Hi everyone! I know there were issues with readers being able to view the last chapter. I tried a dozen different times to get the chapter uploaded, but I think there was an issue with the website. I believe that is fixed now, but please let me know if you still can't see Chapter 7.

This chapter has become a lot longer than I initially intended (over 10k words so far), so I have split it into two parts. I should have part two posted within the next few days. It is 90% done now. Thank you again to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, favorite and follow. It means so much to me to know there are people out there enjoying this story.

Peeta

"You should move in with me"

The words had left his mouth before he could really process what he was saying. The only thing he could focus on was the eviction notice on the floor, Katniss's tiny, cramped apartment and how much he'd desperately wanted to hold her when he'd stumbled through her door to find her sobbing on the kitchen floor. Katniss sat stunned against the refrigerator, her eyes blinking rapidly as she stared at him.

"I…I can't move in with you," she said incredulously. "I mean…I…we…I don't need your charity, Peeta. I'll figure out something."

"It won't be charity," he reasoned. "I have two extra rooms that I don't even use. One can be for you and one can be for the baby. Once he or she is here, I'm going to want to be there all the time anyway. So, this just makes sense. You can pay rent too, so it'll be just as much your house as it is mine."

She looked skeptical, but he could see the wheels turning in her head. She was weighing her options and she had to admit that what he said made sense. He was surprised by how much sense it made as well. When he initially made the offer, he wasn't thinking of anything other than his desire to have her near him all the time.

She leaned back against the refrigerator, her hands came to rest on the little bump forming on her stomach. She looked down at her hands and let out a long breath. "Okay."

"Okay?" He had heard her but needed to ask to be sure.

"Yeah, okay," she relented. "And, I thought them finding out about the baby was going to be bad. Johanna is going to have a field day teasing me about moving in with you. You should be prepared. I'm sure she'll be coming for you too."

Peeta smiled. "I'm not worried. I can handle Johanna. Besides, I think she kind of likes me. Maybe she'll go easy on me."

"She does and she won't," Katniss deadpanned. "Though, I can't understand why she would like you. You're so damn unlikable Mellark," she said sarcastically, a small smile lifting the edges of her mouth.

"I know. I'm the absolute worst."

The melodic laugh that Peeta had been longing to hear again rang out across the kitchen. Internally, he was fist pumping the air in celebration. He had been keeping Katniss at arm's length for weeks now. He did it to spare her heart as much as his. He couldn't take seeing her as heartbroken again as she was after he had told her about Proja and he didn't want to feel his heart shatter the way it did in those weeks either. So, he had been cautious and limiting with his affection even though he desperately wanted to touch her, taste her, feel her in his arms and wrapped around his body once more. He took a deep, shuddering breath as the adrenaline and nervous energy coursed through him. He was so in love with her that it hurt, but he still wasn't sure how she felt. So, if it meant that he could only be her friend then that would have to be enough for him. At least she and their baby would be in his life every day. He couldn't ask for much more than that.

Katniss

The space seemed so much bigger without all of her belongings in it. It had taken a couple of weeks to mentally prepare herself and pack up her belongings for the move, but as she stood in the empty living room of her apartment, her arms wrapped tightly around her middle the memories of her years there flooded her mind.

Eating way too much junk food and dancing like a fool in the living room with Prim.

Her first time drinking with Gale to celebrate her moving in and the terrible hangover she experienced after.

The awkward and fumbling way she lost her virginity to Gale on that same drunken night.

Celebrating with Prim when she got accepted to her dream school.

Holidays and birthdays.

Crying happy tears when Gale showed her the ring he planned to propose to Madge with.

The time she almost burned the place down by leaving a dishtowel too close to the stovetop.

The sound of Peeta's moans as she straddled him on her bed.

The way Peeta held her on the bathroom floor as they both cried when they found out she was pregnant.

She sighed as she walked through each room one last time making sure she hadn't left anything behind. Peeta and Thresh had loaded everything into a small moving truck. It wasn't much. Other than her furniture everything she owned fit in less than ten boxes. She was glad Thresh had been willing to help. He had listened silently as Peeta explained the situation then quietly congratulated them both and agreed to help with the move. She had loathed having to ask Haymitch and the onslaught of snide remarks that would've occurred, so she felt incredibly indebted to Thresh.

She entered her tiny kitchen for the last time and dropped the apartment keys on the counter. Through the window she could see Peeta and Thresh as they leaned against the truck chatting and waiting for her. She didn't know if she was ready for this. It felt like Snow and his eviction notice were pushing Peeta and her together too fast. Maybe the move would've eventually happened anyway, especially with a baby coming, but she would've liked it to have been on her terms and not something she was forced to do because she had no other choice.

She was also unsure about how she really felt about Peeta. There definitely was a physically attraction that she couldn't deny, but she didn't know if something longer term was possible, or even if that was something he wanted. She had never been down this road before and had never wanted to. She knew how painful it was to lose the people who mattered most and who you loved with everything you had. She hadn't wanted to risk that feeling again, but she did want this baby to have the experience of having both of its parents in its life so she knew that even with the apprehension she felt, moving in with Peeta was a good decision. Her fingertips trailed the countertop as she walked to the towards the door to exit the apartment for the last time. She closed the door behind her, feeling the clasp of the doorknob click in her hand then she headed out of the building without ever looking back.

She tiptoed through the kitchen even though she was the only one home.

Home.

It was strange how she had already considered this house her home after only a few days. She had thought it would be awkward and smothering living with someone else, but Peeta worked long hours, except on Wednesday and Sunday when the restaurant was closed, so Katniss had a significant amount of alone time. She couldn't explain it because she had always been someone who cherished the freedom of being by herself, but she felt sad and lonely when Peeta wasn't there. She had a hard time admitting it to herself, but she missed him. To ease the loneliness, she would often spend her time in the kitchen because it was the place in the house that reminded her most of him. The pregnancy also made her insanely hungry, so camping out in the kitchen allowed her to, as the idiom said, kill two birds with one stone.

She leaned against the island countertop idly picking at a blueberry muffin from the batch that Peeta had left in a container in the center of the island. Now that she lived with him, she had become familiar with his lack of sleep. She had heard him cry out in the night sometimes followed by his heavy footsteps as he made his way to the kitchen to bake. The first night she had been so distraught over the sounds of his distress that she had gotten up and made it as far as her doorway before deciding better of it and turning around.

Peeta had moved his bedroom to the empty one at the foot of the stairs and had given Katniss the master bedroom, master bathroom and empty bedroom – that they both decided would work for a nursery – upstairs. So, while she knew he tried to hide it, the sounds of his nightmares could easily be heard. In the past several nights she had taken to sitting in bed and fighting with herself about what to do until she would hear him get up. Neither of them were getting much sleep.

Katniss eyed the clock knowing she would need to leave for work soon. Johanna had been relentless in her teasing when she found out that Katniss and Peeta had moved in together. Johanna's relentlessness had rubbed off on some of the other staff members and so the teasing, while good natured, was almost nonstop. Katniss knew people would eventually grow bored or some new piece of gossip would grab their attention and the teasing would stop, but until then she made a point to arrive at work at the last minute. At 18 weeks pregnant, people also liked to reach out and touch her small bourgeoning bump, which she hated, so arriving late help curtail that to a degree as well.

She was thankful that it was Tuesday and that she would have two consecutive days off with the Thanksgiving holiday. She needed it and she knew that Peeta needed it as well. He had to be exhausted. She didn't know how he did it. Peeta hadn't mentioned much to her about the holiday, only that he hadn't had it off in several years. Other restaurants that he worked in didn't close, but Haymitch was actually pretty sentimental when it came to holiday celebrations, so he always closed District 12 for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. She wondered if Peeta would be visiting his family. Since Prim had moved away for school, Katniss hadn't celebrated the holiday. Prim had always stayed at school until winter break to save money with airfare and Katniss had always stayed home with takeout and Netflix. She had always been fine with that, enjoyed it even, but suddenly the thought of being alone for the holiday made her incredibly sad.

The restaurant had been extremely busy. They always were right before they closed for a holiday, but Katniss was thankful for the extra workload. It allowed her to get lost in her job. Everyone else was busy as well, which kept the teasing and the unwanted touching at bay. Peeta had left the house at 10am in order to help prep the kitchen for the rush and the additional holiday themed items on the menu. He had now been on his feet for over 12 hours and Katniss watched as he slumped against the worktop while he talked with Thresh and a line cook named Thom. She was worried about Peeta. She wished that she knew how to help him.

"Hey there, lovebird," Johanna purred into her ear.

"Hey. And, just when I thought I would escape without hearing shit tonight," Katniss groaned.

"I'm not the one standing here practically eye fucking our hunky, blonde chef," Johanna replied, her hands up in mock surrender.

Katniss rolled her eyes and lowered her voice. "I am not eye fucking him. I'm worried about him. He doesn't sleep. I wish I knew how to help him."

"Oh, I know a way you can help him."

"Never mind, Jo" Katniss sighed and turned to walk away. Johanna grabbed her by the arm to stop her.

"I'm sorry. I'm just trying to have some fun. You know how I get around the holidays."

Katniss stopped. She knew. Johanna had lost her whole family. Katniss didn't know the details. She had tried to no avail to pry them out of her friend over many drinks. It was the one thing that initially bonded the women together. Loss and grief are powerful.

She laid a hand on Johanna's cheek, "I know."

"Blondie's tough. He's been through some shit too. I can tell," Johanna said wistfully. "Whatever's keeping him awake at night…he'll figure it out. We all figure out a way to cope with our demons."

Katniss watched as Johanna's eyes got glassy and then as if she realized her mistake, Johanna blinked rapidly, pinched the bridge of her nose and then aimed her most mischievous smile at Katniss.

"I'm sure a little Katniss Everdeen midnight therapy session wouldn't hurt." Johanna waggled her eyebrows.

Katniss rolled her eyes but smiled. "You're terrible."

"Seriously, though Kat. He'll be ok."

"I hope you're right."

Peeta

It was nearly 1am before he dragged his tired body through the front door. His eyelids felt heavy. His knee was killing him. He sat on the foot of the stairs and rubbed the knee idly while carefully and quietly removing his coat and shoes. He knew Katniss would be asleep by now. They had closed the restaurant at 10pm, but he, Thresh and Thom had stayed late doing inventory and putting together a purchase order for when the restaurant reopened on Friday. He couldn't remember a time when he had been more thankful for Thanksgiving. Two days off was just want he needed.

He crept slowly through the living room towards the bathroom down the hall when something caught his eye. In the faint glow of the small corner lamp, he spied Katniss curled on her side, one hand still clutching an open book, peacefully asleep on the couch. He still couldn't believe she was here with him. She was so beautiful. He hoped that their child would look like her. He grabbed a flannel throw from the back of the couch and covered her sleeping form. He reached down and gently plucked the book out of her hands. As he was closing the book, her hand reached out and grasped his wrist.

"What time is it," Katniss's sleepy voice asked.

"It's a little after one in the morning."

Her eyes blinked open and found his. They locked eyes. In the stillness of the house, he could hear the rapid pace of his heart beating in his ears. He hoped she couldn't hear it too.

"You're just getting home?" She asked, concern lacing her words.

He nodded. "Thresh, Thom and I had to do some prepping for the reopen. It took longer than we anticipated. You should go back to bed."

"No, no I'm okay," she said while stretching and sitting up. "I was waiting for you. I didn't mean to fall asleep down here."

She looked up at him sheepishly. Her hair was tousled and cheeks were ruddy. He desperately wanted to kiss her. He stood up and headed toward the kitchen instead.

"Mind if I grab something to eat? I'm starving," he asked.

"No! Are you kidding? I don't think I saw you sit down once today. Please eat something."

A slight blush warmed his cheeks at the realization that she had been watching and that she worried about him. Other than his father, no one really worried about him. "Hungry?" He asked with his head in the refrigerator to hide his blush.

"Always."

Peeta chuckled behind the open door.

"Hey! Don't laugh. Your crazy spawn has me hungry and peeing all damn day and night. I blame this entirely on your genetics," she replied with a laugh.

Peeta walked out of the kitchen waving a white napkin over a plate holding two halves of a sandwich. "I surrender! The terms of my surrender is this turkey sandwich."

"Surrender accepted," she replied taking one of the halves from the plate. She moaned slightly at the first bite. "Your turkey sandwiches are so good. You should add them to the lunch menu."

"Thanks," he said, his hand coming up to cover his mouthful of food. "I talked to Haymitch about changing up the lunch menu and he isn't willing to make any changes until after the first of the year, but if he lets me I'll definitely add it. We'll call it 'The Katniss.'"

Katniss snorted and rolled her eyes. Now that he had some food in his stomach and had finally sat down for the day, his body felt like it was full of lead weights. Getting up from the couch felt like a monumental feat. He absentmindedly rubbed his knee.

"It's hurting today," Katniss stated.

He nodded and flexed his foot to try and work out some of the soreness. He leaned his head against the back of the couch and let his eyes fall closed. The constant throbbing behind his eyes let him know that he really needed to sleep. He felt the couch shift as Katniss moved around and then he felt a pair of hands on his leg. His eyes popped open. He lifted his head to see Katniss kneeling before him with her hands on the leg of his pants.

"Katniss, wha – "

"May I?" She asked gesturing to his knee.

All he could do was nod in agreement and actively remind himself to breath. Katniss placed her slender hands gently on his knee and used her thumbs to apply pressure while rubbing circles on the inner and outer part of the knee. Her fingers lightly massaged his calf. He closed his eyes again. Outside of physical therapists, no one had every massaged his knee for him. The colder weather and long hours had caused it ache almost continually. It was another reason he wasn't sleeping very well. He couldn't help the groan that escaped his lips as Katniss's fingers found a particularly tender spot.

"Is this okay?" she asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Mmhmm"

It was the only sound he could make. He didn't trust himself to speak in fear he would say something that would ruin this moment. His eyes fluttered open and were met by mesmerizing, brilliant pewter orbs. He couldn't look away. As they stared at each other a tendril of hair worked its way out of Katniss's braid and framed her face brushing gently against her cheek. Hers eyes quickly glanced down as his mouth and her tongue darted out to wet her lips. His heart thumped erratically in his chest. He could feel himself growing hard. His hands itched to reach out and pull her to him. He shifted on the couch, a battle warring inside of him as he tried to decide what to do. The shift caused Katniss's hand to slip off his knee. She reached out to balanced herself. Her hand landed on his upper thigh grazing against his growing erection. She jumped back pulling both of her hands away from him. He quickly sat up ready to mumble an apology, a furious blush creeping up his neck. Katniss cleared her throat as she stood, her eyes downcast.

"I…I should probably get to bed."

"Yeah…me too." He shifted again and her eyes lifted to his.

"Goodnight, Peeta," she whispered before turning and practically flying up the stairs.

"Goodnight," he replied to the empty living room. He brought his elbows to his knees and laid his face in his hands with a groan.

Fucking idiot. Worthless, worthless, worthless.

His mother's words bounced around his tired mind. With a heavy sigh he got up from the couch, deposited the empty plate in the kitchen sink and headed towards the hall bathroom. He gently closed the door, striped out of his clothes and stepped into the shower. He let the water beat a rhythm across his back as his face pressed against the cool tile. Images of Katniss's full lips, glistening from the moisture of her tongue, her silvery eyes boring into him, and the tendril of hair float through his mind. The memory of her hand grazing against him caused him to shiver despite the warmth of the shower stall. He gripped himself firmly and began to stroke, burying his face into his forearm to cover the moan. It was over embarrassingly quick and he struggled to not call out Katniss's name as he finished. He let his head fall back into the warm spray of water and wondered if Katniss Everdeen would ever love him as much and as deeply as he loved her.

Katniss

She had run up to her room and jumped into her bed like a frightened child and that annoyed the shit out of her. Her heart still pounded in her chest. She couldn't get the sound of his moan or the feel of the hardness that tented his pants out of her mind. She had wanted to kiss him and had fought with herself to avoid it as she'd massaged his knee. His mouth was just so damn kissable. Even through the shut door of her bedroom she could hear Peeta's heavy gait as he walked through the house towards the second bathroom.

She threw her head back on the pillow. She thought about his eyes. Most people she had seen had a dimmer blue, but Peeta's eyes sparkled like sapphire gemstones. They were so unnaturally blue, that if she didn't know him, she would've assumed they were fake. His eyes held so much depth as well. Every emotion that he tried to hide she could see it. She knew how perilously close they had gotten to crossing the line of friendship that they had laid down. She tossed and turned out of frustration in the bed. The friction of her movements causing the wetness between her thighs to become more noticeable. The ache that had started when she'd laid her hands on him in the living room was still there as well.

She allowed her hand to roam down her stomach and under the waistband of her panties. Her fingers glided through the slick heat that pooled there and she thought about the look on Peeta's face that one night several months before. How surprised he had been to find her there waiting for him. The hesitation that ultimately lost to his desire. The way he arched slightly when she sank down on top of him. The stray lock of hair that hung loosely on his forehead as he looked up at her.

Her body jerked at her frantic touch, her breathing chaotic. She turned and stifled her moans into her pillow. Her body arched a final time, trembling before she fell heavy and boneless onto the mattress. She curled onto her side and hugged her pillow close. Confusion wracked her thoughts. Confusion about her feelings for Peeta and the way her body reacted to simply touching him. Confusion about what the future would hold and how they could continue on as just friends when she constantly felt bombarded by too many feelings whenever she was in his presence. She wanted to be angry at him while simultaneously wanting him to feel only love. She wanted to make him hurt while also wanting to make him laugh. She wanted to push him away while also never letting go. She sighed and closed her eyes. A single tear escaped from under her lids as she fell into a fitful sleep.

A loud crash and the sound of glass shattering emanated from the floor below startling her awake. She looked at the time on her phone to see that it was barely 8am. She felt like she had just fallen asleep ten minutes prior. She hauled herself out of bed and quickly used the bathroom before she crept slowly down the stairs to investigate the noise. She found Peeta standing in the kitchen cursing under his breath, his hand under the running faucet in the sink and shards of a glass baking dish at his feet. A steady stream of blood ran from a cut on his hand. He was wearing a sleeveless white t-shirt and khaki colored canvas pants, both of which were covered in various colors of paint. Smudges of paint adorned his arms and face.

"Peeta?" She questioned from the kitchen doorway.

"Don't come in here," he cautioned holding up his free hand. "There's glass everywhere. I don't want you to cut yourself."

She took in the scene. The baking supplies on the counter, the broken dish and glass shards on the ground, the smears of blood on the floor and cabinet door, and Peeta's disheveled appearance. She made a snap decision and ran up to her room grabbing her thick rubber rain boots. She slid them on and made her way into the kitchen. The glass crunched under her feet. Peeta turned, his face full of worry and alarm.

"Katniss, I told you to stay out. I'll get this cleaned up."

"It's ok," she said pointing to her boots. "Let me see your hand."

He held up his hand. There was a pretty sizable gash on the side that ran from his pinky to the midpoint of his palm. It was bleeding fairly consistently but wasn't very deep. Katniss grabbed paper towels and held them to the cut. "Apply pressure. I'll go get some gauze and tape. It doesn't look too deep so I don't think you'll need stitches."

"How do you know that?" Peeta asked surprised.

"My mother was a trauma surgeon and Prim is studying to be the same. We were taught basic first aid from a very young age."

He winced as she cleaned the cut. "If it continues to bleed even after applying pressure and the bandage then you may have to have it looked at, but I think it'll be okay," she said as she bandaged his hand.

"Thank you," he said in a soft voice.

She truly took in his appearance once his cut was bandaged. The dark circles under his eyes and the pallor of his face made her breath catch in her throat. "Peeta, did you sleep?"

"I…I got a little bit of sleep," he stammered, looking away and reaching for the broom and dustpan. "I was painting in my studio and I lost track of time. When I realized what time it was, I thought I would make something for breakfast, but I dropped the baking dish. I didn't mean to wake you. I'm so sorry. About this and about last night."

He quickly stooped down and began to clean the glass from the floor. She knelt down beside him and placed her hands over his. He stopped cleaning and looked up at her. In his eyes she saw nothing but remorse. In that moment, she knew that she needed to forgive him for New Orleans. She would never forget, of course, but she could see the emotional toll her anger had taken on him. That morning in the kitchen as they both knelt in the scattered mess of broken glass was the final blow to the wall she had built up. It had completely crumbled. Her heart was now left unguarded when it came to him. It made her feel vulnerable but also strangely powerful. She now had the power to forgive him. The power to allow herself happiness with him and a future hope of a family for their baby. The power to give him her love and receive his in return. If he would allow it.

"Peeta," she said, her palm cupping his cheek. His eyes fluttered closed. She wished she had better words to tell him how she felt. Every word that filtered through her mind didn't seem right, so she did the only thing she could think of. She kissed him.