A L T H E A

Althea was nursing her third leaf of water when Katniss stiffened, causing the older woman's shoulders to tense.

"There," the girl said quietly, nodding behind Althea. With a sore turn of her neck, Althea saw three people emerge onto the beach. As if by prior agreement, Peeta picked up their belongings, Katniss drew her bow, and Finnick helped pull Althea into the trees behind them. The trio of creatures are a solid brick color, stumbling blindly on the wet sand. One is being dragged by another, while the third member wanders in loops of confusion, and perhaps delirium.

"Who is that?" Peeta asked softly, barely heard over the crash of waves and whistle of wind. "Or what? Mutations?"

Katniss nocked an arrow as Althea steadied herself. The dragged dropped to the ground, and in a seemingly fit of frustration, the dragger shoved the loop walker into the ground. Althea heaved a hefty sigh as Finnick's face lit up. They would recognize that temper anywhere.

Finnick looked to Althea briefly, the woman merely nodding. "Go."

"Johanna!" He called, running towards the red beings with a newfound vigor, and maybe hope.

Althea watched as Katniss and Peeta exchanged a look. Her fingers tightened on her returned sword. "Coin for your thoughts?"

She didn't like the way Katniss assessed her as a threat, sizing her up. Without a doubt that she could handle the girl, it wasn't exactly on Althea's agenda to kill the Girl On Fire. "Something tells me that coin is something you're lacking in these days."

"Didn't bring any with me to the arena, unfortunately."

Peeta eyed the women warily. "We were just thinking about joining them, is all," he tacked on quickly.

Good, she thought. Althea used her sword as a bit of a crutch to start towards the group until Peeta gently slipped a supportive arm around her waist.

"How's the leg?" she asked as they tromped along.

"Still working. Surprised it didn't malfunction when I hit the forcefield, though."

Althea frowned at the thought of electricity surging through his young body. He couldn't have survived without help. In realization, she sighed. "Finnick has a habit of bringing people back from the dead."

Peeta smiled lightly. It was an odd expression to see in such a place, something of innocent humor. Althea soaked up the rays of his sunshine nonetheless. In her bones, she still knew that she would watch the rest of the Capitol and this godforsaken arena burn before anyone lay hands on Peeta Mellark.

"Wiress and Beetee are with her," Katniss acknowledged, shocked.

Althea looked up to see that the girl was right. Beetee was lying on the ground, occasional groans of pain leaving his body as Wiress walked in circles behind them.

"Nuts and Volts? I've got to hear how that happened," an equally puzzled Peeta commented.

When they finally approached the group, Johanna was gesturing wildly to the woods. "We thought it was rain, ya know, because of all the lightning. And we were all so thirsty. But when it started coming down, it was blood. Thick, hot blood. You couldn't see. Couldn't speak without getting a mouthful. We just staggered around, trying to get out of it. That's when Blight hit the forcefield."

"I'm sorry, Johanna," Finnick soothed. He gently helped Althea to his side, despite her safety at Peeta's. Johanna acknowledged her then, taking in her appearance and wincing.

"He wasn't much, but he was from home." She nudged a barely conscious Beetee. "And he left me with these two. He got a knife in the back at the Cornucopia. And her--"

A murmuring Wiress looped in circles. "Tick, tock," left her mouth in repeated cracks.

"Yeah, we know. Tick, tock. Nuts is in shock," Johanna snapped. The nickname drew Wiress closer to the ax-wielding woman, causing her to shove her back down into the sand. "Just stay down, will you?"

"Lay off her!" Katniss exclaimed sharply.

Johanna's expression changed harshly. "Lay off her?" she hissed. Althea saw it coming, but there was nothing she could do as Johanna slapped the ever-loving stars out of Katniss. "Who do you think I got them out of that bleeding jungle for? You--"

It was a good thing that Althea had become steady enough on her own, because Finnick let her go and hauled a screaming Johanna over his shoulder. She struggled not to laugh as he dunked her in the water several times. A brief, taunting image of him doing the same to a giggling dark haired, green eyed little girl played across her mind, forcing her to look away.

That was not in the cards for them, no matter how much she could have wanted it.

Althea stood guard at the beach as Finnick helped Johanna and as Katniss and Peeta helped Wiress and Beetee. There was nothing she could do otherwise to help them, as water was not an option for her. When Katniss and Peeta finally brought a pair of naked tributes back to the beach, she watched from a distance as Katniss bandaged Beetee's knife wound with moss and vines.

She wondered what her father was doing, and how the Golsbanes were doing. But before the crushing weight in her chest could kill her, Finnick plopped own into the sand next to her. Their shoulders pressed together, knees knocking gently.

He hands her shellfish, which she shares with Johanna as he explained about his time with Katniss and Peeta in a detached voice. He explained poison fog and mutated monkeys. Althea could figure out on her own that they had lost Mags to one of those. She tucked her hand into his own. His calloused fingers tightened around hers, unwilling to let go.

"What about you, Earthquake?" Johanna asked. "You look a downright mess."

Althea laughed without humor. "Forgive me for not bringing my prep team with me."

"A crime punishable by death," mused Johanna again. "Mine's been following us this whole time. Haven't you seen them?" The group laughed quietly. For all they knew, they were being watched.

Althea tucked a chunk of hair behind her ear. Most of it had fallen out of Paprika's braid by now, despite the woman's thoroughness.

"You talk, I'll braid your hair for you," Finnick mumbled. She nodded, taking out the elastic and handing it to him as he moved behind her.

Where was she even supposed to start? "We were in the jungle for awhile. It was almost time to set up camp when we ran into this. . . beast, of sorts. It was ugly, I'll give you that. Tha--" she choked. How could she say his name? It took her a minute and Finnick's soothing fingers in her hair to work up the nerve to finish. "He lead it to the forcefield, then I fell into a hole. He jumped down after me. Maxine was down there." She paused again, looking up. Peeta was watching intently while Katniss was trying to quietly coax Wiress into eating. "We got out of the hole, found a good tree for the night." Her hands formed shaking fists and tears swelled up in her eyes to the point that she couldn't see. "I should've taken second watch. It should have been me."

Johanna placed a hand on her knee, but tears had filled her eyes too. "Who?"

Althea knew what she was asking. Who did it? Were they dead? "Chaff. He's dead."

Silence followed until a subdued Peeta made a suggestion. "We should rest. It's getting late."

"I'll take first watch, and there's nothing you fuckers can do about it," Johanna stated matter-of-factly.

"I will, too," Peeta volunteered.

"No--" Katniss and Althea opposed. With a quick glance, Katniss let Althea speak. "Get some rest, Peeta. That forcefield will have done a number on you."

He looked ready to complain, but said something else instead. "Only if you sleep, too."

"She will," Finnick assured. He looked to Katniss. "As will you."

"Absolutely not," she shot back. "I've had more sleep than the rest of you. Johanna and I will take watch."

He tied off her hair. "Fine. Johanna and Katniss will take watch." Althea didn't necessarily like the idea, but there was nothing she could do about it. With the moon high in the sky, they helped set up camp. Althea was in the middle of creating a grass pillow when Finnick intertwined their fingers once more. "Come with me."

He lead her past Katniss and Johanna, who merely looked at them for a moment before returning to watch the perimeter of the jungle. Her heart rate spiked as soon as her feet hit the water. "Finn--"

"It's okay. You're okay. We won't go anywhere you can't touch, okay?"

She weakly nodded, allowing him to pull her further. They stopped when the water hit just the middle of her chest. It was of course lower on Finnick, so he lowered himself to her level.

"See? You're okay." He placed his hands on her waist, steadying her in the waves. "I've got you."

She opened her eyes. The moonlight hit his peeling skin and glowing green eyes in an awfully angelic way. And, God, the way he was looking at her.

"Did you--"

"Yeah. I did."

"Do you--"

"Yeah, I do."

"I love you," she whispered. Her voice cracked, it was awfully quiet, and she wasn't even sure if he heard her. But she had heard it, and she had said it.

"Say it again, please," he gasped softly. His breathing had become heavier, as did her own, she knew.

"I love--" She silenced the words they both knew to be true. His silver halo, dark circles, heaving shoulders, and scorching hands. God, she loved him.

With a shot of bravery that she pulled from the hell they were in, she slipped her hand around the back of his neck and pulled him forward until his mouth met hers. It was a soft press of lips, quiet and gentle as butterfly wings flapping in a summer breeze. She didn't care that the entire country was watching them. All she knew was that she was kissing Finnick, the love of her godforsaken life.

"I love you, Finnick." She could say it a million times, if he wanted. She had admitted it to herself, and she had said out loud. There was nothing stopping her from ever saying it again. One of his hands raised from her waist to her jaw and his eyes fluttered open. Thick lashes framed his eyes, salted by the water they stood in.

Pressing his lips to hers, the kiss was so longer gentle. His hand pulled at her waist to bring her flush against him. Bones on bones, just as he'd dreamed too many times before. She gasped at the contact, at the searing touch of his skin. Her trembling hands had become miniature earthquakes in his hair, pulling him as close as possible. They had kissed each other's hands, wrists, and foreheads before. But there was nothing that came close to Finnick's lips on her own. The pads of his fingers probably were pressing bruises into her back, but she couldn't care less.

Their breaths came out hard and fast, the two making room for them so they wouldn't have to stop, because who would want to stop this? Water lapped at them, cold and salty. She tasted it on his lips, tasted it in her own mouth as Finnick pushed his tongue in, bringing the taste with him. She wondered if he always tasted like salt. His hand burned on her jaw momentarily before he brought his hands down. Fingers skimmed down her backside, stopping behind her thighs. She jumped a little, allowing him to guide her legs around his waist. Her lips were surely bruising, now, with how hard they were pressed together.

He seemed to remember himself far sooner than she had, pulling his face away from her. They breathed heavily, noses still touching and breaths still mingling.

"Before you ruin me for all these people to see, I think I'd like to keep you all to myself," he rasped, throaty and breathless and sexy. The thought of ruining Finnick made something inside of her tingle, but she reeled it in for the sake of her own sanity.

She slid off of his waist, but he kept his hands on her hips. "I doubt I will be the one ruining you, Finn."

His head fell into her neck. "You have ruined me every day since I met you, Althea," he groaned. "Every. Damn. Day."

She lifted her eyes to the full moon. "Every day?"

He nodded into her skin, nose skimming a trail up her neck. "And you will for the rest of my life."

She needed to stop touching him before she couldn't control her actions any longer. She gently pushed him away from her, quick to soothe the look of caution in his eyes. "I just need to stop touching you. You're a bit overwhelming, you know."

He smirked. "Don't think I've heard that one before." He slipped his fingers under her jaw and lifted her lips to meet his. It was almost softer than the first, but filled with more certainty and passion. "I love you," he whispered over her mouth. "I always have."

"Well, that's good," she laughed against his lips. "If you didn't, I'm afraid this would become quite awkward." Wanting to kiss him again, again, and again, she thought better of it. "We need to get some sleep." 

He trailed a finger from the top of her forehead, down her jaw, and to her chin. "Just one more," he whispered, pulling her to meet him once more. Her hands found the hard planes of his chest, this time, roaming and skimming. She pulled his bottom lip between her teeth, earning a groan and another tingle in her stomach. What she felt under the water let her know he was feeling the same way, and she pushed their lips together again. 

He pulled away this time, raising his hands up in surrender. "Enough." It was a choked sound. "You go back, I'll join you in a second." 

She smirked, but left the water carefully anyways. As she passed Johanna and Katniss, the former gave a low wolf-whistle while the latter snickered. "About damn time you two did something, I thought I was going to die from all the tension," Johanna quipped. 

"It's not like we fucked, Jo," Althea snipped back lowly. 

"That would be quite the show, though. Can I pay to watch that? I bet it'd be hot." 

Althea kicked sand in Johanna's direction, unwilling to dignify that with a verbal response. She returned to her grass pillow, letting the sound of waves and the soft whispering of Katniss and Johanna lull her to sleep. Peeta, in his slumber, moved closer to Althea. She smiled at his slumbering form, her sisterly and maternal instincts warring with her to brush his sweaty hair off his forehead. 

Finnick laid on her other side, slipping an arm around her pulling her in as they always slept. She twisted in his grasp until she was facing him. "I wonder if you'll still look like a zombie in the morning," she mused. 

He smiled tiredly. "A sexy zombie." 

"Hmm. I don't know." 

He pressed a kiss to her brow. "I love you." She snuggled into the crook of his neck, letting herself be encased in the mild peacefulness that would surely end too soon. 

a/n: so......... how are we feeling today? I'm feeling fairly well, myself. there's a lot going on here, but I think we can appreciate it a smidge, can't we? 

all the love