Always

Forgive Me

A.N. Omg this is our 50th chapter!! Can you believe it guys! I'd like to say a huge thanks to all my supporters from the beginning, can't believe y'all have stuck around! A big thanks to good_with_the_bow Everlark10 breezykb DeathByMockingjay for being such big supporters of the story. I love all of my readers!

"Are you okay?" Gale whispers to me as we step off of the elevator and I nod my head, trying to ignore the pain in my lower abdomen. I know this pain, I've felt this pain. But there isn't any blood, which means I'm not having a miscarriage. Not yet at least. But the cramping is there and Peeta's hand isn't here to hold.

"Yeah, come on let's go." I straighten up ignoring the protesting from my body and walk towards the door.

The sight before me is a lush meadow, full of the deepest green grass that looks soft and springy. Real trees grow and tower above the scene. Flowering plants are scattered about, giving even more life and color to the place. Hummingbirds flit from flower to flower.

I've now found my refuge. I wonder if Beetee will allow me to sneak in here and hide.

Speaking of Beetee, I spot him sitting frozen in his wheelchair as he watches a fluorescent green hummingbird sip nectar from a lovely orange blossom. Beetee looks up at us when the bird flies away to another flower, and waves for us to join him.

I don't need to be told twice. Gale must see my excitement, not that I'm really doing much to disguise it, because I catch him trying to suppress his smile. The air is surprisingly cool and breathable, which is a wonderful change. I know it's all in my head, but we're so far underground in 13 that I sometimes feel as though the air is suffocating me with its staleness.

"Aren't they magnificent?" Beetee asks excitedly. Though his skin still retains a sickly pallor, his eyes are bright with acuity and delight. "13 has been studying their aerodynamics here for years. Forward and backward flight, and speeds up to sixty miles per hour. If only I could build you wings like these, Katniss!"

"I doubt I could manage them, Beetee," I say with a small smile. "Especially now."

"Ah, yes!" Beetee looks under his ill-fitting glasses to sneak a glance at my growing stomach. "How are you? It's regrettable that I can't see you more often, but I'm needed here."

"I'm as good as I can be," I say truthfully. "Given the circumstances."

"No intelligence of Peeta?" Beetee asks, and I shrug, trying to squash the pain in my chest.

"Not that I know of."

"I've been keeping a special eye on communications," Beetee reassures me. "If I hear or see anything, I'll be sure to let you know."

It's wonderful to know that he's still my ally, even out of the arena. "Thanks, Beetee."

Another hummingbird flits in between us before darting off and Beetee shakes his head. "Incredible creatures," he murmurs. "Do you think you could shoot one with an arrow, Katniss?"

I raise my eyebrows dubiously. "I doubt it. Too small."

"You could snare them, maybe," Gale suggests, his face taking on a contemplative expression that is calm and calculating. "Take a net with a very fine mesh. Enclose an area and leave a mouth of a couple square feet. Bait the inside with nectar flowers. While they're feeding, snap the mouth shut. They'd fly away from the noise but only encounter the far side of the net."