A/n: Wow. So much positive feedback. Thank you so much to every single person who followed, reviewed, favorited (totally not a word) or just read my fic. I really appreciate it. I just wanted to take some time to thank each and every one of you. At one point there's a phone conversation. I bolded this to hopefully make it easier to not get lost. My line break isn't working today... so yeah.

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When Gale shuts the door I slump down, defeated. There's no way we can go back to the old Katniss and Gale. I was surprised that Johanna thinks he likes me, and even more surprised Gale didn't deny it.

"Are you okay?" Finnick asks me.

I shrug. "I can't answer that." For once today, I've told someone the truth.

"I know this is hard on you- trust me, I get it more than anyone else here. I know sometimes- heck, all the time- it seems like it would be a good idea to give up. Don't. It takes ten times as long to put yourself together as it does to fall apart," Finnick warns me. I wonder what's happened to him. I know better than to ask.

"Sometimes I wish I could just make everything stop," I tell Finnick. He nods, understanding to me. "Sing to me?" I ask him. I fall asleep to songs about the sea.

I wake up to the sunlight shining through the curtains. Finnick has his tanned arms around my waist, holding me close to him. Not that I really mind. It's the first night since the games I've been able to sleep through a nightmare. Finnick mumbles something in his sleep about swimming. I decide to try to go back to sleep, but a loud crash downstairs startles me.

Finnick jumps up, poised and ready to attack anything. Never try to startle a victor. I slide on a pair of shorts and go downstairs to figure out what the noise was. Finnick's right behind me.

Johanna's holding a frying pan in her hand and Gale is yelling at her. She yells something back at him about even people in 12 acting egotistical or something like that. She puts the pan down when she sees me. I see that she's twisted the handle. "Katniss," she asks me, "Can you explain to Gale over here that being a judgmental douche is never cute."

"What happened here? And why were you two screaming at each other?" I ask Gale.

"I've killed people from 12, I can doing it again." Johanna threatens. I put my hand on her shoulder. "Gale was saying some pretty douche-y things about Finnick and you."

Gale puts his hands up in frustration. "How is that douche? Besides, it's true."

"What's true?" Finnick asks. He has the same killer look as Johanna. I've never seen him like this. I wonder if it's a victor thing, or if the two of them are just that similar.

"You two are screwing around... aren't you?" Gale implies. I flash back to when Finnick took my virginity before I began my dates. It wasn't out of pity- it could almost be considered him trying to protect me. Or just show me that not all sex is terrible.

"No." Both Finnick and I say at the same time.

"What's really going on here?" I ask Gale. I know that he wants to ask something else. Was Johanna right? Is he jealous of Finnick and I? He sure shouldn't be. I'm really not that attractive. Someone like Glimmer could have been better.

"Ever since you've come back from the Games, you've been... different." Gale says, putting his hand in his pocket. "Everything about you is different. More Capitol. And suddenly you have a bunch of your friends move in too! And you're drinking. I'm starting to wonder if I even ever knew you in the first place."

I sigh. "I was in the Hunger Games, for crying out loud! Give me a break?" I look around. I can't be here right now. "I need to be alone for a little bit." I slam the door on the way out.

By the Hob is a thirty foot tall tree. My father would take me to it when I was younger. He thought teaching me to climb trees would be important. The skill ended up saving my life a few times. I place my feet in the same spots on the familiar branches and climb to the very top. It's mid-October, and the leaves have a yellowish orange tinge to them. Before I left for the Games, I was scared to get above ten feet. And now I'm thirty feet up.

I can see most of District 12 from up here. The coal mines in the east, the Seam in the west, the merchant's part of 12 in the north and the Justice building in the south.

I want to run away from it all. But I know that wherever I go, my problems will go with me. It's no use. I feel a large pouch of coins in my shorts pocket. I decide to go the Hob.

It's early in the morning- maybe seven- and not everyone's here. I try to buy something from every stand. It feels weird to not have my game bag on my shoulder. Today I'm buying- not selling. I get a small cup of Greasy Sae's "beef" stew. It's really squirrel. But that's fine with me. The unspoken motto of 12 is that any food is better than no food. Greasy Sae gives me the entrails for Buttercup. Prim'll be happy I thought of that terribly ugly cat of hers.

I buy a bottle of liquor for Haymitch, some mint leaves for my mother, and a pink beaded bracelet for Posy. I remember she had liked it. When I get back to the Victor's village, I can here Hazelle talking sternly to Gale. His nose is bloody. And Finnick's sulking like a small child.

Johanna sees my confusion. "Finnick punched Gale in the face. He kind of deserved it." I knit my eyebrows together, not putting all of the pieces together. "He called Odair a man-whore." I frown. Fantastic choice of words.

"That must have hurt him way more than intended." I frown. I go sit down next to Finnick.

"You know Gale didn't mean it like that. He doesn't know," I try to console Finnick. He nods, but I can see the hurt reflected in his sea green eyes. I push his bronze hair out of his face. I can tell that these two will never like each other. I better not have to choose between the two of them. Then again, at the rate things are going now, I would most probably choose Finnick over Gale in a heartbeat.

I am astonished with myself. Since when would I ever not want Gale around. He was my best friend. I'm not sure if he still is, but I don't want to write him off just yet. I need to do something about this.

"Okay!" I yell, to get the attention of everyone downstairs. It works, and everyone stops talking to listen to me. "Everyone in this house is different. Some of us are even from other districts. Regardless, we all just need to suck it up, and get to know people. You're all living in the same house, pretty much. Or you're neighbors. But you're gonna be seeing a lot of everyone, so get used to it." I look directly at Gale. "Even if you don't particularly like someone, be civil. You don't know their lives, and what they've been through. Everyone in this whole house has suffered at one point, a few are suffering right now. Am I making myself clear?"

I don't know why, but people seem to listen to me when I act authoritative. It's strange, but it gets the job done. I decide I'm going to spend some time with Prim when the phone rings. I'm not used to having a phone. Hazelle picks it up. "Hello?" She asks, answering the phone. I see the color drain out of her face. "Yes, of course. I'll put her on in a moment." Hazelle turns to me. "You might want to take it upstairs." I look at Finnick and Johanna, nodding at them for them go come with me. Gale tags along as well.

"Hello?" I pick up the phone in the study.

"Hello, Miss Everdeen." It's President Snow.

I'm startled. I try to compose myself, and act an Effie-level of polite. "To what do I owe the honor of a telephone call?"

"I have... a proposition for you regarding our buisness agreement. You do remember it, correct?"

"Y-yes. Of course." I reply. This could only mean one thing. Another date.

"Well, I believe you are acquainted with Mister Odair? And is he in District 12 with you right now?"

"Yes I am acquainted with Mister Odair, and yes, he is in District 12. If you don't mind me asking sir- why is this of importance?"

"Well you two both have similar contractual obligations. If you two were to- say, become an item in the eyes of Panem, you two could be sold together as a dual package, and this would be very profitable. What do you think?"

"From a buisness standpoint," I say to make sure Gale is kept out of the loop. "This could be very profitable. What a fantastic idea." I say without the slightest hint of irony.

"I'm glad that we agree on this Miss Everdeen. It would be... unfortunate if we had not. Well, as always, a pleasure doing buisness with you. Have a good night, Miss Everdeen."

"Thank you. Have a good night, Mister President." I wait for him to hang up before I slam the phone down. *

"What the hell was that?" Gale asks. He's fuming. I can tell hearing me talk on the phone to the president about Finnick Odair was not a very good idea.

"A tribute thing," I tell them. "Snow suggested I do commercials on Capitol television networks for money. I can use the money profited from these commercials as sponsorship money for any tributes that I mentor."

"Then why did I hear Odair's name?" Gale stands up, clenching his fists. Johanna pushes on his shoulders, sitting him back down.

I swallow the lump in my throat thats rising. "Snow wants us to be an item. He thinks it could be good for the Capitol tabloids."

Finnick looks at me shyly. "Katniss, can I talk to you... in private?"

"Would you two mind stepping out for a minute?" I ask Gale and Johanna. Johanna nods.

As soon as the door closes, I decide to tell Finnick the whole truth. "Snow wants us to be an item so he can sell us together." I whisper. Hearing me say it out loud made it seem real.

I notice that Finnick begins to tear up. He looks me in the eyes. "I am so, so sorry about this. You deserve so much better than this." He points to himself. "I can't believe this is actually happening. This is so... sick." I can tell he feels terrible with himself. Probably because he's 7 years older than me."

I stand up and hug him. "Shhh. This isn't your fault. It wasn't your idea. You're not to blame here."

"If we're going to be an item, can I try something?" Finnick asks me. He sounds almost nervous. I've never seen him like this. The Finnick Odair I think I know is flirtatious and sexy. Not shy and vulnerable.

I nod. "Go ahead." We've already done everything. Finnick strokes my cheek, wraps his hands around my waist, and leans in to kiss me. I haven't had much experience when it comes to kissing people. I've only ever kissed Peeta, and that was in the Games. But I can tell that that was something special. I rub my finger over my lip where he kissed me softly, even if it was only for a moment. I fell a warmth spread over me. His touch is almost electric. "Wow." I smile.

Somebody clears their throat. I turn around, it's Gale. I instantly pale. How long was he standing there for?

"What did you see?" Finnick asks him, sounding very confrontational.

Gale shrugs. "I came in when you started crying." His voice sounds obnoxious. He looks angry. "Odair. Why don't we have a chat?"

Finnick looks at me for approval. When I nod and raise my right eyebrow, meaning it's okay, but I want to know what happens. "Alright, Gale." Finnick says, walking out of the room behind the shorter boy.

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Finnick's POV

I feel disgusted with myself. Yes, I slept with Katniss, but that needed to happen. It was training. But kissing her, that I did on my own. She's just a girl, for crying out loud! Gale leads me into another room. I think it's his bedroom. Johanna's also in there. We both look surprised to see here. "Trust me, I could care less what you have to say, I'm just here to make sure Finnick doesn't snap your neck." She explains herself. I shoot her a dirty look. She knows I don't mean it.

Johanna and I go way back. Johanna's dad was the mayor's niece, so I've known her since the victory tour of my games. I was fourteen and she was twelve. She won the 69th games when she was sixteen. I helped her after her games- Snow wanted to sell her, like Katniss. But after the first five customers, she put her foot down. Johanna's stubborn like that. She didn't think Snow would actually kill her family. He did. She stayed with the Mayor of 7 for a few months, but has been staying in 4 with me since the 70th games. The games that Annie won. Until now, that is.

If you'd ask me whether I loved Annie, the answer is a simple yes. But it's complicated. I was the reason that she was reaped. Whenever I was in 4, I would want to spend as much time as I could with her. Snow saw that as a distraction from my work that needed to be dealt with. After that, I couldn't even bear to do anything more than have a polite conversation with her. I had screwed up her life. And now I'm screwing up Katniss' life as well.

"Alright then." Gale says, sitting down on the edge of the bed. I sit on the chair in corner. Johanna is leaning on the door to the room. "I don't know what's going on between you and Katniss, but you need to explain it to me. She's not telling me because she doesn't want to lie to me." He sounds too cocky for his own good.

"Enobaria." I hear Johanna mumble. Enobaria is a victor from District 2. She's very arrogant, and thinks everyone loves her.

"Snow wants Katniss and I to be a couple." I sigh. It is true. Just not everything. But it's all Gale needs to know.

"I thought we were gonna get together when she got back from the games. I was gonna ask her out after the Reaping, since I would be safe. But I guess the odds weren't in her favor. Or mine." Gale practically whines. He sounds like a toddler who wants something in a store.

"Well, the Capitol thinks your Katniss' cousin, so that would never actually happen." Johanna points out. "It would be kind of weird."

Gale huffs. "Well what makes Fish boy over here so much better than me? Besides, he's 15 years older than her. Now thats kind of weird"

"I'm only seven years older," I correct Gale. That's still a big difference. "Do you think I want this? She's beautiful, smart, funny, and a fantastic person. But she deserves better than me."

"Finnick. Gale." Johanna gets our attention. "Quit the drama already. The president wants this. And besides, there's other girls out there. You'll move on, and look happy. Okay? I know a few ways to take your mind off her." She motions for me to get out so she can... comfort him. I shudder. Even though the idea isn't very foreign to me.

I need to talk to someone. Gale and his siblings are out, so are Johanna, Haymitch and Katniss. That only leaves Mrs. Everdeen and wait- Prim. She's much wiser than her years, and always knows what to say. Plus, she understands Katniss. I knock on the door to Prim's room. It has her name written on it in pink pen.

She opens the door and smiles at me. "Hi there, Finnick. I can call you that, right? You can come in my room if you want."

I laugh. She's adorable. "Yes, silly. You can call me Finnick." Her room is a little smaller than Katniss' - mostly because it doesn't have a private bathroom. Prim doesn't have a lot of things- a small backpack on her desk chair and a blue jacket on her door. "So I came here to get your advice on something."

Prim nods. "Alright. So um- you can just say whatever it is and then I'll give you advice, I guess." She sounds nervous.

"Alright then." I sit down on the desk chair and take a breath. "So I'm going to tell you as much as I possibly can. Feel free to interrupt if you have questions. But I might not be able to answer some of them."

"Got it. I'm listening." Prim assures me. She sits down on the edge of her bed.

"So I won the 65th Games nine years ago. I was a little older than you. Ever since then I've been mentoring and doing other things like that in the Capitol. When Katniss won her games, instead of going straight home, Haymitch asked me to stay and teach her how to act 'Capitol' for the interview." I use air quotes.

"Haymitch is the drunk guy next door, right?" Prim asks.

"Yeah. That's him." I laugh. "But when I was getting to know her, it turns out she was asked to do the same things in the Capitol that I was- and still am doing. And since we were asked by the president himself, you really can't say no." I realize I'm very close to saying something bad. But I continue. "So, I helped train her for that stuff and showed her how to get sponsors to donate money for the kids."

"I'm guessing I'm not supposed to know what the things your training her for are." Prim says.

I nod slowly. "Trust me, it might be better if you don't know. Not even your mom knows. But anyways here's the bad part. The president wants us to become a couple for the sake of it looking good. And while I really don't mind that part, I think I might like her."

"Like like her?" Prim asks, smiling. She reminds me of the District 11 tribute.

"Exactly. But I don't want to ask her out under those circumstances." I frown.

Prim scrunches her nose up. I can tell she's thinking hard. "Well, you need to tell her that." I'm about to interrupt, but I let her continue, knowing she'll explain further. "If you don't, she'll think you're just going along with it for the sake of what you need to do. Trust me, she won't say no. She can't even sleep the night without you! And even if your love story is imperfect, that's not really a problem. You two have been through a lot, and you deserve to be happy with each other."

"Thank you." I stand up and hug Prim. She's two feet shorter than me, which makes this exchange awkward. "I'll let you know how it goes."

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Katniss' POV

I change into one of my more revealing sets of pajamas. I usually wear a large tee shirt and shorts, so almost everything is more revealing than that. But still, this is almost appropriate for my job in the Capitol. I'm wearing a tight, black, lacy dress. It's very short and I'm honestly afraid to bend over in it. I crawl into bed and wait for Finnick. We're supposed to become an item, so I might as well put in the effort to make it look like we're sleeping together.

Finnick stumbles into the room, tripping over a pair of shoes. I think they're mine. He looks tired. "Katniss. We have to talk. Well, I need to tell you something." He has the same nervous voice that he had when he kissed me earlier.

I pat the spot on the bed next to me. "Don't be nervous," I tell Finnick, "I think I can handle whatever it is you want to say."

"Well. I think I like you. Rather, I know I like you. And I want us to be together. And not because the Capitol wants us to, but because I want us to." His sea green eyes meet grey Seam eyes. We're so different, but we're the same.

I don't know if I like Finnick in that way. Clearly he's attractive, and I know we have something together, but I've never felt that warm butterfly feeling that Madge has always described as having a crush. I remember the feeling when we kissed. "Finnick Odair, are you asking me out?" I raise an eyebrow at him.

"I think I am." He responds in the same cocky tone I usually associate with him.

"Well, then I can't say no." I smile at him so he knows I'm agreeing and meaning it.

Finnick slides into bed next to me. "Goodnight, Katniss." He puts his arm around me.

"Night, Finnick." I lift my head up and kiss him on the lips again. I get those butterflies again. This is probably the first time since before the games that I've actually felt happy. I think I can get used to this.

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A/N: I intended on posting this two days earlier, but my wifi was all screwed up. Sorry for the wait!

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