FINALLY! The last chapter/Epilogue! Aren't you excited? Because I am; another story complete!

I just want people to know that the support, favs, follows, and reviews for this story have been a welcome surprise. I remember being up one night at 3 AM with this plot in my head. That annoying plot bunny refused to let me sleep until I put something down on paper. When I wrote the first chapter, I stared at the evil plot bunny, who gave me the dirtiest look, assuring it that no one was going to read this. Well, I was wrong and I'm glad I was. You guys are the ones who inspire every chapter and every story.

So, finally, thanks so much for all the support because the inspiration is real.

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

Katniss jumps up and Peeta catches her, pushing her against the car as he kisses her harder. She moans as she feels his erection against her. Could they really get away with twice in an hour. But she was never that lucky…

Peeta's lips are ripped from hers and his body is yanked away. She can't even begin to argue as Peeta is turned around and fist collides into his face. He falls to the ground with a loud thud in front of her.

"So you sleep with my sister?!" Gale screams. Katniss pushes herself off the car and instantly falls to ground, embracing Peeta in a tight hug. "Katniss, get off of him!"

"No! You'll just hit him!" She tells him, as she protectively cradles his head in her breast.

"Damn straight! He deserves it!"

"Oh, shut the hell up!" Peeta tells him as he caresses the area where he'd taken the hit.

"You okay?" Katniss says as she tries to examine the wound.

"Yea, lucky for me, your brother hits like a pussy." Katniss kisses his wound. Gale grabs her arm, trying to yank her off, but Katniss snatches her hand back and wraps it around Peeta.

"Stop it!" She screams.

"Katniss! Stop being stupid! He's just using you to get back at me!" Gale yells.

"Shut up!" Peeta yells back. He forces her to meet his gaze. "Don't listen to him, Katniss. You know how I feel." She nods before she kisses the top of his head.

"What do you want, Peeta? This was always about winning, right?!" He mirrors his words from earlier. "You want me to say you win?!" Gale starts clapping. "Congratulations! You slept with my sister! You win! You got me good!" He laughs.

"Be quiet, Gale. It's not like that." Katniss says. Gale kicks Peeta's leg causing him to retract it painfully.

"Get off of him!" Gale grabs both of Katniss' arms and tries to pull her off. He's yanking which just pisses Peeta off. Peeta kicks him away before he gently pushes Katniss aside and stands up. He pushes Gale back violently.

"Don't touch her!" Peeta roars. Before Peeta can advance and punch Gale, Katniss stands in the middle and pushes Peeta back.

"Please don't." She whispers to him

"Oh! How cute! Trying to act like you care so she'll think you're a good guy…bravo Peeta! I'm going to kill you!"

"Shut the fuck up, Gale! I love her! So you don't know what the fuck you're talking about!" Gale is staring at him wide-eyed. Katniss gets his attention by rubbing his chest.

"You love me?" Peeta looks down at her. His hands caress her arms gently.

"I do." Katniss kisses him softly.

"I love you too." She whispers to him.

"What is going on here?" Her mother interrupts. "The staff said someone was fighting out here!"

"It's fine, Mrs. Everdeen. I'm just going to go." Peeta tries to break away from Katniss but she doesn't let him go.

"No, Peeta!" She keeps a hold of his hands. "You can't go! You have to stay! Mom!" She turns to her mother for help.

"What exactly happened here?" Her mother tries to find out.

"Nothing! Peeta, you're coming back to the party with me!" She hooks his arm and drags him past the crowd. She manages to grab Johanna, who grabs Cato, and they make their way to the building.

"Katniss, I don't think I should stay…" Peeta whispers to her as she wraps some ice with a towel and presses it gently against his cheek.

"If you love me, you'll spend my birthday with me." He takes the ice pack from her with a chuckle.

"So now there are conditions to loving you?" Katniss smirks at him before she gives him a quick kiss.

"Sit!" She commands. Her mother and Gale enter the room shortly after they both sit down. Her mother keeps up her smile while Gale only picks at the cake on his plate.

Her party ends up being very tense after. Everyone tries to make small talk but it's just awkward. Eventually, the party ends leaving only her mother, Gale, and Peeta. Peeta pulls Mrs. Everdeen to the side and whispers something to her. She nods before he walks over to Katniss.

"Hey."

"Hey." Katniss says as she rubs her arms anxiously.

"Have a good birthday?" She scoffs.

"I guess it could have been worse...but I still have my presents to open when I get home!" Katniss says excitedly. She grabs the gift Peeta gave her and shakes it. "It's got some weight to it."

"You want to know what it is?" Peeta winks at her, which makes Katniss hug the gift. She leans towards him and whispers.

"Can I open it in front of my mom?" Peeta laughs.

"Yes! I just wanted to know if you wanted to know what it was, is all." Katniss joins in with his laughter. "Come on. Let me help you get all these presents into my car."

"Your car?"

"Yes. I'm taking you home."

"But what about my mom? And Gale?"

"I asked your mom if I can take you. I have to talk to her anyway…" Peeta starts to grab her things.

"About what?" Katniss asks.

"You'll find out soon enough."

Katniss was pacing the living room. Her mother and Peeta had been locked in the den for almost twenty minutes. What on earth could they be talking about? What if he was telling her mother about their sex? Katniss shuddered at the thought. She didn't need her mother to know all that.

"Is it true?" Gale says from his spot on the couch.

"What?" She stops her pacing to look at him.

"What he said about loving you…" He turns to look at her. "Is it true?"

"There's no reason he would lie. So, I think so."

"And you love him?"

Katniss nods. "That I know is true."

"How long have you two been doing this?"

"A couple of months…"

"So then it can't be real. You can't fall in love from two months."

"But I've loved him since I was a girl…"

"When?!" Gale almost shouts.

"I don't know for sure. He was just always around and I liked him. Somewhere down the line, I fell in love with him."

"That's crazy though. How come I never noticed?"

"It's not like I was flaunting myself to you! I only did it with him and he was your friend. I'm sure me liking him was the last thing on your mind." Gale turns back to the TV and Katniss goes back to her pacing. "I'm sorry, okay?" Katniss stops again. "I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions and punching Peeta. He really is a good guy and if I had to choose anyone for my baby sister, there isn't a better pick."

"Thanks Gale." She squeezes his shoulder, thankful that he's come around. Katniss paces again and Gale sighs.

"Can you stop? Go open your presents or something. You're making me angsty!"

"I can't! What are they talking about? Why is it taking so long?" Gale throws his head back in defeat.

"Fine. I'm going to my room." He stands and starts for the stairs. "Can you tell Peeta I'm sorry? For everything?"

"It's probably better if it comes from you."

"He probably doesn't want to talk to me right now. So just...I guess, butter him up for me?" Katniss nods before Gale disappears upstairs. She paces another minute before she finally collapses on the couch with a huff. This was killing her.

"Promise me, Peeta!" Katniss turns at the sound of her mother's voice.

"I promise!" He says with a laugh. Katniss is on her feet, eyeing them both curiously. "Thank you, Mrs. Everdeen." She turns to him and places a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you, Peeta." She smiles at Katniss before she disappears upstairs as well. Peeta stands in front of her now with a small smile on his face.

"So…" Katniss starts.

"So."

"What did you and my mom talk about?"

"I told her about us."

"Peeta! You told her about our sex?" She whispers harshly to him.

"No! I told her that I love you and that I'm serious about us."

"And what did she say?" Peeta laughs.

"She said that she's honestly not surprised. She said that by the way you looked at me when we were younger, she knew something was going on there…"

"Geez! Was I that obvious?"

"To everyone but me apparently…" She grabs his hand and squeezes it reassuringly.

"What did you promise my mom?"

"Um…I promised I would always take care of you…that I would do everything in my power to make you happy. Among other things…"

"What other things?"

"I can't tell you right now, but you'll know in time." Katniss isn't too happy with how cryptic he's being but it was pretty obvious he was set on not telling her. It just leaves her to pout. "So..." Peeta starts. "Now that everything's out in the open and everyone knows about us..."

"Yea..."

"You want to go on a real date?"

"What are you talking about? We've been on real dates."

"Yea, but I want to do this right." He releases her hand and heads for the door.

"Where are you going?" Katniss asks but he raises a hand to her, signaling for her to wait. He exits her house leaving Katniss confused yet again. What kind of real date leaves her standing in her living room alone?

She marches to the door, placing a hand on the door knob, but before she can open it, the doorbell goes off. "What in the world-" But she cuts herself off when she sees Peeta standing on her doorstep, arms behind his back, smiling big at her. "Why didn't you just come back in?" He outstretches an arm revealing a bouquet of dandelions.

"For you."

"Peeta..." She takes them from him, making sure to take a big whiff. "They're beautiful."

"You're welcome!" He takes a step towards her and shows her his arm. "Shall we?" Katniss places the flowers down before she hooks his arm. She's giggling as he walks them to his car. "What are you doing?"

"You're supposed to get girls flowers on the first date and you're supposed to be able to meet them at their front door." Peeta informs. "We shouldn't have to hide and meet up in places just to be together." He opens the door to his car for her but before she takes a seat, Katniss kisses him softly.

"Never again." She whispers against his lips.

"You're supposed to kiss me after the date, not before! You're ruining the illusion!" Peeta playfully whines. "Now I'm going to think you're easy."

"Funny thing is, on our first date, we had sex." She tells him.

"Yea, but it took..." He rubs his chin in thought. "Like ten years!"

"Ten years ago I was eight!"

"Katniss, I've liked you since I was a young boy and it was only a little bit after that I really liked you. So it's been ten years for me, give or take." She quickly kisses him again. "Will you stop kissing me?! You're supposed to only kiss me if the date is good!"

"What about during the sex part of the date?" She asks with a deviant smirk.

"Uh..." Peeta fumbles with a coherent sentence.

"Can I kiss you then?" He pushes her against his car and kisses her senseless.

"Okay! But only if you'll let me initiate any kisses in between." Katniss smiles up at him.

"I'll allow it."

Fast-forward a few years...

"Congratulations to the class of 2019!" The speaker finishes. Everyone cheers as the graduating class throws their caps into the air. Katniss quickly hugs all of her friends, posing for a few pictures along the way, before finally catching up with her family.

"Congratulations, honey!" Mrs. Everdeen hugs Katniss tightly.

"Yea..." Gale says. "Good job."

"Well, put some effort into it at least!" Katniss teases as she hugs them all.

"Hey! I'm no Peeta when it comes to this!"

"Damn straight!" Katniss turns to the voice with a big smile. "Congratulations, Katniss." Peeta cups her face softly leaning down to kiss her but stops short.

"What?" She questions. Peeta turns up to their audience with a smile.

"Hey?" He points behind them. "What's that over there?" They all turn towards where he points. Katniss tries to as well but Peeta holds her steady. "Not you." With that, he lowers his lips to hers and kisses her softly. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you." He reaches down to hold her hand, which he raises to his lips for a kiss.

"Are we going to celebrate or what?"

All her friends and family were gathering at their favorite restaurant. Katniss and her friends had finally graduated college. The whole time, Peeta and her had stayed together. A lot of people thought they wouldn't; four years was a long time after all, especially on a crush. Peeta had graduated a couple years back and then it had been Katniss' turn to be proud. Him and Gale had grown back together. Their relationship wasn't what it used to be but that was mostly due to the fact that Peeta spent more time with Katniss now then Gale.

So now, sitting next to everyone that mattered to her, Katniss was happy. Nothing could possibly be better than this.

"I love you." Katniss leans into Peeta and whispers.

"Mmm," he kisses her cheek. "I love you too."

"You want to prove it?" She asks with a wink.

"Now?" He looks surprised. Katniss nods. "How?"

"Call the waiter over and ask him to give me refill..." Peeta's face drops making Katniss laugh. "Please?"

"You are so lucky I love you." He snatches her glass before he gets the waiter's attention.

"What did you think I was going to ask you?" Katniss whispers into his ear making him chuckle.

"Maybe...finger you right here." He admits.

"Peeta," she giggles into his ear. "With my mom and brother right next to me?"

"That's what's so hot about it." He kisses her sweetly before the waiter interrupts them. "Thank you." He takes the drink and hands it to her. "You're good now?"

"Yes." She nods. "Thank you."

"Well, now that you're good..." Peeta clinks his glass to get everyone's attention. Katniss looks up at him in surprise as he stands. "I uh...have something I want to say..." He starts.

"Peeta?" He leans down to listen to her. "It's a graduation, not a wedding." He only smiles before he straightens up again.

"I always hoped that I would see this day. I always wanted to be right here, where I am today." He gestures to everyone. "Surrounded by friends," then he gestures towards Katniss. "And the people I love. I know it's Katniss' and the graduating class' day...and I don't want to take anything away from that. Well...the graduating class at least but..."

"Come on, Peeta...spit it out!" Someone says.

"Right..." He chuckles nervously. "I know I've had your blessing for this for a long time now, Mrs. Everdeen but...It's taken me four years since then to build up the courage." Peeta digs into his pocket for something. He pulls out a small box, which he opens to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. He turns to Katniss before he drops to one knee in front of her.

"Peeta!" She gasps.

"You knew you couldn't run from me forever..." He says with a smile.

"The thing is," she leans down to whisper to him. "I've always been running towards you."

"So...is that a yes?"

"You didn't ask me..." She teases. He smiles big at her.

"Katniss Everdeen, will you marry me?"

"Yea..." She nods. "Yes I will." He slips the ring onto her finger as the table erupts in applause. Katniss falls into his arms, kissing him passionately. Peeta manages to pull himself away long enough to get them back into their seats. Once everyone is done congratulating them and fawning over the engagement ring, Peeta grabs her hand and kisses her cheek.

"Now you can finally stop bothering me about what I told your mother that day." He tells her.

"You asked my mom if you could marry me?" He nods. "You knew, even back then, that this would happen?"

"I knew that I was going to ask you and I could only hope that you would say yes." Katniss kisses him again.

"How could you ever doubt this?"

"You kind of gave me a good scare last year," Katniss quirks her head at him. "You almost killed Gale when he told you he was going to marry last year!" Peeta reminds her. "You went on a tangent about how marriage was evil and how they were doomed to fail."

"He was going to marry the stripper from one of your friends' bachelor party! I said she was evil and that their marriage was doomed to fail!"

"Oh, well...I misunderstood then." Peeta scratches the back of his head. "Didn't you one time say that you were never going to get married?"

"That was a long time ago."

"But you did say that." Katniss wraps her arms around his neck.

"I did, but that was before I knew who my perfect match was."

"I hope that was me." She kisses him softly.

"Of course it's you. Even though I didn't want to get married back then, I can't imagine being with anyone else."

"Not even Brad Pitt?" He teases.

"He was a cover up." Peeta quirks an eyebrow at her. "I hate Brad Pitt, but I had to say something to keep you from freaking out."

"Wait! Then who did you have a crush on?!" Katniss only stares him until a deep blush covers his cheeks. "Oh."

"It's always been you, Peeta." He cups her cheek gently.

"When did you get so good at saying something?"

"You did that!" He chuckles softly. Katniss presses her forehead against his. "You've taught me so much."

"I know." He lowers his voice. "Like doggy style." She snaps back and slaps him playfully in the chest which makes him breakout in a fit of laughter. "Or was that from the Kama Sutra book you bought us..." Katniss quickly looks around them to see if anyone was listening to them. She shakes him playfully before he pulls her into his embrace.

"Stop it." She growls against his lips.

"This is making you hot, isn't it?"

"Shut up." She whispers harshly. Katniss tries to keep a serious face but it's not long before she's laughing along with him. "You better watch yourself, Peeta, because tonight, I'm going to teach you what happens when you misbehave at dinner."

"Really?" Peeta perks up. "How exactly?"

"Mmm...well, tonight..."

"Uh huh..." Katniss reaches for one of his hands, bringing it up to admire it.

"You know how you have great hands?"

"Yea..." He smiles, clearly liking where their conversation was going.

"Well, I hope you like how amazing your hands feel when you have to jerk yourself off because you made fun of your fiancé when she tried to be romantic." Peeta's face instantly drops.

She'd only ever done that once to him and it was because he made her late to one of her finals. He'd kept her in bed one morning flirting and seducing her to the point where she'd given in and let him have his way with her. Because of that, she was twenty minutes late to an exam. If the professor hadn't let her in, she's not sure what she'd done to Peeta. But she made him pay that night by getting him hot then holding out on him.

But she felt so bad after especially because it wasn't completely his fault. She was a grown woman after all and she had the power to say no and get to class on time. But she didn't do it so she was as much to blame if not more. She'd made it up to him the next day by forcing him to call out from work and dedicating her day to pleasing him anyway possible.

"Katniss?" Peeta runs a finger up and down her arm. "I'm sorry." When Katniss turns to look at him, he's got the most pathetic look on his face that she's ever seen. It's so bad, that it makes her laugh. "Please have sex with me tonight."

"Maybe." She tells him and it instantly cheers him up. "I did say maybe, didn't I?" Peeta leans over and kisses her sweetly.

"Yes you did, but I'll take a maybe over a definitive no any day!" He unfolds his napkin and lays it on his lap before grabbing Katniss' hand and starting up a conversation with the person sitting on the other side of him. How he could just jump from a sex talk to some random conversation with a stranger, she'd never know. And she'd just agreed to marry this man. Yea, it was always going to be Peeta.