"So let me get this straight, to get Peeta to like me I have to flutter my eyelashes, hang out with town kids and dress like some self obsessed materialistic Barbie doll? Madge I want him to like me for me, if he likes me at all I dont want to be a piece in any ones games!" I ranted as I gripped her elbow, in an attempt to walk in a pair of shoes with heels the size of mountains.

"Katniss, its not materialistic to want to look nice, besides this is only the first step, you want to be a little taller as you're so tiny compared to him" my nails dug in to her arm as I tripped over my own ankle. "Its no use Madge, I don't mind being small, and besides its going to be even more difficult to talk to him if Im parading around on stilts worrying about breaking my neck" I pulled my feet from the shoes, and curled up with my chin resting on my knees. "I cant be pretty Madge, Im not like you, I cant do all this girly stuff"

"Oh being nice and kind isn't girly, haven't you seen what Peeta's like? He's always being gentlemanly and helping others" Madge pointed out as she placed the death trap killer heels back in her wardrobe before turning around to look at me with a sympathetic smile. "Peeta's so wonderful, its like he's every thing I want to be, and I don't want to change any thing," I find myself saying "He's perfect". Madge looks at me open mouthed, and I gulp, realising this is the first time I've ever said any thing like that to any one.

"Ok change of plan" she beams, as I groan and stand up from the bed. "We are going to give you enlightenment, not a make over, just make you stand out a little bit more," she started piling clothes in to my open arms. "But Madge why are we getting changed now?" she confused me some times, it was Friday we had the whole weekend before Monday came around again.

"Because, my friend," her eyes were twinkling with excitement " You are going to go out there and pay a visit to a certain blonde Mellark!" "NOW?" I squeaked. "NO!Madge there is no way I can do this, what will I say?" "Oh Katniss… if only you paid more attention in class" she taunted as she pushed me in to the bath room to get changed.

I could feel my heart sinking as we approached the bakery, the sun setting behind it lighting up all the windows. "Madge I cant do this" she sighed as she pushed my back forward, forbidding me to stop moving as we paraded through the deserted town square. "You've been saying that for the past three hours Katniss, start a new record already!" she panted, as it had taken her quite a lot of work to get me just half way from her house, and I wasn't prepared to do this without a fight.

"You've been ignoring him half your life, don't you think its about time you told him how you really feel? He has the right you know, and you never thought that he might like you!" one step closer, two, three… "Madge Im begging you, please don't make me do this, I get so nervous around him, my skin goes all clammy and I cant speak properly, I really don't want to mess up just being his friend – "" then you'll do this" Madge demands as she gives me one final shove up to the front door, its curtains fluttering in the evening breeze. "You will do this to build up that friendship if nothing more than that, wouldn't you rather have him as a friend than nothing at all?"

At points like this I start to believe one day, Madge will make some great lawyer or agony aunt in one of those magazines she loves. Shes right though. "I can do this…" I repeat over and over under my breath, as I push the door open and the bell alerts the workers softly that some one is here. I let my eyes roam over the room, its quite small really, for a merchant shop. The walls are a pale sunny yellow with menus and pictures gracing the walls in shiny fake gold frames, with lace curtains over the two windows. A large display case with hundreds of cakes and pastries is in the centre of the room, a till on a small desk next to it. The kitchen is visible behind it, and the scents fill every where making it smell like heaven.

"Hello, how may I help you today?" a kind voice speaks over the counter. I turn around and smile shyly up at him. "Hello Mr Mellark" "Hello Katniss, have you brought me any squirrels today? Or have you brought some rabbit?" I blush, as I realise I only have the few coins Madge gave me to get a cupcake or some thing, if things went terribly wrong so that I could just get the hell out of there.

"A-actually Mr Mellark, I was wondering if… if maybe…" his eyes twinkled merrily and he was practically bouncing on the pads of his feet. "yes?" he asked curiously. "If maybe… I could… seePeeta" the last two words came out as one and I looked around anxiously, scared that the peace keepers might have heard and come to arrest me for fraternising inappropriately with those of a better standard in this world. "Of course" his smile stretched so wide over his face now, he had possibly become one of the strangely masked people of the capitol. "Peeta!" he called through the back of the kitchen, where I could see a door leading in to their home.

I heard a muffled conversation as the door thudded softly shut, during which time I glanced in to the reflective glass of the door and checked my appearance, breathing a sigh of relief when I still saw me behind Madges creation. Some how she had managed to get me to wear one of her dresses, though it wasn't too bad, it was pale yellow like the bakery, and had a pattern of sunflowers covering it on another layer of fabric over the top of the opaque one, that floated gently, making me look delicate and girly which I have never been, that's always been Prim. She wanted to style my hair too, but I had drawn the line there, managing to remain in flat shoes after all that work in the death trap heels, and keeping my word when I said I would tell Gale all about Madges shrine if she so much as touched my braid.

I heard the muffled conversation getting louder, and so I turned hurriedly, just in time to see Peeta stumbling across the floor towards me as he ducked his father trying to ruffle his hair, his father watching us merrily from behind the door before closing it with a gentle click. I was left standing there with Peeta across from me, both of us looking any where but at the other at first.

"Hi" he managed to croak and I smiled softly as I nodded in acknowledgement. "My father said you wanted to see me?" I glanced up at him, but he was placing the cakes in different organised patterns on their trays with the metal tongues. Well, no one said this was going to be easy. "I was wondering , if you er, if you might, maybe want to possibly…" I gulped "Hang out with me this evening?" I looked up, to see that he had placed the plate back down and was looking up at me with an expression of shock and happiness. I decided I liked this look on him, his blue eyes glancing out from beneath loose strands of spun gold. "Really?" he beamed, his voice soft, like mine, scared to break this moment.

"Yes" I replied, in equally as chicken a tone. "Sure" he replied, as he pulled his apron over his head "I'll be back in a second" another muffled conversation later, me and Peeta were walking out of the bakery, him holding the door for me.

"Soooo…" he stretched his arms out, and I admired the scars upon them, he was so brave to live with his family, especially considering his violent mother. "What do you want to do?" "Well I wanted to show you a part of the forest, its my favourite place, I thought you might like it"

His eyes lit up as we approached the fence and slipped under the metal wiring, continuing down the grassy path, coated with knarled trees and flowers sticky with nectar from the honey bees. Summer was always beautiful here. "Whos turn is it for a question?" he asked, breaking the silence, other than the beating of our hearts and the out stretching silence. "Yours I think" I smiled looking back at him from the corner of my eye over my shoulder.

"Ok, where are we going?" his voice was filled with pride at the fact he had deciphered how to find out where we were going so quickly. I laughed and stuck my tongue out at him "Oh no that would ruin the surprise" I retorted. "My turn" he rolled his eyes and sprang forward a step or two to try and keep up with me. "What is your favourite plant?" "Sunflowers are my new favourites" he smiled crookedly, and I felt the breath catch in my throat as my dress covered in them swirled around me. Blushing we continued walking.

"So, next question…" I breathed a sigh of relief as he managed to so easily rid the conversation of all awkwardness, I had never been good at receiving or giving compliments. "What is your favourite thing to do?" such a straight forward question, so many answers, which one to give.

"I like to write music" I found myself opening up to him. "Is that what you want to be, a musician?" he asked his eyes trained on my face, the beauty of the world in those eyes. "More than any thing" I tell him, finding it so easy to just explain myself to him, knowing I have loved him nearly all of my life. "But its too difficult to get any where in that industry and I have no where near enough reputation to make it any way" I shrugged my shoulders. "Hey" he smiled softly, his hand brushing mine causing me to slow down and my skin to tickle pleasantly. "nothing is impossible if you work hard enough".

"What are your songs about?" he asked. "I – I – " this new form of hypnotism would catch on so well I decided. "Not just yet" I turned from him, his face hurt that I wouldn't tell him some thing so simple. "ok" he whispered. "We're almost there" with this I sped up and suddenly the trees parted and we came out in to a clearing, a beautiful lake with a small wooden hut by its side. Peetas face broke out in to the most wonderful smile.

I realised then, that my father would have loved him like a son, perhaps not as much as I love him, but maybe close. And It was a punch in the gut that they would never meet. But here, in me and my fathers favourite place in the world, where we brought no one, I realised without my father, Peeta was the only one I would ever want to share it with.

I watched him turning round as he walked taking in every thing, and gathering up my courage I took his hand in between mine and said "this is our place now".