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Epilogue

They married the next year in a small ceremony at the camp. But it was still several years until Katniss was okay with complete intimacy. It was fine with Peeta, though. He loved her and was perfectly satisfied with their activities in the bedroom. And he had a loving wife and two great kids and the bakery was as successful as ever.

After they first made love, they decided they wanted a baby. And it wasn't long before Peeta and Katniss made a more memorable conception night. And a few weeks later they cried together over the results. Happy tears, worried tears, nervous tears.

The kids, now fifteen and thirteen, were happy to welcome a baby into their lives. And Callie promised Katniss wouldn't overdo anything, especially with the new school year looming not too long before the due date.

"I'm going to have to get my license as soon as I turn sixteen." Callie said. "So in case Dad's at the bakery, I can bring Mom to the doctor."

"I own the bakery, Cal. I can leave it when I need to. Posey and Madge can take care of everything. They're good at it. And Posey does all the finances anyway."

Caleb said, "So how long until the baby is born?"

"Middle of September." Katniss said. "You okay with that?"

Caleb nodded. He smiled. "This is going to be awesome. And I can show the baby how to shoot a perfect bullseye."

Callie shoved his shoulder. "I'm better than you. I'll be the one showing it how to shoot."

"And I'm better than the both of you." Katniss said, breaking up the fight before it started. The pair fought like they had been siblings all their lives and not just for six years. She sat between them. "I love you guys. I'm so glad you're okay with this."

"I'm glad you are, too, Mama." Caleb said. She'd told him everything about Cato, so he knew of her struggles.

And against Katniss's better judgement, he'd met the man who had given him life the previous year. He'd been kind enough, but they didn't click. Caleb was satisfied meeting him and said he never had to see the man again in his life. Peeta was his dad. And that was all that mattered to him.

"I have to get back to work." Peeta stood and headed for the door.

"Hey, Dad, can I come, too?" Caleb asked.

"Sure thing, kiddo."

"Don't I get a good-bye kiss?" Katniss called.

"Didn't that get you into this mess in the first place?" Caleb teased.

Peeta ruffled his hair as he walked back across the room. "Don't overdo it at the range today."

"I promise to take it easy." She stood and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He pulled her close and kissed her deeply as the kids groaned.

"Caleb, I need you to kick it into high gear." Katniss called as she put the last of their lunches together.

"Am I driving to school today, Mom?" Callie asked.

"Yeah, that's fine." She placed a hand on her stomach and sighed. "Calm down in there." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Caleb!"

The young man came in. "Jeez, I'm right here. Calm your tits."

"What did you just say to me?" Katniss gave him a stern look.

He held up his hands. "Sorry."

"Don't say that again." She put her hand on her stomach again. "Damnit." She groaned.

"What?" Callie asked. She stepped closer to Katniss. "Mom, are you okay?"

"Calliope, get the keys. Caleb, go get the bag from beside the door in my bedroom. I'm going to call your dad. You two aren't going to school just yet." She picked up her phone from the counter and called Peeta. It went to voicemail. "Damn!" She hung up and dialed the bakery. "Posey, it's Katniss. Get Peeta, please."

"I'm on it." The girl assured her.

"Caleb, the bag." Katniss said.

Caleb ran into the other room.

Peeta said, "Hey, babe, what's up?"

"The kids and I are headed to the hospital. I'm in labor."

"I'm headed out the door now." There was an edge of panic in his voice.

Callie and Celeb helped Katniss into the car. Her contractions were getting closer. She had hoped to be able to get the kids to school before this happened. Her water broke earlier that morning and the contractions started quickly after that.

She was wheeled into a room and examined. Caleb paced the room. Callie stood beside Katniss.

"Do I need to call anyone?" Callie asked.

Katniss gritted her teeth as another contraction took hold. "Prim and Gale. And Grandma. Both grandmas. Maybe you should text Finn so he's not worried when you aren't at school."

"Can I start with Finn?" She asked.

Katniss smiled and nodded. "Better not let your boyfriend freak." She chuckled.

"Mom." Callie scolded with a blush.

Peeta zoomed into the room. "Are you still pregnant?"

"For a little while, anyway." She rubbed her stomach. "Cal is calling everyone."

"She had to start with her boyfriend, though." Caleb teased, poking his sister's shoulder.

"Shut up, Caleb. Did you text your girlfriend?"

"Becca's not my girlfriend."

"Yeah, right. I walked in on you two kissing in your bedroom the other day."

"Gee, thanks, Cal. You said you wouldn't say anything."

Peeta held up his hands. "You mother is in labor. Cool it with the argument." He pointed at Caleb. "We'll talk about you kissing girls in your room later. Cal, who have you called so far?"

"Just got off the phone with Aunt Prim. About to call Grandma Iris."

Peeta handed his phone to Caleb. "Call Grandma Andi. And then both of you go to the lobby and try not to argue."

"Sure thing, Daddy-o!" Caleb said. He made the call to his grandmother as Peeta made his way over to the bed.

He dabbed at his wife's forehead with a cloth. "How you feeling?"

"Like hell, but I think it's going to be soon."

"Good." He kissed her hard on the mouth. "I love you."

"I love you."

The doctor came in and did a quick examination. He looked up. "I think it's time to have a baby. Let's get you ready, Katniss."

It was a rather fast delivery. Katniss and Peeta welcomed their baby boy just under an hour later. He weighed in at just under eight pounds and was eighteen inches long. Peeta kissed his forehead over and over as he walked around the room.

"We never agreed on a name." Katniss pointed out.

"We didn't. I liked Briar. The whole plant theme with your family."

She smiled and shook her head. "I don't know if I like it. At least not for a first name."

"We can talk about it more later. He's just our beautiful baby boy." He kissed the baby again. "And I love you so much."

"Peeta?"

"Katniss?" He sat down on the side of the bed and passed him over.

"Thank you. You're a fantastic father."

"And you're an amazing mother." He kissed her softly.

"Maybe he should have a name that starts with a C."

"He should." Peeta smoothed a hand over the soft fuzz of hair over the baby's hair. "My dad's middle name was Conrad."

"I like that."

"Conrad Briar."

Katniss chuckled. "You're determined, aren't you?"

"It's a nice, strong name. Conrad Briar Mellark."

"Conrad Briar Everdeen Mellark." She corrected. "Caleb and Callie have both last names, so this guy should, too."

"Yes, ma'am." He brushed a kiss over her lips.

There was a knock on the door and it opened. Caleb poked his head around it. "Mama?"

She smiled. "Come in, baby. Meet your brother."

He slowly walked to the bed. Callie was just behind him.

"This is Conrad." She held him out. "This is your siblings, Caleb and Calliope."

"Oh, he's so cute!" Callie gushed. "Mom, when you start back at the range, I can watch him after school."

Katniss smiled. "We'll talk about that later." She looked at Caleb. "Want to hold him?"

Caleb chewed his lip a moment and then nodded. He held out his arms. Katniss placed him in his brother's arms and sat back. "Hey, you. You are cute. Just like Cal said. We have the same nose."
"You got that from your grandfather." Katniss rubbed Caleb's arm. "What do you think?"

"It's awesome." He turned to Callie and passed him off.

"Perfect addition to our family." Callie said as she bounced her baby brother in her arms. "I can't wait for you to meet everyone else."

"Is everyone here?" Peeta asked.

"Grandma Iris is in the middle of a shift, but she said she'd come over as soon as she's off. Grandma and Grandpa just got here a couple minutes ago. Aunt Prim was asleep when I called her. She said she'd come visit after a while. She worked all night. Uncle Gale said he'd bring Ivy and Rose after school. And Annie is outside with Pearl."

Katniss looked to Peeta. "I need rest. But you should bring him out there."

He nodded. "Okay." He pressed a series of kisses against her lips. "I love you."

"Love you, too."

"Wait." Caleb picked up Katniss's phone. "We need a family selfie." He opened up the camera and they all piled close on the bed. Peeta took the phone and snapped several pictures.

Peeta exchanged the phone for the baby and kissed his wife one more time. "Come on, kids, let's give Mom some space."

Katniss settled on the bed and watched as her loves left the room. She was so fortunate to have found a man as patient, accepting, and loving as Peeta. And her kids were lucky to have him as their dad.

End

Author's note: Thank you so much for all the love and for following this to the end. I want to say thank you to all the lovely readers who came forward to share their therapy experiences. I hope I did it justice.

I've been asked a few times if there is more Everlark coming from me and the answer is YES! But not quite yet. Have you read Art and Other Distractions? If you have, you know Haymitch and Effie had a bit of an interesting meeting and courtship. I am working on that story in a prequel called Grant Me Serenity. If you're interested in that, there are a few chapters up. If you haven't read AaOD, there's your next Everlark fix from me. Another suggestion is Shattered Pieces. There are also a few Everlark one shots and the pair make appearances in my Gale/Annie fics Promise I'm Worthy and Burt Around the Edges.

As for new Everlark, after I'm done with GMS, I am going to write a fic in canon (a bit of a divergence, really) taking place between their kids. This one will definitely be a little more angsty and I look forward to writing it and sharing it with you.

Thank you again for all the love! You guys rock!