Disclaimer: All characters and things associated with The Hunger Games belongs to Suzanne Collins and Lionsgate. This writing is for pure entertainment only.

Summary: Peeta's lie about Katniss' pregnancy is tested by the Capitol, leaving the Lethal Lovers only one option going into the Quarter Quell.

CHAPTER 6

KATNISS POV

I hear Haymitch, but it seems like a nightmare. The Games are still on, the forced pregnancy did nothing to stop anything. Now, I am pregnant with a child I never really wanted and the Quarter Quell is still taking place.

All I have done is risked another life and suddenly I am angry with myself. For a second, mere minutes ago, I was finally getting used to the idea of Peeta and I having a child. It wasn't ideal, but I had let myself think of a future, and it wasn't as bad as I had thought.

Now it doesn't matter. Now we all could be dead in a few days.

Without realizing it, I am sobbing. I blame it on the hormones, which I know are not truly working yet and I allow the tears to fall from my eyes. It isn't fair; we did everything we could to get out of these Games.

And as I cry I feel the bed shift and suddenly hear the sound of things smashing. I look up, shocked by fear and confusion as Peeta is pacing my room, grabbing anything breakable that represents the Capitol, plates, glasses, the lamp next to my bed, and throwing it against any wall.

Pieces of glass and ceramic quickly litter my floor and my tears stop out of horror. I have never seen Peeta like this before, and it scares me. He is usually the one to keep his anger in check but this is the furthest thing I have ever seen from that.

I look to Haymitch to stop him but Haymitch just sits down on the bed next to me and shakes his head.

"Let him do this, sweetheart…" Haymitch gently pats my leg under the blanket.

We watch Peeta destroy nearly half of my room before he even begins to make audible noises.

"How! How could they do this?!" Peeta takes the mirror on my dresser and slams it on the floor.

I flinch, Haymitch watches, neither of us say anything.

Then Peeta stops suddenly and turns to Haymitch as if something has dawned on him. "Are they still making Katniss go in?"

"There's no other female tribute from District Twelve…" Haymitch reminds Peeta.

That seals my fate. Despite everything, I am still going into the Games.

This angers Peeta and he punches a hole clear through my wall. I knew he was strong, but never that strong.

"How could they?! How could they do this to her?! To that baby!" Peeta motions to me and I can see the tears in his eyes.

Suddenly, I feel sick to my stomach again. The baby. The life that has been used and abused by the Capitol already, the child we should have never risked. We know the Capitol better then this; we shouldn't have fallen for this trap.

Without realizing it, I am looking at my stomach, the stomach that contains a life I will never meet, a life that we have basically killed. By the time I look back up, the room is silent, Peeta is gone, and I am left alone with the mess he left behind and Haymitch.

Haymitch looks sadly at me, as if he is trying to apologize for something he has no control over. He cares about me, about us, I know he does, and without realizing it, I am flinging my arms around my mentors neck, crying.

I don't know what I am truly crying for though. It could be for the fact that I thought I was going to, for a second, get out of the Games. It could be for my family. It could be for Peeta, or it could be for this baby. The baby I did not want, but now, because the Capitol wants us both dead, I suddenly feel fiercely protective over.

"Things are going to be different now, sweetheart…" Haymitch says softly as I finally pull away from him and wipe my eyes.

I am confused by his words, of course they are different; everything is different now.

"We need a new plan about getting out of the arena…" Haymitch continues.

My brow furrows and I get anxious because I know where Haymitch is going with this conversation and he can't. He made a deal with me; he needs to stick to it.

"Haymitch…Peeta needs to be the one—" I start.

"Katniss, you know he isn't going to let me save him now. Not with you being pregnant…and I can't do that either. It wouldn't feel right," Haymitch's eyes drop from mine.

I feel as if I have been punched in the gut. The pregnancy that I don't want, the pregnancy that was supposed to fix everything is only making things worse right now.

"This pregnancy is just another burden…" I whisper softly.

"We had to try…we thought it would work," Haymitch reminds me.

"I don't…I mean…I don't know if I even want the baby…what I want for certain is for Peeta to live," I tell Haymitch the truth.

"Well, the baby is here now…and what Peeta will want is the two of you to live…if I save him and you die and so does his child…it will devastate him, Katniss…you know that. You know how much that boy cares about you," Haymitch reminds me.

I know his words are true and I feel my cheeks blush red. Peeta loves me, and I feel awful because I can't love him back, not the way he wants to, not the way parents are supposed to love one another.

"At any rate…you will be getting sponsors. Most people don't seem happy about sending a pregnant woman into the Games…even the people from the Capitol are upset about it," Haymitch tells me.

I just look down at my hands while Haymitch speaks. I know he means his words to give me some comfort, some hope that I can survive because people want me to but it does not work. If anything, it makes me feel guiltier. Peeta will die because I am carrying his child; a child conceived in hopes of saving both our lives has now condemned his life, and the worst part is that I don't know if I can even love this child the way a mother should. This all feels wrong.

PEETA POV

I don't remember the last time I have ever been this angry in my life. My hands are shaking with rage as I nearly rip Katniss' door off the hinges and move straight out into the living room of the penthouse. I am sure I have scared Katniss; I know I have nearly broken everything in her room, but right now I can't even think about it. Right now all I can think about is the arena; about Katniss going into it; about Katniss being pregnant.

I need air.

I quickly climb the stairs to the roof deck and am instantly greeted with the cool night air. It calms me a bit, but not enough that I unclench my fists.

This is all wrong. Everything that is happening is wrong.

I thought that by lying about Katniss being pregnant, I could save her. Then, I thought if I committed to the lie it could save her. All I ended up doing, however, is getting her pregnant with a baby she doesn't want and now I have sent them both to their death. The girl I love and my child that I know I would love.

Now, nothing else matters besides getting Katniss out of the arena alive. Maybe I am being selfish, assuming she would want to survive and keep my baby, the baby I forced onto her, but honestly, as long as she lived I would be okay with whatever decision she made outside of the arena. She could even ask Gale to help her if she keeps the baby. I know he will. I would be fine with it.

I won't be alive to see it anyway.

I always knew that, or at least that was my plan from the beginning of this regardless of the baby, but now it makes it that much more important. Plus, now I need to make sure Haymitch is on the same page as me. I couldn't help but feel the last few weeks he was catering more to whatever Katniss had asked him to do in the arena. Now it has to be my way, Katniss needs to live.

I ball my fist up and smash it against the concert ledge of the balcony. Instantly, I feel a throbbing pain and I wonder if I actually broke my smallest finger. I don't care though. Pain is better then numb.

"You're going to need that hand in the arena," Haymitch says from behind me.

I turn to see my mentor casually making his way toward me. I wonder if he has come up here to see if I am still angry, or to talk to me.

I am angry, but we do need to talk.

"It has to be Katniss…" I say simply. "She has to be the one to live through this."

Haymitch nods fiercely at me. "I completely agree…"

"I need you to promise me, Haymitch…" I step at him.

Haymitch puts his hands up in defeat. "I promise you…I will do everything that I can…I am already working on it…"

I want to ask what he means by it, but I can tell he doesn't want to speak too loudly about it. He knows as well as I do that we are more then likely being watched and listened to. So I merely nod, hoping he will explain his words later.

Somehow, the look on his face calms me a little.

"Come on…dinner is ready," Haymitch says, and I can tell he knows my anger has passed for the most part.

"Is Katniss afraid of me?" I ask before I follow him in. I don't want to make her dinner unbearable.

"Well…let's just say it's unusual to see you with a temper…" Haymitch raises his eyebrows to indicate even he was surprised, but motions for me to follow him inside anyway.

When we get back into the penthouse I see Katniss and Effie are already sitting at the table. Neither says anything as I sit, but Katniss does look up at me and give me a sort of sad smile before dropping her eyes back down to her plate.

The rest of the meal is the same. We eat in complete silence, and I find it hard to eat at all, though I force some chicken down my throat, knowing I will need my strength for the Games.

Finally, Effie pushes her plate away and looks around the room; her eyes sad and I know she feels awful this is happening to us, to Katniss.

"I think…it is best that we get some rest tonight…we all need it…we all need to be sharp tomorrow," Effie tries to hold her voice steady but I can hear it shaking slightly.

"Sounds like a plan…" Haymitch hits the table with his hand in agreement with Effie.

"I just…well…before I go…I…I want you to know you both deserved better then this…I am so sorry…" Effie says.

I give her a thankful smile, and I know Katniss does the same. This is Effie's way of showing us she cares about us, and I believe she truly does, but it is also her way of saying goodbye to us. I know she will try to help us in anyway she can while we are in the arena, and I hope for Katniss and the baby's sake she does, but I know there is only so much she can really do.

"Goodnight, Effie…" I tell her after a long moment of silence.

She gives us a nod and uses my words as an excuse to go to her own room. Haymitch quickly follows suit to his own room without a word. He will see us tomorrow. This is not goodbye yet.

Katniss and I are left alone at the table.

I stand, deciding to break the awkward silence and I see Katniss' grey eyes twitch up at me. There is something there that I cannot read. I am not sure what she is looking for.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" I offer.

"Stay with me," Katniss says. It is more of a demand then a request.

"Are you sure?" I ask her. The last thing I want is to make her feel uncomfortable after the day she had. She had literally gotten pregnant reluctantly to save her life as well as her family's, gotten that pregnancy confirmed, and then been told that the pregnancy that had been forced upon her would not serve its purpose. I couldn't imagine what she was feeling.

"I…I don't want to be alone tonight," Katniss says.

I nod. This I do understand. Whatever feelings we may or may not have for one another, one thing is certain. We always sleep better together.

Katniss gives me a grateful smile and I follow her into her bedroom where we both slip under her covers. Immediately, she curls up next to me and I can feel her flat stomach on mine.

As we lay there, I can't help but imagine what it would be like to see her pregnant, to feel and see her stomach grow with life. I know I will never experience it, but I can't shake the thought from my head. Sometimes, when I have a good dream, it is of a future with Katniss. A future where she is happy to have my baby; a future where we are not going into a Game; a future I will never have.

The thought saddens me, and I do the only thing I can think of to keep my sanity.

I kiss the top of her forehead and quietly whisper. "I love you, Katniss…no matter what…"

KATNISS POV

Despite everything that has happened, I still find comfort in Peeta's touch. I curl up tightly next to him in my bed, glad he did not turn down my invitation, and glad things are back to normal in the bed tonight. It seems ridiculous to imagine that only twenty-four hours earlier I had lost my virginity and gotten pregnant by Peeta in this very bed. Now things seem so different.

I close my eyes against his chest, listening to the beat of his heart and I can't help but wonder if the child inside of me will have the same heart their father does. I hope they do. Peeta is kind and gentle. He is full of life and he is forgiving. He is nothing like me, and I know Haymitch is right. I will never deserve Peeta and now I am certain Peeta will never know that, because Peeta will spend the rest of his life fighting to make sure I survive that arena, and Haymitch is on his side, and I cannot do anything about it.

All because I am pregnant.

I am angry I let this happen, but part of me is grateful that I could do this one thing for Peeta, since he had already made it apparent that someday, not right now, but someday he wanted children. If I live, at least part of Peeta will as well.

And this simple fact makes me think that, assuming I survive, I will love the baby I do not want that is inside me right now, because it is part of Peeta. I may not be in love with Peeta, but I know I love him.

And maybe, in a less complicated circumstance, I could learn to love him the way he loves me. But there are no less complicated circumstances, no time for that. Tomorrow, we go into a new set of Games, and the chances of one of us coming out are extremely small, but if it happens, I know it is going to be me.

"I love you, Katniss…no matter what…" Peeta whispers against my head after he gives me a small peck.

His words cause me to go rigid for a moment, and any sleep that was coming to me has vanished.

I am suddenly overcome with emotions, a tingle in my toes; similar to the one I had not expected to receive last night. I do the only thing I can think of and bury my head deeper into Peeta's chest, so that I do not have to respond to his words, though I know when he says them he is never looking for a response. He is simply telling me how he feels.

He loves me.

I've always known that, but suddenly the words have more meaning to them. I blame my reaction on my new hormones, on the fact that I am carrying his baby, but deep down I have doubts that is the reason. The thought of losing Peeta now, since it seems so clear that it will happen, is unbearable, and although I am not sure how I feel exactly for him, I know something is true. I can't see a life without him in it.

I know I have felt that way about Gale as well but this is different. It's a different kind of inability to survive. I depend on Gale for substance, food, warmth, but I depend on Peeta for comfort and sanity. I have only had him in my life for a short while, but already he is so deeply woven into it.

I realize now, only too late, that I need Peeta just as much, if not more then I need Gale. That has to be some sort of love.