"How about this?" Gloss held up an outfit option for Taiya to see.

Taiya huffed as she turned to look at him. "Gloss, don't be a dick," she rolled her eyes before she turned back to the wardrobe and continued rifling through clothes.

"I'm just saying," he persisted, holding the outfit up again. "If you want to sneak out, this is the way to go. No one will see the District 13 uniform and think, oh, there goes Taiya Odair sneaking out. Everyone's heard you complain, no one would think it was you wearing it."

"I'd stick out like a sore thumb in that ridiculous uniform. I'd be the only person in the whole Capitol wearing it. It's just asking to be noticed, we're trying to blend in Gloss. Plus it's way too big."

"Right," he conceded with a sigh as he dropped the ugly boiler suit and walked back to the wardrobe. "You're right; it might be too obvious. Who's room are we even in?" he asked as he looked around.

They'd been scouting out random abandoned bedrooms for the past two days, trying to find outfits they could use as a disguise.

Gloss had hit the jackpot in the first room. Whoever had lived in that room before must've had trouble growing a beard, and also was likely bald. There was a whole collection of fake beards and wigs. Put those on, and Gloss was just about unrecognisable. Taiya was not having the same luck. Everything they'd found was outrageous Capitol party clothes, not a very subtle option, and she was very quickly getting frustrated.

"This is crazy," Taiya pulled out a dress. "This looks like a cupcake, who would wear that," Taiya held up a frilly dress.

"I could go for a cupcake," Gloss mumbled to himself as he walked into the bathroom. "Hey!" he sang as he spotted something in a drawer. "Check it out," he waved a pack of pills in the air. "We found the party room." Taiya walked closer and took the foil packet out of Gloss' hands to read the back.

"They're not party pills," she snorted as she pushed the packet back into his chest.

"What do you mean?" he asked as he read the label. He had no idea what it was.

"Gloss. Those are male birth control pills," she placed her hands on her hips in frustration. Gloss was being particularly annoying this morning.

"Oh," he mumbled as he turned them back around. "Well, hey, they look brand new. Why don't you take them?"

"Gloss!"

"What? It's a good idea, we don't need any demon spawns running around the Capitol when we have revenge to plan," he waved the packet at her.

"Gloss," she pushed it back. "I don't need them."

"You already have some?"

"No," Taiya glared.

"Female birth control pills?"

"No."

"Then take them!"

"I know how not to get pregnant, Gloss!"

"Celibacy?"

"I'm newly married, trust me Gloss, I am not celibate."

"Oh good grief," someone groaned from behind her. Her eyes blew wide open as she slowly turned around to see Buck standing there, shaking his head in despair. "Why is it always me who has to hear this stuff?" he tipped his head up to the ceiling.

"You knew he was there?" Taiya hissed back at Gloss who eagerly nodded with a grin. "I hate you."

"Why can it never be Tyler?" Buck moaned to himself. "He gets to live in blissful ignorance."

"Hey Buckaroo," Taiya smiled awkwardly. "Whatcha doing here?"

"This is my room," he dropped his head to look at her. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking… for you," Taiya slowly answered.

"You didn't know this was my room," he crossed his arms sceptically. "What are you really doing?"

Taiya looked nervously back at Gloss. They didn't want anyone to know what they were really up to.

Here came the waterworks.

"I was just exploring," Taiya let the tears cascade maniacally down her cheeks. "I'm sorry Buck," she sobbed, dropping her head into her hands. "I thought the room was abandoned. I'm really sorry. I'm just trying to stay busy. If I stay in my room I think about Kenna and Rommy. And then I think about how no one can find them and I panic and I cry. I just want to find my friends and they're gone," she held onto the bathroom counter as her legs shook dramatically.

Gloss let out an exaggerated huff. "Look what you've done, Buck. You've set her off," he played along with her act. The melodramatics were better than their plans getting found out.

"It's ok, it's ok," Buck panicked as he raced forward. "Oh crap," he groaned as the girl continued sobbing. Tyler was going to be livid when he found out he'd made Taiya cry. "You're fine," he grasped onto her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

"AH!" Taiya yelped, pulling away from him quickly, her false tears coming to an abrupt halt. "What the hell, Buck!" Her shoulder was still sensitive from the healing process. The main damage was healed, thanks to the Capitol's excellent medical capabilities, but it was still sore.

"Oh crap!" Buck quickly released her shoulder and put his hands on his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe he'd done that. "Oh no… I'm sorry."

"Seriously man," Taiya scolded, rolling her shoulder around as she tried to fidget out the pins and needles of pain.

"Please don't tell Tyler," Buck pleaded.

Tyler was not to be messed with right now. He was grumpy as all hell.

The day Taiya had been released from the hospital and transported to the President's Mansion was the same day Tyler went up to Plutarch and Coin and inquired about the whereabouts of Kenna and Romulus.

He wasn't happy with the answer he got.

Hearing that there was 'no sign' of the District 4 girl was not something he would accept. They were rebel allies. Romulus has been feeding District 13 information at his own risk. The fact they'd given up and put next to no effort into finding them made him irate.

He only got madder when he gave Taiya and Finnick the update and he had to watch as Taiya burst into tears. Kenna and Romulus had helped keep her safe, and now they were missing.

He and Finnick had been going out each day looking for them. They'd gone into all the apartments near Romulus'. They couldn't find any trace of them. Tyler as a result had been stomping around the mansion in the evenings like a ticking time bomb.

Buck did not want to be the one to set him off.

"That hurt, Buck," Taiya glared at her friend.

"Please, please don't tell Tyler," Buck's eyes were wide as he shook his head.

"I'll do you a deal?" Taiya smirked.

"Oh no," Buck's body slumped. This was a lose-lose situation. Strike a deal with Taiya, who let's face it, was obviously up to no good, or face the wrath of an explosive Tyler. "What's the deal?"

"Gloss and I feel like a walk," Taiya bargained. "We're not up to anything. We've just been cooped up here a little long. And we don't want a supervisor," she smiled innocently.

Plutarch never told Coin what Taiya and Gloss had done to him back in 13, but he did mandate that they weren't allowed outside the President's mansion together without supervision. They couldn't be trusted not to cause havoc, and from what he could see, Coin had both victors in her sights, she knew they'd gotten up to no good in 13. Taiya knew the streets of the Capitol well enough that she could probably creep around undetected for a while, and Plutarch did not want two destructive victors gallivanting around when they were trying to restore order to the city. If they messed up even once, Coin would be on them.

Naive little Plutarch had said that the two older District 4 men could be trusted to supervise them both. Foolish Plutarch. Tyler would wield that responsibility properly, but Buck was about as sturdy as a house of cards. If they bullied him just right, he'd let them sneak out unsupervised.

"Fine," he agreed, albeit slightly apprehensively. "You probably only have a couple hours though," he ran a hand down his face. "You make sure you're back before Tyler, I don't want any of the blame. And for the love of god, please do not get caught!"

"You got it, Buckaroo," Taiya smiled widely. "We shall catch you later," she skipped out of the bathroom before immediately stopping as she glanced at the cupcake dress she'd dropped on the ground. "Hey Buck?" she called back to him, lifting the dress that had belonged to the room's previous occupant. "You should use this dress as design inspiration for your next cake, I'm sure Peeta will help."

"Hey that's not a bad idea," he tilted his head as he studied it.

"What about those pills, man?" Gloss gestured to the packet he'd left in the bathroom. "They yours?"

Taiya slowly turned her head to look at him. She did not want to hear the answer.

"No," Buck bluntly answered. "Get out before I change my mind."

"So why are we looking for Tiger McTiger face?" Gloss asked as they crept through the side alleys of the Capitol.

"That nickname sucks."

"I know," Gloss reluctantly agreed.

"We're looking for Tigris because according to the hospital computer's last address for Creed, she lives right around the corner. If Creed's been wandering the streets, Tigris will tell us."

"Are you sure she'll tell us?"

"Tigris is as much a victim of Snow's as we are," Taiya vaguely answered. Tigris had confided in her when she was vulnerable, but it wasn't her story to tell. "Trust me, she'll help us get Creed," Taiya smiled as she rounded the corner and knocked on the door to Tigris' shop.

"Hey, did Buck actually hurt your shoulder or was that part of the act?" Gloss asked, even now he wasn't sure. He could always spot her fake tears, but her little irritable or angry snaps, he was never sure how real those were.

"It hurt," Taiya sulked. "I still can't believe they shipped Dale off to District 2 before I got my shot at him. Life is so unfair."

"Well he was a dead man walking here," Gloss pointed out, not missing the glare Taiya shot his way. "What? I'm not wrong. Keeping him around here was as good as signing his death warrant, no wonder they shipped him out. Just get him when he comes back. With Katniss holed up in her room here, he'll be back."

Before Taiya could retort, the front door to the shop opened to reveal Tigris.

The woman's eyes widened when she saw Taiya and Gloss standing there. She'd had to go up to the mansion each time she wanted to visit her former tribute, she knew the girl wasn't meant to be wandering around the city.

"Get inside," Tigris ushered them in.

"Thank you," Taiya popped as she ducked inside.

"You two aren't meant to be outside," Tigris looked around the street, relieved to see no one about.

"We got permission," Taiya tried to defend.

"You have permission?" Tigris frowned, she didn't believe that for a moment.

"From Buck." Even Taiya seemed nervous about saying that. He wasn't exactly a model of responsibility.

Tigris just hissed as she dropped her head.

"You haven't heard anything about Romulus have you?" Taiya asked. The stylist had promised to keep her ear to the ground.

"No," Tigris shook her head. "You're here about Creed?"

"How did she know that?" Gloss whispered to Taiya.

"She wouldn't have brought you if it wasn't about Creed," Tigris answered. "What do you want to know?"

"Stupid, stupid, stupid Creed," Taiya grumbled to herself as they walked down the alley. "What if there's Creed cooties embedded in my shoulder now, Gloss? I'll never be able to get those out!"

She couldn't believe Lucius Creed had been the doctor that had helped her down in Tigris' basement - the same doctor that Gale had held at gunpoint to force him to save her life. Stupid Dale couldn't do anything right! He let Creed live.

"You know, if Gale shot Creed, I might just have forgiven him for shooting me!" Taiya loudly declared.

"No you wouldn't have," Gloss countered, not even looking over at her as he continued to weave through the alley. "And grumble quieter, someone will hear you."

"Yeah, you're right. Forgive Dale? Not bloody likely. You deserve to take Creed out, no one else."

"Declare that any louder. Please. I dare you," Gloss scowled. They were meant to be sneaking around quietly and Taiya's loud complaints were going to expose them.

"I'm just mad! He was right there and he got away."

"Yeah, well, if they'd offed him, then he wouldn't have been able to save you. But then again, if he didn't save you, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. So perhaps it's a toss-up."

"Hey, rude," Taiya scowled.

They went to cross the street when Gloss spotted them.

"Oh shit!" he yelped, clapping his hand over Taiya's mouth and dragging her back into the alley with him.

He'd spotted Finnick and Tyler walking down the street.

Gloss pressed himself against the alley wall, but it was hard to stay inconspicuous with his size. His hulking figure wasn't exactly built for stealthy hiding.

Tyler didn't seem to notice them though. He continued stomping down the street obliviously.

Finnick, however, had seen them. When he and Tyler walked past the alley, he snuck a look down there, his eyes widening and he let out an audible groan as he spotted the familiar mop of blonde hair peeking out around Gloss before quickly pulling back to hide.

"Do you think they saw us?" Taiya whispered to Gloss.

Gloss just slowly looked down at her with an expression of disbelief. "Yes!"

"Oh crap," she groaned. "Are we in for another lecture?"

"I think Tyler's in for a breakdown," Gloss grimaced. He could've sworn he'd spotted a grey hair or two appear on the victor's head. "Come on," Gloss grabbed Taiya's elbow and yanked her into a run. "We have to run if we're going to beat them back."

"I'm going to check on Taiya," Finnick declared as soon as they stepped inside the mansion. He didn't even wait for a response from Tyler before he was zooming off in the direction of their bedroom.

"Bye then," Tyler muttered to himself as he watched the boy's hasty departure. Tyler watched Finnick's retreating figure speed walk down the hallway before he burst into a run as soon as he turned the corner and thought he was out of Tyler's sight. That kid was lovesick.

Tyler didn't know whether to roll his eyes or smile. He could go for a drink though. It'd been a rough few weeks, and he hated to admit it, but he was losing hope.

There was still no sign of Kenna anywhere. She was the last member left of the District 4 collective that he needed to round up before he could run away from the Capitol with them all.

He didn't care about seeing Snow's execution. Plutarch had been trying to use that as an incentive to keep them around. Tyler saw no need to witness it firsthand. They could watch it on TV in the comfort of their living rooms at home where they'd all be safe.

Plutarch wanted to parade the married District 4 couple around like show ponies and Tyler was having none of it. Could the pair help sway the Capitol citizens to support the new government? Probably. But Tyler had had enough of watching those kids be used for political gain.

Taiya was reaching her breaking point as well. Keeping her cooped up inside the mansion was just creating more cause for her to act out as she grew more restless. She hadn't voiced it directly, but she despised being in the mansion, he knew it. It was where they'd filmed her interviews when she was held captive, and now Plutarch was, even if it was not his intention, keeping her captive again, all with the goal of not upsetting Coin.

"Hey Buck," Tyler greeted the older man as he watched him step around the corner.

"Ah," Buck stammered before he quickly spun on his heel and sped away.

"Oh crap," Tyler muttered to himself, rubbing his temples. Nothing was ever simple. With a heavy sigh, he pivoted and strode in the direction Finnick had vanished. What had she done now?

Tyler rapped loudly on the Odair's bedroom door, hearing stumbling footsteps before the door creaked open slightly.

"Tyler, hey, what's up?" Finnick greeted him with a nervous smile.

"Is Taiya in there?" Tyler inquired, eyeing Finnick suspiciously.

"Yeah," Finnick nodded. Liar.

"Buck just bolted away from me. Seemed suspicious," he crossed his arm.

Finnick chuckled breathlessly. "Weird guy, that one."

"Agreed," Tyler falsely smiled. "Where's Taiya?"

"Um, asleep," Finnick stuttered, stealing a quick glance behind him. "Yep."

Tyler tried to look around Finnick, but the man countered that by rising on his tip-toes, blocking the view.

"Look," Finnick opened the door for a second before he pulled it back again. "Asleep."

Tyler caught a glimpse of a lump in the bed. It suspiciously resembled a pile of pillows under the duvet.

"Finnick."

"She's asleep!"

Taiya and Gloss stood frozen at the end of the hall, their eyes wide as they watched Tyler and Finnick arguing. There was no way they could just walk up and pretend they'd just been elsewhere in the mansion, Finnick was swearing black and blue that Taiya was in the room asleep.

Gloss motioned Taiya over to a nearby bedroom and opened the door, allowing them to slip in.

"What are you doing?" a familiar, drunken voice slurred.

"What's up, Haymitch," Taiya greeted him guiltily.

"What did you two do?" he asked, pouring himself another drink.

"Took a perfectly innocent stroll," Taiya confessed. "Nothing suspicious at all."

Haymitch lowered his glass as he looked at her, wordlessly demanding further details.

"I went to visit Tigris," Taiya admitted. It wasn't a lie. She may not have gone for a fun catch-up but she did visit. It was a very successful day out, Tigris had assured them that she would investigate if Creed was still lurking around the area. That way the two victors could try to take him by surprise. "Can we use your balcony?"

"No."

"Thanks," Taiya dashed over to the balcony. Haymitch's room was right beside hers.

"I could toss you across?" Gloss offered.

"No thanks," Taiya immediately rejected the idea. The balconies weren't connected, so she would have to manoeuvre her way across somehow, but she did not want to be catapulted across by Gloss.

"I'm a good throw."

"No!" she glared at him. "Just help me balance while I climb across."

"This seems like a dumb way to die."

"It's a very dumb way to die," Taiya admitted. "But this is less scary than facing a Tyler lecture right now," Taiya let out a shaky breath as she climbed over the railing on Haymitch's balcony. "Hold onto me," she instructed Gloss as she turned around to face her balcony.

Gloss grabbed onto her waist for support. "Hey, if you kick the bucket, can I have your piano?"

"Why do you want my piano?" Taiya asked as she gauged the distance.

"I've always wanted a piano," he shrugged.

"Then buy one?"

"I don't want to go shopping."

"Ugh, whatever, sure, you can have it. You got me?"

"Yeah, yeah. I've got you."

"Ok," Taiya reached her hand out, but she couldn't quite reach the bannister. "Lean me out a bit," she directed and Gloss slowly leaned her forward until she could grab on. "Okay, keep ahold and I'm going to try to swing my leg out… GLOSS!" she yelped when he shook her a bit.

"Just a joke."

"Not a funny one," she snapped, swinging her foot out onto the balcony base before hauling herself fully onto that side. "Not funny at all," she grumbled as she clambered over the balustrade.

Just as she fully climbed over, they heard a throat clearing from below them.

Both Gloss and Taiya froze. They'd been caught red-handed. They cautiously peeked down to see Johanna and Peeta gazing up at them from the ground.

"Hey," Taiya greeted nervously.

"I thought Peeta was going to have to try to catch you then," Johanna remarked.

"I'm nimble," Taiya chuckled nervously.

There was a few moments of silence. Peeta was looking between Johanna and Taiya, completely perplexed by what he'd just seen.

"I'm not asking," Johanna shook her head.

"I'm not telling," Taiya countered.

"Deal," Johanna nodded. In her mind, the matter was settled. "See you tonight?"

"Count on it!" Taiya shot her a thumbs up.

"Let's go, Peeta," Johanna pulled Peeta's arm.

"But she…"

"Don't worry about it."

"Taiya," Gloss waved at her. "Bed hair."

"Thanks," she nodded as she reached up and pulled out strands of her hair, ruffling it about so it looked like she'd been sleeping. "I'll let you know when the coasts clear," she winked at him before quietly opening the balcony door and stepping into her room.

"Tyler, trust me. She's fast asleep," Finnick persisted, he was still bargaining with Tyler.

"I don't know how she could be with all this racket," Tyler retorted.

"Don't you trust me, Tyler?" Finnick prodded.

"Sometimes, but not all the time."

"That hurts man, that really hurts."

Taiya crept over to the bed and tossed back the covers, removing the pillows Finnick had artfully arranged to resemble her sleeping form and hid them under the bed.

"Tyler?" Taiya mumbled sleepily as she approached the back of Finnick, resting her chin on his shoulder. "You ok?" she yawned.

"Where were you?" Tyler demanded, his suspicion evident.

"Huh?"

"Did you do something you weren't meant to?"

"I was just taking a nap," Taiya blinked a few times.

"A nap?" Tyler questioned, his eyes narrowing. "Are you sure?"

"Uh… yeah?" Taiya nodded, shooting Finnick a puzzled glance. "You doing ok, Tyler? Do you need to sit down?"

"No," Tyler sighed, dropping his hands from his hips. He couldn't believe he had been so wrong. "I'm just going to… yeah I might go and lie down in my room."

"Ok…" she nodded.

"Yeah. I'm going to do that," Tyler let out an exhausted sigh before turning and walking away.

As soon as he was out of sight, Finnick closed the door and moved over to the bed, flinging himself face-first down onto it with a groan.

"I don't even want to know," he moaned, rolling onto his back. "I'm sweating, my heart is racing," he fanned his shirt up and down.

"Thanks for the assist, love!" she tapped his knee quickly before racing out to the balcony and giving Gloss a quick thumbs up.

"How did you even get in here?" Finnick asked as she walked back into the room.

"Um…" Taiya hesitated, he wasn't going to like the answer. "I climbed across from Haymitch's balcony," she chuckled lightly, rubbing the back of her neck.

"You what!" Finnick's eyes widened and he leapt up and raced outside. "OH MY GOD!" he yelled before coming back inside. "Taiya!"

"But it worked," she shrugged.

"You could've fallen!" he exclaimed.

"Like you fell off the ladder?" her eyes brightened at the opportunity to tease him.

"You and Gloss have got to let that go. I can climb ladders just fine. I was pulled off and that's not my fault," Finnick corrected as he ran a hand down his face.

"I'm sorry," Taiya said softly, stepping forward to wrap her arms around him, slipping her hands into his back pockets.

"You can't distract me right now. I'm too stressed," he murmured, dropping his forehead against hers.

"It's working though, isn't it?" she smiled.

"Yeah," he leaned forward to peck her lips. "Yeah, it's working."

ShiaraS46: I love Tyler so much!

Musical1Booklover: THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Mim31: Tyler est tellement gentil ! Il mérite de bonnes choses

Guest: Thank you! Trauma is hard