Author's Note: Yes, another Hunger Games fanfic! And yes, it's second generation. The Mellark family is such a gold mine for one-shots!

Sorry if Peeta comes off a little too angsty; I'm still trying to get a hold on everybody's POV, and Peeta is very hard to write (although he makes a great da). :/ *bemused emoticon* I did my best!

Song (lyrics from the book, as we all know): .com/watch?v=wrJgGL5oxNQ&feature=related Just so you know, it's Rue's lullaby sung by a male singer. There are surprisingly few on Youtube. Apparently I'm the only one who imagines Peeta singing...

Enjoy! Oh, P.S.: there's going to be another chapter! Just two! Now, enjoy!

A Mellark Goodnight: A Hunger Games Fanfic

1. Daddy Will Fight the Monsters

"Daddy!"

The scream is so full of terror that it goes right through me like a spear. I jerk in bed and am throwing off the covers before I can blink. "Lucerne?"

"Daddy!" This time her voice is a plea.

I race out of our bedroom in a flat run, my own fear mirrored in my voice. "Lucerne? Baby?"

What could be wrong? Should I wake Katniss? This is the one night in two weeks she's slept without any trouble. She didn't even hear our daughter's screams. Should I disturb her? What if Lucerne needs her? I try to calm myself down as I round the corner to Lucerne's room.

Our little girl is sitting up in bed with tears running down her face. She's clutching her blankets like she's afraid she'll be swept away, out the window and into the darkness, if she lets go. When she sees me in the doorway she gives a little sob and holds out her arms. "Daddy!"

When we first had Lucerne, I refused to hold her. Katniss would stare at me with those gray eyes, hurt by my rejection of our child. She never understood why I wouldn't take our baby into my arms until she forced me to explain. That was painful, admitting to my wife that I was afraid of what might happen if I held Lucerne, afraid of what monster would emerge in me. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt my own child. It was bad enough remembering exactly where I had put my hands on Katniss's neck when I had tried to kill her. I didn't know if I could survive even thinking about injuring Lucerne.

After that confession, Katniss had promptly taken four month-old Lucerne from her crib and stood over me while I held my baby for the first time. After that, I had never wanted to let her go.

That's why I waste no time gathering Lucerne to me tonight, cradling her to my chest while she cries. Physical pain runs through me as I quiet her sobbing, wishing I could take every ounce of her fear onto my shoulders. I don't care if it's just a childish fear of the dark; my daughter should not feel scared of anything. She should not cry in the middle of the night. It's wrong. I should protect her.

"What's wrong, Lucerne?" I ask her, wiping her tears away with my fingers.

"I-I had a bad dream," Lucerne sniffs, her tiny arms wrapped around me, hugging her to me.

Nightmares. As if there weren't too many in this house already. I close my eyes but keep my voice calm. "Do you want to tell Daddy about it?" When she nods, I lean back against the wall and pull her into my lap. "Okay, go ahead, sweetie."

With another loud sniff, Lucerne settles against me. "I ran and ran through a big field, and there were monsters-monsters chasing after me, and I couldn't get away." She gulps, more tears squeezing out of her eyes. "Wr-Wrye was running, too, b-but I couldn't catch up to him and he left me all alone. And then-" she breaks off and buries her face in my shirt.

I pet her hair, shushing her fresh bout of crying. "It was just a dream, Lucerne, just a nightmare. It's okay, don't worry." As much as I hate this nightmare she's had, I know I can't shield my daughter from her own dreams. I can only hope my presence comforts her.

"But D-addy, that wasn't the scary part," sobs Lucerne, turning her face up to mine. "The sc-scary part was when I saw you and-and I called for help and you wouldn't h-help me, Daddy, you wouldn't! You kept walking a-w-way from me, Daddy!"

This hits me like a fist to my jaw. I am frozen for a moment, speechless. My Lucerne had a dream where I-her father, her protector, her daddy-turned his back on her and walked away to let her face the monsters. It's a nightmare so close to the ones I have at night that I am rendered inert by it.

I find my voice at last. "No, Lucerne, no. I would never do that to you, honey. That was just a dream, baby."

"It was so scary," says Lucerne, her big gray eyes-Katniss's eyes-wide and disoriented, even now. "Daddy...am I awake?" Another pair of tears leak from those eyes.

"Yes," I rush to tell her. "That was a nightmare, Lucerne. You're safe here." Oh, please let it be true, I think silently. No more fear in our house, at least not tonight.

"But, Daddy, it was real," Lucerne says, breaking my heart. "The monsters-got me!"

I am stopping this right here; this ends tonight, right now. I take my daughter's hands in my own and hold them tightly, staring into her huge, Mockingjay eyes. "Lucerne, I'll tell you something that will always be true. It'll help you with your nightmares, okay?"

She nods, her wet and braided hair dancing. I continue. "Whenever you wonder if something is real or not real, I want you to remember this: I love you. If you're in a place where I don't love you, it isn't real. If you're running from those monsters-" I have to muster all my strength not to choke on the word, "and I don't turn around and beat them on their snouts for trying to hurt you, it's not real. I love you, and I always will. That will always, always be real."

"Always?" Lucerne repeats, her voice tremulous.

I sweep her into the biggest hug I can give. "Always."

With the speed of childhood trust, my baby forgives me, Dream-Peeta and Real-Peeta all in one swoop: she throws her arms around me and kisses me sloppily on the cheek. I kiss her back and pull her sheets down. "Now, it's time to go back to sleep. I'll stay till those monsters go away, all right?"

"Okay," Lucerne agrees as we snuggle down into the covers. "Daddy? Sing."

Sing? No matter how many times they ask, I'm always a little self-conscious when my children request a lullaby. Compared to the unearthly beauty of my wife's voice, my singing leaves several octaves to be desired. But I can't refuse to sing for Lucerne. I promised to chase the monsters away.

I clear my throat and begin, laying my hand on my daughter's head as she gazes at me:

Deep in the meadow, under the willow,
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow,
Lay down your head, and close your eyes,
And when they open, the sun will rise.

Here it's safe, and here it's warm,
Here the daisies guard you from every harm,
Here your dreams are sweet,
And tomorrow brings them true,
Here is the place where I love you...