AN: I wrote this about two years ago for a friend's birthday. We were young and obsessed with The Hunger Games here I am finally posting it. I'd love to revise and edit it of course, but I decided to leave it alone. This was written before Mockingjay came out, so it contridicts the cannon ending, but let's just pretend for this instant this is how things went (I didn't like Mockingjay any ways).

Peeta's Gift

"You look like a marshmallow!" Prim laughed. I had to laugh myself, but it was so cold outside. The snow was poring down covering every inch of the ground outside, the tree branches dripped with icicles. It was a little crazy to go out in this weather, but I'd barely finished the hat, and it was Christmas eve.

"I'll be back soon!" I announced as I went out the door. It was a little hard to walk, the combination of extra weight and ice, but fortunately Peeta's house is pretty close.

After making sure no one could see me, I tip-toed up to his porch and gently placed the gift wrapped hat on the ground. I'd spent months trying to knit this one little hat.

Finding the yarn alone had taken a while. I'd shifted through countless balls on dozens of shelves. Then I found it, the perfect shade of orange. It had just enough pink, red, and yellow to paint thoughts of beautiful sunsets. I couldn't have found anything better.

But the trickiest part was the actual knitting. As I'd dreaded, I was really bad at knitting. Mom had me do a straight line first, and that seemed easy enough. But the second line was harder. It came out all crooked and uneven, so did the third, fourth, and fifth. I was so frustrated, that I threw down my needles once, and refused to pick them up for days. What made it worse was Prim.

One afternoon I walked into the parlor, and there she was knitting away like a pro. As usual, she was naturally talented where I was not. But I had to keep doing it, for Peeta. I'd never given him anything, and he'd given me so much. From that night so long ago when he gave me a loaf of bread, from our lives all the time in the hunger game and rebellion, to now just his love.

So I insisted for mom just to help me with the hat even though I couldn't knit worth crap. I was worse at the hat than a straight line. Even mom got frustrated.

"Maybe I should knit it for you." She suggested one evening as she looked over my work.

"No! I shot back," and grabbed the yarn back. It wouldn't mean anything if she did it for me. I was doing this for Peeta, the love of my life. The man that had been more kind and gentle towards me than I could ever deserve. I love him, more and more every day. He's kind, smart, funny, lovable. Everything I could ever hope for, everything I need. I couldn't do better.

It took a few tries, and honestly the one I was actually giving him wasn't perfect. It was a little crooked, there were a few holes, but it was too late to keep trying.

I waddled back to my house feeling light a cloud, it was so peaceful to know I was done, and had finally given Peeta something. I just hoped it wasn't too small.

"Aww, it's so pretty." Prim cooed over her new necklace. She gave me a warm hug. "Thanks."

We'd slept in until noon, so we ate lunch while we ripped open our presents, the whole time I was bubbling up with thoughts of Peeta. What did he think of the hat? Did he notice my mistakes? Did he like it? I was so thoughtful, I was barely there.

When there was a tapping on the door I nearly jumped out of my skin. As Prim giggled at me I went to answer the visitor. Naturally it was Peeta. Tall and smiling he was covered in snow. There placed over his head was my dinky little orange hat. I couldn't help but smile.

In a whisk he pulled off the hat, and shook his hair out. As the snowflakes drifted off him his blonde hair swished out. I found myself staring completely breathless. I probably looked like an idiot gaping at him, but when our eyes met, he smiled my favorite smile. At that moment, all I wanted him to do was take me in his arms. And he did.

"Katniss." He was so warm. So were his lips as I soon found out. Although we'd kissed so many times, this one was one like in the cave all those years ago, when I was just sixteen. Where I just wanted to kiss him, and I felt something stirring within me. After three years I could still recognize the same feeling. When we parted I was disappointed it had to end.

"Thank you for the present." His voice was so happy, it made me happy.

"You're welcome."

He reached into his pocket. "I have something for you too." I shouldn't have been surprised considering it was Peeta, but still I was.

It was a small ring. Golden band and simple, but there were a few crystal carved into it. It was so pretty. But I didn't understand the meaning of it until I saw him kneel down. Then it hit me. Was he proposing?

"I love you," He began. I was frozen, but I heard myself breathing deeply. "I've loved you since we were five. I couldn't imagine being with anyone but you, will you marry me?"

"Peeta!" I heard Prim squeal. I turned and saw she and mom had been watching us from the door frame. Prim ran over and hugged Peeta while mom beamed at me.

"I'd love for you to be my brother!" Prim kissed him on the cheek. Peeta laughed.

"Katniss hasn't agreed yet."

Everyone stared at me, but I knew the answer.

"Yes!"

This time when we kissed it was better than all the others. And it lasted for a long time.

AN: Thanks everyone for the great responses! It's good to know I'm not the only one that still thinks about this "finished" series. Makes me happy ^_^

Also, the main reason I'm adding this AN is to tell you all about the most amazing Hunger Games FF one-shot EVER. It's called 63: Routines, and it's by cali-chan

I'm serious, this story is so good. If you liked this little story I wrote (which is a joke in comparison to Routines), you will LOVE Routines.
So go read it... RIGHT NOW.

If this link I'll put below doesn't work, or you search doesn't either, go to my profile and look at my favorites, should be at the top.
Enjoy!

(by the way, Routines is rated M, and for very good reasons, so if you're uncomfortable with M, you probably wont like the story)

http:/ www. Fanfiction .net /s/ 7474845 /1/
(take out the spaces)

Also, have you guys seen the new HG trailer? I think it's pretty AMAZING. Go check that out too ^_^