White Christmas - Michael Buble ft. Shania Twain
"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year." - Charles Dickens.
We're kinda Best Friends.
Hope was sitting crossed leg in the middle of the bed her and Tessa shared.
Once Haymitch's tape was finished, the four teens went off on their own, to different places in the house. They all just needed some time alone. To think.
Hope looked done at her hands and opened the heart shape locket she was holding.
It was a fair-sized, gold, shiny locket.
When you opened it you saw two pictures.
On the left side, there was a 6 year old Hope with a 7 year old Tessa. They were hugging each other and smiling big. On the right side of the locket, was a four year old Hunter and a 8 year old Finnick. Hope could tell that this was Finnick's "I'm tough" stage because both him and Hunter were standing back to back with their arms crossed over their chest with a "tough" look on their faces.
Hope smiled as she closed the locket and flipped it over.
We're kinda Best Friends.
"That's one cheap looking locket you have there."
Hope looked up and she saw Finnick in the door way.
"Hey." She said as Finnick walked over to the bed and sat down.
"How are you feel?" Finnick asked full of concern.
"Okay," Hope sighed. "It's... it's just a lot to take in, you know."
"Yeah, I do." Finnick agreed. "It was nothing like I thought it was going to be."
The two sat in silence for a few moments, until Hope looked at Finnick and spoke.
"Are we doing the right thing Finn?" She asked. "I mean, are watching the tapes really something we should be doing?"
Finnick thought for a few minutes until he finally answered her.
"I think, that if it weren't for these tapes, then we would still be where we were before, not fulling understanding our parents. And it may have led to some more problems down the road."
"There why doesn't it feel right?"
"Because we are doing it behind their backs, " Finnick explained. Then he stood up and turned around so he was now looking down at Hope. "We'll tell them. Later now. And they will be mad at first. But, it will all come together."
Hope looked up at Finnick then smirked. "When did you get so smart?"
"I don't know. But I like it!" Finnick smiled as he turned as walked to the door.
He stopped once he was just about to leave and turned to look at Hope.
"Are you coming? Hunter and Tessa are downstairs making breakfast."
"I'll be down in a bit." Hope said, standing up.
"Alright."
Finnick turned back around to leave, but Hope's voice stopped him.
"Finn."
"Yeah?"
"Thank you." She smiled.
Finnick smiled back. "Anytime Hope. You know that."
"I know," Hope told him, still smiling.
Finnick then turned around and left to go downstairs.
Hope smiled to herself as she walked over to the window, locket still in her hand, and looking out at the still black sky, even though it was now 7:30 in the morning.
Hope watched as the rain poured down the window in rivers and she thought about one think.
These tapes stripped them of their innocence.
A six year old Hope was staring out the living room window, dressed in a cute little red dress that went just above her knees, green tights and her long brown hair was in two braids on each side with white ribbons tie in a bow at the end of each.
She narrowed her bright blue eyes as she looked at the green grass and bright blue sky that didn't have one cloud.
It looked nothing like Christmas Eve.
"Finn! Stop trying to eat the cookies!"
Hope turned away from the window and looked in the direction of the kitchen when she heard her four year old brother yell at her eight year old best friend.
"Finnick Ray! Would you leave the cookies along or you will not get any at all!"
Tessa, who was sitting on the couch watch TV with Johanna looked up at Hope and started to laugh.
"Finnick is in trouble." She said in a sing-a-song voice.
Hope laughed as Johanna looked at her daughter.
"Be good young lady. Santa is still watching you know."
"Yes mom." Tessa mumbled.
Hope laughed as she walked over to the couch and grabbed Tessa's hand, pulling her up.
"Come on Tess. Let's go see whats going on."
Together, the two girls ran into the kitchen, with Johanna right behind them.
Once in the Kitchen, the girls saw Hunter kneeling on a stool with a tray on decorated cookies in front of him. Across from him, also kneeling on a stool, was Finnick, who had his arms crossed and an annoyed look on his face.
Katniss and Annie were also in the kitchen. Katniss was placing all the decorated cookies on a plate while Annie was standing there glaring at Finnick.
"Aunt Annie. Whats going on?" Hope asked, looking up at her Aunt in everything but blood.
"Finn is trying to eat all the cookies." Hunter answered his sister, still glaring at Finnick.
"I just want one!" Finnick then turned to look as his mother. "Please mom."
Annie shook her head. "I told you. You can have one later when they are all done."
"Besides," Katniss said as she placed the plate of cookies in the middle of the counter. "If you want until later, then you maybe able to have more than one cookie."
Finnick's eyes lite up as he jumped off the stool and ran over to give Katniss a hug.
"Thank you so much Aunt Katniss!"
Just then, the back door opened and in walked Peeta and James, holding up a tree.
"Good, you're back," Johanna said. "We were about to send out a search party."
"Well you know," James said, panting, as him and Peeta set the tree upright. "It's not the easiest thing ever to go, cut down a tree, then bring it all the way back home."
"Now, where is it going?" Peeta asked while Johanna glared at her husband.
"Follow Hope and Tessa," Katniss told them. "They got it all planned out."
"Okay girls," James said as him and Peeta lifted the tree again. "Lead the way."
Hope and Tessa smiled as they ran into the decorated living room with their fathers behind them.
"Okay. The tree is going to go right there." Hope told them, pointing to the corner that was left of the fireplace.
The girls got out of the way as Peeta and James placed the tree in the tree holder. Once they were sure that the tree wasn't going to move, they backed up next to their daughters.
"Good?" Peeta asked his daughter and 'niece'.
"Perfect!" Hope smiled as Tessa nodded her head.
"Here are the lights." Annie said, walking into the living room with a box of lights in her arms.
She dropped them down on the coffee table and then looked up.
"Katniss and Johanna are getting the ornaments."
Peeta nodded. "Me and James will start putting on the lights." He then turned to Hope and Tessa. "When we're done, you kids can put the ornaments on."
"Okay." Tessa smiled.
"Finn! Stop!" Hunter yelled from the kitchen.
"Oh my..." Annie mumbled before she turned and started for the kitchen. "Finnick! Whatever you are doing you better stop it now!"
Hope and Tessa looked at each other and smiled.
"Finnick is in trouble." They both said in a sing-a-song voice.
Peeta and James chuckled.
"Alright you two," James said as he walked over to the coffee table and took out the lights. "Go sit on the couch and wait until we're done, okay?"
"Okay." Hope and Tessa said.
They walked over to the couch and sat done just as Hunter and a grumpy looking Finnick walked in.
"Finn? Whats wrong?" Hope asked as he sat down on the love seat while Hunter climbed onto the chair.
"I just want a cookie." Finnick mumbled more to himself.
"You tried to take another cookie didn't you?" Johanna asked as her and Katniss walked in, each carry a box of ornaments.
"Maybe."
"Okay, how about this," Katniss said, dropping the box of ornaments on the coffee table. "If you don't try to take a cookie anymore today, you can have two later on."
"For sure?" Finnick looked up.
Katniss nodded. "I promise."
"Okay!" Finnick smiled, his eyes lighting up.
"It's bad that the only way to get him to listen to bribe him with something he already wants." Annie said, walking in.
"Does this mean that if I be good for the rest of the night, I can get an extra cookie too?" Tessa asked.
"If you all be good and listen for the rest of the day," Katniss told them. "Then yes. You can all have an extra cookie."
The kids all smiled and agreed that the would listen.
As Peeta and James were putting the lights on the tree, the kids sat and talked about how excited they were for Christmas and want to really hoped they would get, while Katniss, Johanna and Annie went to clean up the kitchen.
"There. Done." Peeta said as he sat down on loveseat.
The girls hopped up and walked over to the tree to get a better look.
"I like it." Tessa smiled.
"There are no ornaments on it yet Tess." Finnick told her.
"I know," Tessa glared at him. "But I still like it."
"Okay. Because we aren't re-doing it." James said as he sat down on the couch.
"I don't understand why it took you an hour and a half to put the lights on in the first place." Johanna said, walking into the living room and Katniss and Annie.
"Do you know how distracting these four are?" James told her as she sat done next to him.
Johanna just shook her head at her husband.
"You four can put the ornaments on now." Annie told the kids.
Hunter and Finnick jumped up and went over to the boxes of ornaments while Annie took Hunter's spot and Katniss took Finnick's.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Hope cried, stopping Tessa, Finnick and Hunter from putting on the first ornaments. "You can't just put ornaments on randomly. You have to space them, or it will just look like a big mess!"
The other three kids just stared back at Hope with blank looks.
Sighing, Hope mumbled to herself. "Do I have to do everything myself?"
Meanwhile, the adults were on the seats laughing at the six year old bossing around the seven, eight and four year old.
"And she's only six." Katniss shook her head.
"Yeah. Just think about what she will be like when she is sixteen." Johanna smirked.
"You can't talk," Katniss told her. "Imagine Tessa in ten years."
The smirk fell right off Johanna's face.
"How about we just live in the moment?"
"Good idea." Katniss nodded her head.
After about an hour of Hope directing the placement of ornaments, the tree was fully decorated. All that was left was to put the star on top.
Every year, well, every year that Tessa and Finnick came to the Mellark's for Christmas, they went oldest to youngest for putting the star on the tree.
Last time, it was Hope. So, now it was Hunter's turn.
"Here you go Hunt." Hope handed her brother the star.
Hunter looked from the star in his hands to the top of the tree, wondering how in the world he was going to get it up there.
"Come on bud." Peeta got up and walked over to his son.
He lifted him up, so Hunter was now just tell enough to reach the top of the tree.
Once the tree was on top, Peeta put Hunter down and all the kids stepped back to admire the tree.
"It's perfect!" Hope smiled.
"You kids did an amazing job." Annie told them, smiling.
"And what about me and Peeta Annie?" James teased. "Did we do a good job with the lights."
"Yeah," Annie nodded. "Just not as good as the kids did with the ornaments."
"Funny." James mumbled while everyone else laughed.
"Suppers ready." Johanna said as her and Katniss walked in carrying trays of sandwiches and drinks.
Half way though the tree decorating, Johanna and Katniss left to make supper. Normally, Katniss wouldn't even thinking about helping with supper, but seen as they would have their big Christmas dinner tomorrow, and it was only sandwiches, Katniss decided to help Johanna.
Hope looked out the living room window and saw that it was dark out. But there was still no snow on the ground.
"What time is it?" Tessa asked as her, Finnick, Hunter and Hope sat on the floor around the coffee table.
"Seven o'clock," Katniss said as she handed them their sandwiches and drinks. "You guys are having a later supper tonight."
"That's why I'm so hungry." Finnick said, picking up his sandwich.
"You are always hungry." Hope said.
"You're funny Hope. You know that."
Hope shrugged and smirked. "I know."
"Okay kids listen up," Johanna said getting their attention. "Once you are done, you are going to go put your PJ's on. Then, you can hand out your Secret Santa gifts."
"Then we have to go to bed?" Hunter asked.
"Yes. Then you have to go to bed."
Once the kids finished up their sandwiches and drinks, they stood up and went to put on their PJ's.
Hope and Tessa walked into Hope's room to chance, only to find two matching PJ's folded on Hopes bed.
The shirts were light blue with a white snowflake on the front and the pants were a darker blue with smaller snowflakes all over.
Hope and Tessa smiled as they ran over to the bed.
They quickly chanced out of they outfits and into the PJ's. Hope took the ribbons out of her hair, but left the braids in.
Once they were chance, they girls ran down the stairs to show off their PJ's.
"Well don't to two look cute." Annie smiled.
"Looks like Santa dropped off an early Christmas gift this year." Peeta also smiled.
"Do you like them?" Katniss asked.
"Yes!" The girls squealed, which made the adults laugh.
Then, Finnick and Hunter walked down the stairs, also dressed in matching PJ's.
Their tops were a little red with a gingerbread man on it, and their pants were also a darker red with smaller gingerbread men all over.
"And you two look some handsome." Annie told them.
"Cool mom," Finnick said. "We look cool."
The adults laughed while Annie just shook her head.
"Can we hand out our gifts now?" Hope asked with excitement in her voice.
Whenever Tessa and Finnick came over for Christmas, the kids did a Secret Santa between the four of them.
"Sure." Peeta nodded his head.
The kids ran to get their gifts and they were back in the living room in no time, sitting on the floor.
"Alright, Hunter. You first." Katniss told her son.
Hunter nodded his head the handed his gift to Finnick.
"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Finnick had a big smile on his face as he took off the paper. "What you get me?!"
Finnick opened the gift and took out a long, thick black necklace that had a shark tooth on the end of it.
"Thanks Hunt." Finnick smiled at the four year old. "I love it!"
"Welcome." Hunter yawned.
"Hope. Your turn." Peeta told his daughter.
Hope turned to Tessa and smiled, handing her the gift.
Tessa smiled big as she opened the gift and pulled out two silver bracelets. Both brackets had a heart on it and on one heart was Friends while the other had Forever.
"Thanks Hope!" Tessa smiled. Then, she took the bracket that said Forever and handed it to her. "For you."
Hope smiled big as she took the bracket.
"Thanks Tess." She said as she gave Tessa a hug.
"Alright Tessa." James said, letting her know it was her turn.
Tessa picked up her gift and handed it over to Hunter, who was half asleep seen that is was almost nine.
Hunter took the gift and opened it. He pulled out a book that had My Barking written on the front.
"It's a book for you to put all your favorite recipes in." Tessa explained to the four year old.
Hunter gave her a sleepy smile. "Thanks Tess."
Tessa smiled back as Annie told Finnick it was his turn.
Finnick picked up his gift and handed it to Hope.
She took it and ripped off the paper to find a brown box. Hope opened the box and pulled out a beautiful gold, shiny heart shaped locket.
"Open it." Finnick smiled at her.
Hope opened the locket and saw a picture of her and Tessa on the left and a picture of Hunter and Finnick on the right.
"Now look on the back."
Hope flipped it over and looked on the back.
We're kinda Best Friends.
Hope looked up and gave Finnick a big smile.
She got up and gave him a big hug.
"Thank you Finn," she told him. "I love it."
"Alright kids," Peeta said, standing up. "Time for bed."
"Really?" Finnick whined.
"If you want Santa to come, then yes." Annie told her son.
"Fine." Finnick sighed.
The kids said their good nights to everyone as Katniss picked up a sleeping Hunter and brought him upstairs.
Tessa and Hope walked up the stairs, into Hope's room and climbed into bed.
"Goodnight Hope," Tessa yawned. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas Tess." Hope whispered.
Hope turned over so she was facing the window.
She smiled when she saw big balls of white fluffy snow felling for the sky.
Hope and Tessa were almost asleep when Finnick's voice ringing though the whole house woke them back up.
"Aunt Katniss! What about my cookies?!"
Hope smiled to herself as she looked at the locket in her hands one last time before putting it around her neck.
She had a felling it was going to help get her through the rest of the tapes.
It was like a reminder of the innocence that was stripped away.
As Hope walked out the door and down the stairs, with the smell of toast and eggs fulling her nose, she couldn't help but thing about a question that was her.
"Hey Finn," She said as she walked into the kitchen. "What do you mean this locket is cheap?"
Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas everyone!
This chapter was so much fun to write and I hope you enjoyed it.
Now, I have a question that has been asked a few times now but a few people, and that is if Hope and Finn are a couple. Here's my answer:
I have to say that no, their are not a couple at this time in the story. Just best friends. BUT, if people really like Hope and Finn together, then who knows, maybe in future chapters... ;)
I hope you all have an amazing Holiday!
Love you all to the moon and back, xox
