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Disclaimer: All characters belong to Suzanne Collins

Chapter Four:

The Victors' Homecoming

I woke up to the sound of loud knocking on my door and Effie yelling my name on the other side, "Katniss!"

I rolled out of bed and opened the door to Effie and… my prep team? I didn't know they came along.

They all hurried into my room and started setting stuff up. They brought in three huge suitcases worth of stuff and just started pulling it out.

"What's going on?" I ask. I didn't know why they were all here.

"We are going to get you ready for your homecoming celebration tonight," Effie replies.

"Is Cinna here?" I ask.

"No, he and Portia had to stay in the Capitol," she says and started to help set things up. I wondered why Cinna wasn't here and it was probably because President Snow didn't want him to come. I shook my head to shake the thoughts out of my head and sat down in the chair in front of the mirror that they set up for me.

Octavia came over and started doing my face while Venia waxed my legs again and Flavius started brushing my hair. So much was happening all at once and I didn't know what to focus on. I wondered if Peeta was going through the same thing?

When they finished with me, I saw that my makeup was done pretty light with a light smokey eye, my hair was in loose ringlets going down my back with a couple pulled up into a clip. Effie grabbed my hand and then pulled me to my bed where a deep blue sequined dress was waiting for me.

I stripped down and put on the beautiful dress that I'm pretty sure Cinna designed for me. It went down to just above my knees and it was a sweetheart neckline with two straps draping over my arms. It was beautiful and the really girlish part of me thought that it reminded me of Peeta's eyes. I blushed at that thought, it wasn't used to thinking about things like that.

I slipped on some silver flats, not heels because I wasn't about to walk in heels on rocky ground all night, that was just asking for disaster. Once they thought that I was fine for the District to see, I walked down stairs and saw my mother, sister, Haymitch and Peeta waiting down there for me.

I instantly went into Peeta's arms and he hugged me and whispered in my ear, "You look so beautiful."

I pulled back away from him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He grabbed my hand and I turned around to see Prim in a lovely pink dress that really brought out the rosiness of her cheeks. I let go of Peeta's hand and walked over to her and pulled her in for a hug. She curled into me and when I got her to let me go, I bent down and gave her a kiss on top of her head.

"We have to leave now, everybody," Effie says and I went back over to Peeta and grabbed his hand. We all walked out of the house together and there were two cars waiting outside for us. One for Peeta, Prim, my mother, Haymitch and I, and one for Effie and the prep team.

We all got in the cars and we started heading to the center of town where the homecoming would be held. Prim and my mother were sitting in the seats in front of Peeta and I.

I scooted closer to Peeta and laid my head on his shoulder and he put his arm around me and pulled me even closer.

"Are you excited about tonight?" he asks.

"Not really, I mean I'm glad to be home, but I don't really want to be the center of attention," I say.

He nods his head and says back to me, "I'll be with you the entire time, okay?"

"Okay," I say back and a couple minutes later we were there. Almost the entire district was there already and they clapped when we exited the car. I smiled at everyone, but moved closer to Peeta to protect myself from the limelight.

All of us walked into the center and people started coming up to Peeta and I to congratulate us for winning the Games. We smiled and socialized a little with people, but we mostly just talked to each other.

A band from the District was playing music and people were dancing on the dancefloor on the far side of the many tables lined up in front of the stage in front of the Justice Building. Effie and the prep team looked startled by how they were dancing. I guess people don't dance that way in the Capitol.

Peeta leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Would you care to dance?"

"I'm not that good," I reply. The only real experience I have with dancing is when my dad was still alive and we would dance around our house with me standing on his feet.

He kissed me on top of my head and started pulling me to the dancefloor. "It will be fun," Peeta says.

"Alright," I say and I start walking with him. We hop right in and we start dancing with everyone else. We danced with each other with Peeta spinning me around in circles. I was having the most fun that I have had in a long while.

"I'm getting dizzy," I giggled and he stopped spinning me and pulled me into his arms with everyone still dancing around us. I leaned up and kissed him on the lips and his arms moved to hold me around my waist and mine snaked around his neck.

Eventually we heard everything stop around us and we pulled away to see everyone's eyes on us. We backed away from each other blushing and people chuckled around us. We danced for a few minutes more before Mayor Undersee came over to us and asked us to stand on the stage with him then he called everyone's attention to where he was standing on top of the stage in front of the Justice Building.

Everyone turned around and once Mayor Undersee got everyone's attention, he started speaking.

"Welcome everyone and thank you for coming to celebrate the homecoming of the Victors of the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark," he said and everyone clapped.

He then turned to us, wanting us to say something and Peeta and I walked forward to the microphone.

Peeta started first, "Thank you, everyone for being here tonight. You have no idea how much it means to Katniss and I to see everyone here. I, and I believe I can speak for Katniss as well when I say that we never expected to see this place again. It is so surreal to be home and with this beautiful girl standing beside me," he said, turning to look at me. I smile at him and he turns away again, "The only reason that I am here today is because of her and I couldn't be more thankful to her. She is my everything and I want to thank you Katniss for everything that you have done for me."

I have tears in my eyes by the time he finishes and I squeeze his hand and I walk up to the microphone. "Thank you, Peeta. But to everyone, thank you for being so kind to us. Your kindness truly has meant the world to us and.. uh… thank you," I said and I backed away from the mic. I'm not really used to talking that much, especially in front of a crowd, but I felt like it needed to be said. Everyone clapped for us as Peeta and I stepped back.

The Mayor stepped back up to the microphone and said, "Now, let us feast." Everyone hooted and hollered. Most of the people in our district's last good meal was at the Harvest Festival in January during the Victory Tour. That thought made the smile drop of my face. The Victory Tour. Our Victory Tour. The thought of it worried me, but I shouldn't think about that now. I put a smile back on my face and Peeta and I walked down the stairs and took a seat at the front of the middle table.

Our families and Haymitch came and sat with us and as I looked around at everyone happy and dining with their families. I couldn't be happier.

I do hope you enjoyed! I hope to have another chapter up this week so be on the lookout for that! Please remember to review and favor and follow if you haven't already! Thank you!

-Emily