Hijacked

Chapter Fifty Five

Chapter Fifty Five

(LISTEN TO LORDE LADDER SONG DURING THIS CHAPTER)

PEETA'S POV

I sit on the bed watching the sun rise over the meadow and woods. The house is cold, silent, no signs of life in it. I know Willow is in her room sleeping soundly but it always feels dead without Katniss. I hear the front door open. I then hear her soft footsteps walking up the steps. She walks through the door, a glass jug of orange juice in her hand.

She lifts it up. "For breakfast... Thought it would be a nice treat." "You kissed him didn't you?" She goes silent then. "You don't have to hide those things from me anymore Katniss I know better I'm not dumb you know." "I know you aren't dumb... I was just about to tell you." I look down at the floorboards, where tears threaten to spill over my eyes. I stay silent. "Peeta I'm sorry." I sniffle. "There's no need to apologize." I look up slowly to see the dark circles under her grey eyes, her scars more visible than usual, her hands shaking, her body shaking as well, the wristband she's wearing more evident in showing her mental state.

"Come here." I say quietly. I move her into my lap, nestling my face into the crook of her neck and take in her scent. "God I love you so damn much." "Haymitch is right ya know." Katniss says softly. "What's that?" I ask, kissing her shoulder, proceeding to take off her leather jacket so my warm hands can warm her cold skin. "I could live a thousand lifetimes and never deserve you." My mouth drops. "Katniss..." "It's true, you're so perfect, so loving, and then there's me." I move her so she's straddling me and I rest my forehead against hers.

"He's wrong... We both could live a million lifetimes and never deserve each other... I don't deserve you Katniss." I kiss her lips slowly. "Such a perfect woman, such a loving person, such beauty inside and out." I kiss her again deeply. I break away. "I love you... I tell the demons that every night when I go to sleep that I fight with... The hijacked Peeta." Katniss's eyes fill with tears. "I tell that mutt that every night, and it pisses him off but he can suffer for as long as I'm here because he made me suffer for so long." I choke on my words.

"I never wanted to hurt you Katniss Mellark." Then our sobbing is stopped by small movements by our door. "Mama? Dada?" We turn our heads to see Willow, holding onto the doorframe... Her dark curls shining in the morning light. I don't know how she got out of her crib but right now I just need both of my girls, my beautiful girls. "Come here baby girl." I say softly.

She waddles over to Kaniss and I. Katniss scoops her up so she is in both of our arms. She looks at both of us with her blue eyes going wide. "Why are you both crying? Don't be sad mama and dada!" She exclaims loudly making me chuckle. "Willow... Sometimes mommy and daddy get sad." "But why?" She says innocently. I brush Katniss's tears away gently. "Because it's hard to remember things when it hurts... We start remembering scary things that make us really sad."

"Well then tell them to go away." Willow says, crossing her chubby arms over her chest. "I don't think we can baby." Katniss whispers, kissing her dark curls. "Then how do I make you two happy?" Willow says, sounding exasperated. I laugh and then move Katniss from my lap and lay Willow on her back. "Well you can love on us, kiss us." I wrap my arms around Katniss tightly. "You can squeeze us tight." Katniss laughs and I kiss her cheek, then we both get on either side of Willow, laying on our sides.

We both start tickling her and her laughs fill the house like church bells ringing, awaking us from this nightmarish state. We both laugh with her as she squeals loudly. Then after sometime Willow has fallen back to sleep between Katniss and my body. Our hands rest over each other's, showing our wedding rings shining in the morning light. Our stomachs rumble for breakfast but Katniss and I both don't move... We've needed this moment, the light in the dark.

My warrior, my soldier, my survivor has needed this for weeks. As I look at Katniss I kiss her gently once again, keeping my forehead pressed against hers. "You love me real or not real?" She asks softly. I kiss her nose lighty, then squeeze her hand. "Real, forever and always."

Then we both fall asleep, our foreheads pressed against each other's, our hands connected on our baby daughters stomach, who is in the middle of us, the one who keeps us going, who has kept us alive, whom is the very thing that holds us together... And I can never repay Willow for that.

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