HA.

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I kept my promise of updating later!

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15 reviews ... 4 chapters. *HAPPY DANCE*

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(I don't own THG)

Stay Beautiful

- CE

Peeta's P.O.V

Greasy Sae has invited me over for dinner tonight. At first when she inquired if I would join them, I politely refused. Then she scolded me and gave me no other option but to bake the rolls for this evening.

A few days ago, Katniss had awoken from her frosty slumber and blatantly stared at me. As awkward as it seemed, I was grateful to see her eyes again. They were so full of surprise and genuine shock that it took some self-control not to laugh. Then I remember what Haymitch had said and the amusement soon turned into anger. He and I had it out on the front lawn. I pull a grey sweater over my head and pull a pair of jeans over my legs. I could care less what I look like, but this is for Katniss and I am sure Greasy Sae will wring her neck if she doesn't look somewhat decent. But to me, she could be wearing anything and still look beautiful. Idle wearing nothing is better, but it is not of a gentleman to think of her in such a way, especially when she isn't mine. I don't bother with my coat since Katniss lives next door, so I grab the bread rolls and head out the door.

As I walk down the path, a scream cuts through the air, silencing every living thing within a quarter mile and my eye search for its origins. It came from Katniss' bedroom. I don't hesitate to drop the bread and race for her house. It has been nearly 8 months since I last touched her (with her being conscious), and it's been over a year since I last held her.I swing the front door open and Sae is yelling something at Haymitch but I do not stop for instruction or even to greet them, I just react. I bound up the stairs, skipping every other step, and reach for the last door down the hall thrusting it open.

She is crumbled on the floor, shaking violently with sobs. And my heart breaks to watch it happen. My eyes find the sources of her tears as she clutches the outfit made by Cinna in her hand; her mockingjay pin shining brightly in the light.

"Katniss." I sigh as I reach for her. As soon as I touch her arm, she jerks away from me as if shocked by electricity. The emotional trauma has never left the deepest parts of her inner being.

"No!" She screams, "Don't touch me."

I look her dead in the eye and get on my knees, as if submitting to a wild animal, "Katniss, it's me. It's Peeta."

She shrinks further from me and I am unsure if she is having a flashback like I would, or a mental breakdown. However, they can be one in the same. She clutches the iron rails of the footboard on her bed and I reach out a hand to her.

"It's okay, Katniss. I'm here." I whisper. I can hear Sae and Haymitch standing in the hallway, whispering harshly to each other if let should even let me handle this. I make a mental note to address that later. I turn my attention back to the shaken girl in front of me and look at her lovingly.

"Katniss…" I whisper, beckoning her to allow me to come to her. Her eye finally meet mine and her lip wobbles again.

"Peeta…" She chokes. She launches into my arms sending us backwards and I pull her close. Her fingers grip my sweater, her hot tears spill onto my neck and she curls up into my lap broken and beaten. The sobs that escape her sweet lips can only be match with the sound of terror and pain, one that I can take from her but only wish to. I regain my balance and sit up against the wall bringing her full into my lap and enclosing her in my arms.

"Shh, I'm here. Let it out. Let it out." I don't say it is okay because honestly, it's not. It's not okay. She is finally releasing the grief she held inside for far too long and letting go of what chains her. The enormity of her pain seems unbearable and overwhelming, leaving her in a fit of anxiety that can only be understood through experience. I hear Sae and Haymitch leave us, retreating back to the kitchen to finish dinner.

"You… you came back." She stutters after half and hour of tears. She finally began to settle down about ten minutes ago, however, my hold on her has not diminished.

"I would have come back sooner if Dr. Aurelius would have let me." I say, running my hand along her hair. Why did I ever leave her side in that wretched arena?

"No. It doesn't matter. You came back. That is enough in itself." She whispers, subtly playing with the chest hairs that peak out from my sweater. I smile. She is letting me hold her. I think it's because she missed human touch for so long and it has been stripped from her, leaving her emotionally bare. But who am I to complain?

We sit for a few more moments in silence until she sits up and looks at me. Her hair has grown back to its fullness and lush color. Her eyes are steal gray, but sad, and her lips are formed in a perfect O shape, beckoning for another pair to attach to.

But my lips are not the ones she searches for.

"Thank you." She says.

I smile at her, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes, "You're welcome."

Her stomach growls and a blush creeps onto her cheeks causing a laugh to escape my lips, "Come on, lets get you dressed and go downstairs to eat!"

She looks at me wildly, then it dawns on me of what I had just said, "Oh wait, no, I didn't mean we, but you can get dressed… um … I'm just gonna… yeah. I'll wait downstairs."

She smirks at my inability to speak and the redness flows to my cheeks. Dang it. She slides off my lap and helps me to my feet. Suddenly, her arms encircle my waist and I am taken by surprise. Wait, she is hugging me. Okay Mellark, be calm. Let her do this. I slide my arms around her frame and she nuzzles her head into my neck causing me to smile. She pulls back and I gently lean down and kiss her forehead, letting my lips rest there for a few moments. She doesn't pull back, she doesn't resist, but instead rests her hand on my arm.

I pull away and smile at her, "I'm right downstairs if you need me, okay?"

She nods and I leave her to get dressed. As I close the door, I lean against the wall and let out a massive breath of air.

You are getting yourself in deep, Mellark.

Katniss's P.O.V.

It's been two weeks since Peeta held me that night, and it's been two weeks since he has even touched me. He has come over for dinner every day since with the exception of tonight. He and Haymitch ate together this evening, locking us women from their little world. We result to sitting by the fire, and I am nestled up in the loveseat while she rocks back and forth in the rocking chair knitting.

"Greasy Sae?" I say softly while being captivated by the colorful tongues of the flames that dance in front of me.

She doesn't look up from her knitting, but answers me quietly "Yes child?" I look to her granddaughter who was quietly sleeping on the couch covered in a blanket.

"Do you remember when you said things will get better, and that… um…?" I don't want to bring up past memories that are not pleasant for her to remember, but I have to know.

"Haha, yes child. I told you that I know of loss, and the damage it causes." She says, "I guess its only fair for you to know. Right before I was born, my father was killed in the first rebellion. My mother never spoke of how he had been killed, and I never asked. The subject was too much for her to bear on her shoulders. However, she kept us alive, and did what every mother tries to do in that situation. We, as in my older brother and sister, were never reaped for the Hunger Games, which was by far a blessing. I grew up in school, just as you had, and my brother and sister married off, and lived in the Seam. Then, when I married, I was only your age my dear."

"I am eighteen. That's so young." I look at her quizzically. I never wanted to marry. Ever.

"Yes, but I had to do what I had to do."

"What do you mean, I don't understand." I ask. She looks at me with sad eyes, and then it hit me. "An arranged marriage?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes dear. To the son of a merchant that owned the butcher shop in town. You must understand that he was indeed quite handsome, but there was a boy from the Seam that always had my heart."

"Why did you do it?"

"What choice did I have? My family needed the money to survive, and like you, I would stop at nothing until I knew that their safety and stomachs were in tact. It didn't matter either way. The boy from the Seam chased after another. I was happy for him. It was the way it was supposed to be." She says softly, returning her focus to her knitting.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't…" I began to apologize for being so rude about something that was never her choice.

"Oh hush child." She smiled, "Soon after, I had a daughter, Colette. She was a feisty child, but was the proud owner of the most precious heart. You remind me so much of her. Her strong spirit, her bravery, her heart for others, and her ability to stand for what is right."

"Sae, I am not any of those things."

"Now you really hush your mouth child. Look at where you are now? Mhmm?"

"Sae everyone I love is dead, or doing something else with their lives in a another district!" I say, repositioning myself in the love seat.

"Not everyone." She smiles mischievously and gives me a knowing look. I smile back and hide a blush that crawls onto my face. Where did that come from? Why would I blush at that fact that someone that I think I love is still here?

"Since the childbirth with Colette was so dangerous and difficult, I was told that having children in the future could result in the death of the baby and myself. So, I agreed. Colette was my only child." She says with a sigh. The way she uses the word was makes me uncomfortable. "Colette grew up in school until one day, her father became very ill, and out of nowhere he left us. Leaving us to return to nothing but the Seam."

"He left you nothing?"

"He left me everything. He loved me ever so graciously, and the Capital took everything he gave me since I was originally from the Seam, your roots play a large role in your life, unless of course you are a victor of the Hunger Games. Colette continued to grow and met a boy in school, Ridick, and he was from the Seam as well. He was the sweetest young man that I have crossed paths with. When she turned 22, they married. It was a quiet little ceremony, just the families. Of course, he couldn't give her the life I had once, but he gave her the one thing she needed to survive on."

"What was that?" I ask.

"Love. He gave her love." she smiles. I smile back thinking I have had that once from someone very special. "About 8 years later, Colette gave birth to that sweet little girl over there. A spitting image of her mother, and Basilia is the closest thing I have to my daughter." She says with a sad smile. Tears cling to her eyes and would never dare escape out in the open, but alone in solitude. We both look to Basilia and see her stir on the couch, under the blanket. She has the face of an angel and doesn't have a care in the world.

"What happened to Colette and Ridick?" I ask, so lost in the story the thought of what I had just said did not even pass through my mind.

"When Basilia was an infant, there was an accident. In the mines, Ridick… well, he was killed along with…" she gave me a look, that only I would understand. Ridick died in the mining accident with my father.

"What?" it was not posed as a question, but pure shock.

"He was in the mining accident with your father, along with the others. Colette was in town when it happened and she ran towards the mines, the fires, and her husband, and she never came back." This time, Sae let some tears fall in front of me. To me, that is an honor. "So, the girl was left in my care, and it has been that way ever since, and it will continue until she is old enough to be on her own. I have you to thank for that Katniss, because of what you have done, she will never be reaped, and she will be able to live a life worth living." Greasy Sae smiles at me. By this time, tears are fiercely streaming down my face. I was not the only human being who was stripped of their loved ones on that dreadful day; I was in fact, an inconsequential factor of that day. Someone added to the stories.

I push myself off the loveseat and rush towards Sae and thrust my arms around her neck. She is the closet thing to family I have right now. She is startled at first then embraces me in a tight clutch.

"Thank you so much." I whisper.

"Oh child, you are welcome. Sometimes you need to know the stories of other's pain, to learn how to deal with your own." She says through a smile. I pull back and smile at her through my tears. She takes my hair in her hands. "May I?" she asks. I nod and turn my back to her and sit on the floor. She gently takes hold of my hair and begins to weave it in and out, and at different angles. This is the touch of love, kindness, and gentleness. This is the touch of a mother. No one has brushed my hair in over a year, and the feeling is uplifting.

I awaken to squawking geese yet again. How many times must I take care of Haymitch's … hobby pets. I toss the warm, and toasty sheets aside and flinch at the cold floor. This is ridiculous. I throw on my robe and march downstairs. Sae is in the kitchen with Basilia cooking eggs and bacon.

"I'll be right back. Hello Basilia." I say stiffly.

"Good morning to you too Katniss." Sae smiles.

"Hi Katniss!" Basilia chirps. I grab my coat, slide on my hunting boots, and throw on my scarf, and slam the door behind me. I march across my lawn and throw open my gate. I see Haymitch bent down over a pile of logs messing around with in a fashion that makes me want to laugh. He never organizes anything, but that does not keep my anger at bay.

"Do you have the common courtesy to actually keep your pets under control in the…" and at once I stop my screaming.

"I'm sorry, I uh, didn't know I was disturbing you. I truly am sorry." He says.

"Peeta… I uh. I'm so sorry… I thought you were…"

"Haymitch, yes I can see how you would think that." He smirks. He is dressed in a tight black coat that comes to his thighs, a knit hat, a navy blue scarf tucked into his coat, and gloves without the fingers, then suddenly, I remember my current attire. My arms cover my chest immediately, and I feel a certain feeling of… self-consciousness? My attention converts to the geese. Why was I over here again?

"Oh, they were hungry and a bit wet from the snow this morning. So I dried them off, and feed them. But Haymitch and this makeshift pen for the geese, isn't going to cut it. So I thought I would build an actual pen. Psh. can you believe Haymitch?" Peeta rambles on nervously.

"No, but I do believe that I made that makeshift pen." I point around his figure and to the pen in the corner of the yard under a tree. "And, its not a pen, it's a small coup for them."

"Oh, you built that? I, uh…" he turns the color of a summer sunset. Completely pink.

"It's ok Peeta. I didn't have much to work with I guess."

"You're right! Absolutely! Very little to work with and on such short notice." He gestures to the coup.

We stand in fallen snow for a few awkward moments, then, something extraordinary comes from my mouth.

"Would you like to join me for breakfast? Although, it wouldn't be just me. Greasy Sae and Basilia are there. But I'm sure they would like the company of someone they rather enjoy." I say.

"To be honest, I would enjoy a nice warm breakfast. Thank you." He smiles. Unexpectedly, he offers me his arm, but I act as though as if I hadn't seen his offer. He waves it off, and we walk back to my house. I can imagine Effie ripping my head off due to my action of not accepting his offer.

"One should ALWAYS take an arm when offered!" she would scold. However, Effie wasn't here, and I wasn't being scolded. For some odd reason, I would rather be scolded than have this horrible silence between Peeta and I. He doesn't seem to mind though, but I know him better, and I can see the wheels turning in his head for things to talk about. I suppose it doesn't matter now since we are the gate to my house. He opens it for me, and this I will act somewhat of a lady, and go first with a thank you. I hurry up the front porch steps and throw open my front door. As I begin to remove my coat, Peeta's strong hands begin to remove it for me.

"Shouldn't I take your coat? I mean, after all, you are my guest." I give a small smile to say… duh.

"Nope. It's no problem. I have it." He smiles at me warmly. He gives me a look and my heart begins to race.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I ask trying to hid the blush that has no permission to be on my cheeks.

"Like what Katniss? I have always looked at you like this." That's a lie. He has only looked at me that way maybe half a dozen times. He only looks at me like that when…

"Peeta!" screams Basilia. She runs up to him and jumps in his arms. I assume Sae cooks for him too.

"Hey Basilia!" He swoops up the giggling child in his arms, and I cannot help bit think one day he will make an excellent father. I smile at the thought and know that I would make a terrible mother, which causes me to scowl.

"Peeta! Why are you up this early?" Sae comes in to the foyer with a dishtowel in her hands.

"Well, Haymitch's pets seemed to have had a rough morning, and I couldn't sleep. Baker's habit." He smiles dismissing his early rising issue. I wonder how bad his nightmares are. Though, when would sleep together during the nights before the Quarter Quell, he would stiffen and breathe very heavily, often accompanied by sweats.

"Oh I see. Well, I am happy that I don't have to cook for two this morning. Katniss, why don't you go freshen up and join us downstairs in just a few minutes." Greasy Sae says, obviously hinting at my current wardrobe choice. I scurry off, and pounce upstairs. Peeta is here, and I am much more with things and aware of things occurring around me than I was last time he was here. I throw of my robe, and nightgown after removing my hunting boots, and turn on the shower. As I am washing my hair, I thought I heard a clash of glass and floor, but my imagination tends to play tricks on me. I get out of the shower, and dry myself off, put on some grey pants and a maroon shirt, and pull my hair into its normal braid. Then I hear it. For sure this time. Glass hitting the floor. I rush downstairs to horror floods my body. Sae and Basilia are in the farthest corner of the kitchen, and near the dining table is Peeta, clutching the back of a chair, with an enormous bloody cut on his ring finger. There could only be one explanation for this.

Flashback.

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EVERLARK FEELS!

As you can see, I am building some very important relationships! :D I hope you all like this chapter! I should update next week because I have major finals this week and I don't really have time to edit and update. I sowwy. But I will try. School first though, and the same goes for all y'all. BUT YOU NEVER KNOW! Didn't expect two chapters in one day now did ya? *wink wink*

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OH and I have the title for the sequel (its the same as it was last time, but if I have any old followers or people that remember me... WHAT IS IT?)

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Stay beautiful

- CE