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Part 13

*WARNING! THERE IS A BUNCHA SMUTT IN THIS CHAPTER!! BE WARNED THERE IS A BUTT LOAD OF IT! I got bored, hehe. Be warned and mature!*

Peeta's P.O.V.

I wake up and start to panic when I see the bed is empty, and I shiver without the warmth of Katniss' body beside me. Where is she though? The whole cabin feels so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

I climb quickly out of bed, and am about to start walking around when I look down and realise that I'm still naked after last night. I contemplate putting clothes on, as I am relatively comfortable as I am, and in the end I decide to put on some boxer shorts and a hoodie. Then, not bothering with shoes, I ran out of the cabin, looking in every direction for Katniss.

"Katniss!" I call out, not caring if Peacekeepers hear me. They're probably under strict instructions to patrol the fence 24/7, but I don't care. I need Katniss back. My first thought is the lake. If she hasn't been arrested then she'll be there. Keeping my fingers crossed and biting my lip so hard it's bleeding, I run as fast as my legs will carry me through the undergrowth, towards the lake. I hope this is the right way. I stumble out of the woods, my bare legs and feet covered in scratches, and I'm overwhelmed with relief to see Katniss sitting on the old wooden jetty, fishing. She's humming quietly to herself but jumps up when she sees me.

"Katniss! I was so worried!" I say, rushing over to her.

"Are you okay? You look pretty rough," she replies, looking at my legs.

"I was just in a hurry to find you," I say slightly awkwardly. For some strange reason I feel as if there is a tension between us after last night's events; whether it's the same for her I have no idea.

"Oh, Peeta." She says, shaking her head. "I'm okay. But what about you? Your legs look pretty scratched. Oh, I almost forgot," she reaches for a small weaved basket from where she was sitting on the jetty, "I caught some fish for lunch." Even though she won't admit it, I can see how proud she is of how much she's managed to catch.

"Well done," I tell her. "Hey, come here, I was dead worried about you." She obeys and comes into my arms. I hold her close and rest my chin on her head. Any 'tension' I thought there was disappears immediately and all I want is her.

"Let's head back to the cabin," Katniss says, so we do, arms around each other, Katniss swinging the basket of fish by her side. When I know we're nearly there, no more than ten minutes away, I scoop her up in my arms, bridal style, and she squeals then laughs. I can't put into words how wonderful it is to hear her laugh again. It's a sound I haven't heard in too long.

"Come on, Princess, let's get something to eat," I say teasingly, and to my disgust she slaps my face with a fish. To her surprise I slap her back, and we end up back at the cabin, slapping each other's faces with bloodied fish, laughing so hard my chest hurts.

"Ok, ok! Seriously, I need something to eat," Katniss says and she grabs the fish out of my hand before I can get her again. Not before she slaps me one more time though; that sets us off laughing all over again.

The fire is out but the coals are still red. After we've wiped our faces, we place two fish on the metal wrack and let them smoke. Katniss makes a salad out of the berries she's found and I get some rolls and set the table in the living room.

A few minutes later, we sit on the floor by the fire, eating fish, bread, and salad. It tastes a lot better than it sounds.

"So..What shall we do today? The weather looks nice," Katniss says. I shrug.

"Anything, I guess," I reply. "What do you think?"

"Actually I quite fancy a day at the lake. What do you say?"

"Yeah good idea. I'll get some stuff ready," I say, but before I go I kiss Katniss, and she kisses me back. The kiss starts to blossom, making us drop what we were holding and walk over to the bed, tangled in a confusing embrace.

Foreheads pressed together, I say, "Are we doing this or going to the lake?" Katniss presses her lips to mine and softly says, "This first, then the lake," My answer is a kiss.

I fall back onto the bed, Katniss' body on top of mine.

"Peeta.." she whispers. "You can do better than that."

I kiss her harder, my hands creeping up her top. She flips us over and slips my hoodie off, leaving me topless and both of us hungry for more. Her top is next to come off, then, my arms around her, I fumble clumsily with the bra clip and it falls to the floor. Shuffling backwards on the bed so we're closer to the pillows, we kiss even harder, if that's possible.

God, that felt so good. Now there was no chance for me. I had gone from semi-hard to raging in about 5 seconds and I didn't see it reversing as long as Katniss stayed on top of me. She seemed satisfied with my physical response from her and did it again. This time she also leaned forward and nibbled at my ear lobe. I couldn't help it, but I let out a little moan and unconsciously pushed back up trying to feel her warmth through my shorts.

She seemed to have liked that because before I knew it we were kissing again. Our tongues winding into a passionate dance while our bodies moved to the soundless music. I grasped her ass, holding her closely to my crotch wanting to feel every movement she made on top of me. When I broke away and began kissing her neck, her moans began again and brought me to a state of such arousal I didn't know how much longer I could keep my shorts on. I continued licking up and down her neck, sucking where I felt her beating pulse and grinding up into her, drawing out her cries of pleasure. When I felt her wetness through my thin mesh shorts I couldn't stand it any longer and picked her up again. I lifted her up and I walked us out of the bedroom and towards my bathroom. She kept grinding on me and I almost veered from my course and took her right here on the floor. But I kept moving forward, ready to fulfill one of my first fantasies about Katniss. I turned the nobs and the shower whirled to life, immediately letting out a light steam in the large glass enclosure. I walked us inside both still in our clothes, and I felt the water soak us. She slid down my body to stand on her own. I saw my shirt had molded itself against her skin, making her erect nipples clearly visible through the soaked fabric. Before I could mention it, I saw she was looking at my mesh shorts when she said,

"So, I take it you're excited to see me,"

I laughed out loud, my erection greatly defined by my own soaked fabric. She pulled her shirt up and over her head revealing her supple breasts to my hungry gaze. I pulled her back against me wanting to feel her chest against mine without any barriers. I captured her mouth with mine again and felt her pulling down at my shorts. I felt my erection release from the restraints of the fabric and graze the front of her thighs. I felt her small hand wrap around me and I almost lost it right there. Not wanting this to end so soon I quickly adjusted our positions so that her back was pushed up against the wall of the shower. I knelt in front of her. I lifted her leg up and placed it on my shoulder, opening her wider to reveal her sweet center. Before she even noticed what I was doing, I covered her with my mouth, sucking at her tender clit. She let out a loud moan and I felt her fingers lace through my hair holding me closer to her. I began licking up and down her crease, spelling my name over her clit with my tongue and secretly marking her as mine. She was breathing incredibly hard now, her moans becoming more and more erratic and I knew it wouldn't take much more to get her to climax. I stuck a finger in her gently, mindful of the fact that she might still be sore from our lovemaking yesterday. I kept licking her while I moved my finger in and out of her slowly, loving the way her pussy grabbed hold of my finger hungrily. I felt her beginning to crest so I pushed two fingers inside her and sucked greedily on her clit. I felt her climax rip through her body, her legs shaking from the power of it as she held one hand to the wall bracing herself and one hand on my head holding me to her like a lifeline. I continued to rub my fingers slowly against her in a come hither motion, drawing out every last wave of her orgasm.

When she looked down at me, the wonder that showed in her eyes took my breath away. She looked stunning and absolutely perfect as she stood in front of me, her slick body sated from my mouth. She was smiling at me and I wondered again if it was possible to fall in love with someone so quickly.

I got up from my kneeling position and stuck my hand underneath the shampoo dispenser. I started running my fingers through her hair massaging her scalp as the shampoo turned into a white lather over her dark hair. Understanding what I had started doing, she leaned her body against mine, resting on me as I continued my ministrations. I continued washing her and wiping away the residual paint from her smooth skin.

I felt her hands on my chest and realized she had begun to wash my body as well. Whenever she was done cleaning an area of my body, she would place kisses along the front surface. She cleaned my shoulders, my chest, my leg, my back, all the while leaving kisses along the way. I had closed my eyes letting the sensation of her kisses mixed with the beating of the hot water soothe me into a state of bliss, until I felt her begin to wash my hips. She made sure to wash them rather thoroughly. Whenever she got dangerously close to my erection, she pulled back just before touching the base of my cock. My dick twitched as I sensed her kisses on my upper thighs. I knew she'd be sore and didn't think we should make love again so soon after her first time. Just as I was about to tell her that we needed to stop, she looked up at me and grabbed a hold of my cock licking the tip with the base of her tongue. It was the most erotic thing I had ever seen: Katniss on her knees, her hands wrapped around me, her mouth wide open and licking around and around my most sensitive area.

"Kat, God, Kat. We have to stop. I am loving this, but you need to stop before I lose control and take you right here in the shower"

Just when I thought she was going to give in she said, "Maybe I want to take you right here in the shower."

I didn't grasp her meaning until I felt her grasp my sack and pull me completely into her mouth. She began a rapid sucking movement, clearly eager to give me the same pleasure I gave her. I wound my hand in her hair as she continued sucking away at me. Just when I thought there was no greater heaven, she stopped and pushed me back to sit on the shower bench. I wasn't sure what she was doing still too far gone from her cock sucking. As she straddled my hips I understood her intention and asked her once again just to make sure. I didn't want to fuck up like I did the first time. "Are you sure?" She gave me a breathtaking smile as I felt my head at the entrance to her body. I had never done it this way before, but I knew with Katniss I would like it. She came down on my cock slowly giving her body time to adjust to my swollen shape. When she had taken all of me inside of her, the connection was so great that I was helpless to do anything but hold her tight. As she began to move on top of me I began sucking her tits, the luscious globes teasing me as they gently bounced in front of my face. Taking them into my mouth, I sucked movements and started speeding up in sync to my sucking and her sweet pussy started to gently squeeze my length. Katniss's cries started becoming louder and more in sync with the moans I myself was making. "Please.. Peeta.. Please Fuck Me.." Her words surprised me but I was more than happy to comply. I lifted her up back into the stream of water with her pussy still riding my cock. I brought her back against the shower wall trapping her with my body, I didn't want to hurt her, so I kept a fast pace but went gently until I heard her. "No, please work harder. Like before, please baby. Please Peeta." That did it, I couldn't be held responsible for her words driving me over the edge of sanity. I drove into her with all the force that I had been holding back, racing to her sweet center like my life depended on it. Her hands were in my hair, pulling me to her neck, I sucked her neck willingly, and drew out the sweet cries I had become addicted to hearing. I went faster, harder, feeling the friction and vibrations from her tight warmth, as she screamed my name louder and louder. As her orgasm ripped through her, her pussy clenched my cock in an incredibly tight hold and ripped my own orgasm from my body. I held on to her tighter burying my face into her neck and my cock farther into her core. I didn't even realize I had been screaming her name too. We stood like that for a long time, I didn't want to ever let her go. I didn't want to come down from this moment...ever. She was kissing my head and my hair over and over in a soothing manner that made me feel cherished. Without pulling out of her, I shut off the shower and wrapped a towel around the two of us. I didn't want to let her go and she didn't seem inclined to that. I walked us into the bedroom and pulled the covers from the bed and climbed in, we stayed connected facing each other on our sides, holding close and extending the connection for as long as possible.

"We should probably fish at some point," She says.

"Some point. Not right now. We'll go in a few hours,"

"A few hours," She nodded.

~Next Morning~

We are halfway down the path to the lake when Katniss suddenly screeches, "Last one there has to go in naked!" And she bombs it down the path like a hurricane. I ran after her. At one point I overtake her, but then she regains her lead and beats me to it.

"Ha, beat you!" Katniss says, and I lay down on the ground. It's a little uncomfortable, but it can't be as uncomfortable as going in that freezing water stark naked.

"When shall we have lunch?" I say, changing the subject. It's clouded over now, and the hairs on my arms stick up.

"Stop changing the subject and strip, you sexy beast!" she says, and I have no choice but to obey. Katniss can be extremely pressuring when it comes to making people do what she wants.

"Do I have to? It's so cold," I whine, and she walks over to me and says in a baby voice: "Aw, can Peeta not remember how to take his clothes off? Here, let me show you," and she strips me of my t-shirt, leaving me shivering.

Back in her normal voice she says, "Oh come on, Peeta, it's not that cold. And where's the sun gone? It's supposed to be warmer than this." I continue to shiver. "Look, it's not that cold! I'll prove it." And with that she strips her clothes off and prances into the lake. I try not to smirk at her discomforted facial expression, and I try even harder not to stare at her chest.

"Fine, I'm coming," I say, and strip off the rest of my clothes; then I walk into the water. Something grabs my leg and I start to freak out, but then I realise that it's just Katniss swimming. She bursts out of the water, snorting water out of her nose.

"Ha, got you!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do we have to stay in here long? It's freezing," I say, but my complaining has no effect on Katniss, she's stubborn as a donkey. I won't tell her that though or she might take it the wrong way.

"Maybe this will distract you from the temperature," she says. She wraps her arms around my waist and pulls me toward her. Then she kisses me, hard. "There, did that help?"

"It certainly did," I replied, and kissed her one more time before braving myself and diving under the water. I swim deeper and deeper until I can't hold my breath any longer, and then I come up to the surface, only to see Katniss sunbathing on a towel.

"What? How come you're allowed to sunbathe and I've got to swim in freezing water stark naked?" I exclaim, she tilts her sunglasses down, looking at me with her eyebrows raised.

"I didn't lose the race," she says, and then I raise my eyebrows at her and do pleading eyes, and she gives in and says, "Fine. Get over here."

I get out of the lake and walk across the mossy jetty. As soon as I sit down on the towel, Katniss pulls me in for a long, lush kiss. I take her sunglasses off and our eyes meet. How could I ever have forgotten her?

Her eyes; they might be grey but they shine with longing and hope.

Then I realise. That's what's kept her going through all of this chaos: Hope. I guess it is the only thing stronger than fear.

Then she shuts her eyes and kisses me again.

Katniss' P.O.V

I break away from the kiss and I look into Peeta's blue eyes; they are the same blue as the lake.

"Let's go swimming again," I say to him, and in sync we get up and splash into the water, still tangled in another embrace.

Just as I dunk my head under the water, something huge appears in front of me as if from nowhere and I scream underwater and jump up into Peeta's arms. He holds me tight and says, "What is it? What's there?"

"I don't know," I answer.

"Are you pranking me Katniss?"

"No! I swear there was something there, I swear!" I exclaim.

"Ok, ok, I believe you!" he looks up at the sky. "It's getting dark anyway, shall we head back?"

"Ok," I say reluctantly. To be honest, I'd much rather have stayed and figured out what it was, but usually Peeta knows best, so I go with what he says.

We pack up our things and start to head back to the cabin, not bothering to put any clothes back on. When we get there, we dump the stuff on the floor and go straight to bed.

"I'm so tired, Peeta," I whine.

"I'll wake you up a little," he says, and starts kissing me all over again. My arms are aching from all the swimming, but I find the energy to wrap my arms around him and pull us onto the bed.

~

I reach my arm over to try to find Peeta. He isn't there. I am met by the soft sheets on my hands. I sit up and rub the sleep out of my eyes. I see the moon shining in through the window. I hear faint noises coming from downstairs. I swing my legs over and plant my feet on the ground. I stand and make my way to the stairs. The strong smells of something delicious bring me to my full consciousness. My stomach rumbles when I get to the last step.

Peeta turns around at the sound with a smile. I sheepishly smile and feel my face grow red. "Guess someone is hungry. Just in time." He says.

I go over to the kitchen where he has set out a nice meal of rolls, berries and more fish. "Smells delicious." I say.

"And something extra special too," he says. He comes to sit down with a bottle of whine my father has stored.

"Good, I could use something." I say.

He pours me a glass and himself. We dive into our meal. The time passes and we say not that much to one another. I look up right as he does. His eyes shimmer with the blue sparkle. I feel his hand reach under the table for mine. Before I know it, our lips meet. The next moments blurr over and all I remember is the love we share.

~

I lay on my stomach, hugging the sofa cushion to me. I can sense beyond my closed lids the soft light of morning. I only barely open them before letting them drift close again, enjoying the final fleeting moments of sleep before day brought on wakefulness. The living room window is open – a warm and gentle breeze pushing gently into the room, cooling it in its golden crispness. I'm only partly covered by the throw blanket – my entire back exposed to the morning chill. What began as an evening with the rearranging of all the cushions onto the rug before the fireplace, turned out to be something much more special. Our clothes had ended up strewn between the tossed pillows and thick blankets, a makeshift nest before a roaring fire. My hair lay everywhere. Peeta made it a point to unravel my braid every night before going to sleep; his large, strong fingers gently caressing the knots out of my locks until the wildness was smoothed out. My body feels like molasses, a stickiness between my thighs, the remnants of the night I'd shared with Peeta.

Thinking about him makes me moan involuntarily before I'm fully aware of the action. This small sound is enough to make him stir next to me. I feel the displacement of weight on the pillows as he turns towards me. He doesn't gather me in his arms, instead placing kisses along my shoulder and back of all the scars from the brute force of the whip, making my skin shiver under his lips. There is a pause as I hear a shuffling and he seems to rummage for something on the coffee table. I start to lift my head but hear him say "No, don't move." My entire body clenches at the expectation of what he will do now.

Laying on my stomach, I feel the feathery touch along my back. It isn't his fingers– the feeling was much softer even then that. It sweps gently from the nape of my neck and swirly designs on my back, following the path of my whip scars, making me tremble. When it meets the barrier of the blanket, he pulls it off of me and continues his torture, my skin shivering under the dance of this exquisite torture. I begin to moan as it slides over my backside, a yelp escaping me when it dips into the small indentation between my cheeks.

"What are you doing?" I gasp.

"Shhhh." He says, placing wet kisses along my buttocks, nipping across them with his teeth. He gently spreads my legs and continues to drag whatever it was ever further down. I buck my hips involuntarily when he flicks it over my now wet lips. "Oh, Peeta" I whisper.

He simply chuckles as he moves it over my center again, flicking it so that I'm speechless with need. As he drags it upwards again, I could feel my moisture drag along with it, wetting the skin of my inner thigh. I look over my shoulder, curiosity getting the best of me. It was a paintbrush, a medium-sized one that he uses to paint details onto his canvas. The idea that he makes me feel that I am just that object arouses me so powerfully, it is all I can do to obey and stay still.

He catches me peeking and takes a gentle swipe at my backside. "You have no impulse control, you realize that?" He shifts behind me and pulls my hips up and back so that I was on my knees. He continues to rain wet kisses along my back, reaching around to grasp my breast with one hand. He continues to pull me up to him until my back is flush against his chest, his erection pressing into my lower back and reaches his other hand between my legs to rub me in the spot he knows would undo me. Pushing my head gently to the side, his mouth slides along my ear, sucking gently on my earlobe. His tongue ran down the length of my neck and shoulder as his fingers circled and pressed into my center. I'm quivering at this point, the coil inside of me tightening. When he slides his fingers inside of me, I grind into him, my hands reaching behind to run along his thighs and grip him.

"I love you, Katniss." He whispers.

A gasp escapes me as I whisper back. "I love you too, Peeta."

"Tell me again." He asks as my breathing becomes frantic.

"I love you, Peeta." I say with more urgency.

"Again."

I'm breathless with my mounting release so that the next time I could only say his name, a burst of sound buries in the middle of an explosion, a gasp surrounded by ragged breathing. I collapse against his chest as my orgasm spreads through my body. He gently pushes me forward onto my hands and knees and sunk slowly inside of me, my contractions becoming fierce against him. His groans meander into mine as I felt the depth of his penetration, an incredible feeling of being stretched and filled. He held himself in place, enjoying the feeling of filling me up while my own wave subsides. He begins to move in and out, his hands gripping my hips. I move against him, trying to catch his rhythm. When we are finally synchronous, his own thrusts become more purposeful, one hand sliding along my back, sweeping around the front to tease the nipple of my breast until it aches painfully in his fingers. He lets his hands run over my thighs, my backside, squeezing and kneading the skin.

"You're... so...amazing...like this." He hisses through clenched teeth as his movement becomes more intense. Gasps of pleasure escape me in time with his impact, the sounds mixing with the slapping of our bodies together. Even that sound brings me an obscene amount of pleasure but I kept approaching the edge without reaching it. In this position, I could not reach my climax so I brought my hand down, seeking relief from the clenching in my belly. A few rounds of pressure and I was shaking, my back arching as Peeta slams hard into me. I explode into a million points of light and don't even register his release, lost as I'm to mine, until he crumples over me. We lay in a tangle of limbs, sweaty and worn for several long minutes, trying to recover our breaths.

"I'm never washing that brush again." He whispers into my neck.

I laugh tiredly. "That's so romantic, in a gross sort of way."

~Few Weeks Later~

Katniss P.O.V

I wake to the smell of freshly baked bread, and it should make me hungry, but instead it makes me retch. Must've been something I ate last night. I had a feeling that fish wasn't cooked all the way through.

"Oh well, it'll pass," I think to myself as I go to the bathroom. I throw up into the toilet, and Peeta comes rushing in straight away.

"Katniss! Are you okay?" he says, and I can see his face looks tired from making bread; he must have got up early again. I keep telling him not to, that he needs his beauty sleep just as much as anyone else, but does he listen? No.

"I'm fine," I answer. "Just a tummy bug."

"You don't think you're...."

"Pregnant? No. People need to understand that vomiting in the morning does not mean I'm pregnant!" I say more harshly than I meant to. "Sorry, I just..." my sentence trails off.

"Why don't you go out for a walk and get some air. I've got a loaf of bread in the oven so I can't come with you, sorry," he says, and after wiping my mouth I put my arms around him and say, "Okay. I won't be too long." Then I kiss him and go and get my boots on.

As I step outside and shut the door behind me though, the sick feeling returns and I throw up next to a tree. I try to be quiet so Peeta doesn't hear me. As I walk slowly through the woods, I remember what he suggested. Could I be? Surely not, it was only one or two nights. But then.....

Oh I don't know. If I am, I have no idea what we're going to do about a baby, how could we raise a family in the woods with no connection to the outside world? It's getting harder to find food for two people, let alone three.

Handling Willow on our own is difficult, another child wouldn't be easy. Certainly, we can't live out our entire life in the woods, we'll have to go back at some point. I try to ignore the dizziness I feel and focus on the comforting and familiar scent of trees and water. The idea of being pregnant, of bearing another child both, terrifies and excites me. I wonder what it would be like to have a mini Peeta. Another part of me and him. But the world we live in is not peaceful. It is cruel and unforgiving. A place where no one has rights, where no one gets what they deserve. Our child deserves more than what this place gives us. If we have a child, that is. And as much as I don't want that to happen right now, it's looking likely as I throw up again next to a tree. It's a good job Peeta doesn't normally take this path, or else he would see the small piles of sickness everywhere and be convinced I'm pregnant. I'll have to get a test, although goodness knows where I'll get one. Going back into District 12 is practically suicide.

Peeta's POV

The Cabin needs cleaning, so I decide to do some. But as I'm about to start, Katniss comes through the door, looking worn. "Are you feeling better?" I ask her whilst making the bed.

"Yeah," she shrugs, and disappears into the bathroom. I hear her rummaging through the cupboards but I don't ask what she's looking for because she doesn't seem in a very good mood. I hum to myself as I dust and sweep and make beds and bin any rubbish. I don't know how we've managed it, but this cabin is trashed and we haven't even been here very long. It's mostly clothes strewn across the floor from heated nights and ingredients left out from my bread, so they're easy enough to tidy away.

Ten minutes later, Katniss still isn't out of the bathroom. I decide to go and check on her.

"Katniss? Are you okay?" I ask, knocking on the door. No answer. "Katniss?" Still no answer. I try the door handle and find it open.

Opening the bathroom door, I see the room is empty apart from a post-it note stuck on the mirror. I take it off and read it.

"Peeta, I've gone back to District 12. I'll be back soon. Katniss xx"

I want to go after her. I have to go after her.

But as I slip my boots and coat in a hurry, I have a thought. She probably would've told me if she wanted me to come. There'll be a reason I wasn't invited. Maybe she's gone to see Prim; she hasn't seen her in ages. But what if she's gone to see Gale...

No. Of course she hasn't. I mean, they're friends, but nothing more than that, right? I put my boots and coat back and try to find something to do other than worry about Katniss.

Katniss POV

I traipse quietly through the back streets of the Seam, going down a different route every time I see the figure of a person. Even though they're from the Seam, the whole District is probably on rules to try and find me and Peeta if they see us. I know Prim won't tell though, she's good like that.

I know these alleyways like the back of my hand, so I find my way to my house easily enough. I don't know whether I should call it 'my house' anymore seeing as I don't live there, but nobody's going to mind, are they?

The door creaks open and I see Prim's head peer out from the living room doorway. Her face lights up when she sees it's me.

"Katniss!" she says, flinging her arms around me.

"Prim! It's so good to see you!" I tell her, and then I see my mother in the kitchen and run and hug her too.

"Katniss! I didn't know you were coming, is anything the matter?" she says. As much as I love my mother, she can be a right worry guts sometimes.

"No, no, I'm fine," I lie. "Prim, take me upstairs and tell me everything!" Prim giddily runs up the stairs and flops onto my old bed. She sees me looking.

"Oh yeah, sorry. Mum said I could have your old room since you moved out. I hope you don't mind, I can move back if you want me to?"

"No, no, it's fine! I'm glad this room isn't left neglected." She beams at me and gets comfy on the bed. I decide to come out and tell her now, but in a more hushed voice. "Listen, Prim, I need to ask you something." She sits up straight.

"What is it?" she says.

"Um, you don't happen to have any pregnancy tests, do you?" I say awkwardly.

"I think we might. I'll go and have a look now," Prim says as she gets up to leave the room.

"Oh, and Prim? Please don't tell Mum." She nods and smiles at me and goes into the bathroom. I lay down on the bed and think.

What if this test comes up positive? What will I do then? I can't just give away another baby, I'd never forgive myself. But how would I tell Peeta? He's so lovely, I guess he wouldn't mind too much, and would support me along the way, but it would be so difficult telling him, and how do I raise a child at twenty one? I'm so lost in my thoughts that I don't notice when Prim comes in until she sits on the bed.

"Got one," she hands me the test.

"Thank you," I say, hugging her again. "I'll be back in a minute." I head into the bathroom, and do what I did last time. Then I go back to the bedroom with Prim to wait for the result; she wouldn't want me to find out without her. The five minutes we wait is such a long five minutes I feel like it will never end. It does though, and together we look at the tiny screen on the test: Pregnant.

Oh no. Pregnant. The test was positive. Prim gasps and then gives me a tight hug. I can't help it, I start to cry. She hugs me tighter.

"What am I going to do? This is the second time now," I say.

"Well you're gonna have to tell Peeta, and I would do it sooner rather than later," Prim says into my shoulder.

"Where's Willow?" I ask instead of prolonging the conversation of the current topic. She lets go of me at that, going downstairs to get Willow. I crawl back into the bed, sitting with my back against the headboard. When Prim comes into the room again, with Willow in her arms, my mood instantly lightens, and an involuntary smile creeps up my lips.

Willow's blue eyes shine bright, her soft brown hair slightly curling on her head. I am once again reminded of Peeta when I see her. He must be worried, I left with nothing but a few words scribbled on a note to keep him from coming for me. But seeing my daughter for the first time in days makes me want to stay for a while longer, so I promise myself to leave within the next half hour.

Selfish, my mind whispers, Peeta hasn't seen her, either.

Willow is the only child we have for now, and taking care of her alone is hard, we barely get to see her. The next few months will be nothing but difficult, and I'm sure the ones coming after will, too. Once the second child is born, things won't get any easier, and I can't expect Prim and Mom to do more than this.

Ignoring the queasiness inside me and pushing away the mixture of emotions that overwhelm me, I turn my attention to my kids, one born and one not. The next few minutes pass quicker than I'd like, but I don't delay my return, leaving Willow with Prim and going back to the Cabin.

I reach in the pocket of my pants, pulling out the pregnancy test. My eyes scan it over and over again, as if that would change the two lines into one. I tighten my grip on the test to stop the trembling of my hands, the attempt being vain. I'm careful of where I step and which road I take to stray clear of searching eyes, but half my attention is apparently not good enough. I run into someone, causing me to stumble backwards, and the test to fall out of my hand. Before picking it back up, I throw a quick glance towards whom I crossed paths with.

Peeta's mother.

I don't even get a chance to move before the test is in her hands instead of mine, and as she examines the object, her face curls into a sneer. Just my luck that of all people, it was her who I came across. A wave of fury comes over me, threatening to lash out when I remember what she did a few days ago. What happened to Gale because of her. But I manage to hold back.

Run, I tell myself for she is sure to call out the peacekeepers. Only a glimpse of figures can be seen from where I now stand, but I know better than to think that they won't get to me if I don't escape now. So I retreat, and a shout of warning escapes her lips. Then I sprint, fleeing for the woods like I have numerous times before. None of my visits to the district have been welcoming, and they certainly won't be while I'm the woman who's been searched for since almost a year. They got to me before, I won't make that possible for them now.

Zipping through the backstreets familiar to few, I run as fast as my legs will carry me into the woods. I can hear footsteps on my trail, but I take an abstract route through some trees and by the time I've got to the lake I think I've lost them. However, I am not alone here.

Peeta's POV

As time passes, all I can think about is Katniss, so when I can't bear the wait anymore, I take action. Grabbing my coat and putting on my shoes quickly, I leave through the door. The air is crisp, and the weather is pleasant enough for a vacation in the woods. What a tragedy that we're on the run, or we could have a little more freedom. I sigh to myself, and that's when I hear a scream ripple through the air, it isn't very loud, but still audible. I quicken my pace towards the direction of the noise, only to discover that I'm heading for the lake.

Katniss, I think, no. . .

Fear swelling inside me, I bolt it to the lake, screaming Katniss' name at the top of my lungs, not caring who hears or sees me.

When I make it to the lake, I arrive just in time to see two Peacekeepers tie Katniss up and drag her away.

"No! Katniss!!" I yell, running to her.

"Peeta!!" She screams in reply. I make it to her, and the Peacekeepers try to fend me off, but luckily I picked up a move or two from my mother. I punch one right in the jaw and then knee them in the groin, and I punch the other one in the jaw too and then kick them hard in the stomach. They both fall to the ground clutching their wounds. I proceed to untie Katniss, and as soon as she's free she jumps into my arms and we kiss for a moment.

But it's a moment too long.

Shouts of, "They're over here!"and "I found em!" can be heard from all sides and there's no time to escape. Before I'm aware of what's happening, we are surrounded by Peacekeepers.

"Katniss Hawthorne, you are under arrest," one says, and pulls her out of my arms and cuffs her. I am totally helpless.

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