The radio was playing in a corner and I was writing in my journal. A song I use to dance to with my with my father began playing. It was called, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," by a band called Queen. My father and I used to dance to this when he was alive. I used to write all my thoughts down to try and get rid of them after the Hunger Games. Now, I remembered my journal, had found it in a chest of drawers in my bedroom and was sitting at the dining room table scribbling it down.
Peeta appeared behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders, giving me a kiss on the cheek. He chuckled and whispered, "Can I have this dance?" I smiled and shook my head. Peeta tickled my sides until I giggled, "Peeta…stop!" He wouldn't relent. He knew from the day we'd spent on the rooftop before our first Hunger Games that it was my tickle spot. He pulled me up out of the chair anyway, and spun me around. I grinned for the first time in a week. He spun me around effortlessly and I let him. It was refreshing-feeling something other than sorrow and mourning. It lifted my spirits, just a simple thing like dancing.
He was so good at this, at just being together. Evidently, I still had a lot to learn. Peeta whispered to me then, "I think this should be our song." I smiled and kissed his cheek, "You always think of such romantic things. I'm not good at it. But I agree. I used to dance to this song with my father." Peeta fell silent and now we were just slowly turning around each other, my head resting on his shoulders. I was never very relaxed around anyone, but somehow, just knowing that Peeta was alive and well enough and in my arms was all I need.
I suddenly felt overwhelmed and began crying. Peeta felt my tear drop down his back and immediately stopped turning us around. I whispered to Peeta, "I'm sorry. I just…" Peeta held me tighter than I would have thought possible. I felt more tears escaping and he whispered, "You never need to apologize Katniss. Ever. For how you're feeling. We've been acting in ways we haven't wanted to act, and not out of our own will, for the last four years. I think now is our time to be who we are and let ourselves feel the way we feel." I nodded against his shoulder as the tears still fell down my face. Suddenly, I was sobbing. I hadn't really cried yet over Prim. I had been keeping myself in check, delaying it, trying to process everything. It just felt like my brain was behind, and unable to catch up with the facts. Prim was dead. Finnick was dead. Boggs was dead. I shook my head, and didn't even realize I was sobbing and grasping Peeta, like my life depended on it. I handed realized until then that it did.
He pulled away and pulled him back. I whispered throatily, "I can't live without you." He whispered back, "I never have been able to. You know that." I pulled away only to kiss him fiercely. It was to feel anything but the pain in me right now. He seemed surprised but he also didn't seem to mind. The tears began to slow down as I kissed him. I walked backwards, towards the couch and lay on my back, pulling Peeta on top of me. He gently wiped the tears off my face and kissed my cheeks where they had been.
I suddenly felt exhausted and whispered, "I'm so tired. He nodded and got up off me, "I'll let you rest then." I shook my head and got up, "No! Please stay with me?" He nodded and got back on the couch, lying down on his side and he held out his hand to me. I ran to him and snuggled against his chest. He sighed and stroked my hair, "Sleep Katniss." I nodded and drifted off easily in his arms.
I awoke with a start when I heard Haymitch's voice, "Peeta…Katniss? Where are…" His voice stopped. I realized his must have found us. I stretched slowly and saw that Peeta was awake and watching me. He glanced up and I guessed Haymitch was in the living room. I yawned and sat up to face him. He shook his head and murmured, "I should really learn to knock, with you two lovebirds. Anyway, there's a package from Effie that I just collected from the trainstation. It's full of food. The porter helped me carry it."
We stood up and I hurried to the front door. I picked up the letter which read:
Dear Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch
I was so pleased to hear from you Katniss! It is such a relief to know that you finally have some happiness. If anyone deserves it, it is my victors-all three of you! I hope this parcel finds you and is enough to keep you going for a while. If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to ask. I'm always here for my three champions.
I miss you dearly, but I'm afraid things are still a big mess from the war, and probably will be for a long time coming. I don't think it will be safe for you to return anytime soon. There are people with loads of negative feelings-mostly towards you, Katniss. Some are blaming the respectful criminals-Coin and Snow; while others are blaming you and Peeta- saying if you had just taken the berries, this would never have had happened! Can you believe the idiocy of some people! I can't believe I used to call them my friends!
It's been declared a week of national mourning for remembrance of both who died in the Hunger Games and the war. In this week I'm remembering Prim and Cinna. I wish I had gotten to know your sister a little more. I do feel extremely sorry that I didn't.
Anyway like I said, please ask if you ever need anything.
With all my love
Effie
I smiled and said to Peeta, who was looking confused, "I sent her a letter asking for the basic food supplies." The box was huge, in typical Effie style. We searched through it. There was tones of bread, meat, vegetables, preservatives, milk and even tea bags to last us for the next month. There was loads of water too which was useful because the water was temporary at the moment, with no one there to fix it or run it. It did what it wanted to do.
Haymitch chuckled when he pulled out a bottle of whisky and he read the sticky note on it out loud, "Just one, because you have come so far and you can't afford to back track." He shook his head and sighed, "How I miss that woman." Peeta and I exchanged a smirk and Haymitch rolled his eyes, "Don't you too look at each other like that!"
I smiled and rummaging through, I came across a box. It had my name of it in my mom's handwriting. Peeta was looking at it warily. I opened it and found a note folded inside and found my locket that Peeta had given to me in the Quarter Quell with the pictures of her, Prim and Gale in the middle. I stared at the picture of Prim. I couldn't do anything but stare and think to myself 'She's gone…she's gone…' I turned to Peeta and whispered, "She's gone? Real or not real?" He didn't give me an answer.
A/N: First off, thank you to my two amazing reviewers! Really it's great to hear that people are enjoying this, especially since it's my first Hunger Games fic. Also thank you to everyone who followed/ favorited this story, it really means a lot! The other thing I want to know is...am I ok with my age restriction? I never know how to rate the stories. I mean I understand the rating but I don't know what this would fall under. So far I think K+ is fine, but I could be wrong. Any thoughts would be much appreciated! Thank you again!
