I do not own The Hunger Games

Chapter Eighteen- New Life

(Peeta)

I've had the idea of coming to the meadow for a long time. My dad loved the stars, and now I understand why. They circle above me, and give me a comforting feeling. The breeze feels good against my face but Katniss feels twice as good and strong pressed against my side. She seems to be recovering; we both seem to be, slowly but surely.

"Aren't they beautiful?" I whisper.

"What?" She asks, clearing being pulled out of thoughts

"The stars."

Her breath catches, "Yeah, they are." Her eyes become fixated on the stars and I can't help but smile.

"I only can think of one thing more beautiful." I whisper pulling her closer to me so that one of her hands is on my heart.

"What is that?" She whispers

"You." I say. She turns to look at me and kisses my cheek. Her grey eyes capture me, and I can't help myself. I lean in and kiss her; I kiss her as long as I can. I'm able to enjoy it for longer than I expected. Then I have to fight they haze that sets in my head. I feel something wet hit my cheek, is Katniss crying?

I pull away and close my eyes tightly, telling myself the truth, and then open them to reveal a tear sliding down Katnisses face. I wipe it away with my finger.

"Why are you crying?" I ask softly, already feeling guilty.

"I don't know. I'm not sad." Her eyes sparkle a little.

I laugh a little, at how not sad I am at this moment. "I'm not either."

We stay a while longer, but Katniss starts to fall asleep so we return home. Katniss doesn't let go of my hand until she is wrapped in my arms drifting to sleep.

"Stay with me?" She asks lightly.

I kiss the top of her head, "Always."

The corners of her mouth twitch upward as she falls asleep.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The summer ends and the leaves fall off the trees. District Twelve is covered in spots of brown, red, and yellow when the bakery is up and ready for business. Ethan and his girl are settled in upstairs and all the shifts are worked out. I work over there pretty much every day, still decorating the cakes. Katniss stops in every now and then on her way to the Hob, she seems to be happy in the warm rooms filled with the smell of bread and cookies. I know I am. Somehow, it seems like my family is living on beside me. Every time a floor creaks I feel like I'll see my dad walk in or my brothers storm through on their way to school.

Greasy Sae opened up a soup shop right down the street and is doing well. Callie comes to the bakery every weekend and helps ice things, but mainly she just draws pictures. She turned six at the end of the summer, so she has just started school. My nightmares are nearly gone. Only on rare occasions to I have to stop and think. I don't even get confused when I'm tired. Life is moving on, and every day is one step farther away from the games.

Our house has four bedrooms, our room, Prim's room, Ms. Everdeen's room, and a guest bedroom. So since Katniss started wishing to see my paintings, but going into the study scared her so much; we made the guest room my painting room. We also tacked a few of the paintings up around the house. In the living room, there is the one of Prim and Katniss walking home. In the kitchen is a new painting; it displays Ms. Everdeen and Prim laughing while cutting dough into silly shapes.

Lastly, in our room is a picture of Katniss and her family hugging when we got back from the 74th Hunger Games. They all wear smiles a mile wide while tears streak their faces. Right beside it is a portrait of my father, brothers, and I outside the old bakery. It makes the room feel more comfortable, more like a home.

Xxxxxxxx

Late autumn, the trees are bear and you know that any day now the ground will be covered in snow. I walked in the door and quickly went over to the fireplace to warm my hands.

"Hey." Katniss said from the couch. She was holding a letter in her left hand and the phone in her right. "We got a letter from Annie today, and I just got off the phone with my mom."

I sit down next to her, noticing how conflicted she looks. She hands me the letter and I read it slowly.

Dearest Katniss and Peeta,

Baby Finnick is doing well, and everyone here helps us. It was so nice to hear from you! I'm ever so excited your doing well and the bakery is open. However, we just moved into a rather large house right by the ocean and I was wandering if you would both like to spend the summer with us? Please send me your answer and we can arrange all the details.

With Love,

Annie Cresta

I smile a little, thinking of the ocean, and then I return my gaze to Katniss.

"Do you want to go?" She asks.

"Depends, do you want to go?"

"My mom said we should go." She says, gesturing towards the phone.

"I don't care what your mom says Katniss. Do you want to go?"

"If we didn't have to leave home or get on a train, I'd be all for it."

"But we would have to do both those things."

"I'll think about it." She says, standing up and walking into the kitchen.

We eat our diner and discuss the possibility of the trip, then head up to bed.

I turn the light off and crawl in beside, taking her into my arms. The moonlight lights the room enough to see her outline. She presses her head to my chest, "It would be nice to see Finnick." She whispers sadly.

All of you are, hands down, the best reviewers in the history of reviewers. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I really liked this chapter and I hope you did too! Thank you for reading!