Hunger Games: Final Hope

Final chapter of my Hunger Games story; enjoy.

Reviews

Smiles1998: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; well; here it is.
Rubiksmaniac: Yup, they are :)
IloveFinnick4: Thanks, glad you enjoyed both chapters; well maybe, I'll see.
BruceDaBear: Yup, she did it; they're home and, well, read on and find out :)

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Hunger Games belongs to Suzanne Collins.

Epilogue

PEETA POV

It was late at night; Katniss and I had been back in District 12 for two weeks now. It was good to finally be home; we did what we could, worked hard, helped people rebuild. One of the first places completely rebuilt was Katniss' home in Victor's Village. At her insistence I stayed there with her and her mother and Prim. Prim had fully recovered from her injuries and was also helping with the rebuilding efforts. Right now I lay in bed next to Katniss. We usually slept together, but since that night in the Capitol we hadn't made love to each other again. It was mostly out of fear of her mother or Prim catching us in the act that stopped us. But that didn't mean we didn't enjoy lying together, in each other's company. We would need to get new clothes too, so right now we had to sleep in just our underwear. As I thought of everything that had passed I registered the sudden change in Katniss' breathing. It started to come out more harshly and rapidly; then she started moaning and I knew then she was having a nightmare.

"Katniss." I called out to her; shaking her shoulder.

I was trying to wake her up; the sooner I woke her up, the better off she would be.

Finally, with a cry Katniss awoke sharply. She sat bolt upright; gasping heavily. I immediately embraced her and did my best to comfort her as she cried into my shoulder.

"Peeta I…" She choked out.

I shook my head; stroking her hair. "It's alright Katniss; it's alright; I'm here for you, I always will be." I promised.

We remained that way for some time. It was then I heard the door open and Prim walked in.

"Is she…?" Prim began. I nodded.

Katniss looked up and managed a smile. "I'm okay Prim; I'll be alright. Just a…Just a nightmare."

Prim nodded sadly; she knew about Katniss' nightmares; as did her mother. Mrs. Everdeen had left earlier that night to help someone who had fallen ill; I guessed she hadn't returned yet.

"It's okay Prim." I told her. "I can take care of her."

Prim nodded and left the room. I returned my attention to Katniss who had now calmed down.

"Did you mean it Peeta?" She asked; "You'll always be there."

I nodded. "Of course I did."

"You know, for that to really work, we…we'd have to…"

She was hesitating and I knew why; I remembered all the issues she had with it beforehand.

I gently kissed her forehead and told her. "Katniss; the Games are over; the danger is gone; there's no longer any need to be afraid."

She nodded. "I…I know."

I looked her in the eyes, my expression serious; she had to know how important this was to me.

Finally I told her.

"Katniss; do you want to get married; to me?"

She bit her lip and paused before finally nodding. "Yes Peeta; I really do."

I smiled and kissed. "Then I'll find some way to make it official; sometime in the next few days I think."

Katniss smiled as we lay back down; in each other's embrace.

"I can't wait." She said softly before finally slipping back into sleep.

I smiled too; all the scars and nightmares of the past would haunt us for a long time. I knew this, but, we had each other; that was what mattered; together we could take on anything that stood before us.

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.