Peeta closed and locked the door behind them and turned to his wife.
"I need you to tell me the truth."
"About what," she blinked in surprise.
"Are we really married?"
"Of course we are," she held up her hand, where a huge flashy ring rested on her finger. Peeta frowned. He would never pick anything like that. It must have been her choosing.
"Do you know anyone named Katniss?"
"Who?" His brow furrowed even further.
"The name doesn't sound familiar at all?"
"Peter, you're starting to scare me. Maybe you'd like to go lie down and-"
"I'm not tired, but I'm sick of the lies! All the back and forth going on around me and inside my head. People tell me one thing, then someone else tells me another. I don't know who to trust anymore! Please say I can trust my own wife."
"Peter, you know if you have a question, you can come to me. I've known you since we were young."
"So it was an arranged marriage?"
"Yes," she said slowly. "But what does that-"
"And that's my child?" Her hands instinctively covered her belly.
"Of- of course." He didn't miss her hesitation and he crossed his arms.
"President Snow says you were in love with someone else but that we married out of duty." She looked shocked.
"That's… correct."
"I'm a very passionate person, Lavinia. I always have been. I have always wanted to marry for love, nothing else. That just doesn't sound like me."
"Well I… I don't know what to tell you, Peter! You're upsetting me. Just… go take a shower or something." She hurried away from him and into their bedroom.
Sighing heavily, Peeta ran his fingers through his hair and went into the bathroom.
After a scalding shower, he felt better but the thoughts still raced in his mind. He toweled his hair dry, then wrapped the towel around his waist and opened the bathroom door. Lavinia surprised him, waiting for him on the other side.
"I'm sorry, Peter," she said softly before her lips met his. He gasped, his arms flying into the air as her hands drifted down his sides.
"It's the hormones," she said with a shrug. "I get so emotional these days. And you have been under such stress, I should be more understanding." Peeta tried to shake his head but she backed him against the wall.
"I know how to make you feel better." She knelt in front of him and his eyes widened as she fingered the towel.
"Lavinia," he pressed himself against the wall, shaking his head. "You don't love me. Why are you doing this?" He could feel her hands trembling as they made their way up and down the backs of his legs.
"I've done this more than a few times to survive," she said so quietly he could barely hear her.
But he heard it. He swallowed and clutched his towel, holding it in place.
"Peet... Peter," she stammered, moving her hands under the towel to massage his ass. "Let me do this for you." She pulled the towel away and ran her palm up his shaft. He grunted, his teeth digging into his lip as his head hit the wall. She leaned forward, closing her mouth around him and hollowing out her cheeks. His eyes met hers... those grey eyes, so familiar. But now they were full of sadness, guilt, and pain.
His eyes slammed shut and he blocked out the visions of familiar grey eyes and sweet smiles. His hands sank into her hair as he jerked forward, causing her to gag. He fucked her mouth, tossing his head back and groaning as he chased his release. When he came, she coughed and sputtered, falling backwards. Peeta leaned against the wall, his chest heaving. He glanced down at his wife, who was shaking with sobs.
"Clean yourself up," he said bitterly, picking up his towel. "We're having dinner with the senators and their wives soon." He closed himself in the bedroom, closing his eyes and willing the heart wrenching sobs to stop.
When he heard Lavinia start the shower, he opened the bedroom door and walked into the living room. He crossed to his bookshelf, running his hands over the spines. Surely he had some sort of picture albums, or even a photograph of their wedding day. Something to prove that it was real.
But he saw nothing. Titles of books that were too long and difficult for him to pronounce, let alone read. Capitol propaganda that he was pretty sure he wouldn't keep in his house, even if he was a loyal Peacekeeper. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore.
Unless…
He glanced at himself in the mirror that was hanging beside the door and studied his reflection. His long fingers reached up to touch his face. They made their way to his hair and his brow furrowed.
"Peeta," he mouthed. It didn't feel as strange as hearing it had been. "Peeta," he said again.
"Katniss." He shivered, though he wasn't entirely sure why. "Katniss."
"Officer Mellark," he heard in his head. Her voice was low and smoky, soft and soothing.
"Please dispense with the formalities, Katniss. We've known each other since we were children. I'm still just Peeta."
He pressed his hand to the wall and searched his reflection, for what, he didn't know.
"My boy with the bread." He gasped and his hand flew to his chest.
They had to be right. Duartyr and Aurelia and Colonel Boggs… why else would his heart start racing at the sound of her name? Even though a part of him couldn't remember her, he had a feeling his love for her went deeper than the poison could have gone.
But then who was Lavinia and why was she playing along? She had to be forced into it. Why else would she look so miserable?
Peeta felt sick at the thought that he was living with another man's wife, who had a child on the way. And what he had just done… his hand clapped to his mouth as he ran to the kitchen, emptying his stomach into the sink.
He clutched the counter and squeezed his eyes shut. He had to make things right. He needed to find a way to get in touch with this… Katniss, so he could find out once and for all.
Who could he trust in the Capitol though? Duartyr was dead and Peeta knew many of the board members' loyalty to Snow was unyielding. He heard the water shut off in the bathroom and was prepared to question her when she came out. The phone, however, interrupted his thoughts and he held it up to his ear.
"Mellark."
"General Mellark. I have an assignment for you. Prepare to leave immediately."
Katniss squeezed her knees to her chest. She had lost track of how long she had been in this supplies closet but she ignored her growling stomach and rested her cheek on her knee. What was she going to do? Coin wouldn't risk another rescue attempt. According to Boggs, Peeta was lost to them. But she refused to believe that. He had been hijacked before and he hadn't forgotten her.
"If I'm ever their prisoner again," he had said, "I'll just think of this and I'll be fine. Your kisses and your touch will keep me alive."
She blinked back tears and angrily rubbed at her face.
If her husband wasn't coming home, she wanted the Capitol to pay.
Coin and Boggs looked up in surprise as Katniss burst into the control room.
"I'm ready, President Coin. I fully embrace my role as the Mockingjay." Coin nodded, a grim smile on her face and Katniss planted her palms on the table.
"One condition. I kill Snow."
"When the time comes, I'll flip you for it. I didn't have the honor of saying farewell to Corialanus Snow, so I have to settle for his son."
"Caius Snow has hijacked my husband. He's made him forget his life, again. And he tried to make Finnick rape me before a room full of people. I will be the one to kill him."
"Very well, Soldier. We have a job for you then." Coin gestured toward Boggs.
"Katniss, the world hasn't seen what has happened to 12. We want you to show them. You can talk about your father, you can talk about Peeta. Make it personal. Work with Cressida to figure out what works best. We want this done soon."
"I'll have Cinna help me get ready," she said in a strong voice before leaving the room. Boggs glanced at Coin uncertainly.
"Quite a turn-around. Didn't expect her to come out of her room for awhile."
"Perhaps she has seen that he is a lost cause. Now the soldier can fully emerge. Grief has no place in war." Boggs looked considering and went back to studying the plans.
"I want to plan an invasion."
"President Coin, we're not ready for that."
"We can be. Soon. We can get the team ready and use the holo to plot out their route. I want you to lead them."
"But-"
"The country needs to see her in action," she spoke over him. "That's what everyone has said. I'll send Cressida and her team along to get some good footage. They won't be in any real danger."
"Anyone in the Capitol will be in danger," he protested.
"Colonel Boggs, I'm ordering you to organize a team. You can include Odair and Mason too. Show the country we have Victors on our side."
"Odair is getting married. I wouldn't want him to leave his new bride."
"Emotions, like grief, have no place in war, Colonel." Boggs swallowed.
"Yes Madame President."
Katniss hesitantly knocked on Cinna's door and gasped when it was yanked open. Chase's smiling face was on the other side and he grabbed her hand.
"Get in here, gorgeous!" He pulled her in for a hug and she stiffened, completely at loss as to what was going on.
"Chase, you're scaring her." She pulled away to face Cinna, who was beaming.
"What are you so happy about?"
"We're getting married," Chase burst out. Katniss's jaw dropped and Cinna held up his hand, where a silver band was gleaming.
"Chase asked me a few minutes ago and I said yes."
"Congratulations!" She embraced both men tightly. Cinna pulled her back and set his hands on her shoulders.
"I didn't want to tell you. I know you're so scared right now, and going through a lot-"
"Don't think about me," she shrugged him off. "I'm so happy for you both! I was actually really afraid that… well, you've both been distant with each other…" Chase and Cinna exchanged a weak smile.
"13 refused to give us a compartment together unless we were married. I suggested it but Cinna said we needed to focus on the rebellion and on you. But we started to miss each other and it was even harder than it was in the Capitol, what with our different schedules and such. I only saw him at dinner. Well, I came in this morning and said I loved him too much to let him get away from me and lots of other romantic sappy stuff that I won't bore you with. Point is, now 13 has to plan two weddings!"
"Two?"
"Finnick and Annie are getting married," Cinna said with a smile. "Didn't he tell you?"
"He didn't." Katniss felt a little upset that she had been left out of the happy news. She was sure they didn't want to upset her, with Peeta and all, but she was genuinely happy for her friends. She took Chase's and Cinna's hands.
"Well time to stop focusing on me and start focusing on your big day. I'm truly happy for you both." They pulled her in for a hug.
"We'll still be focused on propos for awhile. Is that why you came up here?"
"You've heard already?"
"Well Plutarch said we need to start planning your next one already but I didn't think it would be this soon."
"I'm going to 12," she nodded and their faces fell. "I want to show Panem what the Capitol did to my home."
"Katniss, are you sure-"
"Peeta needs to see it too. Whether he will remember or not, I don't know, but the bakery was completely destroyed. His childhood home. I need to show everyone what Snow has done."
"We are with you til the end, Girl on Fire."
"Coin has called a mandatory meeting before dinner," Cinna said softly. "I wonder if she plans to show your propo from 8."
"I don't know. Cressida mentioned she has to do some editing and all kinds of stuff so I sort of doubt it will be ready by tonight."
"Don't underestimate Cress," Cinna smiled. "She and her team work quickly."
"Do you know her well?"
"I met her a few times working on tributes' stories. She's interviewed me a couple of times. It doesn't surprise me that she's come over to our side. She hated the way tributes were treated. She was always a bit of a rebel, growing up."
"Isn't she the one who dropped water balloons on Snow and his board when they announced the Quarter Quell?"
"Yep, that's her," Cinna laughed. Katniss's eyes widened.
"And she's still alive?"
"She was too talented to get rid of. You can trust her, Katniss, she can help you a lot with this."
"Good to hear. Well I'll let you two have some privacy. I'll see you soon." She squeezed both their hands before closing the door behind her. Chase grinned and turned back to Cinna, draping his arms around his neck.
"What would my fiance like to do until dinner?" Cinna grinned, leaning in to kiss him and they both fell to the bed in a tangle of limbs.
Katniss hurried down the hall and nearly ran right into Haymitch.
"Hey old man, you look a million miles away," she rubbed her shoulder.
"Sorry sweetheart. I was actually looking for you."
"For me? Why?"
"Are you doing anything right now?"
"I was on my way to yell at Finnick for not telling me he's engaged."
"Put the yelling on hold for a bit. I'd like for you to come with me to the studio. I have something you need to see."
Sorry it's so short guys but work has been insanely busy and I didn't want too much time to go by without posting! Will post a longer one next week! :)
XOXOXO
