Peeta

Peeta sat at the dining table brushing pine needles off his sweater. Gottta keep these clothes clean. This outfit is the only thing I have to wear for the next few days.

I'm so… He cut the thought short. He didn't want to beat himself up over a simple misunderstanding. Especially when he was enjoying himself more than he'd expected. Snow Mansion was the equivalent of a luxury hotel, the little kids were cute and reminded him of his niece and nephews, and then, there was Katniss.

He'd noticed she disappeared prior to the tree decorating, and reappeared a short time later with Gale, both their cheeks rosy. Obviously they'd been outside in the cold.

Is there something going on between them?

It seemed odd especially after Gale had expressed his bitterness about a previous relationship going sour only an hour earlier.

Is he planning to sooth his broken heart with my fake wife? Not if I can put a stop to it.

Peeta stared at the place card on the table setting beside his own. It read Katniss. Thank goodness Effie was insisting they all stick to their hired roles. At least it would give Peeta a chance to catch Katniss' attention, assuming she's available and interested.

Katniss was the last to arrive at the dining table, looking fetching as she'd undone her braid and let her hair sweep down to the middle of her back.

She gave him a sweet smile, but he didn't get a chance to respond because Cecelia and Sae began bringing platters of food to the table. Roast beef, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans and biscuits.

The food's sure prime.

Silence filled the room once everyone had filled their plate.

Are we supposed to talk about our real life or the fake person we're supposed to be?

The paper Effie had given Peeta described him as a well-to-do banker. He'd snickered when he read it. He didn't know the first thing about banking. He'd actually lost his ATM card in the machine twice.

Suddenly an idea came to him. He picked up a biscuit from the platter and held it out to Katniss.

"The cook must be from around here because these biscuits are tall, tender and flaky. Cooks from the southern part of the country make biscuits that are softer, which crumple."

She smiled at him. Pleased at capturing her attention, Peeta couldn't help but continue. "The original biscuit was a flat cake. It was cooked in a tin, removed from the oven and then baked a second time. It turned out hard and dry, and was a staple for sailors and soldiers for centuries."

"My goodness, are you a history teacher?" Katniss asked. "First the historical garb and now a lesson on the origin of biscuits. I'm a teacher, too."

"No, I'm a baker."

"What do you bake?" she asked.

"Mellark's makes everything from cheese buns to wedding cakes."

Katniss' eyes widened. "You're one of those Mellarks? Why your bakery is famous. All of the teachers at my school had their wedding cakes made by Mellark's"

Peeta beamed. "I do the wedding cakes." A warm glow formed in the center of his chest. "Where do you teach?"

"At Dandelion Middle School. I teach Literature."

"I read books," he blurt out.

She must think I'm an absolute moron.

But Katniss chuckled. "I'm glad."

Soon Katniss began to talk about her favorite author, Jane Austin. Fortunately, Peeta knew a little bit about her because his sisters-in-law, Fern and Delly, were rabid fans of the many film versions that had been made of her book, Pride and Prejudice.

Peeta had watched two of the movie adaptations with them – his brothers had called him a suck up, but he'd enjoyed them – and he remembered the argument between Fern and Delly regarding who played Darcy best: Colin Firth or Matthew Macfadyen. He asked Katniss her opinion of the matter.

Her eyes lit up at the question.

Alpha male Firth or vulnerable Macfadyen, her decision says so much about the kind of man she's attracted to.

Peeta smiled at her answer.

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Madge

Madge was seated beside Gale, her ex boyfriend and now fake husband. Ever since his initial outburst when they'd met earlier today, he'd been ignoring her completely, except to ask her "to pass him some mashed potatoes."

Instead he'd turned to Timmy who sat on his other side, probing the mind of his pretend six-year-old son to find out what kind of car he wanted when he grew up.

How can Katniss claim he still loves me? If so, he certainly has a strange way of showing it.

Tricia had gotten cranky after decorating the tree, and Effie had suggested she sit beside her real mother for dinner. So without her faux child and faux husband, Madge focused on the food, and ate until she was stuffed.

She'd been worried that alcohol would be served with dinner, and that she'd tip off Gale to the pregnancy when she didn't imbibe. Fortunately there wasn't a drop of liquor at the table.

Maybe the holiday is alcohol-free due to the presence of the kids.

After the table was cleared of food and dishes, Cecelia took all three children away to put them to bed, while Effie suggested everyone else play Scrabble. Effie set the board game onto the dining table and began passing out letters.

In all the time Madge and Gale had been together, they'd never once played a board game together. To her astonishment, Gale won using mechanical terms: piston, cylinder, sump, camshaft, and gasket.

I don't even know what they mean.

"You've got a very clever husband." Effie said, giving Madge a wink.

You know he's not my husband, Madge wanted to shout. Instead she gave the woman a sickly smile. Effie was the only one still pretending that they were all related.

Out of the corner of her eye, Madge noticed Gale's expression. She knew that face – he made it every time he received a complement.

Madge couldn't help but wonder if the child she was carrying would have similar mannerisms. She'd been dreaming of a little girl but what if she had a son, and he looked exactly like Gale?

Hazelle once showed me pictures of Gale as a child. He was kind of cute.

Madge noted the clock on the wall. It was nearing 8:30 p.m. She yawned.

"Are you tired, dear?" Effie asked.

"Yes. I think I'll turn in. It's been a long day."

Gale gave her a curious look. Of course he'd be surprised; she'd always been a night owl. But the pregnancy had changed all that. Some days she was exhausted. It didn't help that this particular day had been unduly stressful.

Good thing, I brought some books to read. I'll put on my pajamas and read until I fall asleep.

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Haymitch

Shortly after Madge left, the party broke up. Haymitch watched as everyone claimed tiredness, and left for his or her room.

"I'll see you kids in the morning," Effie called after them.

"It's not even nine p.m.," Haymitch said. "Why is everyone so tired?"

"It's tiring to pretend," Effie said.

But you're the only one pretending. "What's on the agenda for Christmas Eve?"

"I figured I'd give everyone a chance to sleep in and have a free day to explore the Mansion's grounds. There's a small church down the road that has an early evening service. We'll have a big dinner afterward around seven or eight, and then pass out a gift or two to the children."

"I was wondering if you'd be able to scare up a Santa suit. I thought I could use it to have some fun with the kids. The boys were talking about Santa Claus this afternoon. It brought back some memories from when I was little."

Effie blinked rapidly.

Is she crying? "Look I don't want to make any more work for you…"

"It's not that," Effie said. "I'll do my very best to make it happen." Effie brushed her hand along her cheek. "If you don't need me any longer, I guess I'll turn, too. It's been a long day."

"Sure, go ahead. I think I'll sit in the living room by the fire and enjoy the tree for a bit."

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Effie

Effie sat in front of the vanity in her room, studying her face. Why had she gotten so emotional about Haymitch wanting a Santa suit?

Maybe it was because the Christmas vacation that she' d devised for him was working out better than she'd thought. She was getting a chance to see another side of the man she'd had a crush on for years. And now, she couldn't help but think: We could make it work. I know it.

Effie had heard rumors about Haymitch when she'd first begun to work for him. The old secretary that had trained her said Haymitch's childhood sweetheart had died when he was young and he'd buried his grief in his work. It had sounded so romantic to Effie, then; but her thoughts on the matter changed as the years passed.

Love is a part of life. If you cut yourself off from loving, you cut yourself off from life. Maybe those little children will be the key to waking him up to really living again.

Effie got up from the vanity. I should call Sam right now and see if he can bring a Santa suit out to the house tomorrow.

Too lazy to dig through the tote that contained all the cell phones she'd confiscated, including her own, she left her room and headed downstairs to the kitchen, which housed the only landline in the building. As she hurried past the entry to the living room, she noticed Haymitch staring into the fire.

I wonder what he's thinking.

Dialing Sam's number, she looked across kitchen and out of the window. Large flakes of snow were falling.

A white Christmas? Now that's a surprise. There was no forecast of snow.

She smiled to herself, sure that Providence was showing favor on her plan.

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Dalton

"It's the craziest thing," Sam said. "All those folks playing pretend up at Snow Mansion. I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself."

"Are you going back tomorrow then?" Myrtle asked.

"Probably not. It looks like things are going smoothly."

The ring of the phone interrupted their conversation. After a brief talk, Sam hung up.

"I guess I am going back. The client wants me to bring over a Santa suit. I'll have to stop by the costume rental. Hopefully Joe's got one left."

"Get back early," Myrtle requested. "My niece will be here with the kids for dinner at three."

"I'll do my best, but it was beginning to snow when I returned the rental car tonight. I may have problems driving the hatchback out there if it snows hard enough. The snowplow doesn't go as far out as Snow Mansion."

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Gale

Gale woke up and rubbed his eyes. He hadn't had such a good sleep in a long while. Weirdly enough he'd dreamed of Madge, dreamed that they were back together again, married with two children, a little girl dancing in a field as her toddler brother tried to imitate her. Maybe he shouldn't have listened to Katniss' information that Madge was having a difficult time with their breakup.

It's messing with my thinking. As much as I've tried to get over Madge, I just can't seem to do it.

He got up and dressed. When he got downstairs he found that the dining room was empty, but a large spread of food – scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage, bacon, waffles, and berries, sat on the buffet in the dining room. He began to load his plate.

Gale had only eaten two bites when Peeta entered the room.

"Good morning," Peeta greeted him.

Gale waved his fork in return. "You should try the hash browns."

"Right-oh."

A couple of minutes later, Peeta had sat down across from him, his plate piled as high as his own.

"What an interesting job this is, if you can even call it a job," Peeta said, before taking a bite.

"It is weird, all right. How'd you find out about it?"

"Sam called me. I registered with the Dalton Employment Agency earlier in the year because I was going through a rough patch at the bakery. It can be tough working with family."

"Yeah, families can be brutal when they can't accept the fact that you're an adult and maybe have some ideas of your own. I'm the oldest of four. My mom's been giving me her "honey-do list" ever since my dad died when I was thirteen. It would be tough to split my time between my mom and a wife."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, it struck Gale that maybe that was why Madge had ended things with him. She was tired of playing second fiddle to his mother, and Rory and Vick and Posy. He did tend to put them ahead of Madge.

Why did I never see that before?

"Morning guys," Katniss greeted them.

Peeta's cheeks went pink. He mumbled a quick hello, lowered his head, and dug into his food.

He's got it bad. Might as well help the poor sap out, especially since Katniss was asking about him.

"Morning Catnip," Gale said. His cousin glared at him. She hates that nickname.

"I can see you're in a chipper mood this morning," Katniss replied. "You should play Scrabble more often."

Gale laughed. "That's not it. Only 50 hours left and I won't ever have to see Madge again." But even as he spoke, he regretted his words. He did want to see Madge again. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

"You're a bad liar," Katniss said. She walked over to the buffet.

Peeta looked at him curiously.

"You might be the only person in this entire house who doesn't know yet," Gale said. "Madge is the woman I was referring to yesterday. We dated for three years, broke up a couple of months ago, and now I'm supposed to pretend we're married."

Peeta's mouth fell open. "Wow. That's rough."

"It is."

"So how do you and Katniss know each other?" Peeta probed. "You didn't take up with her after it was over with Madge, by any chance?"

From across the room, Katniss turned from the buffet and laughed. "You're hilarious, Peeta. I would never date Gale. He's too bossy. Besides we're cousins."

Gale watched Peeta's facial muscles relax.

Yep, he's got it bad.

Katniss carried her plate to the table sitting beside Peeta. "Gale, you should let Peeta and I help you get Madge back."

"Like that would ever happen. She hates me."

Peeta's eyebrows went up. "Hates you? What did you do to her?"

"Asked her to marry me."

Peeta snorted in disbelief. "You're kidding."

"I think the way you asked might have played a role," Katniss suggested. "You should have taken her somewhere romantic, not pop the question in the grocery store parking lot."

"Oh, so telling someone you want to spend the rest of your life with them isn't romantic enough?"

Katniss sighed. "The setting means something. It means you put some thought into it."

Gale turned to Peeta. "What do you think?"

"I don't know. I've never proposed to anyone before."

Gale winked at Katniss. She scowled back at her cousin.

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Katniss

Katniss had just met Peeta yesterday and already she knew she wanted to know him better. He seemed easy going and fun to talk with. She was too serious herself – a side effect of being a teacher. She needed someone who was light-hearted to keep her on an even keel.

Maybe if Peeta and I help Gale and Madge, we'll help ourselves too.

"What are we supposed to be doing today anyway?" Katniss asked.

"I think we have some free time," Peeta said.

"Why don't you take Madge on a long walk and talk things out," Katniss suggested to her cousin.

"She doesn't like stuff like that. She's more of an inside-type person. Besides didn't you look out the window this morning? It snowed last night."

"Snow?" Katniss' eyes grew big. "It's the perfect backdrop."

"A walk in the snow," Peeta broke in. "A cup of hot cocoa in front of the fire. That might get her attention and let her know you're interested."

He turned to give Katniss a wink, and her heart melted.

That would be perfect. I would love that very much.

Gale frowned. "I don't know. Madge is barely speaking to me. I'm not sure if she's willing to be alone with me." He stood up, holding his empty plate. He carried it to the empty tub at the end of the buffet. "I need to think about it."

As soon as he left the room, Katniss sighed. "Sometimes I just want to kick Gale. He's so dense."

"Some guys have to learn the hard way," Peeta said.

"So you've always had good relationships with women?"

Peeta chuckled. "Well, my last girlfriend wanted to skin me alive."

Her heart twisted. I don't want to hear about any of your previous girlfriends.

"What did you do?"

"Didn't follow her to the City after college. She didn't want to live in Dandelion."

"You haven't met anyone since college then?"

"Oh, I meet lots of women every day."

Katniss' eyes narrowed.

"They're customers at the bakery." He smiled. "Hey would you like to go for a walk out in the snow after you're done eating. I know the area around the mansion fairly well. Our bakery has catered some weddings here."

Yes, yes, yes.

"I'd love to."

Peeta stood up. "I'll meet you in the front entry in ten minutes, then."

Katniss picked up the pace of her eating.

If only he'd wear his costume. It would be like a fairy tale. I should have packed a long dress.

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Peeta

Peeta put on his jacket, wishing again he'd brought more regular clothes to wear. After a few days this outfit was going to smell.

At least I haven't scared Katniss off yet.

He was waiting for Katniss at the front door when Cecelia approached him with Timmy and Taiden.

"I need to make the beds," she said. "Can you watch the boys for me?"

"Sure," Peeta said brightly, although he couldn't help but wish the kids had slept later. But there wasn't much for them to do at Snow Mansion. No toys, no television, and no other children to play with. Anyway he was getting paid to be their dad over the next few days.

"Katniss and I were planning to go out in the snow."

"I'll get their coats and mittens, then." Cecelia turned and went upstairs.

"Where's your little sister?" Peeta asked Timmy.

"Mama gave her to the fake Mama."

Must be Madge. Guess Gale's being baby-blocked.

Katniss appeared suddenly. "Looks like we're doing some babysitting," Peeta said. "Cecelia asked us to watch the boys."

Momentary disappointment crossed her face. Without thinking, Peeta reached over and put a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Crap. I shouldn't have done that.

But Katniss didn't seem to mind. "I'll make it up to you," he promised.

A shy smile came to her lips. "I'm keeping you to it."

"Don't worry I always keep my promises." He turned to the boys. "Let's go play in the snow."