oOo

Another year, another failure.

Effie had been District Twelve's escort for five years now and they hadn't had a single Victor. This year was the closest they'd ever gotten - the male tribute had been eighteen, strong, handsome.

And completely unable to swim.

She really needed to get into a better district. Like One. Or Four. Unfortunately, neither of their escorts was anywhere near retirement.

As she entered Twelve's quarters to pack up her belongings for the move back to her apartment, she was surprised to find Finnick Odair coming down the stairs that she thought led to the roof. "What are you doing here?" she blurted out. Then she blushed. He'd been handsome at fourteen, when he'd won the Games. He'd been beautiful at sixteen, when she'd met him. Now, at nineteen, he was glorious.

His heartbreaking smile crossed his lips, but something about it felt off. He shrugged. "I like the view."

She put her hands on her hips. "These are Twelve's quarters."

"Haymitch doesn't mind."

No, he probably didn't care who traipsed through his rooms as long as they didn't take away his alcohol.

"Show me?" She wasn't sure what had made her ask the question. "I mean, I've never been up to the roof."

He looked shocked. "All this time in Twelve's rooms and you haven't been up to the roof?"

She shrugged a bit sheepishly. "I guess I never saw the need."

"Well, you have to experience it once."

Finnick was right, she realized once they got upstairs. The view was extraordinary. Watching the glitter and glimmer of lights, she smiled. She'd have to come up here more often.

Finnick stood next to her, not saying a word. The smile had slipped from his lips and he looked almost somber.

She wondered why. His tribute had won, after all.

He looked at her and their eyes met. "Tell me something," he said.

She blinked. "Like what?"

"A secret."

Effie shrugged. "I don't have any of those."

His lips quirked into a smile which felt somehow realer than his usual one, even if it was less beautiful. "I don't believe you."

Well, she did have one. But she wasn't ready to tell him that. Not yet.

It surprised her, that there was a 'yet' in that sentence.

Instead, she decided to pick something a little more superficial, but still personal. Carefully, she took her wig off, revealing her limp dishwater blond hair. "You're the first person to see this in, oh, twenty years."

He tilted his head. "I like you better without the wig."

She shook her head, smiling ruefully. "Mother always said it wasn't impressive enough." She put her wig back on and adjusted it. She'd need a mirror to make certain it sat correctly, but this would do for now. "I can't really imagine myself without the wigs anymore."

"Your choice." He glanced at his watch and grimaced the merest amount. "I have to go."

"To your Victor?"

"Appointment." He walked to the stairs and she followed. When he was on the first step down, he looked back. "It was nice. Talking to you, I mean."

Her cheeks heated. "Thanks."

And then he was gone.

She took one more glance at the city before returning to Twelve's rooms. It hadn't been a long conversation. And yet somehow she felt just the slightest bit better.

Smoothing a blanket over Haymitch, who was once again passed out on the couch, Effie decided that while she'd like to switch districts, she wasn't ready to quit. Not yet.

oOo

Annie crept up on him.

Oh, he vaguely recognized her when she was Reaped. She was one of the seventeen-year-olds who was good enough but not extraordinary, one of the ones who trained but didn't put in extra time. Nobody important - certainly not important enough for him to learn her name.

Until it was called.

No one volunteered to take her place, but then again, Four didn't always have volunteers. Not for the older kids, the healthy ones. The ones who stood a chance.

He really met her on the train, when he volunteered to mentor her. It was the first time he'd taken on a lead mentor role. The past four years he'd helped, but he hadn't led.

But for Annie, he volunteered. There was something about her. He wasn't sure what it was. But it was something that made him want to help her.

Kaya took Bonito, and with the other five as backup, they did their best to keep their tributes alive.

From conversations on the train to time in the Training Center to the start of the Games, Finnick kept his and Annie's relationship as professional as he could. He knew she was likely to die. As much as it was the catchphrase of the Hunger Games, the odds were never in anyone's favor. Everyone started with a one in twenty-four chance of making it out alive. Those odds could be improved with age, health, training, and sponsors. But even then, everyone had better odds of dying than surviving.

His hand rested on his soulmark. Or at least, everyone but him.

Either way, he did his best to keep things professional. To do what he could for his tribute, but to treat her like any other tribute from Four. It worked, for a while. When Annie joined the Careers at the Cornucopia, killing the girl from Eight with a spear to prove her worth, he was able to keep himself separate. When they went hunting and Annie almost vomited at what they did to the boy from Three, it was fine. When the hunger part of the Hunger Games came into play, he talked sponsors out of their money, but no more than he would have for any tribute.

But when the boy from One cut Bonito's head off and Annie ran screaming into the night, Finnick's heart plummeted and he suddenly realized he was gone.

He'd fallen in love with his tribute.

After that he worked even harder to save her, courting sponsors, trying to get her gifts, doing what he could. It wasn't much. No one in the Capitol thought the poor mad girl had a chance of surviving. Finnick bought her only parachute with his body.

And then the dam broke.

And like every kid from Four, Annie swam like, well, like a fish.

As the others drowned one by one, she kept her head above water and she survived.

After the Games, they pulled her out of that brand new lake and brought her back to the Capitol, where she'd go to the hospital to recover until the Victory Ceremony. Physically, at least. Finnick wasn't sure she'd ever recover mentally.

Mags took one look at him and told him to go to the roof for as long as he could. They both knew he had an appointment with a patron that night, but he had a few hours for himself.

He wasn't expecting to run into his soulmate in Twelve's quarters. He wasn't expecting to offer to take her up to the roof. He wasn't expecting to enjoy talking to her.

He wasn't expecting her to make him feel better.

Oh, he didn't love her. Not the way he loved Annie. Not even the way he loved his parents and sisters and Mags and the other Victors. He wasn't sure he could love a Capitolite that way. But something about her spoke to him.

As he put on his mask and did what his patron wanted, Finnick thought. He thought about his tribute and about his soulmate. About the girl he'd fallen in love with and the woman he thought might one day be a friend.

The choice was his. His body wasn't. But who he loved… Snow couldn't control that. And one day - sooner if he had his way - Snow wouldn't control anything.

In the afterglow, Finnick lay next to his patron. "Tell me a secret."

He didn't have enough to take Snow down. Not yet. But one day. One day he would.

oOo

More than anything, Effie relished the freedom she'd acquired by getting a job and an apartment of her own. She hadn't realized just how stifling living with her mother was until she wasn't anymore.

Unfortunately, living apart from her mother didn't entirely get her out of seeing her mother.

And of course her mother always had to ask the most embarrassing questions when they were out in public!

"Euphemia, when are you going to give me a grandchild?"

Effie gaped at her mother.

Her mother rolled her eyes. "You're twenty-five, Euphemia. Haven't you even thought about children?"

"Of course I've thought about children!"

"Then why don't you have any?"

"I'm only twenty-five, Mother."

Her mother sniffed. "I was only twenty when I had you."

And you treated me like I was just another one of your dolls, Effie thought but didn't say. She didn't feel old enough to have children now, let alone five years ago. "I'm not married," she said instead. It was an excuse. A weak one.

As evidenced by her mother's single raised eyebrow. "If you don't want a husband, you don't need one to have a child. All you need is sex. Just go find a man."

Effie hid a shudder. She'd had sex. Three times. The first time had been terrible. So she'd tried again, with one of her classmates who had a reputation for good sex, particularly when it came to pleasing women. And it had been okay. She hadn't hated it.

She just hadn't liked it.

A second try with the same man proved that - sex just wasn't something she wanted. Romance, yes. Especially if she ever found her soulmate. But even with her soulmate… she wasn't sure she wanted sex.

"Or if you can't find one - and I can't imagine why you wouldn't be able to, you look quite pretty when you wear your wig and makeup - go buy one. A Victor, perhaps. That Finnick Odair is quite attractive."

Something in Effie recoiled. Even if she had wanted sex, the thought of using Finnick in that way after she'd seen a bit of the real him felt…

Wrong.

"It's my life, Mother. And I don't want a child right now." Or possibly ever. Not that she was ready to tell her mother that.

Her mother sniffed. "Well don't wait too long. I want time with my grandchild."

Effie inwardly rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mother."

oOo

Being in Four always felt like a breath of fresh air after the stifling closeness of the Capitol. Being outside on the beach felt even better. Being on the beach with Annie - that was impossible to beat.

She had issues. Nightmares every night and sometimes during the day. Flashbacks. A tendency to run and hide whenever she remembered her Games.

The other Victors helped. Finnick seemed to help the most. He didn't officially move into her house, but by the time four months had passed, he'd moved most of his Four clothing to her dresser, though his Capitol clothing remained in the closet. His toothbrush had migrated to her bathroom. He went to his house to see his parents, but for all effects and purposes, he lived at Annie's.

And he wasn't just helping her; she was helping him. The quiet life, when he could pretend it was just the two of them - it was the most peace he'd had since winning his Games. Possibly the most peace he'd ever had. He could be himself with her. And every moment they were together, he felt better than he ever had before.

They hadn't had sex. They hadn't even kissed. But Finnick had a feeling it would happen sooner or later, and he welcomed it when it did. He never had before, but with Annie… with Annie he thought he would.

The day after they got home from the Victory Tour, Mags told him they were going for a swim. Finnick knew why: the ocean was one of the hardest locations for the Capitol to bug. Besides, they were Four. Too long away from the sea and all of them got antsy.

"Be careful, lad," she said, still swimming as gracefully as ever despite the fact that she'd turned eighty only just this week.

Finnick knew what she was talking about and found himself blushing. He thought he'd suppressed the reaction after so many years of dealing with the Capitol. But apparently not, not when it came to Annie… or the time when Mags had caught him sneaking into Annie's compartment. He knew his support was the only thing that got her through the Tour, and he'd offered it as much as he could. He was pretty sure Mags knew it too, and that was why she wasn't stopping him.

Mags came up to him and tilted his chin so he was looking at her. "You have a reputation and a duty." Her voice was somber.

Finnick nodded. He didn't have to ask to know: marriage was out of the question. He was the Capitol's playtoy, Four's playboy, and marriage would change his image. And, more importantly, his sale value.

Speaking of…

"Do you know the plans for Annie? I don't think she can handle, well…" he trailed off, but he knew Mags would understand.

"No, she can't. I spoke to the President while we were in the Capitol." Her lips thinned. "How much are you willing to do for her?"

"Whatever I have to." The words were instant.

"Good. Because you may end up with some of her sponsors."

Finnick shuddered. He didn't want more forced sex with Capitolites. But if it kept Annie from having to do the same, he'd fuck the entire Capitol. Including President Snow.

Mags nodded to Annie, who was swimming toward them. "I'll leave you two alone."

Finnick watched to make sure Mags got back to the shore safely, then turned his attention to Annie. "Hey."

"Hey."

They were far enough out that his feet couldn't reach the ground. But he'd never felt safer.

She took his hand in hers as they treaded water. "Be honest with me?"

"Always."

Annie bit her lip then blurted out, "You have a soulmark."

He didn't bother to hide it when he was in Four. Most of the time it was under his pants anyway, but his swimming trunks hung lower. She must have seen it this morning when he'd left with Mags. "Yes. I do." He considered what to say. "You burst into my heart, Annie. I didn't know how much I loved you until I already did." It was the first time he'd said the L word and it didn't scare him at all. It felt right. "You're the one I want."

"Even over your soulmate?"

Effie popped into his mind. He liked her - something he hadn't expected when he'd first met her. But what he felt for her was nothing compared to what he felt for Annie. Friendship - that was possible. Love wasn't. "Yes. Completely. I choose you, Annie. Not fate. Just me."

She smiled. "I choose you too." She took a deep breath. "Do you know… who it is?"

He'd promised honesty. He wasn't going to go back on that. "Effie Trinket. The escort for Twelve. She doesn't know."

"And you don't…"

He shook his head. "I could be friends with her, I think. But you're the one I love."

Her smile was blinding. "I love you too."

"We have to be circumspect," he warned, squeezing her hand.

"I know. Mags told me." She looked down for a moment then met his eyes. "She told me why too."

Finnick smiled ruefully. "I wish we could have everything."

"But that's not the world we live in. It's all sacrifices, isn't it?" Her thumb rubbed the back of his hand. "The Games, the Capitol… they take and take and take. I'm broken and you're owned."

Broken as she was, she still saw the truth. "Yeah. But we have each other."

Annie leaned in and kissed him lightly, just a peck of the lips. She tasted of salt and sun. "We do. And we always will."

oOo