England, May 1944

"I'm sorry, son, but that's a mistake I can't let you make. Look, you seem like a nice kid and I know you want to do right by this girl. But if you can't be sure that you're the only guy she's been with, then I tell you you're being a fool. There are plenty of girls out there who are looking for a free ticket out of here and will take the first sap they can find. You don't want to be him, stuck raising some other guy's child."

"But she's not like that…"

"I'm sure she's a real nice girl, but war time means we all make decisions we wouldn't otherwise. Nice girls end up with their heads turned by guys that promise them nylons, chocolate and the bright lights of Manhattan, only to find out later he's already got a wife back home. And nice guys like you find themselves doing things with girls that they thought they'd only be doing after they were married – am I right? If you can't be a hundred percent certain that the baby is yours, then do you really want to be with a girl who wasn't exactly faithful to you?"

"I… I don't know. I don't think it was like that. I love her."

"You're young, kid. You can expect to fall in and out of love at least another couple of times before you find the right girl. I suggest you wait the war out and get home before you plan on settling down."

And with that his superior shuffled some papers on his desk, signaling that the conversation was over.

Peeta closed the office door behind him. He wasn't sure what he was going to tell Katniss. He couldn't marry until he turned 21 without his commanding officer's permission, and that was almost 2 years away. Who knew where he'd be by then, or thought the small voice of doubt in his mind, whether he'd even still be alive.

Why hadn't he just lied to Captain Abernathy when he'd asked him if he was completely certain it was his baby? Instead, he had said nothing, and his silence told the older man everything he needed to know. It wasn't the way Abernathy had described it though; Katniss had been honest with him. She had admitted that she had slept with Gale on his last leave. She hadn't begged for Peeta's forgiveness or said she regretted it. The way she had described it, it were as if it was something she felt it was her duty to do, that she owed it to Gale. They were engaged, and he had been patiently waiting for her, and now that his regiment was off to France he might not come back. She had felt guilty that she had strung him along, saying she wanted to wait until they were married, only to turn around and be with another man behind his back. She wanted Gale to have that experience, to know that kind of intimacy, even if it was only once. And she had promised it would be only that once. When Gale came back, if he came back, she would break it off. But she couldn't do that to him now, not when he could be going off to his death, she couldn't take away his hope. And then she had promised that it was Peeta she was in love with. Even if it was against her better judgment, she had added with a wry smile. But she would understand if he didn't want to see her again, now that he knew. She wanted to tell him the truth, she could have lied to him, and part of him wished she had so they would not now be in this predicament. Peeta didn't like to think about her with Gale, but he thought he understood Katniss' reasoning behind her decision even if he didn't agree with it.

Peeta had left after she'd told him, said he needed to clear his head. He'd meant to go back to the base and stew on it until his next 24-hour pass, but instead he just walked up and down the country lane for about an hour and then came back. She had been about to scold him for banging on the door so loudly, what was he trying to do wake the whole house? But he didn't give her the chance to finish her speech. Instead, he'd pulled her into his arms and they'd made love there in the front room on the parlor rug, clinging to each other afterwards as their chests rose and fell with relief and exhaustion.

Six weeks later he could not understand what had gone wrong; they had been so happy only for her to pull away from him. He had tried to ignore it at first, but there was clearly something the matter. She just wasn't telling him what. Fed up, he had confronted her. If it was over for her, he wanted her to come clean and let him know. He had demanded she tell him what was going on, reminding her that she had said she wanted to be honest with him, for there to be no lies between them. If that wasn't the case then why had she told him about Gale? He had expected her to tell him that it was over, that she didn't love him anymore. Peeta had not expected her to start crying. He had not expected her to tell him she was pregnant and he certainly had not expected her to tell him that she couldn't be sure if it was his or Gale's.

He'd told her right there and then that it didn't matter, he loved her and she loved him. He would marry her, she'd have his war wages to cover her and, God forbid, his war pension if something happened to him. He'd make sure she was taken care of. Typically, she had refused his help at first, until he pointed out that whilst people turned a blind eye to the comings and goings of soldiers and young girls during war time, an illegitimate child was still condemned whether in war or peace. And it wasn't just her reputation that was at risk - her sister would also be affected by association. She had agreed then. He had suddenly realised how happy he was that Katniss had agreed to marry him. He'd whooped with joy and picked her up and swung her round, until they were both dizzy and had collapsed in the long grass of the meadow. He had been worried then that his exuberant behavior had hurt her or the baby. She'd just rolled her eyes and pointed out that she wasn't quite that delicate.

Gazing down at her, he remembered thinking how beautiful she had looked. The sun feathering across her face as it broke through the tall blades of grass, her hair messily falling around her shoulders as she lay on his jacket. Their kisses had become more heated, his hands running up her long slim legs and her back arched from the grass as he pushed her underwear down. Her eyes never left his as she had unfastened his belt and trousers.

She had gasped his name as he filled her, and he had demanded she say it again. She had moaned it louder as his thrusts became harder, gripping handfuls of his shirt. He wanted her to tell him he was the only one she wanted. And she'd nodded fervently as she'd told him she loved him, that he was the only one, now, always.

Always, he'd repeated as he spilled within her as she collapsed from her own fulfillment beneath him.

He had not expected Abernathy to say no. He had not considered what they would do. There was nothing he could do - he was underage. Inadequately prepared to make his own decisions about marriage to a foreign national according to the US Army. Things would not be so desperate but for the fact he had been given orders that they were to ship out within the fortnight, heading for France. He had never been more scared about death than he was now. Before, when it had just been about him, he had accepted that his future was up to the fates, that there was little he could do but keep his head down and try to stay alive. But now he had Katniss and his child to depend on him. If they weren't married, he had no way of looking after them. He knew his mother would never accept any responsibility toward them if he were to die.

He would have to try to slip into town tomorrow to talk to Katniss about Abernathy's decision. Which left tonight, a long sleepless night, to think about how exactly he was going to break the news to her.


NOTES:

The US military actively discouraged servicemen from marrying, believing family responsibilities would be a distraction. The military imposed many restrictions on marriages between servicemen and foreign women, mostly in vain (as many as 100,000 war brides went to the US from the UK). Underage enlisted men (17-20) were required to seek their commanding officer's permission to marry. Even with permission, certain paper work had to be processed and there were instances of COs holding back paperwork to hold up and hopefully deter weddings. COs believed they were acting in the men's best interests, protecting them from rushing into or getting trapped in marriages they'd regret. It was not unknown for soldiers to be posted off to other bases to avoid taking responsibility for getting local girls pregnant. Unofficial estimates suggest that around 9,000 illegitimate children were born after the war as a result of relationships with serving GI's.