A/N: I kinda love this chapter. Hope you do too.

xx

Someday

March 31, 1916

My lovely Katniss,

Receiving your letter was much better than any of the dreams I've been having. Even though dreaming of you brings me comfort, there's nothing like the comfort I get from holding one of your letters and reading your writing. It warms my heart to know that you keep all my letters and read them again. I am hoping to build up a good collection so that I can do the same thing. I've missed this.

I'm glad to hear about my father. I still can't believe Rye is gone, but I pray for him, too. And I pray for you. I always pray for you.

Finnick has told me that his wife, Annie, had their baby, and he's almost one year old. Learning this made me think about us having our own family someday. I'm glad you feel that way, because you're the one, Katniss. You feel the same way that I do. You are the one I want everything with, too. I hope that our someday will some soon.

I miss you. I love you. I cannot wait until I come back home to you.

Someday.

Peeta.

Someday… the word filled Katniss with warm hope.

Someday, they would be together again.

Someday, they would get married.

Someday, they would raise a family.

Katniss couldn't help her grin. She could feel it taking over her whole face.

She took the locket around her neck and opened it. She gazed at the photograph of Peeta inside. She looked at his smile, and the way it reached his eyes. She knew this photo of them, it was sitting on his nightstand. They were holding each other, and she loved the locket because she knew that she was the reason for his smile. And he was the reason for hers. She closed the locket and pressed it to her lips.

Her birthday was coming up, and she couldn't help thinking about the gift he'd given her a few years ago. She loved the locket so much, and made her feel a little better about missing Peeta so much.

Their relationship was usually quite smooth. They rarely fought, Katniss could only remember one time when she thought that they weren't going to work out. She and Peeta had yet to tell his parents about how they were going steady. She had told Prim immediately, who then told their mother.

Her mother asked her if she thought she was rheady for a boyfriend, seeing as how they were both still young, but Katniss was ready. She had felt a strong connection with Peeta ever since she had first laid eyes on him. She told her mother that she was ready and she was mature enough for a relationship, and she agreed.

Unfortunately, Peeta's mother was not as agreeable as Katniss's mother.

"I want you to come over for dinner tonight." Peeta had said. It was a Saturday morning, and they were sitting together in Katniss's parlour. He had brought over his sketchbook and had started drawing the fireplace.

"Oh, do you?" she asked. She was admiring the way the sunlight glinted off his golden eyelashes.

He glanced up at her and she tried to hide her blush, caught in the act of staring, but he merely smiled. "Yes, I do." He stopped sketching and took her hand. "I want to tell my parents about us."

Katniss sat up a little straighter. "You do?"

"Of course! Why does that surprise you?" he asked, a crease forming between his eyebrows.

"It doesn't!" she protested. Secretly, she had always thought perhaps their different social statuses may affect their relationship. She never missed the way his mother eyed her when she went to his house, and that was before they were even dating. She was afraid that Peeta's mother would disapprove.

Peeta didn't look like he believed her. "What's the matter?"

Katniss put on a smile. "Nothing." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "I'd love to go to your house for dinner."

His eyes roved over her face before he smiled. "Okay."

The rest of that day, Katniss had been so anxious, but she tried to hide it from Peeta. She kept asking him to draw things for her to keep him distracted.

When it was finally time to walk to Peeta's house, Katniss thought she was going to be ill. She didn't think she'd be so nervous, but she was terrified that Peeta's mother would reject her.

His parents were in the kitchen when they got to Peeta's house, and Katniss acted as her usual polite self, but she was still quite nervous. Peeta's brothers were both working at the bakery, so it would just be Katniss, Peeta, and his parents. She wasn't sure if that made her more, or less anxious.

When they sat down for dinner, she became aware of her hands shaking. Peeta said grace, and then they all began to eat. Mr. Mellark asked them about their day, and Peeta said that it was good. Then he cleared his throat, and Katniss felt her heart drop in anticipation.

"There's something I would like to tell you. You know that I've taken Katniss out on a few dates," Katniss had been on many dates with Peeta, but she didn't say anything. "And I've asked her to go steady with me. Katniss is my girlfriend now." He smiled, and Katniss forced one, too. He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze, and she was surprised at how reassuring the gesture felt to her.

"That's wonderful. I'm so happy for you, Peeta, for the both of you." Mr. Mellark said tenderly.

"Thanks, Dad." Peeta said. Katniss watched his eyes flicker to his mother.

Her lips were tight. "I thought you two were just friends from school."

The crease between Peeta's eyebrows formed again. "No, Mother. I told you about Katniss."

Her response was harsh. "I suppose I didn't think you were being serious."

Katniss frowned and looked down at her lap. She knew this was going to happen.

"I am quite serious about my feelings for Katniss." Peeta said firmly.

"Don't you think that there might be a better girl out there for you?" Mrs. Mellark said.

"Darling-" Mr. Mellark started, but she stopped him with a raise of her hand.

"Someone like Delly, the shoemaker's daughter." Peeta's mother said. "You can find a girl who doesn't come from the Seam."

Katniss felt shaken. That was not a kind term used to refer to the area where Katniss lived. She knew it wasn't the nicest area of town, but it wasn't the worst. She had never been quite so aware of it until she met Peeta. She pushed her chair back and stood up. "I should go." She said, her voice came out small.

Peeta looked to her. "Katniss, no, please." He stood as well, and looked down at his mother. "Mother, that was impolite. I like Katniss very much. I don't think I could find a better girl than her."

His words filled her with a sweet warmth, but tears filled her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. He must have seen this, because he muttered an "Excuse us," and led her out of the kitchen.

She had never been to his bedroom before, but that was where he took her. He sat her down on the bed, and instead of sitting beside her, he pulled out his desk chair and sat across from her. He handed her a tissue.

"Katniss, I am so sorry." He said sincerely. "I did not think my mother would be so rude."

She dabbed at her eyes, and kept her gaze on her lap. "I knew this would happen. You're a merchant, and my mother-"

"That doesn't matter for anything." Peeta said.

"Then why does it feel like it does?" she whispered.

Peeta let out a quiet sigh. "Do you know how long I've had a crush on you?" He tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

"Pardon?" she asked in shock, finally meeting his eyes.

"I'll be back in just a moment." He left her for less than a minute before he returned with his sketchbook.

He opened it and gave it to her. She looked at the drawing in front of her, and it was of her. She looked back at him.

"Look at the date." He prompted.

Katniss read it. This was from three years ago, long before he had sat down with her that very first lunch five months earlier.

"I-I don't understand." She stammered, meeting his blue eyes again.

"I think I was taken the very first time I saw you." He said tenderly. "I was just much too shy to meet you, until my brother finally told me to talk to you."

"Really?" Katniss asked. Her tears had dried.

"Yes." Peeta smiled, and the corner of his eyes crinkled slightly.

"Perhaps you didn't know that I was taken the very first time I saw you, too." She said quietly.

His eyebrows rose. "You must be joking." Katniss shook her head. He let out a chuckle.

"Well, it seems to me that this is meant to be, no matter what my mother thinks. You are what matters to me. All right?"

Katniss nodded. "Okay."

Peeta took the sketchbook from her and ripped out the page. She gasped, but he held it out to her. "I want you to have this."

She took it. "Thank you." She said softly.

Peeta and Mr. Mellark managed to convince Mrs. Mellark to apologize to Katniss. She felt a bit better, especially knowing how much Peeta cared about having her in his life.

After he had walked her back to her house, he looked at her bashfully.

"Would it be all right if I kissed you?"

They'd kissed many times before, but Peeta was ever the gentleman. Katniss grinned. "It will always be all right for you to kiss me."

"Good." He stepped closer and Katniss felt her back press against her front door. One of his hands came up to cup her cheek, and his lips pressed against hers, soft but firm.

When he pulled away, Katniss felt like he had taken all the air from her lungs with him. She gazed up at him in awe.

"Goodnight, Katniss." He whispered.

After that, Katniss never doubted that their relationship was going to last. She knew that they'd last a lifetime.

Katniss went over to her dresser and searched for the sketch Peeta had given her so long ago. When she found it, she smiled sadly, and straightened out the fold that was in the corner. They had so few worries when he'd given her this.

But back then, she didn't know there was going to be a war. She didn't know that Peeta would be fighting that war.

Now, though, as Peeta had told her early on, nothing could keep them apart. She knew in her heart that she'd see Peeta again. In some state or the other, her golden boy would come home to her.

Someday.