A/N: Again, it took a long time. But I did try to make the chapter longer (a little...).
As soon as I step back into the square, I am engulfed in the crowd. Bright flashes of light mark the spots where cameras snap my picture from every angle. I can only see the unfamiliar faces of reporters and fans buzzing around me, shouting questions my way. And then, suddenly, I am tight in a familiar embrace.
"Where were you?" Peeta whispers sharply, though he probably looks the exact image of a boy in love.
"With a friend." I say in response, with a smile, just in case.
"They're still watching." He tells me, putting his lips very close to my ear. "You have to be careful, Katniss." He says my name differently now, with a sort of hopeless, tired anger. It twists around inside me, and for a second, I almost wish we were back in the arena. Things were simpler there, if nothing else. Run, hunt, hide. Be in love. Play the part. But here, now that I am home, there are people to answer to, truths to be told.
"I'm sorry." I say finally, but in my voice it's obvious that this is not the only thing I'm sorry for.
Peeta doesn't answer.
The time passes by sluggishly. Haymitch came by after Peeta left and told me we'd have to stay in the square for a while longer. So far a while has been about an hour. I take more pictures, answer questions from reporters, and sit with Prim and my mother. I've missed them so much; I can hardly bear to let them out of my sight – Prim especially. In a brief moment where I am left without people to shake hands with, or reporters to talk to, the baker comes up to me.
"Thank you." I blurt out before he can say anything. I immediately feel the flush of heat that rushes to my cheeks, but I don't care. He's probably given up some of his own meal for my family; I can't thank him enough.
He grunts something and nods, assessing me with eyes the same clear blue as Peeta's. "Your sister and your mother, they aren't strong like you." He says slowly, considering his words. "She couldn't have done what you did. Couldn't have saved him."
I shake my head, surprised by this. "No, Prim's the one who's good at that. She and my mother can heal almost anything. He probably would've – would've kept his leg if they were there." I say softly, feeling again guilty that I couldn't save everything.
"She doesn't hunt, your sister. Wouldn't have made it that far." I shrug, allowing this, because I know it's true. It seems odd that he's saying all this. The baker is a quiet man, and even this small communication is unusually talkative for him.
"If it were Prim they wouldn't have changed the rules. He wouldn't be alive." The baker mutters. "Only you can do that." He's watching my reaction, but all I feel is stunned. Because the way he said that – that only I can do it – it makes me think that he knows it's not over. And also that he knows that the way I feel about Peeta – however that is – is not what it appears to be.
"Peeta saved my life, too," I mumble stupidly, because I don't know what else to say. "More than once." This isn't the time or place to go into details.
"I count on you to return the favor." He says gently, and his eyes are solemn. "Be safe, Katniss." He mumbles so quietly I'm not entirely sure he said anything at all, before walking away to go talk with another shop owner.
I stand for a minute, slightly stunned, before Haymitch fills the baker's spot. "Hey, sweetheart, how you doing?" he asks.
"Um, fine." I shake my head a little, to clear it. "About ready to go home." I add, and the corner of his mouth twitches up slightly.
"Eventually." He promises. There is a slight pause before he continues. "Peeta's been missing you." He gives me a meaningful look that I take to mean something along the lines of: "Get it together, before you ruin everything."
"Oh? I was just about to go looking for him." I smile at him. "If you don't mind…"
"Not at all." I hear him mutter sarcastically, as I turn my back to him and face the crowd, looking for Peeta's strong frame among them. There's a bright head of hair, the exact golden-wheat color of Peeta's, near the edge of the square, so I head in that direction.
Peeta comes into sight at about the same time that Gale does. NO. What are they doing? I think, speeding up. They both look tense, but neither of them is shouting so I take that as a good sign. Peeta catches sight of me first, and he turns away from Gale to face me. "Katniss, did you see her, too?"
"Who?" I ask slowly. This isn't what I expected. He must be talking about the Avox girl – who else? But that would mean that I wasn't hallucinating (which on the bright side, means I'm not crazy), and that she's really here, which means we're in a lot more trouble than I realized.