Catching Fire: Rekindling

By: Jamie Sommers

Prologue

The sequel to 74th Hunger Games Challenge: We Always Were. This prologue is set roughly three months after Katniss and Peeta return to District Twelve after the Games. The next chapter will start with the book and I'll be going chapter by chapter as I did in the first story. Thank you to my wonderful betas S and A for putting up with my crazy. Thanks for reading!

Catching Fire: Rekindling

This was Peeta's favorite time of year, autumn, but this year the changing foliage didn't bring with it the feelings of happiness he had felt in all the years past. Once before he'd take whatever he could, a piece of coal, a pencil, on rare occasion colored charcoals, and sketch the changing leaves. The reds, oranges and yellows always fascinated him. It was nature's way of creating art.

He sat under the giant oak tree, looking up at the braches and tried to find the desire to draw, but it wasn't there. It was never there at the tree. The first time he went there, he expected it to be a source of inspiration for him; it turned into a type of torture instead, yet he continued to go back as a form of penance. He had broken Katniss' heart and she hated him for it. Peeta and Katniss had spent so many afternoons beneath that tree. During the Games it was a comforting reminder of home. Now that he was home, he found no comfort. No sense of safety or security. There was too much danger lurking. The Capitol was always watching.

There were few places he and Haymitch could talk. For the first week they were able to whisper quietly in their own homes about sensitive information, and then they found out about the death of Seneca Crane and never spoke about anything of importance in their homes again. Seneca was the one informing them on whether or not the Capitol had figured out a way of wiring their houses. As it was, only Katniss' home had full working surveillance. Peeta couldn't use his phone without being listened to by the curious officials. He'd rip it out like Haymitch did, but what was the purpose? He only used it to talk to Effie and order his supplies.

He was rich now so he could afford to buy all the art supplies he wanted. He didn't have to work another day in the bakery, yet he baked every single day, it relieved the stress, and would volunteer his help several times a week at the shop. Delivery days. For some reason, throwing around the bags of flour gave him a sense of calm.

Peeta picked up a stick and started drawing in the dirt. His mind wandered to Katniss, nothing new for him, and he thought of his actions after they got home from the Games. At the District Twelve dinner, they had acted like fools in love. He was sitting at the table with the Mayor and glanced over at Katniss. She was stunning. Cinna had provided her with some new clothes for local events and the dress she wore that night stopped Peeta's heart. A royal blue sleeveless dress with various shapes cut out at the neckline and along the back just above her waist.

Peeta made his way from guest to guest, shaking their hands with one and holding onto Katniss with the other. They were smiling, giggling…doing everything they were supposed to do amongst the officials from District Twelve. At one point he felt her squeeze his hand and thread her fingers through his. He looked into her eyes and thought, 'I can't let you go. We have to find a way to stay together.' He regretted ever agreeing to the rebels plan. Regretted walking away from Katniss on the train. He searched her eyes in the hopes that she'd feel the same way he did, but she looked away and his heart ached that much more.

After she had said her silent hello to Gale at the train station, he expected to see him hanging around more, but he was working in the mines now and Katniss couldn't risk going to the woods while the camera crews were hanging around. Peeta found himself in familiar territory. Once again he was loving Katniss from afar and completely jealous of Gale. They wouldn't have to hide a thing. They could still go hunting together when the cameras left. They could go to the Hob. Hide out in the woods. About the only thing they couldn't do was flaunt a romance and Peeta didn't think that would happen. He was sure Katniss had meant what she had said about never falling in love with someone. About not getting married or having kids. Peeta still didn't want kids, if the rebellion was successful he'd probably reconsider having children, but marriage? Yeah, he wanted that. He wanted that with Katniss. The only good thing about Katniss spending time with Gale was that Peeta was sure he'd protect her, and Katniss' safety was all he ever wanted. Her safety and her love.

After each of the events, after the Games, he and Katniss would go to, they'd wait for the cameras to shut off and he'd feel her slip her hand out of his. She was always the first to pull away from their kisses…their hugs. He might have suggested a temporary split, but she was making it a permanent one.

He stood up from his position on the ground and braced himself against the oak tree. "One of these days, I'm going to get used to you," he said to his new limb. He let out a sigh and hung his head down. He was lonely. Today seemed to be a terribly bad day. "I miss you, Katniss," he whispered as he felt the rough bark of the tree against the palm of his hand. He wiped his dewy eyes on his sleeve, something he'd done a lot of in the past three months. He heard a rustling in the tree and looked up at it, but saw nothing. 'Probably just a squirrel,' he thought. He could feel eyes on him. He knew he was being watched. The Capitol saw everything. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on edge. He walked away, shuffling his feet along the rocky path. He didn't know the eyes that were following him did not belong to the Capitol. They belonged to Katniss.

…..

…..

She walked into her house with a somber expression plaguing her face. Katniss had waited until Peeta was out of view before climbing down from the tree, stopping at their carved initials; she was sure he had put there before the Games. It was worn and smooth around some of the edges, something only nature and time could produce. She trailed her fingers along the letters P and M and felt the tears burning in the back of her eyes and her throat closing up. 'Put him out of your head,' she thought. 'You have to go back to normal,' but there was no normality without him. She felt as though there was nothing but darkness and pain filling her soul. When her feet landed in the dirt, a puff of dust clouded around them. She looked down and saw what Peeta had been scratching at in the soil. He had drawn something. She turned her head to get a better angle and realized she was looking at what could have been her reflection. Peeta had drawn an image of her in the earth. She appeared forlorn and lost. 'Probably the way he remembers seeing you,' she thought. She kicked her foot and made a swipe with the sole of her boot to erase the picture. She didn't need to see it. If she had wanted to see it, she could just look in a mirror.

Prim was standing in her living room waiting for her. She had promised to take her to the meadow today so Lady could graze.

Prim had taken up arguing with Katniss as of late in regards to how strict she had become. Even her mother told her she needed to take it easier on her sister, but they didn't know how dangerous it was for Prim to roam alone in the district. The day her mother told her that Prim had gone to the meadow, Katniss had run there as fast as she could for fear that that would be the day the Capitol exacted their revenge, but she stopped short when she saw Peeta gathering herbs with her and Prim smiling at him. They had remained friends. Katniss had been worried that maintaining a friendship with Peeta would make Prim a target, but she was related to the Girl on Fire and nothing was more dangerous than that, so she said nothing about it. In a way she felt better knowing that Peeta had someone he could talk to. Prim had helped him go through some pretty tough times in his life before the Games, maybe she could help him now. That afternoon Katniss watched them for over thirty minutes until she heard Prim giggling and saw Peeta's sad smile. He hardly ever smiled when Katniss saw him. Even the hint of one brought a wave of sorrow and regret. There had been so many times she had wanted to tell him that they should just ignore the Capitol's threats and take a chance on life. What was the purpose of living if they had to be apart anyway?

Katniss stuck out her hand to her sister's waiting form and held onto it. Prim had tried to help her out of the funk she had buried herself in, but Katniss couldn't tell her sister the truth. She couldn't tell anyone the truth. The one person she could talk to was Peeta and he was off limits, so she continued to sulk as she had since the cameras left District Twelve.

"Sorry I'm late, Prim. I got held up."

"I was just about to go to Peeta's and see if he could take me." Prim took her sister's hand and walked out of the house. "Where've you been?"

"Just walking…thinking."

"You've been doing a lot of that lately." Prim got her goat's rope and wrapped it around her hand. Katniss watched her do it and thought of the many times Peeta would wrap her braid around his hand and felt her stomach tighten at the memory of it.

"I need to do something to keep myself busy." Katniss had stopped going to school. There was no purpose for it anymore. She didn't need to educate herself on Panem's history and how great the Capitol was. She'd become part of history and she already knew what a sham the Capitol was. She had always known, just not to the degree she did now.

"Maybe you should go hunting?" Prim asked as she closed the gate that kept Lady in her section of their backyard.

"Maybe." Katniss tried to find a smile for her sister. She hadn't been to the woods since she had gotten back from the Games. It's not that she didn't want to go, she wanted to, but she hadn't faced Gale alone since coming home and she didn't know how to answer the questions he would most assuredly ask her. She put thoughts of the woods out of her mind and said, "So…what's on Lady's menu today? Grass? Flowers?"

"I guess we'll find out when we get there," Prim smiled up at Katniss. "Let's go."

They walked hand in hand in utter silence. Prim used to rattle on and on to her in the past, now she allowed Katniss the quiet she craved. When Katniss felt like taking her mind off of life, she got Prim to tell her about her school day. Today, Katniss wanted peace. Too bad she'd never find it.

Prim sat in the meadow holding onto Lady's rope as Katniss stood to the side. She could see their old house in the Seam from there. She preferred it to the mansion the Capitol had provided her. The old house held special memories for her. Memories of her father. Prim was talking to her, but Katniss wasn't paying attention. She was staring at the house…remembering happier times. She never thought of her life as happy until she got back from the Games. She never realized all that she had, but now that it was gone…she'd give anything to go back to the way things were. Back to hunting for their food and risking punishment. Back then it was only her hide she had to worry about. To a time when sneaking off to meet Peeta for lunch had been the highlight of her day, even if they did have to brave some snow and ice in the winter months, but the spring…the spring was her favorite time to remember. She closed her eyes and thought of Peeta pulling her face down to his. The feeling of his lips against her skin and whispering in her ear, "Tell me you're not afraid of the person you become when you're with me." At the time he said this to her, she was petrified. Now she was more afraid of the person she was becoming without him.

…..

…..

"Katniss, you should really talk to him." Prim said as she walked her goat, Lady around the meadow. "Does he know how miserable you are?"

"I'm not miserable, Prim." Katniss said with a dismal tone in her voice.

"Forgive me. I didn't realize crying yourself to sleep every night for the past three months and waking up screaming were the signs of a happy person." Prim expected Katniss' scowl and flashed her a large smile in defense.

"Peeta doesn't want to talk to me," Katniss said blankly.

"For two people that are in love, you sure have a funny way of showing it."

"It's complicated, Prim."

Prim walked to the edge of the meadow and pulled one of the last remaining dandelions out of the earth. It was wilted, the pedals turning to brown. She held it under Katniss' nose and said, "No it's not, Katniss. All you have to do is walk over to his house, knock on the door and say it. Just say, 'I love you' and I bet you anything he'll say it back."

Katniss breath caught in her chest as she quietly said, "Read my lips," to herself.

Prim looked at her sister as she took the weed out of her hand and lifted it to her nose. "So tell him that," Prim shrugged. "Just talk to him. Say something…anything."

"Tell him what?" Katniss stared at the dandelion's petals and began pulling off the brown ones.

"Read my lips."

Katniss eyes flew to Prim's as she said with admonition, "Don't you dare say that to him, Prim. Don't tell him I said that." She was gripping Prim's arm.

Prim was taken aback by Katniss' reaction. She made a mental note to let those words slip out the next time she and Peeta took a walk. "What makes you think I talk about you with Peeta?"

"How else are we getting those damn cheese buns every other day?" Katniss cherished every single baked good Peeta supplied her family with. She'd hold them up to her nose and inhale the scent. The day he sent over loaves of raisin bread and herb bread the overwhelming scent of cinnamon and dill filled her house and Katniss ran to her old home in the Seam and cried.

"Maybe he makes them because someone always eats them and I can never get more than one?" Then again it could've been because Prim had told Peeta they were Katniss' favorites.

"Whatever." Katniss walked to the edge of the meadow and said, "Is that goat done eating yet? I want to go home."

"So go home. I know how to walk back to the village."

"I'm not leaving you here alone," Katniss was tapping her foot against the ground.

"You've become awfully protective of me since you've been back." Prim missed the days when she could walk to the meadow by herself and pick herbs. Now Katniss wouldn't let her go there alone.

"I've always been protective of you."

They began walking towards Victor's Village. "Let me rephrase that. You've become awfully overprotective of me since you've been back. Both of you have."

"I just want to keep you safe, Prim." Katniss sighed and said, "I'm sure mom has your best interest in mind too."

"I wasn't talking about mom. I was talking about Peeta."

"Peeta?" Katniss looked down at her sister. "He's been protecting you? How…what's he…I mean…"

"Oh for goodness sake…" Prim stopped walking and put her hands on her hips. "…just ask me how he's doing!" Katniss was silent. "Fine, since you asked…"

"I didn't ask," Katniss tone was clipped.

"He's miserable too. He pretends he's not, but he is." Prim pulled on Lady's rope to get her moving again. "The truth is…I think he's pretty depressed, Katniss. When I went to return the bread basket the other day, I saw him through his window. He was crying and punching at his leg…you know…the fake one."

Katniss closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "What did he say when you went to the door?"

"I could see him wiping his eyes through the window when I knocked and he kept stumbling when he tried to get up from the floor." Prim had felt horrible for him at the time. She still felt sorry for him.

"He was on the floor? Did he fall?" Katniss wondered aloud.

"I don't know. It took him a few tries, but he finally got up and answered. I handed him the basket and said thanks and he took it from me. He didn't even say hi or anything. Which is strange because Peeta's always so polite." Prim picked up their pace and noticed Katniss lagging behind.

"Maybe he just tripped or something?" Katniss said more to herself than Prim.

"That's not the only time I've seen him doing anything like that, Katniss." Prim turned around and walked backwards. "I really think he's having a hard time with his leg." She faced forward. "Maybe he needs to go back to the Capitol so…"

"No!" Katniss snapped at her. "He can't go back there." Katniss walked faster towards their house. "He can't." When they got home Katniss asked in a very sweet, very fake voice, "Prim? Can you bring this back to Peeta's for me?" It was a basket that had been full of muffins earlier in the day.

"What happened to the muffins?" Prim had really wanted another one of those.

"Oh…uh…They were almost gone, so I finished the last two off."

"There were almost a dozen of them left when we went to the meadow," Prim had an accusatory tone in her voice.

"Maybe mom had guests." Katniss held the wicker basket out to Prim.

"Like who? Mom doesn't invite anyone over…ever."

"Haymitch could've stopped by…or…or…" Katniss shoved the basket at Prim and said, "Will you take this or not?"

Prim walked to their trash can and lifted the lid to see all of the muffins sitting on top of the garbage. "Not." Prim went upstairs to take the ribbons out of her hair. Her satisfied smile reflected back at her from the mirror when she heard her sister's bedroom door slam. 'Good enough for you,' Prim thought to herself. 'It'll do you some good to worry about Peeta. Plus you threw away a batch of perfectly good muffins.'

…..

…..

"I'm coming," Peeta called down to the knock at his front door. He wiped the paint off of his hands with a dirty rag and opened it up. He had been expecting a delivery of art supplies, but he wasn't expecting it to be delivered by Katniss. "Uh…hi."

"Hi." She couldn't look at him. She didn't even want to be there, but her mother made her come. "We got one of your boxes by mistake."

Peeta looked around Katniss for the familiar crate that got delivered each month. "Oh…um…where…"

Katniss didn't know where the nerves came from, but she was overwhelmed with them and started spewing the first words she could think of out of her mouth. "Those stupid Capitol attendants brought it into our entry way and left it there. My mom thought it was the china she ordered, but when I opened it up I saw a bunch of…I didn't mean to open it. I thought it was ours. If I had known it was yours I would've made them bring it here themselves." She knew she sounded like a complete moron, but she couldn't stop explaining why she knocked on his door. "I was going to call them and tell them to come back, but my mother…"

"Katniss." She kept rambling. "Katniss!" Peeta finally interrupted her and felt a smile forming at her discomfort. "It's okay. I'll just come and get it." He threw the dirty cloth on the floor by the door and followed her to her house. He didn't know why he thought her rambling was so charming, but he found it captivating. "So your mom ordered some china, huh?" He asked her as they walked.

"Yup," Katniss nodded and folded her hands against her chest. She had to put them somewhere. They were itching to grab Peeta's and walk hand in hand like they had done in the past.

"I'd like to see it…if you don't mind." Peeta was looking at the back of Katniss' head as she stayed a step ahead of him the entire time.

"That's up to her." Katniss knew how much he'd appreciate the pattern that had been hand painted on each and every plate. She hoped her mother would allow him to look at it. She could go up to her room and peek out of her bedroom door and watch him. 'Or you could just stay in the same room with him,' she thought to herself. 'What would be the harm?' But Katniss knew how dangerous it would be if she allowed herself to think of their dinner date in the cave. For a few moments during the Games, Peeta had made her believe they were in a place of beauty and not fighting for their lives.

Katniss opened her front door and walked in, leaving it open for Peeta, but he didn't go in. He stood just outside the door and waited to be invited inside.

"Katniss. Shame on you for leaving Peeta outside," Her mother scolded. "Come in, Peeta."

Katniss looked over her shoulder and said, "I left the door open for him." As if that was enough of an invitation.

"Have some manners, young lady." Her mother said and Peeta had to hide his grin at the memory of Effie constantly chiding Katniss about her manners.

Katniss pointed to a large crate and said, "It's over there."

Peeta wiped his feet off on the welcome mat in front of their door and said, "Thanks." He walked to the box and made conversation with her mother. "So I hear you got some new china."

"Yes, it just came today. I'm looking forward to using it."

"I'd love to see it sometime. If that's all right with you." Peeta stood up and spoke directly to Katniss' mother. "I'm somewhat partial to intricate designs."

"I remember," Katniss' mother smiled at him. "I have a wonderful idea. Why don't you come over for dinner and you can…"

"No!" Katniss clamped her hand over her mouth.

Peeta looked down at the floor and said, "I'll pass Mrs. Everdeen. I have to go to the bakery and drop something off for my mother…" Peeta had been giving her money each month as a way to smooth over the fact that he didn't want her to live with him in Victor's Village. She was furious with him. She had planned on living like a victor, but the moment Peeta said he'd be giving them a monthly allowance, she shut up. "…but I'd still like to see your new dinner service sometime." He bent down and lifted the crate full of supplies. It was large and bulky. He wasn't sure if he could carry it home without tripping over his own feet. He gave the box a little jolt and thought he'd be better off waiting to get some help with it, but it was obvious Katniss wanted nothing to do with him, so he made his way out of their house and placed the box down on the street in front of him. He stared at it as if deciding on what to do and then kicked at it with his prosthetic leg. He didn't realize how hard of a swing he gave his leg and he felt a shot of pain shoot up his calf. "Son of a…" He clamped his lips closed. There was hardly any weight to the box as far as he was concerned; it was just the bulkiness of it that had him thrown. He bent down and lifted it again and walked a few steps. He could feel his leg getting wobbly so he put the thing down and almost fell on top of it. He looked over at Haymitch's house and gave a brief thought to asking his mentor to help him out with it, he'd want to know what was sent anyway, but waking up Haymitch would be a chore and Peeta didn't want to leave the box outside unattended. He gave himself a few seconds and just as he was about to lift it he heard Katniss.

"Want some help?"

He didn't want it, he needed it. "If you don't mind."

"I don't mind." She had a sad look on her face as she took one end of the box. Peeta would've never had a problem with a crate this size before the Games, but he had both of his legs back then. Even though his prosthetic provided him with full use of his legs, he still had trouble navigating it…dealing with it and Katniss felt responsible for it.

"On three…" Peeta said to her. "One…two…" Katniss stood up from her bent over position and stared at him. Peeta stood up and looked back at her. They had both been thinking about it. The last time they tried to do something on the count of three was when they lifted a handful of deadly berries to their lips. "Maybe you could just watch it and I can wake up Haymitch?"

Katniss shook her head at him. "No. I can do it." She bent over and placed her hands on the edge of the crate.

"Okay." Peeta matched her position. "Ready…set…go!" They lifted the crate and walked it to his house.

"Where do you want it?" Katniss asked as they set it down on the floor in his entryway.

"I can take it from here, Katniss."

"Your studio is in an upstairs bedroom, right?" It was no secret where he did his painting, but it surprised Peeta just the same that Katniss knew where he did it.

"Yeah, but I can do it."

"If you had a hard time carrying this across the street, what makes you think you can carry it up some stairs?" Katniss bent over to lift up the box. "I'll give you a hand."

"Okay," Peeta lifted the box with her and they walked it up the stairs, but set it in the hallway next to the bedroom. "This is fine."

"I don't mind taking it all the way inside."

"No. Really, Katniss. This is far enough." He didn't want her to go into his makeshift studio and see what he had been painting.

"Suit yourself." She turned to make her way back down to his front door, but stopped herself. "Look, Peeta. It's not that I don't want you to come over for dinner or anything…I just don't think we should give the appearance that we're having some sort of happy, family dinner." Her eyes flashed past his shoulders into this studio. She could feel the blood draining from her face.

"Sure. Whatever, Katniss." He rubbed a hand up his arm. "You don't need to explain yourself to me."

She gave him a curt nod and left him standing at the top of the stairs. When she closed his front door she leaned her back against it and pressed her palms to it taking several deep breaths.

He got a screwdriver and stood on the side of the box Katniss had been on and pried the lid of the crate open. When he lifted his eyes he saw it. Katniss had had a perfect view of the painting he had just finished. She was sitting on a rock by the riverbed in the arena, staring at a blue flower that matched his eyes and surrounded by a silver mist that matched hers.

…..

…..

He had barely said a word to Catnip since she was back. The cameramen were following her and Peeta around everywhere they went. They had even monopolized their time at home and, with his job at the mines, Gale barely had a moment to himself. He was determined to tell her how he felt, but then he watched them, from a distance, when they got back and Gale came to the conclusion that nothing he said would change Katniss' feelings towards Peeta. It wasn't until the day the parcels came with extra food, oil and grain, for the district, that Gale changed his mind.

"Can I tie my boot?"

"Hurry up!" Posy called out to Gale from outside front door. "We're going to be late!"

"Yeah. Yeah." Gale was taking his brothers and sister to pick up the packages for Parcel Day. Every home in the district would be getting it once a month for the next year thanks to Katniss and Peeta's winning the Hunger Games. He no longer dwelled on their relationship. He put it to the back of his mind. His life was too busy these days to waste the energy on them, but on days such as this, there was no avoiding the Star Crossed Lovers of District Twelve. He walked with his brothers and sister to pick up their packages, intending on carrying back the bag of grain, but allowing the delivery men to bring the cans of oil back to his house. The square was bustling with people. Children running around with tins of applesauce, cans of meat and candy.

"There's candy!" Posy called out when she saw a child run in front of her.

"No eating candy for you until mom says so," Gale winked at her as he said it. "Don't want to spoil your dinner." He lifted his sister up into his arms and gave her a little tickle.

Each family had a designated time to pick up their parcels. They were told they could arrive no more than fifteen minutes early. There were extra Peacekeepers at the door of the Justice Building to keep everyone at bay. No one would be stealing any extra rations. Even with the crowd of people, Gale was surprised to find that the line was moving swiftly. He was surprised the Peacekeepers had been so organized in their distributions. Naturally there was a crowd at the front of the line, and plenty of celebrating. That's when Gale saw them. Katniss and Peeta weren't handing out the packages, but off to the side, being recorded of course, and talking with the children. Katniss' face was beaming with joy. Gale tried to pull his focus away from them, but there was no avoiding them after getting his family's share of the spoils.

"It's your cousins, Katniss." Gale felt like Peeta was pouring salt into his wound with his statement.

"Hi!" Gale didn't think she could smile any bigger, but she did.

"Tell me something Rosy Posy," Peeta bent down to her. "Did you find that candy yet?"

"No. Gale said I have to wait until I get home," she put out a fake pout.

"What a big meany," Katniss chuckled and took a piece of candy from her pocket and snuck it to Posy.

"Speaking of home…we should get going. This bag of grain is heavier than I thought."

"You should try lifting the sacks of flour they get at the bakery," Peeta smiled.

Gale just gave them a nod and said, "Well, see ya around."

"Hey, Gale!" Peeta turned to the cameramen and said something then walked over to him. "Got a second?"

'Not for you dough boy,' he thought. "Sure. What can I do for you, Peeta?"

Peeta put his hand on Gale's shoulder and said quietly, "I held up my end of the deal. I kept her safe in the arena."

Gale flashed his eyes towards Katniss then back to Peeta. "Wha..?"

"We had a deal…remember?" Peeta asked him. "I held up my end of it. I expect you to do the same."

The morning of the reaping Peeta had told Gale that he'd keep Katniss safe in the arena as long as Gale promised to keep her safe when she got home, but now that Peeta came back with her… "Isn't that your job?"

"Just until the cameras stop rolling." Peeta stuck his hand out as if to shake Gale's. "Then…" He glanced at Katniss. "I'm counting on you."

Gale shook Peeta's hand and they said their farewells.

'Had he been right all along?' He wondered. 'Had Katniss and Peeta been playing for the cameras? Had they faked their romance in the arena in order to win over the sponsors?'

The cameras left weeks ago. Since then Katniss and Peeta seemed to be leading separate lives. Everyone in the district was talking about it. Wondering what the two of them had argued over to cause them to split apart. But Gale knew it was because the cameras were gone. Now Gale was headed to the woods, like he did every Sunday and to his surprise, Catnip was waiting for him. His feet couldn't seem to move. She looked beautiful. Troubled, but beautiful.

She finally noticed him standing there and walked, then ran to him. He grabbed her in a bear hug and swung her around.

"What are you doing here?" He asked as he buried his face in her shoulder.

"I…I…" They both laughed when she kept hiccupping against him. She held up a finger to him and held her breath, but it did no good. "I…nee…" Her shoulders slumped in a fit of exasperation. She drank something out of a thermos and waited until they were gone. "Hi there, cuz." She put her arm through his and dragged him towards the bag of food she packed for them.

Gale gave her a disgruntled look and said, "When did we become related again?"

They both made a feeble attempt at laughing and sat down to the feast she had packed for them to enjoy while in the woods.

"So how's your real family? I haven't seen Prim in ages."

"They're good. Things have actually been getting better between me and my mom, if you can believe that. And Prim…well…she's thrilled with her new room."

"I bet." Talk about their personal lives immediately went on the backburner. From that point on they spent their time hunting, checking snares and foraging through the woods.

"It's getting late. My mom and Prim don't know where I went so…I should really get back. I was thinking though…since I don't have anything to do during the day, maybe I could check the snares for you? It's not like Peeta and I…" She stopped talking and let her head hang down. She shook it out then lifted her face to his, but her smile and her eyes were full of sorrow.

'You're at the fence. If you're gonna do it, do it now,' Gale thought to himself. He cupped her cheeks in his hands and placed a kiss against her lips. She didn't move at first and then her fingers traveled up to his head. When she slid them through his short, black hair she jumped away from him. "Sorry. I had to do that. At least once," he confessed.

"I shouldn't have let you," Katniss had tears building up in her eyes. "I shouldn't have…" Katniss ran back into the woods, away from the opening in the fence.

Gale followed her into the forest. "I'm sorry, Catnip. I didn't mean to…to…"

"It's not that," her voice was shaking.

"Then what is it?" The tears started streaming down her face. "Is it him, Catnip? Do you…do you actually love him?" Gale stepped away from her as she buried her face in her hands and sobbed as though someone had died. "It was real," he said as if uncovering a dirty little secret. "How long, Catnip? How long have you two been….been…"

"It doesn't matter anymore," She lifted her tear streaked face. "It's over."

"Wonder how the nation will feel about their precious lovebirds breaking up?" Gale said with disgust.

"They can't know." Katniss sat down in the dirt. "And you can't speak a word of this to anyone."

"What? Like it's a secret?" Gale started pacing back and forth in front of her. "Everyone knows something is going on with the two of you. They either think you two were faking it to get out of the arena or had a fight." Gale looked down at her. Her knees were pulled up to her chest and her shoulders were quaking. "Is that what it was, Catnip? Did you have a fight?"

She shook her head and said, "I can't tell you."

Gale blew out a burst of air through his nostrils and said, "You know…you used to tell me everything."

"I can't tell you this." She reached out and put a hand on his leg. "I could get in a lot of trouble just for talking about this with you. It's just…when you kissed me…he hasn't…Peeta's gone…and…"

Gale dropped down to his knees and asked, "Did he do something to you? Did he hurt you?"

"No," she wiped her nose with her sleeve. "I hurt him. I hurt him so badly, Gale."

"Because you were only pretending to love him?" She didn't answer. "Damn it, Catnip. You have to tell me something. You can't kiss me and start crying and think I'm going to be satisfied with these clipped answers." He put his finger under her chin. "Don't I deserve more than that?"

"Yes," she nodded. It took her a little while, but she finally said, in a very hushed tone, "I'm so afraid, Gale. So scared of what can happen."

"What's going to happen?" He matched his vocal level to hers. It wasn't like Katniss to be afraid…of anything.

"I loved him, Gale. I still love him, but the thing we did with the berries…we're in a lot of trouble for it and the only way we can stay out of trouble is to stay out of love."

"Geez," Gale let his body drop down. "How much trouble are we talking about?"

"They could kill him…us…my family…you…" Katniss started crying again. "That's why…" she tried to catch her breath but she couldn't.

"Catnip, it's okay. It's going to be okay." He reached out and took her in a hug, but she didn't hug him back.

She sat and cried until she was cried out. She wiped her eyes on the hem of her shirt, reached into the bag of food and searched out a napkin so she could blow her nose and looked at Gale defiantly. "It's what I wanted. I never wanted a boyfriend or a husband and I cannot have children. So this is all for the best."

"I don't understand, Catnip. You've got to keep up the romance thing while everyone is watching, but you can't have the real thing because…?"

"Because that's what they want. They want to make us suffer. They want to keep us apart."

"Screw them!" Gale had no clue why he was defending Katniss and Peeta's relationship, but it bugged the hell out of him that the Capitol was trying to control the lives of everyone around him.

"I wish. I wish I could just tell them all to go to hell, but I can't. They'll take it out on everyone around us." She looked at him with pain in her eyes. "They'll take it out on Peeta, and I can't let them do that. I won't let them win."

"No offense, Catnip, but it looks like they're already winning." Gale sat next to her and leaned back on his hands. "Have you two actually thought this thing through? You're going to have to play the happy couple whenever there are cameras around. All through the Victory Tour and every year you go back to the Capitol for the Games they're going to want to know what's going on between the two of you. They're going to keep rehashing the romance… Meanwhile, back at home, you two have to pretend not to care." Gale took a deep breath and said, "You'll never be able to live your own life. Never be able to…to fall in love with anyone else."

"I wouldn't anyway," she snapped. "Like I said, I never wanted this." She stood up and dusted off her pants. "I'm sorry I bothered you with this. I shouldn't have said anything." Her face was stone, but her voice cracked when she said, "I never wanted to fall in love with Peeta Mellark."

Gale studied her. She might have been regaining her composure, but he could tell she was hurting inside. "You may not have wanted it, but you did." She didn't reply. "What are you going to do about the talk around here? People are wondering about you two."

"I don't know. We didn't really think about that."

"Maybe you should've." Gale stood up next to her and lifted up their bags. "Your mom could probably help out with that though."

"I can't tell her! And you can't either! You can't tell a soul!"

"I'm not going to," Gale defended himself. "Look, when she did the interviews, while you were in the arena, she kept saying you were too young to date. Why not use that as an excuse?" Gale shrugged.

"She's said it often enough to the interviewers after we got back too. I guess that would work. "

"Sure it will, Catnip." He handed her bag to her. "There's just one thing I have to ask you though."

"What?" She put the bag over her shoulder and sniffed back the last of her grief.

"I know why I kissed you, but…why did you kiss me back?" Katniss turned bright red and looked away from him. "That's what I thought." He paused. "I'm not him, Catnip. No matter how tightly you close your eyes, when you open them up, it'll still be me. The next time you kiss me, I'd appreciate it if you weren't pretending I was Peeta."

Gale started walking to the fence. Katniss reached out her hand and stopped him. "I'm sorry, Gale. I never meant to hurt you." He nodded his head at her. He wasn't sure how he felt about her apology.

Before he walked through the opening of the fence he said, "Thanks for offering to check the snares. I think I'll take you up on that." 'You're still trying to take care of her, Peeta and she doesn't even know it.' He thought to himself. 'All right, I'll do my best to keep her safe here at home.' He made his way to the Hob to make his trades. When he was stopped by someone and they inquired about the trouble between Katniss and Peeta, Gale felt a little piece of him harden as he answered. "Her mother thinks she's too young to date."

…..

…..

Peeta unpacked his art supplies and ran his fingers along the edge of the canvases. When he felt the one he knew would hold information on it, he pulled it out and poured a series of chemicals in a tin can. He dipped the blue handled paintbrush that came with his shipment into it and brushed the liquid across the upper left hand corner of the canvas. He blew a hot breath against it and watched as a series of numbers and letters appeared. The first time Peeta received a coded message from the rebellion via his art supplies he had to write it down. Since then he had taken the time to memorize a couple of ciphers the rebels used. He had no need to write down today's message; he could read it as easy as he could read the alphabet. Peeta closed his eyes and let out a sigh as he processed the information that had been sent. He knew Haymitch wouldn't be happy about it…hell, he wasn't happy about it. There were more delays in the factory in District Eight. The cloak and dagger thing had taken a toll on him. There were times when he didn't want to be a part of the rebellion. He was sorry he had ever agreed to join them without Katniss' knowledge. Maybe if they had told her things would be different right now? Peeta put these thoughts out of his mind and quick. He had to remind himself why he had agreed to join. It wasn't just him and Katniss anymore and if things worked out, all of them…their whole nation could live in a place where the Games would no longer exist. Where Peacekeepers wouldn't whip a boy for dropping a basket of fruit. A place in which some people lived in the lap of luxury and others starved to death. A place where he would be free to love whoever he wanted and not worry about the consequences. Peeta dipped the blue paintbrush in some green paint and flushed the chemical mixture he had made down the toilet.

It was time to wake up Haymitch. "Wake up!" Peeta yelled at Haymitch as he walked into his mentor's house. When the man didn't budge from his face down position on his sofa, Peeta walked up to him and snapped the rag he had hanging over his shoulder, against his butt. "Get up, old man!" Peeta tried not to breathe in through his nose as Haymitch's house smelled from a barrage of stale vomit, dirty dishes, pots and pans with food in them since…who knows when, soiled clothing and empty liquor bottles. Lots and lots of empty bottles. "Come on, Haymitch. I'm not in the mood for this today!" He flicked the rag at his mentor again, but Haymitch didn't budge. Peeta began to panic. He bent down next to the man and began shaking him, but he didn't come to. "Haymitch!" Peeta screamed at him and fell back on his butt when Haymitch's hand shot out from underneath him and punched Peeta squarely in the eye. "Son of…Damn it, Haymitch!" Peeta screamed at his mentor as he held a hand over his eye.

"Wha…" Haymitch began to come to.

"You hit me!" Peeta screamed at him.

Haymitch mumbled something to Peeta that sounded somewhat like the word sorry, and rolled off of the sofa and onto the floor. "Gotta pee," Haymitch looked at Peeta with dark, sunken eyes.

"Don't look at me. I'm not helping you." Peeta stood up and walked to the exit. "Come get me when you wake up." He left Haymitch's house with a hand over his eye. He examined it in his bathroom mirror and let out a few choice words for his mentor. Peeta was normally able to stop Haymitch from hitting him…throwing a knife at him…puking on him… His mentor woke up in very strange ways. Today however, his head was somewhere else. He walked to his freezer and went to get some ice, but found none in there. He looked at the counter and saw his empty ice trays there. "Great," he said to himself. If he didn't put something on it, it was bound to swell up. He began plotting his revenge against Haymitch as he walked to Katniss' house.

"Just hold this over your eye while I get the cream my mom uses for bruises. It should help." Katniss heard Prim talking to someone through an open window of their house.

"Thanks Prim. I appreciate it." It was Peeta. Why did Prim need to get something for a bruise. Katniss peeked out the window and saw Peeta sitting in their backyard with some ice over his eye. She ran to Prim when she heard the front door opening. "What happened? Why does he have ice over his eye?"

Prim shrugged. "Don't know. Ask him." She went to the apothecary and began searching for the lotion her mother made out of yams.

Katniss stood still for all of ten seconds before heading to the back of their house.

Peeta looked up at her and pulled the ice off of his eye revealing a bruise. "Hey."

"Your eye…"

"Yeah. I…bumped into something." He was too embarrassed to tell her that Haymitch had finally landed a punch.

Katniss put two and two together. Peeta was obviously lying and he had said he was going to the bakery to give his mother something. He only made excuses when she hit him. She smacked a hand against her thigh and said, "Hell, no. She is not getting away with this." She turned and ran before Peeta could think to stop her.

Prim walked out and saw Katniss running through Victor's Village. "Where's she going?"

"I…I don't know." Peeta stood there and a light went off in his head. "Oh, no!" He dropped the ice Prim had given to him onto the ground and jogged out of the village with Prim in his wake.

"What's wrong? Where is she going?" Prim asked as she caught up to him.

"The bakery."

"Why? You bring us everything we need."

"She thinks my mom…oh hell…" Peeta tried to pick up the pace, but he wasn't as fast as he used to be. "I thought she hated me."

"Who? Katniss? Or your mother?" Prim kept up a steady jog next to him.

"Katniss." Peeta answered.

"She doesn't hate you. She loves you. She cries all the time since you two stopped…"

Peeta stopped in his tracks. "She cries over…me?"

"She cries over everything. She even cried when we ate rabbit for dinner. Mom hasn't made any since."

Peeta started laughing quietly to himself. "She loves me." It was like the world had been lifted off of his shoulders. "She still loves me!" He smiled at Prim and then remembered where Katniss was heading. "Oh, crap!"

Katniss tore into the back door of the bakery and ignored the baker's greeting. She headed straight for the witch who was mixing something in a bowl with a wooden spoon. "Who the hell do you think you are?" She started tearing through the drawers of the bakery, pulling out any utensil that remotely resembled a wooden spoon and slamming them on the countertop. "You think you can just hit him and get away with it?"

"What…what are you doing here?" Peeta's mother stood unmoving and in shock at Katniss' abrupt demeanor.

"What am I doing here?" Katniss picked up the utensils she gathered and opened up the oven. She threw the wooden implements into the fiery coals. "If you think for one minute…" She stalked towards Peeta's mother. "…that I'm going to let you hurt him, you're mistaken." She stood directly in front of the shaking woman and ripped the spoon out of her hand. "If you ever…EVER lay a hand on him again, I'll kill you."

Prim and Peeta made it to the back of the bakery and heard Katniss yelling. "Peeta, I think she's going to kill your mother."

"Katniss!" Peeta called to her, but it was too late. Katniss had the woman pressed up against the counter and was practically spitting in her face.

"Try it! Just try it again, and it'll be the last thing you ever do! You've seen what I can with a bow and arrow!"

"Katniss," Peeta ran in and pulled her off of his mother. "Stop it!"

Peeta's father and brothers all stood back and watched as Katniss threatened Peeta's mother. Peeta was dragging Katniss off of his mom with both hands while Katniss continued to scream at her over his shoulder. "I won't miss! I swear to you, I will not miss! Right through the eye!"

Peeta flung Katniss over his shoulder and hauled her past a shocked Prim and out the backdoor. "Knock it off."

She was flailing her arms and yelling at him, "Put me down! Damn it, Peeta! Put me down." He looked to his left and then his right and began jogging.

"I'll put you down when you calm down."

"Now! Drop me!" She started pounding her fists against his back.

Peeta saw what he was looking for. The meadow was just a few yards away. "Stop fighting me," he grunted when one of her flailing fists hit him in the ribs. "You're hurting me, Katniss."

"Put me dow…OW!" He dropped her on her butt onto the grass.

"Fine. You're down." He started rubbing at his side where her fist landed. "What the hell was that all about?" He pointed towards the direction of the bakery.

"I know that we agreed to stay out of each other's lives, but I just couldn't let her…" Katniss looked up at his black eye and said, "I'm going back there and kicking the…"

"Katniss! She didn't hit me!" Peeta grabbed her by the upper arms before she could sprint back to his parent's bakery.

"Don't make excuses for her!" Katniss yelled at him. "I told you I wouldn't let her lift a hand to you."

"And I told you I wouldn't let that happen either." Peeta lowered his voice down to a melodic tone. "And I haven't. I won't." he gave Katniss a little shake.

She stood staring at him…at his eye. "Then how did you get…"

Peeta grinned and said, "I bumped into something."

"Don't! I hate it when you lie to me so don't do it!"

"I'm not lying. I bumped into Haymitch's fist." Peeta smiled. "After I tried to wake him up."

"You mean…" Katniss stepped backwards away from Peeta. "Haymitch gave you that?"

"Yeah, but if it makes you feel any better, I plan on seeking revenge." Katniss face started to flush. "Hey…" Peeta tilted his head to the side and spoke tenderly to her. "I'm fine. It doesn't even hurt…well it hurts, but only a little." He took baby steps towards her. "Katniss?"

"What?" She couldn't look him in the eyes.

"Why'd you do that? Defend me that way?" He was hoping she would tell him she didn't hate him. That she still loved him.

"I…I…I just did. That's all," She crossed her arms over her chest and turned her back to him.

He placed a hand, gingerly on her shoulder and said, "You know…people might think you actually care about me if you do things like that." He lifted the corner of his mouth in a grin.

The warmth of his hand against her shoulder felt impossibly good. "I do care about you."

"Do you?" He turned her slowly towards him. "Because…I didn't think you did anymore. You barely talk to me. You won't even look at me."

Katniss was staring at her feet. "Wasn't that what we agreed to do?"

"I'm not sure what we agreed on." He stepped closer to her. Boy, did he want to kiss her.

If she stood this way with him much longer, she knew the past few months would be for nothing and she'd be jeopardizing his safety. "We agreed to forget we ever loved each other."

"No. I never agreed to that."

She stepped back. "I should get home."

"Don't leave, Katniss. Let's talk." He begged her.

"We can't."

"We could go into the woods or something." He spoke quietly. "No one will see us there."

She shook her head, "No." It killed her, but she looked into his eyes and said, "I'm not sorry."

"For what? What aren't you sorry for?" His heart was racing with anticipation. He had been waiting months for her to answer his question as to whether or not she regretted loving him.

'For loving you,' she thought to herself. 'For letting you love me. For any of the time we spent together.' "For yelling at your mother. She might not have given you that black eye, but I owed her for the one she gave you years ago…for all of the marks she put on your body." Her eyes dropped to the spot on his chest where the burn had been.

"They're gone now. All of them. There are no more marks on my body…no scars."

"Good." Katniss headed back towards her house and saw Prim standing at the edge of the meadow staring at them. "I'll see you around, Peeta."

"Stay," He begged.

"See ya," she repeated her farewell.

He heard her tell Prim it was time to go home, but Prim said she was walking back with him. When Katniss was out of sight, Peeta sat in the center of the meadow allowing his mind to race. 'You still love me, Katniss. I really thought you hated me. I thought you'd never forgive me and now…now…'

"Boy, I'd hate to be your mom right now." Prim sat next to Peeta and crossed her legs.

"She looked pretty scared, didn't she?" Peeta glanced down at Prim.

"She looked like she was going to pee her pants." Prim tried to hold the laughter in, but it escaped in a little burst of air through her nose and then she heard Peeta chuckling to her side. Prim bit her bottom lip and let out a huge giggle. Both of them sat in the meadow laughing at the image of Peeta's mother being threatened by Katniss with a wooden spoon.

Katniss was slugging back to Victor's Village. 'Idiot! Why did you do that?' She began talking to herself in her mind.' Because you assumed it was his mother. She had hit him so many times before. Before the Games, but what about now? Like Peeta being a victor was going to change the witch. If anything she's probably even meaner since she still has to live above the bakery while Peeta lives in a mansion by himself. And why did Haymitch hit him? Because he was trying to wake the man up.' Katniss didn't care what the reason was. When she got back to the village she stormed into Haymitch's house and before he could get out the words, hi, sweetheart, she slugged him in the eye. There was a sweet sense of serenity inside of her when she heard Haymitch's scream of pain.

Prim and Peeta sat in the meadow, for a little while, laughing. "I really shouldn't find this amusing. She's my mother, but…"

Prim giggled behind her hand. "Did you see that fire?"

"No."

"There were a bunch of wooden utensils in there. I think Katniss threw every spoon your family owned in there," Prim couldn't stop laughing at the memory of Peeta's family standing to the side and watching the events. "And your dad…he didn't even move. He just stood there."

"My brothers didn't do anything either," Peeta's stomach hurt. "Prim, we really need to stop laughing about this." This, of course, brought on another round of laughter. "We Mellark men are such cowards," Peeta's laugh ended in a sigh.

Prim stopped laughing and said, "No you're not."

"Oh, Prim." Peeta tugged on one of her braids. "You have no clue." He stood up and held his hand out to her. "Come on."

"No." She took on a serious expression. "Why would you think you're a coward? You're the bravest boy I know…the bravest boy in all of Panem. You saved my sister's life. You fought the Careers."

"I hid what my mother did to me my whole life," Peeta added.

"Yet you still faced her, knowing what the outcome would be, and gave Katniss that bread." Prim looked up at him from her sitting position and said, "You've always been courageous, Peeta."

"Thanks, Prim, but I never did any of that because I wanted to be a hero. I did it for her." He let his hand drop and lifted a shoulder. "I should've fought harder for her."

"How much harder could you fight?" Prim patted the ground next to her and Peeta sat. "You did everything you could. It's not your fault Katniss is stubborn and doesn't want a husband or anything."

"What do you know about that?" Peeta asked her with a curious gleam in his eye.

"Katniss has spent my whole life telling me I shouldn't fall in love. I shouldn't get married. I shouldn't have kids… Apparently I shouldn't have a life."

Peeta chuckled. "She's just trying to protect you from getting hurt."

"She tries to protect everyone she loves." Prim turned to Peeta. "Like you."

This brought a smile to Peeta's face. "Yeah…she's always trying to keep me safe."

"Just like in the arena. She'd do anything to make sure you stayed out of danger. If she could put you on a shelf under a glass dome and keep you there, I think she would. She'd probably just stare at you everyday and sigh," Prim batted her eyelashes at Peeta.

He bounced his shoulder against hers and grinned. "Prim? You said Katniss has been crying over me? Did you mean that or are you just trying to get us back together?"

"Nope. I meant it. She's even talking to herself. Saying weird things." Prim remembered what Katniss had warned her not to say to Peeta. "I have no clue why she keeps saying, 'read my lips' to herself." Peeta's eyes shot towards Prim, but she didn't stop talking. She knew she had him by the expression on his face. "And I'm not too pleased with you about this…thing that's happened between the two of you." Prim scolded him. "The Peeta I knew would never let anyone get in the way of loving my sister. He would've never given up on her even if she was the one standing in his way." Prim crossed her arms over her chest. "Nothing was more important to him than being with Katniss."

"She's still the most important person in the world to me, Prim." Isn't that why he was keeping his distance from her?

"Then fight for her!" Prim turned her body to face Peeta. "You two did everything short of dying so you could be together in that arena, Peeta. If loving Katniss was worth fighting for in the arena, isn't she worth it out of the arena too?"

"Yeah." Peeta looked down and studied a patch of dying grass. "This sucks," he glanced up at Prim.

"It doesn't have to. You can win her back."

"I'd like to. Believe me, but…"

"But nothing. Peeta, don't let anyone tell you how to live your life. It's yours. If you want to be with Katniss, then be with her." She stood up and held her hand out to his. "Otherwise, there was no point to anything you did during the Games…no reason for the nightlock. You two might as well have battled each other to the death when the Gamemakers changed the rules back to one victor."

'How can a twelve year old girl know more about life than a room full of rebels?' Peeta thought to himself. This is exactly what the Capitol wanted. Katniss and Peeta were a threat as a couple and wanted to force their separation in order to get their final battle. The one the Games never provided. Would the Capitol hurt Katniss? He didn't think so. No. He knew they wouldn't. They were both too much in the public eye as was their families. Prim was right. Katniss and Peeta may have been pronounced the winners of the Games, but if the Capitol kept them apart, they'd be the winners and Katniss and Peeta's actions with the berries would be for naught ultimately hurting the rebellion. Peeta was keeping his distance from her for the rebel's sake, but what good would Katniss be to them if she was a crying mess? Katniss' current emotional state would cause more damage to the rebellion then good. If they wanted to succeed, they needed the girl that blew up the Careers' food. The girl that buried Rue in flowers. They needed the Girl on Fire. Peeta knew what he had to do. It was time to rekindle Katniss' flame. "Prim," Peeta stood up and put his hand in hers. He wasn't sure if he was doing this for the rebellion or for himself, but it had to be done. "How'd you like to help me win Katniss back?"

"Now we're talking." Prim smiled brightly. "What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking she might need to climb a tree…an oak tree."