Peeta's back slowly begins to heal and return to normal, or at least as normal as it can be. Mom says that he'll never really have his full strength back, but if he works hard he'll earn back most of it. It tears me up inside to see the scars the whip left behind on him. What use to be a perfectly toned back, is now full of pink scars and rigid lines, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I don't care that it isn't isn't perfectly polished and beautiful, the scars show bravery and survival.
I pull out a shirt from Peeta's top drawer and pull it over my head. The soft blue fabric that matches his eyes, is one of my favorite shirts to wear. It's also one of his favorites, which means we are constantly stealing it from each other. It hits mid thigh and is a round neck, but hangs low on my slender frame. I stare in the mirror and place my hands on my still flat stomach. I just hit 8 weeks and I can feel the tightness of my clothes. Peeta can't tell and neither can Prim, but I can. I won't lie and say that the fact I'm having a baby doesn't scare me, but it doesn't terrify me as much anymore.
"Katniss!" Peeta yells from the bottom of the stairs. "Come on, we're going to be late." He tells me as I walk down the stairs.
"Peeta, none of my clothes fit." I whine as he looks at my outfit. He chuckles and places an arm around my shoulder.
"Kat, you can't wear my t-shirt to the winter festival." He pulls me back up the stairs and undresses me himself. Laying out two outfits to choose from, he walks back down the stairs to wait at the door. I pick out the sunset orange shirt that has a tie under my chest, with a pair of black pants and hunting boots.
As I pull the shirt over my head and tie the string in a bow I realize this isn't a normal shirt. It's a maternity shirt, and it's made by Cinna. I turn to stand sideways in the mirror and sure enough, you can see the smallest sign of a bump. I guess maternity clothes show off even the smallest of bumps.
Peeta whistles as I come down the stairs and I blush.
"How did Cinna know to send me maternity clothes?" I give him a joking look. He chuckles and grabs my coat.
"I might have made a few calls." He tells me with his boyish grin. My heart swells for this boy and I pull him in for a hug. "Your hugs are my favorite kind." He whispers in my ear. I laugh a little and pull away, kissing him softly. He moves to help me with my coat, but I stop him.
"Wait, there is something I want you to see first." I turn to the side and pull my shirt flat against my stomach. His eyes light up and he places his hands onto the tiny bump. It's so small that his hands cover up the entire form of my abdomen. Seeing Peeta's happy face doesn't take away my fear, but it helps. He leans down and kisses my lips while taking his hand in mine and leading me out the door.
"Well if it isn't the star crossed lovers of district twelve." Rye calls out as we walk hand in hand up to the bakery both. I blush and Peeta laughs.
"Don't blush rosy posy." Rye laughs some more before Wheat comes over and interrupts.
"How are you Katniss?" When Peeta and I told his family that I was pregnant, you could say Wheat became cautious. Never letting me help at the bakery or even pick up a broom. He's probably worse than Peeta. I laugh at his question and place my hand on my tummy.
"I'm fine, thanks Wheat." He nods his head and continues to help the customers.
"Let's go for a walk." Peeta whispers in my ear and links arms with me. We stop by ole sae's both and buy a cup of soup. "I think we need to talk about the deal." Peeta tells me once we are seated on a bench. I nod my head. "Snow wanted a baby and now that you are pregnant I'm worried what he'll do. What if he tries to send you to the Capitol or something." I place my hand over Peeta's.
"Calm down, it'll be okay. We're forgetting abut the reapings and the Capitol, remember?" I slowly soothe him. He nods his head and slowly gets up.
"Would you like to dance with me, Mrs.Mellark?" I smile widely and nod my head.
The dance is slow and sweet, but also sentimental. Peeta and I have never danced at home before, it was always for Capitol parties, but I like it this way. Life is easier if you try to forget about your worries, Peeta taught me that.
I step on Peeta's toes once or twice and continue to apologize.
"Katniss, stop apologizing, I wouldn't want to dance on a snowy night with anyone else." He tells me with a sweet smile. I lean my head against his chest and listen to the heartbeat that I adore.
Dear Peeta,
I'm going to be in the woods all morning, so don't wait on lunch with me. I'll be back soon, but don't worry yourself, I'll be fine.
See you soon.
K
I read the short note over and over making sure I didn't leave anything out. After placing it on my pillow next to his sleeping form, I pull on my hunting bunts and walk outside. Peeta doesn't like for me to go into the woods now that I'm pregnant, but when would that ever stop me. It's the place where I can clear my mind and talk freely.
As I walk through the snow covered ground and grab my hidden bow and arrows, I think about my father. He use to bring me out here every day after school, actually he brought me to a special spot. A spot that I haven't even shared with Gale or Peeta. I make my way to the old, solid lake house.
It's small and soft, but loud enough that my hunters stealth heard it. I swing around aiming my bow and arrow at who ever snapped a twig, when I see a small cracker with a mockingjay imprinted on it. My mockingjay to be exact.
"Stop don't shoot! We're on your side, Katniss." Two women stand in peacekeeper uniforms and one carries a gun. It doesn't surprise me that they know my name, but I still don't lower my bow.
"Who are you?" I ask them while examining their appearance. They take a step towards me and I notice that one of them is limping.
"I'm Bonnie," the older lady says. "And that's Twill." She says pointing to the girl next to her. "We are from district 8." Bonnie says while sitting down on a log across from me.
"Why are you wearing peacekeeper uniforms?" I ask suspiciously.
"We work at the factory and when everyone started rebelling we stole uniforms to wear. We wanted to get out." Twill tells me. I start to lower my bow just the slightest.
"And the gun?" I ask pointing my finger towards the weapon they have.
"We got it from a dead peacekeeper, we don't know how to use it." Bonnie tells me in a whisper and I lower my bow completely.
"Why not stay and fight? Why are you running, there is nothing to run to?" I tell them while pulling my game bag off of the ground.
"We we're running to district thirteen, but I hurt my foot and we had to stop." Twill tells me with a sad look.
"District thirteen was destroyed years ago." I tell them.
"No, that's what they want you to think. Every time they broadcast a report from "district thirteen" it's actually footage they took years ago, when it had just been bombed. Now they just put a new person as the reporter in each time." They tell me while eating the bread I gave them.
"How do you know this?" I'm curious because maybe they are spies or maybe they just imagine this stuff.
"On the reports from district thirteen in the left hand corner a mockingjay flies by every time. It wouldn't be so suspicious if it didn't fly by in the same spot every time, but it does. It exists Katniss and we are going to live there." They tell me with confidence. I don't know if I should believe them or think they are crazy. I look up at the sky and see that it's getting dark, Peeta will be worried about me.
"I have to go, but thank you for telling me that story." I tell them while standing up.
"It's not a story Katniss, it's real. You'll see one day." They tell me with a sad smile. I nod my head and give them the rest of my food. Silently walking away from Bonnie and Twill I think about what they said.
Is district thirteen alive?
The fence is only a few inches away when I hear the soft buzzing. My dad always warned me about this sound, but I'd never heard it. After a while I stopped listening for it and simply went under the fence. In all the years of hunting in the woods, this has never happened to me, but here I am. Stuck on the wrong side of the fence, because the electricity has been turned on.
I look the fence up and down, hoping I could find a way around it, but I have no luck. The only thing I could do is climb a tree that is at least 25 feet tall and drop off of the limbs and on to the other side of the fence. The only thing is, I don't know if that will hurt the baby. I left a note for Peeta telling him where I was, he'll come find me.
I slowly walk back into the shadows of the trees and wait.
"Katniss!" Peeta yells. His voice sounds frantic and I know he's worried. I run out of the woods and call his name. His head swerves around and he looks relived when he sees me.
"Why haven't you come home?" He asks me harshly. I shake my head and tell him to not come closer.
"The fence is on, I can't get out. I'd have to drop from a tree and I don't know if that'll hurt the baby." I tell him while pointing to a tree near by me. He looks at the tree and back to me.
"I'll catch you." He says with a boyish smile. I stand still for a moment before I slowly climb the tree.
"Peeta, why are you always saving me?" I ask him while putting my foot on a branch. He shrugs his shoulders.
"That's just what I do." He says while holding out his arms.
"When you were whipped, you could have died." I pause and look at him.
I wrap my arms around a sturdy limb and let my feet dangle. He holds out his arms, ready to brace my fall. With the thought of him catching me, I let go.
"I never asked you to die for me," I say as he braces my fall and I look into his bright, blue eyes.
"You didn't have to." He whispers wrapping his arms around my body, preventing me from hitting the ground.
A.N. Loved the end where she said that she never asked him to die for her and he said ushe didn't have to. Ahhh crying everyone. Also TheDeathlyMockingjay thank you so much for supporting this story so much! Anyways what did y'all think?!? Let me know and star it! :)