He found her curled up behind the hot water pipes. Katniss was too exhausted to care if her boot was sticking out and giving away her location. He sighed, something he found himself doing a lot more now that he was in charge of watching the Mockingjay.
Without a word, Boggs lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the Everdeen room. Was she really going to be the embodiment of the revolution? She felt much too light for a girl her size. Boggs made a mental note to get someone to increase her daily caloric intake. No amount of make up and cinema magic could completely erase the starvation she's endured.
But did they really want someone who was well fed in front of the cameras? He shook his head. Coin might be in charge of the wellbeing of the symbol, but it was Boggs' responsibility to take care of the girl.
No one was there, Mrs. Everdeen was in the infirmary and Primrose was at class. Boggs cracked the door with one hand and nudged it the rest of the way open with the toe of his boot. He placed her on one of the beds and draped a gunmetal gray blanket over her. Katniss uncurled slightly and shifted on the bed. Boggs, in a rare moment of breaking composure, gently swept the flyaway hairs out of her eyes. Those gray eyes snapped open at the contact, shocked, searching, calculating if the man in front of her was a threat. Recognition smoothed any stress away from her features and she sleepily blinked and shut her eyes again. Boggs froze when she leaned against his hand.
Boggs allowed himself a small half smile and shut the door. "Sleep well, Mockingjay."
For the first time in District 13, Katniss Everdeen felt safe. It wasn't the solid concrete walls or the fact that they were deep underground, but the atmosphere had changed overnight. She felt her father's presence there. He was watching over her now and it was as if his spirit was chasing away the dankness, the endless gray that brought on melancholic thoughts.
She spotted Boggs in the hallway and stumbled slightly. He was beside her in an instant, a hand around her arm to steady her. Katniss froze at his touch and Boggs pulled away. The man in her dreams wasn't her father. It was Boggs. Gray eyes met blue. Katniss was the first to blink. "You." He gave a slight nod, understanding, yet uncertain. He was the one to find her and carry her back, the one who was watching out for her. "You're the one watching over me." Katniss said as she stood, dusting off imaginary debris from her standard issue jacket.
"Always."