Once again, I start back to Victor's Village, carrying Peeta's package. Debating if I should go straight there or give it a little time to be sure he is awake. Upon reaching the collection of houses in Victor's Village, I decide to go directly there. Now is as good of a time as any.

I climb the first step and notice the amount of mud caked to my boots. I stop there straining to sling and stomp off as much as possible before stepping onto his porch. Suddenly the door swings open, Peeta is standing there, his shirt only buttoned half way up and not tucked in. He isn't wearing his boots, but he appears to have been awake.

"Sorry." I apologize. "I was trying to clean some of the mud off my boots. I didn't want to track it all over your porch." I give him a shy smile as I hold up the package. "I had to go into town and I ran into Delly Cartwright…" I begin explaining.

Peeta gives me an appreciative smile and cutting me off, waves me inside. "Come in. Just take your boots off." He says as he turns and heads back into the house.

I sit down on the top step, set the package next to me and unlace my boots. I slide them off carefully trying not to get any of the mud on myself and set them on the edge of the porch next to the railing. I pick up the package and go in the house. I take a deep breath and exhale slowly as close the door behind me, tucking Peeta's package under my arm.

I follow the sound of dishes knocking together into the kitchen to find Peeta cleaning his breakfast dishes from the table. The flour jar is out and I can smell bread baking in the oven. Peeta places the dishes in the sink and runs water over them to soak and wait to be washed later. He turns back towards me as I enter further into the room and stand behind the chair closest to the door.

He smiles at me again and motions for me to sit as he takes the seat at the end of the table opposite of me. "Now what were you saying. You were so startled that I couldn't understand you."

The sound of his voice is comforting. It isn't the same cold tone that he had been using on previous occasions since his return. I take the chair to his left, emboldened by his more pleasing attitude. "Sorry. You just took me by surprise. I was worried that you might still be asleep and when you yanked open the door, it took me by surprise." I pause for a moment, meeting his eyes. His warm gaze causes me to relax further.

"I was just saying that I had been up to the administration tent and I ran into Delly Cartwright. She is working for the government in the supply system. And she had this package to deliver to you, but with all the mud, she was running behind and asked if I could bring it to you." At this I hand him the package.

Peeta looks down at the package a little puzzled, but as he takes it from my hands something seems to click in his head and he begins to shudder with excitement as he rips open the side of the box. He turns the box sideways and out slides a small white rectangle. He sets the outer box on the table as he looks up at me. My brow is furrowed together, mystified as to what could this little white rectangle hold that has him so excited.

"Do you know what these are?" He asks excitedly.

"No." I answer still confused. Peeta opens the small box and pulls out a stack of thick paper in the same rectangle shape as the box. The top sheet of paper has a symbol on it that I have never seen before and the letter A clearly marked in two of the corners diagonal from one another. "What is it?" I question.

Peeta begins flipping through the stack as begins. "While I was in the hospital, after being rescued from the Capitol; I started to get very bored. One day Dr. Aurelius brought a set of these in. They are playing cards. You use them to play games. Dr. Aurelius showed me a game that I could play with these by myself to help pass the time. He also showed me a few other games that you can play with other people. When he would come in to talk to me we would play." He explains with a smile of honest joy that I can't remember seeing since we were announced victors in our first arena.

Peeta meets my eyes again. "Dr. Aurelius called yesterday. I told him that the rain was keeping me indoors and I was bored with painting. So I assume that he must have sent them." Peeta looks back down at the deck and slides them back into their box. He stares at the box for a few moments, memories flooding his thoughts as his pleasant appearance begins to fade.

I open my mouth, desperately trying to think of something to say to stop Peeta from reverting to the cold tempered person he has been lately. I think of the bread in the oven. "Should you check the bread?"

This snaps him from his trance; he drops the deck of cards on the table as he hurriedly scoots back. He grabs an old dishcloth from the counter, pulls open the stove and snatches the loaf pan. He examines it and exhales slowly, "Thanks for reminding me. Another minute and it would have burned." Peeta sets the loaf pan on top of the stove to cool and turns back to me. While the smile is gone from his face, he has not reverted to his cold demeanor.

Peeta moves to sit next to me at the table again. "Why did you have to go to the administration tent?" He pauses, "If you don't mind my asking, that is?"

I smile. It's nice to see him trying to be friendly again. "I don't mind. Paylor wanted to speak to me."

Peeta's eyes go wide. I can tell that he instantly expects the worst. But who can blame him with everything we've been through; it is hard to have an optimistic outlook on things as Delly does. "No, it is nothing bad. She just wanted to inform me of some events that had taken place in the Capitol."

I explain to him about Coin's intentions to only replace Snow and continue the Hunger Games. The shock and horror of the information is clear in the expression on his face. Once I finish he asks "Is that why you shot Coin instead of Snow that night?"

I pause thinking his request over. "I guess, yes and no. I didn't know her exact plans, but I always knew there was something about her that wasn't as she was making herself out to be. Then that night she called the Victor's together and asked our opinion about continuing the Hunger Games. It just didn't make sense to me that she would ask us. Shouldn't such a controversial decision as that be at the discretion of the whole country, not just us? It was then that I realized Snow was telling the truth that day in his rose garden…"

Peeta cuts in abruptly, "Wait, what? When did you talk to Snow?" he questions anxiously.

"It was earlier that same day. I had spent most of the day hiding in a window seat behind a painted screen. Heading back to my room I made a wrong turn and came across the strong scent of roses and followed them. The scent led me to where they were holding President Snow. Paylor was there and got me access. I found him sitting in a rose garden, surrounded by bushes of white roses. The same type as he had always wore in his lapel. He told me about how it was Coin, not him that released the bombs that murdered all of those kids, including Prim."

I swallow hard, thinking of her, and continue, "Then he explained Coin's plan to take over Panem. To incite each of the Districts to turn against the Capitol; then swoop in at the last minute to take over. He believed that Coin used me as a decoy, to take the attention off of herself and her intensions."

I look over at Peeta. He is turning the deck of cards over in his hands as he lets what I am saying process. I begin again. "At the time, I refused to believe what Snow was saying, but then standing there in front of all Panem, staring at a man who was already dying. I knew that the greater threat to me was no longer him, but Coin. That's when I chose to kill her instead."

As I finish, Peeta takes a deep breath and releases it. Looking down at his hands turning over the deck of cards, he starts. "I really don't know what to say." He sighs and gives me a nervous smile. "I guess I really shouldn't be surprised."

We sit in silence for a few moments, both watching him turning over the deck in his hands. "But I do have some good news; well I guess it is good news." I counter.

"What's that?" He asks.

"Paylor said that there wasn't going to be anymore Hunger Games, but that the living Victor's would still receive a government salary, just not as much as it was." I tell him.

"I guess that's good. About the money. But I am more relieved that there won't be any more Hunger Games. No one deserves to go through that, especially children." Peeta looks past me for a moment; I can tell he wants to ask me something. "Why did you vote yes when Coin proposed continuing the Hunger Games? Was it because you really thought that they should continue?" His eyes meet mine, they are pleading.

"I didn't really think about my answer. Because I knew that it wouldn't matter. Coin was going to do whatever she wanted, no matter what we said. She was only trying to make it look like it was our choice. Paylor admitted as much." I hoped that this answer would comfort him.

"Well that's a relief. Is that all that Paylor wanted you for?" He inquires.

"Well that and the conditions of my release of confinement to 12. She says that I am not allowed to speak publically about Coin's deception, for fear of the potential problems it could cause should the information get out. And second, I have to continue treatment with Dr. Aurelius."

At this Peeta meets my eyes. "Does this mean that you are actually going to answer the phone when he calls?'

I return his glaze, smiling. "Maybe."

We sit there at his table discussing the previous storm and the amount of mud that it has caused. After a few minutes of silence I decide to go. "Well I guess I interrupted you when I showed up. So I'll let you get back to your day."

I swing my legs out from under the table and begin to stand. At the same time Peeta has done the same, resulting in us standing directly in front of each other. Our faces and bodies only inches apart; I feel as though I am being pulled to him. My heart begins to race at his closeness. Our eyes lock, there is a desperate need to touch him flaring up from my chest. I begin to raise my hand from my side, but just as my hand begins to brush his cheek, Peeta quickly turns away, breaking our connection.

He stands with his back facing me; I look away from him towards the floor. I am breathing quickly and I feel my heart beating in my head. He walks towards the stove and begins easing the bread from the loaf pan. Talking over his shoulder, he breaks the silence. "I am going to go into town to pick up a few things, do you need anything?"

My head is all cloudy. I take a deep breath to try and calm myself. "No, I'm good." I manage to croak out. "Thank you though." Inside my answer is something else entirely. "I'll see you later, Peeta."