I feel someone jumping on the end of the bed. I wipe my eyes and prop myself up on my elbows to see who. Rue seems way too active this morning. She bounces around like a little rabbit and Katniss roles over, curling into my chest. I chuckle and snatch Rue. She squeals out loudly and Katniss sits up instantly.
"Rue!" She yells her eyes wide with fear.
"Momma, it's ok. Right, Daddy?" She asks me her dark grey eyes staring back at me.
"You, Mom's just a little worked up. You scared her." I tell my daughter ruffling her blonde hair. She giggles about it and sings out, "Momma's a scardy cat, Momma's a scardy cat!" over and over again.
"Rue, what have I told you about making fun of people." I snap at her lightly, seeing Katniss's eyes flash with fear. Rue apologizes in her sweet voice. Then a tall boy walks in rubbing his eyes.
"Can't you hush her up?" He asks, but he has a smile on his face. He comes and sits on the foot of the bed.
"Oh hush it, Thresh." I say using my son's middle name. He rolls his eyes.
"Dad, I told you, stops calling me Thresh!" He says with a laugh.
"Fine Darius, ruin my funs will you." I say but Katniss and they laugh.
"Why are you guys even up this early anyways, we normally have to drag you out of bed." Katniss asks and we all laugh.
"Wow, Fire Girl, don't you remember? It's Christmas, that old holiday? Thresh heard about it at school and wanted to do it this year…" I remind her using the nickname I gave her a few years back. Darius rolls his eyes at me again.
"Oh yeah, sorry Larkie." She says, using the stupid name she gave me to get back at me for her name.
"Yeah, and we want presents!" Rue squeals, grabbing my hand and trying to drag me out of bed.
"Ok! Ok! But how about I and Mom get dressed and Thresh gets a shirt." I say looking at Thresh's muscled bare chest. They comply, yelling that if we aren't down in 5 minutes they'll pull a Gale on us. Katniss winces at that one but them laughs a little.
We get up slowly, me putting on a shirt, and Katniss slipping on a dress over her under clothes. We walk down stares hand in hand, Katniss singing quietly. I haven't heard her sing in a while, but last month it was the anniversary of Prim's death and Gale had come the month before.
Rue and Darius have already separated the presents into 4 piles. One's all of Rue's gifts which as 6 presents, another is Darius's and that only has 4 but one of his gifts is huge. The last two piles, which has 3 in each, is for me and Katniss.
"Who wants to go first?" Katniss asks them as I sit on the floor. She comes over and sits in my lap, leaning on my shoulder. Rue's hand shoots up and she takes her largest gift and pulls at the wrapping. I put my hand on top of it before she rips it to much.
"Who's it from?" I push at her and she sighs.
"Thre-, I mean Darius." She says with a giggle. He gives me a look, since he never got her a gift. I just nod at him.
"Eekkk!" She shrieks, pulling out the dress. But it's not just any dress, no that would be to easy. I found, after going to the Capitol, that the real Rue's interview outfit was still there. The small white, or should I say silvery, gown went up to the small girls knee's. A small green ribbon was tied at her waist and the shoes were the same color. And a small pair of white wings, that of a bird almost, were pinned to her back.
"Can I put it on?" My Rue asks with bright eyes, bouncing around.
"I'll help her." Katniss says, standing up and scooting her out of the room.
"Wow, I'm good with gifts." Thresh says and I lightly punch his head.
"Don't get cocky, Boy." I say, using the same tone Haymitch would use. We sit in silence, listening to a fit of giggles and running around. But then Rue runs out jumping and twirling, making it hard to breath.
She fits the outfit perfectly, but you can tell it was not made for her. Her small body moved in the same way even though she was half of Rue's age. The gown falls to her feet though, and it's pulled in much more around the waist. The wings are huge on her, but she looks more like a bird. Katniss seems close to tears as she comes back over to sit on me.
"Lovely isn't it?" I whisper in her ear. She just nods.
"Thank you." She croaks out and I rest my chin on her shoulder.
"Thresh take it away." I tell him. He takes one of his, at total random, and rips off the paper before I could tell him to stop. He looks at me with a huge smile.
"Thanks Dad!" He yells, looking at the video player. Thresh always wanted to see what the Games were, sense they stopped before he was born because the Capitol grew bored of them, and Katniss and I were reluctant to tell him anything.
"It has every Game already in it. And if Rue see's anyone of them without our permission, you might find it in the bottom of the lake." I say with a smile. The gift was Katniss's idea but I hadn't gotten him anything so she let it become mine.
"Now both of you just rip into them!" Katniss yelps out, and the kids dive in. Thresh opens the new golden bracelet that I had made a few years back. Rue finds Katniss's mockingjay pin. Thresh and Rue both get pictures of their namesakes. Thresh looks at the original Thresh, and then at his biceps. Oh on, I created a monster, I realize when he starts flexing. Rue finds 2 new dolls, and Thresh finds a new knife. And then Rue also finds a small locket, with a picture of Prim, her grandmother, and Gale in it. She hooks it one quickly.
"Now Mom, Dad, open yours." They say pushing our gifts forward. I take my smallest one, that's from Rue and Katniss takes the one that's from me. We open them with a swift tough of the paper and I smile at mine. It's a wood carving, painted the colors of a mockingjay. I smile to Rue and show Katniss. She does the little 4-note song that Rue taught her, and then looks at her gift.
"Thank you, Larkie." She says with a smile. It's a small necklace and inside of it, it holds a little picture of our wedding day. She hugs me and then turns to Thresh's gift, which is huge. She pulls off the paper and gasps at the work.
A new bow sat in her lap, and it still smelled of the forest.
"I know, I kind of sucks, but I thought you said you didn't want to use Grandpa's bows anymore cause there getting so old." He says with a shrug. She pulls him close as I grab my next gift. IT was a simple watch, Thresh's gift that was water and fire proof.
"The Bakery." He tells me and I nod with a smile. Me and Katniss grab out last gifts, mine from her, hers from Rue. I pull the paper off mine and gasp at it. Katniss gasps at hers. I look at hers, and she at mine and then we both start laughing. Rue had painted a portrait of her, and it looked like mine had when I was 14. Semi realistic, but color or proportions are off. Then as I look at mine, I marvel over the silver ring.
"I never got you a wedding ring. I felt horrible and I finally found one, look." She says pulling it out from its case and showing me the inside. In a perfect script it read out 'The Boy with the Bread Burns the Girl on Fire.' And I can't help but laugh again.
"I love it, thank you." I say and slip it on my finger. She kisses me gently and I look at my children. There smiles are so bright, so loving.
"Merry Christmas!" I shout out.
"And a Happy New Year!" Everyone else cry's out with a laugh.
Ok I know it's early so what? I just wanted to have it up, you know. I realized that though this is in the future, there seems to be no Christmas. But I made one! IF you're just finding this please check out my other story's The Boy With The Bread, and the Boy Who Lost All Links will be below! Thanks Guys and have a Merry Christmas!
.net/s/7567041/1/The_Boy_With_the_Bread
.net/s/7641332/1/The_Boy_Who_Lost_All
