Finally. We've reached the end. Thank you for being here throughout this story's journey.

The characters of The Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me.

Aria (noun): 1. an air or melody.

2. an elaborate melody sung solo with accompaniment usually orchestral.

You Don't Know Me

Epilogue: Aria

Three Years Later…

The gentle, spring breeze blows gently against my eyes to rouse me from my nap. I bat away the tickle against my nose, thinking that it's probably wayward dandelion seeds floating in the wind.

However, the tickle continues and is followed by a small, girlish laugh.

Opening my eyes, I am surrounded in Helenium, bulbous centers and soft petals of yellow.

"Daddy…" The bright call comes from behind the bouquet. "Daddy…"

"Aria." Katniss is suddenly lying next to me in the meadow, her head going to my shoulder. "Stop torturing Daddy…he's taking a nap."

The bouquet is now gone and replaced with sweet bluebell eyes and raven hair. Our almost two-year-old daughter climbs onto me, her tiny feet digging into the tops of my thighs as she finally settles her head onto my chest.

Aria arrived after Katniss and I returned from our year-long stint in London.

After graduating, Katniss accepted an apprenticeship in the London Symphony Orchestra alongside Diana Wiress—or simply Wiress—their lead conductor. They guided one another to become better conductors and also developed a strong friendship. Wiress' style of conducting was a little more concise whereas Katniss was more intuitive when it came to playing maestro. Together, they created an innovative style that doubled symphony attendance.

During that time, I was busy producing an album for Paylor's nephew, Cinna, at Abbey Road Studios. The man was an expert guitarist with a deep, melodic voice that was adaptable to many musical genres. Cinna also had a look that could take him into mainstream pop—funky yet chic with a neat fade and charming smile.

However, Cinna wasn't interested in making it big. He was more interested in making good music. Together, we developed his musical style which was a mix of rock and soul and put out his first album through Heavensbee's new label, Gamemaker Records.

Career-wise, it was a good year for Katniss and me.

It was also a good year for our relationship. That first year in London, we really took the time to actually date, to become a couple, and fall in love again. It was a lovely time—touring the countryside, kissing in one of the rooms in Windsor Castle, and having our first-year anniversary dinner in The London Eye.

I like to think that Aria was conceived during the Eye's slow rotation with nothing but London around us and the Thames River below.

It was during one of Katniss' last performances in London did she suspect that she was pregnant. She was playing an accompaniment piece with the orchestra alongside world-renowned opera singer Effie Trinket when Katniss felt something leap inside her during the singer's solo piece.

It was during an Aria when Katniss realized that she was having a baby.

We were scared. Actually, batshit terrified.

However those fears quickly subsided seven months later when our daughter came into the world. She had lungs like a singer, Katniss' beautiful face and hair, and my mother's eyes.

Needless to say, my Mom never says no to our little girl.

Actually, no one does.

"Peeta?" I turn to look at Katniss. "You seemed faraway. Where did you go?"

"I was just thinking about the first time we came here," I tell her. "How I played the guitar and we sang together. That first time I knew we were magic and that day I wanted to pretend that you were mine."

"You don't have to pretend anymore." Katniss pushes herself up to give me a soft kiss. "There is no pretending. This is real."

I look down at Aria who is curled against me. She had already fallen asleep, having spent the day running around the meadow and being swung around by Katniss or myself.

"Yes, I can definitely feel how real this all is," I tell her as she smooths down Aria's shoulder-length hair. "All twenty-ish pounds of real."

"We could have left her with Rowe and Gloss," Katniss says. "I'm sure Cara would've loved to play babysitter to her cousin."

I shake my head. "They're out of town visiting Jax and Cashmere with my parents. You know how Mom is—already freaking out over the impending birth of her first grandson."

After much pushing, Jax had finally decided to meet Cashmere and fell very much in love with the woman who resembled a modern day Grace Kelly. My sister-in-law, however, was not so easily persuaded and it took two years of dating before Cashmere decided that it was time to get married. Their wedding was eight months ago and Cashmere is now a few days overdue with my nephew.

Katniss smirks. "There's always Cato and Clove...and Jack."

"No way," I respond vehemently. "I don't like the way he keeps saying that he's going to marry Aria!"

"Jack is four," Katniss responds with a laugh. "He has no idea what getting married means! I barely know!"

We go quiet for a moment.

The marriage topic is always a delicate one for us.

Because one child and years later, we have yet to tie the knot.

We've been so busy with work and Aria that marriage was the last thing on our minds.

Until Thresh married Prim two months ago.

Their wedding was beautiful. My best friend and Prim had a hometown wedding in Panem, marrying in the town square under the gazebo.

Katniss told me that she and Prim would go there to get wasted when they were old enough. The night before the wedding they recreated those days along with Madge, Clove, and Johanna.

Hours later, I along with Haymitch, Gale, Cato and Thresh were carrying the girls back to the Everdeen house.

Katniss didn't want to show it but I could see the wistfulness in her eyes watching their Dad walk Prim down the aisle in the custom-made dress created by budding designer and friend, Annie Odair. Aria had made a wonderful flower girl alongside Haymitch and Johanna's son, Easton, who was ring bearer.

I've always wanted to marry Katniss.

Ever since the first time that I awoke alongside her in this very meadow fantasizing that she was my girl—and that I had a ring hidden in our picnic basket for her.

However, this time I'm waking up to her and it is no fantasy.

I've had the ring with me for almost a year now.

And like my dream, it is tucked away inside our picnic basket, right in front of the bottled waters and Aria's sippy cup.

"Daddy?" Aria, suddenly awake, looks up at me. "I'm thirsty."

I look to Katniss, trying to silence my frantically beating heart—this is it.

"Will you grab her sippy cup from the picnic basket?"

Nodding, Katniss turns to the picnic basket on her side.

I wait along with our little girl as she reaches in and stiffens feeling the velvet box under her hand.

Katniss gasps and turns to us, the unopened box in her hands.

I'm already on one knee with Aria holding her bouquet of Helenium that I helped her pick earlier.

"Katniss," I begin. "There's something that your daughter and I would like to ask you."

This is going to be a new chapter in our book.

All she has to do is say yes.

FIN.

Readers, do not worry—she is going to say yes.

I always expected it to end this way, back in the meadow.

Aria, however, was created about halfway through the story.

I know this is shorter than you are used to seeing from me.

Thus the reason—I'm contemplating a sequel or prequel?

Anyway, it would basically document everything that happened those last three years from London to Aria. What do you think?

I just want to thank all of you for sticking it out. This wasn't an easy story to get through.

Until the next story, JLala