The Wrong Victor

Chapter forty: Katniss

The doctors were able to find an antivenom for tracker jacket venom. They were able to act against the venom still in my body. They were able to give me medications to stabilize my mind so I wouldn't hallucinate as much. I feel more grounded. I feel more stable as a person. They've been testing me nonstop to see what my triggers are and how to best handle them. I've gotten better at knowing when I'm in an episode and I've gotten better at retracing my steps to reality.

"Yes, you can see her. Though be prepared. She's back to her stubborn self for the most part." I look up from my knots to the door. I've been kept away from Peeta for a week, my mother told me that. She said he had meetings and Coin wanted to punish us.

I smile softly as that familiar head of blond hair pops in and those bright blue eyes light up as if I'm the center of the universe. Why he looks at me like that, I will never know.

"Hi." Peeta whispers as he walks in with a less prominent limp than usual. He must have a new prosthetic.

"Hi." I set down my rope and watch as he sits on my bed with me. "They found antivenom. I don't have any more tracker jacket venom in my blood. I don't know how it was still floating around in there. They must have given me so much it was just constantly in my bloodstream." I don't want to raise alarms to him if the possibility of Coin also injecting me with venom to keep me dependent and unable to function. "But I'm free of venom and they found stabilizers for me to take every day."

"So you're feeling okay?" Peeta asks reaching up to brush away hair from my face.

I lean into his hand and nod. "I'm okay. I feel more like myself than I have since the first games."

"Good, think you can teach me how to shoot a bow?"

I can't help but laugh at his request. It's ridiculous. Why would he need to learn?

"Katniss, I'm serious." He whined his face bright red.

"Why would you need to learn? The war is over. We can go be peaceful in Twelve. We can just live our lives."

"Not yet."

I frown at that wishing my mother had told me everything that was going on. "You picked up Haymitch's habit I see."

"Hey, no." Peeta starts but I stand from my bed to put space between us.

"We were left in the dark about a lot of things. How can you turn around and leave me in the dark about whatever is going on?"

"Katniss, I didn't. This is the first time I've seen you since we were caught. Please just sit with me."

"Tell me what is going on."

"Snow is being executed. It's not over until he's gone."

I don't realize my legs went weak until I'm on the floor. The cold tile biting into my hand as my nails scratch against the smooth texture. He's not dead. He's still alive.

"Katniss?" Peeta gently cups the side of my face. He carefully lifts it so I'm looking at him.

"I want to see him."

"What?"

"I want to see Snow."

"Absolutely not."

I scramble off the ground and cross my arms. "Why not? I deserve the right to see that sick bastard. I deserve to look him in the eye and tell him he didn't break me."

"Coin would never approve it." Peeta says struggling to stand with his prosthetic.

"I don't care. I want to see him. I want to see that sick bastard one last time."

"Katniss."

"Peeta, I need to see him one last time. Please."

"Why?"

"He..." I take in a gulp of breath and let it out slowly. "Peeta, he tortured me daily. He let others torture me. He beat me senseless. He let others beat me within an inch of my life. I deserve to get to stand in front of him and tell him he didn't break me."

Peeta sighs as he runs a hand through his hair. He's stressed, he probably has more to say but can't say so in my highly monitored room. "I'll try to get her to agree to it. I make no promises."

I nod and move to hug him. Not just for comfort for both of our sakes, but so he can whisper to me if he needs to.

"I need to learn to shoot a bow and arrow to kill Snow, but I'm also going to injure Coin. A doctor has agreed to kill her while administering care, she just needs to be injured first." Peeta mutters into my hair so softly it's almost not even there.

I nod into the hug and pull back. "I'll teach you to shoot." I smile as I hold Peeta's hand in mine. Oh how we've changed. Oh how our lives have intertwined and moved paths. My sweet baker boy who was too scared to show off his skill during training is now freely and openly going to end the lives of our torturers.

I can't stand his sweet school boy smile. The same smile he would give me in school. The same smile he gave me with the bread. I lean forward and pull him into a kiss before hugging him again.

"Peeta, I love you." I'm afraid I won't get to say it again with everything going on. I'm afraid he will be stolen from me again and I won't see him again.

"I love you. I will see you tomorrow for lessons. I need to go make sure Prim is okay." Peeta says kissing my forehead. "I promise when we leave we can all live together and we can always cuddle at night to keep away the nightmares."

He knows me too well. "Give Prim a hug for me and tuck in her duck tail."

"Of course. I'll see you tomorrow for lessons." He reiterates so I remember. It's just a night. It's one night and I'll see him again.