DISCLAIMER: The Hunger Games Trilogy and all of its characters are property of Suzanne Collins. No copyright infringement is intended.
Some direct quotes are taken from Mockingjay, Catching Fire and The Hunger Games
TIME LINE: Six months after the fall of the Capitol.
Chapter 1
This train was far different from the train that he rode during the Victors' Tour or during his trips to the Capitol after both of the reapings, But Peeta didn't mind, he was just glad to be leaving the hospital. The train slipped silently at 200mph along the track. To Peeta, it wasn't moving fast enough and at the same time, he wished it would slow down and give him more time before he reached District 12. Peeta had been through so much in the last year, and perhaps the most difficult part of his journey had occurred in the last 6 months. This was the time when the Capitol fell, the time he worked to get his mind back after it had been hijacked. His head was full of such mixed emotions. What would he find when he got "home". His family was dead, the town was working on being rebuilt after being reduced to ashes and rubble, and only a few hundred now inhabit the district. But none of that mattered to him. There was only one thing that pulled him back to District 12 and that was Katniss.
It had been so very long since he had seen her, even longer since he touched her, smelled her…tasted her kiss upon his lips. To Peeta, it had not only been 6 months since the Capitol fell, 6 months since he prevented Katniss from taking the nightlock suicide pill that Cinna left her, 6 months since Dr. Aurelius worked with him to reverse the hijacking and become mostly back to the Peeta Mellark that he knew himself to be-the Peeta that was madly, deeply and forever in love with Katniss Everdeen. To Peeta, the last time he saw Katniss was when they got separated at the lightening tree during the Quarter Quell. The other Peeta that was rescued from President Snow was….not him. The Peeta of the Quarter Quell was so full of hope and love for Katniss. He was prepared to die for her and she for him. The kiss that they shared on the beach the last night of the Quarter Quell was real, not something that was part of a show for the Capitol. The rescued Peeta after the hijacking was so full of hate and confusion…hate for Katniss.
As Peeta thought about those times, a lump came to his throat. Sometimes in his nightmares, he can still recall the feeling of his hands around Katniss' throat and the overwhelming desire to kill her. He swallows hard and tries to hold back the tears that are inevitable. But it is of no use-the tears come and silently roll down his cheeks. They are tears of regret and shame for hurting Katniss. Being with her again is all he has thought about for the last 3 months-once the bad thoughts and mixed up emotions began to clear themselves.
As he looked out the window he noticed that the scenery began to look more familiar to him. He knew it would not be long until the train pulled into District 12. It was just a matter of time when he would again be reunited with Katniss.