Author's note: And here's the other chapter! This gets a little heavy near the end. Trigger warning for talk suicide (but it's not much for now).

Please let me know what you think of these two chapters and Katniss's decision.

Happy reading!

Chapter Fifteen

Peeta pulled into the parking lot of Capitol Grocery just as Katniss walked out. She was pulling her hair into a new braid as she walked, not paying a lot of attention where she was going. She had on a pink blouse that Prim must have brought her. He chuckled and shook his head when he saw it was a bit lower than what she normally wore. He pulled up beside her and rolled down the window. He wolf whistled and she stopped.

She laughed and leaned in. "Hey, you."

"Hey, pretty lady." He grinned. "Ready to go out on the town for a bit?"

"I am! Cato was being such a dick today. I need to vent."

"Hop in and vent away."

He watched as she got in the other side of his Jeep. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Where would you like to eat?" He said as he slipped his hand into hers.

"Chinese buffet?" Katniss asked. "I know you don't have a lot of time and the food is good."

"Sounds great." Peeta pointed his car toward the restaurant. "So vent."

She took a deep breath. "Cato is such a misogynistic jerk. He commented on my clothes. Said that he knew they were the ones from yesterday because of the way the shirt hugs my breasts so perfectly."

"Asshole." He grumbled.

"And then he spent most of his shift sexting with his girlfriend. Like every shift."

"And he still has a job? You work hard." He pulled into a parking spot and killed the ignition. "I'm sorry. But your shift is over. And you get to have lunch with your handsome boyfriend who respects you. And your breasts."

She laughed and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "I'm starving. Let's go eat."

After they were settled with their plates, Peeta leaned forward and asked, "I wanted to ask you about what you said this morning."

"Okay." She was a little apprehensive.

"Do you see yourself still working at the grocery store in five years?" He asked gently.

She sighed. "Yes. But only because I don't know what else I'd do."

"What about college? The day camp? Anything else?"

She shrugged. "It's all just pipe dreams, Peeta."

He put his hand on top of hers. "But why?"

She took a bite and chewed silently.

Peeta patted her hand. "Look, if staying where you are is because you like it, that's understandable. You have an important job. But if you're doing it because it's safe, you need to reconsider."

Katniss nodded into her plate.

"You know you have a lot of people rooting for you. And we'll support you. You have to know that."

She pulled her hand away. "Peeta, you barely know me."

"But I care about you. And if this lasts another month, a year, or a lifetime, I want to spend it happy. I want you happy."

A slow smile spread across her face. "How did I get so lucky meeting a guy like you?"

He patted her hand. "No clue."

They ate silently for a while. Peeta looked at his watch and noted the time.

"We have to go soon?" Katniss asked.

He nodded.

"I'll see about college. Take some business classes maybe." She smiled. "Since I got some encouragement from someone that isn't dependent on my income."

He smiled. "Prim will be okay. You both will."

She swallowed and nodded. "Sometimes I look at her and I see our mom and it scares the hell out of me."

He looked down at his empty plate for a moment and admitted, "I hate when I'm looking in the mirror and recognize my mother's features. I feel..." He took a deep breath and let it out with a small laugh. "Never mind. Kind of deep for Monday lunch conversation."

"You can talk to me any time about it." She assured him. "I mean, I know you still have a lot of demons you're hiding. But you put on a good show. I bet Finnick and Annie don't even know the half of it."

"They don't." He pulled out his wallet and dug out some cash for the tip. "But you'll know all of it. When I'm ready to tell you more."

"I hope you trust me."

He scooted out of the booth and held his hand out to her. She took it and walked with him to the front counter. "I do trust you. But we've been dating barely a month. Let's keep the really bad stuff for after the new year."

She nodded and rested her chin on his shoulder as he paid. "I'm making you supper tonight. What do you like?" She led him outside.

"Surprise me." He kissed her before he opened the door for her.

She thought a moment. "Have you ever had fried squirrel?"

"Squirrel?" He asked.

"Yeah, I sometimes go out and hunt in the backyard. Squirrels are abundant. Prim loves it."

"Then fried squirrel it is!" He chuckled.

She slipped her hand into his and squeezed. "Thank you for lunch. And the advice."

He kissed her hand. "Any time, Katniss."

He dropped her off at her car with one last kiss goodbye. "I'll be over around five?"

"Sounds good." She waved him off and then hurried inside for a few essentials before going home.

Katniss had promised squirrel, but so far she'd only seen one and it had escaped before she could aim properly. Maybe she could settle for something else. Then she saw a deer wander into sight and she lifted her bow.

A twig snapped behind her and the deer ran off. She sighed and lowered the weapon. She turned to see Gale.

"Hey, Catnip, thought you were back here." He said with a grin.

"What are you doing out of work so early?" She put her arrow back in the quiver and slung the bow over her shoulder.

"I had a dentist appointment. Madge makes me keep those now." He made a face. "Did you really think it would be okay to shoot a deer in town?"

"We're not in town."

"City limit is just before your property line. Did you forget?"

She groaned. "Yeah. I promised Peeta squirrel for dinner, but I haven't seen any."

Gale shook his head. "I'll help you find something. Like when we were kids." He walked with her in silence for a while. He stopped suddenly and pointed to a tree. Two squirrels sat on different branches. She took aim and got both of them. "Way to go, Catnip."

Katniss chuckled. "Thanks, Gale." They headed back toward the house. She got three more and bagged them. "Want to come over for supper?"

Gale shook his head. "Madge already has plans. I just stopped by because I remembered you said you had the early shift. Wanted to see how things were going. I have to get back to work for a while."

"What time is it?" Katniss took out her phone. "Three-thirty. So Prim should be home any minute." She put the phone away. "Thanks for the help."

"No problem. So you never answered. How are things?"

"With Peeta or with everything?"

"Peeta."

She smiled. "Everything is great with him."

Gale chuckled. "You should tell me."

"Maybe some other time. I don't want to hurt your ego." She went to work preparing the squirrels.

"I know we didn't mesh. But we weren't supposed to. Just how things are. I'm happy for you. You look much less stressed. Especially compared to this time last year."

Katniss nodded. "That's tomorrow."

He wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head. "Call me if you need me."

"I work early tomorrow. And I've got an appointment with my therapist in the afternoon. I'll be okay." She paused a moment. "Maybe."

"You have Peeta, right?" He waited for her to nod. "You'll be fine, if he cares half as much as he says."

"I think he does."

Gale left a minute later and Katniss was left to her own devices.

Prim opened the door for Peeta. She eyed the container he held. "Hello, Peeta, what have you brought to fatten us up today?"

He laughed. "Mocha apple cake." He held up a bag. "But I have to frost it here because it wasn't cool enough."

"You should know your way to the kitchen by now." She said with a laugh.

He chuckled and followed the sound of sizzling to the kitchen. "Smells good in here." He sat his stuff down on the counter and kissed Katniss's cheek. "You smell good, too."

"You mean after using my own soap?" She chuckled.

He laughed. "Yeah, my stuff smells weird on you."

"Thank you for letting me use it, though." She turned and offered her lips. "Proper kiss, please."

He smiled and pressed his lips to hers. They opened their mouths in unison and their tongues brushed together.

Peeta broke the kiss and rested his forehead against Katniss's for a moment and then stepped away. "I didn't ice the cake before I came. It still needed to cool." He started unpacking some things. "Mind if I do it while you finish up there?"

"Not at all."

They worked in tandem for a while. After he was done with the cake, Peeta mashed the potatoes Katniss had boiled earlier and put them in the serving bowl she sat out.

"There are rolls in the oven." She said. "Not homemade, but good enough."

"You baked them, that's definitely good enough." He stole another kiss as he took the rolls out of the oven.

They sat around the table. Prim asked, "Do we have to say grace?"

Katniss chuckled. "Not this time around, kid." She smiled. "Let's eat while it's still hot."

Peeta looked over the meat on his plate critically for a moment and then cut into it tentatively. He chewed thoughtfully as Katniss and Prim watched him. He nodded. "Not bad."

Prim laughed. "Eat a few more bites and you'll either love it or hate it." She cut into her own and chewed slowly. "Perfect, Katniss."

"It's been far too long since I cooked something like this." Katniss said. "Sorry about that."

Prim shrugged. "You're busy."

"I don't work every day." Katniss answered. After a short pause, she said, "So I looked at a catalogue online for some business classes at Panem U this afternoon."

Prim held her fork just an inch from her mouth. She sat the fork down. "When?"

"Probably not until next fall. I want to get some stuff in order. I need to get your senior year paid for."

"Haymitch and Effie offered to do that." Prim said as she started eating again. "It's about time you do what you want, Katniss."

"You're right." Katniss scooted some mashed potatoes around on her plate. "If there is still time, I'll try to sign up for a few classes next semester. Make you happy?"

"Make you happy?" Prim asked.

She smiled and nodded.

Peeta patted her knee under the table. "Let me know if I can help."

"I will." She put her hand on top of his and squeezed.

"I don't want to go to school tomorrow." Prim said softly as she wiped her hands on the dish towel.

Katniss tucked a piece of Prim's hair behind her ear. "You don't have to, little duck. You can play hooky. This is definitely a day that deserves a break. You should see if you can get in to speak to your therapist."

"I have an appointment Friday." Prim pointed out.

"I know, but tomorrow is a big day. By Friday it could either be a bigger hurt or not matter as much."

Prim nodded. "Okay. You should take the day off too."

"I can't." Katniss turned to start gathering dessert plates to bring in the living room.

"Yes, you can. You never take time off. And you say Cato makes you do all the work when you have the same shift."

"He's off tomorrow, actually."

"So switch with him. That douchenozzle needs to know he can't run all over you and it be okay." Prim wrapped her arms around her sister's waist. "Tomorrow of all days, do this for me. For yourself."

Katniss wrapped her sister in a tight hug. "Okay. Let me go see what I can do." She curled into Peeta's side on the couch as she requested the day off. Her supervisor Glimmer was very reluctant to let her take a day that was already scheduled. "But something came up and I need to use a sick day. I have plenty. Anyway, Cato is off, so get him to cover and I'll take his shift over some other day. I was supposed to be off Saturday. I'll work Saturday if I can have tomorrow."

Glimmer sighed and said, "Fine. You can have the day. But the next time you're actually sick, you'll have one less day."

"Fine by me." Katniss said as he ended the call. She pressed her eyes into Peeta's neck and let out a long breath. "Will you stay tonight?"

He kissed her forehead. "That may be a little weird with Prim."

"Just don't walk around in your underwear and you'll be fine." Prim said from the doorway. "So?"

"I got the day. We'll call your therapist's office first thing in the morning and see if we can get you in and we'll model the whole day around it. I have an appointment at one. We'll make it through."

"What's tomorrow?" Peeta asked.

"The one year anniversary of Mom's suicide." Prim said. She blinked a few times. "I'm going to call Haymitch." She left the room, a definite sag to her shoulders.

"I'm sorry." He said softly.

Katniss shook her head. "You have no reason to be sorry."

He smoothed a hand down her back and kissed her forehead. "You want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "Not right now. Just hold me."

He pulled her to his chest as she pushed him down on the couch. She stretched out over him and pressed her ear to his chest.

Listening to his heartbeat she said, "I'm so glad you're here."

"I'll stay. And tomorrow, if you want me here, I'll play hooky, too."

"Thanks." She sat up suddenly. "I just realized I don't have condoms. I meant to get some, but I forgot. I'll have to run to the store."

He chuckled and cupped her face. "How about I run home and get some things and I just bring some from my place? Deal?"

She chuckled. "Okay, deal."

"But I'll go in a little while." He pulled her back down on his chest and stroked her braid.

Prim came back in. She smiled at the scene. "Haymitch said he'd stop by in the morning on his way to work. He said he'd bring coffee and donuts." She sat down in the adjacent chair. "I can't believe it's already been a year."

Katniss nodded. "Time flies."

"Just the day before she seemed so..."

"Normal." Katniss finished for her. "Yeah."

"She made me the big birthday cake and decorated it with those candy flowers."

"That tasted awful." Katniss chuckled. "That was the best she'd been in so long."

Prim watched her critically. "Are you going to be okay, Katniss?"

"I'll be fine. Are you?"

She shrugged. "Can we eat that cake now?" She got up and went into the kitchen.

Katniss sat up and Peeta followed. "She chose such a great time." She said bitterly.

He rubbed circles in her back. "What can I do? What can I say?"

She looked over her shoulder at him. "Just be here tonight. We'll handle tomorrow. Somehow."

"My offer still stands. It just takes a call." He stood and held out his hand.

"Thank you." She slipped her hand in his and they walked together into the kitchen.