Rising Storm

Chapter 27

Peeta

Johanna wakes Katniss and I up at Sunset. We've survived for another long day, sticking to the beach and water for safety. Its been enjoyable and even though she'd never admit it, Katniss is starting to become friendly with our forced allies. Her and Johanna don't go for eachothers throats anymore and Katniss even cracks a smile or two at Finnick's jokes.

But its coming to an end. She's been begging me to leave since the slaughter on the cornucopia. She keeps trying to seperate us from the others in subtle instances. Tonight, we plan to launch an attack on the remaining careers. And after that, I agreeded that Katniss and I would run. We'll meet near the bottom of the hill and go for the blood rain forest, where we could make a shelter against the hour's threat.

Katniss sits down next to me, rubbing her ribs. She groans and sighs.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"The baby is turned weird," She says. "I think its uncomfortable and taking it out on one of my kidneys." I nod and she stops, looking out over the lake.

"It is pretty here," She says. "It reminds me of 4."

"That seems so long ago now," I say.

"Five months," She replies. "Thats all it was."

"We've only been?" I ask without endangering her with the truth of our less than friendly nature towards each other over the fall and winter.

"Married for four months," She lies. "And I've been pregnant a little less than that."

"You know I've loved you a long time," I say and she nods.

"Of course," She says, though her eyes suggest she's a little confused.

"Did I ever tell you about the first time I saw you?" I ask. She shakes her head.

"No," She says. "It was when we were eleven though, right?" I shake my head.

"No, it was years before that," I say. "On the first day of school."

"You never mentioned," She says.

"It wasn't important," I say. "But I want our baby to know how we met."

"Peeta, I don't wanna talk like this," She says, clearly getting upset.

"I know,  but please, just let me tell you," I say and she nods sadly.

"Fine," She says and I reach over, taking her hand.

"It was the first day of school," I start again. "And I remember being scared. And then I saw your father walking you up. You had this dress, it was red flannel. You clung to your father's leg, even though he was telling you to be his brave little wildflower." Her eyes light up a little and she nods.

"I remember now," She says. "I was clinging to his work pants and hands were getting dirty with coal dust. Then you were there," she smiles, laughing softly, "This little boy with a chiped tooth and blonde curls. My father told me not to be afraid. That you were the baker's son, you'd be in my class."

"Yeah," I say. "That was me. And I gave you something."

"A dandelion," We say together.

"I never would have thought I'd forget that," She says. "I thought you were cute, really nice compared to all those other merchants children. I was bullied, so I shyed away from it. All of it."

"And because you shied away, I lost track of you," I say. "For a very long time. But that doesn't mean anything now. You are even more beautiful now than you were then and we found our way back together."

"Stop sounding like you're saying goodbye," She says, crying again, "You aren't leaving us, leaving me. Not yet."

"I know," I say. "But I need you to look at me, and listen to what I have to say. Because we both know that we won't both get to leave here this time, and I want to be sure I've already said everything, that needs to be said, in case we don't get the chance later." She nods and I gently squeeze her hand. "I know I haven't always been here. Not how you wanted. But if you died, and I lived, I wouldn't last long out there. Not just because we lost our family, but because I lost the only person in this world that I truly care about and who truly cares about me. We have always, always made our way back to one another, but soon, you'll need to let go, and move on. For our child, yourself, and your family. You have, so much more to live for than I do."

"But I don't want to," She says. "What if we could. Just like last time."

"Katniss, you know that isn't gonna happen," I say and she nods. "Now, I love you."

"I love you too," She says. "But promise me something if you insist on doing this."

"What?" I ask.

"Promise me," she looks down at her trembling hand, which I squeeze tighter. "Promise me when we both end up where we might end up after all this, we'll find each other all over again. Like we kave all the times before." I reach up and cup her cheek, making her look up at me.

"Always," I say. "You hear me. We will always be together, Sweetheart. Even after I leave this body, I never, ever, will leave you." She smiles sadly.

"Seal it," She says and I gently kiss her. Its warm and intense, longing like it was in the cave, over a year ago. It makes me fall in love with her all over again. We pull away only when we can't stand it anymore.

Afterwards, we sit there, quietly staring at one another as the light fades, waiting anxiously for the inevitability of death. Memorizing every part of one another's face for the rest of eternity.