If the Capitol didn't hijack Peeta...

Nightmares.

Katniss POV

The cold breeze from the window is what wakes me. Peeta likes to sleep with the windows open. It never crossed me why he does that. I look over at Peeta and he's still sleeping. I put my head on his chest and feel his chest rising, heart beating. The sound of his heart beating is soothing and I end up falling into a deep sleep.

My body is shaking. I hear screaming. I can't control it. Why can't I control it? Because I'm not the one shaking it. When I open my eyes, they lock with Peeta's. He looks scared. Why is he scared?

"Katniss!" He says, and he stops shaking me. "Katniss, stop screaming!" My mouth closes slowly, and the screaming stops. He pulls me into a hug and my eyes start watering. I decide to just let them spill.

"Katniss," he says concerned. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I nod my head in the crook of his neck. He scoops me up and I wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. He put his arms crossed under my bottom. I'm still trying to catch my breath as he carries me downstairs. We enter the kitchen and he sits me down on the counter while he prepares hot chocolate for me and tea for himself. When it's ready he gives me both mugs and carries me to the couch. He puts me down on his lap after he sits himself down, and I hand him his tea.

"So," he says, breaking the silence. "Do want to talk?"

I nod and think of where to start.

"You were sitting in the kitchen. I walked in the room and you were really skinny and had bruises on your face. I was going to heal you and you grabbed my neck and threw me at the wall," I start to feel a few stray tears slip from my eyes and he wipes them with his thumb.

"I would never hurt you," Peeta says. "Well, at least not on purpose." This gets a chuckle out of me. "But if I do, I promise to make it better."

I feel my cheeks burn up. Our eyes lock and neither of us look away. After a couple minutes, he breaks the silence.

"Did you want to finish your thought?" I totally forgot the reason why we were down here. I shake my head.

"Okay," he says, dragging out the word. "Well, it's 3:45 in the morning, so do you want to go back to sleep?"

I shake my head. I don't want any more nightmares.

"You're scared of the nightmares," he says, probably because he could read my scared expression. "How about this- we go back to bed, and I will protect you." He says the last sentence with a smile. He's so sweet. "How's that sound?"

I nod and my eyes get watery. Peeta takes the sleeve of his shirt and dries my eyes. He leans me back and pulls me into a hug, my head on his chest. He draws circles on my back and plays with my hair. He really knows how to make a girl feel special.

After about fifteen minutes, we both hold hands and walk upstairs. Peeta sits in the bed first and pats a spot next to him on the bed. I sit down and lay on his chest, just like the time I had a nightmare on the train and he stayed with me. He kisses my head and whispers 'Goodnight, Princess'. This makes me smile and I reply with 'Goodnight. I love you.'

" I love you more." He says.

"I love you most."