Forbearance • A Cato Hadley Story

2.10

All of the District Two victors, as well as Augusta, were sitting in a train car. They knew they weren't safe anymore. Even Brutus who didn't really know or get along with or really know either teen wasn't safe. They all knew that something had to be done. Something to keep them out of harm's way. Livia still didn't understand President Snow. She didn't understand why he wanted people to believe their love story. To her and Cato, it was all real. It shouldn't matter if people believe it or not.

And as far as she was concerned, she had nothing to prove to that man or any of the Districts. If they didn't believe it, so be it. She didn't care if people didn't believe it. It was her life, not theirs. But she knew that even though she didn't care, it wasn't up to her. Nor was it up to Cato. It wasn't up to Augusta. Or Annette. Or Enobaria. Or even Brutus. It was up to President Snow. That evil man who Livia knew could get away with anything, even something as brutal as murder, and face no consequences.

And what could the group do about it? They had no choice but to play along with the act the man wanted them to play. Because what other choice did they have? There wasn't another choice. "Snow is watching us. If he wants you to pacify the districts, I promise you, he's not happy. Instead of being in love you two sound like you're reciting from a drilling manual." Brutus told the couple, though neither wanted to take him seriously due to of their distaste for the man.

This was the first time he had spoken to them in almost a week and he had somehow already managed to annoy the living hell out of Livia. With a roll of her eyes she sat up in her seat by Cato, looking at the intimidating man sternly. "Well I'm sorry our love life isn't good enough for you people." she snapped, an child-like eye roll now coming from Brutus.

A smile then rose onto his face as if to make fun of the girl. He clearly didn't like her and he clearly wasn't afraid to hide it, just like herself. "This has nothing to do with your real love life. This has to do with the fact that you've made him angry. And trust me, sweetheart, you need all the help you can get." Brutus taunted as he took a few small steps toward the girl.

Wanting to keep her distance she moved back into her seat, pressing herself as far into the chair as she could without making it too obvious. "Try reading that stuff Augusta writes us. No offense, A." Cato retorted. It was true. The things written on those cards made for the pair were far too formal and clearly scripted for them to sound normal. It was no wonder people didn't believe their feelings when what was written on the cards made them sound like robots that needed reprogramming.

"Tell that to President Snow when you see him two days from now." Enobaria reminded the couple, finally speaking up. She had been especially quiet since the incident in District One had taken place. Even now, she was speaking but she wouldn't speak to either Livia or Cato. And for what reason? No one knew. "I'm open to suggestions." Cato admitted, simply just wanting to get the conversation over with. The room went silent again, just as it had been only minutes before.

Suddenly Livia was struck with an idea. She knew not everyone in the group would be completely fond of the idea but decided that she would at least suggest it to try and make some sort of progress. "We could get married." she spoke up. Cato and Enobaria both whipped their heads towards her, surprised looks on their faces. Brutus instantly shook his head in shock and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "That's not helping." he told the blonde seriously.

The small girl shook her head and shrugged in confusion at his response. He thought she was joking. But she wasn't. "I'm serious. If like you said we're on this train forever it's gonna happen eventually. Why not now?" she retorted blatantly, her gaze switching between everyone around her. The older man chuckled at her and looked between her and Cato, who kept his gaze on his girlfriend. "It does make a statement, I'll give you that." he admitted, shrugging his shoulders.

A hand then found its way to Livia's, her eyes meeting her boyfriend's when she looked over. With a single swift movement he had pulled her out of her chair and dragged her a few yards away from the other three so they could chat somewhat privately. "Liv, you know you mean the world to me but are you sure you're ready to get married? I mean I'm eighteen and you're only seventeen." he reminded his girlfriend, not letting go of the hand he had used to pull her away.

The small girl squeezed his hand comfortingly and looked at the boy in his eyes, not taking so much as a single moment to glance away. "Cato, we don't actually have to get married. We tell everyone we're getting married, have a fake wedding and if or when we really want to get married we have a private wedding." she explained to him quietly, trying to speak softly.

The muscular boy stayed quiet for a moment, contemplating her idea. After his moment's consideration, he sighed and looked to the three oldest in front of them. Gaining a sudden burst of confidence he let go of the girl's hand and wrapped an arm around her waist, to which she smiled at the contact. Using her hand closest to him, she placed her hand on the back of his shoulder and waited for him to speak. "Yeah, sure, let's do it."

And that's exactly what they did. Two days later the couple sat in Livia's bedroom and flipped to the channel where Caesar Flickerman's show aired. They had turned to the channel just in time to see the man on the screen, an excited look on his face which gave the first hint that their 'engagement' would be announced momentarily. "Just when you thought things couldn't get more exciting going into a very special Quarter Quell, our two lethal lovers, my favorite expression," he trailed off as he walked around the stage, his eyes focused on the camera.

"from District Two have surprised us with a new twist in their love affair. Let's take a look." he finished, turning around to face the screen behind him. The couple smiled as they appeared on the screen next to Caesar. Cato could be seen talking to a confused Livia and an excited Caesar Flickerman, his back facing the camera. After a moment of speaking to his beloved girlfriend the muscular boy got down on one knee and opened a small box, revealing a diamond ring. The girl's jaw instantly dropped and both her hands moved to cover her mouth.

Tears welled up in the girl's eyes as she nodded her head happily. The tall figured boy stood from his spot on the ground once the girl accepted the proposal, slipping the ring on the girl's left ring finger. Cato then pulled Livia closer to him by the waist and pulled her into a sweet, tear filled kiss. The blonde cupped his face in her hands as they held each other close. Just as they separated the scene of them blurred out and Caesar turned back to the camera with a wide smile, clearly amused by the event that took place.

"The fairy tale ending of two star-cross lovers. That's beautiful. And then tonight the tour that began in the hollows of District Two will end where?" the man finished with a smile just as the screen turned off, cueing the end of the show. Livia snuggled closer to Cato on her bed with a smile, leaning onto him tiredly as he spoke kindly. "I can't wait to do that for real someday." he told her with a small smirk.

The blonde smiled to herself, resting her head on his shoulder and flipped her left hand over so she could look at the ring on her finger. With her right hand she played with the diamond, thinking about the day he would ask her that question and mean it. The day nothing would stop them from living out the lives they wanted to live. And neither could he.