The sun is unseasonably warm as I sit under the trees behind the stone house. I'm working on sewing the hem of one of my old dresses and turning it into a sort of sundress instead of a thick, outdated gown that  makes me feel like I'm burning alive. Granted, it goes a little outside the Hestian dress code, but I'm not going to let that stop me from being able to not stink like sweaty meat. I hold it up and sigh. A little crooked, but it will work. I look around the trees and sigh. 

Peeta still hasn't come back from washing up down river. I know he's dragging his foot, trying to avoid going into town with me. I told him he's going. To be completely honest, he's probably still terrified that something worse would happen all over again.Which is exactly why I plan to have my hunting knife tucked in my boot as always. I get up and look around before sighing and going inside. 

I shuck off my dirty clothes and lay them in the corner of the bedroom. I I look over my shoulder, down the stairs to make that Peeta for sure hadn't come in before carefully sliding out of my underclothes and shivering at the cold of the air. I grab fresh ones and carefully pull them on before pulling the dress over me. It barely reaches my knees and is ruffled a little so it doesn't look so stiff. I turn around and see Peeta looking up at me.

"What do you think you're doing?" I ask and he shrugs. 

"Enjoying the view," he says and I shake my head, walking down the stairs. 

"You're a perv, you know that?" I say as I walk past him, running my fingers over the duck eggs, making sure they are still warm. "Are you ready to go?" He groans and I shoot him a look. 

"I really don't think that it's a very good idea," he says and I stare at him. 

"Peeta Mellark, like it or not, you are going to face your demons today," I say, "You have nothing to be ashamed of. You are still the same person." I stand alone by the door and he sighs. 

"I just don't want to worry about the questions," he  says and I look at the ground. I reach in my boot and pull out my knife. 

"You're hanging with the Hestians of the Forest of Broken Trees now, I say. "It's every man for himself until we cross that border. Once we do, we protect the other outcasts. People want to ask questions, the knife in sight will shut them up. Clearly, we don't want people in our business and we are willing to fight to keep them out of it." Peeta glances at the knife and I put it back in my boot.  

"You are an angry one, aren't you?" He says and I shrug. 

"I'm just saying, don't worry about being asked questions," I say softly. "I won't allow it to deter us from our mission." 

"Which is?" Peeta asks and I grab my game bag. 

"Make our trades with the baker, and then after some light chit chat, we head home," I say and I walk out. I hear the click of the crutches across the floor as Peeta follows me and closes the door. 

"You wouldn't really threaten my father, would you?" he asks and I shake my head. 

"Not him, but I always keep that knife on me in case we run into trouble," I reply, strolling casually up the riverbed to the crossing point, where we cross the shallow sand bar. The path to the village is long but fairly gentle as we walk through the trees. 

"Are you sure that you would want to leave here?" Peeta eventually asks and I look at him, shrugging.

"I don't know, " I admit. "It depends on how our lives go, I guess. What we want in the future."

"More importantly, how you want to live your life," He reminds me and I look over at him.

"Now boy, I know we aren't together in that way, but the gods do seem to have our fates woven together at some point, so maybe you shouldn't be the one to sacrifice everything all the time. Some of my life has to give too," I reply and Peeta chuckles and looks over at me. 

"We already started making the house our own, so why not stay here permanently?" Peeta asks and I look at him. 

"Well, you are moving gin the right direction to get an answer out of me so," I shrug and he laughs. 

We keep going, further and further until we get to the border. Darius looks up at us and his eyes get wide as he sees Peeta propped up on crutches.

"Where on Gaia have you been, Peeta?" he asks and I shoot him a look. 

"With me, though I don't see how that is any of your business," I reply. "Can you just check us in and let us go to trade." Darius looks us over and then sighs. 

"You know the drill, Everdeen," he says and I hold out my hand letting the cool red flame dance on my palm. I glance at Peeta to see him growing up a vine of poison ivy. "Don't cause trouble." I walk the gate with Peeta following me. I glance at Darius as his dumbfounded face looks over the missing leg, having before thought he was just holding it up from an injury. I shoot him a stern look that communicates that he absolutely shouldn't speak and he nods.

"That was fairly easy to get through, no questions asked," Peeta says and I glance at him. 

"The peacekeepers are in my pockets," I reply. "I pay them every time I pass back into the forest, so they don't tend to give me much hassle." I walk forward into the light and look back at him. "It's going to be okay. He's going to be happy to see you."

"I left without saying goodbye," he says quietly and I shake my head. 

"He just wants you home," I reply. "To see for himself that you are safe." Peeta glances at me and nods, following me across the little meadow that leads to the village. I feel eyes on us, but I refuse to let them weigh us down. I keep my head held high and I keep my eyes on him. He follows carefully and I look towards the little bakery on the edge of the street. We stop about ten feet away and Peeta just stares at the sign with his father's name painted on it. 

"I painted that sign," He says softly . I smile and nod.

"I always thought it was so beautiful," I reply and he just stands there, shaking his head. 

"It doesn't even feel the same," he says. "This doesn't feel like coming home after the last time I was here."

"Take your time," I say and he finally takes a few step forward, into view of the window. Mr. Mellark is at the counter with one of the brothers and he looks up, his face going pale as though he'd seen a ghost. He walks to the door and opens it, his son following him.

"Peeta?" He asks, his voice barely audible. Peeta's older brother just stands there on the steps as Mr. Mellark walks down and stands in front of us.

"Father," Peeta replies and I glance at him. "I'm sorry, I ran away." His father comes forward and hugs him tight. Peeta stands still a moment before slowly returning the hug as best he could. "I'm so sorry I worried you." 

"It's okay," He says. "You got hurt because I couldn't protect you from your mother. I should have stopped it."

"It isn't your fault, Father," Peeta says pulling away. "You aren't the one beating me with a rolling pin  or cut me with a butcher knife." His father looks him over and then looks at me.

"You only said he got hurt!" He says. "He's missing his leg, Katniss." I keep my face straight as I walk towards him and cross my arms.

"Your wife cut into his leg with a meat cleaver under your roof!" I say. "As far as I was concerned,  any information that I gave you was a pleasantry." Peeta glances at me and sighs.

"I asked her not to talk to anyone, Father," he says quietly. "I really didn't want anything bothering the people who live in the Broken Woods.Because what happened to me, it happened her where supposedly, people are civilized. Which is odd considering the only compassion I seem to get is from the Hestians who live out there." I glance at Peeta and shake my head.

"Don't be so harsh with him, Peeta," I remind and he nods, looking at his father again.

"Are you coming home?" Mr. Mellark asks and Peeta shakes his head. 

"NO, Katniss and I have a house in the woods that we are fixing up," He says. "I ask that you please don't invade our privacy until what needs to be done is done."  Peeta's brother looks up and suddenly speaks. 

"Uh, guys, sorry to break up the little powwow here," He says. "But I think trouble is coming>" I look in the direction he points and see the storm I had brought a knife in preparation for.

Ella Mellark.