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On Christmas morning, neither Prim nor I wake up early like we usually do. We are both too exhausted from staying out late the night before. Haymitch, of course, wakes up with the sun like he always has and makes us all homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Having homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Christmas morning is a tradition that my parents started when I was a toddler and Haymitch was more than happy to continue that tradition when he came to live with us after our parents died.

It's actually the smell of the cinnamon rolls baking that wakes me up, I think. When I realize that it's after ten o'clock, I head to the bathroom to brush my teeth and then go to Prims room to see if she is awake. I can see that she isn't, so I wake her up and wish her Merry Christmas. Once Prim has gotten up and used the bathroom, we follow the scent of the cinnamon rolls to the kitchen and wish Haymitch a Merry Christmas.

As we eat our delicious breakfast, Prim and I both tell Haymitch about last night's party. Prim starts talking so fast that I can barely keep up and before I know it, she has told Haymitch about me making a new friend at the party. After that I have no choice but to tell Haymitch about my new friend Peeta, not that I would have kept Peeta a secret anyways. Haymitch pretty much knows everything that goes on in our lives because we are very open with him.

After breakfast, we all gather around the tree to open our gifts. Then we spend the rest of the day together having some peaceful family time. We play board games for a while and then watch 'The Santa Clause' followed by 'A Christmas Story' together. As far back as I can remember it has always been a tradition in my family to watch those two movies together on Christmas.

In between the two movies, we take a quick break. Haymitch makes us all hot chocolate and Prim pops some popcorn for us to snack on. I stoke the fire in the fireplace and then sit back down in front of the fire and wait for Haymitch and Prim to return from the kitchen. While I am waiting, I feel my cell phone start to vibrate in my pocket. I pull it out and see that the call is from Peeta.

"Hello!"

"Merry Christmas Katniss!"

"Merry Christmas Peeta! Thank you for calling! That is very thoughtful of you!"

"I told you last night that I would. I wanted to be able to tell you myself on Christmas. Are you having a good Christmas so far?"

"Yeah I am! It's pretty quiet here, as it's just me, Prim and Haymitch. We are just doing some family things together like playing board games and watching a few Christmas movies. How about you? Are you having a good Christmas?"

"Yeah, it's been a pretty good day so far. Ever since my parents got divorced, we've been getting together at my older brother Caleb's house. He is married and they have two identical two-year-old girls. Rye is also married and they have a little boy who was just born this past summer. Everyone just finished eating dinner and my family and I are all just relaxing and hanging out in their den. The kids are all swimming in new presents."

"Awwh! I'm sure you are great with kids." I tell him. It's not hard for me to imagine Peeta with children. There's no doubt in my mind that one day he will be an amazing father.

"I'm really glad to hear that you are having a good Christmas! Well, I won't keep you, I just wanted to tell you Merry Christmas and see how your day was going."

"Thank you for calling, Peeta. I'm really glad you did. Umm… are we still on for tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I hope so! I think it will be a lot of fun to spend the afternoon together at Central Panem Park. What do you think would be a good time for me to pick you up?"

"Maybe around eleven o'clock. Does that work for you?"

"That sounds perfect. I'll be at your house at eleven then. You still live on Hemlock right?"

"Um, yeah…how did you know what street I live on?"

"Finnick told me once years ago and I didn't forget."

I can almost hear him smiling to himself. Peeta really did pay attention to me. I am still amazed by this.

"Oh ok. Yeah its 44 Hemlock."

"Well Katniss I guess I will see you tomorrow morning at eleven then. Have a good evening!"

"You too Peeta! Thanks again for calling! I'll see you tomorrow!"

"You're going to see who tomorrow?" Haymitch asks carrying a try with three large steaming mugs of hot chocolate on it.

"She's going to spend the afternoon at Central Panem Park with Peeta tomorrow!" Prim explains to Haymitch before I get the chance to reply.

"Ohhhh! That's exciting!" Haymitch smiles at me.

"It's not a date or anything like that. We are just friends. We are just going to get to know each other and go ice skating and stuff. It's not a huge deal." I tell him in an attempt to clarify that this is nothing more than two friends hanging out.

By the look Prim gives me, I can tell she thinks there might be more to it. She doesn't say anything, but I notice that she is giggling to herself as she looks back at Haymitch who has a smile on his face.

"Prim, I'm allowed to have guys who are friends, okay? Now if you two are done picking on me, I'm ready to watch 'A Christmas Story.'" I tell both of them with mock exasperation.

Haymitch hands out the mugs of hot chocolate and bowls of popcorn and we all watch the movie before we head off to bed.

The next morning I wake up pretty early. As much as I might not want to admit it to anyone, especially Prim and Haymitch, I am pretty excited about spending this afternoon with Peeta. I haven't really spent time alone with a guy my own age since high school, and even though we are just friends, I have to admit that I am interested in getting to know Peeta better.

Haymitch and Prim are both in the kitchen eating leftover cinnamon rolls when I get up. Since I am going to be spending the day with Peeta, Haymitch and Prim have decided that they are going to go out and do some after Christmas sale shopping and go see a movie.

After I take my shower, I get dressed in layers. I put my long underwear on first and then I get dressed in some of the warmest clothes I own as we are going to be outside in the cold all day long. By the time I have blow-dried my hair and applied a small about of makeup, I hear a knock at the door.

Prim and Haymitch left for the mall about an hour earlier, so I go answer the door.

"Hey!"

"Hey Katniss! I know I'm early. I can just wait here until you are ready." Peeta smiles, as he stands outside the door bundled up from head to toe.

"No, you don't have to wait outside, would you like to come in for a few minutes while I finish getting ready?" I offer.

"Yeah, sure." He replies.

I hold the door open so that Peeta can step into the living room. Once he is inside, he pulls me into a friendly hug.

"Wow! You have a nice house!" Peeta tells me as he looks around the living room.

"Thanks, but I can't take credit for it. This is the house my parents bought years ago and this is where Prim and I grew up. This is the only home we have ever known. They left it to us." I explain. "You can just make yourself comfortable for a few minutes and I will go finish getting ready. It won't take me too long."

I hurry back to my bedroom where I finish getting ready by putting on my warmest coat, a hat, a scarf, gloves and boots. Once we are both ready, we head out the door. Peeta's black Mitsubishi Endeavour is parked at the end of the driveway. He leads me to the passenger door and opens it for me to get in before he goes around to the driver's side.

Central Panem Park is on the other side of the city so it is about a twenty minute drive from my house to the Park. During the drive we both talk more about the party at Johanna and Gale's place on Christmas Eve and what we did on Christmas.

When we arrive at the park, Peeta parks his car in the parking lot that is closest to the ice skating rink. The park is actually pretty large compared to a normal city park. It has an ice skating rink, a large playground, a concession stand, three pavilions, a baseball diamond, a soccer field, a sand volleyball court and multiple picnic tables and park benches. There is also a long bike and walking trail that snakes through the park which makes getting to the different parts of the park pretty simple.

We decide to go ice skating first, and since neither of us own ice skates Peeta rents us both a pair. As we sit down on a bench to put on our skates Peeta asks, "So are you pretty good at ice skating?"

"Umm, I used to come here a couple of times a year with my dad while I was growing up so I know the basics, but I'm not a pro or anything close to one. In fact, since it's been almost two years since I've done this, I'm probably going to be a little rusty. How about you? Are you good at ice skating?"

"Not really. I mean, I can pretty much stay upright and glide around the circle but that's about it. I never even learned how to ice skate until I was in high school, and since then I've only been a few times. I do think it's a lot of fun though, and I'd like to go more often. Maybe with more practice I will get better." Peeta tells me as he stands up and holds out a hand to help me stand up.

"Well, practice makes perfect." I assure him.

"I don't know about perfect, but I'll sure try my best." Peeta gives me a hesitant look and then smiles.

"That's all I ask." I say smiling back at him.

As we both step out onto the ice, I can tell that Peeta is indeed a little unsure on his feet so we stay close to the outer wall of the rink with Peeta close to the wall and me on his left. It's surprising pretty easy for me, even though it's been a while. My feet seem to remember what to do as I step and glide next to Peeta, not going any faster than he is willing to go.

"Just take small steps and push forward and try to glide, one foot at a time." I tell him trying to give him some tips.

"That's easier said than done. How do you make it look so easy?" He replies.

"I don't know, I guess it's because I've been ice skating since I was a little girl. But believe me, when I first started to learn I fell down a lot! I know it doesn't seem like it, but maybe if we move out a few feet it will be easier. The ice doesn't seem as smooth here so close to the edge."

Peeta turns his head and gives me a look of desperation. "I have no idea, but if you think it might help I'm willing to try anything you suggest."

As we start to glide out a few feet away from the wall, I can tell Peeta is tensing up so I do the only thing I can think of that might help him feel more secure. I reach out and entwine my fingers with his. He grips my hand in response immediately.

"Thanks for that! You didn't have to do that you know, but thanks! It really is helping having you here by my side." Peeta admits as I feel him tighten his grip on my hand.

"You're welcome. I could tell you were getting tense, so I figured it might help if you had someone to hold on to." I reply.

We continue to go around the rink as Peeta starts to get the hang of the step-and-glide movement of ice skating. After a while he even seems like he is starting to gain some of his own confidence. He never lets go of my hand though, and oddly I'm okay with that. Since it's really cold out, it definitely helps having his warm gloved had entwined with my own, but I have to admit that it's comforting having a new friend at my side that really seems to care about me.

Even though it hasn't even been a full forty-eight hours since we started getting to know one another, it already feels like I've known him for a while. He has definitely been paying attention to me for a lot longer than I realized. And now that I am aware of this, I really want to get to know him better as well. I decide that now is as good a time as any to get started.

"So Peeta, what made you want to join the Air Force?" I ask him.

"That's a loaded question, how much time do we have?" He laughs.

"Hmm, well it's still pretty early in the day and this circular ice rink doesn't exactly have an end so…."

"Well then….Okay, I guess there are multiple reasons. I think the most obvious reason would probably be that I want to serve my country and stand up and protect our freedoms. Then I guess there are my more complicated and personal reasons. I really like that the military will help to pay for my college education when I am ready to start college, so that is definitely one advantage."

"Well that's awesome! College is definitely not cheap. I can attest to that. If it wasn't for the scholarships I received, I don't think there would have been any way that I could have afforded it. I even stayed living at home to save some money."

"Yeah, it's great that you live close to the college, it's almost like you live on campus you're so close."

"I like living at home with my family, though. I know most kids can't wait to get out of the house and go off to college, but I really have never felt that way. We have always been a close-knit family. I was always close with both of my parents growing up, and after the accident there was no way I could leave Prim. And Prim and I have even grown really close with Haymitch. He's basically a second father to us."

"I really admire the relationships that you have with everyone in your family. While I was growing up, my older brothers were always picking on me because I was the baby. And we were just not that close. Even now that we are adults, we still are not close like you are with Prim. My dad and I get along pretty well. But sadly, he's the only family member I was ever close with. My mom, well…she just isn't…..I don't know. It's kind of hard to explain." Peeta digs his toe pick in to stop moving and drops his gaze to his feet.

I can tell he has hit a sensitive subject. He seems to be at a loss for words.

"Do you want to call it a day as far as ice skating goes? I'm getting pretty tired. We've been out here for almost two hours already." I suggest in an attempt to change the subject for a little while.

"Yeah maybe, my feet are starting to feel like lead anyways. I'm still not used to skating. I'm surprised I've lasted out here as long as I have without even falling once."

With my hand still holding on tightly to Peeta's, I lead him around the rink towards the exit. Once we are off the ice, we sit down, remove our skates and return them to the rental counter.

"Do you like hot chocolate, Katniss?" Peeta asks as we exit the ice skating rink and start walking down the trail.

"Are you crazy? I love hot chocolate! I pretty much drink it every day during the winter. My dad used to make it for us every night before bed when it was cold outside."

"I love it too. My dad used to make it for me and my brothers as well. Not every day, but sometimes when we were helping him in the bakery he would let us all take a break and make it for us to dip our bread and rolls into. That's my favorite way to drink it."

"Hmm…I have never dipped bread into it before, I usually just put marshmallows in it, but that does sound really good. I'll have to try it like that sometime."

When we get to the park concession stand, Peeta buys us both a large cup of hot chocolate and a cinnamon sugar soft pretzel. We take our snacks and find a park bench to sit and eat at. After Peeta takes the first bite of his pretzel, he turns to me. "These are not as delicious as the ones that I make at the bakery, but they will have to do for now. You'll have to come by the bakery one day and I will make you some of our pretzels. Believe me, you'll love them!"

"You're that good of a baker, huh?" I can't help but grin. "I'll definitely need to try your pretzels then."

After I finish eating my pretzel, I wrap both of my gloved hands around my cup. Even though the sun is shining, it's deceiving because it is still freezing outside. The thermometer at the skating rink is only reading thirty degrees Fahrenheit.

I can see that Peeta is watching me out of the corner of my eye. He can probably tell that I am freezing, and I'm sure that he is as well. "Do you want to take a walk down the trail? We will probably be a little warmer if we are moving."

"Yeah, I think that's probably a good idea. I'm freezing just sitting here." I reply.

Peeta and I walk down the trail side by side for a few awkward minutes not saying much before Peeta initiates the conversation again.

"Well Katniss, since we are friends now, I think that we should learn some basic things about each other."

"Like what?" I ask a little nervously. The 'friend' thing is what I was never really good at in school, which is why I never really had many friends. I try to shove this fear aside though, because I'm finding it's pretty easy to talk to Peeta, and I do want to continue to get to know him better.

"Like…what's your favorite color?"

"Green. What's yours?"

"Orange, but not bright orange, more muted, like the color of sunset. Okay, when is your birthday?"

"Mine is May 8th. When is yours?"

"August 9th. Alright, what's your favorite food?"

"That would definitely have to be pizza! I love pizza!"

"I'll have to remember that. Mine is probably my homemade apple pie."

"Mmm…you're making me hungry! That sounds like an awesome dinner, pizza followed by apple pie!" My mouth starts to water at the thought of it.

"Well, what are you doing for New Year's Eve?" Peeta asks me.

"I, umm…don't have any plans as of right now, why?"

"I was thinking, that maybe you would be interested in ringing in the New Year together. I mean we don't have to go anywhere special or anything. Either you could come over to my place, or I could come to yours. Then we could make some pizzas and I will bake an apple pie. We could just have a quiet evening together and watch the ball drop. Would you be interested?"

It seems as if he has thought about this before now. And while I'm a little surprised by this plan, I am interested. Prim and I have always been together on New Year's Eve, so I've never spent it with a guy before. Even when I was dating off and on in high school, I was never in a relationship on New Year's. "Well Prim and I usually ring in the New Year together at home; I've never been one for going out to big parties or anything, but..."

"Perfect! That settles it then, how about I come over your place and we can all ring in the New Year together, you, me, Prim and Haymitch?"

"Al…alright. That sounds like a plan. Prim loves pizza too, so I'm sure it won't take much to get her on board with the plan. I'll let her invite Rue too if she wants to."

Peeta gives me a huge smile, so I know that he is excited for New Year's Eve. Deep down though, I can't help but wonder why he would rather be with my family on New Year's, and not his own.

"My dad has never been one for staying up past eleven, even on New Year's, and I'm sure that my brothers will both be downtown bar hopping all night." Peeta explains. It's almost as if he has just read my thoughts. "I've never been one for hanging out in bars, especially on a holiday like that, so I would much rather spend it with you and your family. I have always felt that you should be with your loved ones at the start of a New Year, but the rest of my family doesn't seem to think the same way I do."

"You are more than welcome to spend the holiday at my house." I assure him.

"Thanks Katniss. And umm…I just want to let you know that Johanna told me the other night about the accident and some of what you and Prim have been through in the last few years. I am truly sorry. From what Johanna told me and from what I've learned by talking to you, I can tell that your parents were great people. And I know it has to have been very difficult on you, especially with Prim being confined to a wheelchair and you're having to not only be her sister, but a motherly figure to her as well."

I can feel tears welling up in my eyes. Peeta didn't even know me back then, and I can tell that it breaks his heart knowing what happened to my family.

"Thank you, Peeta." I tell him just before the tears start to fall. Peeta opens his arms and I don't even hesitate to walk into them. He holds me while I cry.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Katniss, I wasn't trying to upset you, I just wanted to give you my condolences."

"It's okay Peeta, really. Sometimes I just need to cry, especially around the holidays. It always seems to be more painful to remember my mom and dad this time of year. And it just makes it worse if I try to bottle it all in. I've learned that the hard way." After I have cried myself out, I take a step back and look up into Peeta's eyes. His normally sparkling ocean blue eyes now seem to be tearing up.

"It's okay to cry, Katniss. It is definitely better than bottling your emotions up. Even I cry sometimes. Between dealing with everything I went through during my deployment and what I have gone through because of my mom…" Peeta trails off as he drops his eye contact.

This is the second time today Peeta has gone silent at the mention of his mother. I can tell that for some reason the memories he has of living with his mom are not exactly happy memories. I reach out and put my hand on his shoulder. "Peeta…do you…do you want to tell me about your mom?"

Peeta quietly stares at his feet for a minute before he speaks. "Umm…Yeah, I do, it's just that I haven't really spoken to anyone about her before, well except for my father the night before I left for basic training, and even then it wasn't easy to talk about."

Deep down I know what he's trying to tell me is painful, but I want to be there for him. "Peeta, you know whatever you tell me stays between us. We are friends now, and friends are there for each other no matter what."

"Yeah I know. Okay, well to make a long story short, my mom wasn't very loving and caring towards me when I was growing up. She always seemed to love my brothers, but not me. She told me multiple times that I never should have been born; she wanted a daughter, not three boys. She abused me for as far back as I can remember, but she only did it when I was alone with her and she only left marks where they couldn't be seen. She would pull me around the house by my hair and hit me where my clothes would hide the bruises. But I think the worst part was the emotional abuse. I wanted to tell my dad, but she threatened me and I was too scared to say anything."

"Oh my God, Peeta, I had no idea!" I feel horrible. Even though my parents are no longer alive, I know that they loved Prim and I unconditionally. I could never imagine either one of them abusing me or my sister, emotionally or physically.

"I know. I have never told a word of this to anyone aside from my father. And even then, I waited until I was 18 to say anything to him. Actually, one of the reasons I joined the military was to get as far away from my home as I could. I couldn't take being at home anymore. After being abused for so long, I wanted to prove to myself that I was strong and could overcome this. The military has helped me to do that."

This time it's me giving Peeta a hug. "I'm so sorry that you went through all of that abuse for so many years! I can't even imagine what having your own mother purposely hurt you is like! What did your dad do when you told him about her?"

"Well, my mom and dad's marriage had been rocky for a while, and so when I told him about what she had done to me my whole life, it was basically the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak. He felt horrible. It upset him that I didn't come to him sooner, but he also understood that I didn't tell him because she threatened me. The morning I left for basic, he went to his lawyer and had his divorce papers drawn up. She ended up keeping the family house, but my dad got the whole bakery. There is a loft on the second floor and so he lives there. It's a two bedroom loft, so that's where I'm staying right now, actually."

"I'm glad that you and your dad both got away from her. You're both better off without her. At least you have each other."

"Yeah, me too. My dad and I are pretty close now. He is really proud of me for overcoming the horrors of my childhood and doing so well in the military."

"I'm really proud of you too! I am very glad that you didn't let your mother's abuse define who you are, you are so much better than that, and you deserve to be treated so much better. I also want to thank you for serving our country. I don't think our servicemen and women get thanked nearly enough for all that they do. My dad was a Marine and so is my Godfather. They both enlisted together years ago straight out of high school, just like you."

"Thank you, Katniss! That means a lot. And thank you for allowing me to share my past with you. It means a lot to me that we can be honest with each other and that we don't have to hide our pasts from each other." Peeta tells me. His mood seems to have really lifted since he was able to explain about his past. It's like it is literally a weight off of his shoulders.

As it is starting to get later into the afternoon, Peeta and I turn around and head back down the trail to the parking lot. On the way, I tell him more in detail about my internship at the aquarium and how I help to care for the dolphins.

Once we get to Peeta's car, we quickly get in and Peeta turns the heat on high to get both us and the car warmed up. During the drive back to my house, Peeta tells me more about the training missions he will be getting ready to go on after the New Year. Peeta explains that in preparation for his upcoming deployment, he will be continuing to go on various training missions throughout the winter and early spring to different parts of the United States. He will be gone anywhere from five days to two weeks at a time and then he will come home for a week or so in between each mission.

Peeta is currently stationed at the Air Force Base right here in Panem City, so he assures me that when he gets to come home, we will definitely get to spend more time together. He also assures me that we will be able to text and talk on the phone while he is out of town.

When Peeta pulls into my driveway he puts the car in park, but neither of us make the move to get out of the car.

"Well, the van is here, so Haymitch and Prim must be back already." I say

"That's good; you can spend some time this evening with them then."

"Yeah. And I'm sure Prim will play one hundred questions with me about how our day went." I can't help but laugh. "It's ok though. I'll humor her for a while."

Peeta smiles and turns in his seat to face me. "I had a really great time hanging out with you today Katniss. We definitely need to do this again sometime soon!"

"I had a great time too! Now I'm even more excited for New Year's Eve!" I confess.

"Me too! I umm…I am working the rest of the week with my dad at the bakery. He always has a lot of business this time of year with the holidays, but I'll certainly be in touch with you before New Year's Eve."

"I actually am working afternoons the rest of this week at the aquarium as well. I also work on New Year's Eve, but I get off at two that afternoon and I don't have to be back at work until the morning of the second." I explain.

"Alright, I will call you this week and maybe you, me and Prim can go out to eat and see a movie or something."

"Sounds good. Well, I better get inside before Prim comes out here to check on us."

"Okay. Have a good night Katniss! Thanks again for coming to the park with me!" Peeta says as he reaches across the seat to give me a hug goodbye.

"You too Peeta. Thank you for inviting me! It was a lot of fun! Goodnight!" I say as I get out of the car.

"Goodnight Katniss! I'll talk to you soon!"

I make me way up the stairs and watch Peeta back out of the driveway. He waves bye as he drives away and I go inside. I step inside the door and go to close it behind me to find Prim right there waiting for me.

"Soooo?" Prim asks curiously.

"Soooo what?"

"So, how did your day with Peeta go?"

"I had a good time. Peeta did too." I respond as I start to peel off the outer layer of warm winter clothing I have on. "We went ice skating, and then we took a walk down the trail and talked for a while. We basically just spent the afternoon getting to know each other better. Friend talk, you know…"

"Aww, I'm glad you and Peeta are friends now Katniss. He is a really nice guy. You deserve someone like him."

"Thanks sis! You do too, Prim." I say as I bend down to give Prim a hug. "I love you!"

"I love you too! I don't know if you've had dinner yet, but Haymitch is making grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for dinner if you are hungry."

"No, we didn't go out to dinner, we just got a snack at the park. So, yes, I'm really hungry." I say as my stomach growls loudly. We both start laughing.

"Okay good. And you can give me some more details over dinner. I want to hear more about your new friend."

"Alright, and guess what?" I ask as we make our way to the kitchen.

"I don't know. What?"

"You're going to get to know him better too!"

"Really?" Prim asks excitedly.

"Yes, really. Peeta's coming over on New Year's Eve to ring in the New Year with us!"

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I will be back in two weeks with chapter four! Thank you for reading!