AN: So...the site replaced the cover picture with my author picture for some reason. This highly perplexing development that had me laughing nervously.

Warning: a case of unsavoury language in this chapter


Two turtle doves

It had been a while since Katniss had woken up so warm and satiated. Those fine pears had sold well enough at the black market that they were stocked in essentials for the next few days. And that evening, the Everdeens and Hawthornes had feasted together on roasted rabbit, that bird thing and a pear sauce that her mother had experimentally made.

There were even some pears left over for this morning, although Katniss was becoming slightly sick at the sight of them, and she had referred to them so often in her mind that "pear" had ceased being a legitimate word.

'That was a wonderful surprise yesterday,' Katniss's mother sighed, 'after the horrible surprise of having your kitchen wrecked by an odd-looking bird, of course.'

'Yeah,' was Katniss's comment as she started her perplexing breakfast of poached pear on tough, grainy bread.

Katniss's mother eyed her eldest daughter. This was an unusually perky response from her so early in the morning. Had the whole pear tree event put her in that much of a good mood?

'Aren't you curious though?' Prim asked.

'About what?'

'About who sent you these.'

'Why would I be?'

'Because they're claiming to be your true love.'

Katniss blinked. 'It's just a joke, isn't it? They probably just dropped the tree off to inconvenience us, which backfired since we just ate it.'

Prim gaped, appalled by the sister she had once viewed with nothing but respect. 'Are you being serious? Why would anyone do that? Who decides the best way to annoy someone is leaving a fruit tree on their doorstep?'

'Well, what's your explanation?'

'They're being serious?'

'Serious about what?' Katniss was getting impatient. How could she eat her questionable breakfast when Prim expected her to reply to her fanciful whims?

'Being your true love. They're trying to woo you with gifts!' Prim chirruped excitedly.

'"Woo" me?' Katniss asked flatly. 'You're watching too many Capitol dating shows, Prim.'

'They're the only thing on! But now they're helping us out because we can decipher what's going on here. Someone's done a Capitol and given you extravagant gifts.'

They looked to the pear tree that had been thrust into the corner of the room. With most of the pears wrested from its branches, it looked anything but extravagant. More bedraggled.

'I still think it's a joke,' Katniss declared. 'People don't woo me, they avoid me in corridors. What makes you think that anyone would like me enough to send me anything?'

'Because you're really pretty,' Prim said, beaming.

Katniss felt her mood deflating with every new ludicrous piece of information Prim imparted.

'…Gale thinks you're pretty.'

Wolfing down the rest of her pear, Katniss bolted from the room. 'School in ten.'

Prim squeaked and finally began to eat her own breakfast.

'That girl,' their mother sighed. 'One day the man of her dreams will give her his heart, and she'll probably mistake it for a declaration of war.'

'That Cato guy is walking towards us,' Prim hissed as they hurried to school.

'Just keep moving.'

'He's looking at you.'

'Move faster.'

'Katniss!'

'He's calling you!'

'I can hear, Prim.'

'How does he know your name?'

'Seems we're about to find out.'

'You're about to find out. I'm going to school on time for once.'

'You're leaving me with him?'

'I don't like him. He scares me.'

'What about me, your own sister? Won't you even stay for moral support?'

'Bye Katniss!'

Prim ran off, quick as the aggravating squirrels that managed to avoid Katniss's arrows. Cato was pretty quick as well, and he caught up in the split second Katniss had paused for as she glanced mournfully after her sister.

'Hey,' Cato said, grinning.

Katniss had to crane her neck to look up at him. He had on his usual leer, the one that said just how well-received he had been by the other District Twelve girls. She supposed he was attractive, in an aggressive way that warded her off instead of drawing her in. What she didn't know is that many would say the same thing about her.

'Where's your rainbow posse?' she asked.

'Off to District Eleven and warmer climates.'

'How come you're not going with them?'

'That eager to see the back of me, are you?' Was she really that transparent? 'The guides stay put in their districts, swot up on the facts, know the place inside out, and then the Capitol people cycle through. My job's pretty easy compared to the others, considering this is the smallest, crappiest district, no offence.'

'None taken,' Katniss shrugged. She wasn't particularly attached to the place herself, but her people did the best with it that they could. 'How long are you staying here for?'

'Why do all of your questions have something to do with me leaving?'

'Nothing personal, I'm just genuinely curious about how long we're going to get Capitol peacocks strutting through our streets and taking pictures of every mundane thing we do like it's some lost, clannish ritual.

Cato smirked his amusement. 'You don't have long to go. This tour wraps up at the end of the winter season. I've only got a couple more months of rotting in this flea-bitten hellhole. Again, no offence.'

'There's a limit,' Katniss ground out. 'How long does each Capitol party stay here?'

'Three days. My next bunch are getting in for this afternoon. If you ask me, it's too long. There's not much to do here. I'm starting to get bored.'

'Was that the same sob story you told those other girls?'

'Oh, so you heard about that?' Cato asked, trying for a debonair grin. 'Yeah, I guess, but I'm sensing that it's not working so well on you. That's all right. I'm done with those vanilla girls. I like my women with a bit more fire.'

This was an excellent cue to leave.

'Well, good luck with that,' Katniss murmured, barely holding onto her poached pear breakfast. 'I've got school, so…'

'Yeah,' Cato straightened, which Katniss was grateful for, as he had been leaning so far over her that he'd threatened to topple and crush her. 'You go. Talk to you later, fire girl. I get off at eight. Come find me if you feel like escaping from this sad little shit pit for a while, no offence.'

'Sure,' she muttered flippantly as she walked away.

Katniss knew she would pass before he'd even proposed the idea. The only thing she wanted to "find" this evening was something to shoot for dinner.

Between Prim's speculations, Cato's advances and the persistently awful weather in the forest, Katniss's bright mood was all but forgotten. She was prepared to sink onto her bed, winter coat, hunting gear and all, when Prim intercepted her on the stairs.

'Do you think there could be another gift today?'

Katniss barely stopped herself from scowling at her, which was better than most people could expect. 'Why would there be another gift, if that was even meant as a gift yesterday.'

'Of course it was meant as a gift! That's how wooing goes. You get a gift, then you get another slightly better one, then another even better one–'

'It's winter, and food, resources, everything is running low. Do you think anyone could actually afford to do that?'

'Well,' the first signs of doubt crept across Prim's face, 'maybe not.'

'We'll just stay put, be thankful for the tree and the strange bird thing, and carry on with our lives.'

The door knocked.

And Prim squealed. 'Hurry, go see who it is!'

'No, I think I'll just stay here and drip snow on the carpet,' Katniss grumbled, even as she walked to the door.

'Look presentable, dear,' Katniss's mother said from her leaning position against the kitchen door. 'At least take the bow and arrow off before you answer the door.'

'Because I need to look so presentable for a potted plant,' Katniss griped.

But this time, it wasn't a potted plant; Peeta Mellark was standing on her front step. Peeta Mellark. Her… the boy with the bread. There was a box in his hands, bearing a label with "to my true love" carefully penned. So it was Peeta who had given her that pear tree, who had restored her hope for the future once again. Why was he always helping her? They had never spoken, and yet Katniss owed him her life, her family's life. And what would possess him to declare himself as her true love? The brashness of the move surely suited the behaviour of some meathead like Cato more. Though – Katniss took Peeta in – she supposed Peeta would be preferable. He was fairly tall, not in the overwhelming way that Cato was, his smile was open and warming, and even through his coat, Katniss could tell he was just as well-built as the giant from District Two. Katniss cleared her throat and shook her head, suddenly becoming aware of her mother and Prim whispering frantically on the other side of the door.

Wordlessly, she stepped through and shut them inside.

Peeta's smile had a rictal quality to it now, seemingly frozen on his face within the time Katniss had been staring contemplatively at him.

'Hi,' he said, a cloud of steam engulfing his face.

'You're my true love?' Katniss blurted out before she could stop herself. She slowly lifted her bow, assuming a combative stance.

Peeta's cheeks were already pink, but he somehow managed to flush redder. 'What? No, no! Sorry, about the mix up. I'm not the one sending you these, well I am – I mean, I drop them off at the door, but they're not from me. I'm just the delivery boy.'

Katniss thought she remembered Peeta being far more articulate than that. She lowered her bow, and the house light gleaming along its polished wood drew his eyes to the movement.

'Were you going to shoot me? Don't shoot the messenger!'

'Delivery boy, messenger, what are you talking about? What's a delivery boy?'

'It's an ancient tradition. Like pre-Panem ancient. People would send a loved one gifts, and delivery boys would, well, deliver them, like this.'

'So you're not my true love?' Katniss said.

'No… Sorry?'

Katniss needed to go away and ponder whether or not the apology was warranted. 'That's fine. So, who is it then?'

'The identity of my employer is classified until the giving of gifts is over.'

'But why?'

'I suppose my employer wants a grand unveiling once you are suitably wooed.'

'Damn wooing,' Katniss mumbled. 'Could you at least tell me if he…or she…lives in District Twelve.'

'Sorry, I can't. As much as I want to help you, Katniss, I don't want to jeopardise my job. I kind of like it, you know. I get a cap and everything.'

'Lucky for some.' Katniss supposed that it was a pretty nice cap, sky blue with a silver badge. Katniss voiced these thoughts.

'Yeah, my employer reckons it brings out my eyes,' he said cheerfully.

Again, Peeta was right, though his irises were such a brilliant cerulean that they could manage with a little less bringing out. Katniss didn't want to be blinded just yet.

'Here,' he thrust the box in her arms, 'and I'm going to need you to sign this.' He extracted a folded sheet of paper from his coat pocket and flattened it on the box. 'You were meant to sign it yesterday as well, but I forgot.'

'What is it for?'

'It's to confirm that you got the packages all right.'

'Can't your employer just take your word for it?'

'Do you want me to lose my job?'

Sighing, Katniss took the pen that and signed by today's date and yesterday's.

'Thank you, Miss Everdeen. It was a pleasure delivering to you.'

'Yeah.'

Peeta set about wading a path back into the street. 'See you at school, I guess. And Merry Christmas.'

'What's Christmas?'

'No idea.'

It took him quite a while to stride out of sight, but Katniss watched him do it all the same. Then she opened the box. Inside were two turtle doves, cooing sweetly up at her. Smiling softly and opening the front door, she wondered how best to cook them.


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