******************************************************************************Hi Everybody! Here's today's chapter! Thank you again for the support on the last support. I can't express how much each and every one of you means to me and how much I love you all. I get chills when I get all of your sweet reviews. Several of them almost brought me to happy tears. To know you all enjoy my stories really does make me smile every day! Thanks for all of the support and reviews! I love you guys so much! X
It's weird to be back at home after staying on the fancy capital train. It's not a hard good bye with Effie and Haymitch, seeing that they'll be right next door; Johanna is staying with them for a couple more days until the paparazzi completely clear everyone's houses. So it just leaves me, Peeta, and Annie in our huge victor's village house.
"Peeta, Katniss, I'm going to head on back to bed." She holds up a pack of sleeping pills. I leave the warmth of Peeta's arm, and hug Annie. Her hair still smells like sea salt from district twelve. "It's okay Annie. We'll get Dillan back in just a couple more days." She gives me a small sad nod and I can tell she needs to cry over Dillan for a while. "You can pick any of the rooms upstairs; we don't have anything in them." "Thanks guys. Good night Peeta." Peeta traps her in a hug, "Finnick would be proud of how brave you were today during the interviews." "Thanks Peeta." We watch our friend climb the staircase; which is guaranteed to be a night full of tears and no sleep.
I lean back into Peeta's chest and breathe out a sigh of exhaustion. "Just another normal day in the life of the star crossed lovers, I guess." I silently laugh; Peeta scoops me up and lays me down on the couch with my head propped up on his shoulder. "You did great in the interviews today, Kat." "You did too. I'm just glad it's over to be honest. I have a feeling those camera flashes caused some eye damage." Peeta laughs and rubs his own eyes, "No kidding. You'd think we were staring at the sun or something." I hear his head flop onto the back of the couch. I kiss his jawbone and watch him laugh. His smile brightens my mood more than anything, so I enjoy this moment of pure relaxation. I curl up close against his body, his arm wraps around my entire body and I breathe out hard. I smile and close my eyes. All of a sudden something so loud and abrupt sounds and it shatters my happiness.
It's a booming noise. It's so loud it shakes our entire house. I can feel my entire body stiffen, and my eyes widen to seek the source of the noise. "Peeta! It's happening Snow's loyal citizens are bombing twelve, I knew this would happen one day!" I shake in fear, Peeta rubs my back. "It's okay Kat." He whispers in a calm voice, "It's just thunder." Then our entire yard lights up through the window, and I shake violently at the thought of more photographers. I begin crying, I lean my face into Peeta's chest and let the tears run down and into his shirt. "Kat. Shhh it's okay. It's okay, it's just a storm. Nothing more." My breathing is shaky, "It makes me think about the war…about Prim. And the lightning makes me think of all those cameras…just constantly pointed at us Peeta. I just-I can't take this for another five months." "You're exhausted Kat. Everything is going to seem worse than it really is. Just close your eyes. I'm right here. Always." "Always."
I try to close my eyes and fall asleep, but whenever thunder sounds it takes everything in me to not scream. But somehow eventually I drift off to sleep. Peeta's tolerance for my petty little fears is one of my favorite things about him. That he accepts me fears, and all. He loves me for me.
"Finnick? Is that you?" I run towards the tall figure, and try to embrace him. "Finnick! Where have you been? Annie has grieved over you and you've been here?" I look around my surroundings and can't determine where I am. I pull his shoulder, "Finnick, do you want to explain yourself?" His green eyes look washed out, and his face is so pale that it's alarming. "Come on Finnick we have to get you back home! This may be your first time hearing this but... You look terrible!" I hold his hand and try to pull him forward. I turn around to complain at his lack of movement and he's gone. Almost as if he dissolved into thin air. I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn to see a girl. She looks about nineteen. She has blonde hair and sky blue eyes. They are unmistakable. I am looking at Prim. I throw my arms around her. "Prim! How are you here?" "I'm here good and well. But…you won't be for long. I stare into her eyes and try to figure out what she means. Out of the blue she and Finnick lunge for not just me, but Baylyn as well.
There isn't a bulge on my stomach. But I see a baby girl with blonde hair and grey eyes. I can only assume that is Baylyn. I pick her up and try to run for our house so I can lock out this killer version of Prim and Finnick. The only difference is they have taken form like the mutts in the first games. I try carrying Baylyn and I end up falling on my face. I am able to hide behind a tree, but after the fall Baylyn can't seem to stop crying. "Baylyn…shhh I know. Mommy will make you all better. Just please… be quiet!" I bounce her up and down in a desperate attempt to calm her down. I try to get to my feet and run away but the mutts are faster. Eventually I drop Baylyn, and I physically can't stop running. I want to turn back and save her more than anything, but my stupid legs make me keep moving forward. I watch as the mutts creep up behind a giggling Baylyn.
I awake in my bed and tears rolling down my face. I look over at Peeta, his blue eyes are just staring at me, I jump at the sight of them and fall out of the bed. "Oh my god, Katniss! Are you okay?" He pulls me up and into his arms. "Yeah I-I-I'm fine. Just a little startled." "That was more than a little startled. What's up?" "Nightmare." "I knew that… it's not normal for you to…fall of the bed in a fit of terror over my face." "I'm sorry Peeta. I-I just had a nightmare and when I saw your eyes staring at me…I felt like I was still in the dream." Peeta nods and rests his lips on the top of my head. "It's okay Kat, it's okay. I'll always be here for you." I shudder at the thought of my nightmare and try to go back to sleep. After about an hour of the soothing sounds of Peeta's heartbeat and breathing, I manage to fall back asleep.
I wake up nightmare free this time. I am staring at Peeta, I smile and scoot closer and kiss him. "I guess I could say that was the response I had hoped for the last time you woke up…" I laugh and roll my eyes, and scoot my feet out of the bed. I shudder when they hit the freezing floor, I stretch my arms and hear them pop. "Wow…somebody's getting old." Peeta laughs at his own joke and sits back down onto the bed. "Peeta Mellark!" I run towards him and try to push him over, but her grabs my wrists and pulls me back with him. I start laughing as my hair falls into both of our mouths. His careful fingers pull all of the hair out of my mouth and he begins kissing me. I rest my hand on his cheek and just lay on top of him, "I love you Peeta." I say between breaths. After a while of kissing him, I give him a quick peck on the side of his neck and pull myself up. I paw through my closet for something that'll fit my always expanding stomach. I finally find one of Peeta's new t-shirts and decide that it will feel most comfortable; I take that and a pair of my largest jeans and head into the bathroom to shower and change.
When I open the bathroom door to let all of the steam out, I hear Peeta's footsteps enter the room. I just finish braiding my hair when he wraps his arms around my waist and kisses the side of my forehead. "I love you Katniss." "I love you too." I rest my hands on his, and close my eyes; this moment. These kinds of moment make me realize all of my pain in the past was worth getting here to this moment. Without the games…I wouldn't have Peeta. I wouldn't have my friends, and I wouldn't have Baylyn. Without the war, there would still be the games. Moments like this make me realize every road I took to get here was worth it.
I open from my fantasy and begin laughing at Peeta's hair, it is flipping upwards from where I knocked him over. Most of our scars from the crash have vanished only a faint pink line runs through Peeta's forehead. "I'm going to go check on Annie and grab some breakfast." "Okay, I'll be down in a few." I stand up as tall as I can and kiss all over Peeta's face, every scar I see on his perfect face. The forehead scar is the most evident so I end with that one and smile shyly and head up the stairs to see Annie.
I knock on the only door closed, I hear her moan. I swing the door open and see a giant lump hiding under the covers. I pull it back and I can immediately smell the sleep syrup. "Annie, come on I'm about to fix breakfast. Want some?" She grumbles something under her breath, and turns her face towards me. It is bright red and under her eyes is puffier than I've ever seen them. I push the stiff curls out of her eyes and get down to her level. "You don't want this trip of dragging my pregnant butt upstairs, just to hear you mumble for me to go away, do you?" I bat my eyes sarcastically; Annie lifts up a pillow and smacks me in the head with it. She throws the covers off the bed and stands on her feet. I hug her and hope she doesn't snap in half. She feels so fragile, at this moment. She thuds down the stairs and sits on a kitchen stool and drops her head down onto the counter, murmuring things while she's half asleep. It's obvious she's upset about Dillan…
"Annie. Most of the paparazzi are gone. We will probably be able to leave the house tomorrow. We can go get Dillan back." Annie looks up at me and smiles through her tears. "Thanks Katniss." "You're welcome. Besides I miss having the little guy around." I grab Annie's hand and squeeze it. "Morning, Annie." "Morning, Peeta." Annie smiles through her tears once again at the sight of Peeta, she wipes what remains of her tears away, Peeta kisses her cheek. "We're going to get Dillan back, no matter what." He gives her a sad smile and goes to bake some bread dough that he made a couple days ago.
I take a seat beside Annie, and we watch as Peeta makes us breakfast. "Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if Finn were still here today." "We all miss him Annie. But I do want you to remember… when you were captive in the capital, all Finnick cared about was your safety. He would have wanted to give his life for you and Dillan. All that mattered to him was that you were alive. He loved you both more than anything…" Annie smiles, and nods her head.
Even if it means another interview, I'm going to get Dillan back for Annie. She's lost too much to lose Dillan as well. I look up at the picture of Finnick on me and Peeta's fridge.
Oh Finnick, if only you were here. You would be so proud of Annie and Dillan…I'm going to get Dillan back. I promise….
******************************************************************************Hi Guys! What did you think about today's chapter? Hate it? Love it? Let me know in the reviews below! Did you like I added another fluffy chapter in? Are you ready to see Annie get Dillan back? Do you want the entire chapter for tomorrow be in Annie's POV? I will be picking the winner for my middle name contest for Baylyn. If I chose yours I will give you a quick shout out in the beginning of the chapter! Any last minute suggestions for Baylyn's middle name? Send them in ASAP, I will be picking tomorrow afternoon and writing the name in! I Love you all and can't thank you enough for the support in the reviews! YOU ARE ALL MY INSPARATION FOR WRITING! Hope I'm not freaking you all out with all the love in my messages to you all! Hehehe talk to you all at my next review!
~Freezethemoment
