This is my very first fanfic, I hope you all enjoy! I have been writing for a long time and decided that perhaps I should try to write fanfiction. Most days, I'm on here just reading everybody else's and now it's my time. Thanks for listening, and as always, some R&R would be much appreciated.

Since Suzanne Collins didn't write exactly how Katniss and Peeta moved on after the revolution in Mockingjay, I will write my own rendition of it. Obviously, I do NOT own The Hunger Games, I am just using the epilogue and the rest is my ideas.

You and Me, Against the World

Prologue

They play in the Meadow. The dancing girl with the dark hair and blue eyes. The boy with blond curls and gray eyes, struggling to keep up with her on his chubby toddler legs. It took five, ten, fifteen years for me to agree. But Peeta wanted them so badly. When I first felt her stirring inside of me, I was consumed with a terror that felt as old as life itself. Only the joy of holding her in my arms could tame it. Carrying him was a little easier, but not much. The questions are just beginning. The arenas have been completely destroyed, the memorials built, there are no more Hunger Games. But they teach about them at school, and the girl knows we played a role in them. The boy will know in a few years. How can I tell them about that world without frightening them to death?

Since the Revolution, my duties as the Mockingjay have been revoked, and I gave the rights away gladly. Once I made the choice that was correct for me, murdering President Elma Coin, and was exiled to District 12, I realized deep in my heart that I would have returned there regardless. Though the buildings were all rebuilt brand new, and the coal mines have been shut down completely, you can still feel the...spirits of all the people of the district who never made it through the bombings of the Capitol.

At first, there were very few of the original District 12 population who were brave enough to come back. Prim's death was a fresh wound when I first returned, and it practically paralyzed me. During that period of time, I would not even get out of bed to eat; Until one day, a bizarre smell wafted through the bedroom, interrupting my moment of self-loathing. For a minute, I couldn't place what could possibly be making that smell, but then I remembered mornings when Father was still alive and Mother still had that joyful twinkle in her eyes, Father would get up at the crack of dawn to go to the Hob and trade two squirrels for a package of bacon. Bacon? Why on Earth would that smell be in MY house. Tiptoeing down the stairs to follow the mouthwatering smell, I finally found where the odor was coming from.

"Good morning, Katniss," greeted Pine, Greasy Sae's grand daughter, in a cheerful voice that only children who hadn't gone through the Hunger Games could have. She was all of twelve, with the stature of a nine year old, golden ringlets that brushed her shoulders anytime she moved, and plump red lips that all the boys will be crazy for when she's older. At the stove, Pine was currently flipping the slices of pork over in an unfamiliar pan.

"Oh, um, good morning," I managed to say through my confusion.

Greasy Sae was sipping rich, black coffee out of her mug, and as if almost sensing my apprehension, simply gestured to the chair across from her at the oak table.

After that morning, those two fed me everyday at eight in the morning and twelve hours later. I felt as if they were only doing it because they were being paid by the Capitol, but somehow, over the months, they convinced me that they were only trying to be kind to me.

Eventually, I learned to do these things by myself and was later joined by Peeta Mellark. The boy with the bread. The situations that we were forced to endure made me finally choose between Peeta or Gale, my old hunting partner. Once I found that Gale's bomb was the one that killed Prim, I knew that there was no going back. Peeta and I were more alike; there were times where he still had his episodes from the trackerjacker venom and there were many nights where I still was awoken by nightmares of the Arena. I would always find the right words to bring Peeta back to reality and he comforted me when the waves of terror would ripple through me. We grew together. I had to admit, I didn't exactly see it coming when Peeta brough me to the Meadow and got down on one knee. At first, I was hesitant about my answer, until he opened the little black box and I saw the pearl that he had given me during the Quarter Quell had been made into a ring, surrounded by leaves carved out of silver. That was when I knew.

"Yes, Peeta, I'll marry you." I barely had enough time to get the words out of my mouth before his arms wound their way around my waist and his soft lips crashed against mine.

For months, Peeta and I had been immersed in wedding plans with Effie Trinket, our old escort. When we asked her to help us, she had squealed in delight and immediately took the next train to District 12. "Katniss, wake up, it's time for your big, big, big day!" Unfortunately, I forgot that she was also highly annoying sometimes. Stretching my arms above my head slightly, I remembered that Peeta had not been able to sleep with me last night. Effie had said that it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride twenty four hours before the wedding. I slowly stood and walked downstairs in hopes that I would have enough time to at least make a cup of coffee. No such luck. Before I even reached the bottom step of the stairs, I was taken off guard by a bombardment of "Oh my goodness, Katniss, did you sleep at all last night?" and "Look at those nails! We're going to have so much work to do". My old prep team! I ran to hug Flavius, Octavia and Venia, for I hadn't seen them in over three years.

Though I was not used to the pampering of the Capitol anymore, it still felt wonderful to have my prep team to make me up for my wedding rather than for the Hunger Games. Sitting on the high stool that they had set up in my bathroom, I closed my eyes as they worked on me. Curling my waist long black hair and pinning it on the top of my head, filing and polishing my nails that I had neglected, applying just a tiny bit of concealer and cover up on my under eye circles and sliding an eyeliner pencil over my lid.

"Ok, Katniss, open your eyes," Venia whispered, in terror or in awe, I hadn't the slightest clue. For the past few hours, I had allowed myself to drift in and out of sleep, so that I could not peek at their work. But I followed her instructions and immediately, I gasped. In the floor length mirror, I saw a woman, but I could actually tell it was me. My hair was perfectly pinned with the veil tucked up underneath, and my gray eyes were eccentuated by the liner and framed gently by my long lashes; my nails were perfect little ovals, polished white with tiny pearls at the tops, but the real reason for my shock was the dress. On the hanger, the dress had appeared too frilly, too fancy, but now that I was in it, it was puffed at the bottom and little pearls made a curve V-shape in the front, with the train flowing out just a few inches on the ground. Octavia and Flavius burst into tears, smearing their own makeup down their faces.

"Thank you so much, you guys. This is amazing," I commented lightly, and made eye contact with them all, before taking Octavia's hand in my own.

"Honey, we were honored that you asked us," Flavius said nonchalantly, wiping the remaining tears off his cheek. Octavia nodded vigorously, "yes, and just look at you," she whispered, gesturing at me.

The bathroom door opened and in walked Effie and Haymitch. Upon seeing me, Effie shrieked and hugged me, while Haymitch's eyes were appraising me.

"Oh, Katniss, you look incredible!" Effie gushed, patting my shoulder, "doesn't she, Haymitch?" Somewhere in his mind, he must have heard her, because he seemed to come back to reality and said, "well, well, sweetheart, look at you". It wasn't exactly a compliment with the tone of his voice, but with Haymitch, I knew that it was how sweet he could get. My lips curve upwards into a loppy smile before I made my way to him to hug him. He hugged me back for a moment and whispered in my ear, "you look beautiful, sweetheart. You ready to go?"

I didn't have anybody else in mind to walk me down the aisle, everybody I cared about was dead, so I asked Haymitch one day when he was on one of his two week drinking binges. Though I live across the road from him, I hadn't seen him since then, which was ten months ago. Apparently, he must have sobered up, because his beard was trimmed nicely and his body didn't stink with the white liquor it usually did. He sobered up for my wedding, that was the nicest thing he could've done.

I nodded and took a deep break, putting my arm through his. Effie, Octavia, Delly, Venia and Flavius went before us as my bridesmaids and one of Peeta's groomsmen, along with Thom, Darius, and Carter. Once the music flowing from the piano change to my cue, I knew that I was ready. Haymitch and I began our walk down the aisle and I gazed at the audience. My mother was in the front row with her new husband, Rog, Johanna Mason was next to her giving me her best scowl, Annie and her son, Finn, were watching me with awe-filled eyes, and most of the other people of the district. At the white flower gazebo, stood the new mayor, Jon Sapp, and my Peeta. His black suit highlighted his blond curls, and his blue eyes were filled with tears.

Our walk of the aisle was over and Haymitch kissed me on the forehead and placed my hand in Peeta's. The vows were traditional and very familiar to me, as I had Effie to help me practice reading them. Peeta's large hands held my small, calloused hands as we gazed deep into each other's eyes. Though I knew Mayor Sapp was speaking, I couldn't hear him. My heart was thumping too hard in my chest.

"Do you, Peeta, take Katniss to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do".

"And do you, Katniss, take Peeta to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

My eyes watered for a fraction of a second and Peeta's hands squeezed mine gently, just the tiniest bit, before I looked his directly in the eye and uttered the words that would bine us together always, "I do".