Hunger Games 1. Chapter 1

The Roads We Paved

Summary: Set 2 years after Mockingjay, before the Epilogue: Katniss never fully recovered and feels betrayed by those she loves, a coup de grate set against her by Haymitch, her mother, Delly, Annie, Gale and even her beloved Peeta. But sometimes we need to do things to protect those we love, no matter how hard it is.

Authors Note: Hi guys! Welcome to my second story, I hope you do enjoy, again this is angst drama and rated M for language and this was titled as something else but I was not happy with it so I took a hiatus until I could collect my thoughts and see where I was going to take this storyThe feel and vibe here is what if Katniss never fully recovered from her demons and emotions 2 years after the Rebellion? Still mentally and emotionally raw from the loss of her loved ones. What happens that leads her to feel utterly betrayed and hurt by those she loves especially Peeta? This story will go into depth, again I was not originally happy with my first attempt at this story, I still wanted the same story but rework some areas, I hope you enjoy, please read and review

All rights belong to Suzanne Collins:

As I wake and lift my eyes, I see the blinding rays of light piercing through my blinds, I cover myself with my sheets not wanting to face the light outside, I had abandoned it and adapted myself to the dark, moulded to it, lived in it for so long that light seemed strange to me. I looked at my bedside clock realizing it was 11:12, most of the day had already passed, there was a time when time meant everything to me in life, rise early in the morning to hunt, rise to get Prim dressed and ready for school, have enough time to get myself dressed and go, trade and hunt, trade and hunt but now time doesn't mean so much to me anymore, not now when you've lost those you've loved. I still see her eyes in my mind, see the image of the fire engulfing her and the flames licking her, her eyes as the brightness of her soul was extinguished during the Rebellion 2 years ago, and now there was peace, peace for everybody's mind, peace for their soul, but not mine, no peace for me when I wake up in scream and fits every night sobbing, no peace for me when I can't even leave my front door to go outside, no peace for me when I close myself off into the wardrobe, no peace, no peace at all. By now I reckon the townsfolk think I've already gone crazy which their right or that I'm dead, I even heard the children gossip once outside my bedroom window that they see my ghost hunting in the woods with my bow, that's the only thing that makes me laugh these days. Haymitch still lives across from me but now he's adopted a heard of geese, how he and the geese co-exist I can't fathom with him drunk most days or hung over, I commonly hear and see him screaming profanities across the yard chasing the geese as he holds his liquor bottle in the other hand. He still visits me, but I believe he sees me as a thief, an imposter, a person who resembles Katniss, who calls herself Katniss but is instead a tired, shrunken mess of a woman, not the strong, fiery woman who led a Rebellion. Sleep eludes me as the horrors of my mind come back to haunt me in my mind every night, it hurts and I sob but then I sometimes think that this must be my punishment, for every bad thing that has transpired, this is my punishment for the rest of my life. I wake every night in sweat, clutching my sheets, sobbing in tears, my heart races so fast I feel like it will jump out of my chest.

Greasy Sae still visits me, making sure I eat my meals every day, she's probably the reason I am still physically alive at this point, if I had my way I would have stopped eating and died long ago, but she makes sure that I eat or she doesn't leave. Breakfast is small consisting of porridge and fresh fruit and orange juice, soup is for lunch with hearty stew for dinner with fresh cooked bread, the house is clean because of her, I have found in her the thing I was lacking when I was young; a mother, someone who nurtured me, fed me, supported me, it seemed strange at first and sometimes still does, it's so strange this maternal side being given to me. I still receive cards from Gale, you can tell its forced pleasantries, and what do you say to someone when you've killed their sister? It's the difference in the Capital, how it's changed, what he's doing. It's similar to my monthly phone calls with my mother, sometimes I don't even answer the phone when I know she calls, she abandoned me, didn't want to be near me or look, no, because she lost the real daughter she loved, not me though. It was easier to stay away from me than stay and help.

And then there's Peeta, Peeta. Peeta who lives across from me, who bakes every day at both his house and the bakery leaving freshly, baked goods on the doorstep. I hardly see him, only mere sightings and passing's as I look out my window, sometimes when I'm in bed calming myself down from another nightmare, I wish and dream that he would come over here and keep me safe from the nightmares like he used to during the Victory tour, the only time I ever had a decent night sleep was when I was safe in his arms, when he was holding me. I miss him and his smile, his bright blue eyes, his calm persona but it's hard for me to approach him seeing the mess I'm in, look at me, he's got his life back, what right do I have taking that away? I don't want to burden him with my life's mess, I bet he hardly thinks of me or misses me. I can see him finding someone that makes him happy, someone that can offer him a future, someone that can provide him the happiness he deserves, not me though, I'm just a burden.

I sometimes hate my house, the calm and quiet of it all, I sometimes hear it creak and hear noises, sometimes I think have the Capital have installed cameras in here and listening devices, still listening to me, watching me, watching me for their amusement. I hate living in this house, sometimes I like to think I could burn it down to the ground so they couldn't follow me or watch me anymore. I told Greasy Sae once but she laughed and said I was over thinking, but they don't understand, they don't understand what the Capital is capable of. If only Peeta was here, Peeta would make it all go away, he was the only one that would make me feel safe, he was the calm to my fire, he was the calm to my nightmares, he was my dandelion, my hope

Peeta's POV

2 years, it's been 2 years since the end of the rebellion. 2 years of tremors, nightmares, aching leg, rehabilitation and constant medication to control my episodes. I frequently talk on the phone to Dr. Aurelius, I discuss my fears, my challenges, I talk about the good days I have and the bad ones. I8 months after I moved back to District 12 I started work on rebuilding my bakery in the family name, extending it, making it my dream, it helped calm my nerves and concentrate on the good things that I had left, the things that the Capital couldn't take away from me, I tell Dr. Aurelius about my painting and drawing, how it calms me before I go to bed but it doesn't stop the nightmares, I don't think anything will, well nothing but Katniss. Katniss, my Katniss. Dr Aurelius asks me every time if I talk to her but I try to brush over the subject as it hurts too much. Katniss was the only one who could make the nightmares stop, let me have a decent sleep, during the Victory tour when we would go into each other's train compartments we would fall into a realm of easy sleep and comfort, not anymore. My paintings consists of many things; the meadow, the sunset, the dandelions but most importantly of her, Katniss in her hunting stance, Katniss with her hair in her signature braid, her hair loose, the first time I saw her in that red flaming dress during the interviews in the Hunger Games, nobody sees my drawings or paintings, just me, my private collection. My business is thriving now and I have a good team, I still bake from home and leave a couple of loaves on her doorstep knowing that Sae will make sure she eats them. There's not a day that goes by where I'm not thinking of her, not worried out of my mind. I talk to Sae whenever she's on her way home from Katniss's, I ask her how she is, is she mentally better, how is she at taking care of herself? Is she putting on weight? But it's always the same answer, the state of depression, how she's not coping, she just shakes her head indicating no improvement, she further worries me when she tells me Katniss has been talking about how she thinks her house is bugged and wired with cameras from the Capital, how she thinks that they're still watching her. I sometimes late at night look out my window, wondering what she's thinking, what's she doing, I scarcely see her now. The first time I came back to District 12 and started planting the primroses in her lawn, I can't say I wasn't shocked at her state and appearance, but she was still my Katniss, I would love her no matter what, but after that I hardly ever saw her. I would knock on her front door but never get an answer, I would try ringing but she would never answer. I constantly talked to Haymitch, we discussed her and I made him swear to me that he would watch her, but whenever I went to his house his eyes would give me the answer I didn't want, no improvement, how she was just the same.

But I continue, I continue my routine; make her loaves of bread, make her cheesy buns, make sure Sae and Haymitch are taking care of her. It breaks my heart that she won't allow me in, won't allow me into her life, her heart, her home, if she'd let me I would protect her from her fears, protect her from her demons and quell the nightmares keeping them at bay.

I pace up and down the lounge room of Haymitch's house trying to close my nostrils to the stench of alcohol and God knows what else, I'm pretty sure something died in here but I can't fathom the source. It's a warm day and I smile, the birds are chirping and I can smell pine in the breeze, my smile turns to a frown when I think back of a time when Katniss would have been out in the woods with her father's hunting jacket and her bow bringing in her fresh kill, she didn't need to hunt but it was in her blood, the woods will always be in her blood. But now, now was a different story, a different Katniss.

"I don't know what else you want me to do here, I'm trying here boy but it can be taxing" Haymitch slurs, I can hear in his voice he's already buzzed.

"Haymitch I'm not just gonna leave her like this, it can't go on or am I the only one who's caring for her right now!" my voice rises up as I hear the tinge of urgency and anger in my voice. He slumps down on his lounge and looks at me for a long while before taking another swig from the bottle.

"Boy it takes for some a long while to get back ok? Look at Annie? She's just coming out of the dark and she had help, she got a bit of time with Finnick before he died and that short amount of time gave her a glimmer that life could be better. This will be the same for her" he looks at me long and hard

I breathe in hard and sigh pinching the bridge of my nose as I feel a headache looming.

"Sae said she's getting paranoid, she thinks the Capital has bugged her house and that they've installed cameras in her house while they built it so they can continue watching her, it makes no sense, I'm getting worried about her everyday"

"And Annie used to daze out now and again but look at her now ok?" Haymitch looks at me. "Trust me, she will get there"

I look at him and nod; I walk out of his house back to mine and can't help but glance at Katniss's house, I blame myself sometimes, I think what could I have done to help? Was there something I missed? Did I do something wrong? I don't know I don't know! And as I wrack my brain trying in vain to find an answer I feel a brush up against my calf, I look down to find the mangy old Buttercup purring up against my leg. I bend down and pick him up

"Look at you, what have you got here hey? A couple of feathers in your mouth, have you been hunting like your Katniss hey?" I rub behind his ears and he purrs, I look hard at her house and approach it taking my time walking up her stairs, I'm afraid to say I'm a bit frightened that she will quickly run out, take the cat out of my hands and run back inside slamming the door in my face but no, everything is quiet, too quiet for my liking. I softly knock on her front door expecting perhaps Sae to answer but nothing, no-one.

"Sae?" nothing, silence

I try for the second option.

"Kat...Katniss?" nothing, no-one, just silence. I knock again to no answer before I make I take the plunge.

I slowly turn the knob and open the door; I hear the creak of the door and the floors beneath.

"Kat, Kat?" I quietly repeat. Buttercup jumps from my arms and runs to the kitchen, I walk slowly through the hallway looking into the lounge room. I see her on the lounge; she lays asleep with a blanket only half on her. I quietly walk over to her and grab the blanket covering her and grabbing an extra one I find on the opposite chair and cover her again making sure she's warm. As I finish tucking her in, I take in her features; her hair is mattered and without its beautiful gloss and shine, her skin is like paper and is drawn and ghostly pale, no more of the beautiful olive skin she got from hunting in the woods, I stroke her forehead moving the wispy bits of hair from her fine features, I breath in and exhale as I watch her sleep feeling the sting of tears welling in my eyes, feeling so helpless as I watched her, her fragile self. My hunter, my hope, my little Mockingjay whose wings have been clipped and can't fly anymore.

Katniss POV:

I dreamt of him last night, I saw him in my dreams, I could smell his scent, feel his touch, it felt so real and then I wake up to nothingness, to the harsh reality of my life, nothingness. I feel the single tear that falls from my eye as I feel stupid at myself, no one's here, of course not; he has a brighter life, a happier one than mine. I move my sore body off the lounge room and feel it start to wake up, I feel the muscles stretch and hear the bones crack, as I move towards the kitchen I stop as I hear it….. buzzing, I swear I can hear a buzzing whirring sound, is that it? It's a camera, I know it is, it's the Capital, and they're spying on me! I start to look around my lounge room trying to see it; I look at my bookcase throwing books on the floor as I try in vain to find the source, scatter, scatter, and scatter! Books lie on the floor scattered, I start to peel the wall paper from the wall and look under the table throwing it over when I hear the door open

"Katniss!"

I see Sae at the door with the groceries in her hand, she looks at me with pained eyes that show confusion and sadness for me, I look at her before I look at myself in the reflection of the mirror as I see what she sees; a madwoman, an animal, frantic but I KNOW it's here, I know what they're doing, they're watching me and Peeta! God Peeta doesn't know, I have to tell him!

I pick myself off the floor to walk to the door as I think of Peeta before Sae grabs my arm

"Child where are you going?"

"I need to see Peeta, he needs to know, he needs to know Sae what they're doing!" the urgency and pleading in my voice.

"Katniss" she shushes me in a soft voice like a mother reassuring her young child from a nightmare, scared and alone.

"Katniss, come inside, you haven't eaten yet and besides, you're hardly dressed properly! Now what would Peeta think if you came running over to his house screaming and raving and barely dressed? Come on, we're gonna go in the kitchen and have some nice porridge and I got some nice fruit too, and I will make you some nice tea"

She places her arm around me and leads me to the table. I sit down with my eyes focused on trying to find the noise, buzz, buzz, buzz. I look up at her questioning her as she puts the kettle on, she offers me a kind smile "come on Katniss, we'll have breakfast together" I nod and settle to eat my breakfast, the day carry's on as I sit on my back porch and sit in silence, waiting and waiting for something to happen to me, I watch the birds fly from the trees and wish for the time when I was that free again, when I could fly and be free and not feel guilty for the pain that I have inflicted in the world. Sae likes me to get a bit of fresh air, even if it means sitting on the porch rugged up, I look back at her as she cleans up the mess I have made, if it was my choice I would sit in the dark realms of my wardrobe refusing to leave but I have these people who for some reason still cling to the hope that I can get better, that I can be "me" again, but what is "me"? How do I go back to what I was before the carnage and war and the bloodshed? how do I just simply forget and move on from the nightmares and terrors that plague my mind every night dancing in my mind with the shadows, I shut my eyes and feel the sting of tears piercing through my eyes and the tears streaming down my face, I feel so alone. Sometimes I feel like this is a bad dream and that if I open my eyes, the light will return, or if I wake up in Peeta's arms I will be safe, my shield and protector from the shadows and monsters that wage in my mind. Sae gets a bath ready for me and I sit in the bath feeling the dirt dissolve off my body, I can't say it but I really do love Sae, I would just leave my ass here in the tub and not look back but she comes for me and helps me get ready for another day of misery, she brushes the snarls and tangles from my hair and it feels nice, she does it in my signature plait and tells me of her day and her granddaughter Daisy, how she grows so fast and enjoys the sugar cookies from Peeta's bakery, I hear he ices them with dandelions and it brings a small smile to my lips, a dandelion, a sign of hope, hope for me? Hope I might get better? Better, no I don't think so, he's so high now on a different plan, how could he save me from the dark realms I'm in? I find some rope and tie knots in it just like Finnick taught me, Finnick; his image flashes across my mind, a smiling and carefree Finnick, his laugh and his jokes but I think the best I saw of him was when he held Annie in his arms, that look of love, that look that they were together at last. I snap out of it and return to my knots, I don't tell Sae but I grow impatient and frustrated as I hear it… buzz, buzz, whir, whir, why can't she hear it! It's somewhere in here, I look around as I bite my nails and skin to the point of bleeding but I don't care. I decide to take a short nap and run upstairs to my bedroom, slamming the door, I shut my eyes and breathe in and out, in and out. I hop into bed, nestled under the covers, I hear Sae and Haymitch joking outside my bedroom window about his geese and how they have nipped him on his butt, I close my eyes and will myself not to dream, before I shut my eyes I take out the necklace I have around my neck and hold it between my fingers, the pearl Peeta gave me, I clasp it tightly willing myself not to dream and though Peeta wasn't by my side to hold the demons away, maybe his pearl could.

I wake a couple of hours later and its 5:30pm, the night is coming and I can smell freshly cooked stew on the air. I stretch my body feeling the kinks come out, I take myself down the stairs before squinting my eyes from the bright light that hits me as I leave the darkness of my room. I feel exhausted as I didn't get any rest from my sleep, it felt broken and as if it didn't nothing for me, I enter the kitchen to find Sae at the stove cooking ladling out the stew into bowls for herself and me and putting steamed rice into the bowl, my stomach growls at the scent as I do not deny how appealing it is, she smiles as we sit and eat in silence, I recognizing the bread she has served as I smell the rosemary and fresh herbs, Peeta's bread, how it smells soo good. I dip it into the stew and eat it up lapping up the sauce, we sit a comfortable silence while we eat how can she not hear it? I wonder, after we finish our meal I make my way to the lounge room and sit in front of the fire, I hear her clean up while I look at the fire, the oranges and reds, the flames how they dance and move, how so warm and so comforting yet so lethal and dangerous. I sit in silence as I hear the whirs and buzzing and want to scream but in keep it inside….only till Sae leaves, I don't know how long I can take of this, I shut my eyes trying to keep the noise out but silently I am searching and listening for the source. As I sit in silence, I hear noises coming outside, laughter, but not just any laughter Peeta's laughter! I pull the blinds and peer out seeing Peeta and Delly laughing, she pulls a bit of her hair behind her ear, they're joking and laughing, I envy her as I watch her, what's NOT to like, her voluptuous body, her perky personality, her dress, I will never be that, no, she's perfect for Peeta, perfect, something I will never be. I watch him through the blinds and he jokes and laughs, smiling, I have not seen that smile for soo long, he indicates to her that he has to get back inside and they both part but not before embracing each other, he enters the warmth of his house. I close the blinds and continue to look at the fire, Sae puts on her coat and kisses me on the head.

"Don't stay up too late, I made you a light snack ok? I'll see you tomorrow" She goes to leave before I say thank you. I sit looking at the fire before I decide, it doesn't take long, it doesn't even seem obscure, it seems somewhat fitting. I get up to pack my belongings, only things that matter, I pack the belongings of Prim into a suitcase and collect that mop of a cat Buttercup, it's night and I walk outside my house with the suitcases and Buttercup, I walk to Haymitche's knowing they will be safe there and my belongings. I walk back in the calm of the night in the fresh, crisp air stepping confidently back into my house, not really my house, the house that the Capitol built and that's when I decide while looking at the fire…..

Tonight was the night….

I was gonna watch this house burn!

That's the end of chapter 1, what I'm trying to depict here is the emotional and psychological turmoil that Katniss is going through, she's not in a right state at all so what seems right to her is actually not sane at all, she's all over the place at the moment and very erratic. The next chapter will be in Peeta's POV which will see another side and different viewpoints and new information on the situation. Please review, I hope you enjoy and you will begin to see the bigger picture in the next couple of chapters, right now I am trying to get a little more scope onto this story!:-)Please review as it makes me smile!


	2. Chapter 2

Hi guys! Sorry for the delay but studies have taken my time! A lot of my time has been devoted to studies however now I have free time I can concentrate on pumping out some more chapters! I hope you enjoy and please review as it always makes me smile! All rights reserved to the brilliant Suzanne Collins who created this brilliant series

Peeta's POV

I left her that morning kissing her forehead, I whispered to her that I loved her but I don't know if she heard me, when I was in 13 I can remember some people in the hospital were in something called a coma, a deep deep sleep but the doctor said that even though they didn't respond and were asleep, they could still hear everything. Sometimes I hope that's the case with Kat, that even though she can't respond to me, that at least she can hear me. I leave for work not bothering to go to my house and changing, I have spare clothes in my office which I can change into. The air is cold and bites and I pass Buttercup on my way, I make my way quickly to the bakery to warm myself up, as I enter the bakery I turn everything on and get set up for the day. I change my clothing, a fresh white tee and black pants; I start my day making fresh bread when Thom comes to begin his shift.

"Hey Peeta!" he smiles at me, placing his bag down

"Hey Thom" I smile, after the Rebellion and everything settled Thom came back to District 12, to be honest I was glad when he came, I had someone else to talk to, be my friend, after losing my brothers I felt like I had no male companions, but Thom soon made me feel like another brother to him and soon I had that feeling back, the wrestling around, the joking and laughing, it felt good "So, um Peeta I was wondering, you know how me and Delly have been together for some time now?"

"Yeah" Thom reminded a lot of myself when he came back, he fancied Delly always, I always caught him staring at her, looking at her, but he could never get the courage to ask her out, he said just as he got the nerve to he would be intimidated by her beauty and smile and personality, it reminded me of myself towards Katniss. Then finally at a town dance one night, when we all went, myself supplying all the bread at the festival, I finally pushed Thom into Delly to make him strike up a conversation. Now he is together with Delly and happily living together.

"Well um I know we have not done this the traditional way but please don't tell Del I told you, but um we are actually expecting a baby now" I smile at his new and hug my friend

"Congratulations man when did you find out?"

"3 months ago but we wanted to make sure, you know, anyway Del wants to ask you something later on tonight, I can't say what cause she'll kill me but um would you mind seeing her?"

"Of course man I hope it's not something bad?"

"No no of course not, something I hope you will agree to" he looks up at me with hopeful eyes that I cannot say no to

"Of course, anything for you man"

Our day is long and busy with customers coming in frequently to buy their bread, ever since the war ended District 12 turned from a once starving district segregated into 2 factions; rich and poor to an even ground where everyone had everything and didn't have to starve, no more hollow cheeks, no more children with empty bellies looking skeletal, it was now flourishing with people even coming from District 13 to live here. Our day ended and I closed the store with Thom as we made our way home, It was 5:15 and as I made my way home I could see Delly sitting on my porch. She jumps up and runs to me wrapping her arms around me

"Hello Delly" I'm careful with her as I swing her around

"So I take it Thom's told you our good news then?"

"He certainly has"

We chat for a while on our porch, I offer her inside but she says she is in a rush, we laugh and joke and chat before she asks me

"Well I was wondering, well WE were wondering" she places some of her hair behind her ear "if you would like to be of course our baby's godfather when he's born?"

I feel pride in my chest and warmth at this generous offer, I would be lying if I said I never wanted to have children of my own "I would be honoured to Delly" she squeals before giving me a big hug. Its' getting darker and darker and I offer to walk her home but she assures me she is fine. I go back into my house and light up the fire and get the house warm, I start the dinner and get into the shower. I feel the hot spray of water on my skin and feel all the tension leave my body with the day's dirt and grime as it swirls down the drain, I wash my hair and let the calm take over my body. After I take my time in the shower I get out to get changed into a comfortable pair of trackies and tee, I walk down the stairs where I smell smoke thinking I have burnt my dinner however this is not the smell of burnt dinner, but wood, wood burning, I look out the window to see the vibrant glow of red and hear crackling of wood, the smell of smoke is wafting through my house and I quickly turn off the stove before I go outside, as I open the door I see the house of Katniss burning, half of her house is burning going up in flames, I cover my face and quickly take my surroundings before I hear my name

"PEETA!" I turn to face Haymitch who has a bucket of water with Sae running behind him with a bucket throwing it on the house

"Haymitch what happened!" I scream in terror trying to find sight of Katniss

"She burnt it, she burned down her own fucking house!" he screams throwing water over the burning house with Rory beside him throwing water, screaming at some of the boys from the town for more water

"Where is she?" I scream

" She's over there with Delly, she's holding her on the porch" I turn to Haymitch's house to see Delly as she looks at me, her eyes pained as she holds Katniss in her arms, I look at her as she watches the house burning entranced by the scene. I walk up to her glancing at Delly as she holds onto Katniss.

"Katniss sweetie what did you do?" I ask softly as I hold her in my arms, she doesn't look at me as she stares at the burning house before her. Finally she responds

"I did it Peeta I did it, I had to save us from them, they're gone now" it breaks my heart as I look at her face and in her eyes, I hold her face in my hands as I feel the brim of tears well up, my little mockingjay, what will happen to you now?

I nod to Delly who gives me a silent nod , I turn to Haymitch to quickly grab the buckets of water and start throwing them on the house as I see it engulfed in flames, the roar and crackling can be heard and seen all over town and the black smoke looms over in the night sky; myself, Haymitch, Rory, Thom and Sae cough as the smoke chokes us, with the buckets of water we control the flames until they are nothing but an ember, some of the men from the town look around at the damage, half of Katniss's house is burnt down; her lounge room and study are burnt down with only very little still standing, her book case and table are barely standing and are black are charcoal, the windows are shattered and the remaining shards are falling, curtains are gone and the photos that were placed around her house are now gone, the rest of her house is still standing but it seems this is a sign that this can only get worse. I walk out the door and past Haymitch, Sae is handing out water to us all, Haymitch's eyes and mine lock as we not only take in the seriousness of the surroundings, but the seriousness of the situation. I look back at Katniss who seems unfazed, Delly holds her offering soothing words, I walk up to Delly and tell her to take Katniss back to my house and put her in the guest room near my room so I can keep an eye on her for the rest of the night, until then Delly keeps an eye on her. I meet Haymitch back at his house, I walk into the lounge room and see him there drinking white liquor from the bottle, he stares at me and in we are there in silence, neither one breaking it for a while until I speak.

"Haymitch what are we going to do?"

He looks down, exhausted and tired, smoke and charcoal on his clothes and the smell of smoke both reeking from us.

"this will go further, this already has gone further" he states seriously

"this went further, along while ago Haymitch, she should have been put into a rehab for a while to sort the issues with Dr. Aurelius , put on better meds, or…" my sentence is cut off as he interrupts me.

"No son, I mean we have to strategize now things are gonna go further and I mean as far as the Capitol and we have to plan, now" he places the bottle back on the table and looks at me, I start to feel concerned as he mentions thr Capitol

"What do you mean Haymitch"

"It's been 2 years since the fall and the end of the Rebellion however you would be stupid if you think that the Capitol still isn't watching us to make sure we don't do anything reckless"

"So Katniss was right the Capitol is spying on us?"

"Not in the way that she thinks, she thinks the Capitol have planted cameras in the house and listening devices, no, but they would make sure to keep a watch on us from time to time to make sure we are not up to anything that they deem to be reckless"

He sits up pacing the living room

"If we don't do something now, the Capitol will come, it's only been 2 years since the fall, they will see this as an attempt of recklessness, another political attack, she will be dragged back to the Capitol where she will be put to stand on trial, the lightest sentence they would give her is life in an institution and worse death"

I feel my stomach drop and my mouth go dry, my heart beats fast and I feel all colour from my face drain

"No, NO HAYMITCH! NO we CAN'T, WE WONT LET THAT HAPPEN! I WONT, THEY WILL KILL ME FIRST BEFORE THEY GET TO HER! I.." My sentence is cut again as Haymitch puts his hand up to silence me.

"I know I know and I won't let them come either, but you've got to see this as to how this will look; the Mockingjay, who brought the Rebellion, was responsible for the collapse of a tyrannical leader and who shot Coin, they will hear of what she's done and what will they think? All they will hear is that she burnt her house down and think this was another shot or attempt at the government, we have to make them think otherwise but we can't do this Peeta, it's gonna have to be more than us" He looks at me serious

"What are you saying Haymitch?"

" I mean we are gonna have to pull in reinforcements, if you wanna save Katniss, if you serious about this, then we're gonna have to pull in Sae, we're gonna have to pull in Delly, Annie, Johanna, her own mother and even your own favourite Gale, if you want to save her, you need to listen for what we have to do, are you with me, do you understand?" he looks down at me, I feel the tears burn and well in my eyes before I meet his gaze.

"What do you propose we do to her?"

Thank you to my readers who have waited patiently, I have been soooo busy with work as of late it has taken up so much time. I intend though on updating a lot quicker for you. Please review, I hope you enjoy and again please review


	3. Chapter 3

Hi guys! Here is another chapter, I hope you enjoy, it's a bit longer and told in Peeta's view. Please review as it always makes me smile!

Rated M

All rights belong to Suzanne Collins

Peeta POV:

I watch her sleep; she sleeps so peacefully, its looks as though this is the first time in 2 years since she got a full rest. It's now been three days since the incident but the smoke still lingers, charred parts of her home. She sleeps at my house, and I watch her intently, she sometimes murmurs in her sleep, a fit and nightmare, most of the times it's peaceful. I close the door and make my way to the study shutting the doors behind me not wanting her to listen in case she wakes; Delly helps Sae as she hands out coffee and biscuits. Annie sits in the corner with little Flynn by her side as he colours his book, I look at her and compare her to the old version I was more used to, distant and off, skittish, now I see a woman who is at peace, happy and with more life in her eyes. Annie sits there sipping her coffee as she wears an agean blue maxi dress with a green scarf around her neck, she idly plays with the locket around her neck as I know the photos that lie inside, one of Flynn and the other of her beloved, Finnick, her green eyes come out of her trance as she stares at the mirror image that lies at her feet. I look up at Johanna who sits next to Haymitch, her hair lies up in a messy bun, her brown leather jacket is aged and worn but looks lived in, her cargo pants have a wear and tear look and they slim down her legs into her boots, she sits there drinking her coffee as she plays with her knife flicking it over and over, either a nervous habit or just out of sheer boredom. Delly does her best to be the hostess and presses down on her red floral dress with capped sleeves and round neckline, trying to ease the tension in an awkward environment. Rory sits there playing with Flynn as Flynn looks up at him in awe but out of everyone here present, the two people I watch the most with bated breath and anticipation for something to happen is both Gale and Mrs Everdeen as they sit together. Gale's hair is shorter, cut military style, his brown leather jacket falls to his waist line as he sits in pressed trousers bought from the Capitol with polished boots, sell-out I think to myself, for years he paraded that he was fighting the good fight, he was for the people and against the Capitol and now look at him, sitting there thinking he was better than everyone else, in my home, he always wanted to take Kat with him and never liked the idea that I was so close to her, bastard, he's probably thinking that this is his chance to prove his point, that this would never have happened if she was with him. No, no not in my house.

Mrs Everdeen sits there quietly sipping her tea, her hair a bit greyer, either from age or the stress from previous years, her light blue shirt covered by a beige cardigan that matches her grey slacks, her hair is pressed in a neat bun in the back as she sits patiently but nervously of what we are about to discuss.

"Well let's get things started shall we? I know that we are all trying to ignore the impossibly large elephant in the room but there is a reason that I have gathered everyone here today" Haymitch states as he reaches another bottle of white liquor sitting on the mantel piece.

"Are we sure that Katniss can't hear us down here?" Delly says

"No, she can't Dr. Aurelius has given her enough sleeping tablets to take down a bull elephant, he's at the medical clinic as we speak seeing a couple of patients, he will be here soon" I say sombrely not wanting to match their eye level

Haymitch nods at me and gets our meeting started "Well, first things first, thank you for coming, I know you have come far however what has transpired recently is going to need everyone's attention. Recently as you all heard from myself and Peeta and saw on the news, Katniss 3 days ago decided to literally "be" the girl on fire and burn down her fucking house, excuse the French ladies" he says looking at Mrs Everdeen "and nearly damned well burnt mine down and Peeta's had we not gotten to it in time, now in the past 2 years Katniss mentally, physically and emotionally has not been well, even bread boy here has been doing better than her and he was jacked, now I know Mrs Everdeen and Gale, what with your busy lives it has been too taxing to pay attention and see how bad she is suffering" Gale and Mrs Everdeen stir uncomfortably in their chairs as they sit and look down "however this is not something we can ignore, this time it's gone further and I'm afraid, if I and Peeta don't have your help, then the situation WILL get worse"

"How much worse could it get for her? Exiled to her home here in 12?" Johanna questions

"Because it's gone to the Capitol, and the government is now involved" Haymitch responds grabbing all our attention, he sits and looks at Gales who stands

"It's true, the government found out and have raised concerns, things are still trying to settle even 2 years after the Rebellion, we still sniff out those who are still in favour of the old regime to try to create a stability for the new, but Katniss's actions have raised concern, those who do not know her as well believe she poses a threat, they believe in some manner that she did this as an act of defiance for the new regime, that she wants to still fight and raise another rebellion in a time of peace…"

"But that's absurd, Katniss is not right enough to do that, she has been a recluse for over 2 years, Prims death affected her in a manner that no-one could understand" Delly says before looking at Gale and Mrs Everdeen "sorry" she nods

"Yes but fear brings out the worst in people, we saw that all of us" Gale continues "Those new in the government are bringing out theories that Katniss may cause more trouble and that action needs to take place, they believe she is a threat to the new order, which is why we need to think fast"

"Which is why I called Gale, he has the Intel at the moment working so closely with the Government" Haymitch pipes up. I shift uncomfortably at the thought of Gale being mentioned favourably

"We have thought of a plan, but It's gonna need all of us to pull it off" Haymitch says before taking a swig of his liquor "A trial is being arranged, and as we speak, government orders are being created to bring Katniss into questioning for her actions and we all know she is not mentally or emotionally fit for it. A trial will be arranged which is why we are going to have to do our best acting and convince the court room to rehabilitate Katniss on extension for at least a year under the treatment of Dr. Aurelius, we need to convince the court that Katniss is not a danger to the new order or government or any political individual, but more to herself, we need to convince the court that Katniss is more of a danger to herself, like a bomb about to implode not explode, we have to convince them that she is mentally and emotionally unfit and needs to be treated under Dr. Aurelius for serious medical and psychological help" he blurts not even stopping for breath

We all sit there dumbfounded as what we have been told; it takes a good couple of minutes before someone decides to break the silence

"Are you fucking kidding me? Or have you actually killed of all remaining common sense brain cells that you had with that shit!" Johanna shouts pointing to Haymitch's white liquor

"Johanna!" Delly points to upstairs indicating a sleeping Katniss as well as Flynn playing in the room

"I'm sorry but what you are asking is insane, you are asking us to all go back to the Capitol and lie in court which they will never believe and after they find out we have lied that will probably throw us in jail!" Johanna shouts in a whisper

"I don't feel comfortable putting her in there, the poor girl's already fragile as it is, she needs to be with us, with her family, we can help her" Sae says with determination looking at Mrs Everdeen who stares down.

"I can't cover this Johanna, what she did got the attention of the government and now they are interested, they think she is unsafe"

"Well can't we just explain to them that she didn't mean it? That she's sick?" Delly says with a pleading voice

"No, as Gale said, people are afraid of what they don't understand, and no matter how much we reason or explain, it will never do because their fear will win out" Haymitch replies

"But what could she possibly do, I mean she is exactly how Annie was 2 years ago, no offence Annie" Johanna nods towards Annie who nods

"There are those who believe she will lead another revolt, those who are afraid they will lose their power and position or embarrass them…"

"People like you?" I say with venom in my voice

Everyone looks at me, some with shocked faces, Johanna looks amused at what's about to transpire

"You wanna spit it out over there bread boy?" Gale barks

"You talk of people who are afraid of losing power or being embarrassed, is that what you're afraid of Gale? Being embarrassed by Katniss? You cushy job being tainted by people knowing you associated with her, people knowing that the reason she is like this is partially because of you!" I bark in his face as we stand face to face

"Boys, this is hardly the place!" Delly shrieks standing between us as she nods towards Flynn who looks up as he sits next to Rory

"Rory why don't you take Flynn outside to play huh? Would you like to play piggyback with Rory Flynn?" Delly says in a sing song voice to Flynn, her affectionate nature and need to protect young children and their needs prove how much of a good mum she will become, we stare each other down before walking away

"Can we at least talk about option B, there must be something else to consider" Sae says pleading

Haymitch and Gale look at each other before Gale speaks again "If we don't do a good enough job at convincing them that she's not a threat, then that will commit her, they will take her away, they will not kill her because bad publicity but they will do something worse than that. They will institutionalise her, drug her 3x times a day, every day, she will be a vegetable, her company will be crazies, she will be isolated to one room, one with rubber walls, she will wear scrubs and be a shadow of herself, even more than she is now. She will never see the forest, she will never hunt, she will NEVER be the Katniss we once knew her to be, it would kinder to kill her than put her into that" Gale sneers before sitting down as we all sit in silence, dumbfounded by the knowledge of what we have heard. I feel my stomach coil and the nausea, I feel the bile rise up in my throat and the tears well in my eyes, NO, NO I WOULD RATHER DIE, I WOULDN'T LET THEM TAKE HER I think

Mrs Everdeen breaks the silence "I know I shouldn't be one to talk, I don't really have a place here, you people have been more of a family than I have, but what Gale says is true, I have seen those places, people so drugged up they live in a dream land, eyes vacant, they're just walking vessels, shadows of their former selves, Katniss goes in there, she will never be the same, she will be gone" Mrs Everdeen looks down

"So tell me Haymitch, you have all the answers, what IS in the best interest for Katniss? Johanna says and this time, no humour, this time she understands the seriousness of the nature

"If we convince them and IF? Dr. Aurelius will take care of her in his facility, it's a nice place, a lot of people there recovering from the war for PTSD, one on one treatments with psychologists, evaluation of her medications with Dr. A himself and she will be able to walk among the grounds, with personal who will look after, she will have a nice private room, bookcase to read and a nice view, they will watch her eat to make sure she puts on a healthy weight and after when she gets better? Dr. A will give his findings to the court, ensure she is safe not only to herself but to all and let's say after a year or 2? She will be released back to us, safer and better" We all think to ourselves at what our options are

"I don't feel comfortable about this" Sae states

"What choice do we have?" Delly looks at her

"Would she really get better" Annie quietly says looking up

"She would have a good chance, she would be the old self, still scarred a bit, a survivor, but like Peeta, on the road to recovery" Haymicth says as we all sit there

"I say we take a vote, ok, raise your hand for and against" Johanna says looking at us with genuine concern.

"All those in favour of lying in court and placing Katniss in the care of Dr. A?" Haymitch says

Slowly people raise their hands in the study, Haymitch is first followed by Gale, Mrs Everdeens hand goes up, Johanna takes a swig from Haymitch's bottle and raises her hand wiping her eyes with hand, her and Katniss always did have a twisted sister relationship, they both secretly cared for one another, Delly raises her slowly as you can see the anguish and guilt on her face, she stares at Sae who raises her hand followed by Annie. Everyone stares at me as I leave my hands in my pocket, Haymitch stares at me.

"Don't ask me to do this Haymitch, don't ask me" I ask with a pleading and anger in my voice.

"I need a moment please here" everyone stands and leaves me and Haymitch alone, Delly holds my arm as she walks past, she shuts the door as it's just me and Haymitch in the room

"You can't ask me to do this" I ask feeling the tear roll down my face

"You saved her in the Games and the Quarter Quell through lying, you told a farce to the crowds who wanted the star crossed lovers how is this any different?" he says with a twinge of anger in his voice

"Because what you asking is for me to banish her! To send her away! She will NEVER forgive us, she will hate us all!" I yell turning away from him

"Are you more concerned about how this will affect her or you boy?" Haymitch replies with a calm in his voice

"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?" I yell "ALL I HAVE EVER THOUGHT ABOUT IS HER!"

"You heard what Gale said, what Mrs Everdeen said, they have seen those places, walking vessels as they said, she goes there, you will lose her forever, she will be a distant memory, a past long gone, another page in your scrapbook of people you lost, you have a chance to save her, you were the best actor of them all, convince them, all of them Peeta" he now stands and his voice is now more with urgency and pleads than anger "you sold a story to the masses that captivated them, you can do it again, them out there, they can't do it alone they need a leader, yes she will hate us, she will finds it hard to forgive us but in time she will, though the Games and Rebellion are over, we still need to look out for each other, she needs us, she needs us to live, so protect her Peeta, and even if she does get hurt, and she will mostly by you, hurt her to protect her"

I feel the hot sting of tears roll down my eyes as I realize the dark truth, Haymitch is right, they all are.

I open the study doors to see them all looking at me, Dr. Aurelius sits in my lounge room, a streak of grey running through his hair as he looks up. I approach them all and nod to them indicating that I'm in, Haymitch follows me out, our trains of thought are all squashed and interrupted as we hear the echoing knock at the front door and the silence that follows before Haymitch interrupts us

"They're here"

There you go guys! Another chapter, it was a bit longer this one. What I was trying to convey was the struggle in each one to do this. They all love Katniss and they know she is not well, they don't want to lie in court as they don't want Katniss to think they have abandoned her but they know the consequences if they don't, they love her and want to protect her even if it means hurting her. The next chapter will be told in Katniss's view as we see from her perspective how she is going to see this, what will she think of her friends, how will she handle this? The next chapter will be hard for her and will explore it. I hope you enjoyed it and please review, it always makes me smile!:-)


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