Katniss POV- (First Wednesday in October)
"Peeta, Bristol is going to be in Twelve in like 30 minutes!" I call from upstairs.
A few seconds later, he comes upstairs.
"Okay." He says, laying down next to me on the bed.
I smile as he leans over and kisses my forehead, "I love you, cranky butt." He says.
"I love you too." I laugh.
I am so glad we are okay again.
"I'm sorry that I've been so gripey lately." I apologize guiltily.
There's been times I'll just start crying for no reason, that explains a lot of my breakdowns after Peeta's family died.
The day I cried in the rain.
"You're perfectly fine. I'm a big boy, I can handle it." He says.
I laugh a little bit.
"My two favorite girls in the whole world." Peeta says, leaning down and kissing my belly.
I feel her move at his touch and voice.
I've noticed if Peeta is around, she's moving like 10-20 times or more in just a few minutes and when he's not, she only moves occasionally.
"And you're our favorite boy in the whole world." I say, kissing his lips, my heart fluttering.
"We better get ready to go over."
I nod and sit up and he does too.
"When we get over there I don't want you helping. Please, just stay sitting or something. I want you to hold Carter." Peeta says.
I scoff, "I'm not high risk. Why can't I help?"
"I don't want you to get high risk or hurt yourself."
"Peeta, I am not going to hurt myself."
Ever since he found out I was pregnant and we warmed up a bit, he's done everything for me.
Everything.
I mean, I thought he did most everything before but I was wrong.
If I sneeze, he's asking if I am okay or if I yawn he wants me to lay down or if I drop something, he's right there to pick it up.
Just because I am pregnant, it does not mean I'm disabled.
"It's for your health and the baby's." Peeta says, getting off our bed.
I sigh, he is right.
That promise we've never broken so we don't need to start now, especially when I'm responsible for two people's health.
About twenty minutes later, we head over to the apartments and Bristol is waiting outside in her car.
"Do you want to tell her now or later?"
"Later. It's not that noticeable is it?"
"Maybe she will think you had a good meal before we left." He teases me.
I snort, "I would prefer to tell her with the announcement."
Peeta smiles, "Okay, her's is right here." He says, taking Bristol's envelope from a stack that we are needing to mail out.
He sticks the card in his back pocket as we get out of the car.
I hope she doesn't notice when she sees me.
As we get to her car, she gets out and hugs us both.
"Kat, I've missed y'all so much!" She says, hugging Peeta and I excitedly.
We smile, "We missed you both too." Peeta says, nudging her playfully.
"Carter is in here." She says, opening the back door of her car.
"She's sleeping but she probably needs to wake up and stretch. She's been asleep since we left."
She unbuckles her and picks up her chunky body, as she stretches. Carter barley notices the change and goes back to sleep.
Bristol hands Carter to Peeta who looks like he's been itching the hold her, which I know that he has.
"Which apartment?" I ask her curiously, hiding my belly with my arms.
I forgot a jacket because it's pretty warm out today.
"The one with it's door open." She says, looking up.
That's when I realize she's moving into Peeta and I's old apartment.
"Peeta, look." I say, pointing to the open door.
He looks up and smiles.
"It's our old apartment."
"Oh my goodness. Is that really?" Bristol asks us excitedly.
We both nod.
"You can go up and check it out before I put stuff in if you want."
I look at Peeta, hoping he will agree.
"Come on." He says, handing Carter back to Bristol.
"We will be right back." Peeta says.
I hold his hand as he helps me up the staircase.
Thankfully, we don't live here anymore.
These steep stairs would kill me if I had to go up and down them all the time.
When we make it to the open door, I freeze.
The last time we stood here is when we were leaving for District 5 and I was bound and determined to stay here with my mother, letting Peeta go without me.
It's something that I've never told him because I know even to this day, it would hurt his feelings.
It was when Gale told me he loved me and when I thought I wouldn't have anyone family but my mother. I remember how I felt all alone, that if I left my mother here she would die too and I remember arguing with Gale about saying I wouldn't have anyone else and I mentally scold myself.
That was probably one of the stupidest things I've ever made myself believe.
When I got back, Peeta was sitting against the wall crying because he thought I was missing.
I guess I have run away before.
When we walk inside, instantly, I'm thrown into the middle of memory lane and I'm being hit by cars.
There's the little kitchen that we cooked in together almost every night and the taste of every meal we made, makes my mouth water.
The lonely nights in the living room while I pushed Peeta away to cry and to stare at that damn wall for months after Prim's death.
I remember the first night we stayed here, it was the first night we officially slept in the same bed, in our underwear.
We've seen each other naked since and actually slept together.
Now I'm pregnant.
I remember Peeta would start tickling me and we'd end up on the floor, after tackling each other. The many kisses we've shared down there and in this house.
We make it to our old bedroom and find it how we left it over a year ago, dark and empty.
I remember the way it all looked.
It was our first 'home.'
I hold my breath as I remember how many times we had to stop ourselves from going too far and the nightmares I experienced.
In just a year and a few months, we are here.
We are married and I'm pregnant.
It seems like just yesterday we were graduating.
"It's been what, like a year and four months since graduation?"
I nod my head.
"And a year and two months ago that we left this place." I say.
"A year and two months since we met Bristol."
I feel tears streaming down my cheeks and Peeta embraces me, right there in our old bedroom.
The house still smells like the bread he baked while we were here.
"Hey, at least we know Bristol is going to take care of this place." He says, rubbing my back.
She has to.
If we lose this place, most of our relationships 'firsts' will be gone completely.
Peeta's bedroom.
I know he's thinking of it and of his family and how much everything has changed in a year and a half.
"Look how far we've come." Peeta says, intertwining our fingers together.
So much has changed since we last set foot in this place.
"We better get back down there to help." Peeta says softly and I nod.
We go back into the living room just as Bristol comes up.
"Hey, sorry it's been like ten minutes. I want to get everything unloaded by 3ish so that they can bring the furniture."
"That's fine." Peeta smiles, putting his hand in the crook of my back.
She nods, "Okay, well let me go out there and grab her play pen so she's not everywhere." Bristol says and Peeta nudges me.
"Actually, I've been really missing her so I can hold her while y'all do that." I say, feeling bad.
She's not going to understand that Peeta doesn't want me to help and probably thinks I'm just being lazy.
I want to help but I promised Peeta and I know I don't need to be going up the stairs because I'm pretty clumsy sometimes.
I can't even begin to remember all of the times I tripped going up or down those stairs.
"Um...okay." Bristol says, confused and hands me Carter, who is much much heavier than she was a few months before.
And because it's uncomfortable, I hold her up high, not on my hip or at my belly, hoping Bristol doesn't notice but she does.
She eyes me suspiciously.
"Okay. Come on, Peeta." She says, turning around and walking out.
Before he walks out, I give him a look that says he better not tell her yet.
I go over and lean against the wall in the living room and slide down slowly.
I set Carter on my thighs and she wakes up.
Softly, I hold her little hands.
"Hi, sweet girl." I say excitedly.
She blinks at me.
She's woken up in a new place.
"In a few months, we are gonna have so much more fun together!" I tell her, speaking of her unborn playmate.
She grins, a bottom tooth or two appears to the cutting through.
"Your Momma is gonna be so surprised!" I mumble to her and she raises her eyebrows, her eyes growing wide.
I laugh and Bristol and Peeta walk in.
"Aw, Carter. Did you miss your Aunt Katniss?" Bristol asks her.
She smiles and leans forward hugging me it seems.
"Awe, sweet girl!" Bristol cheers.
I rub her warm back gently and kiss the top of her head.
"So, after this, do you guys want to come over?" Peeta asks.
I shoot him a look and shake my head.
"Sure, I bet we'd both enjoy it." Bristol says smiling and looking back at me.
I give her a quick smile and nod and they go and continue bringing boxes in while I talk to Carter and she tried to squirm out of my lap.
"Calm down, baby." I say to my own baby who's kicking up a storm inside me.
Carter just stares at me when she realizes it's not her I'm speaking to.
Bristol walks in and puts a few more boxes down.
"What's wrong? Was she crying?"
Bristol asks me, confused.
She's actually perfectly fine but I don't say that.
"Oh. No. She was trying to get on the floor and it should be pretty clean but it's probably dusty." I say.
There's actually no dust at all but she doesn't mention it.
"Then why are you sitting on the floor, silly?" She giggles.
I look down and back up as Peeta enters.
"Because I'm dumb." I say, trying to stand up with Carter's chunky body in my arms and ultimately failing between my gained wait and trying not to put too much pressure on the baby with Carter in my arms.
I nearly fall but Peeta rushes over, holding me upright and setting me gently back on the ground. Then he takes Carter from my arms and pulling me up, helping me steady on my feet.
He shakes his head at me, looking worried.
"Are you okay, Katniss?" Bristol's asks me worriedly.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just kind of unsteady today." I say, brushing it off, knowing I've just given Peeta a heart attack.
"Are you sick?"
I shake my head.
"Okay, if you need to, come sit in the car with her." She says, shaking her head suspiciously at me.
"You need to do that." Peeta says, guiding me out of the front door. We exchange glances and Peeta helps me back down the stairs, following behind Bristol.
He helps me into the car and sets Carter back on my legs and turns around to see Bristol heading up the stairs with more stuff.
"Katniss, what the hell?" Peeta asks.
"I'm fine. I'm sorry." I say.
He sighs, "Okay, are you sure? You haven't ever had a problem standing up before."
I roll my eyes, "I haven't been sitting on the floor much either. Let alone with 15 pounds of added weight plus a 20 pound baby."
He laughs a little.
"Please, just try to take it easy? Plus, she's already asked what was up with you."
"Did you tell her?"
"No, I'm waiting for you to but if you don't quit acting like something is up, she's gonna know something is really up."
I sink back into the seat of the car.
"Okay, I'm not moving." I tell him.
He leans back in and kisses both mine and Carter's cheeks.
"I'll try to hurry.' He says, walking to Bristol's more than half empty car.
I sigh.
"I swear it's always something, kiddo." I tell Carter as she plays with my braid.