It's a very hot night. My skin is sticking with sweat and my naked body is radiating heat to every direction. The mattress underneath me is wet from my sweat and the weight of the person sleeping next to me, for once, is oddly unpleasant. I try to move but my weight is uncontrollable the last three months. I look next to me, to the naked man, snoring lightly besides me. I ran my hand down his blond locks. His eyes flutter open.

"Did I wake you up?" Peeta asks hoarsely, his voice still filled with sleep.

"No. I just can't sleep" I answer trying to stretch out as it's the only kind of movement I can do without waking up the person growing inside me.

"Yeah, it's too hot" he says turning on his back, "Sae says that it's hottest summer she ever experienced" he adds as he whips the sweat off his forehead with his wrist.

"Sae almost killed me today" I say rubbing the side of my stomach and Peeta chuckles, "She started yelling at me that it's too hot for me to be out and about" I add smiling slightly to myself as I recall my earlier encounter with older woman. She had started yelling at me how it is not healthy for a nine month pregnant woman to be walking out in such heat. I told her and Peeta and everyone that told me the exact same thing, that I was in fact, fine with walking, but as soon as I reached the hob I regretted it. I, of course, said nothing; I do not like people telling me what to do, let out actually admitting they were right.

"You know she was right. I told you that you would be exhausted" Peeta says sitting up trying to reach for the dumb cloth. He places it over my stomach, "Better?" he asks smiling widely but not letting his eyes to move away from my stomach. He leans down and plants a kiss to my stomach.

"Can you help me up?" I ask reaching for him. He looks at me puzzled so I point to the empty glass of water next to my night stand. He shakes his head and insists on going. I watch his naked form disappear from the doorway and I hear his loud footsteps down the corridor and downstairs.

I smile to myself and close my eyes. The only thing that is audible is the annoying sound of the fan, moving above me, and the clock ticking on the wall. I try to savor the quiet moments of the night, bracing myself for when the tiny person inside with me will be here. Everyone keeps telling me to enjoy the few silent moments as they will not be coming back.

I recall moments in my memory; moments that I do not want to forget; moments that have past; good moments.

Peeta's proposal;

Our wedding;

Delly's pregnancies;

And then an odd memory comes to me. Peeta is in the kitchen; we have no even been married for a year when he firstly asks. There is a tiny hesitation and he tries to make it extra special, I can tell.

"What do you think about… babies?" he asks.

I freeze and my reaction is instant. I ran away and into the woods. I do not want to hear about kids. I do not want to see any more kids get hurt and most of all, not my kids. However, does not seem to understand that he asking me every day about kids is the reason of my nightmares at night and my misery during day time.

I keep it inside knowing that it will hurt him to know that he is hurting me but when the second month comes by I break down. I start yelling at him about nonsense and when I see the darkness in his eyes, the apology filing his face, I start sobbing. I apologize over and over and over again.

"I am sorry. I can't give you kids" I finally admit after he holds me close. He seems surprised and a bit hurt but he holds me close and kisses me and tells me everything will be alright.

I am all tensed up the next day but he does not ask again; neither the next day, nor the day after.

He fell silent; a silence so uneasy that I was the edge of begging, in my head, that he would start asking about babies again. At least he was talking to me then.

And then it happened. A few years later, Delly and Thom welcomed to the family their first born son. A lovely little baby boy with black hair and blue eyes and I could see the happiness in Peeta's eyes when he laid eyes on him; and how his eyes glistered with tears when he held him in his arms.

However, he remained silent for a few days, when I came home from the woods a day, he was leaning against the counter and I knew it was coming.

"Kat… what do you think about having a baby ourselves?" he asked. This time I just said a 'No' without even looking at him. It was straight, strict but he did not say anything else.

And life went on again with a little baby around. We would look after him sometimes and Peeta was enlightened about it.

Then the dreams came.

The first time, I woke up sweating and panicking. I could not believe that after ten years of marriage I had started dreaming of a happy family with Peeta; of kids looking just like him and of my stomach growing and everything looking just so peaceful.

The second time was me holding a little baby in my arms and I knew it was mine and the love that I felt for that baby was too scary to describe but it happened.

I did not say anything once again but whenever I saw women on the street pregnant or with babies I would just stare.

When Delly got pregnant once again, that was the last drop.

When Peeta finally asked, anxious this time, you see the years were going by, I did not have many years left to be able to have kids, I did not answer at first. I ignored him and went on with my day. Peeta thought I had said no, I could see that the way he kneaded the dough was not the same. He was hurt of an answer I had not given.

"Yes" I said finally.

"What?" Peeta asked confused, not raising his eye from his fists on the dough.

"Yes. Let's have a baby" I said not looking away from his face. He slowly looked up at me in disbelief and did not waste any more time. He lifted me up and took my in our bedroom.

The nights were warm, filled with sweat and hot breaths that made the windows foggy; bodies against each other and hands trying to hold onto something invisible; the slow burning and the building fire inside us and two people become one, creating something;

And then peace;

And it happened.

I expected it, when Peeta's cheesebuns smelled oddly strong to me and my stomach started spinning.

I knew it when I was late.

I was terrified; scared to death and for a second I regretted my decision to agree to this death sentence for the little human inside me; but it was too late.

Peeta would hold me and tell me that everything was alright but there were days that I could not handle it, and I would ran off to the woods. Despite the fact that he would always follow me and make sure I came home safely I always killed me to know that something that was supposed to bring so much joy; was killing me inside slowly.

I am scared; I still am. I do not know if I will ever not be scared about raising a child with Peeta, but I know he is a good man. He will look after me and after our child and I am hoping with every power and faith that is left in me, that that child will be as gentle as him.

There are many things to take in consideration; what if the hijacking is hereditary; what if the games return; what is a new Snow starts ruling Panem all over again; all the what ifs.

But as I look at my husband, walking inside the moonlight filled room, I shake the fear away and smile and I remember what he once told me, so many years ago;

Let's take it, day after day

THE END

Wow, guys, can't believe this story came to an end (finally. How long has it been? 2? 3 years? Well, I know that my absence (it's been 1 year exactly since I last updated) is unreasonable but can you forgive me? I would like tot hank everyone who kept reading this story and sticking by my side for so many years.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like my others too. I have recently finished writing "Dead Promise" and it's a quite good one. I would like to talk about "Bring me back to life" and "Fame" that were unfortunately deleted from my account recently (you can DM me and I can explain).

If you are interested in my other stories, stick around because I will be posting the first chapter of a new Hunger Games story I have been working on named "Crash and Burn" very soon hopefully.

Thank you again for reading and hope to see you again in my new stories.

May the Odds be Ever in your favor.

Question of the chapter: Did you like the story? Would you like to see more? Will you read my upcoming stories?