Epilogue

Disclaimer - I don't own Hunger Games or any of its characters.

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PeetaLover1116: Thanks :) I hope you enjoy this epilogue!

JoelHGLover 00: I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter! I hope you enjoy reading this epilogue as well :D

You guys are seriously the best! :D The support you've all given me is amazing! I really am grateful to you guys and I did my best with the epilogue and I hope you all enjoy reading it :)

I hope you enjoy and sorry for the delay -

Peeta -

"You do love me, right?" I ask her, my eyes widening in worry and fear. In just a few minutes, the train will be arriving at District Twelve. Our home. I don't smile at the thought, though. At the moment every part of me is focused on Katniss.

Katniss's grey eyes meet mine and I see my own fear reflected in them. "I-" She chokes on her words, seemingly unable to find the right ones.

"Katniss?" My voice sounds distant, despite the fact that I'm pretty much here. "Katniss?" I repeat, my voice sounding even more distant. Its silent. I can literally hear my own heartbeat beating loud and clear in my chest.

"Peeta- I -" At this moment, Katniss is looking vulnerable. The most vulnerable I've ever seen her, including the time in the arena we've spent together.

"Katniss, I love you and you love me right? During the Games, you told me so." I stammer. "And because we love each other, we will get through this. Together."

I reach out to take her hand but she flinches and takes a step back from me.

Instantly, realization hits me. I blink, my heart shattering into a million pieces. "It was all an act, wasn't it?"

Katniss opens her mouth to say something but no words come out. I feel numb, useless, played. Its all becoming clear now. Why didn't I realize this before? I reprimanded myself silently. I could've saved myself from this much of a heartbreak.

"It was all for the sponsors? To stay alive and all that?"

Katniss blinks. Something unreadable crosses her features. I see a spark of determination flash in her eyes. "Peeta -"

"Let me tell you something," I interrupt softly, unable to barely contain my fury, "You're a damn good actress."

"Oh, there you two are! My little lovebirds! Come to the main carriage, we'll be arriving shortly." Effie beams at the two of us. I wipe the scowl off of my face and fake a smile.

"Sure thing, Effie."

She grins at the two of us and beckons for us to follow her. The three of us begin making our way, both Katniss and I avoiding each other's gazes.

We see Haymitch standing in the middle of the train car, looking out of the window, a glass of whiskey in his hand. He sees the two of us and instantly senses the tension.

"Hello, you two." He says, his eyes darting between Katniss and I curiously. He cautiously takes a sip of his drink.

"Haymitch." I reply coolly, approaching him.

"I'll be right back, you three, I seem to have forgotten something!" Effie pipes up, her hands shuffling in her purse.

As soon as she leaves, Haymitch's eyes darken.

"Peeta, listen. You two, Everdeen." Haymitch growls suddenly, his voice low and hard to hear. "This train is probably bugged like crazy so keep your voices down."

I raise an eyebrow in confusion. Katniss narrows her eyes.

"You guys - the two of you together - have to keep up your act from the arena."

I roll my eyes. How could I forget? "It wasn't an act, Haymitch." I blurt out quietly, "Not for me, anyways." I add, seeing Katniss's guilty expression from the corner of my eyes.

Haymitch's eyes narrow and drops his voice to an even quieter whisper.

"I don't care about what happened between the two of you children, but you two have to work to work together to fix it to stay alive." He growls.

"What do you mean?" I ask dryly. "Nothing's happened."

Katniss stays silent, her eyes on the ground but I can tell she's paying attention.

Haymitch rolls his eyes. "Stop fooling around, Peeta." He purses his lips.

Katniss and I look at him, pursing our lips.

"You two - my lovely star-crossed lovers, have to keep that facade up."

I purse my lips, feeling my anger begin bubbling up to the surface once more. Katniss lowers her gaze and I see her glare at the ground.

"The whole of Panem thinks you two are in love. But let me tell you something, not all of them think that." He sets his jaw furiously. "Snow's got his eye on you two, especially you, Katniss."

Katniss doesn't look up, but I see her clench her fists. I feel a pang of worry and fear for her.

"Why not me?" I blurt out softly, genuinely curious. Am I not a threat?

Haymitch gives me a dry smile. "Remember why Katniss pulled out those berries? So far, the majority of Panem think it was a genuine act of love, not an act of defiance against the Capitol and everything it stands for."

I narrow my eyes, everything falling into place now. "But, Snow doesn't think it was for love, right?"

Haymitch shakes his head and I see him look over at Katniss. "Not on Katniss's side." He glances at me. "He didn't need any convincing from you though."

I chew my lower lip.

"So, Snow's realizing that those berries could possibly ignite a fire of a rebellion against him and the Capitol." Haymitch murmurs. "I suspect he'll soon be telling people of this and they'll keep their eyes on you. So, its both of your jobs to prove him wrong, as well as the others. You two need to show the rest of Panem that you love each other."

The train comes to a stop and the doors begin to open.

"Now, get out there, my two stars." He pushes both Katniss and I out of the train, sending us onto the train station's tiny platform. The whole District Twelve is there, staring up at us like we were gods.

Then, the applause begins. I look at Katniss, forcing a grin onto my face. Haymitch's warnings repeating over and over in my ears. "Showtime." I say, my voice as cold as ice. Katniss winces.

This time, she takes my hand.

Katniss -

I raise our hands up in the air, showing that we are united. I see Peeta waving and smiling at the people of District Twelve, looking like the definition of happy.

However, I can tell its all an act. He's not happy, but he's trying to look like he is. I turn my attention back onto the crowd, forcing a fake smile on my lips as well. I try to wave happily like Peeta is, but I fail miserably.

He hates me. I don't blame him.

I sigh heavily inwardly, as I feel his hand slip from mine as the two of us walk off the platform. He avoids my gaze as he wraps his arm around my waist while we walk through the pathway that has been formed by the people of District Twelve.

Its been a few days and I haven't seen Peeta yet. To be honest, I don't really want to see him, either. I don't want to admit it, but I'm afraid of seeing him. He hates me, and I don't want him to hate me. Yet, on the other hand, I want to run over to his house and find him and yell everything to him.

I groan. I think of the train and everything both Peeta and I have shared in the arena. I would be lying if I said that I hated that arena extremely. I did hate it, but I also didn't... In that arena, many things had happened.

I'd met Rue, a sweet and unforgettable little girl. And I'd met Cato. I growl at the thought of him, remembering when Peeta had thrown him off on me as the three of us had fought on the cornucopia.

On the upside though, when I'd returned I'd found out that Prim and Rory had become closer than ever. I had discovered that my mother had listened to me and kept her head while I was fighting for my life. I'd been pleased when I'd heard that, and instead of standing stock still when my mother hugged me, I'd hugged back. That move had surprised my mother and Prim much more than I'd thought it would. Gale at first had been cool and distant from me, he had given me a simple pat on the back when I'd arrived at the Hawthorne household. When I'd confronted him about what had happened during the arena, it led to another fight, but this time it worked out in the end. It was a miracle. The two us remained friends, but I could see that Gale was still slipping away from me and it hurt. I knew that the reason of this was because of Peeta, I wasn't that blind to see that Gale had mixed feelings towards Peeta.

Once, when the two of us were at the Hob, Gale had told me that he could see that it was an act during the Games and that I could drop it when I was with him. I dodged that statement, ignoring Gale's pointed look. None of us touched that subject after that.

Bad things have happened, yet in the end, the good always seemed to have outweighed the bad. At least, thats what Peeta had said to me during the Games.

I feel my palms get sweaty at the thought of my former friend. Peeta. I remember getting instructions from Haymitch telling me to play along with our 'act'. Yet, in the midst of the arena and everything going on in that hellhole, along the way I'd stopped pretending.

I love Peeta Mellark. I know, it may not seem like that to him, but on the train I had been torn. When Peeta had asked me if I loved him, all I'd seemed to be hearing was the word 'commitment'.

Committing yourself to someone is a big deal to me. Its a way of saying that the person and yourself will promise to love each other and put each other above all else. That, to me, is a massive deal.

I instantly know what to do next. Standing up from the small couch I was sitting upon, I begin making my way towards the door.

I open it and slam it shut, my eyes landing on the Victor's House on the other side of the road. Thats Peeta's home, my destination. Peeta will be in there. I can feel it.

I take a step forward and instantly feel all the air being knocked out of my lungs.

I gasp and wheeze, lying on my back, catching my breath.

"I'm sorry - really sorry!"

Jackpot.

There, hovering on top of me, their hands placed on either side of my head, is Peeta Mellark.

He blinks, realizing who I am. "Katniss?" He stammers.

Before I can utter a word, Peeta begins to speak.

Peeta swallows and talks, his voice unsteady as well as worried. "I'm sorry, Katniss, I shouldn't have spoken to you like that on the train."

"I get it," I interrupt him. "You were angry and you felt used and toyed."

He nods dumbly, regret in his eyes. "Even though, I could've dealt with it in a much more mature way."

I feel my face flush hotly as I remember where we are. Peeta also remembers, I can literally hear the 'click' in his head.

"Sorry!" He apologizes once more, and I feel the need to tell him off because of all the apologizing. He helps me to my feet.

"Stop apologizing. I should be apologizing." I tell him firmly. Peeta looks at me.

"Oh." He says simply. His attention is now completely on me.

I take a deep breath and take a step forward, so that our noses are barely touching. I feel him take a sharp intake of breath and I fight the urge to take a few steps back to regain my personal space. "I wasn't pretending, Peeta." I repeat.

He raises an eyebrow but doesn't comment, I see hope spark in his eyes.

"I was, in the beginning. But later on, I couldn't deny it. After Rue's death, when you comforted me, I realized that you were the one."

Peeta looks at me, many emotions splattered across his features. Then, a boyish grin begins to appear on his lips and I watch it grow as I continue with my words.

"On the train, I couldn't tell you this. I've never ever felt anything like this way before. I was scared of the prospect of commitment that was heading my way. Now, though, I got my mind straight and I want to tell you that..." I take a deep breath and look Peeta right in the eyes. I see his eyes gleaming with hope yet also a tinge of fear. "I love you, too."

Peeta's grin is still plastered on his face, looking rather stupid. Cute stupid though. I see a flicker of something in his eyes. That gets me worried.

"Whats wrong?" I ask, worried that I might've said something wrong to ruin the moment. "I'm sorry if all my words don't make sense to you, but you have to know that I usually don't talk about this stuff."

Peeta laughs suddenly and I jump slightly, startled. I glare at him, annoyed slightly.

"Seriously, whats so funny?" I demand.

Peeta calms down, yet chuckles slightly as he talks. "You looked cute when you were claiming your love for me."

I stare at him.

"Your face went all red and you were blushing!" Peeta smiles. "I've never seen that sight before."

I roll my eyes at him. "Aren't you going to say that you love me to?" I blurt out, unable to stop myself. I blush hotly as the words leave my mouth, regretting it instantly.

Peeta gapes at me, stunned. Then, he reclaims his confident demeanor. "You know, if we're going to be in love, you've got to chill." He tells me cockily. I blink. This was not exactly the way I thought the aftermath of me admitting my love for Peeta would go. "I'm kidding." He adds, when I show no reaction.

"Oh."

Peeta smiles and tenderly holds my face in his warm hands. "I love you, Katniss."

"I love you, too." I mean it.

"We'll get through all this crap with the Capitol and Snow, you know that?"

I nod. "I know, because we can deal with anything as long as we're together."

Peeta smiles and before pressing his lips to mine, he says, "Exactly."

I am not a romantic type of person, yet I can't deny that when our lips met I saw fireworks. I grin, everything falling into place in my mind. The prospect of Snow's threat seemed so far away at the moment. Right now, Peeta Mellark was kissing me. Peeta Mellark was in love with me and I was in love with him.

Peeta pulls away from me slightly, just to catch his breath. I can see a small, goofy grin beginning to grow on his lips once more. I feel a smile tug on my lips as well.

"You know," I ignore Peeta's obviously confused look as to why I'm not kissing the living daylights out of him and continue, "I never thought that I'd fall in love."

Peeta cocks an eyebrow. "Why not?"

I shrug and brush my lips against him slightly before speaking once more. "I don't know, I thought love was overrated and kind of foolish. I've never been so wrong in my life."

Peeta smiles. "What do you think of love now, then?"

"I think that love is a beautiful thing, yet it can also be dangerous. I think that - no, I know that love is precious and that you should keep the ones you love close to you forever, because if you do you've lost something that you can never regain, not completely. Thats why I won't ever let you go, not now."

"I think thats the most deepest thing you've ever said to me, Katniss Everdeen."

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. "Shut up and let me kiss you, Mellark."

"Will do."

Author's Note:

Thanks to (in no particular order) - Whimsically Nightlock, The Giggling Gummy Bear, itsEverLark, rochay97, marycontrary82, 98lazy, Sunkist1119, LeslieMellark, hatbox, Peetabread 3, , hotpielookedlikehotpie, Kbgoalie31, Merlinboneslover, Ldyglfr62, Jessica.S, watermelongirl97, THGpanem, pyroseyes, calicat05, Craftydiva, leatherjacketgirl, EGBC, PeetaLover1116, Peeta-loves-katniss, , McArrow, MOREID4EVA, xXAngelRoxXx, horcruxesxlove, veronique2, MaidenAlice, The-freaking-half-blood, sophy2431, tabbycatbw, Peetas-dandelion-lover, Anuschka93, storyfrikk, Pyb World, melverdeenforever219, mel087, kingkevin22, KC99, MellarkableSinger, PurpleSpottyOwl, DayDreamer1018, EllRose, eekabeeka, Kaitlyn19, xxPeetaBreadxxx, mullera77, TragedyIsTheKey, LoveForEverlark, WordsOfWonder, Sunnynurse, kj7, NicoFan-of-Apollo, ncljne17, Marmar918, HawthorneHope, gabytahijar, sintRizzie, Kpfan72491, book loving mama, nekonip-chan, TheatreCrazy21, Mindmapped123, heralderofspringtime, , Peccopa, jess obsessed 04, carlo fandango, SuperSaiyan529, teampeeta1223, Everlark Fax Lover, jonasgrl9, ShortySC22, Nanacela, Torygirl, FirePearl97, two-of-a-kind13313, canttamedis, Jaxxon, Fanfic1Fan, abugsaunt, Dobby-Fred-Sirius, beserkerbeast, jenjentheboscostick, supergirl971, secretsercher, NormyMellark99, kittybelltheory, , .969300, , mgarcia, pumpkinking5, EdwardBellaAndSasuSaku4Eva, Guerrero98, Milk of Awesomeness, LittleMockingjay99, SlyLikeFoxFace, squirrelonfire, sunnycali33, hungerBMAMgames, abrightredrose, jmjames, Niqueesinger14, Lee1597, chuffed, SeriouslyCrazy83, ajquest, Antea Mellark, IRISSE, Peeta's a stalker, ILovetoFly, girly4567, lousieamay, Kurama's final nightmare, Dancinghld, firefoxxe, Red Tulip Tribute, canadianboy98, Sparkling Mongeese, Fantasydream17, CherryBlossomGirl26, Everllarkglee4ever, JoelHGLover 00 (Guest), Jonathan K (Guest), Kiwi (Guest), Jade (Guest), Raandi 101, Virginia (Guest), Mockinjay (Guest), fang (Guest), Hgrocks (Guest), Rubi (Guest), SaMaNtHa (Guest), Anna (Guest), AnnieOdesta and all of my many guests that reviewed!

If I missed anyone above please let me know and I apologize. You can also try finding me and give me a good whack on the head, hehe.

I want to thank all those people I listed above because they favorited/followed/reviewed my story and gave me support to continue (well most of them :p) It meant tons to me and it puts a smile on my face whenever I think about you nice people! I wanted to send you all really good presents but that would be a lot of hassle and have a lot of privacy invasions, haha :) So, as my thanks I did my best on this epilogue and I hope that you all enjoyed reading it.

As a second part of my thanks, I am going to do another Hunger Games fanfic, but I'll let you give me ideas on what to write about if you want to. Put them in the reviews or PM me and I'll post a fanfic on the one that seems the best to write about! You don't have to though :)

Until next time ;-D