A/N: This is my very first Hunger Games fanficiton. I hope you all enjoy it and want more. And if you do, please, oh please, leave a review after you finish, telling me that it is something you'd want to read, because if it isn't, then why continue? So thank you all who decide on reading and double thanks to those who review!

Also, I never like writing in first person because I just don't enjoy it as much. I prefer writing third person. So sorry if it gets a little sloppy (even if I did proofread it) over the p.o.v. or tense.

It all takes place after Mockingjay.

Enough rambling. Hope you enjoy! And don't forget to leave a review!


Together, Forever

Prologue

I was never afraid of change. It would happen so fast that I'd be the last to figure it out. And even then, I'd adjust to it quicker than anybody else could. For example, when my father died, I knew my responsibilities had heightened. I was fully aware that I was the key sole for the survival of my family. I had to learn how to hunt, how to find game, and how to feed my family. It all came down to me.

Then the lone dandelion popped up, and that instant, I knew everything was going to be okay.

Of course that glimmer of hope for my family and I had subsided. The 74th annual Hunger Games had made a grand entrance. That was where the new adventure began. It was an adventure that haunts me for as long as I live. Death was a prominent chance. Surviving was slim chance at that time for the starving tributes of District Twelve. But together, Peeta—the other District Twelve tribute—and I had done the unimaginable. We won, two of us. That was the spark of the rebellion.

I was the symbol of it all. The Mockingjay. How? I still can't think of it. And during that rebellion phase, I had to revisit the arena for the Quarter Quell. That was where I found true, undying love, whether I had realized it at that time or not. And then I lost him.

I fought so hard to retrieve him. With the rebellion happening, I was very relieved when Haymitch announced they got Peeta away from the Capitol's grasp. But when his fingers locked around my neck, I was stunned. This Peeta wasn't the Peeta I had fell in love with. This Peeta was a monster who was out to get me.

The Capitol had brainwashed him to where he hated me.

Through the rebellion, Peeta had learned again the real and unreal things with a game. And that was when I finally realized, I couldn't lose him again. I had fought too hard to give him up. And no matter what my feelings where for my longtime best friend, Peeta was the person who cupped my flame and ceased it from growing larger.

"Katniss," Peeta slices me away from my thoughts. I glance up from my position at the table. Loaves of freshly baked bread sit in a woven basket. Two wine glasses are at the table. Peeta's is halfway empty. Mine is still full of the rich, red wine. I look down and see I haven't touched any of my food, which was surprising. I set my fork down on the rim of my plate.

I look up at Peeta's concerned face. Worrisome etches in his blue eyes. His brows are furrowed. I can easily detect when he's trying to read my expression, my dazed expression. He, too, puts his fork down and puts his crumpled up napkin on the table.

I shake my head. "I'm sorry." I apologize. "I sort of spaced out for a minute."

I shudder, recalling of my disturbing, malicious past.

"What were you thinking?" Peeta asks. He reaches over the table and clasps my hand in his hands.

He squeezes my hand gently. The warmth spreads between us. I smile gratefully. But soon my smile vanishes. "I was just thinking about the rebellion." I admit softly. I was never the one to cry, but at this moment in time, I could have cared less what I was doing. I felt the tears well up in my eyes. One by one, they cascade down my flushed cheeks.

I hear the scratching of the chair being pushed back. Peeta joins my side. He pulls me into a hug, stroking my hair. I lean into his bulky chest and sob into it. Peeta whispers encouraging words in my ear as I wail out my sorrows and fears.

Feeling no more tears, I graze up at Peeta, who is staring down at me with unease. He pulls in his bottom lip and chews on it anxiously.

"I'm sorry." I mumble, embarrassed.

Peeta shakes his head. "No, don't be." He whispers. He cups my face, which forces me to look into his deep blue eyes. I find myself getting lost in them. "You never have to be sorry." He promises. He pulls me closer to him, slowly, dramatically closing the gap between us. I close my eyes as I feel his lips brushing on mine, pressing tenderly on my lips. The kiss was slow, passionate, and tender. I melt in his arms as he gradually pulls me closer. Our bodies are tangled around each other as we sit on the chair. It is a perfect memory.

Peeta jerks away, smiling widely at me. The same type of smile blossoms on my face. "How about we finish our meal?" Peeta suggest. "And then we can play a game?"

I have a quizzical expression glued on my face as he gets up and walks back to his seat. He reaches over to a loaf of bread and breaks it in half. He offers a piece to me but I shake my head. Peeta shrugs and drops one half back in the basket. He chews the other piece thoughtfully.

I for one am not hungry. I pick lazily at my vegetables, and sip carelessly out of my glass of wine.

"Are you not hungry?" asks Peeta.

I nod. "I suppose not." I mumble. I let the fork slip from my fingers. It makes a bang against the glass plate. I scrape back my chair and stretch. "I think I'll just go to the bedroom." I announce dully, ambling to the back of the Victor House. I play with my messy braid as I make my way to the back. I hear the clank of forks scraping against the plates, and the rushing water gushing from the faucet attached to the sink. I frown. I jerk open the bedroom door and slam the door shut. I trudge over to the bed and slide in. I feel a suppressing hole inside of me, and I try shaking it off, but it never leaves.

I close my eyes and do my best to relax. I listen to the sound of Peeta cleaning the kitchen. A wave of guilt washes over me as I realize I didn't help. I always seem to be hiding in here each night.

I toss to the side. I place my palm on the feathered pillow. I sigh.

Suddenly, I feel the glow of the hall light streaming in. I hear the familiar sound of the door creaking open. Peeta's padded footsteps get louder as he gets closer to the bed. He slithers into the covers, and I soon feel his arm looped around my waist. He crawls closer to me, and I soon can hear his light breathing.

He pushes a loose strand of hair from my face. I blink at his gentle, delicate touch. "What's the matter?" Peeta questions in my ear in a faint whisper.

I groan quietly and move away from him. He inches closer. When I reach the edge of the bed, I sigh in defeat. I knew I had to talk to him, open up. But opening up is hard for me. I never had that experience of having someone actually listening to my problems. Even as I lay right next to Peeta, I feel like he is somehow nonexistent.

"I feel alone." I confess hoarsely. More tears welcome me at the brim of my eyes. I blink back vigorously, trying not to show weakness. Peeta notices them without having to look hard. He wipes the salty tears away.

He whispers sympathetically, "Oh Katniss," He musters a smile that breaks me. "I'm always here for you."

I sniffle. "I know that. I can clearly see that, but I still somehow feel alone. And when I think that I could actually feel intimately closer to you, I shun away because I'm terrified I'll lose you again." I admit in a husky sob.

Peeta is silent at first. His expression is impassive to me. All I could tell was that his eyes were searching distantly.

Finally he exhales. "That's all in the past. It was a painful past, yes, but it's all over. The Hunger Games, the tyrannies you had to follow, the vindictive president, all of it is gone, Katniss." He extends his arms and I openly oblige to his invitation. I snuggle close to him as he continues. "I know we can't change what happened to us." He continues, stroking my hair. "But all that happened to us is only a burning fuel for our love to grow stronger. It reminds us that we beat everything hurled at us, that we are dominant. That our love is what everyone desires. We showed the Capitol that they can't take away a real passion. That it's defiance," He kisses the top of my head. My hysterics progressively die down. "makes it real."

My heart swells as he finishes his persuasive, audacious speech. I wrap my arms tighter around him. "That was beautiful." I comment.

"I noticed." He smirks. I narrow my eyes. He taps my nose. "It made you stop crying." He elaborates his vague wording.

He was right. Peeta was actually always right. He holds the key to my heart, and each time he unlocks it, it swells. He makes me fall in love with him all over again.

At this moment in time, I feel content. I feel a promising and everlasting light inside of me that only Peeta inserted. I feel as if a new dawn is approaching. Most importantly, I don't feel alone. All my fears seem to have washed away with courage replacing them. And this courage is burning with aspiration.

Peeta twirls his fingers through my hair. "I see you're thinking again." He notes.

I nod, confirming it. "I am." I say. I gaze into his eyes. I lean up and cup his face. "I think I'm ready." I murmur softly in his ear. I ease back down and giggle at his shocked expression, his wide eyes, gaping mouth, and frozen body.

He shakes his head. He grips my fingers excitedly. I knew Peeta had been craving for me to say this since we got married. Except then, I wasn't sure. I wasn't ready for such a commitment. When I was sixteen, I never wanted to fall in love, and now here I am with the love of my life. And I am not thinking about the past anymore or the future, I'm pushing those worrisome thoughts aside and enjoying this blissful moment. I could worry about tomorrow when it becomes the present. I am primarily focusing on the present.

Peeta looks at me with a doubtful quirk. He has a relentless smirk on his face. Answering his sweltering question, I crash my lips onto his, making him fall back in surprise. I sling my jacket off, and it falls on the ground next to the foot of the bed. I brush my hair back while I fiddle with Peeta's flannel shirt. I finally have enough of it and in eagerness, rip it off. Peeta chuckles at my haste. He snakes one hand to my flustered cheek. I stop for a minute and bask in the warmth signaled off by his hand on my cheek. I press my hand against his hands, twining my fingers around his fingers.

"Are you sure, Katniss?" Peeta asks softly, rubbing my cheek tenderly. His voice is solemn. I shake my head with a confident nod. I lean down and graze my lips over his. Peeta's hands snake down to my back, and he thrust me closer. I suck in my breath and deepen the kiss. He rolls on top of me, and I let him have dominance over me. I allow him total access over my entire body. I let him see parts of me that I was intimidated on letting anybody see. And through our bashfulness of pure ecstasy, the promising I love you never dried out.


*Disclaimer: I own only my plot. The rest goes to Suzanne Collins!