That particular morning she'd awoken nightmare-less, wrapped up tightly in Peeta's embrace.
His grip was iron tight- it was a fight she knew she wouldn't win.
Sensing her consciousness he pressed gentle kisses to the crook of her neck.
"Excited to be home?" Peeta asked, his voice rough with morning grogginess.
Their next stop was district 2.
It was her most dreaded stop, for the idea of staring out at a screen of Cato- while his family didn't cry or even flinch.
She had seen many victory tours in her lifetime, when she had been younger she'd always wondered why no one ever cried.
She remembered what her father told her- that it'd been a disgrace.
District two bred champions and the games weeded the weak from the strong- that was how they saw it at least.
Every year Livia stood in the town square, and- more times than not- a champion from their district relayed a speech to the people while the family of the fallen stood bored.
Livia wondered if her family would've cried if Peeta had been the sole victor.
Livia traced her finger across the back of Peeta's hand, "No."
She hadn't been in district two since she'd won- almost six months ago.
It had not ended well to say the least.
The night started fine.
Peeta encouraged her to spend time with her family- while he and Haymitch had a 'guys night'.
Which entailed Haymitch trying to get drunk and getting Peeta wasted- being the terrible lightweight he was.
Dominic ran into her chest as soon as she'd arrived and for the first few hours she'd told stories of her time at the capital to the twins and Dom, who huddled around her.
Her mother had been smiling and gleaming throughout the kitchen as she cooked, hugging Livia for the second time in her entire life.
Her father was cold, hard indifference. He did not greet her like the rest- barely even said a single word to her.
Maybe it was his way of showing pride- she'd never experienced her father's pride so it was hard to say- however, that theory would swiftly be- brutally- destroyed.
Livia sat at the table beside Dominic, the twins at the seats across the table just moments after her mother called for dinner.
Dinner had been a silent affair- like every dinner had been before- that was, until her mother sat down and officiated the conversations.
"We're glad to have you back, Livia, darling." Her mother muttered with a soft smile.
Where had this mother been her entire life? The mother with the kind smiles and homemade meals?
"It's a shame that Cato boy didn't make it, everyone had been so sure he'd win." Her father jeered.
Livia only blinked.
