AH! We're a week away from CHRISTmas! I can't wait.
FYI, I just want to say to all the Guests who have read my story, I wish I could respond to you all! Your Reviews are as important as everyone else's.
For the record, this is one of my personal favorite chapters. I hope you all like it too.
Looking forward to the Reviews,
-thamockingjayandpeeta
The first person we saw when we exited the stage was Mrs. Everdeen. Katniss ran to her and the two women embraced. We knew she would be getting here late tonight. We just weren't sure what time.
Katniss and Mrs. Everdeen were barely hugging when Gale came up to us, and his face was set.
"Are you two insane?" Gale asked. "Do you know the amount of danger you two just made for yourselves? That you've made for all us? I'm sure President Paylor is shitting bricks right now."
"President Paylor was warned that they might do this," said Plutarch, walking up to all of us. "It was on my orders that they did so."
"It doesn't matter. We need to get you two back to your hotel, and locked in, until we can assign more security to you. You two are indoors for tonight." He turned and started walking, and we had no choice but to follow.
"You did the right thing," Plutarch called after us.
Mrs. Everdeen, Haymitch, and Effie followed behind us.
I don't know what kind of power Gale had, but there was ten times more security now than before. They all surrounded us to the car. We got into the car, blinded by cameras flashing.
The streets, for once, were silent, and I knew it was because of the shock of the interview.
By the time we got to the hotel, though, people had recovered. More cameras met us outside, and even more fans were shouting our names. They seemed to be on our side….
When we reached our elevator there were two guards at the door. "No one else gets in and out of this elevator," Gale told the security guards. He turned to us as we rode the elevator. "You want to eat, don't order room service. You tell one of the guards, and they'll contact me. All of you can stay here tonight if you wish, but once you're inside, no one will be permitted to leave or enter again, other than myself. I will not budge on that."
"I'm not leaving them," Haymitch said. He turned to Effie. "Princess maybe you should—"
The look on Effie's face had him choking on his words. "I'm not going anywhere," she told him firmly.
"Nor am I," said Mrs. Everdeen.
"Very well."
I personally thought Gale was overreacting, but we did as we were told.
Maybe it was the talk of the Rebellion, or Gale's reaction to our admission, but for whatever that reason, I had my first nightmare in I don't know how long. This time it was Katniss who was comforting me, holding me, brushing my hair out of my face.
"What'd you dream about?" she whispered, her breath warm against my neck.
"The 74th Games. I handed you my knife and you turned into a mutt and killed me, after telling me that you hated my guts and would never love me, and that Gale was ten times the man I was."
She sat up and looked at me.
"It was just a dream." And she was supposed to be the one comforting me.
"Do you resent me? For what I did?"
"Of course not," I told her, sitting up so that I could face her. "I wasn't even mad. Well, not at you. I was more mad at myself for not seeing it sooner. And… hurt. For a little while I wondered why you just didn't kill me in the Games. It had to hurt less than that ache in my heart." She turned away from me. "I wouldn't have told you if I knew you'd get so upset. It was just a stupid dream. Gale wasn't even what bothered me. You killed me in the dream. That's what made it a nightmare."
"That doesn't bother me because I know I'd never kill you. But I hurt you, on more than one occasion, with the whole Gale thing, and it still bothers me."
"Well I've forgiven you. Seems like you need to forgive yourself."
With those words, I lied back down and let sleep consume me.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The memorial service actually took all day to prep for. Haymitch and Effie were in the bedroom they slept in, as the penthouse had many bedrooms, and were being worked on by a team handpicked by Flavius. Mrs. Everdeen was getting the same treatment in another bedroom. I was in the downstairs Master's Suite, while Katniss was upstairs in our bedroom.
We hadn't been allowed to leave the room for breakfast, but not per Gale. Per Flavius. There was too much work to be done, apparently, so they had trays of food and wine bought up.
Getting ready took longer than usual, because Mrs. Everdeen started crying half way through, which in turn caused Katniss to start crying, and then got Effie started.
Flavius used waterproof makeup the second time around.
When everyone was finished, I looked around.
Everyone was dressed in black, but the turquoise accents made it so nobody looked somber. Haymitch had on another black suit, though he wore a turquoise bowtie with gold primroses stitched into them. Effie wore a long, slender black dress with gold accessories, including a bracelet in the shape of tiny primroses. Her hair and makeup were turquoise. I wore black pants, a black leather suit jacket, a gold slim tie with turquoise primroses stitched on it. Mrs. Everdeen wore a one-piece dress, the top glittering with turquoise and gold, the bottom made up of black primroses.
But Katniss was truly the belle of the ball. For once she wasn't wearing a dress, but a slender black one-piece pants suit with a low-cut V that cut down all the way to her exposed navel. She wore a long, leather cape with silk turquoise lining the inside. She had her gold mockingjay pinned to her right breast, but perhaps most importantly, she had a halo of white primroses on her head, her hair down and wavy.
Katniss turned to Flavius. "The primroses were a beautiful touch," she told him, her eyes filled with tears.
We were unprepared for the amount of cameras and reporters. They all yelled at us, asking us to say something, anything. Questions pertaining to our interview were being screamed at us. There were thousands of fans between here and President Paylor's mansion, and we were scheduled to leave two hours before the event, and rightfully so, because it took us an hour to get there, even though it was only a few miles away.
"Jesus," whispered Katniss. "I never thought we'd be here again. You okay?"
"Yah. This Capitol isn't the same Capitol that took me. I'm fine." Katniss smiled at me and I saw her reach over and grab her mother's hand.
Together, we made our way up the stairs.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
We sat at a table, facing the entire world. President Paylor, who looked as beautiful as ever in a silk white dress, a primrose pinned to her breast, a charm bracelet with a mockngjay on it on her wrist, approached us like old friends. Being President had not aged her a bit.
"Welcome back," she had said when we arrived, kissing each of us. "Peeta, you look as handsome as ever." Her brown eyes sparkled when she got Katniss. "I hope you're not too mad at me, Katniss. I know you don't really want to be here."
"It's not as bad as I thought," replied Katniss. "You look great."
"As do you. May I say, the interview was the best I've ever seen."
"You're just saying that because you were mentioned," I said with a smile.
She flashed me a grin. "Katniss, if I were a few years younger, and didn't care a thing about you, I swear I'd take this charming baker from you."
"Get in line," said a voice behind us, and we were greeted with a beautiful Johanna. "Didn't mean to interrupt, Madam President."
"You look great, Johanna," President Paylor said, shaking Johanna's hand. Johanna was dressed in all black, a necklace of primroses around her neck, a mockingjay ring on her hand.
"As do you. I'd kill to have your curves."
"You do have my curves. They say a woman's best curve is her smile."
Johanna rolled her eyes. "If that's what your speech is going to sound like tonight, point me to the nearest bar."
Katniss snickered.
We made small talk, Gale, Beetee, Annie, Haymitch, Mrs. Everdeen, and Effie joining us. A few minutes before the ceremony Presient Paylor excused herself.
"Your seats are at the table, next to the Speaker's Box. I'll see you all shortly," Paylor said, and disappeared.
Katniss and I looked stricken, then turned towards Haymitch and Effie.
"Did you know?" I asked Haymitch and Effie.
Their silence was my confirmation.
"You set us up," Katniss said. "You're putting us on display."
"Young lady," and Katniss and I turned to Effie, bracing ourselves, because it had been years since she had taken on that tone. "You two are here as guests of the President. Of course you'll sit at her special table. You should be honored."
"I think your wig is too tight," Katniss snapped.
"Katniss," I warned. "It won't be that bad." She huffed and walked away. I stepped to Effie. "You should have warned us," I whispered. "She'd have cooperated in the end. It gets tiring having people constantly go behind your back making plans you know nothing about."
Effie's eyes filled with tears but she blinked them away.
She had gone and apologized to Katniss, and we sat in the Presiden't Box, President Paylor in the center, Katniss next to her, me next to Katniss, Haymitch next to me, and Effie at the end. On President Paylor's left sat a handsome Black man that must be Paylor's date, Mrs. Everdeen, Plutarch, and Caesar.
Paylor's speech was beautiful as she spoke of those who lost their lives and left Snow completely out of it. Her speech made this night about the fallen victims, not the horrors we had fought for. She spoke lovingly and kindly, and with warmth and awe in her voice as she spoke of Prim, and Katniss held my hand, tears falling down her face.
Afterwards, those of us at the table, as the most important faces of the Rebellion, including Annie, Johanna, Gale, Beetee, and all those who had survived, followed President Paylor towards the covered statues. Katniss stood between her mother and me.
Counting down from ten, Paylor cut the rope keeping the memorial covered, and the sheet came floating down, revealing a large, golden statue of several people, from Cinna, Wiress, Finnick, Mags, and Boggs. There were also other children, whose names I didn't know, as well as Rue, but Prim stood above all the others, tall and proud, the details ridiculously accurate, down to her two pigtails, her shirt untucked in the back.
"May we please have a moment of silence," Paylor said, and before she could bow her head, Katniss let go of my hand, her three fingers pressed to her lips, and whistled out the four-whistle tune, putting her arm in the air, tears falling down her face.
It seemed appropriate, and the rest of chimed in after her.
Afterwards we all walked back to the table, where Caesar lightened the mood by asking Katniss to dance. President Paylor asked me to dance, and I obliged. Afterwards I danced with Effie and Johanna while Katniss danced with Haymitch and Beetee.
Gale approached Katniss at the same time Mrs. Everdeen approached me.
Her eyes were still red, but when she came up to me, she smiled.
"I didn't really get a chance to talk to you while you two were in 4," she told me as we danced. "But I did want to say thank you."
"For what?"
"For being braver than me, and returning back to 12 to help Katniss. I wasn't brave enough to do it. 12 hadn't been home for me for quite some time. Most of the townspeople hated me because I married my husband, and those from the Seam thought that he could do way better than me as a wife. Leaving 12 was easier than I ever thought it'd be. Leaving Katniss was much harder. But she's so much better with you. You wouldn't know this of course, but she got better the minute you returned. It may not have seemed like it, but I heard a difference even in her voice. She's very fortunate to have you."
"I feel the same."
"You would. She told me about you planting primroses. That was sweet."
"Prim was sweet, and she deserved to live on in the flowers her name comes from."
Mrs. Everdeen's eyes filled with tears but she didn't let them fall. "I wanted to tell you… your father was a good man, Peeta, and I did care about him. My husband just…."
"Mrs. Everdeen, you don't owe me an explanation. What happened between my father and you was years ago."
"History has a way of making things… I don't want to say right, but that's the word that comes to mind. Marrying my husband wasn't wrong, but I won't say there weren't times I didn't wonder how my life would have been with your father. But you being with Katniss… I think that's the Universe's way of making things right. Your father didn't get me, but you got Katniss, and she got you, and I've never seen her look at anyone like she looks at you.
"And the look in your eyes when you see her, the way you always know when she's in the room, or nearby… well let's just say that's a paternal trait. I loved my husband, but I cared about your father, and I knew him, and I know he'd be proud of you. And I'm grateful, and so happy, that you are with Katniss, because she deserves you, and you deserve her."
She reached up and wiped away a tear I didn't even know had fallen.
"I don't have to tell you take care of her. You've done that since the minute your name was called in the Reaping. Just keep doing what you're doing." She kissed me softly on the cheek and backed away, and I took a few shuddering breaths to calm my nerves.
When Katniss walked up to me, her arms slithered around my neck and I pressed myself into her.
"Are you okay?" Katniss asked softly.
"Yah. Are you ready to go?"
"I am if you are, but I thought we could share at least one dance."
"Everybody wants a piece of the Mockingjay," I said with a smile.
She scoffed. "No, everybody wants a piece of you. You should have heard some of the things the girls were saying. The most flattering thing I heard was something along the lines of, 'I get it: she's the Mockingjay, but besides that, what else does he see in her?' I also got a lot of, 'I wish he'd settle down with me. He deserves much better than a Seam girl. A Capitol girl is much better suited for Mr. Mellark.'
I snorted. "These people are still as full of themselves as ever."
I hugged Katniss, planting soft kisses on her neck.
"Okay, forget the dance. Let's go." I heard the urgency, the desire in her voice, and we broke apart to find Haymitch and Effie, who were dancing together, very closely.
"We're calling it a night," I told them.
"Us too. We're emotionally drained," said Effie.
"Let's find President Paylor, say our goodbyes, and head out," I suggested, and we did just that, also letting Mrs. Everdeen know. She said she wanted to stay a while longer, and she headed off in the direction of the memorial. Katniss watched her and I looked at Katniss, and she shook her head.
"She needs to grieve," said Katniss.
With our security in tow, we headed back to the hotel.
Okay, I had to add in a Mrs. Everdeen and Peeta moment, because I felt like there was a great back-story with Mrs. Everdeen and Peeta's father. I just find it an interesting dynamic that Peeta's father loved her, but it was Peeta who had gotten Mrs. Everdeen's daughter. I don't believe in the "Universe" BS (I actually got that from Boy Meets World. Cory always talked about the Universe making things right). But I just love the fact that even though Mr. Mellark and Mrs. Everdeen didn't get together, their kids did. I felt that it was important for this moment/scene to happen. I always felt like Peeta needed closure. Hope you all agree and enjoyed.
Please Review your thoughts.
-thamockingjayandpeeta