A/N: Hello, my dear readers! I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter! To my anon readers, I can't reply to your reviews, so thanks a bunch to all of you! Reviews are my happiness. Enjoy this chapter, it has some drama but also fluff…and its slightly sappy/cheesy at one point. But I wanted so bad to add that one little thing…you'll know when you read it. Thanks! And please review!

The next morning, Greasy Sae telephoned me to tell me she had the flu and could not make it to my house to make me breakfast. I told her not to worry and that I was sure I could manage, she needed to focus on getting better.

I quickly fixed myself some eggs and ate a slice of raisin bread before slipping into an faded pair of jeans, a simple t-shirt and my hunting boots. I braided my hair and made my way towards my door, not grabbing my bow. Instead of hunting I was going to wander around town, visit Sae, just enjoy the summer day as they were fading away.

When I opened my front door, I giggled hysterically; probably because of how deliriously happy I was at that moment. Sitting on my welcome mat, on a dinner plate with plastic wrapped artistically around them were about two dozen sugar cookies, topped with orange frosting. The color of a sunset.

A note was taped to the plastic. I picked the plate up and plucked off the note.

Since you won the bet. Hope you like them. -Peeta

P.S. I picked a frosting for you…you got a little distracted when I asked.

I grinned widely and turned to walk through my door and into my kitchen. After taking a bite of one of the soft treats, I packed half of them into a plastic bag and slipped it into my hunting pack. I once again walked out my front door and down the sidewalk towards town with my hunting pack slung over my arm, the rising sun was beautiful and the air was crisp and fresh.

People were outside today, playing in the sun, soaking up it's warmth. I saw a young couple sitting on a bench in front of Sae's eatery. They were gazing into each others eyes, laughing an smiling. I turned away quickly.

Children were running around playing tag, laughing. The world seemed to be filled with laughter. Even after all that happened to District Twelve, all that happened to the people that lived here, they still managed to laugh and think positively. I envied them for that.

When I walked past the bakery, I glanced through the large windows. There was about thirteen people waiting in line, anxious to get some of Peeta's fresh morning batch of bread. Peeta was smiling behind the counter, talking cheerfully to the person before him. He laughed and looked over to where I was standing, doing a double take when he caught my gaze. He grinned and winked at me. I returned the grin and waved a small wave. He returned his eyes to the costumer, still smiling. As I was leaving, I caught him stealing one last glance my way.

The smile stayed on my face as I walked leisurely towards where the Seam once was and where a factory was rising from the very ashes of where I once lived. Where my family once lived.

"Katniss!" said a familiar voice that came from a small group of women getting ready to harvest potatoes. I almost collapsed on the ground, pain tightening in my stomach when I saw the face of Delly Cartwright. She ran up to me, grinning, and the pain I felt subsided.

"Delly?" I gasped as she pulled me in for a warm hug. "When…what are you…I.." Delly was definitely beautiful, even in her working clothes. She was thinning out in the right places and had voluptuous curves that even Katniss was jealous of. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a neat braid.

She laughed and pulled away. "I came back from District Thirteen…with my little brother. I heard they were rebuilding and I figured, why not? I missed everyone here." She smiled a small smile. "How are you?"

"I-I'm okay. I'm living." I remembered Peeta's way of explaining how he was and decided it was suitable for my situation.

Delly's smile faded a little and she reached to pat my shoulder. "I'm always here to talk and you always have Pee-.." she stopped and decided to start from the beginning with Peeta. "How is Peeta?"

I blushed a little, thinking about last night. "Uh… he's great, we've been having dinner often and we are gradually getting better."

Delly grinned mischievously. "Mmhmm…"

I blushed even deeper and swiftly changed the subject. "Uh, can I help you guys? I've been cooped up in my house for so long…"

"Of course!" Delly exclaimed. She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the group of women. "This is Lydia, Luella, Harlee, River and River's son, Maverick. Ladies, this is Katniss Ev-"

"We know who she is," River, a small, thirty-something woman with dark hair tied up in a bun said with a scowl on her face.

Delly's grin faded and she cleared her throat after a moment. "Of course you do. She volunteered to help us."

"That's wonderful!" Harlee, a women maybe a little older than me with fiery red hair, green eyes, and freckles, said enthusiastically, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

The other women welcomed me warmly and told me a few things about picking potatoes before we all hunched over and plucked large brown potatoes from the soft soil.

After about an hour or so, I stood up and looked around me. The Seam had most definitely improved. There were small houses that, though not as nice as the ones in town, were quaint and livable. Small trees were sprouting from the once bomb ridden ground and there were still a few large maples left unscathed, one of which had Maverick climbing around its branches.

The sun was almost directly overhead by the time we gathered to sit along the wooden and eat some lunch. I reached for my hunting pack and pulled the bag of cookies out and treated myself to one. As I zipped the bag close I noticed that the women were trying hard not to stare. I smiled slightly and looked at them. "Would anyone like one?"

The women stuttered, I giggled and passed each of them one. Even River accepted one with a tiny smile. "Peeta Mellark made them."

There was a string of "Oh I love him!" and "He is the sweetest person ever", I even heard a compliment towards him from River. Everyone loved Peeta.

"Yea, he is very sweet." I smiled, blushing slightly and looking down towards my cookie.

"Can I have one?" I heard a small voice behind me. Maverick, who looked about seven, had wide eyes.

"Yea, of course." I reached in the bag again and handed him a cookie.

"Thanks!" He grinned and bit into the cookie, orange frosting rubbing onto his lip. He ran off towards the tree he had been climbing earlier, stuck the cookie in his mouth and held it there while he scampered to a branch about ten feet off the ground.

I laughed once and returned to my cookie. Delly shared some of her rabbit stew with me, even after I protested. It was delicious and it tasted like home…home in the Seam.

We had returned to picking potatoes when there was a loud crack and a shrill scream rang out. I sprang up, a familiar knot tightening in my stomach, just in time to see Maverick fall to the ground with a loud thud. The screaming didn't stop.

Another scream joined. "Maverick!" River ran towards her son, as did the other women.

I stood stunned for a moment, images of people getting killed in the games ran threw my head. The next thing I knew I was racing towards the group of women that were fluttering over the broken boy, not knowing what to do. I deliberated running to the husbands of the other women that were about half a mile away, pulling horses attached to plows through a field. They wouldn't be able to hear me so I pushed through them and sprung into action.

The boy was screaming and writhing in pain. "My leg," he choked out. I looked down and saw a twisted leg, the bone had definitely broken.

I used skills I learned from the games and from my mother. "Get my pack," I told Delly hastily. She ran and grabbed my pack. I still had some morphling pills I had stolen from the Capitol, in case of emergency. I hadn't used them since I left the Capitol though, in fear of becoming addicted again. I slipped one of the pills through his clenched jaw and made him swallow some water. The morphling worked right away and he fell into a painless state that was close to sleep.

Without a word, I swiftly set the bone. Maverick let out a short scream, but he calmed down. All the time, River was crying quietly, holding her son's hand. I stood up and ran to the rotting wood fence. I yanked off one of the wide boards and trotted back to the scene under the tree. The other women were huddled on the side, Delly was looking wide eyed at me.

"Delly, grab me some of that twine." I pointed to the pile of twine resting by the tree. Delly grabbed it and handed it to me after I pulled off my tshirt, revealing my white tank top. I wrapped the t-shirt around his small leg to give some sort of cushion. I gently rested the broken leg on the board and wrapped twine around it tightly.

I sat back on my heels and turned to the women after I exhaled deeply, feeling as if I held my breathe the entire time. "He'll be fine, but he will need to go to the medical clinic to get full care. This is only temporary."

"Oh," River spoke up, fighting more tears. "We…we can't afford a trip to the clinic."

I looked at her, realizing that not everyone was economically stable in the district yet. "I can take care of it."

The woman's eyes brightened. "Oh no, I couldn't let you do that."

I reached for her hand and gripped it tentatively. "Please, it's the least I can do." I whispered with a light smile.

Silent tears fell down her cheeks. "Thank you…so much."

I nodded and stood up. "Well, I was extremely happy to help you ladies, but I must get going. I have some errands, if you don't mind."

"Of course! We are so grateful that you were here. I think we can handle the rest, though." Delly said. The women agreed, smiling.

"Anytime. Do you need help with bringing him back to your house? I might be able to get Peeta..?" I asked River, gesturing to Maverick, who was still sleeping calmly on the ground.

"Oh thank you," she said. "But I can get my husband to help. Thank you again, for everything."

"You're welcome." I smiled and walked out of the field, picking up my pack and heading towards the bakery. I had been wanting to see Peeta all day.

I thought about how River had thanked me, knowing fully well she was thanking me for everything: fighting the Capitol and keeping her little boy, all the children of Panem, out of the Hunger Games for good. I couldn't bring myself to believe that what I did was for good, knowing all the people that died.

The bakery had only a few people at the counter, so I stepped inside and shut the door behind me. Catching Peeta's eyes, whose face light up with a grin even while he talked to the customer in front of him. I noticed his eyes rake down my body, and I suddenly became extremely aware of wearing only a tank top. I took a seat by the window.

Peeta walked past me, towards a couple sitting at a table. He had two slices of pie in his hand that he set in front of them with a smile. He talked to the man for awhile while I watched him, ogling. His blonde hair was messy, and his smooth muscles distracting, clad in a white grey t-shirt that was covered in flour. After the two said goodbye, Peeta turned and made his way back to the counter where customers waited. As he passed me a second time, he grinned at me and set a muffin in front of me. I grinned at him in a thank you and bit into the warm, cinnamon muffin.

As the customers began to leave, Peeta bid all of them a warm goodbye. There was no one but him and me in the bakery by the time he came out from behind the counter, grinning at me and covered in flour.

"Hey," he sighed, plopping down in the chair next to me. He reached for my hand that was resting on the table and linked his fingers with mine.

"Hi," I whispered, smiling. "How are you?"

"Tired, it was a long day. School is starting again, so everyone is buying bread for breakfast and school lunches. How was your day?"

"Well, I went out to the Seam. Delly was there…" I watched as he grinned.

"Delly Cartwright? Wow, I haven't seen her in forever. How is she?"

"She's good, I guess. She moved back to the district with her brother." I told him.

"That's good. She was really helpful when I was…you know." He shuddered.

I shuddered, too. "I know. She was."

"So what did you do on the Seam?" He squeezed my hand.

"I helped Delly and her friends harvest potatoes. One of the women's sons fell out of a tree and broke his leg." Peeta's eyes widened. "So I fixed a splint for him and gave him some morphling that I stole from the Capitol." Peeta looked at me disapprovingly. "Don't worry," I smiled. "I haven't had any since I left the Capitol, its just for emergencies."

He looked relieved. "Good. Sounds like an eventful day. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." He smiled at me. "So what do you want to do now, then?"

"Hmm…what do you have to do?" I looked at him out of the corner of my eyes, knowing fully well he couldn't simply leave the bakery.

He sighed and laughed. "You caught me."

"How about I just watch you?" I suggested.

"Watch me bake bread?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

"Yea, I like to watch you bake." I admitted, shrugging and trying to hide my blush.

He pretended not to notice it and stood from his chair. He pulled me up from my seat. "How about I teach you how to make bread?"

I grinned and nodded. "Let's do it."

He laughed and pulled me behind the counter. I sat on a stool while he gathered the ingredients and two bowls. He set a big red bowl in front of me and the other one next to it. "Alright," he grabbed my hand and pulled me off the stool and positioned me in front of the bowl. "First we need to do the yeast…" he spooned some yeast into the warm water he had put in both of our bowls. "That needs to dissolve." We waited for it to dissolve and then mixed in flour, sugar, oil, and salt. When it was a thick dough, he plopped his onto the counter and began to knead it.

I tried to do as he did, I punched the dough, pulled the dough, flipped the dough over, but I couldn't make it look like Peeta did. Peeta tried to muffle his laughter.

I groaned, frustrated and crossed my arms. "You do it then!" I growled.

Peeta laughed loudly now and stepped directly in front of me, his body pressed against mine. I tried to control my breathing. His hands slid down my arms slowly, uncrossing them. He slid behind me and I felt his lips tickle my ear. "Let me show you how to do it." He pushed me towards the counter and set my hands on the bread dough, his hands overlapped mine. "What you have to do is press your palms into the dough…" he gently pressed my palms into the dough, running his fingers along mine.

I watched his hands on mine, moving them into the dough. I felt his body flush against the back of mine. I pressed myself closer to him, still kneading the dough. After a few moments, I slid one hand out from under his and ran it up his arm slowly. When I turned into his body, facing him, I saw his eyes had the slight glassiness to them. I almost recoiled, but instead reached up to rest my hand on his cheek. His hands were resting on the counter behind me, an arm on either side of me.

I looked deep into his eyes until the glassiness left and the beautiful blue eyes remained. He grinned at me. "You're good at kneading, you know. I just needed to show you the ropes."

I laughed. "Maybe I'll open my own bakery." I raised an eyebrow.

He laughed and leaned towards me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. His arms coiled around my waist. "I've missed you Katniss." He whispered.

I met his eyes again. "I've missed you too." I kept his gaze as he dipped his head towards me. His lips met mine and I melted in his arms. He kissed slowly at first, moving his lips deftly. His hands skimmed up and down my back while mine ran through his hair. The kiss deepened and I felt his touch float down my ribs and his hands wrap around my waste.

As we slowed down, his hand came to grab my chin. I felt his thumb touch my lip and pull my mouth open slightly. We shared only one kiss like this, although his open mouth against mine made a familiar hunger inside me burst, before he backed away and leaned against the counter next to me. I sighed and slid down to the floor by his feet. Shortly after, Peeta joined me.

We sat like this and talked while the bread baked. When the sweet smell of finished bread wafted through the air, Peeta stood, offered me a hand and pulled me up. I watched as he pulled the bread from the oven and set both loaves on the counter.

We left the bakery when the town was dark and quiet, with two warm loaves in our hands. When we reached my house Peeta walked me to my front door. "Thanks for coming to the bakery, it was a lot of fun. You should come over more often." He laughed.

I laughed along. "What if I forget how to knead…?" I murmured.

He grinned, his teeth dazzling white in the dark night. "I don't mind teaching you again…"

I blushed deeply and giggled. "Goodnight, Katniss. Sleep well."

I wanted so much to whisper the words, "stay." But instead, I threw my arms around his neck and pressed my body against his. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly. "Goodnight Peeta. I'll sleep well if you do."

We both stayed silent, knowing fully well we would have nightmares until we were sleeping wrapped in each others arms. I slowly slipped from Peeta's arms, running my hands across his chest and arms before I backed away.

"I will see you tomorrow." He murmured and turned to walk out of my yard.

I went to bed that night to have a sleep filled with nightmares, I woke several times deliberating running to Peeta's house and jumping in his bed. I never did, clamping my eyes shut and trying to sleep.

I woke in a fit the next morning. Downstairs, I made myself some eggs and ate some of the bread Peeta and I made. After eating, I sat on the couch and drifted off, watching the sun float into the sky.

I jumped when there was a knock on my door. I instantly hoped it was Peeta, but when I opened the door to see a metallic gold dress on a pale woman with a mess off pink hair on her head and gold lipstick, I almost fainted, but instead ran into her arms. This surprised her just as much as it surprised me.

"Effie…I've missed you so much!" I pulled away from the short hug.

"I've missed you too, lovely."

A/N: This was a long chapter! I hope everyone liked it! Please review, they make me so so so happy and keep me motivated! Thanks again!