Summary: Peeta's subconscious is trying to tell him something, twenty years after the Games ended.

A/N: Everlark. In Panem continuation to Mockingjay. Rated E for explicit language and sex. Contains direct and altered quotations from The Hunger Games novels, which I do not claim as my own. #everlark #marriage #toastbabies #injury #surgery #nightmares #original characters #rehabilitation

papofglencoe: Caryn, I'm eternally in your servitude for this banner and intense beta work because really... who writes a fic completely on their ipad and does a downright horrible job of looking it over before they send it off to someone else...? Oh that's right...me. You really had a tough job cut out for you and I'm so glad that you were up for the challenge with weird capitalization and punctuation.

notanislander: Carrie, you were my source of encouragement from the start... with my wild idea for a nightmare and pulling in the red suit into the mix to kick off this surgery and recovery fic.

fnurfnur: Karen, thank you for giving the Epilogue one last look-see on your birthday weekend and when you'd likely much rather be doing something other than pre-reading.

Thank you to all of my readers. Thank you for reading, reviewing, and reacting to this story. Your words have filled my heart with so much joy over the last few months and it's truly been appreciated.

...

I stumble across the forest fringe into a meadow, searching for my family. I trip on a fallen branch, my trailing boot laces tangled up in the twigs and vines. I twist and land with a thud, the impact echoing in my joints and my bottom in the wet, dewy grass.

The meadow is peaceful around me, the wildflowers in bloom emanating their sweet redolence. The horizon is warming up to the rising sun as I spy the source of my entanglement. The loose knot has wrapped around one of Katniss's or maybe Cara's stray arrows, firmly lodged in a grounded branch.

My head turns at the sound of infectious children's laughter. My first thought is to flee towards them, but then I remember that I'm stuck to this arrow. My left knee comes to my chest with ease as I untangle the laces and double knot them as they should be.

Grass sways as a shadowed figure approaches me. Geese honk in the far off distance with a disgruntled man hollering after them, swinging his bottle of white liquor in the air. Green sprigs color my peripheral vision, spring abounding all around me.

Her silver eyes come into view, gorgeous and determined; not the eyes of a Mutt or Mockingjay in front of me, but the love of my life and savior. Her dress is covered in flowers too, the meadow cloaks her in its wild abundance. Her glowing face is serene, contented as she observes my predicament in curiosity.

I am rooted to the spot in awe of her spirit and beauty. I feel the damp ground seeping into my pants, but I'm transfixed by her gaze. I scan her face for anything amiss, but I'm met with a pleasant countenance.

"For you, my love," she whispers and extends a bouquet of dandelions, some with the yellow blossom, some with the wispy seed heads. Fingers reaching for my own, she pulls me up to stand alongside her. Flowers remaining unharmed, we walk hand in hand towards our children, dancing in the meadow.

Am I dreaming? Am I at home, asleep in our blankets or on a bed of grass, under the willow? Am I in some sort of utopia, where the odds are forever in my favor?

My eyes fly open as a breeze tickles my nose and I'm greeted by the warm sunshine on my face. My daydream was real. My son showers me with kisses as Katniss and Cara sing and dance nearby, our picnic long forgotten.

All of the little things have added up to a life well lived. All of my blessings have been counted and appreciated. Also the way it felt to grind into her and fusing our hips without any pain, without fear of pain.

It's almost unbelievable, but I did it. I saw the doctors, traveled far from home, was pried open for repairs like and old oven, and I handled the recovery. I managed the fears and the nightmares brought on my return to the Capitol. I survived for her, for them.

The End.