"Daddy, when is the train coming?" Aria asked, tugging at his pants leg.

Cecil looked down at his middle child, smiling warmly. "It should be here soon, darling," he whispered, kneeling down beside her. "Do you want to sit on my shoulders and see if you can spot the train?"

She smiled with excitement and nodded, lifting her arms up so he could set her on his shoulders. Her small hands held onto him under his chin and she squinted towards the direction that the train would be coming from, sighing when she could see nothing.

"Is Rini gonna live with us again?" Polom asked, his mop of bronze hair uncombed.

"Of course she will, if she wants to," his father replied, holding onto Aria's feet. He caught his wife's eye as she held their youngest on her hip, her lips pursed. "And if not, she'll have a nice new house to live in."

"Can we visit?" the little girl inquired, gasping when she heard a train's whistle in the distance. "Did you hear that?!"

The crowd around them started murmuring quietly, getting restless from standing aimlessly in front of the train platform. Peacekeepers were stationed on the platform and at the back of the crowd to keep order if the need arose.

"Aria, why don't you get down?" Leona asked, giving her husband a look. "You can get back up whenever the train is closer."

Cecil started to lift her off his shoulders when Aria gasped and squealed.

"There it is! I see it!" she exclaimed, holding tightly to her father's head. "No! I wanna stay!"

"Can I see?" Polom gasped, hopping up and down in an effort to see over the other people's heads. "Dad!"

"I can't very well lift both of you, can I?" Cecil laughed and sighed, holding onto Aria's leg with one hand and scooping Polom up in the other. "What have you been eating, son? Good lord…" He chuckled and smiled widely as the train moved closer and closer to the platform, his children getting more excited by the second.

"Rini! Rini!" they both shrieked, silenced by the loud hiss of the train as it stopped. As the doors opened, they scrambled to get down, and Cecil had to keep his hands on their shoulders to keep them from running towards the stairs.

At the first sight of the redhead stepping off of the train and onto the platform, the crowd started clapping and cheering for the young woman. From his spot in the crowd, Cecil could see the tears in her eyes. His whole body flooded with relief at the sight of her; she looked completely healthy. He didn't realize until he felt his daughter take his hand that he was crying and he laughed sheepishly, wiping his eyes.

Renata searched the crowd frantically, tears in her eyes and a huge smile on her face. Never had she ever been so happy to feel the warm sun, to smell the sea on the wind. Her eyes landed on a man crying in the crowd and she gasped, reaching her arms out to him. She'd been so selfish before. Cecil had taken her in without question and as soon as she was old enough, she left him. Why had she wanted to be away from them so badly? Leona hadn't been very fond of her, but Cecil and the kids had been nothing but a real family towards her. Her cheeks were streaked with tears as she heard the kids chirping her name and she choked out a weak laugh.

"Go on," Finnick whispered in her ear. He smiled and nudged her towards the stairs, watching her run off.

Renata dashed through the crowd, searching for her father desperately. People cleared the way for her and she blurted out a cry of relief and happiness when Cecil pulled her into his arms in one of his crushing hugs. She held him equally as tight and buried her face against his chest in an effort to quiet her sobs.

Cecil didn't try to shush her or speak; he simply held her and cried against her hair, feeling so thankful that she had come back. "I've got you," He finally managed to get out, stroking her curls. "I've got you, Rini…"

Finnick watched from the platform as the crowd began to dissipate, his smile fading from his face. He remembered a reunion like this. He had once had a family, but the Capitol dogs had even taken that away from him to gain control. He sighed quietly and scratched at the back of his neck. The two older children were both hugging one of Renata's legs, and he was a little surprised to see them with tears on their cheeks. She didn't need him anymore, she had a family to be with, and he…

Finnick pursed his lips and slowly descended the stairs, tucking his hands into his pockets. Her nightmares had gone; during the two nights on the train, she had slept peacefully in his arms. He shook his head, thinking too much into this relationship with a girl he barely knew.

"I missed you, Rini," Aria sniffled when she knelt down in front of her.

"I missed you too," she smiled through her tears, pulling her in for a hug. "You didn't watch, did you?"

"We watched a little, and then dad said you got hurt and he didn't want us to see that," Polom answered, laughing quietly when he was pulled into the hug and his cheek squished up against Renata's. "Are you all better now?"

"I am," she replied, nodding and releasing them. "And it's all because I got to see you again."

"Welcome home, Renata," Leona said softly, semi-hiding behind her husband. She gave her a small smile when she stood up, holding Vic closer.

The chubby two year old giggled and reached his tiny hands out for Renata, the sweetest grin on his face. "Rini!"

"Hi there, bud," Renata smiled and gave him a soft kiss on the top of his head, seeing Leona stiffen slightly. So that hadn't changed… She stood upright and turned around, seeing Finnick walking away from them. She swallowed and gave Cecil a look that said she'd be only a minute and headed after the man. "Finnick?" she asked quietly, stopping when he stopped and turned around. She blushed when he gave her a questioning look and she looked at her hands for a moment. "Where are you going?"

"I've got a home to get back to too, you know," he murmured, wishing he could slap himself at how rude he sounded. "Don't worry about me, Renata. We're home and everything is okay now. Go home and spend time with your family."

"When will I see you again?" she asked after a pause, looking up at him.

"Soon, I expect. We're going to be neighbors anyway, so we'll see each other even if we don't want to," Finnick chuckled quietly and shrugged. "Go on, it's okay."

Renata just stared at him for a long moment before turning and going back to the others. She sighed and pushed Finnick from her mind as Cecil draped his arm over her and held her close as they headed back towards their home.

The handsome young man pursed his lips into a line and he turned away, heading quickly towards his house in the Victors' Village. He didn't want to go home and sit around. What he wanted to do more than anything, what he always did immediately upon coming home from the Capitol, was to go out on the water. He'd been given many amenities since he'd become victor, one of which being a boat. Out of all that he could have gotten, he picked a small sailboat. No engine or anything fancy, he liked to rely on the wind and on the ocean to get him to where he needed to go. When he was out on the water, he felt at ease.

The dock at the back of his house creaked quietly as he walked on it and he closed his eyes for a moment, letting the wind blow his hair around. He inhaled the salty air and slowly opened his eyes, stepping onto his boat and unhitching the vessel from the dock.

Renata sat quietly in a chair at the kitchen table, watching Polom and Aria chase each other around the kitchen. Leona stood at the stove, cooking up some simple dinner for the six of them.

"I guess you'll get to move into your new house soon?" Cecil asked, setting Vic down so he could run and play with his siblings.

"I thought that you all would live with me there," she answered, smiling at him. "I don't need that much room, and I want to pay you back for taking care of me." She looked up at Leona, who was staring into the pot of stew. "It's the least I can do."

"You don't owe us one thing, Rini," Cecil reached over and patted her hand with his weathered one. "We all would love a change of scenery, wouldn't we? Kids, do you want to live with Rini again?"

Aria gasped with delight and she hurried to the young woman, setting her hands on her knees. "You can sleep in my room!"

Renata laughed quietly and tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. "Why thank you, sweetheart. I'm sure you and your brothers will get to have your own rooms in the new house."

Polom's eyes grew wide and he grinned, going to his mother. "Can we, mama? Please?"

Leona looked down at him, and then over to Rini, who was staring at her with equally pleading eyes. "I think that sounds like a wonderful idea. Heaven knows that we need more room with all of us… Thank you, Rini. Why don't you all go and wash up? Dinner is ready."

She smiled at her and nodded, so relieved that she had agreed to it. "Come on, you lot."

Finnick sighed to himself as he sat with his feet in the ocean, the light waves rolling the boat in a gentle way like that of a mother rocking her child to sleep. He closed his eyes and basked in the sun's last light, having no intention of pulling up anchor until morning.

Something about home felt different. Granted, it had become a place of pain after he'd won however many years ago it had been.

There was a sharp rap at front door.

"Finnick, could you get that?" Talia asked her son, giving him a smile. "Put those young legs to work."

He chuckled and stood from the table, giving her a loving kiss on the top of her head before heading to answer the door. "Can I help you?" he asked, pursing his lips as he saw that it was a team of Peacekeepers. Not this again. "I already told you my answer, if you don't recall, it was no."

"It's not that simple, Finnick," One of the men shook his head. "It's not a request, it's an order. I wouldn't suggest your refusal."

From the kitchen came a woman's whimper and Finnick turned around just in time to see a Peacekeeper holding his mother by her upper arm, a gun pointed at her head.

"Mom!" He gasped, taking a step towards her and stopping when the man shoved the barrel of the gun against her temple.

"Either you leave to go to the Capitol right now, or your mother meets her end right here. And all because of your refusal. Think about it, Finnick. You'll be living in better luxury than you could imagine, with all the women you could ever want, with every necessity you can dream up. Now you wouldn't let your dear mother die for something that any smart person would see as a privilege…"

Finnick swallowed and stared into his mother's eyes, feeling tears stinging in his. She looked completely calm, not showing a glimmer of fear at the gun pressed to her head. He swallowed and nodded, clearing his throat. "Alright, I'll do it," he said quietly, chewing on his lower lip.

"Finnick," Talia whispered, seeing the distress on his face. This was the last thing she had wanted for him.

"It's okay," he whispered back, feeling hands on his arms pulling him towards the door. "I'll be back soon, okay? I love you, I'll be back soon!"

"I love you, Finn," she smiled at him, tears welling in her eyes as he disappeared out the front door. The Peacekeeper kept his firm grip on her arm even after they left and she watched her son be led down the street, tears rolling down her cheeks as the man pulled her outside into the grass.

Finnick gasped as a gunshot rang out and he whirled around to see his mother's limp body fall down onto the grass.

The wind was cold now that the sun had set and Finnick shivered, wiping the wetness away from his eyes with the back of his hand. They thought that killing his mother would sever his last ties to Four and that he'd be more willing to live in the Capitol. He would never be willing to live in that prison. Even if his parents were both dead, they were still with him. The ocean couldn't be killed, and he knew that it was because of them that he felt so comforted by being out in the water.

He sighed and stood up, going to his tiny cabin quarters and lying down on the mattress. If Renata had the same fate as him, he didn't want any harm to come to Cecil or the others. He'd been an only child, but Cecil had three young ones to care for. If he were harmed, or if one of the kids were…it would kill Renata. He couldn't allow her to feel the same pain he felt every day.

A loud, piercing scream jolted Cecil out of whatever sleep he had been having. He jumped out of bed and ran out of his room, checking on his children before going to the room Renata was in. As he flipped on the light, his eyes widened at the sight of her thrashing around in bed, her body tangled in the sheets. Her eyes were shut with tears streaming down her cheeks and her mouth released scream after scream.

"Rini!" he gasped, going to the bed and taking hold of her wrists. She was strong; she tried to wrench her hands away from his hold and screamed louder, making him turn pale. "Renata, wake up!"

Leona stood in the hallway, holding her children close.

"What's the matter, mama? Is she dying?" Aria asked worriedly, sniffling. She hugged her leg tighter, afraid of the noises that came from Rini's room.

"I don't know, love," she murmured back, holding her head against her leg to help and shut out the noise. She pursed her lips as there was a loud pounding on their front door and she looked down at her two children. "Polom, take Vic and Aria and go to your room. Everything is going to be alright." She watched them shuffle towards the bedroom before going down to answer the door. She swallowed and felt heat rush to her cheeks as many of their neighbors were gathered outside, looks of anger on their faces. "I'm so sorry, it's Renata…she's inconsolable."

"Is she getting beaten? Or fucked?" someone spat angrily. "Some of us are trying to sleep!"

"I'm so sorry, please…we're handling it, I'm sorry," Leona stammered, biting her lip as the screaming continued.

Cecil swallowed, tears in his eyes as he picked Renata up and held her close to his chest, wincing as her nails bit at his arms. After a few minutes, she slowly began to stop fighting and she whimpered quietly.

"Cecil," she cried quietly, hugging him tightly to try and stop her shivering. "I'm sorry, I…I had a nightmare."

"It must have been an awful one…you woke up half of the neighbors," he whispered back, swallowing again. "Are you alright, Rini?"

She paused, sniffling. "No. Not really. I thought that the nightmares were over, b-but…" She trailed off, closing her eyes.

"It sounds like it's over," Leona mumbled as the screaming ceased. "I'm sorry again…goodnight." She closed the door and pursed her lips, heading towards Renata's bedroom. "Are you okay?"

Renata looked up and swallowed, her eyes red and puffy from her tears. "I-I'm okay now. I'm sorry, Leona, I didn't mean to. Are the kids awake?"

She gave a soft laugh. "I think all of Four is awake."

Cecil gave her a look and shook his head. "Leona…"

"It won't happen again." The redhead bit her lip, letting go of Cecil.

The woman pursed her lips and nodded, leaving and heading towards her bedroom.

"Rini," Cecil said softly, stroking her cheek. "It's not your fault. She's just always been-"

"Not very fond of me," she finished for him, looking at her hands. "I shouldn't have come back here, I could have gone somewhere else."

He shook his head. "That's nonsense. Of course you were going to come home. I wouldn't have let you stay anywhere else," he laughed softly, trying to make light of the situation. "Come out here, I'll stay up with you."

Renata swallowed and let him help her up and she followed him to the kitchen, sitting down while he brewed some coffee. The smell soon filled the small room and she watched him as he brought them both a mug back, the wooden chair creaking quietly as he lowered his body onto it. She took a sip of the beverage and wrinkled her nose, choking down the bitter liquid.

"Not your favorite, eh?" Cecil chuckled and took a big slurp from his mug, sighing happily. "What was your nightmare about?"

"The arena," Renata answered quietly, absentmindedly running her finger around a circle on the table top. "It all seems so real, and I can feel everything that happens. I'm just afraid all the time."

He pursed his lips and scratched at the stubble on his face. "Did this start immediately? I know you used to have nightmares when you were little, but never like this."

"They started after I got out, yeah. But I thought they had stopped, I didn't have them for a few nights, and when I did, it wasn't nearly as bad as…" She stopped and pursed her lips. She hadn't been having nightmares because Finnick had been next to her, true to his word at keeping her safe.

"What's that look for?" Cecil's voice made her blink and look up at him.

"I wasn't alone whenever I stopped having nightmares," Renata said very softly, shrugging. She couldn't just show up at Finnick's door asking if she could sleep with him, now could she? Her cheeks turned bright red and she sighed, shaking her head.

Cecil watched her with wary eyes, not sure he wanted to know what she meant by not being alone. It must have had something to do with that Finnick Odair. "We'll figure something out," He smiled at her and reached over to pat her hand.

I was so excited to post this, I actually had it written around the time i ended Disarm but i really wanted to wait a little to post, so here it is! Rini is home, but things aren't back to normal yet! Can things go back to normal? Thank you for reading, and please let me know what you think of it so far!

-Kelsey :3