Forever And Always Till The End.
AN: Dont know if this is any good, first story and any feedback would be good. thanks.
It's late, it's always late when she comes home now, always. The kids are in bed almost an hour before I hear the front door quietly open, shutting with a snib. The under-stairs cupboard opening and closing as she undoubtedly kicks her boots and jacket off, replacing her bow on the hook that take greater pride than mostly anything else in her collection. She already knows I'm here in the kitchen baking for tomorrow mornings breakfast.
"The kids missed you at dinner." three times this week I've had to make an elaborate story as to why the kids mother isn't home for dinner and each time it kills me to see the sadness in their eye's.
"Peeta... we need to talk."
I've thought that this would be coming soon, putting my bread away to rise till the morning, rinsing my hands I sit at the opposite side of the table and eye the brown envelope in her hands.
"I've been having a affair with Gale for the past six months and..." she takes a deep breath, steady herself before stealing herself and looking at me. "I want a divorce. These papers list the details, conditions and what not. Read them and please sign."
she slide the package over the table and looks at me, clearly wanting me to do it now. I take the brown, wax sealed envelope and head through to the living room, pouring myself a generous glass of whiskey and sitting on my single chair under the lamp that I use for drawing. The seal breaks crisply, and I pull the thick stack of papers from within and start ready. Page after page after page, listing details of all Katniss' terms. She wants the house and full custody of the children with limited visitation, plus half of mostly everything I own.
It takes a good two hours to read all the papers and she stays seated in the kitchen for all that time before I return to my original chair.
"First of, I've suspected that this has been going on for about five out of the six. Secondly, your terms are stupid and ludicrous. I have enough to make a judge and jury see that you are a terrible mother, prone to bouts of deep depression where you don't even move from the bed for day on end apart from to the toilet and that mostly everything in this house, itself included is under my name alone." I take a deep breath. "In short Katniss I have the right and power to make sure you never see the children again." the fear in her eye's is great and terrible. This girl, woman that I used and still do love is terrified that at the end of this, which she has started she may lose everything.
"However... I am willing to give you everything you ask for."
"What why?" she is clearly confused and alarmed, thinking that I'm going to try and pull something on her.
"Firstly, despite everything that has happen I still and will always love you, secondly I don't what to see my children struggle but with everything you want I have some conditions to a peaceful process."
"What conditions?" her hunter side showing through.
"The kids have exams coming up and I don't want them going through and dealing with their parents divorcing and thus failing them. So until they finish in six weeks your to act as though nothing is different."
"What? I still?"
"You have to act that you still love me, that we are still in love, happily. Stay away from Gale for all that time and be home for breakfast lunch and dinner. Be home to put the kids to bed and spend time with them."
she nods. "I'll need to speak with Gale but I think I can do that." she says, clearly confused by my request. "Anything else?"
"Yes, each morning we are to kiss, passionately and in-front of the kids before they go to school, once in-front of them at night and together put them to bed. Twice a week we are to have a date night. You do this for me for the six weeks you shall have everything you want."
She agrees and next day after talking with Gale tells me they both agree and will see it through to the end.
Six weeks later.
For the past six weeks I've slowly but surely fallen in love with the man I've been cheating on. Slowly he has stolen my heart without trying, sneaking up on me with the stolen, passionate kisses every morning and night. Joining him to put out kids to bed and see their little faces as they enjoy the company of both their parents who appear truly in love. Twice a week he takes me on his dates, heart melting dates that take me away to better times when we where younger and everything seemed to be going for us and the fire was there.
Slowly in these six weeks I've come to learn I still love Peeta, that the fire never went away and that I was the reason it dulled into nothing more than a ember. The days got longer as Gale took me away from my husband and my family, the time we spent, unknowingly I grew closer to gale wishing it was Peeta I was getting confused in where I lay my feelings. These six weeks have sparked that fire that I once and still have for Peeta. Not once in these weeks have we discussed the divorce but I can see the way he has become weaker and paler that it must be destroying him. Him, my boy with bread, my man with bread, husband and father to my children. It's what brings me here today as I stand in-front of Gale.
"I cant do it."
"Do what?"
"I cant divorce him Gale... i still love him."
"No Katniss, your just confused after spending six weeks with him."
"No Gale, at first I thought I was but I know now I'm not, I love Peeta and I'm going to try and fix what I've broken."
With that I leave, the ring he gave me six weeks ago on his table and start my journey home to my husband. Smiling as I walk, it growing bigger and bigger as I step each step closer to the man I love. I stop off on the way home in the market, picking up a fresh bunch of flowers and chocolates. Paying for them I see ambulances roar past down the street and for a moment wonder what's happened but the butterfly's in my chest at the thought of getting home to Peeta and my family makes me ignore it and start a fast pace home.
The flowers and chocolates are left in the gutter from where I dropped them, my screams and cries are for my husband as the cart a covered body from my house as my mother and sister hold me back from the paramedics. Vaguely I see the kids crying with their godfather Finnick and godmother Annie, Haymitch their unofficial uncle stands to the side with tears in his eye's as he watches the only person that was a son to him being carted away. The rain doesn't stop, it pours.
The doctor stands in-front of us all, me and my family and we are dumbstruck.
"I'm sorry but I thought Mr Mellark would have told you. I gave him the diagnoses just over six weeks ago." he explains opening the file in his hands. "He developed a fast acting cancer in the brain, we think due to the high-jacking when he was younger." the rest of the conversation goes over my head, as I fall silent.
The funeral is quick, sweet and nice. He is buried in the meadow dandelions cover his grave. The will reading is later that week. He left everything to me and children. A trust fund he set up and put a sizeable amount for each child to be given on their 18th birthday and a letter to me.
Katniss.
When you get this I won't be with you. I'm sorry that I never told you but I was planning to. That night we sat and agree to our terms was me making a selfish decision to put my needs and wants above all else, even you. I wanted those last weeks of mine to be the best and the best where when we where young and in love without a care in the world. Our children where one of the best things in my life and I will always and forever love them but I know in the end making me happy was a large part to why we had them in the beginning. I know you love them and I want you to continue loving them without needing to worry about anything. I want you to be happy Katniss, I want you to move on with your life and live it to the fullest.
Be happy, live happy and know that I will forever and always love you and the children.
Peeta.
That was my punishment and curse. To live with the fact that while I was cheating on my husband he was dealing with running a family alone and getting the information that he would die... alone.
I never forgave myself, I never will. I spent my years alone as a widow, never remarrying. Peeta was and always will be my husband and only one. I watched the children grow older and have their own families, I became a grandmother but always I would cry myself to sleep thinking about my husband and the strength it took to give me everything I wanted and not to tell me about his illness.
The day I finally see him again, he is young and healthy strong and beautiful just the way I remember him from his golden years. I walk openly into his waiting arms, old and grey years having past since I last laid my eye's on his ocean blue ones. Hugging him and kissing him I look at him with younger eye's, my long hair flowing freely down my back with a dandelion holding it back behind my ear. Young again with my husband and love of my life beside me I walk into the next adventure knowing that whatever it is I will always s remain at the side of my husband.
Her Children find her in the morning, sleeping eternally with a picture of her husband, their dad Peeta Mellark resting between her hands over her heart. A small smile left on her face and they know, with tears in their eye's that their mother loved their father until her dying day and that now they are together again, forever and always just like each of their headstones say side by side.
Forever and Always Till The End.