Maybe It Can Be Real

Chapter 68

Ending of last chapter (Katniss just had a nightmare):

Willow's cries have stopped, and she is slowly falling back asleep too. "I'm sorry, baby," I whisper, "I never wanted to scare you." She just snuggles closer to me in her sleep, sighing contentedly.

If only I could fall back into a dreamless sleep, but I don't trust myself to do that. So I just sit there until the sun rises, hours later, trying to erase the memory of the nightmare from my mind.

****

"There you go," I say quietly, laying Willow down in her small playpen. She looks around in wonder, her excited eyes quickly bouncing from one thing to another. There's a small, content smile on her little face. I smile back at her, brushing her cheek with my hand, before sitting down on the blanket Peeta laid out.

Sighing, he sits down next to me and wraps an arm around my shoulder. "Beautiful day, isn't it?", he asks as he looks around, the same way Willow is. Like father, like daughter. I smile at him and reply, "It sure is, Peeta."

"I think spring is finally around the corner," he says, plucking a blade of grass up. "I'm glad we can bring Willow outside more often now. She seems like a springy little girl."

"Oh, I hope she is. Spring is such a great time of the year. It's definitely my favorite," I respond, reaching over to the picnic basket we brought. "Do you want anything?", I ask. "Wait, just kidding - I have an idea."

Peeta chuckles as I bring out the dish of blueberries. "Are you ready?", I ask, holding up a blueberry.

"I guess as ready as I'll ever be," he jokes.

I toss the blueberry into the air, and he catches it in his mouth. Laughing, I give him a high five.

We end up doing that for a much longer time than people our age probably should, but the warm and beautiful weather just makes me feel so giddy. It hasn't been this warm in a long time. I'm glad it's here.

Standing up, I go over to Willow's playpen and move her so she's sitting up straighter and able to see more things. "What do you think about all this, huh?", I ask her in my annoying baby voice. I can't talk to her without talking in my baby voice. Peeta says he doesn't mind it, but I'm sure it annoys him, because it sure as hell annoys me. "What do you think about all these trees, and the grass, and the birds flying around?"

Peeta's sprawled out on the ground, looking up at the sky, with both his hands behind his head. Gently, I lay down next to him and rest my head on his arm. Pressing a kiss to my forehead, he moves his arm to pull me in closer. "This couldn't get any more perfect," he says softly. "I've got my two favorite girls with me on a beautiful day. This is the life."

Humming a little, I reply quietly, "Couldn't agree more."

We lay there in silence for a while, and eventually Peeta's breathing evens out. He's just as exhausted as I am because of Willow getting us up at night. And with the comfort of my husband next to me and the warm weather, I fall asleep too.

**

Later, after I don't know how long, I wake to a hushed voice. Gently peeling my eyes open, I untangle myself from Peeta and sit up, looking over to Willow.