Cato had her down by her throat and I could hear her struggling to get free. For some reason I was blind and I couldn't see her. I could only hear her cries for me to help her. "Peeta!" Her choked scream came, sending fear into my heart. My wandering feet blindly hit something: Cato's sword. I grasped it and staggered towards the struggle. "Get him Peeta!" she chocked. I blindly stabbed the sword and I herd it it flesh. A groan of pain filled the air and a cannon boomed. Suddenly my blindness was gone and I saw Cato was dead but Katniss was at my feet, coughing up blood. Quickly I knelt next to her and rubbed her shoulders. She threw her arms around me weakly and began to sob. "It's okay Katniss, we're going home." I told her. As if on cue a voice came over the arena. "Attention Tributes! The previous rule change stating that two Tributes from the same District may be crowned Victor has been revoked. There can only be one Victor. Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor."
The voice was gone and I looked to Katniss, who was still clinging to me. "Peeta, I can't… I can't let you die…" she sputtered. I kissed her hair, which had nearly come out of it's braid. "Katniss, you promised Prim." I reminded her. "Yes, I know, but I know she would understand.." Katniss whispered. She pulled away and she handed me my knife. "I am dyeing anyway Peeta. If I did win I'd still die. And you know it." She wheezed. She was right of course. Cato had damaged her wind pipes severely and maybe her spinal cord, for she hasn't moved her right side of her body at all. But that wouldn't stop me from saving her.
"Katniss, I am as close to death as you are." I told her. Suddenly the mutts returned. "Peeta!" She screamed hoarsely. She moved so she was between me and the mutts. "Katniss! Don't!" I cried, but I was too late. She half ran half limped towards the mutts and I watched in horror as they tore at her flesh. "NO!" I cried as the cannon went off.
I woke with a start, panting heavily. "Katniss!" I cried when I saw she wasn't there in bed with me. I started trembling and broke into silent tears. No it had to have been a dream… She saved us with the Nightlock… She is safe…
But where?
I jumped out of bed and got dressed, fumbling at my left pant leg, still stuggleing with the stupid mental. I didn't bother with shoes. I ran out the door of my room and panicked at the sight of the front door wide open. A loud meow came from the couch and I saw Buttercup. Now I knew for sure Katniss was alive. But why was the front door wide open? Suddenly she bounded through the front door, her empty game bag slung over her shoulder her bow in hand and her quiver of arrows at her back. "Forgot to grab- O Peeta, your awake." She said when she saw me. I went to her and embraced her. Her hunting jacket smelled of pine, blood, and the cold winter air.
"Nightmares?" she asked. I nodded, knowing she will understand. Her nightmares are generally worse than mine. She set her game bag and weapons down and embraced me again, this time tighter. "I'm sorry." She whispered.
"Real or not real, you saved us with Nightlock?" I asked. "Real Peeta." She said, stroking my hair. I hadn't even noticed I started trembling until she asked me to sit down. "I'll make you some tea." She said as she disappeared into the kitchen. But I didn't want to let her out of my sight so I stood and followed her. She put the kettle on the stove and placed the tea bag inside then glanced up at me. "Peeta?" she asked. Her grey eyes were worried. "How about I make some cheese buns?" I suggested. She looked down as a smile played across her lips, making my heart race. "Alright." She said. I went towards the cupboard and began to get out the ingredients. After I had put them in the oven, Katniss' tea was ready and her had poured each of us a mug. We went and sat on the couch, angering a very sleepy Buttercup. The fireplace was lit and I supposed Katniss lit it this morning.
She took off her jacket before sitting next to me and she curled into a ball and leaned against my chest. "You left the door open this morning." I told her. "I didn't. I had it locked before I left the house. When I saw it open I thought you were coming out side." She said. Our eyes met in fear. Someone has been in our house. To change the subject I placed a hand over her abdomen.
"How is she doing?" I asked. Katniss smiled faintly. "She really likes the tea." She said. I smiled and kissed her temple. "I love you." I whispered. Katniss snuggled into my chest, her head right over my heart. " I love you too." I felt her begin to drift to sleep so I took the mug from her hands and placed it on the coffee table and held her hands in mine. About thirteen minutes later the buzzer for the cheese buns went off. Katniss groaned when I gently lifted her off me and laid her on the couch. When I got the cheese buns out of the oven Katniss locked her arms around mine, pinning them to my sides.
"O no you don't! Your going to let me sleep while you take all these cheese buns for your self!" she growled playfully. But I couldn't hear her. It wasn't her pinning my arms to my sides, it was a mutt. I yanked away from it, dropping the hot pan of cheese buns on the floor and it hit the mutts feet. It screamed and I saw it come at me with its hand outstretched to touch my face. "I hit it away, reaching for a knife from the knife drawer. "STAY AWAY FROM ME YOU MUTT!" I screamed.
"Peeta…?" Katniss' voice came from the mutt's mouth and it scared me more. I backed agienst the wall, poiting my knife at the mutt. The mutt didn't move. "Peeta, it's okay. No one is going to hurt you." Katniss' voice cooed. Suddenly the mutt changed into Katniss, who was standing before me, tears in her eyes. Then I saw what I had done. Her bare feet were red from burns and her face had a gash on her cheek. I looked at the knife in my hand and saw the blood, her blood, on the blade.
I dropped the knife instantly, falling to my knees crying. Her arms came around me and I hated that she was comforting me after what I had just done to her. I pushed her away. "Peeta… Please…" her voice was tear filled too. I couldn't meet her gaze, couldn't look at the gash, the pain I had caused her plain as day on her face. She kissed my cheek. "How am I going to fix this?" I asked. "Well first, you could make some more cheese buns being you ruined these." She joked. I glared at her then. "How can you joke when I just hurt you so bad!" I yelled. "What if I would had killed you? Or Her?" I said, placing a hand on her abdomen where our daughter was. Katniss kissed my cheek again. "You didn't." she said. I looked at her bare feet, already swelling from the burns. I picked her up and carried her to our room and laid her on the bed and began to bandage her wounds. "Peeta, please don't be angry. It wasn't your fault." She said. "Well it wasn't your vault either!" I yelled. She sat up at my angry voice. "It was Peeta. I shouldn't have grabbed you like that." She said. Anger flooded through me. "No Katniss! You will not blame yourself for this! Do you understand me?" I yelled. She sat and looked at me defiantly.
"There are many things that are my fault in this situation. It should have been me that was hijacked. Not you. You are so pure and they took it from you. I should have kept you with me that night. You should have been running with me. Not Johanna. I should have kept us together at all costs. And I most certainly should've been killed many times over." She said.
At this my anger grew. "Katniss do you realize what you're saying! If you would have died do you think our daughter would be alive right now? Do you think I'd have any reason for living? Katniss if you would have died I would have too!" I yelled. At her tear streaked face I stopped, hating for hurting her physically and emotionally.
I lifted her up in my arms and hugged her to me tightly. "Katniss I'm so sorry." I wept. "It's okay." She sniffed. "But I still would like those cheese buns being you ruined the last batch." She said. After I finished nursing her wounds I carried her down to the couch and set her down, wrapping her in blanket, placing her mug of tea in her hands. She smiled. "Thank you Peeta." She said. I smiled. "You're welcome love." I replied then went back into the kitchen. I cleaned the floor of the cheese buns, pan and the drops of blood, and got to work on the new batch. I just finished putting them in the oven when the door bell rang.
I herd Katniss start to get up so I ran in and stopped her. "Don't, I've got it." I told her gently. She nodded and settled back into the couch. I opened the door and came face to face with Gale.