The Epilogue - Katniss and Peeta

Always.

*Flynn's POV*

I sit on the bench with her tightly in my arms, and I watch the raindrops fall against the window. I notice she has the window open, but I don't dare close it, because I know the sound of rain calms her down.

I continue to gently comb my fingers through her hair while still keeping my arms around her.

My mind wanders down a rabbit hole, trying to find any possible answer for why this could've happened and why it happened to her, but I already know why it did. It happened because he's genuinely a monster. I've watched what he's done to Katniss over the years, and it breaks my heart that it's happening to my Willow too.

I should've gone and checked on her earlier. If I had, maybe I could've told her not to go down that hallway; I would've seen him and recognized him.

This is all my fault.

I'm supposed to be protecting her, that's my job. I'm supposed to make her feel safe, but now she feels like she can't even go to the bathroom without being attacked.

This is all my fault.

I suddenly notice that she stills in my arms, and her tears stop falling onto my shirt. The sound of her cries soften until there are none, and I feel her breath rise and fall onto my chest. I peer down, careful not to move, and I see that her eyes are closed.

The sight makes me smile slightly, and I gently stand up while keeping my hand under her head to support it. I use my other arm to hold her legs while I pick her up carefully. I walk over to her bed and lay her down, picking up the covers to put on top of her.

Before I leave for a short while to get her medicine, I glance back once more. I bend down slightly to brush the hair off her face and I tuck it behind her ear, and I plant a kiss on her forehead. I turn around towards the door and I gently open and close it without making a sound.

I walk down the stairs to hear Katniss scrambling with papers and items across the table. I quickly walk over to her and I place my hands on hers, calming her down.

"What's wrong, Katniss?" I ask, trying to sort out the mess she's made in the table.

"I can't find my keys and I need to go get Rye." She says quickly. "He's not safe at school with him out there."

"You're not going anywhere." Peeta says, walking into the room. "He's looking for you."

She turns to glare at him and I know they're still fighting with each other, even if they aren't screaming or throwing things. I try to calm her down by diverting her attention back to me, because I don't want them to awake Willow.

"Willow's asleep, so let's not bicker right now." I remark, while gesturing towards the two of them. "I'll go get Rye. He isn't looking for me, and Peeta needs to be here incase Gale comes by the house."

"I'm not endangering you just because somebody's looking for me." Katniss says, fumbling for her keys that I spot on the floor.

I quickly bend down and snatch them away from her grasp, and I begin to move towards the door.

"I'll be back soon, don't miss me too much." I mutter smartly, as I reach for the door handle.

As I'm moving through the door, I notice something hits my back and I turn around to see an apple rolling across the floor.

"What's your obsession with throwing apples?"

_

As I approach the middle of town, where the reporters usually stop me, I throw the hood of my jacket up over my head and I begin to look at the ground. I don't hear flashes or people running towards me; but that could partially be because it's raining. I peer up slightly to take in my surroundings and I scan the crowd for him. I don't spot him, and I continue my way towards the children's school house.