Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games, but I do own Stell and all her badass tendencies.

Finnick's POV

I keep my head down on my knees as I hold them to my chest. I keep thinking that maybe, if I hold myself together like this, it'll keep me from falling part.

So far, it's not really working.

They moved me back to the hospital wing, I'm pretty sure they gave away my room as well. Seeing as I won't be going back there anytime soon.

It took them a while to get me on my feet again after I found out about her. Mags was eventually the one to get me up, singing a song in District Four's native language that no one else understood. After they got me here, she cried with me. She was the only one I wanted with me then, that I really want with me now.

Because she loves Stell too. She understands how hard this is for me. She gets it.

I can hear people whisper about me. How I should just get it together. How I'm weak for letting her absence affect me so much. But they don't understand all she is to me. Best friend, ally, tribute, Victor, girlfriend.

Haymitch can understand some of it, but not all, not like Mags.

I raise my head, resting my chin atop my knees and starring at the makeshift wall that separates me from the patient on the other side. I can hear them breathing as they sleep. I'm supposed to be asleep as well, but how can I?

'They'll kill her again!'

Peeta's words ring over and over, seeming to bounce off the makeshift walls and the walls of my mind. My chest aches and I desperately need to speak to Peeta Mellark. But he's not conscious right now, and he isn't allowed any visitors until further notice.

I remember how devastated Katniss was. How she couldn't understand why he did not want to be near her. No one knows why that is. One of the doctors says he is not in his right mind right now, with all of the physical abuse he's been through in the past three and a half months. He also pointed out, that we don't know of what kind of mental torture they've been through.

We can only guess it is great, since they found Johanna's body in the same room as them. She was obviously killed right before their eyes.

My head turns towards the opening of my room when I hear someone knock on the metal pole. It takes me a moment to place Gale, his arm in a sling and the top half of his head, as well as his torso, wrapped in bandaging.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping Hawthorne?" I ask. Even I notice how flat and deflated my voice is.

"I could ask you the same Odair." He raises his good shoulder and walks closer. "But I needed to talk to you, privately." He looks around the room.

"Everyone's sleeping." I say and look to the chair by my bed. "Sit." I tell him and he does, grimacing slightly as he does so. We're both silent for a while, just staring at each other. "Did you see her?" I ask softly.

"No," I notice how his gaze goes unfocused, as though he's seeing something else. "But I think you deserve to know what it was like, and I know they don't want you to know." He looks up to me now and I just nod.

"Thanks." Gale just nods, a grunt coming out of him.

"When the hovercraft landed, they separated us into three groups. I was in the lead group, our job was to go in directly and get them, while the other two took out peacekeepers. The room they were in was easy enough to find, the information we had was only slightly off, and the room was heavily guarded." Gale starts and lets out a shaky breath.

"When we entered the room, all you could comprehend was the stench for the first few moments. I don't think I'll ever stop smelling that, it was like blood and feces and death, all mixed together. Mitchell was the first one to notice Johanna in the corner. There were no external cuts or anything on her, but the blood." Gale cringes as my mind forms the picture of Johanna for me. "Blood came out from her ears, her mouth, even her eyes. I've never seen anything like it." My throat closes up and Gale has to wait a few moments before continuing.

"There are two cells in the room, right to each other. The whole room is concrete, with two small windows at the top. But it was almost pitch black. Most of the floor was splattered in dried blood, and across from the cells were two posts. I think it's what they tied their wrists to, they were just the right distance apart from one another, and had rings at the top."

"And only Peeta was in a cell?" I ask, and Gale nods.

"We couldn't see him at first, but the other cell was open, and when Kye went inside he found Peeta in the corner. He had been checking to see if there was a body, we're almost positive that it's Stell's cell. But, we found Peeta, he barely had any clothes on, and what he did have was covered in blood. He was just sitting in the corner; I think he was thinking if he didn't make a noise we couldn't find him. But when Kye called out he found him, he went insane. We broke the lock and I went in first, I had to talk to him for a bit before he calmed down slightly. Kept having to tell him that we weren't going to hurt him. He finally nodded to me, and let me take him by the arm." Gale shakes his head.

"I've never felt someone shake so much when they stood still, God he was like a leaf. But when we turned him towards the door out he asked if we had Stell already." Gale looks up at me; our eyes lock together as I hang on every word he says. "Someone tried to lie and say we did, but I told him no, we hadn't seen her, he lost it. Started screaming, started speaking in some different language."

"Será que isso soa como este?" I ask and his eyes narrow at me

"It sounded like that." Gale says slowly.

"It's the ancient language of Four." I explain, "She must have taught him."

"Must have." He says distractedly. "But my communicuff started going off, it meant they couldn't hold back the peacekeepers much longer. We had only been in there five minutes, at the most. I guess I yanked too hard on Peeta, because he lounged at me, slugged me right in the eye." Gale's mouth quirks upwards as he points to the black welt on his face. "We finally had to knock him out." He doesn't speak for a while after that as I let it sink in.

"Do you have any idea where she was?" I ask, hoping that maybe, just maybe he does.

"There was another door in the room, we didn't have time to check where it went, but Peeta was pulling to go there." Gale pauses and his jaw clenches.

"What?" I ask him, "What Hawthorne?" He closes his eyes and pulls his chair closer to the bed.

"You can't tell anyone I'm telling you this. Not even Mags." I nod my head. "You swear?" he asks and I nod.

"On my life." He shakes his head.

"That's not good enough, on Stell's." he says and I clench my jaw before nodding.

"On Stell's." Gale nods, before lowering his voice so dramatically that I can barely hear him.

"Before the hovercraft, President Coin called me over to Command. I thought it was just a precautionary meeting, but when I got there, it was just the two of us." Gale doesn't break eye contact with me, "She started going on and on about what an influence Stell has on everyone in this country. She said how she supports the Capital, and telling me of what could happen if she were to come here." He pauses.

"What'd she say Hawthorne?" I push him and he frowns.

"She told me, ordered me that if we found her, she was to stay." I don't hear what else he says, but he must keep talking because his mouth keeps moving. She was never going to be rescued.

"I'll kill her." I growl as I push myself off the bed.

"Finnick!" Gale's sharp voice causes me to turn around, my fists clench at my sides and my teeth grind together. "You can't do anything. You don't know." I run a hand over my face as I realize he's right.

"She's going to die." There's a plea that I hear in my words, and it kills me that I can tell. Gale's face softens, but he doesn't contradict my words. "If she hasn't broken by now, she will soon. This time, my words are stronger.

"I have an idea though." I look at Gale, as he pushes himself out of the chair. "I'm going to tell Haymitch about it, but I think, if we can get into the Capital, somehow, without other rebel soldiers, we can get to her. Between Peeta and me, I think we could find our way back down there."

"I'd come to."

"Not if you can't get clearance, which right now, you can't." I know he's right. They wouldn't even think for a moment on letting me out, to any District.

Stell's POV

I feel like I'm dying, I know I am.

I just want to die. Why don't they let me fucking die already.

3rd Person POV (two weeks later)

"And you think I'll be a help?" Finnick asks as he follows the doctor down the hallway towards the room where Peeta is held.

The change in Finnick since Gale visited him that night is remarkable and no one quiet believes it. He's not his normal self, but he's no longer a shell. Once he got permission to workout, he's thrown himself into them. He helps with attack plans on other Districts, trains with other citizens, eats in the public cafeteria.

He even laughs sometimes and cracks a joke. He sits with the Hawthorne's and Everdeen's during meals, teasing Prim and Rory. He's patient with Mrs. Everdeen, eventually being able to get her to participate in conversations at the table.

When Katniss asks him about it later, he just says he's used to dealing with people who shut themselves out.

"Yes," the doctor tells the Victor, "he doesn't say much, just sings some song and then keeps saying how Stell should be rescued. We think that you'll be able to speak to him, since you have a connection with Stell." Finnick scoffs. A 'connection'? Is that what they're calling it?

They go through another door and Finnick sees Katniss and Haymitch in the room, on the other side of the glass wall he can see Peeta, sitting on his bed, seemingly staring at nothing. "It's one way glass," the doctor explains, "You'll be going through that door into the room with him. Stay close to the door in case he snaps, then you can get out." Finnick looks Peeta over, noticing the improvements to his physical condition.

He's put back on some weight, and almost half of the bruises he came with have faded. He's clearly had a bath recently, his skin and hair clean and free of dirt and blood. Katniss had told him as much over dinner, but seeing it himself brings a different kind of relief.

"Good luck kid." Haymitch grunts, putting a hand on Finnick's shoulder. He nods, and is then led over to the door. Prim comes in the room and he sends her a wave just before they open the door.

Peeta's head snaps to Finnick as he walks in. "Hey Peeta." He grins at the younger Victor. "How's it going?" he walks closer to him, ignoring the instructions to stay close to the door.

Peeta studies Finnick for a while, looking him over. "It's okay." He finally says and Finnick smiles.

"Good to hear." He sits in a chair, propping his feet up on a table not too far away.

"She saved my life." Peeta's words cause a deep ache to go through Finnick's heart, and he continues. "Whenever they came in for me, she'd beg them to take her instead. Usually they did. She never made a sound either, never cried out. Only near the end." Peeta stops talking and Finnick leans forwards in his chair.

"What else did she do?" he asks, his voice soft.

"She told me stories; we always just kept talking to each other the whole time. As a distraction you know? Told me of how she grew up, her family, her friends, her Games. She talked a lot about you." Peeta's nodding his head now as he talks. He sighs, and then looks right at Finnick. "I'm not crazy like they think. I swear I'm not!" his voice begins to rise.

"I know." Finnick says, and Peeta visibly relaxes. Neither man speaks for a long time, and Peeta reverts back to the song that keeps playing over and over in his head.

"Ever since I was a child,
I've turned it over in my mind.
I sang by that piano, tore my yellow dress and,
Cried and cried and cried."

For the first time in weeks, someone joins Peeta in the song. Because Finnick knows it, tears well in his eyes as he sings softly with Peeta.

"And I don't wanna see what I've seen,
To undo what has been done.
Turn off all the lights,
Let the morning come.

Now there's green light in my eyes,
And my lover on my mind.
And I'll sing from the piano, tear my yellow dress and,
Cry and cry and cry,
Over the love of you.

On this champagne, drunken hope,
Against the current, all alone,
Everybody, see, I love them."

Peeta's eyes bore into Finnick's, a weight being lifted off his chest. Someone else knows. They understand.

"'Cause it's a feeling that you get,
When the afternoon is set,
On a bridge into the city.

And I don't wanna see what I've seen,
To undo what has been done.
Turn off all the lights,
Let the morning come.

Now there's green light in my eyes,
And my lover on my mind.
And I'll sing from the piano, tear my yellow dress and,
Cry and cry and cry.

'Cause you're a hard soul to save,
With an ocean in the way,
But I'll get around it,
I'll get around it.

'Cause you're a hard soul to save,
With an ocean in the way,
But I'll get around it.

Now there's green light in my eyes,
And my lover on my mind.
And I'll sing from that piano, tear my yellow dress and,
Cry and cry and cry and,
Over the love of you.

Cry and cry and cry and,
Over the love of you."

They both stop at the same time, Finnick brings his hand up to wipe at his eyes. "She sang that?" he asks Peeta, who nods.

"To every Victor they killed in front of us."

I'm going to be updating hopefully a lot today and tomorrow for this story, since I'm stuck in a snowstorm…please keep on reviewing cause you all are amazing!

If you ask in a review if Stell is going to die, I'll answer that now…..i can't tell you. We're going to have some bigger time skips though in the next few chapters, just so it doesn't get boring with repetitive things! Please please review, means the world and gets you updates!

Song is 'Over the Love' by Florence and the Machine.