Pregnant In the Quell

Chapter Forty One

I smile as I walk down the stairs, watching the triplets eat their breakfast. Raine and Jay are talking amongst themselves while Aster plays with her food, trying to make a tower out of the strawberries on her plate.

"Good morning, beautiful." Peeta says as he kisses my cheek. He hands me a plate of pancakes, bacon, and fresh berries. I laugh as I sit down next to Raine. Peeta placed the berries on the pancake like a smiley face.

"Good morning, handsome." I reply, taking a bite of my pancakes. "You three are up early."

"Mommy!" Raine squeals. "You know why I'm up early!" She says, clapping her hands.

"Why is that?" I ask, laughing silently to myself.

"Mom, you said I could go hunting with you today! You said that I had to be up before you, though so I was ready."

"You're right, sweetie." I whisper, kissing her on the head. "Aster and Jay, what are you two and daddy doing today?"

"We're going to the bakery, Mommy." Aster says, putting her arm around her brother.

I smile, looking over to Jay who seems upset. "Hey, little one. What's wrong?"

"I had a nightmare last night." He says, frowning at his food.

"You did?" Peeta asks, startled as he sets his spatula down. "Jay, why didn't you come get us?"

"Yeah, honey. Why didn't you?"

"I don't know." He mumbles.

"Peeta, can I talk to you for a second?" I ask, ushering him to come into the living room. "I can't believe he's had another nightmare." I whisper. "It's been months."

"I know, I know." Peeta says, shaking his head. "Should we take him to see Dr. Aurelius?"

"I– I don't know. Maybe we should wait a few days. But he has to tell us about it."

Peeta nods as we walk back into the dining room. "Hey, Jay." I whisper, leaning down to him and kissing his cheek. "You know you can tell your dad and I anything, right?"

"I know." He says. I offer him a smile, ruffling his hair with my hand. "Because that's what we do."

"What do we do, Mommy?" He asks confusedly.

"We protect each other."

+++

"Raine, be quiet, sweetie." I whisper as we walk through the woods. The leaves are crunching under our feet, and I watch as three turkeys pass right before our eyes.

"See them?" I whisper, huddling down next to Raine. She looks at them in awe, her big gray eyes alert. "Someday, I'll teach you how to shoot one yourself."

"When, Mommy?" She whispers, keeping her voice as quiet as possible. "I hope it's soon."

I smile, chuckling softly to myself. "Watch closely."

I step in front of her, taking a single arrow from my quiver. I pull it back by my face, and decide to make a game out of it. I let the arrow fly straight through the turkey's eye. Usually, I hit them in the heart, but testing my accuracy is always fun.

"Wow!" Raine squeals as the turkey falls to the ground. I pull another arrow out and hit it in the heart to kill it fully.

"Maybe you can help me skin it when we get home." I say to her. "And about teaching you how to hunt..." I start as I put the turkey into my hunting bag. "Next year... On your birthday, I think it'd be the best time. You'll be six!"

"Yay!" She says, giggling as she jumps into my arms. "I can't wait, Mommy. I want to be just like you!"

I grin, taking her words to heart. 'I want to be just like you.' If only she knew that she didn't want to be like me. The pain that I know that she will feel when she understands fully. The whole story.

"I love you, Raine." I whisper, stroking her long, chestnut brown hair. I plant a soft kiss on her forehead, and she smiles widely at me.

"I love you, mama." She whispers. I hold her closely, never wanting to let go. My love for my daughter is the strongest in the world.

"Come on, it's getting late." I say. "Let's go make some dinner. I'm sure Aster and Jay would love to help us.

+++

We sit around the table, Peeta and I next to each other, while we watch our three children across from us. Peeta's hand is resting on my thigh as I lean my head into the crook of his neck.

The triplets all eat their turkey soup quickly, biting into the fresh bread that Peeta, Aster, and Jay made today at the bakery.

I look up at Peeta, smiling at him. "We made it, Peeta Mellark. We made it."

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A/N:
I loved writing this chapter, aw. MAKE SURS TO READ MY NEW STORY "It's always been you." I'm super excited about it.
Twitter; @panemshero
Xoxo, Eva