Title: Behind The Scenes

Rating: M for suggestive language and later sexual content

Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or Romeo and Juliet (obviously!) No copyright infringement intended.

Chapter 25: Opening Night

A/N: Last chapter!

Peeta's POV:

Opening night has arrived and backstage is utter chaos. People are putting on the finishing touches of their costumes, fixing their stage makeup in the mirror, and muttering their lines to themselves.

Katniss looks gorgeous in her costume, and her hair has been done up in dozens of ringlets that cascade down her back. She is breathtaking and I cannot wait to be able to kiss her on stage.

As the curtain opens, I am frozen in fear for a brief moment, the lights blinding my vision and causing me to blink until it returns.

Soon, the play is in full swing and the audience seems captivated by our performance. Acting alongside Katniss is both amazing and distracting. On one hand, she is a great actress who really seems to understand the play and her role as Juliet and that makes my role as Romeo a lot easier. On the other hand, she just looks so damn gorgeous and tempting in her gown that my mind threatens to reminisce about her throaty moans as I went down on her just a few days ago.

I have to mentally ground myself and pull myself away from those dangerous thoughts; no one wants to see me get a hard-on on stage.

The play is nearing its end, and when I see Katniss' portrayal of Juliet's fake death, it isn't difficult for me to shed some actual tears when Romeo discovers her body. I don't know what I would do without her by my side.

And when Katniss gives my 'dead' body one last kiss, I feel a tear of her own drop onto my face.

"O happy dagger,

This is thy sheath."

I feel her body slump across mine. The last few lines are spoken from the Prince, and opening night is officially over.

As we take our bows, cheers erupt from the audience. I clutch Katniss' hand tightly in my own and don't let go, even when the curtain has closed.

After the initial excitement of our friends and family members has died down and we are congratulated, Johanna pulls us aside with an excited look on her face.

"There is going to be a party tonight at Palmer Lake!"

Katniss and I give Jo a dubious look, and Katniss shakes her head. "It's too cold for a party by the lake."

Johanna waves an errant hand at her friend. "It's a bonfire brainless."

Hmm…I think that might be kind of fun, especially if I can convince Katniss to go off somewhere alone with me. We haven't been back to the lake since the night we kissed under the blanket of stars, and I would love to reenact that with a few extra scenes added in as well.

We agree to go and follow the rest of our friends to Palmer Lake.

The bonfire is already roaring as we arrive. Bodies sway together in the light from the fire.

Katniss stays by my side, and when I suggest that we go of somewhere more private, she agrees.

I lead her back to my car and drive us to the very spot where we went stargazing not so long ago.

We stare up at the stars together, noting how the night sky has changed a bit since we had last been out here. I wrap my arms around her, both for shared body heat and closeness. "You were incredible tonight," I whisper huskily into her ear.

Katniss turns to me and smiles. "Thank you, so were you."

I gently tilt her head up towards mine and kiss her, gently and slowly at first, and then with increasing passion as she reciprocates.

I twine my fingers through her hair as I draw her closer to me. I know that I must be messing up her curls from the play, but I don't care. I think of how far we have come since the beginning of the school year, and how much further we still have to go.

Katniss' POV:

It's beyond romantic being here with Peeta under the stars again. I feel like the moonlight and the stars have a hypnotic effect on me, making me much bolder than I have ever been before. With Peeta's body pressed tightly against my own, and his growing erection sliding against my thigh, my senses go into overdrive. I want him, all of him.

I break away from our kiss and lock my gaze with his. "Peeta…"

He tucks a tendril of hair out of my face and smiles. "Yeah?"

"I…I want you to make love to me."

I can see his eyes widen visibly as he takes in what I just said. "I…you what?"

"You heard me."

He shakes his head slowly and trails his finger down my cheek. "Katniss, I love you and I want to be with you so much, but only if you are completely sure."

I'm nervous it's true, but I want this, I want him. I place my hand on his chest over his rapidly beating heart. "I'm sure. I love you and I want to share this with you."

Peeta runs back to his car and retrieves a heavy blanket, which he then lays across the ground.

I join him and his lips are instantly on my own, caressing and pulling and making me feel utterly alive.

His lips make their way to my ear. "Katniss, I've wanted this for so long baby."

I shudder at his words. I feel exactly the same way. I'm nervous, it's true, but more than that, I want to be with Peeta in the most intimate way possible.

His kisses begin to trail lower and he hastily rids me of my shirt and bra. My nipples harden at the cold, brisk air, but when I feel Peeta's hot mouth on one of them, I forget all about the cold.

I whimper lightly as his teeth graze my nipple, and then his tongue travels lower, leaving a wet path on my skin. I tear at his shirt, eager to feel his naked body pressed against mine. He tugs at my pants and we are naked in no time at all.

He looks so handsome in the soft moonlight, his eyes darkened with desire, but still shining with love.

His fingers trail down to my center and slip between my folds. I gasp as he pushes one inside while using his thumb to circle my clit. The pleasure is intense, but I'm eager to have him inside of me. "Peeta, please…no more teasing."

He chuckles at me and caresses my check gently. "You're lucky I found a condom in my glove box, Dave put it there 'in case of an emergency.'"

I laugh at him. "Well, I'll have to thank your brother next time I see him."

Peeta gives me a deep kiss and then slides the condom onto his erection. My heart is beating fast and I have to take a deep breath to calm myself down.

Peeta settles himself between my legs and I can feel him at my entrance. He looks into my eyes and kisses me again. "I love you," he says right before pushing into me.

There is a sharp pinch and I feel him, all of him. I feel very full and a bit uncomfortable, but not unbearably so.

"Are you okay?"

I nod and urge him to continue. "Yes, please continue."

Peeta starts thrusting slowly in and out of my body and my pain begins to fade. I love the feeling of being one with him, it makes me feel complete.

A few minutes later, Peeta lets out a soft moan and his thrusts begin to quicken. "Katniss, I…I can't hold on much longer."

"It's okay, I want you to come."

His pace quickens again and then I feel him tense and shudder above me before collapsing at my side. We are both panting and sweating, despite the cold air around us. "Wow, that was amazing, you felt so good."

I lean over and kiss him. "I'm glad."

Peeta looks at me, his eyes suddenly filled with sadness. "You…you didn't get to come. Shit, I'm sorry! Do you want me to help you out?"

I brush him off. "I didn't have sex with you so I could come; I had sex with you because I wanted to share everything with you, my body, mind, and soul. I love you and I felt so complete being joined with you. Besides, we have plenty of time to practice and make it perfect." I give him a wink and he smiles.

Peeta smiles and pulls me as close to him as possible. "I love you Katniss."

"I love you too Peeta."

5 Years Later…

"Katniss! Come upstairs when you are finished unpacking that box."

I roll my eyes as I place the last of the kitchen utensils in their proper place. Peeta and I just moved in together. We both finished college and decided that we wanted to bite the bullet and get a house together.

I still can't believe sometimes that my high school play co-star is still the love of my life five years later. Sure we've had our ups and downs, but there is no one I would rather spend my life with and share my love with than him.

I race up the stairs and find Peeta in our new bedroom, standing by our bed. "Hey baby, I found something in the top dresser drawer that I think you should see."

I eye him warily. "Well, what is it?" We had unpacked all of our clothing just a few minutes ago, so I'm not sure what could possibly be in there.

He gestures towards the drawer again with a nervous smile on his face. "Look and see."

I carefully open the top drawer. Sitting on top of some clothes is a small box. Tears of joy form in my eyes as I open it. It's a ring. It's a promise. It's forever. My forever…with Peeta.

THE END

A/N: Well there you have it! Another story complete! Reviews are appreciated as always, and please check out my tumblr page for a sneak peek of my next fic, which will be beta read by the amazing Court81981!