Happy Valentine's Day! Here's our final part!
The characters of The Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me.
What Makes The World Go Round?
Part Three
"Whenever he calls my name
Soft, low, sweet and plain
Well I feel that burning flame…"
Katniss slowly opened her eyes, her sight narrowing in on the familiar orange record player in the corner of the bedroom.
The bedroom.
Sitting up, she realized that she wasn't at Prim's.
She was still at Peeta's.
The subject of her thoughts walked into the room, pajama bottoms and a t-shirt on. She looked down realizing that she was wearing the matching top to his pants.
"Morning," Peeta greeted easily. "You okay?"
"We didn't have sex last night, did we?"
Her head was foggy about last night's events, but she knew there was definitely a kiss.
He shook his head, going to her side of the bed and placing an open bottled water for her on the side table.
"Trust me—if we had sex, you'd remember."
She took the bottle and sipped. "You're a cocky one."
"In every sense of the word," he said to her with grin. "We did do this."
Tilting her chin, Peeta gently pressed his lips to hers. She responded immediately, her arms wrapping around his neck as he lifted her onto his lap.
Finally they pulled apart, breathing heavily, and grinning at one another.
"I definitely remember that," she told him under her breath.
"So, are you hungry?" he asked her. "There's leftover Chinese. Cinna finished off the other box of pizza before going to work…" Peeta steadied her on his lap and looked her over to make sure she wasn't feeling any hangover effects. "One beer and you were out."
"I forgot to mention that I'm a lightweight when it comes to beer and only beer," Katniss said sheepishly.
"Yeah. You were complaining about the aching from the tattoo and thought some alcohol would help," he explained, trying to hold his laughter in. "After finishing the bottle, you kind of just walked around for a bit before sinking against the doorway of my room. I took it from there."
"And…changing my clothes?"
"That was me, but I owed you for all the times that you helped me get dressed." Peeta met her eyes, seriousness in those blues. "I trust you implicitly and want you to do the same with me."
"Don't you think that this is going a little fast?" she asked doubtfully.
"No," he said squarely. "I feel like we haven't lost any time, like I fell asleep and woke up completely adult. Then you were there—like you always have been." Peeta let out a slow breath. "I know that I'm a lot younger than you, but I grew up knowing who I was and ready to die that way."
Katniss was surprised to feel the tears building. "Don't talk like that."
"It's the truth, Katniss." There was a surety in his gaze as he continued. "I expected death, but you were with me so I wasn't afraid." Peeta took her hand, placing it on his chest to let her feel the rhythmic beats of his heart. "I never take that for granted. I intend on living my life the way I want and with who I want." He smiled at her. "Even if she needs convincing."
"Stubborn boy," she whispered.
Peeta gleamed, his eyes playful. "I learned from the best."
Katniss drew him into a kiss, tasting Peeta—tasting the life that seemed to radiate from his very core. She wriggled on his lap, feeling him hard against her center, and pushing to feel that tight pleasure of her sensitive clit moving along his length.
Peeta held her easily, lifting her enough to move his bottoms completely off, the fabric pooling at his ankles. Sitting back on the edge of the bed, he tugged at her own panties, ripping them off easily.
"Cheap. I like that," he remarked.
Katniss chuckled softly against his mouth as her hips raised. "Only you would say that at this very moment." She lined her slit to his cock before sinking onto him in one fluid motion.
She watched him, eyes closed and mouth parted as they moved.
"What are you doing to me?" he asked her under his breath.
She growled when he thrusted upward, causing her to keen in teeth-clenching pleasure.
"You told me that I would remember you." Her lips went to his lobe and she bit its edge lightly. "I intend to have you prove it."
"Well, looky-looky," Prim said with a smile. "The prodigal sister returns!"
Katniss closed the door before sitting on the couch next to her sister.
"I feel too old to be doing the Walk of Shame," she said as her head went to Prim's shoulder.
Prim put down the magazine that she was reading. "But, did you have a good time?"
"The best," Katniss replied tiredly. "And, look—"
She unzipped the sweater she had on to present her back shoulder tattoo.
"What am I looking at?" Prim asked. "The tattoo or the hickey on your neck?"
Katniss pressed her palm to her neck. "I have a hickey?"
"Oh it's all good, honey bear," her sister teased. "Nothing a little concealer and spackle can't fix." Prim smiled at her. "You look happy, Katniss. That smile that you had before you met Peeta—the one I made you close your eyes for—it's all over you now."
"Thanks Prim." Zipping her jacket back up, she sat back and this time, Prim put her head on Katniss' shoulder. "I like him, probably more than I should."
"I can tell." Prim snorted. "You got a tattoo, a hickey, and you look thoroughly fucked."
"I didn't do it for him," Katniss replied. "I did it for me."
Prim lifted her head to meet her eyes. "You feeling a little lost, sis?"
"Maybe," she said. "I think I've been hiding behind work because I've been afraid of what's out there. Then, I'm here with you and Rue and I find myself remembering what it was like to have friends. And then, Peeta's here and I'm remembering how it feels to be kissed. But with him, it's like realizing that I've never really been kissed."
"After just one night?" Prim responded with a smile. "God, give me some of whatever you're getting! Or, better yet—does he have a brother?"
"Sugar pie...honey bunch…" Peeta sang, one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding her hand. "You know that I love you!"
Katniss chuckled. "You ask me out the first night we meet again, kiss me on our first date, and then sleep with me on my first night over. Now you're declaring your love after just our first week together...isn't that a little much?"
"I'm just singing along," he told her easily. "But if you want to take it that way, you already know how I feel."
"What exactly did you tell your parents about us?" she suddenly asked.
"That I ran into you again and I liked you so I asked you out," Peeta responded. "Nora is really excited to finally meet you."
"And, how about your parents?"
"My dad was totally cool with it. Always teased me about you, actually," he told her. "And, my mom is...my mom."
"Sophie totally hates me!" Katniss looked to him in a panic. "We should turn around and go back to Seam. Right now!"
"You're being unreasonable," Peeta responded. "All moms are a little weird about their sons being taken away. My mom is just a unique case because of everything I've been through. However, she does like you."
"I still think this is a horrible idea," she declared.
There was a squeal of tires as Peeta swerved to the side of the road before breaking abruptly. Turning off the engine, he got out of the car and went around to her side.
Opening her door, he beckoned her with a wave of his arm. "Get out."
Katniss glared, but followed his instruction. "You going to leave me here on the side of the road?"
"No." Peeta took her hand to pull her close. "You just need to get this nervousness out." Wrapping an arm around her waist, he brought her to a proper dancing stance. They began to move to his lead, following the music along the dusty curb. "When I call your name...girl, it starts to flame...no matter how I try...my love I cannot hide…"
"I don't know what to do with you," she said as they swayed, a laugh escaping her lips.
"Love me," he told her, his eyes earnestly. "Just do that, Katniss, and I'll be alright."
Her free hand reached to brush his cheek. "You crazy, crazy man...why do you love me?"
"Because at the end of it all, I saw you there," he whispered, pressing his lips on the skin between the straps of her dress. "Always, my braided Katniss."
"Always," she murmured in agreement.
Even if she couldn't say so, she felt it—that all-encompassing love bursting from her chest.
Peeta stopped, lifting her chin before covering her lips. His hands moved along her sides as he walked her back against the closed passenger door. Katniss parted her thighs beneath the skirt of her blue linen dress, feeling him ready against her.
She looked up at him expectantly, her hand reaching behind her back for the door handle.
"So...in the car?"
He shook his head, reaching to undo the top button of his jeans, as his other hand deftly moved between her thighs to raise her skirt.
"What would be the fun in that?"
The Mellark home was a white-shuttered Georgian house with colorful, bursting flowers along its windows and a large ivy-green door. They had arrived a little over an hour past their planned arrival and her stomach turned thinking that she was already totally screwing things up.
What was she thinking?
When Peeta mentioned that he was visiting his family that weekend, he insisted that she come along. Katniss had said no, telling him that it was best to ease his family into the fact that they were seeing each other.
However, he had been thoroughly persuasive—or at least, his mouth had been.
Katniss stared up at the house anxiously as she re-braided her mussed hair in the car.
"I can't believe that we did that."
"You've been saying that since that second round," he responded with a grin. "In fact, you kept repeating it into my ear until you ca—"
"Peeta!"
They turned to see the front door of the house open as Nora ran down the stone walkway, the skirt of her green dress bouncing with her rushed steps.
Peeta practically jumped from his seat and out of the car before running over to sidewalk to lift his sister into his arms. He kissed the side of her head and the girl giggled with happiness.
Katniss opened her door and stepped out of the car, leaning against it to watch the sibling reunion. They were actually quite adorable together. She could see Peeta's graceful movements in Nora's hand gestures as they talked.
He would make a wonderful father one day.
That thought, however, drew her into a sudden melancholy state.
"Katniss!" She looked up to see Peeta and Nora approaching her excitedly. Placing his hands on his sister's shoulders, he proudly presented her to Katniss. "Katniss, meet Nora Celestine Mellark. Nora, meet Katniss…" He met her eyes. "Do you have a middle name?"
"I think that my parents thought that Katniss was already a mouthful." She held her hand out to Nora. "Nora, it's wonderful to meet you. I'm Katniss Everdeen."
Nora took her hand, her green eyes darting between her brother and Katniss. "My brother's girlfriend, right?"
"You could say that," Katniss countered, looking over at Peeta's flushed face. "Is that what Peeta calls me?"
"He does, but he told me not to mention it to you," Nora told her. "But, he knows that I never listen."
There was a shuffle and they all looked to see Sophie and Robert walking over. The Mellarks actually seemed to look younger from the last time that they saw one another. However, the circumstances were different then—they were desperate to not lose their son and were dealing with the overwhelming hospital bills as well as the arrival of a new baby.
Robert went to her and pulled her easily into his strong arms. "It's been too damn long, Katniss."
"I agree," she said. "You're looking well, Mr. Mellark."
"Robert, please." They pulled apart and he looked over to where Peeta was hugging Sophie. "He looks happier than I've ever seen him."
"I always thought that Peeta was a happy person," she said as they went to the other three.
"Ah…but there's a different kind of happy in your presence," the man told her.
"I guess so," Katniss said softly.
"Katniss," Sophie greeted her. "It's so nice to see you again."
"Thanks, Mrs. Mellark," she replied. "You have a lovely house."
The woman held her smile in place. "Thank you." There was a hesitant pause. "Well, let's get inside! Lunch is getting cold." She looked over at her son, her stiff smile softening. "Someone said that they would be here an hour earlier."
"Sorry. We were running low on gas," Peeta told his mother. "So we had to make a pit stop." They all walked up the driveway and he put an arm around Katniss' shoulders. "And, you know that opening of that tank of mine, sometimes you have to stick that nozzle over and over until it's filled."
He looked over to Katniss and winked.
She almost face planted on their porch.
Peeta had many adventures.
Her eyes wandered over to the mantle where pictures of Peeta and his family and friends were placed reverently. There was one of Peeta with Cinna post-transplant, the deep eyes of his roommate still striking, even as a teenager. Another one was of Peeta and Nora, obviously a newborn. He still looked like he did when she last saw him though much more filled out.
Then, there were the pictures of his travels; one of him in front of the Eiffel Tower, another where he rode a camel next to the Pyramids of Giza, and the last one was of him steering a gondola with his parents as his passengers.
"I paid a lot of Euros to be allowed to do that." His breath, brushing along Katniss' ear, was sweet from the coconut cake that Nora had made for their dessert. "You okay?"
She turned to him. "Yes. It's just daunting how much life you've lived."
"I'm still living it," he told her, lifting her hand to kiss her knuckles.
"I can't wait to see where else life is going to take you," she said, her voice suddenly thick.
Peeta was unbelievably brave. She admired his tenacity to take life by the horns—to have control over everything. She had so often seen herself swept under the current of her own life. It would push her out but only so much before bringing her back in to her comfortable shell. It had happened with her job, losing herself in the comfort of security and then with Gale in the push of what was supposed to happen after a certain amount of time of being with one another.
"And, you'll be there, right?" Peeta lifted her chin. "You'll go with me?"
She crooked a brow at him. "Go where?"
"Wherever life takes us."
"Us?" she repeated, her gaze lost in the deep dimple of his chin and the longing to press her lips to it.
"Of course." Peeta looked incredulously at her, as if the thought of not being a couple was not a choice. "Our day will come—like you sang."
Katniss swallowed slowly. "You remember."
"Of course. I closed my eyes before the marrow transplant and I was scared shitless," he told her. "But, I heard your voice. I heard you singing and knew you would bring me back safely. Your voice was the light at the end of my tunnel. I knew then that nothing else in my life would ever be difficult if I just carried your song with me." He placed her hand on his chest. "Right here—always."
She wiped her eyes. "Damn."
Peeta grinned at her. "What?"
"You've gone and made me fall in love with you."
"I'll make you happy, baby, just wait and see
For every kiss you give me, I'll give you three
Oh, since the day I saw you
I have been waiting for you…"
There was a knock on the bedroom door and Rue peeked her head inside, giving Katniss a smile.
"You're pretty good," Rue remarked. "You want to be in our group?"
Katniss lowered the volume on the record player, grinning back.
"I was just doing some clean-up since I've taken Prim's room over. What's up?"
"There's someone here to see you," her friend replied, a worried expression in her eyes.
Katniss went to the doorway curiously. "Who?" In the living room was Sophie and she walked out of Prim's room. "Mrs. Mellark? Is everything okay?"
Sophie gave her a strained smile. "Yes, everything is fine. I was in Seam and thought I'd pop over for a visit."
"I'm going to go for a quick run," Rue suddenly said to them and gave Sophie a smile. "Make yourself at home."
Her friend stepped out, leaving Katniss and Sophie in the uncomfortable silence of the living room.
"Please, have a seat," Katniss said after a moment. "Did you want anything to drink?"
"No, I'm fine." Sophie patted the spot next to her. "Have a seat."
Katniss tentatively went to the couch and sat down. "Obviously, this isn't just a regular visit."
The woman fidgeted for a moment. "I used to always wonder about you. Peeta was particularly fond of you and asked a few times of your whereabouts," she began. "Robert would always tease him about how much he talked about you."
Katniss held her hand up. "Listen—nothing inappropriate ever happened between Peeta and myself when I was his nurse. He was like a younger sibling to me. A friend. Nothing more."
"And, now?" Sophie asked.
"So much more," she admitted to Peeta's mother. "I know it seems fast, but that friendship just grew into something else when we ran into one another again."
"And, Peeta knows about the divorce?" Sophie met her eyes, fidgeting with the buttons of the cream cardigan she wore. Katniss nodded in affirmation. "Does he know why it happened?"
"I told him about Gale, his affair with his now-fiancée and the pregnancy that ended it all." Katniss knew where this was going, the sudden stiff chill straightening her spine in realization. "Who told you?"
"I ran into Effie a while back," Sophie explained. "You were at the beginning of the separation process."
"I was going to tell Peeta," she choked out. "How exactly do you explain to someone who was sick that you have a reproductive anomaly like I do?"
Katniss couldn't admit that her actual fear was that Peeta would be understanding—accepting, even. But, at the beginning of their marriage, so was Gale. The first time that it happened had been the reason they were married and six months in, it was suddenly all over.
How could she admit to Peeta that there was no way for her to have any sort of child?
Her cervix was just too weak.
The second time, it had happened sooner than the previous one. There was barely a child to bury. It had been frustrating and she could not stand to have Gale see her so vulnerable. That wasn't her way. She could deal with seeing others in such a state. But, for someone else to see her that way was a no-no.
Katniss was full of pride. The problem was, so was Gale.
In the end, he had found someone normal—someone who would give him the child that he never wanted to admit to Katniss that he craved so much.
"Peeta is young," Sophie said squarely. "And, he'll want children. You've seen him with Nora."
Katniss nodded, her eyes feeling heavy under weight of the tears along her lids. "I know. I just wanted to live in the moment like he does." She smiled, letting the tears hit her cheeks. "I just wanted to have a little part of giving him joy. Because I do love him." Katniss looked to Sophie, whose expression remained unreadable. "I just want him to be happy."
"Then you understand this relationship will falter under the weight of all of that," Mrs. Mellark told her. "Peeta…the doctors say that his own reproductive system is not as good as a normal boy his age. But with the right, normal woman—it can happen."
Those words stung.
"I just didn't think we were at that point in the relationship," Katniss said under her breath.
"You say that you love him." Sophie took a deep breath. "I think you're at that point. I love him, too. I want to give him a chance to live a normal life." She met Katniss' broken expression. "If you were a mother, you would understand."
Katniss nodded, feeling brow-beaten and overwhelmed by the last five minutes of conversation.
"I should get going. Nora should be finished with her ballet class," Sophie declared, standing up. "I'll let myself out."
Katniss nodded her head once more, unable to lift it until she heard the click of the door.
Getting up, she went to her sister's room, closing the door behind her. Turning off the record player to stop the spinning vinyl, Katniss lifted Prim's comforter and got into bed.
Wrapping herself with the covers, she closed her eyes and waited for oblivion to take over.
"Should we call Peeta?"
"Yeah…no. His mother is the reason that Katniss is catatonic."
"But, I feel like he doesn't even know that his mother came and said something to her—"
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here." Katniss sat up to look at the two women at the foot of the bed. "Just don't say anything to him. I'll deal with it."
Prim rushed over to her sister, sitting down in front of her. "What did she say?"
"Nothing that wasn't the truth." Katniss was surprised by the hurt seeping through her words. "Please, just give me time." She handed her phone to Prim, trying not to look at the several missed calls from Peeta. "I have to figure some stuff out."
"Katniss, you're running away. You're trying to avoiding the pain," her sister argued. "This isn't right. You spent two years dealing with the horrible divorce process. Then you come here and have this amazing opportunity. You meet Peeta—and goddamnit, you fucking glowed! What the hell happened?"
"Please Prim!" The heaving started as well as the sudden onslaught of tears. "Just stop asking!" She broke, her whole body beginning to shake with sobs, starting with the furious quaking of her shoulders. "Please, n-n-n-no more…just don't—"
"I'll stop!" Prim pulled her close, her own sobs joining with Katniss'. "I promise I won't say a thing, just don't go away." She looked to Rue, holding the phone out. "Just take it for now."
"What do I say if he calls?" Rue asked, her gaze on the two crying women.
"You tell him that Katniss can't come to the phone and that's it," Prim said through her tears. "No. I've changed my mind. You can tell him to tell his mother to go to hell!"
"No, you're not going to tell me that I can't see her!"
"She doesn't want to see you!"
Katniss tried to ignore the shouting match going on outside the room as she continued her packing.
She knew that a day of her not returning his calls would have Peeta in a frenzy.
However, Katniss couldn't deal with him right now. All she knew was that her time had run away from her and it was time to go back to reality. This life wasn't for her.
Peeta wasn't for her.
"Katniss!" His yell tore at her. "Talk to me! I know my mother was here! I know she said something to you! Whatever it was, I don't care! I don't care about whatever is going on. I love you!"
He would care, eventually.
"I'm not leaving until you come out." There was a thump on the door. "I'm already sitting on the floor."
She took a steadying breath before continuing to fold and put things away.
"I'm going to talk to you," he continued. "I'm going to tell you everything that happened in my life from the moment we separated. Maybe by the end, you really won't want to be with me, but I know that I can't let you go without you hearing me out."
"So you're going to keep my sister hostage in there?" Prim said to him.
"All she has to do is open the door," Peeta replied simply.
"Oy…I'm going to find another place to crash," Rue called from out of nowhere. "If you're not staying at your place, can I crash there?" There was a slight jingle of keys. "Is your roommate single?"
"He might not be if sees you."
"Thanks for the hook-up." There was a knock on the door and Rue's voice talking through. "Open the door soon, Katniss. You have a plane ticket for Panem for tomorrow morning."
"Also, I don't want to sleep on this couch," Prim added.
"Go stay at Cato's," her roommate suggested. "Don't act like you haven't done it before."
"I'm not going anywhere," Peeta repeated.
"I'll stay in Rue's room," Prim responded. "Katniss, I can always call the cops."
"I'll just be back after I post bail," the man on the floor replied.
She remained silent, only zipping her bag closed.
It was going to be a long night.
"Katniss?" It sounded like Prim and Rue had left, judging by the sudden silence aside from Peeta's voice. "Can I tell you about after the marrow transplant? I remember waking up and not knowing what was real and not real. I was still being weaned off the anesthetic so some of my memories are foggy…framed with a white snow, sometimes."
She remembered having the same kind of feeling; after she woke up from her first loss, feeling so disoriented and living in a nightmare.
"Then, I heard you singing in my head," he continued. "The world became a little clearer."
Quietly, Katniss went to the door and knelt quietly before sitting back against the door. She swore she could feel his heart beating through the solid wood.
It had only been two days. She missed him.
So Katniss settled for listening to his voice.
12:00AM
Peeta had been talking for three hours.
As promised, he had told her about the recovery from the marrow transplant, how there had been numerous tests for years to make sure that his cell count was alright. He told her about how frustrating it had been to even walk since he was not used to being out of a hospital bed and how school had actually been a nightmare because no one wanted to talk to the 'cancer kid'.
He recalled his insecurities about his looks, the awkward hair phases, and the fact that no girl would even look at him. However, Peeta had never really cared though his eyes often strayed to any dark haired, dark-eyed girls.
"I was always looking for you in other girls," he said. "But, I found myself disappointed in their shallowness."
Peeta continued onto Cinna. Cinna was 16 at the time and there had been a presentation about bone marrow donations at his school which inspired him to register, almost as if he were pushed. His parents were not happy, but he was insistent that they sign their consent for a marrow transplant, if it was needed. Peeta had been in awe of Cinna, whose confidence was something that he wished for.
It tugged at her heartstrings, the way Peeta talked about Nora.
"I swear that, when I met her, she smelled pink." There was a hoarse laugh. "She was about as bald as I was then, but Nora is beautiful. Her eyes already trusted me from the beginning. And, Nora loves you. She keeps on insisting that you come visit again and even talks about being a nurse like you. I think you might be her version of what Cinna was to me—an advisor and a mentor."
She smiled against the door to herself.
He would definitely be a good father when the time came.
"You think so?" he asked suddenly.
Katniss realized that she had actually spoken that thought out loud.
She sighed. There was nothing to do but answer. "Of course."
"Are you ready to let me in?"
Her head shook as if he could see her. "No."
"Then talk to me," Peeta begged. "Please? The silence from you is maddening…just say something."
"I'm not good at saying something."
"Then let me ask you…what's your favorite song?" Katniss smiled at his question. "You never told me when I asked."
Getting up, she went to the record player and removed the vinyl on it before changing to a new disc. Carefully, she put the needle on the outer edge of the record.
"I can think of younger days when to live for my life
Was everything a man could want to do
I could never see tomorrow
I was never told about the sorrow…"
Katniss went back to her spot against the door and he seemed to immediately sense her presence.
"A little maudlin today, aren't we?"
"I am often," Katniss admitted.
"Tell me about it," Peeta urged.
So she began.
3:00AM
Katniss had told him about her childhood, how it had been like any other. However, it had all changed when she was four and her mother had gone into labor while they were alone in the house. Thank goodness that her parents had taught her how to call 9-1-1 as she immediately went to the phone to tell the dispatcher that her Mommy had gone into labor.
"They came in this large ambulance and put my mother on the stretcher. I held her hand the whole time and told her that everything was going to be alright. The whole time I watched them put an IV on her before going to the hospital."
"I bet that was scary," Peeta remarked.
"No. I felt like I was in control of the situation," she explained. "It's funny how firm you are in childhood. You know what you want and barring your parents saying no, you are determined to have it. I wasn't always this way—so insecure about my choices or myself. The last few years, though, it's been rough."
"Why?"
Katniss felt her heart beat in her ears, letting out a deep breath before continuing.
"The reason that Gale and I ended up getting married was because I was pregnant. I was happy about that, even if I wasn't exactly in love with him. Then one night, I was showering and I just felt something drop. The baby seemed to be coming out of me without my body telling it to."
"How far along were you?"
"Five, almost six months. She was so small and her lungs weren't quite developed…but she had the thickest hair that I had ever seen."
"She sounds beautiful," he said to her. "What was her name?"
Tears rolled down her cheeks, remembering that small, still body wrapped in the hospital blanket. Everything about her appeared normal—ten fingers and ten toes…except she was just too small.
"Hazelle, after Gale's mother." Katniss closed her eyes at the memory. "And, she was beautiful."
"Will you let me in yet?"
Her hand moved up the smooth wood and there was a click as her fingers turned the door lock.
Peeta immediately slipped in and she looked up to see him standing before her, his eyes bloodshot and a shadow of a beard growing on his face.
He knelt before her. "Oh sweetheart, why didn't you just tell me?"
"We weren't at that point where I could tell you that my own body failed me," she said brokenly. "It couldn't protect the one thing that I wanted the most. Then, when it happened the second time—that time sooner—I knew that I just wasn't meant to be a mother." Her eyes went to him crouching before her. "I pushed Gale away and he immediately left me for someone normal and functioning. Who's to say that one day, you won't do the same?"
Peeta didn't say a thing, his eyes still looking over her broken form, so she wrapped herself tighter in her pain.
Then, she felt herself being lifted and felt the gentle steps that brought her to the bed. She looked up just as Peeta reached out to wrap his arms around her, pressing her to his chest.
"That's what my mother knew." Katniss didn't respond, but it was enough for him to know. "And, she held that against you."
"It's what any mother would do," she said simply.
"No," he told her solidly. "I expected her to have more sympathy, to realize that I was an adult, to know that everything that I've ever achieved was to make myself a worthy enough man for you." Peeta lifted her chin so that she would look into his eyes. "I'm in love with you, Katniss. Nothing will change that and I think I love you even more now because we are both just as damaged. I believe in healing and love…and us."
"You'll change your mind," she said.
"I won't. You want children? We'll adopt as many as you want," he argued. "We'll get a surrogate. We will make it work—but we just have to be in this together."
"God, you're stubborn," she found herself saying.
"But you love me anyway," he responded in a tight voice. "Please don't leave me."
Katniss felt the quaking in her body. It slowly built in her stomach, filling her until there was nothing left but to let the sobs erupt from her throat and onto her lips. Peeta held her tighter, letting her cry until there was nothing left but that little sliver of hope and pain wrapped into that thing of hers called a heart.
"I'll mend you," he whispered against her ear, his own voice full of tears. "We'll run to wherever the sun is until it is inside us. I'll take care of you. Because that's what you and I do."
She pressed further into him, sniffling just before responding, "We take care of each other."
Four Years Later…
"How can you mend a broken heart?
How can you stop the rain from falling down?
How can you stop that old sun from shining?
What makes the world go round?"
"That's when Daddy knew that he was in love with his nurse," Peeta whispered as he looked down at the little girl laying on the soft carpet, the record playing in the orange Crossly in the corner of the room. "Because, she was so sweet and kind. And, because they both had a great connection to the legendary Al Green."
Chubby legs kicked up in excitement and Katniss caught herself from laughing. She didn't want them to know that she was there, allowing Ronnie and her father just that small moment of father-daughter bonding.
"You're not very good at hiding," her husband suddenly called out.
Katniss emerged from behind the doorway and into the yellow nursery. Kneeling next to Peeta, she looked at the beautiful dark-haired girl with the moon cheeks and round eyes. Ronnie stared up at her, over a year old, and so intelligently aware of her mother's presence.
She and Peeta had been living in South Korea when someone had abandoned a newborn in the emergency room of the hospital that she worked for. Katniss had found the little one, taking her immediately to make sure that her vitals were stable. The baby was fine, though smaller than average.
There had been an immediate kinship between the two, her breaks often spent on giving the baby her bottle or change her diaper. Katniss dared to hope that the little girl had been sent to her and Peeta as the answer to their prayers.
They had traveled the world at that point. Her husband wanted to show her every place that he had been to, every place where he carried her inside of him when they were apart.
So Katniss rode a gondola, letting Peeta steer, and sing to her in Italian. She saw the Pyramids of Giza, letting her husband kiss her in their shadows. They had stared out at Paris atop the Eiffel Tower, wrapped in their coats and clinging to one another.
They had gone to Santorini for their honeymoon, making love in a small white hut that they rented out and watched the sunset as it heated the Aegean Sea from their porch.
A baby was the one thing that would make it all perfect.
It had been love at first sight for Peeta. When Katniss approached him about the baby in the nursery, she wanted to make sure that he felt the same way about being a father. Peeta picked the baby up from her glass crib immediately and declared that she was theirs.
They had made the leaps and bounds to meet the adoption requirements, sending all their medical records to declare that, besides her reproductive issue and Peeta's leukemia which had been in full remission for almost twenty years, the couple was in perfect health. They had been married for the mandated minimum and were within the age requirement.
Thanks to Rue, their paperwork had been expedited so instead of the usual 12-18 month wait, the adoption was made official almost immediately.
They had their daughter.
Peeta came up with the name Veronica and so their daughter came to be known as Veronica Marie Mellark—or, Ronnie for short.
Six months ago, they returned to Panem, buying a house close to her parents as she continued to work at Panem Hospital. Peeta had opened up his own business locally. Apparently, he had a talent for baking, training for a bit in a patisserie when they were in Paris. Panem was lacking a decent bakery, so he obliged and business was booming.
Then a month ago, they received a call.
During their travels, they filled out paperwork for non-international adoption and for awhile, nothing had come of it.
Until now.
Today, they would be welcoming their son home.
"Are you ready to be a big sister?" Katniss asked as she lifted Ronnie into her arms.
Ronnie simply reached to play with her mother's braid instead of answering. "Ma…ma…ma…"
"It's not fair," Peeta responded. "Not once has she ever said 'Dada'."
She leaned over to kiss the man in front of her. "Maybe our boy will."
"Boys notoriously love their mothers more," her husband pointed out before his expression sobered. "Though I may be the exception."
The relationship between Peeta and Sophie was strained, especially after he and Katniss eloped. Her husband had been firm in his confrontation with his mother. Sophie had been remorseful but did not regret her actions. She still thought that it wasn't a good idea.
Robert and Nora visited regularly and Katniss hoped that one day Sophie would come around.
"I've sent her an invitation to our housewarming," Katniss told him.
Peeta put an arm around her shoulders, turning so that he could press his lips to hers.
"You're a good wife," he whispered against her skin.
"I try." Slowly, she stood up with Ronnie in her arms. "And, I hope that I'll be a good mother of two."
"I have no doubt," Peeta said. "Al will be in good hands with us."
"Al?" Katniss repeated. "Is that after—"
Her husband nodded. "Had to keep up with the musical name tradition."
Together, they walked down the stairs and Peeta opened the front door for his wife and daughter, joining them on the front porch just as the cab pulled onto the curb.
"I'm nervous," Katniss breathed out. She looked to her husband as the white-haired woman with the friendly smile stepped out of the cab, gripping the car seat with their son. "Are we going to be okay?"
"Of course," Peeta assured her, taking Ronnie from her arms. "We'll do this like we've done everything else—together."
She nodded in agreement. "Together."
They walked down their stone path, meeting the woman halfway.
"Hello. I'm Mags from Child Services," she introduced herself. Handing her card to Katniss, Mags gave her a smile before her eyes went to the sleeping baby. "And, this is your son—"
"Al," Katniss said as she knelt before the car seat to look at the little boy. His skin was a rich umber and his lashes thick. She watched as his eyelids fluttered and he opened his eyes, revealing dark, almost raven eyes. "His name is Al."
Al smiled, his arms flailing to be picked up.
Katniss made quick work of his seat belt before lifting the tiny babe into her arms, cradling him close, and letting the happy tears fall.
"See? I told you that our son would adore you," Peeta said in a thick voice as he watched his wife. He approached them with Ronnie. "Hey Al, I'm your Dad and this lovely lady in my arms is Ronnie, your big sister."
Ronnie tentatively reached to touch the Al's hand and the baby reached out grabbing his sister's finger. In excitement, their daughter squealed before burying her face in Peeta's shoulder.
The adults laughed at the two, already acting like siblings.
"We should get them inside the house," she told her husband before turning to Mags. "I believe we have some papers to sign. Please come in."
"Your lawyer already settled the paperwork," Mags replied. "So as of now, you are a family of four." She picked up the now empty car seat, smiling at them. "Congratulations. I have to say, you have a lovely family."
"Thank you," Peeta replied gratefully.
Mags left with a shut of the cab door and the couple turned to one another, babies in their arms.
Katniss grinned at her husband. "So we're still okay?"
"Of course!" Then, Ronnie spit up on the shoulder of his t-shirt. "Spoke too soon."
A wail escaped Al's lips and Katniss rocked him as they walked back to the open door of their home.
"So you think that singing Fontella Bass will work on him?"
Peeta looked to her, his blue eyes brimming. "It worked on me."
Their day had come.
FIN.
Thank you so much for reading! I appreciate all your encouraging words and love. I hope you're having a wonderful Valentine's weekend, whatever you're doing.
Just some quick things:
Ronnie, or Veronica, is named after the lead singer of the The Ronettes, Veronica Bennett, later known as Ronnie Spector.
Al is, of course, named after Al Green (The Reverend Al Green) who recorded the song, "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?"
There are some pretty strict requirements for the adoption of Korean children, including that a couple be married for a minimum of three years, be under the age of 43, and be in excellent health with a BMI that is under 30.
Good thing that Rue is a kickass lawyer because it usually takes a little over a year for paperwork to go through for such an adoption.
Katniss' condition is an extreme case of cervical weakness, her type being life-threatening enough that the weight of a full-term pregnancy starts to open the uterus and causes the infant to not stay in the womb.
The reference to Fontella Bass is from the song that Katniss sang Peeta to sleep with when he was in the hospital. It's called "Our Day Will Come."
Songs:
"(Love is like a) Heatwave"-Martha and The Vandellas
"I Can Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)-The Four Tops
"Be My Baby"-The Ronettes
"How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?"-Al Green
Once again, thank you for reading
-JLaLa