A/N: Thanks for all reviews/favorites/alerts/etc.! More reviews would be appreciated to know how I'm doing :) Happy reading! Titanic song 3 Anyone see it in 3D? I did(:


Near, far, wherever you are

I believe that the heart does go on

Once more, you open the door

And you're here in my heart

And my heart will go on and on

My Heart Will Go On ~ Celiene Dion


"Let the 65th Annual Hunger Games begin!" I faintly hear Petunia say, despite the fact she's screaming.

I've finally calmed down enough to stop screaming, but I'm still a wreck. Liesel is whispering comforting words in my ear, but her words won't change anything. The only person that can bring Finnick back home to me is Finnick himself.

I watch as Finnick and Lydia are escorted to the Justice building, and the crowd starts to disperse, sighs of relief and anguish filling the empty air.

I stand, staring at the place on the stage where Finnick had been standing just moments ago. Part of me hopes this is all just a nightmare. A cruel, terrible, heartbreaking nightmare. I pinch myself, just to make sure. But no, I'm not dreaming. This is all terrifyingly real. The odds are not in my favor.

I probably would have stood there all day, until I feel a gentle hand tug on my own. I look to Liesel with empty eyes, hoping she somehow has an answer as to how to fix this messed up situation. She stares back at me, her eyes filled with despair and sadness. She swallows before saying in a tired, hoarse voice, "We should go see them, Annie. They need us right now."

I nod, knowing she's right. Lydia is a good friend of hers, who often ate dinner at our house, played with me when I was young, and tutored Liesel in mathematics. She has always been there for us. And we need to be there for her.

Liesel and I know deep down in our hearts that she won't make it. She's too fragile and kind, the opposite of the Games. I hope her death will be as quick and painless as possible.

Lydia isn't my main concern, though, as awful as it sounds. All I can think about is Finnick. Why did he volunteer? Just hours ago, he had been scared out of his mind of the Games, promising not to leave, and now he's a tribute. The whole thing seems odd and unreal to me.

Liesel and I enter the Justice Building wordlessly, amazed by the amount of people there to bid the two tributes farewell. I notice there is a long line leading to one of the doors, with girls sobbing as they wait their turn. I roll my eyes, and Liesel and I walk to the adjacent door, which seems to have no visitors at all.

I tell Liesel to go in before me, knowing she needs to say goodbye to Lydia by herself. Liesel takes up all of her allotted time, and comes out with red puffy eyes. I give her a hug, and enter the room, bracing myself to see Lydia.

She is sitting on a couch in the middle of the room, sobbing with her head in her hands. When she hears me come in, she looks up suddenly. She wipes her eyes and tries to give me a watery smile. I sit down on the couch next to her, and hold her weeping form. We just sit there for a while, until a Peacekeeper comes in to tell me my time is up. I start to get up to leave, before Lydia grabs my hand, urgently. In a whisper, she desperately says, "Please tell your friend to help me. To give me a painless death. I don't want to be tortured or savagely murdered. Please Annie. You have to do that for me."

I nod, shocked at her words. The Peacekeeper, fed up with me not listening to him, grabs my arm and drags me out of the room. I hear Lydia yell out to me, "Tell Liesel she's the best friend I've ever had!"

I come back to Liesel, and take her hand in mine. Liesel looks at me expectantly, and I deliver Lydia's message to her. She immediately breaks down, and cries falling into my arms. I hold her, trying to sooth her, not caring that all the people surrounding us are staring. She finally composes herself enough to grab my hand, and take our place in the back of the line to see Finnick. The line is slow moving, and I start to worry that I won't even get my chance to say goodbye.

Slowly but surely, the crying teenage girls start to disappear one by one, and we are at the front of the line. Knowing I want to be alone with Finnick, Liesel goes first, assuring me she'll be quick. A few minutes later, she emerges, looking as sad as I've ever seen her. It's finally my turn. I brace myself, and open the door quietly.

Finnick is sitting in a chair by the window, staring out at the ocean. The sunlight filling the room is directly hitting him, making him look almost angelic. His bronze hair looks lighter, and his sea green eyes are shining. I'm not sure if they're from the sun or from unshed tears, though.

"Finnick?" I say quietly, so I won't startle him. He looks up, with a smirk on his face, probably expecting a fan girl. When he sees me, the smirk fades, and he practically runs across the room to me. He takes me in his arms, lifting me off the ground before putting me down gently. He holds me tightly and whispers, "I didn't think you would come."

I'm surprised at this. "Of course, I would come! You're my best friend Finnick! There was a rather long line, but of course-"

Before I can finish this thought, Finnick shushes me. I look at him in surprise, and realize his face is inching toward mine. I don't realize what's happening until his lips lightly press against mine.

My brain stops working, and I instinctively start to kiss him back, wrapping my arms around his neck tightly. Then it hits me. Finnick is kissing me. And he's about to leave, possibly for good. I can't just set myself up for such heartbreak. I push him away, and hurt crosses his face for a moment.

"Finnick!" I practically screech, waving my arms around wildly, "What the hell was that?"

He shrugs and a small smile crosses his face before saying, "I don't really know, I've just always wanted to know what that would be like. This might be my last chance, right?" He says, chuckling to himself sadly.

"Don't say that. Stop talking like that, Finn." I say, my voice gentle, as I stare into his shining eyes that are wet with unshed tears.

"Oh come on, Annie. We need to be realistic here." He crosses his arms across his chest, as he always does whenever he disagrees with me.

"You promised you wouldn't get reaped, Finnick Odair! Now, you're going to promise to come home to me!"

"First of all, I promised, I wouldn't get reaped. I didn't say anything about volunteering. Secondly, I can't Annie. I don't know if-"

"Wait," I say, interrupting him, "why did you volunteer, Finnick? You wouldn't go into these Games without good reason."

"Well, um…" Finnick starts, his face turning pink from blush. "I did it for you. I knew you couldn't live without Aaron, and I just wanted you to be happy. You deserve happiness, Ann." He said this all very quickly, his face bright red by the end.

I don't know how to feel about this. Yes, it makes me happy that Aaron won't die. But what Finnick doesn't realize is that I can't live without him either. Then, a realization dawns on me. Whenever I visualize my future, Finnick is there. He's my prom date. My fiancée. My husband. My children's father. My future is Finnick. I can't possibly imagine my life with anyone else.

I slowly walk up to him, and boldly wrap my arms around his neck again. He looks taken aback by this, but overall, he looks pleased. "Finnick," I whisper, unsure of what I'm doing, "here's the thing, though. I can't live without you, either. You're my happiness. You're the guy I imagine spending the rest of my life with. You can't leave. You have to come back to me. Please promise, Finnick. I need you to do that for me. Come back to me, no matter what it takes. Promise me." My voice cracks at the end, and my tears escape quickly pouring down my face.

Finnick takes my face in his hands, and I think he's about to kiss me again. But he just looks me in the eyes and says in a strong voice, "I promise you Annalise Cresta, I'll come home. I'm going to come home to you." And by the way he says it with such confidence, I believe him. I lean forward and kiss him on the cheek, making him blush like crazy. I smile, and so does he.

And just like that, Finnick Odair isn't my best friend anymore. He's so much more. But, deep down, I know he always has been.

As the Peacekeepers come to take me away, I tell him to care for Lydia, and he tells me to care for Mia. I give him one last hug as they pull me away from him, and he yells to me that he won't let go of his promise, and he'll see me soon. I yell back I'll be the first thing he sees when he gets off the train when he comes home. And my hope to see my Finnick become the victor of the 65th annual Hunger Games grows.