A/N: Thank you a TON to my awesome friends and betas, bubblegum1425, who had to do massive amounts of edits when I would slip into past tense, ct522, who sweetly points out when I switch POV's, and inmyfavor for reading and assuring me it didn't suck! This would be terrible if it weren't for them.
Standing in a heinously long line at the mall so her four year old daughter can ask Santa for a particular toy that she can't even begin to afford isn't exactly Katniss's idea of quality time. Skye had asked for a very expensive doll for Christmas, and when Katniss had explained to her that there wasn't enough money this season for her to buy the doll, and that maybe she would get it for her birthday, Skye had responded with a bright idea.
"I can ask Santa for it, Mommy! He brings toys to all the children that have been good, right?"
Katniss balked at the question. She had never once mentioned Santa to Skye, not wanting to indulge her child in unnecessary fairy tales of fictional do-gooders that bring delight to children all over the world, when in reality Katniss knew her meager income could never support such a fantasy. Katniss would like to meet the person who put those ideas into her daughter's head so she could give them a piece of her mind.
"Skye, sweetie," Katniss was cautious in her tone so as not to burst the bubble her daughter was slowly inflating with hope. "Where did you hear about Santa?"
Skye's steely eyes brightened at her mother's seeming admission that a rosy-cheeked, white-bearded man, whose belly jiggled like a "bowlful of jelly", as the story went, did, in fact, exist to do her bidding at Christmas.
"Teacher told us today that Santa brings toys to all the children in the world who have been good this year, and we better keep our hands to ourselves and walk in a straight line if we want to wake up and find a present from him on Christmas morning." Skye rigidly pointed her finger, shaking it up and down with her hand on her hip when she repeated Miss Cartwright's words to the class, obviously imitating what she had seen. Then, she continued rattling on about how good she had been at school since her teacher shared these important facts.
This information was unpleasant for Katniss to hear, but she noticed the girl's face became serious, and Skye grew quiet. "What is it, Skye?" Katniss whispered as she tipped the little girl's chin to look up at her.
"Mommy, Santa brings lumps of coal to the kids who are bad." Skye paused, her eyes earnestly seeking approval with her next question. "Do you think I've been good? Will Santa leave me coal?" Skye's face looked like she was holding back a waterfall of tears at the thought of receiving black rocks as a Christmas gift.
"Sweetie, of course you've been good! You are always a good girl, and Santa would be crazy to have you on his naughty list!" Katniss realized the moment the words came out of her mouth she had messed up.
"Yes!" Skye shouted, throwing her arms up in the air. "So that means Santa will bring me my doll?" Her face lit up with more joy in that moment than Katniss had experienced in a long while, and as she began to jump up and down in circles, cheering gleefully that Santa was the greatest. Katniss knew she didn't have it in her to deny her daughter this wish. She would have to find a way to get this doll.
Now, thanks to Mrs. Cartwright, Katniss found herself waiting in a way too long line with a hyperactive four year old anxiously bouncing on her feet in anticipation of her meeting with Santa. How many gifts are they allowed to ask him for? she wonders to herself as she counts the children in front of her. Twenty-six. Twenty-six more kids to get through.
"How much longer, momma? I'm hungry," Skye whines.
"Probably longer than we want, sweetheart," Katniss replies truthfully, letting go of the girl's hand to retrieve a bag of goldfish crackers from her purse. Skye munched on the snack, and Katniss was grateful she had a distraction. She had been asking since they left the house if Katniss thought Santa would have any of the dolls left that she wants. Katniss assured her every time that, yes, Santa has plenty of those dolls in his workshop. Katniss has never been a believer in Santa, so she hopes she does the stories justice. She had never really listened to any of them growing up. Santa didn't exist for the poverty-stricken, and Katniss had realized that at a young age.
Thirty minutes pass, and they move closer to their jolly destination at a painfully slow pace. Katniss uses the time to think of how she's going to acquire this doll. Oh, why can't Santa be real? She thought to herself. That sure would solve my dilemma… maybe I should send the bill to Miss Cartwright? The stress of not letting Skye down on Christmas morning had been weighing on her heavily.
As she tapped her chin thinking about which bills that could be paid late, there was a commotion ahead of them that brought Katniss back to reality.
"This is ridiculous!" a blonde-headed, busty mom yells at one of the elves, swinging her shopping bag-laden arms in a wildly expressive manner, almost hitting a few people near her in the process. "How much time do you really need to give each kid? Tell them to say what they want, get the picture and then get them out of there! This is taking entirely too long! I have places to be!"
My thoughts exactly, Katniss silently agrees. Although the woman's spoiled behavior is unnecessary, Katniss can't help but think there should be more effort to get the families through the line quicker. There are many irritable toddlers awaiting their turn with St. Nick, and she know she can't be the only person in line wishing she didn't have to hear the temper tantrums associated with children trying to learn patience.
The elf motions for security to come over, although, Katniss notes, the short, pixie-haired girl looks as if she wants to take care of it herself, as the woman won't stop harassing her about getting the line moving faster. The burly, dark-skinned security guard kindly asks her to calm down, which has the opposite effect, making the blonde even angrier, and as a result, the guard asks her to leave the line, but not before Katniss notices the elf whisper something that only Malibu Mom can hear. She stomps away, giving the elf a one finger salute and the dirtiest look she can muster, dragging her screaming and kicking toddler behind, her perfect blond curls bouncing up and down her back. Well at least we're a little closer, Katniss thinks as she huffs out a breath, trying to blow away a strand of hair that has fallen out of her braid into her face.
Katniss points in the direction at the front of the line as she says to her daughter excitedly, "Skye, look! I see Santa!" Skye jumps up and down, clapping her hands together with renewed vigor. "It won't be long now, sweetie." Katniss pats Skye on the back triumphantly, grateful that this part of their day is almost over.
As they come closer to the front, Katniss finds that she can't seem to stop watching Santa. He is mesmerizing. She notices how he takes his job very seriously, laughing and entertaining the children's questions and making cute conversations with them. He plays his role very well, doting on every one of the kids. Katniss thinks that if she were given more time to observe him, he might actually make a believer out of her.
He has the bluest eyes, a color so vivid and bright she thinks they could bring light to her darkest dreams. As Katniss searches his features, she notices how young the part of his face looks that isn't covered by white fluff. She can't quite put a number on his age, but she is willing to bet he can't be older than Skye's father, Gale, who had left for the Middle East shortly after Skye's birth, when Katniss had realized pregnancy wasn't a good enough reason for her to marry someone she wasn't in love with. Gale had been upset for a while, but eventually, he'd realized Katniss was never going to be his and not wanting to put his life on hold any further, had joined the military, where he was subsequently given an assignment overseas. He is as much a part of Skye's life as he can be, mostly through Skype and gifts in the mail for birthdays and holidays, but it's usually just Skye and Katniss on their own.
Katniss realizes she's been caught staring when Santa's sapphire orbs lock onto hers like magnets. She looks away quickly, pretending to fidget with Skye's coat. As their turn approaches Katniss begins to feel nervous about meeting Santa. He did just catch her gawking at him like a stalker, but everyone is staring at him, not just her. So why does she feel butterflies? That moment of thought brings her to a conclusion - there was something about the way he looked back at her that was the cause.
"We're next, mommy!" Skye's excited voice breaks Katniss from her anxious musings.
"Yes, we are, sweetie." Katniss tries to sound as enthusiastic as Skye looks but comes up short. Yes. We. Are.
One of Santa's elves motions them forward as the little boy that was ahead of Skye hops off Santa's lap and runs toward his mother. "Santa said I've been good, mommy!" His mother smiles and hugs him, nodding her head in agreement with Santa's assessment.
"And what is your name?" Katniss hears the same elf from the confrontation earlier addressing Skye.
"My name is Skye. What's yours?"
"Well, Skye," she says, loud enough for Santa to hear, "My name is Jo. Are you ready to meet Old Saint Nick?" Jo speaks in a slightly bored manner, eyeing the long line and checking her watch while popping chewing gum in the side of her cheek. Skye doesn't pick up on the girl's hasty demeanor, so entranced is she by the sight of the man who is going to bring her the doll she so desperately wants. Katniss can't help but wonder who hires this kind of person to work with children, or why this girl, who is clearly not interested in making children's dreams come true, would willingly do this.
Jo motions for them to follow her the short distance onto the platform, where Santa is situated in his plush, high-backed, red velvet chair rimmed with gaudy, ornate scrolling arms. It looks like the kind of chair the Queen of England would use in her throne room.
"Skye, my darling girl! It's so good to see you!" His clear, boyish voice confirms Katniss' earlier thoughts about his age, but Santa emits a warmth that has both Skye and Katniss enraptured, although she's loathe to admit it. He hugs the little girl to him and picks her up easily, settling her on his left knee. Skye's face is mesmerized, not believing that this is really happening, and she seems at a loss for words, her mouth gaping open and eyes shining.
"Have you been a good little girl this year?" Santa breaks her out of the trance, and she begins to converse with him as if they are old friends.
"Mommy says yes, but I did punch Cato Larson in the stomach for smashing my sandwich with his hand at lunch yesterday." Skye looks down, saddened by her actions, thinking she may not get the doll now. "I'm sorry, Santa. He's so mean to me sometimes. Teacher put me in time out. She says it's all better now since I got punished." Hope springs back into her little face, and Katniss blinks back a tear, the emotions of loving and protecting her daughter threatening to overflow in public.
Oh, how I wish I could protect her from life's heartaches.
Katniss and Skye are on the lower end of the income scale in town, unfairly casting them as the scum of society, and the Larsons were on the opposite, well-offside. They lived in a part of town called The Seam, an impoverished ghetto of sorts, but Skye went to school on the richer, Merchant, side of town, thanks to a government grant. She had to wear worn, stained clothing to school, since Katniss couldn't afford to shop retail, instead frequenting thrift stores to find the items they needed. Katniss is sure this is why Skye is being bullied at school. I can't believe they start so young. She had tried speaking to Cato Jr's father, but Katniss had run into a brick wall there as she discovered the phrase, 'like father, like son,' was true. She had given her daughter permission to fight back if a hand was ever laid upon her.
"Yes, Skye, everything is all better. It's okay to stick up for yourself, you know. That doesn't put you on the naughty list. What gets you on the naughty list is an ugly heart, and I think yours must be beautiful, or you wouldn't have told me you punched a boy." Santa soothes away Skye's worries as he rubs her back with small, comforting circles. "So what would you like me to bring you for Christmas, sweet one?"
"I want an American Girl doll!" Skye spits out loud and quick, assuming that if she doesn't ask now Santa may rethink her absence on his naughty list.
"Skye!" Katniss admonishes her daughter for her lack of manners.
"Sorry, Santa." Skye looks embarrassingly at her mother's dismayed face, knowing where she messed up. "May I please have an American Girl doll?" she says, looking sheepishly back at him. Santa gives a jolly laugh and smoothes the girl's hair. Then he looks to Katniss, as if to ask permission to grant this wish, knowing it won't be him that has to make the purchase. Katniss nods her head for him to proceed.
"Nothing in this world would give me greater pleasure than to give you an American Girl doll," Santa says.
"Well, not just any American Girl doll. I want… I mean, I would like..." Skye carefully chooses her words so as not to be reprimanded by her mother again. "Isabelle, the girl of the year. She is going to leave after Christmas, and I'll never have her if I don't get her now." Skye rambles on about Isabelle's pet kitten, named Tutu, and how Isabelle is a ballerina, just like she wants to be when she grows up, trying to convince Santa that he is her only hope.
"Momma says she can't buy it for me 'cause she can't afford it."
"Skye!" Katniss' mortified expression sends her daughter in a tizzy, and she continues to allow words to fall from her lips, trying to make up for something she doesn't quite understand.
"She says I can have it for my birthday, but my birthday is in February, and Isabelle will be gone by then! So, you see Santa, I have to have her now, or I won't get to have her at all." Katniss hides her face behind her right hand and places her left on her hip while she listens to her daughter spew words she can't possibly rebuke in public.
Humiliation cannot even begin to explain what she is feeling right now. Katniss suddenly feels like she needs to run, to get away from any prying eyes and ears that might be judging her. She certainly knows Santa heard it all, and she can't bring herself to look him in the eyes.
"Okay, Skye, time to go," Katniss says sweetly through clenched teeth. Santa, sensing the tension of the moment, ends the visit with kind words.
"Skye, I hope you will come back to visit me sometime soon, okay? And Merry Christmas to you!" he calls to them as Katniss hastily pulls her daughter to the exit, Skye looking back to him and waving goodbye.
It has been a week since Katniss had taken Skye to see Santa. On her day off, while Skye is at school, Katniss decides to run down to the store to purchase the doll Skye wants for Christmas. She convinces her boss to give her the holiday bonus he had promised her early, so she would have time to purchase the gift. Grumpy and drunk as he is, Haymitch has a soft spot for Katniss and, even though he tries to be annoyed with her asking for money upfront, he grants her wish.
As she enters the massive store, Katniss feels small and insignificant. There are high society mother's purchasing expensive dolls and accessories, daughter's pointing out various items of their choosing with no care to the cost, and there is even a salon where real people are giving makeovers to the dolls.
God, help me, Katniss thinks.
She has never felt more out of place in her life, wearing faded jeans, a plain white t-shirt, and an old hunting jacket that used to belong to her father. The jacket is leather and keeps her warm, but it swallows her thin frame. Her work boots are newer but no match for the pointy-toed heels the mothers and employees here seemed to be fond of.
"May I help you find something?" Katniss turns to face a pretty blonde woman who has come to offer assistance. 'Madge', her name tag reads.
"Um, yes, I need Isabelle, the girl of the year. Can you just point me in that direction?" While the girl seems nice enough, Katniss doesn't want to have her hang around longer than necessary, not to mention she wants out of this store as quickly as she can manage. Madge points in the direction of Isabelle's location and leaves Katniss to her search, asking her to please let her know if she can be of any further assistance.
As Katniss walks in the direction Madge aimed, she notices a blonde man with a large box in his hand, standing in front of the shelves displaying the doll she is intent on locating. Upon wandering up next to him, she sees that the shelf is empty. She lets out a gasp of horror loud enough to garner the man's attention.
"Is something wrong?" he asks.
Katniss turns to face him and sees his eyes go wide with something she can't place. The first thing that crosses her mind is how blue they are. Where have I seen those eyes before? All thoughts of recognition go out the window at her second thought though. - Sshe knows she isn't the kind of woman that graces this type of store, but did he really have to be so obviously shocked at her appearance?
So. Rude.
"The Isabelle dolls, they're all gone," she says, more to herself than to the blonde, scanning the shelves for a hidden doll that someone may have missed. It is then that she notices the box in his arms is, in fact, an Isabelle doll. The last Isabelle doll.
"Are you..." Katniss swallows hard at the realization that her daughter's Christmas wish is so close, but not yet tangible. "Are you going to buy that doll?" She can barely look him in the face, so hot is her neck from embarrassment. She can't believe she's actually asking him to give her the last doll that he is apparently buying for his own daughter.
"Well, I was thinking about it. My niece is really into these dolls. She has all the others except this one."
Katniss can't help the flustered, disgusted look she gives him. All but one? The thought is so foreign to her that thousands of dollars in dolls sit across town in some little girl's room, who can't possibly play with them all, while children like Skye hang their every hope on Santa bringing them just one.
The blonde man, noticing Katniss' annoyance, breaks the uncomfortable silence.
"That sounded pretty pathetic, didn't it?" He gives her a crooked grin and looks back to the doll he's holding. Katniss, realizing what he must be reading on her face, quickly wipes the sneering look away.
"I'm sorry, It's just that, well… my little girl has been desperately wanting this doll and I've only been able to purchase it just now." Katniss hopes the man is as generous as he is handsome. She takes in his appearance while she waits for him to respond, trying not to be so obvious about checking out his toned physique, which is very evident through his tight, gray waffle-knit shirt and light-washed carpenter jeans that show off a very nice curve to his backside.
"Yeah. Um, yeah, here you go," he says as he hands Katniss the doll.
"Are you sure?" she asks, hesitant to take the box and feeling guilty that he is so easily giving up the doll. He must love this little girl a lot to purchase such an expensive doll for someone who is not his own daughter.
"Yeah, I'm sure. She has plenty of them. I'll just get her some accessories to go with the ones she already has," he assures her. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and looks down at his feet, his cheeks flushed. Katniss thinks how adorable he is, and that if they had met in any other part of town she might be tempted to converse with him longer. He's a towny, she reminds herself. And way out of her league.
"Well, if you're sure, then," she offers once more.
"Yes, very sure. Please take the doll and Merry Christmas to you!" he says as Katniss begins to walk away. She stops abruptly, realizing she has heard that voice say those exact words recently.
"Do I know you?" she inquires of him, tentatively. She thinks she would have remembered meeting a man as beautiful as him, but while she can't place how she knows him, there is just something so familiar about him.
He looks startled, as if he does know her, and Katniss remembers how wide his eyes became when he first noticed her. He knows me somehow.
"Well, we haven't officially met. I've seen you around, though." His answer is too vague for Katniss, and she pushes a little.
"Where exactly have you seen me?" Her inquisitive tone has an edge of impatience to it, setting him on alert.
He lets out a breath and answers her, "I'm Santa. At the mall." Katniss blinks, her eyes growing wide at his revelation.
She remembers the eyes now. How could she forget? Neither before him, nor after him has she seen a blue so intense, so brilliant, and so unlike her own, boring misty-gray ones. They are still as kind and soft as they had been a week ago, with a hint of what Katniss determines must be pity. She hates pity. How dare anyone pity her? I work hard for what I have, and I will not allow some preppy prick to judge my life when he knows nothing!
The words flash through her mind and so narrow are the slits of her eyes that Peeta wonders if she can actually see through them. His face says all Katniss needs to know. He remembers what Skye said, about her mother not being able to afford the doll, and Katniss dragging Skye away in embarrassment. The same feelings from that moment come rushing back and Katniss turns abruptly and practically run-walks down the aisle to get away from him.
"Wait!" She hears the man call to her, but she's too enraged to turn back. Katniss heads straight for the checkout counter, hoping upon hope that the enticingly blue-eyed stranger does not follow. She finds Madge behind the counter and places the doll in front of her.
"Did you find what you were looking for, Miss?"
"Yes, just barely," Katniss replies, feeling a hint of remorse as she contemplates the reaction she just showered on a man who granted her more kindness than she's seen in a month. And a towny, no less! But the awkwardness of the moment keeps Katniss from seeking him out to apologize, even though she knows she should, and she would expect no less from Skye.
With her purchase complete, Katniss exits the store, grateful to be feeling the freedom of the cool, fresh air. A small smile graces her lips as she thinks about how excited Skye will be when she wakes up on Christmas morning. And she was able to make it happen. Well, with a little help from someone else, she reckons.
She freezes in place, her smile vanishing, when she sees him standing right in front of her. There is no escape as it appears he has been waiting for her. He doesn't approach right away, just stares at her questioningly. She knows this is her chance to right her wrong from inside the store. At least she can use this moment to help teach Skye later on about amending mistakes.
With a heave of her shoulders and a large exhale of breath, Katniss walks straight toward the stranger... who doesn't seem so much like a stranger right now. Her eyes never leave his, and she feels the butterflies come to life again. She isn't usually much for words so she's not sure how well she'll do with an extremely attractive man. Here goes not much…
"I'm really sorry-" they both start, in unison.
"Jinx," the hot, not-so-stranger says. He smiles playfully as he rubs the back of his neck, and Katniss relaxes a little. "I think that means you have to go to dinner with me." Katniss wasn't expecting those words, and the lost tension ratchets back to life. But she forces her voice, not willing to be flustered so easily.
"I think the saying is 'buy me a Coke,'" she informs him, dryly.
"Okay, I'll buy you aCke. Any place in particular?" Katniss can't believe her ears. Is he serious? He can't be. After what I just did to him, and what he saw last week at the mall? He must be mental, she concludes. Hot mental, though.
"I'm Peeta, by the way," he says, extending his hand.
"Katniss," she tells him, taking his proffered hand hesitantly. It feels smooth and warm against her rough, cold one, and she's surprised that she doesn't want to let go anytime soon. He closes his fingers around her palm, just holding her hand. Katniss waits for the gesture to feel awkward, but shockingly the feeling never comes. His caribbean eyes grip hers, and she forgets everything going on around her. The bustle of people shopping, the children running around, and the hum of car motors as they pass by the storefront all escape her notice.
"That's a different name. I've never heard it before," Peeta admits. His voice is smooth, like butter on a warm slice of bread, and it has the effect of putting her in a trance. In combination with his killer eyes, Katniss knows she needs to watch out or she might lose herself to this man. She pulls her hand back and brushes a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Ducking her head slightly, heat blooming in her cheeks under his attentive gaze.
"It's an aquatic potato plant. Sometimes it's called 'arrowhead', but that isn't a real pretty name for a girl. Or anyone for that matter. She realizes she's rambling and pauses slightly before finishing her explanation, gathering courage to speak about a man who has long been just a memory in Katniss' life. "My father was an avid outdoorsmen, and katniss was his favorite plant. So… here I am." She holds her arms out slightly and shyly presents herself.
"I like it. It's pretty. Like you." It's Peeta's turn to blush and Katniss, who would usually find any come-on lines off-putting, actually finds this one endearing. "So," he starts, "What about this Coke?"
"You really want to buy me a Coke?" Katniss asks in disbelief.
"It's kind of the rule of the jinx, and we probably shouldn't upset whatever deity set it in motion. Just to be safe."
"So two strangers should hang out just in case a bunch of kids from an 80's schoolyard might still be alive enough to punish us?" Katniss says sarcastically.
"My thoughts exactly," Peeta says with only the tiniest hint of humor to his words.
"I think I may regret this," Katniss says aloud with a shake of her head. She begins to walk down the street to a corner cafe she noticed earlier called Mellark's with Peeta next to her. Katniss glances over to see a giant smile on his face, his eyes never leaving her. She stops in front of the cafe and motions to the navy and white striped sign. "Is this okay?"
"Perfect," he grins. "I couldn't have picked a better place."
"So you've been here before, then?" she questions. Of course he's been here. This is his side of town, she thinks.
"You could say that." Peeta's vague answer leaves Katniss feeling skeptical. Nevermind, it's just a Coke. Let's get this over with.
The bell over the door jingles as Peeta opens it and allows Katniss to walk in ahead of him.
Chivalrous. Nice.
As she stands in front of the door, waiting for Peeta to do whatever it is he plans on doing, she hears an abrasive voice behind the counter.
"Hey Brainless, you know you're standing under the mistletoe with the hottest piece of-"
"Jo, don't," Peeta warns with a look that shuts Jo down.
"Sorry, boss, just gotta make sure the girl knows what she's standing next to."
Boss? Jo? Peeta sees that Katniss recognize Jo as the elf in the mall.
"Every year Mellark's volunteers to provide our employees as Santa and elves at the mall. The charity behind Santa's appearances gets to keep the money they would spend paying other people for their community projects."
"Oh," is all Katniss says, and Peeta continues on.
"My dad is usually Santa, but he came down with the flu last week, so I got the honor this year."
"So you own this cafe?" Katniss asks him, as she tries to form an opinion from all the information that's just been thrown at her.
"I will, one day when my father passes it down to me." And with that bit of knowledge, any of Katniss' walls that Peeta had managed to chip away at in their brief encounter built right back up.
Daddy's little rich kid. Never having to work for anything, just being handed a thriving business, probably after playboying around for half his adulthood.
It was a pretty mean conclusion, but Katniss finds herself cynical and jealous of people who have had the easy life. Nothing ever came easy for her.
The money that she had bought Skye's doll with was the money she was planning to use to pay her past due electric bill. Now that was gone, and she was going to have to pick up extra shifts over Christmas so the heat in their small apartment could stay on.
Peeta guides her to a seat and pulls out a chair. "Is there anything besides a Coke that I can get you?"
"No, just that will be fine. Thanks." Katniss gives him a tight-lipped smile as she sets her shopping bag down and takes the offered seat. She just wants to get out of here and back to The Seam. She thinks about using an excuse to pick up Skye from school, even though Skye stays at an after school program for working moms until 5:30. Katniss had hoped to get a few errands completed with her time off, but now it looks as if she may have to wait on one or two of them.
"Okay." Peeta appeases her, sensing a change in her mood. He retrieves two Cokes and a plate of something that smells divine and oozes a delicious-looking white cheese.
"Are you sure you won't eat? I made these myself this morning." The admission that he worked today has Katniss contemplating again. She had just assumed he was living off daddy's money and sleeping in until he deemed it necessary to get out of bed.
"You made these?" Katniss inquires, reaching for one of the offered treats.
"I did. They're cheese buns, a Mellark family recipe," he says. "My dad came up with these years ago, and they've been our biggest seller since."
"This morning?" Katniss continues her quiz of his day's activities. "This morning is barely over, Peeta. When did you have time to bake?"
"Baker's hours are early. I usually work from four to eleven and then I'm off the rest of the day."
Whoa. Katniss ponders what it must be like to wake up before four a.m. every day. "That sounds terrible. No offense," she adds quickly.
"None taken. It's actually not bad at all. I work when most people are still sleeping and when they're less than halfway done with their work day, I get to enjoy the sunlight doing whatever I want to do." Peeta concludes his opinion with a satisfied smile.
Unable to resist the smell of the cheese buns any longer, Katniss takes a bite, savoring the buttery flavor of the bread and the warmth and nuttiness of the melted cheese. "Heaven," she states bluntly. "These are heaven on a plate. What kind of cheese is this?"
"This is asiago, but we make them with all kinds of cheese. Sometimes we add ingredients like bacon or pesto. Our second biggest seller is the pizza bun - mozzarella, pepperoni, and roma tomatoes."
Katniss' eyes stretch wide, and her stomach rumbles at the thought of so many cheese bun options. "I'll have to take some to Skye," she says absent-mindedly, trying to seem demure while wanting to inhale the rest of the bun.
Peeta picks up on her words and wholeheartedly agrees. "She definitely needs to try them. Can you bring her on Saturday?" Katniss halts mid-chew and stares at Peeta. What is he doing? Doesn't he know I'm Seam trash?
Katniss doesn't have much experience with men, Skye's dad being her only other relationship with one and Gale had never courted her. They had grown up best friends, and he came to think of Katniss as his own, eventually just expecting a relationship from her. This flirting, if she's right about what Peeta is doing, is new territory for her.
"I don't know if that's a good idea, Peeta," Katniss hesitates, placing the remainder of her cheese bun on the plate.
"Why not?" Peeta's brows bunch together in confusion.
"We're not from around here," Katniss whispers, so as not to draw any attention to their conversation from the patrons at the other tables. The cafe had filled quickly after their arrival.
"I don't care where you're from, Katniss," Peeta reveals to her, as he runs a nervous hand through his blonde waves. "Look, I noticed you as soon as you stepped to the end of that long line in the mall last week. Something kept drawing me back to you everytime I would look away. I noticed the incredible color of your eyes when you were still twenty-two kids away from me. And how the chestnut color of your hair sets them off like…," he looks at her sheepishly before dropping his voice to just above a whisper. "Like the silver lining of this cloud that seems to follow me everywhere I go since then. I kept telling myself, as soon as you got close enough, I would somehow try to get your attention, but it kind of all went south when you bolted out of there, and I couldn't really get up and run after you." Peeta stops, clearly contemplating if he wants to keep going. The answer must be yes, because he takes a deep breath and plows on.
"I don't mean to sound creepy, but I just wanted to talk to you, to see if the excitement I felt when I saw you was something you might feel, too." Peeta pauses again, and Katniss cannot believe what she's hearing.
"So…-I, uh, went to that silly doll store every day after I got off work to see if you would come by and get Skye's gift. That doll has been the last one in the store for three days. I had my friend, Madge, hide it behind the counter every night when I would leave, hoping that I would be the one that got to hand it to you." Peeta's words should make Katniss run for the hills, but she stays, rooted in place, trying to grasp the meaning of the what he is imparting to her.
She has never had anyone bestow this grand of a gesture on her. What was most shocking to her was that all he had done was just a way to meet her - no guarantees that she would return his sincerities. The only grand gesture Gale, who was completely convinced of his love for her, had ever showed was picking up weird ice cream flavors he thought she would like while she was pregnant with Skye. They were all disgusting, by the way. Katniss much preferred peanut butter on her vegetables.
"Katniss?" Peeta's voice snaps her out of her reverie. "Say something…" he urges her.
"I'm honestly not really sure what to say, Peeta." She tests the waters of what he wants to hear with a questioning glance. He nods, his eyes pleading for her to continue. "I should be bolting out of here faster than I did at the mall last week after what you just told me, but...for some reason, I'm still here. And I have no idea why." The look on Katniss' face is a mixture of confusion at the situation, admiration for Peeta's confession, and a tiny spark of elation at the possibility of the truth of his words. She can't deny the loneliness she feels most nights after she tucks Skye into bed.
"Does that mean…? I haven't totally creeped you out and ruined everything? Because I was really sure that's exactly what I was doing just now…"
"Well, I'm a bit overwhelmed right now," Katniss says with a nervous chuckle. "Maybe I should take some time to process." Peeta's face falls a little.
"Would you mind if we exchanged numbers, then?" he asks. Katniss thinks for a minute, but decides Peeta is most likely harmless and agrees, much to Peeta's delight. After calling out her number to him, she gets a quick text from a random number. "That's mine," Peeta states. "I always have it with me, so you can call or text anytime."
"Okay, um, thanks. Thank you for the drink and the cheese buns, by the way."
"You're welcome, Katniss. Anytime. Really." Peeta says his words with such warmth that Katniss really does believe he means them.
"Do you have a restroom here that I could borrow before I go?" Katniss asks, looking around for a sign.
"Yeah, it's right down that hallway and to the left," Peeta says as he points the way.
"I'll be right back," she tells him as she grabs her purse, leaving her package on the floor, all but forgotten.
"I'll be behind the counter for a minute. Please don't leave without saying goodbye," Peeta implores her, his eyes genuine.
"I won't," she replies.
Minutes later, Katniss rushes out of the restroom and straight for the table she and Peeta had shared, frantically trying to locate Skye's doll. It isn't where she remembered leaving it. Her eyes scan the cafe, hoping someone has moved it to a safer place. Nothing. There is one last prospect for its whereabouts. "Peeta!" Katniss calls, trying to keep her voice light and cheery, but instead, it gives away her panic.
"What is it?" Peeta is at her side swiftly, his hand on her shoulder.
"Please tell me you saw that I left my shopping bag at the table and you put it in the back until I came out?" Katniss' face contorts in agony when she sees the distress in his eyes. He slowly shakes his head "no" and begins to make an announcement to the patrons of the cafe to please look around for the bag. It doesn't turn up, and Katniss starts to feel dizzy and lightheaded. Peeta pulls out a chair and helps her sit down.
"Katniss, I'm so sorry," Peeta says, his words exuding compassion. He feels responsible for her loss, since it was his store from which the gift had been stolen. He berates himself for not noticing the package on the floor before it was taken.
"That was everything. I spent all that money and have no doll to show for it. Even if I could somehow afford another, that was the last one! Christmas is in 8 days..." Katniss throws her arms up and drops them heavily into her lap, accentuating her despair. "Skye is going to be so disappointed!"
She tries to stifle the tears and feelings of dread, but she can't. She needs solitude to be able to deal with her emotions, and brushes Peeta's comforting hand away from her arm, quickly rising to leave the store. She gives no response to her name being called multiple times as she exits the store and sprints down the sidewalk toward her car.
It has been almost a week since Skye's doll was taken. Katniss has gotten over the initial sorrow of losing the gift, but it has been replaced with a burning fury at herself for not paying attention to her surroundings. She even harbors a little annoyance at Peeta, for nothing more than just being around when it happened. He distracted me, she thinks.
Her petty thoughts about him and embarrassment over the situation have kept her from answering any of his calls or texts. Katniss is considering at least texting him in response to his last voicemail, which sounds like it might be the final one if he doesn't hear back from her.
"Katniss, it's Peeta again. I thought I would try one last time to get a hold of you. Please come down to the cafe tomorrow and bring Skye. I know we haven't known each other for long, actually less than a week, but if you would just trust me… Please, just come tomorrow., I'll give Skye her choice of cheese buns, and I promise it will be a happy day for both of you. I hope I see you. Bye, Katniss."
Katniss has listened to Peeta's message at least ten times, and every time her resolve not to see him again cracks little by little, until she is quite sure she will be going. If she can't give Skye the doll for Christmas, maybe she can at least give her a fun day out, and hopefully for very little money.
Katniss pulls out her phone to send a quick message to Peeta.
K - We'll be there. 11ish
P- Great! I'm so glad! :)
On the drive across town to Mellark's Cafe, Katniss steels herself to tell Skye about the doll. This wasn't going to be pretty, but she wants to do it before Christmas Eve tomorrow, so Skye can have at least a couple of days to get used to the idea that Santa isn't real. Katniss knows she will have to promise Skye anything she wants for her birthday to placate the girl.
I hate Miss Cartwright.
"Skye, honey?" she begins.
"Yes, momma?" The child's voice is so sweet and expectant that Katniss almost chickens out, but she knows there is no other option. The doll just isn't going to happen.
"Sweetie, I think Miss Cartwright may have…" How to say this? "...not told the truth to your class about Santa."
"Miss Cartwright is a liar, momma?"
"Well, not exactly." Katniss tries to backtrack, not wanting to give Skye anything ugly to repeat at school. Deep breath, Katniss. "Okay, you know the doll you asked Santa for?"
"Uh-huh," Skye nods her head enthusiastically. "Only two more days, momma!"
"Well, you see, honey, I'm not sure Santa is going to make it to our house this year. Or... ever." Katniss winced at the poorly chosen words, wishing she were better at using them.
"Why, momma? Why? I was a good girl! It's because I hit Cato Larson, isn't it? Santa changed his mind, and I'm on the naughty list. I knew it. Nothing good ever happens to us, momma."
Katniss parks her beat up, old, Honda Civic across the street from Mellark's, turning the ignition off and sitting quietly in the car, listening to Skye's whimpers of sadness. She reaches over and unbuckles Skye's seat belt, pulling her into her lap behind the steering wheel.
"You're a good girl, you know that? The best girl." Katniss swipes at the tear tracks slipping down Skye's face. "Santa didn't put you on the naughty list, not because he changed his mind, but because he's not real. He's a great story for kids to believe in for a while, sweetie, but… that's all he is. A fun story. A fun game for parents to play with their children at Christmas. Do you understand?"
Skye stares blankly at her mother. "But I sat in his lap, momma. He told me he would bring me Isabelle! He is real! I know he is!" Katniss can see Skye isn't ready to let go of the fantasy, and she decides she doesn't want to push her further.
"You know what? We can talk about this later," Katniss says with a cheery smile, wanting to lighten the mood. She taps the little girl's nose. "Right now there are some delicious cheese buns in that cafe over there that you are going to love! What do you say we go try some?"
"Okay," Skye replies dejectedly.
"Well, what are you waiting for? There are warm cheese-filled buns calling our names! Let's go!" Katniss exclaims, trying to pull her daughter from her current mood. Why did I wait so long to tell her? Katniss mentally kicks herself for holding out any hope that the situation could have been resolved somehow. She and Skye hop out of the car, and Katniss pulls the gloomy girl across the street and into the cafe, the ringing bell announcing their arrival.
Katniss busies herself by removing Skye's coat and her own, glancing around the partially-full room for an open seat. Her head does a double take at the scene near the table where she and Peeta had shared cheese buns almost a week ago. There he was, in head to toe Santa gear, patting children on the head and wishing them a Merry Christmas.
Oh. My. God.
What is he doing? She had just tried to convince Skye that Santa didn't exist and here Peeta is, sending Katniss reeling backwards in her attempt to loosen the hold of this holiday myth. Katniss fumes but hides it immediately when Skye turns to her excitedly.
"There he is, momma! Look!" Skye takes off like a bullet leaving the barrel of a nine millimeter and is at Santa's side in seconds.
"Skye! I'm so glad you came!" Peeta is delighted to see Skye and he doesn't hide it, picking her up and heaving her into the air. Skye giggles with joy. He's definitely not Santa today. Today he's Satan, destroyer of the next year of my life, Katniss determines bitterly as she makes her way to stand with them.
"Santa! Momma tried to tell me you weren't real, and that you weren't gonna bring me my dolly, but I told her you would 'cause I asked, and you said yes and I know you don't lie like Bobby Cray, who always tries to tell me I got a booger hanging from my nose when I don't." Skye sticks out her tongue at a pretend Bobby and huffs a satisfied breath at the end of her little speech.
"You don't say, huh? She tried to tell you I wasn't real?" Peeta looks to Katniss, smiling coyly. "Well, nevermind that, Skye. I'm right here, and I have something for you. You stay here, I'll be right back." Santa pats her on the head and disappears down the short hallway.
Katniss is extremely skeptical about what Peeta could possibly have for Skye. A giant box of cheese buns? Enough to last them through next Christmas, maybe? That seems highly impractical. He could just give me a 'free-cheese-bun-for-the-next-year' card…
Katniss gasps, and her hands cover her mouth when Peeta returns quickly with a box that looks suspiciously the same as the one that was stolen. Skye begins to jump up and down screaming, "My dolly! My dolly!"
"Oh my goodness! Peeta!" Katniss says, reprimanding him without thinking. "I, I mean... Santa! How thoughtful of you." she says, trying to calm the fury at his expensive gesture and be excited for her daughter.
Peeta ignores Katniss and focuses all his attention to Skye. "I just couldn't wait until Christmas to give it to you. You've been so good, I thought you should be the first one to get a toy this year." Peeta's broad smile says everything Katniss needs to know about him in that moment. He is beyond generous and even though she has only known him for a short time, she can already say without a doubt that he is more genuinely caring than anyone she has ever met.
But there is still the matter of reimbursing him for the doll, and as much as Katniss is thankful Skye has the gift they were both desperately seeking, she isn't too happy with being indebted to anyone. She catches Peeta's attention and while Skye is entertained by Isabelle, she motions towards the door with a look that says "We need to talk."
"Peeta, it will be a month or two before I can pay you back for the doll."
"Katniss, you don't need to pay me for it."
"Yes, Peeta, I do. We can't accept a doll that expensive from a practical stranger."
"I'm no stranger, Katniss. I'm Santa," he says matter-of-factly, motioning to his velvety garments. "Besides, you've already paid for this doll."
"What? How have I already paid for this doll? Peeta, you're not making any sense." Katniss reaches for her head in confusion, massaging away the beginnings of a headache.
"Well, if you will give me a chance, I'll tell you," he says, still looking pleased with himself. Katniss folds her arms loosely across her chest and silently waits for Peeta to divulge his information. "After you left that day, I felt so bad, I just wanted to do something to help you. So, I uh, checked our surveillance tapes and sure enough, I spotted a silver-haired lady picking it up after we left the table. She is kind of a frequent customer so I know her name." Katniss stares at Peeta in astonishment, breaking into a huge smile of relief as the knowledge that she isn't indebted to him sinks in.
"Oh, my God, that's incredible!" Katniss flings herself into Peeta and embraces him tightly, catching him off guard so that he has to take a step back for balance. She feels Peeta's arms encircling her waist, and she relaxes into the sweet scent of cinnamon and yeast.
Katniss releases him just enough to ask for more details, not pulling completely away. "So, what, you just asked for it back?"
"Well, not exactly." He takes a deep breath, clearly trying to collect his thoughts. "I, um, I have a friend that's a security guard. He's a really big guy, and I just called him up and asked him to find where she lives and kindly let her know we had video of what she did and if she didn't want it turned in to the authorities then she should give the doll back."
"So she agreed right away?" Katniss continues her inquisition of Peeta's story while toying with the white fluff at the nape of Santa's wig.
"Sort of. The way, t-the way Thresh tells it, she, uh, tried denial, and, and then she-" Peeta doesn't mind being shushed by the feel of Katniss' index finger lightly on his lips. Katniss removes her finger to point up, and Peeta's eyes find the mistletoe. He looks back down to her, and Katniss inches the silly white beard down just enough to entice his lips to claim hers in a sweet, gentle kiss, pouring all of her gratefulness and need into it, and Katniss thinks she could kiss him forever. The moment is too short for the both of them, but it doesn't go unnoticed by a few others, mainly one other.
"Hey! Momma's kissing Santa Claus!" Skye yells to everyone in the room. Katniss and Peeta break away from each other, Katniss with flushed cheeks and downcast eyes, and Peeta with his head high and a winning smile.
"So, um, we should probably get going. Thank you so much, Peeta, for everything," Katniss places her palm on his chest in an affectionate gesture of sincerity.
"Can I call you?" Peeta asks.
"Yes, Peeta, you can call me."
"Will you answer?" Peeta questions jokingly, poking Katniss in her side. Katniss playfully slaps his hand away.
"After that kiss I'd be crazy not to."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Reviews are always appreciated! I must say, since everyone writes these things for the fandom's pure enjoyment and there is no payment involved in any way, we should all think of a review as a tip or the earnings for which a good job is due. If you like a story, please leave some feedback, and I'm not just speaking of my stories. Everyone appreciates it and I read all too often reviews that mention how the person usually doesn't review. I think that's sad, because some people may choose to stop writing their interesting and wonderful fics because they think no one is reading or that no one likes it. I try to review at least once, possibly more, everything I read. You should, too! It makes the reading community better. :)