Peeta barely slept. They'd given him sleeping pills, but he hadn't used them. So when he heard someone come into his room, and rush to his bed without even trying to be quiet, he was up, fists bunched before she got halfway there. "Effie?!"

"Get up!" She said quickly. "We have to get you out of Thirteen!"

Peeta blinked as the lights snapped on. Katniss and Gale were in the room, both of them armed with knives from the kitchen. Thirteen tightly regulated the release of any weapons; so they were improvising. Effie was throwing his clothes at him. "Hurry!"

Peeta dressed quickly. "What's going on? What have I missed?"

Effie was pulling him to the door, even as he hopped on one foot, trying to get his boots on. "Move! Move!"

Peeta scrambled after her, and Gale filled him in. "Johanna tried to kill Coin."

Peeta froze for half a heartbeat; amazed at how little shock he felt. "Tried?"

"Failed." Gale clarified. "Coin had concealed alarms in her quarters, and Coin's personal guards were there in time to stop her. Johanna took nightlock."

Peeta crumbled. "No!"

"She's alive." Effie said quickly, as Katniss peeked into the hall, checking it was clear. "Taking the nightlock saved her life because it meant they rushed to save her for questioning, rather than shoot her. But Coin has used the incident to declare Victors are traitors to the Revolution, and they'll all to be tried for Conspiracy."

"She already has a Tribunal selected." Katniss put in. "Almost like she was planning a move like this."

"Gawd, the Game refuses to end." Peeta was running along with them. "Any ideas on how to get out?"

"If we can make it to the surface, we'll be fine." Gale told him. "Katniss and I have been hunting in these woods for a while now. And Katniss walked here from Twelve originally."

"I remember the way." Katniss called, hurrying along with them. "But if we can't get out of the complex, it's all for nothing."

Peeta ran, eyes roving for people and cameras. It was exactly like their sprint to the Hovercraft during the Quarter Quell.

They made it to the central shaft. Even at that time of night, the end of the war meant there were people coming and going. The District Twelve team joined the crowd and kept their heads down; hoping some of the most famous faces in the country could be invisible while surrounded. Peeta subtly glanced up and down the shaft. Steel gantries and pathways meant they were visible from three different dimensions as they tried to reach the elevators.

"If we get caught, it'll be there." Gale said softly.

"Gale, I can't ask you to-"

Katniss cut him off, and quoted; of all things, the song she had sung in the Bunker the night of the attack. "Though all the world betrays thee, one sword at least thy right shall guard."

"Two swords." Gale whispered with her. "Move like you own the place."

Peeta did so, the small company marching towards escape, bold as brass; like they were following direct orders, and everyone had to get out of their way befo-

"FREEZE!" Yelled a familiar voice. "Peeta Mellark, don't take another step!"

Peeta froze, and turned slowly to face Boggs, who had arrived with a security team. At the same moment, the PA chimed the morning shift. The Commons was suddenly full of people. More than half the District, all of whom who noticed a team of soldiers aiming their weapons at Peeta Mellark and his friends, war heroes all of them.

"Boggs, I know you've got your orders." Peeta said, hands up. "But straight up, the first I heard of this was when Effie told me just now-"

"We can handle that, in a less public space." Boggs said, eyes roving the sudden crowd for wildcards. "You don't want to do this here."

"I don't want to do this at all; but I think it's Coin who wants it done in secret." Peeta returned.

Boggs was suddenly aware that nobody was moving. The Schedule was the Word of God in Thirteen, and everyone was ignoring it to watch this disaster unfolding.

And then, out of nowhere, familiar voices came over the PA, broadcast from every speaker, every screen. Peeta was stunned. One of those voices was his. The other was Alma Coin. "Snow had a thousand people surrounding his Palace. He built a human wall. Fighting our way in? A lot more than thirty casualties."

"So it was worth it."

"It was."

Dead silence in the Commons. The PA crackled, and started playing again with Coin's voice. "Naming the people you spoke to at Nine? It turned a riot into a full scale uprising that the Capitol couldn't put down. Sabotaging the Rescue Mission? Yeah, I wanted you heartbroken enough to call for war. You managed to move whole Districts with a few speeches. If you'd actually been able to turn loose a little genuine heartbroken rage? The war could have been over months sooner."

"Yeah, blowing up the kids might not have been necessary." Peeta's voice sneered.

"We'll never know now, will w-(BZZT)" The PA crackled hard, and Coin's voice came back. Not a recording this time. "Attention!" She grated quickly. "The… hack, of the PA system has been resolved. Whatever you just heard, it was a fake production; similar to what the Capitol used in the Quarter Quell to recreate voices for the Games. I believe it was to cover the escape of several enemies. Commander Boggs, place Peeta Mellark under arrest."

Effie immediately put herself between Boggs and Peeta. Gale and Katniss did the same. A few moments later, so did several other people; most of them from Twelve.

And then a few from Thirteen stepped forward. Peeta recognized them from the kitchens. Then a few more. Peeta recognized them from the bunks around his in the bomb shelter.

Boggs had his weapon in his hand, pointed upwards defensively. His eyes were flicking around the room, wondering if he was about to start a riot. "Guys, I'm not doing this for fun. I have my orders."

Peeta sat down, cross legged on the floor. Everyone siding with him followed the example. It was a pose immediately recognizable to everyone; including Boggs. The people who weren't siding with Peeta were looking awkwardly at each other, at Boggs, at the PA; wondering what side they should be taking. Sit-Downs were Peeta's weapon against the Capitol. If they weren't sitting with him, did that mean they were on the Capitol side?

Cressida called from the next level up, watching from the gantry with her ever-present camera. "Go ahead, Boggs. We're rolling!" She almost dared him.

Boggs lifted his radio. "Ma'am, we have... a situation here. The 'hack' has caused significant unrest."

"Mellark is under arrest for treason." Coin's voice wasn't going to an earpiece. Boggs wasn't on a field mission, after all. In the silence, the sound carried. "Anyone trying to stop you is supporting that Treason. The surrender was unconditional, and that includes anyone attempting to stop you carrying out your orders. If they won't get out of the way, consider them enemy combatants."

"What?" Peeta blurted. "Did she just tell you to start shooting into the crowd of District Thirteen citizens?!"

Cressida called. "The surrender order was between Thirteen and the Capitol. Is she saying he's a Capitol Soldier?!"

The crowd was starting to figure out how bad it was, and started shouting. More people started pushing to stand with Peeta; the situation was getting out of control.

Biggs shouted over the din. "PEETA!" He shouted, and the crowd quieted down. "Coin is on that tape. So are you. She says it's fake. What do you say?"

"Every word is real." Peeta confirmed. "She never admitted it. Not outright. I have no idea who recorded it, but Johanna's private moments were recorded and broadcast once, so I know there are cameras and microphones around."

The crowd roared again. Apparently, this was not known to the rest of Thirteen.

Coin was alone in her private office, watching the feed from Cressida's camera, when it suddenly went to static. It stayed that way for several minutes.

Coin turned when the door opened, and Boggs walked in. "What happened? We lost the… feed."

Boggs walked in with Peeta, who was very clearly not a prisoner. Gale and Katniss walked in with him, taking positions at the door.

"I gave you an order, Boggs." Coin said darkly.

"Madame President, in the year I've known Peeta Mellark, the only time I've seen him angry was when he thought you were using his name dishonestly." Boggs said seriously. "He says that recording was real, and I believe him."

"So, what do you say?" Katniss asked Coin seriously.

"Enough." Coin said roughly. "Colonel Boggs, I'll have my personal guard summoned immediately. The crowds are no longer an issue. Place these three under arrest."

Peeta looked to Boggs. "Don't do it, Boggs. The Games are Over. Unless we decide to keep doing this, again and again."

"Boggs, do it! That's an order from your Commander In Chief." Coin snapped.

"Don't do it. That's a plea from a friend." Peeta countered immediately.

Long silence. Katniss drifted to a position where she could cover Boggs and Coin. Gale drifted to stand right beside Peeta, waiting for it to come to violence. Only Boggs was armed.

Finally, Boggs spoke. "Madame President, you are under arrest for ordering War Crimes."

"Under what authority? There hasn't been a War Crime Tribunal since The Capitol declared it 'inefficient' and disbanded it."

"Didn't you hear?" Peeta put in. "You ordered one be formed to put the Victors on Trial for conspiring to assassinate you. I figure that's close enough."

"And if it isn't, there's always Snow's Tribunal." Boggs put in. "They've been waiting the entire War to hear a single case."

"Now we've got two. One for Snow, and one for you." Gale said plainly.

"Even if I did it…" Coin's eyes flicked to her Panic Button, which would summon her personal guards. "You really think my own people will convict me for attacking people from the Capitol?"

"We might be able to find a few people in Thirteen who care about children being murdered." Peeta quietly seethed. "But who knows what else might come out?"

Coin lunged and hit her panic button; summoning her personal guard. No response. She hit it again. It wasn't working. She actually looked impressed. "Okay. How did you manage that?"

"I didn't." Peeta admitted, thinking. "While we're on the subject, I didn't record our chat in the kitchen either. And I couldn't rig the PA if I tried, let alone your panic button."

Peeta opened the door to one of the Psych Ward cells.

She clapped eyes on him in the doorway and jumped up before he could say a word.

"Ta-Da!" Wiress said brightly, with big hand gestures like she was presenting a magic trick.

Cuffed to her hospital bed, in the security wing this time, Johanna didn't even try to hide her grin as Finnick and Paylor questioned her. "I had Wiress make a listening device for me. Thirteen doesn't think much about the really broken people. If I tried to get a bug from the regular depot here, I'd never get away with it. If I'd asked Beetee, he'd have used their equipment, and they'd know. Wiress made me one with positive thinking and the bits of wire she'd stolen from the walls." Johanna told them.

"Peeta didn't know?" Paylor wanted that point confirmed.

"I snuck the bug into his clothes. Coin never would have said anything if she thought he was playing her, so I made sure he wasn't playing her at all. Coin's smart. She can see back-stabbing a mile off. She sees it in the mirror every day. And once I played Beetee that recording of Peeta and Coin, he knew it was only a matter of time before it was her or us." Johanna nodded. "He rigged the PA, and the rest was luck."

"Beetee is two doors down in his own cell." Finnick put in. "Apparently he decided to alter the frequency that Coin's panic button uses. Instead of summoning her Personal guards, it locked the door to their security room. They were watching the whole thing play out on monitors, like everyone else. Beetee did it because he thought she was going to ambush him at their next meeting. Turned out she didn't wait that long."

Watching the conversation from behind the one-way glass outside Johanna's cell, Peeta took off his shirt, and started searching it. He found the listening device, stuck up under his collar. "She walked into my room, picked up my shirt, and planted a listening device on me while I was sitting there watching her do it."

Beside him, Katniss winced on his behalf. "Putting Finnick in there was a good move. You're right. She never would have talked to Paylor alone."

Finnick actually looked annoyed. "Why didn't any of you tell me? I would have helped."

"I didn't have a plan." Johanna shook her head. "Playing that recording in Thirteen? That was never meant to save anyone. The recording was on a timer, to play over the PA during Morning Shift Change, when everyone would be able to hear it." She gestured at the IV feeding her. "I thought I'd be dead right now, and Coin with me. That recording was my confession about why I did it. Beetee didn't let me in on his Panic Button trick. Cressida decided to point a camera at Peeta's arrest on her own. Peeta decided to pull a sit down when the order came. You all decided to storm Coin's office and arrest her. None of us were working to some grand design."

Finnick let out a breath between her teeth. "The reason Peeta's so good at turning the game sideways: His only move is refusing to play. Apparently we all learned the trick."

Johanna laughed, a little crazily. "We just lucked into it!"

"Not luck!" Finnick said immediately. "Nobody's a Victor by accident."

"He's right." Johanna coughed a bit. "Nobody in Thirteen does anything without it being calculated, scheduled, and tattooed to their arms at the start of the day. Coin picked a fight with the only people in Thirteen who know how to improvise their way into living through an Arena that the Other Guy runs with total control." She coughed. "I'm just surprised I'm still alive. Last One Standing is the only Law in the Arena."

"Surprised?" Paylor challenged. "Or disappointed?"

"We all did what we thought was right, and we managed to get to the end of this road." Peeta addressed the District over morning chow. "Even Coin did what she did without malice, thinking only in cold, unsympathetic numbers; trying to force a surrender. It worked, but as leader of Thirteen, she made all of us complicit in the death of those children."

There was a murmur at that.

"I know, none of you decided that." Peeta told everyone forgivingly. "That's the problem. Nobody here decides anything. Thirteen is the most tightly regimented place in Panem. You don't choose what you wear, what you eat, what you do in your off hours, what your jobs are… Coin never decided these things either. She left everything to her numbers. Including life and death for everyone in the country."

Dead silence at that.

"When I was first Reaped, my great fear was that they'd turn me into Cato; killing without remorse. I didn't want them to change me. I wanted to be more than a piece in the Game. To Snow, I was a diversion for an audience. To Coin, I was a way to make the audience stand up and fight. To both of them, just a piece in the Game. And everyone here can say the same."

Another murmur at that one.

"When I was in the Arena, Rue taught me that you can't force people to be machines." Peeta continued. "She lived in a place where owning a book was punishable with violence. But she still found ways to stay human enough to tell stories. Twelve years old, and she wouldn't be any less human, no matter what they did." He looked around beseechingly. "Please, tell me that Coin isn't better at 'dehumanising' people than Snow was."

A stronger murmur from the crowd.

"We've all been through it. Lives where love is a weapon and hope is a trap; and people aren't even counted as people so that it's easier to toss them aside! And it's up to us to decide how the next generation is raised. Out in the Districts, every child born is a source of fear to their own parents. And I won't do that!" Peeta declared. "I've lost about ninety percent of the people and places I knew. Others have lost more than that. My mother never lived in a world where the Capitol didn't hang over our heads like an axe. Mags will never know that the Capitol surrendered during her own funeral! Too many people went to their graves in the name of a world they never got to see. We owe it to them to start with clean consciences and good intentions."

The crowd actually applauded at that.

"What happens next, will decide the fate of Post-War Panem." Peeta declared. "You all heard that 'conversation' over the PA. But you're the only ones that did. That message was not broadcast out to the rest of the country. So. We all have to decide what to do about it."

And over to the side, trying very hard to be invisible, Cressida was recording everything he said.

"You actually put it to a vote." Boggs said in disbelief. "The trial of their own President, and her attempted assassin, and you put it up to a popular vote."

"Look around, Boggs." Peeta sounded exhausted. "Coin was as centralized in her power as Snow. There's nobody else to decide."

"We lost." Plutarch said finally. "This whole time, the whole war… The Capitol kept power by making sure that nobody else could exert a tenth of the control that they could. If the Capitol fell, there would be nothing left to rebuild. It was their whole policy for seventy years. Thirteen was our one chance at government without the Capitol. Coin's interim government showed its colors and got crown-hit in less time than it took the dust to settle."

"We couldn't let it go on, Plutarch." Peeta said quietly. "We just traded one monster for another."

"What's this 'we' you're talking about?" Plutarch put in lightly. "As I recall, I wasn't in on any of this."

"Neither was I. I didn't record the conversation, or broadcast it." Peeta groused. "And Coin was so convinced that I didn't have it in me to make a play like that, she even let a little truth slip between the cracks while we talked."

"She was so convinced of my obedience that she told me to fire into a crowd of my own people." Boggs added, rubbing his eyes. "I'm a soldier, Peeta. The only words I know are 'duty' 'honor' and 'loyalty'. I broke one commandment, and the other two are meaningless now."

"No, they mean more than ever." Peeta said seriously. "Guys, I think that Boggs should have a seat on that Tribunal. I trust him to act with honor."

"If it ever gets that far." A voice said.

Plutarch, Peeta, and Boggs turned, to see Cressida come in, wheeling Beetee's chair ahead of her. "The votes are in. Thirteen wants to go ahead with the trial. Peeta's speech was able to spin it as 'establishing her innocence' versus 'proving her guilt'. The people here have a long history with Coin. Peeta's more liked, but he's still new here. The vote's going to be close."

"If there's a rift in Thirteen, of all places; how can we ask the Districts to let Thirteen start a provisional government?" Plutarch demanded. "We only had one chance to prevent another War."

"If that." Beetee added.

"Coin made a lot of noise about setting up a Republic. We have to make good on at least some of that." Peeta said thickly.

"And if we can hold it together; I'd be all for it." Plutarch said darkly. "Without Coin to handle the transition, that may not be so easy."

"Not in Thirteen, but in the Districts…" Peeta thought aloud. "Nobody knows Coin. Nobody's going to miss her."

"I've been talking to her." Cressida said quietly. "She's reminding us that we have something to lose too."

"What do you mean?"

"We put her on trial… Well, that bomb came from somewhere."

"Gale." Peeta shut his eyes. "The one card she has left to play: Taking us all down with her."

Silence.

Boggs shook his head. "I can't believe I'm in this room. I should be on a battlefield, waiting for my Commander to tell me what to do."

"I wonder if it was like this after the Dark Days." Peeta thought aloud. "I wondered the same thing when Coin ordered another Games. How many wars have started or ended with a handful of survivors in a room deciding if any of it mattered?"

"They didn't always make the wrong choices." Plutarch told him. "The times they got it right have passed out of living memory, but… For better or worse, this is the Room for the next generation or two. We have to hold the Peace together before it turns into a Panem-Wide Hunger Games for Supremacy."

"And that's what it'll be." Peeta agreed. "Coin and Snow both kept the Districts apart. It was the whole battle plan. Turn the Districts against each other, divide and rule." He looked at Plutarch. "She didn't keep these plans in her head, did she? There's gotta be a something written on paper somewhere."

"There is." Plutarch nodded. "Getting everyone to agree to it…"

Cressida spoke. "Peeta, I recorded your little speech to the rest of Thirteen. I trimmed out the bits about Coin. Without that, it's a really nice speech about people making their own choices for the first time in their lives."

Peeta twitched, and then went very still. "Yeah?" His tone suggested he knew where this was going.

"That's a point that's not limited to Thirteen." Beetee added.

"Yeah." Peeta was motionless.

"If you were going to make this new government work, you'd have to really sell it to the Districts." Cressida sent Plutarch a look. "Thirteen without Coin. Cooperation with people they've never met. Alliances that they never got to explore during a war for their lives; but now involve sharing resources and leadership…"

"A hard sell, without putting them under the gun. No Games to threaten them with… So we'd have to make it a pretty good offer." Plutarch agreed. "And we'd have to follow through. So whoever sells it to them would have to be working closely to ensure he didn't offer what he couldn't deliver. It'd have to be someone persuasive, someone… honest. An honest dealer. Someone that they'll think actually cares about them."

Peeta was still not moving an inch, but he could see everyone looking at him.

"I know you wanted to go home and put it all behind you, kid. But the war will be back on in a year if we don't hold the Districts together." Boggs offered.

Peeta said nothing. Plutarch was trading a look with Beetee. They couldn't get a read on what he was thinking.

Cressida could. "If you stay here, you'd have to be directly involved in Coin's trial." She offered. "And… Johanna Mason's."

Peeta twitched.

The realization was swift. "You're worried that if you go back to work, Johanna will be defenceless?" Plutarch nodded, seeing the angles. "Because I was thinking… Thirteen doesn't charge the 'unbalanced' with capital crimes. It won't be hard to convince anyone of that. If I promised she'd be looked after; protected from reprisal… Would that free up your time?"

Peeta sighed, looking miserable. "Well. I'm nineteen years old. I guess I've been retired long enough." He surrendered. "But seriously, this is the last thing I do before I quit all of you."

"They offered me a spot on Coin's Tribunal."

Peeta jumped as he arrived back in his room. He'd been a million miles away, walking on autopilot. Katniss was waiting for him. She was sitting on the floor, hugging her knees.

The pose was not so different from the days she slept by his hearth, and he shut the door behind him; sitting on the floor next to her. "All the names have been soldiers so far. No political appointments."

Katniss spoke quietly. "I'm a face the Districts will recognize. Being a War Hero… Finding a Tribunal that all parties will agree to is hard. Coin approved me. I think she expects me to side with her, because of Gale. If she's found guilty, he's next on the block."

He looked over. "Was it Gale's bomb?"

"He doesn't know. Neither does Beetee. But he built one just like it. Whether it was used or not, he made it. Does it even matter if they used it? You don't make a weapon if you find it too evil to use one day." Katniss covered her eyes. "Aw, Gale..." She looked up at Peeta. "I was a little kid, foraging in the woods for something to eat. I look up and see this other kid that I vaguely know from the Seam... How did we ever go from those kids to war criminals?"

Peeta sighed. "If the Trial of Alma Coin goes ahead, it could go very badly for Gale. If it was his bomb…"

"I know." She shivered. "I voted to bury them in Two. My father was killed in a mine collapse, and I voted to bury thousands of people alive. Since when do Miners do that to each other?" She looked back at Peeta. "Peeta, you're the only one to walk through this war, and not be completely covered in blood and filth. Tell me the truth: Am I the bad guy?"

"Snow is evil. He wasn't going to be stopped any other way." Peeta said seriously. "I think you have a ways to go before becoming him."

"Peeta, I heard about the vote for a final Hunger Games. If I'd been in the room, I would have sent Snow's granddaughter into the Arena without blinking."

"Then I am very glad you didn't get a vote. You're feeling bad enough." Peeta said honestly. "I was recently reminded that these decisions get made in war. Every day. Every war. Every battlefield. That's why war is such… Such a thing to be avoided. Snow and Coin both saw a way to power through war. That is evil. If all you want is revenge, then you have to wonder: With the war over, what are you going to do tomorrow?"

Katniss smiled sadly. "I've been sitting on the floor for two hours, trying to figure that out."

Peeta wrapped his arms around his knees, matching her pose. "I did… wrong things, during this war." He confessed. "What I did with Julle? It nearly got her killed. I preyed on her loneliness, and blackmailed her cooperation; because Johanna was worth more to me than her. I said nothing when the rescue turned into an attack run. That's the Capitol playbook too. I played Cato and Glimmer and Thresh into killing each other. I put people's fears and grief on national television; and then I raged against Coin for doing the same thing to Johanna. I used Jo's trauma to keep her here, twice..."

Katniss licked her lips. "During your first Games, my mom asked me if I blamed you, for what happened to Prim. During your final confrontation with Cato, I finally worked it out: The Games weren't anyone's choice. At least, none of the Tributes. We do the killing, we do the dying. And the Capitol sits back and watches, placing their bets." She squeezed her eyes shut. "I came to Thirteen to fight the Capitol, and instead I went to war with Two. And Two went to War with Four. And Two blew up Seven; and Nine took Five. And… And Coin sat back and watched, placed her bets by sending soldiers where she felt she'd win big; and she waited." She rolled her head back against the wall. "How did I not see that? You did. You saw it right off. You even tried to warn me. I even said it to Gale when we got Johanna back; and yet I kept volunteering. How did I not see that Thirteen and the Capitol were the same?"

"Because all you could see was Prim. You hated Cato, even after you realized he was a stooge. And after the bombings, you hated Two… And Coin told you to go get'em. Snow was smart. He had Two do a lot of the dirty work. Plenty of rage to go around."

He's not talking about me. Katniss looked over. "Effie asked to see me, when I got back. She needed advice on how to approach things with you. She asked me to help figure out how to make you stop loving Johanna."

"Really." Peeta scoffed.

"In Johanna's opinion, she had chosen hate over healing, and if you stayed with her now, it'd be your mother's story repeating itself." Katniss nodded. "With you taking her abuse forever, and telling yourself it's love."

Peeta scoffed. "Yeah, I can see that. But Johanna's not exactly making sound decisions right now, least of all about her own heart." He looked over. "What did you tell Effie?"

"I told her that trying to get you stop offering love and affection to someone in pain is like holding back an avalanche by sitting in front of it." Katniss said plainly. "Of course, you've actually done that." She shook it off. "I had the same problem when Prim died. Coin had the same problem, when we rescued Johanna and Finnick. How to make Peeta Mellark colder in heart?" Katniss actually smiled. "If Jo wants to drive you away, she's in for the fight of her life."

He held out a hand, and she took it in hers automatically. "Katniss, you told me once that your worst fear was having kids. Worse than hunger, worse than torture; your fear was losing everything you loved more than life. Well, the Games are over now. Nobody will ever take your children away."

Katniss squeezed his hand and released it. "Gale wants to stay in Two. They're rebuilding the Peacekeepers, now that they're actually going to be keeping Peace, instead of oppressing the population. They asked Cinna to help rebrand them. Those damn white stormtrooper uniforms are being burned all over the country."

"About time." Peeta scoffed. "You going to stay in Two? Be a career soldier?"

"Part of me wants to, but if the Tribunal does point at Gale..." Katniss admitted. "Gale found himself the moment he put on that uniform. Me? I don't know. I haven't felt like myself since Prim died. And now that the war's over, I don't have anything to distract from that."

Peeta ran his fingers through his hair. "I'll… do what I can to help Gale-"

"No." Katniss said automatically. "Gawd, Effie's right; it's like I can see your insides hollowing out behind your eyes." She slid over and hugged him as best she could. "You're still trying to carry the whole country. Including your friends, and the War Criminals alike... and I can't even tell which is which anymore." She felt him start to collapse on her shoulder, like she had pulled his skeleton out by giving him a hug. "You've carried all of it this far; including the stuff that wasn't on you. You gotta let us clean up some of the mess." She looked at him. "And you can start by getting some sleep."

The Cot was narrow. Almost too narrow for an adult person. But it felt empty. Peeta kept reaching for Johanna and his hand kept hitting the wall beside him instead.

She wasn't here for a long time. Why does she feel further away than when she was in the Capitol?

Peeta didn't sleep. When he started to drift, he could hear the voices coming to haunt him. Prim. Rue. Glimmer. Thresh. Cato. Portia. Haymitch. Mags. His mom. His brothers. Madge. Priya.

It wasn't just the dead. It was the savaged survivors too. Katniss. Gale. Wiress. Finnick. Annie. Julle.

He couldn't hear Johanna. He actually fought sleep, trying to hear her.

He was still tossing around in his bed, when the lights brightened for the day shift. Effie came to his door soon after. "It's time." She told him gently. "Your first stop is the Capitol."

Peeta didn't move, halfway between frustrated insomnia and the nightmare he couldn't quite sleep into.

Effie went over to the latest painting for Johanna. It was of his family bakery, after it became a soup kitchen. The image showed Rory in the door, waving a large loaf of bread, with a smile on his face. "I'll take this down to her before we go."

Peeta dragged himself upright. "Okay."

Effie squeezed his shoulder. "I'll get you some caff. It's..."

Peeta said it with her. "A big, big day."

President Snow was in his Palace, locked in the conservatory with his roses. There were guards at every door and window, more in every corridor. They left him to himself for the most part. His trial was just getting started, but there was no real need for him to be there. The result was a foregone conclusion.

He had not given his captors the satisfaction of acting out. He'd been polite, patient; calm… Snow was acting like this whole thing was part of the plan all along. He wasn't going to beg for his life.

There were worse places to wait out his last days. He'd been allowed pen and paper to write his final statement, which was not likely to be released to the general public. But he wrote anyway, finding that he enjoyed it.

The unspoken truth that all leaders must face up to is that sooner or later, we will not be leaders anymore. Powerful people want more power. Wealthy people want more wealth. There is no amount of power and wealth in the world to satisfy the powerful and the wealthy. But Time would have ended my rule soon enough. And when I died, someone else would have taken my place and followed in my footsteps. And that has happened. The only change was the loss of so many lives in the process.

What is left forgotten by all but the history books, is that revolutionary wars always lay the seeds for the next revolution. The purpose of the Games was to find the seeds of rebellion and not cull them; but redirect them towards hope. Hope is powerful. Hope is also nebulous. The Districts believe that the Games were about instilling Fear. The Capitol audience believed it was about glory. The rebels believe it was about diversion. It was none of these things.

The Hunger Games were, in my opinion as their chief instigator, designed to give a clear shape to Hope. As long as the Tributes, and the potential Tributes, and their families; all hoped that they would come home victorious to a life of luxury, they would pour all that energy into a hope that was chosen for them. The Careers were proof that this policy worked.

My time is almost up, and I go to my grave certain that all District Thirteen did was use my own policies against me. The seeds of the next revolution have no doubt been laid by this war; not because Fear of uprising was broken, but because people have no idea what to hope for, without someone to tell them.

President Coin, I doubt you'll read this, but your reign is destined to be short and bloody, as was your war against me. How will you replace me, without becoming me? How will you protect your glorious revolution from the next one-

His pen stilled as the doors to Snow's conservatory opened. The old man turned to see Alma Coin framed between the glass doors, with Peeta standing just behind her, and guards beside them both. Coin was stone-faced. Peeta looked older, with huge dark circles under his eyes.

Snow rose. "Madame President." He said politely. "I had wondered if you would come… to… see..."

Snow trailed off as he saw Coin was in handcuffs. Peeta didn't even look at Snow as he unlocked her manacles. She looked mad enough to set the room on fire with her glare alone.

"Hope you don't mind sharing, but this is the only cell secured enough for a prisoner of such high status." Peeta backed out of the room. "As much as I'd love to stay and watch this... and believe me, I would really love it; there's a rather large crowd gathering at the steps outside, and I have to address them."

And Peeta shut the door behind Coin, locking them in together.

Snow burst into hysterical, braying, blood-soaked laughter. It was almost worth losing the war just to see Coin's face.

More than a week later, Peeta had just left District Two. He'd spent time with the families of those killed in the war, before the Nut surrendered, offering condolences. Cressida had recorded it, but knew the art of not making it exploitative. If they'd been putting the grief of the families on screen; Peeta would have sent her back to Thirteen.

In between, he'd spoken to people, pleading the case for the Provisional Government. The whole District was dancing on a knife-edge. Two was hated by most of Panem; and Peeta had been trying to build bridges.

But now they were sending him to Seven. What had begun as a Tour of all the Districts had degenerated into a scramble. Peeta was cooling tempers and putting out fires. A lot of the Capitol's weaponry had been seized by the Rebels, and now the Districts were no longer united against a common enemy. Most of the Districts didn't trust the others to be altruistic, and all of them were making their own defence a priority.

He tried to sleep on the train. It was like his Victory Tour, taken to a whole other level. Practically every family wanted five minutes to tell him their own woes.

Peeta felt like he was juggling the whole world, trying to keep any of the Districts from falling. If he failed, there was almost certainly going to be another war between Districts.

Exhausted, he reached for her side of the bed. She wasn't there, of course; but Peeta couldn't stop checking; even after weeks. It had been days since he'd properly slept.

"You should take something." Effie told him. "Sleeping pills. If you're worried about abusing it, leave the bottle with me."

"I can't sleep." Peeta shook his head. "I have to figure out what to say in Seven."

"You've given the speech a dozen times. Twice in every District we've-"

"Seven is in ashes." Peeta cut her off simply. "Seven was Johanna's home. And it's in ruins, like Twelve; because of me and her. What do I say to them? Because I don't know. But I know it can't be a regular speech. I get as far as 'good morning' and then it all falls apart. The only thing I can offer to save the Peace are the words comin' outta my mouth. And I can't think of any." Tears started rolling down his face. He wasn't even aware of them.

Effie watched his slow-motion breakdown, disturbed. "Okay." She said quietly. "Take your time."

It went that way for days, closer and closer to District Seven.

"I can see him coming apart." Effie said quietly to Cinna on the phone that night. "He's got nobody, Cinna. We both know that the crowd doesn't keep you going. And the people who do talk to him one-on-one, they all have questions, or just need 'a few minutes of his time'. It's like he's running on empty." She let out a breath. "I'm doing what I can for him, but there's a wall between the Victors and everyone else."

"Of course there is." Cinna said seriously. "You're his Escort. Before the war, your job was to keep him on the Capitol's schedule. I'm his stylist. Before the war, my job was to make Prim look good for the parade; on her way to the Arena. These kids don't trust adults. Without exception, every adult they know have either tried to use them, done nothing to rescue them, or openly placed bets on how long they'd live. And Peeta more than any of them."

"So what do I do?" Effie whispered.

"You said it yourself. There's only so much he'll let any of us help. You think Plutarch's going to have more sway with him? You need real reinforcements."

Johanna looked up blearily as Cinna came in. The stylist quickly came over to Johanna and helped her stand. "Come on. You're on a schedule again."

"What's going on?" Johanna croaked. "It's been weeks since…"

"Your trial is over." Cinna said shortly.

"When did it start?" Johanna blinked. "What happened to Coin? Where's Peeta? Information please!"

"Listen to me. It's all over." Cinna said pointedly. "Plutarch and your doctors have made the case that you're not of sound mind to stand trial. To that end, you're being deported to some place far away from anything that might trigger another 'episode'."

"The only thing they've said that I agree with." Johanna drawled. "I expected to be stood against a wall and shot. How'd Peeta swing that?"

"He took a new job. Peeta has to sell the whole country on the idea that we can end this war with genuine peace. Not many people think he can pull it off, but my money's on him." Cinna said. "He's been on Tour, going from District to District; trying to get everyone on the same side. If the Peace holds for another six months, we've got a chance."

"He'll do it." Johanna said without hesitation.

Cinna nodded. "Part of the Provisional Government's first act? It involved sending all the Victors to their home Districts. The idea being that you're all too valuable to remain in Thirteen. If you're 'deadly weapons' then why should one District have you all?"

Johanna scoffed. "Coin?"

"Still in custody." Cinna reported. "There's a new Panem Council with Thirteen members, one representative for each District. Peeta's trying madly to get everyone to take their problems to their Rep, and not get drafted as a District Leader himself." Cinna sighed. "Snow was executed by public stoning three days ago."

Johanna carefully made no reaction. "What about me?"

"Your Doctors say you need to be taken away from anything that'll set you off. So you can't go to Seven, the Capitol, or anything involving uniforms."

"They're disappearing me." Johanna nodded. "That's the deal, right? I go away quietly and they don't put me in a straitjacket for the rest of my life?"

"Trust me, you got off lucky. Coin's Tribunal is still being organized. Snow was sentenced in a twenty minute trial. Coin is not going to go quietly. If we're lucky, she won't take us all down with her. In the meantime, Effie is still your Escort." He opened the garment bag, presenting her with a familiar outfit.

Johanna stared at it. "The Angel's Light tour. You made it into a regular outfit?"

"Better than a straitjacket or a hospital gown. I'm sending you to Effie, who will escort you back to Twelve, and if you're very good, we won't sedate you for the whole trip. Remember, the more time Effie spends wrangling you, the less time she has for Peeta."

Johanna winced. "How is he?"

"Wearing thinner every time I talk to him him." Cinna admitted quietly.

"You talk to him often?"

"He calls to ask about you every day." Cinna said promptly. "Are you ready to be in the same room as him yet? Because if you're not, I have to rearrange half the railway schedules between here and Twelve to make sure you're not in the same District at the same time."

Joanna bit her lip so hard she tasted blood, looking at all the paintings Peeta had sent her, all of them turned away towards the walls. "I'll go." She said finally. "Bring those."

The two of them walked slowly, under guard, as far as the elevators. Katniss joined them there. She had a travel bag. "For you." She said to Johanna, holding out the bag. "You don't have much, so I collected a few necessities for the trip."

"Thank you." Johanna said quietly. "You're coming too?"

"As far as Seven. Then you go to Twelve, and I go to the Capitol for the Tribunal." Katniss nodded. Her nose twitched, and she stepped a little away from Johanna automatically. "I thought that part of it was getting easier for you."

Johanna snorted. "Sorry. I... It didn't take. The 'getting clean' part." Johanna said shortly. "The nurses were too scared to enter my padded cell." She took a sniff of her tunic and scowled. New clothing. Same Johanna. "Normal procedure would be using a hose to force me clean. Even they weren't cruel enough to do that to me."

Long, awkward silence on the elevator as they moved towards the surface.

Cinna headed into the Hangar ahead of them, to get the hovercraft cleared for takeoff. The hangar was as busy as ever, and there were a lot of people watching Johanna, given the last time she had been there. Joanna's eyes were up at the sprinklers already.

Katniss glanced around, and then put a hand at Johanna's elbow. "Do you remember when we met?"

Johanna finally seemed to focus on her, remembering the moment she came into Peeta's kitchen and found this girl curled in a ball on the floor by the fire. "Yes."

"We get better." Katniss said simply. What she wanted to say was: 'When I told you about my breakup with Gale, you told me that you could see yours coming. You also told me that any fight you had with Peeta would end the moment the war was over. When we met, I was in nine kinds of pain, but I healed. So will you.'

Johanna twitched. "I know." She returned. What she wanted to say was: 'Peeta and I had a love born of horror and warfare. With our wars behind us, I don't know what keeps us together. I stopped believing that love could conquer all when I saw everyone I loved put to death, one by one. If I wanted to be the noble, generous sort; I would bow out and let him go now.'

They could both tell that the other wasn't saying what they really felt. But such openness was not their way, let alone with each other. They said nothing more as Cinna waved them over to the hovercraft.

Johanna was halfway to her flight, when a familiar voice called. "You weren't even going to say goodbye?"

She almost smiled as she turned to see Finnick and Annie, holding hands. Annie was resting one hand over her stomach, just starting to show. She let go of Finnick's fingers, giving him a moment.

Johanna and Finnick just stared at each other. They couldn't think of anything to say, for all that had gone before. From allies in a cell group, to war buddies, to fellow prisoners, back to co-conspirators. More than a decade of seeing each other through unlimited trauma and war.

"Alright, don't make a thing of it. Give me a kiss." Johanna said roughly, emotion making her voice crack and her eyes shine.

Finnick stepped forward and embraced her tightly, doing just that. "We made it, Jo. We got to the end of the story alive."

She hugged him back. "We did."

They didn't say anything else, but the hug didn't stop for a long time.

Annie held his hand as the hovercraft took off, and didn't say anything until it was out of sight. "Our right to District Four will be ready soon."

Finnick nodded, eyes still gazing after the aircraft. "I have this strongest feeling like we'll never see any of them again."

"Ohh, I don't know." Annie said with near-premonition. "I have faith in the ever-elusive happily ever after." She kissed his cheek. "Come on, husband. Let's go home. We have to start work on a nursery."

Finnick, in the middle of the hangar, slid down to his knees and kissed Annie's stomach adoringly. "A big nursery." He promised. "I want at least a dozen."

Annie laughed. "I'll take care of the first few, but you can have the rest yourself."

"ARGH!" Peeta threw his cue cards against the wall angrily. "What am I meant to say?!"

Effie came in. "You're supposed to be napping." She said gently. "Do I have to force you to take these pills?"

"I had eight days to come up with something for Seven. I got nothing." He raged at himself, pulling at his hair in frustration.

Effie looked at him worriedly. He was getting more and more wound up every time he hit a bout of 'writersblock' and he was taking it out on himself; with nobody else around.

"I don't know what to say out there." Peeta groused. "I don't know what to say to Seven, or to you, or to anyone who-"

"Wait. Me?" Effie blinked. "Why am I on that list?"

"Are you kidding? You very nearly got shot trying to get me out of Thirteen. You were my Escort, then Johanna got added to the mix, and I knew full well she was in a cell group. I didn't even ask if you were willing, before you got dragged into the war. I don't know if you had any family left in Twelve, but-"

"I'd do it again." Effie said seriously. "I think about all the things I've learned and seen, and I wonder: If Prim had won those Games, would I ever have noticed? I was too distracted when Tigris pulled you away on the Victory Tour. Would that have happened again, without Johanna? What if Prim had survived? If I had noticed, would I have been able to do anything? You don't owe me apologies, Peeta. You saved me in ways far beyond my life."

Peeta stared at her. "Yeah, well… District Seven can't say the same."

And Effie wanted to throw up. Peeta was so determined to blame himself for every life lost during the war…

"I'm going to go empty out the train." She said finally. "The staff, the crew; everyone. You need some privacy. I want you to eat something, even if you aren't hungry. Then come back to bed, put the pen away; close your eyes for a few minutes; even if you won't sleep." She held his face between her hands. "Please?"

Peeta nodded. "Okay." He promised meekly.

He stayed in his room until he could hear Effie herding everyone out. The Train went silent and Peeta came out to the Dining Car...

...and froze.

One of his paintings was at the buffet table. The painting of Finnick and Annie's wedding cake. One of many that he'd sent to Johanna. He glanced around and saw many of the paintings were there.

He looked around the train, before hurrying to the bathroom.

The tub was empty.

He felt someone behind him and turned. Johanna was there.

Neither of them spoke. The silence stretched for much too long to be comfortable.

"I thought about surprising you in the bathtub again; like back when we met." She said softly. "I couldn't make myself turn the taps on."

He was still staring at her. His eyes were huge in his head, and she knew he hadn't been eating either. He looked half-zombie; starving and sunken into himself. He just kept staring, as if trying to make sure she was real.

"Say something." Joanna said helplessly.

Peeta held up his torn, still blank cards. "I have to give a speech in Seven and I don't know what to say." He sounded like he had given up completely. On everything. "I'm… I'm stuck, Jo. I'm stuck bad. I had a week, I've now got three hours; and I still can't string words together."

Johanna sighed. "Alright. Your speech isn't for another few hours. Instead of winding yourself into another knot, let's see if we can unstick you, Storyteller." She took two steps closer to him, and noticed his face change as he picked up her smell. She stopped, not making him draw in any more of the unhealthy cloud that seemed to follow her everywhere now.

Peeta sighed. "So, scale of one to ten, how's the reunion going so far, do you think?"

Two and a half hours later, Peeta's absence from Seven was starting to be conspicuous, and Effie knew she had to go aboard the train. She wasn't sure what she was going to find, but she couldn't wait any longer.

She entered the train, and found her two charges curled up on one of the couches in the dining car. There were two empty plates, discarded on the floor beside their couch. Johanna was wearing nothing but a soft bathrobe, her hair still wet, and a faint trace of scented soap detectable when Effie breathed in. Stretched out along the rest of the couch, laying his head in her lap, Peeta was snoring gently. They both looked... so much better.

"It's time?" Johanna guessed. "We can't stay here a little longer?"

Effie almost wept with happiness just at the sight of them, as Peeta woke up. "It's time." She nodded. "I'll wait outside."

As Effie slipped out, Peeta sat up. "So. What happens now?"

Johanna didn't break his gaze. "The last few hours meant everything, Peeta; but it changes nothing. They're sending me to Twelve, but we both know I can't stay there forever, even if some desperate part of me decides it'd like to. I won't… I'm in a very bad place, and I won't inflict that on you. You know why; because you've been through it before. I won't be added to that list." She pointed towards the bathroom. "And if I'm using you to stay sane, that just makes it worse. You can't fix mental health with love."

"Well, I'm not convinced you're mad. Not unless Finnick and Annie are too. Maybe even me, to an extent. Everything you just said applies to Finnick and Annie. Keeping Finnick together for the rest of his life is Annie's happiest possible ending. I don't know if I can convince you that loving me and treating me like garbage aren't the same thing." He said softly. "But it goes both ways. I'm still the guy who knew your private fears, and inflicted your worst nightmare on you in front of the whole world. And doing so cost you something you cared about more than me, and your own life; put together."

Dreadful silence.

"We never talked about what would happen if we got our wish and made it all stop." Johanna said finally. "And ever since my first night in Twelve, we've been treating each other as a perfect hiding place from the War. Now the war is over."

He reached out and cupped her face for a moment. "I can't keep you in Twelve. I won't even be there until the Tour is done and the elections have started. If you wanted to hike all the way to the Capitol and start killing random people who used to be Game Sponsors, I can't stop you."

"You're bringing all the fences down, Peeta." Johanna said quietly, and he honestly didn't know if it was a metaphor for their lives, or a literal indication of how the world around them was changing.

Peeta made his way through the crowd after his speech. Johanna knew more of the locals than he did, but was not permitted to face the streets of her own wrecked hometown herself. Even so, she had taught Peeta a few things about talking to Seven. He worked the crowd, pausing to make each person feel appreciated; every problem was noticed and everyone who lost something precious during the War was shown compassion.

Peeta gave out kindness naturally, but after touring half the country, Effie was wondering how much he had left, until he'd walked out of the train, more like himself again than ever.

"Three hours." Effie said proudly. "They've both been coming completely unspooled for weeks, and they fixed each other in three hours."

Katniss smiled a bit, happy for them. "We never get to pick the people who make us better. But if you find them, you gotta hold onto them." She nodded to Effie. "If it lasts."

"If it lasts." She echoed. "I sometimes try to picture Peeta with nothing to do, and nobody depending on him. He'd be happy like that, but I don't know if it would ever last for long. For all his talk about putting it behind him; I can't see any way he won't at the very least be made Mayor of Twelve."

"I'd vote for him." Katniss agreed. "Now that we get to vote."

She turned to Katniss. "How about you? I know we don't really interact except through Peeta, but I hear your mom is staying in Thirteen. I know, because Peeta's father wants to stay with her."

"I think our parents have realised that we'll never really be those kids again. Aside from me, the only thing for mom in Twelve are the ghosts." Katniss agreed. "Don't tell Peeta this, but Gale's been arrested. The charge is complicity in war crimes."

Effie winced. "And they don't mind you being on the Tribunal?"

"I can't vote against Gale. I just can't. Some things even I can't survive. But there's a long list of people being charged, Effie. If I have to abstain from one vote, or even vote in his favor just because of our history; it's worth having the 'Mockingjay' on camera, bringing Justice to the Districts." She turned to the older woman. "If Peeta finds out, he's going to want to go over there and testify. You can't let him."

Effie nodded. "It'd make it a much bigger trial, and that can't help Gale."

Katniss hesitated a moment. "Look, I'm not good at this sort of thing, but… Johanna's hurting, the same way I was when Prim died."

"I remember." Effie commented. "Peeta threatened to fire me if I so much as entered the kitchen while you were there."

"I lost my sister. She lost her chance at revenge. We both saw it as our only real reason to live. But I think she'll heal." Katniss said seriously. "And I think with Beetee's help, Gale should get through the Tribunal without being shot; but even if he's never found guilty, the scandal means he may never serve in the Army again. If so, he might wind up in Twelve with the three of us for a while… But he won't want to stay there forever."

"Neither will Johanna." Effie nodded. "She doesn't have a lot of respect for her doctors. We're even bringing the Barriers down. She'll be under no obligation to stay in Twelve. Neither will Gale. None of us will." She looked sick about it. "If…"

"If." Katniss agreed. "If Johanna stays in District Twelve, it'll be for Peeta, and nothing else."

"Same with you, if Gale makes it through the Trial. From what I understand, you two broke up over the question of what your post-war lives would be like. If he goes to trial, Gale may not get a lot of say in that. But as a part of the Tribunal, you will." Effie said with grim irony. "If you two can survive the next three months, then you can survive anything."

"Like Peeta and Jo." Katniss couldn't help but say. "But Gale and I… we broke up, over our post-war plans. I want to go back to how it all was before Prim was Reaped. Gale just... doesn't. And if a Tribunal I sit on finds him guilty, he'll never be able to stand it, being back in Twelve." She bit her lip. "And he might actually be guilty. If he didn't make that bomb, he made something just like it. His only hope is that we can prove the Capitol is as bad as him when it comes to weapons."

"Then you and Peeta may ultimately be left with nothing but each other when you get back to Twelve." Effie said quietly.

Katniss felt a wave of empathy for everyone involved. "Could be worse."

"Could be worse." Effie agreed. "Haymitch would consider this a win."

"Haymitch would be proud of you, Effie." Katniss promised. "You kept them both alive; you woke up and saw the war… You even helped win it. Effie Trinket, Rebel Hero."

"Ohmy." Effie tittered, covering her mouth with both hands. "Me? A Rebel warrior?"

Katniss grinned in a very un-Katniss way. "I bet Cinna would agree."

The ceremony was the next morning. Johanna was required to remain on the train. Going out and seeing her devastated hometown, catching up with people she might recognize; was almost sure to set her off again, and she elected to stay where the food was.

Peeta was working the crowd, hearing their stories, offering a word here, a kind thought there. He had thought Seven would hate him more than anyone else in Panem, but it just didn't happen.

Peeta had gotten a full nights sleep for the first time in what felt like forever; and looked almost human. It would take a lot more R&R for him to be back to normal, but at least he could see 'normal' as a possibility again.

"It was a nice speech." A voice said behind him.

Peeta turned. Katniss was there. "Hey. You're here too?"

"I'm on the Train to the Capitol." She reported. "The Tribunal is going to be declared officially tomorrow. Unofficially, it's been decided that I'm on it. The list of people being put on trial is still up in the air." She carefully did not say Gale's name.

But somehow, he knew already. "I made a few calls. Don't know if it helped." Peeta said quietly. "I know you didn't want me to take it on, but the rules have always been different with you guys."

Katniss set her jaw. "How'd you know?"

"Coin. She has just enough spite in her soul to take us down with her." Peeta wasn't even surprised. "He will be on trial. Thirteen wants to establish legitimacy, so they can't give their people free passes. I'm sorry to say that some of my speeches have probably added to that."

Katniss winced. "If it was his bomb. Which we may never know for sure."

"Even if it was, making ugly weapons for an ugly fight isn't… The one thing we can't put on trial is war itself. But we've got a long list of Capitol people who made some really crazy-bad weapons. I mean, downright unholy kinda weapons. Gale won't be nothing compared to them."

Katniss let out a breath. "You think if we all become bitter and jaded enough, we may not care if Gale's guilty?"

"If I say any more on the subject, I could be accused of trying to tamper with the tribunal." Peeta said with a wry smile.

Katniss said nothing to that. "They're turning the Capitol into something new. A Memorial. A Medical Centre. A Justice System for the whole country. A Museum of everything from the Dark Days on. Everything they subverted into something evil." She took a deep breath. "But once the Tribunal is done, whatever happens to Gale; I'm going back to Twelve."

"Yeah?"

"I miss my woods." Katniss nodded, almost looking like her old self again. "And I'm… ready to remember Prim. I think I need to remember Prim the right way. Everything that wasn't the Arena. Only place I can do that is Twelve."

Peeta nodded, smiling for her. "Well. I should get over there. They can't start without me."

Katniss looked back towards the train, and then gave Peeta a swift embrace, and a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Then I guess I'll see you in Twelve. Try to hold on until you get home, Storyteller. It's still there for us both."

"And if it's not, we'll build it." He returned the embrace. "See you there, Katniss." He turned to leave when something struck him and he turned back. "Oh. One last thing. I probably won't make it back to Twelve for months. So when you do go; when you see her again… Would you give something back to Prim for me? I don't need it anymore."

And he gave her the Mockingjay pin.

With a lump in her throat, Katniss took it. Peeta headed towards the stage, and she watched him go. Part of her mind was already figuring out how to get his bakery rebuilt before he made it there. It would be a gift to Peeta from the District… and from her.

Johanna was required to stay on the train, by order of her Doctors. But the train had television in every room; so she saw it all.

It had disturbed her how easily things got better when she and Peeta were in a room. He could sleep. She could wash. They could both go an hour without a breakdown. It was almost like being a person, and not just a smear on the floor.

The train would take Peeta to his next stop. Effie had made no effort to remove Johanna from the train, so they would be going together. That was at least a few weeks before they got to Twelve. Peeta would almost certainly have to make more trips to put out fires as they appeared. She would be alone in Twelve at some point.

It was not difficult to get past the fence between Twelve and the wilderness. But Johanna had no idea what to do after that. Beyond a desire to keep her damage away from him; she had no plans left for anything. There was no reason she couldn't play along, stay in a place where she could sleep, and shower, and eat; without a single camera or armed guard watching her every move.

The cameras had caught the moment Peeta had given Katniss the Pin back. Johanna's belief that Katniss and Peeta could actually be happy together in a Post-War world was feeding on her self-loathing. Even so, part of her was hoping she'd heal enough that she could stay. Part of her wanted the quiet life with a loved one. So far, she wasn't willing to admit even that much. At least, not out loud.

But she was starting, just barely starting, to hope that she could be hopeful.

On the screen, Peeta lifted the microphone, making the announcement loud enough to echo over the whole crowd. "Bring it down!"

With a burst of precision charges; the fence between Districts Seven and Eight came down. The crowd cheered again. Johanna felt a lump in her throat. She'd never lived in a world without District barriers. That fence had been a fact of her world since before Mags was born. And even knowing what lay beyond it, she had an incredible urge to leave the train and explore.

By the time Peeta made it back to Twelve, all the fences would be down.

"Welcome to a brand new day!" Peeta declared. "A Panem where the Districts are Allies instead of Rivals!" Peeta gestured warmly. "Come meet your neighbors, Panem! These are the people who helped you bring down the Capitol! These are the people who'll help you build something better in its place."

AN: Whew. We made it. I want to thank everyone who made it to the end of this fic, and who have left comments. Reviews are oxygen and payment for fanficcers.

Reasoning for this chapter: In the Canon, Katniss didn't really investigate Coin. One chat with Gale, one chat with Snow, and she drew her bow. She was pretty unstable after Prim. Gale got away with it because with Coin dead, any confusion about where the blast came from was settled. In the canon, most think that Katniss ultimately chose Peeta over Gale because of their shared trauma, or because of Gale's uncertain complicity in the blast.

I think it's a lot simpler than that: Gale found himself when he became a soldier. Katniss hated being a soldier in Thirteen. She needed trees. She wanted to go back to her old life. He didn't. It was the one part of the Gale/Katniss Canon that I kept for this fic; and the one part of this ending I would be sure of.

This facet of the ending was the reason I kept thinking of this fic as still being at least partly Everlark. It just kept turning out this way in my head. In the Canon, Katniss and Peeta were thrown together by war, but the really important moments of them being part of each other's lives happened when the war simply wasn't involved. Their relationship took off when the war was over.

Johanna and Peeta, at least my versions of them, were equal partners in the war effort. Katniss hated Snow with a vengeance, but when he and Coin were dead, she didn't have anyone else she wanted revenge on. Johanna's aggression was almost her defining characteristic in the Canon. She would always find someone else to hunt down.

Without Peeta being Jacked in this Fic, there was no way to avoid it: Johanna wanted war, Peeta didn't. And I just didn't see a way for them to stay together while that question was in the air. But the thing is, I also couldn't see Johanna being fine with how it ended.

Which is not a dealbreaker. The canon ended with Katniss and Peeta taking years, maybe even decades, to find their way back to a 'happily ever after'. Gale was never spoken of again.

So in my fic, Johanna, at this point, isn't really sure about what's 'in character' for her anymore. Johanna was Reaped at a young age. She can't remember a world without the fight. After what she's been through, she almost doesn't want a happy ending for herself. But for a while there, neither did Katniss, in the Canon.

It's a question of which lasts longer: Love, or basic Need for each other. I don't think Jo and Peeta will stop needing each other for a long time. There's just too much weight on Peeta's shoulders, and he can't give it to anyone else, because there's nobody else left.

So from here on out, I leave it to you guys. Maybe Katniss goes back to her woods, and brings by game to trade at Peeta's bakery, while Johanna keeps him company in his kitchen. And maybe Gale will hunt with Katniss, to make his exile bearable. If Katniss is on the Tribunal and found guilty, they'll never be more than 'neighbors'; but maybe they'll find a way to forgive each other.

And maybe Johanna will leave Twelve the second she's left alone; convinced that it's the kindest thing she can offer the only people left that she cares about. And maybe Peeta will become Mayor of Twelve by popular vote; unable to reject the people who need him. Maybe Katniss will have to talk him into it, promising he won't have to do it alone.

Or maybe something else will happen. That's up to you.

But the whole 'moral' of the story, if there is one; is that when the world is at it's worst; it's up to people like Rue to keep stories alive. And it's up to people like Finnick to keep love as the most important part. And if you can't find something to hold onto, then you make good things grow from nothing; and some people have a natural talent for that.

I have faith in the happily ever after.