Soli Deo gloria

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own THE HUNGER GAMES. Here's a little thing with Katniss and Peeta fluff. AHHHHHH

~ Peeta Mellark's awesome point of view ~

She's a loud one. The baby, I mean. She keeps Katniss up most every night in her little nursery. It's just off our bedroom, and because of that, Katniss barely sleeps in our bed. She's always in her rocking chair taking care of the baby.

Lily. Her name's Lily, and she yells so loudly. It's fine, though, just to hear her cry. Sometimes I just lie in my bed and Katniss leaves both doors open. I listen to the rocking chair creak and her soothing words to the baby as she rocks her. Katniss doubts her ability to be a mother, but she's taken to it like a natural. No one could be a more perfect mother than her. She's not a very patient person, but with Lily, she'd stay with her for eternity.

I can hear them now. Lily's screaming, and Katniss's groans as she goes to the nursery. Normally I leave her alone, but I can hear her through the open doors. It's summer, the breeze coming through the window. "Oh, shhhh, Lily, come on, let's get some sleep. You want a song? Yeah, a song," she says, and I hear her settle in the rocking chair. The baby's cries aren't as loud now, and Katniss starts singing softly to her, rocking the chair.

"Deep in the meadow, under the willow. A bed of grass, a soft green pillow," she sings in a soft, soothing voice. Katniss isn't the soothing type to most people, but I've seen the way she is when she wants to. She's caring, though she doesn't often show it.

Smiling softly to myself, I swing off the bed carefully, wary of my prosthetic by the bedside table. I attach it as quietly as I can, her voice still echoing through the doors. The night air only adds to it. She continues, "Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes, and when they open, the sun will rise." She continues with the chorus, and I head through our doorway to the nursery's door. One hand against the doorway, I look inside.

It's a calm scene. It's hard to think that after years of pain and loss and fighting and blood, I could find myself here. In a quiet home in Victor's Village, watching Katniss, her hair still in a braid that hangs over her shoulder, looking down at our daughter, who's red but looking like she's not going to scream anymore. She gets her lungs from Katniss.

"Here your dreams are sweet, and tomorrow rings them true. Here is the place where I love you," Katniss ends quietly, and she bends to kiss the baby's forehead, lingering for a moment.

I smile from the doorway. Shifting slightly, I guess she's heard my sigh of contentment, and Katniss looks up to me, meeting my eyes. "Hey," she says.

"Hey," I say. I wave my hand, "Don't let me stop you."

She raises an eyebrow. "What are you doing up?"

"She kept me up," I say, nodding to Lily.

"Does she do that a lot?" Katniss asks.

I shrug. "I don't mind." Katniss nods; she looks down at Lily and strokes her hair quietly with her burnt hands. They're forever scarred, and I don't mind. So are my hands. We're matching.

A sudden memory catches my mind, a fleeting moment that's stuck in my memory forever. Something that the Capitol never took away. They might have, but I don't remember it being fuzzy or tampered with or anything.

"Katniss?" I say.

She turns and says, "Yes, Peeta?"

"I remember. When you sang the valley song. I can't get it out of my head," I say. And I realize something. "Katniss, you've never really sung a song for me. You—you sang the valley song, and it was like you were singing that to just me. But—it was for everyone. Katniss, can you sing me a song?" She's never sung me a song before. She sang for Rue. She sang The Hanging Tree for the cameras. For Panem. Nothing really meant for me, though the valley song did count as something.

I lick my lips nervously, and I'm afraid that she's going to say 'no'. She's not saying anything as she looks at me.

Though, "Yeah," she says after a moment. "Anything in particular?"

"No—no, you decide," I say, standing taller.

"Okay," she says, and she looks out toward the window for a moment before she bites her lip and begins. Her voice, a little cracked, grows stronger.

I've spent a day or two

Trying to remember

The days between me and you

Caught between traps and embers

Life was so simple

So much for that, I see

Things with consequences

Are the ones that changed things between you and me

I've never heard this song before, and I can tell that Katniss is not sure what I think of it. She glances at me from the window, and I give her a nod. She nods and stands, tucking the blankets about Lily, still singing, though softly.

But there are the times

I think of when I pass by the tree

Things that were small

But meant so much to me

She crosses over to me, and I watch her face for a second, awestruck, when she gently places the baby in my arms. Reacting quickly, I shift my hands and make her comfortable. Lily looks up at me as I settle down and Katniss sings quietly, almost like a soft, airy whisper.

I smile and play with Lily's finger, which is darting into the air, and I look to Katniss. She's smiling quietly.

But we managed, I suppose

To meet again, trust once more

All of the things come back again

The things that I remember

She meets my eyes and I can't understand how after all that happened, she ended up with me. Despite all of the troubles and reapings and Hunger Games, she was always there. And now she's mine.

She adds one last verse, "The things that I remember," and she leans to me. Her forehead is against mine, and I can feel her warm breath. I watch her fingers gently fit the blanket around Lily, who sleeps peacefully now.

"How was that?" she asks quietly.

"Perfect," I say. Simply perfect. And I realize something. That song. She just made it for me.

I made up the song as I went along. :p Hope it doesn't show. AHH THE FLUFF.

I hope you liked it, and thanks for reading!