A mother must be many things…

RATED M for sexual content, mild language, interrupted coitus, and the general insanity of being a parent that sometimes leads to sexual frustration.

With a hefty sigh, Katniss falls back onto the bed and doesn't move. She lays there with eyes shut, listening to the silence of the house and enjoying the peace for just a moment. There are dishes from dinner still piled in the sink, needing to be washed. A basket full of jumbled up laundry that she would need to fold and sort, unless she could convince Peeta to do that for her. Convincing usually doesn't take much work since her husband is often eager to help in any way he can. She just feels guilty begging help from him late at night like this when he has to be up early to make it to the bakery in time to finish prep and open.

The bed dips beside her and hands cradle her head, lifting and placing her head carefully in his lap as she smiles faintly. Peeta's fingers unwind the tie holding her hair in place and then her braid, which is probably a mess by now. She tugs self-consciously on her shirt, briefly hoping her mommy rolls aren't on display before his fingers comb through her tresses with almost immediate effect. She hums contentedly, encouraging him to continue.

"I could draw you a bath," he offers and she shakes her head.

"This is nice for now. And I've got dishes to wash."

"I'll wash the dishes," he offers automatically.

"Laundry to fold," she murmurs as she sinks into the warmth of his touch and the tingling in her scalp that his attention to her hair causes. She thinks back to a time when they would sit by the lake for hours, just like this, with Peeta playing with her tresses and Katniss soaking up sunshine and happiness like a pampered cat. Now they're lucky to find a few minutes like this to themselves.

"So I'll wash and then help you fold. Sooner we finish, the sooner I can give you a massage," he whispers, his lips grazing over her forehead. She opens one eye to gaze up at him and smiles at his expression. Sometimes she wonders what she did to deserve someone like Peeta in her life.

"That sounds wonderful," she says and they help each other from the bed.

Peeta's quick with the dishes and she's barely halfway through the basket when he joins her and snaps the wrinkles from a pair of their son's pajama pants before he smiles at her and folds them. It's quiet work, if a little mindless. She lets her thoughts shift methodically through what she needs to take care of tomorrow.

"DADDY! DAAAADDDDYYYYYY!" Their son screeches from his bed. Their eyes widen and they drop clothes as they sprint down the hallway to a wailing chorus of "Daddy! Mama! Daddy! Mama!"

Peeta flings open the door and flips the light on, both parents racing towards the bed and their son.

"What is it, Wren?" Katniss asks as she sits beside him. He's clutching his stuffed shark to his chest, tears leaking from his eyes as he remains fixated on the closet door.

"It moved," he whispers in a terrified voice.

"What's going on?" Willow asks from the doorway, her eyes half closed with interrupted sleep.

Suddenly, Wren stands up, tossing aside his mother's embrace and pointing the stuffed shark accusingly at his sister. "It's your fault! You called it here!"

"Me?" Willow asks as the same time Peeta hushes Wren, trying to calm him down. Wren's small body vibrates with combined anger and fear.

"Called what?" Katniss asks, her brow furrowing into a scowl.

"She did a spell and made the monster come! She told it that my closet was cozy," he spits out the words like they're venom, or a spoonful of cooked peas.

"It's not real, silly," Willow taunts, crossing her arms and swinging her head to toss her braid over her shoulder. "It was a joke."

"It moved, Daddy," Wren whispers, climbing into his father's lap and holding Peeta's cheeks in his tiny, chubby palms to get his father to look him in the eyes. "I saw something move over there."

"Must have been a shadow or lights from a car passing outside," Katniss soothes, running a hand over her son's hair. "I don't think monster's like closets, Wren. Besides, you've got so many superheroes in there, a monster wouldn't dare make a home in your closet." She refers to the bin full of action figures his grandmother insists on buying for him every time they run errands together. And apparently, getting ice cream counts as an errand in grandmother world.

"Yeah, under the bed would be a much better place," Willow says nonchalantly and then pirouettes before prancing back to her room.

"Willow," Katniss chastises and stands to go talk to their daughter, leaving Wren in Peeta's capable hands.

"You believe me, don't you, Daddy?" Wren whispers and Peeta nods solemnly.

"I believe that you saw something that scared you. I also think your mother is right. Shadows are naughty things that like to play tricks on our minds. That doesn't mean it wasn't real to you, though."

Katniss doesn't hear the rest of Peeta's explanation as she enters her daughter's room just as Willow is climbing back into her bed. When Katniss clears her throat, Willow startles and something heavy falls to the floor. Katniss leans over and picks up the flashlight.

"We've talked about this," Katniss admonishes, waving the offending object in her daughter's face. Willow huffs and digs her book out from beneath the covers, makes a show of placing the bookmark between the pages and setting it on the nightstand.

"There. Happy?"

"No, I'm not. What reason do you have for purposefully scaring your brother?"

"He was being a brat!" Willow complains.

"So you decided to terrify him?"

"It got him to keep his mouth shut," Willow grumbles under her breath. Katniss sinks onto the bed and waits for her daughter to explain. She groans and then rolls her eyes, but eventually, Katniss' silent patience wins out. "Fine. God, you and Dad are so nosy sometimes. I got a D on a math test. It's not a big deal! Eren's gotten lots of D's! "

"I see," Katniss says and holds back her temper. She can deal with one bad grade, but it's the other factor at play here that makes her angry. Willow crumples under her mother's tired, simmering stare.

"And Wren caught me signing your name to it," she mumbles in a rush. "So I told him monsters hide in the closets of snitches and eat them at midnight."

Katniss merely holds out her hand, waiting for the offending test. Willow scrambles from bed and retrieves it from her book bag. With one glance, Katniss knows that Ms. Frond would never believe the poor forgery. The test would've come right back home or Katniss would've received a phone call. Either way, it was only a matter of time before Willow got caught in her lies.

"Go to bed. We'll discuss this in the morning," Katniss says.

"But-" Willow's lip quivers and her eyes glass over in trepidation.

"I'm going to discuss this with your father," Katniss tells her. "I'm more upset over the lies and the way you manipulated-"

"OPEN FIRE!" The shout cuts off the rest of what Katniss was going to say.

"SURRENDER, FIEND!"

Peeta's yell joins those of her son and she hurries back into Wren's bedroom. The two slam the closet door shut and shove their shoulders against it, a pair of Nerf bows loaded with suction arrows in their hands.

"That was close," Wren says.

"What are you two doing?" Katniss asks and Peeta looks up at her, his look of determination melting to one of relief.

"Oh thank goodness! We need you, Katniss."

"Yeah! Mama's the best hunter in the world," Wren insists as she walks over to them. Peeta thrusts the toy bow into her hands.

"We think we got it, but just to be sure, we need our best eyes to take a look."

"Careful, Mama," Wren whispers and takes a post behind her as Peeta prepares to open the door.

"Seems a bit unfair to shoot a cornered creature," Katniss says with a lift of her eyebrow.

"You're right!" Wren says and hurries over to shut his bedroom door and turn off the lights. "We need to give it a fighting chance. You don't scare me, Mr. Monster!"

"Ready?" Peeta asks seriously, his grin illuminated in the stripes of moonlight sneaking through the blinds on Wren's window.

"Ready," she and Wren say in unison.

"Open fire!" Peeta declares again and flings open the closet door. The room erupts in shouts and the soft pop of the suction arrows as they stick to walls and furniture. The battle continues for a moment or two longer when a crease of light enters along the side of the door as it begins to open.

"Don't let it escape!" Wren shouts and takes a stance to fire at the silhouette looming in the opening.

"Hey!" Willow shouts and Peeta flips the bedroom light back on. Katniss has to stifle a laugh at the sight of their enraged teenage daughter, an arrow suctioned to her cheek and another on her leg, a smattering on the ground behind her.

"We got it!" Wren shouts in triumph. "We got the monster!"

He dances around as Willow yanks off the arrows and stomps back to her room. Peeta follows her this time, after he and Katniss share a look. Wren flops back into his bed, breathing heavily.

"Alright, Mighty Monster Hunter," Katniss says and takes the toy bow from his limp hands. "Think you can go to sleep now?"

"Yes, Mama," he says and snuggles beneath the sheets, eyes wide and bright. "But...just to be sure, can you leave the bow on the nightstand?"

"Of course I can, Honey Bear," she says, nuzzling his cheek as he giggles.

At the doorway, she takes one last glance at her little boy, his eyes closed and a smile on his face, before she flips the lights off and shuts the door. Pausing in the doorway to her daughter's room, she only pauses for a moment to listen to the soft sounds of Willow crying and the deep rumble of Peeta's voice. They'll still be discussing her lies, but for now, Katniss figures that playing the monster in Wren's hunt is punishment enough for her treatment of her sibling.

She folds the laundry as she waits for Peeta to finish with Willow. By the time he returns to their room, she's finished folding and is in the midst of placing the clean clothes in stacks in the laundry basket to be put away tomorrow morning or after Peeta picks up the kids at school.

"Everything okay?" she asks as he heads into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

"Yeah. She told me about the test and forging your name," Peeta says, his voice unreadable. Katniss drops the clothes and moves to stand behind him, laying her cheek on his back and embracing him as he brushes his teeth. When he's done, he sighs and stares into the sink.

"You don't think we're too hard on her, do you?"

"No. Do you?" she asks softly. Peeta has adored both of their children from the moment Katniss told him she was carrying them. He'd always wanted a family so badly, but she knows the doubts he carries, the line he walks between teaching their children right from wrong and his own bitter memories of his mother's abuse in the name of "discipline."

"Sometimes I can't tell," he whispers. "What we say to her now...it'll be the voice in her head when she grows up. I want that voice to be happy and confident not…"

"It will be," Katniss reassures him and stands on her toes to kiss his cheek. "You didn't punish her yet, did you?"

"No," he says, his cheeks stretching in a smile. "I figured a suction dart to the face is enough humiliation to make her think about what she's done."

"So did I," Katniss says with a chuckle and a yawn. She releases Peeta to get ready for bed herself, and by the time she climbs in beside him, he's already out and softly snoring. Slightly disgruntled, she's not gentle when she moves the covers and flips off the lights. He wakes for a second and smiles at her with bleary eyes.

"Love you," he murmurs and pulls her grudgingly into his embrace. She'd rather like that back rub right about now, but the heavy weight of Peeta's arm across her middle tells her she won't be getting it tonight. With a sigh, she tries to relax, eventually managing it when he nuzzles her ear in his sleep and murmurs something about how hot she looked on the hunt tonight. Katniss smiles and concedes the massage. It is hard work hunting monsters, after all.

When Katniss gets home, she smiles at the yelling that greets her. A cacophony of overlapping "Hello!" and "Hi, Mom!" "How was your day?" Peeta smiles at her from his position leaning over the table where their kids work on their homework. His finger still pointing to a spot on the paper in front of Wren, where he must've been explaining something.

She moves first to Willow and plants a kiss on her forehead that her daughter ignores other than a slight lean into the touch and a barely noticeable smile. As soon as she woke, Willow had apologized for her behavior with the math test and for scaring Wren so much. She'd been contrite and seemed to understand why what she'd done was so wrong. As a result, her only punishment was no dessert for tonight and a warning.

Thankfully, Wren had also apologized for calling his sister a monster. The bright sunshine of morning had made him feel guilty for the name calling and the apology had gone miles in repairing the relationship between siblings.

After she greets her family, Katniss heads back into her bedroom to change out of her work clothes. She glances over her bare shoulder as Peeta shuts the door, the carpet masking his usually heavy tread.

"Sorry I fell asleep last night," he murmurs as his lips graze over her temple then down to her shoulder where he playfully bites her. A shiver dances down her spine as she holds the t-shirt she was about to don over her chest and Peeta's hands skim over her bare skin.

"You could make it up to me tonight," she whispers and Peeta pauses to gaze into her eyes, to read her expression. He bends his head to hers, brushing their lips together until she impatiently kisses him, growling in slight annoyance at the feel of him smiling against her lips.

"Dad, I still don't get this que-oh my god, Mom! Put some clothes on, please?" Willow interrupts and Peeta leaves with a last peck on Katniss' nose and a roll of his eyes. She just catches a glimpse of their daughter covering her eyes and shakes her head. Katniss herself was once like that, uncomfortable with any kind of nudity. Years with Peeta and giving birth to two children has worn away any modesty or purity she once had, though.

The evening proceeds in a predictable manner. Homework and dinner. Dishes and reading with the kids. Peeta already had them put their clean clothes away, but now their basket is overflowing, needing a wash. He sorts and starts a load of his work clothes, stealing a kiss from her as they pass in the hallways while she's on her way to supervise Wren's shower and teeth brushing. Perfunctory and fleeting, the kiss is nothing like the one they shared earlier before Willow walked in on them. Disappointment and acceptance, that's what she feels as she sighs and then smiles brightly before she joins her son and helps him towel his hair dry.

"Think we'll have to go on the hunt again tonight?" Peeta asks once the kids are asleep and Katniss sits in bed, reviewing her calendar for what they have tomorrow and answering a few quick e-mails, adding a reminder to their shared family calendar for Peeta to pick up snacks for Willow's softball game tomorrow afternoon.

"I hope not," she says and glances up as he strips his shirt and walks into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Age may have softened his waistline, but Peeta's broad shoulders still make her feet shift beneath the covers as she seeks some relief for the sudden ache that's sprung up in her core. Heat blooms across her chest as she watches him complete the nightly task and climb in next to her.

Slowly, she sets aside her phone and curls into his side. Peeta wraps an arm around her and pulls her close before snapping off the bedroom light and kissing her temple. She traces her fingers delicately over his abs, fingernails skimming over flesh until he shifts beside her and she bites back a smile, knowing that she has his attention.

His lips find hers in the dark. He buries one hand in her hair and hauls her closer as their legs entwine and hands roam freely over rapidly heating flesh. When he's breathing hard, she slips her hand beneath the waistband of his pajama pants and Peeta moans against her tongue as she scrapes the skin and thatch of hair right above the base of his cock. She teases him for a moment and then his hand grips hers, pulling upwards until her fingers brush his cheek then his curls. She grips them as he rolls their bodies. His lips skim over her cheek down her neck as desire gathers between her legs. Not as quickly as when they were younger, but Peeta still knows how to touch her to get her wet and writhing.

Fingers grasp her thigh in the dark and tug, spreading her legs for him to touch her sex and massage her through her shorts. With eyes closed, she lets the feelings roll through her, releasing stress and responsibilities, focusing on all the ways he shows her that he loves her and their family every day. He murmurs to her, encouraging her to help remove her shorts so he can touch her unhindered. Hands shaking, she does as he asks, letting her knees relax on the cool sheets as his fingers caress then delve between her folds.

"I want you to hear how wet you're getting," he whispers then his fingers plunge and her body bows into his touch, the sounds arousing her as much as the actions. "That's gonna feel so fucking good on my cock. But not yet. First I want you so close you can taste your orgasm."

She releases a strangled moan and clings to his biceps as he works to make good on his promise and her toes curl with each purposeful thrust of his fingers and lick of his tongue over her skin.

"Mama," a timid voice calls in the darkness and they both freeze with moans on their lips, too wrapped up in one another to have heard their door open. "Mama, I don't feel so good."

Peeta scurries off of her and has just flipped the lights back on when Wren bends over and bolts into the bathroom. The violent sound of his retching and then the splattering sounds of vomit on tile reaches her ears as she searches the sheets for her clothes, announcing that Wren didn't make it to the toilet.

With Wren bedridden with the flu, Katniss and Peeta scramble to rewrite work schedules and the calendar. She has to call on her mother to take Willow to softball after school. Peeta has to leave the bakery in the hands of his assistant managers during the days, but he can't get away from their one huge order right now - a wedding cake for a debutante bride and her wealthy investment banker groom. Katniss couldn't care less about their cake, but it means good advertising and even better money for the bakery, so she can't even begrudge Peeta the nights he spends at the bakery, working on paperwork and finances as well as finishing the cake, rather than at home with her and the kids.

The days turn into long stretches of worry, the constant texting with Peeta helps her stay mostly focused while she's at work, but she can't help the anxiety or the feelings of guilt that she, the mother, should be home with Wren.

It's fine. I've got this. We just finished a story and he's trying to sleep for a bit. Managed to get some clear gatorade and applesauce into him since he hasn't puked since last night. We'll see if it stays down.

She breathes a little easier at the message on the fourth day. They'd already made a trip to the doctor yesterday afternoon, just to make sure it wasn't anything worse than flu, but Prim had assured them that they were doing exactly as they needed to be before gifting Wren with a sticker before he nodded off in Katniss' arms.

Illness takes its toll on children and adults alike, and on day five, Willow shows the first signs and Peeta mentions that his throat is hurting. Despite Katniss' best efforts to keep the house clean and aired out and Peeta's constant admonitions to wash hands, they each take a turn with it. Once he's better, Wren steps up, helping Katniss prepare broth and scrub surfaces while Peeta and Willow are laid up with the disease.

When it's Katniss' turn, she crashes hard, lost in delirium and uncertain how many days pass before she finally wakes, bone sore and drained, to a cool breeze through the curtains of her windows and the sounds of conversation outside. She manages to drag herself from the bed and finds her family in the driveway outside, washing and vacuuming the cars.

"Hydration break," Peeta orders as she watches and all three of them relax for a moment to sip some Gatorade. "What's next on the list?"

"Vacuuming for Wren, laundry for me, and bathroom cleaning for Dad," Willow reads from a list and Peeta nods.

"Fifteen minute rest inside and then we get it done."

Shuffling to bed, Katniss falls on top of the covers and drifts once more, barely cognizant of someone entering the room, lifting her body to move her back beneath the blankets. A cool hand brushes her forehead and she hears the beeps of the aural thermometer, feels it inserted before she hears murmured conversation.

"100.8," her son says. "That's lower than the last one."

"Tylenol's working, buddy," Peeta says and she cracks one eye open in time to watch her husband lean down and kiss her cheek. "Go back to sleep, my love. We've got this."

She must sleep because she wakes to Peeta lifting her up to sit and Willow setting up a tray then ordering her to open her mouth and swallow the soup.

"Shouldn't I be taking care of you?" she croaks pathetically and Peeta shakes his head.

"You already did that. Now it's your turn for some tender care."

Next come plain crackers that taste ashy in her mouth, but she eats every last one as her bossy daughter demands that she eat. Before Willow escapes, though, Katniss captures her hands and tugs her daughter in close for a hug.

"Love you, Mama," she says and then hurries off to wash the dishes. Katniss sinks back into dreams and the fever finally loosens its hold on her.

The next morning dawns cloudy with soft drizzle on the windows. She looks around the room, expecting it to look as though a tornado ripped through the place, but it is surprisingly neat. A glass of water sits on her nightstand and she takes a few careful sips before laying down to rest her eyes. The flu may have passed, but her body still needs rest and time to recover.

Footsteps in the hallway alert her and she turns in time to see Peeta entering, stripping his jacket. He smiles at her and flings the jacket onto the bench at the foot of their bed.

"There you are," he says and braces his hands beside her on the bed before leaning down to nuzzle her nose with his. He smells fresh, his hair speckled with raindrops and she recoils a little, covering her rank mouth. "Missed you."

"I stink," she complains and he laughs.

"I'll start the shower for you. Or would you prefer a bath?"

"Shower's fine. Where are the kids?"

"Just took them to school. They bounced back pretty quickly," Peeta tells her. "Figured you and I could use a day to recuperate so I called in sick for you again and Thom's got the bakery today."

She sighs at the use of yet another one of her precious sick days, but Peeta's probably right. She'd just be nodding off at her desk, getting nothing done, and feeling miserable.

Once she's showered, she dresses in fresh pajamas and melts a little at the sight of Peeta smoothing out the fresh sheets he placed on the bed while she bathed. Battling the flu was bad enough, but she knows it took both of them and all their effort to get the entire family through. Peeta's also changed into pajamas and they snuggle beneath the covers. He kisses her gently on the lips before smiling at her and settling into sleep, their fingers entwined between their bodies.

She dreams in hazy colors and blurred images but when she wakes before her alarm clock, her body knows a hunger and the need for satiation. Luckily, the cure sleeps next to her. She glances at the time and turns off the buzzer, mentally calculating how much time she's got before the kids wake up.

It's been several days since the all-clear on the flu, but both she and Peeta have been operating at partial capacity, the dregs of recovery causing exhaustion so that they'd fall into bed at night and be out in seconds. Not to mention she's still dealing with the occasional burst of nausea. Neither of them have had any energy for intimacy, but this morning she feels refreshed and it is one of Peeta's rare mornings off since he's opening Saturday morning this week. Vitality flows in her veins as she strips off her clothes and shimmies so that she's on top of him, her hands slipping beneath his pants to grip his soft cock and stroke him. He hardens quickly and she peppers his chest and neck with kisses to help. As he stirs, she bites one of his nipples, making him yelp softly.

"Katniss?"

"Quick, before the kids wake up," she urges him and reaches into the nightstand for the lube. She's probably not wet enough on her own yet, but she refuses to wait another second.

"Fuck, okay," he whispers, a grin spreading across his lips. She kisses him hastily and then stretches out on her stomach, tugging on his hips to get him to move. She rubs the lube on her folds, wincing at the cool liquid, but she keeps rubbing while Peeta tears off his pants and kneels behind her.

"Gonna be fast," he warns her and she nods and wriggles her hips against him.

"Fuck me hard, Peeta."

"You're so hot when you're demanding and needy," he whispers and kisses her shoulders as he lifts her hips with one hand and uses his other to guide himself inside of her. "Fuck, I love being inside you."

Once they're joined, he lays down on top of her. He thrusts slow at first, each push of his cock into her making her body sink into the mattress, and she bites down on the pillow to muffle the noises of relief squeaking from inside of her as he adjusts her hips so he's stimulating her g-spot. His soft grunts curl over her shoulders and he slips one hand beneath her to rub her clit. Her walls flex on him involuntarily and he groans into her ear about how incredible that feels.

A door slams down the hall and they both freeze. Peeta groans again only this time, it's pained desperation. "Did you lock the door?"

"No," Katniss admits, her body tensing as they listen to one of their children entering the shared bathroom down the hall. There's not much privacy as a parent and perhaps it makes her a terrible one, but she thrusts back into Peeta to get him to move again. She wants to come. She needs to come, her body strung so tight with sexual frustration that she feels like her spine might snap beneath the pressure of it.

"Fuck, Katniss, wait," Peeta hisses but she does it again and he curses but thankfully resumes his thrusts. His teeth dig into her skin and she tries to focus on the pleasure, to ignore the sounds of their children rousing, but it's no good. Not even Peeta's fingers on her clit are getting her the last few leaps.

"Come for me, Katniss. Fuck I'm almost there," he moans. This gets her closer but then he stops again, places a hand over her mouth to stop her from talking as footsteps approach their door. He tugs up the sheets to cover their nudity just in time as Willow bursts through the door.

"Did either of you wash my softball shirt? I'm supposed to wear it today for the pep rally," she says and lifts the lid on their laundry hamper, oblivious to the state her parents are in as she groans and slams the lid back down as though she expected to find it there.

Reluctantly, Katniss glances once more at the clock. "I think it's in the washing machine. Give me a minute and I'll help you move the loads. We've got time to dry it before school."

"Oh thank goodness," Willow says and hurries from the room, leaving the door open.

Peeta rotates his hips and she moans in approval but then Wren is up and singing some silly song as he dances into the bathroom. The toilet lid lifts and Willow squeals.

"Shut the door, you fungus! No one wants to see you pee!"

"It's a natural, bodily function!" Wren shouts back but the door shuts, at least cutting off the sounds.

Peeta sighs and kisses her before sliding from her. Katniss growls in frustration but she knows they won't be able to finish at this rate. She flings aside the pillow and hurries into the bathroom herself to clean up enough so she can help Willow with the laundry.

From there, the day proceeds in a mundane and unsexy manner. She feels itchy and tight skinned all day, practically wanting to crawl from her body in frustration. Peeta calls to tell her he's stuck late at the bakery finishing another wedding cake. By the time he gets home, the kids are already asleep in bed, but he falls onto the mattress and is lost to the world before she can even suggest she give him a blow job.

Katniss huffs and punches her pillow, laying wide awake for precious lost minutes when she could be sleeping, thinking about sex while her husband snores softly beside her.

She can't help but think of all the times they've been waylaid or interrupted over the past few weeks. First monsters in the closet, the flu, and then life in general. They've been so tied up with taking care of their family that they've barely made time for each other. She's having difficulty remembering the last time they had sex and managed to finish. She had to finger herself in the shower tonight and even then, she was interrupted before she could get herself off. She'd never thought of herself as sex dependent before kids, but being constantly deprived of the pleasure of coming all over Peeta's cock inside of her or with his mouth on her is driving her mad.

With a sigh, she finally slips into much needed sleep despite her husband's snoring. It'll just have to wait, she guesses. Again.

"You picked the last one!" Wren shouts and Katniss runs her temples to soothe the pounding that's started. She's trying to get caught up on some work that she was forced to bring home with her, tasks left neglected while she was sick until she found herself pushed up against deadlines.

"I'm sick of boy movies," Willow insists and Katniss hears the deep, quiet rumble that means Peeta has intervened to moderate the dispute. Only he doesn't seem to be having much luck and she's got such a tight rein on her temper that the phone ringing makes her jump.

"Hello?" She snaps without checking the name.

"Bad time, hummingbird?" her mother asks and Katniss sighs.

"We're still a bit of a mess here from the flu," Katniss admits.

"Oh honey, that's too bad. I've got your hoodies for the family picnic next week and thought I'd drop them off for you all to try them on."

Katniss has to suppress a groan at the reminder of the big Everdeen family reunion next week in the Smoky Mountains. A weekend on the hills and hiking through the woods, fishing and maybe some archery, cold swims in the not yet warmed up lake, campfires and terrible ghost stories told over s'mores. It's something she usually looks forward to, but this year it just feels like one more thing to deal with.

"I haven't even started thinking about packing," Katniss admits and her mother chuckles.

"Well who could blame you?"

"If you won't be repulsed by the disaster area this house is right now, go ahead and bring them over. Pretty sure we're two days behind on laundry and Wren lost a note from the PTA about a bake sale so Peeta's throwing together a couple of batches of brownies for tomorrow...from a box."

My mother gasps comically at this and then we both laugh. "Desperate times call for desperate measures. Alright, hummingbird. I'll be over in just a minute."

"See you then, Mom."

After hanging up, Katniss manages to get a few minutes of work done before the doorbell rings and the squeals of "Grandma! Grandpa!" echo through the halls. She stands and leaves her dubious sanctuary to greet her family, tugging self-consciously on the hems of her shorts and the plaid shirt she's wearing. She feels and looks like such a bum in comparison to her always beautiful mother and the glow that seems to emanate from her whenever she's around Katniss' father.

Sage Everdeen grins and tosses Wren into the air while the boy squeals. Willow hugs Lily Everdeen. The sight warms Katniss' heart but also makes her want to throw something. How did her parents manage to always seem so put together when she was growing up?

"You could've called us, Peeta. We would've been glad to help out," Lily says as Katniss joins the family.

"I didn't want to trouble you, not to mention that bug was really contagious. At least half of Wren's class ended up out sick for several days with it. You already work such long hours taking care of people at the hospital."

"Nonsense," her mother says as she spots Katniss and hugs her. When the embrace ends, Lily's eyes scan the house and Katniss shrinks in shame at the state of it. Willow's latest attempt at building a remote control plane is scattered across the dining room table. Wren's artwork is sloppily tacked to the walls with push pins. The place looks like they haven't bothered to clean in days.

But Lily smiles and digs an apron from her purse before donning it. "Now, Wren...I understand there was a misunderstanding about a bake sale." His cheeks pinken but Lily taps his nose and heads towards the kitchen. "Come join me in the kitchen and we'll get this squared away right now."

Katniss opens her mouth to protest, but then she spots her father pulling a chair up to the table and asking Willow about her project. While she's diving through the piles for her plans so she can answer him, Sage looks up at the bewildered looks on Katniss and Peeta's faces.

"I suggest you find your nearest pair of shoes and get the hell out of here. Don't come back for a few hours." He winks, but it takes Peeta's hands pushing her towards the door to get her into motion.

They're in the car before it fully registers what just happened. "Did my parents just kick us out of our house?"

"Yeah," Peeta chuckles as he steers the car out of the neighborhood. "Guess they thought we needed some time off."

"Then they could've at least given me a chance to change. I look like I'm ready to scrub toilets, not go out on a date with my husband." And she's not even wearing a bra.

Peeta cringes, but gives her a once over that makes her skin tingle. "Okay, rule number one for tonight is no talk of toilet scrubbing."

"Or vomit," Katniss adds and he nods.

"Especially not vomit." He reaches across the console and twines their fingers together, bringing their joined hands to his lips to kiss hers. "And you'd be stunningly gorgeous wrapped in newspaper. I just want to spend the next few hours with you and not talk about kids or the bakery. Just you."

"What should we do? Now that we don't have to play monster hunter, nurse, baker, housekeeper, organizer, chauffeur, environmentalist, or any of the other dozens of things we have to be on a daily basis?" Katniss asks eagerly and he grins at her.

"Wanna go grab dessert?"

"Yes, please," she says enthusiastically, but when he pulls into the parking lot of Sweet Nothing's, she has to hide her disappointment that pie is not what she had in mind when he mentioned dessert.

They each order a slice and slide into a booth, his jean clad thigh rubbing up against hers, left bare from her shorts riding up. They try to focus on just them, really they do. But somehow, the conversation inevitably turns to the kids and Katniss digs out her calendar with all of its color coded pen marks and tabbing system. They transfer dates and appointments to phones, get started on lists to get ready for their trip - packing lists, shopping lists, and reminders for the neighbors who'll be house sitting and watching their cat. By the time they've scraped their plates clean, Katniss feels like they've got a much better handle on the family business, although now she's tired. She hides a yawn behind her hand as Peeta pays the check. It was nice, though, to have a few minutes out with Peeta. Quiet time to themselves, even if it was spent on daily tasks. The removal of the stress of those tasks is a relaxing reward in itself, she consoles herself.

She falls asleep in the car, and wakes with a stiff neck.

"What time is it?" She asks and looks out the window, confused to see woods on either side of their car.

"Around ten," Peeta says. "You looked so peaceful sleeping that I didn't want to wake you, so I kept driving."

"We should get back," Katniss says, tugging down the visor to check her appearance. Thank goodness she washed off her makeup after work or she'd be a horrifying mess right now.

"Okay, just let me find a place to turn around."

"Where are we?" Katniss asks as she rolls down the window and is greeted by a fresh spring breeze, fragrant with pines and blossoms, humming with the songs of the crickets and bullfrogs.

"A few miles out of town," Peeta tells her. The tires crunch on gravel as he pulls onto an access road of some kind to turn around. Katniss catches the silver glow of moonlight off of water and reaches out a hand to stop him.

"Wait. What's down this road?"

"Dunno."

"Let's go find out," she says and Peeta smiles at the curiosity in her voice.

"Sure," he agrees and slowly drives until they reach a lakeshore. He stops the car and rolls down his window, kills the engine and sighs. "Well this is nice."

They hold hands and watch the path of the moon as it drifts across the sky and the surface of the lake. The rhythm of nature stirs Katniss' blood, though, until it's no longer relaxing to just sit and watch. She shifts in the seat and Peeta notices her restlessness.

"Something wrong?" he asks and she shakes her head.

She's never been good with words anyways, and Peeta knows how to read the meanings behind her actions. Slowly, she lifts her free hand and undoes the top button on her shirt. Then the next.

Peeta's mouth parts slightly as he watches, his hold on her hand tightening as she continues until the shirt is half undone. Katniss palms her breast and sighs, letting her head fall back in the head rest. In a flash, Peeta shifts to lean across the car and suck on her neck, his own hand replacing hers.

"Yes," she moans, and he reaches behind him to roll up the windows on the residual battery power.

Katniss shoves him off of her and back into his seat, chasing after with her hands tearing at his belt and his zipper. She pulls his half hard cock through the opening in his briefs and kneels on her seat, gripping him and wrapping her tongue around him.

"Fuck, Katniss," he groans, his fingers tangling in her hair and loosening her ponytail as she licks up and down his length. He hardens quickly under her attentions, and when she takes him in her mouth, his hands guide her in bobbing her head over him.

She hums and shifts her legs as desire pools in her panties. The need for fast and hard to slake her frustration competes with the desire to take this slow and enjoy it since they've had so many missed opportunities. Then one of Peeta's hands releases her hair and trails over her spine.

"Loosen your shorts, Katniss," he pleads. Unsure what he's got in mind, she lets go of his cock and circles the tip with her tongue while she undoes her shorts. The extra slack allows him to slide his hand beneath her panties, over her ass. One finger skims between her folds and she groans, spreading her knees and lifting her hips to give him better access. She sucks his cock, moaning as his fingers fuck her slow and deep.

"I fucking love how wet your pussy gets for me. Katniss, honey, I wanna cum inside you."

She pulls her mouth off him and smiles up into his hazy blue eyes. "That's the idea."

"Not in your mouth," he shakes his head and curls his fingers inside of her, sending shards of exquisite pleasure through hit limbs. Her back arches and she moans loudly. "Here. I wanna come here."

She lifts up, smacking her head on the roof of the car in her haste. "Ow."

"Fight through the pain," he encourages as he glances into the back seat. She follows his gaze and spots Wren's booster seat and what appears to be one of Willow's books and her denim jacket.

"Well, that's out. So not sexy," she quips and moves to straddle Peeta. He lifts his hips as they kiss, shoving his jeans down to his thighs and hissing when she tries to help and only succeeds in bending his cock at an awkward angle. "Sorry," she mutters against his lips as their hands tear at her shorts. She wriggles and writhes, they bump into each other and she elbows his nose, her leg gets bent back painfully and the steering wheel digs into her back, but they laugh and keep going until her shorts are discarded on the floor boards. Katniss takes him in her fist and pumps a few times while he flicks his thumbs over her nipples, covering one with the flat of his tongue and tasting while she lines them up. He sucks while she lowers herself and they both moan.

Her left knee rests on the center console and her right is wedged between him and the door, but she manages a to roll her hips over him enough to stimulate something inside her. She buries her face in his neck, braces her hand on the window and uses all her leg strength to move over him. His fingers dig into her ass and he tugs on her panties. She moves faster, thinking he must be enjoying it, too. But when she lifts her head to kiss him, he winces in pain.

"What's wrong?" she asks. Peeta lets go of her and grabs the waistband on her panties.

"These are what's wrong. They keep digging into me and chafing." His arms flex and he bites his lip as the offending garment bites into her skin and the sound of fabric tearing fills the car. Katniss gasps as he yanks on them and throws the ruined underwear next to her shorts. Peeta looks up at her then and her walls give a reflexive squeeze. "What?"

"That's fucking hot," she groans and smashes their mouths together as she resumes moving. She's slick, they're loud in their desperation, and it feels amazing, but her legs tire quickly with the odd angles. When she whispers this, Peeta flattens one hand on her abdomen, pushing her upright. Then it's the force of his hands pushing her that keeps her moving. Gripping the headrest behind him, Katniss lets him control the pace, watching his face as they fill the car with their curses and moans and the windows fog over. Her palm slips in the condensation and she grabs onto his shoulder instead, her nails biting into his skin. Pressure builds low in her belly and she summons enough energy to help him a little.

"Shit. Shit!" Peeta swears. "I'm gonna come, Katniss. Fuck."

"Do it, Peeta. I'm close. So close."

"Not without you," he vows and shifts his thumb to swipe across her clit, his hand pushing her hips back further on him. Peeta releases her ass to reach up and tug her shirt off her shoulder, his fingers working her nipple. Currents dance between breast and clit. Bright lights flare behind her closed eyelids as she begs him not to stop. She throws her head back and shouts while Peeta's hands yank her over him in rough thrusts and he yells ecstatic obscenities.

When the tremors finally pass, she rests her head on his shoulder, ignoring the cramps in her legs for now while she catches her breath. She combs one hand through his hair, the roots damp with sweat. She can feel his pulse thundering in his neck against her forehead and in his chest beneath her palm, matching her own heart's frantic pace. A slow smile curls over her lips as Peeta kneads her ass and mutters the occasional curse word or comment he can't quite seem to finish. She loves being able to leave him speechless like this.

Her skin prickles with awareness and she barely has time to notice the the bright lights outside the car and what they mean before someone knocks on the window.

"Alright, kids. Fun's over."

"Shit. Is that a cop?" Peeta hisses and grabs a blanket from the back seat, wrapping it around Katniss, who's burning in humiliation.

"Open the window," the man orders and a flashlight flares through the fog on the glass. Katniss holds tight to the blanket and buries her face in Peeta's shoulder again as he rolls the window down. "I really hate to have to call parents, but - huh. Well I'll be damned."

The officer stops mid sentence as he gets a good look at Peeta's face and then he starts laughing. "It's Mellark, right? Peeta Mellark. Willow's dad."

Katniss risks a peek and the cop lowers his flashlight, shaking his head, but she can tell he's grinning. The absence of the bright light in their eyes reveals his identity. Which doesn't help any.

"Officer Slade," Peeta manages to say after clearing his throat. "Is there a problem?"

But he sounds like he's trying not to laugh and Katniss pinches his nipple to get him to be serious about this. "Ow! Hey!" he shouts and scowls at her, but there's no bite behind the expression.

"Nope. No problem. Usually I'd ask for licenses and insurance, give the kids a hell of a scare, but I'll let you go with a warning this time. Katniss," he greets her with a wink, which makes her flush even hotter. "See you both at the softball game tomorrow?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Peeta says.

"Have a good night, you two," Darius Slade says and holsters his flashlight before turning back to his car.

"You too, Darius," Katniss manages to squeak and then hides in Peeta's shirt again, his laughter shaking her entire body. "Oh my god."

"We better get home before we get arrested," Peeta says and helps her clean up as best they can. Her panties are destroyed, though, and the ride home is uncomfortable. She's not used to going commando.

When they reach their garage, Peeta leans over the console and kisses her until she's breathless and a little dazed. When he ends the kiss, he smiles, tracing his thumb over her cheek.

"I love you, Katniss. And I love every crazy, messed up day we've spent together."

"I love you, too, Peeta. And your fly is undone."

They both laugh and take a second to make sure they don't look like they just fucked in the car. Katniss stuffs her destroyed underwear deep in her purse to throw away later and Peeta helps her fix her shirt after he zips his jeans back up. They share one last quick kiss before they head inside to relieve the grandparents and thank them.

Laughter and the crack of metallic bats still fills the park as Katniss and Peeta swing Wren between them, waiting outside the dugout for Willow after the game is done. It's been a relatively quiet day and they share a loving look as Wren lets go of their hands to race off and chat with a friend for a moment.

Willow storms from the dugout, her face red and her fist clenched on the strap of her bag.

"Can we get out of here, please? Now?"

"Something the matter?" Peeta asks gently. He and Katniss shake heads to communicate that neither one of them knows what's wrong with her today. "I thought you had a great game. Threw two out at second, caught a pop fly, a single and a double hit-"

"Oh my god, it's not about the game. Please don't talk. God! You two are so embarrassing. Can't you hate each other like normal parents?"

"Watch it, young lady," Katniss warns but it falls on deaf ears. When they reach the car, Katniss unlocks it and tells Wren to go ahead and get strapped in.

"What is the problem?" she asks as Willow tosses her bag in the trunk.

"Eren overheard her parents talking. She said her dad almost arrested the two of you for making out in the car on the side of the road last night! It's all the team could talk about in the dugout."

"Ah," Peeta says as he lifts his eyebrows. "Well, honey, see-"

"Oh my god! So it's true? Ew!" She smacks her hands over her ears and storms to her door. "Could you two just not?! So embarrassing."

They stand there and listen as Wren chats excitedly to Willow. In her anger at her parents, she manages one syllable answers, but that's enough to encourage her brother to keep going. Peeta smiles as Katniss wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him close, ignoring Willow's disgusted scoff.

"How disgusted do you think she'll be when I tell her she's getting another sibling and how that happened."

"Very disgusted," Peeta says and nuzzles her nose. Then he jerks his head back as her words sink in. "Wait? Another sibling?"

"Well it's not doctor official, but the pee on a stick says number three's on the way."

"Three," Peeta says in awe, grinning foolishly and pulling her close. "That's unexpected...are you happy?"

He spreads his palm flat on her belly, only gentle this time, unlike last night, as she nods in agreement. "Sorry if I was too rough with you last night."

"Baby's fine. And I liked how rough you were."

"Couldn't tell from the way you were shouting," Peeta teases.

"Mom! Dad! Car! Now! And hands to yourselves!" Willow shouts and they both shake their heads but comply. Katniss is too busy already plotting their next time away from the kids to scold her daughter. Hopefully the grandparents won't mind babysitting again tonight. Three kids only means life will get even more hectic, and she'll need every minute she can squeeze from the day. What new titles will she have to add to her list, she wonders.