The Hunger Games - Beyond the Books

Happily Ever After

The first morning of the new year. The Mellarks are hosting for the holidays, surrounded by old friends. Hayffie is happening, Annie is here with her teenage son Finn, and Johanna brought her on-again off-again boyfriend, Lake. The kids play with their Uncle Haymitch. Peeta and Katniss are sitting in their bedroom, talking quietly. They were woken up early by Lake, who is obnoxiously loud, and happens to wake every day at 6:00 sharp.
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"Honestly, I thought they split up weeks ago." Katniss rolled her eyes.

"They did." Peeta simply replied.

"That doesn't make sense."

"People can change their minds, you know." Peeta sat up with a weary sigh and leaned over to plant a kiss at the crown of her head. "You overcomplicate things." A knock sounded at their door.

"No. I'm just sleep-deprived." Katniss grumbled, as her bed-rumpled husband went to answer the door. Haymitch was holding the hands of their two sleepy-eyed children, who promptly ran to jump onto the bed with their parents. Peeta pulled his daughter up to sit next to him, while Rye crawled into Katniss' arms.

"Company is ready for breakfast." Haymitch grunted, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands.

"I'll be down in a minute." Peeta replied casually, and Haymitch disappeared. Katniss smoothed Rye's white-blond curls and pecked one rosy cheek. "Good morning, little one." She said softly. He snuggled closer into her, eyelids drooping. Peeta nudged his chin on Willow's head. "What would you like for breakfast?"

"Pancakes!" She proclaimed without hesitation, turning to Peeta with wide silvery doe-eyes brightened with excitement. He laughed.

"Pancakes it is."

...

Haymitch sat down slowly in his favorite wooden rocking chair at the edge of the living room. Nearing the age of sixty, he was not as limber as he once was.

The former mentor was always astounded when he witnessed the profound sense of peace that Peeta and Katniss had found. They really were doing the best they could, given their circumstances.

Effie was watching him. She saw the contentment in his eyes as he gazed around the room. "What is it?" She wondered aloud. Haymitch was startled. "Mm?" He squinted.

"You look...pleased." She raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow.

"I was just thinking...it is kind of amazing, what those two have." He gestured upstairs with a vague hand. Everyone's attention was turned to him now. "What do you mean?" Johanna inquired.

"Well...they are at peace. They're actually happy. After all they've been through. Two arenas, the war. Terrible loss. It seems impossible that people like us could be happy.

"Remember when the boy was hijacked? When all reason and science told us he would never be able to stay in the same room as her? That he would never be like that boy we knew before? It felt like he was gone.

"But he got better. It was rough, but she helped him out of it. After the war was over, he stayed in the Capitol awhile for treatment. But when he was finally cleared to go, he came home. He came home to nothing but Katniss and I. I remember that day. He planted the flowers outside her house for her. Well, for her sister." He amended. "I heard them talking when she went outside. I don't know what he did, but he saved her that day. She used to lie in the same place every day, all day. She hardly ate or slept. Most of the time, she didn't even look at me if I came to check on her. But then, he was there, and suddenly she started to try. Didn't refuse Sae's meals as often, changed clothes...it was like nothing you've ever seen." Haymitch shook his head, and smiled with a faraway look. "It was like he brought her back to life." Effie wiped at a tear.

"They always needed each other." She added unsteadily. "I think he helped with her nightmares, on the trains. We would always find them together in the morning." This made Annie smile absentmindedly as if reliving an old memory.

"First, he started bringing her bread. They started sharing every meal. Later, he moved in with her. A long while after, he came and told me that she said she loved him. He was ecstatic." Haymitch chuckled, and even Johanna cracked a smile. "Next thing I knew, he had proposed." Effie clapped her hands together with glee, and leaned her head on them. "And then they had a beautiful wedding." She exclaimed.

"And later came two babies...and here we are now."

Annie murmured. "After everything, they get to move on."

Effie nodded. "It is the least they deserve. They have found their happiness in each other."

"Happily Ever After." Johanna concluded, only half-jokingly.

...

Okay, yes, I know this is an unrealistic sort of unrealistic situation, but it's such a fluff-fest and so sentimental that I couldn't resist. Haymitch is as soft as Haymitch can be in this, if not more, I know. But I imagined this story this morning and couldn't stop thinking about it, so here we are. Hope you enjoyed, whoever's reading this, and thanks for reading!