A Fresh Start-After Mockingjay (Before the Epilogue)

Chapter Fifteen

Katniss POV-

"You definitely got your strength back, Peeta. Not that you ever really lost it." I laugh, "I think you might have been more powerful after your hijacking." I say, a bad attempt to make somewhat of a joke, that I immediately regret. He dismisses my comment, obviously not amused.

We packed anything I may need at his house that would be too much of a pain to come back here for everyday. We brought most of my clothes and sentimental things like the plant book or pictures of my family. Buttercup seems to like it more at Peeta's than being alone with me, probably only because there's actually food at his house. I left everything else in tact. Her room and my mother's. The office that still wreaks of President Snow's roses, despite leaving the window open for weeks. When we finally get everything into the room that I will be calling my home, at least for a while, Peeta has me sit down with him. We are both pretty exhausted. Before we packed anything, he and Greasy Sae convinced me to let them help me deep clean my whole house since I haven't done a thing since I arrived. Sae only cleans the surface so main thing was emptying the pantry and refrigerator of all of the old food that went to waste. It was probably a good idea to clean it up anyways so the filth wasn't just sitting there forever. Now, if I ever need to move back, it will be ready or if we ever have any visitors, they could stay at my place.

"To answer your question earlier, that was apart of my recovery in Thirteen. To lift weights, build some muscle back up. And I'm sure I was pretty powerful after my hijacking. You know that better than anyone." He explains. I don't say anything, I had no idea that was apart of his recovery but I guess I haven't asked very many details. He sighs, "Anyways, didn't they make you do stuff like that before you went in?"

"Some but I was too preoccupied for it to do much good. You?"

"Yes. Coin pushed for it." Peeta sighs.

I sigh, of course she pushed for the one person that's mind was programmed to kill me to gain his strength back and send him right into a battlefield along side me. A place where I was bound to look blood thirsty and had a bow in arrow in hand, ready to kill the enemy if need be. "It's only because she might've hated me more than Snow." I say, looking up at him. He gives me a confused look. "I know they saved me but Coin wanted you all along. Boggs said she hated me because she saw me as a threat to her power. When they asked me to be their Mockingjay, I got angry and told them if they wanted a leader or a voice, that they should've saved you."

"What made you change your mind?"

I sigh, "I talked to Prim."

"What did she tell you?" He asks me.

"She said that to be their Mockingjay, they'd have to pretty much give me anything I asked for. Since you weren't there, I was the only one who could do it." I explain.

She shakes his head, "No. You are really the only person that could've been the Mockingjay. What did you ask for?" Peeta asks me curiously.

"Well, a couple of things. I demanded that you were rescued at the earliest opportunity. And if when and if we got you, Annie, Enobaria, and Johanna rescued, that you would all be granted pardons. I knew that everything you'd been saying was for a reason. That you wouldn't just say things like that."

It takes him a second to process it but when he does, he looks grateful. "Thank you." Peeta says softly. I nod. "What else did you ask for?" He asks.

"For Prim, I asked that the cat had clearance to stay in our compartment." I say with a small laugh. That stupid cat almost got Prim, Gale and myself killed. That was the moment I realized I really should've never left Peeta that night. I should've thrown a fit or broken the alliance just to be with him, even if it did mean turning my back on our allies.