Her outfit was basic, simple, unassuming; a fitted white blouse, tailored black jacket, a matching pencil skirt that hugged her hips and ended at her knees, and pumps with a heel high enough to look like heels, but short enough for her to still be able to walk like a normal person in them. The only pop of colour was her hair, the perfectly coiffed auburn bob that curved just above her shoulders.

As far as Halloween costumes went, Katniss Everdeen was happy enough. Long gone were the college days when people would always insist on her going to parties as a 'Sexy Nurse' or 'Sexy Teacher' or 'Sexy Anything'. These days, it was all about simplicity and comfort and reusability, and nothing anyone would say could make her change her mind. This year, her outfit ticked all of those boxes - and she would at least mollify Finnick with it, too.

She surveyed herself one final time, and with a short tug on the hem of her jacket, turned away from the mirror and reluctantly headed downstairs. She might have been satisfied with her outfit, and might have been looking forward to seeing Madge and Gale now that they'd returned from their honeymoon, but it didn't mean she was necessarily looking forward to going to the party itself.

Halloween was fun and all, but socialising was still Katniss' own personal form of horror.

Walking inside Finnick and Annie Odair's front door, Katniss was more than a little dismayed to find the place already packed. She'd hoped she could get in and get out onto their back deck with as little interaction as possible. But red light after red light, and a douchebag who took forever in front of her at the liquor store, meant that by the time she arrived, she was already half an hour late.

Ducking her head and moving through the crowd as inconspicuously as possible - it wasn't as hard as she'd expected; with the amount of colour, glitter and flesh on display, she didn't exactly stand out - she headed down the hall, through the kitchen and outside, letting out a sigh of relief when she could breath in fresh air that was tinged with smells she loved - pumpkin, spices, apple cider and...candy corn.

Ok, blech on that last one.

She pulled one of her beers out of the small cooler bag she carried, before dropping it on the floor and shoving the bag in the corner beside the wooden railings so it was out of the way. But no sooner had she taken a sip of the beer that she felt a hand on her shoulder, the fingers squeezing lightly in greeting. She turned, ready to tell whoever it was to get their damn hands off her, then relaxed when she saw it was Luke Skywalker, resplendent and proud in his X-Wing pilot outfit.

She took another slow sip as she appraised his outfit. "Wow, Finnick, I'm surprised you're not showing more skin this year."

He grinned, ran a hand through his bronze coloured hair as he cocked his hip. "Sweetheart, Luke Skywalker doesn't need to flaunt it to be hot. He's a pilot."

"Luke, though? Figured Han'd be more your style."

"I'm co-ordinating with Annie."

"So she's Yoda?"

"Haha," he replied wryly. "No, you'll see her soon enough. Anyway, nice work on your behalf. Your costume is hot."

"Shut up, Finnick."

"Why? It's a compliment! I dig the buttoned up look." She rolled her eyes, even while he continued to grin. "And I'm glad you decided to play this year, Everdeen."

"Yeah, well, you practically forced me to wear a costume - you threatened me with a stripper-gram at work if I didn't."

"That's because you haven't worn a costume for the last three."

"I did last year."

"Half-heartedly wearing an apron and saying you're a baker doesn't really count, Katniss."

"Whatever." She folded her arms across her chest, propped her drink in the crook of her elbow. "Are Madge and Gale here yet? You know I mostly came to see them, right?"

"You always know how to make me feel loved."

"I get to see your pretty face every day in the school staff room, I don't have time to miss you or whatever," Katniss replied pointedly. "But I haven't seen them in a month since they left for Europe."

"Yeah, yeah, I see where your loyalties lie." He wrapped an arm playfully around her shoulders, grinned widely. "But no, they're not here yet. They were running late, and then I think they were picking up Madge's cousin on their way here."

"Her cousin?" Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Delly? I thought I saw her already."

"No, Peeta, the one who's been in France for a few years."

She felt her heart thud funny in her chest. "Peeta?" she repeated, certain she hadn't heard him right.

Finnick nodded. "Yeah, apparently he moved to town two weeks ago."

"Madge, uh, didn't mention anything to me before they left." Normally Madge told her everything, so the fact that she'd been quiet on the front of her cousin moving to Panem was odd.

"I'm not sure she knew before they went," he shrugged. "But I don't really know too much about it. Annie just mentioned it to me earlier because Madge added him to their RSVP to tonight."

Shrugging as nonchalantly as she could, Katniss took another sip of her beer and leant back against the balcony railing. She'd only ever met Madge's cousin on half a dozen occasions, and she hadn't seen him at all in the last 8 years. The first time she'd ever met him, they'd been 6 and 8 respectively, and he'd had a shock of blond hair, mischievous blue eyes, knobby knees and a smear of chocolate cake on his cheek. The last time she'd seen him, he'd been 18, his blond hair artfully tousled, his shoulders broad and strong, and his playful blue eyes had seared right through her, giving her one too many x-rated dreams late at night.

So, basically, he hadn't really left much of an impression on her. At all.

Whatever.

Thankfully, as the evening wore on, most of the people who gravitated towards the deck were people Katniss knew, people she could handle having a conversation with. Annie floated by, dragging Finnick away with her to play host, in a green dress and long red wig, the Mara Jade to his Skywalker. Delly and Thom cuddled in the corner as Mickey and Minnie, while Jo appeared in red and black workout gear, her hands encased in fingerless boxing gloves as she threatened to kick people's asses. Katniss wasn't entirely sure if she'd come as someone from the UFC, or just herself.

"Katniss!"

She looked up at the sound of her name being called, in time to see Madge wave enthusiastically in her direction as she stepped through the door onto the deck in a purple minidress, dragging Gale after her. Katniss snorted behind her hand when she saw him dressed in blue flares and a white shirt, a cravat tied gaily around his throat.

"Well hi there, Daphne and Fred," she greeted, pressing her lips together as she tried to keep a straight face. Gale glowered at her.

"Shut up, Catnip," he muttered.

"Did you lose a bet?" she asked.

"We agreed I'd get to pick our costumes one year, he gets to pick them the next," Madge grinned.

"Wow, you're going to be in so much trouble next year," Katniss told her.

"Damn straight," Gale replied shortly. "Now I need a beer. These pants are too tight for me to wear sober." He walked away awkwardly, leaving Madge and Katniss laughing in his wake.

"I can't believe you made him wear those pants."

"Eh, I think no matter how much he's bitching about it, he knows how good his ass looks in them," Madge said flippantly, leaning against the railing to watch as Gale walked away.

"Ew," Katniss retorted. While she'd gotten used to the idea of her two childhood best friends marrying each other, she still wasn't used to hearing Madge compliment Gale's ass. "Anyway, his hideous pants aside, it's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too," Madge grinned. "Anything exciting happen while we were away?"

"As usual, nothing, though that shouldn't be of any surprise. I'm certain you have more exciting stories to tell than me."

"Do I ever! We- Hey! Peeta, we're over here!" Madge waved again, this time towards a dark-haired guy on the other side of the rapidly filling deck. He lifted a hand in acknowledgement, before beginning to make his way through the crowd. "I never thought Peeta would leave France - I'm so excited he's moved here."

"What, uh, brought him back to the States?"

"Oh, his parents finally convinced him to open a branch of Mellark's in Panem. Remember, they own that bakery in Capitol City?" Katniss hummed her acknowledgement, remembered it vaguely being referenced over the years. "They've been in negotiations for the building space for ages, but Peeta didn't want to say anything to me until it was all signed off. Totally a surprise - I only found out when we got back on Thursday!"

Katniss nodded and watched as Peeta skirted around a couple of zombies; it wasn't until he was standing directly in front of them, a smile on his face and his hands shoved in the pockets of his suit pants, that she realised that, despite not coming with a partner, she'd still managed to find one.

And he was even hotter than 16 year old Katniss remembered him to be.

"Hi there," he greeted. "It's been a long time, Katniss. It's nice to see you again."

Her stomach did a weird flip thing that felt foreign to her. "How...how did you know who I was?"

He laughed, tipped his head towards his cousin. "Madge told me you'd be here. Plus, you really haven't changed a bit since I saw you last - except for your hair. It threw me off at first, until I got closer."

"It's just a wig," she replied automatically, lifting her hand absently to pat at it.

"I know," he stage whispered, lifting his hand to his own hair. "So's mine."

"I was going to say, I can't remember you having brown hair."

"It's all about getting into character," he smiled, then rocked back on his heels. "Though I must say I'm a little surprised - I never picked you for an X-Files fan."

Katniss lifted an eyebrow; it wasn't the first time she'd heard this. "And you're basing that solely on your impression of a girl you've met maybe a total of half a dozen times in your life?"

He had the grace to look sheepish. "Touché. Sorry, that came out wrong. I think it's great you love the show. I just had no idea."

"It's fine." He was probably just nervous or whatever, being at a party full of people he barely knew. He could get a free pass for that one. Instead, she glanced towards Madge, to see her studying them both curiously.

"Peeta, are you actually Fox Mulder?" she asked incredulously.

He shot her a look full of surprise. "Yeah - what did you think I was when I got in the car?"

"A random FBI agent?" she replied, and Katniss felt her nose scrunch up in what turned out to be a mirror of Peeta's.

"You're a lost cause, Madge," he sighed. "I bet you don't even know who your friend Finnick is dressed as."

"Oh shut up, Mellark," Madge grinned, punched him playfully in the arm. "I'm going to get a drink. You want one?"

Peeta shook his head. "I'm good for now. I had a couple before you picked me up, knowing you were driving me home."

"I should have known you'd pre-game it. What about you, Katniss?"

"I'm good too."

Madge moved away, her high platform boots clomping across the wood, leaving Katniss alone with Peeta - and with that weird feeling in her stomach continuing to increase. It had almost bottomed out when she thought he'd been questioning her interest in her show, but had flared back to life again the minute he'd apologised.

He had a damn good game of Puppy Dog Apology Eyes.

They stood in silence, Katniss sipping her beer and Peeta kind of bopping his head slightly to the music playing over the speakers. Without Madge there as a buffer, Katniss wasn't too sure of what to say - and obviously, Peeta felt just as awkward. In the end, she said the first thing that came to mind.

"So I didn't expect anyone to show up as my partner," she blurted, then internally cursed. Nice work, Everdeen. "I mean...as Mulder. You know. Uh, no one else I know is a fan. I didn't start watching it until its run had already ended."

"Same," he admitted. "And I didn't even think to ask Madge if any of her friends were fans, which is why I guess I was so surprised by you. Good surprised," he reiterated quickly. "But it's not a big deal, though, right? Us dressed as the two of them?"

Katniss shook her head, probably more emphatically than she needed to. What was it about this guy that made her feel tongue tied? "Oh, sure, not a problem at all. We're just Mulder and Scully, the early years."

"Sure," he nodded, then moved beside her to lean against the railing, taking Madge's place. "Just good old work buddies, before all the off-screen implications and the baby."

"Exactly. Luckily, we can fit ourselves into any season we want." She lifted a hand and gestured towards Delly and Thom, didn't even care if it seemed like she was babbling. "Your cousin and her boyfriend, on the other hand...well, it's pretty clear by their characters that they're meant to be surgically attached at the lips at all times."

Peeta glanced over, then laughed in reply, a low, slow rumble that seemed to start in his chest and build until it all but rolled over her skin like a tidal wave. "Maybe not in the standard Disney versions."

"True," she agreed. "But, you know. Everyone knows they're legitimately a couple."

"That they are." He slouched down a little more, resting his elbow on the railing and flicking at his fake FBI badge. "Your badge looks spot on, by the way. Mine I did with a Magic Marker just before I left my apartment."

She glanced down at her computer-created badge. "Thanks. I got my sister to do it because I promised Finnick I'd make an effort this year. I figured I needed to make it as good as possible."

"You don't make efforts other years?"

She shrugged. "My idea of fun isn't necessarily dressing up in costumes and talking to people while I do so."

"So you hate Halloween."

"Hey, I like Halloween," she said sharply, her hackles rising. "Just because I'm not a fan of-"

"It's okay, Katniss, I'm kidding," Peeta reassured her with a smile. "I know dressing up isn't for everyone. I remember that you were always more serious than everyone else."

She turned to face him this time, her lips firming together in a line."And what's that meant to mean?"

He straightened, and lifted a hand in supplication. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it. Dammit, I feel like I sound like an asshole almost every time I open my mouth."

"Well so far you've questioned my interest in the X Files, assumed I was a Halloween hater and told me I'm more serious than everyone else. So yeah. You kind of have." She didn't even know why she was getting so defensive, why she was getting so bothered by what he was saying. It wasn't even like he was insulting her.

Embarrassment crossed his face, and he looked down at the ground. "I said sorry about the assumption thing. And I don't mean to keep saying things the wrong way , and I didn't mean to give the impression I was judging you or making fun of you or anything. To be perfectly honest, I'm actually...kind of weirdly nervous right now." His voice carried a hint of surprise, as though his admission was a shock to even himself.

Katniss mouth dropped open. "Huh?"

"Well…" he looked away, and she could see a flush begin to creep over his cheeks. "I'm kind of standing in front of the girl my 18 year old self dreamed about for weeks on end, dressed as the Mulder to her Scully, and I just keep screwing myself over by saying things that could be misconstrued as insulting."

Okay, that was definitely not what she expected him to say.

"You're kidding, right?"

"I'm afraid not."

Her mouth gaped open. "But we saw each other like once when you were 18."

He absently rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. "And it was a pretty memorable day for me. At my grandfather's place, out at the Hampton's? Madge's best friend, with her scowl and her emerald green bikini that blew my mind? Our argument over who got the last cheesebun? It was basically the best day of my teenage life."

Now it wasn't just her stomach that felt weird. Her entire body felt like it was buzzing with nerves - nerves that she definitely remembered having that same day. How on earth was it possible that he'd had the same? How the hell had their conversation even steered in this direction? "That's...that's insane. How can a day from 8 years ago be that memorable?"

Peeta shrugged. "I don't know. But it was."

"But..." she trailed off, took another sip of her beer to try and calm her nerves. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything," Peeta assured her, his cheeks - surprisingly endearingly - bright pink. "I think I've said enough for both of us tonight. Let's chalk it up to it being a long time ago, and I was just 18 and girl crazy."

"Oh."

He nodded. "Anyway, now that I've suitably embarrassed myself, I'm going to go and remove my foot from my mouth. It was, uh, nice seeing you again Katniss. I'll see you around."

Then he was gone, swallowed up by the crowd around them.

And Katniss could do nothing but stare after him in shock.

"Katniss, you need to ask him out."

"I do not."

Madge sighed exasperatedly down the phone. "You totally do."

Flopping back on her bed, Katniss groaned. "Why, exactly? We had a disagreement of sorts, then he told me he had like a crush on me when he was 18. Big deal. He's 26 now, he got over it."

"Are you sure? Because he's so embarrassed by it all. And he keeps asking me if you've talked to me about it. Plus he showed up as Mulder - how crazy is that? I almost died when I realised who he was dressed as!"

"Look, he basically told me that he was just 18 and horny. He wasn't exactly declaring his undying love for me."

"Maybe he was, and he just didn't know how to say it."

Katniss sighed, threw her arm across her eyes. In the week since Finnick and Annie's Halloween party, she'd thought about her conversation with Peeta more than she should have, more than she would ever admit. She'd already realised her reactions to his comments were over the top, that she'd been overly sensitive. That, more than anything, they'd been a direct result of her own surprising attraction to him. And, after all that, that it was stupid, really, to keep thinking about a guy who told you he'd had a crush on you as a teenager, an age group they were now both well beyond. Plenty of time had passed since that summer day - and so too, had his fleeting feelings.

So why the hell couldn't she get it - or him - off her mind?

"Madge, I'll repeat, it was one day when we were teenagers. That was all. Nothing more, nothing less. Quit making such a big deal out of it."

"But-"

"No, seriously. Just leave it. Quit trying to play family matchmaker."

Madge huffed down the phone. "Fiiiine. But I still think he's interested in you."

"I'll see you on Saturday."

Still, she thought of him. Had those dreams again that had haunted her for 6 months as a teenager. Wondered how on Earth a guy could have so much of an impression on her that 15 minutes in his company had made her think about a guy in that way for the first time in who knew how long.

It was so stupid.

But no matter what Madge said, and no matter how many dreams she had, she had no intention of ever calling him.

So, of course, she ran into him in the grocery store.

It had been over a month since she'd seen him last; Thanksgiving had somehow come and gone and already the stores were filled with tinsel and baubles and signs proclaiming "Pre Christmas Sale!"

But low and behold, there he suddenly was, standing in front of the frozen food section, a basket full of produce in his hands, his hair back to the tousled blond she remembered and concentration clear on his face.

For half a second she debated turning on her heel and getting away from him as quickly as possible, but the moment she took one hesitant step back, his gaze swung towards her, and the concentration disappeared.

"Katniss, hey!" Peeta greeted. He crossed to her, grinning enthusiastically. Obviously he'd gotten over his 'embarrassment' already. If he'd really been embarrassed at all. Whatever Madge.

"Hey, Peeta."

"How're things going? Did you have a good Thanksgiving?"

"Uh, good. And yeah, yeah I did." She clenched onto the handle of her shopping basket even tighter. Small talk was the worst. As were the butterflies that had taken up residence in her stomach. "Um, how about you?"

"It was really good - it's the first Thanksgiving I've had in the States for a few years, so it was nice to be back."

"Of course. You were in France, right? Studying to be a pastry chef?"

He nodded. "Figured I'd learn from the best. Now I've come to Panem open a new offshoot of my parent's bakery. With a few of my own personal touches, of course."

"Cool." Cool? You're an idiot.

"It's on the corner of Victor and Tribute. You should come by and check it out next week when we open."

"I, uh, will. Sure." No way. You gotta nip these stupid butterflies in the bud, Everdeen.

"Great." He smiled, looked down at his basket. "Anyway, I need to finish shopping - my brother and his wife are in town and are coming by for dinner; I'm already running late. I'll see you when you drop by."

"Okay," she muttered, with no plans whatsoever to go.

She went.

(Though she told herself it was just for curiousity.)

A little over a week later, Katniss pushed through the front door of Mellark's, the little bell above it jangling and announcing her arrival, fully expecting - at 10.30 on a Saturday morning - for it to be busy.

It wasn't. And Katniss' plan to go relatively unnoticed was shot when Peeta was the only other person around.

"Hi! I'm so glad you stopped by, I was hoping you would," he said with a smile, wiping his hands on his already flour coated apron, moving around the counter towards her.

"I, uh...yeah. I was curious, thought I'd see how things were going."

Sure.

"Things are going really good," Peeta replied happily. "We knew it was a risk opening just before Christmas, but we were already paying for the lease and figured why the hell not. But it's paid off - business is brisk, sales are going well, we're always pretty busy." Then he glanced around the empty store, and laughed. "Well, except for now, I guess. You have good timing."

"I guess," she shrugged.

"Can I get something for you while you're here?"

"Uh..."

"Wait." He held up a hand. "I've got it. You go sit down, I'll bring something over. On the house."

"No, you don't-"

"I want to." He cut her off firmly, gestured over to a corner booth. "I'll bring it over to you."

Not willing to argue with him any further - if she was here, she may as well eat, and make the most of 'knowing' the owner - Katniss crossed the room and slid onto the rich brown leather of the booth seat. She glanced around storefront, noted how warm and cozy it felt, without feeling over decorated or kitschy. Dark browns and soft oranges offset the otherwise cream tones of the bakery, the line of booths for in-store diners directly across from a display case heaped with delicious looking sweets and cakes and pastries.

Suddenly a plate was placed in front of her, and he slid into the opposite side of the booth; Katniss looked down at the plate, then back up at Peeta.

"You went all the way to France, and all I get is this lousy cheesebun?" She asked, then blushed, ducked her head. "Sorry. That sounded super rude - it was meant to be a joke. I guess maybe we're both good at things coming out wrong."

He laughed. "Well, I figured I won the argument back when we were teenagers - it was only fair you got one now."

Katniss smirked when she raised her head again. "You won the argument fair and square when you admitted that you'd made them yourself."

"Still, fairs fair," Peeta said seriously. "This one, despite being made by me again, is 100% yours."

Shrugging, she pulled a small chunk off and popped it into her mouth. And she sighed. "These are still amazing. Worth the wait."

"I'm glad. Some things are good when you're a teenager, but they're even better as an adult." He smiled, but it was a slow one, one that seemed to creep across his face infinitesimally, until it all but exploded.

And she practically choked on the bread.

She hurriedly swallowed it, coughing and gasping, grabbing a bottle of water from her bag to wash it down. She silently cursed herself for reacting to him so strongly that she almost needed first aid in the middle of the bakery.

"Shit, Katniss, are you okay?" The concern was clear on his face, as he half stood in his seat while he reached out towards her. She waved him away, took another sip of water.

"I'm fine," she muttered. "Just went down the wrong way."

"Okay, good," Peeta sighed in relief. "I was just worried I'd freaked you out again."

"Huh?"

"By my lame ass comment."

"Oh. Oh no." She shook her head - then narrowed her eyes. "Hang on, what do you mean 'freaked out again'?"

"Uh oh," he cringed, clapped a hand over his eyes, peering at her through the gap in his fingers. "I've done it again. Sorry...I just meant...when I told you about me having a crush on you at the Halloween party you kind of seemed, uh, completely mortified."

She blinked. "I did?"

He nodded, dropping his gaze and his hand down to the tabletop and beginning to draw nervous circles across the surface with his finger. "I felt bad about it; you looked really unimpressed. That's why I left so quickly."

Katniss grimaced, capping the bottle of water and dropping it back in her bag. "I didn't mean to - I was just really...surprised, I guess."

"Why?"

"I'm not used to guys telling me they had a crush on me."

"Really?" He looked back up at her. "I find that hard to believe."

"Well, believe it. I'm obviously not the drawcard I apparently was when I was 16." She rolled her eyes, picked at the cheesebun again.

"I don't think you realise the effect you have, Katniss," Peeta murmured quietly. "Even 8 years after I saw you last, you still made me feel like I'd been punched in the stomach at the party."

The piece of bread was halfway to her mouth, and this time she wasn't taking any chances - she dropped it back to her plate. "What?"

The words came out in a rush, in a single breath. "Would it be completely and utterly and totally weird if I asked you out right now?"

"What?"

His shoulders slumped. "Okay, you're right. Absolutely weird. Completely out of left field. Forget I asked."

Katniss shook her head firmly, leant forward with her forearms resting on the tabletop, even while her heart raced wildly. "I'm not saying no - I'm just...why?"

"Why not?"

"Why?"

He ran a hand through his hair, slumped back in the booth. "Because when you were 16 years old, you intrigued me. I guess in the back of my mind I always wondered what Katniss Everdeen was like as an adult...and when I saw her again, she still intrigued me. And I think I'd like the chance to get to know her better."

Katniss was fairly certain her mouth was opening and closing like a fish, her eyes wide with shock. Things like this didn't happen to her. Things like this only happened in movies. Hot, attractive guys gravitated towards Madge and Delly and Johanna. And the ones she liked, or was attracted to or whatever never liked her back..."Are you really being serious about this?"

The corner of his mouth quirked up as he nodded. "Absolutely."

She licked her lips nervously, before she opened her mouth to reply. Then she closed it again, pausing as she eyed him carefully. "Wait. I think...before I agree to this, I need to know one thing."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

Katniss inhaled deeply. This was, really, a make or break question. "What's your favourite episode?" she blurted, and he nodded seriously.

"You're right. This is something we need to take into consideration."

"Are you mocking me?"

Peeta shook his head. "Definitely not. If we're in complete disagreeance on this, we'll write things off right now, chalk it up as a narrowly avoided misadventure."

"Alright," she said warily. "So - what is it?"

He scraped his top teeth across his bottom lip, looked from side to side and back to her again before responding. "Small Potatoes," he said seriously.

Katniss stared at him for a moment, before a small smile began to cross her face. Thank God. "So - when do you want to go out?"

For Starla, aka salanderjade, aka whowhatsitwhich. Just a few of your favourite things ;).