Author's note: This one's a bit of a heavy one. Some more Fannie times. Feel free to review and let me know what you think.

Happy reading!

Chained to this Fear

Annie clung to Finnick. She hadn't really let him out of her sight for the entire day. She only let him part from her when he had to do training. Even then, she snuck out to the training ground and watched him.

"I have you, Ann." He whispered, kissing her hair.

"But only for a few more hours." She said desperately.

"I'll be back."

She said nothing. The fear within her spoke to her, telling her that he wouldn't.

He took a breath and placed his hands on her cheeks and made her look at him. "Annie, I swear to you that I will do everything in my power to come back to you. And if I don't—"

She put her hand to his mouth, "Don't talk about if you don't. Talk about when you do."

He nodded. He kissed her fingers and took her hand gently away. He smiled. "When I come back to you, we will move back to District Four. We'll have at least two children because that's how many I want. But we could have four or five because that's how many you want. Maybe I can compromise on three. We'll teach them to swim and fish and make sand castles." He kissed her softly. "And we'll grow old together. So old and wrinkly, we won't remember who we are most days. And I'll tell you I love you every day."

Tears streamed down Annie's cheeks. "I love you, Finnick." She smiled. "Three is a good number. I can compromise on three."

He smiled back and rested his forehead against hers. "Snow won't be able to hurt us anymore. I promise you that I will make that happen."

"I just want the promise that you'll come back. Tell me again that you'll come back to me."

"I'll come back. Just like every other time. I promise you, Ann."

She kissed him then, almost desperately. Her arms wrapped around him and pulled him to her.

Finnick could taste her tears as they continued to fall. The salty kisses only made the tightness in his throat worse. He had been forcing himself not to cry since he first saw the look on her face when he told her he was being shipped to the Capitol.

He broke the kiss suddenly, "Oh, god." He rested his forehead against hers and let out a small sob. "I hate Snow so much. All that he's done to me. All that he's done to us. I'm going to make him pay, Ann."

"I'd like it better if you would let others take care of it. If you go up against him…"

He kissed her again. "I won't take any unnecessary risks."

She climbed onto his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist. "You better not." She kissed him.

"I'm going to memorize every minute of this. So that late at night, when I'm all alone in my bed roll, I can close my eyes and remember what you feel like in my hands." He kissed her. "I want to remember every kiss. I want to remember everything so I know what I'm missing. So I know what I'm coming back to."

She broke into fresh sobs and put her head on his shoulder. "I don't want you to go. Stay with me. Stay forever."

"I wish I could." He whispered into her hair. "You know I do. But if I stay, Snow wins. And I won't have him do you anymore harm. I don't want to leave this up to other people. I can't."

Her arms tightened around him.

Neither said anything, they just held each other and breathed each other in for several minutes.

Finnick's hands moved slowly over her. He kissed every bit of her he could reach while she still clung to him and pressed her eyes into his neck. He whispered, "I love you, Annie. I love you so much."

Annie slid her hands up his back and lifted her head. She leaned in and kissed him. "I will never love anyone the way I love you."

He raised one side of his mouth in a smirk. "You had better not. I'll never let you leave me."

She kissed him again. "You're coming back."

"I'm coming back." He kissed her.

She tugged at his shirt. "I could get pregnant tonight." She said softly.

He looked at her. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

He pulled his shirt off. "Do you want that?"

"Do you?"

He looked at her a moment. He didn't want to really say what he was thinking. That if he died, at least she'd have a piece of him to live for. He just smiled and said, "You let me know if you are. Do whatever you can to get me a message."

She swallowed back more tears and nodded. "Something else for you to come back for."

"Yes." He kissed her and reclined on the bed, pulling her with him.

They kissed languidly for a while. Tears dripped from Annie's face onto Finnick's. She sat up and removed her shirt. She looked down at him.

"This isn't fair. None of this is." She leaned down and kissed him. She shifted positions with him.

"It never has been." He whispered. "But when I get back, you are mine completely. We'll never have to worry about hiding. You'll be mine and I'll be yours and no one will be able to take that away."

She put her hands on the sides of his face. "I love you. I love you so much. I can't wait for the day when I can show you off, Finnick."

He kissed her. "I want to make love to you slowly. I want to remember every second. I want to make it meaningful."

She looked up at him. She smiled, "Do you remember the first time? When you snuck into the shower with me?"

He chuckled. "That was beautiful. It was the first time it ever meant anything."

"I think Snow hurt you worse than he hurt anyone."

"I wasn't the only one he whored out, you know."

"I know. But you were the one most in demand."

He kissed her. "That's all over now, Ann. It's just you and me." He put his hand on her stomach and splayed out his fingers. "And the child we might make. The first of three."

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah." She pulled him to her once more.

This time, they didn't break apart for a long time. Their tongues moved together expertly. This was home. This was where they were meant to be. It was just a shame that after tonight it would all be over.

Yes, he had promised he would come back. But both of them knew that wasn't his promise to make. He'd go, but he wasn't coming back.

They took their time undressing each other the rest of the way.

Finnick sat back and simply looked at his wife. She was perfect in every way. He would miss her. He was always missing her. He hoped for the day when he wouldn't have to miss her anymore. He cupped her cheek and stroked it with his thumb. He trailed his fingers down her neck, her chest, her stomach. He slid both of his hands slowly back up her body.

Annie sighed. He always knew the best ways to touch her. With all his experience that she despised, she was happy to know that he could tell by the subtle signs she gave what she wanted or needed.

She took his hands in her own and kissed his palms one at a time. She rested his hands on her hips as she moved to straddle him once more. She slipped her fingers slowly over his skin.

"Tell me what you want." She said softly as her fingers trailed over his stomach.

He shook his head. "What do you want?"

She bit her lip and looked at him. She shrugged.

He smoothed the hair away from her face. "Lay back, my sweet girl."

She kissed him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him with her as she reclined on the bed.

Finnick slipped inside her slowly. His hands found hers and twined their fingers together as they started moving together. He pressed a kiss to her jaw, her neck, her shoulder.

She removed one of her hands from his and wrapped her arm around his back.

His speed increased.

Annie begged, "Not too fast."

He slowed. He let go of her hands and slipped his arms around her back. "Wanna switch places?" he breathed out.

"Do you?"

He flipped onto his back. He put his hands on her hips and lifted her slowly, letting her fall back down on her own.

She leaned over him and kissed him as she continued to move. She sat back and breathed out a sigh. She looked down at him again and was surprised to see his eyes glistening. She froze.

"No, Annie, don't stop." He begged, bucking beneath her.

She started moving again, leaning down. He kissed him again and again. Her throat tightened as the familiar sensation of her rising climax started. "No." She said softly just before the convulsions overtook her.

Finnick's face changed as he came at almost the same moment. He grunted and sighed, thrusting up into her slowly a few more times.

They were both done. They stared at each other for several minutes, unmoving. Even after they regained their breathing and regular heartbeats, they stayed that way.

Annie let out a sob and collapsed on his chest. "No." she said again, crying onto his shoulder.

"We have the rest of the night, Ann." He said softly, wrapping his arms around her.

"It's not the same and you know it. I was never very good at good-bye. I always feared you wouldn't be coming back. Every time I was afraid you'd fall in love with one of those rich women or that you'd get a permanent offer or that you'd say one wrong thing and Snow would kill you. And now you're going off and you really could die." She made a fist and pounded his shoulder. "It's not fair. And Snow can go straight to Hell."

He cried softly into her hair. "I'm pretty sure that's where he's headed." He clenched his jaw, holding in a sob. "And with all the things I've done, I'll probably see him there."

"No, you're good. Everything you ever did, you did for me." She kissed his neck. "Just a few more hours. You should sleep."

He sniffed. "I'll sleep on the train tomorrow."

"That's not going to be enough."

"Nothing is ever enough, Ann." He whispered. "Never."

"You always loved me enough."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I always felt like I didn't do right by you."

She looked down at him earnestly. "But you did. You always did."

He kissed her softly. "I love you, Annie. Don't you ever forget that. I'll always be with you."

She nodded. "And I'll always be with you." Annie dropped her head to his shoulder. "Just hold me the rest of the night."

"I will." He smiled. "In my arms for the night, in my heart forever."

Annie sobbed into his shoulder for a while longer until she exhausted herself and her eyes drifted shut. She hated herself for it, but she couldn't fight it.

Finnick laid awake, caressing her and feeling her breathing against him. In the morning this would be at an end. He would work to come back to her. He would take every care in the world to keep his promise. He finally drifted to sleep in the early hours of the morning.