I had fun writing this one. I channeled my inner early childhood educator, going back to the days of teaching in day cares and preschools. It's a world I'm actually quite passionate about in real life- teaching and early childhood education- so it was fun to put Katniss and Peeta into this world as well. Enjoy!

Please Don't Go

It was 5:30. The daycare was officially closed, but there were still two children left. And not just any two children, but the MacAulay sisters. Two of the cutest girls you might ever lay eyes on. Just don't take your eyes off of them, because the minute you do, they're up to no good.

Peeta took the job for the summer. He was in school working towards his teaching license and thought this might be a great opportunity to gain some experience with the younger crowd. What Peeta didn't realize was that the summer newbies were the ones stuck with the crummy shifts, the late ones. He was always on close, always stuck with the kids whose parents might not get there in time. Usually this wasn't a big deal. Most parents would rush in, knowing they were late, and hand Peeta a $10 bill- the cost of a late pickup. But not the MacAulay's mother. No, she'd waltz in 15 minutes late, saunter over to Peeta with a pout on her face, hoping he would forgive her for being tardy. Of course he did, what else was he supposed to do? Peeta could be tough, but it was awfully hard to ask for payment for being late. And, not only would she be late, she'd allow her daughters to dawdle, play with the toys that Peeta had already cleaned and put away for the evening. All in all, her 15 minutes late would translate to an extra 30 minutes work for Peeta. 30 minutes of unpaid work, since that mother would never pay anyway.

It was about 5:35 when Peeta heard the front door open. Expecting it to be Mrs. MacAulay, Peeta told the girls to start packing up. Of course, at that command, the girls started jumping up and down on the furniture, not listening to a thing Peeta had told them. And the more Peeta tried to round them up, the louder and more rambunctious they became.

As he tried to get a handle on the situation, he looked up and saw that it wasn't Mrs. MacAulay, but Katniss. Katniss Everdeen. The girl of all of his teenage dreams. When he started on at the center, he didn't know she was working there. They hadn't seen each other since high school. Even in high school, though, it wasn't like they got around in the same circles. He was a jock, homecoming court, Mr. Popularity. Katniss? She was on the swim team and in the choir. She spent her school days with one or two friends and weekends with her sister. She was into rock climbing, hiking in the woods, and shooting her bow and arrows at the local range. The two couldn't be less similar. Of course that never stopped Peeta from looking, and admiring what he saw.

Now they were co-workers, those old high school roles were reversed. Katniss was a full time employee, a certified early childhood educator. After high school, when Peeta went off to State on his wrestling scholarship, Katniss went to the local community college. She'd been out on her own now, working for three years, while Peeta still had another year of school before he would graduate. In high school, Peeta may have been the confident one, but at the daycare? It was all Katniss.

On his first day of work, when he saw her, he smiled. She smiled back, greeted him in a friendly way, but went about her business. Their paths occasionally crossed, but not as often as you might think. Peeta spent most of his time with the school aged kids, only being with the younger ones at the end of the day. Katniss stuck with the 4 year olds. And the oldest MacAulay sister was in her group.

"Abigale MacAulay!" Katniss said firmly, yet lovingly as the girls continued to jump up and down. The young girl stopped immediately and looked at Katniss. "What did Mr. Peeta tell you to do?"

"He told us to get our things packed up for when mommy comes." The girl replied.

"And what are you doing?"

"Umm… jumping?"

"Yes. And what are you going to do now?"

"Umm… get our things ready?"

"Exactly. Now hop to it little girl!" And off scampered the oldest MacAulay, with her younger sister in tow.

"How do you do that?" Peeta asked in awe.

"It's a simple matter of confidence, Peeta. Never let them see you sweat," she answered with a smile.

"But… I thought that's what I was doing?"

"Kids can smell fear Peeta. Once they do, they own you. And they smell fear on you."

Peeta couldn't argue with that. He'd experienced it all summer long. "What are you doing back here at this time of day, anyway?" he asked, attempting to get the subject off of him and his educator shortcomings.

"I just forgot a couple of things." And she walked into her classroom and picked up her bag and what looked like an instrument. "See you later Peeta." She smiled as she worked her way to the exit.

No sooner did she say that, then a crash was heard from the other room.

"You're leaving? You're leaving me with those two? Please Katniss, please don't go!" Peeta begged the girl, his eyes wide, his fear palpable. "I'll give anything for you to stay! Just don't leave me alone with those two any more today. Who knows what might happen to me! Don't go!"

"OK. I'll stay. On one condition…"