Poison // Catching fire AU

Before

A few words. That was all President Snow had to bring to the table so that Katniss could be sure of his intentions. There was no point in asking what he was going to do to Gail, to Hazel and the children, to her own family. She could only stare into his snake-like eyes and know that if she didn't fulfill his conditions - if she only dare to say no to whatever his plan was - everything would be screwed up. Everything would go to hell and too many innocent people would die for her own sake.

"Are there any such organizations already?" her own voice sounded so strange as the ashen words left her lips. "Rebels?"

"Miss Everdeen. You are a smart girl. I think you can answer that question yourself," he nodded. Barely noticeable on such a stupid question. Why were you even here? He could just kill her. He could have killed all of District 12. But he was here. "But please don't call them rebels. They're just confused children playing war."

Many people would die - first her loved ones, then possibly other innocents throughout Panem. People she didn't even know. So what was the point of risking it all? There have been rebellions, none succeeding in their mission to overthrow the Capitol. What made her think that her rebellion - if she participated in one at all - would succeed?

"What can I do to stop this?"

"Miss Everdeen. Right now, what would give the rebels some hope is that you and I are on opposite ends of the negotiating table. We are not one. We work against each other. But, if we work together, for to bring a good future to Panem... Then no one will be able to defeat us."

"And why should I believe you? Why would you do this now?"

"Because, Miss Everdeen, I am desperate!" he hit the table. "I know you don't believe me, but I know the woman they are going to raise. I know the woman behind all this sugary talk about freedom and justice. Believe me, the first moment she gets her hands on power, she's going to destroy Panem. She's going to start something much more heinous. Do you want to know why? Unlike me, she's not above killing innocents for what she calls the cause. It doesn't matter if those innocents are children , adults. It doesn't matter if they're sick or healthy. Hers or ours. She'll be willing to sacrifice them. I would never kill people who don't deserve it."

The kids in the arena, she wanted to say. Katniss wanted to remind him that he was a killer too. But she was silent.

There was a reason.

If they weren't lying to one another, then he wasn't killing without reason. And what reason were the arenas? Punishment? For whom? For districts, for families?

However, the punishments could not be eternal. Therefore, sooner or later - probably soon - they would end. Sooner or later, their country would be at peace. But not if there was a war. If there was a war, thousands of people - men, women, children - would die. The districts would be destroyed. Probably even the Capitol.

But was regime change worth the death of thousands of innocent people?

"What can I do to stop all this?" Katniss asked softly.

President Snow smiled, his snake eyes flashing. "A child would serve our common cause well. But for starters, a wedding."

*

Caesar was laughing when he announced the news late at night two weeks later. "I guess there isn't a person in Panem anymore who hasn't heard the news!" he grinned at the cameras as Katniss squeezed Prim's hand. "Our newest winners - the star crossed lovers - are ready to get married!"

"Primrose, leave us alone," Mrs. Everdeen turned off the television, interrupting Caesar's excited clapping. "Now." Prim bounded out of the room, startled like a little bunny by their mother's cold voice. "A wedding," Mrs. Everdeen repeated slowly. "Katniss, is this happening by your will?"

"Mom..."

"The truth, Katniss Everdeen!" perhaps the most frightening thing about the whole situation was her mother's quiet, calm voice. "What did the president say to you in the office?"

"He...thinks that a baby—mine and Peeta's—that is ostensibly on the side of the Capitol...us being on the side of the Capitol...would help keep the peace and quiet in Panem."

Mrs. Everdeen was silent for a long time. Katniss was staring at the floor, unable to bring herself to look at her. Because - if she looked at her - she would see Prim. And when she saw Prim, she would see her father. And seeing her father was what would break her.

"When...when is this child due?"

"As soon as possible."

Mrs. Everdeen took a deep breath. "That...no. It doesn't matter how many people it saves. Katniss, you're 16 years old. You can't be a mother."

"Grandma was 17 when she gave birth to you."

"Another time, another world. And besides, your grandmother wasn't a Hunger Games victor. This kid has a one-way ticket to the Capitol."

"I will save her."

"Her?" Mrs. Everdeen frowned. "You want a girl."

"Yes. And I'll name her Azalea."

Mrs. Evadeen grinned at her eldest daughter before whispering. "Hope she poisons all the bastards in the Capitol."

Katniss laughed. It was the first time she hugged her mother with genuine feelings of love.