OMG guys! This is chapter 21! WOW! Only 2 more chapters after this and then the epilogue! :) Thanks so much for your continued support of this story! Historical AU's are quite the undertaking, but it is so worth it when I have amazing readers like you! :)
This chapter is dedicated to Court81981 for REASONS and for being the best beta! - who leaves the greatest beta comments ever!
And with that ENJOY!
April 1775
"Can I come in?" I look up to see Katniss pressed against the molding of the doorway to the little side room where I write my speeches. She wears nothing but a nightgown and a devilish smirk.
"Of course." I drop the piece of parchment in my hands and gesture for her to come towards me. I push away from my desk, and Katniss walks straight to me and straddles my lap. The white material of her gown riding up reveals her thighs to me, which my hands find quickly. When my eyes meet hers, she grabs my chin, holding it still while she presses her lips to mine.
"What are you doing?" she asks as she pulls away and looks to my desk. "I have been waiting so long for you to join me in bed." She kisses my lips once more, then moves her mouth closer to my ear. "I may have become so tired of waiting that I started on my own." Her words and the flick of her hips against my hardening erection causes me to groan. My hands squeeze her thighs.
"I'm sorry, my love, I was just reading this." I reach over and lift the discarded paper off my desk. Katniss moves closer so she can examine it.
"What is it?"
"A speech, written by Patrick Henry." I say softly as I watch her examine the document, her gray eyes sparkling in the candlelight. She turns to me.
"Who is that?" She tilts her head.
"A famous orator and patriot."
"Oh," she examines the speech again, "and he wrote this?" I nod. "I am sure your speeches are much better," she adds matter-of-factly.
"Ah, no," I say with a chuckle. "His way with words far surpasses mine." She looks at me unconvinced, and I fall in love with her all over again. She turns back to examine the document for a moment before turning to me, her eyes alight with a glow I commonly see before pushing myself inside of her.
"Will you read it to me?" Her tongue jets out to wet her lips, and I involuntarily thrust my groin against her.
"Yes," I say before taking the speech from her hands. I move the candle closer so I can read the words on the piece of paper, even though I almost know them by heart now. I clear my throat.
"No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House…" As I recite the words on the parchment I take greedy glances at the woman straddling my lap. Her cheeks are flushed, her mouth slightly parted, and she stares at me intently.
"...Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings…"
"I love listening to you speak." Katniss purrs causing me to stop . I turn my head to look at her and she leans towards me to steal a kiss, then slinks off my lap, dropping to her knees in front of me.
"What…?" She stops me with a finger to her lips.
"Keep reading, please?" When I continue to stare at her, she gestures her head towards the speech. "Please?" she says again, this time more urgently. I manage to tear my eyes away from my wife and back to the document.
"...We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty?..." I choke on the world 'liberty' as I feel Katniss undoing my pants, and she reaches her hand inside to retrieve the hardness I feel for her.
"Keep going," she whispers as her fingers gently brush my length. I swallow roughly against my suddenly dry throat as I continue to read. As the words spill from my mouth, her grasp on me becomes tighter and she begins to pump me in rhythm with my speech.
"Katniss," I release her name in a gasping moan. My eyes are finding it hard to focus on the words in front of me.
"...Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with those warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled that force must be called in to win back our love?..."
And suddenly I feel the wet warmth of her mouth wrap around me, her tongue pressed against me as she hums in satisfaction. Ever since our wedding when she first took me into her mouth, it has become something of a favorite thing for Katniss to do. I am not complaining, but it makes it hard to speak. My words are replaced by incoherent groans as her mouth moves up and down my throbbing erection, but after a moment she stops, her gaze telling me I better continue if I want her to as well. I try to rub the blurriness from my eyes and attempt to focus enough to read.
"... Let us not deceive ourselves, sir. These are the implements of war and subjugation; the last arguments to which kings resort. I ask gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen assign any other possible motive for it?..." I pause to moan "... If we wish to be free — if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending — if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained — we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us!..." My free hand thrusts into her dark tresses.
"... There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable — and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come…" I am crying out the words as her mouth sucks on me faster and faster with each pass.
"...It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace — but there is no peace. The war is actually begun!..." I stop short, a strangled cry ripping from my mouth as I spill myself into Katniss's mouth. She dutifully swallows as the movement of her mouth begins to slow, and my whimpers begin to die out, my breathing returning to normal, and I eye her like she is my first meal in days.
I quickly thrust myself out of my chair and gather my wife—my incredible wife—into my arms and head towards our bedroom, Patrick Henry's speech left abandoned on my desk, but I don't need it to continue. I know the last lines by heart. I move my lips so they are close to her ear.
"...Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" She moans as I finish the words, but it is not enough for me. I want to make her scream, and so I make sure the windows are closed tightly before I lower her to our bed.
Katniss and I don't spend much time together for the next couple of weeks. Everything is moving so quickly, and although we all know that war was inevitable, we feel so ill prepared once it is encroaching on our doorstep.
First comes word that British troops are moving towards Concord to destroy the large cache of weaponry and ammunition the rebels have stored there. It is also discovered that the British troops intended to kidnap both Haymitch and John Hancock when they marched on Concord. I can only thank God for our spies and Paul Revere, William Dawes and Dr. Samuel Prescott who ride through the night to warn everyone that the Redcoats were coming.
Katniss and I happened to be at the Abernathy estate when word came of the British movement, and so the estate turned into a safe house. Despite the news of the plot to kidnap him or the fact that we knew some sort of confrontation was going to happen in Concord—one we may not be able to survive—Haymitch walked around all night with a wide grin on his face. Katniss thought it nothing more than nervous energy, but I knew my mentor a little better. He was excited—excited that all of this was finally coming to a head.
When we receive word that the rebels had won the day, Haymitch startles the sleepless room with a victory cry before grabbing a surprised Portia and planting a kiss on her lips. When Haymitch turns to Katniss and I with amusement at our slack-jawed faces, his mouth turns into a smirk.
"I have had to watch too many of your impromptu kisses; allow me mine."
Since the night that I found Gale drunk and out of his mind in that tavern, things have not been the same between us. When I tried to talk to him about that night, about Madge, about anything, he would brush me off, crack a joke or a smile, and then walk away.
He rarely attends family get-togethers now, and really only comes around when he is going hunting with Katniss—which she now does more often just so she can see him. She says he doesn't talk to her in the woods either, but that he at least seems happier amongst the trees.
Katniss has made good on her promise to help Abigail Adams and the other women with the Revolutionary cause. Her first task has been to help make a supply of saltpeter for the rebels. She enjoys her time with the ladies, and I enjoy my job, but usually by the time I arrive home at night she is already asleep, and when I wake in the morning she has already left to go hunting or to help with Rue, or to meet other rebel women. There is so much to do when war is coming!
It is nearly mid-June when we receive word that British generals are planning on moving and occupying the hills that surround Boston. This would give their troops' optimal positioning, and they could easily use it to attack the city. It is decided that William Prescott will take 1200 men and fortify the area on top of Breed's Hill since it allows a better view into Boston. A few days later the British arrive and mount their attack against the colonists.
Haymitch, Gale and I happen to be present at the same strategy meeting for the Sons of Liberty when we receive word that shots have rung out at Breed's Hill. Haymitch immediately calls the meeting to a close and insists that I come with him to check the area out. Gale comes along and soon the three of us are making our way towards the fight in Haymitch's carriage.
When we get close enough, we begin to discern the blasts from muskets and cannons, a cloud of smoke billowing over the trees that surround the hill.
"Let's see if we can get closer." Haymitch says with a grin as he hits the wall behind him, indicating to the driver that he should keep moving. The closer we get to the hill the louder it gets, and I can smell the burning gunpowder. My heart begins to speed up.
"Looking a little pale there, boy." Haymitch barks.
"I'm fine." I narrow my eyes at him, turning to look outside the carriage.
"Don't mind him." Gale chuckles. "He's just afraid of what his wife may do to him if she knows he was this close to harm's way." Both men boisterously laugh at my expense.
"Oh and you're not afraid of Katniss?" I snap at Gale.
"No," He answers confidently with a grin plastered on his face.
"You are a liar." I glare at him, but he merely shrugs at the accusation. "Well just
know she's going to be just as mad at you as she will be with me." For a moment I watch Gale's face fall and something undefined swim in his dark eyes, but just as quickly the cocky smile is back.
"Well I can keep a secret if you can, pretty boy." I roll my eyes, but can't help but smile. It's nice to see Gale acting like Gale again.
We get as close to the action as the horses will let us, but when they begin to cry out at the sound of explosions, we know we have come as far as we can. Gale hangs out of the carriage, inspecting the area, but the horses are really getting restless now.
"Come on, Gale, let's go." I call to him, but he ignores me and steps down from the carriage. "Gale!" I yell to him again. He turns to me and gives me a small smile.
"I'm going to see if they need help." And then he turns to run towards the battle before I can even register what he's said.
"Gale!" I scream out of the carriage once I gain my wits about me. I jump down, but Haymitch's strong hand grips my shoulder.
"No, you aren't going anywhere, boy," he growls. "Get back in the carriage, if that cousin of yours wants to get himself killed that's his business." I wretch myself away from my mentor, and before my brain can stop my feet I'm running in the same direction as Gale.
"Peeta!" I hear Haymitch howl at me, but I don't stop. my thighs burn with exertion as I move closer and closer to the hill, to the fight, and most importantly, Gale.
I race up the hill, keeping an eye out for British soldiers until I reach the crest of Breed's Hill. I am winded, my heart thumps against my chest, and my lungs sting when I try to take in breath. There is chaos around me. Men run around, some dirty and confused. Some carry weapons, others carry supplies. Men yell orders while others load their guns. I frantically scan the area; the gunpowder clouds sting my eyes, and the dust kicked up from the men around me dries my throat, but somehow I manage to lay eyes on Gale, not far from me. His forehead is glistening with sweat as he quickly loads a musket. I run towards him.
"Goddamn it, Gale." I growl at him as I approach him. He looks up at me, at first surprised, and then amused.
"Get out of here, Peeta," he says calmly. An explosion erupts behind him and my heart leaps into my throat as I watch a few men fall to the ground and remain motionless
"Not without you!" I yell at him.
"These men need help!"
"These men don't need you," I hiss. Gale's face falls for a moment, but then his eyes darken as they narrow, and his mouth sets into a grim line and his jaw clenches.
"Yeah, well no one needs me." He turns and walks into the fray.
"Fuck, Gale..." I am interrupted when a man shoves a musket into my arms.
"You need a gun," the man says in a gruff voice. I wave him off but hold on to the weapon as I hurry to follow Gale.
"Gale, I didn't mean that... Gale." I watch him set up at a manmade wall, and he begins to aim down the hill.
"Get out of here before you get hurt, Peeta," he says as he kneels to get into position. "Go home and take care of Katniss."
"Goddamnit, Gale I'm not leaving…." The rest of the words are knocked from my mouth when I am thrown to the ground as an explosion rings out. The air is knocked out of me, and my vision is blurry when I land. My ears are ringing and a sharp pain shoots through my skull as I try to locate Gale, but I can't see him anywhere, and then I see nothing at all.
I awake shivering. I am cold aside from my left hand, which is being caressed in a blanket of warmth. I open my eyes slowly, but the light from the surrounding torches hurts my head. I turn my head and suck in a sharp breath when I see Katniss sitting beside me, my hand in between both of hers.
"Katniss," I call to her in a raspy voice. She offers me a small sad smile, but her skin seems to be a shade of green. "What are you doing here?"
"Haymitch told me that you ran after Gale."
"Gale!" I cry out as I try to sit up, remembering that I lost sight of him at the time of the cannonball explosion.
"Shhh." Katniss coos as she pushes me back down on the wooden cot I am lying on. "You hit your head pretty hard." I reach up and feel a cloth bandage wrapped around my forehead.
"Katniss." I say cautiously. "Where's Gale?" I see the tears instantly well up in her eyes, and her teeth sink into her trembling lip and I know the answer. A breathy sob escapes her mouth and I feel her squeeze my hand tighter. A lump begins to form in my own throat as I think the words I don't want to hear out loud.
Gale is dead!
"Katniss," I say quietly, trying to comfort her even though the world is spinning
around me and everything feels numb.
"Hush," she says as she brushes her thumb over my cheek. "I'll go fetch the doctor."
She stands and I want to call her back, but blackness is starting to fill my vision again, but before I go completely under I watch as my wife takes a few steps and then falls limply to the ground. And then the darkness comes again.
Ahhh so yeah! For those of you who read A Healing Heart as well I promise I didn't go all blood lust-like for my characters...these two updates just happen to fall at the same time! (Both deaths had been planned for a long time now.)
Fun Facts:
1. Today (9/20/13) Is the ONE YEAR anniversary of TREASON! WOAH!
2. Out of the three men charged with warning the masses that the British were coming - Paul Revere, William Dawes and Dr. Samuel Prescott - Only Prescott actually completed the ride to Concord, as the other two men were detained by British soldiers during the ride.
3. The Battle of Bunker hill is considered a A Pyrrhic victory for the British. Meaning that although they gained ground with their victory - the number of men/forces lost completely outweigh said victory - over 800 wounded and 226 killed- compared to the colonists 305 wounded and 115 killed.
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Thanks for reading!