A/N: Simple chapter, foreshadowing to something that will happen in the future, not a lot of action but nonetheless, hope you all enjoy :) -JayOnFF

"Katniss Everdeen! Peeta Mellark!" President Snow says loudly as the Capitol audience surrounding us gets even louder. He's using a friendly tone, but I can tell it's fake. "I'm so glad you made it! I was worried for you!"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Haymitch says in a tone so unlike him. It's now showtime.

"It's so nice to be back in the Capitol," I say to Snow. He gives me a smile.

"It is indeed," he says. "Come, follow me. It's quite loud, but can you blame them? Their beloved Victor's are back in the Capitol," Snow says, with a hint of sarcasm. How much I'd love to end his life right now…

He leads us to a pair of cars, both running with drivers already seated inside. "If you all don't mind, I'd prefer for Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch to ride with me so we can talk a few things over," President Snow says.

"Of course, not a problem," my mother says, as politely as possible. She doesn't truly know what's going on, but she is putting on a good act.

We sit in our car, with me in the middle seat between Peeta and Haymitch. Snow sits down in the passenger seat and tells the driver to drive.

"So, how has things been in district twelve? I had hopes that we'd meet again under better circumstances, but sadly, that isn't the case," he says.

"What did you want from us?" I ask when he's finished speaking. I don't want to make small talk with him. There's a reason he wanted us to be in the car with him.

"What a way with words, Miss Everdeen, I'm pleased to see you haven't put that fire inside you out yet," he says while chuckling slightly. "But you see, Katniss, that's what I want from you. That fire. Such a powerful weapon, yet, it can be extinguished so quickly. And that is exactly what I need you to do."

"And how do I do that?" I ask.

"I want you to act like one of them," he says as he waves at the window, showing us the Capitol citizens. "I want to show everyone in the districts that you, Katniss Everdeen, are not the face of some rebellion like they think you are. I want them to see that you're one of us."

"Rebellion?" I feign ignorance. Haymitch told us, but Snow doesn't know this.

"Yes. Rebellion. Some groups from the districts have taken your act with the berries as one of defiance, not love. The Capitol may believe it, but not the districts. And I want you to fix it," he says. "While you're in the Capitol, you'll do speeches and interviews with Caesar. Unless, you have a better idea?"

"So the mutts… Not an accident, I'm assuming?" Peeta questions.

"Smart boy. They were more of a distraction, I'd suppose. The most effective way to get rid of most of the rebels was to release those mutts. I had no way of knowing who was really a rebel and who was really loyal to the Capitol," Snow says. "So the mutts would kill enough to diminish the rebel number, while still holding a sustainable amount of people in Panem to run our country."

"Smart. Only, if we know that the mutts weren't an accident, what happens when everyone else finds out?" Haymitch asks.

"They won't. You'll all be executed on my front porch in front of all of Panem if you were to tell, and as long as you don't tell, no one else will know," Snow says.

"Fair enough," Peeta says quietly. We arrive at the Tribute Center shortly after. Sure enough, a swarm of Capitolites surround us as we try to get out of the car.

"You'd think they'd be sick of us by now," Peeta mumbles under her breath.

I turn back and see Prim being surrounded as well. Katniss Everdeen's sister. They all probably love her here as well. Hands grab at her arms, until one man's hand slips somewhere it shouldn't have. I don't even have time to react before Peeta's on top of the man, punching him in the face.

"Stop!" A woman shrieks. Peeta gets off of him, but it's too late. That man definitely needs stitches. Good.

Everyone surrounds the man on the ground, trying to see how badly he was beaten. That's all the Capitol cares about. Entertainment.

"Thank you," Prim shakily says to Peeta. He just nods.

To say that not one more Capitolite dared touch us is an understatement. Clearly scared, they all stand five feet back from Peeta and our group. No more screaming and cheering.

Silence.

What do they expect when they make Victors their celebrities? A tea party?

We finally make it inside the Tribute Center, and go to floor Twelve. I'm assuming other Victors are here as well, but I could be wrong.

I wonder what trouble Peeta's got us in. Not that I blame him. I probably would have killed him if I had my bow.

"You've done it now boy," Haymitch says to Peeta. "You've made yourself a target."

"He touched Prim!" Peeta yells back.

"You think they give a fuck?" Haymitch yells back. "Seriously? They parade tributes around in costumes every year before the games, and half of them end up wearing less clothes than they should, so seriously, do you think they care at all?"

"I mean, what did they expect?" Gale asks.

"They expected us to behave," Haymitch says. "We'll be lucky if we're alive tomorrow. Snow could kill us now and it wouldn't affect a thing."

"He won't," I say. "He can use us to control the districts. He won't get rid of an asset unless he has to. He's smarter than that."

"If your assets can become your problems with one wrong move, maybe your assets aren't worth as much as you think," Haymitch says.

I hear the elevator ding, telling us someone else is coming up. I'm wondering if it's Snow. He didn't get out of the car with us, but maybe that was because of all of the people surrounding us.

The door opens, revealing our district's escort: Effie Trinket.

"It is so good to see you again, children!" She says in a different tone than normal. As if she really means it. It has been a while, but still, Effie doesn't seem to be the type to care so much about district people, especially not those from district 12.

"It's good to see you too," Haymitch says. Effie makes a face at him, causing Peeta and me to laugh.

"We have a big, big, big day today! Your prep teams will be here in thirty to get you ready for your interviews!" Effie says joyfully.

Interviews?

"We just got here, we can't relax for a day?" I ask, very sarcastically.

Effie just shoots me a look. Guess not.

"Children, we need to go over some things before these interviews. President Snow, as I'm sure you've heard already, is not happy with the berries," Effie says. "This interview with Caesar was set up by the president so you can deny talks in Panem about your act of rebellion."

"Don't fuck this up Sweetheart," Haymitch says.

"Why am I the only one that needs to be talked to?" I ask. Peeta was just as much a part of it as me.

"Because he knows what to say," Haymitch says. "He's the one that meant everything he said in that arena. He came up with this whole act, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, I remember," I say, annoyed. I'm not an idiot. I know Peeta and I have to play our roles well, or people we care about die for it.

"Katniss, do you think you need etiquette training again?" Effie asks. My sister laughs.

"No," I say quickly, getting a laugh out of Peeta and Haymitch as well.

"Perfect, then we'll just go over what you need to say in the interviews," she says as she walks away. "Come, follow me!"

This might be worse than that car ride with Snow.

I follow her to what used to be my bedroom before the games, and sit down on the bed. She sits in a chair next to the bed.

"I know you know how serious our situation is Katniss, so I'm not going to make this as painful as you're thinking," Effie says sincerely. "I just need you to know that you have to act in love with Peeta. Every question Caesar asks, you need to answer it in a way that shows you weren't rebelling, you were just in love."

"Just like before," I say, thinking back to the interview with Caesar right after Peeta and I won.

"Just like before. He'll ask you questions about what you've been up to in 12. Tell him what the Capitol wants to hear. Tell him how much you and Peeta love one another, and how much you've both grown since," Effie says. "Lie if you have to. Just make it believable."

"Okay Effie, I can do that," I say seriously. Because I can. And the part that confuses me most is, I might not even have to lie. Everything I say might be true…

"One last thing, Katniss," Effie says. "I just want you to know how proud I am of you. You and Peeta. To have both of you come home from the Games… I don't normally get attached to the tributes, but this year, I truly wanted you guys to make it."

"Thank you Effie," I say. "For everything."

"Okay, Cinna should be here soon," she says. "Let's go get ready."

I follow her as she leads me towards the living room. The only one out here is Gale. I don't know where my family or Peeta and Haymitch went, but it's been a weird couple of days with Gale. Wouldn't hurt to figure things out with him.

"Hey," I say as I sit on the couch with him. "Are we good?"

"You tell me," he says, a little rudely if you ask me.

"You've been angry this whole time…" I say. "I want to know why."

"Because we used to be partners. Not romantic, but close enough Katniss. I knew everything about you, you knew everything about me. And it seems you've given it all up for Peeta," Gale says. "He doesn't understand what it was like for us in the Seam. How hard we had it every single day. He doesn't understand us."

"We still are partners, I consider you family Gale. And yes, you're right. Peeta doesn't know anything about our lives in the Seam. But Gale, you don't understand what it was like for us in the Games… How hard we had to fight to survive… One wrong move and neither of us would've been here today," I say. "You don't understand how real these nightmares we have are. He might not understand our past, but you don't understand what it's like for us right now."

"I'm trying, Catnip," Gale says quietly. "I've been trying to understand since you came back home…"

"I know," I say. "And I appreciate that. But that's not the full reason, is it?"

The elevator rings as I ask that question. Cinna and Portia must be here. I get up and start walking towards it.

"We'll talk about it later," he says. I nod.

Cinna and Portia, along with our prep teams walk through the elevator when it opens. "Cinna," I say happily when I see him. It's been months since I've seen him. He believed in me way before anyone else did, other than Peeta.

"I've missed you," he says with a smile as he hugs me. "You and Peeta both."

"Where is Peeta?" Portia questions as she looks around.

"In his old room, he wanted to shower before you guys got here," Gale says from the couch.

"I'll go get him," I say to Portia. I walk towards his room, passing two other doors on the way. I bang on the one Haymitch slept in before the Games. "Haymitch! You have company!"

"If it isn't a bottle of booze, it's not company for me," he grumbles through the door.

"Just come out here," I say as I keep walking. I just walk right into Peeta's room. It's a habit from Victor's Village, I guess. Nobody ever knocked, besides Peeta, so all three of us are used to it. The only time Haymitch knocked was when he knew my mother and sister were home.

There's been quite a few times that Haymitch has barged in while they were home though, and that was a very awkward experience. Let's just say, my mother wasn't happy.

While I will walk right into Peeta's room, I will not barge into the bathroom. That's looking for problems. So instead, I knock on the door.

"Yes?" He asks when he hears me knock.

"Your prep team is here," I say through the door. Ten seconds after I say that, the doors open, and he's rummaging through his drawers for clothes with just a towel on.

"You left the shower on," I say as I go to turn it off.

"It turns off automatically when no one's in it," he says while laughing.

"So you weren't kidding when you told Caesar that the showers here are different," I say in a joking tone. "Come on, throw a shirt on and let's go get prepped."

"You sound almost excited about that," he says sarcastically as he puts his shirt on and we walk out.

"I'm happy to see Cinna, that's it," I say. "Besides, since the last time they yanked all my hair out of my arms and legs, none has grown back, so this time might not hurt as bad."

Peeta just laughs as we make it into the living room. "Hey Portia," he says as he gives her a hug.

"So glad to see you," she says with a smile. I've always liked Portia. She seems to really care about Peeta, like Cinna does for me. I notice only Haymitch is out here now. Gale must have gone to the room with his family.

We still need to figure out the sleeping conditions. Peeta and I will most likely share a room, mine hopefully. I'll even let him open the window. Haymitch will sleep in his room, Gale and Rory in another, my mom and Prim in another, but that still leaves Hazelle and Posy.

We'll figure it out. Peeta and I are pulled back to our separate rooms, and the prepping process begins. Sadly.

My mother and Prim must be with Hazelle and Gale because they weren't in my room, nor Peeta's room. It has been a long week. I'm sure getting to finally spend a day not running from Mutts or walking through the woods is what everyone needed.

I just don't know if it's going to be so great for Peeta and I.

To say I wasn't ready for the prep team is an understatement. Cuts and bruises I've gotten throughout this small journey needed to be removed and covered. I can't imagine what Peeta's going through with his arm and back. His cuts were deep. The ointment they put on mine to remove them is thick and it burns, and mine are tiny in comparison to his.

My prep team swarms me with questions. Flavius, Octavia, and Venia can't get enough of me, it seems. I feel bad for being annoyed, they don't know better. They just want gossip, and things to talk about.

"Your hair has grown back nicely," Flavius says to me. I smile. I hated my hair after the Games. Fireballs singed my hair in some parts, so when we won the Games, Flavius had to cut most of it off so it could grow back healthily.

"And your nails aren't nearly as bad as they were before," Octavia says sincerely. "You haven't been biting them as much."

"I try not to, I remember how upset you were when you saw them the first time," I say. She smiles.

"I have barely any work to do this time, just some eyebrows," Venia says. "Your body hasn't grown any hair back."

Thank goodness.

When the prep team is finally done, Cinna comes in with my outfit. A sky blue dress that fades down at the bottom to a darkish gray. It's a message to President Snow.

The storm is over.

For now.

"It's beautiful Cinna," I say with a smile. It really is. I won't look like a symbol of rebellion in this dress. I'll look like a normal victor, one that just wants to live the rest of her life in peace.

I put on the dress and walk out to see Peeta in his gray suit with the same blue dress shirt. He looks amazing, and I'm glad we match. We look unified, like we're actually together. Like those berries saved us, not made the Capitol look bad. The rest of our group is out here as well.

"You both look stunning!" Effie says when she sees me. Peeta smiles and thanks her. "As much as I wish we could stay and chit chat, we are on a tight schedule! Let's move along children, we can't be late!"

"We'll be watching on the television," Prim says as Peeta and I start walking. I smile at her.

"Effie's loving every moment of this," Peeta whispers to me as we follow her. I wave bye to Prim and my mother as we step into the elevator. Haymitch pulls a flask out the second the door closes.

"I needed this," he says as he takes a few sips. "Refreshing."

"You need to stop drinking altogether," Peeta says sarcastically. "You don't want to fall off this stage like you did in 12."

"Or throw up all over yourself again," I chime in. Making fun of Haymitch is fun because he pretends he doesn't like it, but we both know he enjoys having us around just as much as we enjoy him around. In a weird, awkward way, he's like a father figure for the both of us.

"Very funny," he grumbles under his breath.

The elevator doors open, and we walk outside. There's a car waiting for us, with a crowd of Capitolites surrounding us. Screaming and cheering, like they didn't see us three hours ago. They keep their distance from Peeta, which makes me smile a little.

To say I'm nervous would be an understatement. If we mess this up, our families could die.

I don't even know if Peeta's family lived. I look over at him and see no expression on his face. It's such a drastic change from when he was reaped. He was crying and had no plans of hiding it. But now, you can't tell what he's thinking at all.

He's so much stronger than me. If I were in his shoes, I'd be such a mess. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I lost Prim.

"What are you thinking?" He asks me. I must've been staring.

"What do you think happened to your family?" I ask, not even thinking of the consequences. A rude question to ask, but I need to know.

"I don't know. I hope they made it, but there's no real way of telling until we go back to 12 and see for ourselves," he says.

"How do you do it?" I ask. He gives me a puzzling look, one that asks me to finish my thought. "How do you stay positive? After all that we've been through, after all we've seen, you're always so hopeful."

"Hope is all we have left," he says softly. "If you have no hope, you have nothing to live for."

I don't answer right away. I think about what he's said, what he means. I feel like he means something more than what he's said, but I don't know what, or why.

"Children, we're here!" Effie says from the front seat. "And right on time!"

"Oh, joy," Haymitch says, dripping with sarcasm.

"You could try to lighten up Haymitch," Effie says. "Maybe you need to loosen your corset and have a drink," she says, referencing what he said to her a few months ago.

"Trust me, he's had plenty of drinks," Peeta says sarcastically.

We follow Effie until we are under the stage. "Children, you'll both rise on the pedestal together this time. I know you were on separate pedestals last interview, but this time, we're changing it a little," Effie says.

"Sounds good," Peeta says. "Thank you guys."

"Don't thank us," Haymitch says. "Just perform. Don't fuck this up. And Katniss, if either of you mentions Gale, he's still your cousin."

"We won't," Peeta says as I nod at Haymitch. We step on the pedestal and wait. I wrap my arm around Peeta as it rises. Maybe it was for the cameras that await us, or maybe it is for myself. We hear the crowd before we see them.

Our heads peek over the stage was the pedestal continues to rise, until we can see Caesar. I tighten my arm around Peeta and take a deep breath.

It's showtime.

"Give it up for Peeta Mellark, the Baker's son, and Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire!" Caesar all but screams. The crowd roars as the pedestal clicks into place on the stage.

We walk, hand in hand, towards the loveseat in front of Caesar. I sit practically on Peeta, trying my best to make it look like we're in love without it looking fake. Maybe it isn't fake. I don't have time to figure it out right now.

"Thank you Caesar, it's so good to see you again," Peeta says with a smile as he shakes his hand.

"You as well," he replies. "Shall we get right into it?" He asks the crowd more than us. They roar once more, telling him the obvious answer.

"Then let's begin," Caesar says with a smile. "Peeta, Katniss, we're all dying to know what it's been like for you guys in District 12?"

"Well Caesar, to be completely honest with you, at first it was a little weird," Peeta starts off. "I mean, you go from sharing a room with your siblings to owning a whole entire house, you never have to worry about starving again… It was so new to us."

"And our relationship was new to us as well," I continue. "I didn't even know where to begin. I spent my whole life trying to survive, trying to keep my sister alive, and now I never have to worry about that again. So for Peeta and I, we decided to take it slowly."

"Each day feels like forever once you win the Games. You learn not to take things for granted. So some might say we took things slowly, but to me, we lived each day after we got off that train as best we could," Peeta says. "Katniss and I got to know each other a lot better, I got to know her family. I got to meet Primrose… I know exactly why Katniss volunteered for her at the reaping. And I know it may be early to be saying this, but I'd do anything to protect her, just as Katniss would."

The crowd cheers for Peeta as he finishes. I think back to him punching that Capitolite. He really will do anything to protect Prim, just as much as me.

"Peeta, I think you've proven that!" Caesar exclaims, getting the crowd even more into it. "Now, tell me, how did you guys even make it to the Capitol? From my understanding, District 12 is quite far from here!"

"Yes Caesar, you're right about that," I say to start. "Let's just say it wasn't easy. The mutts flooding the districts are not friendly. I feel bad for whatever tribute has to deal with them in the Games."

No, why did I say that? That was the wrong thing to say…

"It was a rough couple of days though," Peeta attempts to save me. "We used the tunnels for the trains to get out of District 12. No trains were left there, so we had to walk to District 11 and steal a train."

"Steal a train?" Caesar asks. "You can't make this up! Please, go on!"

"My little cousin, Vick…" I say, getting choked up as I do. It's hard thinking back to this. He may not have been my real cousin, but it still feels like it. "Vick died on our way to the train. The mutts got him when he tripped…"

The audience gasps. "It's hard looking back to that. You wish it wouldn't have been him, you wish you could take his place, but we can't," Peeta says as I try to stop myself from crying. "You can only live each day in honor of him. That's all you really can do…"

He wraps me in a hug and holds me as I cry into his arm. This isn't for the audience, but it will help.

Caesar, thankfully, gives me a moment to contain my emotions before continuing. "I'm so sorry," he says to me.

"It's okay," I say. "Like Peeta said, we have to live to honor the dead."

"We took the train to District 2, but somehow, the train blew up before we got there. Thankfully, nobody was injured, but my leg was mangled up," Peeta says as he rolls his pants up to show Caesar.

"Oh my," Caesar says, surprised.

"District 2 let us steal one of their trains, and the next day, we made it here," Peeta finishes. "You never notice how badly you miss something until you see it again."

"I know what you mean," I say to Peeta. "I didn't realize how badly I missed you after we won the Games, until I saw you on this very stage. It didn't even feel real, it felt like a dream. But if it's all been a dream, I pray I don't wake up any time soon…"

"And you say you don't have a way with words," Peeta says while laughing.

"Aren't they just the cutest?" Caesar asks the crowd. The crowd cheers in agreement.

"They are, indeed," a voice says from behind Caesar.

President Snow.

"President Snow, what an honor," I say as I stand up. Peeta follows my lead.

"The honor is all mine," he says. "I've come to invite you both to a party in the mansion, in two days. I normally save it for the Victory Tour, but you're here already, so I figured, what better way to celebrate your arrival than a party."

"Why, President Snow, we'd be honored," I say.

"And you may bring your family as well," he says. "I'm sure Primrose and my granddaughter will get along well."

"Thank you, President Snow," I say.

"No, thank you," Snow says as he walks off the stage. The audience cheers so loudly I can't hear.

"You heard it here first!" Caesar announces. "Peeta, Katniss, that's all the time we have today. Thank you for joining me, I can't wait to see you again!"

"Same to you, Caesar," Peeta replies.

We walk off the stage as the crowd screams in joy. We meet Effie and Haymitch behind the stage, and walk outside to our car.

"That was pretty good acting, Katniss," Haymitch says. "I didn't think you had it in you." I don't know whether to be offended or insulted, but I think that's just Haymitch's way of complimenting me. "I don't think Snow could possibly be displeased with that. You looked in love, you answered the questions right. I think our cards are looking pretty good."

"What cards, Haymitch, what cards?" Peeta asks sarcastically. This is like the third poker analogy he's made. For a man that doesn't even know how to play poker, that's a lot.

"You get my point," Haymitch replies. We arrive back to the Tribute Center and get in the elevator. Haymitch pressed number three instead of button twelve. I give him a puzzled look.

"You've been drinking way too much Haymitch," Peeta says as he goes to press the twelve.

"Just wait, I have a couple friends I need you to meet. District 3's Beetee Latier is the first on that list," Haymitch says as the door opens. Beetee's waiting for us already.

Beetee Latier. I don't know much about him, but I do know he's incredibly smart. Probably smarter than all three of us, combined. He won the 39th Games by electrocuting the remaining tributes. He may not be a fighter, but his brain did all the work for him.

"Haymitch, it's good to see you again. I'm glad you've arrived safely," Beetee says.

"Thanks for disabling those bombs," he says back. "I'm sure you've heard of them, but this is Katniss and Peeta."

"Hi," Peeta says in a way that makes me laugh.

"I've heard of them, you drunk," Beetee says back sarcastically. "It's nice to officially meet you two though. I've been waiting to finally see you guys in person."

"Beetee's a good friend of mine. A good friend. Someone you can trust with anything," Haymitch says. The way he says good friend makes me think this is a rebel… I'm guessing everyone Haymitch is about to introduce us to is one.

Peeta's come to the same conclusion I have. I can see it on his face.

"Alright Beetee, we gotta go meet Finnick and Johanna, but we'll catch up soon," Haymitch says. Beetee nods and says his goodbyes.

"Finnick's next," Haymitch says as he pressed button four in the elevator.

Finnick Odair. Charming, handsome, and deadly. Finnick won his games with his famous weapon, the trident. At only fourteen years old, he was reaped for the 65th Games, and was the youngest victor in Hunger Games history. Sponsors loved his looks, and the other Careers loved his fighting ability, making him a dangerous competitor.

During his Games, he got plenty of sponsor gifts, one being a trident. A very, very expensive trident. I think that may have been one of the most expensive gifts I've seen a tribute receive.

The door to the elevator opens, showing Finnick and a woman I recognize. Annie Cresta.

"Finnick, Annie, it's so good to see you guys again," Haymitch says as he gives Annie a hug, and Finnick a handshake.

"Well look what the cat dragged in," Finnick says to me as he walks over. "Sugar cube?" Finnick asks, inviting Peeta and me to take one from his hand.

"I'm actually on a diet," I reply dryly.

"Play nice, Katniss," Peeta says to me jokingly.

"I'm sure we'll be in touch," Finnick says to both of us. "Probably very soon."

"Maybe not," I reply back. I don't know what he's playing at, but I'm not having it.

"Maybe so," Haymitch says in a way that tells me we will be in contact for sure. "We still have to go meet Johanna though. I just want to get the introductions out of the way. We'll be around, Finnick. It was nice seeing you, Annie."

"Nice seeing you all," Annie says. Finnick nods in agreement, and gives a weird smile to Peeta and I. One that says he knows something we don't.

It seems we don't know much because clearly Haymitch is hiding something from us.

We get back on the elevator and go to floor seven. Johanna Mason is next.

Johanna Mason. District 7, Victor of the 71st Hunger Games. She comes from the lumber district, so axes are a skill she has mastered. And it showed in the arena. I actually remember watching these Games. She pretended to be a weak tribute, luring in her enemies to get close enough to kill them with her axes. It was an interesting, yet very effective strategy. The Career tributes were stupid enough that year to fall for it.

The elevator door opens, revealing Johanna Mason. A little too much of Johanna Mason, if you ask me.

"Put a shirt on Johanna, you've got company," Haymitch says, even though he's eying her up himself.

"Nothing you all haven't seen before," she replies back. "Besides, the only one that really seems to mind is Katniss."

I look over at Peeta and see him trying not to blush.

"Put a shirt on," Haymitch says back. Johanna mumbles something before she turns around and goes to her room to get a shirt.

"Peeta!" I whisper at him when she finally makes it to the room. "How dare you!"

"What!" He whispers back. "I didn't even look!"

"I'm sure you didn't," I sarcastically whisper. Haymitch is just laughing at us. Johanna comes back with more clothes on.

"Better?" Johanna asks, staring at me.

"Yes, a lot better," I reply.

"So Johanna, how'd you get to the Capitol?" Haymitch asks. "I know Finnick and Beetee were here already, doing Capitol work, but you were in 7, weren't you?"

"Yes," Johanna starts. "To be honest, the mutts barely hit District 7. Not like 12, I'm assuming. There was no need for me to come here," she says. "Beetee called me after Snow's broadcast and asked me to come to the Capitol. At first I told him to fuck off, but he convinced me. Says that the mutts are just the beginning…"

"I figured that much," Haymitch says. "Anyone else come with you?"

"Blight's in his room," she says. "But other than him, no one else believed me. They thought I was going crazy, like Annie."

"Okay," Haymitch says. "Okay, we'll be in touch."

"That's all?" Johanna asks.

"Just wanted you to meet the kids," Haymitch replies. "See you soon Jo'."

We say our goodbyes and leave, riding the elevator to floor twelve. An… interesting night is all I can describe it as. Why did we need to meet them?

"So are we allowed to know?" I ask. I know we can't say much, so I keep my question random.

"Nope," Haymitch replies. I figured. We get to our floor and go to our rooms to get rid of these clothes. Cinna makes beautiful dresses, but I hate wearing them for so long. It gets sweaty and itchy, and my calves start to hurt.

Everyone is on the couch still when we come back out in more comfortable clothes. They were all watching us on the television.

"You guys did amazing," Prim says. My mother and Hazelle nod in agreement. "You really meant what you said about me Peeta?"

"Every word, Prim," he says with a small smile. "No one's gonna mess with you, not with Katniss, me and Gale all watching over you."

Gale, although still upset about the whole situation, still gives a small smile. Prim is everyone's soft spot. She makes everyone happy, no matter their mood before.

"So guys, has anyone ever watched a movie?" Peeta asks our group. I smile when he says it. I know my family hasn't, and I doubt Gale's family has either. Posy looks so confused. "I'll take that as a no."

Peeta goes over to the cabinets below the television and searches for a movie we can all watch. Eventually, he finds one that Posy can watch too. It may be a little childish for the adults, but Peeta wants it to be something we can all do together. I agree with him completely.

I don't know why, but I feel like Peeta's a part of our big, messed up family somehow. It feels so right, having him here with us. Same with Haymitch. It used to just be the Everdeen's and the Hawthorne's, but adding those two makes me even happier.

We sit and watch the movie until it's over. When it finally is, Posy is asleep, along with Prim.

"Posy, it's time for bed," Hazelle says to Posy. Gale picks Posy up and carries her to one of the rooms. Rory and Hazelle follow them. I guess there is enough room for all four of them in one bedroom, as long as Gale sleeps on the couch in there and Rory on the chair.

"Prim, I think it's your turn to wake up," I whisper to her. "It's time to go to our rooms."

Peeta goes over and picks Prim up, almost effortlessly, and carries her to bed. He's like the big brother she never got, and it makes me happy to see them like this.

"Alright Prim, down you go," Peeta says as he puts her down gently on the bed. My mother comes and tucks her in, before getting in bed herself. "Goodnight guys."

"Goodnight Peeta, goodnight Katniss," my mother says back.

We quietly close the door and go to our own room. Haymitch is already in his room with the door closed and lights off.

"I'm surprised he even stayed up to watch the movie," I say.

"He won't admit it, but we're like family to him at this point. He's become attached to us, which means that all of our family and friends come with it," I say. "He might not like it, but it's true. He loves us," I say sarcastically.

"I'm kind of glad we're here," Peeta says. "It took a lot of fighting for us to make it here, but I'm glad we made it."

"Me too Peeta," I whisper. I lean in and give him a kiss on the cheek. "Let's get showered and ready for bed."

He laughs before he says, "Sounds like a plan."

He showers first since he takes shorter showers than me, and I shower second. I come out and grab one of his shirts, and put the same pants I had back on. I jump in the bed with him and immediately curl into his side.

"You ready for Snow's party?" I ask when I get comfortable.

"No," he says quietly. "I have a bad feeling about it."

"Me too," I say. "Haymitch isn't telling us anything. I feel like something worse is going on that we don't know about…"

"Yeah," Peeta whispers. "We'll figure it out when the time comes. Let's get some sleep."

"Goodnight," I whisper. He whispers it back, kisses my hair, and we both fall asleep.

A/N: Thanks for reading, please review :) -JayOnFF