Peeta's P.O.V.

I wait in the main reception for Prim and Gale to return. It was so good to see Katniss again, and I guess it's bittersweet about the babies. It felt amazing to be there for the first kicks. I hear light footsteps and turn to see Prim returning. She's biting her lip to stop tears spilling over her eyes, and when I hold my arms out the girl doesn't hesitate to go into them. I hug her tightly, and try to soothe her. It can't be easy, Katniss being in prison and she and their mother alone with Willow.

Willow. I have to know how she's doing.

"How's Willow? Can I see her?" I ask. Prim goes and sits on one of the chairs by the wall.

"Oh, Peeta, she's the cutest thing ever! Her blue eyes are adorable and you should see her little legs when she walks!" Prim exclaims, her face full of joy.

"She's walking?" I say. Wow, it's been longer than I thought.

"Oh yes, and talking too. Not much, names mostly; I tried to teach her how to say Mummy and Daddy but she struggled a little," she says. "And her hair is growing, it's almost to her ears now, little blonde curls. It's the exact colour of yours, Peeta." I smile. Prim goes to continue, but Gale walks in. We decided not to speak much about Willow when he's around. After all, it's not his child.

"Hey Gale," we say, and he sits down.

"So...she's pregnant again then," he says.

"Mhm," Prim says.

"It's twins this time," I say. Well this silence is awkward. I don't see why, we're all usually good friends. Suddenly the door behind us bursts open and we are grabbed by three Peacekeepers.

"What are you doing? What have we done?" I exclaim, struggling against their strong grip.

"Shut up," one says to me. "We're not here to hurt you, we're here to rescue you."

"How can we trust you?" Gale says adamantly.

"Just trust us, okay? Now come on and pretend we're escorting you out," the other says. That one has a female voice. I grab Prim's hand and squeeze it. She must be terrified, and she's only 13.

The 'Peacekeepers' manhandle us outside, where they finally let go of our shoulders. Gale tries to make a break for it, but they are faster than he'd thought. They catch up to him in no time and drag him backwards.

"Peeta.. what's happening? She asks me.

"I don't know Prim, I'm sorry," I answer honestly. Our shoulders held tightly by the Peacekeepers, we are led to a big open field, where a hovercraft soon lands. The noise is deafening. I've only ever seen a hovercraft a few times, and then it was from below. Now though, a ramp is coming out from the wide entrance, and we are shoved up it. I make sure to keep Prim in my sights at all times, there is no way I'm leaving her alone. Gale struggles against the strong grip of the female Peacekeeper.

As soon as the Hovercraft door creaks shut, our shoulders are freed and I immediately go over to Prim. Katniss wouldn't want her to be alone.

"Who are you and why are we here?" demands Gale, his arm around Prim. He probably promised Katniss something or other about protecting Prim. The Peacekeepers take their masks off.

One is a young man, with tanned skin and golden hair. One is a young woman, with dark hair with red highlights, and a menacing look on her face. The last one is another woman, with her head half shaved and vines tattooed over it. I can see Gale eyeing them both up.

"I'm Cressida. This is-'' the brunette cuts her off.

"We're perfectly capable of introducing ourselves, Cress. I'm Johanna Mason. District 7. At least, I used to be, but I'll explain that in a bit," she says, extending her hand to us. We obediently shake it.

"I'm Finnick," the young man says, flashing a smile. I have to admit, he has looks that would make most people faint on the spot. "We're taking you to District 13." None of us say anything. Then Gale speaks up.

"District 13? But that was destroyed years ago," he says.

"Yeah, did they miss part of it in the bombings?" Prim asks. I just look puzzled.

Johanna laughs. "You don't get it, do you? Come on, it's not that hard to figure out," she says, and pauses for a second. We still look puzzled. "Underground! Duh."

"Ohh," Prim says, and Johanna smiles at her. When she smiles she doesn't seem quite so menacing; almost friendly. Then her face turns back to a frown and I take back all of what I just thought.

"Take a seat," says Finnick. "It's going to be a long ride." He sits down himself and straps in.

"Anyone need anything to eat or drink? There's a snack place somewhere on here. I'm gonna go check it out, so I'll take orders," says Johanna. To my surprise, Prim pipes up.

"Is there any water?" She says timidly.

"Of course there's water, how unequipped do you think we are? Come with me, I'm sure we can find you something more exciting than water," Johanna replies, taking Prims' hand and leading her out the door. Gale is hesitant to let her go, but Johanna gives him a glare and he gives in. The door shuts behind them and the only sound we can hear is the roar of the Hovercraft's engine.

"So, I'm sure you both have a lot of questions," Cressida says. "And just to confirm, you're Gale and you're Peeta, right?"

"Yeah," Gale says.

"And not to be insensitive or anything, but which one of you is Katniss married to? Coin didn't explain to us very well," says Finnick insensitively.

"If you listen to the Capitol, then I am, but it's Peeta here that her heart belongs to," Gale says. "And now I want some answers. First off, how the hell do you know who we are and how we'd be there visiting Katniss at that time, second, how the hell does District 13 still exist, and third, why have you kidnapped us?"

"I'm just going to, uh, get something to eat," Finnick says awkwardly and practically runs from the room.

"Ha, he acts so brave you know, but when it comes to down awkward situations, he's a right wuss," Cressida laughs. "So, what is the whole Katniss thing?"

"Can we explain it later? I think you're supposed to be answering our questions, seeing as - you know - you've kidnapped us and all," Gale says.

"Sure, sure," Cressida replies. "So as you know, me, Finnick, and Johanna are all from District 13. As everything on the surface was demolished in the nuclear blast, we moved our people underground, where luckily we already had a back up area in case it got destroyed. We kept expanding this underground area, until it went as deep as two thousand feet, and covers an expansion that's miles long. We have thousands of people living there."

"So they never see the sun? They're all cooped up underground all their lives?"

"Well you could put it like that, but we like to call it safety, something I'm sure you've never heard of before in District 12," she says.

"Haha, very funny," Gale says sarcastically. "Peeta, you alright, mate? You're very quiet."

"Oh, yeah I'm fine. Sorry, just...thinking," I reply.

"About what? Baby names?" Gale says with a smirk.

"Hey," I tell him, suddenly annoyed.

"She's knocked up again, you know," he says to Cressida. "Two, this time," She raises her eyebrows.

"I'll be back in a minute," she says, taking off her Peacekeepers uniform to reveal a pair of dark trousers and a tight green tank top. I can see Gale's eyes follow her out of the room. I decided to annoy him too.

"You got your eyes on that one, have you?" I say, nudging him.

"Nah, that other one is hotter. Jo something or other," he says. It gets annoying how easily he shrugs off these comments.

"Hm?" says Johanna, suddenly opening the door. "What was it you were saying about me?" I hide my laughter at Gales' face. "And don't say nothing, I'm not stupid you know. Here, you go sit down there," she says in a much gentler voice to Prim, who now holds a glassful of a coloured, bubbly liquid, and some kind of food that I've never seen before. Gale stands in the corner, and Johanna raises her eyebrows at him.

"So? What was it you were saying?" she demands.

"It doesn't matter," he says, and Johanna would've demanded more but then Cressida and Finnick return with a large man with white hair behind them.

"This is Plutarch Heavensbee. Plutarch, this is Primrose Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, and Gale Hawthorne. I trust you've met Johanna before," says Cressida. Finnick slurps a coloured icy drink.

"Yes, me and Johanna are...acquaintances," Mr. Heavensbee says, and I see Johanna looking somewhere else with a grimace on her face. He walks over to Prim. "Ah, Primrose. I have heard so much about you. I hear you have a soft spot for cats?"

"Yes, sir," she replies.

"Oh, please, call me Plutarch, everyone does. And you two too, gentlemen. Don't think of me as your superior. Think of me as.. a friend." Me and Gale give awkward half smiles in return. Who is this man and why is he here?

"Peeta, I believe there's someone here to see you," Plutarch says.

"Who?" I ask, and then I hear the patter of small feet coming towards the door. Plutarch opens it, and Willow potters in, but she trips over her own foot and lands in front of me.

"Willow!" I say, a big smile creeping up my face. "Oh, baby girl, I haven't seen you in so long! Has auntie Prim been taking good care of you?" She makes some noises as I pick her up. There are coos from around the room.

As I take her in my arms, I realise she's a lot bigger than she was. Her pink onesie is stretched over her skin, I doubt it's from District 12. If it's from the Capitol I will be replacing it as soon as I can; my girl will not be lifted out in Capitol gear. Ever.

"How old is she now, Prim? I'm so sorry I haven't seen her more. It was so risky to leave the cabin," I say.

"She's already a year and a half,'' Prim admits. I'm surprised by how much she's grown, but also disappointed by just how much of her life I have missed, and how much more Katniss will. As parents, we have already skipped her first steps and first words. I can't bear this to continue. I set her down on the floor again, but this time, she doesn't fall to her knees like she usually would. Willow manages to keep her balance, also taking a few steps forward before losing ground.

Prim gasps, and I find myself shocked, too. "Did you see that, Peeta?! Willow walked! She walked for the first time!" Everyone in the room gathers around her, and Willow seems to been enjoying the attention, laughing and bouncing up and down.

However, then the door opens again and in walks a middle aged woman with cropped silver hair, in a grey suit. She seems important, and she must be, because everyone else steps backward and stands up straight. Gale copies Johanna, and I pick up Willow with Prim by my side, and then we join the others in a line. Even Johanna is standing up straight with the others.

"Hello everyone," the superiority in her tone is evident. "I am Alma Coin, the President of District 13." Despite being a figure of such authority, her clothes are like anyone else's. A plain gray jumpsuit, I suppose we will get our soon, too. After a few words of introduction, she insists we get to our rooms and orders Finnick and Joanna to show us to them. They oblige immediately, guiding us through a row of white corridors lined with identical cabins, most of them occupied. But hang on, aren't we still on the hovercraft?

"This hovercraft is huge," comments Prim, craning her head around to observe everything.

"Oh no, we're in District 13 now, sweetie! There was a ramp a little while back," says Finnick.

"Wow, that was fast," says Prim timidly. Johanna subtly walks beside Prim, but I notice.

Why is she so protective? Gale and I can look after her just fine, I think.

Suddenly a bell rings out overhead and I jump at the loud sound of it.

"Finally, I'm starving! Listen, take a left, then a right, then straight on to the end of the corridor, and that's where your compartments are! See you later, we'll bring you some food!" Johanna calls as her and Finnick rush down a flight of metal stairs.

"Well I hope one of you was listening to her, because I wasn't," I say. Prim starts to walk off, and we hesitantly follow.

**A Bit Later**

Gale flops down on the bottom bunk, and puts his hands behind his head. "Well," he says, "This ain't too bad, right? I mean, it could be worse," For some reason this makes me angry, and thinking of Katniss, stuck in that awful Capitol prison with nobody to look after her or the babies. So yes, it could be much, much, worse.

"Mmm," I mumble, and then Gale gets annoyed.

"I hate the Capitol," he spits out.

"Oh, you don't say? You don't think the entirety of Panem hates the Capitol?" I say back. This will not end well, but I don't have the ability to hold in my anger anymore.

"I'm not stupid, Peeta."

"Never said you were," I reply.

"No, well how do you know what has been going on District 12? Hmm? Do you - do you know about the whippings, the hangings, the public executions?" What? This has all been happening? My mouth opens in shock, and I want to speak, but no words come out. "No, of course you don't, because you were too busy loving Katniss in the woods!" Gale shouts. "You weren't even there to see your own daughter's first words, or her first tooth, or anything! What sort of a father are you?"

A lump forms in my throat, and I swallow it before saying through gritted teeth, "Take it back,"

"Take what back? Peeta, I'm just speaking the truth, and you know it!"

"I said, Take. It. Back. Gale," I'm starting to get really pissed off now.

"No,"

"You're so stubborn, it's no wonder Katniss left you. Who would want to spend their entire life with a great big lumbering oaf like you?" I say, standing up. Gale does the same; it's annoying how much taller than me he is.

"You did not just say that."

"Oh yes I did," I replied. "So, you can give it to me but can't take it when I give it back? Coward," I scoff.

His hands land on my shoulders firmly and he says in a soft voice, "Oh Peeta, you think you're so great, don't you? With your little blue eyes and blond hair, and stupid bread!" before shoving me hard into the side of the bunk beds. My head hits the corner of the metal frame hard, and when I put my hand to it I feel a small amount of blood oozing out.

Just before he can shove me back again, the door is pushed open with such force it rattles on its hinges. Johanna stood there in just her bra and shorts, looking extremely annoyed.

"And what exactly is going on in here?" she demands. "You two have been making an awful racket, I've been trying to do my workout! Poor Prim has a right headache. Huddled under the covers, she is, hands over her ears. These walls aren't that thick, you know?"

"I'll go and see her, she might listen to me," Gale says. He's about to barge her out the way when she shoves him backward, and slams the door behind her. Her eyes narrow and stare at my hand, but her voice goes sarcastically soft when she speaks.

"Peeta, why are you bleeding? I don't remember you getting injured on the way here," she cocks her head to the side. "Hmm?"

"I - uh - I fell," I say. She rolls her eyes and raises her eyebrows.

"God, you are a terrible liar, Peeta, you know that?" Johanna says, and I feebly nod. I am a horrible liar; I get it from my father. "So? How did you start bleeding?" I make eye contact with Gale and he gives me a dirty look. When I don't reply, Johanna spots some blood on the corner of the bunk beds, and somehow knows what happened. I'm not fully convinced she's human, she switches personalities so much and so often it's kind of scary.

She marches over to Gale, who is standing in the corner trying to look intimidating.

"You - you pushed him, didn't you? You guys were yelling at each other about this or that, and you pushed him! Ha, coward," She pauses when a faint crying sound comes from next door.

Surely that's not Prim? It's not like her to cry loudly. "Oh, well done, you've woken Willow."

She nips out for one minute, then comes back and says concludingly, "Right. I don't trust you two alone in here anymore, so Peeta, switch with me, and go and sort Willow out. I'll come and collect my stuff in a minute."

I'm confused.

"We'll come on, don't stand there like a gormless lemon, get a move on! It's getting late, and curfew is in ten," Johanna says. I obediently shuffle from the room, leaving Gale still standing there like a gormless lemon.

When I enter Prim's room, I find her sitting on the floor, rocking Willow, who is wrapped in a soft blanket. Even though Prim is being as gentle as she can, Willow still wails, big tears dripping down her face.

"Peeta! Do you know I can get her to sleep, she just won't!" Prim says pleadingly. I nod and smile, but then wince as a shot of pain surges through my head. Prim notices the blood on my hand, and then sees the cut on my head.

"What happened to your head? Are you okay? Here, you hold Willow while I patch you up," she says, handing me Willow. I take her in my arms and hold her against my chest. What do I do? I mean, I love Willow, but I have next to no experience with babies. Should I rock her? I think, Maybe that will work.

So I start to rock her gently in my arms, and somehow, after a minute, her crying ceases and she falls asleep.

"How did you - how did you do that? She must really like you for her to go to sleep that quickly, it's taken me a long time recently," Prim says. I wince as she wipes some sort of cream on my cut that makes it sting.

"Prim, this may sound weird, but I really would like to know everything about Willow. You know, like what she likes and doesn't like, what's she scared of, if she even knows who I am."

"Well, she must know who you are, or at least recognise you, or she wouldn't have fallen asleep so fast," she chuckles. "There, you're all patched up now, which bed do you want?"

"I'll go on the bottom, to be closer to Willow," I say. I know Prim won't judge me for wanting to get to know my own daughter. Still holding Willow close to my chest, I climb carefully into the bottom bunk, hoping that the creak of the mattress won't wake her up. It doesn't.

"You'll make an amazing father, you know. And to the two on the way," Prim says. I place Willow beside me on the bed and soon enough fall into a deep sleep.

***

The sound of crying wakes me. I open my eyes and squint to try and see in the pitch darkness, but there's no doubt that the crying comes from Willow. I gently pick her up, wrap her loosely in a blanket, and rock her gently.

"Ssh, ssh, it's okay, it's okay," I say, and although the crying begins to cease, after five minutes it's obvious that Willow does not plan to sleep for a long time. She is wide awake. "Oh great," I think to myself. Looking at the small digital clock on the chest of drawers, I see that the time reads: 04:30. It's half four in the morning, what time does Willow think it is? She gurgles at me and says something indecipherable.

"Hey, baby girl, how are you? What's wrong, why are you awake so early, hmm? Did you have a nightmare?" She just gurgles in response. "You ready to go to sleep again now, because Daddy here sure is." After about ten minutes she finally falls asleep, but I can't.

The night so far hasn't been good as Willow continues to wake every few hours, and it certainly doesn't get any better. I toss and turn on my bed, searching for comfort, but find none. I'm thankful that Prim bandaged my wound, but it has left me with a headache. I wait as time ticks by, hoping for either dawn or sleep to arrive. The emptiness of the room threatens to swallow me whole, so I decide to get up. Perhaps explore District 13 a little.

Walking over to the door, I am annoyed to find that it is locked. What is this place, a prison? Now that's got me thinking about Katniss. I try to pick the lock with the little knowledge of lock picking that my sister Ava gave me when she would sneak out, but it still doesn't budge. The door being locked makes me uncomfortable, but I know better than to speak up about it. I look back at the clock which now reads: 4:45. I've been up for fifteen minutes, but it feels like hours. I sigh and accidentally wake Prim. Willow shores soundly.

"Did Will wake you?" she says, sitting up in bed, yawning.

"Yeah," I say. "Does she wake up this early often?" Prim nods and sighs. "You get used to it. It'll be easier with two of us. We can take turns." I smile but start pacing the room again. "Hey, try to sleep. Willow's a light sleeper."

"Okay," I say. "Would you mind having Willow for a bit?" Prim says sure and I carefully pick up Willow and place her beside Prim in her bed. Then I quietly climb back into mine.

Morning comes quickly, and as we're all gathered around the table for breakfast, no one speaks. Gale sits across from me, which is the only seat available. And he clearly is unhappy about it. I swallow the stale bread, but it tastes nothing like home. Willow is still asleep in the room, and we have a helper assigned to take care of her.

Beetee from district 3 has escaped and has joined the mission. Being from the district he is, his brains are one of the most valuable resources for designing weapons and strategizing. He isn't much for combat, though.

The cafeteria is full of grim faces and occasional, tight smiles. The food is bland and proportional. The clothes are plain, and the surroundings clean. District 13 is not a bad place to be in when you are amidst a war, but I yearn to go above ground. The walls scratched with graffiti and locked doors are suffocating, and barely a day has passed since we have arrived.

All of us were given schedules today, and they are supposed to be followed every day until the day they aren't. Shooting propagandas is apparently what we are supposed to do. No one in their right mind would consider attacking the Capitol without full support from most districts, the attempt will be futile. Our resources, while plenty, are not enough to beat the Capitol by themselves. I wonder what they're going to make us film. Swinging flags with an army at our heels? Marching towards our enemies shouting encouraging slogans to supposedly fuel the districts' hunger for freedom? Like that's going to win us the war.

We are almost at the door when the televisions go from black to white, and the seal of the Capitol flashes across the screen. Fleeting eyes from all over the room turn to the unexpected broadcast. Caesar Flickerman, the host of pretty much every interview, appears. But what comes next surprises me most. Katniss. I exchange glances with Prim, Gale stares straight ahead, unblinking. Instinctively, I take a step forward, my fingers cover my lips and in my peripheral vision, I catch Prim fumbling with the door handle.

My attention turns to Katniss when Caesar speaks. "We wanted to ask a few questions, Katniss.''

Only then I can get a clear picture of what she looks like. Her brown hair falls softly around her shoulders, but her skin is slightly pale and the bags under her eyes have not been covered enough by makeup. She still is very much pregnant, and visibly very uncomfortable. She nods her head at Caesar's statement, eyes averting away from the cameras.

"So...do you have anything you'd like to tell the rebels in District 13? Any words you'd like to say?" Caesar says. He speaks sensitively, solemnly, so that the person he's speaking to doesn't feel too under pressure but knows they must answer the question. But I still hate him for making Katniss go up there, heavily pregnant and all.

"Um, I do have a message for Peeta. And Prim," she says, her voice varying pitches as she struggles to hold back tears. I see Gale's shoulders tense up out the corner of my eye.

"Yes? And what's that?" Caesar says, leaning towards Katniss to hear better.

"I - I - I lost one, Peeta," she says, and I see her swallow and sniff slightly, trying to look strong. She puts her hands on her belly protectively and leans away from Caesar, looking at the floor.

"Lost what? I don't believe they let you take anything into the prison with you," he says.

"The baby," Katniss croaks out so quietly it's hard to hear. "I lost one, Peeta. I'm sorry, i tried so hard, I truly did, but after they sat me in the electric chair, it was that night. I'm so sorry, Peeta!"

When she mentioned the electric chair two guards came and grabbed her by each soldier, making her stand on her feet and trying to force her out of the camera shot. But she resists, as Katniss always does.

She elbows one hard in the nose and the other in the stomach, then takes a wobbly step towards the camera and says, "Yes, you heard me right. An electric chair. And you know what they did when I lost one in the middle of the night? Nobody came. Not one person. Except Effie Trinket, so go and bring her to 13 because she deserves it!" Then the guards get to their feet and drag her off camera as she clutches her belly tightly, never letting the baby go.

"We have to get her out of there.." I say.