A/N: Okay, so next chapter will most likely involve the Reaping for the Quell. Things will start moving faster after that.
Fair Warning: The last scene of this chapter is an awesomely smutty, dirty, foul-mouthed, XXX-rated, not-suitable-for-children sex scene. You've been notified.
Enjoy!
"So we've got pretty much everything done for now," Peeta tells me in the kitchen. "We'll just need to heat the stew and frost the cake before dinner."
"Great," I smile. "So we've got a few hours then. Got any ideas?"
"Not really. I just want to be with you and the twins. You?"
"I was thinking we could go out to the woods," I suggest. "It's our last chance."
"That's a great idea, honey," he tells me. "We can use the open backpacks Beetee made."
"Definitely. Why don't you get those ready and I'll get the babies ready?"
"Sounds good," he gives me a peck on the lips. "Do you want to hunt while we're out there?"
"Not really, but let's bring my foldable bow just in case," I answer.
"Kay. I'll grab it and a couple arrows," he nods as he heads upstairs to our bedroom. I head to the nursery to dress the twins in some warmer clothes.
We meet up and Peeta slings the backpack on my shoulders.
"Would you like our son or our daughter?" He asks.
"I want Josh, you spend some time with your baby girl," I grin. He nods and goes about securing Josh in the backpack. The way Beetee designed the packs, when the twins are safe and secure, you can feel their body weight, and it's quite reassuring.
When he's got Josh settled, I do the same with Eve. We make sure we have some water, a couple diapers and wipes, and some food. Then, we head out as a family.
Soon we're through the fence and in the woods. Ever since I began teaching Peeta how to shoot and hunt, we've been spending more and more time together out here. He was able to easily see why it appeals to me so much. He even understood the benefits of silence, and he and I could spend hours together without uttering a single word between us. We didn't have to. We would just hold hands and enjoy our time together.
We walk through the woods hand in hand, showing the twins everything. They both have smiles on their faces as their eyes dart around the woods curiously. Peeta and I use our well-versed baby voices, coaxing their little minds to discover new things.
"What's that big boy?" I point to a squirrel, showing Josh. Instead, I feel him tugging on the end of my braid. "Baby, please don't pull that. You're hurting mama," I tell him gently. Peeta just chuckles next to me.
"Like father, like son," he says proudly as Josh refuses to stop pulling my braid.
"At least you're gentle with it," I quietly complain with a smile. I could never get mad at my babies, not really.
After a while, we sit down in a small clearing to rest and relax. We swing the backpacks off and take the twins out, letting them sit on the ground in front of us. They're fascinated by everything – rocks, leaves, grass. Peeta and I cuddle close, just watching our children as they discover the woods. I can't wait until they're older and we can start teaching them how to shoot, how to track game, how to build snares, and how to pick the right kind of berries.
Eve picks up her hands and shows me a fistful of dirt.
"What have you got there baby?" I ask. She waves it around a little proudly. "Come here, show it to mama." I pick her up and she promptly dumps the contents of her hand into my lap. "Thank you, Eve. That was a great present."
Peeta laughs and gives me a peck on the lips.
"I have no idea why you ever thought you'd be a bad mother," he whispers.
"I don't know," I say glumly. "But you were right, honey. As soon as I saw them, I knew what to do."
"Well obviously," he says sarcastically. "You're their mother, Katniss. I always knew you'd be amazing, even when you doubted yourself."
"Thanks for always believing in me, Peeta," I say sincerely.
Josh then decided to get in on the fun, throwing a fistful of dirt into his father's face. Peeta sputters and spits some out of his mouth.
"Not the best dirt I've ever had, Josh," he jokes. "Needs a little basil, I think."
Josh just smiles obliviously and rips up a leaf. Eve sees what her brother's doing, and, not one to be outdone, starts building some sort of grass barrier on my leg. I just shake my head at their antics.
"Thank you, Peeta," I whisper.
"Hmm? For what, Kat?"
"For this. For our children. I've never been happier," I tell him honestly. He absolutely beams at me.
"Me either, Katniss. Thank you. I know this is something you never wanted, and it makes me the happiest man alive that you not only changed your mind, but you are as content as you are."
"I'm not just content, honey," I correct him. "I'm – perfect, really. It's almost unbelievable to me how happy I am. I just wish tomorrow never had to come."
"Shh, baby," he whispers. "Let's not talk about that now. Let's just enjoy today."
"You're right," I nod. "Besides, look at our kids. How can we not be the happiest two parents in the world?"
He joins me in gazing down at our twins as they communicate in their own babbling language, occasionally smiling up at us. I wish that this were our life. I wish that we didn't have to go help run a rebellion, not knowing if we'll ever return to our home.
"Katniss, stop," Peeta gently scolds. "I know what you're thinking. Stop. We will make it back here, we will build our house by the lake, and we will raise our family in peace."
I just nod and lay my head on his shoulder, choosing to believe him instead of getting in my own head. Yeah, cause that's always worked out great for me.
We spend a couple more hours with just the four of us. It's, well, perfect. Neither of us ever want it to end, but we know it has to.
Sadly, we walk home, the twins strapped to our backs. They're exhausted after the afternoon in the forest. Peeta and I hold hands tightly as we make our way back to 12.
Now, we only have a couple short hours before both our families show up for dinner. Peeta goes to work frosting the cake he baked while I finish preparing the stews and the salad I made. We cooperatively baked an apple pie, a blueberry pie, and a pumpkin pie. Peeta claims I make great pies, I'm still wary of my skills.
People start showing up. I've changed into a simple black dress, while Peeta is wearing a nice pair of black slacks with a dark blue button down. We dressed the twins in a couple of cute onesies. My mom and Prim are the first to arrive, and are actually stunned when they find the table already set and the food ready. They apparently thought they'd have to help me when they got here.
Eventually, everyone is here. My mom, Prim, Haymitch, Effie, Peeta's dad, Nan, Rye, and yes, Peeta's mom. After we spend a little time in the living room, having appetizers and chatting quietly, I announce that it's time to move to the dining room. Peeta and I decided that to avoid any confrontations, we assigned the seating. We put Effie and Haymitch at the heads of the table. Peeta and I sit next to each other in the middle, with the twins on our laps for now. Peeta's mom and dad are to his left, across from Rye and Nan, while my mom and Prim are to my right across from one another.
I serve the salad, which everyone digs into. Rye and Nan, of course, tease me about my lack of cooking skills. Peeta defends me, but I just laugh and brush it off. The table is still fairly quiet. I assume that not everyone knows how to react to Peeta's mom not only being here, but the fact that she appears to be acting polite and respectful.
"So, I know this is supposed to be a joyous occasion of our family getting together, but Katniss and I just wanted to talk quickly about something serious," Peeta announces before we bring out the main courses.
"Look, we know that the next few months are going to be, well, difficult to say the least," I continue, "we just want you all to know that we understand none of you would be in this position without the two of us. We get that. We know that the only reason your lives are in danger is because of our actions. We apologize, but the fact remains, we need to keep our family safe."
"Exactly," Peeta says. "Katniss and I will do whatever it takes to keep our children safe. I think you all know that. But everyone sitting at this table is our family. We are going to stick together, no matter what, and survive this. We have to, we don't have an alternative."
"What we're getting at," I add, "is that we appreciate your willingness to follow our leads. We understand we're still really kids, only seventeen, but none of you have doubted our decisions. Thank you. We love all of you, and together, we can get through this as a family."
Everyone is silent as I finish talking, taking in what Peeta and I have said. We just wanted to let them know that we understand the sacrifices they're making.
The entire table is shocked when the next words spoken are from Peeta's mom.
"Peeta, Katniss, thank you. If it weren't for you two and your courageous actions and decisions, our families would be in grave danger. You have made your choices putting others before yourselves, and for that, I give you my everlasting gratitude."
"She's right," my mom says. "Ever since this all started, you two haven't spent a second thinking about what's best for the two of you. You've only been concerned with what's best for you children and the rest of this family. I wish I had that kind of bravery."
Peeta and I are both blushing, looking down at our plates. We didn't want recognition, we just want everyone to be safe.
"Stop being so darn humble," Haymitch grumbles. Everyone laughs. "Seriously, I've never met two people more unwilling to take a compliment."
"Hey!" I defend us. But, at everyone's looks, I nod. "Fine."
"Thanks, everyone," Peeta says quietly for the both of us. "We wouldn't have been able to do any of it without you."
"That's a lie and you know it," Haymitch says forcefully. "It wouldn't matter if it was just you and Katniss against the entire Capitol by yourselves. You'd still find a way to win. It's just who you are."
"Lamb stew!" I blurt out. Everyone stares at me. "Um, honey, let's go get the lamb stew," I try to recover, tugging on Peeta's hand.
Prim and my mom take the twins as Peeta and I retreat to the kitchen.
"Sorry, had to get out of there for a minute," I breathe once we're alone.
"If you hadn't I would've claimed the phone was ringing," Peeta jokes.
"You know, they're right," I whisper as I give him a gentle kiss.
"About what?"
"You're too humble, Peeta."
"Ha. I'm humble. I suppose that you're pompous, then?" He teases.
I blush and shake my head.
"Katniss, you're a million times more humble than I am. You still don't really believe me when I tell you you're the most beautiful woman in the world."
"It's not that I don't believe you," I grin. "I just think it's impossible to know. How many people are in the world? How can you be so sure?"
He gives me a look like I'm crazy.
"Katniss, that's not the point. The point is that no matter what, you will always be the most beautiful woman in the world to me. You're my wife, the mother of my children. Your beauty, outside and in, is indescribable. It's perpetual. It's what fills my heart with joy."
I can't help but kiss him when he talks like that. I wrap my arms around his neck and deepen the kiss. I feel his hands wrap around my waist and tug me closer. I feel my breasts push up against his chest, and I'm painfully aware we haven't had sex since this morning. Maybe, we could sneak upstairs for a minu-
"Seriously guys?" Prim scolds from the doorway. "You say you're going to get the stew, and I find you in here a minute away from running to your bedroom?"
I blush and bury my head into Peeta's chest so Prim can't see my face. Peeta laughs softly.
"Sorry, Prim," he apologizes. "Sometimes I can't help myself."
"Yeah, well, we're hungry big brother," Prim smirks. "You can have your wife all to yourself when we leave."
"Yes, ma'am," Peeta says with mock sadness.
Prim mercifully leaves us alone and Peeta and I laugh at the awkwardness.
"I guess we should feed our guests," Peeta suggests.
"Remind me why we invited all these people?" I ask.
"Because they're our family?" Peeta tries.
"Ugh, fine," I nod. "For the record, I wish none of them were here so I could take you upstairs."
"That makes two of us," Peeta whispers in my ear as we make our way back to the dining room. Damn him. He knew that would make me blush right as we walk back in. Of course, Prim and Haymitch give me knowing smirks.
We start serving the stew, and everyone's falling over themselves telling us how good it is.
"Sis, you shot some good game," Rye compliments.
"Actually, Rye, Peeta shot all the squirrels," I inform with a huge smile.
"Ha. That's hilarious," Nan jokes.
"I'm not joking," I assure them. "Peeta shot the squirrels and I shot a few of the rabbits, but he shot some of those too."
"Wait, Peeta, you can actually shoot?" Rye asks incredulously.
Peeta nods shyly.
"I taught him," I tell everyone. "He's as good as me now."
"I wish," Peeta mutters. "I'll never be anywhere as good of a shot as you, honey."
"Really?" I ask with a grin. "Who was it that took down that deer last week when I shot wide? Hmm?"
"That was once!"
"Oh, so we're just going to act like that turkey never existed, are we?" I tease.
"Fine, fine, fine," he concedes. "So maybe I'm almost as good as Katniss."
"I can't believe you actually learned," Nan says.
"Hey, if you had a wife like mine, would you not want to?" Peeta says seriously.
"Got me there," Nan mumbles. Peeta smirks triumphantly and leans over to give me a kiss.
The dinner moves along, and everyone gets along great. To everyone's great surprise, Peeta's mom continues to be polite, respectful, and actually compliments me more than a few times. I'm shocked each time.
"Katniss, this pie is excellent. I think you might be a better baker than you think," she tells me as she eats a slice of the apple pie I baked.
"Oh, Peeta helped me a lot with that one," I try to deflect.
"Don't be modest, Kat," Peeta says. "I barely did anything. That was all you, honey." I turn to glare at him and he just smiles, kissing my nose.
Eve is sitting in my lap, and Josh is in his father's. They've been well-behaved for the most part, except for when they both decided to soil their diapers and Peeta and I had to run to the nursery to change them. Nothing out of the ordinary.
"No, baby, don't touch that," I gently tell Eve as she keeps reaching for the silverware. She loves grabbing for things around her, so to appease her, I put her on my shoulder and hand her my braid. "Here, play with mommy's braid." She happily threads the end through her tiny fingers.
I look to Peeta, and he's having a much easier time with Josh, who just sits happily in his father's lap darting his eyes to whoever is currently speaking. He's so wide-eyed and innocent, always reminding me of Peeta. Both of our children are curious, but Josh wants to know how everything works.
"Ow, Eve, don't tug on mommy's braid," I softly scold her. She keeps trying to pull it down to her, hurting me a little each time. She looks up to me with those huge blue eyes, and I quickly see she's on the verge of crying. "No, no, no, baby, mommy's not mad. Shh, it's okay, mama's not mad at you baby girl. Come here. Come to mama."
I rock her against my shoulder and kiss her repeatedly. Finally, she calms down at the sound of my voice. When she does, I look around the table, and everyone is staring at me with slack jaws.
"What?" I shrug my shoulders.
Some of them shake their heads, others just stare.
"Seriously, what?" I ask again.
"They're just not used to seeing you being such an amazing mom," Peeta whispers. "I keep telling you how incredible it is, Katniss. Believe me now?"
"Well, you've finally done it kid," Haymitch says.
"Done what?" Peeta asks.
"Turned sweetheart soft," he shrugs. "Never thought I'd see the day."
"Shut up Haymitch," I say through my teeth. "Don't make me dump a bucket of cold water on your head again."
"There she is," he smiles. I scowl at him.
Peeta just chuckles and takes my hand, lacing our fingers together.
A few minutes later, Peeta and I excuse ourselves to put the twins to bed. I give them their nighttime feeding while Peeta keeps me company.
"Can't we just take the kids and run away?" I sigh. Peeta chuckles.
"How far do you think we'd really get?" He asks.
"Pretty far," I shrug. "We can both hunt, we know how to survive. We wouldn't have to deal with any of this crap."
"Katniss, you know why we have to," he reminds.
"I know," I admit. "It's just, today out in the woods, I wish that never had to end. I just want this all to be over so we can live our life together."
"Me too baby, me too," he rubs my back.
I look up to him with tears in my eyes.
"Oh, Kat, what is it? Don't cry baby."
He gently wipes my tears with his thumb.
"Sorry," I whimper. "I'm just freaking out, Peeta. I look at our children and I just hope we have what it takes to get back here someday. Get back to the happy, wonderful life we've built together."
"We will," he says with determination. "I promise you, Katniss. If it's the last thing I do, I will bring our family home. We will have our happily ever after, Kat, never ever doubt that."
"Peeta?" I ask timidly.
"Hmm?"
"Can we get rid of everyone downstairs?"
"Why?"
I roll my eyes. He can be so oblivious. Instead of explaining it to him, I simply reach out and grasp him through his pants.
"Oh," he says in a hilarious high pitch. "In that case, I'll go kick everyone out right now."
"Really?" I ask, almost not believing my good luck.
"Mmhmm. You stay right here with the twins. I'll be back once it's just us again."
He leans down and gives me a peck on the lips, then is out the door. He really is wonderful.
No more than ten minutes later, he reappears in the doorway.
"Well?" I prompt.
"Just us and the kids," he nods. I smile wide.
"Let's tuck them in," I suggest.
He helps me while we put them to bed, gently kissing them as we watch them sleep peacefully. Whenever I doubt what we're doing, all I have to do is take one look at my children, then I'm re-energized to fight for them.
Once we leave the nursery, we head to our bedroom. I slip off my dress, leaving me in a bra and panties, and just lie down on top of the covers. Peeta strips down to his boxers and lies down next to me.
"Good evening, Mrs. Mellark," he whispers.
"Evening, Mr. Mellark," I smile. "That was a fun dinner."
"Yeah, I guess it was," he nods.
"Maybe your mom really is coming around," I tell him.
"All because of you," he smiles wide. I blush under his gaze.
"There's that blush I love so much," he says as he kisses my cheeks.
"Peeta?" I ask shyly.
"What is it baby?"
"Can we have sex now?"
His smile gets bigger somehow.
"I knew there was a reason I married you," he jokes.
To tease him, I glare, scowl, then get out of bed.
"Katniss, I was joking," he starts to panic.
When I see how serious he's taking it, I grab my silk robe and slip it on, tying it in front.
"I'm sorry, honey, I was just teasing you," he pleads. He's starting to really worry.
I open the bedroom door wide then walk back to the bed. I hand him his pillow.
"Couch. Now," I say with no emotion.
He looks down at the pillow, the back up to me, then back down to the pillow.
"I – I – I thought we promised to always sleep in the same bed," he whispers, tears in his eyes. "No matter what."
"That was until you said what you just did," I cross my arms across my chest.
"Please, Katniss, I wasn't serious. Please, I didn't mean it. I'll do anything. Please," he begs.
I can't do it anymore. He's getting way too emotional. I meant to tease him, but I think I might've taken it too far.
I slowly smile, and his face shows his confusion. I take the pillow out of his hands then prop it back up. I lean in to kiss him, but he backs away before I can.
"What?" I ask.
"You weren't serious?" He asks without looking at me.
"No, Peeta, I was joking," I say lightly. I reach for him but he moves out of my grasp again.
"I can't believe you'd do that," he says quietly.
Oh god.
"Peeta, I was just teasing you," I try.
"That's not funny, Katniss," he whispers. "I thought you were serious." He looks away and I can see the tears in his eyes.
"Peeta, come here," I coax. He doesn't respond. "Honey, look at me."
He shakes his head and refuses.
"Peeta, it was a joke. Besides, you started it. I took it too far, I'm sorry, okay?" I plead.
He still doesn't respond or even acknowledge me.
"Peeta?" Nothing. "Honey, I'm sorry. I thought it would be funny. I was wrong." Still, nothing. "Do you really want to fight on our last night in our own bed?"
I can see this affects him, but not enough to look at me.
"Fine. You don't want to look at me, then I'm taking matters into my own hands," I say seriously.
I stand up off the bed, untie my robe and let it fall off my body, then quickly unsnap my bra and slide my panties off. I hop back on the bed and crawl on my knees to Peeta.
When I reach him, I give him one last chance.
"Last chance, Peeta," I warn. Still, he doesn't respond. Good. "Okay, don't say I didn't warn you."
I reach down and forcibly slide his boxers off. I can see his eyes widen. He he. When they're off, and crawl back up to his crotch and kneel in front of him. I look up to him, and he's actually looking at me, but doesn't say anything.
I lean down and take him in my mouth, wetting his length with my tongue. I start sliding it in and out, in and out, using one hand to cup his balls while the other helps me with his erection. He grows in my hand and mouth, and he's soon rock hard. Once I have him sufficiently wet and primed, I start to take his entire length in my mouth, which never fails to get him going.
"Ohhhh," I hear him moan. That's more like it.
I start sucking faster, my hand massaging his balls almost forcefully. I can hear his groans, and I know I'm bringing him closer and closer.
"I'm almost there," he whimpers.
I smile up at him and slide his erection all the way inside my mouth, licking the length as I go. When I slide it out, I gently kiss the tip all over, causing him to moan my name.
"Ready to come yet?" I ask.
He nods.
"You want to come in my mouth?" I ask.
He nods again.
I take both his balls in my mouth again, then go back to sucking him.
"Don't stop," I hear him plead. I quicken my pace.
Finally, I can feel him tense, and then I feel his load fill my mouth up. I slide him in and out while massaging his balls, making sure he gives me everything he's got.
"Oh my god," he mutters.
I clean his length quickly, once again kissing the very tip, then swallow his load. He never ceases to give me a look of sheer awe when I do that.
"I love you," he mumbles.
"I love you too. I'm sorry for teasing you," I tell him honestly.
"I don't even remember that," he says dreamily. I laugh.
I don't give him any time to recover, though. I'm quickly straddling him, and, on instinct, his hands grip my waist. I lift myself up, grasp him, and guide him into me. We both groan as I slide him all the way inside me.
"Oh my god you're so warm baby," he tells me.
"You get me really wet," I whisper to him. He smirks.
He uses his grip on my waist to help me start thrusting, and soon we're in the middle of passionate sex. His hands alternate between my breasts, my waist, and between my legs.
He makes sure I come at least once before we switch positions, to me on my back. I look up at him, and he leans down to kiss me thoroughly. He rests his head next to mine, and I turn my head to whisper in his ear.
"Harder, Peeta. I want to feel you deeper inside me. Now."
That spurs him on, and I'm sure that our bed is going to collapse on itself any minute. I'm using my legs around his backside to try and coax him even deeper inside of me.
Peeta surprises me when he pulls out, then darts his tongue between my legs, quickly bringing me to an explosive orgasm. As soon as he does, he quickly enters me again, and I'm almost delirious.
"Oh my god," I breathe. "Never stop, Peeta. Always be inside me," I plead.
He smiles and kisses me again.
After a little while longer, I can tell that he's inching towards his release. As usual, I urge him along. He loves to hear me whisper how much I want him in his ears, so that's exactly what I do.
"Are you almost there?" I ask. He nods.
I reach up and pull his head down to mine so I can gently whisper in his ear. .
"When you come, I want you as deep inside me as you can get. I want your lips on mine and your tongue in my mouth. I don't want you to even think about pulling out of me until you've given me your entire load. Now, come inside me baby, that's what I want."
This just pushes him over the edge, and he locks his lips to mine as I feel his come deep inside of me. He pulls back slightly and thrusts deep, coaxing his load into me. I'm in pur ecstasy.
Finally, we collapse on the bed in a heap next to each other. We're both smiling and sneaking kisses.
"I really am sorry, Peeta," I tell him again.
"I already forgot about it," he tells me honestly.
"Does that mean that, maybe, in a little while, we could, I don't know, um, maybe-"
"Yes, Katniss, we can have as much sex as you want tonight," he grins.
I nod sheepishly.
"You know, I do love you with all my heart, Peeta, and not just because you can make me come like that."
"I love you too, and not just because the awesomely dirty things you whisper when I come."
We both smile and laugh into each other's shoulders at our sheer ridiculousness.
"So, what does my beautiful wife want to do next?" He asks after a minute.
I ponder that for a moment, glancing around the room.
"You know, now that I think about it, you've never taken me while I sat on top of the dresser."
"Wait, the dresser? Really?" Peeta looks at the piece of furniture.
I nod.
"Yup, the dresser. Let's go, big boy. I expect you to make me come at least three times."
He smiles wide.
"Whatever you want, Katniss."