Katniss's POV
Something was up with Peeta. I could feel it. He was keeping something from me. The first couple of days I didn't push it, but now I found my patience was wearing thin. I loved him. We were a team and we're soon going to be a family. Now was not the time to start holding things back from me.
"Baby, what's the matter? You've been distracted the entire weekend." I said to Peeta from the bed. He had been up and looking out the windows deep in thought for almost a half hour without saying anything. I could only pretend to read my book for so long.
"Sorry love. Did you say something just now?"
"Yes, I did. I asked you, what's the matter."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't do that. You know what I mean. What's on your mind, Peeta?" Peeta walked over to the bed and sat down on the corner of the mattress. He released a breathe I didn't realize he had been holding and placed his head in his hands rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"I still haven't heard back from Clove," He explained "We're the key witnesses and we're slated to be questioned sometime this week. She was supposed to get approval from the judge to allow us to appear via webcam because of safety reasons. She said she would give me a call back and has yet to contact me. I'm worried what that means."
"What if we choose to not testify?" I asked him honestly. I knew that it would be to dangerous at this point for us to go back into the capital especially with the media storm that surrounds this trial.
"If we don't testify, it doesn't look good. At the very least, they would drop the charges against my family and we would lose the restraining order, but we could face worse problems. My family could sue us for slandering their name, or worse…"
"What's worse?" I asked him.
"Cato and my mother are trying to make the case that because my mother approved the purchase and Cato signed the buyer's contract that they are the owners. It would mean that if they won and we didn't testify if they ever found us they would take you away from me."
I tensed. "Can they do that? Is that true?"
"They're reaching for anything that will clear their names at this point. They know we're in hiding and they're banking on us not testifying. If we don't testify, the charges get dropped and that could negatively effect the election."
"Peeta, let me make sure I'm hearing you right. If we don't testify, best case is Cato and your mother walk, we no longer have a restraining order against them and we could effect the biggest election in American history. Worst case if we don't testify is slavery isn't abolished and then your mother and Cato could try to claim ownership over me again. They could make you an enemy of the state and make the government start looking for us." Peeta nodded grimly.
"Peeta?" I said sweetly to him. When he looked up, I moved and took his face in both my hands "When the hell were you going to tell me about this?" I yelled at him.
Peeta flinched a little and wouldn't meet my gaze.
"I didn't want to upset or worry you! I swear, I was going to tell you when Clove called back to let us know if we could testify on webcam or not. It didn't seem necessary to have you worry until we knew the answer. I really just assumed the judge would be understanding and let us testify over webcam. But if there wasn't a problem, she would have called by now right?"
I let out a frustrated breath and touched my forehead to his. "How long has it been since the last time you spoke with her?"
"Three days."
Shit. That was a long time. No wonder he was so worried.
"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I really am. I love you," Peeta said sincerely.
"I know you are and I know you meant well. Peeta, we need to tell the others…or at least Damien. It sounds like he might have to testify as well no?"
When I mentioned Damien, Peeta ran his hands through his hair again.
"Katniss, Damien isn't himself when he's around my mother. There are some things that happened before you came to America that I… I realize now that I probably should have told you about. There was never a good time. The accident that made me lose my leg...the only an accident that night was that I got hurt..the rest was intended. There's so much more that I haven't told you about that night and-" Peeta got cut off mid sentence as Rue ran into our room.
"Peeta! Phone, it's Clove." She said looking worried.
What? What? Really!? Clove doesn't call for three days and just when Peeta finally gets up the courage to tell me about the night of his accident she calls? This is so frustrating! I have waited months and months to find out what happened.
Peeta gives me an awkward look and gets up quickly to grab the phone. I should not get upset. This is what he's been waiting for three days for and involves a much more important matter than telling me how he lost his leg.
I sat on the bed and I watched as Peeta spoke to Clove across the room. He looked up at me with fear in his eyes and immediately walked out of the room clutching the phone.
Mother. Fucker.
Peeta's POV
"Clove, what the hell is wrong? Why are you whispering?" I asked her worriedly.
I didn't even know Clove was capable of whispering.
"Listen loverboy. Cato's here. We're a little fucked. He found out I have one of your original videos and knows that I'm your Narc. The only way I've been able to keep him from running to mommy is by literally fucking him into submission. He's chained up in the playroom as we speak with a gag in his mouth and a dildo up his ass."
I flinched at the disgusting visual of my brother and Clove's sexual preferences before digesting what this information meant. Cato now knows Clove is my shit this was bad.
"How much does he know?"
"I don't know. The bitch you call mother must have suspected someone who was close to the family was giving information for your trial. It's my own fault. I got messy by jumping too soon on leaking their 'I really own the slave' strategy. She must have deduced it was me, that cunning bitch. She set Cato up with a hacker because I get home to see him and the hack going through all my locked monitors. Anyway, it's been a nightmare having to deal with it. I haven't made any phone calls in the past fucking three days because I can't get a grasp on what they are now monitoring. The only reason I've been able to keep Lucifer at bay is by texting her from Cato's mobile monitor that he's still working and he thinks he's onto something."
"How are you calling me now then?" I asked her worried that she just compromised our secure line.
"This is the hack's phone. I had to check first to make sure his line was untraceable. It took a few hours but after shitting a couples pounds of blood, the dickhead finally answered my questions." She whispered nonchalantly
It was cases like this that reminded me why I should be thankful that I remain on Clove's good side. I'm sure that hack is probably regretting the day he took a penny from the Mellark's. Any money he got from my mother is probably going to be spent on buying himself a new colon. I shuddered just thinking about it.
"Anyway, our line is safe for now but its only temporary. This bought you only a little time. Now that Cato knows it's only a matter of time before your mother gets the information off my drives. I'm melting it all now as we speak, but its only going to slow her down, its not enough to stop her. By the way, they managed to figure out where your mailbox is. They are just waiting to find an entrance to the house or a line to hack the security codes. You're being watched buddy. Cato's little troublemakers, you know the ones who burned down your friends' hotel? Yeah, they found the shipping records from that general store on the first floor sending supplies over your way. While you were in Panem or wherever the fuck you were, they set up a surveillance system that's roaming your property. You don't have too much time Baker boy. I only found out last night but it sounds like they've been watching you for almost two months."
I shut my eyes in frustration and punched the wall in the hallway. FUCK. This can't be happening. It's only a matter of time before the safe house is compromised. I have 10 people using this place as a safe haven including my extremely pregnant wife who was planning on giving birth here. I find out now that this place is more or less surrounded.
"What do I do?" I asked her honestly. I had thought I was being careful but I wasn't careful enough apparently.
"Don't worry I have a plan, but its ballsy. You up for ballsy, Peetie?"
"Considering the fact that my wife is in her third trimester of pregnancy, I was really hoping to avoid ballsy," I sighed "However considering the fact that you are the most devious person I know, it's probably in my best interests to listen to you if I'm planning on outwitting my mother."
"Alright, here's what your going to do. Get your little flock together and get out of there in the next day or so. If you can manage to not take the car, it would probably be the best idea. Keeps them thinking you haven't left. They'll assume your staying in the hideaway and not coming to testify. I'll spread the rumor that you're going to webcam in to testify and have the whole thing set up. We'll smother you and preggo in body armor and take you in through the back of the court. Your mother is planning to attack the safe house right before you start to testify. She's going to blame it on technical difficulties. You're going to choose that exact moment to come into the courtroom and blame her for attacking your safe house and breaching her restraining order contract by having her hired guns attack you. There'll be pandemonium and then you'll give your full eye witness account about why your mother deserves to have her skin peeled off slowly with a grapefruit knife. You'll tell them everything." She put extra emphasis on the 'everything'.
"Everything? As in Everything?"
"You heard me Mellark, EVERYTHING. It's judgment day for Edith Mellark and the reckoning is going to be a bitch."
I blew out a breathe. "Without a car, the only other way I can get out is by boat. Any ideas of where I can stay with ten people and not get caught?"
"I thought about that. There's only one place they won't look for you," She said
"You don't mean.."
"Yep. You gotta go to the beach house." She said on a weary sigh.
"Clove. I can't do that. Forget about me. I have Damien with me and Thresh...and Rue for Christ's sake."
"It's your only option Peeta. No one wants to remember that place."
"Fuck. I should have kept some devils blood for Damien. I think he'd rather kill himself than face those ghosts."
"I get it, you know I get it. I'll pick you up at the end of the drive Wednesday morning at 8."
"Can you come to the side of the house? It's at least a half a mile walk to the end of the drive and Katniss is pregnant."
"Be lucky I'm coming that close Mellark. I will never fucking step foot on that property again do you hear me?" Clove snapped at me. "I'll see you then. Spare keys are in the same place."
The line went dead even though I had a million other questions for her. I hit my head against the hallway wall trying to steady my breathing. How was I going to tell everyone? Not only did I fuck up big time, but we have to leave because they found the safe house. The new safe house is the source of half the group's darkest nightmares. This was going to be torture, a living mind fuck. I was taking my overly pregnant wife and her sister there, my wife's best friend, his girlfriend, Finnick, Annie and their toddler. And lets not forget Thresh, Damien and Rue, the last three people I would ever suggest go back to that house.
"Peeta?" Katniss quietly called to me from around our bedroom door. "Is everything okay?" I looked up at her and tried to speak but no words came out.
I tried again, but only felt tears came to my eyes. Fuck. I have to keep it together. I have too. Rue was standing right next to Katniss and I could tell by the look in her eyes that she had heard every word I said. She didn't hear every detail, but she knew enough. She looked at me on the floor and stared in disbelief. Seeing my expression her eyes went wide and she started shaking her head.
"THRESH!" Rue screamed at the top of her lungs and went running towards his bedroom.
Prim poked her head out of her room and saw me sitting on the floor down the hall. She looked over at Katniss and gave her an anxious look.
Katniss grasped the situation and gave Prim the order. "Let the others know to pack up Prim. We have to go somewhere else for a little while."
Finnick steered the boat quickly and silently through the black waters of the night. Both Katniss and Damien had thrown up multiple times on the journey over. Katniss from motion sickness made worse by pregnancy and Damien from the excessive quantities of booze he consumed upon hearing where we were going.
Rue sat tucked under Thresh's arm. Both of them remained tense and silent since we left the house. No one really spoke much. I sat next to Katniss holding her hand. Prim was on the other side of her. Katniss, Prim, Gale and Johanna had never been in a boat before. All of them were weary of it at first but the novelty has since died down over the 3 or so hours we've been on the boat.
I squeezed Katniss's hand as I saw the beach house come into view. It sat like a drifter in the night, unkempt and melancholy staring out at the sea with only nightmares to keep it company. Flashes of the last time I was here ran through my mind and a wave of nausea having nothing to do with the boat coursed through me.
"I'm staying in the fucking boat," Damien whispered in a mangled voice. "I have never been so sorry that I got sober then I do at this very moment." He continued to mutter to himself. Rue was shaking and Thresh had his eyes closed as if in pain. We were all seeing the same things.
"Where should I dock this thing, Peeta?" Finnick said to me breaking through my grotesque flashbacks.
"There's a boathouse to the left. You can go ahead and dock in there." I said to him
"Death surrounds this house," Prim said as we walked up the back stairs. Her comment surprised me and I looked over at her. As far as I knew no one had told her what had happened here. She saw my surprise and shrugged at me. "I was a healer back in 12, I saw a lot of things during the rebellion. I was always able to tell before going into a house if I was to late to save the victim."
I walked up to the back door and pressed my foot on the eighth floor board to the right of the door. It sprang open and revealed the keys to the haunted house we were hoping would protect us for the next few days. My hand shook as I reached to place the key in the lock when I felt Katniss's warm hand on mine.
"Let me," She said knowingly. I was grateful to have her with me even though I had never wanted her to see this place. She turned the key in the lock and the door swung open. Memories rushed out at me as I took in the dusty living room, the cold fireplace mocking the warm memories that once filled my mind.
"Where are we all sleeping?" Rue said to me in a terrified whisper.
"All together in the eastern sun suite, the 3 bedrooms, the murphy, and the pull out couch. We stay together away from the shadows," I repeated back.
Rue practically ran towards the relative safe haven I had decided we would stay in. The sun suite was the best option by far. There were no memories of that night in the sun suite. Gale, Johanna, and Prim followed Rue with the bags of food and supplies we brought. Annie had baby Finn strapped to her body and wheeled the rolling suite case with medical supplies. Finnick held the two duffels with the clothing and bedding.
I pulled Katniss along with me keeping my eyes on the floor and away from the broken staircases and other evidence of my last night here. The walk felt like miles when it was probably less then three minutes. Finally, we reached the sunroom and I saw everyone begin to set up camp. Gale had lit candles. Johanna, Rue and Prim were making the beds. Annie was boiling water for tea on the little stove and Finnick was setting up our makeshift security station. Thresh was quietly arguing with Damien in the corner. I had a feeling I knew what that was about and was not going to try to get in the middle of it.
Rue looked up at me and said, "Peeta, why don't you and Katniss take the garden room." I nodded at her kindness and took Katniss with me to the room that was once my favorite place in the world. I opened the door and looked at what had become of the room that once embodied the epitome of my privileged youth.
"Peeta, this room..it's beautiful. It's just like your old suite at your family home," Katniss said in wonder and I nodded at her.
I stared out the window as I heard her turn down the bed and move to slowly close the door. She took my hands in hers and led me over to the bed. She sat me down and undressed me, the entire time I just watched her. She climbed on the bed beside me and leaned back against the pillows.
"Come here," She said to me. It was all the direction I needed to wrap myself around her. I buried my head into the side of her neck and breathed in the sweet aromas of my wife, the woman who rescued me from the darkness. She would keep the nightmares away.
"I love you so much. Please don't leave me here with them," I whispered to her hoarsely.
"I am never leaving you Peeta...ever. The nightmares won't reach you while I'm here. I don't know exactly what happened here, but I have some idea and I promise to guard you while you sleep," She said to me soothingly as she stroked my hair and the side of my face.
"Katniss, you don't understand. This is my hell, all of our hells. It's torture. You being here is like I got to take an angel with me. You're my happiness Katniss. I can't let go of you. I can't. You're the sunlight that pulled me out of darkness eight months ago" I said to her. My words were slowly starting to not make sense, but it seemed Katniss understood.
"You never have to let go. I will never leave you alone in the darkness. I'll follow you wherever you go. Now rest. The sooner you close your eyes, the sooner we can leave this place." She kissed my head and then took my lips in a secure kiss that helped me forget about where I was. I slept with the knowledge that Katniss would keep the nightmares at bay.
I hoped you all liked that little turn of fate. Thanks to my beta, wonderstruckflightrisk. Just so I don't surprise anyone this story will be ending in a week or so. If you are interested in a sequel, one shots, or some straight up everlark, just leave me a review to let me know. Feedback for this chapter is also greatly appreciated. Hope ya'll keep reading til the end! (Following and favoriting is always appreciated.)