Wooo! Two chapters in one day, you guys better love me! Writing the last chapter was emotional, and this chapter skips forward a few years. This isn't the last chapter, but the next one will be. I hope you all enjoyed my story, because I absolutely loved writing it for you.

Enjoy x

Chapter 18 - Three Years Later, May.

Katniss took in the beautiful scene before her, still in disbelief that this day was really here. She was standing in a large garden, with the sun beaming down and flowers in bloom everywhere you looked. There were two small children running after each other, a girl and a boy, the girl tripping over her pink dress. The boy initially laughed, but helped her up.

Prim was sitting on top of a blanket on the grass, not wanting to get her dress dirty before the ceremony began. Rory was sitting beside her, holding her hand. Her head was resting on his shoulder, and they didn't appear to be talking. Just enjoying each other's company.

Katniss turned to her right and looked at the long table set up beside the lawn. There was a tall cake in the middle, with four tiers and delicate green flowers wrapped around it. On either side there were glasses of champagne and various other drinks, but most of the glasses remained untouched as of yet.

Katniss looked at her watch and realised that the ceremony was about to begin. She made her way back inside, and found the other two bridesmaids standing around Amanda, making last minute adjustments on her hair and make-up. Katniss smiled, and picked up her bouquet of white lilies from the small table in the corner. She then walked over to the tall mirror and made sure that her dress was still in place, and that no wrinkles had appeared in the last five minutes. It was sea-green, fitted and beautiful.

She turned around again, and saw that the bridesmaids were also gathering their bouquets and smoothing their dresses. Katniss took a moment to admire Amanda. Her dress was truly stunning, plain yet gorgeous. It had a white, fitted bodice, with a green band around the waist that exactly matched the bridesmaids' dresses. From the band, the skirt flared out slightly and ended at the floor.

Finnick had introduced Katniss to Amanda about a week after Peeta had left, and they instantly became friends. They were quite similar, infact. Like herself, Amanda liked books, music and anything that was outdoors. She gave Katniss swimming lessons, which had become a regular hobby by then; anything to take her mind off him. She also taught her to play the piano, which Katniss now loved. At first, it was frustrating and confusing, but after about a year Katniss' musical instincts kicked in and she began to play some slightly more challenging pieces. She was nowhere near as good as Amanda, but like the swimming, anything to take her mind off of everything.

They grew close, almost like sisters, and Prim also admired her. All three of them would go to small, indie gigs and watch bad movies together, enjoying being around each other.

Prim wasn't a bridesmaid today, but Katniss was. Today was the first day in years that Katniss felt completely at ease; happy.

Katniss walked down the aisle second, after Amanda's sister. The aisle was outdoors, beside the picturesque country house and garden. She took her place beside the alter, and scanned the crowd for Prim and Rory.

But she didn't see them.

She saw Peeta.

He looked amazing, to put it lightly. He was wearing a grey suit with a blue tie, and his blonde hair was badly in need of a trim. Katniss' breath caught in her throat when their eyes met.

After the ceremony, Katniss took a glass of champagne and decided to do some mingling; she couldn't avoid it forever. She found herself heading to Peeta's table, where he was chatting happily to Finnick.

"Hey, you guys." Peeta looked up, and Katniss pulse began to race when their eyes met for the second time that day.

"Uh, hi, Katniss." Was all he said.

"Well, I'm gonna leave you guys to.. talk. See you later." Finnick got up and left, heading over to talk to Prim and Rory.

Katniss stood awkwardly, cursing herself for even coming over here.

Peeta broke the silence first. "You look great."

Katniss gave him a half smile. "So do you."

Another awkward silence.

"Look, Katniss this is so fucking awkward. I get that. Can we start over?" Katniss breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. She sat down opposite Peeta, and he gave her a lopsided grin.

"How have you been?" She asked.

"Great, uh, I opened a bakery about ten minutes from here. And I'm taking business classes on the side. It's a little stressful sometimes but I love it. How about you?" Katniss felt her heart melt a little, glad that he was happy.

"Yeah, me too. I finished my nursing course last month, and I got a real job. Prim got a scholarship too, so she's going to college in the fall. I'll be all on my own." Katniss let out something between a sigh and a chuckle at this, looking down at her lap. She thought she heard Peeta mumble something along the lines of "you don't have to be," but she wasn't sure.

"Do you want to dance?" Peeta asked, holding out his hand suddenly. Katniss began to decline, but then changed her mind.

One dance couldn't hurt, could it?

They made their way t the make-shift dancefloor in the middle of the lawn, where the band began to play a slightly slower song. After the first few bars, Katniss realised what song it was. It was the song that Peeta had played for her so many times during those months after he had arrived. It was the most played song on his iPod, and it was also the song that Katniss had listened to every day for about a month after Peeta left.

The smooth indie tune calmed her, and she pulled Peeta close. Katniss rested her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes.

You could let it down; Jump in to the river baby, easy as it sounds.. Never quite as easily done.

Katniss smiled at the line in the song. After a while of listening to it, she added her own hidden meaning to this lyric. When she was with Peeta before.. She had known that she loved him; thought that saying it to him would be easy. But, as the song said, actually doing it is never quite as easily done.

Katniss began to quietly sing , never moving her head from Peeta's shoulder. After a while, in the closing lines of the song, a tear slid from her eye.

"You used to always play this for me. I thought your iPod was going to explode. We must have listened to it about a thousand times." Katniss laughed quietly. The song ended, and Katniss began to walk away.

But Peeta couldn't handle it anymore, so he grabbed her wrist and spun her back to him, crashing his lips to hers. The kiss said everything that she had wanted to say to Peeta ever since he left. That she loved him, that she missed him, that he was her family now. He was safety for her. He was home.

A/N.

Well, I think that this has been my favourite chapter so far. The song that played was Who Knows, Who Cares by the Local Natives. It's a personal favourite of mine, you should all give it a listen!

Review please, make me smile as I'm not in the best of moods right now x