Katniss Point of View
I stood staring out the window as the train sped back towards District 12, thinking over everything that had happened since I left.
A few weeks ago, I may have killed anyone who even thought this, but being in the Arena wasn't all bad, at least for me. No, I don't agree with the idea of the Games nor do I like how the Capitol views them as entertainment but I guess what I'm trying to say is that some good can come out of it – if you manage to survive. For me, being in the Games gave me an opportunity to get to know Peeta – something I should have done years ago when he saved me with that bread. I was overjoyed at the announcement that we could be Victors together. Ever since he had proclaimed his love for me, my feelings for him slowly began to grow. The anger and betrayal that I felt when I found out he had allied with the Careers was still overpowered by my wish that I wouldn't have to be the one to kill him. Hearing that he had been wounded, possibly fatally, was heart-wrenching in its own right – a pain that was multiplied tenfold when I found him in such a dire condition.
He had no need to remind me that we were supposed to be in love. The care and affection that I showed him were in no way faked. Any hesitation at displaying my feelings was due to my lack of experience and my concern for his condition. After the feast, it felt so right to wake up wrapped in his arms. The rain gave us a sense of privacy despite the cameras and we spend hours talking and getting to know each other. We also shared countless kisses, both for us and for the cameras – each more heated than the last and always leaving me wanting more. Our last night in the cave, though we didn't know it at the time, he told me that he loved me, whispered it into my hair so the cameras couldn't see. Snuggling closer to his chest, I whispered back "I love you, too" and smiled when his arms tightened around me and he kissed my hair in response. That night was a million times better than the next, where we held each other, listening to Cato's screams and the mutts' growls as Peeta's leg slowly bled out.
Standing by the lake, hearing Claudius' announcement that there could be only one Victor after all, I wasted no time throwing my bow and arrow away. Peeta similarly threw away his knife and looked at me desperately before capturing my lips in an urgent, needy kiss. "I can't live without you," he whispered as we broke apart and he held my face in his hands. "Me neither," I choked out as I began to cry. "If we can't live together, we can at least die together," I said, pulling out the berries that had killed Foxface. "Are you sure?" he asked as he took some of the berries in his hand. I nodded, reaching up to give him one last kiss. "I love you." "I love you too." "On the count of three?" I asked and he nodded. On three we each brought the berries to our lips as we looked into each other's eyes and gratefully threw them out when Claudius announced us both Victors. We embraced each other immediately and cried in relief. Being separated from him until our final interview was its own form of torture but I couldn't help but smile once I was back in his arms. I was shocked, to say the least, when I learned about his new leg and I nearly cried just thinking about all he had sacrificed to save me.
A pair of warm, muscular arms broke me out of my thoughts as they wrapped around my waist. "What are you thinking about?" the sweet soft voice of the man I loved whispered in my ear. "You," I replied truthfully as I turned to face him and wound my hands around his neck. "What about me?" he asked with a smile that melted my heart. "About how we probably wouldn't be together if it wasn't for the Games." "I've been thinking the same thing," he replied nodding, "I just can't believe we are actually going home. I never thought I'd see District 12 again." "I know, it will be different though, living as Victors." "But now we get to be neighbors," he said smiling. "But Haymitch will also be our neighbor," I said, wrinkling my nose in disgust. "You're cute when you do that," he said kissing the tip of my nose and making me smile. "But then again you're always cute," he whispered, pressing his lips to mine.
I reached up, deepening the kiss and I threaded my fingers into his soft blond curls. I gasped as he pressed my back against the window, his hands grasping my hips as he peppered kisses down my neck. My hands moved up under his shirt and I relished in the feeling of his muscled torso under my fingertips. His hands in turn crept up my sides stopping to hold my ribcage, his fingers stroking the skin directly beneath my bra line. I yearned for him to go further and I was about to tell him to, when Effie strode into the room. "There you two are! Save that for the cameras lovebirds! We're almost at District 12 so you two need to go get prepped!" She said in her chirpy Capitol accent. We broke apart, breaking heavily and removing our hands from under each others shirts. "We'll finish this later," I whispered in his ear, causing him to shiver slightly, before kissing his cheek and heading back to my room to meet my prep team. Luckily, they didn't have to do much work and in what seemed like no time at all I found myself waiting at the trains exit as we pulled into the station. "Hey beautiful. You ready?" Peeta asked as he joined me at the door. I nodded and smiled as the doors opened and we stepped out hand in hand.
