Okay first, I'm sorry I haven't posted in so long. I was super busy with school, and I've had major writer's block so…that makes for really slow writing. Anyway I'll ramble more at the end…read & review! Thanks! :)

The next month goes by quickly. I'm officially 7 months pregnant and I am more miserable than ever. Every part of my body is swollen, my back hurts all the time, I can barely get up off the couch without help, everything I eat gives me indigestion, and I can't even get to sleep comfortably. But that isn't the worst, it happened one day when we went into town and happened to bump into Haymitch.

"It is not funny Peeta!"

"Baby you have to admit it's a little funny." He said trying to stifle his laughter.

"Wearing two different shoes in public because you can't see your feet is not funny!" he burst out in a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

"Quit it! Peeta it isn't funny." The tears in my eyes were pressing to fall; I didn't even know where they were coming from. "I am so sick of being pregnant." I said sinking in to a chair.

"Honey I know you're miserable right now, but it'll be over before you realize it. And I promise all of this will be worth it when we can hold this beautiful baby."

"I hate this." I say, and continue to name off every possible complaint I can muster up. Peeta listens without interrupting. I don't know how he can be so patient with me when all I have done for the last several months is complain to him about something.

When I finish my complaints he sits down next to me and takes my hand.

"I am so sorry sweetheart," he says lovingly. I can tell he means it. "I know this is really hard on you, but you have no idea how grateful I am that you are doing this. I can't wait to have this baby that we are being blessed with. I've always wanted children, and I have always wanted you to be their mother." My heart melts.

"I love you." is the only thing I can manage to choke out as the tears of frustration and irritancy from earlier turn to tears of joy and contentment.

He smiles, "I know, and I love you too."

For the next several days Peeta does everything he possibly can to make me more comfortable, but it usually just comes off as his annoying smothering thing that he did before. I try not to be too short with him, but his constant attention drives me nuts. Still, I know it's just because he cares. He loves me and the baby more than anything. Remembering what Johanna said, I know I'd rather have him hovering over me than his absence. Still, there are many times when I simply can't take it.

"Do you need anything?" he asks for about the millionth time since he got home from work. I was trying to sit on the couch in the most comfortable position I can manage and read, but he just won't leave me alone.

"No I don't, just like I didn't need anything when you asked me fifteen minutes ago." I reply a bit snappily. He looks a bit defeated. I know I've hurt him.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"No, I'm sorry. I know I've been bugging you lately and you deserve to be able to relax for the rest of your pregnancy."

"It's just because you care about us, and I love that about you."

"I'm still sorry. I promise it'll stop."

"Peeta its okay, I know you mean well." I say trying to make him feel better. He can't help that he is overly caring by nature. I reach over and take his hand.

"I love you." I remind him.

"I know I love you too sweetheart." Again with the pet names…

The most unfortunate part of this stage of my pregnancy however, is that I am still forced to spend my days with Haymitch while Peeta is at work. The smell of liquor he brings into our house with him still makes me nauseous. And though it's not quite as bad he still makes an effort not to drink around me as much, and not to smell too much like alcohol when he comes over.

The biggest surprise comes home from work with Peeta one day.

"Annie!" I say when she walks through the door holding little Finnick's hand.

"Katniss!" she squeals, running to hug me. I pull myself out of the chair and meet her hug.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"I wanted to see you before you had the baby and Finn finally got over his cold, so we hopped on a train and here we are! I wasn't sure which house was yours, but the bakery was really easy to find so that's where we went."

I was so glad to see Annie and little Finnick Jr.

"Oh my gosh Finnie you've grown so much!" I gush when I finally get a good look at him. "You look just like your dad!"

"Doesn't he?" Annie says. Though she sounds cheerful, I can see the pain in her eyes at the thought of her husband. Peeta and I were both glad when we found out she was pregnant, it gave her a piece of Finnick to hold on to after the war. She may have been the only person who came out of that wretched battle more broken and scarred then Peeta and I. But having the baby changed that for her. When she became a mother it was as if all the pain she had endured in her life melted away. She came alive again through her son, their son. The last gift she would ever receive from the beautiful man who loved her more than anything.

I missed Finnick a lot sometimes, even though he and I didn't really get along very well in the beginning. It wasn't until after I learned more about him that I actually liked him at all, and once we arrived back in district 13 after the games, he was the only one there who understood how I felt. He knew what it was like to have the capitol threatening all the people you cared about, he knew what it was like to have someone you love held above your head just out of your reach. He had kept me sane while Snow was holding Peeta captive. And I would never stop owing him for that.

"Thanks." Finn says pulling me out of my thoughts. "It means a lot that people actually think I could ever be anything like him." I knew from conversations with my mother and Annie that he was very proud of his father, even though he never knew him, because he died a war hero fighting for the freedom of Panem.

"Well, Peeta why don't you show them the guest rooms." I say. Peeta nods and the three of them head upstairs. Annie is ecstatic when we show her the nursery.

"Oh it's even prettier in person! Peeta this is absolutely wonderful!"

"Thank you, I just hope my little girl likes it when she comes."

"Peeta I'm sure our son will love it."

"Isn't it usually the other way around?" Finn asks. "Doesn't the guy usually want a boy?"

"Usually yes, but I decided a long time ago I wanted a pretty little girl who looks just like my beautiful wife." Peeta says winking at me.

"He's an idiot; we are having a boy with blue eyes and blond hair just like his daddy."

"Well I think it'll be the most adorable baby in the world whichever you have." Annie says. It's so nice to have some different human interaction. I love spending time with Peeta and I'm seeing more of Haymitch then I'd care to, but I still miss seeing the other people I care about.

The next day being Sunday the bakery is closed, so Peeta decides to give Finn a little tour of our district leaving Annie and I alone to talk. I am glad to have time to talk to another woman, someone who knows how I am feeling right now. I realize I haven't been missing human interaction, I get plenty of that, I've been missing talking to another woman. The best moments I've had during this pregnancy have been when Johanna visited, my phone calls with my mother, and even when Cressida came from the capitol.

"So now that it's just us girls tell me, how are you really feeling?" Annie asks me once the guys are gone.

"Honestly, I am miserable. And Peeta doesn't get it. He doesn't understand how truly uncomfortable I am…all the time."

"I know how you feel, during my last trimester there were days where I couldn't stop moving because there just wasn't a comfortable position for me. I could barely get any sleep at all, and I was lucky to make it up and down the stairs."

"Exactly! I don't think I've ever had this many parts of my body swollen and achy all at once."

"I know how you feel."

"I just want it to be over."

"You'll feel differently when the time comes. I begged you mom to make it stop so I could keep him safe forever."

"Would you take it back if you could?" I ask. My mind wanders to the last fourteen and a half years. I know she's missed Finnick like crazy, but she is a wonderful mother to him.

"Never in a million years. It was really hard when he was little, especially because he looks so much like Finnick, but I couldn't help but love him. Eventually I found joy in being a mommy. Teaching him to swim was the easiest thing ever; he took to it just like his daddy."

"So it gets easier?"

"Not a chance." She says with a laugh, "it's the most difficult thing in the world, and it's also the most rewarding thing in the world. But at least you'll have Peeta, I'm sure he's going to be a great father."

"I wish you had been able to have Finnick, he deserved to be a father, and he would have been so good at it. He deserved to get to meet his son." I say giving her arm a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you. I wish Finn would have been able to meet his daddy, but its okay. I've told him everything there is to know about him."

"Good, I think it would be so sad if he didn't know anything about Finnick. He was such a great man."

"I know." Annie says with a slightly pained smile. I decide to change the subject, knowing it can't be easy for her to talk about her husband.

We sit and talk until Peeta comes back with Finn and we all go out for dinner. It's the best night we've had in a long time. The next day gets interesting when I'm in the library looking through the book Peeta and I made.

"That's my dad isn't it?" Finn scares me so badly even the baby jumps.

"Oh Finn, I didn't hear you come in."

"Sorry I should have said something."

"That's okay, and to answer your question yes this is your father."

"He really was good looking wasn't he."

"Yes very."

"Do you really think I look like him?"

"Definitely, you have the same golden brown hair and sea green eyes."

"I never know if I should believe my mom. She could just be telling me that to make me feel better."

"Well I assure you she's not." I say with a laugh.

"What was he like? I know what my mom says about him, but you are a bit less biased. I mean he was her husband."

"He was wonderful; he kept me sane while your mom and Peeta were being held captive by the capitol. I'm so sorry you never got to know him."

"Did he know about me? I never had the guts to ask my mom, in case he hadn't."

"I honestly wouldn't know. If he did he never said anything to me about it."

Finn nods, flipping through the book.

"Who's this?" he asks pointing to the picture of Prim.

"That's my sister."

"The one that died in the war?"

"Yes." I say trying not to think if the image of my baby sister bursting into flames. "Yes that was her."

"She was beautiful."

"Thank you, I always thought so."

"You must miss her a lot. Your mom sure does, she talks about the two of you all the time."

"I miss them both, but I can't see myself living anywhere else and my mother won't move back here; too many bad memories."

"I can kind of understand that." He says giving me a smile, "do you mind if I look at this a little while longer?"

"No, of course I don't."

I know there are many reasons why he would want to see it, but I know the main one is that there may be an off chance of him learning something more about his father. It's not fair that Finnick contributed half of his DNA to make this beautiful boy, yet they never got to meet each other. Just one more thing the capitol did to ruin the lives of the people I care about. I silently vow that I will never let this happen to my child. I will never let my baby grow up without a father.

A few days later I find myself very bored with being cooped up in the house with Annie and Finn, so after quite a bit of begging Peeta agrees to let me take them out into the woods one afternoon, with the promise that we won't stay long and they'll bring me back at the sign of any trouble. It's as if I can feel myself coming back to life as I lead them through the trees. I show them my favorite hunting spots and even teach Finn to shoot a little. He's got a good aim from learning to throw tridents for fishing, but it takes him a while to learn to manage a bow.

Unfortunately they can only stay for a couple of weeks since Finn has school. But I'm so glad they were able to come.

"I'm going to miss you both so much!" Annie says as they prepare to board the train that will return them to district 4.

"I know! We're going to miss you guys too." I say giving her an awkward hug.

After a few more hugs, and a few tears being shed (courtesy of my baby hormones), Annie and Finn board the train with promises to call as soon as they can.

We head back home and Peeta makes me a wonderful dinner. After dinner I give Peeta the most loving kiss I can muster up and lead him up to the bedroom and, against his better judgment, we make love for the first time in two weeks. It's as if I can feel myself coming back to life all over again as I let my husband love me, I missed this so much over the last couple of weeks.

As I lay in his arms afterwards I can feel the baby kicking. I've become so used to it over the last couple months it feels natural now. It won't be long now…just two more short months.

Again, I'm so sorry I haven't updated in such a long time, but I'm in the last few weeks of my senior year and it's been super stressful trying to get stuff done. Also I had a bad case of writer's block for a while, which was really bad. I'm going to get chapter 7 as soon as possible, hopefully sooner then I posted this one. Thanks for reading…hope you all like this chapter, please read & review. Thanks a bunch!