Disclaimer: The Hunger Games Belong to Suzanne Collins and the movie belongs to Lionsgate. Katniss belongs to Jennifer Lawrence and Peeta belongs to Josh Hutcherson.

A/N: This fic will start where the Hunger Games left off (pulling largely from the movie and some from Catching Fire, but going off in a different direction. Peeta and Katniss won't be in the Quarter Quell, for instance. Katniss will have to battle her newly developing feelings for Peeta, while still sorting out what was real and what was fabricated for the Games. And she has to figure out where Gale fits in to all of this – she doesn't want to lose her best friend, but he hasn't been the same since the Games. This is an alternate take on Katniss's story. Oh, and this story does ship Katniss/Peeta, if you couldn't already tell.

.~.

Newlyweds

.~.

When Mom and Prim and I had finally calmed down from our tearful reunion back at the house, all I wanted to do was sleep. I know that's all kinds of awful – I fought so hard to get back to my family and now that I got them back all I wanted to do was sleep? But truth was, I was exhausted. I hadn't slept well on the train, and hoped that I would sleep better when I was back in my own bed. Mom, being a mother, could tell.

I answered Prim's questions the best I could; my favorite Capitol dish was lamb stew with dried plumbs, no it wasn't scary flying in the hovercrafts, I honestly wasn't sure if I was in love with Peeta or not. I knew I should ask Prim how things went back home while I was gone, but I just didn't have the energy.

Finally, Mom persuaded Prim to let me get some shut-eye. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit my old fashioned goose-feather pillow. It may not be as fluffy as what they have in the Capitol but I prefer my own pillow, thank you very much. I slept right through dinner and didn't wake up until my stylists converged on me just after dawn. I know I must've had nightmares about Rue getting shot and the mutts and everything, but they must've been fleeting, for once.

Venia, Octavia, and Flavius chattered a mile a minute as they prepared me for today's ceremony. For the first time in District Twelve history, two victors would each be getting a home in the Victor's Village. I was happy to give my family a better home and all, but I never thought we were above our old one. I suppose I have to live in the brand new home, being victor and all, but home to me will always be our modest house in the Seam. But this is hardly the time for me to get sentimental. Not with my prep team applying mascara by the gallon. My dress is spring green with a cowl neckline, according to Octavia. This is news to me, because if I were to describe it, I would just say it was pretty.

Soon it's time to leave. The TV crews are already there at the Victor's Village. There is a raised platform with three chairs, one for me, Peeta, and Haymitch. The crowd trickles in slowly, dressed in their reaping best. But the atmosphere is the polar opposite than it was for Reaping Day. People are smiling, waiting to congratulate Peeta and I on our 'amazing' feat. Right. I knew the real truth - we just got lucky. Yes, I have some skill with a bow. Haymitch and Peeta had some skill in convincing sponsors to support us, what with the love story and all. Peeta and I had enough chemistry to act out the 'star crossed lovers from District Twelve' nonsense. But any one of the other tributes could have killed us. If Foxface hadn't ate the berries, perhaps she could've outwitted us. If the mutt hadn't gotten Thresh, maybe he could've taken us. Cato and Clove, both from the same District, were a formidable alliance. It really was anybody's game.

"Can you believe it?"

Peeta is suddenly in front of me in his brown suit looking very… stunning? Dapper? No, too Caesar Flickerman. Ugh, I've been spending too much time around the man, he's starting to rub off on me.

"Katniss?"

I realize that Peeta is waiting for an answer.

"It's crazy. Who'd have thought, you and me?" Then I realize what that sounded like and abruptly look away. Great. Already, I've offended him and I've only been around him for a grand total of two minutes. This must be some sort of personal record.

"I'm really glad I could give my family a bigger house. I mean, the one we've got is nice, but it can get crowded at times." I take Peeta's word for it. I've never been inside his house before, only to the bakery. But I know he has two older brothers. Damn, now I feel stupid for wanting the house for Mom and Prim. What do the three of us need a bigger house for? But Peeta seems to anticipate this.

"Don't think for one second that you don't deserve that house, Katniss," he says fiercely. "Because you do. Your family has been through a lot; I'm glad this is something you can give them."

I want to ask him what he means by that, if he means Dad's death, but the ceremony starts instead. Effie appears all decked out in her Capitol garb, not in fuchsia this time but in teal. I think it's an improvement. She gives a rousing speech about sacrifice and how much the winners of the games had to go through to get to where they are today. I know I'm on TV but I still look over at Peeta and mouth 'Isn't that the truth?' His eyes shine with mirth and I can tell he wants to burst into laughter but it's during a live broadcast so he can't. I know I'm in for it later. I start paying attention to Effie again when she asks Peeta and I if we will treat these houses with honor? With respect? With dignity of a Hunger Games Champion? To all, we answer with a resounding,

"Yes!"

Peeta is awarded his house first, which is next to Haymitch's. In hindsight, this is probably a good thing, because if Haymitch and I were ever neighbors, we might kill each other.

Then it is my turn. A camera crew films me opening the door, my family's reaction to the entranceway (it was huge, with high ceilings!), our reactions to the bedrooms, the kitchen, the living room, the office, and the basement. We even have a telephone in the kitchen. Although my options on who to call are limited, and it seems wasteful to call Peeta or Haymitch when I could easily walk over and ask them something. I suppose I could call Cinna in the Capitol. That thought cheers me up immensely.

Prim cannot stop squealing about how nice everything is. Of course this is without furnishings, that I have seen in the Capitol that would've made it a lot nicer, but still the fact that the Capitol would shell out for a fine, sturdy house like this one – but only for victors of course. The rest of the houses stay empty. I try not to let that ruin Prim's moment.

"We're rich, Katniss!" She cries. And we are. I have access to funds, set up for the victor by the Capitol. Although, in our case, Peeta and I have to share the account. But I have spending money, which is more than I can say I had before. And I have food, delivered by the Capitol each month. It's not as good as what the elite get, but I'm perfectly content with bread, cheese, meat, fruit, and vegetables. My family is provided for, and I can share the leftovers with my starving friends and their families.

I grab Prim's arms and we dance around in a circle, performing a silly 'we're rich' dance for the cameras. My mother hangs back during it all, not wanting to interrupt the sisterly bonding, but I can tell she is affected. I never have forgotten my mother came from a merchant home before she married my father and chose the poor, Seam life. This must be like a dream come true to her, to raise her girls in a home nicer in the one than she herself grew up in.

"Are you happy with the house, Mom?" I ask, as Prim settles down.

"I'm just happy you're back, safe and sound," my mother says, pulling me close. I've been getting hugged a lot lately, by my family, by friends, by Seam-folk, from people who generally weren't sure if I was going to make it back. I guess it's their way of reassuring themselves that I'm here, I'm whole, that I'm not going anywhere. I'll put up with it for another few days, but only just.

"But I have to admit, the house is nice," my mother adds. I smile and agree.

The camera crew finally leaves and I'm alone with my family at last. It's then that I'm really overwhelmed by then need for my best friend, but I don't want to face the crowd right now so I ask Prim if she will go find Gale. I want to show him our house and explain to him that all the kisses for Peeta were just for the camera, even if I'm not so sure of that myself. But Prim comes back without Gale, saying that he doesn't want anything to do with our new house because it came from the Capitol.

"That's a stupid excuse - he still should've come to see me," I say, angry.

"Gale has been through a lot," my mother sighs. "He was afraid he would lose you, and he did - but not in the way he originally thought."

"Gale didn't lose me," I cry. "I'm right here! He's the one that won't come to me. My best friend, won't even come visit."

"Katniss, you didn't see how you and Peeta looked on TV." My mother looks at me with that knowing expression, like she has this special knowledge that you don't and isn't she amazing for it. It's a very frustrating look, and one that I don't like to be on the receiving end of. "Why don't you invite Peeta over?"

"Oh, yes, I want to meet him!" Prim looks at me with pleading eyes. How can I say no to her? Besides, if I can't see Gale, Peeta is a good second choice. So I walk over to his front door, praying to God that anyone other than his mother (who apparently doesn't like me) answers the door. Luckily, it is Peeta's father that answers the door. His face softens at the sight of me. He doesn't have to ask why I am there, just calls Peeta's name.

"Katniss? Is everything okay?" Peeta is worried about me. It's kind of sweet.

"Yeah, it's just, my sister wanted to meet you."

"Oh. I'd love to meet her." He grins at me. "Dad, do you mind if I visit the Everdeens for a little while?"

"I don't mind at all."

Peeta nods and then we're walking. Although I know living in the Victor's Village is going to take some getting used to, I'm glad I'll be living so close to him. That my mom and sister will be getting to know him better. But that also means that Gale will be living farther away. Hmm.

We come upon my house and it turns out our homes are practically identical. I guess that means that Haymitch's house is laid out the same as ours, which is weird. I introduce Peeta to Prim and Mom, and Peeta is of course, very charming. Prim is almost uncharacteristically shy, and she glances at me uncertainly. Suddenly I get it. She's seen how important Peeta is to me on TV and doesn't want to mess things up. So I try to give Peeta some help.

"Did you know Prim has a goat?"

"No, I didn't know that." He smiled gently at my sister. "Tell me about her. Is she your pet?"

"Sort of. Her name is Lady and I use her milk to make cheese to sell…" That got things off and running. Prim got us to talk about the happier times during our Capitol trip, such as our meetings with Cinna and Portia, and watching Effie and Haymitch snipe at each other. Time gets away from us and Mom invites Peeta for lunch.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'd better be getting back. Even though I'm a victor in the games, my mother wants me to have a shift at the bakery this afternoon. I told her I would, because I want things to get back to normal, you know?" Boy, did I know. Problem was, I didn't know if things would ever go back to the way they were. Too much had changed.

"I'll walk you back," I volunteer, after he hugs my mother and Prim goodbye.

"You know, Katniss, if something happens, if the nightmares come back or whatever, I want you to tell me," he says in a rush before we get to his house. "I want to be able to help."

"Okay. Same here, tell me if something happens to you."

He nods, and pulls me in for a hug. This one I'm only happy to allow.

For the rest of the day, I help Mom and Prim move some of our stuff into our new house. Mom has asked that Prim and I take the master bedroom. She doesn't want to sleep in that big room all alone without Dad. I understand. Prim and I are used to sharing a room anyway, and the big bed shouldn't go to waste. Plus, Prim will be right there if I have any nightmares.

"I like Peeta," Prim announces as she puts away her underwear and socks in our chest-of-drawers. "He really cares about you."

"I know."

"He was acting like he was leading the pack of Careers towards you, but I think he was deliberately misleading them."

"I didn't know that I the time."

"You should have," she says indignantly. "He said he was in love with you!"

"Prim, that was just to get sponsors," I sigh.

"Maybe that's not all it was," she insists.

Mom calls us down to dinner and we have a nice meal of squirrel stew, courtesy of Greasy Sae, as a present for winning the Games. Apparently she made some for Peeta's family too.

I go to bed early, still not having caught up on my sleep. I pull the covers over my head and drift off as soon as I feel Prim's in the bed with me. About halfway through the night, I wake up with a hoarse scream. Sweat is dripping down my back as I try to stop gulping down breaths.

"Katniss?" My mom is in our room in an instant. She gets in bed with us. With her on one side of me, and Prim on the other, they are slowly able to calm me down.

"What happened?" Prim asks after my breath returns to normal.

"It was Rue," I sniff. "They had turned her in to a mutt. I couldn't save her in time!" This sets off a fresh round of sobbing and I allow myself to be pulled into my mother's arms, like I when I was I child. Funny, I haven't felt like I child in a long time. Certainly not since my Dad got blown up in the mine and I had to start providing for my family. But I decided on the train back that I really needed to forgive my mother for falling into deep depression after my father's death. Maybe she really couldn't help it. I certainly rose to the occasion and took care of us. It hadn't been the best of situations, but it had turned out alright. It wouldn't help things to hold it against her now that I'd been given a second chance at life. So I let my mom take care of me that night, and stay in bed with me and Prim. For the rest of the night, the nightmares were kept at bay.

In the morning, I can tell by the sun that my mom has let me sleep in a good while. I really should thank her because I haven't felt this well-rested in a long while. I plan on coming downstairs in my nightclothes, but my mom beats me to it by coming upstairs and suggesting that I might want to get dressed first before I go downstairs since I have an important visitor. Intrigued, I pull on a comfortable pair of brown pants and a loose-fitting shirt – something I might wear hunting. As I head down the steps, I spy a white-haired, well dressed figure.

Sitting at my table, drinking a cup of tea, is President Snow.

End Ch. 1

A/N: What did you think? Questions, comments, concerns? Reviews help me write faster! Thanks!