I do not own the Hunger Games! AN at ze bottom!
I made breakfast this morning, goat cheese and spinach omelets with the fruit salad we had been eating all week.
"Oh Katniss, don't…" he started as I shoved my fork with a chunk of pineapple and omelet drizzled in maple syrup in my mouth, "Put that in your mouth…" he groaned defeated. One thing I had developed was a craving for strangely paired foods, this may have been the worst yet.
"Mmmm," I groaned after I swallowed, "You should try it, you'd like it, it's salty and cheesy and sweet and sour all at once…" he rolled his eyes and continued eating watching me dunk eggs in syrup, "Don't judge me, I'm giving you life, beautiful screaming, pooping life." I tell him with a smile.
"We should probably start setting up the nursery…" I just shrug and continue eating.
"We could just lay him on a pillow on the floor… Haymitch says babies are like dogs that slowly learn to talk," Peeta's jaw drops, "Kidding!"
As Peeta finishes the dishes I tug at my shirt in the hall mirror, "Babe? Do I look pregnant in this?" I ask as he comes down the hall, drying his hands off on the towel before throwing it to the basement where our new washer and dryer were housed.
"Not really… You could probably go out without the jacket if the district wasn't filled with cameras. I tugged at the shirt some more, it was loose and hung like a sack before getting tight around the waist. The prep team felt honored being the only three besides our 'family' made privy to my pregnancy. Venia, now my personal stylist sent me boxes and boxes of maternity clothes I couldn't wear in public without the jacket. This shirt and the hundreds like it were my favorite, they were light and comfortable and disguised my belly from the workers at the bakery and customers.
"We're going to have to leave by three, so we can get ready," I tell him as we watch the sunrise through the front of the store. He had five people working for him, an ex-miner, Thomas, who was one of the first to come back to Twelve, a mother of three who used this job to escape her husband and three kids named Jody, I liked her, she was snarky but always had to be out by eleven. An ex-Avox named Isaac who was one of the many gifted an artificial tongue by Beetee, it was mechanical but looked like the real thing, and apparently tasted. Finally there were the twins Christopher and Alexander, they were two Seam boys that lived on the same street as me. All five were hard workers, showed up for work on time, plus they could be hilarious when they wanted to be.
I sprayed grease into muffin tins sliding them over to Jody to be filled and put in the oven, "You two just wait until sex becomes a piece in negotiations. You don't help with the dishes, or take out the trash, no sex for you. No way bud," I smirked, Peeta and I averaged two times a day anymore three if we added a round in after waking up.
"Jody! That's demented!" Isaac gasped kneading a ball of dough, he clapped the flour off his hands.
It was only the four of us this morning, but that was plenty of hands, "What! When you're married for ten years you need something to motivate them. Before it was easier, come home from the mine and I'm yours… Farming's a lot safer, thank you both," she looked between Peeta, who was putting away sacks of dry ingredients and me who was still greasing trays.
"Any time, we'll gladly help overthrow the government for you," he joked wiping his brow, "Kat, can you prop the front door open?"
I nod and walk to the front wedging the doorstop under the door so we could get some airflow before going back to my task. They've moved onto talking about how long Isaac and his girlfriend go without cleaning their sheets.
"Once a week, any longer and Katniss gets testy," Peeta says with his back turned to me.
"Testy eh?" I smirk, he looks up, brushing sweat from his brow again, he still wears the bracelet every day.
"Oh yeah," he grins before going into the office, beckoning me to follow him.
"Ew, guys, not at work!" Jody called, she had walked in on a heated make out a few weeks ago and teased us about it since.
"Something wrong?" I asked closing the door behind me.
"You look tired, maybe you should go home," he sat down at his desk as I sat down on it.
"I'm not going home the second they see me there they'll be on me. I'm fine hun," I reach over and squeeze his shoulder, "But can I ask you something?"
"Sure, anything," he takes my hand and kisses it.
"Can we tell them? It feels weird knowing that people we spend every morning with are going to find out our good news on tv tonight, if they watch it."
He smiles and kisses my hand again, "If you think it's right, not much damage they can do seeing as the cameras are already here," I lean across the desk and brush my lips against his.
"I love you Peeta…" I whisper entangling my fingers through the hair at the back of his head.
"I love you Katniss. And you do me a favor, if you get tired come in here and sit, please," I nod smiling as we leave the office.
"Isaac, Jody, we need to tell you something," I start.
Jody sets her bowl down roughly and Isaac comically throws his hands in the air, "I knew it, they're firing us!" he jokes.
"No, we figured since we see you two every day we didn't want this to be a surprise," Peeta nudges me a little after he says this, telling me it's my turn to talk.
"We're having a baby," Jody's jaw dropped and Isaac rather loudly congratulated us.
"How far along? You're really going to tell them tonight?" I grab the back of my shirt and pull it back so the fabric lays flat against it before turning.
"I think they'll figure it out," I joke rubbing my hand on my stomach.
"And here I thought you butt was getting bigger from all the muffins you steal," she jokes before ladling more batter into the tins.
"You should see her breasts," I look up at Peeta shocked but he flashes me an apologetic glance and I sigh.
"I would rather not, but congratulations, the first one is always the hardest, they come into the world in a big way."
Three PM hits and we leave the bakery in the capable hands of the twins and Thomas to close and prep for the morning. They took the news as well as the first two, but added in a 'goodbye to our sex life' that made me feel really uncomfortable.
"You ready for this?" we heard talking behind our front door, they had already let themselves in.
I took a calming breath before handing him my jacket, "On three?"
"One…" he starts
"Two…" I count.
"Three…" we say together swinging the door open.
"Katniss Peeta!" the team is on us like hawks, "We're running very late, quickly go shower. Paylor will be here in a half hour!" Octavia greeted. When we stood there in the doorway she tapped her foot on the hardwood, "Go!"
"Yes mom," I grumble heading up the stairs.
"We're locking our doors from now on…" Peeta grumbled, spanking me lightly as I climbed the stairs.
"You look ridiculous," Peeta teased as Flavius put my hair up in the last curler, as always he was in his suit already watching them pluck and polish me from the couch.
"And you look… devastatingly handsome, what of it?" I ran my hands over my stomach as he smirked, "Go get me something to eat, Aiden's hungry," my stomach growls loudly.
"Aw, is that the name? It's perfect," Flavius rubs my stomach as Octavia finishes on my nails, the white polish drying instantly so I can shove the apple Peeta's brought me in my mouth.
I hear the door creek open, "No no, it's going to take a few days…" I hear Paylor start, "They can't go all at once, that'll negate the affect!" she hisses into her phone, clearly displeased, "I don't care how much of your precious airtime it eats up. Goodbye Plutarch," she groans.
"Morning Madame President," Peeta greets I turn my head to see her enter, she looks exhausted, there's more grey in her hair and dark circles under her eyes but they light up when she enters the living room.
"Welcome to our home! …again! We have something to show you," she looks intrigued as I stand up and turn around, my pregnant belly showing through the robe.
She gasps before approaching me, "This is… this is wonderful!" her hands are warm on my stomach and Aiden kicks at her touch, "it kicked!" she pulled me into a hug, "Congratulations, and I know this may seem callus and selfish, but this couldn't have come at a more perfect time."
"We understand, which is why we didn't tell anyone besides our family, especially since we're sure Plutarch has your phone bugged. Effie knew because of Haymitch, I'm shocked she didn't tell you," Peeta tells her as I'm forced back into the chair.
"It was hard!" I didn't hear the door open but in marched Effie and Haymitch hand in hand, "But I kept my promise!" she wore a tight pink dress and her long brown hair had been straightened, the only Capitol alteration she had anymore besides make-up. She even shed her long nails most likely for Haymitch's sake.
"You look like Effie when she wore those ridiculous wigs," he remarked as she elbowed him.
"Those wigs were high fashion Mister Abernathy." Flavius and Octavia nodded as Peeta, Paylor, Haymitch and I rolled our eyes.
"Capitol folk," he groaned together.
Flavius sprayed something on my hair and began removing the curlers, "Venia is putting the last touches on your dress… We had to let it out more in the chest," I blushed a little as my hair fell down by my face in loose ringlets which he brushed and relaxed so they were only gentile curls. He braided the hair closest to my face and pulled it back as Octavia did my make-up.
"So how far along?" Paylor finally asks.
"Just over five months give or take," I pat my stomach, "And before you ask, it's a boy," I hear the stairs creek and there's a rustling, "We're naming him Aiden."
My make-up was finished and was handed my dress. I had become so used to people seeing me without clothes that I dropped my robe right there and stepped in the dress. It was silky and white with a green mesh coming down from a band of white at the very top. The only strap was a thin string that came out of a green stone in the center, "Zip me someone," I asked being unable to reach it, I felt Peeta's fingers brush up against my spine zipping me up. I shivered and looked up at him over my shoulder, giving him a small smile.
"Well?" I ask straightening out the green mesh.
"You're glowing sweetheart."
I paced in the hall of the Justice Building hearing Paylor's words echo thorugh the halls.
"Seventy-seven years ago today," she started, "Twenty-four men and women were taken from their homes and put on display as a show of the government's control over the people that fed them, provided them with warmth, and manufactured everything they held near and dear to their hearts. Seventy-four years later the daughter of a coal miner stepped forward and took the place of someone she cared for, shaking this nation to its core and bringing forth the spark that ignited a Revolution against oppression, cruelty and the Games. OUR revolution!. Our children sleep safe at night not fearing the Reaping, or going hungry, we no longer fear the wrath of the Peacekeepers," her voice got more triumphant, "We are no longer prisoner!" I could hear the cheers through the door.
"Stop pacing…" Peeta pleaded, "And don't bite your nails." I brought my hand down from my mouth.
"And on this seventy-seventh anniversary of the first Reaping we destroy the grounds where so much innocent blood was spilled. The seventy-four remaining arenas will still be a place to visit, but to solemnly remember the life that was taken there. Monuments will be erected with the Tributes names and photographs so we never forget their faces as well as their sacrifice!" another cheer and like that it's over.
We backed away from the door as Paylor entered, "Are you two ready for this," I took Peeta's hand and we nodded.
"Now, as promised we've coerced our star-crossed lovers to come out of hiding," I took a deep breath. This was it.
My hand rubbed my stomach, "We can do this," I whisper looking up at Peeta who only nods as the door opens, the spotlights are bright as always but I look out on the assembled crowd who are cheering and applauding.
"Ladies and Gentleman of Panem, Katniss and Peeta Mellark," Caesar starts facing the crowd so he can't see my belly, though the cameras do, and so does the crowd, the applause gets louder. We walk and in hand to the love seat set up for us and I smile at Caesar's shock, "You've grown a little," he jokes as we sit down placing a hand on my shoulder.
"No, no, I'm still the same height," I look down at my stomach, "Oh you mean this? Yeah," I rub the bump, "We've been busy," I blush a little.
He shakes Peeta's hand, "So… The rumors about you two sleeping in separate houses is false I assume?"
"Most definitely, the only time we slept in different beds was the flu outbreak in March, Katniss got it and didn't want to get me sick," he nodded.
"But you're not wearing your rings," I hold up my hands to show him, laughing a little. He gets easier and easier to talk to each time.
"My hands are too swollen! I usually wear them around my neck but they rushed me out of the house," I shrugged.
"Wow…" his eyes haven't left my belly, "Just… You've been busy."
"Yeah, Peeta opened a bakery in town last month. I'm there every morning with him since I'm not allowed to hunt anymore," I look to Peeta and smile.
"Husband laid down the law?"
"I had to, she would waddle down the stairs in the morning. I couldn't have her in the woods," I looked up at him.
"I do not waddle," I retorted.
He smiled and kissed my nose, "You do too," we earned an aww from the audience.
"Well, is it a boy or a girl, when are you due? What is his or her name?"
"I'm due in November," he wraps his arm around me and pulls me close, kissing the top of my head, "Should we tell them the rest?"
"Nah, let's make them wait," Caesar looked disappointed.
"You're getting me off track, I was not expecting this!" his hand is on my stomach, "Oh! He kicked!"
I smiled, "Trust me, we weren't either. The doctor even, he had to check three times."
"Ah yeah, the Capitol birth control shot. But we have a picture of you just last week. Can we show it?" He looks around, "Heavensbee, I know you have it. You have a whole file full of them…" there's a screen to the side now with a picture of Peeta and I walking home from the bakery hand in hand, me in my father's hunting jacket.
"We didn't want the media attention, but our public lives and our personal lives had to meet up at some point. We just wanted to hold that off as long as possible," Peeta squeezed me kissing my head after he said this.
Caesar, after asking us about the home birth had to get back to the task at hand, asking us about the events that were to transpire starting tomorrow.
"We've heard rumors that you two will be returning for a third time to the arena, only this time willingly."
Peeta took this one, "It took us a while to decide, but we see it as closure, or are trying to," he put his hand on my stomach, "Our final goodbye to an era and the beginning of a new one," there's a deafening cheer as Peeta, as per usual, says exactly what the people want to hear.
"They will be counting down starting with 74 since someone destroyed the 75th. Will any of your entourage go see their arenas?"
To be honest we didn't even know, we exchanged looks, "We're not sure, I doubt it. If they are there I'm sure they'll be sitting in a hovercraft waiting for them to come down."
"Now, nothing has been touched since the games. Nothing, they usually send a crew in a month or two after the victory tour to clean it up, make it a tourist attraction, but with everything going on… It was left exactly as you two had left it," I looked down at Peeta, his bloody leg that the Capitol took after I placed a tourniquet on it to save his life flashed in my mind.
The interview concluded and Caesar kissed my hand, "Good luck, both of you, the next time we meet you'll have a baby in your arms," he shook Peeta's hand, "You take good care of them."
"Every day, for the rest of my life."
Another happy chapter :) I know I used to update like... Daily, but my raiding schedule just got more... well... More. (Sorry my Hunger Games addiction is about equal to my World of Warcraft addiction XD) Please review! I love hearing from you guys! :) I should have the next chapter up tomorrow or Monday, but I'm going to finish up the next chapter of my AU story first because I've been neglecting it. :C