"Katniss Everdeen." the mechanical voice finally says after fifteen minutes. I composed myself before walking through the doors. I was a bit surprised by the disembodied voice telling me to look at a random red light. I looked up a little annoyed, only to see a security camera watching me. I scoffed after the voice told me to head inside. All that for a picture? The Capitol really needed to get their priorities straight. I walked through the second door and immediately I knew I was doomed. In their lowered platform the Gamemakers stood or sat, not even noticing that I had entered the room. Many were obviously drunk, possibly worse than Haymitch on a good day, and seemed fixated on talking about some match and how quickly it had ended. Way to keep your mind on your work.

I rolled my eyes walking straight over to the archery station, I took the heavy metal bow in hand and picked up eight of the twelve arrows on a rack, dropping them into a metal quiver. I slung it over my back and walked over to a rack of knives to take three. Finally I stood before the Gamemakers, "Katniss Everdeen, District Twelve." My strong announcement made the Gamemakers turn their heads to me and watch. I did a double take. Jérémie?! What in the world was an ambassador doing in the Gamemarkers box during an assessment?

He lifted a finger to his lips with a smirk. Like I'd say anything, but why was he here? Was he coming to ensure he had picked the right people to sponsor? Or was he just watching a bunch of children using deadly weapons for fun? I grimaced at him, and grabbed a knife and with a quick flick of my wrist I threw it straight into the head of the target on the other side of the room.

Many of the Gamemakers look impressed, whispering as the ones sitting stand up to watch. I threw the second knife in the heart of a target further to the back from the first. I can hear that the Gamemakers are impressed, ok, one more target then I start to show them what I can really do.

I aimed for a third target and hit right in the head, I smirked, impressed by my own range. My smile faded when I turned to see that several Gamemakers were ignoring me, what had I done wrong. I didn't want to care if they noticed me, but I had to. I looked at the targets and realized why they had gotten bored. I was just shooting at unmoving targets, nothing more. If the arrows were wood I could split them in half, that would make an impression. But they were metal so that wouldn't work. I looked around and decided to impress them with my bow skills.

I shot one of my arrows, severing the rope that kept up the climbing course, which was further away then my knives' targets. Without stopping I dropped to one knee, nocked another arrow and shot an arrow straight into the light fixture, glass dropping to the ground below, shattering into a thousand tiny shards. I, once again without pausing, nocked an arrow and shot at a target on the other side of the gym. It was a good shot, made better with my purposely shooting it through three holes before it reached the target's heart.

I smirk once again, that was the best shot I had made in years, even shooting squirrels in the eyes couldn't compare. I turned back to the Gamemakers, expecting them to all be staring in awe at my skill. I'm in complete shock, though a few Gamemakers are looking at me in awe, the rest are fixated on a roasted pig that an Avox had just rolled into view.

Even my own sponsor is looking at this damn pig. I clench my hand tightly around the bow in my hands, how can they be this insensitive? My life, my chances of living through the blasted games were on the line and they were focusing on a dead animal? I was beyond furious, without even thinking I shot another arrow past the Gamemakers. It barely grazed one of them to hit the apple inside the pig's mouth. I guess I had used too much force as the apple and arrow had ended up hitting the wall.

I looked at them with an annoyed, probably pissed look and stood straight, "If I have your attention I'd like to continue this assessment, properly." The men all looked stunned and went to sit back in their seats. Jérémie looked a little guilty since he had also been ignoring my skills. I shot two more arrows into that damn pig, grazing the head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane himself, before setting the bow and quiver down. I walked over to a rack covered in all manor of blades taking four throwing knives, aiming each one at different targets. A club on the rack of clubs, the head of a target I had shot an arrow at, rope holding up swinging dummy, and finally i threw the last knife into the wall in front of me, getting it stuck in a similar fashion to the knife I had thrown on the train not three days ago.

"Thank you for your consideration." I said flatly, I even bowed to the stunned Gamemakers before I walked out without permission to leave. The second I left the gym Commander Athena walked up to me, a deep frown on her lovely face, "Yes?" I asked, still curt.

"Since you didn't injure anyone I will let that slide this time, Miss Everdeen. But try to remember that you are not invincible and only one victor can make it out of the games. Don't do something that stupid again or you won't make it out of the arena alive." She warned and allowed me to go on to the elevator.

I leaned back in the shower after informing Effie Trinket that I was too tired to eat dinner at this time, and despite her annoyed reaction to my explanation she let me take a nap, as long as I was out by the time the scores were called. I had nodded and went straight to the bathroom to shower off all the sweat and dust for my body. I didn't want to leave the shower tonight, as I knew that Peeta awaited me on the roof and that the next hour or so would be the hardest moment in my life.

Unfortunately I knew I had to do this, stealing my nerve. I stepped out of the shower and pulled on a shirt of sunset orange with a light loose fabric and black dress pants. Grabbing a pair of flat shoes, I hate heels, I snuck out of my room.

As I ascended the stairs to the roof I could smell a delicious meal coming from somewhere above. He had planned a surprise picnic under the stars? Oh no, this was going to be even more difficult for me to break up with him.

I stopped at the top of the stairs and clenched my fists to keep from crying at the beautiful scene before me. In front of the railing below garlands of greenery and blue flowers have been laced through the criss-crossing mash of the railing, sat a scarlet blanket with white candles surrounding it flickering their slow glow across the ground. Beside the blanket were two small glass tables, one held an ice bucket with a bottle of red wine chilling inside and two crystal glasses placed beside.

On the second table sat dishes with enough food for two. Hot lamb stew steaming into the cool midsummer air, well-cooked shrimp with a thick cocktail sauce, a bowl of garden salad decorated with colourful veggies and a vinaigrette dressing, and delicious garlic baguettes sitting in an intricate basket. In two mugs and a large thermos jug flowed the delicious Capitol hot chocolate ready for our consuming. And to complete the meal, for dessert there were two plates of chocolate cake with whipped cream shaped like hearts and a candied cherry atop each.

Peeta stood against the railing, awaiting me in a dashing forest green shirt and similar black pants. When he heard me stifle a cry, his head turned, a smile gracing his beautiful face, "There you are, I've been waiting. Come and sit." he walked over to the blanket and sat down, patting the spot beside him.

"When did you get all this done?" I ask calmly, walking over to sit beside him, trying hard not to cry as he poured me a glass of wine.

Peeta smiled, pouring another glass for himself. "Cinna set it all up for us a few minutes before I completed my time with the Gamemakers. He told me he's on good terms with a member of the security. They'll be playing an old video and turning off the sound recording, we have until 8:00 pm to enjoy our time up here" He looked at the clock just above the elevator nearby, "-it's 6:30 pm right now."

I took a sip of my wine, hopeful the liquid would help me with my courage tonight, "Won't the others notice we're up here? Effie has a habit of checking in on us without warning."

Peeta shook his head, a little smirk on his face. "Cinna, Haymitch and I planned all this out last night, they'll ensure Effie is well distracted from going to check in on us, Cinna said he'd even offer to do it for her. Only those two, Cinna's friend and an Avox who help Cinna set this up know we're up."

I smiled and filled my plate with the food. It was perfect; the food, the view, even Peeta. Everything was perfect and I was about to make everything go wrong. Peeta was talking about his time with the Gamemakers when I decided to break his heart. "I got an applaud from the Gamemakers after I pinned the trainer in under a minute. I could tell they were drunk so the sight of a match probably made them more interested then a bunch of weights being thrown around."

"Peeta." I whispered, taking his hands in mine, "I need to say something."

He looked at me with his big blue eyes, so full of love and devotion that it hurt, "I do too." He got down on his knees and looked at me, fumbling with something in his hands, "In a few days we could be dead and I'll never get to know your answer to this." He took a deep breath in, "Well here it goes." He stretched out his hand to reveal a little simple blue box. He opened it slowly to reveal a beautiful ring with two diamond hearts set into a simple gold band, one of the hearts was forest green and the other was a sunset orange, "Katniss, will you keep me in your heart for the rest of your days, even if I die in the arena?"

I looked at him and then at the ring, "Peeta… I… I can't."

His eyes went wide and then his expression turned to one of grief, "Can't? You don't love me anymore?" his heart was in his voice, breaking as he spoke those horrible words.

I put my hand over his, "It's not that I don't love you... but that I shouldn't. We're about to end the Hunger Games. We're going to have to go into that arena and kill other kids like us, we might even have to kill each other. I can't keep loving you if that action has any possibility of occurring. I just can't, my conscious won't allow it."

Peeta pulled his hand away with the ring box, "Did you ever think about how I would respond to this decision?" He asked, his eyes filled with heartbreaking tears, "I won't stop loving you in the arena. You are my life Katniss, and I will protect you with my entire being. I love you, to the end of the earth and back."

Tears began to form in my own eyes, "Peeta, stop making this harder than it already is. We have to do this, or we won't be able to survive the arena."

He pulled me into a tight embrace, "I don't care. I will die if it means keeping your love. I will sacrifice my life to keep you alive. To help you win, I'd gladly die." with those words he kissed me deeply, his body pulling mine closer.

I tried not to, but I soon melted into that passionate kiss, kissing him back with as much passion and love as he had for me. I couldn't do this, I couldn't reject him. He was just as important to me as my family was. He was my love, my shoulder to cry on, my confessor, my everything. I couldn't give him up.

"Peeta… I'm sorry… I love you… I can never not love you." I whispered, my breath husky. My mind started to think of extremely mature thoughts. We were alone for the next two hours, and the romantic setting plus his proposal made my heart want him. I assumed he realized what I felt as he kissed me again, deeper and more desperate this time. We had never gone further than partly naked against each other, but that night, our minds forgot everything about decency and just wanted to feel each other's warmth.

An hour later we were laying under a red blanket under the stars. I snuggled up closer to Peeta, sighing contently. I felt warm and comfortable within his embrace, his face was in my hair and he ran a finger up and down my shoulder. Kissing me gently he whispered, "Did you want to have some of that dessert?" He asked, leaning up to grab the slices of chocolate cake and then the mugs of hot chocolate. I nodded, smiling at the sight of his backside. He was a muscular and handsome young man who I didn't know just how much I loved until now.

We ate our cake, enjoying our time beside one other, being in each other's company was enough. I didn't realize how much time had passed until I heard a small bell sound beside us. "What was that?" I ask, looking around covering my bare chest with the blanket. Standing in front of the staircase was an Avox who was blushing at deep red upon seeing our naked bodies.

"That would be our wake up call." Peeta sighed, pulling back on his clothes reluctantly, "Effie will be coming to get us soon. Go to your room and pretend you're asleep. I love you." Peeta peck my lips gently, as I pull on my own clothes. We quickly and quietly descended the stairs to our rooms; both of us shut the door without a sound.

I climbed into bed and pretended to be asleep, but really I'm wide awake. I couldn't believe what had happened. This night was incredible and strange all in one.