CHAPTER THIRTY ONE!

PROMISES OF LOVE!

ROSALIE HAD KNOW Peeta Mellark about three weeks before the boy had been transported to the Capitol. She didn't know him much at all, but from the limited interactions she'd had with him, he seemed like a ball of sunshine — as happy as he can be in such a dreary world. He was caring, kind and undoubtedly in love with Katniss Everdeen.

And it physically hurts the brunette's heart to watch how much his condition has deteriorated over the past few days.

His cheeks are sunken in, there are dark rings beneath his eyes, and there is a tremor to his voice when he speaks. It's a truly horrific sight, one that plays on her mind for hours after she's watched him on the screen. For several days, the whole of Panem is broadcasted the boy's sullen face as he calls for a ceasefire — an end to a war that is really only just beginning.

Rosalie listens to hissed insults of the people around her, the way they turn their heads up in disgust, and if it wasn't for the fact Finnick grounded her by intertwining their hands, she would've said something.

Peeta Mellark is not their enemy, he is the furthest thing from it. He is a victim of the Capitol and their attempt at propaganda to entice people to fight on their side. He's not a bad person, that much is obvious from their interactions, he is merely lost and looking for a way home.

Coin and the other high ranking officials, along with Katniss, Haymitch and Finnick have been trying to figure out a way to extract the former tributes from the Capitol. It's going to be no easy task, security had more than likely doubled, and everybody knows the face of Katniss Everdeen — meaning that any sighting is a bad one.

Rosalie had been kept away, not made a part of any sort of tactical planning, and she's more than okay with that. It's given her time to spend with Carter, and Prim who has started to tag along as well. They'd sit by Carter's bedside and chat, Prim bringing her cat several times to surprise the boy — Carter had always wanted a pet.

"Do you think the food will ever get any better here?" Carter asks as he stirs the soup in his bowl, once again allowed out for meal times. "I feel like I'm eating dirt,"

"Better dirt than nothing," Finnick points out as he slips into the seat beside Rosalie, a smile on his face. 

"I don't think dirt is very nutritious,"

Rosalie rolls her eyes as Carter still eats what's in front of him, apparently not that scarred by the taste if he's still going. His dramatics are something that he'd picked up from their older brother, in fact she sees so much of Asher in Carter it physically hurts. The way he smiles, the colour of the hair on his head — all of it is Asher.

Rosalie dips a small portion of her bread into what's left of the soup in her small bowl, allowing it to soak up into it. She casually eats it, enjoying the food as much as she possibly can. The flicker of their screen is the only thing that manages to pull away her attention, and Peeta Mellark is once again before them.

He looks even worse than last time, if that's possible, his expression one of pain. "Tonight, we've received reports of derailed trains, of granaries on fire, and of a savage attack on the hydroelectric dam in District 5. I'm begging for restraint and decency,"

It's hard to connect this boy to the one who she'd seen mere weeks ago, to see the sparkling happiness in his blue eyes.

The screen changes for a few moments, Peeta's face replaced by Katniss' videos — the one they had filmed to show that she was still alive and ready to fight this war. Finnick had told Rose all about them, how he'd even filmed a few of his own to compliment her's, and that somebody she likely will have to as well. Coin, surprisingly, had been pretty lenient when it came to Rosalie and her brother – more than likely because she already has so many tributes to do her dirty work.

"Katniss?"

The pure pain and dash of hope in Peeta's voice is heartbreaking, his eyes widening as the feed keeps changing from him to the girl. "Katniss are you there?"

Caesar looks as if he's getting a bit antsy, nervous at the events that may unfold before him. "Peeta, please continue. You were telling us about these savage attacks,"

The blonde boy nods towards the camera, shaking off the shock of what he'd just seen. "The attack on the dam was a callous and inhuman act of destruction—"

Then the video of Katniss appears again, and Peeta grows frantic. "They're coming, Katniss. They're gonna kill everyone. And in District 13 you'll be dead by morning!"

Rosalie freezes up as she watches the boy get dragged away from the screen, and she grabs Finnick's arm out of instinct. This boy, the one who people here are so against, may have just saved their by effectively ending his own. And that's the Peeta Mellark she'd seen in the arena — brave and unselfish.

The alarms begins to sound around them, alerting everybody that they need to move down to where they want will be safe. Finnick and Rosalie get to their feet, Rose's brother following behind them, and head towards the shelter.

"Proceed to your nearest stairwell and descend to level 40. Blast doors will be sealed in six minutes,"

The stairwell is unsurprisingly full of people, all of them desperate to get down to where they have to be. Six minutes is not a lot of time for everybody to get down there, but it's about all they can spare due to the oncoming attack.

The lights flicker off and Rosalie can feel the anxiety in her body rising, her grip on Finnick increasing astronomically.

"Continue to the Supply Station and claim one pack for each member of your compartment. Please keep all personal items within your assigned area. Be courteous to your fellow citizens. This is a code red alert. All citizens should be inside the bunker. Blast doors will close in two minutes,"

The trio manage to make their way into the bunker, Rosalie pushing herself to Finnick and wrapping her arms around his middle. The man returns the embrace as she lays her head on his chest, the sound of his beating heart comforting to her. Carter stands beside them, gently squeezing Rosalie's shoulder to show her that he's here too, that he'd made it.

She has no clue where everybody else is, and as the computerized voice continues to count down, she hopes that they all made it into the room. The bunker doors close and Rosalie shuts her eyes tightly, preparing for what's coming.

It doesn't take long, the sound of bombs exploding around them echoing throughout the room. She's shaking, trying to keep in her cries, as she imagines the destruction going on around them. They keep coming, blast after blast, the Capitol not even caring about the devastation they're leaving behind.

They're down there for what feels like hours, and when it's finally over, Rosalie is more than happy to be back in her own bed. Finnick lays beside her, both of them staring up at the ceiling in silence.

He'd broken the news to her that he would be going on the mission to collect the missing victors from the Capitol. She won't lie and say she's fine with it, the idea of losing Finnick scares her to the very core. He's been a constant in her life, somebody should has been able to count on since she was a little girl.

Not having Finnick would be like being without oxygen, a life she simply can't live.

However, she knows it's the right thing for him to do. Peeta, Johanna and Annie are all being kept captive by some of the worst people. They've already seen what's been done to Peeta, who knows how the girl's are holding up.

Finnick turns on his side, looking at the brunette who follows his lead. Her lips pull up slowly as his hand reaches up, gently brushing some hair away from her eyes. There's something about the way he looks at her, the adoration is his gaze, that makes her heart skip a beat every time their eyes connect.

"Marry me,"

Rosalie's whole body tenses up in surprise, almost wanting to ask him to repeat himself in case she misheard. Two words have managed to shift her entire world from its axis.

"What?" Rosalie breathes, sitting up.

Finnick smiles, sitting up as well so that he can look at her straight in the eyes. "Marry me,"

Unconsciously, tears begin to slide down the sides of her cheeks, his thumb gently pushing them away. Rosalie can't seem to form any words, her brain short circuiting as she sits there, but she's able to nod. It's all Finnick needs, leaning forward and pressing his lips to her's in a kiss of pure, undeniable love.

His hands caress the skin of her cheeks softly, pulling her as close as he can before they disconnect their lips. The man rests his forehead against her's and mummers the three words that she never tires of hearing.

"I love you,"

"I love you too,"

And then she sinks into his embrace once again, ready to spend the rest of her life with him.