The Mockingjay Lives On

Chapter 16

Peeta POV

I rock her until she falls asleep, I do not want to put her down so I take her with me out into the hall and make a few phone calls. 

Upon returning to the room, as tired as I am, I still cannot bring myself to put her down. I climb onto the makeshift bed, trying to not jostle my little girl. I lean up against the wall, positioning her on my chest and just watch her breathe. I kiss her head and whisper to her, "I love you to the moon and back Acacia." 

I am awaken a couple hours later to feeling her move, it must be time to eat again for her. This happens on and off over the next couple of hours, but she never cries, just moves around alerting me that she's awake. 

On the last time I am awoken it isn't because of my daughter, it's because of Haymitch, he enters as quietly as possible but I hear him, I've obviously been waking up every couple of hours. "Shhh!" I say, "they're still sleeping." He looks at me and nods. 

"How are they doing?" he says looking down to Acacia and looking over to Kat. "Come on and sit down," I tell him, making room for him. "They're perfect by the way." I say grinning. He looks at Acacia, and asks, "Can I hold her?" still grinning I nod and carefully place her into his arms. As soon as she's nestled into his arms, I watch a single tear roll down his cheek slowly. "Haymitch?" "She's beautiful kid, looks just like her mother." he says sniffling. 

I think this is the perfect time to bring up what Katniss and I talked about one night a couple months ago. "Haymitch, I have a question for you." He looks up at me, "Oh?" "Yeah, Katniss and I talked about this a while ago, but we wanted to wait until after she arrived." I say, taking a breath, taking in his demeanor. He looks at me as to continue on. "We wanted to know if you would do us the honor of being a grandfather to her." 

He looks down at her, and then back over to me. "Peeta, I would be truly honored. I came over here as well today to let you both know that I am trying to be sober." I do a double take, Haymitch? Sober? Those two words do not coincide with each other. I know how much he does love his spirits. "Can I ask why?" I say, then realize how harsh that sounds. "Not that its a bad thing being sober, but why?" He looks down and immediately it becomes clear, Acacia. "Because of her," he nods down to her. "The minute I felt her kick one day while checking on Katniss, when you were at the bakery, she was somersaulting in her belly and Katniss wanted me to feel, and immediately, I knew that I had to clean my act up. I wanted to be more available to all three of you. I love you and Katniss like my own children, and I want to be more coherant." he says. "I love you three." I smile.

"We love you too Haymitch," Katniss says as if she's been listening this entire time. We look over to her, "So, you'll do it?" she asks, almost pleading. "Absolutely Sweetheart." he says with a grin. 

He stands up and takes Acacia over to Katniss who welcomes her into her arms. I tell him Gale and Charlie had their baby girl last night and he just laughs. "You both announce your pregnancies on the same day and on the same day you both have a daughters. Well that's just beautiful and wonderful and apparently, fate." he says. "It must be something." I say. "So, does Plutarch know she's here?" I shake my head. "No, we want to enjoy her first." I say. "Makes sense." Haymitch says walking back over to get Acacia from Katniss. I think he can't help himself. 

Katniss POV

I watch Haymitch holding my little Acacia, Cassie as I think I may call her for short. He's such a proud grandfather. He's been the father figure in my life and Peeta's since we were sixteen. It fits him.

Cassie must have slept through the night, because I know I didn't wake up to her. Suddenly I have to know. "Peeta?" I say. "Yeah?" he says standing up, walking over to me. "Did she sleep through the night?" He shakes his head, "no, she woke up a couple of times, but I couldn't put her down, so she laid down on my chest all night. But she never cried, she just wiggled around." he says smiling. 

"Did you get any sleep?" I ask him. "I did. I kept waking up though when she wiggled around but I would wake up in between all of that to check on the both of you." 

Oh Peeta, already being an over protective father and husband. I can't imagine him any other way.

"Okay," Haymitch says standing up walking towards us. "I better scoot. I'm supposed to go pick Effie up from the train station. She wanted to come and visit, and no, before you can ask, she doesn't know about my granddaughter there. I will let you both tell her." He says kissing her head before handing her over to me. 

I reach up for my daughter, "We will be home later today if you want to bring Effie by." Peeta tells him. "You got it." 

"Peeta, have you talked to Gale and Charlie yet?" I ask him. "No, not yet. I've been laying with Acacia, and then Haymitch stopped by." he says looking at our daughter, never once taking his eyes off of her. 

After a while, just talking and watching our daughter peacefully sleep, the doctor came in and said that we were good to go home whenever we were ready. 

"Peeta, I want a picture of all of us here, before we leave. Of our family." I say. "Just us three?" he questions. "Well, yes, but I also want one of all of our family that is here." He nods, "I like that." 

Gale, Charlie and the kids come over, they just got the clearance to go home as well. Hunter is confused, because he keeps looking at Violet and Cassie. "Siswer," he says pointing at Violet. "That's right buddy, that's your sister." I tell him. Then he looks over to Cassie, "Siswer," pointing to her. "No buddy, that's Cassie." He gets a look on his face then shouts, "BABY!" which brings us all to laugh. 

"Can I hold her?" Gale asks motioning towards Cassie. "Of course," I say handing my daughter to him. "By the way, while you both are here," Peeta starts. "Would you do us the honor of being Acacia's Godparents?" Charlie can barely contain herself, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" she says bouncing in the chair. 

Then all at once, it seems that everyone, including the doctor and except for Haymitch, who is waiting for Effie shows up, Hazelle and the kids, Annie, Noah, Johanna, Delly and Pollux and my mother. Thankfully my mother has the camera, she apparently had thought about bringing it without anything being said to her. Thank you mom. She hands the camera to the doctor asking him to get a picture of everyone. We sit Hunter and Noah up on the bed and put the girls right out in front of them, while everyone else gathers around to get into the picture. I also got an idea to get all four of the children together, for a picture of just them. These four are our future, they're going to never have to worry about anything that we had to deal with growing up. They get to be children and live happy carefree lives, and just that thought makes my heart swell. 

The girls are passed around to each of their family members, but honestly, all I want to do is take my daughter home and enjoy her. Charlie looks at me with the same look I know I have on my face, she's got the same idea. 

"Okay, I am ready to go home." I announce. 

An hour later, we finally arrive home. I have never been so happy to be home. "Welcome home my beautiful girls," Peeta says lovingly. "Let's get her up into her room." I nod. When he opens the door, I am in shock. He's painted the meadow that is littered with dandelions and primroses on a wall, and a willow tree, the same one that is in the song I always sang to Prim. It's beautiful. "Peeta! When did you do this?" I ask him. "It's taken me a couple of weeks. I would come in here while you were napping. I wanted to make this room special for her. I just knew that this would be perfect for her. Whether she was a boy or girl. It's a perfect representation of us and her. Perfect just like you, my beautiful wife, and just like our beautiful daughter." He says. 

I smile at him and walk over with Cassie in my arms and carefully place her in the crib. "Sleep well my beautiful daughter, I love you always." I say and kiss her head.