Katniss

I never should have agreed to this.

I look nervously around the room. I can barely feel my fingers, and my shoes are wet. The melting snow in my hair is dripping down my neck, causing me to shudder. It's warm in here, though. It's a relief after being outside, but I can already tell that it will feel too warm very soon. It doesn't help that it reeks of sweat and white liquor in here, either.

"Come on, Katniss," Madge says.

"Why did I let you talk me into this?"

"What?"

It's almost impossible to hear anything over the fiddler and the drunken singing. "Why did I let you talk me into this?" I repeat, louder this time and closer to her ear.

"Because you sit at home with your mother and sister every Saturday night. You're 18, Katniss. You're free! You need to get out of the house more." Madge is an only child. She doesn't understand that I don't consider surviving to 18, despite all the tesserae I've taken out, a success. Not as long as Prim is still eligible for the reaping. And if she's reaped next year, I can't volunteer for her. "Stop scowling."

"I'm not scowling."

"You are. Take off your coat and throw it in the heap on that table over there." Madge has clearly been to these dances before, but I haven't, because she's right; I do stay at home every Saturday night.

I reluctantly take off my winter coat. It's from my mother's merchant days and it's the nicest coat I've got, even though it's old and worn, and both of the elbows are patched. I set it on the top of the pile. I hope I'll be able to find it again at the end of the night. Or sooner, because I'll be out of here as soon as I can find an excuse to leave.

I nervously smooth down the skirt of my green dress. It's a summer dress, but with a silver gray shawl covering my shoulders, I guess I'm dressed appropriately for both the occasion and the weather.

"Here," Madge says under her breath, and hands me a bottle.

I eye it suspiciously. "Where did you get this, Madge?"

"The Hob, of course."

"You went to the Hob?" Good Town girls don't go there. I only go out of necessity. It's the best place to trade for food, salt, and fabric. I hunt alone now that Gale is in the mines six days a week, so the haul is not as profitable as it was back when we were both hunting daily.

Now Gale and I only hunt together on Sundays. Although it's been pretty awkward lately... since the kiss.

I hesitantly swallow a mouthful of Madge's liquor, and I instantly start coughing. "Not used to liquor, sweetheart?" I hear someone say behind me. I turn to see Haymitch Abernathy, the alcoholic victor. He's grinning at me.

I dry my eyes and don't bother to answer him as I hand the bottle back to Madge. "So what do we do now?"

"We drink, dance and have fun." I grimace at her suggestions. "Or you could always make out with someone in a dark corner."

"Madge!"

"That's why people come to these parties, you know."

I groan. "Shut up." She laughs. Her Town blue eyes are a bit glassy. I think she's had more than just a mouthful of white liquor. "Is that what you're hoping to do tonight?"

She shrugs. "Maybe." She looks over my shoulder, and she lifts an eyebrow. "But I know someone who's definitely hoping to make out in a dark corner tonight."

"Who?" I turn around. I instantly regret it when I meet a pair of blue eyes from across the room.

"Peeta Mellark," Madge breathes in my ear. "He's been staring at you from the moment we came in through the door."

The boy with the bread.

Yes. Attending this dance was definitely a bad idea.

xoxoxoxox

Peeta

I'm speaking with Rye and one of his asshole friends, Branch. They do most of the talking. Branch just got married, and I'm hearing a lot more about their marital activities than I ever wanted to.

I see Katniss as soon as she enters the room, and for a second, it's as if everything else freezes.

There is no electricity tonight, no surprise there, and the bare light bulbs hanging from the ceiling are dark. Instead, the room is lit by oil lamps on tables and torches on the wall. Katniss is standing close to one of the torches. The flames flicker, making her glow, as if she's on fire. Her hair is down tonight, and as her hand reaches up to tuck a lock behind her ear, I suddenly find it hard to breathe. I've only ever seen her hair braided. But tonight, with her luscious curls and waves flowing freely over her shoulders, she looks the way she does in my dreams.

I shift uneasily, hoping Rye and that idiot Branch won't notice my growing erection. I roll my eyes at myself. Look at the effect she has on me. All this just from looking at her damn hair.

Katniss scowls as she looks around the room, and says something to Madge Undersee.

"Hey, Peeta?"

I blink. "Sorry?"

Rye laughs. "Branch was just saying how much better it is to get head while you're standing, but I guess I can't expect you to pay attention to anything else when Katniss Everdeen is around."

"Shut up, Rye," I hiss.

"Katniss who?" Branch asks.

"Everdeen," Rye says. Branch still looks confused. "She hung out with Gale Hawthorne all the time at school. She's thin, with gray eyes-"

"You just described pretty much every girl in the Seam," Branch complains.

"I said she hung out with Gale Hawthorne, not that she was fucking Gale Hawthorne, so that pretty much leaves you with only Everdeen," Rye says. Everyone knows Gale has taken a fair number of girls to the slag heap. "Although I bet that's what they did half the time in the forest." Rye snickers as he looks at me, clearly gauging my reaction.

I have to breathe slowly to stay calm. I take a sip from my bottle to clear my head. Or maybe to avoid having to say something right away. The liquor burns as it goes down my throat, but I ignore the sensation.

"Peeta's been looking at Katniss Everdeen since he was, like, six years old." Five. But who's counting.

Branch eyes Katniss up and down. "She's a fine piece of ass, I'll give her that. A little scrawny, but all Seam girls are. But it shouldn't really take you that long just to hook up with a Seam slut, Peeta. You need to work on your game. I thought you were getting advice from your brothers?"

Asshole. I want to punch him in his face. Instead, I mutter another "shut up".

I gulp down some more white liquor and try not to stare at Katniss as she follows Madge through the crowd. Katniss never comes to these dances. I know, because I come to all of them. I always hope that she'll show up, but she never has. Not until tonight.

I've thought about this so many times. The fantasies are always the same. I'd walk over to her and we'd start talking. We'd dance, and I'd feel her body against mine. I'd pull her away from the dance floor and take her someplace quiet. She'd laugh at my jokes, and we'd even talk about the deep stuff. I'd walk her home and end the evening with a kiss.

In my head, there is never any hesitation on my part. There is no awkwardness. I always know what to say and what to do. But now that she's actually here, I'm clutching my bottle desperately as I stare at her from across the room, and I know, I just know, that if I actually walk over to her and try to talk to her, I'll make a complete ass of myself.

I take another pull from the bottle and sigh. What the hell do I do now?

xoxoxoxox

Katniss

I follow Madge as she makes her way through the crowd. She hands me the bottle, and I take another mouthful. It doesn't burn quite as much this time.

The room is large, but it's still packed with people. Most of them are drunk. Everyone's singing, dancing, or – yes, Madge was right – making out in dark corners. It's noisy, crowded, and confusing. I don't get what this has to do with Midwinter at all. In fact, I don't even know why we celebrate Midwinter in the first place. It's the darkest day of the year, sure. Starting tomorrow, the days will gradually get longer. But winter has just begun, really. The hunger will only get worse with every passing week. Some of us will lose family members soon. What's there to celebrate? Nothing at all.

"Katniss."

Suddenly, he's standing right in front of me. Damn it.

"Gale." I try to smile. It's been more than half a year now, since that night after my last reaping. We were in the woods, and out of the blue, he said that he loved me. He kissed me before I had the chance to figure out how to respond. When he released me, I turned around and ran - actually ran - back to town. It hasn't been the same between us ever since.

"Well, this is a first." I can smell the white liquor on him.

"Madge talked me into coming," I explain.

Gale looks from me and over to Madge. She looks perfectly Merchant tonight. Her long, blonde curly hair, slightly chubby cheeks, and clear blue eyes all compliment her red dress. She's beautiful. And Gale can't take his eyes off of her.

"Hey there, Madge," he says, and she actually blushes. "Haven't seen you in a while."

They've seen each other?

She tilts her head and looks up at him. He's so much taller than her. "I've been busy."

No. She has not been busy.

There's an awkward silence. "Well." Gale clears his throat nervously. He nods over to some of his friends. Miners, of course. "I gotta go. Talk to you later?"

"Sure," I answer. Madge doesn't say anything. When Gale's a safe distance from us, I turn towards my friend but she's looking at the floor. I lift an eyebrow. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing."

"You like him," I accuse, with wide eyes. "Gale?"

"No, I don't," she hisses, but her blush is answer enough.

"How long has this been going on?"

She looks uncomfortable. "Um… I've thought he was really cute for years, I guess, but he never gave me the time of day. But then this fall, we've sort of made out a few times. At dances."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "Gale was after you for years. I've felt like such a shitty friend."

"It's okay, I don't mind. You know that I'm not interested in Gale."

"But you still hang out with him all the time, don't you?"

"As a friend. And we don't really hang out all the time anymore, not now that he's working in the mines."

"He doesn't exactly look at you in a friendly way." Madge takes another sip from the bottle. It's half empty already. She's going to get sick if she keeps this up. "You really don't mind?" Her voice is small.

"No."

She exhales. "That's such a relief. I was so worried that-" She cuts herself short. "Look, Gale and I are just hooking up, okay? I know he's not interested in anything more with me, because, well… You know."

I squirm. I don't really want to think about it. But the worst thing about this isn't really Gale, and whatever he may or may not feel for me. It's Madge. The way she looked at him suggested that she wants something more than just a hook-up from him.

She chuckles and shakes her head. "It's funny, isn't it? I am looking at Gale. Gale is looking at you." Her eyes drift over my shoulder. "Peeta Mellark is also looking at you." She looks at me again. "But you? You never look at anyone, do you?"

Peeta again? "What?"

Madge snorts. "You're blind, Katniss. You really are." She laughs and takes my hand. "Whatever. Let's dance."

I reluctantly follow her to the dance floor.

xoxoxoxox

Peeta

In the low and flickering light, the dance is lively. There are lots of seemingly complicated partner changes as the dancers spin around in circles. I've known that Katniss has an ear for music since we were little, of course, so I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise that she's a great dancer, too. She moves graciously from one partner to the next. She clearly knows the steps, despite not having been to any of these dances before. Her cheeks are flushed, her hair is a beautiful mess over her shoulders, and she smiles. I've rarely seen her smile.

I know that I'm staring at her. I can't help it, but Katniss is too busy dancing to notice. Rye does, though.

"You are pathetic, you know," Rye says.

I huff. "Shut up."

"No, really. This is the most pathetic thing I've ever seen in my life. You're good looking, you're a nice guy, and you're Merchant. You can have any girl you want. But the one girl you actually do want is the ice queen of 12, who's never even looked in your direction."

The fiddler ends the song, and there's wild clapping and cheering. Katniss claps, too. Her last dancing partner was a miner, who says something to her as they part, and she laughs in response. I wish I could make her laugh like that.

Rye is right. I am pathetic.

xoxoxoxox

Katniss

I'm never going to admit this to Madge, but I am actually having fun. I guess all those nights dancing with Prim in our kitchen have paid off. Even though it was hard to practice mixer dances, because there was just the two of us, I don't mess up the partner changes too badly.

The fiddler takes what appears to be a large mouthful from the small bottle in his pocket, and announces that he's "gotta go take a leak." He disappears out the door, into the winter night.

"A song, a song!" a man shouts.

There's a moment of silence. Then a dark-haired woman, who looks like she's in her 40s, takes a step forward. All eyes are fixed on her as she starts singing.

I don't remember her name, but what I do remember is her husband, dying on my mother's table after a mining accident last year, and her quiet crying as he did. He was the only one on his team who made it out of the mines alive that day, but the injuries he'd sustained were too much for my mother's herbs and stitches. All she really had to offer him was some of her precious morphling to ease his passing. Their eldest son is one of Gale's best friends; in fact, they're standing next to each other now. They're watching her with dark eyes and clenched jaws.

Her voice is deep for a woman, and slightly raspy. The mood in the room instantly changes when it's clear which song she's singing. Where a moment ago people were dancing and laughing, they are suddenly serious now. It's a song everyone in the district knows. An old folk song, of love and loss. The woman sings alone for the first few lines, but then people start to sing along until the whole room is singing by the end of the first verse.

But blond is the color of my true love's hair
His face is like some rosy fair
The prettiest face and the neatest hands
I love the ground whereon he stands

Not everyone knows the lyrics, but that doesn't stop them from humming along. I'm warm and flushed from dancing, and I can feel the effect of the white liquor coursing through my veins. I start singing, too. My dad used to sing this song, long ago. I close my eyes, and it's as if he's here with me.

The winter's passed and the leaves are green,
The time is passed that we have seen,
But still I hope the time will come
When you and I shall be as one.

I go to the Clyde for to mourn and weep,
But satisfied I never could sleep.
I'll write to you in a few short lines,
I'll suffer death ten thousand times.

There are so many here tonight who have lost a father, a husband, or a son. A tear rolls down my cheek.

So fare you well, my own true love,
The time has passed, but I wish you well;
But still I hope the time will come
When you and I will be as one.

It's not until the end of the last verse that I realize that I'm the only one who's still singing. I open my eyes and find that everyone else is staring wide-eyed at me. I blush, looking bewildered around at the silent crowd. No one says a word.

I dry away the tear, and I'm mortified when I realize that it wasn't just one. Both my cheeks are wet. Without a word, I push my way through the crowd and leave the dance as quickly as my legs allow me.

xoxoxoxox

Peeta

It starts out as a song that almost everyone sings along to. But Katniss's clear voice stands out from the rest, almost from the very beginning, and one by one, people stop singing to listen to her. She's standing there, looking so beautiful, with her eyes closed and a serene look on her face. Tears are rolling down her cheeks. She seems completely unaware that everyone else has fallen silent, listening to her voice.

She has no idea, the effect that she has. It's like a dream.

When the last tone dies out, the room is deathly silent. Katniss opens her eyes and looks around, her eyes wide, clearly in shock. She quickly dries her cheeks with the back of her hand. Then she runs out the door. Madge runs out after her.

"Well, I'll be damned…" Rye murmurs. "Did you know Everdeen can sing like that?"

"Yes," I confess. But I had forgotten the true effect that her voice has on me.

"Imagine if the text had been 'black hair' instead of blond hair. And in a room full of miners… Wow." He shakes his head.

"What do you mean?"

"Seriously? Did you see her when she sang? And the looks on people's faces when she did? She meant something to them, to every single person in the room, Seam or Town." His voice is only a whisper now. "People would follow her, that's what I'm saying."

"Follow?" I have no idea what he's talking about.

"There are rumors the miners aren't happy. Well, they've been unhappy for decades, I guess, but things are worse than ever now. The shifts are longer, their families are hungrier. More people die in accidents that might not really be all that accidental. There's even talk of a secret resistance, one that goes far beyond 12."

The fiddler has started playing again, somewhat hesitatingly at first. The melody is fast and cheerful, in stark contrast to the song Katniss just sang. Surprisingly quickly, the first couple enters the dance floor, and the party soon returns to normal, as if nothing has happened. As if Katniss's voice didn't fill the room, making everyone listen to her in awe.

"Rye!" I can barely get the words out. "Where did you hear about that?"

"Bristel." He was fucking her last summer.

"You shouldn't talk about it. It's dangerous," I hiss.

"So is working in the mines," he says. He looks across the room to Gale, who's still standing with his group of miner friends. His brow is furrowed. He doesn't look sad, he looks… angry.

I keep a close eye on the door. Madge comes back inside, but Katniss doesn't. Madge stumbles slightly, then disappears into the crowd.

"I'll be right back," I tell Rye.

"Peeta!" I hear his voice behind me, but I don't stop.

It's ice cold outside. It snowed when I walked here earlier tonight, but the sky is clear now. Katniss is standing 10 yards or so away from the door, with her back towards me, looking up at the stars. I can see that she's shivering. Without thinking, I take my jacket off and put it around her bare shoulders.

She turns around, her eyes wide, and she looks confused when she sees it's me. Not that I blame her.

"You're freezing," I explain. "Are you okay?"

She pulls the jacket tighter around her slim body. She really must be freezing, otherwise I don't think she'd accept my jacket just like that. She looks up at me, her eyes dark in the flickering lights from the torches that light up the outside of the building. "What are you doing out here?"

"I saw Madge coming back inside without you, and I was worried. It's cold out here."

She rolls her eyes. "I know. Madge is wasted. I had to send her back inside before she froze to death."

"And you're not drunk?"

"Not as drunk as she is," she says, her voice defensive.

xoxoxoxox

Katniss

Peeta is shivering in just his light blue button-down shirt. His shoulders are broad, broader than I remembered from school. He's all muscle. It must be from lifting all those flour sacks in the bakery. His jacket is warm and smells of fresh bread, something sweet I can't quite identify, and… man.

"Let's go back inside," Peeta says. "You'll get sick."

"I'm not going inside."

"Why not?"

Our eyes meet, and when they do, it's impossible not to think about the bread. I wonder if he even remembers. I suppose he must, though. I saw his face at school the next day. His mother gave him a good beating because of it. That beating, if nothing else, would be reason enough to remember.

"Everyone was looking at me," I say. It's hard to explain, even to myself.

"Well, you have an amazing voice."

I sigh. He clearly doesn't get it. "I'm not going inside," I repeat.

"Come on, Katniss. When I followed you out here, the fiddler had already started playing again, and people were dancing and drinking. Half of them are so drunk they have probably forgotten that you were singing already, and if you give them another two minutes, the rest will forget it, too. They won't look at you."

I'm not really convinced. Before I can come up with an answer, the door opens, and Gale comes out. His eyes darken when he sees that I'm not alone. Peeta turns around, and he frowns when he sees who it is. I don't miss the look that passes between them.

"Mellark."

"Hawthorne."

Gale walks up to me and leans in close. Too close for my liking. From the corner of my eye I can see that Peeta frowns, but Gale completely ignores him. "Catnip, why don't you come inside?" Gale hasn't used his nickname for me since last summer. I don't think it's a coincidence that he does so now, when I'm standing outside in the cold with another man's jacket around my shoulders.

"I just needed some fresh air. I'll be right back."

Gale crosses his arms over his chest. "That was some pretty impressive singing in there."

I shrug. "It was just a song."

"Just a song?" Gale laughs. "Hardly. Why do you think Thom's mother started singing it? Your own father died in those mines, Katniss. You of all people should know that it wasn't 'just a song.'"

I look away. "I don't want to talk about it."

He laughs, but the sound is bitter. "I'm not surprised. You don't ever want to talk about anything, do you?"

I glare at him. "That's enough, Gale." This is neither the time nor the place. I've managed to avoid having this conversation for half a year. I'm definitely not having it here tonight, when Gale is drunk, not to mention in front of someone else.

Gale narrows his eyes. He looks at Peeta. "So now you hang out with Townies, huh?"

I don't really hang out with anyone, certainly not Peeta Mellark. But I don't have to explain myself to Gale. Not when he's behaving like an asshole. Not ever, actually. "It's none of your business who I hang out with. I told you I just needed some fresh air. If you want to talk about this later, when you're not wasted, we can. But right now, I just want you to go back inside."

For a second, I think Gale's going to explode. But instead, he mutters something under his breath and goes back inside. He slams the door behind him in anger. I exhale in relief.

Aside from the faint sounds from the party inside, it's very silent now that we are alone again. Peeta looks down at his feet as he shifts his weight from one to the other. His hands are in his pockets. I don't know why he doesn't say anything. He always used to talk to everyone at school, all the time. Everyone but me, that is.

The silence is long and awkward. Then, from behind the corner, I can hear someone puking. "Well, I guess it can always be worse," he says. I look up at him, confused for a second. Our eyes meet. "I mean, this may be awkward and all, but at least neither of us is puking." His joke is so unexpected, I can't help but smile. Peeta smiles back. Then the poor bastard behind the corner, whoever he or she is, vomits again, louder this time. Peeta rolls his eyes, and I actually giggle. I never giggle. It must be the white liquor.

"Wow," he says.

"What?"

"I managed to make Katniss Everdeen laugh," he explains.

"It was an accident. I didn't mean to."

"Was that a joke?"

I scowl, but it's mainly for show. His eyes are fixed on me. And for some reason, I can't look away from his face, either. Despite his smile, he's shivering, and his lips look bluish. "You should go inside," I tell him.

"I'm not going inside without you."

"Talking Gale into going back inside was pretty easy, but you don't give up, do you? Why are you so stubborn?"

"Wow. That's the pot calling the kettle black if I ever heard it."

I guess he has a point, although I'll never admit it.

"I don't want people to look at me," I repeat in a low voice. I hate being the center of attention. I never should have come here tonight. And I most certainly shouldn't have started singing.

He hesitates. "I have an idea," he finally says. "Follow me."

He walks around the corner, and we find the man we just heard throwing up. He's sitting on his knees in the snow, in front of a nasty, brownish pool. I wrinkle my nose. Peeta, however, pulls him to his feet by the shoulders of his button-down shirt, and sends him on his way around the corner. "Go back inside," he says, and he makes sure that the man has actually gone inside before we continue walking around the house.

"The back door is always open," he explains. "In case there's a fire."

"You've been to parties here before," I say.

"Of course."

I'm about to open the door when he stops me. "Wait. There's something I have to warn you about first, though."

"What is it?"

"There's a small hallway before we get to the main room. And, well, it's often occupied."

I look at him, confused. He sighs. "If there's anyone in there, and there is a very good chance that there is, they may not be… decent."

"Oh."

I quickly consider my options. My only other alternative is using the main entrance, and despite what Peeta said about the party returning to normal, I bet people are still looking for me, waiting for me to return. If we use the back door, there's a good chance we'll be able to slip inside unnoticed. Whoever's behind that door, it will most likely be more embarrassing for them than it will be for me. Hopefully, anyway. "Let's go."

Peeta was right. I hear a man swearing and a woman shrieking when Peeta opens the door, and I instinctively take Peeta's hand. Despite being outside in the cold, it's really warm. His skin is rough and covered in scars. It must be from the ovens in the bakery. I close my eyes and allow him to lead me through the hallway.

I don't open my eyes until the heat and the noise tell me we're in the main room. We're in a dark corner. No one seems to have noticed us at all, and I sigh in relief. I let go of his hand, then take off the jacket and give it back to him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He smiles to me. I smile back, nervously.

I scan the room, looking for Madge. Then I see her.

xoxoxoxox

Peeta

"Well, that certainly didn't take them long," she scoffs.

"What do you mean?"

"Look over there." I follow the direction of her gaze. "In the corner."

I furrow my brow. "Is that…"

"Gale and Madge." She's right. It really didn't take long for Gale to go from calling Katniss 'Catnip' and trying to stake his claim on her, to making out with her friend. Her face is serious. "She's drunk. I have to keep an eye on her so she doesn't end up with him on the slag heap."

"No one goes to the slag heap in the winter," I object.

"You'd know, wouldn't you? Isn't that where you Merchant boys take Seam girls? The ones you can't take home to your mothers?" Her voice is suddenly cold.

"Katniss, I…" She's right, of course. In general. "Not all Town boys do that," I say lamely.

Katniss snorts. "Well, most of them do. Not that Seam boys are any better." She nods over to Gale and Madge again.

"Sorry you had to see that," I murmur. "I mean, your friend and your…" My voice trails off. What is he to her, exactly? They can't be together now, not when Gale and Madge are currently making out. "…ex?" I finish lamely.

She glares at me, and I instantly regret saying it. "Gale is not my ex."

"Really?" Even I can hear that my voice sounds hopeful. Clearly, Katniss does, too.

xoxoxoxox

Katniss

I narrow my eyes. "Really," I confirm. Peeta exhales deeply. He looks… relieved?

I'm confused. But in the back of my head, something is nagging at me. Something Madge said. About how Peeta looks at me. I thought she was just thinking about tonight. But what if she wasn't?

I suddenly wish that I had Madge's bottle. But the alcohol I have already had is making my head spin, just a little. It's making blood pool in my lower belly, too. Or maybe it's those blue eyes. I mentally scold myself. Why is Peeta Mellark having this effect on me? It must be the white liquor. I'm never drinking again.

"Oh." He clears his throat. "Well, it's none of my business."

"No, it's not."

"Sorry to bring it up."

I shrug. I should just end this conversation. I'm not even sure what exactly we are talking about, but it's… weird. But there's no one else to talk to. I don't really have any friends here except Gale and Madge, and they are, well… otherwise occupied. Standing alone in a corner at a party, now that's awkward. What I should do, of course, is go home. But I don't want to leave Madge in this state. And who knows where my winter coat is in that big pile of dark coats. And…

Excuses, excuses.

Peeta doesn't say anything. He doesn't look at me, either. He's looking at the people dancing, with a look on his face I can't quite interpret. I lean my back against the wall. I can't help but stare at his eyelashes. They are almost ridiculously long for a boy. It's a miracle they don't tangle.

"You have really long eyelashes."

Shit. I didn't mean to say it out loud.

He turns his head to look at me. "Um… I do?" He chuckles, shaking his head in disbelief. "This is the weirdest conversation I've ever had. I never thought that when I finally got to…" His voice trails off.

"When you finally got to…?"

"Talk to you. That we'd be talking about Gale and Madge. And my eyelashes."

I blink. "I'm not very good at talking." I pause, furrowing my brow. "What did you mean by that?"

"By what?"

"When you finally got to talk to me?"

He blushes. "It's just that I… I've wanted to talk to you. For a long time. And I could never work up the courage to."

"Why?"

"You're pretty intimidating, you know." He sounds defensive.

"But why would you want to talk to me?"

"I, uh…" He swallows deeply. "I like you. A lot. I have for a while."

This is almost like that talk in the woods with Gale. Except now, I don't quite know what I'm feeling. But it's not dread like it was with Gale. It's not panic, either.

"Katniss? Please say something."

"What?"

"You've just been staring at me for at least a minute without saying anything."

"Oh. I didn't know. I mean, I didn't know that I was. Or that you were looking at me."

"Well, now you know." His voice is low. His eyes don't leave mine. But he doesn't do what Gale did. He doesn't just dump this huge thing on me, and then kiss me before I have the chance to react.

It's like we've drifted together. We weren't standing this close to each other when we started talking, were we? Then I realize it's me. My body has somehow swayed closer to his. I lick my lips. He notices.

"Yes. Now I know."

I don't quite know how it happens, but I lean forward, just a little bit, and he does too, or at least I think he does, and then our lips meet. It's sort of an accident.

It's just a short, soft kiss. Not that I have much to compare it to. It doesn't last long. But this time, I don't feel like running.

My eyes must have fluttered shut during the kiss without my noticing. When I open them, he's staring back at me. His face is flushed, his pupils so fat that his eyes look almost black. I quickly look around. There are people everywhere, but no one seems to notice us. I nervously tuck my hair behind my ears. It's gotten unruly from the snow and the humidity.

His mouth is open, and I can't help but stare at his lips. Those lips were touching mine, just a moment ago. I never considered kissing anyone before, not really. I just figured it wouldn't happen to me. I have more serious things to worry about, such as survival. But now, I feel something inside me, a new sensation that grows warmer and spreads from my chest, down through my body.

One of us should say something. And it doesn't look like he's going to. "Um…" Great. Well, that was real smooth, Katniss. Now what? I look around, intensely aware that his eyes don't leave me for a second. The drunken party is the same as ever. But on the other side of the room, Madge and Gale seem to have parted. Madge is leaning against the wall. She must be pissed. She's swaying.

"I think I should take Madge home," I say. "That's going to end in disaster."

I'm making my escape. I need to go home and figure out what all of this means.

"Yes," he agrees.

xoxoxoxox

Peeta

The words just slip out. "Can I take you home?" She freezes, and I quickly try to explain. "I'm going in the same direction, anyway. Madge only lives a few houses down from the bakery."

"Um… sure."

"Why don't you go get her, and I'll start digging through the pile over there to find our coats."

Finding Madge's coat is easy, since it's one of the very few ones with a fur lining. Besides, it's right on top of Katniss's coat, and I know exactly what that one looks like. My own gray coat is at the bottom of the pile, because I was one of the first to arrive.

I walk over to Katniss and Madge. She widens her eyes in surprise when she sees that I've retrieved their coats. "How did you find them?"

"I saw you when you came in, and I noticed what you were wearing. That's all."

Madge giggles drunkenly. "I told ya, Katnissssss," she slurs. "Peeta's lookin.'"

Katniss looks uncomfortable, and I quickly hold out the coat for Madge, before she has the chance to say anything else. "Here, put this on."

It's not really a long walk to Town. Maybe ten minutes. But it takes at least 20 now, with Madge in tow. We have to stop once so she can throw up. I feel sorry for her, I really do. But I'm not sorry that the slow pace means I get to spend more time with Katniss. We don't talk much, and taking Madge home is far from romantic. But I don't care.

She kissed me. She kissed me. Katniss Everdeen actually leaned forward, she definitely did, and she kissed me. I know she's drunk, but she's not that drunk. Or is she? Is she going to regret this in the morning? Does she already regret it? Is that why she's so quiet?

We finally make it to the mayor's house. There is a light on, and I know that the mayor is up, waiting for his daughter to come home. Katniss knocks on the door, she doesn't ring the bell. "I don't want to disturb her mother," she mutters under her breath, just before the door opens.

"Mr. Undersee," she says.

"Katniss." His eyes drift over to me, and he can't hide the look of surprise on his face. "Peeta."

"Mr. Undersee." I nod to him.

"Hello, Daddy," Madge says. I can tell she's trying really hard to pretend as if she's not drunk. She's failing miserably. Katniss is actually supporting her at this point to keep her standing upright.

"You're home early," he says to his daughter.

"'Twas a boring party. Really, really boring party. Right, Katniss?" Madge slurs as she looks pointedly over at her friend.

Katniss meets my eyes for a split second. We both know that Madge seemed to be having a good time at the party. And as for myself… the party was definitely not boring. Katniss looks back at Mr. Undersee and smiles politely. "Yes, it was a boring party. And I think Madge needs to drink some water and get some sleep."

I've come home in this state a couple of times, too. Both times it earned me a good beating from my mother. I don't think Mr. Undersee will hit his daughter, though. He looks at her sadly. "Thank you for getting her home safely, Katniss," he says. "You're a good friend."

Katniss's mouth opens and closes a few times. "Thank you," she finally says.

"Will you walk Katniss home, Peeta? Make sure she gets home safely, too? It's not safe for a young woman to walk around alone at night."

I love you, Mr. Undersee. I really do.

"I'll be fine, Mr. Undersee," Katniss says stiffly.

"Please, Katniss," Mr. Undersee says.

She sighs. "Okay. Goodnight, Mr. Undersee."

"Goodnight, Katniss. Peeta."

Mr. Undersee closes the door and locks it behind him, leaving the two of us standing outside in the dark, alone. "I'll be fine," she says. "You don't have to follow me home."

"Mr. Undersee is right, you know. It can be dangerous. There are lots of drunk men around tonight."

She snorts. "Let them try. I know how to kick them where it hurts the most."

"Well, that's good to know. I'm still taking you home, though."

She follows me, reluctantly. We walk side by side, close, but not touching. The sky is clear above us. As usual, there is no electricity tonight, so the street lights are dark. The only light is from the moon, which is nearly full, and the stars. We are the first to walk on this road since the snowfall earlier tonight. The snow is creaking under our boots.

What can I say or do to make her want to see me again? Now that this night is over, I don't know what is going to happen. She could easily go back to ignoring me again. But she kissed me? What did she mean by that?

Neither of us says a single word as we walk to the Seam. It seems even darker here than in Town. The streets are narrower, the houses covered in coal dust. She stops outside a small house, which looks exactly the same as all other houses in the Seam.

"This is where I live," she says, her voice low.

I can see a faint light through the window. An oil lamp. Is her mother sitting up, waiting for her daughter?

"Katniss, I…" There is so much I want to say. But something about Katniss makes it impossible to find the right words. She's always had this effect on me. She shifts uncomfortably, sending stolen glances in my direction before her eyes flicker away again. I take a deep breath. It's now or never. "I had a really good time tonight."

She looks up at me. Her eyes are black in the moonlight. She doesn't say anything.

I wait for her to answer, but all she does is stare at me with her lips slightly parted. "I just have to say this," I finally blurt out. "Because this might be my only chance. Tomorrow, you might decide that it was all a mistake, and never talk to me again." She furrows her brow. "Will you go out with me? I mean, uh, we could do something together. Meet somewhere."

"Where?" she asks, her voice neutral.

That's not a no. But shit! There's nowhere to go. Not in this dump of a district, not in winter. "I don't know," I answer lamely. Where do guys meet girls they are interested in? I have no idea. I can't take Katniss home. My mother would have a fit. That's the last thing I want. "We could take a walk, maybe?"

"Maybe." Her voice is only a whisper.

"Are you going to just ignore me tomorrow?" I ask desperately.

"Maybe." But there is a twinkle in her eyes as she says it, and then she smiles. She smiles.

My face breaks into a huge grin. I probably grin like a fool. But I can't help it.

"I have to go inside. My mother is probably waiting up for me."

"Okay." I'm still grinning. "Can I come by your house tomorrow afternoon? After I get off work at the bakery. Will you allow it?"

She looks down. It's hard to tell in the moonlight, but I think she's blushing. "Yes. I'll allow it."

I lean forward, quickly, before I lose my nerve, and kiss her cheek. Her cheek is cold and so soft. She exhales softly, and for a second, I can feel her breath against my own cheek. She smells faintly of flowers and soap.

"Goodnight, Katniss."

"Goodnight, Peeta."

I walk home, but I don't feel the cold of the longest night of the year at all.

xoxoxoxox

Katniss

I close the door behind me silently. Prim is asleep, and I don't want to wake her. I'm surprised to see my mother sitting in the rocking chair by the fireplace, though. Knitting in the light from the oil lamp.

She looks up and smiles. "Katniss. You're home already?" Already? I look up at the clock on the wall. It's nearly 1 AM. I've never been out this late in my entire life. "Did you have a good time?"

I consider her question. I think about all the drunk people. Gale's jealousy. The singing. Madge getting sick. People looking at me. "Yes."

"Was that Gale who followed you home? It sounded like a man's voice."

I look down. "No, it was Peeta."

She furrows her brow. "Peeta?"

"Peeta Mellark? The baker's youngest son?"

For a second, she can't hide her surprise. Then she smiles. "Oh. That's unexpected."

"Yeah." It was unexpected for me, too. How did we get from relative silence to kissing in a dark corner? To Peeta following me home? Not to mention me agreeing that he can come here tomorrow afternoon.

"I used to know his father. He's a good man."

I shift uneasily. I don't really want to have this conversation. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

"Goodnight, Katniss."

"Goodnight, mother."

My mother gets up from her chair. Pretending as if it were a mere coincidence that she was sitting up to 1 AM, and that she was planning to go to bed now anyway. Pretending that she wasn't waiting up for me. I guess a lot of parents do that, at least that's the impression I got back in school. But I never expected my mother to suddenly act like all other parents.

Even though it was awkward, my mother hearing Peeta and all, I still sort of appreciate it. I think.

I quickly take off my dress and stockings, and put on my nightdress.

It's confusing, I can't quite make sense of it all. Maybe I did get drunker on that vile liquor than I'd thought? Perhaps that explains why I just kept talking to Peeta? Maybe it would even explain the kiss. But even if I did feel the effect of the white liquor at the party, my head cleared on the walk home. I don't feel drunk at all now. And still, I agreed to meet him again. When he smiled, just before he left, I think my heart actually beat faster.

What does it all mean?

In our bed, Prim is snoring slightly. I slip under the covers, shivering. Thankfully, the bed is nice and warm. My sister shifts closer to me, she must feel that I'm here even though she's asleep.

I close my eyes. But I still see his face behind my eyelids.

xoxoxoxox

I'm a small town girl. Let's just say I can definitely relate to this kind of party.

Thank you to Lbug84 for betaing and Chelzie for prereading!

Oh, and even though I had intended for this to be a one-shot, after finishing it, I started wondering… What would happen the next day? So needless to say, there's going to be a part two. And a part three. If you subscribe, you'll be alerted when it's up.

The song Katniss sings is a folk song from the southern Appalachians called "Black is the colour". It's from the book English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians by Maud Karpeles (ed.), which was first published in 1917. The songs were collected by Olive Dame Campbell and Cecil J. Sharp, and this particular song was sung by Mrs. Lizzie Roberts at Hot Springs, NC in 1915. I took some liberties with the lyrics. The text originally said "But black is the color of my true love's hair", but I changed it to "blond". Because, you know. Peeta. There are six verses, but I only used four of them. I got the lyrics from this site: www . traditionalmusic . co . uk / english-folk-songs / southern-appalachians%20- %200355 . htm and you can read the full version of the song there.

Happy holidays!