Hey guys! You all must hate me so much right now! I am so sorry it took forever to update. I honestly have no real good excuse besides the fact it is summer and I find it nearly impossible to write as Katniss (her section took like three hours to write while Annie's took maybe an hour) I really do hope this makes up for it though! I am so sorry and will try to update daily again! (You all will have to forgive me for not updating while I am on trips though... :/ Wish I could update while on them though)

Fun fact I discovered... currently this is the 19th story review wise out of all Finnick and Annie stories on this website. For that I thank each and every one of y'all. My gosh, y'all are so amazing!

Fun fact number two... Finnick has a tattoo of an anchor in the movie! What?! I'm psyched!

Alexandra Jackson rocks Hades: Oh my gosh... that is hilarious! I cannot believe that happened!

TARDISRose: Here you go! Sorry it took so long... :(

TurtleThompson: I'm glad you liked it, even though it was sad.

axes tridents and snares: That's fine! Sorry for the late update...

axes tridents and snares: I will keep that in mind! Thanks :)

Addicted2-Your-Story: I'm so sorry about the late update! I feel absolutely terrible! Please forgive me! I'm glad you liked it though.

Mikey Jacquez: Glad you liked!

pumpkinking5: Well wait no longer! You shall see what happens!

MahoganyMagic12: Thanks a ton! I know! It's awful! :(

TheWomanWhoCodesAndWrites: Maybe that will become a bonus scene ;) I'm glad you liked Gale's scene :)

MeaganOneDirection: I'm glad you are excited! I hope you like this.

hungergamesgirl999: T.T

Catching Fireflies: Glad you liked! :)

Anarchy Girl: Glad you liked it :)

MewWinx96: Aka awkward! Lol jk! ;) I assumed he was just too drunk to know where he was... My friend Emily's middle name is Gail, and it is the middle name of every woman in their family.

UntilTheCannonSounds: Glad you like! Hope you are still addicted!

Guest: Glad you like Gale now! My friend is in love with Gale actually... As a present I am making her a sims where Katniss and Gale do get married. I've also had to explore Gale a lot for her birthday present from last year and stuff and now find it nearly impossible to hate Gale...

Guest: Spoiler... Finnick is going to have the last back story.

FallenPetals712: Glad you like the Les Miserables! Can't get Lizzy and Meagan onto the same level as me... :/, all in good time mini, mwahahahaha

FallenPetals712: I guess I took too long and am cleaning you off the walls now... lol :)

Guest: I'm glad you like it! I usually update daily, but have been having a hard time with that this week, but I'm going to try to again

LOS2005: I understand completely. Hope you had fun at the beach!

Guest: Update here!

Chapter 16- Heartbeats *This entire chapter is dedicated to Mikey Jacquez who pretty much helped me make sure I got this done through his amazingly awesome texts! Thanks so much!*

Katniss

Peeta is walking into the house at ten at night, me at his side. Heck of a way to spend a Friday night. Peeta doesn't seem to mind though. I can't help but wonder how long he has liked me. I can't get the feel of his lips on mine to stop going through my head. Do I like him? Of course not, that's insane.

"What's wrong, Katniss?" He asks me, looking at me with those big, beautiful blue eyes and his long eyelashes. I've never noticed how long they were. How did they keep from getting tangled? "You can tell me."

I don't answer, just look at my shoes. "I- I just."

Peeta covers my mouth with his finger, understandingly. "It's the kiss, isn't it? Katniss, I really like you and I have for a while. I don't care if it is unrequited. Can you just think about it? I will not tell a soul."

I nod, not sure what else to do. He smiles and lets out a small laugh. "I'll get to kiss you again at least. In the show, you know?" I let myself give out a smile.

"Thanks Peeta." I pull him in for a hug and let him hold me, a little longer than friends should have. I guess I do like him, but it is too soon to think about that right now. I still have the kiss on my mind. I pull away first and I see a flicker of sadness in his eyes, but it was just that, a flicker.

We walk up the stairs to see everyone is still up waiting for us. I don't know why, it is three in the morning. Johanna is the first one to see us. "Hey guys!"

I nod at her, letting myself plop onto a beanbag chair. Annie and Gale are being silent, but looking at Peeta with concerned eyes. "I'm alright." He says. Everyone breathes out in relief.

"What even happened, man?" Finnick asks.

Peeta shrugs. "I was being clumsy. I fell, and unfortunately, it was off a cliff. No one needs to worry though! I promise I'm fine. They fixed me up at the hospital. No one needs to worry." Everyone nods, but looks uncertain.

I go and sit next to Finnick and Annie, the latter sitting on the formers lap. They are both still eyeing Peeta, but continue to look at the scripts in their hands. Annie looks at me. "Will you two sing In My Life and A Heart Full of Love with me? I'm tired of hearing Jo and Finn sing Master of the House over and over again."

Finnick mocks looking insulted and fakes crying. "Do you not like my voice anymore, Mermaid?"

She lets a huge smile come across her face and nuzzles noses with him. "Of course I love your voice! I fear if you sing anymore, you'll be too annoyed with the song come performance."

Finnick rolls his eyes and pulls Annie into a dip, kissing her lips. It would normally be disgusting, but seeing this two, there was certainly a spark. They are head over heels in love with one another. Johanna is faking throwing up and speaks up. "Can you three please practice so we don't have to suffer through watching their make out sessions?"

"Oh, like you and Gale aren't going to make out between scenes backstage." Surprisingly, the comment comes from Annie and everyone, stunned from the snarky comment coming from the sweet girl's lips, laughs. "Come on, let's rehearse."

The three of us go over the song four times before we decide it is acceptable for the first rehearsal. Gale and Johanna left at different points and came back looking drastically different each time they returned. I feel like they weren't really doing anything, just trying to taunt Annie with her comment. Finnick never leaves the couch, and we use him as an audience, allowing him to give us pointers. He told Peeta all sorts of things voice wise, technique advice and other things. Finnick was right about everything he said to Peeta, he has an amazing voice. He told me I often looked too mean to be Cosette and kept reminding me where I was. The only negative thing he said to Annie was she didn't look like she had lived on a street for a lot of her life, but that would come with costumes. He treated her so nicely. Is that how Peeta thinks of me? That I can do very little wrong?

Eventually they start to tire and head off to bed, leaving Peeta and myself alone. I see him about to open his mouth to talk out of the corner of my eye, but I suddenly get up and head to the stairs. "I'm going to say goodnight to Prim."

I can feel my heart pound in my chest as I make my way down the stairs. Prim is with Rory, the two of them talking in a cute way similar to how Finnick and Annie talk. "Prim, can I talk to you?" She nods. "Alone?" She smiles and heads down the hall to her room, where it is just us and the beds.

"What's up, Katniss?"

I take a breath. "Peeta kissed me."

Prim has a look of shock on her face, but it quickly grows into a huge smile. "That's great, Katniss!"

I shrug. "I guess. I just don't know what to think about it."

She smiles and scoots close to me. "Do you like him?"

I shrug. "He's nice and everything and I liked him kissing me. I didn't want him to stop, but it took me by surprise. I just didn't know what to think. I think I do."

Prim give me a hug. "Then tell him, Kat. Don't keep him waiting. It will just hurt you both in the end. If you aren't sure you like him though, tell him you need time to think. Peeta will understand. He really likes you and is an incredibly nice guy."

I pull Prim in for a hug and kiss the top of her head. "When did you get so wise, Little Duck?"

She shrugs and lets out a quack in response.

Annie

I let Finnick pull the covers over me. My pajamas are a pair of fleece green aeropostale pants and an oversized tie-dye Keep Austin Weird shirt. Though I think I look awful, Finnick tells me I'm beautiful. I roll my eyes. I've never been able to accept it. He kisses me on my lips and my heart beats faster than it did moments ago. Butterflies have made a sudden appearance and I am short on breath. I can feel Finnick feeling the same, but I don't know why he would choose me. I'm just glad he did. When I am comfortable, he walks out of the room and turns off the light. Before he is completely gone, he says four words that I love the most. "I love you, Annie."

I smile and let my head rest against the pillow. "I love you too, Finn." I hope our declaration of love will be enough to drive off the nightmares.

I sit in my bedroom, my stuffed bear, Yellow Bear, washed so often it is white, and Lucky, my stuffed Dalmatian, are my only friends. Mommy doesn't allow me outside the fences of the house very often. I have a pool in the backyard I will often use to get away from her. She doesn't like to get wet. She doesn't buy me swimsuits either, so I can only go outside and swim when it is warm enough for me to swim naked. It is warm today. I can swim today, can't I? I start to strip off the layers of threadbare clothes I am wearing and grab a towel, to make my way to the pool.

I'm too little to hate myself, aren't I? I want to grow up so I can get out of here. I am too little to hate the little bit of belly fat I have, the scars that consume my legs and the color of my hair and eyes. I like to imagine I am pretty sometimes. I like to think I am pretty, like momma. She has pale skin, like a pearl. It's pretty to look at. Her hair is so light too. Her eyes look like the palest blue. She is perfectly skinny too. She looks like a princess in ice. Momma likes to remind me she is beautiful too. She tells me people love her. She tells me that people hate brown haired girls with light olive skin and big green eyes. People hate it. Who am I to argue? Moms always tell their daughters the truth.

I pull my ugly brown hair into a little ponytail. My hair goes to my shoulders. I keep it that length because mom has hers that short. I am walking down the hall to the door to the backyard when mom stops me. "Annie, I'm going to make you pretty."

I hate when mommy says that. I'm sure all girls hear it from their moms. Who doesn't want to have a pretty daughter? Mommy leads me down the hall and into the room that she calls the salon room. There is nothing salon about it. There is a mirror so I can see what I look like before and a lot of lights, along with mom's concoctions of potions and her weapons. There is also a silver table with belt like holders to hold my hands and feet in place. There is one that also goes around my midsection. Mom says she has those there because I move so much.

She belts me into the table and I'm not allowed to move. She has clips that hurt me. They keep pinching my eyes, keeping them open. "Mommy stop! This hurts!" She hasn't even made a cut yet.

She comes at me with the knife and I scream. I scream and scream. There is stinging and cutting and liquid rushing in and out of my eyes, though I cannot see it. I can only feel it. I cannot see anything. I think mommy forgot to close the window, because now I hear sirens. Mom utters some words she says I am not allowed to say and exits, locks me in, though I can't see. I only have my ears to guide me. "Momma! Momma I can't see! Momma!" What I hear isn't mom coming in. It is a woman with a softer voice who passes me Lucky and Yellow Bear. I can feel them as soon as she unlatches me from the table and carries me into a truck, with a softer bed. I can hear the sirens. I think I'm in an ambulance. The soft voiced lady tells me to go to sleep, and I do.

Six days. That is how long I must live without seeing the colors of the world. I start to think I will never see again. I will never see my ugly face again. Doctors come in though and say they did all they could, but my eyes will forever be changed. I open them up after a surgery they preformed; they put me to sleep, like mommy never did, and fixed my eyes. I could see. My eyes were still big, not small like moms, and were not ice blue like hers either. They weren't the green I was born with. They were brown, like my hair. I don't care. I can see.

There is a banging, a loud harsh one on my door. "Annie Maranda Cresta! Open this door!"

I don't get up and the angry woman storms in. "You will never be pretty! You look too much like your father to ever be desirable." She lunges at me and starts to hurt me. I put my hands over my ears and scream. I scream like I never have before. My first attack. Far from my last.

I wake up much in the same way as my nightmare ended. My hands are covering my ears and I am crying. I am shaking and am completely terrified. Finnick comes into my room and holds me. "You are safe. I am here." His voice is wonderful. "She's not here. She can't hurt you." It is like waves crashing on a shore. "You are beautiful. I love you." I stop my attack and am just shaking and crying, no longer in a world where she can hurt me, unless she gets custody over me. She still might get me. My sobs start up once again and Finnick holds me. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Don't let her take me." I sound like I'm seven all over again.

He passes me the two stuffed animals I have on my bed, Lucky and Yellow Bear. I place them on my lap and continue hugging Finnick. "Annie, I love you so much. I would rather live through my childhood for one hundred more years than have her take you." I let him hold me as I cry once again. I'm crying because I know the words he say are true.

So sorry for the long wait! I hope you all still will read it! I am pretty sure that will be the longest you will have to wait for an update! (I'm going to try to go back to daily updates) I hope you enjoy!

Thanks to: MeaganOneDirection, MiaBelles, Mikey Jacquez, Natura Nature, SecretsandSugarCubes, SibunaChika1227, StarBright18, StayAlways, axes tridents and snares, Anarchy Girl, Catching Fireflies, TARDISRose, Alexandra Jackson rocks Hades, Kyranoel, Fire Kitty 12, MewWinx96, babymcflurry, ThaliaFairbain, cutegirlems, Y.O.L.O So do it right, lole12312, Cinna's Bird, MahoganyMagic12, Random person in wonderland, RiderArya103, SparksFly'SkyHigh, Addicted2-Your-Story, AnotherDawnLikeOurFlag, TurtleThompson, messygreenroom, PerfectionIsFlawed, come burn with me, hyllia14, Lizzie6410, Steven Garrett, Kirihito Mai, RunnergirlI, hungergamesgirl999, UntilTheCannonSounds, Yasie, Purplespartan, HungerGamesAddict3, Amitytribute, DomiHearts1497, likelife, sarah. , ExplodingAaron and gomez-girl for adding this to their favorite.

Thanks also to my 67 followers! That is incredible! Thanks so much!

-Juliet