Chapter 9: Together
Peeta has come home and there is still no further word from Katniss. He knows the communication systems are still down and is trying not to worry, but he and Katniss haven't been apart this long since his return to District 12. It is hard not to have her there to greet him, to talk about the day, to hold her and know that everything is OK. He decides to call over and see Haymitch.
Haymitch is sitting at his table with a bottle in front of him. Peeta is not sure how much Haymitch has drunk, but he looks lucid enough.
"Any word?" he says.
"No. Not so far". A man of many words thinks Peeta.
"The last train comes in at midnight. I am going to wait at the station and see if Katniss will be on the train tonight. She said she would be home today".
"Do you want me to come with you?" Haymitch asks.
"No, that's fine. I just want to be there when she gets back" Peeta says.
He heads back out to prepare the house for Katniss' arrival. She will be tired when she gets home and Peeta just wants her to rest for now.
At 11pm Peeta heads off to the station, still having no further word from Katniss. He hopes she is on the last train. Taking a seat on the platform he thinks back to the day she gave him the news about the baby. How excited she sounded and maybe a little bit scared. That was OK, Peeta decided. They were going to do this together and Katniss knew she could count on him. He hoped she was feeling a little bit better by now, but neither of them knew anything about babies so it would be a rollercoaster ride for the both of them.
At midnight, Peeta watches the train pull into the station. There is no sign of Katniss. He waits until everyone gets off, a total of three people, but none of them are Katniss. Where is she? Peeta knows this is the last train tonight so there is nothing left for him to do, but head back to the house. He has left lights on and as he walks in he can see Haymitch sitting at the kitchen table. He wasn't expecting Haymitch to be here. As he walks into the kitchen it takes him a moment to comprehend who else is sitting at the table with Haymitch. Gale.
Gale gets up and takes Peeta's hand, shaking it and congratulating him. Peeta wonders what Gale is congratulating him for. He has had no contact with Gale since that fateful day when the Capitol was overthrown. Peeta clears his throat.
"Can I get you something? Tea?" he asks.
"No, that's fine" says Gale. "Peeta, I've come up from the Capitol to tell you about Katniss and to bring you back with me".
Peeta can't keep the panic out of his voice.
"What about Katniss?" he demands to know.
"Plutarch has called her back to the Capitol for a number of reasons which will be explained to you when we get there. She is fine, we have her in a secure setting and she very much wants you to be with her right now".
"I don't understand. Why has Plutarch called her back?" Peeta knew that Katniss wanted to be as far away from the Captiol as possible, so did he.
"I can't explain it now, but you will understand when we get there".
Peeta didn't need to asked again. If Katniss is in the Capitol then that is where he wants to be, too. He gathers some things, for Katniss as well, and gives Haymitch a big hug before heading to the hovercraft with Gale. He wonders if Gale has spoken with Katniss and finds it hard to believe she would let him anywhere near her. Something must be terribly wrong for Gale to have come as far as District 12 to get him, but Gale had told him Katniss was fine and, unlike Katniss, Peeta still trusted Gale.
It takes several hours to reach the Capitol and the hovercraft lands in the grounds of the Presidential Palace, a place Peeta had hoped never to see again. It looks the same, but the interior is not as plush and this is in line with the new thinking in the Capitol. It is the early hours of the morning when they arrive and Gale brings Peeta straight to Katniss' room. There is a guard on the door, which Peeta thinks is strange, but he is more concerned with seeing Katniss right now. She is fast asleep in the bed and it only takes Peeta a minute to slip in beside her. Katniss doesn't stir. Peeta is exhausted, too, so he fallsl asleep almost immediately with his arms wrapped tightly around her.
As light creeps into the room, Katniss begins to waken. She feels very peaceful and then suddenly she realizes somebody's arms are around her. Startled, she turns to see Peeta lying beside her. She can't keep the tears from her eyes. Gale has kept his promise. She faces Peeta and watches him sleeping. They must have brought him here in the middle of the night and somehow he had not disturbed her while she slept. She is so grateful. She doesn't care now where she is, as long as she is with him.
Moving closer to him she kisses him gently on the lips. Her kisses become more passionate as Peeta begins to respond. Putting his arms around her, he draws her into an embrace which they hold for a long time just looking into eachother's eyes. Without a word, Peeta moves his hand down to Katniss' slightly protruding belly. She holds her hand over his. Soon, he begins to kiss her again and Katniss is hungry for his touch. Together they satisfy their hunger, shutting out the Capitol, the Districts and the whole of Panem. This is their moment. Together.
