Mockingjay - 4 weeks after Peeta's rescue

17. New start

“What if Snow…?” Peeta’s whole body starts to shake and he falls to the ground with his hands pressed over his face heavily breathing.

Katniss lets go her bag and kneels in front of him.

“Peeta! It’s okay. Snow is dead, we’re save here.” She puts one hand on his shoulder and strokes back his hair with the other.

“Sssh nobody’s gonna hurt you or the others. We’re save! Come here to me.” She pulls him in a tight hug and starts moving back and force and whispers soothing words to him rubbing his back with one hand.

Minutes later the sobbing noises get quieter and then stop.

“Sorry Katniss. Suddenly there were these thoughts of the cell in the capitol with Snow looking them torture me in my mind.”

“You’ll see it’ll be better month by month. And in this time we’re there for each other and get through it together.” She gives him a kiss and helps him up. “Are you ready for our new life now?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” Peeta grabs the bag and catches for her hand. Together they walk down the way to their house.

Katniss opens the door and they enter the house. They put down the bags at the entrance hall and go forward to the living room.

“Katniss look!” Peeta points at the floor.

“What … oh.”

On the floor are a lot very little green footprints.

When they hear a quiet giggle behind the door they start laughing and open it carefully.

In the middle of the empty room sits Ryan all over covered with green, white and orange paint. When he sees them he starts crawling to them and Peeta catches him and pulls him up.

“Hey little guy, what are you doing here all alone?” Peeta smiles and Katniss tickles Ryan under the chin. “Where are Mommy and Daddy?”

Instead of an answer Ryan only giggles.

Suddenly the kitchen door bursts open and six people jump into the room shouting “Welcome home”.

Besides Finnick, Annie, Haymitch and Effie there are Katniss’ mother Karen (yes I gave her a name) and Prim also there.

With a scream Prim jumps into her sister’s arms while Peeta gives everyone a hug laughing about their surprise.

Suddenly he finds himself embraced by Karen “Congratulations to your engagement. I always hoped Katniss will see sense sometime.”

“So guys what have you done here? What about all the paint?” Peeta looks around.

Everybody looks back and nobody says a word. Annie nudges Finnick in the side and he nudges Effie at last Haymitch get a kick and because he’s the last in the row it seems that he’s chosen to tell the couple.

“We thought you may need help with the renovation so we started to paint some rooms. We hope you’ll like it.” He says and waves them first into the dining room and after that into the bedroom.

In the dining room the wall against the window is painted in a bright orange and the bedroom is painted in a light-green and the wall behind the bed is also light-green but with small orange stripes.

“That’s wonderful we never could it make better.” Peeta says stunned and grabs Katniss’ hand.

“I couldn’t imagine a better welcome, thank you so much.” She looks around their friends and family with tears in her eyes.

“Can we at last start the party and have something to eat and drink?” Finnick shouts with a grin.

 Together they enter the terrace and the guys stand at the grill while the women play with Ryan and talk about the engagement and the wedding although there isn’t a date out now.

It’s almost midnight when everybody leaves. Karen and Prim stay with Annie and Finnick in their guestroom because the new house only has the bedroom completed.

Katniss and Peeta sit cuddled up together on a bench drinking a last glass of wine.

“We make definitely the right decision moving here” Peeta says. “It was an overwhelming surprise party and I’m so happy we’re together with our friends again.”  

“You’re right and I think after all we’ve been through we can at last relax and enjoy our life together.” Katniss adds and brings her mouth near to him and whispers something in his ear.

“Hmm Katniss” he moans and grabs her hand to lead her to the bedroom.

The next morning Katniss awakes alone and needs some time to realize where she is.

She jumps out of the bed, in her shorts and shirt and runs downstairs to find Peeta but she can’t find him. Not in the kitchen, not in the bakery he’s not to find.

She steps out on the terrace and still can’t see a sign of him. An anxious feeling spreads in her stomach when she heads to the beach.