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The characters of The Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me.

Thank you to my beta, Chelzie, who fixes my mistakes and makes my gibberish sparkle.

One

By JLaLa

Part Four: Eleven and a Half Weeks

Peeta awoke to her mouth traveling up his neck to behind his ear.

She knew this was one of his spots.

When Katniss bit his lobe, he groaned, opening his eyes to meet her smoldering, smoky ones. She pulled away and sat back on her feet, giving him a smile.

"Good morning."

"What a way to wake someone up," Peeta said as he sat up in her bed. Then he remembered what today was. He placed his head in his hands. "Oh, God—that's today…"

"I know." Katniss crawled over to him and gently moved his hands away from his face. She kissed his neck and Peeta sighed against her ear, causing her to tense.

Looking into his eyes, Katniss moved a leg over his lap and lifted his chin.

"So we might as well start the day right."

Today was one of those good mornings—the days where Katniss didn't have morning sickness and she woke up feeling… needy. As she reached the end of her first trimester, the nausea had faded but was now replaced by random spikes in her hormones.

Some were good—like right now.

And some of them were not so good – like when she screamed at Gale the night before just because he suggested that they come along today. She responded that she could fight her own battles and then left the dinner table muttering about being treated like a little girl.

At the moment, however, as she yanked off his boxers—Katniss was no little girl. Her long black t-shirt, which she had stolen from his dresser last weekend, was thrown to the floor leaving her completely nude.

She was even more beautiful with the slight bump that was their child. His hand went to her belly and she placed her hand over his, a feeling of ease taking over as they stared at one another.

It was perfect. It was scary.

He didn't want to blurt out anything that they both might regret, so instead he grinned up at her and said the first thing that came to his mind.

"No underwear?"

The spell was broken. They both knew it.

Katniss shrugged. "I got hot during the night."

As he ran his hands slowly up her thighs, she hissed at his touch before sinking down onto him. Peeta tried not to think about how perfect she felt sheathed around his aching length. They began to move unhurriedly, savoring the feel of each other's bodies.

His arms wrapped around her waist as he pressed her close to him, wanting to feel her heartbeat against his chest.

"So good," Katniss whispered as she twisted her hips, causing a groan to escape his lips. "Kiss me."

His mouth went to hers eagerly—each of their kisses growing steadily more powerful as their pace began to quicken.

It always amazed him at how much her simple touch could cause his heart to beat faster. Or how her smile could cause him to want to say things to her that he thought he'd never say—not at this point anyway.

Things were so tenuous between them—and there were more important things to deal with right now.

He pulled away and moved his mouth against her ear. "Katniss…"

The way he said her name caused her to stop in place. Peeta's eyes went to hers and she reached a hand up to caress his jaw. His lips found her thumb and he kissed the pad of it tenderly.

Katniss felt her mouth go dry and her stomach twist—not because of the baby, but because of the way a simple brush of his lips against her thumb made her whole world brighten.

"KATNISS!"

They stopped as they heard the front door slam.

It was Prim.

She clamped her hand over Peeta's mouth and turned to the closed door.

"DON'T YOU DARE COME IN HERE!"

Prim knocked on the door. "What's going on—"

Katniss began to move again and she watched Peeta's eyes roll back in pleasure.

"I'LL BE OUT IN A MINUTE, OKAY?" Peeta's hands went to her waist, raising her hips up and then pushing her back down onto him. "OHH, maybe less than that!"

She looked into his eyes and grinned. "I guess we'd better get a move on." Her hand remained firm against his mouth as she rolled her hips—something Katniss knew would cause him to come undone.

She bit his earlobe once more. "Now come for me, Peeta."

Peeta howled into her hand as he filled her and she watched the way his body tensed as he pushed up into her core.

There was something really hot about seeing him fall apart inside her.

She didn't realize that she was still moving around him until his hands reached to tease her nipples and her own orgasm hit—her insides clamping in a tight pleasure. "PEETA!"

Katniss dropped her head against his shoulder.

He gasped for breath, his lips pressing against her sweaty hair. "You okay there?"

"Do we have to go?" she asked into his skin.

"Yes."

She pushed off of him and he reached down to pick her shirt off the floor. Handing it to her, Katniss threw it on as she stepped off their bed.

Walking to the door, she peeked outside and then yelped at the sight of her sister grinning at her.

"PRIM! What are you still doing here?"

"Johanna said that I couldn't come back into the house until you were dressed and ready because we need to leave in an hour! I didn't know that I was going to be interrupting—nearly gave Rory here a heart attack!"

Katniss looked over at the boy sitting on the couch, looking at the carpet and then glared at Prim, who stuck her tongue out at her older sister.

"We'll be there in twenty minutes, okay?" Katniss said before closing the door and turning to him. "There goes our relaxing morning."

Today they were telling her parents.

"Does she do that a lot?" Prim asked from the driver's seat as they went down the highway.

She had volunteered to drive, since between her and Katniss' cars, Prim's Prius was the roomier of the two. Rory sat in the passenger's seat looking through Prim's iPod.

Gale and Johanna followed behind them in their minivan.

Peeta looked down at Katniss, whose head was resting on his shoulder as she slept and smiled. "It's getting a little more frequent—growing a baby takes a lot out of you, I guess." He adjusted himself so that her head was a little more on his shoulder.

He looked up to see Prim watching them from the rearview mirror.

"Should I call you 'big brother'?" she joked.

"Just Peeta," he said to her. "Your sister decided last week that I was her boyfriend."

"So it's getting serious?"

"Yup." He laughed softly. "I'm thinking of asking her to go steady."

"Do you have anything on here that's not by Lady Gaga?" Rory asked.

"Deal with it," Prim replied. "I have some Bone Thugs if that's more to your liking."

"You have anything classical on there?" Peeta asked and then looked down at the snoozing Katniss. "I read somewhere that it helps the baby during development."

"Really?" Rory turned to look at him. "This soon?"

"We're almost to the tail end of the first trimester," he responded. "The baby can yawn now and suck or swallow. It's probably moving, too."

"Sounds like you've been reading up," Prim said, approval evident in her voice. She turned to Rory. "I think I have some Mozart on there."

Rory grinned at her. "Mozart?"

"It came with the iPod—will you just fucking put it on?"

"So what else is happening?" Prim asked Peeta.

"The baby has skin, maybe some hair and fingernails."

"Cool, though I'm a little frightened by the fingernails aspect," she replied and then grinned as she looked at him through the rearview mirror again. "You shaved for the grown-ups."

He touched his bare jaw and blushed. "I thought it might help."

"Dad sported a pretty good beard in his day so he might have approved, though you're going to be making a big announcement," Prim said.

She watched as Peeta pulled her sister closer and put an arm around her shoulder. "Whatever happens, I'll take care of them. You know that, right?"

Prim glanced at him once more and took a deep breath before responding.

"I know, but if you don't—there'll be hell to pay. Mom invited your parents." She looked at Rory. "And the Masons."

They took the exit off the highway and Rory turned to him. "Welcome to hell."

It was one of those small towns where everyone knew everyone.

He could tell.

Peeta looked out the window at what was the main street of the city. It was lined with small shops and as they drove further down, he saw what looked like the municipal part of the city. The large white building was clearly City Hall, which was then followed by the police and fire stations.

How very Pleasantville.

"Almost there," Prim announced. "You might want to wake her up so she can freshen up and not look like she spent the morning being thoroughly shagged."

"Hey," Katniss mumbled as she began to wake. "I was the one doing the shagging."

His lips moved closer to her face and Peeta planted a small kiss behind her ear before greeting her, "How are you feeling?"

Katniss met his eyes and gave him a closed-lip smile.

"Tired, hungry, and horny," she replied quietly as a small laugh escaped his mouth. "Do I look okay?"

"You look beautiful." She was wearing an oversized cream sweater and a burgundy pencil skirt along with a pair of black tights and ankle boots. Katniss sat up slowly to smooth down the top of her dark hair and to fix the braid that she wore.

He had opted for a simple navy blue sweater with a collared shirt underneath and a pair of khakis. Finnick had let him borrow the sweater and shirt, knowing that he was off to meet the parents.

Peeta was surprised when his roommate had presented him with beat-up looking paper bag containing the designer clothes.

He had noticed the other subtle changes in all of his friends.

Annie had been a little more sober the last time he saw her. Cato had started buying fruit that they couldn't smoke from.

Thresh had driven him to the bank to get an actual checking account—the amount he deposited was pathetic, but at least it was something.

It was all because of her.

"Here we are," Prim announced.

Peeta looked up to see a large, cream-colored house with a red door and windows with shutters. Prim turned into the long driveway next to it, beeping her horn to let their parents know that they had arrived.

He turned to Katniss. "What did you tell them about me?"

"That you're my boyfriend," she said simply. "That's a big deal. There was a moment while I was in college where Mom thought I was into girls – she kept on leaving all these books about coping with 'sexual confusion' on my desk every time I would come home."

Katniss placed a hand on her stomach. "I've got her 'sexual confusion' right here."

"We lived in a small town, Peeta," Rory informed him. "Why do you think we all moved the hell out of here? It's a settling kind of town."

"What?"

"This is where you live when you're done doing all the fun crap and just want to join book clubs," Prim responded and her eyes widened as front door opened. "Oh, God—here comes Mom."

Stepping out of the car to help Katniss out, Peeta watched the woman who was hugging Prim excitedly. She was bouncing happily, her blown out hair moving with her.

He took Katniss' hand and entwined it in his. She met his eyes and pulled him towards her mother.

"Hey, Mom," Katniss greeted.

The woman pulled away from Prim and Peeta got his first real look at her.

She had the same smile as Prim with shoulder-length blond hair and bright blue eyes. There was a softness about her that he found his own mother lacked in comparison.

"Katniss!" She pulled her daughter into her arms and as she did, Katniss gripped his hand, practically pulling him with her.

When she was done, the woman turned to him with a bright grin. "And who is this?"

"This is Peeta Mellark—my boyfriend." She pushed him forward.

"It's so great to finally meet you!" He tried not to laugh when Katniss rolled her eyes. The woman pulled him in for a gentle hug and then pulled away. "Peeta, I'm Laurel." She hooked her arm into his as they made their trek towards the house. "Tell me, how long have you and Katniss been dating?"

He looked over at Katniss, who followed behind them. She shrugged, letting him know to make something up.

"Six months," he informed her as they walked into the house. The same lie that he had told his parents.

Best to keep the lies consistent.

When he entered the house, Peeta looked up to see an older dark-haired man walking quickly down the staircase towards them.

"Dad!" Katniss rushed into his arms. It was clear to him that she was a Daddy's girl.

If they had a girl, would she be the same way? The sobering thought of the baby brought him back to reality.

"My girl," he said in response as he held Katniss. Finally pulling away, he turned towards Peeta and gave him a gentle smile. "So this must be the person who has your mother so excited—I could hear her from upstairs."

"I wasn't that loud," Laurel responded with a pout. Her husband took her hand and she extracted herself from Peeta's side to wrap an arm around his waist affectionately.

Katniss went to him and took his hand. "This is Peeta Mellark, my boyfriend."

"Hello, Peeta." The man offered his hand. "I'm Gabe Everdeen, patriarch and prisoner of the household." Peeta grinned as the man tried to keep himself from laughing, but failed miserably when Laurel smacked his arm.

"Nice to finally meet you," he responded and shook Gabe's hand.

"Where did Prim go?" Katniss asked suddenly.

"I shooed her away to the Hawthornes so that we can spend a little more time with you and Peeta," Laurel informed her daughter. "Come into the living room."

From the foyer, they walked through an archway into a cream-colored living room with pale yellow furniture. It was classically designed—very different from his home, and made for a family with its plushness.

Across from them and next to the back patio door was a black baby grand piano.

"Who plays?" He went to it and touched the smooth keys.

Laurel laughed. "Katniss, of course! She played until she graduated high school."

He felt his face turn scarlet. His eyes went to Gabe, who was suddenly peering at him quizzically. How could he not when it seemed like he didn't know something as significant as the fact that Katniss played the piano?

"I don't have a piano in my apartment," Katniss informed them as she went to him. "So why would the topic come up anyway?" She sat on the piano bench and looked up at him. "Sit."

Peeta listened dutifully, settling next to her on the bench.

Katniss began to play and he immediately recognized the Mozart tune that was playing in the car.

"I know all, I see all, I hear all," she murmured quietly to him as she played and then looked into his eyes. "You read the baby book."

It had taken a whole day and some note taking, but he had managed to do it. "I did."

Her eyes filled and her mouth turned up into a soft smile before her eyes went back to the keys.

"My Dad began teaching me how to play when I turned six," she said as Peeta watched her move her fingers gracefully.

He was mesmerized and leaning closer, his lips went to her ear, "You're amazing."

Katniss turned to him, her eyes suddenly darker. "Do you want to see my room later?"

"You two are adorable."

The playing stopped and they looked up to see Johanna standing at the archway.

"Aren't they?" Laurel replied with a smile.

Gabe seemed to look a little more at ease, too.

Peeta breathed a sigh of relief. They had managed to not mess it all up yet.

Laurel went to hug Johanna. "Where are your parents?"

"They're coming," she replied after she hugged Gabe. "They're still at their house spoiling Jenna with a brand new wardrobe." Johanna sat on the couch. "So what have you been talking about?"

"I was just telling Peeta how I played the piano," Katniss said and narrowed her eyes at her friend.

"Did you tell him that you were valedictorian, too?"

Peeta looked over at her proudly, "That's something, sweetheart."

And for the millionth time, he wondered how he ever ended up with someone like her.

"It's nothing—" Katniss looked over at Johanna, who was talking to her parents. They were looking over Jenna's latest photos and cooing. She turned to him again. "Did you want to take the house tour?"

He quirked a brow at her and she looked down, trying to hide her blush. "How long will the tour be?"

She looked over at Johanna. "Maybe twenty minutes?"

"So I heard that you were thinking about going to London next year with my parents?" Johanna said loudly. Her eyes briefly met Peeta's and she winked.

"Make it twenty-five," Katniss said and stood up. "Come on." Pulling him up, she opened the patio door and pushed him outside.

"Where are we going?"

"Just trust me," she replied and took his hand to lead him out of the patio and towards the standalone garage at the end of their driveway. Making a sharp turn towards the house, she opened a door and they were in the kitchen.

The kitchen was large, with an island adjacent to the entrance. Pots hung over the stove and a large fridge was planted by them.

"This is where the back entrance to the upstairs is," she told him and they walked up quietly together. "Prim and I used to sneak out of the house this way." The stairway narrowed and they found themselves shoulder to shoulder.

"After you," he said quietly. She gave him a smile before moving a step up.

Peeta followed her up, admiring how well the burgundy skirt hugged her curves.

They reached the top and he noticed that they were in a carpeted hallway. "Let's start the tour."

He looked over at her. "You were serious?"

"Of course," she said with a nod. Katniss pointed to the door at the end of the hall with the long doorknob. "My parents' room is here, and the door to the right is my Dad's office."

"What does he do?"

"He owns a small sporting goods store." They walked down the hall and he spotted an elementary school picture of Katniss hanging on the wall— her hair in braids and wearing a flowered red dress. She was pretty even then. "I worked there after school."

"I bet you got a lot of guys to buy things from you."

"Not really – especially once they knew what I specialized in."

"Do you hunt, too?"

"Actually, I can shoot," she told him as she opened a door to a room full of scattered clothes and pale pink furniture. "Prim's room—she's a hot mess."

"So you shoot?"

"Arrows." She went to the door opposite of Prim's and leaned against it. "My room." She turned the knob and pushed the door open. "After you."

He walked in quickly then looked over at her. "Yellow?"

"I was into it when I was a kid," she replied as she closed the door behind her. He heard the click of the door being locked. "I wanted something a little more brassy—but my mom insisted on a softer yellow. I agreed only because of the name." She walked past him and sat on her white framed bed with soft grey sheets.

Katniss looked over at him, her eyes suddenly nervous. "Sit."

He went to her and sat, their shoulders just barely touching though he could feel the current of heat between them.

His eyes went to hers and he felt his throat go dry. "So what was the name of the yellow?"

Katniss placed a hand over his before answering, "Dandelion." She laughed softly. "Kind of dorky, I know."

Her eyes went over to the window above the headboard of her bed. The sun was just beginning to set and the light hit the room turning the soft yellow into orange.

She looked over at him. "I've never been alone with a boy in my room until now."

"Not even Gale?"

"I don't count Gale as a boy."

"How do you suppose he got Johanna pregnant then?"

"She could've done it herself," she told him with a grin. "Johanna is that powerful." They shared a quick laugh. "Anyway, he's been in here but it was always with Johanna. I never noticed that when they left they were sneaking into her house, though. I was very naïve."

Katniss laid back against the mattress and he followed after a second. Looking over, Peeta could see her chest rising and falling rapidly and her hands shaking before they settled on the little bump. "What's wrong?"

"I'm scared of this," she told him as she caressed her stomach and he could see the tears beginning to form. "Are we going to be okay?"

He pushed himself up on his side and turned to her. "I don't know," he replied honestly. His lips went to her forehead as his thumb wiped the tear that ran down her temple. "But I'll be here with you—whatever happens."

Katniss nodded, inhaling shakily as she did. "And I'm scared to tell them; is it too late back out?"

He could hear the sounds of conversation downstairs. "It's up to you, but we did come here with a purpose and they're your family—you can't avoid them. And they love you and they would be really hurt if you-"

She glared at him. "Don't guilt trip me, Peeta—my Dad does the same thing!" Her eyes widened and Katniss grinned. "When did you become such a Dad?"

He laughed softly. "The same time you became a Mom."

"And when was that?"

"When you started getting scared of this," he told her and placed his hand over the one touching her abdomen. "You care, Katniss, but don't worry—you're going to be a great mother."

Her hand reached up and she ran a thumb over his lips. "Don't make me say something I might regret."

Peeta pressed his forehead against hers, looking into her slate eyes until he began to feel breathless.

"Me, too."

"You ready?" she asked him as they stood by the stairs.

"It's just a few more people," Peeta reassured her as they began to walk down the stairs.

He could hear the loud chatter and laughter as everyone greeted each other. It was reassuring—they all sounded happy.

However, when they reached the bottom of the stairs and came into view—the noisy conversation ceased.

Her lips went to his ear. "Still okay?"

"Just keep walking."

He couldn't feel his face right now.

Peeta could tell who the Hawthornes were right away. Mrs. Hawthorne had dark, curly hair and her eyes were the same shape as Rory's. She looked remarkably young for someone with two grown sons. Mr. Hawthorne had a buzzcut and Peeta could see that Gale had gotten his height from him—as well as his hard stare.

Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne looked like they were brother and sister due the olive skin that they both shared.

Johanna's parents were a different story.

Mrs. Mason was an Amazonian of a woman with maroon hair and piercing, almond shaped eyes, while Mr. Mason was a wisp of a man with a blond comb-over, glasses and a thick mustache. They were dressed elegantly for a casual, family dinner.

"It's about time you got down here," Mrs. Mason said as she tried not to smile. "We thought you might have run off when you heard us coming."

"Of course not," Katniss replied and she let go of his hand momentarily to go the woman.

Johanna went to Peeta and smiled. "Enjoy the house tour?"

"It was – informative."

She laughed. "Taught Katniss everything I know," she said and leaned closely to him. "How do you think I got Gale to come over to my house so often?"

Peeta looked over at Gale, who was holding Jenna as he talked to his parents. "So he must know everything about your house?"

"He doesn't even know where the bathroom is," Johanna replied. "But ask him which drawer my teal bra is in—"

"—Peeta?" He turned to see Katniss with Johanna's parents. "This is Angelica and Luke, Johanna's parents."

He hoped his face wasn't as red as he thought it was.

"Dear boy, you look like you have a fever," Angelica said with a teasing grin. "We don't scare you that much, do we?"

"No, ma'am," Peeta replied as he shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you." He held out his hand to Mr. Mason. "It's nice to meet you as well, sir."

"Of course, son," Luke said in a soft voice. "We're all excited to meet you. Katniss has never brought a boy home, so you must be a good one."

Oh God, they were all going to kill him.

"Peeta—" He looked over to see Gale approaching. Jenna struggled out of his arms and he placed her on the floor so that she could go to Peeta's side. "These are my parents—Hazelle and Jacob."

Gale turned to his parents. "Now you can stop grilling me about whether or not he's a psycho."

Hazelle scowled at her son. "We didn't say anything like that!" She turned to Peeta with a gracious smile. "Nice to meet you, sweetie." She gave him a hug. "It's just that we've known Katniss since she was a baby and now she's bringing a boy to come see us—"

Jacob shook his hand as he looked him up and down. "Don't mind her, she and the other moms have been in a tizzy about Katniss and this new boyfriend of hers."

"Why is this such a big deal?" Katniss asked suddenly as she joined him.

"They all thought that you would die a dried-up virgin." He turned to see a young girl with shoulder length jet-black hair, a striped shirt, and ripped skinny jeans standing before them.

She looked at Peeta briefly, a small blush hitting her cheeks and turned to Katniss. "Not to mention, your Mom thought that you were a lesbian when you were in college."

"This is our very sweet daughter, Posy," Jacob said as the girl rolled her eyes. "Our other boy, Vick, is on a date but you'll meet him eventually."

Peeta smiled at her and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

She shook it once, chewing on her gum as she responded, "Pleasure."

"I never thought that!" Laurel protested, her cheeks red. "But she wasn't dating in high school, and then no one during college…"

"We get it," Katniss said. "Now can we please just go have dinner?"

"You heard her!" Prim suddenly shouted. "INTO THE DINING ROOM!"

Between Prim and Johanna, they managed to herd everyone out of the entryway until there was no one but Katniss and Peeta along with Jenna, who he scooped up into his arms.

"Are you still okay?" Katniss asked. "It's not too late to run."

He turned to Jenna. "What do you think?"

Jenna turned to Katniss. "Don't be a scaredy-cat."

"Yeah, don't be a scaredy-cat," Peeta mimicked and then put an around her as they walked to the dining room.

She looked over at Jenna and him with a small smile. "I'm screwed if we have a girl."

"So how did you two meet?"

The question had come up as dessert was being served—a white cake with strawberries.

They had managed to avoid anything pertaining to their relationship due to Katniss always having food in her mouth and Johanna or Prim running interference for them.

He had to remember to thank them later.

Peeta turned to Katniss who was on his left. "Did you want to tell them?"

"I met him at a club," she told everyone. "He was bartending there; I picked him up."

Prim almost choked on her drink.

Rory, who sitting next to her, patted her back.

"So you're a bartender," Gabe said, leaning his elbows on the table as he looked at him. "Interesting."

He could feel himself sinking into his seat.

"Can you make an old-fashioned?" Luke asked from where he sat across from Peeta.

"Yes, my Dad likes them," he replied and the man nodded in approval.

"And what do your parents do?" That question came from Jacob.

"My Dad is an architect, and my Mom is an art restorer."

"What is his name?" Angelica asked. "I've worked with a few architects since I'm in interior design."

"It's Richard Mellark," he told her.

She dropped her fork, the clank echoing in the room. "Your father is Richard Mellark? Well, I'll be damned—I love his work and he works with that great wood craftsman—Haymitch Abernathy."

"Haymitch is my Godfather."

He felt Katniss take his hand under the table.

While Peeta appreciated his Dad's talent, he had spent a majority of his life living in the shadow of his last name.

It seemed like history was about to repeat itself as he tried to make a good impression with Katniss' family.

"Did everyone get cake?" Laurel asked.

Everyone nodded an affirmative.

"NO!" It was Jenna who she sat on Peeta's right. "The baby didn't."

The room went silent.

It was happening again—he couldn't feel his face.

"There isn't a baby here," Johanna told her daughter slowly from across the table. Then she looked over at Gale nervously. "Right?"

Gale wiped his mouth quickly. "YES! Uh—Jenna? It's not nice to make up stories."

"I'm NOT!" she protested and glared at her dad. "You said there is a baby in Katniss and that's why she can't carry me like she used to!"

"Shit." It was Prim from somewhere across the table.

"You're pregnant?" Laurel looked over at Katniss from where she stood.

She took a deep breath before answering, "Yes."

"How could you let her get pregnant?" Angelica asked her daughter.

"Yes, Mom," Johanna responded with a glare. "I physically stood there and LET him impregnate her. I even drew a DIAGRAM!"

"How could you let her get pregnant?" Hazelle asked and smacked the back of Gale's head. "She's like your sister!"

"I didn't know he was sleeping over until I saw him coming out of our pool house!"

This time, Johanna smacked him on the back of his head.

Laurel sat in her chair and then looked over at them calmly. "Okay. So when are you getting married?"

Katniss snorted loudly. "Married? You're joking, right?"

Peeta responded, "When she's ready."

Did he just say that?

She looked over at him incredulously. "You want to get married?"

"Of course, he does," Laurel said to her. "It's what right." She looked over at Gabe. "Tell her."

"Dad?" Katniss met her father's eyes. He had remained emotionless throughout the whole announcement.

Peeta watched him stare at Katniss for a moment.

Then pushing his chair out, he stood up and walked out of the room.

"Can we come in?"

They looked up to see Gale and Johanna at her doorway.

After Gabe walked off, Laurel promptly sent Katniss and Peeta to her room until she could talk some sense into her husband.

Katniss nodded at the couple as she hugged her pillow.

They had spent twenty minutes in silence, with her clinging to that pillow and Peeta's arm around her shoulder.

"We're sorry about Jenna," Johanna said as she sat on the corner of the bed. "I guess we weren't clear with her about what she could and couldn't share."

"Our parents aren't as mad as we thought," Gale told them and met Peeta's eyes sympathetically. "They're worried, but they aren't mad. I think maybe you should just sit down with yours and talk it out."

"Thanks," Peeta replied.

Katniss remained silent.

They both stood up and Johanna called him outside.

After making sure Katniss was okay, he went into the hallway and closed the door behind him.

"This is bad," Johanna said. "Katniss' Dad is the calmest out of all our fathers and he won't even speak to her."

"This is just like the time that she cracked the windshield of his Convertible," Gale said. "He wouldn't speak for weeks."

"I think this is a little different than a broken windshield," Johanna said before turning back to Peeta. "Anyway, just be prepared for when it comes out between those two."

"Okay, thanks—wish me luck." He headed towards the Gabe's office.

"Where the fuck are you going?" Gale rushed up to him. "You're going to get killed."

"I promised myself that I would protect her," Peeta said.

Gale's eyes went over to Johanna, who stood by the stairs with her arms crossed.

Peeta followed his gaze and then looked at him again. "Don't tell me that you wouldn't do the same."

"Come in."

Peeta opened the door quietly and entered the office where he found Katniss' father sitting behind his desk.

He looked up when he heard the door click closed. "Oh, it's you." The friendly light in his eyes had gone out, now replaced with a cold stare.

"I guess you were expecting Katniss," Peeta replied.

"Or my wife—ready for round two."

Peeta looked around the office. The walls to the sides were built-in bookshelves while the only window in the room was behind Gabe's desk.

"So you know how to make an old-fashioned?" Gabe gestured to the corner where a beverage cart stood. "Why don't you make me one before explaining how you haven't ruined my daughter's life?"

Peeta could feel the sting of his words from across the room.

Taking a calming breath, he walked to the cart and grabbed a thick-bottomed glass. "Bourbon or rye?"

"Bourbon—so you realize that my daughter will never be able to attend Johns Hopkins because of you?"

Peeta reached for a sugar cube in the small container next to the ice and placed it inside the cup. He found the Angostura bottle easily and saturated the cube before taking some water from a carafe and adding it into the cup.

"Your daughter will go to Johns Hopkins because she deserves it," he replied as he waited for the cube to dissolve. "Nothing will stop her."

"And are you going with her? What about the baby?"

Peeta open the ice bucket and filled the scooper. After dropping the ice in, he found the bourbon and added it into the drink.

Taking the glass, he went to Gabe and set it in front of him before sitting in the seat across from the man.

"I go where they go," Peeta replied.

He never thought that those words would come out of his mouth so easily.

"So you would uproot your life," her father began. "Just to make sure that she got what she wanted—and why would you do that?"

Peeta didn't hesitate to answer, "Because you do those things for someone you love."

Gabe took a long sip from the glass before replying, "You're not good enough for her—not by a long shot."

The door burst open and Katniss marched in, her eyes hard. "I think we're ready to leave."

Laurel walked in behind her, and it was clear that they had been listening through the door.

Peeta stood up and she went to his side.

Taking his hand, Katniss turned to her father.

"I chose to be with him and since then, Peeta has done nothing but care for me," she said, her voice firm. "And I know that this wasn't the way you planned—or even the way I planned for my life to go, but don't you dare blame him as if he's the one who ruined your big plans for me! I made the choice to keep this baby and I made the choice to be with him."

She cleared her throat, but the rest of her words were choked, "We're going to be okay – with or without you in our lives."

"Katniss, sweetie—" Laurel went to them.

"—Prim is waiting for us," she informed her mother. "We should get going." Katniss hugged her mother as her other hand clung to Peeta's. "Bye, Mom—love you."

Laurel pulled away and her eyes were wet. "Love you too, baby."

She looked to Peeta, her eyes pleading with him. "Take care of our girl."

He nodded before being pulled out the door.

"How did it go?" Cato asked when they entered the house.

Prim had dropped them off because they both couldn't deal with Johanna and Gale grilling them about what happened.

Annie and Finnick looked up from where they sat on the floor with a bag of candy in front of them and Thresh paused the game he was playing to look over at them.

Peeta couldn't respond and Katniss simply put her head on his shoulder.

"That bad?" Thresh asked.

Annie stood up and went to them, offering the bag.

Katniss managed to give her a watery smile before taking a Tootsie Pop and walking quickly down the hallway to his room.

Annie held out the bag for him. He took out another Tootsie Pop.

"Thanks," he replied listlessly before going to his room.

Peeta found her sitting on his bed, crying into her hands.

He had never felt so helpless in all his life.

Closing the door behind him, Peeta rushed over and kneeled in front of her. "Tell me what to do."

"Just hold me," she responded through her tears. "And lie—even if you don't think we'll be okay."

Peeta stood up. "Come lay down, babe." Katniss tossed her shoes off before moving across the bed. He followed suit so that he could pull her into his arms. "We're going to be okay and I'm not lying to you."

"Everything you said—was it all true?" She put her hand on his chest and he sighed, enjoying the weight of her hand against his heart.

"Yes," he said tightly.

Katniss snuggled closer and he could hear the exhaustion in her voice. "And do you really want to get married?"

"I want you in whatever way you'll have me."

"I always thought that when I got proposed to, it would be because the person was in love with me," she said quietly. "And I know what you said—that you love me. But if it weren't for the baby, would we even be here? Would your feelings be real?"

Peeta thought back to that moment when they first met, and how he had almost dropped the glass he was holding when her grey eyes met his.

He had memorized her movements as he talked to her that night: the way she tucked her hair behind her ear, her laugh, the way she used her hands when she was telling him a story and that brilliant smile that he constantly tried to get her to give him.

Unconsciously, his hand found its way to the single braid down her back and he gently tugged the tie off so that he could unravel it into waves.

Peeta watched those waves sway as she walked to the dance floor with Prim; he remembered how his heart sank each time she walked away because he feared that he would never see her again.

And then the realization hit and it hit hard – he had been in love with her all along, since that very first moment their eyes had met across the bar with a David Guetta song blaring in the background.

Katniss mumbled and he realized that she had fallen asleep.

It was for probably for the best.

He kissed her hair, smelling sunshine and remembering her smile as they laid in her dandelion room.

"It's real."

That ended pretty angsty—sorry. This story keeps drifting further from the actual "Knocked Up" story, but I'm liking this route.

As you can see, this is a hard part of the pregnancy for Katniss—she is especially hormonal and the combined stress of having her Dad react so badly has taken his toll on her emotions. She's no longer the same in her father's eyes, which is hard on her.

So when I imagine the Everdeen house and neighborhood, I imagine the house from Father of the Bride.

An old-fashioned is a cocktail beverage that uses whiskey along with Angostura bitters in it, the bottle for Angostura is known for its oversized label. It's a basic drink and the glass used for it is called an old fashioned glass.

So there is a distinct difference between the Masons and the Hawthornes. The Masons, I imagine, weren't expecting to have a child but ended up having Johanna. They're old money. I imagined the Hawthornes as the high school sweethearts who got married right out of high school when they were eighteen and began popping them out.

So you've met the parents—and truthfully, I didn't think I would write their reactions as I did.

Reviews, asks, and questions are always welcome through FF, AO3 or Tumblr! Give me some love!

Next: 15 weeks—appointments with Effie, the return of Haymitch, money issues and parenting lessons.

Until then,

JLaLa