Title: After all this time
Author: Poly
Category: Peeta & Katniss
Warnings: Spoilers for Mockingjay
Rating: K
Complete: Yes
Summary: This is the day. The interview of my career, my most important work. I was ready for anything and still, I am surprised.
AFTER ALL THIS TIME
The sunlight enters by the open door, and with the light comes the sounds. The quick footsteps against the hard floor, the laughs and fumbling of kids doing what they do best. Playing and laughing.
"Do you want something to drink?"
I deny politely. Here, in front of me, is a woman that I thought I would never have the honor to know in person. I'm in her living room, and she is offering me something to drink. How crazy is that? The woman that is in all of our school books, the woman that has monuments around the country and short movies on TV and biographies on the book stores. The one that I've heard about since I was a little kid. The face of the revolution.
"I'm sorry, we just expected you tomorrow." She apologizes.
"It's ok. The magazine should be more clear about the date, I'm sorry."
"Katniss? Did you find Ryle`s little dog?"
Yes. Katniss Everdeen. And entering the living room right now, with the blond hair still wet from a recent shower, is Peeta Mellark.
Katniss goes to meet him. She says, in a low voice, that she found the toy under the mattress of one of the kids bed. The two of them laugh from some inter joke, and then Peeta approaches me with an extended hand, giving me a smile.
"It's nice to meet you, Mitck."
I accept his tight grip, impressed that he knows my name. That he remembers the name of a young writer from a not so famous magazine.
"I'll just take a coffee and something to eat, I'm starving." Peeta says, looking at me. " Do you want something?"
"No, thank you."
And still he comes back from the kitchen with some cookies that smell so wonderfully that I need to accept.
The two of them seat on the sofa across from me, one of his hands holding the mug in witch he sips the coffee, the other one falling naturally over Katniss`s shoulder. I remember all the research that I did – besides everything that I already knew – for this work. All the videos I watched, all the old interviews and newspaper that I read. I think about the great number of times that one or the other of them almost died, all the incidents and dangers and risks and suffering. If it was not for some of the scares that good eyes can notice, you would say that they are just a happy couple having some friends at home on a Saturday afternoon.
"We are ready." says Peeta gently.
I drop my eyes to the papers, remembering that I'm here to do my job, to write an article. An article that, depending on the success or failure, will determine my future as a writer. So I breathe in and go ahead.
"My first question is about why people are remembering The Hunger Games so much this year. If we had no rebellion this year would mark the fourth Quarter Quell. What do you think the country would be like?"
"With 575 more families mourning their children." says Katniss quickly.
And in her eyes I see the intensity that she is so famous about. But I didn't mean to make her fell bad with the question, on the contrary.
"Maybe we would still be under the Capitol's influence." answers Peeta "Maybe, another people, on another place, would begun the revolution. Who knows?"
"Right. But the revolution was begun by the two of you. If our kids grow up without the fear of been send to the games, that is because of you."
"The rebellion had a high price." says Katniss, not looking at me "A lot of kids didn't die in the games, yes. But a lot died on the battles."
Peeta's hand begin to move over her back, and I regret the question the moment I remember a little fact. The last act of the rebels before the end of the war. The act that is now know as the Last Sacrifice.
I know that my boss asked me to make questions about Primrose Everdeen – the little girl that was the reason for Katniss to enter the games, the little girl that was killed on the Last Sacrifice. On the memorial that was build on front of the president's mansion, there is a big statue in her honor. And every year, at the day of the happening, hundreds of people come to the place to bring flowers, to remember the lost ones, to thank them for what we achieve at their cost.
But even if I'm supposed to ask about that, and even if I know that other writers and journalists will ask about it, I can't. I look at Katniss, and I know that I'm not going to mention something so painful.
So I change the direction of the conversation.
"Your little girl, Rosette, is ten-years old, right?"
Both of them raise their eyes, and I can see the thankful expression on Katniss`s face. Leaving the past behind and focusing in the future.
"Yes."
"Is she going to enter in some of the next Panem Games?"
"She's been pretty serious with her riding, so I wouldn't be impressed if she did." says Peeta, and you can say he is proud.
But Katniss smiles.
"She still has a lot to improve before reaching the level of competition, Peeta."
"And since she is as stubborn and determined as her mother, she will probably reach it really soon."
I remember Katniss`s great talent during the games.
"Does she do archery?"
Both of them laugh, just a little.
"It is not her best sport..." says Peeta "But Ryle has a good aim. When he is angry or crying, he can hit Rosie with whatever he has in his hands and he never miss it."
Katniss is looking at some spot on the table, and smiles with something that she looks to remember. I go on with the questions.
"The Panem Games begun five years after the revolution. Do you think it was a good initiative?"
"I think it is great." says Katniss. "It is a healthy competition, where the kids that win got big prizes and the ones that don`t win come back to training and improving even more. That`s the way it always should be."
"It gives them hope of an even better future." complements Peeta.
I come back to my paper, and see one of my favorite questions.
"Some people say that the star crossing lovers story was just an act to buy the audience and stay alive. But here are the two of you, still together and with kids. Was it just an acting that became something more, or did you loved each other since the first moment?"
"It was never an acting for Peeta." Katniss says, before he can even begin to open his mouth "But I was too focused on other things to think seriously about that."
"So, when did you begin to realize you loved him?"
"There was not a moment where I suddenly became aware of that." she says, and I can tell that she already gave this answer a few times to people "But after he was hijacked I felt like I became aware of something long solved inside of me."
"You're saying that, after he was hijacked by the Capitol you realized how important he was for you."
"Yes. I think that was the time when things became to make sense for me. "
"Now, talking about the first Hunger Games the two of you participate. It is always terrible to watch it again, with all the deaths, but it is interesting to observe the way that both of you found to survive. In separate ways at first, and with different strategies. My question is, when it was announced that two tributes from the same District could win, did you, Peeta, thought about going after Katniss and making an alliance?"
"Well, I was in pretty bad shape when they announced it, you know." says Peeta, with a smile "To go after Katniss would mean my death."
"But if you were not in a bad shape..." says Katniss, looking at him.
"I would scream your name like a stupid and go after you at the same moment, forgetting about the most important rules for my surviving." he says, receiving a protest of her part and a smack on the shoulder.
I can`t help but laugh with them. It`s so easy to feel comfortable here. They lead the conversation with good humor, and all the terrible things that happened in the past are just that – things in the past.
"Are you happy?" I ask, without even thinking about it.
It doesn't take a whole second for Peeta to answer the question with an yes. But Katniss raises her eyes to the door, her lips pursued with what is almost a smile, but it is not, because there is sadness in her eyes. She breathes in, raise her hand to cover Peeta`s hand over her shoulder, and then drop her eyes to him. Before he can say something, she looks at me with a piercing expression.
"Yes."
That's when we hear a scream followed by a crying. Before I can even think about it both of them are standing and almost at the door. I follow them, to notice that the three kids that were playing in the street when I first arrived are six or seven now. One of them is laying on the ground, and that's the kid that is crying.
Peeta is out in one minute, walking to the kid, Rosette following him and speaking really quick and loud. It looks like they were playing a game and she pushed the little boy, that fell on the rock floor. She doesn't look sorry about that.
While I observe, the mom's boy come from another house, explanations are given, and the kids disperse. Katniss is by the end of the front steps, her youngest son on her arms.
"Say that Rosie is grounded." I hear Peeta say when he reaches her. "Even if the boy was annoying her, it is no reason to push him while he is running."
Katniss rolls her eyes.
"I am always the angry mom. You need to do that sometimes."
"You're better at that than me."
"I think he likes her."
"What?"
"Imeda. He likes her. He just acts like that when he is around her."
"Katniss, he is eleven. He doesn't know anything about liking girls. And since when you're a master at this subject?"
"You said that you were five when you fell in love with me." she answers quickly. "And I learned a lot about this subject on the last twenty years."
"You're still bad at this, I say there is nothing there."
"You're just being overprotective with your little girl, Peeta. Like you always are."
I'm astonished with the intimacy of the exchange, the looks and movements. I want to disappear and let them enjoy their little moment without an audience. But I also want to watch everything, to drink every word, to absorb every movement. I`m happy that they are so distracted with each other that didn`t notice that I`m still by the door.
They keep teasing each other, with shoulder bumps and hidden smiles, just like two kids. And watching that is hard to believe that this two people initiate the revolution that broke the country apart and give all of us a new future.
A/n: I wanted to imagine how was their life after all the time that passed. The Last Book give us a brief idea, but it also give us a great chance to fill the blanks. I had fun writing and imagining, hope you had fun reading. :)