WARNING:
After the first scene, there is a graphic sex scene. It's not integral to the plot, so you can easily skip it if you want to. It was too much fun to write to not write, I guess.
Enjoy!
"There can only be one Victor. May the odds be ever in your favor!"
I can't believe it. We should've seen this coming. Of course they want Peeta and I to have to fight to the death. Sick. Sadistic. Evil. I slowly turn to face him.
I know what he's going to say before he says it.
"Go ahead, Katniss. You should go home."
"No, Peeta!" I sob.
"Yes. Do it. They need their Victor," he pleads.
"No they don't!" I throw my bow down in disgust. I rip the quiver off my back and toss it.
I quickly erase the distance between us and crash my lips into his. His hands cup my face as mine thread through his hair. As we both deepen the kiss, I feel his hands lightly tracing down the sides of my body, setting me on fire. I link mine behind his neck to keep him close.
We touch our foreheads lightly when we break apart and spend a few seconds just staring into each other's eyes. Peeta speaks first.
"I love you, Katniss. Always."
"I love you too, Peeta. Forever."
Then he moves his lips to my ear and whispers.
"Live your life."
Before I can even comprehend what he's doing, he's taken two steps back and raised his left hand to his mouth. Nightlock! He must've grabbed some from my pouch during the kiss!
"NO PEETA!" I scream. I jump at him and try to open his mouth. I can see him swallowing. He's made his decision. "WHY? WHY PEETA?"I pound on his chest with my fists.
"Be happy, Katniss. For me." He reaches up and gently feels the end of my braid one last time.
With that, he collapses into my arms. I lower him to the ground on his back. I lock my lips to his and feel him exhale his last breath. The tears are streaming down my face now, and my entire body is shaking violently. I'm in shock. One second he's telling me he loves me, the next he's dead at my feet.
I look towards the sky.
"IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED?" I scream at the top of my lungs. "ARE YOU HAPPY NOW? WAS THAT FUN TO WATCH? HE WAS INNOCENT! HE WAS PURE! JUST BECAUSE WE LOVE EACH OTHER, YOU FORCE US TO DO THIS?"
I break down and cry on his chest that has stopped moving. I know the hovercrafts will be here soon to pick up his body and take me as the new Victor.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present-"
"STOP!" I scream. Claudius Templesmith heeds my yell, stopping mid-sentence. "YOU WILL NOT HAVE YOUR VICTOR!" I scream.
I reach behind me and grasp my knife. I never even second-guess what I'm about to do.
I look down at Peeta, the love of my life, and whisper softly.
"I love you, Peeta. I'll see you soon."
With that, I plunge the blade into my already shattered heart. It can't hurt any more than it already does.
The blood pouring from my chest, I lie down next to him and take his hand in mine, waiting to meet him again.
I shoot straight up in bed, sweating and panting. I'm out of breath.
"Kat?" I hear Peeta next to me. I must have woken him up.
"Sorry I woke you up, Peeta. Go back to sleep," I softly tell him.
"No, it's okay. You were having a nightmare," he explains. "You were screaming."
"Really? I'm sorry," I say sadly, sobbing. As soon as Peeta started talking to me, the emotions of the dream came rushing back to my consciousness.
"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay," he soothes, wrapping me in his arms. I bury my face into his bare chest. "I'm okay, I'm here. Everything's going to be okay." I guess I screamed his name.
"It was right after the second rule change," I cry. "You stole Nightlock from me and killed yourself. You left me Peeta! You promised!" I yell.
"It was a nightmare, Katniss. I'm right here. I would never leave you," he soothes quietly. That just makes me cry harder.
"Sshhh, Kat," he rubs my back slowly and lets me cry it out.
"I couldn't take it, Peeta," I tell him when I've calmed down a bit. "I – I – I killed myself. I stabbed myself in the heart. I just wanted to be with you. I didn't care about anything but you."
"Oh, Kat." He doesn't know how to respond. After a minute, he whispers. "You have to promise me no matter what, you'll never do that. The twins need a parent, Katniss."
"No Peeta!" I say forcefully. "You can't ask that. You can't. If you died, I'd be worthless. It would be worse for our children if I were alive. I'd become my mother, I know it. They would be better off with Prim."
"Katniss….I can't bear to think of you killing yourself over me," he says sadly.
"Peeta, don't you get it? You are my world. You are my life. Without you, I can't breathe, I can't live, I can't survive. If you die, I die, and that's final." I scowl up at him.
"I'm never going to change your mind about this am I?"
I shake my head. He sighs.
"Let's just go back to sleep, okay?" He suggests.
"Okay. I love you," I give him a quick, emotional peck on the lips.
"I love you too," he whispers, then lies down with me still in his arms. We drift off to sleep, praying no more nightmares plague us.
The next time I wake up, the sun's coming up. We moved around in our sleep, and are now spooning. I feel Peeta lightly kissing my bare shoulder, trailing his lips down to my beck, sending shivers up and down my spine.
"Mmm, don't stop," I moan.
"She speaks," he teases.
"You stopped," I point out. He reattaches his lips to my skin. "Better."
On a whim, I reach behind me and trail my fingers lightly down Peeta's abs until I reach my destination. I smirk and wrap my fingers around him. I hear him let out a little yelp.
"Kat, what are you doing?" He asks as I start moving my hand up and down slowly.
"I would think that's fairly obvious," I deadpan. I can feel him growing in my hand.
"Katniss, why are you – oh god, please don't stop," he moans.
"That's what I thought," I tease. I start moving faster and faster, and I can hear his breath quicken.
"Come on, Peeta, let it all go," I coax. "Please, for me." He's been so stressed with everything lately. The twins, the Quell, the Rebellion. I need him to relax every once in a while, to clear his head.
"Ohhh," he groans. "Kat, I'm going to – oh baby, here it comes," he warns.
I quicken my pace even faster as I feel his body slightly tense then release. He comes, and I can feel some of it land on my hand and my butt which is only inches away. I giggle, and don't remove my hand.
"Was that as fun for you as it was for me?" I ask.
"Yes," he croaks out. I laugh.
"Well, I hope you know we're still having sex," I inform him solemnly.
"Kat, I need a few minutes then," he tells me.
"Why?"
"To – um – reload?" He tries.
"Oh," I realize what he means. "That doesn't mean you can't be inside me though, does it?" I ask saucily.
"Well, I mean, I guess, technically, no…"
"Good," I grin. I shift my body and start backing up towards him. My hand still grasping him, I gently guide him into me. "There we go," I groan. After a few seconds, I feel him start to slide in and out slowly. "I thought you needed time?" I ask.
"Guess not," he grins.
"Fine by me," I whisper.
I feel one of his hands on my thigh and another tangled in my hair. He's still moving slowly, but it's more than enough right now. For some reason, I feel the need to have his hand on my breast. I reach down and grab his hand that's on my thigh. I bring it up and place it on my boob, and then start moving it with my hand guiding it on top.
"Really, Kat?" He asks with a chuckle.
"You didn't seem to want to, so I took matters into my own hands. Literally."
We continue like this until I feel the pressure building up from my core, and I release, gripping his hand to help steady my world. He smirks down at me for losing control.
"I want to be on my back," I tell him softly. "I want to look you in the eye."
"Okay," he nods slowly. He pulls out and backs up a little.
I roll onto my back and look up at him. He moves around to in between my legs. The first time we did this, I was sure he wouldn't want to because of my ridiculously large stomach, but he really didn't seem to mind at all.
"Ready?" He asks gently.
I just nod enthusiastically, biting my bottom lip in anticipation.
He grasps my right leg and lifts it up straight, so my foot is next to his head, giving him better access. As he enters me again, he lays soft kisses on my ankle. He starts sliding in and out, and I move with him, increasing the pleasure for both of us. He moves his left hand to in between my legs and starts slowly rubbing the spot that makes me dive into ecstasy.
"I swear, if you stop, I'm going to kick your ass," I moan.
He chuckles and just moves faster and deeper.
"Ohhhh," I groan. "Right there." He smirks.
After a few minutes, he places my leg back on the bed. He buries himself inside me up to the hilt. He wraps his arms around me and lifts me up on the bed. I instinctually wrap my legs around him and lock my ankles on his lower back, my hands around his neck.
"Where are we going?" I whisper.
"Shower," he informs me.
"Good boy," I smile.
He sits on the edge of the tub, and we eventually both finish. I'm sure my throat will hurt tomorrow from all the yelling and screaming I did, but I can't bring myself to care one iota. I'm yet again thankful we don't have any neighbors directly on either side of us. They would definitely be complaining right about now.
We finish our shower, and I wash his stub carefully. Ever since he started wearing the new legs Beetee made for him, it's been much better. I still wash and massage it every day, though. It's obvious from his face how much it helps.
Peeta's not going to the bakery today, and that makes me happy. He's been staying home more now that we're only a few weeks away from my due date. His dad was more than happy to let him be with me. His mother, on the other hand, yelled, screamed, and threw things at him. I was downstairs in the bakery at the time, so I immediately stomped up the steps as fast as my pregnant body could, and loudly reminded her of my promise, telling her that he's my husband and he lives under our roof, not hers. She then proceeded to call me a whore, at which point Peeta just walked out. He hasn't talked to her since.
We dry each other, and walk back into the bedroom. We both look at the bed and chuckle. One of the pillows is on top of our dresser. The comforter is under the opposite window crumpled into a ball. Half of the bed no longer has any sheets, and the mattress is visible. Sometimes I forget how wild we can get, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Peeta dresses in a simple pair of jeans and a black tee. I put on my bra, which is a few cups larger than they were before the pregnancy, and some matching black panties. I dig around in Peeta's drawer and find a pair of gray sweatpants. It's pretty much all I wear anymore. I find one of his larger t-shirts, this one stained with splotches of paint, and put it on. I braid my hair quickly, and go downstairs, where Peeta is already in the middle of cooking breakfast.
"So, what do you want to do today?" I ask as we eat.
"Well, I thought that maybe I'd show you the nursery," he says quietly.
"It's finished?" I ask excitedly. He'd been working on it for a couple months now, and had refused to let me even peek inside. I got tempted a few times, but I know how much he loves to surprise me, so I'm going to let him.
"Yup. Finished it last night," he says proudly.
I'm excited now, and finish my breakfast quickly. He laughs at my giddiness.
"Okay, let's go," he finally says after we've washed every single dish to his ridiculous standards.
He takes my hand and leads up the stairs slowly. Soon, we're outside the nursery. It's the same room that, all those months ago, I led him into and told him we'd need to paint it, because I was pregnant. It's right across the hall from the bedroom we turned into his art studio, so it was easy for him to get paints and what not to decorate the nursery.
"Ready?" He asks.
I nod.
He stands behind me and covers my eyes with his hands. I pout, but he's insistent. I reach out blindly and grasp the doorknob and turn it. We walk in slowly until I sense we're in the middle of the room.
Suddenly his hands disappear and I have to blink a few times to clear my sight.
"Oh my god," I gasp. It's – well – it's perfect.
"Do you like it?" He asks unsurely.
"Are you kidding? It's perfect, Peeta!" I tell him, leaning up to give him a peck on the lips. He beams at me.
Each wall has a mural covering the entirety of it. One is the woods. I actually feel like I'm there when I look at it, stalking prey and feeding my family. I look closely at it, and in the background, I can see a small figure that looks like me, bow in hand with a quiver on her back. I look around some more, and find a little Peeta sitting on a rock watching the huntress.
"You painted us?" I gasp.
"Yeah. And when the twins get a little older, I'll paint them in too," he explains.
"Oh, Peeta, that's perfect," I gush.
The next wall is the meadow. We spent our first date, and many since then, sitting in the meadow talking, eating, and kissing. It means a lot to us. I can easily spot us on this mural, sitting on a blanket with an open picnic basket. I'm leaning back into him, between his legs, and his arms are wrapped around me. Then, as I look at the rest of the mural, I notice a single dandelion near where we're sitting.
"I love the dandelion," I smile.
"I thought you would," he grins. "Eventually I'll paint the twins running around us." I nod happily, thinking about how much fun that will be when it comes true.
The last wall is the one that really makes me emotional. It's the lake where my father taught me how to swim. During the Victory Tour, when we were on a beach in 4, Peeta made me promise to teach him to swim. So, when we got back to 12, I started taking him out there a few times a week, and he slowly but surely learned how to swim. It was kind of difficult with his leg, but he was determined and I wasn't going to let him fail. I told him how I knew about the lake, and that he was the only other person I'd ever showed it to.
"Peeta, the lake…"
"It means a lot to you, Kat. You used to go there with your dad, and then you shared it with me, so I wanted to share it with our children. That's okay, right?"
"Of course," I smile wide. "I love it. I love that you can see us swimming, too. It's amazing, Peeta. The whole room is just amazing," I say in awe. He kisses me.
I look around at the furniture, and I'm blown away. We'd been getting things sent to us by various people for months, so the twins now had just about everything they'd need. There are matching gorgeous white cribs. Each of them have their own identical changing stations, dressers, and rocking chairs. Inside each crib is the monogrammed blanket Annie and Finnick got for them. Above their cribs are the mobiles Prim handmade for them. They contain a bow, quiver, loaf of bread, paintbrush, mockingjay, arrow, cupcake, and a big chocolate chip cookie. There's a large bookcase filled with children's book to pick from, most of them gifts from Haymitch. I run my fingers across Eve's crib, marveling at how perfect the entire nursery is. The twins will love it.
"You know, I had this crazy idea while I was painting the lake," Peeta begins. I motion for him to go on. "When this war is over, and we return home, and the country's at peace….how would you feel about maybe building ourselves a house out by the lake?"
"Oh, um," I say unsurely.
"I know, it's a big move, but think about it. Just us and our children. We could design our own house the way we want it, not the way the Capitol does. We'd be close enough to the District to take the kids there whenever, but far enough away that we'd be in solitude. I don't know, it was just a stupid idea. You hate it, don't you?" He looks down at his feet, shuffling slightly.
"Peeta," I whisper. He doesn't look up. I take my index finger and lightly touch his chin, slowly raising it up so we make eye contact. "Peeta, I love it. I think it's a great idea."
"Really?" He asks, cautiously excited.
"Yes. It would be a perfect place to raise our family," I smile.
He smiles back and our lips meet sweetly and slowly. Not only did he do a great job on the nursery, he's come up with an amazing plan for after the Rebellion. I wasn't just saying that to him, I'm actually as excited as he is about the prospect of living by the lake. It was always the place I'd felt most at home, most comfortable.
"Do you want to see the delivery room too?" He asks. I hadn't been in there in a while. The last time I did, all that was set up was the bed, which is the top-of-the-line hospital bed.
"Sure," I grin.
He takes be by the hand and leads me down the hall to one of the other guest bedrooms. He opens the door and I follow him in.
"Whoa," I gasp. The room is almost full now.
"Yeah, Dr. Gaius and Dr. Sutherland just never stopped sending stuff," he shrugs with a smile. He starts pointing things out. "There's the ultrasound machine, and over there is the heart monitor for you and the twins, oh and over there is where they'll clean them up after they're born." He's so happy. I can't help but have it rub off on me.
"What's that?" I ask, pointing to a fairly plain looking chair to the left of the bed.
"That's where I'll be sitting," he says shyly. "If you still want me to."
"Let's try it out," I suggest. He helps me climb up onto the bed and I lie on my back. He sits down to the left of me and smiles wide. "So this is what I'll be looking at while I'm in labor? A white ceiling? Not very entertaining," I joke.
"I could always paint it for you," he suggests. "Or bring you a magazine."
"I highly doubt I'll have the concentration to read, Peeta," I tease. "Besides, if you think you're going anywhere while I'm in the middle of delivering your kids, you're mistaken, Mr. You will be right there the entire time. And expect at least six bones in your hand to be broken."
"That's a fair trade," he grins. "Six bones for two kids? I think I'm getting the better end of that deal."
"And don't you forget it," I warn. We laugh.
"But seriously, Kat, I know this isn't going to be easy. And I'm not just talking about the delivery. Everything after, too. We're not going to get any sleep, and we'll have twice as many diapers to change and clothes to clean."
"I know," I nod. "It's daunting, sure, but I know we can do it. We have so much help, too, with my mom, Prim, Haymitch, Annie, Finnick…"
"We do have some great people around us, don't we?" He says in awe.
"Yes we do. We're blessed," I say seriously. He nods his agreement.
Just then, there's a loud knock on the front door. We barely hear it from where we are.
"I'll get it," Peeta says, standing up. He darts out of the room and I hear him go down the stairs and open the door.
I slowly turn and get myself up and off the hospital bed. It was actually more comfortable than it looked, but I doubt I'll be caring about that. I walk down the hall and slowly make my way down the stairs. Peeta is in front of the now closed door with a huge box.
"What is it?" I ask.
"Don't know," Peeta shrugs.
I look at the top, and the shipping address is simple.
Mr. and Mrs. Peeta and Katniss Mellark
Victor's Village
District 12
"Hmm," I ponder. "Let's bring it in the living room and open it," I suggest. Peeta drags it in there and I sit on the couch.
Peeta opens the top, and shows me that inside, it contains a large, polished, wooden box. Sitting on top of the box is a card addressed to us. He hands it to me and asks me to read it out loud. I open it and being reading.
Dear Peeta and Katniss,
When you told me you were having twins, I knew I had to design these items for you. First, the box is coded to open when either of you states your full name clearly and slowly. After you remove the items, you can use it to store valuables, or whatever you wish.
Inside the box are three things. The first is two backpacks I designed that allow you to carry the twins on your back. They're a simple design, but I made them more comfortable for you and the kids. There are holes in the bottom for their legs, and the top is open for their heads. I hope they help.
The second thing is a folded-up stroller I designed. It has two seats, side by side, for the twins. It looks like any normal stroller, but it is anything but. There are controls on the handles that are coded to your DNA. This allows you, in a dangerous situation, to activate the defensive parameters. A shield will activate, protecting the twins from bullets, shock waves, or really anything the Capitol throws at us. When the shield is activated, the twins will have their own air supply in case of biological or chemical attacks. The shield is clear, so the twins can still see their parents and stay calm.
Lastly, I have designed two enclosed backpacks for the twins to be carried in. These also have their own air supply, and are bulletproof, etc, etc. There is a small window that you can access so the kids can see out, but stay contained. They should be able to fit in them until they are around five years of age.
I sincerely hope that you never have to use any of the defensive and protective measures I have designed, but I wanted you to have them just in case. The war will not be pretty, nor will it be easy, and as you two are the most famous couple in all of Panem, it is fair to say that you will be targets. We need to keep you and your children as safe as possible.
We look forward to hearing of their birth. Please send us pictures at the first possible opportunity!
Sincerely,
Beetee and Wiress
"Whoa," we both say at the same time. "No way," Peeta adds.
He slowly removes the wooden box and sets it down.
"You try," he looks to me. I smile.
"Katniss Mellark," I annunciate.
We hear an audible click, and the top slowly tilts open, revealing the three items Beetee and Wiress made for us. Peeta removes them, unfolding the stroller and showing it to me. Beetee was right. It looks like a normal stroller. Huh.
"This is so cool," Peeta says excitedly while he checks out the two sets of backpacks.
"Definitely," I agree. "We'll have to remember to thank them the next time we see them."
He nods.
After we spend a few minutes familiarizing ourselves with our new toys, Peeta hauls the backpacks up to the nursery and puts the stroller in the front closet.
"What do you want to do with this gorgeous box?" I ask him when he returns.
"I think we should use it to keep valuables we don't want to lose during the war," he suggests.
"I agree. Like our marriage license, the chains we had our rings on, my mockingjay pin, the paintbrush your dad gave you as a kid…"
"Yeah, exactly. I'm sure we'll add a ton of stuff when the twins come too. Let's keep it in our bedroom for now."
"Good plan," I smile.
He picks it up and I follow him upstairs back to our bedroom. I find our marriage license in my nightstand, along with the chains, and gently place them inside. Peeta grabs the paintbrush from his studio and makes sure it's clean and dry before he puts it in. I find my mockingjay pin in my jewelry case and place it inside. We close it up for now.
"It's good we have something that only you and I can open," I point out.
"Yeah. I think it'll come in handy," he grins.
All the walking around and checking new things out has gotten me tired, so I suggest a nap. Peeta agrees readily, and we crawl into bed, which he had made quickly. He wraps his arms around me tightly, and I try to keep the memory of the nightmare I had out of the forefront of my mind.
"You're thinking pretty loudly," he teases softly.
"Sorry," I say. "I just don't want to have another nightmare. I don't know how many more times I can watch you die in my sleep, Peeta."
"I know. I'm sorry. I see you die in my nightmares too, Kat. It's why we started sleeping in the same bed to start with. But when I wake up, and I see you sleeping next to me, I remember that it's just a dream. We got out of the Arena together. We're living our lives by our own rules now, creating a future that we want for our family. And I'm not going to let anybody take that away from us."
"I'll never let anyone even try to take that away from us," I reiterate. "We've worked too hard, come too far to fail now, Peeta. Our children are depending on us."
"Did you think, a year ago, you'd be married about to have twins?" He jokes.
"Nope," I shake my head. "Never."
He laughs.
"What happened to you, Mellark?" He asks.
"You did, Mellark. You just had to make me fall in love with you, then get me addicted to your body. It wasn't fair," I pout jokingly.
"Are you complaining?" He teases.
"Never," I confirm. "Like I've said many times, falling in love with you and marrying you is the best thing that's ever happened to me. And now we're having children. I couldn't be happier, Peeta, honestly."
"I love you, Katniss. Always."
"I love you too, Peeta. Forever."
A/N: Okay! Another fairly light, fluffy, pregnancy-centric chapter. We saw a nightmare, a fairly raunchy, explicit, graphic sex scene, we were introduced to the nursery and the delivery room, and they got some sweet presents from Beetee and Wiress. Did you notice how the 'I love you's at the end were the same from in her nightmare? He he he.
We're mere weeks away from the twins being born! I'm starting to come up with funny little ideas for the delivery, and I can't wait to write it. I'm not sure how many more chapters will be between now and then, though. I'm running out of ideas quickly.
I'm glad everyone got a kick out of the last chapter. I tried to make it funny, and hope it come out that way. I just got the idea of Katniss having to deal with bullies from school, and I ran from there.
Thanks for all the reviews! It means a lot.
Keep reviewing and reading. Happy Thursday.
