✰♥ Kelly :) ♥✰

I wrote a thing

Summary:

When the night falls and the season begins, debutantes around the world search for a suitor. A wallflower brags about her lack of male attention igniting an unlucky match. After years of avoiding marital traps Lady Everdeen and Lord Mellark fall victim to the desire to help others and when they are caught in a compromising situation, sacrifices must be made to protect the one person they each never intended to meet.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14127451/1/

She stopped moving. Her breathing turned shallow as she imagined how it would look if one of the poor workers had stumbled in on her.

She twisted her head as the stranger spoke. "I wouldn't usually recommend pushing my assets into the view of passerby's, but I suppose you've gotten yourself into a bit of a pickle".

A shiver scurried across her skin as the warm voice reminded her of her state of dress. Katniss wasn't ashamed to be half-dressed as she'd changed with Primrose in the room before, but this was different. How embarrassing was she, to not even shut the door? "You wouldn't know that half of it" she grumbled catching a glimpse of tapered black trousers. Formal. Definitely a guest. Her heart sank. It was guaranteed that she'd leave tonight with an earful.

Updated the everlark fic from 2018.

Summary: Katniss lives in her own world that no-one understands. The shunned "idiot girl" yearns to be accepted but her loyalty & forgiveness make her weak. Peeta Mellark is horrified by the secrets his younger step-brother has which unites the two. Tormented he fulfills the role he never thought he could & together, the mute girl & the explorer, discover the truth between love & loyalty.

Chapter 3 preview

Peeta's pov

I squint at the shrubbery, my eyes searching for those wisps of black hair. I don't dare move and my body shakes slightly as I struggle to hold my breath lest I frighten the little thing. I step forward, keeping one foot on the Odair's porch, not daring to move it in case it creeks. The thickness of the greenery makes even the biggest things easy to conceal, and I've never had the best eyesight.

The bushes sway gently and I think it must be the wind until I hear a soft panting. It sounds just slightly further away. I step off of the porch and see a flash of white. The girl burst from the foliage, her head down as she quickly stumbles away.

"I won't hurt you Katniss!", I call out, hesitating over whether I should follow her or not. The poor thing would likely only cower more. "Please. You don't have to be afraid of me".

Instead of finding solace in my words, her small form seems to move faster, like a deer making a last pounce at freedom. She disappears behind the dense trees that line the garden, and the lack of light only aids her escape. "Damn it".

I debate going after her. Alone in the woods is no safer than being preyed on by an older man, but perhaps comfort from another man will only scare her more. Unless she thinks, I'm Gale? That would make her quick escape more plausible. No-one would want to be near someone they feared to have taken advantage of them in the first place. Goodness, if true, perhaps she believes he's - I'm - here to finish the job. My heart aches for the young girl. Even though it's not true, I wasn't there that night so how could I protect her from something only she'll ever experience.

I step back on the steps and continue up the porch.

If I did catch up to her how could I make her understand that my intentions are pure? She's been through enough struggles even before meeting Gale, and who's to say she believes that it won't happen again. In her state, I doubt she could fully comprehend what happened or why. Maybe she blames herself as he did. I frown at the thought.

I rap on the door, louder than I intended to. It's hardly polite but all I can think about right now is returning to Gale, horsewhip in hand, to give him another beating.

Summary:

Peeta Mellark knew he was doing the right thing. Quitting - leaving her - was only natural. Being a personal assistant to the archeress was never a dream of his, so why wait any longer to end it? He could move on and forget about her.

But what do you say to the woman whose only regret, was having you leave?

Fanfiction

Preview:

Peeta’s pov

I'm going to murder her.

One day.

One day, years after I've quit, I'll silence that pretty little mouth of hers.

No-one would suspect me and I'd be free from her disrespect.

For the third time today, I grumble "Katniss", under my breath. A warning to myself as I once again count to ten to quell the annoyance within me. I know better than to raise my voice. She's so attuned to sound you could cough three blocks away and she'd hear the water droplets hit the counter - or at least that's how it feels.

The only reaction I seem to get from her is the infamous scowl or the "looking twice in my direction as if to check if I had the audacity to disrupt her peace". To be honest, that's led to more than our fair share of fights, and I say 'our' because she hates taking responsibility for anything. She's never to blame. Whenever her face would scrunch up or her eyes would turn to slits I'd bite my tongue like an admonished child would, to refrain from saying all the impolite things I've wanted to over the years.

The lady in question makes a growl behind her second bowl of fish stew and wild greens. She swirls the spoon, scraping it along the sides of the bowl as she does. "You heard me the first time. Cancel it. Soon."

Of course, I know she's right. I hear everything the first time around but I know it rattles her to have to repeat herself.

It seems selfish, to care about someone yet want to ignore their requests - well demands in her case.

She hums lowly at my lack of response and glances up at me. She forces a fake smile but it drops within seconds. "I don't care what you have to tell them. I want them off my back. Come up with something and get it done now".

Standing at the opposite end of the table, I put my hand behind my back and lift my middle finger. A silent protest. Or it would be if she didn't conveniently have a mirror behind me and a few inches off to my left.

She ignores my slight, in the same way, that I ignored her tone of voice. I know from experience that she just wanted me to do as I was told. It was an order, not a discussion. That's how it always is.

I just need to deal with it.

When I'd first began working for the two-time national archer of the year, I'd dreaded having to do her dirty work. It wasn't because it was hard work, it's well known that I'm capable of convincing people to bet on her and support her throughout her games, and yet, there were some things I've never enjoyed. Mainly haggling with people, including those far poorer than her, for the money they wasted betting against her. I'd reject interviews on her behalf, prepare training sessions weeks in advance only to find out she'd trained whilst I was asleep and I've been covered in questionable bodily fluids because I'd work up a sweat in the kitchen as the cook of the house only to finish by sorting through her laundry basket to see what dirty clothing would be cleaned tonight.

But the thing I detested more than anything else was canceling on people. It's just not in my nature. I've always thought it was rude considering that she's always physically capable and available to attend the events and meetings. Besides, why make a promise if you already know you don't plan on carrying it through? It's not as if these things are a mystery to her, she could easily say no from the start and no-one would bat an eyelash. Then again she's never been particularly fond of her fans, and as long as they're hers and not mine then really she's the only one rejecting them.

Freaking Katniss. She swallows a mouthful, oblivious to the problem she's just given me. After all the trouble we've - I've - gone through trying to set this up I have to now explain to her agent why we're canceling again. All because she couldn't be bothered to give her time to sign a few photos and sell some merchandise at the sporting goods store. Not only that but she'd been offered a commission for her time, something I could only dream of since she never gives me a cut of her profits.

I drop my shoulders and take a deep inhale. "Maybe we could figure something out? Reschedule if we have to? You did promise them-".

Her spoon hits the top of her stew with a gentle smack, and she stares at me blankly. "I don't care, Peeta. Have Haymitch cancel if you won't". She resumes shoveling spoonfuls into her mouth and whilst chewing she says "Or is that too much of a problem for you?".

Close your mouth woman.

I think over her offer. I could call Haymitch and tell him to cancel it but that'd only annoy me more. That drunk mess couldn't care less what she does. He gave up trying to get her to do her duties months ago. Unfortunately for me, I'm usually the one who ends up getting blamed. I didn't plan enough in advance. I didn't communicate with the team. I didn't smack Katniss over the head every time she changed her mind. Granted I added that last one myself but still... she's gonna push me too far one day.

My leg aches the longer I stand.

She has a point though. She shouldn't have to care about disrupting anyone's day. After all, that's what she pays me for - and Gale. When I'd first started working for her I was good-natured every day. Nowadays it seems that I only voluntarily smile when the two of them put money in my wallet.

She licks the back of her spoon, unbothered that I'm still watching her. Eating seems to be the only thing that distracts her anyway.

See I don't think she even appreciates how much time and patience I give her whenever she needs it. Anytime, day or night, for two years I've been here for her. Even when she's had a bad day and messed up in some of her training sessions and lost potential sponsors, I'd still been the one to praise her and ensure she had a warm bath to slip into before bed.

It didn't fix any of our issues but the water helped soothe her tired muscles, and it at least shut her up for a few hours. Sometimes I'd lie and tell her she needed to recover more but it was really so I could keep her off my back. Not that she'd ever listened. A sprained wrist here or there never stopped the woman. She'd just get me to help out more. Never a please or thankyou. I'd just hear my name being called at obscene hours of the day. I know one day she won't be so lucky though.

I've tried to be nice considering that she's a hard worker. She'd keep focused on her skills and deep down I know she's scared. She'd never admit it but I know she'd be lost without her bow and arrow. It was like an extension of herself. Sometimes I used to wish that she'd just talk to me about it. I know if I was in her position and I injured my wrist or my eyesight was failing me, I'd be panicking. If I could never draw again I don't know what I'd do.

Regardless she's too old to be this cranky. She's like a worse version of my older brothers. Sometimes I'd tell myself that they only existed to see how much it would take for me to kill one of them.

Nevertheless, they taught me to be patient, watch my mouth, and to duck if a fist went flying.

She's just lucky that I have a small infatuation with her, one so tiny I'd never bring it up. Otherwise, I would've ended this mess years ago. Then again, practically everyone had a thing for the Everdeen's. When they knew about them, that is. There was just something different about them. Maybe it was their no-nonsense attitude or the way they commanded the attention of a room, either way, I'd never felt odd for just being another person who paid attention to her.

She glances at me, her grey eyes as innocent as if she was looking at a cat or a goat.

I force a smile, "Not a problem at all".

I’m terribly sorry for not answering this sooner, considering it was sent ages ago. I hopped on Tumblr a few days ago and noticed this lil prompt chilling in my inbox and I’m in retail now so I thought I’d put the two together. Please ignore the misspelling of the F word, I don’t swear so I just prefer to write it this way. Hopefully, anyone who sees this enjoys it, and again, I’m always open to new prompts.

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Katniss pov

“Don’t fcking touch me” I growl, as his body looms over me, his arm nearly whacking me in the face.

“Well maybe if you’d finished the returns yesterday we wouldn’t be in this mess”. With a click, he hangs an orange dress on the rail in front of me.

I squat down and begin rifling through baskets for any more tops.

The plastic boxes scrape as he drags them across the floor behind me.

“Quit making so much noise!”.

“It’s all your fault!”.

“What did I do?.

"Look at this mess Katniss”, he snaps. I glance over my shoulder to see him tossing cotton pads and shoes out of one of the boxes. Hats and baby socks go flying, and stained pajama trousers litter the floor.

“As if that helped” I reply snarkily.

“How complicated is it,” he says, scrubbing his hands through his blonde waves. He turns around to look at me. “This was all organized when I left. There are tags on all of this junk, how hard is it to put it in the right box”.

“That doesn’t matter”.

“To you! I’m the on putting up with Effie when she’s telling me off cause she keeps finding swimsuits in the winter department”.

“Oh please”, I roll my eyes and get back to digging. “Effie loves you”.

“Take some responsibility Katniss, I can’t bail you out all the time”.

I drag three t-shirts from beneath some damaged makeup and I attempt to brush the brown stains off of them. Do people really think we can’t tell that they’ve bought something and worn it for weeks before returning it. You’d think if they’d try to scam the system they’d at least chuck the clothes in a bucket of water. I lift the shirts to my nose and gag. They reek of sweat. I toss them over the railing, into a box at the back of the fitting room. I’ll get Gale to reduce them later, surely some fool will buy them.

Peeta starts humming behind me and I’m bumped forwards as he squeezes past me.

I jump to my feet. This space is too confined for two people let alone the six rails of returns, dozens of boxes, and four or so baskets that have been haphazardly left spilling onto the shop floor.

I throw my arm out to stop him as he tries to go past me.

“That’s meant to be folded,” I say nodding towards the dad jeans in his hands.

“No”, he reaches into a bin of hangers and retrieves one. “Jeans are supposed to be hung”.

“Give it to me”.

“No”.

I reach for the denim as he lifts his arm up, his green employee shirt stretching thin to accommodate for the movement. He’s not that much taller than me and I could easily grab the leg of the trousers but I know he enjoys these childish stunts.

“See you’re the one wasting time now”.

“A please wouldn’t hurt” he grumbles.

I go to grab the jeans and he leans backward, holding them out of reach, causing me to retreat. No way do I want to be near him. I glance at my watch. 11 am. Has it only been an hour? I have three more till my first break. This is why I don’t do double shifts, I somehow always managed to get lumbered with the goody-two-shoes who seems to take up all the space with his muscular build alone. Why couldn’t they have put me with Rue. The petite little thing who always did what was asked and scuttered around like a mouse, so she was never in your way.

“Look at the sticker,” I say gesturing to the one stuck on the right leg of the jeans.

“It’ll crease” he pouts. I hide my half-smile at proving him wrong. He’s never liked not getting his way. It’s just a shame I’ve always enjoyed it.

“Fold it”.

He drops his arm and begins doing as I ask. “I have a name y'know”.

“Not like that” I interrupt, trying to grab it, “No, you’re doing it wrong! Fold it in half”.

“I’ll fold you in half”, he grumbles shoving past me. Clearly, he’s still upset that I avoid using his name as much as I can but what does he expect. I’m not here to make friends, and the less I have to talk to a six-month retail newbie the better.

I squeeze into a small room adjacent to the fitting room and begin stacking some of the boxes so that they’re ready for being dragged back to the correct department. After a few minutes, a voice calls from the shop floor. I peak outside my room and see his head pop up from behind one of the rails.

“Do you wanna help me put some of this back?” he says quietly, gesturing to the rail that loaded with returned bras and teddies. Of course, he wants help with the women’s lingerie. Twenty-six departments and that’s the one he chooses. I ignore the warmth in my cheeks and struggle to get over to him.

“Only so I don’t have to stay late with you again”. I grab a handful of the underwear.

“Aww but we had so much fun last time” he teases sarcastically, bumping into me again. I almost snap at him to quit touching me but I know that’s what he wants. He just enjoys getting a rise out of me, since I’d been the one to start this nonsense his first week here.

“I’ll start with the…”, he starts looking through the hanged lingerie and then he glances at the one’s in my hands, “non-wired bra’s, Katniss you can start with the push-up bra’s. I’m sure we’d both appreciate that” he teases, with a wink. I avoid his gaze and bite my tongue as he swipes two items from my hands, a bunch from the rail, and sets off.

The nerve of some people.

The nerve of him.

Stupid Mellark.

As the hour goes by we trek back and forth, sorting the underwear by size and colors, everyday use and special occasions. Each time he passes me he tells a few lines from a story, something that happened to him years ago. At first, I found it annoying, not only that he talked but that he’d tease you with a few lines and then leave only to do it time and time again but as the minutes passed I began to look forward to the words that’d spill from his mouth. Sure, he could just shout it. The store isn’t that busy since its a Monday morning; the children are at school, and the men are sleeping after working most of the night, and he’s only a few rails over most of the time but I let him play his game and tell myself that it’s only so I can hear the end of the story.

By the time half twelve has rolled around, he’s finished his anecdote, and we’re on the last few items for this department. My cheeks hurt from hiding my smile and I eagerly wait for the fool to start a new story. I’m sure he’s got a ton up his sleeve and he’s just waiting for the right time to voice them. I glance around at the silence, confused as to why he’s stopped speaking.

“Well say something” I implore, searching for any hint of his head. I return to the fitting room and peak behind each of the rails before returning to the shop floor. Where did he go? There’s no mess of the floor indicating that he’s found another task to do and I would’ve seen him if he’d returned for more clothes. I stalk around, confused. Having someone leave isn’t that uncommon, considering we’re constantly understaffed but having been around Peeta for so long I’ve grown accustomed to his heavier footsteps.

I startle as a hand lands heavily on my shoulder. I whip around, flinching as my braid smacks me in the face. “Where’d you go?” I ask breathlessly. How did he sneak up on me? I need to pay more attention.

“I found a bag behind some of the nightwear. It looked like someone forgot their shopping and it had some er, adult toys from one of the other stores. I figured I’d deal with it so you didn’t have to”.

“You’re not supposed to be in nightwear”, I scowl, “You’re supposed to be with me”. It’s only after I’ve said it that I realize how that sounds. I’d meant that since we’re both on returns we should be sticking together but I know that I’ve just given him another thing to make fun of me for.

I ignore the odd warm feeling that settles in my stomach when he grins at me. “Aww you scared of losing me Katniss?”.

I stay silent, embarrassed at my poor choice of wording. I’ve never been good at saying what I think.

“It’s okay”, he says gently as he steps back. I almost sigh in relief, grateful that I don’t have him so close to me. Not that I didn’t enjoy it. It’s just, distracting.

“I’m not going anywhere”.

I evade his eyes and nod in silence. What a fool I must look like.

A voice breaks out over the intercom and I recognize it as Haymitch, one of the more lackadaisical security guards. “Staff announcement”, he grumbles “Peeta to childrenswear, ya got some clothes to fold”. With a crackle, it switches off and I hear Peeta chuckle. He stretches and I avoid looking at how the material clings to him.

“Good timing hey, you get your quiet at last” he teases, as he heads towards the stairs. “Give me a call if you need anything alright Katniss”, he pauses and it’s only then that I realize he’s waiting for my response. I nod and murmur a “yeah” but he’s so far away I know he doesn’t hear me.

He stalls for a moment longer and gives me another smile before turning the corner and ascending the stairs to the second floor.

I stand still, the smile no longer on my face as I realize I got what I’d asked for. Now I’ve got a pile of work and the next six hours - including my break - likely on my own. No stories, no-one interfering with my space.

Oh look, I’ve finished another chapter. Enjoy. XO

Click for links to chapter 1 and summary - tumblr

Fanfiction

AO3

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Chapter 2

First thing the next morning, Peeta received his first envelope from the letter carrier. After finishing his draft the night before, Peeta had made sure to write the post in his best handwriting and had then faxed it over to the head office, eager for them to have it published in time for the next morning. Now Peeta wasn't a fool, he'd made sure to add a footnote so that the publishers were aware of the situation and thus wouldn't put a copy of his column in any of the papers in his apartment building, except for his. Unfair? Perhaps. But it was better than risking Katniss nicking someone's paper and seeing it. This simply avoided the problem altogether.

He tore open the envelope and pulled out a single scoresheet. Now as this was a sponsorship, the company had made sure that there would be a way to track the number of papers being read from page one until the final word in the column. One common way was to check for any fingerprints on discarded papers, that way they'd know if the reader had flicked through the pages or not. They would also send out workers to see if people had chosen not to grab their paper at all as this was all important information in finding out how many people were reading it.

Two, was written in bold in the centre of the paper. Fifty views. No recommendations as of yet.

It wasn't the best start, because no recommendations meant that nobody in the town or wider part of Panem was talking about it but it was fine. He'd only just started. He turned over the page to see a few comments printed on the back, all of which must have been submitted back to the head office.

Mockygirl: Good luck! Can't wait to see where this goes.

Atrinketonthetree: Fabulous idea! Spread that cheer all through the year.

Unfortunately the last comment wasn't as promising as the first ones.

SwiftG: Just leave it. A Grinch ain't gonna change for you so don't bother.

Despite what the third reader had suggested, Peeta had already planned his first move to woo the little Grinch into the festive spirit. He washed, dressed and left just early enough to grab both Katniss' and his newspapers.

Once he'd collected them, he rode the elevator back up to their floor, checking the time as he went. She hadn't left yet so his plan should be perfect. He knocked on her door and listened for her voice, yet he was only greeted by a loud bark.

After waiting for a few moments he knocked again only to receive a muffled "What?".

"Its your neighbour" Peeta said, doing his best to sound perky. "Mellark. Peeta Mellark".

Silence.

Realising that he wasn't going away Katniss replied "Am I supposed to care?".

Peeta ignored her comment. "I brought gifts". That would work. It always did with the children, besides who didn't love free stuff.

"Don't need em".

"Should I leave it against your door?".

A pause.

"Leave what?".

Gotcha.

"Its a surprise. Don't you like surprises? I sure do. Puts you in a great mood for the day".

The door flew open and she stood in front of him, her skirt failing to conceal a layer of shaving cream that was painted across her leg. Katniss held the razor in her hand tightly as if it were a weapon she might strike him with. Her other arm was holding onto doorframe, creating a blockage for Mutty so that he couldn't escape. Regardless the dog peered over as if he too were curious about the surprise.

The familiar scowl settled back on her face. "I hate surprises".

"Here's your paper", he said, thrusting it towards her.

She grabbed it and tossed it over her shoulder, someone managing to make it land on her table. The accuracy was honestly quite impressive.

"You're welcome", he added, both of them knowing that she didn't appreciate the help. Before she could start mumbling under her breath he turned around and left with a "Have a good morning!".

"Whatever".

"You say that a lot don't you Everdeen?", he commented with a grin. For someone who he assumed was smart, she wasn't very creative with her responses.

"Do you mind? I'd like to finish what I started". Peeta tries not to think about her getting out of the shower when he knocked. Imagine if he made her open the door in a towel. Just for a paper she could've gotten herself. Goodness. It'd be hard to talk his way out of that.

"Go for it", he added, refusing to turn around. Granted it was a little rude but if she could do it then so could he. His nice deed had been done so he didn't owe her anything.

At least she hadn't slammed the door on him.

There was progress at least.

He returned to his room and waited for the familiar sound of her opening and closing her door as she left for work. Then seconds later he left to accompany her at the elevator.

Couldn't break tradition.

"What a coincidence", he lied as they entered and she pressed the button for the bottom floor. Katniss glared at him, clearly not believing a word he said.

He glanced over, seeing the familiar paper tucked under her arm. Perfect. Unintentionally, his gaze dropped back to her legs to see a small piece of paper peeking out from beneath her skirt.

She must have cut herself. Odd. Katniss didn't seem like the type to be distracted easily, but mistakes happen, he supposed.

"I hope that wasn't my fault" Peeta said, gesturing towards the injury.

Katniss huffed and tugged her skirt lower slightly so that he could no longer see it. "Course not".

It totally was.

She'd never admit it though.

"The little cuts are the worst kind".

She shrugged, avoiding conversation, but he heard the quiet "So are happy neighbours".

Well she thought he was the worst kind of neighbour? Perfect. The feeling was mutual.

"Forgive me, I was just trying to be helpful. Next time I'll knock and leave it at your door for when you leave".

"Don't".

"Don't what? Its too big to slide under your door".

"Don't be helpful" she insisted. Katniss didn't need anybody's help. The only thing she needed was for this elevator to hurry up. His voice was getting on her nerves.

"Its really not any trouble".

"I said don't".

"Alright", Peeta said, backing off. "If that's what you want".

"That's what I want" she said, finishing the conversation. Gosh he was annoying.

As soon as the elevator stopped and the doors slid open, Katniss flew out of there, eager to get away from her neighbour. Peeta found it amusing to say the least. He'd never made someone run from him before.

"Enjoy your day", he called out after her, if only to wind her up more.

Finnick was right. Being nice wasn't half bad. It was the most entertainment he'd got in weeks.

As a treat, Peeta decided he'd go to a local store, 'The Hob', as it was the closest place to get produce. Inside it they also had a small counter of freshly baked goods, mainly breakfast items, and hot drinks which likely earned them all of their customers. As luck would have it, he noticed that Everdeen was four people ahead of him. Odd since he'd never seen her in the store before.

Despite knowing that he shouldn't, Peeta shouted out to her, his voice quickly getting the attention of the other patrons. "Katniss I didn't know you came here! You should of told me, I could've came earlier to grab you something".

Katniss tensed up, swallowing back a curse at the familiar voice. Of course she couldn't escape him. She knew she should've went straight to work. She just can't catch a break.

Sae, Peeta's favourite barista and the owner of the store, gave him a toothless grin. "Morning Peeta".

"And a good morning to you, lovely", he said with his typical charm. He gestured towards Katniss. "She's my neighbour. I'd like to buy her a hot chocolate".

Everdeen spins around, hand on hip and leans to the side so that she can see around the other people in line. "No. I can buy my own hot chocolate - and cheese buns", she added. "I'm very capable". She didn't want his money. She didn't want his help. Gosh she hoped he'd miss his train so that his day could be as annoying as hers .

"Consider it an apology", Peeta explained as Sae bagged the fresh, gooey buns. She handed it to Katniss along with her drink and waited for the outcome. Peeta knew the older woman must be confused, why would anyone refuse an act of kindness?

"No", Katniss stated and slapped the money down on the counter, capturing Sae's attention.

"Well if you insist", Peeta said as the queue moved towards the counter, every other barista completing their order quickly and with a smile. "I really am sorry. I'll be quieter next time. You won't hear a single Christmas noise from me" he lied. Rather than acknowledge his insincere apology, Katniss grabbed her goods and left the store, not even saying a goodbye to the woman who'd served her.

Peeta considered if Sae knew anything about the woman. Surely she's visited before, just at a different time perhaps? When it was his turn to order he asked, "That girl" and leaned slightly across the counter. He rubbed his face, playing up the curiosity as if the thought just happened to cross his mind. "She come here often?".

"Aw yeah all the time. She orders the same thing, never talks really but what can you do".

"I figured", he said politely. What did he expect? She was an older woman, hardly one to gossip. He asked for the usual hot chocolate and paid, and then gave Sae extra money with the memo that it was to pay for his neighbours order the following morning. "Tell her its from me". Katniss would have to accept his generosity one way or another.

"Well if you're sure boy. She seemed a bit mad about you trynna do it today though".

"She's like that. Talking ain't really her thing", he said as if he was actually friends with Everdeen. Sae handed him his coco.

"I noticed. I'll make sure to serve her tomorrow, just for you Peeta", she added with another grin. There's the community spirit he missed.

"Perfect. Thankyou Sae".

He turned to leave with his drink and added, "Just a shame I won't see her reaction".

Peeta hurried out the store and rushed to the platform, just in time as the train had already arrived. He slid through the doors as they closed and sipped his hot chocolate. What would Katniss do?

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The man was driving Katniss crazy. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? He was obviously just doing it for the attention. No-one was that happy in general let alone in the morning, yet every day its the same smile that he greets everybody with. Katniss knew he was playing a game with her and she didn't like it one bit. So she decided she'd do what she did best - ignore him. Unfortunately he'd already managed to get her to talk on two separate occasions so far but that was a mistake. She knew better now. Walking quickly, Katniss headed towards the Justice building. Being late was never an option. She had bills to pay and a cut in her salary wouldn't help. Besides she had a schedule: work in the morning and then for lunch she would go home, grab a snack, get changed and take Mutty out. Then once the dog was all tired out - which seemed to be never the older that he got - she would quickly wash and change back into her work uniform. Then she'd leave just as he'd settle down for his nap. It wasn't always that way, but Haymitch's building didn't allow dogs so she had to take him in. The more she thought about it, the worse she felt. Katniss loved her Uncle - even though he was a pain - and she was grateful for all that he did in raising her. Luckily he seemed to adjust well to the new place, and by that she meant, she had yet to receive a complaint from the complex.

Even when she was young, Katniss knew she wasn't a people person. Her father had tried many times to help her make friends but she hated everything about it. She'd much rather sit alone in the woods and study the animals. That's why her job in agriculture suited her. She could spend time away from people as often as she wanted to. People were dangerous. Animals were smart. They knew to be careful with their trust and she'd been fooled before. She didn't even want to think of Gale's betrayal. No - it was over. Her mind had moved on.

"Morning Miss Everdeen!", the receptionist said in greeting. She was unusual as the place was known to be quite cold and workers were stoic, but Katniss didn't mind as the girl was never mad at a lack of a reply. On her counter sat a small Christmas tree with ribbons wrapped around it and trinkets hung from the branches. It did nothing for Katniss' mood but she supposed some of her colleagues might like seeing the sight.

With a nod in her direction, Katniss moved on. She didn't remember the young girl's name, or perhaps she hadn't bothered to ask. It didn't matter she supposed. The less familiar she was with people the better. She closed the door behind her, glad to be back in her office. Silent. Alone. Perfect. It gave her time to ponder her odd neighbour. He was a nice guy. That wasn't unusual, but why now was he trying so hard to get her attention? And why did she care?

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After work, Peeta headed down to 'Monsieur Cornucopia', a building full of different clubs for young children, so that he could help them with their holiday program and then he travelled to the orphanage. He'd had a good day - better than yesterday at least. The shoppers seemed more patient and they sold out of a lot of fish. He liked to think that it was some type of good karma, for trying to be nice to Everdeen. Sure she rebuffed it, but these things take time.

The kids in the orphanage enjoyed the singing and loved the chance to sing to those in their community that were often forgotten; the elderly, the homeless, even some of the new mothers. The previous week they'd sung at the local hospital, for the new parents, most of whom were underage and thus looked down on. The children didn't judge them though. Maybe that's why he liked them so much. They were just jolly, none of them needed a reason for it, unlike some people.

This week the children were heading down to The Seam. The small living-complex located on the outskirts of twelve, didn't always sound like the ideal place to take children but they wouldn't mind it. He knew how excited they were. Some even hoped to see their old relatives, after being separated from them for good reason. They wouldn't understand that though. They didn't care.

By nine-thirty, Peeta made it back to the lobby, he was exhausted, but still in a good mood. He headed towards the lockers to check for any mail - if it was a special delivery letter then the carrier would take it straight to the room but anything else was just stored in the designated box. As he unlocked, the locker, he grabbed his mail and began flicking through the envelopes. Bills. Gas. Water. No Christmas cards yet but there was still a chance for those that could afford to send them, to do so this year. In his peripheral vision he caught sight of a familiar brunette. Everdeen. He wondered were she'd been as she was dressed in the same clothes that she would wear when taking her dog out but he was sure she must have done so already, and the little fella wasn't with her so she must have been somewhere else. The faint smell of sweat tickles his nose but he doesn't comment on it. She'd probably take it as an insult anyway. Although, he glanced her way, she did seem to be pretty athletic. That was a nice surprise. Not that he should be looking. It was her body, who cared what he thought of it. He looked away before she could catch him. Maybe she'd cuss him out, out loud this time. He didn't want that, it could ruin her mood for tomorrow and then she'd never appreciate his gift.

Katniss kept quiet. Of course she'd seen him, subtlety wasn't his forte, but she chose not to comment. She'd had enough interaction with him for one day. A week even. She just wanted to relax so she watched as he shut his locker closed. She checked her locker quickly, and seeing that it was empty, she closed it again and as had become the custom, the two of them rode the elevator together in blissful silence. Katniss made a point to stand in the corner so that she could have as much space away from him as possible. She needed time to breathe. There were too many people around at this time of year. Peeta chose not to acknowledge the distance between them and when they finally reached their floor, they separated and headed for their own apartment. For some odd reason, Peeta felt as if she was watching him - just staring at his back because he wouldn't see her. Rather than turn around he glanced over his shoulder at her to see the usual scowl on her face. Lovely.

Katniss couldn't figure out why he still hadn't spoken to her. She liked it obviously but it didn't seem right. Just hours ago he was bugging her and now he was content with silence?

Peeta forced a smile in her direction, "Have a good evening, Katniss".

"You don't look good".

His eyebrows jumped up. No way.

She spoke. Goodness had he broken her already?

"Its been a long day" he said, testing the waters. He wouldn't draw this conversation out, that was up to her.

Unfortunately for him, that answer seemed to satisfy her enough and she spun on her heel and disappeared into her apartment.

Accepting defeat, Peeta entered his own apartment and collapsed onto the chair. He wasn't making a lot of progress. But it was only day one. At least he knew there was promise there. Yet before he drifted off to sleep, he remembered that the day was over and thus it was time to start his second column entry. With a huff he hauled himself off of the chair and grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen. He wondered what the commenters would think of it this time.

Twelve times the season - Entry 2

December 15th

A letter and a lady

Operation Grinch to little elf is officially underway, ladies and gentlemen. Have I granted her a cheerful smile today? Oh yes. Did I give her the gift of a surprise? Why certainly! She just hasn't warmed up to the idea yet. Since seeing me this morning, I'm fairly certain she now wishes she'd succumbed to the festivity weeks ago but alas it is too late and thus my presence is here to help.

What wonderful thing did I do you ask? I woke up early - gave up a full ten minutes of sleep for this woman - and trekked downstairs to retrieve her newspaper so that the Lady wouldn't have to even spare a second to locate it. Not only that, but I offered to buy her breakfast. She refused of course, but at least I've set the tone for the next few days. And not only that twelve but I've bought her breakfast for tomorrow. How convenient is that? A lovely way to start her morning I'd say. I can't wait to here about how she reacts to that.

However something occurred once nightfall hit. A strange encounter one might say. I was merely collecting my mail in the lobby when she appeared. Odd but not unusual. Coincidences happen. From previous experience I knew how these encounters would go. If I were to strike up conversation, especially when she is at the end of her day, then I was sure to be ignored, and I didn't feel like finishing my night on a sour note. Now granted I know I'm not her favourite person, but I don't believe I'm the only one. It seems the one with the problem is her.

Now I like to believe that my newfound fascination with her is unsettling. How do I know? Well I changed tactics for a moment. I was tired and thus gave her the cold shoulder. And did she like that twelve? Oh no.

She cracked.

It was small. An ever so small dent in her façade as she asked me how I was. Were I not so exhausted I would have revelled in her words. Am I getting to her? Who knows. Its still early but I'm optimistic people.