Six Years Ago

Finnick liked to think of himself as a fairly responsible person. Whether it be a swim meet or class, he always wakes up an hour prior to ensure he has plenty of time to get ready. He made sure to always be prepared for classes with all the necessary materials. Sometimes, however, despite his constant attention to preparedness, he falters in his responsibility.

Standing in front of his dorm room, he hesitated to walk in. The murmurs and giggles of his roommate's girlfriend filters through the wood loudly. Normally he would not hesitate, as Madge practically lived in their room with them, but unlike usual he cannot hear his roommate's deep voice mingle with hers. For whatever the reason, Finnick has no intention of finding out.

"Gaallee, stop it! That tickles," Madge coos. Finnick shudders.

It's now or never. He sighs as he knocks on the door, "Magpie, it's me. Can you get off your knees a second and help me look for something?"

"Finnick!?" she squeaks, "I thought you were studying for finals?"

"I'm trying to. I seem to be missing my Accounting textbook, though. It should be on my desk. Can you hand it to me please?" He asks through a fragmented breath. Finnick can hear the creaking of a body shifting off the bed, along with the padding of her feet against the carpeted floor. Finnick can hear papers shuffling and books hitting the floor.

"It's not here, Odair," Gale is the one to answer. "You sure you don't have it?"

"Check under or beside my bed."

"Nothing," Gale confirms.

"The hell?" Disregarding all potential for intruding on the indecently dressed couple, Finnick walks into his room and goes to search for the book himself. Surprisingly so, Gale is right, and the textbook is nowhere to be found. It is not hidden in drawers or between cracks in the furniture either.

Turning to his friends, frazzled, he finds his nerves calm at the sight of Madge, dressed in only Gale's oversized t-shirts, and Gale himself wrapped in his swim towel. Finnick refrains from chuckling.

"Will you stop staring?" Gale says, sounding sour, which amuses Finnick further.

"Where was the last place you had it?" Madge interjects before Gale and Finnick can start one of their tiffs.

Where had he been the last time he had it? It was in tutorial the day before. He had been at his usual seat at the back of the classroom, took out the book and placed it on his right. The chair scraped against the tile on his left. He caught a whiff of tropical fruit body spray as she came to sit beside him.

"Shit," Finnick curses loudly, kicking at some papers on the floor. "Fucking piece of shit! She has it."

It is Gale who fills the room with his boisterous laugh as he nearly doubles over from his splitting sides.

"This isn't funny, Hawthorne," Finnick says, as he runs a hand through his hair. "This isn't funny at all."

"Oh yes it is! Everything that goes around, comes around, and bites you in the ass, Odair." Gale says as he wipes the tears out of the corner of his eyes. "This is what happens when you're nice to a total bitch. She starts keeping your stuff."

"Gale!" Madge scolds. "You are being unfair. There is nothing wrong with Finnick helping a girl in need…even if she is extremely rude to him most of the time." She says, while shimming into her crumpled sweat pants after lifting herself off Gale's bed.

"Why are you getting dressed, Madgey?" Gale reaches out and grasps his girlfriend's arm as she walks around him.

"I'm going to go with Finnick for moral support," she slings her backpack over her shoulder. "She's been temperamental lately. The last thing he needs is a textbook thrown at his face."

Gale frowns, "But we weren't finished yet." However, Madge does not say anything more and walks out of the boys' dorm room and into the hall.

"Ooh, you were done about two minutes ago," Finnick chuckles, following in Madge's footsteps. "Karma's the only bitch you should openly curse."

It is too quiet when Finnick and Madge arrive up at her room.

"Maybe she's at the library?" Madge offers as she presses her ear to the door.

"She lives in a single room, how much more private could her study area get?" Finnick asks in return, his ear also pressed up against the door.

"It was just a suggestion. She could be sleeping?"

"That's more probable," Finnick smiles while pulling away. "I should just come back later. I hit up the pool for a couple hours while I wait."

"You never stop, do you?" Madge smiles back. She is about to pull away from the door when she catches the most peculiar noise. It happens again and the concern etched in Madge's face in undeniable.

"What's wrong?"

"Hold on," Madge rapidly raps at the door. "Catherine, it's Madge Undersee from down the hall. Are you alright?" Madge presses her ear back to the door.

Even Finnick can hear the quick footfalls of her feet as they rush to answer the door. Unlocking the bolt, she swings the door back causing Madge to lose her footing.

Catherine "Cashmere" Reitz is the epitome of your wholesome, upper-class, all - American girl complete with long blonde hair, bright blue eyes and model-like figure. When you added in her University of Chicago undergraduate brother Glen "Gloss" Reitz, the family are WASPs through and through.

At this very moment, however, Catherine did not look at all the part of a multi-millionaire's daughter. Her cheeks, so ghostly pale, the light reflect from the hallway while contrasted by the blotchy red rims that frames her puffy eyes. The overwhelming smell of tropical fruit body spray that usually envelopes around her like a bubble is not present. Instead, the strong stench of vomit perforates through the air.

Catherine catches Madge's eye first. Her bottom lip begins to tremble as she makes an attempt to speak. Ceasing its movement with her teeth, Catherine nods her head upon answering Madge's concerns.

"Are you sure?" Madge reaches out, but Catherine takes a step back into her room. She nods again and nearly closes the door on Madge when she realizes who is standing behind her. Finnick watches as the fear that swims in Catherine's eyes ceases and the blue in her eyes turns sharp and piercing. Swinging the door open she stomps right up into Finnick's, inches from his face.

"You son of a fucking bitch," she spits out. Her voice is raw, as if her vocal folds had been chafed and stripped by a series of sharp objects. Catherine's fist finds his face, but the punch is weak. Finnick knows she does muscle training, he has seen her in the gym lifting the same weights as Gale. Her punch should have hurt. She is definitely not well.

She wobbles on her feet as she falls back from the punch her eyes brimming with tears.

"Cash," Finnick says, stepping forward, reaching out to catch her before she falls. "How about you go lie down?"

"How about you go fuck yourself instead?!" she shrieks, the tears rolling down her cheeks. "Why are you even here?!"

"You still have my textbook…"

Her eyes narrow. Spinning on her heels, she stomps back into her room.

"This fucking textbook," she wails, waving it above her head.

"Yeah, that's the one."

Her face scrunches up unpleasantly and whips the three pound textbook out the door. Aiming at, and hitting successfully, his crotch. "I hope you fail your exam, you cock sucker!"

The echo of the slamming door vibrates off the walls in the hall as Finnick curls up on the floor. He cannot seem to catch his breath long enough to even voice the agony. The two of them got along as well as oil and water. No matter how many times they interacted with one another, the result was always the same. The repelled each other. Except for that one time, about two months ago.

"Fin~nick," Madge hiccups and sniffles, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he says, sitting up slowly. His groin is throbbing but he can manage. Pain builds character anyhow. Sitting up, Finnick shuffles over to the wall. His back scales the wall as it bares the majority of his weight. He takes careful steps towards the elevator with Madge beside him matching his pace step for step.

"Y'know, the girls wouldn't mind so much if you were a cock sucker," Madge tries to lighten the mood.

"Oh yeah?" He smirks. "I bet there's one girl in particular you have in mind."

The flush forming on Madge's face tint her cheeks a bright pink, "You know me too well, Odair."

Finnick's year ends with a bang. Between playing video games with his brother, Sebastian, until five in the morning; watching a football game with his Dad and Uncle the day after Christmas and swimming in the ocean, Finnick could not have felt more satisfied with his trip back home to Miami.

More than anything though, he finds himself ready to start the new semester and train his heart out. With grades no lower than a B minus and the Olympic Trials approaching, nothing can ruin this year for Finnick.

Except her.

The pair are about to begin their next set of dives, when Gale sees Madge and Catherine walk through the heavy set doors. Catherine looks less pale than the last time Finnick saw her, but still not to the same full colour he is used to. Her movements are careful as she walks closer to the wall than the edge of the pool, hands securely wrapped around her mid-section.

Madge waves at them and Gale waves back, "So, you patch things up with Cashmere over the break?"

"Haven't spoken to her, to be honest. Don't really want too. My groin can't take another hit. I don't think my little guys would be able to survive," Finnick says, bouncing gently on the diving board, turning his gaze away from their spectators. Gale roars with laughter as Finnick gives the visual countdown. Both men launch themselves into the air, not a millisecond out of sync, and crash into the water after a twist and a summersault.

They hear Madge hollering her head off once they surface. Her face is all a glow as she reaches down and congratulates Gale with a big kiss. Finnick lifts himself out of the pool, ready to grab his towel from the bench when he finds it dangling from Catherine's thin fingers.

"Thanks," he says while drying his face first. Catherine nods, her crystal eyes only holding his gaze for a second before they fall into her lap. "How was your break?" It is a safer question to ask than 'how are you' since he feels that whatever is sifting through her mind right now, it must be unpleasant. Catherine is not one to idly sit around and play with the hem of her shirt. She is an obnoxious do-er who takes the initiate and leadership role where she can.

"It was…alright. How was yours?" A warm smile graces her lips.

"Fine," he answers carefully while taking a step back.

She sighs, "I'm not going to bite you, Finnick."

"I beg to differ."

"Can we just… go, I dunno, somewhere and …um…talk privately, please?"

"Sure? Let me get changed first."

Having thrown on his sweats, they meet outside the change rooms. She takes him through a series of hallways until they are deep in the maze of corridors that make up the aquatic center.

"First of all, I'm sorry about throwing your textbook at your crotch. That was mean."

"Okay." He crosses his arms over his chest, staring directly at her as she fidgets with her clothing, pulling her t-shirt down. He only glances down for a second when he catches it. On her slim figure it is a glaring juxtaposition. His green eyes blink quickly and narrow as he quickly closes the gap between them. Catherine attempts to add space, but Finnick catches her wrist and pulls her closer. Her arms uncovering what she is attempting to hide.

It is not very big. No larger in size than a bloated person after a hefty meal. Regardless, it makes Finnick's blood run cold. Tears bubble in her blue eyes as she yanks her wrist out of his tightening grip. Pushing herself into the wall, she slides down until she hits the floor. She holds her head in her hands as she cries.

Finnick cannot find his words.

"My brother took me to the clinic over the break. It's confirmed. My parents don't know yet," she sniffles. "I don't know how the fuck I'm going to tell them."

Falling to the floor beside her, he too runs his hands over his face. This is not happening. They were safe; she made sure of it by having him to wear a condom in addition to her being on the pill. Or so they thought. It was a onetime thing. Something that happened in a desperate moment. She was crying, stressed and fairly convinced she was going to fail her Accounting mid-term. He eased her mind, worked with her slowly on each practise question until she was getting the answers perfect. She thanked him with an unexpected kiss. A kiss that felt too good to only share one.

"You are sure it's mine?"

"Can't be anyone else's, dumb fuck. You're the only guy I slept with in the last 3 months!"

"Right. Okay," he says running his hands over his face once more, hands steepling over his mouth. "I'm sorry."

"You're what?!"

"I said I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? You are sorry?!" This time, when she punches him, it hurts like it is supposed to. "You son of a bitch! You've single-handedly ruined my life and all you can tell me is that you are sorry! You're a one in a million, Finnick Odair." A fresh batch of tears pour down her face as his shoulder becomes her sand bag. He does not stop her even though his shoulder is throbbing in pain. He deserves it.

"I'm sorry."

"Stop saying that!" She finally stops punching him and rests her forehead on his shoulder. "Just stop. It's not making it better."

Kissing the top of her head, Finnick wraps his arm around her shoulders and pulls her closer to him. "We're going to get through this, okay?"

"You're going to help me?" She asks her blue eyes breathtakingly beautiful as they sparkle. Finnick remembers why he could not say no to her the first time.

"This is our baby." He rubs the bump of her stomach gently. "What kind of example would I be setting if I abandoned their mom?"

She kisses the smile off his face while adding a smile of her own. Maybe he has not ruined their lives after all.

Magpies share a family tree with Ravens and Crows. This makes them incredibly intelligent, bold yet intuitive birds that have a flare for shiny things. Madge earned her nickname, Magpie, after she deduced that Cray was the one selling pot to the freshmen. She succeeded in getting the low life off campus for good.

However, the origin of her nickname slips Finnick's mind as she comes to sit down with him at dinner several weeks later. He has his nose buried so far into his Economic notes he does not hear the crash of her tray on the plastic table. The scraping of metal on linoleum does not break his attention either.

"Finnick," Madge calls.

He flips the page idly.

"Finnick," she tries again. Nothing. "Gale's going to twist your balls if you're late to morning practise again!"

Finnick's eyes flicker up with terror, leaving Madge thoroughly amused with herself. Delly Cartwright shakes her head at her roommate's drastic actions but a smile tugs at her plushy cheeks.

"Sorry," Finnick mumbles as he closes this textbook. "How are you ladies doing this evening?"

Delly giggles, "Very well thank you, Finnick. How are you?"

"Oh y'know, busy being the intelligent pretty boy that I am," he winks at Delly, causing her to swoon. It's Madge's turn to shake her head. "Though, Magpie, you weren't serious about Gale were you? I apologized already for that."

"You know Gale, he likes to hold onto things."

"Guy has to work on letting go of his grudges."

"Hmm… yeah. Speaking of grudges, Cashmere seems like she's done throwing books at your junk. You two seem to be, oh how do I phrase it, more … agreeable lately. Cozy even. I saw you two making out outside her room last night. Care to share?" Madge inquires. Delly's face lights up as she leans forward, eager for the latest gossip.

Finnick sits back in his chair, putting distance between himself and the girls. "There is nothing to share. When she came by the pool last week we had a little chat. Realized we were the best thing for each other. She's not so bad when you get to know her."

Finnick knows that glint in Madge's eye. It is the same look she gives Gale when he claims to have not been watching porn. Utter and complete disbelief. But she does not press it. Delly, however, does.

"You're dating Cashmere now?! Oh my god oh my god! That's so…wow! Finnick! Oh my. Madge! Imagine if they get married! Oh my god! You two have to have kids! They would be too beautiful! Oh my god!" Delly's excitement blinds her from the sudden development of tension around the table. The way Finnick's back straightens against the chair, the sudden drop of the pen that has been twirling along with the way he blanches at Delly's comment does not escape Madge's watchful eye.

"I bet our little boy would be a heart breaker like his daddy," that sugary sweet voice whispers in his ear. Finnick turns around to see Catherine standing behind them, her textbooks strategically placed in front of her growing stomach. He blinks as she presses a gentle kiss to his lips.

"What are you doing here?" He asks, taking his backpack off the empty chair beside her.

"Hmm, I don't know, it's the cafeteria. You tell me?" she rolls her eyes as she sits down with a small thump.

Finnick jumps and reaches his hand out to grip hers. "No, I mean, I thought you were having dinner with your parents tonight."

"Changed my mind. I want something greasy."

"What's your mom making for dinner?"

"Salmon and steamed greens."

Finnick narrows his eyes, "You should go have dinner at home, Cathy. It's healthier for you."

"Shut up, I didn't ask you! Jesus Christ, I come over to say fucking hi and this is what I get." She stands up so quickly that she wobbles on her feet a little. Though, she does not fall since Finnick is holding the bulk of her weight.

"Be careful," he seethes, his hand that is not gripping hers is resting carefully on her core. That's when Madge sees it. With both people standing it's as clear as day what is going on. She holds in her gasp, as she too gets up from her seat at the table.

"Catherine, how about I grab you a burger at Burger King and we go have dinner in Finnick's room?"

Catherine turns to her with tears in her eyes and nods. Madge nods back as Finnick mouths a discreet 'I owe you one'. Oh, he will owe her more than one.

After her meal, Catherine curls up into Finnick's jersey sheets for a post-emotional crisis nap. Leaving her to nap in peace, Madge and Finnick close the door and camp out outside his room.

"So, when were you going to tell me?" she asks, staring hard at him.

"Tell you what?" he looks back at her, quizzically.

"That you got Cashmere pregnant."

Finnick sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Jesus Christ …"

"When were you going to tell me? When she's the size of a freaking balloon? After the baby's born?"

"I hadn't thought that far yet. I'm trying to keep her and the baby well, right now. You saw what just happened. This isn't easy."

"None of its freaking easy, Finnick. But you can't shut me out like this. You screwed up but I'm your friend. I can help you!"

"Help with what exactly? You don't have the punching bag body type. If Gale finds bruises on you he's…"

"No you idiot! Having female moral support is different than having support from the father. Cashmere looks like she could really use some," Madge says, resting her head on Finnick's shoulder. "I'd imagine this is really frightening time for her being so young and all."

"Yeah," Finnick rests his head on top of Madge's. They sit in silence as the muffled voice from a rock song plays in the distance.

"You're a good guy for sticking by her through this. I can say, without a doubt, that if it were some other guy, he would have run for the hills first sign."

"What kind of man would I be if I didn't take responsibility for my actions, Magpie?"

"Not much of one," Madge laughs. She draws swirls and patterns onto his jean clad thigh causing him to twitch. "You're going to have to tell Gale you know."

"I know," he sighs.

"Just... remind me not to be there when you do."