Katniss sits in the nursery clutching the blanket Madge had made for the baby and stares straight at the crib without saying a word. She's all but come unreachable, nothing anyone says helps, nothing anyone does makes her feel better. She has so far removed herself from everyone that the only person she even lets in the room is Peeta. Gale has tried more than once, but she's demanded he leave so fiercely that he hasn't been back since. Prim and her mother have stopped by but she refuses to see anyone. Peeta makes sure that she still eats, but even he has a hard time with company, though someone has to do it so most of that burden falls on him.

"Katniss," he says quietly entering the room. "What can I do?"

"Nothing," her voice is drained of life itself. "There's nothing to do Peeta. It doesn't matter what happens now. We're going back into an arena, I'll be several months along, how am I supposed to do anything but shoot? I can't run. All I can do safely is my bow. And how am I supposed to watch your back if I've got to watch mine so intensely?"

"You worry about you and the baby," he nods towards her and then kneels down by the arm of the chair. "I'll worry about the both of us. I can take care of myself despite any thoughts you have about saving me."

"Haymitch's name could be called-" she starts but he cuts her off.

"You really think - under any circumstances - that I wouldn't volunteer in his place?" his voice adamant. Katniss shrugs. "You are going back in, that is unavoidable, but I'll be damned if you go in there without me."

"Haymitch could volunteer if your name is called-" he cuts her off again.

"No!" he shoots to his feet. "Katniss, this is not something to argue about. I'll go and threaten Haymitch if I have to, but you're not going in there without me!"

"You can't-"

"Katniss, if you say one more time anything about Haymitch going in instead, I will stop making cheese buns," his folds his arms over his chest.

"You won't," she smiles. "But I appreciate the choice of threat."

"No," he shakes his head and kneels again. "No I won't stop making you cheese buns. But you are going to stop talking about Haymitch going into that arena with you. There's nothing you can do to stop me from coming in there with you. We made it through the last time, we can make it through this time."

"They're-" she inhales sharply, "they're not going to let us both live this time." Then the tears are falling from her face at such a rapid pace, and she if hyperventilating so severely that Peeta pulls her to her feet and walks her to the bed and makes sure she lays down. "Peeta," she whimpers. "Stay with me?"

He gives her a reproachful look before climbing into bed beside her. She rolls to her side and rests her hand on his chest, his arm around her. "Always." Soon enough she falls asleep, Peeta doesn't dare move until he hears a knock at the door. Slowly and carefully he slips from her grasp and makes his way downstairs, taking great care not to make too much noise, for fear of waking her up. When he gets to the door he slowly pulls it open. He's not surprised by who is standing on the other side of the door.

"What do you want?" he spits vehemently.

"I know how much Katniss likes cheese-" he cuts her off.

"We will not be taking cheese buns from you mother," glaring he continues. "What do you want? That question still has not gotten an answer."

"We need you back at the bakery," she complains.

"If you hadn't noticed," he nearly shouts, "I'm needed here a little bit more than I would be there. What is wrong with Rye and Obi?"

"They're not being the most helpful as of now," she explains.

"Well what does that have to do with me?"

"At least when you're there I know you'll get your work done," she reaches out and clasps her hand around his forearm. "Come on."

"No," he yanks his hand free from her. "I'm staying here. If you need me to bake something, I'll do it from here, and then one of my supposedly incompetent brothers can come here and pick it up."

"It would be better-"

"No mom!" he shouts and then quickly looks behind him and listens for any sound of movement. "I'm staying here, now go back to town."

"What did that girl do to you?" she hisses. "You always listened before."

"She saved my life," he growls. "I owe her my life, for however long that will now be, I owe her the future, the world. You I don't owe anything. Besides giving birth to me you've never really helped me - and as she pointed out, you're supposed to support your children, especially when they've been chosen to go fight to the death and likely die!"

"Without Katniss," she says with a grin, "you would have died."

"Thank you mother," he says dryly. "Now please - leave." He shuts the door and she yells obscene things at him through the door. Just then the door yanks open, nearly hitting him in the face.

"Go!" Katniss shouts at her. "Get off my porch. Get off my lawn. Get on the road. Walk home!" Peeta's mother stands there dumbfounded. "Go now!" Slowly his mother backs towards the stairs, walks down them and gets to the road, all the while never breaking eye contact with Katniss. "You're not welcome here. I don't want to see your miserable face here ever again. If you need him in the bakery, we have a phone, and you can call it!" she's screaming now. "Go home!" And with that she heads back towards town.

"Katniss…." Peeta stares at her concerned. "That was an awful lot of energy there. You should go lay back down."

"Fine," she grumbles. "Get the cheese buns out of the oven and then come back. I don't like sleeping alone."

"Okay," he smiles at her. "I'll be right up."

"You better," she jabs her pointer finger in the air in front of his face.

"Okay," he raises his hands at his sides defensively.

"Good," she nods and turns to go back upstairs.

The next several days are more difficult than the last because Peeta's mother calls incessantly to try and get Peeta to come to the bakery, which she fails to do continuously. He bakes what she wants and one of his brothers picks it up and takes it back. He always thanks them, and gives them some money for good measure. He knows that they, at least, he can count on. His father hadn't talked to him much since he returned from the Games, not that he knew why, unless he didn't think he would survive either. So much for believing in your children.

"Peeta," calls Katniss from the kitchen.

"Yeah?" he walks into the kitchen to see her staring at the kitchen chair where there is a passed out Haymitch. "Did you let him in?" he asks.

"No," she shakes her head, "I thought that you did."

"No," he steps forward and gives Haymitch a shove. A good enough shove that Haymitch nearly falls out of the chair.

"What are you doing?" he growls, clutching on to the bottom of the chair.

"We need to have a chat," says Peeta plainly.

"Yeah, let me guess," he sighs, "you want me to die?"

"No," they say in unison.

"Then what is it?" he shrugs. "I'm pretty sure you don't want me to be a godparent."

"Absolutely not!" she says a little too confidently and a flash of hurt grazes his face.

"What we need to talk about Haymitch," Peeta pauses making sure that Haymitch is following him. "Well, what I need to talk to you about."

"You want to go in with her?" he asks Peeta uninterested.

"Yes," he nods emphatically. "I have to go in there with her."

"Well, I made a prior promise," he slowly concludes the sentence, "to make sure you stayed alive."

"Katniss!" Peeta shouts turning to face her. "You're not going in there without me!"

"Well what happens to me here if you die?!" she screams so loudly it wears her out and she has to sit down. "Did you think about that? I'll have no one here!"

"You'll have your mother and Prim!" he shouts in exasperation.

"Not what I mean Peeta!"

"Then you'll have Gale!" as soon as he says it even he pauses to collect his thoughts.

"No! No! None of them are you!" she's clutching her chest as she begins to sob. "God I hate hormones!" Angrily wiping the tears away she continues, "You and Haymitch are the only two people in this District that know what I've gone through! You especially because you were there! No one else can relate to that! And with my luck I'll have to watch this child die on live television because Snow is a vindictive son of a bitch!"

"Katniss…" Peeta tries to cut her off but she shoves his hand away.

"No, Peeta, don't!" she gets to her feet and rushes from the room. As Peeta tries to follow her she races up the stairs - knowing he can't go as quickly because of his leg - runs to the nursery tosses the door open and slams it shut behind her. Walking to the rocking chair she grabs the blanket she was clutching before, holds it to her face and begins to cry, Peeta is knocking on the door pleading for her to let him in, but instead she falls asleep in the chair.

What must be hours later she's wakes in her bed. She doesn't even remember moving there. Peeta must have gotten the door open and carried her to their room. Looking to her side she notices Peeta is sleeping soundly beside her. No twitching. No nightmares. Watching him sleep was one of the most relaxing things for her, it's in this moment that she realized just how horrible her reaction earlier had been, wanting to wake him but also wanting to let him sleep is why she remained there watching him. "I'm sorry," she whispers to his back.

"I know," he mumbles and extends his hand behind him to clasp hers.

"I'm just so emotional all the time," she whines.

Peeta laughs good naturedly, "I know."

"I'm usually much better at keeping my emotions in check," she sighs.

"I know," he turns to face her. "You were absolutely convincing in the first Games. I believed you completely."

"It wasn't all a lie, you know…" she says quietly.

"I know," he grins, "but overall, what you did was for the cameras, for Panem, for Haymitch...not for yourself, or for me." He shrugs. "I'm sorry for how I behaved after that, it was wrong of me to treat you that way, but I was very hurt Katniss."

"I know," she brushes his face with the back of her hand. "I am sorry Peeta. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you. Feelings are confusing trivial things, and I just have a hard time connecting to them...except now...because I cry over cheese buns."

"Well they are beautiful, those cheese buns," with a wink and a smile he brushes the hair from her forehead.

"They really are," she nods as she starts to cry. "See?" she points to her face, "I get emotional over starch and dairy." She scoots over towards him and he wraps his arms around her. "I really am sorry about earlier."

He laughs, "I know," kisses the back of her head. "Now get some more sleep. You must be exhausted." Nodding she pulls his arms more securely around her center. "This may not be the life that you had in mind, but for what it's worth, and what it's been...we've had a pretty good run."

"It'd be nice if I could run," she laughs at the thought of herself running. "I'm going to die in that arena."

"Stop it," emphasizes Peeta. "You're not going to die. It's not allowed. Not even remotely acceptable. You're going to be the only person out of that arena, if I have to go on a murder spree to ensure that."

"Okay, simmer down there," she pats his head. "You get some sleep too. We both are going to need it. No rest for the weary in the Capitol. No rest for the weak in the arena. No rest for me, because I have nightmares every night."

"You didn't last night," he says encouragingly. "No nightmares."

She smiles and cranes her neck around to look into his eyes, "My nightmares are about losing you, I'm okay once I realize you're here."

"Whoever said that was a genius," his smile is contagious.

"Hmm," Katniss ponders. "Thanks for the compliment."

Peeta kisses her forehead, "get some sleep. You need it."

"Thank you," she says turning back around.

"For what?"

"For being you."

"Well, it would be kind of hard for me to be anyone else," he snickers.

"I've seen you in the Capitol...you could be anyone you wanted to be. Thank you for being you."

"You're welcome, being me is pretty great."

Then they laugh until their sides can't take it anymore and fall asleep, in the way it was and is always supposed to be...in each other's arms warding off nightmares, protecting from the dangers that attack in the night, saving from a future that's as distant and as changing as a brilliant sunset. For now, there's peace. For now, there are no Games. For now, there is just them, and the dream that something might be good again. One day. Sometime in the future.

The next months leading up to the reaping are fraught with emotional highs and lows. Many people try to come and cheer them up but it doesn't work. Effie still insisted on a baby shower on the off-chance that Katniss would make it out of the arena. Effie was absolutely convinced that no one would kill someone who was pregnant. They were grateful for her optimism, but Katniss was more pessimistic than ever, and doubting more and more every moment the odds of her living through an arena where she would be more restricted in protecting herself than ever before. The night before the reaping Katniss and Peeta didn't say a single word, instead stayed in their bed and each other's arms. Peeta who was usually trying to encourage her was speechless. In all the time that they had been married, no moment was so consumed with anxiety as this, no moment was so enveloped in anger as this, no moment was so unbearable as this.

The morning of the reaping, Peeta made breakfast as usual, but no one ate. Haymitch convinced Katniss that she at least should eat something. "Not that I care," he shrugged. "But that baby is going to get awfully hungry if you don't feed it something, and I don't think that it can survive on anxiety, as you seem so keen on doing right now." Katniss listened to him and ate the hearty breakfast Peeta made. The tension in the house was worse than ever. And at 1:50 in the afternoon, Peacekeepers - led by Thread - showed up at the house to escort them into town.

As soon as they enter the city circle Peeta grabs Katniss' hand, "I'll be right here."

"I know," she squeezes his hand as they part to their respective pens. Like lambs being led to slaughter.

Effie took her usual place on the stage, but her voice cracks so frequently, Katniss wonders if she wouldn't just burst into tears. "Shall we start with the ladies?" she glances at Katniss and inhales sharply as she reaches into the bowl which can hold only one name. One woman. One female victor from District 12. "Katniss Everdeen." She looks a second time and then back at the crowd. "It says Everdeen." Surely this had to do with Snow.

Taking a deep breath, Katniss made her way from the pen to the stage, where Effie embraces her and croaked into her ear, "I'm so sorry." Turning back she faces the crowd once more and steps up to the microphone. "And now for the men." Reaching into the bowl that contains only two names. Only two male victors. With a sigh she reads, "Haymitch Abernathy."

"I volunteer as tribute!" shouts Peeta resolutely.

"Peeta, I can't let you do that," Haymitch grabs his arms.

"You knew this was going to happen," Peeta's eyes pleading. "You can't stop me."

"Peeta," he tries again.

"Haymitch, let go," Peeta jerks his arm from Haymitch's grip and walks to the stage and takes his place on the other side of Effie.

With a voice trying too hard to not sound broken, "Very well then," Effie says glancing between the two victors, her victors. "Katniss Me-Everdeen and Peeta Mellark." Then a silence falls so strong that it's felt. Then just as before, as tribute, a final goodbye...the three finger salute is raised and District 12 says goodbye to their victors as they're rushed back into the Justice Building.

"I get to say goodbye," grunts Katniss as they start to pull her.

"New plan," snaps Thread. "Straight to the train."

As they pull her she clasps the doorway and shouts goodbye to her mother and Prim, and then they are taken right to the train. The resulting silence in the car is enough that if a pen were to drop, everyone would be able to tell where it landed, not just hear it land.

Once on the train Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch take a seat in the lounge car and say nothing. Katniss trying to come to grips what the eventual fate of these Games would be. Either she would die, or she would be coming back without Peeta, the first more preferable to the second...though the likelihood of the second was greater.

Entering the train quietly and grabbing Katniss hands, Effie utters her first words since the reaping and disappearing into her car, "I've had a thought."

"Oh really?" patronizes Haymitch.

"Katniss has her Mockingjay pin and I have my hair," she nods as if convincing herself to go on. "I'm going to get a token for you boys also. To show them we are a team. And we are, aren't we?" Katniss nods. "To show them, that they - they -" she stammers.

"Thank you Effie," Katniss says giving her hands a slight squeeze.

Regaining her composure she drops Katniss hand and begins to explain how this will be different, because it's a Quarter Quell. Haymitch talks about getting allies, Katniss objects firmly more than once, and then he just gives up on trying to convince her why it's a good idea. "They're all experienced killers," he shakes his head. "It's not just you two that have won this year. This affects all of us. Fine, go it alone, but their first goal is going to be to take you out - both of you."

"No," she shakes her head again.

"Katniss," says Peeta through gritted teeth. "You're pregnant. It's not going to work like that. We can't go into it this Games without allies."

"We did just fine with you and I last year," she argues.

"Well, yes," he shrugs, "and that's probably why we're in the place we are now."

"No," she exaggerates the word. "I don't want any allies. I just want it to be you and I."

Peeta shakes his head, "Be realistic Katniss. I can't keep you safe by myself."

"Well what happens when our supposed allies turn on us?"

"I'll kill them before they have the chance," he nearly shouts.

"Oh calm down," snaps Haymitch. "Fine, talk about it with yourselves. But Katniss in your condition, he's right. Sure you can still shoot, but you don't even know if they'll have a bow for you to use."

"They want a good Games this year," she shakes her head. "I'm sure we'll all have what we're best at. Because it's more entertaining to watch people who are already killers, kill with their weapons. No Haymitch, we'll have the weapons that we need. They want a good game, and that's the best way to ensure that."

"You should be prepared either way," he tries to say.

"No."

"I give up," Haymitch shouts throwing his hands in the air and grabbing a bottle off the table and wanders out of the room.

"Be reasonable, Katniss," Peeta pleads. "I don't want anything to happen to you, and I might need other people just to make sure that doesn't happen." The rest of the evening is spent in silence, and in the morning they've reached the Capitol. Nightmares and all still intact. Worse than ever, more present than ever.