I glanced over at her house, looking for some sort of sign of life. It had been two months since Katniss had been ordered back to District 12 for shooting President Coin, and I have yet to see her leave the house; the only activity there is Greasy Sae going in and out for breakfast and dinner. For a moment I am overcome with a need to see how Katniss is, but I'm nervous I'll make it worse somehow. I haven't talked to her since I came back to the Victor's Village, and a part of me wonders if that's my fault.

I look down at my garden and continue weeding, but I decide that I must do something to break the impasse. Something she can ignore if she wants, if it is too much for her. I look over at the disheveled garden in front of her house, and I think I will plant flowers for her. That would be good.

The next morning I go in search of some wild flowers along the woods. The air is brisk, but I am determined in the quest I have chosen for myself. I walk along the edge of the trees, watching the birds and the squirrels and I remember how Katniss used to talk about how comforting the woods are to her.

I come upon a group of beautiful flowers blossoming under the shade of a few trees, and I think they look like they could work. And then I realize what they are; primroses. They're perfect. I separate them from the ground, taking care to get all of the roots, and I bring them back in a basket to the Victor's Village.

It's still early when I plant the bushes in Katniss' garden, evidenced by a slight pink hue in the clouds. As I finish putting in the last few flowers, a wave of uncertainty hits me; what if she doesn't want this daily reminder of Prim? What if she just wants me to leave her alone? Maybe she is still mad at me from all the horrible things I did when I was hijacked. Or from stopping her from killing herself after she shot Coin. My hand begins to tremble, and I realize that my thoughts could send me into another flashback, and I fear those above all else. I try to breathe, and continue shoveling with shaking hands when I hear the door open.

"Peeta?" Katniss looks at me from the doorway, puzzled. It's the first time I've seen her in weeks, and she looks so different. There are deep bags under her eyes, and she looks too thin. I feel a knot in my stomach; I shouldn't have done this.

I manage to get out, "They're primroses."

Katniss looks down at the flowers and slowly back to me. There are tears in her eyes, but I wait for her to say something. Suddenly, she hugs me, her arms clasped tightly behind me. I had almost forgotten how good this feels, to hold her. To be held by her.

She pulls back and gives me a soft smile. "Thank you," she says. I nod and go to turn back to my house. I don't want to overwhelm her.

"Peeta," she stops me, and I turn around, "Would you…like to join me and Sae for dinner tonight? She talks about you all the time."

I feel myself smile and nod. "Sure. I'd love to."

I come back over around six o'clock with a basket of cookies in hand. Sae comes to the door, but she looks nervous. "She's had a pretty bad afternoon, I think, Peeta. It might be uncomfortable for you. It's okay if you don't want to stay."

I think about leaving; maybe Katniss doesn't want to see me now. If I'm honest with myself, I'm a little afraid of seeing her, too. What do her bad days look like? I know what mine feel like, when I can't seem to forget about the war, or the games. When the ghosts people who died for me, the people I killed stand a little closer to me than they usually do. The days they almost suffocate me. Maybe her bad days are like mine. At that thought, I decide I do want to stay. She had hugged me earlier, maybe I could help somehow. "I think I'll still join you if that's okay." Sae nods and moves to let me in.

The first thing that hits me is the darkness. All the shades are drawn and not a single light is on, and a thin layer of dust covers most surfaces in sight. "She's in there," Sae points to the living room.

I walk over slowly, so as not to startle her, to see Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire, curled up in a ball on the couch. She is awake, but her eyes are unmoving, even when I enter the room. Based on the blankets and food strewn about, I think she must live only in this room. I sigh. Is this what she has been like the whole time? Why haven't I helped her? Why didn't she ask for my help? I swallow, and decide I am going to help her now. "Katniss?" I ask quietly. "Katniss, I brought cookies."

She looks over at me, but she stays on the couch. She looks so changed from when I saw her this morning, and, again, I wonder which Katniss is the norm. I walk over to her and sit on the arm of the chair. "Katniss, what's wrong?"

"I'm not hungry," she whispers. There is no malice in her voice, just…sadness, and a little bit of something else I can't quite place.

"Even for cookies? They're chocolate chip." I smile a little, but I feel awkward about what I should say.

I'm not sure how to help her. She doesn't respond, and we sit there in silence. I think it must be hours that we sit there like that, but it is probably only a few minutes. Eventually, I put my hand on her leg. "We're going to be okay, Katniss. Maybe not tomorrow, or next week, but we're going to get through this. I'm here for you, no matter what."

She shifts her body this time to look at me, and then sits up. For the second time today, she hugs me, and I put my hand in her hair. We're going to get through this, I think. "You should eat. Whatever Sae's making, it smells great." I smile again, still holding her.

"It's lasagna night," Katniss mumbles into my shoulder.

"Ooh my favorite," I feel Katniss smile softly into my shirt," Let's go get some then, okay?" She nods, and pulls away to get up. We go into the kitchen to find Sae pulling the lasagna out of the oven.

"Ready, kids?" Sae asks.

We both nod and grab some plates before sitting down. Katniss doesn't talk, and she still has that same empty look in her eyes, but she's eating. And for tonight, that's enough.