Reunited: An After Mockingjay Story

Chapter 8

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Peeta calls me downstairs to tell me that he made sandwiches for lunch. "Do you want to go for a walk later?" Peeta asks me taking a big bite if his sandwich.

"Sure." I say with a smile. We finish our food and Peeta puts our paper plates in the garbage. I go upstairs to get my shoes and put them on. I walk down the stairs to see Peeta ready at the door.

"Ready?" he asks me.

"Ready." I reply and kiss his cheek.

We walk outside with our fingers laced together. Some people stare at us but not many. When I moved in with Peeta about a month ago, and we would go for walks, we would get more looks than we do today.

We walk past Her grave and I stop in my tracks staring at the head stone, tears forming. I sink to the ground and start crying in my hands. Peeta comes beside me and pulls me in a hug.

"Shh, shh it's okay." he coos in my ear to try and calm me down.

"It's all my fault, Peeta. If I didn't pull out the berries in the first games, I never would've gotten the Capitol mad, and I never would have started the Rebellion." I look up at him, "And you would never have gotten hijacked." I cry harder into his shirt.

"It's not your fault, Katniss. The Capitol was unfair with the first games, tricking us into believing we both could go home. You showed them, that your not just a piece in their games." I start to calm down, while Peeta whispers more comforting words in my ear. When I've finished crying, Peeta stands, then helps me up. He gives me one more reassuring hug before we lace our fingers together, and continue our walk.

Soon we walk past the bakery. Peea stands in the rubble that hasn't been cleaned up yet. I go and stand in front of him, and give him a hug. "Katniss?" He asks me.

"Yeah?"

"I want to rebuild the bakery." he says. I don't know how I feel about this. It would be good for Peeta, to continue what his family had originally started. He'd have something to do to distract him from a flashback that might or might not happen. But I also don't want him to leave every morning all day. I wouldn't know what to do with myself. But because he's done just about everything for me, I give him the answer that makes his eyes light up.

"Okay." I say with a smile that doesn't quite reach my eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asks me.

"I don't know. I guess I just don't want you to leave me everyday. I wouldn't know what to do. And I would miss you. So much." I say sadly. He grabs my shoulders gently, then tilts my chin up so I have to look at him.

"I'm not going to be gone that long, Katniss. I can hire people to work there so I don't have to come in everyday. Or, if you ever start missing me, I'm not that far away. You can come and visit. Then we can walk home together." he says with a sad smile and pulling me into a warm hug. He pulls away and kisses my forehead, and I smile a little.

"Okay." I say. With that, we walk back home.