The epilogue to this most wonderfully fun story to write—thank you to those who've stuck through!

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

Thank you to Chelzie, my beta, for all her hard work!

One

Epilogue: Elizabeth

Five Years Later…

"Lizzie!"

Lizzie Mellark turned to see Miss Cashmere and Mr. Gloss waving at her from the table. Excitedly, she rushed over to be pulled onto Mr. Gloss' lap and gave him a hug. The handsome man smiled at her before she slid down from his lap to hug Miss Cashmere.

"Do you want the usual?" she asked them once she was back on the floor.

Her Daddy had taught her about keeping the customer happy, so she always remembered that Miss Cashmere and Mr. Gloss liked gluten-free muffins. They own the gym across the street, but always came by in the afternoon for a snack.

"So serious," Miss Cashmere said to her with a smile. Her eyes suddenly went behind her. "Peeta, she's only five and already tailoring herself to run your business!"

Lizzie turned to see her Daddy with a big smile on his face as he gazed down at her. Daddy was handsome with sunshine hair and eyes that looked blue like swimming pools. Her Mommy had called Daddy a fox once—but she couldn't understand how those bushy-tailed animals looked like him.

"Lucky is determined to own her bakery," her Daddy informed the woman. "So she is grooming herself to be my apprentice for when the time comes."

Daddy was the only one who called her Lucky. When she asked why, he told her because once he found out that Mommy was having her, he became the luckiest person on earth.

"I think it's good for her," Mr. Gloss replied. "Plus, I don't think any other places around here have such a sweet little server like her." The man looked to Peeta. "By the way, we wanted to order some of the gluten-free line for the party we're having for our members. How far in advance do we need to order?"

"Two weeks," Lizzie told them. The little girl tugged at her father's apron. "Should I get the order forms?"

Her Daddy chuckled. "Sure, Lucky—ask Uncle Brutus to get the clipboard for you, too."

The little girl nodded before excitedly rushing to the back of the bakery.

"That kid is so adorable," Cashmere remarked as she watched Lucky enter the back of the bakery. "She makes me want to sit down and pop out one of my own."

"You never know," Peeta told her. "Brutus just broke up with someone, so he's available." The woman flushed at his words.

"Here's your chance, sis," Gloss told her. "You've been eyeing him since Peeta hired him as assistant baker!"

"Also, depending on how today goes, Brutus might become the head baker here," Peeta continued before looking at his watch. "Katniss should be getting here soon."

It had been a grueling few years for their little family. Katniss had been busy studying at the medical center and he had been getting the Mellark Bakery up and running.

Along with all of this, the couple had been busy raising Lizzie. The great thing was that their daughter was an angel. As a baby, she barely cried and mostly slept on time. The little girl seemed to have the best of each of them, Peeta's friendly spirit and Katniss' intelligence. Both he and Katniss had even discussed skipping Lizzie up a grade with her teacher.

"Well, we'll miss you around here," Gloss told them. "But if I were Katniss and had the chance to help create a better medical program, then I'd do it. She's already done a lot for the education department at Johns Hopkins—and she's not even guaranteed an attending position."

"And she will be an attending at this hospital, alongside Beetee," Peeta responded.

Katniss had kept in close contact with her father's doctor—both for advice and just general support when days got hard in her own program. Beetee had also asked for Katniss' advice about the program he was running at his own hospital.

It was only recently that Beetee had offered Katniss a chance to help run the program with him. There, she would be guaranteed an attending position, as well as the chance to assist him on the surgery floor.

It also meant that they would be moving back home.

"I think it's going to be an awesome opportunity," Cashmere said to him kindly. "How do you think Lizzie will react?"

"It's a pretty big change," Peeta said. "But Lucky has always been an optimist—I mean, Katniss and I were worried about telling her about the baby, and she was completely fine with it."

"You sound like you're lying," Gloss responded as he gave Peeta a wicked grin.

"She asked a lot of questions—specifically where the baby would come out of," he told Gloss. "—and if her Mommy would be as big as her Aunt Effie was when she had her baby."

Cashmere chuckled. "You've got a little spitfire there."

Peeta grinned. "And I'm proud of her."

"Uncle Bruty," Lizzie called out as she put the order form on the clipboard. "Where are the pens?"

The hulking man went over to her and pulled a pen from his apron. "Right here, darlin'." He looked over her shoulder. "Do you understand any of this?"

She turned the clipboard around. "Some of it…" Lizzie knew the letters and she could see the word 'name'. "I know where to put the name."

Her Uncle Bruty sat in the chair next to her. "Come here, Lizzie." He easily pulled her onto his lap. Her uncle had been a boxer a long time ago, but then he hurt his head and couldn't box people anymore. Lizzie wasn't sure what that meant. She only understood that if her Uncle Bruty kept on boxing, he could be hurt forever.

So he quit and went to culinary school.

"Let's sound this out together," he instructed her. Uncle Bruty pointed to the next word. "Now, go on."

"A…add…" Lizzie peered at the word. "…dress…" She looked up at the man and smiled. "Address?"

"Perfect," he replied and ruffled the top of her head. "Who is this for?"

"Mr. Gloss and Miss Cashmere," she replied. Uncle Bruty suddenly turned red all the way up to the top of his shiny head. "Why are you so red?"

The man laughed at her words. "It's warm in here."

"Then let's go outside!" Lizzie jumped off his lap and, with both her hands, she grabbed his large one to help him up. "You can be my assistant."

"I can never say no to you," the man replied before picking her up in one arm. "Here's your clipboard. I want to see you writing this order down with me."

She blew out her breath, wrapped her arms around his thick neck, and smiled. "Yes, Uncle Bruty."

Lizzie loved being carried by her uncle. He was tall—almost as tall as her Uncle Will and she could see the tops of everything when she was in either of their arms.

Together, they went through the swinging door and out into the front of her bakery. Daddy was still talking to Mr. Gloss and Miss Cashmere. When they stepped out onto the floor, the three smiled at her and her uncle, especially Miss Cashmere.

"You're red, too," Lizzie said to the woman. "But it's not warm in here." She looked over at her Uncle Bruty and frowned. "Maybe there's something wrong with the bakery ovens."

"There's nothing wrong with the bakery ovens, Lucky," her father said as he extracted her from her Brutus' arms. He grinned and kissed her cheek. "This is about two people who are too shy to talk to each other."

Lizzie looked over to see her uncle standing awkwardly with the clipboard in his hands.

"Uncle Bruty, you're supposed to be filling out the order form," she told him. "Miss Cashmere and Mr. Gloss can help you."

"Actually…" Mr. Gloss stood up. "I have to get over to the gym in a few minutes—we have a pilates class starting and the instructor is very pretty." He winked at his sister and patted Uncle Bruty's shoulder. "I'm sure you two can figure this out on your own."

Mr. Gloss went over and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow, my love." Then he shook her Daddy's hand. "Good luck, and I hope it all goes in your favor today."

Daddy's eyes went to the window. "Well, we won't have to wait very long for news—"

The entrance bell rang and Lizzie turned to see the person coming in through the door.

"MOMMY!"

This was Katniss' favorite part of the day—walking into the bakery and seeing Lizzie running towards her.

This was a special time for her and Peeta. Right now, their daughter wanted nothing but to be with them all the time. Katniss dreaded the teenage years, remembering that she and Prim were nightmare teenagers.

She would prefer her Lizzie remain five years old forever.

"MOMMY!" Her little girl was immediately throwing her arms around her legs. "I missed you!"

Katniss looked around, meeting Peeta's eyes, before looking around at the bakery floor. Gloss and Peeta stood by the display case as Brutus and Gloss' sister, Cashmere, sat at one of the tables.

"You seem to be in good company, babe," she told her daughter before kissing the top of her head. Lizzie still smelled of baby powder. "Though I didn't know that it was okay to wear a tutu as a bakery uniform."

Katniss met her husband's eyes. "Can't stifle her creativity," he told her as he walked over and pressed a kiss to her lips, still cold and chapped from the outside. "How did it go?"

"I've given them notice that we're set to leave in a month—and that all of my transcripts should be transferred over to Beetee's hospital," she informed him. "They were upset to see me leave, but this is a rare opportunity."

"And you deserve this chance," Peeta told her. "I'm proud."

"Proud of what?" Lizzie asked curiously, her bright blue eyes peering up at her parents.

"Proud of Mommy!" Peeta told her as he scooped her up. "Because she is the smartest woman in the world!"

"And she is the prettiest Mommy in the world," Lizzie added, a beaming smile on her small face. "Everyone in my class says so."

"Are we paying for some kind of finishing school?" Katniss asked her husband.

"No, but when you drop her off at school, all the other Daddies happen to see her Mommy," he explained. "Their kids ask questions on their behalf. Delly, the teacher's aide, told me that she's had a few of the single fathers sniffing around about you."

"Maybe next time you should come with me," she suggested with a grin. "Wear one of those tight v-neck shirts that you used to wear when you were bartending."

"I have a little bit of a gut now," he told her sheepishly.

Katniss rolled her eyes at him. "Yes, from a six-pack to a four-pack."

Her husband still cut a great figure. It was why half of those horny bitches from the gym across the street kept coming over to the bakery to share one cookie.

Katniss knelt before her daughter. "Remember, baby – pretty will only get you so far. A brain is far more important."

"Can't you have both?" Lizzie questioned.

She kissed her daughter's cheek. "And that's why you are the best of both worlds—beautiful and very, very, very smart."

"You two are interesting parents," Gloss suddenly interrupted. He shook Peeta's hand, kissed the top of Lizzie's head, and leaned down to kiss Katniss' cheek. "Congratulations, darling—it's going to suck to see you go." The man left the bakery and hurried across the street.

Her daughter turned to her worriedly. "Where are you going, Mommy?"

Katniss met Peeta's eyes. "I think it's time to go upstairs for dinner."

He nodded seriously. "Sure." Peeta turned to Brutus. "Will you lock up for the night after you two are finished?"

Brutus looked over at them, his smile bright as Cashmere leaned close to him.

"Sure, Peeta," he replied with a wave. "Have a good night, Mellarks."

"Don't do anything that we wouldn't do," Katniss warned the two with a smile.

She looked down to see her daughter smiling up at her and took Lizzie's hand.

"Actually, just go with your gut."

"Lucky, how would you feel about living somewhere else?" Her Daddy asked as he put a piece of lasagna onto her Peter Rabbit plate.

Lasagna was her favorite.

Tonight, Daddy even let her help him make Mommy's celebration dinner. Now that Mommy had a baby in her tummy, she always liked lasagna, too.

Or maybe her baby liked lasagna.

"What do you mean?" She cut into her square with the fork, watching the steam rise. Lizzie always had to remember to blow on it or else it would hurt her tongue.

One time, she did bite too soon and Mommy gave her milk because she cried from the pain.

"You see, Lizzie-bear," her Mommy began. "I got into another school, and that school can help me become a doctor, too. The good thing is that we will be closer to your grandparents, your uncles and Auntie Prim—even your Aunt Johanna and Uncle Gale. You'll get to see Jenna more."

"JENNA! She said that I can have all her dolls now!"

Lizzie loved talking to Jenna on her Daddy's tablet thingy. Jenna always told her stories about being in fourth grade and showed her the nail polish that her Mommy let her wear on her fingernails.

"That means, however, we won't get to see Mr. Gloss or Miss Cashmere as much," Daddy told her. "Even Uncle Brutus or Miss Delly."

"Really?" Lizzie suddenly felt her eyes grow heavy and she blinked to feel water going down her cheeks.

But where would Mr. Gloss and Miss Cashmere get their cookies? And Uncle Bruty would be all alone.

Lizzie sniffled, wiping her eyes on her arm. "We'll be gone forever?"

"No, sweetheart," Mommy assured her. "I'm sure that your Uncle Brutus will visit—and you're learning to write, so you can write a lot of letters to Mr. Gloss and Miss Cashmere. You can also write to your classmates. Does that sound okay?"

It didn't seem too bad.

"But we'll be together?" Lizzie asked.

"Of course, honey," Mommy said. "Come here." Lizzie moved off her chair to sit on her Mommy's lap. There was a little less room since the baby was getting bigger. She placed a hand on her brother or sister and rested her head on her Mommy's chest. "Me, you, Daddy, and the new baby—we're a team and we'll always stick together—so don't you worry. Do you have any questions?"

Lizzie nodded as she wiped her eyes.

"Go ahead, Lucky," Daddy told her encouragingly. "We'll answer whatever you want."

She looked over at him. "Will they still have lasagna there?"

"Lucky took it better than we thought," Peeta told his wife as he got in on his side of the bed. "Our little girl is a trooper."

Katniss grinned at him before her head went to his shoulder. "Makes you kind of wonder what this little one inside me will be like," she replied as her hands went to her stomach.

"Well, Lucky and this baby both have the common thread that they weren't entirely expected," he said to her and took her hand. "But I think we're going to have as much fun with this one as we've had with Lucky."

Katniss looked to him, her eyes glowing. "I'm happy that we're going home." She took his hand. "Are you going to be okay? You've built the bakery from the ground up and now you're leaving it."

"This just gives me the chance to open up another bakery. Maybe somewhere near my old neighborhood," he told her. "I've been having Haymitch take a look at some commercial spaces—quietly—so my parents don't ask questions."

"Where does he stick Matty while he's looking at these spaces?" she asked.

It had been a sudden surprise to the newly-wed Abernathy duo when they found out that Effie was pregnant, because neither of them had wanted children.

Effie assumed that Haymitch had had a vasectomy, and Haymitch assumed that Effie was on birth control.

Assumptions meant nothing when the plus sign came up on Effie's pregnancy test.

"He just lets my parents watch the little man," Peeta replied. "Or he'll just bring my godson with him during his appointments with the realtor."

"Must be difficult to wrangle a two-year-old while you're looking around at commercial spaces." Katniss laughed, thinking of their own experiences with Lizzie. She barely stayed in one place, threw things around, and tried to open everything that she could get her chubby little hands on.

"You know that Haymitch can handle it," he replied and put an arm around her. "If we could do it, then those two certainly can—that's what he said anyway."

"Since when did we become the poster couple for unplanned children?" she asked.

"Because Lucky is such a dream to people," Peeta told her. "Sweet and smart, not to mention so damn independent. She's just like you."

Peeta leaned forward and kissed his wife gently. He could taste the scent of coconut milk against her lips—their baby craved sugar, apparently. It worked in their favor since he was a baker and if needed, Katniss could have her chocolate chip cookies at two in the morning.

He could feel her breath against his lips and when Peeta opened his eyes, he found Katniss' eyes suddenly heavy with want.

"Is the door locked?" he asked as she slowly straddled him.

"Yes," Katniss replied softly.

Her hands went to the bottom of his shirt and she easily peeled it off. Peeta's hands went to undo the buttons of Katniss' pajama top and his jaw dropped as she revealed her full breasts and slight belly, ripening with their child.

Katniss was always beautiful—but tonight, she glowed.

"Isn't this how we got this little one?" he asked her with a grin.

"I think we got this one fulfilling my fantasy of sex against one of your bakery ovens," Katniss replied as her lips went to his neck. He sucked in a breath at the sensation of her lips against his sensitive skin. "Lizzie had that sleepover at her friend's house and it was about this time of the night when we decided to sneak down to eat leftover cake…"

"Yes, now I remember," he told her before placing a kiss against her shoulder. "We never made it to the fridge."

"You were too busy ripping my shirt off." Katniss nipped at his ear and he groaned against her neck. He could feel her reaching into his boxers to pull his rigid member from its opening.

"And you were already undoing my jeans," Peeta continued. His hand dipped into her panties and he bit his lip, feeling her already soaked and ready for him.

The memory of their coupling played out in his mind. He could still hear her moans in his ears as he took her against the stainless steel door of the oven, her heels pressed against his back and his jeans around his ankles.

Katniss quickly moved to her knees to discard her damp panties before slowly sinking onto him. They found their rhythm easily, being well practiced in having to be absolutely silent when they were making love. Their walls were thin and just about any creak could be heard and amplified in their small apartment.

His wife was at the point in her pregnancy where every part of her was one bundle of oversensitive nerves. He could feel her already beginning to climax, her insides already fluttering around his cock.

"Peeta…" she whispered against his ear. "I love you…"

"OH, GOD—" His own orgasm came unexpectedly and he shivered against her as he climaxed, his pulsing member pushing hard into her and filling her.

Katniss let out a long, drawn-out cry into his neck as her orgasm overtook her. Her hands clung to his back harshly and he knew that he would be feeling it tomorrow—it mattered very little when he was sheathed tightly inside her throbbing, wet cavern.

"I love this part of being pregnant," she told him breathlessly. "I could orgasm just staring at you sometimes."

Peeta kissed her soundly. "Feel free to look any time you want." He pushed her hair from her glistening forehead. "I love you, Katniss Mellark. Thank you for looking at me in that club."

"Thank you for taking my drink order," she whispered with her own grin. Katniss yawned as she moved off him and laid back down on her side of the bed. "Looks like baby is ready for bed."

There was a knock on the door. "Daddy? Mommy?"

Peeta grinned at her as he fixed his boxers and got out of bed. "Looks like my night is just beginning." There was another insistent knock. "Coming, Lucky!"

Katniss' eyes were already closing and so he pulled their comforter over her.

As Peeta went to kiss her forehead, her eyes opened, sparkling up at him. "I can't wait to go home."

He smiled down at her. "Me, too."

One Week Later…

Lizzie loved planes.

Mommy and Daddy gave her the window seat and the nice lady gave her apple juice from a big cart. She also got a pair of wings to stick on her jean jacket.

"Is this her first time riding a plane?" the pretty woman asked her Mommy.

"Yes, and as you can tell—she's very excited," Mommy replied with a tired smile.

"It's my baby's first time on a plane, too," Lizzie told the lady and put her hand on Mommy's tummy. "Can my baby have a pair of wings?"

The woman chuckled and reached into her pocket to hand her the plastic wings. "Sure, honey."

"Thank you," Lizzie said as she took the wings. She peeled it back so the sticky part was out and then placed it on her Mommy's belly. "Now my baby has wings."

"You two have a very sweet little girl," the lady told Daddy. "She's going to be a great big sister."

"All the reason to look forward to the next one," Daddy told her.

The lady looked to her Mommy. "If you don't mind me asking, how far along are you? I didn't even realize that you were expecting!"

"Four months," Mommy replied. "Our families don't know yet. We're heading home on business and to celebrate my brother-in-law's elopement, so we're just going to drop the bomb then."

"Sounds like a busy time for all of you." The lady gave them a smile. "Well, we're going to be landing in about ten minutes, but feel free to let me know if you need anything." She winked at Lizzie. "Take care of your baby, sweetheart."

Lizzie waved before turning to window. The ocean was so blue—almost as blue as her Auntie Prim's eyes—and the sun shone through her window. She could see the green in front of her and tiny little cars moving like the ants that crept into her room when she would forget to throw her Tootsie Pops away.

"What's that?" she asked and pointed at the land in front of her for her parents to see.

"That's the California Coast," Daddy explained as he looked out. "The plane is going to make a turn so we can land in Los Angeles. Then we'll be home."

"Will we have a house already?" Lizzie tried to imagine her new home. Maybe it would look like Grammy and Papa's house with lots of windows and a driveway where she could ride her bike, or it would be like Grandma and Grandpa's house on top of the hill with its pretty view and lots of paintings.

She wanted to have a room like Mommy's old room—with yellow walls and grey blankies.

"Not yet," Mommy said next to her. "Remember, it's a secret surprise for everyone—just like your brother or sister."

"But, Mommy!" Lizzie said as she looked at her Mommy's tummy. "I don't want to hide my baby."

"Well, let's just wait for the right time, okay?" Daddy gave her a smile. "Also, let's not mention that we're moving home until later."

"Yes, Daddy," Lizzie said. "Will I know when it's the right time?"

"You will," her Daddy reassured her. "It will just be in your tummy—like butterflies."

There was a sudden ding and she looked to her parents. Lizzie could hear something rumbling underneath them and her mouth suddenly quivered in fear.

"It's time to land now," Mommy said before she made sure that her seatbelt was okay. "Don't worry, Lizzie. We'll be home soon, I promise."

"LIZZIE!"

Katniss grinned as she watched their daughter jump into her Aunt's arms. Prim smothered her niece's cheeks with kisses as Lizzie giggled.

"I missed you, Lizzie-bug!" Prim said as she put her niece back on the ground. "Are you ready to see Grammy and Papa's house?"

"YES!" Lizzie punched her fist in the air in excitement. "Do we get to see Mommy's old room?"

"Even better—" Prim looked up and met her eyes. "You get to sleep in it."

"You really overexcited her with those photos of the house," Katniss told her with a grin. Prim was working as a photographer for an online lifestyle magazine. "Hey, little sister."

The two sisters embraced and as they pulled away, Prim's eyes went down to her stomach.

"Was this one planned?" Prim asked, her mouth twitching in amusement.

"Not one bit," Katniss replied and grinned.

Prim put an arm around Katniss before turning to Peeta with a smile. "Unbelievable, big brother. You finally have one in school and you just had to impregnate her again."

He smirked at his sister-in-law before winking at Katniss. "I wasn't the one with the bakery fantasy."

"Oh, how the tables have turned," Prim said as she laughed. "I used to be the free-wheeling one and now here you go just one-upping me!"

"Well, you've been busy—traveling and such. How is everything going, by the way?" Katniss asked as they headed down to baggage claim with Peeta and Lizzie in front of them. "Are you and Rory still talking to each other?"

Prim shrugged. "We text once in a while—it's for the best." She hooked arms with Katniss. "I travel so much and he's in the studio most of the time. There was no time for a relationship."

"And are you coping with that?" Katniss asked.

"Kinda…" Prim looked at her guiltily. "I may have coped…with a few other people."

Katniss stopped in place and turned to her sister. "Like how many?"

"Some guys that I met during my trips and—" Prim looked down. "One or two of Peeta's friends."

"He only has two that I know of—" Her eyes widened at Prim's admission. "Thresh or Cato?"

"Both…" Prim bit her lips. "But, I swear—not at the same time!"

"Like that really makes it better!" Katniss took Prim's hand. "Do I need to remind you how irresponsible that is? I mean, I was about the same age as you are when I had Lizzie—"

"I was careful!" Prim insisted. "And, really—you can't use your story as a cautionary tale, sis! You have a beautiful daughter, a husband who you're totally in love with, a great career, and another baby on the way." Her eyes sparkled with sudden tears. "And I would love that and maybe one day, it will happen—with Rory or someone else. But for now, can't I just enjoy having an awesome career and a lot of great sex without being judged?"

Katniss took a deep breath. She was never like that, but she and her sister were as different as night and day. Her situation worked out for her; but it hadn't been easy, so Katniss knew how lucky she was.

"Fair enough," Katniss sighed and put an arm around her sister's shoulders. She looked over at Prim once more. "So which one of them was better?"

Prim snorted at her question. "I don't screw and tell." They went to join Peeta and Lizzie. "But let's just say after one of them, I couldn't walk for a day."

"Mom, I think you can let go of me now," Peeta said to his mother.

Anna slowly pulled away and wiped her tears. "It feels like it's been forever."

"It's been six months, Anna," Richard told his wife from where he stood in the archway of the Everdeen house. "We see them more than anyone seeing as we visit to check on our investment."

Gabe and Laurel were embracing Katniss in the entryway as Prim sat on the couch in the living room with Lucky. His daughter was combing out her Aunt's hair, preparing it so she could work on the new fishtail braid that Katniss had taught her.

"Still—I missed you, Katniss, and Lizzie," his mother replied as she pouted.

Richard joined his wife and put an arm around her. "You still have two other sons, who live right here in California—"

The front door opened and Will walked in. Following Peeta's oldest brother was Cal, along with the newest member of the Mellark family, Cal's wife—Rue.

It had been a huge surprise when the couple had shown up two months ago on the bakery's doorstep to announce that they had eloped. They had been an on and off again couple with Rue being so busy as Head Nurse at her hospital and Cal traveling so much. No one had really known how serious they were.

That is, until they showed up with gold bands on their left ring fingers.

"I'm aware of that," Anna retorted as his brothers, along with Rue, entered the room. "However, you didn't get married without telling your parents." She eyed Cal sternly. "You're also not avoiding any serious relationships." His mother turned to Will.

"Remember when she was so busy ragging on Peeta that we were able to avoid all of this?" Will said with a good-natured grin. He looked to Peeta. "Now you're the golden son."

"Mom," Rue called out and put an arm around Anna. "Does it help at all that you're throwing a party for us? And I promise—you get free reign. I'm way too busy at the hospital to think about this."

Anna smiled at her. "Well, I'll forgive you." She looked to her two other sons. "Now give me more grandbabies!" She quickly walked away to sit with Lizzie and Prim.

Richard kissed Rue hello and hugged Cal, then Will. "Take your time. I think your brother will keep your mother occupied enough."

He grinned at Peeta and winked. "Remember that look that Katniss gave me when we first met? She's giving it to her parents right now. I'll go grab her some water."

Cal turned to him as their father left their side. "Really, Peeta? You couldn't keep it in your pants?"

"Things happen," Peeta argued and then gave Cal a hug. "Look at you—you're married now."

He went to hug Rue and kissed her cheek. "Hey, sis. If he gives you trouble, let me know. I'll sick Lizzie on him."

"Cal is actually a very good husband," Rue replied and turned to Cal. "Took some time for him to catch me, but when he did—he made it worthwhile."

She smiled at Cal and he reached out to take her hand. Together, they walked over to greet Katniss and her parents.

"Then there's me." Peeta turned to see Will smiling at him. "The newest 'ne'er do well' of the Mellark brothers."

The two went to the couch where Anna sat with Lizzie and Prim.

"Lucky, say hi to your Uncle Will," Peeta told her and his daughter jumped from her seat to be scooped up into his brother's arms. She, in turn, kissed her uncle soundly on the cheek.

"Hello, Little Duck!" Will sat down on the adjacent loveseat with the little girl in his arms. "I'm sorry I didn't make it out this year to see you—but I owe you a snow cone during this visit." Lucky nodded, pressing her cheek to her uncle's contentedly.

Peeta sat down next to the two, smiling as he watched them together. His eldest brother tried to visit when he could, but lately his business kept him mostly on the West Coast.

"Little Duck is Auntie Prim's name, too," Lucky suddenly pointed out to Will, her tiny arms around his neck.

Will looked at her in confusion for a moment. He recovered quickly and gave his niece a smile. "So it is."

The little girl stared at him. "How did you know?"

The man looked over at Prim, whose face went from a nice ivory shade to tomato red. "I guess she must have told me at one point."

Prim shot up from her seat, her bright blue eyes suddenly frantic. "Mom is signaling me to help set up for lunch."

"Let me help," Anna said as she stood up. "I put something in your Mom's fridge that needs to be prepped. Do you want to help, Lizzie?"

"Yes, Grandma!" The little girl jumped off Will's lap and went to join the two women.

Together, Anna and Prim exited the living with his daughter, leaving the two brothers alone.

Once Peeta was sure that they were out of earshot, he turned to look at Will, who was staring at his clasped hands intently.

"Will…" His brother looked over at him, guilt apparent in his eyes. "You didn't."

"You weren't there, Peeta," his brother argued. "Cal and Rue wanted family with them during the ceremony. Since Rue's family is in Florida, she invited Prim since they had gotten so close and everything. I joined them at the last minute since Cal was begging to have someone there with him."

"Then what?" Peeta bit his lip trying to stop his anger from getting to him.

Prim was Katniss' little sister and his brother had… he couldn't even think about it.

Yes, Prim and Will weren't blood related, but Lucky connected them in the family sense—and so would his and Katniss' next child.

"They got married, we all went to a club, and then the newlyweds went to their suite," Will continued. "It was just Prim and me. She was in-between Rory and no-Rory. I wasn't, as usual, seeing anyone special. We drank and danced—and woke up in the same bed."

"You pulled a 'me and Katniss'—without the baby? Fuck—my head is spinning." Peeta put his fingers to his temples. "Are you sure that you didn't just wake up together?"

"We woke up naked—and if we didn't do it the night before, we more than made up for it that morning," Will explained and blew out a breath. "We both agreed to forget about it—no harm, no foul—and as long as no one found out, it would be fine."

"Ahem." They both turned to see Katniss standing in the living room archway with her arms crossed.

From the look on her face, Peeta was sure that she'd heard everything.

His brother was in deep shit.

Will stood up, his hands in his pockets and he looked pleadingly at his sister-in-law. "Katniss—"

Katniss held her hand up. "Prim is a grown woman and has made it clear that she can handle her own affairs." She looked at him sternly. "But she can get hurt, too."

"I know," Will told her. "We had the talk and we both know where we stand. We're the kind of the people who know what we want—and we won't let anything or anyone ruin our plans."

"Glad you understand Prim," Katniss replied stiffly.

"The thing is, Katniss," Will suddenly said, "I think I might like her."

Mommy and Daddy were upset.

Her Mommy sat next to her, taking small bites of her mashed potatoes. They were Mommy's favorite food and her baby always like them too—just not now.

Lizzie knew that something was wrong.

Daddy sat on her other side, eating silently, as he looked over at Uncle Will.

Her Uncle was eating very fast, shoveling food into his mouth like he was racing for a prize. She remembered when Mr. Gloss was training for a race and she would see him running past the bakery in the morning—Uncle Will was eating just as fast.

"Uncle Will, you're going to get a tummy ache!" she called out worriedly.

Her uncle gave her a small smile and placed his fork down. "Thanks, Lizzie. I have to watch out for that."

Auntie Prim, who was sitting near him, poured a glass of water from the pitcher in front of her before handing it to Uncle Will. Her uncle's face went red as he took the glass, drinking it in almost one breath.

If he drank that fast, he would get a tummy ache anyway.

She shook her head—grown-ups never listen.

Next to her, Daddy grunted and Lizzie saw that none of the food on his plate had been touched.

"Anna, how are the plans for the reception going?" Grammy asked her Grandma.

"Good, good." Grandma looked over at Uncle Cal and new Auntie Rue. "It's a little hard to create a theme when all you know is that the bride and groom went to Vegas and came back married."

"I think it's kind of romantic," her Papa said with a gentle smile. Papa Gabe had the nicest smile—it looked a lot like Mommy's. "Did you go to one of those drive-thru ones or was it at a hotel?"

"It was at a chapel," Auntie Prim said as she took a bite of her salad. Her blue eyes were suddenly much bigger as she swallowed her food.

There was a clank—her Grandpa dropped his fork. He looked worried and he placed his hand over Grandma's.

"Primrose," Grammy said. Her voice was suddenly very high—like she saw something scary and almost couldn't speak. "How do you know where Rue and Cal got married?"

"Because she was there," Auntie Rue told Grammy. Auntie Rue's voice was pretty, like the sound of birds singing. Everything that came out of her mouth sounded nice. "Before you ask—so was Will."

"William Mellark, why would not tell us about this?" Grandma asked. "You know how important these things are to us!"

"I'm sorry," Uncle Will told Grandma. "I promised that I would keep my mouth shut until they told you. I just happened to be free—at least there was someone from the family there, someone who was looking out for them."

Daddy snorted loudly and everyone turned to him.

"Did you have something to say, Peeta?" Her Uncle Will asked in a soft but strange voice.

"No, because I know you were looking out for everyone's well-being," Daddy said with a soft snort.

"I cannot believe that you told him," Auntie Prim said to Uncle Will.

Uncle Will was now the color of her favorite crayon—strawberry. "I NEVER SAID ANYTHING!"

"I pretty much figured it out when he mentioned 'Little Duck,'" Daddy told Auntie Prim. "You could never keep a secret, Prim. It was all over your face—"

"Oh, God! This is really none of your business!" Auntie Prim stood up, her eyes wet like big blue pools. She looked to Mommy. "Did you tell him about the others?"

"Of course not, Prim," Mommy said softly, her grey eyes sad. "That is not anyone else's business. You're a grown woman."

"Well, your husband seems upset with me," Auntie Prim said, her voice shaking. Lizzie felt horrible for Auntie Prim—she looked very unhappy, her pink lips pointing down, and tears on her face as she looked to Daddy. "You know what you probably haven't seen on my face? Thresh, Cato—just to name a few, besides Will. So before you try to make me feel as bad for the choices I've made—remember that you just can't look at me—you have to look at them, too."

"EVERYONE NEEDS TO CALM DOWN!" Papa Gabe quickly called out, his usually soft voice now booming in the room. "Prim, sit down and finish your meal! You are all grown-ups and you should act like it. Remember that there is a child at the table!"

Auntie Prim sat down, putting her head in her hands. Uncle Will was eating quickly again while Daddy went back to staring at his food. Uncle Cal and Auntie Rue were whispering to one another while they looked at Grandma being hugged by Grammy. Grandpa was talking to Papa, who was shaking his head as he looked over at everyone.

Mommy was sniffling into her napkin and Lizzie took her hand quickly.

"Don't be sad, Mommy," she said with the biggest smile she could give. Her hand went to Mommy's tummy. "Or you'll make my baby sad, too!"

"Lucky really knows how to diffuse a situation, doesn't she?" Peeta said as they got ready for bed.

Katniss remained silent, her husband's words not registering in her mind. Her sister wasn't talking to her or Peeta. Lizzie had gone to sleep with her favorite Aunt to keep her company.

She was angry at her husband, too.

He had put Prim's paramours out on the table, and put all of it on her without realizing it.

Her husband was upset with his brother—there was no doubt about that. Will had left right after dinner, kissing both her and Lizzie on the cheek to congratulate them, and glancing over at a red-face Prim before taking off out the front door.

Peeta was disappointed in Prim, and to Katniss—that hurt far worse than all of her business being laid out on the dinner table.

"Katniss?" Her husband placed a hand on her shoulder and she turned away from him. "Why are you mad?"

Katniss looked over at him. "Because you accused my sister of being some sort of slut."

"I never said that," he told her. "I just expected more from her."

"Why—because she's a girl? How about Cato and Thresh? Or even your brother? I don't exactly see you looking over at them or questioning any of their actions." Katniss shook her head in disbelief. "I'm sure that all three have had more tail than my sister ever has. This isn't fair to her—and it scares me that you think this way."

"I'm sorry." Her husband met her eyes. "I never meant to accuse Prim in any sort of way."

"I propositioned you at the club, Peeta," Katniss replied softly. "Did you think any less of me because I did?"

"Not one bit," he told her. "Because I love that you've always known what and who you wanted in your life." Peeta reached over to wipe a tear away. "I know that Prim is an extension of you and when I allude to these things about her—it's like I'm saying them of you. I don't want Prim or even you to feel ashamed."

"One day, Lizzie could have her own ideas about love and sex," she told him. "I don't want her to feel like she needs to hide from us—and I worry about this little one, too."

"I'm sorry, honey," Peeta told her. Katniss could see that he felt horrible about his words. "I don't want Lucky to hide from me or hate me—because I love her so much."

She sighed against him, her head going to his shoulder. "Maybe this is a bad idea. Maybe we shouldn't move back home."

"What are you talking about?" She lifted her head off his shoulder and met his eyes. "This is your dream—you're going to be an attending alongside Beetee. You're going to help facilitate a new curriculum for future medical students. Now is not the time to have doubts about yourself—now is the time for courage."

Katniss couldn't help but smile. "Just when I think that you're falling into some Neanderthal mindset—you say something like that." Her smile fell off a bit. "You have to talk to Prim in the morning. You're her brother and she looks up to you. She is aware of her behavior but she also pointed out that similar behavior brought us each other and Lizzie. Prim is aware that this might not happen for her, but she's young and enjoys certain things."

Peeta nodded. "There is Will," he replied. "He says he likes her."

The words had been a shock to both of them. Will—her brother-in-law—had a thing for her little sister. It was strange, but not so strange.

And that was going to make family dinners very interesting from now on.

"I know." Katniss yawned and laid back. "And they would have beautiful, freakishly blond children—all looking like the Swiss Miss girl."

Peeta laughed as he lay down with her, turning off the lamp next to him. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Though my mother would love that—blond cherubs around her feet along with our dark-haired angel."

"And, my mother could plan a Heidi-themed wedding," she added, her eyes getting heavy. "They can get married in the Alps and Prim can ride a goat down the aisle."

Her husband chuckled. "I'll get my Lederhosen out."

"Why have I never seen this outfit?" Katniss asked.

"I'll add it to our list of fantasy outfits, Fräulein," he whispered in the darkness. "Katniss?"

Her eyes closed. "Yeah, babe?"

"I know that Prim can take care of herself, but when I see Cato and Thresh—I'm going to punch them," he told her.

"We'll just keep it from Prim," she told him. "Because I want to get a kick in, too."

"I'll hold their arms for you."

"Deal." Katniss opened her eyes. "Peeta?"

Her husband opened his eyes; they glowed in the darkness of her yellow room. "Yeah?"

"We're staying," she told him.

His eyes were full of pride as he looked at her. "I figured."

Peeta awoke early that following morning. Turning to look at Katniss, he saw that she was still fast asleep—mouth slightly open in a light snore and her hand on her belly. She always slept this way as she got to the middle of the pregnancy. He had learned that early on when she was pregnant with Lucky.

He kissed her gently so he wouldn't wake her before kissing her belly.

"Hey kid," Peeta spoke softly. "Daddy really made a mess yesterday—and ruined the big announcement about you."

Everyone had been thrilled, though Prim was halfway in tears while Will refused to look at him.

Their parents were overjoyed about the news and the subject of them moving back had come up once more. Katniss wanted to wait to tell them about moving back until she sat down with Beetee and had officially signed her agreement. He wanted to wait until he had found the perfect commercial space for the new bakery.

"Everyone's happy about you," he continued. "I just really pissed off your Aunt Prim. In fact, I'm going to go get your sister and beg your Aunt for forgiveness. Do you think she'll forgive me?"

"Just hold Lizzie in front of you so she doesn't try to punch you." He looked up to see Katniss grinning at him. "Prim will forgive you. You're her brother."

He nodded before kissing her once more. "I'll be back with your daughter."

Opening the door, Peeta closed it behind him before stepping up to Prim's door. He could her speaking to someone as he knocked gently. There was a shuffle and his sister-in-law opened the door, her cellphone at her ear.

Lucky remained fast asleep in Prim's pink bed.

She gave him a pointed look as she widened the door.

"Yes, it's Peeta—picking Lizzie up," Prim said as she spoke into the phone.

"Is that my brother?" Peeta asked and she nodded as she glared at him. "Can I speak to him?"

Prim met his eyes. "Why?"

"So I can apologize for being a dick," he told her.

She stared him down before handing her phone to him.

"Hey, Will," Peeta greeted his brother.

"Are you happy?" Will grumbled at him. "She's humiliated, and so am I. Mom was on the phone with me until midnight."

"I didn't mean to rat you out," he replied. "You two are grown-ups." Peeta sighed. "I guess when you have a kid, you forget that you used to do dumb shit when you were younger."

"Like get really drunk at a bar and knock-up a really beautiful med-student?" his brother replied with a laugh.

Peeta chuckled. "Exactly."

"All is forgiven, little brother," Will told him. "I'll talk to you later, and tell Prim the same."

"Sure." Hanging up the phone, Peeta held it out to Prim. "He said that he would call you later."

Going to Prim's bed, he reached down to pick Lucky up. The little girl fell easily into his embrace and he turned back to his sister.

"I'm sorry—I guess I was just trying to protect my sister…from my brother…" He could see Prim trying to suppress her laugh. "Yeah—that was a weird sentence."

"It's a strange situation," Prim told him. "But I'm a grown-up, the same age Katniss was when you married her and she popped that little meatloaf out. I know what I'm getting into. So does your brother."

"Is there something that you're getting into with him?" he asked carefully and Prim crossed her arms. "It's not because I'm worried or judging—it's because I just want you both to be happy."

"I am happy," Prim told him. "I have a good job and a great apartment in the city. I get along with my family, even though a lot of them are very nosy. And I'm a lucky Aunt." She smiled at him. "I don't need anything or anyone else to make my life complete—because I'm already complete on my own."

Peeta thought about his brother's admission about his feelings. "I know you don't need anyone or anything, Prim," he replied. "But sometimes it's not about need—it's about want."

"When I want something, I will ask for it," Prim replied with a grin. "There are more than enough people who will supply."

Together, they walked to the door and Prim opened it for him.

He turned to her. "Are you still mad at me?"

Prim shook her head and then hugged him.

Pulling away, she gave him a smile. "Also—congratulations."

Matty had grey eyes just like Mommy.

The baby stared back at her from Uncle Haymitch's lap and Lizzie held her hand out to him. Matty looked at her hand for a moment, before suddenly grabbing and pulling it to his mouth.

"Uncle Haymitch," she called out. "Is it okay if I feed Matty my fingers?"

Uncle Haymitch grinned at her before helping her take her finger out from Matty's mouth. "He's just curious, sweetheart. About everything he sees—he wants to taste." Her Uncle bounced Matty in his lap and the baby giggled loudly, clapping his hands at the motion.

"Are all babies bald?" Lizzie asked curiously as she looked at Matty's head. He had some dark hairs coming out, but his head was mostly bare.

"Oh, no, darling," Aunt Effie said as she placed a plate of cookies on the table along with a small carton of milk for her. "Some babies have a lot of hair and some don't. When you were born, Lizzie-doll—you had a full head of hair."

Lizzie jumped out of her seat and went to sit next to her Aunt.

Aunt Effie was always so fun because she gave her 'big girl' presents. She had a lot of pretty purses that looked like Auntie Prim's with big letters on them like 'C'.

Mommy said that she was still too young for them.

That didn't stop Aunt Effie from sending her pretty coats that made her feel like a princess.

"Aunt Effie, do you think my baby will have as much hair as me?"

Her Aunt placed a cookie on a plate for her before helping her open the milk carton.

"I don't know, Lizzie. We'll have to see when your Mommy comes to see me." Her Aunt looked over at Daddy, who had just come back from the potty. "When are you and Katniss coming for an appointment?"

"After we've announced that we're staying," her Daddy said. "Katniss is with Beetee right now—they're going over her transcripts and her curriculum." He sat down next to Uncle Haymitch. "So what do you have for me?"

"I have four properties for you." There were papers with pictures in front of her Daddy. "Different neighborhoods that seem to have good foot traffic; however, I think what matters is that you're near your home."

"When we find one."

"When we find our new house, I'm going to have a yellow room like Mommy's," she told her Aunt. "Can we paint it together?"

"I'd love to help you!" her Aunt replied and pressed a kiss to top of her head. "After all, I am your Godmother."

Her Uncle Haymitch turned to her Aunt. "I have never seen you pick up a paintbrush."

Aunt Effie's face scrunched up and she took one of her napkins to make it into a ball. Then she quickly threw it at her Uncle's head.

"Just because you've never seen me do it doesn't mean that I can't!" Aunt Effie replied, her arms crossed. "I could be a great painter."

Lizzie balled up her own paper napkin and also threw it against her Uncle's head. "YEAH! Aunt Effie can do it—she's my fairy Godmother!"

Uncle Haymitch grinned at her Aunt. "She is a very lovely fairy."

Lizzie watched her Aunt's cheeks turn red—the kind of red that she could be when she put Mommy's makeup on.

Too bad Mommy and Daddy caught her that one time—now she wasn't allowed to use Mommy's fluffy brushes.

"You look funny, Aunt Effie—your eyes are doing the same thing as my Mommy's when she looks at Daddy too hard," she told the woman.

"Oh, really?" her Aunt said.

"Yeah—and then her and Daddy have to go take a nap in their room." Lizzie took a sip from her carton. "But I think they're really jumping on their bed."

"Why would you say that?" Uncle Haymitch asked. He looked over at her Daddy, who was looking down at the papers.

"Because the bed squeaks so loud!"

Big people didn't know anything about how to jump on a bed the right way.

"I can hear it even if the door is closed! But they're not very good at jumping on the bed—because they jump so fast and get tired too quick!" She looked to her Daddy. "Daddy, you shouldn't jump too quickly. Mr. Gloss says that when you do activities—you have to warm up first!"

"Yeah, Peeta—do your stretches first," Haymitch told her Daddy. Her Daddy looked mad at her Uncle—but Mommy said that it was always important to learn properly.

"And drink water, too! That's what Mr. Gloss says." Lizzie looked at her Aunt, who was laughing into her hands. "Mr. Gloss works at a gym—and I told him about how Daddy and Mommy get tired too easily from jumping on the bed. He says that he can train Mommy, but Daddy is hopeless."

A snort escaped her Aunt's mouth.

"Lucky, why don't you help me look at these pictures?" her Daddy said.

Now he looked like he had played with Mommy's makeup.

Going to her Daddy, she offered her cookie to him. "Here, Daddy. We can share my cookie—that way you'll feel better. You look too red."

Her father chuckled. "I can't resist you, Lucky." Slipping quickly onto her Daddy's lap, she looked at the papers in front of her. "Is there anything that sticks out to you?"

Lizzie picked up each paper to look at the pictures on them. When she picked up the last paper, she saw that it had a big red bench next to the door.

"This one, Daddy." She gave him the paper. "You can even put flowers next to the window."

"Interesting pick." Her Uncle Haymitch gave her a smile. "Your Daddy used to work there."

"I'm pretty sure I would remember working at a fancy place like this," Daddy said as he looked at the picture. "I would eliminate the awning or change the color of it."

"This is Sae's old place." Uncle Haymitch took the paper from him. "The people that bought it opened a French restaurant and it was doing well. However, this year they found a bigger place in a more expensive neighborhood so they're looking to sell—quick."

"Lizzie seems to like it and she is your heir apparent," Aunt Effie told her Daddy. She got up to take Matty from Haymitch. "I'm going to put him down for a nap."

"May I help?" she asked her Aunt. "I want to practice so I can help Mommy with my baby."

Aunt Effie nodded as she rocked Matty. "Of course, doll."

She clapped in anticipation. "I can tell Matty the story about how I'm going to help Daddy build our new bakery."

Daddy laughed at her words. "I guess it's settled then—give the realtors a call."

"You're actually married, right?" Katniss asked the couple. "I mean, it wasn't really clear when I got the picture of you on yoga mats."

"Of course, we're married," Annie told her with a smile. "Spiritually."

"I don't mean spiritually—I mean legally," Katniss told her.

Annie waved her hand at her. "More or less."

Katniss wasn't getting anywhere with Annie so she turned to Finnick.

"Care to elaborate?" she asked her friend.

"It all seems a little fuzzy…" Finnick drawled, his full lips twisting in contemplation. "I mean, we were celebrating before that."

"That's not important!" Annie told her. Taking Katniss' hand, she put it to her chest. "Feel that?"

Katniss looked over at Finnick, who seemed perfectly okay with her feeling his wife up. "Feel what?"

"Katniss!" Annie suddenly put a hand to Katniss' own breast. "SEE?"

She looked down at her friend groping her. "See what? Besides your hand on my tit."

"Am I interrupting something?" Peeta appeared beside her and she let out a sigh of relief. He looked between the two. "Is this a woman thing?"

Annie smiled. "No, no!" She took his hand to put it to her free breast and then nodded at Katniss' free breast. "Now hers!"

Katniss scowled at him as he hesitantly followed Annie's directions. "Seriously?"

"Don't you see? THEY FEEL THE SAME!" Their friend beamed at them. "I mean, mine aren't as big yet—but I'm sure they'll blow up once the baby gets bigger—"

"You're pregnant?" Katniss cried out and pulled Annie into a hug. "THANK GOD YOU'RE NOT A PERVERT!"

"I wouldn't just feel your tits for nothing," Annie responded. "Though I'll admit, I did find it strangely arousing."

"Congratulations, man," Peeta told Finnick. "And sorry I groped your wife."

"It's cool." Finnick turned to Katniss. "Maybe you'll let me—"

Katniss glared at the man. "Touch me and DIE."

"Now that my duties are done for this party, I can finally enjoy myself," Peeta told them.

He had spent a majority of the week baking for Cal and Rue's reception. Anna and her mother had done a great job throwing together the wedding party in the Mellarks' spacious yard.

Everyone seemed to be having a great time on this particularly warm evening.

Her sister and Will had made the speeches, seeing as they were the witnesses to the actual ceremony. The two quickly left the stage and went their separate ways as soon as their time together was over. They were still in hot water with both sets of parents.

Her sister, at the moment, was walking around the party with her camera in her hands taking photos of the guests. She spotted Prim taking a picture of Rue with her parents, who had flown in for the party.

"Did you want to dance?" Peeta suddenly asked and she turned to her husband. He smiled shyly at her. "I mean, I know we're not the best, but no harm could come from a dance, right?"

He held out his hand and she placed her hand in his.

Together, they went to the dance floor, a few paces away from the house and closer to the edge of the property that overlooked the city. She waved at Rory, who was playing DJ for the night.

Her sister's ex seemed to be keeping an extra eye on Prim tonight.

Peeta weaved an arm around her waist and she placed a hand on his shoulder as they began their dance. The music was slow so they didn't have to worry about being in rhythm. She found herself less coordinated whenever she was pregnant.

"How are you, Mrs. Mellark?" her husband asked. "I feel like I haven't seen you all night."

"Other than being felt up, I'm great," she replied as she leaned forward to kiss Peeta. He sighed contentedly as she pulled away, a grin on his face. "And you, Mr. Mellark?"

"Signed the papers this morning—I'll have the keys to the property by tomorrow," Peeta told her. "Seems the owners needed to act quick on their new property so I negotiated a good price."

"I will start at the hospital in two weeks," she added. "Now we'll just need to tell the family."

"We're all going to Johanna and Gale's for dinner on Sunday, so we can just do it then," Peeta replied and she nodded in agreement.

"May we cut in?"

They turned to see her Dad with Lizzie, who was wearing her favorite yellow dress. Her latest favorite—it had been Jenna's and resembled the one from the movie version of Beauty and the Beast.

Peeta gave her a smile. "Sorry, honey. I can't say no to a Disney Princess," he told her.

Katniss kissed him quickly. "Have fun, you two." She turned to her father and gave him a smile. "Hey Dad—want to dance with a pregnant lady?"

Gabe grinned at her before taking her hand and wrapping his arm around her waist.

"I never got to dance with you at your wedding," her father told her.

"Sorry about that," she replied with a grin. "I was a little too busy pushing Lizzie-bug out of me."

"It's a shame that we won't be able to watch you grow with this one," he said. Her father met her eyes. "Unless, there is something that you want to tell me…"

"Like what?"

Gabe grinned at her. "Well, I had my annual exam with Beetee—"

"He cannot keep his mouth shut," Katniss muttered. She looked to her father who was beaming. "You cannot say anything, even to Mom, until this Sunday. Promise me."

"I promise, sweetheart," Her father replied. "I'm really glad you're coming home."

She embraced him. "Me, too."

"HEY, YOU!"

Katniss turned to see her husband rushing towards the late arrivals of the party—Thresh and Cato.

"Watch Lizzie," she instructed her father.

"What are you doing?" he asked her.

"Stopping my husband from punching his friends—right after I knee both of them in the groin."

"Jenna, what color is this?"

"It's called 'Glass Slipper,'" Jenna replied with a smile. "Isn't it pretty? Mom said that I'm allowed to wear nail polish on the weekend."

"Ohhh…" Lizzie stared at her friend's fingernails. "It's so sparkly." She looked over at her Mommy. "Mommy, can I wear nail polish?"

"When you're nine like Jenna, you can," Mommy said as she put a piece of pizza on Lizzie's plate. She looked over at Aunt Johanna. "Thanks a lot!"

"Gale is the one who caved!" Aunt Johanna replied before looking at Uncle Gale. "He can't refuse her!"

"I can understand that," her Daddy said. He sat next to Mommy and met her eyes. "It's hard to say no to Lucky."

"Finally! Someone who is on my side!" Uncle Gale said with a smile.

Jenna smiled at her Daddy, her dark hair swinging as she looked at him. "I'm on your side, Daddy."

Lizzie bounced in her seat. "Me too, Uncle Gale!"

"You two are my favorite girls," her Uncle Gale replied fondly.

"HEY!" Mommy and Aunt Johanna yelled at the same time.

"What about us?" Mommy said with her funny pretending voice.

"Are we chopped liver or something?" Aunt Johanna asked.

Lizzie loved being with her family. She got to meet so many new Grandmas and Grandpas; like Aunt Johanna's Mommy and Daddy and Uncle Gale's Mommy and Daddy, too.

They even got to sit at a big round table and she could see everyone from her spot.

Papa and Grammy were on one side, next to Grandma and Grandpa with all the other Grandmas and Grandpas. Aunt Johanna and Uncle Gale were right in front of her.

Next to Jenna were Auntie Prim and Uncle Rory, who were chatting quietly. Auntie Rue and Uncle Cal were next to them with Uncle Will at the end.

Uncle Will looked lonely—and was staring at Auntie Prim too hard.

Maybe he needed to jump on a bed, too.

Daddy stood up. He smiled over at her and Mommy. "We wanted to make an announcement."

"We already know that you knocked Katniss up again," Johanna called out.

"That wasn't it," Katniss retorted. "Now shut up, please."

Her Daddy put a hand on Mommy's shoulder. "Katniss, Lucky, and I—we're moving back home! Katniss is going to continue her program at Beetee's hospital and has signed on to become an attending doctor in a year."

There was a loud scream from everyone and Lizzie covered her ears.

Everyone was hugging and kissing her. Jenna was telling her that they could go swimming together every weekend.

"I've never been swimming," Lizzie replied, fascinated.

"I'll teach you," Jenna replied proudly. "I'm the fastest swimmer in fourth grade, you know!"

"Where are you going to live?" Grammy asked as she wiped her eyes. She had hugged Mommy so tight that Lizzie worried her baby couldn't breathe.

"We're still looking," Mommy told them. "For now, we're going to stay in Johanna and Gale's pool house. It's close to Effie's office, and close to the elementary school that we're enrolling Lizzie in."

"That seems fine for now," Papa replied with a grin. "Now does anyone have anything else that they want to say before I pull out the good wine?"

"Actually, I do." Uncle Rory stood up before he turned to her Auntie Prim.

Auntie Prim was turning as white as the pretty dress she was wearing. "Rory—"

"I know that we've been on and off for a while," Uncle Rory said. "But I think we still love each other enough to make it work. I know that you wanted commitment before and I couldn't give it to you. I do now."

"Rory, you don't know what I want anymore," her Auntie Prim told him in a tiny voice.

Auntie Prim looked upset again—her big blue eyes were full of water.

Lizzie wanted to hug her, but something inside kept her stuck to her seat.

"I know that you wanted to get married," Uncle Rory said. "So why don't we?"

Uncle Will stood up suddenly, pushing his chair so hard that Lizzie could feel the vibration under her.

He was looking at Auntie Prim, who looked back at him.

Now they were both staring at each other too hard—just like her Mommy and Daddy did sometimes.

"You're staring too hard, Uncle Will," Lizzie called out, finding her voice. "You're going to hurt yourself."

Her Uncle Will blinked and then turned to look at her. "You're right, honey." He went to her and kissed the top of her head before squeezing Jenna's shoulder briefly. "I shouldn't hurt myself—not anymore." He looked up at Auntie Prim, who was suddenly standing. "Excuse me."

"Now you're staring too hard, Auntie Prim," Lizzie told her.

Uncle Will was quickly walking out, closing the front door behind him quietly.

"Prim?" Mommy called out. "Are you okay?"

Auntie Prim nodded at her Mommy before turning to Uncle Rory.

"I'm sorry, Rory. That life—it's not what I want anymore," her Auntie said and she wiped her eyes. "So I can't marry you."

Auntie Prim looked around the table.

"I actually had an announcement of my own. The online magazine that I've been working for promoted me to their Travel section. I'm going to be their lead photographer and my first assignment is in Southeast Asia. So I'm going to be moving Thailand—for six months."

"Can I move the wand around?" Lizzie asked her godmother.

"If your Mommy says that it's okay," Effie replied with an adoring smile. "It's weird—the first time I saw you—you were practically eraser size."

"I was?" Their daughter's deep blue eyes were wide as saucers. "Did you know I would be your Goddaughter?"

"I knew you would be special," their doctor replied fondly. Effie took Lizzie's hand and started to move the sonogram wand along Katniss' belly. She looked over at her and Peeta. "So, according to Haymitch, the dinner was a disaster."

"Yes," she replied worriedly, before looking Peeta, who pressed a supportive kiss to her forehead. "Unexpected proposals, new promotions, and a bunch of hurt feelings—the usual."

She and Prim had spent the whole night in the sitting room of the pool house after the infamous dinner.

Her younger sister had finally confided in her, tears running down her pretty face.

Prim had been embarrassed by the whole Las Vegas incident, but it had nothing to do with Will and everything to do with her. She had always harbored some sort of crush on Will; it had been superficial when they first met.

While Katniss and Peeta were on the East Coast, Prim and Will eventually became friends. They had an interest in unique destinations; Will kept a journal of all his travels and Prim enjoyed reading from it. Whenever Will came back from a business trip, he always took her to lunch to tell her about it.

Prim credited him for her traveling ambitions.

Then Las Vegas happened and it changed everything. Both of them had agreed that what happened—numerous times—during the trip would stay between them. They were still friends and in-laws—so that was that.

Except that Prim could not forget Will's kiss. And Katniss watched as Prim's face lit up while describing the feel of his touch.

Her sister was tragically in love; it was beautiful and painful to see.

"I heard," Effie said as she watched the screen. "Your sister and Peeta's brother—how very Flowers in the Attic. What's going to happen now?"

"Prim is leaving at the end of the month for Thailand, so she's occupying her time with packing up her apartment," she told Effie.

"No one has heard anything from Will," Peeta added. "Gale says that Rory is doing okay. He realized that he was asking for something he didn't want, either. He's actually cleared everything up with Prim and they're friends again."

"We're still homeless, but Johanna and Gale's place is working well for now," Katniss said as she looked over at the screen. "The baby looks like he or she is waving." She looked over at Peeta. "What do you think—blond or brunette?"

"Blond, I think," Peeta said with a smile. "Have to even the score." He kissed Katniss and as they pulled apart, she smiled against his lips. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For Lucky, for him or her, and for pulling me into that cab," he told her. "Sometimes the most unlikely actions can bring the best things."

Effie continued her examination. "Important question—do you want to know if the baby is a boy or a girl?"

"What do you think, Lucky?" Peeta asked their daughter.

They both agreed that they wanted to know. They just had to get Lizzie on board.

"Okay…" Lizzie said after a moment. "But I get to tell everyone else."

"Agreed," Katniss told her daughter.

The door suddenly burst open and Will was walking in, a nurse rushing behind him.

Her brother-in-law looked like he hadn't bothered to shave, shower, or run a comb through his hair in at least a week.

"I'm sorry Dr. Abernathy!" The nurse said. "He refused to stay out front!"

"It's fine. This is Mr. and Mrs. Mellark's brother," Effie assured the woman as she eyed Will. "The unkempt version, anyway. Just close the door, my dear."

The nurse left quickly, glaring at Will before she closed the door.

"What is going on here?" Peeta asked his brother. "This is an important appointment."

"I'm sorry," Will told them. "Everything just seems all wrong…" He looked at the couple. "Nothing tastes the same and the songs that I hate suddenly make sense."

"My God, you're dense," Effie said to the man.

"I'm not," Will argued firmly, his eyes pleading at the couple. "I know what I want—I want her. I want Prim."

Katniss looked at her brother-in-law with exasperation. "That's all well and good—but we're kind of in the middle of something."

She gestured at the screen where her uterus was showing.

"Effie was about to tell us the sex of the baby," Peeta told him. "After this, we can go to lunch and we'll talk about it."

"Sorry," her brother-in-law said. "Didn't mean to barge in on your appointment, I just didn't know who else to talk to."

"Apologize to your niece," their doctor told him.

Will turned to Lizzie. "Sorry, sweetheart."

"It's okay," her daughter replied cheerfully.

"No, I meant this niece," Effie said as she pointed to the screen with a grin.

It took a moment for Effie's words to register in Katniss' mind.

She pushed herself up on her elbows. "Oh my God… did you just say that we're having another girl?"

"Yes. Congratulations. And looking at this shot," the doctor looked to Peeta. "You might have your blond."

"Blond or not, I just adore girls," Peeta said before kissing Katniss. "I love you."

Katniss reached up to cup his cheek. "Love you, too." She looked to her eldest daughter. "What do you think about having a sister?"

"We can share nail polish just like Jenna shares with me!" Lizzie told them excitedly.

Peeta shook his head. "It begins."

"Congratulations," Will said. "You deserve all the happiness in the world."

"So do you," Katniss told him before smirking. "Even if you did walk into an appointment where my vagina is fully exposed."

When Peeta pulled up to Will's house, he was surprised by a few things.

First, the closeness of it to the bakery site and the Hawthorne house.

Second, the spaciousness; it almost rivaled the Everdeen home in terms of size. It was classically white and columned with a large tree in the front yard and a wraparound porch.

Will, who sat in the passenger's seat, seemed to read his mind. "I bought it a long time ago thinking that I'd have a family for it. Years passed and that just never happened, but I kept it as my home in-between travels."

"It's beautiful," Katniss said as they stepped out of the car. She took Lucky's hand as they walked up the brick pathway leading to the porch. "And HUGE!"

"Neighbors are nice—they keep a lookout on the place when I'm away," Will explained as he reached into his pocket to pull out his keys. "I don't have much in the kitchen but we can order takeout—"

They suddenly halted when they saw who was sitting against the front door—Prim.

Lucky waved excitedly at Prim. "Auntie Prim!"

"Hey Lizzie-bear." She shot up from her seat and gave everyone an embarrassed smile before looking to Will.

"I didn't know that you had company; I thought that we could talk," Prim told Peeta's brother.

Peeta looked to Will. "I thought no one else knew about the house."

"This was a recent development," Will replied.

"Why don't we just get this all out in the open?" Katniss suddenly said. "Will, you are so in love with my sister that you hijacked my prenatal appointment to get us to help you win Prim back."

She looked to her sister. "Prim, you told me that his kiss was different from all the others and that has to mean something. I'm pretty sure, however, that you're in love with him, too." Katniss took her sister's hand. "So I'm going to give you the same advice you gave me: this is the one—make it count."

"My kiss is different?" His brother moved toward Prim with a grin. "Is that true?"

A smile played on Prim's lips. "You hijacked my sister's baby appointment?"

His brother had the good grace to look somewhat shameful. "Guilty."

"I know that we don't have anything figured out," Prim told him. "But, Katniss—as always—is right. To me, your kiss is different from anyone else's. And, trust me. I've had to kiss a lot of people to figure—"

Will cut her off quickly, taking her face in his hands, and pressing his lips to hers until Prim fell against him.

Prim beamed as they pulled away. "Well, okay then."

"Yay—happy ending," Katniss burst out impatiently. "Now can we please go inside? I have to pee because Effie made me drink a lot of water—and your new niece is jumping on my bladder!"

One Week Later

Lizzie walked out onto the porch along with her parents to say hello to her family.

"Hey everyone," Daddy called out with a big smile. "Come in!"

Grandma stared up at the house in amazement. "Where are we?"

"Questions later, Grandma," Lizzie replied. "Let's go inside! Auntie Prim and Uncle Will are waiting for us."

"Is that a good thing or bad thing?" Uncle Cal asked with an amused smile. Besides him, Auntie Rue poked him before laughing.

Lizzie was good at keeping secrets. She had kept a lot of them these last two weeks, even though it had been really hard. She really wanted to tell Jenna some of them while they were practicing how to swim with Uncle Gale.

Mommy and Daddy told her that because she was going to be a big sister, they had to put a lot of trust in her. According to her Daddy, trust was very important with people you love. When she asked why, he told her that having people you can trust with your feelings was a rare and important thing. Once people lose trust in you—it's hard to find again.

She wanted her little sister to trust her like Auntie Prim trusted her Mommy, because they always seemed to be giggling about secrets lately.

Lizzie waved everyone towards the living room. "Come on in, everyone!"

In the living room, Auntie Prim and Uncle Will sat together in the small couch next to the big white fireplace. They smiled much more now and Uncle Will finally shaved his face. He looked much prettier now that he showered and combed his hair.

He and Auntie Prim stared a whole lot, too. She wondered if they ever jumped on beds with one another—she even suggested that Mommy and Daddy tell them to.

Daddy had to explain what she meant to Mommy.

Mommy then explained that only married grown-ups are allowed to do that.

She rushed over to her Auntie Prim, who put an arm around her. "You excited, Lizzie-bug?"

"Yes!" Lizzie clapped her hands over her mouth. "Mommy and Daddy said I had to wait to tell though."

"It won't be long, sweetheart," Uncle Will said as everyone gathered in the living room. "We have to get a few things out of the way first. Then, you get to take over."

"I'm not sure if we should be happy or worried," Grammy said as she sat across from them on the couch that Mommy had picked out. Her pretty Grammy looked at Auntie Prim. "Is there something that we need to talk about?"

"We will, Mom," Auntie Prim replied as she waved at Uncle Cal and Auntie Rue. "For now, let's give the floor to Katniss and Peeta."

"This is a beautiful place," Papa said. "It looks a lot like our home."

Her Grandpa nodded in agreement. "It does, except the door is dark green."

"I'm sure that you've all figured this out—but as of last week, this is our new home," Daddy announced with his arm around Mommy. "We apologize for all the secrecy, but the owner and I needed to negotiate before he heads off to Thailand."

Daddy looked over at Uncle Will, as did everyone else.

"Will, this is your house?" Grandma said in shock. "You've never brought us here!"

"It was my house." Uncle Will reached into his pocket and tossed Daddy a set of keys. "The spares, Peeta." Her Uncle looked at Grandma. "We always went to your place and I was never here anyway."

"And what does Peeta mean by Thailand?" Grammy suddenly asked.

Auntie Prim took her Uncle Will's hand. "What Peeta meant is that Will is coming to Thailand—with me."

Everyone went silent at the news.

Finally, Papa Gabe spoke up.

"Are you happy?" he asked Auntie Prim.

Auntie Prim nodded, her smile bigger than Lizzie had ever seen. "Finally."

"Then take care of one another," Grandpa told them with a sigh. He took Grandma's hand. "Someone got him out of his workaholic ways—and we know that she's exceptionally special—so we don't have to worry."

"Glad that someone tamed those wild beasts!" Uncle Cal told everyone with a laugh. "Now you'll have to name your first kid after either me or Rue!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Grammy said. She put a finger to her chin. "Though a wedding in Thailand…"

"Mom! Let's not rush them," Mommy called out. "Speaking of family, Lizzie would like to take everyone on a special tour of the house."

Lizzie jumped from her seat. "FOLLOW ME, EVERYONE!"

She ran out of the living room to the large stairway in the middle room. She loved the chandelier above them—it looked like the one in Uncle Marvel and Aunt Glimmer's house. When she went to visit them with Mommy and Daddy, Francis and Ellie, the twins, said they were going to the same school as she was—and they were lots of fun.

"This is our staircase," she started. "Daddy says that I'm not allowed to slide off the banister—so no one else can, either!"

"We'll restrain ourselves," Grandpa told her as he followed her with a smile. Everyone followed behind him, with Mommy and Daddy being last in the group.

They already heard the tour before—she practiced a lot with them.

When they got to the long hallway, she went to the door all the way at the end—which was actually two doors. Grandma Angelica, Aunt Johanna's Mommy, said that this was the fastest redeco-something that she ever did.

"This is Mommy and Daddy's room," Lizzie explained. She opened the door so that everyone could look inside. "They have their own bathroom—Mommy says I can practice swimming in it."

She pointed at their bed—it was even bigger now with four long sticks on each corner.

"This is Mommy and Daddy's bed—I picked out the green blankets because Mommy likes green. Also, this bed doesn't squeak as much so when they jump on it at night—it won't be as loud."

"Oh—TMI, there," Uncle Cal said with a grin as he looked at Mommy and Daddy. "No wonder you're having another baby—too much jumping on the bed."

"If you jump on a bed then you'll have babies?" Lizzie turned to her parents. "I jumped on a bed with Francis and Ellie—does that mean I'll have a baby, too?"

"No, honey," her Mommy said before she looked at Uncle Cal with her mean face. "That's not how babies are made."

"Then how are they made?" she asked.

"Why don't you continue the tour, Lucky?" Daddy asked with a red-face. "And let's not talk about jumping on beds anymore."

She nodded in agreement. If it was going to make her Daddy look like he was always playing with makeup brushes, then she would stop.

Lizzie rushed back into the hall. She pointed to the closed door next to her.

"This is where Uncle Will and Auntie Prim sleep," she explained.

"Primrose!" Grammy said with a hard stare. "You have your own apartment."

Auntie Prim shrugged. "Sometimes I would be here late talking to Katniss and helping with the redecorating."

Auntie Rue opened the door across from it. "There's a bedroom here, too."

Uncle Will looked at Auntie Rue. "You're no help, eloper."

"We're going to have a talk before you leave," Grandma said sternly.

"Yes, Mom," her Uncle said and put his head down—but not before winking at Lizzie.

Lizzie went to the room with giant 'E' on it. "This is my room!"

Opening the door, she walked inside proudly.

She had asked her Grandma Angelica to make it just like Mommy's room—yellow, dandelion walls and grey blankets and pillows. Her dollhouse was in the corner along with her bookshelf.

"This looks great," Papa Gabe said to her. "It looks exactly like your Mommy's room."

She went to him and took his hand before walking him over to the door across the hall.

"I even told Grandma Angelica to decorate the baby's room exactly like Auntie Prim's!"

Opening the door, Lizzie walked into pink and white nursery—her favorite part was the round crib with the white curtain covering it.

"And this is where Jane is going to sleep," she told them.

Everyone was silent as they looked around her sister's pretty pink room. Everything was soft and pretty—it all smelled like flowers and sunshine. She went over to the white bookshelf to make sure that all the books she arranged were correct.

She, Mommy, and Daddy were reading to Jane at night, even though she was still in Mommy's belly. That way Jane wouldn't be scared of their voices—she would know that they were her family.

"You're having a girl?" Grandma asked Mommy and Daddy in a soft voice.

"And you're naming her Jane?" her Grammy added.

"But that's MY name!" Auntie Prim said. "My middle name, anyway."

"We figured we'd keep the tradition of naming our daughters after their Godmothers," Mommy said before she smiled at Daddy. "We think that you'd be a perfect Godmother to our Jane."

Her family was shouting again.

Lizzie was being carried, hugged and kissed, though she didn't know exactly who was doing what.

Her family was strange.

She would have to remember to tell Jane that.

They were always screaming, or yelling, or crying. Sometimes they stared too hard at one another, or they would slam doors or chairs.

But, they also did other things—nice things.

Mommy and Daddy always danced with each other—only when they thought no one was looking.

Her Uncles were always making each other laugh or making Daddy laugh. Mommy and Auntie Prim were always giggling to themselves. Her Papa Gabe would play the piano and Grammy would sing her to sleep sometimes. Grandma always showed her pretty pictures and told her about them while Grandpa would show her his house drawings, trying to teach her about archy-tech-ture.

Uncle Cal was always watching Auntie Rue. Sometimes Lizzie would see him play with her Auntie's dark curly hair, twirling bits of it around his finger just to watch it spring back in place. And when Uncle Will made s'mores for them in the fireplace—he always made sure to blow on her and Auntie Prim's marshmallows so they wouldn't burn themselves.

Her family was strange—but she loved them anyway.

She would tell Jane that, too.

FIN.

No more notes for now.

Does anyone get the literary reference from one of my favorite authors?

As always—I would love to write more in this universe in either drabble or one-shot form—requests are welcome!

Thanks for reading,

JLaLa