Thank you to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed.

I also need to thank my wonderful Beta, sixela872. Also a very talented fellow author, and soul sister optimus-pam for pre-reading. If you are not reading 'A Marriage Between Victors' than you should be. And I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge and thank shininalltheway for the beautiful banner for this fic.

I can be reached on tumblr under the username: stacylk

ii. for all those times is that what you get?

He shifts against the kitchen counter as he balances the cereal bowl in his hand. The spoon clanks against the ceramic dish as he takes in the kitchen. A warm light coming from the window above his head bathes the room, causing everything to become bright. It's odd to him how everything seems exactly the same, but something still feels off.

Peeta doesn't give it any more thought as he picks his spoon back up to shovel another spoon full of cereal into his mouth. The quiet of his aunt's home is a welcome change from the over- crowded boarding schools he was accustomed to.

Peeta sighs as he uses the handle of his spoon to scratch an itch on his bare chest before turning the flatware back around to take another bite. He had initially debated putting on clothes before leaving his room but the thought of having the girl come downstairs and see him half naked appealed to him. She had quirked a curiosity in him that fueled his need to get a rise out of her. He was still annoyed by her and he thought, at the very least, teasing her could be a type of entertainment for him while he was here. When the creak from the stairs echoes through the silent kitchen, Peeta cranes his neck to peer around the corner. He's not sure if he is disappointed or relieved when his Aunt Maggie comes walking into the room, her silver hair gathered in both hands as she twists the strands into a tight bun.

Maggie stops mid-step to observe him silently as she takes in his appearance. "You know in this part of the country we wear clothes to breakfast." Peeta shrugs as Maggie walks to him and snatches the bowl and spoon from his hands while ignoring his protests. "We also sit at the table."

Peeta smirks as she set the dishes down at the worn table. "I felt like standing." She eyes him for a second before shaking her head and laughing.

Maggie walks over to the shelves beside him. He watches as she pulls a bag of powdered sugar down and sets it on the counter. "I suppose I should say welcome back, since last night's greeting wasn't particularly traditional."

He laughs as he gave her a playful push. "Yeah, I'd say some bed stealer punching me wasn't exactly normal." Peeta scratches his brow. "Although I have been knocked out once or twice but it was always because some jerk found me screwing his girl."

Maggie clears her throat before glancing at him. "I called your mother this morning."

Peeta turns toward the counter as he mindlessly picks at the bag of powdered sugar. "Oh?"

Maggie nods. "Yes, and imagine her surprise when I told her that you had already arrived."

Peeta scoffs. "Oh I bet she was really broken up about it."

She shakes her head. "Peeta, you can't always throw a tantrum because someone upsets you. You're mother isn't perfect but no one is. Just because people disappoint you it doesn't give you the right to act like an ass."

He grips the counter tightly as he raises a brow. "Mags, let's be honest? Being disappointed in each other is what this family does best." She drops her hands from the French toast ingredients and turns to look at him. "You were forced to raise mom because grandma, your sister, wanted to go and hitchhike with all the other hippies. And then when my mother was old enough to get knocked up I came along and you took care of me for years." Maggie narrows her eyes at him. "Some families have ugly sweaters they wear on holidays. We have resentment." He shrugs. "It's what we do."

Mags reaches out and flicks his ear. "How did you get so cynical?"

Peeta pushes her hand away playfully. "It's a refined skill."

His aunt shakes her head as she walks across the kitchen collecting what she needs to prepare breakfast. Peeta turns around, his bare back pressing into the edge of the counter. He folds his arms over his chest, watching her work while he periodically utters a snarky reply or sarcastic comment.

Peeta is enjoying the smell of cooking bacon when he catches a glimpse of dark hair walking into the room. He pushes himself off the counter as she enters, waiting for her to notice his state of undress. Peeta chuckles when recognition and finally a deep blush show on her face. He grins widely as Katniss walks by him to stand near Maggie.

The older woman glances over to Katniss with a genuine smile at her lips. "Good morning, dear."

Katniss offers her a slight smile. "Morning."

Maggie turns off the burner before forking up the cooked meat. "Would you like something to eat?"

Katniss shakes her head. "No thank you," she said in a near whisper.

Peeta stands quietly, taking in their exchange as he watches Katniss closely. She keeps unconsciously tugging at the fabric of her pajama bottoms. "I do like those shorts." Katniss turns to him sharply, her eyes wide with surprise as though she had forgotten he had been standing there. Peeta gives her a crooked grin before walking over to the fridge to pull out some juice.

Maggie glances at him before bringing her attention back to Katniss. "It's not that I mind that you sleep the night here, Katniss. I'm happy to have you. But use the front door from now on. Okay?" Katniss nodded.

Peeta catches her eye from over the top of the juice bottle as he takes a swig. "Yeah." He closes the fridge door and makes his way to the table chair that is placed only a few feet from Katniss. He could feel her eyes on his bare body with only his boxer shorts keeping him from being completely nude, and he feels an odd rush knowing she was looking. He sits down, straddling the chair and hanging his arms over the edge with the juice container hanging from his fingers. "Besides, climbing into other people's homes using trees is a felony," he said, "not to mention creepy."

She narrows her eyes. "And you would know creepy." She sticks out her tongue at him, earning a chuckle from Peeta. With a sigh she turns toward Maggie. "Have a good day."

Maggie gives her a nod. "You too, dear."

Peeta watches Katniss leave the kitchen and not long after hears the back door close. "That one has problems." He shakes his head before taking another drink and swiping at his mouth to clear the excess liquid. "She's so aggressive."

Maggie walks over to the cabinet and pulls two plates free. "Hmm, interesting you think that."

Peeta's wrinkles his forehead in confusion. "Why?"

She shrugs. "Well, Katniss is usually so reserved and quiet. It's a task to get more than five words out of her, let alone any eye contact."

Peeta scoffs as he swings his legs to the front of the chair. "Well, she didn't seem to be shy around me after she knocked me one last night."

Maggie walks over to the table with two plates and snatches the juice from his hands before sitting down. "Maybe that's more of a commentary on you than her." Peeta rolls his eyes at her but in the back of his mind he wonders if she has a point. He leans back into the chair as Maggie pours a glass of juice. "Also, please go put some clothes on. Katniss is no longer here to torture with your nakedness."

He attempts to argue but Maggie wordlessly points toward the stairs. Peeta grunts as he stands up and makes his way to his room. He's halfway up the stairs when the memory of Katniss in her pajamas comes to mind. Peeta tries to push the image away but the way the sunlight shown on her dark, mussed hair was enough to give him an inkling of want.


Katniss pulls the door closed after her as she makes her way downstairs to the kitchen, blindly braiding the wet strands of her hair as she jogs down the steps. After leaving Maggie's she had taken a shower and dressed. She lay on her bed for a while listening to the sounds that an older house makes. When she was little she would close her eyes and pretend it was her mother coming to see her and that her passing had only been an awful nightmare.

Rolling over to look at the alarm clock, Katniss finds that it's midmorning. She unfortunately, isn't surprised that her father hadn't come home. There was a part of her that didn't blame him for his reluctance to come home, because even she dreaded returning to a place so haunted with grief. With a sigh she pushes herself up from her bed and heads downstairs.

Katniss secures the end of her braid with an elastic band she wears around her wrist. She jumps over the last step, landing hard on the carpeted floor. Katniss walks over to the side table where her black rimmed glasses sit and places them on her face. She hums softly to herself as she makes it into the kitchen.

She's pulling a box of cereal out of the cabinet when she hears the front door open and shut. "Hey, dad," she calls out.

Katniss is pouring the cereal into a bowl before her father enters the room. She pulls the milk from the fridge while he sits down at the table and puts his face in his hands. She can tell by his slumped shoulders that he didn't slept well - but he never did. Katniss grabs a spoon before sitting down across from him at the table. She pushes the cereal around with her spoon as she watches him closely. His hairline has already begun to grey and Katniss assumes it is the emotional stress, more than age, wearing down her father's appearance.

She clears her throat, causing him to look up at her. "Did you sleep at the store last night?"

He works his hands through his mussed hair. "I guess I nodded off." Her father got a far off look on his face. It is the one he wears when he's thinking of his late wife. "A lot of new inventory has come in and I wanted to get it all sorted out."

Katniss nods before looking down at her bowl. "If it's getting to be too much work you know I can always come and help out."

Her father shakes his head as he sits up. "No, it's fine." He rubs his hands over his face, attempting to wake himself more. "How are your after school clubs going? You know your mother was always involved in something."

Katniss grits her teeth to stop herself from making an unnecessary comment. "Yeah dad, you've told me." She sighs as she pushed her now soggy breakfast around the bowl. "Actually, school's been out for a couple of weeks."

He had been looking far off again, clearly back in his own world, but looks over to her in surprise. "Is that right?"

Katniss nods. "Yeah." She looks up to see the grief work over his features before waving the misunderstanding off. "Don't worry about it. If I wasn't actually in school I wouldn't have noticed either."

Her father gives her a sad smile before pushing his chair away from the table. "I think I'm going to go take a shower and try to get a few hours of sleep before going back to the store."

Katniss watches him stand up and leave the room. "Okay."

She stares after him for a moment before pushing her bowl away from her. She has lost her appetite, especially now that the cereal was nothing more than milky mush. Katniss leans back in her chair and reaches up to push her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. She had learned long ago that trying to reason with her father when it came to her mother was a futile task. He had created an idea of his late wife that he wasn't ready to let go of even if most of it was the opposite of the truth. There were times that Katniss wanted to tell him how lonely she was and that he seemed more loyal to someone who had died than his own living daughter. But, like most of the thoughts pertaining to her parents, Katniss pushes it away and keeps her face indifferent – even throwing in the rare smile. So she never argues with her father when he spends most of his time at his hardware business, leaving her alone.

She feels hollower inside with each passing day.

With a sigh, Katniss pushes from the table picking up her bowl before walking over to the sink and placing the dish down. She pours the ruined cereal into the garbage disposal and rinses it out. When she looks up out of the window she catches a glance of Peeta across the way standing in Maggie's kitchen. Her kitchen window is directly across from theirs, giving her a clear view of him. His head is thrown back as he laughs at something his aunt has said and she can feel that familiar tingle return.

When she had walked into the kitchen that morning to find him bare chested her fingers involuntarily twitched, reminding her of how she had touched herself to the thought of him. Shame had closely followed but later that morning in Maggie's kitchen he had begun to tease her and her shame was replaced by annoyance. As annoyed as he made her, hearing his comments on her shorts and feeling his eyes on her sent a thrill though her that she was equally embarrassed and excited about.


A/N: Thank you for your interest in this story. I am halfway through with it as of today and I'm hoping to begin with regular updates until it's completed. And don't forget to REVIEW. Thank you!