Katniss's POV

I go upstairs to shower and brush my teeth, so that I look presentable for Hazelle. I wonder how Posy's doing. And Vick and Rory. Hazelle loves her kids so much. She's a great mother. I wish I could be like her. I put my hair into its standard braid and throw on a soft green cotton dress. I don't normally wear dresses but I just feel like it today, for some unknown reason. I skip downstairs, strangely happy. I kiss Peeta gently on the lips before heading out the door to Haymitch's.

Outside, the warm summer breeze rustles my hair as I make the short trek down the gravel lane to Haymitch's house. I knock softly before walking in anyway. "Hello?" I call.

"Katniss? Is that you?" I hear Hazelle's voice coming from the kitchen.

"Hello Hazelle. How are you?" I ask, entering the kitchen. Hazelle is mopping the floor. The house is mostly clean and silent except for the scrubbing of the mop.

"Oh Katniss, dear! How good to see you!" she says as she leans the mop against the counter.

"I've missed you."

"We've all missed you."

"How's the kids?"

"Oh they're doing good. Posy's moving onto high school soon, Vick and Rory are at work now actually."

"Has it really been that long?" I can't believe the last time I saw Posy she was so little.

"Yes, and Gale came home yesterday for a visit."

"Actually, that's why I came to see you."

"He told me he saw you in the woods. I feel much better knowing that you two don't have to worry about getting caught anymore."

I'm touched by her concern for my safety. "I thought I was hallucinating!" I laugh.

Hazelle smiles and responds, "I know he prefers District 2 over 12 because of the bad memories here but it's so far away and I can't communicate with him. We don't have a phone you know, and mail takes ages to get there."

"You can use our phone anytime you want," I promise her.

"How's Peeta doing?"

"Good. He just won't relent on the child debate, though."

"Child debate?"

"You know how I don't want kids?"

"Oh Katniss, I thought you'd outgrow that eventually!"

"But he wants them so badly and he won't stop pestering me about it. I want him to be happy and I know he'll never truly be happy until we have some little Peetas and Katnisses running around. I just can't do it," I explain.

"Listen to me. You know what he wants but don't let that affect what you want. You should listen to your heart and—" Just then Haymitch walks into the room, surprisingly sober. "I'm trying to get him to cut down on his alcohol intake," Hazelle whispers.

"Hey sweetheart. What a surprise to see you!" he says.

"Yeah, well I needed to talk to Hazelle about Gale and Peeta and life," I reply.

"You already picked which one you wanted, I thought," Haymitch says, reaching for a bottle of alcohol.

"I did, now excuse me, I should get going," I say as I back out of the kitchen. "Goodbye Hazelle! Take care! Haymitch." I nod my head.

"Bye sweetheart!" he calls after me. I roll my eyes as I step outside into the fresh air. So Gale is in 12. But why? I can't believe I forgot to Hazelle why.

I open the front door to our house and see Peeta frosting a beautiful cake.

"Shit," he mutters under his breath. "You weren't supposed to be home yet!"

"Yeah, well Haymitch was sober and I didn't know to react other than leave," I answer.

"Well go upstairs so I can finish this, okay?"

"Alright then," I agree. Upstairs, I go over this newfound information. Why did Gale come to see me? I don't understand.

"You can come down now!" I hear Peeta call. I oblige.

"Oh Peeta it's beautiful! I love it!" It's just one layer but the edge is covered in soft pink frosting primroses. On the top it says "I love you". I want to cry. "I-I love you too," I murmur as a single tear rolls down my cheek. I brush it away before any more decide to follow.

"Katniss, I want you to be happy and if no kids is what makes you happy, then I'm happy." He stretches his arms out and I come into a hug.

"But you won't be happy. I know you want them. I talked to Hazelle and I think…I think I want children."

"Katniss," he whispers into the top of my head. "You don't. And that's okay."

I lean back to see a tear soaked shirt in front of me. "Oh Peeta. I love you. I really want kids, honest."

"Okay," he murmurs, kissing my head.

I burrow into his shirt. "Are we going to eat this cake or…?" I say to his chest.

"Of course," he says, letting go of me. He cuts a huge piece for each of us and we sit across from each other at the kitchen table. "So, how was it with Hazelle?" he asks.

"I'm not crazy," I say through a mouthful of cake.

"Manners!" he says, imitating Effie Trinket, the former District 12 escort. I giggle. "So Gale is in 12 then?" he asks in a more serious voice.

"Yeah, but I still don't know why." Just then, there's a knock on the door. "I'll get it," I say.

"Hey there Catnip."

"Hello Gale," I say tensely. "What brings you here?"

"I want to talk with you." When he sees Peeta, he stops dead in his tracks.

"Hi Gale," Peeta says in his ever-friendly way.

"Peeta," Gales responds with a short nod.

"Well…" I say. "Peeta, why don't you cut Gale a piece of cake?"

"I don't want any," Gale says, stepping further into the house. "'I love y-u."

"We ate the 'o'," I retort.

"I didn't mean to interrupt your love fest. So what's new with the star-crossed lovers of District 12? That's still how you're known in some of the districts. Did you know that? And people still ask if I'm Katniss's cousin."

"We're trying to get pregnant," I reply before Peeta can answer or Gale can continue his rant.

"Really? I thought you were never getting married, which obviously didn't happen how you planned, but how did Lover Boy here try to convince you to want to have babies?"

"You don't need to be so rude, Gale," I say, irritated by his strange behavior. "I haven't seen you for ten years and I don't need you to come back now!"

"Katniss, calm down, okay?" Peeta says in a soothing voice.

"Sorry, but no. Gale thinks he can just come waltzing back to 12 and expect everything to be just it was before our first games. No, it won't be like that. He killed my sister—"

"I did not kill Prim! I designed the bomb that killed her but I how in the hell was I supposed to know it would be used to kill so many children, including her?" Gale interrupts.

"Get out. Now," I say sternly.

"Sorry, Gale," Peeta says politely. "I think it'd be best if you left now."

"Whatever. I've met a great girl in 2 and we're going to get married!" Gale yells as he leaves.

"Why do I care?" I scream at the door.

"Calm down. He's gone. It's okay," Peeta says, rubbing my back. I begin to sob. "Let's go to bed, okay?"

"Okay." He brings me one of his shirts. I change, right there in the kitchen and I catch Peeta staring. He wants me. He needs me. I take his hand and we go upstairs to bed.

My mom is holding Prim as a baby in our old house in the Seam. She looks so happy but she morphs into a mutated wolf from my first games. Then Gale and his mystery woman come up and give a silver parachute to Prim. I scream no as mockingjays surround me, singing Rue's four note signal. Just then Prim explodes into a million bloody roses.

"NO!" I wake up in a cold sweat, my heart beating fast, nearly out of breath.

"It's just dream," Peeta murmurs as he holds me, rocking me back and forth. "It's okay. Everything will be alright. I promise." I begin to sob. "Everything will be alright. It's just a dream." He kisses me, on my head, on my cheek, on my eyelids, on my hair, my neck, my forehead, my chin. "It'll be okay. Don't cry." That just makes me cry harder.

I must've fallen asleep in his arms because when I wake up again, it's morning. Peeta is still lying next to me, even though he's awake. "Oh Peeta. Thank you for calming me down. It was an awful nightmare."

He kisses me passionately and I return the favor, intertwining my fingers in his hair. I want to go further so I unbutton his shirt and slide it off.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Peeta stops kissing me long enough to ask.

"Yes," I answer. "I want to."