a/n Hi guys how are you all?. Thank you soo much to the people who reviewed my last chapter you are all living legends. As you can see I've decided to continue this story. sooo yeah, I hope you enjoy the next chapter.

Katniss's POV

I wake up early the following morning, half expecting to have the bitter taste of fear and doubt in my mouth and the voice in the back of my head that tells me to get up and run for the hills before I get hurt and end up like my mother, but I only feel warm, safe and loved wrapped tightly by Peeta's arms. Wait, I feel loved. I open my eyes and look at Peeta. Do I love him? . The honest answer is yes. Wait, I've fallen in love. How did I let that happen. I open my eyes and blink wildly as the hospital lights greet me when I do. I look sideways at Peeta's sleeping face, happy that I have him back in my life but panicked at the thought of letting him in further into my heart and then losing him. The thoughts swerl around in my head like a storm and I quickliy get out of the bed careful not to wake Peeta to stop myself from suffocating under it all. The beeping of the monitors in the hospital aren't giving me enough space in my head to think. It seems as though my thoughts and the monitors are in competition eith each other for domination in my head and my ears.

I do the only thing I can think of- run. I take off through the hospital door and into the hallway the thoughts of having my heart broken are pounding in my head like a drum: Now that I really do love Peeta how are things going to change between us?. I know if anything were to happen to him I would probably turn into my mother and for that very reason hadn't I sworn off love when I was twelve after the day my fatherdied down in the mines. How can I judge my mother if I know that I would be that way if anything were to happen to Peeta?. Is that what love does to you?. Do I still believe an open heart is lke an open wound?. I don't think so as Peeta only makes my life brighter. Will it make me weak. I know I can't afford to be weak but I also know that I need Peeta by my side. I keep on runnning from what I'm not sure. my feet are pounding on to the ground and as it was so early nobody is on their way down to breckfast yet. My head is feeling heavy and I need to sit down. I can't go back to the hospital yet, I have to figure out what it is that I sm feeling before I face Peeta, even though he would probably wait forever for me to tell him the whole story. but I know I love him and that's what scrares me.

I slip inside the door of my family's compartment and slide down against the door after I shutting it behind me careful not to wake up my mother or Prim. I sit on the floor trying desperately to clear my head and to think about the consequences of these feelings that my heart is trying to get my head around. "Katniss, are you alright" I hear my mother and I look up at her from where I am seated. "Yeah Mom, I think so". It feels almost natural at this point to shut my mothet and Prim out of the things in my life that don't make me the protective survivor that I am. "Katniss, You are my daughter and I can tell when something is wrong"she say softly. I am about to deny it and tell her to go back to bed when she sits down next to me on the ground. "Katniss, I know I haven't been the best mother but you do know you can tell me when something is bothering you" I sigh and am about to refuse her offer with some spiteful comment about her only thinking she can be a mother when she feels like it and she doesn't need to be there when the walls are crumbling down. Only seconds before I do what comes naturally between me and my mother I realise that when it come to the usual things that bother me she can and will never understand(nor would I ever want her to ,but on this topic she may profide some insight from someone who has been there and done that( never in the way I would ever want to of course) and after all she may be the only person who I could possibly go to for advice about this ( I can imagine going to Haymitch. I can almost see the look on his face and the single response of "More boy trouble, ay, Sweetheart".) My mother turns to me and looks me in the eye like she is trying to read my mind without me telling her anything. I half hope that she doesn't have that effect on me anymore due to how far apart we've grown in the last five years but it appears that she does as she looks away clearly pleased with what she has found. "You're in love aren't you Baby Bird", she hasn't called me that since dad died. I look down at my knees for my fingers have now become the most interesting things in the world and nod while adding "Yeah, I think so. I'm just afraid admitting to loving him will make me weak and vulnerable and I'm not sure if I want to be vunerable. I'm scared that letting him all the way in will do that to me". My mother shakes her head like I was a five year old who asked her why was the sky blue and says " Katniss, even if you don't tell him you'll still feel it and I know you, loving him will only make the two of you stronger than you already are and nothing could ever make you weak you are so much like your will be worth it, Baby Bird, loving is a hunger that won't leave you empty,it is the language of the heart. Love will hear you and heal you if you let it inside".

I stare at my mother and realise that she is right, letting Peeta in is worth it and he does make me feel that way. "Just make sure he's worthy, Baby Bird" my mother adds with a smile. "Oh Mom, Sometimes I think it's me who's the unworthy one" I say with a laugh even though I'm sniffling. "Now we both know that isn't true after everything you and Peeta have been through together".I smile, Mom probably knew that I love him long before I worked it out. "How did you know it was Peeta?" I ask her."I'm your mother Katniss, I knew that from the beginning. You two remind me of your father and myself when we were younger". I smile at my mother knowing that whatever dysfunction there was in our relationship has been partially lifted and I go out the door and head for the hospital wing trying to get there as quickly as possible.

I slip aroud the curtain to find an awake and smiling Peeta. I sit down next to him on the bed and he wraps an arm around my shoulders. When he sees my face he looks at me concerned,"Are you okay Katniss". I nod and look up into his bright blue eyes and I wonder why I thought it would be so hard to admit this to him. He has stood by me through all the hardship we have been through together in the last year and I know he would never hurt me. His love makes me stronger so I hope mine will do the same for him and we can get through this mess of a war side by side. "Peeta, I love you" I blurt out before I have time to over think it and decide not to tell him now yet as soon as the words were out and hanging in the air between us it dawns on me how truue they werevand how easy and natural they were to say to him . "You do" Peeta asks stunned but smiling. I nod and look down at my hand, uncomfortable when it come to talking about feelings."I love you too, Katniss" says Peeta stroking my cheek and tilting up my chin. We kiss like there is no tomorrow. My lips meeting his in perfect sync and the warmth spreading out through me as his teeth gently nip at my lips. The moment is ruined when I hear whispers behind me "Should we go and come back later.". "Well we don't want to be caught looking, do we now". I turn around preparing to glare at the intruders only to find two smiling blonde haired and blue eyed merchants who I know to be Delly Cartwright and Matthew Brown who I remember being two of Peeta's closest friends in school.

Delly smiles and says how glad she is to see us and how well we look. Seriously, she has to be the most optimistic and cheerful person in the entire world. Matthew on the other hand seems fairly quite and didn't really say much apart from ribbing Peeta about what his twelve year old self would say if he was told that in a few years he'd be french kissing Katniss Everdeen.

I left the hospital a few hours later to get something to eat telling Peeta I would be back later. I stroll down the hallway happier than I have been in a while and head towards the cafeteria. I pick up the usual bowel of mush and sit down at the table between Prim and Gale with Mom and the other Hawthornes including Posy,Vick and Rory who seems to be staring across the table at Prim smiling at everything she says, I catch his eye and give him a look that plainly states" You hurt my baby sister and I'll personally castrate you". He's a good boy though, sort of a calmer and younger version of Gale. Gale is poring over a file over an untouched meal of goo. "Alright there Gale" I ask and he looks up from the paperwork. "Fine Catnip, Beetee and I are just work on a new weapon down in Special Weaponry. I'm sure Coin won't mind if I let you take a look". He passes me the file and I come face to face with a pile of very immoral weapons that kill people by playing off their instincts. I look up at Gale and hardly recognise him. " Gale, are you sure there is no ethical problems here?" I ask him quitely so our mothers and the kids can't hear. "Katniss, I didn't think you'd have a problem with this. We are following the same rulebook that Snow used when he tortured Peeta you know"Gale states defensively and voicing exactly the reason I wouldn't say any more to him about it. I look down at the food in front of me my appetite completely gone and push my chair back. I ruffle Prims hair and tell everyone else that I will see them later and leave the hall.

The man who is the closest thing in the world I have to a brother is turning into a political monster and I can't do anything to stop him or even make him realise that the weapons will take innocent human lives. One thing I have learned from being in The Games is that killing innocents blackens your soul and stays with you forever, it should be avoided at all costs. It's those who are responsible who should be held accountable and the innocent saved, it is what we're fighting for isn't it so people like Rue will never needlessly die again.

I turn around the corner planning to go and find Peeta at the hospital. The good news being he should get discharged this evening all going according to plan. I am just about to enter the hospital when I see Boggs coming towards me "Soldier Everdeen, Madam President wants you in district 2 by tomorrow for he capture of The Nut. You have got to get down to command with Soldier Hawthorne and Soldier Odair immediately and bring Mellark with you."

a/n:Hi guys hiw are you all doing, I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter. I enjoyed writing it for you. Sorry if it was a bit fluffy and lovey dovey for some peoples taste( in my defence I've been watching far too much Once Upon a Time lately :) ). anyway, as I said I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you will like where the story is going from here. So, please please please with cheese buns on top review and let me know what you thought it would mean a lot or PM me if you have a suggestion or question regarding this story. Until next time, That all for now folks :)