Sorry for the long wait, I've had a tough couple of months, but I'll explain more at the end. I haven't written for a while so sorry if it's a bit rusty! And most importantly please enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or any of it's characters.

Chapter 14

Katniss' P.O.V.

*8 Months Pregnant*

Preparations for Finnick's and Annie's wedding happened so quickly you would have thought it was a shotgun wedding. Plutarch decided that they would broadcast the wedding live as a propo, to help bring up morale of troops, because as Plutarch put it "Everybody enjoys a good wedding". I felt bad for Finnick and Annie I thought that broadcasting their wedding live to millions of people would be an invasion of their privacy, but they didn't really care they were just happy to finally be together.

There were many arguments in the control room as to what the wedding should be like as the different districts have different traditions. Finnick and Annie wanted a simple District 4 ceremony, but Plutarch thought it would be best if the wedding contained lots of different elements from different districts so it could be relatable to all the people fighting in all the districts. In the end it was decided that it would mainly centre around district 4 traditions but there would be other little things from other districts thrown in, like the 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue' tradition from district 1.

My role as Maid of Honour meant I had to help Annie most of the minor details that weren't controlled by Coin. Peeta's role as Best-man was far less hands on; his only main task was baking and decorating the cake. Peeta and I haven't seen much of each other leading up to Annie and Finnick's wedding and it has been tearing me apart. Peeta is always training or talking things over with Finnick and I am always with Annie, as Johanna was not taking her joint Maid of Honour duties seriously. She seemed to be spending an alarming amount of time with Peeta's older brother Rye, but every time I tried to talk to her about it she just laughed and said she was just having some fun. I just hoped the fun wouldn't end with Johanna moving on to a new man and Rye broken hearted. The only time Peeta and I get to spend together is at night and we're both too exhausted to talk or doing anything. I do relish the feeling of being in Peeta's arms as I fall asleep though, it is the thing I always look forward to during the day.

Today marked the most painful day of wedding duties yet. Coin had instructed Finnick, Annie, Peeta and I that we would return to district 12 to retrieve suitable outfits for the wedding tomorrow. Haymitch would go along in the hovercraft but would not come down with us, as it is too painful for him. I'm excited at the prospect of spending the day with Peeta however returning to District 12 makes me feel heavy with dread.

Last time we went there wasn't the best experience and the thought of reliving it makes my head pound. I wake up early, moving out of bed carefully to avoid waking Peeta. I quickly pull on a pair of extra stretch maternity leggings and a large long sleeves top, so I would be comfortable for the journey. I then braid my hair and brush my teeth. Sometimes when I catch my reflection in the bathroom mirror I don't recognise myself. The things I have been through in the last year have aged me considerably. I look older, wiser and my eyes hold a lifetime of hurt that no one my age should ever have had to bear. Peeta looks older too, but in a different way. His eyes still bear the hurt, but the way he holds himself, his height his muscle gain all give him an air about him, which makes you stop and look when you see him. It's made him stronger.

When I return to the bedroom from brushing my teeth, I that Peeta has woken up and is in the process of getting dressed. I walk over to him and place a hand on his bare back. He shivers slightly at my touch and turns to face me.

"Good morning," He smiles, "How did you sleep?"
"Okay I guess, my mind was restless and the baby wouldn't stop kicking." I mumble into his chest. At the mention of the baby his hands move swiftly to my vast belly, and as if on cue at his touch her little legs begin to flutter inside of me.

"Did you feel that?" I ask a giggle also escaping my lips, but the smile on his face already gives me the answer. He nods and his hands slide to my back and pull me closer to him. I sigh and bury my head deep into his chest.

"Can we stay like this forever?" I ask him, he chuckles.

"I wish we could Kat, but we have orders to follow today." He says as he places a tender kiss on the top of my head and reaches for his shirt. I grumble internally, as there is nothing I like more than marvelling at Peeta with his shirt off, tracing the hard lines of his muscles with my fingers, placing soft kisses on his bare skin. I am brought out of my trance by Peeta calling my name.

"Are you ready to go Kat?" He asks for the second time, I nod dazedly; he takes my hand and leads me out of the compartment.

We meet Annie, Finnick and Haymitch in the hanger as our hovercraft is prepared for flight. In the past few weeks since the engagement announcement Annie's eyes seem clearer and she hardly ever zones out anymore. She's bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet as we approach obvious excitement exuding out of her. Why wouldn't she be excited? She is about to choose her wedding dress after all. As we get closer I hear Finnick and Haymitch talking in hushed tones, which stop abruptly when we get closer. I decide not to ask them what they were talking about so not to spoil Annie's excitement, but I make a mental note to remind myself to ask Haymitch later.

"Katniss, Peeta!" Annie exclaims, "Oh isn't this ever so exciting! I mean I'm going to pick out a dress and only the day before the wedding! Oh isn't this amazing!" I smile at her enthusiasm and try to hide my anxiousness as best I can for her.

We make small talk for a few minutes and then our flight is ready to board and within a few minutes we're in the air. I absentmindedly rub my stomach as I look out the window. The forests and fields that I used to love have been replaced with rubble and destruction; I let a small tear fall as I remember the fond memories of those places, especially the meadow where Peeta and I spent so much time after the first games. I must drift off to sleep because the next thing I know is Peeta softly shaking my shoulder telling me it's time to de-board. We stand all four of us in the rubble that was the Square; Peeta takes my hand and squeezes it. Finnick takes Annie's hand and we make our way down the short route to the Victors Village. When we reach the houses we split up, Finnick and Peeta going into what was his old house to gather up suits for the wedding and Annie and I returning to what was mine. I lead her up the stairs and into my old room where I kept all the clothes Cinna designed for my, for official trips and visits to the Capitol. I open the expansive wardrobe and tell Annie to take whatever she likes. I then move to sit on the edge of the bed, as the weight of being on my feet has caused my ankles to ache.

"Annie do you miss being in 4?" I ask her softly, suddenly wanting to learn more about this sweet girl.

"Yes," She sighs "I like open spaces like the beach and the ocean, oh how I miss the ocean. It always calms me down when I'm feeling like a panic attack is going to happen. I don't like being in 13, I always feel trapped." She says simple and I offer her a small smile, feeling awfully sorry for this sweet, innocent girl whose mind was corrupted by Snow and the Capitol.

"Do you miss it here?" She asks and I nod.

"I like being outside too; I love the fresh air and feeling soft breezes on my skin and the colours of the forests, the deep greens of the trees and the brightness of the flowers in the meadow." I answer, she gives me an understanding smile.

"Don't worry, it'll all be over soon, we'll win and I'll be able to be back at my beach with Finnick and you can be in your meadow with Peeta. You'll see." She says lightly and for the first time since this war has started and people have been telling me it will be over, I believe her.

"You were so lucky," Annie says sombrely, "Cinna was such a talented designer."

"He was," I agree, "He made me some beautiful garments, it's just a shame I no longer fit into any of them." I add bringing a lighter note to the conversation. Annie rummages around more in the wardrobe and pulls out a large box.

"What's this?" She asks, and I shake my head.

"I'm not sure," I shrug "I had some meetings with Cinna after the Quarter Quell was announced so he could get my correct measurements and that box arrived from the Capitol a few weeks later I just never opened it." I help her lift the heavy box and place it on the bed. She moves so she is sitting on the over side and we lift the lid off together. A note is place on top and I immediately reach for it.

"Katniss,

Your secret is safe with me, girl on fire.

My Love,

Cinna."

I place the note back confused and begin to search through the box when all of a sudden Annie gasps,

"Oh my gosh Katniss these are maternity clothes!" She exclaims, and sure enough as I examine the garments further I find they are in fact maternity wear.

"If only I'd found this last time," I grumble "I wouldn't have had to wear the awful maternity clothes that 13 provides!" Annie holds back a giggle and goes back to flicking through the dresses. She finds one for Johanna and two for Delly and Madge her two bridesmaids but cannot seem to decide on one for herself, and then it suddenly hits me.

"Annie how would you like a real wedding dress?" I ask her excitement creeping into my voice.

"What do you mean?" She replies confused,

"I mean an actual wedding dress not an old special occasion dress!" I cry.

"I would love one but Katniss this is all we've got." She says sullenly.

"No it's not." I say and I motion for her to follow me. I lead her into one of the spare bedrooms and open the wardrobe. Inside in a perfect neat row are 20 or so pristine white wedding dresses. Annie gasps and squeals with delight and with no hesitance begins to go through the rack.

"Why are these here!" she shouts and I laugh.

"They were left over from wedding dress shoots I did before the Quarter Quell was announced." I say enjoying watching her happiness at browsing through the dresses.

An hour and several dress changes later Annie decides on a plain white silk dress that hugs her curves and cascades down to the floor. We then proceed to gather up Annie's dress along with the dresses for the bridesmaids and I pick out all the useful maternity wear that I can fit into from Cinna's box including a beautiful dress for the wedding and we set off.

We meet Peeta and Finnick outside, they're clutching suits.

"God what took you girls so long!" Finnick moans in a teasing tone. Annie gives him a light slap on the arm.

"I wanted to be sure I choose the right dress." Annie said dreamily.

"And did she?" Finnick asks turning to me, I smile.

"Most definitely." I say remembering how beautiful Annie looked in her dress. We all walk back the Square where the hovercraft picks us up.

I fall asleep again and when I wake up Peeta is carrying me back to our room. He skilfully opens the door whilst I'm still in his arms and gently places me on the bed. I want to go right back to sleep, but I pluck up the energy to shower. The shower feels good, I feel much better as I scrub the dust and dirt from District 12 off my skin. I step out and dry myself with fluffiest towel I can find and put on fresh underwear and one of Peeta's shirts. When I emerge from the bathroom I slip straight under the sheets. Peeta goes into the bathroom and I hear the familiar sound of the shower hum. I try to sleep but I know I won't be able to drift off until Peeta is lying next to me. I can never sleep well when Peeta isn't here, the bed doesn't feel right without him; it's too big and cold. When Peeta materialises from the bathroom and slips into bed next to me my whole body relaxes. I roll over to face him and breathe him in. I slide my hand up and lace my fingers in his hair while I place soft sleepy kisses on his neck.

"I Love you." He whispers in my ear.

"I love you too." I reply in-between sweet kisses.

Sorry for the long wait everyone! I have just completed a very important set of exams over the past 2 months and i had been preparing for them in the months leading up, so I had no time to write! But the good news is I have a longer than usual summer this year so I am planning on continuing this current story and maybe writing a prequel starting just before their first games and going through to Catching Fire (Let me know in the reviews if you would want this).

I am always grateful for reviews and it was actually two very nice reviews i received this morning the inspired me to start writing today :) So please do favorite/follow & review :)

I'm really excited to start writing again and I Hope to post a lot more in the coming weeks :)Thanks for all your support :)