New Year's Eve is today.
Tomorrow is January first.
And the day after that is January second.
That's the day that Peeta leaves.
I've just made the kids go to sleep.
If they don't they'll be impossible tonight and tomorrow.
Peeta's noticed my change in attitude. How I'll never let go of his hand. How I keep kissing him randomly. How my feet stay in his lap. How I follow him like a lost puppy.
Everyone has noticed, actually, and they don't say a word because they apparently understand. The kids go back to school on January third. Hallie is enrolled in Middle School and I already took her school shopping and she got her schedule. She's nervous but she doesn't seem to care.
I'm upstairs now, sitting on Peeta and I's bed, flipping through a photo album of all our years together, since we were born, till I was ten and he was eleven, then from we rejoined for my birthday till now. He's in the shower, and I think he's just trying to get away from me.
I laugh when I see a picture, one I remember very well.
We went to San Diego as a family, like everyone in the whole family, back when Bailee and Brennan were two and Hallie was three. My legs are locked around his waist and he's literally dangling me over a huge cliff, nothing but the deep crystal clear ocean beneath us.
It was so clear, but we couldn't even see the bottom. That's how deep it was.
He had let go of me, but grabbed me before I feel. I got so scared that I started screaming at him, and he had to kiss me to shut me up.
"What's wrong?" Peeta asks. I look up to see him in jeans and nothing else, aside from a few water droplets on his shoulders.
"Nothing," I say.
"Oh…" he sits down next to me and puts his arm around my shoulder. I lean against him and he places a kiss on my head. "Oh god, I remember that. You were so angry with me, and you were screaming so loud that the workers were coming to ask us to leave. I had to kiss you to calm you down. I remember we had sex right after that, at the hotel, remember?" he asks. I snort.
"Yeah, and I remember we went home early because I thought I was pregnant. It turned out to be a false alarm." I smile and he grins.
"Maybe I'll hit California in the summer and you can come with the kids?" he asks.
"I guess so." I whisper.
He sighs. "I'm going to miss you and the kids."
"I'm going to miss you too. I'm nervous."
"For what baby?" he asks.
"For raising five kids alone without you. I'm afraid the kids are going to give me a hard time."
"I'll help you, Mama." Kilee says quietly. We look up to see her standing in the doorway. "I was coming to ask if I could borrow your charger for my iPod…Tristen broke mine…"
"Go ahead, I'll go and get you a new one when you're at school on Monday." I tell her.
"Okay. Thanks." She takes my phone charger and leaves.
"You're welcome." I mumble, even though she can't hear me.
"If they give you a hard time, you call me, okay?" he asks.
"Okay," I whisper.
"Maybe we can go to California for fourth of July. I can stay there longer…and you guys can stay with me…"
I start nodding. "Sounds good." I lean my head against his shoulder. "I love you."
"I love you too," he murmurs, kissing me gently on the lips.
…a….
It's eleven thirty.
The kids are playing in their DSI's and with the puppy, which they named Max, and Kilee is sitting with Audrey, the two of them playing a game on her iPod.
Someone knocks on the front door.
Peeta opens it and then shuts it again. He walks back over to me and sits down.
The person knocks again, more insistent.
I start to get up, but he locks his left hand on my stomach and his right on my left knee, refusing to let me move. "Stop," I push his hands away.
"You really don't want to open that door." His voice is rough and angry, gaining everyone's attention. I stand up and rip it open anyways.
I start to close it again, but she catches it with her hand. "Please Katniss, just hear me out!" she begs.
"Why should I?" I demand.
"Because I'm the mother of your husband." She says.
"Some mother." Peeta mutters under his breath.
"Fine. You have one minute. Outside." I say.
"What? No Katniss." Peeta gets up.
I put my hand up, telling him to calm down. "Yes." I say.
"Fine. Inside though." Peeta says.
"Fine." I steps aside to let her in the house.
"I just want to start by saying that you shouldn't have sent that picture." She says.
"He is your father and you should know what happened." I say.
"I don't care who he is." She snaps.
"You know what, if you're here to argue, you can get the fuck out of my house." I open the front door and she sighs, but doesn't move.
"You can't tell me what to do." Mrs. Mellark snaps. "You're a terrible person and-"
"Don't talk to my Mama like that." Kilee stands up. Mrs. Mellark whips around.
"Yeah Nana, leave Mama alone!" Hallie stands beside Kilee.
"Don't be a bully!" Brennan joins Kilee and Hallie.
"Mama says to stay away from bullies." Bailee agrees, standing in front of Kilee.
"Mama is a better person than you are." Kilee defends me.
"Don't talk to me that way, you lousy children." Mrs. Mellark snaps.
"Excuse me!" I exclaim. "Who the fuck do you think you are, walking into my house and insulting my children? You can say whatever the fuck you want about me, but don't say a word about my kids. Now get the hell out of my vicinity before I call the police and get you removed."
"You said I had a minute." She snaps at me.
"You don't deserve a second. Leave." Peeta snaps.
She narrows her eyes and then turns around and storms out of the house. I slam the door and lock it.
I turn to my kids, who looks sad. "You guys are not lousy kids, do you hear me? If I EVER hear you believing her, I swear to god I'll ground you. I don't fucking care if your joking." I shout at them.
I don't shout at them unless I'm pissed, and I've never cursed at them. They nod. "Yes Mama." Hallie hugs me, and then they all hug me. I kiss their foreheads and lift Tristen, who fell asleep on the floor, up and sit back down on the couch. Peeta pulls me against him, and I rest my head on his shoulder as we continue with what we were doing.
Soon enough, it's midnight, and everyone is cheering.
…a….
Tonight.
It's the last time I get to be in Peeta's arms for a year, pretty much, on and off, I guess.
We don't have sex. We did that plenty of times last night.
Instead, we lay there, flush against one another, our legs tangled together, our bare stomachs pressed together, gazing into each other's eyes through the dimly lit room.
"I'm going to miss you." he kisses me for the umpteenth time tonight.
"Mm…I'm gonna miss you too." I whisper. "Are you sure you have to go?" I whisper.
"Katniss, we've been over this. I have to go…there's no way around it."
"I know…I just wanted to check…for the seventeenth time." I whisper.
"We need to sleep." He whispers.
I throw my leg over his waist and place myself over his groin. "Let's tire one another out first." I grin.
….a…..
The alarm blares way too early, and he reaches over and shuts it off. He gets up and starts pulling on clothes. I do the same. "You don't have to get up." He says.
"I don't care." I whisper.
He grabs last minute things and pulls on his coat. I follow him downstairs, in a gray sweater, skinny jeans and a black tank top. I tug my boots on, too. The family left yesterday. I go upstairs and rouse the kids. They sluggishly follow me downstairs.
I think, quite honestly, that its disgusting when guys have their pants pulled up high. It's just awkward and uncomfortable for me.
Peeta is the only guy that can have his jeans pull up high and not disgust me.
He's got the ass for it.
"Are you hungry? Thirsty? Do you want me to make you coffee-"
"I'm okay, Katniss. Don't worry about me." he says.
He must know I'm going to do that anyways. "Okay…"
I hear the horn honk outside, and know that Finn, who is taking him to the airport. Kilee and I, who fully understand what is happening, just stare at him. "Well come here." He says. Brennan first. Peeta kisses her forehead and hugs him, ruffling his hair. Then Bailee. He does the same with her, and with Hallie and Kilee and Tristen. I throw my arms around his neck and pull him as close as I possibly can. He hugs me back, tightly. I kiss him, right on the lips. "Call when you land, okay?" I whisper.
"Okay," he kisses me again. "I love you. All of you."
"I love you too." We say together. He releases me, cupping my cheek for a moment.
"I'll see you guys soon." He kisses my lips again, and then all of their foreheads.
And then he's gone.