(Katniss' POV.)
"I'm a mockingjay!" Rose exclaims, her arm movements mimicking those of a bird's wings. Finnius does the same, both of them giggling as they see who can flap their arms faster. Peeta cracks a smile, cheering them on.
Watching Rose wear that pin is honestly difficult; freshly opening up the wounds that closed so many years ago. I never really expected to see it again, I guess. I don't even remember putting all of my old stuff in that box in the first place. It's like a punch in the gut, reminding me of the story attached to such a beautiful object. I can already feel my eyes beginning to burn, preparing to let out all of the tears.
I soon find myself standing up, moving to the hallway in a burst of emotions. My head begins to ache, everything growing blurry as the tears begin to flow. I don't even care anymore about appearing strong. I know that deep down, part of me is weak. As a teenager, I never expressed this weakness inside of me.
The tears I have shed recently were way overdue, waiting to finally be released. Collectively, all of the nightmares can't even compare to the pain that goes along with missing someone you love. Someone that died right in front of your eyes, with you unable to do anything about it. This applies to more than one of the people I've lost, which only makes it hurt more.
Now Madge is the one whose face is clawing its way back into my thoughts, bringing back all of the memories I shared with such an innocent girl that in no way deserved to die. None of the people I miss deserved to die. Not Finnick. Not Prim. Not Rue. None of them deserved such a short life.
I picture myself after the reaping again; Madge visiting me at the Justice Building and giving me the Mockingjay pin. The same pin that my daughter now wore. I remember her kissing me on the cheek goodbye, indicating that she truly was a friend of mine; a friend whose life was cut way too short.
Peeta's arms are suddenly wrapped around me, cutting off my train of thought. I sob into his chest, pulling him closer to me.
"It's so hard," I whisper, my tears beginning to soak his shirt. He doesn't even let me finish, gently shushing me. His soft lips are now brushing against my ear, his heart beat growing faster in his chest.
"It's going to be okay, Katniss." He whispers soothingly, his lips soon meeting mine. I hold onto this kiss for a long time, my tense muscles beginning to relax. A little voice suddenly interrupts us, their hand tugging on my shirt.
"Are you still sad, mommy?" Finnius whispers. I lean down and pick him up, planting a kiss on his cheek as I gently rock him in my arms.
"No, I'm not sad anymore. You're making me feel better right now, Finn." I assure him, my lips curling into a smile. His face beams with pride as he nuzzles his head into my chest, giggling to himself. I turn and carry him back into the bedroom, Peeta following close behind.
Finnius slides off of my back, taking a seat next to Rose who sits cross-legged on the end of our bed. Peeta and I join them, leaning back together on the headboard. I rest my head on Peeta's shoulder, his warmth reflecting onto me.
"Are the mockingjays the ones that make such pretty music outside?" Rose suddenly asks me, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"Yes, they are." I reply, nodding my head. She looks off in the distance, thinking to herself for a moment, then back down at me.
"Do you ever sing to them?" she asks, furrowing her eyebrows. I suddenly picture Rue's face in my mind, quickly shaking it away before I begin to cry.
"I used to," I answer in a whisper, slightly trailing off at the end. Luckily Peeta saves me from the pain of talking, beginning to dive into stories of my singing.
(Peeta's POV.)
"She didn't just used to sing; she would sing so beautifully, all of the mockingjays would stop to listen, holding their breaths until she was done," I begin, looking over at Finnius and Rose, their attention now on me. "Her singing even took my breath away. It took everyone's away." I tell them, pulling Katniss closer to me as I speak.
"I would do anything to hear her beautiful voice just one more time," I whisper, planting a kiss on the top of her head. Smiles from ear to ear spread across both Finnius and Rose's faces, their attention now on Katniss.
"Can you please sing?" They both ask anxiously, cuddling up closer to her. Katniss smiles down at them. You can tell by the look in her eyes that she's thinking long and hard on the idea.
"Please," I whisper up at her, a smile forming on my face as well. Katniss looks deep into my eyes briefly, considering it. She finally nods her head, scooting out of the bed so that she now stands by the window, sliding it open with shaky hands.
(Katniss' POV.)
Singing to my children is something I've only done a few times; times when they were too young to remember it at all. Now all grown up, singing to them is a whole different story. I only know a few songs, but all of them have a story attached to them that bring back painful memories. Even with that true, I still feel as if I owe it to them to share something really personal.
Their whole lives, they've literally only known enough things about my past to count on one hand. As hard as that is to admit, I know that bringing up the Games to them is something that isn't even an option until they are old enough to understand. Now is definitely not that time, but I do feel as if it is to the point where things need to be introduced to them; my singing being one of those things.
I glance outside of the window, my eyes scanning the trees; a single mockingjay suddenly perching itself on one of the branches belonging to a tree nearby, two more following. I watch them closely, sucking in a deep breath as I prepare to sing the first line, my entire body beginning to shake.
"You can do it," I hear Peeta whisper from behind me, making my heart skip a beat. This calms me down a bit, slightly easing down the fear racing through my veins.
"Deep in the meadow, under the willow. A bed of grass, a soft green pillow," I start, my voice shaking. I pause, taking another deep breath. When I look back out the window, I notice that the mockingjays have stopped singing, their little eyes trained on me intently. I continue, my body starting to relax.
"Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes. And when again they open, the sun will rise. Here it's safe, 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."
As I'm singing, tears begin to roll down my cheeks, images of Rue blurring my thoughts. I picture our last moment together, me singing this exact song to her as she died in my arms.
"Deep in the meadow, hidden far away. A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray. Forget your woes and let your troubles lay. And when again it's morning, they'll wash away." I continue, forcing myself to swallow the tears, Prim's face now burning into my thoughts.
I think back to the morning of the reaping, singing this song to Prim, easing her fear of being chosen. Thinking back on it, I can't imagine how betrayed she must have felt. I unintentionally lied to her. Missing Prim is the hardest thing for me to deal with. She would have been an amazing mother; an amazing aunt to Rose and Finnius. She would have also made a brilliant doctor, giving her own time to save lives.
"Here it's safe, 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." I fade off on the last few words, repeating them quietly to myself as I wipe away the tears, my heart aching.
(Peeta's POV.)
Hearing Katniss sing again is so amazing of a moment, it's impossible to even put into words. It brings me back to being seventeen again, watching as the mockingjays literally fell silent for her, the same way they did with her father. Finally being able to share that kind of moment with the kids makes it even more amazing.
I look over at Finnius and Rose, their faces bright with amazement. Katniss turns to us as she wipes the tears away, slowly making her way back to the bed and sliding next to me again.
"You sing like an angel, mommy." Finnius whispers, his eyes bright and wide. Rose nods her head, her mouth stretching into a wide smile as she scoots closer to us.
"Thank you," Katniss whispers softly, sucking in the remaining tears. I wrap my arm around her neck, pulling her in closer to kiss the top of her head.
"The Girl on Fire's flame is still burning strong," I whisper in her ear, my lips curling into a smile. Her gray eyes meet mine briefly, a smile slowly forming. She pulls me into a hug, holding me there for a long time. A loud knock at the front door suddenly interrupts us, which is strange considering nobody comes to visit us. I slowly stand up, Katniss and I exchanging a look as she tags along.
"Stay here, guys." I order them as I exit our bedroom, Katniss and I beginning to walk to the front door. I stop short, cautiously grasping the door handle.
"Who do you think it is?" I ask her in a low whisper, raising an eyebrow. She shrugs her shoulders, just as confused as I am. I slowly twist the handle, the door creaking open. Who stands on our front porch is the last person we'd have expected to be visiting, considering he hasn't in over ten years. His eyes locate Katniss' first, an amused smile painted across his face.
"Care if I come in, sweetheart?" Haymitch asks, brushing a strand of gray hair out of his eyes.
