A/N: Hey everyone! This is my first AU, and I'm also currently in the middle of writing a regular fanfic as well! I'm excited to be starting this, seeing as I usually only stick with the original storyline, so it'll be fun to change things up and see what the response is! Any feedback would be amazing; I'm interested to hear what you have to say! Enjoy!

"Good evening, my name is Katniss and I'll be your server tonight. What can I get you to start?" I say as cheerfully as possible, plastering the biggest smile I can muster on my face. I take down the customer's orders and excuse myself with another smile. As I bring the order to the kitchen, I can't help but sigh heavily and glance over at the clock. Just half an hour, thirty more minutes before I can get out of this place.

I finish off my shift as quickly as I can, rushing between tables, refilling drinks, grabbing cheques until finally, my boss, Haymitch calls out to me that I can leave.

I rip off my apron and throw it onto the bar, grabbing my purse from under the counter before making a beeline for the exit. I make my way to the alley beside the restaurant and jump into my beat up old pickup truck that I've had since I got my licence a couple years back. I fire the truck up and speed out of the alley, grateful to be heading home.

I turn up the radio and concentrate on the road in front of me, trying to stay awake. Working long hours tends to take its toll on me, and besides, I've never liked working at that place anyways. Abernathy's Bar and Grill, the most popular place to eat in my town of Panem, is always packed, and there's never any time to stop and take a breather. Though, I can't complain, the pay is pretty good, and the tips are usually generous. The worst part, besides the hours, is my boss, Mr. Haymitch Abernathy himself. He's an older man, who's sour most of the time, and drunk the rest. Though, he can be a pretty okay guy, especially since he hired me despite being under the legal drinking age, working for him gets tiring.

I pull into the driveway of my mother's house, where I'm currently living as I save up for my own apartment. I turn off the truck and just sit there for a few moments, half dreading going inside. The house is dark, so my mother and little sister, Prim, must be asleep. It's always depressing, coming home, even though I'd rather be here than anywhere else, because it's where my sister is. I smile at the thought of her. Primrose Everdeen, my fourteen year old sister who's sweeter than any person you'll ever meet. We look nothing alike, me with my dark hair, grey eyes and olive skin, and her; fair skinned with long blonde hair, and eyes as blue as the sky. Out of all the people in the world, Prim is the only person I feel I can ever talk to about whatever is going on in my life.
I finally climb out of the truck, closing the door as quietly as possible, and make my way to the front door, unlocking it and stepping inside. As I make my way to the stairs that lead to my bedroom on the second floor, I pass my mother's room, where I can see her sleeping soundly through the crack in the door.

My mother and I haven't exactly had the best relationship these past few years. Ever since my father was killed in a car accident, she hasn't been the same.
My heart aches at the thought of my father. I was, by far, my father's daughter. His spitting image, I never left his side. We did everything together, and he was the most important person in my life.
When he died, seven years ago, I didn't know how I was going to go on. I would've given up, but my mother beat me to it. Becoming someone who I always thought she was too strong to become. She wouldn't eat, wouldn't sleep, wouldn't even talk, or acknowledge Prim or I. Prim, being only seven, would sit beside her, crying her eyes out, begging her to talk to her, or do something. It was no use. She just sat, in her rocking chair, slowly rocking back and forth, eyes glued to a spot on the floor. I became the primary caregiver for my sister and myself, always making sure we had food on the table and clean clothes to wear. Those were her better days, though, because then she took to drinking. After about a year, she started functioning again. She still didn't talk much, and had the same glazed over look in her eyes, but she got out of the chair, and went out. For the first time in a year, I had a speck of hope. It was false hope, though, because her daily trips into the outside world always brought her to the liquor store, where she would stock up on booze and drink her sorrows away. It got to the point where she became violent in her drunken state, smashing bottles, throwing furniture, cursing at Prim and I. She never hit us, though, only yelled at us, blamed us for our father's death. Along with the drinking, she made it a habit of popping any kind of medication she could find. Cough syrup, pain killers, anti-depressants, stimulants, it didn't matter. She swallowed huge amounts of medication, washing them down with her alcohol.

I'd become accustomed to coming home from school, Prim in tow, to find her passed out on the kitchen floor.
Since then, it's gotten slightly better, though her favourite beverage is still her alcohol. She's become almost unrecognizable. Gone is the beautiful woman, whose blonde hair was always so perfectly styled, her clothes, elegant and classy, her makeup always done to perfection, whose best accessory was her smile. Now, she's a haggard, tired looking woman, who seems to be ten years older than she is. Her hair; always askew and unruly, she never smiles, never changes her clothes. She only drinks.

I climb the stairs, but instead of heading to my room, I turn to the left, and quietly enter Prim's room, where she's sleeping soundly, curled onto her side. I smile and smooth her hair back from her forehead, climbing into the bed beside her and pulling the covers up around us both. I close my eyes, and fall into a dreamless sleep.

"Katniss, you have a visitor!" Prim calls from the kitchen.
I scramble down the stairs, and race to the front door, catapulting myself into the arms of the man standing there. His dark hair is perfectly messy, as always, and his grey eyes twinkle as he catches me, wrapping his arms tightly around me.

He chuckles, "Well, hello Catnip."

I laugh and wiggle out of his arms to meet his eyes, standing on my tip-toes to plant a light kiss on his lips.
Gale, my boyfriend, and also my best friend. We've known each other for years, and have been best friends since both of our father's died-his having been involved in an accident at work-when we met at the small get together the company had in honour of our fathers, who had both worked at the same place. He's older than me, being 22 himself, and was older when his father died, but also had the responsibility of caring for his three younger siblings. Six months ago, he admitted he had feelings for me, and since then, we've been dating.

I never really imagined dating Gale, seeing as he's practically my brother, but, things seem to have been going well, so I went along with it.
"Hey," I grin, grabbing his hand, "Ready to go?"

He nods and waves to Prim before leading me out to his car.

We drive in silence for a while, before I turn to him, "So, where exactly are you taking me tonight?"

"You can't let me surprise you, can you?" He chuckles, poking my shoulder playfully.

I shake my head, smiling. "I'm bringing you to the new café that opened up downtown." He shrugs, "I figured you'd like it, it's somewhere different."

I nod and sink back into my seat, slightly disappointed. Gale isn't exactly what you would call a romantic kind of guy. He's not into the cheesy, cute dates that boyfriends normally plan for their girlfriends.
I'm not exactly the kind of person who's into that sort of thing either, though I can't help but feel upset that he never even tries to be romantic,
I look out the window and roll my eyes. His idea of romantic is bringing me back to his apartment and locking us in his bedroom for the night, hoping to get something, anything really, out of me.

I glance sideways at him. Gale and I haven't done anything...substantial, in the bedroom. It's not that he isn't attractive, he is, very much so. With his strong features, muscled body, and overall attractive appearance, he's what most girls would die for.
Despite all that, he's one of my closest friends, and someone I've known for years. I feel that doing something that intense with him would change our relationship, forever. And I can't risk losing the strong friendship with the only other person I have; besides Prim.

After what feels like forever, Gale pulls into a parking spot in front of the new café, and I'm surprised to find how quaint and cozy it looks. A big change from what I'm used to at the restaurant.

I climb out of the car and Gale takes my hand, leading me up the stairs in front of the shop, and into the seating area.

I can't help but be impressed when I walk inside. This place, simply called Mellark Café, is nothing huge and fancy, yet it has a nice feel to it. There are several tables placed around the large room, all covered in pretty white lace table cloths. The walls are painted a nice shade of orange, that gives the room a warm, cozy feel without being overpowering and gaudy. There are two, big bay windows at the front of the place, allowing you to look out and see the happenings on the street. In the back of the café, are two display cases, one filled with delicious looking, intricately designed pastries, and a variety of breads and things in the other. In between the cases, is a marble countertop, with a cash register places on top. An older man, a little on the heavy side with curly blonde hair, streaked with grey stands there, working over the register. Behind him, is a half wall, allowing you a glimpse of the big ovens and bakers running around in the kitchen.

Gale walks up to the man at the register and clears his throat. The man jumps slightly and looks up, smiling when he sees Gale and I.

"Hello! Welcome, welcome! I'm Bannock Mellark, the owner of this place," he smiles warmly, reaching out to shake Gale's hand. "Sorry, I'm a little new to these registers…not used to this technology," he chuckles, "My sons usually handle the front end of the café. Anyways, would you like a seat?"

He walks around the counter and motions for us to follow, leading us to a table for two in front of the window.

"Thank you. This is a lovely place," I say, smiling up at him. This man has a sweet air about him, and, just by talking to him, you can easily tell he's a nice person.

He smiles at me, "Thank you young lady. It's taken a long time, but I've finally achieved the goal of owning my own place." Then, he turns back towards the kitchen, looking for something.

"I'll have one of my sons come out to take your order in a moment. But in the meantime, here are some menus for you to look over," He says, grabbing two menus from the nearby basket and handing one to each of us.

I smile at him as he disappears into the kitchen.

Gale chuckles at me from behind his menu and I raise an eyebrow.

"What?" I ask defensively.

He shakes his head, "I've never seen you so…friendly around a stranger before."

I scoff, "He seems like a nice man. I can be friendly you know." I look back at my menu, a little hurt that he'd accuse me of being obnoxious and cold.

A few minutes later, a young man appears from the kitchen and makes his way to our table. I can tell right away that he's related to Bannock Mellark. This boy, who looks to be about Gale's age, maybe a year younger, has the same curly blonde hair as the owner, though his isn't streaked with grey. His curls fall in an unruly manner, but still manage to look presentable. He's slim, and judging by the way his white shirt clings to his body, he's well built. He walks over to our table, stopping beside it and smiles down at me.

My breath catches in my throat when he smiles at me. His teeth, perfectly straight and white, seem to sparkle when he does so, and his eyes, bluer than even Prims, pull me in. I'm mesmerised by the man standing in front of me. I'm not sure if my imagination is playing tricks on me, but I'm pretty sure he continues to stare at me too, his mouth opening and closing a few times.

It's as if we're in a trance, just staring at each other.

Finally, I clear my throat and look down at my menu. There is no way this can be good. There's no way this...bread boy can hypnotize me after setting eyes on him for the first time.

There's just no way.