Hey, guys! It's Rachael. But you can call me Rach. I'm posting our first joint story, since I do all the editing. All of the dialogue (or speaking parts) is completely improv. It's an actor's thing. I've put all of it into a story form. Enjoy!

"What did Daddy say, Momma?" Lilly said, tugging at my pant leg. I frowned. "Don't ever repeat that, Lily. EVER." Lily whined. "Then why does daddy get to say it?" I picked her up. "Because, he's Daddy."

Lily frowned. "Uncle Gale thought it was funny…." she muttered. I shook my head. "Because Uncle Gale is a…" I slowly muttered another word for a donkey. Lily shouted at me. "NOW MOMMA, YOU JUST SAID IT!"

I put my daughter down. "Go play with your brother, Lily." Lily crossed her arms, refusing to move. "But he's mean!" I shook my head. "He's a year old," I said. "Lily, you and Arion have a lot in common. Go play. It'll be fun."

Lily continued to whine. "He's playing with Finnie!" she said. "I wanna be a big girl, and say big girl words!" I shook my head violently. "Those aren't big girl words, sweetheart…"
My daughter started to have a tantrum. "Yes they are!"

I frantically tried to calm her down. "Lily! Lily!" I shouted. "Calm down! PEETA!" I was screaming at this point. "Calm your child! PEEEEEETTTAAA!"

My husband came running from the kitchen. "What, honey?" I waved him over. "Your daughter is having a meltdown!" Lily smiled at her father. "I can say big girl words!" Peeta immediately understood what was going on. "Nononononono!"

I glared at him. "This is your fault."

Lily began to curse in front of the whole house. "I have to go show Haymitch!" She ran off, Peeta on her heels. "Oh no, honey!" he shouted. "LILY!" I facepalmed myself. "This is going to be a long day."

"Auntie Johanna!" Lily shouted. "Lookie! Everybody, look at me! Listen!" Peeta and I both shouted together. "NO!" Johanna and Haymitch stared to laugh hysterically. Lily smiled. "See, Momma! They like it!"

I facepalmed myself again. "This child is lucky I love her." Lily waved her arms. "Arion!" she said. "Come learn big words!" Peeta scooped up Lily's little brother. "Oh no, Arion!" he said. "I think it's time for your nap."

Arion started to squirm. "Arry wanna learn big words!"

Lily looked at me. "Mommy, why is Effie on the ground?" I sighed. "Oh, this is just a big, big mess…." Lily looked at Peeta. "Daddy, can I have a cookie now?" An awkward silence filled the room as everyone looked at Peeta.

"Shhh…..Mommy's mad at me…."

I closed my eyes. "Oh, I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at Daddy for screaming choice words in front of his children." Lily looked at me with wide eyes. "Are you gonna make Daddy sleep with geese?" she asked. "Effie did that once…."

I shook my head. "No, but Daddy's gonna…..Wait, what?" I was severely confused. Lily nodded. "Effie made Haymitch sleep with geese. I think it was about her hair….Mommy, are you gonna stuff snow in Daddy's clothes?"

I looked at Lily like she was nuts. "Where do you learn this stuff?" I asked. Lily giggled. "Haymitch," she said. Before I could reply, she continued. "And Auntie Johanna, Uncle Gale, and Auntie Annie, and Octavia and Gramma and Rory."

I sighed. "Oh, boy." Lily smiled. "I'm a big girl, Momma." I nodded. "Yes you are, honey. Now, where did Daddy go….." Lily looked confused. "But I learned most of my big girl words from you, Momma!"

Peeta and Haymitch laughed. "That, right!" my husband said. I clenched my fists. "I'm gonna get you, Mellark…." Lily cocked her head in confusion. 'But Momma…..isn't that your name too?"

I slammed my head against the wall. Lily followed my example. "Mommy!" she whined. "That hurt!" I sighed. "I didn't mean for you to do it!" Peeta laughed. "Like mother, like daughter!" he said.

Lily looked at her father. "What about that cookie, Daddy?" My husband ran into the kitchen, and came back with a cookie. "Here, baby." I glared at him. Lily smiled. "Yay! Daddy loves me…..Why don't you love me, Momma?"

I sighed. "I do, sweetie! I do!" Lily walked over to me, a sad look in her eyes. "But you're yelling at me, Mommy!" I hung my head in defeat, while Peeta smiled. Lily looked at her father.

"Daddy, can I have some fruitcake?

A totally awkward silence hit the room like a missile; and Lily was right in the middle of the firing zone.

"Momma, can I have a sister too?"

…..And the awkward silence continues.

Lily continues with her rant, determined to get an answer. "But I don't want a brother…..I want a sister!" Peeta tried to shuffle out of the room, but I prison-gripped his arm before he could move two feet. Lily looked at her father.

"Daddy….Do you want me to have a sister?" Peeta looked at her and smiled. "Yes, darling," he said. I was ready to kill him. "It's just…complicated." I sighed. "I never thought I would have to have this conversation….."

Lily toddled over to me, and dragged me down to her level. "Mommy," she whispered. "Don't tell Daddy…..But he told me that he wants me to have a sister too! Shhh!" I pulled myself back to normal height, and immediately slapped Peeta upside his head.

Lily looked at me, and tugged on my pant leg again. "Mommy…..Why don't you want me to have a sister? Don't you love me?" I sighed, picking her up. "I love you, sweetie, and I do want you to have a sister, Things are just….complicated."

Lily whined again. "No….Uncle Gale wants me to have a sister….and Haymitch, too!" I put my daughter down, and slammed my head against the wall for the second time.

Lily was really confused at this point. "What's so hard?" she asked. "You go to the baby store, and get me a sister! Auntie Johanna told me that." I laughed. "Oh, really? What else has Auntie Johanna told you?"

Lily took a huge breath, and I prepared myself for another rant. "She told me that you always send me away so that you can get me a sister…..And that Daddy wants me to have a sister more than I do….Ooooh, can you name my sister Primrose? That's my middle name! We can be bestest friends! Momma, please! Daddy! Make her say yes."

I smiled and picked up my daughter. "Yes." Lily looked at me with her big eyes. "But I don't want a sister anymore…." I facepalmed myself.

"I WANT TWO."

I looked at Peeta, and the whole room busted out laughing. Lily smiled. "I'm gonna go home with Uncle Gale….Daddy, go to the baby store and get me two sister! Not boys!" Peeta looked at me. "Do we have time to go to the baby store?" I whacked him.

Lily laughed. "I'll take Arion too! That way you can make your decision carefully!" I hung my head. "Oh, boy." Lily bounced in my arms. "NO BOYS!" she shouted. "I want a sister….If you come home with another Arion….Last time I wanted a boy, this time I want girls."

Effie finally recovered from her fainting. "What's going on?" she asked. My eyes widened, and I shook my head. "NOTHING." Lily smiled, looking at Effie. "I'm getting sisters, Effie! Isn't that good?" Effie fainted again.

"Why does she do that, Momma?" Lily climbed down from my arms, and walked over to Effie. I leaned on the wall. "I don't know, sweetie." Peeta smiled. "LIAR!" he shouted.

Lily looked at me. "Don't tell me the baby store is sold out again! If it is, you should make your own babies for me!" Everyone in the room laughed, except for Peeta and I. Lily pointed at Arion and little Finnie. "Arion doesn't need a baby," she said. "He has Finnie!" Peeta smiled.

Lily toddled into the middle of the room, and raised her voice. "Mommy and daddy are getting me a sister, everybody!" she shouted. She turned to look at me. "Mommy, I'm not picky….I only need one sister." I nodded. "One sister is fine, sweetie…."

Lily grinned. "EVERYBODY, MOMMA'S GETTING ME A SISTER!" Effie's eyes grew large. I tried to quiet my daughter as best I could. "Shhh, Lily!" Lily looked at me. "But Momma! Why don't you wanna?"

I hugged my daughter. "I do!" I said. "So does Daddy!" Lily squirmed away. "But you won't! I'm gonna take Arion back and exchange him for a sister!"

I stood up, trying to stop Lily from getting to her brother, and dragging him out the door. "Nononono!" Lily shoved past me. "Yes! I don't want him anymore!" I picked Lily up, and she squirmed. "Oh, sweetheart. Your brother is special. Just like you."

Arion giggled from where he was sitting. "Sissy special!" Lily frowned. "Little girl are specialer! We're prettier. And boys aren't fun! I just want a sister, Mommy!" My daughter managed to fight her way out of my arms. "That's it! I'm taking Arion back! I'm gonna go live with Effie! Or Johanna…..they love me more!"

Peeta managed to scoop Lily up before she got to Arion. "We love you, baby." Lily frowned. "But you love Arion more! Stupid boys…." At this point, everyone in the house is in awe. I sat down on the steps. "Oi…"

Lily walked over to me. "Why do you really not wanna give me a sister? I want the truth!" She turned to Peeta. "Daddy! Do you know why?" I stood up from the steps. "Honey, I want you to have a sister. Cross my heart."

Lily sat on the floor, a scowl on her face. "No you don't. I know! You probably didn't even want me!" I stood silent. I squealed in horror as Lily started screaming profane words at me. Effie fainted, as Lily screamed, "Take that, Momma!" I fainted, and Haymitch was about to die of laughter.

*******************

Lily looked over Katniss. "Told you I'm a big girl!" she shouted. "Daddy, look! Mommy did the same thing Effie does!" I kneeled by my wife. "Yes, Lily."

Lily laughed. "Daddy….guess what! I want another cookie!" Haymitch got up, and gave Lily another cookie. I glared at him. "Haymitch…" Lily looked at Katniss, a strange look on her face. "Is Momma alright? Oh no! Did my words make Momma die?" An extreme look of horror crossed Lily's face. Finally, Katniss woke up.

Lily smiled. "Yay, Mommy's alive! Can I do that to Arion and get rid of him?" Katniss looked really confused. "What?" Lily jumped up and down. "Momma! We're taking Arion back to the baby store! But first I'm gonna make Arion go away with big girl words!" Katniss sighed. "Oh, I give up."

Lily was ecstatic now. "See, Momma! This is why we're getting rid of Arion. Daddy said it's a good idea!" Katniss' head whipped around, a fierce look on it, directed straight at me. "You said what?" A confused look crossed my face.

Lily nodded at me. "Daddy doesn't want Arion either! See! Daddy….go along with it!" I shook my head. "I can't, darling!" Lily frowned. "Why not? It would make me sooo happy! And besides….He doesn't say big girl words….He'll forget about us!"

I shook my head again, helping Katniss up. "But it would make your Momma sad." Lily whined, tugging on my pant leg. "Why? You'll have me! I'm better anyway!"

Katniss sighed. "This is gonna kill me." Lily's worried look came back. "No, no, no Mommy! I love you!" Katniss picked our daughter up, kissing her forehead. "I love you too, baby. And I love Arion too."

Lily pointed at Haymitch and Effie. "We could just send him to Haymitch's house…..'Cause Haymitch and Effie don't like baby stores! Just send him away! Why do you want Arion? Get me a sister instead. Arion is…."

My wife and Effie fainted again as Lily proceeded to call her little brother very obscene words. Lily looked at her mother and Effie. "Why do they do that?" She then proceeded to sit on Katniss. "Hey Haymitch? Wanna take Arion home?" After a pause, Lily shook her mother's shoulder. "Mommmmmaaaa! Wake up! Effie! Wake up too! Daddy, this is why I have no sister! Stupid Arion….."

My daughter began to scream profane words at Arion again. With this kind of environment, I was scared for our little baby. Even with that, I laughed. Lily jumped up and down. "Yay! Daddy agrees! Take him away now! Daddy…Don't tell Momma you traded him!"

Katniss woke up, unknown to Lily, and grabbed her. "Oh, you little!"

EPILOGUE

Katniss eventually got back at Peeta for instigating the 'big girl words'. Let's just say there was a lot of sleeping with the geese that week. Lily eventually got her wish, and the whole family was blessed with a new little girl, Adina Ruena Mellark. Lily eventually learned to love Arion, especially when he got the chance to beat people up for her. The little family finally got the chance to live a happy live together. The End.