*A/N I prepared two chapters on accident, so I'm posting both of them since I most likely won't update any time soon BECAUSE IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS! I HOPE YOU GET ALL THE FANDOM MERCH YOU WANTED! Also... after the New Year I might post a new fanfiction, since my "Alice" one is wrapping up quite soon. That was almost a Christmas pun. Anyways, happy holidays from HawkwardDolphin!*

Katniss walked into the dining room around one in the morning. I was sitting on a chair looking out of the window when my head turned to look at him.

"This is all my fault," she said, brushing her arms as if she was cold.

"Well, you told me Gale took the blame for the turkey. I don't think it's your fault," I said, turning my whole body to face her. She had taken Gale's hand in hers.

"I shouldn't have let him take the blame."

"Don't be too harsh on yourself. Gale likes you. That's not surprise. He wouldn't have let them hurt you," I said. She gave me a sad smile, like she knew about him kissing me. She looked scared. "He's going to be okay," I told her.

"That's not what I'm scared of," she replied softly. She took a glance around the room, pausing for a long time before answering, delaying it as long as possible.

"You don't have to tell…"

"Gale and I were going to run away," she blurted out. I took a glance at her before getting angry. She was leaving with Gale. She was obviously with Peeta now; she couldn't just dump him like that. Did she not realize that anyone on this Earth could live a million lives and never deserve Peeta? He was too good for anyone, but Katniss had gotten him. And now she was just going to run off with Gale?

"Why?" I hissed.

"The unrest is spreading. We don't want to get caught in it. We were going to try and run to 13," she said quickly.

"You're running away?" I asked, deciding not even to ask about what 13 meant.

"Yes."

"With Gale?"

"Yes!" she repeated. I shook my head.

"You… you can't," I sputtered out angrily. "You can't just get up and leave!"

"Yes, I can!" she said back, starting to get angry with me.

"You can't just leave Peeta like that!" I cried. "You can't leave him broken like that. Heartbreak destroys a person. If you just left with Gale, imagine how Peeta would feel," I said, putting my head down and looking at my hands. Tears fell out of my eyes. "Peeta can't be broken. He's a good person with a good soul. And he can't break," I turned to Katniss, "You can't break him."

Confusion was plastered on Katniss's face. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Please, think about it before going. Think of Peeta," I said. I got up and grabbed my coat. I put the coat on under the blanket.

"Ivy! Where are you going?" Katniss called.

"I'm going home. Take care of Gale," I muttered before slamming the door. The blizzard was still raging on.

How could Katniss do this to Peeta? Does she not realize how lucky she is? Peeta…

"Peeta," I whispered aloud as I walked home. I could feel my heart fall a little in my chest as I thought of his name. Wasn't it fair now? Peeta's heart would be broken like mine was. Wasn't that fair? No, it wasn't. I didn't want Peeta to break. I wanted him to be happy, even if that meant he was with Katniss.

When I woke up, I went downstairs to find another bag of freshly baked bread on my kitchen counter.

When did Peeta come here? I asked myself as my hand reached for a loaf. I sliced it into thin pieces. I ate one piece while looking out the window. The snow had stopped falling, but there was still too much on the ground for me to cut down the tree. I was stuck here alone.

There was a loud banging on my door. I got up slowly and walked to the door. After opening it one inch, my eyes peered through the crack.

"Hey, Sis! Can I come in?" Matt asked. I was confused, yet happy, that he was here. I opened the door wider so that my brother could enter. He stepped in and wiped off his feet before walked into my living room and sat down on a chair, making himself right at home.

My brother looked up at me with an impressed look on his face, "Not bad."

"Thanks," I muttered, staring at the empty room.

"It's missing something, isn't it?" Matt asked, squinting his eyes like he knew something I didn't.

"Um, no. Not that I know of," I responded. My arms crossed.

"Do you have a bigger door somewhere?" he asked. He leaned forward in the chair; his eyes were still squinted at me in a questioning way. I showed him the backdoor and the side door. He determined that the backdoor was the largest.

"Why does it matter?" I asked. He began to step outside, but I grabbed his arm lightly, stopping him. He made a joking smirk.

"You think you're fiancé could help me?" Matthew asked, before stepping outside.

"Why does it matter?" I asked again. He gave me another cocky smile.

"It's a surprise!" he sang. He exited my house. I closed the door and returned to my kitchen. Whatever he was doing was beyond me. I could care less. But then the banging returned, this time on the backdoor. I stomped to the door and threw it open. Then my mouth dropped.

"Why do you have that?" I asked in a breathy tone.

"Mom was getting rid of it. Since it was yours, I'm returning it," he smirked. I held open the door as Matt pushed my piano inside.

"I don't play anymore," I said. I noticed how dull my voice sounded; it was clear I was faking being uninterested.

"Because this has been at our place," he said like it was obvious. We placed it in the empty living room. My brother gave a satisfied nod.

"It was missing something, I guess," I admitted. My brother looked at me, an almost wild look in his eyes.

"Go play something," he urged softly. I laughed.

"No, thank you," I replied. He grabbed my arm and pulled me to the piano. His hands forced me to sit down on the bench, and then he waited. It was a tiny piano. I was taller than it, and the keys were old and chipped. It felt familiar.

"Play," Poison insisted in a small tone. It reminded me of Rue asking me to sing. It felt very wrong to say no. My fingers hovered over the keys, wondering what to play. My foot felt the pedal. Taking a deep breath, my fingers pressed down on the keys. A loud sound echoed throughout my house. A happy chord. Unnatural.

My fingers moved on the keys, slow and first and then gaining speed as I remembered how to play. I felt happier than I had in ages when my fingers hit the final chord to the song. My body stayed facing the piano. I used to play all the time; when I was lonely or bored, I would play a song. My fingers remained on the keys, not wanting to move. Playing made everything fade away. Then I heard a loud sigh of relief.

"You're back," Matt said behind me. I turned to give him a concerned smile.

"I've been back." I stopped smiling when I saw his eyes wide and sincere. He was truly happy to see me happy. My hands clasped themselves in front of me, and I fiddled with my fingers nervously.

He shook his head, "No. The Ivy I knew is back."

My breath caught in my throat. My old self? Matt saw my old self? I turned back to face the piano, a large grin on my face.

Maybe doing things that made me happy was the first step to making things okay in my life. I was so happy that Poison brought me my piano. I quickly jumped off the bench and ran to hug him.

He was taken aback at first but then returned the embrace. It was foreign, having his arms around me. Holding me so tightly I could burst, which was what I thought he would've wanted to do this time last year. But we were different now. And I was so grateful for my brother.

"Thank you," I muttered. His hand ruffled my hair.

"Anytime," he responded, voice cracking.