Note from Adillae: Hello everyone! Thanks for the wonderful comments and messages about the first chapter! I had originally thought it would be a one-shot story, but I only worked part time today, and as a result I wrote another chapter. It's going to probably end up as a series of related one-shots, if that's alright with everyone :).

Peeta and Katniss are so great together, and even though they are damaged since they have such strong feelings. And I wanted to focus more on feeling instead of getting straight to the slightly more raunchy (is that a word?) things, so if you're looking for wild sex stories with no feeling, this is definitely the wrong place.

I didn't have much to go on here, since the book doesn't really describe things like the bakery, or life after the war, so I wrote it how I figured it would most realistically be. Again, I don't own the characters or anything. If I did, I'd be living in a castle instead of a trailer park. Enjoy and review please! I'm always looking to get better!

P.s. I'm sorry this is a long note, but I talk too much. I'm sorry if the grammar is wrong. I've been speaking a lot of Romanian lately and I'm getting a little mixed up. I've checked a thousand times, but I'm sorry if there is something I'm forgetting! Romanian and English are very different languages and it gets tricky.

The rain was coming down in buckets as I ran through the street, dodging potholes that were quickly becoming swimming pools for the fallen leaves. I was soaked to the bone, a chill creeping down my spine as I turned the corner. The bakery stood on the far corner, the lights shining brightly in the windows and smoke billowing from the chimney.

Every time it rained, I couldn't help but remember the time that Peeta saved me. The time that he handed me those two burned loaves of bread and saved my entire familyl. I tried to suppress the memory as I made it to the end of the street, standing under the small awning of the bakery and attempting to drip dry for a few moments.

It smelled heavenly. A mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, dill, cheese, dough, frosting and strawberries emitted from the doorway, which stood wide open even in the rain. The light inside flickered, indicating that Peeta had just put something in or taken something out of the oven. I continued to let the heat from the open door dry me, not wanting to drip water all over the bakery floor.

When Peeta wasn't home, he was here at the bakery. He had always loved it; he always talked about working with his hands. He was wonderful at it too, always creating beautiful masterpieces that people could afford, now that the war was over and things were working out. Life was as normal as it could be for us.

The nightmares still came. The flashbacks, the tracker jacker episodes, they all came back as well; the pain and sadness that came over us when we remembered those that were taken away from us. None of that has changed. The world, however, had turned around. There were no more Hunger Games. There were no more starving people; everything in each district was evenly distributed and traded. Everyone had at least some money, enough to get what they needed. People were happy again, people smiled again. Life was happy.

Peeta and I were still there for each other. Those times when the nightmares and flashbacks took one of us over, the other was always there to comfort. To tell each other how much we loved each other and that everything was okay. We knew that we would never fully heal. We had accepted that. The fact that we had each other, though, was enough to give me enough happiness to last the rest of my life.

I stepped into the bakery, the heat from the oven hitting me at almost full blast. It felt so great after being in that bone chilling rain. It was a comfortable temperature. Maybe that's why Peeta liked it, too.

The bakery was small, oddly shaped building. There were a few chairs and tables on the right side, while on the left stood the counter and the display case that held all of Peeta's wonderful creations. In the corner behind the counter was a big oven, almost like a kiln, that held a few dozen loaves of bread at the moment. There was a large archway that lead to another small room, which was where the treats were made and decorated. Two big wooden doors in this room opened up to the alleyway behind the bakery, and those too were open.

It wasn't much, but it was everything.

Peeta was standing in front of the oven, holding a big wooden paddle that was now retrieving a few loaves. His broad shoulders and strong arms did this easy as I watched in awe from behind him. He turned around and deposited the warm bread on the counter before he looked up, locking eyes with me. A smile instantly spread across his face as his eyes shone back, and I couldn't help but return it.

"Hello sweetheart." He said gently, sticking the paddle in the oven and pulling out four loaves on the large surface.

"Hi." I smiled back, taking a step towards him. My boy with the bread hasn't changed. And yet, he has, in so many ways. We both have.

"You got caught in the rain I see." He laughed, setting the paddle down and walking over to the counter. "Were you hunting?"

I nodded, taking off my fathers' hunting jacket and hanging it over the back of a chair. I squeezed the end of my braid as water trickled onto the floor, leaving a little pool of water. "I just got back from dropping the rabbit and squirrels at Greasy Sae's. She is going to make us rabbit stew for dinner. She was just starting it when I dropped the meat off, and it smelled wonderful." I told him.

Hunting wasn't really a necessity anymore, since everyone was able to hunt now, and everyone could afford meat. It wasn't like before. There wasn't any more black market trading at the Hob, but at least everyone could afford a good meal, and I was thankful for that. I just hunted because I needed something to do, and I truly did love it. Being out in the woods helped clear my head of the nightmares and flashbacks.

Greasy Sae has taught me a few basics about cooking, but I still wasn't anywhere near ready to feed Peeta and me on my own. Thankfully, her and her granddaughter came over every day and helped. She would cook and I would watch. It's not that I didn't know how, I just didn't know how to do all the fancy things that she did. I was used to cooking for survival, and now that things had changed, she was teaching me how to make things taste delicious with different kinds of spices and seasonings. I had to say that I enjoyed it.

While I had the cooking lesson, Peeta would play with Greasy Sae's granddaughter. He loved children, and every single one loved him. Peeta and that little girl however, that was something different. They had a bond of sorts. She would always bring her ball of blue yarn, and they would spend the whole time winding it, unwinding it, he would teach her some easy knots, even draw flowers with it. She would smile and clap as she sat in his lap on the floor, trying to do recreate what he showed her. Sometimes, if she was having a good day, they would talk; usually about the grass or the trees, or sometimes even Buttercup. They would spend the whole time together, never leaving each other's side.

And I could see the ache in his eyes when she had to leave.

He would sweep her of her feet while she hugged him fiercely, squeezing her eyes tight before he set her back down on the ground. He would hand her the ball of yarn while Greasy Sae would grab her other hand, and off they would go.

Watching them made me smile. It made my heart both ache and flutter. I knew that Peeta wanted children, and a part of me wanted them too. A small part. I could see how much he wanted them. He would be the perfect father, and I wanted that to come true for him. I wanted us to prove our love in that way. I wanted to have someone that was proof that him and me were meant for each other. I wanted someone to have a bit of both of us in them. I wanted to look at a child knowing that he had his father's eyes, or his father's kind heart.

The majority of me, though, was afraid. I didn't trust this world enough to bring another life into it, not yet anyway. Things were still changing out there and I wouldn't feel safe bringing a child into the mix. It had only been a couple years since the war. Things needed to simmer down a bit before anything of that sort happened. I didn't trust myself as a mother; I knew I'd be lousy at it. I was afraid of failing, afraid of things that were beyond my control.

Peeta understood this, and of course he was absolutely wonderful about it. He knew my feelings towards having children, and respected them whole-heartedly. After all these years, I still didn't deserve him.

He had only brought up the subject once, and it was right here in this bakery. It was a late September night not too long after we were married, and I had come to find him still working, afraid that something had happened to him.

"Katniss," he breathed, his hands on my hips. "I'm going to say something, and I promise that I'll never bring it up again, alright?"

I nodded, feeling the warmth from the oven and from his calloused hands that were gently holding me near to him.

"I want us to have children. I want it so desperately. I want us to be able to have kids that we can call our own. I want them to have your eyes, and your spirit. I want it more than anything in the whole world. I'm not saying that we have to have them anytime soon. I just want you to think about it, please." His voice broke on the last word, and so did my heart. "If you ever change your mind, come tell me, alright?"

I inhaled and exhaled deeply, looking into his bright eyes. "I know." I whisper. "I know you do. And we will, I promise we will. Just not now." I breathe as Peeta's eyes grew wide, and a smile spread across his face instantly. His arms wrapped around me tightly, making it difficult to breathe, but I hugged him back with the same ferocity. I felt nervous for what I had just promised, but I knew I would follow through. Peeta deserved to be truly happy.

"Good, I'm glad it's rabbit stew. I'm sure it will be wonderful." Peeta smiled as I snapped back into reality.

I nodded. "Was it a busy day?" I asked, walking over to the counter and leaning across it, careful not to touch the piping hot bread. I was inches away from Peeta's face. He smelled wonderful.

"We sold out of cheese bread." He smiled wryly. I laughed at him as he leaned in closer; his lips mere millimeters from mine. "Mrs. Mellark, you are getting your wet hair dangerously close to my fresh bread." He whispered, giving me a quick peck of the lips that didn't satisfy me in the least.

I whimpered quietly as Peeta laughed, taking a step back and starting to put the loaves in the display case. I wiped up the drops of water that fell on the counter with my hand and gave Peeta what I thought was an annoyed look, however it only made both of us laugh harder.

Mrs. Mellark. We had been married for a couple months, but the name still sounded foreign yet wonderful to me. We were in no rush to do the toasting. We waited a few years until after the war, just to let everything settle down, but he asked me, and I said yes. It was beautiful, his proposal and the toasting. We were officially married, but I had given my heart to Peeta a long time ago.

"Come stand over here by the fire sweetheart, you'll be dry in no time." He told me as I walked behind the counter and in front of the burning flames. The bright orange tongues licking the side of the oven wall only made me think about our first carriage ride. When I was the girl on fire.

I instantly felt warmer as my clothes began to dry, giving them a stiff feeling that I hated. I turned and watched Peeta work as I waited for the heat to do its job. Watching Peeta work was amazing. His hands, those hands that I loved, could create the most gorgeous pictures on both cakes and canvases. I watched in awe as he finished painting a daisy on a cake and setting it in the window display.

"Who is that for?" I asked quietly.

"Tom and Lara's wedding. It's tomorrow, but I figured people should have a chance to see it before then." Peeta replied, putting away his frosting. "Just let me clean up and we can head home, alright love." He told me as he began to unknot his apron, bringing it over his head and hanging it on the hook.

"No hurry." I told him, practically all dry.

He swept the floor, locked the display case, cleaned the counters, and extinguished the fire in the oven. I watched the muscles in his arms work, feeling a tingly sensation run down my spine as I shivered despite being warm. I was crazy for my boy with the bread.

"Are you alright?" he asked, noticing.

I smiled at him. "I'm fine, thank you."

He returned the smile as he went to go lock the back doors. With his warm hand wrapped around mine, his other hand holding a basket full of day-old rolls, and my hunting jacket back securely around my shoulders, we headed home.

The rain was only a light drizzle now, the mist mixing with a slight fog, giving our normally cheery walk home a depressing look. It reminded me of the acidic fog that haunted my dreams, but I tried to push that out of my mind. Peeta's hand never left mine, his grip never slackened. I laid my head on his shoulder and stifled a yawn as we rounded the corner to home, passing Haymitch's house on our way.

I looked up at Peeta, wondering if we should go in and make sure he was alright, but he just smiled.

"He's fine. He came into the bakery today and bought a loaf of bread." He told me as we stopped in front of our door, setting his basket down on the ground and pushing the door open.

Greasy Sae's granddaughter came flying at Peeta, who caught her with one arm and hugged her tightly. I gave his hand a squeeze as I smiled at him and went inside, where the smell of delicious stew filled the air.

It was hard to focus on Greasy Sae. My eyes kept wandering over to Peeta and her granddaughter, playing with that blue yarn. Peeta was currently making a flower for her, laying the yarn on the floor and forming each individual petal. She laughed and tried to copy him, maneuvering the yarn herself. The result was a sloppy bunch of loopy yarn, but Peeta still praised her, telling her it was the most beautiful flower in the world.

I smiled as I watched him try to teach her a simple knot, which she understood after a lot of practice. Peeta was patient, helping her through the twists and turns of her fingers, never getting upset or frustrated with her. He was calm and gentle, just like he was with everything.

They were talking about the meadow, and how they liked the feel of the grass while she kept trying to perfect the knot. He carried on the conversation so easily it didn't look like it took any effort from him. The ache in his eyes was gone. He seemed so much more comfortable and happy with her here.

Then she had to leave. And the ache seemed to return with a greater force.

Dinner was wonderful. The stew turned out perfectly, and when it was accompanied with one of Peeta's sesame rolls, it was simply divine. The rain stopped sometime during our eating, and left a strange fog behind. Peeta added some more coal to the fire as we settled into the couch after dinner, a cold sweeping through the house that meant winter was surely on its way.

This was our usual after dinner activity. We would curl up on the couch, happy just to be in each other's arms. We would talk about anything and everything, or sometimes not talk at all. Sometimes we would just listen to each other's heartbeats and tell one another over and over again how much we loved each other. Lots of sweet kisses and almost nightly gentle love making has happened on this couch; some beautiful moments that I'll never forget. I blushed at the thought of them.

"Katniss, are you alright?" Peeta asked, drawing circles absentmindedly into my arm as I sat in his strong embrace, my head leaning against his chest.

"Yes." I answered, listening to his steady heartbeat.

"Is there anything you'd like to talk about?" Peeta asked. We knew each other so well that it was hard to keep things from each other, not that we ever did. "Don't think. Just feel." He whispered to me. He knew I was having a hard time putting it into words.

"I was thinking about… children." I breathed.

I felt him freeze underneath me. I heard his breath catch in his throat. I knew how important it was for him, and I was so stupid for keeping the things that he truly wanted from him. I was a coward. I never will deserve him. After all these years, I'm still self centered and despicable.

"What about them?" He whispered softly, although unable to hide a tinge of excitement in his voice.

"Well…" I trailed off. Feel, just feel. "I was thinking we could maybe… have a couple." I told him. "I-If you want." I stammered out of pure insecurity.

"You think we should have a couple?" he repeated, dumbfounded.

"Well… yeah." I told him quietly. I couldn't help but smile, even though that was probably the dumbest sounding thing I have ever said.

Suddenly, his lips were on mine with such force and passion that I fell backwards onto the couch, surprised by his answer. He cupped my cheek as I ran my fingers through his hair, smiling beside myself. He kissed me long and slow, stopping only to whisper 'I love you'. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pinning him to me as his fingers ran down my arms, making me shudder. I felt a flush creep across my skin as I realized where this was leading. It had been a whole day since we had proved our love to each other, and that was definitely too long. I had an ache for him, but I took a slow deep breath to try and steady myself as he moved his kisses across my cheek and down my neck. Moving one hand down to his arm, I traced the muscles there and earning a shiver in response. He ran his hand down my body, eventually landing on my hip, giving me a tingly feeling as I gasped a small breath.

"Yes. Please." Peeta told me after what seemed like hours of gentle kisses and touches, his voice breaking with emotion. "Please, Katniss."

How could I say no to him? How could I say no to his eyes, to his voice that was so full of love and need? How could I say no after I saw him today with Greasy Sae's granddaughter? How could I say no when I saw the pain return when she left? How could I say no to my Peeta? His own passion had ignited a fire inside of me too, and before I knew it, I felt myself accepting the idea of a family, maybe even savoring the idea. What this boy did to me, I'll never quite understand.

"Then soon." I breathed back. "Very soon."

He smiled back at me, his eyes shining, as we continued until all hours of the morning. My Peeta. My boy with the bread.