A/N: I told you there would be a sequel. Homework: Guess who's going to appear in this one. I'll give you a hint. Surprises are in store and you'll never get all of them. (Eliot's obvious, come on!)

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Leverage or The Hunger Games. Obviously, I have no rights to them if I am writing fanfiction. It's kind of against the rules and all. See, I do read the guidelines.

Enjoy!

Nate awoke to an annoying hammering on his front door. The boy groggily took in his surroundings with a gentle turn of his neck, and winced. He sat up in his chair and was unashamedly not surprised to find that he had spent the night at the phone again. It wasn't the first time nor would it be the last.

He had kept well with his promise to Sophie Devereaux, his fellow champion of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. He called her every day at six o'clock just as promised. In fact, they were spending most of their time talking on the phone. It had been the best six months of his life. He and Sophie were closer than ever.

Another loud knock on the door echoed through the hallway and the championed groaned. He quickly rubbed the sleep away from his face and walked towards the door. His back ached from sleeping on the desk but he wouldn't have it any other way. So, he put on his best smile and opened the door.

The source of the noise was none other than Paul Fathers. He sighed in relief the moment the door opened for him and just barged right on in without an invite. He was being quite rude. Nate opened his mouth to comment on the behavior, but Paul cut him to the chase.

"You need an intervention," he said, pointing to the phone as he spoke. There was true anger on his features and Nate tried to figure out why that was. Of course, he was also kind of angry at the accusation.

"Are you telling me to stop talking to Sophie?" Nate asked angrily, "Because that's not happening."

"Actually," Paul grinned at the statement, "That's exactly why I'm here."

Nate felt the red hot anger pulsing rapidly through his veins. The rage and audacity of his friend's statement was the absolute worst thing in the world to wake up to. Distantly he wondered if his father put Paul up to this. Then he proceeded to close his hands into fists and focus solely on his breathing. He needed to calm down before he punched his friend.

"We all saw what happened, Nate," Paul looked helplessly towards his friend with genuine hurt on his features, "We know why you're talking to her."

"You're saying we," Nate pointed out childishly. He had been so certain Sophie had ended that. "There are more people involved in this. What did my father offer you?"

"Nothing, Nate," Paul rolled his eyes at his friend's outburst, "I came on my own. The we is meant for the entire district. I don't care what your father's thoughts on the subject are. I want to know if you realize what you're getting yourself into."

"You think she doesn't love me," Nate gasped at the thought. Of course she loved him. She interfered with his suicide to prove it.

"I have my doubts," Paul nodded slowly. Then he looked up guiltily towards his friend as if he didn't really want to say it. "What happened in the arena was a lot different than what all of Panem saw."

"You think I'm in over my head," Nate stared at his friend in betrayal of the thought, "don't you?"

"Actually," Paul took a deep breath before continuing, "I think you just need a little guidance."

Nate glared at his friend's statement. How could Paul do this to him? They had gotten so much closer since the games ended. He even let the champion hunt for his family without payment and everything. Paul had even earned his priesthood with Nate cheering him the hardest out of the whole district. How could he betray him like this?

"You're spending more time on the phone with her than you are in your own district," Paul explained himself harshly, "Everybody is relying on Parker for news of how you're doing. Parker barely even leaves the house anymore except for school. Nate, it's been weeks since the last time anybody in town's seen you. Even your father hasn't seen you."

"That's because I threw him out," Nate stated suddenly, proudly, "I told him he couldn't stay here drunk. He had to go somewhere else if he was going to drink. I don't want him anywhere near Parker when he's drunk!"

"That was a good move," Paul smiled at his friend's defense. He was thoroughly amused by it and didn't even seemed prepared for it. That was good. He was going off script.

"It was Sophie's idea," Nate smiled back. He was starting to feel relief at the mention of her name. His whole world revolved around waiting for the victory tour to begin so they could be together again. Then Sophie was going to move in with him and they were going to live happily ever after. He was even willing to have kids if she wanted them though he even doubted she would. They both knew firsthand that children of champions always ended up in the games. He did.

"Sophie sounds like a reasonable person," Paul laughed.

Nate pointed an accusing finger his friends way and smiled broadly. "I knew you were going to like her," he said.

Then the phone rang. It was still too early for Sophie to be awake but that didn't exactly matter. Nate still launched himself towards the phone with all of his might. Paul caught him by the shoulders and pulled him back with a warning look.

"You need to get out of the house, Nate," he said, "You're going to get yourself into trouble or something."

The phone kept ringing.

"Please," Nate cried out desperately, "It could be something very important. She could be hurt or something. She needs me."

Paul rolled his eyes at the dramatic young man before him. "Make it quick," he said, "You're going outside today."

Nate smiled and nodded his head. Then he raced towards the phone at top speed.

"Sophie," he answered.

"Sorry to disappoint," Tara's voice cackled on the other end of the line, "I was just calling to check on how your talent is going."

"Hi Tara," Nate smiled despite the fact that it wasn't the woman of his dreams, "Honestly, I haven't done a thing towards working on talent."

"I figured as much," Tara laughed into the phone, "That's why I developed one for you."

"Great," he said, "Lay it on me."

"You've taken up building designs as your talent," Tara informed him, "Don't worry. I've already taken the liberty to draw a few sketches. I'll show them to you when we meet up for your interview right before the tour."

"Thanks a mil," Nate smiled at his friend's statement.

"I guess I better get off the phone now," Tara suggested coyly, "You're expecting a very important call from your honey-bear, or do you call her fudge-sickle?"

"Bye Tara," Nate rolled his eyes at his stylist's horrid sense of human.

"Later gator," Tara called off, laughing hysterically at her own joke. There was a click and the phone disconnected.

"Tara?" Paul demanded with both eyebrows raised.

Nate rolled his eyes. "She's my stylist, you dimwit," he growled, "I would never cheat on Sophie."

"Oh, so now you two are officially together?" Paul asked with a knowing smirk. What was he getting at?

"You're not trying to get me out of the house because I spend too much time with Sophie," Nate realized, suddenly feeling nauseous.

Paul shook his head. "It's a matter for discussion outside where it's safe," he said.

"Let's go," Nate pushed through the door immediately. He felt Paul following behind him, heard him too. Paul was almost as loud as Maggie when it came to walking through a pile of leaves. It was a sad thought.

"It's about your victory tour," Paul stated slowly. He placed his hand on Nate's shoulder and pulled him further into Victor Plaza, the place where the champions of every district got to live.

Paul slammed Nate up against an empty house's wall and put a finger to his lips. He looked both ways and then slid by his friend's side so they couldn't be seen. Then he stared at the ground to make it look like they were being casual.

"There are rumors that people will use your victory tour as a way to measure whether or not you are for or against the Capitol," Paul stated slowly, deliberately.

"And if I fail they're going to hurt Sophie," Nate asked softly and just as slowly.

Paul shook his head. "No," he said, "They will go after Parker. Everyone is aware how close the two of you have become over the years, especially the last eight months. You need to be cautious. The amount of time you spend on the phone with Sophie only convinces people more that she is the one putting these ideas into your head."

"They think Sophie's using me to lead a rebellion?" Nate asked in awe. That was far-fetched even for the Seam. It wasn't even until the seventy-fourth annual hunger games that the rumors that he and Parker were dating finally ended. The rumors that Jimmy had an affair and Parker was the result only grew stronger of course.

"Not just any rebellion," Paul shook his head, "The rebellion. They think Sophie is using you to lead the districts into war to overthrow the Capitol once and for all. I'm pretty certain that those rumors are based off of what she said during the games."

"How much of that did you guys hear?" Nate demanded greedily. He had been the one to push Sophie to express her opinions on the games to begin with. These rumors were his fault, not hers. He was the one who backed her into a corner to admit the truth.

"Only that the Capitol should know the tributes deserved to be loved," Paul replied sadly, "but I'm dead certain that wasn't half of it. How much more did the cameras refuse to show us?"

"A lot more," Nate cringed at the news. The victory tour was going to have to become a schmooze fest in order to back Sophie out of the corner he put her in. They were going to have to work really hard to convince Panem that they really were just a couple madly in love. Of course, nobody could honestly think their actions had anything to do with war. They were just rumors and Paul was overreacting. Yeah, that had to be it.

"The camera crew comes tomorrow to tape your interview about your talent," Paul informed him quietly, "After that we will have a month to work on preparing you for the victory tour."

"Let's hope that's enough," Nate nodded in reply.

%

The interview and talent portion was uneventful. Tara and her lovely crew of harpy dressers came in and swept the boy up all day. He was primed and prettied before he even had a chance to say anything else. Parker even got the beauty treatment.

"I would rather die," Parker growled towards Doyle when he made the mistake of moving towards her.

Nate had to physically restrain her while the prep team set to work.

"I'll buy you some chocolate later," he promised, "They have to do this so you look presentable when the cameras come in. They will be interviewing you and Jimmy, you know."

"Fine," Parker huffed dramatically, "But I'm only doing this because you kept your promise and returned home. But if they make me wear one of those icky Capitol dresses, I'm ripping their fingernails off and stabbing them with them."

Thankfully, it didn't come to that. Instead Parker was allowed to wear Adrianne's old dress, the one she wore during Nate's last Reaping. They didn't even do much to her hair. They just brushed it and talked to her as if she was a baby. Parker refused to let go of Nate's hand the entire time. He was okay with that.

The camera crew followed the pair of them around the house. Nate put on his charming smile and showed off Tara's wonderful architecture drawings. The woman even remembered to stick some post-it notes on them for Nate to remember what he was supposed to talk about. All in all it was a great day.

Then when the camera crew and the prep team left, Tara winked him towards her with a few parting words.

"Be very careful about what you do for the next four weeks, Nate," she warned, "President Snow is going to make a personal appearance if the rumors are to be believed. He never makes a personal appearance. Don't give him anything to suspect that you or Sophie are preparing for a rebellion. You stick to the truth. It will set you free."

Nate nodded his head in agreement. He couldn't trust his voice enough to speak. Tara ruffled his hair with a kind smile and quickly pecked him on the cheek.

"Be good, handsome," she winked. Then she was out the door like the rest of them, hustling and bustling her way towards the Capitol as if she didn't have another care in the world.

Nate just swallowed thickly at the warning and immediately ran to the phone.

"Nate," Sophie's voice questioned over the phone. She didn't even sound surprised. She sounded hopeful and excited.

Nate's heart soared at the celebratory way she said his name. It was like the weight of the world was taken off of his shoulders just by the sound of her voice.

"Sophie," Nate smiled into the phone, "I'm so glad to be talking to you."

"What happened?" Sophie's voice immediately sounded concerned.

Nate's stomach clenched at the immediate sense of danger in the district one champion's silvery voice. It made his whole body clench in horror at the knowledge that she would have to get out of trouble once again. He vowed right then and there to make certain she would never have to worry about anything when they were together again.

"It's about the victory tour," Nate sighed. He figured getting down to the point would be best for the both of them.

"We're going to have to be very careful," he said.

"Why?" Sophie demanded immediately. Her voice sounded stressed now.

"Somebody is under the impression that we are planning a rebellion," he said.

"That's ridiculous," Sophie sneered at the idea. Nate could even picture the scowl curling on her lips and crinkling her gorgeous nose.

"I agree," Nate smiled at the knowledge that she was on his side, "but that doesn't matter. It's not important…"

"How is it not important?"

"We're not planning a rebellion," Nate smiled into the phone. She sounded completely outraged by everything that was going on and he could see the glint of fire sparkling in her chocolate brown eyes.

"I just wanted to call you and let you know in case somebody tried to pull something," he finished, "I just want you safe. I don't care about anything else."

"But we're not planning a rebellion…"

"And that is exactly why we'll be fine," Nate sighed in relief, "We're not doing anything wrong. Now, how have been?"

"I was fine until you told me somebody is spreading lies throughout the Capitol," Sophie's voice sounded strained at the evil news brought her way.

"Well I was bored to tears until I heard your gorgeous voice," Nate laughed. The weight of the phone in his hand and the sound of Sophie's voice seemed to be the trick to curing everything for him these days. It was a fabulous thought.

"Don't compliment me when I'm being rude to you," Sophie groaned into the phone. There was guilt in her voice now and she was definitely calming down.

"Don't sound like an angel and I won't."

"Nate," Sophie's voice sounded somewhere between scandalized and embarrassed. Her cheeks were probably turning bright red and her eyes were definitely staring at the ground. Her fingers were probably even tangling in her curly brown locks.

"I'm not an angel, Nate," she finished softly.

"When is the camera crew coming to film your talent?" Nate changed the subject immediately. He knew it was exactly what she needed.

"Tomorrow," she sighed, "I want it to be next month now. I'm so sick of this. I've got enough plants for medical services that I'm not even running out of them. I want to meet your District and the rest of your family."

"You will," Nate smiled happily, "Just wait. I promise I'll make it worth it."

"You better," Sophie growled playfully into the phone.

"What exactly is your talent?"

There was a brief pause on the phone. Well, there was a slight gasp of air and then a pause. It wasn't exactly horrifying but it was definitely worrying.

"Drawing," Sophie admitted softly, "I've been drawing and building models of what happened to us during the games. I'm going to show them Maggie when she died. I even have one of you sleeping. Actually, there are several of you sleeping. I can't seem to get your upper lip correct…"

"I look forward to watching them showing off your amazing talent," Nate swallowed back the thick lump Maggie's name caused. He was still having nightmares from that particular portion of the hunger games. In fact, that was one of the major reasons he and Sophie were on the phone so often.

It started almost immediately after the games ended really. Sophie called him that very night when they returned home. She had been in tears and swallowing hard. The only words out of her mouth were two names, Maggie and James, their fallen fellow tributes. That was all she really needed to say. Nate had spent the rest of that night talking her into a soft sleep and keeping her as calm as possible. They had been up until at least three o'clock that morning just talking about happier things.

"I'm glad you found something to get rid of those nightmares," Nate finished softly.

"I would much rather have you hear chasing them away with me," Sophie admitted just as softly.

"I will, Soph," Nate promised, grinning all the while, "You know I will."

"See you in a month, Nate."

"See you," Nate nodded.

"Love you," Sophie whispered into the phone.

"Love you too," Nate smiled at the news.

The phone clicked and buzzed.

Nate lowered the phone gently onto the receiver. The feeling of loneliness washed over him the moment the phone was properly put up. His heart hurt at the loss of Sophie's voice. The victory tour couldn't come fast enough for the both of them really.

%

Nate awoke to a gentle knock on his bedroom door. He sat up immediately and waited for the person to enter. Nobody knocked on his door. It was an interestingly new experience.

"Nate, you've got a visitor," Parker announced in a panic.

The small blonde merely pushed inside the door and gently closed it behind her. Then she blurred her way into the bed beside him, her skin as pale as the snow melting outside. There was a look of fear on her face. Nate knew this was going to be a bad day.

"What do you mean I have a visitor?" Nate asked quietly. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs but a soft voice seemed to be the only thing that worked on Parker. A soft and low voice also didn't alert the visitor to the fact that he was awake.

"He's in the office," Parker whispered from underneath the covers, "He smells like blood and roses. Please don't go down there."

"President Snow!" Nate snarled in disgust. He quickly jumped out of bed and started pulling clothes on and off without any consideration for the small girl cowering under his covers.

"He's touching Sophie's phone," Parker muffled a scornful hiss.

Nate stared at his closet door with wide eyes. He had forgotten that Parker still believed the phone belonged to Sophie instead of him. The poor girl thought it was the only way for her to even meet the champion that stole his heart. It was the only way she got to talk to her anyway.

"Stay here," Nate ordered the tiny blonde, racing out of the door as he spoke.

The champion of District Twelve raced into his office as quickly as possible. He slammed through the door and stared.

There at his desk, touching his phone with an evil twinkle in his eye was a man with snow gray hair. His blue eyes were firmly planted on the door and he wore a frown on his face. President Snow was waiting for him with both eyes trained on him.

"Hello, Nathan," President Snow smiled towards the champion of district twelve at the office chair. "Please have a seat."

"Sure," Nate nodded as he sat down in his own chair and was treated like a guest in his own home. "What brings you to district twelve, Mr. President?"

"Your victory," President Snow smiled at the form of small talk abruptly getting down to business.

"What about my victory, sir?" Nate questioned with a thick swallow of his throat. There was suddenly no moisture in his mouth at all the possibilities roaming around. The action of surviving for the sake of falling in love with another tribute had to be considered an act of defiance and he was about to pay for it now. He just hoped Sophie didn't have to suffer the same fate.

"Ms. Devereaux's act of flinging herself in the way of your plunging blade seems to have sparked some conflicts within the districts," President Snow informed the man with a calm shrug.

"What kind of conflicts, sir?" Nate asked as his heart started to fall into his stomach at where the conversation was going.

"Uprisings," President Snow remarked with a bitter smile, "and we don't like uprisings in the Capitol. Uprisings always end with bloodshed and we don't want bloodshed, do we Nathan?"

"Why are you here, sir?" Nate demanded with a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Many people see Ms. Devereaux's act as that of a love sick girl fighting for her lover's survival," President Snow continued with a simple shrug of his shoulders.

"But you don't think so?" Nate's stomach dropped at the news.

"I don't think so," President Snow nodded in response.

"What do you think it was, sir?" Nate questioned with cold fear filling his every thought.

"I think it was what the people of the uprisings thought," President Snow explained as he gently buttered his biscuit.

"And what did they think it was, sir?" Nate asked as he tried not to show his fear of the news.

"They thought it was an act of defiance to the Capitol," President Snow stated pleasantly.

"But you can't honestly think that, sir?" Nate moaned towards the man in horror, "She was just trying to save me. Sophie wasn't…"

"It was a good strategy for survival," President Snow continued with an angry glare directed towards the champion to silence him. "She played us all for fools to sell the sappy idea of a lovesick girl frantically hoping to save the boy she had become smitten with. It made for good television which is why I allowed it to continue. Seneca Crane should have sent the hovercraft the moment that blade pierced her back but you accidentally fell prey to her charms. Don't worry. He was the one who paid the price for not getting you out of there in time."

"You don't think Sophie meant it when she said she's in love with me," Nate realized in agony of the possibilities of that one statement.

"I don't doubt your actions, boy," President Snow nodded in agreement. "I just thought you should know that it has now fallen into your hands to help her see the error in her ways."

"What do you want me to do?" Nate asked immediately. He was willing to do anything to save Sophie but now doubt blossomed in his mind. He was certain this had been the president's plan too.

"I want you to either break her heart or prove to the world that it was not an act of defiance to the Capitol," President Snow explained sharply. "Convince me that she's in love with you. Get her to fall in love with you if you must."

"And if I fail?" Nate questioned slowly.

"You won't," President Snow remarked coldly, "For her sake as well as your own."