A/N: Here's the next chapter! I'm ecstatic at the reaction to the Everlark marriage in the last chapter. It just felt right, I guess, and it was so much fun to write. I have started to plan the later chapters, thinking about the Capitol and Snow's reaction as well as how I'm going to portray the Quell. I've read some fics that have them in the arena and some that don't. I'm not sure which route I'm going yet. I do have a good idea how I'm going to introduce the rebellion, though. I guess you'll have to wait and see!
Enjoy! As always, please let me know how you like it!
I wake up wrapped in my new husband's arms, my back flush against his chest. My head rests on his outstretched arm, while the other is snaked around me protectively. I can feel the soft exhales of his breath on the back of my neck, his face buried in my hair. I quickly bring my left hand up to my eye line, needing to reassure myself that yesterday wasn't a dream. I sigh in relief at the sight of my gold wedding band wrapped around my ring finger. I look down at Peeta's hand and see his, and I can't help grinning like an idiot. I put my right arm on top of his that's wrapped around me, and intertwine our fingers, waiting for him to wake up.
"Good morning, my warrior bride," I hear after a few minutes.
"Good morning, my painter husband," I reply. "I still can't believe I married a baker," I tease.
"You're not having second thoughts are you?" Peeta asks suddenly with concern etched in his voice.
I feel the need to turn in his arms and face him. I take his face in my hands and bend down for a chaste kiss.
I lean my forehead against his and whisper.
"Never."
He smiles wide up at me. I sit up straight straddling him, placing my hands on his bare chest. I'm fully aware we're both naked. He stares up at me with his mouth agape and a look of awe.
"What?" I joke.
"You're just so perfect. So damn perfect."
"Peeta…"
"No, Katniss. You are. The moment you asked me to marry you was the single greatest moment of my life, until our toasting last night. Not to mention…..you are stunningly beautiful."
I blush deeply, and he grasps both my hands with his. I bring his left hand to my lips and softly kiss his wedding ring, mirroring the way he did it to me last night. Peeta looks like he's about to burst, and I'm pretty sure I can feel his excitement pressing against my butt. I look down at him with a seductive smile.
"Ready to fulfill some of your husbandly duties?"
He's apparently unable to speak, so he nods vigorously.
I smirk and lean down to kiss him thoroughly. I feel him grasp my hips and lift me up, and I know exactly what he's doing. I help him reposition my body, and we're soon filling our bedroom with the sounds of two lovers proving their love to one another.
When we're finished, I collapse on top of him, tucking my head under his chin. He stroked my hair softly and kisses the crown of my head.
"What are you doing today?" I ask.
"Going to the bakery," he responds. "You?"
"I'll go hunting then," I tell him. "I didn't go yesterday, so I want to go today."
Peeta nods. I love the fact that he takes me for who I am. He doesn't try to change me into something I'm not. He simply makes me a better person.
We get ready for the day, brushing our teeth side by side. Before we go down to breakfast, I sit on the edge of the bed.
"Peeta," I call softly.
"Hmm?" He asks as he sits next to me.
I reach over to my nightstand and open the top drawer. I pull out the two gold chains my mom and Prim picked us up yesterday.
"I hate this as much as you do, but if we're going to keep this a secret, we have to."
"I know," Peeta says sadly.
We regrettably pull our wedding rings off our fingers and slide them onto our chains. He takes mine in his hands, and I pull my braid off to one side to give him better access to my neck. He clasps the necklace and lays a kiss on the back of my neck. I asked them to get us fairly long chains, so we don't run the risk of the rings falling out of our shirts. I can feel the cold of the ring on my skin near my heart. It's a constant reminder of my husband and the commitment we've made. I take Peeta's chain and clasp it on his neck, repeating the kiss he gave me. We both sigh once I'm finished.
"I hate this," he mutters.
"I know," I tell him while I run my hands through his hair. "But it's only for a little while. Just think about when we can wear them every day, and everyone will know we belong to each other. Until then, when you feel it on your skin, think of me."
"Kat, I thought you'd have figured out by now you're all I think about," he says seriously.
"Touche," I smile.
We lean towards each other and kiss, making out for a few minutes, but stopping before we end up back on the bed with me on my back. Not that I would be opposed to that, but we just got dressed, and I just braided my hair. Peeta has a tendency to unbraid my hair when we're in bed.
"Okay, let's go eat quickly," I say.
Soon, Peeta trudges out the front door on his way to the bakery. I leave through the back, making my way to the spot behind the butcher's where I enter the woods. I get my bow and my quiver, loving the familiar feel of the weight of them. I can still feel my wedding ring inside my shirt, reminding me of the monumental change in my life. It plasters a permanent smile on my face as I track game.
I shoot five squirrels and three rabbits, not bad, but not nearly my best. I head back towards 12, depositing my bow and quiver, and roll under the fence. I walk over to the Hob, where I meet up with Greasy Sae.
"Hey, Sae," I tell her when I walk up to her little stand.
"Hello, Katniss," she smiles. "What have you got for me today?"
"Some squirrels and a few rabbits. I'm going to bring a couple of the squirrels home for Peeta," I respond.
Sae nods and we barter over price. She's trying to give me more, and I insist that now that I'm a Victor, I don't need the money. I end up giving her all the game for free. It makes me feel like I've done something good for someone when I didn't have to, and that makes me feel great. I say goodbye and walk through the Hob towards the front entrance. I can feel a lot of eyes on me. Ever since Peeta and I won the Games, not only does everybody in Panem know who we are, but here in 12 we are certainly the most famous residents. I quickly exit, not especially in the mood to be bombarded with questions about the Games. I'm still not ready to revisit the horror and trauma we went through, especially if I'm not talking to Peeta.
I decide to stop by the bakery and see my husband. I know he loves it when I stop by unannounced. I can see how his face lights up.
When I reach the bakery, I look through the glass inside. I see Peeta behind the counter. What I then notice is a girl standing opposite him. She has long blonde hair and is very skinny, but shapely. I see her throwing her head back in laughter, and I also see a nervous smile on Peeta's face. I know Peeta would never betray me. I knew that before we were even a couple. I trust him with my heart and my life. And trust, for me, is something that is not easily gained. It's when I see her reach across and put her hand on Peeta's arm, my husband's arm, that I decide to intervene. While I walk up to the door, I see Peeta quickly retract his arm. I know he hasn't seen me yet, so it's his natural reaction. Good boy.
The bell above the door dings, alerting everyone inside to my arrival. Peeta peeks around the girl and sees me. I see his eyes widen in surprise, and I know instantly that he's worried about how I'm going to react.
"Katniss!" He shouts as he quickly comes around the counter.
"Hi, Peeta," I say with a smile.
He reaches me and lifts me up in a bear hug, like it wasn't a few hours ago that we had sex.
"Peeta! Put me down!" I halfheartedly scold.
He laughs and sets me down, taking my face in his hands and kissing me soundly. We both forget about the fact that we're standing in the middle of the bakery and get lost in the liplock. I hear one of his brothers cough blatantly, and we break apart. I glare at him, and he puts his hands up in surrender.
I look towards the mystery blonde and she's watching me and Peeta with barely contained jealousy on her face, her eyes green with envy. Yeah, she should know not to mess with Katniss Mellark's man. Well, she doesn't know my new last name, but still.
"Are you, um, uh, Katniss Everdeen?" She mumbles.
"Oh! I'm sorry," Peeta yelps. "Katniss, this is Sarah. She just moved here from 4. Sarah, this is Katniss, my girlfriend."
I cringe inwardly at 'girlfriend', but I can't blame Peeta. We agreed about this wholeheartedly. I reach out my hand politely, and she shakes it limply, still in shock.
"N – n – nice to meet you," she stutters.
"Nice to meet you too," I smile. "I hope everything is working out for you here. I know it's probably a lot different from 4, but Peeta and I love it."
Peeta nods enthusiastically, his arm firmly around my waist. Sarah looks at us, and I can see the defeated look in her eyes. I might feel bad if I hadn't seen her trying to flirt with my husband mere minutes ago. Doesn't the whole country already think we're together anyways? Shouldn't she know he's mine, even if it was mostly an act before?
She grumbles goodbyes and leaves the bakery. Peeta shurgs at her retreating figure, oblivious to the silent exchange I had with her.
"How was hunting?" He asks as he moves back around the counter. I lean on the side and watch him help customers.
"Great," I say. "I brought a couple squirrels for home. I can cook them up tonight if you want."
"Actually," he interjects. "My dad wanted us to come here for dinner tonight. Is that okay?"
"Sure. Is your mom going to be there?"
"Yeah. Is that a problem?"
"Only if it is for her," I say. I don't want to cause any more trouble.
"Thanks, Kat," he says honestly. "Oh, and don't worry, I reminded my dad about our little secret," he whispers.
"Good. I'm going to go wake Haymitch up and make him some lunch. I'll see you at home and we'll walk back here for dinner?"
"Sounds great," he smiles.
"Kay. I love you."
"I love you too."
I give him one more kiss and he whimpers when I turn to leave. I grin at my effect on him. I hope we both still feel this way in fifty years. I have a feeling that'll never change.
Haymitch isn't as difficult to rouse as I thought, and I make him a simple soup for lunch. Even though he doesn't say it, I know he's thankful. I leave him with a bottle and head back to our house.
I spend the afternoon moving the remainder of my things from my old house to mine and Peeta's. Prim helps me. When we are done with the last load, she looks up at me sadly.
"Well, that's the end of an era," I say.
"I still can't believe you're married," she says in disbelief.
"I know. Did you ever think you'd see this day?" I ask.
"Before Peeta, no."
"What does that mean?" I ask curiously.
"Katniss, the first time I saw you and Peeta together during the Games, I knew you'd end up married to him sooner or later. It was obvious to everyone except you," she explains. "It's so easy to see how happy you make each other. You're like a completely different person around him."
"Is that a bad thing?" I mumble.
"No, not at all!" She says forcefully. "It's a wonderful thing. You're in love. It's a beautiful thing to watch. I only hope I can experience it one day."
"Oh, don't worry little duck, I know there's someone out there waiting to complete your world like Peeta does mine. I always thought out of the two of us, you were going to be the one who settled down. I never imagined this life for me."
"Do you regret it?" She asks.
"No. And I never will. Marrying Peeta was the best decision of my life. Besides volunteering for you, of course." And we both know that's the truth. She gives me a thankful smile.
"Oh! Katniss! I can't believe I forgot to ask you. How did Peeta propose? Was it romantic?" She eagerly asks.
"Actually, Prim, I asked him to marry me," I shyly tell her.
"What!? No way!"
"Yup. We were right her on this couch relaxing after breakfast, and he told me he'd always want to be with me, so I just blurted out 'marry me'. When I finally convinced him I was serious, I told him I wanted to do it right away. He was way too happy to even try and disagree."
"Wow, Katniss. That is romantic. Not in a million years did I think you'd be the one to ask, though."
"Me neither, little duck, me neither," I grin.
Peeta comes home around five and we sit on the couch telling each other about our days. I tease him about Sarah, and he blushes hard. He's too easy sometimes. I assure him that I wasn't mad, and I that I found the entire situation rather funny. He seems relieved.
We shower, together of course, and dress for dinner. I'm starting to feel a bit nervous about eating at the same table with his mom. We haven't spoken since I threatened to kill her.
Peeta and I walk to the bakery and head upstairs to the apartment. I greet his father and brothers with hugs all around. I nod to his mother in the kitchen. She frowns and looks away. We sit down to eat, me next to Peeta and his brothers across the table. Peeta's dad is at the head of the table to directly to my right, and his mom is at the other end to Peeta's left.
We make small talk, and his mom stays quiet, only interspersing sparse yes's and no's.
Eventually, the subject of me and Peeta inevitably comes up.
"So," his older brother Rye asks, "how is living together working out for you two?"
Before either of us can answer, his mother screeches.
"You're living together!"
Uh oh, guess nobody told the wicked witch about our living arrangements. If she's this pissed about us sharing a bed, I can't imagine what her reactions going to be when she finds out we're already married.
"Um, yeah mom," Peeta says, grasping my hand. I squeeze to let him know I'm here for him. "Katniss moved in. It's working out great."
"I will not stand for this," she angrily says. "I will not have one of my sons living with a Seam brat!"
"MOM!" All three Mellark sons yell at the same time.
"No! She is beneath us. The only reason she has any money is because she won the Games. She's probably just using him! I refuse to have her share a bed with my son!"
"You know, I'm sitting right here," I feel compelled to point out. "The least you could do is insult me to my face."
"You shut up," she yells at me. I scoff and scowl at her. "This is a family issue."
Well, I know Peeta and I agreed, but this is just too good of an opportunity to pass up.
"Oh, a family issue you say?" I ask sarcastically. She nods with a frown. "Well, that's fine, considering I'm your daughter-in-law!" I take my chain out from under my shirt and show everybody my ring. Peeta sighs beside me. "Sorry," I whisper in his ear.
"What?" She mumbles in disbelief.
Peeta, who has remained fairly silent through my outburst, steps in.
"It's true, mom," he says as he takes his chain out to reveal his matching ring. "We're not telling people yet. We need to keep it a secret from the Capitol."
She looks between me and Peeta with anger. I stare back at her with defiance, my hand firmly ensnared in Peeta's.
"No! I won't allow it!" She screams.
"Sorry," I say with no hint of remorse. "I'm a Mellark, now and forever. Deal with it."
She's seething with rage now, and I can tell she's using all her faculties to hold herself back from lunging at me or Peeta. She's well aware of what will happen if she does that. Like the rest of Panem, she saw me in the Games. She knows what I can do with a bow.
She shoves her chair back from the table and storms out of the room, muttering curse words with my name interspersed. I shake my head and chuckle.
"Sorry," Peeta's dad says. "I'll talk to her. Don't worry, I'll make sure she doesn't say anything to anyone."
"Thanks dad," Peeta says. "Sorry about dinner."
"That's fine, son. It's not yours or Katniss' fault." With that, he smiles sadly at us and leaves to follow his wife. I am grateful he is here to calm her down.
"So, you two are really married?" His brother asks.
"Yes," I reply.
"When did this happen?"
"Last night," Peeta says, smiling as he remembers our impromptu ceremony. "Katniss wanted to marry me, so who was I deny the woman of my dreams?" He says the last part staring into my eyes, and I feel the familiar warmth accompanied. He gives me a quick kiss.
"That's great," his other brother says excitedly. "Welcome to the family, Katniss. Sorry about our mother."
"Thanks. That's okay. She already knows I'll kill her if she ever even tries to hurt Peeta again. And you know what? That goes for you two as well. You're my brothers now."
"Wow, Peeta. Your wife is awesome," Rye says with reverence.
"Trust me, I'm well aware of how wonderful my wife is," Peeta reminds. I hope the excitement I feel when I am called his wife never goes away.
The four of us finish dinner, joking and laughing, forgetting about the confrontation. Peeta and I say goodbye and head out. When we pass his parents room, I can hear his mom yelling at his dad while he tries to calm her down. I feel guilty that I helped cause this, but I was fed up with the things she was saying about me. Not to mention how she tries to control Peeta's life, when all she's ever done for him is give him bruises and welts.
As we walk home, I know I have to talk to Peeta. If I wasn't holding his hand, I'm not sure if I could.
"Peeta," I begin, "I'm really sorry about that. I just…lost my temper."
"No, Kat. You were right. I couldn't believe the things she was saying about you."
"I know, but I ruined dinner and made a huge scene. And I told them about our marriage."
"It's fine, honey. You're my wife, and even if she is my mother, you should never have to hear things like that said about you. It's me who should be sorry for not intervening sooner. I guess I'm just used to her taunting and insults."
"Oh, Peeta, don't be sorry. It's not your fault at all. I did love the look on her face when I told her we were married, though."
"That was certainly priceless," he tells me with a laugh. "I really do love being married to you, Mrs. Mellark."
"And I love being married to you, Mr. Mellark," I grin back.
Back at our house, we get ready for bed. I'm still feeling a bit guilty, even after Peeta assured me everything was okay. I don't know why, but even if I hate his mom with a passion, I still want him to have some kind of a relationship with her. I mean, she's his mother. I know firsthand what it's like to have a terrible relationship with my mother, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. It makes me glad that I have begun repairing things with my mom.
Peeta lies down and opens his arms for me. I gratefully fall into them and feel him tightly wrap them around me. I am emotionally drained after the dinner. I feel Peeta's hand slip under my shirt and rub soft circles on my lower back, each time brushing the top of my sleep shorts. My breath hitches when he daringly slides a finger under the soft material and tickles me.
"Peeta," I whisper.
"What is it, Katniss?" He asks.
"Please make love to me. I need you right now," I plead, surprising myself with the neediness in my voice.
Peeta doesn't answer me. He just starts to slowly kiss me. Things escalate from there, and we end up making love not losing eye contact the entire time. It's an earth shattering experience, one which I know I'll never forget. It was so deeply intimate. I feel like I'm completely open to him, like I've shared my entirety. I'm his for the taking, as he is mine.
As we drift off to sleep, in each other's arms where I feel the safest, I can't help but thank the fates for bringing me the boy with the bread.
