Chapter 2- Returning to my love

Peeta's POV

Her lips are on mine. I just confessed that no one needs me, which is true. No one does. I have always been the boy that just tagged along and caused problems. I can feel her lips making a million fireworks and explosions go off in my stomach. Our lips move in-sync as the water laps around our bodies. I really love her. I never want to be apart from her. The next thing I know she has disappeared and I am now standing outside of my old school. My eyes are directly looking at a girl with a red plait dress and two long dark braids falling down her back. She turns and I see her piercingly beautiful Seam grey eyes. She smiles up at a man that could only be her father. I look up and see my own father holding my hand and smiling down at me. He tells me about her and her mother and I tell myself I will never let her out of my sights.

Next thing, the school yard is gone and we are in the music room. Everything else I blurry except for a chair in front of me. The same girl I swore to look out for then steps onto the chair and then starts to sing and I instantly fall for her. She is the most beautiful thing in the history of the world. I love her. The next minute- I am seeing her everywhere. I see her age into a beautiful teenage woman and I feel my love for her growing bigger and bigger. I see us kiss a few times yet only one on the beach and one in a cave make me crave more. I love her. I love this girl. Katniss. I love her. I love her.

I wake up breathing quickly. It takes me a little while to realise that we are still in Tigris's basement. Katniss? Where's Katniss? I remember. Everything is back. I love her. I need to see her. The mutt inside me has gone. I don't know where he has gone, but I know that it's somewhere deep down inside. It's probably around the afternoon, yet everyone else is still asleep. I need to see Katniss. I need to know is she is okay. I heard her cries last night. The second lot that went longer than the first lot. I want to hold her and kiss her and tell her everything is going to be okay. But, it will take a long amount of time and convincing to tell her that it's really me and that I am back.

I shake my handcuff, hoping that will get someone's attention. The next thing I know, Cressida is descending down the stairs with a couple of bowls- most likely containing food.

"Peeta, you're awake." She states, walking over to me.

"Yeah I am. Look I know I am going to sound crazy and you probably won't believe me, but I'm back. Somehow last night all the memories came back. I love her, Cressida. I love Katniss. The mutt has gone. He's deep down inside and he hasn't been back since she kissed me. I love her and I just want to hold her and…"

"Wait a second, Peeta. What do you mean you are back?"

"Katniss was helping me sort through memories last night, telling me if they were real or not. And all of them I asked her about were real. Then when I eventually fell asleep, everything about her and how much I love her came back. The mutts gone and I've returned. I know I sound absolutely crazy, but…"

"I believe you. The other Peeta never talked this much. I didn't really know you besides from your public appearances- but I can hear that it's you. But- I need someone to know that it's the real you before I un-cuff you, okay?" Cressida interrupts.

"Yeah, okay." I nod.

The next minute, Cressida is gone and has come back with Gale. I was expecting her to come back with Katniss, but I will take whoever I can.

"Ask him something that only 'the real Peeta' would know the answer too." Cressida tells Gale.

"Why?" Gale asks.

"Just do it!" She demands, putting down the bowls and watching us.

He looks at me and then thinks about what to say obviously before asking,

"What were your brother's names?"

"Aleex and Jeerden."

"Who did your mother hate more than anything in the world?"

"People from the Seam. She called them Seam scum. That's why she hated Katniss so much."

"On the first day back of school in year seven- What did Katniss wear?"

"She wore her hunting boots and jacket, a long medium green skivvy and dark pants. Her hair was in a long braid down her back."

God, he is really testing to see if it was me. I sound like such a stalker!

"Last one- She used to sing what song to Prim as they walked home from school on a Thursday?"

"Safe and Sound. A song from before the Dark Days. She sung it every day without fail." I answer.

He takes a deep breath and then looks up to the ceiling before stepping back and throwing his hand towards me.

"It's really him." He tells Cressida, before walking away to the other side of the room.

Cressida turns to me and smiles.

"Welcome back, Peeta!" She says.

I smile and then I hold out my hands so she can un-cuff me. She does swiftly and then I rub my wrists, now free from the cuffs.

"She's asleep now. She was up for a long time last night…"

"I know. I heard her." I say, getting sad just thinking about her cries last night.

"I think she would appreciate it if you were there when she woke up. She's missed you so much. I think she was crying over you last night. I heard her whimper your name a couple of times." She explains.

Now I feel horrible. Katniss was crying over me last night and I wasn't even there to help her. I am so happy I am finally back to my original self so I can finally be there for her. I never want to hear her cry like that again, especially if I am the one making her cry like that.

"Okay, I'll go and be with her. Thank you… for believing it was me. You have no idea…"

"Uh, uh, uh! You're back and I could see it. Go be with her. Be there when she wakes up. Don't make me tell you again." She tells me.

"Thank you." I say.

"Do you want to eat now or to wait until Katniss wakes up? Because she could still be a while." Cressida asks.

"I'll wait. I went weeks without food in the Capitol, I can last a few extra minutes for her." I tell Cressida before she smiles, waves me off and I scurry over to her.

She sleeps in a pile of furs that look so soft. I grab a chair with a broken back over and I sit next to her. I hear her soft and steady breaths as she breathes in and out. Her eyes are puffy from crying last night, her hair is a mess, yet her face looks so peaceful as she sleeps. I run my hand over the furs, soft at the touch and then I lean over and I start to stroke her fore head- like she was me last night. It feels amazing to touch her again and knowing that I love her and the explosions of my skin against her skin are nothing to be scared of. I wish I could just kiss her right now, but I know that if I did and she woke up- she wouldn't know it was me. She would think it was still the mutt- so I just have to wait until she wakes up and I explain it to her. I wonder how long it took her to fall asleep last night after her loud cries stopped. I wonder if she then silently cried after the loud cries finished. I know that she kissed me earlier, yet I don't even know if she loves me back.

I just hate that Snow did that to me and made her life hell. I should have been strong and fought the tracker jacker venom instead of letting it take over my body. I should have not let Snow's voice and the torture's voice get into my head- telling me incorrect things about Katniss. I shouldn't have let Katniss leave that tree without me. I should have stayed with her, fought for what we both wanted. Why wouldn't they just let me go with her? Surely they didn't know that Katniss and I were going to leave the alliance after the coil was in the water. I just- I can't believe I let them change our plans. Both Snow and the other Victor's.

I brush the back of my hand down Katniss's cheek and then I resume my previous movements of tangling my fingers through her hair and caressing her fore head. She moves her head slightly so it's facing me and she lets out a faint moan. My lips twitch into a slight smile and then brush my hand down her cheek again.

"She hasn't been the same, you know." I hear a voice say.

I look up and I see Gale standing against the wall to my right. He has his hands crossed over his chest, his foot against the wall and he is looking at me.

"Same how?" I ask, not knowing what he is inferring.

"She's hasn't been the same since the first Games." He explains.

"What do you mean?" I ask, still not knowing what he means.

"Ever since you both came home from winning the first Games, she has been so… different. She only used to look at Prim in a specific way, but those months leading up to the Victory Tour, she looked to your house in the same way- hoping you would come out and talk to her. You know that if you ever hurt you, then I will have to kill you."

"Yes, I am aware of that and I will allow it." I tell him.

"You know, she is my best friend and I will always love her in a way that Prim does." He says.

"I thought that you loved her- like I do…?"

"No. Well, I did. But I realised- what's the point when she is never going to choose me. That's why I am getting over her- so you can have her and myself not be in the way." Gale interrupts me, stating what must be hurting him.

"Thank you, Gale. I know that Katniss will appreciate that, as well as I do. Even if we all do make it out of this rebellion alive, she will need both of us. She needs you to be there- to be her friend, even if something isn't you want to be." I tell him.

"I know that I will. Even if we are in different Districts- I will still write letters to her. I might eventually be able to stand you. I know that you will never hurt her on purpose." Gale mumbles.

"I never would hurt her. I have done that too much already. I never want her in the same position again as when the mutt was inside me and fuming." I explain.

He nods and then comes over to me and claps me on the shoulder. We share a glance and then we nod at each other and he then walks away, leaving me with my thoughts again.

I think over what Gale said for ages. He's let me finally have Katniss- if she wants me anyway. After about twenty minutes of thinking, Katniss moans again, scrunching up her nose and then she turns her head away slowly so her peaceful face is no longer facing me. She moans again before her breath starts to even out again. I smile at how peaceful she looks as she sleeps. She must be having a sleep with no nightmares, which is good because she needs the sleep more than all of us. I start to slowly play with her hair that was on her face, slowly tangling my fingers in it, making me feel amazing for doing it. I do this for another few minutes and then she moans again and her breath is becoming faster and I can tell she is about to wake up- it's time to figure out how to tell her it's you and not the mutt. She turns her body again so she is lying on her side and she is facing me again. I pull my hands away and I rest my elbows on my knees and I play with the furs again. She turns smiles and then her eyes flicker on me and I compose myself for what I about to occur.

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