Hey everybody! It's me again! I have to admit I nearly cried at the end of my last story, but that's okay. That's why they call this a SEQUEL! So sit back, and enjoy another fifty-billion paged story full of suspense and violence and PEETA! And to all of you who didn't read the last story, here's the gist of it:

It was my version of Mockingjay, except Peeta didn't get captured. When they realize they didn't have to be star-crossed lovers anymore, Gale steps in and does something unspeakable to Katniss [kind of like a friendly rape, except not quite so vulgar (sorry for the bringing that up, there)]. But anyways, a few weeks later, Katniss learns she is pregnant, supposedly with Gale's baby. But the tests by the doctor show that the baby was implanted by the Capitol, and was actually a muttation.

Soon after that happened, spies were found in D13, and the unspeakable happened: They murdered Gale. Tension and angst were running high for everyone, but it just had to get worse.

Despite Katniss' and Peeta's objections, a malicious doctor there in District 13 killed the baby, and when Kat tried to kill the doctor, she got put in the "Mental Instability Wards". When more tests got run on her, the doctors discovered that a nerve in her brain had malfunctioned due to the stress, and so she needed a surgery to fix that that would make her really unstable.

Oh, and sometime in that all, Kat and Peeta learn that District 13 is hosting what's called "project rebuild", meaning that they are reconstructing all the districts, starting from D12. So Katniss went into surgery a little less than a month before D12 was done.

So it left off Peeta realizing that Katniss' wasn't perfect at all, but he wouldn't give up on her, because he loved her, and all that stuff. Right now, it picks up right before Katniss gets released from her room in the hospital. Happy reading to all, and to all a good life! (Oh yeah, I did) It's back to Katniss' POV.

oOo

I stood in front of the long bathroom mirror, looking at myself. Today was the day Dr. Tyrwhitt was releasing me from the clutches of the hospital. Being back to normal was great and everything, but what psyched me up even more was the fact that next week I was going to go home. Like, home-home. Back to District 12.

Part of me was nervous. Peeta and I had an agreement, where when we got home, I would go back to living with my mother until the war was over. Despite the straightforwardness of that pact, I had to admit I didn't want to do it. I wanted to live with Peeta, but if I fought the cause any more, it would only make things worse.

Peeta shifted his weight next to me in the bathroom, watching me nervously running my hands through tousled, half-manageable hair. When I flitted my eyes up and saw him watching me, he grinned. "You seem really stressed out. We're only going back into normal civilization. Nothing to sweat over."

I could actually think of a lot of things I am sweating over right now, but I didn't say any to him. Instead, I stepped away from the mirror and held my arms out in a sweeping gesture. "How do I look?" It wasn't as if anyone else would be seeing me besides the people I already know, though. I'm still Katniss.

Peeta took a step back and looked at me. His eyes absorbed every inch of me, following my neck and shoulders, waist and hips, right down to my bare feet. I couldn't help but blush madly, the way he looked at me. If my mother ever knew… I shuddered at the thought. . His eyes went back up me, not much quicker, and locked onto my own.

"I think…" Peeta bent low and reached his hands around my neck. I could feel his fingers tips brushing my throat. He bent his lips down close to mine. "I think you look perfect."

A shiver ran the length of my body. I didn't know whether to completely melt because he said something so sweet, or be annoyed because he wasn't telling the truth. Guys only said that because they think it's that we wanted to hear. Or…maybe he was just the sweetest, best guy in the whole wide world.

I stretched up on my tippy toes and gave him a small kiss on the lips. "Thanks. You look perfect, too."

Peeta smiled slightly, and kept me close when I didn't say anything else. His breath tickled my eyelashes, every time he breathed in and out.

Up until last week, I thought Peeta had gotten sick. He was generally normal, but even when his eyes crinkled up into a smile, it didn't cover up that look in his eyes. It first showed up the second day in this room. Ever since then, there was a continual sad, concerned look in his eyes. That went on for a week, until about five days ago, I asked him what was up, and to tell the truth.

He told me everything. "We're both so broken, but maybe with the pieces we are in, we could make a whole again." He had said, and through the whole talk, he didn't touch me. Not an arm around my waist, or even a hand on my cheek. "Maybe you're right, Peeta." I had responded. "We'll get through this. Eventually we'll find the right puzzle pieces of ourselves to make an undivided soul. But until then I am okay with just being with you, as two separate entities." To that, Peeta had scooped me up in his arms and had held me for an hour, just holding me.

Ever since then he had acted normal. Sweeter, even. The boost of his mood had affected mine, too. Even being stuck in this room, which even though is isolating, wasn't too bad now that the aura of the room was fifty times better.

Peeta's lips brushed against the corner my eye, and I felt his fingers smooth against the skin of my neck. He did this often, of course. Teasing me by kissing every area on my face except my lips. Instead of being how I usual was and doing it myself, I waited patiently. It was like a nice dozen cups of coffee, feeling electricity jump from everywhere he touched me, feeling the rush of blood in my veins.

He traced his lips across my cheekbone, and down my jaw, and along the bridge of my nose. He kissed me once, very gently on the lips. It felt as though my brain was melting through my ears, but I still waited. He kissed me again, and his mouth lingered on mine for a little longer. But to my disappointment, I only got one more before he pulled back, looking satisfied. I was anything but.

"The doctor said 11:00. We should wait out those extra five minutes." He tucked a stray bit of hair behind my ear and we went back into the room.

In preparing for getting out, we had cleaned the room. It looked unusually bare, since the usual bits of clothing weren't draped over chairs and such. The bed was freshly made, looking abnormally tidy after so many nights of sleep.

We walked over to the bed and sat down, careful not to mess it up too badly. We just sat, hand in hand for about ten minutes, when there was a knock on the door. It was common knowledge that the rooms in this part of the hospital automatically locked from the outside, so neither Peeta nor I bothered to get up and open it.

The door handle jiggled slightly, and it opened. My doctor for a month now, Dr. Tyrwhitt, walked in. Unlike my previous (not to mention certainly evil) doctor, Dr. Longarden, was currently in prison for murdering my daughter, but I try not to think about that too much or I have to cry for a few hours, sitting in the bathtub. It was routine. Everyone knew it.

Dr. Tyrwhitt greeted us with a small smile, and handed Peeta some papers stuck together with a staple, and while Peeta was busy filling that out, he turned to me with a contemplative look on. "You have healed faster than I would have thought, Katniss. Head surgeries like that would've taken another week, maybe. But you seem to be in good health." He took the papers Peeta handed back to him and I signed them as well. "But I don't want you doing anything too over-exerting for a while, okay?"

I handed the paper back and nodded. This was routine as well. "Thanks. For, um… Not letting anything horrible happen to me. I really appreciate it."

A laugh answered, slightly higher than Dr. Tyrwhitt's voice. "You're very welcome."

Though it wasn't at all like me, I found myself saying, "Because, you know… Dr. Longarden wasn't the best doctor I've ever had."

The doctor tutted and looked sympathetically at me. "Do you need an escort out? Or can you find your way?"

I glanced at Peeta, who shook his head slowly and gave a sheepish smile. "You might need to lend a hand to us. We haven't been outside the hospital for a month."

With an understanding smile, Dr. Tyrwhitt beckoned for us to go out the door before him.

My heart was thudding nervously in my chest, and I stuck close to Peeta as we followed the doctor down the hallways. We passed semi-familiar signs over doors, doors themselves, when we came to the front desk. Sadly enough, I recognized the ill-tempered secretary lady.

Her dull eyes fluttered up to Peeta and I, and she typed a few words into the computer. "Have a nice day, Mr. and Mrs. Mellark."

I was almost in awe; the lady had actually called me Mrs. Mellark. But I didn't linger on it too long, because Peeta put his arm around me and kissed me full on the mouth. I was too shocked to do anything.

His lips were gentle on mine, and for a moment the whole world melted away. I wasn't even aware of the secretary cleared her throat rudely. All that was there were Peeta and his arms clutching my shoulders closer to his.

When he broke away, Peeta ignored the doctors, and everyone except me. I was actually planning on saying goodbye and thank you to Dr. Tyrwhitt, but even that thought was lost when I was tugged out of the hospital by Peeta.

We walked through the halls, hand in hand. Every now and then, Peeta bent over and pressed his lips to the top of my head. I never said anything the whole time. My mind was too involved with the fact that I was free. Now I was able to sleep in my room, walk the halls freely, and go to meals with my family. But the other thing that really makes excited and all keyed was that, most likely, next week I was going back home.

That fact has been bouncing around in my head ever since Saturday, two days ago. I couldn't stop thinking about it and being nervous. Even if Peeta tries his best to distract me, it only works for a second, and then I go back to being nervous.

My heart started racing when we approached a familiar door I hadn't seen in about a month. Peeta and I stop, and he glanced down at me.

I was about to say something, adrenaline clawing in my chest, when I felt an arm behind my back. One swooped down onto the back of my knees and I was hoisted into the air. Peeta was laughing.

With a frantic cry, I clutched his neck. "Put me down, Peeta!"

After shifting me slightly in his arms, he—literally—kicked the bedroom door open.

"What the heck are you doing?" I could feel the heat pounding in my throat, and the room swayed under me and Peeta carried me across the room.

He just gave me a grin which could have passed at cute, but to me it just looked as though he had something up his sleeve. With a small jolt, I recognized that the look on Peeta's face as the one on Gale's when he…!

Immediately serious, I looked him square in the eyes. "Put me down. Now, Peeta." My voice came out harsher than I had wanted it to, but if that was what he was actually planning, it was worth it. I wasn't ready.

The look in Peeta's eyes was abruptly replaced with hurt and regret. Wordlessly, he lowered his arms and set me gently back down on my feet.

For a second I stood there, then my breath started coming out in little sobs, but I swallowed most of them. "S-Sorry, Peeta…"

Again, he said nothing, but the beautiful blue of his eyes asked me "why?"

I couldn't tell him. Taking another deep breath, I dropped the subject and looked around my room. "It looks somewhat neater than I had left it…"

Peeta smiled at me, but the hurt look wasn't quite gone from his eyes. "Yeah, sorry. That would be me."

A sudden rush of guilt hit me, and I succumbed to the urge to put my arms around his waist. "I'm sorry."

"For what? I didn't mind it." Though he acted like we were still talking about the room cleaning, I knew that he knew that I was talking about my outburst.

Instead of answering, I gave him a gently kiss on the corner of his mouth.

Peeta bit his lips and was silent for a minute, until he put his thumb to my cheek. "Lunch should be starting. You wanna go?"

I found myself actually looking forward to going back into the usual cafeteria and sitting with my family. Putting on a convincing (or so I thought) smile, I wound my fingers with his, feeling the reassuring squeeze back. "Yeah, I do."

"Okay." But he didn't do anything except give me a tiny smile, and then gazed out into the distance (aka the wall).

I didn't like that. I had upset Peeta way more than I had intended, and he wasn't getting over it. Sighing slightly, I turned his face towards me with a slim finger on his chin. "Peeta…that was the same look I got from Gale before he invited me into his room after yours and my reunion. That's why I acted like I did. I'm sorry."

The vacant expression on his face turned to shock, then sympathy. "I…" He sighed, and tucked my head under his chin. "That makes sense, I guess, but…" Peeta's sentence trailed off, and it was apparent he was going to say something besides that, but changed his mind. "I'm really sorry, Katniss. I didn't mean to ruin your homecoming."

I gripped my wrists together behind his back and imagined chains tying our hands behind each other's backs, blindfolds covering our eyes. I suppose that's what it was like back in the days or the Games. We had to be together, but never together, of you know what I mean.

Peeta brushed his hand against my hair and I felt him sigh against me. "Let's not talk about that. Too many bad memories."

"Good idea." I sniffed gently. I pulled away from the chains and took my blindfold off. Peeta was looking down at me, azure eyes sparkling sadly. "One more thing."

He blinked.

Without waiting for him to say anything, I reached up on my tippy toes and just barely brushed my mouth against his. Once the electric feeling left my body, I straightened back up and smiled. "Okay, now let's go to lunch."

oOo

So, how was the first chapter? Was it too…middle-of-the-story? Anyways, today's my birthday so as a present to me, review. Just review. You don't even have to wish me happy 14th-life-anniversery. Just…tell me how I did. Something you liked? Something you didn't think belonged? OOC-ness? Let me know, because those who know me know that I only write the stories for the people who read them. :D Happy January 31, y'all!