Finding the Missing Piece: An Everlark Story

Chapter Sixty-Eight

Peeta POV- (2am)

"Peeta, no!"

I jerk upright as I wake to ear piercing screams coming from Katniss.

My heart begins to race as I jump up and see her thrashing around and screaming in her bed.

"Katniss? Katniss, you're okay. Please, calm down." I say, trying to get ahold of her thrashing body.

"Peeta! Peeta, please? Come back, please don't leave me." She sobs, her eyes sealed shut but tears pouring out.

"Katniss, wake up. You're okay. Katniss, please, calm down. Wake up." I beg her, my heart breaking to see her this way.

"Peeta, please don't." She shakes her head, still sobbing uncontrollably.

"Calm down, please. You're okay." I say as pull her into my lap.

I hold her and rock her back and forth until her mind finally releases the terror of the nightmare.

"It will be okay, Katniss. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." I whisper, kissing her forehead.

I continue rocking and feel my eyes grow heavy once more.

I lean against her headboard and before I know it, I am fast asleep.

(About 8:30 am)

I open my eyes and see Katniss is peacefully sleeping in my arms.

You can tell she had been crying and had a bad night.

I wish I could've gotten her to wake up so she would've had confirmation that I was here for her and that I was okay.

I stare at her for I don't know how long, taking in every detail.

Every eyelash, her perfect eyebrows, her lips and her tiny nose.

I absorb the image of every small freckle and the shape of her perfect face.

Her cheek bones that are so perfect and rosy.

Everything about her.

Perfect.

I smile at the sight of my love, peacefully sleeping.

Awhile later, her eyelashes flutter open and reveal her gray eyes.

"Hey." I whisper with a huge smile, hoping she didn't notice I was watching her.

"Hey." She whispers softly, a little confused maybe.

"Are you okay? You had a nightmare last night. I couldn't get you to wake up but you seemed okay after awhile." I say, pushing a lock of hair out of her face.

"I'm sorry that I woke you. My dream, it was so scary and real and you...you..." She stops as if she can't go on.

I hate that she has nightmares.

I hate seeing her scared and upset.

For her, the nightmares seem as if they are reality and that is what makes them so bad.

"Katniss, it wasn't real. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." I say, caressing her cheek softly.

I hear her heart begin to race inside of her chest and she begins breathing heavily as she is pulled back into the false reality of a nightmare.

She's having a panic attack.

"Calm down, it's alright. Everything is okay, it wasn't real." I tell her over and over.

"I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." I assure her.

Eventually, she calms down and speaks up, "Peeta, you died. In my dream, you died and I was all alone." She chokes out.

"Katniss, it wasn't real. We are both safe and everything is okay, I promise. I know those dreams seem real but they aren't." I comb her hair back out of her tear-stained face.

She closes her eyes tightly for a moment and I stare at her.

I wish that I could help her completely but I just don't know how to.

She lays in the same position as last night after I pulled her into my lap.

I lean down and press a kiss to her ear, "I love you."

"I love you too, Peeta." She says and grabs my jawline in her cold hand.

A few seconds later, she pulls my head down bringing her lips to mine for a soft, loving kiss.

"Are you sure that you are okay?" I ask her, concerned.

"Yes. You can go home if you want. I don't feel like doing anything today." She shrugs.

"Hey, we can do whatever you want to do today. We can eat all day or sleep or watch movies or whatever. You name it and we will do it." I tell her.

"Can we finish that book?" She asks.

What is she talking about?

What book?

"Huh?" I ask her, so confused.

"That book you read to me in like November, about that couple and they got were gonna get married. Ugh, I don't remember the name." She says creasing her eyebrows.

I think for a moment and then I remember about the book I had read to her during Thanksgiving break, quite I while back.

"Oh! I know what your talking about. Of course, we can." I say, wanting to make her feel better any way that I can.

She smiles and looks at the time.

It is 9: 30 already.

It doesn't seem like that long ago that I woke up but it was.

"I can go get the book and we can finish it or I can go make you breakfast and then read to you." I suggests.

"Cheese buns?" She asks, pouting out her bottom lip.

"Anything you want." I laugh.

"Cheese buns, please?" She asks and jumps out of my lap and runs out of her bedroom.

I get up from Katniss's bed and follow her down stairs to find her getting out all of the simple ingredients for cheese buns.

"Wow!" I say when she is done getting everything out of the cabinets and refrigerator.

"What? I am eager for my boyfriend's cheese buns because he has professional baking skills." Katniss says, luckily in a better humor as she bumps my hip with hers.

"I mean, I am a baker...it's what I do." I say proudly.

"Cutest one ever." Katniss sings.

"Thank you!" I say as I begin throwing together all the ingredients at the island.

Katniss comes and sits in the chair across from me and just watches me.

I continue baking but I smile, knowing she is watching me.

I can't wait until we are living together.

Waking up and going to bed everyday under the same roof and living our lives together is something that I have always wanted with someone eventually.

I just never imagined it would be with anyone as special to me as Katniss.