A/N: Alright guys here it is, the second to last chapter of this story. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks as always to the amazing Court81981 for being the best beta/friend ever! Let me know what you think! I'm on tumblr ~ thegirlonpeetamellark :)

After going back to the police station so Peeta can get his car and explain what happened tonight and why he's ending his shift early, we end up back at his apartment.

When he opens the door for me, I walk through it and head straight towards his bedroom.

I turn to face him just as he walks in and closes the door behind him. He eyes me carefully, still not saying anything. Neither one of us has said anything since I told him I wanted to come back here tonight.

I pull my shirt over my head.

"Katniss..." he says, shoving his hands into his pockets and averting his eyes with a conflicted shrug of his shoulders. My hands move to my skirt, pushing it to the floor.

I stand there before him in nothing but my bra and panties, a pulsing, nervous energy flowing through me.

I crawl onto his bed and lay back against his pillows.

"Come here," I ask softly, studying his face.

He steps closer to the bed, and I blush when I see him looking me up and down. His gaze lands on my face and in his eyes I can see a mix of desire and concern.

"Please," I say, reaching out to him, needing him in my arms.

He hesitates for a long moment and I'm afraid for a second that he's going to deny me this, he's going to insist that he knows what I need in this moment after what happened more than I do. Eventually though he strips off his white t-shirt, revealing his toned, strong chest and then moves to unzip his jeans, dropping them to the floor until he's left in his boxers. He steps closer to the bed, and I can see the evidence of his excitement jutting out against the fabric of his underwear.

"Why are you doing this?" he asks, leaning down to rest his hands on either side of me on the bed so his face is close to mine.

"I want you," I respond, putting my hands on his shoulders. "I want you to kiss me and hold me and touch me. I want you to show me that what happened isn't going to haunt me, that I'm stronger than that, that I won't be scared from now on." I push his hair off his forehead and trail my fingers down his cheeks. "Kiss me, please."

He hesitates for half a second before leaning down and kissing me softly, sucking my bottom lip into his mouth. He kisses me like that for a little bit, tasting and sucking and making me antsy for more.

Eventually he moves his lips down the hollow of my neck and then to that spot right behind my ear. I cling to his shoulders and run my hand through his hair as the heat pools low in my belly.

He pulls away and grabs my face in his hands, forcing me to look into those ocean blue eyes of his.

"Are you sure? Maybe this is too soon…"

I don't let him finish though, because I don't even want him to speak about it. I cut him off with a kiss and when I pull back, I try and make sure he believes me.

"That has nothing to do with it. This is about how I feel about you." I grab his hand and move it down to cover my breast, and he squeezes it immediately.

I moan and bite down on my bottom lip. "Please, Peeta," I whimper as he continues gently kneading my breast.

He pulls back and then moves down to pull my underwear off. He returns to kissing me, and my bra soon falls away too.

"I want you really wet if we're going to do this," he says between kisses.

I whimper and rock my hips towards him. He still hasn't fully climbed onto bed to join me.

"I'm already wet," I offer, and he just smiles against my lips.

"I know you are," he says, trailing his lips down my neck again and to my chest.

He pauses at my breasts to take the two small mounds in his hands, cupping them and squeezing them gently and letting his tongue flick out to lick my nipples. I'm a mess of incoherent noises at this point, and when he lowers his mouth to suck my nipples into his mouth, I cry out desperately, clutching at his hair.

Then he moves down my stomach, leaving a trail of kisses until before I can even consider it his face is between my legs, and he's pressing kisses to my inner thighs.

"Peeta, what—"

"I know you're already wet, but I think this will help even more," he explains, looking up at me before his tongue juts out to taste me.

I cry out, my back arching off the bed as I throw my head back into the pillow.

I moan his name as his tongue traces my folds, licking up all the evidence of my arousal and pressing his lips against me.

"You taste good," he hums against me as I rock my hips into his face, eager for more.

Any doubts or lingering feelings of embarrassment about him doing this to me completely disappear in a daze of lust. All I can focus on, all I can think and feel and understand in this moment is his mouth on me.

"Don't stop," I beg, reaching out to grab at his hair.

I scream when I feel him push two fingers inside me, and his tongue circles my clit teasingly. The pleasure is so intense, coming on so fast and hard that I'm nearly trembling and when he sucks my clit into his mouth I shatter, waves of pure bliss hitting me over and over again.

When I come back down from my high, I realize Peeta has crawled on top of me in bed and has shed his boxers. He is kissing my neck sweetly, and I can feel the thick, hard length of him against my inner thigh. I reach down and take him in my hand and he hisses with pleasure.

"I want you," I whisper, running my thumb of his tip, swirling the pre-cum down his length.

He kisses me once more and then grabs the condom he had placed beside us on the bed, tears it open, and quickly sheaths himself. He places himself at my opening, and when he looks back up at me I feel my heart stutter. As much as I trust Peeta, and as relaxed and as good as I feel after that orgasm, I still feel myself tense just a bit when I realize what we're about to do.

He must sense it because he lifts a hand to push some hair away from my face and leans down to kiss me gently. I feel him start to push inside me, and I hold my breath and close my eyes.

"Hey," he says sweetly, "open your eyes. Look at me."

I force my eyes to meet his as he pushes all the way into me. Looking into those ocean blue orbs as he thrusts inside me makes my heart tighten and my stomach fill with butterflies. His gaze is so intense, locked on my own, refusing to let me look away. My mouth falls open at the feeling of him stretching me, breaking me for the first time.

I whimper when he almost immediately pulls back out and pushes inside me again.

The discomfort is already fading, and pleasure starts radiating out down my legs and throughout the rest of my body.

My eyes flutter shut, and then I hear his voice.

"Katniss, look at me."

I force my gaze to meet his again and somehow looking into his eyes makes everything that much more intense. My lower belly tightens when I see the pleasure spreading across his face, the glazed look in his eyes, his jaw going slack, his nostrils flaring as his pace increases.

His thrusts start to come faster and harder, and when he reaches down to rub my clit, I wail into the silence of the room, begging him for more, ready to come undone.

When I explode, it's nothing like any of orgasms he's given me before because the feeling of him inside me as I fall apart is otherworldly.

The tremors are still racking my body as he keeps pounding into me, his hips jerking erratically until finally he comes with a strangled shout and collapses against me.

When he pulls out of me to dispose of the condom, I immediately miss the feel of him inside me, the feel of us being connected.

He pulls me into his arms, rubbing his hands up and down my back as he kisses me. I feel so good and safe and happy that I hear myself start to say what I'm thinking before second-guessing it.

"Would it be a total cliché if I told you I loved you right now?"

He laughs and cups my face in his hands.

"No. Say it," he pleads.

I bite my lip, and feel the flush cover my face and neck.

"I think I'm in love with you," I admit, shyly.

He kisses me and when he pulls away he whispers into my ear.

"Well, I know I'm in love with you."

"Katniss, wake up!"

"No, please don't! Stop, no, please!" I cry out in desperation, flailing my arms out to try and push my attacker away.

"Katniss, wake up! It's okay, you're safe, it's just a dream," Peeta's voice breaks through my dazed, dream state and I freeze, opening my eyes to see his concerned blue ones hovering above me.

"Peeta?" I croak out, feeling my heart start to return to a normal pace when I realize I'm not in any danger, that I was just having a nightmare.

"I'm here, you're safe," he reassures me, cupping my face in his hands, kissing me softly.

"I...I had a nightmare," I explain, my voice cracking at the end as the images of what I was just experiencing that felt so real come back to me. I saw the guy who attacked me tonight holding me down, pulling my underwear off, trying to force himself on me.

I shiver with revulsion at just the thought and cling to Peeta's shoulders, feeling my chest start to heave with sobs, tears slipping down my face.

"I...he was...the guy..." I trip over my words as I try and explain to Peeta, but I can't finish before I break down sobbing. Thankfully, he seems to understand because he just pulls me against him and runs a hand over my hair soothingly.

"It's okay. You're okay," Peeta repeats this phrase soothingly until I have no more tears left to cry.

"I'm sorry," I mumble when my body stops shaking, wiping the wetness from my face.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Peeta states firmly.

"I'm sorry for waking you up and freaking you out," I mumble against his chest, not meeting his eyes. I feel embarrassed suddenly to have had him seen me like this. Bad dreams are nothing new for me really, but I've never had anyone else in my bed to witness them before.

"I'm not," he replies. "I'm glad I was here to help you through it. What happened to you last night was a traumatic experience for anyone, Katniss. It's okay if it upset you, and it's okay to still be hurting from it."

I lift my head to look at him, propping my chin to my chest.

"I just...I don't want to drag you down with my crap," I admit weakly, feeling like I'm more vulnerable in this moment than I have ever been with him before.

He moves us so I'm on my back and he's hovering over me in one quick motion.

He stares into my eyes and settles his hips between my legs. I become really aware for the first time since I woke up from my nightmare that we're both still completely naked from when we made love earlier.

"I thought I told you I loved you earlier," he whispers against my skin, leaning down to kiss up my exposed throat and the ticklish spot behind my ear. He palms my breast, and I whimper when he starts to knead it gently.

"You did," I gasp.

"Well then I don't want to hear any of this 'dragging me down' nonsense. I love you. I want to be here for you, help you, protect you." He brings his lips up to meet mine, and I lose myself in the kiss.

"I love you," I breathe when we break away. "Make love to me," I ask, reaching down to grab his now stiff cock, trailing it up and down my wet folds, rubbing it over my clit and making us both hiss in pleasure.

"Fuck, Katniss," he moans, moving to retrieve a condom and putting it on in record time.

When he pushes inside me for the second time, I cry out at how good it feels. My nails dig into his biceps as he slides in to the hilt and stretches me in a good way.

His hands go to my hips, and he holds me as he rolls onto his back, keeping us connected.

"You can set the pace this way," he explains, as I get used to the new position.

He feels so much deeper this way. Slowly, I start to experiment, rising up off him and sliding back down before rocking my hips back and forth to stimulate my clit against his pelvic bone.

I find a rhythm that I like and start to really get into it, riding him so enthusiastically that my breasts are bouncing with my movements and my hair is flying all around.

"Fuck, just like that, ride me," Peeta grunts, reaching up to palm my breasts.

The pleasure is spiking hard and fast, and I start to lose control as I approach my climax. I rock against him desperately and reach down to circle my clit. Within seconds, I'm screaming his name and falling against him as I come. The mind-blowing ecstasy of having sex with him, of orgasming with him still inside me, is so intense I tremble from the pleasure rolling through me.

His hands drop down to cup my ass as he continues thrusting inside me a few more times before finding his own release.

He rolls me onto my back, and after disposing of the condom, he curls up against my side, pulling my back flush against his chest.

"You are so beautiful and perfect," he sighs happily, pressing kisses along my neck.

"You just like having sex with me," I tease.

"I love having sex with you," he corrects. "I love being with you. I love having you sleep in my bed. I love you."

My heart pounds a strong, steady beat in response to his words and I tell myself to just enjoy this moment, enjoy being with him like this.

Knowing how things have always turned out for me it probably won't last long.

We walk into the police station the next night for my final day of my ride along.

After finally waking in the late afternoon Peeta made us a late lunch/early dinner with the ingredients in his fridge. We migrated to his living room to watch TV and fool around some more. He was hesitant to make love again since my body was still getting used to it, but I promised him I wasn't sore and that I really wanted it.

I discovered biting down on his ear lobe can make him agree to just about anything, because shortly after he was taking me from behind.

I say something to make Peeta laugh as he holds the door to the station open for me, and his eyes twinkle as we walk in together, his hand on my lower back, guiding me.

I'm studying his face, watching every detail: the way he throws his head back; the deep belly laugh that falls from his lips, the sound warm and lovely and comforting; the slight crinkles around his eyes. I love every detail about him. I love the clean shave of his defined jaw, I love the blue shade of his eyes, and I love the soft pink of his lips and how his tongue peeks out to lick them.

I'm so lost in my thoughts, so wrapped up in everything Peeta, that I don't recognize the familiar voice talking loudly until I'm barely a couple of feet away.

"Katniss!"

I whip my head around and freeze, Peeta coming to a stop beside me. My eyes go wide and my mouth falls open as I try and process the sight in front of me.

"Dad?"

My father turns from where he has just been speaking with Chief Abernathy and steps towards me.

My initial reaction for some reason is to take a step back.

When my father notices this, he stops too and a wounded look appears on his face.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"I'm trying to figure out why you haven't been home the last three nights," he grumbles, his eyes quickly flitting over to Peeta, making my stomach turn to knots.

"I was at Madge's," I reply automatically, trying to get him to stop looking at Peeta suspiciously.

He raises an eyebrow at this, but doesn't question it.

"Well, regardless, I would like you to keep me updated about your whereabouts. I haven't seen you in practically a week, and I wanted to know how this ride along was going so I came down here to speak with Chief Abernathy."

I resist the urge to roll my eyes or make some snappy comment about his sudden interest in my life. I just want to get him out of here as quickly as possible. The way he keeps eyeing Peeta is pissing me off.

"It's going great, Dad," I explain through gritted teeth. "Tonight is the final night so you don't have to worry anymore. I'll be home when the shift ends tomorrow morning."

He opens his mouth to respond, like he's going to yell at me some more, or like he wants to question me further about this week, but he doesn't get the chance.

"Mr. Everdeen?" Peeta steps in front of me and offers his hand for my father to shake. "Hi, I'm Officer Mellark. Your daughter has been accompanying me this week on the ride along."

My dad shakes Peeta's hand, but I can see the wheels turning in his head and I can see exactly what he's thinking: that Peeta is awfully young and that the pair of us looked awfully friendly when we walked in together.

"If you want, I'd be happy to speak with you privately for a few moments about Katniss and our time together this week," Peeta offers, and my stomach drops.

I can feel my heart starting to pound as the thought of my father and Peeta discussing me in any way terrifies me. Logically, I know Peeta isn't going to tell him that we're together, but in my mind these two men are kept in such different places that the idea of them actually together and talking is throwing me off.

My father's eyes dart between Peeta and me quickly before nodding in agreement.

When he turns away, Peeta glances back at me and offers me a reassuring look, but it doesn't do enough to calm me down as the two of them step away for a chat.

I step towards Chief Abernathy's desk and sit down in the open chair across from him. The older man hasn't said much to me this week other than to nickname me 'sweetheart' and shoot out a few sarcastic remarks about my criminal behavior here and there.

"Your father is quite the piece of work," he says, turning his newspaper and not looking over at me.

I glance over to where Peeta and my father are engaged in a quiet, yet thankfully calm, conversation across the room.

"That he is," I agree.

"You're lucky the boy stepped up for you," he explains. "He could sweet talk a dog off a meat truck. He'll calm your father down for you real nice."

I'm listening to Chief Abernathy, but my eyes are trained on my father and Peeta talking. I balk when my father actually laughs—full on tilts his head back and closes his eyes with a huge smile on his face—because of something Peeta said. I haven't seen him laugh like that in so long. He probably hasn't laughed like that since before Prim passed.

My chest surges with warmth and affection for Peeta, and I can feel myself fall for him a little more.

After another moment they shake hands, and my father pats Peeta on the shoulder kindly.

"Told you he'd take care of it," the chief mumbles beside me. "He's awfully fond of you, that boy. And you seem to be a fan of his as well."

I look over at the older man, and he just stares right back at me. My stomach twists when I can see by the look in his eyes that he knows there is something between Peeta and me. I don't know how, but I can just tell that he does.

Before I can truly contemplate that fact, Peeta and my father are back at my side. I stand up from the chair and look between them a little anxiously.

"I'm going to go grab my things and get into uniform," Peeta speaks first. "I'll meet you out back by the squad car in ten."

When he leaves, I turn to my father, who seems so much more at ease than when I first walked in here.

He steps forward and places a kiss to my forehead. Something he used to do when I was little, and something he hasn't done in a long, long time.

I feel a lump form in my throat.

"Be safe sweetie. I'll see you tomorrow."

I walk out the back entrance of the station and spot Peeta standing near his cop car, dressed in full uniform, arms crossed in front of his chest, waiting for me.

I can't help the giddy grin that appears on my face as I do my best not to skip towards him.

"You are amazing," I say as I approach him. "What did you say to him?"

He shrugs and tries not to grin, but I can see by the little sparkle in his eye that he is clearly pleased with himself.

"Oh, I just told him how I was making it a point to try and get through to you this week, change the error of your ways and all that," he laughs. "I joked about how it wasn't an easy task given how stubborn you are."

I roll my eyes, but smile all the same.

"Well, whatever you said, it worked," I assure him. "I can tell when my father likes and trusts someone, and somehow you got on his good side in less than five minutes."

"Good," he says, reaching out to link our hands together. "Because I plan on being with his daughter for a long time, and I want his approval eventually."

My heart skips a beat, both at the idea of Peeta wanting to be with me for a long time, and the thought of him actually telling my father one day that he is dating me. I push away the worry though and just focus on the look in his eyes, the way his thumb is running over my knuckles softly.

My stomach tightens when I think about how much I care about him already, about the way we've made love so intensely. So much of this has happened so fast, but at the same time it feels so right, like it was always supposed to happen this way.

I step closer to him and wrap a hand around his neck, pulling him into a kiss. He slips an arm around my waist and pushes his tongue against my lips, tracing my mouth, tasting me. I moan and go to open my mouth when a loud voice breaks our private moment.

"Mellark!"

We spring away from each other like guilty children, and I turn to see Chief Abernathy standing about ten yards away.

No. No. No.

My heart starts to beat frantically as my stomach drops. I avoid the chief's eyes and pretend that if I don't move, he can't see me.

"We need to talk after your shift ends tonight," Chief Abernathy says, and I can't detect anything in his voice: no anger, no disappointment, no surprise, nothing.

"Yes, sir," Peeta responds automatically.

I think I hear the chief huff just before he turns to walk away. Only when I hear the door to the station swing shut do I finally turn to look at Peeta.

"Oh my god," I whisper, covering my mouth with my hand. My stomach turns when I think about the implications of what just happened.

"Katniss, it's okay," Peeta tries to assure me.

I start to hyperventilate, chanting 'oh my god' over and over again, pacing back and forth in front of him. Finally, he reaches out to stop me, grabbing my arms and forcing me to look at him.

"Katniss, calm down," he says, a flicker of amusement in his eyes.

"Calm down?" I gape at him. "How the hell am I supposed to calm down? The chief of your precinct just saw us making out. How can you be so unaffected by this?"

He offers me a half shrug as he drops his hands and glances at the ground. I see in that moment that he is affected by what just happened. He's more than scared at the prospect of what's going to happen now, but he's trying not to let me see that.

"It's fine, Katniss. I'm part of a union. He can't fire me on the spot, and he's always liked me enough."

"What do you think he'll do?" I force myself to ask, not sure I want to hear the answer.

He glances away from me again and my stomach twists into knots. "Not sure. Maybe suspend me? Maybe nothing?"

I let those words sink in, my heart wrenching in pain when I think about what could happen to Peeta because of me. I don't know what I was thinking. I have been so deliriously happy with him these past few days that I had completely forgotten about what he was risking to be with me.

"Come on, we got to get going," Peeta says, opening the door to his car.

I relent and move around to the passenger side, sliding into the car with him as he pulls away from the station.

We drive in silence for a while and the longer the quiet goes on, the worse I feel.

"Katniss, don't worry," Peeta finally speaks up. "I knew exactly what I was doing when I took you back to my apartment that night. And I don't regret it for a single moment. I'm prepared to deal with the consequences of this."

For some reason his words cause the floodgates to open, and before I know it I'm crying, leaning my head against the car window and covering my face with my hands.

Once I get past my surprise at my outburst and my embarrassment over doing this in front of Peeta, I realize what I'm so worked up about. Peeta is ready to handle whatever happens to him because of our relationship. And he's not afraid of it. He's not running away, he's standing by my side. Maybe I didn't realize it until this moment, but I know now without a shadow of a doubt, that Peeta truly does love me.

The revelation is almost overwhelming, and I don't realize that Peeta has pulled the car over to the side of the road until I feel him reach out and touch my shoulder.

"Katniss, come here," he commands.

I throw my arms around him and bury my face in the crook of his neck, wetting his uniform. He rubs my back up and down soothingly and presses kisses to my hair and temple.

We whisper things like 'I'm sorry,' and 'It's okay,' and 'I love you,' until I've calmed down enough and he gets back on the road.

He holds my hand for the rest of the night, and when he drops me off at home after the shift ends, I make him promise to call me the second he gets done talking to the chief.

But I can't fall asleep because of the knot in my stomach and the fact that he's not by my side.