Eh, this will be the epilogue. My next story will maybe come out at the end of the week. School starts tomorrow and I have an AP class so I might not be able to update often but hang in there!

~Z

Deryn has gotten better but there are instances where she does try to strangle and/or maim me. At first it was hard to even have a conversation with her without her yelling or trying to throw things at me. Even though they had her arms bound she could still flick her wrist. It has been months since she has returned. Slowly things got better. She focuses on drawing to distract herself. Newkirk and Lilit visit her as well. She loves Bovril like he is her little brother. Jaspert comes to talk to her to fill in the parts of her memory that are disoriented. Things are almost normal. But not the way I wanted them to be.

We were planning the assassination of President Telsa but my doctors say that I'm not mentally sound enough to go. I pleaded with them but they just said the same thing that I wouldn't be able to do it safely. I would be a danger to myself and to everyone around me. I have to stay back and watch the action. I wanted to be the one to assassinate him. I told them all.

I'm on my way to visit Deryn. She is past the point of throwing knives at me. If I am out of her reach then I'm safe. I knock on the door.

"It's open." she shouts.

I open the door to see her sitting in her bed with a big sketch pad. Even though District 13 hates to waste things the doctors managed to find her some sketch pads and pencils. They say drawing helps her recover. Every time I see her drawing she looks so peaceful and concentrated. Like the old Deryn.

"Mind I ask what you are drawing?" I ask her.

"Something," she mumbles pouring all her attention on her paper.

I sneak a peek over her shoulder but she moves the paper away from my view. "Not yet." she says.

Her blue eyes are glistening exactly the way they did before. Her hair has grown out but she keeps it tied on the side of her head. She doesn't look like a skeleton anymore.

I shake my head. "Then when can I see it?" I tell her. I sit on the foot of her bed.

"When I say you can." she says.

"So in other words-"

"Never," she smiles. Her smile disappears and she sets her book down. She looks at me. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can Deryn."

"You never tried to kill me, true?" she asks.

"True, I never did. Fitzroy on the other hand has attempted but I would stop him." It was true. In the arena I made sure she was safe. I never let her out of my sight.

"You must really do love me. True?"

"One-hundred percent true." I smile.

It has been one year since Telsa was assassinated. President Hobbes is the new president of Panem and he has abolished the War Games. There are no more Peacekeepers. No more training for the games. No more misery. And finally no more living in fear.

Newkirk went back to District 10 and is in the running for Mayor. Lilit has gone back to District 11 to establish a better police force. District 11 in fact is probably the safest of the districts. Jaspert is in the Capitol serving as a senator. None of us thought he would make it. Deryn was maybe his biggest doubter. Bovril went back to District 2 to set up a successful hospital. Volger and Mr. Rigby run the training for police officers in District 11. The people of District 13 were freed but they preferred the safety of the underground city.

As for Deryn and I we're together. We got married and chose to live in District 7 which is beautiful with its lush forests. We built a house in the woods near a pond. We decided to live off the land. She loves swinging from the trees and she still draws. I always tell her she needs to be careful but she just ignores me and tells me that she won't hurt herself. I still don't believe that's true.

The hallucinations of hers come and go but as long as I am with her they fade away. She doesn't try to hurt me anymore mainly she just yells at me. I always try to calm down and she does most of the time. She gets her anger out by either chopping trees or by hunting. Mainly she draws and her artwork is everywhere.

It took a lot of convincing but we had children. Our first was a girl with auburn hair and bright blue eyes we named her Sophie after my mother. Our second child was born a few years after Sophie he had his mother's bright blond hair and my green eyes we named him Artemis after Deryn's father. Sophie is just like her mother. They swing from trees, practice throwing knives and cause mischief everywhere. She is just a younger version of Deryn.

Artemis on the other hand acts just like me. We read and sometimes I teach him fencing, he adores to fence while Sophie just throws the sabre on the ground and surrenders. I teach him philosophy, how to write poems, and how to defend against his sister's attacks. They're our children who may not be perfect but Deryn and I love them unconditionally.

With the War Games over we don't have to stay up thinking about the Reaping and watching innocent children being taken away from their families. We never have to watch parents cry and scream for their children. We never have to watch children die in brutal bloodbaths. Most importantly we can say a fact that Sophie and Artemis will never be taken away from us.

Our friends will visit us from time to time. As the years go on they visit us less often. Deryn and I are in our late thirties while our children are adults themselves. Sophie left to District 11 to be a Chief Police officer just like Lilit. As for Artemis he is in the Capitol working as a senator just like Jaspert. We visit them from time to time and sometimes they come home. Sometimes it causes bad memories to be in the Capitol again but as long as Deryn and I have each other everything is alright.

Volger and Mr. Rigby passed away a few years later. I never really did like Volger but he did at least deserve my respect. Deryn couldn't bring herself to look at Mr. Rigby's grave. Volger and Mr. Rigby died together in a gas explosion. All of our friends came to pay their respects. Jaspert came with his wife and their adult son. Lilit came alone, she preferred to be alone. Artemis and Sophie came together. Newkirk who retired from being Mayor came and put bouquets on both of their graves. I held Deryn while she cried. Artemis and Sophie did the same.

Volger may not have been my favorite person in the world but he did have my respect. He did train me well enough to make it through the games. He did get Deryn out of the Capitol. And he was like a grandfather to Artemis and Sophie. He played with them and taught them valuable lessons. They always loved him like he was family. And maybe I should have too.

As the years went by I never truly forgot about the nightmares. And I know Deryn hasn't either. We aren't the only ones. Our children can never really understand what happened. I hope they never will have to understand. I would never want them to endure our terrors. I never want them to experience the terrible, gruesome bloodbath that we had to compete in. Deryn wakes up screaming in the night but I am there to calm her down and tell her that everything is okay.

Now we sit on the porch of our house in our late forties. We hold hands as I read and as she draws. I sneak a glance at her. Her blond hair is starting to gray and her eyes are losing their fire but she still looks as beautiful as ever.

She looks at me from the corner of her eye and smiles. "What are you looking at Alek?" she says.

"You." I say simply and kiss her gently on the forehead.

"Such a sweet one." she says. Her smile fades and she puts her book down. "If you had to do this all over again, would you?" she asks.

I think to myself for a second and think about all the things that have happened. Sure there were a lot of instances where I wanted to go back in time but it was because of those instances that I met Deryn. If the War Games had never of happened then I wouldn't be here with Deryn.

I grab both her hands and look her straight in the eyes. "Of course I would."

IT IS DONE. Yeah I know a bit cheesy but it's an ending. So deal with it. Might start the next story and put it up and I might just upload every week.

The next story will be humor and maybe some drama. Not much romance, unless there is a request. O.O

Well I am done here so PEACE OUT MY HOMIES!

~Z