Companion

AN:

Katniss and Peeta enjoy the town festival.

Special thank you to my dear friend, GinnyGinervaWeasley, for betaing my story.

P.S. I love the Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins owns everything!

CHAPTER 8

It turns out that Sae doesn't need a lot of extra help in the kitchen, so Peeta is recruited by Mayor Abernathy to set up the lights in town. Elrick eagerly assists him, doing everything Peeta tells him. He's been learning a lot in the few months since Peeta came to Twelve, and it's like he has a brand new motivation in his young life. He beams when Peeta asks him to figure out a whole section of the electrical connections at the entrance. Elrick does it safely and wonderfully, and the archway to the festival is teeming with glowing lights. He made the trees special by using twinkling fire lights, creating a festive feel around the town center. Peeta and Elrick work together on the sounds and lights on the makeshift stage, and Mayor Abernathy clasps both their shoulders at their exceptional teamwork.

"Good job, kids!" the victor turned Mayor Abernathy tells them.

"Thank you, Mayor," Elrick begins his reply. He's beaming with pride. "I could do more if you like?"

"He's good for it," Peeta interjects in support of Elrick. "He's really advanced for his age, Haymitch."

"Why don't we look at the town hall then? Then you design some lights for me," Mayor Abernathy says and takes Elrick by the shoulder as they walk to the building.

The festivities begin mid-afternoon as the fiddlers take the stage. A few teenagers from the orphanage are performing. Delly, Lindy, Christa, and Katniss watch them proudly.

Long tables abound with hot, rustic, and family-style food. Everyone has brought something from their homes, making the festival a genuine community gathering. There is a big heavy pot of rabbit and root vegetable stew from Sae, cheesy pepperoni rolls from the tailor, bottles of maple syrup for adding to every dish, hearty bean and vegetable soup, and cornbread cooked in cast iron skillets. Another table is filled with buttery biscuits that are good for scooping sauces on plates. There is moist and melt-in-your-mouth roast pork with wild herbs from the woods on another table near the lemonade stand. A workbench showcases a casserole of creamy chicken and dumplings, and two trays of chili and slaw for stuffing in freshly baked dinner rolls, the rolls soaking up the spicy drippings. Mayor Abernathy himself set up a display for all kinds of meat pies. For refreshments, Ripper made cold and warm cider. The local bakery brought out a whole cart filled with sumptuous apple pies, smooth custard tarts, and four types of cookies - chewy cookies, crisp cookies, chocolate cookies, and toffee cookies. Under a small tent, the master baker is frying cinnamon sugar donuts. The children love watching the doughy creations puff up and brown in the hot oil. The district signature of apple stacks is at the center for the whole district to share. The lights, the entertainment, the abundant food that no one is taking for granted, and the easy-going people make the occasion very special.

"How are you going to round up all the children after the festival?" Peeta curiously asks Katniss as they try to limit themselves to one bite of each dish. Katniss wants to try everything. Their plates are already full, and they are only halfway down the array of food.

"Everyone has an older buddy to look after them. And the town folks know the children," she replies before picking up a second cheesy pepperoni roll. She's been breaking their one bite limit. "It's the five-year-olds' who will be the hardest."

"What will you do then?"

"Leave it all to Delly. She could round them up."

Just as they approach the dessert table, Annie nudges Katniss' leg and tugs the seam of her worn leather jacket.

"I'm tired," Annie says almost like a cry.

Katniss kneels to her level, and Annie curls up to her chest right away. She nuzzles Katniss' neck to find a comfortable position to tuck her head in. Katniss welcomes her affection. "Looks like somebody needs a nap."

Byron and Sophia come next and tug at Peeta's jeans. He does the same thing as Katniss and ends up with two five-year-olds hugging him. They each take a shoulder and yawn sleepily. Katniss and Peeta struggle with their plates of food while carrying the sleepy children.

"Looks like Delly has three fewer five-year-olds to round up later," Peeta says while grinning at Katniss. She points with her nose to the trees across from them, and Peeta spots Lindy, Timothy, and Thom carrying sleepy children as well. They both laugh at their kindred predicament.

They sit down on a wooden bench as the children become heavy in their sleep. The children have had their spoils with desserts and games and have no other intention but to just rest. Katniss feeds Peeta and herself cinnamon sugar donuts using her free hand. She wipes his mouth every now and then with a napkin when too much sugar sticks on him.

"You five look like a family," Delly chimes in with Sae at her side.

"Triplets! I'll be damned," Sae shouts. "Marry her first, my dear!"

Everyone shakes their head while Peeta turns two shades of red. Sae always has a way of picking on him. Sae and Delly take a seat across them and place their filled plates on the picnic table.

"You remind me of my Jonathan, Peeta," Sae starts while eating chicken pie. "He used to carry our two children like that when they were still little."

"Bless his heart," Delly replies and puts her hand over her heart.

"Tell us your story again, Sae," Peeta asks. It's a beautiful story. One that makes Peeta feel better every time she tells him about it in Thirteen.

"Well, we were classmates in school," Sae starts happily, "We were neighbors too. We used to play in the dirt all the time, finding trouble where we could. He liked throwing sticks, and I like kicking them."

"That's nice."

"Yes, Delly. It was." Sae pauses, gleefully recalling their story. She loved her husband very much. "We walked to school together and came home together. He was my best friend, and we understood each other. He liked chasing whatever he could chase like lizards, insects, or rabbits - that's if they ever stray in the district. He runs so fast, no one can outrun him. He hustled and threw things until he was tired, or his mother called him. One time, when we were nine, he tried running beside a sixteen-year-old and almost beat him. He was so proud of himself, and he smiled from ear to ear all day."

"So when did he change?" Delly asks excitedly.

"You mean when did I become special in his eyes?"

"Uh-huh." Delly nods then takes a bite of the roast pork smothered in gravy. Sae does the same before continuing.

"We were twelve, and we were walking home after school. He had been quiet all day, but I just blabber on as usual. The reaping will be in two weeks, and our names will be in the bowl for the first time. He dropped his books suddenly, then when I helped him pick them up, our hands touched. He didn't let go of my hand until we were near our houses. That's my Jonathan."

"I'm glad there's no more reaping," Delly says and looks at Katniss, her dear friend. Katniss acknowledges her and lightly presses her cheek over Annie's hair. She can't imagine Annie or any child going through that horrendous game ever again.

"After the reaping that year," Sae continues, "we went straight to the fence to watch the tall grass sway in the meadow. I think we were both thanking the sky for our spared lives, and that's when he kissed me. It wasn't romantic, dears. We were just twelve. But we knew then that we had something special."

Peeta smiles at Sae and encourages her to continue. Katniss helps him to another bite of donut. The three children are still serenely sleeping.

"Business went on as usual. We played, went to school, and walked home hand-in-hand until we were near our houses. Nothing much changed until we were sixteen, and Jonathan gave me a hand-carved pendant for my twine necklace."

Sae pulls out the string from under her blouse and shows them a wooden pendant with a simple carving of two trees. It's beautiful in its simplicity.

"He said we were the trees. I'm his home, and he is my home. He has his way with nature, you know? He always loved trees. Like Katniss here." Sae swings her fork at the pie on her plate before picking up a bite. "After that, he said he wanted to marry me. Who thinks of marriage at sixteen?"

"You'll be surprised," Peeta replies. He's been dreaming of marrying since he was five.

"We had our simple toasting two weeks after our last reaping. Our parents didn't argue. We were one less mouth to feed in the house. Besides, Jon and I never hid from our parents. We were good friends, and everyone predicted that we will end up together. He took care of me, and I took care of him." This makes everyone's lips curve upward.

"They say being married is hard, but Jon and I never felt that way," Sae says with emphasis. "We weren't rich. We were two kids from the Seam, born and raised on the edge of town. Jon worked at the mines, and I became an apprentice to the town butcher. The butcher didn't pay with coins but with odd cuts of meat. I took them home every day and cooked them for our meals. We were never hungry. We knew how to make do."

"That's how you got into cooking at the Hob," Katniss says.

"Yes and no. It was after Jon started to become sick that I started selling regularly. The mines are the same as always, even worse then. He had black lungs, but he never complained. He knew that the mines were the best option to provide for our growing family. When he couldn't work anymore, I started selling every day at the Hob."

Sae remembers everything all too well. The smell of the Hob as coal dust mixes with the air. The steady stream of people from the Seam, looking for a trade. A younger Ripper, starting out to sell white liquor. Sae has always been a quick learner, catching what people like and would trade for. She earned her nickname "Greasy Sae" from her stew made from odd cuts and generous portions of animal fat.

Sae takes a small bite of roast pork and scoops up the sauce with the biscuit. The gravy is thick and rich, and she approves.

"He had such beautiful brown eyes and a strong nose." Her face had a look of someone dreaming as she recalled her husband's features. "He wasn't big-bodied, but he was tall and sturdy. Thick black hair, olive skin. He was a handsome Seam man. He would do any work available and do it contentedly for our family. He likes to hum while working too. He said it made him feel that he was free."

"You must miss him very much," Delly says sadly.

"I just spoke to him last night, sweetheart."

"You did?" Delly asks, surprised by Sae's answer.

"Sure. I speak to Jonathan every night except when I'm exceedingly tired. Then I speak to him in the morning instead."

"I believe you, Sae," Peeta says convincingly.

"Of course you do! You've seen me speak to Jon in Thirteen. He was good company in that awfully rigid place."

"He liked your stew remember?"

"He sure did. Lucky we got the meat from you, sweetheart. Thirteen inhales fresh meat when you and Gale bring it."

"Shall we get some dessert, dear?" Sae promptly asks Delly and puts the last bit of biscuit in her mouth.

"Let's!"

Sae and Delly walk side by side towards the dessert table. Sae hooks her elbow with Delly, and she supports her as the last rays of sunlight fade into the mountains.

"Do you want to get married?" Katniss unexpectedly asks Peeta. The question could be taken as a proposal if they weren't at a festival, carrying three five-year-olds between them.

Peeta slightly shifts Byron and Sophia in his arms and steals a quick look at Katniss before looking back to the orange sky. "I do."

"I used to think that I didn't want to get married. My parents were so in love, and it almost ruined my mother when my father died. Gale somehow convinced me," she replies while staring at the dancing lights in the trees. "But that's another story. How about kids?"

Peeta ponders Katniss' response. This is the first time that he heard it from her. He returns to her question and answers. "I had an uncle who had eight children. He lived in the Capitol like us, and he was overly rich. Whenever I would see my cousins, they were all so happy. It made me want a big family of my own."

"Eight kids, huh?"

"Yup. My uncle wanted more, but my aunt didn't concede after my 8th cousin." Peeta shakes his head and laughs. He used to dream about starting a sports team with his own children.

"It was just Prim and me. Seam families didn't have a lot of children. Too many mouths to feed."

"I know," he replies, sounding ashamed all of a sudden. "Families were well-taken care of in the Capitol. My father's family was affluent. They could get anything they desired - food, jewelry, cars, houses, gadgets, and clothes. They could afford anything. The highest privilege was that there was no reaping. Capitol children are never reaped."

"Don't go there, Peeta. It's not your fault you were born in the Capitol."

Peeta shakes his head, willing the thought away. "How about you? Do you want to have children?"

Katniss eyes him, and his soft blue eyes make her feel safe to reveal this portion of herself. Before answering his question, she shifts Annie to her other shoulder, careful not to wake her.

"The reapings, the hunger games, the war, they all affirmed my decision not to have children. I can't imagine having my child go through what I went through. Losing my father at eleven. Providing for my family after. Volunteering for my sister because she was reaped at just twelve years old ..." Katniss pauses, but there's more. "Me being reaped as a victor, so I was in the hunger games twice; kids being blown up to oblivion or being orphaned … Why would I want to bring a child into that world? This world?"

"I'm sorry," Peeta says quietly. Katniss' voice was rising when she was explaining to him.

"Gale wanted children, though. He always did. Even though we were almost alike in our tragedies, he still somehow had hope inside of him that he could share this world with a child. His child. I never understood him."

Peeta remains silent, unsure how to respond to what she just said. Just like Gale, he wants to have children too.

"Please say something," Katniss urges. Peeta's pause is becoming unbearable.

"I really don't know what to say," he answers honestly.

"So here I am, not wanting kids, but I end up with forty children under my care," Katniss says and laughs at herself. The mood changes, then Peeta allows himself to breathe. "And here I am so in love with this bundle here that I can't even think of a day without seeing her sea-green eyes."

"She's lucky to have you. They're all lucky to have you."

"No," she flat-out counters him. "They're lucky to have Delly. She started everything. I just needed a distraction from pain, and Delly pulled me in by asking for fresh meat."

"Is that so?"

"Yes," she says with a chuckle. "Delly wanted me to hunt, so I did, just for her to leave me alone. She didn't, though, and I'm thankful."

All the lights turn on, and the fiddlers start with a fast tune. The atmosphere changes then the people start clapping and tapping on the dance floor. Peeta is about to speak, but Annie, Byron, and Sophia wake up from the sounds and thirstily ask for some lemonade. Fresh from a short nap, they all walk to the food tables hand-in-hand. Annie at the middle, Peeta and Katniss beside her, then Sophia and Byron, rounding their happy line. They really looked like a young family at that moment.

I wanted to incorporate a kind of love that starts from childhood all the way to old age (even after death!). I hope I was able to portray a little bit of that in Sae and Jonathan's story. It's a love that I imagine inspires Katniss and Peeta. It also got them talking about marriage and children, which I think is healthy in every serious relationship =)