I wake up to a soft wail filling the bedroom. My face feels crusty and damp from tears and Peeta is gone.
I sit up, frantic.
He's coming in here with Noah.
"Katniss honey, he's really hungry." He says. I must have slept right through him wake up.
I hold my arms out for him and he hands him to me.
I pull off my shirt and pull down my bra, half awake. I move him to he can latch on. He does, suckling hungrily. I start to drift off and eventually fall asleep completely.

The next time I wake up, Noah is gone, I'm no longer exposed and its morning. I hear noises downstairs and thumps and the clacking of pans in the kitchen, the smell of bacon and eggs wafting up the stairs. Did Peeta seriously take care of Noah all night?
I stumble out of bed, tripping and falling, catching myself at the last second.
Stupid sheets.
I untangle the sheet from me feet and run my fingers through my snarled hair.
I'm only in Peeta's shirt.
I yawn and slide on sweatpants.
I stretch, my tense muscles cracking.
I go into the master bathroom and brush my teeth.
Then I slip out of the bedroom and go downstairs.
"There she is!" Rye says when he sees me. Everyone is happy and joyful, all laughing or smiling. Theres even some christmas music playing. Oh right, it's Christmas Eve. Peeta and Mr. Mellark are nowhere to be seen.
Cinna has Noah, who is wide awake and looking around, interested.
"Sleep well?" Mom asks. I nod, scrubbing my hands over my face.
"You look dead," Jo notes, causing me to laugh a bit.
"Thank you, you're so nice to me." I say sarcastically.
"Your welcome, Brainless." She says happily, high-fiving me.
I roll my eyes.
I jump slightly when arms envelop me from behind and then sigh at my stupidness and lean into his touch.
"Sleep well?" Peeta whispers in my ear.
"Mmm hmm," I mumble, tilting my head back to look up at him as he stares right down at me. Then I turn around in his arms and wrap my arms around his waist. He pecks my nose and then my lips. None of us bring up last night. There's no reason to, anyways. It's done. Why dwell on something in the past?
Or so I thought.
"You know that was a close call last night." Mom remarks.
I tense slightly. Why the fuck does she have to go and do that?
I don't let myself get angry with her.
"Yeah, it was. Would you two have gotten divorced?" Mrs. Mellark presses further. Everyone is quiet now, probably all wondering the same thing.
"No. All of you thought I was leaving forever. It was only going to be for today. Just so he could completely calm down." I say into Peeta's chest, tightening me grip on him.
"Oh..." Annie trails off.
"What I really want to know is why you wouldn't take Noah when he was crying." Mr. Mellark begins. Peeta sighs loudly.
I release him and step back.
"Did you guys not see how angry I was? I probably would have held him too right or hurt him or something! I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did that!" He bursts. "I didn't mean to upset you guys, but honestly, it was for Noah's benefit."
"Well that makes a ton of sense." Jared says. I cough awkwardly.
"I'm uh...sorry I slapped you." I say. He laughs.
"It's fine," he says.
Audrey giggles.
"We're sleeping down here tonight! Will Santa still come?" She asks me, her eyes wide. I look at Jessica, who nods.
I kneel down in front of her.
"Only if your sleeping!" I say, tapping her nose. Her eyes widen and she jumps up, grabbing pillows off the couch and some blankets. She begins to assemble them directly in front of the lit fireplace.
"Maddie come on Santa won't come unless we are sleeping!" She says frantically. I smile.
"You have to be sleeping tonight!" I say.
She looks up at me.
"I don't have to sleep now?" She asks, her eyes saucers. I laugh.
"No. Not right now." I say. She sighs happily.
"I wasn't even tired, anyways!" She says, putting the pillows back on the couch. I smile. She's so adorable.
She sits down on the floor.
"Do babies get stuff from Santa too? Will Noah?" She asks nobody in particular.
"Of course sweetie," Jessica says.
"I'm surprised he's not hungry." Peeta says, slinging his arm around my shoulder. "He hasn't eaten since two last night." He notes.
"Speaking of," I begin. "Why did you watch him all night?" I ask.
"Because you were sleeping and I didn't want to wake you." He says. "And you looks so cute that I couldn't bring myself to wake you anyways." He says. "Except for when he was hungry." He adds.
"How many times did he wake up?" I ask. He hesitates and holds up three fingers. "Well then I have to stay up with him tonight. That's not fair." I say. He shakes his head.
"We can take turns." He says.
"We didn't last night," I argue.
"Well then starting tonight, we will, okay?" He asks gently. A sigh escapes my lips.
"Fine," I say.
Of course jinked Noah being hungry, because he begins to cry.
"You jinked him being hungry," I say. He rolls his eyes.
"I did not," he says.
"Wanna bet?" I say. I really want to hold Noah so I'm glad he's crying.
I walk over to Cinna and lift Noah from his arms.
I grab a blanket and cover myself, still standing.
The second I'm exposed, he falls silent.
"Told you," I say, sticking my tongue out at Peeta.
"Keep it up," he says. I roll my eyes.
"You don't scare me," I say.
"No but I can deprive you." He says.
"You wouldn't dare." I say.
"Just for that, I'm gonna do it." He says. All the teenagers and adults snicker.
"This is going to be the most interesting holiday..." Prim says.
Peeta snaps his fingers.
"Cut off," he says. I roll my eyes.
"You know that deprives you, too. And I think we're all aware that I'm going to make sure to drive you crazy." I say.
"No because I'm gonna stay away from you." He argues. I laugh.
"Good luck with that." I retort. Noah pulls away from me.
I cover myself and then go upstairs to the nursery.
I get a burp towel and begin to burp him.
Eventually, he burps.
I toss the towel in the hamper and then rock him to sleep, kissing his cheek and then placing him in his crib.
I go into our bedroom and pull on a red long sleeve shirt that hangs off once shoulder and then pull on white jeans. I brush my hair, spray on a ton of sweet pea, because I know it drives Peeta absolutely wild and start to head downstairs. I make sure to walk quickly past Peeta, so he'll get a short whiff of the sweet pea, but just enough to drive him wild. He inhales deeply and an evil smirk appears on my lips. I look back at him.
"Something wrong?" I ask innocently. His eyes are already dark. He coughs.
"Nope, just dandy." He says.
"Okay," I say, calling him a liar in my head.
Prim is the only one that doesn't look happy. I wrote a song for something like this, just because.
I still have my guitar.
"I think we need someone to sing a song." Lauren says.
"I will," I say. I hesitate. "I'll be right back..." I sigh nervously and jog upstairs.
I get the guitar and go back down.
"Is this another song you've wrote and not told us about?" Annie asks excitedly. I bite my lip and nod.
"I didn't have a meaning for it before...I wrote it when we were stuck in that hurricane. I remembered a movie and I got the idea..." I sigh and sit down. I think they're gonna know its for Prim. They all probably already know.
I clear my throat and begin to strum. (This is stronger by Kelly Clarkson)

You know the bed feels warmer
Sleeping here alone
You know I dream in colour
And do the things I want

You think you got the best of me
Think you've had the last laugh
Bet you think that everything good is gone
Think you left me broken down
Think that I'd come running back
Baby you don't know me, cause you're dead wrong

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself and I
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone

You heard that I was starting over with someone new
They told you I was moving on over you

You didn't think that I'd come back
I'd come back swinging
You try to break me, but you see

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself and I
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone

Thanks to you I got a new thing started
Thanks to you I'm not the broken-hearted
Thanks to you I'm finally thinking about me
You know in the end the day you left was just my beginning
In the end...

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself and I
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone

(When I'm alone)

When I'm done, everyone is silent.
Then, Prim grins and hugs me.
"I needed that," she says. I smile.
"I know you did." I whisper. Then, she pull out her phone.
She gestures for everyone to be silent.
"Cole? Yeah, hi. I just wanted to let you know that your the most arrogant, rude, disrespectful human being I have ever met. Your rude and disgusting. I'm sorry I spent a single second of my life with you. Oh, and just letting you know, I'm not going to be dwelling on you, because you've made me stronger." She hangs up on him.
Everyone is shocked.
I stand up and high five her.
"That's my sister!" I say. She grins.
"I can't wait till he shows up in math on Monday." She says. My stomach plummets.
"What?" I ask. She frowns.
"He's in my class." She says.
She grabs the file which is still on the coffee table and flips through it. "His real name is Collin but everyone calls him Cole. See? Collin Kade." She points him out.
I rip the file from her hands and flip through it to the pictures of the students.
"Oh god, you have Megan Parker." She groans. "That bitch is so stupid." I roll my eyes and flip to my sixth period; the senior class.
I see Prim's picture and some other kids and then I see Cole's. I groan loudly and slam the file shut.
"Well don't expect me to be nice to him." I say, crossing my arms across my chest.
"You have to. You have no idea how much everyone freaks out in that class." She says. I sigh loudly.
"What exactly am I walking into?" I demand.
"Well...the first teacher got fired for hitting a kid, and then eventually all the substitutes have hit a kid. Every single kid in all the classes has been hit. So everyone is going to be thinking they're going to be hit." She says.
"You've been hit?" I ask. She nods.
"Well shit," I say.