Catching Fire: What If Katniss Had Really Gotten Pregnant?

Chapter 16

Updating at five in the morning... Haha :P

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"Katniss! Katniss!" I heard my name and felt my shoulders being harshly shaken.

"Ow," I muttered as I groggily opened my eyes and rubbed them. "What's the problem?" I gasped as Gale suddenly hugged me. "Um, you all right there, Gale?"

"Oh God Katniss, don't do that!" he pulled away from me. "I came back and saw you lying there, all bloody, I thought you'd died!"

"Sorry," I said sarcastically as I sat up. "Mind fixing me up now, before I bleed to death? He nodded as if I were serious, and I rolled my eyes as I lied back down.

He wrapped gauze all the way around my stomach like twelve times, and then did the same to my arm. I might have been still bleeding, but at least it wasn't soaking straight through the bandages.

"I suppose I have to go find a better place."

"What?"

"Well, Gale, if you haven't noticed this place is pretty easy for predators to get to and eat me. Maybe a nice tree, or --"

"You mean your staying here? In the woods?" He pointed at the ground, as if to make a point.

"Well what else do you expect me to do, Gale?" he said nothing. I grabbed my bag and stood. "Come on, you've got to help me climb a tree."

I spent four weeks in that tree, eating food Gale brought me as I healed. I scratched off the days on the tree, anticipating the day I would carve in the twenty eighth notch.

But when that day finally did arrive, I suddenly became very nervous. Peeta was going to hate me. But I had to talk to him. I had to tell him. I had to make it so no one would recognize me walking down the streets. I threw my hair up in a bun, pulled up the hood of my hunting jacket, and threw on a pair of sunglasses. I didn't tell Gale where I was going, just that I needed to do something very important. He probably thought I was going to see my family.

Which I wished so dearly I could do. But I couldn't get them involved in this. The less people I told about any of this, the better.

I walked down the streets with my back hunched and my head low. No one gave me a second glance. I walked right through the seam, and with every step I took got closer and closer to the bakery.

I knew Peeta didn't live there anymore, but I hoped he still worked there. I wouldn't know which house to enter on victors village. Also, the chance of me running into one of his family members seemed a higher possibility in his actual home.

When I made it to the front door of the bakery, I felt sick. But I took a deep breath and pushed the door open. I heard the chime of a bell as I did so, and Peeta walked up to the counter. My heart stopped, but I forced myself to walk up to him.

He still seemed... Off. His skin seemed paler and it looked like he'd lost weight.

I lowered my voice, hoping be wouldn't recognize it. "Peeta Mellark?" he nodded. "I need to speak to you. It's about Katniss Everdeen." Confusion registered on his face, but he ushered me upstairs, into what I was sure was his old room. There was a small bed and a picture of me hanging on the wall next to it.

I closed the door, and turned to him. "We need to hurry." he seemed to become scared for some reason.

"Who are you, and what on earth are you talking about?"

"Just, don't get mad." he pursed his lips as he wondered what I meant. I put down my hood and pulled off my sunglasses.

"Wha-- Katni--?!" My hand was over his mouth in an instant.

"Shhh!" I hissed at him. He nodded, and I slowly removed my hand. Then he jumped forward and kissed me. We kissed for what seemed like quite a while, and I heard a small voice behind me.

"What's going on, Peeta?" I mouth the word Prim to Peeta and he nods his head. "Who's here?" Prim asks.