Home: Mumford and Sons.

"Annie!" He ran to me, "Annie! You've done it!" He cried, hugging me, kissing me. I couldn't react. I just held him. "I love you so much Annie!" His hands examined my face greedily, discovering the restorations and cleaning up the Capitol had done before I could be returned in to civilization. "You've done it!" He pushed back my hair, still studying. And although I desperately wanted to respond, I couldn't. "Annie, what's wrong?"

Tears pricked at my eyes, and he was all I could think of, "Thomas." I finally said. "He…He's gone." I cried into Finnick's chest. "I'm so sorry!"

Finnick hugged me tighter, letting his fingers tangle in my hair, "It's ok Annie. You're free now. It's ok," He whispered in my ear, kissing me again. It was safe here in his arms. I was free from the game and I was ok.

I wanted to stay in Finn's arms forever but they tore me away for my last interview. Cora was pleased to see me again, placing me in a long, fitting gold dress with a beautiful long net made from gold colored tulle, intricately woven. He left my hair down, curly with pretty white flowers intertwined in the waves…as my mother would. Everything seemed so different now. Part of me was in reality but the other part was still in the arena, hiding. Once I was out on the stage with Caesar, I was able to sort my thoughts.

"Congratulations Annie Cresta! Victor of the 70th Hunger Games!" Caesar announced. The crowds cheered, I could see them clapping and screaming but all I could hear were the waves. They were haunting. Panem praised me. I was a victor. But I felt so much less. I came back though.

I grinned, "Thank you! Thank you everyone!" I waved back, as happy as I could muster. My dress constricted me as I walked towards the chair beside Caesar. Smiling weakly, I let my arms wave gracefully, as if I were home, swimming. I was anxious, waiting for my first question as Victor.

Caesar shook my hand and embraced me before motioning me to sit. "Now Annie, we all admire your spirit!" He grinned as the Capitol audience applauded again. "Not a single kill! For the entire two weeks…amazing!" He exclaimed, watching me and then looking towards the audience for a response. They cheered and some looked shocked, but he continued, "I think what really won us over, though was the pact between you and your District Four counterpart, Thomas." Caesar didn't bother to pause, but kept explaining past events to the audience…as if they weren't all watching. "I can honestly say, of all the years I've hosted the Games, I've never seen such a complicated trio," He said to me with his same smile on.

He turned to the audience, "As you all recall, Finnick Odair, our youngest victor, was both Thomas and Annie's mentor…but there was something more there, yes?" He asked me.

I nodded and cleared my throat, "Yes. Finnick and Thomas were best friends when we were young." I said as I began twisting my ring around my finger.

Caesar politely nodded and kept smiling, then he raised an eyebrow and his grin became more subdued and cheeky. "And you and Finnick?"

I could feel my blood rising. I blushed furiously, "Oh, well, Finnick and I were really good friends as well." I said flawlessly.

Caesar leaned back a little in his chair and crossed his legs. "If I recall from the games, Thomas revealed something to our audience that was quite shocking…you and Finnick…that couldn't have made this entire process easy," He said coyly, letting the audience 'ooh' and 'ah' accordingly.

My dress felt tighter and my heart was beating rapidly. I had forgotten about the cameras in the arena. That was my biggest mistake to surviving...forgetting they were always watching. "It was difficult adjusting, yes." I said quietly.

Caesar smiled, as if to reassure me. "Was Finnick the boy back home?" He asked with a kind look in his eyes. It only frightened me more. Should I be revealing all of this?

"Yes," I squeaked almost automatically.

A silence fell over the audience. "But there was another chink in the plan," Caesar said with a staged sorrowful look. "Let's watch, shall we?"

I was confused. The reel of the Games began to play. I didn't watch most of it…until I saw Thomas. He had been searching for me from the start. "Annie!" He called out. It didn't make sense to me at first…but then things started falling into to place. Piece by piece it became very clear. Thomas Reed had loved me too. I was the girl Thomas loved. I was his last good deed to Finnick. Three hours passed as the audience watched with excitement. Three hours passed and I felt like my world had just flipped upside down. Thomas' death left me a wreck, but I didn't let them see me cry.

"Wonderful! Wonderful performance Annie Cresta!" Caesar congratulated me, getting the entire audience to cheer yet again. All eyes were on me.

The words came out before I could stop them, "He loved me?" I whispered. I was hoping no one had heard, but I knew it hadn't gone unnoticed. Caesar played my faux pas off well.

He took my hand and then pulled me from my chair. "And we all love you! Annie Cresta, the girl who won not only the heart of two men but the nation of Panem as well." He said, lifting my hand in the air and allowing the crowd to praise me.

Emotions surged through me, but the worst of the night was the panic of being crowned Victor by President Snow. He approached me and the smell of roses violated my senses. He placed the crown on my head, "Such a beautiful Victor, wanted by all of Panem." He said, running his hand across my cheek. And although his smile was commercial, there was a hungry glint in his eyes. Then he turned to the crowd, and lifted my hand like Caesar had, "Annie Cresta!" He shouted, "A ray of innocence and beauty." I smiled at my many descriptions, but fear set into the depths of my soul. Something wasn't right. Whether it be the haunting memory of Thomas, replaying the games, or President Snow's kind private words to me…something wasn't right and that terrified me.

When I finally found Finnick, I thought my heart would find relief, but instead it only worsened. "Annie! They love you!" He said, with a bright grin and a big embrace. When I didn't hug back, he grew tense and worried. "Annie, are you alright?" He asked, searching my face.

I furrowed my brow, watching him with a new seriousness. "Did you know about Thomas?" I asked quietly.

"What? No." I didn't doubt him. Although Finnick never told me the entire truth, he hasn't lied to me. It was in his eyes. The sadness that had been apparent before the Games, reappeared, but it wasn't my mortality he worried about anymore. Finnick pulled me to the elevator as soon as all the congratulations were over. "Annie, I'm sorry. I didn't know they were going to ask…or that Thomas was going to do…" Finnick looked genuinely distraught. That was the first time I saw Finnick break down. Tears silently streamed down his face and when the elevator stopped, we sat in the hallway that lead to our apartment. I held him, crying with him.

"It's ok," I whispered to him, pushing his hair back and kissing his forehead. Worry was still in the back of my mind, but I knew this wasn't easy on Finn. He kissed me, trying to avoid his sadness, but I stopped him, holding his face in my hands. Eventually, Mags came out and found us, trying to give us some peace of mind and comfort as well. She told us we did the right thing, that Thomas loved us both. She congratulated me and told us to get some rest before we left for home. "Are we in trouble?" I asked him when we went inside. I went into Finnick's room, this time I was the one to spend the night.

He shook his head, while we stayed in his bed. "No. No, why? What happened?" He asked as I curled up against his side.

I told him. I told him my thoughts about Thomas, how upset I was, how he said he 'owed' Finn. I told him about the President. Finnick didn't speak for a long time. "Annie, I need you to be patient with me, and to not hate me when I tell you everything," He whispered, sinking down to my level and hooking his hand around my ear.

I shook my head and kissed his palm. "I could never hate you."

He smiled as he pushed my hair out of my eyes, but the look of worry returned quickly, "No. No, Ann. You very much could. When we're back in Four and I tell you everything…I need you to trust me completely." He instructed me quietly.

I pressed my hand against his chest where his heart was, "I trust you Finn."