Always

Bloody mutts

I can't decide which is worse, the pain or the itching. Maybe they're at an equal amount of intensity. Peeta and Finnick sit to my left, clawing at the scabs the fog left on our skin. I clamp my hands in between my legs, trying to keep myself from scratching.

"Don't scratch." I warn them. "It will only bring on infection."

Finnick scoffs and Peeta slowly begins to put his hands down.

"Why don't y'all sleep, I can take watch." I suggest to them and Peeta starts to disagree. "Peeta, you need to sleep. You haven't stopped since we came in here and it's time you had a break." I finish.

Finnick looks up from the spot on his arm he had been scratching. "Actually, why don't the two of you rest. I'd rather take watch." He tells me and I see the distant look in his eyes. Mags. I know he misses her.

"Okay, thanks." I give him a smile and he nods. I lye down on the sand next to Peeta and he pulls me tightly against him.

"You should sleep." I tell him and begin to run my hands through his curls. He smiles slightly and kisses my cheek.

"I love you." He then places his hand on my tummy and kisses it softly. "Both of you." I'm startled at first, of the feeling inside of me. The feeling of hundreds of butterflies flying around in my stomach. It doesn't feel like popcorn popping or someone kicking me. But I know what this is. It's the baby. The baby, our baby is moving.

"Peeta," I whisper. He turns sleepily to look at me. "Can you feel it?"

He looks at me and waits for me to explain. I grab his hand and place it back on my tummy. "The baby, can you feel him?" His eyes lights up and he immediately sits up. He sits on the sand for a minute, maybe two, before he gets a defeated look on his face.

He shakes his head and we lie back down. "I can't feel her."

"Mom called it fluttering in the womb, it's something you feel before the baby starts kicking. It's soft, hardly noticeable." I run my hand softly up his arm. "It feels kind of like that."

He smiles and places his head right above my belly button. "Hi baby, I'm your daddy." He kisses me lightly and snuggles into my body, telling me goodnight.

The doctors place a baby wrapped in a soft blanket in my arms, the scent of baby powder fills the air. I pull the blanket back from it's head and scream when my baby slips from my arms. Falling into a pit of blackness. My eyes jerk up and scan the room for Peeta, but he's no where to be found. The baby powder smell that was so comforting is gone and is replaced with the smell of blood....and roses.

My body begins to shake and I slowly stand on two feet, walking towards the door, following the blood trail. The hallways is long and dark but I can still make out the hundreds of  doors lining the walls. A scream erupts from one of the rooms and I run as fast as I can, trying to reach him. Trying to reach Peeta.

"Peeta!"

I open every door slamming them shut when I find them empty. But the door at the end of the hallways is cracked and I can see the trail of blood flowing out. The door hits the wall with a loud thud and Peeta sits with his hands tied in front of me.

"Peeta," I whisper and drop to my knees in front of him. He shakes his head vigorously, unable to speak because of the scarf in his mouth.

"Hello Mrs. Everdeen, or is it Mellark?" His voice sends another round of chills through my spine and I will myself to have strength as I turn around. But all the strength I have is lost when I see what he is holding.