Hey y'all. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. This one is short yes, but it's mostly to start setting up this plot, so bare with me. I'm trying to recall certain detail to basically stitch this story into the Hunger Games series which I will never be able to do because they're so completely fantastic. Enjoy.
Katniss sunk into their largest couch in the living room. It enclosed her in warmth and held her tightly while she nursed a large cup of coffee. Coffee… She always takes a moment to thank Finnick for the addiction she has now attained. Peeta has learned to leave her alone until the first cup is gone. By the time she comes in for her second cup he's waiting in there with a large glass of orange juice. They share their drinks for the morning after that with Katniss under his arm leaning into him. But now she's alone.
The clock ticked in front of her the second hand taunting her with how fast the time was passing. As it ticked the time got closer and closer to the point where her son would be up and they would head to the woods. She wishes she could freeze time. Katniss just wanted her son to stay in bed all day. But, she knew he wouldn't. Gavin was a lot like Katniss and therefore an early riser.
As Peeta walks in when she drains her first mug he hands her a second. She thanked him wholeheartedly for keeping the warmth in her palms alive. As soon as he sat down, Katniss even crawled into his lap like a small child. He doesn't even have his orange juice which means he doesn't think they'll have time for it. The two of them are both dressed but they aren't into it.
As soon as they do make it to the woods they'll snap out of it, so Gavin hopes as he watches from the stairs. Katniss is whispering soft words to Peeta about a man that Gavin doesn't know, and though she smiles Gavin can tell she is sad. The name he catches is Finnick and Gavin suddenly starts to make a connection. He was a victor. Gavin knew that much. They had discussed part of the past Victors last year for certain subjects. Finnick popped up a lot as an obvious favorite.
"Hey Gavin," Primrose started down the stairs and Gavin turned shooting her a glare. His parents didn't know he was sitting there yet. If she just kept her trap shut he could hide there to hear about Finnick O'dair. "Whoa 'tude check little man. Move so I can get down the stairs."
"Gavin," he curses his sister silently. Peeta has just called him into the living room. He was now busted. As he stood he purposefully shoves his sister with his shoulder. He then jumped down the stairs two at a time and walked into the living room next to the fireplace where there was extra warmth. "Are you ready to go?" Peeta asked calmly as if he didn't care that he had been eaves dropping. Katniss was curled up in Peeta's lap.
"Yes Sir," Gavin nodded eagerly. "Can we go?" He asked bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. Primrose passed behind the couch whispering goodbye to Katniss and Peeta before giving Gavin a long sad look that dropped his spirits terribly.
"Yes, we can. As soon as I put my hair up," Katniss said rising to her feet. She handed the rest of her coffee to Peeta who drank it carefully once she had disappeared. Gavin decided that his mom was still thinking of this Finnick, guy whoever he really was. It added to his list of questions that he would soon be able to ask.
Katniss was in the bathroom tightening her braid. The silence of the bathroom swirled around her desperately trying to choke her. When she finished with her braid she tied it into place before putting her hands on the side of the sink. She stared at herself in the reflection. "Katniss," she turned around to see Peeta in the doorway holding her father's jacket. Carefully, she took it from his arms and slipped into it carefully. "Everything is going to be fine."
"What if he doesn't think of us the same way as he has?" Katniss whispered as Peeta encased her in his arms. The vice of protection seemed to breathe warmth into her bones. His blue eyes dug into her as she watched him carefully. "Once he sees all that I've done to people..." Katniss was the only one who had to worry about losing her children's love. Peeta had never killed anyone in the games. He had only ever been a victim.
"They will love you for the entire lives because you are their mother. They will understand why it all happened just like we had to understand about Haymitch. We never blamed Haymitch for everything he did." Peeta said kissing her forehead. Katniss closed her eyes pretending that for a moment she believed that she had never hated Haymitch. Now, of course, Haymitch was no longer around. The amount of drinks he had one night was too much and so it left every house in Victor's Village vacant except for the house Peeta and Katniss lived in. "Let's go..." Peeta muttered and then led Katniss out of the door and into the living room where the gathered Gavin and their things before heading out to the woods.
At the school Primrose was cringing in the back of the room. The small TV set seemed to be screaming at her showing all the pictures of her father as he lay dying under the protection of perfectly drawn camouflage. She was never meant to see this. Flashes of her mother running around with a girl named Rue shock her. Her mother should be with Peeta! Katniss should be out looking for Peeta!
The school stopped the feed for the day. Primrose sunk into her chair as the final bell rang. With everyone rushing around to leave she just sat there. Her teacher watched her worriedly, but as soon as she started to walk over Primrose gathered her things and hustled out. As soon as her feet touched the snow the stray she loved walked up. "Hey Willow," Primrose squatted down rubbing the German Shepherd's head between its ears. "If my parents are still out I can get you inside for a while. You can warm up." Willow tail started to wag and he spun around happily. "Let's go then," Primrose tightened the straps on her boots and then took off with Willow at her side.
Primrose froze outside of her house looking at the lit kitchen window. The people inside were not her parents. Her parents weren't even home. "Willow, stay close." She wasn't going in there alone not with intruders in the house. She went to the front porch where she pulled up a loose board and grabbed a bow and arrow that her mom had hidden. Peeta thought it was ridiculous, but Primrose was suddenly thankful for her mother's paranoia. She loaded her bow with a careful arrow and walked into the home.
"Get her!" In a flurry of motion Primrose was unarmed and her arms pinned behind her back. There were five, maybe more, people in her kitchen. They were raiding her fridge but most seemed to have helped themselves to the different biscuits her father had made over the past couple of days. No doubt all their milk would be gone since they had to wash it down with something. "Let her go, she's the daughter."
Primrose stumbled around. Her bow was gone and she recognized only one person, the President. He was the newest President who had been in charge for four years or so. Primrose had only seen his picture every now and then. "Why are you in my house?" Primrose demanded as Willow growled at her side. His hair stood on end across his back and his teeth were bared. As long as Willow was on edge so was Primrose.
"We came to see your mother." The President said calmly. He was a large man with lanky limbs. His hair was dark but graying around his ears. The color of his eyes was definitely fake since the capitol never seemed to grow out of their ridiculous enhancements. They were a dark purple with gold flecks that shone every time he blinked. Primrose immediately didn't like him.
"You're the President," she said in the most obvious tone. She was looking for some typical answer though. If she was able to get the right reaction then the conversation in her head had the perfect come back for the President. As far as she saw it, she was going to be just like her mother. Just like her mother, she didn't have to like the person in charge. She just needed the right response from him to rub it in his face that she was the wiser in the situation.
That's what she got: "You're a very smart girl. Yes, I'm the President," his gravelly voice only made Primrose more mad. He sounded as if he were so superior. "President Markkus in fact." The title rolled off his tongue and Primrose just smirked. In any other situation she would've have snarled at his self centered comments, but she was here to make fun of him.
"Good," Primrose leaned against the back of their couch. Her back heated with the still running fire as Willow leaned against her desperately making sure that she was still there. The dog's fur warmed her leg where he touched her. Primrose tried to keep her white going as she turned her attention back to the President after a small pretense of safety from Willow. "You should know your own laws then," she smirked, "breaking and entering is illegal."
"I'm sure your parents won't mind," President Markkus said calmly chomping down on a small pastry that he had had cupped in his palm since Primrose had walked in. Primrose pushed past the President's guards into the kitchen even with all the commotion it seemed to cause among their numbers. All the milk, gone. She slammed the fridge and settled with water from the tap. When she ran the water and it started off brown she shut it off. It wasn't worth it. They were still working on the piping around the district which left them with water that had to be purified.
There was a knock at the door and when one of the guards moved to open it Primrose shoved past him. "My house, just do your job and protect the President," she snapped and pulled open the door. When she realized who it was she slipped outside Willow following close behind her. The darkness outside her house enveloped her and she let it as Willow brushed against her leg. She was safe.
"Hey Baby..." Hands captured her by her hips pulling her close. His body brushed up against hers and it made her smile mindlessly. He found her lips without trouble. His hands found their way just under her jacket brushing the bare skin of her hips. She allowed his warmth to take her over, and then she allowed herself to let go until she heard feet crunching through the snow. She quickly pulled away looking over his shoulder at Willow who was pacing in the snow worriedly.
"Ash, there are some people in my house. You shouldn't be hanging around here." Primrose whispered. A group of people were headed down from town to her house. There were three and her family was the only ones out here, so unless there were more guards coming for the President, it was her family. They didn't approve of Ash at all. Actually, her mom and Gavin really didn't mind. It was her dad who thought he was the worst influence to ever be born in District Twelve; Primrose agreed. Ash smoked and he was pretty happy about it too. Getting the cigarettes was hard but once he got them he didn't let them go to waste. He enjoyed taunting the Peace Keepers by slipping their whips are batons off their person whenever he had the chance. He was an excellent pick-pocket to say the least and he had taught her a few things. She never smoked though; she left that to Ash.
"You'll come find me tomorrow." He ran his finger along under her chin and kissed her again. "I'll be waiting for you, in our spot." With a warm smile Ash left her on the porch before she could even tell him she would be there. He had a tendency to do that. He expected things from her, the only person to expect things from her. He kind of had her under his thumb thought, and Ash knew it.
When he disappeared into the dark Primrose took off toward her parents. Willow didn't even move from her side even though he usually took off when Katniss showed up. "Mom! Dad! The President is in our house." That ruined the happiness that seemed to float around them. Her parents' faces fell and they took off leaving Gavin in the dust. Gavin tried to run after them but he seemed winded by his day of sitting in the woods with his parents. Primrose stayed back with her brother while her parents went inside.
Katniss and Peeta closed the door to their home behind them. Peeta locked it making sure that Gavin and Primrose wouldn't walk in on the argument that was about to break out. The air was already thick was tension. President Markkus rose to his feet and his guards were suddenly serious with their arms crossed over their chest or on weapons. Their faces were stone as they stood just behind their advancing boss who smirked at the two past victors.
"Get all your crap up and get out of my house," Katniss said trying to contain all her anger. When the President didn't move she did taking a step straight toward him. "You have no right to break into my house. If you even laid a hand on my daughter-"
"Control your wife," one of the guards snapped.
"You brought this on yourself," Peeta shook his head crossing his arms over his chest. "Tell us why you're here and then move out, and I suggest you don't come back. She might get her hands on a bow next time." As the guards tried to make a point they snapped the bow Primrose had had earlier. That made Katniss surge forward. Peeta sprung forward grabbing her by her waist as she fumed. "Katniss let them talk before you gouge their eyes out." He pulled Katniss back into his embrace stopping her with a gentle hand.
"All we came to do was invite you to a party in the capitol. If you're interested, a train will be at the station tomorrow morning at six a.m. We'll have a little meeting of influential people, but that's really nothing. We hope you'll make it." President Markkus gathered all of his followers and they all simply walked out. Primrose and Gavin slipped in the door. Gavin was looking at the guards and then his parents frantically for answers.
Katniss stormed off though before any questions could be asked. Peeta rubbed the bridge of his nose until he heard their master suite door slam. "Primrose help you brother pack we're going to go to the Capitol for a few days. Ask your mother if you can borrow one of her dress for whatever party it is we're going to." He motioned with his hands pointlessly as if he couldn't stop himself. When things happened that stressed him out he couldn't stay still for long because he felt like he had to be moving or doing something.
"Dad, why are we going to the Capitol?" Primrose demanded still suspicious of the President and his people. They had trespassed and claimed it was all to invite their parents to a party? She found it highly unlikely. Primrose was sure her parents were thinking something along the same lines because they didn't seem to know what to do with themselves.
"Baby, I don't know. We'll find out when we get there." Peeta headed toward the stairs and stopped at the base. He turned to his children that were following like ducklings behind him. "Make sure you're next to me or your mother. I don't trust President Markkus." Their father vanished into the master bedroom as Primrose ushered her brother into his room.
"You don't trust the President either; do you?" Gavin asked as he sat on his bed.
Primrose quieted her brother as the phone started to ring because for the first time ever there was a rush of foot steps. They flew down the stairs so fast it was hard to tell who it was. With what seemed like only seconds of ringing that past someone picked up the phone for the first time in Primrose's recollection. "Gale? Is that you...?" Her mother started a conversation with the person on the phone and Primrose turned back to her brother.
"No Gavin. I don't trust him at all."