Hi All I thought I had completed this, but as some one said it had the potential to be more. This chapter begins the night Peeta Returns back to District Twelve. Enjoy.
PS I do not own the Hunger Games, Catching Fire or Mockingjay.
The train pulled into the station. It was the middle of the night and only one passenger stepped out onto the poorly lit platform. The train conductor watched the solitary figure as he looked around at the ruins of District Twelve. It was a sad moment to see the former Victor greeted by no one but the silent night.
The moon light shone down upon the golden hair of Peeta Mellark. Peeta did not expect anyone here to greet him since no one knew he was coming.
"Are you going to be okay kid?" The Train Conductor asked of the young man who stood in the silence. He spent years coming to this District to deliver Supplies. The Conductor was familiar with most of its living residents and sadly with the ones who were no longer counted amongst the living. The only time he loathed his job was at Reaping time. Thank goodness there would be no more Reaping. His brown eyes took in the boy who he had seen grow up.
He had an infamous past and an untold future. According to the law Peeta was a still boy, but because of the harsh circumstances he lived through, he was very much a man.
Peeta turned to the Conductor "Yeah I will be."
The Conductor pushed his hat back. "She's here you know. I haven't seen her but she is here."
Peeta knew the Conductor spoke of Katniss. She was his source of fear and she was also the very source of every lovely sentiment he felt. "Is she well?"
The Conductor considered this question carefully. He decided upon the truth. "No, she is not. They are very concerned for her. I have heard it feels as if she's waiting for something or someone to revive her."
Peeta did not understand.
The Train Conductor looked at his time piece. In a few hours he would be picking up passengers for right now he had to drop off his supplies and possibly catch some sleep.
"Peeta?"
Peeta looked at the tall man stepping out of the darkness with a lamp in his hands. He was unknown to him but Peeta identified him to be of the Seam. He had that same olive skin tone and grey eyes. "I am sorry…who are you?"
The Conductor melted into the background he needed to take care of his train.
"Thom, I was from the Seam…worked in the mines with Gale. I was in District Thirteen and fought in the rebellion against Snow."
"Hello, I am sorry my memory is not what it used to be."
Thom heard of what Snow did to Peeta. Saw the marks Katniss sported around her neck for weeks. He had seen the manacles he wore on his feet and hands. "I did not know you were coming back home?"
"I was let go yesterday, I wanted to come back."
Thom nodded understanding District Twelve was home no matter what condition it was in. "Well is there anything I can do for you?"
Peeta looked at the man "It is going to sound strange but do you have a wheelbarrow and shovel I can borrow."
Thom raised an eye brow "What for?"
Peeta stuffed his hands into his pockets. He knew what he was asking for was strange and a little alarming considering his past. He stuttered a little bit as he spoke "To get her flowers, for her sister Prim."
"You know her sister is…"
"I was there when it happened." Peeta spoke recalling the parachutes that fell from the sky. It was a little known fact those Parachutes did not belong to Snow. Peeta sighed heavily as he looked at this man named Thom. He knew his voice did not sound right. He did not sound like the polite young boy he was before the Games.
"Oh" Thom breathed. He forgot Peeta was in the Capitol by Katniss side when the bombs went off.
"It's just no one has said goodbye to Prim. Not even Katniss."
Thom flushed. They were busy burying the dead in a mass grave. It was a task. However no one took the time to say goodbye. He could just imagine what that must have felt like to Katniss. Everyone wanting, for her to move forward but she was stuck unable to say goodbye. Katniss Everdeen lost the very same person she sought to protect against the Capitol. "I have a small wheelbarrow you can use; it's off to the side. The shovel I have is old but it will do the job."
"Thank you Thom." Peeta sighed grateful that the man understood.
"Come on," Thom pointed to the wheelbarrow. To make conversation he said "We are going to going to rebuild."
Peeta did not say anything.
At the lack of Peeta's response to his statement Thom redirected his conversation. He was curious so he asked "So what type of flowers are you going to get her?"
"Primroses" Peeta announced.
"They grow by the edge of the woods." Thom informed.
"Thank you" Peeta was about to take off when Thom's next words stopped him in his tracks.
Thom called looking at Peeta. "You know Gale was never her boyfriend, but he wanted to be."
Peeta frowned. "Gale wanted to be her boyfriend?"
"Yeah he did but even before you came into the picture Katniss was not interested in him that way. She screamed it out loud one day to Darius when we were at the Hob in front of everyone."
Peeta stopped to look at Thom. This triggered a memory for him. He frowned examining it carefully. It was not shiny.
"When you two got together in the Games, her affection for you was written all over her face. Though I think she was fighting against falling for you. That frustrated Gale a lot because there was nothing he could do about it."
Peeta recalled the moment perfectly. Nonetheless he was suspicious of his own mind and he wanted to confirm the recollection. The only person who could remember it was Katniss. "I'd better get going."
"Sure just bring it back when you are finished."
"Thank you" Peeta politely called as he walked away.
In the dark he caught glimpses of the devastation to his home District. Peeta swallowed and repeated what he learned over and over again. "My name is Peeta Mellark. I am from District Twelve. I survived two Hunger Games. Snow bombed my home. I have no family. I love Katniss Everdeen." Peeta swallowed suddenly as a thought came into his head. "And Gale Hawthorne is not Katniss' boyfriend."
Peeta kept on telling himself that as he went into the forest and found the plant he so carefully studied while in the Capitol. The flowers grew with white, pink or yellow petals. The small little flowers were very pretty and he knew Katniss would appreciate them.
By the time the sun rose in the sky Peeta was hard at work planting the roses in memory of the gentle girl who helped in his recovery.
The door crashed against the side of the house. Around the corner Katniss came into view as she ran her face flushed with furry. She stopped short at the sight of him.
Peeta wanted to react to the way she looked. Her hair matted, her skin clung to her bones. Her eyes wild and untamed, Katniss looked near to death.
"You're back."
Her whispered words were carried across by the wind to his ears. Peeta knew what she needed was for him to act normal. Somehow he managed to tell her how the doctor let him go yesterday and about how she needed to call the doctor. He tries to make a joke of her calling for help but it falls flat. He was not sure if this was sufficient a manner to act so he continued to make the hole for the next plant.
"What are you doing?"
He began to explain with out trying to sound like a mad man. He heard his explanation and knew he lost her by the way she looked at him. He did not have the same ability with his speech as he used to.
"They are for her." Peeta finished lamely.
He watched her go from anger to disbelief, to finally an unknown emotion. Then she ran back along the side of the house until she was back inside.
Peeta was not sure, what to make of what happened between them. He finished his job though and went to his house. He needed to shower and remove the dirt and grime of the day. Once in the shower he forgot about the dirt and cried bitterly. He should have been here. He should have helped her.
They protected each other. Getting out of the shower he resolved never to leave her again.
The next day he tentatively approached her house with fresh loaves when he met Greasy Sae outside of her house.
"Boy you came back and that girl sprung to life." Greasy Sea greeted Peeta with a smile. She wondered what had the girl out of her seat and into a bath.
Peeta flushed "I made bread."
"Good we could use some fresh food around here."
Peeta waited at the table until Katniss came down the stairs. He noted she was bathed her hair combed and her eyes were alert. They no longer looked like they were unstable. "I made bread."
Katniss wanted to smile but did not know how.
It was then the Prim's cat made its presence know.
"Buttercup…" Peeta uttered.
"It showed up yesterday, with you." Katniss murmured as she fed the cat the bacon.
Peeta reached down and fed the ugly cat that was so precious to Prim, bacon.
Buttercup purred around Peeta's legs, a fact that was not lost on Katniss.
"What are you doing today?"
"Nothing" Peeta confesses. "Maybe make some bread for they guys at the site."
"It is too much for me to go there."
"It is" Peeta agreed.
"I'll bring it down if you bake it." Greasy Sae offered.
"Okay" Peeta looked at Katniss "You want to help?"
"I can't bake bread." Katniss shook her head.
"You can measure" Peeta gave her a pointed look.
Katniss flushed his offer was better than sitting here. "Okay."
That small branch started their road to friendship. Katniss became an expert at pouring and measuring although she did not know how to put it all together like Peeta did. Day after day Peeta went to her. They sought each others company, unable to stay away from each other.
Until one day Katniss stood looking out of Peeta's window toward her house. The Primroses, Peeta planted were a lovely a living reminder of her sister. Her father would have loved that.
It was then she got the idea of making her own plant book. A memory book to recall all of their loved ones, and some how it grew to include the tributes from Games past that Haymitch knew.
Together they made the book.
They remembered and grew together.
Somehow they moved in together.
Life slowly moves forward. Katniss began to hunt while Peeta continued to bake. Until one night they committed to each other in the way only two soul mates can. The next morning Katniss found Peeta in the kitchen.
She had left her home because it had too many memories, to much heartache. Peeta's house was home to her because he was here. Even Buttercup moved in. She came to stand in the radius of his arms.
"You said 'real'"
Katniss wanted to giggle instead she nodded her head against his chest. She shyly utters "Real Peeta, I love you."
Peeta had been waiting for a long to hear those words. He wanted to be able to discuss things which were still murky to him about their relationship in the past. It was time to ask what he wanted to know. "Gale is not you boyfriend, you told me once, real or not real."
Katniss gazed up at Peeta for a moment lost. Then the memory of their first accidental kiss came to mind "Real." Katniss leaned up against his chest and planted a simple peck on Peeta's lips. "He never was."
"Then who was your boyfriend?" Peeta was trying to piece together the events.
Katniss wound her arms around Peetas neck then said "You were and you are."
Her answer shocked him. "I was."
"Yeah but I was too much of a coward to understand back then." Coyly and with the memory of what happened last night she lowered her lashes and whispered "I am not a coward any more."
In the past being her boyfriend would have been his dream. But now, today it was different. Peeta just did not want to be her boyfriend. He wanted to be more. "I don't want to be you boyfriend."
Katniss felt her heart stop in a low voice she said "You don't."
"No I want to be your husband. Marry me."
Her eyes lit up with glee. Katniss nodded happily she did not want to let him go ever.
Later as they lay within the tight embrace of each other's arms in front of the fire place, Buttercup sat on the mantle carefully guarding them. The bitten toasted bread was discarded by the side a testament of their marriage. Peeta grinned to himself as he thought, Gale was never her boyfriend and he would never be.
The End.