to catch.

Cato realized he probably looked like an absolute idiot standing there gaping, so he tried to make himself look better. He tore his eyes away from her for a moment and tried to reign in his heartbeat, but when he glanced back up to look at her again, he was met with her eyes meeting his for the first time.

It was like all the air had been sucked from his lungs, as if the entire world, everyone in the room, everyone in Panem, ceased to exist. He could only see her, looking at him with the curious look of a cat. Her eyes scanned him, and Cato twitched nervously under her gaze. His heartbeat was pounding in his ears, and his feet nearly moved to take a step towards her. He wanted to meet her, he wanted to feel the fire up close.

Her eyes flicked back up to meet his, and he praised whatever higher power existed as he found the composure to smile at her. A real one, not the fake smirk he used in the Academy. She nearly looked shocked for a moment, her eyes scanning his for malice of deceit.

She would find none, and when she did, she returned his grin with a soft smile of her own. If you would have told him that one of the explosive bullets from 3 had hit him in the chest at that moment, he would have gladly agreed. Maybe she felt the connection to, maybe she wanted to find out why this supposedly bloodthirsty Career looked like he was being kind to her. Maybe she thought he was attractive, a thought that made his heart sing. Maybe she would talk to him tomorrow at training, start to push the stereotype of a bloodthirsty Career out of her mind because of this moment. Maybe she could see the way he burned for her, see the admiration in his eyes. Maybe she burned for him too.

God, he hoped so.

Her face fell as her attention was pulled away from him, towards her stylist who

was guiding her towards the chariot. He took a glance at Cato, surprised when he saw the boy not glaring but instead with the ghost of a smile on his face.

Cato took this as a sign to climb towards the Chariot himself. Clove was devious as always, over-excited to show herself off to the sponsors. Maybe Cato could catch a glimpse of Katniss on one of the screens that lined the City Circle. He prayed they would not overlook her as the horses started to trot forwards.

The screams of the capitol citizens were deafening, the camera lights flashing was nearly blinding, yet Cato played his part. He adorned his menacing smirk, gave them sly waves, and played the crowd. On his right, Clove was trying to garner their attention.

She was waving, her mischief was endearing enough. The Capitol loved someone like her, with a bit of spunk on top of the monster. But he felt Clove tense next to him when suddenly the crowd was going wild, they were not looking at them. They were looking behind them, then he heard the chants, and prayed that Clove had enough sense left in her not to flee the Chariot and start the games earlier.

"Katniss! Katniss! Katniss!"

The Capitol cried out for her the same way his heart did, he had to try to mask the grin that threatened to overcome his face. He knew that a volunteer from 12 would be enough to catch some attention, it was unheard of, but he didn't expect this much of a frenzy. As Clove's rage built next to him, he looked at the screams on over their heads for a moment to see if they had caught her.

And there she was. Her stylist was a fucking genius. He saw it too, the fire in her eyes. And then he set her on fire. Bright orange and yellow flames curled around her body and flew behind her, sparks all around her. Her district partner was burning too, but the boy didn't look the way she did. Her own fire had been personified around her, as she smiled and waved. Her eyes seemed to be lit with joy, but it didn't reach the whole way in. It was fake, Cato knew. But the crowd was still eating out of the palm of her hand, he watched as a rose flew towards her, and she caught it in her hand and held it high in the air. The flames from her sleeve seemed to wrap around the stem, and the audience screamed her name even more.

"What the fuck?" He heard Clove next to him, her rage seething into her voice.

He smirked, happy she had finally been upstaged again, and took that opportunity to continue waving at the crowds.

While Snow read his speech, Cato saw the man's eyes flicking towards Katniss. He was sizing her up. He would not like this underdog act she had going on. Cato scanned the man while he was distracted, he was a cunning, cruel leader. He would be hard to outsmart, but not impossible. Like most Career's, President Snow was a slave to his own ego. Cato doubted that the man would be able to see Katniss's spark catching before it was too late.

The audience was still crying out for her when the massive doors to the tribute center shut behind them. The flames were gone, only leaving Katniss, which to Cato's relief seemed to be unharmed, in the black costume she wore. He missed the way the fire had lit her face, the orange and red reflecting in her grey eyes. He heard Clove bitching to their team before the horses had even started. Enobaria was hushing her as she grabbed her arm and pulled her off the chariot. Clove's eyes threw daggers at Katniss, who was smiling as she stepped down from her own platform into her stylist's arms. Cato wished he had been the one to help her down instead, his arms nearly ached with the need to hold her.

"You two were great, they will forget about those coal rats after they die in the bloodbath." Brutus's gruff voice tried to assuage Clove, even if Cato knew the man didn't mean a word he said. Everyone could see that nobody would be forgetting about District 12 this year.

Clove was still whispering hushed obscenities to Enobaria, and he decided to take the opportunity to while he was distracted.

"I need to speak with you later. Alone."

Cato made sure Brutus could see what he meant in his eyes, not responding just nodding.

He looked over to her one last time before moving towards the elevator and was surprised to find him looking in his direction. But her eyes weren't trained on him, they looked directly at Clove.

Clove was glaring at her as of her life depended on it, the sinister look in her eyes meant she planned on not only killing Katniss but making a show of it.

Yeah right, you won't live long enough to lay a hand on her.

Katniss met her glare, but you could see the fear in her eyes. It seemed almost instinctual when her eyes flicked towards Cato.

Good, she already knows I am not like Clove.

He smiled at her again, his heartbeat picking up when he saw the relief on her face. Something about her gaze was still untrusting, confused as to why he didn't want to kill her.

"Ignore her" his lips moved but no sound came out. She nodded at him but did not follow his instructions. He was too focused on the fact that she had looked to him for advice when he nearly screamed at her next action.

Katniss's eyes moved to meet Clove's again, she looked her up and down seemingly willing the fire to start again. And then, she smirked at Clove. She could be mischievous too; she could be proud too. Clove was nothing special.

"That little fucking bitch I'm gonna…"

Clove was cut off as Enobaria dragged her away, forcing her to the elevator. Cato couldn't look away from Katniss, she watched as Clove lost it and then looked at Cato again.

She almost looked like she was asking him a question, but Cato couldn't help it. He laughed, for real, for probably the first time in years.

"Good one" he mouthed at her before turning and following Brutus. He glanced behind him again to see her shoulders moving in a light chuckle.

His heart soared as the elevator did to the second floor.