So this practically takes place before they have children, and after she said "Real." Um. Cool. Hope you enjoy?
In the morning, I wake up screaming and I look for Peeta, which as always, is next to me and his expression is alarmed. One of his arms are around me trying to calm me down, by stroking my arm.
"Dont worry Peeta, it was just a nightmare, Im okay," I say taking deep breaths. I just can't seem to make the nightmares go away even though Panem is at peace. "Did you have any nightmares, Peeta?" I ask.
Peeta moves a strand of hair away from my face and frowns. "Of course," says Peeta.
I sit up and look at him curiously. I hate it when I don't know when he has nightmares. "What was it about?" I ask him. When he's about to tell me, I sit in front of him, cris-crossed, looking at his eyes.
"It was back in the 74th Hunger Games, I saw Cato go to you with a knife and you were running away. I tried to catch up but, you kept running farther and farther to the point where I couldn't see you. I tried to look for you, but my leg was still injured," he says. "Then, I heard the cannon, I thought my life was over, well, because you are my life." he stops and smiles and continues. "Anyway, Cato came running towards me, suddenly, he turned into a mutt, bit off my leg, and I saw your body, dead, next to him. He laughed at me with satisfaction, and ate the rest of me slowly."
Wow, I think. I frown, and look down thinking of what would I do if Peeta died and I couldn't save him. Losing the boy with the bread forever. Peeta sees the expression on my face, and lifts my chin with his index finger, to where our eyes meet. "Then, you woke up and you did what I did, looking to see if I was here?" I ask.
He nods and says, "My nightmares are all about losing you. Honestly, I don't know what I would do without you." He pauses for a moment and continues, "When I wake up and see you next to me, I feel lucky, to have you." I smile and blush, he always knows what to say and how to cheer me up.
"Do you want to know my nightmare?" I ask him. He nods, so I tell him. "It was when we were in the Quarter Quell and your heart stopped. I was going to shoot him with my bow and arrow, but then a memory came, about how I almost lost you in the Hunger Games, and distracted me, then a twig snapped and it regained my focus to what was happening. I watched in horror of Finnick chopping up parts of you and he looks at me, standing up, headed towards me. I ran as fast as I could but, he's faster than me so, he threw his trident at the tree in front of me, barely missing me, trying to kill me. I looked at it and I thought to myself, Finnick Odair is trying to kill me. He stood in front of me, ready to kill me, I started running, I quickly moved a branch so he could trip, and it worked. I saw Cato running as the mutts were chasing him. Prim, Gale, my mother, and Rue got chewed up by the mutts, Rue tried to keep fighting, then the mutts caught my scent and were about to eat me like the rest and thats when I woke up," I said it so fast, it took him two minutes to get all the words together.
He wraps me in his arms and whispers into my hair, "I'm right here Katniss, alive and breathing. I'm sorry." I start crying after the thought of Rue and Prim. "It's going to be all right, okay? I promise, I won't let anything hurt you," he says softly.
"I'm hungry for some cheese buns," I whisper and smile. He releases me, picks me up, and takes me downstairs to the kitchen. He puts me down and he looks unsure about something. "What?" I finally say. The door bell rings and Peeta rushes to open it. He's whispering to someone, but I can't make out what he's saying. "I'll get her just wait here," says Peeta.
"Who is it?" No answer. "Peeta, who is it at the door?" I'm starting to get mad now so, I walk up to the door, where it's open by a crack, and place my hand on the knob. "It's Gale," he answers. I freeze. What? Gale is here? What is he doing here? Doesn't he know that I won't forgive him after he killed Prim? Peeta pulls me by his side and grips my hand. "Come in, Gale," he says calmly but a little worried.
Gale opens the door and walks in, not making eye contact with me, instead, he looks at Peeta. "Nice to see you again, Peeta and Katniss," says Gale. Gale looks at me and looks from side to side.
"What are you doing here, Gale?" I ask bitterly. I dont want him here, he killed Prim!
Gale studies my face for a second and sighs. "You're still mad at me aren't you?" he asks disappointedly.
"Why would I ever forgive you when you killed Prim?" I snap at him.
"Katniss, yes, they were my bombs, but I didn't know they would send them out, they were for the Capitol kids." He pauses for a second and looks at my face, knowing that I'm not convinced yet so, he continues explaining. "I didn't know Katniss, Coin sent Prim out when she knew Prim would die from the bombs, she knew you love Prim more than anything! She hated you! She wanted to break you!" His tone went from calm to angry.
"I know Gale, that she hated me but, you didn't even say sorry and after that you moved to District 2, don't you think I was hurt enough?" I say, trying not to cry.
Gale walks up to me and sees my expression then hugs me tight. That's when I start crying, he wipes my tears and he let's go. Peeta walks to the kitchen probably to let us talk so we go to the living room. I sit on the couch and Gale comes to sit next to me. "Katniss, I was hurt too, knowing that you went to Peeta but, I'm happy for you guys," says Gale. "I'm sorry for not saying sorry to you and I knew you were hurt also," he adds. I look down with my hair in my face. "Catnip, look at me," he says calmly.
I remember what he told me when I kissed him in District 13, "I knew you would kiss me." "How?" "I'm in pain, that's the way I get your attention" That's the look he had when we were back in 13 and right now. I look up and stare at his eyes. "Gale..." I whisper. I start crying again and he hugs me. "I miss hunting with you. Do you want to go hunting?" I say with a smile. He lets me go, standing up and holding out his hand. I wipe my tears with my hand, and get myself together.
"Of coarse I would like to go hunting with you, I'm not stupid," says Gale. He's happy because we haven't hunted together since we lived in District 13. He goes to the closet where the weapons are for hunting and gives me my bow and arrows. Gale opens the door and I stop walking. I have to tell Peeta that we're going hunting because he'll worry that Gale might've kidnapped me or something. "What?" he asks.
"I'll be right back, okay?" I say while heading to the kitchen where Peeta is making cheese buns. "Gale and I are going to go hunting, alright?" I say. "Cheese buns? Mmm," I add.
"Yeah, just for you, sweetheart," says Peeta. He embraces me and kisses my forehead. "Be safe, alright? Just don't let him touch you, I love you," he adds.
"I'll make sure he won't, I love you too," I say kissing his cheek. I walk back to the door smiling and I see Gale waiting. "Back," I say.
"Hey, have you used this in a while?" he says while holding up my old bow and arrow before the reaping. All the memories come back, Prim, with her little shirt in the back that's like her little duck tail, District 12 still there, Darius not being an Avox, everyone that sacrificed their life for me, alive.
"No I haven't, actually," I whisper. Gale looks at me and figures what I'm thinking about.
"All right, well, let's go then," he says while opening the door and holds it open for me and closes it behind him. He walks with me, neither of us speaks. "Katniss," he says breaking the silence.
"Yes?" I ask curiously. I wonder what he's thinking about. Gale stops walking and places his hand on my shoulder, looking into my eyes, as if he was going to kiss me or tell me that he still loves me, but that's not it. "If you could, would you go back in time before everything happened?" he asks. I'm always asked this question I don't know how many times, it gets annoying, yet I still answer him.
"I would for the hunting, our friendship and for Peeta being tortured by the Capitol but, I wouldn't because there would still be the Hunger Games and President Snow would still be our leader if any of this never happened," I say.
"Oh same, about the Hunger Games and President Snow," he says smiling continues walking, I follow him, as he takes the lead.
"So, where are you taking me?" I say curiously. I don't see no woods yet or the lake that my father and I always went to, it just looks like we're going the opposite way.
"Trust me, I know where I'm going," says Gale. We have been walking for about five minutes and he turns to me. "Okay, Katniss, I don't know where we are going," he says and stops walking.
I laugh, and lead the way to the woods. "Gale, you don't remember where the woods are? Or, do you just don't know how to get to the woods from my house?" I joke.
"Well, you have been hunting lately, right?" he asks. I nod. "Then, you know how to get to the woods from your house, I haven't been to your house in a while," says Gale.
"You've been gone for a while so, yeah, and it is my house Gale," I say while laughing. We walk into the woods and Gale sets some snares. He's always good with snares and he has luck with them, as always. I'm not as good with snares as he is, but at least it's as good to survive.
As we keep walking into the woods, I notice that everything green, quiet and you can hear your heartbeat. Peaceful, ever since President Snow and the Hunger Games don't exist anymore, but it was always like this. Everytime I come hunting and go by that bush of berries that Gale and I always threw them in each others mouth and said, "May the odds... be ever in your favor!" In the accent of the Capitol, the memory of the day of the reaping when Prim's name was called and I took her place. I trip over a rock and, I catch my balance. Gale looks at me and he's alarmed, to hurt anything that tries to hurt me. I spot the place where I sat on the rock with Cressida, then the memories come in, when Finnick was alive and so was Prim. When people came with me from District 13 for a propo and I sang The Hanging Tree, everyone was staring at me. When things between Gale and I were awkward and I didn't think he would catch the berry in his mouth when I threw it high up in the air. Here I am, alive, when mostly everyone that I cared about are dead. They sacrificed their life for mine like when Finnick was eaten up by those mutts trying to kill me. Rue, who was the youngest, and reminded me of Prim, was emotional for me. Prim, what I was told that Coin planned to her on purpose, I miss her so much, and I have hatred towards Coin even though she's dead. Gale taps my shoulder, and I look at him, his eyes in worry, and I look at my position, and I'm crouched down, elbows on my thighs, my head braced between my hands. I stand up, look at him, and nod confirming that I'm okay. We walk in silence and I spot a wild turkey, load my bow and arrow, trying not to make a sound, then hit it right in its eye. Gale gets it and I put it into my game bag. I ask him how his job is in District 2, he says that it's okay and it gives enough money. I should be happy, I am though it's that I miss hunting with him, but at least he has a good life, job, and probably a girlfriend, and he'll be alright. Gale shoots 3 squirrels, we go to the house where I told him about running away, and skin our game quietly. I don't bring much game home because Peeta probably made a bunch of cheese buns.
After we're done we walk by the bush of berries again I look at it and walk past it, only Gale doesn't. He picks a berry, throws it in a high arch and says, "May the odds..." I turn around and catch it in my mouth as the sweet flavor spreads through my mouth. "Be ever in your favor!" I finish. We both laugh and head back to my house. He holds the door open for me and closes it behind him. We walk to the closet and put the bow and arrow back. "Hey, I have the week off so, do you think that I can use one of these houses?" Gale asks.
"Sure, you can stay in Peeta's old house." I hope he won't mind letting Gale stay there, we practically live in my house together. "Wait here," I add. I go to the kitchen and I find Peeta in the chair as he tries to make the nightmares go away and not go insane. I quietly go towards him and he seems back to normal, I didn't notice this, I see things broken on the floor. "Peeta," I whisper and grap his hand. He opens his eyes, his muscles relax, and looks at me.
"Yes," he says quietly. I wish he never got tortured, but the only thing that matters is that he can control himself and that he's here with me.
"Can Gale stay in your house for the week? He doesn't have another place to stay," I say. It takes him a minute to reply, making sure he's back on Earth.
"Yes he can, the keys are by the door," he says. I stand there looking at him and go to the door and get the keys. I turn around and Gale is sitting on the chair looking at the old picture of Prim, my mother and I.
"Hey, Gale he said that you can stay in his house, it's three houses down to mine," I tell him and give him the keys. He tells me to tell him thanks and heads out.
I walk to the kitchen, and see Peeta put a plate with some cheese buns for me. I forgot that I had game, so I run towards the front door, get it, and cook it. I sit next to Peeta and nibble on some cheese buns. "Do you want some turkey?" I offer.
"Yeah, sure," he responds. I get up, and I put some spices on it then put it in the oven. The thing about the ovens here is that it cooks anything faster than it should.
"Peeta, did you help Gale come here or make him come?" I ask him. I bet he did, probably to finally make us forgive each other.
"I did, actually, because I knew that you would eventually and that it's not good that you were still mad at him," says Peeta. They're not friends, or enemies, I don't get it, but at least me and Gale are all right now.
I don't respond and I just eat the cheese buns in silence staring out the window, until I say, "Well thanks."
Peeta nods, throws our napkins away, and sits back down. The oven makes a noise that means the turkey is done. I take it out, put it on the table, get a knife and cut it. Then I get two plates and set them down.
"Do you still want some turkey?" I ask.
"I do," he responds not making a move. I put some on his plate and some on mine. I get two forks, give one to him, and eat. I wonder what he's thinking, probably that its quiet and if I got mad at him or something. I'm not mad at him at all though.
"Everything okay, Peeta?" I finally say. I honestly don't know why it's quiet maybe because of today with Gale and his nightmares.
"Yeah everything is fine, I just have things on my mind," says Peeta. All I could think is, if everything is fine then what would be on your mind?
"Like what?" I say. He debates whether to say it or not, because he's taking awhile to reply.
"Have you ever thought of having children?" he asks.
Herro. So I'm new at this. Uh. Sorry if its horrible.