So, this story is the reason I didn't fall asleep until 2:30 this morning. I hope you like it! And I own nothing Hunger Games related.
Rosalie Mellark was only six years old.
Sitting in the back of the pantry, she covered her ears as plates and glasses crashed to the kitchen floor. She knew her father was on the other side of the door. He had put her where she was, but only after a pointy piece of broken glass had cut her forehead.
Only once before had the little girl witnessed such an event. Her mother had just announced to the family that she was pregnant when Daddy's eyes darkened and his voice took on a deep, gravelly tone. "Get rid of it," he said. "I'm not raising your little bastard mutt." Not a tear shone in her mother's eyes as she calmly told him to walk away from the table.
"What did Daddy say?" Rosalie remembered asking, scared by his sudden change in demeanor. "What's a bastard, Mommy?"
"I never want to hear you use that word again," her mother replied through clenched teeth. Then, she rose from the table and began to clear it despite protests that Rosalie hadn't finished her dinner yet.
She never had gotten a clear explanation for his outburst then, and she had no idea what had caused his most recent fit. Tears pooled in her eyes as she waited for the shattering noise to stop. It finally did and was followed by the slam of the front door.
There was no telling how long she sat in the dark pantry, alone and scared. It felt like days had passed when the door finally opened and closed, and she heard a terrified gasp. "Rosie?" he mother called out in a panic. "Rosie, sweetie, where are you? Are you here?"
In response, Rosalie let out a sob loud enough to be heard in the living room. Footsteps approached the pantry, stepping on broken glass and pieces of plate. The door opened and Rosalie rushed into her mother's waiting arms. "What happened? Where's Daddy?" she asked, holding her daughter as close to her as she could with the baby in the way.
"I don't know," the little girl cried, pressing her face against her mother's leather hunting jacket.
As gently as she could, her mother lifted her up and carried her and her son from the house. The Mellarks lived in District 12's Victors Village. Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark had been tributes in the now disbanded Hunger Games. After marrying, Peeta and his belongings relocated to the house given to Katniss upon winning the despicable games. The house across from theirs belonged to Haymitch Abernathy, victor of the Second Quarter Quell and mentor to Katniss and Peeta. As the years went on, a new title was bestowed upon him - surrogate grandfather.
"Papa Haymitch was asking for you this morning," Katniss told her, kissing her head as she walked. "He told me I don't bring you and Jax around enough, and that he loves you too much to go another second without seeing you."
Rosalie nodded her head and sniffled loudly. One arm around Rosalie and the other around the sling that held a sleeping, three month-old Jackson, Katniss used her foot to push open Haymitch's front door. "What happened?" Haymitch asked accusatorily as he took Rosalie from her mother's arm. "Why is she bleeding?"
"Peeta," was all Katniss said.
Haymitch shook his head and carried the little girl to the kitchen. He set her down on the counter and wet a dish towel to clean up her wound. "No, that's not going to suffice this time, sweetheart," he replied. "Your daughter is hurt and your husband is responsible. I want to know what happened."
"I don't know!" Katniss cried. "I had to take Jax for a checkup this morning, and Peeta was watching her. He seemed fine when I left. I have no idea what set him off this time. I have to go find him, so if you can watch the kids, I'd appreciate it." She removed the sling from her neck and handed Jax to her former mentor before he could protest.
"I already know where he is," Haymitch informed her just as she reached the front door. Katniss stopped and slowly turned to face him. "The empty house at the far end of this row. I heard a window smash a little while ago."
Nodding her head, Katniss took off without another word. She saw the broken window, saw the droplets of blood that clung to the jagged panes. Letting herself in, she moved slowly through the house as she listened to the ragged sounds of sobbing. It had been so long since Peeta's last attack; a residual byproduct of tracker jacker venom, courtesy of the Capitol before it fell. The episodes had been more frequent when they were younger, but Peeta seemed to learn to control them by the time the children were born.
His cries led her to the basement, and she slowly descended the stairs. The air was thick with dust and the floor was littered with debris. Huddled in the corner, sobbing and shivering, sat her husband. She continued to take small, measured steps until he looked up and acknowledged her. "I'm sorry," he whispered, hiccuping between words.
"You hurt Rosalie," she said, her tone calm and even.
Peeta's blond head turned from side to side, looking around for his little girl. "Is she okay? Where is she?" he asked, the questions coming in one breath. "Does...does she hate me?"
She took a seat beside him and examined his cut and bloodied hands. "What happened, Peeta?" she wondered, wanting her own questions answered before his were.
He stared down at his wounded hands as he attempted to piece together the series of events that had led him to a basement that didn't belong to him. "We were baking, Rosie and me," he recalled. "I was cutting up some apples and she was playing with the extra pie dough. She asked me where I learned to bake, and that's when I realized what today is. I didn't answer her. I was afraid to. And she kept needling me, wanting to know, but I couldn't. I couldn't say it out loud, not today."
"Was it a hijacking or just grief?" she asked softly, wiping away his tears. She knew exactly what day it was - the anniversary of the murder of his family.
"A little of both, I guess," he replied. "Because when I'm calm and sane, I know you didn't kill them. But then the grief took over, and I felt guilty because I hadn't realized that today is today. I pitched a glass into the kitchen sink and saw a piece of it fly out and hit Rosie. I put her in the pantry after that so I wouldn't hurt her again."
She removed the last piece of glass from his palm and used the hem of her shirt to wipe off some of the blood. "We'll have to tell the kids about this someday," she said sadly.
"That'll be a fun conversation to have," he replied ruefully. "Daddy's crazy and wants to kill Mommy. Who wants apple pie?"
"It won't be like that," she promised, resting her head against his shoulder.
Peeta shook his head. "You shouldn't have to put up with this," he said angrily. "You and the kids shouldn't have to deal with me."
"Get over it. We're not going anywhere," she stated, getting to her feet. She held out a hand to help him up, but Peeta remained seated.
"I swore I would never hurt my kids," he told her, hanging his head. "My mother hit me and my brothers all the time. Well, you knew that. I told myself I would never be like her. I'd never make my children my cry, I'd never give them a reason to be afraid of me. And now I'm no different than her."
Crouching down, she rested one hand on his knee for balance and the other cupped his chin. "Look at me," she instructed, tugging on his chin until he raised it. "You are nothing like her, Peeta Mellark. I know you're hurting and hating yourself right now. Rosie will forgive you because she loves you. She knows you would never hurt her. You can't always control the hijacking, but you've gotten so much better at it. We'll figure out a way to explain it to her, and Jax when he's old enough. You didn't mean for this to happen. It's never happened before, and we'll make sure it doesn't happen again."
"What if it does?" he wondered.
"Get out of the house if you can," she suggested. "And if you can't, the kids and I will."
Peeta nodded. Minutes passed as he collected himself. The tears stopped flowing and the sniffles subsided. Shifting her weight to her knees, Katniss leaned forward and kissed her husband. "You know we can't stay in this basement forever," she told him. "Haymitch has Rosie and Jax, and I'm afraid of what he'll teach them."
Chuckling, he got to his feet and helped Katniss up too. "I'm sorry I hurt our daughter," he said, holding her to his chest.
"Sounded convincing," she decided. "Go say it to Rosalie."
He nodded his head nervously and let her go. In no time they reached their house, and Katniss left to retrieve Rosalie and Jax from Haymitch. "So?" Haymitch inquired.
"We'll be okay," Katniss replied. She held Jax close to her chest and took Rosalie's hand.
"Hey, sweetheart, Hazelle was by," Haymitch informed her. They had always had a code, even outside of the arena. He had called Hazelle to clean her house, to clear away all memories of Peeta's attack.
Katniss nodded in gratitude and left the house. "Mommy?" Rosalie asked in a small voice as they stepped off of Haymitch's lawn. "I'm scared."
"Daddy isn't someone you need to be afraid of, sweetie," Katniss promised. They entered the house and found Peeta seated on the couch. Rosalie held tightly to her mother's hand as she led her closer. "Go on, baby. It's okay."
Peeta held his arms open, scared that his daughter would never let him hold her again. Her steps were tentative and she looked back at her mother every so often. Finally, she was near enough that he could touch her, but when he tried, she stepped back. "Can I say I'm sorry, Rosie?" he asked. The little girl nodded. "I am so sorry, baby. I never wanted to hurt you. There was a time, long before you were born, when I got sick."
"Peeta," Katniss warned.
He shook his head to silence her. "No, I have to," he told her. Turning back to their daughter, he continued, "I got sick after my mommy and daddy died, and sometimes I get really sad or angry. Never at you or Jax though. I never want to hurt you again."
"What about Mommy?" she asked.
Peeta looked up at Katniss, silently communicating that they both knew the answer to her question, but didn't want to answer honestly. "I used to," he told her. "I have loved your mommy for so long, since I was about your age. She helped me feel better. Mommy made me better. But sometimes something happens and I get mad. Mommy's still the one person I know I can count on to get me through it."
Rosalie stepped forward and placed her small hands in his. "Me too, Daddy," she replied. "I'll help too."
He pulled her to him and held her tight. "Still love me?"
Rosalie smiled. "Forever and ever, Daddy."
The End