I got so many reviews that I decided to go ahead and put this chapter up. To my wonderful anons.. I don't even know what to say other than thank you from the bottom of my heart. I was really very touched, at one extremely saddened, but overall, they mean the world to me.

But alas, here we are nearing an end. Fear not though because this won't be my only one.. I have other ideas in mind :)

Suzanne Collins.. Thanks for writing The Hunger Games and pretty much ripping out my heart and stomping on it, but I thank you for doing so.

xxxxxx

I want so badly to believe who is keeping me together right now, but I know it is a large impossibility. "Katniss," He speaks. "Open your eyes." His voice, it really is his voice. He strokes my face with his thumbs and I open my eyes. The tears that were held back from my tightly closed lids pour down my face. My eyes are met with my favorite color blue ones. Peeta.

"Sh-She's gone." I sob. I feel like I can't breathe and an elephant is sitting on my chest.

"Shh.." Peeta tries to calm me. I let myself cling to him. "It's okay…" He tries. "Let it out, cry." That I do. "I'm sorry.." He says and I know he's crying his own tears. I want to comfort him, but my own pain keeps me from doing so. For once I let him take care of me, I let him hold me together and I let him love me.

All the crying must have tired me out because I drifted off to sleep somehow. It wasn't a deep enough sleep where I could dream and see my mother's lifeless body behind my closed eyes. I'm awoken not even an hour later by Peeta touching my face. He's running his fingers lightly over what I assume are the dark circles under my eyes. They're probably puffy now. I open my eyes to see his loving, sad ones. I have managed to calm myself down long enough to have a real conversation.

"Hi…" I say, my voice giving out at the end.

He sighs with relief, "Hi."

I sit up a little and realize, I'm still in Peeta's arms and he hasn't let me go. "Oh, Peeta, this must have been so uncomfortable for you.." and I try to get up, but I'm held in place by his warm, strong arms. He's shaking his head, "No, stay." I do as he says and lay my head on his shoulders and bring my hands in fists up to my chin.

After a few moments of silence I speak. "Do you know what my mother did before she died?" Peeta looks surprised by this question. "No, what?" he asks. I don't think I can tell him, so instead I just show him.

"It was right before her last dying breathe.."

"She loved you, so much." He tells me and goes on, "This probably isn't a good time, and definitely not the place I wanted to say this, but I got your note. Your mother isn't the only one. I love you too, Katniss." At his words I begin to cry again.

He got my note that simply said, "To the boy with the bread, I love you".

I smile for the first time in what seems like years. My face goes crimson and again he is touching my face only this time he's following the string of redness across my cheeks. "I'm sorry it took me so long to say that to you. When I said I didn't remember anything after you giving me the pain pills, I lied. I know what I said and I meant it. I just didn't want to scare you away again, but I'm glad I said it." Peeta finishes his little speech.

I feel daring and I don't know whether it is because I have nothing left to lose since my mother's death or Peeta's declaration of love, but I take his face between my hands and I bring it down so it is merely centimeters from my own. I close the gap and our lips meet again after a long separation. I've missed this and my heart feels whole again. He puts his hand on my neck and holds my back with his other hand. I feel warmth spreading through me and it heals my broken heart.

I'm the first to pull away because I need air. Tears are still spilling from my eyes, but Peeta willingly wipes them away for me. Now I know my place. My place is in the arms of the boy with the bread, in the arms of Peeta Mellark.

Peeta puts his forehead on mine and is looking into my eyes. "I've missed you." He breathes. I don't think he means it in a sense of seeing me early this morning and the absence since. He's missed this closeness just like I have, probably more. I close my eyes holding onto this moment for as long as I can because when we break apart the world around me will become real and it won't just be me and him anymore, it will be me and him and death and pain and everyone else.

I don't say anything, I just hug him tighter because he's always been the one with the use of words and I've been the one for action. We know this of one another and we fit together, we fill in where the other one lacks. I close my eyes and lean into him letting him comfort me.

Then I open my eyes. "How did you get here? Why are you here?" I realize how unloving this sounds and try to change the questions. "I mean, well, how and who..?" I just stop. I look away frustrated with my own inability to ask simple questions without sounding harsh. Peeta seems to see my struggle and answers like he understands that I'm not angry with him, just curious.

"When I woke up this morning and you weren't there I panicked a little. The pills made me a little woozy but I managed to make my way into the kitchen and Haymitch was there cooking. Which by the way," He looks at me with a sick expression. "Haymitch is never allowed to cook for us. Ever." I chuckle because I can only imagine what he cooked for Peeta and because he's such a sweet boy he ate it. Poor thing. "But anyways," he continues. "I asked where you were and he sat me down and told me the whole thing. He gave me your note and it took me five tries to read it without the words escaping the page." He becomes emotional and I cup his cheek. He holds his hand over mine and I wipe away the one falling tear with my thumb. We savor this moment for as long as we can because we both know it will be ending soon.

"But," I try asking another question. "How did you get here?" I am pleased that this question comes out without any fluctuation in my voice to make him concerned.

"Oh," he chuckles. "You have Haymitch to thank for that one. After he gave me the note I got up and told him we needed to get to District 2 and I flew out the door to my house to you know, be presentable and what not." He flashes me his winning smile and I melt. The heartache I feel for the loss of my parent can wait. I know I'm being vulnerable, but I trust this boy to keep me safe and I trust him to love me despite our history.

"So what, did Haymitch get a magic wand and snap his fingers and you were here?" I ask. Peeta chuckles at my attempt at humor. "No no, that would have been much quicker. After I came back from my house I saw a small hovercraft. He said something about someone owing him a favor and we got in and we were off. Looks like I got here just in time." He looks sad and I know he did arrive just at the right time as he always does for me.

My thoughts go back to my mother and the last sight of her giving me the sign for ultimate love and respect. That was something my mother never openly said to me. I know she did love me and I know she thought a lot of things about me, but she never made it known that she did so.

"I miss them." I say. Peeta knew who I was talking about and nodded. "I know you do." And he does. He lost his family, every single one of them and now he's alone and orphaned just like me. We have no one but Haymitch to look after us now. No mothers to give us harsh beatings or to completely check out mentally. No fathers to fix us up and show how to be kind or to teach us the many ways of life.

We now have to hold each other when times are hard. When I want to push away he has to hold on. When he mistakes me for a mutt I have to wait. We need to fix each other and hope that we can move on from the destruction and devastation left by our rebellion. We need hope.

Out of the blue, like most of today, someone asks, "Katniss Everdeen?"

xxxxx

Such a good chapter for Peeta and Katniss.. finally they kiss! Woo! Some brightness is deserved after such a heavy last chapter. Please review and tell me what you think! How did you feel about the two? Can they make it work? What about the person at the end? Hmmmm….