Katniss

Peeta and I slowly make our way across the moonlit street, the last of our belongings strapped to our back and Daphne tucked tight to her father's chest.  I carefully guide my family through the shadows of the miners seam, the only light coming from the cold silver moon above us. Tonight, we have decided to make our break for it.

"How much further to the hole?" Peeta whispers. I nod my head to just ahead of us.

"In that shack's shadow," I reply. "I'll slip through first. Just hand me Daphne and our packs through there and then follow." He nods and grabs my hand just as I'm about to dart out. "What?" He reaches down and kisses me softly.

"Just wanted to wish you good luck," he says and I nod.

"See you on the other side," I whisper. I dart for the shadow and slide beneath the damaged fence carefully. Peeta pushes my pack after me, then his, and finally Daphne, who stirs slightly as I pull her up.  I gently lay her down against the packs as I push out the fence to make it wide enough for Peeta to squeeze through. I'm afraid for a moment that his large frame won't fit through the narrow opening made by the damaged fence, but with effort on both our parts, the interwoven wire of the fence gives enough to allow Peeta to join me on the safety of the soft leaf litter on the forest floor. We are booth breathing heavily as we look at each other and I stand and grab my pack before I'm forced to comment on the look of fear in my eyes.

"How much farther is the house?" Peeta asks quietly. I glance at him a moment before ducking into the shelter of the trees.

"I don't know, but not too far," I say. "But far enough no one to find us, hopefully." I trudge up the winding deer path. I hear Peeta's trudging footsteps behind me and I cringe a little at the sound, used to the silence of my hunts. However, it is also assuring to know my family is with me, protected from the harsh reality of the District life.

We reach the stone house and Peeta gasps. I look at him sternly. "I told you it wasn't much. Especially compared to the soft life we've known."

"It's a roof over Daphne's head away from District 12," he says. "It's better than nothing." He carries Daphne inside and after a moment of of hesitation, I follow him.

"There's a bed behind that door to the right," I say softly. "Just lay Daphne in there. I'll go fetch some water." I drop my things and grab a pail from the table, walking out of the house without another word. I walk out into the forest again and travel down to the ravine by the lake. I look out at it a moment before sitting down on a rock and sighing. I had dreamed for years that this would be more than a dream. That I would escape to these woods. I just hadn't expected to not be alone.

"What is it?" Peeta asks asks and I turn around before looking back out at the  moonlit lake. "You're acting weird. You were so eager to come here, chatting my ear off about it. Now you're acting like when we were first married. Quiet, and stand offish." I glance at him and shrug.

"I just, I thought I would feel different, Peeta," I say. "I thought that there would be a sense of freedom, but I still feel like I can't breathe. Like we don't have the faintest idea of this horrible mistake we are making." There's a rustling sound as Peeta sits on the ground next to me and he gently pushes my tangled hair away from my face.

"We did this because it was the only way our daughter would be safe," He says.

"I know that," I reply. "But still, how safe do you think we would really be out here?" I look at him and he looks at me.

"Safer than we were," He says. "We have each other, and Daphne. That's all that matters."

"But what happens now?" I ask. "I feel like we didn't think any further than that." Peeta places his hand beneath my chin, making me look at him.

"Its gonna be okay, Katniss," He says softly. "I promise." I meet his blue eyes and feel something flutter in my chest a moment. I try to look away but I can't.

"You mean it?" I ask.

"I promise," he repeats, cupping my cheek and kissing me gently. I find myself returning it and I wrap my arms around his neck. I feel his arms pulling me closer to him and I know something about this moment is different from the little pecks we've shared for so long. Something about being so desperate to run away like this has me fercely attracted to the savior who has so lovingly cared for me, who has held him practically at arm's length for these years we've been married.

A clap of thunder rings out and rain starts to fall, drenching us quickly in the warm summer rain, breaking us away from each other. "Come on, we better get inside. The pail will fill with rain and we can get it tomorrow," Peeta says and I follow him back out of the ravine and we walk inside the shack. It shutters under another rumble of thunder and I just barely catch a glimpse of Peeta as he comes back from checking on Daphne.

"She's still asleep?" I ask.

"Yeah," Peeta says. "She's tucked in tight." We stand there, looking at one another in the dark room, not sure what to say after the exchange in the woods. I stand there a moment, contemplating whether my next move is going to be what I think in my head or what my heart is telling me I want to do right now. I slowly walk across the small room and stop in front of Peeta. He shifts his weight a little and I grab his hand, turning to lead him towards the back room, where we will sleep. Neather of us say a word as I swing the door shut behind us. I lean against the warn wood and look a moment at the little ring on my finger. A symbol of the union that had been made that fateful day. I reach for it and pull it off my finger, throwing it on the ground and crushing the cheap thing with my boot.

"Why did you do that?" Peeta asks. I walk over to him, removing my light over shirt and playing with the silver feather of my necklace.

"That life is over," I say quietly. "I want every speck of the memory rewritten. I consider this to be as important and as much a symbol of our love as any ring could be." Peeta seems to understand what I'm saying and he gently lifts my chin to look at him.

"Our love?" He asks and I nod.

"I want to know what love feels like," I say. "I've only known fear of the kind of love you've tried to show me but never act on." I reach up and touch his cheek, tracing his jaw with a finger. "I'm so tired of being afraid, Peeta." In the darkness, where we can barely see one another except for the faint flashes of light from the storm outside. But I see Peeta's sweet smile shinning above me.

"I think we can figure out a way to do that," He whispers, kissing me softly. I lay my hand on his chest, slowly unbuttoning his shirt. He shrugs off the soggy fabric and wraps his arms around my cold body. He kisses me softly as he pushes the undershirt off my shoulders and kisses my neck softly as he pushes my pants down my shaking legs. "Its okay, Katniss."

"I know," I whisper. "But its still nerve racking to have you pressed against me like this." Peeta stands up, leaving me shivering in my underwear. He takes my arms and places them around his neck, lifting me gently and laying me on the cot in the corner. He lays down next to me and gently runs his fingers over the bare parts of my skin. I close my eyes a moment, relishing his gentle touch. I feel his lips on my collar bone as he gently moves over my body. Holding his weight above me, he removes the rest of his clothing and I remove my bra. I sit up to take off my underwear, in a hurry to lay back and get to frightening part but Peeta lays me back again.

"Don't rush it," he says softly. "Just relax and let me take care of you." He kisses me gently and I keep my hand in his as he slowly kisses down my body. He lays his other hand on one of my breasts and gently squeezes me. I whimper but he gently squeezes my hand and I just take a deep breath and try to relax as he said. His soft caresses seems to do just that as my breathing evens and Peeta chuckles. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah," I say softly.

"I'm gonna touch you now," he says and I'm confused for a moment until he hooks his fingers into my panties and removes them. He rubs my legs a moment before I feel him touch me. I squirm a little but I don't try to stop him. I know the jist of what hes doing, but that doesn't mean I have any personal experience with the matter. He brushes against a certain spot and I jump a little.

"Right there," I moan out, surprising myself. "Stay there." Peeta abliges, gently rubbing over the spot again and again until I feel a wetness coating the inside of my legs. He moves to sit between my legs and I feel a didget slip into me as his tongue continues to stimulate the tender area. The bottom half of my body seems to come alive and I feel a release wash over my tense body. I let out a mewling sound and my legs fall limp on either side of Peeta. I catch my breath as Peeta moves back over me. I feel his member pressed against my entrance and I kiss him as he pushes into me.

This is how we were meant to have been. Not that senseless breeding like some kind of livestock, but making love to one another, our hearts full of love beating in time to one another as we press together. We continue this through the storm, both finding release and panting as we lay on our backs beside one another. One of the warm blankets is pulled over me and I feel Peeta's arm slung over my body, his face burried in the crook of my neck. I run my fingers through his hair and kiss his forehead.

"I love you so much, Katniss," He murmers against my neck. I smile and sigh.

"I love you too, Peeta," I whisper in his ear. "I love you too." I still don't know what the future holds, but I fall asleep knowning that little by little, Peeta will break the bonds that fear of the Capital has had on me for so long.