Chapter 7- Thanksgiving

I get back to the cave to find Peeta already there talking to Rose, who is sitting on his lap. Her eyes light up when she sees me and I capture her in a tight embrace.

"You guys came to save me," she whispers, and I hug her tighter.

"Of course we did," I whisper back, kissing her cheek. "We love you."

"I love you too," she says, "Mommy, you're hugging me too tight. I can't breathe."

"Sorry," I say, releasing her. I can't stop smiling.

"What happened?" Peeta asks, grabbing my hand and pulling me down next to him.

"Nothing," I say. "I didn't do anything. Something inside me told me that I needed to come back here." I remember the fact that Finnick is dead and frown. I decide against telling Peeta; there's no point.

"Mommy?" Rose asks.

"What?"

"When are we going to get out of here? This place scares me."

I sigh. "I don't know, honey. We may have to stay here for a while."

"I hate this," she whispers.

"I do too," I say, stroking her hair. "You know what? Being in a place like this really makes you thankful for what you have, doesn't it?"

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"Well, for one, I'm thankful I have a beautiful daughter and a loving husband."

"I'm thankful I have a beautiful wife," Peeta chimes in.

"And I'm thankful that I have you guys as my parents!" Rose says. "I'm thankful for our big house back home, and the meadow, and the birds, and the animals, and everything!"

I laugh. "And don't forget the beaches in District 4. Do you remember when we went there to visit Grandma?"

Rose giggles. "How could I forget?"

We're all silent as we look back onto a better time in our lives.

I'm standing on the shore of a beach. The sand feels nice beneath my bare feet as the sun shines brightly on my face. Peeta is closer to the water, holding both Rose and Finnick's hands. Rose is pulling Peeta closer to the water, as Finnick pulls him closer to the sand dunes on the opposite side of the beach. I move closer and take Rose's hand from Peeta's. "You go with Finnick," I say. Rose and I make our way to the water's edge, and I feel the spray of water against my face. A wave crashes down a little ways a way, and as the water touches our feet, Rose screams in shock at how cold it is. After getting used to the water after a little bit, we move in until our whole lower body is emersed in it. Rose and I start a splashing war, and soon we're both soaked. I see Peeta and Finnick standing on top of the sand dune back on the shore, and I wave to them. "Mommy?" Rose says, and I look at her. She's smiling more brightly than I've ever seen her smile. "This is perfect," she says. And right then, I realize that it is perfect. The way the seagulls fly across the sky, the way the waves crash down, the way the sand tickles my feet; everything is absolutely wonderful. The rest of the day is spent building sand castles and playing in the waves, and the kids even bury all of Peeta except his face under the sand. At the end of the day, as we are leaving the beach, Peeta comes and wraps his arm around me. "Let's never forget this," I say. "Never," Peeta whispers back.

"That was such a wonderful time," I say, returning back to reality. The damp cave walls and hard dirt floor offer a startling contrast from the beautiful beach.

"It was," Peeta agrees.

"Are you thankful for any other people, Mommy?" Rose asks.

"Well," I say, "I'm thankful for my mom, my sister, Finnick, and for all the people I used to know before you were born."

"Where are those people now, Mommy?" Rose asks.

I smile. "In my heart."

As Rose snuggles closer to me, she falls asleep within minutes. After a couple more minutes, Peeta is also sleeping. I look at them both and can't help but smile. "Thank you," I say out loud, to no one particular. Before I drift off also, I hear the voices of a little boy and a teenage girl whisper, "Thank you," back to me.

Author's Note: I figured I'd do a chapter for Thanksgiving. Sorry that it's extremely short. I'm having a slight case of writers block with this story, but I'm hoping that it'll be cured soon. Please, *REVIEW*! They are definitely medicine for writer's block. =) By the way, I hope everyone had a lovely Turkey Day yesterday!