We've finally made it to the end! No excuses for my poor updating I'm just lazy and life stuff happened. So after a long 5 and a half years here is the end to Out of Reach, I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not ow the hunger games, unfortunately.

Chapter 24

Katniss' P.O.V.

*3 Months Old*

We sit around a white table in what was the control centre in District 13. The star squad on one side, rebel leaders on the other. A few weeks have passed since Johanna, Madge and I took down Snow. We all returned to 13 and were told we had to remain there until a new president had been elected. My mother, Prim and Rosie where there to greet us when we landed. I burst into tears when I saw them, I was worried that Rosie might have forgotten me, but when she extended her little fist in my direction and I held her tight I knew that she remembered.

Peeta's parents were also there to meet him and his Brothers. Annie was there too to welcome back Finnick, who as soon as he runs off the craft lifts her up and captures her in a rather obscene kiss that makes everyone rather uncomfortable.

The last to show up were Gale's mother and siblings. Vick and Rory playfully tackle him to the ground while Posy clings to Madge. It warmed my heart to see Madge so welcomed by the Hawthorne clan.

It was only two weeks, but it seems forever ago sitting here, the time finally coming to elect a new leader. Ideally this meeting would've taken place as soon as Snow stopped breathing, but it took a little time to track down the rebel leaders from each district, to establish whether they were alive or not and if they'd even want to be put in for the job. It took us less than thirty minutes to decide that Commander Paylor would be the best person to lead our nation. The other task at hand is taking a lot longer; ever since the rebels won, the idea of one final hunger games has been floating around, however this time the children of the Capitol would be fighting to the death. We've been sitting here for hours and still no one can come to a decision as to whether it should go ahead. Peeta and Finnick are championing the campaign to stop the games, while Johanna and Gale are arguing that they should go ahead.

However, I remain uncharacteristically quiet throughout this debate. One part of me says that the games should go ahead, it's logical it would make everyone even, then we can start fresh. But the other part and if I'm being honest the bigger part of me thinks that it's preposterous to have another games. The Capitol children can't help where they've been born any more than Rosie can't help being mine and Peeta's. So, I keep my mouth shut and let Peeta fight the case for us. I watch him as he talks passionately, and my heart swells with pride, after everything Peeta has been through he is still so inherently good. It would've been so easy for him to be corrupted by the games, by the capitol, but he never once lost himself and he never once lost faith in me, even when I got lost myself.

Loud shouts and the banging of fists on the table break me out of reverie.

"This is ridiculous we've been arguing for hours!" Haymitch shouts tearing up pieces of paper and handing a scrap to everyone, "We're gonna do a vote, write yes if you want one more games and write no if you don't want any more games."

Slowly, everyone picks up a pen from the pile scattered on the table. I quickly scribble down a no and fold the paper in half. I fiddle with the paper until I hear the last pen fall back on the table. I look up at Haymitch and he gives me a small reassuring smile as he collects in all the scraps of paper.

"Katniss can do the honours." He says handing me the papers. I take a shaky deep breath and open the first piece, a rather angrily written yes is scrawled across the paper in writing that can only be Gale's. I place the yes to one side and open another scrap, a no is written in a neat cursive that I instantly recognise as belonging to Peeta. I place it a little bit away from Gale's yes and open the next bit of paper. I carry on like this placing the yes's in one pile and the no's in the other keeping a mental tally as I go. Peeta clenches his fists under the table in anticipation, he has nothing to worry about though, the no's outweigh the yes's.

"There are more no votes." I say quietly and I hear Gale scoff.

"Well that's that then," Paylor says rising, "You're all free to go and live your lives how you please, you have no more obligations to fulfil, although I hope in the nicest possible way this isn't the last time I see you all."

She elegantly walks out of the room and others follow her. I sit there seemingly unable to move. This is the first time that it's actually sinking in that I'm free. I'm no longer under the control of Snow, or Coin, it feels like I can finally breathe.

I watch everyone leave the room, Gale and Madge leave hand in hand. Finnick has his arm wrapped tightly around Annie's waist and he pulls her in for a chaste kiss as they walk out. Johanna follows with Peeta's brothers they all pull faces at Finnick and Annie's public display of affection. Finnick uses his free hand to flip them off.

All of a sudden, it's just Peeta and me left, he stands and extends his hand to me.

"Home?" He asks, helping me to my feet.

"Home." I affirm snuggling into his side as we walk out the door, never to look back.

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The hovercraft silently files away and we stand there in dust looking out at the Victors Village. As much as it feels good to be home, it feels so wrong at the same time. How is it fair that we get to live on and start life again, when so many others didn't get the chance. I can't even begin to think about the clean-up that's occurring in the town and the seam. My Mother and Prim returned a few days ago, there was no need for them to stay in 13 and they just wanted to start to get back to normal, well as normal as one can get after a war.

We decided that they would live in what was my old home and I would move in with Peeta, Peeta's parents and brothers are also going to live with my mother and Prim, until they can rebuild the bakery. I think Prim is secretly very excited about it, she's always liked the idea of having a big family and Peeta's father and brothers spoil her rotten.

Haymitch too has kept his old house, expect now he'll be sharing it with Johanna. There's nothing left for her in District 7 and she didn't fancy the idea of being by the sea in 4 with Finnick and Annie, so she decided to come back to district 12 with us. I was shocked to discover that Haymitch and Johanna had struck up a close friendship, but I suppose she did know him before I did. And besides now that he's kicked the alcohol he'll be glad for some company around the house.

Gale, Madge and Gale's family are also residing in the Victor's Village, but only for now. Gale was reluctant, but with nowhere else to live until they rebuild houses where the seam used to be, he had to take us up on the offer.

Peeta unlocks the front door and for the first time in a long time, a sense of calm settles over me.

"Welcome home baby." I whisper, stroking her thick chestnut curls. "This is District 12, it's where your daddy and I are from, and even though you were born in 13 this is where you're from too."

She gives me a gummy smile and I can't help but giggle back at her.

"Peeta look she's smiling!" I exclaim. I feel so guilty about missing out on the developments she made while I was away fighting. It's even harder on Peeta who practically missed out on the first two months of her life.

He turns and a look of pure adoration crosses his face at the sight of Rosie and me. No matter how many times he looks at me that way I still feel a hot blush rise on my cheeks and I can't look him in the eyes. He walks by carrying the little possessions we have upstairs, and her smile gets even brighter when she sees him. Then when he disappears her bottom lip begins to quiver. It's becoming increasingly clear that Rosie is a daddy's girl.

Softly, I bounce her up and down soothing her whimpers. Within a few minutes, she's fast asleep and so I cautiously carry her upstairs and place her in her crib. Peeta turns frowning, when he hears me enter the room that we've chosen to be Rosie's. The room looks so bear with just a crib, rocking chair and chest of drawers filling the rather large space. I know how desperately Peeta wants to paint this room and fill it with toys, I do too. We just want her to have everything, we'd move heaven and earth if she wanted it.

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Soon the days begin to blur and it takes no time at all for us to settle back in to a routine. We make the most of the hours when Rosie sleeps. He bakes, I hunt. The hot June days pass by and the rebuild starts. Peeta volunteers to help, of course, and so each day he along with his brothers and Gale go off into town to help reconstruct the District. A Doctors goes up first, which pleases my mother to no end as she finally has a real job which allows her to help others. The schools are built next which displeases Prim to no end. Soon shops are built and the district is beginning to resemble a actual lived in town again. Peeta takes particular pride in the building of the bakery. He comes home each night and tells me excitedly about all the work he's done and my heart swells with pride.

The houses in the seam go up and so in mid-July Gale, Madge, Hazelle and the kids move, much to Prim's dismay who was enjoying being so close to Rory. On warm afternoons, I would sit on the porch swing, with Rosie curled up asleep on my chest and I would watch as Prim and Rory would sit on the front steps of my old house and talk for hours. I used to wonder how they could still finds things to talk about, but then I realised that Peeta and I can spend whole days just talking about nothing and everything. It's on days like that when I feel my happiest.

It's not all sunshine and smiles, sometimes Peeta and I have bad days. Days when he'll have a flashback to fighting and nights when I dream I'm back in the arena and I wake up screaming. But we get through the hard days together, we get through the hard days for her.

Before we know it, the hot summer days take on a crisp chill and Autumn is well and truly underway. With the absence of alcohol Haymitch has been trying to find new hobbies and so along with raising a gaggle of geese he has taken up knitting. He asked my mother to teach him and so now Rosie has an assortment of questionable but albeit thoughtful hats for the cold months ahead. Today I chose to place a rather fetching orange hat on Rosie's head as I wrap her up warm for the short walk into town for the unveiling of the Mellark Bakery. Peeta and his brothers have working non-stop to try and make the bakery perfect and the day has finally come for them stand back and show off all their hard work.

I'm joined by my mother, Prim, Johanna and Haymitch for the short walk into town, there's a sense of joviality in the air, but there's also a sombreness to the mood as I'm sure I'm not the only person thinking about all the residents of District 12 who are no longer here to share in this moment.

I'm pleased to see that a large crowd has gathered around the bakery. Peeta was worried that people wouldn't come, a ridiculous worry of course. Sometimes Peeta forgets just how loved he is by people. They part to let us through and we stand at the front next to Gale, Madge and his family. Peeta stands with his brothers in front of the bakery door where a neat ribbon has been placed, ready to be cut to declare the bakery officially open. Above the door hangs a beautiful hand painted sign spelling out 'Mellark's Bakery' in a beautiful cursive, that Peeta spent weeks working on. He spots us in the crowd and his already smiling face breaks out into an even wider beam. He beckons me forward and I shake my head, this is his moment, he's had to share so many of his accomplishments with me, I want this to be something that's just for him. He steps forward and clears his throat, the crowd quietens eager to hear him speak. Through everything that Peeta's been put through his effortless charm has never faltered and I never get tired of hearing him address a crowd.

"Today marks a historic day for District 12, as today is the day that we have officially rebuilt the District after the assault by the Capitol. It is a day for celebration and happiness as we take joy in the fact that we are finally free, that our children," He pauses to look at Rosie, "Are finally free. But it is also a day for reflection, when we take time to remember the friends and family we tragically lost in the fight for freedom. So please enjoy yourselves, eat, drink, dance but just keep in your mind what it took to get us to this point and never forget it, tell it to your children so they can tell their children so no one ever has to go through what we did ever again." And with that he cuts the ribbon and it feels like with that cut we were severing all ties to our old lives.

I finally feel clean and ready for this fresh new, peaceful world. I look around at all the people I'm surrounded by, my friends and my family, and I am overcome with a warmth and love. Peeta comes to join us, embracing me in a tight hug and the feeling intensifies. I never thought I could love anyone with my whole heart, let alone two people, but standing here in District 12, my home, with my husband and daughter my life feels full and complete and all the struggles that we faced feel worth it to be standing right here in this moment.

"I love you Katniss Mellark." He says placing a soft kiss on my forehead and then Rosie's, she lets out a little giggle.

"I love you too Peeta Mellark, Always."

The End

So there we have it, the end. There may be an epilogue coming in the next few day so keep your eyes peeled! Thank you for all the follows/favourites/reviews over the years, I know it's been a long 5 and a half years but if you've stuck with me thank you!

Please do leave a review and let me know what you think, and thank you for reading, it means the world to me xo