Story Title: Anything Can Happen

Summary: Two people who had no idea how much they needed the other find each other by happenstance. They must fight the odds against them to find a way to be together.

Disclaimer: I under no circumstances own The Hunger Games, but it would be awesome if I did.

AN: This is my first stab at writing Hunger Games fanfiction so please be gentle. I love hearing from my readers and I promise to answer every one of you back unless you leave a message as a guest, I can't answer you back then but know that it still means a lot and that I appreciate it.

Considering how much her life had changed in the last two years you would think that Katniss Everdeen would be comfortable with change. Her therapist told her on a regular basis that her life would be a lot simpler if she just let go of the reigns and let things take there course. Well, her strict regimen was paying the bills and keeping a roof over her head. Her unfailing sense of honer was also keeping the nurse who was with her mother when she couldn't employed. If she let someone else take over she wouldn't know what to do with herself.

Katniss liked to think that she had two full time jobs. Her nine to five job working as a ranger for the Department of Forestry in Knoxville and then she came home to her mom who needed constant care due to the fact that she was not only under a suicide watch for an undetermined amount of time due to trying to take her life five times in the past year but also because she was mentally unstable.

Katniss had a problem asking for help; something she had inherited from her mom. The only person she would let help her was her uncle. Much to her aunt Effie's dismay, Haymitch helped whenever and however he could.

Her family hadn't been rich by any means before her dad died in an accident at the factory where he worked nearly two years ago but the settlement and whatever other money Susan Everdeen had in the bank had gone towards Elliot and later Prim's funerals. Prim's dying had been the straw that broke her mother. Who knew that a place like Knoxville could be subjected to a school massacre? The quiet town had lost ten teenagers and four teachers before the father of one of the victims had turned the gun on himself. Susan had been living with Katniss ever since.

At twenty-four Katniss had seen more loss then most people her age and was left to carry the burden herself. She knew that Haymitch would pay to have her mom put in a hospital but she didn't want him to feel obligated to do that.

The only bright spot in her life were her two best friends, Madge Undersee and Johanna Mason. She had been friends with Madge ever since the first day of kindergarten when the usually quiet and reserved girl had stood up to Marvel and Glimmer Thompson on Katniss' behalf. Johanna had moved to town during their sophomore year of high school and the three of them had been inseparable ever since.

Katniss saw a lot of herself in Johanna, who had been adopted by her aunt and uncle when she was a teen after being abused by her dad. Madge was her voice of reason while Johanna readily added fuel to her fire when she felt strongly about some cause or another. Madge and Johanna were nothing alike other than their deep rooted friendship which no one could sever.

They had been on her about doing more for herself. They told her to find a hobby, join a bookclub, take up yoga, the suggestions never ended. Johanna had been more than a little persistent about the Adopt a Soldier program. Her mom had been in the Army up until the day she found out that she had pancreatic cancer. Hera Mason had lost her battle with cancer a few weeks shy of her daughters twelfth birthday and ever since Johanna had supported the Armed Forces any way she could. Her flat feet and scoliosis had stopped her from enlisting at eighteen but if she'd had her say she would have signed up despite her setbacks.

"Just fill out the paperwork. The worst they'll do is send you someone semi-normal who just wants to hear about what's going on back here in the states," Johanna reasoned.

"Semi-normal?" Katniss asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"They stuck me with a real charmer named Cato Nicholson. All he ever talks about is himself and how horny he is. They match you with someone who they think is compatible with your personality," she explained.

"If I wanted to do that I would hire a matchmaker."

"Why would you do that when the Armed Forces can help you out for free?"

Katniss scowled as she snatched the form from Johanna's outstretched hand. Johanna smiled triumphantly before gathering her things and leaving. Katniss spent half an hour filling out the paperwork, going over it once before placing it in an envelope. She just prayed that she didn't up with a conceited jerk like Johanna had.

XXXX

Three weeks later Katniss received a letter in the mail from the Adopt a Soldier program with the name of her new penpal along with a list of things that they liked if she ever decided to send them a care package. She dialed Johanna's number as she looked over the information.

"What's shakin' bacon?" Johanna asked when she answered on the third ring.

"I got my assigned soldier today. Is it normal for them to not send a picture?"

"It's up to the soldier. Cato sent me a half nude picture with my welcome packet. He's cute, but I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole. You can't imagine the stories he has told me. What's your soldiers name?"

"Lieutenant Peeta Mellark, he's twenty-six and originally from Sacramento California."

"Lieutenant huh? And he's only twenty-six? Dang, he moved up the ranks fast, he must be pretty good at what he does. What other information did he give you?"

"He's the son of a baker and a stay at home mom. He is on his third tour duty in three years and he has been over there for two months so far this time. He seems fairly normal, he put books and socks on his list of things I can send to him."

"That's not too bad. Cato asked for Playboys, petroleum jelly and Kleenex...Even you can guess what he does with his free time," Johanna said dryly.

Katniss was more than a little out of her element in the sex department. She'd only had two boyfriends and had only been serious about one of them. Thresh had been in her life for along for almost as long as Madge and they had dated for three years and he was a respected member of their community. He worked for the Mayor now and took his job seriously. Katniss had understood when he had ended things the year before.

She wasn't sure what to say in her letter. She wanted to give Peeta some information but not so much that it would be considered over sharing. She didn't want to lay out her dad and Prim's deaths right away either. Before she knew she had written a two page letter, which was more than she had planed on but it looked fairly safe to send.

The next morning she stopped by the post office to buy a roll of stamps and sent the letter off before heading to work. Her part of the deal was done, all she had to do was wait for Peeta to reply.

XXXX

Something hit him in the center of his forehead, making him look up. He glared at his best friend before pulling his earbuds out of his ears.

"You got some mail, I called your name like five times," the person said with a smirk.

"You could have sat it on my desk."

"What would have been in that? Who's Katniss Everdeen?"

"They are my penpal from the States."

The person nodded before putting their feet on Peeta's desk. Peeta gave him a warning look and the person shrugged.

"Look Finn, if you want to talk can it wait? I'm a little busy," he said with a sigh.

"Can I read your letter?" he asked randomly.

"No!" Peeta answered with a short laugh.

"Prude," Finn muttered.

"I am not, I have no idea what this person has to say and I would like to read my own mail before you get your grubby hands on it."

Finn rolled his eyes, not seeing the big deal. He read his letters from his wife, Annie aloud all the time. Granted, Annie never took things too far unless they were on the phone but Peeta enjoyed her letters.

Finn got the hint the that Peeta wasn't in the mood to talk and left. Peeta looked up from the file he was going over and his eyes moved to the letter. Did he really want to read it? What had he been thinking when he had signed up for the program? He had only signed up as a show of solidarity so that rest of his regiment would sign up. So far he was only one who had been matched. How messed up could this woman be if she had been matched with him?

He picked up the letter, turning it over in his hand before sliding a finger under the seal. Along with the letter Katniss had sent him a couple pictures. He pulled them out and found a post card with a picture of the beach on the front. 'So you don't forget where you came from' was scrawled across the back. He smiled before looking at the picture of a forest in all it's glory. Tall trees with luscious green foliage with the sun shining down through the trees. 'This is my favorite place' was written on the back. He pulled out the letter, setting back against his chair.

Dear Lieutenant Mellark,

I have no idea what I should say to you, I'm not the most talkative person face to face but I think this will be easier since there is very little chance that we will ever meet. So I want you to feel free to tell me anything and I promise that I will never tell a soul. I thought that since this is our first letter than we could play a game of twenty questions to get to know each other, only I will be answering the questions.

1. Full name: Katniss Regina Everdeen

2. Hair and eye color: My hair changes in the summer from dark brown to auburn, it comes from being outside so much for my job as a park ranger and I have grey eyes.

3. Birthday and place of birth: March 9th and I was born in Millington, Tennessee. Fun little fact: Justin Timberlake was also born there.

4. Favorite food: I would slice someone's throat over the last cheese bun in my local bakery. They are addictive.

5. Drink of choice: Cherry Coke

6. Favorite movie: Walk the Line, my dad had a small role in the movie and I got to meet Reese Witherspoon who I totally have a girl crush on.

7. Favorite book: My copy of The Client by John Grisham which my best friend Johanna finagled John Grisham himself into autographing is my most prized possession.

8. Favorite movie: Water for Elephants, which is my second favorite book. I have a thing for movies that are based on books.

9. Guilty pleasure: The TV show Under the Dome. I haven't missed an episode and I can't wait to find out what happens next.

10. The chore that I will do anything to get out of doing: Cleaning bathrooms, there are just some things that I don't need to know about my best friend Johanna which I now know after cleaning up after her one drunken night.

11. Favorite candy: Junior Mints, dumped over a bowl of fresh from the microwave popcorn.

12. Favorite Quote: Well, your Ken can kiss my Barbie, followed closely by That's how we roll in the Shire. Both are from the show Big Bang Theory. I love that show almost as much as Under the Dome.

13. Last time I wrote a letter: When I was in college because my mom prefers hand written letters over e-mail.

14. Favorite type of music: You would think that it would be country because of where I live but I'm not that crazy about it. I was raised on standards and jazz. My favorite artist is Michael Buble.

15. Most weird or annoying habit: I sing in the shower, I'm one of those people that uses my spray nozzle as a microphone, yes I am.

16. Facebook or Twitter: I'm a Facebook girl, I have an Twitter account but I've only posted one thing since I opened my account. I don't even remember my user name or password.

17. My best friend: Other than Johanna who I've mentioned I have been best friends with my other best friend since kindergarten and her name is Madge. She's the yin to my yang. Johanna is like that little devil on my shoulder always asking me 'what's the worst that could happen?' and I usually end up dragging her down with me.

18: Favorite Song: Virginia Bluebell by Miranda Lambert. Now, I know that I said that I wasn't crazy about country music, but there are some country artists that I do like. Miranda is one of them.

19. Farthest I've ever been from Knoxville: I spent my summers as a kid in Kentucky where my dad is originally from. You can think of another question for this one if you want since I already know how far you've been away from home.

20: What I do in my spare time: You'd think since I'm a park ranger that I would dislike the hurting of animals but for some of us here hunting season is when we get most of our food for the year. I prefer a bow over a gun and my dad taught me how to shoot when I was five.

I hope that I haven't scared you off or given you more information than you wanted to know. Madge tells me that I tend to over share more often than not.

Katniss

Peeta slipped the letter back in it's envelope with a smile. Katniss seemed normal by his standards. He had never had problems talking to people but he had been apprehensive about starting correspondence with Katniss since it wouldn't be face to face. Her questions had been safe but that was only because they didn't know each other, things would be easier as they progressed. He was now happy that he decided to sign up for the program because he had someone to talk to who had nothing to do with this part of his life.