The characters of The Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me.

All That I Want

By JLaLa

"So small a turning
The world grows older every day
An ache, a yearning
Soften when I hear you say…"

-The Weepies "All That I Want"

Lower East Side, Manhattan

The sound of bells awoke Peeta Mellark.

Opening his eyes, he found himself staring at the large canvas that held his latest painting: a textured mess of layered frosty blues and whites. If he stared hard enough, Peeta could almost swear that painting was actually moving in a slow dance of snow in a gentle breeze.

There was a small groan and Peeta turned to see his girlfriend, Katniss, shift in her sleep. She threw her arms up so that they haloed her now-tilted head. Her long, raven hair spread against her pillow; he couldn't help but admire the beautiful contrast between her dark hair and the soft white cushion.

His eyes went across to her writing desk and Peeta recalled falling asleep as she typed furiously to meet her deadline.

Last night had been a long one for her and she was getting some well-deserved sleep.

Katniss was a writer. She had been for as long as he had known her—even longer than that, actually.

For the moment, his girlfriend was a columnist for a Manhattan magazine as their 'Lifestyle' writer, and she was relatively successful. Her pieces were full of wit, intelligence, and entertainment along with her signature satirical humor.

Whatever Katniss wrote about was big the next day.

However, Peeta knew that this wasn't what Katniss wanted to write.

His girlfriend wanted to write novels. Novels that inspired and shook people to their cores. Novels that brought people to tears and put them in the story. Novels that made you want to hug or hurt its characters.

He believed that she could.

Since the first time that Peeta read her words in her weathered notebook, he knew that she was destined to write something great. Katniss had a way with words that brought him to tears sometimes. Her stories would take him away to different places, and whenever he was finished reading her work, he was left breathless and aching for it to continue.

Katniss had a way of leaving him breathless and aching.

She had ever since that day he'd walked into the coffee shop where she worked and met her deep grey eyes and pretty smile.

He knew then that he had to have her—that she was going to be his wife.

Two years later, Peeta still felt that way.

Because every time Katniss smiled at him, he was that college kid in a coffee shop all over again. His heart would pound and his hands would go sweaty just looking at her—and sometimes, Peeta would find himself watching her and wondering how he got so lucky.

Together, he and Katniss had done everything that they had set off to do.

After Peeta had graduated from Panem University, they left her small town in their rickety car to come to New York. She had only one bag, her savings from working as a barista at Haymitch's coffee shop, and the leather notebook that he had given her. He had with him his graduation stipend from his parents, a duffle bag of unlaundered clothes, and a sketchpad that Katniss had given him for his graduation.

The studio they now lived in was the same one that they had rented two years ago. However, it had nothing at that time, including glass on the windows.

Katniss had taken it with a gentle smile and threw all her sweaters on as he taped their windows with tarp.

That first night, as they slept on the floor of their apartment, they talked about the things that they wanted, which included a bed, her writing desk, and a place for his canvases.

Now they had the desk, the canvas space, and the bed.

She wrote, he painted—and they made love in-between.

But there was the one last thing that they'd always wanted.

Katniss groaned again in her sleep and slowly, he sat up. Getting out of bed, he went to their small kitchen to turn on the coffee maker. As the machine warmed up, he moved to the bookshelf next to her desk and pulled out the leather notebook he had given her two years ago.

On the first page was her married name: Katniss Everdeen-Mellark.

Well, it wasn't her married name yet.

This Christmas, Peeta hoped it would be.

"It's fabulous, darling," Effie, Peeta's art dealer, said as she looked at his latest work. "This is going to be the hit of the showcase."

"Thanks," he replied as he gently placed the canvas back against the wall. "How is the gallery renovation going?"

The woman clucked her tongue at the question. Effie had just purchased a small gallery in the East Village and was going through the stress of renovating the space.

"Dreadful," she told him as she adjusted her printed head wrap. Effie looked very much like an art piece herself, with her structured kimono-style jacket and printed slacks. "I swear I am dealing with the most incompetent renovation staff. Is so difficult to get an extra supporting wall?"

The heavy sliding door that was the entrance rumbled and Katniss let herself into the studio—a stack of mail in her hands. She was wearing his heavy navy peacoat and a cream knit cap, along with dark jeans covered by her long hunter-green boots. Bits of snow clung to every part of her, but she looked like she minded very little.

"Hey, you two," she greeted them breathlessly as she threw the mail on their bed. "Just got the okay on the article with my editor, so it's going to print next week."

Peeta rushed over and helped her out of her coat, revealing a plain white t-shirt. Tossing the cap off of her head, Katniss turned to kissed him, her cold lips causing a pleasurable warm twist in his gut.

"That's great," he told her. "Effie is just following up with my piece."

"It's wonderful, isn't it?" Katniss said to Effie. "Like a snow-filled dream—it reminds me of walking around my old town in the evenings and seeing the fresh set of snow start to fall all around me. Everyone else would want to get out of the cold, but for me it was like seeing old friends again."

Her eyes were sad as she stared at his painting. "It will be sad to see this painting go." She looked over at him. "It has to be my favorite—so far."

"No wonder you're a writer," Effie said as she took out a handkerchief to dab her eyes. "You have a way with words, darling girl." She went to kiss Peeta's girlfriend on the cheek and then him. "I'll see you two in a week. I'm heading off to the Hamptons for a much needed break."

Peeta helped Effie with their heavy sliding door before closing it behind him and turning the heavy latch to lock it.

Katniss was sitting on their bed, rifling through their mail, and he went to help her out of her boots.

"Anything interesting?" he asked from where he knelt.

"Bill…bill…junk…" Katniss listed as Peeta tugged a boot off. "OH!" She met his eyes in shock. "It's from Haymitch." She quickly ripped open the envelope as he pulled her next boot off and then joined her on their bed. "Oh wow…"

"What's going on?" he asked.

Katniss placed the envelope down. "Haymitch is closing up the café. He's having a goodbye party and is inviting us."

"When is it?" he asked.

"Next week." Katniss undid her jeans and shimmied out of them, exposing her red panties and long tanned legs. She quickly slipped under their comforter and gave him a smile. "Care to join me?"

Peeta nodded before removing his own shoes and undoing the top button of his jeans. Hurriedly, he took them off before sliding in next to her.

"A little eager, aren't we?" Katniss joked.

Peeta shook his head unconvincingly. "No, I'm just a little cold." Taking the invitation, he read over it and then turned to her. "Do you want to go?"

"I have another assignment and weren't you going to work on something else for Effie—"

She was cut off by him pressing his lips against hers.

Peeta knew that she was hesitant because of her job as well as his. But he also knew that she was afraid to say goodbye to the coffee shop. It had been where they had fallen in love and where she had met a lot of her friends.

There were a lot of memories connected to that coffee shop—for both of them.

Pulling away, he opened his own eyes to see Katniss' eyes were still closed. Her mouth hung slightly open in a silent exhale and slowly, her eyes fluttered open.

Her lips fell into a grin. "What was that for?"

"Because I needed to cut you off before you convinced yourself that we shouldn't go," he replied. "This place is special for both of us and I know that's why you want to go. I know the reason you're hesitating is because of what Haymitch is asking you to do."

"I can't write a piece about the coffee shop!" Katniss looked at him, panicked.

He took her hand. "And why not?"

"Because nothing will be good enough." She stared down at their joined hands before meeting his eyes. "I'm not good enough."

"Katniss, you don't know the effect that your words have on your readers—what they have on me," he told her. "This is your chance to finally write something real. Don't hesitate because you're frightened—because you can do this. I know you can."

Her hand went to touch his chin and a smile rose from her rosy lips. "How could you believe in me so much?"

"Because it's what we do." Peeta kissed her softly. "We believe in each other."

One Week Later

"It's so pretty," Prim said as she looked at the vintage ruby ring. Caramel, her yellow tabby cat, pawed at the red gem curiously. "Melly, stop that!"

"Johanna, her editor, helped me find it," Peeta told Katniss' sister. "She said that when Katniss saw it in the magazine layout, it immediately reminded her of the one that your Mom had."

"It's pretty similar to one that I got for Leila," Ray, Katniss' father, remarked as he joined them at the kitchen table.

The Everdeens were eager to have them visit for Christmas. When he and Katniss called them to let them know that they were coming home, Ray immediately insisted they stay at their home.

"So when are you going to ask Katniss?" Prim asked excitedly, her blonde hair bouncing with her excited form. At fourteen, Katniss' sister was a full-blown teenager and eager to see how her sister's romance was progressing. "Are you going to take her to dinner? Or maybe ice skating? I know Katniss loves ice skating. I always wanted to be proposed to on a frozen lake."

"I'm not sure," he replied. "I know that we're going out with Madge and Gale tonight—so tonight is out of the question. Also, Katniss has been a little stressed out over her reading for Haymitch's party—and I don't want to distract her by flashing a ring in her face."

"She's that stressed out, huh?" Ray asked. He stroked his dark beard in thought. "Maybe it is better that it's after the party." He looked to Prim and Peeta. "Also, it will be closer to Christmas."

"It's settled then," Peeta replied in finality.

The front door opened and then closed. Katniss had returned from shopping with Madge and they all halted their conversation. Prim hastily handed Peeta back the engagement ring as Katniss entered the kitchen.

Quickly, Peeta stuffed it back into his pocket. "Hey, sweetheart. How was your shopping trip?"

Katniss looked at him suspiciously before she went over to kiss Prim and then her father. "Uh—it was fine. You know, the usual girl trip—lots of laughing and trying on clothing that neither of us can afford." She pulled the seat next to him and sat down. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," he, Ray and Prim chorused together.

Katniss grinned. "That means something."

"Peeta and I are going to work on the light display outside," her father informed her quickly. Ray stood up and nodded at him. "Come along, Peeta. Let's go grab the lights in the basement and get to work."

Together, they stood up and Peeta kissed his girlfriend before joining Ray in the hallway.

He turned to the older man. "Thanks for that. I was never very good at lying to those grey eyes of hers."

"No problem." Ray chuckled. "Actually, I really do need help with the lights."

"I am stuffed. Madge and Gale always know the best places to eat," Katniss said as they walked hand in hand through the quiet clearing, the moon standing above them. Snow crunched underneath their boots as they walked towards Katniss' neighborhood. "At least we're walking it off."

"You aren't cold?" he asked. Peeta put his free hand into his peacoat pocket. "I'm freezing."

Katniss stopped and turned to him. "Give me your hands." Peeta held out both his hands and she took the one that she wasn't already holding. "Now, close your eyes."

He stared at her, eyebrows raised. "What?"

She pressed her forehead to his.

"Close your eyes," Katniss whispered against his lips.

After a moment, Peeta complied and closed his eyes. He could hear her shaky breath in the cold evening air. However, he could feel the heat building between them; the fire of her closeness rushing through his veins and warming his blood.

Suddenly, he was on fire.

"Take a deep breath," she instructed and he followed. "You smell that? The sharpness in the air?"

"Yes," he replied, his hands clinging to hers. Peeta could smell the crispness in the still air.

"Now, listen," Katniss continued. "Do you hear that quietness around us? Everyone is tucked into their beds. Every animal is nestled somewhere warm. The birds have even stopped singing. It's that moment, Peeta."

"What moment?" he asked in a tight voice.

"The moment before the snow comes—that cusp of time where the entire world retreats." Katniss explained and she brushed her lips against his. He let out a shaky breath as they pulled apart. "Me and you walking out here—for this miniscule moment—it's like we are the only two people on earth."

Peeta opened his eyes to meet her glowing steel orbs.

"Nothing can be more wonderful or beautiful than that," she whispered against him.

He reached to cup her cheek, his cold thumb moving her warm lips as he stared at her. "That's not true."

Katniss blushed at his soft, tender tone. Tugging on his hand, she urged him to continue their walk.

"How's the writing going?" he asked as they reached the border of her neighborhood.

"Five drafts later, I still have no idea what to do." They reached her block and she sighed. "The party is in two days."

Peeta put an arm around her. "You're stressing yourself out," he told her. "And you're forgetting, Katniss."

She looked to him. "Forgetting what?"

"Exactly what that coffee shop means to us." Peeta kissed her temple. "Whenever I think of that coffee shop, I think of that first time I saw you. Of finally coming out of the cold. Of feeling a heat that I'd never felt before until I looked at you."

"How exactly do I remember?" Katniss asked doubtfully.

"If you look in my duffle, there might be a notebook or two that you may recognize," Peeta replied with a grin.

Katniss nodded at him. Suddenly, she halted and her eyes went behind him. "Wow."

Peeta turned to find that they were already at her house. Ray had turned on the light display they arranged on the front exterior of the small house. The Everdeen house now resembled a large gingerbread house with thick hanging icicle lights along the sharp roof and red lights wrapped around the white columns by the door to make them look like candy canes.

"Prim must have frosted the windows," he remarked as his eyes roamed the house. "The concept came out really well. Your Dad was worried, but I think this will convince him."

"You have a talent for light installations," Katniss told him with a smile as he continued to look over the design.

Going to the door, she unlocked it and walked inside, leaving the door open for him.

"Let's hope I really have a talent for it," he said as he looked up at the house wistfully.

Quickly, Peeta followed her inside.

"Thanks for coming," Haymitch said to him. The older man gave him a half-smile. "I never forgot the two of you."

They looked over to where Katniss was talking to Gale and Madge. She met Peeta's eyes and gave him a nervous smile.

"We used to take bets on how long it would take for Katniss to cave on her feelings," the man continued. "Stubborn as a mule, that girl. We had just about given up when you stuck your face against that window."

"That seems like a lifetime ago," Peeta said as he turned to the large window where he had found himself looking in on her holiday party two years earlier. "I must have looked like a real fool."

"There's a difference between a fool and a fool in love," Haymitch replied. "You're definitely the latter."

Katniss began making her way to the podium as everyone went to take their seats. Customers, employees and friends gathered in front of it. Peeta could tell that she was nervous by the way her fingers drummed against the wood podium in a frantic dance.

She met his eyes quickly and he nodded at her, willing her to be brave.

Because Katniss was brave. They both were or else they would've never taken a chance on one another.

"You ready?" Haymitch asked. Gale and Madge also assembled next to him—the new couple looked to him and gave him an encouraging smile.

"Good evening," Katniss began. "My name is Katniss Everdeen. Some of you might remember me; but for those who don't, I was a barista in this very coffee shop about two years ago. I made a mean toffee nut latte, too."

The crowd laughed.

"You put too much syrup in it!" Gale called out. "Messed up inventory and everything!"

"Shut up, Gale!" Katniss responded with a smirk. "I never saw you mopping the floor like the rest of us!" Her friend and former lead held his hands up in surrender. "Anyway, I spent a lot of time wracking my brain about the piece that I wanted to present for you tonight. Finally, two days ago, someone told me to look back and think about what exactly I love about this coffee shop."

She held up her old journal—the one Peeta had bought her.

"I want you to think about one moment, one memory that stuck in your head about this place," she told everyone. "It doesn't have to be big or momentous—it just has to mean something."

Katniss cleared her throat as she placed her journal on the podium and opened it.

"I want to share one of my memories with you." She looked up and met his eyes, her gaze soft. "The title of this piece is Falling in Love At a Coffee Shop—exactly like the song, which I'm quite familiar with."

"Yes," Peeta suddenly said to Haymitch.

The man turned to him, his eyes perplexed. "What?"

"The answer to your question." He looked at Katniss as she began to read from her journal. "I'm more than ready."

Christmas Eve

Peeta looked up when he heard the bells.

Looking across the street, he watched the small crowd slowly leaving the church.

"It feels like I'm hearing those church bells for the first time," Katniss said as they watched the parishioners scatter in different directions to escape the biting weather. "When really, I've heard them a million times before."

They continued to ring, echoing behind them, as they started to walk down the main part of the small town.

"It's been awhile since you've been home," he told her with a smile. "And a lot of things have changed-"

"I wish they wouldn't." Katniss looked around sadly and her eyes immediately went to Haymitch's coffee shop, now empty and unlit. "It was really sad to see Haymitch turn the lights off for the last time." They crossed the street and found themselves staring into the blank space. "Soon, this will all be nothing but a memory."

Peeta walked toward her, closing the space between them before pressing his forehead to hers.

"Close your eyes," he whispered.

Katniss peered at him, her smile amused. "What?"

"You trust me, don't you?" he asked. She nodded and begrudgingly closed her eyes, her dark lashes fanning out. "Take a deep breath." Peeta watched her inhale slowly and exhale out, steamed air escaping her warm lips. "Remember the smell—the smell of smoke from the chimneys that are lit tonight, the smell of bare trees."

"The smell of you," she added. "Like coffee, mint, and mischief." Katniss smiled, her eyes still closed. "What else?"

"Listen," Peeta continued. "To the sound of church bells, of that slight bit of wind whistling between the brick buildings, and to me." He put his lips to her ear. "I love you now, more than ever—I can't let you go, beautiful, brilliant Katniss Everdeen."

She took in a sharp breath, and he could hear her choke back tears.

Peeta reached into his pocket and pressed the button as Haymitch had instructed him to do. He hoped that all the practice that he and Ray had done, using the house, wasn't for nothing.

"Now open your eyes," Peeta told her nervously.

Slowly, Katniss' eyes opened, adjusting to the bright light display on the coffee shop windows.

He watched her carefully read out the message that he had painstakingly worked on after the party. Prim had insisted that Katniss take her home for sister time the night before so that he, Gale and Madge could test out his design.

Katniss was right—he was pretty good with light installation.

For there, displayed across the window were the light-coiled words: Katniss, will you?

"Will I what—?"

She turned and he was already on one knee.

The words seemed to leave his body and he remembered all those moments that he had told her to have courage.

"Katniss…" he breathed out when he suddenly felt the wet tingle on his nose. Soon, small flurries danced around them and Peeta was back to that moment when he had first kissed her in this very spot.

The snow was on his side—and there was no going back.

"Katniss, will you…" He reached into his pocket to pull out the velvet box. "Spend your life with me? Will you wake up with me in our cold studio with my canvases, your writing desk, and our bed every day? Will you tell our children the story of how we fell in love in a coffee shop?"

Peeta stood up and opened the box to reveal the ruby ring as he stared into her shining eyes. "Will you be my Katniss Everdeen-Mellark?"

She looked down at the ring, grinning as the snow fell softly around them, catching their already wet eyelashes.

"Close your eyes and remember this moment," Katniss told him.

She took the box from his hand.

Peeta complied and he felt her wet lips, tasting of happy tears, against his.

"Yes, Peeta Mellark. I will marry you."

FIN.