My eyes are frozen on Peeta's face, he's just asked the one question I've dreamed of him asking me so many times. I can't believe he's just proposed to me. Of all the beautiful extravagant ways I imagined him asking me, this is just perfect. It's romantic, spur of the moment and showcases just how much Peeta effects me. He's taken me from sobbing and broken to happy in less than 2 hours.
"Katniss… what's wrong?" He asks his face falling a bit.
"This changes everything." I say, my mind focuses on what people will say rather than what I should be saying to Peeta.
He pulls me closer to him, "What really changes? We are already as close to married as it gets. All that changes is that I can call you my beautiful fiancé that is if you give me the honor to do so."
"We're so young, Peeta. They'll think I'm pregnant." I worry softly.
"The whole nation believed you were pregnant, that didn't change how you felt about me. Is the idea of marrying me that horrible?" He asks, "It's just you and me and the rest of our lives. What do you say?"
"Yes." I whisper, "Yes, Peeta I will marry you!"
He slides the ring onto my finger and pulls me hastily into his lap. I throw my arms around his neck and kiss him fiercely. He pushed me gently to the floor, never once breaking our kiss. His hands caress my body making me feel on fire. I hook my leg around his hip and pull him closer to me. I take the opportunity to pull his shirt off when he breaks for air. He returns by kissing the sensitive spot behind my ear. It's a weakness of mine that he just recently discovered. My nails bite into the warm skin of his chest, eliciting a groan from deep within his chest. I feel so alive in his arms, it seems so unreal. Each time his kisses me I beg for more, with every touch he summons the girl who was on fire. Our bodies are melted together in a perfect match that only ever reassures me that I've made the right choice.
I push him over to the ground and let my body arc over his. I stare into his beautiful eyes, my fingers tracing lines over his strong jaw and cheek bones. He's all mine, I think smugly to myself.
"What are you thinking about?" he whispers as his lips graze the hollow of my neck.
"You," I breathe, "I'm always thinking about you."
His lips trace an intricate path across my neck and shoulders, he softly nips my skin with his teeth, earning strangled gasps from me. I can't handle the anticipation anymore as I scrunch my hands through his hair. I crash my lips to his with a new fervor and swing my leg over him. I've nestled my legs on both sides of his hips, when his hands slide past my knees. They continue up around my back, in one swift tug my zipper is down. The filmy straps slide down my shoulders. This one move has erupted millions of butterflies in my stomach.
Peeta sits up and pulls me close, "Katniss, I can't stop. If you don't want.."
I push a finger to his lips, "I want this. I want you. This is how it's supposed to be."
He smiles and pulls the straps off my arms, the dress gathers at my waist limply. I'm not exposed though. The ugly bandage wraps almost all of my torso, in combination with a simple bra.
"Take it off, it doesn't hurt when I'm with you." I tremble as his sure hands gently peel the stretchy bandage off.
His hands caress the newly exposed skin, sending tingles up my spine. He kisses a trail from my neck to just above my heart, setting my body on fire. His hands grip my hips lightly as he tips us backwards. My hands reach out for his pants and in the dark I fumble with the button.
I've just managed to unzip his pants when I hear something that makes my body run cold, "Katniss! Peeta!" Someone yells from the bottom of the bakery.
"Oh my god!" I hiss, "Peeta!" I stare at him wide eyed and mortified.
He shushes me and sits up, "Who's there?"
"It's Finnick." The person responds, as their voice gets closer to the stairs.
Peeta is hastily fumbling with his zipper, while I struggle to situate my dress. Finnicks heavy steps are so close to us on the stairs, my face flames in embarrassment. Peeta swiftly zips up my dress, just as Finnick rounds the staircase. Peeta stands up still shirtless, and I'm embarrassed of it. Finnick takes in the setting, Peeta's appearance, and my inability to want to face him and knows what he's just interrupted.
"God, I'm sorry guys." I hear him say, "It's just that some serious stuff is going down right now. The district in on lockdown, they announced it but you've been out here. They need you two in the conference room immediately."
Finnick leaves, profusely apologizing leaving us to hurry up. Peeta runs around blowing out candles and pulls on his discarded shirt. I'm working on putting my shoes back on when Peeta hands me a button up sweater of his.
"What is this for?"
"You're neck is covered with marks." He smiles, and pulls the soft sweater around my body.
It smells like him, which is my favorite scent in this world. He Pulls the hood up over my head and kisses me softly. I can feel the frustration, I bet he can feel mine too.
We walk hand in hand back to underground, the night has grown chilly and the rain only persists slightly. We are almost to the conference room when I turn to Peeta.
"You can see anything right?" I fidget with the collar and hood.
"You're perfect." He smiles and tucks a piece of hair behind my ear.
I wrap my hand in his and we walk into the room. Scattered around a big oval table are President Paylor, Haymitch, Finnick, and several people I neither recognize nor have even a little familiarity with. I feel embarrassed again having made them all wait, when Peeta and I were… I begin to chew on my lip to keep from letting my frustration get the best of me. We quickly take a seat and pull our chairs close.
Finnick flashes me a weak smile that says I'm sorry. I notice my head still feels foggy and slow from the wine. Peeta slips his hand across the top of my leg and grabs my hand. I look around see everyone staring at me with varying degrees of concern, and trepidation.
"I've come here tonight to brief all of you on a plot to over throw me. It is still stemming from the dwindled numbers of Snow's supporters. They aren't very strong, we have the power in this situation. The thing is… they are hidden. We cannot locate them. These people were behind the horrors done to Katniss not even a month ago. My team has managed to find two of these rebels and extract information. We know names, and now we know exactly how our information fell into their hands. A member of this district has been betraying us and feeding them information. We know who the informant is, but up until an two hours ago this person is missing. I was informed that unidentified hover crafts made into our radar but only briefly. This was no coincidence, the informant has fled our company and has descended into their midst."
I remember how Paylor promised me she would track down the people responsible for putting me into the criminal games. I am angered that someone here in 13 was betraying me. I can feel Peeta's gaze on me. It's not the only pair of eyes that I can feel examining me for any type of reaction. Peeta's watching for tears, and Haymitch is waiting for the trigger that will send me into a rampage.
Paylor continues, "We've cleared everyone in this room, each of you has an alibi for the last couple of hours except you two." She points at Peeta and I.
"I don't understand." Peeta speaks, "Are you saying you think Katniss and I are giving information to the rebels who put Katniss in the arena again? I'm sorry but this is absolutely idiotic!"
I hear Haymitch tell Peeta to calm down and Paylor speaks, "I am simply asking you to explain where you were so I can give you further information."
"We were in his bakery, having dinner. I was upset, and he was there with me to calm me down." I answer, "Why would we even be considered as traitors? You know this is ridiculous!" I address Paylor with my last statement.
People shift in their chairs, looking painfully uncomfortable, "Katniss… it was suggested because of your closeness to the informant that you especially need to be cleared before we proceed. They have made clear that they harbor some pretty potent feelings for you, and with your history with this person we needed to make sure."
I stare at Peeta, one of the only people I consider myself incredibly close too. He has very strong feelings for me, and we have a history. It couldn't be Peeta, he would never do something like this. Peeta's eyes are sad and I can see that he knows who it is. He grabs both of my hands in support. Haymitch almost looks as if he could kill, and Finnick looks betrayed as well.
"I don't get it… who is it?" I stammer, my voice breaking under the stress.
Peeta turns toward me, "Katniss… its Gale."
My stomach churns violently, as I stare into everyone's faces. They nod their heads in confirmation of Peeta's statement. The room begins to swirl sickeningly as my mind processes this information. Gale betrayed a childhood of memories and friendship because he was jealous. He hated Peeta because I chose to love him. The kind, sweet Gale I knew from District 12 was a cold-hearted rebel set out to destroy my life and the new world Paylor was creating.
Haymitch stirs in his chair looking uncertain if he should move to see if I'm okay. Before I can even speak I feel the bile in my throat. I curl my hand over my mouth and spring from the room. I hurdle toward the closest bathroom, and make it just as my stomach gives one good heave. It seems like forever before my stomach has nothing left to relieve itself of. My ribs and stomach hurt from the clenched muscles. My body is sticky with sweat and I feel like I'm having a heart attack. The small bathroom's door locked behind me before anyone could follow me in. I can hear Haymitch and Peeta arguing over whether to break the door down or wait for me.
I'm clutching my chest trying to get a grip on my breathing, when the door to the bathroom explodes open. I jerk into the cold tile wall where I've pressed my enflamed face on the icy surface.
"Katniss!" Peeta whispers as he knees in front of me, "Just breathe, okay?"
He places my hands on his chest and covers them with his hands. He breathes deep and slow, giving me a rhythm to mimic. Haymitch silently observes, making sure I won't go crazy and trigger a bad memory. Once my breathing has calmed down the anger hits like a nuclear bomb.
"How could he do this! That son of a bitch!" I growl through my teeth.
"I don't know." Peeta whispers.
Peeta coaxes me from the floor after a few minutes. I rinse out my mouth and pull Peeta's sweater back around me. Peeta's hand touches the small of my back to guide me out of the bathroom. Haymitch doesn't even have to greet me with the usual "sweetheart what happened", I hastily wrap my arms around him. He hugs me tightly and kisses the top of my head, the gesture is so sincere and fatherly. That's what Haymitch is to me, a father figure. Peeta, my fiancé, and Haymitch the father I've been lacking are the only men I need. Together they will make sure Gale will answer for what he has done to me, and to all of us.
"Alright sweetheart, ready to go back in there and make that ass pay for this?" Haymitch asks.
I straighten up and nod, I'm ready as ill ever be. I feel nothing for Gale but sadness now. I pity him, even loathe him. When you say you love someone you don't feed information to people who want to hurt that person. You don't betray the people you love, and Gale has committed that injustice.