Thank you for all of your support! I hope you're enjoying it so far.
The characters of The Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me.
Fated to Love
Part Two
"This is our main administrative office," Seneca Crane droned as he and Peeta walked into the cubicle-lined office. "Human Resources is across the hall while my office takes most of the space to the back of our floor." The man looked smug as he continued. "My role as office manager is a role that I take seriously and I rule with a firm hand."
They stopped at the last row of cubicles and Seneca frowned seeing one of them empty.
Excusing himself quickly, he went to the blonde woman next to the empty cubicle. "Delly, where is she?"
"She stepped out for a break," the woman named Delly replied, her blue eyes furious. "You need to chill, Seneca. You've been working Katniss ragged!"
Peeta felt himself stiffen hearing the name. He hadn't thought about her since that weekend at the Odair Resort.
However, his hand found its way into the jacket pocket of his suit where that solid round pin rested. He hadn't separated from it since she gave it to him. It reminded him that there was still hope in his shitty situation. Madge never called and it was hard, but he had managed to wake up each day not wanting to retreat back into his California King.
"Miss Cartwright, we will talk about this at a later time," Seneca intoned finally though there was a definite flush on the man's face. "Tell her that we're going to need coffee for the meeting at 2."
Delly glanced at Peeta, her eyes widening at the sight at him, before she looked to her boss.
"Yes, Mr. Crane," she retorted, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "I'll be sure to ask Katniss to bring coffee to your meeting."
Peeta approached the row of cubicles, passing Delly, and stopping at Katniss'.
It was simple—just a picture of herself with her family as the only semblance of character to an otherwise plain desk. Her mother and sister shared her smile while the olive-skinned man smirking behind them shared her complexion. Next to Katniss' sister was a young man with fair hair, obviously her sister's husband by the matching wedding bands on their ring fingers.
Looking over the rest of her desk, his eyes caught sight of a small toad figurine sitting by her computer screen, its big bulbous eyes staring at him blankly. It was an ugly little thing, yet he curiously picked it up to examine it. Why would she keep this monstrosity? Finally, Peeta looked at the walls, examining the massive amount of Post-Its covering them.
Gently placing the toad figurine down, he looked to Delly. "Why are there so many Post-Its?"
Katniss' co-worker peered at him carefully before responding, "Because Katniss is Seneca's assistant and he is a very demanding man."
Peeta nodded before going to Seneca. "Make sure to comp Katniss for the coffee." He turned heading to Seneca's office, listening to the rushed footsteps of the simpering man. "We have a lot to talk about, Crane—especially concerning your leadership skills."
"Oh boy," Katniss said to herself. "Or girl."
She sat on the closed lid of the toilet staring at the test in front of her. How did it come to this?
Her mind flashed to a memory of waking up to a man who she barely knew.
Oh yes, Katniss had almost forgotten about her first and probably only tryst.
Not like either herself or Peeta could remember what had transpired. However, they were able to conclude that sex had happened and without either of them knowing it. She did remember her dream, in which her legs had parted most easily before her hand guided him inside to her maidenhead.
The queasiness of her barely-eaten sandwich returned and Katniss took a breath to keep the vomit from rising from her throat. What was she going to do?
"I need to get out of here."
Katniss stood up and threw the pregnancy test into the garbage before going to wash her hands. The weekend could not come sooner; she was ready to go home and see her family. The thought of seeing Prim, who was just about ready to pop with her little nephew, was enough to make her ache.
As soon as Katniss was finished and she stepped out of the café restroom, her cellphone rang.
Quickly she picked up, assuming that it was Seneca. "Hello?"
"Hey Katniss, it's Delly." Katniss sighed in relief, glad it wasn't her boss. "Your asshole of a boss…." She groaned realizing that she spoke too soon. "…wants you to grab coffee for the upcoming meeting."
"Good thing I'm in a café," she responded as she went to stand in line.
"Do you know Peeta Mellark?"
Katniss froze at the question. "No…why?"
"He was walking the floor with Seneca and came over to our section. He seemed really fascinated with your desk and even picked up that ugly toad of yours. Also, Peeta's going to comp you for the coffee so grab yourself a drink, too! Get extra vanilla syrup or something in whatever you get."
"I ca—" She had almost told her friend that she wouldn't be drinking coffee. Since she was pregnant and all. "—maybe I'll grab a tea instead."
"See you in a few minutes," Delly told her before hanging up.
Going to the cashier line, the thought of Peeta looking around her desk filled her with an unexpected warmth.
He still remembered her.
"What do you suggest, Mr. Mellark?"
Peeta looked around the room of board members and the quivering Seneca. He kept his gaze steady, his eyes meeting each person in the meeting. It was a trick that his Uncle, who was also his business partner, taught him—always make each person feel like they are not safe from scrutiny.
"You are hemorrhaging money," he explained. "I've looked over your quarterly reports and there has been some excess spending. Your engineering team is not utilizing the software programs properly and, in turn, are spending most of their time in confusion—"
There was a click of the door and Katniss entered quickly, hair in a single braid and round glasses perched atop her upturned nose.
Just as he remembered her.
His eyes went back to the group as Peeta continued on with his lecture. "If lack of proper guidelines is the issue with your teams, then I will need you to evaluate who is an asset to our team and who is a deficit." His eyes went back to the girl setting up the coffee. "Katniss."
She whipped around, her color grayer than he remembered. "Yes, Mr. Mellark?"
"What is your worth?" he asked her bluntly.
"Well…" She thought for a moment, her large eyes anxious before settling back on him. "…I don't suppose that I'm worth anything to this company. I make coffee and prepare reports—"
Peeta held up the portfolio in front of him. "Like the kind I hold in my hand?"
"Yes." Katniss nodded. "I put those together."
Peeta stood up abruptly and walked over to her. Her eyes widened at his approach and he detected a slight tremble as he got closer. Circling her, his eyes roved over her plain black pants and frumpy cardigan before finally stopping to stand beside her.
"This is why you are losing money," Peeta suddenly called out. "Your employees see no worth in themselves and therefore see no worth in your company or its product. No one will take the time to work if they don't know what use they are to you."
He turned to her, meeting her suddenly blazing eyes. She was upset at his scrutiny.
Something about the fire in her gaze thrilled him.
"You see Katniss here—she is an asset. You give her a task and it is immediately done to the best of her ability. You may think that she is nothing but some person to give Post-Its to." His eyes met hers once more. "However, she is not just a Post-It. Katniss is superglue. People like her are what keeps companies bound together. Without her, there are no reports or coffee for the people who are dropping the ball. The people behind the power build the foundation for success. Remember that."
He gave her a slight smile.
"Remember Katniss." Peeta look to her and nodded. "Thank you." She nodded in return, turning back to finish her set-up. He could feel her nervous energy even as he walked away.
Somehow, knowing that she was there gave him assurance. He had not felt like that in a long time.
THUMP!
Someone cried out and Peeta turned to see Katniss in a large heap on the floor.
"I think she's waking up."
Her eyelids felt heavy but Katniss pushed herself to open them. Her eyes widened seeing that Delly was in front of her, holding an ice pack to her head. Seeing Katniss come to, her friend smiled in relief.
"Good afternoon, precious," Delly greeted with a grin. "You gave us quite a scare."
She stared back at her friend in confusion. "What?"
"You passed out at the meeting." Delly put the ice pack on the side table. Katniss looked around, realizing that she was in the building's clinic on the first floor. "Everyone was freaking out but Peeta, our fearless leader, swept you into his arms and brought you down here."
Katniss covered her face with her hands. "He did?"
"Yup." Her friend grinned, leaning closer to Katniss. "In fact, he's right outside talking to the doctor and making sure that they're running all the proper blood tests."
Hearing the words 'blood tests', she shot up from the bed. "I need to go!"
Delly put her hands on Katniss' shoulders, steadying her. "Calm down, Katniss. It's all going to be fine. Seneca is quaking upstairs because Peeta blamed him for overworking you. Then, he called me down to stay with you while the doctors made sure that everything was hunky-dory."
"You don't understand," Katniss said, her eyes going between the door and her friend. "I'm preg—"
"Alright, Miss Everdeen." The doctor walked into the room with Peeta in tow. He looked relieved to see her awake. "You are perfectly alright. The blood tests came out just fine."
"I'm glad," she responded as she lay back against the hospital bed. "When can I leave?"
"I arranged for you to be brought home directly after this," Peeta informed her, his eyes roving over her and she willed herself to remain calm under his direct stare. "Start your weekend early. I've worked it all out with Seneca. Delly told me that you were going home for the weekend to see your family."
Katniss shifted in her seat as she looked to Peeta.
"My sister is having a baby…and I wanted to make sure everything is going well."
"What a stroke of luck for your family," the doctor quipped with a knowing smile. Delly's curious gaze went to her as did Peeta's; she chose to ignore the two. The doctor nodded as he picked up her chart from the end of the bed. "I'll just sign you out…" He stopped to read over the notes. "…however, I'm going to have the nurses check your blood pressure once more before you leave. It's a little low and most likely the reason that you passed out."
"Oh, thank goodness," Delly said and then looked to her friend. "You see? You're just fine."
"Of course," the doctor continued, giving Katniss an assuring smile. "Low blood pressure can happen during pregnancy." He looked once more to her chart, not noticing the shock on everyone's face. "If you haven't already done so, I suggest taking prenatal vitamins with iron."
Numbly, Katniss nodded. Peeta, who stood next to the doctor, stiffened, his face turning into a sickly shade of puce. There was also a funny little high-pitch sound emitting from Delly's throat.
"I'll sign you off and have the nurse come in to check your blood pressure one last time," the doctor informed her. "You can go ahead and change before she comes in."
The doctor rushed out of the room, unaware of the chaos that he had just created.
"Since when have you been having sex?" Delly asked in shock. "And, you're pregnant? Oh my God…Katniss, you're going to be a MOM!"
"It was just one time," Katniss explained softly. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet."
"Miss Cartwright," Peeta suddenly called out in a steely voice. "Can you leave the room for a moment?"
"Okay…" Delly stood from the bed and looked to Katniss. "I'll be outside." Going to the doorway, her eyes went worriedly to her friend before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.
Katniss met Peeta's eyes. "I just found out—"
"What are you trying to pull?" he harshly asked.
She sat up, her spine stiffening at the coldness of his question. "What do you mean?"
"I get you pregnant and what? I marry you?" Peeta scoffed, shaking his head at her. "You are a real piece of work."
"No, you're a real piece of work," she responded. "I just found out about this! While I was getting coffee for your stupid meeting! Then you accuse me of getting pregnant on purpose? Who the hell would want to marry you? Your own girlfriend couldn't deal with you!"
Katniss knew that she struck a chord; the pain on his face was evident. There was a part of her that almost felt bad—until she remembered that he had accused her of using her first time as a means to trap him.
In response to her words, Peeta's eyes hardened. "Once again, what do you want?"
"I want to get the hell out of here," she hissed. "So I never have to see you again."
Seam Island, District 12
Katniss wiped her glasses as she stepped onto the dock of her tiny hometown.
Seam Island's population was less than 100, making it easy for the residents to know each other as well as each other's business. However, she was glad to escape the havoc that had been the last few days to pay attention to the goings-on on Seam Island.
Also, Katniss desperately missed her family.
Taking a short walk, she turned after the town square and made her way to the Everdeen Plantation, relieved to see the large two-story stucco house with its wide porch in front of her. As she got closer, the front door opened and Prim emerged along with Cato, who was carrying a basket of corn.
She grinned, watching the couple. Cato had been a friend of hers in high school. While the spark was not there for them, Prim had always held a torch for her handsome classmate. It took Prim returning from her first year of college for Cato to see that she wasn't just Katniss' little sister.
By the time Prim left for her next semester, she and Cato were engaged.
Her sister spotted her trudging form immediately.
"Katniss!" Prim squealed, rushing down the steps and pulling her close.
As close as her belly would allow, anyway.
"Oh gosh, Prim!" Katniss felt her eyes fill seeing how much her sister was glowing with happiness. "You're just about ready to go…"
Prim peered at her for a moment, her brows suddenly furrowing. "Something's wrong."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Katniss looked to Cato, plastering a smile on her face. "Long time no see, brother-in-law!"
Cato went to her, kissing her on the cheek. "You look good, sis."
"She does look wonderful but there's something else," Prim responded as her finger went to her chin, her eyes still scrutinizing Katniss. She knew that Prim would find out her secret; her sister knew her more than she knew herself sometimes. "I just can't place my finger on it—"
"I'm pregnant, okay?" she suddenly burst out.
"You're pregnant?"
Katniss turned to see her mother, shock in her bright blue eyes. Behind her mother was her Uncle Haymitch, whose usual smirk was absent from his long, sculpted face.
So much for her quiet vacation.
"You're working through lunch today, I assume?"
Peeta looked up from his desk to see Rue, his assistant, in front of him with her arms crossed and a disapproving smile on her face. She was like the condescending Aunt that he never had nor wanted. However behind her judgmental nature, he knew she cared for his well-being.
"What's it to you?"
"It matters because I'm your assistant and I'll have to call in your meal if you're going to sulk in your office," she retorted. Rue sat in the chair in front of him. "You want to talk about it?"
"It's not for delicate ears," Peeta responded. "Also, I don't think there is much I can do about the situation at this point."
"Peeta, my ears are far from delicate," his assistant informed him with a smirk. "You ever been in an all-chick club? The mouths on them…" She crossed her legs as she relived the memory, her finger twirling absently around a springy curl. "On the other hand, some of them were pretty hot."
"Do you think that reason Madge dumped me was because I'm cold?" he suddenly asked.
Rue stared at him for a moment. "Do you want me to tell you the truth or what you want to hear?"
"The truth."
"She dumped you because she has her own ambitions and dreams," Rue said. "And, I don't think she saw being married to you as one of them."
Peeta sighed reluctantly. It was probably for the best.
"Fair enough," he replied. "Just have lunch brought up to me. I have to look over some of these contracts—"
Peeta's words were interrupted by his door bursting open as his Uncle barged in, flushed and obviously upset. Behind him stood his newest assistant, a little red-head with beady eyes who looked winded by their bombardment into Peeta's office.
Coriolanus Snow wasn't an easy man to deal with. His half-brother and sister-in-law had died in a car accident when Peeta was ten, leaving the boy a young millionaire in the making and leaving Snow to raise a boy that was not his own.
Snow ruled with an iron hand and instead of rearing the child, he instead raised the ideal business man. Snow thought that he had done well—the boy was self-sufficient and successful in his own regard, buying out businesses left and right.
Now, one photo was on the brink of ruining the Mellark Corporation.
"Hello Uncle," Peeta greeted him easily. "What can I help you with?"
"Why is there a half-naked picture of you?"
Snow threw down the photo on his Peeta's desk. He had received it from the Panem Sun just an hour before. They were giving him and Peeta the chance to explain why his nephew was standing in a hallway with nothing but a sheet around his waist.
Peeta looked at the photo, recalling how he had stepped out of the hotel room to give Katniss her privacy. Then his mind went back to their last encounter; how it had ended quite badly, how he'd said some awful things to her and accused her of getting pregnant on purpose when she was obviously devastated for not remembering something like her first time.
He did regret it.
And, judging by her angry response, Katniss was not going to forgive him easily.
Therefore, Peeta would just have to push her in that direction.
"I got into a fight with my fiancée," he informed his Uncle, who in response raised a doubtful brow.
Snow was always an enigma to him. He and Peeta's father were as different as night and day despite sharing the same mother. His father was warm with golden features while Snow was winter incarnate with a white beard and frosty blue eyes. Snow had even kept his late father's last name to personify his reputation as being a stone-cold negotiator.
"I thought that you and Madge had separated," his Uncle replied as he sat down.
"We did," Peeta responded as he clasped his hands on his desk. "My now-fiancée was part of the reason that we did." Behind him, Rue let out an audible groan. She was used to him doing this—finding ways to keep his Uncle's aggravation at bay. "You see, Katniss is having a baby."
"A baby?" His uncle repeated slowly. Peeta watched as his Uncle digested the news and was surprised to see a smile grace the man's visage. "A Mellark heir to take over the family business…" He mused to himself. "This is the perfect time, my boy! You're at the helm of the Mellark Corporation, you are having a child, and you are engaged to Katniss…what's her last name?"
"Everdeen," Peeta responded.
Snow stopped at the namesake, his eyes widening. "Your fiancée is Katniss Everdeen? As in the Everdeen Wheat Plantation on Seam Island?"
"I suppose so," he replied carefully. Looking to Rue, she quickly nodded and stepped out to do research on his 'fiancée'. "Why?"
"We've been trying for years to get a contract with them for the bakeries," his Uncle explained. "They never wanted to work with a corporation, but they will work with family. Between you and Katniss, your net worth is closing in on the billions."
Now, he felt like even more of a jackass.
Katniss didn't need his money. The girl was rich all her own.
"Can you hold off the press?" Peeta asked. "I have to speak with her. Katniss is still upset with me and it's not going to help if there are thousands of cameras flashing in front of her."
"Miss Everdeen is with her family," Rue informed them as she walked into the room. "I've already arranged for your yacht to be at the Capitol docks for your journey to Seam Island. Also, I've taken the liberty of having a bouquet ready on the boat so you can…grovel."
And by grovel, Rue meant to bribe, beg, and hope that Katniss really didn't mean that she never wanted to see him again.
"That's perfect!" Snow clapped his hands, a genuine grin on his face. "Because I'll be going with you."
"How did this happen?" her mother asked as she handed Katniss her cup of tea. "I thought we had the talk about birth control. Also, I didn't know that you were involved with anyone."
"It's not Marvel, is it?" Prim said, her nose wrinkling. "Because you could do so much better."
"It wasn't him," Katniss said tiredly. She took a sip from her favorite toad mug before looking to her family. "In fact, the guy who did this rescued me from Marvel. He was kind."
Her mind went to that moment in the meeting when they stood next to one another and Peeta told everyone unabashedly that she was worth something—that she was superglue. The look in his eyes as he thanked her had been enough to make her heart race which, unfortunately, caused her to pass out.
"He made me feel like I was somebody."
Standing up, Katniss walked out of the kitchen. She couldn't take her mother or Prim's worried eyes.
Escaping out the back door, Katniss sat down on the steps overlooking the wheat field that her family had cultivated more than a hundred years ago.
This was her favorite place in the world.
She realized that she was still holding her toad mug, a present from her grandmother. When Katniss was younger, she had been fascinated with the story of the frog prince and how the kiss of a princess had transformed him back into a human.
Katniss always used to giggle telling her grandmother that she was the toad. Toads were stumpy and rough in oppose to the smoother, longer-legged frog. It was not hard to kiss a frog. A toad would be much more difficult to break the spell with.
Before her grandmother died, she had told Katniss that she was never the frog or the toad of the story.
She was the princess.
Katniss only needed to find the right toad to kiss.
Because in doing so, both would be transformed.
Her eyes went to the flat stomach and she put a hand to…it.
"You don't seem like an 'it'," Katniss said quietly. "What should I call you?" Immediately, her gaze went to her toad mug. "I know. For now, I'll call you Toad." She took a deep breath. "We're going to transform one another even if we can't transform Peeta."
"Is that his name?"
Katniss whipped around to find her Uncle Haymitch joining her on the steps.
"Yes," she responded truthfully before meeting his eyes. "I really messed up, didn't I?"
Her Uncle Haymitch put an arm around her and she rested her aching head on his shoulder.
"We all need a little mess once in a while. It's how we rise up that shows just how strong we can be." He gave her a small smile. "So this Peeta, is he a bad guy?"
Katniss shook her head. "No, he isn't. Peeta might run hot and cold but there is something good deep in his core. He saw me when no one else did." She wiped her suddenly watery eyes. "I really don't mind that it's just me and Toad."
"Toad?" Prim was suddenly sitting next to her sister along with Cato and her mother. She put an arm around Katniss. "Is that what we're calling the baby?"
"I think it's cute," Cato offered. "We'll raise them together—Toad and Cato Jr."
"We are not naming him Cato Jr." Prim responded, shooting Cato a look of exasperation.
"I like Toad," her mother said as she sat down on the step just below her. "You're going to be alright, Katniss. Because you're made of strong stock. Because we're the Everdeens."
"And, the Abernathy," her Uncle replied.
"Yes, I'm aware big brother," her mother said with a smile. "This plantation and our family have made it through a lot and we're going to get through this. Together."
They all fell into a content silence.
"By the way," Cato suddenly said, interrupting the calm. "If I ever run into this Peeta guy, I'm socking him in the face!"
The next morning, Katniss found herself walking through the main part of town.
Seam Island had a small commercial section with only a grocery store, a few restaurants, and a bar where they hosted karaoke nights during the weekends. The island was very popular during weekends when families coming from the Capitol or the other Districts came for mini-vacations.
She looked ahead of her, seeing the old chapel that had been on the island long before anything else. Spanish monks had built the large stone building with its bell tower to convert the native islanders. This chapel was where her grandparents married, her parents married, and where her sister and Cato were married. Their child would be baptized here.
And, what about her?
Slowly, Katniss made her way into the chapel and sat down in the nearest pew. The chapel was empty—just herself, Toad, and the statues that were posted on each corner. Her eyes focused on the stained-glass window behind the altar that depicted Mary holding the Baby Jesus.
She wasn't necessarily religious but she could empathize with the whole virgin pregnancy situation.
Here she was, the Virgin Katniss with her Baby Toad.
"You okay?"
Katniss turned to see a man who was about her age in a black t-shirt and pants; he was in the clergy from what she could gauge.
"Just talking to myself." She looked down at her still-flat belly. "Maybe not just myself. How long do you think it takes for babies to hear from the stomach?"
"I suppose the child could probably hear you right now," the man replied with a slight smile. He ran his hand through his dark hair, his grey eyes looking her over. "So you're having a baby?"
"Something like that," Katniss replied off-handedly.
"And, where's Dad?" he asked.
"Somewhere being a big jerk," she responded. "Actually, there's a better word for him, but we're in a church." Katniss wiped her eyes. "He's actually a really good guy. We just made a mistake."
"The baby is a mistake to you?"
She shook her head, a smile spreading onto her lips. "More like salvation." Katniss met his dark eyes. "Is it horrible to feel like this baby is the only one that needs me?"
"Not at all," the man replied. "It is human nature to want to be loved and needed." Holding out his hand, he offered her a smile. "I'm Gale Hawthorne."
She shook his hand. "Not Father Gale?"
"No, I'm not a priest," Gale informed her. "I just like wearing black. My family lives here on Seam Island. And, your name?"
"Katniss Everdeen."
"Ah…" He nodded. "Well everyone here knows you then."
"An unfortunate side-effect of my last name," she retorted. "But, no one really knows me."
"Do you let them?" Gale asked.
"No," she admitted. "It's much too dangerous."
"Katniss!" She turned to see her mother at the doorway of the church. "There's a situation at the dock."
"Your father and I used to come to Seam Island—" Snow said as they looked out at the island they were approaching. "—when we were just kids and didn't know any better. Your father even had a crush on some girl here. Her last name was Abernathy and she had this really mean older brother…"
Peeta's mind was elsewhere. That somewhere was with the girl who was his supposed fiancée. Katniss, who was having his real baby. He realized he hadn't really thought it through and there was a high probability that she would let him fall on his face.
However, something also told him that she believed in the good in people, that maybe she'd be nice enough to give him a chance.
As the yacht docked at the island's port and the anchor was lowered into the water, Peeta walked onto the pier where a familiar-looking man with tied-back hair was transferring several baskets of wheat onto a nearby boat.
He gave Peeta a smile. "Fancy yacht."
Peeta reddened, realizing how ostentatious the boat looked on the tiny dock. "It's a company transport." He looked at the baskets. "Do you need help?"
"Sure," the man replied. "Hope you don't mind getting your hands dirty."
Pulling up his sleeves, Peeta helped place the dozen or so baskets into the carrier boat. Manual labor soothed him in some way, giving him the chance to let go of all the pent-up anxiety about seeing Katniss once again.
He was actually nervous.
Fear of rejection was not something he was used to.
"Good work," the man told him and held his hand out. "Haymitch Abernathy."
He shook Haymitch's hand before introducing himself, "Peeta Mellark."
As soon as Peeta said his own name, something shot up his spine as he remembered where he had seen the man's face before.
Haymitch was in Katniss' family photo.
"Haymitch!"
Peeta turned to see his Uncle rushing over to them, an uncharacteristic smile on his face.
"I don't know if you remember me, but my brother and I used to come here when we were kids. I guess I look different. I'm Coriolanus Snow."
"Yeah, I remember you…" Haymitch's eyes zeroed in on Peeta, his stare cold. "And, how do you know this young man?"
"Peeta is my nephew."
"Did you say Peeta?"
They all turned and the man that Peeta recognized as Katniss' brother-in-law was stomping towards him. Behind him was Katniss' sister, her glare evident even from a distance.
Then, there was Katniss.
She was rushing over along with her mother and a dark-haired man, her grey eyes panicked.
With her hair down and in her flowered dress, Katniss looked quite pretty.
That was his last thought before Cato's fist collided with his face.
When Peeta opened his eyes, Katniss saw nothing but blue.
As he awoke, there was something different in his usually solemn eyes. She realized that there was an openness in his features, his expression was confused and a little scared. However when Peeta focused on her, the fear dissipated and Katniss saw relief, almost happiness at seeing her in front of him.
Like she thought, hot and cold.
Katniss had spent the majority of the hour getting the townspeople to bring Peeta into their house. Many of them who were Cato's friends weren't very gentle as they placed him on the bed. With the help of her mother and his Uncle, they managed to plop him onto her daisy-flowered comforter set.
"Don't talk," Katniss told him when he attempted to open his mouth. "Cato got you in the jaw." She put an ice pack to the bruised spot. "It's funny. I was just in this position just a few days ago." Peeta attempted to laugh but the sudden pain hit him and he grimaced. "I told you not to talk. For now, let me."
Peeta nodded, his eyes looking over her and she was surprised to see that he was admiring her. He reached to touch a tip of her loose hair and there was softness in his gaze as his thumb and forefinger moved along her ends.
Her mother had given him some painkillers; she wondered if maybe it had been too much.
"You are in my home, Peeta," Katniss said in quiet calmness. She turned to see her mother along with her Uncle Haymitch talking to Peeta's Uncle in hushed tones, just outside her bedroom door. It didn't look like a bad conversation—for now. "You will not humiliate me by saying mean things or accuse me of getting pregnant on purpose. You know that isn't true. And obviously, you know now that I don't need your money."
He nodded vehemently in agreement, his eyes wide and glazed.
"Honestly, I don't know if having your baby is a good idea. The good thing is that I can do this all myself and you won't ever have to worry." Katniss leaned closer to him, the hurt rising inside her. "We don't need you." He attempted to speak and she moved the ice pack away, ready for whatever might come out of his mouth. "Here's your chance. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Peeta reached, his hand wrapping around her wrist and his fingers pressing lightly to her pulse. Her heart jumped into her throat at the sensation of his touch and the intensity of his gaze.
"Katniss…" Her name pushed through his pained voice. "…will you marry me?"
Did I ever say thank you? You have been amazing rock stars who have sent me such wonderful feedback. Please keep it coming.
If you are a guest reviewer on FFN, I can't reply if you have a question. So please go on Tumblr or e-mail me.
This will be my last chapter for FTL in 2015. I will be working on my Christmas story this weekend. Check it out when it's up!
So just kind of a recap—
Yes, Snow and Peeta's father are half-brothers.
They share the same mother but have different fathers. Both of their father were businessmen, I almost think that they were business partners. After Snow's father died, their mother fell in love with Mr. Mellark thus birthing Peeta's father.
Also, Haymitch and Katniss' mother are brother and sister, similar to TIPY, and Haymitch came to stay with them after Katniss and Prim's father passed away. So Mrs. Everdeen was the girl that Peeta's father had a crush on, 'the one with the really mean brother'.
If you've watched Fated to Love You, I'm sure you've seen that it had indeed deviated from the storyline a bit at this point. Also, you probably know that the nickname for the baby in the series was a lot uglier than 'Toad'.
I'm pretty sure that some of you already know how Gale's character comes to play. ;)
Don't you like a hot and cold Peeta? He all kinds of cray.
Also, if you wondering where Johanna, because she's my fave, is-she's coming. She is part of the Mellark/Snow side.
As always, please keep the feedback coming. I love hearing your words!
Next, Part Three or Chapter Three-the reluctant newlyweds.
Until then, JLaLa