I'm pulled out of my dream when my body realizes I'm alone in bed. I reach out blindly and find that Peeta's not there. My finely honed skills tell me he's been out of bed for at least ten minutes.

I try to go back to sleep, but find myself unable to without my husband's arms wrapped around me. I'd be embarrassed I need him so much, if I actually cared, which I don't.

I roll out of bed and glance at the clock. 4:14 am. There's only one place he can be. With the twins. I look down and notice I'm wearing a bra and panties. I don't necessarily remember putting them on, but what the heck.

Quietly as I can, I pad over to the spare bedroom where Josh and Eve have been staying. Just before I turn the corner to enter, I hear Peeta's voice. I stop and back up against the wall, and listen. I know he doesn't know I'm here.

"Want me to tell you a story to help you sleep buddy?" I hear him say. "Okay, big guy, you just relax and listen. Your sister's already asleep, so it's your turn."

He's talking to Josh, and I can picture him sitting with him in his arms, lovingly looking down at him, coaxing him back to sleep. It makes all sorts of emotions swell up in me – love, pride, gratitude, hope. Peeta continues.

"Son, I want to tell you about your mommy. Now, I know you love her because she feeds you, and changes you, and bathes you, but there's so many other reasons she loves you. We are so lucky to have mommy, Josh. So lucky. I'll never be able to tell you how much. I'll tell you a secret, but you can't tell mommy, okay?"

He pauses. I debate whether or not to move, knowing he's telling a secret, but my feet won't let me go anywhere.

"She's my angel. She saves me every single day, son. She doesn't know it, but when I wake up, and she smiles at me, I know that everything I've done is worth it. Then we go and see you and your sister, and I know that my life is absolutely perfect."

I feel the tears starting, and I don't even attempt to stop them. He's so good with words.

"I want you to always remember that, Josh. Always remember everything mommy does for you, for us, because she's the best mommy in the whole world. She would do anything for us, just because she loves us. I don't know why, but don't tell her that. She'd get angry at me."

I chuckle to myself, knowing he's right. I've tried telling him a million times why I love him. I even wrote him that letter. But he's still clueless, as am I to his love. We just accept that however improbable or unbelievable it is, we love each other fiercely.

"Now don't get me wrong, buddy. I love your mom with all my heart. She's my soul mate, my best friend. I will always love her. But I love you and your sister too. But I love you two in a verrrrrry different way. I can't really explain it to you. You and Eve are the result of your mother's and my love, representations of us coming together as one. We would do anything to keep you safe, to keep you happy, and I want you to always remember that. Now go to sleep, big boy, you need your rest. Ssshhh go to sleep for daddy."

I hear Peeta moving about, and I know he's putting Josh down in his crib, so I quickly and quietly haul ass back to our bed. I sit up and wait for Peeta to return, which he does after a couple minutes. Of course, he immediately sees the tears on my face and takes me in his arms.

"Baby, what's wrong?" He softly asks me.

"I'm sorry, Peeta," I whimper. He looks confused. I don't blame him.

"Why are you sorry honey?"

"I woke up and you weren't in bed, so I was going to join you in the twins' room. But then I heard you talking to Josh, and I listened. I'm sorry, Peeta. That was a father-son moment. I shouldn't have stayed," I sob.

He thinks for a moment, then just smiles at me.

"It's fine, Kat."

"No it's not," I tell him firmly.

"Yes it is," he nods. "I don't care if you heard that. It's not like I haven't told you most of that before anyways."

"But that was a special moment with your son and I ruined it!"

"Oh, shush, no you didn't. I didn't know you were there until now, so it's not ruined. Actually, It's all the more special that you heard, I think."

"Really?" I ask, looking up at him in wonder.

"Really," he smiles down at me, leaning down to give me a sweet kiss on the lips. I savor the taste of him against my lips.

"Kat?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I make love to you?" He asks shyly.

"I'd like nothing more," I tell him honestly.

He's already in his boxers, and I'm just in a bra and panties, so it doesn't take us long at all to get down to it. Peeta shyly asks me if we can make love in a position we've only used a few times, and I agree.

We sit on the bed, Peeta upright with his back against the backboard. I sit on his lap, facing him, my legs wrapped around his back. We both like this position because it allows us to stay incredibly close and keep eye contact the whole time. Not to mention the amount of kissing that goes on.

We make it last for a long time, and the sun is coming up before we're finished. We get another hour of sleep in, then the twins wake us up. We both grumble, but smile when we see our children awake and ready for the day.

Peeta surprises me with cheese buns for breakfast, telling me the same chef who made them last time made them again. I smile wide and thank him with a kiss. We eat with a baby on each of our laps, happy to spend time as a family.

"So are you ready for this interview?" Peeta asks me.

"I think so," I tell him. "We just need to make sure they know to stay away from the twins, and we need to play up the mentor thing. Throw suspicion off us and the other Victors."

"Got it," he nods.

Soon it's time to leave. We give Prim and my mom the day off, and decide to take the twins with us. We pack the diaper bag and bring the stroller. We pile into the limo and we're soon on our way to the studio.

"I called Annie," I tell Peeta once we're en route. "She and Finnick will meet us there. They'll watch the twins during our interview.

"Great," he smiles. "Good thinking, honey." He leans over and kisses me, caressing my cheek with his free hand. Our other hands have been firmly locked since we left the room.

We're soon at the back of Caesar's studio, at the incognito entrance. Finnick and Annie are waiting for us, and are ecstatic to see the twins. I think they're more excited to see them than Peeta and me.

We're led inside, and taken to makeup. I'm wearing a dress I designed with Cinna. It's tight, and shows off my curves. It's a deep, dark blue. I designed Peeta's suit, too. It's the same shade of blue, and his shirt and tie are as well. We look like a team.

Cinna, thankfully, is there to do my makeup. He keeps it light and natural, highlighting my eyes, knowing how much Peeta loves them. I help him do my hair, and we keep it up in a low bun, a few strands framing my face.

"Peeta's going to have a heart attack when he sees you," Cinna tells me with a grin when we're finished.

"I hope not," I smile. "I kind of need him to help me change diapers." We both laugh and head out.

Annie and Finnick are there, and Peeta meets me. He looks so handsome. His hair is natural, but I love how it looks. He's let it curl out, and I couldn't be happier.

"Oh my god, Katniss," he says as he takes me in his arms. "You are so gorgeous, honey."

"Thank you," I say and give him a peck on the lips. "You are very handsome, husband."

He smiles and we turn to Finnick and Annie.

"Alright guys, thanks for watching them," Peeta grins.

"Under no circumstances are you to bring them out, no matter what Caesar or anybody else says, okay?" I demand, pointing at them and scowling for effect.

Finnick throws his hands up in surrender.

"Don't worry," Annie assures me, chuckling. "We don't want them in the spotlight just as much as you."

"Thanks guys, really," I give them a warm smile.

Someone gives us the two-minute warning, so we say bye to the twins.

I crouch down in front of the stroller.

"You two be good for your Aunt and Uncle," I tell them. "Mommy and daddy love you very much. We'll be back soon, okay? I love you." I reach out and Eve grasps my finger. I lean in and kiss them both on their foreheads. Peeta does the same. We know we're only leaving them for a few minutes, but that doesn't make it any easier.

We're ushered to the wings, and I can see Caesar. He's giving an update on us since the last time we were here, talking about Gale's trial, the pregnancy, the twins' birth, and Finnick and Annie's wedding. Finally, he introduces us.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's my pleasure to introduce, the co-Victors of the 74th Annual Hunger Games and new parents, Peeta and Katniss Mellark!"

The applause is deafening as Peeta and I walk out hand in hand. We wave to the crowd and shake Caesar's hand warmly before we sit down on the couch. As always, I kick off my heels and snuggle close into Peeta. He wraps an arm around me to bring me closer, and intertwines our other hands. I quickly kiss his wedding ring and I hear the women in the crowd swooning. I know when we announced our marriage, it broke a lot of hearts in the Capitol. Too bad ladies, he's taken.

Finally the crowd settles and the interview begins.

"So, Katniss, Peeta, how is everything?" Caesar asks.

"We're great," Peeta smiles. "Pretty tired, but what do you expect with month-old twins?" Caesar and the crowd laugh and agree.

"And Katniss, how was the labor for you?" He asks.

That's kind of personal, I think, then I remember this is the Capitol. They don't believe in privacy, at least not for Victors.

"It was – tough. It took over sixteen hours, and I refused any and all drugs. But it was worth it the first time I saw our children," I tell him honestly. I hear the crowd sighing.

"Now what are the chances we can meet the little Mellarks?" Caesar asks. He gets the crowd going, and I have to wait until they settle down to set him straight.

"No," I say firmly.

"I'm sorry?" He prompts.

"No, Caesar," I repeat. "We're sorry, but we're not bringing our children out here under any circumstances. They're just babies. We want them to have normal childhoods, so we're keeping them out of the spotlight."

"Oh, I see," he says sadly.

"Yes. And I want to quickly address the rest of the media." I turn to look directly into the camera. "If Peeta or I see even one published photograph of our children that we haven't approved, both of us will use all our considerable sway and power to come down on the responsible party. We understand that the two of us are famous, and we don't care if you write or take pictures of us. But we ask you to leave our children alone. Please. That's all we ask of you. Thank you."

The studio is silent afterwards, and everyone seems to be digesting my demands.

"Well," Caesar says unsurely, "I'm sure they will listen to you, Mrs. Mellark. We would not want to anger you or your husband."

"You got that right," Peeta smiles, getting the interview back on track. "Even the twins have learned quickly to not anger mommy." Everyone laughs and I playfully scowl at Peeta. He responds by giving me a quick kiss.

"Now tell me about your Tributes. That was quite a show last night, wasn't it?" Caesar asks.

"Yes," Peeta nods. "Grayson and Annabel are good kids. We think they'll do well in the Quarter Quell. Katniss and I are looking forward to our first time mentoring. We know we can learn a lot from Haymitch, and hope to teach our Tributes all we've learned."

"That's wonderful," he gushes. It makes me sick he doesn't even bring up the fact they're barely eleven years old. "Now tell me, is there any truth to the rumor that Haymitch Abernathy is sober?"

"It's true," I nod. "When he found out about the twins, he quit. He hasn't touched a drink since. We're all very proud of him."

The crowd applauds for Haymitch and Peeta and I join.

"You two do have a huge impact on those around you, don't you," he observes. We nod reluctantly. "Now, if I may, I would like to quickly ask you about the trial of your friend, Gale Hawthorne. We were all very enraptured by it here in the Capitol."

I sigh but keep it to myself.

"What would you like to know?" I ask evenly.

"Mr. Hawthorne was convicted of many crimes, the most serious of which were attempted murder. He was recently executed by firing squad. Can you tell me, Katniss, your feelings on the subject?"

I sigh again, and Peeta squeezes my hand and brings me closer, giving me comfort and courage. He looks to me to see if I want to answer, and I give him a slight nod to let him know it's okay.

"Gale had been one of my closest friends for years," I explain slowly. "When Peeta and I got back from the Games, and began dating, Gale couldn't accept it. He apparently thought I had been faking my love for Peeta, and that I belonged with him instead. It spiraled out of control over a few months. The tipping point came after we announced my pregnancy on this very stage. When we returned home, he confronted me, and it escalated to the point where he attacked us violently."

"I see," Caesar says somberly. "If I may, where did the attempted murder charges stem from?"

I take a moment to steel my nerves.

"He attempted to strangle Peeta to death. Then, when Peeta was unconscious, he had knocked me to the floor and I was attempting to stand back up. He reared back and was going to try and kick me in the stomach, attempting to kill our unborn children."

"Oh my goodness," he says in shock. I hear the crowd gasp. They had released some details of the trial, but not this much. The judge told us it was ours to share. "What happened, since obviously your twins are alive and healthy?"

"Haymitch, thank god, came out of nowhere and tackled Gale before he could kick me," I explain. I hear a collective sigh. "He saved us, and Peeta and I will always be thankful for that. Actually, he's the twins' godfather."

"That's quite the story, Katniss," Caesar says in awe. "Now, lastly, let me just ask you about the wedding of your friends, Finnick and Annie O'Dair."

"Oh, of course," Peeta speaks up. "It was wonderful. We had it at our house, because Finnick and Annie wanted the twins there, so it was easier for them to travel to us. I was the best man, and Katniss was the maid of honor. It was a beautiful ceremony."

"That is what I've been told," Caesar nods. "Thank you both for coming out today, and we wish you and your Tributes the best of luck in the upcoming Quarter Quell. Ladies and gentlemen, one more round of applause for the star-crossed lovers, the new parents, the happily married Peeta and Katniss Mellark!"

The applause is again deafening as we are given a standing ovation. We shake Caesar's hand and wave to the crowd, and walk off hand in hand. I think that went very well, and I know Peeta agrees when he softly kisses my temple.

We find Finnick, Annie and the twins and they congratulate us. We all pile into our limo and head over to the Training Center. We get in the elevator, and Finnick and Annie get off on 4, while we head up to 12.

"Good morning sweetheart, kid," Haymitch says when we enter. "Oh, you brought the munchkins."

"Yeah, we wanted them with us," Peeta tells him.

Annabel and Grayson are happy to see the twins, but I can tell they're both incredibly sad. I don't blame them. They've already eaten breakfast, so we sit them down in the living room.

"Okay," Haymitch says once we're settled. "Good job last night kids. Good job this morning in the interview, you two. We watched it. You were great."

"Thanks," I say gratefully. Haymitch, Annabel, Grayson and Effie nod their agreement.

"So this afternoon, you start training," Haymitch tells them.

"What's training?" Grayson asks.

"You'll meet all the other Tributes at the bottom of this building," I explain. "There will be a number of different stations for you to choose from, anything from bow and arrow to plant life to tying knots. It's an opportunity for you to hone your skills and learn new ones."

"Oh," Annabel says with wide eyes.

"Do either of you have any skills we should know about?" Haymitch asks gently. He's being much nicer than he was with us last year. Sobriety.

"I'm pretty fast," Annabel says quietly.

"She is," Grayson nods. I'm reminded of how Peeta stuck up for me last year and I threw it right back at him. I thought he was trying to make me look weak or something. I was so naïve. "I've seen her at school. She beats everyone, even the older boys."

"That's great, sweetheart," Haymitch tells her softly. I smile at his use of my nickname. "But for now, keep that to yourself. We'll use it when we need it the most, okay?" She nods. "What about you kid?" He asks, turning to Grayson.

"Um, I don't know," he mumbles.

"Grayson's a really good wrestler," Annabel pipes up. "He always wins. He also can throw the javelin further than anyone I know."

Grayson just keeps looking at his feet while Annabel tells us about his skills.

"Is she telling the truth?" Peeta quietly asks.

Grayson nods.

"That's good," Peeta assures him. "That's very good. We can use that, both of you. Like Haymitch said though, in training, stay away from the things you're really good at. We don't want to let the other Tributes know what our strength are yet, okay?"

"Okay," they say in unison.

"Good," Peeta smiles warmly.

Effie then takes them away for 'manners' lessons. I cringe remembering her pounding her ridiculous standards into me last year.

"Peeta, why don't we talk to the other Victors. We should talk to Plutarch today, maybe when they go to Training?" I suggest.

"Good idea, Kat. Haymitch, you and Effie will be there, right?" He asks.

"Of course," he nods. "Gotta make sure you two get a good deal."

"Thanks," I smile. "We're going to go talk to the others. We'll be back for lunch. We'll take the twins with us."

We go from floor to floor, quickly talking to our friends. They're all overjoyed to see the twins, and readily agree to meet us on our floor when Training starts. Soon, we eat lunch, and everyone is fairly silent and somber. Peeta and I are no doubt remembering our Training last year, and I am once again ashamed at what I thought of my husband. He won't let me even bring it up though, telling me it's in the past, forgiven and forgotten. Seriously, he's too perfect sometimes.

We let Grayson and Annabel play with the twins before they have to go to Training. They go and dress, and their uniforms are identical, with '12' on the sleeves and back. They're all black with some blue lines. We give them last minute pieces of advice, and Effie escorts them down.

Twenty minutes later, our friends start to show up. They're all here eventually, and well all take seats in the living room. Finally, there's a knock at the door, and Plutarch enters. He's obviously shocked to see all of us gathered, waiting for him.

"Have a seat, Plutarch," Peeta smiles. "We all wanted to talk to you."

"Of course," he plasters a nervous smile.

"Beetee, we're safe to talk here, right?" Peeta asks him.

"Absolutely," Beetee replies confidently.

"Good," Peeta nods. "Honey?" He prompts.

"Plutarch, Peeta and I called this meeting for a specific reason. We've talked to everyone else here, and they're with us."

"Okay," Plutarch says unsurely, looking around the room. He knows he's outnumbered. That's why we wanted everyone here. "What is the problem, Mrs. Mellark? Are the accommodations not to your standards?"

"No," I shake my head. "The hotel is perfect, thank you. This is about what happens after the Quell."

"Ah," he nods. "Continue, please, Mrs. Mellark."

"Peeta and I have discussed it thoroughly, and we brought it to Haymitch and Effie and eventually everyone here." I take a deep breath and let it out. Peeta gives me a reassuring kiss on the cheek, giving me the strength to go on. "We have decided that under no circumstances will Peeta and I be going into combat." Plutarch's eyes widen. I keep going. "You must understand, Plutarch, that our children come first. They come before everything, even the rebellion. We will not be going into the Arena with the rest of the Victors, nor will we leave 13 to go to the front lines once the war starts."

Plutarch is silent, and I can see him taking in what I've just laid out. Before he can speak, though, I lay out the rest of our proposal.

"Now, Plutarch, Peeta and I understand that you were counting on us being in the Arena and on the front lines for morale and such. So, this is what we're willing to do. We will become the public faces of the rebellion. We'll do any propos you want. Photo shoots, interviews, anything. Our conditions are that we are never required to leave our children, we never have to go into combat, and that you do your upmost to keep everyone in this room as safe as possible."

Plutarch thinks for a few moments, then speaks.

"The rest of you are in agreement with Mr. and Mrs. Mellark?"

"Yes," they all quickly say together. Then Johanna speaks. "And if you don't give them what they want, Plutarch, then none of us go into that Arena. You can be guaranteed of that." The rest of them nod in agreement. Wow, we have great friends.

Plutarch sighs and runs his hand through his hair.

"Mr. and Mrs. Mellark, I must tell you this puts me in a difficult position. While I agree with you, I still have to take it to 13's leaders. I don't know how they will react, but I promise you I will try my hardest to get you what you want."

"Thank you, Plutarch," I say honestly. "We would like it in writing, of course, with witnesses."

"I suspected as much. Let me ask you, hypothetically, I saw your interview this morning, but if they were adamant, would you be willing to have your children appear with you in Propos?"

Peeta and I look at each other. We've discussed this at length. I turn back to Plutarch and speak quietly but with steel in my voice.

"Whatever it takes to keep my children safe."

He nods in understanding.

"Well, I will talk to 13, and get back to as soon as I can. Now that I have thought about it a little more, and see how far you're willing to go, I can tell you there's a good chance you will get what you want. It would be most helpful and effective to have you two speaking out against the Capitol and Snow, especially with how popular you are now."

"Thank you," I tell him again. I feel relieved, but it's not over yet.

"Is there anything else, Mrs. Mellark?" He asks. I look to Peeta then around the room.

"Not right now, no. But I did want to speak with you in the next couple days, but that can wait until you've spoken to 13."

"Very well. I wish you all a good day," he gets up and politely excuses himself. I feel kind of bad for ambushing him, but it gave us the best chances, and he seemed to agree with us in the end.

"Thanks guys," I tell the group. "That went well, I think."

"Yeah, now we just have to see what 13 says," Haymitch adds.

"If they have any balls or brains, they'll accept," Johanna snorts. Everyone laughs. She can always release the tension.

"Well now what?" Peeta asks. "All our Tributes are in Training."

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you all quickly," I tell them before anyone can leave. They motion for me to go on. "As you all know, if all goes to plan, the Tributes will only be in the Arena for one night. I was thinking, and if there's any way, we should get all of our Tributes into one huge Alliance. It will help keep them alive until they're able to be rescued. I know this might look suspicious, but it's so close to start of the rebellion that I think we can risk it. What do you think?"

Everyone ponders and eventually nods, muttering their appreciation for my plan.

"We'll figure it out," Finnick says confidently. "I think we all want our kids to come out of that Arena."

Everyone agrees with that statement.

"The other thing I wanted to talk to Plutarch about was the Arena. I'm going to see if he can give us a heads-up on the layout, to help us keep them safe. Hopefully he will, since I know he helped design it."

"Good thinking, sweetheart," Haymitch says proudly. Peeta gives me a proud kiss on the cheek and whispers he loves me. I blush and Johanna laughs at me.

"Anybody have anything else?" Peeta asks.

It's silent, then everyone shakes their heads no.

"Well, Katniss and I want to thank you again for your help. It means a lot to us. We hope you have a great day. We'll talk more once we figure out more about this Alliance."

We say our goodbyes and everyone trickles out except Haymitch, Effie, Finnick, Annie and Johanna. They stay and hang out with us, playing with the twins and laughing, keeping the mood light.

At one point, Peeta asks them to watch the twins for us. He takes me by the hand and leads me out the door and up some stairs.

Soon we're on the roof. Where we met up last year the night before the Games. I smile at Peeta remembering our conversation.

We sit down, and I back myself up into Peeta's embrace. We're silent for a long time, looking out across the Capitol. He braids my hair and kisses my neck softly.

"Even though we're here for the Games, there's no place I'd rather be than right here with you in my arms," he whispers in my ear.

"I only feel safe in your arms," I admit. He beams at me, and I quickly peck him on the lips.

He reaches behind him for something, and surprises me when he holds a single dandelion in front of my face.

"For my beautiful wife," he quietly says.

"Thank you, honey," I whisper. He tucks it behind my ear gently.

"I wish I could freeze this moment, right here, and live in it forever," he says dreamily after a minute. I think about that, and it doesn't sound bad in the least.

"I'll allow it," I tell him with a smile.

"God I love you so much," he says with emotion laced in his voice.

I turn my head and look him in the eyes before I respond.

"I love you too, Peeta. Until my last breath any beyond."

A/N: Phew. Okay. So they've talked to Plutarch, and he has to bring it to 13. How will they react? We'll see. It definitely helps having all the other Victors on their side, especially fiery Johanna. They need all of them to succeed, and let's hope they realize that.

I wanted to do my own little version of the rooftop scene, so there it is. Short, but sweet. I was originally going to bring the twins, but I figured it would be better with just the two of them spending some time alone.

Keep reviewing and reading. Happy Monday. Til we meet again.