Tyler and Buck seemed to materialise out of thin air. Finnick hadn't even noticed them move from the other side of the room before he noticed them standing by him, a few steps behind his chair.

The whole room had erupted into chaos with Peeta's interview.

Questions and demands were being aimlessly thrown around the room.

From everyone except the victors. Whilst the others were questioning the reliability of Peeta's warning, the victors weren't. They knew first-hand the viciousness of the Capitol. Of Snow.

"Shut up!" Haymitch's yell broke through the noise and everyone's eyes fell on him. "It's not some big mystery! The boy's telling us we're about to be attacked. Here. In Thirteen."

"How would he have that information?" "Why should we trust him?" "How do you know?" rang out from various sceptics.

"They're beating him bloody while we speak. What more do you need? Katniss, help me out here!" Haymitch desperately turned to the girl beside Finnick, looking for some support.

Katniss' eyes were blown wide, still in shock at seeing the boy she cared so deeply about abused like that. "Haymitch's right. I don't know where Peeta got the information. Or if it's true. But he believes it is. And they're…" she trailed off, her eyes filling with tears.

Finnick reached his hand out under the table and squeezed her hand. It wouldn't be long until Katniss finally figured out the real reason Snow took Peeta and Taiya.

"You don't know him," Haymitch turned to Coin. "We do. Get your people ready."

Coin didn't seem overly alarmed, confused was more accurate. She tapped her finger against the control board in front of her a couple of times before she took a breath and turned to address the room. "Of course, we have prepared for such a scenario. Although we have decades of support for the assumption that further direct attacks on Thirteen would be counterproductive to the Capitol's cause. Nuclear missiles would release radiation into the atmosphere, with incalculable environmental results. Even routine bombing could badly damage our military compound, which we know they hope to regain. And of course, they invite a counterstrike. It is conceivable that, given our current alliance with the rebels, those would be viewed as acceptable risks."

"You think so?" Haymitch asked. The subtle irony of his comment was lost on the residents of Thirteen, but all the victors had to drop their heads slightly to hide their smirks.

"I do. At any rate, we're overdue for a Level Five security drill," Coin nodded. "Let's proceed with the lockdown," she began to type on her keyboard.

That's when the alarms started. Finnick hadn't partaken in any of the other drills that'd taken place whilst they'd been in Thirteen. Patients were usually allowed to remain in the hospital, but this one he had to follow.

The alarm was jolting to the system. Wordless, eardrum piercing, fear-inducing.

Boggs gestured for him, Katniss, Tyler and Buck to follow. They followed him along the hall to a doorway that led to a wide stairway that streams of people were already hurrying down. It was an orderly flow of people. No one yelled or pushed. Flight after flight, they descended silently, it wasn't worth speaking, no words would be heard over the roar of the alarm.

As they reached the bottom, Boggs grabbed Finnick's arm and waved it under the scanner, nodding for the others to follow suit. This was no doubt to take their attendance, and make sure everyone was accounted for.

"Report to the area that matches your assigned quarters," Boggs instructed before hurrying off to the underground command centre.

"Come on," Tyler tapped Finnick's shoulder slightly, leaving Katniss to talk to Plutarch who had just arrived. "You're compartment O. Do you want one of us to come with you? I haven't been moved out of compartment S yet, even though technically I'm bunking in compartment D with Buck, but I'm sure they can make another exception and one of us can stay with you?"

"No," Finnick shook his head. "I'll be alright. You guys head to your section," he said as he turned and quickly walked away.

Where was she? Why was it just Peeta on the screen? Why was she not there? What had Snow done to her? What horrors was she facing? The guilt was flooding Finnick's system. He had escaped and joined the rebels and Taiya was left to endure punishment for the both of them.

Once Finnick had settled into his bunk, and the blast doors were shut, Coin's voice echoed out over the speaker.

"I would like to thank you all for your exemplary evacuation of the upper levels. I want to stress, this is not a drill. As Peeta Mellark, the District 12 victor, has possibly made a televised reference to an attack on 13 tonight."

And that was when the first bomb hit. The impact sound was booming and Finnick instinctually clenched his teeth. They may have been deep underground, but the walls still shuddered and people still screamed.

Was that what Taiya was doing right now? Screaming?

It was Coin's voice again that broke his destructive train of thought.

"Apparently, Peeta Mellark's information was sound and we owe him a great debt of gratitude. Sensors indicate the first missile was not nuclear, but very powerful. We expect more will follow. For the duration of the attack, citizens are to stay in their assigned areas unless otherwise notified."

He won't kill her. He couldn't. If he did, he'd have nothing left to hurt Finnick. Sure, it seemed like he had Mags and Annie, and Finnick loved them. Oh, and there was probably Todd as well. But if he killed Taiya… Finnick had to try and distract himself, the very thought of that was making his heart palpitate. His mind couldn't decide. Would it be better for her to be dead so she wouldn't have to endure the pain of the Capitol? Or was he being selfish in pleading to every deity every night for her to be alive and well?

Peeta was alive. Snow needed him to use against Katniss. Taiya was alive. Snow needed her to use against Finnick.

They're alive. They're alive.

Three days. The bombing persisted for three days. Just when you'd think the raid had ended, another would begin.

The attacks weren't designed to kill, they were designed to disrupt. Keep their technology down, and prevent any more television takeovers. That would give the Capitol enough time to undertake damage control and try and reign the citizens in, ensuring they were sufficiently obedient and compliant to the Capitol cause.

Finnick didn't even have access to any medication to help him sleep, they were rationing it and this time, nightmares didn't constitute a good enough reason to gain access to the pills.

It was on this third day that Finnick finally decided to venture to a different area. Tyler and Buck had stayed away the whole lockdown, knowing Finnick wanted to be alone. And for what felt like the first time, Finnick was the one doing the seeking out.

"Hey," he greeted as he sat beside Buck.

"Oh, hey," Buck frowned in confusion. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to talk to someone and your bunk is closer than Tyler's."

"No, it's n…" Buck cut himself off. Buck's was about double the distance away from Finnick's than Tyler's was. But calling the boy out on this wasn't going to do him any good. It was obvious Finnick wanted to talk specifically to him. "What'd you want to talk about?" Buck asked as he studied Finnick cautiously.

"I wanted to ask you something about Tyler," he said as he looked down at the rope he was knotting in his hands.

"Well you know I love to gossip," Buck laughed as he attempted a joke. "No?" he frowned when he got no reaction.

"Wasn't very funny," Finnick shrugged. "It's not even gossip I'm after."

"What do you want to know?"

"How did Tyler cope? After his girlfriend was killed?"

Buck's eyes widened, he knew exactly what had been whirring through Finnick's mind the last three days. It was horrible.

"Aila Pennyway," Buck sighed. "And if I'm honest, he didn't. He ended up like me for a while. A shut-in. So depressed he'd only open the door to let in the delivery man with food and supplies. He only really became himself again after he made you and Taiya his little pet project. And boy you two were a piece of work. Still are," he mumbled under his breath.

"Did you have anyone?" Finnick asked.

"No," Buck shook his head. "I didn't have anyone before I went into the Games, and I wasn't desirable enough to be sold off. But I didn't want to give the Capitol any power over me. I'd just spend my time gambling with Todd after he won his Games. I feel like I dragged Todd and Tyler down a bad path, they never got the help they needed to heal. I just provided them with crutches. When you won, Tyler couldn't watch another kid get dragged down like we were. And then you wouldn't shut up about Taiya and he saw the parallels between you and him. He wasn't going to let what happened to him and Aila happen to you and Tay. So you're asking how he coped? He didn't, he still doesn't. But he can cover it up like a bandaid with his determination to make sure what happened to him doesn't ever happen to anyone else. He'll be sticking his nose in your business until the day you die kid. He won't let you die, he won't let you leave her. And he will do everything in his power when she's here, to make sure Taiya stays here with you. Because he knows what it's like to lose your person. You never recover."

Finnick just nodded. It was what he already knew. If he lost Taiya, he'd never recover. There was a lot Tyler never showed. But Finnick had noticed the initial on a chain around his neck. The 'A' pendant that sat against his heart every day.

"Why do you think she wasn't on the TV?" Finnick asked, turning to look at Buck with tears in his eyes.

"Honestly," Buck took a breath. "To get the exact reaction you've given. You've spent three days staring at the ceiling imagining every circumstance and its possible ending. If she's dead, if she's alive, if she hates us, if she loves us. You're torturing yourself. He doesn't have to do anything. She was within your sights twice, and then he took her away. He knows your mind well enough to know that'd do more damage to you than having her on the screen a third time. He's torturing Katniss with Peeta's appearance, and he's torturing you with Taiya's absence. Both are effective methods."

Finnick could only nod as he stared at the rope, in a way that was sort of comforting. She was absent, but Buck was right. Absent didn't necessarily mean tortured to the point she could no longer be on screen. It could just be the more effective method of crippling Finnick's mind.

And Buck was sure as hell glad that Finnick bought this theory because that was not what Buck really thought. In truth, Buck was distraught. Taiya's influence on the Capitol people, and even in some upper-class districts was immense. Taking her off air would be a mistake, she could help calm tensions. He truly felt her absence was a grim sign.

"Here," Buck reached into his pocket. "I'm sorry. I should have given this to you ages ago," he held out a photograph of Taiya.

Finnick greedily snatched it up and held it gently in his hands. It was a polaroid Finnick had taken of her at the beach a year or two ago.

"How did you get this?"

"I took it from your room in the tribute centre before Tyler and I evacuated. I grabbed something else of yours before I left as well. It's up in my compartment though so I'll give it to you when we get out of here."

"Ok," Finnick nodded, unable to take his eyes off the photo.

"Hey kid," Buck put his hand on his shoulder, making Finnick look up at him. "Get some actual sleep. You need it. Or socialise. I hear there's a great game somewhere with a cat and a flashlight, you could check it out."

"Yeah, yeah, ok," Finnick stood up. "I'm gonna head off to rest. I'll see you later," he walked away from Buck's bunk and headed back to his own.

He didn't rest though. He just sat on his bed staring at his new memento, his photo, which he'd placed on his pillow, freeing his hands up to continue their rope-tying routine.

"Hey," Katniss' voice broke him out of his own mind. "Can I sit?"

"Yeah," he nodded as he sat up, allowing her to sit down next to him on his bunk, picking up the photo so it didn't get damaged.

"I figured out why Snow is keeping Peeta alive," Katniss sighed in anguish. She'd finally figured it out. He couldn't help but look over at her with sorrow in his eyes. The realisation would be crushing. Peeta was being kept for the sole purpose of torturing Katniss. Everything he endured was designed to impact Katniss. "I was stuck wondering why, why is he being kept alive if he doesn't know anything? I didn't understand until just now watching that stupid cat. He's just keeping Peeta so that he can torture him to punish me when I step out of line. Finnick," Katniss' voice cracked. "Every time I protest, every time I film a propo, raise my voice in defiance, it's Peeta that pays the price," tears slipped out of her eyes. It was when she looked up at Finnick and studied his facial expression that her face changed expression.

It had just dawned on her that this strategy of torture was nothing new to Finnick. It was very old news. It was why he was so distraught and broken from day one.

"This is what they're doing to Taiya, isn't it? He's taunting us with them."

"Plutarch didn't tell us much before the arena. Just to keep you and Peeta alive. She didn't know anything else," Finnick tied a knot. "Snow knows she wouldn't lie to him. She's too scared of him. He's always had a strange hold over her. I think it's because of the way she was raised. That built-in respect for power and authority. She never had to fear authority like others did. She was part of it, or at least her dad was. She was raised to trust authority. That obeying authority is for the greater good. She's not a traitor. But she'll do what it takes to keep herself alive. So he's not holding her for her wealth of rebel information. She didn't want to go ahead with the plan. I promised her that if she did, she wouldn't have to go back to the Capitol. I promised her. I couldn't even do that for her, and now she's there."

"Oh, Finnick. I'm so sorry," Katniss breathed.

"No, I'm sorry. That I didn't warn you somehow. I was hoping you wouldn't figure it out."

Katniss sat in contemplation for a moment before she straightened up. "But you did warn me though. On the hovercraft. Only when you said they'd use Peeta against me. I thought you meant like bait. To lure me into the Capital somehow."

"I shouldn't have said even that. It was too late for it to be of any help to you. Since I hadn't warned you before the Quarter Quell, I should've shut up about how Snow operates," Finnick yanked aggressively on his rope, undoing the knot he'd just created. "It's just that I didn't understand when I met you. Neither did Tay. After your first Games, we thought the whole romance was an act on your part. That's why Tay hated you at the beginning. She thought that you both managed to survive when you didn't even care about Peeta, whereas she had to watch our friend die in her arms in her Games. You got to survive with someone you didn't care about, when she had to watch someone we both loved die. And then one of her best friends was killed because he allowed two winners, and Snow didn't like that. Your Games made her resentful, and the aftermath of the two winners' decision cost her a friend's life. And she hated you for that. But we all expected you to continue the romance strategy. It wasn't until Peeta hit the force field and his heart stopped and he nearly died that we…" Finnick hesitated, not quite sure how she'd take what he was going to say next.

"That you what?"

"That I knew we'd both misjudged you. That you do love him. I'm not saying in what way. Maybe you don't know yourself. But anyone paying attention could see how much you care about him," Finnick said gently. "Tay realised too. She softened to you and Peeta both after that."

Finnick turned back to his rope, threading through another knot and releasing it. He continued doing so whilst Katniss processed what she needed to.

It was a few minutes before she spoke up. "How do you bear it?"

What an insanely ridiculous question.

"I don't, Katniss! Obviously, I don't," Finnick had to hold back the scoff. Could she not see his 'mentally disoriented' bracelet? Had she not seen him in the hospital almost the entire time they'd been in this District? "I drag myself out of nightmares each morning and find there's no relief in waking up. But it's better not to give in to it," Finnick changed the direction of his lecture, his conversation with Buck ringing in his ears. The consequences the victors before him had to pay because of their lack of coping skills and support. "It takes ten times longer to put yourself back together than it does to fall apart."

Katniss took a deep breath. She knew he was right. But how did she not fall apart when her entire world was crumbling around her?

"The more you distract yourself, the better. First thing tomorrow, we'll get you your own rope. Until then, take Taiya's," Finnick held out his most treasured possession.

"Oh, I can't," Katniss shook her head.

"Take it," Finnick nodded to assure her. "I have my photo for tonight. But I mean it, first thing tomorrow, you can't keep it," he gave her a small smile.

"You're sure?" Katniss cautiously took the rope from him.

"She'd want you to have it," Finnick nodded. "Finding out how Snow works is crushing, we've all gone through it."

"He's been using Taiya against you for years, hasn't he?" Katniss asked as she stood up.

"He uses us both against each other," Finnick confirmed.

With twenty-four hours of no air raids having passed, Coin finally announced an end to the lockdown. Most quarters had been destroyed by bombs, and only a few remained.

Thank god compartment D survived.

As soon as the bunker started to clear, Finnick was by Buck's side - rope in hand - ready to see what else he'd snuck out of the tribute centre for Finnick.

And he was not disappointed. He now held onto a white knit cardigan. One that had been knit by Taiya for his birthday. The outfit he'd worn on reaping day. The one he now clung onto like a security blanket as he followed Boggs up to the Special Defence room alongside Katniss, Gale, Buck and Tyler.

Coin, Plutarch, Hayitch, Cressida and everyone else were gathered around the table looking exhausted.

"We need all of you suited up and aboveground," Coin skipped the small talk. "You have two hours to get footage showing the damage from the bombing, establish that Thirteen's military unit remains not only functional, but dominant, and, most importantly, that the Mockingjay is still alive. Any questions?"

"Can we have a coffee?" Finnick asked, eyeing off the pot of warm drink sitting on the table.

Coin nodded her assent. "That's not part of the uniform Mr Odair," she referred to the cardigan.

Tyler and Buck both immediately gestured their hands across their throats and Plutarch got the message. He understood the significance of the cardigan to Finnick. One time, when he'd been surveilling Taiya, he heard her and Seneca discussing the knitting pattern he was helping her design. Reading between the lines, he assumed this must have been it, a gift from Taiya. So whilst the team were taking their cups of coffee, he subtly pulled Coin aside to negotiate an exception in exchange for the chance to keep Finnick relatively lucid.

Finnick didn't ask permission before he dropped a dollop of cream into Katniss' mug, he'd been watching her stare at her mug with loathing and figured she needed some help on improving the taste. He then proceeded to reach into the sugar bowl. "Want a sugar cube?" he asked in his Capitol seductive voice. This was exactly how the two friends met, and the memory made Katniss smile. "Here, it improves the taste," he dropped three cubes into her cup, returning to his normal voice.

"Do you seduce your girlfriend with that voice?" Katniss joked.

"Fiancée," Finnick corrected. "And I've tried, but she just laughs at me."

Katniss merely chuckled before turning away to get suited up, her eyes catching on something that she elected to ignore.

Finnick turned to follow her sight only to see Gale glowering at the two of them. His glare softened slightly when he noticed he'd been caught.

Finnick was amused. He'd spent ages confined to the hospital because he was in such despair over losing his girl, and Gale thought he was making a move on Katniss? So he decided to tauntingly salute the younger boy in mockery before making his way over to change clothes.

"Don't taunt Hawthorne," Buck warned as he walked behind him, not even bothering to stop to engage in a conversation over Finnick's teasing.

By the time Finnick had finished changing, Tyler made his way over. "Hey, ease up on Gale alright? You know what it's like to be jealous."

"You and Buck should talk more," Finnick smirked. "I only needed to hear that once to know that I was going to ignore your advice."

"Buck already told you to back off?" Tyler frowned in confusion and Finnick nodded. "That was mature of him… maybe he hit his head?" Tyler wondered as he walked off towards Buck.

They all headed up to the surface. Fresh air rushed into their faces as Boggs opened a trapdoor and they emerged into the woods.

"What day is it?" Katniss asked.

"September begins next week," Boggs answered when no one else does.

Six weeks that means. Taiya had been with Snow for six weeks. Finnick's grip on his cardigan and rope instantly tightened as his body started shaking.

Caffeine. It's just the caffeine taking effect.

They reach the first crater, it's god knows how deep. Very deep was the most descriptive Finnick can think of.

"Anyone on the first ten levels would have been killed," Boggs ran his hand down his face.

Who knows how many lives Peeta saved?

"Can you rebuild it?" Gale asked.

"Not anytime soon. That one didn't get much. A few backup generators and a poultry farm. We'll just seal it off."

They continued to circle around different craters. Katniss' compartment had been bombed into oblivion.

"How much of an edge did the boy's warning give you?" Haymitch asked.

"About ten minutes before our own systems would've detected the missiles," Bogs answered.

"But it did help, right?" Katniss asked. She was shaking more than Finnick was.

"Absolutely," Boggs nodded, assuring her that whatever punishment Peeta was facing wasn't in vain. "Civilian evacuation was completed. Seconds count when you're under attack. Ten minutes meant lives saved."

"I want to film you in front of the old Justice Building Katniss," Cressida interrupted their reflecting, needing to get to work. The justice building was right in front of a new crater.

And Finnick smelt it before he saw it. He immediately froze. The very smell of it drove him wild with fear.

Roses.

"Finnick?" Tyler tried to get through to him. "What is it?"

Gale was the first to notice them. He pointed them out and the whole filming party slowed down.

"Don't touch them!" Katniss yelled. "They're for me!"

Finnick's heart was hammering like a hummingbird against his ribs. Roses would be regularly sent to his and Taiya's house. When they did something particularly pleasing to Snow he'd send them as a gift, the smell was nauseating for him. Upon inspection of the crater of roses, Tyler and Buck knew the exact reason for his rapid change in temperament.

"Snow gave these to Peeta and me," Katniss rambled, trying to explain why her face had suddenly lost all of its colour. "Finnick," she turned to him, pleading for support.

"She's right," Finnick nodded. "Snow gave these to Taiya and I all the time. It's a message," he swallowed thickly. He looked over at Katniss. She was done for. This was the icing on top of the cake for her. Snow had torn through her, now that she knew his motives, she understood his message perfectly.

"What do you need from me?" Katniss stuttered, turning to look at Cressida, desperately trying to take her mind off Peeta.

"Just a few quick lines that show you're alive and still fighting," Cressida started to set up her shot.

"Ok," Katniss took position. And she was blank, she had nothing to say, and she knew it. "I'm sorry, I've got nothing."

Cressida walked up to Katniss and started whispering, trying to help her out as best she could.

That's when Katniss' eyes darted over to Finnick. He was her partner in this, he knew exactly what she was thinking, how she was feeling, and he knew what she needed.

Well maybe she needed a little more than the week shaky thumbs up he threw her, but that was all he had in him.

They were exactly alike. She was like him now. She knew the power their words had. She knew the consequences of her words, what it would bring down upon Peeta.

"Thirteen's alive and… Thirteen's alive and well and so am…." Katniss kept cutting off, her eyes rapidly searching around the crater, her brain rapidly processing what would happen to Peeta if she continued to speak. The fact that he'd be tortured, but never killed. His life would be worse than death, just to continue punishing Katniss. "No."

"Cut," Cressida quietly muttered to her crew, Katniss' distress was visible.

"What's wrong with her?" Plutarch muttered from nearby.

"She's figured out how Snow's using Peeta," Finnick answered.

Everyone around seemed to sigh, a sigh of regret. There was no going back now that she knew. She was broken.

Many people moved forward to comfort Katniss, but none of the victors. They knew what she needed. She needed Peeta, not hugs from a film crew. But what she would accept in the meantime, was a hug from Haymitch.

"Finnick," Buck placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, he hadn't even realised how much his body was swaying until Buck brought him back.

"Oh god," Finnick's legs gave out and he slammed to the ground. "What are they doing to her? I can't handle it. I know you said that's what he wants Buck, but it's working. I can't do it. I can't. What's he doing to her!" Finnick started yelling. "I should've said no. I should've said no! I did this to her. I did this to her!"

He'd crossed into hysteria again, a stage Tyler and Buck were really hoping he'd progressed past. But watching Katniss figure out what he'd always known had caused a regression. And then there was a needle in his arm and the world slipped away from him again.