Author's Note: The mentor's side to District Six's eventual victory. It's been such a long wait for Poppy, I had to document the moment for her.

….

Relief

Poppy always dreaded the Reaping. It was the day she met the two unlucky children she would inevitably escort to their deaths. She would find out the identity of their killers in the children's presence too as they looked to her for advice which made it even worse.

She was lucky District Six knew that it was not her fault. Haymitch in Twelve had not had that luxury for twenty-four years and now the blame was shared amongst the three victors. But Six did not see it that way. They placed the blame on everyone but Poppy and almost instinctively knew that the skillset of their tributes often gave her very little to work with.

But when she saw the boy she would mentor in the Eighty-Seventh Annual Hunger Games, an eighteen-year-old named Cameron Carter, she thought that this year might be different. Poppy did not want to get ahead of herself, but this was someone who instantly had victor potential. She hated how quick she was to see the boy like that, that she was relieved it was him and not the male equivalent of this year's girl. It could easily come to the same ending she had seen for thirty-three years. But she could not hide the feeling that this year could finally be the year.

Poppy watched his mother and sister approach to say their goodbyes and observed them keenly as they stood near her. She never normally listened in on these private conversations but this year, she did. They were poor, that was obvious from their appearance and the regular demographic of those reaped in Six. But Cameron was the family's main provider, and his reaping was a disaster for them. She also found that he was no stranger to resorting to illegality to ensure his sister was adequately fed and Poppy felt her confidence increase again. She, along with many of the other mentors, had found that often provided an advantage in an arena and it was always useful to know that she would not be dealing with a staunch Capitol loyalist. The boy had a reason to come home. He adored his sister; she adored him back and he had a close relationship with his mother. His father was evidently not in the picture so she would have been both parents to him.

This was all something Poppy could work with. She hated analysing familial relations and trying to strip their lives back to what would help in an arena, but she could not help herself. She knew she was intruding too but turned the other way and processed her thoughts as the door opened and Cameron said goodbye.

He was ready to face her before the girl so she approached him, firmly shook his hand, and told him they would get started on the train. He sat firm and silent next to her in the car and ignored their escort which Poppy was secretly impressed by. It took a great deal of resolve to sit expressionless as she wittered on about the apparent joys of the tribute train.

Poppy watched both tributes as they started to eat whilst the train moved across Panem. The girl seemed most taken with the cupcakes, so Poppy made sure she had some in front of her to distract her during the Reaping. The food was too rich for Cameron and Poppy watched as he placed a hand on his stomach and pushed his plate away. She made a mental note to request some plain toast later. It would be no good for Cameron to forgo food over the coming days.

She took in the other children as the Reaping was shown. Her boy was bigger than Two's boy and the prospect lifted Poppy further. There would be options to present to Cameron if he needed her assistance with strategy. She was not going to tell him what to do, however. He had been providing for his family for quite some time; he could make decisions that kept his relatives alive, and he deserved to be treated with respect and have her confidence in him show.

Cameron surprised her when he did not outright reject her suggestion of approaching the career alliance. He reported back after training about his observations and Poppy left the decision to him. She had asked him to be observant, not only about the other tributes but also for potential clues about the arena.

Poppy had a training plan outlined for the tributes if they wanted some guidance and she was pleasantly surprised that Cameron had followed it. She always advised weapons first, at least for a couple of stations, so the children could present themselves as willing fighters. She did not want the children under her care to simply accept what the arena would throw at them. She had taken control of her arena and was looking for somebody to do the same.

It appeared Cameron had approached the volunteers and presented some of his skillset, leaving his full strength and potential for the Gamemakers. He then tended to the survival stations and Poppy did not like what she heard. All signs pointed to a cold arena, with scarce food sources. She was going to need the support of the Capitol's sponsors to bring Cameron home.

Poppy was under the Capitol's spotlight in a way she had not been for years. The thought of increased attention concerned her. There was always the risk of being sold quietly, away from the publicity that surrounded the younger victors. She had spent years attempting to fade and appear boring, but she did not want to risk her strategy undermining Cameron. As she was getting ready for the sponsors' champagne reception, Poppy knew this year had to be different. She would need the sponsors to approach her. This could not be another year spent pretending to be dull. Her trusted stylist had also realised the efforts they needed to go to and presented Poppy with her favourite outfit in years.

For the first time in over a decade, there was significant attention on her from the second she entered the room. Poppy could feel the eyes of the Capitol's most influential fall on her as she steadied herself to pull out all the stops to help Cameron. Whilst the sponsors would usually flock to the volunteers, they immediately ventured in her direction. She was going to have to put her concerns to the back of her mind. She looked great and Cameron needed her best efforts.

She watched as Linden and Blight entered the room. Her partner's eyes landed on her immediately and the corners of his mouth lifted. Poppy mirrored Linden's glance at her as she looked approvingly at him and watched as he went to bat for Seven's tributes. It was their thirtieth anniversary so it was a real shame she would be so busy this year.

As the morning of the first day arrived, Poppy sat in the Mentors' Centre with more than enough money to support her tributes through the opening stages unless any dire emergency occurred. Her efforts had inadvertently helped her girl too and even though Poppy would have to prioritise if it came to it, she would not deny the girl the sponsor funds held for her directly. Cameron had sponsorship amounts far greater than the girl's funds, but thanks to Poppy's efforts with old friends of Claudia's, there were always some people willing to sponsor Six's girl.

But Poppy would not have to balance the competing needs of her tributes this year. The girl fell to Four's girl in the opening moments. Poppy allowed herself to acknowledge the loss and prepared the letter she wrote to the children's families each year when the inevitable occurred.

Then it was back to the game. Cameron was alive and had mirrored Poppy's efforts from three decades ago. He too had killed two others at the bloodbath and had found a secure hiding place.

To her surprise, Katniss Everdeen sat down beside her, "You go to the sponsors, I can watch."

Poppy looked at her quizzically.

"Don't look surprised. You've been helping me for years, it's about time I repaid the favour."

Six's victor smiled, offered her gratitude, and left to see the sponsors accordingly. She was going to have the support of the others and it would be another weight lifted from her shoulders. This was not going to be her fight alone.

The support continued that evening at the sponsors' ball. Her stylist had upgraded an older black, velvet dress for her and when Poppy saw Linden and Blight, she noticed them in matching black velvet dinner jackets. She had no idea how they had planned that, but she appreciated the gesture. Later that evening she heard Halley with Orion at her side suggesting to one of their favoured sponsors that Cameron was worth betting on. Cecelia and Calista were also putting in the effort given that only Calico's tribute from their district remained alive.

Poppy was trying not to get ahead of herself, but it was clear that she had a candidate that many of the other victors saw potential in. Hearing District Six as the buzzword on people's lips was strange. Everyone wanted to talk to her, and she spent an exhausting evening getting all the funds she could for Cameron.

She would need those funds sooner than she would have liked once Cameron met half of the splintered volunteer pack. Unsurprisingly, given the events of the previous Games, the alliance had split violently, resulting in the death of District Two's girl. But One's tributes along with Four's boy were united and ready for a fight.

But Cameron fought back with a ferocity that surprised even him. Poppy could see her shock reflected in Cameron's face when he looked at the pair from One on the floor, bleeding bright red into the snow, as Four's boy fled in a hurry. She felt sick as she thought their chances were about to end prematurely and her hope was rapidly fading. But in a flurry of flailing limbs that she could barely make out, Cameron had emerged victorious, albeit heavily injured. She needed to recover from the shock and respond immediately.

She used a huge portion of her funds to provide the salve to begin to heal many of his wounds and managed to send in bandages and later, a small number of painkillers. But she knew she would have to return to the sponsors to replenish her funds.

Once her shock had subsided, Poppy acted the part of a triumphant mentor returning to greet the crowds of well-wishers in the sponsors' hall. She hated the charade, knowing that only moments ago, the same Capitol onlookers who now wished Cameron well would have been cheering at the prospect of his death. But it was a story she could spin. District Six was beating the odds. What looked like a losing battle became a decisive victory for her boy.

The narrative was cemented the following day when Cameron found the boy from Four, killed him with his bare hands and took the weapons from his body. Poppy was able to reward him with a proper meal and a pair of gloves in the hope of avoiding frostbite.

At the same time, Finnick walked past her seat and whispered that he was securing the transfer of the boy's outstanding funds to her, and she ought not to worry for the remainder of the Games. The others had chosen Cameron as the victor, and she would have their support in bringing him out alive.

It was a nerve-wracking few days where Cameron stayed on the move in the snow between hiding places, evading more mutts and the remaining tributes. But everyone knew it would only be a matter of time before the Gamemakers started setting up the finale. Katniss had remained at Poppy's side and was seated alongside her when the first snow drifts destroyed Cameron's hiding place and brought him closer to the other tributes. He killed the boy from Five on his way to meet the boy from Two and Poppy knew that this was finally going to be her district's moment.

She met Lyme's eyes from across the Mentors' Centre and Two's woman winked at her and laughed as Poppy shook her head. She was playing both sides as usual. Poppy did not know how the others from Two had not yet figured Lyme out. But she knew Lyme well and knew that she was also supporting Cameron from the shadows of her position.

The final fight was everything the audience expected and everything Poppy was dreading. It was long and bloody with both tributes hardly able to stand as they grappled at each other, vying to put an end to the Games. Poppy did not realise she had been holding her breath until she could feel Linden's voice at the nape of her neck telling her to breathe. She could feel Katniss' hand in hers and knew that Halley and Cecelia were at each shoulder. Cameron had the weight of the victors with him.

Poppy wanted Cameron to win badly. She did not know at what point he became her boy, but now his position was cemented in a way that no other child had been. She would be devasted if he did not make it through the final fight. She had confidence in him like she had in no previous tribute in over a decade, and she was proud that they had managed to get this far. But Poppy could not entertain failing now, not when having a victor was finally in her grasp. Not when another child from home could finally make it back.

By the end of the fight, Poppy had tears streaming down her face. One moment she thought it was Cameron's and the next he was on the floor, with Two's boy slicing at his torso. Two's boy swung out in desperation, but Cameron caught the blow, flipped them over and managed to drive a knife into his opponent's chest for the final time. The cannon sounded and Poppy's knees gave way.

She could barely focus on what was happening and she met the seat of her chair with a shock. Katniss had seen her legs shake and swiftly moved the chair under Poppy to break her fall as she felt Halley and Cecelia's arms wrap around her as she cried. Blight's hand slapped against her back before she heard him lead Johanna and Fern in a jovial song from Seven whilst thumping their fists on a table in excitement.

Linden leaned over the group surrounding Poppy and whispered in her ear, "Finally. You've done it."

Poppy reached for his hand in amongst everyone surrounding her and squeezed it in response. They would have to find a quiet moment to talk later.

She managed to pull apart from her friends to find Two's mentors to shake their hands and acknowledge their defeat according to tradition. Brutus clapped her on the back with such a force, that Poppy felt herself shake. He pulled her into a hug with equal strength and she felt her feet lift from the floor.

Brutus laughed at Poppy's surprise before putting her down and looking right at her, "We can let you have this one. It's only been thirty-three years after all."

Lyme moved in to hug her too, albeit more gently than Brutus' efforts since she was still nursing her back injury, "I call that a job well done, Poppy. Four volunteers down at your boy's hand. That's no mean feat. You've got yourself a good one."

Poppy saw Cameron briefly, semi-conscious and on his way into surgery before being shepherded around the various interviews and events the newest winning mentor had to attend. Cecelia and Halley assured her that if Cameron left surgery before she returned, they would be there. They would all repay her efforts for them and their victors.

Poppy came back in time to begin her shift at Cameron's side in the hospital. She sat quietly, with Linden next to her, his hand resting on her arm as she focused on the monitor displaying her victor's vitals. She looked at her partner, Cameron, the monitors and burst into tears.

"It's over, Poppy. He's here and you won't be alone anymore."

….

Linden could not deny that he was worried. District Six had a strange habit of making things difficult for themselves. It was not Poppy's doing. She had tried her best at mentoring for three decades with what she had, dealt with her fellow victors' morphling addictions, illness, and years of loneliness. Now she had an unstable victor for her years of endurance.

He watched the moment Cameron woke up with Blight from the window to the hospital room. The second they saw Cameron's arm launch towards Poppy they hurried for the door, finding Poppy holding the offending limb firmly in her grasp before trying to put Cameron at ease. She did not seem to mind but Linden did not see it in the same way.

He knew just how strong and capable his partner was. He knew she had continued training, and maintained her fitness and fighting form but there was no getting past the fact that Cameron was easily the size and strength of Brutus at eighteen. Poppy's reactions were honed but the boy was strong and had started life as a victor angry and confused.

He thanked whatever had brought Fern to him as his victor. She needed guidance and reassurance and someone to set her on the right path with her rehabilitation, but she had come out of her arena surprisingly well-adjusted. Like Cameron, and Linden and Poppy themselves, she had readily killed and taken on the volunteers with aplomb. But she arrived home eager to fit into her new life and reestablish a purpose. Linden did not know which way Cameron would go.

Poppy was endlessly, terminally busy and Linden knew that would never change. She also now had a new project to work on and he could see where she would thrive. But now there was an element of concern. Cameron, angry, with a weapon at hand, could cause serious damage.

Between Cameron's spells of consciousness, Linden listened to Poppy's plan. All knives and anything sharp or potentially weapon-like would be removed from Cameron's house. All similar objects in her house would be hidden. She was hoping that his mother would be on hand to assist because Cameron was not going to be able to leave the Village unsupervised for some time. In fact, it was likely she would have to gradually re-introduce his family and friends to his life when she thought he could handle it. Any ongoing injuries she would speak to Brutus and Lyme about, and she knew she was going to have to be on hand all day and night if Cameron required. She was not going to allow her victor to stumble and falter.

Linden knew Poppy would have everything under control. But it did not mean he would not worry about what would happen if Cameron were to have another outburst. They had all seen him switch after Lucretius Flickerman's stupid commentary. Whilst seeing Flickerman's reaction was amusing and no real harm was done, it could be different if something were to anger Cameron at home. Linden had briefly considered orchestrating a visit to Six but decided that with a new victor around, Six's Village and Poppy would be watched too closely.

But after so long, Poppy finally had someone to live alongside her once more and a victor of her own. She had brought a child from District Six home, which had been one of her ambitions since she returned alive. Linden was proud of her and how she met the occasion from the moment she saw Cameron. It was a strong mentoring performance from a strong victor. They had been together secretly for thirty years and on their anniversary year, their lives would change again. Linden knew Poppy felt an allegiance to Fern because she was his victor and she wanted to be available in support of her. Linden wanted the same with Cameron. They both knew how important it was to feel supported in the first years of life as a victor and as they could not have their own children, this would be the closest they would get.

Even though a visit would be too risky, Linden resolved to help Poppy in any way he could and in any way she needed. He had been committed to her for so long and he would never waiver in his resolve.

….

Poppy was never going to pretend that life with Cameron had been easy. He was prone to outbursts and losing control. He had frightened his sister, tried to attack his mother, and hit her countless times. But she did not blame him. Much to her relief, neither did his family They realised why Cameron returned as he did, and they tried to help as best they could.

There had been long days and long nights spent calming outbursts, trying to help Cameron reason with his conflicting emotions and providing advice on getting through every day.

Through it all, Poppy had forged a strong bond with Cameron's mother. She was becoming the friend and sister she missed out on and was an unexpected additional victory in bringing Cameron home. She loved her son, was adapting to life in the Village and loved watching her daughter thrive as she returned to school. She was proud of Cameron and was as determined as Poppy to see him through this difficult period.

The three of them were speaking before the start of Cameron's Victory Tour and Poppy was trying to tell Cameron what to expect. They all understood why the promotional material had been filmed in the way it was. Whilst Cameron did not like how it made him feel, his mother realised that it might just help him get through the trip unscathed. She knew her boy was not weak. He had come out of an arena alive; he could never be weak in her eyes nor in front of Poppy. He just needed the help of those who could provide it.

Poppy was also intrigued as to her new friend's interest in the other districts and the community of victors her son had joined.

"Eleven and Twelve are shitshows. Twelve is particularly awful. Imagine a place darker, dirtier, and smellier than Six and you've got Twelve. The victors in both are great. The dinners are what we all look forward to anyway. Don't believe anything anyone says in the walkarounds."

"I thought you said we don't go around the district in Twelve," Cameron said.

"We don't. Nobody wants to film that. But in Eleven they find the healthiest looking, uninjured, well-dressed people they can and force them to act as market sellers."

Cameron's mother laughed, "They never picked us for anything like that here."

"I was Community Home, so I was just as hidden."

"But the victors want to meet me? They don't care about how I was in there?"

"They're looking forward to it. And no, none of us care. We've all done the same so why would we? We'd care if you went around torturing those kids from Twelve, but you aren't like that and you didn't do that. So, it will be fine."

"Your friends in Seven didn't look so happy with me."

"They're overprotective. They know I can handle myself, but they just want everything to work out for us both. I've been waiting thirty-three years, Cameron."

After Cameron had decided he was going to try to sleep, his mother remained talking with Poppy.

"I don't know how you've done this for so long. We haven't been here anywhere near as long as you have and it's so lonely living here."

"It is. But I've made of it what I can. I had Max, Claudia and Levi and their family to take care of for years. When it was just me and Max we did so much together and I'm always busy."

"You need to be busy, Poppy. I can see that."

Poppy laughed, "I knew you'd see right through me."

"I think I need to be busy too. I couldn't stand doing nothing around here." The woman moved closer to Poppy before whispering, "Besides, this being a victor, being related to one too, it's dangerous, isn't it? I can see from the way the peacekeepers come looking, how they look at my son, they follow you around Six."

"I'm used to having a shadow. They've started following you around too. But I can sort that. I'll teach you both how to shake them off."

"I'm right, then? Cameron is in danger?"

"Yes. Especially if he doesn't stay in line. But we have that in hand."

"Are you in danger? Even now?"

Poppy laughed, "Oh, there's so much trouble I could be in. I haven't worried about staying in line for years."