A/N--I've never written a Cato/Clove fic before, so I hope you all like it :).
Disclaimer--NOT MINE! Duh!
Enjoy :)!
Maybe it has been here all along, and I've never seen it before.
Or maybe it has just come into existence.
Whatever it is, it is something special. I look into his eyes, and I see a burning passion that I have never seen anywhere before.
Cato is determined to win these Games. He always has been, that's why he volunteered. But this determination is different.
"I'll get you out of here." He states matter-of-factly. I don't doubt him for a second.
As we prepare to go to the feast he talks to me in an even tone, never missing a beat.
"Loverboy is probably close to dead. Katniss might not have even found him. The red-haired girl is too much of a chicken to be a risk. I can deal with Thresh, no problem. It could be over tonight, Clove. We could go back. Victors of the 74th Hunger Games. Victors. Both of us. Together."
And then what happens? I want to ask him. What happens to us? I don't ask him. I am scared of the answer. That is what I am scared of. Not that Thresh will crush me. Not that Katniss will shoot me with her deadly arrows. I'm not scared of the little, sly girl or the pathetic loverboy. I am scared of what will happen to Cato and me after we win. He acts like there is something for us. He is different then he was.
Cato quietly paces about our camp. I sit on a stump and watch him, following him with my eyes. He is so much different than back when we trained together. I remember one day...
"You're hopeless, Clove!" Our trainer yells. He is one of the Victors of old. Our district certainly has enough. And those of us who show promise at a young age get to train with him. Not many of us. Three or four from each age group. We train at different times, in our small groups. I am with Cato, Josephine, and Rickie. We are all 17, and this will be our year in the Games. Our last chance for victory and for honor. Cato is in for sure, he is the only boy, and he shows so much potential. He is a killing machine. I have to work harder, though. I have to beat out both Josephine and Rickie in order to ever have my chance to shine, to volunteer as Tribute of District 2.
I wipe off my pants, hopping quickly to my feet. "No!" I growl at Cato. We are facing off in hand-to-hand combat. No knives, no weapons, just ourselves. Cato has knocked me to the ground twice already, and all I've gotten in is one solid knee in his groin. At this point, he is looking smug and bored. I lung at him, and he swipes at me with a lazy hand, that of a cat batting away a mouse it is already sick of. But this time I don't fall. I jump on his back and my weight knocks him to the ground, because he wasn't ready for that. My hands are around his head, ready to twist in a way that will surely snap his neck. "Dead." I say, in exhaustion.
"Good, Clove, nice work." Our trainer praises. The other girls look at me in wonder. Neither of them have been able to take down Cato, and with only a week left before the Reaping, their chances don't look good.
Cato rubs his neck in discomfort. He bears his teeth at me, and I want to laugh. Yes, I will be Tribute this year, and I will be happy to break Cato's neck when it is down to the two of us.
He is so different now. He isn't thinking only of himself, and a part of him has softened. I can't help but hope that it is because of me, because he loves me. Maybe, maybe he loves me.
"Cato?" I ask quietly, breaking his concentration. He stops pacing, marches over to me, smoothly. Kneels down next to me, his hand on my knee.
"What is it, Clove?" He asks so softly my heart flutters inside my chest.
"What..." I can't say it. "What will happen with us, after we win?" I ask, finally. The words choke out of my mouth, and I sound nothing like me. There is no sneer in my voice whatsoever. I am different, too.
"Well we won't have to train anymore, that's something." He begins, and I am immediately grateful for the image of life without training. Ah, bliss. "And we'll be rich," He starts to paint a picture of a beautiful life. "We'll live in Victor's Village, with all the old geezers and the strong and beautiful people. We can have houses right next to each other. We'll be famous. Everyone in the Capitol will love us. Everyone will want to have you." He pauses, for dramatic effect. " But I won't let them. Because you'll be mine."
He stands up, pulling me with him, pressing me against his chest, and looking at me with smoldering eyes. He bends his head down, his lips are inches from mine. I think I'll explode from anticipation, and then... the sun begins to rise.
Cato looks at the sky for confirmation that we should be leaving. "It's time," he says. "We'll finish this later."
I look at his lips, longingly and he winks at me. Then we head off in different directions, preparing for the feast. I wish it was later.
A/N--Sniff, sniff. So sad, there never is a later. Aww, now I'm gonna cry... REVIEW? It might stop my tears!