What If

Chapter Seven:

Katniss

"Katniss?" I heard being whispered softly into my ear, causing me to awake from my nights rest and my eyes to slowly flutter open. "Katniss?"

I groggily rubbed my eyes. I had been having a nightmare, of course. It had been about Peeta being killed in the games right in front of my eyes. Thank god he was lying next to me, his arms wrapped around me.

"You were twitching, like you do when you have nightmares," he murmured. "I thought I'd just wake you up, sorry..."

I chuckled softly, thankful Peeta had awoken me. I wrapped an arm around his neck and placed my head on his shoulder, feeling his soft blond hair in my hands. "No, don't be sorry. Thank you. What time is it?"

I peered out of the grand capitol window and into the pitch black sky. It was dotted with the lights of all the capitol buildings around us, but no stars. I could never see any stars from the capitol, the air was too polluted.

"It's around three," Peeta replied after checking the clock on my nightstand.

"I can't sleep," I decided, feeling alert. I was also afraid of drifting off again, afraid of more nightmares. I was still shaken by the last one. "I can't."

"I know," Peeta whispered into my ear. "I can't,

"Peeta..." I muttered, not wanting to release him. He shook free of my grasp and ran out the door. I sighed and leaned back against the headboard, waiting for him to return.

He came back a few minutes later, this time with a lavish capitol robe wrapped around him. He offered me a robe as well, which I graciously wrapped around myself.

"Where are we going?" I asked as he helped me out of bed. He grabbed a basket from the table, which caused me to narrow my eyes. "I don't think we're allowed to leave the tribute center."

"Good, because we're not," he teased. He took my hand and led me to the elevator, causing me to frown. Then he pressed the button for the roof and it hit me.

"The roof," I whispered. He nodded. Where we'd had our first real conversation nearly a year ago. The place where part of me had let down my guard. The place where I realized I could love Peeta if we weren't sentenced to death. Oh, how I was so naive.

When the elevator doors opened the robes finally made sense to me. I shivered as the sudden chill from the outside hit me. I peered down and saw the busy streets filled with parties and cheering. I rolled my eyes.

"They're still celebrating our demise, huh?" I said with a sigh as I leaned against the railing.

"Be careful over there," Peeta warned. I laughed. "Katniss, I'm serious. Maybe sit down, I don't want you to get too tired."

"Peeta, there's a force field to throw us back up," I replied.

Peeta frowned as he set the basket down. "I don't care. We don't know what force fields might do to the baby."

Well, in a few short hours we're headed to the arena stocked with weapons and twenty-two other people who want to kill us.

"What are you doing with that basket?" I asked to keep my mind off of things.

Peeta sighed. "Never mind. Turn back and watch the city, I want it to be a surprise."

I was too tired to argue, so I turned my attention back to the shallow people still celebrating in the streets. Apparently they'd gotten over their sadness real fast like I'd predicted.