"Lia, Katniss, go, go, go." Finnick urges the pair as he brings up the rear of their group with Mags on his back, Peeta leading the front while the two girls settle into the middle. The booms of the cannon seem to follow them as they sprint through a jungle-like arena.

Dahlia can no longer tell if it's water dripping down her skin or sweat from the humidity and physical exertion. The wilderness of exotic trees seems to go on forever, an endless swatch of green blurring into a never-ending nightmare. They duck under leaves and hop over exposed roots, never slowing in fear of being pursued. All their weapons are gripped tightly in their hands, poised and ready for attack. Every once in a while, Dahlia glances back to check on Finnick and Mags, always relieved to find them still there.

"Okay, hold up. Hold up." Finnick calls out, making Peeta and Katniss slow to a stop in a small clearing. Dahlia helps Finnick gently place Mags on her feet, ensuring she's steady before crouching to catch their breath. Flies buzz around their heads as the sound of the group panting fills the space.

"God, it's hot." Peeta gasps out, mouth hanging open like an overheating dog. "We gotta find fresh water."

Katniss scrapes her damp hair away from her forehead, eying Finnick and Dahlia with a distrusting gaze. They pay little attention to her, too busy scanning each other for any injuries. So far, everything was going to plan. The Alliance had decided that Dahlia and Finnick should be Katniss' main protectors, being two of the youngest and most skilled fighters of the group. They had succeeded in their mission of getting Katniss out of the bloodbath unscathed. But gaining her trust would be easier said than done.

The group freezes as the sound of cannon fire overpowers the arena. Dahlia counts three booms and then silence settles around them. Finnick smirks smugly to himself before turning to Katniss and commenting, "Well, I guess we're not holding hands any more."

He chuckles softly, prompting Dahlia to join in, which doesn't go down well with Katniss. "You think that's funny?" She spits out in disgust, glaring between the pair who she was still unsure of.

"Every time that cannon goes off, it's music to my ears." Finnick retorts lowly, pointing up to the sky. "I don't care about any of them." The one person he does care about is right next to him as he speaks. He may be there to protect Katniss, but Dahlia is his main priority.

"Good to hear." Katniss replies in a montone voice, reaching behind her to unsheath a long knife she'd collected for Peeta.

Dahlia scoffs under her breath at Katniss' cold demeanour, unsheathing her own blade from its holster. "Want to face the Career Pack alone?" She questions tauntingly, quirking a brow at the the stubborn girl.

"What would Haymitch say?" Finnick adds on, growing equally irritated by the young girl. Here they were, willing to risk their lives for her, and she couldn't even treat them with a hint of gratitude.

"Haymitch isn't here." Katniss argues, unwilling to drop her doubtful glare.

Peeta, growing weary of the tensions among the group, interrupts before a fight breaks out, "Let's keep moving."

"Excellent idea." Dahlia quips flatly, never removing her fierce stare from Katniss' frosty expression. Neither wants to be the first to back down, but Dahlia sends the girl a quick smirk before striding past her.

It seemed there was some serious friction between the two couples. But Dahlia was certain which pair would win that battle.

•——————•°•✿•°•——————•

Dahlia was content to let Peeta lead the group through the jungle with Katniss in the back as it meant she and Finnick could stick close together. She felt much more at ease walking with him than she did beside Katniss, who had made it quite clear how she felt about her new allies.

Apart from the occasional comment from Finnick to make Dahlia smile, no one said a word. They travelled in relative silence, only the peaceful sounds of nature to accompany them on the journey. As the path begins to take them upwards through a section of hanging vines, Peeta swings his blade to hack at the growth and clear a path. Dahlia follows behind Finnick, supporting Mags and ensuring she doesn't slip off his back.

"Peeta, no!" Katniss suddenly screams out in desperation, but her warning comes too late. Peeta's knife smacks into the force field at the edge of the arena with a burst of sparks, propelling him backwards through the air. His body collides heavily with the group and sends each of them tumbling to the ground. Katniss is the first to recover, spurred on by her worry for Peeta as she crawls over to his unmoving body. "Peeta? Peeta?" Dahlia lets out a small groan as she lifts her aching body off the jungle floor. She exchanges a glance of concern with Finnick, who nods to assure her that he and Mags are unaffected. But their attention is soon captured by the despairing cries of Katniss, "He's not breathing. He's not breathing. He's not breathing! Peeta!"

Finnick and Dahlia scramble to their feet in a panic, the man reaching Peeta's body first and shoving Katniss to the side. The District Twelve girl, fearing that her allies are turning on her, grips her bow and starts to reach behind her for an arrow. But Dahlia is quick to grab her arms, restraining Katniss from interfering with Finnick's resuscitation attempt.

"No! Peeta!" Katniss yells, thrashing blindly in the older woman's arms to get to Peeta.

Dahlia's grip never falters as she hisses in the young girl's ear, "Calm down! He's trying to save him."

At those words, Katniss stops fighting against her and takes the time to actually look at what Finnick is doing. The man puffs air into Peeta's mouth before beginning steady chest compressions. Dahlia slowly releases Katniss as she finally calms down, allowing the distraught girl to clamber over the muddy ground and kneel by Peeta's side.

"Peeta?" She mutters hoarsely, on the verge of tears as she hovers over his body. "Peeta?"

"Come on! Come on!" Finnick chants through gritted teeth, willing the boy to wake up. Dahlia observes from afar, noting how genuinely distressed Katniss seems at the thought of losing Peeta. Maybe their relationship wasn't as forced as she had initially thought.

"Please, wake up." Katniss pleads in between hysterical sobs as Finnick listens for a heartbeat. He must not find one because he begins the chest compressions again. "Please, wake up."

Mags gently pats Dahlia's hand in comfort, sensing the woman begin to worry the longer Peeta stayed motionless. They'd all pledged to risk their lives for the Mockingjay and Haymitch had made it clear that the girl wanted Peeta to get out alive. If Finnick couldn't revive him now, who knows whether the plan could go ahead.

With one last puff into the boy's mouth and a few firm thrusts to his chest, Peeta's lips part and he gasps for air. Katniss inhales in disbelief, surging forward to whisper, "Peeta? Peeta." The boy is incredibly dazed, barely able to open his eyes. But there is movement in his body and life in his lungs. That is enough to make Katniss cry out in relief, "Oh, my God."

"Be careful. There's a force field up there." Peeta jests breathlessly, surprising Dahlia and Finnick with his ability to make jokes after a near-death experience. The pair do well to hide their amusement whereas Katniss chuckles in incredulity through her tears. The girl leans down to press a loving kiss to Peeta's lips, making Dahlia look away enviously. The fact that the girl is  able to freely express her feelings while Dahlia and Finnick have had to hide their affection for years fills her body with jealousy. But then she feels a hand slip into hers and squeeze three times, reminding her of everything she is fighting for. A life with Finnick awaits her when they get the job done.

"Oh, my God. You were dead." Katniss mutters, still crying heavily while she caresses his hair softly. "You were dead. Your heart stopped."

"It's okay." Peeta reassures her through hazy, hooded eyes, still reeling from the shock of the situation. "It's working now."

His hand reaches up to cradle Katniss' head as she nearly collapses on top of him in pure relief. Dahlia nods proudly at Finnick, commending his efforts on reviving the boy and, with it, possibly saving the Rebellion.

"You... Do you wanna stand up?" Katniss asks him shakily, receiving an affirmative nod in reply. The boy is gently eased onto his feet, aided by Katniss' support all the way. Once he's upright and stable, Katniss launches herself into his arms. Her body trembles in the embrace as Peeta  reassures her with quiet murmurs.

Finnick watches them with a curious gaze, coming to the same realisation Dahlia had come to. Those two truly cared for each other, whether they knew it or not. And love was not to be underestimated.

•——————•°•✿•°•——————•

The group moved forward with more caution after Peeta's near-fatal accident, Katniss throwing stones at the force field to ensure no one else ran into them. They chose their path carefully, travelling with light feet and hushed silence.

"Hang on." Katniss calls out to the group, picking up her pace as she reaches a sturdy tree. Hooking the bow onto her back, she starts her ascent and climbs up with steady arms. Finnick, Dahlia, Mags and Peeta wait patiently at the bottom, on edge just in case a surprise ambush takes place.

"You alright, Peeta?" Dahlia questions kindly, taking the boy completely by surprise.

"Uh, y-yeah." He stutters unsurely, still unsure how to act around the girl. She didn't seem like the type to check up on the likes of him. "As good as I can be, considering I just died."

Dahlia laughs lightly along with him, making light out of a dark situation. "Yeah, you gave it a good go." She comments, gently nudging her shoulder against his before grinning up at Finnick. "We're just lucky Finn was here to bring you back."

"I didn't get a chance to thank you for that." Peeta states sheepishly, his face flushed as he becomes embarrassed by his lack of manners.

"Don't mention it." Finnick brushes off the boy's gratitude with a small smile and a wave of his hand. These two continued to baffle the young boy, defying all the expectations he'd had of them. Dahlia had a good heart buried beneath thick skin and Finnick was truly humble away from the spotlight of the Capitol. And they both seemed to care so genuinely for each other, that he found himself envious of their deep connection. One he never thought he could achieve with Katniss.

Finally, the Girl on Fire hops down to join them with information to share, "The force field... It's a dome. We're at the edge of the arena. I couldn't find any signs of fresh water."

The group exchange disappointed glances, their mouths already dry with dehydration, until Finnick speaks up to discuss their next move, "It's gonna get dark soon. We'll be safe with our backs protected. We should set up camp."

"If we take turns sleeping, we can rotate who's keeping watch." Dahlia pipes up, recalling the tactic that she and Cove had used to watch for enemies. Finnick nods in agreement and Dahlia continues, "We can take first watch, Finn."

Katniss scoffs out a laugh of disbelief, shaking her head as she retorts, "Not a chance."

The pair stare at the distrusting girl in annoyance, Dahlia's jaw ticking as Finnick stands to his feet. "Honey, that thing I did back there for Peeta? That was called 'saving his life'. If we wanted to kill either of you, we would've done it by now."

Dark eyes narrowed harshly at the girl, Dahlia makes a second offer, "If you're so scared we'll kill you in your sleep, why don't you take the first watch with me, Girl on Fire?" Katniss eyes the woman suspiciously, hearing a hint of malice in her tone. "Unless you'd rather have some alone time with your recently deceased husband? Little honeymoon in the jungle?"

Dahlia was taunting her, Katniss could just tell. Using her fake relationship with Peeta to manipulate her, remind her who had the upper hand. She didn't trust the woman one bit.

"Fine." She gives in, never removing her glare from the woman even as Dahlia strides past. At least neither female was willing to let their guard down. Just a shame their vigilance was aimed at each other.