Peeta's P.O.V.

I pace around the house, waiting on a call from Katniss to tell me where she is and when she's going to return. She's taken Ruby with her wherever she's gone and left without a trace.

'Where is she?' I think to myself.

I check my phone in case I've missed any calls from her. I haven't; all there is is a few angry text messages from Danny and co. yelling at me saying I'm a 'good for nothing skank' who 'deserves to burn in hell' for what I did to Katniss.

Skank. - Danny.

Dude, seriously. You're 37, not a fifteen year old who's pissed at the world.

At least I don't go drinking on my daughter's first birthday, do I?

Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm kinda worrying about Katniss so shut up, would ya?!

What the fuck have you done now, manwhore?

Shut up. I haven't done shit. I woke up this morning and she's gone. Without a trace!

Where'd you hide it?

Where'd I hide what?

Where'd you hide the body?

You're an asshole, you know that?

Yup!

I sigh angrily and put my phone on the counter as I continue to worry about Katniss and Ruby. She wouldn't usually leave without saying something, unless she felt pressured to leave to get away from someone, or people.

FUCK. YOU.

I- what?- Danny

IT'S YOU AND YOUR BAND'S FAULT SHE DISAPPEARED!

Explain to me how it is our fault, would ya?

MAYBE BECAUSE YOU KEPT TAKING HER AWAY FROM ME!

I'm coming over there and you'll wish you never said shit.

Do it then. But I don't think Katniss'd be too pleased to hear that her idols have thrown hands with her husband.

~Danny's P.O.V~

I grumble as I pull on my coat and answer multiple texts from my friends.

So you're saying she's just disappeared with the kid?- Dylan

Apparently. Gonna round the guys up and go round Peeta's place. You coming?

Yup. See ya in a few.

I head out the door and get in my car. I drive, well speed, over to that rat shits house. I get all the things I want to say in my head ready to fire away at him. He's done something to those girls. And I will find out what. If it is the last thing I'll do. My car pulls up just as everyone else does. We get out, slamming the doors behind us. All of us are fuming mad. Which is allowed since our girl is in trouble. Maybe even dead. Along with three children. Two of which aren't even born yet. I don't even bother with using a doorknob. I kick the door open.

"Where the hell are they? What did you do to them, you fucking bastard?! Kill them? Beat them? Send them away? Tell us, now!!" I yell at him.

"How many times do I have to tell you, I. Don't. Know! I woke up and they were gone." He says.

"Bull-fucking-shit!! She wouldn't leave unannounced. She probably couldn't, because you did something before she could get help." Jorel says.

"She doesn't need guard dogs, you know. You guys aren't even married to her. Or the father of our children." He says.

"Oh, and you are? Mister "Leave my wife when she was pregnant, causing her to lose them. Getting drunk on my oldest child's first birthday." Yeah. Some husband and father you are." I snarl.

"And we have to guard her from the likes of you. Breaking her heart every chance you get. Leaving her alone. Putting her through hell and back. Worst of all sleeping with another woman while she was carrying your child." Geroge says.

"My woman," I say.

"You guys are just as bad as Gale. Never letting her breathe and keeping her away from the ones she loves." He retorts.

"How much do you want to bet she doesn't love you after all this shit you've done, huh? If anyone is as bad as him, it's you. And he ended up dead. Which you will be in about five seconds if you don't tell us where she is!?!" Jorel says.

"I did nothing to them!! And never will. She has the right to be away from controlling bastards like you!! Who keeps her from everything she holds close and dear to her." He yells.

"Oh, you're a dead man now, Mellark." I say.

I go to punch Peeta when I hear a shout come from in front of Peeta. Katniss stood in front of me, holding a hand to the place on her cheek where I struck her on the cheek.

'Oh my god, Kat! I'm so, so sorry!' I frantically apologise to her.

~Katniss's P.O.V~

I rub the area where Danny hit me. He really shouldn't apologise, I know he didn't mean to hit me, but the area is throbbing and burning up and also stings badly.

'It's fine.' I reassure him just as a searing pain runs through my body, causing me to hold onto Peeta to steady myself.

'Kat? What's wrong?' Peeta asks me.

'Shit!' I groan, holding onto my stomach. 'This isn't Braxton Hicks..'

What I think is a contraction makes another wave of pain crashes over me, making everyone, especially Danny, freak out and hustle me to a car as they hold me up as more and more contractions make me whimper out of pain as I walk.

'For once you have a reason to be protective of her.' I hear Peeta remark quietly behind me and Danny.

'Shut it, Mellark. We ain't done.' He shoots back.

'Yes, you are done.' I say weakly as George and Danny lift me into the car.

'Yeah, Danny. You are done.' Peeta grins cheekily.

'Peeta, stop.' I tell him as another contraction brings down once again another wave of pain down on me.

~At the hospital~

Peeta's P.O.V

Katniss is rushed into a room with a group of doctors around her. It's all HU's fault; they shouldn't have babied and 'protected' her from me when I didn't do shit.

'This is all your fault.' I say quietly to them.

'Our fault?! It's your fault!' Jorel says defensively.

'At least I was letting her breathe. I wasn't in her personal space 24/7!' I exclaim.

'At least we didn't go out and get drunk off our asses on our daughter's first birthday!' Danny says aggressively.

'Listen, coño, we're protecting her from you so you don't keep on hurting her.' Dylan says.

I scoff. "They hell you are, 'protecting her.' Punching her in the face? Bringing on actual labor?! Yeah, that's a great job at protecting her. Totally protecting someone like that." I say. "Good job at keeping her safe."

~
Katniss's P.O.V.

The doctors and my OB/GYN finished situtiating everything and checking things out with me. They have me hooked up to a million things and machines and whires. One tracks my heart. One tracks their hearts, and one counts the contractions. My OB shoots some medication into my I.V. before she leaves.

"This should help stop this from getting any further. I'll come back periodically to see if any more contractions come. If they stop within the next hour, I will let you go home, but on bedrest for a week or so." Dr. Michelle explains to me.

"Okay.. thank you." I say.

"I'll let your friends and family see you now. If anything gets worse, or anything seems off, just press the remote." She says.

"Thanks." I say and smile a little.

HU enters the room, with Peeta following close behind. As always, they form a circle around me and that's the last straw.

"I'm thankful for you caring about me, but I need to breathe. Peeta didn't hurt me, he was understandably upset about his family dying; you would be too, wouldn't you? So why is he any different? I don't need babying or taking away from him 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, let me spend time with him. He's my husband and the father of my children, not any of you. I'm not saying I'm not thankful for you caring about me, but sometimes I feel like you're suffocating me by the way you always circle around me when Peeta's around. Let me talk to him for once in my life." I say to them annoyed, and in a blunt tone.

"But he cheated on you, with my wife!" Danny exclaims.

"Dan, that was months ago. LET IT GO, WOULD YA?" I say mistakenly loud and frustrated, bringing back a contraction. I breathe through it before returning to my rant I've been keeping in for oh so long. "I really, really, need this to stop and for all of you to get along, and be civil and mature, the way Prim had us be... She's not here to stop us, and I can't keep it up. I'm not her, but I am me. So cut this shit out. Cause next time, I will have these ones. I will lose my shit. I will kick you out of my life. I'm done being a pampered, prized, poodle being cared for by a show keeper. I'm no princess locked in a tower guarded by a dragon. I am able to do my own thing, be my own person. Leave when I want. Be with who I want. Love who I want. And be alone when I want to be. So you better forgive and forget. I won't tolerate anymore of this. I can't. Or it could kill me....or them. And I doubt anyone wants that. I love you all. But I can't keep living this way. None of us can... So just stop. Before something bad happens. Or I have to make you go. I don't want it to come to that.... But I'm done being pushed and pulled away and locked away. So I will if that is for my sanity, safety, and the best life I can live. So.... we able to move on from this and live? Cause this isn't and hasn't been living. It's tourture.... And not just for me."

"Of course we will... I don't think anyone wants to be responsible for hurting you like that. Or anymore to be honest. You are your own person and we can't keep you from the things you want... or who you want to be with." Danny says, and I can hear the remorse and regret in his voice. I see it in all of them too.

"Thank you.. All of you." I say.

~Time skip: Christmas~

Katniss's P.O.V

It's Christmas at last. We're all excited to open up the presents underneath the decorated Christmas tree in festive colors and the house sturg with lights and tinsel. I always loved the christmas season. It is sort of a pain in the ass this season, since I am on bedrest until the new year. But at least I can do simple things and not be on lockdown. But I mainly have to do light things and rest. Which is a struggle since it is Christmas and the whole thing about it is hectic.

'Merry Christmas, Kat!' Peeta grins as he holds Ruby in his arms.

I sit up carefully, my back propped up by pillows as he hands me Ruby who I rest on my lap as I'm handed something by Peeta. It's a photo album containing photos of Peeta, Ruby, HU, Prim, and Gale stuck in.

I choke back tears as I flip through the album and look at the photos taped to the pages. Ruby's first ultrasound, Prim as a baby, the first ever picture me and HU had taken as friends. It's a beautiful and thought out gift.

I'm about to break down in tears when a piece of paper falls out of the back of the book. There's writing on the back that says:

Hey Kat,

We wrote this to show you that there's always something to believe in no matter how difficult what you're going through and that there's always light at the end of the tunnel. You've come so far, you've grown to become a strong independent woman with a beautiful family. We're all so proud of you and proud to call you our friend.

Turn this paper over for another gift!

HU crew.

I turn the paper over and read what the writing says. It's a song called 'Something to Believe'. I read it through and tears spill over this time. The song is beautifully written, you can tell it's inspired by everything I've been through.

https://youtu.be/yP0A0r_FWoM

Just then a book falls off the shelf without any warning. None of us are close enough to make that happen; plus the shelf it was on is the highest on the bookcase.

'Strange...' Peeta remarks as he puts the book back on the shelf, 'how'd that happen?'

I shrug as I watch Ruby track something in the hallway outside of the bedroom but there's no one out there. She starts giggling and clapping her hands at the thing she's looking at.

'Peeta, can you check what's out there?' I ask him.

He goes to check and comes back into the room, shaking his head as he does so.

'Anyone there?' I ask him.

He continues to shake his head, pausing as he realises what Ruby is looking at may be.

A ghost.

DUN DUN DUN!!!! WAT'LL HAPPEN NEXT!?!!? SPPOOKKKAYYY!! XD thanks for reading! Plz leave a vote and a comment! More will come soon! Lots of love!! 

-Zeffie, Ruby and Kiyoko! ^~^