Lethal Charm - THG [1]

31

The sound of the door opening and a curtain being ripped open caused Knox to blink herself awake. She glanced toward the direction of the noise and saw Johanna standing there with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Hey," Knox mumbled as she slowly pushed herself up slightly, wincing from the pain in left her side. Johanna's eyes watched her movements closely, "are you okay?" She asked in a voice that was very unlike her own.

Knox nodded nonchalantly, "I'm fine. My vest was bulletproof," she shifted to the side, patting the space on the bed beside her, "Come here."

Johanna sat down beside her carefully and Knox pulled her closer, tucking her into her left side as Johanna snuggled into her with her head on Knox's chest.

Knox ran her hand gently up and down Johanna's side, she was different now. Twice as angry but also twice as broken as before. They'd given her a head doctor to help her adjust to life again, but Knox knew she resented it. No doctor could understand what she'd gone through nobody could. Not even Knox but she didn't pretend to.

The only people who could even remotely understand were Peeta and Annie. But Annie hadn't left Finnick's side since they'd been reunited and Peeta needed to be strapped down to a bed and under watch at all times.

The room was practically silent, only the sound of their breathing echoed off of the grey walls. Knox closed her eyes, resting her head back against the pillow as she held Johanna protectively. She'd always been a protector, even when she was a kid. Even when she was barely four foot tall, skinny and scrawny she still defended the people she loved with a ferocity that couldn't be matched.

Her mother had once told her it was from her father. Her father insisted it was from her mother. But it was Lenox who had said that it was all her. It wasn't inherited, or learned, it was just Knox. Fierce, brave, strong and loyal like no other. A true fighter, from the day she was born until the day when she eventually died.

You didn't have to know her well to see that. A single conversation would suffice. And that's how snow had gotten her. She'd shown him with her vicious rage while seeking revenge for the death of her best friend, that she was a force to be reckoned with. Her performance in the games showed him that if he didn't find something he could hold against her, she'd be a problem.

And it was that same fierceness that had Snow convinced that two meagre gunshots wouldn't stop her from coming for him in the end. It was just a case of how fast she could get there.

She felt Johanna shift slightly, and felt her fingers running up her right arm, the arm that her IV was attached to.

"Jo," she whispered, a sadness coating her voice. Johanna pressed her forehead into Knox's chest, her fingers pausing over the tube that was feeding morphling into Knox's veins, "Please." She whispered helplessly, "They cut me off. I can't—"

Knox opened her eyes and looked down at Johanna. She didn't make any movements to unscrew the tube from the needle in Knox's arm, she didn't move at all.

Knox lifted her arm, Johanna's hand sliding off and dropping down onto the bed below. Her arm was pressing into Knox's bruises but she didn't say a word to her about the pain as she brushed her hand against Johanna's cheek, gently lifting her head so she could see her face.

Johanna's eyes were pleading silently but Knox shook her head, "Jo, don't do this to yourself." She pressed her forehead against hers, "Please, don't let him destroy you. Don't let him win." She pressed a soft kiss to Johanna's lips, running her thumb over her cheekbones which had become very prominent since she'd been taken to the Capitol. As she pulled away Knox whispered, "You're stronger than this."

Johanna breathed deeply, moving her hand up to grip the front of Knox's shirt, she opened her mouth to speak but no words came. There was no way to voice what she wanted to say and she wasn't even sure what that was.

So instead she leaned forward and pressed her lips to Knox's, albeit a little roughly. After a few seconds, Knox moved her head back, out of Johanna's reach and gave her a concerned look, "What was that for?"

Johanna's eyes scanned her face taking in her features, as if she wasn't going to see them again, "you're leaving again."

Knox sighed deeply, "You knew I was before."

"You've been shot." Johanna stated, "Won't they make you stay?"

"They'll try,"

"Won't you?"

Knox shook her head, "I can't sit back on the sidelines when I could be helping." She told her, "Please understand."

"Please don't leave me," Johanna pleaded. Knox brought her face down to hers and pressed their lips together tenderly, "promise you'll come back?" Johanna tried again, resigning to the fact that Knox would be leaving no matter what.

"I promise." Knox whispered, wrapping her arms around Johanna and holding her close despite the pain, "You won't lose me too..." she hesitated for a moment, falling quiet as she mulled over her own words. She couldn't promise that, she shouldn't have done it, but she did. It was too late to take it back now, "...I" she swallowed thickly, "I love you, Johanna."

Johanna's grip tightened, "I love you too,"

⚔️

Days later, Knox stood at the edge of the room watching as Finnick and Annie danced in the centre of the crowd. Except she wasn't watching the newlyweds, her eyes were trained on the two women at the other side of the room.

She watched as Johanna sidled up to Katniss and they spoke in hushed tones to each other. There was no way for her to know what was being said, but she had a bad feeling nonetheless. As Johanna pushed Katniss forward to join the dancing, a figure in a wheelchair sidled up beside Knox.

She glanced to her right and saw her father, following her previous gaze across the room, "Johanna, isn't it?" He asked softly. Knox nodded wordlessly.

"She has your heart doesn't she dear?" Eli asked her, shifting her gaze to her daughter.

Knox let out a small sigh, "yes, she does. But-"

"But you are leaving soon." Eli nodded, "I know."

"She doesn't want me to go." She told him, keeping her eyes on the woman across from them. Eli followed her gaze, sending Johanna a warm smile when she looked in his direction which she struggled to return so she looked away instead.

"Neither do I." He told her, "But I know it is important. You've never been able to back down from a fight, it's both your best and your worst quality."

Knox straightened her posture, rolling her shoulders slightly, "I'm not staying. I have to go."

"Oh I know, and I won't stop you. Neither will she. But I also know that if you go there's a high chance that you might never come back."

Knox swallowed, "It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make, Dad, I need you to understand that it will be worth it in the end."

"I don't trust Coin," Eli stated abruptly, with no attempt to be quiet. Knox glanced around them, but nobody was close enough to hear, "Neither do I. But I trust myself. I've managed just fine so far."

"You are not invincible Knox, nor are you immortal. I need you to remember that."

"I do remember that." She assured, "Don't worry about me Dad, you'll see me again."

"But in what state will that be? Beaten and bruised? Catatonic? Dead? I cannot lose my little girl, Knox, not after I've already lost your mother. And Lenox." Knox winced at the mention of the other half of their family, the half that never returned. "A parent should never outlive their children and I will not bury my daughter."

"You won't." Knox snapped, "I am going whether you like it or not dad, I am going because I cannot continue to live how I have. I was forbidden to be with the woman I love. I was threatened and forced into selling myself. I have been a slave since I was born. It's not living, it's surviving. For twenty-five years I have fought to survive, now I am fighting to live."