Here is Chapter9 with the engagement, planning, and wedding. It's from Peeta's POV. ENJOY!

Disclaimer: Just a reminder that I own nothing.

Win a Date With Peeta Mellark!

Chapter 9

Once he returned to the Capitol, the first order of business was to tell Haymitch. If he and Katniss were going to make this happen, they were going to need his help. The agent was thrilled at the prospects.

"Congratulations, kid. This is going to be big news."

"Haymitch," Peeta explained. "You're going to have to keep this to yourself. We want this to be private. Katniss isn't going to want cameras all around us invading the ceremony, and I don't either. We're going to have to find a way so the press doesn't know."

The older man thought about this for a moment. "Okay, I understand. But think about this. How about we announce your engagement to sweetheart and have a party so that the reporters can get their fill of the happy couple. That way they're happy that they were let in on the news, but we'll keep the actual wedding itself a secret."

Peeta thought about this for a while, and decided it was a good idea. The press could get their news, but for the wedding they would be left alone. Haymitch got excited at the possibilities of a covert mission to get them married secretly.

"We can call it 'Operation I Do'" the agent joked as Peeta rolled his eyes.

Joking aside, they all got down to the serious business of planning. Peeta called Katniss and convinced her to go with Haymitch's plan. She was nervous about the idea of the engagement party, but he explained how doing it would keep the reporters happy and hopefully away from the wedding. She agreed and they decided to have it in two weeks at the Capitol.

With a short time, and Katniss in District 12, Haymitch suggested someone to help not only plan the engagement, but the wedding too. He introduced them to Effie Trinket, party planner expert, who they were told was also the soul of discretion itself. Over video conferencing, they discussed what they wanted and she immediately set the wheels in motion. Two days later, Peeta opened his Yahoo News to see the large headline.

Panem's Favorite Actor to Wed Contest Winner

The article detailed the engagement and the story of how he and Katniss had come together. It was a good one, and ended by giving the details of the party. Invitations were sent out and the guest list piled up. The days ticked by, and finally, Katniss and Prim flew in the night before. Peeta was so happy to see her and drew her in for a kiss. Prim was overflowing with excitement not only about the party, but also with being in the Capitol for the first time. She loved it and wanted to check out the University while she was there.

The following day was spent getting ready, and he again could feel Katniss tense as they rode that evening to the site. She looked beautiful, as always to him, but kept playing with the bracelet on her hand. The event was planned to take place at the nicest hotel in the Capitol. Effie had rented the ballroom for the evening. Peeta continued to rub Katniss' hand as they pulled up.

"I'm not letting go," he whispered into her ear. "Just stay with me."

She nodded, and they got out of the car. Again, flashbulbs immediately went off. He took Katniss' hand and led her through the front door of the hotel. Haymitch and Effie were both there and showed them to the ballroom. A multitude of people were already inside, some familiar, many not. Peeta knew more than Katniss did, as most were industry people. Luckily, Finnick and Annie, along with Gale and Madge had come to celebrate. She immediately relaxed as they came over and hugged her. Peeta's aunt and uncle were there, too, and the couple got the chance to spend time with them, as well. They made the rounds of people, and eventually came to the cameras.

A reporter waved for Peeta's attention and not losing hold of his fiancée this time, walked over to the man, who had a microphone at the ready.

"Peeta! Congratulations," the man began. "This must be the lovely Katniss. She must be a special girl to have captured your heart."

The actor looked lovingly at the girl by his side. "She is special. I'm the lucky one to have her." She smiled at his words.

"You must be so excited about the wedding." the reporter continued. "Katniss, what are your plans? Do you have a date set?"

Peeta saw her look at him, and he gave her encouragement to go on. "Yes," she replied. "I'm very excited. For right now, we don't really have any firm plans yet."

"I sure hope you'll let us know as soon as you do." and he left them with a smile. Not likely. Peeta laughed to himself at that thought. The less you know the better. He looked at Katniss knowingly as she smiled about it, as well.

"You did great, by the way." Peeta was proud at how she was handling everything.

"Thanks." she said with a sigh of relief. "I think Annie was right, it does get easier the more you do it. I figure they really only want to talk to you anyway." The night continued as they danced together and Peeta introduced her to the different directors, producers, and actors that had been invited. The longer the evening lasted, the more at ease Katniss seemed to be.

The most entertaining part of the night for him was when he saw Glimmer Stone enter the room. She was at the food table as they passed by. She gave a smug smile to them, and then Peeta saw Katniss put up her left hand and wiggle her fingers at the actress, emphasizing the beautiful ring. Glimmer rolled her eyes and turned around to talk to her date.

"Rubbing it in, are we?" Peeta remarked.

"Just a little," Katniss smirked. "She deserved it."

He laughed at this and the rest of the evening went without a hitch. It had been a great party, and Peeta was glad that it had gone so well. It was like they had gotten a second chance after the terrible night at the premiere. They had posed for some more pictures, answered a few more questions, and finally exhausted got to leave. Peeta kissed Katniss good night

"Now the real fun begins." he told her. "Let's plan a wedding."

Operation I Do went into full force soon after. Effie provided lots of brochures and other information on wedding destinations. Most were in the Capitol, but a few were out in the Districts, and this intrigued Katniss more. They finally decided to have the wedding on an island off the coast of District 4. It was remote and beautiful, a perfect setting for the small ceremony they wanted. Picking a date was trickier, but they finally agreed on a Saturday in March. Prim would be off for her Spring Break, and Peeta would be between movies. It was the perfect time, and gave them five months. He wondered if he could wait that long.

Haymitch was totally into the secret planning. He came up with fake names to book their room and airplane tickets.

"Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh?" Peeta questioned.

"What can I say?" the agent answered. "I love classic movies. Just go with it."

He shrugged and moved on. Going back to the same jewelry store, Peeta once again found the helpful clerk, who assisted him in finding a tasteful wedding band to compliment Katniss' ring. After this, he made some special visits to District 12 that Katniss didn't know about. Things were happening fast.

The holidays came, and Peeta found himself at Katniss' house where they were opening gifts. She had been telling him about a new designer Effie had told her about named Cinna, who was going to create her wedding dress. She had already had her first fitting and was thrilled. Of course, the exact design of the dress was kept secret from him.

"You're going to love it!" Katniss gushed, as Peeta gave her a present to open. She unwrapped the paper to reveal a box containing an antique locket.

"It's beautiful, Peeta. Thank you." She held it out and he placed it around her neck.

"It looks good on you," he commented. "Actually, that is not your only gift." She looked at him and he took her hand saying, "Come on, and get your coat on."

They went out and he drove to an address he had become very familiar with in the past few weeks. Peeta pulled the car up to the curb and opened her door to let her out. Katniss was looking at the house now in front of them. It was a lovely two story Victorian style home.

"What are we doing here?" she asked.

"Let's go in and just take a look around, okay?" was his only response.

He got out the key and opened the door. They walked in, and Peeta knew he had done right when he saw the look on Katniss' face. She was in awe of the house and what she saw. They went through every room, and he enjoyed seeing her opening almost every door and closet.

As they came back downstairs, he finally asked, "Do you like it?"

"I love it," she responded.

"That's good," he smiled. "Because I wanted to make sure you did before I bought it."

The squeal of joy she gave was all he needed to hear. Of course, as expected, she questioned him.

"You're really going to move to District 12? What about your place in the Capitol? Your work?"

"I'm going to keep my condo," he explained. "I figure I'll go and stay there whenever I have to be on set. But, I know you couldn't move there, not with Prim still here. And I don't want to be away from you more than I have to. I actually got the idea from Finnick. I can live here with you when I'm not working, then head to the Capitol as needed. You can come with me whenever you can."

He paused for a moment, and then continued, "So, with that in mind, I've been talking with real estate agents here and found this place. This can be our home together." She hugged him so tightly that he thought he would almost choke, but she finally let go and smiled.

"You know this makes my gift for you look thoughtless by comparison!" she joked, and they laughed together.

After the New Year, the final touches were beginning to be put on the plans. They picked out a cake, which was ordered under Finnick and Annie's name, and flowers using Madge's. Peeta began moving his clothes and some other necessities to the house in District 12. Katniss was able to sell her house to a family with young children, and in February they moved all of the furniture.

Everything was coming together, and before he knew it, March was here. At the very last moment, he and Katniss went to the registry office to get a license. The clerk was an older gentleman, and somehow did not seem to recognize Peeta's name when he gave it. They both breathed a sigh of relief.

Peeta made a final trek to his condo, packed his bags, and donned his disguise. Heading to the airport with Haymitch, he was anxious for the ceremony to come. Everyone would be taking different flights so as to not attract attention. He and his agent were the first ones heading out. The plan rolled smoothly as he wasn't recognized and the fake name provided helped to hide who he was. No press was in sight.

The flight was uneventful, and soon enough found himself what seemed to be in paradise. It was a beautiful island with white sandy beaches and clear blue water. Peeta placed his bags in the room reserved for he and Katniss, then joined Haymitch to wait for the others. They all would be flying in; have a quick rehearsal tonight, then the ceremony would be the next evening.

Gale, Madge, Finnick, Annie, and his aunt and uncle all made it safely and checked in. Effie and Cinna also came to make sure the dress and other arrangements went smoothly. After what seemed like forever, Katniss and Prim arrived. Peeta ran to her and grabbed her up.

"You're here." he said breathlessly.

"Wouldn't miss it, "she answered.

"No one bothered you?" he had to ask.

"Not a soul," Katniss replied. "I didn't see a camera anywhere." Peeta thought that Operation I Do was seemingly a success.

They all enjoyed each other's company through the rehearsal and dinner that night. The staff of the resort was courteous and let them have their privacy. To end the day, he and Katniss took a walk on the beach. It was a beautiful moonlight evening as they strolled, their shoes in one hand, the other laced together.

"By the way, I've decided to make the movie Haymitch recommended." He told her in conversation. "You and he believe I can do it, so I'm going to give it a try. It's time for a challenge"

"I think you will be fantastic," she encouraged. "It's a great script. You could do amazing things with it. I believe in you." He went on to tell her about the details of the movie, and how he would start shooting in two months. Her excitement about the project rubbed off on him.

Although he hated parting with her that night, she was being traditional and not wanting him to see her tomorrow before the wedding. It was only going to be for one more night, anyway. Instead he had to take the other bed in Haymitch's room, and deal with the man snoring all night long.

The sun rose early, and Peeta got up with a smile knowing what the day had ahead. He took a quick run, showered and ate. He read over the script for his new movie again, and then finally found it was time to get ready. He dressed in his suit, and headed down to the beach. Everyone was already there gathered around the flowered canopy that had been set up. Peeta went to stand beside the official from District 4 who had been asked to lead the ceremony.

Soon enough, he saw Prim, as Katniss' maid of honor, coming towards them in a soft lavender dress, a small bouquet of roses in her hand. Following her was his fiancée, looking like an angel in a satin white dress with small straps, with a form fitting bodice and a skirt that flowed to her calves. She was glowing, with flowers placed in her hair that was blown back in waves by the breeze as she walked to meet him. He took her hand as she stepped beside him. As the sun was coming down over the horizon, they said their vows to each other.

"Katniss, I love you with all my heart. I take you to be my wife and partner in life. I give this ring to you as a token of my love and devotion." Peeta's heartfelt words moved her to the tears that had been welled up in her eyes and he placed the wedding band on her finger.

"Peeta, you have made my dreams come true. I love you, and can't wait to start our life together. I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and devotion." He felt Katniss place a ring on his finger that she had picked out. It felt funny and strange at first, but having it on quickly became to feel like a natural thing. The official pronounced them husband and wife, and they shared their first married kiss with their loved ones clapping in the background.

The entire party celebrated into the evening, with laughter, great food, toasts, and stories. As it all came to a close, Peeta took Katniss' hand as they went to have a private moment on the balcony outside the dining area.

"Happy?" he asked.

"Extremely," she replied. "It's been perfect. I love you, Peeta."

"I love you, too, Katniss. Or should I say, Mrs. Mellark?" He said with a wicked grin.

"I like the sound of that." she answered, and together they went up to their suite. With a passionate kiss they entered the room, and then closed the door behind them.

Hope you all enjoyed it! I thought a sunset wedding on the beach fit perfectly for them. Thank you to stopdroplove for the idea of an engagement party. I didn't plan that at first, but thanks to you, I put it in!

Just FYI, I am not writing a wedding night scene. The next chapter will be a little forward in the future. Thank you again to everyone who has been reading and reviewing. I am trying to do my best to respond to all of you. Please keep up with the reviews. They keep me going! : )