Disclaimer – I own nothing of the song Yes I Will or The Hunger Games. I own the plot and my original characters, or any names you don't recognize. The rest belongs to their respected owners. 'Nuff said.
Italics are song lyrics
A/N: I finished Mockingjay two days ago and decided to try my hand at a Hunger Games story. Also, I heard this song and decided it was perfect for Kat and Peeta.
Summary: AU: After the war, Peeta and Kat decide to start their life together. Set to the song Yes I Will by the Backstreet Boys. Rated T because I'm paranoid. One-Shot. Told from Kat's point of view. My first Hunger Games story, so be nice, please.
Genre: Romance/None
Rating: T
I groaned in my sleep and felt my eyes flutter open. I saw Peeta staring at me.
"What?" I asked, feeling him wrap his arms around my petite frame.
"Nothing – just taking in your beauty."
"What beauty? I'm a mess after the war. I have scars and bruises still."
"It doesn't matter to me – I love you the way you are. You complete me, Katniss."
I felt myself blush. I was thankful it was dark so that Peeta couldn't see my face.
I open my eyes, I see your face
I cannot hide, I can't erase
The way you make me feel inside
You complete me girl, that's why
Something about you makes me feel
Baby, my heart wants to reveal
I'm down on my knees, I'm asking you
Say these three words I wanna hear from you
The next day, we decided to go for a walk. The summer breeze greeted me warmly – I hadn't been out of the house in a long time.
For lunch we went to Greasy Sae's. She smiled as she gave us steaming bowls of lamb stew and fresh rolls.
As we went about our day, I noticed that Peeta was unusually quiet and kept playing with his hands.
"Peeta, are you all right?" I finally asked.
"Yeah. Katniss, can I ask you something?"
"I believe you just did."
"I'm being serious." There was a short pause. I looked up from cleaning my arrows when Peeta came in front of me and knelt down on one knee. He presented me with a box and took my left hand in his. His kind eyes met mine. "Katniss Everdeen, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"
I couldn't say anything as Peeta slipped the ring onto my left ring finger.
"Kat? You all right?" Peeta inquired.
"Yes, Peeta – I will marry you." I finally choked out as the tears streamed down my cheeks. He rose and kissed me fully on the lips.
Yes I will
Take your hand and walk with you
Yes I will
Say these three words that I promise you
Yes I will
Give you everything you need and someday
Start a family with you
I phoned my mother and let her know about my and Peeta's engagement. I heard her cry as we talked about wedding plans.
"I wish that Prim was alive to celebrate with you." Mother told me.
"I know. I miss her so much." I said, curling the phone cord around my fingers. I didn't hear Peeta come up behind me and start kissing my neck, his hands wrapping around my body.
Yes I will
Take your hand and walk with you
Yes I will
Baby I promise you
Yes I will
Give you everything you need and someday
Start a family with you
Oh yeah, yes I will
I finished my conversation with my mother and followed Peeta to our bedroom. He gently laid me down on our bed and climbed on top of me.
"Peeta, we have a lot of planning to do – are you sure you want to do this?" I asked, feeling Peeta slip his hands under my shirt and lift it off my head. He spent a while kissing my stomach.
"We'll start planning after I'm done loving you." He whispered in my ear. I felt him unsnap my bra. He kissed my breasts as my trembling hands unbuttoned his shirt and discarded it. I kissed his chest and felt him remove my pants and undergarments before removing his. He placed a hand between my legs and moaned with pleasure as he explored my body.
After an hour of making love, the two of us took a shower and got something to eat before we started in on planning our wedding. I would have my prep team from the Hunger Games design my wedding dress and maybe a tux for Peeta. He would design our wedding cake and bake it, too.
We did an hour of planning for the wedding before deciding to call it a night. As I was brushing my teeth, I heard him thank the Lord for giving me to him.
This is no ordinary love
And I never had enough
Of all the things you've given me
You're my heart, my soul, my everything
Every night, I thank you Lord
For giving me the strength to love her
More and more each day
I promise her as long as I hear those three words
Before I knew it, the day of the wedding was here. I decided to ask my mother to be my maid of honor while Peeta asked Gale to be his best man.
The ceremony went a little too quickly and now Peeta and I were in the honeymoon suite of some inn in District 2.
"You are so beautiful." Peeta purred in my ear as I felt him undress and go inside of me. I let out a moan as Peeta put his hands on my waist, drawing me close to him. I kissed his neck and face, my arms around his neck.
"I love you so much." I whispered as we laid next to each other after several hours of making love.
"I love you, too. Kat, I know you said something about not having children, fearing that they're names are already entered in the Hunger Games, but why don't we try to have a child – I would really like one." Peeta told me, propping himself on an elbow and turned so that he was facing me.
I kissed his forehead and looked into his kind eyes.
"Okay – we'll try." I agreed, not knowing what I was in for.
Yes I will
Take your hand and walk with you
Yes I will
Say these three words that promise to
Yes I will
Give you everything you need and someday
Start a family
Yes I will
Take your hand and walk with you
Yes I will
Baby, I promise you
Yes I will
Give you everything you need and someday
Start a family, yes I will
Nine months later
I was watching Peeta make me a sandwich went I felt a horrible pain in my back and stomach.
"Ow!" I yelped. Peeta stopped making me a sandwich and quickly put the ingredients away.
"Kat? Are you all right?" Peeta inquired, helping me to our bedroom. I felt something wet trickle down my leg. "Your water just broke."
"Peeta, I'll take over from here." I heard my mother's voice tell my husband. I looked over my shoulder and saw my mother enter the house. I also saw that she was carrying her medical bag. "Greasy Sae injured herself and I was on my way home when I thought that I would come by and see the happy couple."
With Peeta's help, mother got me into the bedroom and had me lie down on my back with my legs spread apart. She took off my bottoms and tossed them in a corner.
Peeta never left my side, other than to get me some ice chips and a cool cloth for my forehead. He kissed my forehead and placed the cloth on it.
"How's she doing?" Peeta asked my mother.
"She's about nine centimeters dilated." Mother told him. She then turned her attention to me. "Katniss, it's time to push."
I sucked in a deep breath and squeezed Peeta's hand as hard as I could. He kissed my forehead and peered between my legs.
"Our child is almost here!" Peeta said, kissing my cheek. I felt tears and sweat stream down my face and cheeks as I gave one final push.
"Congratulations you two – you have a girl." Mother told me, cutting the cord and wrapped my little girl in a blanket before handing her to me.
I stand beside you in everything you do
Wherever you go, whatever you do
Baby, I'll be there
As God as my witness, I will carry this through
'Til death do us part, I promise to you
"What are you going to name her?" Peeta asked me as I nursed my daughter for the first time. I was under the covers and wearing one of my father's shirts. The newborn was at my chest, taking her first drink of milk.
"My sister and I were named after plants, so I want to keep that in the family." I told him, my voice hoarse. Peeta kissed the top of my head and looked down at our daughter.
"What do you think of Lilly Rose?" Peeta suggested. I felt a smile spread across my face. I kissed the top of my daughter's head and looked at Peeta.
"I love it." I told him. He smiled and kissed my lips. He exited the room and I heard the water in the bathroom run – I knew he was washing his hands.
A few minutes later, Peeta returned and sat next to me on the bed.
"May I hold her?" Peeta asked. I nodded and carefully handed him Lilly.
"She's going to be a fierce warrior, like her mother." Peeta said, smiling at me.
"She's also going to be kind and caring, like her father." I told him, carefully taking Lilly from him when she started fussing. "Shh, sweetheart, it's okay."
As Lilly grew, I figured it would be all right to have another child. We waited until Lilly was two to try again.
We tried a total of three times over the year – I had two miscarriages and had delivered a daughter early – she died in my arms.
Peeta decided that fourth time would be the charm for us. Mother gave me some special herbs to prevent me from having miscarriages and early deliveries.
Only time would tell if this little one would come or not.
Yes I will
Take your hand and walk with you
Yes I will
Say these three words that promise to
Yes I will
Give you everything you need and someday
Start a family with you
Two months later
I was in a deep sleep when I felt something pushing inside me. Then, I felt my water break.
"Peeta, it's on its way." I told my sleeping husband. He quickly sat up in bed and turned on the lamp.
"Are you sure this time?" Peeta yawned, going to my front. I started having Braxton-Hicks contractions two weeks ago and mother put me on strict bed rest until our new baby was born. I could tell that Lilly was excited to have a new baby in the house – she had been excited since we found out we were expecting this little miracle.
"Yes, I'm sure." I snapped, sucking in a breath as a painful contraction seared through me. I heard mother enter the room and take over for Peeta. He was now at my side, holding my hand and stroking my hair. He sang some of The Hanging Tree as he dabbed my forehead with a cool cloth.
"Mommy?" Lilly's soft voice rang through the house. She was now a child of five and had dark hair and Peeta's kind eyes. She came into our bedroom and took a seat on the chair next to where mother was.
"Lilly, what is it, sweetheart?" mother asked, not taking her eyes away from me.
"I can't sleep – can I sleep with you and daddy tonight?" Lilly asked. I let out a groan as another contraction seared through me.
"Lilly, you're about to be a big sister. Would you like to help me?" mother asked. Lilly smiled and set her doll on the chair before going over to mother.
It was early morning when our second baby – a boy – was born.
"Lilly, cut the cord there." Mother instructed, showing Lilly where to cut the cord. She cut it and looked up at my mother.
"How did I do?" she asked, washing her hands.
"You were excellent." Peeta whispered, not looking up from watching our son and I bond.
Yes I will
Take your hand and walk with you
Yes I will
Baby, I promise you
Yes I will
Give you everything you need and someday
Start a family with you
Oh yeah, yes I will
That night, I was soothing my little boy as a lightening storm was going on outside. Peeta was with Lilly and mother was helping me with our son. Peeta and I couldn't think of a name for him, so we were calling him Leaf.
"Shh, shh. Leaf, it's okay." I soothed my little boy as a flash of lightening appeared out the window. I tried everything to get him to calm down – singing, changing him, walking around with him, nursing him, rocking him – nothing worked.
"Here, Kat – let me hold him. You need some sleep." Mother told me. I didn't object. I watched her place him on the changing table and unwrap him from the blanket he was in. Propping myself on an elbow, I watched her rub his stomach in a circular motion, humming a song I didn't recognize. Leaf stopped his crying and was soon asleep. Mother kissed his forehead and placed him in his cradle, gently rocking it.
"How did you?-" I started to ask, but a yawn overpowered the rest of my words.
"Mothers just know these things." She told me, kissing the top of my head and drew the covers over me. She then exited the room as a soft rain sounded on the roof.
A moment later, I felt Peeta climb in next to me and take me in his arms. He nuzzled my neck and kissed it.
"Goodnight Kat. I love you so much."
"Goodnight Peeta. I love you, too."
When Lilly was seven and Leaf was two, we decided to take them on a walk to show them my favorite hunting places.
"Kat! Peeta!" I heard a familiar voice call to us. Turning around, I saw Gale come towards us, leading a beautiful brunette and a girl who was about Lilly's age.
"Gale!" I exclaimed. I hadn't seen him in a long time and looked at how much he changed. He was now a head taller than I was and wore his hair short. I hugged him and looked at the girl he was with. She was now shaking Peeta's hand as what I assumed was their daughter looked at Lilly and Leaf.
"Katniss Everdeen – you haven't changed a bit." Gale said, smiling at me. He indicated the brunette standing next to him. "Peeta and Kat, I would like you to meet my wife, Sara, and our daughter Holly. Sara and Holly, this is my best friend, Kat and her husband Peeta." Gale introduced us, then looked at the children. "Is this – Lilly and Leaf?"
"Yeah – it's them." I told him, smiling as Lilly, Leaf and Holly went into the woods. There weren't any animals that could harm them in there, so I didn't mind.
"It's so nice to finally meet you – Gale will not shut up about the girl and boy who won the Hunger Games." Sara told me, her voice soft as angel's wings. I smiled at her and saw her hands resting on her bulging stomach.
"Kat, are you okay?" Gale asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I've been a little spacey and tired for the last couple days." I told Gale. I felt Peeta place a hand to my forehead.
"We should go – Lilly has schoolwork she hasn't finished and it's time for Leaf's nap." Peeta said before I could get a word in.
"Okay. LILLY! HOLLY! LEAF! LET'S GO!" Gale's voice boomed into the woods, startling some birds that were perched on a branch of a nearby tree. The three children came back to us – their cheeks red, which could either be from the cool day or that they had been running.
"It was so nice to meet you." Sara told us as she gave me a hug. "If you're wondering, Gale and I are expecting twins any day now."
"Are you sure you should be up and around then?" I asked as we walked back towards our house.
"My doctor told me it was all right." Sara said, linking her arm in Gale's.
"So, Gale, what are you doing in District 12? The last I heard, you were in District 2, working for some big office there." Peeta said, keeping an eye on the children, who were walking in front of us with their arms linked.
"I decided that District 2 wasn't for me, so we bought a house here and moved back." Gale answered.
"Gale, I don't feel well." Sara said, her face pale. I noticed her dress was damp.
"Take her to our place, hurry!" I told Gale. He picked up Sara bridal style and walked as fast as he could to our house.
Once all of us were inside, I sent the children outside to the small backyard to play and Peeta to watch them.
I parted Sara's skirts and went to her front, remembering everything mother had taught me. Mother had died suddenly a year ago and I had been taking night courses to become a nurse. I had passed with flying colors and knew what to do when the baby came.
"Mommy, I wanna help." Lilly told me, standing at my side. I smiled and told her to wash her hands before she helped me.
"It looks like you're dilated about eight centimeters." I told Sara, watching Gale pat her forehead with a cool cloth.
The labor was long and hard, but I coached Sara through it. Gale kissed Sara's head and squeezed her hand.
"Okay, Sara. You need to push now." I told her, placing a blanket over her legs. Lilly was doing her schoolwork now – I didn't want her to help with this part. Usually, it was too bloody for her and sometimes, she would faint.
"I can't." Sara croaked as Gale dabbed her sweaty forehead again.
"Yes, you can. I'm going to countdown from ten and when I get to one, I need you to push. Ready? Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one – PUSH!" I instructed. Sara inhaled and pushed with all her might. I put my hands up to catch the baby, which was crowning. "You're doing great, Sara – the baby's crowning!"
The next thing I knew, the shoulders were out, then the whole thing. I called to Lilly to cut the cord.
"Congratulations, Sara – you have a boy." I told her as Lilly cleaned and measured the baby before she handed Sara the first-born twin. Gale kissed the top of Sara's head and helped her get more comfortable on the bed.
"Ow!" Sara yelped as a contraction seared through her. Gale got in behind her and massaged her shoulders while I assisted with the birth.
"Uh oh. Sara – this baby's breeched, so I need to reach in and adjust the positioning, okay?" I told her. She nodded and I saw Lilly hand Gale a cloth. "Have her bite it so she won't wake up the first twin." I instructed. Gale nodded and stroked Sara's hair.
It took me a little less than twenty minutes to get the baby situated so it could come out properly. Sara cried as I cut the cord and looked up at her.
"It's a girl. Congratulations." I told the happy couple. I then went to clean, measure and weigh the baby. I wrapped her in a clean blanket and handed her to Sara, who was already nursing the first twin.
"Thank you so much, Kat." Gale whispered as I cleaned up the mess with Lilly's help.
"You're welcome. It's great to see you again." I told him, looking over at Sara. She was sleeping and so were the babies.
"Sara and I were talking and we're naming the boy Peter and the girl Belle."
"Interesting choice of names."
"Sara chose the name for the girl – it means 'Beauty' in some language called French. I chose the name for the boy – I didn't want to name him Peeta, for fear of confusion, so I thought Peter was a compromise."
I smiled and hid my face – I didn't want Gale to see my tears.
"Kat? Everything okay in here?" Peeta inquired, poking his head into the room. I figured that Holly, Leaf and Lilly were asleep since it was so late. Looking at my watch, I noted it was close to midnight.
"Yes, honey – everything's fine." I assured him, quietly leaving the room and walked down the hall, Peeta following me. "We're going to let Gale and Sara stay in our room until Sara is strong enough to go to her own house." I quickly explained, going to the bathroom to wash the blood off my hands.
We decided to let Gale and his family move in with us, which was fine with me. I was expecting another bundle of joy any day now and had asked Sara to assist me with the birth. She and I were becoming fast friends, which I never expected us to become. I mean, this was the girl who married my best friend, so I expected to hate her, but I don't.
One year later
"Sara, I think the baby's coming." I heard Peeta call. She was at my front within minutes. Peeta shut the door and turned on the overhead light, since I had been asleep when my water had broken. Gale would keep the children entertained while Peeta and Sara helped me deliver our new baby.
Twenty and a half hours later, I held my new daughter in my arms. She was the most precious thing I had ever seen.
"Hi." I greeted the baby as she nursed. Sara watched from a short distance away and Peeta was right next to me.
"She's beautiful, like her mother." Peeta whispered, kissing the top of my head. He then looked down at the nursing baby in my arms. "May I pick out her name?"
I was so tired, I didn't care what he named her.
"Sure." I mumbled, wanting to get some sleep.
"Welcome to the world Hazel Lavender." Peeta whispered to the nursing baby. My ears pricked up at the name.
"Beautiful choice." I croaked. Peeta brought his head down and kissed me on the lips. I kissed him back, taking in his sweet taste.
"Thank you, sweetheart." He thanked me.
"Haymitch used to call me that, but not in a loving way, like you do." I told him. Haymitch had died when Peeta and I had been expecting Lilly. I hate to admit it, but I sometimes missed our crazy, drunk mentor of the Hunger Games.
I nursed Hazel for a few more minutes before pulling her away from my breast. I then burped her and handed her to Peeta so he could hold her for a while before putting her to bed.
Our family was now complete, which made me happy. I had everything I needed – a wonderful husband and three beautiful children.
I promise you that
Everything's gonna be alright
It's gonna be alright
I will