Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or Catching Fire. Suzanne Collins owns the both of them with their wonderful characters and plots. I just enjoy them. This plot is all mine but I do use a quote from The Hunger Games right at the beginning of my story. The quote is taken from page 300. Enjoy!

******

"Peeta," I say lightly. "You said at the interview, you'd had a crush on me forever. When did forever start?"

"Oh, let's see. I guess the first day of school. We were five. You had on a red plaid dress and your hair… it was in two braids instead of one. My father pointed you out when we were waiting to line up," Peeta says.

"Your father? Why?" I ask.

"He said, 'See that little girl?' I wanted to marry her mother, but she ran off with a coal miner…"

*****

Mrs. Everdeen sighed as she braved the market. She knew that a lot of people were watching the Hunger Games and must have heard what the baker's son had said. Mr. Mellark admitted to his son that he had once wanted to marry her. Imagine that! And now, anytime she wanted to get anything from the bakery, she would have to see Mrs. Mellark.

The thought of that made a shudder run through her. The baker's wife had a reputation of being nasty to just about everyone. The only reason people still went to see her was because the baker was very good. It was worth the price of her bad service to get some of the baker's goods. She was pretty sure that the next time she saw Mrs. Mellark, it would not be a happy meeting.

She turned from the cloth shop. She had to get some new thread to hem some of Katniss's old clothes for Prim. It seemed like the girl was growing three inches a minute lately and as she turned with her purchases she bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry," she said automatically as she bent over to pick up her bag when someone else's hands beat her to it. She paused, bent over, and looked up. A blush crept up her neck and into her face as her eyes met the baker's.

"Thank you," she managed out in a whisper as they straightened and he handed her the bag.

"You're welcome," he told her. Had she ever noticed the way his eyes looked at her? They were blue with a friendly twinkle. The tip of his mouth was curled up in a smile and she couldn't help but smile in response. "Well, this is awkward," he said with a chuckle.

She froze. How would a person respond to that? So she just nodded her head. "Um, I'm glad the kids found each other and Peeta is going to be okay," she told him.

He nodded and she could see the worry chase the friendly twinkle from his eyes. "Yes, so am I. You've got one hell of a girl there, Mrs. Everdeen."

"Yes, I know," she said as she nods in agreement. After all, Katniss had kept them alive when she herself could not. If anyone could handle the Hunger Games, it was her girl. "And Peeta is doing well now."

He smiles. "Thanks to your girl. She's a lot like you."

At this, she shakes her head and begins to walk the market with him by her side. "No, not really. She's braver. More courageous. But hates to see someone suffering. In that, she's a lot like her father."

He nods. "Yes, and she does sing like him too." That brought her up short. His story and his son's seem to be in order. He must have noticed her stop because he stops too. He looks away for a moment and takes in the market place without meeting her eyes. "Listen, Ava," he says and he shocks her by using her first name. "What Peeta said is true. I did love you then and I love you now. I always will." His voice is low and raspy. It doesn't carry beyond them. "I know you loved him and you were happy. That's all I ever wanted for you. I wish it could have been me, but, that's just the way it ended up." He sighs as he rubs his neck and then hands her a bag that she hadn't noticed before. "This is for you and Prim. I promised Katniss that I would help you out."

All she can do is nod. There's this huge lump in her throat. "Have a good day, Mrs. Everdeen," he says softly as he walks away.

Her eyes follow him for a moment and then she starts walking for home. Suddenly, she doesn't want to shop any longer. She does notice that some of the other merchants and shoppers are giving her speculative glances, but she just keeps heading home. It had been so long since she had heard those words from a man. It lightened her heart even as it broke her heart. Because as nice and as wonderful as Rayne Mellark was, she would have loved to hear those words just one more time from her husband that was with her no longer…

A/N: I came up with the names Ava and Rayne. I'm hoping we get to hear the first names eventually. Anyways, I've had this story on my mind for a while and just had to put it down. I hope you liked it. Please review!