Fighting For Us.

Thirty Three

Gale's POV;

"Katniss! Katniss!" I hiss. "Come out please." I plead crawling through the dank damp sewer tubes.

I see a light at the end of the tube, the waste is spilling over the end of the tube.

"Kat- Katniss!" I continue to cry as we race down the tube.

The tube comes to a drop off. I hold myself still and then look down. A dead drop off.

That's when I see it. The body of a thin girl, face down, laying in the muck, dead.

Peeta's POV;

I pace the floor. Stepping over Rye each time. He's starting to grow teeth. His birthday is approaching. Which means so is Katniss's. They share the same birthday, she went into labor late at night after her 20th party.

"Peeta sit down. It'll be okay." Cressida tells me. "Just calm down."

"How can I calm down? How are you calm right now?"

"Because I know he's smart. And so is she. They won't do anything reckless."

"Her middle name is reckless." I half shout.

"Peeta." She coos. "They've survived how many rebellions now? How many hunger games?" I sigh. "I think they can handle themselves."

"Yeah, your right." I breath.

"I know I am."

Rye toddles over to me and puts his fingers on my lips. "Dad." He sputters. I smile and nod.

"Children can tell when something's wrong, even that young." She tells me. "Put up a strong front for them." I nod and pull my little son in for a hug.

"I should start dinner."

Gale has been gone for a week and a half. I haven't seen Katniss in two months now. Her birthday is in five days.

I stir a large pot of broth on the stove, and begin to chop vegetables. "Call next door and tell them to come over. I may have cooked a little extra." I call to her.

Lilly begins to cry from the living room.

"I'll call after I handle that." She jokes before disappearing to care for my baby.

"Rye; your gonna be one in five whole days, how does that sound?" I ask looking down at him at my feet. He looks up at me with a toy in his hand, it finds its way into his mouth.

"Da!" He smiles before falling onto his butt.

"Yeah, da's gonna have to plan something real special. Whether your mommy's here or not.." I say mostly to myself.

What will I do if Katniss isn't home in time for his first birthday? How will she react if she does come home and find out she missed it? Well, that's if she comes home at all.

**

Dinner that night is quiet. No one knows what to say anymore. What is there to say? The days of hopefulness and I'm sorry's have long passed.

There isn't anything more to say. Just dead silence.

"Her birthday is in five days." Effie reminds us all.

"Which means so is Rye's." Haymitch adds.

I offer a weak smile. "They have the best grandparents."

"Got that right." Haymitch says pointing a fork at me.

"They had good parents for a while." I say softly pushing the food around on my plate.