(A/N: Hey, so I decided to write in full length Annie and Finnick's relationship, but also Annie's time in the Games before she was thought to go insane and after. So please, enjoy and review ^.^)

Two years before the reaping

I let out a deep breath, and look down at the dark water of the ocean that attributes so much to the life and survival of District Four and shudder. I attempt to tell myself that it will all be okay, that the water will not harm me, but the idea of going to the deep depths frighten me so.

I feel that I am an outcast to my District, how can someone who was born and raised in District Four have a fear of the ocean. I should have been like the others, who so easily dive into the deep blue depths with no fear. I gulp as I dip my toe into the water and yell, jumping back, it was cold. A voice chuckles from behind me, and I turn, my brown hair brushing against my shoulders, and I instantly freeze. It was a young man with copper hair and bronze skin that complimented the sea-green eyes. His strong jaw was lax as he smiled, and I found that even I would have swooned had I not grown up with the boy in front of me.

I let out a shriek as I ran towards him, throwing my arms tightly around his throat, and hugging him as though my life depended on him, he had just returned from the Capitol, the Games had finally finished, and I wondered how it must have felt for the Tributes to be trained by someone far younger than themselves.

Finnick wrapped his arms around me, and I could both feel and hear his deep chuckle as he buried his head in the crook of my neck. He was cool, which felt good against my sun warmed skin, the soft wool of his jumper was nice against my skin and it felt almost like home, hugging the boy who once worked for my father.

We part, and I look up at him, he smiles down at me and tousled my already messed curls, he seems warn, and although I enjoyed hugging him, I regretted it immediately, knowing how tired he must have been.

he says in his typical joking and flirtatious tone, and I roll my eyes at him, I wonder how I must look to him, small, willow thin, not exactly beautiful, but he still smiles at me in that same, rare way that he only seemed to reserve for me. He then, without warning, takes off his jumper and I flush. He grins once he notices the heat on my cheeks and my futile attempt to hide the evidence with my hair.

He asks cockly and I glare, rolling my eyes, as I strip from my dress, now wearing the open-back swimming costume underneath.

I mutter in my own defence, and hating myself for finding the young Victor physically attractive.

It wasn't like my fear of the water had always been there, I was once an excellent swimmer you would have to carry from the water if you wanted me out of it, but when I was little, my brother had gone out in the middle of a storm, and it just, things had one bad and the boat had been smashed to pieces by the angered waves and forced the boat and all aboard it to the bottom of the ocean. When I had found out I no longer liked the idea of the rippling waves any longer. But a few years ago, Finnick had convinced me to take swimming lessons from him, to which I reluctantly agreed.

I heard a splash that dragged me out of the ravine of memories, and turned to see Finnick, wadding in the water. He was much taller than me, and the water barely ticked his waist.

he called to me as he pushed himself further into the water and dived under, pulling himself back up and shaking the wet hair from his eyes, he grinned at me and I shuffled my feet in the sand.

I called back, looking at the water that nearly brushed my feet fearfully, Finnick looked at me and pouted as he paddled easily, standing once he was in shallow enough water, and walked towards me, sand sticking to his feet, he took my hands in his large, rough ones and smiled down at me softly.

I frown, but I can't help but trust him, he releases one hand, but uses the other to guide me towards the water. I shudder as one foot breaks the cool surface, and then the other. Before I knew it I was waist-deep in the shifting water, I could smell the salt in the air, and I clutch Finnick's hand as he guided me further into the water, to the point I relied on my toes to make sure I still touched the sand.

I admitted, ashamed of the fact that the water stuck such fear in me. I looked down, not wanting to look him in the eye, however, it only took a few moments to notice he no longer held my hand, and once I looked up for him, I had to turn left then right to find that he was further to my left, in far deeper water. He seemed to be enjoying the depths that he would dive too, almost like he was home.

He bellowed towards me, and I crinkled my forehead in confusion, how was swimming away from me helping me in anyway? Before I could ask this very question however, he shouted towards me once he seemed to feel a sufficient amount of distance away from me. I blinked at him in surprise, swim towards him? Was he insane. But I took a deep and shuddering breath and looked at the water, I could see my bare legs, tanned and shimmering. The seaweed brushed against my ankles, and it was an almost nostalgic feeling that I had loved when I was a child. A few more steps and I would have to actually kick my legs to stay afloat. Very carefully, I pushed against the water and moved one foot a tiny fraction, and then the other, it took a full minute to even take these tiny baby steps, but I didn't want Finnick to wait, I wanted him to be proud that I could at least do this

Before he had gone off to the Capitol at the beginning of the year, we had practised this, but I never once budged until now, but I wanted him to know I was trying, I wanted to spend more time with him.

I no longer touched the sand below, kicking my legs softly so I could keep myself afloat, and if I squinted my eyes I could see Finnick smiling at me and raising two thumbs into the air in encouragement.

Without thinking I had taken easily to the water, I was lying on my stomach now, kicking and moving my arms, the water was like silk as it ran against my body as I forced myself to go in the opposite direction of the land that the salted liquid tried to reach, propelling myself towards Finnick, not thinking at any moment that I would be dragged under by the waves to my grave, buried in the sand that settled underneath the cooling waves.

Before I knew it, I was in Finnick's arms, laughing, my hair wet from the splashes of water, him congratulating me as the water that was on the both of us, stuck us together as we laughed. I stopped though, once I was stuck looking at him, captivated by the way his skin glistened in the sun, how his wet hair stuck to his neck and how his smile, his smile was just the brightest thing I had ever had the joy of seeing, I wanted to kiss his lips, just to see what they felt like against mines.

And I did.

It was hesitant at first, his mouth open in shock, and I felt myself pull back, I didn't want this to be awkward, or forced. He was my friend, someone who helped my father in our little fishing shop, the boy who teased me and was helping me get over my fear of the ocean, he was not someone to be kissing, this is what I tried to tell myself. Then I felt as he pulled me closer to him, his lips began to move with mine, guiding me in some sense, to match them.

It wasn't as though I hadn't kissed anyone before, I was sixteen, but when kissing Finnick, it was a different kind of experience all together. His lips were soft but firm, and they tasted of the salt water in which we stood. His arms moved to my hips, gently caressing them for a moment, I shuddered, and slowly, he began to move one of his warm hands up my spine, entangling in my messy curls, and pulling me closer and closer to him, his lips overlap mine, and I feel as though it had been him to initiate this and not me. His tongue darts out, and my heart races as it runs across my bottom lip, it was a smooth, graceful movement, that caused me to blush, it was a foreign movement, but one he seemed all to skilled at. I slide my hands up his warm chest, I can feel his heartbeat under my hands as I slowly drift over his chest, gliding over his shoulders and around his neck, I could still feel his grasping me, this was far more than I had anticipated. Could he tell how nervous I was? I could feel breath leaving me, and it seemed he could too, we broke a part, and I knew my face was red, my chest rising up and down rapidly as I tried to gain control, we slowly untangled her arms, I felt reluctant to leave his warm embrace, but my conscious was breaking through my fog-filled brain as I realised what I had done.

I had passionately kissed Finnick Odiar.

I couldn't blame it on the nerves of being in the water, I realise, looking around awkwardly for some form of hiding place in the water. He too, seems to realise what has happened, and we both look down, looking at our own reflections in the water.

I asked, my voice breaking awkwardly as I look down, still at my own reflection he hums a noise that means yes I suppose, and I place a hand in the water. I whisper in a way I hope sounds like I'm scared, and less nervous and frightened of what I had done. Finnick looked down at me, I could feel his eyes burning into my side.

He tells me. I don't know how to react to this response at first. It was accustomed thing for Finnick to carry me back to shore whenever I went into the water, if it were to a point where we had to swim back, such as we were in now, he would allow me to climb on his back, and he would swim us back, if not, he would merely cradle me in his arms, and walk us back.

I knew I couldn't swim back, my muscles wouldn't allow such a thing, so I nod, allowing Finnick to help me onto his back, and swim back to the soft beach. Once on the sand, I hopped down, and wrung my hair out,

I whispered, collecting my things, throwing my dress over my wet suit, and smiling at him in a light way I hoped didn't look like I was being awkward. I asked, and he grunted, falling onto the sand, I took that as a yes before hurrying off home, not wanting to stand in the awkward silence any longer.

(A/N: Just a quick note at the end, although this isn't what I would normally do. I'm sorry if the swimming scene was awful, I'm a non-swimmer personally, and have a strong fear of the ocean, so if the chapter was to fully surround just not going in the water at all, I suppose it might have sounded better, but anyho, please enjoy the rest of this fanfic ^.^)