Hello, people! Hopefully, you read through the first chapter and did not completely dislike it the way that I did. If you liked it then yay! here's a second chapter. If not then hopefully you (like me) will like this chapter better.

The song Hanging On By a Thread by The Letter Black does not belong to me.

Everyone she trusted was dead. Her father. Rue. Cinna. Finnick. Prim. Many others who didn't deserve the fate they got. Everyone was dead. Except Peeta.

My past has followed me and
I just can't get away
I'm not the same as I was
Leaving my disarray

It was easy. She held the bow, felt it purring in her hand. Placed the arrow, drew the string, and aimed. Let go.

Only the arrow didn't go where everyone was expecting it to, which was a surprise because Katniss never missed. Instead of sinking itself into the chest of ex-President Snow, the arrow flew upwards. It hissed through the air, leaving its target unquestionably dead. She toppled over the side of the balcony and plunged to the ground.

And Katniss didn't blink an eye.

Killing President Coin was easy. People just like her, with the same self-seeking goals and longing for power, had made Katniss into this person. The one who could kill easy and quickly, dispatching her prey as if they were the animals she used to hunt to keep her family alive. It was people like Coin who sent Katniss into that arena. Told her to kill other children or she would die herself. Then, they had sent her back into the arena. As if one time wasn't enough to send anyone over the edge.

How many people had died at the hands of Panem's rulers? Panem's previous ruler sat there, not ten yards in front of her chocking on his own blood as he laughed. It was him she was supposed to kill, but she'd rather let him rot in a cell somewhere. He deserved it.

It was then that the uniformed guards began to converge upon her. It was to be expected; she had, after all, just assassinated their president. The decision had been impulsive, but Katniss had just enough time to think through the after effects of situation. She would probably be interrogated or tortured. Where would that leave her?

So, she pulled out the nightlock pill and tried to swallow it. Only to bite down on Peeta's hand instead. Good old Peeta. Always there to protect her when he thought she needed it. When was he going to realize that she was fine by herself?

He stopped her from killing herself, but even he couldn't stop the hysteria she descended into afterwards.

Take me just as I am
I'm broken down
Pull me into your arms
I'm hanging on to every word

Katniss, the Mockingjay, the sole symbol of the revolution, wasn't as strong as she appeared. Someone else was always there to pick her up and whisper comforting words in her ear. Most of that time, that person was Peeta. But he wasn't always there; others took the job as well.

When Peeta had been taken prisoner and brainwashed by the Capitol, he hadn't even been able to look at her.

Katniss had thrown herself into anything that would get her mind off of Peeta. The boy with the bread, her rock, had slipped away from her. She wasn't sure if he was ever going to reemerge from the shell of a man he had become. The thought was devastating.

Johanna, a fellow Victor who didn't usually like Katniss, had found a pearl that was given to her by Peeta. "Is this—?" Johanna had asked.

Katniss had really hated talking about him then.

"Haymitch says he's getting better," Johanna reassured her.

"Maybe. But he's changed."

"So have you. So have I. And Finnick and Haymitch and Beetee. Don't get me started on Annie Cresta. The arena messed us all up pretty good, don't you think?"

Okay, so maybe Peeta was the only one who ever successfully comforted her. But others tried.

Save me from losing myself
I'm hanging on by a thread
Can You see who I am
Underneath my scars?

Now, five years later, she wished that she could say her time in the arena was nothing but a bad memory. She wished she could say that Peeta got over the brainwashing the Capitol put him through. But though the memories faded, they came back every night in dreams as fresh and real as if they were still happening.

Katniss could see the mutts attacking Cato as clearly as she could see the double bombs exploding on her sister. She knew Peeta still had flashbacks as well. They were married now, for real this time. Peeta was still head over heels for Katniss, but she loved him just as deeply. His kisses and caresses were the only thing that saved her from those ugly nightmares.

Everything seemed so real, so vivid, that sometimes Katniss woke up crying. Those nightmares were the worst. The pain she felt was so intense that sometimes she thought she was dying. Other times she wished that she was.

I'm afraid to fall
So I'm holding on to you
No, I won't let go
I'm hanging on by a thread

But Peeta was always there now, urging her to stay happy, to stay safe. And nowhere in the world was safer than the comfort of his arms. She clung to him, hoping to forget the nightmares that plagued her.

In his sleep, he shifted closer to her. Subtly, she moved closer as well. She pressed her body to his as he mumbled something almost unintelligible. Leaning down towards him, she could barely make out the whispered words. "Katniss… love… please…"

He turned over restlessly, but Katniss smiled. It always made her smile to know that he was thinking about her. He was her rock, and without him, she would have been crushed by the storms of life long ago.

I still can hardly believe
The person I once was
I'm trying so hard to change
Help me work through my flaws

Thinking back, it would be hard to imagine her life without Peeta. She would probably have died quite a few times over without him there to protect her. But believe it or not, there was a time when she hated him. It was brief and not at all deserved, but it was there nonetheless.

He stood before her, chained to the wall. His blue eyes were cold as ice as they first locked on her. He looked wary, suspicious and reproachful. The look was one that had probably never graced Peeta's face in his entire life until the Capitol got a hold of him.

"You're not very big, are you? Or particularly pretty?"

"Well, you've looked better." She replied, ignoring Haymitch's advice through her earpiece to back off.

Peeta let out a coarse laugh. "And not even remotely nice. To say that to me after all that I've been through."

"Yeah." She agreed. "We've all been through a lot. And you're the one who was known for being nice. Not me."

It was like the foundations of her world were slowly unraveling, seeing Peeta look at her that way. Even when she had been nothing but horrible to him, Peeta always looked at her with a hint of love.

Whatever love he had once felt for her was gone as he told her that he remembered the incident with the bread. He asked her if she loved him like he had so obviously loved her, but she refused to give a straight answer. It had taken Katniss years to decide between Gale and Peeta, and in the end it wasn't even a choice. Back then, she still hadn't known that it was Peeta who complimented her perfectly. Back then, Gale still had a chance.

"What about Gale?" Peeta asked.

"He's not a bad kisser either." Katniss's anger had built. There were people behind the glass listening to every word leaving their mouths, and none of this was going anywhere except in circles.

"And it was okay with both of us? You kissing the other?" He continued.

"No, it wasn't okay with either of you. But I wasn't asking your permission," She told him.

Peeta had laughed again, coldly, dissmissively. "Well, you're a peice of work, aren't you?"

She had left him there. She had run away from him, and it took her a while before she even realized why she was so upset. All those months of taking it for granted that Peeta thought she was wonderful were over. Finally, he could see her for what she really was. Violent. Distrustful. Manipulative. Deadly.

And she hated him for it.

Take me just as I am
I'm calling out
Pull me into Your arms
I'm holding on to every breath

Suddenly, Peeta's peaceful slumber changed. He tossed and turned, accidentally hitting Katniss in the process. His nightmare began to take over and he let out a shout.

"KATNISS!"

"It's okay, it's okay!" Katniss reached for his warm body and wrapped him in her arms. "Shhh, Peeta. I'm fine." His eyes flew open and searched around wildly before they fell on her.

"You planning to kill me, sweetheart?"

The words, so like the ones he uttered when she had found him in the mud during their first Hunger Games, immediately had her worrying. Lately, he only said things like that if he was having a relapse and he actually thought she was planning to kill him.

"No, Peeta. We're in District 13. Our home. No one is planning to kill anyone."

He rubbed a hand tiredly over his eyes. "Sorry, it's a reflex."

The corners of her mouth turned up in a smile. "Which one, calling me sweetheart or asking if I'm planning to kill you?"

Just like Peeta was always there for Katniss, she tried to be there for him. He was the only person she had in the world, and she knew that she was all he had as well.

He let out a laugh. A real, genuine laugh. "Both."

Being there for each other meant a lot of things. It meant letting him call her sweetheart. It meant having someone to wake her when the nightmares came. But most of all, it meant never being alone.

Save me from losing myself
I'm hanging on by a thread
Can you see who I am
Underneath my scars?

I'm afraid to fall
So I'm holding on to you
No, I won't let go
I'm hanging on by a thread

After everything was over, Katniss and Peeta had returned to District 13. It had taken a while before either was ready to open themselves up to what was left of their previous sham of a relationship. Peeta was the first one to mention it. He had found her crying in the dark and innocently suggested their old solution to nightmares.

She had jumped at the chance for her first good night's sleep in over six months, but secretly, she had also been glad for another reason. It was a place to start.

Slowly, their tenuous friendship began to evolve. Little gestures, little moments, it all led to something bigger. It didn't take long before Katniss let herself kiss him, for old time's sake. And it was all downhill from there.

Three years after the war they had moved in together. There was no one to tell them no, not when they were war heroes in a sparsely populated town. Less than two months after that, Peeta had proposed, and Katniss couldn't resist the urge to smile just thinking about that day.

Eight months later, here they were. Practically still newlyweds. Safe. Together.

I'll never need
I'll never want
With you with me
I'm so complete
I'll never run
I'll never hide
With you right here I'm safe inside

"What is it?" Peeta asked.

Katniss realized she was sitting there in bed smiling like an idiot. "Nothing. I was just remembering."

Hey eyed her curiously for a moment before saying, "Is it something from the book?"

The two of them (and Haymitch when he was sober) had combined their efforts to make a book of everything in their lives they couldn't bear to forget. It had pictures of Finnick and Annie's baby, sketches of fallen tributes such as Rue, notes about Prim. Mostly happy things.

Katniss didn't answer, instead she smiled. "You love me. Real or not real?"

Without a second's hesitation, he replied, "Real. Always real."

"Good. I love you too. You saved me. Real or not real?"

She was referring to one time in particular, the time when she had tried to kill herself after murdering the wrong president. But there were plenty of times to chose from. Peeta wrapped an arm around her and fit her body snugly against his.

"Not real." He said decisively. At her confused look, he laughed. "You saved me, sweetheart. I was only returning the favor."

And that was why she loved him. No matter what he had been through or what happened to him, there was something about Peeta that was completely, unchangeably good. He was pure, incorruptible. He was Peeta.

"It's my turn for a question now." He interrupted. "You've thought about what I said yesterday. Real or not real?"

Katniss sighed. This was beginning to become a game between the two of them. Every few weeks he would ask, and every time she would answer the same way.

"Real, unfortunately."

"So I take it you haven't changed your mind?" He asked glumly. She hated doing this to him. If only he would stop asking, she would stop having to tell him no.

"I'm sorry, Peeta, but you know I don't… I can't…"

He wanted children. Plural. Katniss couldn't even bring herself to agree to have one, much less two. Ever since she was younger, she didn't want to marry for this very reason. She couldn't bring a child into this demented world. She couldn't risk losing another person to the fate of children like Rue or her own little sister.

"I know." Peeta said sadly. "You miss them. Real or not real?"

"Real." All too real.

Save me from losing myself
I'm afraid to fall
So I'm holding on to You
No, I won't let go

Save me from losing myself
I'm hanging on by a thread
Can You see who I am
Underneath my scars?
I'm afraid to fall
So I'm holding on to You
No, I won't let go

Living with Peeta was easy most of the time. He painted, she hunted. She brought home food, he baked. But something was missing from their lives. Deep down, Katniss knew that Peeta was right. Though, it would take almost ten years for her to admit it to herself, he would get what he wanted.

Until then, she would distract herself from thoughts of the past. She would stay busy. And despite the nightmares and other troubles, both she and Peeta would stay happy.

I'm hanging on by a thread