Rising from Ashes [#4]

Chapter 24 - Settling Down Back In District 7

“Well…we are going home.” He then says as he turns towards me, pulling my chin up and leads his lips towards mine, kissing me. “We are definitely going home…” I answer with a grin on my face as I kiss him back. “Now, you’ve got some work to do when you get home.” I then say smiling at him. “Is that so?” He turns back towards me. “Well, I want that shoulder of yours to be as good as it can be, before I let you put another ring on my finger.”  I say as cling to his left shoulder. He leans down and kisses me passionately. “Well, then I guess I better get to work.” John then answers. “Good, because you’re not getting any until you have.” I warn him as I see him slightly squirm.

~ 8 months later, in District 7 ~

They were both at the center of attention. Sure they were both a little uneasy about it, but it was all of the same and the right reasons. They had just poured their hearts out in front of the people closest to them and now they were just spending their time celebrating. John’s shoulder had gone through a very slow recovery, but he was determined to make it last through the day. For now it was doing really well. He was containing whatever pain he felt with prescribed painkillers.

It was time for their first dance. Of course Sylvia wasn’t really the type for this, but John had managed to get her engaged in it considering he was working so hard on his shoulder. Considering she held back a lot of physicality on him, at least they could practice on the dancing together. “So, you think your shoulder can handle a little bit of dancing?” Sylvia asked him as they got into position. “Oh, I promise you, it’s ready to handle more than just a little dancing.” He answered smiling as they leaned against each other and kissed. Of course the crowd was cheering for them.

“Well, I did have some plans for tonight so it better be ready to handle it.” She answered smiling as if she had never smiled before. John looked at her for a moment as if it was the very first time he did. “What?” She asked as they were moving slowly on the floor. “It’s just…your smile. It just gets to me…it’s almost like I’ve never seen you smile before.” John had to admit he was working against his pressing emotions at that point. “You look beautiful…even without a wedding-dress.” John pointed out as he knew what to expect from her on that day. “Well, there’s a big reason why I’m smiling…” She let out before John leaned down to kiss her again.

The night passed by in a flash as people were leaving and it was getting late. Sylvia and John were saying the last goodbyes and eventually sat down, Sylvia on top of John’s lap. John was sensing a sting of pain in his shoulder, but he was trying his best to keep it under control. “So, now it’s just you and me.” She then said as she looked down on him. “That sounds kind of perfect after today.” John answered smiling as Sylvia noticed his tensed face. “Are you sure that shoulder is alright? You look a little tense.” She then asked him. “I might have stretched my luck a little bit…but it’ll be alright though!” John made sure to clarify.

Sylvia smiled at him as she for once actually had to bend to kiss him. “Come on, let’s go home…” She then said as she grabbed John’s hand and they made the short way from the tent back up to their village. It was no longer the Victor’s Village, it was just a village. All sorts of people now lived up here as well. The sky above them was clear. They could see every possible star above them. The two of them stopped by the house for a second, just to take it all in.

“It feels like the sky was almost made like this for us.” She said after a while. John put his arms around her from behind as she leaned back onto him. “Maybe someone up there wanted to get a look at what was going on down here.” He then pointed out as Sylvia turned thoughtful for a little while. “Yeah, I hope so…” She let out thoughtfully after a while. “Hey, I know they are all proud of you, whoever it is that you think about when you look up at a sky full of stars.” John then spoke weakly into her ears before he kissed her cheek. She smiled lightly to herself. “I know…” She answered.

After a moment she turned towards him. “As I’m sure that your family and Marge is just as proud of you.” She looked at him smiling. He kissed her softly on the lips. “I know…” He answered as it turned quiet between the two of them. Sylvia looked down for a moment as if she didn’t know how to say this. “Hey…are you alright?” He then asked her after a while. “I’m fine, I just…” She started, but she found it hard to speak. She stepped closer to his chest before her head up towards him. “I think there’s one loss that haunts me more than the other ones…” She finally said as John nodded weakly. “Yeah, I know…” He answered as he kissed her forehead.

“I wouldn’t be against the idea of…you know…trying to…” She led him on. John looked at her stunned for a moment. They had never really talked about that the last 8 months. “I guess you get what I’m trying to say here…it’s getting a little bit too weepy for me.” She tried to say bravely. John chuckled lightly as he pulled her body closer to his. “I get it…and I’m all for it.” He smiled as they kissed even more passionately as it lasted on through the night…

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A/N: ONE more chapter to go before the story-line of John and Sylvia WINTERGREEN ends! Make sure you catch up! It's quite an adorable ending to a story filled with a lot of pain and losses. Stay TUNED!