Hi so this is a special christmas fanfic written as a twitter secret Santa to thecookiegirl It's taken waaay longer than expected and I promise it is actualLu a Christmassy one but it needed some explaining or it didn't make sense. So thanks and merry Christmas!
"Tobias. Four. Are you all right?" I shake his shoulder frantically. "Wake up you idiot."
"Ugh." He rolls over into his stomach. "Tris? Is that really you?"
"Of course it is. Who were you expecting?"
"I just. Am I dreaming? Are you real?"
"Of course I'm real? How hard did you even hit your head?" I feel his forehead, noticing, for the first time, the large egg growing under his hair.
"Are you. Really. Your alive." His hand reaches out, touching my forehead, his hand brushing my hair away from my face. His touch sent jolts of electricity through me. Something only he could do. I lean down, my hair creating a wall against us and the world, and kiss his lips softly.
"Was that real enough for you?"
"Come on you lovebirds!" I hear Uriah shout, see the thing is, we're kind of on a mission. An important one. To see what'a beyond the fence.
I grab Tobias' hand and pull him up after me. His eyes are damp and his hand sits on his lip.
"Real." He whispers, more to himself than me. This is the most unhinged and emotional I think I've ever seen him.
"We need to get back in the truck. Where is Tori?"
"I'm right here!" She calls from behind me. "We had better get a move on, I can see headlights a few miles back."
We all run towards the truck, well, except for Tobias who i practically drag with me. It reminds me of initiation when I dragged Christina of that train with me. God how simple life was.
We all jump into the truck, Tori flooring the pedals, trying to quicken our escape. No one will follow us out of the compound, or we're assuming so anyway. We trundle to a halt at what must be the gate out of the city. It's time. I'm reminded of my mothers words. Be brave. That's what I have to do.
I hear Tori get out the van and I peer round the side to see why, the guard posts are empty, they've probably been conscripted by Evelyn to beat up innocent people and cause riots. I jump out the truck and run to Tori's side.
"What's wrong?"
"They're locked." She muttered, biting her lip.
"We've been through worse. A lock can't stop us now." I tell her.
"Oh I know. I was just wondering how to come at it." He smiles wickedly at me.
"Let's just drive as fast as possible. Seems like a bit of destruction is in need." I laugh. "They know where we're going anyway. There is nothing they can do to stop us."
"Yeah but do we know where we're going?"
"Not yet but we will soon." I clap her on the shoulder and run back to the truck, pulling myself up to sit best to Tobias.
"Got your sanity back yet?" I ask him, but it's clear by his face that he has not. He looks like he's seen a ghost.
"Umm sure?" He smiles shyly at me.
"Okay. What the hell is going on here?"
"Just hallucinations and concussion I think." He lays his head on my shoulder, kissing the crook of my neck.
A few hours later we pull to a stop, a rater abrupt one.
We all bounce out of the truck, stumbling on the unfamiliar terrain.
"What's going on?"
"Come and see for yourself!" Tori shouts. I walk over the dry and ground and take in the landscape. Right I front of the truck is a expanse of trees. As far as the eye can see.
"We can't take the truck through that can we?" I ask uncertainly.
"Nope. Looks like we're going by food. Sure hope you erudites are ready for this."
We grab our belongings out of the truck, carrying as much as we can. Before long we are deep into the Forrest. Sweat clings to me, the back of my shirt soaked to a whole new colour.
"Where in gods name are we?" Tobias asks me.
"Not a clue." I pant, wiping the sweat from my brow. "Surely we can't have much further to go."
"Who knows." Uriah says from my other side.
"Yup." Christina chimes in. "We could have hours left."
"Hey, I thought I was the pessimistic one?" I raise an eyebrow at her.
"I'm sure that would look much cooler if it weren't for the fact your face is dripping." She laughs.
"Hey! Easy for you to say. You don't have a mirror to see that wild hair of yours!"
"Guys. I think we should stop for the night." Tori tells us. "Better recoup while we can." She grins, her usual bossy, military self coming out. Not that it was a bad thing.
We settle in huddles, ready to leave early in the morning. Without a clue where we're going. But at least it wasn't home.
I wake up early the next morning, Tobias' arm wrapped protectively around me. Clearly still having some 'Tris is alive' issues.
I stand up and brush the dirt from my clothes, welcoming the cooler air. I walk away from our 'camp to see what's nearby. I feel weird in the woods. We never had proper trees at home because there wasn't enough water, and there sure never was this many twigs and leaves all over the ground. Despite my efforts to stay silent all I can manage to do us step on twigs and break them. I turn around suddenly, realising I've strayed further from camp than I meant to. I have no clue where I am.
I back up slowly, trying to figure out what way I came from. Suddenly a figure is pressing me against the tree, an arrow is pointed directly yay my face.
"Who the hell are you?" The girl hisses in my face.
"Tris. And I might ask you the same question."
This earns a grunt of warning from the oaf pushing me into the tree.
"What do you want here?" The girl asks.
"What I want is for your friend here to let me go." I tell her vehemently.
"Gale let her go." The girl tells him.
"So what's your name?" I ask again.
"Katniss. Katniss Everdeen."
After some serious explaining and interrogation Katniss finally relented to ringing us back to her evil lair or something like that. At least that's what I thought when I first saw this building. From the outside it looks like a ruin, broken glass and rubble cover the area, with a large amount of trees and miss growing over the wreckage. But underneath this ruin is an underground community. An underground city almost. Not as pretty and caveman-ish as the Dauntless compound but still ridiculously impressive. And I hadn't even seen the half of it. Or at least, that's what Finnick told me. Finnick was a strange man. He walked around in almost patient clothing with a small knot of string but there was this one woman. This ginger lady, and whenever he was around his eye lit up. They had the kind of love I imagined Tobias and I having one day. If he ever got out of this stupid daze.
"So here in district 13 we're having some major issues. We are pretty much at war with the Capitol. They have out people, warships. They have everything. But we have to win." Katniss tells us, her eyes lit up in a fierce way, as if to let is know she wasn't afraid. If we it in her way she would kill us and if we helped. Well. That would be perfect.
"What can we do?" I asked her.
"Do any of you specialise in anything?" She asks us. Her brow knotting together when we snigger.
"Girl you have not even seen specialisation until you have met us." Christina tells her, in her usual sassy manner.
"These guys," she points to the erudite. " are insanely smart and could beat your asses at anything to do with science and what not. But we. We are insanely useful. We're an army."
"Yeah right." Katniss laughs. "There are lien four of you. Your barely a squad. Let alone an army."
"Mmhhhmm." Christina says, jumping forward and placing Katniss in an am headlock. Meanwhile Tobias and I each capture one of the districts guards and Uriah knocks half a dozen over in one swipe.
"Believe me yet?" Christina asks.
"Yup sure. Let go and we'll let you help."
"Let us help." I wince as Christina's volume rises. "Girl you will fail without us. We"re the best thing since dauntless cake."
5 years later
I look out the window of our house in the victors village. Thinking back to those days. Before the war. Before we won.
Without our help the district would have lost a lot of lives. Our erudite, now just referred to as people, blocked down all of the alarm systems set in place in the Capitol so minimum life's were lost during the journey into the centre of the Capitol. There was still a large war and I remember the day I looked out the window of the hover craft to see half the districts on fire. We made it to the centre and we killed Coin and Snow. Coin wasn't part of the plan but I can see why Katniss did what she did. Coin wanted a new hunger games. And from what I've heard of those so called 'games' it wasn't good. Innocent children dying every year to make up for the 'mistakes' their ancestors made. It wasn't fair on the children. The same way being faction less wasn't fair. We still don't know what happened to the rest of our home but we hope They followed our lead. We have met a few people from home but only a few. The rest could still be there. I hope for their sake the answer is no but who knows what Evelyn might have done. It's been a few years since I've really considered what life is like at home. This is my home now. After the war Katniss and Peeta returned to the victors village and we followed them. Since the end houses and towns have been rebuilt. A City rose from the rubble as ashes that once were life. The old system was gone and was replaced by a new era. An era of selflessness and spirit. Where we all helped one another to rebuild a life. To mourn our losses and move on. To re-establish order in a world of chaos. Tori took over here, she made it all possible. Her and her brother George, who she found in the cells underneath the Capitol. Who knows of the Capitol people even knew what was going on underneath their very noses but it's safe to say that this world was far more corrupted than our own. But it's fixed now.
"Are you ready?" Tobias asked me, returning me from my dreams.
"Yes if course. Have you got the presents."
"Sure have. Do I look okay?" He asked me, his hidden self conscious coming out.
"You look handsome as always." I tell him, pecking him. On the cheek. "Me?" I ask, giving him a twirl.
"Stunning." He told me. Pulling me in for a kiss.
"Time to go." I tell him. "We can't be late. That's Haymitch's job."
We walk out our house onto the slippery icy steps. The whole ground is covered in snow and we precariously make our way towards the front door of the Mellark's house, our large present bags weighing us down. Finally we make it to the front door. Ding dong. We let ourselves in, after all we do practically live there.
"Merry Christmas!" I shout, eating their two dogs barking at me. The big daschund bounded up to me; barking in excitement.
"Hello!" I croon at it, just as two small children come running round the corner.
"Aubtwie Twis! Uncoo Tobi!" Baby Jay came teetering around the corner, his arms outstretched. His real aunt Prim followed him, picking him up before he got trampled by the over excited dog. Jay and Luca, the dog, were the same young age of two and this showed by their behaviour. Both of them were cheeky wee things.
"Auntie Tris! Uncle Four!" Four year old Willow races up. She had inherited both her dad's blonde hair and her mum'a striking features which led for a very beautiful, unique face. She was an absolute angel. In fact if it were up to me she would be the angel on top of the tree. We walked into the large living room and put her presents down underneath the artfully(by which I mean decorated by the children and Katniss ie not very well) decorated tree.
"Hello Autie Tris." Percy said, grabbing my hand. Percy was the son of Finnick and Annie. Born two years before Willow.
"Where are we going?" I whispered to him.
"To see mummy and daddy." He whispered back. His small hand cupping my ear. He dragged me through to the kitchen with surprising force for a six year old.
The kitchen was full of busy people, Annie was at the stove with Finnick, chattering away while they cooked, Katniss was carving te turkey with her usual grace and Peeta was, of course, arranging the food in such a beautiful way no one would want to eat any for fear of messing up the design.
"You know, Peeta, so sometimes I think you're into pretty things more than Effie is." I laughed.
"Well someone in this family needs to appreciate pretty things." He says, planting a large kiss on Katniss' face.
"I would watch out if I were you. I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of the mocking jay." Finnick jokes, punching Peeta softly on the arm.
"Mummy?" Percy pulls on his Annie's skirt.
"Yes son?" She answers, While Finnick puts his arm protectively around the two of them.
"What's a mockingjay?"
"That's a story for another day." Annie tells Homs softly. "Do you think it's present time?"
"Nope." He says adamantly.
"Why ever not?" She asks him mockingly.
"Uncle Haymitch isn't here yet!" He laughs.
"Who else?" She asks.
"Uncle Uri, antie Chrissy and Auntie Effie! Silly mummy!' He laughs. Just at that moment the doorbell goes.
"I'll get it." I excuse myself from the room. Catching the words "is it done?" From Katniss to Four. I wonder why. I skip through the halls, picking up the two smallest children on my way to the door.
I open the door to see Chris, Uri, Effie and Haymitch all standing on the doorstep, looking mildly sheepish. They all mumbled apologies and I stepped aside to let them in. Jay lent towards Haymitch as he walked past.
"Hay-mish" he gurgled, his small hands reaching forward.
"Hello cheeky." Haymitch laughed, taking the bit from my arms.
"Hello sweetheart." He have me a kiss in the cheek. "How are you?"
"Good thanks. Merry Christmas!" I tell him.
"Hello darling." Effie says, kissing me on both cheeks.
"I see your not keying that baby bump get in the way of your fashion." I observe.
"Of course not." Effie tells me. She was as well done up as usual, her make up bright and sparkly and her heels as impressively high as always, it was amazing she could walk in them. Especially because her baby bump was so big, she's due anyway now. Twins, one baby Effie and one baby Haymitch. It makes me smile.
I follow them through to the room full of excited chatter. Christmas was a tradition here as now that everyone had arrived we could get on with exchanging gifts. The kids got lots of toys and chocolate to keep them occupied and we then move. On to the adults gifts. Effie and Haymitch, of course, received a lot a lot of exciting sparkly baby clothes and baby things.
"Have you decided on names yet?" Christina asks, curious as usual.
"Well," Effie says in her usual dramatic way "our boy is going to be called Cinna."
"And our baby girl will be called Octavia." Haymitch finishes, placing his hand over Effie's bump.
"Don't do that!" She swats his hand away. "You might crease the silk!" She kisses him, leaving a bright bubblegum pink stain on his cheek.
Next we did Katniss and Peeta's gifts, we got Katniss new arrows and Peeta new paints, nice ones from the market in town. We gave Finnick and Annie a ticket for a boat trip that I had managed to convince Tori to get us and now it was time for Christina's present. I handed Chris her present, beautifully(not) wrapped by me and covered in glitter and tinsel. After about five attempts at opening the package what she found inside almost shocked her off her seat. I have spent the last five or so years trying to figure out the exact recipe of dauntless cake and here it is. I left the recipe card on top but I'm not sure if she even noticed because she was too busy stuffing her face. We got uri a travel card so he could go see his brother who lived with Gale in district two. And that was it. Now it was our turn. Katniss and Peeta gave us warm scarves and homemade gifts the kids had made us.
"Oh thank you!" I say, giving the kids huge big kisses in their cheeks, much to their amusement.
We got guns from Uri and Chris who must have gone to some lengths to get is them although Chris was chummy with some of the ex-peacekeepers so it was no surprise. Annie and Finnick gave is a beautiful painting for I our house. Finally we all stood up to go eat.
"Wait." Tobias calls. "There is one more present under the tree."
The kids all rush forwards, trying to get to it first.
"It's says dear six on it!" Percy told me.
"Okay bring it here." I say, smiling at Tobias' use of our Dauntless names.
Percy brings me over this huge box.
"What even is this?" I ask Tobi, shaking the box.
"Open it and see." He shakes his head, laughing at me.
I rip into the box only to see another smaller preset inside. Covered I Sellotape the cheeky little bum! It takes all of my concentration to find a place I open the box at. Finally I rip into it. It's a small velvet box, about the size of my fist. I open the box and my jaw drops in awe. In the box is the prettiest most dazzling diamond ring I have ever see n in my life. I look at Tobias with amazement. Somehow without me noticing he had managed to kneel in front of me.
"Tris Prior. You are the most amazing woman I have ever known. I have watched you transfer from an awkward Stiff initiate into an beautiful strong woman who no longer needed my help. But I still need yours. I need you. I want you I be mine for the rest of our forever. I want our love to last. Tris Prior, will you marry me?"
I look down at him, the only man I have ever loved. Our life passes before my eyes. From the moment I met him, that strong mean man who wouldn't put up with out behaviour. I remember the time he threw knives at my head, yet he never hit me. I remember all the times he protected me. And then the times I protected him. In his fear landscape. When he was vulnerable and he needed me to survive. When he needed me to feel safe. I can't imagine a life without him. I see us growing old, with grey hair and bright eyes. I lie him with all my heart.
"Of course I will marry you." I say, tears clouding my vision, I hear the gasps of joy from our friends but it seems I me as if we are the only two in the room. "I suppose now is as good a time as any to tell you I'm pregnant?"
So thanks for reading! Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight! Seriously though goodnight it's like two in the morning. Have a nice Christmas!