Help Me Make it Through the Night (Everlark Fanfic)

Chapter 10: A Place Just for Us

Peeta's POV

I have no idea where Katniss could be taking me. As far as I know, Katniss hasn't stepped foot out of her house since she came home. And she's taken me to the woods and the meadow before, so where could she be taking me?

That nightmare shook me more than most. Gale was trying to get Katniss to leave with him. When she refused, he held a knife to her throat. He told me if he couldn't have her, then I couldn't either. And with that he slit her throat. I had to sit there helplessly as he killed her. I've never liked Gale. He is power hungry, always has to be control. I'd never tell Katniss, but I believe what I saw in my dream to be possible. If he showed up and she refused to leave with him, he might kill her. Not that I would let him get near her.

I finish packing the food up as she comes back she's carrying her bow and quiver in one hand, her father's hunting jacket and a pair of pants in the other. She looks super exited to see me.

"It's started to get chilly at night so I thought you could use my father's hunting jacket." Katniss says casually. "Oh and here are some of your pants I kinda stole from your house." she continues looking down blushing. This jacket means the world to her. Why would she give it to me? It's all she has left of her father.

"Are you sure, Katniss?" I ask her."I know how much this means to you."

"Then by me giving it to you, you should realize how much you mean to me." Katniss says and kisses my cheek."Now go change so we can go. We need to get there before sunset!" and then she pushes me playfully. I go and change to find that the jacket is a perfect fit and smells softly of her, pine needles and wild flowers.

When I come back she asks, "You ready?"

"As much as you've allowed me to be." I tell her.

"Then lets go!" she says happily. She takes my hand and leads me out of her house. The sun has just begun to sink behind the woods. It casts the sky in a glow of reds, pinks, and my favorite, oranges. There is just a hint of purple and blue where the light has begun to recede from the sky.

She leads me under the fence and into the woods. I'm about to tell her she's brought me here before when she suddenly goes of her usual route. She leads me deeper into the woods than she's taken me before.

"It's just behind this brush." Katniss whispers, breaking the silence.

"What is?" I ask her.

"Look for yourself." she replies pulling the brambles and thorns apart.

Before me I see a lake, reflecting the most beautiful sky I've ever seen. The tree line casts shadows across it making dark areas on the water. There is an old stone house nearby almost full intact. Other than Katniss herself I've never seen anything more beautiful.

"My father brought me here when I was five, taught me to swim. Tought me about the plants and the animals. This is where I went after you saw me pick the dandelion in the school yard. I collected dandelion greens and Katniss tubers to keep us alive until I could sign up with a tressera. This was the one place I've always felt safe. It was sacred to me and my father. I showed Gale once but he could have cared less. Which is why I've shown you. Because I know you will care about this place." Katniss says, with tears in her eyes near the end.

"It is the most beautiful place I've ever been. Its almost as beautiful as you." I say and she blushes.

"This was mine and my father's place. He's gone now. You are all I have left Peeta, the only one I love, who loves me. I want this to be our place now. Where we can escape our troubles and be free of our past. A place just for us." She says standing up pulling me to my feet, a stray tear running down her cheek. " I don't want to break your heart again. I've already done that too many times. I hope we can heal each other." She's really crying now. I gently take her chin in my hand look into her eyes.

"I can forgive you for the past Katniss. Because that's what it is, the past. It defines us, but we can always get past it. Thats why they call it the past. I would have waited forever for you. Whatever you chose as your path, I would have always loved you. You mean more to me than life itself. We will heal each other and protect each other, just like you told me after you saved me from myself in the war. I love you Katniss." I say and pull her into a kiss.

This kiss is one that I hope I never forget. A kiss that says how much I love her and she loves me. Neither of us wants to pull away but eventually we do.

"You won't get tired of me?" she asks with tears in her eyes.

"Never. You ain't never getting rid of me." I say and wipe away her tears with my thumb. Her arms go around my neck and mine around her waist. We hold each other tight and watch in silence as the sun goes down.

"Well," Katniss says after a while."as much as I'd like to stay longer, we need to leave now if we want to have enough light to get home."

"I wish I could freeze this moment right now and live in it forever." I tell her.

"Me too."

We walk back to the village hand in hand and as I'm about to walk her to her house she asks,"Can I stay with you tonight? My house holds too many memories."

"Of course." I tell her and lead her inside. We walk quietly to my room and she asks to wear one of my T-shirts. "If you want to, you can." I say blushing. I'm about to leave her alone and go into the next room when she says

"Peeta, Please stay with me. You protect me from my nightmares."

"Always, Katniss always."

We hold each other and fall into dreams filled with happiness knowing the other person is really there and will never leave.

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So wattpad deleted the beginning of this chapter like three times. but I'm actually happy about that because it caused me to change the beginning a little and it worked out really cool. I even got to slip a little Rocky II reference in there if anyone caught it. I'm obsessed with Rocky. If you haven't seen it. its good. it has the right amount of drama in it.

Wow can I ramble and way I'm gonna skip a few months ahead because it took me like ten chapters to describe two days. I wanna get this story rolling.

Love you all

130+ reads you all rock

-Kayla

Ps bet Peeta just turned into the best guy ever, even though he already was. If only he were real.