Katniss got married, paid off Peeta, well sort off...the accord she did with Peeta is in doubt by the naysayers and by the pressure of having to have the "talk" with Peeta. Will she have the courage to sit down with Peeta and discuss the sleeping or lack thereof situation?

I do not own the Hunger Games

"Look at you two," her father-in-law said, interrupting them. "You look like a United front. I'm so happy for you both. You are a striking couple," his father grinned. "Now Katniss, remember to call me Lionel. We're family now."

"Dad," Peeta said.

Katniss couldn't hide her embarrassment.

Peeta slid his hand from the small of her back to take her hand. Their fingers intertwined.

"The place is all yours. Your mother and I applied for housing when you graduated. Your mother was convinced you would never find someone and wanted me to give up the place."

For some reason, Katniss was not surprised. That Witch was capable of anything.

"I kept my hope up. I knew you would meet that special someone," Lionel gleefully said.

Peeta's ears turned red and he said, "Thanks, dad."

"We picked up our keys this morning, and while you got married Carlton helped us move into the new house. We have a nice little cottage near the edge of town. Your brother River elected to convert a small shed at the back of the house into his living quarters. I've told your mother she is not to set foot in the bakery. I would like to continue to work in the bakery on a part-time basis if that is okay with you?"

Peeta took the keys, his eyes watered. "I think that could work."

"Thank you, I just need to be able to get out of the house." Mr. Mellark cleared his throat. "River decided he wants to continue to work there until he finds something else for himself."

Katniss stood to the side half-listening to the conversation between Peeta and his father.

"That's great you guys can show Katniss the ropes when I do not have time," Peeta said.

"I'm proud of you son, for holding out for what you want. It's not easy standing up for yourself, not willing to become a part of her game. Your mother is a force to be reckoned with. You've set a precedent for Mellark men, son." Mr. Mellark dragged Peeta into a bear hug.

While Peeta and his father hugged Mrs. Mellark slithered next to her. "My son is not like other men. He rejected every single one of the girls that I chose for him and yet you come around and he wants to get married in less than a day.

"Ma'am," Katniss began.

"Please I know I've lost the bakery, but I also know you've bitten off more than you can chew. Peeta's a bright one. You do realize he doesn't want you, he wants the bakery. It's why he wants to wait thirty days to have a Toasting." She cackled.

Katniss recalled what her mother said, and she summoned all of her instincts to slap the woman back. In a tone of voice that was far calmer than she felt Katniss replied, "You forget something Ma'am I'm half Merchant, and I know all of the ins and outs of the culture."

The woman blanched.

"I know what I signed up for," Katniss said, quietly thinking about her agreement with Peeta. "As you know there's a lot more involved to make a marriage successful."

The woman narrowed her eyes, before speaking, "The only way to keep a man interested isn't getting him into bed." She cackled before saying, "Good luck having children, though by the looks of you I doubt you could carry a Mellark full-term…if he ever desires to touch you."

Katniss found wondering what his mother was intimating.

"My boy ain't never going to taint his blood with yours. Because you're nothing but trash just like your mother."

Peeta's mother's words shocked her and angered her. "I see. So, trash as in a woman who was devoted to her husband. Faced injustices by the people she grew up with and the people whom she gracefully attends with her expert medical knowledge. That same woman suffered through the death of her husband and managed to pull herself back from the edge of that loss to raise two children. That woman is trash?"

The vein on the witch's forehead ticked.

Katniss smiled, and she thought of Peeta and his love of the bakery. "Even if Peeta and I ever have children it will be a privilege to work by his side and grow the bakery he loved so much."

His mother looked Katniss straight in the eyes, before saying, "A bakery will never give you friendship, it will never provide you with companionship, and it will never provide you with security." She glanced around the room, "This bakery will never give you love."

Katniss was taken aback.

"My son may have done you a disservice for marrying you. You could have married that hulking giant, that boy would have given you everything-" she stopped talking then looked at Katniss. "My youngest isn't like his brothers. He's weak. I tried to make him more manly...I hoped he'd find interest in the things his brothers were into, like good standing Merchant women." She smirked before snidely saying, "I tried everything. Not even that cow-faced Cartwright girl could win him over, and goodness knows she followed him around like a wide eye buffoon."

Katniss winced at the description of Delly Cartwright. She felt sorry for the blonde girl with the misfortunate face but the sweetest temperament.

"If he didn't want to entertain the idea of being with one of the girls I set him up with, and he didn't try anything with Cartwright who was willing to do anything for him, what makes you think he will want you? It's why I pity you, he'll break your heart eventually."

Her mother-in-law left, Katniss left behind with a lot of doubts about Peeta's reason for accepting her proposal. She wondered if he did it out of spite for his mother. If that were true, then would he tire of the partnership that they formed earlier?

These thoughts plagued her for the rest of the afternoon. And that night as she stood in the bathroom, Katniss hoped everything her sister said and his mother said was wrong. She'd unpacked her meager belongings and stored them in the closet that was inside of the bathroom.

Katniss's mind went over the kiss once again. Hours later she was still affected by it. It brought up the idea of the marital bed and the things that happened in it and other possibilities. Even though she was sure she didn't want children now, she admitted to herself further down the line she would like to have one small boy or girl with blond hair and Peeta's eyes. Her hand flutters down to her stomach.

The idea of motherhood wasn't something she often wanted or thought about but she wouldn't mind with Peeta. The question remained would he want her to carry his children. For that to happen they would need to do stuff to the other. Maybe she was wrong, maybe she should have agreed to marry Gale. At least he would want to talk to her. He would want her and desire to have kids.

However, as soon as a thought came to her mind about Gale she was repulsed and rejected that idea. "Ugh, that's so gross."

Yet the idea of motherhood lingered and her eyes widened in the mirror as she thought about her body stretching and accommodating to carry a child. To get pregnant meant that she would have to have 'the talk' with Peeta as her sister advised.

Sex.

The thought of having it with him caused her image in the mirror to blush heavily. Thinking of them together left her reeling.

Katniss turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on her face.

"Katniss," she muttered to herself. "Get a hold of yourself, nothing is going to happen tonight...unless he wants to. Or if you want to, do you want to?" She asked her reflection. Katniss was flushed and wide-eyed the memory of the way his lips felt on hers caused her to lick her lips and she realized she wanted another kiss.

Katniss took a step back shaking her head to cool herself down. She and Peeta had made a deal. They hadn't talked about the specifics of that deal. Her sister was right, Katniss needed to have a heart-to-heart about Peeta's expectations. And she needed to decide what she wanted out of this relationship.

What she told Peeta's mother was true. She did want the bakery to succeed. She wanted to repay Peeta for all of his kindness. A large part of her wanted Peeta to be happy. As for children, right now that was a definite no, allowing her to push to the back pocket of her mind that pesky thought of a golden-haired child. For now, she wanted and needed a friend.

To do that she needed to get out of the bathroom and face her husband Peeta Mellark.

Taking a deep breath, she exited the bathroom and found Peeta had made a pillow barrier, separating the two sides of the bed. Both had individual blankets and sheets. "Oh."

Peeta rushed across the room, "I thought this would be more comfortable for both of us."

Katniss straightened her shoulders. The truth was evident by the number of pillows on the bed. This was going to be her life, the one she chose, until death or until the thirty days were over.

If at the end of their time together he didn't want to have a Toasting with her, Peeta could separate himself. He would keep the bakery and Katniss would be set free. At that thought, she didn't know if that's what she wanted.

"I'll be right back," Peeta said looking red.

Glancing at the clothes she wore, Katniss gripped the rope she wore over her nightgown tightly. Her eyes riveted on the bed and the rows of pills that separated the right from the left side. It had been a given she had to share the bed with him, but seeing his solution made it all so real.

It occurred to Katniss by the way his face looked this wasn't easy for Peeta either. It was clear he looked for a solution to their sleeping situation. He could have given her another room but he didn't. There were two more bedrooms in the upstairs apartment of the bakery.

It was clear Peeta didn't find an objection to sharing a bed with her. He did this because he knew she wasn't ready. Prim was right they did need to speak about things.

Just in the door of the room opened and Peeta stepped inside.

His hair was wet and his hands moved as he spoke, "So, I figured we'll be too tired to do anything."

"Anything?" She squeaked, wondering when the word 'anything' became so intimate.

Peeta cleared his throat. "I didn't get much sleep last night. I was up getting things ready for today."

"Oh."

"You didn't get much sleep either, did you?"

"No." Katniss didn't even know where she was finding the strength to speak.

"Maybe we can talk tomorrow about stuff? Or if you're not comfortable it's okay we've got time to sort everything out," Peeta said, giving her the softest smile.

Glancing at him, it occurred to her maybe they could be friends, companions of sorts. Katniss told herself that wouldn't be that bad and she didn't want children anyways so at least she would never have to worry about avoiding unwanted pregnancies.

However, before she resigned herself to a platonic marriage, they did need to have an open and honest discourse about their expectations for the marriage. Tonight was not the night to have it. She was exhausted.

Putting on a brave face she asked, "Which side do you prefer sleeping on?"

"The window side, if you don't mind, because I get hot at night."

"Works for me," Katniss said, climbing into the bed, while Peeta opened the window and got into bed.

The question of sex however still plagued her. Would Peeta want to touch her? Was it because he didn't like women from the Seam as his mother intimated? Or was it because she was a means to an end just like Prim suggested? As she laid there on her side of the pillow fort, Katniss thought she would never go to sleep, but the moment her head hit the pillows she was a goner.