I knew it.
It's a week and two days after the wedding. It's Christmas Eve, actually. Everyone went home and came back, but instead of spending the holidays at Prim's, everyone is at Peeta and I's house.
I can hear the families laughter from the kitchen. I can't wipe the smile off my face. I'm crying and grinning at the same time. I locked myself in the bathroom twenty minutes ago, and nobody has bothered me.
I've got one hand on my stomach, one hand on my belly, and another clutching the counter.
And on the counter, are ten pregnancy tests. All of them have either two pink lines, a smiley face, a plus sign or the word pregnant on them.
I wipe off my tears and force myself to stop smiling as I stuff every bit of evidence in the drawer with my tampons and walk out of the bathroom.
"There you are!" Peeta exclaims.
"What's wrong?" Johanna blurts.
"Nothing," I say.
"Liar," Peeta smirks. My grin reappears and I put my hands in the back pockets of my jeans.
"Katniss dear, are you a bit tipsy?" Effie asks. All my family starts laughing.
"No," I reply, thankful I didn't drink that drink she handed me at the reception.
"What's up with you?" Annie laughs.
"Your acting high or something." Finn says. Everyone silent now. I can't stop beaming.
"Katniss, what?" Peeta is beginning to look concerned.
"I'm pregnant." I say.
I had a feeling. I was supposed to start my period on the eighteenth, but it never came. I didn't think anything at the time because Peeta and I were so busy with sex that I didn't notice.
But then I threw up yesterday morning, and I realized I hadn't gotten my period.
I waited a day, just to double check. I threw up again this morning, and right after, I snuck out of the house and went to the drug store. I went a bit overboard and bought ten pregnancy tests.
"She's lying." Johanna is clearly not convinced. I put up a finger and go back to the bathroom, getting the ten tests and going back to the living room, laying them all out on the table.
Everyone inspects them, and all of them start grinning.
We all calmly wait for Peeta to process.
PEETA'S POV
Pregnant, she's pregnant?
She has ten tests, and everyone is positive.
She's pregnant. Katniss is pregnant.
My wife is pregnant.
I'm going to be a father.
Katniss is pregnant.
Pregnant.
My wife is pregnant with my child and in eight or nine months I'll have our baby in my arms.
I'll have both myself, and Katniss in my arms in nine months.
Everyone is beaming and they're all waiting for my reaction.
"Pregnant," I whisper.
KATNISS'S POV
"Pregnant," he whispers, his eyes flicking to the tests to me, to my belly, to the tests, to me again. "Pregnant." He says louder. "Your pregnant." Everyone's smiles fall, clearly thinking he's not happy, but mine doesn't. He's overjoyed. "Pregnant! You're pregnant! We're having a baby Katniss, your pregnant!" he starts shouting, picking me up and spinning me around, shouting about cribs and diapers and baby's and school and toys and me and pregnancy. He sets me down, grinning as big as I am, with an insane look in his eyes. "Your pregnant." He says. Everyone starts cheering, just like we did for Prim, when we found out.
…s…
"How'd you find out?" He whispers. My back is in his chest and his arms are winded around me, placed on my belly. We have clothes on, but very little. I'm in my underwear and a tank top and he's in sweats.
"I skipped my period…I was due the eighteenth and I forgot…" I roll over so we're face to face. "We were pretty busy…" I laugh and he smiles. "And then I threw up yesterday morning. That's when I remembered I forgot my period. Then I threw up this morning and snuck off to the store."
"Are you excited?" He whispers.
"Yes, are you?"
"Yes." Everyone is asleep and the kids are asleep. I yawn. "Well I'm going to bed." I kiss him. "I l I love you, good night." I mumble.
"I love you too baby, good night." He kisses my cheek.
...9...
I'm not even in his arms when I'm bounced awake.
"Up Katnus! Up! Up! Up!" Audrey screams, bouncing up and down on my bed. I groan loudly and cover my face with a pillow. "Brandon!" Audrey screams. He climbs onto my bed and rips the pillow away from me. "Get up!" He shouts in my ear. "We can't open until your awake! It's ten thirty for crying out loud!"
Is it really ten thirty? I look at the clock to see it is indeed ten thirty. I sigh and get up. They climb off my bed and I grab the comforter.
"Are you going to put any pants on?" Brandon asks.
"No. Your in my house. I wear what I want." I wrap myself in the blanket and walk into the living room where almost everyone is laughing. "I don't know why it's so funny." I grumble, sitting down next to Peeta and putting my legs on his lap. He takes the blanket and covers my lower. I'm a bit bloated today, my boobs hurt a little and I've got some cramps.
Everyone is staring at me. "What?" I demand.
Johanna smirks. "You look terrible. Your all bloated and disgusting." I cover my entire body with the blanket. "I didn't mean it as something rude. I was just simply stating that it's obvious your pregnant."
"You know-" a huge wave of nausea hits me and I jump up, putting up a finger before running to the bathroom, slamming and locking the door and throwing up violently in the toilet. Everyone is laughing in the living room. I brush my teeth after flushing and wash my face and then storm across the hall to our bedroom and pull on sweatpants and put on a bra and then a green tight t-shirt and walk back into the living room. They all shut up when I walk in.
"Your showing already." Mama says.
"No I'm not." I wave her off. "I can't be showing yet. It's too early."
"How far along are you?" Aunt Lisa demands.
"Um...I don't know, but I think I'm a month."
"You were on your period the day before thanksgiving though." Peeta says.
"You can still get pregnant on your period. Did you guys have S on your period?"
"No." Peeta says.
"Yes we did. In the shower, remember?" He looks confused for a minute and then he smirks.
"Oh yeah," he says.
"And what day was that?" Mama asks.
"Um..." I think for a moment. "The night of the 27th...I think." I say.
She pulls out her phone and starts muttering something under her breath.
"Forty weeks from November 27th is September Third. That's your due date." She says. I sit down on the couch.
"Okay...let's talk about this later and stop torturing the kids." I say. I wrap myself in the blanket again and everyone starts to rip apart their gifts. I told Peeta he wasn't allowed to get me anything and we got into an argument about it. I won, so neither one of us are getting anything because he said if he can't get me anything than neither can I. Christmas makes me smile because the kid get so excited.
Next year, Peeta and I will have a three, almost four month old.
The kids all sit on the floor and play with their toys while the adults all get up and begin breakfast. We have another snowball fight after breakfast.
"I'm just letting you know, your not playing in the fight today." Mama says. I'm helping her with the eggs.
"Why not?" I demand. She looks up at the rest of the adults for help.
"Because your pregnant." Johanna says.
"So? I'm hardly pregnant!"
"I don't care. Your not playing." She says. "Do you want to hurt the baby?"
"No, but I never get hurt when I play anyways. I hide the whole time!"
"Doesn't matter."
...8...
I'm forced to watch everyone, but I don't mind because I've got Chase and he's holding onto my finger, sleeping in my arms.
I'm singing a song stuck in my head and when everyone finishes, we head back.
"When are you guys opening this place?" Johanna asks as we head upstairs to the restaurant.
"January 27th." Peeta replies.
Someone knocks loudly on the glass downstairs and Peeta turns right back around. I unlock the door and we all head inside.
"Alright, gimme my son." Alex says. I hand his Chase, even though I really want to hold him, but he's his child and I can't tell him no.
Peeta come upstairs with Aunt Megan, Uncle Andrew and Jessica. I haven't seen them since last Christmas because they couldn't make it to the wedding and they only come for Christmas because they don't have the money. Jessica is my little cousin, she's fifteen.
"Sorry we're late! Traffic is crazy!" Aunt Megan hugs me. "Married! My little niece is married!" she puts her hand over her heart and gasps. "I'm getting old!"
"She's pregnant, too." Mama says.
"Pregnant! Oh my goodness! A new baby! Another new baby!" she walks over to Alex and takes Chase. Uncle Andrew hugs me and Jessica hugs me. Every time she comes, she sticks with me, Annie and Johanna. Mama says we need to watch what we do around her, because she looks up to us and we're her role models. Johanna, Annie and I always try our best to be good about it. They fit right in with all of us and everyone knows everyone. Johanna walks over to me after an hour of everyone and elbows me in the ribs, much more gentle than usual, and I know it's because the baby.
"Jess is acting weird, don't you think?" she whispers.
"Yeah…" I whisper. "Let's go to me and Peeta's room." I whisper. we both sneak off to Peeta and I's room, Annie trailing behind us.
"Something's up with her. She's all quiet and she's pale and she looks like she's going to be sick and she looks like she's going to cry and she's sitting weird." Johanna says. "Can they hear us?"
"Um…probably not; the rooms are pretty soundproof unless you're screaming." I reply. They nod.
"So what do you think it is?" Ann asks as I sit on the bed without blankets and cross my legs.
"I don't know…but I don't like it." I say. "It seems familiar, but I can't put my finger on why."
"I agree…she'll come to us if there's anything wrong." Johanna says. We're all silent for a while.
"Where's Johanna, Annie and Katniss?" I hear Mama ask loudly.
"That's our annoying que. Just let me change."
I pull on a white dress, that's just white everywhere and then go across the hall to the bathroom and brush my hair, before walking out into the living room.
"Nice dress," Prim says. I just shrug.
"Thanks," I sit down on Peeta's lap. Jessica won't look at anyone.
"Jess honey, are you okay?" Aunt Megan asks her daughter. She takes a deep breath.
"Katniss, can I talk to you? Alone?" she asks. "Like, really alone, like on the first floor?" She asks. Everyone looks at her and I in confusion, but I'm just as confused as them.
"Yeah, sure…" I head towards the door, but she surprises me and everyone else by grabbing my purse backpack and my phone then following me downstairs.
When she get to the first floor, she turns to me. "I need your help." She whispers.
"With what? What happened?" I ask.
"I need your help…your pregnant, right?" she asks.
"Yes, why?" I ask.
"I need a pregnancy test." She whispers, looking all around. Johanna and Annie come downstairs and join us.
"A pregnancy test? Why?" I ask.
"Because…because…" she starts crying. Annie and Jo stand on their side of me.
"Jess, are youo pregnant?" Annie whispers.
"I think so," she whispers, wiping her tears. "Please, I'll pay you back if you go buy me four tests." She begs.
"Fine…if you are though…" I shake my head. "Don't tell anyone where I am. God forbid I leave without telling anyone." I walk out of the restaurant.
…s…..
I got ten again, because I can't fucking believe she thinks she pregnant.
If she thinks she pregnant then she's obviously had sex. And if she's had sex, she could very well be pregnant.
I can't fucking believe this. My fifteen year old cousin might be pregnant.
First Olive, and now her.
I wonder how Olive is doing. Thank god CVS is open on Christmas.
I storm back into the restaurant, having gotten chocolate too, because I saw it and couldn't resist. I got money pacifiers too, because they were cute and I can see them in Chase's mouth.
"Where have you been?" Peeta demands the second I walk into the house.
"I had to go to the store for something." I say.
"For what?" he reaches for the bag and I put it behind my back.
"Nothing," I say.
"Katniss…" he sighs.
"Where's Jess?" I ask.
"Bathroom," Johanna says. Her and Annie rise.
Peeta makes a grab for the bag again, but Johanna takes it and peers inside, then she stuffs it in her shirt. "Go up there and I break your arm." Johanna snaps.
"I'll tell you later, I swear to god." I say. He sighs.
"Fine." He's mad at me now. Johanna, Annie and I walk into the bathroom. She's sitting on the edge of the tub with her head in her hands. I lock the door and hand her the bag.
….s….
Her expression is blank as she stares at the tests. The three of us made her look first, and I really don't want to look. Then she passes out. The three of us look at the test to see their all positive.
"Shit." Jo mutters. We look down at our unconscious cousin. Annie counts as my cousin. She has since we met and does still. Our family instantly accepted her, since she lost her family in 9/11.
"Let's get her off the floor." Annie whispers. Annie grabs one foot, I grab the other, Johanna opens the door, I hide the tests, then I grab her other foot and Annie gets her arms and we lift her, carrying her off to the living room.
"What happened?" Uncle Andrew asks. We lie her down on me and Peeta's comforter on the foor, and the three of us sit next to her.
"She passed out." Annie says.
"Why!" Mama goes to check her, but I know she's going to find out she's pregnant.
"She's perfectly fine Mama. Just leave her be till she wakes."
"Why though?" Aunt Megan asks.
"It's not my place to tell, it's not Johanna place to tell and it's not Katniss's place to tell." Annie says. I get up and get the bag from the bathroom.
"Look what I saw at CVS?" I get out the pacifiers. "For Chase." I throw them to Prim, who catches them.
"Aww! How cute! Oh my god Katniss, this is adorable!"
"What is it?" Alex takes the pacifiers from her and smiles, ripping it open and putting it in his mouth before sticking it in Chase's mouth.
"That's adorable." Mama smiles. Jess wakes up and starts to sob, hiding her face in her hands. My heart clenches when the parents starts screaming at me, Johanna and Annie as if we were the ones doing something wrong. The house goes mad, and Johanna, Annie and I are screaming back, all the children are crying and I'm just pissed and I want everyone to get the hell out. Prim isn't shouting though, she's just trying to calm down Chase. She gets up and goes to my bedroom without a word, and I get so frustrated that I start crying as I stand up.
"SHUT UP!" I shout. Everyone silences. "Don't go blaming Johanna, Annie and I! We didn't do ANYTHING except for help her! If you have a problem, or you want to keep screaming at me, you can get the hell out!" I point to the door, furious.
"I'm not leaving, but I still know you have something to do with this." Aunt Megan says.
"I didn't do anything." I hiss.
"Well I still think you do, and I know Andrew will back me up on this." Aunt Megan says. "You're the reason that we only come for Christmas." She snaps.
"Me? I didn't do shit. Get out." I say.
"No." she crosses her arm.
"Peeta, back me up here!" I say.
"She did ask you to leave…and this is our house…and we own it…and one of the owners told you to get out…" Peeta stands up.
"Fine! Let's go Jess, we're leaving," Uncle Andrew shouts. "Why the hell do you think we didn't come to your fucking wedding? You an asshole."
"Don't say that to her! She didn't do anything to you!" Mama defends me. Everyone begins to defend me.
Jess stands up and follows her parents out of the house.
"I hope you burn in hell!" Aunt Megan shouts.
I don't know why, but that hurts, a lot.
It's because I don't ever do anything wrong anymore. I used to, but after I drank and got drunk. I stopped, and I started to act my age, with occasionally jokes. That's me though, that's how I am. That's how I've been since I could mutter a noise. I've always been like that, and for some reason, it kills me to hear them say that, because me burning in hell is the baby burning in hell, and I don't want the baby to burn in hell. I want nothing but good for the baby, and in order for the baby to be happy, it has to have a good mother. And I'm the baby's Mama. So I've got to be a good Mama.
So I don't cry, I don't curse, or complain, or rant. I just take a deep breath and say, "I'm gonna go see if Prim needs help." And then I walk down the hall to my bedroom and open the door. She's laying on the bed with him in her arms, patting his butt. He's quiet.
I'm not upset because they told me to burn in hell, or than I'm an asshole. Because I'm not. I'm not any of those things. So I lay down next to Prim, and me, my little sister and my nephew, all drift off to sleep.
…s...
PEETA'S POV
"I can't believe they would say that to her." Mrs. Everdeen says.
"She took it a lot easier than I thought she would." I say.
"I agree with you brother. There was something in her eyes though." Rye says.
"I think she learned something. I think she realized something and I think she's changing. Your going to notice a change in her, and it's going to be a good one." Haymitch says.
"I'll go check on her." I stand up and walk down the hall. I look in the room, and see her, Prim and Chase all asleep on the bed. I get the comforter from the living room and take it back to the room, covering all three of them and going back to the living room.
KATNISS'S POV
I wake up with the blanket over me, Prim and Chase gone. I get up and stare at myself in the mirror. I can't wait till September third.
I rub my belly and walk out of the bedroom. I take a shower and spend extra time on my belly, then I get out and brush my teeth, wrap myself in a towel and sneak across the hall and chance in fresh underwear and bra and then put on the same dress, towel dry my hair, brush it, and go into the living room. Brandon is sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table with his math book and everyone is trying to help him.
"Brandon, what grade are you in?" I ask. He sighs in frustration and slams the book shut.
"I'm in eighth grade." He angrily shoves the book off the coffee table.
Everyone is looking at me. I look at the cover of the book and recognize it as the one I taught out of. I pick it up off the floor.
"What page?" I ask.
He just shakes his head. "I'm giving up." He says.
"Aw come on, just one more try. Please? Just one more?" I ask.
"Fine. Page 301, numbers 5-16 all." He grumbles. I fip throough the book, and sigh when I see the page. Two step equations. I set it down on the table.
"What don't you get?" I ask.
"Everything! Nothing makes sense!" he says.
"What is everything?" I ask.
"Number 5! 8+z/4=23. How in the world can a letter be in a math problem!" he really frustrated.
"Because the letter is really a number and you have to find what Z is."
"How!" he runs his hands over his face in frustration.
"Hang on," I get up and go down the hall and get my whiteboard and two markers, going back into the living room and setting them down on the table.
"You were right, Haymitch." Peeta says.
"I know I was." He replies. I hardly hear them, and I honestly don't care because it's a conversation between Peeta and Haymitch and I was not invited into it. I hand him a marker and write down the problem.
"Let me see you solve it." I say. "And say everything out loud." I say.
"Fine…you subtract eight because you want to get z/4 by itself, and in order to do that, you have to do the opposite of addition which is subtraction." He draws his line down the equal sign and subtracts eight. He's got the first part right. "And then you get sixteen." He says as Godiva climbs into my lap. He carries down the z/4=24. "And then you add four and get 28." He says.
"Why?" I ask.
"What?" he asks in frustration.
"Why do you add four?"
"Because you do!" he snaps.
I don't get angry, because I'm used to being snipped at by frustrated kids. "No you don't. You want to solve for Z. In order to solve for Z, you have to get Z by itself." I say.
"How do I do that?" he asks.
"Welll…this…" I circle the z/4. "That's not a fraction." I say.
"Yes it is." He says.
"No it's not." I write the problem again, as 8+z divided by 4= 23
"Wait…" he gasps. "So you have to do the opposite of division, right? So that's' multiplication!" he begins to redo the problem. "23 minus eight is 16, which then gets multiplied by four, and then you get…" he's quite for a second. "Sixty four? Is it sixty four, Katniss?"
"It is," I smile and he grins.
"This is so easy! Let's do another!"
I'm going to skip to late January so I can do the opening of the restaurant.
And I have a confession to make…
I am KatPeeta22
A lot of you have recognized my writing and said that I deleted.
Well I made another right after I deleted it…