Reunited: An After Mockingjay Story

Chapter 35

After a perfect honeymoon we soon have to return home. I sit on the couch letting Peeta sleep upstairs. I sip my coffee and can't help but think what Gale is doing right now. I miss my hunting partner sometimes, but then I think about what he did. Well, no one knows for sure it was his, but the expression on his face when I last saw him told me that it was his.

I go outside needing fresh air. I sit on the front step and Buttercup wanders over and crawls on my lap. She comes to mind and I start to shake. My sister. My little duck. I hug Buttercup, holding on to the last living thing of Prim that I have. I sob and a sound comes out. I continue to sob but cover my mouth as to not wake Peeta.

I run. I leave Buttercup on the step and run away. I run into the woods. I keep running and running until I trip on a rock. I fall to the ground and just lay there, crying.

PEETA'S POV

I wake up to a bright morning. I look beside me and she's not there. 'She must be downstairs.' I think. Downstairs it's cold. The door is cracked open. I walk outside and almost squash Buttercup. "Sorry buddy." I say to him. "Have you seen Katniss?" He just meows back at me and I chuckle. I stand and think about where she could've gone. The woods is my first thought so that's where I go.

I head into the woods. Its so quiet and peaceful. Katniss has to be in here...somewhere.

As I walk deeper into the woods I hear crying. I follow the sound and come to a tree. Looking behind the tree I find Katniss. My poor Katniss, crying out in the woods. It makes my heart ache.

"Katniss?" Her head snaps up immediately. I can see her wipe her tears. "What's wrong?" I ask her?

She doesn't try to lie this time. "I miss her!" She wails. I think I can hear my heart breaking. She didn't deserve this! It makes me angry. Prim was so young, gentle, innocent. All she wanted to do was help people and she died.

"I know." I say because there is nothing I can say to fix this. She'll never hug her sister again. She'll never talk or laugh with her again and it's so incredibly unfair. She pops up and falls into my open arms.

After a few minutes of silence her tears are gone. "Can we hunt?" She asks me. I nod in reply and follow her to where she still keeps her bow and arrows. I stand ready to lug the kill back home. Perched in a tree I watch her from above. Her sly and quiet moves as she goes to look around a tree then how still she sits waiting for something to cross her path.

Just as I start saying to myself how bored and tired I am a deer innocently walks over. I glance at Katniss as she tenses and readies her bow loading it with the arrow that will kill the buck. She aims and fires. Another perfect shot. She looks up at me and I smile flashing her a thumbs up. I descend the tree and when I get to the bottom she drags the deer over to me and passes it to me to haul it back through the woods across the meadow and back home.

She stays outside cleaning the deer while I stay in preparing the seasoning for our deer meal tonight. With cheese buns already in the oven I get the spices out of the cupboard and start mixing them together for the perfect seasoning. I look up and put the window at Katniss. She looks kind of sad. Sometimes I can't help but think she misses Gale.

"This is so good Peeta." Katniss exclaims with a mouth full of venison steak.

I chuckle. "Thank you but it wouldn't be on the table if it weren't for you." I say with a wink. She blushes and looks down stuffing her face with a cheese bun. I decide now is an alright time to ask her. "Do you still miss Gale?" I accidentally blurt out. Her head snaps up and her eyes are wide and kind of scared.

It looks like she takes time to think over her answer before she actually speaks. "Sometimes I think I do, I mean he's been my hunting partner for as long as I can remember," My heart sinks. "But then I remember everything he's done and I change my mind. Like I miss him then that feeling changes to anger and a little hatred." My heart lifts a little. "Why?" She asks.

"Well when you were cleaning the deer I looked out the kitchen window to check on you and you looked sad and I couldn't help but think that was the reason." I say honestly.

She gives a sad look. "Please remember Peeta that I will always love you no matter what." I nod in reply sticking a piece of meat in my mouth. My heart believes her but my mind believes something else. I just can't seem to shake the thought out of my mind.

*Hey guys!!! Here's the long awaited chapter! I've been so busy and have had major writers block! I love reading your comments by the way! Reading them and knowing you guys like my story makes me so happy and encourages me to keep going with this story. Don't forget about my Joshifer story and don't forget to keep voting and commenting! ilyasm!!!❤️❤️❤️*