DISCLAIMER (WHICH I'M PRETTY SURE I HAVE BEEN FORGETTING): I do not own the Hunger Games. The characters belong to Suzanne Collins.

Christmas Eve. I've never been one for laughter, cheer, Santa Clause, egg nog, or any of the other bullshit that goes with Christmas, at least not since my dad died. My family doesn't really have the television version of Christmas anymore, but there are some things that I can't bear to keep from Prim. We normally have a tree and a few presents just so Prim can feel special. If you take time to think about the rituals involved in Christmas, they all seem a little off. I try to explain my feelings on tree decorating to her as we put lights around the tree in our living room.

"All I'm saying is that it's a little strange that we cut down a perfectly good tree for no reason except putting presents underneath it."

"Oh, pull the stick out of your a-"

I cut her off with my glare. "Butt. It's fun, okay? Stop ruining it with your logic or whatever."

"Alright, sorry."

"Do you girls want some hot chocolate?" My mother comes in from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel.

I raise my eyebrows in disbelief. Luckily, she is looking at Prim. The smile on Prim's face grows. She says softly, "Yeah. We'd love that, thank you." My mother gives a small smile and heads back to the kitchen. When Prim looks back at me, she shrugs. I decide that if she accepts it as normal, I will too.

As we start hanging ornaments, Prim asks, "So, when are you seeing Peeta again?"

I roll my eyes. Ever since I told her what happened at Finnick Odair's party, she asks me about him every day.

"I was going to go see him in a little while, if that's okay with you."

She smirks, "Of course." She is quiet for a moment and asks, "So when are you going to…you know?"

"PRIM! That's none of your business!" I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it. Often. There's no way I'm discussing it with her, though.

"Oy. Good luck, Peeta. At the rate she's going, it's never gonna happen," she says to no one.

My jaw drops open. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding," she says. I huff and pick up a couch pillow to launch at her. I dread the day that we have to have "the talk".

As my mother, Prim and I settle on the couch with our hot chocolate, we hear a knock at the door. As far as I know, we weren't expecting any visitors. "I'll get it," I say.

When I open the door, I am greeted by a smiling, rosy cheeked Peeta. "Hey!" I say with surprise. "What are you doing here?"

His smile falls. He runs his free hand through his elegantly disheveled hair and looks at me with uncertainty. "Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude or anything. You're probably busy. I guess I should have called, huh?" He starts shifting his weight from foot to foot. "But, uh, I remember you telling me that you guys never had pumpkin pie over the holidays. I thought I would help to change that." He holds up the pie in his other hand and gives me an unsure smile. It's so strange to see him less confident, but I like it. It reminds me that he's human.

I start to laugh and say, "Yes, please! Come in." He steps through the door and bends down to kiss me on the cheek. I try not to seem shocked by the gesture. He's allowed to, and I want him to, it's just going to take getting used to. He still seems unsure and slightly uncomfortable.

I offer to take the pie. He places it in my hand, and before he can turn around, I pull him to me by his jacket's lapel. I give him a quick kiss on the lips, hoping that it will let him know that he is welcome. "I'm glad you're here," I say, just in case the kiss wasn't enough. "Are you going to stay and eat it with us?"

He looks a little dazed. "Yeah," he clears his throat, "Yeah, I'd like that." I take the pie into the kitchen as he removes his jacket.

"Prim! Mom! Come in here. Peeta brought us pie!"

Prim enters the kitchen first and is followed by my mother. Peeta walks into the kitchen, and is greeted with a hug from Prim. "Peeta!" she shouts.

He laughs, "Merry Christmas, Prim!"

"I'm so glad you're here," she says as she lets go. Peeta smiles and says, "Thank you for having me."

He notices my mother and doesn't hesitate to walk toward her. "Hi, Ms. Everdeen. Nice to see you again." He offers his hand.

She takes his hand in her own and says, "Yes, hello, Peeta. Are you the boy my daughter is making such a big deal about?" I blush and look down at the counter. I didn't know she was paying attention at all. I guess I have been pretty obvious, but damn.

He chuckles nervously and decides to joke with her, "Well, I hope so." She starts to laugh with him. It's such an unfamiliar sound that I quickly forget about my embarrassment and smile at them.

"Oh!" he says. "I'll be right back."

I hear him run out the front door and shut it. I bet he's running away and never coming back. That's what I would…Oh yeah, I already did that. I'm awful.

"I was wondering if you were ever going to have him over, Katniss. He's such a lovely boy."

"He is pretty great," I say with a smirk.

I hear the front door open, and I'm relieved. He walks into the kitchen and comes toward me. "Sorry," he says, "I brought stuff to make whipped cream and left it in the car. You can't eat pumpkin pie without whipped cream. May I borrow a big bowl?"

He smells like cold, and his cheeks are even more red than they were before. He is so attractive, it's distracting. "Sure," I say. I grab him a bowl, and he begins to work. "If you ladies want to have a seat, I'll bring you a piece when it's ready." He gestures to the kitchen table.

"I like this boy," I hear my mother whisper.

Prim is, surprisingly, silent, but I can tell she is far past giddy.

We all watch Peeta make the whipped cream. He must feel our eyes on him, but he seems unfazed. "Alright. That's done."

"The plates are in the-"

"Cabinet to the right of the sink. I remember," he says with a smile. I forgot he had been here before. I wonder if he memorizes every kitchen he works in. I watch as he cuts the pie and carefully places a dollop of whipped cream on each piece. He walks the four plates and forks over to the kitchen table with barely any effort.

"Here you are, ladies. I hope you enjoy." He takes the fourth seat next to me and smiles. I smile back at him.

"This is fantastic, Peeta." My mother doesn't dole out too many compliments. I make a mental note to make sure he knows that.

"Thank you, Ms. Everdeen."

"It's better than fantastic, mom. It's the best thing I've ever tasted!" exclaims Prim.

I cut a bite with my fork. I can feel the anticipation radiating off of Peeta. He wants me to enjoy this. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. I take the bite, and my tongue is met with an explosion of pumpkin flavor and smooth whipped cream. It is so. Fucking. Good.

"So, what do you think?" he asks.

"Is this how you get all the girls, Mellark?

He winks at me, "It's the only way."

"I see. Well, are you single?"

He starts to laugh. My mother and Prim were, at first, confused by our flirtatious banter. Once they understood we were messing around, they began to laugh with us.

It's amazing how quickly things change. To think that four months ago I was dreading working with the boy sitting next to me in Anatomy & Physiology. Who would have thought he was going to completely change my world? It scares me to think about the possibility of it having never happened, even though the experience itself was equally terrifying. I know that we are going to have our problems. I also know that we will be able to figure them out. I love him, and that's all I need for now. I could spend a lot of my time worrying about whether I am doing the right thing or worrying about how this relationship could end, if it does. I could end up getting hurt, but I think Gale was right. There are much worse things to worry about in this world.

A/N: Alright, guys. That's it! I would like to give a huge thanks to my beta everlarkcheesebuns. She has been great, although she did not edit this last chapter. She is on vacation, and I didn't want to bother her. I had to get this out before school starts on Monday, so I edited myself. Forgive me for any typos. Anyways, she does a great job and was able to tell me what I needed to hear. Hit her up sometime!

I hope that you enjoyed this as much as I did. I'm so glad that I decided to do this. I've had a great time with all of you, and I will miss you terribly. I hope to see all of you around the site, whether it be your writing or you reviewing mine.

If you ever have any questions, concerns, or just want to talk about THG, I am always here. Additionally, I am a beta, so if you need someone to edit for you, you know where to find me.

I wish you all the best!

Lacey