Once they started making love, Peeta and Katniss found that they both craved the physical and emotional intimacy that it delivered. He found her hand reaching beneath his shorts in the dark of the night. She gloried in his grunts of satisfaction as he lay atop her on their bed in broad daylight. Once, they didn't even make it into the cabin and instead climbed into the hayloft for a quick roll before dinner. As time went on, they lost more and more of their inhibitions and christened every surface the little house had to offer.

Katniss continued to struggle with a riot of emotions over her relationship with Peeta, but most of the time the things they did together felt wonderful. He was always kind and loving and never pushed her further than she was willing to go. She could tell that he was happy. She was very pleasing to him and that made her feel proud. He was a good husband and she wanted to be the perfect mate for him.

When she experienced the dark times, when old thoughts and feelings began to creep back in, she took time to play her piano. It was very empowering. To take sadness, fear, and despair and turn it into a beautiful melody made her feel like a miracle worker. When she sat at her bench and let her fingers float over the keys she knew that she was in charge of her own destiny. She had things to give the world that it needed.

When the snow finally disappeared for good it was with mixed emotions that Peeta returned to the fields. He was eager to start working the land again but sorry that his reclusive time with Katniss had come to an end. They had grown much closer over the past few months. It wasn't just the sex, although they enjoyed plenty of that. It was also the hours of conversation and sometimes of companionable silence. She had begun to smile at him in a new way. There was something special in her expression that was exclusively his. Like they were keeping a precious secret that was too delicious for anyone else to share.

No matter his feelings on the matter, spring came and once it broke there was a nearly overwhelming amount of work to be done on the farm. That was one of the reasons that Peeta had a bad feeling when he saw a scout ride up to the cabin one afternoon.

"You've got men coming this way" he advised them. "Not many, just a small detachment looking into some problems with the local Indians, but they'll need fed and housed too."

"They can take up in the barn for the night" Peeta agreed, completely annoyed. Katniss shot him a look of surprise at his rude behavior. He just set his jaw. She didn't know what a hassle these military types were when they came onto a man's land. Their horses ate and trampled everything in sight and so did they. He would do his best to be rid of them in short order.

"I doubt they will have need for much longer" Peeta added. "We don't have much trouble with our Indian neighbors in these parts."

When the man had acknowledged this and road away Katniss followed Peeta into the house.

"What was that all about?" she asked.

"Nothing" he said in a clipped tone. "The Army is a pain to small farmers Katniss. This time of year we have no time to spend hosting them and they will likely stir up trouble with the Indians. We have had a peaceful relationship with them since I moved here and I would like to keep it that way."

She was about to protest but thought better of it. Peeta rarely had such strong opinions about things and he never spoke poorly of others. Since he seemed so resolved in his perception she decided to let him have his way with this one. They were in a remote area and they would likely be gone shortly after their arrival anyway. She could understand his reservations. She was in no hurry to be occupied by the former union army either.

Johanna's time would be coming soon and they were just finishing a quick check up on her when they heard the horses approaching. Katniss wasn't sure if she was excited or not. The farm was remote and she was accustom to far more interaction with people than she had been afforded since arriving. But these were strangers and most likely all men. She was a married woman now and Peeta was standing beside her, but she still couldn't shake a distinctive sense of foreboding at being forced to interact with a crowd of males again.

Peeta's face fell into a frown. Interference by a bunch of outsiders was the last thing they needed. They had just settled into a nice comfortable routine. Despite their progress, he couldn't help but believe that the relationship was still fragile, their peace more than a bit vulnerable. He sighed and shielded his eyes. They would give these men a place to stay for the night. It was their duty after all. But come sunrise they would need to go. Then he could relax and so could his wife. It would be alright, once they took off things would fall into place again.

He had almost convinced himself of that until the face of the second rider came into view. It couldn't be. Not here. Not in Kansas. The old fear flooded his whole body as the man dismounted only to be replaced by total shock as Katniss ran to meet him. She stopped shortly before Peeta's old nemesis and brought her hand up nearly to his face. "Gale?" she questioned as if she was afraid that he would disappear.

He tipped his hat up and nodded. "Gale!" she cried and threw herself into his arms. His face showed surprise and then comprehension and he drew her back for a moment to confirm his suspicions. "Kat" he said in wonder. "Kitty Kat, I can't believe it's you." He hugged her close and gave her back a firm rub that made Peeta want to break his hand.

It was a nightmare scenario. Gale Hawthorne was here. One of the people he had definitely hoped and planned never to see again. Now he was at his home, holding the person who he loved more than anything in the world. He despised him for calling her by such a familiar name. They obviously knew each other but since Katniss had never mentioned him he doubted they were ever sweethearts. He had no right to assert that kind of relationship after all Peeta had done to earn it.

He gritted his teeth and braced himself. He was going to be in trouble with Katniss very shortly. Big trouble. There was no way that Hawthorne would spare him. When their little love fest had ended Katniss stepped back and seemed to notice that he was still there.

"Peeta" she said smiling. "Peeta, this is Gale. We grew up together. His family owned a plantation near ours and our fathers were childhood friends."

She turned back to Gale. "How are you?" she gushed. "And how are your folks? And Vick and Rory and little Posy?"

Gale chuckled. "They are all fine. It's hard to believe but all of us boys survived the war and little Posy is not so little anymore." She nodded and her grin covered her whole face.

"I'm sorry" she said after a few moments. "Gale, this is my husband Peeta and this is our farm."

Hawthorne's eyes turned to him and narrowed. Peeta was well aware that Gale had already recognized him. "Well if it isn't my old buddy Peeta" he mocked. "I figured that you were hiding out somewhere but I didn't think you were hearty enough to make it this far west."

Katniss let her hands fall to her sides. Her brow furrowed in concern. Gale had always been rowdy when they were young but she couldn't imagine why he was being so disrespectful to Peeta, especially if he knew him. She turned to her husband. He was standing at attention with his fists clenched facing her old childhood playmate. She noticed that Gale's posture was equally aggressive.

"You married this guy Katniss?" he questioned gesturing his head at Peeta. She was so shocked that she just dumbly nodded her head.

"We go way back Peeta and I" he informed her. "We used to call him Prissy Peeta. We were cadets together at the academy. I can't believe a beautiful and capable woman like you settled on him. How did you two get mixed up together to begin with?"

Katniss didn't know what Gale was up to but she didn't like it. She looked to Peeta to gage his reaction but he didn't seem a bit surprised by the behavior. Perhaps her acquaintance with Gale was farther back than it seemed in her memory. She turned to address their newly arrived guest with her hands on her hips. "Peeta had a friend visiting back east who brought me out. We married last fall. He has been amazing and very good to me."

"A mail order" Gale said shaking his head. "Kat, you should have sent word to me. I didn't realize things had gotten that bad, I would have sent for you. You didn't have to marry a coward just to save face."

Her face betrayed her confusion at his accusation.

"Oh" Gale said in mock surprise. "He didn't tell you did he?"

He was a few inches taller than Peeta and came over to put his hand on his head. He tousled his hair as if he were a boy. "Our little Peeta hasn't been completely honest with you. Why don't you tell her Mellark? Tell her why you are out here instead of back home with your rich parents. Actually, why don't you tell her how you got that bum leg as well?"

Katniss's gaze shot to Peeta. He bowed his head in shame and her heart began to race. There were things he hadn't told her about his past. Major things it seemed. She preferred to confront him about this in private but Gale seemed determined to force the issue.

With a continually growing group of soldiers gathering around and his wife standing by Hawthorne began to dig up the past and throw it in Peeta's face.

"Mellark was always one of the worst cadets at the academy. He never liked to fight and he is a horrible shot too. We used to fun around with him a bit but when the war broke out we expected him to join our band of brothers when he left to go fight for the cause. He didn't go though. He ran on home instead, said he had to help his Papa with the family business. I don't know how he managed to get himself out of it but a year later his luck ran out. His name came up in one of the first draft calls."

Peeta kept his eyes on the ground. He couldn't look at Katniss. Not when Gale was drudging up some of the worst moments of his life to humiliate him in front of her.

"When the day came for him to report he never showed up. The coward was too frightened to fight for the Confederacy like the rest of us. I heard his own mother was so ashamed that she ran him over with her carriage. That's how he got that limp. Not from a Yankee bullet defending our homes and our families, but out of disgrace from his own kin. He ran off after that. I wasn't ever sure quite what happened to him until now."

Katniss looked to Peeta to deny it. To say that he hadn't abandoned their homeland in its hour of need. To give an explanation for his absence. To push back at Gale and defend his honor. Instead, he kicked at the dirt and said nothing.

She excused herself and stumbled back into the cabin. Her heart and mind were racing and she couldn't catch her breath. Peeta was a traitor, a deserter just like…no, she wasn't going to think like that. She wasn't going to go there. He had never spoken about the war so she knew he hadn't served but she had just assumed that his limp had prohibited him from fighting or that he had already gone west when the war broke out. She had never imagined that it was to flee from the draft.

She tried to calm down. To reconcile the awful things she had just learned with the man she had come to know and love. Her parents would be appalled. They were deeply committed to the southern cause. Her father would never have permitted marriage to a man who refused to take up arms against their oppressors.

She sat at the table and stared blankly at the wall. He had lied. He had lied to her. Not just about his reasons for coming out here but about his leg as well. He had told her that he was run over by a carriage but he had made it seem like an accident. No wonder his fiancé had declined to come west with him. She would have been shamed by all of her friends and relatives. She should never have trusted him. The whole thing made her sick to her stomach.

The door opened a while later and she heard him take a few steps inside. He closed it behind him and came to stand behind her.

"Katniss…" he said. "Katniss…I'm sorry. I wish everything that Hawthorne said was a lie but it's mostly true. I did leave the cadets when the war broke out and I did fail to report to duty when I was drafted. I had my reasons but I am sure my decisions are difficult for you to accept."

Silence hung in the air. He waited for a response. When none was forthcoming he stumbled on. "When my mother found out she was furious. I was in town buying passage west. She confronted me at the station. We fought and she told me that I would report to my station or be disinherited. When I told her that I didn't want anything that came from her she chased me. The horses were faster than I could run and she ran me over with the carriage…twice. My leg was permanently damaged. When I was well enough to move again I headed west and I haven't been back since."

Katniss looked down and saw that her hand was at her heart. She was shocked and dismayed by Peeta's actions but completely disgusted by his mothers'. No matter what he had done it was an inhumane thing for someone to do to another, particularly a mother to her son.

He stepped up and placed his hands on her shoulders and she jerked away. She turned and saw the hurt of her rejection on his face.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"I don't know" she admitted. "Peeta, you lied. You lied to me about your past, why you came out here, what the status is with your family. I need some time to think about it. I'm sorry, but that is the best I can do for now."

Her voice was starting to crack with emotion as she pushed her way past him and went out to the barn to tend to Johanna. She needed something to do. The men were cooking over a fire in the yard and starting to bed down for the night. She made her way over to the edge of the field and looked out at the sunset. She removed her apron and pulled and twisted the strings in her hand. She found the cool evening air to be refreshing and she stared at gorgeous horizon. She was joined by Gale a few minutes later.

"You don't have to stay here Kat" Gale said softly. "I'll be traveling out west for some time. You could come with me. We'd have time, plenty of time for you to get a divorce before we headed back east. When we got there, I could make an honest woman out of you."

He brought his hand to her shoulder. "You grew up to be quite a beautiful woman you know" he told her. "You deserve a real southern gentleman."

It was the life she always thought he would have. The life she was raised to desire. She looked around the farm. The war had changed so much. She didn't think she could keep a fancy house and have a husband that visited her on occasion. The thought of being kept around for the purpose of being amusing and charming and then to be the vessel for his child didn't sound like the future she wanted. Peeta needed her here. They would work the land together. Everything they built would be theirs.

She turned her attention to Gale. She didn't like the way he was looking at her or what his words insinuated. Still, Peeta had been dishonest with her and if she decided that she should leave she needed to at least consider his offer.

Peeta paced the small house trying to decide what to do. Any explanation he offered Katniss would seem like a critique if not an outright attack on her family. He was tempted to just stay inside and wait for her but as the minutes past and he thought about the things Hawthorne had said his blood began to boil. He wasn't just going to stay in here and hide from the guy who bullied him in his youth.

He sat in the group of soldiers around the fire and accepted the plate that was handed to him with thanks. It was his own food after all. The men were polite and courteous with him and showed none of the animosity Hawthorne had displayed. Of course not, Peeta reasoned, they were all Yankees.

Peeta watched as Katniss spoke with the other man and he nearly interrupted them when he saw his hand fall to her shoulder. He had no business touching her. Even if Katniss hated him for the rest of his life Hawthorne wasn't the man to take his place. He wouldn't have a soft enough hand with her.

When Katniss joined the others around the fire she was surprised to see her husband among them. When she noted his presence she dutifully took the seat at his side. He may have wronged her but she wasn't going to purposely embarrass him in front of these strangers.

"So Mr. Hawthorne" Peeta spoke up. "For someone so enthusiastic about southern independence I noticed that you are riding around with the Federal Army these days."

Gale was glaring daggers at him. "You've got some nerve Mellark" he spat. "I did my duty and served Georgia well. Maybe if some of the cowards like you could have been real men we wouldn't have lost the war. But we did and that means living with certain new realities. I work for the railroad now and I am representing their interests on this little expedition."

The other men shifted, clearly uncomfortable with Gale's words and attitude but unwilling to address them. Katniss and Peeta could understand. He has an intimidating presence representing an employer with seemingly limitless power and reach.

Peeta could barely suppress his anger. "Checking up on the Indians my ass" he said, disregarding the fact that there was a lady present. "You aren't here to look into any trouble, you're here to see how difficult it's going to be to move them off so that you can take their land to lay down more track."

"Wow" one of the men sitting by the fire whistled. "You must love darkies of every tone" he added with a chuckle.

Katniss supposed that he was referencing Peeta's refusal to fight for the cause and his subsequent support for the Indian's rights to their land. She didn't notice his snide glance in her direction but Peeta did and he had the man by the collar in a flash. The young blonde beside the heckler raised his eyebrows in surprise and backed away.

"I don't appreciate people disrespecting me or mine, especially on our own property" he growled. Gale and the man that Peeta had surmised the military leader of the group came over the break it up.

"The boy meant no disrespect" the man assured him. "We are grateful for your hospitality and we will be riding out at daybreak." Peeta nodded and trudged back into the cabin to ready himself for the night.

When Katniss didn't immediately follow he came back out to find her. He didn't trust any of these men, least of all Hawthorne. He found her still sitting in her spot by the fire speaking with the one person that he wished she wouldn't. Some of the men had turned in but a few others sat chatting in a group of their own. He took the long way around the barn and snuck around the other side so that he could listen in to what his wife and her long lost best friend were saying.

"You don't have to stay here with this coward" Hawthorne insisted.

"He's my husband" Katniss argued.

"He's a liar" he reminded her. "I knew your family Kat. They would not want you here. I'm not sure what is going to happen over the next few days but I can stop back for you. Take you to Georgia when I return and settle. I'm a respectable man and I earn a good living. You would be comfortable and back home with people who are more like minded."

"I can't just leave Gale" he heard his wife say. "This is my farm too and I made promises to my husband, vows before God."

"I know, I know" Hawthorne conceded. "But it's difficult for me to leave you here with a guy like that. Your father would kill me."

Katniss didn't argue that point, but instead focused her gaze into the flames.

"Just promise me that you will think about it" Hawthorne prompted.

"Alright" she relented with a sigh and Peeta felt like someone had punched him in the gut. "I'll think about it."

Hawthorne moved forward to kiss her but she turned her face away at the last second. It gave Peeta reason to hope.

Katniss was a tornado of swirling emotions as she entered the cabin a short time later. Peeta brought water to the basin for her to wash with just like he did every evening. The tension between them was thick and neither one knew what to say.

Peeta's heart broke a little more when she turned away from him to change. He was concerned for a while that she wouldn't even join him in the cabin but he should have known better. Katniss was a good person and she would not go out of her way to shame him.

They slept in the same bed that night with about a million miles between them. Laid in the bed was probably more accurate. Peeta couldn't let his eyes close, irrationally afraid that she wouldn't be there when he woke up. Katniss's head was spinning from the days' events. The flood of feelings from seeing someone from home again. The revelation that not only was Peeta a traitor to the confederacy, but he was also a liar. She could smell him on the sheets and she wanted him to hold her, but did she even know this man? She wasn't sure anymore.