Katniss's P.O.V.

Peeta told me two weeks ago that I was starting to show, and I haven't been able to pass a mirror without checking the size of my stomach since. It was terrifying, the idea that anyone could now know just by looking at me.

The nausea that the doctor said would subside at the start of my second trimester was still an issue, and I was so thankful that it was the end of the blooming season was done and I could spend a bulk of my day in bed, falling in and out of consciousness until either Peeta or Finnick came calling.

I was just about to take my second nap when I felt it, a strange fluttering deep in my belly, like moth's wings tickling me from inside. I sat up, unsure if it actually happened or if I had imagined it. Then I felt it again, and I held my breath as my hand went to my stomach protectively.

Again. Like a fish swimming inside of me. It was an odd feeling, and I honestly didn't care much for it. But when I realized that it was the baby stirring inside of me, all I felt was fear.

~

Peeta had the second sonogram photo hanging on the fridge, and I caught myself staring at it every time I was in the kitchen, which was a lot lately now that the sickness seemed to be mostly behind me.

I almost felt good. The past few months were mostly a blur, much of it spent on the couch, but now I was more like my old self, some days with energy to spare. Finnick even snagged a job for me at his college teaching an intro to botany course, and between that and my improved health, I was practically happy.

Sometimes though, when it would move, I would panic, and that would be all I could focus on. It was getting better over time, but I didn't think I'd ever stop tensing up after that initial flutter.

Yet I was still drawn to the sonogram photo, to the irrefutable proof that it was a baby inside of me. In the first ultrasound picture, which was now in a frame in our living room, the baby looked more like a gummy bear than anything else. But at 20 weeks, they could make out the slope of its nose, the little chin, the tiny, clenched fist, the round belly.

A baby. I smiled every time I saw the picture.

"Hey! You're up!" Peeta called, his hands full with grocery bags as he stepped through the back door. "I figured you'd be taking a nap by now."

"Not tired," I said, reaching to help him, but he shooed me away.

"That's good, right?" he asked, smiling as he moved around me to put away the milk.

"Yeah," I agreed absently, already losing my train of thought in his presence. He was wearing a tight fitting gray thermal, and I could see every muscle in his arm and back flex as he moved the food to the fridge. He bent to place the produce in the crisper drawer and my eyes were riveted to his ass the entire time.

I noticed that he smiled, too, when he saw the sonogram picture as he closed the freezer door, and bit my lip, watching him hungrily. Then, just when I thought I was already done for, he reached into the bag and held out a pack of Reese's Cups.

"Still loving these?" he asked, and that was it. I was a goner.

"Come here," I growled, pulling him to me by the front of his shirt and kissing him. It took him a second to catch his bearings, but when he did, he reciprocated happily. "Mm, I like it when you're feeling better," he said sweetly.

"Do me."

"What?" he asked with a laugh, his eyes widening. We were together plenty of times since we found out I was pregnant, but the nausea took its toll and that definitely affected our sexual relationship. But now I felt more like I did in the early dating days, and I wanted to take full advantage of that.

"Do me," I repeated, kissing him again, and he met my tongue with his as he lifted me onto the countertop.

I fumbled with his belt as he pushed up the maxi skirt I favored these late summer days. Once he was hard and ready in my hand, he pushed my underwear to the side, teasing my clit with the head of his cock.

"Do you want me to get a condom?" he asked.

"Oh, Peeta, what's the point?" I said, my eyes closed in ecstasy as he moved against me.

That was never my answer before, though.

"Are you sure?" he asked in surprise.

"I'm sure," I told him, my nails digging into his back.

"I've never felt you this wet before."

I kissed his cheek sweetly, then leaned in to whisper in his ear, "So enjoy it. I want to feel you enjoying it."

Any protests were long forgotten as he slid inside of me, and I moaned to encourage him as he started pumping into me, his hands hooked under my thighs as he buried his face in the crook of my neck.

I clenched around him, smiling triumphantly he cried out. "Oh.. My God." I told him as he moved faster. "Does that feel good?"

He seemed incapable of speech at the moment, so he nodded enthusiastically. "Do that when I come," he said a few seconds later, and his voice was so low and raspy that it turned her on even more.

"I'm close," I told him, moving my hand between them to touch my clit. "I'm so close."

"Me, too."

So I clenched again, holding it until his back arched. "Oh, God," he cried out. "Keep doing that."

I complied, and when he came, I tightened and loosened those muscles in accordance with his thrusts, and he was holding me so tightly that I worried about bruises. "Katniss," he sighed when he was finished. "Oh my god."

He replaced my hand with his, and I cried out as I found her release, kissing him again as it subsided.

"Damn," he sighed, reluctantly pulling out of her. It was far messier this way than with a condom, but the feel more than made up for it. "Are you sure that was okay?"

"Worried I'll get pregnant?" I teased.

He shook his head as he wrapped his hand in my hair. "Not what I meant, smartass."

I kissed him as he continued to catch his breath. He lifted his head, eyeing me cautiously. "Because you don't want any more?"

"Exactly," I said, tracing along his jaw with my index finger. "We're...going to see how this one handles."

He pushed off the counter and pulled his jeans back up over his hips. "Aww please, Katniss?"

I rolled my eyes, but he continued on playfully. "Only having one of a mini us...that sounds so boring. I'm just not sure I'm ready to make that kind of commitment right now. I want a family, and you, Rosie and Brooks won't suffice."

I ignored him as I tore open the package of Reese's and took a bite.

"You know, in some cultures, peanut butter cups are acceptable substitutes for promises for children." he told me, eyeing one of them hungrily.

I glared at him as I popped the entire thing into my mouth. "Not this one."

~ Few Days Later ~

The local hospital offered classes on labor, delivery, and newborn child care, and My mother signed me and Peeta up for it without even telling us first.

"It will be good for both of you," My mother said over the phone, and I was fuming on the other end of the line. Of course my mother would "help" in the easier, most hands-free approach possible.

I told Peeta about it, and while he was annoyed, too, he admitted that he'd still like to go. "It couldn't hurt, right?" he asked, and I reluctantly agreed.

The classes were held in a large room in the OB department, and there were half a dozen other couples in attendance, all at various stages of pregnancy.

"When are you due?" The tall, beautiful blonde standing next to me was already eyeing my belly, trying to guess for herself.

"January 11th," I said, hoping that my obvious fatigue would deter the woman from finishing the inquisition. I hated this dance that all pregnant women seemed to do with each other. "When are you due?" "What are you having?" and so on and so on. Then I was expected to volley those questions back, no matter how little I cared about the answers.

"So, what are you having?"

Ugh.

"We decided to be surprised," I lied before turning to Peeta for help, but he was busy studying a diagram of the dilated cervix. Or at least that was his excuse.

"Oh, how fun!" the woman said, rubbing her perfectly round belly. She seriously looked like a Victoria's Secret model with a basketball under her designer maternity shirt.

I wanted to get as far away as possible, but the woman was blinking expectantly.

"When are you due?" I asked with negative enthusiasm, but the woman didn't seem to notice or care.

"November 6th. It's a boy!"

"That's nice," I said, praying that the nurse would start the class soon. I had woken up on the wrong side of the Tempur Pedic bed today, and not only was I in a sour mood, but my back was killing me.

Thankfully it wasn't long until the RN called for everyone's attention, and after she introduced herself and explained what we would be doing that evening, she instructed all the couples to take seats on the floor, with the partner kneeling behind the pregnant woman. Peeta was beat after a long day at his internship, but he took his time with me as he helped me down on the floor, positioning me against him so I was as comfortable as possible, and always being mindful of my sore muscles.

I looked over at the woman I'd been speaking with earlier, and I frowned when I saw that she was trying to kneel on her own, struggling to get down gracefully with her large belly. The dark haired man who I assumed was her husband seemed oblivious to her struggle, and he remained standing, his focus solely on his smartphone.

"Could you please help her?" I whispered to Peeta, and he was up in an instant and at the other lady's side. Once she was comfortably on the floor, she thanked Peeta and then smiled sweetly at me, and even though my back was aching now more than ever, the smile I returned was a genuine one.

~

"So, when's your baby shower?" Delly Cartwright asked.

Peeta had invited some of our old high school friends out to dinner with me, and while I was trying to get reacquainted with them, the only topic anyone seemed interested in talking about was the baby, and anything and everything relating to the baby.

"Oh, I don't know," I said, pushing around the food on my plate. "My sister is in her first year of High school, and my mother's...busy, so I think we'll probably just skip that."

"But they're so fun!" Delly continued enthusiastically. "And you get so much stuff that you need for the baby. Can't your friends throw one for you? I'd love to help!"

"My friends are all kind of busy," I mumbled, suddenly trying to fight tears. I was so emotional lately, and it was exhausting. I didn't want to care about these things.

Finnick caught my eyes from across the table, and again I was thankful that he agreed to join us tonight, too. "Hey, Katniss, how's that birthing class going?" he asked.

I was happy to change the subject, and after I offered up the minimal details about the class, I politely excused myself to use the restroom. I only made it a few feet before the tears started to fall.

"Katniss?" Peeta asked, trailing after me. "What's wrong?"

I brushed my hand over my face and shook my head. "Um, nothing. I just, uh-"

"It's okay. It's just her hormones," Finnick said, coming up next to Peeta. "Annie was the same way."

He assured Peeta that I was okay, and that he'd keep an eye out for me while he joined his friends, and he squeezed my shoulder reassuringly as I tried to compose myself.

"I'll be alright," I promised, still dabbing at my damp eyes. "You're right, it's just the hormones."

That night, Peeta held me as I cried for hours, everything I never even realized I was holding in finally seeping out in frustration. My tepid relationship with my mother, how much I missed my sister, my lack of female support to help me transition into motherhood.... every single doubt, worry and grievance broke free that night, and while I hoped I'd feel better in the morning, I felt more exhausted than ever by the time I made it back to the apartment I used to share with Clove and Finnick back in college.

I was juggling the various Botany exams in my arms as I opened the door, and I was surprised to find the room was completely dark. "Fin?" I called out, batting at the wall to feel for the light switch.

When I flipped it on, bathing the room in a soft yellow glow, I froze in surprise. There was Finnick sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by a sea of presents and balloons. He adjusted the light green party hat askew on top of his heads, then enthusiastically blew on the noisemaker to greet me.

"What are you doing?" I asked, trying to take everything in. There was a new baby swing in the corner with a giant bow on it, piles of wrapped boxes stacked high on top of each other, an army of stuffed animals positioned on the couch...

"I better be the godfather after all this," he said, flashing the grin that would have any other girl swooning.

I burst into tears. "Oh my god, you didn't have to do this!"

"Hey, don't cry. It's your shower! It's a happy day!"

He led me to the center of the room, sitting me on the glider that was also adorned with a large bow. "This was all a lot of fun, actually. I love to shop, you know that."

"Thank you Finnick," I said, sniffling.

"Anytime. You're just lucky your favorite color is green."

I smiled as I started going through all the presents, thanking him profusely for each one. He waved me off modestly, then grabbed another bag from the kitchen.

"Real talk, Everdeen, Mellark, whatever." he said, sitting in front of me and opening the bag. "Now, do you want to play that stupid shower game where we melt the chocolate in diapers, or..." He held up a bunch of candy bars, waving them enticingly in front of me, "Do you just want to eat them?"

I grabbed a Butterfinger and grinned back at him. "This is the best baby shower ever."

"Of course it is."

~

My phone buzzed with a new email alert, and I pushed my cart off to the side so I could check it, worried it was one of my students asking a question before the final.

"Your baby is the size of a honeydew this week-"

I looked over at the produce display in front of me and groaned inwardly. I really needed to unsubscribe from those stupid updates.

"Katniss?"

I followed the sound of my name, and there standing next to the sweet potatoes was the woman from my birthing class, Maysilee...something. She looked as gorgeous as ever, flawless makeup and not a hair out of place. And it looked like someone yanked the basketball out from under her shirt, because her body was on point, too. Then I realized what that meant, and she looked over to see the car seat sitting in the grocery cart.

"Wow," I said, waddling over to her and glimpsing inside of it. "It's a...baby."

Maysilee laughed, and even that sounded proper and perfect. "Well of course it is, silly! What do you think you got in there, a puppy?" She reached into the baby carrier and unfastened the buckles, then gently lifted the infant from the seat. "Katniss, I'd like you to meet my son, Beau."

She pulled back the corner of the light blue blanket to reveal a tiny cherub face, fast asleep. He must have been at least a few weeks old because he no longer had that pink rat look I associated with most newborns.

"He's beautiful, Maysilee," I said, truly awed.

"Thank you," she whispered, rocking him back and forth. "It's a lot of hard work, but it's worth it. Do you want to hold him?"

I held up my hands in protest, but the baby was being placed in my arms before I could speak a word against it. I felt like I didn't know what I was doing, but he stayed fast asleep, as content with me as he had been with his own mother.

"Aw, see, you're a natural," Maysilee told me. "Good thing, too. You'll have your own before you know it."

"I'm not due for another five weeks," I said worriedly.

"It flies by," Maysilee warned me. "You're gonna have a baby in your arms in a heartbeat."

~*~

Those words echoed through my head all night. I tried to concentrate on the movie I was watching with Peeta, but every time the baby tossed or turned inside of me, I'd hear Maysilee's tinny voice again.

"Wow, someone's active tonight," Peeta said, his hand in its usual place now, pressed firmly against my abdomen.

I swallowed thickly. "Yeah, I guess."

He kissed the top of my head and pulled me closer, his other hand still rubbing my belly. "What's on your mind?"

"Just..stuff," I said, suddenly so tired I could hardly keep my eyes open.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," I nodded, but my smile must have been unconvincing because he leaned over for the remote and turned off the TV.

"You sure?"

"It's just...next month, we'll have a baby here," I said. "It's still a little hard to believe."

"I know," he admitted as he ran his fingers through my hair. "But we've come a long way in the last few months."

"We have," I agreed.

"We'll be okay," he promised, whispering in my ear. "Right, Brooks?"

We both waited for the answering kick, and I felt the somersault a second later. "See," Peeta said, grinning. "He agrees."

She couldn't help but smile back. "Can't believe you thought it's a girl."

He shrugged with a sly smirk. "It still might be. Those things can be wrong you know."

"I know, but as I said before, Mother's instincts are never wrong."

He resumed the movie and I settled back against him, already feeling a little bit better. He continued to rub my stomach.

"You're going to make a great mother, you know."

I looked up in surprise, and then exhaled in relief. "And I think you're going to be a fantastic father."

He leaned down to kiss me, and then Brooks kicked again.

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