The last time Katniss found out that Peeta was a Hybrid and on the heels of that she found out Janus was also more than what she appeared to be.
I do not own the Hunger Games
May 81st Year AFR
Outside of District Twelve, The Woods
Katniss stood in front of Janus, aiming an arrow at her heart. The woman was growing taller. The fine hairs that had sprouted from her skin grew wider into scales.
Without lowering her bow, Katniss tore her gaze from Janus. She was taking longer to transform than Peeta had. This could afford Katniss an opportunity to escape. Katniss' eyes quickly took in her location. She´d been running from Peeta and foolishly did not pay attention to the direction she was headed. At the time Katniss thought she had been running toward the border, but she found that she was in a different section of the woods. Normally, the station was to her left, now it was at her right and further away than what she anticipated.
The sound of a hiss and a popping noise brought Katniss' attention back to the changing woman before her.
Janus had transformed into a half-human half lizard-like creature. Her serpent eyes had turned from blue to red. Unlike the creature Peeta turned into, Janus had pinkish skin, Peeta´s body was covered in fur. Janus' face looked humanoid while Peeta's face turned into a beast with canines. Her bone structure was thicker, but she didn't have the same massive stocky frame Peeta had. Janus stood upright on two legs; she was at least 8 ft tall. Claw-like talons extended from her knuckles. The claws alone could shred Katniss to pieces just like the animals she and Gale found in the woods.
The creature before her shook its head as if trying to gain its bearings.
Taking a step back, Katniss saw her chance.
Katniss ran for the border. Her only chance at survival was to make it into the district. If that meant getting caught by the Peacekeepers, so be it. The path to the tower wasn't clear. The woods were overgrown due to the excess amount of snow and rain. Katniss used her diminutive size to her advantage.
Behind her, she could hear the hissing crackling sound of Janus approaching. Taking a chance in the clearing she shot the arrow behind her. A roar let her know she'd made her target. Katniss saw a cluster of trees with thick foliage ahead; she needed to gain some territory.
She quickly tucked her bow over her back and climbed up to the highest branch of the nearest tree and hid. From her perch, she saw Janus run past. Katniss pressed herself against the tree trunk to take a deep breath. It had escaped her memory that she was pregnant and therefore she tired far more easily.
From her perch she watched Janus run back and stop a short distance away.
"Katniss," Janus cried.
An arrow stuck out of the woman's arm. Janus yanked it out. The blood that seeped from the wound was red. Katniss kept quiet, not daring to move as Janus moved around the small clearing. Janus extended her neck and stood on tiptoes and sniffed the air. She growled in frustration then she looked to the ground. It looked as if Janus was trying to track where Katniss had disappeared to.
Katniss didn't breathe; she let the woman-thing look for her. It occurred to Katniss that the creature Janus had become didn't have a good sense of smell. If she did she would've smelled Katniss' fear. Animals were more attuned to human odors. She hoped the magnolia tree she'd climbed up into aided in hiding her scent.
Just then a flock of birds flew up into the air.
The half woman-half creature looked around and took off in that direction.
With Janus gone Katniss relaxed and let out the tense breath, she held in her chest.
From her height, she saw she wasn't too far from the tower and freedom. Katniss knew she could simply hide out until Janus left or she could take a chance and make a break for it. She wondered briefly where Peeta was; couldn't he tell she was in danger? Then she feared Janus had gotten to him, and if that was the case, she was alone in the woods with a crazed muttation.
"Stop being a chicken," Katniss whispered to herself.
Taking a deep breath Katniss slowly made her way down the tree. Once her feet touched the ground she rearmed herself with her bow and slowly made her way away from the shelter of the trees toward the border. Her hands gripped her bow. She was crouched, listening to the forest.
It was quiet and there were no sounds. No birds singing or chirping. No insects buzzing. No frogs croaking. No rabbits scuttling about. Not even the wind rustling the leaves of the trees. Katniss' heart hammered in her chest as she used all of her prowess as a hunter to remain quiet. She wasn't out of danger, in fact, she was pretty sure she was being hunted.
Katniss estimated she was about 100 yards away from the border. If she sprinted she could make it easily, but her gut clenched at the thought. The stillness of the woods told her that there was danger present. She didn't want to run into Janus.
A twig snapped and Katniss spun around. Janus was standing right behind her.
"Katniss," Janus hissed.
Katniss aimed her weapon at Janus.
Janus growled.
"You're a Hybrid."
"Don't call me that," Janus roared. "I am Proteus."
"Proteus?" Katniss whispered, wondering what the heck that was.
"I am better than the Hybrids," Janus growled. "I am the first..."
"You've been the one hunting in the woods?"
"I need to protect my nest, need food…need…"
Katniss gripped her weapon. It was apparent Janus was stronger and Katniss needed to cause a distraction so that she could make the final push to the border.
"Janus," Katniss said, pointing her weapon at the thing that Janus had transformed into.
Janus snarled at her. She laughed a macabre sound came out of her mouth. "I've been watching you, knowing my time would come for vengeance."
"People will search for me if I go missing."
"You mean Gale? All he will find is your human carcass and he'll think a muttation got to you," Janus hissed.
Janus didn't mention Peeta. He was still alive. Katniss held onto that hopeful information. He would come, seek her out. This strengthened her resolve. She narrowed her eyes. She needed to stall. "Why?"
Janus made a high-pitched wounded sound. "You took my mate away from me!"
"But I've been giving you most of my haul from hunting?"
"I'm pregnant…more food," Janus said. "I need my mate."
"Katniss!" Peeta shouted. He was close by.
Katniss looked around, hoping she could see Peeta.
Distracted, Katniss didn't see when Janus jumped toward her. When she realized what was happening Katniss shot two arrows at Janus, not wanting to kill, but to maim. But it was too late, she felt her body explode in sharp pain as she fell to the ground. Katniss' body went numb and her circle of vision began to fade to black. She wondered if this was how she was going to die.
In the far-off distance, she heard a massive growl. Katniss tried to lift her head up; she heard a high-pitched scream, then silence. Her vision narrowed as she began to fade out. Softness and a purring of foreign words were the last things she registered before everything faded to black.
DISTRICT THIRTEEN
Hours Later:
The next sound Katniss heard was beeping and hushed voices. There was a bright light above and she felt the sharp pain of a needle prick her skin. Almost immediately she lost consciousness.
Time passed as she slowly surfaced from her drowsy cocoon. Once more she heard voices and the strange beeping sound.
"Miss. Everdeen," a gravely female voice called.
Katniss couldn't open her eyes; they were too heavy.
"Miss Everdeen," the voice called out again.
"Mmm," Katniss managed.
"Katniss," this time it was a familiar male voice she heard.
"Peeta," she whispered. "Where?" She managed to croak out. Katniss registered that her body was numb. Her breathing was slow, and everything seemed fuzzy.
"You just came out of sur…" The woman's voice began to fade as she spoke.
Katniss' world closed into itself as she faded to black.
Once more she floated up to consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open. She tried to take a deep breath and found that she had tubes in her nose. She felt something hard underneath the skin of the back of her hand.
"Katniss, you're safe," Peeta's voice said, but he sounded far away. The security of Peeta's voice lulled her to relax. Her world once more became gray and misty before she passed out again.
The beeping noise woke her. She turned her head. It was dark in the room and everything was blurry except for a familiar swatch of blond hair. "Peeta," she weakly called out.
"Katniss." He smiled at her with a mixture of relief and trepidation. His hand held hers. Katniss nodded, wanting to fall back to sleep. It was good that he was here even though she was still upset with him, but she couldn't remember why.
"Peeta," Katniss cried out as she suddenly experienced a massive wave of pain.
"Nurse," Peeta called.
Katniss closed her eyes and her tears fell. She heard shuffling around her right before the beeping became chaotic. One moment she was in pain, the next she was floating on a cloud.
The next time she woke up she heard the same beeping sound but there wasn't a bright light. The lights were muted and she was able to see clearly after a few seconds.
Katniss frowned at her unfamiliar surroundings. Glancing around the room, Katniss recognized enough of the equipment to know she was in some sort of medical center. There wasn't anything like this room in District Twelve, but her sister did have some of the equipment at the Apothecary. The walls were gray and the lighting reminded her of the underground lighting used in the bunkers they had to hide in during the air raids.
The chair to her right had a pillow on top of a neatly folded blanket. Katniss remembered waking up earlier and seeing Peeta in that chair.
She frowned right before she heard the noise of a door opening before a woman came into view. The woman wore a gray uniform; she had a tablet in her hand.
"Good morning, Miss Everdeen," the nurse said as she flashed a light into her irises. Katniss shut her eyes instinctively.
"Where am I," she croaked in a low voice, her throat dry. "The baby…"
"You're in a safe place," the woman said. "And your baby is fine." She began taking Katniss' vitals.
Katniss was lost for a moment as her mind and memory were blank. Her body felt sluggish and she could feel a restraint on her shoulder. "Why am I here?"
"Given your delicate condition, you were brought to District Thirteen." The woman paused to remove the tubes from her nose. "You suffered a concussion and you were bleeding badly from your shoulder," the woman told her kindly.
Katniss opened her mouth, but couldn't formulate a word. She was injured and her brain quickly flashed a moment of pain. She wondered briefly how it was that, for someone who was deadly with arrows, she always ended up flat on her back and injured. Katniss focused on the memory of the pain as the nurse spoke.
"We had to operate on your shoulder. Thankfully due to the Hybrid enhanced genes, you are carrying, the rest of the injuries are healing on their own. Don't worry, all will be answered shortly. If you're wondering where your mate is, I sent him to get a shower and new clothing. He should be back any moment now."
Katniss was out of her depth at the moment. She wasn't sure what the woman meant by Hybrid genes. She was human, not a Hybrid. But her baby. Katniss' hands flew to her midsection. Her stomach was still flat but within her, she carried Peeta's baby who was part Hybrid. Part monster. Her eyes filled with tears, she couldn't hate that part of her. What grew within her shouldn't pay for her prejudices.
Children should never pay for the sins of their parents. Her mind went to Billy and Janus; those kids were half-human. Her mind recalled with clarity the last thing Janus told her. She too was pregnant.
"What about Janus?"
"She's fine," the woman said. "That's all I can tell you." She wrote on the tablet. "Okay, I put a mild sedative in your IV, because your vitals tell me you're under duress and that's no good for the baby." The woman tucked her in and gave her a pointed, but friendly look. The type her sister or mother gave their patients when they wanted them to follow medical orders. "You'll probably go back to sleep, but if you don't or if you wake up and you need anything, just push the button and someone will be with you. My name is Nurse Homes."
Katniss watched the woman leave. Her mind was riddled with questions, but presently she was exhausted. Closing her eyes, she fell asleep.
When she next woke up the room was empty. Katniss didn't dare move; she recalled the amount of pain she experienced that last time she tried. Instead, she lay in her bed quietly contemplating the room. Katniss had no idea how long she'd been in District Thirteen.
The door on her left opened and Nurse Homes came in with her cart.
"Hello, you're finally awake." Nurse Homes began to check her vitals.
"How long have I been here?"
"Twenty-four hours." Nurse Homes said writing down things on her tablet. "You've been in and out. Your body needed to heal," she said, casting aside the tablet and washing her hands in the small sink near the door. She slipped on a pair of gloves and began to remove one of the IV packs.
Katniss felt as if she'd been here longer. "Where is Peeta?"
"He's speaking to the team of doctors. He'll be back once he's finished."
Katniss nodded. Nurse Homes helped Katniss go to the bathroom; her legs were shaky. Once she was tucked back in the bed, Katniss wasn't sure what to do as the needles in her arm were removed. The nurse slipped what looked like a finger glove onto Katniss' index finger. It was wirelessly hooked up to the monitors.
"You must be hungry," Nurse Homes said.
"Yes."
"I'll see if I can get you something to eat."
Katniss thanked the woman. As she left, Katniss heard Peeta asking about her just outside.
"She's fine and hungry."
"Thank you," Peeta said.
His voice sounded so impossibly good. Katniss had to remind herself that she was in this mess because of him. No, that wasn't the sole reason, her mind warred; there were so many reasons.
Peeta entered, but he wasn't alone; he was with a tall man with bronze hair and sea-green eyes. She set aside her anger to openly stare at the man Peeta was with. The stranger was very handsome, but Katniss didn't care about his looks. For some reason, his eyes trigger a memory, but Katniss couldn't place it. She instead focused on Peeta who looked relieved to see her awake.
"Katniss," Peeta said quietly. His eyes traveled down the length of her body.
Peeta looked beautiful. His hair was tousled, his eyes looked bluer in the surrounding gray. She was sure she looked like hell, and he looked wonderful. Katniss turned her head away as she clenched her jaw and thinned her lips in displeasure. She was furious. He didn't tell her he was a Hybrid. Didn't tell her that the baby would be born a beast. She was hurt, not just physically, but emotionally.
"I know you're mad," Peeta began.
"I'm not ready to talk to you!"
"I know you said you don't want to talk to me, but at least speak to him. He can answer all of your questions about me and…please," Peeta begged.
Katniss didn't want to look at Peeta but when she did, she saw how scared he was. Peeta was always calm and poised. He was her rock and seeing him so agitated caused her to put her anger aside. She would speak to Peeta when she was calmer. Taking a deep breath Katniss had to make sure his fears were appeased. "Fine, I will speak to him, but no more secrets."
"I promise, no more secrets."
"Okay," Katniss said.
"I'll be right outside," Peeta said. He leaned down as if to kiss her but stopped and began to back away.
Even though she was upset with him, she reached out to him. Despite her fury, she was scared. He took her hand in his, gently brushing her knuckles before placing a comforting kiss there. "It'll be alright."
Katniss nodded, she believed him and watched Peeta walk out of the room.
The man smiled at her.
Katniss narrowed her eyes.
"So, you're the one," the bronze-haired man began.
"Are you one of them…a monster…?"
He whistled, then said, "How the hell did Peeta fall for you?" He then flashed her a winning smile.
Katniss' mood soured and she was sure it showed on her face.
"You're not very friendly are you?"
Katniss lifted an eyebrow. There was no way she could be anything but irate. She was in a district that wasn't her own. Her significant other lied by omission. And she was pregnant with hormones raging out of control. At the moment she was a mixture of anger, frustration, exhaustion, and pain. Her arm was bothering her, but Katniss was never one for medication. The last time, when she'd been choked, Prim claimed she was the worst patient ever when Katniss refused to take her medicines. Thinking of her predicament gave her a headache.
"You can relax; I'm human," he said.
Even with the information that he was human, Katniss's ire didn't diminish.
"Okay, let's start with introductions," he said. "My name is Finnick."
Katniss frowned, as her memory clicked. "Finnick Odair...the young tribute...that unexplainably died?"
"That's the version the Capitol wants everyone to believe."
Her curiosity piqued and she wondered if he could provide some answers to questions she had. "Okay if you're going to talk to me, I want the truth."
"The truth?"
"You're alive and you're supposed to be dead. I'm also pregnant with Hybr-Peeta's…you know. And I was sliced and diced by Janus who isn't human. So I am entitled to the truth."
"Right," Finnick said, putting his hands in his pockets. He raised an eyebrow.
"Why was I brought here to District 13, when it's not part of Panem? As a citizen of Panem, I should have been brought to District 6, 8, or 11."
Finnick sighed and sat down in the chair Peeta had been using, so he was close. Katniss skirted back. Finnick's scent was off-putting; he smelled like saltwater and decaying fish. "Could you not sit there?"
"What's wrong?"
"You smell like stinky fish," Katniss gasped, her nausea was rearing its ugly head.
Finnick's seafoam green eyes widened. "Okay," he muttered under his breath as he stood up, making sure he stood as far away as possible. "Sorry I forgot I ate some Durian. My wife won't let me eat it when she's pregnant either."
Katniss stared at him. She didn't know what durian was, but she could smell it on him. Pregnant women had an overdeveloped sense of smell. Katniss had seen plenty of weird things growing up. There was this poor miner who had to bathe before his wife would let him into the house. She swore she smelled all of the other miners from the crew her husband was on.
"As I was saying, you're pregnant and those districts are not equipped to deal with Hybrid pregnancies. They can inadvertently give you something that could be dangerous to you or the baby. Peeta pressed his alarm after Janus attacked you. He saved your life and that of his unborn child. Your arrows weakened her and he managed to knock Janus out."
Once more Peeta saved her life and that of their baby. Katniss wasn't sure how to process this, but she didn't want to deal with that at the moment. Instead, she focused on her current circumstances. She recalled the Hybrids had control of District Thirteen. "So this is the Hybrid headquarters?"
"You can say that."
"So where is Janus? Is she a Hybrid? She claimed to be something else. Why didn't Peeta sense there was something off about Janus?"
"Janus is fine - but she isn't really a Hybrid. Peeta couldn't detect what she was until she transformed. She's been living as a human for the majority of her life. The only thing Peeta could smell on her was Billy and their children."
Katniss nodded. "Go on…"
Finnick ran a hand through his hair. "She's reunited with her family and her ma…husband. We've arranged for Billy to spend the rest of his sentence here. I've suggested they spend the rest of their lives in District Thirteen because she's too unstable."
Hearing Janus and Billy would no longer be a danger was a relief. Katniss frowned thinking of the way Janus came to be in the district. She had been found outside of the district border wandering all by herself as a child. "She was found in the woods. How did she escape the Capitol and end up near District Twelve?"
"We had no idea she existed. She must have been hiding amongst the female children we were trying to get out of the Capitol. They shot down the transport and when we arrived we didn't find any survivors. Janus must have been taken in by the people from your district before we arrived."
Janus had quickly latched on to Billy now that Katniss could remember.
"You and she both said she wasn't a Hybrid. If she's not one of them, then what is she?"
"She's one of the first iterations."
Katniss shouldn't have been shocked. "Are there more iterations of Hybrids?"
"No, just two. Peeta is part of the second iteration."
"How did this happen?"
A door opened and another man came in. He too wore a gray uniform. "I heard Abraham Everdeen's daughter is awake."
"Gordon," Finnick said.
At the sound of her father's name, Katniss' ears perked up. "Who are you and how do you know my father?"
"I should introduce myself. I am Dr. Gordon Aurelius, you can call me Dr. Aurelius. I am in charge of assisting humans involved in relationships with Hybrids. I knew your father, and I'm assuming you have many questions just like he did."
"Is my father alive?"
"No, he isn't, he…" Dr. Aurelius said. "Your father was a great man. A real hero who saw humanity in the Hybrids. Abraham didn't see them as monsters; he saw them as oppressed by Snow and his regime. He helped bring the two sides together. Snow got rid of him, but your father's legacy brought down Snow and his government."
Katniss had no idea. She looked down at her hands. She blinked the tears away from her eyes; her father didn't die in vain. He wasn't mauled down by a Hybrid like she always thought. He died for the cause of peace. She managed to ask, "Does my mother know?"
"We told her he was a hero but didn't elaborate on all that he did."
Katniss nodded. Her mind was spinning, reeling with the news. What else had been hidden from her? What other half-truths were they told? Katniss hungered for the truth. She wanted to erase the lies that she'd been told all of her life. "I want to know everything? What really happened during your games? I'm assuming there's a correlation between your Hunger Games and the 62nd Hunger Games?"
Dr. Aurelius sighed. "Finnick, maybe you should answer this."
"The Hybrids were created in a lab."
"Everyone knows that," Katniss said, rolling her eyes.
"What the Capitol didn't tell anyone was that the creatures used in the 62nd Games were like Janus. They were uncontrollable and extremely violent. The creatures used during my Games, the 65th Hunger Games were Hybrids. Hybrids are half-human. They called the program Project Proteus."
"Janus called herself a Proteus," Katniss said.
"She must have heard the Capitol mad-men speaking of Project Proteus," Dr. Aurelius said.
"The project was an attempt to make a muttation that could look like a human but really be an animal. They created two subspecies. The first iteration that was created was a lizard-like creature that was less human. Although it could transform and appear completely human. It was unleashed during the 62nd Hunger Games. It killed all of the Tributes and escaped the arena that was located near District Eight."
Katniss recalled the lights at night after the 62nd Hunger Games. "Were they able to catch it?"
Finnick nodded. "They did. In district eleven, but not before it killed nearly two dozen Peacekeepers."
Katniss listened to Finnick while thinking of the strange circumstances she found herself in. Dr. Aurelius gave her a tight smile. He was watching, assessing her reaction to the truth.
"What happened to the ones like Janus?"
"The Capitol exterminated, for lack of a better word, the handful they'd made. We thought they were sterile and we had no idea Janus existed. Janus herself is half-human. She is the only one of her kind. From what we can tell, someone at Capitol took a human ovum and spliced the DNA of the first subspecies. That's why she's more lizard-like," Finnick explained.
"When their nest is threatened and their mate is taken away, they go feral. Without her mate, she is dangerous," Dr. Aurelius said.
"What of her children?" Katniss asked, noting the word mate. Peeta used it. Finnick began using it before he changed his word. This was the second time the doctor used that word.
"So far her children are all human." Dr. Aurelius cleared his throat. "We are still running diagnostics on the unborn child."
"So what happened to Peeta's kind?"
"The second subspecies was more human but had the ability to morph into a fearsome creature. They are highly intelligent and formed a community. They called themselves the Hybrids. They learned quickly and began to breed."
"I'm guessing they were too docile for the Capitol?"
"Well, they are sentient beings." Dr. Aurielus said. "After the 62nd Hunger Games, the Hybrids called into question the need to be involved in a barbaric practice such as The Hunger Games. They did not want to take up arms or fight. There were a great many of them and we knew they were stronger than humans and they healed faster."
"Fearing a potential uprising," Finnick said, picking up from where Dr. Aurelius stopped. "Snow began the systematic killing of all the females in front of their mates to get them agitated. President Snow saw the Hybrids as nothing but animals. And he convinced all of Panem the Hybrids were nothing but monsters."
"Peeta's mom," Katniss whispered. Peeta never said what happened. She assumed it happened during the war. She lowered her head feeling ashamed she was guilty of perceiving the Hybrids as monsters.
"One of the many whom Snow had killed. He called it the euthanization program. It was genocide."
Katniss could only imagine Mr. Mellark and his sons watching all of the women Hybrids being put to death. "I thought Hybrids were strong."
"The males are. The women...are more human. There are very few females left and they have all found their mates." Dr. Aurelius looked to Finnick to continue.
"The females carry the gene and they can pass it down to all of their children. As far as we can tell, the women, when transformed, look much like the male of the species except they are all under six feet. They are smaller framed and they don't have claws, only sharp nails, but have great speed. They do have an overdeveloped sense of smell, excellent night vision, and their eyes flash in the dark."
"Their death was senseless," Dr. Aurelius said.
Finnick took a breath and continued, "We know now, President Snow wanted an army to unleash on the districts if they ever rebelled. When the Hybrids didn't cooperate, he began torturing the males and forcing them to work manual labor. It's why when the opportunity presented itself to escape, Peeta and his family did so."
"There's more you're not telling me." Katniss looked Finnick in the eyes.
"The agreement Snow made with the Hybrids to stop the war was to allow them to integrate into society, allow them to find human mates."
"Mates?" Katniss questioned. "There's that word again. Why do you use that word?"
"Hybrids are drawn to human women; we are quite compatible." Finnick's eyes slipped to Katniss's midsection. "Hybrid."
Katniss put her hand where their baby lay. She could feel herself turning bright red.
"Your children will all look human. They won't be able to transform. My son, however, is a hybrid," Finnick confessed. "He's enamored with Gordon's little girl."
Katniss was also relieved to hear that her baby would look human. Though she caught a flash in the doctor's eyes.
The doctor raised an eyebrow at Finnick's statement. "We don't know yet if she is going to be his mate. She's too young."
Finnick cleared his throat, "They believe in soulmates and they mate for life. Unlike Janus, they can continue to live peaceful lives. I've met a lot of Hybrids like Mr. Mellark. He will not take another partner, but he is interested in making sure his sons have good mates. Mr. Mellark knows you are the one for Peeta, Katniss. Peeta was so excited when he found you. He wanted to move straight away, but he needed to get permission as there aren't any other Hybrids in District Twelve."
"What will happen to Peeta if I don't want this?" Katniss asked quietly. The question was hard for her to ask, but she wanted to know everything.
"He'll be broken-hearted, but we're not sure, to be fair, as this is a new frontier."
"He will not lose control like Janus did," Dr. Aurelius reassured her. "Are you bothered that he is a Hybrid?"
"No," the word slipped out of her lips and she was surprised by how quickly and easily she answered the doctor. It dawned on her that she wasn't bothered by Peeta being a Hybrid.
"Then why are you so resistant?" Finnick questioned.
"It's a private matter between Peeta and me," Katniss said.
"So you're not rejecting him?" Finnick asked.
"No," Katniss said. Peeta went through a lot to get to her. Although she was upset because he omitted the part that he was a scary beast. It didn't mean she could blame him. Peeta had been so patient with her; he never forced her to do anything. She was the one who made the decisions in the relationship. He was probably scared she would not want him after her first encounter with a Hybrid. She frowned. "Do you think I would leave him?"
"Well, you're angry at him?"
"Yeah, and it's none of your damned business," Katniss grumbled. If she could, she would fold her arms across her chest.
Finnick started laughing. "You sound like my mate when she's pregnant."
"Do you have any other questions?" Dr. Aurelius asked.
"I do, but I want to go home; my sister and mother can help me heal," Katniss said.
Finnick gave the doctor a look.
"There is one more treatment scheduled for today…a machine that we found works incredibly well with Hybrid mothers -" the doctor began. His hands patted the front of his uniform as if looking for something. "-with the aid of the enhanced genes it will speed your recovery and you'll have full use of your arm."
"After that, you can go home," Finnick added. The wristwatch Finnick wore began to buzz. "We ought to get going," Finnick said looking at the door.
The one the doctor had also went off. "Yes we have to go, but we'll be back."
Katniss watched as both men made their way to the door. When they opened the door Peeta stood on the opposite side, waiting.
"Is she?" Peeta asked.
"Why don't you go in," Dr. Aurelius said, as the door closed.
Katniss had seconds to school her face.
The door opened, and Peeta stepped into the room. He smiled in the shy sweet way of his that melted her heart. Katniss needed to remain strong. He was her weakness, especially now that she was pregnant; she was a wreck. Her anger was mixed in with relief of seeing no visible cuts or scrapes on him. Janus hadn't hurt him.
"Hey," Peeta said, sitting in the chair. Immediately she could smell his masculine cinnamon and dill scent. His was a welcome change from Finnick's stinky rotten fish smell.
"Hi." Katniss fiddled with her hands, not wanting to make eye contact. She was a jumble of nerves.
"I hope Finnick answered a lot of questions for you."
"He did, but…" Katniss shrugged as she drifted off.
"You have a few more," Peeta said good-naturedly.
Katniss nodded.
"I can never lie to you Katniss," Peeta said.
Katniss raised an eyebrow. He said that, but he had lied by not telling her the truth.
"Okay, I omitted some things, but it was only because you were scared after the war, and you were so scared about Hybrids."
Katniss understood his point, but she wasn't ready to let him off the hook. She narrowed her eyes. "What happened to me the night I found out I was pregnant?"
"Our baby helped you adapt to be able to carry it to full term. In time, you'll develop a keen sense of smell, and your vision will improve…"
Katniss recalled hearing that she had enhanced Hybrid genes. "I'm one of you then?"
"No, your eyes won't glow and they won't flash in the dark when light hits them. You won't turn into one of us. Though you'll be able to hear and smell me coming from a mile away."
"I'm still upset with you."
"I know," he glanced into her eyes then said, "You're someone who can react quickly, like taking on a giant lizard animal. But when it comes to the deep stuff, you take your time. But the deep emotional stuff is often life-altering, so you're very guarded. I found this out quickly as I got to know you."
When she opened her mouth the words were stuck in her throat. "I…I.." she shut her mouth.
"It's okay, Katniss," Peeta said, picking up her hand. "I…I care a lot about you. You don't have to tell me you feel the same way. But I can't live without you now."
Katniss did care immensely about Peeta, but hearing him, she realized he didn't know what she felt about him. "Peeta, I care a lot about you too, and that is the reason I'm upset with you."
"I know," he reached out and cupped her face and she closed her eyes briefly. "When we get back to District Twelve, we're going to have a lot to talk about."
Katniss nodded, opening her eyes.
"For now, how about I let you know my side of the story."
Katniss looked into his eyes and she recalled what Finnick said. Peeta suffered more than what he led on. "I was told about what Snow did to the female Hybrids."
"I saw little girls massacred," Peeta said. "He did it as a way to control the population, to make us slaves."
Katniss bit her bottom lip. "I'm sorry, I…"
"You were fed a lie, you know. We didn't attack; the Capitol attacked District Thirteen."
"How did you even get to District Thirteen?"
"Finnick Odair."
"I should've known."
"Finnick is a good person."
"He's a little pompous about his looks," Katniss said.
Peeta chuckled. "He'd make Gale jealous."
"How hard was it for you when you were under Snow?"
"Our kind were kept in the bowels of the Capitol. We were made to work as slaves. Snow didn't believe us that our women didn't transform - like we did. During the 65th Games, they released two Hybrids into the Arena. They put Rose and her daughter Annie into the Games. Finnick killed Rose. He thought they were Tributes hiding in some overgrown marshy shrubs. He threw his trident and it caught her in the chest. When he went to retrieve his weapons he saw that Rose was trying to protect Annie."
"Finnick mentioned he was married to a Hybrid. Is that Annie?"
"Yeah, he's her mate," Peeta said softly.
Katniss frowned. "How did he get you guys to District Thirteen?"
"While recuperating from his wounds in the Capitol, Finnick located Annie. And he saw what they were doing to us. There was a game maker named Plutarch Hevansbee, who was involved with the Rebellion, who found Finnick with Annie. Under Coin's authority, he offered to help us escape...we did it quickly. By the time Snow found out, it was too late. Snow let us leave; he didn't want to have the whole of Panem frightened that muttations were running free in the city. He announced Finnick Odair died as a result of the injuries he sustained in the Hunger Games."
"Is that when you attacked the Capitol?"
"No, actually we didn't attack the Capitol or District Three or District Six. Civil strife started in those two districts. They wanted to be free and joined District Thirteen. The Capitol attacked Thirteen...and we retaliated...you know the rest."
"My father thought he was going to war to fight against the Hybrids. He didn't know what was going on. Doctor Aurelius told me he was a hero."
"Your father and a lot of men defected to our cause when they discovered the truth. My father met your dad. He said your father was a great man and leader. He went to help us broker the peace treaty. It was Snow who poisoned him."
"I wonder if my mother knows the truth?"
"I'd imagine Madge told her the truth at some point."
Katniss looked down at their clasped hands.
"Katniss, I just want to be there for you no matter what you know how I feel, and I'm not going to leave you."
Katniss knew that to be true. Peeta would always be there no matter what she chose.
In response, Katniss settled their combined hands-on her midsection. "We're having a baby," she whispered.
Peeta leaned over and kissed her. "Thank you."
Katniss closed her eyes, she wasn't going to deny Peeta his baby. She also didn't want to leave him. That didn't mean she didn't like being lied to. "I'm still mad at you."
He laughed, "I'm in the house of dogs."
Katniss chuckled, at his butchered colloquialism. "Yes, you are, more like the chicken coop."
Peeta gave her an inquisitive look.
Katniss grinned as she said, "I don't have a doghouse but I do have a chicken coop."
Sorry for the absence - It took me forever to write this chapter and since it's allergy season my asthma has been really bad.
Special thanks to my beta norbertsmom she is beyond a beta she's a lifesaver I've been literally communicating as I was getting ready to post about this chapter. How she puts up with me I do not know. Also to the marvelous and spectacular safeinpeetasarms who inspired this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
But next week I'm sad to say it's the end...the Epilogue & Gale finds out