A/N: A sneak peek of my new story "Always" is scheduled to come out today! So be sure to look for it! 🔥❤️

I toss and turn in bed, nightmares consuming my every thought. In my slumber I cling to Peeta hoping his presence will make them go away. But not even his warmth and love can do that. I don't want to face the fact the I'll never sleep beside the man I love again. I don't want to think about how I'm putting my unborn children's lives at risk. My hands ball Peeta's shirt in my small fists, not daring to wake knowing the flashbacks will consume me. Peeta stirs, moving from my grasp and standing from the bed. I latch onto his midsection and try to pull him towards me. "Please don't go." I say with tears in my eyes as he looks down at me. 

"I'm just going to the bathroom, alright?" He asks so softly it sounds as if he's talking to Rye.

"Alright." I nod. I sit on the edge of the bed, waiting to make sure he actually is coming back.

"Oh Katniss." He sighs holding onto my sides as he crawls in bed next to me. He places his arms around my body, I wrap my legs around his body. And together we lay there breathing each other in.

"I love you Peeta." I remind him.

"I love you too." He whispers back.

When he finally can't take it anymore, he stretches before standing. He tells me he's going to make breakfast, which means it will be an hour. Silently, I dress and pull on my old hunting boots. Then my father's hunting jacket. I should look into getting new boots, and getting the jacket fixed. The toes of my boot are beginning to buldge, which will eventually lead to ripping.  But for now their fine. I slip on the jacket, then my lace my boots before I walk to the door. "Where are you off to?" He asks softly.

"To see Prim, I'll be quick." I tell him.

"Alright, love you." He says placing a kiss on my lips then I walk from the door. The cool winter air lashes in my face, I draw my coat up closer to my face. I see Gale, walking behind the houses. A bundle of dries flowers in his hands. I wonder where he got those, probably his younger sister's grave. She was too innocent to die in this revolution. So was Rue, and Prim.

"Gale, will you walk with me?" I call when our eyes meet.

"To where?"

"Prim's grave." I answer.

"Of course." He nods.

I'm glad someone is coming with, I'll go insane without someone with me. Like when I go hunting. The flashbacks are almost inevitable. We walk slowly together, not speaking a word. We reach the grave, the flowers in Gale's hands let a few petals float to the ground. Then I realize he got her new flowers. "Thank you." I breath into his shoulder.

"Of course." He nods. We stare down at her newly flowered grave, headstone reading 'Primrose Everdeen'. She never had a middle name, not that I knew of. "Rory told me once he loved her." I look at him. "Like Peeta loves you, he had for a while. He told me he told her in district thirteen, but she turned him down claiming she was too busy."

I let a year escape my eye. "She never loved, never had a first kiss, never had so many important milestones in her life." I whisper.

"I used to say all thing happen for a reason, our fathers deaths. They made us stronger, taught us to care for our families. But her death ... I can't seem to find a reason for her." He says tears in his eyes. I snake my arm around his waist, and his around my frail shoulders.

"Sometimes I wonder why I used to love you, and then I remember it's because you always know the right this to say."

He smiles down at me. "What can I say? I'm a ladies man through and through."

I push his side. "Shut up"

He rewraps his arm around me. "Oh I'm only kidding Catnip."

"I know."

Silence falls over us. We both stand together remembering our dead siblings. His sister, my sister. Up together in heaven with our long gone fathers. In the beginning, everyone used to remind me she was 'in a better place', but I don't believe it. She might be with our father but she deserved a life. I look to my right and pluck a flower, the same ones I used for Rue's bouquet. I gently place it on her grave. "I love you little duck." I whisper before Gale and I continue off, he shows me his sister's grave. I turn down his suggestion to visit our fathers, too far of a walk with so little time.

"I'll come out when Andler gets here, I want to be with her as long as possible." He tells me as we near my door.

"Alright, if they don't come to the front door I'll call you. Don't look too suspicious with your gear." I say in a hushed tone. "And Gale, thank you." I say.

"Of course, anything for Catnip." He smiles before rushing back into his house to his baby and Cressida. 

"I'm home." I announce to Peeta.

"Hey." He smiles pulling me in for a long, passionate kiss. I place my freezing cold hands on his chest and kiss him back. "I made you tea if your cold." He says when he pulls away.

"Yes please." I smile, he moves away from me and readies the tea. He comes back and drapes a thick comforter around my shoulders and places the steamy cup in my cold hands. "Thank you." I smile as he sits next to me and pulls me towards him.

"Rye hasn't woken up yet, I'll wake him half an hour before you leave. That way he isn't fussy when you leave."

I nod. "alright." I drink my tea and then he brings me breakfast on the couch. It's eggs and bacon, with fresh raisin rolls. Their so good, maybe better then the cheese buns. No never mind, their defiantly not as good as cheese buns.  He washes the dishes, then at eleven o'clock pulls me upstairs into the bedroom. He places his locket from the quarter quell in my shaking hands. "What's this?" I ask.

"Open it."

I do so, and find pictures of us. The right and left ones are of Peeta  and I kissing. The center one is of me holding Rye, and then Peeta standing behind us; a big dopey grin painted on his face. I look up to him briefly and wipe away my tears. "Look at this every day, it'll remind you what you have right here. You'll fight not just for Panem, but for us." He holds my vibrating hands in his steady ones. "Your a fighter, anyone I know wouldn't be going back into an active war zone by choice." He says.

"I know, but I'm insane." I whisper back.

"Trust me I know." He chuckles. "But your brave, I know it. You know it. Panem knows it. You always do what's right, that what I love about you."

"Just that?" I whisper.

"Well obviously no. Your beautiful, and charming. Your kind, when no ones around, your laugh is amazing. Your hair is gorgeous, and your eyes at the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Your flawless, your amazing, and your my wife."

I wipe my tears again. "Thank you." I crash my lips into his in a desperate attempt to stop my tears. But it doesn't work, because the kids just makes me realize how much I'll actually miss him. "Promise me you'll be here when I get home?" I ask.

"We'll be right here." He assures me.

**

The next hour goes by too fast, a shower together the my hair was braided. The cellar door was knocked on. Three knocks, a pause, and then another round of three knocks. I open the door, as Peeta leads them into the living room. I dial Gale's number. "Come over." I say emotionlessly before hanging up.

"This is a great thing your doing." Andler says shaking both our hands. "I'm glad your supporting her."

Peeta nods sternly. "Either way I can't stop her, I'd rather just let it go." I sit down next to him and take his hand.

"We still have an hour, so do you have anything to eat?" Andler asks.

"Yeah." Peeta stands to go to the kitchen, and I follow after him. "I don't need help" he says, I can tell he's trying to be nice about it.

"No, I want to be with you." I say pulling out leftovers.

"Katniss!" Andler calls from the living room couch. "Can you come here?"

"I'll be back." I tell Peeta before kissing his lips, I find him holding open the basement door. He ushers me downstairs and I follow him.

He leans against the side of the wall and then pinches the bridge of his nose. "Is there anything you think you should tell me before we leave?" He asks obviously irritated.

"No- I uh." I stutter not knowing what to say.

"Katniss! Don't lie!" He barks. He looks back at me and his face softens. "You can tell me, i'm just here to protect you." He says.

I step closer to him and turn around to make sure the door is closed. "I'm pregnant." I whisper. "With twins" I add.

"Why the hell wouldn't you tell me this before you agreed to go?! This changes everything!" He says loudly.

"What changes everything?" I hear Peeta ask from behind me.

"N-Nothing."

"Well your food is done." He says, I nod and walk to him and take his hand coming to the kitchen. I sit down a cheese roll of Peeta's it's the last I'll have for a while. "When are you leaving?" Peeta asks me, I look to Andler.

"Shortly after this."

Peeta nods with tears in his eyes, his hand holds mine on my knee. Gale enters the house. I stand next to him. "This is Gale Hawthorn, he'll be coming with us. He was a commander in the first war." I say.

"The more the merrier." Andler says and Ken grins at us. They eat sloppily, it seems both of them have no idea of manners. Maybe they grew up poor, and now that they have food they eat quickly. I remember Effie telling me of the tributes in the 73rd hunger games. The poor kids were even more starved then us; and when they got to the train they didn't even use utensils. They ate with their bare hands. I made it a point to do the same after that, I remember the smirk that grew on Peeta's face. I sit back down next to Peeta. Gale makes himself a plate and I pull Peeta outside onto the swaying swing. I bury my face in his shoulder, letting tears fall out.

"I'm sorry I ruined our marriage." I tell him.

"Honey, you didn't ruin a think. I've had you this long and that's more then enough. You gave me a beautiful son, and a reason to live."

"I love you." I whimper.

"I love you too."

"All ready then?" Andler voice rings in our ears. Gale holds my bow and arrows in his hands, along with his weapon.

"No." I chuckle. "But if we don't go now we'll never leave."

He nods. "I'll wait in the basement, come on Kenny."

The men leave, leaving Gale, Peeta, and I alone. "Keep her safe, yeah?" Peeta asks of Gale.

"You have my word to." He replies, they hug briefly.

Peeta turns to me. And just as I'm to speak he crashes his lips onto mine, and then takes my hand. We walk to the basement door. He kisses me again. "I love you Katniss." He says.

"I love you Peeta." I take a step back into the basement.

And then he locks the door.