I tried for one more tonight! yawn…I should get back to reading Fear. yawn…I have nothing better to do…

okay, maybe homework…

Chapter 20 – Katniss's POV

Thank God it's a Saturday. I don't want to go to school or drive or do anything. I'm so tired from driving around town helping Peeta.

When was the last time I was home for the night? Had it been a week already? Yeah, a week. I looked at the clock above the television. "It's only six?"

"Yeah. You want something to eat?" Peeta tried to get up.

"No, I'll make something."

"No offence, but don't destroy the kitchen." I glared at him, and then smiled.

"I won't." When I turned away, I said, "Actually, no promises."

I looked in the cupboards. They were piled with food. Our cupboards were almost always empty. I came across a box of Bisquick. Pancakes, how hard can they be?

I was splashed with batter by the time I got a spoon to try and mix it. Okay, maybe it will be hard. I dropped the spoon and cursed. "Need help, babe?" Peeta yelled.

"No! Just stay there." I yelled back. After about a half hour, I finally made enough for the two of us. "I didn't know what I was doing the whole time."

"Well," he said taking the plate. "They're mostly rounded into a circle and some are almost not burnt." I hit him and reminded him I had never done this before. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me. Thank you for breakfast. Could you get some butter?" I pulled out the container with a knife from behind my back. "Do you have maple syrup?" I ran into the kitchen and came back with the bottle.

Then the phone rang. He picked up the one on the side table next to the couch. "Hello…oh hi dad!...not much, you?...good…good…you're what?...no, that's fine…yeah…call me when you are on your way…bye then." He pressed a button on the phone and dropped it on his lap. The brought his hands to his face and rubbed his eyes and ran them through his hair.

"What is it?"

"My parents are coming home early. Like Sunday early."

"Oh, geez we need to clean up this place!" We looked around where the robbery had damaged some stuff. "What did they take exactly?"

"I have no idea. They had the bags full before they saw us. We may have not been the only ones."

"Okay. Can you handle cleaning up? I need to take a bath."

"Yeah, do you remember how to work the thingy?"

I laughed. "Yes, I remember." I went upstairs and closed the door to the bathroom. I stripped my clothes off and started the water. There was some old bubble bath under the sink in the back. I'm assuming it was Peeta's at one point when he was a kid, considering there was a cartoon monkey with suds in its hair on the label.

In the mirror, there was a woman I couldn't recognize. She had bags under her eyes and her hair had several knots. "Katniss, where did you go?" I splashed my face with water and dried it off. I combed my hair with Peeta's comb and broke two of the teeth on it. I looked back into the mirror and saw myself a little better. Is this what it's like to be married, minus the kids?

I dipped my toe in the water. It was hot to the touch. I submerged my foot, knee, leg, waist, and sat down. I lay my head back and close my eyes. Suddenly the door opens. Peeta stumbles through with his crutches. I covered myself with some bubbles. "Peeta! I'm naked!"

"I know."

"How did you get up here?"

"With much difficulty, thanks for asking." I must have looked really confused because he continued. "I started to clean up and I smelled something bad. I checked my shirt and realized it was me. I'm going to take a shower."

"If your leg wasn't hurt, I would kick you right now."

"Why? It's not like I haven't seen you naked." His voice was quiet, as if he was trying to say it to himself.

"I heard that!" He hopped on one leg and took his shirt off, pants and boxers following. I closed my eyes.

"What?" I opened them. "Don't you want some of this?" He moved his hips in a circle.

"I regret opening my eyes now." They were shut again. "I was thinking when I got in here, is this what it's like to be married? I mean without kids?" He stopped walking to the shower. "We are basically living together, caring for each other, and we aren't related."

"Oh, God I hope not." He paused. "The related one. Yeah, I guess so." He chuckled.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing."

"I'm not saying that's a bad thing!"

"I didn't say anything."

"You seemed like you wanted to."

"Yeah, I wanted to say, 'do you like being married to me?' but I thought that could be awkward."

"Not really that awkward." I dipped my head in the water and brought it back out.

"Well good." He stepped into the shower and closed the curtain. "So…"

"So?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"What was it again?"

"I said do you like being married to me."

"Well, yeah. It's nice being in charge of me. No mom or Prim to take care of." I realized what I had just said. "Don't tell them that I said that."

"Don't worry, I won't." Peeta was the last one to speak. There was about a minute of silence and me splashing the water. "What if we were married?"

"Are you proposing?" I got out and drained the water. Then I wrapped a towel around my chest and one in my hair.

"No, I just was wondering!"

"Good, because you could do so much better!"

"Oh really? So you're giving me permission?"

"No way! Not now at least! We would have to, you know-" I grunted. "I'm not having this conversation with you Peeta Mellark! Not right now!"

"Yeah, I figured." He stopped the water. "My parents would kill me if they came home and I had a wife."

I thought for a few seconds. "Peeta, do you think we'll get married?"

"Hell, I don't know." He wrapped a towel around his waist.

ah, the marriage talk…yawn, it's ten where I am, so happy reading whether you're crazy and up late or early and you are good young grasshoppers! chapter 21 tomorrow! Don't forget to Review, for the 6 thousand who have not reviewed ONCE! I wanna know what you're thinking!