Authors note- Thank you so much for all of the support this story has gotten. It definitely keeps my muse moving a little faster than it would otherwise. Also, a BIG thank you to my wise and wonderful beta, PenandQuill.

Some of you have questioned why this story is listed under an M rating, and this chapter is the first chapter you will see why in. Please, note that there will be racially offensive language used in this story. Keep in mind: This story is being kept historically accurate (to a point), and racism did leave horrible scars on this nation.

Chapter 7

Who knew that one so-called "innocent" kiss could throw my mind into complete chaos? I don't think Peeta had any idea what it would do to me, how much it would change my perspective on him. I just wasn't ready for it yet, so I took the only course of action I saw before me: I ran away. Our exchanges throughout the rest of that day were cold and clinical, and when it came time to go to bed, I not only shut the doors, I locked them. Oh, I didn't lock the doors from my side. Peeta wasn't really the threat I feared most. I made sure to slyly turn the lock on his side of the door before leaving his room that night, because I couldn't leave myself the option of crawling back into bed with him. My behavior didn't change much in the morning either. After a silent breakfast, I coolly informed him that I was taking him up on his offer to go visit Prim. Even then, I realized what a coward I was.

I had Thresh drop me off at Haymitch's place. I didn't know what kind of work schedule that Prim had with him, and I also didn't want to be seen chauffeured around town in the Mellark's car. Though it was past the hour that most folks were up and about, I wasn't sure that was the case for Haymitch. Doc's hours were irregular at best. I knocked on the door a couple of times, and then just let myself in.

Right away, I could see that Prim had been hard at work. New curtains hung on the windows replacing ones that were just about stiff with cobwebs. The furniture hadn't just been dusted, it had been polished until it shined. I took hesitant steps through the kitchen, noting the fresh flowers in a vase in the center of the table. I couldn't help but chuckle. When Doc hired me, he told me it was just as well that I wasn't a real woman because he didn't want some girl prancing around leaving wifely little touches everywhere. It was a decree that suited me just fine, but apearantly Prim had other ideas.

After a bit of exploring, I found Haymitch in his office slumped half in, half out of his chair behind the desk. An empty bottle of rotgut whiskey lay on the table and another nearly drained bottle still miraculously hung in his slackened grasp. I pulled the bottle from his hand. The touch wasn't enough to really rouse him, but he did stir.

"Ain't gonna let you go, Mary-girl," he mumbled.

It wasn't anything I hadn't heard before. In fact, I had seen him so drunk that he'd damn near gone crazy once, staggering around the house breaking any furniture that he could reach, screaming at the top of his lungs for a woman who had been dead for years. His delirium had been so severe that he even accused me of trying to keep them apart. I think Haymitch was every bit of an example of why not to give my whole heart away as my mother had been. They both taught me that if you didn't hold back, you would end up losing yourself completely. Love wasn't worth that. Nothing was.

I pulled Doc up into the chair. His gray eyes cracked open and fixed an unfocused glare at me. "You shouldn't be here," he grumbled.

"Think we can get you to that cot over there?" I asked ignoring his question.

"Leave me be if'n we do?"

"Deal," I agreed as I helped him up to his feet. Given his characteristic state of drunkenness, I found myself grateful that he kept a cot in his office. I got him to lie down, and decided to let him sleep it off.

Although discovering Haymitch as I did was no surprise, but finding out that Prim was still asleep when I made it to Mrs. Callahan's house was a definite shock. Mrs. Callahan invited me into her parlor for a cup of tea while I waited.

"Poor dear was just plumb exhausted," she muttered as she poured. "Primrose insisted on going out with Dr. Abernathy to help with the Baker girl's birthing. The babe was all turned about."

I winced instinctively at her words. In hindsight, Doc was much more sober and well-mannered than I would have expected. Even after all these years, he didn't take well to delivering babies. What should have been a joyous experience for a physician was utter hell for him. His post birthing binges were by far his worst.

"How are the mother and child?" I asked.

"From what your sister told me, they should be just fine." Mrs. Callahan sat down and stirred extra sugar into her own tea. "And how is your patient? Such a pitiful soul, we've been praying for him at church on Sundays."

My grasp tightened slightly on the cup in my hand. Pitiful soul? Peeta was disabled, but hardly pitiful. He didn't need Mrs. Callahan or any of the other good Christian town folk sending their sympathy, that was for certain. I took a slow sip of tea and reined in my temper. "Mr. Mellark is recovered nicely," I replied politely.

The older woman clucked her tongue sadly. "Recovered nicely, you say. Even you have to admit that such a horribly crippled man will never be able to have a meaningful life. I don't think those doctors are doing men like that any favors by saving them. They'll be nothing but dependent for the rest of their lives."

"Why? Because that's the lot in life you assume they should take?" I asked icily. The delicate china cup in my hand was shaking. I don't think Mrs. Callahan could have caused me as much damage if she had slapped me.

"Well, no need to get so offended," she huffed.

We finished our refreshments in stony silence.

Prim made her appearance not long after Mrs. Callahan had removed the serving tray. She still looked tired, but her eyes brightened as she spotted me. "Katniss, I can't believe you made it out so soon!" she cried as she wrapped her arms around me.

I hugged her back. The familiarity of having her near me was enough to make me want to cry. I tugged on her single braid teasingly. "You weren't having too much fun without me, were you, Little Duck?" I joked.

"So very much has happened that I barely know where to start," she gushed with a wide smile. "I helped Doc deliver a baby last night. Can you imagine that? I got to hand a darling little girl to her mother for the very first time!"

"I'm sure it was wonderful," I said, chuckling at her enthusiasm.

Prim nodded earnestly. "Oh, it was wonderful. I just wish it hadn't made poor Doc so very sad. He didn't say a word to me until we got back to his place after it was all done. Even then, he just told me to take a couple of days off, but I was still going to check on him this afternoon."

"No," I told her firmly. "You leave that man be when he's like this. If Haymitch starts drinking, you head for the door. Is that clear?"

"You don't have to worry so much. I'm not a little girl anymore," she told me softly. I didn't want to see the new-found independence in Prim's eyes, but it was there. I knew that even in the few days I had been gone, she had already started to grow. The revelation hurt, but it was all part of life.

We didn't linger in Mrs. Callahan's parlor. When I suggested we walk to Sae's Restaurant on Main, Prim eagerly agreed. It was quite a novelty to be able to afford a meal out, and it felt good to be able to repay old kindnesses. Sae had been the only one willing to help feed a half-starved couple of orphans when we were younger. The old Scotswoman had traded bowls of stew and other hardy offerings for help in her garden or a whatever game I was able to bring in. She wasn't too high on the hog to turn down a couple of squirrels for her own table when pickings were slim. In fact, I didn't doubt that with the talent she had with food, Sae could have served groundhog to Mrs. Mellark and convinced the old witch that she was eating a delicacy.

The restaurant itself wasn't anything fancy. Before the mine grew too large, Sae had actually cooked for all of the unmarried miners. The place still bore the mark of its utilitarian roots with rough cut wooden tables and bare walls. There wasn't even a sign out front to advertise the place. Truth was, all the locals were already well-acquainted with Sae—or Greasy Sae, as she was known—and any visitors would only have to follow their noses to her door.

"You haven't said anything about your job," Prim observed as we sat down at a corner table.

"I like it well enough," I told her warily. I didn't quite know how to explain my time with the Mellarks. Luckily the establishment's namesake appeared and saved me from having to say more.

"Been a long spell since I've seen the pair o' Everdeen girls 'pon my door," the old woman cackled with a smile. "Hear tell that it will be even longer afore I get good venison again."

"It's true," I confirmed with a grin. Sae was forever saying that there wasn't a man in these parts that brought in game as regularly as I did. Which was true. I was by far the best shot in the area, even if none of the men wanted to admit it.

Sae shrugged. "Well, at least young Rory seems determined to pick up where you left off. Brought me a fine few rabbits this morn. Got them a bubblin' away in a nice stew. Can I interest you in a bowl?"

I agreed readily, but Prim demurred. Unlike me, my sister had a hard time eating anything she considered cute. After she ordered chicken, Sae was off to get our meals.

"You were going to tell me about your job," Prim prompted as soon as we were alone again.

I groaned inwardly. I had hoped that she would forget about it, but as that was unlikely, I decided to tell her just about everything. Leaving out the parts about spending the night in Peeta's bed and the kiss, I found myself going on and on. My usual reticence melted away with alarming speed. Before I knew, it I was describing in great detail the look on Peeta's face when he realized he'd won our little contest and how very like herself Rue was. Prim listened to it all with rapt attention and a dreamy expression on her face. It didn't quite occur to me why though.

"Your Peeta sounds like a wonderful man," she sighed as she rested her cheek on her palm. The gesture was just naive enough to make me realize exactly what was going on in that blonde head of hers.

"It's not like that," I snapped irritably.

Prim only shook her head still wearing her dreamy smile. "Not now, it isn't."

I didn't have the will to argue about it. Despite her age, Prim was one of the most perceptive people I had ever known. She had this intrinsic ability to see through all of my walls and bypass every single one. I knew better than to lie about my confused feelings for Peeta, so I just shoveled rabbit stew into my mouth.

The spoon stopped halfway to my mouth as something occurred to me. "Have you seen Hazelle or Rory since they heard?" I asked.

"I saw Rory briefly yesterday. He was making deliveries for his mother. I asked how he was doing, but he only told me that he had too much to do to stand around and talk," she told me as worry crept into her pretty blue eyes.

"I should have visited them before I went away," I rued.

Sliding her hand over mine, Prim looked me in the eye. "I think they understand."

After our meal, I decided that we needed to do something to lift our spirits, so I took Prim to the store to pick out some fabric for a new dress. It felt good to be able to buy some thing that Prim wanted rather than needed. Even before Papa died, there hadn't been any money to spoil us kids with. All of our toys had been handmade. I could still remember the little horses and bears that Papa had carved for us in the evenings, and the rag dolls with painted on faces that Mama had made for us. As I saw how Prim's face lit up when she pulled out a roll of pink fabric, my heart swelled with happiness. I even prompted her to buy some lace and enough blue fabric for a second dress. I paid for our selections and waited for the shop owner's wife to cut the yardage. As I stood there, my eyes began to idly scan the jars of penny candy behind the counter. On a whim, I bought a small bag of licorice twists for Prim and myself and bag of lemon drops for the Hawthorne children which Prim volunteered to drop off in the morning.

We walked back to Mrs. Callahan's arm in arm, each chewing on pieces of candy. With no more than a scant block between us and our destination, an unwelcome pair appeared as we passed the livery. Jack Marvel and Cato were undoubtedly the two least liked men in the whole damn town. Cato's brawny, blond form lumbered into our path and his cold eyes slipped over every inch of me and Prim while Marvel rounded us from behind.

"Well, well," Cato drawled. "What do we have here? A couple of young ladies in need of escorts."

Marvel chuckled. I could smell the acrid odor of his unwashed, lanky body long before he weaved around in front of us. "I'd say one lady and one hellcat."

"Don't you have someone else to bother?" I ground out. Prim's fingers gripped my arm so tight it hurt.

"Just came over to see if you were tired of climbing up on top of that cripple. Thought I'd offer to fill ole' Gale's spot to satisfy your womanly cravings," Cato offered with a shrug. "I'm sure Marvel here would love to entertain your sister while she waits."

My fist moved of its own accord and connected against Cato's jaw with such force that I was sure I'd broken my wrist. "You stay the Hll away from us!" I snarled as the big man staggered back.

Cato licked away the blood at his lips. A wave of disgust swept over me as I saw the pure excitement in his eyes. "I'm gonna make you wish you hadn't done that," he promised dangerously as he stepped toward me.

"Don't touch me!" I hissed.

Prim let out a cry as Marvel grabbed hold of her. Panic began to set in. I knew I had a snow ball's chance in Hell of fending of Cato, let alone the two of them. Bravado aside, I wasn't stupid enough to think that a woman my size could take on a man as big as either one of them hand-to-hand and come out the victor. My mind raced as I tried to think.

"Get your God-damned hands off those two," a voice commanded from behind. I felt myself sag with relief as I saw Doc standing just a few feet away with Thresh at his side.

"Well, if it isn't the local drunk and the Mellark's favorite house nigger," Marvel said with a whistle. I couldn't help but be struck by how stupid he was to continue to bait the pair even as he released Prim and stepped away.

"You two don't want no fight with us," Cato spat.

Haymitch let out a low, dangerous laugh. "My friend, I think it's safer to say that you don't want no fight with him," he said with a nod toward Thresh.

Until that moment, I hadn't really thought of Thresh as intimidating. His large, silent presence was something I was so accustomed to that I hardly gave him any attention at all. What I saw in his usually stoic features was enough to even have me backing away. Rage now contorted his face into a mask of deadly determination. His dark eyes were locked on Cato and Marvel with a look that said he would love to tear them apart piece-by-piece.

Cato, obviously the wiser of the twosome, shut his mouth and began to walk away—quickly, might I add. With the brains of the operation gone, Marvel was left to put together the reality that he wouldn't be able to take both Haymitch and Thresh on his own successfully before following suit.

I pulled Prim into my arms and let her shake against me. "Thank you," I whispered over her shoulder to Haymitch and Thresh.

Thresh merely nodded.

"Let's get back to my house," Haymitch said ignoring my gratitude. "I want to have a look at that hand of yours."

Once back at Haymitch's, he sent Prim to make a pot of coffee while he examined my hand. I winced at his less than soft-handed ministrations, but held my silence. I wasn't used to being rescued by men—or by anyone. It made me even more determined to keep what pride I still had. After he announced that I hadn't broken anything, Doc fell haphazardly into his chair.

"You have to be about the dumbest female I have ever met," he murmured. I knew he was about to launch into a tirade, and I braced myself for it. I owed him at leas that much. "Those two have mean streaks as long as the damned Mississippi and twice as wide. You ever think about keeping your mouth shut and walking right on by?"

"They didn't give us much choice," I said keeping my voice level.

Haymitch snorted and pulled a flask from his desk. "You are damned lucky that your friend here knocked on my door to see if you were back yet."

"We are lucky," I agreed. The stinging that those few little words caused my pride was nothing compared to what might have happened. I turned to Thresh who stood awkwardly at the door. "I'm sorry for the trouble."

"You didn't cause it," Thresh replied. It was officially the longest sentence I had heard from him up to that point.

"You're only saying that because you don't know her well enough yet," Haymitch cut in with a bout of dark laughter. I wrinkled my nose at the comment. Gratitude or no, it was becoming increasingly harder and harder to hold my peace.

Prim returned carrying a tray with four mugs of coffee. "I really don't know how to thank you," she said as she handed the first one to Thresh. Her innocent eyes locked on to him as he shyly accepted the beverage. "I don't even know you and you helped save us."

"No need to thank me, Miss Everdeen. Just doin' what was right is all," he replied bashfully. I chuckled to myself as I took my own mug. Two full sentences in a row!

"I think we should get back before it's too terribly late," I said finally.

Thresh nodded. "We can drop Miss Everdeen off on our way."

After seeing Prim safely to Mrs. Callahan's front door, I leaned back into the cushioned seat. The day had taken a toll on me, and I was more than a little exhausted. It had been such a nice day. I just wished that it had ended differently.

"Please, don't tell Peeta about this," I begged Thresh as we pulled away.

"I won't say a thing, Miss Katniss," he assured me.

The irony of that struck me as funny, and I began to laugh. Thresh eyed me from the window. "I'm sorry," I wheezed, wiping tears from my eyes. "Coming from you, that is about the funnies thing I have heard all day!" I continued to chuckle all the way home.