DISCLAIMER: HG characters do not belong to me.

Chapter 126-Family

December 31

"Mom, Avie and I can stay up to, right?" Sienna asks Katniss as she puts Jackson in his portable play area. Now 1 year old, Jackson figured out how to use his little legs and Katniss would put him in the portable play area when she couldn't watch his every move for he was now running all over the house.

"Like I told you before, you can both stay up until 10, but then you are going to bed."

"But Mom!"

"No buts Sienna, you are 6, in a couple of years you can stay up till midnight with the grownups."

"Grammie says I'm an old soul" Sienna says pouting.

Katniss laughs softly and says, "You are, you remind me of how I was when I was your age, you take such great care of your sister and brother. But you are still my little girl, and you need your sleep."

Knowing she was not going to get her way, Sienna huffs and turns around but Katniss calls to her, "Sienna wait!"

She turns back around and sees her Mom crouching down and holding out her arms for a hug, Sienna instinctively goes into them. She hears her Mother whisper into her ear, "I'll talk to your Dad, if you continue to do as good in school as you are now, next year you can stay up with us okay?"

"Ok Mom" Sienna says contently and pulls back.

"I love you" Katniss says.

"I love you too" Sienna says sweetly and runs off.

Katniss stands back up and looks towards all the noise she hears in the adjacent living room. The entire family was at their house to celebrate the holidays. She sees Hazelle holding Taran, Vick and Layla's newborn son. Born October 18, his birthday was right between Sienna and Gale's. He was a good baby, and Katniss and Gale hoped Taran and Jackson would be close while growing up. Katniss looks around and sees her Mother helping Avery with a puzzle toy, and sees Gale, Posy, Vick, Layla, and Rory chat with Tobey. As hoped, Rory did end up coming to District 2 this past October and he spent a week at the house with Katniss and Gale. While there Rory told Gale the truth about him and Tobey, and about what happened back in 12. Completely shocked by what Rory confessed, Gale was immediately supportive, but warned his brother that his life would have moments of hardships.

"In my job, I have heard from residents about how they have been attacked, some beaten. We have dealt with those people, but it hasn't stopped it from continuing to happen" Katniss remembers Gale saying to his Brother.

Relieved that his Brother was supportive, Rory then told the rest of the family with Gale by his side. As expected, the rest of the Hawthorne's supported Rory though shocked by his confession, and Hazelle insisted that Tobey come to District 2 for the holidays to meet the family.

When Gale first proposed the idea of building this house to Katniss, she thought he was going over the top with wanting a house this big, but Katniss now realizes that her husband was looking towards the future. All family get togethers were now at their house because they had the room for everyone, and Katniss wouldn't have it any other way.

She continues to stand in the kitchen observing everyone. She sees Gale look over at her puzzlingly, and she responds with a warm smile. He smiles back, thankful that he has everything he ever wanted, right there with him in this room.


June 11 (Sunday)-two and a half years later

Katniss sits in a chair on the balcony, breathing in the warm ocean air. She watches as the sun comes up and snaps a picture with her new camera that Gale had gotten her for her birthday. Wearing only a sleep shirt, she opens the sliding hotel room door and heads back inside. She sees Gale lying face down on the bed, the covers hanging off the side of the bed. She smiles while admiring his naked body on the bed and sets her camera down on the night stand. She climbs on top of him and begins kissing his shoulders, rousing him from sleep.

He blinks a few times adjusting his eyes to the light that was now pouring through the large sliding door. He moves onto his back and looks up at Katniss who was now sitting on top of him. He reaches his hand up and strokes her face, she stares down at him silently, looking at him with desire in her eyes.

She turns her head and begins lightly kissing his fingers, playfully biting one of them in the process. He feigns a surprised look and pulls his hand back, causing her to chuckle softly in response. Before she can reach for his hand again he sits up and forcefully kisses her, wrapping his arms around her as he continues to kiss her.

Once she begins to feel his erection on her inner thighs, she reaches down and quickly repositions herself and once he is inside her, she begins moving up and down while he begins thrusting. Wanting to feel him deeper inside her, she does a quick nod of head and he without another word, he flips positions with her so that she is lying face down on the bed while pulls the nightshirt up and tosses it off the side of the bed. She raises herself up on her elbows as he begins to move inside of her from behind. She first stares at the bed frame, but then closes her eyes as she lets the feeling of pleasure take over, her head hanging down and begins moaning as she feels his hand grasp her breast, teasing her nipple while the other hand pulls her hips up as he frantically reaches around and begins stroking her clit. Pulling herself up so that she is on her hands and knees, she loses control as she begins to climax, her moans becoming louder and louder until he climaxes inside her.

Out of breath, she moves up and settles in his lap, her back up against his chest as he begins stroking and squeezing her breasts, eliciting soft moans in response until his hands move down to her now again flat stomach, rubbing it gently.

"So-do you think a baby is in there yet?" Gale says as his breathing begins to return to normal while he continues to rub her stomach.

"I don't know-if not-guess we'll just have to keep trying" Katniss says as she turns her head beaming up at him. He bends down and kisses her softly as she reaches her arm up, bringing him down closer to her.

Recently turning 37, Katniss had approached Gale right after her birthday about trying for another baby. Sienna now 8, Avery 7, and Jackson 3, they felt the timing was right for the last Hawthorne to join their family. They had agreed if Katniss became pregnant they would wait until the baby was born to find out if it was a boy or girl.

In order to spend some quality time alone from the kids, Gale had arranged to take Katniss on a weekend trip to District 4, Hazelle watching the kids back at the house. Enjoying their time just to themselves, they got plenty of sleep and had plenty of time for sex, which was something they didn't always have the time or privacy for. With Katniss having off this summer as usual, she had enrolled all three kids in a PES day education program in Silver Lake that lasted from 9-3. This was Jackson's first time in school and so far he had enjoyed being with the other kids. Katniss had used the time to get work done around the house, but would knock on Gale's office door at noon on the days he was working from home so that they could make love during his lunch hour. She told herself she would give it six months, and if she didn't become pregnant in that time frame it wasn't meant to be, though they were both having a lot of fun trying.


June 23 (Friday)

Katniss looked out the window of the front room of their house as she anxiously waited for Gale to arrive home from work. He had been gone since Wednesday, working downtown and in the Capitol for meetings for the last three days. He was to arrive home at 2:30 pm, getting on the train to Silver Lake right after his morning meeting at his office. She looks at the clock and sees it is 2:35, she begins tapping her fingers in agitation until she sees him walk up the front steps. Before he can reach for his keys she flings the door open, going into his arms.

"Hello to you too" Gale says as he closes the door behind him once finally getting through.

"Sorry I just-I missed you."

"I missed you too, but it's not like we haven't been away from each other before" he says as he begins to take his shoes off.

She kneels in front of him and looks into his eyes as she says, "Must be due to my hormones, after all…." and she smiles as she hands him the positive pregnancy test she had concealed in her hand.

Looking down and seeing what it was, he grabs her and pulls her into his arms and begins happily kissing her. He breaks away from his onslaught of kisses and says, "What time do you have to go pick up the kids?"

"I leave at 2:50, it takes ten minutes to walk there."

He sees it is 2:38 and smiles mischievously at Katniss as he begins unbuttoning her shorts, once he pulls her shorts and underpants off, he gets down on his knees and begins pleasuring her with his mouth. She leans up against the front door and closes her eyes as she feels him lift her leg up to drape over his shoulder. Quickly orgasming, she pulls away from him and hurries as she puts her clothes back on and grabs her shoes, not wanting to be late. As she opens the front door to leave Gale asks her, "Catnip-how about we enroll the kids in a day program next year too?" and she laughs as she gives him a quick kiss on the cheek before heading out.

A/N: So this chapter had a lot of fluff but the drama will be returning for the final chapters of this story!