Rising Storm

Chapter 6

Peeta

I hear Katniss groan and roll away from me, taking away her warmth and protection from the early morning light. I reluctantly open my eyes and sit up. I look to see her laying on her stomach, her dark hair a matted mess. I lightly touch her shoulder and she groans.

"Leave me alone," she says. I chuckle and brush her hair away from her face.

"I just wanted to goodbye before I snuck back into my room so they don't catch me in here," I whisper. She lifts her head and looks at me, a tired smile on her face.

"Yeah," she says, "I'd rather they didn't know any more of my personal business than they already do." She stretches like a cat and sits up, her lone leg tucked beneath her. She notices me staring and sighs. "If you stop looking at me like it changes me, I can stop acting like it has."

"It doesn't," I reply reaching down beside the bed and pulling up her prosthetic. "But I do think you need this to get around today." She laughs softly and takes it from me.

"Thanks," she says laying it beside her. She looks at me and then presses a feather light kiss on my cheek and I smile at her. "You'd better get going before Haymitch wakes up and heads for the bar car." I nod.

"See you at breakfast," I say getting up and she nods.

"Yeah," she says. "I should probably start getting dressed anyway." I kiss her gently and then turn and leave. I get to my door and hear a laugh. I turn to see Haymitch standing just outside his door.

"Boy, you are so busted," he says. I roll my eyes.

"I haven't the faintest idea of what you're speaking," I reply. He just laughs and shakes his head.

"Yeah," he says. "If you plan on sticking with that story, next time tell Katniss to be quieter when she's got you sitting between her legs. I don't need that image in my head at three in the morning." I feel myself turn red and can't meet his eyes as I go into my room.

I take a quick shower and get dressed for breakfast, not worrying too much what I'm wearing since Portia will have an outfit for when we get to District 4 today. I walk into the dining car to see Katniss and Effie in deep conversation while Haymitch leans back in his chair with a cup of coffee. He winks at me as I sit down next to Katniss and she moves over a little to make room on the bench.

"Well I am happy to hear you two have finally gotten over that little quarrel you had in Twelve," Effie says. I glance at Katniss, as though to ask how much she's said. She shakes her head at me. She's kept the fact that we've been sleeping in the same bed for nearly a week now hidden from the oblivious painted woman across the table.

"It was only a matter of time before we did," I say. "It was a silly argument and we can't really stay mad at each other for long."

"Well, you two eat up and I will go make sure Cinna and Portia are ready for when we arrive," she says getting up and clicking away on her heels. Haymitch gets up and takes her place.

"We need a new game plan," he says. Katniss nearly chokes on her food and then stares at him.

"What do you mean?" She asks, "We're always seen laughing and together. I can't think of the last time I saw a picture of me not hanging off Peeta's arm."

"Well, it's not working," he says. "So you need to think of something else. Something more drastic." I glance at her and she seems interested in her scrambled eggs again."

"What else can we do?" She says.

"We could get married," I say and she glares at me.

"That's not funny," she says.

"I'm not trying to be," I say. "You've told me yourself that they're gonna expect a wedding sooner or later. Why not now?" She turns back to her food, looking almost defeated.

"That's really not a bad idea," Haymitch says. "It would definitely make up for your fight. We could say it was tension over wedding planning." I look at Katniss again and see her closing her fist.

"Katniss?" I ask and she stands up.

"Fine," she says. "We'll do it." She turns to leave and I stand up to follow her. He holds up her hand to stop me. "I guess I'll go tell Cinna he gets to start drawing up plans for wedding dresses." She walks out and I glance angrily at Haymitch.

"You didn't need to make it sound like it was the only option," I say.

"But it is, Peeta," he says. "You know that as well as I do." I roll my eyes and get up to go after Katniss. I go to her room first, knowing she didn't really go after Cinna. She left the door unlocked and I open it to find her crying on her bed.

"Katniss, I'm sorry, I thought you'd understand," she gets up, her eyes bloodshot already and her face blotchy.

"I'm not a child, Peeta," she says. "I completely understand why you brought this up and now. But I hope you'll forgive me for being a little upset about this." She sits down on her bed and starts crying again. I walk over and sit next to her.

"Why are you upset then?" I ask.

"Because this isn't how I wanted this to happen," she says. "I want you to ask me to marry me because you want to, not because you feel like it's the only way to save our butts."

"But I do want to marry you," I say. She looks at me and shakes her head.

"Be honest with me Peeta," she says. If you had to marry me today, would it be because you loved me and wanted me to be your wife or because we need to provide another piece to the love story Snow wants." When I don't answer right away, she turns away from me. I don't know what to say. She's right. If we really do care about each other, this isn't how this should have happened. I look at my hands and notice the ring I had neglected to take off yesterday as part of my evening outfit in Five. It's green, probably a real emerald that had been meant to go with her silk evening gown she had been wearing. I take it off my pinkie and hold it up so it glints in the light. I glance at her and see her looking at me.

"Peeta, what are you doing?" She asks. I don't answer her and instead kneel in front of her and take her hand. "Okay, this isn't funny. You can't just-"

"Why can't I?" I ask. "I love you and you love me. And you're right, if I ask you when Haymitch decides we have to, it won't mean the right thing. It won't mean what I want it to. So I guess you'll just have to act surprised when I ask you later because you'll already have had the ring I want to give you for a few days. That is, if we really are going to elope and just renew our vows in front of the Capitol." She starts crying again, but this time she's smiling through her tears.

"I..," she pauses to wipe away a tear. "I think I can live with that." I smile at her and take her hand in mine, slipping the too big too big ring on her slender finger. I frown a little but she pulls her hand to her chest.

"We can fix that in the Capital," she says. "Have the stone cut into a neater shape and the band made thinner and smaller."

"Does that mean?" I ask and she nods.

"Of course I elope with you," she says. "I've wanted to be Mrs. Peeta Mellark since I was five." She pulls me into a soft sweet kiss and I pull her to me so we are both sitting on the floor. I pull away and see the noticeable looseness of the ring around her finger. She looks too and smiles at me, slips it off and reaches around her neck and slides it on a delegate platinum chain around her neck.

"I'll keep it right here for now, she whispers so softly and sweetly that someone five feet away wouldn't have heard her words. "Close to my heart just like you always will be." I smile back at her and pull her into another sugar sweet kiss.