Hi Guys! Happy Holidays. I've been posting these on Tumblr for Love In Panem Yuletide 12 Days of Christmas, and thought I would share. It's a lovely story I hope you enjoy the ride.
PS I do not own the Hunger Games
A Christmas House Ch1 Snow
-2016 Age 25 December 25th-
"Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of the flight crew and myself, welcome to Asheville, North Carolina," the captain said as Peeta Mellark looked out of the window of the airplane. The aircraft docked at the gate and the passengers on board stood up once they were given the all clear from the stewards to move about the cabin.
Peeta hoisted his dark leather duffle bag over his shoulder and made his way out of the plane and into the small airport. Everything was gaily dressed in Christmas cheer. Holiday country music played from the PA system A grand Christmas tree adorned the center passageway, people leisurely walked to and from their gates.
Everything was so different here.
In New York people were always in a hurry. They walked, drank coffee, as they spoke over Bluetooth, and typed a text. Coming back down to the south was quite the cultural difference. But no matter how big or diverse a society, Peeta learned over the years, people everywhere had the same basic requirements. They desired love, respect, trust, companionship, and a home. He, too, needed the same things.
Peeta walked past baggage claim, thankful he didn't have any luggage to pick up, though if everything went according to plan, he wouldn't have to return to the airport. His blue eyes took in the sign, 'Welcome to Asheville, North Carolina!"
He was almost home. Peeta walked outside and realized it was fifty degrees outside. The locals wore heavy peacoats and puffy jackets. Having come from New York, this was spring weather. He slipped on his black-framed 1950's inspired sunglasses, his short blond curly hair that still managed to flop over his forehead.
This small action brought Katniss Everdeen to mind. She spent the majority of time brushing his hair away from his face. Thinking of her brought a smile to his face but made his stomach churn. The last time he'd seen her was six months ago.
A horn beeped and snapped him out of his reprieve. A green pickup truck rolled in front of him, Lynyrd Skynyrd was blaring from the radio. The short feisty woman yelled from the interior of the cab, "Hey stranger!"
"Hi Jo," Peeta greeted his childhood friend as he got into the cab. Jo was the original rebel. Her jeans were torn, she sported a pixie haircut with one streak of color. This year it was red. She did things her own way. "You look festive."
"At least I don't look like a freaking 1950's ad." Jo spat as she drove further away from Asheville and closer towards Merchantville, their childhood hometown.
"I have style, Jo."
"Ha, is that what they call manicured hands?" Jo picked up his hand, his nails neatly trimmed. Although he hadn't ever gone to get a manicure, most guys in the city did. Peeta just made sure his nails were always neatly trimmed to give the illusion.
Peeta leaned back in his chair. "I'm surprised you didn't pick me up in your overalls."
"Shut up dummy," Jo said affectionately.
"Ah good to be home," Peeta grinned. The lights of the city faded as they made their way up into the Appalachian Mountains. Farms and open abandoned spaces began dotting the landscape. The economy hit hard some many small towns. People moved to find jobs, farms, businesses, and homes were foreclosed, leaving empty nothingness. Peeta glanced at the landscape as it became less flat with periods of rolling hills, he was glad Merchantville didn't suffer the same fate.
After a while, Jo turned to him and said, "Peeta?"
He slipped his sunglasses off his face, "Is everything set up Jo?"
"Yeah," Jo said tersely.
Peeta caught the look in her eyes. Jo was a lot of things but quiet and withdrawn wasn't one of them. "What?"
"Listen to me Peeta Mellark. You better do right by brainless. If you don't, one of my axes will find their way into your skull."
Peeta didn't say anything else. He, too, had reservations. The closer he got to Merchantville the thicker the memories became. Peeta recalled how as a kid he and Katniss played in the hills. He swallowed nervously. "I hope she's okay, I did send her letters."
Jo pulled up to her house, on her sprawling pine tree ranch. "Okay bread boy, I've got to make some deliveries. Doors open; make yourself at home. I'll leave the truck keys in the kitchen when I come back. Darius is picking me up."
Peeta nodded, and was left on his own in her house. He needed to check up on a few things, before he took a shower and got ready for tonight. There were a lot of moving parts he needed to make sure were in place for tonight to go successfully.
When night time rolled around Peeta stood in front of the swiveled mirror giving himself the biggest pep talk in his life. He spoke to the mirror, "Okay Mellark, you can do this."
When he finally walked into the kitchen, Jo was nowhere to be found. He picked up the keys to her pickup truck and drove the familiar route into town.
Everywhere he turned there was a memory. He recalled getting fresh fries at Sae's. He passed the library where they studied as kids and grinned, thinking of the flag pole Jo dared Katniss to lick in winter. Katniss never did, but his brother Johnny did.
He drove by EMA's Handcrafted Furniture, the business started by her father, his Uncle Rye, and her Uncle Haymitch. This place contained a few potent memories. But there was one place that held the most recollections. The place he was driving too, where Katniss was.
Miss Effie Trinket's home. The Christmas House. Miss Effie was a special woman. She'd gotten married only a few years ago. For the majority of his youth she had been unmarried and no one speculated or dared ask why. Miss Effie wore crazy colored wigs and dressed up like a shiny ornament during the holidays. In any other town or neighborhood, she would have been known as the crazy cat lady, except Effie never owned a cat.
She did own a house, where the Christmas lights were always kept on throughout the year and every holiday had a Christmas themed. For example on the 4th of July, Effie turned it into a Christmas in July spectacular. Thinking of the events that led up to July caused him to regret the choices he made.
Independence Day was the last time he came home. That was six months ago, and it was the day his goals in life had become clearer. He gripped the wheel as he pulled up to the Christmas house.
Peeta looked out onto the lawn through the window of the front dash. The house was tastefully decorated. But there were more things added. Peeta murmured to himself, "Looks like Miss Effie added snow to the lawn this year." He grinned recalling a mud fight between him and Katniss the last time Miss Effie had crushed snow in the yard.
He got out of the truck and made his way to the house. With every step, he remembered every conversation he had ever had with Katniss, ever prank they pulled. Everything made him fall-in-love with her, over and over again. Peeta reached the porch and stopped.
He could hear Lady's Antebellum's version of Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) being played. He stuck his hands in his pockets as he listened to the song. The ceiling of the porch had snowflakes and white Christmas lights hanging from it. He closed his eyes as every memory funneled to the moment his life changed. He was only 5 years old when Katniss stole his little heart.
This is where his story begins.
-1996 Age 5 Christmas Day-
Peeta was hiding underneath the table, away from his brothers and their friends. He could hear Miss Effie's heels as they click clacked on the wood floor of her house. He also heard his oldest brother Wheaton as he laughed. His brothers tended to pick on Peeta because he was the baby of the family so it was the accepted practice. Then he heard it, the music turned off.
"OH MY!" Miss Effie squealed. "Welcome, Welcome! Please allow me to take your coats."
Peeta was curious as to why Miss Effie turned off the music, but he did not leave his hiding place. He heard the introductions. "Everyone these are the Everdeen's." Miss Effie quickly introduced. "Y'all remember May, Haymitch's baby sister, this is her husband Carl, and daughter Katniss. They moved here from Kentucky."
One of Effie's guests asked, "Why the move?"
"The mines closed down, and I had nothing to do. So I started making stuff, you know chairs, tables, some rocking horses. I sent a few chairs to Haymitch because the Missus. said it was junk. Rye stained it and actually sold it on that World Wide Web for a tighty sum."
"He's opening up a handcrafted furniture place with me and Haymitch," Rye said loudly.
A man with a deep baritone voice spoke. To Peeta, it sounded like Delly Cartwright's dad. "Welcome. What about this little one here?"
A softer female voice said, "My daughter. She's a singer like her papa."
There was some adult conversation that Peeta did not understand. He was curious about the girl, but the threat of his older brother Johnny and his friend made him stay put.
"Oh, Katniss can sing?" Miss Effie announced.
"If she sings like her father, even the birds will fall silent," Peeta heard his papa boast.
"Come on, Kitten, Will you sing for us?" Haymitch's voice was near his. "That's a good girl."
A silence descended over the house. Curious, Peeta moved closer to the edge. Then his little heart stopped the moment he heard the voice sing 'O', Holy Night." His body acted as he crawled out of his hiding place and came face to face with the most beautiful girl he'd ever set eyes on. Her skin was tanned, kissed by the sun. Her eyes were the color of the moon. She wore a red plaid dress and his five-year-old fingers twitched to pull on her long dark braids. He, Peeta Mellark was a goner at five years of age.
When she finished, several people had tears in their eyes. Someone shouted, "Please sing something else."
Katniss smiled and said, "This is for my momma."
She proceeded to sing a song in Spanish that made several people chuckle. It was a song with a 1950's beat called, Piel de Azucar by Jose-Jose, a song no doubt her parents liked and she'd picked up on.
No sooner did she finish that someone shout. "Sing the Valley Song.",
Katniss looked to her parents for permission. They nodded and she proceeded to sing the local, popular song.
Peeta didn't care that he was at risk of getting beat up. He slowly inched his way toward Katniss. He wanted to be her friend. Heck, he thought, he wanted to marry her. His little heart beat so quickly, he swore it felt like he'd been running for miles instead of inching across the five feet to the edge of the table. He sat at her feet, chin propped in his hands, looking at her adoringly.
When she stopped singing, his Uncle Rye said, "Look Graham, there just might be a Mellark and Everdeen union after all."
Peeta didn't understand what his uncle meant. All he could think of where Katniss quicksilver eyes remained steady on his.
"Hi, I'm Peeta!" he jumped up and extended his hand.
"Hi, I'm Katniss."
"Wanna color?" Peeta asked her to do his most favorite activity in the world. He never asked anyone to color except for his pa.
"Okay," Katniss said.
Peeta offered his hand, and she took it.
"Hey there Kitten who's this?" The man who looked like Katniss asked.
"Papa, this is Peeta. We're gonna color."
Her father raised an eyebrow at Peeta and he blushed. He nervously blurted, "I'm gonna marry Katniss."
"Well you look like a nice boy, but if you're going to marry my Katniss, you have to ask her first."
With the innocence that could only come from a pure heart Peeta stared into Katniss eyes, "Will you marry me?"
Katniss face turned pink, but her eyes twinkled like the stars in the night sky. "Yes." She turned to her father, "Daddy, can we color now."
Her father laughed, and said, "Of course, kitten."
"We're going to Miss Effie's special room. It's where she keeps crayons, just for me," Peeta explained as they headed upstairs.
"It's just like the library in Beauty and the Beast," Katniss breathed as she took in the room with wall to wall books.
"Yeah," Peeta said as he let go of her hand to find the crayons and paper. Soon they were sprawled on the floor, coloring.
"Who's your girlfriend, loser?" Johnny stood at the doorway with his friend.
Peeta flinched the moment he heard his older brother speaking. His eyes flew to Katniss who grew still. She, too, was gazing at his older brother.
"Look at him. He's such a chicken!" Johnny's friend teased.
"Hey, kid. Why are you with my brother? He's the one no one wants." Johnny was eight years old, tall and mean. He always picked on and pushed Peeta around.
Peeta stood up with his crayon grasped in his hand, "Am not!"
"Are too. Not even mom wants you," Johnny snarled.
"She does too!" Peeta squared his chin but inside he was hurting. He didn't want to admit his brother was right. His mom didn't love him; Peeta always hoped their mother would someday change.
Johnny started laughing, "Look at little peewee. Trying, to be a man."
He grabbed Peeta by the arm.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Katniss stood up her eyes were fiery; Peeta swallowed thinking she looked like a superhero.
"Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it?" Johnny said.
Katniss marched up to him, without warning she stomped on his foot. Johnny let go of Peeta, and then she punched Johnny square in the face, sending his brother backwards. She turned to his brother's friend and in a menacing voice she said, "What's your name?"
"Frances," he croaked his eyes were large on his face and his lip trembled.
"Get!" Katniss shooed.
Both of the older boys ran.
"Are you okay?" Katniss turned to Peeta, took his arm and rolled up his sleeve. His arm was red and already he was getting a bruise from his brothers manhandling. "Oh, Peeta," Katniss breathed softly.
Peeta's blue eyes were large on his face from shock. He never had anyone defend him. Even his father didn't stand up for him. His dad hugged him, and suffered in silence with Peeta. Peeta's mother wasn't too nice to his father either. He looked at Katniss, and he felt his heart quake with love. This wasn't like the love he held for his dad, this was different. "Thanks."
"Children what happened here?" Miss Effie came into the room. "Peeta, your brother claimed you hit him."
"Peeta's brother hurt him," Katniss showed Miss Effie Peeta's arm.
At the sight of Peeta's black and blue arm, Miss Effie exclaimed, "Oh, you poor dear."
"Katniss took care of me. She stomped on my brother's foot, Miss Effie."
"Well rightly so," Effie tsked as she glanced at Peeta's arm. "Come along. I'm going to put some ice on this."
That night, Peeta gained more than a friend. He earned a champion. And as he and Katniss sat together holding hands, he couldn't stop smiling.