Sitting on a rock, I carefully burn up a pile of logs, going back to work as usual. The need for supplies, especially now, drives me to have to prepare wares to trade in town. I watch the flames, breathing in the smoke and and allowing myself the relaxation of the flames. I hear the crunching behind me and place my hands in the fire. 

"It's still so amazing to watch you do that," Peeta says behind me and I turn to look at him. He's propped up on a makeshift crutches, his left pant leg tied in a knot to make sure he doesn't trip. 

"You make plants appear from thin air and this amazes you?" I say and he shrugs, crutching the rest of the way over to me. "You're getting around pretty good, huh?"

"Yeah, it ain't too bad," He says. "Going down to the latrine is a bit of a pain, but that's just learning how to balance really. Once I'm healed up, probably a few months, I'll talk to Beetee."

"The Athenian who works on biomechanical stuff?" I ask and he nods. "He does good work."

"I mean, I don't plan on getting anything high end, but yeah, I'll probably look into replacing what I lost and getting back to my life," Peeta says,  "It's not that it's too hard to get around on crutches, but it'd be easier to get around the in the spaces like behind the bread counter or even through the market if I didn't have to use them." He stands beside me and looks down at me. "It'd also be a hell of a lot easier to dance without them."

"You do realize you are a long way from dancing again," I say softly and he nods. 

"Yeah, but I guess I'm just not quite ready to give up on us enjoying our youth together like we were," Peeta says and I carefully pass my hand through the flames, spinning shapes lazily. "That's what's so amazing about your gift."

"Why?" I ask and he sits down on the rock next to me. "You bend plants, twist leaves and branches to your will. "

"Plants and leaves can be guided with stakes and time," He says, "By anyone. But you, my dear, you take something so chaotic and destructive and can keep it under your whim, complete control." I cup my hand and pick up a flame, letting it dance in my palm.

"Try it," I say. He looks at me like I'm crazy.

"You don't think that I'm injured enough?" He asks and I carefully hold out my hand to him. 

"Just try it," I say, "Trust me." Peeta takes a deep breath and reaches his hand out , his fingertips just barely touching the fire. He makes a face and runs his hand through the fire, the flames licking at his skin, but not harming him..

"What the hell?" He says and I chuckle, closing my hand to extinguish the flame. 

"It's the soul bond," I say. "Our magic doesn't harm one another. In fact, it will even bend to the other's will." 

"I was not aware that it was a thing," Peeta says and I nod. 

"My mother, she used to make pictures in the flames with my father when they told bedtime stories," I say softly. "Horses and deer, flowers, they were so beautiful in the dark. Like the spirits from a hunt when they are released." I look down at my black skirt and fold my hands. Peeta reaches his hand over and gently touches my arm. 

"Have you ever made pictures yourself?" He asks and I shake my head, looking over the coals. 

"No, I never tried," I say. "After my father dies, the light, the healing fire, left my life. Making pretty things with it didn't seem necessary. Only making what I needed to support my family with." 

"You never tried?" Peeta says and I shake my head. "Do you want to?" I shrug and reach my hand into the flames again, pulling another handful towards me. Running my fingers across it, I pull strands of flame up, twisting them into a few vague shapes.

"What should I make?" I ask and he looks at the flames a bit before leaning over and picking up a crumpled dead leaf, He unfolds it, careful not to break, holding it up by the stem. 

"How about a Maple Leaf?" He asks and I think a moment, pulling up the flame a little and pulling out thick points and carefully forming spikes I hold out the lopsided leaf and he chuckles.

"It isn't as easy as it looks," I say. "Flames require a lot of focus, a good mental ground to control into specific shapes." Peeta lets a small laugh out and carefully reaches in and straightens the angles up a little. under his fingers, the flame in my palm becomes a leaf with pulsing veins flowing with in it. "How did you?" I look at Peeta and he chuckles.

"I draw and paint," He says, "A lot." I shake my head and close my hand.

"Do you now?" I say and he nods. 

"I learned how decorating the cakes in the bakery, and after making things with an icing bag, a fire is a piece of cake," He says and I shoot him a look. "Pun intended." 

"You're terrible," I say and Peeta grips onto my hand. 

"Anything to make you smile, Katniss," He says quietly, "After everything you've done for me, it's the least I can do to make you smile." I look at the tied off Pant leg and squeeze his hand.

"When will you be going into town?" I ask and he shakes his head. 

"I don't know," He says. "There's so many questions that I know I'm gonna be asked that I don't have the answer to yet. I know I don't want to live with my parent's again because honestly, who knows what all is gonna go down once I try to get her arrested."

"True," I say quietly and Peeta chuckles, holding onto my wrist.

"I also can't live in your mother's house forever," He says. 

"Then, what will you do?" I ask and he shrugs. 

"I don't know yet," Peeta says softly and I smile, standing up. 

"Do you think you could manage a mile or so on those crutches?" I ask and he shrugs. 

"I think so," Peeta says. "It may not be as fast as you, but I think I could get through the woods okay if the terrain isn't too rough. Why?" 

"I know a place you might be able to camp out for a while," I say, waving my hand over the fire to put it out. "Follow me." I start walking carefully to the west, making sure I keep a pace that will let Peeta keep up with me. 

"You aren't taking me out in the woods to off me are you, Fire Flower?" He asks and I chuckle.

"Now Peeta why would I do that with all the effort I put into saving your life?"  I ask and he shrugs, limping his way up the slight slope. I notice the mark out the corner of my eye and turn to him. "Do you see where we are headed yet?"He takes a few more steps up towards me and stops looking over the land. He squints a moment and then nods.

"Yeah, what is it?" He asks.

"An old water mill is what my father thought it was," I say. "It's old, but it's made of stone so it's pretty well held up." Peeta looks at it and then nods. 

"Does anybody live there?" He asks and I shake my head. 

"It was abandoned when my father came across it," I say. "No one new has moved in on it and even if they had, this is Everden land. They aren't welcome here seeing as I'm the only one of the Everdeens left who would need it." I start to walk towards it and Peeta grabs my hand.

"Why are you showing me this?" He asks. I blink at him and he chuckles. "You want me to live there?" 

"Only if you would want to," I say. "But if you want to disappear, even for a little bit, I'd say this is the place to do it." He lets go of my hand and follows me as I continue the short distance to the mill. Peeta looks it over and chuckles. 

"I never thought I'd ever lay eyes on a real life wheelhouse," He says quietly as he steps past me and towards the large , broken wooden wheel. "It's astounding. They usually don't survive, not this long." He runs his hand over the weathered wood and chuckles. "A little work and it might even be able to be operational again."

"You like it then?" I ask and he shakes his head, looking at me.

"You never cease to amaze me, Katniss Everdeen," He says, "I mean sure, it needs work, but it's a gorgeous little place, isn't it?"  I nod, walking to the door. Turning, I place my hand on the latch and open it. Turning to Peeta, I move my arm to invite him in.

"Come on, I'll show you the inside," I say softly and he carefully makes his way over the rocks to get to the door. "I know it is small."

"It's bigger than the house you live in," He says and I shrug. He looks around at the shuttered windows. "Though I can't really see it very well." I hold out my hand and let a small flame start to fill the room with light. He looks around and chuckles. "Hell there's even a bunch of furniture still here."

"Most of it will probably turn to dust when you touch it," I admit and he shakes his head. 

"It's better than nothing," Peeta says and I look over at him. 

"It's better than nothing," I admit, he looks around a little more and I just stand there, watching as he takes in the different elements of the ancient house. I carefully move over and sit down on a stool in the corner, playing with the flame and trying to make a picture again. I make a few different blobs and even a rather basic flower as I sit there, passing the fire from hand to hand. Peeta steps over to me and covers my hand.

"Come here with me," He says and I look up at him.

"What?" I ask. He smiles and reaches forward, pushing my hair from my face. 

"If I were to come here to stay for a while, would you come here with me?" Peeta asks and I look at our joined hands. 

"We aren't married," I say and he chuckles

"Do we have to be?" Peeta asks and I look up at him. 

"I would like to be, yeah," I say 

"Katniss, you realize that the who ceremony is meant to forge bonds that don't already exist," Peeta says and I sigh. "Ours does." 

"I know," I say. "Nut this is all moving rather quickly. I thought you wanted to wait until I figured out where I was going in my life before we worried about romance." 

"Well, yeah," He says. "But I guess, I'm standing here, alive because that bond saved my life and I don't want to go back now that I know what it feels like."  I look at our joined hands and stand up. 

"You aren't gonna get any more out of me than hugs and kisses, not until things are settled," I say, "You know that right?" 

"You know I've told you before but I'll say it again, just for old times sake," Peeta says, "You, my dear sweet Lady Everdeen are dealing with a gentleman. I wouldn't expect any more affection than you would offer me." I look up at him and kiss his cheek. 

"I'll think about it," I say. "Is that a good enough answer right now?" He chuckles and nods, wrapping his arms around me.