Chapter 8

-Flashback-

Peeta cradles me in his arms, darkest surrounding the whole of Peeta's bedroom inside the Victors' Village. His lips are tracing my collar bone slowly, working around my clavicle and up my neck to my ear. It's heavenly, nothing I could imagine such movements to be arousing, but I'm almost back on cloud nine. My insides are clenched in a pleasured need for him again. How many times have we done that tonight? Too much to keep count. How many times have I been on the peak of pleasure? No idea! But I want him again and again and again. What happened to me never needing a man? That's gone out the window. I've never craved anything so much. I start squirming inside his arms as I tighten my thighs around his legs.

"Again already?" Peeta purrs in my ear.

I moan in response.

"Not yet." He says, almost serious.

I groan, irritated.

"I have to say something."

I lean across, nibbling his ear and grasping his curls into my fingers.

"No talking."

"Katniss..." He says seriously, sitting up and my grip on him falling.

"What?"

Peeta sighs, looking defeated, beat from all our exercise with each other. I feel the same, but I'm still wide awake. Peeta's defeated look is more from something he's thinking about. He shouldn't be thinking. It's just going to make him think more of this than what it is. I don't really know what it is? What is this? I know my last time to live before I die, but between us, is anything going to change? I have no idea what's going on in his head, let alone my own.

"I can't let you die." He states.

I roll my eyes. He can't be seriously saying that.

"Yes, you can. You and Haymitch deserve to live. You can go and love some Merchant girl from town. Someone who can be your wife, give you children, live happily with, without any interruptions from depressed Seam scum." It pains me saying those things. I don't want Peeta to be doing this with anyone but me, but he most likely will.

Katniss, you'll be dead, you won't care.

Peeta moves quick, pushing me down against the bed and pressing his lips against mine, hard and making me want more. He pulls away and I lean up again, but he stops me.

"Do you think I want to do this with anyone else?"

No.

"Yes."

I reach down, grabbing my breasts as a gesture.

"Someone bigger. Someone with an immaculate body who knows what she is doing."

Peeta flicks my hands away and leans down, running his tongue from my chin, down my neck, between my breasts and then circling my nipples with his tongue. I burn inside, body arching up so he gets more of me. His tongue travels to the other nipple and he laps around it making my body shiver with goosebumps.

"You really think I deserve bigger? Experienced?"

I sigh when he blows on my nipple. His fingers pinch me and it sends sparks down to my core. I'm breathing heavily. His lips travel again, between my breasts, down my stomach and then he's in between my legs. He nuzzles between my legs and makes me gasp. His tongue runs a single length of me, sopping up my flowing juices. It makes me moan and grab the railing of Peeta's bed, knuckles whitening with the tight grip.

"You think I want to taste another?"

I'm writhing. I'm biting my lip hard and trying to stop myself from coming at the thought of Peeta only wanting me.

"Oh fuck, Peeta..." I moan, lip numb from my tight grip from my teeth.

I'm dizzy from desire. Peeta pushes open my legs wide, crawling down to the bed, him throwing my legs over his shoulders and pulling my bottom half up to his mouth. He presses his tongue against that spot which makes me writhe, starting a torture against it which makes me cry out in pleasure. I'm just about coming in seconds. I grab onto the bedsheets beside me as I dig my head into the pillow feeling myself about to come again. Just as I'm about to explode in desire, Peeta pulls away.

"No… No… No!" I cry out.

Peeta crawls from beneath me, up to me and kisses me hard. I'm dizzy and high on a mountain, wanting to jump off, but a string is holding me back.

"I only want you, Katniss. Only you. You're the one I want. I love you. Not a fake Merchant girl. I love your boobs. They are perfect. I like you inexperienced, we both are. And you are all I want to taste. Never say that again, understand. You're not dying. I'm dying and you are all I will be thinking of when I'm on death's door. Just you and me and this night."

Peeta then thrusts into me, hard. And I come instantly at the hard movement of his full and rock hard cock inside me. Peeta's got me gathered in his arms again and I ride out my high in his arms, shaking and crying out into his shoulder.

"Oh Peeta…" I breathe, unable to stop it.

He hushes me, beginning to pull out slowly, then pushing himself back in. I sigh.

"No talking." Peeta breathes heavily into my hair.

Then we proceed to not talk, but the noises didn't count.

-End of Flashback-

"Katniss?"

"Brainless?"

"Where the fuck are—oh!"

Light streams into the small closet as I turn and see a hairless figure block the light from blinding my tired eyes. I try and move, but my whole back is cramped up from my uncomfortable position against the wall. I cringe and let out a little gasp as I'm instantly slumped back against the wall. The figure, who I haven't been able to guess yet, drops down and blinds me with the light from outside the closet.

"Brainless? You okay?"

Johanna. How stupid of me not to realise. I heard her curse just before. This brain…

"Fine." I grumble, sighing and giving up on moving from my cramped position.

"Shut the door."

Johanna turns, shutting the door and leaning against it, looking over at me with eyes I cannot pick. She's so emotionless that you can't tell if she's sad, angry, happy, sarcastic… Who am I kidding, she's always sarcastic!

"I'm going to die out there, Johanna. Snow will make sure of that, especially if he knew about…" My eyes drop down to the lump between my body.

"I know." Johanna agrees simply, no sarcasm, just a whole lot of understanding inside her tone.

"Everyone's looking for you. You know that right?" She asks.

I nod my head.

"Coulda guessed. Gale's doing I assume?"

She nods this time.

"He told me everything which happened in there. He ran into me as I was going into Command. I was going to have the same kind of meeting with Silver Locks. I'm supposed to be coming out with you and your cousin, provided I can get cleared from the doctors here."

I roll my eyes.

My eye rolling is only momentarily when I realise she just said she was coming too. I know she probably isn't up for it. Her tough exterior doesn't even up the fear which runs through her.

"Johanna, I'm sorry."

She brushes me off.

"We may have our own little battle on who will get to kill that asshole." She comments dryly.

I smile.

"Maybe."

My smile disappears. I'm leaving Peeta. I'm going to be leaving my baby. Just when she is only a month old. What kind of mother is that going to make me? I'd be just like my mother. I don't want that. I knew how much that hurt. I can't let myself to turn out like her. I cannot allow myself or cannot fathom the idea of doing the same thing to my child. I don't want to go, but I won't be satisfied he is dead and away from our lives forever unless I see the light leave his eyes. I am the only one who can make sure that he is gone from our lives forever. I can't begin a life and live happily to them find out that he still lives, to them take our baby girl away. I can't. I need to kill him. I need to leave Peeta and her for a short period just to make sure that he is gone from our lives forever. My daughter's life depends on it. Mine and Peeta's future happiness rides on Snow's head being the home to one of my arrows. He needs to die. This needs to stop. He needs to pay for what he's done. I have to kill him. My final human kill, the person who made me start in the first place. He's going to die. I'm going to do it.

"I'm going to kill him, Johanna. I need too. For her. For Peeta. For everyone. Even if I die in the process, it means a happy and Snow-free life for them both. And everyone."

I turn to her, seeing her smirk imprinted on her lips. She nods her head slightly, a very impressed expression on her face.

"Welcome back, Girl on Fire."

I smile.

Our smiles are short lived when I hear my name being yelled out outside the door. The name too familiar on those lips. Johanna stands, holding her hands out as I grab onto them. She helps me up as I almost stumble back down onto the ground. I am way too big to be crawling into small places where I cannot get up from. I hobble around Johanna as I push the door open, walking out into the light grey hallway. Turning to the left, then the right, I see Peeta rushing around down the other side of the hallway, like a mad man.

"Peeta!"

Peeta's head whips around instantly, halting all of his movements and his crazy eyes locking with mine. Not Hijacked Peeta crazy, but crazy to find the woman he loves. He yells out my name, running back towards me. I think about running, but decide against it because that would only end in disaster. He catches up to me quickly, his arms instantly wrapping around me and pulling me tightly against his chest, resting his head against mine. He breathes heavily with exhaustion, exasperation and relief as I am finally inside his strong arms again. He's mumbling, I don't know whether it's supposed to be to me or to himself, but he's so relieved that I'm inside his arms. I relax into his arms, revelling in the feeling of his body against mine, our baby in between us.

"Peeta, I'm going to go and kill him. I have too." I say.

He hushes me instantly. I don't know whether it's because he doesn't want to hear about me leaving? The fact I'm going to be killing someone just so that our lives are able to be lived without threats against us? Whether it's ruining the moment? Or if it's just because he is trying to saviour the small times we have left together as two, then as a family? I don't know, but I don't try and speak again, after I tell him I love him again.

:-:

Peeta and I go to our check up on the baby after we finally are able to tear our bodies from each other. And after telling everyone Gale had gathered that I was fine and with Peeta. He asked a lot of people. Peeta, Jo, Greasy, Finnick and Annie, Hazelle, Prim and Rory… If I ever doubted how much of a best friend he was to me, I take it all back. He's the best. And I don't know what I would do without Gale inside my life. At the doctors, a routine begins. Blood tests, regulation look overs, and another ultrasound. She's huge now. Considering how small she was when I first saw her. And Peeta is just besotted with seeing his daughter again, speechless and taking in each small detail of her body shown on the screen. I just sit terrified, especially when the doctor tells me,

"You may go into labour at any time from now. Your baby is in the position it needs to be in for birth. Any day now you could go into labour."

This gathers Peeta's attention too. He's instantly asking everything he can do, what we shouldn't do, what I shouldn't be doing, everything. Peeta instantly in father mode, a Peeta I can't wait to see more of. It scares the hell out of me thinking that I may be giving birth even sooner than I thought. I still have two weeks left until I'm full-term, but she might be here quicker than we imagined. Peeta and I are going to have to start getting everything sorted out even sooner than we realised. We may need more than just Peeta's reliable hands to help get everything together. Gale comes to mind. He would help. I know he would. I make a mental note to ask Peeta about it after our appointment.

Walking out, Peeta is still on cloud nine from seeing his daughter again, but seemly worried about how little time we have left. He's holding me tightly against his body as we walk out of the hospital.

"I think we should ask Gale to come and help us out." Peeta comment randomly.

I turn and look up at him in shock. He looks down with nothing but seriousness on his face, his hand tightening around my waist. I nod my head.

"I was going to suggest the same thing."

"Wanna ask him now?"

I nod my head, looking back to the hallway in front of us, trying hard to walk on my hobbling and swollen feet.

Outside Gale's compartment, I knock and wait, leaning up against Peeta's body as I'm finding it hard to stand up. The door opens and Gale stands in work out gear and covered in sweat. If I wasn't attracted to Peeta in every way, I'd be drooling. I think Johanna would like a sight like this to make her life a little better. I smirk thinking about it.

"Hey." Gale starts.

"Hey." Peeta replies.

"What brings you over here? If you came any time before, you'd have been disappointed. Just did two hours of training."

That's why…

"Found out I could pop at any moment. And we aren't prepared at all." I say bluntly, already hating the idea.

Gale's eyes widen in shock. He double steps, wiping his face with a towel which he holds his in hands.

"Wow. Really?"

I just shrug.

"She's had enough in there."

Gale laughs.

"So, we wanted to ask if you could help us setting everything up at some stage. We don't know when it's going to happen. Sooner rather than later would be very much appreciated." Peeta requests.

Gale looks from me up to Peeta, nodding his head.

"Yeah. Of course. I'm free the rest of the day. How about I come around after lunch?"

We both nod our heads together in unison.

"I could bring my mother over too, if you wanted Katniss?"

Hazelle. I would be good to see her again. And she could also help, more me than what things need to be set up. I need someone who's done it four time with no issues to help me out. I nod my head.

"Please."

He smiles.

"I gotta take a shower. I smell like the change rooms in Training. I'll come by later with my Mom."

"Thank you, Gale."

"Anytime."

Peeta and I then walk back down the hallway towards the elevator to take us to the cafeteria. I'm starved.

:-:

Two hours later, Peeta and Gale are putting together something Gale brought to us on behalf of Beetee. It's a crib which he made the materials for, but never got around to making it. It seemed like the best thing to start with when it came to finally getting everything started with our preparations. Hazelle and I sat on the bed, talking and refolding the clothes and putting them into different piles so we have a system of sorts when she comes. It's calming when Hazelle talks to me about it all, makes me lose some of the fear which plagues my mind and would most likely effect my body from the stress. And I know that's no good for my baby whilst she still lives inside me. I love watching Peeta as he surrounds himself with everything which is the baby's. His whole soul is put into everything relating to the baby and you can see that. And he is the perfect figure for a father, anyone would think he was born to be one. I'm just glad that I can give him the child that he needs for his fatherly self to come out into play.

Within no time, I look back up and there is a crib standing proudly in the middle of the room, two men admiring their work from a distance. A gasp escapes my lips before I can even stop it. This grabs Hazelle's attention as well as Peeta's, who looks back to me with a slight hint of worry inside his eyes, aside from the obvious accomplishment across his face.

"What do you think?" Peeta asks.

I place my hands to either side of me, pushing myself up to them be helped up by Hazelle beside me. Walking towards the crib, I rest a hand onto the white painted wood, looking down at the work they did together. I turn around and look from Peeta, to Gale, then back to Peeta.

"Beautiful." I answer, staring at Peeta and Gale's immaculate handy work.

"Our baby will be perfectly happy and safe in it." I finish.

Peeta beams and Gale stand proudly over their work.

Soon, Gale decides it's time for him to leave because his schedule tomorrow is borderline abusive with how extensive it is. I make a mental note to yell at Coin again. That night, Peeta and I sit and admire their work while we discuss more baby names.

:-:

During that night, I wake up with a severe case of baby's feet dancing on my bladder. Irritated, I get up and relieve myself before I go and sit back in bed. Staring at Peeta, I can't seem to find sleep with her performing a dance routine on my entire organ system. I sit thinking about how Peeta will be with her while I'm away. He should be fine. Prim and Hazelle will be here to help him. As well as Effie and Haymitch. I shouldn't be worried about how he will be with her. He's going to be amazing. He's a born father. I, on the other hand, not so much. I wonder whether I will come back to my baby. In an ideal world I will not have to worry about such things. But with such a high price on my head, the likelihood of that is quite slim and it makes me quite nauseous at the thought of my child only knowing me for a month. It's terrifying. She needs a mother. And I wish I could do that for her. And my god I will try everything in my power.

Then, the lightbulb that's been dimmed in my head since Peeta was in the Capitol finally lights up again. My mind wanders around and creates the perfect plan to get Snow and to be able to come back to watch my child grow up. I've figured out everything! I know what I'm going to do! I'm going to come back to Peeta and our baby! I turn and shake Peeta awake, also being cautious to set off any kind of Mutt Peeta. When he wakes, his eyes are blue, I sigh with relief. With concern in those blue eyes, he asks,

"Katniss, what's wrong? Is she coming? Is she coming now?!" He sits up in a panic, grabbing my stomach.

"No. She's okay, I promise. But I know how I'm going to get him. I know how I'm gonna kill Snow and come back to live a long happy life with you and her! I know what we have to do!"

Then I proceed to tell him and then he nods his head agreeing. We then get up and get the plan into action straight away. With our first visit- Beetee.

:-:

Two days later, still no baby or any sign of her arrival any time soon, I've called a meeting with Coin about my plan. She has no idea. I wanted to personally tell her as it was my plan and I'm doing it no matter what she says. Wishing I had Peeta by my side, I stand as proudly as I can and look at Coin sitting at the head of table.

"President Coin, thank you for seeing me." I start.

"Anything for the Mockingjay." A small snide tone in her comment. I let it slide.

"I'm surprise to actually see you again after your previous performance here regarding our plan to get into the Capitol." I let that slide again.

"I must apologise for that."

"Forgiven."

"Now, what is it you asked this meeting for?"

I put on a brave face and pray to put on the best show for her, which would make Cressida and Plutarch proud.

"I've come up with my own plan for going to kill Snow-"

"Miss Everdeen..."

"No! I called this meeting. I will be telling you my plan and regardless of your own, this will be the one I follow." I burst out cutting her off.

"Miss Everdeen, you don't make these decisions." She says curtly.

"I've already put it into action because I am going to respect your deadline because I've realised it may work. So, please hear me out. I would like to have your blessing while we do it, if not, tough."

Coin looks taken aback, but doesn't make the move to interrupt me again.

"Continue." She says somewhat annoyed and yet curious.

With a deep breath in my lungs and hope in my heart, I do as she says.

"I have to come back to my baby." I begin, stroking my stomach which makes her start prancing.

"I cannot fathom the thought of her without me to protect her. She will have everyone else, but if I'm dead, I don't know what kind of world she will have to grow up in and that will be my highest regret. My plan- me and a team of volunteers will be walking straight into the Capitol's back door. I had Beetee hack into the Capitol's system, carefully and without leaving a trace, and he has got the plans for a hovercraft and Peacekeeper suits. All of us will be in these suits and we will land the hovercraft right in his hover station three miles from the Capitol mansion. We have all of the codes and security keys for the latest hovercrafts so we will be able to fly through untraced. Then, we will storm his mansion and I will kill him. And freedom is finally ours."

Finished, I look at Coin's face for an expression towards my plan. Just as her grey hair always is, her face stays still and untouched by emotions. Long few moments pass, and I wonder whether this was a good idea. I start to doubt myself then she finally speaks.

"The set date is five weeks away. We can't possibly make a brand-new hovercraft in that time, even with every person in Thirteen on it."

Smiling, I answer,

"You won't be making a brand new one. All of the new hovercrafts have barely changed from the original plans that you had back when you were an official part of Panem. It's only updating the technology and Beetee is already making those changes."

She nods, her hand comes to her face and holds her chin in place. Whether it's to hold it from clenching at my horrible idea, or holding it together from her laughter, or whether it's just trying to keep herself from saying it's a good plan. I don't know. More moments pass and then she asks again,

"How do you plan on yourself getting in there? Away from the media and when Snow isn't waiting for your next move. That's borderline impossible."

This time, I don't smile, I give her a hard unblinking stare.

"You're going to put together a live broadcast of everyone in Thirteen, including Peeta, Haymitch, Johanna, everyone."

Confused she asks,

"And what will it be a broadcast of?"

"My funeral."