A/N: Hey everybody! Sorry it took so long for me to write this chapter. I had midterms, and more homework then I probably ever had in my life. I know, horrid excuse. But that is what happened, and why I was not able to update this magical chapter for you sooner.

I guess that doesn't matter as much now, because I have a new chapter for all of you now, and to everyone who said that there should be a chapter before the wedding for everyone to be getting their invitations, you got your wish! I don't know how long this will end up being, and I doubt it's going to be the longest chapter, not by a long shot, but I hope for it to be at least 4000 words. We'll have to see how that works out, but if it isn't, it's still very worth it to read, and I think you will all at least find some value in it. The wedding chapter itself is going to be pretty long, probably around 10,000 words if I can make it there, 7,500 at the least, and that will probably take me a little while to write. Just so you know. I don't want anyone yelling at me because I didn't get the chapter up three days after this one. It's going to take some time. I'll try not to keep you all waiting for it too long, though.

Finally, I just wanted to remind everyone about the forum. It is a role-play for this story, and trust me; it's pretty fun to role-play as one of the characters from this story. Half the time stuff that happens there inspires me to write something in here, so you really could help shape the story. You can be as main as you want, or as minor, and there is no obligations really, meaning you won't get your characters taken away if you aren't on a certain amount, unless of course you're never on and there's no good reason for it. Anyway, if you want to be a part of that, pretty please, let me know in your review, or send me a PM. Or do both. I love knowing what you think of this story, and I also love getting PM's. PLEASE, SEND ME PM'S AND ASK QUESTIONS. I'd be happy to spoil things if you're into that kind of thing. Ha ha. I know some of you like to know what's happening next.

Without any more note, here is the chapter. PLEASE, READ AND REVIEW.

Liz POV-

"Luke, where are the envelopes?" I ask.

Luke appears out of the bathroom. "Um….right in front of you, sweetheart." He laughs.

I chuckle. "Thanks. I was looking for them. Now I can address these things."

Luke leans down, his hands on my knees, knocking the neatly arranged stack of invitations out of my lap. His lips press into mine gently.

I tilt my head up to give him better access, and he bites on my bottom lip, and a low moan comes from me. It's almost shameful, but I don't mind very much.

"Have I told you how much I adore you?" Luke asks against my mouth.

"Yes. But you can tell me again if you want." I respond.

Luke smiles. "How about we send our invitations out first, Lizzie?"

I nod. "Fine," I drawl. "But afterward…?"

He grins. "We can practice our skills for our honeymoon."

I smile. "That sounds perfect."

Luke sits down on the bed in front of me. I should probably mention that I'm on my last night in the hospital. In less than 24 hours, I'll be out of here and on my way to District 2, for the brief few days before I have to come right back here. Well, not just me. Luke, my parents, Katniss and Peeta, Effie, Haymitch, and the members of Team Victory, along with Luke's friends Scott, Austin, Daniel, Meredith, and Maya will be there as well. I'm actually very excited about the wedding, even though it's somewhat forced, and I am beyond nervous about it as well as being excited. I am making sure to surround myself with people that are going to help me get through this alright. Not that I think I won't get out alright.

The members of Team Victory will be some of Luke's groomsmen, along with my father, and Peeta, Daniel, Austin, and Scott will be his best man. Maya and Meredith will be two of my bridesmaids, and Tina will be my maid of honor. Katniss and my mom have a part as well.

Haymitch and Effie were going to be included in the service, but Haymitch said he'd probably be getting drunk the night before our wedding, and that would mean a hangover, and not a very good groomsmen. Effie said she'd rather just watch the service then be included in it, and that's understandable. She'll probably be the one to burst into tears anyway. Both of them promised to be there though, so that's fine with me.

"OK, who's are we going to do first?" Luke asks, picking up the invitations from all over the bed and putting them back into the neat stack. Luckily, it didn't get too mixed up.

I smile and hold up my list of people that we invited.

A few days later….

Nick POV-

My name is Pumpernickel Mellark. Most people in District 12 know me as one of the baker's sons, or as one of Peeta Mellark's brother. Lately though, people have been recognizing me as one of the uncles of Luke Mellark, one of the Victors of this past years Hunger Games. I'm super proud of him for it.

I figured I'd let you all know that, considering I have no idea if you know who I am.

My brother Ryen and I are making cake. More specifically, we are making a cake for Luke and Liz's wedding. He told me about how his fiancé Liz didn't want to be a traditional bride with a white dress, and wanted a black dress but wasn't allowed to….and my heart broke for that girl. I was so excited when Luke asked my dad, Ryen, and I to make the cake for their wedding, because we are family after all, and I really want to make the wedding as special as I can. Luke and Liz deserve to have a happily ever after wedding.

"Nick! Ryen!" I hear from outside the kitchen.

Ryen and my dad stop working, and all three of us go out to the front, where my mom is standing with Ryen's wife, Francesca, both of them smiling.

"What's going on?" Ryen asks, immediately going to his wife's side.

"I got something in the mail that I think all of you would find some interest in." She smiles like what she has received is the most wonderful thing in the world.

"What is it, Franny?" Ryen replies, one thin eyebrow quirking upwards.

"An invitation from Luke Mellark and Elizabeth Hirsch." She answers, holding up a crème colored card with blue trim, elegant script I know didn't come from Luke's hand covering the surface.

To whom this invitation is addressed, your presence is requested for the union of the Victors Luke Mellark and Elizabeth Hirsch. One week from the first of this month, be at the president's mansion. We encourage your presence for this lovely event.

I know those words would never come of Luke's mouth, and I doubt they would be Liz's words either.

"There's one addressed to you as well, Nick." Ryen says.

"And one for you too, Mr. and Mrs. Mellark." Franny adds.

I take my letter, holding it like it is a paper telling me someone I care about has died.

"What's wrong, Pumpernickel?" my father asks.

I shake my head, biting my tongue. "We need to have things ready to transport to the Capitol in three days." I manage to say. "The wedding is in four."

My mother nods. "Get out of here and get back to the kitchen."

I watch Ryen kiss Francesca, hear him murmur the words, "Tell the kids I'll be home late, but I'll still read them a story when I get home." and then I have to go back into the kitchen, because I'm worried too much about if Luke's marriage will be happy like that when everything, even their invitations, were not decided on by either of the people getting married.

"Nick, what has gotten into you?" My dad asks.

"Nothing, I'm fine, dad. Just worried about Luke, that's all."

Ryen looks up. "You shouldn't be. Luke is going to be just fine. He has Liz."

I blink. "He isn't controlling the wedding…..those invitations were obviously made by Snow's people."

Ryen nods. "But at least he'll be married to a woman he loves. There is no greater joy then that."

I nod. "They're so young, Rye." I pause, thinking about what I hope my nephew's wedding will be like. "They don't understand how much they should be able to do but can't."

Ryen chuckles. "That is half of the fun….sacrificing everything, even your rights to choose things, is how you know you are in love. If you can let someone else make your decisions, in order to be with the one you love…..you are very much in love indeed."

He smiles. "Luke must really love her. And she must really love him as well."

Maya POV-

I hate being pregnant sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about having a baby, but throwing up all the time, the cramps, the cravings….I won't miss that. I could live without that part of it. Currently, I am 22 weeks pregnant, and I'm not anymore nervous about this baby being born than I was the day I found out. I am so excited it makes my head hurt sometimes. And Scott is such a dear about everything; it's not worth it to be nervous or scared. I know I'm going to be alright, because Scott is here to help me.

"Maya?" Scott asks, appearing at the perfect moment, as usual. I'm kneeling in front of the toilet, shaking a little bit, but not willing to cry over it.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes. I'm just fine, honey." I respond.

Scott smiles. "Good. Because we can't go to Luke and Liz's wedding if you aren't feeling well."

I'm up on my feet in seconds. "We got the invitation?"

Scott nods. "And you are a bridesmaid."

I squeal. "You're kidding! I've never even met Liz, why would she want me as a bridesmaid?"

Scott shrugs. "Not sure, maybe she just wanted to get to know you more….she asked Meredith to be a bridesmaid too. Probably because the two of you are two of Luke's best friends."

He wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me close. "Luke asked me to be his best man." He says softly.

I can see how excited he is about that, even though he's trying really, really hard not to look excited about the whole thing. I know it means a lot to him that Luke wanted him to be his best man, and I know for a fact that he was worried Luke would pick someone else, though I think that's silly. I mean, Luke and Scott have been best friends forever, like Meredith and I. Even I knew that he was going to be Luke's best man.

"Of course. You're his best friend. Who else would he ask, silly?" I reply, my voice coming out like a chirp.

He kisses my lips. "I'm just glad that he asked me to." He lays my head on his shoulder.

"Four days. We should start packing before we get too lazy."

Clove POV-

"Cato…..mhmmm…..Cato." I gasp, trying to move my lips off his so I can get a word in.

He pulls back. "Yes, angel?"

Angel might be the only nickname Cato has ever been able to call me without me wanting to injure, maim, or kill him. And it's stuck for as long as I can remember. Any other name would be downright offensive, and now that we're all back in District 2, there is no way I have to hold back anything. I'm back where people know me, and know what I do, and everyone is fine with it….or at least, nobody protests.

"More." I pant.

He pushes down by my shoulders, leaning over me instantly, his lips attacking my neck with vicious affection.

I moan. "Cato, I love you."

He smirks. "Naturally, babe."

I roll my eyes, smirking back at him. "You're such an ass."

His lips slow down against my skin, and then he's leaning over me, our noses touching.

"You know you love me." He whispers seductively.

I nod, propping myself up on my elbows and tilting my head up as his lips, ever so slowly, and ever so gently, come down to touch mine.

He works his way down to my neck, then to my shoulder. "Your clothes are in the way, Clover."

I smirk and flip over, pushing him down. "So are yours."

He chuckles. "What are you going to do about it, doll face?"

I smirk, rolling my eyes. "Why don't you kiss me again, and I'll make up my mind about what I want to do?"

He leans up into more of a sitting position, kissing me with all the wildness of a teenager, and yet all the tenderness of a man who's been married for years. We have a complex romance.

Cato's lips start moving down my neck, and I, knowing what he wants, start taking my shirt off.n He grins and kisses my shoulder.

"Hey, no fair!" I fake whine. "I'm taking layers off, and you're still fully clothed." I pout. "It's your turn to lay the hell down and let me pleasure you."

"Then pleasure away, babe." is his response.

I end up kissing down his body, flicking the buttons on his shirt open one by one. Well….not really. I get impatient and just rip his shirt off of him. He gives me an amused look as I kiss down his chest, his stomach, his perfect abs. The man is a god.

"I love you."Cato murmurs.

My lips stop working. "What?"

I haven't heard him say that to me for a while, or at least, I say it to him a lot more then he says it to me.

"I love you, Clove."

I blink. "And…..why do you love me, Cato?"

I might as well make him work for my response.

He bites his lip. "Because you're the most beautiful, deadly, manipulative, kind when it suits you, bitchy when it doesn't, perfect woman I have ever known and set my eyes upon. Because you stand up for what is right, and because you do what you're asked to when it works, but you are so, so stubborn and don't listen sometimes, and it's sexy. Because you stole my heart right out of my body the second we met. Because you keep to your own interests, and keep to others as well, and because you agreed to marry me. Because you mothered my daughter. And because you make me the happiest man alive, Clove."

I lean in, wearing no top, pressing my fingertips into his bare chest, warmer then my own, and I blink back happy tears.

"Why don't you talk to me like that all the time?" I manage to say.

"Angel, if I spoke like this all the time, it wouldn't be very special for you to hear, now would it?"

I shake my head. "No. It wouldn't be, I guess."

He smiles at me. "I'm not a horrible husband, am I?"

I shake my head. "No. Of course not, Cato. You're the most perfect husband I have ever had."

He squeezes my cheek, and I slap his hand away. "Um..I'm the only husband you've ever had." Cato is quick to remind me.

"Yes, and I wouldn't want to replace you with anyone." I reply.

We start making out like we're teenagers again.

I hear the door open, and seconds later, Luke and Liz walk in, and Cato and I separate ourselves, throwing the covers over our bare, topless selves.

Liz stares at us, wide-eyed. "Were you-?"

"No." Cato replies automatically.

"But you're-" She points to our discarded shirts on the floor.

"Uh huh." Cato laughs.

"Oh god, gross!" Liz exclaims, and leaves.

"Uh…hi there." Luke says, looking from the door to the floor and to our faces.

"Hello, Luke." I reply, trying to be nice.

"Is there a reason you're here?" Cato asks.

Luke nods. "Here." He extends his hand, offering a piece of paper to Cato.

Cato reaches out and takes it, and the two of us stare at the paper, awestruck, poring over the invitation to our daughter's wedding.

"Oh wow…." I murmur, seeing the wording. "Who wrote this?"

Luke shrugs. "Snow's secretary, I think."

"I see…..are you excited about the wedding?" Cato asks, giving him a wary look. I know he's hoping Luke's getting cold feet and doesn't want to go through with the wedding.

He nods. "Very excited….um, I should go find my parents. I want to….uh….give them their invitation."

Poor boy. We're making him uncomfortable. Excellent.

I nod. "Go ahead. Your mom said she wanted to go practice some things in the training center. Your dad probably followed her there. Liz might have gone there as well. She goes there to escape us all the time."

He nods, and without another word, he leaves.

"Clove," Cato laughs. "You wicked, wicked woman. Take me, you insane bitch."

I smirk. "Happy to."

We have a very, very strange relationship.

Katniss POV-

This district is so different from home. For one, weapons are everywhere practically, used a multitude of different ways. I swear, even the infants have them….ok, fine. Maybe not infants. But I have seen some pretty young kids holding small daggers. Children train with them here, hoping for glory and victory in the Hunger Games. Poor kids. They'll never understand anything else about being a kid, sadly. They train, and work, and train and work some more, in the very building I'm standing in now. My bow is raised, poised and pointed at one of the targets. I pull back, relaxing my fingers a little bit.

1…..

I love this training center. It's so quiet. Training hours don't start for a few more hours for today….how I got in, I'm not sure.

2…

Peeta is staring at me with a mixed expression of horror and admiration. I probably look like Clove right now…..oh my god, Clove probably trained here too. Oh the irony….I love this place, but hate her…god, irony is a bitch.

3…

I release my arrow, and it cleanly hits the center of the target. I feel my stress start to melt away.

"Katniss?" I hear, and turn around, seeing Liz. She looks so young. Not at all like a girl who is going to be getting married in a matter of days.

"Hello, Liz." I say, smiling.

"What are you doing here?"

She shrugs. "I have a key….I got in….I needed to get away from home….my parents are going at it like teenagers, and…..it pretty much grossed me out and I had to leave."

I understand exactly how Liz must be feeling. Her parents never were able to hide their feelings for each other very well.

"Luke and I….walked in on them."

I know my eyes widened. "You did?"

She nods. "Yeah….they were just kissing, but they didn't have shirts on. I knew well enough to leave. I'm guessing Luke did too."

I chuckle. "I hope he did….you kids are….well, kids. You don't need to see that."

She smiles and sits down by a rack full of weapons. She looks around with a somewhat longing expression, but at the same time, she looks like this is a completely different world then the one she grew up in. In a way, that makes sense to me.

This might be the same place Liz had trained for the…I think Luke told me she's been here since she was 3…..so, at least 12 years, but she trained for the Games, and now that that goal is done and over, what does she have left? This place doesn't hold any value for her.

"I used to come here every weekend…..I'd finish training, hide in the equipment closet, wait for everyone else to leave, and then I'd stay and work for hours and hours longer…my parents had no idea where I was, as far as I know….."

She sighs. "Sad part is they never really cared. They were always busy being District 2's it couple. They were always busy being the Victors."

I sit down across from her. "You were incredible, Liz."

She smiles. "I killed barely anyone….my parents must have been cringing every time I let someone escape me."

I blink. "They loved every second of everything. I saw your sponsor account….it was going up so fast I couldn't read the numbers sometimes."

The thought seems to make her happy. "I worked so hard, Katniss…..and I just wanted my parents to notice me for once. Notice how well I was doing."

"They did," I reply. "They noticed all of it. And you were amazing. I don't understand how you did some of the things you did. Your mom did some things in our Games that still allude me today."

A twinkle appears in her eyes. "Like what?"

I laugh. "She did this flip, with a weapon in her hand, using no hands, or one hand, or something, and I don't get how she did it."

Liz jumps up gleefully. "I know how to do that!" she exclaims, smiling with pride in herself.

I look at Peeta. He gives me a look, and both of us look at Liz. "Toss me a knife?" she asks.

Peeta smiles and picks up a small knife, tossing it to her, blade facing her. She catches it on the handle easily.

She holds it in front of her, arm extended. One second she's upright, and the next, she's tossing her weight over, flipping, and she's upright again, looking just like she did before she flipped.

"Wow! That was so amazing!" Peeta exclaims, unable to hide his shock.

"That was pretty impressive. When did you learn that?"

Liz purses her lips, looking deep in thought. "When I was about 9."

I applaud. "Wow. That seems pretty incredible."

Peeta and I are showering Liz with compliments, and she seems happy enough to take them, and I wonder how often her parents say things like that to her. I know I would hate to be Cato and Clove's daughter. My skills would never live up to the kind that Liz has, or that any child here has when they're learning how to be the trained assassins I had seen Cato and Clove be many a time.

"Oh…hey mom. Hey dad. Liz."

Luke comes in, grabbing Liz around the waist. She tilts her head up, and Luke kisses her softly. "Were you showing off again?"

Liz nods. "I might as well. Your mom was in question about something she'd seen my mom do. I was only enlightening her, darling." She laughs, and I can see the joy in her eyes. I see the same light in my son's eyes.

"I have something to give you." Luke says. "I think you two will be pleased."

He smiles, and he and Liz share a knowing look before he holds out an envelope. I can see it's addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Peeta Mellark.

"Oh my god, did you finish?" Peeta asks.

"Finish what?" I ask, annoyed that everyone except me knows what's in the envelope.

I practically snatch it away, looking inside.

"Awwww. It's an invitation!" I say.

Luke nods. "It's official. Liz and I are getting married."

Peeta laughs. "As opposed to?"

Luke smirks. "We were getting married before. Now, we're getting married."

Liz smiled and takes his hand. "Everything permanent goes in writing."

Well, ladies and gentleman, there is the chapter! I am very proud of myself, and this is over 4000 words, so I am very thrilled. Please, review and let me know what you think, and I will happily answer any questions you send me in a PM. Please, please please, send me a PM if there is anything you want to know. Also, the next chapter will be the wedding, so if you would be interested in writing a wedding speech, send that to me over PM. I need speeches! Just let me know who's saying them, and if I like them, I'll put them in! Thanks for reading!