Author's note: Sorry for the delay, my lovlies. I've got a lot on my plate. I hope this is a satisfactory update to be forgiven for the wait.

As always, I thank you for taking the time to review and also to add this to your favorites and alerts.

Happy reading!

Chapter Thirteen

Peeta walked into his house to the sound of Finn laughing happily. He also heard the sound of a baby laughing and knew that he and Maggie must be entertaining each other.

But when he walked into the living room, he saw that it was Katniss entertaining them both. She was spinning Maggie around over her head as she squealed with glee. And for some reason, Finn seemed to think this was funny as well.

Katniss saw him come into the room and gathered the baby to her chest. She smiled at him. Then he noticed that Annie and Gale weren't there.

"I told them to go lie down." Katniss explained when he asked their whereabouts. "They looked exhausted."

"I bet they were." He patted Finn's shoulder. "Hey, kid. How was the trip?"

"Good." He said with a smile. "But Mom's not feeling so well. Maggie cried for a lot of the trip and Dad walked up and down the train with her almost the entire time."

"No wonder they were tired." He took the baby from his wife's arms. "Hello, Mags." He kissed her hair and rubbed her back as she rested on his shoulder. She let out a soft sigh and then pushed herself back. "What?"

"Peeta." She said happily.

"Yeah, you remembered."

Katniss kissed his cheek. "Did you get the potatoes and carrots?"

"In the kitchen, sweetheart. You want me to run across the road and warn the others?"

"Can I do it?" Finn asked.

"Sure thing, kid." Peeta said.

Gale walked into the room as Finn bolted out the door. He ran his hand through his hair and yawned.

Peeta shook his hand. "Hey, man. How's it going?"

"Pretty good. I heard her laughing in here." He ran a hand over his daughter's back.

"Your friend's doing. Not mine. You want her?"

"She's fine where she is. She really likes you."

Maggie rubbed her face on Peeta's shoulder and babbled softly.

"Well, I like her too." He sat down on a chair and gestured for Gale to sit on the adjacent sofa.

"I'm glad." He rubbed his face.

"How's Annie feeling? Finn said she wasn't well."

He smiled sideways, "She'll be fine. Nothing a little time won't cure."

Peeta gave him a puzzled look.

"We'll be welcoming a new addition to our family."

"Congratulations." He smiled and looked over his shoulder toward the kitchen. "Can you keep a secret?" he asked softly.

"You know I can."

"So are we. Welcoming a new addition, that is."

"And I take it Katniss didn't want you to say anything yet."

He shook his head and smoothed down Maggie's hair. "She doesn't really want it."

"She likes mine well enough."

He shrugged and kissed the little girl's forehead.

Annie came into the room then.

"Mama!" Maggie exclaimed, struggling in Peeta's grasp.

He sat her down on the floor and she crawled to her mother, pulling herself up on Annie's legs.

She picked her up. "Hey, baby." She kissed her chubby cheek as she walked to sit beside her husband. "Where's Finn?"

"Across the street getting Haymitch and Hazelle." Peeta explained. "And the others."

She nodded. "So what were you two talking about in here?"

They hesitated.

"You told him?" Annie asked. "I thought we were going to tell everyone at the same time."

"You know I couldn't hold it in that long." He draped his arm over her shoulder. "And anyway, Peeta and I were bonding over mutual good news."

Annie looked at Peeta. "You and Katniss, too?"

He nodded and looked over his shoulder. "But pretend you don't know. We weren't going to tell anyone for a while."

"No problem." Gale said.

"Yeah, of course." Annie agreed.

"You two can be the ones with all the good news. I'm sure your mom will just love knowing she's going to be a grandmother again." Peeta said with a smile, relaxing.

Annie stood. "I'm going to see if Katniss wants any help in the kitchen." She looked at Maggie. "You want to come with Mama?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically and the two left the room.

Peeta turned to his wife's friend. "So how far along?"

"Three months." He was beaming, but there was something lurking behind it.

"Something wrong?"

He shook his head, his smile faltering. "Nothing big."

"Well, if you want to talk, I've been told I'm a good listener. Of course I know that Katniss is your best friend, so I suppose you'd feel more comfortable with her."

"Annie wants me to talk. And I will. When I'm ready."

Peeta nodded. "You two are okay, though, right?"

"Yeah, of course." He smiled again. "It's good."

"Good." Peeta reached for the remote. "Let's see what's on."

Annie walked into the kitchen. "Do you need any help?"

"Sure. You want to start chopping carrots?" she passed over the pile and pointed out the knife drawer.

Annie strapped Mags into a high chair.

Katniss asked, "Can she have a cookie? Peeta brought some home from the bakery."

"Yeah, she loves sweets. Thank you."

She handed a cookie to the little girl and patted her on the top of the head.

"You say 'thank you', Maggie."

Maggie smiled and started gnawing on the cookie with her few teeth.

They worked in silence, the only sound in the room the knives chopping and Maggie's occasional babbles.

After a while Annie said, "Katniss, can I ask a favor?"

"What favor?"

"It's Gale. I know you two are close…The thing is, we're going through a rough patch and he won't really talk to me. We're in counseling, but there are still things he won't open up about. Could you maybe talk to him?"

"Yeah, of course."

"And I don't expect you to tell me what he said; I just want him to talk to someone."

"It's no problem, Annie. If something's bothering him, I'm sure I can get it out of him."

She relaxed, "Thanks. I really do appreciate it."

The women gathered in the kitchen after that. Katniss felt uncomfortable with all of them around, but she would endure it. She just wanted to go lie down. She'd not really felt well for most of the afternoon and the smell of the food cooking wasn't doing a lot to help. She nibbled at a piece of bread to settle her stomach as she talked.

Annie had started giving her odd looks of concern. Was she transparent? At least Hazelle seemed to be ignoring anything if she sensed it. Posy was completely oblivious as was Vick's latest girlfriend Kathy; both of whom were cooing over Maggie.

"This will be done soon." Katniss assured them, moving to sit at the kitchen table. She let out a long breath.

Annie sat down beside her and smiled encouragingly.

That's when she knew for sure. She cursed under her breath. Hazelle and the girls looked at her curiously. She smiled kindly and joined in the conversation.

After a while, she called the men in from the living room. They filled their plates and started to talk over each other.

Katniss mumbled to Peeta, "I can't believe you. You said you wouldn't say anything."

"I couldn't help it, sweetheart."

"Don't call me sweetheart right now. I'm not in the mood."

"I'm sorry." He touched her arm gently. "Please forgive me. They won't say anything. They have their own news to give."

As if on cue, Gale called for silence.

Everyone looked in his direction.

"I know that over the next few days the focus will be on Mom and Haymitch. But today, I'd like to take the spotlight for just a moment."

"Don't drag it out." Annie scolded.

He smiled at his wife. "Finn and Maggie will soon have another sibling."

Hazelle's face brightened and she rushed at her daughter-in-law, babbling excitedly and kissing her cheeks.

Everyone else spoke their congratulations. Finn looked a little lost, but brightened when his mother kissed his cheek and whispered something in his ear.

Peeta leaned over to Katniss. "Smile, sweetheart."

"We're not saying anything yet." She warned.

"Of course not. I won't steal the moment from our friends." He kissed her cheek and then turned and joined in the excitement of the baby conversation.

Peeta watched Katniss as she paced around the room. "I can't believe you're still mad at me." He said.

"Why wouldn't I be? We weren't going to say anything. And then you blab to Gale and Annie." She snapped.

"Like you wouldn't have told Gale." He snapped back. "He's your best friend. You would have confided in him."

"I don't know. Maybe."

"'Maybe.'" He repeated.

She turned at glared at him. "It's my body. It's my business."

"It's my baby." He pointed out.

"A baby that I'd just as soon not have and you know it."

"Do you know how much that hurts me? That you don't want a family with me? A life with me?"

"We have a life."

"An incomplete one." He gave her a pleading look. "Please just try to be happy about this. Or at least be content. For me. Do this for me."

She chewed on her lower lip and glared at him. She could feel herself softening. "Damn you."

He chuckled. "You can't stay angry with me forever."

She looked away, trying not to smile, though she felt it tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Maybe I hate you a little."

"Come to bed. You promised we'd celebrate. So I told a couple people. They won't say anything. They're too excited about their own baby."

She hesitated and then walked over to the bed. She sat down beside him. "I'm trying to be happy about this. I really am. But you know—"

"I do." He pulled her close. "But it's okay. It will be. You're going to be a great mother, I can tell. You're already so great with Maggie and Finn."

"I don't want the nightmares anymore." She said desperately, pressing her eyes into his neck.

"I know."

She sat up and looked at him a moment. "You've been better."

"Yeah." He pushed her hair back and brought her face closer for a kiss. "I think it's the bakery."

She kissed him and murmured against his lips, "I want you."

"I'd like to help with that." He slipped his hands under the hem of her shirt.

She pushed his hands away. "Not so fast there. I have a proposition for you."

"A proposition? And what would that be?"

She kissed him again. "Sort of a competition."

"A sexy competition?"

"Exactly." Katniss sat back and pulled off her shirt. "Whoever can hold off the longest wins."

Peeta slid his hands up her back and pulled her closer. "And what is the prize?"

"If you win, you can tell whoever you want about the baby. And I'll even tell my mother. If I win, we keep our mouths shut about it until I'm ready."

"And you're okay with that?"

"I wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't."

He smiled and pulled his own shirt off. He rolled her onto her back. "I accept your wager, Mrs. Mellark."

"Good, Mr. Mellark. Now get on with the lovemaking."

He chuckled and kissed her softly. "But you have to reign yourself in. There are other people in the house now."

"What are you accusing me of?" She asked as she slid her hands down his back.

"You know very well what I'm accusing you of." He shifted as she pushed his pants down his hips.

"Well, you're not very quiet yourself." She pushed him onto his back. "So you need to watch it too."

He chuckled again. "Help me get these pants off already." He hooked a finger in the waistband of her pants. "And then you take yours off."

"So ready to get going? That doesn't seem like a winning attitude to me." She pulled his pants off and threw them away. She stood and slowly finished undressing.

He stroked himself as he watched her.

She smiled and kneeled down beside him, placing her hand over his. She leaned over and flicked her tongue over his tip. She smiled as he groaned and leaned his head back. She closed her mouth over him for a moment and ten stood. She slid her hands up his body as she moved to straddle him.

"I love you." He said softly, moving his hands over his body.

She smiled and kissed him. "I love you, too. And I do want this baby."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." She kissed him again.

He placed his hand on her stomach. He looked at where his fingers touched her flesh. "I am so sorry for about what your mother and I are about to do."

"No, you're not." She chuckled and guided him inside, settling down over him.

He rested his hands on her thighs as she leaned forward and rested hers on his chest. He pushed her up and then guided her back down.

They set up a steady rhythm after that, both of them struggling to keep their voices down. Katniss groaned low in her throat and leaned down to kiss him. Their mouths opened simultaneously and they let their voices blend together as they drew closer.

Katniss sat back, rotating her hips as she moved up and down. She was on the brink, she knew. And though she knew she could hold off just a little longer, she decided she didn't want to. She gasped as she went over the cliff, letting the waves fall over her.

And Peeta was only a few strokes behind her. He grunted just before his release, gripping her hips almost as hard as he had the afternoon in the kitchen. He loosened his grip and lay back panting.

"You win." She said, brushing her hair away from her face.

"You let me." He stroked his thumbs over her thighs.

"Maybe I did. Maybe I don't care who knows."

"You do care." He sat up and kissed her. "Just tell your mother. That's all I want."

She nodded and kissed him again. "I'll call her first chance I get."

"Good."

"I don't care that you told Gale and Annie. I was going to tell him when we went hunting tomorrow anyway."

He kissed her again. "I love you."

"And I love you." She combed her fingers through his hair. "More than I can ever say."