Thank you guys for the reviews. Sorry it's been so so slow. But everyone's words are really kind and I'm so glad everyone's enjoying!

Chapter 20

Katniss and Peeta stayed in the water for only a few minutes. Both of their eyes were drooping. They were exhausted for sleep. They ended up getting out of the water, and sitting against the logs for a few minutes, before going back in the cabin. Peeta laid the blanket down on the ground, and used their towels as pillows. Katniss snuggled up against him. It wasn't a new thing for them to have to sleep on the ground. But for the first time, they didn't have to keep an eye out. They were safe out here, and could easily fall asleep. Peeta was happy, that for the second night in a row, he could be with Katniss again. He loved being able to hold her in his arms. And they both slept soundly for a few hours. He was the one to wake up first, hearing an owl. He forgot where he was. He looked down and saw Katniss, and realized for the first time what she was wearing. A teal blue, two-piece bikini. It wasn't skimpy or anything, but he could tell that Cinna made it for her. She was beautiful and could feel the southern part of his body responding to how beautiful she was. He brushed some hair away from her face. He wanted to remember this moment forever. He always wanted to remember how beautiful she looked, with her head laying on his chest, and her arm wrapped around his waist, and with her legs tangled with his. If only he could draw this moment. But that would mean moving her to get his sketchbook, and it would wake her up. No, he would have to study every detail of this moment and draw it later. He wanted to have many more of these moments. He was given a second chance, and didn't want to take his life for granted. Not that he ever did before, but he didn't realize how he had to cherish every second of his life. He wanted a better relationship for his family. Between him and his father, his brothers, and even his mother. He wanted a life with this girl who was sleeping in his arms. He wanted to wake up next to her, every day, for the rest of his life. He worried terribly about that. Katniss' father didn't want him to doubt in their love. Sometimes it was scary though, because he didn't know what Katniss really wanted. He wanted to try and remember her father's words. But he had to admit, Katniss scared him, that maybe she didn't want what he wanted. When the war was over, and Snow was dead, he wanted to settle down with her. He was ready for that. Heck, he was ready to marry her the second they left the Capitol after their first Games. Of course, that wasn't what she wanted. But after the war, he wanted to settle down. He wanted them to move in together, and start their lives, together. He wanted to marry her. He wanted to have children with her. He knew how Katniss felt about kids. She had said she didn't want them. She was afraid to fall in love, because if she fell in love, she'd get married. And if she got married, she'd have children. So would she marry him? He shook his head. He had over a year before he could even think about that. They hadn't even started the Victory Tour yet. They had to get through these next five months, the Victory Tour, six whole months of torture from the Capitol in District 12, then the weeks before the Games, then the Quell, and then had to get through a stinking war. He groaned a little bit. How was he supposed to wait over a year, before they could come home and settle down? He felt Katniss start to move and watched as she opened her eyes. She must have been a little disorientated, because she looked around and then frantically moved her head back and forth and sitting up suddenly. "Hey hey hey Katniss your safe." Peeta said, grabbing her shoulders. He grabbed her face and made her look at him. "Katniss I'm right here. Your safe. We're in your dads cabin in the woods. It's ok Katniss." he said. She focused her eyes on him, and her breathing slowed down. He let go of her face, and slowly looked at where she was. "You ok?" he asked. She nodded her head. He leaned over and grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to her. "Slow sips." he said. She nodded and sipped slowly. "Better?" he asked. She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath.

"I just forgot where I was for a minute." she said. He nodded his head as she started rubbing her neck and moving her head back and forth. "I hate when that happens." she said.

"Does it happen a lot?" he asked her. She stopped rubbing her neck and nodded. "How often?"

"Pretty much every time I wake up." she admitted. She looked away and made a face and grabbed her neck.

"Slept on your neck wrong?" he asked. She nodded. He sat back against the wall and opened his legs. "Here scoot back. I'll rub your neck for you." he told her. She gave him a nervous look, and he just smiled at her. "Come on. Like that time on the beach and I rubbed between your shoulders when you were laying down. It will feel much better I promise." he said. She nodded shyly, and pulled her hair up to the top of her head, and secured it with a hair tie. She scooted over slowly, and sat up against him. He grabbed a towel and put it over his lap before she noticed. He didn't want to get aroused and have her see it. They were both only in their bathing suits. "Just relax." he told her, shaking her shoulders a little bit. She nodded her head and he pulled her closer to him. He told himself to just keep his hands on her neck and shoulders. Keep his hands on his neck and shoulders. They were the two safe zones. Going any where else would lead to trouble. He heard her hiss as he started rubbing a large knot in her neck. "Ouch. That's big. I promise it will feel better though." he told her. She had her eyes closed as she nodded her head. He worked on that knot for awhile, until he started rubbing more of her neck. He heard her softly groan at his touch. He wanted to groan back, but squeezed his eyes tight shut, and willed himself not to groan and get hard. Well, at least he could stop himself from groaning. But stopping himself from getting hard was not going to happen. He was so glad he thought to put a towel between them. Then he heard her hiss and he stopped. "Did I hurt you?" he asked.

"A little. But it felt good. Keep going." she said. He nodded his head, not that she could see him, but he continued rubbing her neck. He heard her chuckle.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"It just doesn't surprise me that your good at this. You've been kneading bread since you were little. You can do anything with your hands. There like magic." she said. He smiled, and could feel himself blush.

"I don't know if I'd say there like magic." he said.

"God I would. That feels so good." she moaned out. He definitely felt himself get hard at that comment. God! She had no idea the effect she had on him. She was pure and innocent, and it was one of the many things that he loved about her. He continued his massage on her neck for at least 30 minutes, with the only sounds came from Katniss. Either hissing, which he preferred because it wasn't erotic, or her moaning and groaning.

"Feeling any better?" he asked softly, leaning forward to whisper in her ear. He felt her shiver and turned her head to look at him. Her eyes were cloudy. Was it lust? He didn't know. But he had to kiss her. So he leaned forward, and softly kissed her lips. She was on fire. He pulled her face towards him, making her turn her body a little bit to kiss her deeper. Then pulled her closer to him, so she was laying on top of him. This amazing girl, was on top of him, kissing him, and she was wearing nothing but a two piece bathing suit, and him in only shorts. They had never kissed with practically no clothes on. Her hands were on his chest, and she must have realized the same thing he did, because she pulled her lips away, and looked down, realizing they were both practically naked and she blushed.

"I um..."she stuttered. He smiled at her.

"It's ok. I really like your hands on my chest." he whispered huskily. She laughed nervously and pulled away more. She must have just realized how very little she was wearing. When it was dark out, it wasn't a big deal. But now that the sun was out, he could tell it made her uncomfortable. "How about I get something for us to eat. Are you hungry?" he asked her.

"Yeah I am. My clothes are still outside. Let me just go get them." she said, and stood up and walked out of the cabin. He lifted the towel up and saw himself visibly softening. Thank goodness for small miracles. He knew she was uncomfortable. He didn't know exactly what it was. Massaging her neck? Wearing only bathing suits? Being free out here to talk and kiss, with no cameras or microphones? Being so attracted to each other that you could feel the heat between them? He didn't know exactly. He thought it was the fact that they were kissing, and his shirt was off. That had never happened before. Sure, she had touched his chest before. Cleaning him up after she found him in the mud. But this was different. It was more intimate. He leaned over and grabbed his shirt and threw it on. Intimacy scared Katniss. So he wanted to try and ease her mind, make her feel more relaxed. He was ready to start a family with her when he was only five years old. She was just starting to let her guard down with Peeta, and to trust him. He had to not push her. Not rush her. He started pulling out some food, when she came back in. she was wearing her long sleeved shirt, and some shorts. She must have had them on under her jeans, which she carried in her hands, along with her boots and jacket. He spread some food out for her as she sat down with him.

"I don't know how you can be in a long sleeved shirt. It's so hot outside." he said. She shrugged her shoulders as she bit into a sandwich.

"I always come out here in my fathers hunting jacket. And I don't like my scars." she whispered. He looked at her strangely.

"What scars?" he asked. She looked at him. Something widened in her eyes, because she looked down and pulled her sleeve up slightly and ran her finger across an invisible scar. He suddenly realized what she meant. The fire in the Capitol. They had both been left scarred. But when they came back, they didn't have those scars anymore. He gently pulled her wrist to his lips, and kissed where there was supposed to be a scar.

"I forget that their not there anymore." she whispered. He smiled and nodded his head.

"I know how that feels." he said. She smiled, relieved that he understood what she meant. He let her wrist go as they started eating. "I was thinking when you come into the woods to hunt, you should hide some stuff in your game bag and bring it up here for when your friends get here from District 8." he told her. She looked around. "I can leave some stuff out on my porch for you to take. You could have Gale come up here and make some of his traps. And we'll leave instructions on how to use them. And we can bring blankets and pillows. Well you'd have to make the pillows here. We could bring in stuffing for them, and you'd have to sew it all here. But knives and stuff. Tons of matches to keep a fire going. Some dishes and pots and pans. You could bring a little bit each day, and in five months they could have a whole house full of food and things for them. Maybe bring an axe and Gale and I can chop some wood for them." he said, helping her make plans.

"When have you had time to think about all this?" she asked. He chuckled.

"You're pretty much all I can ever think about, every day." he said, causing her to blush. "Anything connected to you really. I just try and fill my day with baking and painting." he said.

"Well your lucky. You can add gardening and working out to your things to do. All I have is hunting." she said.

"Well I'll need help with the garden. Me and Prim want to make it really big. And Prim wants you to help her with the chickens." he said. Katniss chuckled and looked at him.

"I can't believe she wanted chickens." Katniss said, smiling. Peeta smiled back at her.

"Well it was her idea. I could hardly say no when she asked me to help her with that." he said. Katniss nodded her head.

"Prim has that effect on people. It's hard to say no to her." she said softly. Peeta could tell she was getting lost in her thoughts. "It doesn't feel real. That she's alive. I keep thinking I'm gonna wake up, and she's going to be dead." she said sadly. Peeta reached over and held her hand.

"Spending more time with her may help you realize that it is real. She is here. Alive and well. And she's not going anywhere." he said softly. She nodded her head.

"I know I'm just...I'm afraid to get close to her again. I don't want to lose her. Or you." she said. She picked her head up and looked at him. "I'm afraid of moving forward with you, because the closer I get to you, the more I care for you." she said quietly. He moved the food that was sitting in front of them, and then pulled Katniss forward till she was sitting in his lap and held her face in his hands.

"I know that your scared. I totally understand why. But your dad gave you this second chance. We're going to make it out of this war in one piece. Prim will be alive, and I won't get my mind taken from me. When your scared Katniss, I'm right here. I'll help you through everything your afraid of. You just have to let me in." he said. She didn't say anything, so he continued. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm stronger this time. I won't let anything happen to you or me. Your safe with me Katniss. You can be scared with me, because I can help you. I won't let anything bad happen to you again. I'll keep you safe." he said. She leaned forward and hugged him tightly. He could feel her shaking. She turned her head so that he lips were by his ear.

"I want to tell you how I feel Peeta." she whispered. His breathing slowed and he held her tighter. "I want to say the words. But I am so scared of them. I don't know if I'm ready to say them." she whispered sadly. It made him sad. She shouldn't be afraid to love him. But she was. He understood why. But he wouldn't give up on her. Never. He made her sit up and look at him.

"I'm not going anywhere Katniss Everdeen. I'm still right here and not going anywhere. I'll be here waiting for you. I don't want you to be scared of us, or scared of what you feel for me. I want you to be happy when you say those words to me." he said. He knew what she wanted to say. That she loved him. He smiled at her. "I can wait to hear those words. Just knowing that that's how you feel is enough for me right now. I can keep waiting Katniss." he told her. She hugged him again.

"You shouldn't have to wait." she said.

"But I can. I don't want us to rush into anything. I want you to be ok and happy with where our relationship is. I want you to be sure. And I want you to be happy. I want us to be happy Katniss." he said. They stayed like that for a few minutes, until he heard her stomach growl. She pulled back and looked down, and then looked at each other. He smiled. "And that was your stomach telling me to feed you." he said, making her laugh. She climbed off of him and sat back down next to him again. He cut an apple and spread the goat cheese on it and handed it to her. It took the other half and did the same thing. "She makes amazing cheese. Much better then the kind we had in the Capitol. It has a taste of home." he said. She smiled and nodded. "So what do you want to do out here? We have the whole day." he asked her.

"I want to swim." she said and looked at him. "All day. It's freeing. And I want to teach you how to really swim." she said. He smiled.

"Then let's do it." he said. They ate their apples, and put some peanut butter on some crackers, and then ate some chicken salad. When they did go back outside, he had to stop and look around. This was a beautiful lake. He didn't realize how big it was. He hated the woods. He hated it in a way, that he didn't think would ever change, due to being the Hunger Games three times. But he could appreciate the beautiful setting. He understood what Katniss meant by it being freeing. He saw it in her eyes last night when they were in the water. He instantly loved this place, because Katniss was free here. She was happy here. He did make a mental note, that they would have to come here a lot. All the time. She caught his eye when he watched her taking off her shorts, and then reached and took her shirt, throwing them to the ground. She didn't know he was staring at her as she reached up and took her braid out, ran her fingers through her hair, and then worked on braiding her hair again. He was mesmerized by this girl. And she just had no idea. He could really appreciate her bathing suit now. He had never seen this much skin on Katniss before. Her legs were long and beautiful. Her stomach flat. And he could see her cleavage, which was something Katniss never showed. She looked so beautiful. He shook his head and took off his shirt and threw it on the ground.

"Do you think you could remember how to float? We don't have that belt anymore." she said, knocking him out of his thoughts.

"Well I guess I'm lucky I have my woman in shining armor to save me if I'm drowning." he joked, making Katniss laugh. They walked out into the water, and she helped him get himself situated so he was floating on his back. She had her arms under him, holding his back up so he wouldn't sink. He watched her as she smiled. "Are you trying not to laugh at me because I can't swim? Because that's a low blow you know. This is the closest lake to District 12, and it's behind the fence. It's not my fault that I don't know how to swim." he said. She smiled even bigger.

"No I'm not trying to laugh. I just...I feel better then I have in a really long time. And it's because of you. You make me feel happy." she said. She leaned down and kissed him on the lips. But she lost focus on holding him up when she leaned down to him, and it made him sink under that water. Causing him to panic. He breathed water into his nose as Katniss yanked him up. "Oh God Peeta I'm so sorry." she said, smacking him on the bag as he coughed up water. His nose burned terribly. "I'm so sorry Peeta are you ok?" she asked.

"Your not supposed to drown me." he whispered. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'm sorry." she whispered and pulled back. "Are you ok?" she asked.

"I have a crazy awful headache from the water getting in my nose." he said. He had never experienced a headache like this before.

"I'm sorry. It will go away in a few minutes I promise." she said.

"It might go away quicker if you give me a kiss." he said, opening his eyes to look at her. She was blushing and her mouth was opening. He smiled and started laughing.

"Your mocking me." she said. He shook his head.

"I'm not mocking you. I'm laughing because of the look on your face. It's priceless." he said. She rolled her eyes and chuckled with him. "Well come on and kiss me Katniss. Because I don't think you'll do it." he teased. Her mouth dropped.

"You are mocking me. Your making fun of me." she said, putting her hands on her hips. He let out a loud laugh. He tried to cover his mouth, but Katniss mad at him, it was funny. "Your standing there laughing at me. All I have to do is push you and hold you under the water and your going to drown. Do you want me to drown you?" she asked. It made Peeta laugh harder. He barely caught Katniss as she lunged at him. She did push him back, with him falling under the water. As his body fell lower into the water, she felt her hands yanking him up. He wrapped his arms around her, still laughing, and was surprised by her kissing him. She kissed him hard on the lips and then pulled back. He smiled at her. "I kissed you. Are you happy now?" she asked grumpily. He laughed out loud and hugged her.

"I'm very happy that you kissed me. Thank you."

"Do you feel better?" she asked, still grumpy. He held in his laugh.

"Yes I do." he said, still holding her. It felt so good to hold her. He felt alive, having her in his arms.

"If we were going to..." Katniss trailed off.

"If we were what?" he asked her. He had no idea what she was talking about

"Be different? Like be more?" she asked. He thought about what she was trying to ask, and he smiled. It was incredibly hard for Katniss to talk about being more.

"You mean if we were going to take our relationship to the next level?" he asked her. She nodded her head, still not showing her face. He figured she was embarrassed by asking.

"What would that mean exactly?" she asked. He could hear the nervousness in her voice. Afraid of what it means. He rubbed her back.

"Well. The next step wouldn't be anything to drastic. We wouldn't be getting married tomorrow." he joked, trying to ease the tension. He felt her tense muscles start to relax as she laughed. "The next step would be...we'd be boyfriend and girlfriend." he said simply. He waited a moment before she pulled back a little bit to look at him.

"Boyfriend and girlfriend?" she asked him. He smiled at her.

"Yeah. Nothing to scary. Boyfriend and girlfriend. Means we're together. We're a couple. It's nothing scary. It means what we want it to mean. It's for us." he told her. She smiled and nodded her head.

"For us. No one else." she said.

"Well yeah. For the Capitol and Panem, we're the star-crossed lovers. We're this super couple for Panem. But we don't have to be some crazy powerful romantic stars. We can just be us. We can just be Katniss and Peeta. We can be boyfriend and girlfriend for us, and we can make out relationship anything we want it, for us." he said. Katniss' smile became bigger.

"I love that." he said, and hugged him tightly. "So how do we make this...official?" she asked. He chuckled and pulled her back and made her look at him.

"We make it official, but me asking you...Katniss Everdeen, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked. Katniss smiled and nodded her head.

"Yeah Peeta. I'll be your girlfriend." she said. She laughed loudly as he picked her up and spun her around in the water. He pulled her head down to his, so he could kiss her. This was what he always wanted. Katniss Everdeen was finally his!