Katniss rubs her temple trying to stop the headache that is trying to start. She knows that it's going to be a bad one when the numbers she is adding start to blur. Thankfully Delly comes into her office. "Hey—are you ok?" she asks.
Katniss shakes her head. "Do we have anything for a headache?"
"Yeah, be right back." In just a moment it seems, Delly is back handing her two ibuprofen and a glass of water. "It's almost three o'clock. I was going to go help Hazelle finish getting ready for the reception tonight. Why don't you go on home and rest? I know Prim and Rye both would be heartbroken if you couldn't make it tonight."
She looks at the papers scattered on her desk. "You know, I think I will. Do you need any help?"
Delly shakes her head. "Nope. Posy and Hazelle will be there, and I think Jo is going to come early too. You go home and rest. Just be there by six, we are going to eat by six-thirty."
Katniss grabs her purse, and gives her friend a quick hug. "Thank you for all of your hard work. I'll see you after while."
While she is on the way home, she realizes why she has such an awful headache and no amount of medicine is going to help it. She hasn't talked to Peeta since Prim and Rye came home a week ago. She has been working, he's been busy, and Prim is still moving her stuff out of the house, so when she is at home, the house is full of people. He hasn't called or texted her and the worry has been eating away at her.
She lets herself into her parent's old house, and for the first time in a week, it's empty. Rye had bought a house down the street from this house last year. While Prim helped him to remodel it, she didn't move in with him until this week. She didn't even move any of her things, since the elopement was a last minute decision.
The girls had to go through the furniture piece by piece, deciding who wanted what. One of the things that Prim insisted on was the dining room table their father had made so many years ago. Katniss didn't want to give it up, but it was either that, or the end tables throughout the house. Katniss decided that it would be easier to find a new kitchen table than end tables she actually liked. She walks into the kitchen and pours herself a glass of tea. She goes straight up to her room, tries not to think about how empty her house is, and how lonely she has been since her best friend is gone too. (Or won't talk to her)
Katniss pulls up into the parking lot of the B & B. The winter wonderland that Delly and Hazelle have created is amazing, and not for the first time she is so very glad that Delly volunteered to organize this evening for Prim and Rye. She parks her old Jeep in the almost filled up parking lot. Instead of getting out, she pulls down her visor so she can look in the mirror one last time.
She usually doesn't pay much attention to her make-up, usually only a dab of eye shadow and a swipe of mascara. But tonight, for some reason she felt like she needed to pull out the red dress that her old friend Cinna had made for her years ago. She met him in one of her math classes when she was going to college. She helped him with math he didn't understand and he, who was majoring in design, made her the breathtaking dress she is wearing now.
When you first look at it, it is a simple halter top dress that ends slightly above her knee. It is so red, that even Cinna would say that it would put the wicked stepmother's apple to shame. It's not until you get close that you notice the tiny crystals woven into the material. In low light, it looks like the dress in on fire. Even now, when Cinna shoots her an email, he still calls her "my girl who is on fire".
Katniss swept her hair into a twist that even now she is sure isn't going to last the night, but she decides to keep it up when she sees loose wispy curls that dust her face. She picks up her mama's grey shawl and wraps it around her shoulders to ward off the chilly fall night.
The porch of the inn is decorated with sparkling clear Christmas lights that wink at her as she climbs up the wide steps. They help to lift the weird mood she has been in this past week. She opens the antique, frosted-glass oak door, letting herself in. Everyone is busy talking to and around Rye and Prim so only Madge and Gale see her enter. She joins them by the antique fire place dominating the room.
"I love that dress on you, you should wear it more," Madge says.
Katniss chuckles for the first time in several days. "Where am I going to wear it? Out in the fields while I'm checking property lines?"
"Ha-ha, smart ass," Madge quips. "Seriously, you need to get out more. When is the last time you went out on a date?"
"I get out. Besides, I'm too busy to go out right now." The half-truth feels strange to her. Gale must not have told her about Gatlinburg.
"I know you've been busy. Delly was just talking about it. I also know how lonely an empty family home can be when you are the only one left," Madge says, and Katniss can hear the tinge of sadness in her voice from losing her own parents years ago.
Gale wraps his arm around Madge's shoulders. "Well, I'm here now." He gives Katniss a pointed look. "How are things?"
Madge looks from Gale to Katniss and then back to Gale again. "What are you talking about?"
Katniss sees Gale squeeze her friend, and can't help but to feel a little jealous. "Nothing really. Just some stuff Katniss needs to deal with. So have you?"
Katniss tries not to let the stress of the past week show on her face. "It's being taken care of."
She hates it when Gale raises his eyebrow at her. "What does that mean?"
Before she can reply, Prim joins their little group followed by Rue. She pulls her sister into a hug and Katniss tries not to think about how lonely she's been. "I'm glad that you're here and you are wearing that dress. You should really make Peeta take you out sometime in that," Prim gushes.
"Why do you say that?" She tries not to panic, but even she can hear it in her voice.
Prim huffs, "I just know how much fun you two have. Calm down, Sissy."
Katniss rolls her eyes at Prim and the others laugh at them. Its then that she looks up and his damn Carolina blue eyes find her across the old living room. She isn't sure what it is she sees in his eyes; she just knows that it hurts too much to keep on looking into his. She looks away and tries to pay attention to what her friends and family are saying, but she just can't. She whispers, "Excuse me." She goes looking for the bathroom that is at the top of the stairs.
As soon as she locks the door behind her, she lets out the breath she has been holding, and with it comes the tears she thought she had all cried out days ago. She blinks fast trying to get them to stop when she hears a soft knock on the door. She clears her throat and hopes that whoever is on the other side can't hear her sobs. "There is another bathroom down stairs. I'm going to be a couple of minutes."
Her heart stops when she hears, "Katniss? Can I come in?"
She opens the door and those same torture filled eyes that were just watching her every move downstairs are now staring into hers. Even after all the worry and anxiety from the past week, when her heart leaps, she knows that her love for him hasn't changed.
She steps back so he can come in and he relocks the door behind him. They just stand there looking at one another. She feels the familiar hunger that she has always felt for him, just now that she has had a taste of what being in his arms is like, she is starved for him constantly. He creeps into her thoughts when she is trying to calculate distances. He invades her memories and he hides in her dreams.
She turns from him, and looks at herself in the mirror. She wipes her tears, but doesn't turn around, instead meeting his eyes in the mirror. "What are you doing?"
Defeat is written across his face as he runs his fingers through his curls. He doesn't look away though. "I don't know anymore."
He turns back towards the door. "Wait. What are we going to do?"
He gives her a weak smile. "I'm going to go back down stairs and try not to think about how damn beautiful you are tonight." He releases a shuttering breath that shakes her to her core. She has never liked seeing or hearing him in pain. Tonight is no different.
She closes in the couple of steps that exist between them and reaches around him, pulling him close. She can feel him trembling, so she squeezes tighter and breathes a sign of relief when he pulls her close too. "Can we talk? After this, I mean. Like sit down and really talk?"
She can feel him laying his cheek on the top of her head and she loves how much deeper his voice sounds when it vibrates through his chest. "Yeah, we can do that. Will you sit beside me at dinner? I made your favorite."
She leans back so she can look at him. "You made my lamb stew?"
He gives her the smile that makes her melt. "I did." He lets go of her, and instantly she misses his warmth, but he holds out his hand, and she tucks hers into it. "Did you really have to go-?" he trails off.
She chuckles, "No, I just had to take a moment. I'm ready."
"Well, then, let's go." They leave the bathroom, and Peeta doesn't let go of her for the rest of the evening. They have done this before they got married, so no one really looks at them funny except for Haymitch and Gale. Katniss also notices Finnick looking at them puzzled but she doesn't think anything about it.
After they eat, and Prim and Rye open the several presents that friends have brought, Katniss pulls them aside. "I'm going to go ahead and go. I can feel my headache coming back."
Prim and Rye pull her into a group family hug. "I hope you feel better," Prim says.
It's Rye who sees Peeta walking by and reaches out to grab him. "Why don't you follow Katniss home? She isn't feeling well."
Concern fills his eyes. "You didn't tell me you were feeling bad."
She shrugs. "I was ok earlier, now it's coming back. You don't have to follow me."
"No, I don't mind. I'll worry about you if I don't. Let me go tell Delly," Peeta says. She watches him walk away.
Rye sighs, "He cares about you so much."
Katniss whips her head around. "What did you say?"
Rye looks at her sheepishly. "Oh, nothing." He presses a kiss to Prim's temple, and not for the first time, Katniss is mad that they get to touch and kiss each other whenever they want to. "I'll be right back."
She watches Prim watching Rye walk away. "I'm going to go ahead to my Jeep. Will you tell Peeta where I'm at?"
Prim nods and throws her arms around her neck. "I'm sorry that you feel bad. Thank you for doing all this."
She nods as Prim steps back. "It was all Delly. Then she got Peeta and Hazelle to help, but I'm glad that she asked to do it. I never could have come up with anything like this."
"Well, you let her do it. I'll tell Peeta where you are."
Katniss pulls her shawl tighter around her shoulders and head out onto the porch. The cool air helps the headache that is starting to come back. She takes a deep breath of the now chilly air, and enjoys the crispness in her lungs. She goes on to her Jeep, fumbling for her keys. She drops them before she can put them in the lock and softly swears, "Damn it." and bends over to fetch them.
Before she has a chance to fetch the keys, there is a flash of blond hair beating her to it. Peeta straightens up, flushed from his hurry and hands them back to her. She takes them from him and softly says, "Thank you."
She flushes under his scrutiny, and reaches for her door, but he stops her before she gets in. "Let me drive you home."
"What about your truck?"
He pats his pockets getting out his keys. "Prim or Rye can drive it to your house. Get in, and get warm. I'll be right back."
She watches him disappear back into the house. By now, her headache is bad, worse than she has ever experienced one before. She closes her eyes, and lays her head back against the seat, taking deep breaths. It takes a long moment for her to decide that the cold isn't helping her at all, so she tries to sit up and start the Jeep, but she feels too weak to move.
She fumbles for the keys that are lost somewhere in the folds of her skirt, when all of a sudden a warm hand stills hers. She peeks out from heavy lids to see those damn curls that need trimming. "I feel so bad, Peeta."
His worried eyes meet hers and he gently, oh so lightly cups her cheek and presses a feather light kiss to her lips. "Let's get you home." He starts the Jeep, and his right hand returns to hers. She clings to it while he drives and he doesn't let her go. She can feel the Jeep pulling out onto the road, and he asks, "Why are you feeling so bad?"
Her eyes are still closed while her other hand tries to rub her forehead. She has a nagging suspicion why she feels bad, but she isn't going to tell him. So instead she offers, "I don't know. It might be my mold allergy or something like that. You know, since the leaves are now rotting."
"Prim and Rye are following us—"
Her moan interrupts him. "They don't have to do that. Just take me home and let me go to bed."
He squeezes her fingers. "I think Prim is worried about you, and Rye was ready to leave." He pulls his hand loose and she can feel the Jeep turning. He turns it off and says, "Don't move."
He gently shuts the door behind him, and she feels hers moving. She opens her eyes to see her husband waiting for her. She puts her hand in his and he helps her out. She stumbles against him, and without a word, he sweeps her up into his arms. She sighs gratefully against him.
She hears Prim ask, "Is she that bad?"
"I think she might be overtired. Can you get the door?" Peeta asks, as she tries not to be that obvious as she snuggles into his chest.
They all walk into the house and she can hear Prim's 'nurse's voice' as she takes charge. "Peeta, take her up to her room. Then I'll see what she has here—"
Katniss interrupts, "I'm still awake."
"Do you think heat or ice would help your head more?" Prim asks as she rubs her arm. Katniss opens her eyes to see her sister and Rye looking at her with concern in their eyes.
"I don't know. You all can leave. I'm just going to go to bed. Let me down Peeta." He slowly sets her down, and she stumbles again. This time when he swoops her back into his arms, he heads for the stairs and Prim disappears into the kitchen. "I can walk," she protests.
He chuckles, "I don't think you can. It might be those shoes though."
She turns on the overhead light for them when he pauses inside of her bedroom door. Then he sets her down on the bed. She lifts up her foot and looks at her shoe. The heel is much higher than her boot heel or the ballet flat she would sometimes wear if she didn't wear her boots. "You are probably right. I'm not meant to wear heels."
He kneels in front of her and takes that same foot in his lap. He runs his hands up and down her calf producing goose bumps as he goes, before he finds the buckle that holds the black criss-cross straps together. Her breath comes out in a shudder when he barely touches her to ease her shoe off. Then he gives her a light foot rub before he picks up her other foot.
She can feel his hands begin his treatment to her other leg but he stops when they hear Prim and Rye coming up the stairs. Instead of bouncing in like she normally would, they enter quietly. "How are you feeling?" Prim asks.
"I'll be ok. You guys don't have to stay. I can take care of myself," Katniss says.
Peeta stands up and offers, "I'll stay with her. You two go on home."
She meets his eyes, and not for the first time she can't read what she sees there. What bothers her is that it's getting more and more frequent that she can't read her best friend anymore and that makes her head hurt even more.
"Are you sure?" Rye asks. "We can stay."
Peeta nods his head. "Go ahead. I mean you two are just down the road. I'll call you if something happens."
Prim looks at the two of them, and then hands Peeta the bundle she is holding. "Well, call me then." She gives Katniss another hug and whispers, "It seems that he wants to take care of you. Is that ok? Or do you want me to make Peeta leave?"
Katniss pats her shoulder. "It's ok. We'll be alright."
Prim straightens up. "Ok, then. Come on Rye."
Rye looks at the both of them funny and then follows his wife out the door. Peeta says, "I'll be right back." And follows them out the door. She takes a deep breath and stands slowly now that her shoes are off. She sluggishly walks into the bathroom and takes off her dress.
She starts the shower, and peels off her bra and panties. When the water is perfect, she steps into the relaxing heat and what feels like for the first time in a week, she exhales, willing herself to relax. She doesn't know how long she stands there, but the curtain moving scares her, making her jump.
Peeta's anxious face peeks around and she can feel his eyes looking her over, but it's with worry that he examines her. "Can I get in too?" She scowls at him and before she can reply, he says, "I just want to make you feel good."
She mutely nods and in just a moment, he is naked too, joining her in the shower. "Peeta," she begins, "I don't feel like—"
He presses a lingering kiss to her lips, stopping her from saying anything else. "I don't want that right now." He reaches for her body wash and squeezes some into his hand. rubbing his hands together, he softly commands, "turn around." when she does, he starts massaging her shoulders when he starts working on her spine, she can feel the pain in her head starting to ease up.
He kneads down to her bottom, and it makes her smile when he kneads her buns. "Is this how you make your bread feel?" she giggles.
He turns her around and kisses her on the nose pulling her into him. "It could be. That might be why it always rises for me."
They chuckle together. She says, "That was bad."
He sighs, "I know, but it's the truth." He steps away from her and pushes her against the wall of the shower and gets some more soap. He starts at her shoulders again and massages down her front. She feels like she is going to melt, especially when he circles her breasts and then pinches her nipples making her weak in the knees. Her breath gets heavy when he rubs down her rib cage to the flair of her hips. He teases her when his hands go to her hips instead of where she really wants him.
"You did it," she says.
"I did what?"
"You made me feel good."
He smirks at her. "And to think, I'm not done yet."
She barely has time to ask, "You're not?" when he drops to his knees in front of her. He eases up her leg, so he can massage it also. She moans with his caress, as his hands continue up to her knee. She lays her head back against the wall, and relaxes even more into his touch. She doesn't miss when he starts kissing her inner thigh. She feels his lips against her, and looks down at his curls. She runs her fingers through them and he looks up at her.
"Can I kiss you? Here?" he asks as he runs a finger through her folds.
She nods, and her knees buckle when he runs his tongue over her center. She feels her knees buckle as he catches her and she tightens her grip in his hair. He chuckles against her, sending delightful vibrations through her core. "Maybe we should move this to the bed?"
He eases her foot down and stands up beside her. She has never been able to tell him no, and this time, it isn't any different. She nods and he grabs the hand-held shower head. He rinses them both off quickly but leaves the water running for a moment longer. He kisses her nose and cups her cheek while looking into her eyes. She isn't sure what he is looking for, but she knows he must have found it, when he gives her his easy smile. "Let me dry off, and then I'll help you, ok?"
"But—" he silences her when he hushes her by putting a finger over her lips.
"Let me help you." He disappears on the other side of the curtain. She hears him drying off and then he opens the curtain. She thinks he must still be naked, until she spies the towel slung around his hips and he holds one open for her. She reaches down, turns off the water and then steps into his arms.
He pats some of her, while he briskly rubs other parts giving her another all over massage. He asks, "How is your headache?"
She gives him a grateful smile. "It's almost gone. Thank you."
He wraps her in the towel and guides her to her bed. It's already turned down, waiting for her. She starts to sit down, but he stops her. He turns her around so that she is facing him, and he eases the towel from around her, and finishes drying her off. He turns to walk into the bathroom to put the towel up, and she looks for the t-shirt she has been wearing to bed. However, Peeta is back before she has a chance to reach it.
"What are you doing?" he murmurs.
All of a sudden, she is nervous and tries to fold her arms over her naked breasts as she shrugs. "Looking for my t-shirt?"
He reaches out and oh-so-gently grips her elbows, pulling her to him as he pulls her hands away from covering herself. He reaches up to finger a lock of her chestnut colored hair that is falling over her shoulder. She looks up to his eyes, but he won't meet hers. When he finally does, she can see the heartbreak in his eyes. "I just can't leave you alone, Katniss. I try, but I can't. What are we going to do, Kitten?"
She doesn't try to stop her tears when they come to her eyes. He finally looks into hers. This time, both hands come up and cup her cheeks, and his thumbs wipe her tears away as she watches his. Her hands come up to caress his hands. She even turns her head, so she can kiss his palm. Through her tears, she chokes out, "Stay with me?"
Tears run down his face when he replies, "Always." She tugs him to her, and claims his lips. She might not be good at words like he is, but in that kiss, she pours out everything she can't say, she tells him how much she loves him, she promises him her future. He returns her kisses with what feels like everything he is.
She pulls away for just a moment so she can back up till the back of her legs hit her bed. She sits down and tugs him with her as she scoots back. He hesitates but only until she says, "Make love to me?"
"I've never been able to tell you no," he echoes her thoughts as he crawls over her. Her legs part, welcoming him as she wraps her arms around his neck, cradling him to her. She feels his hardness pausing at her entrance, and he stills looking into her face as if he is asking permission. She answers his silent question with a wet kiss to his lips and she lifts her hips, angling herself so he can enter her. He slides in easily while he hits every nerve in her core.
He is still, so she grinds her hips against his, making him moan. He lifts himself up so that his weight is balanced on his arms instead of her and then it's his turn to grind against her, reminding her body how he makes her feel.
It take a long moment, but they come together while they cling to one another. Then, Peeta falls to his side, wraps her in his arms, and they both fall asleep for the first time in a week because they are exactly where they want to be.
She does not want to wake up. She is too warm, too cozy, too, well everything. She doesn't want to move, but her bladder is demanding that she move soon. She slowly scoots out from under Peeta's arm and quickly goes to the bathroom.
She shivers against the chilly morning and hurries back to bed, where, for once, he is still there. He watches her climb back in and he tucks her back to her place beside him. They stay like that for several silent minutes before he says, "Katniss-"
She rolls over in his arms, interrupting him. "Shhh," she hushes him with a finger over his lips. Then she takes that hand and trails it down to his morning hardness that she felt against her hip just a moment ago. She isn't sure what makes her say, "I'm not done with you, yet." He doesn't protest when she pushes him onto his back and climbs back on top of him. As she pushes him into her deepest parts and watches him come apart under her, she can't help but to wonder what is going to happen to them.
Peeta leaves her the next day, which is Saturday, like he normally did on a morning after, but she hasn't heard from him since. Ever since she was sixteen, she would be in the bakery helping with the Thanksgiving orders and had scheduled for the entire week of Thanksgiving off to help, months before they ever went to Gatlinburg.
Sunday night she gets a text from Peeta telling her that he had plenty of help this year. She had never broken up with a guy before, but after that text, she guesses that is how it feels.
Monday, she is unable to get out of the bed. She cries all day, a slow, eyes can't stop leaking cry. She only remembers getting up to go to the bathroom. The rest of the time, she thinks about what is going on with her and Peeta. No matter how hard she tries, she can't think of a way out of this mess, which leads to more tears.
She thinks she sleeps, because she wakes up to the sun pouring into her room, and her phone ringing. She finally finds it, answering it to Jo asking, "Brainless! Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"
"Well for one, you sound hung over. Then you said you would be here and you aren't."
She thinks for a long minute but draws a blank. "What are you talking about?"
"We are at the B & B helping Hazelle get ready for Thursday. You said you would be here. So where in the hell are you?"
She finally finds her clock and sees that it's eleven. "Let me get in the shower and I'll be there."
She hangs up her phone, even though she can hear Jo asking her why she is still in the bed at eleven. She closes her eyes, willing herself to get up and when she finally does, plenty of her muscles protest from not moving much the day before. She stands up anyway and heads for her shower.
She steps into the hot stream and lets the pressure beat her tired muscles. Until she feels like opening her eyes and looking around. Images from the last shower with Peeta invade her mind and she wonders how hard it would be to redo the bathroom. Or she could just move into Prim's shower. After all, it's only her house now. Those thoughts don't help her depression, but she can't seem to corral them now.
She hurries; the walls of the shower pressing in on her. Quicker than she normally would, she is dressed, her hair is in its familiar braid and she is out the door, just needing to get out of the house.
"Hey Peeta!" Vick calls him from the front of the bakery.
He tries not to sound as tired and frustrated as he feels when he answers, "What?"
"When is Katniss going to be here?"
Not for the first time since Sunday night, guilt floods him. "She isn't coming this year to help." Even he can hear how defeated he sounds as he rearranges more stuff in the pantry.
"What do you mean she isn't coming this year? She closed her office to come and help." Vick says as he steps into the storage room.
Peeta looks over his shoulder at his helper. "We have enough help. Didn't Wiress show up yet?"
Vick sighs and Peeta can hear his frustration. "She just got here, but she doesn't know the pies like we do." Vick runs his hand through his messy raven waves in a move he picked up from Peeta. "We have a hundred pies to finish between now and Wednesday evening. Whatever you think. Hell, if nothing else, call Rye."
"You know, that isn't a bad idea," Peeta says as he picks up his phone, dialing his brother's number. It starts to ring, but he has to look around when he hears a ringing behind him in the kitchen. He walks out and runs right into Rye. "What are you doing here?" he asks as he slaps him on the back.
"I stopped to get your old cornbread so Prim can make dressing for Thursday. Where is Katniss?"
He chooses to ignore Rye's question. "What else do you have to do today?"
Rye shrugs. "I have the rest of the week off," he looks at the chaos in the kitchen. "Do you need some help?"
Peeta nods. "I do. If we make the pies with Vick's help and send Wiress up front, I bet we can get these done and ready for the oven."
Rye looks down at his street clothes. "Can I?"
Peeta smiles in relief. "Yeah, let's run upstairs and I'll find you some clothes. Hey, Vick, we'll be right back." The brothers run upstairs when Vick raises up his hand, indicating that he heard Peeta.
Once upstairs, Peeta quickly grabs a change of clothes for Rye, and waits in his little kitchen while Rye changes. When Rye rejoins him, Peeta starts for the door, but Rye stops him. "Wait a minute. Can I ask you something?"
Peeta turns back around and shrugs. "Sure. What is it?"
"Did something happen between you and Katniss? The both of you have been acting funny since we got back from Tennessee."
"How do you know? You've been gone since we got back."
"Calm down baby brother. Prim mentioned that Katniss has been acting funny is all. Besides it's wouldn't be a bad thing if it did."
Peeta freezes, sure that Rye can hear how his heart is beating out of his chest. He clears his throat. "Why would you say that?"
Rye chuckles, "Because she is your lobster, dude!"
Peeta looks at him confused then he remembers. "Rye, lobsters aren't actually monogamous."
Rye looks a little sad and disappointed when he asks, "They aren't?"
Peeta shakes his head at his brother. "Nope. Eagles are and even termites and barn owls, but not lobsters."
Rye chuckles, "Katniss reminds me more of an eagle or even a mockingjay. Are you sure nothing happened?"
For a fleeing moment, Peeta thinks about telling him, then he changes his mind. He started all this, he needs to take care of it. "Nothing happened. Come on, we need to get those pies done!"
Katniss lets herself in the kitchen door of the B &B and the giggles of her friends welcome her, soothing her heart. "There she is!"
"It's about time, Brainless," Jo quips from the sink.
Katniss, soaking up the positive energy from her friends, rolls her eyes at Jo. "Well, I'm here now. What are you doing?" she asks as she takes off her dad's hunting jacket and puts it on the back of one of the chairs, then joins Jo at the sink. She can't help but to chuckle when she sees the five turkeys in the sink.
"Hazelle wants to bake two, fry one, grill another one and then I'm still not sure what she is doing with the fifth one."
Madge calls out, "She wants to put that one in the slow cooker!"
"So we have to get the brine ready and all that." Katniss doesn't miss the way Jo is looking at her. "Are you ok?"
Katniss shrugs but won't meet her eyes. "Yeah, just tired is all. Why?"
"You've been acting weird since Prim got married. Oh I know, you miss her, don't you? When you do that, call me. We can hang out."
She looks up to see one of her oldest friends looking at her with concern in her eyes. She almost tells her, when Madge comes back with Hazelle following her. Hazelle, always mothering everyone, comes over for her hug from Katniss.
Katniss sighs into her embrace, missing her own mother in that moment. Hazelle steps back and cups Katniss' cheeks so she can look at her closely. "What's wrong dear?"
Katniss blinks away the tears, so tired of crying. "It's just been a bad month."
Hazelle pulls her back in for another hug, whispering, "I'm here when you need me. You know your mother and I always promised each other that we would watch over one another's children if anything ever happened. You might be all grown up, but I'm still watching over you."
Katniss kisses her on the cheek. "Love you, Hazelle."
Hazelle leans back so she can look at her again. "Love you, too. Now, let's gets ready for Thanksgiving!"
Kpkpkpkp
Thanksgiving morning, the sun is starting to peek over Cold Mountain as she pulls into the B&B parking lot. She sits there for a moment to watch as it turns what is left over from the dark into light. For some strange reason, she knows that everything is going to be ok.
She grabs her mother's favorite wooden spoon and her purse. As she walks through the parking lot, she sees Jo's car and Gale's truck but when she goes in, Hazelle is the only one sitting at the table drinking her coffee. She greets, "Good morning, dear."
Katniss sits down across from her. Since the wreck, she hasn't really done anything with her parent's things, but she knows that this is just a small gift, and she will probably be bringing more. She pushes the spoon towards Hazelle and smiles when the she grins. "Lily's spoon! I remember when Jack carved this for her."
"Dad carved that?"
Hazelle nods. "He did. She wanted a spoon this size but couldn't ever find one. So one day he came in with this piece of oak, and carved it out for her." She pushes it back towards Katniss. "Are you sure you want me to have it?"
She nods. "I do. It's just me now, and I don't cook as much as you do—"
"Oh, sweetie," she says as she reaches out to pat her hands. "You won't be alone for long." She chuckles, "you know, Peeta used to tell me all the time that he was going to marry you one day."
"What are you talking about?" she asks.
"When all of you kids would get together and play," she chuckles. "He would boss you around and you would get madder than an old wet hen. Then you would do what he said anyway. Then Peeta, who was only five or six, would come over to me or Lily and tell us that you were going to marry him one day cause he was the only one who would stay with you and watch "Beauty and the Beast" with you."
Katniss looks down at the worn out table and runs her fingers along the grooves, not sure what to think. "I don't remember that," she mutters.
"You wouldn't have. He always made sure you were never around to hear him and now look, it's Prim and Rye who are married instead." Hazelle gets up to take her cup to the sink and Katniss stays at the table, her mind racing over the past month. The more she thinks about how he's been acting, the more mad she gets. Hazelle breaks into her thoughts. "Katniss? Can you make rolls for us, dear? Peeta was really busy this week at the bakery and I forgot to ask him to bring us some."
Katniss tries not to snort when she hears that. She stands and walks to the sink instead. "Yeah, I don't mind. Do you want Graham's yeast rolls?"
Hazelle smiles and Katniss can tell that this is just what she wanted to hear. "That sounds wonderful. My kitchen is yours."
During the course of the morning, in an effort to keep from thinking too much- she bakes the rolls, helps Prim to put the finishing touches on their Mama's cornbread dressing, peels the potatoes, and fixes the deviled eggs. Jo and Madge, along with Gale, take care of the turkeys.
Katniss stays in the kitchen, finishing up when she hears everyone start to arrive. Madge comes in from the grill and Katniss asks, "How many people are out there?"
"I think Hazelle invited everyone she thought might be alone this year for the holiday."
Katniss smiles into the pan of gravy she is stirring. "That sounds just like her."
Madge stops. "It does."
Hazelle pokes her head into the kitchen. "Let's start bringing the food out. I think everyone is here."
Madge grabs a plate of the eggs and follows her out through the swinging door. Katniss reaches for a bowl to put the gravy in when the door swings open again. She doesn't even look up when she says, "The gravy is ready Madge—"
"Hey Katniss," she hears Peeta say. "I was looking for Finnick—"
Her stomach does a complete flip-flop, but she is tired of staying quiet about this. "I need to talk to you."
His eyes dart around the kitchen like a cornered rabbit looking for a way out. She doesn't want to lose him, but she also can't continue what they are doing. She will never survive. "I've got to go—" he says as he turns away from her and pushes the door open.
She can feel the top of her head getting hot and her ears are ringing-she is so pissed off. She grabs the first thing she can get her hands on, the yeast rolls she literally just took out of the oven and throws one at his head. It hits him with a satisfying thunk.
He whirls around, with surprise on his face. She is still so mad that she throws another roll at him, this one hitting him square on the nose. He brings his hand up and pulls it away with a tinge of blood on his fingers. "Damn, Katniss. Why did you do that?"
"Because I'm tired of you ignoring me!" she says, nearly shouting.
"I don't ignore you. We'll talk about this later. I've got to find Finnick—"
"Damn it, Peeta!" She growls as he turns back to the door. She quickly covers the couple of steps it takes to reach him and she, for the first time in her life grabs him, twirling him around. This time, he is shocked and somewhere it registers in her mind, but she is so angry, it's like a flood gate is open and she can't stop it. "You have always told me what is and isn't good for me and for the most part, you have been right." Her voice is slowly getting louder, but she doesn't care anymore, "but not when it comes to this. We are married! I am your wife and you are my husband!" She wipes her eyes when the angry tears start. "I know that I wasn't completely sober when we went to the chapel, but damn it! When I have ever done anything I didn't want to do?"
He starts to open his mouth, and she doesn't notice their family and friends start to trail into the kitchen. She is angry enough that she grabs his shirt, and even though he is at least six inches taller than her, and easily outweighs her, she still manages to shake him. Not as hard as she would really like to, but she needs to get his attention. "I've wanted you for so damn long, but then you tell me that I don't? Peeta, why do you think I never had a boyfriend? Why do you think I never dated anyone more than two dates? Because they weren't you! You are all I've ever wanted," she finishes with a sob. "If you can look me in the eye and tell me that you don't want me, that you don't want me to be your wife- then I'm sure we can speed up the divorce, somehow."
She lets go of his shirt and drops her hands. Her heart starts to break in his too-long silence. She drops her gaze and starts to turn away when his almost pained whisper stops her, "You want me?"
She whips back around, and her eyes fly back to his face. She walks back to him where he is looking at her with the only thing she can describe as awe. She cups his cheeks with both of her hands and pulls him down to her, running her thumb over his beautiful lips. She nods. "I do, Peeta. It's always been you."
Before she has a chance to do anything, he has her in his arms, wrapping around her so tight. His lips find hers bruising them as he claims her as his. She feels wetness on her cheeks, but it's not until she opens her eyes, that she sees that it's a mixture of both of their tears.
"I love you," he murmurs as he rests his forehead against hers.
"I love you," she whispers against his lips before she kisses him again.
They are on the way to getting lost in each other, when someone clearing their throat behind them gets their attention. They pull away from each other, but they don't let go. They look up to a smirking Haymitch and the rest of their friends and families watching them. Haymitch asks, "Does this mean that I can tear up the separation papers?"
She looks at Peeta again and is overwhelmed by the love she sees shining there. He asks, "Well Mrs. Mellark, should we try this? Will you be my bride?"
She smiles amidst her tears. "I will."
He lowers his head again to kiss her, but before he does, Jo says, "Can someone, please tell me what in the hell is going on? When did they get married? Why were they wanting to get a divorce? Did they know they were in love with each other all this time?"
Peeta chuckles and answers Jo, but keeps his eyes on Katniss. "I thought it was just another drunk night with my best friend, then she gets the idea to go get married, so we did. I knew that I loved her, I just didn't think –"
"That I love you back. Oh, Peeta!" She whispers, "Do you believe me now?"
He nods while he gives her the biggest grin she has ever seen on his face. He claims her lips in another kiss, while their friends and family look on.
I hope you liked it! This was a fun story to write for you! Thank you to everyone who commented, who waits patiently (or impatiently lol…) for updates, and not just from me. You are who makes this fun! Thank you!
I need to thank sohypothetically and Norbertsmom for their encouragement, plot-figuring-out power, and comma wrangling. Thank you friends! And then to notanislander for not so quietly asking for more of apple pie, and for being so excited to read what I sent her. And my lovely pumpking. Thank you!
And now, to finish the King and the Huntress… and maybe another one shot for twisted?