PEETA

Gale threw his bloody fist at my stomach. I shoved him roughly, trying to grab his arms, he pushed me on the ground, I flipped us over and tried to pull myself off of him, he roughly grabbed my hair and yanked me back on him. I punched his jaw, repeatedly. I was done with defending myself, I was going to fight back now. Gale tried to trip me, he almost did but I yanked his hair pulling him back, I kicked the back of his knees making him fall, but he dragged me down with him. I heard a scream but I was entirely focused on beating Gale up. Gale was on top of me, punching and hitting me, I was struggling to fight back but I wasn't going to quit. I felt Gale being slightly pulled away from me. I see Katniss with tears in her eyes, she was struggling to pull him back seeing her adrenaline courses through my veins. I pushed Gale off and got some leverage on him. I heard Katniss saying things but I couldn't understand her words. Suddenly Gale threw his elbow back, hitting Katniss in the stomach making her fly back. I heard Gale mumble something but I shoved him hard away and ran to Katniss, I glanced and saw Sae staring at us.

"Sae!" I called and she rushed out but Gale grabbed me again pulling me into a fight again. I was mainly trying to shove Gale off me but he kept throwing punches and yanking my hair, I had to fight back. I punched and kicked him, I grabbed his hair and pulled back hard. We continued fighting and I'm proud to say Gale was very beat up.

When I felt the Peacekeepers pull us apart I didn't fight them. Gale did, that ass, he kept fighting and wouldn't quit. The Peacekeepers had to hit him in the side of the head with the butt of their gun to knock him out. I heard someone running up to me. I looked up and saw Katniss. She kneeled down and wrapped her arms around me, I hugged her back.

"I'm fine. Are you okay? Please tell me the truth." I asked her, she frowned at me, but replied.

"I'm okay, Peeta. Just lightheaded. The worst that could have happened to me is a concussion. I'll rest I promise" I nodded at her. "Let's just go to bed." I nodded again.

"I could use a good sleep. I'm so-". I started.

"I know .. We can talk later." She cut me off. I nodded. I shakily stood up from the floor and I saw Katniss struggling to stand, I scooped down and picked her up. I looked down at her as she looked back, I opened the door to the Bakery and let her in. Lupus stood at the door, he started barking at us. Katniss consoles Lupus as I go get him some food. We headed upstairs to get ready for bed. When we lied down together I smiled enjoying the feeling of having her in my arms, I'd missed it.

~

"Peeta!" I heard Katniss scream, I quickly tried to scramble out of bed. "PEETA!!" She screamed again. I quickly ran to the bathroom, I faintly realized that Lupus was following me. I opened the bathroom door and I saw Katniss wedged on the floor next to the tub and toilet, she was in a pool of blood that seemed to be coming from between her legs. Shit, I thought.

"Katniss. Oh my God." I said, she just writhed in pain as Lupus poked at her. I leaned down and scooped her up. She pushed her head into my shoulder, I heard her moan deeply. "You're okay. Let's get you to your mother's." I told her.

I quickly rushed out the door and quickly walked down the street. I watched Katniss as she wiggled in pain. Suddenly she pressed her forehead hard into my chest and started screaming.

"God fucking damnit!" She screamed. She had tears running down her face and I tried to consult her gently but she didn't realize. "Why the fucking shit?" She screamed. She continued screaming, my heart was being shredded with each of her screams, moans and movements. When I could finally see her house I ran at full speed I stepped on her creaky porch and began pounding on the door. When Mrs. Everdeen opened the door and saw us. She quickly led us to the kitchen counter.

"Katniss," She gasped, looking at her daughter, I could see the pain in her eyes from seeing her in so much pain. She quickly realized that she had to help her though, and started mumbling, more to herself than to me.

"Katniss," she said quietly, tracing her fingers along Katniss's cheek and forehead, trying to see if she had a fever. "Slight fever," she muttered, "But it could just be activity. Can we get her in here?" She asked, nodding towards the bathroom.

I carried her to the bathroom, trying to be gentle so I wouldn't inflict even more pain. I couldn't bear seeing her in so much pain. I set her down, and she tilted her head back, wincing at the cool bathroom tiles on the floor. She looked up, and saw Prim, standing in the doorway, her face filled with shock. I was pretty sure this was the first time they had seen each other since the last time at the Bakery, and Katniss's face filled with so many emotions, it was hard to decipher them.

"Get out of here!" She yelled, rage and embarrassment flooding her face, her voice almost giving out at the end. I knew that it was tearing her apart that Prim didn't accept her, or our marriage.

"Shhh, Katniss. It's okay. They can help. She can help." Her mother said, attempting to soothe her, but it didn't work.

"Prim, get out! Don't see this," Katniss said, her voice scratchy, fading into violent sobs. "Don't fucking see this." She cried out.

Prim looked torn, as if she wanted to help her distraught sister, but turned and retreated back out of the door, leaving Katniss with us, tears flooding out of her pain filled eyes. I reached out to grab her hand, putting my arm around her shoulders to show her I was here, that I wasn't leaving her. I was never leaving her.

Mrs. Everdeen placed a towel over her lap, and took off Katniss's soiled clothes. I could tell that Katniss felt vulnerable. Her eyes were like a storm, filled with pain and embarrassment, sadness and terror.

Her mother bent over the sink, examined her dirty clothes, and let out a sigh. "Oh Katniss..." She said, and the realization hit both me and Katniss at the same moment, and I could almost see the thoughts play across her face, her excruciating expression of hurt. The baby is dead. I thought. They're dead. Gone. You never even got to meet them. Now you never will. I thought again, and I almost started crying along with Katniss, but then remembered that I needed to be strong for her. She needed me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders again, and whispered to her.

"You'll be okay, Sweetheart," I said, trying to make it sound convincing.

She pulls away though, and throws up, the mess laying on the floor. I wipe her mouth with my sleeve, not even bothering to care at this point.

"Katniss, come on baby," Her mother says, but I'm not even sure if Katniss can hear her. "Let's get you to bed." And Katniss slowly nods, now giving in to the fatigue that had consumed her, and I could tell how tired she was.

Her mother made me leave the bathroom while Katniss got cleaned up, and I sat down in a nearby chair, all of the recent events playing through my mind, getting jumbled and mixed up, as I was exhausted too. I sat there for what could have been 2 minutes or 2 hours, it all felt the same to me.

Soon enough though, her mother came out, and I picked Katniss up again gently. I laid her down in a bed, pulling the covers up and slowly giving her some cool water to drink from.

"Well, Katniss, Peeta, I have good news and bad news. Which would you like first?" Her mother said, interrupting the quiet of the room.

"Bad news." Katniss said tightly, bracing herself for it.

"I'm sorry," she said and my whole world crashed down. "I'm so so sorry but you've lost one of your babies." Katniss began sobbing, her tears fell like rivers down her cheeks. I whispered sweet nothings into her ear.

"She said one of our babies, don't lose hope." I whispered gently, her sobbing abruptly stopped. She looked up at her mother, the tears still streaking down her cheeks.

"Momma, what do you mean?" She asked, her voice so shaky and fragile.

"Katniss, honey, you have three babies in your stomach, one of them passed away, you still have two healthy babies." The smile that crossed Katniss face could have lit up the sky when her mother told her that. Then a sudden look of sadness crossed her face.

"How do you know?" I asked her mother. "I mean, how can you tell?" I continued.

"Well, I heard to separate heartbeats in her stomach, I felt around down there and it seems that there are three eggs, one is significantly harder than the others, because I only heard two heartbeats it means the third fetus is deceased, I'm sorry," She explained, I was in wonder if how much she could tell without any capital machinery.

"Mother! We have another patient, it's Gale," Prim called, she was unaware of our presence still.

"I'm with another patient. He can't be that bad can he?" Mrs. Everdeen said. Prim walked in and her eyes widened when she noticed Katniss and I.

"Mother!" She hissed, "what is he doing here?" She asked in a rushed whisper.

"She needed me Prim, she lost her baby thanks to him," Mrs. Everdeen defended us. Prim looked so torn. "Now I have to fix up Mr. Mellark, here." Mrs. Everdeen continued. Prim looked at Katniss, Katniss stared at the ceiling dreamily, almost as if she wasn't here, I saw the tears still falling down her face.

"Katniss can we talk?" Prim asked gently.

"Now isn't the best time." Mrs. Everdeen said.

"Why not?" Prim questioned innocently.

"Because, Primrose. Now leave them alone." Mrs. Everdeen told her.

"Oh, well promise me we can talk soon?" She begged her older sister.

"Let's get you taken care of, Peeta. See if we can get Mr. Hawthorne looked at too." Mrs. Everdeen said to me. I looked down at Katniss, I leaned down and kissed her gently.

"You'll watch her, Primrose?" Mrs. Everdeen asked.

"Yes, mother." Primrose replied. Mrs. Everdeen quickly led me out of the room and back to the area that she had all her medical supplies in.

She sat me down and I saw Gale sitting in the other room, he seemed to be pouting. What a baby. Mrs. Everdeen put creams and plants on my cuts and scars. She put a cold cream on my bruises. She wrapped up my cuts. When she finished she began working on Gale. After about three minutes there was loud stomping outside and the door swung open.

"Oh no." Mrs. Everdeen murmured, and I could tell by the tone of her voice that it wasn't going to be good.

I glanced up, and saw someone standing there. He had strikingly familiar features, similar to Katniss's. I assumed it was her father. She never really talked about him, but I knew he had abused her and her family as a child. He was walking unsteadily, and seemed drunk.

He looked at Mrs. Everdeen, and then at me and Gale, bruised and being treated by his wife.

"What's happening?" He questioned. "Who are you?" He said to us.

"I'm Peeta Mellark." I stated.

"You already know me." Gale said, wincing as he moved in the seat, still sore from where I had punched him. Good. He had killed our baby. He had hurt Katniss too.

"What is this?" He asked again, his voice becoming steadily angrier. "Why are they here so late?"

Mrs. Everdeen looked torn, deciding whether or not she should tell him about what had happened. I doubted that he knew about me and Katniss.

"Answer me." He said, his words sharp and angry.

"T-they got into a fight." Mrs. Everdeen stuttered. I felt sorry that she had to live with him. "I was just helping them."

"Yeah, well, they seem pretty good to me." He said glaring at me.

I heard unsteady footsteps coming from the hallway, and I looked to see who was coming.

"Mom? What's happening? I heard people talking?" Katniss questioned, her voice still sounded sleepy, as we had probably woken her when her father started talking louder.

She came into the room and froze. She had seen her father.

"Mom? P-peeta? What's he doing here?" She said, her voice rising at the end.

"What the hell is she doing here?!" Her father exclaimed, walking over to her. Katniss backed up, and looked at me, fear in her eyes.

"I asked a question." He said, his eyes glinting dangerously. "Answer me!" He yelled, and Katniss flinched.

"I came here so mom could help me with the...the baby." She said, her voice dying out at the end, still full of pain from the loss of our child. She looked up, then remembered who she had just said those words to.

"What baby?" Her father asked. "What are you talking about girl?! Now you've really gone crazy! Who's baby is it then?" He asked, staring icily at me and Gale.

Gale looked away, leaving her fathers eyes trained on me. I shivered, just imagining the horrible things Katniss had gone through because of him.

"It's my child sir. Our baby." I said, returning his eye contact. I was not letting this man think that I was ashamed of Katniss or the baby.

I brought Katniss to my side and her arms wrapped around me, thankful for the small feeling of safety.

"You and Katniss? B-but Gale was supposed to...how did...." He muttered, barely capable of finishing his sentences. Under different circumstances, I might have laughed at the look on his face, but certainly not now.

"Sir, I will answer your questions later, but your daughter needs to rest, so if you'll excuse me-" I started, hoping to get Katniss away from him before anything major happened, but her father had different plans.

"Wait just a minute boy." He said, and I turned back around to face him. "I would like to know how this-," He said, gesturing around himself with his hands, "happened." He finished.

"Well it's all quite simple. Your daughter and I fell in love, we got married, and now she is pregnant with two beautiful children."I said, attempting to draw his attention off of our age gap. "She had three, but one...has passed." I choked out.

I felt Katniss lean against me, and I held her tight.

"I don't give a damn about your stupid kids!" He yelled. "I just want to know how the hell she ended up married to you instead of Gale!" He said again, his face turning red from yelling so much.

"I've already told you sir-" I tried to say, but was interrupted.

"Boy, don't give me all that sappy love shit. Tell me what actually happened. Tell me now." He said, stepping closer to me and Katniss. I wanted to punch him then, and I probably would have, but Katniss squeezed my hand, bringing me back to reality.

"If you must know, your daughter started working at the bakery, just to help out. Over time, we began to enjoy each other's company, and fell in love." I said. "Basically then we got married, and she now lives at the Bakery with me. She is now pregnant with two kids as I said before, and we are very happy together. There is nothing you can do to force us apart." I said, glaring at him.

"How old are you, boy? You look older than my daughter here." He asked. Dammit I thought. I was starting to hope he wouldn't notice the age differences.

"I'm 28 years old." I said, waiting for the inevitable reaction of shock and then anger. Which is exactly what I got. But, instead of taking it out on me, he turned to Katniss.

"Katniss Everdeen..." He said, his voice dangerously soft. "I did not raise you like this! I will not allow you to be married to this man!"

"You didn't raise me! Half the time you were here you were drunk and the other half, you were probably out cheating on mom or some shit! You are not my father and you never will be!" Katniss yelled, tears pouring from her eyes. "You can't make me do anything." She said. "I will stay married to Peeta. We will have two beautiful children. And you will not do anything about it father." She said, hissing his name like an insult, her eyes mirroring his rage filled ones, and in that moment, I could see their resemblance. "Also, it's Katniss Mellark now." She said icily.

Her dark brown hair matching his, with their blue gray eyes, always holding a glint of gold dancing in the center. They had the same rounded nose, and olive skin tone. But in their eyes, you could see the difference. The anger, the rage, the lack of control over his life that her father had, compared to the life, the love, the determination to keep living that Katniss had.

Suddenly, I saw Mr. Everdeen draw his hand back, and I knew what was about to happen, but I was helpless to stop it, frozen in the moment.

He struck Katniss across the face, and I heard her cry out in pain. She straightened up again, holding her hand to her cheek. I could see tears threatening to overflow in her eyes, but she held them back.

"Katniss." I said. "Baby are you okay?" I questioned, panicking.

She gritted her teeth. "Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." She said to me quietly, before turning to her father.

"Well, what a great way to bring back the old memories huh?" She said sarcastically, although I could hear the pain behind her words.

"But I'm sorry to say that you won't be doing that anymore." She said, a new look on her face, a determination. A fire in her eyes.

"You....you disgusting excuse for a man that thinks it perfectly fine to hit your family, to hit a childs mother and sister. In front of them. Yeah well, that's going to end today." She said, stepping closer to him.

"If you so much as lay a finger on them I will not let you forget it." She said, glaring at him.

Katniss's mother and Gale had been standing here during this all, and were now looking at Katniss.

"Yeah, whatever you say kid." He said, taking a long sip from the beer bottle he had been holding. "Great talk. And don't go fucking this piece of shit anymore." He said, his words slurred, nodding to me.

"Do not talk to me or your daughter like that." I said. I was ready to punch this man. He had insulted us too many times. He had hit Katniss. This was too much.

I was about to punch him, rage filling my body, and all I could think about was how satisfying it would sound for my hand to hit his face.

Gale quickly intervened though, holding me back from him.

"Peeta, stop it." He says, restraining me.

"No! He hurt Katniss!" I said to him, trying to loosen myself from his grip, but it wasn't working.

"Peeta, calm down." He said again.

I tried to calm down, breathing in and out slowly, still glaring at her father.

"Peeta." This time it was Katniss talking. "I'm fine. You really do need to breathe. C'mon, let's sit down. We can talk for a bit too." She finished.

Her father had left at this point, so we headed over to the old couch to sit down, tired from all of the events that had happened.

Katniss leaned her head against my shoulder as we sat on the couch.

"So...where to start..." She said. "We have a lot to talk about." She stated again. She opened her mouth to relieve herself of a deep sigh. She began talking and our deep talk began.

~

I picked Katniss up from her house yesterday morning, she spent all of yesterday resting and insisted the Bakery needed to be open today with two workers. She stood at the counter talking to customers in the easy way she did, I stood in the back kneading dough watching her.

"Peeta! Stop staring at me, there is a woman here who wants two dozen chocolate chip cookies, two dozen lemon poppy seed cookies and two dozen sugar cookies by tomorrow." Katniss said, standing next to me. I looked up at her and smiled.

"Write the order down please. The reason why I'm staring at you is because you're so beautiful and you're carrying my beautiful babies. I mean who would I be to not stare at you?" I told her. She smiled gently at me

Katniss blushed, making me smile even more.

"Peeta! Stop it, we have customers!" She said with a laugh, hitting me gently on the arm.

I wrapped my arms around her, and kissed her on the cheek and laughed as she squirmed to get away. "Peeta!" She said again, a silly smile on her face.

"What? Do you not like my kisses anymore, baby?" I joked.

"Oh no, I never liked them. I just married you for the free Bakery food!" She said with a smirk. I fake gasped, and she turned around again.

"Now, go get this nice lady her food." She said, laughing to herself.

"Fiiine!" I said, drawing out the word to make her smile, which she did. I loved moments like this that I could have with Katniss, just her and me, laughing and joking. Somehow she just made me fall even more in love with her every day.