Peeta

After reading the message and glancing between it and the radar for the dozenth time, I realize Katniss is waiting for me to say something. Anything.

"Don't worry," I use the most soothing voice I can muster. "We're going to be fine."

"Peeta, that storm is huge."

"I know," I nod.

"What are we going to do? Please tell me you have a plan. You do, right?"

She's starting to panic. We have to both remain calm. Panicking causes accidents, just like on the side of a mountain.

"Katniss," I reach up and cradle her cheeks with my hands. "I would never let anything happen to you or our baby."

I watch the emotions change across her face and in her eyes.

"I trust you," she whispers. I give her a sweet, short kiss on the lips.

"We have a few options," I begin. "We can turn west and head to land."

"How long would that take?"

I glance at our chart and do some quick math in my head.

"Too long," I say regretfully.

"Okay, so what are the other options?"

"We can ride the storm out," I explain. "Point the bow into the wind, take the sails down, secure everything on deck, and wait."

"Isn't that dangerous?" She nervously asks.

"It can be," I nod. "It depends on the strength and size of the storm, and how high the swells are."

"I don't like it, Peeta," she shakes her head. "I'm - I'm scared baby."

"Come here," I sit down in the nearest chair and pull her into my lap. "I promise I'll get us out of this. The only thing that matters right now is your safety and the safety of our baby."

"What about your safety?" I knew she'd ask that.

From the look on my face alone, she correctly deduces what I'm willing to do.

"No," she says firmly. "I forbid you to do anything that might cause you harm in order to save me."

"But Katniss," I plead. "You're my wife. I would gladly die if it meant you got to live."

"Don't you dare." She's obviously very, very upset. "This life, this world, means nothing with you." She takes my hand and places it on her stomach. "This baby is going to grow up with both parents."

"Okay," I concede.

"Are there any more options?"

"Well we could try and steam south, but I doubt we'd beat the storm. It's already getting pretty choppy out there."

"Is that it?"

"No," i say quietly. She waits. "We can call the Coast Guard. They'd either send a cutter or a helicopter depending on the weather."

"What about the yacht?"

"It's just a boat," I shrug. "I think the safety of our family trumps any material possessions."

"Of course," she nods. "It's just - I don't know. I've only spent a few days on it. I was really starting to like it out here."

"We can buy another yacht," I assure her. "You can even pick it out and do whatever you want to it. Right now, we need to be focused on getting us out of here safe and sound."

"You're right," she sighs.

I can tell she's afraid, that's obvious. She's always been so strong, so resilient. Seeing her like this tears me apart. I have to do anything and everything in my power to get us out of this situation. We just found each other. Not even a hurricane is going to keep us apart for even a moment.

Katniss

Oh god.

This can't be happening.

I realize our honeymoon is effectively over, but right now, that's the least of our worries.

Peeta's confidence about our chances helps assuage some of my fears, but this is still a very grave and dangerous predicament.

"Call the Coast Guard," I almost order him. "Get us home, Peeta."

He nods.

"Listen Kat." His voice is somber and serious. "From here on out, I need you to do exactly what I ask when I ask. I know that this is frightening. We can't afford to think about it right now. Our only thoughts and goals are getting back to shore alive."

"I trust you," I confirm.

I lean over and give him a kiss. I fight the thought that this may be one of the last times I'll ever kiss him. No, stay focused, I tell myself.

"The rain is picking up," he observes as he looks through a porthole. "The wind too."

I look where he is and agree.

"I need you to stay down here," he almost whispers.

"What? Why?"

"I need to know you and the baby are safe. The rain, along with the swells, have soaked the deck. Not to mention the constant pitch and roll back and forth. Please just stay here. I'll be distracted if you're up there with me."

"Okay," I slightly nod. "I won't go on the deck until you tell me to."

"Thank you Katniss," he says as he captures my lips again.

I deepen it, and before we start tearing one another's clothes off, he stops.

"I need to get on the radio," he says almost too seriously.

He turns and walks away, up onto the deck, leaving me utterly alone. I know why, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Peeta

I have to stay on task and focused. It's up to me to get my wife and unborn child off this yacht and away from this storm safely. I know what I told her, but if it comes down to it, her life is by far the most important thing right now.

I grab the radio and tune the frequency to the emergency channel.

Keying the mike, I almost have to yell into it.

"Mayday, mayday, this is the Downeaster. We are a sixty foot yacht. Coast Guard, please respond."

Just to be sure, I repeat it once more, then wait until the radio crackles to life.

"Come in Downeaster, come in Downeaster. This is the Coast Guard Cutter Seneca. Please report your situation and coordinates."

"Copy that Seneca," I reply. I rattle off our coordinates, repeating them for clarity.

"How many people are on the yacht?"

"Two. Me and my wife."

"What's the status of the yacht? Any damage or structural or electrical issues thus far?"

"No damage yet. The seas are getting rougher. We still have engine power and cabin power."

"Fuel reserves?"

"At least enough to get to the Bahamas, our destination."

"Roger that. Sit tight, Downeaster. We're coming to get you."

"Please hurry. My wife - my wife is pregnant."

"We're fueling the helo now, sir. Please transmit coordinates every five minutes so it can track you."

"Copy. Thank you. We'll be ready."

Finally, there's some hope. They're sending a rescue chopper for us. I've seen enough documentaries and read enough material to know that the Coast Guard is very, very, very good at their jobs. If they say they're coming, they're coming, and they're going to do anything in their power to save our lives.

I transmit our current coordinates and head back down to tell Katniss.

When she hears me, she shoots up out of the chair and almost tackles me, burying her face into my chest.

"I couldn't hear you," she mumbles. "The wind was too loud. I had no idea if you were even still on the deck. I was terrified you went overboard."

"No silly hurricane can keep me from my family," I try to lighten the mood a bit.

Instead, she looks up to me, fear and concern in her eyes.

"Did you get ahold of anyone?" She asks nervously.

I nod before I answer.

"The Coast Guard is sending a chopper to get us."

"Really?" She looks like she doesn't believe me. "You're not just saying that?"

I know this is an incredibly serious situation, and we're both on edge, but the fact that she thinks I could lie to her at a time like this peeves me.

"Do you actually think I'd lie to you about something like this?" I regret the harsh edge on my words as soon as they leave my mouth.

Her eyes widen and I easily see she's about to cry.

I just pull her back into me and kiss the top of my head.

"I'm sorry," I whisper. "I wasn't lying. They're fueling it as we speak. I'm going to get you home, I promise."

"I know this was our honeymoon, and I'm so, so sorry it ended up like this, but I really want to sleep in our bed. Sit by the lake. I need you to say it again, baby. I need you to promise me. To convince me."

"We'll be back before you know it." I'm trying to convince myself as much as her. "We're going to sleep in late and then do the crossword puzzle while you sit in my lap on the deck. We're going to have Prim and your mom over for dinner, and I'm going to cook for all my girls. I promise, Katniss. I've never been so serious about a promise than right now. Okay, maybe that's not true. I'm just as serious about my vows when we got married."

She sighs heavily.

"Thank you," she cries.

"We need to be ready when they get here," I explain. "Come here."

I lead her to a closet and take out two full drysuits and lifejackets. I show her how to change into the drysuit then I tighten her lifejacket. I triple check it then check it again. I explained it all when we left, but I repeat it all to her. How to turn on her beacon if we get separated. How to use the safety whistle. She listens intently, but I can see the fear in her eyes. I think that she now understands just how dire our situation is.

The next time I relay the coordinates to the Coast Guard, they tell me the chopper is en route.

"They're on their way," I tell her. "Their ETA is ten minutes."

The weather has progressively gotten worse while we wait. The swells are almost up to ten feet, and every time we hit a peak and descend into the trough before the next wave, it looks like Katniss' heart stops.

It's been raining for a while, but it's considerably harder now. The wind howls, whistling when it hits various ropes and cables on the deck. It's a frightening sound. I struggle to keep our bow pointed into the wind while being super vigilant about hitting waves head on. If we get caught broadside, we'd capsize. Game over.

Finally, after whats seems like an eternity, I hear the distinct whop whop whop of a helicopter rotor. Then I see the lights.

Katniss

"Time to go," Peeta quickly says as he comes into the cabin to get me.

I follow him and when we get on deck, I feel terrible. It's horrendous out here, and Peeta was up here by himself this entire time, in the rain and the wind, while I sat belowdecks. I know he told me to, but I still feel guilty.

"No matter what happens, stay close to me." I can tell he's nervous too, but he's putting up a brave front for me. It helps. "And remember, I love you."

"I love you too," I immediately echo. "We both do."

He smiles a bit at the mention of our baby, but both our attentions suddenly shift as the helicopter is now hovering right above us.

I watch, actually fairly fascinated, as the side door slides open. I see two helmeted Guardsmen in the door. They haul a huge basket out and it hangs, swinging in the wind. Then it begins to lower, attached to the chopper by cable.

It seems like it takes forever to get to us, but soon Peeta has a firm grip on it.

"Katniss, get in right now." I don't think I've ever heard him so serious. He pleads with me with his eyes.

I climb into it and make sure to give him a kiss as I do.

"Get in," I motion.

"Can't," he shakes his head. "One at a time."

"NO!"

"Kat, please. I love you."

"I love you too," I sob as the winch begins to raise me up off the yacht.

I don't open my eyes until I hear one of the crew members asking me if I'm okay.

"I'm fine," I answer as he helps me out of the basket. "Please get my husband."

I hear the winch's mechanism start working again as the basket lowers back down.

"Hold it!" The crew member manning the winch yells at the pilot. "He can't reach it there!"

I know I shouldn't. But I have to.

I peek down to where I just was. I wish I hadn't.

Peeta's on the bow, trying in vain to snag the basket as it swings around him, the wind taking it in every direction.

"FUCK!" The pilot screams.

I see why.

Peeta's been too busy trying to get me and now himself off the yacht that when the next big wave hits, it broadsides the yacht.

I watch in sheer terror as the sea tosses it around like it's a rubber toy in a bathtub.

"He's in the water! He's in the water!"

Oh my god. My heart stops and I feel like I'm having an out-of-body experience.

They train the powerful spotlight when they find him. He's floating, awake, his emergency beacon light blinking brightly.

"Deploy! Deploy!"

I have no idea what that means until someone gently shoves me out of the way. That same person sits in the doorway, his legs hanging out, for a split second before he simply pushes off, then disappears.

"Swimmer in the water!"

The next minute feels like an agonizing eternity.

The rescue swimmer works hard and finally reaches Peeta. In the time it took to get to him, they've lowered some kind of rescue device attached to a cable.

Grabbing it as it swings past, he loops it over Peeta's head and under his armpits. Raising one hand high in the air, the swimmer signals a thumbs-up.

The winch roars to life again, plucking Peeta out of the water. When he's completely in the air, I notice he's no longer awake.

His body just hangs limply as they hoist him up.

I'm gently coaxed to clear the doorway, giving the crew space to work. I can't bring myself to watch as I hear them get Peeta aboard and lower the cable again to retrieve the swimmer.

"He's unconscious," I hear the medic report. "Strong heartbeat."

I chance a gland at him, and see the medic cutting away his drysuit, wrapping him up in a thermal blanket.

"I need to raise his core temperature," he explains when he sees me watching. "He's going to be fine, ma'am."

"Are you sure?" I barely eke out.

"Yes," he nods. "You've got one tough, brave husband."

Despite the situation, I smile as best I can at that. He's right.

I didn't even realize that the swimmer is back aboard and we've begun to move.

"Where are we going?" I ask nobody in particular.

"The Coast Guard station near Atlantic City ma'am," the co-pilot answers. "We have an ambulance on standby on the tarmac."

By now, I've situated myself as close to Peeta as I can, taking his hand in mine. It's cold.

"Thank you," I almost sob as I look at each member of the crew directly. "Thank you so much for rescuing us."

"It's our pleasure, ma'am," the rescue swimmer responds. "Just doing our jobs."

"Even so, you put your lives on the line to save ours. I can't express how grateful I am for you getting the three of us out there."

A couple of them look at me funny.

"I'm pregnant," I explain. The medic seems to already know and nods in agreement.

"Well that's one lucky kid," the swimmer smiles. "They're going to have two very tough parents."

As we fly further and further, I remain at Peeta's side, watching him as he remains unconscious.

Peeta

The last thing I remember is the yacht getting broadsided by a powerful wave. I vaguely recollect hitting the water and turning on my beacon.

Then blackness. A dark abyss.

I swear I can faintly hear my wife's voice somewhere. It's soothing and while her tone is one of concern, the love in it is unmistakeable.

Am I dead?

On one hand, yeah, that would really suck. But on the other, Katniss and our baby are safe, and that's way more important than my life. While I know me dying would do unspeakable things to my wife, I also know she'd dedicate herself to raising our child in a loving home. My hope is that if I am indeed dead, that she lives a happy life.

"Peeta."

Katniss' voice again, but this time it sounds closer.

"Baby open your eyes."

My eyelids feel like they're glued shut.

When I try to open them, the rest of my body suddenly awakes. I feel incredibly sore and lethargic, but I'm pretty sure this means I'm not dead. Not yet, anyways.

Eventually I start to see fuzzy light, a warmth in my eyes.

I force them to open, blinking a couple times to focus.

I'm met by my wife's grey eyes staring at me, and it's obvious she's been crying. But when she sees my eyes, her face breaks into a wide, relieved smile. She lets out a half sob half laugh. Leaning down, she ever so gently touches her lips to mine, and that's when I know I'm alive for sure. The feeling I get when she kisses me tells me as much.

"Welcome back," she whispers.

I open my mouth to speak but it's bone dry.

"Here baby, drink this."

She grabs a cup of water with a straw, even going so far as to place the end of the straw in my mouth. I drink some, and my mouth doesn't feel as arid.

"Better?" She asks as she puts it back. I nod.

"Are you okay?" I'm finally able to ask.

She rolls her eyes grinning but answers me anyway.

"I'm perfectly fine, thanks to you."

"The - the baby?" I ask nervously, dreading the answer.

She maneuvers a bit and grasps one of my hands, placing it under her shirt onto her stomach.

"The baby is healthy, happy, and unharmed. Again, thanks to you."

I nod, taking it all in. Glancing around, I find we're in a generic hospital room. It's just the two of us.

"We're at the Coast Guard station in Atlantic City," she tells me, correctly guessing what I was wondering. "We're in the base hospital."

"What happened?" I slowly ask. "The last thing I remember is - is - getting knocked off the bow."

As soon as the words spill out of my mouth, her face goes ashen. She starts to shake.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you Kat."

"No," she shakes her head vehemently. "The yacht got broadsided when you were trying to get to the basket. You went overboard."

She pauses, and I remain silent. I know she's struggling to continue, and steeling her nerves.

"You were awake long enough to activate your beacon. The rescue swimmer went in and got you. You were unconscious."

"Why am I in the hospital?"

"Observation, mostly," she explains. "You were only in the water for a few minutes but your core temperature had dropped. You have a few cuts and bruises but nothing serious. When they lifted you up to the chopper - you - you - your whole body was limp. I didn't know what was wrong with you. You looked like you were - you were dead."

"Oh Katniss, I'm so sorry I put you through that."

She chuckles a little through her emotions.

"You're amazing, you know that?" She says seriously. I give her a confused look. "I just told you that you were washed overboard and had to be rescued. You're the one in a hospital bed, and you're more worried about me."

"Well of course I am," I shrug. "You're my Katniss. You're my wife. You're my entire world, you and our family."

"I know," she smiles a bit sadly. "I'm sorry our honeymoon got ruined," she mumbles woefully.

"It's not a big deal," I soothe. "We can go anywhere whenever we want, remember? Besides, now we have a great story to tell our kids one day."

She laughs and gives me another kiss.

"One of the crew members came by a couple hours ago. The yacht got torn apart by the waves. It sank."

Her tone and face are racked with some kind of guilt. She feels terrible.

"It's like I said when we were on it, it's just a boat. Material possessions come and go. What's important is that we're alive, safe."

"I know," she nods. "I was having such a great time. Honestly."

"So we'll just have to do it again," I tell her matter-of-factly.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Katniss

The doctor comes by and tells us they'll release Peeta in the morning if everything keeps indicating that he's fine. We're both happy to hear it.

"Justine? Hey, it's Katniss Mellark."

I'm calling Justine and Andrew in order for them to fly the jet down here to get us.

"Mrs. Mellark! Are you two okay? It was on the news!"

I sigh, still in a little bit of shock at seeing the coverage of our rescue.

We didn't even realize it until Prim called, telling us to immediately turn on CNN. I'd called most of our friends and family as soon as Peeta was stabilized in the hospital.

Prim wasn't joking. CNN, like the other major news outlets, had been covering the storm. The headline on the ticker read, 'COAST GUARD SAVES HUSBAND AND WIFE'. The sub-title reads, 'Honeymooning couple narrowly avoids death'.

They even somehow found a photo of our yacht, plastering it on the screen as they talk about our rescue. I'm happy when they rightfully give the Coast Guard and especially the crew of their chopper their due.

The anchors talk about how the Coast Guard has flat-out refused to release our names to the press. They even get the pilot on the phone somehow and pester him. He simply tells them we deserve privacy and that he and his crew are happy we're safe.

"We're just fine Justine," I assure her. "They're releasing Peeta from the hospital in a few hours. We need you to fly the jet down here to get us."

"Of course!" I hear her yell out to Andrew, telling him to get ready. "We'll leave for the jetport now. We're so glad you're okay, Mrs. Mellark. Everyone was worried sick."

"Justine," I say gravely just to tease a bit. "I'm going to can you and your husband unless you start calling me Katniss."

Her laugh comes through the phone and I laugh softly with her, minding my sleeping husband.

We hash out some details and end the call. Peeta, who's still sound asleep, looks about a hundred times better today.

Soon I find myself sitting at his bedside, staring out the window at the sea. I wasn't lying when I told him I was having a great time. Granted, any time with Peeta is amazing, but those few days of just him and me were, well, magical.

"Have I told you today how beautiful you are?" Peeta's voice snaps me back to reality.

"Maybe," I shrug with a grin. "Definitely can't hurt to hear it again though."

"Well you are. You're beautiful. You get more beautiful every day."

"You're just saying that because I'm carrying your rug rat in my womb," I joke.

"Our rug rat Kat," he corrects, matching my grin.

"I got ahold of Justine," I report. "They're on their way. Shouldn't be too long now, then we can go home."

"Good, thanks."

"Peeta I think we should do something for the crew. I know, I know, they were just doing their jobs. But I want to."

"What do you have in mind?"

"The base commander came in while you were asleep. We got to talking, and I kept going on and on about how amazing everyone here has been. He said the crew that rescued us is one of the best in the entire Coast Guard. They rescued people on rooftops during Katrina. He asked me if there was anything he could do for us, so I told him to give the crew leave so they could go home to their families."

"Wow," he says in obvious awe. "That's so incredible, Katniss. You have such a great heart."

"Thank you," I reply shyly. "The thing is, though, none of them are really from around here. Two are from California, one is from Texas, and the other two are from Washington state. They're government employees, hence they don't make the big bucks, even if they deserve it."

"Okay, so tell me what your plan is. I know you have one."

"Well, three of them have wives and young kids. What if we sent them to Disney World?"

"That's a great idea," he agrees wholeheartedly.

"Um, I was also thinking that, maybe, if you want, we could, you know, pay for everything?"

"Obviously," he instantly nods. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Good," I blow out a relieved breath.

"What about the other two?"

"Well they're both married, but no kids yet. I called both of their wives and chatted with them. Turns out that the two wives are best friends, as are the two crew members. I was thinking they could use a vacation, the four of them."

"Absolutely. What did you have in mind?"

"Hawai'i," I answer. "A week in the sun and the sand."

"I think that sounds perfect. We have to make sure we book them into the absolute best hotel."

"Already on it," I smile.

"What about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You look so tired," he explains. "I know it's my fault. Do you want to go somewhere to unwind? We could always just fly to the Bahamas."

I know he knows exactly why I'm tired. The only times I've left his bedside were to use the restroom or make phone calls across the room so as not to disturb his much needed sleep.

"I think you're right," I smile. "But the only place I want to go is home. At least for the time being."

"I was hoping you'd say that," he smiles back.

Just then, I get a text on the new phone I procured. It's from Prim.

PE - Turn on CNN again.

I type a quick response.

KM -We already saw the coverage on us

PE - I know. Just turn it on Katniss

I shrug and show it to Peeta. He grabs the remote and flips the TV back on. It was already on CNN when I turned it off before.

We watch and listen intently.

For those of you just joining us, a tragedy has occurred today in the state of Maine. Two teenagers, while hiking, stumbled onto a dead body deep in the woods. The victim had been dead for only a few hours according to authorities. Police refused to divulge the victim's name until they'd contacted the next-of-kin.

Peeta and I stay riveted to the screen. From some of the b-roll they're showing, it's obvious whatever happened occurred somewhere near Panem.

We've just learned that the victim is a young woman named Delly Cartwright. Twenty-six years old when she died, she is survived by her parents, brother, sister-in-law, and two nieces.

Shock. Delly's dead? We just saw her weeks ago. She was with Gale. In Panem.

It's the next words from the TV that make me feel like I'm going to faint.

Local and state police, with logistical support from the FBI, are looking for this man for questioning.

The picture they show is unmistakeable.

It's Gale.