A/N: OK, so I changed my ideas a little. You aren't going to completely hate my in this chapter (hopefully). But the twist is still there! Some brief random fluff, then BAM! It'll hit ya! Please review! I've been having a horrible week, reviews make me feel better!

Kudos to Mockingjay1804, writergal24, and Gabby for getting Althea and Galan's meanins right. Althea means healer and Galan means sings!

Month 9

When I wake up, I can tell that I've slept in late. The sun is shining brightly through the windows, and Peeta isn't on the other side of the bed. I roll over, wincing as the effort hurts my stomach. Tereska tells me that I'm due any day now.

I barely manage to get myself out of bed. I walk, well, waddle to the kitchen to see if I can find any food. I open the cupboards and to my dismay, I find there are no cheesy buns. Although, I seem to remember Peeta saying something about how I ate us out of them last night, and how he'd have to make more.

But there are some at the bakery. There are always some at the bakery. The only thing is, they're meant to be sold… Damn that. I'm a hungry, pregnant woman, and I want some cheesy buns. Besides, I am the wife of the owner of that place…

I smile to myself. The wife of Peeta. Nine months has not eased the fluttering in my stomach when I hear my new titles. Wife, Mrs. Mellark. Those words still fill me with a rush of pleasure.

As quickly as I can, I move to the bakery. I see that the back window is open. Perfect.

I lift for the window, and I realize that my brilliant plan might not be so brilliant. A woman who is about to have a baby any day, trying to sneak into a place through a window? Not something you see every day.

I'm about to give up when I hear Johanna laugh behind me. She, Annie, and Mother all came from District 4 a month ago. Mother couldn't stop looking at my stomach, and I don't think she really thought I was going to have a baby until she saw my huge stomach and felt Luke kick.

Annie seemed in a daze of happiness for me. Finn is ten months old now, and he's just learning to walk. He'll take a few steps, then grab something to steady himself, take a few more steps, and repeat the process. Johanna told me that it used to scare Annie to death when he'd fall. Luckily, Finn's doing a pretty good job of not falling right now.

I realize I must have been standing here for ten minutes, lost in thought. I turn back to Johanna.

"Sorry," I say quietly. She just shakes her head in disgust.

"This is why you should have freaking listened to me. You shouldn't have let him get you knocked up, then you could still do things like climb through windows and hunt and such," she laughs.

"Will you just help me?" I grumble. She's infuriating me. Stupid hormones are kicking in…

"Um, no. I think I'll stand here and watch you struggle," she says, smirking as my face gets a dirty look on it.

"Fine," I tell her. "Then I'll make sure Peeta never cooks dinner for you again." That hit a nerve. Even Johanna has a weakness for Peeta's cooking. Her eyes grow wide when she discovers that I'm not joking.

"You wouldn't dare. I don't care if you are knocked up, I'll rip your throat out," she says, then we both start laughing.

She walks over and uses her hands to make a foothold. I gingerly place my right foot in her hands, then she pushes up.

"Dear Lord, Katniss, when the hell did you get so damn fat?" she asks from below. I tumble through the window, and find some fresh baked cheesy buns sitting on one of the many tables in the back room.

I eagerly start eating them. I've gotten through two and am just starting a third when Peeta walks in, with Finn riding on his shoulders. He looks at me, with the bun just hovering in front of my mouth.

"You know, you're going to eat me out of business," Peeta says matter-of-factly.

"Well, then someone shouldn't have gotten me pregnant," I say teasingly, as Peeta sets Finn down on a chair and takes my face in his hands.

"I don't mind in the slightest," he whispers before kissing me.

We're interrupted by Johanna coming through the door.

"Did you survi-oh," she says as we break apart. "Now I see why you wanted to get in here so bad. You just wanted to have an excuse to make out with him."

"Go away, Johanna," says Peeta, his lips returning to mine. She gives us her signature smirk before she walks out.

Another thing time has had no effect on is how I feel when Peeta kisses me. A sort of burning through my body. When he kisses me, I feel like the girl on fire.

We're broken apart by Finn, who's making random noises and trying to climb out of the chair. He can't say any words yet, but he certainly makes a lot of noises. Peeta laughs and lifts him out of the chair, and opens the door so Finn can waddle out on his chubby baby legs.

Watching him with Finn, I know Peeta will make a wonderful father. He cares for all children, and I can't even begin to imagine the love he feels for Luke. All I know is that Peeta is no longer the single most important thing to me. He now shares the spot with our son.

Peeta picks me up and carries me to the front of the bakery, where we find Johanna, Annie, and Finn, who is sitting on Annie's lap. Peeta sets me down on the counter as Luke kicks. The sensation is still overwhelming, so I rub my stomach and start humming the lullaby.

As I hum, I watch Annie with Finn. She is imitating the noises he makes, and he clearly loves it. After a few minutes of this, Finn says something new.

"Ma," and then after a pause, "ma," he says again, looking at Annie and reaching out his arms towards her.

We all turn our heads, and Annie's eyes light up. She picks up Finn, and he continues to say "ma". Annie can't take her eyes off him.

"Oh, Finn, your first words!" she exclaims. Suddenly, she looks to my stomach and asks me a question. "When are you going to have the baby, Katniss?"

I roll my eyes. "Never. Soon. Right now, I don't know! I don't want this thing to come out where I can't protect it anymore, but on the other hand, being pregnant really hurts. I'll be happy when my body is back to normal," I say. Annie considers it all for a moment.

"I think you would be able to protect your baby always," she says with certainty, then goes back to watching Finn play with her hair.

Annie touches me in a way no one but Annie can. Peeta whispers in my ear, "You know, she's right. You're going to make a pretty wonderful mother."

I turn my head to face him. "You'll be a better father," I say. Peeta smiles.

"Well, technically, I will, since you physically can't be a father. Let me rephrase that. You'll make the better parent," says Peeta.

"Not even. You'll be the better parent and we all know it," I retort. I can tell he's about to say something when a tall, dark customer walks in.

It's Gale.

I don't know what I feel for Gale. Certainly nothing romantic, but do I even care for him as my best friend anymore? He never even said he was sorry that he might have killed Prim… He's not my best friend anymore. He's not even a friend.

His eyes find me on the counter. "Catnip? Is that really my Katniss Everdeen right there?" he asks as though nothing had ever come between us. I only find a few words to spit back at him.

"It's Mellark. Katniss Mellark," I say, spitting venom in my voice. All the happiness in Gale's eyes vanish, and they are replaced as he sees my obvious stomach and Peeta's hand clenched around mine.

And if looks could kill, Peeta and I would be dead a thousand times over.

A/N: Oh, yes, evil author indeed for leaving it off right there. The bad news for you guys: I'm not updating 'til the 17th. (shields self from rotten tomatoes). I'm trying to get this updating back in some sort of order!

Besides that, Better than Revenge by Taylor Swift has suddenly become my theme song, and I'm busy planning my revenge on this poor b*tch. I'll give you the story of why that's become my theme if you ask... It's just not very interesting :P

Oh, look at me rambling again. I blame it on my OCD. Please review! They'll help me through my crappy week!

~Mock, or MJ272