Always: A Hunger Games Fanfiction

Chapter 76

**I've been doing a lot of Katniss POV's lately. Guess what? This chapter is another one. Sorry, but I feel like I write better when it's in Katniss's. I think the majority will be Katniss now, but I'll still write from Peeta's. Thanks! Enjoy!

Katniss
Peeta came home later that night. We ate a small dinner that I managed to put together. Berries, bread, a piece of chicken, and milk. It wasn't much but it reminded me of the dinner I would have with Prim and my mother in the Seam. Usually I didn't find chickens wandering the woods, though. But I could trade from the butcher and I wouldn't have to trade much for the bread. Peeta's father always liked me. A flash of sadness flooded my heart. Peeta's father. Dead. His whole family is dead. His brothers, mother, and father. But I guess it's not too far off from where my family is. I only have my mother, but I rarely even speak to her anymore. She lives in the Capitol somewhere.

Peeta's chair squeaking wakens me from my thoughts. He stands and put his plate into the sink to clean it. I quickly scarf down the rest of my meal and do the same. "How was building today?" I ask.

"It was fine," he says, sitting down on the couch. I sit beside him with my legs pulled under me.

"What's wrong?" I ask. He's been quiet since then.

"You came back all messed up earlier because you saw Gale." I didn't say anything to that. "I saw him. He has two kids."

"Did you talk to him?" I ask.

"No."

"Peeta, you don't have to be mad. I just...it was just weird seeing him. He was at my father's lake. And he talked about me and Prim. I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier," I say, brushing a piece of blonde hair from his face.

"Okay," he whispers. He pulls me closer to him and wraps his arms around me. I bury my face in his chest and we stay like that for at least a half hour. "We should go upstairs."

"Okay," I say. I'm about to stand when Peeta picks me up in his arms. I laugh and wrap my arms around his neck. The whole way up the stairs, we laugh and I kiss him about halfway there. He sets me down on the bed and I smile, striking his hair. I put my hands on his neck and pull his lips down to mine.

"I love you," he whispers." I kiss him again, but pause.

"I love you," I repeat. I can feel his smile growing on my lips.

After a while Peeta wraps his arms around me and hugs me close to him. I feel my eyes begin to close and Peeta's breathing slows. I eventually drift off to sleep.

My eyes open again. Surprisingly, I didn't have any nightmares. Or at least any that I remember. I roll over to see Peeta isn't in the bed anymore. I stop myself before I get worried though. He probably did have a nightmare. I begin to shut my eyes again when I hear a crack coming from the hallway. I sit up slowly. "Peeta?" I whisper. No response. I rested my head on my pillow again, convincing myself it was nothing. And then I heard it again. Three times in a row. It sounded like footsteps. "Peeta?" I say, louder now. Crack. Crack. "Peeta." Crack. Crack. Crack.

I swing my legs over the side of the bed and stand. I barely whisper Peeta's name, my hands shaking. I peer out into the empty hallway. I walk down the creaky steps and into the kitchen. "Peeta..." I say. I grab a knife from it's holder and hold it above my head, ready to lower it onto the intruder. I enter the livingroom again and walk straight into a tall, stocky figure. I raise the knife higher, barely breathing. The person catches my wrist.

"Katniss!" he says. My stomach drops. I hear the knife hit the wood floor with a clatter. "What are you doing?" He turns on the light switch beside him. His eyes look scared and worried. I can barely get a word out when the tears begin falling.

"I heard something...And I called your name but you didn't answer. I thought..." I'm cut off by Peeta pulling me into a right hug. I don't let go of him. Almost afraid to.

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear you," he whispers. "I'm sorry..." I blink away any remaining tears and try to slow down my heart beat by taking deep breaths. I don't know how long we stay there without speaking. Just holding each other. It had to have been about five to ten minutes when his grip tightens on my shoulder. I wince when I feel his nails digging into my skin. I panic because I know exactly what's going on, but before I can do anything I feel a hard blow to the side of my head. I groan and fall to the ground. I can feel a hot liquid dripping onto my face. Blood. I press my hand to my ear. My vision is blurry but I can see Peeta's hands coming to my throat. Why? Why now? I think. Peeta hasn't had a super bad flashback in a long time.

I swear in my head when I realize that the knife I had is in the floor only a few feet away. I'm praying that Peeta doesn't see it. His hands are squeezing my throat. He's trying to kill me. I kick and try to pry his fingers away from my neck but he's too strong. Maybe I really will die now. It wouldn't be so bad, I guess. My vision gets even blurrier and dark spots dance across my eyes. I look at Peeta. Just a minute ago, we were hugging. A few hours ago, kissing. And now he's trying to kill me. His name slips from my throat as I'm thrown into a spiral of darkness.