It's a pretty lazy morning here in 12. Peeta has been baking a cake for a customer with our daughter Lily, while I'm playing with our son Atticus in the kitchen table. I hear Lily giggling at Peeta's antics. She's very attached to her father just like I was to mine. I guess Peeta is right; in some ways she is just like me.
"Ah crud! I'm all out of eggs!" Peeta exclaimed.
Atticus and I turned our heads to Peeta.
"Katniss, could you go to the market and get me some eggs?" Peeta asked.
"Sure!" I said getting up from my chair.
Atticus jumps off his own chair and pulls my pant's leg.
"Mommy, can I go with you?" Atticus pleaded.
I look into his pleading eyes and can't help but smile at him.
"Of course sweetheart."
"Lily do you want to go with mommy too?" Peeta asked Lily kneeling to her level.
Lily nodded excitedly and ran to me. Both Atticus and Lily take my hands and we walk out the door.
-1 hour later-
We're almost at our home. Lily takes the eggs from my hands and runs to the door. I'm only a few steps behind her when I suddenly hear her scream. I pick up Atticus in my arms and run to my house. I burst open through the door and find Peeta crouching down holding Lily by the arm and holding a knife to her neck. I notice that crazy look in his eyes. He's lost control over hijacking memories. He hardly ever looses control anymore.
"Stay back you mutt or I'll kill her!" He yells out gripping her tighter.
"Mommy!" Lily sobs.
I put Atticus down and push him behind me. To say that I'm scared is a horrible understatement. I put up my arms.
"Peeta let her go. She has nothing to do with this!"
"I cant do that! You're a monster and your daughter's a monster too. I have to end you all!"
Peeta moves the knife closer to her neck. Lily sobs loudly. As I see the knife get closer I panic.
"No! Peeta she's your daughter too!" I yell out taking a step forward.
Peeta loosens his grip on Lily and looks at me incredulously.
"You're lying. You must be lying! Like I'd ever have sex with the likes of you!" Peeta spat out.
Great, I have to explain to Lily why did daddy almost kill her but on top of that I have to explain what sex is. But I'll worry about that later. First I have to convince Peeta to let go of our daughter.
"She is you're daughter Peeta, just please let her go!" I say sobbing.
"I don't believe you!" Peeta screams loudly
"Then just look into her eyes!" I yell out even louder.
Peeta furrows his eyebrows and finally decides to listen to me. Peeta turns Lily around to face him. He looks deeply into Lily's teary blue eyes. After looking into her eyes for a minute Peeta's own blue eyes snap open wide.
"Lil…Lil…Lily! Oh my God what am I doing?"
Peeta drops the knife and completely falls apart on the kitchen floor. He crawls to a corner of the kitchen burying his fingers into his blond hair. Lily runs to me. I kneel down and hug her. I thought that I would lose her like I lost Prim. I pull her away from me and dry the tears from each side of her face with my thumbs.
"Lily, take your brother and go get Uncle Haymitch. Stay at his house until I say so."
I can tell Lily didn't hear a single word I've said. She's visibly shaken.
"Lily Primrose Mellark! Take your brother and go get Haymitch!"
Lily shakes her head and takes Atticus' hand and they both ran out the doors.
Once the kids are gone I turn my attention to my husband, who's cowering in the corner of the kitchen with his head in his hands.
"Lily Primrose Mellark, my daughter. Atticus Haymitch Mellark, my son. Katniss Everdeen, my wife…" Peeta repeated over and over.
I go over to him and take both of his trembling hands. He slightly cringes at my touch. I pull his hands away from his face and give him a kiss on the lips.
"Yes Peeta, Your family. Lily, Atticus, and me. We're your family."
"Did I hurt her?"
"No."
Peeta sighed in relief and soon his eyes filled up with tears again. Haymitch soon arrived and we helped Peeta. And soon after Haymitch brought the kids over. They had fallen asleep in his couch and Haymitch, being the sweet uncle that he is, carried them all the way back home.
-Later that night-
I'm woken up in the middle of the night by an ear splitting scream. I jolted out of my bed recognizing the sound of that scream. Lily is screaming. I go to her bedroom and I find her sitting up on her bed holding on to her bed sheets for dear life and crying. I run to her and sit on her bed by her side.
"What happened sweetie?"
Lily hugs me.
"Daddy turned into a monster again and he was going to hurt me!"
She shouldn't have seen him like that. I hold her tightly and began to sing to her to sleep. She fell asleep quickly. I turn to the door and I see Peeta standing there, tears clearly rolling down his eyes. My heart shattered. I cant bare see my daughter like this and I cant bare see my husband like this.
"She thinks I'm a monster…" Peeta whispered.
I kiss him passionately as if to quiet him.
"No, she just doesn't understand. We can explain, I know she'll understand."
"I'm a monster Katniss…" Peeta said looking down to the floor.
I take his face into my hands and I made him look into my eyes.
"No! Don't you dare say that you're a monster! Peeta Mellark, you're a kind and compassionate man. A great father and an excellent husband. I would be lost without you, just please don't…"
I hug him hoping that my words put him at ease. But I feel deep down that they haven't.
-Next morning-
I sleepily reach to Peeta's side of the bed only to find it empty. Realizing it was empty I sat up to confirm that he really wasn't there. I got up and went to the kitchen. I know he's been having a hard time with all that's happened. And whenever Peeta feels down, he either bakes or paints. And judging by the sweet smell around the house, he's probably baking. I'm approaching the kitchen when I come to see Peeta baking. I can tell he's very depressed with what he did to Lily and what she thinks of him now, because he's baking cinnamon rolls; Lily's favorites. But I don't only see Peeta. I see our daughter looking at him from behind a wall. I can't take watching them both like this. I have to help them get their special relationship back to what it was. I approach Lily and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey Lily, wanna help daddy with the cinnamon rolls?" I say loud enough for Peeta to hear.
Peeta looks at our way. He's hopeful that Lily says yes. Lily looks back and forth from me to Peeta. She nods, saying yes.
"Ok sweetie, have fun with daddy."
Lily slowly walks towards Peeta. I pretend to leave but I'm secretly hiding to see what happens. At first Lily and Peeta are working separately, not speaking to each other. Once they put the rolls in the ovens they faced each other awkwardly. Peeta sits down on a nearby chair.
"Hey Lily. Can you come here for a sec? I need to tell you a few things."
Lily slowly approached Peeta. He then lifted her up and sat her down on his lap.
"Lily, I'm so sorry for what happened yesterday. You must be wondering why I did and said mean things."
Lily nodded.
"Well you see, once upon a time some very mean guys put a horrible monster inside me so that I could hurt your mommy. But your mommy and me loved each other so much that I took the monster and I locked him away. Sometimes the monster tries to escape but being the big tough daddy that I am I always put him away. But yesterday he got the better of me. I'm sorry for what that monster did to you."
Lily looked up at Peeta
"Is the monster ever gonna come after me again?"
Peeta hugged our daughter tightly.
"Of course not sweetheart. I'll never let him escape again. He wont hurt you or ever come after you again. I promise!" He said flashing Lily a smile.
Lily threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.
"I love you daddy!"
"I love you too sweetheart!"