Chapter 15

Safety in Numbers

A light rain had started falling as Katniss drove up the long driveway to the house. Peeta had opted out of dinner with Hazel, instead offering to cook at home. And quite frankly, after the last few days, being at home was all she really wanted.

She pulled in next to the Panem County, District 12 cop car that was sitting next to Peeta's truck. Katniss had passed a similar car on the road as she'd turned into her driveway. It was nice to know that Cray was at least keeping his promise. She waved at the officer sitting inside, she thought it was John Marvel, and slid out of her truck.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to the barn which looked deceptively as if nothing had happened. Most of the damage was inside the structure. It hadn't burned long before a gas can inside blew. Luckily she and Peeta had been home. If the fire had burned longer, Haymitch could have died from smoke inhalation and the resulting explosion from the propane tanks behind the building would have been catastrophic.

Shaking her head to clear that chilling thought away, Katniss walked toward the house. It was then that she noticed the little red Honda accord parked on the other side of the cop car. Confused as to why Prim was there, she continued on inside.

She'd just spent an emotional afternoon with Hazelle and Posy and all she really wanted was to take a hot bath, drink some wine and wash some of the stress away. Maybe even convince Peeta to join her. Now she had to entertain her sister. And while she loved Prim, Katniss was about at her breaking point.

Katniss walked around the house to enter through the mudroom. The warm smell of chicken stew and bread baking enveloped her like a hug. Her mouth watered and the murmur of voices of people she loved soothed her weariness and completely erased her irritation that her sister was there.

"Hello," she called, kicking off her boots and shrugging out of her jacket. She ran a hand over her braid to remove the excess water and wiped her hand on a towel sitting on the washing machine. She entered the kitchen and smiled as the chorus of 'hello's' greeted her.

Prim was sitting at the center island, thresh was at the opposite side slicing cheese and putting it on a tray with slices of apple and sausage. Peeta sent her a grin as he pulled a tray of yeast rolls from the oven. The pot of stew was simmering away on the stone and three wine glasses of varying levels of white wine in them sat on the island in easy reach of their drinkers.

Katniss felt her heart swell at the sight, thinking she only needed Posy there to make it complete.

"Hey, Kat." Peeta set the tray down and walked to her, catching her lips in a kiss before she could even have a chance to object.

"Peeta!" she snapped, color flooding her face as he pulled away. She hadn't though tot tell Prim anything about the change of her and Peeta's status. From the smirk on Prim's face, it was apparent Peeta had.

"Get over it, sweetheart." He said easily, running a hand easily down her braid. Katniss sighed away her embarrassment and snatched the glass she hoped was his from the island and took a long drink. He grinned at her over the rim and when she swallowed, she thought fuck it, reaching out to pull him in for a more heated kiss. When she pulled back his eyes were hot but his smile was even bigger. She quirked a brow at him, fighting her own smile. Then she handed him his glass for a refill and turned toward her sister.

"So, what brings you two over tonight? Don't you have to work?" Katniss accepted the glass Peeta handed her, but kept her eyes on Prim. The younger woman smiled, took a breath and laced her fingers together in front of her.

"Funny you should mention that." Katniss didn't think it was so funny, but she didn't comment. She also didn't notice that both men seemed to move away from the island, each suddenly intent on the stew and the bread. Both of which were already done. "Thresh and I have decided to use some of our considerably large quantities of saved vacation."

"Well that's great. Any plans?" Katniss wasn't sure she liked the look Prim was giving her.

"Actually, we've decided on one of those staycation things."

"Those are the only kind I take." Katniss replied with a smirk. Not that she'd taken anything that even resembled a vacation or a staycation in…ever. But that was beside the point. And really, the way Prim kept looking at her like she was one step away from exploding was starting to distract her.

"Yeah. Like, here."

"What do you mean, here?" Katniss put her glass down with a loud chink, her silver eyes narrowing as they took in the sight of her too innocent looking baby sister.

"Here, here. On the farm. With you and Peeta. This is where were staying."

"No. No. Absolutely not." Katniss shook her head, talking over the babble of explanation Prim was trying to get in. "I said no Primrose."

"I hate to tell you this, but you don't have a hell of a lot of say in it." Prim's blue eyes turned steely as well, the stubborn streak she shared with her sister, yet hid much better, coming to the forefront to challenge Katniss'.

Katniss jaw cracked she was tensing it so hard. She looked around to the men, hoping one of them would be on her side. It was then she noticed that while they hadn't left the room, they'd essentially hightailed it out of Dodge.

Cowards, she thought viciously, glaring at their turned backs.

Thresh and Peeta had been privy to enough Everdeen women showdowns to know its best to get out of the way and help mop up the hurt feelings later. And both had the scars to prove it.

"I have a hell of a lot to say in about it, as this is my fucking house." Katniss said through clenched teeth. "And I say you can stay here. Get the hell off my property."

"Really? You're going to pull ownership? Well, how about the fact that Gale left me his half of the estate. That makes me part owner and I'm not fucking leaving."

Dammit, she'd forgotten about that. She knew Gale had done it so Prim would have something to call her own, should she ever need it. He'd thought that Katniss would be pleased. But it had felt like a betrayal then and it still felt like one now. Especially now.

"So what's it going to be, Katniss?" Prim hadn't wanted to pull that card, but if it made her sister listen, she'd deal with the guilt. She'd tried to give the shares back to Katniss, but her sister had refused.

"Dammit, Prim. Thread is crazy. I don't want anyone else getting hurt because of me. Haymitch…" her breath hitched a little as the weight of her situation settled on her.

"And nobody wants you to getting hurt at all. Let us help, Katniss. With Haymitch gone, you need the extra hands around here anyway." That was reaching and Prim knew it. Katniss ran the farm by herself until Peeta showed up. But a part of her that missed her sister terribly was urging her to say yes.

"Fine. But if you get killed, I'm going to tell you 'I told you so.'" It was a lame joke, the only kind she was capable of, really. But it had the desired effect. The tension in the room popped like a bubble as Prim beamed a triumphant smile at her.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

After dinner, Katniss and Prim did the dishes since the men cooked. She knew that Prim was trying to get her alone to grill her about Peeta. He'd been casually touching Katniss all night, peaking Prim's curiosity ever higher. Then the final press of a kiss against her temple before he and Thresh went outside to give the cop in the driveway some food had Prim's eyebrows climbing up her forehead and a knowing grin spreading across her face.

Now they were alone, the sound of dishes clinking together the only sound. Katniss waited, the tension in her shoulders twisting with every second that went by.

"So," Prim started, dragging the word out three syllables as she dried the plate Katniss handed her. Here it comes, she thought. "You and Peeta look friendly."

"What? Well yeah. We've been friends a long time." She didn't look at Prim as she answered but she could practically hear her annoyed scowl.

"Well, it wasn't but a couple of days ago you were still pretty pissed at him." Prim reminded her, taking another plate from Katniss.

"Oh, yeah. We got all that worked out. Life endangerment has a way of putting things into perspective."

"Yeah. I kinda got that at the hospital."

"So what are you talking about then?" Katniss raised her silver eyes to the irritated blue of her younger sister.

"Katniss!" Prim huffed as the other girl blinked innocently at her. She was a terrible liar, everyone knew it. But she wasn't really trying to lie, either. Just annoy the hell out of her nosy ass sibling.

"I'm talking about the kissing and the touching and the molten looks over bowls of chicken stew."

"I really liked the stew."

"Katniss!" Prim wailed again.

"Prim!" Katniss mocked in exact tone as the blonde woman. She had to suppress a smile at the petulant look Prim was wearing. "We made up." She admitted, blushing to her roots.

"Oh my God. I knew it. You totally did it!" Prim was practically bouncing she was so excited. "How was it? Was it good? I bet it was good. He has the most amazing hands."

"Primrose! Really?!"

"What? I used to have a thing for Rye when I was younger. And I had to do comparisons. You know. Because…" Prim said with a shrug. Both things had Katniss' mouth gaping open.

"Did you check Gale out too?" She meant it be sarcastic and biting. But when Prim merely smirked she fought the need to yell indignantly again.

"Unlike you, I didn't suppress my healthy interest in the opposite sex. It's not my fault you surrounded yourself with such prime specimens of manhood and never noticed unless it was a means to an end." Prim was teasing, Katniss knew it. But that didn't stop the truth of those words from stinging just a little bit. Prim must have noticed because she bumped shoulders with Katniss and gave her a soft smile. Then, it quickly turned wicked. "Come on, I'll tell you how Thresh is." She offered with a wag of her blond eyebrows.

"PRIM!"

"He makes my eyes cross and my toes curl and I swear, I forget my name."

Despite herself, Katniss was impressed. Then her own smile started to spread and Prim squealed.

"Oh, my God. He rocked your world!" The younger woman was bouncing on the balls of her feet, hands clapping together like Katniss had told her they'd won the lottery.

"God, stop." But the smile turned to a grin as she remembered losing all sense of self at the mercy of Peeta's hands. And mouth. And cock. She felt the rush of anticipation of when they could do it again.

She caught Prim's smirk and felt herself flush crimson once more. She rolled her eyes and handed her sister another dish. She had to admit, she was glad that Prim was here. And despite the dark cloud hanging over them, they could still laugh and be silly.

"Cop's fed. We think we have a plan for fixing the barn once the inspector lets us back in." Peeta announced as the men walked back in. He hadn't worn a hat and his hair was wet and curling around his face. Katniss was struck by something sweet and sure somewhere deep in her heart. She felt like she was on a precipice just waiting to leap off. She felt, as she looked into his deep blue eyes, that she'd have a steady pair of arms to catch her.

A while later, Peeta found Katniss sitting on Posy's bed, holding the pink princess pillow her Uncle Rory had won for her at her first Harvest Festival. She looked saw, her nimble fingers plucking the fringed edge of the pillow.

"Hey," he smiled when she raised her silver eyes to his. She returned it with a soft smile of her own. "You okay?"

Katniss sighed heavily, her eyes looking around her little girl's room. Then she met his eyes and he saw all the anguish she was feeling at Posy not being home.

"Yeah. I'll be happy when this is all over. I just want life to go back to normal." She dropped her gaze then. Peeta felt a sharp pang in his chest at that. He didn't know where he fit in her normal, or if he even did. Yeah, she'd told him she loved him, but that they hadn't discussed anything else. He knew now wasn't the time and truthfully, he was' afraid to ask anything of her.

"Hopefully soon." He offered. He ignored all the questions burning to be asked away for now. There was plenty of time for that later. He pushed away from the door frame and came to sit next to her on the bed. Immediately her head rested on his shoulder and a hand tangled with his.

Peeta felt his heart swell at how easily the action had come. Never in a million years did he ever think he would get to be with her like this. To be able to touch her, love her. And that she would feel the same way about him. It almost made having a psychopath after her worth it.

"Let's go get some rest. It's been a long day." He said, squeezing her small hand in his larger one. She sighed and nodded her head.

"Did Prim ask where you were sleeping?" Katniss asked with an amused smirk. Peeta grinned in response.

"I mentioned I'd probably just crash on the couch and she basically called me on my bullshit. Told me they'd keep it down if we did."

"Ew." Katniss scrunched her nose up at the thought of her baby sister and her husband having sex in her house. Peeta though the look was adorable. She raised her head to mock glare at him when he chuckled. She found herself caught in the sparkling blue eyes. She wondered if he realized how beautiful he was. This close she could see the light dusting of freckles across his nose and cheeks. The lashes surrounding those eyes shined gold in the light and were so long she wondered how they didn't tangle together when he blinked.

Peeta must have seen something in her face, because his expression became puzzled, though he didn't stop smiling at her. "What?"

"Nothing." She smiled and shook her head. "Let's go to bed."

"Thought you'd never ask." He said as she stood and pulled him from her daughter's room.

"Shh, remember to be quiet." Peeta whispered against the skin of her breast as he slid his fingers into her slick folds. One finger pushed into her as his thumb pressed aginst her clit. She bit her lip against the moan, her hips thrusting into his hand. His tongue laved her nipple, making it peak.

Her head thrashed against the pillow and she couldn't contain the moan that slid out of her mouth as he pushed a second finger into her heat. His thumb pressed hard against the tiny bundle of nerves, the pressure shooting her over the edge.

She was still clenching when he slid into her, burying himself deep into her body with a throaty groan of his own. He buried his lips in her throat as hips snapped against hers. She wrapped her legs around him and met his thrusts, her mouth finding his in a desperate attempt to keep from screaming.

Their movements became erratic, the precipice closer than either had anticipated. Peeta sailed over first, his final thrusts deep and hard, the extra friction sending Katniss over behind him. They lay gasping for several seconds after, until Peeta calmed enough to get up and dispose of the condom he'd put on while Katniss was still lost in the throes of her first climax.

Sated, they curled into each other, huddled naked under the quilt. Peeta staying awake longer than Katniss to keep watch.

A/N-So, I think I've just scrapped the rest of my outline for this thing. Because I suddenly decided we needed more Prim/Thresh and Rye/Delly (though we won't see the latter in this chapter). And yeah. Also, I'm not entirely sure if this fits in with the rest of the story. But I think we needed a touch of levity. Enjoy. Please, please, please review. Thank you. Lisa

a/n 2- I'm sorry this took so long. For those that don't follow me on Tumblr, (jypzrose) I took some time to complete a manuscript I was working on. (I'm taking my current unemployed time as an opportunity to concentrate on writing) Now it's finished, spell checked and sent off to Liquid Silver Books. For those that don't know, I am a published author. E-books, through the publisher above under the name Lisa Marie, in case you're interested. But, I lost my mother five (almost six) years ago, and I'm afraid I lost my urge to write. Anything really. So, it took me this long to get back in the saddle so to speak. That's why there are a slew of unfinished fanfics on my page. (Not Hunger Games. These will get finished). Anyway, this is what I've always wanted to do, but being a grown up often got in the way. That's what happens when you have children too young and have a worthless ass for the dad. But I digress. Now, my dear husband is agreeing with me that I take this time to really concentrate on my writing. I appreciate your patience over the last month as I have completed my novel. Hopefully I will be able to tell you within the next week or so if it got accepted. Thank you. Lisa.