Hey there. Sorry you have to wait a little longer now for the updates. This chapter is going to be super long because last chapter I feel like I cheated you guys and I feel bad about it. Anyways thanks for your comments, they are really helping me write. Okay, well that's enough of me so here you go. Oh and sorry if I messed up some of the things from the book. I'm trying to put my own twist on it. Enjoy.

Chapter 10 – It Never Gets Old

I can't believe that my daughter, own flesh and blood is pretty much telling me flat out that she's going to kill herself for this boy? Well actually I can believe it, she is my daughter and I am Katniss Everdeen… or Mellark now but still my point is she's my daughter and she has so many qualities that I do.

"Mom?" She asks, breaking my train of thought as my focus snaps back to her. I look at her sympathetically and all I can seem to do at the moment is hold her, giving her comfort and hope. Before I can get another word out Traci is pulling her away from me. I quickly give her a kiss on top of her head and we go our separate ways. Walking back to my spot I see that Peeta is still talking to Avan, but then Nix, Avan's stylist tugs him away for last minute touch ups.

"How are you holding up?" He gently asks trying to hold me steady. That's when I realize that I'm shaking worse than a little Chihuahua in the middle of a blizzard.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine." I respond a little to sarcastic for Peeta's taste because the next thing I know he is giving me those looks again. "Will you stop that?" I add on quickly. He doesn't say anything but he's there, standing by my side holding me closely.

"Peeta?" I say to him keeping my eyes locked on Avan and Klarissa.

"Katniss?" He responds hoping to mimic my tone.

"I… I… He… Klarissa… The Games…" And that was the final straw.

"Katniss!" He exclaims as I hit the ground and that was the last thing I remember hearing. Seeing his baby blues stare at me in shock. When I wake up I'm back in my room at the capitol… no. It's too bright to be in my room and then my eyes become less blurry. I'm on the roof. I roll over and see Peeta sitting there staring at me.

"Kat." He whispers as he crawls towards me. He brushes strands of hair out of my face and his hand grazes over my cheeks.

"What happened?" I ask before trying to sit up. Apparently sitting up or trying to sit up isn't the best idea at the moment because Peeta is now behind me and my head is resting on his lap.

"Well." He starts, "We were in the building where they get ready for the opening ceremonies." He says combing my hair with his fingers.

"And then I took Klarissa away to talk to her and you went over and was talking to Avan." I add.

"Right." He responds, now smiling down at me, "Then we were standing there and you started to say something and then you just…" His voice trails off.

"Collapsed." I finish for him. I look up just in time to see him nod in agreement. We sit there in the sun for a few minutes until so many questions fill my head.

"How did I get back here?" The words manage to get out themselves.

"Well… I carried you." He says laughing.

"You couldn't have! You didn't! Yo-." He cuts off my rambling with a kiss. "Alright, alright I give… but how did the opening ceremonies go?" He starts to speak but then hesitation overcomes him.

"Peeta?" I ask him carefully.

"They looked just like us." He finally responds to me, "The only difference is that they share mutual feeling for each other." He finishes off, avoiding eye contact with me.

"Are you trying to make me feel guilty about what happened years ago?" My voice rising without me really realizing it.

"No! I would never do that to you!" He exclaims to me, hurt and confusion in his eyes. That's when I realize how much he really did love me back during our games and how I played him shamefully.

"I'm sorry…" I tell him. He must really love me enough to put up with all of my flaws, "Why are you still with me?" I ask him out of nowhere. He pulls away from me and stares into my eyes. For a minute I'm scared but then I realize that Peeta's the only one that can make me feel safe.

"Simply because I love you." He finally tells me, choosing his words carefully, "Come on, we better go down and watch the opening ceremonies on TV." He gets up and then lifts me up in his arms and we're off. Before we reach the room where it's getting shown he puts me down and grabs my hand, still knowing that I'm not steady.

"Mom!" My daughter yells, as she jumps up to hug me. She practically knocks me over but thankfully Peeta's there behind me like a brick wall. I really do love him; he's always there for me.

"Sit by me!" She says excitedly as she pulls my husband and I towards the couch. Everything starts off like usual, District 1, and then continues on and on. They all look so washed up or either like a doll, I think to myself. Finally Avan and Klarissa are up. My jaw drops and I'm shocked by the resemblance between the younger couple and us.

"You looked gorgeous darling." I tell her. As I do her eyes sparkle and I can see a hint of fury in them.

"You look so muscular." Peeta tells Avan, "Strong." He adds in. I let out a little laugh and so does Klarissa. Typical Peeta. Always trying to make everyone feel good. There! There's another thing I love about him. The list just keeps growing doesn't it?

"Time to go down to training to meet the instructors!" Effie tells the two youngest. They get up and leave the room, leaving Haymitch, Peeta, and I sitting there in an awkward silence. Haymitch finally gets up giving me a look and then grumbling something under his breath and then finally stumbling out of the room.

"Well Mrs. Mellark." Peeta says in a joking voice, "What should we do now?" I know what he's up to and for once, I'm agreeing with him. A devilish grin comes across his face as he leads me down the hall and back to our room. He unlocks it with the card and he whips me into the room and locks the door behind us. I really hope that the kids training goes all right, but suddenly that's the last thing on mind.

AVAN

Effie shoves us into the elevator and then presses the button for the lowest floor.

"Goodluck!" She squeals, "Oh and try not to show off to much! Save that for private sessions!" I nod at her and she runs off. She really must have the last word. I honestly don't even know how Klarissas mom and Peeta put up with the crazy witch. I look over to see Klarissa playing with her hair.

"Everything will be okay." I tell her as I turn to her and reach for her hand. She meets my gaze and then she just kisses me, but she doesn't have the best timing. When I look up I see the tributes from the other districts staring at us in disbelief. She lets go of my hand and confidently strides over to the pack and pushes her way to the front. All I can do is stare at her and wonder.

"Kid." That's when I realize I'm still in the elevator and their all waiting for me to start.

"Sorry." I say quickly as I sprint over to my place next to Klarissa. She finds my hand and intertwines our fingers. A smile covers my face and I'm oblivious to what the crazy woman is saying about training. I feel her let go of me once again and I watch her trot over to the archery station but then quickly change her mind and go to hand to hand combat. Suddenly I feel a presence behind me. I turn around to see a bulky blonde with the number 2 pinned on him and that's when I realize it. He is my Cato in these games, but this time I wont make the same mistake as Peeta.