Sometimes something happens to a person, something so unexpected and unbelievable, that they simply go along with it only because they don't believe it to be true. They entertain their sanity by keeping thoughts that deny that the situation is reality; that it's simply a dream.

Katniss' dreams are cold, dark, damp, exceedingly unreal but real at the same time; nightmares- the type created by the horrors of guilt and trauma. Therefore, she's counting down the minutes- no, the seconds until sweet Mr Mellark drops to the carpeted, soft floor with blood pooling out of every pore in his body. Because that would be the only explanation as to why she's standing in the Mellark's house. And not just anywhere in their house. In the quaint mahogany living room, with a crackling fireplace and the inviting scent of nutmeg and cinnamon that's not meant for Seam scum like her; Seam orphanage scum even less.

There is no way, she thinks, and that this could possibly be reality.

Why would a family in Twelve, a Merchant family no less, adopt a child? It's so unheard of and absurd, so unreal, that she can't wrap her mind around it. But as the minutes tick by slowly without anyone brutally murdered by mysterious assailants, she starts to wonder what the hell is going on. Thus she raises an eyebrow. And that's all that Bayle Mellark really needs, after standing in lonesome silence with the mute teen for an agonizing fifteen minutes.

"Well Katniss, welcome to our, uh, home," The raised eyebrow and obvious lack of response doesn't really help with this whole awkward introduction, Mr Bayle Mellark decides.

As he clasps his hands together and gets up from the plain sofa he was reclining in, he tries to alleviate both their discomforts by cracking a lame joke about bread. It doesn't work. Damn bread jokes.

"I'm sorry; I should just cut to the chase, hmm? Well, you see, I know this whole thing is quite sudden Katniss, and that this type of thing doesn't normally happen in Twelve, but please allow me to explain." He tries to read her expression, but all he sees is the broken look of someone who's lost too much and tries to guard that raw sadness. So he continues, talking a lot more than he possibly should; perhaps to compensate for her part in the conversation as well.

"Heh, I haven't even discussed this with the Mrs. I bet it's too late now," he says with a wink and a shrug. He's met with those eyebrows that certainly must be defying gravity.

The thing is, it wasn't too late, Bayle thinks fleetingly. The documents however completed and filled in directly after telling Peeta what exactly they were going to do, still needs to be processed and forwarded to the Capitol, and who knows how long that's going to take. He can still back out of this; escape the wrath of his wife by just swiftly taking Katniss back to the Home before she even notices the girl in their home.

No. Never.

What was he thinking? He would never, ever do that to anyone, let alone his youngest son's sweetheart. Speaking of, where was Peeta? As soon as the trio arrived at the house, he slipped upstairs without another word, and he's been missing since. But it was probably for the best, as he still hasn't explained to poor Katniss what's going on.

"Katniss, this was something of a rash decision, as some people might say and only Peeta knows. You see, I've been toying with the idea of taking a little girl into our home for years now, because I thought it might make Alet happy; she's always wanted a baby girl. But you're not a little girl, are you now? You're a full sixteen years old, practically grown up. But when I told Peeta of my plan this morning, and we went to the Home and saw you, I just knew Katniss." He says all of this whilst looking at her shoes, those dirty, worn shoes he just wants to replace and fix immediately. He looks up briefly to gauge her reaction, and through her steely mask, he sees a look of respect.

So he continues: "I knew we had to bring you into our little family Katniss. And I'm ashamed that I didn't come get you years ago."

Then something happens Bayle never even thought would. She wraps her arms around him for a brief second, and it's so short and sudden Mr Mellarks doesn't even have time to hug back before she releases and steps back. But that's all he needed to know that she accepts his offer, before he got to the question. Katniss wasn't a person who showed how she felt often, she usually just remained stoic and stern. But because she felt so overwhelmed by the situation at hand, she let herself go, if only for a short moment to hug a truly generous man. She knows he didn't do this for her because he was pitying her, or for selfish needs. She knows that he is doing this for her because he is a truly selfless man, an anomaly in a world like theirs. And that is why she accepts is; not because she sees a way out of her horrible Home, or because she owes him. She trusts this man, and his sons, and she knows that this is probably the start of either a horrendous life or a glorious one. It's all depending on Mrs. Mellark.

"Dad?" Peeta calls from upstairs, his voice tense but even, and the sound of it jars the comfortable silence the two were enjoying "Mom would like to speak to you".

Bayle looks over to Katniss winks and says:"You stay here, Peeta will come down in a second. Please allow him to show you around, alright?" And as he quickly strides away and ascends the wooden, creaking stairs, Katniss knew, just knew that this, whatever it was, was going to be alright.

A/N: Hello! Joh, I've been gone for quite some time now, right! So sorry, but as life tends to get in the way, stuff happened. Stay in school, kids ;)

And thanks to the lovely WiseGirl1999 for editing!