Last night she dreamt of him.
Annie should have known it was a dream when the room they were in didn't end. There were no walls, no sense of perception, just her and Finnick. The floor spread out from their feet for miles upon miles, farther than the eye could see, but it didn't matter. She didn't even notice. Her eyes didn't stray from Finnick.
They were hand in hand and just dancing. She supposed that should have been her second clue it was a dream. She couldn't dance to save her life, but now she was nothing but grace. Finnick spun her and she smiled as she embraced the move, her hair and the white cotton dress flared out. She returned right to his hold and he settled one large hand on her hip, while the other tucked her hair behind her ear. The hand on his hip moved to slide across her lower back and he was bringing her close against him.
She gave a small sigh and abandoned all pretenses of dancing so that she could wrap her arms around his neck and hold him. She wasn't sure how long they stood like that, as time held no influence here. Annie was aware of every little breath, every small movement, every time he shifted so as to hold her closer. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she realized that her hold was so tight it was probably hurting him, but she couldn't bear to let go. Letting go meant that he wouldn't be there, and that simply wasn't an option for her.
Finally he pulled back, just a little. His arms were still around her and she smiled to feel them. As always, they were warm. She was warm. She was safe.
"Love you, baby girl," he said, speaking for the first time.
Annie broke into a smile. "Love you too, pretty," she said, using a nickname that always made him scowl and shake his head at her. Finnick didn't really mind, she knew that, but he was too proud to admit that. Her smile widened when he decided not to refute her and instead leaned in to kiss her. She stood on her tip toes and felt their noses brush for just a second. His breath was warm and smelled a little like coffee, which didn't surprise her. He was incorrigible in the morning until he'd had at least two cups of it. She moved forward to close the small gap between them and –
Her eyes fluttered open. Annie sat up in the large queen bed and looked around in an attempt to figure out what felt so wrong. Oh right. In the other room she could hear her son's wail, and the sound never failed to make her wake. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and then she grabbed the robe that hung on the headboard. Bare feet padded on the coarse floor, and she left the empty bed to see what her son needed.
author's note: sorry, had to get this one off my chest. More drabbles to follow. I'll be playing fast and lose with silly little things like the ending of the last book, so they won't all be so miserable. : D