A/N Chapter 2 flashes back to the weeks just after Katniss and Peeta left Camp Ridgecrest. From here on, the chapters will proceed chronologically.
August, 1992
Peeta knocked on the door of Katniss' house. It was a bungalow typical to Home Park, the neighborhood just outside Georgia Tech: tiny yard, big front porch, shotgun shack.
When no one answered, he opened the door. "Hello?" he called in. Katniss was expecting him, but as he stepped inside the entrance hallway, it was Jo who stuck her head out of her room.
"Hey," she said. "Come on in. K's in the shower." And then she disappeared behind her closed door.
Peeta contemplated sitting in the den but went instead to Katniss' room across the hall and collapsed on her bed.
He was practically asleep when he distantly heard her bedroom door open, and as he rolled over, his eyes opened a crack.
Katniss was in her bathrobe with her hair wrapped up in a towel. He smiled. "Hey," he said, his voice soft and sleepy. She sat down next to him, and he pulled on her arm, easing her down so that her back was flush against his chest. He sighed, deeply content.
He had only seen her once that week – and it wasn't for anything remotely romantic. They had both negotiated an hour away from work on Tuesday afternoon to meet up at the Briarcliff Health Clinic to get AIDS tests. He had brought up the idea of being tested first, but he could see the relief on her face as soon as he did. She had agreed, and the appointment found them sitting side-by-side in folding chairs in the small, dingy clinic, waiting for their separate appointments with a needle.
He knew Katniss didn't have to worry at all, and really, Peeta didn't either. He'd never once had unprotected sex. Still, he was nervous sitting there looking around at the gray walls and institutional decor of the clinic.
"This is good," he'd said, taking her hand in his and hoping she didn't mind that his was a little sweaty.
"Yep."
"Clean slate." He paused. "Fresh start." He was quiet a moment again. "Begin the begin." He knew he was rambling. He couldn't help it.
"Peeta?"
"Yeah?"
"Enough."
"Yeah."
He'd kissed her briefly in the parking lot as they'd parted ways almost an hour later. And that was the most he'd seen of her since Sunday.
So as she curled up in his arms, he pulled the towel from her hair and buried his face in her neck. "Let's not go out," he said. "Let's just stay here. Let's spend the next twenty-four hours right here."
"We can't. We've promised," she said.
At her sigh, he pulled her closer, feeling her body pressed tightly against his. "We can see them another time."
She turned to face him. As she rolled, the movement pulled on her robe, and the neckline crept open. Peeta reached up to the newly-exposed skin, running his hand down her shoulder, coaxing the robe further away. His fingers danced on her skin, running back up to her collar bone before drifting lower into the deep vee that had formed. His finger drew a line down her chest as he found her lips with his own. He nipped at her before slowly sweeping his tongue into her mouth.
"Mmmm," she sighed, breaking the kiss and wrapping her arms around him. "We can't."
Her hands were in his hair – not helping to convince him of her sincerity.
"Gale left yesterday, and Madge leaves tomorrow, and she needs us tonight." She flattened herself against him, his hand catching between them before he reached to run it along her naked hip.
"Not yet. We don't have to go yet, do we?"
He felt her smile against his cheek. "Well, maybe not yet."
At her words, he rolled her back, untying her robe so that the flaps slid open and her body was suddenly exposed before him. He felt himself harden at the sight. Katniss' cheeks colored, and she looked away from him. This was still so new for both of them.
He ran his hand along her hip and up to the swell of her breast, lightly grazing her nipple with his palm, running it back and forth, back and forth.
She gasped, closing her eyes as her body arched to him. He cupped her breast briefly before moving his hand back up to her face. She opened her eyes, looking steadily at him.
"I've missed you this week," he said.
She reached for his face and kissed him.
Tonight was Katniss' introduction to one of Peeta's favorite bars – Jagger's. They were meeting Madge, Finnick, and Annie there for a final night out before they all went separate ways to begin their fall semesters.
At the last minute, Jo decided to come, too, so the three of them piled into Peeta's Suburban and set out for the bar just a little bit later than planned. Peeta wondered if Jo knew about Annie, if Katniss had told her that Finnick was now dating someone new. He was pretty sure Jo and Finnick had hooked up earlier in the summer, and he wasn't sure if it would matter to Jo.
When Jo decided to come with them, he'd glanced over at Katniss, but she seemed unfazed, so he left it alone.
The bar was dark compared to the bright, August sunlight, and it took his eyes a moment to adjust before Peeta saw Finnick and Annie beckoning to them from one of the oversized booths.
Finnick raised his eyebrows when he saw Jo with them. "Hey," he said, his voice a note higher than usual. Katniss slid onto the bench opposite Annie followed by Peeta. Jo took the seat across from Finnick, who sat back down saying, "Annie, I don't think you've met Johanna. Jo, this is Annie."
"'S'up," Jo said to Annie. "Finnick. Haven't seen you in awhile."
Peeta watched in fascination as his friend literally squirmed in his seat. He felt the need to rescue him. "You went straight back to Athens after camp, right?" he said, trying for a diversion.
"Yes," Annie said, answering for Finnick. If she had picked up on the underlying current, she did not show it. "I'm still working at the Y, and Finnick's been kind enough to hang out and keep me company."
"What can I say? Women in swimsuits need to be watched."
Annie shoved on his shoulder as Jo watched the exchange. "So how long have you two been doing it?" she asked.
Finnick barked out an awkward laugh, but Annie just smiled discreetly. "Not long enough," she said.
The waitress showed up with extra glasses. "We'll be needing another pitcher," Peeta said, smiling. "As soon as possible." The waitress nodded and disappeared as Peeta turned the conversation. "Where is Madge?"
"Coming in the door right now," said Finnick, waving towards the door.
A moment later, Madge arrived. "Hey," she said breathlessly, pulling each of them out of their seats for cumbersome hugs across the table before she slid into the remaining seat next to Finnick.
"Damn it's hot. I will be glad to get out of here for awhile."
"Where are you heading?" Annie asked.
"Madge is the resident smart bitch," Jo answered for her. "She's heading back to Yale."
Madge made a face. "My father is a trustee and alum. They had to let me in despite my laughable ACTs."
"Yes. Laughable. That's exactly what they were," Jo retorted. Madge stuck out her tongue at her as the waitress returned with a new pitcher and more glasses.
Peeta's hand rested lightly on Katniss' bare thigh, periodically brushing the skin just under the hem of her shorts. They sat hip-to-hip, and he couldn't help but marvel at the difference a summer could make. Jagger's had always been one of his favorite bars, but he never imagined sitting here with a table full of people he had only just met.
And Katniss. He looked at her in the dark light of the bar as she leaned over him slightly to hear something Jo was saying. Her hair was down and had dried in light waves. Her skin was a deep olive, glowing from the time spent in the summer sun. He squeezed her thigh, and she met his eyes briefly, a light crinkle of a smile settling on her face.
Lost in thought, he shook his head. He really could not believe the difference a summer could make.
The second pitcher disappeared as they ordered a third. The music was good but not so loud that they couldn't talk. At one point when Annie and Finnick were deep in conversation, Katniss leaned over Peeta to Madge. "How are you doing?" she asked.
Madge smiled crookedly, turning between Katniss and Jo. "I'm fine," she said, holding on to the last syllable a beat too long. "It's OK. I mean, I hate it, you know?" She paused, looking out over the bar before returning her gaze to the others. "But, there's nothing for it. There's no solution right now."
Katniss nodded. She knew Gale would be in Arizona at Fort Huachuca for the foreseeable future, and even after he finished training there, he could be stationed anywhere in the world. It wasn't the best time to try and date.
Madge sighed. "No use really talking about it. And anyway, there's a girl at the bar that keeps staring at us."
The all turned to look.
"Delly!" Peeta exclaimed. He waved at her, and she cautiously waved back. Standing up from behind the table as much as he could, he motioned her over.
Delly said something to the bartender before picking up her drink and heading over.
"Hey!" Peeta said. Jo scooted out of the booth so he could get out. He hugged her and turned to the others. "Y'all, this is my friend Delly. Delly, that's Annie and Finnick, this is Madge, and you've met Katniss and Jo."
Delly made polite hellos, but Peeta couldn't help noticing that her eyes lingered on Jo's. "Are you here with people? Pull up a chair! Sit down for a minute."
Peeta reached for a chair from an adjacent unoccupied table as Jo scooted into the booth next to Katniss. As he and Delly sat down, he explained, "Delly has lived next door to me for years. And she worked in the bakery all summer so that I could work at camp." He put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in for a kiss on her temple.
Delly blushed at his open affection and tried to brush it off by changing the subject. "So am I interrupting a camp reunion?"
"No, no," Madge replied. "Not at all. In fact I was just about to ask, has anyone seen Singles yet?"
It wasn't much longer before the effects of consecutive early mornings had begun to wear on Peeta. He caught Katniss' eye at one point and crooked an eyebrow at her. She nodded imperceptibly back at him, and he began to dig in his wallet for cash.
"I think we're going to head out," he said to the table.
Annie and Finnick were cozied up in their corner of the booth, but they looked up as Peeta and Katniss both put some money down on the table. "Good to see you, man," Finnick replied. "Come up to Athens soon!"
"Yeah, we'll see about that," Peeta said, getting up from the table.
Madge stood up after him, saying, "I think I'm going to call it a night, too."
As Jo got up to let Katniss out of the booth, Katniss asked, "You coming, Jo?"
Jo looked at the three of them now standing in the aisle before glancing back to Delly. "I'm gonna hole up here for awhile," she said casually, sitting back down. "I can call a cab if I need to."
"I can take you home," Delly said instantly.
"Great," Peeta said, keeping his face neutral despite the obvious attraction between the two. "See you Monday, Dell."
"Catch you at home," Katniss said to Jo. "And call if you need anything."
Madge, Peeta, and Katniss walked out to the parking lot, the night starkly quiet compared to the loud music and conversation in the bar. As they parted ways on the sidewalk, Madge reached to hug Peeta. "You better keep in touch," she said. "And not just through Katniss. She's the worst at keeping in touch, so if we rely on her, I'll never hear of you ever again."
"You'll hear from me," he said, smiling over her shoulder at Katniss. "I actually like writing letters."
Madge kissed his cheek and then reached for Katniss. "Go away, Peeta," she said. "I wanna talk to Katniss."
Peeta smiled and backed away, his arms up and a mockingly innocent look on his face as he made his way to his car. Sitting in the driver's seat, he cranked the engine and watched as Madge spoke earnestly to Katniss. Katniss smiled back at Madge, nodding until they hugged again.
When Katniss slid into the front seat next to Peeta, she smiled at him, a slightly embarrassed look on her face.
"What was that about?" he asked.
"Well, just, more of the same. Keep in touch." She paused a moment. "She seems to think I need her as a sounding board for, uh, figuring things out with you."
Peeta glanced over at her. She was definitely embarrassed and looking out the window away from him.
"What do you think?"
"Um, she's probably right," Katniss admitted.
Peeta reached out across the bench seat of the Suburban and found her hand. "We've come a long way already," he said.
Peeta was glad they were having this conversation, actually. Though things between them had settled somewhat, it was all still very new, and they had yet to even work out times to see each other. They didn't live so very far apart, but on opposite sides of the city interior, and traffic at any given time was something they had to contend with. In the best circumstances, it took twenty minutes. In the worst, it could take an hour.
Plus, Peeta still didn't have his own place. Although he had begun looking for an apartment, it was not an easy task. He needed to be close to the bakery since he arrived so early every morning, but apartments in the Emory area were expensive. He'd need a roommate to afford one, yet the prospect of living with a stranger was not appealing.
And neither had even begun classes yet. Their class schedules, where he would live, when they would see each other – all of these things were still very much up in the air.
The silence between them lingered as his thoughts ran laps around him
Surfacing from his own thoughts, he squeezed her fingers. "You're quiet over there. Are you OK with things? Are we moving too fast?"
In his peripheral vision, he saw her turn to face him, and then she brought his hand to her lips. "No, no, that's not what I was thinking. It's fine. I mean, I'm fine. With everything."
He smiled over at her then, and his heart quickened in his chest. He just felt incredibly fortunate.
They drove on awhile longer before she asked, "What will your work schedule be for Labor Day weekend?"
"I'll work Friday and Saturday as usual, but we'll be closed Sunday and Monday. Why?"
"I need to make a trip to Ridgecrest," she said. "But I was thinking about going up there after work on Thursday night."
"Okay . . ."
"Well, would you want to go camping? I was thinking, if you meet me at Ridgecrest after work on Saturday, we could set out from there and just spend a few days hiking and, well, you know, just have some time."
They had pulled up to a stoplight, and he used her hand to pull her closer to him so he could lean in for a kiss.
"I love that idea," he said.
Peeta had just eased some Focaccia into the oven when he heard the front door of the bakery open and Delly talking animatedly. He leaned his head through the doorway and caught sight of Katniss. She was wearing a short black skirt and dark tights, what he had come to know as her work outfit. It was a jarring change from her summer wear – shorts and a t-shirt – but he had to chuckle at the idea that black tights and Doc Martens were what she considered her 'dressed up' work look. It was a good thing the Fernbank Science Center was a relaxed work environment.
He couldn't imagine Katniss in a suit and heels, though just thinking about it did give him pause.
"Hey!" he called. Wiping his hands on his apron, he walked into the front room of the bakery. He reached her side and leaned in to kiss her cheek, feeling her tense up minutely under his lips.
Despite the fact that they had progressed quickly in intimacy and comfort with each other, Katniss was still Katniss, and he doubted she would ever feel at ease with public displays of affection.
"What are you doing here?" he said.
"I have some time to kill. I'm leading the Decatur Birding Society on a night walk tonight, but with 5:00 traffic, by the time I get home, it'll be time to head back this way."
Peeta knew that Katniss' biggest adjustment to living in Atlanta was dealing with traffic. Her house with Jo was right outside of Georgia Tech, and once classes started, that convenience would pay off. But commuting to Fernbank, and thus fighting traffic every day, was wearing on her already.
"Have you eaten? Do you want to grab some dinner?"
"Yeah, definitely."
"Peeta!"
The sound of his mother's voice calling him from the back made him stiffen and involuntarily look at his watch. She never came by in the late afternoon, preferring to get the paperwork for the business taken care of before lunch.
He had been back from camp for three weeks, but he had not yet told his parents about Katniss. He wasn't keeping it a secret from them exactly, but it hadn't come up, either.
Honestly, it was just easier to share as little as possible with them – though it looked like that was about to change.
His mother came in through the doorway and surveyed the scene in front of her.
"Well, have we quit work for the day?" she asked, looking back and forth between Delly and Peeta and all but ignoring Katniss.
Peeta looked at Katniss, catching her eye and trying to communicate with her silently before turning back to his mother.
"I'm finishing up my shift, and Delly will be closing up in about an hour."
"I came by to let you know that we have a special order for tomorrow that just came in. Three dozen petit fours, pastel colors, baby booties on the top."
"What time tomorrow?" Peeta asked.
"10 AM sharp."
Peeta gulped. "OK. I'll do them tonight, I guess."
"You guess?"
"They'll be ready." He turned back to Katniss. "Mom, I'd like to introduce you to my girlfriend, Katniss." He rested his hand on the small of her back. "Katniss, this is my mother, Scotta Mellark."
Katniss reached to shake hands. Scotta stared at her for a moment before averting her eyes as she lightly squeezed Katniss' hand. "How do you do." Mrs. Mellark's voice was cold and brittle.
"It's nice to meet you," Katniss said softly. Peeta held her side gently during the exchange. He knew how intimidating his mother was, having introduced enough of his friends to her to know what to expect.
"So, ah, we're going to get some dinner, and then I'll come back and make the petit fours. I'll get them glazed tonight and decorate them in the morning," Peeta said.
"Very well. Just make sure they're ready on time," Mrs. Mellark said as she turned and walked briskly back to the kitchen.
Peeta glanced at Delly, whose kind smile was sympathetic. He smiled back and shrugged. "Guess that had to happen at some point. Do you want to come to dinner with us, Dell? We can wait."
"No, y'all go on. I've got plans anyway after close."
Katniss was quiet as they walked across the street to find some dinner. It wasn't until they were seated at a small table at the Rainbow Deli that he looked squarely at her.
He felt awkward, wondering what was going through her mind, what she thought of the exchange with his mother. It was enough to drive anyone away, certainly.
Uncharacteristically, Katniss broke the silence. "That did not go well."
"Uh, well. It wasn't that bad, actually."
"Is she always like that or does she just not like me?"
"Oh no! It's not you! It's me, actually. And yes, she's usually like that." He took a gulp of his water as the waitress approached.
After ordering, Peeta reached across the table for her hand. "Don't take it personally. Really."
"What did you mean when you said she was usually like that?"
"I don't know how to explain it other than to say that she's not a nice person. She's not a happy person. All my life she's been just like that if not worse."
He watched her as she processed this information, looking across the restaurant vacantly. He waited. She was so hard to read sometimes. His anxiety began to build, settling into the line of his shoulders, the square of his jaw.
"Worse?"
Too deep in his own thoughts, he didn't understand her question.
"What?"
"What do you mean she is sometimes worse? How much worse?"
His face flushed instantly as he scrambled to figure out how to answer this question. He pulled his hand from hers and ran it through his hair before scrubbing both hands over his face.
"Peeta?" Her voice was quiet, tentative, and his chest tightened. He tried to take a deep breath.
"I don't," he started. "I…" He stopped again and then finally just shrugged. "Worse. A lot worse. I don't really like to talk about it. She's a hard person to deal with."
Blessedly the waitress was back with their meals, and it was enough of a distraction for now. Peeta busied himself putting mayo on his black bean burger and pulling off the red onion before taking a big bite. He chewed slowly, realizing he wasn't hungry anymore.
He finally looked up at Katniss again. She had cut a piece of her quesadilla and was swirling it into the glob of salsa on her plate.
Swallowing the bite, he wiped his mouth with his napkin and took another drink of water. "Tell me about your class tonight," he said quietly.
Her eyebrows lowered and she sighed before beginning to tell him about the whip-poor-wills and owls they'd be looking and listening for that night.
The sun had fallen behind the trees though the air was still humid as they made their way back across the street to the bakery. It was time for Katniss to go, and Peeta needed to start on the Petit Fours, so he walked her through the bakery and out to the back parking lot and her car.
At her door, she turned to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head and shoulders against his chest. He sighed. The tension drained from him in her embrace, and his hands instinctively went to the hair at the back of her neck.
"Are you OK?" he murmured.
Instead of answering, she rose up on her tip toes and kissed him, moving a hand to his cheek to pull him to her, urgently running her tongue against his lips. She pulled away to breathe but was back at him instantly, grasping his head in both her hands now and pulling on him. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist, crushing her to him as he returned her kiss with equal fervor.
The intensity waned gradually, leaving her looking into his eyes, her hands still framing his face. "Are you OK?" she asked.
He leaned in for one last kiss.
"Yes."
The thing about making Petit Fours is this: they are a time-consuming mess. When his mother came in at 5:30 and told him of an order for three dozen, he knew he was facing at least four more hours of work that night and another two the next morning – on top of all the usual morning work.
By the time he had the cakes in the refrigerator and the kitchen put back together, it was almost 11:00. His lower back was beginning to ache from standing so long, and his head felt heavy. He knew 5:00 AM would come early the next morning.
As he made his way to the parking lot in the back of the bakery, he saw a piece of paper stuck under the windshield wiper on his car.
Peeta,
I didn't want to come in. It's late and we both have early mornings. But I've been thinking of you tonight and can't wait until Saturday. We're making NO plans this weekend. Jo's out of town, so it'll just be us, OK?
Katniss
God, he loved her.
Saturday afternoon found him ahead of schedule. Business had been slow that afternoon, so he'd been able to work ahead on prep for Monday and the basic tasks of closing. He was excited to get over to Katniss' house to begin the weekend – roughly thirty-six hours of uninterrupted time with the entire house to themselves.
Promptly at 4:00, he swapped the sign to 'Closed,' turned off the front lights, and returned to the kitchen to finish up.
He was surprised to find his mother leaning against the counter.
"Hey," he said, grimacing when he heard the unnatural pitch of his voice. Damn! Why did he let his mother get to him him like this? He'd done nothing wrong. He steeled himself, consciously straightening his back and squaring his shoulders.
"You're running early today." The words were innocuous themselves, but her tone could not be mistaken.
"It's been slow today, so I was able to prep and clean up early." He sighed. "But the sign stayed up and the door open until 4:00. I've just locked it up now."
She raised her eyebrows, giving an expression of innocence, as if she hadn't just implied that he'd tried to close early.
He turned to the sink to finish washing the last of the pans sitting there.
"So can we expect you home tonight?"
"No."
"And where will you be?" When Peeta didn't answer her immediately, she said, "Can I assume you'll be with that girl who was here the other day?"
Peeta turned around to face her. "Her name is Katniss. And yes, I'll be there tonight."
"And what did you say her last name was?"
"Everdeen. Katniss Everdeen." He watched her face curiously as she processed this information. "She's from Ellijay. I ran into her this summer at camp. Do you remember the family?"
A sharp, derisive sound escaped Scotta Mellark's lips before she said, "There is no one from Ellijay whom I care to remember. The town is filled with rednecks and immigrants. There is nothing there worth my time – or yours, for that matter." She stood there twisting the heavy rings on her fingers. The action agitated Peeta. He'd seen her do that many times before. It didn't bode well.
"Were you planning on formally introducing us?"
"Well, it's still kinda new," he said hastily. He turned back to the sink. "Eventually, I guess." He realized his mother took this information to mean the relationship wasn't serious. In reality, he had not even thought about introducing them, would have held off as long as he could.
His mother was silent, and he braced himself for when she did speak. Rinsing the final loaf pan and putting it up on the drying rack, he wiped his hands dry.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to meet her, won't we," she said, her voice entirely too animated for Peeta's sensibility. "Bring her to dinner," she said firmly. "Tomorrow. We'll be home from church at the usual time. We'll eat at 1:00 – don't be late."
Peeta had not at all anticipated this invitation, but he couldn't very well turn it down. "Ah, OK," he said.
She smiled at him, pleased with herself. She turned and retreated to the small office near the back door.
Peeta hung up the towel and ran his hands through his hair, pulling on the ends as dread settled into his shoulders. He blew out a long sigh before collecting his stuff and heading out the back door.
A heavy foreboding settled over him. He and Katniss had so little time together, but now he faced an unwelcome interruption to their plan to spend the weekend alone. They would have to face his parents, and that encounter would not go well. He knew in his bones that his mother would end up saying something rude to Katniss, but he didn't know how to control the situation, and he just hoped it wouldn't be enough to scare Katniss away.
By the time he reached her door, Katniss was there waiting, opening the door and pulling him inside.
He could tell by the look on her face that she knew, she somehow understood that something had happened. She backed her way to her bedroom door silently. They hadn't even spoken, but at times like these, he knew that she was different from anyone he'd been with before. She didn't need words to communicate with him.
Inside her bedroom, she kicked the door shut as he dropped his backpack to the floor. Her hands immediately pulled at the hem of his shirt, grabbing it from behind and pulling it over his head. He ducked to allow it off his body and then watched as she pulled her own shirt off.
And then she was pressing up against him, soothing his skin, kissing his shoulders, his neck, his face. He let out a long, shuddering sigh as he held her waist. Her hands were on his face now, and he saw the concern in her face, in her eyes.
Her thumbs ran along his cheeks for a moment before she reached up to kiss his lips. Light. Slow. Soft. She was being gentle with him, knowing without knowing what he needed.
He unclasped her bra, pulling it from her arms. Her hands found his waist, unbuckling his belt, unbuttoning his pants, sliding his zipper down, and pushing his pants and boxers off. She ran her hands down his back, pulling on him, cupping, squeezing, bringing him closer to her. Their chests came together, skin on skin, one heart beating into another. He breathed her in.
She pushed on him gently, guiding him down onto the bed, and then she was straddling him. Her kisses became fierce as she reached for him, her small, sure hands encircling him. He gasped as her thumb grazed his head.
"Katniss," he said, the first word either of them had spoken. But she was on him again, kissing him and nipping his neck as she held him tightly, working him until he couldn't keep from thrusting into her hands.
He ran his palm lightly over her nipple before squeezing it between his thumb and fingers. Her gasp sent a jolt through him. He was so close. Squeezing again, he watched the desire bloom on her face.
Suddenly he was there, there, arching into her again. He fell apart as she held him together.
A/N As always, great thanks to BohemianRider for her time and beta skills.
