Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games, this is simply my interpretation of what might have happened if Peeta had returned to District 13 unhijacked. Hope you enjoy!

Peeta.

Alive and well-maybe not well but alive and here. Away from Snow. Safe. Here. With me. In a minute I can touch him. See his smile. Hear his laugh.

Haymitch's grinning at me. "Come on, then," he says.

I'm light-headed with giddiness. What will I say? Oh, who cares what I say? Peeta will be ecstatic no matter what I do. He'll probably be kissing me anyway. I wonder if it will feel like those last kisses on the beach in the arena, the ones I haven't dared let myself consider until this moment.

Peeta's awake already sitting on the side of the bed, looking bewildered as the trio of doctors reassure him, flash lights in his eyes, check his pulse. I'm disappointed that mine was not the first face he saw when he awoke, but he sees it now. His features register disbelief, (pg. 176, Mockingjay) and before I can think of a single thing he screams. "Katniss!" He's off the bed in such a hurry that the doctors are knocked to the floor. "Katniss!" The distance between us seems to barely exist when he throws his arms around me and I begin to sob. Peeta's back. He's here.

I throw my arms around his neck. "Oh, Peeta." I tried to say something else. But no words would come and I'm sobbing so much that my body is shaking.

"Katniss," he says. It's his voice, his gentle voice. The one I love so much and took for granted all those nights on the train. Then he pulls my face back and our lips make contact. This kiss not only feels like the ones on the beach but it is warmer and gentler than during the Quarter Quell. He then starts to kiss all over my face. His hands have not left me since we touched.

I don't want to let him go. But I need to say something. "I've – missed – you," I say gasping. "So much!" New tears have found their way out of my eyes.

"I only ever dreamed," he says. Disbelief and amazement in his voice. "That you would say that." He starts kissing me again and this time he's more aggressive and I don't want him to stop. I don't ever want to let go of him again.

Haymitch's laugh pulls us back to reality. "Well, I missed you too kid."

Peeta drops his hands from me slowly and then clasps my hand in his. "Haymitch," he says. He takes two more steps forward before punching Haymitch square on the jaw. "That's for not telling me what was going on!" he shouts.

"Whoa," says Haymitch, rubbing his jaw. "We thought it would be safer."

"Who is 'we'?" Peeta asks. His eyes narrow at Haymitch.

"Just," Haymitch begins. "A few more rebel leaders."

"Like who?" asks Peeta. His voice is rising and I can see the veins on his neck are tightening. I stroke his arm, gently, with my free hand. He squeezes my hand.

Haymitch folds his arms over his chest. "Hey now kid," he says. Irritation rising. And I've been around Haymitch so much that I know what's coming. "You want to know who kept her," he jabs a finger in my direction. "From hurting herself or from anything worse."

"Gale," says Peeta flatly.

"Gale?" says Haymitch looking hurt. "Well, sure," he sighs. "But after you were beat bloody on live tv," Peeta cringes. "Who did she turn to?" He's shouting now. "Me!" He throws his hands in the air.

Peeta looks at me for assurance. I nod. He faces Haymitch again, this time his expression is softer. "Haymitch," he says. "I'm sorry. I'm just—so angry!" He shouts.

"I don't blame you," says Haymitch. "I wouldn't even blame you for hating me. If I were in your shoes I'd want to hit me too."

"I'm sorry, Haymitch," Peeta says. His voice is calm and reassuring.

Haymitch exchanges a look with the doctors. "Peeta," he says, "we're going to need you to lay down for a bit. The doctors want to do some tests, and we'd prefer to do it voluntarily. It takes so much out of me to sedate Katniss, I can't do it with you, too."

"Okay, Haymitch," Peeta says. After kissing me once more, like he did on the beach he kisses my hand lets go and lays down on the bed. After apologizing to the doctors and in moments is asleep again. The last few moments must have used all the energy that he had.

Peeta's okay. My Peeta. He's here. With me. And I will never let him go ever again. I walk over to him, place a gentle kiss on his forehead and walk out to meet Haymitch in the hall. But I'm stopped up short when Gale is there with him. I hadn't even thought about Gale. Where he was. What he was doing. Or what his reaction would be seeing this. My jaw drops. I catch it quickly and before I can say anything Gale speaks. "How is Peeta, Katniss?"

"Here," I choke out.

Gale rolls his eyes and sighs heavily. "I know he's here," he says. "I can see him with my very own eyes. What I mean, Katniss, is he the same? Is he still the Peeta you know? The Peeta from the first Games? The Peeta from the train? The Peeta from the Quarter Quell? The Peeta you're engaged to?" Hurt registers in his expression. He did see what happened with Peeta. It is now more important than ever that I figure out where my heart lies. Or rather, who it lies with. Having Peeta back has brought so many things back, and reignited things that I thought I would never feel again.

"KATNISS!" Peeta screams. My heart stops as I spin around to see him sitting bolt upright in the bed. I run to him, unsure of what else to do. "KATNISS!" he screams again. My heart is racing so much that the adrenaline yanks me to his side.

"Peeta," I say, taking his hand as I slowly lay him back. "I'm here, Peeta. You're okay. Snow can't hurt you anymore. I won't let him. You're mine Peeta." His eyes are frantic and searching for something that is not even in this room. "Peeta," I begin to stroke his cheek. Whatever it is, I'm going to have to let it pass. "Doctor?" I say. Once I locate them they are positioned against the opposite wall. "What's happening?"

They share a wary glance with one another. "We think he's having a nightmare." My heart that had just resumed it's pumping stops again. This isn't right. He doesn't thrash or scream while he's dreaming. He never did on the train. What has Snow done to him? I admit as tears streak down my face, something happened to him, and part of my Peeta isn't here. I continue to stroke his cheek until he calms down again and the doctors resume their testing. As I turn to walk out the female doctor locks eyes with me, "could you stay?" she asks.

Tears rain down my face as the familiar question registers. "Always," I say. I walk across the room and pull the chair over and sit right beside him, holding his hand and speaking to him as sweetly as possible. Before I realize it, I'm singing The Hanging Tree to him. "Thank you," she says. It is obvious how much more calm he is since I started singing. Maybe he was dreaming of jabberjays. The thought rips my heart in two. The jabberjays, the one thing in that jungle that truly frightened me. They had taken my sisters' voice, they had taken my mothers, and Gale's voices…but Peeta had said, "If you die…I'll have nothing…you're my whole world." They would take only my voice. Only my voice. "Oh Peeta," I choke out. Fresh tears fill my eyes.

This was too much to hope for. Having Peeta back here, with me…still wanting me…still loving me. It's more than I could ever ask for. But he is here. He's always loved me and I'd taken that for granted. Well, never again. I will never take Peeta's love for granted ever again. I almost forget that Gale had arrived until I hear him over my shoulder, "Katniss?"

I look up at him. "Gale?" I ask. His face has contorted. "Is something wrong?"

He shakes his head furiously. "I can watch him for a while," he says. "You need to get some sleep."

Sleep. The idea of sleep seems so unimportant in light of recent events. I don't want to sleep. I don't want to leave Peeta's side for a second. I shake my head, "I'm okay, Gale. Really." His face registers as wounded but he just nods and leaves the room. There will be plenty of time to talk to him later but now I just want to be with Peeta. I refuse to be separated from him ever again.

Within moments another voice appears behind me. Finnick Odair. "Katniss," he says. "How is he?" I gently release Peeta's hand making sure not to go too far away and throw my arms around Finnick and sob.

"They're here—Finnick—they're here!" I choke out. He no longer holds back his tears as we revel in the fact that those we love…those we love. Love. I love Peeta. I need Peeta. "Oh Finnick, it's too good to be true."

He nods as his tears soak my hair, "oh, Katniss. How did we—?"

"I don't know," I get out. For the next, five-to-six minutes Finnick and I just clutch each other and cry. No one can understand how I feel better than him. And no one but me can understand the relief that he feels.

After Finnick and I get ahold of ourselves, we wipe the tears from each other's faces and I give his cheek a kiss. "I'll see you later, Finnick," I say. He nods once and leaves the room. I take my seat once again by Peeta. I'm relieved beyond words that he is alive and here with me. How did we get so lucky? I grasp Peeta's hand again and lay my head upon it before falling out of consciousness. Both terrified that if I do close my eyes, he'll be gone when I open them. And terrified that this is just a beautiful dream and when I open my eyes he'll be gone.

Then I'm running. I don't know where I am, or where I'm going but I reach the end of a cliff but don't stop soon enough to catch myself and plummet to my death. I wake up screaming, and as if no time has passed, Peeta is stroking my face and whispering my name. Weakly. But he is trying.

"Katniss," he says. "why did you miss me?" This question cuts me off guard.

"What?" I say. Puzzled. Why would he ask that?

"Why did you miss me?" he repeats.

"Oh, Peeta," I say, sighing. "I can't think straight enough to answer that question." I yawn. "I'm so…tired."

"Go back to sleep, Katniss," he says brushing the hair off my face, much like he used to do on the train. Before long I'm asleep again. I dream, a pleasant dream. I remember the nights on the train where I would have nightmares and his arms were always there to comfort me when I awoke. About the kisses on the beach, about opening the door of the hovercraft when I found out the Capital had Peeta captive. I soundlessly come out of unconsciousness enough to hear the door open silently. "Gale." Peeta says. Announcing that Gale has made an appearance. I can only imagine what Gale was here to say.

"Peeta," he says, curtly. I can feel his eyes on my back but I neither open my eyes nor move. "Is she alright?"

Peeta's sigh is faint, so faint Gale would never have been able to hear it. "She's sleeping."

Gale's sigh is audible. "I can see that."

"Yes," Peeta says. "She's alright."

"I heard screaming," he says.

"She was just having a nightmare," says Peeta. "She's alright now though."

"What happened on the train?" Gale asks, holding nothing back.

Peeta's breathing changes, and instantly I'm angry with Gale for asking such a personal question of Peeta. "Why?" asks Peeta, defensively.

"Because," Gale says. "She was different when she came back from that tour. She was different in the Quarter Quell."

"Don't worry," Peeta says, cuttingly. "I'm sure you'll have her back when I'm not in the hospital anymore. She as good as told me she loved you."

Gale huffs. "No, Peeta," he says. "I'll never get Katniss back." His voice drops.

"What?" Peeta asks. Confusion registering in his tone. "Why do you say that?"

"You didn't see her, Peeta," Gale says inhaling and exhaling sharply. "She was not, Katniss. To put it plainly. The Capital had you, and she was like a walking zombie. She would wake up, get dressed, mope around, eat, mope around, eat, mope around, go to bed. Have a nightmare, wake up and cry herself back to sleep. You don't understand, Peeta," he sighs. "The way she kissed you on the beach…" he says sighing. "Well, she's never kissed me like that."

"It was all for the show," Peeta says, though because I know him so well, I can hear the doubt in his voice.

"No," Gale says, and I'm almost certain he's shaking his head. "She loves you, Peeta."

"What makes me so special?" Peeta says, but his voice catches.

"I don't know," says Gale. "But I lost her, when she lost you."

There is a long silence between the two, and I'm certain neither one knows what to say. But they are right. Losing Peeta, the thought makes me sigh, but both Peeta and Gale don't worry about it since they think I'm sleeping. I start to get worried when the silence drags on when it finally occurs to me…they're both crying. It's all I can do not to reach up and hold them both but that would do more harm than good, and I know that. No matter how much I want to make them stop crying, I can't without giving away my consciousness. So I continue to lay on Peeta's hand. The hand that had stopped stroking my face when Gale entered, has resumed. No one made me feel like Peeta. No one's touch is as comforting as Peeta's.

"You see," Gale says. His voice recovered. "This morning…you wouldn't know Katniss from herself. She figured out how Snow was using you, how he was using you to get to her, to break her—and she had a meltdown. Not like the other meltdowns I've seen. I've been able to calm her a few times, but this time she only wanted Haymitch. The only arms she wanted to be held in was Haymitch's…and even then," he says, his voice cracking. "They still had to drug her. She's never cried like that before." Gale starts to cry again, more audibly, and Peeta's sob is so frantic that my heart breaks into millions of pieces. How was I expecting that news to hit him. Surely, this was no surprise at all. But hearing him cry, that's what I couldn't take. "She loves you, Peeta."

Then Gale spins and hurries from the room. Peeta continues to sob and I have to pretend that I'm sleeping. That I don't know he's hurting—feeling?—or what's going on. It's then that I start crying. I can't hide it anymore, but I also can't let Peeta or Gale know I heard their conversation. Peeta must think I'm dreaming because he shuts right up, and inhales quickly. And begins stroking my face. "Katniss…" he says. I open my eyes to look at and meet his. "It's okay."

I nod, not realizing until now just how much I'm crying. "I never thought—I'd get—you back!" I get out before hysteria hits me. I am no longer in control of my emotions. It's now that Peeta yanks the covers off of himself. "Stay with me?" he says. Recalling me back to a time and a place. A time when only his arms could calm me, where only his voice could soothe me. I get up without hesitation and curl up inside his embrace. As he wraps his arms around me and pulls the blankets back down we both cry. At some point we fell asleep. Because when I wake I feel a gentle, shove? On my arm. I open my eyes to see Haymitch glaring at me.

"How exactly is this helping him, Katniss?" he says.

"Um…" I look around at the doctors who are staring at us with equally puzzled expressions. "He…" I begin and then give up. I gently toss the covers off of myself and quietly get out of the bed.

"This is not the train, Katniss," he says. Hands on his hips and wearing a sour expression. "Come on," he sighs. "You need to eat."

"Oh, Haymitch—" I say hoping he'd back down, but instead he grabs my arm. "Katniss, you've done a lot of stupid things that I've brushed them off due to not having Peeta, but once you do have him, that—" he jabs a finger back to the hospital wing, "is the only thing you can think of?"

"He asked me, Haymitch," I squeak out.

"Oh," he says. His voice and expression calming down as a smile spreads across his face. "Still, Coin is not happy." His laugh is contagious though I'm not quite sure why he is laughing, "Cressida wants some star-crossed lovers reunited thing. That's what Coin doesn't like." This time I join in his laughing but when I turn forward I run straight into Gale. Haymitch immediately stops laughing and looks at me briefly before saying, "um, I'm gonna go see what the doctors have to say, Katniss." I nod at him and he leaves.

"Gale," I squeak. "Good morning." His expression does not soften, nor does any part of his body that is tensed up relax. Apparently, he was privy to my sleeping arrangements as well. I now have no idea what to say to him, or even how to start. "Gale—" I start but he turns to walk away. "Gale," I say. He's walking so fast I nearly have to run to keep up. "Gale, stop." He doesn't. "Gale, please." I try to grab his arm, which he wretches free of my grasp.

"You know, Katniss," he finally says. He's stopped so abruptly though that I have to take two steps back to be beside him. "When you said you didn't love him," he's panting now. "Were you intentionally lying to me?"

"What?" I mutter. I can't seem to make sense of anything he's saying, but my mind has been a bit jumbled since yesterday anyways. I try to read his expression but when I realize that is futile I just ask, "What do you mean, Gale?"

"Did anything actually happen on that train?" he says. His voice rising in pitch and squeakiness. Now I'm not even remotely sure what to say to him. I search his eyes hoping they would hold some unexplained explanation for what he was wanting to know, instead my face stays the same. He lets out an extremely heavy sigh. "Katniss, did you lie to me the whole time? Did you know you loved him? Was I just a piece in a game you played with when you couldn't have Peeta?" His voice has steadily become a shout.

"Whoa!" Finnick's voice comes up behind us. "What's with the hostility?" he asks Gale.

"Nothing!" says Gale as he stomps away. "I'm going hunting, without you."

"What?!" I ask. "That's our thing—you can't just not take me with you!"

"What do you think I did when you were in the Games? Or on the train!" He's shouting down the corridor. "My life doesn't revolve around you, Katniss Everdeen!" And then he's gone. I don't even know what to say. My next thought it to look at Finnick, he just shrugs.

"How's Peeta?" he asks. "The doctors said he seemed to sleep well…" he says winking at me. Apparently word has gotten out that I slept in Peeta's arms. And that would explain Gale's temperament, whereas Finnick is smiling from ear to ear.

"Um…" I mumble.

He begins to laugh at me. "I'm just teasing, Katniss," he says. "But I do want to go see Peeta, shall we?" he says. His arm is out to his side. I take it and we walk back to the hospital wing just as I hear Peeta screaming again. I let go of Finnick and rush into Peeta's room to see him thrashing about and Haymitch trying to calm him down. I don't even think about it and rush to his face. I stroke the sides of his face and gently caress it, saying his name and telling him that he's okay, Snow isn't here, he's safe, and anything else I can think of that might soothe him. Eventually he settles down and his eyes shoot open, though the expression in those blue eyes I have never seen before.

"Peeta?" I call to him hesitantly. "You're alright…" His eyes focus on me and his body relaxes. Tears fall down my face. It's quite possible that his dreams are worse than mine. That his nightmares, are infinitely more frightening than mine.

"Katniss…" he says weakly. "You died…" tears stream down his face now. "Where—did you go?" he's gasping for breath. The doctor's are walking forward with a syringe to knock him out when I push Haymitch aside, wave off the doctors and lay down beside him on the bed. Instantly he relaxes, calms his breathing down and cries like any normal person would do.

"It's okay," I tell him. "It's okay…I'm right here…" his eyes close and he falls back asleep. It is now that I look at the doctors and glare at them, "what were you—doing to him?" I say, only just now realizing that I'm crying. Finnick and Haymitch both share expressions of concern and sympathy.

"They were trying to take a blood sample, Katniss," says Haymitch. "Something's not quite right with Peeta, and they want to do a blood test. But every time they try he wakes thrashing around and screaming, mostly your name but he's screamed other things as well. It seems only you can calm him Katniss." The tears stream freely down my face now as, Haymitch walks over to gently wipe them away.

"Another time, maybe?" says Finnick from the doorway.

Haymitch and I nod. "But you can come talk to me in a bit," I say. Smiling at Finnick. He nods and walks away. "Haymitch?" I say. "What do they need to do?"

"Just draw some blood, Katniss," says Haymitch. "That's it, just draw some blood." He says. He visibly shrugs, "but they just can't get any. He moves around too much and he's too jerky and they're afraid he'll lose more blood in the process."

"Okay," I say. "This is how it's gonna work. He's only calmed by me…being right here. So I will hold his arm down. His right arm. His left arm will more than likely stay draped over me, and you should be able to get it no problem. But you will need to do it quick. I'm not used to his nightmares being this bad…" I glance back at his sleeping face. "Please be careful," I say. The many doctors nod in unison.

"I'll be here if you need me, too," says Haymitch. I can't help but smile at him in thanks. No one else loves Peeta as much as Haymitch and me, and there's no one else I'd rather have in this room with us right now.

After a jerky start I calm Peeta down and they take the blood samples they need and leave the room. Haymitch looks at me reassuringly. A couple of times it looks as if he's about to say something, but then he doesn't. "Katniss," he starts up finally. "I'd once told you that you could live a hundred lifetimes and never deserve that boy," he says.

"I remember," I say. It was on the day they announced the tributes would be from the existing pool of victors. That is one moment of dread I will never forget as long as I live. Nothing could have prepared any of us for that moment. Nothing.

"I'm willing to admit that I was wrong about that. And I'm sorry," he says.

"It's alright, Haymitch," I say. "I never held it against you. And at the time, you were right. I still don't deserve Peeta."

"Now we both know that's not true," he says. He shakes his head emphatically before continuing, "it wasn't until I saw what you were like without him, that I understood. Snow told you to convince him that you loved Peeta, but I wanted you to convince me as well. And in that arena, you convinced us both."

"That's why Snow took Peeta—" I gasp. Peeta's arms reflexively tighten around me even though he's still sound asleep. "Because I convinced him. I convinced everyone. Everyone…even myself. He—he—he—he died, Haymitch!" I'm sobbing again and getting closer and closer to hysteria mode, "and I thought Snow had killed him too—till I realized how he was—using him! Haymitch—why does he—hate me so much?" Haymitch has moved forward and is now caressing my face and wiping the tears away. "It's all my fault Haymitch! All of it! The Quarter Quell, Snow taking Peeta! It's all—because of me!" I can't focus anymore and it's now that Peeta wakes up.

"Katniss…" he says. He wraps his arms more tightly around me and pulls me even closer to him as he strokes my hair. He does everything that he would do on the train. He holds me. I'd forgotten just how wonderful this felt. He looks past me to Haymitch. "Can I get up and walk around?" he asks Haymitch.