Author's note: Thanks to each and every one of you fabulous readers who have added this story to your alerts and favorites. And I appreciate those of you who take the time to review. I hope this chapter is acceptable. I swear to you that a lot of stuff will happen soon. Just hang in there with me. And keep the reviews coming, lovlies!

Happy reading!

Chapter Eight

Finn shot another arrow down the range. It landed closer to the center, but was still a little off. Katniss stepped forward and gave him a few pointers. Gale stayed back and watched. Finn shot another arrow. It landed in the center of the target.

"I got it!" Finn exalted.

"Good. Now try it again." Katniss prompted.

He did and got another bull's-eye.

"And now a third time to make sure it wasn't an accident."

The third time went a little wide. "Aw, man." He said, dejected.

"It's okay. Keep practicing." She patted his back. "You're already so much better."

Gale smiled at her as she walked back to him. "You're a good teacher." He commented.

She grinned. "Thanks. Just building on what you already taught him."

They watched the boy shoot a few more times. He flexed his fingers.

"Time to go back." Gale said.

"Dad, do we have to go?" The boy whined.

"No need to go any farther. You'll just hurt yourself."

Katniss took the bow from him and put it away. "I'm really proud of you, Finn. You're doing a good job."

Finn beamed. "Thanks, Katniss."

"No problem, kid."

They gathered their arrows and headed out of the building toward where Gale parked the car.

"Do you ever get a chance to hunt?" Katniss asked as they climbed into the car.

"Not really. Now that we live a little farther out, I guess I could. But I'd lose time seeing Maggie do all her first things."

Katniss smiled. "You really like this, don't you? Being a dad?"

He grinned. "I love it. I was made for it. That one back there keeps me on my toes." He winked in the rearview mirror. "And Maggie is growing and learning new things. New words. It's amazing."

Katniss sat back and stared out the window.

He mumbled, "You don't have to."

"Hm?"

"It's not for everyone." He said softly. "Don't let him pressure you into something you don't want."

She looked at him nervously. She murmured, "I don't know what I want half the time." She turned her gaze back to the window and was silent the rest of the ride.

"Dada!" Mags exclaimed when her father walked through the front door. She crawled quickly toward him.

He chuckled and leaned down to scoop her up. He kissed her and held her in the air. "How is my Maggie today? Have you had fun with Peeta?"

"Peeta!" She giggled.

"I guess that's a yes." He kissed her again and then put her on the floor. He held onto her hands and walked slowly behind her as she wobbled on her tiny legs. "Soon enough, sweet pea, you can do this on your own like everyone else." He swung her up into his arms again and walked the last few feet to Annie. He kissed her. "Hi."

"Hi." She said back.

Katniss watched all of this with a discerning eye. She walked over and sat in a chair opposite her husband.

"How was Finn at the range?" Peeta asked.

"I got two bull's-eyes, Peeta." Finn said happily.

"Did you really? That's great!"

"Did you hear, Mom?" the boy turned to his parents.

"I did, baby. That's fantastic." Annie said, sitting down beside him.

"I missed every other time, though."

"Finn, you're doing very well." Katniss said. "Don't be down. You got it close every other time."

"My school friends don't really believe you're helping teach me to shoot a bow."

"Yeah, District Two's not really big on gossip. No cameras following me around everywhere to document my every move."

"Is that a good thing?" Finn asked.

"A very good thing." Peeta said. "My wife hates everyone knowing our business."

"Because it's our business." Maggie crawled over and pulled herself up on Katniss's leg. She looked at the baby.

Mags made a happy sound and patted Katniss's leg. "Peeta!" She said.

"You have that one down pretty well, don't you?"

"She loves learning new words." Gale said. "She'll say it over and over until she learns a new one."

She nodded and leaned closer to the baby. "Can you say 'Katniss'?"

Maggie gave her a questioning look.

"Katniss. That's me. Can you say it? Kat-niss."

"Peeta!" she said happily.

She smiled. "You'll learn." She picked up the baby. She noticed Peeta staring. "Stop it." She snapped.

"Maggie, you need to learn to say Katniss." He said, ignoring his wife. "It's a nice name."

Katniss hid her smile in Maggie's hair. "You're ridiculous."

"You're the one blushing." He teased. "After being with me all this time, it makes me feel good I can still make you smile like that."

She met his eyes. "Makes me feel good too." She smoothed her hand over Maggie's hair. "I need to add her to the book."

"Oh, right." Annie said. "I have a few pictures I can get you. I have a great one of Finn holding her. I'll go get it." She got up and hurried from the room.

"What book are you talking about?" Finn asked.

"A project Peeta and Haymitch and I put together. For all of Panem, but mostly for the surviving victors."

"Here you go." Annie came in, waving a picture around. She passed it to Katniss. "Isn't that great?"

She looked at the picture. It was a candid shot of Finn playing with his baby sister. Both laughed happily. "Perfect." She showed Peeta.

He smiled. "Yeah, perfect." He took it from her and examined it. "You look so much like your dad, Finn."

"More and more every day." Annie said fondly. She exchanged a look with Gale.

Katniss caught the look that passed between them. Gale looked hurt, but only for a moment. Annie was apologetic. She patted his knee. Katniss made a note to ask her friend about that later.

"Mom, I'm hungry." Finn said.

Annie smiled at her son. "Then go start supper."

"But I don't want to." He whined.

"Finn," Gale warned, "You know how to cook and it is your night."

"But, Dad, I want to visit with Katniss and Peeta."

"They'll be here a whole week. And we knew them first so we get to visit more." He nodded his head toward the kitchen. "Go."

Finn sighed and hoisted himself out of the chair.

Mags relaxed against Katniss's chest with a sigh of her own. The woman was unsure at first what to do. She wrapped an arm around the girl's torso and started combing her fingers through the girl's dark locks.

"Kat." She said.

"No one ever called me Kat before. I think I like it." She smiled at Peeta. "What do you think?"

"A lot of things I really shouldn't say in front of our hosts." He murmured.

She laughed softly and continued to absently stroke Maggie's hair.

There was a crash in the kitchen.

"You okay in there?" Annie called.

"Yeah, just dropped a pan." He called back.

"Or twenty." She stood, "I better go check on him."

Gale caught her hand. "Hey."

She turned. "What?"

"It's okay." He said softly.

She nodded and left the room.

After exchanging a look with his wife, Peeta stood and followed. "Do you have any flour?" he asked as he caught up with her.

"This is the part where you analyze a small moment that passed between me and my wife." Gale said. He moved closer to her and reached out his hands to Maggie.

She lunged toward him. "Dada."

Katniss passed her over. "Why don't you just tell me then?"

He smiled at his daughter and bounced her up and down. "It's nothing, Catnip. I'm sure you and Peeta have gone through the same thing."

"Peeta has always been in love with me. And as much as I love you, I never loved you that way. So talk to me."

He looked into the kitchen and saw his wife helping Peeta gather some cooking essentials. "I'm always competing with Finnick." He said softly as he returned his gaze to his daughter. "I know she loves me, but he was in her heart first. That's a big hole to fill."

"It is. I can only imagine…But you're not competing with him. She married you, Gale. You have a family together."

He shook his head. "Yeah, but sometimes I feel like Finn accepts me more than Annie."

"Finn never knew his dad."

"I get it." He kissed his daughter and smiled at her. "And it's getting easier. There are fewer days that she stays in bed. There's more laughter. More smiles." He met Katniss's eyes. "She's the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Good to know."

"And how are things with Peeta these days?"

"We're good." She said shortly.

"Come on, I just bared my heart to you."

She let out a long breath. "He really wants a baby. And when I was pregnant, I kind of did too. But not enough to want to try again after losing it."

"You're good with mine. You can just be Aunt Katniss to them. If you don't want your own, don't have them. Don't do that to your kids."

"But what if—?" She cut herself off. "I have this feeling I'd love my children. I just don't want to bring life into our world. I still have nightmares. Peeta still has his issues." She shook her head. "I just can't make him understand that."

"He understands perfectly. And he loves you more than anyone could ever love anyone." He smiled reassuringly. "And you never know how cute your kids can be."

"Probably cuter than yours." She smirked. "Are you going to have any more?"

"I think we're going to try." He shrugged. "Who knows?"