Hi. Ignore the typos because I just wrote this quickly so I could get it uploaded and done. This is the LAST CHAPTER OF SPARK. Proper serious AN stuff at the end, but enjoy.

{-.-}

I wake when I feel myself being moved. I'm lying against the mattress instead of Cato and I can see him standing up from the bed. He briefly looks at me before he notes I'm awake and looking right at him with my eyes just about open. He studies my form before he kneels next to the bed so his head is parallel with mine. He looks ridiculously casual in a cotton t-shirt and sweatpants, and last night maybe I was too tired to see it. If you passed him like this in the street you wouldn't think that he murdered children in cold blood, nor would you be expected to think of him as a trained killer. I can feel his breath on my face and his expression softens when he looks into my eyes.

"Hey, I'm gonna go and get ready for the interview later."

I nod and my right cheek moves against the sheet, burning slightly with the friction, "I probably should too."

He looks away for a second, "We have to be all couple-like again during it."

"I know," as I pause I suddenly think that right now might be a good time to ask him a question. I've finally got a chance to talk to him about things and maybe now I can know what's really going on between us. It's a risk though as I could potentially ruin whatever relationship we have, "Can I ask you something?"

He nods lightly and I know that I have to be confident about asking him this, but I let my throat be croaky when I talk to make him think that I'm weak. I want him to think that he has to soften the truth for me because I'm not sure how much I can handle, "What did your actions in the arena mean? The tree… the cornucopia… everything. What did they mean to you?"

He can't hold my gaze. There's something telling of his feelings in his eyes; discomfort. He doesn't talk for seconds as if he's trying to sort out his words. He is trying to soften the blow for me, "It was for sponsors. I got a note in the tree and in the cornucopia reminding me that this act was one of the only things bringing in the sponsors. I was told to go along with it, so I did."

I look at him in a mixture of shock and confusion. A part of me was clinging to the hope that he cared, and now it's confirmed he doesn't. I try and be strong as I lie there trying to get him to look at me, but it's hard and I'm not sure if I can even hold myself together in front of him. So why last night? Why any of this? Did he just do all of this for fun? I wonder whether he sees me as an easy target, someone just there to annoy, "So you carried it on such actions like last night for the sake of appeasement for your sponsors too?"

"Dammit Willow, just stop badgering me."

I'm frustrated with a lack of a proper answer; he's trying to avoid my questions. I don't care if I'm badgering him or not because I want the truth. There are so many things going on around me and I'm being kept in the dark about everything, "Then do you even think I'm ok? Or are you repulsed by me like how you were when we first met?"

He groans slightly, "That's not even true and you know that."

"Really?" My voice raises slightly and the anger and frustration in my voice is clearly apparent, "Because right now I literally have no idea as to what you think of me. If it was all for sponsors then I have no idea whether you think I'm a freak or not."

"You're not a freak!" He narrows his eyes at me in annoyance; I'm hoping that everyone else is too busy being asleep to notice the sudden war of words in my room. I'm not phased by the looks I would get, but I'd be more worried if someone heard us argue. This act needs to be kept up for the sake of everyone I know and love, "You're fine. Willow I think you're a normal human being now just stop."

"One more question. Just one, please," I look at him pleadingly. This is my final chance for a straight answer, and I'll just say the question almost outright.

He groans in annoyance yet again, "Fine."

"Do you care about me in any way?" My voice softens into something almost like a whisper because a part of me hopes this will tell him why I'm asking such a thing. Maybe he'll realise that I do have some kind of feelings for him, and I hope that he feels the same; otherwise things will be more than awkward. I'm not sure if I could trust him or even want to be around him ever again.

He looks me dead in the eye and I can feel my cheeks burn as he studies my face with a slight glare. I don't back down or look away as he just looks me in the eye with a glint of hunger perhaps. Maybe I see that because I want to though. I wait for an answer and I think for a few moments that I'm not going to get one. Maybe he does really have a bad view of me after all.

"I just want to make sure my fellow co-victor is sane enough to keep up this charade. You got that?"

I feel hurt, his tone suggests that he angry, resentful and all of those other horrible emotions towards me. I suddenly want to wither into nothing because he does regard me as this mad thing that he's been lumped with. My heart feels as if it's been ripped out a replaced with something poisonous because a part of me thinks this was your relationship with him anyway. He's toxic and is set on destroying me. He stands up, and Cato looks at me briefly before he stands up and goes to leave the room. He walks to the door without looking back, but he stops there, "I'll see you in a few hours then."

Before I can say anything I hear the door open and shut and it's as if he's closing himself off from me with all of this anger built up inside him. And now? He's taken it out on me. So he never has really cared, it's been about the facade and keeping up appearances. I feel helpless and completely alone, and I've got no-one to go to and ask for help. I sit up from the bed and I almost go to hug my knees. I need comfort to know I'm not alone but I'm fed up of being weak; I need to be strong again.

Prove him wrong, prove to him that you're strong. Prove that you are determined to keep everyone safe.

It takes a lot for me not to cry, and in the end I just about manage not to. All I have to think about is that I go home. I can forget about him for months, and hopefully the media will only need to be fed about our relationship at certain times. In that way I can focus on trying to convince my family that I'm completely sane and that they don't have to worry about me.

I go and take a shower, washing my hair and making sure that I'm a blank enough canvas for the prep team. I sit on my bed watching highlights from last night's interview, the kiss shows up and I tear my gaze away from the screen because my cheeks flush with embarrassment. I find another channel which is of presenter walking through this year's arena declaring different places to be death sites and so on and so forth. In the end I can't cope so I just turn it off and lie back down onto my wet hair. I'm awake earlier than Petal, as maybe half an hour later she bursts into my room in order to wake me for final day of being in this blasted place. She looks a little dumbfounded at my alertness when I sit up but other than that we go about a routine. Firstly we go to the main dining area and I'm allowed to eat a lamb stew, but again my portion size is controlled.

I think about the amount of food in the hall yesterday and how, if I remember correctly I didn't eat a scrap of it. It shocks me to know that this place has so much more food than the Districts; the underlings of Panem society. Once finished, I head back to my room and Aleticia and Julius come in and set to work in getting me ready for the final interview here.

She's calm with that really stunning grin on her face but doesn't talk too much. Julius basically rambles about how amazing everything was. They even comment on me and Cato making a good couple and how he always looked at me in a completely besotted way. He was there for me during all of yesterday and maybe I wasn't completely aware of it; he even checked on me at the feast. But this is when everything is conflicted because I still don't know whether he cares or not

But alternatively are both of my prep team unaware that the 'relationship' me and Cato are in is fake? I'm scared to ask anything about it as I'm worried that if they haven't been told then they aren't to be trusted.

Julius leaves after my basic preparation is done, leaving me with Aleticia. She smiles when she leaves and starts looking through a make-up bag with her tongue just sticking out of her mouth slightly in concentration. I'm sat in front of the dresser with her stood next to me. She pulls something out and places it in my hands; Katniss' mockingjay pin. I look at the almost brassy colouring and feel the weight of it in my hand before I look at her.

I actually forgot about it. How could I forget about something like this? I almost broke a promise to a dead girl and I'm in shock for seconds as I look at it. I give Aleticia a grim smile because memories that I hope would stay buried haven't, "Thank you."

I think she can see the pain in my face because her tone is so soft I think that she could also be incredibly upset by all of this, "I wanted you to hold up your promise to that little girl, and I thought that some people were going to take this away from you," she smiles lightly so her youth sort of shows through her make-up and her typical Capitol eccentricities, "Don't lose it."

I close my hand around the pin and hold it tightly, "I won't. I owe a sister a part of her lost sibling."

From then on the conversation becomes a little more positive; mainly due to Aleticia's words and doing. I think she's trying to take the conversation away from the arena and to last night. But last night doesn't hold a lot of positivity either as I think of Iago and Finnick, how they were both cryptic and strange in their own little ways. The only difference is that I think Finnick Odair is an ally. I think he wants to help with this charade and whatever is actually going on. If I have indeed displeased Snow, at least I could have the help from a very important person.

But then Iago is an enemy. If I trust Finnick I need to believe him about what kind of man this stranger is to me. That man was invaded my personal space and kissed me twice is not a friend. He promises something terrible and I'm not sure if I want to know about it or not. But what can a newspaper editor really do to me? I have no secrets, nor anything tragic or bad in my past so what could he honestly do to me?

Nothing, I think, he can't hurt you. He won't hurt you if you don't hurt him.

Aleticia dresses me in a pale pink dress with a few buttons at the front and, not too dissimilar in style to my reaping dress. I think of home when I see myself in the mirror. I think of everything positive for once. I don't dwell on the fact that things could be bad when I get back. A part of me is relieved that this is finally over. There's barely any make-up on my face and my hair is loose, the waves that are natural have been enhanced into loose curls. I look young for my age and I'm wondering whether this has been done on purpose to make me appear innocent.

The lasting impression is the most key apparently, and I suppose that this is what she's doing.

There are some flat soft brown shoes on the floor that I'm directed into. They're comfortable and again, there's something familiar about them. I turn to face my stylist with a smile on my face; as genuine as I can make it but I have a feeling that it's pained. She beams back at me.

"You reaping dress was so beautiful. I wanted to make another similar one just to remind you that you're going home. You don't have to think about the past few weeks anymore."

My smile falters a little more as I think about what could happen. I don't know what waits for me when I step off the train into my District, but I will make sure that everything I do will be so I can protect my family. I try and block it out as I suddenly realise that for the whole time I've been stood here I've been clasping on to the pin. I open my hand and look at it for a few moments before I find a pocket in my dress. I slip it in.

"I'm going home," I say with a smile, "I'm actually going home."

"Yes you are," she then looks slightly serious for a few seconds as if she's recounting a memory. "Hey, why don't you tell me about that long story which that bruise caused before the Games? You said you'd tell me."

I nod a little, knowing that I'm having to keep my word about something which is trivial but has played such a huge part in my life now. "Basically, after I fell off a climbing frame in the Training Centre Cato laughed. I threw an axe at him and that's when he started being himself. He tried to intimidate me from then on and I never gave in."

She raises an eyebrow, "That infamous axe-throwing incident. When you entered the arena one of the gossip shows told everyone about it. They interviewed the trainers and everything; talking about you two and your rather dysfunctional relationship."

I suddenly think about asking her some questions about the way we were seen. I'm suddenly curious because I want to know exactly how people saw us as the highlight footage could only show us a little of the Games and not the whole lot, "What did people think at the start of the Games when he let me go?"

"To be honest, people were really surprised. They thought that he was going to kill you after your short face off at the pedestals."

"And what did they think from then on?"

She shrugs, "They liked the idea of two as a couple. The cold-hearted killer and the girl who wanted to remain human; it was a contradiction but it was something they liked… you could always tell he liked you."

I blush and narrow my eyes at her not quite understanding what she means. It was an act, the whole time it was an act and she should see this. Unless he really is that good of an actor. He can't be though as it isn't something that he should know how to do, the only things he knows is killing and destroying. He shouldn't be able to act that well. No-one is a natural at anything.

Aleticia walks to the door and opens it and gestures for me to go through, "Anyway, it's time to get the final part of this process done."

I nod and I go to leave, but just as I get out in the corridor I turn back to her, "Is this it? Is this where we say goodbye?"

She nods sadly, and I go up to her and hug her tightly. I suddenly feel a little teary because this is last time for a while that I'll see her again. She hugs me back with a fierce grip as if to say that she's here for me. She wants me to be safe. When we manage to part she smiles at me.

"You do everyone proud in that interview. You think of home, and you think about being safe."

She knows about everything. It dawns on me that Aleticia knows everything. Being safe, that makes me realise that she knows about my predicament and she is to be trusted.

I take in her words and smile, "Goodbye then."

"I'll see you on the Victory Tour. Stay safe."

I turn my back and leave now, walking down the corridor and into the main area where I sat and ate with Petal this morning. The sitting area now has various cameras and electrical equipment around and as I approach I see Cato stood with our mentors. There are just as many crew as there were last night as well, each setting up the small area that me and Cato will be interviewed in or various piece of equipment. Before I actually manage to get over to speak with my mentor and to see Cato I see Caesar approaching and he shakes my hand with that never-ending smile.

"How are you feeling Willow?"

I nod my head lightly, and reply with the best smile I can muster, "Nervous but excited."

"Enjoy it, you have absolutely nothing to worry about."

Well I do actually Caesar, a small matter of my life and my family's lives are at stake because apparently I was about to cause a rebellion. I smile my reply and Caesar is called over by some crew members. Awkwardly I go over to the mentors and Cato with a fake spring in my step. I can practically hear the distaste from the District 2 mentors so at first I'm a little apprehensive. I dread the conversation and everything about what could happen in the next few seconds.

Then Cato leaves them to come to me before I can reach them. Once we're close to each other he slides his arms around my waist and he smiles at me as he pulls me into a gentle kiss. Apart from being a bit surprised I take it in my stride and at least kiss back and wrap my arms around his neck. He pulls away after a few seconds and we both look into each other's eyes with so much coldness despite our wonderfully fake smiles. Neither one of us seems to trust each other at the moment and nor do I blame us.

He hates me, and however much I want to hate him it just can't happen. I've never trusted someone more than what I do now.

The crew tell us to sit down on the loveseat which is at the centre of the cameras and lights and all sorts of things and I deliberately make sure I'm sat close to him. Our thighs touch and my ankle entwines with his. He puts his arm around my shoulders and we both smile at each other before we look to Caesar. I hope this doesn't look fake but I honestly don't know how we're being perceived right now. Some of the crew start counting back from five and once the interview begins, it's actually very comfortable. Caesar is laughing and joking and comments on how we look perfect. A match made in heaven apparently.

"So when did you, Cato, realise you had feelings for Willow?"

He tenses, perhaps in annoyance. I'm not sure, "I realised they were there when she saved me. In particular it was when she took me back to the cornucopia to be with the rest of my group, I couldn't quite believe how kind she was when she had the chance to kill me."

"And how about you Willow?"

I mull over my answer and it takes me a few seconds to think, "I think they've always been there. But dormant. I only realised them when he spared my life right at the beginning. He saved me, and must have covered for me from the rest of his group and that meant a lot to me. I saw that he was human."

"And tell me, what did you both really think when the rule change was announced?"

Cato looks at me, and I look at him. His gaze suddenly seems a lot softer, "I thought of her, and how we could never be together because of our circumstances."

I continue off from where he stopped; my eyes never leaving his, "The same goes for me. I thought that we'd never be together and it made me give up a little on things. I thought I was going to die in the arena with no partner. I was the next to be killed."

"Then he saved your life," Caesar interjects

The memories suddenly flood back. The pain, everything horrible about it is suddenly lit up inside my brain. I look to Caesar and I nod somewhat vaguely. I think the room is waiting for me to break down and go crazy but I don't.

Cato gives me a quick kiss on the forehead which I think brings a sigh from a few people watching, "I'd do anything for her, and right then saving her seemed to be the logical thing to do. Whether I died or not it didn't matter because I just wanted to keep her safe in my own stubborn way."

And that's how the rest of the interview goes basically. At the end a lot of the people around us seem to be genuinely touched by our fake emotions to each other. Johanna pulls me into a hug at some point and whispers something about me doing well. From then, our journey home begins. We're taken outside to a car which takes us all to the station. The windows are blacked out and me and Cato seem even further apart because however much we sit here with our hands joined, we're looking out different windows and we awkwardly avoid eye contact.

The District 2 escort and Petal, along with our mentors accompany us on the train. We share the same tribute train which will stop at District 2 first. Still joined together, me and Cato go and sit down in the main living area on the same loveseat as each other. I don't know how much we have to keep this up in this sort of environment but we do. Better safe than sorry, I tell myself but it doesn't quite work.

Our mentors and escorts all sit down on other chairs. Small talk is made but I'm silent. It's extremely tense here and to be perfectly honest I just want to go to a room and be by myself. I think the silence means that I'm not welcome, or means that there is still a seal of disapproval around our actions. I break at one point; I stand up and just leave to room to weasel my way through the corridor to try and find a room just to be alone in.

Nothing seems to be looking up, Cato thinks I'm some crazy thing that he doesn't want to be associated with, President Snow seems to hate me and I suddenly feel very in danger and very vulnerable. I need to cry. I need Cedar or Tanner or my mother or father just to tell me everything will be fine. I can't wait until however long to see them.

I hear some commotion in the living room area of the train that I've just left. I wonder whether my absence has caused someone else to lose it with the horribly tense and awkward situation. People are shouting. Johanna maybe? And then I can hear a man's voice too. I don't turn back as I walk past various rooms which I think belong to the mentors.

I don't know where anything is and I just want to get away, is that really so hard?

"Willow?"

Cato is the one who's calling after me. I don't turn back as I hear his footsteps accelerate after me. Right now he's the last person I want to see because knowing him he'll say thing and I'll get upset and I really don't want that. I just want to be alone. I want to forget everything. As soon as I break into a run he grabs my arm and pulls me to face him violently.

I stare up at him with my face contorted by anger and disgust. We don't talk for those few seconds, we just stare and watch. His expression isn't necessarily angry, but more neutral than anything. We're close to one another and I suddenly feel as if this is showdown for definite answers even though he's told me his. We both want to know the truth. Then his hand trails up my bare arm to my shoulders, neck then cheek. This sudden show of affection frightens me because it contradicts everything he said earlier this morning.

Then he leans down and he kisses me. And it's not like the interviews with soft pecks and gentle caresses; it's passion. The last time I felt him be like this it was on top of the Training Centre the night before the Games.

Cato places his other hand on my waist and in second my arms end up roaming his back. He nips my bottom lip to let me know he wants to let his tongue enter and I concede but I don't back down. We fight for control and for a second I believe that I'm winning because I'm the one who has feelings for him, and he said he didn't for me. So what does this mean? This is what I want, maybe he wants it too. I'm up against a wall at some point and I realise that my chest is heaving.

He pulls away just slightly so his forehead rests against mine, "I will keep you safe, Willow. Just don't worry about being in danger anymore."

Slightly dazed, I look up into his cold eyes and see a spark of something alive. I can't quite work him out, "What was that?" I ask him with some kind of sadness in my voice.

"What was what?"

You've got to be kidding. Does he not quite know what he's done? "You kissing me," I say reluctantly.

His brilliant blue eyes soften a little as he looks into mine. I don't understand any of what is going on anymore, "That is me showing you how much I care."

I want to sob. I just want to cry with happiness because I know now that he cares. No more uncertainty. No more hurt. I know what I've always wanted to know, "Do you mean that?"

"You know I do. You should know that almost all of my actions at some point or another meant that I cared about you. I'm not watching you get hurt by anyone or anything ever again."

I smile. It's a smile that I feel has been struggling to be shown this whole time.

"Whatever's coming, I'll be here standing right beside you."

I think of the interview and his anger beforehand. Something must have caused him to be like that, "Regardless of whether you agreed with my actions at the end of the Games?"

"I couldn't care less about what you did."

So what does this mean then? His anger was caused by something else? I latch on to his other words used. Whatever's coming. Finnick and Johanna also warned me of this but I just want to know what. I want the truth from someone for once. "What exactly is coming?"

He looks away for a moment and that's when I realise that he knows a lot more than he lets on. When he finally looks back I think he can see that my look of happiness has almost been wiped completely off of my face.

"You don't need to worry about it," he sort of smiles at me and I realise that I must have been blushing a little, "Now come and sit back in there with me knowing that you're not alone, ok?"

So I do. I sit back in the loveseat amongst the small talk but I sit so close to him. Our hands are joined and at one point I rest my head on his shoulder. He strokes my hair and when I look at him he's giving a cold stare to his mentors. This is him saying that he doesn't care what they think anymore.

"We're here," Enobaria states at one point. We all rise as after a few hours we've arrived in District 2 to drop off Cato.

As we walk to the main train exit Cato's escort says that the crowd will see both of us first before Cato leaves the train along with his mentors. So we stand hand in hand as the train starts to slow into the station, his thumb rubbing the back of my hand in reassurance. So this is how we part.

"You ready?" He whispers in my ear.

I turn to him, "We haven't exactly got a choice have we?"

He shakes his head slightly as our heads are pretty close. The conversation ends there for a few minutes as the doors open and the roaring noise of the people of District 2 startles me slightly. Seeing me jump, Cato laughs and in the end I laugh too. He wraps his arms around me and mine go round him and that's when he speaks again.

"I'll come see you in a few days. Johanna said it's your birthday soon."

I smile so hard I feel as if it's going to be stuck in place, "Thank you. That means a lot."

He gives me a quick peck on the lips and he lets go, as do I. Then, he steps off of the train, followed by his mentors and some rather uncomfortable dirty looks. And for once, I don't care what people think because I'm happy. Nothing can ruin my happiness right now.

"I knew it was a matter of time before he got the balls to tell you."

I look further down the train corridor to see Johanna leaning against the wall. She has her signature smirk plastered all over her face.

My eyes narrow at her a little, "Tell me what?"

"That he cares about you a stupid amount, brainless."

{-.-}

I go to sleep on the train that night without nightmares or disturbances. I'm fine. I'm woken up early the morning and just when I go into the living area I can see the familiar pine trees that I know belongs to home. As soon as I've finished my breakfast we pull into the train station at District 7 and I'm assembled by the main train exit but by myself. Johanna stands somewhat nearby also ready to leave.

It's just us two as the train slows, and my pulse races with nerves. As it finally stops I look back at Johanna nervously. She nods at me. The door suddenly slides open and I'm blinded by light and warmth. There are crowds cheering and I'm in shock for a second. I look back on the Capitol train; the coldness and darkness which once consumed me. Then I look ahead onto my District, and I step outside into the light.

{-.-}

FINISHED. COMPLETED. THE END. Okay, I need to check for grammatical errors later but I'M JUST HAPPY I COMPLETED MY FIRST STORY.

Humanity will be updated at some point. I know I said this weekend but stuff happened again and sorry! I'm planning to have the first chapter of Spark's sequel Blaze next Friday which is also the day I go on holiday. Which means no updates for two weeks. No I'm not kidding.

But I won't forget you all. I really won't because now I've realised how much support this story has I won't abandon it. I want you all to read the sequel and be like 'I'm so glad I started to read this'. It will follow the basic premise of Catching Fire, but the Quell will be a little more spectacular. Yes it will be stupidly AU but the ideas... the ideas are gonna kill me.

THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING. I'm on a short amount of time to write this so I'll just say one thing: I LOVE YOU ALL. I am the most grateful author ever and holy mother of god why did the reviews blow up in the last chapter? Asdfghjkl I don't know.

Anyway, the best thing to know when the sequel is out is to filter Cato stories on the main Hunger Games Archive on Friday or to add me to your author alerts. I really don't want you guys to miss out on the sequel if you've stuck around this far.

FINALLY, I love you all (again). I really do hope this comes across because I really am so teary thinking about you guys supporting me and stuff- ok I'll shut up.

*three finger salute*

Tributes, always.