The judge slams the gavel down twice, the sound reverberating throughout the large courtroom, the high ceilings causing an echo.

"Court is in session," he states.

Everyone sits quietly.

Gale is in the same seat as yesterday, again in his bright orange jumpsuit and shackles. On the back of his jumpsuit are the initials 'CJS'. I assume it stands for 'Capitol Justice System', the official name.

The judge gives a quick overview of his expectations for the day, and then begins after a few minutes.

"The prosecution may call its first witness."

The prosecution starts out small, leaving the 'star' witnesses, who are Peeta, Haymitch, my mom, Prim, and me, until near the end. They call various people from around 12, who testify to Gale's state of mind in their interactions with him in the months leading up to the attack. There is a consensus among them that he was always short, rude, condescending, and angry for no apparent reason. The butcher even tells a story about how he once caught Gale muttering, 'I'm going to kill that damn Katniss Everdeen'. It makes me shudder in my seat.

During the defense's cross examinations, they attempt to pick apart the witnesses testimonies, but fail each time. District 12 sticks together, always, and Gale is certainly now a pariah. The defense gets frustrated, and once asks a witness if they would consider me 'mentally unstable' because of my time in the Games. The prosecution objects, obviously, but before the Judge can sustain the objection, which he eventually does, the witness speaks up.

"Katniss Mellark," the defense was still calling me Katniss Everdeen, despite warnings from the bench, "is not 'mentally unstable', sir. If anyone in this courtroom is, it's your client. Katniss is kind, caring, loving, has a wonderful heart, and is a great wife. I take offense to your insinuation."

The lawyer looks like someone just shot his puppy, and he dismisses the witness with no further questions. I give her a hug when she returns to her seat. It was the lady who ran the small general store in town.

Finally, the prosecution starts getting to the bigger witnesses. They call my mom to the stand.

"Mrs. Everdeen," the prosecutor begins, "can you please tell us the state of your son-in-law on the night in question, after your daughter led you to her house?"

"Certainly," my mom says confidently, glaring at Gale. "Peeta was in a bad way. He had large gashes on both his cheeks and the back of his head. There were deep strangle marks on both side of his neck. His chest was entirely covered in dark, deep bruises. Four of his ribs were cracked. His left shoulder was completely out of its socket."

"You and your daughter, Primrose, attended to his wounds. Where was your other daughter during this?"

"Katniss was, as you can probably guess, overcome with emotion. I didn't want her to see her husband like that, so Haymitch led her out of the room until we finished treating him. When we let her in, she refused to leave his side for a very long time."

He asks a few more questions which my mom answers honestly. Then the defense starts their cross examination, but are unable to disprove anything. The pictures I took are on display, and its obvious that she's telling the truth about Peeta's injuries.

Prim is next.

The prosecution has her basically repeat everything my mom says, to emphasize the veracity of her testimony, and to hammer home how horrible the situation truly was. Then the defense gets up, and asks an almost rude question.

"Why do you think your sister was overcome with emotion? Is it because her ex-lover had beaten her current lover? Or because the two men she loves were fighting over her?"

Prim, who rarely, if ever, gets mad, is seething with anger. She takes a moment to calm herself before she answers. And I couldn't be more proud of my little duck.

"My sister was never Gale's lover, and you suggesting she was at any point is a flat out lie. I thought you had to tell the truth in court? She was overcome with emotion because she was forced to watch her former friend viciously beat her husband into unconsciousness. If Haymitch hadn't intervened when he did, there is a good chance Peeta would not be sitting here today. She also happens to be pregnant, or did you forget that too? My mom and I could barely hold back our own tears when we worked on Peeta. He's my brother-in-law. I love him. It killed me to see him like that, so helpless. And it wasn't a fight, sir. Peeta did not fight back. He knew he had to have Gale's rage directed at him. Even when his life was on the line, his first thought was not of himself, but of his wife and his unborn child. That, sir, is bravery. You wouldn't know it if it hit you over the head. Now, I'm done, your honor, I'm going back to sit with my sister."

Without another word, she stomps off the stand, the Judge nodding his approval. He calls the defense over for a sidebar, and I can see him scolding them yet again. They've been on his bad side all day.

Haymitch is next on the stand.

"Your honor, we call as our next witness, the Victor of the 50th Annual Hunger Games, Mr. Haymitch Abernathy."

Haymitch, who is as sober as the Judge, recounts what he remembers of that night. How he was in his living room when he heard my screams, and immediately dropped everything. He ran across the lawns, up the steps, and tackled Gale. He hadn't know what was happening, but he saw Peeta and me on the floor, had heard my sobbing and screaming, and reacted.

The prosecution asks a few more questions, about Gale's state of mind after the attack, and if he had said anything to Haymitch when he woke up and I was still getting my mom and Prim.

"Yes, he spoke to me briefly before I gagged him," Haymitch explains. He takes a deep breath. I've never heard what he's about to say. "He told me, and I quote, 'When I get out, I'm going to come back here and kill that little bitch. You and little bread boy won't be able to stop me. I'm going to kill that mutt inside her too.' It took all my strength not to hurt him any more, and that's when I gagged him and put him outside for the Peacekeepers to retrieve. I didn't want Katniss to have to listen to him any longer."

Gale has stayed emotionless up to now, but now he's staring at the floor shaking his head slowly. Could it be remorse? No, it can't. Because when he turns to me, he has a sadistic smile on his face, and a wild look in his eyes. Peeta burrows me into his side, protecting me.

The defense gets up to question Haymitch next.

"Mr. Abernathy, you said you tied up and gagged Mr. Hawthorne. Don't you think that was cruel and unnecessary? You could be charged with assault, Mr. Abernathy. Also, were you drinking the night of the attack? How can anyone in this courtroom trust your testimony?"

Haymitch looks about as mad as Prim did.

"Look, friend," he says the word friend through his teeth sarcastically. "This entire country knows I'm a drunk. It's no big secret. But I know what happened that night, and I told the truth as best I know it. Gale was uncontrollable. If I hadn't tied him up, I'm almost positive he would have attacked Katniss when she returned. Are you forgetting that the last thing he was doing before I tackled him was attempting to murder her unborn child? Or are you overlooking that fact as well?"

"Counselor," the Judge interjects, "Mr. Abernathy is not on trial. The truth of his testimony is not in question. We have heard the same story from every witness. Stop badgering the witnesses. Do not make me warn you again."

Peeta is next. I give him a quick kiss.

"Your honor, as our next witness, the prosecution calls the co-Victor of the 74th Annual Hunger Games, Mr. Peeta Mellark."

Peeta tells his story calmly and slowly. He tells of the various times we encountered Gale, and what happened each time. He tells of my reactions, how I wanted to remain Gale's friend and gave him numerous chances, but Gale outright refused each time. He recounts how he was painting when he first heard the yelling. He came downstairs, and when he saw Gale, asked what he was doing at our house. That's when Gale snapped and lunged at him and tackled him through the doorway. Peeta tells how he had looked at me, really looked at me, and knew he had to protect me at all costs, so he took the beating. I'm crying in my seat now, Prim trying to comfort me, but she knows I need Peeta's arms around me. He tells how he remembers falling into darkness when he blacked out, and waking up in bed, me at his side. I smile when he tells the entire court that when he woke, he didn't care how hurt he was, because I was alive, with him, and safe.

The defense again tries their worn tactic of attempting to discredit Peeta's testimony. They claim he was jealous of Gale's and my friendship, and that's why everything happened. They claim that he instigated the fight, which has been proven false already. Peeta calmly explains how he was actually the one who kept encouraging me to try and reach out and get through to Gale, even after the attack, as he knew how close we used to be, and wanted me to have closure.

Finally, it's my turn, and I'm shaking with nerves.

"Your honor, the prosecution would like to call its final witness, the co-Victor of the 74th Annual Hunger Games, Mrs. Katniss Mellark."

I kiss Peeta, needing to feel his lips on mine, and slowly make my way to the stand, one hand on my protruding belly and the other supporting my lower back. Sitting on the hard wood benches of the courtroom for two straight days is taking its toll on my pregnant body.

I tell, in excruciating and painful detail, the story of my long, tumultuous friendship with Gale Hawthorne. I tell how when I first told him I was dating Peeta, he stormed off. How that night, he tried to force himself on me and kiss me, so I slapped him. How he cornered me against a tree once (I leave out the fact we were outside the fence, for obvious reasons), and was forced to kick him in the crotch to get away. The prosecution asks if I feared for my life, and I said yes, absolutely. I explain the long conversation I had with Gale when I admitted Peeta and I were already married, and how he kept trying to get me to leave him for Gale. I tell about how for the next couple months, he left us alone, but was always seen lurking around watching us, rage on his face. Finally, I get to the night he attacked us.

Tears start rolling down my cheeks as I recount that fateful night, from when I went out onto the porch, to how my conversation with Gale turned into a shouting match.

"What did Mr. Hawthorne say when you told him of your pregnancy?" The prosecutor asks. I sigh deeply.

"This is a direct quote. I'd never forget what he said to me that night. He yelled, 'I should be the one fucking you!'," I sob. "That's when I knew I'd lost him for good."

"Then what happened?" He prompts.

"Gale proceeded to try and get me to admit that I was in love with him, which I of course denied, as that was never true and never will be true. Then, my husband came outside, and all hell broke loose."

"Mrs. Mellark, who made the first move that night that led to the fight?"

"It wasn't a fight, sir. It was a beating. Peeta was just standing there, and I had just tried asking Gale to leave again. He yelled, 'You did this to her!' at Peeta and lunged at him. That's when they tumbled into the house and Gale inflicted the injuries."

"Please, continue, if you can Mrs. Mellark."

I nod and collect myself.

"First, Gale punched him in the face repeatedly. Peeta tried to block it, so Gale pinned his arms down and began to kick him viciously in the chest, cracking his ribs. At this point, I tried to intervene. I punched Gale as hard as I could in the kidney. He turned and backhanded me across the face, causing me to fall onto the floor. I believe I blacked out momentarily, because this is the point at which he attempted to strangle Peeta to death. When I started coming out of the haze, Gale was standing above me, screaming profanities and calling me a whore. I rolled onto my side to try and get to my feet. That's when – that's when – please give me a minute, sir."

"Certainly, Mrs. Mellark."

I nod and bring the tissue in my hand up to my face, wiping my tears. I look to Peeta, and his gaze is reassuring and loving. He nods ever so slightly, giving me the courage to continue on. I don't risk glancing at Gale. I haven't since I got on the stand. When I speak, I look directly at Peeta.

"That is when Gale Hawthorne, who I once considered one of my closest friends, attempted to murder my child in cold blood. He tried to take away one of the two people I truly love. He brought his foot back and was about to kick me in the stomach when Haymitch, thank god, came out of nowhere and tackled him, preventing him from kicking me."

"Then what happened, Mrs. Mellark?"

"Haymitch had him pinned, and before he could knock him out, Gale yelled one last thing. Gale used to call me Catnip, because the first time we met, he thought that's what I said my name was. So, just before Haymitch punched him, he screamed, 'Catnip, I will kill you and that worthless mutt inside you if it's the last thing I do!'"

I hadn't registered what he'd screamed when it happened, as I was still in a daze. I remembered it the next day when I went to see Gale, and he yelled all those horrible things at me. Haymitch confirmed my memory for me, telling me he had indeed said that.

I continue on for another half hour, recounting my visit to the Justice Building the next day. The entire courtroom gasps when I tell them he threatened to rape me. I choke out that he insinuated that my own husband raped me, resulting in my pregnancy.

The prosecution finished their line of questioning and sits back down. The defense is next.

I see the lawyers conferring quietly with Gale. Then the lead counselor gets up.

"Your honor, we would like to request Ms. Everdeen's testimony be stricken from the record. Due to her trauma from the Hunger Games and her pregnancy, her mental capacity is diminished. She cannot tell the truth from fiction. It is our belief that her mind has conjured up this so-called hate that my client harbors for her."

I've had enough.

"My name is Katniss Mellark, you sniveling idiot," I snap. He looks terrified of me, and can't look me in the eye.

The judge speaks next.

"Counselor, are you a licensed psychiatrist?"

"No," he sheepishly answers.

"Do you have a licensed psychiatrist who can testify as to the mental state of Mrs. Mellark?"

"No."

"Your request is denied. Mrs. Mellark's testimony stands. Sit down, unless you wish to question the witness."

He turns back to the other defense attorneys, then turns back to the judge.

"No, your honor, I have no further questions."

Did they really think their pathetic plea would work? They didn't have a back up plan? Wow. Maybe they're not as good as Gale thought they were, or maybe they are just that dumb. Either way, I'm glad I don't have to sit here and answer his offensive and angering questions.

I thank the Judge and make my way back to my seat. Peeta takes my hand immediately, kisses me on the cheek, and whispers in my ear.

"Great job, Kat. I'm so proud of you."

The trial is suspended for the remainder of the day. It is already four in the afternoon, and Peeta and I have my OB-GYN appointment in an hour. We quickly take Prim, Haymitch and my mom back to the hotel and have the limo take us to our appointment and wait outside for us.

We sit in the waiting room until they will call my name to go back.

"Kat, how are you doing after today?" Peeta gently asks.

"I'm okay, I guess. It was hard, but I'm glad I did it. It felt good to get it all out, and now everyone knows the truth, no matter what his ridiculous lawyers say."

"I know. I can't believe they actually tried to get your testimony thrown out. That was crazy. The Judge's reaction was priceless, as was you calling him a 'sniveling idiot'."

"You liked that, huh?" I tease, giving him a kiss.

"There's nothing hotter than my wife defending our family's honor," he whispers, kissing me back.

Just then, a nurse appears from a hallway.

"Katniss….Mellark? Oh my god, it's really her. And Peeta!" Oh great, another fan.

"Hi, I'm Katniss Mellark," I say when we walk up to her.

"Um, hi, I'm your nurse. I'm going to take you back to the exam room," she stutters, looking between Peeta and me with wide eyes.

I roll my eyes and follow her down the long hallway.

She ushers us into a very nice exam room, asks me to change into the gown that is provided, and leaves us after staring at us blankly for a few seconds causing me to chuckle.

"I can leave while you change," Peeta meekly suggests.

"Really, Peeta? I get that your humble and polite, honey, but we had sex this morning. It's fine. I'd honestly rather have you stay. Besides, I love the way you look at me," I wink at him. His face goes beet red, and I'm sure there's blood rushing downwards.

I strip down, and, just as I predicted, Peeta's eyes go glassy, and he's unable to form any words. Before I put the gown on, I decide to tease him. I take my bra off quickly.

"Peeta, come here baby," I coo. He stumbles over to me.

I cup both of my breasts and look down at them, then back up to him.

"Honey, are my boobs still getting bigger?" I ask saucily.

"Um, uh," he mumbles, staring at my breasts, as I am slowly fondling them.

"Well, come on, tell me," I coax. "You're the one who plays with them every day. You know them better than I do," I tease. His face gets even redder.

He tries to speak, but nothing comes out. I roll my eyes playfully.

"Fine," I say. I reach out and grasp his wrist, bringing his hand to my breast and forcing him to feel me up. "There. Well?"

"I love you so much," is all he says.

I laugh heartily.

"I know. I love you too, Peeta. I'm sorry for teasing you. It was too easy. But they are getting bigger, aren't they? You love it, don't you?"

He nods enthusiastically, still slowly fondling me.

"Can we do this every day?" He asks like a little kid in a candy store.

"Sure," I smile. "You know how I get with my hormones. Let me put the gown on though, Peeta, the doctor could be here any minute."

He frowns and gives me the puppy dog eyes, but they're not working on me now. I don't want the first thing this doctor sees of me be my husband feeling me up in their exam room. I strap my bra back on and put the gown on, lying out on the table while Peeta takes a seat next to me, intertwining our fingers of our linked hands. He brings my hand up to his lips and kisses my wedding ring.

"You know, I do love you Kat, whether you let me play with your boobs or not," he grins.

"I love you too, Peeta, even if they're all you can stare at when I'm naked," I tell him with a smile. I lean down and give him a quick peck on the lips.

A couple minutes later, there's a soft knock at the door, and the doctor enters. I'm happily surprised when Dr. Sutherland enters after her.

"Mrs. Mellark, I'm Dr. Gaius. It's nice to finally meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too. Please, call me Katniss," I tell her as I shake her hand. "This is my husband, Peeta." They shake hands and exchange pleasantries.

"Let's get started then, shall we?" Dr. Gaius smiles warmly. I nod.

She begins by asking general questions about my pregnancy, some of which Peeta and Dr. Sutherland answer. Eventually, she readies an ultrasound machine that looks far more advanced than the old one in 12.

"We're going to do an ultrasound now, Katniss. Dr. Sutherland told me about the machine you have been using in District 12. This will give us a much clearer picture, and I will be able to print out copies for you and your family. Shall we?"

She smears the cold gel on my abdomen, and begins to place the wand on my belly.

The monitor is turned so only she and Dr. Sutherland can see it, so when they both get questioning looks on their faces, I start to worry instantly. I feel Peeta grip my hand harder, so I know he sees it too.

"What?" I ask frantically. "What's wrong with our baby?"

They talk quietly amongst themselves, ignoring me for the moment.

"Katniss, we'll be right back. We have to check some things," Dr. Sutherland says flatly.

And just like that, Peeta and I are alone in the exam room, wondering what could possibly go wrong.

"Peeta," I say, worry etched in my tone, "what if something's wrong? What if we lose the baby? What if they come out….Peeta, I can't do this," I break down and sob. He immediately stands up and envelops me into his arms. I latch onto his shirt and cry into his chest.

"Shh, Kat," he whispers. "We don't know anything yet. All they did was see something on the ultrasound that they needed to discuss. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Shh, baby, everything's going to be fine."

"How can you possibly know that Peeta?" I sob.

"Because I have faith, Katniss. Faith in you, in us, in our baby. We're going to be okay, honey, you have to trust."

I nod reluctantly, and he lets my cry myself out, kissing the top of my head lightly as he strokes my back. It makes me feel safe, like nothing can harm me, as long as I'm in his strong arms.

After a few minutes, the doctors return, and notice my tear stricken face.

"What is it?" I almost yell. "Please don't sugarcoat it, whatever it is, please just tell us," I plead.

"Okay," Dr. Sutherland says. Then, amazingly, she smiles. "Katniss, Peeta, you're having twins."

"WHAT?" We yell at the same time, then look at each other, then back to the doctors.

"Really?" I ask. They nod.

"Really?" Peeta repeats. They laugh and nod again.

"How did we not know until now?" I ask, curious.

"Well, like I said, the ultrasound machine in 12 is very old. It would have been easy to only see one of the babies each time, as the picture is not nearly as clear as our machine. Also, for the first few months, you were too early in your pregnancy for us to determine whether there was more than fetus," Dr. Sutherland explains slowly.

"So, you're sure then, we're having twins?" Peeta asks incredulously.

"Yes, Peeta, you're having twins," Dr. Gaius confirms. "We can tell you the genders right now, if you wish. Dr. Sutherland has explained to me that you have held off previously, but given today's momentous news, we were wondering if you'd changed your minds."

Peeta and I look at each other, both of us wearing huge smiles. We tilt our heads back and forth slowly, having a silent conversation. Finally, after a few seconds, we both slowly nod at the same time.

"Please tell us," I ask.

"You're having a boy and a girl," Dr. Sutherland says with a grin. "Congratulations, mommy and daddy."

Oh. My. God.

"Peeta! Did you hear that!" I yell. He laughs and hugs me tightly. "We're having two kids! Two! A boy and a girl! A little Peeta!"

"And a little Katniss!" He exclaims joyfully. I know he wanted a girl, like I wanted a boy, but we were both just so excited to be having a baby in the first place. Now we get one of each.

"Peeta, do you know what this means? We get to use both the names we picked out! This is great!" I point out.

"If you don't mind," Dr. Sutherland interjects. "What are you planning on naming them?"

"Eve Rue Mellark and Joshua Haymitch Mellark," I say proudly, my hand linked with Peeta's over my belly, where our children are growing.

"Those are beautiful names," Dr. Sutherland smiles. Dr. Gaius nods her agreement.

"Wait, how come I can only feel one of them kicking at a time?" I ask.

They shrug.

"That could be any number of things. Maybe one of them is more active, or maybe one of them is asleep while the other one is kicking you. Either way, we're positive about this diagnosis. Here's a photo to show you," Dr. Gaius says. She holds out a copy of the ultrasound, and Peeta takes it gently from her and shows it to me. The doctors excuse themselves and tell us to take all the time we need.

It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

It's our Joshua and our Eve. They're facing each other, and their foreheads are just barely touching. They're so beautiful. I love them so much already. Tears involuntarily start escaping my ducts, but I don't even try to wipe them away. No, these are tears of pure joy, like my wedding night.

"Kat, they're amazing," Peeta gushes. He kisses me lightly. "Thank you so much for giving me this. It's the greatest gift ever. You're the best wife in the world. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

I laugh through my tears.

"No, Peeta, thank you. Thank you for marrying me and convincing me to do this. I was so scared at first, terrified really, but now all I feel is happiness. Happiness that soon we'll have two little babies that are half me and half you. It's the ultimate expression of our love, the everlasting proof that we belong to each other, that I love you and you love me. You were right all along, Peeta. This, right here, is where I always wanted to be. No, this is where I always was supposed to be. I just didn't know it until you came into my life. Thank you."

After a few minutes more of Peeta and I staring at the picture of our children, and an emotionally charged make out session, Peeta peeks his head out of the door and calls the doctors back in.

They spend the next twenty minutes going over various things with us, telling us to expect my belly to keep growing in size as I have two babies vying for space. They wouldn't be surprised if my appetite keeps growing either, but I expected as much. I'm almost too happy to listen, but I know Peeta is hearing every word they're saying. I can't wait to tell my mom, Prim, Haymitch, and Effie. Prim will be over the moon. She not only gets a niece and a nephew, she gets to be a godmother to two children.

When the appointment finally finishes, Peeta and I almost skip out of the office in joy. I feel like I'm floating on a cloud. It's quite the turn around from earlier in the day, when my mood was depressed, having to testify at Gale's trial. I'm glad we scheduled this appointment when we did, because it always brings me such happiness to talk about my children. They can flip my mood on a dime, just like their daddy. As if they agree with me, I feel them kick as Peeta and I settle into the limo. Peeta puts his hand on my belly, and I swear I've never seen him smile as wide as he is right now.

We get back to the hotel, and, as I expected, the news of our twins is met with screaming, hugs, kisses, and plans for the nursery. Prim refuses to leave my side, constantly talking to Joshua and Eve, telling them stories about us growing up. I smile down at her, and nod for her to continue.

When everyone finally leaves our room later in the night, Peeta and settle into bed, still smiling. I'm afraid my cheeks are going to be sore in the morning, but right now, I can't bring myself to care.

"Peeta?" I whisper after we situate ourselves.

"Hmm?" He mumbles into my hair.

"Do you think I'm going to be a good mom?"

Peeta lifts himself up to look at me, love blazing in his gaze.

"You're joking, right? Kat, you're already a good mom. Look how much you love them, protect them, care for them. I know when we finally meet them, I'm going to struggle to take them out of your arms."

"Really?" I meekly ask.

He nods.

"Do I lie to my wife?"

"I guess not."

"You guess not?" He teases. "What if I told you that your boobs are indeed getting bigger?" He smirks.

"Then I'd say, what are you waiting for? Get over here and prove it, Mr. Mellark."

"Anything for you, Mrs. Mellark. Always."

A/N: Yup, I did it. Twins! Why the hell not? It'll make the story more fun, and a few people suggested it. I ended up loving both names they picked out, so I wanted to use them both. The trial isn't over, either. The defense still has to present their case, and Gale has to get up on the stand to try and defend his actions. What will be said? Will anybody believe him? Has he changed during his imprisonment? You'll have to wait to find out.

I know I said the Quell will be in this chapter, but I didn't want to make it overly long, so that's being pushed to the next chapter. It'll be worth it though, trust me. I have a plan.

Thanks a bunch for all the reviews and encouragement. It goes a long way to help me keep writing at this pace. 23 more reviews until we hit 100! Let's get there!

Good night, and good luck.