Disclaimer: Characters established from The Hunger Games trilogy are property of Suzanne Collins, the author and creator. Big thanks to Danalos the Lady Chaos for beta-reading.
The story takes place a little over 1 ½ years after Katniss' exile and return to District 12.
Sorry, this is not like the first chapter, but it's short, so if you don't like it at least it won't take that long to read over. :)
CHAPTER TWO: Everybody Wants To Be On Television
It wasn't supposed to be like this. We were just supposed to get married, have some friends come to a simple wedding party, have some cake, and that was it. Now, it could all be blown out of proportion and I am definitely angry at him this time. I put on my dad's hunting jacket and open the door to go out to the woods. He's standing in front of the door, his hand out as if to turn the handle.
"Katniss, you're mad at me," Peeta says. The scowl on my face gives him the answer he's looking for. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was going to be a big deal for him."
My scowl turns into a roll of the eyes and as I pass him by, I tell him, "I'm going hunting!"
"I'll be making lamb stew for dinner, dear!" he shouts out a few seconds later.
By the time I get to the fence, I'm actually more calm than I want to be at this point, and I think about going back, but since I'm already here, I might as well go in a see what I can get. Maybe I can get something for Greasy Sae. Technically, I don't need to trade with her anymore, but she had done so much for me after my return from the Capitol, it's the least I can do for her. She still makes a pretty good stew and now that she has her own little eatery, she likes to give the District 12 locals something they can call their own. She'll even get some people from other districts every so often willing to try some of the game, but only a handful ever comes back.
A few hours into the woods and I've bagged two rabbits and two squirrels. I've focused my anger into my hunting. I haven't gotten this much game in a while and it actually feels good. Good enough for me to head back and talk to Peeta, sort some things out. Even though I was mad at him, I can't completely blame him for what had happened.
Peeta had made the notifications and verbal invitations about a month and a half ago to all our friends that we've made the past couple of years in the other districts. He only meant to be friendly, as he always is, but the notice spread quickly and Plutarch Heavensbee, the secretary of communications in the Capitol who's responsible for programming, eventually became aware of our upcoming nuptials. Now he wants to televise the whole event to all of Panem. He called me directly this morning to inform me of his idea.
"Katniss! I just heard about the wonderful news! My sources all over the districts have heard about it," Plutarch said in his usual upbeat Capitol tone. "I'm a little surprised that you haven't contacted me yet, but no matter. It would be such a pleasure to help you and Peeta celebrate your wedding and have all your fans commemorate your special day! After all, there are many people that wouldn't mind some good news on your mental health, and they're all asking whether you and Peeta have tied the knot yet. So, what do you say, Katniss? It would be a fantastic finale segment to a feature story on the remaining victors of the Hunger Games. It can be titled 'Hunger Games Victors: Where are they now?'"
I was so shocked at his proposition that he had to repeat my name a couple more times before I was able to answer him. "Uh, Plutarch, you'll need to talk to Peeta," I said before I hung up, barely able to contain my desire to scream at him. I think he was still talking, something about covering all the expenses. After that call, I took a shower, changed into my hunting gear, and when I opened the door, Peeta was there, obviously wanting to talk to me after speaking with Plutarch himself over the phone.
I needed time to myself, though, and he knew that, which was why he didn't try to stop me when I told him I was going hunting. He even showed more of his old humorous self when he said that thing about the lamb stew. And he never calls me 'dear'. He knows I can't stay mad at him. He knows that I'll come back and he'll tell me what he'll do to fix things.
When I finally make my way back home, it's close to sunset, and I'm no longer angry. Instead, I'm anxious to see what Peeta will tell me. I'm nervous that he might've told Plutarch that he can come and bring his television crew to film the whole thing next week. This might cause a whole new stage of rage for me, but I decide that I need to hear him out first before I come to any wild conclusion.
Once I get inside the house, I see Haymitch and Peeta deep in conversation sitting across from each other in the living room. They both look at me, and I give them a quizzical brow. "So, what's the deal? Are we fodder for the Capitol again, or is Plutarch going to leave us in peace?" I ask.
"Well, Plutarch did offer to pay for all the expenses," says Haymitch.
I sneer at the thought. I don't care about expenses. Being in front of cameras again for the sake of entertainment, regardless if there's violence involved or not, is abhorrent to me now. If I actually wanted the attention, I would have called Plutarch Heavensbee myself the first chance I got. Haymitch knows that. Peeta knows that. I'm not sure why they're even considering it. I was hoping for better news than this. I don't feel anger, though. I feel disappointment, in both of them.
"Okay, just hear me out, Katniss," says Peeta, so I sit down on the sofa and hear him out. "Look, I'm sorry that Plutarch found out, but I did tell him that we weren't interested in making our wedding public, and that it was just going to be a small party with some close friends, and he was okay with that. But he just wanted to film some of it just for his special report on what was going on with the remaining victors of the Hunger Games. He said he would even be willing to have just one camera crew, and they would be people that we've worked with before. Cressida and Pollux."
Cressida and Pollux. I haven't seen them since, well, since we split up at the Capitol, after leaving Tigris' place, although I do see Cressida from time to time on TV, if I turn it on, which I hardly do. For some reason, the thought of having Pollux at our wedding doesn't sound so bad, and actually, I find the idea welcoming. To see Pollux again, and know that he's still alive, still working behind the camera. It brings relief. I'm not sure why, but I know I really would like to see him again, at my wedding.
"Okay," I say.
"Okay what?" asks Haymitch.
"Okay, Cressida and Pollux can come," I say. "But only them, no one else!"
"That's what Plutarch said, just Cressida and Pollux," says Peeta.
"And he's not paying for anything," I add. The last thing I want to do is feel like I owe Putarch Heavensbee anything.
"Not a thing," agrees Peeta.
"And no retakes! This is not a propo!" I demand.
Peeta is quick to pull me into his arms. He lays my head against his shoulder, and says, "Katniss, this is our wedding. We'll have it the way we want it. No retakes, no propos. I won't allow them to film anything you don't want them to film, okay?"
I sigh in relief, both from the soothing sound of his voice and the warmth of his body. "Okay," I say. The tension in my shoulders is lifted and I go ahead and wrap my arms around his waist.
"Well, I guess I can call Plutarch and tell him the good news," Haymitch says with a sarcastic tone on the word 'good'. I guess he's not thrilled about the idea of us being on camera again, either.
"That can wait," says Peeta, finally releasing me. "Dinner first."
Good, because I've been trying to ignore the smell of the lamb stew brewing and permeating the house with its savory scent. Haymitch agrees and we all sit down to eat, while rehashing details about the wedding. How many people are going to be there, who's going to help set up the tables and chairs, if we're going to have music. Of course we will. I notice Peeta's eyes gleam at the thought of music. Aside from my singing, I don't think he's heard actual fiddle and dance music in a long time. Maybe he used to hear a lot of it before when he would decorate the wedding cakes at his family's bakery, and then deliver them to the party.
By the time we're done eating, we've discussed almost everything about the wedding. I'm completely stuffed and my mind is scattered from all the information being passed through it in such a short amount of time. We're almost set, everything almost finalized. It should be. We only have two more weeks before the wedding.
Two more weeks and I'll be married to Peeta.