All rights to the characters belong to Suzanne Collins!

Chapter 8

He sits down but looks confused.

"I've been having all these wired cravings lately, throwing up, and been moody. So I think I'm you know what." I stare at him. I haven't even thought of this very long, but I couldn't keep it from Peeta. A few days ago my mom hand someone come in with all the same symptoms, so I listened in to see what it was and mentally answered all the questions my mother asked. Pregnancy was the diagnosis. Three months ago was when I got my last monthly visitor. I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant. I promised myself I would never be, but here I am.

"Let's go to your old house." Translation; let's go somewhere without cameras. He looks at me, he looks like he saw a ghost. Terrified, not that I am doing any better, but I have at least had a few days to process it. Victors shouldn't have children; it never ends well.

I manage to walk there without bursting into tears. As soon as we get in I sit down on the old couch; I'm tired. Another sign.

"I am, but I realized a day or so ago. I just thought I was paranoid. But I'm sure I'm not now." I say quietly. Peeta comes up and hugs me.

"I'm sorry."

"Peeta it's not entirely your fault, mostly mine I should have got some herbs or something if I would just think half the time..." I look into his eyes.

"We will get through it, together," I intertwine my fingers with his.

"I was thinking on the way over here, and the baby will be reaped for the Games unless we do something," I say sadly.

"Katniss, we can't do much." He holds mine hand tightly, I know he is thinking the same as me, the Games.

"No, but I do trust Sae to hide the baby at her house. I could hide that I'm pregnant until then. I'll wear hoodies and baggy shirts, that's it." I whisper into his ear.

"No one can find out. Not our parents, not our friends. It would be dangerous." I whisper. Peeta laughs.

"Do you seriously think I am going to let someone I don't even know raise my child while I stand back and watch it grow up never knowing us?" I lean back.

"We could visit the baby," I mumble, Peeta shakes his head.

"So what it can know us as those strangers who stare at me and look sad?" Peeta looks at me like I am crazy and suddenly I feel insane.

"I don't want to give it up, but if Snow ever found out... A baby would be the perfect way to get revenge on us for the rebellions huh?"

"Katniss, he would probably know anyway, the town talks. What are you going to do, hide in your house with all the cameras for the next six months? Give the baby to Sae, never get to know it until we have to mentor it for the Hunger Games?" I flinch at his verbal assault, maybe him being good with words isn't always a gift that works in my favor.

"I wasn't thinking okay! This is why I don't make plans! I just don't want to watch our baby die, and we both know it would be in the Games and no matter what we did Snow would make sure it died."

"Katniss, I couldn't give the baby up." I sob, I know Peeta has a big heart and that he loves kids and I mean it's not like I hate them, but I would rather not have a baby. It be in so much danger, the child of not one, but two victors, of the same Games. It is a death sentence, not one by Peacekeeper but a death sentence all the same.

"Katniss, it is okay, we are going to be fine. We will figure it out okay? We have like twelve years to figure this out, that is a good chunk of time."

"We keep it?" I have never really wanted kids, I have seen my own mom stand off to the side while I stand in the roped area at the reaping, I saw her face when I was on that stage and I have seen the parents whos children die. And just simply not having a kid seemed to be an easy solution.

And now being a Victor and being married to a Victor, I know I am somehow supposed to raise a baby who I will love and protect and mentor, until I have to send it to die. And it is even more impossible than winning the Games myself.

"Katniss there are cameras everywhere, if you physically have a baby, he is going to know, so might as well not put us through the suffering." I squezze my eyes shut as if that can block out the truth of his words. What I am supposed to do is impossible. This is all impossible. This is all so dumb on my part. Who was I to think that I could get a happy ending? I am a Victor, there are no happy endings.

We walk back to my house silently, holding hands, but too distraught with our own thoughts to talk to each other. I look at my stomach, at the living thing that is inside there. If only there was a way to keep it inside me forever, away from everyone. I hope it looks like Peeta and Prim and my mother, like a merchant.

"Peeta could we have an uprising? It's happening in 8. We could have an uprising. Destroy the Games, so no one has to go through the Games again. Our child could be safe." I whisper. I would be shot if anyone heard me say any of that.

"Katniss 12 is the smallest District. I don't think we could. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. We'll have to hope another District overthrows the Capitol." I whisper. Peeta nods his head in agreement.

When we get to my house, where Peeta is always at. He's never at his home not at night, not at dinner. Rarely there unless his mother is having dinner with her friends and wants Peeta to come. My life has Peeta in virtually every minute and the same from him. Neither of us would even have the time to cheat. Not that we would want to, but I hear that happens to a lot of couples.

Haymitch walks in the door. "It's just who I wanted to see. Katniss Peeta outside."

I look at my mother she nods her head for confirmation. "What?" I ask as we get out of Victor Village.

"Effie asked me I wanted to walk you down the aisle, so I figured I should at least mention the upcoming wedding."

"Oh my favorite topic, my Capitol wedding."

"Yeah well, none of us get to hide this one out, so you won't shoot me if I walk you down the asile?"

"No Haymitch I won't, you are supursingly entertaining and I feel I will need that on that day."

"You two care for each other shouldn't you at least pretend to be excited? Gosh you're going to pass your dreary attitudes on to me." I don't comment on the fact that he is always in a dreary attitude.

"It's a Capitol wedding, neither of us are too excited to go to the Capitol with our families in tow. Besides who knows what bizarre tradtions they have?" Peeta speaks for the first time in the conversation, always the voice of facts.

"You've got a point kid."

"Haymitch do you think we could we run?" I whisper.

"Run where, home?"

"The woods," I say. He laughs, and I wince.

"I think you should focus on your wedding." He says. We all start walking back to town.

"Do you hear that?" Peeta points towards the Square, and we all walk towards the growing noise.

There are so many people there, and they are all telling me to go home I'll only make it worse. Peeta stands on a box and sees something.

"Katniss go home! I'll meet you there in a minute, I swear!" Peeta says urgently. I don't listen, whatever it is for me. I see Gale. Tied to a post with a bloody and raw back. It doesn't make sense until I see the man raise the whip. I jump in front of it.

"Katniss!" I hear Peeta scream. I feel something go across my cheek, it feels like maybe a really strong knife and it knocks me to the ground. I stand. At least my stomach didn't hit the ground, and I wasn't too shaken up.

"You are interfering with the punishment of a confessed criminal." The man who isn't Cray says. What happened to Cray?

"Look what you did! You messed up my Victor's pretty little face! She has a wedding shot in a couple of days! Wait till her stylist hears about this!" Haymitch says. Looking like this I could hardly be recognized as one of the victors of last years Hunger Games.

Peeta steps forward and grabs my hand.

"You have to go through me to hurt her again got it?" He says. The man stares at us.

"How many has he had?" Peeta asks.

"Excuse me, Sir, I believe the number of whippings has been exceeded," Purina says. She probably has no idea if it has been met with not.

"Let him go as a warning. But next time it we will be a firing squad." The man says.

Someone passes a knife up, and Peeta cuts the ties off Gale. I may not be the fondest of Gale, but he shouldn't be punished for hunting. A woman gives up what she was using as a countertop so we can carry Gale to my house for my mother to treat. Some people from Gales mining crew come to help us. A girl whose brother my mother treated last year comes up.

"Do you want me to get Hazelle?"

"Yes, don't let her bring the kids!" I say as she walks off. She nods her head. I lead them to my house as they carry him on the once countertop. My mother looks as if the blood has run out of her face when she sees what is going on. Then she cleans off the table so the others can put Gale down. She puts a snow coat on his back and gives me some for my cheek.

"It's starting again," Haymitch says. Mom gives Gale some medicine.

"That won't work," I say. Hazelle looks up at me. She came in a little while ago, and feel awful for her. Her husband died in the mines and here is Gale, being the main provider of the family and he's hurt.

"Katniss it'll work." Mom says.

"That stuff barely knocks out a headache. Gale needs something else," I say.

"Katniss." She warns.

"What, it is true, and we both know it!"

"Take her out." She says dismissively.

"Fine," I say as Haymitch and Peeta follow me into a guest room.

"What? Am I wrong?" I ask.

"Katniss clam down." Haymitch dares to say.

"Don't tell me what to do." I mumble. Peeta sighs, probably knowing that the events of today have me ready to snap at even the smallest thing.

"Excuse me Miss Everdeen," Haymitch mumbles and I see Peeta stand straight up and freeze, waiting for someone to snap. This has all been entierly to stressful between the real wedding the very real baby the impending wedding and the freind in pain in my kitchen.

I just blurt it out, that I am not Miss anymore and haven't been in a while and that I am pregnant and I dont know what to do because I know it will die in the Games, but most crucial in the timeline is I dont know of a way to tell mine and Peeta's families without them hating me.

God I've been in need of some mentoring so Haymitch better step up to the damn plate. Peeta is next to Haymitch with his face covered with his hand, either too embarassed that yes we did this or mad that I decided to tell Haymitch Abernathy all my life pressing problems.

"Sweetheart, you couldn't come to me before the world starting crashing could you?" Haymitch shakes his head and sits down next to me.

"I'm not very good with talking..."

"First off all, congratulations on your marraige and the baby. Second, you can't just do small things can you? You can't just shoot arrows at a dummy, no, you have to shoot at the Gamemakers, you can't just get married no you have to get married and be pregnant. Gosh child. And you," he points at Peeta, "are not any better."

"I have no clue but just tell your families like you told me. As for the baby, I don't know much of anything about those that advice will have to come from someone else, and I am reccomending not Effie."

He carries on like that, giving advice and making it funny until I get so tired I fall asleep.

~K.D. Howell