Chapter 16

The Name

…

"What did you name it?" Clove asks from the couch as she steals a piece of Rye's croissant from his plate.

"We didn't," Peeta calls from the snack counter grabbing a pair of oven gloves as I get up from the floor beside the coffee table, collecting all the empty coffee mugs.

"What have you been calling it then for the past few days?" Clove asks.

"The fish," Peeta says before turning to take the blueberry muffins out so of the oven which I can proudly say I helped make this morning.

"Or fin," I add.

"After me?" Finn smiles and Annie lets out a giggle.

I laugh, "Yes, after you," setting the mugs onto the counter beside the sink.

"I knew you always loved me more than Mellark, Everdeen."

I laugh again only to feel Peeta's arm snake around my waist, pulling me against his chest.

"Watch it man," he says pointing the muffin in his hand at him, "I'll fight you."

Finn raises his hands in surrender. "She's all yours Peeta; just remember she loves me more."

Shutting him up with a glare, I stand on my toes, fisting his shirt in my right hand, and kiss Peeta's cheek. "Just remember Finn can be a gigantic jackass," I whisper in Peeta's ear which causes his chest to rumble in laughter.

"I love you," he wishers back.

Giving Peeta a smile, I turn away from him and back to the empty coffee mugs. As I fill each mug with fresh coffee, I call over my shoulder, "Sugar or milk anyone?"

"Milk," Finn calls as Clove and Marvel yell, "Sugar."

So adding whatever requested to each particular coffee mug, I put away the sugar and milk before carrying the mugs back into the living room.

"So what are you going to name it," Marvel asks as I hand him the mug that reads That's How It Rolls with a unrolling roll of toilet paper underneath the words.

"I guess we this need to talk about it," I shrug my shoulder as I hand everyone else their cups of coffee.

"You can take a name from Peeta's collection of future baby names," Rye asks.

"What!?" I just about shout.

"Um," I hear Peeta come say beside me, "I- its- um-"

"Oh shit," Rye mutter followed by an uhhh as Clove hits him in the chest.

"Peeta," I say turning to him, "What are they talking about?"

"I um- I started- um-"

Finn cuts him off, "Peeta always wanted kids just say."

I nod my head knowing as I look Peeta in the eyes that he will explain later on tonight.

The room is silent till Marvel says something which I don't catch and everyone joins in. I don't bother finding out what everyone is talking about. Peeta divides a muffin in half, handing me the top and him taking the bottom. I give him a slight nod of thanks, but don't eat my half of the muffin; instead I just cup it in my hands not really knowing what to do. I just sit there, mind reeling. Peeta has a collection of baby names? What are the names? Are they girl names? Are they boy names? Names for both? Since when did he have this list of names? Why? Did he really want kids that badly? Was he expecting us to have kids right after the wedding? I didn't know if I could go through with that. Time. Kids, kids still scared me. I was more opened to the idea not, but I couldn't take that step right now. Living together… Marriage… And then maybe a few years down the road we could have kids, think about kids. Time. One step at a time. Uncrossing my legs, I stand up from my seat on the floor.

"You okay," Peeta ask.

I shake, nod my head, setting my muffin top on the coffee table. "Bathroom."

So up the stair and through the bedroom, I open the door of the bathroom. And there leaning against the toilet is Annie. Her face is pale and expresses a mask of discomfort. How did she get here, I didn't remember her leaving the living room.

"Annie," I say going to sit down beside her, "What's up?"

Closing her eyes, she leans her head back, running her hands over her face. Then rubbing her hands against her temple she opens her eyes. "I have to tell you something?"

"Annie, why are you on my bathroom floor?" I ask.

"Mornisicnes," she mumbles.

"What did you say?"

"Morninsickess."

"What," I say again, "Don't know what you're saying Annie."

"Morning sickness," she snaps.

Morning sickness. Morning sickness. That mean- that means.

"You're pregnant?"

She nods her head. Annie's pregnant. Annie's pregnant with Finn's kid. Finn and Annie are having a kid.

"You okay with it?"

She smiles, nodding her head. "Surprisingly really happy, I'm having a baby and its Finn's."

She laughs with a sort of joy and I give her a hopeful smile, "Congrats."

She smiles again. "So what are you going to name it," she says puffing her cheeks out like a fish and using her hands to make gills.

I smile shaking my head before pointing to her stomach, "What are you going to name it?

…

Ringing out my hair one last time, I begin to braid it. After a minuet once complete, I tie a rubber band at the tail. Then flicking the bathroom lights off, I walk into the bedroom. Peeta is pulling off his sweatpants, leaving him just in his boxers. He then turns, facing me.

"Hey." I smile, "Talk?"

He nods his head yes as he crawls onto the left side of the bed. And when comfortable, he pats the open mattress beside him on the right side of the bed. So crawling up onto the bed, I lean against a pillow propped up against the bed's headboard, bringing my knees to my chest. Sitting there in silence, Peeta's hand finds mine and we link our hands together.

"I've always wanted kids," he begin, "You've known that. I've always been a kid person. And the moment I knew you were the one, I always pictured us getting married and having a kid or kids… I know I'm weird. I'm a hopeless romantic… And the list. It's not really a list. It's… I just always wanted a boy and a girl. Maybe a James or Scarlett, a Gray or West, or whatever we want it to be called. It's not a list… It's just some thoughts that come to mind when thinking about kids…" He trails on a little longer, his words becoming jumbled and sentences becoming misunderstood.

Its then when Peeta breaths in, finished speaking that we sit there in silence for a moment. Then after a moment, giving his hand a squeeze, I say in a low tone, "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay," I restate, "I get what you're saying."

"And you're not freaking out on the inside, right?"

"Right," I confirm, "Not freaking out."

He squeezes my hand in return, kissing my cheek.

"Just know I don't want kids," I tell him, "I don't want kids, at least not right now. The idea till scares me, but I'm opening up to with it… And you know it's not you, I have my own I issues, reasons why. I want your kid or kids, it would be ours and I would love it. Just don't except it to happen right away... Time. I need time. I'm sorry, but that's just how it's going to be with me, I got to shit… I'm going to need your help to get there, too. I just- I just need time. And one day, I will be fine and we can name it a James or Scarlett, a Gray or West, or whatever we want it to be called." Scared of what Peeta might do, he wraps his arm around my shoulder. "One step at a time.

So leaning into his chest, Peeta wraps his arms tighter around my chest, bringing me closer to him. "Finn and Annie are having a kid."

"Finn told you," I ask.

"Yeah," he nods, "And Annie told you I take it."

I nod, "When I went to the bathroom today when everyone was over, I found her leaning against the toilet. Morning sickness."

Peeta nods again, "Yeah, Finn says she's been up every day this week at odd times with it."

I nod my head remembering everything Annie had told me earlier in the day. About two weeks ago she realized something was wrong and took a pregnancy test. Well it showed a little positive plus sign along with four other tests. So last week then went to the doctors and wa-la, Annie was confirmed to be pregnant. She says she's happy and I believed her, her smile told it all. Finn was supposedly ecstatic by Annie, going on if it was a girl that he would spoil her and if it was a boy he would teach him how to swim and play football and it all. Me, I was happy, scared for them, but happy. And Peeta I knew without him telling me that he, like Finn, was overjoyed about the fact that his best friends were going to have a kid.

"They'll be good parents," Peeta say confidentially, "Which brings me to ask, the fish."

I groan aloud, "Ahhh, the fish."

Peeta laughs, poking me in the side. "We got to name it," he says. Letting out another groan, I throw back my head into Peeta's chest.

"Is it a boy or a girl?"

"What," he asks.

"The fish," I say tilting my head up to look at him, "Is it a boy or a girl, you know for naming purposes."

"Hmm," he says dragging it out, "What do you want it to be?"

Thinking for a moment I smile, "A boy."

"A boy?" I nod.

"Okay," he says, "Now we need a name."

"It can't be something cliché," I say, "We can't name it after one of us or give it a made up name that is nonexistent."

Peeta nods in acknowledgment and we fall into a silence, thinking of names we can name our fish. So going through the alphabet a few times, I come up with names for each letter, only remembering the ones I really like. And then after a few minutes Peeta gives me a squeeze, "Got a name."

I nod, "You first."

"Jones," he says, "Now you."

I shrink into him. "Don't judge," I say, "Quentin."

"Hm, Quentin," Peeta says, "Quentin, I like it."

"Really?"

"Yeah," he nods, "Make the fish sounds smart and kind of a badass."

I laugh.

"Yeah," Peeta says laughing with me, "Quentin Mellark."