The War's Remnants

Chapter Twenty-Two: Baby Shower/Return of Mrs. Mellark

(Katniss's POV)

I sit there as Prim shows off her baby bump to everyone who would pay attention.

Peeta sits beside me with Willow on his lap and Rye in his stroller beside them.

Prim eventually comes back over to us. "Katniss, would you like to get the presents set up?"

Peeta rolls his eyes. "Prim, give her a break. She already set up all the decorations. Get Effie to do it."

Prim nods and goes over to Effie, who happens to also be pregnant.

Guess who's the Daddy?

Haymitch.

Peeta continues to bounce Willow around on his leg with a blank expression on his face.

"Is there something wrong?" I ask him.

He looks at me. "My family is still alive. My parents and brothers. They were not even in the district when the bombs came down. They stayed in a house in the Victors' Village until the bakery was rebuilt and then went to live there."

"Peeta, your mother," I tell him.

"I know. She can hurt me all she wants, but she's not hurting my wife and kids," Peeta says.

I sigh. "But what if she kills you?"

"She won't kill me Katniss. I can easily overpower her now. I'm twenty-six years old. I have been through a lot since the last time I encountered her."

"Present time!" yells Effie.

Peeta gets up and Willow darts off to the living room.

My husband looks at me. "You coming?"

I smile and nod and follow him.

We didn't get too much because it's been a while since Peeta last worked at the bakery. No one's sure if Gale's still there or not, but we're not taking any chances.

After the baby shower, Peeta and I decide to take the kids out for a walk around town.

Being June, it's beautiful outside. All the kids running around, jumping for joy because they're out of school for the summer.

Willow looks nervous when she sees a figure that looks vaguely familiar.

Peeta's mother.

He tenses up. I can feel it in his hand.

"I'm scared now Katniss. If she'll notice Willow, she'll notice me, and-"

I put my finger to his lips to cut him off. "You worry too much. She won't try anything in public."

He nods. "But what about hitting me in front of you when we were eleven?"

"Because she wanted me to see you get abused for doing what you did. In my mind, you saved my life. In her mind, you were just being useless and unintelligent again."

"Daddy, that creepy lady is coming over to us," Willow says, and I see her grip tightening on Peeta's hand.

I get the stroller and take Rye out of it. He would surely be taken if I left him in there.

And Willow's right. Peeta's mother is coming over to us.

"Hello, you worthless thing," she says and crosses her arms at her son.

"Mother, you can't hurt me anymore. You have no idea what I've been through in the past ten years."

"And I don't care. Oh, and, that child of yours, both of them, look just like you: ugly."

That sets me off. I put Rye into Peeta's arms and approach my mother-in-law.

"My children didn't do anything wrong."

"Oh, and I see the Seam rat is your wife?" she asks Peeta.

"She's not a rat, Mother. If you call her that again, I'll feed you to the actual Seam rats."

She smirks. "Then go ahead. Your father will kill you though."

"Cruella!" calls none other than the baker himself.

I start grinning at how my mother-in-law's name is Cruella, like the villain in that cartoon movie that Willow always watches: 101 Dalmatians.

This is gonna be good.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

So, what'd you think?

Clever with the Cruella thing, huh?

Have a great Good Friday!

BYEEEEEEEEEE