A/N: Finally, this chapter is done. To anybody who is still keeping track of this story, I truly appreciate you. RL has kept me away from most of my hobbies for over a year now. Thanks to everybody who checked in making sure I hadn't abandoned the story. For what it's worth, I'm taking vacation in a couple of weeks, in part because I want to work on this.
As always, thanks to my my fantastic beta, dandelionsunset.
Chapter 41—the Aftermath of Marigold, pt. 1
The bakery was in deep trouble. They were running low on ingredients. Equipment need to be replaced. They were strapped for cash and the Festival was right around the corner. Peeta knew that the odds of the bakery making a full recovery were not good.
So when Katniss stopped by the bakery the day after Marigold's eviction, he had two questions for her. Would she take him to the Hob so he could replace some of the equipment Marigold had destroyed? And would they trade for bread instead of coin?
Katniss said yes to both.
The Hob surprised Peeta. He'd expected a dark, secretive place, with vendors trying to hide what they were doing. Instead, he found an open-air marketplace where a few dozen Seam folk stood around stalls and chatted.
They hadn't been there for more than a few seconds when a woman's voice called out, "Hey! Katniss! Bring that baker boy over here!"
The speaker, a skinny woman with black hair, grey eyes and one arm, grinned at Katniss with a teasing glint in her eyes.
"Hey, Ripper," Katniss said cautiously. After a moment's hesitation, she walked over to Ripper's stall. Peeta followed.
Ripper's stall was nothing more than a table and a few wooden crates holding bottles of clear liquid. A middle-aged man with greasy black hair and filthy clothing kept his back to them as he placed bottle after bottle into a large canvas bag.
"So Katniss finally brings her Merchant man to the Hob," Ripper said, looking Peeta up and down with approval. "You're the youngest of them bakers, ain'tcha? I heard that old witch got kicked out. Long time comin', you ask me. I never liked her much, no offense."
While Ripper talked, her customer loudly slapped some coins on the table. As the man turned to leave, he turned his bloodshot eyes onto Peeta.
It was Haymitch Abernathy. He scanned Peeta from head to toe and looked, well...unimpressed. He shook his head in seeming disgust, then walked off, his bag of bottles clinking with every step.
"Don't mind him, boy, he's like that with everybody," Ripper said gently, patting Peeta's arm. "Listen, now that your momma's gone, maybe I'll stop in sometime and buy somethin'."
"You're welcome anytime," Peeta told her, with all sincerity.
Katniss glared at Ripper's hand where it was touching Peeta. "We need to go," she said.
"I'll just let you be on your way, then," Ripper grinned widely at Katniss, who scowled back.
The next stall they visited looked like it had been built with leftover scraps of rust. An older Seam man, clearly a former miner, crossed his arms and glared at Peeta as they approached.
Katniss, oblivious to the tension, introduced them. "Amando, this is Peeta Mellark. Peeta, this is Amando."
"Nice to meet you, sir," Peeta said, holding out his hand. Amando didn't move. Peeta kept his hand in the air and held Amando's gaze. Amando slowly uncrossed his arms and shook Peeta's hand. Peeta kept his grip firm until something flickered in the man's gray eyes. Amando let go.
"What can I do you for?" he asked Katniss.
"Actually, I'm the one that needs help," Peeta said. He pulled out two hand mixers that had been damaged in Marigold's rampage and placed them on the table. Amando picked one.
Peeta explained what the hand mixer was for. Amando nodded as they talked, his eyes on the mixers as he turned them over in his hands. "Payment?" he asked.
Peeta indicated the bag of bread.
Amando raised his eyebrows and glanced at Katniss. She gave him a slight nod. "All right, then," he said. "Three loaves, come back tomorrow."
"One loaf, and we need it today," Katniss replied.
"Two loaves, one now and one when you come back in an hour to pick them up," Amando said, only this time he looked at Peeta instead of Katniss.
"Agreed," Peeta said, handing Amando a load of bread. Amando tore off one end of the bread. He held it in one hand as he ate and used the other hand to fish through a tool box.
"Why was he surprised we offered bread?" Peeta asked Katniss once they had walked out of earshot.
"Because he expected you'd have coin."
"If I had coin, I'd have brought it," Peeta said.
"He knows that," she replied quietly.
Katniss methodically led him around the Hob. Peeta managed to find acceptable replacements for some of the lost equipment. It wasn't everything they needed but it was enough to get by for now.
The Hob merchants initially greeted Peeta with, at best, distant politeness. They relaxed, though, once they saw he was trading with bread.
True to his word, Amando repaired the mixers within an hour. Peeta thanked him and said, "You're welcome at the bakery any time, sir." Amando ignored that and beckoned Peeta closer. Peeta leaned over the table a bit.
Amando gripped Peeta's shoulder and growled, "I used to make her daddy's weapons, if you take my meaning."
Katniss hissed a protest but Peeta held the man's gaze,
"I take your meaning fine, sir," he said, "and I appreciate you looking out for her." The older man gave a single nod in acknowledgment and let go of his shoulder.
As they walked back to the bakery, Peeta asked, "Why were people nicer to me when they saw I had bread for trade?"
"Bread is better than coin when you're hungry."
"I know but it seemed like there was more to it than that," Peeta pressed, "like when Amando looked at you and you nodded. It felt like I was missing some sort of social cue."
"Usually, it's kids from the Seam going to the Merchant adults to trade in kind, not the other way around."
Peeta wasn't sure what to make of that. They spent the rest of the walk back to the bakery talking about all the changes Peeta and Rye were going to make. Katniss offered (and Peeta agreed) to trade for Prim's goat cheese, herbs from Rosemary's garden and whatever Katniss found in the forest that looked promising.
Farl was at the bakery when they arrived, working in the kitchen with Rye. Farl looked exhausted and depressed but Peeta didn't ask about it. He didn't want to hear anything about Marigold.
It was still light enough that Katniss could walk herself home. They stood on the back porch, fingers laced together and foreheads touching. "Thank you," he said.
"For what?" she asked, confused.
"For your help. For the Hob. For everything," he said.
"You don't need to thank me," she said.
"Yes, I do," he whispered and kissed her softly on the mouth. The kiss was brief but he still felt her breath hitch. He pulled back just enough to look at her. She was staring at him with radiant eyes.
"Peet!" Rye hollered from the kitchen, "we open in 12 hours, get in here!"
Katniss said her goodbyes and jogged away.
Peeta, Rye and Farl worked until late in the night.
Farl told them that Bannock had agreed to work during the day until Peeta and Rye came home from school but that they needed to pay him for the wages he'd lose at the lumber yard. Beyond that, he said little else, beyond a promise to be there in the morning an hour before they opened.
The next several days were the busiest the bakery had ever seen. Initially, Peeta just chalked it up to people being eager to have bread and sweets again. After a couple of days, though, he realized he was seeing new faces inside the bakery. Merchant and Municipal workers who had apparently never needed bread before were now coming to make purchases.
"I wonder how many people she's scared off over the years?" Rye asked rhetorically one night after Farl had gone home.
"Too many to count, I expect," Peeta replied distractedly. He was writing down yet another new recipe idea. Fresh ingredients from the Everdeens had resulted in some new items for sale at the bakery. Mushroom tarts. Herbed bread. Shortbread with candied paw-paw. People were excited about the changes.
And although he missed the quiet, peaceful afternoons at the Everdeens, Peeta felt a fierce pride that he was building something of his own.
His good mood even rubbed off on Rye. The more they talked about having Five to Twelve rehearse at the bakery after hours and keeping the bakery open for business, the more Rye liked the idea.
The only downside was seeing the disappointment in Mr. Undersee's face when Rye, after procrastinating, broke the news. "Can't blame the man," Rye said that night after they were home. "He's married to a ghost. It's weird to think about but every time we rehearsed, his wife was there somewhere in the house."
Festival Day
School had ended.
Now the Festival was here. Several Merchant stands were scattered around the Pavilion, along with game booths and face painting for the kids.
Katniss had offered to help out at the bakery stand. It meant skipping a day of hunting, which worried Peeta but she insisted. Peeta wondered if he should have refused her help but he was too selfish about getting to spend the whole day with her.
Not coincidentally, for the first time in his life, Peeta was having fun while working the Festival.
Katniss bagged the last loaf of sourdough and handed it to Mr. Cartwright. "Thanks, Mr. Cartwright," Peeta said. "The bakery is going to be open in the evenings starting next week, feel free to stop by."
"Yes, yes, so Dalton tells me," Mr. Cartwright said. Mr. Dalton's eyes were glancing back and forth between Katniss and Peeta, a smile on his face. "So, Katniss," Mr. Dalton continued, "are you the bakery's new apprentice?"
Katniss gave Mr. Cartwright an awkward smile and shook her head a little. "Just helping out for the Festival," she explained.
"Well, that's a shame. You bring some much needed radiance to the franchise," Mr. Cartwright said, beaming at her. .
Katniss stammered out a quiet, "Thank you," but narrowed her eyes at Mr. Cartwright's back as he left. She wasn't sure if Mr. Cartwright was mocking her or not.
"He means that, you know," Peeta said quietly.
Katniss looked at Peeta uncertainly. Her face still bore the marks from Amos Tucker's attack, although having a talented healer for a mother had certainly helped. All of the swelling was gone. The bruising had faded into a mottled green and light purple. The scrapes along her cheekbone had quickly scabbed over and peeled away, leaving bright pink skin underneath.
Mrs. Everdeen was also making Katniss wear a floppy, wide-brimmed straw hat everywhere she went to protect the new skin from the sun while it healed. Katniss claimed to hate the hat but she quit taking it off all the time after Peeta told her she looked adorable in it.
Mr. Cartwright's purchase meant the stand had officially sold out of everything. Peeta, Rye and Katniss started breaking down the stand. "Everdeen, we got this," Rye told her. "Go home and, you know," he waved his hand vaguely in her direction, "do whatever it is you have to do to look like a girl tonight."
Katniss gave Peeta's hand a quick squeeze and took off at a light jog towards the Seam.
Peeta and Rye hauled everything back to the bakery. Farl was waiting for them, doing prep work for the following morning. "Well?" he asked.
Peeta handed the lockbox to his father. Farl pulled out the ledger. The three of them counted the money in turn, each coming up with the same amount.
It was enough. They'd made just enough to keep moving forward. Farl put his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands. "You did it," he said behind his hands, his voice nearly breaking. When he lifted his head, his eyes were a little red. "I'm damn proud of both of you." It was the most emotion he'd shown since moving out.
Rye nodded but didn't otherwise react. Peeta was torn. Part of him wanted to comfort his father but he was too deeply angry at Farl to close that distance. He settled for clapping his dad on the shoulder.
A knock on the back door interrupted the awkwardness. Rye hopped off his stool and answered the door.
Bannock and Nikki walked in, each carrying one of the twins.
"We can't stay long—here ya go, honey, I swear she's been missin' her uncle—we can't stay long but wanted ta stop by for a little minute," Nikki explained as she transferred a squirming Heather Marie into Peeta's arms. Heather squealed with happiness when she saw Peeta.
"Bannock," Farl couldn't keep the surprise from his voice. "I thought you weren't-" his throat closed up and he couldn't speak as he gestured at the babies. Peeta realized that this was the first time Farl had seen his grandchildren.
"If she were still here, we couldn't be," Bannock said. "But since she's gone..." he trailed off and gently handed Nate over to Farl. "This is Nathan Cedar Mellark. Peeta's holding Heather Marie."
Farl blinked rapidly several times and his face turned several shades of red before he managed to regain his composure. "I'm grateful for any time you're willing to give me," he finally said. Nate gazed up at Farl with the same placidity he viewed everything else.
While Farl bonded with his grandson, Bannock pulled a small bag out of his pocket and handed it to Rye.
"What's this?" Rye asked.
Bannock shrugged, looking a little pleased with himself. "Just open it."
Rye opened the bag and pulled out five wooden medallions, each about 1 inch square. Four were tied with rawhide thongs, the fifth with black silk ribbon. Each had a simplified version of the sign Peeta had painted for the band-the upper left quadrant of a clock with the hands were set at 11:55.
Rye swallowed before looking at his older brother. "This may be the single coolest thing you've ever done."
Bannock smiled at Rye's reaction. "I've been carving wooden toys for the babies and had a little extra wood lying around."
While Rye and Bannock talked, Nikki took Heather from Peeta. "Let's introduce her to her granddaddy," she explained. A moment later, Farl was holding his granddaughter. Nikki returned to Peeta's side, holding Nate.
Peeta gestured at the medallions, which Rye had laid out on the table. "Was that your idea?" he asked her quietly.
"No, it was Bannock's," she told him. "I know he and Rye ain't exactly close but Bannock's got a lotta respect for everything Rye's done the last few months."
Nikki shifted Nate in her arms before she lowered her voice. "Now, comin' over here with the babies? That was my idea. I know Farl has a lot ta answer for but I figgered it was time ta let him at least see the twins."
After a few minutes, Nikki announced it was the twins' nap time. Farl left with them, looking younger than he had in years.
Festival Night
Peeta and Rye arrived at the Pavilion a little before sunset. Peeta's navy blue, short-sleeved button-down was almost too tight across his chest, which secretly pleased him to no end.
A temporary stage had been set up at the far end of the Pavilion. Hundreds of industrial-type folding chairs with "DISTRICT 12" stamped across the back had been placed in rows. Hay bales were also scattered around to act as additional seating (or tables, or playpens for small children.)
Mr Undersee was setting up a camera on one of the light poles.
"Shit," Rye muttered. "I completely fucking forgot about that."
"So did I," Peeta admitted. Still, he looked up at Mr. Undersee and said, "Need a hand?"
"Thank you, Peeta, but no. This is the last one." Mayor Undersee was using his most full-throated political voice.
Peeta and Rye looked up and saw cameras already scanning the Pavilion grounds.
"Are all of those going to be recording the band?" Peeta asked when Mr. Undersee descended the ladder.
"Yes and no," Mr. Undersee explained as he collapsed the ladder and hoisted it under his arm. "Three are dedicated to the stage. The rest overlap their coverage of the grounds. They all record sound, so in that sense, they will all be recording the band." And everything else was the unspoken implication.
"When do they start recording?" Rye asked.
"They're recording now," said Mr. Undersee, his voice was carefully neutral.
"I see," Peeta said, glancing up at the cameras.
"Well, boys, I need to run home and get ready for the festivities." The Mayor's political voice was back. "Best of luck this evening, Rye."
As Mr. Undersee walked away, Peeta turned in a circle and studied the cameras, filled with a sense of foreboding. It's no different than any other camera in the District, there's just more of them, he told himself, it'll be fine.
"Fuckin' A, man!" Mandor's voice caught Peeta's attention. "Your older brother made these? I thought he was kind of a dick." Mandor looked at the medallion Rye had handed him.
"So? Shut up and wear your jewelry," Rye said.
Marsh and Dalton received their medallions when they arrived. Rye directed the stage setup. They were nearly finished when Rye nudged Peeta. Peeta looked at him, then turned around to see what Rye was pointing at.
Katniss.
She was in a floaty, short-sleeved peach-colored dress that skimmed her curves and stopped just above her knees. The neckline was modest but still hinted at cleavage. Her hair fell loose and wavy around her shoulders. She was wearing clunky, flat shoes that he guessed belonged to her mother. Her hair and skin glowed in the sunset.
Even with scrapes on her cheek and ugly shoes, Katniss was stunning.
"Are you all right?" she asked, a worried look on her face.
Peeta inhaled and nodded as the world came back into focus. For once, Rye didn't snort or tease or make any sort of sarcastic comment. Instead, he handed Katniss her medallion, briefly explained what it was and left the two of them alone.
"Would you mind, um..." Katniss held the ends of the satin ribbon up.
Peeta took it from her as she turned her back to him and swept her hair aside with one hand. He lowered the necklace in front of her, then slid it up her skin until the medallion rested just above the swells of her breasts. He tied the ribbon for her, then grazed his hands down her sides and let them rest on her waist. "You look beautiful," he told her.
She turned around to face him. Her eyes slowly traveled up from his waist and across his chest before meeting his gaze. "You look beautiful, too," she said, her cheeks darkening just a little. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him quickly on the cheek before hopping up on the stage.
At that moment, Peeta felt like he could have taken on the entire world.
The area around the stage began to fill up with people. If this had been a toasting, Peeta would have wandered to the back of the venue so he wouldn't be in the way of the guests. But this wasn't a toasting and Peeta had as much of a right to be here as anybody. He was going to stay where he had the best view of Katniss.
Gale and Madge showed up not long before the band started. They walked hand in hand, both of them looking relaxed and happy. "So, Peeta," Madge teased, "how do you like Katniss' dress?"
"She looks wonderful," Peeta answered.
"Mom, Madge and Prim got Catnip ready tonight," Gale explained dryly. "They're very proud of their work."
The squeal of a microphone being turned on got everybody's attention. Rye did a couple of brief sound checks. Then, with none of his usual introduction, he launched the band into a scorching rendition of "White Lightnin'."
The crowd cheered as they recognized the popular song and the dance floor quickly filled up. By the end of the second song, people were moving chairs and bales to make more room for dancing.
Not long after they started playing, Bannock and Nikki showed up with the babies. Peeta held Heather Marie (who was wide-eyed at all the noise and lights) and Madge held Nate (who was asleep) so Bannock and Nikki could dance to a few songs.
"They ain't playin' bluegrass," Nikki said as she came back giggling and breathless from the dancing. "They're testifyin'." Peeta had no clue what she meant but he nodded his head anyway and handed his niece back.
Peeta returned his focus to the stage. Five to Twelve was on fire. They'd always performed well but something new was in the air. Peeta could feel it in the audience.
If the look on Rye's face was any indication, the band could feel it, too. He pulled the band through one scorching song after another. Katniss had removed her shoes and was barefoot. She tossed her hair as she sang and and pinned the crowd with her silver gaze, making no attempt to hide her facial wounds from anybody. And why should she hide them? Peeta suddenly realized. She was a warrior goddess and those were her battle scars.
Peeta was vaguely aware that Farl had arrived and was talking with Bannock about the babies. He thought he heard Mr. Undersee's voice nearby. Nikki complained that she "cain't get drunk 'til them babies is off the tit." Prim handed him some lemonade. Gale and Madge danced.
All of it swirled around Peeta as he found it hard to focus on anything except Katniss. She was like a living flame sucking all the oxygen from the air. The dress moved and swayed with her, swirling around her thighs.
Five to Twelve ended their first set on a high note, a barn burner medley of bluegrass classics. When they finished, Rye said, "We're Five to Twelve and we'll be back in 30 minutes. Remember folks—the more you drink, the better we sound."
Katniss jumped off the stage, shoes in hand, and headed straight for Peeta, her eyes sparkling with happiness.
When she got to him, she looked past his shoulder and saw something. "Just a sec," she said. She waived her mother over with one hand. Then she handed her mom the shoes she was carrying. "Here. I'm not wearing these anymore, they hurt my feet."
Mrs. Everdeen sighed, "Barefoot on stage? Really?"
Katniss just shrugged. Mrs. Everdeen didn't argue any further. Instead, she turned to Peeta. "Peeta, don't worry about walking Katniss home tonight, Prim and I will get her back." The look on her face was a little too knowing for Peeta's taste. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to check on the twins while they are still here."
Katniss waited until her mom was out of earshot. "Sorry," she said. "I sort of thought you'd be walking me home tonight."
"Me, too, but it's OK." He linked their hands together.
"Will I see you tomorrow morning?" she whispered, so quietly that he could barely hear it.
He thought about it. He and Rye already had so much to do. They had to take inventory and place an enormous order with the Capitol supplier, plus the extra prep work...on the other hand, Rye would be nursing an enormous hangover and wouldn't be up early anyway.
"I'll be there," he told her and her smile chased away any guilt he might have been feeling.
Gale and Madge came over. Gale looked at Katniss' bare feet. "Seriously?"he asked. "You've still got a black eye. Now you're barefoot. Stick some straw in your teeth and you'll be three for three on the Seamtrash checklist."
Katniss pulled a piece of straw out of a bale of hay and stuck it in her mouth, grinning at Gale. Madge snatched it away. "Quit undoing all of our hard work," she scolded.
Rye walked up, looking highly amused. "Guess who's hitting on Ripper?"
"Ah, god. Who?" Gale asked.
"Dalton Cartwright."
Katniss and Gale both groaned. "What?" Madge asked, "She's a little old for him but she's pretty."
"Ripper will eat him alive. Whatever is going on over there, Cartwright's not in charge," Gale explained.
Gale, Madge and Rye gossiped about who was drunk, who was very drunk and who was expected to hook up at the Slag Heap. Prim joined them after a few minutes. Peeta wondered if Rye even realized how he automatically reached for Prim's hand.
Nikki, holding Nate in one arm, tapped Peeta on the shoulder. "Honey, we gotta scoot, it's gettin' late." Bannock was behind her, holding a squalling Heather Marie and talking to Mrs. Everdeen. Farl was there, too, trying not to stare at the healer, who seemed unaware of his presence. Mr. Undersee was shouting over the din to get Madge's attention. The two youngest Hawthorne boys ran up to Gale to tattle on Rory.
This is a madhouse, Peeta thought happily.
Then he felt Katniss go very still. He looked at her. She was staring—no, glaring—at something. He followed her line of sight.
Marigold was watching them.
His mother stood on top of a hay bale, maybe forty yards away. He could see her eyes slide from Farl, to Mrs. Everdeen, to her sons and their friends. The more she looked, the redder her face became.
Peeta's blood ran cold. His heart started to pound. He instinctively placed his arms around Katniss and pulled her close to him. Marigold, eyes filled with hatred, stepped off the hay bale. Peeta braced himself for the confrontation. He felt Katniss do the same.
Marigold turned her back and left.
Peeta exhaled in relief as the expected confrontation never materialized. Nobody else seemed to have noticed Marigold's brief appearance.
Katniss excused herself not long after, needing a bathroom break and some water before she went back up on stage. Nikki, Bannock and Farl left with the babies. Rye rounded up the other band members. Katniss showed up on stage with a stalk of wheat in her teeth that she then tucked behind her ear, sticking her tongue out at Madge and Gale. The band opened up the first few bars of "Hell Hath No Fury." Mr. Undersee danced with Mrs. Everdeen, Madge, Prim and Mrs. Hawthorne. Prim even got Peeta to dance with her a few times. Five to Twelve brought more joy and light to District Twelve than anybody had seen in years.
Nobody saw Marigold walk across town and knock on the Head Peacekeeper's door.