Christmas Wish

Katniss hustled through the mall as fast as her feet would carry her, Prim scurrying along in her wake.

"Katniss, you don't have to do this. We'll find some other way."

There was no other way. Katniss had been doing the math on and off for days. Their little budget just wasn't going to cover Christmas this year. She couldn't take on another job. School and her job the Hob had her completely stretched out but the crowds and the tips at the on-campus bar were thinning out as students ran out of cash and headed home for Christmas.

This had to work.

Shoppers with their arms full of packages surged around the crowd gathering in front of a stage in the centre of the mall where glossy grand piano gleamed under the skylights. Not far away, Santa sat on his throne, bribing cranky toddlers for their Christmas secrets with candy canes. Katniss searched the crowd for Gloss's blonde head. It wouldn't surprise her if he didn't show up. She'd had to promise him a cut of the $1,000 prize just to get him here.

Suddenly she spotted him near the front, towering over Claudius Templesmith, the local radio announcer who was emceeing the contest.

She elbowed her way through the crowd with Prim still following close behind until she was standing beside her bandmate.

"Hey."

"Kitty Kat!" God, she hated when he called her that. "I'm glad you finally decided to show up. You know this goes above and beyond the duties of a bandmate, right?"

Katniss ignored him. She slipped a pair of heels out of the pockets of her father's battered old leather coat, before shrugging it off and handing it to Prim. She traded the flats she was wearing for the heels and Prim shoved them into the pockets.

Gloss gave a low whistle when she stood up and he got an eyeful of her. The sparkling red cocktail dress was more suitable for a New Year's party, but Jo had insisted that she needed to wear more than jeans and a t-shirt if she wanted to win this. Jo had pulled this little number out of her closet and passed Katniss the four-inch heels.

"Fuck Katniss," he whispered in her ear. "The Mockingjays would be playing all over the city if you'd dress like that for us once in a while."

Katniss glared at Gloss as she adjusted one of the spaghetti straps that held the dress up. "Sure. 'Cause a woman in a cocktail dress fronting an Indie band makes a lot of sense."

"Wouldn't matter, Kitty Kat. The men would all part happily with their money."

Claudius Templesmith hopped up on the stage.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen! Thank you so much joining us this afternoon for the Ho-ho-Holiday Sing-Off! PITT FM is proud to sponsor this event and we are broadcasting live this afternoon to our vast listening audience and to our fans everywhere who are listening on the World Wide Web. The grand-prize winner of the contest today wins a prize valued at $1,000!"

Peeta flicked the bakery's sound system off of the local radio station and onto his favourite station back in Pittsburgh. He couldn't stand their star announcer Claudius Templesmith, but the music was decent and anything that connected him back to life in Pittsburgh was a welcome relief these days. The closer he got to facing his first Christmas without his father, the longer his days became.

He sighed. Maybe his mother was right. Maybe if he'd just stayed here like she wanted, they'd still have his dad. Peeta rolled his shoulders, trying to shrug off the shroud of guilt that seemed to lay upon him.

Peeta turned away from the radio to pull out a tray of shortbread Christmas trees from the cooling rack. With confident flicks of his wrist, he started to frost them with intricate decorations.

Claudius Templesmith's voice oozed over the airwaves. "That's right, folks, today's winner takes home a fat cheque for $500 courtesy of our radio station and another $500 in gift cards from shops here in the mall."

Huh. A talent contest. Well, if it got too awful he could just switch it back to Panem's one and only radio station. A bell rang in the front of the bakery and he went to answer it. He looked out the front window on the way to his cash register and noticed the snow had begun to fall in fat fluffy flakes.

Claudius Templesmith was still droning on when Katniss turned back to Gloss. "Just like we practiced, all right?"

Gloss rolled his eyes. "Sure. It's just one stupid Christmas song, Katniss. I got you covered."

Katniss shoved him. "This is important you dumbass. I've got nothing for Prim for Christmas if we don't at least win third place."

Gloss grew serious and took her by the shoulders. "We are one half of the Mockingjays, the best band in the whole city right now. It'll be great, all right? Just relax."

Katniss looked up to see Claudius Templesmith's eyes widen as he read the card in his hand. "Well folks," he chirped. "Have we ever got a treat for you! First up are Katniss Everdeen and Gloss Regalson. For those of you who don't know these two, they're half of a fantastic local band, the Mockingjays, that's been playing all over the city this fall. Come on up here you two!"

Katniss and Gloss climbed the steps. Gloss headed for the piano and Katniss stood beside Claudius.

"Now Katniss, dear, tell me what brings you two here this afternoon?"

"My sister," Katniss replied nervously.

"Come on now, Katniss, give us a little more than that," the deejay prodded and the crowd laughed.

"Well, I want to give my sister the best Christmas I can. She's been eying a leather jacket here in the mall. If we win, I'm going to buy it for her."

Templesmith was charmed. "Isn't she darling?" he asked the crowd, who cheered. "Now, Sweetie, this song isn't something we'd usually hear from the Mockingjays."

Katniss shook her head. "Today isn't about the Mockingjays, Claudius. Gloss is just being a good bandmate." Gloss waved affably at the crowd. "There are a couple of ways to do this song. I prefer a version that is much slower than the original. Hopefully the judges like it too."

"All right, Katniss. I won't spoil the surprise. Take it away."

Katniss took a deep breath at the microphone, cupping it in her hands. The first few bars were a cappella and her voice needed to be steady. She needed to focus her emotions.

I don't want a lot for Christmas

There is just one thing I need.

I don't care about the presents

Underneath the Christmas tree.

Katniss looked over at Gloss and he began to chord softly.

I just want you for my own,

More than you will ever know.

Make my wish come true.

All I want for Christmas is you.

Just like always, singing a love song brought thoughts of Peeta to the surface. She still couldn't believe that he hadn't called. That their night hadn't meant as much to him as it did to her. And just like always when she performed with the band, she poured her heartache into the song.

Peeta came back into the kitchen after ringing up the customer. He loved these quiet Saturday afternoons when he was all by himself after the morning rush and Ry went home. The talent contest was still on the radio.

He'd never heard a woman sing this version of All I Want for Christmas before. Slowed down and stripped of its chirpy backbeat and jingle bells, the melody was bittersweet. Peeta froze in his tracks, listening as her rich voice wrapped around him, stirring up a familiar longing.

Cause I just want you here tonight

Holding on to me so tight

Boy, what can I do?

You know that all I want for Christmas is you.

Her voice sounded so much like Katniss. She'd never really been his, but that didn't change that his heart felt like it had been ripped from his chest every time she floated to the front of his mind. Which wasn't often, really. Only every other minute and all night long. He wondered if this was a sign that he should finally put his insecurities aside and call her. Peeta whipped his phone out of his back pocket and scrolled down to her name in his contact list. Before he could lose his nerve, he took a deep breath and pressed the send button.

He held the phone to one ear while the music poured into the other. The singer's voice was cresting now, begging for her lover's return.

I don't want a lot for Christmas.

This is all I'm asking for.

No, I just want to see my baby

Standing right outside my door.

The phone went straight to voice mail. Her message was characteristically short and to the point. "This is Katniss. I can't come to the phone. Leave a message." Peeta's thumb pressed down on the end call button and immediately felt foolish for trying to call her after all this time. She left his room back in Pittsburgh almost three months ago. If there wasn't another man in her life when they'd been together, there probably was by now. He needed to put his dreams of Katniss and a life in the city behind him. The bakery was his reality and it was time he accepted it. He reached over and flicked back to the local radio station.

Katniss's hands cupped the microphone on its stand, lost in thought as her song soared over the heads of everyone present.

I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know.

Make my wish come true.

You know that all I want for Christmas is you.

Is you...

Is you...

As the last notes on the piano faded way, the crowd standing around in the mall went crazy. Katniss wiped a tear from her eye, thanking them, and then acknowledged Gloss with a wave of her hand. Crossing the stage, he picked her up and spun her round.

"I think we just won, Kitty Kat," he whispered into her ear. "You've set the bar so high, no one will touch it."

When she got off the stage, Prim passed her jacket over and Katniss gratefully slipped it over her shoulders and switched out her shoes. She reached into her inside pocket, pulled out her cellphone to text Jo and frowned. It was dead again. A replacement battery would probably cost more than a new one. Maybe she could buy one if they won.

Ten Years Later

"Like that?" Peeta asked.

"Just a little more." Katniss bit down on her lip and waited for him to make the adjustment. "Oh. There. Yes. That's perfect."

Peeta grinned down at Katniss. "That's what she said."

He climbed down from the stepladder where he'd been standing to place the angel at the top of their Christmas tree. He was still a little amazed the tree had survived the drag up four flights of stairs to their apartment. But it had. And now it was propped in the corner, wrapped in a zillion lights with almost no ornaments. It was perfect.

Peeta drew his new wife into his arms and touched his forehead to hers. "Our first tree," he marvelled.

The twinkling lights on the tree danced in Katniss's silver eyes. She pressed her lips to his. "Smells like the woods back in Panem." She gave a happy sigh and rested her head on his chest just under his chin. "Now we just need to get some presents under it."

Peeta squeezed her tightly and buried his face in hair, placing a kiss on the crown of her head. "You're my gift this year."

Katniss lifted her head and wiggled her eyebrows slightly. "Wanna unwrap me?"

Their quiet moment turned to fire in an instant. "You have the best ideas," he husked and reached for the button on her jeans, unbuttoning them so that he could slide his hand into her panties, over the smooth skin of her rump to hold her against him. The other hand was in her hair at the nape of her neck. Katniss's hands moved under his Henley and up his back, scratching slightly.

They sank to the floor in front of the tree, so focused on each other that they didn't hear the key in the lock and barely registered the slam of the door. It was Prim's roar of frustration in the entry that dragged them back to Earth. With wide eyes, Katniss shimmied back into her jeans and Peeta positioned her between his outstretched legs to hide the bulge in his.

Prim stormed into the room. A soft white cowl lay against her old black leather barn jacket and her flowing blonde locks were topped by a fuzzy beanie. The scarf and hat set off the blue in her eyes and her cheeks were rosy, though whether the colour came from the crisp December air or her temper, Peeta couldn't tell. His sister-in-law threw herself into the chair positioned closest to the door, her booted legs swinging over the arm.

A scowl, remarkably Katniss-like, marred her usually sweet face. Peeta buried his face in Katniss's neck and tried not to laugh when Prim folded her arms over her chest. She looked like an angry Barbie doll.

"What did Rory do?" Katniss asked drily.

Prim exploded again. "I am so sick of the little hints and pushes about how much he wants to move back to Panem! And I get it OK? But that means I have to give up all the opportunities I could have at a city hospital. And it means I have to leave you. I know you're in Panem a lot now, but still. This is just as much home to me as Panem! And if he thinks I'm going to give that all up before he even puts a ring on it..." she pauses dramatically, waving her empty finger, "Well, he's sadly mistaken."

Rory took Katniss to help him pick out Prim's ring weeks ago and Peeta knew he planned to give it to her for Christmas. The younger man must have been trying to make sure that he and Prim were on the same page about their future before he popped the question. But, after all these years with Prim, Peeta thought Rory should have known better than to attempt pressuring an Everdeen sister into doing anything. Maybe his nerves were affecting his judgement.

"Aw Prim," Peeta teased. "Give him a break. He's being an ass. But he thinks the sun rises and sets on yours."

Prim rolled her eyes and looked at her sister. "How do you put up with this guy?"

Katniss shrugged. "He's pretty."

Peeta protested in mock outrage and his fingers found Katniss's rib cage, tickling her mercilessly while she squirmed against him. "And here I thought you were just in it for the cheese buns."

Katniss looked up at him from under her lashes. "Well, they are nice buns."

Prim slapped her hand over her eyes and pretended to gag. "You two are so gross. No wonder Jo moved out." Her face fell, taking on a vulnerable expression. "I can't believe the three of us are going to be apart at Christmas this year, Katniss. I've never had a Christmas morning without you."

"You never have to be alone at Christmas, Prim," Peeta said softly, but firmly. "You and Rory are always welcome with us. Why don't the two of you just stay over here after we visit your mom on Christmas Eve?"

Prim made a face. "And be stuck in the middle of your first Christmas together? No thanks. Rory and I will just be over for dinner on Christmas Day like we planned."

"And Peeta's cooking, Prim, so it'll actually be good," Katniss piped up.

"For the first time. Ever," her sister retorted. She played with a button on her jacket. "Remember that first Christmas dinner we made? It was terrible, but we thought it tasted pretty good. Especially since we weren't sure we'd even get one. You totally saved us. Remember how broke we were?"

Katniss nodded and looked down at her hands.

"I was so proud of you when you won that contest. You should have seen her, Peeta," Prim enthused. "She wore this super sexy dress and then climbed up on a stage in the middle of a mall and sang like her heart depended on it. She brought down the house and then they handed her a $1,000 cheque."

Prim smoothed her hand over the jacket, soft from years of use. "This jacket was my Christmas present that year. It's still my favourite."

Peeta looked at his wife incredulously. "Why didn't I know about this? What did you sing?"

Katniss tried to wave it off, muttering that it was just a stupid contest and didn't matter.

Prim was having none of it. "You blew everyone else out of the water. It was on the radio and everything. I even wondered if you'd get a recording contract or something. She sang that song," Prim snapped her fingers trying to remember what it was called and then pointed at her sister. "All I Want for Christmas is You."

"You sang Mariah Carey?" Peeta struggled to imagine Katniss channelling the perky pop diva. She just wasn't the type.

Katniss shook her head. "Not that version. That crooner, Michael Buble did a cover of it. I covered his cover, I guess." She closed her eyes and sang the opening lines.

The minute he heard her voice, Peeta's mind flashed back to that first lonely Christmas in the bakery in Panem. The way he'd longed for her and tried to forgive her. "Katniss. I've heard that on the radio before. On PITT FM, years ago. That was you?"

Katniss spun around and looked up at him in shock. "You heard me?"

"I didn't know it was you. I hadn't heard you sing since we were kids, but you were all I could think about when I heard the song."

Katniss reached out to toy with the hem of his shirt. "I…," she stammered. "That was the Christmas after we…," Her cheeks turned a rosy hue and she dropped her hands. "I was thinking about you when I sang it. I didn't think you'd hear me, but I guess I hoped you would."

"Sweetheart," Peeta breathed and took her hands. "I tried to call you and got your voicemail. I turned it off before they said who it was. I…," He passed a hand over his face. "God, Katniss, if I'd known that was you, nothing would have kept me away."

Katniss framed his face in her hands and brought it down to her own.

"Ooookaaaay," Prim dragged the vowels on a long exhale as she swung her feet to the floor and sat up. She muttered something about knowing her cue when she heard it and headed for the door. "I'll let myself out," she called over her shoulder, even though they weren't listening.

The door clicked shut behind her, leaving her sister and brother-in-law exactly where she found them. Wrapped around each other and making up for lost time.