Just a warning, there is a bit of language in this chapter. Not too bad but the f-bomb is dropped once.

You try to breathe, you try to save it

But it marks your skin, until they break it

Well could you call when

They're taking all that you left for me

-Where Love Went Wrong (Augustana)

~ ⁂ ~

The mines were closed for the next week to allow time for the injured to heal and the mines to be repaired. I spent as much time as I could at the Hawthorne's but Rory's looks kept that time shorter than Gale would have liked. Hazelle kept telling me that he would come around but Rory was proving to be better at holding a grudge than Gale ever was.

Compared to the other miner's injuries, Gale's bruises and cuts made him look more like he had gotten into a tussle with someone than been caught in a mine collapse. There was one cut on his forehead that looked bad and Posy liked to tell me stories about how he had gotten it, each one getting more extreme and ridiculous than the last. Gale would just roll his eyes at her before she moved on to try braiding his hair.

I left earlier on the third day after the accident than I had the days before and Gale followed me out the door. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and turned to walk home when he grabbed me by the wrist. "You don't have to go now. You know that right? You could stay for dinner."

I shook my head. "I couldn't impose."

Gale laughed. "I've had the past three mornings to hunt. It wouldn't be an imposition. Besides, Posy's been asking when you were going to stay."

"I wouldn't feel-"

Gale sighed, releasing my wrist. "Don't let Rory get to you. He doesn't mean to glare. He's just having a hard time adjusting to everything that's changing. Besides, he doesn't know what to do with all the attention Prim is giving him now and he needs somewhere to release the confusion. You started the changes so you're the perfect target to him."

"He hates me."

"He doesn't hate you. He just hasn't been able to forgive you for what you said before. That's mostly my fault. I went off on this huge rant after the interview that I probably should have kept to myself. If you want I'll talk to him but please, stay for dinner?" He looked so pitiful that I had to agree.

"But I'm bringing bread."

~ ⁂ ~

I walked Gale home after he had surprised me, bringing some sweet syrup he had traded beaver for at the Hob to drizzle over some of the new snow that had come in the sudden storm. We had sat on the porch swing that we had fallen asleep on, a moment that seemed like it had happened years rather than months before, sharing the snow from the bowl. The sun was beginning to set when we had finished and Gale needed to get home so his mother wouldn't worry. "It's almost like she forgets that I'm an adult now. But I do understand where she's coming from." I had laughed at his statement and took his hand in mine.

The Square was covered in a fine layer of snow and the lights twinkled on in the windows of the houses that lined the edges. Some Peacekeepers were standing in a corner, laughing to themselves. Gale let go of my hand and walked a few steps away. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him stoop to the ground and scoop some snow up in his hands, packing it together. When he turned and threw it at me I let out a squeal, surprising even myself with the sound. Gale ran over and picked me up by the waist, spinning me in a circle before setting me down and giving me a peck on the lips. I giggled as I stuffed some snow down the back of his shirt and he did a sort of a dance to try to get it out.

A loud laugh from one of the Peacekeepers turned my attention towards the group and one yelled out, "Giving it to customers for free now Everdeen?"

My face flushed and I could see Gale stiffen as he stopped his dance and he turned his head to yell over his shoulder, "That's no way to talk to a lady."

The Peacekeeper laughed, "She's no lady, unless the definition of lady is someone who spreads her legs for anyone who's willing to pay. But in my experience that type of person is commonly called a whore. Never heard them called a lady."

Gale let go of my waist and turned to the Peacekeeper. "And what makes you think you have any right to say that about her?"

The Peacekeeper's smirk could be heard in his voice, "My cousin in the Capitol. He said he'd seen her around with Odair, the both of them always disappearing into the brothels and such. Either she's screwing Odair or getting paid for her," He paused and licked his lips, leering at me, "services."

Gale clenched his fists and moved towards the Peacekeepers. I grabbed his wrist to stop him from running forward, quietly mumbling "Gale forget it."

He shook his wrist free, speaking around clenched teeth "I'm not gonna 'forget it', Katniss. I don't care who they are. No one should be able to talk to another human being like that."

I hunched my shoulders and whispered, "Even if it's true?"

I could hear his sharp intake of breath. "What?"

I opened my mouth to explain, to try to take away the lewdness of the Peacekeepers words, but before I could get a word out Gale spun on me. "That's why you run away to the Capitol every month? So you can go and fuck the rich men willing to pay for you? What about this?" He gestured between the two of us, "Were you planning to take me behind the slag heap, screw me against a wall? You know I can't pay you."

I shook my head. "No. I never wanted money."

He cut me off. "You never wanted money? I don't need someone like you to give me a pity lay. I'm capable of finding my own. I thought you were different than that Katniss. I thought you didn't care about things like that." I heard some doors opening, the snow starting to glisten from other light sources than the moon and the windows.

I shook my head, breathed his name "Gale."

He didn't hear me over his own talking. "And what about your mother and Prim, Katniss? Do they know what you do in the Capitol? I bet they love it when you go, revel in the extra money you bring home. Do they help you-?"

The crack of my hand hitting his face filled the square as it cut off his sentence. His cheek grew redder as I felt the anger fill me. I spoke my next words in a low voice. "Don't you dare bring my sister into this Gale Hawthorne."

He let out a half-crazy laugh, "You're worse than the women who line up outside Cray's door. At least they need the money." He spat to his left before turning away from me and stalking off in the direction of the Seam.

I felt my hands shake as the anger left me and the emptiness from earlier came crawling back into me, prying its way into my heart with its icy fingers. I glanced around the square and saw some curious faces peering out of their store windows, some parents even turning their children forcefully away from the windows, no doubt trying to shield them from the Seam whore standing in the center of their Square.

I turned back towards Victor's Village, trying to ignore the catcalls the Peacekeepers were sending after me. My eyes were teary and my nose was starting to run but I managed to convince myself that it was because of the cold. I knew I couldn't go home and face my mother or Prim without being asked a bunch of questions so I stumbled into Haymitch's house, startling him with a bottle halfway to his lips.

He looked from me, back to the door and then to me again. He laughed, "You're crying Sweetheart."

I shook my head and scowled at him. "It's from the cold."

He gave me a pointed look, like he was trying to tell me that he didn't believe me, and I just glared back at him, daring him to tell me that I was lying. He shrugged and just stated, "Didn't feel all that cold to me."

I sat down at the table opposite him. He raised the bottle to his lips, taking a long swig while I watched. "I need some of that."

He chocked a bit as he slowly lowered the bottle, looking at me through hooded eyes. "Excuse me?"

I motioned towards the bottle. "It helps you doesn't it?"

He shrugged, closing an eye to peer inside the neck of the bottle. "I suppose."

"Exactly why I need some. I need help."

He shook his head slowly, "I don't think that's a good idea."

I held my hand out. "Either you give it to me or I take it from you." He looked at me skeptically as I repeated my earlier sentence. "I need some of that."

He looked inside the bottle again before sighing and handing it over to me. I took the neck in my hands and took a large swig, coughing as the liquor burned its way down my throat. I poured more down my throat before handing it back to Haymitch. He laughed as I made another face.

"Easy there Sweetheart. You have to get used to it."

I scowled at him and reached for the bottle again. He pulled it back out of my reach. "Get your own. It's in the cupboard all the way to the left."

I stood up and opened the cupboard he had pointed out, laughing a bit at the many bottles that lined the shelves. "Storing up for a shortage, Haymitch?"

He shrugged. "You never know."

~ ⁂ ~

Haymitch was passed out at his table when I stumbled out the door of his house. I could see the lights on inside my house across the street. I knew that if I went in there like this even more questions would be asked and I wouldn't be able to escape with a short answer. Instead I turned back towards the town intending to make my way into the woods.

I stumbled a few times on loose stones peeking through the melting snow and by the time I reached the Square I was in hysterics from my attempts at walking. I knew I wouldn't be able to make it all the way to the fence so I sat down in front of a tree and started humming the tune to a drinking song I had heard my father singing once when I was really little until my mother had scolded him, saying that he was teaching me bad habits.

Some of the lights around the Square were turning off, the younger children being put to bed. The door of the building in front of me opened up, the light spreading out onto the rocky ground below it. I let out a loud laugh as black trash bags came out the door, followed closely by Peeta. Where exactly I was sitting hit me and I had to laugh as I was reminded of my eleven-year-old self accepting her fate beneath this same tree.

Peeta looked over at the tree when I laughed and walked over after setting the bags by the door. I resumed humming my song, louder this time. He squatted down in front of me, "Katniss?"

I paused my humming to repeat his name in the same questioning tone before starting to sing in a loud voice.

Peeta glanced around before putting his hand over my mouth to muffle the words. "Okay, Katniss. That's enough."

I bit his hand and had to smile to myself when he pulled his hand back to glance at his palm. I hadn't bit him hard enough to draw blood but I could still see the teeth marks. I leaned in while he was examining is palm, one thought on my mind. I owed Peeta Mellark a debt and I knew he would never let me pay him in money. The Capitol considered it an appropriate form of payment and who would say no to the Capitol?

When Peeta looked back up from his palm he made a muffled oomph as my lips collided with his. It was sloppy and I laughed as my teeth hit his. Peeta pushed me back with his hands on my shoulders and gasped out, "What're you doing?"

I didn't reply instead moved my hands down to his belt and began undoing it. Peeta grabbed my hands and pulled them away laughing nervously. When he spoke again his voice was more serious. "Katniss. You're drunk. Let me take you home."

I shook my head, feeling my cheeks flush pink in embarrassment.

Peeta stood up and moved away, buckling his belt. "At least come inside. I'll make you same tea, warm you up a bit?"

He offered his hand to help me up but I pushed it away, grabbing the tree and pulling myself up. "See. I got it."

I stumbled on the way towards the door and Peeta ended up wrapping his arm around my waist to prevent me from falling. The slight step up through the door posed a problem to me as my foot didn't want to get up high enough to make it over. Peeta helped me keep my balance as I stumbled through and I suddenly started laughing loudly again. Peeta shushed me looking around franticly as he deposited me at the table.

He filled up a small glass from the tap and put it in front of me. "Drink this and be quiet."

I lifted the glass to my lips and sputtered when the cold water hit my tongue. "You promised me tea. This isn't tea."

Peeta shook his head. "Shh. I'll make the tea. Just don't talk please."

I took another sip and cringed when the water hit my teeth. A few minutes later when Peeta put the tea cup in front of me I knew there was something that I wanted to say but I couldn't remember what it was. I took a sip of the tea and giggled before loudly whispering, "You make awful tea."

Peeta shook his head, a slight smile on his lips. "Your whisper isn't much better than just talking."

He let me finish my tea which didn't taste too horrible near the end before standing up and saying that he should get me home. I felt a panic rise up in me and I pushed back my chair, trying to remember that I needed to keep quiet. "No. Please don't take me home. I can't go home. I can't... I just, please don't."

Peeta looked at me and opened his mouth, most likely to tell me that he had to take me home but I interrupted him. "Please promise you won't take me."

It seemed like Peeta wanted to argue but I begged him again.

"Fine. I won't take you home."

I squealed, quietly, jumping up and giving him a hug. "Thank you Peeta!"

I felt him nod and my eyes started to droop, a combination of the tea and the warmth inside the building. "Don't leave me Peeta."

I was almost asleep when I heard him whisper a word that got lost in my hair.

~ ⁂ ~

It was still dark outside when I was jolted awake. Peeta was looming over me, shaking my shoulder. "I have to get you home before my mom gets up."

I sat up quickly, regretting it when the pounding in my head increased. I moaned and put the heels of my hands onto my eyelids, trying to alleviate the pressure. I was confused as to why I was on the Mellark's couch until the details of last night came back to me and my cheeks flushed pink as I remembered the kiss.

Peeta handed me another glass of water to clean the sandpaper feel out of my mouth while he put my shoes back on my feet.

The walk back to Victor's Village was awkward but Peeta refused to allow me to walk alone because "you never know who could be hanging about this time of night."

When we reached my door we said an awkward goodbye and Peeta started to walk away before I called for him to stop. "Listen, about last night-"

He waved me off. "It's all forgotten, Katniss."

"If there's anything I could do to make it up to you-"

He shook his head. "It's fine."

I gave him a small smile and watched until he was to the end of the street before opening my door and walking into my house. It surprised me when my mom was sitting in one of the chairs looking like she had just woken up. When she saw me walk in she jumped up looking like she was ready to scold me.

I'm not sure what came over me, if it was the after effects of the drinks last night or if the fight with Gale and I had finally hit home, but tears suddenly filled my eyes and my bottom lip trembled. My mother clucked her tongue and enveloped me in her arms sighing, "Oh, Katniss."

The tears started to spill down my cheeks and all the secrets that I had kept from my mother for the past five years started to come out. I told her everything and when I was finally done the sun was coming up. My mother wiped my cheeks off with a cool, damp towel and tucked me into my bed upstairs telling me to rest. As sleep started to envelop me again I felt for the first time that I could possibly have an ally to help me through.

~ ⁂ ~

A/N: It's only been a month! Actually less than that. So, some of you may be upset with the way this chapter went but don't give up hope. There's still some surprises that I have planned. Nothing is set in stone yet. The next chapter has been started and I'm hoping that it'll be done quickly but I have to start packing a years worth of clothes and I really detest packing so I'll see. Thanks to everyone for the reviews and follows last chapter.