A/N: So, I've been working on this chapter for about two weeks. I've started and restarted it several times and I am finally happy with it. You have no idea how encouraging the messages asking me when I am going to update have been. Truly. For my first story I am pleased with what I have done here and I have learned so much. I may or may not do an epilogue. Can you tell me if you feel like I've left a loose end? I would love to get my reviews up to 175 but not just for the number. I am truly interested in your thoughts. What you like and what you didn't like. Did I provide closure or did I leave you hanging. If I left you hanging, was it okay. Some stories are best when possibilities are left open. Do you want an epilogue? Let me know. I'm interested.

"You have a choice to make here, Mrs. Hawthorne." Prim's muscles clenched deep in her belly as Gale wrapped his arms around his new wife from behind. Prim leaned back into the hard planes of his chest.

"What's that?" She hummed. They were secluded behind a tree from the party that was well underway. His hands found places she had not let him touch since the first and only night they made love; the night he asked her if she was going to marry him. She let out a soft moan when his hands glided over several sensitive and neglected areas. She wanted to build the physical anticipation and make this night special.

"We leave now, disappear for a half hour, and then return for the rest of the party…" He trailed kisses along her neck igniting her fire across to her shoulder. "…or we tell everyone goodbye right now so I can show my wife how much I love her for the rest of the night." Prim inhaled sharply when he pressed his urgent need against the small of her back. "The choice is yours, Mrs. Hawthorne." Their months of abstinence had definitely had an effect. Did she really want to settle for a quickie after that long wait?

"You should go for her." Delly said. Jovis was sitting at a table looking at the area set up for dancing. A tall, leggy blonde was being twirled around the floor by Gale's brother, Vick. You'd have to be stupid, blind, or born under a rock not to recognize Johanna Mason.

Jovis marveled over at the girl whose advances he had refused a few weeks ago; she was trying to set him up with Johanna Mason. Delly was sweet but honest with him and he didn't want to fuck that up…literally and figuratively. And he knew he would. He was proud of himself because it was the first time that he had refused an attractive woman and the first time he had refused a woman without being scathing or mean.

"Why her?" He asked looking back over to Johanna. Delly bit her bottom lip as she found words for her explanation.

"Well," She began, "You told me that you need a woman who wouldn't be offended by your callousness but who needed you as much as you needed her…or was as independent as you were." Delly turned her big eyes to him. "That's her. I know Johanna from 13 and she really needs someone to show her how to love again, but who won't pant after her like a love-crazed fan. She is just as calloused as you are and I think you'd find each other both attractive and amusing." She concluded.

"That was concise." Jovis responded. "It actually sounds like you've had that analysis ready to report for a while." He raised his eyebrow at her.

Delly looked guilty. "Well…yeah. I like you, Jovis. I want you to be happy." She leaned forward to reveal her secret. "I invited her here and if you don't get her away from Gale's brothers there may be a brawl when Gale gets back. I don't think he'd like his brothers mixing with her." The Hawthorne boys had been living in 13 since the conclusion of the war and rumor had it that they were moving back to 12 with the construction of the new factory. "Besides, I'm after the one she's dancing with right now. You can help me out." She winked at Jovis.

"Haymitch, I want to thank you for all you've done for both of my daughters." Haymitch remembered why the girls' mother was so admired throughout the district. She was a great dancer in addition to her beauty. He thought back to those days before his own Quell when things were much simpler and much happier. He could see her youth under the layers of fatigue and sorrow that did not begin with the death of her husband. It began with the death of her dear, dear friend in the same Quell.

"Prim reminds me so much of Maysilee… so much." He choked up a little and she pulled him closer to her.

"You did it, Haymitch. You brought the system down…twice. And the second time you saved my girls. Maysilee would have been so proud of the man you are." She paused. "The man you've always been." Today was going to be the only day he allowed himself to shed tears of pain while they mingled with the tears of joy.

"I miss her so much some days. That's why…" He trailed off because she knew that was the reason he drank. Well, it was the original reason he drank.

She cleared her throat. "Effie looks amazing." They both looked over at the regal blonde standing near Katniss and Peeta. She was dressed in a chalky gray pencil skirt and creamy fitted top. They showed off her slim figure and her shoes were classy pumps and not her normal, towering stilettos. Her blonde hair was very natural looking in a classic District 12 braid, even with the extensions, and her subdued make-up revealed how attractive she actually was instead of masking it with shocking color. "I've had a little time to talk to her with the wedding planning, Haymitch. I see it."

The tips of his ears turned pink. "You see what?" His voice was gruff.

"I see what you see. She is a smart and caring woman. She has a keen eye for detail. She is efficient and effective, and she doesn't mince words. But her heart is lovingly soft and her mind is quick; her disguise is just as effective as yours." She smiled at him. "Don't worry, though. I won't tell anyone." He returned her smile and gave her a knowing look.

"You need to stop feeling guilty, Sweetheart. About all of it." Haymitch urged. "Everyone grieves in different ways and your process produced that girl over there." He gestured towards Katniss. She looked as if she was going to protest, but he stopped her. "Now, I'm not saying you should be proud of shutting down, but there were some good things that came out of it. She learned to hunt and survive. She learned to fend for herself and be independent. It gave her the will to fight for life and protect those who can perpetuate the love." He looked around for Prim. "That would be Prim. I believe that the universe will even things out in the end. I just hope we aren't too jaded to enjoy it when it finally happens."

"You believe in Karma." She said surprised. Karma was an ancient belief that few called by name, but many understood and believed in. The whole idea of doing good things and good things will return to you at some point gave the destitute people of 12 a little spark of hope.

"I don't know about all that. But if I don't believe that the pain is worth something in the end then I'll have to start drinking again." She let a light-hearted laugh escape her lips and for just a little while she forgot she was melancholy.

"Where have you two been?" Ashley asked in a knowing tone as she waggled her eyebrows up and down. Prim blushed and Gale just grinned a goofy, satisfied smile. "That's what I thought. You just couldn't wait, could you?" She lightly punched Gale in the arm, but her comment was directed at Prim.

"Look at him." Prim directed. "Could you?" Ashley looked him up and down as the bride commanded and shook her head.

"No way." Ashley agreed and Gale blushed. "Gale, wipe the lip stick off your neck if you don't want anyone else to know."

"Here, let me." Prim said as she sidled up to him and wiped his neck with her moistened thumb. She left her arms wrapped around his neck.

"Come and dance with me, Mrs. Hawthorne." Gale invited with a lopsided grin. "We need to be seen."

"Bye!" Ashley happily called after them. She looked over and saw Twinge sitting at one of the picnic tables gathered from some random person's yard for the occasion. He was contentedly watching the crowd.

"Twinge, come dance with me." She called across the space and over the din of the music and sounds of the revelers. He smiled and nodded at her. He rose looking handsome in his new suit that Katniss had ordered him and they followed the newlyweds to the dancing area.

"Beetee!" Johanna called as she approached her fellow victor. She leaned down and kissed him on both cheeks before she pulled him into a hug. "How are you?"

"Well, I'm doing surprisingly well." Beetee said, a little thunderstruck by Johanna's emotional display. "Work keeps me busy and they've given me a wonderful lab to work in with some wonderful people who survived all the craziness." He cleared his throat a little. "I'm surprised to see you here to be perfectly honest. The last gossip I heard was that you were very put out by Gale's unceremonious dismissal of you from his apartment."

"Don't hold back, Volts, tell me what you know." Her tone was dry but not cutting and a smile touched her lips. "How do you know about that because I haven't told anyone? Do you have his placed bugged?"

"Oh Heaven's no. I might have had a conversation with Mrs. Everdeen about it. She was there and heard the whole thing." Beetee replied. "When we get together we just gossip about the kids like little girls." He laughed at his own little joke. He had gotten used to laughing at himself since few people understood the actual technicalities of the things he found amusing.

"Wait." Johanna said. "Why was Mrs. Everdeen at his apartment that day? He was with that little Katniss pretender." Johanna looked across the dancing area where Gale and his bride were leading the reel. She knew that Delly had invited her to the wedding for some laughs, but didn't really know who he was marrying. Delly didn't mention it and she didn't ask. She was over him and thought he was a sentimental fool for getting married at all.

"Don't you know who the bride is?" Beetee asked. She didn't answer right away. The Katniss pretender she saw in his kitchen was a redhead and the bride was blonde. She didn't really remember the girl's face, but there was something so familiar about her.

"Is it that girl I met that day?" She tried to recall her name. "Rose. Is her name Rose?" She tried picturing her with auburn hair and she was almost sure it was her. The eyes were wrong though. Where had she seen those eyes before?

"Yes. Well, yes. She went by Rose while she was forced to be disguised by the new regime. Now she can go by her full name, or her old nickname…" Beetee explained but they both said it at the same time.

"Prim."

Johanna was dumbstruck. "Well no fucking-wonder." She didn't know how to feel. She was over Gale. She was actually kind of mad at herself for how much she allowed herself come too dependent on him as a distraction. And, she was surprised at how impressed she was with Prim for her stellar performance. Looking back at that day in a new light, she could see how far the precious little brat had come. She had grown into an assertive woman, if not a little possessive, and that had to be admired. Before she knew it, her feet were moving her towards the happy couple. She didn't know what she wanted to say to them, and she wasn't sure if it was going to be nice.

"Excuse me." A beautiful, blonde specimen of a man looked down on Johanna. "Would you do me the honors?"

"The honor of what?" Johanna asked callously, but her eyes betrayed the attraction she instantly felt to him. She'd be willing to honor him in a number of ways.

"Of dancing. I know Johanna Mason is intuitive enough to understand that is what I want." He said with smile crinkles in the corners of his eyes. He was laying it on thick. Great, a fan. At least he's gorgeous. She thought.

"Later. I'm busy right now." She started moving towards Gale and Prim again.

"That's kind of the point. I'm trying to distract you from doing something to disrupt this happy occasion." He rubbed his chin and added, "And, I think you're hot. So that's like killing two birds with one stone." He was assertive, too. Johanna's interest was piqued.

"So you know who I am, but who are you?" She stopped and turned to face him.

"I'm Jovis. I work with both Gale and Prim. And while I don't really get along with them very well or very often, today should be problem free. Pick on them tomorrow." He held his hand out to her. "Come and dance with me."

Johanna was intrigued. "District 2?" She asked not hiding the fact that she was totally checking him out.

"Well, I live in 2 while I'm at school, but I'm originally from 1." He answered as the music changed and they began a slow little reel.

"If you don't like the happy couple, why are you at their wedding?" She asked.

"I could ask you the same question." He winked at her. "No matter what the reason, we can make the evening more pleasant for one another."

"Jovis, I think we're going to get along just fine." Johanna laughed as he spun her around.

"Do you still love me?" Katniss asked Peeta as they sat leaning against the little fixed up shack.

"More than I did yesterday." He smiled at her and kissed her cheek.

"Good, because I'm afraid you're stuck with me now." She sighed. "My only other option just married my sister." Her voice was laced with a little bit of fear so he pulled her close to him.

"What's bothering you Kat?" He asked, cutting to the chase. "What's got you worried?"

He could tell she was sorting her thoughts and feelings. "Someday you may realize that I am more trouble than I'm worth. And then you'll leave me and I'll be all alone."

"Naw, you'll have Haymitch." Peeta was watching Haymitch dance with Effie. "He's too stubborn for any woman to stay with him long term and he's too stubborn to die." Peeta quipped. When she didn't laugh or reply he looked over at her. He could see traces of the fear in her eyes.

"Katniss, look at me." He shook her chin trying to jar her eyes to his. It worked. "I am not going to leave you. Even when you couldn't decide between Gale and me I didn't leave you. A Capital hijacking couldn't keep me from you for very long. Remember, I got the snot beat out of me for warning you about the attack? I'm not leaving. That's real." He could see that the gravity of the conversation was just about to push her over the edge. "Besides, after having sex with you, no one else could compare." He leaned in and softly bit her nose in a playful way.

"Seriously? I bare my soul to you and you bring up sex?" She squeaked rubbing her nose.

"And you love it." Peeta said. She wrapped her arms around him and the seriousness returned to her voice.

"You always know what I need and I love you for that. I love you so much." She breathed.

"I know Kat. And, you are worth every ounce of trouble you give me." Peeta promised.

"Virginia, I want to thank you so much for taking care of my son." Hazelle smiled at the woman she knew was largely responsible for his organization and success.

"It has been my pleasure." Virginia returned. "He is a wonderful young man who lets me cook fabulous things in his large kitchen." She laughed a little bit thinking about all the leftovers. "I just need to learn to cook less." And a little edge of sadness crept into her eyes.

"I know what you mean. Vick is going to join Gale when they begin construction on the new factory and with neither of them there, I don't know what Rory and Posey and I are going to do with all the food that goes uneaten. They're like vacuum cleaners together." She smiled. "Do you have a large family?" Hazelle asked.

"I did." She nodded. "They were killed in the revolution. That is why I commandeered your son. I hope you don't mind and I thank you for sharing." Virginia smiled and looked over at the happy couple dancing.

Hazelle pulled her into a tight hug. "You're the reason I can sleep at night knowing he's in good hands. He's impulsive and reckless in some areas and he needs prodding in others. I am positive today's happiness has something to do with your motherly interference." Virginia laughed at his mother's correct assumption.

"I did do some meddling." Virginia admitted. "And she's so good for him. Much better than…" Hazelle's eyes followed Virginia's when they landed on Johanna who was dancing with Jovis. "…others."

"I thought that might be a problem." Hazelle said in a low tone. "She's like a little tornado."

"Well, Prim took care of it for good." Virginia laughed and shared the story that was retold to her by Prim's very proud mother.

"I'm so sorry!" Johanna apologized as she bumped into Gale and not wholly on accident. She plastered a look of surprise on her face and exclaimed, "Gale! It's so good to see you." She dropped Jovis' arms and wrapped her arms around Gale who did not return the gesture even a little. He did not want to anger Prim. "Introduce me to your bride."

"Sorry." Jovis muttered. "I tried."

Gale rolled his eyes. "Johanna, I'm sure you remember Prim, Katniss' sister. You spent quite a bit of time with her in 13 while you were in the hospital."

"I think not. I remember her as half naked Rose from your kitchen in 2." Johanna corrected. Prim smirked.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" Prim giggled. "You were so mad when you thought I was a Katniss freak. The look on your face when I invited you to join us…I thought you were going to jump out of your skin." Johanna was caught a little off guard. This was not the mousy little girl who skulked around the hospital. Johanna decided she did like this new Rose or Prim, or whatever she wanted to be called.

Jovis and Gale stood there with their mouths hanging wide open at the exchange. Jovis was trying to imagine Johanna and Prim…together, and Gale was trying to imagine how this little scene was going to end.

"I was going to kill you is what I was going to do. But your guard here wrapped himself all around you." Johanna teased.

"I do have that effect on him." She said as he slid his arm back around her waist.

"Join you how?" Jovis asked. Prim thought he was about to drool. Well, Jovis was still a little pervert, that's for sure.

"I wasn't really going to do it, Jovis. Calm down." Prim told him. "Jeesh, you had your chance and passed out." Prim teased. She knew how competitive Johanna was and maybe if Johanna though that Jovis and her…maybe…

"Yeah because someone tricked me into doing like 12 shots in a row!" Jovis guffawed, but winked at her as well. He understood the game. Prim always said Jovis wasn't a dummy.

"Wait, you two drank together?" She looked between Jovis and Prim. "And you allowed this?" She asked Gale.

"I can't control what she does." Gale said amused. "And no, I wasn't happy about it. That caused a little tension." Gale admitted. Johanna smirked.

"Well, dreamboat, let's go get you a shot of white liquor." Johanna began pulling Jovis away.

"Not too much…he'll pass out and be useless." Prim said.

"It really is good to see you, Gale." Johanna narrowed her eyes at Prim. "The jury's still out on you, though."

"The feeling is mutual, Johanna." Prim returned.

"You are sneaky." Gale whispered in her ear and then nibbled the lobe. "You don't think she'll see through what you just did?" She turned back around in his arms and they began dancing again.

"I know she saw through it. She just doesn't care. She likes him. She knows she can have something I haven't had. I don't care because I have you, now. But it looks like Jovis is content and he has been rather good lately." Prim laid her head on Gale's shoulder.

"Tired?" Gale asked.

"Yes. Of being around other people. When do we get to go away?"

"How goes it with Richard?" Twinge asked his friend he found sitting the table Ashley had pulled him from. Twinge was there when Richard cut in on his sister's dance with Gale's brother. None of them looked too happy.

"We're going to be friends." Bow said, looking at the glass that was sitting empty of its white liquor. "I don't know how long I'm going to be here and we'll be traveling so much. Then I have to go back to my district when that's all finished to instruct others in what I've learned. I just don't see the point. I can't ask him to wait for me."

"Why?" Twinge asked while he poured his friend another shot.

"We don't know each other that well for one." Bow downed the proffered drink and winced. "Secondly, I'm not sure how serious he was about it to begin with or if he was just going along because Haymitch said to. And third, he can't leave 12 because he's basically the only accountant the local government has here."

"Those are good excuses." Twinge nodded. "But that's all they are."

"Twinge!" Bow groaned. "This is hard for me! I'm trying to do the selfless thing here."

"No you're not." Twinge disagreed. "Look at him. He's miserable and now he's made Delly and Vick miserable, too. You're scared and this is the easy way out."

"Don't beat around the bush, there, buddy." Bow grumbled and poured himself one more drink. That elicited a smile from Twinge.

"I won't and that's why you love me." Twinge declared. Bow could only agree.

"I always knew we'd be sharing this moment at the union of our children." Hazelle remarked. "But I never pictured those two."

Prim's mom smiled and agreed. "Yeah, I almost killed him."

"I don't blame you. I'll be the same way with Posy." Hazelle said. "But I'm glad you didn't because she's so good for him. She's a better counterweight for him." Both women knew that without the games Katniss would have realized her feelings for Gale and they would have married. Similarly, both women knew that it would have been a very bumpy union between two of the strongest, pig-headed, and volatile people they knew. I could have worked…

And thus the evening continued with reminiscences, pride in parental accomplishments, new acquaintances, found love, examination of healed wounds, examination of unhealed wounds, dancing & celebration, sadness of lost loves, and even the bitter tang of unrequited love. Weddings bring people together to celebrate the joy of two lives joined and the hope of what can be. Two people who freely chose to bind themselves together in order to face the trials and tribulations that life will undoubtedly throw at them will also be able to rejoice in the happiness of overcoming those trials and enduring to the end. Hopefully...