AN: Hey, guys! Look I'm not dead! I got involved with writing a story for a Big Bang event in another fandom and have been furiously writing my own story and beta-ing three others this summer. Thankfully it's done and I just have to post it now! Whew! That means I finally had time to sit down and finish this chapter.

I'm sure you all will recognize chunks of this chapter. That's because I wanted to include the Lightning Tree escape so I didn't want to change it too much. This is the only time my story will coincide so closely with Suzanne Collin's so don't despair! More original story lines coming your way soon.

I hope you all like this chapter. As promised, there are plenty of Katniss and Finnick moments here to make up for the last chapter.

Until next time!

Disclaimer: Suzanne Collin's owns everything.

Put Me Back Together: Part 7

Finnick leans heavily on Katniss as they move down the beach to meet Johanna and the others. Behind him, Vick limps along, looking at his hands, up at the sky, and then back again. He is rattled and Finnick feels bad for the boy. Even in the last Games, his encounters with people trying to kill him had been minimal. In the last 30 minutes, he had watched Chaff die, been stabbed, thrown across the Arena, chased along the beach, attacked by mutts, and then witnessed a woman sacrifice herself for him.

That had been the second cannon. The first had been for Cashmere. The second was for the morphling from District Six. She had saved Vick from the monkeys. In return, he had held her, whispering to her about the beautiful plants he worked with until she had passed.

Behind him, Finnick can hear the soft whir of the hovercraft coming to claim her body.

"Gloss ran off. Looked in pretty bad shape too," Johanna informs them, drawing Finnick's attention back to the group, "Not that you look any better."

Finnick tries to straighten but collapses quickly again, grateful for Katniss' support.

Or just Katniss in general.

"And the others?" Katniss asks, sitting him down and riffling through a small pack attached to her hip.

"No idea." Johanna frowns - concerned more for him than the location of the Careers.

"Come on Jo, it's not that bad," Finnick jokes. He tries to laugh but it comes out as more of a groan.

"It is," Katniss snaps, "There's a lot of blood, Finnick."

"They're just surface wounds, I promise."

Her lips curl in a decisive pout. It was the look she always got when she thought he was being stupid.

"What about you Vick?" Finnick asks, trying to divert Katniss' attention. The wince on her face as she shoots a glance at the boy makes him regret the decision.

Vick blinks distractedly like he's trying to translate Finnick's question into English. "What?"

"Your leg," Katniss presses, now turning to look at him too. "Are you alright?"

"Oh." He rubs his leg, wincing. He looks at it like it's the first time. "Yes. It's not that deep." He mutters something about making a poultice and turns back to the jungle before Katniss catches him by the arm.

"I can do it," She says, pushing him down next to Finnick in the sand. She pulls a small pouch from the pack at her waist and opens it.

"What's that?" Finnick asks, trying to move to get a better look, but quickly realizes it is a bad idea as the drying blood on his back pulls at his raw skin.

"A present from Haymitch."

"Katniss," Vick breathes, focusing for the first time since the Morphling's death, "That is a high-class first aid kit. It must have cost him a fortune." He dives forward and grabs her by the arm. His eyes are wild as he looks over her with frantic desperation. "What happened?"

Annoyed, Katniss pushes him back. "I'm fine Vick."

"But you weren't."

She doesn't argue with him. Her arms wrap around her waist in a protective manner, and just past them Finnick can see the white of a bandage poking out through a hole in her suit - and it's not the only one. Finnick hadn't noticed them before, but there are two more on her legs. The fabric is ripped across her thigh and calf, in large sweeping gashes of three.

Claws. Those were claw marks.

She notices his eyes on her and she looks away. "It was a mutt. It caught me sleeping." She breaths out, her gaze unfocused as she relives the event. Her arms tightened around the middle before she winces and shakes her head. "Haymitch sent me that. I patched myself up. End of story."

Vick wasn't convinced. "You should still let me take a look."

"No," Her voice was firm, "We need to bandage your leg."

Finnick could feel the fight brewing. Between his beat up back and the headache forming, he wasn't in the mood to listen to it.

"If Vick doesn't want to get fixed up, then can I?" He asks, trying to keep his tone jovial. "I've always wanted to have you play nurse." He reaches up and takes Katniss' hand. Katniss rolls her eyes but he could see the barest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"You're fine if you can say stupid things like that."

Finnick pulls her hand closer and places a kiss on the inside of her palm. "It's not stupid. It's a secret dream of mine - having your hands on me, caressing my-" Finnick cuts off with a hiss and glares over his shoulder at Vick. The boy had poked him!

Vick glares right back. He holds his hand up, daring Finnick to continue. "I don't need that mental image."

Finnick smirks. "Poor baby. Did I offend your delicate sensibility?" The comment only earns him another hard jab. He winces and adds, "You really need to work on your bedside manner."

"I don't know, I think he's doing a great job," Katniss quips.

"Traitor," Finnick hisses and tries to pull her in closer - plotting a revenge filled with wandering fingers traveling over ticklish skin - but she escapes, sharing a laugh with the other District Twelve victor that Finnick knows is entirely at his expense.

Finnick weaves another water basket and net for fishing as he watches Katniss and Mags wade in the shallows. Mags is teaching Katniss how to fish, and Finnick had to admit that he was more than just a little jealous. Due to his wounds, Vick had ordered him to stay on the beach so he was delegated to preparing more fishing supplies.

Finnick would have thought that weaving would have hurt more. Making baskets was not like tying knots, it was a whole body affair. He had expected a shooting pain as he pulled the long grasses into tight, circular constructs, but there was none. Katniss had been right. Whatever Haymitch had sent her was good - better than good. Finnick's back was numb to the point he had almost forgotten he had any injuries.

Which only made staying on the beach that much harder.

Katniss struggles at first, but slowly her years of hunting begin to show. Her gaze is intent as she watches the fish move in the water, holding perfectly still with practiced patience until they are scooped up into her net in a swift motion. Soon the fish start to pile up and Katniss and Mags are forced to stop to help him prepare the food.

The sun drops below the horizon as they work. The bright moon is already on the rise, filling the arena with a strange twilight. They are almost done when the anthem begins. Then there are the faces. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Katniss' tense, her hand gripping the blade of the knife so hard her knuckles whiten. He reaches, placing his hand on hers, but her eyes are glued to faces in the sky.

Cashmere. The woman from District Five. The morphling who gave her life for Vick. Blight. The man from Ten. Chaff.

So Gloss really did get away. That meant three Careers were still out there and Gloss would probably want revenge for Cashmere. He had always been close with his younger sister - protective as much as he could be. Finnick had seen the way he would watch her at the parties, a fury barely restrained by Snow's leash.

He wonders what Snow held over them to get Gloss and Cashmere to continue to follow him.

"They are really burning through us," Johanna says.

"Who's left, besides us and the Careers?" Finnick asks.

"No one," Vick says. His eyes dart over to Katniss, and Finnick can see the wheels turning in his head calculating the benefits of staying. Katniss, if she notices his look doesn't acknowledge it as she skewers a piece of fresh fish meat and eats it whole.

A parachute arrives, catching the light of the moonlight in its reflective canopy.

"Bread," Katniss says as she opens the small silver parachute. She tosses one of the small rolls to Beetee. "It's from District 3 right?"

"Oh yes," He inhales the scent of the bread greedily. "It smells like home."

"How many are there?" Finnick asks, even as he grabs the bag and starts counting. Twenty-four, including the one Beetee had already devoured.

He counts them one more time before he lets Katniss hand them out.

District Three meant day three and the twenty-four rolls meant midnight. The breakout would happen tomorrow at midnight. How he still didn't know, but he had a good idea who did. He glances over at Beetee and Wiress, once again huddled together and talking softly.

They are so engrossed in their conversation that neither protests as Johanna takes what's left of their share.

They wait until the giant wave has flooded out the ten-to-eleven-o'clock section and then go to that beach to make camp once the water recedes. That should give them twelve hours of relative safety - or at least no gamemaker traps until daybreak. There's an unpleasant chorus of clicking from an insect in the next wedge over that keeps them up. Katniss and Johanna stand watch, each armed to the teeth just incase some stray mutt tries to venture into their section.

Whatever is making the sound stays confined to the jungle, tapering out into silence before the crack of lightning heralded the midnight hour.

Content, Johanna tosses her axes into the sand and sprawls out next to them. "The lovebirds can take the first watch."

"Thanks for volunteering us Jo," Finnick says, rolling his eyes. That he was going to suggest the same thing was beside the point.

Vick hesitates before Mags pulls him away to sleep against the base of a tree. There was a lovely patch of moss there that would make an excellent pillow. Katniss watches Vick go before settling in next to Finnick, facing the jungle while he looked out over the water.

"He's not going to sleep," She says, her eyes still on Vick.

Finnick shakes his head, "I think he will now that you're here. He hasn't really slept since the Games started. He's been too worried."

She turns to look at him, "And you?"

"A complete disaster, but I don't think anyone noticed." He reaches up and tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. "I'm just glad we're together again."

"Me too."

"And that you aren't leaving again."

Katniss sighs, her eyes drift back over to the awkward clump of sleeping victors. Wiress had joined the others on the moss and curled up in between Vick and Mags. "Vick wants to."

"Will he leave?"

She shakes her head. "Not unless I do. I think I can convince him to stay at least until the Careers have been taken care of."

"And then?"

"...I don't know." And, as so many times before, Finnick watches as she brings her knees up to her chest, curling in on herself and away from the world. Did she know that this time tomorrow they would be out of here? Had Haymitch told her the signal?

He wants to tell her that it is going to be alright, that in twenty-four hours all of them would be free - from the Arena, from the Games, from Snow - but he knew he couldn't risk it. Instead, he reaches out to her, intent on holding her until all these thoughts ebbed for the night - but he noticed her fingers worrying at something.

"What's that?"

Katniss stops, clutching the object tighter in her hand. She bites her lip and he can see the blush that spreads across her cheeks and down her neck before she unfolds her hand. There, sitting in her palm is a small, cream pearl.

Finnick can't help the laugh that bubbles out past his lips as he plucks the skin warmed jewel from her. Out of everything she could have brought with her - her golden mockingjay pin or a broach with Vick's berries - she chose this. She chose them - and was embarrassed about it. Adorable.

He holds it up to the sky, letting the natural luminescence of the pearl shine in the moonlight. Pearls are amazing things. They form when something - usually a parasite - works its way into a mollusk. In its defense, the shellfish coats it with fluid, layer after layer until a lustrous pearl is formed.

In many ways, he and Katniss were just like the pearl - their future was a beautiful defense against an outside aggressor.

His eyes widen and he palms the pearl as he quickly unties the knotting cord wrapped around his wrist. He pulls out everything he had worked on and starts again.

"What are you doing?" Katniss asks, peering at him from over her shoulder.

"In District Twelve, you have a Toasting - bread, songs, vows - " She looks shocked and he smiles, mentally thanking Vick for that bit of information. "Well, in District Four we have a Knotting Ceremony. A long time ago, people used to exchange rings but those were easy lost or damaged by the salt water so the fishermen and their wives began exchanging rope bracelets instead. The tradition stuck, so now couples make unique bracelets for each other from a single piece of rope, to show that their future is tied together."

Finnick tightens a few loops and creates a small, secure pocket for the pearl. Taking Katniss' wrist he places it there, wrapping it around a few times. What he had so far was fairly formless and, if he was being honest with himself, messy but Annie had chosen well. No matter how poor a knot, the green stood out like sea glass against Katniss' dusky skin. It looked perfect. It looked right. It looked like it belonged there.

It did belong there.

Katniss touched the cord reverently, tracing the knots and the pearl with a small smile on her face before it drops. She stares up at him intently. "You said 'they make bracelets for each other'. Does that mean the would be wife is expected to make one of these too?"

Finnick laughs, "That is tradition Katniss."

She frowns. "It's a horrible one. Yours is going to look awful."

Finnick loved making knots - but he knew that they didn't come easy for Katniss. That she was worried about it was priceless. He would be happy if she just tied the plain string around his wrist. It was the symbolism that matter, not how fancy the final product was.

He leans forward, brushing his lips gently across hers. "Can I take that as a 'yes'?"

"I don't know," She says, pulling back ever so slightly, "Did you ever ask?"

"I, uh..." Finnick pauses and thinks back to the interviews. No, he hadn't actually asked. It had been more of a statement instead of a question, but it had been implied. He never thought she would need it worded so traditionally, but he wouldn't deny her, even if he could tell she was joking. Indulging her was easy, especially when she asked for something so small. Shifting, he turns to face her fully and takes both her hands in his. "Katniss Everdeen, will you -"

He's cut off by her lips. The kiss is demanding and almost desperate - pulling him deeper into any time he tries to retreat. Struggling against her is like trying to break free of the undertow - and he doesn't mind being dragged under. It was a dream - the sounds of gently lapping waves, the feeling of coarse sand sliding across soft skin - one he would drown in if he could.

He shifts, kissing her jaw, neck, ear. He runs his lips teasingly over the shell of her ear, whispering, "If you want a proper proposal, you have let me speak." She pulls him tight against her, shivering - no, shaking. He could feel the tremors in her hands as she pressed them into his back.

Katniss was scared and this time he didn't have a sweater to wrap around her.

"Don't. Please." Her voice is soft, but he feels every word crash through him. "Not here."

Not here. He tells himself, Not 'No'.

Swallowing his disappointment he nods. He didn't care about the Games, didn't care that the world knew he wanted to marry Katniss Everdeen. As far as he was concerned, they were already out of Snow's reach. His eyes are firmly set on the future. This was the difference between them: he was strengthened by a promise of tomorrow while she was weakened by it. When he saw promise, she only saw everything that she could lose.

"Alright," Finnick says, pressing a kiss to her hair. "Just let me know when."

Too bright sun and the feeling of pooled sweat pull Finnick back into the waking world. He fights, burrowing deeper into the remnants of a lingering dream and the delicious, delirious feeling of happiness that he knew was connected with Katniss. It was an absurd thing to feel at all in the Arena, but with how the last two days have gone he clings to to the sweetness for a few moments.

He reaches out for her, but the sand next to him is empty. Finnick finally opens his eyes letting in reality, complete with gritty sand, hot sun, and sticky sweat. Groaning, he rolls onto his back and blocks the sun with his arm.

Something bites into his cheek and he pulls away, noticing for the first time the sea-green bracelet that was once again tied around his wrist. It's bigger than it was before - the pearl and his knots are untouched, but a whole slew of new ones have been added at the other end.

They are a tangled mess of rope - some sections too tight and others too loose - but he loves them because he knows exactly who put them there. Finnick presses them to his lips, to an effervescent smile that takes over his whole body until he is sure he is glowing brighter than the sun.

"That is definitely a 'yes', Katniss," He laughs. It was a concession he knew - an apology for last night and he would take it. Whatever she was willing to offer him he would take, for now at least.

Everyone was already up and watching the descent of a parachute to the beach. Finnick joins them, still beaming as he takes Katniss' hand and places a kiss on the back. It's another delivery of bread, identical to the one from the night before. Twenty-four rolls from District Three. A confirmation that the plan - whatever it is - is a go.

After they eat, Katniss pulls Vick to the water under the pretext of teaching him how to swim. Everyone knows though what they are really talking about - Finnick can tell in the tense silence, broken only by Wiress' mumbling as she runs some type of calculation in her head.

It makes Finnick wonder just how much everyone knows about what is going on.

The two stay in the water for a while, and it appears that Vick actually does learn how to swim a bit - at least better than he did at the beginning - before Beetee calls them over. It turns out that after all those hours of fiddling with the wire, he has indeed come up with a plan.

"I think we'll all agree our next job is to kill the last of the Careers," he says mildly. "I doubt they'll attack us openly again after their last failed attempt." He glances over at Finnick, Katniss, and Johanna, looking as dangerous as their weapons. "We could track them down, but with the Gamemaker's traps it is more dangerous than helpful."

"Do you think they've figured out about the clock?" Katniss asks, her eyes scanning over the Arena.

"If they haven't, they'll figure it out soon enough. Perhaps not as specifically as we have, but they must know that at least some of the zones are wired for attacks and that they're occurring in a circular fashion. I think our best bet will be setting our own trap."

"Didn't we already try that?" Johanna asks. "I seem to recall it didn't work out that well."

"Since our goal was to find Katniss, I think we succeeded, but that's beside the point." Beetee shoos them all a back a bit so he can have room to work in the sand. He swiftly draws a circle in and divides it into twelve sections. It's the Arena. "If you were the Careers, knowing what you do now about the jungle, where would you feel safest?"

"On the beach," Vick says. "But we're here."

"Exactly. We've claimed the beach. Now, where would you go?" Beetee asks, leading them towards some realization in particular. It's not patronizing, more like a school teacher trying to ease children into a lesson.

Mags points at the bush just beyond their shoulders. She opens her eyes wider with her fingers and stares at all of us.

Finnick nods. "At the edge of the woods to spy, but also for food. If they've watched us they know the seafood is safe, especially compared to whatever strange creatures there are in the jungle."

Beetee smiles as if they've exceeded his expectations. "Yes, good. You do see. Now here's what I propose: a twelve o'clock strike. What happens exactly at noon and midnight?"

"The lightning bolt hits a tree," Vick says.

"Yes. So what I'm suggesting is that after the bolt hits at noon, but before it hits at midnight, we run my wire from that tree all the way down into the saltwater, which is, of course, conductive."

"Zap, zap, zap," Mutters Wiress as she draws a zig-zag line all around the edge of the wedge. "Movement of electrical charge. Electrons moving, bumping, looking for a way out. There's always a way out. There's..." Her voice trails off as her gaze drifts up and away.

"Exactly," Beetee inserts, as if the rest were supposed to understand Wiress' though process. "When the bolt strikes, the electricity will travel down the wire and into not only the water but also the surrounding beach, which will still be damp from the ten o'clock wave. Anyone in contact with those surfaces at that moment will be electrocuted."

There's a long pause while they all digest Beetee's plan. It seems almost fantastical, impossible even. How could the lightning travel across the whole beach? Finnick has seen storms on the sea, even watched them from the beach, and been fine.

He watches Wiress who watches the sky. She's stated drawing something with her fingers in the air, muttering again about electricity. She notices his gaze and smiles. "It's up there."

"What is?"

She doesn't answer and Finnick looks over at Katniss, but she is just as confused as he is.

"Will that wire really be able to conduct that much power, Beetee?" Vick asks. "It looks so fragile, like it would just burn up."

"Oh, it will. But not until the current has passed through it. It will act something like a fuse, in fact. Except the electricity will travel along it," Beetee says.

"How do you know?" asks Johanna, clearly not convinced.

"Because I invented it," says Beetee, as if slightly surprised. "It's not actually wire in the usual sense. Nor is the lightning natural lightning nor the tree a real tree. You know trees better than any of us, Johanna. It would be destroyed by now, wouldn't it?"

"Yes," she agrees glumly.

"Don't worry about the wire - it will do just what I say," Beetee assures them.

Like it was made for this. The wire, the lightning, the tree, Finnick's trident. There are too many gifts for it all to be coincidence. How long had this revolution been in the works?

What else was there Finnick didn't know?

"And where will we be when this happens?" asks Katniss.

"Far enough up in the jungle to be safe," Beetee replies.

"The Careers will be safe too, then, unless they're near the water."

"That's right."

"So how do we get them there?" She continues, "You're assuming that they will just go to the beach the second we're out of sight."

"Wouldn't you?" He asks, adjusting his glasses. "If you hadn't eaten in two days and the only real source of food was finally available to you, wouldn't you go straight for it? Humans are reactive creatures, especially under stressful conditions. I believe they will behave in a predictable fashion, and if they don't and this fails, there's no harm done. If doesn't, then there's a decent chance we'll kill them all."

"Them and the fish," Finnick says.

"Good thing we've got so many sponsors then," Vick says, glancing at the two rolls he saved from his share of the bread this morning.

Finnick looks at Johanna, and the two then look at Katniss. She is closest to Haymitch, she knows more about the plans than he, and likely Johanna does. If this really is their way out, if he's really not over thinking this, then...

"Alright," She says finally, "It's better than hunting them down in the jungle, anyway."

Johanna leans back, her hands behind her head. "I doubt they'll figure it out since we can barely understand it ourselves."

The lightning tree is unmistakable as it towers high above the canopy. Vick finds a bunch of nuts and makes everybody wait as he tosses them up the slope. The reaction is immediate – waves of light, a hiss, and the ricochet of a crispy nut towards the group. The force field is only about fifteen feet away, close enough to the tree to be dangerous if people aren't careful.

Beetee and Wiress get to work immediately, examining the tree. The transformation is immediate. Wiress – broken, childish Wiress' eyes are focused and alive – and Beetee, though still moving gingerly, is too immersed in the work to notice. All of Wiress' strangeness – her muttering, her half finished sentences and use of children's songs - are taken in stride by Beetee, like they are talking a private language that only the two of them understand. For the first time, the two are in their element and Finnick can see why the Capitol talks so highly about their inventions. The pair have been together for years – partners and friends sharing a passion that repairs them.

Finnick's eyes stray towards Katniss. He knows something about that.

While they work, Katniss and Vick tap water. Apparently, Haymitch had sent Katniss more than just a first-aid kit, he had sent her a spile to access the water in the trees. Mags gathers nuts and tosses them at the forcefield, both preparing lunch and giving them a constant reminder about the location of the forcefield. This leaves Finnick and Johanna on guard duty – and with how much light and sound they are making, he's sure they are easy to find.

The ten o'clock wave comes and goes and soon the sound of clicks rises from the sector adjacent to them. Whatever is unleashed at eleven is far louder in the jungle than it was on the beach the previous night.

"It sounds like insects," Vick mutters, his hands rubbing along his arms absently.

Finnick raises and eyebrow. "You don't like bugs?"

Vick frowns and looks away. "Things aren't supposed to have that many legs."

The sound swells as if alerted by their words – smelling the fear radiating off of them, signaling the proximity of live flesh. Whatever is making that clicking could probably strip their bones in seconds.

"Right now, I have to agree with you" Finnick mumbles, taking a step or two back.

"We should get going," says Johanna. "There's less than an hour before the lightning starts and then bugs will be the least of our worries."

They don't go far. Only to the identical tree in the blood-rain section. They squat and wait, no one really resting, even as they snack on nuts and some type of rodent that Katniss found in the woods.

Their lunch is abruptly stopped as the lightning appears. From here, the event is as bright as the sunlight, bathing their patch of jungle in brilliant, white light that floods even the darkest patches of shade. The air crackles and makes the hair on Finnick's arm stand on end, and even though they know that the Gamemaker's traps are isolated to a given wedge, they move their picnic slightly further away.

They take a circuitous route back to the ten o'clock beach – covered in debris from the woods, carried out by the tidal wave. Beetee and Wiress work with the wire while the rest clear a small area to rest, mostly just to keep busy since there is nothing for them to do while the victors from District Three work.

Still not cleared for the water, Finnick is forced to wait on the beach while Katniss and Mags fish. He doesn't watch, too envious to actually enjoy it, and closes his eyes. Sleep is elusive, but the lapping of the waves at his feet help.

He feels the sand next to him shift and he cracks open an eye. It's Vick, but he doesn't look at Finnick.

"Help me understand why," Vick says, his focus on the two women in the water, "Why did you do it?"

Finnick frowns, propping himself up on his elbows. He can feel the sand stuck to his skin and knows that trying to clean it off the bandages will be difficult.

"Do what?" He asks.

"The proposal." Vick turns to look at him. "I thought it was all a ploy to get more sponsors but you were, are, serious. Why? You knew you were coming here, that there is a good chance you'll die or she'll die or you'll both die." He shakes his head. "I just don't get it."

Finnick smiles softly. "Having a dream to look forward to is better than focusing on the nightmares of the past." He shrugs. "Besides, I thought she'd be more likely to say yes if I didn't ask her with the blood of our enemies splattered all over my face."

Vick laughed, "I heard some women find that attractive."

"Only in District Two."

"So," Vick says, turning his attention back to the two women in the sea, "Did she? Say 'yes', I mean."

Finnick raises his arm, looking at the small, messy knots wrapped tightly around the secured pearl. "Close enough."

A shadow falls on Finnick's face and both men look up to see a small parachute falling from the sky. It bears two gifts: a red spicy sauce that makes Finnick very excited and 24 more rolls from District Three.

"You are in for a treat!" He says, tossing the small jar of sauce at Vick. All they needed now was some lemons and they would have a veritable feast on their hands. He looks back out over the water and sees Katniss and Mags returning, their fishing baskets filled to the brim. "And just in time too."

After they eat, there is nothing else to do but wait until dark. The anthem begins shortly after sunset but there are no faces in the sky. No deaths usually mean the Gamemakers will send some new horror to entertain the audience, but everyone is probably too eager to see if Beetee's plan would work. Bets and money would be flowing in the Capitol and anything to disrupt that would be met with harsh reprimands.

"Let's begin," Beetee says, standing and brushing the sand off his pants. Wiress follows closely, glancing up at the sky more than the ground in front of her. She sings softly as she walks and everyone follows like obedient children.

The Arena is still hot and humid, but Finnick feels chills run up his spine in excitement as the tree comes into view. This was it, their gambit. If this didn't succeed then there was only one possible outcome. His eyes dart toward Katniss instinctively. She is ahead of him, walking with Johanna. Even though there was no sign of the Careers, she still walks with her bow in one hand and the other free to reach for an arrow.

This had to succeed. It just had to.

At the tree, Beetee asks Vick to help him. Everyone else stands guard. Vick secures one end tightly around a broken branch a few feet away before the three of them start. Wiress directs Vick as he and Beetee pass the spool around the tree, wrapping the wire tightly around the trunk. It seems arbitrary, but in the moonlight a silver maze begins to appear. Anything that is slightly off is adjusted by Wiress as she dances around the trunk, humming and mumbling to herself as she presses the wire into detailed patterns.

Finnick doesn't know much about electricity, but he does know about knots. Watching Beetee and Wiress work was much like watching Mags make hooks: hypnotizing.

The work on the trunk is complete just as the 10 o'clock wave begins.

Everyone's head darts up as the water crashes through the trees, birds scattering high into the sky.

"Almost time," Beetee mumbles. He walks around the tree, looking at the design with a critical eye. Satisfied with what he saw, he takes the spool of wire, still half full and hands it to Katniss.

"Take this down to the beach," He says, "Unwind it as you go. When you get to the beach, throw it as far as you can into the water and make sure it sinks. That is the most important part."

Katniss looks at the spool. "Then what?"

"Then run. Get back to the jungle." He pushes the spool harder into Katniss' hands. "You have to go now if you want to make it back alive."

"Wait," Vick cuts in as if realizing exactly what Beetee is asking. "She shouldn't go alone. Let me go with her."

Beetee shakes his head. "There are still some adjustments to do. We will need you here."

"Then let Finnick go," He looks around wildly, "Or Johanna."

Finnick is about to volunteer when Katniss cuts in. "No. They both need to be here."

Beetee agrees, "They are the only real fighters here. If they leave, we'll be defenseless." He turns to look at Katniss. "I'm sorry, there's no time to debate this."

She nods but still puts the spool down to embrace Vick.

"Don't go," He whispers, curling around her much like he did the day he was reaped. No matter how much he tried to change their relationship, to be her protector, at the end of the day their dynamic stayed the same. Katniss was his shoulder to cry on, his rock in the storm, his shield in the night.

"It's okay. I'll just drop the coil in the water and come right back."

"Not into the lightning zone," Beetee reminds her. Head for the next section over - the one-to-two-o'clock sector. That's where we'll be."

She nods, releasing him. "Don't worry. I'll see you at midnight."

She turns, her eyes landing on Finnick. He wants to fall into her arms just like Vick had and beg her not to go. He can't help looking down, seeing the holes in her suit, knowing what had happened the last time they were separated. He had almost lost her and not known about it.

He closes his eyes and clenches his fists. I almost lost her, he reminds himself, but I didn't. She's the most sure-footed in the jungle. She's fast. She's stealthy. She's -

A touch on his cheek makes him start but he relaxes into the warmth immediately.

"Katniss," He whispers, hating the broken note in his tone. She pulls his head down and presses her forehead to his. Slowly, he opens his eyes and looks into endless gray depths. Her other hand reaches down, caressing his arm and dancing over their bracelet before sliding into his. She holds it tightly.

"Midnight," She whispers, leaning in to ghost her lips across his. "I promise."

"What if you're late?"

She shakes her head. "I won't be." Her free arm wraps around Finnick's neck, pulling him tight against her. He can feel her breath dance across the shell of his ear as she whispers, "You have a question to ask and I have an answer to give."

Pulling back, she kisses him hard one last time and turns to leave before anyone can object further. Her silhouette disappears into the trees easily and only the wire, pulled tight and vibrating slightly from her movements calms his rapidly beating heart.

"She'll be fine," Mags mutters, sliding her hand into his.

Finnick nods more confidently than he feels. "She'll be fine," He repeats. He looks over at Vick, straightening his back. "She'll be fine."

Wiress and Beetee quickly get back to work, making minute adjustments to wire. Vick isn't much help. How could he be? There was only last minute checks to be done. No, Beetee didn't keep Vick here because he needed help, he kept Vick here because there were more eyes to watch him, more bodies to sacrifice for him, and more sharp, pointy objects to keep him safe.

Vick hadn't been allowed to go with Katniss because he was essential to the rebellion while Katniss was...dispensable.

"Alright," Beetee says as the insects begin chirping signaling the last hour before midnight, "It's finished we should -"

He's cut off when the taut wire snaps back. Everyone jumps out of the way the wire tangles with itself in a mess at the base of the tree.

"No, no, no," Wiress wails, falling to her knees. She reaches into the pile, fingering the silver strands. "Zip, zap, falls the trap."

Mags tries to console her, but she keeps won't, or can't, stop crying. "No way out."

"What happened?" Johanna snaps, rushing Beetee as if he knows the answer. He should, it was his plan.

"I don't know. The tensile strength of this wire is too high to break under these loads," Beetee replies, adjusting his glasses as he backs away from Johanna.

"If it didn't break," Vick starts. All the blood drains from his face and he turns back towards the beach. His voice is only a whisper, "It was cut."

He's off like a dart, but Johanna is faster. Years of walking the woods in District Seven make her sure-footed and she tackles him before Vick can make it four or five steps. Finnick, however, is only two steps behind him with the trident in hand. He jumps over the pile of limbs and disappears down the mountain, ignoring Johanna's cries behind him.

"Katniss!" He cries out, not caring if the rest of the Career pack descends on him. If he can distract them or draw at least one of them away then all the better.

He shouldn't have left her alone!

His heart hammers in his chest as he stumbles down the hill. He slips with every step, falling a few times as he loses his footing but he doesn't stop. He only hears the deafening absence of her voice as he calls for her again and again.

He jumps over a rock, his foot slipping as whatever he lands on. He's on his feet immediately, but trips again. Finally looking down, he realizes he is tangled in the other end of the wire. Next to him is the spool and just beyond that two arrows, a knife and smears of blood all along the rocks leading back up the mountain.

"KATNISS!" Finnick calls again, his voice hoarse.

How many arrows did Katniss have - four, five, only the two? He should have paid more attention. What if she was defenseless, fighting against all three Careers? How long could she last?

A flash of light from up the mountain. Lightning? No, the insects are chirping so loud now that they almost drown out his shouts.

It was the force field.

Finnick curses and quickly untangles his feet from the wire. While they were setting set a trap for the Careers, Enobaria and the others had been setting one for them too - and they got to start theirs first.

He takes a deep breath, willing his mind to clear. There hadn't been any cannons yet. That meant that Katniss was alive. If he had been setting this trap, he would have sent one person after Katniss and the other two to the camp to deal with the larger group.

Ignoring the blood trail - Katniss is alive. There was no cannon. She's alive. - Finnick starts back up the mountain.

The small camp is horribly empty. He left five people and now there was only one.

A few feet from the edge of the Arena is Beetee, his skin still steaming softly. Even across the camp, Finnick can make out the horrible burns on his hands. Black and peeling, his damaged skin splits and oozes blood and white fat. The smell of burnt flesh permeates the air, made thicker by the humidity. It sticks in his nose and Finnick can almost taste the bitter scent with every breath.

Next to him is the wood and wire contraption. Finnick bends down, inspecting the branch. It's blackened under the wire, just like Beetee's flesh.

"What were you trying to do?" Finnick whispers, glancing back at District Three victor.

He rolls Beetee onto his back, watching the rise and fall of his chest. It's erratic and shallow but visible. That at least was a good sign. Flinching, Finnick moves Beetee's hands to his chest and off the dirty forest floor. It was the least he could do until he found the Vick.

"I'm sorry," Finnick whispers, "I'll bring back help."

Grabbing his trident, Finnick heads out, back down the mountain and away from the loud buzzing of the insects. Even if they had run towards the Careers, Johanna and the others were smart enough to steer clear of the active wedge.

It seemed logical - and logic was the only thing on his side right now. Luck had abandoned him long ago.

Or perhaps not.

A wail, a mix of incoherent crying and something rhythmical echo through the trees. Wiress! Her cries are instantly recognizable. Even with the tinge of fear and insanity coloring the noise, it is almost comforting.

Then it stops.

Then the cannon sounds.

No. No. No.

A flash of an ugly blue wet suit is all Finnick needs to see before he launches himself through a small group of bushes. He tackles the first body he sees - the only one still upright - and it's like hitting a brick wall. His shoulder screams in pain but the force still carries them both to ground.

Finnick rolls away, trying to get on his feet but they are taken out from under him. A flash of fear rakes through him as he finally gets a good look at the wall of muscle he had hit. He was unarmed and fighting Brutus. The District One victor had 40 pounds on him and extensive hand-to-hand combat training. Finnick was deadly but that was when he had a net and trident in his hand. This was a whole different situation, one that he wasn't sure he could win.

Brutus is on him, fists and elbows landing blow after blow on Finnick's back and ribs. In a vain effort to protect himself, Finnick curls up rolling to protect his aching sides. It makes the situation worse. Brutus falls on him, living up to his name, with heavy and brutal attacks. The pain in unending - blossoming into a haze that blurs each hit into something constant and unbearable.

Brutus shifts on top, his legs coming around and squeezes around Finnick's waist and Finnick feels something crack. He screams. White hot pain blazes through his body and he arches instinctively. Foolish. He knows it even before Brutus' arms coil around his neck and squeezes.

The pressure is immense. It's not on his airways, but Finnick feels it building in his head. The rush of blood pounds in his ears with nowhere to go. It presses in on all side, crowding out anything but the need to be free. His arms flail, his legs kick, but Brutus is immovable.

His vision goes white. Light flashes at the periphery of his vision before turning into black spots. Then, finally, blissfully, there is only darkness.

The ground is cold. It vibrates softly and jerks violently underneath him. Overhead, the lights are too bright and too white. And the noise. Everything is too loud.

Finnick groans softly as he rolls to his side. There are people huddled around something shouting over some alarm. There are three in green scrubs and another in an ugly blue wetsuit.

"Vick?" Finnick croaks, but the victor doesn't hear him. Vick is too focused, giving and receiving instructions. His hands are bloody and so is his uniform, but it's obvious it isn't his.

Finnick sits up and immediately regrets it. His head swims, so bad he's tempted to lie back down. He licks his lips to call out again - desperate to understand what was going on - but he stops short.

One of the men in scrubs shifts and he catches sight of another face. Auburn hair and sea green eyes. Her skin is pale with worry, highlighting the freckles that dance across the bridge of her nose. She rocks back and forth, gnawing on one of her fingernails that Finnick knows has been worn to the point of damage.

The world shifts violently as if hit with something, and Finnick stumbles. He lands in a seat, bolted to the wall and before he can get up, a harness is shoved over his head.

He looks up to see Haymitch Abernathy in all his glory - completely sober for once.

"Finally done being unconscious, peacock?" He asks, the tension clear in his voice. "Just in time too. Strap in. Things are going to get bumpy."

"What's going on?" Finnick asks. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees two soldiers come in and haul Vick and Annie into seats. They help the doctors carry off a body - two holding the stretcher and another a bag of fluids before the room takes another hard turn.

Haymitch grunts and grabs on to the back of Finnick's chair to keep himself upright. "We're in a hovercraft and we're being shot at."

"By who?"

"Who do you think?" He snaps, pushing away. He turns to look at Vick, covered in blood. "You alright?"

"This isn't mine. How's Wiress?" Vick says.

Haymitch shrugs. "She's strapped in and the doctor's checking out her head."

"What about the others? Johanna and Katniss? We're going to get them aren't we?"

Haymitch turns away, the red light of the alarms highlighting the pain on his face. Vick stares at him. "Haymitch?"

"We were almost shot out of the sky getting you," He whispers, unable to look at Vick.

"No." Vick shakes his head, a sense of hysteria setting in. He jerks, fighting against the restraints. "No!" His hands struggle with the lock, but shake too much and he ends up pulling at the uselessly at the lock. "NO!"

"We had to make a choice."

"The wrong choice!" Vick shouts, his voice raw with anger. "Turn around. We have to go back! We have to get Katniss! You can't leave her there! You can't!"

Haymitch shakes his head, leaving them alone.

Finnick watches Vick struggle, shout, and cry with a strange detachment. Whatever plan Haymitch and Heavensbee had concocted had worked. He was on his way far from the Capitol, from Snow.

And from Katniss.