Peeta slices the bread and places one slice on each of the wooden toasters. Toasters are a smaller version of what they cook pizza on. Pizza isn't something the bakery always has on hand, but every now and then they bake some, it always sells out so fast. I have had some once though, after my father died. Haymitch took us to the bakery after school, it had been two days since we had really eaten. Haymitch had been too drunk to notice, I guess he finally sobered up enough to realize there were two young girls who needed someone. My mother was so caught up in her own grief to notice what was happening around her. I don't know what would have become of us, had it not been for Haymitch, Gale, and Peeta. Peeta has no idea that his bread was what Prim and I ate for lunch everyday. Some times it was also dinner. As much as Haymitch tried, he still drank too much.

Things with mom got better when I was about 15 years old. I don't know how Peeta did it, but even after he left school, I would find bread in my locker a few times a week. I never told anyone what he was doing for us. I never thanked him either. I'm glad we have talked a little about it, but I still feel like I owe him one.

Peeta hands me my toaster and takes one for himself. We hold them over the fire to toast the bread, I am certain that Peeta will get his just right so I follow his lead on when to take it out. We pull the bread out and rest it on the edge of the open oven. We are suppose to say something and then feed each other the bread. I don't know what to say though.

"Ladies first." Peeta says.

"How about I eat first and you talk." I respond

"Fair enough."

Peeta picks up his piece of bread and holds it between us.

"Katniss, I meant what I said. I want this to really work. I know people who never, They never really connect. I want to connect with you. I want us to be honest and open with each other. I promise to always provide you with what you need. I hope you can be happy hear Katniss."

He stops and I smile at him. He holds up the bread and I open my mouth, he places the bread in my mouth and I don't think I have ever tasted better bread before. I know I let out a moan, but I cant bring myself to care.

It's my turn, I still have no idea what to say. I chew slowly, but Peeta is watching me, so I know I cant pretend to eat for long.

I hold my toast between us.

"Peeta, I don't know you very well, but what I do know is that you have been taking care of me for a long time. I also meant everything I said at the wedding. I want to try and be a real wife to you."

Peeta gives me a strange look when I say real wife. I don't know why or what the look is, I am bad at people. I hold the bread out and he bites it. He doesn't close his eyes like I did, he looks at me like he can see straight through to my soul.

I know what should come next, He should kiss me and we should come together as man and wife. I don't know if that will happen tonight. There are so many things running through my head. Do I want him to try? Would I go all the way with him if he did? I know I am nervous, but not scared. There are very few things that scare me and sex is not one of them.

"What are you thinking Katniss?"

"I am thinking.." I stop and look at him, I cant actually tell him what I am thinking. I don't know what to say.

"I'm thinking, that I wish I had a glass of wine." It's only a half lie as I do wish I had a glass, it would calm my nerves. Alcohol was never something that appealed to me. Watching Haymitch, I never want to be that person, but after spending the last two weeks with Delly and seeing that I can have a glass and not be how he is, well I don't see it being as bad as I thought it was. I've never had more than one glass though. I don't think I want to either.

"Well then, you are in luck." Peeta answers.

"My dad and brothers got us a bottle of wine as a gift."

That must have been what Bran gave him at the wedding.

"That was nice of them."

"It's kind of tradition. We gave Finnick and John one the day they were married as well."

That reminds me of what Annie had said about Peeta and John not going to Finnick's weeding. I decide to ask him about it. I am reaching for things to talk about, this seems like a safe topic. Peeta gets up to get the wine and glasses, I follow him into the kitchen.

"Annie said you and John didn't go to Her and Finnick's wedding. Did your parents take them the wine?"

Peeta stops and takes a step back. He looks like I have hit him. So much for a safe topic.

"My dad went. He took it."

That was all he said, I am guessing since he said "Dad" and not parents that his mom didn't go. By the look on his face, I am guessing that she is the reason he didn't go either. There is tension in the air and I don't like it.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to."

"No, it's ok, I just haven't thought about that in a really long time. I wish I would have been able to go. Finnick understood that it wasn't our choice though."

I begin to understand a little about Peeta's mother and family. I know it's just the surface though. There is a lot of pain in his eyes, I wish I wouldn't have brought it up at all.

Peeta hands me a glass of wine and pours one for himself.

"Are you tired?"

"No, not really."

"Me either. Want to watch some TV?

Television, we have one. everyone has one, there is mandatory viewing when the capitol wants to tell the districts something. I haven't watched much television beside the mandatory viewing and special viewings of weddings when I was younger. Some weddings from D1 and D2 are aired live, they are almost as famous as Capitol people.

"Sure."

I answer him, I don't want to go to bed right now, I still don't know if I want to go to bed alone. I wish I would have asked Delly or Annie if they had sex the night of their wedding.

We head to the couch, I sit on the right side and Peeta all the way to the left. You could fit 2 people between us. He grabs the remote and clicks through some shows, before settling on a cooking show. It's not a baking show, but one where they are cooking a breakfast, a lunch, and then a dinner. They are judged and the one with the most points at the end is the victor.

"We can watch something else if you want" Peeta offers

"No, this is good."

I wouldn't know what else to pick and maybe this show will help me cook for Peeta.

"Katniss... Katniss"

I hear Peeta calling me, but it feels way too early to be getting up.

"Come on Kat."

I hear him and feel him lift me.

"Peeta?"

"I've got you."

Peeta is carrying me to bed, I realize I had fallen asleep about half way through the TV show. I'm awake, but I like the feeling of being in his arms. I don't however know if I like that I like this. He shifts me slightly in his arms when we reach the door to what will be our room. I never feel like I was slipping, even a little. As he walks me to the bed, I realize I want him to stay with me. I don't want the sex yet, I'm not ready, but I don't want to be without him either. I feel him lowering me onto the bed and I know I have to say or do something, if I don't he will walk out that door. I'm so nervous that my words won't come out. Its not until he is almost at the door that I find my voice.

"Peeta."

"Yeah."

"Stay with me?"

"Always"

Peeta crosses the room and lays down beside me. I turn my head and look at him, I don't expect to see him looking back at me, but he is. I can't see him clearly, but it's enough to make out exactly where he is. I sit up and scoot over to him, he lifts his arm and I lay my head on him. I fit here perfectly. Its a feeling I cant describe. It feels safe, it feels like home.

I wake the next morning with the sunshine pouring through the window and a solid mass under me, its warm. Whatever it is that is under my head is very warm. I run my hand up to fell what it is I am laying on when a hand catches mine.

"Good morning."

Peeta, that is the warmth I am feeling. I fell right to sleep last night, cuddled up to Peeta. He didn't seem to mind. He had caught my hand when I ran it up his chest. I turn my body slightly and look up at him.

"Good morning" I say back to him.

"Did you sleep ok."

"I did actually. I don't normally sleep this late."

"Me either, Bakers hours and all. My dad, Finnick and John are all down at the bakery by now I'm sure."

"I didn't know they were coming today."

"They aren't coming up Katniss, they are just running the bakery. We cant afford to close that many days. No one will come up though."

He's right, not only can the bakery not afford to close, the district can't afford for them to close for a long time either. We will always need help. I think of how, when we become parents sometime in the next two years, we will need to have John come help out. Or if he is too busy maybe we can hire one of Gale's brothers to run the front. Finnick is great, but sometime he cant do it all on his own. Bran and Peeta do the baking, with John floating between the two. If Peeta needed to be out, we would need Finnick baking with Bran and someone else out front. I know it will all work out, but its my nature to worry about things I have no control over.

"Oh, do we need to go down and help?"

"No, we shouldn't really go down until Monday."

"Right." I know we shouldn't but I am not sure what we are suppose to do all weekend. I know what other people think we will be doing, and I guess that's the point.

"You hungry?"

I realize that I am. I have normally had something by now, some nuts or berries mostly.

"I am actually."

"Great, I'll cook you something."

"Cook?" I ask

We never cook more than once a day and some days we skip.

"Yeah, you know breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

"Is it? I have never heard that before."

"Really? My dad says that all the time."

"Well, if your dad says it then there is no way it's not true."

Peeta smiles at me, and I want to kiss him, but I haven't brushed my teeth and I have no idea what married people do about that.

"You're right. I'm going to need my arm though."

I look at his arm that is under my head.

"Oh, yeah, OK."

I start to get up when Peeta catches me off guard, he kissed my head. I just stair at him. I have no idea how to respond. It feels nice though.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"You didn't" I tell him.

I get out of bed, make my way to the bathroom for a shower. If he's going to cook I am at least going to be clean and smell good.

Breakfast was the best breakfast I've ever had. Like all the other food I have tried here, mouth watering and filling. The weekend passes much slower than either had thought it would. There was not much to do, except what newly weds were suppose to be doing. I don't know how Peeta felt about it, but I knew I was not ready. I found myself glad that Peeta was my match, I realized I could have been matched with someone who didn't understand and who would have forced me.

Married life wasn't that much different than her old life. She still woke up every morning before the sun as up, as did Peeta. Apparently bakers keep early hours.

There was however a calm in the Mellark home that wasn't found in her own. She wasn't sure how they did it, but they seemed to not worry about a thing. Like when, Mr. Mellark came home the Monday morning after the wedding and found most of Peeta's stuff in his old room. He simply said "Better move those." or when a week later Katniss was helping in the kitchen and put too much yeast in the dough. She had ruined the whole batch of dinner rolls. Peeta just smiled at her and told her it was ok, "everyone makes that mistake a time or two." She had never made a mistake though.

Most of the time she was at the front of the bakery. Bagging orders and making change when the customers paid. There were people in D12 that didn't think she should be there. They never said the words, but she could tell by the looks they were give her when they handed her the coins. She didn't really like people much. But, the bakery needed her help. With John at the shoe shop and Finnick at the factory most days she didn't have much of a choice. At least In the front there was less for her to screw up than in the kitchen.

So, She woke early and helped wherever she was needed, ate an early breakfast and a late lunch. Dinners were mostly leftover lunches the bakery didn't sell that day, but it was still more than Katniss was ever use to. She felt slightly guilty about it, until her mother pointed out that with her gone they had more food as well.

She still gathered on Sunday afternoons, and visited with her sister whenever possible. She rarely saw Gale, He was working in the factory and seemed to be completely wrapped up in Johanna.

Katniss started to notice after they had been married a little over a month, that she was filling out. She has started looking more like a woman and less like a boy. Her breast were bigger, making her bra uncomfortable. Her tops didn't fit right either. Her pants hugged her newly found curves and hips. She was going to need new things.

The bakery along with the other shops were closed on Sunday. Bran was gone to church, and Peeta had decided to stay with her today. Sometimes he went, sometimes she went with him. Today was the first time he had stayed with her though. It was the first time they had been alone and wake since the weekend of the wedding.

"Peeta, can I talk with you a moment?"

"Sure" Peeta answered her although he looked guarded.

"I um.. I was wondering if I could maybe have some money?"

Peeta just looked at her and blinked so she started again.

"I need a few... women things." she explained

Peeta didn't answer he just looked at her.

"If we don't have it. It's fine I can go see my mom and..."

"No, Katniss" Peeta interrupted her. "You don't have to ask."

"Oh, well I'm not sure who this is suppose to work."

"We haven't talked about this, have we?" Peeta asked her

"No, we haven't" She answered

"When you needed something, before we were married. How did you get it?"

"I Um.." She was unsure what to say, sometimes she went without what she needed. But, decided not to tell him that just yet.

"I either gathered and traded for it, or I would get it from the pharmacy supplies. Haymitch has given me coins to buy stuff, but only twice."

He looked at her a long moment.

"Well, it works a little different for us. If you need something you can take the money from the register, just be sure to put in a note of how much you took, for the books. If you are out and find something you want and don't have any money on you, you can charge it to the bakery, we will pay it at the end of the month with the rest of the bills. We try not to use that method much though. But, if its an emergency go ahead."

It was Katniss' turn to stair at him.

"You're serious?" She asked

"Yes, he quickly answered

"I cant just take money from the register, people already think I shouldn't be there and if they see me taking money, it would be like stealing. I can just use the wedding money we have."

"No."

"What?" Katniss was confused

"I can take care of you Kat, please let me. I want to save that other money for our children. I also want to know who these people are that think you shouldn't be here. You are my wife, you have as much right to anything her a I do."

I can't believe what has just come out of Peeta's mouth. Children, wife, and rights wow.

"Not everyone sees it that way, you know that."

"Well, it is the way I see it." Peeta answers her

"I need more than women things. I need clothes. I don't know if you have noticed, but I have gained some weight since we were married."

"You are beautiful," Peeta says and see the look on her face like she is going to ague with him so he quickly starts again.

"Look the shops are closed today."

"I know" Katniss interrupts him "I don't want to bother anyone, I shouldn't have eaten so much."

Peeta laughs

"Stop, don't laugh, its so hard not to eat here. And when you make cheese bun, oh god those are like heaven."

"Katniss, its fine. Look, let me talk to John this afternoon, I will see if he can come by tomorrow and help out. We will go shopping. OK?"

"Shopping? Like together, in the shops?"

"Yeah, we can make a whole day of it."

"Why?" Katniss was really confused as to why he'd want to go and why he'd want to by new things, when they could trade for used things.

"Because, you are my wife. You need something and I want nothing more than to get you what you need and take care of you."

At that moment all Katniss can think is that she needs him to kiss her. She closes the distance between them and presses her lips to his. Before he can react to her, the door opens and she hears, the rest of the Mellark family enter the apartment. She pulls away and looks at Peeta his eyes are hooded and his cheeks are as pink as his lips. His hand reaches up to tug on her braid.

"OK you two, your not alone any more." Finnick tells them

Katniss pulls further away.

"So you will let me take you tomorrow?" Peeta ask

"I'll allow it."

The smile on Peeta's face is enough to know she gave him the right answer.