Cato:

One Month

I didn't get through with my first day of training until eight p.m. I'm fucking exhausted, and all I want to do is get back to my baby, eat some dinner, hopefully get the chance to fuck her, and sleep with her in my arms. It's all I've wanted since the clock struck about three in the afternoon.

I turned the key into the lock and stepped into the penthouse, where Rose and Priscilla were sitting in the same place that I had left them in when I left: on the couch. They were curled up next to one another, watching a show about aloe vera or some shit. Once I closed the door, Rose turned to look at me and she cracked one of the biggest grins she's ever given me. I thought she was still angry with me.

Rose jumps up and slowly makes her way over to me, wrapping her arms around my neck and holding on tightly. It was the best feeling in the world. My hands held onto her, holding her as close as I could without hurting her.

"I don't think I've ever been away from you for that long since we met," she mumbles.

"Are you okay?" I ask. I didn't expect to be welcomed in with open arms and a smile. I expected to be yelled at and sleeping on the couch tonight.

"Why?"

"Because you were mad at me when I left."

"Oh." Rose frowns as if she doesn't even remember the small argument we had earlier. "I guess not. My mood has been shifting all day."

Mood swings. I remember briefly how Mum would change so quickly... one minute, she'd want to play with me, and the next, she would want to be left completely alone.

I walk to the couch with her underneath my arms, thanking the heavens that I've been spared a fight for once in my life. Maybe now we can just get right to the fucking...

"What are you guys watching?" I place a kiss on Priscilla's cheek before plopping down on the couch, pulling Rose back underneath my arm.

"The wonders of aloe and how it works magic on the body."

I roll my eyes, earning me a slap on the arm.

"Are you hungry? I made dinner." Rose stands when I nod eagerly.

"What did you make?" I force myself to stand once again and kick my shoes off before following her to the kitchen. I sit at the island as she pulls a wrapped plate from the refrigerator and pops it in the microwave to warm it up.

"Steak and potatoes."

Fuck yes.

Rose comes to stand in-between my legs while waiting for the food to finish warming, her hand splayed protectively around her front. My palms start to sweat. In nine month's time, there's going to be a mini-Cato in the world. Why the fuck was I given the ability to bring kids into the world? This nation can barely handle me as it is.

"How... how are you feeling?"

Rose shrugs. "I'm okay. My body is a little sore, but I'm okay."

"And what about the-" I motion with my eyes to her stomach and she smiles lightly.

"Oh, um." The microwave beeps before she can answer, and she steps away to get my plate, setting it in front of me. It looks so good.

I cut and take a huge bite as Rose comes to stand in front of me, watching me eagerly, waiting for my response on her cooking.

"So...?" she asks, eyes wide with hope.

"I approve." She smiles wide.

"You didn't answer my question," I say after a short while.

"About the baby?"

"Yea, the... the baby."

Rose smiles and puts her hand back in front of her as if she's afraid that someone's going to hurt the kid. "He's doing just fine."

Hm, I'm starting to feel awkward.

"Do you think that we should... I don't know, talk about this?"

"What is there to talk about?"

Rose shrugs shyly. "The fact that you don't want the baby."

I do want the baby. I do.

I take the last bite of my food and push my plate away. I down a glass of water and put both items in the sink. "Look, can we talk about this somewhere private?" I didn't want to talk when her mother is in the room. It would be too awkward.

"Yeah." She glances at her mother and then back at me. "Yeah."

As if on cue, her mother stands and turns to us. "I'm going to get ready for bed. It's getting late."

"Late? It's only-"

Rose punches me in the stomach, silencing me from complaining about the fact that it was barely eight-fourty-five.

Priscilla laughs as I clutch my stomach. Rose hit me hard. She's getting strong.

"Goodnight," I cough, feigning being hurt more than I actually am. Rose smiles beautifully. I love it when she smiles.

"Night, Mom." Priscilla kisses the both of us on the cheek before leaving us to ourselves.

We sit on the couch, the TV speaking softly in the background. From behind the TV we can see the city skyline, casting an amazing glow everything around and below us. Rose wraps herself in the blanket on the couch, sitting on the far end, away from me.

It takes a while before she speaks.

"Cato, I think you need to get used to the idea that this is happening. I don't think anything has ever hurt more than hearing you tell me that you don't want our baby."

"It's not that I don't want the baby, it's that I don't get how we're going to be able to raise it, especially given the circumstances."

"What do you mean?"

I shrug. "We're young. You're young. I'm head Gamemaker, and in a few short months, you're going to be training for the Games. Do you really want to raise a kid in a world like this?"

She looks like she is on the verge of tears. Fuck, please don't cry. "Cato, I know, I know that. But what about this, about me, makes you not even want to try?"

Why doesn't she think better of herself? I've tried to show her that she is the definition of perfection, at least the definition in my world. She can never and will never be anything lower than perfect. "You think this is about you?"

Rose nods and a single tear rolls down her reddened cheek. "Do you not think I'm going to be a good mother?"

I pull her to me. I can't see her cry. She cannot cry. "No, baby, no, no, no. None of this is you. It's me I'm worried about."

"Cato, we may not be in the right circumstances, but I know for a fact that you will be the most caring and loving father any child could ever want, especially my baby."

"That's not true," I mumble.

She frowns up at me, looking like she's ready to slap me for what I said. "Cato, I have never know anyone to love so strongly like you do. You're the best and only man that I would ever want to have something like this with. Trust me."

Shit, she's right. She's always right.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"I'll try, okay?"

Rose smiles again and hugs me tight. Imagine what hugging her will be like in the next few months. There will be more of her... hmm, more of her. More to touch, more to love... Maybe this won't be so bad.

Rose pulls away and rubs at her stomach absentmindedly, smiling to herself. She can't possible feel the baby, but maybe just the idea of what will come is what makes her touch her belly so much. This is going to be so weird, so much to process on my own, and I don't know how long it's going to take for me to get used to this, but hopefully I can.

"You want to feel? There's nothing there, but I like to imagine." She caught me staring and now she wants to me to touch it.

I raise my eyebrows, curious to what it would be like to feel nothing, but know what's going on in there. I nod slowly and reach my hand out. Rose grabs it and places it softly on her torso, spreading my fingers wide so that they spread along her entire belly. I feel the soft rise and fall of her stomach and she tries to steady her breathing.

I can't help but smile. My little girl is in there, if it is a girl. I want a girl. But so many more complications come with having a baby girl than with a boy. I still want a girl. I want her to be just like her Mommy: kind, beautiful, innocent. But no man will ever be able to take her away from me.

Rose leans back, lying on the edge of the couch, and I cannot help but lean forward and kiss her stomach. She's making a part of me.

Fuck, what the fuck are we going to do?

"I don't know what we're going to do, baby girl, but I'll try. I promise to try, for you and for Mommy," I mumble.

Rose starts to cry again as she pulls my face up to meet hers. She kisses me strongly, urgently, and I crawl into the space between her legs. Her hands cradle my face gently, but her lips are rough. She wants me, she has to want me. How long has she been keeping these damn sexy little legs closed

I feel myself growing between us, so I take the chance to rub our apexes together, earning a quiet moan from her mouth. I harden even more and push more forcefully into her and she grabs onto my hair, pulling it harshly.

Fuck, I can't wait. Enough of this foreplay.

Just as I'm pulling her panties down, I hear her mother's bedroom door open, and we jump away from each other at lightning speed.

Her mom emerges, smiling at us obliviously before taking some water and going back to her room. Once her door is closed, I turn to Rose. She blushes beet red before bursting into laughter. What is this fucked up life that we're living?

HEY HEY HEY! So I've decided on a plan, and I want to know if you guys are up for it. So for the next few updates, the chapters will skip in months. So this is month one, and then the next chapter will begin when Prim is on month 3/4 of her pregnancy, and then month 6/7 and then her last month, and then the baby! Is that okay?

Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter. Now that all of the filler chapters are done, the story is picking up.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS BOOK WILL BE ENDING SOON. I SUSPECT THERE WILL BE ABOUT TEN CHAPTERS LEFT, AND THEN HOPEFULLY, A SEQUEL!

Make sure you vote, comment, share, and follow, and thank you so much for reading!

Cheers. Laters, baby.

Myesha xx