Katniss stayed in Peeta's arms. He was one of the few places she felt safe.
"You came back to 12 for me. Real or not real?" asked Katniss, quietly.
"Real." replied Peeta, as he kissed her forehead.
"Will you stay with me?" asked Katniss, softly.
"Always." replied Peeta.
"I should go check on the food..." said Katniss, as she went to sit up.
"No, no you stay there, I'll check the food. You lie back." Said Peeta reassuringly.
As Peeta lifted her gently and put a pillow under her head, Katniss had a realisation. Gale was gone. She didn't have any feelings for him anymore. Sure, he was the captain of the military in district 2, but he lost her when Prim died. All feelings were gone. But what did that make Peeta? Did that mean that she loved him and they were the star crossed lovers from district 12, just as the Capitol said in their games? That was just propaganda, thought Katniss. But it's not propaganda anymore. It's becoming reality. If it wasn't for Peeta being alive, I'm not sure that I would have survived even being the mockingjay, thought Katniss. Her thoughts were interrupted when Peeta came back to the couch with 2 bowls of goose stew and his homemade bread on the side. She shuffled over and let him sit down. He put the steaming bowls down on the coffee table and sat down next to her.

"Hungry?" asked Peeta
"sort of." replied Katniss
"Huh?"
"The word has almost lost meaning to me. I was a starving child. When my father died and you threw me that loaf of bread, you saved me. I would have starved to death."
Peeta held Katniss close.
"Then I went to the games. The people of the Capitol never knew hunger like we did. The arena wasn't much different to home to be honest. I had to hunt everything anyway. The only difference with the arena was that snow controlled what food we could get, when it was available and where we had to go to get it."
"That was the same as home. He controlled our flour supply, our oil supply and our yeast supply."
"He didn't control nature. I could always hunt as long as I wasn't caught."
"I guess."
"Then we were victors. We had all the food we could ever want and more. Then it dawned on me why all of the districts were almost always in a food shortage. The Capitol. They had those cocktails that made you sick."
"I remember that. I refused it. No point in making yourself sick just so you can eat more food."
"Well, I got offered one to. The waitress gave me a strange look when I told her that I didn't need to taste my food coming up as tasting my food going down was enough for me thank you very much."
"Apparently women of the Capitol eat normally then take the cocktail."
"The cocktails prove the point of why the districts are starving because the Capitol was consuming much more food than could possibly be required for people eating normally."
"Just think how much food was going to waste."
"Anyway, we went into the quarter quell. Again, lack of food and snow's complete control over it. Then the revolution."
"I had plenty of food in the Capitol. I was their prisoner but they still fed us really well."
"I was in 13. We had enough, and that's all we needed. Through the revolution there were some shortages as expected. And here we are now."
"What point are you making?"
"We went from nothing to some to excess to some to now."
"Which means..."
"That the word hunger has lost real meaning. And that we have never had stability in our lives."
"I see that now. I know that you haven't had stability until now and I hope it can remain stable. I also hope that we never have to know hunger ever again."
"You are staying in 12. Real or not real?"
"Real."
Peeta handed her the bowl of stew. They both ate the stew.
"I didn't know you were such a good cook." Said Peeta, politely.
"It's my mothers recipe."
"I know what you are like with instructions."
"Okay, it's my mother's with a few changes."
"Speaking of which, is your mother coming back to 12?"
"Hypothetically yes. If 12 actually becomes medicine then she will."
"She going to come back here?"
"Hypothetically yes."
"You and the hypotheticals today." Said Peeta, jokingly.
"Most of the future is hypothetical at the moment."
"How?"
"Hypothetically Paylor will pardon me. Hypothetically they will redevelop 12. Hypothetically it will get a new industry."
Peeta took the dishes to the kitchen.
"Your bread is as good as it always is, Peeta."
"What do you want to do now? It's dark outside now."
"I think I might head to bed."
"Watch some television?"
"I don't think I could handle it at this moment. All the news will still be 'Mockingjay shocks nation with her arrow'."
"We both know that it's fake. Plutarch always knew that you would kill Coin. I should go home to bed."
"Stay with me?"
"Always."

Katniss went upstairs to her bedroom. It was exactly the way she left it before the quarter quell. She was clearly spooked.
"It's okay. I'm here." Said Peeta, calmly.
Katniss got into bed.
"Where do you want me to sleep?"
"I don't mind. You can sleep in a guest room or with me."
"You mind if I stay with you?"
"Not at all."
Peeta climbed into her bed. She curled up with him. He held her close.
"You love me. Real or not real?" asked Peeta, quietly.
"Real." replied Katniss.
They were both quiet for a while, simply cuddling eachother. Katniss felt safe. She was with her soul mate. She loved the fact that she was in her own bed again.
"You love me. Real or not real?" asked Katniss
"Real. Since the first games." replied Peeta.
"When did you realise that you were in love with me?"
"I'm not entirely sure. But I was in love with you by the time of the quarter quell." Replied Katniss.
"By then we were in love with each other." said Peeta.
Katniss put her hand over his heart. The steady beat made her feel secure. He protected her. She protected him. That's what they did. They kept each other alive. Not just alive anymore. They kept each other thriving. Slowly, but surely, they both fell asleep.