Author's note: Oh, hey, finally a new chapter. It could very well be a while until the next chapter because next week is my vacation. So I hope you are satisfied with this one. Let me know what you think.

Happy reading.

Chapter Twenty-Four

"I'm waiting for you." Peeta said into the phone.

"You are? Well this drop off line is a million years long and we were running late this morning."

"Maybe we can start taking turns carpooling."

"Maybe. It would give you a good excuse, wouldn't it?"

"It sure would. I can't wait to have my hands all over you."

Caleb called from the back, "Mama, my stomach feels weird."

"I'll see you in a bit. Bye." Katniss hung up the phone. "Feels weird how?"

"Just all wobbly. And it kinda hurts."

"Well, we're almost there. Go straight to the bathroom. That may just be the problem. But if you get sick, have Hazelle call me."

"Okay." He said softly.

She stopped in front of the door. "I love you, baby."

"Love you, Mama." He slowly got out and she watched him.

Katniss drove home quickly. She jumped out of the car and hurried to the door. She let Peeta inside and then pressed him against the door. "Tell me what you're going to do to me." She said seductively.

He grinned. He took hold of her hips and lifted her up. As she wrapped her legs around his waist, he kissed her deeply. He began his journey down the hall to her bedroom.

"You just carried me all the way here." She panted as he sat her on her feet.

"I did. I lug sacks of flour all day. You're light in comparison."

She giggled and kissed him again. She stepped back and kicked off her shoes. She slipped her shirt off and slid back on the bed, crooking her finger as a sign he should follow.

He moved over her and kissed her deeply.

And then her phone started ringing. She groaned and reached in her pocket to answer. Peeta continued to kiss her neck and shoulders as he moved behind her. She pushed him away. "Hello?"

"Hi, Katniss, it's Hazelle."

"Oh, no, Caleb was sick after all." She moved away as Peeta's lips finally broke contact.

"Yes. He's been in my office throwing up for the last several minutes. He finally stopped. He's lying down."

"I'll be there in a few minutes." She hung up. "Caleb is sick." With one more kiss, Katniss was out the bedroom door.

He followed, "Do you mind if I use your facilities to relieve this? It's been bothering me pretty much since I left you yesterday."

She laughed. "Knock yourself out."

"I'll be thinking of you."

"You better be." She winked. "Just be quick about it. I won't be long."

"One more kiss?"

"One more." She put her hand on the back of his head and gave him a deep, lingering kiss. "There's for your memory. Clean up after yourself." She turned on her heel and hurried out the door.

At the school, she made her way quickly inside the front door and into the office. "I'm here for Caleb Everdeen."

"Mama." His pathetic voice came to her as his arms wrapped around her waist.

"Hey, baby." She rubbed his back as she signed him out.

Hazelle walked over and said, "I'm so sorry. There's a bug going around. Looks like he caught it."

Katniss picked him up. "He was complaining about a bellyache, but I just thought it was Monday morning jitters." She kissed his temple. "Have you given him anything?"

"I gave him some a little Tylenol for the fever and he said his head hurt."

Katniss nodded. "Thank you, Hazelle."

"You should come to Wednesday night dinner." The older woman said.

"We'll see. Depends on how he's feeling."

"You can bring your boyfriend."

Katniss said quickly, "I don't have a boyfriend."

"Caleb was telling me all about Peeta and Callie."

Katniss sighed. "They're friends. But Caleb and Peeta are pretty chummy. And Callie is pretty cool with me."

Hazelle leaned close and whispered, "You're not getting any younger Katniss." She winked and rubbed Caleb's back. "Get better, Caleb."

"Thanks, Hazelle." He said. He sounded pitiful.

"Time to get you home, baby." Katniss said.

Caleb threw up in the car just as they were pulling into the driveway. Katniss sighed and put the car in park. She carried him inside and left all the doors of her car open. This would be fun. Good thing Peeta wasn't just some random guy, but a good enough friend he'd keep an eye on Caleb while she cleaned up her car. Hopefully it wasn't as bad as she feared.

She sat Caleb on the couch and stripped off his shirt. "Let me get you a new one." She pulled a blanket over him as he lay down. "If you have to puke again, please run for the bathroom."

"Okay."

She tossed the shirt into the bathroom as she passed. She got to Caleb's room and paused at the sight of Peeta leaned close to the wall to work on a detail. She rested her head on his shoulder when he dipped his brush in more paint.

"How is he?" Peeta asked, not taking his eyes off the wall.

"Pretty sick. He puked all over my back seat."

He looked over. "I can clean that up for you."

"No, it's fine. Will you just keep an eye on him while I do it?"

"No problem."

"Thanks." She kissed his cheek. "You should call Delly."

He sighed and put his brush down. "Why would I do that?"

"Because she deserves a Peeta Mellark." She twirled a strand of his hair around her finger.

"You deserve a Peeta Mellark."

"I have one already." She kissed his cheek again and stepped away. "I'll let him know you're in here."

"Okay,"

She gently scratched his back. "You know where I stand."

"Yeah."

"So don't push this, please." She took a shirt out of the dresser and walked into the living room. She pulled Caleb up and slipped the shirt over his head.

He stuck his arms in and said, "Mama, I'm so sleepy."

"You can sleep all day if you want. Peeta's working in your room, okay? I'm going to clean my car."

"Sorry, hurled everywhere." He lay back down again.

"It's okay." She kissed his forehead. "Call for Peeta if you need anything before I get back in."

He nodded and rolled away and closed his eyes.

Katniss almost hurled herself while she was cleaning up the car. It took so many cleaning products and she had to pause several times. Peeta stepped out after a while.

"You good?" He asked.

"I'm glad summer finally let up. I've never been good with vomit." She wiped sweat off her brow. "How is he?"

"Sleeping." He watched her. "I want to have a talk. We need to lay some things on the table."

"What things?" She attacked her carpet with cleaner once more and scrubbed.

"You need to stop trying to get me to date. I don't want to date any more than you do. I feel like you're pushing me at Delly. I don't want Delly. She's too much and I need a lot less. I need someone more like you. If I were dating, anyway. But right now, we're both getting what we need. And that's all that matters."

She sat back on her heels and looked up at him. She nodded. "I get it. But Annie made a point to me about you and commitment. And I want to make sure you aren't feeling short-changed." She stood and rested her forehead against his chest. "Friends with benefits is definitely not ideal in the long run, but for now it's all I can do." She looked up. "We're okay, right?"

"We are." He leaned forward and kissed her quickly. He stepped away just as fast. "I'm sorry, I should have asked for that."

"It's fine. I give you blanket consent."

"Does that mean I get to cover up the next time we're naked together?"

She laughed and wrapped her arms around his waist. "It means you don't have to ask every time anymore. Just don't come at me like that again, okay?"

"Okay." He kissed the top of her head.

She stepped away and started gathering her cleaning supplies.

"So what are you doing about your sessions today?"

"I'll call and cancel. I don't want Prim to risk getting whatever he has." She rubbed her face. "One parent is going to demand a refund." She groaned.

"I can always hang out here."

"You have work, too." She sighed.

"I know my schedule. I'll just work late." He rubbed her arms. "I'm good. I want to help you out."

"You won't get any sleep."

"I'll be fine." He cupped her cheek. "Let me help you. It's what friends do, right?"

"Gunning for a blow job?" She asked with a grin.

He chuckled. "I'm gunning for you to let me help you. We can reward each other later." He winked.

She smiled and looked down. "I appreciate you. Thank you."

"I'll call the school and figure out how to get Callie here. If that's okay?"

"Fine. I'll bring food home for all of you."

"Thank you." He kissed her again.

She smiled. "I want to grab your face, but I'm afraid my hands still smell like puke."

He chuckled.

"Mama?" Caleb called from the doorway.

"Coming, baby." She stepped around Peeta and hurried up the steps.

"Can I sleep in my bed? The couch is itchy."

Katniss scooped him up into her chest. "You can sleep in my bed. Peeta was just in there painting. It's not good for you to sleep in there when you're sick." She put him in her bed and then closed the door.

Peeta walked into the house talking on the phone. "I understand, Delly, but something came up. You know what to do to keep the place running. Call Madge for backup and you will get an extra day off soon." He finished the call.

"Trouble in paradise?" Katniss said with a grin.

He chuckled. "I think she hates me. But I pay her well and she basically runs the place." He tapped his phone on his palm. "I may need a new manager."

"If she quits, then she quits. It's not your problem that she had a crush on you that went farther than you wanted." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "And then you promote Madge and promote one of the other people that has been working there long enough to be comfortable into Madge's position. And you continue with your business." She brushed a kiss over his lips. "Do you want some lunch? I'll make him some soup."

"You don't have to do that."

"Make my sick kid soup?" She asked with a grin.

He pressed his nose against hers. "Make me anything." He kissed her again, deeper than the last.

Katniss looked over her shoulder and then walked him into Caleb's room. She moved just inside the door and pressed her mouth to Peeta's in a lingering kiss. His hands slid up her back as they pressed their bodies together.

He moaned and broke the kiss. "We need to stop that."

She nodded and stepped out of his arms. "Lunch?"

"Let me."

Peeta sat beside Caleb and laid a palm on his forehead. He was pretty warm. He looked at Katniss's text again.

"Is he okay?" She'd asked.

"Feels like fever's back. Thermometer?" He responded.

"Medicine cabinet."

Peeta found the thermometer. It was one that you put against the forehead. He sat down once more and pressed it to the boy's head.

"Is it high?" Caleb asked.

Peeta smiled and shook his head. "Not too high." He wrote Katniss, "99.9"

"Cold compress unless it gets higher. Please check again in a half hour?" She asked.

"Will do."

His phone rang as he was digging for a wash cloth. He pressed it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Peeta!" Finnick exclaimed. "How the hell are you?"

"Fine. I'm playing nurse. What are you up to?"

"Playing nurse? Callie got that bug?"

"No, Caleb. I hope Callie doesn't get it." He sat back down on the bed and draped the cool cloth over Caleb's face.

The boy sighed and smiled. "Thank you, Peeta."

"You're welcome, kid."

Finnick asked, "Are you trying to earn points? How many more until she blows you?"

"Shut up, man." He hurried out of the room. "That is so not an option."

"Not an option? Why? Every guy deserves a good suck every now and then."

Peeta scoffed. "Why are you so crude?"

"Just trying to get information. You weren't very forthcoming yesterday, but you seem to be spending an awful lot of time with the Everdeens."

"With a single mother of a son? Gee, I wonder why I would be coming around so much? Not because he needs a positive male influence or that my daughter needs a positive female influence. And as many of them as we can each get. And I happen to like the kid. And it's hard enough for her to get stuff done with him. He's sick. My job is more flexible."

"Woo-psh!"

"Is that supposed to be a whip?"

Finnick laughed. "Yes. You're whipped! And you aren't even sleeping with her."

Peeta smiled to himself. "Well, not yet."

The other man sputtered. "Wait, what?"

Peeta took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You can't say anything to anyone. Not even Annie. Okay?"

"Cross my heart."

"We had a sleepover last weekend. And some things happened."

"Holy shit! I need details!"

Peeta chuckled. "I'm not giving them to you. Just that it's all…external. She has some issues. So some things won't happen ever or at least for a long time."

"That's harsh, dude." Finnick said softly. "So are you guys a thing now? Or moving toward a thing?"

"I doubt it. She wants me to date someone else. But I want to focus on her." He shook his head. "That sounds…"

"Like you're the girl in the relationship?"

"Not cool. Anyway, it's not even a real relationship."

"You're playing with fire, Peeta."

Peeta chuckled. "You know what? Let me burn. I will gladly become ashes at her feet."

Finnick laughed. "Poetic."

"Peeta?" Caleb called softly.

"I'll be right there, buddy." He called back. "I gotta go. Please don't say anything to Annie or anyone."

"Not a word, man. Promise. Tell Caleb hi for me."

"I will." He stepped back into the bedroom. "Hey, bud."

"When's my mama getting home?"

"It's still quite a while." Peeta sat on the side of the bed.

Caleb nodded. "Okay."

"Do you feel sick?"

He shook his head. "I'm thirsty."

"I'll get you some water. How's your head feel?"

"Hurts a little."

"Yeah?" Peeta checked his forehead and cheeks. "You don't feel any warmer than before. I'll get you that water. Then do you want me to read to you or something?"

"That would be nice."

"Then I will. You got some cool looking books in your room."

"Aunt Prim got me those. Mama's not much of a reader."

Peeta ruffled his hair. "I'll be right back with water and a book."

He picked the first Harry Potter book. They sat together on the bed and Caleb leaned into Peeta's side as the man read aloud. He eventually fell asleep. Peeta kissed his forehead and sat with him for a while longer. He combed his fingers through the boy's light locks and checked his phone.

He sent a text to Katniss, "He's asleep. Seems much better."

Her reply took a while. "Thank you. How's fever?"

He reached over and picked up the thermometer. He checked it and sent a message to Katniss. "99.4"

"That's a little better."

"Yeah." He looked at the phone after he sent that message. He decided it was best to be honest. "Hey, I told Finnick."

"About?"

"Last weekend's developments. Is that okay?"

Her reply took a long time. "Wish you would have talked to me first. Now he's going to tell the world."

"He promised he wouldn't say anything. Not even to Annie."

"Do we know the same Finnick Odair? I highly doubt he's going to keep this kind of information to himself."

His phone rang as he was reading the reply. "Hello?"

Katniss didn't bother with a greeting. "What would possess you to think that it was okay?"

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't want him to speculate. He asked what I was doing and I told him I was with Caleb. He started making comments I didn't like. I had to dispel rumors."

"I'm not happy with you."

"I know."

"I'm mad. This was supposed to be ours."

He chewed his lip a moment. "It still can be."

"No." She groaned. "This isn't…" She let out a long breath. "We'll talk later. I have archers to coach."

"I'm sorry, Katniss."

"Prove it." She ended the call.

Peeta gently moved Caleb away and left the room. Callie would be there soon and he needed to watch for her.