Nothing bad or rebellious happened at the dinner in 11. Or 10. Or 9, 8, 7, 6, or 5. Everyday was the same. I would wake up, eat, get prepped, read the speech, go to dinner, and then get back on the train. Everything seemed to be going perfect, and I thought maybe the Tour would end easily.

We were on the train going to district 4. I walked into my room and pulled off the midnight blue gown Cinna had made for my dinner in district 5. I pulled on pajamas, crawled into bed, and fell asleep.

Then, there was a bird. It whistled a four-note tune before dropping to the ground dead. Suddenly, trees sprung up all around me, and I ran to the bird. I turned the bird over. As I did this, it turned into Rue. She looked up at me and asked me to sing. I sang. As the words came out of my mouth, her mouth elongated and grew furry. She was a mutt. She sprung up and ran towards me. I wasn't fast enough after the shock of her changing. She bit down on my leg and dragged me into a pit of darkness and bubbling blood.

I woke up screaming. Burying my face in my pillow, I cried. Nothing could be heard but my sobs. I felt my throat close up, and I started to cough. I might've drifted back to sleep. But all of a sudden, I was falling off my bed.

I waited to hit the hard ground but instead found myself landing on something else. It was a little softer. A person. I quickly got up and ran to a corner of my room, putting my hands up for protection. My breathing was ragged and my throat sore.

"Ivy. It's just me."

I started crying again.

"Ivy, come on. It's okay."

"No, it's not!" I screamed. It wasn't one of my worst nightmares, but it was Rue. I hadn't dreamt of her for a long time.

"I'm here," he said in a soothing voice. "It's okay. I'm here."

Peeta sat by my side and pulled me onto his lap. He rocked me back and forth like a child. I cried and felt my hands grab onto his shirt. His hands stroked my head and held me close.

I fell asleep.

I woke up the next morning on my bed. I looked around for a sign that Peeta had been there, but there wasn't one. A feeling of disappointment flooded my mind; I must've dreamt of Peeta coming in here last night.

I grabbed my clothes and put them on quickly before rushing to the dining car. Everyone was already in there eating. I sat down and ate quickly. Peeta stared at me from across the table. Was he there? Did he hear me scream? I ate in silence, staring only at my plate for the rest of the meal.

As Cinna was leading me to my room to get dressed, Peeta grabbed my arm. Cinna saw Peeta stop me, and he continued walking into the room, leaving me alone with him.

"Do you need to talk about?" he asked. I sighed in relief; Peeta was there.

"I thought they were almost gone," I said, my hands balling up into fists. My face began to burn as an angry blush appeared. Peeta set his hand on my cheek.

"Do you want to talk about it tonight?" he asked. I nodded.

Peeta's face leaned in towards mine, and I was almost positive he was going to kiss me on the lips. But instead, his lips went to my forehead. They brushed against my forehead, and then he was gone.

I gave my speech. We went to dinner. We came back to the train.

After I had taken off the pale blue princess dress and changed into pajamas, there was a soft knock at the door. It was Peeta. He was dressed in his own pajamas and carrying a blanket. I looked at him confused, but I didn't ask him about the blanket or pajamas. He sat down on the edge of my bed, and I sat down next to him. We sat in silence for a couple minutes.

"So," I asked with a small smile, "why were you in my room last night?"

"I heard you screaming," he stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Suddenly, I was embarrassed. If Peeta could hear me, who else could?

"Why were you awake?"

"I don't really sleep that much," he said.

"Why?" I asked. I got scared of the dark and sleep and nightmares, but at least I still did sleep.

"Guess," he muttered.

"Nightmares," I whispered. He nodded before turning towards me with a concerned look.

"Which brings us to you. Do you need to talk about what happened?" he asked, taking my hand. I looked down at my hands before shaking my head.

"No. It's okay."

"Ivy, I'm here for you. You can talk to me," Peeta murmured, trying to look me in the eye. I moved my gaze whenever I caught sight of his blue eyes. He wanted to help me, and I wanted help. But I didn't know what he could do.

"I just… I don't know what to say."

"What's bothering you?" he asked. I closed my eyes. What was on my mind? How did Peeta know something was bothering me? Did he know the thing that bothered me most was whether or not he loved me?

"My nightmare last night was different. It was about Rue," I said.

"What are they normally about?" Peeta asked. I thought back to my lonely days in Victor's Village. What did I dream about? The Games and Madge. And Peeta. Peeta was almost in every nightmare. My eyes remained closed.

"Um… they're normally about you, actually," I stuttered out. Peeta laughed a little.

"Me? Do I scare you, Ivy?" he asked, sitting up a little straighter. I smiled a little.

"They're normally about me losing you. Or you losing me," I said before I realized how embarrassing it sounded. Peeta's smile disappeared for a moment, replaced by surprise.

"That's why you would scream? You thought you lost me?" he breathed, shocked. He looked scared, like he had hurt me somehow. Which he had.

"I did lose you," I pointed out in a whisper.

Peeta left me and hurt me and broke his promises. He chose Katniss. But now… he said he loved me. And my insides twisted because I didn't know what to believe.

Peeta's forehead touched mine. My eyes shot up and looked at his face, so incredibly close to mine. I felt his hand run through my hair before he spoke.

"You have me now," he answered.

Did I? Did I really have him? Peeta could be faking; he's done it before. And he's good at faking it. I wanted to believe him and feel wanted again. But I also wanted to protect my heart.

My mouth opened to speak again, but Peeta's lips were on mine. He was kissing me, and there were no cameras around. My hands set themselves on his chest, and I drew myself closer to him.

He loves you, Ivy. Just accept it. Don't be a fool.

"Peeta?" I asked, breaking apart from him. His eyes opened and stared into mine. I felt our lashes collide when we blinked.

"Ivy." He said it like it was the only word that mattered in the world.

"I love you," I breathed out quickly, like I wouldn't be able to say it if I didn't say it at that moment. He kissed me one more time.

"I love you, too," he replied. I brought myself close to him, wrapping my arms around him and holding him close.

I didn't want him to disappear again. I wouldn't let him go.

Peeta stayed with me. He put his blanket on the couch and just lied there. I watched him for a couple minutes. He was so peaceful, his eyes closed. He looked like he was sleeping, and it seemed like he didn't have nightmares. And I was jealous of his calmness.

I drifted to sleep.

As Rue pulled me into the pit, I reached for the edges, trying to keep myself out of the dark. I grabbed at white sticks. When I grabbed them, they came out of the ground and became bloody bones. Screaming, I let go of the bones. I fell into the pit. I kept falling until I hit the ground with a thud and felt my whole body ache.

My eyes shot open, expecting to see the floor. Instead, I saw Peeta's face directly above mine. Neither of us said a thing. He looked frightened.

Peeta was kneeling beside me on the bed, holding my arms down. His face was the only thing I could see.

I didn't blink, and tears began to pool in the corners of my eyes. Peeta cautiously let go of his hold on one of my arms and tenderly brushed hair out of my face.

"I'm here," he muttered. The angry tears escaped from my eyes. My hands grabbed the sheets from under me and balled up into fists. Peeta pulled me over to him and held me. We both sat on the corner of my bed, leaning against the wall, both of us trying to sleep but knowing it was impossible.

Peeta held me as tightly as he could. I let my head fall back onto his arm. We didn't speak.

Peeta came into my room every night on the train. He would go to his room and get ready for bed. Then he would slide into my room after the night fell and would hold me. After 3, 2, and 1 he came and held me at night, trying to make the nightmares go away. Every night, they got less and less gruesome. I stopped screaming awake, but I would still wake up. But, with Peeta there, all I did was wake up a slight gasp, see his concerned blue eyes looking at me, and then fall back into an uneasy rest.

It reminded me of our times back in the Games.

"I don't want to sleep."

"Why, because of nightmares? I'll protect you."

"No, I'm afraid that you'll leave. Or worse, I'll die without seeing you tomorrow morning."

"I'm not leaving you. Not again."

"But what if I die."

"I'm going to stay with you. Always."

We were on our way to the Capitol. I woke up that night to see Peeta sleeping. His arms tightened around me, and I knew he was having a nightmare. I stroked his arm and slowly it lessened its grip around me. His eyes scrunched tightly before the eyelids loosened.

"I'm here," I muttered like he always did to me. But this time, I added, "Always."

*A/N Review and tell me what you think! Do you think Peeta is faking again? Or is it possibly genuine this time?*