The Games We Lost

by Jypzrose

I do not own the Hunger Games. I'd be able to pay my bills if I did.

Rye Mellark/Primrose Everdeen

Peeta Mellark/ Katniss Everdeen

M for language, violence, mature themes and a touch of underage smut smattered through out. Don't worry, Rye will be respectful. But he is a guy.

Summary-Primrose Everdeen watched her sister and her love Peeta Mellark die in the 74th Hunger Games. In the aftermath, she and Rye Mellark, the brother who didn't volunteer, grow closer in their grief. Just as Prim is starting to understand her feelings for the middle Mellark brother, Snow pays a visit. The Star crossed lovers of District 12 had sparked a rebellion. Any further contact between the Mellark and Everdeen families will only make that spark ignite. If Prim doesn't stay away from Rye and instead spend time with Rory Hawthorne-who has a secret of his own- all of their families could suffer. But what about the upcoming Quell? And what did she really see in the arena her sister found love in?

Prologue

The 74th Hunger Games

"I VOLUNTEER!"

Those words had Primrose Everdeen bolting awake at least once a night since she'd heard them at the Reaping. It had been her name, not her sisters that had been called. It should have been her in that arena, fighting for her life. Not Katniss, never Katniss.

But as soon as Effie Trinket, the colorful, garish escort from the Capital, had called her name Prim knew. She'd never step foot in the arena.

Prim had screamed, denied and clawed, trying to make her sister take it back. But instead, Gale Hawthorne, her sister's best friend had picked her up and carried her away to her mother. She'd looked at her sister through tear filled eyes, knowing somehow that she was looking at her sister for the last time. District 12 hadn't had a victor in 25 years. There was no reason to think, even though her sister wasn't the usual tribute from their poor district, that she would be able to make it out.

When Effie had presented Katniss to the audience, there hadn't been a sound. Then one person, then another, then another raised a three fingered salute to the volunteer. It was a symbol of respect, of goodbye. It made Prim cry harder.

"Now for the boys!"

Peeta Mellark's name was called. And she saw Katniss' face fall, for an instant, but she saw it. The baker's youngest son made his way to the stage, shock that his name had been called when his name couldn't have been in there more than five times. But Prim's had only been in there two. The odds weren't in either of their favor that day.

Prim had looked away then, over to where the seventeen year olds were penned and saw the other Mellark boy of reaping age. She thought his name was Rye. And she saw the pain and guilt on his face. She knew he wouldn't be volunteering for Peeta. No one would blame him.

But she knew he would blame himself when Peeta died. Just as Prim was already blaming herself for Katniss.

Once the games started, the duo from District 12 made quite an impression. At the tribute parade, Prim could feel her heart swell when she saw them. They were on fire, literally, their hands clasped together showing a united front. They were smiling and blowing kisses to the crowd. And Peeta was staring at her sister like he couldn't believe she was real.

That was when Prim realized what love looked like.

So she wasn't surprised at all when during the tribute interviews, Peeta had admitted that he loved Katniss. Even if it was obvious Katniss hadn't had a clue.

From the second the games started, Prim lived with her heart in her throat. She had foolishly made Katniss promise that she would come home, knowing it was a promise her sister probably wouldn't be able to keep. But as each day passed and her sister made it, finding water, food and sleeping in the trees, Prim thought that maybe Katniss could do it.

When Peeta had joined with the careers, Prim hadn't lost faith in him. Unlike the others in the district, who had rallied around them when he'd declared his love, they turned on him once he took up with Cato and the others. Not Prim. She had a feeling that there was more to it than first glance.

She'd been thrilled when her faith in him had been validated. There was no way the boy that slipped her cookies when no one was looking, or who'd stared so blatantly at his sister with open adoration would turn on her like that. And when he'd fought Cato, getting a nasty slice in his leg for his efforts after Katniss had dropped the tracker jackers on them, she knew she was right.

She'd cried with her sister when Katniss' little ally, Rue had been killed by Marvel. Katniss had sung her to sleep, surrounding her with wildflowers and giving her the same salute District 12 had given her. It was beautiful, heartbreaking and dangerous. She remembered thinking how much danger Katniss was in now, for showing that little bit of compassion. Which was strange considering where the older girl was.

The rule change had thrown everyone. Two victors? Prim didn't dare to hope. Not when the Capital was so good at taking hope away.

Katniss found Peeta in the river, covered in mud and blood. She watched as her sister nursed him. She watched as her sister fell in love with the Baker's son. She watched as Peeta told her the story of how he'd fallen in love with her. It was so sweet, so sad. Prim couldn't feel good about it. Not when there was so much against them.

Blood poisoning. Peeta was going to die if he didn't get medicine, and Haymitch Abernathy hadn't sent them any. For every kiss and caress he would send food. But it was after they'd made love, their young bodies hidden by the sleeping bag, their soft sighs and cries amplified so the Capital could get its fill of their tragic love story that the announcement was made.

A feast was planned. Where something each tribute needed would be made available. The medicine Peeta needed for his leg.

He'd forbidden her to go. Haymitch had sent her one last parachute. Sleep syrup. It was mixed with berries and kisses and he drifted away, the look of betrayal in his blue eyes even as Katniss whispered, "I love you."

She'd gotten the pack with his medicine. Almost gotten killed by Clove, district 2's female tribute. Thresh, Rue's partner tribute had saved her. For Rue. She was bleeding from her head as she worked her way back to Peeta.

That was when the cannon sounded. Prim watched as panic seized her sister, who crashed through the woods, her usual stealthy movements lost in her fear.

When Katniss got back to the cave, it was empty. She called and screamed, begging for Peeta to come back. But he never did. That's when Prim saw her sister give up.

The gamemakers didn't let her wallow long. Another cannon had sounded as Katniss sobbed, the wretched sounds of her grief making Prim's heart break with her.

"I'm so sorry, Katniss." Prim whispered, her fingers playing over the screen of the TV as she tried to comfort the girl from so far away.

Mutts. Huge, growling wolves with strangely human eyes chased her from the river to the cornucopia. Cato was there first, scrambling up the slick sides of the structure. Katniss launched herself up just as a mutt with clear blue eyes nipped at her heels. But at the top, she found herself face to face with Cato, his blood streaked face feral and scared. They were both tired and hurting and just…done.

Prim screamed when Katniss raised her bow and reached for an arrow, only to find the quiver empty.

Before Cato struck the killing blow, Katniss gasped, "I'm sorry, Prim." Then Cato swung, the camera never leaving his face as he became the victor of the 74th Annual Hunger Games.

Prim hadn't needed the apology. Katniss wouldn't have been able to live without Peeta. Prim would survive without Katniss. Her sister had taken her place in the games, which was a debt that Prim could never repay. Now at least, Katniss and Peeta could be together forever.

But, even as she thought that, she took off from her Seam house, the boom of the final cannon echoing in her head. Her mother didn't try to stop her. She was too shocked herself to help her youngest daughter. Katniss would be mad if her mother went away again, like she did after their father was killed. But that was the last thing on Prim's mind at that moment.

She ran, ignoring the shouts from the Hawthorne family, the sympathetic stares of the other residents of the Seam. She ran until her tears blinded her and her sobs stole her breath. She collapsed to the ground, unaware of where she was and her knees and hands were stinging from her fall. She curled up, her misery breaking her apart.

By the time she calmed, Prim didn't know how much time had passed. To her it felt like hours, but by the position of the moon it couldn't have been more than a half of one. She slowly came to herself, realizing that she was in the meadow, the smell of wildflowers and green growth embracing her. She wondered vaguely if the mandatory viewing was over now that a victor had been declared.

This thought had fresh hot tears leaking from her swollen eyes. She wanted to curl up into a ball and let her grief take her away. But she knew that she couldn't. Maybe just for a little while at least.

"Who's there?" A gruff voice called. Prim felt her heart jump into her throat as fear nearly took her breath. Her first thought was Peacekeepers. But then she heard a ragged sob and she knew that it wasn't the lawmen.

With little energy, Prim pushed herself up and looked in the direction the voice came in. She could just make out the kneeling figure of a man, his head dropped into his hands. At the sound of her movements he turned to look at her.

"Primrose Everdeen?" Prim squinted in the moonlight, trying to make out his features in the dimness. She sucked in a breath when her mind told her Peeta. Then she realized that she was looking at the guilt and grief ravaged face of Rye Mellark.

"Hello, Rye." She managed, her throat raw with her own sobs.

"I should have volunteered. I should have gone." Rye said the words in a rush, his face crumpling once more. She didn't know how she managed, but she pushed to her feet and stumbled over to him. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, taking in the smell of clean cloths and bread and wept with him.

"Don't say that. Peeta wouldn't have wanted that. I didn't." she admitted, clutching him tighter. Guilt had her collapsing against him. She should be dead. Not Katniss. It was her name called. It had been her time. Not her sister. Not Katniss. She felt him shift, felt him close her in the heat of his embrace and she felt some of her pain ease.

"I'm so sorry, Primrose. I'm so sorry." She didn't know what he was apologizing for. It occurred to her, that if he had volunteered and Katniss hadn't, she and Peeta could be here, together and whole. But it did no good to think like that.

"It'll be ok, Rye. It has to be." She whispered, burying her face in his chest, letting her tears flow free once more.

"I'll take care of you. Don't worry." He gasped, his tears dripping onto her hair. She didn't care.

"I'll take care of you too, Rye." She promised, holding him closer. He nearly crushed her against his chest as they cried, the moon the only witness to their grief.

A/n-In order for this to work I had to adjust Prim's age up two years. She's fourteen when she's reaped. Katniss and Peeta are the same age they were in the book. Since all we know about Peeta's brothers from canon is that there is one in Reaping age, I'm making Rye a year older than Peeta. That will make them fifteen and eighteen respectively when the Quell comes around. I had to use the OC tag because they don't have a Peeta's Brothers tag. Enjoy. And as usual, Review, review, review. Lisa/Jypz