It couldn't have come any quicker.

The thought raced through your head yet again as you heard Claudius Templesmith's voice boom once more through the arena, announcing you and Peeta as victors. Relief seemed to surge through you as you turned around gave Peeta yet another hug, and he wrapped his arms around you again in return.

"Wow," Peeta finally said. "Finally."

"You didn't eat any berries, didn't you?" you asked him quietly.

Peeta shook his head. "No. You?"

You shook your head as well. "Would have been dead by now if I did."

For a moment, the both of you stood silently as you let the thoughts of victory course through your mind. Finally, you can get out of the arena. Finally, you can go home. But...no longer would you be able to see the tributes of the Games again. This thought greatly disturbed you, yet you managed to push that away as the hovercraft approached the both of you, a ladder descending down towards you.

"Shall we?" you asked, holding a hand out to him.

Peeta laughed as he took it now. "Let's go."

Together, the both of you got onto the ladder and went inside the hovercraft, which carried you out of the arena and all the way to the hospital wing. You glanced at Peeta every now and then, noticing his cheek crusted with blood from the scar that the mutt gave him. His blue eyes were still staring intensely, as if another tribute is to leap out somewhere, but a squeeze of your hand made him relax just a little bit.

"You were right," Peeta murmured to you. "You were right about...both of us coming out of this alive. Honestly, I doubted myself so much I turned blind and--"

"Hey." You squeezed his hand again and he turned to you now. "We beat the odds. We're still together."

"Victors too," Peeta whispered, smiling gently. "But what would happen now? Like...you've screamed out a lot of really interesting things if you asked me."

You shook your head and glanced down, embarrassed. "I hope they don't, you know, tell me off for trouble. After all, I do find it outrageous." And it was true. Thinking about Glimmer, and Clove, and Rue, and Marvel, and even Cato, made you feel disgusted and sick all the time. It's a wonder how everyone managed to keep their sanity after the Games. All the victors and mentors, really.

Soon, the hovercraft reached the hospital, and you and Peeta were forced to break your handhold as you were ushered away to separate hospital wards. The instance you got to your own ward, you were instructed to take off your tribute clothing and put on a hospital gown, leading you to a bed.

"Huh." You glanced around at the white walls that surrounded your view, the thin hospital gown that made you feel exposed. You wished you were still wearing the tribute clothing, but no, even those were damaged beyond repair after countless times diving in lakes and climbing up trees and dodging mutt claws too. The pendant still stayed with you, funny enough, and you glanced down at it now, the sapphire glittering dully under the white fluorescent lights. Your mind floated also to Cato's sweater, hopefully still hanging in your room, but no. It was probably too far away, and who knows where it could have ended up now? Hopefully it wasn't gone. You can't bear to lose it. Not when Cato promised. Shivering, you brought your arms around you again, knowing that this time, there was no one to help you.

Eventually, a Peacekeeper came in holding a tray of food. A small bowl of stew, a bun the size of your palm, and a glass of water was all that came to you, and he set it down on the table and left without another word.

This is it? you thought, picking up the bun and rolling it around and around in your palm. Shouldn't the returning meal be a bit more extravagant? One look at the rest of the meal made you feel a bit queasy, though--after who knows how long in the arena eating nothing but squirrels, groosling, bread and cookies, maybe you could start off with something simple again. Just to be sure you're back on track with food intake.

You put the bun down now and picked up the glass of water, and started to drink from it, the taste of fresh clean water soothing your throat and quenching your thirst. Never have you had such clean water since your last drink with Cinna in the launch room...and soon, the glass was empty, and you found yourself staring at the empty glass wishing for more. But you did obediently eat the rest of the food there--the stew was a bit thick on your tongue, and the bun too dry, but at least you weren't starving anymore.

Soon, fatigue took over and you laid down in the bed now, your head on the pillow, your arms wrapped around yourself again, your eyes slowly closing as you fell asleep.

******************************

The next moment you opened your eyes, you were shaking. Yes, you could feel your entire body trembling with fear as images of the last few days in the arena began to play through your mind. The girl from 8 dying by Glimmer's blade. The tracker jackers surrounding you in angry hordes. Cato's arms hugging you tight, but then letting you go...the spear embedded in Rue's body...Peeta's face, white as a ghost in fear...

"STOP!" you screamed, bolting up in the bed. The longer you stayed here, you more you felt trapped, wanting to stop the nightmares so badly but yet they just kept coming in torrents. Again, you hugged yourself in an attempt to stop the flow of memories, to stop the visions from coming in, but you knew it was futile. How do people mask it so well? No wonder Haymitch drinks so much all the time. He probably just tried to forget.

Take deep breaths now, you told yourself, inhaling and exhaling slowly until you seemed to have calmed down. Then you slowly got out of the bed, surprised at how strong your body has become after that refreshed few hours of sleep. No visible scars or marks remained on your body, which surprised you greatly. In short, you suddenly became a whole new meaning of flawless.

"We don't have much cause to look nice in District 12," you told your prep team.

But now? You probably do.

A smile tugged on your lips as your eyes landed on a pile of clothes sitting innocently in waiting. Someone must have left it there for you. Carefully, you sorted through the pile and put the clothes on again, nodding as you realized that these were the clothes you wore in the Games. Well, a fresher set of them, anyway. You knew you had to wear them for your team--Effie, Haymitch, Cinna, Portia, your prep team...and then the happy thought of you possibly going home again illuminated your face into a wide smile. Home.

Home.

Home to your mom, Delly, and seeing your friends again. And even the thought of seeing Prim made you grin too. And in that moment, you were glad you volunteered for her in the Games.

"You ready?"

The sound of a Peacekeeper calling you at the door made you jump, but you nodded, brushing your hair out of your eyes as you re-tied your ponytail.

"Good. Let's go." With that, the Peacekeeper led you out of the hospital wing and through the winding corridors, and you nodded at the excessive use of lights, knowing that you were probably underground. After a while, you reached the elevator, and the Peacekeeper eventually entered with you, pressed the number 12, and you ascended, your heart beating faster and your smile growing wider at the prospect of seeing your team again.

Little did you know what would exactly be in store for you.