Peeta's POV

The next morning, I was back at the bakery, working with my brother Patrick. Thankfully, although he hadn't agreed to go with my idea for opening a new bakery to create jobs for people from the Seam, Pat still allowed us to continue baking only bread to keep prices low at the existing bakery.

As I kneaded the dough, my mind went over what happened the night before. I couldn't believe everything I found out about Katniss. For so long, I had thought she was going out with Gale, and that's what everyone around me seemed to think too. Hannah certainly reinforced that idea. I had no idea that Katniss' first kiss was with me in the Games. It's really not the best place to have your first kiss. No wonder she seemed so confused about it after.

I kept trying to flirt with her, thinking I had to prove my experience because I thought Katniss had been with an older guy. But now I finally realized that I must've been coming off too strong. I was probably scaring her off. Maybe that's why she's been avoiding me ever since that night at the restaurant. We were probably moving way too fast and our disagreement over the training center gave her a reason to distance herself from me.

Everything suddenly seemed to make sense.

No wonder she said she had never wanted to get married. Not until her life and that of her loved ones was threatened. I suddenly felt so sorry for her, that she never got a chance to experience love without basically the entire country pressuring her into it. I knew how that felt on a smaller scale with everyone in town pressuring me into an arranged marriage with Valerie. But I was lucky enough to ultimately escape that fate.

Patrick had an arranged marriage. As far as Katniss was concerned, she did too. She was forced to marry someone she didn't love. At least that's how she made it seem.

"What's got you looking so down?" Patrick asked suddenly, rousing my attention.

I shook my head hesitating whether I should say anything at all, before finally succumbing.

"It's Katniss," I sighed. "She hasn't been acting like herself lately."

She had been avoiding me for weeks. Now I partially understood why she was so guarded. But she still hadn't started trusting me again completely.

"I understand," Pat responded, much to my surprise. "All marriages have their rough patches."

I let out an internal sigh of relief. It seems that maybe I can trust Pat with this. I just have to make sure I don't give him too many details. I tried to think of the right words to say.

"When you got married, how did you learn to get along with Sophie?" I asked hesitantly, wary of the cameras watching us.

"Marriage is difficult," Pat began. "You've already been married for almost—six months, it's been?"

I nodded. I hadn't realized it had been so long.

"Sophie and I had our problems too," Pat admitted. "You just have to get to know each other, listen to each other, and sometimes make compromises."

He had already given me most of this advice when I first got married.

"What do you do when…" I began, trying to think of the right words. "…things grow stale?"

That's how it's felt in the past few weeks. We may have been getting closer in the forest, but she still hadn't warmed up to me at home completely.

"You just have to remind each other of why you fell in love in the first place."

Pat winked at me and gave me a small smile.

"Thanks, Pat," I grinned back. "You always give the best advice."

After I finished in the bakery, I headed into the woods, covertly paying off my Peacekeeper friend, Cecille, before sneaking under the fence like Katniss had taught me. As I made my way through the forest, I thought of the advice Pat had given me. I wasn't sure if I could remind Katniss how we fell in love, because I wasn't even sure if she felt that way about me. But I could try to remind her of the good times we've had before. First, however, I had to complete my mission and fulfill my promise to help Katniss with the refugees.

Since I had finished my training with Katniss, I could finally meet the refugees she was hiding in the forest, and I was excited to do so. Aside from the Peacekeepers and the tributes I met in the Games, I hardly had any contact with anyone in the other districts. I was so curious about their lives in District 8 and what differences and similarities they had to our own. It's incredible that they had survived an attack on their district and devised a plan to somehow get to District 13, which I still wasn't convinced existed anymore.

I was supposed to meet Katniss at the tree where she hid her spare bow and arrow. She told me she wouldn't be there, because she wanted me to find it on my own first. When I got there, I checked the slit inside the trunk and I found the correct bow and arrow, so I knew I was in the right place. I looked around, only Katniss was nowhere to be found. But I knew her better than that.

I looked up at the tree expanding above me, and carefully inspected the branches. I saw the leaves rustle from some movement. I remembered the technique Katniss showed me that's best to use for my leg and began climbing up the tree. Even if she wasn't up there, it would give me a good vantage point to see where she might be. I climbed up the tree halfway, sat down on a large branch, and looked down perusing the forest floor for any sign of her. Still nowhere to be found. So I kept going higher. As I did, I saw a lithe body moving above me that was all too familiar. I felt invigorated by the challenge. I kept going higher and further up the tree's large trunk, until finally—I glimpsed her silky black braid flying in the wind. I climbed up a few steps more, trying my best to be quiet as I approached the branch she was perched on. When I got near, I swung myself over to sit right beside her.

"Hey," I began, locking my eyes on her grey ones. "I knew I'd find you here."

"You did," she flashed me a smile showing she was mildly impressed. "Good job."

"Did I pass the test?" I grinned back at her. I admired the way the tendrils of her dark hair floated past her olive-skinned cheeks.

"Still have to go down," she replied curtly, breaking her gaze. She jumped down from the tree branch and began climbing down swiftly. I quickly followed after her trying to keep up.

When we got down to the forest floor, she turned to me. Her eyes scanned over me, sizing me up. Finally she said, "You passed. I think you're ready," she turned to start heading forward. "Follow me."

She led me to the lake where the cabin stood. We had been here on our first day in the woods, to help calm me down, but I had never been inside the cabin before.

She gave a knock on the door that seemed to be a code.

Then the door opened to reveal a young girl with a strawberry patch on the skin around one of her eyes.

"Hey, Katniss—" she began in a bubbly voice before her eyes widened as they landed on me. "You brought Peeta!" she shrieked excitedly.

"She sure did! Hi, there!" I chuckled, surprised by her enthusiasm. Sometimes I forgot that people in other districts still remembered me from appearing on television.

"I'm so happy to finally meet you!" Bonnie squealed as she grabbed my hand and pulled me inside the cabin. "I thought Katniss would never bring you!"

"I wouldn't miss a chance to meet the refugees who walked all the way here from District 9," I replied. "Katniss has told me all about you! You must be Bonnie?"

Suddenly the girl squealed in excitement again. "I can't believe you know my name!"

"Of course I know your name!" I assured her. "How could I forget the name of the only fourteen-year-old I know about who has walked all the way here from another district?"

Bonnie blushed profusely at my compliment and swayed back and forth shyly. "It was nothing!" she giggled.

An older woman with chocolate colored hair appeared in the living room and approached me with a smile on her face. "Peeta, what a happy surprise!"

"You must be Twill," I surmised, holding my hand out. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine," Twill took my hand eagerly. "I was so moved by your donation of your Victor's reward to the families of the lost tributes. I've never seen such a gesture of unity between the the districts. It was truly inspiring."

"It was the least I can do,"I replied sincerely. "Their families suffered more than ours did. It was only right that they were provided for. I just wish I could've done more."

"You did more than enough," Twill assured me. "That one gesture set off the rebellion in my district. It was the final push we needed to realize that we can change the system and other districts may support us in our revolt against the Capitol."

I suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Sometimes I forgot that my words and actions on television had an impact on so many lives outside my own.

"I'm sorry that my words and actions caused such chaos," I looked down sullenly. "I never meant to cost the lives of so many…"

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Twill placed her hand on mine. "The Capitol would have killed us one way or another. It didn't matter what we did. It was either enduring a slow death living as we had been for so long, or swift death fighting for what we believe in—to make the world a better a place and improve our lives. We risked our lives fighting for a life worth living for."

I remembered how my life felt like it wasn't worth living after Joey died. I understood exactly how she felt. I'd rather die fighting to change the system we live under than living miserably abiding by it.

"I understand," I nodded at Twill. "That's why I want to do whatever I can to help you."

"Thank you," she squeezed my hand gratefully and gave me a small smile. "But Gale will be escorting us to District 13 soon."

"Actually...there's been a change of plans," Katniss announced in a serious tone. "Gale has fallen ill, so Peeta will escort you to District 13."

"Oh no, what happened to Gale?" Twill glanced at Katniss as her eyebrows furrowed over with concern. "Is there something we can do to help him?"

Katniss shook her head, trying to mask the sad glint in her eyes. "He's recovering and should be better soon, but not in time to escort you to District 13. The Peacekeepers are clamping down on everyone in the district. It's best we go as soon as possible. Peeta's been training to get you there safely," she assured.

I nodded eagerly. "I've been practicing and learning a lot in the past few days to prepare for the journey."

"We have no doubt that you'll do a great job escorting us after how well you did in the Games," Twill assured with a smile.

"Oh, that was all Katniss," I smiled at her. If I didn't know better I could've sworn I saw her cheeks redden.

"We have a lot to prepare," Katniss interjected hastily. "Twill can you please help me prepare the bags in the kitchen?" Twill nodded and they left the room.

"Oooh, I'm so excited to go on the journey with you!" Bonnie exclaimed. "We'll have so much fun!"

"I'm sure we will," I chuckled. I chatted with Bonnie for a while, before we joined Katniss and Twill in preparation for our journey.