Katniss has to have the talk with Peeta but will she?

I do not own the Hunger Games

Katniss glanced at Peeta, who in turn slid his arm around her shoulder briefly before he was talked by Prim.

"Congratulations," Mr. Mellark shouted.

"Thank you," Katniss said.

"Please call me Lionel, now that we're family!" Mr. Mellark said enveloping her in a big bear hug.

"Okay, dad let go of Katniss before you suffocate her," Peeta came to her rescue.

Katniss gave her father-in-law a nervous smile, she wasn't sure she could ever call him anything but Mr. Mellark.

"I'm so happy," her mother wiped tears from her eyes. They showed a brilliant bright blue. The same hue Katniss recalled from her younger years when her father had been alive.

"Mot-" Katniss began.

Her mother swept her up into a tight embrace. "I never thought I would see the day you got married." Her mother sniffed. "I thought you wouldn't frankly, you said it so much when you were younger, I resigned myself that this dress would never be worn. That I would never see you in it…" Her mother became choked up.

Katniss pulled away, trying not to frown. "What about Prim?"

"Prim isn't my firstborn. This dress is for the first-born daughter. It's a tradition.'

"But I thought you said this dress made for you when you were supposed to marry Peeta's father?"

"It was but," her mother gave her a watery smile. "You see my younger sister wore our mom's dress. My dress was made from two dresses that were once owned by my two grandmothers."

Katniss looked down at the dress.

"The dresses were both so old and fragile so I combined them to make one dress. In our family, the dress always goes to the firstborn. If you hadn't gotten married, I would have saved this for Prim's firstborn." Her mother's smile lit up her face, "And I don't know if I would be alive to see that happen."

Katniss got choked up at the thought of her mother dying without seeing the dress in a marriage. Her eyes widened as the importance of her mother's words began to form in her mind.

"But it went to you, as I had hoped, but dared not dream, and I am beyond the moon happy that the tradition has-" her mother lost her composure and began to cry.

Katniss felt like a fraud standing in the dress with so much family history. A dress that once belonged to the two women whom her mother loved so much. The two women who didn't turn their backs on her mother. Katniss could only imagine how her let down her mother would be when discovering there would be no Toasting.

Her cheeks burned.

Peeta stepped next to her, "Mrs. Everdeen."

"Please call me Maggie," her mother said.

"Maggie," Peeta said warmly. "I wanted to say your daughter is…"

"No need to say anything Peeta," Maggie smiled. "I can see there is a bond between you. Much like there was between myself and Katniss's father."

Peeta smiled and Katniss's guilt grew. She had no words and was glad when Peeta's father clapped his hands.

"We should get going, there is a feast to be had!" Mr. Mellark said.

The entire party left the Justice building and walked toward the bakery where Peeta's older brother Carlton waited with his wife. The Cartwrights waited for them as well as Madge. At the bequest of her mother, the Hawthorne's were present. Gale was sulking in the background, like a sullen black rain cloud.

With all of their family and friends gathered in the backyard of the bakery, Katniss didn't know how they were going to get through the rest of the day without a Toasting. The stress of it all was the equivalent of her hauling a stag all by herself, an adult male deer could weigh between 120 pounds to 330 pounds.

There was a feast with squirrel stew, roasted rabbits, a medley of garden vegetables, honied roasted carrots, potatoes made three ways, mashed, baked, and boiled fresh bread, and a beautiful cake decorated like a meadow. Each family brought something to eat. Everyone began serving heaps of food onto their plates.

"Katniss stop frowning so much," Prim said standing by her.

"I don't mean to."

"Look this is your wedding day, and people are genuinely happy for you. Mother is happy, Peeta's father is jubilant, and look at all of this food."

Katniss couldn't disagree. Her mother who hardly ever smiled, today was genuinely laughing. And Katniss knew the source of her mother's happiness, she wore it like a scarlet letter. Her father-in-law laughed and carried on as if he were the one getting married.

"I still haven't gotten a chance to speak to Peeta. And why didn't you tell me this dress belonged to both of our great-grandmothers?"

"Because I knew you wouldn't wear it out some sense of wrongdoing."

"Prim," Katniss hissed.

"This is your wedding, you are married to him, in the eyes of Panem, even if you don't have a Toasting with him. I wasn't ever going to wear the dress because it belongs to you. Also, if you'd refused to wear it, it would've tipped mom off."

Katniss tried not to wince at her sister's words. "I feel like a-" Katniss stopped speaking and smiled as Mrs. Cartwright walked by. She immediately began speaking as soon as the woman was out of earshot. "...like a fraud."

Prim gave an I-told-you-so-look.

"I hate it when you're right," Katniss grumbled. Her sister was right if she knew the significance of the dress she wouldn't have worn it and it would have set a chain of events that would've cost Peeta the bakery.

"You still have to speak to Peeta," Prim said.

"I don't when I'll be able to do it," Katniss sighed as she spotted Delly Cartwright smiling at her. Katniss nodded. "Everyone keeps staring at me."

"Maybe when you sit down to eat you can speak to him."

"Maybe," she whispered.

"I'm going to eat as much as I can." Prim looked at the food.

Her mother and sister still depended on the income she brought in from her trading to supplement their income. Katniss didn't want to work in the mines. She had terrors of working so far inside of the earth. It was like working in a coffin.

"Don't worry Prim, I'll still stop by with the game meat." Katniss wasn't going to stop hunting. Prim and her mother needed that meat. She just had to hunt for more food now because she was going to feed two families not just one.

"I have no doubt you will, but for now just enjoy yourself and the food."

Katniss couldn't eat, she wanted to find time to speak to Peeta alone. She never got the opportunity because she was constantly whisked away because the Mellark's neighbors came by to bid Peeta and her well wishes. Peeta marrying a girl from the Seam wasn't why they came to the wedding reception. Many were familiar with her as they bought or traded for her fresh game. It was the curiosity of seeing Peeta married that made them come.

"Peeta." Katniss was finally sitting next to him, a plate of food before her. She couldn't find enjoyment in the meal. She was pushing the food around on her plate.

"What's wrong?" Peeta said.

"They're all expecting a Toasting," she whispered. She was so nervous her hand shook. She didn't know how they were going to save face in front of all of their family and friends.

He put his hand gently on top of her hand that held the fork. "I didn't realize how much strain you'd be under." His thumb ran gently over her knuckles. It was a tender action. "How nervous are you say from 1 to 10?"

Katniss looked at Peeta with wide eyes. She couldn't for the life of her school her features to her detached scowl she normally wore.

"I see," Peeta said quietly.

Katniss had no words, she could form the letter 'a' if her life depended on it. For some reason, she didn't want to see the disappointed faces of her mother. Her sister knew the truth, but her mother was in the dark. Katniss hadn't seen her mother this happy since her father had been alive. Her mom had given her the dress, tended to her hair with care, and looked so genuinely happy when they signed the paperwork. Katniss didn't want to

"It's okay I've got this covered."

"You do?" Katniss's eyes searched the gathered crowd. The only one who wasn't participating was Gale. He was sitting next to Delly Cartwright who was chirping away.

Peeta put his hand over hers and once more for the hundredth time he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"We're a team, allies, right?"

"Yes."

"You just have to trust me Katniss." Peeta placed a chaste kiss on her cheek.

Katniss breathed easier. He was right, they were a team. Although she proposed this crazy scheme, he agreed to it and was making it happen. She relaxed and began to eat and enjoy herself.

As the meal was finishing Peeta stood up and addressed everyone, "I know it's a custom for the bride and groom to have a Toasting on their wedding day. However, among the Merchants, it's a custom to wait a month for the Toasting to allow the couple to get acquainted and to test if the marriage is a good match. Katniss and I have made this agreement."

Katniss saw Gale perk up. He was staring straight at her. Katniss instead looked at her sister. Prim's face wasn't all too happy, she was scowling. Katniss glanced at her mother who looked stoic. In fact, as she glanced around the only other person who looked okay with Peeta's announcement was his mother.

Katniss stood up knowing she had to do something to distract the crowd. Standing on tiptoes she braced her hands against his chest and place the kiss on his lips. It was her first kiss, and she didn't know what to expect. She'd heard rumors about how wondrous kisses were. Katniss didn't expect currents of electricity to run throughout her body and make her feel as if she was on fire. She was dazed and her knees gave out at the simple peck on the lips. Peeta's arms were there to catch her.

His lips slanted over hers to prolong the kiss. His hand trailed up her arm to cup her chin and Katniss audibly sighed like a besotted fool.

The simple kiss had the desired effect, everybody was standing and cheering. She looked at Peeta whose face was bright red and Katniss was sure hers was in the same condition. Her cheeks stung from the heat that raced to her face.

That night after the meal, the dancing, and the subsequent cleanup, Prim pulled Katniss aside. "You've got to talk to him, you have to ask him questions."

"Prim we're going to be okay." Katniss thought about how she and Peeta were a team. It reassured her they could overcome any obstacles.

"Look, you're my sister and the same way you've been looking out for me all of my life, I have to look out for you too." Prim's face was serious.

"What's wrong Prim?"

"Tonight, I heard a few rumors." Prim took a big breath then said, "The only reason he said yes to you, a girl from the Seam, was to get back at his mother. Everyone knows Mrs. Mellark doesn't like Seam Folk. I don't want you to get hurt."

It was true Peeta's mother did not like people from the Seam, she treated them poorly, and made them come to the back of the bakery to trade.

"Even if this is an agreement between you two, if you want this to work out, you need to have a serious conversation with him, and it has to happen before the 30 days are over." Prim sighed heavily. "And just be careful of Gale. Peeta's announcement made him perk up like Buttercup when he sees a mouse."

Katniss was back to feeling all out of sorts as she watched her sister leave.

"Hey, stop frowning, it's your wedding day," Peeta said, coming to stand beside her. His hand rested on the small of her back a reassuring touch.

Katniss took a deep breath and inhaled his scent. The smell of fresh bread, dill, and cinnamon calmed her down. She looked up at him.

He was staring into her eyes.

"Will we be all right?" The question tumbled from her lips.

"As long as we stand together."

Peeta was right everything would be good. They were after all a team.