After the Flames (part 2)

Chapter 43: Turning Point

Willow's room was lit softly by the fading sunlight sneaking in through her sheer curtains. The room smelled faintly of the crayons she was dragging across a piece of paper—green trees and a sky so blue it looked like summer. Rye sat on the bed beside her, legs crisscrossed, half-lost in his own little world as he guided two action figures through a makeshift jungle made of pillows and blankets. They weren't talking. They weren't asking questions. They just were.

Katniss stood silently in the doorway for a long moment, watching them. The weight of everything that had just happened felt like it was sitting on her chest, but the sight of her babies pretending like nothing had happened—that both broke her heart and healed it at the same time.

Without a word, she stepped into the room.

Willow noticed first, her pencil pausing mid-stroke. Rye looked up too, his figure dangling from his hand.

Katniss didn't speak right away. She just dropped to her knees and pulled both of them into her arms. She held them so tight it made their little shoulders press into her ribs, and she buried her face in the top of their heads.

"I'm so sorry you guys had to see that," she said softly, her voice strained and trembling. "I'm so, so sorry."

Neither of them responded, not with words. But both of them sank deeper into her, their faces nuzzled into her chest and stomach, letting her hold all of their silent confusion and fear in her arms.

When the hug gently faded and Katniss pulled back just enough to look at them, something shifted.

Rye glanced over at Willow, and she looked back at him. A moment of silent understanding passed between them, like something had just clicked in place. It wasn't spoken, but it was certain.

Willow tugged at Katniss's sleeve and looked up at her, her voice quiet, barely above a whisper.

"Can you bring Daddy here with us?" she asked. "I want him."

Katniss blinked. For a second, her heart forgot how to beat. "You do?"

Willow nodded, and even Rye gave a little shrug like, Yeah... we want him.

Katniss stood up slowly, still stunned, and crossed the hall. Peeta was in the kitchen, sitting at the table with a cold pack pressed against his swelling eye. His elbows rested on the wood, his head dipped forward slightly. There was something about his stillness that made her throat tighten.

He didn't even look up when she approached. "Is everything okay?"

She leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed lightly. "The kids want to see you."

His head lifted fast, brow furrowed. "What? Why would they want that... after everything they saw?"

"I don't know," she said with a small smile. "But they asked for you."

Peeta hesitated, like he wasn't sure if it was real or some cruel joke. "You're serious?"

"I'm serious. Come on."

He stood slowly, still holding the ice pack to his face. His free hand was trembling just slightly as he followed her up the stairs. When they reached Willow's room, Katniss stepped aside and gently nudged the door open.

The kids were waiting.

The second Peeta stepped in, Rye and Willow leapt from the bed and ran toward him.

"Daddy!" they cried out, throwing their arms around his legs and waist.

Peeta nearly dropped the ice pack as he bent down, arms wrapping tightly around them, one on each side. He held them like they were glass, like they might shatter if he moved too fast. His heart thundered in his chest. He wasn't breathing.

"What... what is this?" he whispered, his voice cracking.

"Thank you," Rye mumbled into his chest. "For saving Mommy."

Willow nodded against his shoulder. "And us too. You protected us."

Peeta closed his eyes. He didn't trust himself to speak.

"I was scared of you before," Willow added, her voice soft and honest. "But not now. Not anymore."

Peeta let out a long, shaky breath, pulling them in closer.

"I love you so much," he said, voice hoarse. "So much it hurts sometimes. I didn't know if I'd ever get to hold you like this again."

Katniss leaned against the doorframe, hands covering her mouth, tears falling freely. She couldn't speak either.

The three of them stayed like that—one father, two small children, in a quiet tangle of forgiveness and healing.

After a moment, Rye looked up at him with big grey-blue eyes.

"Does your eye hurt, Daddy?"

Peeta smiled gently. "A little."

Willow's brows furrowed. "You need an ice pack."

"I had one," he chuckled, "but I dropped it when I got tackled by two wild animals."

The kids giggled. Peeta's heart swelled.

Katniss finally walked in, wrapping her arms around the whole group. For the first time in what felt like forever, they were all holding each other.

It wasn't perfect.

But it was healing.

And for tonight, that was enough.