Always

Protective (Revised)

Dedicated to EVERLARK_4ever

Peeta and I don't relax until the doors of the Training Center are closed and we are on solid ground again. Cinna and Portia are there to greet us and congratulate us on our performance. I spot Haymitch a few feet away, talking with the district eleven tributes. He nods at us when our gazes lock, and then begins to make his way over to us, gesturing for his two friends to follow.

I recognize Chaff easily. Aside from the fact that I've watched him and Haymitch drink a little too much together, his look is distinctive. One of his arms ends in a stump, having lost his hand in his Games. I'm sure the Capitol offered him a prosthetic, but apparently Chaff decided against it. I guess he'd rather be himself than made whole by a contraption. I don't blame him. He's a big man, dark skinned and brown eyed. Judging by the way his eyes are glossed over and he sways just the slightest, my guess is he's drunk. Apparently, he doesn't handle his alcohol as well as Haymitch.

My attention turns to Chaff's district partner, Seeder. With her olive skin and straight black hair that is streaked with a few gray hairs, her smile is warm and makes me feel comfortable. Honestly, she must be around sixty, but you wouldn't know it just by looking at her. Seeder still looks as strong as ever. She's defiantly not someone I'd glance over as an opponent just because of her age. Before anyone says a word, Seeder embraces me in a tight hug, and somehow I know that it's because of Rue and Thresh. I can't stop myself from whispering, "The families?"

"They're safe," she assures me quietly before letting me go. A weight is lifted off my chest that had been ever pressing on me. Ever since the disastrous speech I gave on District 11's stop during the Victory Tour, I had been worrying about the consequences that Rue and Thresh's family might face. At night I still see the old man on his knees before his head was blown apart, but now most of my nightmares are about losing my child. And I don't know which is worse.

While Seeder's greeting was unexpected, Chaff's shocks me to the core. His one arm pulls me in for what seems like a hug, until he tilts my head up and places a kiss right on my mouth. The taste of liquor is on his lips and I can feel Peeta's hand tighten around mine. His protective nature coming out. Chaff and Haymitch are howling with laughter, while Peeta and I merely stare at them.

I don't have time to give him a piece of my mind, though, because the Capitol attendants begin directing us toward the elevators. It's obvious that they're not too thrilled with the friendship between tributes. What did they expect? These people have known each other for years, the quell won't stop that. Peeta's fingers are still twined with mine, when someone rushes up to my side.

She's short, even shorter than me, and has spiky hair and wild brown eyes. Johanna Mason from District 7. Honestly, I'm more scared of Johanna than I am of Finnick. Johanna Mason won her Games by portraying herself as a weak tribute, in hopes of the others ignoring her. When the Games began to come to an end, she turned into a vicious killer. I'd never seen anyone use an axe quite like Johanna Mason.

She throws her leafy headdress to the ground, not caring where it falls. "Isn't my costume awful?" she complains. "My stylist is the biggest idiot in the Capitol. All the tributes have been trees for the past 40 years, with her as our stylist. Wish I'd gotten Cinna. You look fantastic."

Oh, great. Girl talk. I hate girl talk. I scramble for anything to say. "Yeah, he's pretty amazing. You should see what he can do with cotton." Seriously, cotton? That's the best I can come up with?

"I have," Johanna replies. "The blue dress you wore in district 2. So gorgeous. I wanted to reach through the screen and rip it right off your back."

I bet you did, I think accusingly.

We're still waiting for the elevator to arrive and Joanna decides she's had enough of her costume. I hear the zipper come undone and the dress drop to the ground, pooling at her feet. She stands in nothing but a pair of forest, green slippers. "That's better," she sighs.

The elevator arrives and we all pile in, I take a spot next to Peeta and hold his hand while Joanna decides to stand in front of us. She  spends the entire ride talking to Peeta about his paintings, complimenting them and gushing over everything. I find this part of the conversation ironic, considering that I'm standing right here and yet she's flirting with my husband.

My teeth clench, and I am extremely grateful when Johanna gets off the elevator. I keep my eyes focused on the floor number and ignore Peeta completely. I know that he's grinning, I just know it. He thinks this is funny.

The moment the doors close, Peeta begins to laugh. "What?" I ask, yanking my hand away from his so I can cross my arms over my chest.

"It's you, Katniss," Peeta tries to explain. "Don't you see?"

I feel hurt that he's laughing at me, but also extremely mad because he finds it funny. "What's me?"

"Why everyone is acting like this. Finnick with his sugar cubes, Chaff with the kisses, and Joanna with the whole stripping down." Peeta tries to contain his smile, but he just can't quite manage it. "They're playing with you because you're so....you know."

"No," I scowl. "I don't know."

Peeta tries to explain again.
"You're so pure."

"I am not!" I advance on him until his back hits the wall of the elevator. "I have been ripping your clothes off for the past year, and in case you forgot, I'm pregnant with your child." I hiss so quietly that no microphone could possibly pick me up.

Peeta's eyes lose their laughter, his expression becoming serious. "I could never forget that," he tells me softly, his hands gently cupping my face as he places a tender kiss on my forehead. "To the Capitol you're pure, but to me you're absolutely perfect," he adds with a smile, and I calm down a bit.

"I'm still mad at you," I tell him, despite the fact that my arms have wound their way around his waist.

"And why is that?" He asks.

I breathe in his scent, the scent of dull and cinnamon. "Because you laughed at me." I tell him.

I feel the vibration in his chest when he chuckles at my answer. "Stop!" I say swatting his hand that is rubbing my arm. "Don't laugh at me." I tell him. My emotions are beginning to go crazy again.

"Katniss, I could never laugh at you. But between you and me, your hormones are going a little wild. That's all. I promise." Peeta grins before giving me a kiss, which I'm sure would have lasted longer if it weren't for the sound of the elevator doors opening.

Effie and Haymitch stand outside of the elevator waiting for us to join them. Haymitch stares at me with a disappointed face and I can only imagine what I've done. But something is off about his gaze, he isn't staring at me. He's staring behind me.

"Oh look we have a matched set this year!" Effie says in her high pitched Capitol voice.

I turn around to see what she means when my eyes lock with his. The man who use to tug on my braid when I sat with old Sae at her counter in the hob, the person who tried to save my husband's life.

Darius.

My breath catches in my throat and I grab Peeta's hand for stability. His swallowing isn't normal, he has to work too hard for his mouth to work. And then I put two and two together.

They've made Darius an avox.

A.N. Hi everyone! So I'm just going to say this for the rest of the book. The entire time she is in the Capitol and the arena she is 4 months pregnant. Everyone go check out my friend dillpickle37 and all her new stories. Also go check out my best friend Melissa_212 and her stories. Y'all will love them! Alright I hope everyone liked it. Star and comment.