AELLA'S EYES WERE CLOSED AS she reclined back on the sofa. Her knee bounced up and down in rapid succession. There was nothing to stop it, or the way her fingers of her right hand trembled. The sickening feeling in her stomach was truly disgusting. She felt like she was going to vomit even when opening her eyes so her head leaned back on the edge of the sofa, facing the ceiling. All she could hear were the heels of Clio's shoes echoing off the expensive linoleum floor. The woman paced back and forth out of stress as they all sat and waited in silence for the news.

Daniel had been gone for well over an hour. Drew sat silently in the armchair, still nursing his healing nose. He'd rubbed off the concealer his prep team were forced to apply to his under eyes earlier that day and the light bruising around his eyes were prominent. They didn't bother Aella. Drew wasn't even a line in her wild thoughts. She was too busy torturing herself with every way President Snow could kill her after her hearty confession she made in front of all of Panem only two hours ago.

She should be in bed. It was late into the night but not early morning just yet. Still, the Games were less than twelve hours away... if they were going ahead.

Peeta's baby bomb had tipped the scale in ways none of them could've ever imagined. The Capitol had gone into total uproar. They had protested and rioted when forced out of the studio following the show. They had put an immeasurable strain on Snow and his Gamemakers. It was unethical and that was why it was the perfect card to play in one last attempt to stop the Games. No one would ever send a pregnant woman into the arena, though if they did cancel and Katniss didn't have a baby in however many months...well, Aella looked forward to hearing them try to get out of it.

She had to give it to Peeta. What he lacked in physical strength he made up for in intelligence. She had to give credit where it was due, Peeta was smart and he was a strong competitor. The young man was shaping up to be the underdog of this competition and she enjoyed it. She loved a good underdog—after all, she was the underdog of her original Games.

The Games being cancelled however was just not something that was going to happen. Aella knew it, Clio knew it, Drew knew it. Regardless, they all clung on to the hope that maybe they changed their mind on the off chance but it would never happen. Even so, Aella needed the Games to go ahead, even if the very thought of stepping foot into that arena nearly drove her to the brink of insanity.

She had no idea how she was even going to cope. She hadn't mentally prepared herself for it yet. Just thinking about it made it harder to breathe. The last thing she needed was to have a complete breakdown while the countdown started, the seconds ticking down while she fell deeper and deeper into an uncontrollable panic attack.

She couldn't afford to be trapped in a state of numbness for an hour like she had the day prior. She'd die. It was as simple as that.

But if the Games were cancelled she was dead. There would be no way she would walk out of the Capitol after everything she had said and done. Her little threat toward President Snow and telling Panem her family had been murdered? She had dug her grave and was already lying in it, just waiting for someone to fill the hole back up. Unless Haymitch could get them directly to District Thirteen—which she was damn sure he couldn't—she was dead. There was no escaping it.

It was a lose-lose situation but she would rather risk her odds walking into the source of all her nightmares and problems than trying to make it out of the Capitol alive.

The door to the apartment closed, the sound seemingly louder than what it was amongst the quiet space. Immediately Aella was on her feet, her dress now abandoned in her room and her hair lying over her shoulders. She wore long, black, pyjama bottoms and an oversized cotton shirt. The sleeves pulled over her fists as she stared at Daniel wide eyed. Clio halted in her place, too afraid to move as Drew turned around in his chair. They all watched Daniel walk in, his head down and the top two buttons of his shirt undone. Aella could read from his body language that it wasn't good news. To her, however, both potential outcomes were bad news.

Daniel eventually looked up and he shook his head solemnly. Clio exhaled painfully, finally collapsing into the sofa. It was partially due to exhaustion and partially out of anguish. Aella pressed her lips together and folded her arms across her chest, walking around the sofa and leaning on the back of it.

Daniel ran his hands over his face before he shrugged, totally at a loss for words. Aella could see the exhaustion tearing into his features. He faced his two Tributes—mainly Aella—and offered her a sympathetic smile.

"I wish I could change this outcome," He said, "I really, truly, do but...it wasn't enough."

Aella released a deep sigh and she dropped her chin into her hand. Drew rose from his chair silently and he walked away, heading in the direction of his room on the opposite end of the apartment. The echo of his door closing thudded across the apartment. He clearly was not happy by the decision made to go ahead with the Games but none of them really cared.

"I'm sorry, Aella." Daniel apologised.

She shrugged in response and offered him a smile that said it wasn't his fault, "It is what it is."

He walked over to her slowly, watching her brave face and he stood in front of her. His hand rubbed her forearm for a brief moment but neither lasted before they crushed one another in a strong embrace. She and Daniel had more history than what met the eye. He'd seen her through her worst times—been there when no one was, not even Clio. He'd taken her under his wing and adopted her as his younger sister.

He was the one who was always there and the notion that there was a chance she wasn't going to walk out of the Games alive was killing him inside. They were each others family. They had both lost everything and more to President Snow. Yet, just when he thought there was no one else for him to take, he managed to dig his claws into Aella and pull her away from him. He was constantly reminding him of his power.

They had been through thick and thin together. Finnick may have taught her how to survive as a Tribute but it was Daniel who taught her how to survive as a Victor, to survive without her family. He was the one who ultimately picked up the pieces of her broken heart. Clio couldn't stay in District Five with her, Finnick couldn't travel over. She had to lean on him for all her support—and Sal, of course—but the bond they had formed was strong.

Aella sniffled in his arms and she pulled away quickly after that. She hurried to rub her nose, wiping her eyes free of the tears that threatened to spill over. This couldn't be their goodbye. It wasn't. She wouldn't allow it. She wasn't ready to say her goodbyes just yet, she still had much more to achieve.

Daniel rubbed her arm again and with a pressed smile she said, "This isn't goodbye, Dan."

He shook his head in agreement, "No."

Her sheepish smile brought one of his own to rise to his lips, "See you later?"

"See you later."

She turned and found Clio waiting for her, tears already welled in her eyes. Aella pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, biting harshly to prevent her tears. Her feet moved on their own accord and she walked over to Clio where the two women came together in a tight embrace. Arms wrapped around once another, Aella dipped her chin to rest against Clio's shoulder while staring at the floor.

Clio's chest heaved unevenly, her ragged breaths echoed through the air. Aella knew tears were falling down her face as she embraced her and it took everything in her to keep her own at bay. She would make it out, if not for herself then for Clio and Daniel. There wasn't any reality in which she'd leave them behind before she was ready to. She had to fix their twisted world before she would ever be ready to say goodbye.

"I love you, Clio." Aella whispered genuinely as she squeezed tighter.

Clio released a short sob and Aella felt her arms curl tighter around her body. The escort nodded her head and said, "I know," She hiccuped, "I love you, too."

"I'll see you in Thirteen." Aella said, pulling back. She looked at her before glancing over fleetingly at Daniel who only nodded, "I should get some rest."

"We'll be there." Daniel reassured her.

Forcing herself away from Clio, she nodded. Her heart cracked as she stepped away from her mentor and escort but seeing them come together reassured her. Daniel wrapped his arm around Clio's shoulders and held her as tears ran down the escort's face.

Aella turned on her heel to leave them, to head to her room when Clio's voice stopped her.

"You should know I pulled some strings." Clio said to her cryptically.

She turned back and furrowed her brows in confusion. Clio continued, "The fourth and fifth floors are clear. The avoxes are finished for the night. No one will know. As long as you are back before six tomorrow morning no one will ever find out."

"What are you saying, Clio?"

"Go and spend the night with Finnick." She told her, "God knows you both deserve it."

The notion ignited a flame that set her entire body on fire. She didn't know what to do. The idea of spending the night with him made her wholly nervous but excited at the same time. In all of their six years of knowing and loving one another they'd never had more than five minutes entirely alone together—without someone's prying eyes on them. This would be different. Them uninterrupted and totally alone for seven hours. She didn't know what to do.

"Go, Aella." Daniel urged her, "You're wasting precious time standing here."

She pulled the corner of her lip between her teeth anxiously and looked between them both, "Does he—is he waiting... for.. me?"

Clio nodded her head and Aella inhaled deeply. She stood for a few more seconds, looking between Daniel and Clio before she finally nodded to herself.

With earnest eyes she said, "I love you both."

They both nodded with sad yet happy smiles on their faces, "We love you, too," Clio responded, "Now go."

Aella chuckled under her breath but they both heard the way her voice shook. Tears threatened to spill and roll down her cheeks but she hung on to them. Instead, she walked over to the door but before she left she looked back one final time. She didn't want it to be goodbye but she couldn't be certain. She remembered everything about them in the way they stood before her. She memorised it and vowed to never forget. Then, with a heavy breath she twisted the door knob and looked away.

Her mind was occupied by them as she stood alone in the elevator. The long sleeves of her cotton shirt were pulled over her fists as she held her hand to her face and chewed on her nail anxiously. When the metal doors opened on the floor below she hesitated before walking out.

With bare feet she made her way over to the door of Finnick's living quarters. She had no idea what to do with their time, no idea what to say. She knew, however, whatever they did would be enough to calm her nerves.

Her heart ricocheted in her ears when she rose her fist to the door. For a moment she hesitated, just standing there and staring before she forced herself to knock. She barely heard the whisper of it herself and wondered if he ever heard it. Her thoughts ran entirely wild as she stood and waited. The anxiety that built in her was almost enough to force her to turn around and walk away and if he hadn't of opened the door she would've.

He caught her off guard even though she had been standing waiting for him. Her mind was in a far away place and he saw the raw emotion swirling in her irises. He noted how tight her shoulders were and how she twisted and played with her fingers. Her tells informed him she was just as apprehensive about it as he was.

It was a good kind of apprehension however. They'd never been able to do anything like this before and after their confession of love for one another in front of thousands on live television there was a new form of intimacy between them.

Once more, Finnick found himself captivated by her ethereal beauty. Earlier that night, when he saw her dressed extravagantly in her gown with her flawless beauty and a crown sitting atop her head, his breath had been robbed from him. Now, entirely natural and dressed in nothing but a set of cotton pyjamas the air was gone again. This time it felt different however. There was something about seeing her so...her... that pulled at his stomach.

A small smile danced across her lips as she finally found herself, "Hi."

But as he stared at her smile he couldn't help the anger that formulated. They'd always been in it together. That was the promise they'd made to one another all those years ago. It didn't matter what life would throw at them, what Snow would throw at them. They would always get through it together.

Aella was jumping ship, or she was in his eyes. They were supposed to get through this together, not ruin themselves in the run up trying to drag Snow down. She rattled the foundation of their promise, shaking the six year old bonds with the notion that she didn't care if she lived or if she died. Their duo would be no more. Fin and Ella would cease to exist and just become a memory.

Finnick didn't want a memory. He wanted his Ella standing by his side where she belonged. He didn't care for the way she disregarded herself. For the way she had already given in. For the way she was letting Snow have the last laugh. It wasn't the Ella he ever knew. He missed her and he hated that she was so willing to sacrifice herself and leave him behind in this horrible and vengeful world.

He was angry with her.

The smile disappeared from Aella's lips the second Finnick's hand clasped tightly around her wrist. He pulled her into the apartment with such strength that she fell into his chest but his robust frame saw that it didn't affect him. He was quick to close the door behind her and the locking of it echoed between them both loudly. Years ago that very sound haunted Aella in her nightmares but when she was with him all she felt was safe, even if he was looking at her with all the rage in the world.

She'd never known him to lose his composure. It wasn't Finnick Odair. It wasn't what the Capitol knew him for. He was the calm and collected one who enjoyed teasing and seeing others squirm under his intriguing sea-foam green eyes. She'd never seen him lose his cool.. but it wasn't to say it hadn't ever happened. Aella never knew of the day Finnick saw Drew when she was trapped inside the arena. She never found out about the way he beat him bloody, nor did she know of how he would've continued until he was dead if he hadn't of been stopped. She only ever saw what Finnick wanted her to see and now it was all changing.

"What are you trying to achieve here, Aella?" He finally snapped. The way her name sounded rolling so harshly from his tongue caused her to inhale sharply. She saw the way his chest heaved with heavy breaths and the fire in his eyes matched the intensity of his words, "Do you want to die? Is that it. Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Her lips parted but there were no words to say. She was completely lost for a moment. Instead she lost herself in the heat of his gaze and the hairs on the back of her neck rose to attention. She'd never felt this way of conflict before. It had never been this intense. Their feelings came between it all. Their recent confessions ramped it all up tenfold.

"I—I.." She shook her head. She wasn't sure of what to say to ease it. She wasn't sure she even wanted to. The way he pinned her with his gaze set her body alight in the most intimate way. She'd never experienced anything like it before—the feeling of such intensity that ran through her blood and set her every nerve ending on fire. The tension that had accumulated between them was so thick and palpable it was hard for her to breathe. Every breath felt like her last and when her chest heaved her heart pounded.

"You made a vow to yourself. I know." Finnick spoke when she could not, "But you made a promise to me as well, Ella. Or have you forgotten that? Did it slip your mind when we said we'd always be in it together or do you not care about that now?"

The anger that radiated from him seeped into her. She retaliated just as hard. Her voice just as sharp, "Did it not cross your mind that this is because of our promise, Finnick?" She snapped, "Yes I made a vow to myself but who hasn't? That doesn't matter. What matters is that I cannot live in a world where you do not exist."

He shook his head in dismissal, "The rebellion—"

"Isn't guaranteed to go to plan." She interrupted, "So forgive me for thinking ahead."

What should've been a precious moment between them had turned sour. Their emotions had twisted and interlinked with one another other for too long and they'd both reached the breaking point. Her blatant lack of self regard had really infuriated him. The path of self destruction she had embarked on from the second she was re-reaped was nothing but poisonous. He knew that she had personally signed her own death certificate, dotted the 'I's and crossed the 'T's. There was no going back.

She was so blinded by her hatred for Snow that she didn't realise she was giving him the last laugh. She might very well of ruined him and his reputation like she had intended to but he would be the one laughing when she was slaughtered in the arena.

Finnick grasped her shoulders and he gripped tight, shaking her somewhat. His eyes were still firm, "Give your head a shake, Ella." He pleaded her though his voice was still harsh. He was despairing in his words and she saw the fire slowly leaving his eyes, "You're playing his game exactly the way he wants you to. You might think you're winning but ultimately it'll be him who has the last laugh if you die. You've giving him exactly what he wants."

She shook her head but Finnick saw the realisation flash in her eyes. It was too late now, however.

"You've signed your death certificate without even thinking of the people you're leaving behind." He continued, "Sal, Clio, me.... Think about us Aella."

He searched her eyes for any form of response but for once they were completely blank. He couldn't find an inkling of a thought, a feeling. There was nothing there and he was worried he'd driven her to the edge and pushed her off. It wasn't his intention. He just needed to get through to her.

After a moment regret seeped into her eyes and softened her features. Under his hands she shrugged her shoulders but it was in defeat. It wasn't what he wanted to see. He wanted the fire in her eyes to confirm that she wasn't done just yet.

"What's done is done." She said in deflation, "I've made my peace with it all. In my eyes I'm free. I've done everything I've ever wanted to do—"

"Except see him die." He interrupted, knowing he'd have to dig a little deeper, "Be the one to kill him... remember that night?" He asked her. He forced her back in time to the night of her last formal appearance in the Capitol—the Presidential Party to celebrate Johanna's win. She, Finnick and Johanna had snuck away together where no one would ever find them and they sealed the bonds of their friendship forever based on the one promise that one day they would kill President Snow.

Her breath hitched in her throat and she nodded. It was a night she could never forget. It was the turning point in her life. The pin that marked where everything started to go wrong. It was the night he warned her of Snow and exactly what he did to his Victors when he deemed them to be ready. She was only sixteen but she was old enough to him.

Finnick warned her of the consequences of defying him but told her of what her nights would entail with such anguish in his eyes. Like he silently begged her to say no for his own selfish reasons. He didn't want her to go through what he had to day in and day out. He didn't want her to feel as low as he did, like a toy to use and play with. But he didn't want her to lose everything either. He knew it would be a lose-lose situation and he warned her of it. It was how Snow got them all to comply. Do it or watch everyone you ever cared about die.
That night Aella saw Snow for who he really was... a snake, poisonous and deadly.

"I don't know what I can do, Fin." She whispered into the air.

He nodded as if to say that he did know. His eyes held hers and he said with one-hundred percent certainty, "You're going to fight. I know you, Ella. I know you'll drag yourself to hell and back if you have to just to keep breathing. I know you're better than this. From that night you appeared in my apartment, terrified and untrusting I knew you were a fighter. I know you won't go down without a fight."

Laboured breaths filled the air between them. Blind panic bled into her irises as she beheld him. Her fingers gripped his wrists tightly and she said, "What if there's no fight left in me?"

Finnick shook his head, "Impossible."

Silence blanketed them like water on fire. The angry flames that danced between them died and for a moment their calming breaths was all that echoed across the space. Breaths that intertwined and danced featherlight across the others lips in a teasing caress.

Finnick caved first. His eyes flickered briefly from her eyes to her lips, so full and round. At the movement she inhaled. The notion of his attention on her lips had her holding her breath. This man she had spent years growing with and loving. After all this time it seemed to be falling into place right as they stood on the edge of death. As it loomed over their heads like a warning siren.

She knew she shouldn't but if she were to die in that arena her only regret would be not knowing the feel of his lips against her own. Finnick? Well, he thought the very same thing.

His breath kissed her skin again as they both leaned closer. Their eyes met once more and both spark and flame erupted between them. Aella knew. Knew that he felt the same in the way he looked at her in those brief moments and it made everything in her body warm.

Finnick's hands were no longer gripping her shoulders. He slid them slowly up to her face, cupped her cheek, and with a loving caress he combed a lock of waves behind her ear while holding her gaze the entire time. While she held his gaze with nothing but love in her eyes. Love that he mirrored.

With her back still pressed against the door and her face still in his hands he admired how soft her skin was against his calloused fingers. He dragged his rough thumb over her smooth cheekbone and just watched. All the tying of knots he'd done over the years had roughened his skin but Aella paid no mind. She didn't know any different, nor did she want to. The feel of his hands against her skin was all she had ever needed.

Finnick's usual teasing and blasé facade had disappeared. It was only ever for show anyway. Behind closed doors only the ones close enough to his heart were allowed to see the true Finnick Odair. Aella saw the boy she had met when she was thirteen, the one who was still trying to navigate his own life. She saw the fear behind his wide eyes, the way it swirled in intensity.

"I need you to fight for this, Ella," He said to her, almost begged, "I cannot—no, I refuse to do this without you. We've waited so long... and..and now..."

She searched his eyes. Her brows furrowed gently as he faulted in the same way he had done earlier. Never before had she seen him stutter or fall short for words until now. This was the second time in hours he'd fallen short and she found herself holding on to her breath in anticipation. He'd always been a smooth talker but everything changed when he was near her.

The tension that had accumulated between the two was palpable. Never before had it been so thick. It was raw and filled with every emotion possible—love and hate, anger and fear... It emitted from their bodies like a tsunami, strong enough to strike down anyone or anything. Neither of them knew how to function under it as it built to such a point of intensity. It was intimidating and both found it hard to breathe for how hard it was causing their hearts to beat.

The past six years had come down to this point. Every fleeting glance, innocent touch, hidden embrace... and yet now it has come, neither knew how to act. They'd waited years for this. 

Aella clutched to Finnick's wrists in anticipation as he clasped her cheeks. Her eyes begged for him to continue. It both intimated and encouraged him to go on. She clung to his every word with all her might and she refused to let go until he spoke again. When she nodded her head ever so gently his lips parted again, ready to speak and his heart drummed a ferocious beat in his chest.

"I love you," Finnick finally confessed and the second those three words slipped passed his lips a weight lifted from his chest. It was visible in the way his entire body relaxed. He released a deep breath and closed his eyes for a fleeting second before fixating back on her and nodding, "I love you, Aella, and I have done for years. You are my purpose. You are the reason I was put on this earth. You're the reason I'm still breathing, the reason my heart is still beating..."

He took her hand in his and guided it to lie against his chest, over his heart. The feel of her hot palm warmed both his body and his soul even through his shirt and he shivered gently in response. He bared his soul to her and offered her his heart by doing so. He was completely vulnerable... at her mercy as he stood there and allowed her to feel how rapidly his heart was beating for her—because of her.

"I want to have the life I've dreamt of with you," He all but whispered. His breath fanned across her lips, "and I want you to want it, too."

Dumbstruck, she didn't know what to do. Part of her had succumbed to shock that this moment had finally arrived. She never thought she'd ever hear those words from his lips but now she had she wanted to savour them forever. The moment wasn't anything like she'd spent the countless days and nights dreaming about it. It was everything but. It was impulsive and rash but it made it so much better. It was real. It dug deep.

After she managed to scrape some of her composure together she was able to nod her head. Her words failed for several more seconds before she eventually said, "I do."

Finnick didn't move. He didn't make a sound. Instead, he watched her intensely as she barely nodded her head. Her eyes flickered down to her hand as it laid against his chest. She felt his heart beating wildly under her palm.

She nodded again breathlessly before she met his gaze once more and repeated, "I do."

In the next second she flung herself toward him. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him close. Aella kissed him fiercely, holding him tightly as they staggered back together. His hands clutched her hips tightly though not tight enough to leave a bruise. He steadied her as she kissed him. He felt her every thought, every feeling as it poured from her and into their kiss.

Her energy ignited a burning flame from deep within him. It took him by storm and scattered through his body like a lightening bolt. The thunderous energy overwhelmed him. Sparks ignited in the tips of his fingers and spread through his body from her touch.

The feel of her lips against his drove him crazy. They were so soft yet the ferocity in which she kissed him took his breath away. It was like she was a woman starved of oxygen and he was the only air left on the earth.

He matched her pace, swiping his tongue across her lip and she opened her mouth with a soft moan. Finnick pushed them back, listening as her body collided with the door and lifted her up. Her legs locked around his waist tightly as he held her, her hands weaving into his hair and gripping tightly. A rush of desire flooded their bodies—emotion pouring from every breath they shared.

Together their tongues danced and their hearts struggled to meet the demand. Wrapped in one another's bliss they were wholly immersed. It was a sweet symphony of breath and touch. Her deft fingers buried deep in his blonde locks and his hands roamed her body as he held her between the wall and his chest.

She nibbled on his bottom lip gently, fingers tugging at a sensitive spot at the base of his scalp, and he moaned in sheer bliss. Aella swallowed it entirely and her hot breath fanned across his face. She rested her forehead against his gently and breathed heavily. Her chest heaved just as much as his did. They gasped together, starved of oxygen.

"Finnick.." She mumbled breathlessly. Her eyes were still closed as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"I know." He responded roughly. He nodded to match. They'd found themselves on the same brain wave. He knew what she wanted, what she needed and he was just as desperate.

Together they opened their eyes, lust filled gazes mixed with love and passion staring at one another intensely. The tension was thick and they held eye contact for so long, standing there in silence. An air of disbelief coated them but it didn't last long.

Aella broke out into a deep smile, a grin that was infectious, and Finnick followed. He reached up gently and tucked away a strand of fallen hair behind her ear. Both were entirely lost for words. They clung to their moment with both hands and refused to let go. They'd waited for it for so long, chased it down for years. Now they had it sitting in the palm of their hands they were going to be selfish for once.

Aella lost herself in those damn ocean eyes. She swore if she ever made it out of the Games alive she'd spend her remaining days staring at those eyes. She'd write a song about them one day. Everything about them drew her in and held her there. She became his willing captive. The way the blue specs sparkled amongst the sea-foam green practically paralysed her. It didn't matter if he led her to death itself with those eyes, she'd follow his every step.

She took a deep breath to try and calm her beating heart but it didn't work. It continued to pound in unison with his, the two organs finally on the same wavelength after so long. Their hearts had joined and they had no intention of ever separating.

"I..." She trailed off. There were no words to express her feelings. There never would be. They were beyond that. Instead she shook her head and said the only thing she could think of with meaning, "I love you."

The joy that lit up Finnick's face made her heart flutter. His eyes shone bright, "You do?"

She nodded, "With everything and more."

"And I love you." He whispered against her lips before they clasped again in a lovers dance. They collided and caressed and they took their time together. Finnick carried her blindly into his bedroom and laid her against his bed. Their lips only separated as he climbed atop her, one hand cupping her cheek while his other held her waist, his thumb grazing across her soft skin. She hummed alone in the delight and his fingers continued to dance across her body, slow and gentle.

Her toes curled and her back arched from the bed as he followed a particular path up and across her inner thigh. She pushed deeper into him, soft pleas spilling from her mouth. He swallowed them in kisses and leaned fully into her, allowing her to feel every inch of him. Her breath hitched and she begged again, his name tumbling from her lips and into the air.

They took their time in it all and when their clothes became a pile on the floor—jumbled together—skin touching skin, Aella cried out when she felt the full length of Finnick inside her. He took her breath away with every stroke and followed it with a loving kiss, a gentle caress and she opened her eyes to meet his hazy gaze.

Soft irises of sea foam green beheld her and a lovers smile sat on his lips. Aella reached between them and ran her thumb across his cheekbone lightly, a bright smile on her face. Finnick turned his head into her palm and placed a soft kiss there before he clasped his hand around her wrist lightly. He slid his hand into hers and their fingers locked into hold together and remained even when they both cried out in release.

Their fingers remained entwined when they laid together, staring into the darkened room. When he ran his fingers down her bare back soothingly and she laid on her side curled into his chest—her ear laid over his heart listening to it beat for her.

They laid like that all night, talking softly, sharing fleeting kisses and staring at the Capitol out of his floor to ceiling windows. Neither of them moved until dawn broke and Aella had no choice but to leave him with a fleeting kiss and the promise that they'd pick up where they left off when they both got out of the Games alive.

• • •

A/N; I couldn't wait until Monday to post this after their confessions in the last chapter! My two babies, I actually love them with all my heart and their relationship only gets deeper from here.

The next update will be Monday!