Katniss didn't have the "TALK" with Peeta, and went to bed with Peeta separated by a wall of pillows...as if that can stop the course of true love, or can it?

I do not own the Hunger Games.

It was the morning light that woke her. Katniss was still half-asleep but she found she couldn't move as if there was a barrier in her way, much like when Prim climbed into bed with her after a nightmare. She was comfortable and felt like she was at home.

"Prim," she murmured.

Her sister scooted closer. The blanket was thick and it was warm. Katniss sighed out of contentment as she fell back asleep.

Her only problem was that eventually, she had to go to the bathroom. Katniss snuggled closer to the warmth radiating off of Prim not wanting to get up. She pulled the blanket closer and buried her nose into the soft fabric. It was the smell of fresh bread, cinnamon, and dill that made her eyes pop open.

The memories came rushing back. She was at the bakery. Her mind fooled her into thinking she was at home. Carefully Katniss turned her head. She was being spooned by Peeta. It was his body she'd sought comfort from.

It was Peeta and not her sister that radiated the warmth that made her want to stay in bed.

With hunter-like reflexes, Katniss rolled out of bed. She stood by the side of the bed with her hand on her throat. Sometime during the night, the pillows that separated them were tossed onto the floor and they met in the middle holding each other throughout the night.

Katniss touched her cheeks and her fingers smelled like his. Her lashes fluttered closed with delight. This was a side effect she could get used to. On the bed Peeta groaned, Katniss panicked and flew into the bathroom.

Once in the safety of the bathroom, she took a good look at herself in the mirror. Her face was flushed with a glow she'd never seen. Her gray eyes looked luminous and she felt achy all over as if her body wanted to be back in Peeta's arms.

Sleeping with him was not a hardship. Smiling, she thought this would be hers. This small space of time when she didn't have to worry about his preferences. This was her niche and she could find happiness here. But as she got ready for the day she knew they still needed to talk. She quietly crept into the room and found him asleep on his side. Katniss gathered the pillows from the floor and created the barrier that he had made last night before leaving the room.

She went downstairs to the bakery and smiled when she saw Peeta's father and River working. One glance at her and his father grinned. "My son put that glow upon your pretty cheeks."

Katniss didn't know where to look, she was so embarrassed. Demurely she asked, "Is it okay if I go hunting?"

"By all means go hunting. My son likes the squirrel meat you catch with your arrow. He's always fascinated by the way you manage to shoot them through the eyes."

Katniss thanked him and made her way out of the bakery. She headed for the woods.

When she stood in the wood her knees finally gave out. She could still feel the way his arms felt wrapped around her body. How warm he was and the way he smelled. She grabbed the tip of her braid and smelled it, hoping she could still smell hints of cinnamon.

Katniss was disappointed and wondered why.

"Stop Katniss," she muttered to herself. "You've got to remember not to get too invested. This was a deal you made with him. He got you away from Gale, and you got him the bakery."

Katniss didn't add that in less than thirty days this could end. Would she want to end the marriage? Katniss rubbed her face. She needed to speak to Peeta. A lot went down in less than twenty-four hours and they still had yet to talk.

Finding her bow, she set off to hunt. Sometime later she had fishes, rabbits, birds, and a few squirrels.

Satisfied with her hunt she went first to her childhood home and dropped off a rabbit for her sister and mother, even though no one was home. Next, she went trading, first to the hob, then to the merchants. Everyone seemed so happy for her and congratulated her on her wedding.

It was around 3 in the afternoon when she arrived back at the bakery. Her father-in-law was happy when she handed him a nice fat goose.

"She's a keeper," he sang.

She smelled Peeta before she saw him.

"I've never seen my father so happy before." Peeta's arms were dusty from the flour and Katniss had a sudden urge to run her hands up and down his arms. She jammed her hands in her pockets. "My dad really likes you."

"I'm glad." Katniss hoped the warm sting of her flush could be attributed to the heat found in the bakery.

"So would you like for me to make dinner?"

Peeta washed his arms and Katniss noticed he turned the hot water and the cold-water handles. She became fascinated with the way he washed his hands and arms. She shook her head, by now Peeta was at a counter preparing to make something.

"Nope, I can make dinner." Katniss stopped moving, remembering the hot and cold tap. Shyly she asked, "Is it true you have hot water?"

"The water is always hot. The ovens heat the pipes."

"Even in the dead of winter?" This was surreal for her.

"Even in the dead of winter," Peeta affirmed.

At home they had water, but it was cold, and it needed to be heated up to take a warm bath. Many buckets have to be heated on the potbelly stove and poured into the tin bathtub. She glanced at Peeta, asking for permission.

Peeta chuckled, "Go enjoy."

She didn't even blink when she ran up the stairs. This was another thing that she could fully enjoy for the next thirty days. Hot water was a luxury.

She turned the tap of the bathtub and felt the warm water gushing into the bath. Within seconds she was sighing into the hot water. Normally she didn't do this. She was efficient, she scrubbed herself down quickly because often her sister and she shared a bath. This was decadent, she took a little longer scrubbing her limbs.

This wasn't something Katniss did but she promised herself she would do this at least once a week if not once a month. Getting dressed in clean clothes she began to cook. Soon the meal was done, she made sure River had a hearty meal to eat before he went to his place in the back. When she came upstairs she set the table, as she finished Peeta came upstairs. He was tired, but he ate quietly and yawned a few times.

Katniss could see the dark circles under Peeta's eyes as they washed dishes together. He wouldn't hear of her washing up after him. Peeta insisted on washing, but he was so tired she insisted on drying them.

"I wanted to thank you for the meal, I didn't know you could cook."

"When my mom got sick," her voice faded away remembering those lean days. "I learned."

"Normally my dad and I cook. My mom isn't the greatest cook."

"Really, what about all of that food?"

"Me and my dad." Peeta shrugged, passing her the pot.

"I didn't know that. Last night when you said you stayed up I thought it meant decorating you know the chairs and the tables and stuff."

He chuckled. "No, that was Delly and her family."

Katniss forced her opened mouth to close.

"How about I cook the next time?" Peeta gave her a quirky smile.

"You don't have to," Katniss began.

"No, I insist."

"Peeta."

He handed her the last plate. "Nope. I want us to have an equal partnership, I know you're used to taking care of people but I wonder who takes care of you?"

Katniss had no words.

"That's what I thought." He grinned before he yawned. "Next time I cook."

"Peeta at the end of the thirty days?" She blurted. She could feel the way her cheeks burned.

"We'll decide if this is good for both of us."

Katniss nodded.

"I know we're virtual strangers. We should take this time to get to know each other. Become friends."

Katniss couldn't argue with that.

Peeta yawned, scratched his head. He looked adorable with his blonde hair tousled. "I'm going to get ready for bed. I'm exhausted."

Peeta sauntered away. Katniss stood there watching him walk away with a spoon in her hand.

Katniss anticipated once more going to bed. In the morning the same thing happened again. In fact, as the week progressed, it happened over and over again. Each morning Katniss enjoyed waking up wrapped up in Peeta's arms. She loved smelling like him. She loved the way his breath felt on her neck. She loved staring at his long, nearly translucent eyelashes and she wondered how they never tangled.

Katniss also found talking to Peeta was nice. He was interesting, thoughtful, playful and she opened up little by little with him.

In the bakery, his father took on the task of showing her how the bakery worked. Katniss liked the quietness of the bakery. River often let her deal with the patrons. There were a few that held on to the old hatred, and when they tried to be rude or dismissive, River would quietly glare at them until they tightened their behavior. Katniss would always make sure River have nice hot meals. She'd noticed he didn't smell like Ripper's white liquor anymore.

The extra work at the bakery was good honest work. It gave Katniss something to do when she wasn't hunting. At home, her sister and her mother and sister were more independent and her efforts were never really appreciated.

During those days she and Peeta took turns cooking and cleaning. They divided the chores equally. It was nice to be able to share the workload and work as a team. At home, Katniss was in charge of the cooking, in charge of making sure things got done. Her mother and sister concentrated on healing people. Doing the most mundane things such as laundry on Friday night with Peeta was nice.

On Saturday she found her sister at home.

"Katniss," Prim squealed, giving Katniss a bear hug.

"Hey little duck," Katniss greeted, even though Prim was taller than her, and acted like a know-it-all-like her cat. "I haven't seen you since the wedding."

"I've been busy helping mom, and I've been helping out Vick at the school."

"Gale's baby brother?" Katniss turned up an eyebrow.

"Oh, my goodness you are glowing?" Prim turned the tables on Katniss. She came close to her and inspected her face. "I've never seen you like this before."

Katniss couldn't help the happiness she felt. She felt tingly all over. Waking up in Peeta's arms each morning was as great as eating a hearty bowl of stew on a chilly day.

"I'm assuming you spoke to Peeta and you guys are on the same page?"

Katniss busied herself with taking out the fish and goose she'd caught for her mother and sister. She took elaborate lengths to put them down on the table, as she tried to find the words to explain to her sister what was happening to her and the status of her relationship with Peeta. She opened and closed her mouth several times but nothing came out. This was a situation where she needed Peeta to speak for her. He was so much better at words and expressing himself.

"Katniss, are you trying to tell me you haven't spoken to him yet?" Her sister stood arms akimbo.

Katniss said in a high-pitched wimpy voice, "Well, sort of..."

"What do you mean, sort of?"

"We talked, but not about having-well you know," Katniss's face became hot as she recalled how she was secretly enjoying each and every morning she woke up with Peeta's arms wrapped around her.

"WHAT!"

Katniss had never seen her baby sister get mad. It was a sight to see, but she became red and her eyes narrowed. She gave her that legendary Everdeen scowl.

"Oh for crying in the mud," Prim said, stomping over to the medicine cabinet, much the way her cat would thump its paws when it angrily walked away. Prim took a couple of packets of her tea mixtures. "Here, boil a third of each package and drink the tea each morning without stopping."

Katniss sniffed the package and by its smell, she knew what they were used for. "I'm not having relations with Peeta."

"You may not be having 'relations,' as you call it right now with Peeta, but by the look of you, it won't be long." Prim held her hand up as she walked Katniss to the door. "Don't try to argue with me. I would rather you be safe than sorry since you're both not ready for kids. But you really should have a conversation with him in regard to your expectations of the relationship, and if after this trial period you want to separate, stay together in name only, or have a Toasting and make a go out of a real marriage. At least you'll be safe from an unwanted pregnancy."

Katniss stood outside looking at her front door wondering what just happened. She'd come here to drop off food, but she got scolded, medically diagnosed, and advised in the space of minutes. Looking at her hands she slipped the small packets in her pocket before heading back to the bakery. As she walked through the meadow her sister's words had a deep impact, what if Peeta wanted to separate at the end of the 30 days. They talked about getting to know the other, but what if they couldn't stand the other at the end. There were so many variables.

Katniss asked herself what she would do if that happened? She couldn't find an answer. She did know however then if Peeta did want to do a Toasting with her she wouldn't mind she was happy with him. The more she thought about a future with Peeta the better her mood became.

As for the other possibility of them having a Toasting right now that was as far away as the Moon. As she arrived at the bakery after selling her goods she noted how busy they all were. She washed up, went downstairs, and helped with little things like cleaning the dishes and making sure the surfaces were clean so that they didn't have to do that. She even served customers.

That night right before she fell asleep Peeta spoke to her. "Thank you for pitching in today. We were able to end the day earlier because of your help."

Katniss turned her head toward him, the pillow barricade was between them and she couldn't see his face. "You're welcome."

"I like this between us, being partners," Peeta yawned. "We make a good team."

"You think so?" Katniss asked though she was secretly thrilled to hear that he thought of them as a team.

He propped himself on his arm. "Yeah, I do." Peeta looked thoughtful. "Katniss," he stopped contemplating his words, then said, "I like that you take pride in your work. I like that you're willing to step in to help, despite hunting and trading all day. I like that you make my dad happy. I haven't seen him smile in so long. He enjoys teaching you."

"Your dad is nice to me," Katniss confessed. His father was sweet and funny, and he also was enthusiastic about his craft. He never put her down when she did something wrong, Lionel was always encouraging. She turned onto her stomach and propped her head on her hands. "I'll never be a master baker. But your dad makes the learning fun."

"I can't believe you both were laughing hysterically yesterday morning. I could hear you from upstairs."

"Your father was telling me the story of when you boys baked your first baked goods. Carlton added baking soda to the bread instead of yeast. Rye nearly burned down the bakery, and you-"

"There's no need to bring up my embarrassing cookie story."

"You made the rock-hard cookies. But you didn't want your brothers to make fun of you. So you sold them to the ice cream parlor to add to their ice cream and claimed you meant to make the cookies like that all along. They call it the Mellark special; your father informed me it's one of the most popular flavors in the summer."

Peeta gave her a mischievous look, "What I'm innocent."

"Really," Katniss said watching Peeta bat those translucent lashes at her.

"I still maintain that it was my intention to make those cookies hard so I can sell them to the ice cream shop."

"You lie like a rug."

"I actually do," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. "Right now I'm lying down, just like a rug."

They ended up giggling over his sassy answer.

"You know you're the little girl my dad always wanted."

"I am?" This came as a surprise. "But your brother Carlton is married."

"My brother's wife never had any interest in the bakery. Neither was Carlton or River. They never liked the bakery or the work that goes into running our family business."

"Were you upset that your brother didn't like the work?" Katniss was curious about the years before Carlton got married.

"To be honest, I knew my brothers were unhappy. As soon as Carlton met my sister-in-law he began splitting his time at her accounting business. River barely did the basics. My father and I have been doing the heavy lifting for a long time. Has Prim or your mother expected you to be a healer?"

Katniss thought about his question. "To be honest, no. I have no ability and they both know I love hunting. I get nervous around sick people. I'll help if I have to, but I hate it, and I have really bad bedside manners. I'm always scowling."

Peeta laughed.

"No seriously, people have been known to walk away if my sister or mother aren't home." Katniss wrinkled her face, "I'm not good with people. I don't know how my mother and sister do that stuff. Trust me you never want to see someone's insides or a woman give birth."

"But childbirth is the most natural and wonderful process," Peeta said.

Katniss missed the mischievous glint in his eyes. "Peeta you're a man you don't have to be there." She heard him snicker and saw his shoulders shake and she shot him a dirty look. "Why do I fall for your tricks?"

"You're a very passionate person," Peeta said. "However on a serious note, if I ever were to become a father, I would want to be there."

Katniss smiled at him before flipping onto her back. "You would be a wonderful father and I hope your children love the bakery as much as you do."

"I hope one of them does, like my father and I love it," Peeta said, sighing. He smiled widely and his eyes crinkled with happiness. "It's hard work and it's not easy. But I love making things with my hands and flexing this creative side of me. I have so many ideas for recipes."

Peeta yawned and also flopped onto his back.

Katniss was on her side staring at the pillow barricade when she quietly confessed, thinking Peeta was asleep. "I truly like working at the bakery. You're right, the work is hard but it's nice to be appreciated for more than just my hunting."

"Katniss," Peeta said sleepily.

Startled, her heart skipped a beat at the rough sound of his voice.

"I will never stop appreciating you."

Her smile was so wide her hands clutched the pillow. Katniss was happy she could help him in some small way. Back home with her mother and sister, she was always in the way and she didn't have the tolerance to deal with the sick.

However, here at the bakery, she was more. She wasn't in the way. And as she fell asleep she fervently hoped at the end of the thirty days they could continue together.