Mockingjay: An Extended Epilogue

With every tick of the minute hand, I could feel her slipping away from me. I'm stuck in a dark, senseless abyss, my body feels numb, but my mind is on fire. Memories of her, of us, flood my consciousness, and the pain of my knees crashing against the floor are nothing compared to the bright flashing and conflicting venom-induced memories that are ransacking my sanity. I know that what I'm seeing is false; that Katniss loves me, and would never betray me like these planted images running though my brain are trying to convince me to believe. I reach up to grab the edge of the kitchen counter, trying to find something to pull me back to reality, and out of this shiny-nightmare. But instead of the cool feel of the sleek counter top, I feel something warm and unbelievably soft. Grasping it softly, I feel myself being turned around; the soft scent of sweet vanilla perfume tinged with a woodsy musk filled my nose, and I felt her arms wrap around me, pulling me close to her.

"Peeta, it's okay. I'm here now; we're here. Together. I love you, Peeta. Please come back to me."

She must have heard me when I had fallen to the ground, and came downstairs to make sure I was alright; even though it was nearly 3 in the morning. My episodes had gotten much better in the months since Katniss and I started living together. They were much less frequent, and it was much easier for me to separate what did and didn't happen. Not that what did happen was much easier to handle. Katniss still woke up in blood-curdling screams and sweat because of horrible nightmares of the games and the war; although hers were much less regular now too. I loved this woman so much, and although we were still so young, we had been through more than anyone I've ever known.

I hugged her back tightly, neither of us caring that we were sitting tangled together on the cold kitchen floor in the middle of the night. I finally picked my head up, feeling the last spews of the episode fading. Her beautiful gray eyes were clouded with worried sadness, and even a twinge of fear. I hated seeing her hurting for me, but the same look was always in her eyes after one of my episodes, and I knew that she will always be afraid that one of these days I won't be coming back to her, that I'll be lost in these clouds of venom and hate-tainted darkness forever. And I didn't blame her for that. How could I, when I had been so far from myself and so hostile and hateful towards her in the months after my return from Snow's torture?

"I love you so much, Katniss," I whispered softly, still looking into her eyes. I could see them softening at my words; relief flooding over her face that I was okay.

"I love you too, Peeta," she murmured quietly; a serious expression suddenly coming over her beautiful features, as she looked away towards the dark window on the other side of the room. "I'm so afraid I'm going to lose you," she said in a quiet, shaky voice. "That one day you won't come back to me, that I'll never get you back. I love you so much; I can't lose you again, Peeta. Once was already more than I can take, I couldn't go-"

I cut her off; gently tilting her head towards mine, and connecting our lips in a sweet, loving kiss. "You could go on without me Katniss," I said sternly, looking into her teary eyes, although I knew she'd been trying to hold it back. "You are the strongest, most beautiful woman I have ever known, and I know that you could conquer the world if you wanted to- whether you had me or not. But you don't have to worry about that, ever, ever again." I declared, leaning my face closer to hers, so my mouth was just inches away. "I won't ever leave you Katniss. Not only are you the love of my life, but you are my life, now. I'm the one who couldn't ever go on without you. You are the one who pulls me out of even my deepest, cruelest darkness, and you are my light."

I captured her lips in another kiss, but this one was different from the first. Full of passion and need. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and stood on her knees as I backed us up against the island in the middle of the kitchen, and she sat on my lap, straddling me as my hands tangled in the loose soft waves of her brown hair. In this moment I knew I wanted to be with this woman for the rest of my life; for the rest of eternity.

**Alright guys, so this is my first shot at a Hunger Games FanFic using this site, so I hope you enjoyed! I'm definitely looking to make this a huge multi-chapter story, so let me know what you guys want out of this next chapter! I know I left this first chapter with a bit of an open ending, but please don't hesitate to review with where you want this next chapter to go! All reviews do matter, and are always taken into consideration, and favorites/follows are deeply appreciated! I will update quickly, because i'm excited to continue this story, but I want your thoughts and opinions!