Okay, so first I want to thank chele20035 and The Honey Crisp for their support, and for pointing out technical errors- like when I don't stick to cannon. You guys have been great!

Anywho, I plan on editing this chapter substantially, but I wanted to put it out there to see how it reads. Any and all reviews/criticisms are very welcome!

Thanks again for visiting my humble fanfic

I'm crawling on my hands and knees for the door. I have to find out what happened. What the thud was. Where Nauplius is. I need him to forgive me. I need to tell him so many things. Who will apologise to Laz for me? I have no time!

The door Is locked but that doesn't stop me from turning at the knob and pounding against the mouldings relentlessly.

When the door opens I'm nearly knocked off my feet. It isn't Nauplius, its Nautilum. Its so unexpected that I reach for him, I want to make sure he's real. That he's really there to see me. He's been a second father my whole life, so of course it's natural he would come but I never expected it. After what I did to Laz, I thought I had no right to.

"Nautilum, you came"

"of course I came, Annie. You're my little girl, even if you're not"

"Wheres Nauplius?" I can hear the panic in my voice "I heard a thud and-"

"nauplius is fine" Nautilum says as gathers my hands in his and kisses my knuckles, once on each hand. He's such a sturdy man, so big and warm and wise, you cannot help but draw strength from him. His son inherited that quality. That ensnaring warmth.

He smiles at me, not a big toothy grin but a smirk "Don't worry Annie It was me. I heard what he said to you and I set him straight."

"Oh Naut, you shouldn't have done that" I say "I need to talk to him…you've got to bring him back"

"what for Annie? So you can tell him you love him? That you'd do anything for him? That you're sorry for taking the tesserae?" he lets go of my hands, and places two fingers under my chin, to pull it up. "He knows all of that. Annie, Even if you didn't ask Laz to do what he did, he would have done it none the less. He wasn't about to let your brother volunteer as tribute."

"where is Laz?" I ask "is he okay?"

"He's in one piece. He's outside right now with Finnick Odair." He ran his thick fingers through his salt-and-pepper mane and sighs deeply "Odair convinced the peacekeepers to let Laz come say goodbye before he finishes his punishment. I don't know how he did it, but it's done. We really owe that boy a lot"

"Punishment? What Punishment?"

"Its just a few more lashes Annie, publicly so it's official and makes a statement. Laz has had worse," Nautilum leans in close and whispers "I think someone slipped him some morphling, so I doubt he'll feel the lashes" he winks.

Its true that Laz is no stranger to the whip. He's known around the dinghy as a troublemaker- but he isn't that at all; He just has a problem with injustice. There's some built in mechanism in him that pushes back when the authorities become unreasonable. For a summer a few years ago he was stationed on a ship for training. He became a particular favorite of some of the older deckhands, who told him stories about the rebellion before the hunger games that they had heard from their parents. The following year those same deckhands were brought to the stockade and executed in the Gallows for inciting rebellion. For not reporting them, Laz was publicly whipped for negligence of duty. There was almost no skin on his back to speak of when they were done with him. It should have taught Laz to keep his mouth shut, to keep the thoughts to himself, but sometimes he'd slip and pay the piper for it dearly.

"What about Nora?"I ask. But I already know the answer.

"She's couldn't come Annie. She's sick over everything and, well, she didn't want to make it harder for you. She loves you very much, you know"

I do know I think its better she didn't come. It would be too much to have to say goodbye to her, too.

"Why didn't Laz come in with you?"

Nautilum smiles, a melancholy sort of smile that ages him deeply "Laz is a grown man who wants to give you a pep talk without his old dad breathing down his neck. He's next in line"

"You need to take care of Nauplius when I'm gone. Laz too. " I say " Make sure they stays out of trouble. Nau still never wakes up on time- you'll wake him for me, right?"

"Every single day Annie. But you have to promise me you won't just give up out there."

"I don't think I have it in me, Nautilum"

"I think you have no idea what you have in you, Anastasia." He pulls me close and squeezes me "I want you to promise you'll try, that you'll train hard. Theres a reason why 4's are known as Careers, and it's not just that we're known for volunteering. It's because we're strong. The ocean has a way of refining your reflexes in a bind. We're used to toil and strife and dehydration. You know, you can probably throw a spear better then even the biggest tributes from other districts. You are not without any advantages, Annie. Make me proud out there- just try"

"I promise, I'll do whatever I can. Thank you Nautilum, for everything" I tell him. I want to say more, but the feelings running through me are so raw and intangible I can't find the words. "thank you for stepping in and being my dad" I add.

It's the best I can do.

"I love you kid." He says, he's choking on the words now "Keep your chin up" he's backing away from me for the door.

"You're leaving?" I ask, reaching for him "so soon?" I nuzzle my way into his chest and I long for my father to be here, too.

"Laz will want more time with you then less. You should have a good twenty five minutes" He says, taking my shoulders in his quivering hands and planting a kiss on my forehead "I'll be watching"

Laz is halfway through the door before Nautlium even has both feet out of it. He looks awful.