Author's note: You should get a few answers to all those burning questions you've all been thinking about from the start.
Huge thanks to my beta LavenderVanilla for some great insight into this story and for being an all-around awesome person! Go read her stuff now!
Happy reading!
Trigger warning: There is light overview of butchering of an animal and depictions of hunting and spear fishing.
Chapter Four
Katniss heard the clatter of pans at the other end of their small room and then a muffled curse. It pulled her from a deep sleep.
"Finnick, what are you doing?" She asked groggily.
"Sorry." Finnick called back. "I was trying to be quiet."
She rolled onto her back, stretching her limbs as far out as they would go and then just stared at the ceiling.
"Do you want breakfast?" He asked softly from just outside the curtain.
She turned her head and watched his shadow. "You didn't poison it, did you?"
He snorted. "Now why would I want to deprive myself of your pleasant company?"
Katniss smiled to herself. It was true that they fought almost constantly, but they did have a few moments of congeniality. And there were more and more of them as time went on. More than once, she awoke to Finnick making breakfast like today, trying to be quiet and failing miserably. One evening came home from helping her mother deliver a baby to find Finnick up to his elbows in a tub of water washing their clothes. And he was always trying so many little things to make her smile. Sometimes it even worked.
She dressed and stepped through the curtain. "I'll be right back." She said as she hurried through with her things to visit the shared washroom. She had to wait behind Delly, who smiled and chatted animatedly the entire time. Katniss tuned her out, but still plastered a smile on her face so she could pretend to listen. The other woman even continued her chatter while she went through her toilet.
Finnick poked his head out the door, pointed to the washroom, and made a face mocking Delly.
Katniss snorted and covered her mouth. "Stop." She whispered.
"What was that, Katniss?" Delly asked.
"Nothing, Delly. Go on." She waved Finnick away.
He chuckled softly and closed the door.
The washroom door opened and Delly gave Katniss one more smile. "See you around, Katniss." She said as she bounced down the hall to her room.
Katniss took her time, despite hearing the voices gathering outside. It was Sunday and most of these people were getting ready for church services, but she was going hunting. It had rained them out the week before, so she and Gale were going to make up for it.
When she stepped back into the apartment, she paused and watched Finnick as he put slices of squirrel and scrambled eggs on two plates along with fresh rolls.
"Did you go to the bakery this morning?" She asked as she deposited her things on the bed.
"Yes." He hesitated a moment. "I know we mostly avoid it, but I thought you'd like something different."
"Are you saying my rolls are bad?" She asked, a teasing challenge in her voice.
"I'm saying I finished them off last night and I never got the hang of baking." He said with a grin as he sat the plates on the table and indicated she should take a seat. "So are you going to the woods today?" He gave her a cup of tea.
"I am." She put some cream in her tea and tentatively asked, "Would you like to go with me?" She wasn't entirely sure if she wanted the company, but she knew he could use some time outside their home that wasn't the mines.
Finnick watched her a moment, calculating, and asked, "Will Gale be there?"
"Do you have something against him?" Katniss challenged.
He looked down at his food. "No, but he's definitely not my friend." He glanced up. "So he's going to be there?"
"Yes." She said slowly. "But sometimes Madge tags along."
He shook his head. "I think I'll sit this one out. I don't want to intrude."
"I can show you the pond." She offered slowly. "And I may have something around here to fashion a fishing line."
His face broke into an appreciative smile. "If you can help me find a good, strong stick and maybe get me a hatchet to split the end, I could make something more effective than a hook and line."
She nodded, giving him a grudging smile of her own. "I can do that." She finished eating and started gathering her things. She dug in the bag she always carried and produced a small ax. "Will that work?"
He nodded and took it from her, slipping it through his belt. "Lead the way."
"We need to clean up the breakfast dishes." Katniss pointed out.
Finnick shrugged. "I'll do it later."
In the woods, she pushed aside the limbs that blocked the pond and small clearing from everything else. "Stay here until I come back for you later." Katniss requested. "But if you need me, call. I'll try to stick close."
Finnick grabbed her hand before she could get away. "Thank you."
She noted the sincerity in his voice, no jokes this time. She'd done him a great kindness. She squeezed his hand. "I mean it, don't try to come after me or find your way home. You could get lost and then I might lose you for good."
"Would that be so bad?" He asked with that smirk of his.
She shrugged. "I'd hate it for Prim." She said dismissively.
He nodded. "Right. Prim. But never you." He kissed her knuckles before she could get away. He pointed behind her. "That tree looks good."
She turned. "Some good sized limbs for what you're thinking."
"I wasn't suggesting it for a fishing spear." He winked and moved away before she was able to retort. She could feel her face heating up.
Gale was in their usual spot sharpening his knives. He looked up at Katniss's approach and she could feel herself relaxing.
"Hey, there, Catnip. I was starting to wonder when you'd show." He greeted before he went back to his knives.
"I set Finnick up at the pond." She said as she dropped to the ground beside him.
Gale's head snapped up. "Are things… How are things?"
"Fine, I suppose." Katniss shrugged and picked a dandelion from the patch beside her. She plucked at the tiny petals as she spoke. "I… Gale, I gave up. I can't keep waiting for Peeta."
"I would have already given up months ago." He said softly.
She gave him a sideways grin. "I know you never liked Peeta."
Gale shrugged. "No matter now."
"You don't like Finnick any better." She pointed out.
"Neither do you." He stood and held out his hand. "Madge expects me home before supper."
Katniss took his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet as she slung her bow over her shoulder. "I never would have believed I'd hear you talk about Madge like that a year ago."
He smiled. "What can I say? I fell in love."
"The baby helps, right?"
He gave her a confused look. "How did you know about that?"
"My mother is the midwife. These things don't stay secret from me for long." She smiled encouragingly.
Gale's face grew to a proud grin. "We weren't telling anyone yet." He started walking slowly away, looking over his shoulder for her to follow. "What about you? Any little ones in your future?"
"Definitely not." Katniss quickly shot down a pigeon that flew across their path. "I'd never allow it."
Gale followed her to retrieve the bird, getting one of his own as they went. "Because of your presidential visit the day before your wedding?"
She nodded. "Peeta wanted a houseful. I never really did. And I'm already…" She trailed off. "No more talking, Gale. Let's hunt." She made her way a little deeper into the forest.
"So you and Finnick have…?" He asked as he followed.
She paused and glared over her shoulder just before she continued on. She stopped again and held up her hand for him to stop. A deer loped into view. The animal could feed both their families well. They each took a shot and the deer stumbled and then staggered away. Thankfully, it didn't take long to track it. Katniss and Gale worked together to tie the creature up and dress it in silence, working well after years of hunting together.
"You should go check on your husband." Gale said after a while.
"I could just leave him there. Plenty of water. Plenty of fish." She wiped her bloody hands on some leaves.
He chuckled. "He'd find his way out."
"Unfortunately." She looked over the animal. "I'll come back to help finish with this."
Gale shrugged. "I got it. It's almost done."
Katniss made her way to the pond. She saw Finnick standing in the shallow part of the water, his trousers rolled up to his knees. He had a long stick he'd split at the end into three prongs and sharpened. He examined the water, following something with his eyes. Then quickly, he plunged the spear into the water and lifted it up with a fish wiggling between the tines.
"You're brutal." She said, breaking his trance.
Finnick gave her a smirk as he waded out of the water with a string of half a dozen fish. "I do my best."
"We could feed an army." She pointed to the fish. "Gale and I got a deer."
"I guess a week of curing and pickling is in our future." He said as he sat down to pull his boots back on. He nodded toward his days' catch. "Gale and Madge should get a few of those. And we'll take some to your folks."
Katniss nodded. "When we drop off some of the venison."
Finnick watched her a moment. "Are you okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" She picked up his string of fish and started out of the clearing back toward Gale.
"I can carry that." Finnick offered as he rushed to follow.
"Gale needs your help more." She led him silently through the woods to where Gale had started quartering the deer and putting it into Katniss's game bag and his own. "Make sure your mother gets some of that." She held up the line. "And she'll get some fish."
Finnick stepped forward and asked, "What can I do?"
"Just stand back and let me finish." Gale said. "We can work on how to butcher game later. You'll probably end up cutting yourself and then you won't be able to work."
Katniss piped up, "Yeah, then we'll lose the apartment and have to move in with my parents."
"Five people in one bedroom?" Finnick shook his head. "No, thank you."
"Sure would put a stopper in your bedroom activities." Gale quipped.
Katniss shot her friend a hard look.
Finnick just laughed. "It sure would."
Katniss turned her look to her husband. "Not another word, Finnick."
Finnick's smile dropped. "Sorry."
"Time to go." Gale said, lugging one of the bags over his shoulder.
At Katniss's nod, Finnick picked up the other bag and followed Gale back toward town, struggling a little more than Gale with the weight.
Katniss stayed a few steps behind. The men talked about the mines and Katniss let her mind wander back to the days after Peeta was taken.
She'd tried more than once to relieve the ache she felt when she thought of Peeta. She needed to know he was safe. She'd visited the bakery to deliver the burn ointment on schedule, but Mrs. Mellark always answered and threw a few coins into her basket without summoning the others, as she'd done in the past. It was clear Mrs. Mellark didn't want Katniss to know where and how Peeta was.
Katniss stood in the alley behind the bakery for over an hour one afternoon to catch someone other than her. When Ryan stepped out with a box marked "Mellark Bakery," she took her chance.
"Please, Mr. Mellark." She called after him.
Ryan turned. "Miss Everdeen?" He shook his head. "I suppose it's Mrs. Odair now, isn't it?" He gave her a kind smile that made her think of Peeta. That was a tough thought. "How may I help you?"
"Where is Peeta?" She asked desperately.
Ryan looked toward the back door and then stepped closer. In hushed tones he said, "I'm sorry to say, Mrs. Odair, but I don't know. I reckon he is well and safe, but I have no other news."
"Does your mother?" Katniss demanded.
He looked toward the door again. "She burns letters. Lots of them. I never see who they are from or where, but I did catch Peeta's name on one once."
"So she must know." She mused.
Ryan nodded. "Someone in the post office might have an idea." He said hopefully. "Would you like an escort there?"
She shook her head and indicated the box he held. "You have deliveries to make. Thank you, though." She hurried toward the post office with renewed hope.
Gale waved his hand in front of her face. "Where did you go?"
She shook the memory away. "Nowhere." She looked around and discovered they were standing in the middle of the Seam.
The Hawthorne house was a little bigger than the Everdeen's across the street. Over the many years they lived there, rooms had been expanded and added to make a comfortable home. There were four Hawthorne children. And when Madge had married Gale, they built their own living space behind the house with similar plans of expansion over time.
She waved at Gale as he made his way home and then turned to her parents' house. She looked over her shoulder at Finnick. "You coming?"
He chuckled and followed. "Just preparing myself for the Prim storm."
Prim threw her arms around Finnick when he stepped through the door. "It's been so long, Finnick." She exclaimed.
Finnick laughed and patted her back as he returned her embrace. "You're right. I've been working hard. Your daddy knows." He held out his hand to Caleb. "Good afternoon, Caleb."
Caleb shook the younger man's hand. "Good afternoon, Finnick." He gave his younger daughter an admonishing look. "Prim, let him go."
Prim stepped away quickly, and averted her gaze.
Finnick gestured to the game bag he still held. "Your older daughter got a deer."
"And your son-in-law caught fish." Katniss said, indicating the string she still held. "Where's Mama?"
Caleb pointed over his shoulder. "Kitchen with Effie Abernathy."
Katniss felt her nose draw up at the mention of the woman. "What is she doing here?"
Her father patted his stomach. "I guess there's to be a new addition to that clan."
That's the last thing that woman needs. Katniss thought. She was happy that wasn't an option for her. One of the mixtures Iris made was a tea to prevent babies and Katniss drank it every day, even before she and Finnick had gone to bed together because she was sure it would happen eventually. Every bit of her was frustrated and in need of a release before that first time. The second wasn't nearly as big of a chore.
Iris and Effie walked in. Effie smiled brightly around the room. She was always so happy and it was a little confusing to Katniss. No one could ever stay that chipper. Even Delly Cartwright had her bad days.
"It's lovely to see you, Mrs. Abernathy." Finnick said, shaking her hand warmly. "You are looking well."
Effie giggled. "Oh, Mr. Odair, you are a charmer. I have had better days."
"Haven't we all?" Finnick kissed her hand and helped her out the door. "Please tell your husband I said hello."
"I will, Mr. Odair." She waved to the others. "Goodbye, Everdeens!" She practically sang as she left.
"That woman." Caleb shook his head. "I am not ready to see how those children turn out with her for a mother and Haymitch for a father."
Katniss covered her mouth as she started to laugh. Prim, Finnick, and Caleb quickly joined in.
Iris shook her head. "You all are horrible." She pointed to the bundles her daughter and son-in-law carried. "Better get those put up out of the way. I almost got supper done." She turned back to the kitchen. "You are staying, aren't you?"
"Yes, Mama, we are." Katniss took the bag from Finnick and followed Iris into the kitchen.
Finnick watched the women walk away and then turned to Prim. "How are you, Little Miss?"
Prim giggled. "Definitely better with you here."
Caleb chuckled and wrapped his arm around his younger daughter's shoulders. "He's your sister's man." He whispered.
Prim blushed and ducked out from under his arm. "I'm going to help Mama and Katniss in the kitchen." She scurried off, her cheeks a deep red.
Caleb laughed again and motioned for Finnick to join him in the parlor. "How are things?"
Finnick shrugged. "I guess I can't complain."
Caleb sat in a large warn chair and lifted his right leg to rest on his opposite knee. "Katniss giving you a hard time?"
"Every day." Finnick sank into the adjacent chair. "But I'm just as bad, I guess."
Caleb leaned close and said, "Do you think you could make it away to a meeting tonight?"
"Tonight?" Finnick looked toward the kitchen and back to his father-in-law. "I could probably get away, but Katniss won't like it."
"It's best that you don't tell her you're going." Caleb said.
"You want me to keep this a secret from Katniss? Are you trying to get me killed, Caleb?"
A deep laugh came from Caleb's stomach and he shook his head. "I guess if you want to have a pleasant marriage…"
Finnick felt his face fall. "I gave up hope on a pleasant marriage a year ago."
"I'm so sorry, Finnick." Caleb began. "I tried to fix it."
Katniss stepped into the parlor. "Supper is ready." She ducked back into the kitchen.
Finnick leaned closer to his father-in-law and said quickly, "How could you have fixed it? My uncle had his hand in this for a long time and I was the one that lost the game." He stood. "I don't even know what his prize was in it all." He started toward the other room.
Caleb shook his head and grabbed hold of Finnick's wrist. "Snow did this, Finnick. I just need you to come to this meeting. It'll explain some things."
"What things?"
"About why you're here, married to my daughter and cut off from District Four." Caleb unfolded himself from the chair and made his way to the dining room.
Answers. Finnick thought. Could I make my way back to Annie? He followed his father-in-law, his mind running with all the possibilities.