A/N – First, thanks to all your positive reviews on my fanfiction Secret Life of a Wizarding Teenager – of course, couldn't have done it without you Hogs people! Forever love you guys – truly. You guys changed my life.

And now, on with the fanfiction! This is dedicated to Hogs on Shelfari(dot)com!

This fanfiction is an assortment of one-shots, about Peeta and Katniss, of course. It will draw Peeta and Katniss's moments, from pre-HG to post-MJ.

Enjoy – despite the fact that I have horrible writing skills! Peeta's POV (unless I decide to start changing POV every new chapter.)

Chapter 1

I was only four when I first met Katniss Everdeen.

My brothers had taken him to the park – to play soccer, like they always did. I considered this another normal day. I was still the same old Peeta – four, blond, beating my older brothers at soccer despite the fact that I was almost a foot shorter than my oldest brother, Mike, and definitely shorter than my second older brother, Jared.

Mike was, well, cursing (ignoring the fact that he was only ten) at the fact that I was much better than him. Jared was looking at me with narrowed eyes, while drinking water from his little water bottle. He was only eight – and wasn't as dramatic as Mike about these things.

A group of girls were watching the Mellark brothers' little mini-game of soccer and whispering and giggling. I didn't know what was going on. The girls were only Mike's classmates – I had met a few of them before. Me, Peeta Mellark, didn't know much, but all I knew was that, the girls looked exactly like all the teenage girls in Secondary School. And I didn't get it, seeing as they were only ten.

Soccer continued as soon as Jared joined again. Mike and Jared were sweating. I was looking at them as if I was bored. Jared gave me the evil eye. I put on the signature 'adorable' face again and tried to ignore them.

I was just about to make a goal when his eyes caught two figures making their way to the park – a girl and her father.

I don't know what was running through my mind then. I mean, I had only met the father, when he came to our place to trade squirrels for our bread. The girl…well, I had no idea.

I think I was a bit sensitive at the sight, really, because I slipped. The ball rolled from beneath my foot. Mike grinned triumphantly, as if he was saying 'See? You make mistakes too.'

The girl had seen me stumble. She poked her father, to make him look my way. I turned around automatically. Hey, a four-year old is smarter than you would think. It's not all brawling and crying and talking about Elmo.

Her father seemed to recognize me. Apparently he remembered me, despite the fact that I was only there for brief seconds when he came. My mother was constantly teaching me how to bake this, how to decorate that.

I was, though, truly still very young. My mind didn't process the fact that the two were obviously from the Seam – seeing as they traded fresh meat with our family, and the clothes. Seam people never dared to come here. They hung out in the Seam's own little grubby park. They were afraid of being laughed at, or being outcasts back at the Seam for being in the merchants' park.

The two obviously didn't care about the staring. The father had brought a little ball – not quite competition to our soccer balls. The girl walked into the park without even looking at all the merchants and their children. They began a game of catch. Just like that.

I was curious. I was foolhardy. I didn't know right or wrong, thick or thin. And so I got up, got the dirt off my knees, and headed towards the two, leaving my brother behind, staring.

The father seemed to notice me coming over. He greeted me with a smile.

"Hello," He said, without any note of inquiry in his voice.

I nodded, wordless.

The girl looked at me. I noted her single braid. I expected her to retreat. She didn't. She just looked at me, her gray eyes boring into mines.

"Do you want to join us?" Her father said again, trying to disturb the silence washing over us.

I nodded again. And so, they continued, now with me in the game. The first few throws were awkward. With all the people watching, it was hard for it not to be so. But I forgot about the merchants. Their children. My brothers. After all, merchant or not, everyone was a person, a living person. I didn't want to rule the two out just for where they came from. Seam or not, it was fun to play catch with them, to hear the father's laugh, to see the girl's sweet smile, to smell the rubbery scent of the little grubby ball.

Somehow, sunset came upon us.

"It was fun," the girl finally said, grinning at her father, not even looking at me. It didn't really matter to me then.

Her father smiled. He turned to me. "What's your name?"

"Peeta," I say.

He nods. "Peeta Mellark," he says. I don't even question the fact that he knows my last name. "I'm Keane Everdeen," He says, smiling. "This is my daughter, Katniss Everdeen."

She looks at me, and doesn't even try to say anything. Her father gives a Look at her.

"Hello," she says quietly, not quite meeting Peeta's eyes.

"Hi," I say, not knowing what to do. My brothers have already left. I look up at the sky. Already getting dark. This won't do. I quickly turn to the two. "Thank you," I say, smiling before I quickly run back home.

It became a memory. A sweet one, nevertheless, a memory, in my mind. Time changes people, and I was at the ripest season to finally be picked from the tree of youth. I grew up. After a year, I was no longer a normal, adorable boy. I was a normal boy.

The leaves came, whirling in the wind, to notice me that the fall season was coming, to tell me that I was becoming older. It was going to be my first year of primary school – and I was so psyched. Slowly came the days where the wind went from a hot tornado to a stream of cool wind, and I knew that time had came for me.

My mother's face was streaming with tears and laughter. "Finally a man!" She said as she watched me eat. I smiled, ignoring Mike and Jared's teasing. My father was already in his best, cleanest clothes, waiting for me to finish my breakfast. I quickly wolfed the meal down, and wiped the bread crumbs at the corner of my mouth. I patted my clothes down, and then gave a wave of goodbye to my mother and two brothers before finally going off with my father.

I was so jubilant, off to school for the first time. Being locked up in the house at daytime, trying to make bread and decorate the cookies and cake, wasn't exactly fun. All I could think about was school. Friends there, to have fun with. Teachers there, to teach me something more than baking. Things to learn. The thought made me happy dance inside, and my father knew what I was thinking. He kept on smiling and grinning at me – as if he was proud of me. And I think he really was.

We had finally arrived.

There were many other children with their parents – and once again, I caught the eye of Katniss Everdeen.

Her red plaid dress made her literally glow. Her hair was in two braids, instead of the usual one. Her father was there, talking with her. She didn't seem as excited – I suppose she had her right to do that. She was from the Seam – even though there were many other children from the Seam there, she knew that she would be an outcast. Seam children always were outcasts.

Her eyes lingered on mines for a few seconds, and the bewildered look she was giving me made me think something along the lines of the fact that she didn't remember who I was. But her face looked as if she had even saw me before I saw her. Her father didn't quite notice me – he was busy looking around the room.

Once the girl looked away, my father nudged me. I had the feeling he didn't know that I was staring at her. Suddenly, he opened his mouth to say the most surprising words I would have expected from him.

"You see that girl there?" He said, looking in the direction of Katniss, who was now back to talking with her father and looking around.

I nod, almost jumping up and shouting 'Halleluiah' in the bewilderment.

"I wanted to marry her mother, but she ran off with a coal miner."

I'm even more bewildered, staring at Mr. Everdeen. "Why would she marry a coal miner if she could have had you?"

"Because," he paused for a moment. "When he sings, even the birds stop the listen."

I give a second look at Katniss. She looks as exactly as I would imagine her mother to be like – the large eyes, the long eyelashes, the gray eyes bringing out her glow even more. Her black hair looked more of a golden brown than the usual Seam black, or it was only my imagination. I wasn't sure if she truly looked like that, but I knew that she would always be like that in my mind from now on. I knew that, even being five, I would never look at her the same way again, not with knowing my father's story.

My father cough again, and the teacher comes in, and gives a small talk. Then, she dismisses the parents. I give a wave to my father, and the corner of my mouth curve a little when I see the proud expression on my father's face. I see him looking at Mr. Everdeen, not quite with hatred nor jealousy, but as if they were friends who never met.

The teacher commences in our first lesson as soon as the parents are gone. I couldn't focus on what she was saying. I only had eyes for Katniss. Not in the lovingly way, but still, I was curious about her story, her background, her father. How could her father sing so beautifully, that even the birds wanted to listen? I thought there was no such thing.

Later that day, there was a music assembly. The teacher asked if anybody knew the valley song. This time, she had no such hesitation, like when she was greeting me. Her hand went straight up in the air. My eyes followed her figure as the teacher called her forward, and had her stand up on a stool. All the other children were looking at her, not quite with admiration. I knew her singing must have been decent, if her father was the person who had claimed someone's love with his singing.

She coughed once, and her mouth slowly opened, ready to sing.

Rivers of rainbow quickly ran through

Pastures of grass painted the sky blue

Daisies adored by green butterflies

Tis the world's beauty, if only we knew.

The owner of the valley

Lives in a lair above

If only we knew that the nature

Was bestowed on endless love

Rivers of rainbow quickly ran through

Pastures of grass painted the sky blue

Daisies adored by green butterflies

Tis the world's beauty, if only we knew.

Green is delicious to the eye

To the nose, to the ears

The sweet scent of valley

Spreads everywhere

Rivers of rainbow quickly ran through

Pastures of grass painted the sky blue

Daisies adored by green butterflies

Tis the world's beauty, if only we knew.

Hey, valley

The valley-o

Good-bye, valley

The valley-o

Rivers of rainbow quickly ran through

Pastures of grass painted the sky blue

Daisies adored by green butterflies

Tis the world's beauty, if only we knew.

The birds had stopped chirping.

My mouth formed the shape of an 'O'.

And I knew, that from that second, I was in love with Katniss Everdeen.

Falling for the wrong person, like my father did.

And I didn't care.