CHAPTER SEVEN

PREMONITION

"Wake up, Annie…"

I open my eyes to see Finnick leaning over me. But he looks different. His bronze hair has a very slight touch of grey in it. There are very small laugh lines around his mouth.

"Finnick?" I question.

He grins at me.

"Yes. That's what they call me."

My hands fall over my flat stomach. He raises his brows, a very few and not deep lines form at his forehead. He's in his mid thirties now.

"You okay, Annie?"

"I'm fine, baby."

"They're both up…"

"Who?" I ask.

He looks at me with furrowed brows.

"Our children…" he says slowly.

I nod and he rubs my back as I yawn.

"Mom! Dad! She's trying to make breakfast again!"

Our son. He's helping our daughter cook breakfast as usual. Well, trying to help it seems. Finnick smiles and bows his head, shaking it slowly.

"We need to go help before she burns down the house," he groans sliding out of bed.

Surprisingly he is wearing nothing but boxers. The surprising part is how fit he is still. His pecks still firm and his stomach completely flat. There's still a trace of firm abs, but it's not what it was back when we were first married. I don't care though. He grabs a t-shirt from the chest of drawers and pulls it on, then slips on a pair of glasses with black rectangular frames. Turning to face me he grabs me a robe from the closet and tosses it to me. I slip it on and he crosses over to me taking my hands and pulling me gently to my feet.

My eyes go to the clock. It is only eight am.

"It's early. I don't wanna walk…" I whine.

Fin looks up to the ceiling and nods his head from side to side contemplatively.

"I understand," he replies.

I sigh and start towards the hallway. I gasp as I am suddenly pulled up into his arms, bridal style.

"Finnick!"

"You said you didn't want to walk!" he replies.

"That doesn't mean I am paralyzed!" I retort.

"Oh, please!"

"Put me down!"

"I will in the kitchen! Will you relax?" Fin laughs.

I relax in his arms and kiss him on the cheek.

"Okay, gross," says our teenage son walking into the hall.

He turns on his heel and walks back into the kitchen.

"Then don't watch!" Finnick calls.

"Don't watch!" I add.

We walk into the kitchen and Fin sets me down. Standing on a chair at the stove is our ten year old daughter. I cross over to her.

"What are you making?" I ask looking over her shoulder.

Eggs it seems. I'm proud of her for cooking, but know she needs help. I reach over her shoulder and take her arm helping her flip the scrambled eggs.

"You are doing so good," I smile.

The eggs are finished and I turn down the stove so she think she's still cooking.

"Good job, baby," I say brushing her dark, auburn hair over her shoulder.

My son sits at the kitchen table slicing oranges.

"You want help?" I ask.

"No, but dad is waiting for you on the porch. We're eating outside he said."

"Okay, keep an eye on your sister," I reply kissing the top of his head.

I step outside and remove my robe wearing a tank top and baggy plaid pajama pants. Finnick stands on the porch staring at the ocean, sipping a mug of coffee.

"There's a cup for you too on the table, babe."

I grab the mug off the table, taking a sip. It's perfect. Fin knows just how I like it. He should after over fifteen years of marriage.

I stand beside him on the porch and his arm wraps around my waist. He kisses my cheek and I ask a question that's been on my mind.

"I'm still sane? I'm a good mom?" I ask.

He chuckles and pulls his glasses farther down on his nose with a free finger from his coffee mug and peers at me over them.

"It's funny you didn't even have to have our daughter to be sane. I don't think there's a better mom in District Four."

It's odd seeing Finnick this way. From bachelor/young husband to paternal, intellectual looking father of two, married for a little over fifteen years.

My head rests on his shoulder and I let out a sigh of relief. He kisses me on the lips and I realize how truly happy I am…and how sane I am too.

I gasp and wake up. Tears immediately swell in my eyes. I look down at my six month pregnant stomach. That was the most amazing dream I'd had in months. The sun shines into the room and I lift myself into an upright position wiping the happy tears from my eyes. A smile spreads on my lips and my hands fold over my belly.

"Annie? Why are you crying?" asks Finnick groggily.

I laugh softly, still crying.

"Annie? Honey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. I had a good dream."

Finnick sits up and kisses me on the cheek.

"I'll go make some coffee and you can tell me all about it. Okay, meet me on the porch."

I nod with a small laugh. Just like my dream.

After a shower and getting dressed in a maternity dress from Effie I meet Fin outside on the porch. He's sipping a cup of coffee staring at the ocean in a teeshirt and boxers. On the porch table is a cup of coffee.

"There's a cup for you too on the table, babe," he says.

Just like in the dream.

I swallow the tears of happiness and grab the mug stepping beside him. His arm encircles my waist and as far as he can. He kisses my cheek.

"So tell me the whole dream," he says.

I tell Fin the whole dream. From him with slightly greying hair, glasses and laugh lines to our teenage son who was the spitting image of Finnick and daughter who was the spitting image of me. How we stood just like this on the porch and he told me that I was a great mom and perfectly sane.

"Annie, you know they say that pregnant women have premonitions. Have dreams of the future sometimes," he whispers. "I'm telling you, you'll be sane still and the best mom."

I lean my head on his shoulder and sigh contentedly.

"But there's one thing your little premonition was wrong about…" he sighs.

"What?" I ask.

"I will never get grey hair. Ever. That will never happen."

"You'll never age?" I ask.

"Never. There's a portrait of me that ages. I don't."

"And I'm going to?" I laugh.

"No, you won't as long as you let me cast a spell on you," he replies mystically.

I laugh. He groans and ruffles his hair.

"I'm going to need glasses. Just like my dad," he sighs.

"Your dad isn't bad looking. I can see why your parents are still together," I smile.

"Ew. Don't say that."

I giggle and sip my coffee.

"I've only seen your mother once in that photo."

I blink and sigh softly.

"Do you want to see a picture of her…" I ask quietly.

I feel his eyes on me and I stay facing forward.

"Yes…if you wouldn't mind…"

I swallow and take his hand walking toward the house.

We go to our room and I open the drawer by my side of the bed, removing the folded photo of my mother. I put my hand on the bed and lower myself slowly. Fin sits beside me. I unfold the photo and hand it to him. His eyes widen.

"Wow…" he breathes.

I let my head fall on his shoulder.

"I didn't see this one when you showed me it…"

He's referring back to when we first officially talked and I showed him the photo after that. This was one of her when she was seven months pregnant with me and twenty three years old.

"You look just like her," he remarks.

I smile a little hold his hand.

"Seriously. That's remarkable. You guys look identical."

Her hair is long and flowing down her back. Dark auburn. Her skin is pearly and covered with freckles. Big sea foam eyes look at the camera. Behind her is my father. His hair blonde and curly. His arms wrap around her and rest on her stomach. His chin rests on her shoulder gently. Eyes closed contentedly.

Wow," he breathes handing me back the photo.

I fold it back up and put it in my drawer, shutting it slowly. I had only looked at that photo once. It WAS shocking how alike we looked.

"You're beautiful, you know that?"

I smile and wrap my arms around him. He pulls away and kneels before me, kissing my stomach.

"If you're a girl, you are going to look like your mom. That's a good thing, she's beautiful," he says to my stomach.

"Well, if you're a boy, you'll look like your dad, which is also lucky."

"I guess it's win win," Finnick shrugs.

I smile at him and he stands kissing my lips.

"I'm going to go make breakfast."

I nod as he exits the room. I can't help but wonder if pregnant premonitions are real.

FINNICK'S P.O.V.

Annie's dream is sweet. It makes me smile a little. The fact that her dream featured us married so long I had glasses and greying hair. The fact her dream featured two children. I believe in the pregnant premonitions women have and despite me with wrinkles, grey hair and glasses I'm excited if that is truly my future with her. Especially if she looks like her mom. Her mom and her were identical from what I had seen.

As I cook the eggs, I sigh. Who would have ever predicted that Finnick Odair, the bachelor, would be this excited to be a father. To have two children with his wife. To look like his dad with laugh lines and glasses and grey hair. I couldn't care less as long as any was in my arms. As long as I had a family. A family I swear I will protect no matter what.

"Finnick?"

I look over my shoulder. Annie leans in the doorway of the kitchen. Her hand lovingly strokes her belly.

"You look deep in thought…" she observes.

I grin at her, still scrambling eggs.

"I'll never wear glasses," I say pointing the spatula at her.

Annie sits at the dining room table and rolls her eyes.

"If it means anything, you pulled it off. Like a sexy professor."

I turn away with a dramatic 'humph.' I feel like making fun of myself may make Annie feel a little better about herself. This might get me lucky and as understanding as I am about the whole situation, I AM a guy. I have some needs.

"Aw, did my dream upset the Famous Finnick?" she whines.

I smile and move the eggs off the burner onto the burner that was off. I turn around and sit beside her at the table. I look into her eyes and place my hand on her stomach.

"Your dream made the Famous Finnick turn into the Fatherly Finnick. Your dream excited me."

"Even with the grey hair, wrinkles and glasses," she smirks.

I kiss her gently and touch my forehead to hers.

"Yes. If it means I get to spend the rest of my life with you."

"The fact you had two kids didn't scare you?"

"Annie, I'd have a million kids with you."

She put her hands over mine on her stomach and looked down at it.

"You perfectly sane, beautiful mother of my future son and daughter."

I press my lips to her stomach and rest my head against it.

"You'll have a sister soon enough…"

"Ugh, don't say that. Pregnancy stinks, Fin. I will need a few years break from this fresh hell," Annie groans.

"Besides feeling like a whale, what's bothering you?" I ask.

"I hate vomiting at the smell of fish. I can already tell that labor is going to suck."

"We'll get you the medicine. It's going to be fine and I'll hold your hand the whole time. Okay?"

She nods at me and I kiss her belly again.

"Three more months and then you'll see. It's all going to be worth it. Promise. I never break a promise."

"Yeah."

"I promised you I wouldn't let them take you back to the Games. I promised you that I would always love you no matter who I was with. I promised you I'd make it back from the Quarter Quell. I promised you I'd make it back from the Rebellion. I promised you I wouldn't leave ever again. I haven't broke a single one of those promises."

"I know."

"I intend on keeping it that way."

I give her a quick peck on the top of her head and walk over to the cabinet removing two plates and serving some eggs. She would see. She would see soon enough that Finnick Odair never broke any promises. Not ever.