Disclaimer: characters do not belong to me

Some information about this story. It may seem like a Katniss/Peeta story, but trust me it won't be. I'm just trying to make this as authentic as I can so it will be a slow moving at first.

Chapter 2-Visit from Mom

"I'm going out, be back for lunch" Katniss called and she headed out for the morning into the woods. Peeta was used to this routine, pretty much every morning consisted of Katniss hunting while Peeta baked and prepared their meals for the day. Today however was not a normal day. A week ago Peeta had reached out and contacted Katniss's mother and told her about his concerns for her well-being. She said in about a week she could acquire a train ticket and come out to District 12 to visit. She was due to come in by 10 am, Peeta knew Katniss would still be out and would not return home till about noon, which gave him plenty of time to pick up Mrs. Everdeen and bring her back to their house.

He did not tell Katniss of his plans. When he informed Mrs. Everdeen of Katniss's depression and how she continued to become more and more withdrawn, Mrs. Everdeen had stated she recently met a woman-a healer who she thought would be able to help Katniss. The catch however, was that Katniss would have to visit this woman in her home district, which was far away from District 12. Mrs. Everdeen explained to Peeta that Katniss could be gone for a long time, for the treatment Katniss would endure was not typical and unlike anything the Capitol did.

Peeta figured the Capitol had hurt Katniss enough, why not try an unconventional treatment. While District 13 and the Capitol helped him with his recovery, his situation was completely different, he lost his memories-Katniss's memories was the main root of her pain.

He knew he would miss her terribly, but he wanted Katniss to find happiness, she might not be able to, but he couldn't live with himself if he didn't try to help her. The help would not be able to come from him, he was damaged himself and trying work through his own recovery, she needed someone who was not tied to her past to help her find her future. He learned during his whole journey with her that when you love someone, you make sacrifices. And he loved Katniss more than anything.

He just hoped he could convince her to go.

Picking up Mrs. Everdeen from the train station went smoothly, she looked the same just slightly older to Peeta. While she wasn't dressed in attire one used to wear in District 12, she was wearing a professional pantsuit.

"Hello Mrs. Everdeen" he said with a warm smile as he approached her.

"Hello Peeta" she replied and leaned in for a very brief and quick hug.

Peeta never wondered where Katniss's standoffish behavior came from when he was with her mother.

While Peeta escorted her back to their home, he filled Mrs. Everdeen in with more details in regards to how when he and Katniss first started living together once he returned to District 12, how they were able to work through their issues together. How they played their true/false game, how they created the book of memories, how even though Katniss continued to wake up screaming from her nightmares that they were able to comfort each other.

"So what changed?" she asked while walking into the living room. Peeta took her luggage into her old room and when he returned, sighed and took a seat beside her on the couch. It took him a moment to compose his thoughts before answering, "I can't pinpoint an exact moment when things changed. I thought time would heal her wounds but the opposite happened, time made her wounds worse. I think she's afraid of forgetting about Prim, overtime, I have forgotten what some of my family members sound like, acted like, and I don't think she wants that. She is desperately holding onto those memories, but by doing so, she's also remembers how horribly she lost Prim. It is like day after day she just goes through the motions. She is not nearly as bad as she was when she first returned to 12, but, she's not the same Katniss, not even close".

Mrs. Everdeen had an unreadable look on her face. Peeta wasn't sure if he upset her by his comments, he felt the need to say something to make sure he hadn't upset her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you with those comments about forgetting about Prim".

"It's alright" she said with a very small, but warm smile. "I don't think I'll ever be able to get over what happened, but, the reason I stay away from here is because the memory of Prim is too strong of a presence here. I can't imagine what it is like for Katniss. So here is what I am going to suggest to her. She needs to leave here, she needs to find herself again. And I know just the person who can help her. This person has no ties to the Capitol or the games. The battle is going to be to get her to go with this person. I'm sorry Peeta, as I mentioned on the phone you would not be able to go. When I mentioned to this person Katniss's situation she said that Katniss would need to be away from everyone and everything she is familiar with in order for this to work."

"In order for what to work?" Peeta understood why he could not come, but Mrs. Everdeen made this sound so secretive Peeta immediately thought of Katniss's safety. Who was this woman and why was she placing so many demands.

"Katniss will be going through non-traditional treatment. Unlike anything the Capitol or the other districts have ever done. She will be living with the Natives".

"WHAT? Are you nuts?" Peeta yelled. He couldn't believe Mrs. Everdeen would suggest such a thing.

"I am confident they can help her. The woman I met is from Panem, but, she is part Native and all of her life has remained part of their culture" Mrs. Everdeen replied in a calm voice.

The Natives were known to Panem as a group of people who lived in the wild territory beyond the borders of Panem in the north. It was once said they lived throughout Panem before Panem was established. They moved north once all the districts and the Capitol were formed and lived in seclusion. Due to the wild land and unpredictable weather further north Peacekeepers stopped trying to find them early on during Panem's existence. The Capitol decided to focus their effort on controlling the districts. It was said that if a person from Panem tried to escape and enter the wild territory, they were immediately killed by the Natives. They quickly were regarded as savages by both the districts and the Capitol.

Peeta wasn't convinced. "It is said they kill anyone is not one of them. How do you know they won't kill Katniss?"

"I think you know better than to believe everything you hear Peeta. As you know, I too heard the same stories growing up a town resident. I know this woman quite well from working with her at the hospital. Katniss will be fine, I am more concerned about her being in such harsh conditions in the wild. The reason she has demands is to guarantee her people's safety".

"They plan to use their magic on her don't they?" Peeta asked accusingly. The Natives were known for having "ghost magic" and rumors were one of the reasons the Capitol left them alone is because once they entered their land the Natives used their magic on the Peacekeepers to make them see things that weren't there. Of course the Capitol never acknowledged this to be true.

"It is not magic Peeta, not in the way you think it is. How do you think the people of District 12 and District 11 learned to use herbs and plants from the land to heal people? These people are very knowledgeable when it comes to the land and they have techniques to heal people that Panem doesn't. Would you rather I suggest Katniss go back to the Capitol to get help? Did you know they have and have always had a drug in their possession that can wipe away a person's memories forever? Would you rather I suggest that? That she take a pill and forget Prim forever". She was tired of arguing with him about a culture he knew nothing about. She understood he was scared and concerned for Katniss's safety, but he was the one who came to her for help. Not the other way around.

Peeta soaked in what she said, a pill that could erase memories of a person? He immediately voiced his next thought, "If the Capitol always had a pill that could erase a person's memory, why didn't they give that to me while I was held captive?"

Mrs. Everdeen thought of that once she first heard of it when she started working in District 4. She gave Peeta the answer she came up with for herself. "I think they used crackerjack venom on you because it would be a more useful method. If you had forgotten about Katniss, what good would it have done? The damage is irreversible. While you forgetting who Katniss was would have been devastating to her, the Capitol needed you to be a threat to her physically. You could have never been conditioned to attack her if you had no memory of her. Plus, I have been told the pill is outrageously expensive, only the very elite of the Capitol could afford it and that it actually was not used that much because most of the individuals lived such privileged lives they had no use for it. The ones who did use it used it for superficial reasons, like getting over a bad breakup. I don't think the Capitol thought it was a good move economically, crackerjack venom was easier and cheaper. Remember this was during the uprising."

"And of course this was never offered to a former victor" Peeta said with disgust.

"No-the Capitol wanted all the victors to remember their agony. It was part of being a victor. The pill is no longer being manufactured, but President Paylor's government officials still have it in their possession."

"How does it work?" curiosity getting the best of him.

"You take out a picture of the person you want to forget, write down memories about that person while looking at the picture. You then read the memories and look at the picture while swallowing the pill and repeat looking at the picture and reading the memories for five minutes. Then the pill makes you drowsy and you are supposed to sleep and when you wake up the next day, you have no memory of them".

"Wow" was all Peeta was able to reply. He did not want that for Katniss. Her sister was the most precious thing to her, it would be an insult to Prim and everything she died for if Katniss was simply to take a pill to forget her to cope with her own pain.

Plus he knew Katniss would rather live in misery than do such a thing.

"Okay" he finally conceded. "You are right, maybe this is what she needs, to be away from Panem to help heal. "

"Thanks for understanding, but I'm also going to need your help to get her to go" she said while putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, that won't be easy" Peeta said with a small laugh.

Katniss arrived back slightly after noon, just as Peeta had expected her to.

"What's for lunch? Katniss called as she went into the kitchen and gasped as she saw her mother sitting with Peeta at the table waiting for her arrival.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Katniss asked stiffly. She knew immediately this was an intervention and not just a simple visit.

"Hello Katniss" Mrs. Everdeen replied just as stiffly, "why don't you have a seat and Peeta and I can explain why I'm here."

Mrs. Everdeen explained to Katniss about Peeta's phone call to her a week ago and about their conversation that morning. Peeta held Katniss's hand and tried looking at her supportively while Katniss gave her mother a blank stare while she spoke. Finally, when Mrs. Everdeen informed Katniss about going with the woman she met to live with the Natives, Katniss finally broke away from Peeta's grip and got up and paced around the room.

"Where does this woman live? What is her name?" she asked while pacing back and forth.

"Her name is Rainbow Bridgewater. But she prefers to be called Rain. She lives—" but Katniss interrupted her mother before she could finish, "Rainbow Bridgewater? The first name sounds like a Capitol name with the last name being from District 12!" Katniss shouted.

"She's from District 9 dear, and as I said, she prefers to be called Rain. What difference does her name make?" Mrs. Everdeen's patience was wearing thin again.

"How did you meet her in 4 then?" Katniss hissed.

"The hospital had just tested a new treatment for burn victims, and District 9 sent some of their residents to learn the treatment to see if it would work in their community hospitals. She and I became fast friends".

Katniss knew her mother did not make friends easily. It was one of the few things they had in common. So she knew this woman must be the real deal if her mother was so sure she could help her.

"You said Peeta could not come with me, well, I don't go unless he goes" she said with finality in her voice she was so often used to saying.

"Katniss—I think this is something you need to do on your own. I'll be alright, things in 12 are going well. Besides, the people here need me to help with food production. I know we are partners, but you and I both know I am part of the reason things have been so hard for you" Peeta said with as much strength in his voice as he could muster.

"What do you mean? You are the reason I survived! You know that" Katniss said with a harshness Peeta had not heard since the day Buttercup died.

"I do, but I also know that you are having a hard time getting over your past, and I'm a big part of that past. I think we need some time to be apart from each other. But this time you know I'll be safe, you won't have to worry about me." He hoped going from it at this angle will work.

"Are you saying you want to take a break? From us?" Katniss could not believe what she was hearing.

"No! Of course not. What I am saying is that I want you to get better, to be the old you, I need the old Katniss back". The conversation was not going the way Peeta intended it to at all.

"I suppose I could try" she said relieved to hear Peeta didn't want to break things off.

"All you can do is try. I'll miss you" Peeta said while grabbing her into a fierce hug.

"I'm only doing this because you asked you know" Katniss said with scowl.

"I hope you'll end up doing it for yourself" Peeta replied as he released her from the hug.

"Well, I'm not afraid to live with the Natives, maybe I can learn some new hunting techniques from them. " She tried to see the positives in this, the few that there were.

"I'm glad to hear that, most people are afraid of what they are not familiar with" Mrs. Everdeen said with encouragement.

"You know I'm not most people mom, so when do I go to meet this Rain person?" she hoped she still had some time to spend with Peeta before she left.

"I have train tickets for all three of us to go to District 9 that leaves at 4 pm. You better get packing". Mrs. Everdeen said while a curt smile.

At least I'll have the train ride to spend with Peeta, she thought as she walked to their bedroom to get ready. She figured the sooner she went and got this over with, the sooner she could return to 12 and back to her old life. And if she could find a way to deal with her demons, even better.

If only her journey would be that simple which she was about to find out it would be anything but.