Reunited: An After Mockingjay Story

Chapter 3

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The hovercraft door opens, and the one person I've been dying to see steps out.

"Peeta." I gasp. He looks so much better than the last time I saw him. Tears start to spill out of my eyes. I walk towards him and with a couple more steps, there's only about a foot of space between us. "Peeta." I say again.

"It's okay Katniss," he says. "I'm here now." He puts a hand on my face, cupping my cheek. I then wrap my arms around him and he holds me in a tight, but comforting embrace. I snuggle my face into is chest and take a deep breath, inhaling his sent, and trying to stop my crying.

"Peeta, I've missed you so much." I say, my voice muffled by his shirt.

"I've missed you too Katniss." he says.

We walk back to the Victors Village, Peeta's arm around my shoulders. Haymitch goes to his house while Peeta and I go to his.

"Katniss there's something I need to tell you." Peeta says. I start to get worried. "The doctor did get rid of my flashbacks," he starts. "But not all of them. On the rare occasion I have one it will be very severe. And I would like if you stayed away from me for a couple days so I can control myself and sort things out." Tears collect in my eyes.

"But Peeta, you just came back." I say trying to blink back the tears. "And I'm not leaving you. I don't want to risk losing you again. We will get through it together. Like we always do."

He looks up from staring at the floor and into my eyes and says, "You're still trying to protect me. Real or Not Real?"

I look into his blue orbs."Real," I say "Because that's what you and I do. Protect each other."