CHAPTER 47
BETTER NOT TO GIVE IN TO IT

BEX and Finnick leaped from the bed and yanked their jumpsuits back on. They hardly had them zipped up, their hair a mess of tangles and flyaways, before they were running out of Finnick's compartment. The automated alarm blared through the speakers, a consistent chime: "THIS IS A CODE RED ALERT! PLEASE REMAIN CALM AND FOLLOW THE EVACUATION PROTOCOL. PROCEED IN AN ORDERLY FASHION TOWARDS THE NEAREST STAIRWELL AND DESCEND TO THE GROUND LEVEL. LAST DOORS WILL BE SEALED IN SIX MINS!"

There was already a crowd looping past Finnick's door and descending the stairs. The two Victors follow them, hand-in-hand, rushing down the staircase as fast as they could without tripping. Bex stumbled a few times into the man in front of her, who sent her a glare, but didn't start a fight. It wasn't the time to; not when they now had less than five minutes to get to safety. He seemed to recognize her too, and his scowl had softened even more when he noticed Finnick Odair staring daggers in his direction.

They neared the halfway point to the ground level when the stairwell began to rock back and forth. The crowd shrieked as all the lights burned out. Everyone crouched down, clutching the railings for dear life. Bex sunk to the floor and held Finnick tightly. Her face was pressed against his slightly exposed chest as the sprinklers rained down, dousing them with water.

Screams echoed again, but they faded into nothing as Bex remembered what it felt like to dream. She could picture Nico in front of her again, hand straining for her as his last dying wish. And she had done nothing, because she could do nothing. He had done his duty and she still couldn't fathom or accept it. The sprinklers above her head pelted water onto her face, but she didn't feel it. Her stare was so distant as the memory of Nico played over and over again in her head.

She screamed, and no one thought anything of it. They assumed she was joining the crowd's fear. But Finnick knew it was more than that. He wrapped his arms around her tighter, placing one hand on the back of her head and smoothing down her wet hair. He brought her back to reality while rocking her, whispering, "I'm right here," in her ringing ears.

"LAST DOORS WILL CLOSE IN THREE MINUTES," the alarm echoed once again.

Finnick stood with the crowd, hauling Bex up with him. "We have to go, Bex. We have to," he muttered. She squeezed his hand and began pushing through the crowd to get down. Finnick was dragging behind her. She suddenly didn't care about an orderly fashion. She wanted to be selfish and she just needed him to be safe. He had already done so much for her.

They were able to reach the ground floor in a minute. A pair of large, steel doors were open, waiting for the crowd to pour in. Bex released a breath of relief as she tugged Finnick inside, sprinting down the ramp towards the underground bunker. Bunk beds were placed around the bottom level, and there were already some people who had claimed a spot.

"Where's Johanna?" Finnick had breathed against her neck.

They ventured deeper into the bunker. The lights on the cracked ceiling were dimmed, casting a yellow hue around the large room. Bex didn't care that she was practically shoving people out of the way to find her friends, but luckily for her, she found Johanna huddled with a group of people near the middle aisle. Bex called her name in a raspy tone, and her friend turned with a surprised expression.

She had been conversing with Phoenix as if everything was okay. Bex's former stylist smiled and waved in her direction. Kai was beside them, hugging Annie and rocking her back and forth on a bed. Bex ran and hugged Phoenix first, wrapping her arms underneath his. "Thank Gods, you're okay," she whispered. She then turned around and embraced Johanna, despite her cringing away.

Bex leaned back and put her hands on Johanna's shoulders. "Where's Beetee? There isn't much time left before they close the doors."

"Probably with the higher-ups, like Coin and Boggs," she replied. "He's closer with them than us little people."

"Do you know what's going on?"

"Another Peeta interview," she whispered, but everyone close turned their head. "He was responding to our propos, and for some reason, he gave us a warning. Capitol bombers are here."

Kai lifted his head towards them. "We should be okay down here, though. Colonel Boggs promised that." He said, but no one was sure if he believed that or he was saying it for Annie's sake. She didn't stop sniffling.

Bex stepped away and frowned. Her back collided into Finnick as he enclosed her in his arms. Johanna smirked, as if the alarm still wasn't booming around them. "Where were you two? I didn't see you guys serving dinner when the drill went off."

Judging from her sneer, Bex could assume that Johanna had somewhat of an idea. Whether it was accurate or not, she didn't want to know. Her eyes narrowed towards Johanna before Finnick steered her away, bringing her close again.

Bex rested her forehead on his chest, breathing in the sweat still coating his skin. His hand ran through the wet tangles on her hair. They were both drenched, but somehow, they found warmth in each other's arms. Bex would never get tired of this feeling. She felt so safe being this close to him.

The timer eventually stopped and the doors snapped closed. Katniss, along with her younger sister, Prim, and Gale arrived just in time. The two teenagers stood in front of the doors to catch their breath while Prim held an orange cat and kissed its head. Bex looked over Finnick's shoulder and watched Katniss and her sister find her mother amongst the crowd. She looked nothing like Katniss, more like an older version of Prim. With crossed brows, Bex wondered if Coin could live with herself if Katniss didn't make it in, if she ever died.

Perhaps she could, but as Bex thought more about it, she didn't believe that Coin had any ties to Katniss, nor did she have any ill will. The Mockingjay symbol was definitely more of a use to her alive, but ... it could have the same effect if Katniss had passed on. Coin's loyalty was a grey area.

As Katniss glanced over and waved towards her friends, Bex hoped that fate would never come about.

Finnick pulled her over to one of the beds propped up against a wall. He took the bottom bunk and leaned back into the stiff pillow, holding Bex to his chest. Her body curled into his side again, reminiscent of how they laid in their state of bliss just thirty minutes ago. Life had changed so quickly and out of nowhere. Bex supposed that she should be used to it by now, but no one should ever have to be familiar with this much horror. It was inhumane.

The bunker shook at least every three minutes. Plaster crumbled from the ceiling, splitting cracks in the formation. Bex swallowed hard and buried herself more into Finnick. If she laid her ear on his chest and listened to his heartbeat, it was like nothing was wrong. It was just them together, sleeping soundly.

But then the walls really shook, and all the lights turned off immediately.

Children cried while the adults tried to stay as quiet. No one could hear them. Screaming just made everyone more on edge. Hanging off the top bunk, thankfully, was a small lamp. Everyone turned their lights on and the bunker was lit up by a warm, orange tone. The screaming died down once they could see each other, but everyone was still on edge. Every time the walls rumbled, the crowd would become hysteric for a short moment.

Eventually, the shaking stopped. Bex didn't know when. She managed to get the tiniest bit of sleep, somehow, in a means of distraction. When she woke, she was still in the same place, but the bunker was completely silent. Two officers were currently inspecting a large crack in the ceiling of the middle aisle. She lifted her eyes and noticed Finnick's expression was contorted, concentrated on something. She looked back down. With his arms still around her, he was making knots in a short piece of rope.

"Can I ask you a question?" She spoke up suddenly, but he didn't show any surprise. Her finger grazed the lapels of his jumpsuit. "I know it's a stupid question, but ... When you said you were ... falling in love with me, did you mean it?"

He was silent, so Bex sat up to get a better view of his face, making sure he hadn't fallen asleep on her. But he was fully awake, staring at her with his brows pulled together.

"Why would you ask me something like that?" There was a hard edge to his tone.

"Because everyone I get close to ends up getting hurt. You know that. It's old news," she sighed, averting her eyes for a moment. "I'm already struggling so much with my brother, but ... I don't know what I'd do if I lost you, honestly. You're the only person who's stuck by me and shown true kindness and affection, even when I've pushed you away. You've never given up on me. And if Snow ever took you ..." Her voice trailed off. She didn't even want to think about it.

He placed his thumb on her chin and turned her face back to his. "It's not going to happen," he breathed, so charismatically that she believed it without question. Finnick had that instant effect on people. "Don't let Snow get to you like that."

"How can I not? How can I live with it?"

Finnick tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I drag myself out of nightmares where there's no relief in waking up. But ... it's always better not to give in to it."

Bex's lips parted, but she didn't have the strength to reply.

He smiled softly. "You should rest more. I'll be right here."

She nodded, placing her head back on his thumping heart, letting it lull her to sleep. He caressed her hair as she gripped one of his lapels. She never wanted to let go.

As she closed her eyes, she couldn't help but wonder if President Snow ever expected this. His Golden Boy and Flower Girl, finding comfort in each other, uniting together against him. No Gamemaker could make a better story if they tried.

"By the way," he whispered, and she could just hear the smirk on his lips, "to answer your question from before: I meant it. Always."

Bex didn't open her eyes. "Finnick?"

"Yeah?"

She yawned and replied, "I feel the same."

━━━━━━

When Bex awoke to someone shaking her shoulder, she could've sworn the bunker was under attack again. She had been having a nightmare about drowning in a pool of roses, attempting to claw her way out, but to no avail. Perhaps, she should've been thankful to have been woken. But Bex still sat up and gasped, her whole body startled until she realized who was standing in front of her. Colonel Boggs' hand was on her arm and Katniss stood behind him, waiting patiently. "What's this about?" Bex asked softly. Finnick was still sleeping soundly.

"You need to come with us," Katniss whispered. "It's important."

She huffed and carefully slipped herself out of Finnick's hold, placing his arms at his sides. The bed squeaked as she stood from it, but he kept snoring away. Bex looked at him one last time before following Katniss and Boggs. They were leading her past all the bunk beds and sleeping citizens, all the way to the entrance of the bunker. To her surprise, Plutarch waited silently in front of the locked steel doors.

"You look a little shaken up," she commented, nearing the Gamemaker.

He shrugged. "I've seen better days."

Bex stuck her hands in the front pockets of her jumpsuit. Her face was earnest. "Why am I here? Is everything okay up there? The Capitol is gone?"

"Yes, they've left. But ..." Plutarch sighed and looked to the others. "They also left us a gift waiting on our doorstep."

Her brow crinkled. Bex followed Plutarch's eyes to Katniss and Boggs, but they didn't say a word. "What kind of gift?" She asked, voice barely about a whisper.

Plutarch's eyes lifted. Bex felt her whole body go numb.

"It's your brother, Bex," he breathed. "They gave him back."

━━━━━━

A/N: DUN DUN DUNNNNN! so yes! finnick and bex have both admitted they love each other, but I couldn't just not end this on a cliffhanger 😉 keaton has been given back, and you guys shall see him in the next chapter!! I can't believe we're nearing the end of this story 😭

ALSO HOLY SHIT I DIDN'T NOTICE THIS FIC HIT 100K READS?????? THANK U ALL SO MUCH FOR READING THIS STORY 🥺 IT'S BEEN SO GOOD AS AN OUTLET DURING QUARANTINE!!