I had a guest give me a great idea as a follow up chapter. I really liked it but I kinda already had an idea where I wanted it to go. But it was such a solid idea that I may just create and alternate chapter just to satisfy that itch I have to follow the story from that person's suggestion. Thank you "guest." I really appreciated that idea.

I'm so busy yet I have many more ideas for stories in this fandom. Just like always, the loyal people who fav/follow/review will get a sneak peek of what I have in the works. I don't really have anyone to run my ideas to so you guys are the guinea pigs. If it's a go, then I'll definitely post the rest of a new story because this one is just about wrapping up.

Thank you everyone who continues to fav/follow/review and patiently wait for the updates. Thank you.

Disclaimer: I own nothing; simply working with the idea.

"Honey, I'm home!" Peeta shouts as he props the door open with one of the grocery bags. Katniss reaches him and kisses him sweetly as she takes the bags from him.

"Hi-what happened to your pants?" She questions as she sees the huge rip on the leg.

"Oh, I got it caught on the grocery cart, so I pulled and now..." He gestures to his pants. Katniss places the bags down then reaches for the button on his slacks. "Baby..." Peeta teases as he takes her in his arms and kisses her neck. "You trying to get in my pants?"

"Shut up, Peeta!" She laughs as his kisses tickle her. She undoes his pants while Peeta pulls her shorts down. "Peeta!"

"What? They're my shorts!" She simply laughs as she steps out of them. She loves wearing his basketball shorts whenever she's hanging around the house and today was one of those days. Peeta's hands grab her ass, pulling her flush into him.

"Mmm...I want you so badly." Peeta whispers.

"Aren't there still groceries outside?"

"Damn! Okay. I'll be right back!" He watches Katniss for moment as she examines his pants. "You think they can be salvaged?"

"No, they're done."

"Alright then. Just toss them but make sure you stay just like that!" Katniss looks down at herself.

"In my underwear?"

"Yes!" He pulls on his shorts before he's racing outside to get the rest of the bags. She chuckles softly as she empties Peeta's pockets. His wallet is in one pocket then she pats the other one that has something hard in it. She digs into the pocket, finally managing to pull out a small velvet box. The pants in her hands hit the floor as she examines the box.

Katniss knows that her thoughts have been on getting married for awhile but she didn't know Peeta was on the same page. She quickly dismisses it because maybe, it wasn't a ring in the box. She can't help but open it, only to gasp in awe. Sure enough, it was the most beautiful engagement ring she's ever set her eyes on. When she thought of getting married, what the ring looked like was probably the last thing on her mind. Still, Katniss knew she'd never need or want an extravagant ring. So the ring in her hand, with the sleek design and simple, yet elegant design was so her.

"Alright! That's it! Now you're-" But Peeta stops talking when he sees her standing there with the ring in her hand. "Uhh...I can explain."

"Is this an engagement ring?"

"Yea. Now I know that we just had that pregnancy scare and we agreed we'd wait until we tell our parents but I had that way before that!"

"How long before that?!" She asks, completely surprised by the news.

"Oh, uh...not long. A few months."

"A few months?"

"But I've been thinking about it for so much longer then that." Katniss eyes go wide while Peeta smacks himself in the face. He was trying to placate her new discovery but he was probably making it worse. "I mean-" Peeta groans into his hands. "We're together now and you can't just cut me off when I tell you the truth."

"What truth?"

"After the second time we were together, I couldn't stop thinking about you and the whole time between then and our parents' wedding, I couldn't stop thinking about what it would really be like to be with you. I couldn't stop thinking about what a beautiful bride you'd be; My bride. I didn't buy the ring until after we officially started dating, but I've been thinking about it since then." He finally takes a breath. "I hope it doesn't bother you that I've been thinking about it for so long but I can't help what I feel."

"That you want to marry me?"

"With all my heart, Katniss." She smiles at him but only briefly before she launches herself at him. Their lips lock in a passionate kiss but Peeta pulls away to look at her. "So will you marry me?"

"Yes, Peeta!" He takes the ring from it's box and places it on her finger. Katniss fondly admires it until she realizes something.

"Wait! Should I keep it on or should we wait until after we tell our parents?"

"Keep it. We'll tell them everything all at once." She actually giggles as she jumps into his arms. Their lips don't separate the whole while Peeta carries her into their bedroom. They're quickly undressed and going at it like animals. Their love making is passionate and erratic. They've suddenly become so loud, not a care in the world, that they don't hear their unexpected guests at the door.

"Hello!" Peeta's father barks loudly as his wife nearly stumbles over the bag holding the door open.

"You think something's wrong?" She asks her husband.

"Why would you say that?" She gestures to the open door and the ripped pants on the floor. Mr. Mellark marches over to the garment, quickly noting that they're a man's pants. He examines the kitchen while Ms Everdeen picks up faint moans and whimpers coming from the bedroom.

"What's that noise?"

"Sounds like absolutely nothing is wrong!" Mr. Mellark jokes. "Let me go check on my boy." But Ms Everdeen stops him.

"And what if it's my daughter? Do you really want to walk in on that?" He cringes before he gestures for her to go. "Thank you." She makes her way to the slightly ajar door, ready to knock, when the voices confuse her.

"I love you so much, Katniss." So it was her daughter in there but Ms Everdeen is almost positive that was Peeta's voice.

"I love you too, Peeta." Her eyes go wide before she gently pushes the door open and is greeted by the sight of her very naked daughter in the passionate embrace of her very naked step-son. Ms Everdeen can't find words to say; the only word that comes out is a loud Hello.

Katniss gasps as she holds onto Peeta tightly, hoping that her mother can't see her or Peeta.

"Oh my god! Mom! What are you doing here?!" She quickly scrambles under the covers while Peeta pulls his shorts back on.

"Ms Everdeen! We can explain!" Peeta tries. Ms Everdeen meanwhile has her head down and her hand gently trying to soothe the migraine that's coming on. She's in her own world, lost in her thoughts, that she doesn't see her husband making his way to the room. By the time she picks up on how close he is, it's too late to stop him from discovering their kids' secret.

"Patrick-"

"Peeta? Is this anyway to treat-" Katniss tries to keep modest behind the sheets while Peeta and his father are in a dead-lock stare. "Please tell me this isn't what it looks like..."

"Dad, we can explain?"

"Explain what?!" His father roars. "Why you're in bed, naked, with you step-sister?!" Peeta cringes at his shout.

"Dad-"

"Did he take advantage of you?!" This time, his words are directed at Katniss. But she's too flustered and embarrassed to answer. "Did you?!"

"No! Dad, we-" But his father turns on his heels and angrily makes his way out of the apartment. "Dad!" Peeta's quickly on his feet, chasing after his father. Meanwhile, Katniss' mom sighs as she takes a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Mom, this isn't the way we wanted you to find out." Katniss tries.

"How long has this been going on?"

"It's complicated to put into a couple of words." Because it really was. If they counted from their first time, it was six years but if they counted from when they started dating or when they made them official, it was less.

"I heard you." Katniss flushes and groans softly; nothing like knowing your mother knows what you sound like when you have sex. "This isn't just a roommate thing with benefits, is it? You two love each other?"

"We do. We're serious about us. Mom, he asked me to marry him."

"And you said yes?" Ms Everdeen asks astonished. As far as she knew, Katniss was never getting married. So this was definitely news to her.

"I did. I love him, Mom, and I want to be with him but not if it's going to cost you your marriage."

"Katniss, how can you think like that? I love you and I just want to see you happy."

"But it's Peeta, your step-son!" Ms Everdeen sighs.

"He's a good boy, handsome too. I can't say I'm not surprised. I'm just upset that you two felt that you had to hide this."

"What else were we supposed to do? We're technically family. It's not right."

"Technically." Ms Everdeen quotes. "But we're not and if you fell in love with Peeta, truly fell in love, none of that matters." Katniss falls into her mother's embrace and cries softly. Her mom understood and accepted them but from all the shouting Katniss could hear coming from the outside, she wasn't so sure Mr. Mellark did.

"For god's sake, Peeta! She was sixteen when you two first met! If you tell me you've loved her from the start, than you're a pedophile!"

"There was something different about her from the moment we met!"

"Don't give me that! When you two met, you were just coming off sleeping with all the women at your school!" Mr. Mellark throws in his face. "Or did you go abroad for another reason, huh?"

"That's irrelevant."

"I don't think so because supposedly, you came back a changed man but did you really?! Did you change when you slept with the first woman-no first girl you saw?!"

"I told you, she was different! She is different! I want to marry her!"

"What did you do? Get her pregnant? And now you're trying to clean up this mess?"

"No-"

"She's family, Peeta!"

"That's not what this is at all!" Peeta finally shouts. "I love her, Dad! And yes, she is the daughter of your wife but she's not your daughter or my sister! This isn't wrong!"

"Is that why you had to hide your relationship from me and her mother?! Come on, Peeta! What the hell am I supposed to tell people?! This is my son, Peeta, oh and this his wife and my step-daughter."

"Who the hell cares what you tell people?! For so long, I've been worried of what you would say! I knew you wouldn't accept this and it's why I thought it was wrong! But this is my life-our life I'm talking about! I love Katniss! I can't help how I feel or change the fact that she just so happens to the be your wife's daughter. I feel for her things I can't even begin to explain! I'm going to marry her and start a life with her. Can't you accept that and be happy that I'm finally going to settle down?"

"Not with her. If you do this, Peeta-" He seethes as he looks at Peeta. "Than you're not the man I raised."

"What are you talking about?" Peeta asks with tears in his eyes.

"My son wouldn't do this to me, to the family! You do this and you're not my son!" Peeta physically recoils from the psychological blow. His mother never cared for him. After the divorce, she split and went her way. The only person Peeta ever had was his father. If now, he was disowning him, he'd have no one.

"Well," Peeta starts. "If I'm going to prove that I'm serious about Katniss, that she is my life, than I'm going to have to be okay with that." Before his father can see him cry, Peeta heads back into his apartment and slams the door closed. He tries to find any alcohol in the kitchen but when he finds nothing, he pops open a can of soda and chugs it angrily.

"He didn't mean it, Peeta." He hears Ms Everdeen say. He looks to her and Katniss, who is now fully dressed, with tears streaming down his face. Katniss makes her way to him, holding him as he silently cries. "I'll talk to him."

"Thanks, Mom." Katniss soothingly rubs his back as he suffers. "Peeta, we can break up if it will help." He pulls himself from her embrace.

"You want to leave me now too?"

"Of course not!" She says while her fingers gently wipe away the tears from his face. "I just think that if it will help you with your father-"

"Katniss," he removes her hands from his face and squeezes them tightly. "I love you. If I don't have my father, it hurts but if I don't have you, I can't live without you! I rather hurt than die." She pulls her back into him, kissing him softly.

"You won't ever lose me. My mom will talk to your father. This will all work out."

"You don't know my father. I don't know if this is something that can be fixed."