Epilogue

Katniss

2 Years Later

I open the car door and Peeta immediately rushes to my aid to help me get out.

"I gave birth Peeta, not had major reconstructive surgery. I can get out of the car on my own," I tell him, his hand gripping tightly on my arm.

"Giving birth is a big deal Katniss. I don't want you to get tired out," he replies.

I roll my eyes at him. Peeta has been very over protective with me these past nine months. I couldn't sneeze without him getting worked up. Rose thinks it is cute how much he dotes on me but I am an independent person and it gets irritating after a while.

Peeta lets go of my arm as I bend down to open the car door in the back. I stretch inside to reach our 2 day old daughter, Willow, who is sleeping peacefully in the back seat. She may only be a couple of days old but already she has a shock of dark hair like my own, and although you can't see them at the moment, brilliant blue eyes just like her father. A perfect mixture of both of us.

"Careful!" Peeta squeaks, his hands going out to steady me as I unbuckle the car seat from the back of the car.

I have to remind myself that although Peeta is already a father to Xavier, this is his first time being a dad of a new born. He treats our daughter like a fragile doll that is going to break in the slightest breeze.

I suppose in a way I understand. He never got to experience this part with Xavier and I think he feels he needs to over compensate as a result.

"She's fine Peeta. Though your constant worrying is not good for her," I say as I pull Willow out of the car.

"I'm sorry," Peeta says. "I'm just excited to get her home."

I smile at him, putting a hand against his cheek and standing up on my tiptoes to kiss him softly.

"I know and I love you for it," I say to him.

He gives me a relieved smile and picks up our bags from the boot of the car. Once he has got everything we make our way up the steps of our modest 2 storey house in Dallas.

After the Snows were arrested we moved back to Louisville briefly to sort things out but it was soon clear that the place held too many bad memories for us. Peeta made the decision to sell his half of the business to Finnick and move us back to Texas. Having lived there before he came to Louisville he knew the place well and still had many friends here.

Although my family was disappointed that we were moving they understood that it was what was best for us. We moved to Texas shortly after we witnessed Cato and his dad being sent to jail for the many drug crimes they committed over the years. I thought I would be happy to see Cato in jail but it left me a little sad. I know most of what he did was for his father. Coriolanus on the other hand I couldn't be happier about being put away. I did not weep when he died in his cell 2 months later.

Texas has been good for us. With the money from M and O projects we have enough money to live comfortably. Peeta even used some of the money to set up his own bakery in Dallas. It was a lot of hard work and long hours but the bakery is finally up and running and is really beginning to take off. I took a job at an outdoor sports centre and spend my week days teaching school groups archery and survival skills. After years of playing the bored housewife I revel in actually doing something fulfilling with my life.

Xavier was sad to leave his friends behind in Louisville but he settled in remarkably quickly. He has his father's easy going, friendly personality and although only 7 is one of the most popular children in his class.

Peeta puts the bags down as he turns the keys in the lock and opens the door for me. I make my way past him and through to the kitchen, putting our daughter down safely on the kitchen table.

The sound of the door opening has alerted people to our presence and Xavier rushes through to us with what seems to be a tray of some baked goods.

"Mom! Dad and I made cheese buns for you and the baby!" he declares presenting me with a plate of perfectly formed buns.

I smile at him gratefully and take a bite out of the nearest bun. Since Peeta moved in with us Xavier's passion for baking has increased rapidly. He already says he wants to be a baker just like his dad when he grows up.

Peeta wears that same smile he has whenever Xavier calls him Dad. He still can't quite get over the joy of hearing the name coming from Xavier's lips. He is so thankful that Xavier accepted him into his life.

It didn't take long really. After Cato was arrested we moved in with Peeta and told Xavier that Peeta would like to be his dad if Xavier would let him. Xavier seemed delighted at this and loved the fact he now had a father who would teach him how to bake and cheer him on at soccer. Their relationship developed naturally after that and a couple of months later Xavier was calling Peeta Dad as if he had been doing it all his life. Peeta didn't stop smiling for a week after.

Now Xavier doesn't question the fact that Peeta is his father. The memories of Cato are already weak. Some day we will tell him the full story but he is too young to understand it now.

Making Peeta Xavier's legal father was a lot harder than getting Xavier to accept him. It cost a lot of money and time but eventually the courts ruled that Peeta was Xavier's biological father and allowed the change on the birth certificate and Xavier became an official Mellark. Peeta keeps a copy of the birth certificate hanging in our bedroom. The physical proof he is Xavier's dad.

Xavier spots his sister on the table and stands on his tiptoes to peek inside the car seat. Rose and Thresh follow more calmly behind. They arrived a few days ago to help out with Xavier while I was in the hospital. They are among the select group of people I actually miss in Louisville.

"She's asleep," Xavier states with disappointment.

Peeta comes up behind him and places a reassuring hand on Xavier's shoulder.

"She's a baby. They sleep a lot," he tells him.

Xavier looks a bit disheartened but carries on staring at her to see if she does anything interesting. After a couple of minutes of watching Willow snoring gently he gets bored and turns round to face me.

"She's not very interesting," he says. "When will she wake up to play?"

"She's not big enough to play just yet," I reply.

Xavier lets out a huff and takes another look at his sister.

"Well I'm going to read my Spiderman comics. She's boring," he states before darting out the room to find more interesting pursuits.

We all laugh at his less than enthusiastic reaction to his sister before Rose makes her way over to get a closer look at her niece.

"She is so cute!" Rose coos. "Maybe even cuter than Xavier was at this age."

Peeta puts an arm around my waist and kisses my temple. I lean into his touch.

"That's because she is beautiful like her mother," he replies with a grin.

I roll my eyes at his cheesy line.

Thresh puts his hand on Rose's back and leans over her shoulder to catch a look of Willow.

"It'll be your turn next," Peeta says to them with a cheeky grin.

Rose looks embarrassed and straightens up to look at us, her hand moving to fiddle with the diamond engagement ring she wears on her left hand.

"We're not even married yet," she states embarrassed. Thresh averts his eyes to avoid the conversation.

"Didn't stop us," Peeta replies cheekily and I elbow him in the ribs. He lets out a pretend hurt noise before pulling my back closer to him.

Thresh finally proposed to my sister at New Year and they are planning a wedding for in the fall. I have been in and dated with lots of phone calls and emails about flower displays and bridesmaids dresses. God help me! My sister wants a fairy tale wedding! I just smile and nod whenever she brings it up. I'd do anything to make her happy.

They are saved from the conversation by Willow deciding it is finally time to wake up and she lets out a tiny cry. I turn to my daughter and pick her out of her car seat, cradling her against my chest.

"Hush now baby, did we wake you up?" I say in a soothing voice as I begin to rock her back and forth gently. Peeta is immediately behind me peering down at our daughter lovingly as I quieten her cries. Once she has stopped crying and gone back to sleep we both just stand there, swaying her in our arms.

When I look back up I see Rose has tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong honey?" Thresh asks rubbing his hands up and down her arms soothingly.

"I just never thought I would get to see this. You here with Peeta, married and two beautiful kids. I'm just so happy for you," she cries.

I give my sister a thankful smile. She has always wanted me to get my happy ending and I finally did.

It took a long while for my divorce to come through from Cato. He being in prison complicated the matters slightly and his family fought a lot of the way but eventually the papers came through last June and I was no longer chained to that monstrous family. A couple of days later, Peeta proposed to me without fuss, while we were making breakfast. He had gotten my pearl and embedded it into a simple silver band and presented it to me as my engagement ring. I of course said yes and 4 weeks later we got married in a small ceremony with just our families in the meadow back in Louisville.

We don't go back to Louisville often. Just to see my family and Cinna and Madge. Marvel is not happy with us for putting his best friend in jail but he puts up with us for his wife's sake. Dalton and Xavier still get on really well.

Finnick and Annie moved with their young son, Nick, to a town in northern Kentucky as M and O projects moved to regenerate another area. The regeneration project is still going on in Louisville but doesn't need Finnick's on hand expertise anymore. I know Annie is hoping that they don't have to move again anytime soon now that they have a small child to think about. We see them when they come to visit Mags and they are both delighted for us that we have settled down.

The hardest thing for Peeta has been how little he has been able to see his family. It is still not safe for me to go back to Seam so the only time he gets to see them is when they come out to see us. I know many people back home find it odd that Peeta stays away from Seam but his family just pass it off as he is really busy.

Willow is sleeping soundly against my chest and I know it is best that she sleeps in her crib. I excuse myself from Rose and Thresh and take her through to her nursery, placing her gently down in her large oak crib.

Peeta spent a lot of time painting this room for her. He has painted it in soft greens and yellows and has created a mural of a dandelion blowing in the wind on one of the walls.

He comes up behind me and gives my shoulders a little squeeze as we watch our daughter sleep peacefully.

"We did good," he murmurs in my ear, burrowing his nose into my hair.

I smile as I turn round to face him, putting my arms around his neck.

"I just can't believe we are here now," I reply.

Peeta grins before planting a small kiss on my nose.

"Well I did promise to always love you," he states.

I smile again before pulling his lips down for a gentle kiss. We hold each other tightly as we enjoy this brief respite from parenting.

As we stand like this I can't help but be drawn to the frame that hangs behind him. The one that contains my promise to him when I left Seam. He kept that letter all these years and it is now pretty creased along the edges. There is even a small tear in one of the corners. Now it hangs proudly by our daughter's nursery door as a reminder of all that we have been through.

As I stand in his embrace I think about how I always knew, even back then, that we would find our way back to each other. Like he said we did promise each other.

Peeta

I can't believe I am doing this in a letter but I have to leave Seam. We are not safe here from Crane's people. We are leaving tonight as the police take us out of state to be safe.

You have to know I don't want to leave you. I love you. I can't not love you. I want you to know I will always wear your pearl as a reminder of our promise to each other. I promise to always love you and that I will carry you around with me always.

I love you.

Yours, always

Katniss

A/N: So that's the end. I am sad it is finished. Thanks for all the reviews, follows and favourites. Hope you enjoyed it.