This was written for the everlarkficexchange Springtime 2016 challenge over on Tumblr. It was based on the prompt submitted by an anon who requested the following prompt: "parenthood is basically an endless string of moments when you think you've killed your kid".

To the Anon that requested this prompt, thanks so much for the idea. I really hope I do your prompt justice. This story will be a work in progress and should have 12 parts in total.

I want to extend my thanks everyone over at everlarkianarchiveschat, I especially want to thank katnissdoesnotfollowback, thegirlfromoverthepond, booksrockmyface, and bookgirl318 for helping me come up with scenarios. I also want to thank herainab for editing this and making sure it was all ready to post!


The Panem Daily:

The Star-Crossed Victors from District Twelve finally welcome a baby girl…

Sources from District Twelve have confirmed that the Mockingjay, Katniss Mellark and her husband Peeta Mellark, have welcomed a baby girl over the weekend. While, the Mockingjay and her husband have kept a very low profile since the Rebellion - only having visited The Capitol once in order to commemorate the 5th Anniversary of the Rebellion - reliable sources from the district have spoken to us about the arrival of a baby girl for the Victors. Though, we're yet to hear the name of the baby, we hear that mother and baby are doing well after a home delivery.

We'll keep you informed on any more developments on the Baby Mockingjay.

It's only been a few days and the birth of their baby girl has already made it into the national paper. Katniss tries to keep her anger to a minimum, especially as she currently has the subject of said news slumbering in her arms, but it's hard not to feel some fury over the invasion of privacy.

She understands that her and Peeta will always be a topic of discussion due to their roles in The Hunger Games and the Rebellion, and even though it bothers her she's come to accept it - but not her daughter. Her and Peeta are determined that their little girl Willow will grow up without the media trying to follow her every move (well as much as possible since the media have their ways).

Feeling the furious beating of her heart, Katniss takes a slow, deep breath and then gently breathes out. She knows that while Willow is only two days old, she can sense when her mother is distressed or upset and responds in kind. And since, Willow has had a terrible night and has finally fallen asleep after Katniss had taken her for a stroll in her pram around the garden, she doesn't want her baby waking up and finding her distressed.

She's been napping for forty-five minutes when Katniss sees her darling girl slowly open her deep blue eyes, the exact same color her father's has, before she begins to wail. Though, it's only been a couple of days, Katniss knows she is hungry. So she gently places the baby against her heart with her head against her shoulder. She discovered Willow likes hearing her heartbeat. She slowly rises from her place on the sofa and heads to the kitchen to get her bottle.

"Shhhh… It's alright Willow. Mommy's getting your bottle." Katniss tries to reassure her daughter, while she one handedly opens the fridge door to get the milk she expressed earlier out to heat it up. Unfortunately, her foot somehow gets caught in the door as she tries to close the fridge door, and she nearly trips, dropping Willow. Luckily, she manages to keep her balance and has her daugther secure in her arms, but the disruption causes Willow to cry harder.

Oh crap! I can't believe I nearly dropped her! I could have killed her! Katniss thinks while she comforts her daughter, battling the voice in the back of her mind that is telling her she is a terrible mother. I'm may not be the perfect mother but I did manage to prevent myself from falling and taking her with me. Katniss tells the voice back determinedly. Finding that that does the trick and the voice goes away.

Finally the microwave beeps, signally that it's finished and Katniss takes the bottle out and checks if its ready on the palm of her wrist like her mother told her. While,Katniss was never that close to her mother and had problems with the way her mother coped after her father's death and then her sister's death, but over the years Katniss and her mother have managed to build a kind of close mother/daughter relationship. Her mother was even the one who delivered Willow - Katniss not wanting to give birth at the district's hospital, she knew how much of a skilled nurse and midwife her mother was and trusted her to be the one to safely deliver her child.

Having concluded that the milk is alright to give to Willow, Katniss goes to sit down on the rocking chair that Peeta had made and starts feeding her daughter. Five, ten minutes past and she hears the lock at the door turn, before the door opens and she hears her husband's heavy footsteps as he walks in through the hallway into the family room.

Peeta instantly smiles when he sees his wife and daughter together on the chair, before he makes his way to them both. After giving both of them a kiss on their foreheads, he sits on the sofa in front of them "How are you two?" He asks.

She knew he was wondering how she coped with their newborn daughter for couple of hours without him. Peeta was having a few weeks off to help Katniss with the baby, but unfortunately his right-hand man Thom had rung him in a state as a few afternoon staff members called in sick and he was needed until the next person could begin their shift.

Katniss laughs and sarcastically replies, "Good, good, except for the moment when I nearly dropped and killed our daughter, it's going really good."

"Oh Katniss," Peeta reassures his wife, kneeling down in front of his wife and daughter. "It's okay. You didn't drop her, and honestly even if you did - which honestly is highly unlikely considering your reflexes - babies are resilient." He places his hand on her thigh, "My older brother dropped me on my head when I was a baby and I turned out okay."

Katniss laughs.