The characters of The Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me.

Equinox

Friday, September 23, 2033

"Happy birthday, sweetheart." Her mother placed the simple circle cake in front of her as she leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek. "I can't believe that you're eighteen."

Marley looked up at her mother and grinned. "Growing up tends to happen."

Looking around their small round table, she felt herself falter. Besides her mother and herself, no one was in attendance to celebrate her coming-of-age.

Her mother noticed the slight dimming in her eyes. Pulling out a chair, Katniss Everdeen sat down next to Marley, covering her daughter's hand with hers.

"I know that it's a small showing but your Aunt Prim couldn't get off of work at the diner and Haymitch couldn't get off his shift, but he wanted you to have this—" Katniss presented her daughter with a small white envelope. "He said to stop by tomorrow evening and he'd explain it."

"It's really alright," Marley assured her. "I just wish…"

Her blue eyes went to a picture on their mantle. It was a picture of her parents during their Spring Dance—her mother in a beautiful red dress and her father, bright and handsome, in his tux. They were voted Panem High's Spring King and Queen.

Who knew that it would be the last dance that they would attend together?

The week after…her father was dead.

And a few months later, Marley was born.

Her mother looked to the picture and Marley could see that even now, she was still very much in love with the enigma that was her father, Peeta Mellark.

"I'll never be able to make up for the fact that he's not here, Marley," Katniss said, her exhausted grey eyes gazing adoringly at her daughter. "But, the fact that I love you enough for both myself and him—isn't that enough?"

She looked to her mother, still quite beautiful but very life-worn. They looked almost identical with their dark hair and almond-shaped eyes. However, the deep blueness of Marley's eyes and the creamy skin were from her father.

Marley wrapped her arms around her mother's waist, resting her head on Katniss' shoulder.

"More than enough."

"Joshua Odair, put me down!"

"Come on, Marley Anne!" She grimaced at her boyfriend's use of her full name. "How many times does my girl turn eighteen?" He placed her down and they sat on the steps of her front porch. "Sorry I wasn't there for the cake cutting."

"Don't worry about it," Marley responded, her head going to his shoulder. "Mom saved you some."

Josh pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Now that you're eighteen, what are your plans?"

"Plans?" She chuckled. "I didn't know that I had to plan out the rest of my life."

"You're right." Josh reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. "You have all the time in the world. But in honor of you finally becoming legal, here is a token for you, my lovely…beautiful…intelligent Marley Anne Everdeen."

Taking the box, she gave her boyfriend a shy smile before opening it to reveal a round locket. On the top of the locket was an engraved bird with its wings spread out; the beak of the majestic creature was open wide and she could almost hear the beautiful cry escaping its mouth.

"It's a Mockingjay," Josh explained. "There's a bit of a story to this locket. My mom and dad were going through storage and they found it with some of their high school things." His eyes met hers somberly. "Your Dad had this made for your Mom. He just never got to give it to her."

"Oh." Marley bit back her tears as she took the token into her hands. Opening the locket, she found the Spring Dance picture of her parents on one side and her baby picture on the other. "Where did the baby picture come from?"

"Don't you remember?" her boyfriend responded with a grin. "My parents were there when you were born. So was I, already adoring you at two months." Josh put an arm around her. "Don't forget. Your Dad and mine were best friends."

"It's hard to fathom that," Marley said. "Especially since your Dad and Mom don't really come around to see me or Mom."

Josh shrugged, his eyes solemn. "I think it's just as hard on my Dad and Mom that your Dad is gone. They were like The Three Musketeers and he wasn't there when they got married or had me. Also, my Dad once said, quite tearfully, that your smile is eerily like your father's."

Marley smiled wryly. "Who knew that my smile could bring Finnick Odair to tears?"

"Well, your smile makes me happy." Josh pressed his forehead to hers. "I love you."

Marley bit her lip at his words.

Yes, she did love him.

However, the things she loved with the exception of her mother, Aunt, and Haymitch tended to go away.

So it was better to keep her feelings quiet.

Despite knowing this, Marley could tell that Josh was hurt. He didn't doubt that she cared for him but she could never muster the words to say more.

The sound of piano playing interrupted the still moment and Marley stood up to look inside her window. Her mother sat at the piano bench playing expertly. The grand piano was the one luxury that they did have. It belonged to her late grandparents, the Everdeens, who had passed on when Marley was two. The house her mother and Aunt Prim grew up in was foreclosed to pay for any outstanding debts and funeral costs.

Marley watched her mother play and sing to herself. With her eyes closed and her usually braided hair resting on her shoulders, Katniss Everdeen looked like no one's mother.

She was glowing, warm and radiant like the sun.

Looking down at the photo of her parents in the locket, Marley bit back the urge to cry.

When her mother played, she looked happy.

"So lately, been wondering
Who will be there to take my place?
When I'm gone, you'll need love
To light the shadows on your face…"

There was a hand on her shoulder and Marley looked to see Josh behind her, a sad smile on his lips. Her hand went to his dark hair and he closed his eyes, relaxing into her touch.

He reached to wipe her tears and Marley let out a choked laugh. She didn't even realize that she was crying.

"My parents' song," she explained in a thick voice. "They like…kissed or something for the first time to this song."

Wordlessly, Josh wrapped an arm around her slender waist and pulled her close. He took her hand as they began to sway slowly to her mother's melodic voice.

"If I could, then I would
I'll go wherever you will go
Way up high or down low
I'll go wherever you will go…"

"Dad, I'm eighteen today."

Marley placed a piece of cake on her desk along with two forks before the photo. Peeta Mellark's senior class photo stood proudly in the Popsicle stick frame that Marley had made when she was a Girl Scout. She sliced a sliver of the cake and slipped it into her mouth.

"It's a little dry," she commented to the photo. "I think I could do a better job."

Since Marley was a little girl, she shared a piece of cake with her father every birthday. She would tell him about whatever had happened over the past year and any new plans.

"Mom is still working as Cato's secretary at the plant," Marley continued. "And, he's a total jerk. Always trying to take her out to dinner but it's not even sincere. Aunt Prim says that Cato has an unrequited need to take Mom from you. He was always jealous that you were with Mom and she never batted an eyelash at him."

She chuckled to herself. Her mother wasn't one to bat her eyelashes at anyone.

"Aunt Prim is still working at the diner in the next District over." Marley dipped her fork into the cake. "Hasn't got the money to go back to school yet. She's got no romantic prospects but she seems happy enough." Her eyes went to the envelope that Haymitch left for her. "This year, Haymitch is working as a security guard. It's hard to believe that he used to be a physics teacher at Harvard. I mean…what the hell happened?"

Sighing, Marley gave her Dad a smile. He grinned back at her in his collared shirt and tie.

"Josh gave me the locket that you were going to give to Mom," she told the photo. "Mr. and Mrs. Odair found it among their high school keepsakes. Sometimes, I wonder why they never visit us. Josh says that it's too hard. After all, Finnick Odair was your best friend and he loved you like a brother."

She stopped for a moment, hearing her mother's light steps in the hallway. Their one-level home was small and comfortable but conversations carried and this was the one thing that she kept from her mother.

"Dad, how do you know if you love someone?" she suddenly asked the photo. "How do you know that it's right?" She fingered the chain that held the locket around her neck. Josh had helped her put it on before he left. "I think I might be in love…but I'm scared. I just can't seem to get the words out. Maybe I'm afraid that history will repeat itself."

She looked down at the plate in front of her. It was empty.

"Anyway, I hope that you ate a piece of cake up there for me." Marley pressed her two middle fingers to her lips before putting it into the photo, her gaze lingering over the man, her eyes full of exhaustion and tears.

"I wish you could've been here, Dad."

Saturday, September 24, 2033

Her Godfather's garage was a cluttered mess. Granted it used to be a work lab but Marley still marveled over the chalkboard filled with mathematical equations, the bulletin board full of ten years' worth of reminders, and an entire wall covered with awards that her Godfather had received earlier in his life.

Haymitch Abernathy had been a child genius, graduated high school two years early, and taught at Panem's local college in only his thirties before spending two years as a professor at Harvard.

Marley went to the wall to examine the numerous accolades when a hanging photo caught her eyes.

It was of her Godfather standing next to a pretty dark-haired woman with deep-set eyes. Even in the black and white photo, the depth of them was startling.

"Johanna Mason." Marley turned to see Haymitch approaching her with a dry smile. "I heard she's in Egypt on some archaeological dig or something like that." He held out his arms to her. "Happy birthday, sweetheart."

Marley rushed into his arms, taking in the scent of tobacco and whiskey and finding comfort in her Godfather's embrace.

"So was Johanna your girlfriend or something?" she asked as they pulled apart.

"No." Haymitch's eyes were suddenly distant. "She was too good for me."

"Sounds like you didn't fight hard enough for her," Marley bluntly responded.

Haymitch gave her a rigid stare. "Did you want your birthday present or not?"

"Yes!" Marley reached into her olive jacket and took out the envelope. Opening it quickly, she reached inside and fished out the single item. "A remote?" She held out the small rectangular contraption in confusion.

"For this." Haymitch put his hands to her shoulder to turn her around.

Standing in front of her was a Black Prius.

"Whoa." Marley went to the car. "Vintage."

The car was one of the first hybrid electric models. Over time, however, Japan had developed the first biodegradable fueled car which ran on compostable material. Fuel had become obsolete over time but Marley could still utilize the Prius' electric drive system.

"I know what you're thinking," Haymitch said with a grin. "It's old as hell but that's not the important part."

"You've been working on something," Marley replied in realization. She took her phone out and waved her hand over the screen to start the recording mode. "I need to document this."

Going to the car, she watched in fascination as Haymitch unlocked the door with the key remote. Since the invention of voice-activated locks, these things were worthless.

Marley opened the door and hopped into the passenger seat as Haymitch sat in the driver's seat. Continuing to record, she looked to Haymitch so he could continue.

Pressing the start button next to the steering wheel, her godfather looked to her in question. "What's an important date to you?"

"I don't know." She mused over his question for a moment. "Maybe my graduation or something?"

"What if I knew of a way for you to see your graduation?" Haymitch said to her. "Right now."

The hand holding her phone went limp. "What are you talking about?"

Haymitch put his finger to the screen on the dashboard. "It can be done." He pointed to the times listed on the screen. The first line displayed the current date and time, but the second line was blank. "You want to see it?"

He touched his finger to the empty line and a numerical pad popped up.

"May 31, 2034." Haymitch said as he entered the date.

"Seriously, this isn't funny!" Marley looked at him incredulously. "Are you telling me that you might be able to travel through time?"

"No, I am saying that I can," her Godfather stated, his grey eyes serious. "Here. I'll put in a date that's important to me." Sitting back, he tapped the screen again. "March 20, 2015—the Spring Equinox." Haymitch typed in the date. "This is when I started working on the algorithm for creating this." He opened the middle compartment where a small chip was placed into the USB port. "This chip is how we can travel back or move forward through time."

Marley stared at the date. The date was important to her, too.

Her godfather looked to her and immediately realized what he had written. "Oh honey—"

She swiped the tears away. "I'm fine…"

"Let me get you some tissue," Haymitch said as he hopped out of the Prius.

Nodding, Marley followed suit and stepped out of the car. Her Godfather quickly disappeared into his house to grab a tissue box for her—he was never good about dealing with emotions.

Her eyes went to the clock. It was almost time for her to get home for dinner. She reached into her pocket to get her phone and realized that it was in the car.

Getting into the driver's side of the Prius, Marley leaned to look under the passenger's seat holding onto the front dash for support.

However, she didn't realize that the chip had gone back into the USB port.

Nor did Marley comprehend why the door had suddenly slammed.

Then, she was gone.

Her eyes opened and Marley found herself in a fenced parking lot.

"What the hell?"

Where was Haymitch's garage?

Her eyes went to the billboard on the building across from the lot advertising the movie 'Furious 7' starring Paul Walker and Vin Diesel. She vaguely remembered her Aunt Prim mention a movie star named Paul Walker who she had a huge crush on as a teenager.

Her Aunt also mentioned that he had passed away.

Marley looked at the premiere date: April 3, 2015.

"2015?" She looked around at the rest of the cars. It looked like she was in some sort of long-term parking lot.

Her eyes went to the booth a few feet away and grabbing her phone as well as the car lock, Marley went to see if she could get some help. The booth door was unlocked but there was no one inside. She looked at the digital clock in the corner and saw that it was 5:30 PM.

Suddenly, something else caught her eyes.

The date displayed underneath the current time.

March 20, 2015

Her phone wasn't working.

A giant 'No Connection' message glared at her from the screen. The neighborhood that Marley had just left was indeed where her Uncle's home was located—the corner of Santa Ana and Jones. She left the car in the lot after taking a tag from the booth to mark it as a long-term parking space. It now looked like the Prius was just another ordinary car.

Marley found that she was in Josh's neighborhood. The Odairs still lived in Mr. Odair's childhood home and she crossed the street to look for her boyfriend's house.

The sound of a loud engine broke Marley from her thoughts and she swiveled in her spot quickly.

There was a car heading directly for her.

She held her hands out to prepare for impact and she closed her eyes hearing the screech of the brakes surround her.

Then, everything became quiet.

Putting her hands down, Marley looked to see that the front of the car was just inches from her pelvis.

The driver jumped out of the car and rushed over to her. "Oh my God! Are you alright?"

No, it couldn't be.

The blond boy looked at her in concern. "I'm so sorry! I was distracted and in a rush—"

Their conversation was interrupted by a delivery truck speeding down the opposing street without heeding the stop sign on the four-way street.

"Peeta!" The sound of frantic footsteps drew her attention away and Marley looked to see a girl running towards them in a navy-colored Class of 2016 sweater, her jet-black braid flying behind her and her almond-shaped grey eyes panicked. "Did you see what just happened?"

The blond boy pulled the girl into his arms. "I could've been killed!" He tenderly pressed his lips to her neck before pulling away. "I didn't mean to storm off."

"I didn't mean to get so upset," the girl responded, her hand drawing to the boy's face. "If I lost you—"

"If it wasn't for her, I might not be here." The boy held his hand out to Marley. "I'm so sorry that I almost hit you. What's your name?"

"Marley…" She was starting to feel dizzy and as Marley shook his hand, she felt an instant connection in their touch.

"Marley, thank you," the boy continued. "My name is Peeta Mellark and this is my girlfriend, Katniss Everdeen." Marley wordlessly shook her mother's hand and was surprised how even now, her mother's touch still comforted her. "You saved my life."

"Saved?" Marley repeated in shock.

Then it all came back to her.

On March 20, 2015 at 6:05 PM, a delivery truck ran a stop sign and crashed into a dark green Honda Civic, killing its driver instantly.

The driver was Peeta Mellark.

Marley had just prevented her father's death.

She looked to the couple smiling gratefully at her.

Her parents.

Marley was looking at her parents—her teenage parents.

Everything went dark once more.

Marley let out a groan.

"It's alright." The smell of sweet leaves filled her nostrils as a soft hand gently moved her hair off her forehead. "You fainted but you're okay now."

"Mommy…" Marley let herself relax in her mother's sweet caress. "I had a dream where I went back in time and I saved Dad. He didn't die—"

"Just rest, Marley," her mother told her.

"Katniss," a deeper voice interrupted her mother. "Do you think that we should tell your parents to call an ambulance?"

"No, Peeta." Her mother responded, a tinge of irritation in her voice. "Mom's a nurse and she said that this is normal for people who go into shock. You never listen to me sometimes—"

"You've been so angry at me lately," her Dad argued back. "What's going on?"

Dad?

Marley shot up in bed and a click of a lamp filled the room with light.

She turned swiftly and the couple sitting on the opposing bed stood up in concern.

"Y-You're my…" Her eyes went to her mother. The lines at the corners of her eyes were non-existent as was the weariness that Marley often saw in those penetrating greys. Katniss' skin was smooth, unblemished, and full of youth—the burden of single parenthood no longer causing a dullness in her complexion.

"Calm down, Marley," her mother told her in a gentle tone.

Marley looked to the boy who sat next to her mother. "You're Peeta Mellark. You're my…"

Peeta smiled at her. "Yes, I introduced myself before you passed out."

She couldn't help but let out a small laugh to calm herself down.

"You look familiar though," Peeta continued. "Do I know your family or something?"

"You might know my father," Marley blurted out.

There was a knock at the bedroom door and a large golden bun peeked through the opening followed by the heart-shaped face of a pretty teenager.

"So she's up!" The girl bounced into the room and rushed in to join Marley on the bed. "I'm Prim Everdeen."

This beautiful blonde was her Aunt Prim. Her Aunt with the permanent exhaustion in her eyes and what seemed to be an everlasting frown on her pretty lips. Her mother had always said that her Aunt used to be full of energy until their parents passed on; Katniss had always regretted that she didn't keep tabs on her younger sister during this time in their lives.

The truth of the matter was that her Aunt had gone through a bad alcohol addiction but had kicked it when Marley was ten.

"Marley…" She searched for a last name. "…Abernathy."

"You're related to Haymitch?" Prim asked in curiosity.

"Our Dad was his mentor in college," Katniss told her.

"He's my Uncle," she told them. "I was going to surprise him but then I almost got hit by a car." Marley looked to the blushing boy sitting next to her mother. "Do any of you know where he lives?"

"He lives close to my house," her father suddenly said. "I can take you." He looked over to her mother. "Did you want to come with us? Maybe we can talk after?"

Her mother glared at him. "No, I think that you have it all figured out." Looking to Marley, she gave her a worn-out smile. "I'm sorry but I'm just a little tired. It's been a long day for me."

"It's alright." She peeled off the covers and found her shoes at the corner of the bed.

Her mother stood up, avoiding her boyfriend's gaze. "I'm going to grab your jacket, Marley."

Rushing out of the room, Marley looked over to see her father's blue eyes suddenly downtrodden.

"Don't even worry about it, Peeta," her Aunt Prim assured her father. "It's not you. She's been like this for days—moody, prone to outbursts. Last night, she started crying while watching Grey's Anatomy with me."

It was as Marley tied her shoes that she realized something.

She knew why her mother was acting this way.

She was pregnant.

"Where are you from, Marley?" Peeta asked her.

Marley had to establish that this man was Peeta and not her father. Not for the next six-ish months, anyway. Her mother was not her mother but Katniss Everdeen and her Aunt was not her Aunt, but Prim, a spunky teenager, who offered to go grab coffee with her as soon as she was settled in her Uncle's house.

"Somewhere that you've probably never heard of," she responded with a smile. "I'm sorry that you're arguing with your girlfriend. I really like Katniss. Prim is right. Us girls—we go through things."

"I worry, you know," Peeta admitted as he drove down the lonely street. "She's been distant lately. Distracted. I don't know if it's because she's nervous about her auditions for music school or something else."

Marley turned to him in surprise. "Mo—Katniss is a musician?"

Peeta nodded, looking to her with pride in his eyes. "Katniss is remarkably gifted with the piano and she has a beautiful voice." He looked ahead with a content sigh. "I could spend my life listening to that voice."

"You sound like you want to marry her," Marley remarked with a smile.

"Don't mention it to Katniss but I got her a little present," Peeta said to her. "It's with my best friend, Finnick. I got it so she'd know that I'd always be with her no matter where she goes."

They stopped and Marley looked up to the stately looking home. "So this is it."

"Everyone knows the Abernathy mansion," her father explained.

Unfortunately, nobody knew that it would burn down in two years.

Marley made a note to remind Haymitch to have fire alarms put in the house.

Marley turned to Peeta. "I think you should give her the present sooner than later. Katniss seems like the kind of person who carries a lot of everyone else's problems on her shoulders. She just needs to feel like she's not alone and can depend on you."

Peeta nodded. "I'll give it to her soon. Thanks for the advice."

"See you around, Peeta." Marley opened the car door, giving her father one last smile. "And watch the road for a while, okay?"

Nervously, Marley waited for someone to answer the door.

For a moment, she wondered what would happen if she never got back to her time. Did she die out as the new her was born? It seemed illogical to her for the same person to exist in the same timeline.

Marley didn't want to die.

The door opened in front of her breaking her train of thought and she bit back the gasp threatening to escape her mouth.

Her godfather was hot.

He had thick, dark hair in a pushed-back pony tail and dark, smoky eyes that currently bore down at her in suspicion.

She groaned inwardly. This was wrong on so many levels.

"May I help you?" he asked, a half-smile peeking out of his mouth.

"Mr. Abernathy, my name is Marley Everdeen." She took a breath. "You may not believe me but I'm from the year 2033 and I came here in a machine that you invented."

The man met her eyes squarely. "Bullshit."

Then, Haymitch slammed the door in her face.

She knew that this was going to happen but it still didn't stop the thick burn of tears rising from her eyes. What if she could never go home?

Taking a set of calming breaths, Marley pounded on the door.

"Mr. Abernathy! Today, you just discovered an algorithm about time travel," she started with her mouth to the door. "Eventually, you will create a chip that will be placed into a vehicle which will program the car with the algorithm and give the driver the ability to move through time…and in my case, travel to a moment in time where I save my father's life and perhaps completely fuck up the space-time continuum…"

There was a moment of silence.

Finally, the door opened.

"I don't know if you completely fucked it up per se," Haymitch informed her. "It's possible that the timeline you live in was skewed." He widened the door. "Come in."

"This is amazing," Haymitch said as he watched the video of himself in the Prius. He examined her credit card-thin iPhone. "And the car is actually here?"

"It's in a lot," Marley explained. "I need your help, Haymitch. I can't stay in this time period any longer because I'm afraid of dying out."

"What do you mean?" her Godfather asked.

"My mom is pregnant with me right now," she informed the man. "I'm born in September. Can two of the same person exist in one time continuum?"

Haymitch shook his head. "No. One of you is going to die during the birth or…both of you will."

She rose from the plush couch of the living room. The place was beautiful and so much better than the steel cage that her Godfather occupied in the eventual future. The wooden walls were classics and she looked at the mantel where an array of portraits of the prestigious Abernathy family were arranged.

Haymitch's immediate family had all perished in a plane crash, leaving him the sole heir to the family fortune.

"Haymitch?" A feminine voice called out and Marley turned to see a dark-haired woman descending the stairs wearing an ebony silk robe.

Johanna Mason.

Marley almost snorted. Not-his-girlfriend, her ass.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you so late," Marley said to the woman. "I'm Marley, Haymitch's niece." She held her hand out to the woman. "You must be Johanna, his girlfriend."

Johanna shook her hand quickly before turning to look over at Haymitch, her hands going to her hips.

"Why is this teenager lying to me?"

There was a glint of pride in Haymitch's eyes as he gazed at Johanna. "How did you know?"

"Unless your late twelve-year-old sister had a child prior to passing, Marley's story doesn't check out," Johanna retorted. "Also, she called me your girlfriend. You would never admit to anything like that, even to family." The woman turned to Marley. "Now tell me the truth."

"How open-minded are you?" Marley questioned.

"Honey, I've got all night for you to convince me," Johanna told her with a smirk. "Haymitch, go fix up one of the guest rooms for Marley while I make coffee."

With that, Johanna walked off to what Marley assumed was the kitchen.

"She doesn't end up with me in the end, does she?" Marley turned to Haymitch, her eyes giving him the answer. He looked torn at the realization. "Didn't think so."

"You didn't fight hard enough for her," she told her Godfather bluntly. "And, you regret it every day."

Saturday, March 21, 2015

"A Prius?" Johanna rounded the car that they had just parked in the Abernathy garage. She looked over at Haymitch and smirked. "I have to wonder why you chose this."

"Simple," her Godfather responded. "Gas conservation isn't a concern." He looked to Marley. "I'm assuming that the need for gas is no longer applicable in your time." She nodded in agreement. "Then an electrically-charged vehicle would be much more useful."

"That's all well and good," Johanna stated as she joined Marley's side. "But the engine is shot. The time jump must have exhausted it."

"How long do you think it will take to fix it?" Marley asked eagerly.

"Assuming that the local shop has a replacement engine, a day or two," Haymitch told her. "But, we'll have to do some testing and make sure that the chip is okay…I'd give it a week."

Marley breathed out in relief. "So I just hang out for a week!"

"You can't go walking around talking to just anyone," Johanna explained. "You can cause catastrophic damage to the space-time continuum!"

"Well…" Marley bit her lip nervously before looking to the woman. "I might have met my parents."

Johanna shook her head in exasperation. "Anything else?"

"My Dad is supposed to be dead in my timeline," Marley explained further. "And I might've…prevented that."

"Are you this much trouble in your time?" Haymitch asked her with a grin.

Marley chuckled. "Much more."

There was a knock on the door of the covered garage. Walking to it, Marley peeked out to see Peeta standing outside.

She whipped around to look at the couple. "It's my Dad!"

Quickly, Johanna and Haymitch covered the Prius. Taking a calming breath, Marley opened the door to let Peeta in.

"Hey Da—Peeta," she greeted. "What's going on?"

Peeta ran an anxious hand through his golden waves. "Can we talk? I have a favor to ask you."

Marley looked over the couple and nodded. "Let's go outside for a minute, Peeta."

Stepping out of the garage, she led Peeta over to the front porch of the house before turning to her father once more.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"You need to talk to Katniss," Peeta explained. "She won't take my phone calls, she won't let me into her house, or answer my texts. She won't even let me message her on Facebook!"

Marley looked at him in confusion. "What's a Facebook?" She shook her head. "Never mind—what happened between you two?"

Her father's eyes filled with pain. "Katniss broke up with me. That's what happened."

"This hit, that ice cold
Michelle Pfeiffer, that white gold
This one for them hood girls
Them good girls, straight masterpieces…"

The Hob was filled with kids from Panem High and she looked in amazement at the packed little coffee shop. Marley had a similar hangout with her friends but it was a lot quieter since music wristbands let you hear the music in your head.

"Hey Peeta! Over here!"

Marley turned at the sound of her father's name being called and her heart leapt at the sight at the couple waving them over.

Finnick Odair and Annie Cresta.

Josh really was his father's carbon copy though his coloring was clearly his mother's.

It was strange to see the couple so casual. Her boyfriend's father was wearing a Letterman jacket instead of his usual suit and tie while Mrs. Odair stood in a pair of leather leggings and a loose t-shirt that hung off one shoulder. She had never seen the woman with her hair down much less in this get-up.

"Come on, let me introduce you to my best friends," Peeta told her as he led Marley to the booth where the couple was settling back down. When they were in front of the booth, her father presented her to the beautiful couple. "Annie Cresta, Finnick Odair—this is Marley Abernathy."

Finnick shook her hand and winked at her. "Nice to meet you."

Fuck—she was checking out Josh's dad.

"He's always this much of a flirt," Annie told her with a grin and shook her hand before they all settled down. "Peeta tells us that you saved his life."

"And that he almost hit you with his car," Finnick added as Peeta glared at his best friend.

Marley nodded in agreement. "Yes and yes."

"You're just messing up all over the place," Annie said and Peeta bristled at her words. "What the hell happened between you and Katniss?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Marley said. "When I left you both, she was fairly tolerable of you."

"I went back to her house and I kept on urging her to talk to me," Peeta explained. "She told me that she needed time to process some things and…that made me nervous."

"Mo—Katniss doesn't seem like the kind to be pushed—" Marley said. She knew her mother enough to know that she was very stubborn and never willing to bend in certain aspects. It was the basis of her upbringing; her mother ran a tight ship because losing control was not an option. "—just based off of the hour that I was with her."

"Very true, Peeta," Finnick agreed. He looked to Marley. "You seem to know a lot about relationships. You have a boyfriend, gorgeous?"

Marley felt her face go red. "Yes, we've been together since we were kids practically." She looked between the couple and Peeta. "Our parents are best friends."

"Is he hot?" Annie questioned with a wicked grin.

"Totally hot," Marley replied truthfully, trying not to explode in embarrassment. "His eyes are green…like yours."

"He's a keeper," her boyfriend's mother replied. "I can tell."

"Sure." There was the jingle of the entrance bell and Katniss entered along with a dark-haired boy and a pretty blonde. Her mother looked over at their booth before giving her a smile and then scowling at her father. "Excuse me."

Marley walked over purposely to the booth that her mother and her friends were settling into.

"Hey Katniss." She sat down next to her mother. "Do you think that we could talk?"

Her mother eyed her, her gaze briefly looking to where her father sat. "Did he send you?"

"Katniss, chill." The dark-haired boy met her eyes and held out his hand. "Gale Hawthorne."

Marley stopped short at the name.

Gale Hawthorne.

Senator Gale Hawthorne had been her mother's friend.

She shook it quickly. "Marley Abernathy."

The pretty blonde next to the Senator gave her a smile before shaking her hand. "Madge Undersee."

Marley looked at the embellished top that the teenager wore. She had seen it before.

The top was now on exhibit at the Smithsonian as one of international designer Madge Undersee's first designs.

"No, he didn't send me," Marley responded in exasperation. "Can we please go outside for a quick second?"

After a moment, Katniss nodded and together, they went outside to a lone bench. It seemed that trying to get through to her mother subtly would not work.

So instead, Marley would have to be direct.

"I know why you broke up with Peeta," she said to her mother.

Katniss' jaw dropped. "How?"

"The mood swings, the unexplained crying according to Au—uh, Prim," Marley responded. "When did you find out that you were pregnant?"

"Yesterday," Katniss admitted quietly. Tears filled her eyes as she met Marley's stare. "Are you going to tell Peeta?"

"That's something that you two need to discuss." Marley took her mother's hand and Katniss didn't recoil, instead squeezing Marley's hand in response. She looked to her mother anxiously. "Do you want to have a baby?"

Katniss met her eyes directly. "I want this baby more than anything."

Marley felt her own eyes water. "That's a start."

"Peeta can't even admit that he loves me," her mother said. "How do I know that we're real? That he'll stick around?"

Marley was more like her father she realized.

She squeezed her mother's hand once more.

"Honestly, I'm the worst person to give you advice on this."

Monday, March 23, 2015

"Seriously, Peeta!" Marley sat on the back porch of her father's childhood home. In present time, this place had long been torn down and replaced with cookie-cutter apartment buildings. "You've never told her that you loved her?"

"Love is not an easy word to say," Peeta argued as he joined her on the porch steps. "What if she laughs in my face? What if I say it all wrong?"

Her father had an obvious confidence issue.

She threw her arms up in exasperation. "Jeez, Peeta! You think too much!"

It was a wonder how he even got her mother pregnant. It was obvious Katniss was the one who initiated the sex that led to her conception.

"Listen, the word 'love' is not thrown around in this house too much," Peeta explained. "And when it is, it's said with regret."

"Yeah, but that doesn't have to be you," Marley said. "You can live happily ever after."

She just wanted to say 'You can live'.

She had given him that chance.

"Give her a day or two," she told her father. "Focus on other things." Marley looked to the man. "What do you like to do?"

"I like to draw." Peeta reached into his back pocket and held out a small sketchbook. "Not well."

Marley opened the book to see a drawing of her mother, her profile drawn perfectly right down to the slight lift in her nose. She continued examining each page; some were pictures of random things like trees or flowers while others were sketches of Finnick and Annie.

Most of them, however, were drawings of her mother.

"You're really good," she said after a moment. "You should be going to art school."

Peeta blushed. "I don't know. I've never shown anyone but you and Katniss my drawings." He looked to her. "So what do you think I should do about Katniss?"

"I think that you should tell her that you love her," Marley told him. "Not everyone is like me and you where we don't need to hear it to know it."

Her father looked to her. "You love a boy?"

She met his eyes and nodded, her mind going to Josh.

"Yes. Yes, I do."

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

"So your parents aren't talking?" Johanna asked her as she looked through the chip in the USB drive of her laptop. On the other end of the garage, Haymitch worked on the car's engine.

"Yes." Marley sighed. "They need time and my Dad needs to stand up for my Mom. She needs to build up the courage to tell him that she's having me."

"Why is this so important?" Johanna asked her. "If they don't end up together, it's not going to change that they're going to become your parents."

"Because…"

Marley stopped for a moment. Would it be different? She was sure that her parents would love her. But, why did she feel like they needed to be together?

"Because it's important to me," she finally said. "My mother has an old picture of them on our mantle and when she looks at it, I see nothing but regret in her eyes. She deserves a happy ending. I might've messed up time but I have a chance to give her what she wanted—Peeta. It gives me the chance to get something I've always wanted—a complete family."

"That sounds important enough for a young girl like you," Johanna responded evenly. "Everyone wants a happy ending. Everyone wants to be loved." Her eyes went to the man who was working on the car. "Everyone wants to be acknowledged."

Marley followed her gaze. "He never thought he was good enough for you."

"Haymitch is good enough." Johanna went back to examining the algorithm on the computer screen. "I just need to know that he wants me around."

The sound of the car's hood closing silenced them as Haymitch approached. "Engine is fixed."

"Algorithm is secure," Johanna added before looking to Marley. "If you want to leave today, you can."

"That's not possible," Marley told the couple. "This Friday, there's a party going on at the Odair's. If I can get them to talk by then, I can leave."

"And, if you can't?" Haymitch questioned.

"Then, I'll leave anyway."

"You know that she's going to Finnick's party with Cato Thompson?" Peeta told Marley incredulously as they sat at his back porch.

"Yeah, because you didn't ask her," Marley responded. "And, she doesn't even like him."

"How do you know that?" her father asked as he paced in agitation. "He's been after her for months."

She stood up and placed her hands on his shoulders to settle him down. "I guarantee that even if you weren't in the picture, Cato is the last person that she'd date." Taking a breath, Marley met his anxious blues. "Don't worry. I'll go with you to the party and you're going to proclaim your love for her."

"Why are you helping me?" Peeta asked, his blue eyes reflecting her similar ones.

Marley gave him a smile.

"Because…my life depends on it."

Friday, March 27, 2015

Marley knew something felt wrong.

"You look like you're getting sick," Peeta remarked as they walked into the crowded Odair home. Finnick's parents were out of town so the house was filled to the brim.

"I'm just a little tired," she replied as a wave of dizziness struck her. "What's important is that you let Katniss know that you're not going away."

They walked into the house and the sound of music blared into her ears.

"Ooh…I want the time of my life
Oh baby
Ooh…give me the time of my life
Let's get it now…"

Marley looked around in search of her mother. She saw Gale and Madge sitting on one of the couches. Finnick and Annie were dancing on the dining room table with a crowd of people surrounding them. The Odair home looked pretty much the way she remembered it.

She then realized that she had eaten dinner on the very same table that Annie and Finnick were dancing on—and now making out on top of.

"They have Josh…" she told herself.

"What?" Peeta suddenly called out over the music.

Marley looked around. "I don't see Katniss!"

"WE'RE HERE!"

The front door burst open and Cato strode in—with his arm around Katniss. Her mother looked queasy herself.

Marley turned to her father. "Here's your chance." Another wave of dizziness hit her and she looked to Peeta. "I need to use the bathroom."

"Upstairs," Peeta said to her worriedly. "Let me help you."

She shook her head. "No. You have to speak to Mo—Katniss."

"I will!" Her Dad declared. "But, you're my friend and you need help!"

Marley shakily nodded. "Okay."

Moving through the crowd, Peeta wrapped an arm around Marley's waist. She was scared.

She could feel her life hanging in the balance.

There was something about tonight.

Her fate was riding on it.

As she and Peeta walked up the stairs, Marley heard the sound of anxious footsteps. She looked to her left to find her mother, wrapping an arm around her waist to also help her up the stairs.

"Katniss…" Marley smiled gratefully. "Why are you here?"

"Because you need me," her mother said.

For a moment, Marley saw the mother that she knew; the one who took care of her whenever she was sick and who was there for every birthday, awards assembly, or big event in her life. It didn't matter anymore if something happened to her. What mattered was that her parents were together and loved each other in the end.

They belonged together.

Her parents led her into the master bathroom and Peeta went to grab a washcloth for her. Katniss guided her onto the plush bed, her hand going to Marley's forehead.

"You're burning up," Katniss said as Peeta placed a cool washcloth to her head. Her mother looked to Peeta. "We might want to take her to the hospital."

"What the hell are you doing up here?" Cato stood in the doorway, his face a crimson shade of red. He looked exactly like Marley remembered him—with a little more hair and a little less of a beer belly. "You're supposed to be my date!"

"My friend is sick," Katniss explained, her lips in a tight line.

"It looks like lover boy over here has it covered," Cato responded with a sneer. "He got over you quickly enough."

"Don't be such a shit, Cato," Peeta said as he went to the hulking teenager. "Marley is my friend—"

The punch to Peeta's stomach came swiftly and Marley managed to sit up as her father gasped out in pain.

"CATO!" Katniss stepped up to the man, who was ready to stomp on a crouched Peeta. "Leave him alone!"

It was all happening in slow motion—Cato was suddenly swinging towards Katniss and Marley's eyes went to where his fist was aimed.

Right into her mother's stomach where her barely-formed self rested.

Her fate was decided.

"Dad…" she whispered.

Marley closed her eyes and awaited her dissipation.

Then nothing.

Her body was suddenly cooler and the energy that seemed to be fading only moments ago was slowly returning to her body. Opening her eyes, Marley looked to see her father holding Cato's wrist to prevent the impact on Katniss.

It happened in an instant—her father twisted Cato's wrist and a loud sickening crunch was heard throughout the room.

"FUCK!" Cato fell to the ground as Finnick and Annie along with a number of the party-goers filled the wide doorway. "You broke my wrist!"

"Don't mess with Katniss," her father warned in a steely growl. "I won't have any problem breaking the other one if you ever try to mess with the woman that I love."

Peeta let go of Cato's broken wrist from his grasp and turned to Katniss, his eyes shocked at his actions.

"Are you alright?" he asked her in a shaky voice.

Katniss nodded wordlessly and her arms wrapped around Peeta's neck as he pulled her close.

"I love you, Katniss…" Marley heard her father's soft whisper into her mother's shoulder. "So, so much…"

"That's all I wanted to hear," Katniss responded, her grey eyes full. "Also—we should talk."

Her mother looked toward her briefly and Marley nodded in understanding before she watched her parents disappear out the doorway.

Slowly, she got up and stepped past the crowd peering at Cato, who was grousing over his broken wrist to anyone who would listen.

Going to the doorway, Marley peeked out and watched as her mother spoke quietly to her father. She could see the apprehensiveness in Katniss' movements as she explained herself and held her breath as Marley gauged her father's reaction.

Her father suddenly pulled her mother close, practically lifting her in happiness.

Marley let out a happy sob at the sight.

"Looks like we're not the only ones."

She turned to see Finnick standing next to her along with Annie.

Annie, whose hand was on her own stomach.

She suddenly missed Josh.

Marley knew, however, that she'd see him soon enough.

"Thanks for walking me up to the porch," she told her parents.

"We just wanted to make sure that everything was okay," Peeta told her.

"You really helped us out," Katniss added. "Especially with…" She put her hand to her stomach.

"You two are going to be fine," Marley assured them. "Thank you for being my friend for the time I've been here."

Her parents didn't ask her why she was leaving, simply enjoying their final moments with her.

She looked to the couple—beautiful, in-love, and glowing before her.

Marley gathered them close. "Be good to one another."

Pulling away, she could see the sadness in the couple's expressions.

"Will we see you again?" her mother asked as she opened the front door to Haymitch's house.

Marley gave her a smile. "I guarantee it."

She cleared her throat quickly and met their eyes once more.

"Also, I think that an 'M' name would be great for the baby."

"I was thinking the same thing," Peeta responded with a grin, his arm going around Katniss' shoulders.

She heard a clink and looked down to see that the locket around her neck had fallen to the floor.

"What's that?" Katniss said to her.

Her eyes went to Peeta and she knew that he realized what she had been wearing.

It was the locket that he was supposed to give to Katniss; the one that he was never able to give her.

Marley recovered quickly. "Finnick gave this to me." She held it out to her mother. "Peeta had him keep it and I took it to put something inside."

Katniss looked down at the round token. "What?"

"Open it after the baby is born," she simply explained. In time, perhaps, they'd forget that her baby picture was in there before they even took it. "Promise?"

Katniss took her hand. "Promise."

Peeta covered their joined hands with his. "Promise."

After one last hug, she watched them get into her father's car and drive off as a familiar song rang out into the air.

"If I could, then I would
I'll go wherever you will go
Way up high or down low
I'll go wherever you will go…"

"I programmed your return time to a little earlier," Haymitch informed her. "I also added something extra; I've given the Prius a location manager. So you should be arriving at the corner of your street. Also, very important—once you get home, destroy the microchip."

Marley looked up at him in shock. "Why?"

Johanna went to her, answering for Haymitch, "He's done enough fucking with time." She put an arm around Marley. "It was nice meeting you."

"It was great meeting you," Marley said as she went to embrace the woman. "I hope I see you again."

Walking over to Haymitch, who stood by the car's open door, Marley gave him a smile.

"I'll see you on the other side," she told him. "Take care of Johanna."

"Any other advice?" he asked as she buckled up in the driver's seat.

"Get some fire alarms and a sprinkler system in this house," Marley responded. "You'll thank me in two years."

Leaning into the car, Haymitch pushed the chip into the USB slot then made sure that he entered the right time into the screen.

"Happy travels, Marley," Haymitch said to her.

"Thanks, Godfather Haymitch," she responded with a grin.

The man looked surprised at her words.

Surprised, but pleased.

Marley watched Haymitch go to Johanna, putting his arm around her shoulders before turning to look at her inside the car.

Something told her that everything was going to be alright between those two.

Putting her finger to the ignition button, Marley closed her eyes, and pushed 'Start'.

Saturday, September 24, 2033—12:00 AM

Opening her eyes, Marley looked out onto the empty street.

Turning off the engine, she retrieved the chip and opened the door. She recognized the barking of the Cartwright's Doberman and grinned hearing the familiar noise.

She was home.

Stepping out, Marley opened her palm to examine the small chip that had changed her life. She was able to meet her father and witness her parents fall in love.

It was the best birthday present that she could have ever received.

Dropping the chip to the concrete, Marley stomped onto it, hearing the destructive crunch under her shoe.

It was all over.

Going to her house, she pressed her hand to the lock pad and opened the door quietly. The house was dark and Marley expertly made her way to her room. Closing the door, she quickly threw her pajamas on, reveling in the scent of her bedroom.

Beep!

She looked to her phone to find a text from Josh:

'Missed you today. I'll see you tomorrow along with Mom and Dad.'

Marley didn't recall him saying that his parents would be coming by but they usually just waved before rushing off to another event.

She typed back quickly:

'Can't wait to see you.'

Laying back in her bed, Marley closed her eyes and readied herself for a well-deserved sleep.

But not before reaching for her phone once more and typing one last message to Josh.

'I love you.'

Saturday, September 24, 2033 10:00 AM

The sunshine hit her eyes and slowly woke Marley from her sleep.

Her stomach growled in hunger. It felt like she hadn't eaten for days.

Quickly, she got up and opened the door to her room.

Her Mom was probably already at work since Cato was a tyrant and made her work Saturdays.

Going down the hallway, Marley made her way to the kitchen, passing the dining room and living room as she did.

Wait…

She backpedaled to look into the dining room.

Walking inside, Marley stared at the three-tier cake surrounded by gold gift-wrapped presents. The cake was white fondant with yellow icing cursive saying: 'Happy Birthday Marley!' There was gold confetti sprinkled along the table and atop the ceiling, yellow streamers hung from the chandelier.

A pair of hands suddenly covered her eyes.

"Happy Birthday, kid," a deep voice greeted.

The hands lifted and she turned to see her father standing before her—very much alive. Peeta Mellark had aged slightly, the crinkles in the corners of his eyes as he smiled being the only indication of his age.

"Dad?" Her voice came out thicker than she expected.

"I'm sorry that we had to celebrate your birthday a day late, but my art show took a little longer to close," her father explained and he held out his arms to her. "Come here, eighteen-year-old."

Rushing to him, Marley burst into tears taking in the feel of her father's embrace.

"Hey now…" Her Dad kissed the top of her head. "What's with the tears?"

Marley pulled away to smile at him. "I'm just happy that you're here."

"I guess we missed the big table reveal."

Turning, Marley found her mother walking towards them with a golden-haired boy in her arms. Giving her daughter a hug, Katniss placed the toddler in her daughter's shocked arms before going to her husband to give him a kiss.

"I would've been here sooner but San Francisco called to confirm my lecture for next week."

"Well, you are the most coveted music professor in the country," Peeta said to her before they looked to their daughter. "Also, I know that Marley wanted to check out some schools over there."

"What do you think, sweetheart?" Her mother asked with a smile. "Me and you? Checking out schools in the Bay Area? We can stay at your Aunt Prim's penthouse while she tours Europe with Craig or Greg…or whoever her latest boyfriend is. Maddox and your father will hold down the fort."

Marley looked at the toddler in her arms and his grey eyes shone as he smiled at her.

Her brother's name was Maddox—and he was beautiful.

"I think that sounds perfect," she told her mother.

She watched her parents grin at one another before their lips met in a tender kiss.

"Cake." Marley looked to her brother who clapped in excitement seeing the tiered cake in front of them. "Marley! Cake!"

She couldn't help but burst into tears once more.

Haymitch and Johanna were in Egypt.

Her godfather's partner was on assignment while he worked to finalize the algorithm that had brought her back. Along with a new set of remote locks, she received a video message from them to say happy birthday and to make sure that the chip was destroyed.

The Prius was now hers—for driving purposes only.

She had just finished parking her car in the garage before she decided to begin her response to the couple, resting her back against the Prius as she pulled out her phone.

"Wow."

Marley turned to find Josh walking into the garage.

She grinned in response. "What?"

"You and that car together…" Her boyfriend wrapped an arm around her. "…it does things to me."

Marley chuckled. "Good things, I hope."

"Definitely good things," Josh responded as her arms wrapped around his neck. He pressed his forehead to hers. "I'd kiss you but our parents are right there."

She peeked to her side to see her parents with the Odairs on their large front porch. They were all staring, quickly looking away when they realized the couple saw them.

"You said something to me last night in your text," Josh suddenly said, his cheeks bright. He held out his phone to her. "Care to read it?"

Marley shook her head at his request.

She had time traveled, saved her father's life, and changed her destiny.

In-between all this, it had become clear.

"I know what I said," Marley whispered against her boyfriend's lips. "I love you."

FIN.

Songs:

"Wherever You Will Go"-The Calling (Version that Katniss sings is performed by Charlene Soraia)

"Uptown Funk"-Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars

"Time of My Life"-Pitbull feat. Ne-Yo

*Also, I'd love to know how many 'Back to the Future' reference you spotted!