Katniss slid back under the fence, the wires at the bottom catching slightly on the frayed hem of her worn pants. She carefully reached down and untangled the threads before rising to her feet and slinging her old, tattered satchel back over her shoulder. She initially hadn't been too thrilled with the idea of crossing the fence again so soon after what had happened to her in One, but her mother had been desperate. Four Seam children had suddenly come down with severe cases of chickenpox, and the witch hazel Katniss knew grew just beyond the fence had been exactly what they needed and couldn't source any other way. So she'd agreed, had waited until the meadow had cleared of kids excitedly running through the flowers before slipping across the boundary. But she hadn't lingered; the risk of sneaking into another District - especially now, with her wishes almost granted - was no longer necessary.

In the distance she could hear voices, a faint whistle from the mine that called lunchtime. In this part of the meadow the sunflowers towered above her head, their faces turned to the sun at least 6 feet off the ground. She found she liked it, found she could hide in their long leaves and slim stalks and not worry about being found. It was a welcome relief from feeling as though everyone was staring at her, that somehow everyone knew she was responsible for what was happening. And even though she knew it wasn't true, she still couldn't help but feel that way. The guilt of holding a secret she couldn't tell anyone.

The breeze around her was slight but refreshingly cool; it carried the faint smell from the sunflowers through the air, and something else familiar that she couldn't immediately identify. She inhaled deeply, hoping she'd be able to recognise it, and changed her direction, towards her house and the edge of the Seam. And pulled up abruptly at the body bent over at the waist in front of her.

Whoever he was, the first thing she noticed was the broad shoulders and a head full of tousled blond hair, then the strong arms and long fingers that were digging in the dirt. But the man's clothes were good quality, too good for even a Merchant, and she wondered where the hell he'd come from. And then he straightened, a small yellow weed twirling in his fingers; her mouth dropped open.

What was Peeta Mellark - no, your future King, Katniss, remember that! - doing in District Twelve?

"Wha-what are you...you doing here?" She stammered, sliding her bag behind her back out of habit, out of his line of sight. She watched as his own eyes widened and brightened, as they filled with something she couldn't identify.

"Katniss!" He exclaimed. He actually remembered her name? "I was hoping I would see you here!"

"What? Why?" She replied, confused, and then pulled herself up. "I'm sorry Your Highness, I shouldn't question you." Why was he here? What did he want? Had the King and Queen sent him here to demand better punishment for her crime in One?

He waved a hand and then glanced over his shoulder. He lowered his voice, so that it was barely a whisper. "Katniss, please don't speak to me as though I'm a stranger. Call me Peeta."

"I..." She trailed off. "But we are strangers though."

"Are we?" He smiled slightly, the right side of his mouth turning up just a little more than the left. "I'm fairly certain if I was a stranger I wouldn't know that your favourite colour is green."

Her cheeks flushed - like a schoolgirl, this was ridiculous - and she steeled herself, straightening her spine. She cleared her throat, made sure her voice was firm. "If you've come for me because of what happened in One, I understand. Please just leave my family out of this."

"What happened in One?" He echoed, sliding a hand in his pocket. "Katniss, that matter is settled. There are no more repercussions from that night, I assure you." A strange look crossed his face, but it was gone almost as quickly as it had appeared. "No, my brother and I are here because-" He broke off as an abrupt call of Peeta! echoed through the air and he looked at her apologetically. "That's Aaran. I have to get back to him. But I'll be here for two more days - and I want to ensure I see you again before I go."

"What? Why?" She asked again, realising how dim she probably sounded.

He smiled again, slow and sweet. "No reason, Katniss Everdeen, other than to speak with you a little more."

She watched him walk away, as the realisation of why he was here hit her a moment too late.

Her wishes.

Peeta raised the cup to his lips, sipped at the steaming hot liquid. Following their time at the meadow, Benedict Undersee had taken them on a short tour through the district, and now Peeta and Aaran found themselves in the front parlour of the Mayor's house. His wife was nowhere to be found ("A headache keeps her indisposed, my apologies," Benedict had murmured), but his teenage daughter sat in the room with them in her stead. No more than 18, Margaret Undersee was blonde and pretty, with perfect manners, and a smile that looked mischievous if you knew to look at it the right way.

Most of the meeting he'd been pre-occupied, his thoughts full of Katniss. He couldn't believe he'd run into her so soon - the last place he'd expected to run into her had been in the middle of the meadow, but there she'd been, her braid mussed and a streak of dirt on her cheek. He'd wanted to reach up and brush it away, but he knew it was too forward of him.

Even though he'd already kissed her, and had felt the heat from her skin against his own.

He breathed deeply, forced himself to focus on the conversation going on around him. "Has some kind of...marketplace been set up? If you have crops, people will need to harvest, it will need to be made available to the rest of the district," Aaran was saying.

Benedict nodded. "Yes, this is all true. I've been in meetings with some of the town officials, and have begun to organise job advertisements to fill roles such as harvesters and distributors. The District itself is still quite poor, with not a lot of financial stability, so our idea was for it simply to be rationed out, determined by head per family." Peeta watched as the Mayor swallowed heavily. "However…"

"Yes?" Peeta replied before Aaran had a chance to.

"We...wondered if it was possible to distribute to the Capitol, if we continue to be as fortunate as we currently are? It would bring some much needed life into the District, help us to perhaps have an additional purpose outside of our coal mining."

Peeta could see Aaran shifting awkwardly in his seat out of the corner of his eye. This is exactly what Advisor Snow was concerned about - a shift in the Districts. Could it really be that big of an issue? Were the systems within Panem really that fragile that a handful of new crops could bring the country down?

"It's a request that I can certainly take back to the Capitol," Aaran finally acquiesced, and Benedict nodded, knowing it was as much as he could expect for now. Silence fell on the group, awkward and heavy, and in distinct contrast to the jovial tone of most of their time across the afternoon.

"Has Father advised you of tonight's festivities?" Madge - as she'd insisted to be referred to - finally piped up, folding her hands delicately on her lap. Her tone was light and carefree, but Peeta had seen Capitol politicians like Plutarch Heavensbee firsthand; he knew exactly what she was doing. Peeta looked down to the floor, smiled to himself discreetly. Change the subject, remove the tension that filled the room, all with a smile on her face. If Benedict Undersee wasn't careful, his daughter was surely going to usurp him as Mayor one day.

"Not yet, Madge, but thank you for the reminder," Benedict said gratefully, shooting a small smile at his daughter. "Gentlemen, long ago we used to host a Harvest Festival but, well, the tradition was abandoned. However we've decided to bring it back to the District to celebrate our fortune, and hoped you would join us in celebrating. It is nothing more than music and dancing and eating, but I understand if-"

"We're here, Benedict, and we would love to attend," Peeta interrupted smoothly. "Wouldn't we, Aaran?"

Aaran, who had two left feet, hid his grimace and nodded. "Certainly. I would like to go over some additional matters first though, if you don't mind..." He trailed off, glancing at Madge, who immediately understood his intention. She rose to her feet.

"I believe I will walk into the square, Father, to be there for when the festivities begin," she announced.

"I'll join you," Peeta said, rising. His two bodyguards stood to attention in the corner of the room, and he sighed quietly. "We'll join you," he corrected himself. She nodded, and he followed her to the front door, out onto the porch; they made their way down the path that would lead them to the centre of town. His guards trailed a dozen feet behind him.

"Does that ever get annoying?" Madge asked bluntly, raising an eyebrow and tipping her head back towards the two burly men in white.

Peeta chuckled. "Considering I rarely get to leave the Capitol, I would take a couple of guards any day."

"Hmmmm," she murmured, nodding her head. "I didn't think you got out much."

Peeta raised an eyebrow. "Really? What makes you say that?"

Madge sidestepped a large rock that speared out of the dirt. "Well for starters we've never seen you here before. And you have a look of wide-eyed wonderment on your face at everything you see."

Peeta's mouth dropped open. Other than Katniss, he'd never met anyone who had spoken to him so flippantly, so devoid of acknowledgement of his status.

He loved it.

"You're quite outspoken aren't you, Miss Undersee," he replied, his eyes bright with amusement. She shrugged, but he saw the smile tug at the corner of her mouth.

"Someone has to be. And you strike me as the type to listen...Your Highness." If she was mocking him, her tone didn't betray her at all.

Yes. She would make a damn fine politician one day.

He followed her into town, and happily listened to her as she gave him a history of the District that he wouldn't have found in any of Miss Trinket's textbooks.

Prim and Jenny Waters practically skipped in front of her, despite the heavy cart they dragged behind them. It was full of oranges, and even from ten feet back, their sweet scent was so cloying that Katniss could practically taste it on her tongue.

"Hey Catnip, you think you could at least look a little happy about tonight?" She felt an elbow dig into her side, and she glanced up at Gale. He'd done his best to scrub every bit of coal dust from his skin, but it still clung in the beds of his nails, and still had a smear of it under his ear. She rolled her eyes.

"You know dancing and the like isn't really my thing, Gale," she muttered. She hadn't been looking forward to it since the moment Mayor Undersee had announced the Harvest Festival two days before.

"Yeah, but think of the reason behind it," he said. She wasn't sure she'd ever heard him so enthusiastic. "All the food the District has, Katniss. I don't have to work my ass off in the mine to get shitty pay to afford wild dog stew in the Hob any more, you don't have to try and scavenge whatever sneaks into our side of the fence! Why shouldn't we celebrate?"

Katniss shrugged - she couldn't very well tell him that she was still worried people would find out the truth, and that she simply felt better being away from everyone. "I get it, I do. I just…"

"Look," Gale interrupted. "Just look like you're enjoying yourself for Prim's sake, ok? She's the happiest I've ever seen her. Hell, even your Mom looks like she's alive for once." He glanced over his shoulder to where Alice and Gale's mother, Hazel, walked behind them, heads close in conversation as they laughed together. "And mine...I haven't seen her smile this much since before Dad died."

"Me too," Katniss murmured, and she knew he was right. She didn't have to like it - but she could at least put a smile on her face and pretend. Everyone else in the district deserved a celebration like this, after everything they'd gone through over the years - famine, drought, mine collapses, untreatable diseases, death.

The rest of their walk from the Seam into town was quiet, but the sounds of jubilation around them from others making their way there was enough to fill the silence. The noise increased as they turned the final corner into the town centre, and Katniss' mouth dropped open at the sight in front of her.

Small lights were strung up from building to building, creating a canopy of stars across the square - where they came from, Katniss had no idea - and Donny Cartwright and Ellis Shorncliffe had set up in the corner near the cobblers storefront, testing the strings on fiddles they hadn't used in years. The centre itself was empty, with long trestle tables lining the edges, all piled high with fruits and vegetables Katniss could only ever have imagined in her wildest dreams. She saw that Sae had set up her makeshift kitchen from Hob - a black market on the outer edges of the Seam - and the smell of roasting meat wafted in Katniss' direction. Her mouth watered.

"I'm, uh, gonna head off," Gale mumbled to her after a moment. "Madge is here already."

"Yeah yeah," she rolled her eyes, but grinned, giving him a shove in the direction of the Mayor's daughter. For many years, the town/seam social divide had discouraged fraternisation between the two - Merchants liked to look down their nose at those from the Seam, and those from the Seam resented the Merchants for their snobbery and the sheer fact they were able to afford to put food on their table.

The end of the Hunger Games years before had begun to thaw the divide, but it hadn't been until the entire district had begun to be affected by dwindling food and an increase in poverty that trivial things like that had begun to decrease in importance. Gale and Madge's attraction had simmered for years, but it had spilled over the moment he discovered that she was as unhappy with the inequality in Panem as he was.

It didn't take long for the music to start up, for people to begin to fill the square, dancing to songs Katniss hadn't heard in years. Delly Cartwright sang beside her father as he played, was joined by Thom Backman, who Katniss hadn't even known could carry a note. He segued into a bawdy tune with two of his crewmates from the mines, one full of lyrics that had most people laughing, but left Katniss blushing.

She visited Sae's stall, and ate her fill of wild turkey, then gobbled down another of Jenny's oranges. She never paused for long, winding her way around the crowd until she found herself watching the festivities from underneath the tree beside the bakery. She spied a blond stranger in the crowd, shifting awkwardly from side to side with Lisbeth Masters, the butcher's daughter, and could only assume it was Aaran Mellark. He'd visited Twelve before, but she generally had never given much thought to the royal family. Not until one of them had effectively saved her life.

"That colour on your cheeks is very becoming you know," a voice whispered in her ear, and she jumped, whirling around quickly. Of course it was him.

"Why'd you sneak up on me?" she snapped. She hated being surprised – especially while her mind had been wandering to the dreams she'd had every night since she'd met him. Peeta laughed.

"Well everyone else is out there having fun, and you're standing here on the edge of the crowd, a frown on your face and a blush on your cheek. I didn't mean to sneak up on you - you were just simply lost in your thoughts."

She folded her arms across her chest, suddenly aware of the fact that he was perfectly dressed in dark pants and a pale blue button-up shirt. Only his disordered waves showed any hint of dishevelment, and even then it still looked immaculate.

She still wore the dirty, threadbare pants from that morning, and her father's old leather jacket.

"Everyone else is dancing - why don't we join them?" he suggested.

She raised an eyebrow. "I don't dance," she said flatly.

"Don't or won't?"

She opened her mouth, then closed it again. Dammit.

Peeta grinned, the same crooked one he'd tossed at her in the meadow, and reached a hand out, knotting his fingers through hers. "C'mon, Katniss Everdeen. It's a celebration. You should dance." He led her into the centre of the square, and she was thankful at least that her cheeks had already been red before he'd dragged her in front of everyone. Stopping, he turned back around to face her, dropping her hand and simply moving his feet from side to side, his hips moving slightly with them. She didn't move at all.

"Katniss," he finally said, exasperated. "No one is watching you, if that's what you're worried about. Just…move."

She took a furtive glance around her, and noticed he was right - no one gave a damn what she was doing. They were too busy dancing up a storm, or eating, or laughing, or playing tag. With a sigh and a shrug, she began to copy his movements, though she simply felt awkward, like a baby learning to walk.

"This is quite a district you have here," he said to her, breaking the silence between them.

"It's home," she said simply. Don't trip over your own feet, Katniss.

"But it's changed significantly quite recently," Peeta added, and she froze.

"Yes," she replied guardedly.

"It's amazing, really," he continued enthusiastically, as though he hadn't noticed her stiff posture. "I mean, you all just must be ecstatic."

Katniss frowned at him this time - he genuinely seemed excited for them, genuinely seemed as if he saw it as a good thing. Had she been wrong? Would the Capitol actually be okay with their turn in fortune?

"We are," she finally agreed. "We feel very lucky right now."

"And that meadow is amazing. All those sunflowers…"

Katniss murmured in agreement, her shoulders loosening as she settled into the conversation. "Yes. I can see the very edge of the meadow from our front porch. It's nice to see them in the morning."

Then the music changed and everything inside her tensed again.

The song was slow, almost romantic, and she saw Madge and Gale begin to move together at the edge of the square. Watching her manly best friend sway on his feet normally would have been enough to make her snort back a laugh - but the nerves in her own belly stopped her.

Without a word, Peeta stepped forward, slipped one arm around her waist, landing his hand appropriately just above the small of her back and gathered her right hand in his free one, raising them to chest height. "You'll allow it?" he whispered, and she nodded her head dumbly. With a smile he slowly began to move their bodies in sync with the music.

"Should...should your brother see you with me?" she said quietly, and he lowered his head slightly so that her mouth practically rested on his cheek. "I mean, after what happened in One?"

"You mean the night when I encountered one of the most amazing people I've ever met?" He murmured back.

She scoffed lightly. "You don't get out much if you think that."

"I don't, you're right. It doesn't change anything about what I said though."

She pulled back, and looked at him carefully. "For someone who doesn't get out much, you certainly know what to say to people."

"Mostly etiquette training," he said simply. "But...I have been told I have a way with words."

"To say the least." Katniss allowed him to pull her in close again, closer than he had before. Her chest brushed against his, and she inhaled sharply - she could almost swear she felt his heart thudding out of control. She closed her eyes. "Why don't you get out much?" she asked. Anything to take her mind of the way she was feeling.

"I have a lot to learn before becoming King, so I mostly stay in the Capitol," Peeta said simply, then sighed. "But I begged to come out here with Aaran on his trip. There's a whole world out there, Katniss, and it's new to me. I want to experience as much of it as I can, see as much of it as I can. After all, how can I rule if I don't know what it's like?" His fingers brushed gently against her spine as he turned them in a circle. "And if I'm being honest….well, I also came here to see you."

"What?" Her eyes flew up to his in surprise.

"I haven't...I haven't been able to get you out of my mind since we met."

"That's ridiculous." No it's not, Katniss. You have your own thoughts, remember?

"It isn't," Peeta said firmly. "Back in the Capitol I saw you on the screen, in a story about what was happening out here, and it was like a bolt of lightning. I had to come; I couldn't not see you again."

She didn't know what to say - how could she? The future King of Panem had just stood there -

The future King of Panem. That was precisely why it was ridiculous.

She nodded slightly to herself, thankful for the reminder. She quickly disentangled herself from his arms, stepped back even as he opened his mouth to protest. "You shouldn't be dancing with me, Peeta. Look at how we met. I'm nothing but a thief, a Seam Rat, remember? It's not right."

"I don't care about that," he argued, his voice suddenly hot and determined. "You can't tell me you're not feeling what I'm feeling."

"I do," Katniss said quietly. "And that's exactly why I need to walk away. It's the best for both of us, I promise. Thank you for the dance." She turned and walked away and didn't look back; it was better that way.

He scoured news broadcasts, watched reels of newspapers - older and more brittle than even he - asked questions he probably should not have been asking.

But he'd begun piecing things together, here and there, across the afternoon - a boy's disappearance, and a monkey that would only respond to the boy's name. An old woman, mute for years, suddenly vibrantly verbose. The abrupt end to the Hunger Games (something he secretly wished were still in existence, but he kept those thoughts to himself). The unexpected appearance of birds known as Mockingjays, the way Caesar Flickerman seemingly looked ten years younger overnight and hadn't aged a day since. The list grew endless. And every time, every instance he found, there was photographic evidence of at least one of four people.

One of them, right now, was frozen on the projector screen in front of him. Lank dark hair. Rheumy grey eyes. A slight paunch and a flask in hand, in the main square of District Twelve. With a girl who perfectly fit the Peacekeepers description of the thief Peeta Mellark had let go in One.

With a triumphant look in his eyes, Advisor Snow rose to his feet from behind his desk. It looked like a visit to the slums of Panem was in order.

There was one single house, next door to the Mayor, that was specifically for guests of the Capitol. It was small - it was rarely required for an overnight stay - but perfectly appointed with thick, heavy drapes, plump sofas and crystal doorknobs on every single door. Secretly, Peeta thought it was ostentatious and ridiculous in such a poor district. Publicly, he put on a smile, thanked the Mayor and retired to his room. The night had left him exhausted, and even the feel of Katniss in his arms and her warm breath on his cheek couldn't invigorate him right now. The way they'd parted weighed too heavily on him, the way she'd walked away without even a second glance.

Stripping off his shirt, he crossed to the small powder room, splashed his face, brushed his teeth until his mouth frothed with white bubbles. He rinsed, then turned back to his room, running his hands through his hair until it almost stood on end. He was surprised to see Aaran perched on the corner of the bed, his comm screen in his hands and wariness clear on his face.

"What's up? Mom bothering you again?" Peeta asked. He nodded to the screen while he stepped towards the small suitcase he'd packed and pulled out a pair of long, soft cotton pants. "Aaran?"

"Who was that girl you were dancing with tonight?" Aaran asked abruptly.

Peeta stopped in the process of pulling off the slacks he wore, one leg still confined in the fabric. "I danced with a few of the local girls, as did you," he said smoothly. "Why do you ask?" He finished taking the pants off, and threw them across the back of a velvet armchair, slipping his sleep pants on. Aaran hadn't budged, still continued to stare down at the screen. Peeta folded his arms across his bare chest. "Aaran?"

Finally his brother looked up, an odd look on his face. "There was only one girl you danced with, Peeta, anyone could see it. The others were just an obligation. Who is she?"

Peeta sighed. Had it really been that obvious? "Her name is Katniss," he murmured sadly.

"And you've met her before," Aaran surmised, his eyes shrewd. Aaran may have been a jokester, a bit of a smart ass, but he very rarely had the wool pulled over his eyes. "It's the girl you let go in One, isn't it?"

Peeta didn't say anything for a moment, instead weighing his options against telling the truth or not. But while he and Aaran occasionally kept things from each other, they never lied. "Yes," he said finally.

Aaran sighed. "Then that may explain why I received notice that Advisor Snow is arriving by hovercraft first thing in the morning - and the photographic reason was this." He turned his screen around, and clear as day Peeta could see an image of Katniss and Haymitch Abernathy in the square, the same image he'd spied on the news broadcast that had inspired him to come.

"Why?" Peeta asked, his heart beginning to thud heavily. "I dealt with the situation in One, there shouldn't be anything more for him to do."

Aaran ran a hand down the screen, re-reading the words in the notice. "Apparently it's a matter of Panem 'national security'," Aaran said, then looked back at his brother again. "What do you even know about this girl, anyway?"

Peeta slumped into the armchair, rested his elbows on his knees so that his arms hung loosely between them. "Enough to know that, once again, Snow is bullshitting." He shook his head. "You know as well as I do he twists the truth to meet his needs - you've seen it, Ethen's seen it. Mother has, but she encourages it. It's only Father who is oblivious."

Aaran shrugged. "I don't know, Peeta. I don't know her. Why would he do something like that about this girl? Why would Snow even care about her unless it was for a reason?"

Peeta pursed his lips, unsure what to say. Aaran was right. There were plenty of things he didn't know about her - but was whatever it was really that bad for Snow to come out to Twelve? Did he really need to venture out into the Districts, something the man hadn't done for as long as Peeta had known him? He wanted to blurt all these questions out, but he knew Aaran didn't know the answers any more than he did. So he didn't ask any of them, only mumbled an excuse that he was tired and needed to sleep.

After Aaran left, Peeta waited until the moon was a little higher in the sky and the house was silent save for the snoring that echoed up the stairs from one of the guards rooms. Only then did he slip from his bed, quickly dress and steal from the house into the night. It didn't matter that it was past midnight; because if he waited until morning, it would be too late.

If there was something he needed to know about Katniss, he was determined to find out what it was before Snow got to her. And he wouldn't let her turn him away.

A/N - Thank you for reading, for your reviews, follows and favourites :)