Help Me Make it Through the Night (Everlark Fanfic)

Chapter 21: She May Be Broken But She's Mine

Peeta's POV

Katniss has barely slept in a week. Her nightmares wake her every night. She cries in my arms as I hold her after each one and as much as I try to get her to, she's to scared to close her eyes, fearing the nightmare is waiting for her.

The less sleep she gets, the more she looks like the walking corpse I found when I came home to 12. She no longer wants to eat. She doesn't hunt. I can tell she's miserable, but I have no idea how to help her.

Last night was the first time she's actually fallen back asleep and I only think that was from pure exhaustion. I need to see if there is anything that could possibly help her. There is only one person who maybe could help. The person who spent the most time with her after she got home.

I need to talk to Greasy Sae.

I'll admit I'm not exactly thrilled to go to the Hob. I've only ever been there a couple times with my father and once with Katniss. It's not exactly the most welcoming place for me, a rich baker's son. But Sae is nice enough so hopefully she will help me. If I bring her some fresh baked bread that is.

I quickly scribble a note for Katniss and leave it on my pillow. I give her a gentle kiss on the forehead and soundlessly close the bedroom door. Make my way to our kitchen and pick up a loaf of bread that I baked yesterday. I wrap it tightly in a clean cloth.

As I make my way to the Hob I begin to regret leaving her home alone. She knows these people better than me. But she is on no condition to walk all the way here. Besides, she's not one to ask for help. So I guess I'm on my own.

As I enter the Hob, I notice a few new stands in the building. It's still relatively clean here but I wouldn't phase it to be dirty and dusty like the rest of District 12 within a few months.

I quickly find Greasy Sae's little soup stand at the center of the building. As I make my way over to her, I get a lot of stares. There are two reasons for that. One is the fact that my blonde hair and blue eyes set me apart from their dark hair and grey eyes. The other reason is probably the fact that a format victor that isn't Katniss trading or Haymitch buying liqueur is walking through their home.

I walk up to Sae's stand and wait. When she walks over I get strait to the point by giving her the bread.

"Hmmm," she says, holding up the bread "I'm guessing you want more than stew for this."

"Katniss has been having nightmares and I usually can help her but this one won't go away. She's afraid to sleep," I tell her. She purses her lips and nods.

"Just give me one second. I might have the answer," she says finally and reaches under the counter and stuffs something into a bag. When she sets the bag on the counter, it lets out a small hiss. I open my eyes wide in astonishment.

"He's alive!" I ask Sae astounded. She nods, chuckling slightly.

"Katniss found him on her doorstep about a day after she got home. He walked all the way from 13. She hated that thing so much but he was all she had left of that little girl. She screamed at it for days but eventually accepted that he was all that was left of her and kept him with her. Until you got back, the only way she would sleep was if that cat was sitting at the end of her bed. Maybe he will help her now," she says handing the bag to me causing another round of hissing from the bag. I look at her skeptically, knowing how much Katniss always complained about that cat.

"You really think this will work?" I ask her.

"I'm just saying what helped her before," she states.

"Thank you," I tell her. She simply nods at me and I begin my journey home, thinking this is probably the craziest idea I've ever had.

When I get home, I find a very upset Katniss. When she sees me she runs into my arms and holds me tight. But then she lets go and you can almost see the steam coming from her ears.

"Where the hell were you?! I was worried sick. You said you'd be gone for about an hour, not all day I was worried sick. I was about to call Haymitch to go look for you," she says with tears in her eyes. I know I was gone too long. Why does Sae have to talk so much.

"I'm sorry. I would never mean to worry you it's just Sae is so much of a talker that I lost track of time," she looks at me confused.

"Why would you go to the Hob? We have all we need here and I know that you don't like being there if I'm not there," she asks crossing her arms over her chest. I smile at her and hand her the bag Sae gave me. He moves around in the bag and she looks at me like I'm crazy. "Why did you bring him here?" she asks.

"Sae said the only way that you would sleep before I got back. I thought maybe he could help you now," I tell her. Katniss shakes her head and tries to give him back.

"No, I don't want him," she says, being stubborn as always.

"Katniss, you know that he's all you have left of her. You both miss her. Maybe he can help you," I plead. She sighs and opens the bag, scooping him out and stroking his ratty yellow coat. He purrs in her arms, which the first time if seen him do that with anyone but Prim, and snuggles deep into her chest.

"Well, maybe your right Peeta. Buttercup is really all I have left besides you and Haymitch," she says looking down at him. She gently sets him down and walks over to wrap her arms around me. "Thank you," she whispers. She looks up at me, smiles, and then kisses my cheek. "I made dinner, you hungry?" She asks.

"Is it safe?" I ask her and she hits me playfully.

"Of course. I wouldn't poison you. You're too cute," she says and leads me to the kitchen where she has a delicious rabbit stew cooking. We eat making small talk about our future and the book she wants to make. And though I pretend not to see it, every once in a while she reaches down and feeds table scraps to Buttercup.

We go to bed not long after and of course, Buttercup decides to join us. As I hold her I feel her shift every once in a while to scratch the ears of the old grizzled cat that sits on her hip.

I can't help but think of how perfect she is for me. She's broken but she's mine and after all we've been through I couldn't ask for more.

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Woo who! New chapter. and over 14k reads. This is awesome. I can't believe I got this far. And for that I thank you all. I've also got a very special announcement for you. I will be writing a Peeta POV of the Hunger Games Trilogy. I know there are a lot of them but I wanna give it a go. I always feel that I write better in his point of view anyway. If you think this is a bad idea please tell me now. I don't want to write what you won't read. Give me some feed back.

Love y'all so much!
Rock on!
-Kayla