Hunger Games 1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**: I don't want to be sued so I want to put this out there. I don't own _The Hunger Games_ trilogy or the characters from the books. They belong to the amazing Suzanne Collins and I have to say that I'm grateful for her creating Panem and all of the characters that live in that world. I'm borrowing them for this story. This is an AU version of how _Mockingjay_ might have gone if Peeta hadn't been able to get over being hijacked and had fallen in love with someone else. Reviews appreciated but not necessary.

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A raven haired girl with pale blue eyes watched on her television screen at home as the 74th Annual Hunger Games started to play out. It was terrible, the images that were on her screen. There were many times as she watched that she would close her eyes to block out the images although it didn't always help. She thought it was a wonder that anyone who survived didn't go completely mad. As she watched right now, she grew to hate the Games.

For years she sat indifferent, watching kids around her age killing each other because the Capital said that they had to do it, because it was considered entertainment as well as a punishment for an uprising years ago. There had been many times, in years past, when her parents didn't force her to watch the Games at all. This was the first year that she truly sat to watch and she was disgusted with what she saw. It killed her to think that Tributes from her own District were so willing to go into the arena to fight to the death.

She was grateful, however, for those same Tributes. Without them, she knew that she could've easily been chosen one year for the Hunger Games. She knew that she never would've survived. Her will was strong, yes, but she didn't feel especially brave. She wasn't physically capable enough either. In fact, she'd never raised her hand to another before. Not even in a fit of anger. She knew that even if she had been able to form an alliance with someone, she never would've survived past the first day. It tied her stomach up in knots and when she went to bed that night, she cried herself to sleep.

She knew enough not to question the Hunger Games. Not out loud anyway. The questions could swirl around in her head all that she liked and it wasn't like she could stop them. It didn't do any good though. The questions seemed to pile up and she had nothing in the way of answers. She didn't see how she could've been so blind to what was going on for so long. How did it take this long for her to realize that the Capitol was suppressing the freedoms of so many? How did it take this long for her to realize that the Hunger Games were evil and twisted, a form of punishment to the Districts?

When the winners came to District 2, she had been right there in the front, trying to get a glimpse at them. Never had there been two winners before and she wanted to see them for herself. She needed to understand what made the pair so special. Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark had stirred something inside her and she wanted to see them with her own eyes. Somehow that made the gnawing in the pit of her stomach worse. She knew that there were whispers already of a rebellion and she wondered what would happen if the whispers led to something more real. Never in her life had she thought about running away, not until now.

Her life in District 2 had been a good one after all. She had never been whipped or beaten for any reason. She always had more than enough food to eat and a nice house to live in. She had never wanted for anything, not as a child and certainly not now. Actually it was almost as good as living in the Capitol, although not quite as good as she knew they had it in District 1. That, however, was what made her feel so sick now. None of it seemed right at all. None of it seemed fair. How could she have so much when she knew that others had so little?

She couldn't sleep that night. It was the first of many sleepless nights. Sometimes, when she did try to sleep, she'd wake up because of the nightmares. She didn't understand how her parents and her siblings didn't have nightmares too after watching the Hunger Games. It didn't seem to affect them like it did her. Now she tried to sleep as little as possible. She would nap whenever she could but rarely did she close her eyes for more than 20 or 30 minutes at a time. If she did, she knew that those nightmarish images would flash into her mind again and she'd wake up screaming. Usually, when she had her nightmares, she was always in the middle of it, trying to fight for her life in the Hunger Games. She shuddered to think of what it would really be like.

Staring at her ceiling, she wondered if she could get out of District 2. She didn't know where she would go but she couldn't stay there anymore. It was stifling her and she didn't know how much more she could take. While she didn't do it all at once, she started to pack things slowly. She had two bags that she thought that she could take with her and her best friend was about to become a Peacekeeper. He said that he would take her as far as District 7 since that was where he'd be going but she was going to have to be careful and he wouldn't be able to help her if she got caught. That was more than she needed, more than she expected to get from anyone. While he wouldn't say it, she knew that her friend didn't want to help the Capitol either but it wasn't like he had a choice. She, however, was making her choice.

She had one bag with a few pieces of clothing. She tried to find the simplest dress and the simplest pants and shirt that she had. Those went in the bag along with a few other items. She wore all black, taking boots from her younger brother, the night that she left. There was one place in the whole train that she could hide and that's where she went, sneaking on with the help of her friend. He brought her some food but she had a bag with food and water in it. She hoped that it would be enough to survive until she could make it to another district. The only other things that she took were some books and toys that she used to play with as a child. She didn't know why but those things felt important to take with her.


	2. Chapter 2

It wasn't an easy trip to undertake but she spent as much time as she could sleeping even if that meant dealing with her nightmares while she slept. Late at night, when everyone else was sleeping, her friend would sneak her out when he could so she could get cleaned up and so she could stretch her legs a bit, which she appreciated more than she could tell him. She knew how much trouble he could get in for this so she appreciated even that little bit of time that she got to stretch her legs while other people slept. It wasn't a fun way to travel but she was happy that she was finally free.

Her heart raced whenever she thought about what could happen to her if she got caught running away like this. She could be killed for what she was doing after all. It was treasonous, her actions, but she had to get away. It all came down to deciding which option scared her more and that was being stuck in District 2. She realized that her family would be punished too if anyone ever found out about her running away but she had to get out. She had to get somewhere that wasn't District 2.

It was hard to slip off of the train unnoticed when they reached District 7 but she made it and tried to find a place where she could stay until she figured out her next move. Her friend quietly asked around and found a family willing to take her in for awhile. It was, again, more than she ever could've hoped for. The first thing that she did was take a long bath. That had seemed like such a luxury so she took her time with it. Then she changed into her simple dress and let a woman named Heather brush and braid her hair in a style that would help her fit in with the others in District 7. She quietly helped around the house, trying not to get in anyone's way. The food that she brought helped and they were able to make it stretch out for a bit while she stayed there.

She was starting to open up to the family that she was living with when the rebellion finally reached District 7. They had started to feel like a family to her and when fighting broke out, she worried about them. She wanted them to be safe. When some of the bombings started, there wasn't anything that she could do but grab the children in the house where she was staying. She had her bag with her clothes and those books and toys and she took them all to a safe place. When they returned, the house was destroyed and they had to find a new place to live.

She started to help with little things then, things that freed up everyone who wanted to fight against the Capitol, since it wasn't something that she felt like she could do. The thing was that she couldn't sit there and do nothing so she did what little she could to make sure that the people who wanted to fight could fight. She did what she could to make sure that people were fed and that small children were taken care of. While she wouldn't be any help to the cause by picking up a gun or anything like that, she knew that she could contribute in some small way to what was going on around her. She would help take care of the smallest of children and would help cook whenever she could. It made her feel like she was doing something and the children seemed to love having her around.

Things seemed to happen so quickly then. The war really started up and she just kept trying to do what she could to help with the children. When everyone was moved to District 13, she didn't know what to think. Everything seemed to be happening so quickly, one new thing after another. She was allowed to keep working with the smallest children though, teaching them and playing with them. It kept her occupied and she enjoyed it. She would spend as much time as she could out of the small room that she'd been given. It was such a depressing space and she much preferred her time with the children from the different districts.

For as much as she was teaching the children, she felt like she was learning from them as well. There were children from a few different districts living in 13 now and those were the ones she spent her days with. The smallest children from 13 weren't allowed to go to the makeshift daycare that she set up. That was all right with her though. There was something about the people of District 13 that set her on edge and she wasn't afraid to admit it. The thing was that she didn't have anyone that she could talk to in District 13. Her best friend had been killed when District 7 had been bombed. She suspected that it wasn't an accident but of course she knew so little about what actually happened to him. The people that she'd stayed with in District 7 had their own lives to lead. It was strange, feeling so alone while surrounded by so many people. The only way that she could get her frustrations out wound up being when she learned how to handle a firearm for the first time.

Soon, when she wasn't teaching the little ones in District 13, she found herself on the firing range. She wasn't very good at it. At least not enough to be a real soldier. It was a way to get out any frustrations that she felt building up inside her. She'd tried other weapons and while she was decent with a bow, it was the handgun that she was given when she said she wanted to learn to shoot that she seemed to favor. Maybe she wasn't a soldier in their rebel army but she liked that she would be able to protect herself if she ever had to.


	3. Chapter 3

She had been walking around inside District 13 the first time she saw him. Just coming back from dropping off each of the children she took care of, she was trying to pass some time before dinner. He was being escorted by three guards to the cafeteria and she stopped to watch him walk by. For a moment, she didn't recognize him and he didn't exactly look at her either but once he was gone, she realized who she had been looking at. While she'd heard that they'd gotten Peeta Mellark and some of the others back from the Capitol, this was the first time she'd gotten a glimpse of Peeta. She actually felt heartbroken when she realized how truly broken he looked.

She saw him a few more times over the next couple of days. It was always in passing but at least once or twice, he seemed to look at her as he would walk by with his armed escorts. Each time it happened, she felt a little pain in her chest after he was gone. It was something that she couldn't explain. It wasn't like it even made any sense in the first place after all. Still, she knew that it hurt just a little when Peeta was gone.

When she heard that they were trying to let people talk to Peeta, to see if they could help him, she asked if she could volunteer. It didn't matter to her that she had no connection to him other than a brief exchange when he and Katniss had come to District 2 on their victory tour. She felt like she wanted to talk to him. She wanted to help Peeta in any way that she could. Maybe it was silly of her to ask to speak to him but she was so adamant that they let her talk to him, that finally she was given a chance to see him one day.

She didn't know why she felt so nervous when she walked into the room. Peeta was sitting on his bed and there was a guard at the door. She wanted to tell the man to leave but she knew that no one would allow that. She was lucky there weren't more people in the room actually. She could tell when she arrived that everyone was on edge about this. She was probably the first person who wasn't from District 12 and who wasn't a guard or medic that was being allowed to spend time with Peeta. There was a chair sitting against the wall and she pulled it over to the side of his bed, sitting down and giving him a soft smile when Peeta looked up at her.

"Who are you?" he asked, looking her up and down as if he was trying to figure out how he knew her or what she was even doing there in the first place.

"You don't know me, Peeta. We've passed in the halls a few times recently. Do you remember?" she asked, the tone of her voice soft and soothing. It was the one she used when a small child that she was watching suddenly became frightened or seemed nervous about something. "I wanted to see how you were doing."

He laughed but it was a hollow sound, like there wasn't any feeling behind it. He turned away from her, laying down on his bed now. She shuddered a little from the way that he was acting but she wasn't going to let it stop her. It wasn't like she hadn't dealt with toddlers and their temper tantrums before. She felt like she could handle this. All she wanted right now was for Peeta to acknowledge that she was even there. That would be enough for now.

"So you're going to pout. Is that it? You're being a child about this, Peeta," she said, sighing. She even rolled her eyes at his behavior. It was like dealing with a small child who was on the verge of throwing a temper tantrum. The good news was that she knew how to handle that. "If you didn't want a visitor, you could've at least told someone."

"I don't want a visitor," he said, almost mumbling the words against his pillow. He seemed to refuse to look up at her right now.

She stood up and walked around to the other side of the bed. Her hands on her hips, she looked at him, watching him until Peeta looked up at her. She had the patience to wait all day if that was what it was going to take. "It's a bit late for that now, don't you think? I'm already here. I asked them to bring us up something to eat. I thought we could have lunch together." She watched Peeta for a moment longer before saying anything more to him. "If you want to me to leave though, I'll go."

His face seemed to soften and soon there was a twitch of a smile turning up the corners of his mouth as he lifted his head off the pillow to look at her. Peeta sat up and shook his head. "Will you stay?" he asked, suddenly seeming so much younger than he was. The hopeful look in his eyes as he watched her seemed to get more intense. "Please?"

She smiled and sat at the foot of his bed, nodding. "I'll stay. I was hoping you'd ask me to stay," she said with a light laugh. The mood seemed to lift the moment Peeta gave her that tiny smile. That had been all the permission she needed to stay but she was even happier that he asked her to stay. "I know the food here isn't the greatest but I thought it might be nice for us to have lunch together. Maybe next time I can talk them into letting us take a walk outside." She giggled when Peeta's smile seemed to grow as she talked. The fact that he was responding to her like this made her feel light headed.

Peeta sat up a little more, shifting so his one leg was actually almost touching hers. He looked when he felt his knee brush her leg and then gave her a crooked smile. "I don't think they'll let you take me outside this little room," he said, shaking his head. It sounded like there might even be a playfulness to the tone of his voice.

She smiled, biting back a laugh. She couldn't hide the shiver when his knee brushed her leg though or the blush that followed when he smiled at her. It all happened on its own. Her body wasn't fully in her control or that's how it felt to her. "I could still ask. It might be nice," she said with a shrug. "Get you a little fresh air for a change, right?"

She looked when she heard the door open, seeing someone pushing in a cart with two trays on it. The food didn't look like much more than mush but it was some kind of stew and some bread. She could tell as the cart was wheeled closer. The person pushing it gave her a look and shook his head but she rolled her eyes. She could tell that they didn't like how closely she and Peeta were sitting right now. The thing was that neither she nor Peeta moved an inch even though she could tell that Peeta noticed the same expression on this man's face that she'd seen.

She scooted to the edge of the bed, patting a spot right next to her with a smile. Then she pulled the car closer to them. "We'll use it as our table," she said with a light laugh. She gave another nod of her head to let Peeta know that she wanted him to sit next to her. "Come on. Let's eat before the stew gets cold."

Peeta returned her smile although it seemed a little uneasy. He sat down next to her though, so close his arm brushed against her at least once as he reached for something on the cart. He looked down when it happened, a light flush to his cheeks. He didn't say much as they started to eat and she took her cues from him. Whenever their arms brushed against the other person or if their fingers touched as they both reached for something, she would bite her bottom lip softly and take a sideways glance at Peeta. He would take a sideways glance at her as well and that flush would return to his cheeks but he never said anything about it.

When they finished eating, Peeta finally seemed comfortable with talking again. He shifted, putting a bit of distance between them. The thing was that he seemed to remain closer to her than he should have. It seemed that his idea of personal space was much smaller than most people's or maybe she was the one who wasn't used to such close contact with a person that she hardly knew. He watched her for a long moment before saying a word though, almost sizing her up. It made her shiver, the way that he looked at her. It was exciting although when she looked over her shoulder, she could see that the guard didn't like the way Peeta was looking at her.

"What's your name?" Peeta asked, his first question since she'd come into the room. It was asked rather abruptly too although he didn't blurt it out either. It was just asked so suddenly. Almost as if he was blurting out the question.

She blushed because she knew that her name was going to sound funny to him. Or at least she thought it might. It sounded funny to her, given the current situation. "It's ... Hope. My name is Hope Freeland," she said, looking down at the moment.

Peeta seemed to start grinning from the moment she said her name. It couldn't be because he recognized it. They had never met before today after all. It seemed to be something else, something that hit him a little deeper. It seemed that he liked her name, that something about it struck a chord in him. He even chuckled, shaking his head in an amused sort of way.

"Well I'm glad that my name amuses you," Hope said, gently pushing Peeta's leg. The instant she did it, she regretted it. She had no right to assume that she could do something like that. It might have been a playful move but the thing was that they didn't know each other. It was just that she felt so relaxed around him. This was the way that she was with her closest friends. Or the way that she used to be with them anyway. She knew, however, that she had no right to do something so 'comfortable' with Peeta.

He looked at his leg for a moment and then laughed as he looked her in the eyes again. "You're the first person who's come around that hasn't treated me like I'm completely off my rocker," he said, chuckling. "Your name seems appropriate because of it."

Hope blushed, looking down and shaking her head. "No, my parents just had twisted idea of what made for a good name. I don't think they thought that their oldest daughter was going to do any of the things that I did or that I'd bring any hope to anyone's life in that way," she said with a little shrug.

"So you have siblings?" Peeta asked, moving a little closer to her.

Hope looked up, nodding. His curiosity about her was exciting. It made her want to keep talking. "An older brother and two younger siblings. My older brother used to train in the hopes of being a Tribute but he never got the chance to volunteer. His name is Zeus, if you can believe it," she said with a laugh. It was easy to loosen up as she looked at Peeta. He seemed to be hanging on to her every word and she wanted him to know more about her. "Then there's my younger brother, Ares. He's been training for awhile to volunteer as a Tribute as well but he was thinking about becoming a Peacekeeper. Zeus works as a trainer now. Even though no one is suppose to **really** train for the Games."

"What about your other sibling? I'm guessing it's a sister," he said, watching Hope as she spoke. "And your parents? What do they do?"

"In District 2, there are only so many things that most people do. My dad has been training Peacekeepers since he was 18. My mom is a teacher. Or was. I don't know how they're doing at this point," Hope said with a sigh, closing her eyes for a moment. "My sister, Destiny, is too young to get involved in any of that just yet."

Peeta looked surprised and cocked his head to the side a little as he watched her. "You … you don't know what happened to your family?" he asked, sounding confused.

Hope shook her head, trying to keep the thoughts that usually came to mind out of her head. Those were the thoughts and doubts that seemed to plague her at night, creating nightmares that she would cause her to wake up screaming. Before her nightmares were of being placed in the Hunger Games. Now her nightmares were of the horrible things that she knew that Capitol could do to her family, may have done to her family. It seemed like no matter what happened in the world around her, she was going to be plagued by nightmares.

Peeta reached out to touch Hope's cheek but before he could, the guard in the room walked over, moving Peeta's hand before he could reach her. He gave the guard a dirty look and scowled as the guard didn't move, standing right beside the bed now, watching Peeta carefully. Peeta folded his arms across his chest and glared at the guard for a long moment. It was like the two of them were having some sort of staring contest. Finally it got to be too much for Hope.

"Maybe I should come back another time. Do you think it would be okay if I came back tomorrow, Peeta? Maybe closer to dinnertime? I have some things that I need to do first," she said, trying to get his attention now. She even reached out and touched his leg, hoping it would get him to look at her.

That seemed to be all that it took. He looked over at her and a slow smile crept up on his lips. He nodded but before she could leave, he moved quickly, grabbing hold of her hand. "What will you be doing before you come to see me?" Peeta asked. He seemed to be almost stalling, trying to get her to stay a little longer with him.

Hope smiled softly. She moved her hand a bit so she could lace her fingers with his instead. The guard in the room didn't seem to move this time. In fact, when she looked over, she saw that he was standing a couple of steps away from them. She didn't know what had changed, why they were being given space but Hope was glad for it. "I help keep an eye on some of the smaller children here. The ones not old enough for school yet," she said with a little nod. "I might go to the firing range too. I'm getting pretty good at using a firearm."

Peeta gave her a faint smile. He seemed to look at their hands for a long moment. It was almost like he was studying them. Then he looked at her, his smile a bit brighter. "Can you come sooner? Have breakfast with me instead?" he asked, that smile still on his face as he played a little with her fingers.

Maybe he didn't know he was doing it but Hope felt her pulse race a little more. His touch seemed to make her dizzy and she couldn't explain why that was. This was the first time that they'd ever spoken after all. Still she smiled at Peeta and nodded, agreeing to come see him for breakfast before she realized what she was doing. "Yes, actually, I'd like that," Hope said with a laugh. "You sure you don't mind company in the morning?"

Peeta smiled and shrugged. "Truth is they don't let many people come see me since …" He let his voice trail off, giving a dismissive wave of his other hand. He had a far-away look in his eyes. When his eyes met hers though, the smile on his face was clearly reflected in his eyes. "There have been a few visitors from home but I want to see you again. Promise me that you'll come here for breakfast in the morning. Maybe you can come back to go for a walk with me?"

Hope knew that she was blushing softly but Peeta didn't seem to notice. At least he didn't comment on it like so many people seemed to like to do whenever she blushed about something. It was nice to not be called out on it actually. "I could. I'd like to come by as often as you'd like. You deserve to have visitors," she said, nodding. Hope wanted Peeta to feel like things were looking up for a change. She didn't want him to feel like he was some kind of muttation. She wanted him to feel like he was still a person. She wanted him to feel like he had something still to live for. It hurt her to think that they were keeping Peeta in this room.

He had gone from one cage, in the Capitol, to another right here in District 13. That hurt Hope. She wanted him to be able to go for a walk without needing the guards around. She wanted him to feel like everything was going to be okay again. Maybe Peeta didn't mind the way people were treating him but she did. She didn't like it. She didn't want people looking at him like there was something seriously wrong with him and Hope was going to do everything that she could to make Peeta feel like there was nothing wrong with him. She was going to do everything that she could to make sure that he felt like there were still so many things in the world left for him to experience. Maybe she couldn't personally bring him happiness but she was going to bring some kind of brightness into Peeta's world.

"As long as you come see me, I'll have all the visitors I need," Peeta said. His voice was soft, like he didn't want her to hear him say that. He looked up at her and there was a rosiness to his cheeks. He looked away when Hope tried to make eye contact with him.

She softly laughed and gently turned his head so he was looking at her again. "Peeta, I'll be back in the morning. I promise," she said with a nod. She took a step closer to him and watched as his breath seemed to catch a little. It was Hope's turn to blush now. She didn't see how she could make Peeta blush or even make him take a deep breath like that. Those were reactions that he could cause in her. It wasn't supposed to work the other way around. "I'll even see if we can go for a walk in the afternoon. Okay?"

Peeta smiled and nodded, giving her hand a tug. She took another step closer and was suddenly hyperaware of how close she was to him. She could feel the warmth of his steady breath. She could feel his pulse when she softly brushed her thumb on his wrist and it made her smile when she realized that his heart seemed to beat faster when she did that. The warmth of his body even radiated into her and she felt her own pulse quicken. Without thinking about it, Hope rested her forehead against his, closing her eyes for a long moment. Then slowly, she pulled away from Peeta before she got too caught up and did something that might ruin everything.

"I have to go, Peeta," she softly said, still holding his hand. Hope didn't want to let go. Actually, if she had her way, she would've stayed with Peeta. The thing was that she knew no one would allow it. She didn't even know if Peeta would want it. Spending time with her was one thing but what Hope was wishing for was something else altogether and it was because she wanted it so badly that she started to pull away from him.


End file.
