A/n: yup, this is the epilogue, the final part to the book.
I want to thank every single reader who has made it this far. Silent readers, you all are amazing. Voters, I adore you so so much.
And those of you who comment everytime I upload, you have my heart. Thank you for sticking by my side through these two years of writing this book, tolerating my extremely messed up uploading schedule, all the while giving me motivation to write.
Gaaaaaah I dont know how to feel now that I have completed this book. All I can say is that I am grateful for every single one of you, and I would've seriously considered abandoning this book a year ago, had it not been for you guys.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, I LOVE YOU <3 !!
*****
The smell of salt in the breeze was still strong as ever as I stood on the beach, the sand between my toes and the soft sounds that the waves sang as they crested before crashing down into the ocean made me feel nostalgic.
Like my 11 year old self felt all those years ago, the day before the 65th Hunger Games when Finnick was taken into the Arena, I remembered how much I loved being from District 4. I walked towards the seas and shivered to a stop when my feet touched the water. But I didn't mind the coolness, I reveled in it.
Nearly every fibre of my body was yearning to dive into the water and swim. Except for the ones in my shoulder.
"Uh huh, don't even think about swimming." An all too familiar British voice spoke. "You're still healing, no major arm movements."
Raising my right hand up in mock surrender, I turned towards Newt and shrugged half-heartedly. "I couldn't even if I wanted to." Who knew a tendon tear would leave behind years of struggling to do something that seemed so easy a while ago.
He walked to where I stood and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind me, resting his chin on my shoulder. Leaning back into him, I sighed in content, wishing moments like these were more frequent. But with the extra addition of a human life... geez it was hectic.
"What's that first thought that comes into your head when you think about home?" I asked.
"I'm really inclined to say 'You' but that would be too cheesy for the both of us to handle even if it is true." He laughed, kissing my cheek. "So I'll say 'Family' instead. Give credit to Annie for sticking by my side all her life. And even a little to Finnick, for the sake of it."
"Don't let him hear that." I chucked. "He needs to be on top of everyone's priority list or else he'll throw a fit."
"Probably. He knows he's way too valuable for us mere mortals."
The wind carried our laughter as the sky turned into a beautiful reddish-orange, tints of blue trying to fight through to show itself but slowly being engulfed into gradual darkness.
"The sun is gonna set. We should go back soon."
"No kissing on the beach while the sun sets like normal couples do?" I asked with a tinge of hope.
I could feel him rolling his eyes. "You should know by now, with you going into the games twice and me once, to fight in a war against mutations created by an oppressive government ruled by an autocrat, we (Y/n), are not a normal couple." He said only to quickly turn me around and place a warm hand on my cheek. "But if you insist..."
He brought his lips down to mine for a blissful kiss. Closing my amused eyes after a momentary pause due to surprise, I pulled him closer and kissed him back. And there we were, doing things that average couples did, in a world that was anything but normal, only because we could and deeply wanted to. We earned every moment to be together, and nothing was going to stop me from kissing him like I had all the time in the world, as cliché as it was since we were on the seashore.
"Winter is coming, it's gonna get colder, let's go back." He said, pulling away. I pouted but agreed nonetheless.
"Summer went by so quickly, didn't it?"
Nodding with a smile, he said, "Yeah, it did. It's been almost a year since the war ended." We started walking towards the Victor's Village, making sure to engrave every single detail about the city into our minds as we made our way back.
District 4 was back to its original liveliness. What felt like a ghost land before, now bustled with activity all throughout the day and well into the night. When we arrived nearly two weeks ago, the community welcomed us with open arms, profusely thanking us for the parts we played to win the war.
Newt took my hand in his as we walked into the city, passing by various shops and market places, occasionally waving and smiling at those we recognised.
The small garden outside Odair's house was not empty. Johanna and Peeta were examining one of the plants that had grown there, admiring the intricate details.
"This one is the Cercis Canadensis also called the Forest Pansy." The former said while Peeta nodded, his eyebrows raised in curiosity.
"Has it become your mission to identify every plant in this district, Jay?" I asked teasingly. "You were doing the ones at the back of Newt's place when I left a few hours ago. Give poor Peeta a break. He needs to finish packing for tomorrow."
"I'm almost done with it, actually." The blond baker spoke up. "But gosh, Johanna, did you swallow an encyclopedia on plants or something? How do you know all this stuff?"
"I was raised in 7, what do you expect? We basically grew up on trees, learning about plants our whole life." She turned towards me and said, "I'll be working on the garden outside your house next. It's so badly maintained that it looks like a hurricane hit it. I can't live in a place with a horrifying garden."
"Hey, it's not my fault I couldn't take care of it." I mumbled as Newt laughed beside me. "Plants don't like me. They always die out everytime I try to maintain them."
Chuckling, Peeta dusted his hands on his pants before saying, "Alright, time for me to finish packing. A train to 12 awaits!"
"Uh, I need a favour." I said and he nodded for me to continue. "I wrote a letter to Katniss, you know, just to check up on her and tell her stuff that has happened since we last met. Could you give it to her when you go back to 12?"
"Sure. Where is it?"
"Back at my place. Let me just go grab it."
"I'll come with you."
The two of us crossed the street and walked over to the next house before I opened the door to let us in. He followed me into the living room, where on the tea table was a neatly folded paper beside an empty envelope. Quickly scanning the contents of the letter once again, I put it into the envelope and tucked in a photograph before sealing it. Handing him the letter with a smile, I said, "Here ya go."
"I'll make sure she reads it."
We walked back towards the entrance of the house before I stopped and faced him. "Thank you, Peeta."
"It's not a big deal-"
"No, not just for that." I interrupted. "Saving my life in the games, fighting by our side, helping us out over here. Thank you for everything. I'm not sure when we will see each other again, but I need you to know that I'm grateful that I met you."
He stood there for a moment before his face broke out into a smile. Taking a few steps forward, he pulled me into a warm hug, one that I had happily returned. "You're welcome, (y/n). And thank you too. For all the same reasons. For being there. Also don't worry, this isn't the last time we'll meet, I'm sure of that."
The both of us pulled away, smiling. After he safely tucked the envelope in his pocket, we both exited the house, closed the door behind us and made our way back to where everyone was.
Stepping into Annie and Finnick's house, the aroma of pot roast welcomed us with a warm, delicious hug. "Hot! Hot! Hot!" Johanna's voice rang out from the kitchen before she dashed across the hall, carrying the pan in her oven-mitt covered hands, nearly crashing into us. Newt was carefully balancing a dish of mashed potatoes in one hand while holding a bowl of salad in the other.
Annie was on the couch, hugging a pillow as she watched with amusement when Johanna nearly spilled the contents of the pot while setting it down on the table. The red head smiled when she spotted us. "I hope you're hungry, dinner's done. (Y/n), would you mind fetching Finnick? I think he is in our room."
"On it." Walking down the familiar corridor, I entered the fairly spacious bedroom and spotted Finn sitting on his wheelchair, his back facing me as he looked out of the window. "Oi, Dinner's ready."
He turned his wheelchair around when he heard me, his blond hair falling over his eyes. In his arms, there was a bundle of blankets, its sight immediately bringing a smile to my face. A small baby boy was wrapped up tight and cozy inside it. "Finally. This one here," He said, nodding towards his son, "Took up all my energy trying to stop him crying." The baby simply blinked at Finn, adorably letting out a yawn a moment later.
Laughter bubbled from my throat as I walked forward and grabbed the handle of Finnick's wheelchair before pushing them out of the room and towards the dining area. "Still haven't thought of a name for him?" I inquired.
"Nope. It would've been poetic to name him after me if I had died, though."
Rolling my eyes, I said, "There are enough Finnicks in this world already. I can't tolerate more." Suddenly, the baby let out a whimper, on the verge of crying again. Finnick began cooing and tenderly shushed him. It felt so overwhelmingly wholesome seeing Finnick be a father. He was surprisingly good at it.
A week ago we welcomed the little boy into the world, healthy and perfect. Despite not being free from the captivity of the wheelchair, Finnick did everything he could as a father to tend to the child. He said Annie did the carrying for nine whole months and that she should rest and recover while he did the chores that came along with having a baby. Sure, the rest of us helped whenever we could, but the midnight crying sessions and nappy changing was all taken care of by him. I admired how he devoted his life to the people around him.
Of course, I would never admit that to him.
"You were like that too, you know? I remember Mags telling me that you never gave your parents a break. Always screeching and crying." I said, smiling fondly.
"That's not true!" He said, seemingly offended. "You were the cry baby. I used to jump around like a damn clown trying to make you laugh. I hated it when your mom asked me to babysit you."
"Oh shut up, at least you got a lotta candy after." Once at the table, I gently took the baby from Finnick's hands into my own, adjusting the light pink colour blanket so it fit snugly around him. "You lot finish your dinner. I'll watch over this lil munchkin until then."
"You don't have to, love." Newt spoke up. "I can do it if you want."
"Nah, it's alright." I replied with a grin. "I wanna spend time with him." Softly rocking the bundle of joy in my arms, I went outside to the front porch and sat down on the steps with the baby on my lap.
I traced a finger over his cheek and watched with a smile as he scrunched his nose, nearly melting me with the cuteness. I was beyond happy knowing he would grow up in a world free of the games, to be his own person and have a life where he had a choice.
Fighting in the war was worth it for moments like these. And as his blue eyes, those inherited from Finnick, looked at me with pure and perfect innocence, I knew that I'd go through a dozen more Hunger Games if it meant he'd have a proper childhood, one without the fear of getting your name being picked out from the bowl.
The minutes passed by but the boredom never came as the baby in my arms provided so much entertainment, from uninterpretable babbles to the little twitches of his nose as he yawned. A little while later, the door behind me opened and the Cresta siblings walked out into the not too chilly air, Annie's eyes immediately finding the drooping ones of her son.
"I hope he wasn't much trouble." She smiled.
"No, he was perfect." I said, making a move to stand up. "Maybe he is a little tired and hungry. But then again, when are babies not?"
"Awww!" She cooed, lifting him up from my arms. "My baby is feeling sleepy! How about some little milk and then you can nap, yeah?" Walking back into the house, Annie shut the door behind her, leaving Newt and I in comfortable silence, enjoying the dusk settling over district 4.
He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his chest. I smiled, kissing his chin and we slowly swayed along with the branches of the trees that guarded the coast line in the distance.
"This moment feels surreal." He murmured against my hair.
"What about it doesn't feel real?"
"Not sure. I'm just really happy. I have my family with me. You. What more do I need?"
"Cake? One can never have too much cake." I said sincerely.
His lips pulled into a thin line as he shook his head in mock disappointment. "Oh, how can I ever master the wonderful art of cake baking."
"You'll need a mentor. Or a partner who will stay by your side as you conquer the quest of crafting a cake."
"And where might I find one?" He asked, his face painted with the expression of amusement.
"Across the street, I might know a victor from district 4 who excels at it." I suggested, wiggling my eyebrows.
A frown settled across his lips. "Across the street? That's too far, don't ya think?"
"And what are you gonna do about that?" I chuckled before meeting his gaze, his brown eyes never wavering contact from my own.
His face dropped into a softer expression, all traces of jokes gone, only a lingering sweet smile remaining. Gently bringing up a hand to tuck my hair behind my ear, he whispered, "Move in with me."
My eyes widened and lips parted slightly as I stared at him, unblinking. Processing his words took a few moments. When I finally found my voice, I let out a breathless laugh. "Move in?"
He nodded, pressing his forehead against mine. "Yes. Move your stuff from your house to across the street in mine."
"Are you sure?" My smile began to widen and so did his. He affirmed my statement by kissing me.
"Never been more sure, (Y/n). So, what do you say?"
"Oh, Yes." I pulled him tighter into the embrace and buried my face in his neck, laughter and giggles spilling from my lips. "Yes, yes, yes!"
The grin he wore outshone the lights that lit up the streets and my love for him increased tenfold as I kissed him deeply, the butterflies still as strong like the first time, never planning on dying out.
Our joy reverberated through the night, the stars seemed to express the happiness we felt through their bright twinkling.
Considering everything we had been through, all the games we were forced into, the wars we fought and all the people we lost, the probability of Newt and I sharing these moments together were very low, hardly even possible.
But we won and overcame it all. We made it. We had beaten the odds.
•Fin•