Life Will Go On - sequel to Our Love Will Remain

Chapter 19

I immediately reach for the phone so that Katniss won't have to get up. I grab it without moving anything except for my arm, keeping her in my arms, and answer it, a little frustrated. Who would call nine in the evening, just when I have made love to my wife? There is only one answer to that. Annie Odair. She is a little "mentally disoriented" since her Games and a little more since Finnick's death, so I don't think she thought about the possibility of us being asleep or busy with something else. So I just try to be polite.

"Hi! It's Annie." she says with an eager voice.

"Oh, hello, Annie, why are you calling?" I ask, trying not to offend her. She usually doesn't understand even if you do, but it would be cruel to take advantage of that.

"Oh, it's just that I was planning to come and visit you, would that be okay?" she answers. I am a little confused. She calls nine in the evening to ask us if she can come and visit. It seems a little out of the blue to me. But I know she only means well and tries her best, so I answer:

"Of course. But maybe tomorrow, you probably should sleep first?" I tell her. She giggles.

"Oh, I had totally forgotten. We haven't seen you in a while, so I was planning to bring Naal too. He has a girlfriend, she is coming too. Is it okay if we stay somewhere in the Victor's Village?" she asks me. I have to smile a little. She had 'totally forgotten' that it was bedtime. But I feel happy about them visiting, they haven't seen Ivy since she was a little baby, and I am excited to see Naal and his girlfriend. So I confirm that it's okay and then we say goodbye and hang up. I sigh and turn to Katniss. She's been listening, not interrupting a single time. I kiss her lips softly.

"Sorry." I say. Her smile turns to a frown.

"Why do you apologise? And by the way, who called?" she says, starting to draw shapes on my chest. I lean down closer to her.

"Maybe because I took that phone call just when we had a perfetc moment. And it was Annie. She said she was coming here with Naal tomorrow. " I say and close my eyes. She starts kissing my jaw, and I groan a little.

"Uh, okay. Peeta, you've got to understand that everything that doesn't please me isn't your fault. It seems like every time there is something that I seem unsatisfied with, you think it's your fault." she says. I smile and open my eyes.

"Well, sometimes it is, but okay, I guess that was an exaggeration." I tell her, and she lays her head against my chest.

"It's never your fault. Not even the flashbacks, that I know you blame yourself fully for. But they're really not your fault. Snow ruined our youths. He made everything a hell." she says, laying her hand down on my chest again, starting to draw shapes on it again. It has a calming effect.

"Okay, I will try to remember that. I do now, but you know that when the flashback hits, and when it is over, I won't blame anyone else than myself for what I've done during it. It's me, after all." I say dreamingly. I think Sandman's purpose is almost fulfilled.

"Mhm." Katniss mumbles, and then, I know she is asleep, because her breaths get heavier and her head feels heavier against my chest. So I smile a little to myself and pull the sheets up, slowly gliding into unconsciousness.

Katniss

I wake up when I feel the bed shift. I open my eyes and see that Peeta is getting out of bed. I stop him by touching his thigh. He turns and sees that I am awake. He smiles and kisses my lips lightly. He breaks away, but just enough that our lips are not touching. His face is literally inches from mine.

"You finally woke up. I though I should go up to make you breakfast." he says. I yawn.

"You can do that, I'll take a shower." I say, getting up too. He walks to the closet and I pick up our clothes from yesterday from the floor, following him. I throw the underwear in the washing basket and start to hang the other clothes in the closet. When I come to the lingerie dress I giggle. Peeta, who has come to his trousers and is now buttoning them, steps forward and rubs the fabric between his fingers. Some places are lace and some are made of silk.

"I like this dress. Don't throw it away." he says and kisses me playfully. I laugh in the middle of the kiss and kiss him back a few times.

"Why would I?" I say, and then I notice that I'm not wearing anything. So I peck Peeta on the lips and walk out to the bathroom. I step into the shower, and turn it on. I love this shower, it feels like you would stand in a warm summer rain. I wash my hair, it feels like I haven't done that in a while, and then I dry myself off with a towel. I dress in simple clothes, but not too thrashy, because I know Annie and Naal are coming today. When I enter Ivy's room, I find only an empty bed, so I walk downstairs.

"Mommy!" Ivy shouts when I enter the kitchen. Peeta is making cheese buns. He usually has a cheese bun dough in the freezer or the fridge, so that he only needs to bake in the oven, and we'll have fresh bread for breakfast. He is just about to put the buns into the oven when he sees me. Ivy runs up to me and hugs my legs.

"Mommy, Daddy told me Auntie Annie and Naal are coming!" she says and I stroke her forehead.

"Yes, honey, they are." I tell her and she runs to the table again, returning to her dolls. She doesn't bring the plush toys outside her bedroom, but she does that with her dolls. She has one favorite that she calls Lilly, and she often brings her to the table when we are eating. I walk up to Peeta and put my arms around his waist. I rest my right cheek on his left.

"I love you." I tell him. He turns around.

"I know you do. I love you." he says, giving me the first kiss today that makes our son kick. Our son. I haven't really gotten used to that thought yet. But it gets more real every day.

*Four months later*

I am staring at my huge belly. It is so huge I haven't been able to see my feet for a while. And my breasts are huge, too. Peeta tells me I'm more beautiful than ever, of course. But I've stopped believing him. I'm not beautiful. I have no idea how anyone can find me appealing. I have no idea how Peeta picked me out from the hundreds of girls who lived in Twelve. How he still does. My thoughts get interrupted when he walks up to me and attempts to put his hands around my waist. When he fails because of it's abnormal periphery, he puts his hands playfully over my breasts instead. I know Ivy is asleep, I sang the lullaby for her just a few minutes ago. We both laugh and he starts kissing my neck. When it starts to get too intense for my body to handle i turn around.

"Peeta, I'm sorry, but I can't. My belly is too big. It'd be too... hard." I say, and he sighs. I get desperate. "I know we haven't done it in a while, but we can do it as soon as he's born, okay?" I say pleadingly. He smiles and nods.

"You know I want nothing but for you to be happy and comfortable." he says, walking into the bathroom to take a shower. I follow him, and when he is about to close the door to the shower I stop him.

"Wait. I can't handle having sex, but I can handle some kissing." I say, smiling a little at the last part.

"Okay." he says and gives me a dazzling smile, his eyes twinkling. "Step in." he says, and I let my clothes fall to the floor.