~Sketching Out Our Love~

~Chapter 15~

Hi everyone! I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am for all of you! You are all so awesome and I can't ask for better readers! Now that this story is winding down, your support means the world to me. I am honored to write for all you great people, and your reviews and PM's always make my day. So, thank you for being AMAZING!

I don't have much to babble on about, so I guess I'll just let you guys get straight to the chapter.

Enjoy! 3

*Peeta POV*

If I tried hard enough, I could almost feel my leg. I imagined myself moving my nonexistent toes and bending my knee. It was like my leg was still there, and I could almost make myself believe it. The phantom feeling gets stronger and stronger, until I am forced to lift the covers aside to see for myself.

My heart sinks a little when I see that my leg does indeed cut off above my knee. I already knew, deep down, that it was gone, but I was hanging to a small hope. Having it confirmed again makes me feel like I've lost my leg all over again. I sit back up, making sure to cover my leg on the way. I don't want to look at it longer than needed.

Even though Katniss doesn't seem too worried about the loss of my leg, it's not that easy for me. I've lost a part of myself that I won't be able to ever get back. Despite what I've told her, the loss of my leg has been a shock. I wish that somehow, I could've kept it.

The early morning sun shines brightly through my open window, but I can't muster up enough happiness to fully appreciate it. Mom and Prim have already woken up and left the room, probably for breakfast. Dad and Rye spent the night at home. I've seen a change in Rye, which excites me. He seems more playful, like the Rye I remember from childhood. I just wish I didn't have to pay such a heavy price to get my full-of-fun brother back.

I watch Katniss sleep for several minutes. She sleeps peacefully, her features relaxed and free of her usual scowl. I smile to myself as I see Katniss scowl at me in my mind's eye. She stirs in her chair beside my bed a moment later, and I see her slowly stretch her body out. She drowsily opens one eye, and mumbles, "Good morning, Peeta." to me.

"Good morning, beautiful." I reply, pasting a smile on my face. "How did you sleep?"

"Terribly." She scowls at my greeting, which makes me grin. "This chair isn't very comfortable."

The grin drops from my face, and I suddenly feel bad, because it's my fault she had to sleep in a hospital chair anyways. "You didn't have to stay." I say softly. "I'm sorry."

"Of course I had to stay." Katniss says matter-of-factly as she gets off the chair and walks over to me. "Don't be ridiculous, Peeta."

"How are you feeling?" She asks me in concern. I watch her silvery eyes examine me carefully, and I feel self-conscious under her gaze. "Does anything hurt?"

My head still feels a little heavy, and there's an ache in my chest, no doubt coming from my broken ribs. But the physical pain is easily ignorable, especially when compared to the emotional pain.

"I feel fine." I reply honestly. "I feel way better than I did yesterday."

"Good." Katniss exhales out in relief. She gives me a tentative smile, and I see her play with her fingers anxiously. It's a nervous habit of hers, and I know it means that she wants to say something.

"I just knew that something had happened." She began nervously, as I'd predicted. "I'd been restless and antsy for a couple days."

"Katniss," I say gently, grabbing her hand. "You couldn't have known."

"I felt like it was my fault." Katniss whispers in shame. "I felt like if I just said something to you, to warn you, this wouldn't have happened."

"It's not your fault." I reiterate firmly as I rub her hand comfortingly.

"I saw you- so pale and sick and injured- and I remembered…" Katniss pauses for a moment, but I already know what she will say next.

"I know." I murmur softly. "I'm sorry, Katniss. I won't ever be able to replace Gale, but I will always try to help you."

She doesn't say anything, but climbs on my bed and rests her head on my chest. I hold her gently as we lay in my bed together silently. After a couple minutes, she talks again. "You looked so much like he did when he was dying." She murmurs. "I thought you were going to die like Gale did."

"I'm not leaving you unless you want me to." I reassure her as I rub her back gently.

"It hurt me more to see you hurt than it did with Gale." She explains. "I thought losing him was the worst pain, and then I almost lost you."

She is so rarely open about her feelings like this. I know Katniss cares about me, but she doesn't always express them. Which is why I cherish the moments she does talk about her feelings so much.

Katniss lifts her head from my tear-stained shirt. Her hand gently brushes against my chest, and I know she feels the bandages under her hand.

"I'm sorry." She murmurs. "I hurt your ribs, didn't I?"

I roll my eyes at her unneeded concern. "It's fine." I soothe her.

"You need to tell me if I hurt you." She says seriously. "I just want you to get better."

"I don't want to stay here forever either." I grin at her as I gesture at my hospital room.

"Shut it." Katniss really smiles for the first time all day. "I'm going to go find your breakfast."

She leaves the room, closing the door behind her quietly. I lean back against my pillow as I wait patiently for Katniss. My stomach rumbles, and I wish that the nurses would let me eat cookies all day. My hopes are crushed when Katniss returns balancing a tray and grinning wickedly at me.

"I hope you're hungry." She teases lightly.

She makes me eat the whole entire tray. It takes an hour of begging, coaxing, threatening, and even kissing, but I eventually empty the plate. Katniss looks proud of herself, and I hide my smile from her. She doesn't know the effect she can have on me.

My relatively good mood evaporates into thin air when an athletic woman walks into the room thirty minutes after breakfast. The woman introduces herself as Atala, my physical therapist.

I don't want to face my new leg or any of the complications that will come with it. I somehow thought that I would have a little longer before they make me start walking again, but Atala won't have any of that. She seems like a very business-like and no nonsense sort of person.

Katniss smiles at me encouragingly as Atala leaves my room to get something. "I'll stay with you." She promises me.

"Thanks." I mumble. I'm not looking forward to this session, especially with Katniss there. I don't want her to see me fall flat on my face as I learn to walk again like a child.

"It's going to be fine." Katniss tells me encouragingly. "I know you're going to do great."

I wish I could have a little more faith in myself.

What little self-esteem I had before dissolves as Atala walks in again holding a metal and plastic contraption. It's shaped exactly like a leg, but that's where all resemblances to a normal human leg disappears. It's shiny and metallic, and looks heavy and bulky. I stare at what is to replace my leg in horror.

Katniss senses my distress. "It's going to be fine, Peeta." She says as she squeezes my hand encouragingly.

The door to my room opens as Mother, Prim, Rye, and Dad walk in as quietly as they can. Rye waves at me cheerfully. He says something to Prim, who kicks him good-naturedly. I unconsciously smile as I watch my family start acting like a real family again.

Atala shows me how to put the prosthetic on, and take it off again. She explains that it is too heavy to sleep with, and I will need to take it off before bed every night. After having me slip the prosthetic on and off a couple times, Atala decides to get me out of bed.

I sit on the edge of the bed, making sure to balance all my weight on my right leg. Even though Atala has reassured me that my prosthetic left leg will support my weight, I don't want to test it yet. Atala helps me up slowly, and I immediately shift all my weight to my "real" leg.

Atala notices me swaying on my one real leg, but she doesn't say anything. Instead, she smiles and says, "You'll have plenty of chances to use your new leg, Peeta."

Atala helps me into a wheelchair, and then we go down the hallway, into the elevator, and finally, inside a large room. Katniss and my family follow, and take seats at the edge of the room. I notice Katniss talking to Prim and Rye. As I look at them, Katniss suddenly laughs at something Rye said.

Atala pushes me to the balance beams, and I force my eyes away from Katniss, Rye, and Prim. A wave of determination rushes through me as I stare at the beams. It isn't that long, only about ten feet, and I'm determined to walk the whole thing on my own.

Once I'm on my feet, I test out the prosthetic carefully. It's actually the same weight as my normal leg, but it still feels like I'll fall if I try to put any weight on it. My first steps are shaky, wobbly, and slow. I throw most of my weight onto my right side because I'm still not used to the prosthetic.

Atala tries to get me to use my new leg more, but two hours later, I'm still struggling. My hands are clenched around the beams so hard that my knuckles are white, but I can't seem to get my fake leg to work. By the end of the two hours, I'm sweaty, angry, and in pain.

"That's enough for today." Atala says softly, taking pity on me. "Tomorrow, we'll work on upper body strength."

"Sounds fun." I reply sarcastically as Atala helps me back into my chair. I'm so disheartened and annoyed that I lash out at her for no reason. Shame rushes through me as I stare down at my metal leg.

"Not with that attitude." Atala snaps at me. "I can only help you so much, Peeta. In the end, it comes down to determination."

I ignore Atala, and watch Katniss head over towards me. Katniss carefully wheels me back to my room as Atala talks to my family back in the physical therapy room. I'm furious, not to mention embarrassed and dejected.

"You did really well today." Katniss says softly once she has helped me into my bed. I detect no sarcasm in her tone, but the comment still rubs me the wrong way.

"Really?" I scowl at her. "Are you just trying to humiliate me even further?"

I see the hurt and confusion written all over her beautiful face. "No." She replies steadily. "I really meant that."

"Sure you did." I say in the same biting tone. "You just want to make me feel even worse."

"Peeta, these things will take time." Katniss says encouragingly. "My mom has worked with a lot of patients with amputated limbs, and you won't magically start walking right away."

I know I'm being unreasonable and narrow-minded, but I can't help it. There are too many pent-up emotions bubbling up inside of me. "Why don't you just leave? I don't want you around if you want to make this even harder on me!"

I don't realize the full impact of what I've said until it's out of my mouth and way too late. Katniss stares at me in shock, and I can see her trying to hide the hurt.

"Fine, I'll leave." She says in a clipped voice, arranging her features into an emotionless mask. "Just don't expect me to come back."

She grabs her bag from the side of my bed, and walks to the door. She doesn't look back or hesitate as she quickly leaves the room and closes the door behind her.

I breathe out heavily as I lean back against the pillows. I've just messed up everything with Katniss for no reason. She was just trying to help, and now I've made her mad. Just when she was starting to trust me, I betray her. I burrow under my covers, as if trying to hide from the world. But no matter how high I pull the covers up, Katniss's face is still burned into my mind's eye, and I can't escape from her.

I've wronged her. If I were a better person, I wouldn't have let her leave. I would've apologized to her. I can't find a single thing to be happy about, and it's all I can do not to scream at my stupidity.

I've really messed up now. I've ruined everything just because I'm so self-absorbed.

I hear the door open, but I don't move or react in any way. Soft footsteps head to my bed. For a moment, I think that it's Katniss coming back, and my heart lifts. But then the covers are lifted, and I see the blonde hair and pale features of Prim.

"Where's Katniss?" She asks me brightly, unaware that anything has taken place.

"She's not coming back." I snap at Prim. I feel bad, aware that I'm hurting everyone around me today, but I seem to be going from bad to worse.

"I can see why she isn't." Prim replies angrily, taking in my angry features. "You're being an arrogant, self-conceited jerk."

"Fine." I retaliate. "And you're just an annoying kid who doesn't understand anything."

Prim heads out of my room without another word. When a nurse comes in to check on me ten minutes later, I pretend to be in terrible pain, and have her give me enough morphine until I'm fully knocked out.

When I come back to, the room is dark, and I realize I've slept through the whole day. I look around the room carefully, and see my dad dozing on the reclining chair a couple feet away. I'm surprised that he's even bothered to stay.

I slowly sit up in bed. Now that I'm awake, there is no way I'll ever be able to fall back asleep. But the bed creaks as I shift around, betraying me. My dad starts awake as he anxiously searches the room for the source of the noise. Then he sees me sitting up in bed, and gets up and comes to a chair closer to me.

He wordlessly fills a glass of water for me, and I take it from him and drink slowly. I don't realize that my stomach is rumbling with hunger until he speaks up.

"You slept through the whole day." He says gruffly. "I'll have the nurse bring in some food."

I just nod, not trusting myself to speak. I seem to have a penchant to say all the wrong things today, and I don't need to hurt anyone else's feelings. I've already done enough.

"Peeta." My dad clears his throat. "I know I haven't been the best dad. I haven't been there for you."

I shrug. My dad's indifference towards me used to bother me, but it's become a part of my life now.

My dad is a man of very few words, so he struggles to find the right words. He isn't good at admitting his mistakes, and I know that this must be a first for him.

"When your mom called and told me about… the accident, I thought you'd die." He says shakily. "I thought you'd die without me telling you… I really do care about you."

I sit silently, sipping on my water as I wait for Dad to continue. "I know it seems like I kind of pushed you off to the side. It was always about Rye and Prim. You were just the middle kid, and I thought you weren't anything special."

"That's what it felt like." I reply bluntly, not making a secret out of my anger for his actions.

"I wish it didn't come to this. I wish I could've realized my mistake before the accident." My dad admits. "I'm so sorry, Peeta."

I have memories of my dad taking Rye to baseball games and playing ball with him as a child. I remember him holding Prim in his lap, and playing with her dolls and tickling her. I don't have any memories of Dad doing any of those things with me.

"It's ok, Dad." I murmur. I'm not normally one to hold a grudge, and this time isn't any different. And just like that, it's over. My dad is the only person I know who can compress a serious conversation like this one into two short minutes.

A nurse walks in with a tray of food, and I force some of it down. The hospital food is truly revolting, and I'm yearning for the bakery bread and cookies. Dad seems to read my mind, because he says, "We can smuggle in some real food for you tomorrow."

"And, that girl." My dad adds suddenly. My heart freezes, because I'm fully expecting him to say something negative about Katniss. "She seems very nice. You shouldn't give up on her."

"Katniss." I confirm. When Dad nods, I add, "I'm going to talk to her."

"Sleep now." He says to me. Dad finally cracks a grin. It's the first time I've seen him smile at me in years. "There'll be plenty of time for that in the morning."

I smile, already thinking about my next physical therapy session. These two things- walking and making it up to Katniss- are connected in my head. I know that to make it up to Katniss, I need to leave this hospital and go see her. And I can't leave until I can walk again. I'm determined to turn things around, and fix all my mistakes once and for all.

(Two weeks later)

"Look at you, Peeta." Atala smiles proudly at me. "I knew you could do it."

I smile back at her, feeling proud of myself for the first time in weeks. I take a couple more steps forward, balancing my weight equally on both my legs. The frustration of the past two weeks has faded away, and has been replaced by relief.

"Can you make it back to your room?" Atala asks me.

"Yes." I reply in determination. It's already been two weeks since my first physical therapy session, where I acted like a child and pushed Katniss away. She hasn't come to see me, or called at all. I don't blame her, though. It was my fault, so it's a mistake I'm going to have to fix.

It's been a long, grueling two weeks of physical therapy. Atala keeps me in longer and pushes me further each day. Having Katniss gone has forced me to devote all my time to my therapy. With each passing day, the metal limb feels less foreign and more normal.

Atala pushes my now unneeded wheelchair to the corner of the room, and once she's back beside me, we begin the long walk to my room. I lean heavily on a cane, and my steps are slow, but I keep going, determined to make it to my room on my own. Atala walks patiently beside me, not talking or rushing me. I have to stop several times, but by the time we reach my room, I'm pleased with myself. My determination to see Katniss again has really paid off.

Several of my nurses smile fondly at me as I walk to my room. I even see Katniss's mom, who waves at me, but doesn't say anything. I'm tempted to ask her how Katniss is doing, but then she walks away.

"Once you can walk without the cane, we'll release you." Atala informs me as I carefully lower myself onto my bed. "I'm really proud of you, Peeta."

Atala is very attached to her patients. Yesterday, she explained to me that her husband was hit by a car and killed five years ago. Since then, she has been trying to help car accident victims in memory of her husband. I know that she sees what could have been for her husband every time she helps someone.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Peeta." Atala says as she gets up to leave my room.

"Bye, Atala." I say. I'm already determined to get released from this hospital tomorrow, and Atala sees the glint in my eyes.

"Don't forget how far you've come." Atala cautions me. "Things like this don't happen overnight."

I force myself to nod. Of course Atala is right, and so was Katniss when she told that to me two weeks ago. Atala doesn't want me to get my hopes up too high and get them crushed.

The second Atala closes the door; I grab the bag of cookies, cheesy buns and muffins that Dad and Rye brought over in the morning. True to his word, Dad has been "sneaking" food in for me for the past week. The nurses know, so it isn't really sneaking. Then again, the nurses got a hefty bonus from Mom and Dad last week, so that might be part of the reason.

The cookies are a little stale from sitting outside all day, but they are still perfectly good and edible. They also happen to be more preferable than the hospital food. I start with the cheesy buns, and after I've eaten so much cookies and muffins that I feel like I'm going to explode, I put the bag of food back on the side table and grab my new notebook.

Dad used to always get angry when he saw me drawing. He thought it was too girly a pastime. So, for years, I had to hide my artwork from my dad. But then, two days ago, Dad walked into my room holding a new sketchbook for me. I recognized that his gift was so much deeper than met the eye. Not only was he giving me a drawing book, but he had also given me his approval. Which was something that meant the world to me.

I had decided to make this one of Katniss's Christmas presents. The notebook holds sentimentality for me because it's from Dad, and it will be special for Katniss too. I've made it as a timeline of our time together so far, with plenty of blank pages for the future. It's almost a sketchbook detailing our relationship, if such a thing could exist.

Since I have so much free time here in the hospital, I've made a project out of this. I will sit in bed for hours at a time, fully immersed in my own little world. The calming, consistent strokes of my pencil and the blossoming of a picture on a formerly blank paper are satisfying and calming.

Today is no different. I sit in bed, my good leg bent at the knee as I slowly draw a picture of Katniss. This is a picture of the day she went to visit Gale's grave in California and I followed her. I draw her as I saw her that day- tired and broken, but beautiful, as always. I draw the picture down to the very last detail, and then begin coloring the picture in with my new pencils. On a whim, I add in the cat I saw walking around the graveyard that day. When I'm fully satisfied with the picture, I set it down to fully dry for a couple minutes.

Once the picture is dry, I flip through the pictures I've already drawn. The first picture is the first time I ever saw Katniss in my English class in the first day of school. I make sure to draw Glimmer in the background of that picture, almost as if to foreshadow the situation with her and Snow. In all the pictures, I have added an aspect to foreshadow some part of our journey.

It's calming, uplifting work, and before long, I'm thinking about my future with Katniss. In my mind's eye, I see the many pictures of Katniss that I could end up drawing. Our Prom. Our high school graduation. College.

I stop thinking about our major milestones before I get completely carried away. As Atala said, getting your hopes up too high isn't wise.

I hope as hard as I can that our story didn't tragically end the day I made her leave.

(Three days later)

I blink several times as my eyes try to adjust to the sunlight. Even the weak November sunlight is proving to be too bright for my eyes after spending three weeks in a hospital. But after being cooped up for so long, the fresh, cold air is invigorating. The first snowfall was nearly two months ago now, so the swirling snow around me is nothing special.

You can barely tell I have a prosthetic under my jeans, which is a huge relief. I'm still not ready to show the metal leg to everyone as I walk around. But my physical therapy with Atala has really paid off as well. Now I can walk without any support, and my limp is barely noticeable. When I said my goodbye to Atala this morning, she actually looked tearful. I know she's proud of how far I've come in such a short time.

Rye is taking me home today. Mom, Dad, and Prim are at home getting a "surprise party" together for me. Rye actually told me on accident. He is a terrible secret-keeper, but I've sworn not to let anyone know that Rye told me.

Rye hovers protectively by my side as we take the short walk down to the car. He holds my bag, and all the candy that the nurses gave me as I left my room. I elbow Rye teasingly. "Why are you hovering?" I ask him lightly.

"I don't want you to fall flat on your face." Rye answers as he elbows me back.

"You're not helping." I respond as I pretend to stumble. Rye automatically reaches out to grab me as I start laughing.

"Not funny." He mutters at me under his breath once he realizes I was messing around with him.

Just a month ago, my family was so dysfunctional that we could barely sit in the same room together. The only regret I have is that it took a near-death experience for my family to become close again.

Prim told me yesterday that the guy who hit me got a scratch on his arm. According to the paramedics, he didn't even need a bandage for it. But his insurance has forced him to pay for the damages to my car, and some of the medical costs as well.

I don't know how I feel about the person who ran me over. It's a numb feeling, similar to the feeling I've come to associate with my amputated leg. It's easier to just not think about the person who crashed into me.

The drive home is silent. The only sound is the radio in the background. I sit in the passenger seat as Rye drives. Rye drove to the hospital in my car, which has been perfectly restored. I never saw the damage to the car, but Dad told me that the driver's side was crushed. Atala told me that since it was my left leg that was injured; I'll still be able to drive.

I'm surprised when we don't go straight home. Instead, Rye parks in front of a large apartment complex. It takes me a minute to register where we are. Rye has taken me to Katniss's house.

Rye glances at me, noticing my hesitation. His hazel eyes look at my shocked face as he says, "Don't you have something to say?"

I don't hesitate with my answer. "Yes." The fact that Rye understands that I need to talk to Katniss is hugely relieving.

"Then go say it." Rye says simply.

It feels like it takes me years to get out of the car and into the apartment complex, even though it only takes a couple minutes. I take the elevator up to the apartment, mostly because I don't think my leg can handle stairs yet.

My heart is beating like a caged bird's wings when I knock on Katniss's apartment door. I swallow nervously, and run a hand through my hair anxiously. When she doesn't answer, I knock again.

A hundred thoughts run through my head. I'm thinking the worst, and she doesn't even want to hear what I have to say, when the door slowly opens.

I haven't realized how much I've missed her until she stands in front of me. Her dark hair is in a messy bun, and she's wrapped in two oversized sweaters. When I remember she is from California, I can't help but chuckle. She'll be wearing four sweaters by the time January rolls around.

She glares defensively at me, and then I realize that she must think I must be laughing at her. I mentally smack myself for being so stupid.

"Hi." I say awkwardly as I shift my leg from one leg to the other.

Katniss's steely eyes soften for a moment before closing off again. "Do you want to sit down?" She asks me stiffly. I notice how her eyes stay on my left leg a moment longer than necessary.

I realize that even after I've hurt her, she's still looking out for me. The thought fills me with hope, and I smile idiotically again. "Sure." I say graciously as I follow her into the living room and collapse on one of the chairs.

She sits opposite me, and stares at me expectantly. I swallow again before beginning.

"I'm sorry." I blurt out. "I was acting like the world's biggest idiot."

The top of Katniss's lips quirk up into a small smile. "Yes, you were."

"I'm sorry about everything." I repeat, leaning forward and placing my hands on my knees. "Can we just forget about that day?"

Katniss doesn't answer for a moment. "I shouldn't have walked out." She admits. "I knew you didn't mean it, but I let my emotions get the best of me."

I shake my head firmly. "Don't make excuses for me." I say firmly. "It was my fault."

"You can't take all the blame." She says to me. "I definitely deserve some too."

"Fine." I concede. "You should come here." I add, patting the spot on the couch next to me.

Katniss doesn't need to be told twice. She hops over to sit beside me, and I unconsciously wrap my arms around her. She leans in to my chest, and I play with her hair gently. We sit in silence for a moment, enjoying each other's presence.

"Do you want something to eat?" Katniss asks me politely. "I was just heating up some food when you knocked."

"Rye is waiting outside." I admit. "But you're welcome to come with us. If you want to, of course."

Katniss looks down at my pants curiously. "How's your leg?" She asks me, concern tinting her voice.

"Good as new." I shrug. "I did a lot of therapy after you left."

Katniss nods and admits, "I never saw the leg as changing you." She tells me gently. "I hope you know that now."

"Thanks." I say softly as I rub the hard metal of my leg. "I didn't know that two weeks ago, but I do now."

She smiles happily, and comes to help me off the couch. We stay in our embrace a moment to long before Katniss breaks away, to my disappointment.

Katniss looks at me expectantly. "Are you ready?"

"For what?" I ask in confusion.

"Well, you invited me to your house, right?" Katniss grins. "Are you uninviting me now?"

I laugh in relief as I realize it's over. Katniss forgave me. "No, I want you to come." I say earnestly. "I missed you while you were gone."

"I did too." Katniss admits shyly. "But I knew you'd come back to me."

I push up off her couch with her help. When my lips finally meet hers, it's like a huge weight is lifted off my shoulders. I didn't even realize how much I've missed her and wanted her to be with me until she was here beside me.

"Do you think I need another jacket?" Katniss asks me anxiously as she quickly runs a brush through her hair.

I laugh at her concern. "I'll give you one of mine if you need it."

Katniss smiles at me before pulling a hair band out of her jeans pocket. She makes to braid her hair, but I catch her wrist and stop her.

"It looks better down." I explain to her. "Leave it down."

"Do I look good?" Katniss asks me anxiously. "I don't want your family to think I'm insane."

"You look beautiful." I tell her with a smile. "And my family loves you."

"Ok, let's go." Katniss says casually. She grabs my hand, and I see how she matches her pace to my slower, heavier one.

"You'd be a terrible hunter." Katniss teases me. "You'd scare any rabbit within a ten-mile radius."

"Luckily for me, I'm not a hunter." I smile as she wraps herself closer to me when we step out into the cold air.

"Luckily." Katniss enunciates. "But I'll take you either way."

When our lips meet, it's like bliss. The cold November air and the ever-constant aches in my leg vanish when our lips come together. She's the first person I've ever felt love for, and I know, deep down, that I will never love anyone in the same way again.

"You don't know how beautiful you are." I tell her softly in amazement. I can hear Rye hooting in the background, but Katniss and I both ignore him.

"I could say the same about you." She responds, weaving her fingers through mine as we walk to the car where Rye waits.

"Real or not real?" I ask her softly. "You love me?"

"Real." She answers without hesitation. "It might seem like I don't on some days, but it will always be real."

"You are my dream." I tell her simply. "I can't imagine life without you now that I know you."

THE END!

Haha, it's not really the end. I do have a better ending planned out, but I didn't want to give anything away with this chapter. After all, there's still the epilogue. :)

Also, sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes. I tried checking through the chapter… but there still might be a couple typos. :)

I want to thank all of you a bazillion times for the massive amount of support I've received for this story, from the beginning to the end. For those of you, who have stuck around since Chapter 1, thank you so much! For all you newcomers, thank you too! All of you mean the world to me! :)

Also, thank you for all the lovely reviews for this past chapter! There were so many reviews that it took me ages to send out all your previews! But I love talking to all my readers, so keep reviewing, please! :)

I will send a preview of the Epilogue if you review, like always. I already have some of it written out, so it won't be very long before the last update. I will announce my next story with the epilogue as well.

Thank you for following me on this amazing journey, and I will see you all again very soon with the Epilogue!

-Pearl 3