Our Love Will Remain - The story after Mockingjay

Chapter 24

I just stare at them at first. It seems like Mother just pretended to leave, because she is with the others, congratulating us. Peeta is a statue beside me, but soon we both smile. I lift Ivy a bit up in my arms, so that everyone can see her.

"She's so cute!" Leisel exclaims and runs up to me, awwhing and looking at me with an admiring look. Then, the others start swarming around us. I am relieved they all don't swarm around me, they swarm around Peeta too. They take turns to tell me how beaytiful Ivy is and I let some of them hold her. When Gale reaches me, he says:

"Oh, there she is! The little Catnip!" I snort.

"She doesn't look that much like me. Her eyes are magnificant." I say, admiring them. Peeta has finally managed to reach me, and he puts an arm around my waist.

"They are." Peeta and Gale say in unison. We all laugh. Then Marylee walks up to us, her stomach looking as big as ever. I suppose she should be about six and a half months pregnant by now. About as pregnant as I were when we visited Four. I notice that Greasy Sae is here too, and I embrace her after handing Ivy to Peeta.

"You know, my granddaughter gave birth just two weeks ago, and Ivy is just as gorgeous as she is, although she is my grandchild's child. That is quite of an achievement, if I may say it myself. Of course, she has great gene sources." Sae says, while patting me and Peeta on our backs. I smile.

"Peeta's a great gene source, I'm not. I've got nothing useful to pass by." I say, and Peeta smiles.

"Of course, I'm the handsome, talented baker and painter who all the girls are drooling over, you're not worth anything." he smiles again. I nudge his shoulder.

"I love you too." I say, and kiss him with passion. I will hold on to this man for the rest of my life. I won't ever let him be taken away from me, whatever happens. Even if half of Panem is set on fire, and everyone is forced to run, I won't let go of him, and not of Ivy either. I get pulled back from my wonderland when I feel a nudge on my thigh. It's Leisel. Peeta does not seem to be planning to let go of my lips, so I have to wait for a while. He kisses me until he is satisfied. Or no, I don't think he is satisfied, but we'll have to stop sometime. I face Leisel.

"Can I hold her?" she says shyly. I kneel down beside her.

"Come and sit on the couch, and Peeta'll hand her to you." I say, leading her to the couch. She sits down and looks excited. I turn to Peeta and ask if I can have Ivy.

"What are you planning?" he says with a smile.

"Leisel wants to hold her." I say, and kiss him on the lips to distract him while carefully yanking Ivy out of his grip. I break away.

"I'lll finish it later." I promise. He lets me go. I sit down beside Leisel on the couch, and tell her to hold Ivy so that she is supporting her neck all the time, because babies can't hold up their heads by themselves. I show her how to hold her and then hand Ivy to her. She seems like a natural, holding Ivy in the perfect way. Peeta walks up to chat with Johanna, who tries to hide her excitement of being here. When Leisel has been holding her for a while, I say:

"Leisel, I would want to take Ivy to meet Miss Mason now, if that's okay." I say, and Leisel hands Ivy to me immediately, but very carefully.

"Oh, Auntie Johanna." she says. I laugh inside. I bet she likes that, Auntie Johanna. "Thank you, Mrs. Mellark." Leisel says.

"Just call me Katniss." I say.

"Daddy calls you Aunt Katniss, can I call you that?" she asks. I feel a little surprised at first, but then put on the smile again and tell her:

"Sure. If I can call your Daddy Uncle Gale." I say and laugh. Leisel laughs too and then runs up to her parents. I walk up to Peeta and he puts an arm around me.

"The first brainless baby, eh?" Johanna says. I snort. It seems like the first thing Johanna says to me after a long time has to be something rude.

"Yup. But she's not brainless." I say.

"You're not either." Peeta says and kisses me.

"Oh, please, I got enough of that before already." Johanna says.

"We're married, we can do whatever we want, and there's no way for you to stop it." I say. Johanna rolls her eyes and then turns to Ivy. She seems to gather courage to say something, probably something nice.

"Umm... well, she looks good." she says, I smile. Then she walks away and we are left alone. Which is quite a miracle because the ones these people are here to see, after all, is us. But that doesn't last for long. We are bombarded with a thousands of presents, which mostly comprise with baby clothes. Our closet is so full by now that it almost doesn't close. Peeta makes a simple dinner which is a big rabbit stew. We all eat, and then the others head to spend the night in a few of the other houses. Me and Peeta go to our bedroom, happy about today's surprise.

"Are we ever going to have a simple and easy life?" Peeta asks, while we all are curled up in our bed. We decided to let Ivy sleep with us today, she's deserved that.

"I don't know, maybe in a few years." I say, and Peeta kisses me with passion, wanting to show me how much he loves me. I try to show him the same, and we end up kissing intensely. After a while, we break away.

"We will always be together. Real or not real?" Peeta asks, frowning. I touch his lips with my fingertips.

"Real. Till death do us part." I say, kissing him once.

"Till death do us part." Peeta confirms, and we take in the peace an harmony of our new life. Our daughter resting inbetween us. We now know, that finally, we can leave behind the ugly wounds of our past and start living life for real. Our life.

And nothing can stop us.

END OF BOOK ONE