Peeta's Pearl

It is Peeta, not Katniss, who is saved from the Quell. Katniss is captured by the Capitol, and there is a surprise in store for Katniss.

Story:

I awaken to the sounds of machinery. The room is blindingly white, forcing me to close my eyes again. Tentatively, I reopen them to see Peacekeepers. I move to sit up, but my whole body has been strapped to the board they have me on. Frantically, I look around for Peeta. I spy Johanna next to me, and I am filled with rage. As I struggle against my bindings, a blurry figure approaches and pushes some buttons on the whirring machine. Everything goes dark.

In the distance, I hear the bright chattering of Effie. I go to put a pillow over my head before she announces that it's going to be a big, big day, in that sing songy voice of hers, but something cold and metallic stops me. My eyes snap open. I am handcuffed to a gurney.

I look around, and take in the bright colors of Effie's hair, jarring against the remake center walls. "Peeta!", my hoarse cry startles me. The brightly colored hair runs over to me, and Effie gathers me into her arms. She is shushing me, and rocking me gently. I can barely make out her voice when she begins whispering, the strained tones taking me by surprise.

"Katniss. You are safe. Your baby is safe..."

How is my fictional baby safe? My head swims as it tries to take in the new information, but it can't stay afloat, and I am soon drug into the blackness. When I come to, Effie has gathered my upper body into her arms and is rocking me as much as my restraints will allow. As the room stops spinning, her words come back to me.

"Effie" I ask hesitantly. "What do you mean?" Hesitantly, Effie begins speaking. "After you shot the arrow into the dome, we were able to get you, Johana and Enobaria out before the flames got too bad to save the rest. You've been here for 2 weeks, but you've been unconscious. The lightning strike was quite a jolt to your body. At first, we couldn't find the baby, but yesterday, we finally picked up the heartbeat." She pauses to watch all of this sink in, opens her mouth to continue, and must have decided that I need a moment, as she walks away and issues orders to an Avox.

Baby. There must be some mistake. Peeta had been lying when he had told the crowd about my baby. How does an imaginary baby get a heartbeat? But my mind flashes back to the tribute center, just after the reading of the training scores.

Peeta and I had been talking about our desires to be more than just a piece in the games, about our fear that President Snow had ordered that we die in the arena. Our conversation had drifted late into the night, and he had walked me to my room. When we got to my door, I asked Peeta, "So, what should we do with our last few days?"

"I just want to spend every possible minute of the rest of my life with you," replies Peeta.

"Come on, then," I say, pulling him into my room.

It feels like such a luxury, laying close to Peeta again. I didn't realize until now how I've been starved for human closeness, for the feel of him beside me in the darkness. I wish I hadn't wasted any nights shutting him out, but there's no turning back time. Then, one regret crosses my mind. I'm not planning to come out of the arena, and there's something I'd still like to do.

I turn to face Peeta, and find him still awake. I gather all of my courage as I press my lips to his, tasting a hint of lemon from dessert, briefly reflecting on how the sour and sweet work together. Peeta hesitates, breaking the kiss, he cups my face with his hand. He looks at me for a moment, searching my face for the meaning. As I stare into those deep blue pools, I see a mixture of love and adoration.

Nervousness creeps up, feeling like the all of the butterflies in the meadow by my house are fluttering around my stomach. As he pulls me into his arms, I bring me knee over his legs to straddle his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him with a kiss that removes all question of what I want. One kiss turns to two, which turns to a sea of kisses, overlapping like the waves in 4. My pulse quickens and I can't get enough air, desire pooling at my core, an almost tingly feeling. I feel his hands move down my sides, his thumbs copping a feel as the move past my breasts and rest on my hips. My face flushes as I feel him harden beneath me.

As he sucks on the spot on my neck where my heartbeat is pulsing, I whisper words that tell him of how I have missed him. He groans sending vibrations straight to my core. My words have a stimulating effect on him. He grasps my hips, pulling me against his hardness as he rolls me beneath him. Peeta hovers above me a moment, before peppering me with gentle kisses. When his tongue finally reaches my lips, it is a shallow kiss. Rather than allowing me to regain composure, his slowing down does nothing but amp me up, making me desperate for more of him. More kisses, more caresses, more contact.

As he settles above me, trailing kisses down my feverish body, I hear the rending of fabric. Peeta scrambles off of me and we still for a moment, eyes wide, watching the door for someone to have heard something through the thin walls. The silence so permeating that I can hear Peeta and I breathing and nothing else. After what feels like an eternity, we move closer together again, but before he reaches me, I shake my head no. A look of disappointment flickers across his face as I go to my knees. I plant a gentle kiss on his lips before grabbing the hem of my nightgown and bringing it over my head in one fluid motion. I look up at Peeta, who is drinking me in. I settle back into the pillows, and he begins kissing a trail of kisses that on my forehead, and trail down my body, as though he's worshiping me. His hands join in the exploration, and I feel like a bow that has been strung too tight, as though I will snap at any moment. As if sensing my discomfort, he adds to my misery, taking the peak of my breast into his mouth through my bra. My back arches involuntarily as I moan his name. He gives me a look reminding me that I must keep quiet, but for tonight, the world outside of this bedroom ceases to exist. He caresses my cheek with his thumb as he pulls me forward and releases the clasp of my bra.

I lay back and watch him, taking in his beautiful blue eyes, darkened by desire. The eye lashes so long it's a miracle they don't tangle when he blinks. His fingertips barely touching me as it sweeps my bra off my shoulders, down my arms, and slingshots it across the room not caring where it lands. His mouth is instantly drawn to the pebbled nipple, drawing it into his mouth. I nearly cry out when he grazes it with his teeth, rather I turn my head and draw his thumb into my mouth, sucking on it, the giving the end a quick nip as he tries to draw it out. He lets out a ragged breath I didn't know he had been holding as he sits up. I take advantage of this moment, grabbing the bottom of his shirt and pulling it over his head. It gets caught up on his shoulder and elbow, and I take the opportunity to take a long look at his body. He is no longer the pale, sickly boy from the arena, rather a chiseled man that radiates a healthy vitality. As he frees himself from the shirt we both give a gentle laugh that breaks up the tension that has been building.

I draw Peeta back down to me, relishing the feeling of his skin on mine. He wraps his arms around me and we embrace for what feels like an eternity. I begin to feel impatient, desire building up within me once again. The smell of his warm skin is intoxicating. I bring my mouth to his neck, alternating kisses and nibbles, hoping to elicit the same feeling in him that he has in me. My mouth seeks his, and somehow, we roll and I end up on top, my heat finding his hardness. The pressure causes a ripple through my body that feels delicious, and I can't stop myself from grinding against him, shooting fireworks into my blood. Moans escape both of our lips as we continue grinding into each other, each motion bringing us closer to that ever pressing need. He rolls me back on bottom as he murmurs sweet nothings against my throat, the vibrations adding fuel to my fire.

My panties are soaked, and as the cool air of the room reaches me, they feel uncomfortable. I crawl under the covers, and peel off the underwear, flinging them to the floor already scattered with clothes. Then, I turn down a corner and pat it in invitation for him to join me. He looks at me with a moment of uncertainty before stripping off his pajamas and crawling into the bed. I feel a little rustling beside me, and then I watch as his underwear joins the heap.

I think back to finding Peeta by the river in our first games, the shyness I felt about his nakedness. So much has happened since even then, and I feel no embarrassment that he is naked now.

The relief I felt minutes before is gone, curiosity taking its place. I feel compelled to see him, to explore his body. "Can I see you?" I ask, my voice husky. He looks shocked, but he obliges, pulling back the covers. He's breathtaking, Finnick Odair couldn't hold a candle to him. Tentatively, I reach out and touch him. A hiss of air escapes his lips as I slowly stroke him. I can feel the life enter his manhood as it starts to rise. The velvety skin becomes warm and heavy under my hand and I continue to stroke him. I remove my hand, not wanting things to come to an end, and for a brief moment he looks slightly disappointed. I lean back against the pillows, and pull him to me. Our kisses quickly loose the easy slowness that we once had. Our moves take on a desperation. We seek comfort in each other as though we are trying to make up for lost time, or time only one of us might live to see. I feel my whole body quivering with anticipation. Peeta must have noticed, because he removes his mouth from mine and holds me tight. I roll my hips toward his, so that he is resting against my entry.

For a moment, we lock gazes and he holds perfectly still, his eyes silently questioning me. I give him a nod, and he begins entering me slowly. His gentle kisses pepper me as he pauses before going a little farther in. He sounds drunk as love words spill from his mouth, whispering my name like a prayer. I am touched by the consideration he is showing, his eyes constantly watching me for any sign of discomfort, going slowly, trying to make this as comfortable for me as possible. It is clear that it is taking every ounce of willpower he possesses. As he goes just a bit farther, there is an uncomfortable stretching sensation. He pulls back a bit before pushing all the way in, and I gasp as he fully sheaths himself within me, the discomfort giving way to pleasure that radiates warmth through my whole body. He kisses my forehead, gives me a boyish smile, and sets a slow and gentle pace.

We take our time, enjoying every moment. His eyes never leave mine, our fingers interlaced above my head, and his lips only leaving mine to speak words of adoration, of a longing only I could fill. I am startled by the sheer intimacy of it all, and I know that this is the moment. I decide to give him the thing he truly wants. I whisper, "Peeta, I love you."

His blue eyes become lakes, and a look of pure joy lights up his face. He doesn't hesitate a moment when he responds, "I love you, too."

There was never any doubt about the way he feels about me, his chant through the evening had told me so, but I still feel immeasurable joy when I hear those words. Tears of joy begin to slide down both of our faces, I feel like I'm drowning in pleasure, wave after wave until I loose control. Peeta quickly follows with his own release.

We lay there for what feels like an eternity, limbs tangled together, nose to nose, goofy grins plastered to both of our faces, but slowly, I feel Peeta begin to untangle from me, as he retrieves a small towel from the bathroom and gently cleans the sticky residue away. He places a gentle kiss on my lips, before returning the towel to the bathroom.

When he returns to bed, he pulls me tight to him, his body curling around mine. I revel in the warmth of his body, the safety of his arms, and fall asleep the the beating of his heart against my back. There are no nightmares tonight, just blissful contentment.

I awake to Peeta smiling at me, whispering about how if we don't get to breakfast soon, Effie just might come get us. He places a kiss on my head before releasing me from his embrace. He walks into my bathroom and turns on the shower, placing a towel on the warmer. He gives me a kiss, says he'll meet me at breakfast and whispers I love you, one more time. I catch his hand and whisper "How would you like to love me in the shower?"

Suffice to say, Haymitch laughed and Effie scowled when we arrived at breakfast, late.