Ever since I opened up about my problem regarding pregnancy to Peeta, he dropped everything and ensured he accompanied me during my visits to the doctor. All the appointments for testing, monitoring and check-ups. My mother had expressed concern as well, when I shared with her my situation over the phone, asking if she can suggest natural alternatives or any type of organic approach, back when I was starting to feel all hope is gone.

Even though we found it tough to transport materials like lumber and brick through the woods, Peeta and I started a project to rebuild my father's small cottage house by the lake. The final costs of the rebuilding was not overwhelming due to its mere size, but the reward of seeing it stand tall again nestled in between the many evergreens and one growing maple tree was very much fulfilling. Peeta and I visit more frequently in the summer, or transition weather like spring, when the lake water is not that cold.

I baked a big, two-tiered cake for Peeta for his thirtieth birthday. He walked in on me unexpectedly in the kitchen as I sat down on the floor engulfed in intense concentration, eyes glued to the oven, watching the cake rise in heat. It felt like a life-defining moment indeed, I had an invisible tear running down my cheek. I shooed him away into the living room, and would not let him go back into the kitchen until after I finished decorating the cake. After a mind-bending hour of forcing out all my creativity onto a big chunk of bread in front of me, I grabbed a towel and bounced off to fetch Peeta who was chasing Pebbles around in the living room. I blindfolded him before I yanked him away, guiding him to the dining table and making him sit on a chair, snapping on a cardboard party hat over his head, which I created with my bare hands as well. When I untied the piece of fabric and let his eyes loose he was relieved to see I was wearing a party hat as well. And so was Pebbles. My cake was a little bit sloppy, angled a bit lower on one end, and the chocolate icing was inconsistently spread out on the top tier. But he beamed nonetheless, and applauded at the sight and half the magnificence of it, complimenting me as if my cake was a piece of valuable jewel before he swiped at it to taste the icing.

It was spring when we went for another stroll to our favourite river that barges in from Eleven. It was like any other spring day. But that season, the ground was littered with tall, wild flowers, and the shore was spouting out plenty of cattails. The faint heat from the sun mixed amicably with the faint spring breeze, as soft as cotton when it brushed against my skin, as Peeta had me trapped against our old willow tree with one of his arms bent and resting over my head. His fingertips grazed my chin and tilted my face upwards, and gently rubbed his nose against mine before he dropped a kiss on my lips, and then trailed down my cheek, skimming against my skin to drop another one on my neck. He pulled away, his eyes suddenly interested on the grass under our shoes, and I watched him as he lowered himself and knelt down in front of me.

"I know we have faced plenty of difficult times through the years, but our happy memories outweigh the bad. Those I treasure the most," he paused to rid the of the sudden knots in his throat, and I could see his shoulders rise as he took deep breaths in between. "I'm here for you during your darkest. And if worse comes to worst, if a child is not in our cards, I still want to be with you, and I can't imagine being with anyone else."

He pulled out a ring from his pocket and extended an arm towards me, followed by his head slowly tilting up until his expectant eyes landed on mine. And for a quick second, I thought I saw it twinkle.

"Will you marry me?"

I felt the rest of world around us stand still, immersed by the slowed motion of his eyes flickering up at me, invisible currents ruffling his blonde locks, as he offered me the silver ring, sparkling under rays of sunlight that seeped through the dancing vines of the willow tree. One of my hands flew up to cover my mouth as my lips began to tremble, the other finding my chest to calm my heart from beating out of control. My eyes blinked back tears as I tore my hand away from my face before I answered, in a shaking, almost comical voice that I could not recognize myself, "Yes..."

And he gathered me altogether, all my light, all my troubles, my strengths and my flaws, all of me as I wept silently, spinning me amongst the swaying wild flowers.

I sat cross legged on the floor, submerged in endless waves of silk and laces of my white dress which was brought over by my mother from Four. Peeta was poised closer to the fire place, in his crisp, white dress shirt, engrossed by the flames as he toasted our bread. We held our wedding in the backyard, invited most of the district as everyone sweat and smiled under a boisterous July sun. We waited until all the guests had left our house, as we wanted to keep the toasting just between Peeta and I. He pulled the bread away from the fire and let it cool before he tore it in the middle, leaning in to me above my pile of dress and feeding me my half. I took the other half from his hand and offered it to him as well, looking deep into his eyes as he took a first bite.

One lazy Sunday afternoon found me standing by the archway of the kitchen door with Pebbles in my grasp, contemplating the man lounging lazily on the couch with the remote control of the TV, frozen in mid-air as he clicked away at it. I snickered before I let go of Pebbles and sent her running away towards Peeta, preventing her from barking because I made her hold something in her mouth. Peeta watched as she approached him in simple glee, wagging her tail, looking at Peeta as if she wanted to be picked up.

"What is it Pebbles?" he asked as she stood up on her hind legs and started clawing on the couch. This sent Peeta to sit upright. He was having difficulties training Pebbles not to scratch on furniture. Peeta's face fell into confusion as he spotted something Pebbles was trying to pass over to him, almost whimpering out of excitement. He grabbed the pieces of fabric hanging off of her mouth and brought it up closer so he could examine it. His eyebrows started to wrinkle, as if he was doubtful, and then they slowly straightened back down to a line as his eyes widened, throwing glances at me before his head shot back down to his hands to double check if it's still there.

What I gave Pebbles to deliver to Peeta across the room was a pair of tiny pink knitted baby mittens adorned with yellow ribbons I had been stitching together behind his back.

With his feet planted firmly on the floor he stretched to stand up, all his focus now on me as he took a giant, slow step forward. I leaned my side on the doorway, waiting for him as he loomed closer, my smile flashing a little bit harder upon seeing the wide range of emotions on his face. He glanced down at the pink mittens again, hands stiff as he held it close to his chest

"It's a girl?" he asked me, the grin he was holding back on his face about to burst. I nodded at him, feeding off the joy that I felt off of him.

"...It's a girl!..." and he was about to squeeze me into an embrace but screeched to a halt and put a palm on my stomach instead, caressing it gently as we touched foreheads and laughed and cried together.

I tread along a couple of feet behind Peeta as we walk through beds of bushes with blossoms of golden flowers on the tips. We skirt around tall grass and pick up all the cotton weed that we could, my daughter gathering them diligently in her hands before she blows them away into the wind. She is sitting on her father's strong shoulders as he holds her down by her little feet, her dark hair in ponytail contrasting against his messy blonde. She throws away the stems as she comes across an assembly of monarch butterflies, giggling while pointing at them flutter all around her, telling her daddy to catch her one.

A butterfly lands on my son's hat that hides his blonde curls, as it stretches its wings, and I timidly move a hand forward in hopes of having it perched on my finger. It panics and flies away, my son acknowledging its presence and tries to call it back with a sad yelp. I keep him secured in my arms as I readjust the bag on my shoulder, pushing in the tip of my nose to his cheek as I appreciate the lovely baby scent. Pebbles stays close beside me, barking away at the winged creatures as they play with her, and retreats when she realizes she can't reach them at all.

Beyond the long, thin strands of cotton weed that float and swirl between us, I see Peeta turn around at a slight angle to look back at me while my daughter is still frantically trying to enclose a butterfly with her small hands. He mouths something to me I could not quite make out from across the golden flowers, and then gives me a smile from ear to ear, as trees come into view and we are greeted by the approaching water up ahead, rushed and glimmering, almost blinding in its beauty.

I am Katniss Mellark. I am thirty-nine years old. I live in 3413 Blue River Street, Victor's Village, District 12. I have a daughter named Willow, and a son named Rye. My bestfriend, my lover, and my husband, Peeta, is my constant, my rock. The foundation of my structure, and the blood in my veins. He taught me how to accept myself, how to embrace my past, and how to love. These are the years that we have spent, and this is what they represent; the sciences behind all our progress, and the love that binds it altogether.

The End! Thank you for all the support and reading this unstable, rollercoaster of fluff and dramaramarama

Stuff That Are Insignificant But Had Something To Do With the Story:

* I totally overlooked the fact that Peeta is uhm...not that tall, and was supposed to have artificial leg, when I included football in the storyline.

* I actually do not like or know football (no offense). I merely had a stubborn, mental picture of Peeta as a hot football player (who is 6ft tall)

* I personally love soup. It's the best comfort food

* I screwed up my time line. Hence the little pregnancy problem

* I did not mean for the willow tree by the river to be a constant thread throughout the story; guess it just sort of worked out

* The last scene is designed in a way that it is up to the reader to pick where they were heading to; either the lake house or the river

* Peeta gave Katniss a new bag! It's a Michael Kors!

Knocks Me Off My Feet - Stevie Wonder/Donnell Jones

I see us in the park, strolling the summer days of imaginings in my head
And words from my heart told only to the wind
Felt even without being said

I don't wanna bore you with my troubles
But there's something about your love
That makes me weak and knocks me off my feet

I don't wanna bore you with it
Oh but I love you, I love you, I love you

More and more

We lay beneath the stars, under a lover's tree
That sees through the eyes of my mind
I reach out for the part of me that lives in you
That only our two hearts can find

Add me on Tumblr I'll add back? username: lovemetwice