Au Pair in France

by keepmystrength

Hunger Games AU. Au pair: "An au pair is a domestic assistant from a foreign country working for, and living as part of, a host family." (Wikipedia). Peeta Mellark needed a nanny for his son. Katniss just happened to be available... All the way from across the world.

2. Chapter 2

I can't believe all the love this story is getting, wow! Thank you to everyone who took a few minutes to review. Since you've all been so amazing and supportive, I decided to get my inspiration on and update this as soon as I could. Happy New Year folks!

There is a little time jump, because otherwise this story would get waaaay too long.

Find me on Tumblr under the user Ohlovelyvampires where I will most likely post a ficlet of the next chapter.

As always, all THG characters belong to Suzanne Collins and all mistakes belong to me.

---

"Katniss!" she barely had time to shake her shoulders, trying to brush off the snow collected there, when Annie called her name, waving at her enthusiastically from where she sat at a table. Katniss walked over and Annie instantly rose to envelop her in a hug.

"It's fucking freezing outside," Katniss said once they separated and both sat down in their seats. She removed her coat, gloves and then her cap. Thankfully the résto was warm. She rubbed her hands together and blew them, trying to regain some sensibility in her numb fingers.

Christmas was fast approaching. It was already the second week of December and Katniss couldn't believe she'd been in France for over two months already.

Her first few weeks living with Peeta and Rye had been… interesting, at best, not to say difficult. She adapted quickly to her new routine, and easily learned how to move herself across town on the bus and train. Peeta insisted she could use the car whenever she liked, but she still didn't feel comfortable enough driving in France unless she absolutely had to. Rye had accustomed easily to her, thankfully. He was a nice boy, polite and sweet, and he listened to her when she asked him to take his bath or do his homework. She tried to play and color a lot with him, every chance they got. She took him on walks in the park, skating, riding their bikes, birthday parties. More than his nanny she wanted him to feel she could also be his friend.

Everything wasn't easy peasy, though. She and Rye had a rough patch after her first month there. Rye hadn't been particularly himself, not the easy going, carefree boy he usually was. Peeta confided in her that he suspected it was because Cashmere's birthday was coming up. When she was still around, Rye started drawing pictures for her a whole week before her birthday, a new drawing every day, and not surprisingly, her absence stung him the most during that week.

Katniss tried everything to cheer him up, but whatever she suggested he just declined. At first he was just sad, but then he started getting aggressive and mean. At one point he nearly ran into the street on his own, she had to run after him and throw herself in the road to catch him, and he started hitting her chest and yelling at her. She didn't know what to do; she just stood there frozen watching him unload his anger on her. She knew he was hurting, so she tried to be around for him but give him his own space at the same time. She still had to look after him, drive him to school, feed him, bathe him, put him to bed, and Rye must have felt she was hovering. At one point he mocked her and made fun of her because she had a hard time learning French and misspelled nearly every word, although she was slowly progressing. He even said that if his Dad wouldn't pay her she'd have nothing to eat.

"I wish you'd never come to France," he spit. She tried to be comprehensive, but she had to draw the line at that point.

"I know you're upset," she'd told him. "But I'm here to take care of you, not to be an easy target for you to unload all your anger on. When you want to talk, you know where to find me," Rye just looked at her baffled while she turned around and walked down the stairs, her face a mask of indifference while on the inside she was cracking, the boy's words stinging.

At first she felt bad. Maybe she'd been too harsh on him. He was just a 5 year old boy whose mother had left him. That would bring out the worst in anyone. But Rye's words hit too close to home, and she found herself crying at his remark of how she would have nothing to eat if it weren't for his father. She remembered how after her Daddy died her family nearly starved. That was the worst moment of her life.

Peeta hadn't been indifferent to Rye's attitude. He was, too, flabbergasted at this new side of his son. He just recommended her to ignore Rye when he didn't want to talk or when he was too harsh. He'd even reprimanded him a few times after being mean to Katniss, but it seemed the scolding went inside one ear and out right through the other.

When Peeta found her that afternoon sitting on the couch, eyes bloodshot and tears still running down her face he looked at her, eyes wide, as if asking what had happened. She just gave a look up the stairs. He was instantly up the staircase, feet pounding.

"Peeta, no! Let's give him time," she ran after him.

"Katniss, he's had plenty of time. We've given him his space to heal, but this?" he motioned to her puffy eyes. "Making you, a grown adult, cry? This is way past the line."

"Please, calm down." She dried her cheeks. "Please, I know it's not my place, you're his father, but if you go in, all altered and ready to ground him from what I told you it's just going to make it worse," she pleaded with her eyes.

He finally gave a sigh. "I'm giving him time, but later we're talking about this. All of us. As a family,"

She'd nodded, and Peeta insisted she'd go downstairs so he could make her some chocolat chaud. She'd never been one to turn down chocolate, so she followed him down the stairs. He never asked what exactly Rye had said to make her react that way, he just distracted her by telling her a funny story of how that day, a regular of his dropped how coffee on his pants in a bad act trying to impress Delly. She was clutching her sides from the laughter by the time he finished the story, both cajoling so bad neither heard Rye going down the stairs into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry about what I said, Katniss," he'd apologized. His eyes were also red and his lips were in a pout. Her heart splintered. She was about ready to open her arms and forget everything. That was the most progress they'd had since his tantrums began.

Peeta looked at her and sat Rye in between him and Katniss in the table, softly reproaching him for what he did. "We know you've had a rough couple of days," he'd said. "But you must not take it out on Katniss just because she's near you all day. She's not your punching bag. You made her really sad today, Rye. Katniss cares a lot for you, and you made her cry,"

"I didn't mean it, I'm really sorry Katniss," Peeta's words were enough for the dam to break in Rye's eyes, and he instantly started sobbing. He climbed on his Dad's lap and laid his head on Peeta's shoulder while Peeta rubbed comforting circles on his back. Peeta mouthed at her "he's going to be okay,"

Rye eventually calmed down and apologized several times to her, even when she assured him it was fine as long as he never pulled another one like that on her again. By the end of the night the three of them sat in front of the fire sharing stories, each with a cup of hot chocolate in hand, and Rye on her lap. "You're the best nanny, Katniss. Please forgive me," she planted a kiss on his nose, as was their customary way of affection.

The rest of that week Rye still remained a tad sad, but not angry. After the day of Cashmere's birthday passed, he, little by little, went back to being the same sweet boy she'd met when she got to France.

Beyond a sassy response here and there, everything was going smooth sailing.

She was transported back to the résto when Annie spoke. "Tell me about it," Annie sighed in front of her. "I can't wait for spring. Oh! You're going to love it. Spring in France is just… breathtaking." So far, to Katniss, everything in France was breathtaking. There was so much beauty everywhere she looked.

"Yeah, I can't wait until I don't have to wear four layers of clothing so I don't completely freeze to death," she studied a menu Annie handed her.

"How was your week?" it was a Saturday, one of those glorious days Peeta's Dad handled the bakery so Peeta could get the day off, who spent it with Rye so she could take her day off.

"Pretty much the same," she shrugged. "Rye had his Christmas party at school yesterday. You should have seen him. Peeta bought him a Santa hat to wear, and he looked adorable. Peeta offered to dress himself as Santa for the party to deliver the gifts to the kids. He stuffed a pillow under the suit to make it look like a potbelly, and he completely nailed it," she laughed and got her phone out of her pocket to show Annie the pictures she'd taken the day before.

"…and then Peeta handed Rye his gift and he was so nervous because Rye looked at him for a long while, studying him. Peeta thought Rye had recognized him but all he told him was that he had blue eyes just like his dad's." she laughed. "You should've seen Peeta's face when Rye told him after the party that maybe they were related to Santa because the three of them had the same shade of blue in their eyes, and-," she stopped when she noticed Annie smirking at her. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," but Annie kept giving her a Cheshire Cat grin.

"Yeah, nope, you totally want to say something," Katniss crossed her arms.

Annie smiled. "It's just… it's been a while since I've seen you so delighted. Since…" she trailed off and shook her head. "You're happy. You're really happy,"

"Well, yeah, I mean," she shrugged. "It's not home but, you know,"

"Katniss," Annie took her hand on the table. "It may sound like a cliché, but home is where the heart is. Home is what you make of it, what you want it to be. We both know Panem hasn't been home for either of us for years," her eyes watered. "We only have our memories."

Katniss smiled sadly. "I know what you mean."

"Anyways," Annie took a sip of her water. "How are things with Peeta?"

Peeta was another thing entirely. Since the day she got to France Peeta had been nothing but absolutely incredible to her. Every day he'd ask her how she was feeling, if she needed anything or just how her day had been. He threw in little things every once in a while that made her feel welcome.

The weekend after her first week in France he took her to Paris, just as he'd promised. He paid for the boat tour across the Seine and didn't even say anything when she cried upon seeing the Eiffel Tower up close. The three of them went up the Tower and later walked around the Arc de Triomphe, and had a picnic on the Champs-Élyssées. The following week she and Peeta returned to Paris and he took her to the Louvre, just the two of them, because the museum would be too boring and tiring for Rye, so they left him with Peeta's Dad. It was ironic, having to find a substitute nanny because Peeta was taking Rye's nanny to the museum.

In the short time since she started living in his house the two of them developed a friendship of sorts. They texted a lot during the day, and she spent half the day working at his bakery. Gone were the awkward silences they once had when she moved in. She still tried to maintain some limits, considering he was her boss, but Peeta seemed to pay no mind to that. He'd shuddered the first time she called him Monsieur Mellark.

"Mr. Mellark is my father, Katniss, I mean please," he shook his head rapidly. "I'm only a few years older than you, c'mon,"

"You're my boss," she interceded.

He shrugged. "Not really, you just… look after my son. You can call me Peeta. I beg you, call me Peeta."

He paid her every Sunday, like clockwork, just as her contract stated, and sometimes would even give her a little extra if she'd taken Rye out to the cinema or to the park. She usually tried to wave it away, but he never budged.

Peeta had been making this experience so much easier on her, no doubt. She was infinitely grateful for his kindness. He was truly the best boss she could have asked for.

"Peeta is amazing, truly. You were right about him,"

"I always am." Annie grinned.

Katniss ignored her. "So, what do you want to eat?" she eyed the menu. "Do you want to share something?"

"Not really. I know I'd eat it all on my own." Annie sat straighter in her chair. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about,"

"Oh?"

"I'm pregnant," she bit her smile.

Katniss's mouth formed a perfect 'O'. "Annie, wow, I don't know what to say! I, congratulations," she stood up and squeezed her friend tightly.

"I didn't know you guys were trying," she said once she sat back in her chair.

"We weren't," Annie chuckled. "It was a surprise, a good one, nonetheless. Finnick has always wanted children,"

"I'm very happy for you," they grinned at each other. "How far along are you?"

"About nine weeks or so. I just had my first sonogram earlier this week. I'm still early, but I didn't want to keep this from you any longer. You're my best friend,"

"You're my best friend too. I'm honored you decided to tell me, really."

"Who would've thought," Annie's eyes watered and she took Katniss's hand again. "Two orphan girls from the small town of Panem, now thriving and living in France,"

Katniss smiled, but it was forced. "I'm happy, not exactly thriving. I still don't know what to do with my life,"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," she ran her hands through her hair. "The Au Pair rules state that I can be working for Peeta for a maximum of 2 years, that if he decides to stretch out my contract. By the time those 2 years pass I'll be 23, still in my youth. What will I do then? I really care for Rye, he's amazing, but I don't want to be babysitting kids for the rest of my life. I want to do something else,"

"Katniss don't despair. You still have 2 years ahead of you to figure out what you want to do next. A lot can happen in two years.

"In Panem we were…stuck. We barely had money for food, sometimes not even that. School is extremely expensive. I know Peeta doesn't pay you a fortune, but here in France you have greater possibilities." Annie gave her an encouraging smile. "The odds are in your favor,"

"Thank you, Annie," she shook her head. "Anyhow, this is not about me. This is about you; you're going to have a baby! We should totally celebrate, except you can't drink anything. I'll order two beers, we'll toast, and I'll drink both. How does that sound?" Annie snorted.

"Sounds like when we were teens," they grinned at each other and she called down the waiter.

---

She turned the key in the lock and quickly stumbled inside, once again cursing the cold weather in France. She had only closed the door when she suddenly had an energetic five year old with a chocolate covered mouth in her arms.

"Katniss! Tu es arrivée finalement," Rye cheered from her arms.

"Oui, tu m'a manqué?" she joked and Rye nodded seriously.

"Oui, Daddy and I missed you very much," she kissed his cheek.

"I missed you too," she walked them to the kitchen and set Rye down on the counter. "I brought you something from my lunch date with Annie,"

"Bonjour, Katniss," Peeta said, coming out from the pantry. "Did you and Annie have a nice time?"

"Yes, thank you," they smiled at each other. She threw a look at Rye's chocolate covered mouth and raised an eyebrow.

"Cake batter," Peeta explained.

"Daddy let me lick the spoon!" Rye chirped.

"Ah," she nodded. She took a baby wipe from her purse and cleaned off his face. Since she started babysitting she realized baby wipes were a must have in her purse.

Rye asked for her attention again by tugging lightly on her braid. "What do you have for me?"

"Rye!" Peeta scolded. "It's not polite to ask someone for a gift,"

"But Dad," Rye whined. "Katniss said she had a gift for me." He looked at her pointedly.

She rummaged through her bag until she finally found the plastic bag at the bottom. "I saw this and thought of you," she handed him the bag and he quickly burst it open.

"New crayons! And a new coloring book," he said excitedly. "Thank you, Katniss!" he gave her a hug and sat on the chair, wasting no time to try out his new crayons.

"Thank you," Peeta said next to her. "You didn't have to get him anything. It was your afternoon off,"

"I wanted to." She shrugged. "I spend every day with you both. It's hard to get you off my mind while I go out for a while," she didn't notice Peeta blush at her comment. "Which reminds me, I got you something too,"

She handed him a Corona from the six-pack she bought at the supermarket on her way home. "I thought you could use one. I know this past few weeks have been stressful at the boulangerie,"

With Christmas time approaching, Peeta's business received more and more clientele every day. It could turn into mayhem some times. Thankfully, the business was doing great, but he was overflowing with work. He started leaving the house at 4:00 am and got home at 8:00 pm. She and Rye had barely seen him the past two weeks. His back was hunched and the dark circles under his eyes seemed to be a permanent addition to his face. She tried to cancel on Annie so Peeta could take the afternoon off for himself, but he insisted she went out on her girls' lunch.

Peeta threw a nervous look at Rye, beer in hand.

"I mean, you don't have to." She knew it was a stupid idea. "I thought it could help you loosen up from all the stress you've been through, but I totally get it if you don't want to. I'll just give them to Haymitch," Haymitch was Peeta's drunk neighbor that lived a couple houses down.

"No!" Peeta answered quickly. "I do want to. I just can't remember the last time I had a beer,"

"More the reason for you to have one?"

"Yeah," Peeta laughed. "Let's just wait until Rye's gone to bed, okay?"

Her eyes widened. "No, yes, I totally didn't try to insinuate for you to drink it in front of Rye! Gosh, I'm so stupid,"

Peeta put his hand on her arm. "Not at all, it was a nice gesture. I really appreciate it," he put the six-pack in the fridge. "We can dig into it later,"

"I bought those for you."

"Okay, so they're mine, and I want to share them with you," Peeta shrugged. "I'm not drinking that six-pack alone,"

"Fine," she rolled her eyes playfully and Peeta grinned. Rye was too absorbed in his new crayons to pay attention to anything the adults in the room were saying.

She and Rye lazed around most of the afternoon, but Peeta had to go to the boulangerie to attend some sort of 'cake emergency'. She couldn't exactly imagine what they considered a cake emergency, but Peeta told her he would be back by dinner. Rye seemed disappointed to see his father go, so she tried to distract him by playing games around the house. Within a while she had him screeching and laughing while she ran behind him, trying to catch him.

Around 7 pm she got a call from Peeta.

"I'm sorry," he sighed from the other line. "This is taking longer than I thought. I left some money on my bedside table, you can order takeout for you and Rye. I'll be back no later than 10, I promise. You still owe me that beer,"

She smiled. "You got it," they hung up.

Rye suggested they ate Mexican, so she instantly ordered some tacos for the both of them from a Mexican place a few blocks over. Once they dictated the total she went upstairs to Peeta's room to look for the money.

His door was mid open. She had never been inside his room before. Like the rest of the house, his room was manly yet not exaggeratedly so. His curtains were dark blue, and the walls were of a cream color. He had a double bed dressed in gray sheets, which were, surprisingly, folded, double closet doors and another door that most likely led to the bathroom. A large plasma TV hung from the wall opposite of the bed. The room was nice, but it lacked personality. It wasn't Peeta. Besides a portrait of him and Rye on one of the bedsides tables, there was nothing personal in there. The room could've belonged to anyone.

Each side of the bed had a night table beside it, so she walked over to the one that had the portrait on top. She looked around but didn't see any money, non on the other table. She figured she had to look inside the drawers and sent a prayer to the heavens that Peeta wouldn't get mad at her for looking inside his stuff.

She quickly noticed a few bills scattered in the corner, so she took 20 and went to close the drawer. However, before she could, her eyes focused on a small, square box opposite to the bills. Condoms.

Her eyes widened. She felt her cheeks about to explode when she noticed the box was already open.

She tried to stop herself, but couldn't, and counted how many silver packages were left in the box. There were only two condoms missing. She quickly closed the drawer and sprinted out of Peeta's room, closing the door behind her. Her cheeks burned and her heart was beating out of her chest.

Since she'd gotten to France she'd never seen Peeta around a girl. He never mentioned about having a girlfriend, hell, he was already struggling enough with a kid and the boulangerie. He was too busy to add a girlfriend to the mix.

Right?

Unless he'd used them before she got to France. Yes, that made sense.

Except, what if the girl worked in the boulangerie, and that's where they met up? She looked around in her brain for a possible match for Peeta.

There was Wiress, who worked in the back with him, but she was like 50, and she was married to Beetee, the guy who repaired the ovens when they malfunctioned, so, discarded. Then she thought about Mags, an older woman who owned a farm and sold Peeta all kinds of fruits for his tarts and pastries. She was old enough to be Peeta's grandma, so that was a no.

Her bulb lit up. Delly.

More than once, Katniss had noticed Delly making eyes at Peeta when she thought no one was looking. Delly was nice to everyone, but with Peeta she laughed too loud at his jokes and bad puns, and she was always looking for excuses to touch his arm or shoulder. Katniss had never seen Peeta reciprocating, but then again he was completely professional.

But really, what did she expect? Peeta was a great catch. He was young, sweet, gentle, attractive, considerate, successful, and a great father. Some women might be bothered by his 'package', but not Delly. Perfect Delly who was good with children and probably wanted children since she was a kid herself.

It made sense for them to get together. They both had blue eyes, blond hair and a charming personality. They would make beautiful babies together. She gagged and tried to push away the disturbing image from her mind. Thankfully she was distracted by Rye, who called at her from downstairs. "Coming!" she called back, money in hand.

They snuggled together in the couch until the food arrived. Katniss paid the delivery guy and she and Rye sat together to eat their meal. She noticed Rye eying Peeta's empty chair.

"La norriture n'est pas bien?" is the food not good? She asked. He'd barely taken a bite.

"C'est bien," he said quietly.

"Anything you'd like to share? You know you can tell me anything,"

He looked at her with puppy eyes. "Doesn't my Dad like to spend time with me?"

"What?" she nearly spit out her juice. "Why would you say that?"

"He's been spending less time with me since you got here. He's always at the boulangerie,"

"Is that why you were mad at me a few weeks ago on your Mom's birthday? Because you think I'm the reason your dad is always at the bakery," Rye only looked down. She stood up and knelt in front of him, tilting his chin up so he'd look at her.

"I was upset because of Mama's birthday, but it wasn't the only reason…" he trailed off.

"Listen to me and listen right, you are the most important person in your Dad's life, okay? I know it seems like he likes being at the bakery more than here, but that is so far from the truth. He loves you more than anything.

"Do you know why he hired me to come here?" Rye shook his head. "Because he felt he wasn't giving you, or the boulangerie, enough time, so he looked for someone who could take care of you and give you hugs and kisses and love while he had to work," she didn't say that now that Rye was taken care of he could dedicate all the time he wanted to the boulangerie, and he did. Instead, she showered Rye's face with kisses until he giggled.

"I know I'm not as cool as your Dad, but I'm trying," she finished. Rye took her head between her hands.

"I think you're really cool too," he kissed her nose. She sat back on her seat and they finished the rest of their meal, mostly in quiet.

He seemed in better spirits after their chat, so they played Jenga together, and when his eyes were drooping she carried him to bed and bid him goodnight with a kiss on his forehead.

She went downstairs and filled her tub. She stayed in until the water got cold and had to eventually leave the comfort of her bath. She heard noise outside, so she assumed Peeta had already arrived. She quickly redressed and left her head in the messy bun she'd put it in before her bath.

Peeta smiled upon seeing her approach the kitchen. "I thought you might have gone off to bed,"

She looked at the clock. "It's barely 9:30,"

"It's been a long week," he defended. He wasted no time in reaching into the fridge and retrieving the six-pack… except another pack remained in the fridge. She raised an eyebrow.

"I enjoy drinking beer sometimes," he said sheepishly. "I thought I could buy another pack. Just in case,"

"Fine by me," she laughed.

That day had been particularly cold, and it didn't change much during the night, if only it worsened. She'd been living there for two months, and every day she thought the temperature couldn't get worse, and every day she was proved wrong when it just got colder and colder. Peeta had the heater on, but the house still felt icy.

He eyed her trembling hands. "Maybe this isn't such a great idea. Cold beer in the middle on winter,"

"It's fine, really," she insisted. "I'll just go get another sweater," before he could protest she walked away to her room and removed a fuzzy sweater from the closet.

When she got back to the living room Peeta had started the chimney and thrown together a few pillows and blankets in front of the hearth, their backs to the couch. She sat down and he handed her a beer, already uncapped. She quickly gathered a blanket and wrapped it around her legs.

Peeta sat down next to her. They clinked their beers together before taking a sip. The drink was cold, but the bitter taste felt welcoming to her, warming her insides.

She gulped. She debated whether or not to tell him about Rye's feelings. It wasn't really her place, she wasn't Rye's mother, but she figured if the roles were reversed and it was her kid that was suffering she would want to know.

"Did you guys eat-"

"I wanted to tell you something-" they both spoke at the same time and Peeta looked down at his lap, a timid smile on his lips.

"You go first,"

"No, tell me," he insisted. "Is everything okay?" she sighed and went to retell the story of what had happened with Rye earlier, and how sad he was feeling. She told him how she'd tried to encourage him the most she could, but if he kept away she didn't know whether she could keep cheering Rye up. By the time she was done, Peeta had already downed his first and second beer and was uncapping his third, a tortured look on his face.

"I'm the shittiest father there is," he concluded. She opened her mouth to protest but he wouldn't let her speak. "No, I am. I thought that by bringing you here to live with us I could possibly have some more free time to spend with him. Instead I just dedicated all that free time into my business and extending the boulangeries, not where it mattered the most; with my son. And back on Cashmere's birthday, he wasn't only upset because of it was her birthday." he chuckled darkly. "He thought you were the one driving me away and took it out on you, when you were never the one to blame.

"I've barely seen him these past two weeks," he professed brokenly.

"I know it's not my place but," he interrupted her.

"You need to stop saying that. You're part of this family, believe it or not. I value your opinions,"

"Well, I know that these weeks are the busiest of the year, but you're the owner." She gulped. "Maybe you could leave someone in charge during the weekends and invest that time in going out with Rye. I know you like things done a certain way, but you have many great apprentices who could handle the bakery for a day. It's just a thought," she added quickly.

"No, yeah, you're right. I have thought about it, just never deemed it necessary. When I was a kid the boulangerie was owned by my parents, you know, and in my eyes they handled everything so easily. My Dad always had time for us yet he managed the bakery nearly on his own. No one told me it would be this difficult," he whispered.

"I don't think you're a shitty father," she admitted. "I think you're just torn apart in between your two greatest loves. But you're doing a better job than most,"

"Thank you, but the love I feel for the business is no rival for the love I feel for my son. I have a funny way of showing it, huh?" he smiled. "How do you feel about going to the movies tomorrow? Rye's wanted to see the new Superheroes movie, I thought we could take him…" he trailed off but she was already shaking her head no.

"Rye already thinks I'm an intruder in between the two of you. You need some manly bonding time together so he doesn't keep thinking I'm a threat,"

"Rye loves you, you know. I think you're just exactly what we needed." She blushed. "But you're probably right. We should hang out, just father and son."

She scowled playfully, "I know I'm right," Peeta laughed. "Have fun though,"

Peeta was already halfway through his third beer, but she'd barely had a few sips of her own, the drink was lukewarm by then. But it was fine. She'd bought them for Peeta, and he seemed to be enjoying them. He didn't seem drunk, not even tipsy, but his eyes had a glimmer, and she knew it wouldn't take too long for him to feel the buzz.

She downed her beer quickly and opened the second one. She needed to catch up with Peeta.

He asked about her loved ones back in Pamen and she talked about her friends, specially the funny stories about all the stupid things they did while back in High School and their never ending pranks to one another.

"So, you hooked a fishing rod to his underpants and pulled, from behind a bush, while your friend was talking to the girl he'd had a crush on for the majority of High School because he pushed you fully dressed into a pool?" Peeta narrated. She laughed.

"Yeah, Gale was so mad after that he didn't speak to me for a week," she shook her head.

Eventually she got tired of speaking about her friends' idiocy, and without meaning to, she initiated a conversation about the paintings that hung in the living room, especially those who were Peeta's creations. He had painted several canvases, sunsets, skylines, nature and anonymous people. Her favorite were the sunsets. She could see his heart pouring out into the paintings. Peeta continued to describe the whole process and the mix of colors he used, and she knew she should be paying attention but at some point her brain stopped registering sounds, instead she only focused on his concentration face and the blue of his eyes, and how they lighted up when he spoke about his passion. She rested her head on her hand, which was up on the couch and just looked at him.

At one point her stare must have become too intense, because he started mumbling incomplete sentences which barely made sense while his eyes drifted from her eyes to her mouth, up and down, up and down, until he self-consciously started leaning in and she followed. Peeta was on his fourth beer, and she was on her second. Maybe they were both lightweights and already drunk.

"Katniss," he said quietly, inches away from her mouth. He sounded very sober. She startled, "Do you think that one day you could see me as something else other than your boss and the father of the boy you babysit?"

"But you are my boss,"

"Not forever," he hinted. As an answer, that time it was her who leaned in, closer and closer until their mouths were nearly joined. He brought his hand to cradle her cheek lovingly and their eyes met, gray and blue on each other. He was so close she could count every little freckle on the bridge of his nose and noticed for the first time how long his eyelashes were; so much it looked like they tangled with one another. His blue eyes had golden specks around the pupils, and she could see herself reflected on them. His breath tangled with hers, the taste of beer in both their lips. She wondered if he would taste as sweet as his clothes smelled, even with the beer. She just knew she wanted him on her, right that instant.

His lips were nearly upon hers, they barely touched and her heart felt like exploding… until a shrill sound did explode through the quiet of the room, and both Peeta and her sprinted away from each other as if their closeness had burned them. The landline phone kept its torturing shrill, until Peeta sprinted up and picked up the device to quiet it down while she remained frozen where they almost kissed.

The place where she almost kissed her boss, the man who signed her checks and gave her food and a place to live. She couldn't believe herself.

Peeta cut the call short, promising to whoever was on the other side of the line he'd call them back as soon as he had a chance. He didn't say anything as he sat once again next to her and took a large gulp of beer. She wanted to run away and lock herself inside her room, but she lived with the man, she'd have to face him sooner or later. She was never good with words, and her nature told her to go hide somewhere safe, but she just bit the bullet.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I shouldn't have done that. It's not proper,"

"No, yeah," he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry too. I think I just…"

"It's fine," they sipped their beer and sat just looking at the fire. "I think I'll go to bed. Goodnight," she left her bottle on the floor.

"Goodnight," he stammered, but she was already half running to her room. Once in, she locked the door behind her and leaned her back against the wood, trying to regain her breath. She couldn't get Peeta's look out of her mind. He hadn't looked at her as if she was a dish, something he'd like to devour. He looked at her so softly and lovingly while he cradled her cheek, his eyes reflected only infatuation.

She brushed her teeth and got into bed, but couldn't go to sleep. Blue eyes remained on her mind. Her clit throbbed, a painful reminder of what could've been. She tossed and turned, even counted sheep, trying to quiet her working mind, but nothing seemed to relax her. And she was still turned on.

"For fuck's sake," she cursed and slipped a hand beneath the fabric of her panties, sighing in relief once her fingers easily slipped inside. That was how wet she was.

She imagined Peeta, his toned arms, gentle eyes and crooked smile. She imagined finally digging into his mouth as her heart desired. Kissing him so hard he uttered moans while she rode him furiously, their centers rubbing together. He'd kiss her and fuck her passionately, and something told her he'd be the most generous of all lovers.

She came embarrassingly fast, and bit her lip harshly to stop herself from screaming too loudly at the thought of him relieving himself, just as she was doing that exact moment, to thoughts of her.

After she was satisfied her body thrummed with relief, but her mind was still at unease. The man was her boss, and she'd just masturbated to thoughts of him.

Never again, she promised to herself.

---

The next morning she woke up before 7, her internal clock already used to waking up at the crack of dawn. However, she remained in bed for another hour or so. She heard Peeta moving around in the kitchen, but she knew Rye wouldn't be awake yet. Without Rye as a buffer she wasn't sure she could face Peeta all on her own. She was pretty sure she'd most likely burst into flames as soon as she saw him, because her body still desired him, and badly. She didn't know if she could see him in the eye after last night, especially after coming with his name on her lips.

She was aware of the fact she couldn't stay in bed all day, which would be considered wasting a perfectly good day doing nothing, so she took a quick shower and dressed herself, ready to take on the world.

She was determined, but her hand froze midair when a knock sounded through the door just as she was reaching for the handle. Could it be…?

"Katniss?" Rye knocked again and she gave a sigh of relief, but on the inside she was a tad disappointed.

She opened the door quickly and looked down at Rye, who smiled brightly at her. Clearly unaware of what had transpired between his nanny and father the night before. "Bonjour!"

"Did you sleep well?" she asked in French. Rye nodded and took her hand, leading her to the kitchen, which emanated a wonderful smell.

"Me and Dad made breakfast together!" they walked inside the kitchen, where a small buffet awaited them. Peeta had really outdone himself. Crêpes, cheese buns, toast, eggs. She wondered at what time he'd woken up to cook all that.

He was whipping some cream at the counter to go with the crêpes, but he turned around when Rye pulled a chair for her and later another one for him. Her little gentleman. Peeta wished her a good morning and smiled while he continued to whip the cream. He had flour smeared across his cheek and neck, and hair was sticking in different directions, but other than that he didn't look at all affected.

Could it be possible that she barely slept the night before due to what happened, or didn't happen, between them, and he just went to sleep and forgot all about it in one simple night?

He quickly served Rye some crêpes with whipped cream and fruits and later stuffed his own plate. She wasn't that at all hungry, but she detested to waste food, so she forced down some egg and toast down her throat while the two men devoured the food in their own plates.

"I helped Daddy make the bread," Rye announced proudly. "C'est bien?"

"C'est magnifique," she assured and ruffled his hair. The bread was one of her favorite, with raisins and walnuts. She took another slice for Rye's sake and exaggeratedly moaned "Uhmmm!" while looking pointedly at Rye. He looked so proud of himself.

"Dad's taking me to the movies today! We're going to watch The Justice League," he was barely buzzing with excitement. "And then we're going to the arcade!"

"Wow, that sounds incredible! You two are going to have so much fun today,"

"What will you be doing today?" Peeta asked and she tried not to clam up.

"I'm going out with Annie. She wanted some help shopping for a new dress," she lied. She wasn't about to tell Peeta she had no plans for the day. Perhaps she'd take the train going anywhere and end up in Madrid. You never knew.

Peeta studied her, trying to catch her eye, but she didn't meet his gaze. She kept her eyes stuck to her food. After two months of progress, it seemed they were back at square one. It looked like every step they took forward had them taking two steps back.

After breakfast she cleaned up the dishes and left them to dry on their own. She bundled herself up as much as she could and got ready to go through the infernal cold outside the warmth of the house. Peeta stopped her on her way to the door.

"You're going to the mall already?" he looked at the clock. It was 9:30 am. The local mall would open its doors in 30 minutes, at the least.

She shook her head. "I'm going for a walk, to, um, clear my head,"

"Oh," he looked to the floor. "Okay. Have a nice time,"

"Thanks," she moved around him and walked outside, the cold stabbing her face. She was only a few steps down the street when Peeta called after her, buttoning his coat. "Yeah?"

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. Again," when he talked she could distinguish cold breaths leaving his mouth. "I feel like we've been getting along so great and I pretty much ruined it last night. I shouldn't have made you uncomfortable,"

"It wasn't your fault, and you didn't make me uncomfortable. It's all forgotten, seriously. I mean, nothing even happened, right,"

"If it's all forgotten how come you still can't look me in the eye?" Guilty. She instantly raised her gaze to meet his. "There you are. I'm really sorry. I'm such an idiot," he grumbled. "I hope we can get past this and go back to normal,"

"Don't worry," she touched his upper arm and squeezed. "Like I told you, nothing happened. I really like being your friend, so let's just go back to how things were before last night,"

"Before last night?" he gave a tight lipped smile. "Sure, yeah, I can do that."

She noticed he only had on a pair of jeans and a thin sweater under his coat. "You're going to freeze to death, Peeta. Go back inside before that happens, okay? I'll see you after your rendezvous with Rye. Au revoir," she smiled and started walking. She felt Peeta's eyes burning into her back, but she didn't dare to look around.

She didn't even know where to go. She just knew she wanted to be alone so she could think, but didn't even consider what to do after she got away from the house. She figured she could give a walk around the park. Sit in the grass and contemplate the clouds while wondering why the fuck things like those had to happen to her. Yes, that sounded good. Except that when she got there she only did realize the grass was covered by a thin layer of snow and the sky was in grayish tones. It would probably rain soon.

"Bullshit," she cursed. Kids ran and laughed around her while playing in the park. She got her earplugs from her purse and connected them to her phone. She put the music in shuffle, and every song that sounded made her want to rip her eyes out or slam her tongue in a car door. It certainly wasn't her day.

At around 10, she figured she'd already received enough torture from her music. She ripped the plugs from her ears and stuffed them once again in her bag. She huffed.

It was 10 am in France, which meant it was 5 am in Panem. She fired Johanna a quick text.

Are you up?

She only had to wait about 5 minutes until Johanna made her appearance.

Jo: Well well well, look what the Kat dragged in

Katniss rolled her eyes at the bad pun and at Johanna in general and hit the 'call' button.

"Well, finally you make your presence known, Brainless. It's been what, a week?"

Katniss winced. "I'm really sorry, Jo. I know I haven't been the best friend these past few weeks. I have been so busy with Rye and the classes, and time difference is not really in our favor…" she blabbered some more but Johanna cut her short.

"Yeah, yeah. I've heard all of that before. What's up buttercup?"

"What are you doing up at 5 am?"

"Don't think I didn't notice how you just turned the conversation around, but if you must know, I'm sneaking out of my man candy's house."

"Man candy?"

"For the night, at least. What about you? Hit any French ass yet?"

Katniss blushed brightly and looked around the bench where she was currently sitting on. Johanna could be so crass sometimes; she didn't get how they became friends. "As if," she said quietly.

Johanna instantly noticed her change of tone. "Are you okay? Tell me truth, brainless, or so help me. Is your French family treating you right? Answer honestly, because if they're not I will go over there myself and get your ass back on the first plane to Panem, fuck it all. After I kick the baker's ass, of course,"

She smiled at her friend's protectiveness. "I swear, Jo. They're treating me as a member of their family. They've been nothing but sweet and attentive to me, especially Peeta."

"So what's the problem then?"

"Why does there have to be any problem for me to call you? Can't I just call in to say hi and saying sorry for being a shitty friend and not having texted in a whole week?"

"Say it then,"

Katniss grit her teeth. "I'm sorry for being a shitty friend, oh so perfect Jo who does nothing wrong, I don't deserve you as a friend. Happy?"

"Very." She could feel her friend's grin through the other line. "Now tell me the real problem,"

She couldn't ever get away with hiding things from Johanna. "I have some sort of… boy issue," she began.

"Tell me everything."

She didn't give Johanna every little detail, just that she thought she liked a guy she wasn't supposed to like, because their relationship would be way too complicated. After relating the story to Jo, she could tell she wasn't entirely convinced.

"Is he married?"

"God, no, absolutely no,"

"Is he legal?"

"Jesus, Johanna! Of course he's legal. I'm not some sort of crib jumper," she exasperated.

"Okay so tell me again why you can't be together, because it sounds pretty easy to me. You're both single, and clearly are attracted to each other."

"We work together," wasn't technically a lie. "We spend most of the day together and he's sort of became my main source of support since I moved here. What if it doesn't work out? I'd lose everything,"

"Brainless, you can't walk up to a relationship thinking it's going to fail, for fuck's sake. Besides, why even go that far? Hell, you want him, he wants you. Have sex, get it out of your system," she said, as if it was as simple as that.

"It's not that simple," she said out loud.

"Well, that's the best piece of advice I can give you. And besides, I know you. You don't do anything unless you want to, so why do I even bother? Just consider what I said," Johanna quickly changed the subject and started taking about the guy who took her to his place last night after a party. Within minutes she had Katniss nearly pissing her pants relating the story of how just last week Gale and Thom nearly shit themselves due to a prank Johanna pulled on them. Even when she left, Gale, Jo and Thom continued the game of pranking each other all the time. Sometimes it could get messy.

They talked for over 30 minutes, and when they finally hung up did she only realize how much she missed talking to Johanna. Most of the time, Jo could get up her mood only in a matter of minutes with her occurrences and crazy ideas.

She wasn't going to keep sitting on the park alone, feeling sorry for herself, so she picked herself up and, even though she hated shopping, took the bus to the local mall. Maybe she could buy something nice for the Holidays for herself. Her bank account was nearly intact with every deposit Peeta made every week.

She'd already bought Peeta and Rye's Christmas presents the week before, and had them wrapped and tagged in a corner of her closet.

The mall had just opened, but it was a Sunday, so it would take no time for the mall to fill with crows of people too bored to stay at home for the rest of the day. At first she only ransacked through the glass cases, not really caring for anything. She bought a practical pair of boots for the snow, since hers were not really protecting her feet anymore, and another coat, because when in winter you could never have enough coats right?

She was about ready to leave, feeling proud of herself for actually buying something, when someone called her name. "Katniss!" she looked around and noticed a blonde skipping towards her, about five bags full of items in each hand. Madge.

Madge was a British girl from her French course. Katniss liked her, because Madge was polite and quiet. They went out for coffee a couple of times and had study sessions together, even exchanged phone numbers, but didn't really chat that much outside the classroom.

"Madge, hi,"

"Hello, you're also doing some late Christmas shopping?" she nodded at her bags.

"Oh, yes, I guess." she shrugged. "I thought you'd be going back to Liverpool for the Holidays?"

"No, my parents are coming here. They get in on the 23rd," she said. "Fancy meeting you here," Madge's eyes shone. "I was about to text you this afternoon. A small group from our class are going clubbing tonight. I thought you could come with us?"

"Oh," she was flabbergasted. In her two months in France no one, besides Peeta, had asked her to go anywhere beyond a coffee house. "But it's Sunday."

Madge shrugged. "It's Christmas break babe," not if you were a full time nanny.

"I know it's such a short notice, please forgive me, but we just finished talking about it late last night,"

"No, no, don't worry. Thanks for the invite, though,"

"So you'll come?"

"Um," she was thankful Madge considered her enough of a friend to invite her go clubbing with her, but it wasn't really her scene. "Madge…"

"Oh, but please come! It'll be so much fun, I promise. Besides," she leaned in closer and lowered her voice, "a birdie told me Cato fancies you. He'll be there tonight, too,"

She tried not to grimace. Cato was a Spanish guy from their class. His real name was Ricardo, but he was nicknamed Cato. He was a six-foot, stocky blond with ice blue eyes. She'd never considered him a possibility, but she guessed he was attractive enough. She could certainly do worse. Besides, a few kisses wouldn't hurt anyone. She was currently in a draught she had to get out of.

"Really?" Madge nodded furiously. "Who told you that?"

Madge waved her away. "Doesn't matter, but I have been acknowledging him often, and half that time I've seen him only with his eyes on you," Katniss blushed. "Can I count you in for tonight?"

She sighed in defeat. "Yes, I'll be there," Madge shrieked and pulled her in a quick hug.

"Feel free to tell anyone you'd like to come with," she smiled. "The more the merrier. I have to run, but I'll text you the details as soon as I get home. I'll see you tonight!" she kissed her cheek goodbye and scurried away, probably to another designer store.

She scowled. Invite anyone she'd like? As if. If she only had any friend in France. She considered texting Annie, but she didn't think a club would be the best environment for her pregnant friend, and Finnick wouldn't go anywhere without Annie. She bit back a curse when she realized she now had to shop for something to wear to the stupid night club. Her clothes mainly consisted of jeans, t-shirts, sweaters and coats. Nothing remotely acceptable to wear at a club, especially if she was going to seduce anyone.

Seduce. Johanna would be so proud of her.

After looking through every rack in every store within her budget, she finally settled for a dark green dress with a low neckline and flowy skirt, completing the look with a dark pair of see-through tights and flats. She refused to wear high heels. The outfit would probably get her freezing to death on her way to the club, but she guessed clubs in France were the same as everywhere else: over crowded with too many dancing bodies in a stuffed space, which translated to heat. She'd just have to wear a thick coat over the dress on her way to the club and remove it once inside.

When she got home, it was already past 3. The house was empty, no sign of Peeta or Rye. She assumed they still were at their boy get away, most likely at the movies.

She went to the kitchen for a glass of water and found on the counter a plate full of cookies covered with a plastic, see-through lid. Taped to the plate was a piece of paper with an engraving written by Rye. "Pour Katniss :)" she smiled and took one, trying not to moan out loud. They were butter cookies, her favorite. She ate a handful and left the rest for later.

Since she had the house to herself and free time on her hands, she groomed herself. She shaved every pertinent area and took a bubble bath. Madge has already texted her just as she had promised. The group would meet outside a club in Paris at 9:00, and would go in together. She had already highlighted on the map the train route she'd need to take. She hoped Peeta wouldn't get mad at her for going clubbing and possibly arriving way past midnight.

She got out of the tub and dressed herself quickly. She thought it would be a good idea to lay down for a nap to power up some energy so she wouldn't fall asleep before 9. She tossed and turned for a while before finally giving into restless sleep.

---

When she woke up it was a bit past 6. The house was still silent outside her bedroom, Peeta and Rye probably hadn't gotten in yet. Her stomach rumbled, and she'd learned the hard way going drinking on an empty stomach would have disastrous consequences. She moved swiftly to the kitchen and heated up some leftovers from the other night.

Rye and Peeta stumbled in while she was doing the dishes. Rye was wearing a Batman hoodie she'd never seen in his closet before and a Santa hat on his head. It was a weird, yet adorable, combination. He launched himself to her arms once he saw her. "Katniss!"

"Bonsoir, mon amour," she ruffled his curls. "Vous avez eu une bonne soir?" Did you have a nice afternoon?

"Oui," he tugged on his hoodie to show her the new garment. "Daddy bought this for me after the movie. It was amazingggg," he climbed on the chair and jumped down, making Spiderman motions with his hands.

Peeta groaned. "Rye, stop that,"

He pretended to hit his Dad with spider webs. "I'm the next Spiderman!" he yelled and ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

"Yeah, the ice cream and cotton candy together probably wasn't a good idea," Peeta admitted sheepishly and rubbed his eyes.

"You didn't," she snorted. They heard Rye thumping around in his room and she wondered whether she should go check up on him.

"How was your day?" Peeta asked before she could walk out.

"Good, yeah. Very productive," she cringed.

"Um, I don't mean for this to sound weird but Finnick called earlier, to talk to me. I asked him how was your girls' afternoon going and he said Annie and you didn't have anything planned today."

She raised an eyebrow. "Were you checking up on me?"

"No! no," he raised his hands defensively. "I swear it wasn't like that. He called and I just asked how you girls were doing and then he said that you weren't together."

"Oh. I'm sorry I lied, I just… didn't really know what to say,"

"It's fine, you don't need to explain yourself," he smiled sadly.

"No, I do. I'm really sorry," she cleared he throat. "There's something I wanted to tell you though,"

"Oh?" he looked at her hopefully.

"A couple guys from my French class are going clubbing tonight and they invited me to join them, and I said yes. I'm leaving at 8, I really hope you don't mind me coming back after midnight," she played nervously with her fingers.

"Oh, um, sure, as long as you're not too loud when you get in, which shouldn't be a problem for you; you're as quiet as a mouse." He chuckled, but he looked uncertain. "I have to work tomorrow though; do you think you'll be good enough to take care of Rye in the morning?"

Her eyes widened. "Of course. I know what it looks like, but I would never let that interfere with my job,"

"I know, you're too responsible for that. Have fun," he smiled.

"Do you want to come along?" she blubbered out way before her ears registered what she'd said. "We're going to this club in Paris near the Fields," she recited the name Madge had told her.

Peeta looked at her as if she'd sprouted out two heads. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't think it's such a good idea,"

"When was the last time you went clubbing?"

"Probably the night Rye was conceived," he admitted and her ears burned. "I'm way out of practice,"

"You're not even 25," she argued, as if he didn't know that already. "You're not an old man yet, Pops. Some people your age spend every weekend at clubs, you need to catch up."

"Partying has never really been my thing, and besides, what will your friends think if I show up there unannounced?"

She shrugged. "Madge told me to invite anyone I'd like. But I get it if you don't want to go, I won't force you. It's not really my scene either."

"Then why are you going?"

"I feel like I need a night out. It's been a while since I went dancing with friends,"

"Well, have fun," he repeated and went upstairs to check on Rye. She sighed.

She decided it was time to start getting ready so she wouldn't be late. She lathered her body in moisturizing cream and went for one the most decent pair of panties and bra set she owned. Just in case.

Her makeup bag rested on the vanity, and she eyed it, uncertain. Against her better judgment, she applied mascara to her lashes to make them look even longer and a soft peachy color to her lips. She didn't apply blush. She figured the cold outside and then the heat of the club would add enough rouge to her cheeks.

After the makeup was over with, she pulled the dress over her head and adjusted the neckline. She hoped it wasn't too revealing for the kind of club they'd be going to. She pulled the tights over her legs and the flats on her feet. She gave herself a once over on the mirror and considered she looked pretty good, ready to kick ass. She grabbed her ID and some money, stuffed it in her purse and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Peeta and Rye were in the kitchen, both already dressed in their pajamas, having some milk and cookies before bed. Rye grinned when he saw her walk in. She looked at Peeta shyly over her lashes. He had his eyes open wide and his hand was squeezing a cookie so tightly it took no time until it became pure crumbles, a severe flush running up his neck and his cheeks blushed pink. She tried to ignore the very same burning on her own face.

"Katniss you look so pretty!" Rye called out. She smiled and gave him a kiss on the top of his head.

Peeta cleared his throat, his eyes roaming her body from head to toe. "You look… very beautiful," his voice was soft.

"Thanks," she looked down. "Um, I should get going. I promise I won't get back in so late,"

Her comment seemed to bring Peeta out of the daze he'd been currently in. "No, yeah, thanks. Have a nice one,"

"Goodnight," she kissed Rye's forehead goodnight and threw Peeta one last look. She took her thick coat from the rack and wrapped it tightly around herself, bracing her body from the cold outside. As soon as she was out the comfort of the house the breeze stabbed every fiber of her. She swore to her insides, instantly regretting getting out of her pajamas.

She walked as quickly as the cold would let her. The streets were not very crowded, yet people were still outside enjoying their Sunday night instead of staying in. When she got the station she texted Madge to let her know she was on her way.

Madge: Me 2! See u there xo

She sat on the train and took a deep breath. She knew exactly the reason why she was going to the club that night. She wanted to forget what had transpired between her and Peeta the night before, and she thought that if Cato was as interested in her as Madge claimed he was, he could help her forget. As much as she had tried, the nearly kiss with Peeta still clouded her thoughts. She wasn't used to being so infatuated with someone she couldn't shake them off. Of course it didn't help that she lived with the man, either.

The train to Paris was silent, everyone minding their own business, as usual.

She got off the train at the Champs station and walked in the direction of the club Google Maps indicated. She still had 20 minutes to spare until she was supposed to meet the rest of the party outside the club, so she walked slowly, drinking in the stores' windows and the Christmas showcases. Paris was gorgeous any time of the year, but during Christmas it was absolutely magical.

Every store she walked past was adorned with colorful lights, and the sight brought her back to the memories of her family's Christmases in Panem. She and Prim decorated the Tree together, but Prim loved doing the birth scene all on her own. Her dad would decorate the front of their house with lights of every color, including the large oak tree that was in the front yard. Katniss would hang the remaining ornaments that weren't used on the Christmas tree on the real tree outside, and her Mom would be inside, dusting off her Christmas records to play them while everyone did the decorating.

She blinked back tears and sighed. Christmases would never be the same, but, slowly she had come to the term that they could stop hurting so much.

The 15-minute walk seemed even shorter to her, and before she realized she was already standing in front on the club. There was a long line in front on the door, and a bodyguard stood at the entrance, checking IDs. She could faintly hear the music pounding from inside the establishment.

"Katniss, over here!" Madge called. She was standing to the side next to Cato and Messalla. They waved her over with a smile.

"You made it," Madge gave her a quick hug. The boys gave her a smile and a head nod.

"Yeah, it was easy to find the place. Who else are we waiting for?"

"Rue, Marvel, and Castor, who's also bringing his brother," Cato answered.

In their class nationalities were very diverse. Messalla was Brazilian, Madge was British, Rue was Colombian, Marvel was Italian, Cato was Spanish, Castor was Greek, and Katniss herself who was American. All their languages, except hers and Madge's were very different, so they communicated in English most of the time outside the classroom. Sometimes they tried speaking French, but since they were all beginners none felt really comfortable doing so, and had a hard time understanding what the other said due to the mispronunciation.

"I think that's them," Messalla said, pointing to four people in the distance. Effectively, it was the rest of their party.

"Look who we ran into on the way here," Castor said, motioning towards Rue and Marvel. "This is my brother Pollux, by the way," he pulled his arm around a soft looking guy with blond locks and a thick beard. Pollux waved and smiled and they smiled back.

"Well, we're all here. Let's get in line," Rue said, eying the long line in front of the door.

"That won't be necessary, my lady," Cato interjected and motioned for everyone to follow. He walked directly to the door.

"Cato is friends with one of the owners of the club," Madge explained quietly and everyone nodded and "aahd".

Cato greeted the man and they exchanged some sentences in Spanish. Katniss never took the language in school, so she didn't understand shit, but it didn't matter because they didn't talk too long. Cato fistbumped the guy and he quickly opened the door for them, letting them in the club. The rest of the guys slapped Cato on the back and the girls giggled. Katniss remained silent.

She studied the club upon walking in. It didn't look much different from the two clubs she had visited in Panem: a few tables and booths, a bar, stage, dancing area and lots of crowded and sweaty people grinding on each other.

They moved to a secluded booth on the back, away from the crowd collected at the front of the club, and Katniss appreciated the privacy. The table had a Reserved slip and Cato removed it and sat down as if he owned the place. Everyone gave him a look.

He flipped the slip around and showed them the back. It read Ricardo Saltzman, Cato's full name. "I cashed in a favor with a friend. Sit, everyone,"

They shrugged and moved around the booth, getting comfortable and shrugging off their coats. "Should we start with a round of shots?" Marvel suggested. The rest agreed.

Cato waved down a waiter and ordered a round of Tequila, but she interjected, "Just a beer for me, please,"

"You're not going to do shots?"

She shook her head. "Have to work tomorrow,"

"Aw come on Katniss, just one shot?" Madge pleaded and Rue joined in, both giving her the puppy eyes. She sighed and raised one finger, looking pointedly at them.

"One, you hear me? Just one," the girls grinned.

The boys got into a talk about soccer, football; she remembered, and Rue and Madge talked about the shopping they'd done for Christmas. Katniss didn't feel remotely interested in either topic, so she tuned them out, which wasn't too hard to do considering the volume of the music.

The round of shots arrived, and everyone took their respective glass and downed the clear liquid, passing it with a bite of lemon.

"Are you having that bad of a time?" Cato was suddenly in front of her, handing her a beer.

She shook her head and took a sip, trying to erase the Tequila from her mouth. "No! Of course not," she yelled over the music.

Cato raised an eyebrow, wry smile on his lips. "I don't believe you for a second, Everdeen. Never worry. My purpose throughout the night will be to change that scowl of yours, as beautiful as it is,"

Her eyes widened. Madge had warned her that Cato most likely would be doing his move with Katniss that night, but she hadn't expected it to be so fast. They had just sat down at the table!

Cato started talking about literally nothing and everything, and she was surprised by how much he didn't annoy her. He talked about himself, but he also gave her a chance to talk about herself and continuously asked her questions about her life and how she'd been adjusting to living in France. He talked about his absentee father, and his mom and brother back in Malaga, and how he'd been working his ass off in France to move them there with him. Apparently his mom lost her job and they'd been having a hard time, barely surviving with what little he could send them from what he did at work as a waiter. Nevertheless, he talked about his family as if they hung the sun.

To say she was surprised would've been an understatement. She and Cato never really talked much at class, but she'd thought of him as a Daddy's boy who didn't have to work for anything, typical jock. But she had been wrong. He even threw in a few jokes that made her laugh, and she realized she was actually happy she had come.

He noticed her empty beer. "Do you, uh, want to dance?"

She threw a nervous look at the dance floor. "I don't know how."

"Neither do I." he shrugged. "But it would be an honor to make a fool of myself with you on the dance floor," she laughed and accepted the hand he offered.

There was an upbeat pop song playing, and he guided her through the music. She could tell he was actually a great dancer, but refrained himself in order to guide her. Eventually she found the right rhythm and moved alongside him.

After a couple of popular tracks the DJ played a slow song. Everyone around them partnered up and got closer together, if that were even possible. Cato offered her a hand and looked at her sheepishly. "May I?" even with the poor lightning she could distinguish the red of his cheeks. She put her arms around his neck and, very softly, he put a hand on her waist and the other on the small part of her back. They swayed to the soft music.

"You lied,"

"Huh?" she uttered.

"You told me you didn't know how to dance, but ever since we stood up you've been outshining me on the dance floor," he grinned. She snorted.

"As if," she looked into the blue of his eyes and cursed herself when she thought to herself that Peeta's eyes were a warmed shade of blue and how his lashes were longer. She groaned inwardly and tried not to let her annoyance show.

"I think I did a good job, erasing your scowl I mean," Cato claimed and she instantly scowled. He just laughed.

"You were doing a good job, up until now," she bargained.

"Well, I guess I'm just going to have to find another way to get the scowl off your face," he divulged softly and looked in her eyes. She gulped. She knew exactly what he wanted to do, and she wasn't bothered by it. She gave a brief, almost non-existent nod. One of his hands framed her face and the other pulled her even closer to him. His lips were just a breath away from hers, and her eyes closed, just waiting to feel another set of lips.

"Aw, you two look so lovely," Madge threw her arms around the both of them, shocking them. "I knew you would eventually get together," she slurred.

Cato sighed and broke apart from Katniss, leading them both and Madge off the dance floor, "Aaaand moment ruined, thank you Madge,"

They sat Madge on the empty booth and Cato flagged down a waiter for a glass of water for Madge, who slumped her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. "We've been here for less than two hours. How is she already this drunk?" Katniss wondered out loud.

Cato raised the Tequila bottle, which was down to one third. "I hope this wasn't only her doing,"

"There you are!" Rue appeared next to them and hugged Katniss. Her breath also smelled strongly of Tequila, and meanwhile she was usually reserved with contact, she pulled her arm around Katniss's shoulders in a display of affection.

"I think we know who downed the other part," Katniss answered Cato, who gave her a grin.

"Haha," Rue rolled her eyes. "I'm not that drunk, I'm just happy because there are so many gorgeous men in here." She looked over her shoulder towards the door. "Especially like that fine specimen that's just walked in. Look at him; gosh what wouldn't I do for a taste,"

Katniss grinned at Rue's candor. She was certainly on her way to being drunk. She couldn't deny she wasn't intrigued, so she also turned her head around to look at the man Rue had been ogling. She felt her eyes pop out of her head and she nearly swallowed her own tongue. She must have been drunker than she thought, or maybe someone put something in her beer, because her eyes swore it was Peeta Mellark standing on the front of the club, dressed up in nice jeans and dark t-shirt under a jacket that made his arms look incredible, even from where she stood. His blue eyes moved around the space, as if looking for something. Someone. She gulped.

He squinted some more in the dark, trying to find something. By some reason, a spot in front of her cleared and he was in her full sight, as she was in his. He looked around and finally his eyes found her. He gave her a heart stopping grin and walked forward, towards her, through the crowd gathered between them. She could swear she felt her heart was going to explode.

"Katniss," Cato interrupted her thoughts, his hand on her lower back. "Is everything okay? You look like you have seen a ghost,"

She looked at him. "I… I don't know,"

Cato frowned. "What? Did anyone do anything to you? What happened–?" suddenly Peeta was next to them and she forgot how to breathe.

"Katniss, hi," he said, as if everything was normal, as if he hadn't just appeared out of nowhere at the club she'd invited him to go with her and her friends. "I decided to take you up on your offer after all. Thought it might do some good, although I did have to endure a long line out front to get in here,"

She gaped at him. "I see," she managed to squeak out. "Where's Rye?"

"Annie and Finnick are keeping him for the night," Peeta explained.

"Oh," Cato looked between the two of them, irked. She could tell he was confused but he put his hand out to Peeta.

"Hey man, I'm Cato," Peeta shook his hand and introduced himself as her friend. She had mentioned before to her classmates that she was in France as an Au Pair, she had just never mentioned her boss's name.

"Katniss invited me to come hang with you. I thought I wouldn't make it, but I found a last minute babysitter,"

"You have a kid?"

"Yeah,"

"Cool. Uh, come sit with us then," she could cut the awkwardness in the air with knife.

Rue was sitting next to Madge, who looked only a little better since drinking the water glass the waiter had brought. Rue saw Katniss returning to the table with Peeta in tow and she flushed furiously. Marvel and Messalla brought a round of beers for the whole party and sat next to the girls. Katniss introduced Peeta to the group and everyone greeted him. She sat next to Rue and Peeta instinctively sat by her side, which left no room for Cato, so he sat in the seat in front of her. She gave him an apologetic smile and he winked, trying to look unbothered.

Peeta cleared his throat next to her. "Sorry I showed up here unannounced. I changed my mind at the very last minute, and then I had to call Finn to ask him to keep Rye…" he trailed off.

"It's fine. I'm glad you came, really," he gave her a smile, and she found it very hard not to reciprocate.

"So," Cato said loudly from across the table. "What do you do Peeta?"

"I'm a baker," he responded briefly. Cue, more silence.

Castor and Pollux got back from the dance floor and everyone uncapped their beers. She handed Peeta one but he tried to decline. "I really shouldn't. I'm driving,"

"Please, you came out here to have fun. A few drinks won't hurt, and besides," she added quietly so he could only hear, "I've only had one beer. If anything, I can drive us back if you get too wasted," they grinned at each other.

"Yeah, I don't think that will be necessary, but thanks for the offer," he laughed and uncapped the beer. He looked down at the brand embedded on the bottle. "Corona," he whispered.

Her heart pounded. They had been drinking Corona the night of their almost kiss the previous day. How had it only been a day?

Peeta seemed to think the same as her, because his eyes bored onto hers and neither broke the intense stare, even while he took a sip of the drink. He reached around the table, uncapped the bottle and handled her the beer. "Probably not a good idea." She whispered.

"Need to live a little right?" he croaked. The air was too thick around them, so she took a sip of her own drink. Peeta gave her another look and joined in on the conversation the rest of the group was involved in. He fit in perfectly and participated even more than she did.

After they finished their beers, Pollux, Castor and Marvel got up from the table and went to the dance floor, no doubt looking for some girls to dance with. Messalla had disappeared a while ago with some guy he'd been dancing with, and Madge and Rue went to the bathroom together. It was only her, Peeta and Cato at the table, hence, awkwardness. Neither knew what to say, so the table was quiet. She saw Cato open his mouth but Peeta beat him to the punch.

"Dance with me?" he proposed quietly to her.

She knew she should say no. Things would be so much easier if she just said no, but her tongue uttered out a "yes," before her mind could process.

He stood up and brazenly grabbed one of her hands in his, strolling her along. She looked behind her and threw Cato yet another apologetic smile, but this time he just looked at hers and Peeta's joined hands with a hard stare. The boy drama was her fault.
She knew he had the right to be mad. She'd been leading Cato on during the whole night to forget about Peeta, which hadn't worked out so well, clearly, and now Peeta was there holding her hand and whispering things in her ear. Her skin went up in goose bumps and she shivered.

Peeta positioned them in the middle of the dance floor, away from the table, and away from Cato's prying eyes, she presumed. There was an oldie but goodie rock song playing and everyone was jumping and dancing to the rhythm. Instead of dancing accordingly to the beat, Peeta just pulled her closer to him, hands on her waist and swayed. She wrung her hands around his neck, fingers playing with the curls at his nape. His stare was so intense she was a minute away from spontaneously bursting into flames.

"I-I don't think we're doing this right to the rhythm," she mumbled.

"I don't mind, do you?" she didn't mind. Not one bit. "Katniss, I… shit. I know what you said earlier this morning about us forgetting last night and remaining friends but I don't want to forget. I want to continue being your friend, but I want to be so much more than that too.

"Please, if I'm making you uncomfortable I beg your forgiveness. I would never, in a million years, dare to be so brazen about this if I didn't believe there was a minimal chance you might feel the same way. Last night…," he gulped. "I don't think the connection we had last night can be faked. Please tell me I wasn't the only one who felt it," He pleaded. Throughout his speech they had stopped moving altogether, and she looked directly to Peeta's very nervous eyes. She was sure he could detect the nervousness in her own gaze.

"I read your contract last night like 10 times, small letter and everything, even contacted the Internet page myself. There's no clause that forbids the Au Pair from maintaining a romantic relationship with a member of the host family, as long as both parts consent the relationship, of course. But, if you don't feel anything, I promise this time I will completely withdraw as you wish. I will be completely professional and this subject will die right here. I will never speak of it again, if that's what you want. Only if you say you don't want me the way I want you,"

She didn't know what to say. Her heart felt like stopping, and she was pretty sure she was a confession away from passing out. "What about Rye?" she managed to squeak out, her voice an octave higher.

"What about him? He adores you. You've been here for two months and you've been a better motherly figure than his real mother," her heart swelled.

"I know I come with package," he trailed off. "But I really think we could be good, excellent even, together."

She brought his head closer to her, lips just inches away from her own. "I really want to kiss you right now," he murmured. He smelled like cinnamon and dill, her favorite combination.

"I'll allow it." She answered.

She imagined once the words were out of her mouth he'd seal his lips to hers and devour her, but he didn't. His fingers closed around her face, the thumb rubbing her cheek lightly, a barely there touch. Her eyes closed slowly, remembering the previous two kisses interruptions she'd had in less than 24 hours. But she knew this time no one would interrupt them, and if they did she'd tell them to fuck off and go back to kissing Peeta.

Finally, what could have been hours later, she felt the pressure of a set of warm, soft lips against hers. His mouth moved against hers, barely a whisper at first. She instantly responded and pulled him even closer, if possible. She gave a pleased sigh against his mouth, which seemed to spur him on. The hand previously rubbing her cheek went to the back of her head and caressed her hair. She felt him prod his tongue against the seam of her lips and she allowed him access quickly, letting the organ explore her oral cavity. She would have been embarrassed at how fast her panties damped, but Peeta was exploring her mouth so thoroughly and holding her waist so lovingly she didn't give a damn. The air was too hot around them; bodies everywhere and loud music, but in that moment nothing else existed.

Unfortunately they had to break apart due to their bodies' natural function to breathe; otherwise they would be attached mouth to mouth all night long. Peeta rested his forehead against hers, once again stoking her cheek. He had to lean down to look directly in her eyes. "Wow," he breathed out.

She laughed. "I know. I think so too," and she pulled his mouth down to hers once again. Peeta didn't seem to care. They kissed for who knew how long, she just knew she didn't want him to separate his lips from hers.

Currently she was sucking on his bottom lip. His hands were on her hips, nearing her ass, but always being the gentleman he was they were within respectable inches up. He bit her lip and savored her, and she let out a moan. Someone bumped into her, and she was brought back to the reality at the club, surrounded by dancing partiers. In other news, she felt a hardness pressed against her belly.

"Do you want to go home?" she suggested, tearing her lips from his. His eyes widened just a bit.

"I– yeah, if you want to," his eyes softened and he gave her a wide grin. "You said home,"

"What?"

"You called our house 'home'. It's the first time you've referred to our house as your home." He brazenly kissed her forehead, eyes shiny.

"Your house, you mean,"

"No," he kissed her knuckles. Now that Peeta knew what it was like to kiss her he wanted to kiss every part of her he could reach. "Our house."

"Let's go then," she took his hand and pulled them through the crowd in the direction of their empty table. She reached for her purse and coat and Peeta pulled it over her shoulders. She scanned the area for any of her friends and saw Madge chatting with a tall guy a few tables away. She motioned for Peeta to wait and strolled over to Madge, who received her with a hug. Katniss whispered in her ear that she was leaving, unintentionally pointing behind her towards Peeta. Madge threw a look over her shoulder.

"Oh!" her eyebrows went up in surprise. "What about Cato? I thought you two…"

Shit. Cato. She hadn't seen him around since before Peeta took her dancing. Maybe he'd gone off with some other girl who wasn't busy sucking face with her boss in the middle of a crowded dance floor. "I'll talk to him later," Madge shrugged.

"Good luck," Katniss gave her a brief hug and gathered Peeta so they could go to the exit. She took his hand among the mass of bodies around them and held on tight, fingers laced.

Once outside the chilling air gave her cheeks a rosy color. There was still a line of people waiting to come in the place she'd just exited. Her hand still held Peeta's, and he surprised her by grabbing her hips and pushing her against the wall, instantly covering her mouth with his. Her hands went to his hair, tugging on his blond locks while his own wrapped tightly against her torso. His tongue explored every inch of her mouth until he got restless and started planting kisses on her neck instead. She would have almost forgotten their whereabouts if it hadn't been for the chilly air stabbing her nearly bare legs and the catcalls of the nearby passers.

Peeta reluctantly broke apart. "House, now," he breathed out and held out his hand.

The drive back was charged with tension. They remained quiet, but the air was thick. Peeta didn't let go of her hand the whole 30 minute drive back. Thankfully there was almost nonexistent traffic and they made it back quickly, otherwise she wasn't sure who would've exploded first.

Once inside the warmth of the house, Peeta pushed her back against the door as he had done back in the club. She removed her thick coat and let it fall to the ground, Peeta's own jacket quickly following. His pace seemed to slow down; his mouth lessened his attack on hers little by little until he just gave her a peck.

"I, uh, I don't know how to move forward from here," Peeta mumbled against her mouth, hands on her hair. She raised an eyebrow and looked down at the tented fabric of his pants. He chuckled, "I, well, technically I do know. What I mean is if it would be preposterous of me to take you upstairs," he gave a grimace, eyes nervous. "I'm not sure whether you think it's too soon, or if you want to discuss terms first or–" he rambled on and she shut him up with her lips.

"I was the one who suggested we came back here," she planted kisses all over his face and he groaned, pushing his hips forward to meet hers. "Unless you think it's too soon and want to wait," she added quietly. His eyes widened comically.

"I would be more than happy to have you in my bed, Katniss, god you don't know how many times I've dreamed of it, probably many more than it would be deemed appropriate," he said against her lips. "But only if you're ready,"

"Take me to your bed," she ordered and sealed their lips together. Peeta obeyed instantly, lifting her up so she could wrap her legs around his hips. He carried her up the stairs as if she weighed nothing at all, still attached to her mouth. He walked in his room and pushed the door locked with his foot.

---

I can't believe myself? I swear this was going to be a 20k two-shot or something like that, but oh well. I think everyone knows what is going to happen in the next chapter huh? ;) Unless you think Katniss and Peeta are moving too fast? If so, tell me. I appreciate your opinions.

Probably this will be two more chapters, most likely. Tell me if these two first chapters were too long and if you'd like something shorter. And, as always, tell me if there's anything specific you would like me to write. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, you make me feel so loved.