A/N: Hey everyone! I'm so sorry it took me forever to update this! I've been really busy, but here is chapter 4. I'm sorry that nothing exciting happened in this chapter, next chapter will be exciting, I swear.
Chapter Four:
I sink myself into the steamy water. The foam bubbles smelling of lavender permeate the air, relaxing me. I rest my head back and close my eyes. The chariot rides were awful. Rose flexed the whole time, and Luke waved and smiles friendly. They couldn't look more divided out there. The crowd would rather sponsor two District partners that appear as a team, rather than sponsor those who appear to not like each other. All they want is drama. A love story. Clearly they can't play lovers. What if… They promise a good fight? That won't be fair to Luke though.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Finnick asks, sitting on the edge of the bath.
"I was just thinking about our strategy. To get them sponsors. Frankly, it's giving me a headache." I say, rubbing my temples.
"Don't think too hard, pretty lady. Let me be the thinker. I have a plan formulating." He says, smiling softly.
"I feel so drained. Walking around for a million years, and posing for pictures, and answering small questions just make me tired." I sigh, closing my eyes again.
"Yeah, being pregnant doesn't help. Hey… Um…Can we talk?" He asks me. I crack open an eye. He sounds serious.
"Yeah, of course. You don't have to ask me that." I say, sitting forward, causing some soapy water to spill over the side.
"I remember we had a conversation a while ago about kids. You said that you were afraid to have kids, and that you didn't want to. How do you feel now?" He asks, looking up at me through his eyelashes. I freeze. I do remember saying something along those lines. I remember the nightmare I had of my baby and Snow. I shiver.
"I…I don't know. I would prefer to bring a child into a world where Snow didn't exist, but he does, and we are having a baby." I say. He closes his eyes tight.
"So you're saying you don't want it." He says. I reach my hand out and place it over his.
"No. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that we are going to have fight extra hard to protect our baby. Especially with Snow hot on our trail." I explain. He opens his eyes. He exhales in relief.
"I thought you were going to say that you wanted to terminate the pregnancy. I was about to have a heart attack. I'm so excited about this. You have no idea." He rushes out. He leans forward and places his lips to mine. I smile, and pull him forward by his collar, pulling him in the bath. He falls in, splashing the water everywhere, and getting soaking wet. I start giggling right away. He glares at me, and crosses his arms.
"You are going to wish you never did that." He says lowly. Staring up at the ceiling.
"What are you gonna do? I'm pregnant." I quip.
"I'm sleeping on the couch tonight." He says. My smile of victory falls. I know that the nightmares will surely plague me tonight if I sleep alone.
"No. Finnick. Please, I'll have another nightmare." I plead. He looks at me, and thinks for a second.
"Fine. Let's go." He stands up, the water dripping from his clothes in a steady stream.
We dry off, and then snuggle close in the large bed. He glides his fingers lightly over my arm.
"I love you. I can't believe that this is our life." He breathes.
"What do you mean?" I ask curiously.
"I mean, we are famous, went through hell, there's always so much going on. I wonder what it would be like if we were normal." He clarifies.
"Oh. I don't know. I'd probably be wallowing in grief still. If it weren't for the Games, and the dire circumstances we were under that forced me to be strong, I'm not sure we'd be as happy as we are now." I say, my eyelids growing heavy.
"I love how you think about everything so deeply." He says, kissing my temple.
"Thanks." I laugh. I feel his hand on my stomach. I drift off to sleep.
I open my eyes slowly. I see the room is pitch black. I clutch the empty sheets. Finnick's not here. I sit up fast, and immediately regret it. I feel the nausea spinning around in my stomach. I jump out of bed and sprint to the bathroom. I make it just in time for my stomach fluids to present themselves.
"Uh…" I groan. I place a hand to my forehead and close my eyes. I'm still tired, but I know I won't be able to fall back asleep without Finnick. I push myself up off the cold white tiles, and wander down the hallway. The penthouse looks the same as last year. I pause in the living room, and look at the dining area. The memory of me knocking over the vase, and cutting my hand with Paul plays before my eyes.
"What are you doing?" I hear a loud voice echo through the empty room. I jump and look to my left where the sound came from. I see Annie sitting in a chair in the corner.
"I was just looking for Finnick. Have you seen him?" I ask her. She shakes her head.
"I want to apologize." She says randomly. I notice her eyes are red.
"About what?" I ask dumbly. I sift through the past few days and can't think of anything that she did wrong.
"For causing so much drama. Especially at the wedding. I just have a hard time letting go." She whispers. She looks down at her hands and plays with a ring on her middle finger.
"Don't apologize. You don't have to be sorry for your feelings. No one should. There's a reason that we have feelings and I don't blame you. I'd be heartbroken if it were reversed." I say, inching closer.
"Being here holds so many memories. Good and bad. I don't know if I can continue mentoring. It's not like you guys need me. Rose is stubborn and won't listen to anyone, and Luke likes you more than any of us." She says, sniffling. I feel for her.
"Don't say that. You just haven't connected with Luke yet, and I don't think there is any use in connecting with Rose since it's nearly impossible." I laugh. She smiles weakly at that.
"I think it's best if I go back to bed. After the chariot rides, it's time to train. Big day tomorrow." She says, and walks off in the dark towards her room.
A lot has happened to Annie, and I truly do feel bad for her. I've come to the conclusion that she's not so bad. I walk over to the windows and look out on the city. Lights glimmer across the whole landscape. I wonder how much the electric bill is for all those buildings. I think for a moment about my conversation with Annie, and I feel like she's not all that bad. Maybe it won't be as horrible as I thought.