Oh…this is my chapter.

The characters of The Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me.

Fated to Love

Part Two, Part Twenty-Three

The firm knock on his office door drew Peeta from the reverie he had been in for the last half-hour. Rue quickly peeked her head in, giving him a drawn smile before walking inside, a file folder in her grasp.

"Hey." She sat in the chair across from him, placing the folder on his desk. "Everything is all set. Your first appointment is waiting for you whenever you're ready."

Peeta met her eyes, giving his assistant an easy but weary smile. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine!" Rue waved her hand in front of him, chuckling lightly before her mouth fell into a trembling line. "It's going to be different."

"You're going to be great," he promised. "Nothing will change and I'm still going to be here for you."

His assistant smiled through her tears. "I'm going to miss you."

Peeta dipped his hand into his jacket pocket, feeling the Mockingjay pin. It had been a constant assurance that his decision was the right one. This is what needed to happen—for himself and for Katniss.

"It's been an honor being your boss." He reached over, giving her hand a squeeze. "So whenever we both get it together…you can send them in."

Rue guffawed, wiping her eyes before standing. "I'll let them know that you're ready."

He nodded and she headed towards the door.

However, at the door, Rue stopped and looked to him. "You're making the right decision."

Peeta smiled, relieved by his friend's belief in him. "Thank you."

Rue disappeared out the door and he let out a sigh, closing his eyes for a moment.

When he opened his eyes, his visitors stood before him and he smiled at the two.

"Mr. and Mrs. Crane, have a seat."

"Contract and notes are all in the manila envelope," Gale informed her. He pulled out a chair, sitting down and looking around the studio. "How long do you think you'll be in Manhattan?"

"Depends on how long it takes to get the gallery set up," Katniss replied as she set down the envelope. "Maybe a week…or maybe a month."

"Or, maybe whenever you come to a decision about Peeta?" Gale looked to Toad's painting before shaking his head. "You're really keeping him at a distance, aren't you? It's been like what—two weeks—since he's returned Toad?"

"Yes." Katniss sighed before closing her luggage. "I don't know. It's just that every time I try to figure out how I feel, I get…scared."

Her gaze went to the portrait, recalling that determined look in Peeta's eyes before they separated. It both excited and unsettled her. She knew him well enough to know that he wasn't going to back down, especially when it came to them.

"Scared of falling in love with a man who you're in love with?" Gale shook his head and blew out a breath. "Why are things always so complicated between you two?"

"I don't know!" Katniss flopped down on her bed. "I want him, Gale. I do. But, then I start thinking about how he lied and whether or not he's going to do it again. There is no doubt that I love the man, but I just need to think…in Manhattan."

"I think I understand," Gale replied diplomatically. "Can I at least drop you off at the airport?"

Turning away, Katniss picked up her carry-on bag and began to organize her things.

"I was going to ask you, anyway."

Gale nodded before reaching into his pocket and sending out a quick text:

'We need to drop Katniss off at the airport…tomorrow afternoon.'

Madge's father's office looked completely the same. Out of respect for the firm's late partner, they did not clean out his space and put someone else into his room. Instead, they left it in Malcolm Undersee's signature pristineness. Like herself, her father liked everything in its place; a cleanly workspace made for a cleanly mindset.

She took the storage box that she had brought along and opened the desk drawers, packing some of her father's personal files before taking down the frames with his degrees that hung on the walls. Going into his file cabinet, Madge fingered through the folders when one of the labels caught her eye: Madge.

Pulling it out, she sat in her father's chair and opened the file.

There were programs from her ballets, some of her childhood drawings, reports cards, her senior portrait and her prom photo with Peeta. One of the last photos was of her father holding her as a baby, both with the same smile on their faces.

She gasped, seeing the letters that she had written during their fallout wrapped away. They all remained unopened, but were organized by their respective postmarks. She understood that, even if he could not bear to reply, her father could assure himself that she was okay. Like clockwork, she wrote him once every month in an attempt to repair their strained relationship and her heart ached at the thought of her father looking forward to each postmarked envelope saying that she was out there.

Her phone beeped but Madge could not answer, the tears overwhelming her.

Quickly, she piled everything into the box and closed it. There was a time and place to look over all of this, like when she was in her apartment—with some vodka.

Heading down the hall, Madge found that a crowd had gathered in the main office where the cubicles were. Her eyes widened seeing Peeta standing in front with her father's partners.

"Thank you for taking the time out of your work day, everyone. Before it is officially announced, I would like everyone to know that I will be stepping down as CEO of Mellark Corporation—effective tomorrow."

There was a flurry of conversation and Peeta quickly shushed the crowd.

"I'm sure you are all concerned since many of your accounts are linked to Mellark Corporation. I assure you that the new board members have no plans to make changes and will continue to work with your firm in regards to contract management."

Peeta gathered himself before continuing.

"I've had a close relationship with this firm for some time. Malcolm Undersee was a family friend, almost like a father figure to me…and I have faith that this firm will continue to make him proud. Thank you all so much for your dedication to me and the Mellark Corporation. I can rest assured knowing the new board members will be in good hands."

The crowd clapped and Peeta smiled at everyone, catching Madge's eyes.

He headed over and she could see how tired he was, dark circles around his eyes and exhaustion in his gait.

"Hey you," she greeted. "Something you're not telling me?"

"You heard the gist of it," Peeta replied. They walked into the lobby and he gestured her over to the set of chairs. "What are you doing here?"

"Cleaning out Dad's office," Madge told him. "Mom couldn't deal, so I got the hard task." She smiled wryly. "It was therapeutic." She met his eyes. "Why are you stepping down?"

"You know why," he said. "I can't make this my life anymore. I want more. I want…her."

"Are you sure that you should be doing this?" she asked. "Katniss is a great person—much nobler and forgiving than most—but this whole thing is your life. At least when we were together, it was."

"Things are different now." Peeta's gaze was resolute. "This is what I have to do. The sacrifice is well worth it."

"Peeta, as your…friend—" she started. "—I have to tell you that you make a crapload of sacrifices. You did it all the time during our relationship and that didn't help either way. I was still going to go. Don't keep sacrificing yourself for something that's not guaranteed. I don't want you to have nothing in the end."

"Katniss is different," Peeta responded simply. "The chance to fight for her is worth the sacrifice."

Madge shook her head in doubt. "You must have a lot of faith in her."

Peeta smiled to himself, his eyes warming. "Katniss has never given me any reason not to." He looked at his watch. "I better get going. I have a quick meeting before I head home."

Madge gave him a smile. "I'll see you around, Peeta."

With a final wave, Peeta headed out the door.

Her phone vibrated and Madge looked to see the text from Gale on her screen:

'We need to drop Katniss off at the airport…tomorrow afternoon.'

She quickly responded: 'Sure. I'll drive.'

Madge had a few departing words for Katniss.

Her carry-on bag was packed and her luggage was already at the door. Katniss looked around the studio, feeling as if she was missing something. Her eyes settled on Toad's painting, still sitting on the canvas.

She pulled out a chair and sat down in front of it. "I should call him, shouldn't I?"

The painting remained still, but Katniss could almost hear his tiny voice: 'You should call Daddy. He'd want to know about New York.'

"You think?" Katniss replied, her hand going to her cell phone.

'Yes!' Toad's excitement was infectious. 'Tell him!'

"What if I just text him?"

'Fine.' He sounded petulant, like Peeta did whenever he got frustrated.

Before Katniss could lose her nerve, she searched her messages and quickly typed a greeting: 'Hey.'

His response was immediate. 'Hi. How are you?'

'I'm alright. Just at the studio.' She paused before finishing her message. 'I'm going to Manhattan tomorrow. My work is being featured in a museum in a few weeks and I need to work with the curator.'

'That's wonderful, Katniss. I'm proud of you.'

'Do you think that this is the right move?' The message wrote itself, really. 'I don't know how long I'll be gone.'

Peeta's message took a few minutes to come to her phone, 'You know that I just want you to be happy. You are a talented woman. I've always known that and have been unbelievably proud of you. I never want to hold you back. Remember, you are superglue.'

Katniss smiled to herself. 'Superglue. Haven't heard that in a while.'

'Just because it hasn't been said, doesn't mean that I haven't always believed it.'

'Thank you, Peeta.' She bit her lip as she typed. 'I don't know why I'm so hesitant to go.'

'Change is scary. Sometimes, it has to happen to make things better,' he responded.

'I know…'

Katniss put the phone down, her eyes going to Toad once more as the bittersweet realization came over her.

"I want him to tell me not to go."

There was a ding.

'If you need me, all you have to do is call. I will come for you.'

She blinked back her tears. 'I know. Good night, Peeta.'

'Safe travels, Katniss.'

"I love this place." Johanna sighed, settling Mason on her lap. She looked around the lush gardens of Mellark Compound. "The weather is getting better and it's a beautiful morning."

"The garden has always been your favorite place," Peeta remarked. He lifted Mason from his cousin's arms. "How is my big boy?"

"Missing his Uncle," Johanna replied pointedly.

"He'll have a lot of time with me," he told her. "I promise."

With a fist in his mouth, Mason gurgled as he looked up at Peeta. It was amazing how much progress the little one had made. It was a miracle, really. Like his parents, Mason seemed determined to be self-sufficient. He was incredibly intelligent, voicing his needs with grunts that sounded eerily like his father's and charming everyone with a confident glint in his dark eyes—just like his mother.

Haymitch joined them, pulling up the chair next to his wife.

Wife…Peeta still couldn't believe that they were married.

"Brought his hat." Haymitch handed the small canvas hat to Peeta. "Got to protect that hard little head of his."

"Don't babies have a soft spot?" Peeta asked as he adjusted the hat on Mason's head.

"Not this one. He's been hard-headed since the day he was born," Haymitch quipped. "So what did you need from us?"

"As you know, I'll be stepping down," Peeta began. "That being said, I'm offering my share of the company and my title to Johanna." He looked to his cousin. "You've been working for the company already and doing a great job. You already know a lot of the clientele and have a great relationship with each department. The transition would be easy." He took a deep breath, looking between the couple. "What do you think?"

Johanna sat back quietly and after a moment, she shook her head. "Thanks, but no thanks."

Peeta frowned. "May I ask why?"

She took Haymitch's hand, before replying, "We're moving—to the Everdeen Plantation."

"I didn't realize that you were thinking about moving," Peeta said to the couple.

"With Hani deciding to stay here along with Prim and Cato, I'm the only one left running the place," Haymitch explained. "I mean I could come back every few weeks to come visit—"

"But, that would be ridiculous," Johanna continued. "I'm not separating my family. I can take over Hani's job working with the distributors and dealing with contracts. Plus, I want to raise Mason…and any other children that might come along, in a quieter place."

"Wow," Peeta declared. "This is a definite change in the plan. I'm happy for both of you, though." He settled back in his seat with Mason resting against his chest. "I remember when you never wanted to settle down and never stayed in one place. Now, look at you."

"I guess it just took the right person," Johanna said simply. "And, I changed. So did you."

Peeta scoffed. "I did?"

"Yes, you did," his cousin replied. "You were impenetrable. Then you met Katniss and everything changed. You were smiling, you were happy, you were feeling something. You've felt more in the five years since Katniss than you did during all that time with Madge. That shows growth and humanity. I'm proud of that."

"Thanks, Johanna," he told her sincerely. "I'm real proud of you, too."

"We do question whether you giving up Mellark Corporation will make you happy," Haymitch said slowly. "You've built the company up and to just leave it all behind can be hard."

"I can easily give it up," Peeta assured them. "I can't give her up."

"Let me get your bags," Gale offered, easily taking Katniss' carry-on and luggage in both his hands. "You lock up."

She nodded, tying her trench coat. "I'll be right down."

Making sure that she had everything, Katniss grabbed her purse, looking at her phone once more.

She knew that Peeta wasn't going to call; he had left it all up to her.

Going to Toad's painting, she touched her hand to the canvas. "I'll be home soon, baby."

Heading down, Katniss walked down the stairs, quickly locking the front door, and turning to head to Gale's car.

Instead, she found a navy Mercedes in front of her and Madge in the driver's seat.

Gale went to her nervously. "She wanted to drive you to the airport."

"A strange request," Katniss remarked with a sigh.

"If you want, I'll let you pick the radio station," Madge offered as she stepped out of the car. "In fact, you get shotgun. Gale can sit in the backseat."

Katniss let out a laugh. "I know who wears the pants in this relationship."

"And, don't you forget it, sister," Madge responded with a grin. "Let's get going."

They all shuffled into the car; Katniss in the front seat, Gale in the back with her luggage, and Madge behind the wheel. As promised, she let Katniss have free rein over the radio, giving her a chance to distract herself from the strangeness of the situation.

Her ex-husband's ex-girlfriend—now business partner's girlfriend—was chauffeuring her to the airport.

This wasn't weird at all.

However, as she looked up, Katniss realized that they hadn't even gotten on the freeway. In fact, they were heading downtown in the complete opposite direction.

"Where are we heading?" she asked. "I have to be at the airport in an hour."

"We are just going to make a quick stop," Madge responded, her eyes on the road.

"Madge…" Gale's call was full of warning.

"Don't start," his girlfriend declared.

Madge made one more turn, driving into the rounded driveway of a shining skyscraper. She braked harshly, the car jerking at they stopped in front of a pair of revolving doors.

"What are we doing?" Katniss demanded. "Where are we?"

Madge unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to her, her blue eyes sharp.

"This is the Moore Regency Hotel. At this very moment, Peeta is holding a press conference."

Katniss stared at her confusion. "What…why?"

"Because he is stepping down as CEO of Mellark Corporation. He's stepping down because of you."

"I never asked him to do that," Katniss said in disbelief.

"You didn't ask him, but he's doing it because there is nothing more that he wants but to get you back," Madge told her. "Listen—a really long time ago, I made demands of Peeta that he followed because he thought he was in love with me. He is that kind of person—dedicated and loyal. The problem was, I wasn't the person who he should've made those sacrifices for. I hurt him and left him because I couldn't confront my feelings or lack thereof for him."

Katniss folded her hands in her lap. "I remember that time."

Madge's gaze softened. "You are the same. You're running from your feelings. You're running from your love. Why?"

"I'm scared," Katniss admitted softly. "Because…how could I love someone so much when he hurt me the way he did? What kind of relationship is that?"

"It's a real relationship," Madge said. "A relationship where you love…and you hurt…and you forgive…and at the end of the day, you wouldn't have it any other way—because you took that chance. You took that leap for something real."

Her hand covered Katniss'.

"I left Peeta in a hotel once."

Katniss looked to her, tears in her eyes. "I know. I was there."

"You were." Madge grinned at her. "Thank God for that."

She squeezed Katniss' hand.

"Are you going to be there for him again?"

"Good afternoon, everyone."

Peeta looked around the room, taking in the large crowd of reporters and cameras surrounding him. He knew that it would be a large gathering, but he never expected this sort of a turnout.

"I appreciate you all taking the time out to hear my statement," he said. Beside him stood Delly and Seneca as well as Marcus Boggs, one of the members of the board. "Since my parents' passing, I have dedicated myself to Mellark Corporation and have enjoyed every minute of it. Throughout these years, the Mellark Corporation has made leaps and bounds in advertising, industry, agriculture, and technology. I have had the honor of working with some of the greatest business minds and have seen many rise in this age of innovation."

He paused, letting some of the reporters finish writing.

"So with all of this under my belt, I would like to formally announce my stepping down as CEO of Mellark Corporation, effective today."

The noise of the crowd suddenly rose to a frenzied pitch. Camera flashes went off and the staff of the hotel stood in front of the makeshift stage to keep the reporters from moving in on him.

"Mr. Mellark, can you tell us who will be taking over as CEO?" A reporter called out from the back of the room.

"I have divided my shares of the corporation between all of my department managers. They will all become a collaborative team and divide the duties that I once had. To my left, Seneca and Delly Crane, who run our app, 'Panem Walks', will be taking my chair as new board members and Marcus Boggs will now be Chairman."

"Why have you decided to leave?" A reporter in the front asked.

Peeta waited for the room to quiet down before answering.

"I've changed. The things that were once important to me—money, work, power—aren't that important anymore."

"What do you intend to do with your time?" Another reporter questioned.

"Simple. I intend to work on my family life."

Suddenly, a loud crash to his left interrupted the flurry of questions.

Security rushed over, but quickly moved aside so Peeta could see who had burst into the room.

Katniss.

"What the hell?" Prim screamed, nearly dropping the frying pan on the ground. Her eyes were glued to the television in the corner of the kitchen. "Cato! Mom!"

Hani rushed out of the back office as Cato entered from the front of the still-closed restaurant.

"What is going on?" Hani asked. "I was in the middle of the Fiscal Report."

"It's Katniss!" Prim pointed to the screen. "I was watching Peeta's press conference and she just rushed into the room."

"I thought she was going to Manhattan," Cato said in confusion.

Hani beamed, seeing the resolute light in Katniss' eyes. "I guess she changed her mind."

"This is even better than any of those daytime soaps!" Enobaria sat down on the couch, next to her husband. "Now, if those damn reporters would just quiet down!"

"Peeta needs to pick his jaw up off the floor," Johanna added as she paced the room with Mason in her arms. "He looks like someone hit him with a baseball bat."

Haymitch walked into the living room, handing Johanna the bottle that he had just warmed.

"What the hell is Katniss doing on TV?"

"That's what we'd like to know," Brutus told him as he turned up the volume.

"That's my girl!" Rue yelled, watching the conference on the flatscreen television in the employee breakroom along with the rest of the office. She turned to Glimmer beaming at the pretty woman, who had joined her for lunch. "I told you that hanging with me would be fun."

"I always thought it was fun," Glimmer replied, taking her hand. "With or without the drama."

"Why is no one working?"

The crowd in the breakroom turned to find Coriolanus Snow.

"Sir," Rue called out from the front. "You might want to watch this."

Katniss stepped onto the stage, adjusting her skirt nervously as she moved towards Peeta at the podium.

"Katniss, what are you doing here?" Peeta asked in a tight voice.

"Stopping you from making the biggest mistake that you will ever make," Katniss told him. Her hands went to his arms, feeling him solid between her palms. "You can't give this all up. You shouldn't sacrifice all of this for me."

He lifted her chin gently, his eyes glowing at the sight of her. His beautiful Superglue Girl.

At his touch, her eyes closed, savoring the sensation of this man that she loved.

"The biggest mistake I ever made was letting you leave," Peeta said quietly. "That's not happening again. Like I told you, I will come for you—wherever you are. I had every intention of flying to Manhattan right after this." He pulled her close. "Katniss, the sacrifice is worth it if I have you in the end."

Katniss moved forward, her arms reaching to wrap her arms around his neck, unaware of the hubbub around them.

There was nothing else but the man in front of her.

"You have me." Her smile grazed against his. "Always."

"There are so many flashes," Madge grumbled as they watched the couple kiss on the screen of her phone. "And, I heard absolutely nothing that they said!"

"We can bug Katniss later on," Gale responded calmly. He took the phone from her and placed it into the car's cup holder. "So speaking of taking that leap, it looks like Katniss won't be making it to Manhattan. That means that I'll be taking over the management of her show."

Madge raised a brow at him. "Okay."

"I know that you haven't been to New York since everything that happened there with your troupe, but I want to know if you'd be willing to take the chance—and come with me. What do you think?"

After a painstakingly long moment—to Gale, Madge started the engine.

I told you that I didn't want to keep them apart for too long. Many of you might have noticed the similarities between this chapter and the series. It is pretty similar and I hope you enjoyed it.

We are…three chapters till the end? Not sure, but roughly around there.

Keeping this short because I know this was a wordy chapter.

Remember, feedback is love.

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! I am grateful for you.

Next, Part Twenty-Four—so happy together…

Until then, JLaLa