I'm taking the last turn of my morning run when I see it. Coming out of the driveway is a familiar car, and it takes my breath away more than my run has. A white Jeep. More specifically Peeta's Jeep.

It turns the opposite way.

When Peeta turned sixteen, he bought that Jeep with the help of his father. Peeta had worked hard in the bakery and save all of his earning to buy his dream car. He got his license shortly after, and the Jeep became my ride to school everyday.

A cold shower doesn't do anything to calm my shot nerves. By now, the news of my return to Panem has spread all over the town. If Peeta didn't know I was back, he would learn today.

Peeta was always a doer. I was always a runner. I avoided things, and he faced them head on. Peeta would confront me at some point.

Haymitch is in a particularly grumpy mood when I enter the office. Last night couldn't have been easy on him. Nevertheless, we get to work. Our "crazy board" just gets crazier.

We've been at it for an hour when I suggest, "We should check the areas where the four were found."

"Extensive searches have already been conducted," Haymitch tells me.

I roll my eyes at him. Extensive searches for five officers and a handful of citizens? "But what if more bodies have been dumped. The forest was searched four months ago. We should send a team to check again. The riverbanks were search, but the water and the bottom wasn't. The swamp search got called off because the water froze. Mine entrances were searched, but Panem didn't have ground penetrating equipment. The FBI does."

Haymitch catches on to what I'm saying. "That's a start. I'll search the mines. I know those pretty well. I'll call the town over. They have some fancy water equipment. Do you want the forest or the swamp?"

My father used to take me into the forest. It was something we did on the weekends. He taught me to hunt, set snares, and shoot a bow and arrow. I was pretty good at it. The summer before he died, I was able to shoot squirrels in the eye. One shot and they were dead. My aim comes in handy now that I carry a gun around regularly.

I've been back in the forest numerous times since his death, but I don't feel like bringing that trauma into my nightmares. Instead, I choose the swamp.

Haymitch doesn't like the idea of me wading though a dingy swamp alone, and I don't blame him. He tells me, "Take Hawthorne. He's got a good head on his shoulders."

I'm immediately ushered to meet Gale Hawthorne. Gale graduated in the same class as me. I remember him being quiet, moody, and a loner. If Peeta hadn't claimed me first, I think Gale I and would have been friends.

My most vivid memory of Gale is a melancholy one. I stood beside him as we accepted medals on behalf of our dead fathers. It was horrific. Gale is the oldest of four children. It couldn't have been easy for his mother, a maid, to provide for all of them.

Without a word, Gale passes me the equipment we'll need to drag the swamp. We even drive separately to the swamp. The entire ride there, all I can think of is how boring the next couple of days will be as we check the the swamp in silence. It's a very large swamp.

I pull up behind Gale's brown truck. He's already got a map out and spread over his tailgate. When I approach, he finally speaks. "If we're smart about this, we can have the entire swamp cleared in three days."

I scowl at him. "I'm not worried about speed. I'm worried about getting justice for the families."

Gale flashes me a white grin. "He said you were feisty."

My scowl deepens. I was not expecting him to say that. "Who?"

"Peeta Mellark."

My eyebrows raise instantly. That's a combination of people I never expected to be friends. "You're friends with Peeta?"

Gale shrugs it off. "A lot has changed since you left." I'm sure it has.

I drop the conversation and resort back to silence. The swamp water is thick and cold since it is November. We have to move quickly. It's not even noon yet, but daylight will get the best of us soon.

It's serval minutes later when Gale decides to get chatty again. "Does he know you're back?"

"Who?" I ask nonchalantly even though I know exactly who he's talking about.

I'm not looking at Gale, but I can feel the scowl that is directed towards me. "Bread boy."

This stops me. "Bread boy?" I ask with a chuckle. I've never heard that one before. I make a mental note to file it and save it for later.

Gale smiles too. He looks less dark when he smiles. "Yes, Peeta. That's what I call him to a rile out of him. He's too serious nowadays."

I let out a small sigh. Peeta was always serious. He felt big feelings and had big dreams. That's one of the many things that I admired about him. "I don't know," I shrug. "I haven't seen him."

"Are you going to?"

"What's with the interrogation?" I ask. It comes out harsher than I expected it to.

We spend the next six hours searching in silence.

I run home to shower and change. Madge has made a reservation for us at an Italian restaurant. She said to dress nice, so I enlist my mother to help with my hair. Twenty- nine years and all I can do is a simple braid down my back. She blow dries it with a brush and curls it into Hollywood waves. It's better than anything I could have done.

I've mastered the art of minimalistic make up. If I need to be really fancy, I darken it up. Tonight, I settle for dark eyes with mascara and a light blush on my cheeks. I wear a nice red sweater, dark jeans, and high boots. It's simple, nice, and it matches the fall weather.

Madge is already seated when I make it to the restaurant. She hates being late. Madge is naturally beautiful. Her long blonde hair, blue eyes, and big cheekbones make it easy for her to be flawless. She wears a dark green sweater dress. She smiles widely when she sees me approach. "Katniss!" She sequels.

"Hey, Madge," I reply as enthusiastically as I can. Then, I spot the red wine on the table. "That is exactly what I need after a day like today." I take several gulps from my glass.

"Not adjusting well?" She asks in a concerned voice. Madge has seen me at my worst, so she has every right to judge me.

I shrug at her and place my glass back down. "I spent the day with Gale fucking Hawthorne."

Madge's eyes go wide and a blush creeps across her pale face. "Gale?"

"Don't tell me you're best friends with him too," I say, narrowing my eyes at her. Since when did Gale Hawthorne become so personable?

Madge blushes even redder. "We dated a few years ago."

"Madge!" I exclaim. "You never told me?"

She just laughs. "Actually, I did tell you. You said you didn't remember him."

"Hm, I don't remember that," I laugh too because I don't. Obviously Gale did not make an impression on me in my youth.

The waiter comes by and takes our order. I order whatever Madge does. We have a pretty similar taste. After the waiter leaves, Madge sets her sights on me. She puts her elbows on the table and leans on her hands.

I can feel my throat go dry.

"Have you seen Peeta?"

"Madge!" I groan. I don't want to talk about him anymore. Peeta has taken up enough of my time today.

"Answer me, Katniss," she says seriously but in a way that shows she's still joking. She's not going to let this go.

I swallow hard. "No, I have not seen him."

"Do you want to?"

My heart rate quickens, and I know my answer. I ask, "Why does it matter?"

"It matters."

I sigh loudly and take another sip of my wine. I'm going to need a lot more of this. "I don't care to see him, but I'm sure it will happen at some point."

Madge studies me carefully before sitting back in her seat. "I haven't talked to him lately. I imagine I'll receive a call from him once he hears you're back."

I always forget the Madge and Peeta are friends. They were friends growing up because they were titled "merchant" kids. Meanwhile I was in the poverty bracket for most of my adolescence. Peeta introduced Madge and I, and we became fast friends. Neither of us like the spotlight. We were perfectly happy spending our time together in comfortable silence instead of talking about meaningless gossip. This town is full of gossip.

Although, I'm not sure that is true anymore. Surely the topic of Peeta and I is meaningless gossip. I imagine everyone in town is talking about what went wrong between us- going off to college and one never to return... until now. Also, I believe that Madge will follow in her father's footsteps and run for mayor one day. I don't know anyone else that would be a better fit for the job.

"Drop it, Madge," I warn in a tone that screams don't mess with me.

Lucky for me, Madge steers the conversation in another direction. We eat and drink and talk. We cover all the basics. Neither of us are currently seeing anyone. Madge's family is doing great. Her father is very concerned about the Highway 13 Killer. My mother is also doing well and doing what she loves- helping people.

Madge is thriving in her new job. I guess I am too since I've been allowed back into the field. I tell her the job is temporary as I will be packing up the satellite FBI office once my investigation is over. Madge knows better than to ask specifics about the case.

By the time we leave, I feel better. I feel more relaxed, but maybe that's the wine talking. I've laughed more than I have in days, maybe even months. Perhaps getting out of Quantico was a good thing... I just wish it was anywhere else.

I park my car in the garage and head in the direction of my house. It's dark outside, and the moon is the only light I have until I get to my back porch. My guard is down, and I know it. So, I keep my ears and eyes open. I'm just finishing locking the door when I hear it. "Well, well, well. Look who it is," a male voice says behind me.

My hand closes around my gun. I turn to look at the person behind me. Due to the lighting of my back porch, I can only see the outline of his body, but I'd know that voice anywhere. "Peeta..." I say breathlessly and barely above a whisper. I'm so not ready for this.

He hears it. "Katniss," he says. "I heard you were back in town."

I take a couple of steps closer to him, and he turns his face just right. The light catches him. Peeta is taller than I remember and definitely more handsome. His blue eyes and blond hair glisten in the dark. I can tell that his body is more toned and comprised of more muscle than it was back in high school. His jawline is more defined. He looks troubled, and my stomach sinks at the fact that I am the cause.

I find my voice and tell him, "I'm working a case." Good, we'll stick to the facts.

Peeta smiles at me, and my stomach gets butterflies the way it used to when I was a teenager. Peeta is the only person to ever make me feel this way. "You're mom told me you were becoming an FBI agent... In fact, everything I hear about you comes from your mom. Madge is very tight lipped about you."

I have to look away from him, so I choose to study the ground instead. "Well after that voicemail, I wasn't sure if you'd care if I came back or ever talked to you again."

Peeta is silent for a moment. In his deep voice, he tells me carefully, "Of course I'd care."

I scoff lightly and roll my eyes. It's too late for this conversation. I take a couple steps closer to him and the door. "It didn't seem that way."

"I've apologized a hundred time for that night. I would've apologized a hundred more times if you'd would have answered your phone." His voice is accusing as if the strain between us is my fault.

I shake my head at him, and my shoulder roughly bumps into his as I pass him. "I'm not doing this."

Peeta catches my arm and spins me around. We're face time face. Grey eyes to blue. "We have to do this sometime, Katniss."

Furious, I yank my arm out of his strong grip. "I was happier avoiding you." Then, I storm into the house without looking back.

~Age Seventeen~

Being grounded sucks. I deserved it though. I made the decision to get super drunk at Peeta's birthday party. It was no one's fault by my own that I ended up in the hospital. But by Monday morning, I'm back in school, and life goes on as normal... well, kind of.

The only thing that is different than normal is Peeta. He's been acting strange around me. He assures me that it's nothing, but I suspect that he feels guilty for what happened to me. By Thursday, it's got annoying.

My punishment is to pay my mother back for my hospital bill. Lucky for me, I know a family that owns their own bakery. So, not only am I riding to school and seeing Peeta at school, I'm also working with him.

The word "prom" is fluttering about the school. Every girl has an idea about her perfect dress or has already purchased it. In about a week, the cheesy proposals will start.

Madge and I aren't the kind of girls that are into that stuff. We don't care to buy and expensive dress that we will only wear for a few hours. Madge declines every guy that asks her to be their date, which is a lot. She always said she wanted to have fun and not be pressured by a date. Four homecomings later, and she still holds out strong. Last year, we were eligible to go to prom as juniors. Instead, we had a movie marathon. Twilight.

Madge has already declared that she will not be going to prom this year either. It's kind of like a tradition by now. I have no desire to go either, especially since I will still be grounded and paying off my debts. Prom is in May, and I collected a large hospital bill for a baker's associate.

Peeta is different though. Peeta enjoys social gatherings and people in general. He is the life of the party and thrives in the presence of people. He will have no problem getting a date. Despite this, I am always Peeta's first choice. He tells me before every dance that I can go with him. That he'll take me to the dance and he will be the best date ever. I usually roll my eyes at him and hope the blush on my face isn't noticeable.

Madge says it is.

Peeta went to the first two homecomings with guy friends. He's never shared if he danced within girls or not. He didn't go to his third homecoming because he was too busy fighting off mono. Peeta blew off his first prom to attend Madge and I'd movie night, much to my pleasure. He said he didn't want to go, but we think he did.

There's a stigma around prom night, and every person in the planet knows it. You lose your virginity on prom night, if you haven't already lost it. It made my world that Peeta ended the night at the foot of my bed instead of in someone else's.

Peeta's fourth homecoming was overshadowed by... well, me. Peeta, like always, asked me to be his date. As usual, I declined and had a bucket of popcorn with my name on it. For some reason, Peeta decided that his senior homecoming wasn't worth the hype and as long as we let him pick the marathon, then he'd join us. That night, we watched all four of Pierce Boardman's James Bond movies.

But prom felt different this time. I don't think a movie marathon will be enough for Peeta to miss his senior prom. Delly Cartwright is practically glued to his side at school now despite the fact that they are not officially dating. If they do start dating, I don't think she will like him asking me.

But if he did ask me, I think my answer might be different this time. I hate all things high school and cliché, but my senior prom might be the one event that I don't think I can pass up. Having Peeta as my date would make it even better.