Hello, everyone! It's been a while, hasn't it? I've missed this quite a lot. This is my first outtake from the PaV universe, and it takes place about 3 years before the epilogue. As usual, much thanks to wollaston for her help with this.

Enjoy!

Outtake #1.

February 7th, 2020

"Let us take her for the night," Annie begged. Katniss took another sip of her wine and grimaced.

"I don't know."

Willow squealed as Finnick Junior knocked down the lopsided castle they had made out of foam blocks. Cheers erupted from down the hall where Finnick and Peeta sat in the living room watching the Super Bowl.

"Have you two had any alone time since she was born?"

Katniss frowned. "Of course. She's been sleeping through the night for a long time now-"

"I mean without Willow in the house, Katniss."

She ducked her head. "No. We haven't."

Annie reached over and patted her best friend's hand. "Katniss. You and Peeta need this. It's only a few hours, and we're just a few blocks away."

"Annie..."

"Willow!" Annie called. The kids looked up at their moms, blocks still in their hands. "How would you like to spend the night with us on Saturday?"

Katniss couldn't contain her laughter at her daughter's earsplitting grin. She threw the block she was holding into the air with a screech, and Annie turned back to Katniss with a raised eyebrow.

"Fine," Katniss relented. "Next Saturday it is."

"Be a good girl for your aunt and uncle, okay?" Katniss said as she unzipped Willow's jacket. She pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I love you, honey."

"Bye-bye, Mommy!" Willow was barely free from the confines of her jacket when she bolted, her and Little Finn taking off to his room. Katniss sighed and tucked the jacket into Willow's bag.

"She'll be just fine, Katniss," Annie assured her. "Go on home and enjoy some alone time with your man."

"Thank you, Annie. And please, don't hesitate to call me if there are any problems."

"There won't be." Finnick appeared out of thin air and took the bag from Katniss. "Now get out of here."

Katniss called out her final goodbye to Willow as the pair ushered her to her car. Within minutes she was pulling into the driveway of her own home. Peeta was still at the bakery, and she had just over an hour to get ready before he came home.

She jumped in the shower and quickly shaved, shampooed, and lathered up with the lilac lotion that she knew drove Peeta crazy. When she got out, she blow dried her hair so it fell in thick, voluminous waves over her shoulder and slipped on a dark green sweater dress that clung to her every curve. Underneath it she wore the same white lingerie she had worn on their wedding night: the lacy set that had Peeta practically salivating. With just twenty minutes until he was normally due to arrive home, Katniss lit some candles in the dining room and started to heat up the penne ala vodka she had prepared earlier. Once everything was ready, she set the table and sat down to wait.

Five minutes passed. Then ten. Then thirty. When almost an hour had gone by, Katniss blew out the candles and tossed the cold meal into the trash. She then threw on her coat and boots and stomped out to her car.

The lights were on in the bakery, but the sign was turned to "Closed". Katniss slipped in through the front door and stood at the counter. She even rang the damn bell like a customer when her name was on the damn sign. When there was no sign of anyone, she stalked back into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, the bakery is close- Oh. It's you."

"Yes. It's me." Katniss crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Uh, a little past six." Peeta went back to frosting the tiered wedding cake in front of him. "I just wanted to put the finishing touches on Bristol Henderson's cake so I wouldn't have to do it in the morning-"

"It's seven thirty, Peeta," Katniss snapped. "You're over an hour late."

"No, I'm not," Peeta scoffed. "I just started this." He finally put down the tube of frosting and looked at her. "Your hair is down. Why is your hair down? Are you wearing makeup?"

"No, " Katniss said quickly, turning on her heel. "Enjoy your cake. Goodnight."

"Katniss! Wait! What are you-"

She stormed out of the bakery and into her car. She sat, fuming, for a few minutes before pulling away.

Peeta never followed her.

She drove around town, trying to calm down and clear her head. Why was she so upset about this? Sure, she had planned a nice dinner and wanted to surprise her husband. Sure, he never showed up, but it's not like he knew about the plans. Plus, he was working. It's not like he was out with another woman or anything terrible like that.

Convinced she was just being overly dramatic, Katniss turned her car around and headed back to the bakery, an apology fresh on her lips. When she pulled into the parking lot, a sleek, white Mercedes was parked so closely next to Peeta's truck that he'd have to cut a hole through the roof just to get in. Katniss hoped out of her car and was about to march into the bakery when she stopped.

Clear as day through the full sized display windows, she could see Peeta sitting at one of the tables, a glass of red wine in hand and a lopsided grin on his face. Across from him, with her back to Katniss, was a voluptuous redhead with her fingers wrapped around Peeta's wrist and her head thrown back in laughter.

"Just finishing up a cake, I see," Katniss muttered, her heart falling to her stomach. She walked dejectedly back to her car and placed her head on the wheel. No tears came, but a knot formed in the back of her throat when she tried to swallow.

Peeta wasn't cheating on her. She was certain of that. He wasn't an unfaithful man, and their vows meant a lot to the both of them. No, Peeta wasn't cheating on her. He was choosing someone else over her.

As Katniss drove away, she wondered if the former would have hurt more or less.

Finnick answered the door with Willow and Little Finn each clinging to a leg. His eyes widened at Katniss' distressed expression, one which she quickly wiped off her face when her daughter looked up at her.

"Mommy!" she said excitedly.

"Hey, honey," Katniss said, kneeling so they were eye to eye. "I thought you would be getting to bed by now." She glanced up at Finnick, who was looking away pointedly.

"We were!" Willow insisted, giggling mischievously. Katniss sighed.

"Do you want to know how silly Mommy is, honey?"

"Yes," Willow giggled, climbing off of Finnick.

"Well, Mommy thought that she was brave enough to be home alone at night, but she realized that she wasn't," Katniss explained with a frown. "She needed her big, strong baby girl to protect her."

It was a game they played whenever Katniss slipped into a dark place, whenever something triggered a flashback to the years she'd spent with Gale or the trauma he'd put them through. They were getting better and easier to control each day, but occasionally she would slip up and break down, and sometimes it happened in front of her daughter. To spare Willow from the truth, Katniss and Peeta had told her that sometimes her mommy got very sad and just needed a bit of extra love. They'd have to tell her the truth someday- she was smart enough to figure out the fib eventually- but for now Willow took her job very seriously.

She protected her mommy when her daddy couldn't.

"Do you need some extwa wuv now, Mommy?"

Katniss' eyes watered as Willow threw her arms around her neck and squeezed her tight. She took a deep breath and kissed her daughter's cheek before looking up at Finnick.

What happened? he mouthed.

Katniss shook her head infinitesimally and pried Willow off of her. "Would you be very upset if I asked you to stay home and protect me tonight? I know you were excited to sleep over with Little Finn, honey."

Willow frowned and her brow furrowed in the exact same way Peeta's did when he was thinking. "It's otay, Mommy," she said. "I'll go wiff you."

As they gathered Willow's things, Finn wouldn't stop pestering Katniss.

"Come on, Kat. Annie just went to get ice cream for them. Let her stay the night."

"She can stay over another night, Finn. I'm sorry, but I just can't be alone tonight. I can't." Her voice broke a little on the last syllable, and Finnick knew to stop. He helped Katniss ready Willow's things quietly, and when they left he watched them go until their car was out of sight.

Katniss got Willow all tucked in nice and tight next to her in her and Peeta's king sized bed. Willow's tiny frame barely took up half of Peeta's space if she was spread eagle on her back, and there was even more room for the two of them since she clung to Katniss like a little koala the whole night.

Peeta never came home.

February 14th, 2020

"You didn't remember?" Haymitch grunted at Katniss over his coffee. "I woulda thought you two lovebirds woulda been all over each other this morning...Speakin' of, where is the boy?"

"Don't know, don't care," Katniss said, bristling. She cut up Willow's pancakes and arranged strawberry slices in a heart on top. "Willow! Come get your breakfast!"

"What's got your panties in a knot, sweetheart? It's Valentine's Day! Shouldn't you be sucking face with the love of your life or whatever it is you two do on a daily basis?"

"The love of my life is right here." Katniss softened as Willow ran into the kitchen. She scooped her up and kissed her forehead. "Is it really Valentine's Day already?"

"Why do you think I'm here? For the nasty coffee?"

"Fu-"

"Mommy! Can I have some syrup?"

Katniss bit her lip to cut off the inappropriate phrase. Haymitch choked back a laugh as she reached into the cabinet and grab a bottle of Aunt Jemima.

"You seriously forgot? I was planning on taking my favorite niece to see a movie today so her mommy and daddy can have a little celebration of their own."

"Daddy didn't come home last night," Willow said, taking a big bite of pancake. "I slept with Mommy in her bed and helped keep the nightmares away."

Haymitch put the mug down with a clink. When he spoke again, his voice had lost its gruff, joking tones. "How are you doing, Katniss?"

"I'm just fine, since I had my big, strong baby girl to protect me." The warning tone in her voice let him know that the topic was not up for discussion at the moment. He got the hint and they finished breakfast in relative silence, minus Willow's loud chewing and spirited rendition of "I'm A Little Teacup".

Katniss couldn't believe that she forgot Valentine's Day. In all of her life, she had never forgotten any birthday, anniversary, holiday, or appointment. She would have felt incredibly guilty if she wasn't still pissed at her husband.

Speaking of, Peeta made his grand entrance just as Willow and Haymitch were about to leave. He came in wearing rumpled clothes from the day before and carrying a red velvet cupcake with pink icing. He presented it to Willow with a flourish and she immediately turned to Katniss.

"Can I haff it now, Mommy?"

Of course he didn't forget Valentine's Day.

"Why don't we save it for later, honey?" Katniss suggested. "You just had breakfast."

"Nah, honey, you can have some n-"

"I said no, Peeta." Katniss snapped.

Willow's eyes shot to the ground and her shoulders sagged. Peeta's eyes were fixed on his wife, his jaw clenched tightly. Feeling the tension, Haymitch swooped in and guided Willow to the door.

"Why don't we take the cupcake with us, munchkin? You can have it after lunch."

"No," she said dejectedly. "I don't want it anymore."

Katniss gently took the cupcake from her and put on a napkin on the table. "Have fun with Uncle Haymitch, okay?" She kissed her forehead. "Don't get too crazy."

"Oh, you know me, the life of the party," Haymitch grumbled. "Let's go, munchkin."

"Bye, Mommy! Bye, Daddy!"

"See you in a bit, baby girl."

Once the door swung shut behind them, it was as if a deep freeze swept over the house. The space between Peeta and Katniss was tense and cold. He looked like he was going to say something, but then thought better of it.

"I'm going to go shower," he muttered.

"Great idea," Katniss said as he retreated up the stairs. "Go wash her stink off."

"What?"

The word hung in the air for a good minute before Peeta came back down the stairs. "What did you say, Katniss?"

"Nothing. Go take your shower."

"No, no, I distinctly heard you say something."

"I didn't say anything," she insisted. The spotless countertop suddenly looked filthy. She found container of Clorox wipes and started working.

"Are we going to do this right now, Katniss? Because I had a really long night and-"

"Oh, yes, I'm sure your night was real rough! Sitting around drinking wine with some beautiful, redheaded supermodel is very taxing, I know."

"What the hell are y- Oh."

"'Oh.' Yes, Peeta, I saw you with her."

Katniss scrubbed viciously at the countertop until the wipe split in two. She angrily threw the pieces in the trash and reach for another, but Peeta stopped her.

"Katniss, that was-"

"Do you want to know why I was there, Peeta?" Katniss spat, ripping her hand away. "I was there because I wanted to surprise you. I made a whole big dinner, I did my hair, and I waited, for over an hour, for you to come home. When I came to the bakery, it was like I was last on your list of priorities. I drove around for a bit to cool down, and when I realized how stupid I was being I came back to apologize...I found you with her. And I realized I wasn't being so stupid after all."

Peeta threw back his head and laughed, which he knew after a millisecond was the wrong move. Katniss shrieked and tossed the Clorox container at him. He batted it away, trying to force his smile back into a frown.

"Katniss, that was Lavinia Matthews. I used to go to school with her. She's back in town for Bristol Henderson's wedding."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better? That you two got drunk over old memories?"

"We got drunk over you, actually."

Katniss froze. "Excuse me?"

"She asked me how I was doing, and I told her about you and Willow. I showed her pictures. She thinks you're hot."

Peeta wished he could have taken a picture of Katniss' face at that exact moment. It was the most hysterical thing he had ever seen; her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened to the size of saucers. It took her a few seconds of sputtering to form a complete sentence.

"Why would Lavinia Matthews think I'm hot, Peeta?"

He took a step towards her, arms raised in surrender. "Are you going to throw something at me again?

"Not yet."

Peeta slid behind her and slipped his hands up her neck. "She likes women, baby."

A moan slipped past her lips as Peeta started to massage her neck and shoulders. "She does?"

"Yeah," Peeta chuckled. "I guess college changed her."

"You could say that," Katniss sighed. His fingers worked out a knot and she trembled. "But I'm still pissed at you."

"I'm sorry, baby." Another knot melted away. "She showed up unexpectedly and I didn't know how to turn her away. She brought a bottle of wine and after a few glasses she started moaning about how she was the only person who couldn't find someone to share her life with. That's when I showed her your picture."

"That's a shitty excuse," she mumbled as his lips replaced his fingers.

"I know," Peeta murmured against her neck. "But do you want to know exactly what she said when I showed her your picture?"

"Try me."

"She said." One hand slid up her waist. "That she." Now it was on her breast. "Wants." The other hand found its place between her thighs. "To fuck you."

Katniss gasped as Peeta simultaneously bit down on her neck and squeezed her breast. She started to grind herself on his hand as he continued to whisper in your ear.

"She told me that I was lucky you were taken, because she'd lay you down and eat your sweet pussy for hours."

"It's a g-good thing you already d-do that, then," Katniss said with a smirk.

"Damn straight."

Before she could say another word, Peeta grabbed her around the waist and quickly placed her on the kitchen counter. He savagely tore her sweatpants from her legs and moaned when he saw that she wasn't wearing any underwear.

She was soon a writhing mess on the countertop as his tongue flicked at her clit. After almost seven years together, he knew her body like the back of his hand. A long lick up her slit would make her shudder, sucking on her clit would make her tense and moan. When he stuck two fingers into her dripping pussy, her back arched and she cried out.

"No more, Peeta. I want your cock."

Katniss pulled his face up to hers and kissed him fiercely, whimpering at the taste of her on his tongue. She reached blindly for the hem of his shirt and yanked it upwards. Once his shirt was gone, he shimmied out of his jeans as Katniss disposed of the ratty tee she was wearing. When he leaned in to kiss her again, she gripped his shoulders tightly, her fingernails leaving indentations on his skin.

"Getting rough, are we?" he growled, slipping his cock into her pussy. He started to thrust without giving her a second to adjust, and she gripped him tighter.

"I said I was still pissed at you."

Peeta picked her up again, this time depositing her on the kitchen table with a little less delicacy than before. Katniss yelped as he flipped her over so she was on her stomach. Grinning, she moved so she was on her hands and knees. It had been so long since he fucked her this way; she almost came just thinking about how it was going to feel.

"I'm a little pissed at you, too." Peeta traced the curve of her ass lightly. "How do you think it makes me feel, you thinking that I'd cheat on you?"

One hard slap made her cry out.

"How do you think that makes me feel, Katniss?"

Another made her groan.

"The only woman I'm interested in is you, baby."

This time his hands soothed the burning skin of her ass. Katniss stayed quiet, not quite knowing what to say.

"The only woman I want to fuck...is you."

"Then do it," she commanded.

And he did. He thrust into her so hard the table moved forward a few inches. His hips snapped against hers with each hard thrust and Katniss gripped the edge of the table so tightly it cracked. His cock was so deep inside her she could feel him brushing her cervix. He could feel her warm, tight pussy clench around his cock when he reached around and started to rub her clit.

"I'm gonna come," she panted.

"I know." Peeta pinched her clit between his index finger and thumb and Katniss' arms gave out. She sagged onto the table and trembled as her orgasm washed over her.

"Fuck," she whimpered. "You feel so fucking good, Peeta."

"You're so tight around my cock, Katniss. Shit, I'm coming."

"Come in my pussy, baby." They had used up the rest of their condoms two months ago, and Katniss had finished her birth control a while ago. They weren't 'trying', per se, but they weren't actively preventing anything. They both decided months ago that they had missed having a baby around.

"Katniss," Peeta hissed. He came, spilling himself into her with a groan. A few moments of silence passed as they regained their breath.

"I'm sorry," they panted at the same time. Katniss sat up and Peeta pulled her onto her feet.

"Are we good, baby?" he asked, pressing a light kiss to her collarbone.

"Yeah," Katniss sighed, relishing the slight throbbing between her legs. "We're good."

March 7th, 2020

"This was a nice redo, don't you think?"

"Mmm." Katniss nodded in agreement. Peeta had prepared them a full course meal of Caesar salad, lobster bisque, and crème brulee. It all tasted divine, and she placed a hand on top of her slightly swollen stomach.

"Is the wine okay, baby? You've barely touched it."

"Oh, I took a few sips. It was lovely."

"It's just that normally you guzzle it down-"

Katniss' eyes narrowed. "Watch it, Mellark."

Peeta laughed and squeezed her hand. "Hey, did you talk to Willow before? When she called to say goodnight from Finn and Annie's?"

"Yes, why?"

"Well, she barely said two words to me," Peeta said with a frown. "I asked her how her days was she all she said was 'Fine, goodnight!' and then asked to speak to you."

Katniss could tell he was troubled by their daughter's actions. She was only three years old, but sometimes she had the attitude of a teenager. She knew Peeta thought that Willow was angry with him for some reason, and the very thought had worry lines creasing his forehead.

"She's not mad at you, baby," Katniss said with a light laugh. "Don't worry about that."

"It's just that we always have our bedtime talks. Even though she was probably having fun over there and didn't want be stuck on the phone with her old man, I still miss talking to her."

Katniss' heart lurched; he really was an amazing father.

"Peeta," she said, standing up so he could get a good look at her. Her dress was a soft orange halter that clung to her every curve. She had been sitting at the table when Peeta served dinner, so he hadn't gotten a chance to take a good look at her. When his eyes were finally able to trace her body, he inhaled sharply.

"You look absolutely radiant," he told her, pulling her onto his lap for a kiss. His hands clutched the side of her face, and she grasped them tightly.

"Peeta," she repeated. "Look at me."

Blue eyes met grey, and he watched her in rapt fascination as she moved his hands off her cheeks, down her neck, over her breasts to rest lightly on top of her stomach. Katniss grinned widely as Peeta made the connection, a soft gasp escaping from his parted lips.

"Katniss...?"

"Yeah, baby," she said with a laugh. She kissed him again. His hands didn't move from her stomach as he kissed her back with fervor.

"I'm pregnant."

...And that was the story of baby Rye's conception. I know it had very little to do with Valentine's Day; it started out as a cute date night fic and morphed into this. Oh well!

If you'd like to see any more outtakes from PaV, don't hesitate to send me a message. I can do little drabbles almost immediately on tumblr, but full outtakes might take a while. I'm on tumblr and AO3 as "ohalaskayoung". I'd love to talk with you!

xoxo