A Fresh Start-After Mockingjay (Before the Epilogue)

Prologue/Chapter One

Prologue: The Second Rebellion has ended and a very broken Katniss Everdeen has been sent home to District Twelve to recover. Months go by and after a hunting trip, she finds Peeta Mellark has returned and is planting primroses near her house in the Victor's Village. Shocked, she approaches him.

Katniss POV- (March)

"Peeta?"

He glances back at me, then stands up, "Hey."

"You came home." I mutter.

He looks so different from the last time I saw him. He looks well, almost back to normal. Except for the broken look in his eyes and the burn scars covering his body.

"Dr. Aurelius wouldn't let me leave the Capitol until yesterday," Peeta says. "By the way, she said to tell you she can't keep pretending she's treating you forever. You have to pick up the phone."

He sees my eyes notice the flowers in his hands. I catch my breath as the word rose registers my brain. Before I can speak, he does. "I found these, uh-over by the edge of the forest." He says, "It's primrose."

With that, I drop my bow and walk straight into his arms, not knowing or particularly caring if it's safe. He wraps his arms around me and I wrap mine around him, our heads rest on each other's shoulders as I hold back tears.

"I'm so sorry, Katniss." Peeta mumbles into my hair.

Tears well up in my eyes as I wonder if this is real or simply a figment of my imagination. In an attempt to decipher what's real, my fingers gently squeeze his shoulder. If this is a dream, I want to savor every second. An involuntary smile creeps onto my face as I realize it must be real. I press my lips against his collar bone, closing my eyes. We hold each other for a few more seconds before I pull away from him and he looks at me. I know that look. He's trying to figure me out.

We stare into each other's eyes and without words, we embrace each other again. This time, I find myself loving the feeling of his arms around me. We are both shaking like leaves but I can't allow myself to pull away and he doesn't.

"How've you been?" He mumbles.

I swallow hard, "I've missed you so much."

He squeezes me tighter, his arms unsteady but still comforting just the same. He slowly pulls away, his hands finding mine and we just stare at each other a minute before breaking apart completely.

I wipe some tears off on the sleeve of my jacket and look up at him and then back down at the flowers he planted and the ones still in his hand. Peeta swallows hard, "I should finish getting these into the ground."

I nod my head, "Yeah, I need to go." I say softly, picking my bow back up and the turkey that I shot.

Peeta looks at me, unsure, before he kneels back down into the dirt, placing the flower inside the small hole he dug and covering it back up. I turn around and start back to my house, hoping that this isn't the end of our encounter but I know it has to be.

At least for now.

To my surprise, Peeta stops me with the sound of his voice, "Katniss?" He croaks out.

I stop and as I turn around, I see him walking nervously towards me.

"Yeah?" I ask him quietly.