Before the sun has risen over the horizon both are awoken by a gasp for air. On her side of the bed, Violet waits with wide eyes for Finn to tell her what happened. Images from the Games and stories unfit for children's ears have supplied them with their fair share of nightmares. Her's mostly surround the images of her parents in the Games, President Snow rising from the dead for her or her brother. Nothing shooting a round of arrows into a tree with his name on her lips doesn't fix. Finn used to hold his in. Another dark place Violet has pulled him from. Telling his mother would only spur a round of her own they would both have to deal with for weeks on end.

Violet takes care to pull him away from the images still buried in his eyes as he fights to determine if he's awake or not. Whispering how it's not real. He's safe. She's here with him. Everything is just as it was when he fell asleep. His mother is in her bed. Haymitch is fully clothed, probably dead drunk, but fully clothed. After a few blinks of recognition he nods at her and lays his head back down, trying to catch his breath.

He spares her the details, saving those for the doctor. He started seeing her a few months ago. After the guilt of waking up Violet too many times with panicked phone calls overtook the need to hear her voice. One more small step in controlling his need to take advantage of her kindness.

She wants to hold him when he tells her his father was there. She should have seen this coming, should have protected him from it to begin with. No one would have stopped her from kicking in a window and letting the sea water destroy what should have never been created. But she never moves a muscle. Any touch, even a comforting one is too invasive for Finn to deal with. Her ears and presence are all he needs. That is why she stayed.

Certain dates always bring about a round of sleepless nights for them. What would be his parents' wedding anniversary, the day his father died, the day Panem sets aside to remember as one united group, the day her aunt died, and several more scarred by their parents' past. They've learned to cope with each other. Both have exquisite listening skills as Effie would say. What else can do you when the adult you depend on is screaming in the night or babbling nonsense to no one or white-knuckling a chair so hard you think he's about to tear it into pieces?

"Let's go over your list," she says when he's too drained to talk about his dream anymore. A little trick she's picked up from her mother. She recites the good deeds she's seen in the world over and over to help her through her tough days. Violet just has Finn name things to be true and that will never change. "Name?"

"Finn Odair," he breathes out.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-two." But he feels like he's a child again.

"Where are you?"

"At home, in Four."

"And your mother?"

"Fast asleep in her bed."

"Is anyone hurting you?"

"No."

"And if anyone tries...?"

"They'll have to get through you first."

"Wrong. They'll won't even get the chance because if you don't let me go back to sleep now you're going to meet a whole new side of me."

Finn grins as she throws her iciest glare at him and lies back down on her side. "You mean all this time you've been showing me your good side?"

"Scary isn't it? Sweet dreams, Finn."

"Daddy?" Violet calls to her father through the door to the back room in the bakery where the ingredients are stored. He left ten minutes ago to grab a bag of flour.

"Sorry, just reorganizing a little. Remind me not to let Riley back here again unsupervised." Riley is a local teenager who only works Friday afternoons for her father. She persuaded her father into hiring a bit more help to load the supplies delivered to them by train... only it's turned out to be more work for the both of them.

It's the end of the day at least and tomorrow the bakery is closed so the family can have a day of rest together. "Would you like me to retrain him?" Again.

Her father wipes the sweat forming on his forehead from moving a half a dozen bags of flour to the side so they can now reach the shelves beside the refrigerator. "No, no. I think he's about ready to pack it in anyway. His father mentioned he's not seeing that girl anymore so he's not in need of extra money."

It's too bad. Riley was a strong kid who wouldn't have blinked an eye at moving ten bags of flour. Now her father has to look for another broad shouldered boy... with a perfectly good one at home probably mooching off of whatever their mother is making for dinner. Her brother, Rowan, is a good kid. Cute, dimples, curly blond hair. But spoiled to the point that he hasn't put in a single full day of work in at the bakery. One day he says he wants to be a painter like their father. Then a writer. Then a gardener but only the kind that designs the layout, not putting in the blood, sweat and tears into creating the vision. He's seventeen though and has the all the time in the world to find himself. She's twenty and knows her future involves a dirty display window to wipe down in the front room. After she tells her father to sit and let her bring out the bag of flour.

He rests on the stool behind the counter while she thoroughly removes the streaks from over eager fingers reaching to point to their favorite cookie. "So I hear there's an anniversary coming up..."

It's two months away, according to the gossip. It's nearly been five years since Violet kissed Finn on the cheek and the world's been counting their days together. Speculation of their impending engagement has been rampant lately. Even Violet's noticed the extra glances to her left hand have increased. "Five glorious years. I can't wait for the next five," she mutters.

"Violet," her father says sympathetically. "It doesn't have to be this way. He's not as fragile as you think. Just tell the boy," he urges. "He deserves to know."

She knows exactly what he wants her to tell Finn. They were honest with their parents from day one. They're only pretending for the cameras. That's what any pair of friends bonded together by a similar childhood would do in their situation. They've grown up with the light of Panem shining brightly on them. They had each other's best interests at heart. Violet would suffer the same fate as Finn mostly likely when she turned eighteen so why not squash the stories before they even start? Her parents know the whole truth. She's loved Finn for as long as she could recognize the coiling inside her stomach every time she saw him. At first they all thought it was a crush. But time has proven them all wrong.

But it's not as simple as her father thinks. Finn can barely touch her without furiously blushing at the contact lately. The visit to the memorial hall a few months ago has done quite a number on his psyche. He's barely been able to sleep through a single night. His session with his doctor have increased to twice a week. He may not be fragile but his mind is. "And how do you suggest I do that without scaring him away? I'm not as lucky as you. Mom had no way escape and had to put up with you." They both share a quick smile as Violet teases her father about his take on how fortunate he was fate placed them in the arena together.

"And she still does, bless her heart. But my baking makes up for it." His eyes twinkle just as they do every time he thinks of his wife and mother of his children. And Violet feels guilty. Not for the love that her parents have for each other but for the jealousy that always creeps in when she sees any two people in love. A love that is shared and returned between both parties.

Violet finishes her cleaning and her father closes up the bakery. When he invites her to stay the night she knows he's really inviting her to continue their earlier conversation. She's been staying at the bakery most nights in the extra room her father had put in when he rebuilt it. When he grew up, his home was the bakery. The room was put in for those nights he worked late or the mornings he had to rise for work early. He never used it. Never able to leave Katniss alone for a single night in all their years together. But he did find a use for it eventually when he encouraged his daughter to find a little more independence from the family she's always so devoted to. He and Katniss have been discussing it for some time and have slowly been pushing at her to pull away, even if she's caught on and is just doing it to appease them. At some point she's going to have to live on her own. Maybe even find a job more suitable for her. The bakery and their family doesn't have to be her life. But the most important thing they need her to do for herself is to be honest about her feelings for Finn.

"What if I told him?"

"No!" Bits of bun spew out from Violet's mouth as she rebuffs the worst idea her father has had yet.

"Why not?" Her father looks hurt, sitting next to her mother at the table. They just finished dinner and Rowan left to hang out with his friends. And now, as soon as the door has barely closed, Peeta took his flash of brilliance and ran with it. "I'm told I'm pretty convincing." He nudges Katniss, hoping for someone to acknowledge his generous offer.

Katniss holds back a disapproving sigh. She hates it when he tries to bring up the subject of Finn with Violet. She's still a child and has years to find the right moment to tell Finn. Peeta brushes her off every time she says this but it's what she truly believes. Her daughter is smart and she trusts her judgement. "Why don't you start with convincing your son to clean up after himself?" She gestures to her son's dirty plate still sitting on the table.

"Katniss, your daughter's happiness is at stake," Peeta says in all seriousness. "Am I the only one here who can see how much time we're wasting by doing nothing?"

"We? There is no we, dad," Violet reminds him, scooping the errant crumbs from her bun and her brother's plate on her way to the sink. "And you would know if you bothered asking me that I am happy. Maybe I'm the one not ready yet and that's why I haven't told Finn. Maybe I like how my life is and I don't want it to change. Did you ever think of that?"

Katniss raises her eyebrow at Peeta waiting for him to answer her. "Sweetheart, I just want what's best for you."

"I know... but you have to trust me. When it's the right time I'll know. It's not like he's going anywhere."

Finn arrives at Dr. Bridge's for his fourth appointment that week. She welcomes him immediately as she knows he grows more anxious the longer he was to wait. She's not a tall woman, slightly shorter than his mother. Her grey-hair always wrapped in a neat bun. Today she's wearing a solid blue suit. Must be a calming color he assumes. Her office isn't very large. Just enough room for a desk, a few bookshelves, a dark blue chair and matching couch. She offers him a spot on the couch where his mother has sat for countless hours. Though he's sure he starting to catch up to her.

He politely takes his seat and Dr. Bridge smiles at him from her chair. "How's your mother today?"

"Fine. She made breakfast today. She should be on her walk right now. Thank you, by the way, for seeing me on such short notice." Finn grips his hands together and offers her a timid smile.

"My door is always open for you and your mother. I'm just glad you're making use of it. So what would you like to talk about it? Did you have the same dream last night?" She touches a few buttons on her computer pad but then places it on her desk behind her. He can't speak as honestly when she takes notes. So she just records that he came and then he's free to talk.

"Yes," he says quickly. "But I have something else I wanted to ask you about... about Violet."

Dr. Bridge smiles warmly at him. "I'll do my best." Finn rarely brings her up. She's aware Violet means more to him than the world but he's always kept that part of life private, even from her. He comes to see her to help him deal with his demons so Violet doesn't have to. She's the one part of his life he wants to remain untouched and unseen by others.

"I think it might help with my dreams too... but I wanted to get your opinion on it first."

She nods, encouraging him to keep going.

"Last time when I told you she was in my dream and they were holding her down... well, it made sense when you said that I might be feeling like I can't protect her when she's this far away from me..." Finn pauses as he tries to slow his heart rate and stop his foot from nervously tapping.

"Are you thinking of proposing?" Dr. Bridge asks cautiously. This would be a step in the right direction. But it might be too much too soon. Finn was honest enough with her to tell her they still haven't been intimate. She prepares her argument for Finn to try to allow Violet to be more affectionate with him first and then perhaps they'll be ready for more.

Finn's heart sinks into the floor. He should. If he was the man who deserved her. But he's not. Violet has more life in her then he'll ever have. He's not about to get better anytime soon and she has to stop expecting her presence in his life can help make that happen. "No, I think I have to let her go."