It's Always Been You

Chapter Twenty One; Kicks

"Katniss, wake up," I hear Peeta whisper, shaking me awake. I sit up, coughing and gasping for air. I look around, and find him behind me, holding onto me tightly. I look up at him.

"What happened?" I breathe. Peeta brings his hand to my face, wiping away my tears.

"You were having a nightmare. You were screaming and rolling around in your sleep. Y-you didn't realize?"

I shake my head, leaning farther back on to him. "Thank you," I whisper. He leans down, kissing the top of my head. "I- I think I'm just going to go downstairs and get ready for the day." I whisper, standing up and wiping the remaining tears from my eyes. I walk out of the bedroom, walking downstairs and making myself a cup of tea. It's not long before I hear Peeta come down. He sits across from me, offering me a smile.

"What's on your mind?" Peeta asks, placing his hand over mine. I look down, biting the side of my mouth.

"I don't know..." I whisper. "I'm just stressed about having to go back to the Capitol so soon. I'm worried about the baby. I hope it's okay."

"I'm sure it's fine, Katniss." Peeta says, rubbing my hand reassuringly. "I can't promise nothing bad will ever happen, but I can promise that I will do anything and everything to keep you safe."

I nod, looking over at the clock. Peeta's family is coming over at 12:00 for lunch. We have to tell them about my pregnancy.

I can't lie, I'm terrified. I'm not worried about what his father will say, he's usually been supportive towards Peeta and I. But his mother is a different story.

She hates me. However, I truly don't blame her. I've done horrible things in my life, but I know she isn't a very loving person towards Peeta either.

I sound stupid. I survived a hunger games, and I'm scared of someone like Peeta's mother. I don't know why, but I just wish she'd accept me.

+++

"Hello." I murmur, opening the door for Peeta's family. His father comes in first, greeting me sweetly.

"Katniss, how are you?" He asks, patting me on the back. I smile.

"I'm okay," I lie. "Peeta's upstairs. He should be down any minute." He nods, walking through the doorway as Peeta's older brothers follow. Once his mother walks through the door, I try my best to greet her, but she simply ignores me, following her children into my kitchen. I roll my eyes, shutting the door.

"Hey, guys." I hear Peeta call from the stairs. I let out a sigh of relief. I'm not sure how long I could handle Peeta's family alone. He comes over to me, kissing my temple. "You look absolutely stunning, Katniss."

"Thank you." I say, looking down at the green sundress I've dressed in. I let my hair fall in its natural waves today, but I've put on some makeup. I wanted to make an effort for Peeta's family.

"Mom, Dad, how are you?" Peeta asks.

"We're good, thank you." His father says, hugging him. "It's definitely weird not having you around the house every day. We're still getting used to it."

Peeta chuckles, and I smile awkwardly. "Well, dinner should be ready, so let's go sit down." Peeta says. We all walk into the dining room, Peeta and I sitting next to each other, with his brothers across from us and Peeta's mom and dad on each end of the table.

There is minimal conversation, because dinner is so delicious. After a few minutes of silence, though, Peeta and I exchange a glance.

Peeta clears his throat, smiling. "Well, Katniss and I have some news." He says, getting everyone's attention. I take a deep breath, waiting for him to get the words out. "Katniss and I are going to have a baby soon. Katniss is pregnant."

There are seconds that feel like hours of silence, before Peeta's mother opens her mouth. I'm relieved, but at the same time, completely terrified.

"She's what?!" She screams at the two of us. "I can't believe you'd do something like her." She hisses.

"What do you mean by that?" Peeta asks, raising his voice. I look down at the floor, trying my best not to make the situation worse.

"Did she force you into this, Peeta?" His mother screams. "I'll kill her!"

"No, of course not!" Peeta says. "Why would Katniss force me into having a baby?"

"Please calm down." Peeta's father says simply, shaking his head. "That's completely unnecessary. Katniss is a nice girl."

"She is not!" His mother replies. "She is a piece of scum! I don't know why you're with her anyway, Peeta. She's disgusting filth. Look at her!"

I bite my lip, not drawing my gaze from the floor. I place my hand on my abdomen, clutching it tightly.

After processing what she's said, Peeta completely explodes, screaming louder than I've ever heard before. I'm positive he's woken Haymitch up. "Don't you dare talk to the woman I love like that!" Peeta screams. "Get the hell out of my house if you can't respect her!"

I look up, to see Peeta's brothers' jaws dropped. His mother simply places her fork down, standing up and walking out the door.

I let the breath out that I hadn't realized I was holding in. Mr. Mellark looks at me, completely speechless. "Katniss, I am so sorry." He whispers. "She shouldn't act like that towards you."

"No." I whisper, looking back down at the floor. I just don't want to make eye contact with Peeta. "Don't be sorry. I- I just need to get some fresh air." I say, standing up and walking out the door. The crisp air hits me, and I take a deep breath, placing my hand on my stomach.

I want to hate Peeta's mother for what she's said. I want to completely disagree with her, but I can't. Maybe she's the only person that can see through me. Maybe I am just filth from the seam. Peeta shouldn't have to be with someone like me.

I walk over to the front porch of my Mother's house, sitting down and leaning back on the post. I close my eyes, wanting to fall asleep and never wake up. Suddenly, I feel slight pressure in my stomach. I jolt up, covering it with my hand. I can't feel from the outside, but there is something going on inside. That's when I realize that the baby is kicking for the first time.

I let out a short breath, letting the tears fall. The fact that I'm becoming a mom is becoming more and more real. This pregnancy is happening so fast, and there's nothing I can do to slow it down.