A/N- So I just finished my first week of school, and I was afraid I wouldn't find the time to write this chapter, but alas, here I am! I just want to say that I am extremely grateful for all of the reviews and follows and that I really appreciate you guys reading my story. Also, I've gotten several recent requests for me to read you guys' stories. Although I do admittedly read a lot of fanfiction and take these requests into consideration, I have been extremely busy lately and have not been able to keep up with them lately, so PLEASE DON'T FEEL BAD if I don't get to yours, but I do try my best. If you would like to keep up with me and my stories, please follow me on tumblr, the link is on my profile. I'm thinking of doing a Josh Hutcherson fanfiction there at some point for anyone who's interested. In the meantime, excuse the long note and enjoy the last chapter!

Chapter 10: The Wedding

Katniss

It took me a long time to accept the fact that Gale was dead. The strangest thing about it was that it made me feel extremely empty to know that he was truly gone for good. I didn't hate him enough to be happy about it, nor I was I one to rejoice such a fate. But I wasn't exactly mourning or pitying him either, since he somehow brought this upon himself. No, who I was truly feeling sorry for were the people who really loved him and which he left behind, these being his parents, siblings, and yes, even Madge Undersee. They all gave me sinister glares when I attended the funeral, knowing well that it was thanks to me that he had been discovered and that I had divorced him shortly before his trial. I wasn't seen as the woman who had been married to him; I was seen as the cruel woman who did nothing to defend him and everything to get rid of him. I knew I deserved it, but Gale had never been very nice to me either. It had been foolish and perhaps even rude and hypocritical of my part to believe that I would be accepted at his funeral.

"You went through all of that trouble to divorce him just so that he would end up dead," Madge hissed tersely as I had stood grimly beside her while they were digging his grave. Her eyes were sunken and hollow, a violent shade of purple coloring the bags beneath them. I had never seen her so dead and broken; it was almost as if she were the corpse instead of Gale. But of course she wouldn't want my pity.

"I didn't think he would die," I admitted softly.

She scowled at me. "I want to curse you, Katniss Everdeen, but you're not worth it. His family already hates you, and so do I. I hope I never see you again," she intoned darkly.

I pursed my lips tightly as I finally looked around me. She was right; everyone here hated me, so why had I even bothered to show up to my ex-husband's funeral? They were all looking at me as I if I were a vile creature, as if they were struggling to stop themselves from attacking me and tearing me into pieces. "I think I better go," I said in an undertone.

Madge nodded silently without meeting my gaze. I turned around, and, before Gale was even in the ground, I left without ever turning back. The only good that had come out of this was the fact that Coin and Snow were being buried too.

Months passed. Peeta tried his best to distract me from feeling wretched about Gale's fate, and he did a pretty decent job in doing so. Him and Johanna helped get through my guilt by distracting me with work and planning my wedding. Prim would be my official maid of honor, but Johanna was helping her plan the wedding. Haymitch would surprisingly be Peeta's best man, even though Haymitch grouched that he would look old compared to everyone else. Annie, Johanna, and Rue would be my bridesmaids.

The day of the wedding finally came. Everything was a blur, and as Cinna and his prep team helped with my dress, hair, and makeup, I tried to convince myself that this was really happening. My mind was drifting in and out, wavering on the sea of consciousness. I was going to marry Peeta. After spending the last year cheating on Gale during my scandalous affair with Peeta, the former was now dead and the latter was going to be my new husband. Everyone who worked with me in the office was shocked after hearing the news, but I could tell that some of them had already known. After all, they were trained to notice details and reveal secrets, and neither Gale nor I had ever pretended to act affectionate towards each other. It was obvious to them that our marriage had fallen apart, and that each of us had moved on without caring what the other thought. My last marriage had been a total failure, and here I was, getting married again. I knew that I should pay no mind to what people whispered behind our backs, but I was fully aware of the fact that they all thought that I had planned this all along. They thought I had known what he had been doing, and that that was why I had wanted to divorce him. But worst of all, they all thought that I had wanted him to die.

"Katniss, what's wrong?" Cinna finally asked as he noticed my somber expression.

"Nothing," I mumbled as I stared back at myself in the mirror. I hardly recognized myself underneath my skin-tight white dress and elaborate hair and makeup.

He frowned. "Well, you don't look very happy. I thought you loved Peeta," he said, his tone nearly hinting a question.

I sighed. Peeta. My lover, my friend, my baker, my strength. I smiled when I thought of him. "I do," I confirmed, suddenly realizing that I would have to echo those words later. I do. But could I keep my promise this time?

"Well then, I don't see the problem. You look stunning, but you would appear even more radiant with an exalted and jovial expression on your face," he advised. "Most brides can't keep their nerves of excitement at bay" he joked.

I bit my lip. "Cinna, I'm scared," I admitted. "What if I'm not meant to be married? What if Peeta and I stop loving each other, just like Gale and I did? What then? What if I cheat on him too? What if I can't bring myself to give him the children he's always wanted and obviously deserves?" I blurted out in a rush, tears filling up my eyes, blurring my vision as they created a miniscule gray pool.

"Oh, Katniss," Cinna exhaled as he pulled me into a tight hug. Then, "You're going to ruin your mascara," he teased, causing me to release a half-hiccough, half-laugh, as I wiped my tears with the back of my hand.

"Listen to me," he finally said firmly as he let go of me so that I could face him directly, "You will be fine. I promise. I've known you long enough that I can almost guarantee it. The reason that it didn't work out between you and Gale was because it simply wasn't meant to be. You never really loved him, and when he realized that, he fell out of love with you. He turned remorseful and hateful, and your strong personalities clashed against each other as he tried to get revenge. But when you're with Peeta, it's different. He truly loves you, and he has a gentle soul that keeps your fire under control. His love makes you shine, Katniss. And when he looks at you, he sees that radiance and takes it in, as if he's looking directly at the sun while it rises," he said poetically.

I smiled. "I look at him the same way, don't I?" I asked, blushing.

He grinned, and then nodded. "Yes, you do. And I've never seen you so happy before," he said. "You can two can make this work, I believe in you," he finished as he leaned in to place a soft, gentle kiss on my cheek.

"Thank you," I murmured softly.

"Now go out there and get them, fire girl," he winked.

My father stood outside the door, my mother fretting anxiously beside him as I grabbed his arm. His eyes twinkled with pride. "Let's try this again, shall we?" he said lightly. I grinned as Cinna nodded at me. "Yes. Let's do this one last time," I said confidently. My father's affectionate grin had assured me that this time, it would always be real.

Peeta

I was anxious as I waited for her. Haymitch gripped my shoulder sympathetically as I stood in front of the judge. We were inside the large, sophisticated arched building in front of the Washington Smithsonian museums, where we were holding both the ceremony and reception. The guests were sitting eagerly in front of us in beautifully decorated chairs with light orange drapes over them. Suddenly, I heard hushed voices coming from the back, and that's when I knew that she was here. I took a deep inhale as I saw her approaching, and my eyes instantly lit up. Time stopped as she made her way towards me, clutching her father's elbow as her loving gaze met mine. I could hear soft music playing in the background, and I remember wondering if I was in heaven as her long white dress swept the ground. Before I knew it, she was standing beside me and I released the breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. Mr. Everdeen nodded at me in approval as he handed her out to me. His eyes were the same shade of gray as hers, and I could tell that his hair had been just as dark once. This wasn't the first time he had done this, but I could tell that he trusted me, and it was all I could ask for as I took my bride's hand.

"I love you," I mouthed before I brought her hand to my lips and kissed her knuckles.

"I love you too," she mouthed back, before the judge cleared his throat loudly as we turned our attention back to him.

Katniss and I stole secret glances and tentative smiles at each other doing the entire ceremony until it was our turn to speak. We exchanged vows, random phrases floating around in my head as we looked into each other's eyes, finally uttering them out.

I promise to love and respect you, all of the days of my life,

in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer,

I promise to be faithful.

I promise to protect you.

I promise stay with you always,

Every day until death do us part.

And then we said I do.

"You may kiss the bride," the judge finally announced. And I took her in my arms, kissing her lips so passionately and desperately that we nearly ran out of breath as the crowd behind us went wild, clapping and cheering. I even recognized my brothers' wolf whistles.

"Congratulations!" people yelled in excitement as we stepped out of the ceremony room and made our way into the reception.

"Thank you," we responded gratefully as they hugged us and took pictures. There were more people than I remembered meeting, and I figured these were either Katniss' distant family members or co-workers from the agency.

And then I saw Delly, whom I was hoping would come. She and I had agreed that everything had been forgiven and forgotten, and that there was no point in holding grudges, not even against ourselves. She wasn't alone, though; she was with a muscular man named Bron, who claimed to be her new love interest. They both congratulated us genuinely, and I knew then that I was happy for them too. "We're getting married soon," Delly squealed excitedly. Her eyes shined brighter than ever. "You and Katniss are welcome to come to our wedding," she smiled.

"Why thank you, we would love to!" I exclaimed as Katniss nodded in agreement.

"It's good to know that we've finally put out past behind us and moved on," Delly told me.

I grinned. "Friends?" I asked hopefully.

She chuckled. "Friends," she agreed.

And just like that, my childhood friend was back.

Katniss

Annie Cresta caught the bouquet and Finnick Odair caught the garter. I had the feeling that Peeta and I would have more weddings to attend than we expected. Peeta held me tightly as we danced throughout the night, leaving sweet nothings in my ear every time a slow song would play. He caressed my back as rested my chin on his shoulder, swaying to the sweet melody as I watched the other couples dance. Rory and Prim were a few feet in front of us, their foreheads resting against each other as they rocked back and forth to the tender beat. My mother and father were also dancing, and they were laughing softly as their eyes met lovingly. Finnick was twirling Annie around the dance floor, expertly spinning her and tipping her back as she blushed. Rue and Thresh looked almost comical together, Rue seeming way too small and frail for the large, muscular man in front of her, but the gentle look in his eyes said much more. Bron and Delly were holding each other chastely right beside Haymitch and Effie, who were now an item. Effie was chastising Haymitch for slipping his hand down to touch her bottom. I held back a giggle. He was probably drunk.

"I want you to meet my parents," Peet said after a while. I bit my bottom lip nervously. I had already met Peeta's older brothers, and they had seemed nice enough. His oldest brother had been kind and considerate, and his other brother had been humorous and overtly perverted, but he wasn't so bad. Besides, their families had been very nice too-Peeta's brothers were married and had children. So why was I so nervous to meet his parents?

"Come on, they'll love you," he insisted after he noticed my hesitation, leading me away from the dance floor and taking me towards an older couple that was sitting quietly in the corner. The man looked up at me and smiled, I recognized him congratulating earlier, but I hadn't noticed that he was Peeta's father. Now, as I approached him, I saw the striking resemblance-they had the same kind blue eyes, same smile, same jaw, and at some point maybe even the same hair color. His was now graying.

"Hello, Katniss, I congratulated you earlier, but I don't think we've met officially," he said as he extended his hand out and shook mine firmly before pulling me in for a hug. I beamed at this enthusiastic response, and when he released me and said, "Peeta has told us a lot about you. You're even more beautiful than he mentioned," he complimented me.

I looked down and blushed, "Thank you," I said, flattered. I then saw his mom. She was still sitting down, and she was glaring at me.

"Uh, Mom, this is Katniss, say hello to her," Peeta said through gritted teeth.

"Are you the whore my son was sleeping with while he was married to Delly?" she accused. Mr. Mellark gasped, shocked.

"Mother!" Peeta exclaimed angrily, his fists clenched. I had never seen him so angry before. The veins in his neck were threatening to pop out.

"Why yes I am, actually, but don't worry, he was sleeping with me while I was married to Gale, so we were even," I said smoothly.

She curled her lip in disgust, turning her cold blue gaze towards Peeta. "I should have known you would turn out like this," she seethed.

"Alright, that's enough, Dahlia, leave Peeta alone." Mr. Mellark said, trying to remain calm. He then turned towards me in apology, "I'm truly sorry about this Katniss, but please take in mind that the rest of the family really approves of you; we've never seen Peeta so happy before, and we know that Delly has nothing against you either," he explained.

"Well I do," Mrs. Mellark snapped. Peeta and his father glared at her. I decided that it was best if I didn't comment. Just then, a little boy with delicate blonde hair and bright blue eyes ran up to Peeta and hugged him.

"Uncle Peeta, uncle Peeta, look what I gots!" he said, holding up a small dandelion. He couldn't be older than four or five, I thought.

"Oh, that's very nice, Wheat," Peeta cooed as he picked up the little boy and tickled him. Wheat giggled.

"This is Leven's youngest," Peeta told me, referring to his eldest brother. I remembered now. Peeta had five nieces and nephews total, but this one looked amazingly like him. And most of them were named after some sort of pastry or anything related to bread, really. The Mellarks were serious bakers.

"Oh, hi Wheat," I said sweetly.

"For you," he replied, handing me the dandelion.

"Why thank you," I said, touched.

Peeta chuckled. "He's cute, isn't he?" he said as Leven came up and approached us.

"Oh there you are," Leven exhaled in relief as he saw his son. "I was wondering where he ran off," he told us.

"Well, you know he's always after Peeta when he sees him," Mr. Mellark reminded him with a glint in his eyes. His wife snorted beside him, but didn't say anything.

"Yeah, Peeta loves kids," Leven winked at me. "Maybe he'll have some of his own now," he hinted.

Peet and I shuffled uncomfortably. To make matters worse, Rye, Peeta's other brother, came up to us carrying his three-month old daughter and exclaimed, "Peeta's probably been preparing for some serious baby-making tonight!" he hollered merrily.

"Speak for yourself," Mr. Mellark huffed as he extended his arms out while Rye handed him her baby so that he could hold her. Peeta looked at him gratefully.

"I bet Katniss will want to enjoy her honeymoon without worrying about having kids," Leven added. I blushed.

"Oh, leave us alone," Peeta grouched playfully. He then turned to me and said, "One more dance before we leave?"

I took his hand and nodded, waving goodbye to Peeta's family. "Don't worry about my mother, she'll get used to it eventually," he uttered in my ear while we were dancing. "Besides, your mother doesn't seem to like me much either."

I widened my eyes in shock. "Of course she likes you, she's just a very private person, that's all," I said in her defense.

Peeta smirked. "That may be the case, but look over there," he said, tilting his head towards the tables. I turned to see where he was pointing and noticed that my mother and his mother were exchanging venomous glares, and both of our fathers were holding them back helplessly.

I laughed. "Must weddings always be so dramatic?" I asked.

Peeta grinned. "Who knows? But that's nothing compared to what we're doing tonight."

Peeta

I could hardly hold myself back as we entered the cabin that we had rented for our vacation resort. I kicked the door open as I carried Katniss inside, her lips refusing to break contact with mine as she swung it shut behind us. I put her down in front of the bed, my fingers anxiously searching the back of her dress for her zipper as she undid my tie. Once I found it, I pulled it down and let her dress fall to the floor so that she was only left in her undergarments. She lifted her feet expertly out of her heels whilst stepping out of her dress, backing me against the wall as she began to unbutton my shirt while I tossed off my jacket. Soon, her hands were eagerly unbuckling my belt and slipping off my pants and underwear as I cupped her breasts over her bra before unclasping it and taking her peaks into my mouth. She moaned and took me in her hand as she threw me against the mattress, causing me to gasp before her lips reunited with mine, my hands kneading her breasts while she stroked me.

I gasped. "We need to slow down; we have all night, remember? I want this to last." I told her breathlessly.

She let go of me. "I'm sorry, it's just that I want all of you all at once," she murmured fervently, peppering my face, neck, and chest with rapid kisses.

I sighed, closing my eyes and relishing the feel of her petal-soft lips on my skin. "I know. I want you too. You're my wife now," I said softly, hardly able to believe that it was true, that it was real. She was mine.

She paused as I opened my eyes so that we made direct eye contact. Her gray stare was wide. "You're right. I'm your wife, and you're my husband," she swallowed. "We have the rest of our lives to be together and not have to hide it," she realized.

I smiled. "Come here then," I said as I pulled her close to me, and this time, our kisses were less desperate and more passionate, slower but deeper. I flipped us over so that I was on top, and slipped a finger inside her delicate wet folds as her fingertips traced the contours of my body.

Her hips instantly bucked, and I proceeded to add another finger as I curved them upwards so that they made nonstop contact with her clit. She cried out against my mouth, raking her fingernails on my back as my thumb began tracing circular patterns over her bundle of nerves. I thrust my fingers inside her faster and faster until she came all over my hand, panting and writhing beneath me. I removed my hand and broke our kiss so that she could breathe properly, bringing my index and middle fingers to my mouth and suckling on the sweet juices that she had just released. Her wild eyes turned feral at the sight, overcome by her lust and orgasm.

"Your turn," she growled as she flipped us over again, returning her hand to my throbbing erection. Her bare breasts bounced over my head as she balanced one hand over my shoulder while the other pumped me furiously.

I winced. "I thought we were going to take it slow," I complained as my hands automatically cupped her breasts, my fingertips teasing her nipples as she threw her head back in ecstasy.

"You're the one who ruined that," she reminded me as she expertly ran her hand over my length.

"K-Katniss, I'm getting close," I wailed out when she decided to linger the tip of her thumb over the head while her other hand snaked down to squeeze my sac, her index finger still on my shaft.

I pulled her hands away gently before settling her over my hips so that I was entering her from below. She exhaled through her teeth as I felt her walls enclose me. She began moving, and I lifted my hips so that they were in sync with hers, instantly finding our familiar rhythm. I squeezed her behind, pulling her towards me as she balanced her hands on my chest. I decided that we were going too slowly, so I brought her down on the mattress again so that I could speed up the pace.

I brought my lips back to hers as I continued to push inside her, knowing that we were reaching our climax. After three last powerful thrusts, I was done, and I collapsed over her as her body trembled, releasing itself again after being inspired by mine. We lay there like that, her hands gently stroking my hair as I rested my head on her chest.

"Well that was fast," she finally breathed out.

I chuckled. "I told you. We'll take it slower next time," I promised as I kissed her fingertips.

She brought my head up so that it was level with hers. "We were just excited," she finally decided.

I smirked. "You mean were just horny, so we got ahead of ourselves." She raised her eyebrow and we stared at each other for a few seconds before we burst out laughing.

I lay back down beside her, and, after our laughs had died out, her gaze softened. "I love you," she finally murmured.

I turned to her. "I love you too, Mrs. Mellark," I grinned. Then, more seriously, "You're all I've ever wanted, Katniss. And now you're all mine and I'm all yours."

She smiled lovingly. "Together?" she asked as she pulled me in again.

"Together," I agreed.

And I took her three more times that night so that she wouldn't forget it.

The End.