A/N: I wrote the bulk of this chapter during Winter Storm Cato. (Seriously. That's what they named it.) Thank you, Cato, for giving me a day off from work and time to write. Thanks again to everyone who is reading, commenting, and enjoying!

Katniss woke pressed against a warm body. She recoiled, disgusted at herself for curling up against Cato's back in the middle of the night. How could she allow any kind of intimacy between them after he had insulted her, hurt her—

And then as the last remnants of sleep disappeared, she remembered.

She reached out and grazed the back of Peeta's neck and pressed a kiss to his exposed skin. An unfamiliar feeling sprouted in her chest, dug its roots into her stomach. It was a moment before she realized that she felt safe. She had forgotten what that felt like.

But she had to leave. Decisions at night always seemed much worse in the light of the morning. Her self-loathing was never as fierce as it was the morning after a night with Cato. She couldn't stand the idea of destroying her perfect day with Peeta by allowing an awful morning to follow it.

Peeta would realize she was good for only one thing, and he was too much of a gentleman to even use her for that. He would dismiss her as politely as possible.

She sat up. Peeta stirred and touched her hand.

"Good morning," he said.

She didn't respond, opting to stare straight ahead at the wall.

"Katniss?"

"I should probably get back to my room. I need to change for breakfast."

He tugged her arm. "Let's skip breakfast."

"I think it's best that I get back," she said. "Thank you for letting me stay."

He encircled her waist and pulled her back into the warm burrow of their makeshift bed. She tried to relax as he buried his face into her neck, but it was difficult. With every second that passed, she was certain he was preparing to dismiss her.

But the words never came.

Her muscles gradually loosened and her eyes grew heavy. She was almost asleep when Peeta spoke.

"I don't want to marry Delly Cartwright." He kissed the corner of her jaw. "I don't want to run the store in Boston. I don't want any of it."

"What do you want?" she asked.

"I want to be with you."

This was somehow worse than what she had expected. Casting her aside was an obvious and necessary choice, but actually wanting to be with her? The idea was insane. Forget the obstacles that stood in their way. She would not allow it. She would not drag him down with her.

"Peeta, you don't…that's not possible."

"It is," he said. "I've been thinking about leaving home for years. One day, I would just up and leave. Carve out my own path."

She twisted in his arms and looked up at him. "Leave your family? Never see them again?"

"I know I've never had it as bad as you. I've never known hunger or the cold. But I know what it's like to feel alone. I know what it's like to be forced to play a part or suffer the consequences."

His eyes, usually such a bright shade of blue, appeared darker, like the color of the sky as a storm rolled in. She had never noticed the pain in them before. She had been too distracted by her own.

She wondered what his consequences were, if they were anything like her own.

"Tell me what you want," she said.

"When I was a kid, I'd help our cook prepare meals whenever my mother was out of the house. Baking bread with her is one of the happiest memories I have from my childhood." He smiled down at her. "I want to open my own bakery. I want to sell things that will make people happy, really happy. Not like the stuff at our stores. We trick people into thinking they need to buy this stuff to feel fulfilled, but it's an illusion. All of it."

He pressed his lips to her forehead, and she was certain no matter how many times he did this, she would never tire of the feel of his mouth on her skin.

"Things don't make you happy."

"Things keep you warm," she said. "They keep you fed."

"Yes, but all this luxury, this excess…it's not fair. People like you have to bend to the will of people like Cato because you were born into poverty. I don't want to be part of it anymore. We could leave, Katniss. You and I. Together. You wouldn't have to be with Cato anymore."

She disentangled herself from and sat up. "You can't base your future on one happy day together. You can't throw everything away."

"I was always going to leave. I've been putting money aside for the last couple of years. I just didn't know where I'd go. I do now."

"Peeta, I'm not…I'm not staying in New York."

"I know. Prim told me."

"What?" She was aghast at the idea that Prim would reveal her most guarded secret to a stranger.

"All she said was that you might not stay in the city for too long. She asked for my address, so she could write letters and practice her penmanship." He laughed. "She's smart, your sister."

"I know," Katniss said softly. "But she shouldn't have told you."

"Where are you going?"

When Katniss remained quiet, Peeta sat up and touched her shoulder. "I won't tell anyone. And I won't try to stop you."

Opening up to him was tempting. What did she think he'd do with the information: betray her? The only thing he had done for her since they met was try to save her. Again and again.

"Montana," she responded. "I have a friend out there. She says I can own my own farm." Katniss closed her eyes and saw her home in Cork transported to a new country. "But the money I had…almost all of it's gone. I don't have enough to make it out there let alone buy land."

Peeta's face brightened. "I can take you. You, Prim, your mother. I can pay for all of us to get there."

Katniss threw the blanket off her and stood. "Absolutely not."

"Katniss, wait."

She was almost to the door when he grabbed her hand.

"What's wrong?"

"I will not be another rich man's whore," she snapped, pulling her hand away. "I won't do it again."

"That's not what I mean. I want to help you. I don't need anything in return."

It was a nice idea, but everything cost something. There was always a price.

She shook her head. "I can't do that. It's not right."

"Do you want to pay me back? I'll even charge interest if that will make you feel better."

"Peeta…"

"You, me, and your family," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. He kissed her softly. "We'll get off the ship together. We'll board a train the same day."

She studied him. He was a puzzle, impossible to solve. There were too many pieces and none of them fit together, unless…unless he truly cared for her. But they had known each other for only three days. It was impossible.

What kind of pain had he experienced that would make him throw away a roof over his head and guaranteed meals? To make him never want to see his family again? She saw it much clearer now, the despair that flickered in between his bright smiles. He had said he was always going to leave. She had just given him a destination.

"I don't know," she said.

The idea was magnetic, and she could feel herself being pulled in. If he helped them, she wouldn't have to stay and witness the aftermath of Snow's destruction. She could escape his wrath. Cato's too.

He pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, and she leaned into his hand. This wasn't possible. He wasn't possible. Nonetheless, she felt hope blossoming within her, like flowers on a tree.

"Just think about it," he said, pulling her into another kiss.

A knock on the cabin door interrupted them. Peeta frowned at the noise.

"Marvel?" Katniss asked.

"Maybe. Stay here."

"Wait, Peeta!" He pulled his bedroom door shut behind him.

She listened: another knock, more insistent, and Peeta's footsteps across the floor of the sitting room. If Marvel waited in the hall, if he tried to hurt Peeta again, she would tear him apart. The memory of Cato's violence flickered through her mind, but she blinked it away.

She would never, ever be that girl again.

Peeta's startled voice rang out, "Miss Trinket?"

"Good morning, Peeta. I'm so sorry to disturb you, but I'm looking for Katniss."

"I haven't seen her, not since breakfast yesterday. Is she all right? Do you need help looking for her?"

The words were meant to protect her, but she was surprised at the lie that fell so smoothly from his mouth.

"Peeta, I know she's here. My father sent me to fetch her. She's to have breakfast with him in his room."

"Miss Trinket, I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Peeta, please…do not make this harder than it has to be. You don't know my father."

It wasn't a threat, not coming from Effie's mouth, but Katniss knew what it meant. With one last look at the rumpled blanket on the floor, Katniss entered the sitting room.

"You don't have to go," Peeta said.

"Thank you, Peeta, but I should get back." Katniss stopped at his side and laid a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Come back to my room when you can. Alright?"

Katniss nodded. She wanted to promise him, but all the hope within her way dying. Lord Snow already knew where she was, already knew about Peeta.

She walked out ahead of Effie, not daring to look back.

Lord Snow sat behind a table on his private stretch of the promenade deck, a cup of tea and a plate of untouched steak and eggs before him. He looked over the paperwork in his hand, ignoring both his breakfast and Katniss who had been sitting across from him for nearly five minutes. He had offered no greeting when she came in. He had yet to glance her way.

Her mind transported her back to Snow's study in London, back to the day this all began. The same apprehension and fear that had filled her then grabbed hold of her now.

"Have I not been generous, Miss Everdeen? Have I not fulfilled my half of our agreement?" he asked, still looking at the paperwork.

She was supposed to answer, but her throat was too dry to accommodate words.

Snow glanced at her from over the paperwork and laid it on the table. Folding his hands in front of him, he asked, "Did I not allow your family to move into my cottage where they lived and ate for free? Did I not have my personal doctor treat your mother at no cost?"

"Yes, thank you, sir, I—"

"I'm not looking for thanks, I am looking for you to do your job."

She flinched as he raised his voice. While she doubted Snow was the type to physically harm someone, there were so many other forms of punishment, and he knew them all.

"Imagine my surprise," he continued, "when I arrived at dinner last night to find my daughter upset and my grandson furious. Imagine my surprise when you and Mr. Mellark never graced us with your presence."

"Cato said—"

Snow hit the table, disturbing the dishes of food. Tea sloshed over the side of his cup, and Katniss fixated on the stain seeping into the white tablecloth.

"I do not care what Cato said or did. Your job is to keep him happy and gather information. You cannot gather information if you're off gallivanting around the ship with another man."

"I'm sorry," Katniss said. "I didn't mean to upset Cato. I'd never seen him like that before."

"If you refuse to fulfill your half of the agreement, I will have no choice but to break my part as well."

"What do you mean?"

"You will owe me the cost of room and board for your family as well as the doctor's visit."

Cato squeezing her jaw. Cato kicking her trunk. Cato slamming her head into the wall. The room began to spin as the images filled her mind. She wouldn't go back to him. She couldn't.

"He told me," Katniss said. "About his plan with his father. They're going to frame you."

Snow leaned forward, a spark of interest on his cruel face.

"They've been stealing money, but you're to take the blame. Your son is already in London speaking with the Board of Directors."

"He actually confessed to you," Snow said. He looked impressed. "He must care for you a lot to trust you with such a secret."

"So now you know what they're planning. I'm done with my part."

"You are done when I say you're done. Do you really think I would rely on an illiterate housemaid to uncover the coup they were planning? Do you really think I didn't have people in New York and London tracking Seneca's and Cato's every move?"

Humiliation mixed with dread washed over her like an icy wave.

"I asked you to form a relationship with Cato because he needs a reminder that everything he has is because of me. Because of my company, my hard work, and my perseverance. I gave you to him, and I can take you away."

A chill ran through her, as if the wave had returned to sea, leaving her drenched and freezing. She squeezed the sides of her chair to calm herself. She worried she would start shaking right here, right in front of his awful man.

"But I can't take you away if he doesn't have you, can I?" He paused and gave her an appraising look. She could see the wheels turning in his head, always three steps ahead of her.

"Miss Everdeen, do you know how much passage on the Titanic costs?"

Her heart rate climbed until her chest hurt.

"A suite, like the one you're staying in with my daughter, is 800 pounds. Your ticket, as well as your family's tickets, were a gift. But I'm afraid if you cannot perform your job, I will require repayment."

She couldn't catch her breath, couldn't breathe. She was suffocating on his words.

"Of course, I will not expect the full 800 pounds since you're sharing the room. I am nothing if not fair, don't you agree?" Snow tilted his head and smiled as if to share a private joke. "400 pounds plus the cost of your family's past living expenses. You will work for me until the debt is paid."

Currently, she earned two pounds a week. Two! She was no better at math than she was at reading, but she knew it would take years to pay Snow back.

"I would not consider running if I were you. If you try to leave, I will contact the police, and you will be arrested. I can find you wherever you go. Unless."

"Unless?" Her voice shook, but she managed to keep her body still.

"Unless you fix it. Apologize to Cato. Get him to take you back. Act your part until we reach New York, and then you can disappear. Your debt will be paid."

If she refused, if she was forced to work for Snow for years without wages, she would have no way of supporting her family. Prim would have to find a job, likely in a factory, with no time to attend school. And her mother? What help would she be?

"That's it?" she asked. "Just make everything go back to the way it was?"

"Yes. That's it. When we arrive in New York, Cato will discover his father has been incarcerated, that he has been disinherited, and that you've been lying to him."

"I can do that," she said. "I can fix it."

She stood without waiting for a dismissal. She was halfway to the door when Snow spoke again, "And Miss Everdeen, I don't want to hear you've seen or spoken with Mr. Mellark for the remainder of this trip. Don't think his last name gives him immunity. Rumor has it a Mr. Marvel Delacourte is looking for his brother."

Katniss rushed from the private deck, through the room, and into the hall. She barely had time to shut the door before she fell against the wall, tears stinging her eyes.

Of course, Snow would threaten Peeta too. Prim, her mother, Peeta—none of them were safe.

She just had to fix what Cato had broken. She could still make this work. She had to.

Effie was waiting for her when she returned to her cabin.

"Katniss?"

She tried to rush past Effie, but Effie called her name again.

"Katniss, I'm sorry about this morning. And yesterday. I'm so sorry about everything."

Effie who always wore a magnificent dress, her hair swept up in an elaborate bun, sat on the couch in a robe, her blonde hair hanging limply over her shoulders. She reached out her hand. Rather than accept this peace offering, Katniss compromised by sitting on the opposite end of the couch.

"Cato came looking for you last night. I told him you were exhausted and sick because of everything he had done and under no circumstances was he to bother you. I'm not sure he believed me, but he didn't check your room."

Katniss was startled by what Effie said. When Cato had attacked her, Effie had done nothing but hover outside the door. Last night though, Effie had stood up to Cato and protected her.

"Thank you."

"I didn't tell my father where you were. He figured that out on his own. He insisted I bring you to him. You know he can be quite persuasive."

"Yes," Katniss said. Lord Snow knew exactly what to say to manipulate a situation to his advantage.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes," Katniss repeated. "I'm just going to lie down."

"Katniss." Effie grabbed her hand. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"There's nothing anyone can do," she said and disappeared into her room.

Katniss sent Effie on to dinner ahead of her. She wanted to make an entrance. She wanted Cato to notice her immediately and regret his actions. If he had already come to her room looking for her, maybe he wanted to reconcile. Even if he didn't, she could try to persuade him. She had her own set of tools.

She slipped into the red dress with the jeweled bodice and lace sleeves, the one she had found at the bottom of her trunk and swore to never wear in public. It wasn't just that the neckline dipped much lower than she was used to, but the back of the dress mirrored the front, exposing the top half of her back. It toed the line of appropriateness, which was why Cato had purchased it for her. Every time he called her his fiancée or climbed into her bed, he was testing the boundaries of polite society.

She hoped the sight of her bare skin would make his hands itch to touch her. She twisted her hair into an elaborate braid and pinned it into a bun at the back of her head. Staring into the mirror, she assessed her appearance. Tonight, she would not be afraid. She would not waver.

The dress swished around her feet as she walked up the Grand Staircase, and she decided she was a fire burning a path of destruction. It would destroy Cato. If only she could destroy Snow too.

Peeta saw her first as his seat faced the entrance to the dining room. His mouth opened, desire etched across his face. She felt it too, like a cord tying her to him, pulling her forward. She would say nothing to him. She would not let him get caught in the flames.

Cato must have noticed Peeta's expression because he turned as she approached. His face mirrored Peeta's, but it made her stomach clench to remember that she would have to let him touch her.

She stopped beside her chair and waited. Cato jumped up and pulled her seat out for her. She sat and picked up the menu.

"When I picked out that dress, I never imagined you would look so radiant in it," Cato said, leaning in so only she could hear. "I want to rip it off right now."

Katniss shuddered, but she played it off as a shiver of excitement and gave him a secret smile, hidden behind her menu from the rest of the table.

"Manners, Cato," she said. "We must eat dinner first. What would Effie say?"

Cato's hand skimmed her thigh underneath the table.

Katniss glanced over the top of her menu and found Peeta staring at her. She wanted to smooth the wrinkles from his brow and kiss the confused expression from his face. The longing that had plagued her since their first night on the Boat Deck had only intensified since they had kissed. Her body burned with the desire to lay a hand on his and tell him she had never wanted to hurt him. Instead, she looked away.

"You look lovely tonight, Miss Everdeen," Peeta said from across the table. "Might I suggest the lamb?"

"Thank you," she said without looking up at him. She knew he was trying to help, but he was also trying to stake his claim. His persistence would only make this more difficult. "Cato, what would you recommend?"

"Filet mignon." He smirked as if Katniss's meal choice was a battle to be won. Fine. Let him be the victor then.

"Sounds perfect," Katniss said.

The tension between the trio was palpable, although she didn't think Cato noticed. Every movement Peeta made caught her eye, but she kept her vision trained on the table. While Cato was eager to touch her, she would not put it past him to show up at her door for a quick fuck before returning to ignoring her. She had to do something to convince him.

After the waiter took the table's order, Katniss leaned over and whispered her request into Cato's ear. It hurt to say it, but it had to be done.

Cato smiled at her words and patted her hand, an assurance that he would take care of everything.

"Mr. Mellark," Cato said. "I must ask you to change tables. My fiancée has noticed you staring at her over the past few meals, and it's made her uncomfortable."

Peeta was smooth enough not to look startled or upset. He simply returned his napkin to the table and tried to catch Katniss's eye. She stared at the empty plate in front of her.

"If that's what she wants," Peeta said.

"It is. Don't let me catch you looking at her again," Cato said. "Or we'll have a serious problem."

Peeta hesitated, and Katniss closed her eyes, hoping he would stay quiet, hoping he would leave.

Finally, Peeta stood and left the dining room. Katniss tried to conjure up the feeling from that morning, the safety and hope as she lay in Peeta's arms, but instead she just felt empty.

He would come. He would. He hadn't said so, but his gaze had lingered on her breasts when they said goodbye after dinner.

He would come.

He had to.

Katniss tightened her robe and paced her bedroom floor. If Cato didn't come, she had no idea what her next move would be. She couldn't exactly show up at his door, not with Lord Snow in the adjacent bedroom.

The clock chimed the eleventh hour. She sat back on the bed, defeated. Once she sat still, the anxiety returned, and all she could think of was Peeta. Back to her feet. Back to pacing. Back to hoping for a man she didn't want.

Half past eleven, Cato knocked on her door, surprising her. He had a key to the cabin and usually barged in. She called out for him to come inside.

He lingered in the doorway. "Katniss."

"I'm so glad you came tonight," she said. "I was afraid you wouldn't."

"I stopped by last night."

She moved behind him, shut the door, and leaned back against it.

"Effie told me this morning," she said. "I'm sorry. I wasn't feeling well last night. My head…" She trailed off, wondering if the wounded girl act would work. He had always felt such remorse after their arguments, but he had never been violent before.

"God, I'm so sorry." He touched her cheek, and she leaned into his hand. Peeta had done almost the same thing this morning. Peeta's hand had been soft and warm and gentle. Peeta would never—

She stopped. Took a breath.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I said. I'm so grateful for everything you've done for me. I was just upset that you didn't believe me."

He leaned down to kiss her, pinning her against the door. This move was nothing new, but it panicked her now as she recalled the last time he had her pinned against the wall. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think. She put a hand on his chest and gently pushed him away.

"I love you." It came out as a gasp. "I hope you know that."

"I love you too," he said. "Nothing like that will ever happen again. I promise."

She nodded as if she believed him. As if she would ever believe another word that fell from his mouth.

Hand still on his chest, she pushed him into the center of the room. She untied her robe and let it fall to her feet, revealing she had nothing on underneath.

"God, Katniss. You're so beautiful." His words were gentle but his touch was not. He grabbed her, trapping her in his arms, and pressed his mouth against hers. He forced his tongue in her mouth, and she kissed him back, hating the taste of him.

He began the arduous process of unbuttoning his shirt, and she helped, pushing it off his shoulders when the last button was undone. His pants were next, kicked aside and landing beside her robe. He sat on the bed. She was about to climb into his lap, but he put up a hand to stop her.

"I want you to show me how much you love me."

She thought of Prim working hours at a factory and coming home with a black eye. She thought of her mother, fading away from hunger and illness. She thought of Peeta, a knife at his throat over a debt he didn't owe.

This wasn't new, her and Cato. She had done this before. She had given herself away long ago. What were a few more days of playing the part?

She kneeled in front of him, laid a hand on his thigh, and promised herself this would all be over soon.