Author's Note: If anyone knows how long Peeta and Annie were in District 13 before Peeta, Finnick, and Katniss leave, plus let me know. I'm trying to figure out exactly when Annie gets pregnant, if it's in District 4 pre-quell, or District 13. :)

Chapter 35: Glued Back Together

I don't want to leave Annie's side, but Plutarch insists that she'd need medical attention in the hospital. He assures me that I can stay with her though, which puts my mind at ease.

Thankfully, Annie is assigned to Clara Everdeen, Katniss's mother. I wouldn't want another man looking at Annie's body like she's an object. I trust Clara, however, since she was my doctor when I was in the hospital. She kindly asks Annie to drop the sheet, and I'm horrified by what I see. Her body is covered with bruises, mostly on her arms and hips.

"What did they do to you?!" I ask in fury.

"Right be for I was rescued," Annie begins in a shaky voice, "a Peacekeeper ripped off my clothes and sexually abused me. He –" She stopped, going into a daze. I gently shake her shoulder.

"Ann? It's alright. I'm here. You're safe."

Annie blinks. "Yeah…" She says weakly. "I'm sorry."

I shake my head. "Don't be. Can you tell us what happened? "Did he…" I pause not wanting to upset her by saying the word "rape". "How far did he take it?"

"Not… not too far. He still had clothes on, but he was sitting on top of me and touching me in places I would even be uncomfortable with you touching. Other than bruising, he didn't physically hurt me. Just… just emotionally."

I close my eyes and count to ten. "That should have never happened to you. I'm so sorry."

"Don't blame yourself, Finnick," She begs. "Please."

I only shake my head. Our talking ceases as Clara does a full examination of Annie's body for serious injuries. "Everything seems fine." She says after a few minutes. "But you should stay here overnight just to make sure."

Annie nods, and then Clara leaves us alone. "What else did they do to you? In the Capitol?"

"They found out I didn't know anything pretty quickly, but they physically tortured Peeta and Johanna. As for me, they… they said you were dead. Either that or you didn't really love me. But I didn't believe them. Not for one second did I believe them, Finn, because I know better."

I quickly embrace her in my arms and kiss the top of her head. "Good," I reply, "because I'm always going to be here, and I'm always going to love you. Nothing will change that. Ever. Knowing that you were in the Capitol alone and I couldn't do anything about it destroyed me, Annie. I was a complete mess, but you make me whole again. I would have done anything to get you back."

"I know, Finnick," Annie says, resting her head against my chest. It is then that I notice her ring is nowhere to be seen.

"Annie? Where's your ring?"

She stares down at the blanket spread across her lap. "I… I didn't want to tell you, but they destroyed it."

"Oh, Annie," I sigh. "I'm so sorry."

Annie shakes her head. "No, it's alright. I'd rather have you."

I smile slightly. "That maybe so, but I'll still get another one. I promise."

Annie nods. She tries to stay awake, but soon her eyelids begin to droop. "It's alright, Annie. Go to sleep. I won't leave your side."

Annie closes her eyes and falls asleep within minutes. I stay awake as long as I can, grasping her hand in mine and watching her sleep, until I too drift off.

I wake up with a stiff neck from sleeping in a chair all night, but yet, that's the best night of sleep I've had in weeks. Clara comes in and clears Annie to go.

"Wait," Annie says. "I want see Johanna, Peeta, and Seraphina."

I nod. "Sure. Wait… Seraphina?" I'm not sure if I heard here right. What in Panem would my Capitolite stylist be doing here?

Annie nods, shrugging. "Yeah. It turns out she's a rebel."

"Huh… I never would have thought." I then turn to Clara. "Do you know where we can find them?"

Clara sighs. "Well, Peeta's not able to have visitors."

Annie looks concerned. "Is he okay?"

"Physically, yes. Mentally, no. He's been hijacked. He… attacked Katniss last night."

"What?" I ask in disbelief. Peeta is as crazily in love with Katniss as I am with Annie. "Why?"

Clara's eyes are full of sadness for her daughter. "The Capitol used trackerjacker venom on him. He thinks Katniss is against him, that she's a mutt."

I shudder. Poor Katniss. That could have been Annie. I don't know what I would have done if just when she came back to me, she hated me and thought of me as a mutt. A monster. An enemy. I close my eyes for a few seconds, easing the thought away. "Alright." I sigh, opening my eyes again. "What about the others."

Clara writes down Johanna's and Seraphina's locations. We go to Johanna first, simply because she is closer.

"Well, what do we have here?" Johanna asks. "Odair and Crazy, together and alive at last."

"Glad to see you, Johanna," I say honestly. Despite Johanna being… well, Johanna, she's still one of my closest friends, and I feel guilty for not thinking of her more while she was in the Capitol, "but I wish you really wouldn't call Annie that."

"Why? She doesn't mind it. Do you Crazy?"

"Actually," Annie says softly. "I kind of do."

Johanna shrugs. "Whatever," she says as I struggle to keep calm and not strangle her. To me she adds, "Oh, cool it Odair. I won't hurt your precious Annie. No need to be so sensitive."

"Yeah, whatever Jo. I don't want to fight. You just got here."

She's silent for once. I take the opportunity to ask how she is, although it's probably a dumb question. Her arms are covered in bruises, and her head is completely shaved. "What did they do to you?"

Johanna flinches slightly. "Please, Finnick," She begs. "I don't want to talk about that."

So we don't. Instead, we talk about things totally unrelated to the Capitol or the games, until Johanna gets sick of Annie and me and shoos us out of the room so she can take a nap.

We then go to see Seraphina. She lies in a hospital bed, pale as a ghost with both legs elevated. Her lavender and aqua-blue hair is a tangled rat's nest. "Finnick. Annie." She nods in turn to both of us politely.

"So I heard you're a rebel now," I say awkwardly.

Seraphina rolls her eyes. "Yes. Why is this so surprising? Plutarch is a Capitolite. So are a fair amount of other people."

I hesitate. "I guess it's just I don't understand why."

"Why? Why am I a rebel?" Seraphina laughs bitterly. "Not everyone in the Capitol is a sick pedophile who either actually thinks children killing each other is entertaining or are too oblivious to realize they actually die. Even since I was a little girl, I've known the games were wrong. I was even teased for arguing against them in school.

"Despite openly showing my dislike for the games at school, at home I kept quiet. My father is an important business man, one of the wealthiest in Panem, and when I was eighteen, he got me a job as a stylist. Not only that, but a stylist in a coveted volunteer district, District Four. I didn't want to be a stylist, as fashion isn't really my thing. The only thing altered about me is my hair. Anyways, I despised the job. I'd always wanted to be a singer/songwriter, but my father wouldn't have approved of that. I needed to be famous, according to him, and just because I wrote and sang songs did not necessarily mean I would achieve fame. So, year after year, I had to watch tributes die after getting to know them. That's why from the beginning I decided not to care, to be bitter and unfriendly so as not to get attached to tributes.

"Cinna and Portia, the stylists of twelve, heard of my despise of the games, and they approached me about two months ago, asking me to join the rebellion. I, of course, agreed. Now they're both dead, and I'm here, with two broken legs."

I am about to reply, when a young nurse walks into the room. Her short, dark brown hair flops into her gray eyes, which are full of life, and her facial expression is light and cheerful. "Hey!" She says bubbly, shaking Annie's and my hands. "I'm Liberty Washington. Are you friends of Seraphina?"

I hesitate. "Acquaintances would be more accurate, I suppose. She was my stylist. Finnick Odair, by the way. And this is my fiancée, Annie."

Liberty smiles. "Oh yes. I remember you. Nice to meet you, Mr. Odair." She then turns Seraphina. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, I suppose. Thanks for asking."

We say goodbye to Seraphina before leaving the room. "Come on," I say to Annie. "I want to show you our temporarily home."

Finnick leads me through the crowded tunnels of thirteen and down a long hallway, stop in front of a door labeled "Compartment 217". "It's not much," Finnick says, sliding his key into the lock, "but it's

home. For now."

He's right; it isn't much. The main room includes a spacious bed, a not-so-spacious closet, a dresser, and a lamp. On the right, a door leads to a small bathroom, complete with a toilet, sink, and a bath tub and shower. Really though, we don't need much else. "It's cozy," I say, smiling.

Finnick smiles and holds out his arm, showing it to me. The inner arm is stamped with what appears to be a schedule. "They're very strict with schedules here. You'll get one too, probably tomorrow. For today, you can just shadow me."

So that's what I do. All day long I walk hand-in-hand with Finnick, following him wherever he goes. We eat lunch at noon, and Finnick introduces me to some people he knows. I try to ignore the stares and whispers, but it's difficult. Later, Finnick goes to a weapon room, and I see a sword that looks like the one Angus used on Caspian five years ago, triggering a flashback, and I involuntarily go to my glass box again, covering me ears. Finnick brings be back with his soft, soothing voice. "It's alright, Annie," he says, hugging me tightly and stroking my hair. "You can go back to the compartment if you want to."

I nod, reluctantly, and Finnick hands me the key. I wait about an hour for him to come back. He finds me sitting on the bed, my hands folded in my laps and my eyes directed to the floor.

"Feeling better?" He asks, sitting down next to me and resting his hand gently on the small of my back. I nod, avoiding his eyes. "Annie, what's wrong?"

I look up at him, gazing into his sea-green eyes. "Don't think I don't hear the rumors, Finn. I do. 'Mad girl'. The 'crazy victor from Four'. I don't want to be known as the 'mad girl', Finnick. I'm sick of being different. And I want to go home." I know I sound whiney, but I honestly don't care.

Finnick grasps my hand, squeezing my hand. "Annie, listen to me, and listen to me closely. You are different from other people, but not in the way you think. You're your own person, and everyone handles stress in different ways. You're not crazy. I firmly believe you never were. You just have been through a lot. No one really understands what being a victor is like except for the victors ourselves. But you're the bravest person I've ever met, and you are strong, stronger than you think you are."

I smile slightly. "Really? Because sometimes it doesn't seem like it."

"Well, it's true," Finnick says, "and if it's even possible, I love you even more for it."

He then kisses me, tangling his hands in my hair while my hands slide underneath his shirt and run slowly up his spine. Somehow, our clothes end up in a messy pile on the floor, and Finnick and I end up under the covers of the bed.

"Finn, let's get married," I say, taking a break from kissing him to declare my statement.

He laughs. "I thought we already were planning on that!"

"Yes," I reply, "but I meant, let's get married now. As in, here, as soon as possible. Ava and Meredith and Superior aren't here, but we can always get married again, can't we? I'm starting to dislike the word "fiancée". I don't want to be your fiancée anymore; I want to be your wife."

Finnick grins. "And I would have anything to be able to call myself your husband. So I'll tell you what. Tomorrow morning, I'll ask Plutarch about it. Deal?"

I smile. "Deal." We snuggle closer together, the warmth of our bodies heating each other up more than an electric blanket ever could. We are finally glued back together, and it will take a tsunami of an event to rip us apart again.

Author's note: Couple of things here: First, this was a slight filler chapter, but I decided to add some fluff in there anyway. Because who doesn't like Odesta fluff? :)

Secondly, in reply to a guest reviewer, I will, sadly, be sticking to cannon, as much as I don't want to. Then why do it, you ask? Well, mostly to show how Annie slowly heals and deals with losing Finnick. I hope this doesn't lose readers, because believe me, it kills me as well, but it must be done. However, I will be adding an AU ending onto the end of the story.

Lastly, after writing an estimation outline of the rest of the story, I predict this story to be about 44 chapters, including the epilogue and AU ending. That being said, this story is nearing its end. :( Thank you for sticking with it. Will it get past 227 reviews, my record for any one story? I doubt it. But can we get to 200? I think so. I would greatly appreciate it if you could do that for me. I only need 25 more to reach that mark. :) Thanks so much to all those who have reviewed so far. :)

Next Chapter: Finnick and Annie plan their wedding, and the event itself finally occurs. :D Prepare for fluff!