I honestly didn't even know where to end this, so it's just there. I do not have kids, all of my friends have kids and I am a nanny for a two and four year old. They are my world and Bran, Sage, and Jack are heavily based on them as well as Katniss' relationship with them. I want to get the next chapter out this weekend but no promises.

All mistakes are mine seeing as this is very unbetaed and characters and such belong to SC.

Over the weeks a system of sorts formed. I spent every day at Peeta's after work. I don't even stop by my apartment first. Peeta is normally still finishing up his long shift at the bakery but the kids are all home from school so I go right up and hang out with them. Sometimes I'll help Bran with his homework, or watch Brave with Sage, or color and play with action figures with Jack. And when Peeta makes his way up stairs, he offers me a swift kiss before we start on dinner together.

After dinner we watch a bit of television or we'll break out the kids' paint and we'll spend the rest of the night swirling all the different colors onto the paper. Sometimes when Sage can't sleep, I'll crawl into her bed and sing to her until her breath evens out into deep and peaceful exhales. Afterwards I curl around Peeta on the couch. My legs fold over his as his arm drapes over my shoulder and hand rests on a bare patch of skin on my hip. I sink further into Peeta's chest and breathe in his scent; warm baked bread mixed with the musky scent of his body wash.

We share only a few kisses though. Always too chaste for either of our liking but Peeta is still nervous and I'm not going to push him.

In all honesty I'm nervous as well. I've spent my whole life living a certain way; keeping my emotions in check. No thoughts of an actual relationship or marriage or kids. Now in just a matter of weeks all of those things have crossed my mind. Maybe not having kids of my own, but more than once I've wondered how Bran or Sage or Jack are all doing and how I can't wait to get home to them.

Johanna teases me relentlessly about how domestic I am. Every time she asks me if I want to get a drink with her after work at The Hob, I turn her down with the same excuse; I promised the kids I'd do something with them.

"Should I start looking for my bridesmaid dress now?" Johanna smirked.

"Peeta and I haven't even used the terms boyfriend and girlfriend yet. I'm not even sure if we're dating or still in the friends zone. I think you may be a bit ahead of yourself."

"Please," Jo scoffs. "If you're ditching me to hang out with his kids and fucking, then you're dating."

"Well, I'm doing one out of the two," I say nonchalantly, without looking up from a sample of wild fungus.

"You and Peeta aren't having sex? Didn't you tell me you spend every night over there?"

"I go there after work and help Bran with homework and then help Peeta with dinner. Sometimes I put Sage to bed because she's been having nightmares. Peeta and I catch up on our days on the couch while watching whatever is on TV then I go home."

"So no sex?" Johanna asks in disbelief.

I shake my head no in conformation. "Besides we just started this not too long ago, and it would be weird doing it with kids in the house."

"Damn, I feel bad for Peeta. He's gone over a year and a half without seeing any action. If I were you, I'd call up Fin and Annie and request a date night."

XxX

I think of Johanna's constant advice on the drive home. I laugh at myself because that's the second time I've thought of Peeta's tiny apartment above the bakery as my home. Though I do spend all of my time there, besides shower and sleep, it's not my home. My own apartment isn't my home either. At least it doesn't feel like it.

When I park behind the Mellark van in the alleyway, I round the front of the building to the main entrance of the bakery to get Jack. Bran used to watch Jack while Peeta stayed downstairs, helping out in the bakery, but one day when Peeta called it a night and opened the front door, he found Jack got ahold of his special oil paints and decorated the walls. It wasn't Bran's fault; he shouldn't have the responsibility of looking after both his younger sister and brother at such a young age himself. So Jack hangs out in the kitchen, at a little work table that Peeta set up for him in the corner.

Normally Peeta's elbow deep in flour and dough when I walk through the employee's only door into the kitchen, but he's not there. Jack is and so is a lady named Sae, who works at the bakery.

"Where's Peeta?" I ask her.

Sae looks up from the cookie down and smiles at me with her friendly smile. "He's in his office, been in there for a while."

"Let's see if I can lure him out," I tease and head into one of the backrooms that is labelled office.

I knock once before entering. Peeta's sitting at his desk flipping through piles and piles of papers.

"Hey," he smiles once he sees me come in.

"Whatcha doin'?" I ask as I enter further into the office. Much like the apartment above, Peeta's office is littered with photos and drawings that the kids drew for him.

"Just going over some financial things," he says as he stacks the papers together and places them into a bottom drawer.

"Anything bad?" I ask with concern as I slip in between him and the desk and slide on top of it.

Peeta shakes his head no. "Just the opposite, actually. The bakery is doing extremely well. I'm even thinking about expanding in the summer."

"That'd be a great idea, Peeta!" I say excitedly.

"Glad you think that," Peeta scoots closer to me in his rolling office chair and nuzzles my neck with his few day old scruff.

"I probably smell. Jo had me trampling through the swamps to get some damn mushrooms. I think she's just going to eat them later."

"I think you smell good, swamp suits you," I feel Peeta grin before he starts the process of places kisses along my neck, up to my earlobe and down to above my pulse point.

I accidently let out a moan when Peeta uses his teeth to graze my heated skin. He pauses for a fraction of a second then tries it again, getting the same reaction from me.

"I think I've found something Miss. Everdeen," Peeta murmurs into me before attacking the pleasure point on my neck with his lips.

I let out a breathy gasp when Peeta sucks the patch of skin lightly into his mouth. I'll no doubt have a mark there come tomorrow but I can't bring myself to scold Peeta now. I secure my fingers into the hem of his worn jeans the moment he stands and pull him closer to me. I move my face to capture Peeta's lips in a frenzy of a kiss. Our lip smacking together, tongues fighting for dominance, salvia being exchanged, but none of that moment in this moment. All that matters is getting closer, feeling more, doing more. I crave all of it.

One of my hands travels underneath Peeta's white tee shirt to feel his stomach. He's not ripped but there is hard and solid muscle under the layer of soft skin I'm touching. My fingers on my other hand sink further into the hem of the front of his jeans, his very happy trail tickling my fingers. I draw him even further into me until his thighs are hitting the desk I'm sitting on. Once I wrap my legs around Peeta's torso, he can't go anywhere.

Peeta doesn't seem to have a problem with it. His kisses are just as frantic and his hands are just as needy as mine. He wraps one hand around the base of my braid to hold my head firmly in place while the other one creeps up my bare thigh to wear the hem of my khaki shorts rests.

I'm about to pop the button of Peeta' jeans when a timid knock comes from the office door. Peeta literally flies away from me, swollen lips pink cheeks.

"Mr. Mellark, your interview is here," Sae's voice comes from the other side.

Peeta sighs, rubs his face before subtly trying to adjust himself in his pants. "If you want to shower to get your job off of you feel free to use mine, I have clothes in my top drawer that might fit you. I'll be up soon."

We don't kiss as I make my way out of his office. I couldn't risk the chance of getting caught up in him again. It was easy to do. Peeta's a great kisser. I sneak up on Jack and scoop him up from behind. He lets out a squeal before turning in my arms and giving me a hug.

"What did you do today?" I ask as we ascend the stairs together.

"I baked bread with daddy."

"Did you eat it?"

"Yes!"

"Did you save me any?"

Jack laughed. "No."

"Piggy."

Jack bursts through the door making pig sounds, running into his bedroom to play with his superheroes. Sage is lying on her stomach on the couch facing the TV which was playing Brave. I called for Bran who announced his presence from his bedroom.

Bran was too lying on his stomach on his bed with a number two pencil in his teeth and a book and notebook in front of him.

"You're home late," Bran observes.

"I was downstairs talking to your dad about something. Need any help?" I take a seat next to him and absentmindedly begin to lightly scratch his back.

"You're terrible at math," I can hear Bran smirk.

"12 and the capitol had different curriculums, it's not my fault."

"I don't need help, I'm almost done, but I've got to read to someone tonight. Can I read to you?" He looks back at me.

"Can't wait."

"What's that?" Bran points to my neck.

I feel my face redden as my hand goes to cover the area where Peeta's lips were not too long ago. "Uh, a bruise I got from work. Got hit with a tree branch. Your dad said I could use your shower, where are the towels?"

"Where they always are," Bran says dumbly.

"Right."

I ruffle Jack's hair before going to the linen closet in the hallway next to the bathroom. I've been in this closet a million and a half times to get blankets or candles or paint supplies out, I should have known that the towels would be in here too.

This is the first time showering at Peeta's despite me always being over here. I'm not in the woods as much as I'd like to be but that also means that I'm not dirty all the time, so I don't have to rush home and shower. Coming over to Peeta's after work has become such a routine that I forget all about needing to shower.

I slip into an old high school wrestling tee shirt and a pair of sweatpants. They are both too big for me but I'm far from complaining since they smell like Peeta and his scent is intoxicating. I decide to leave my hair down in hopes of covering the love mark that I've deemed a work accident and make my way into the living room. Peeta was already in the kitchen. I look around, Bran and Jack are in their room and Sage's eyes are still glued to the television. I sneak up behind him, wrap my arms low on his hips and whisper in his ear, "Hi."

Peeta jumped slightly. "I didn't hear you," Peeta tilted hi head to kiss my damp hair. "You smell like me."

"I like it. I'm thinking about switching shampoos. What are you making?"

"I promised Bran that we'd have steak and potatoes tonight. Is that okay?"

"Perfect. Need any help?"

"I got it. You can sit and talk to me though."

"Okay, how was your interview?"

"Good. It was just a formality since I knew that I'd already hire him."

"Do I know who it is?"

Peeta looks back at me quizzically. "Gale hasn't told you?"

"Told me what?"

"Vick's been getting into trouble with the law. And Hazelle is up to her eyeballs in work to pay for Rory's tuition so she doesn't have the time to look after him like she should so Gale came to me and asked if I'd give Vick a job since Rue's gone."

"No he never mentioned that."

"Yeah well I told Vick that I'd train him on Saturday so I have a really big favor to ask of you."

"What is it?"

"Can you possibly take Bran to his soccer game? It could be just him; I'll keep the other two in the back or something."

"No, the kids love going to Bran's game. I'll take them all."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

Peeta gave me a slow smile before kissing me on the lips and whispers against them, "I think I'm going to keep you."

"You better."