I do not own The Hunger Games

Chapter Seventeen- Bakeries and Night Skies

(Katniss)

I awoke to the smell of bread and warmth coursing through my body. I slowly open my eyes, and stretch my toes. Peeta's arms are wrapped around me, and his breathing is steady and soft. My gut ever so slightly grips as memories flood back into my brain, but I simply shut my eyes tightly and move closer to Peeta. He twitches a little and his eyes bolt open, he freezes still when he sees me. For a few minutes I sit as still as a statue, until he relaxes and says, "Morning."

"Morning." I reply softly "I'm sorry."

"There is nothing to apologize for Katniss." He says, kissing my forehead

We eat breakfast to the sound of my muffled hums and then I tell Peeta I'm about to head to the woods for the day but he says, "Actually, would you mind coming to see the bakery with me today?"

I'm a little surprised so I stutter, "Uh…yeah..sure…Why?"

He laughs, and replies, "Because it is going to be part of our life."

Our life. He continues on to say more about it, but I look down at the ground. My mind racing with different thoughts, when we head out the door I'm actually excited to see the bakery.

The weather is hot, but summer is coming to an end. Lots of people are outside, planting or watering. I wave at some people and they wave back, others look at us and hurry back into the house. It makes my heart quake with guilt and sadness.

We reach the bakery and I hear the sound of hammers. The outside is obviously done, and looks exactly like it did before. I smile and grip Peeta's hand harder; memories of a full belly and smile on Prim's face after eating warm bread fill my head. Peeta grips my hand back and kisses my check as we walk inside.

The inside has a long, long way to go. It is all beams and tools. Four and five guys are shuffling around and hammering.

"Peeta!" One of them shouts, I've seen him at school but I don't know his name. "Oh Katniss, hey." He adds when he sees me.

"Ethan," Peeta replies. "How's it coming?"

Peeta and Ethan talk back and forth for a while about measurements and other things I don't understand.

"Uh, Katniss, Ethan is the one who is going to live upstairs." Peeta says.

I look up at Ethan; he looks strong and has messy brown hair. He looks older then Peeta, he looks Gale's age. Not only that, but he looks a lot like Gale as well. The same eyes, the same build. I try to smile, but can only manage a smirk because I'm also trying to push the image of Prim on fire from my mind. My knees falter but Peeta supports me.

"Good. That's good." I say in a cracked voice. I shake Ethan's hand and he squeezes it harder than I expected. He looks at me like he is trying to reassure me. I decide that I like Ethan.

We walk around more, and I see that the place is really going to be nice.

Peeta and I stay till lunch, and then we go to the hob for lunch. They are all very funny, and a lot like Peeta. I enjoy being around them and by the end of the day I actually laughed a few times. Peeta and I head back to the house when it starts to get dark, but he asks to go to the meadow first.

By the time we get there it's dark and we lay down on the soft grass. It's wet with dew but that feels good my legs and hands. We stay silent for a long time, and I eventually curl into Peeta's arms. He holds me close and I listen to his heartbeat. It's strong and steady, and I decide to relate that sound to hope.

"Aren't they beautiful?" He whispers.

"What?"

"The stars."

I look up, not having really thought about it. They are countless and circling together, my breath catches. I don't think I've ever really noticed stars before.

"Yeah, they are." I whisper back.

"I only can think of one thing more beautiful." He says, pulling me closer.

I stay silent for a minute, enticed by the stars. "What is that?" I whisper.

"You." He says. He says in plainly, like it's no big deal. It hits me right in the gut, but not like it used to. I used to not like it when he said stuff like that; it used to make me uncomfortable. But now, it's just a reminder that Peeta has really come back to me, that he really is here with me.

I pull my eyes from the stars and stare at his face. He is still gazing upward, his blue eyes sparkling. I lean in and kiss his cheek lightly. He looks over at me and smiles, leaning in and planting his lips on mine, my body fills with warmth and I know, once again, I won't be the first to pull away.

I don't know why, but a tear slides down my cheek and he pulls away. His breath is heavy and his closes his eyes tight before opening them.

"Why are you crying?" He says, brushing the tear off my face with his finger.

"I don't know. I'm not sad." I answer back.

He smiles and snickers, "I'm not either."

We kiss, lightly, one more time and head back to the house. I fall asleep quickly and peacefully.

I wake up the next morning with a happiness that involves Peeta. It feels just like the morning I woke up on the beach during the Quarter Quell, but this time I can just lay still and enjoy it. It isn't interrupted by hunger or pain, not even my memories.

THANK YOU FOR READING…hope you liked it! I really liked this chapter. SO SORRY how long this took me, I was on vacation. But now I'm back to school and fanfiction. Okay, so please review, because it motivates me, and means more than you will ever know. Oh and feel free to message me if you have any ideas about where this story should go! I only wish to stay true to the characters and write things that are realistic to how the story line would go, so you input would mean a lot. Thank you, you beautiful souls.