9Disclaimer: I've never written for Annie before, but I just had to give it a shot. This is my idea of how she would be finding out that Finnick had died. I wanted to keep it mainly in Annie's mind, as I think she has a narrative going on in there that no one other than Finnick has ever really tried to understand. Of course, I own nothing. If I did, Finnick wouldn't have died… Anyways, I hope you enjoy my take on this. For extra heartbreak, please listen to Boats and Birds by Gregory and the Hawk first, and then Natalie Merchant's song My Skin as you read.
Also, I haven't exactly read Mockingjay yet. My friend told me what happened to the two of them before I've been able to get my hands on a copy of the book (but I didn't mind, I wanted her to tell me, haha). I've been told that District 13 is actually underground, which makes a lot of sense now that I think about it, but it doesn't fit with my story. So this is AU I guess D:
It was the day he was supposed to come home. Finnick Odair would be coming home again to her, his wife, and the child that they had created together that was still growing inside of her.
She had missed him terribly while he had been away, but all of that was to end soon. Finnick would be back, to be with her in their new home in District Thirteen, and he would chase away the nightmares just like he always had. He was the star in her night sky, twinkling down on her, showing her that even in the darkness there was still light. That no matter how the nightmares came after her, no matter if they clouded her skies until she couldn't see the stars, the stars were still there and the clouds would clear soon.
Annie glanced out the window, looking up at the sky. It was stormy, dark clouds looking dangerous far above them. She forced the beginning waves of the nightmares away, focusing on the fact that her husband would be home soon, and he would make everything okay again. They would be a family soon. They would be happy together. He would be the brightest star in her night sky.
Straightening up the tiny house they lived in, she hummed a quiet lullaby, a tune that was native to their home, to the District that they would never be able to return to again. But that didn't matter. Home was wherever she was with Finnick. Home was lying safely secured in his arms. Home was where the heart is, and hers was with him.
She glanced out the window again, frowning at the clouds, at the darkness. She wouldn't let it take her over, not when he would be home soon. She refused to surrender and drown in the depths of her mind right now. Glancing at the table where the plates and silverware had been set, dinner was growing cold. Where was he? Where was her Finnick? It was getting late…
There was a knock on the door. It startled her away from her reverie, causing her to jump a little. It was odd, normally Finnick just came barreling through the door, finding her and sweeping her up in his arms. He would hold her for a few moments, and she would hold him, grateful that he had made it back home again to her safely. But there had been a knock at the door instead, which was followed by another as she hadn't moved from her position across the room, looking at the little food on the table.
Another knock at the door, and she moved to cross the room and unlock it, wondering why Finnick just hadn't opened the door himself. Silly man, he had a key! What did he need her to open the door for? But she walked to it anyways, a small smile turning up the corners of her lips, expecting to see the man she loved upon opening the door. However, as she opened it, she realized that it wasn't Finnick waiting for her there, but Katniss and Peeta were at her doorstep. The smile on her face withered and died, a frown in her confusion taking its place.
"You're not Finnick…" Annie murmured, perplexed as to why the couple was standing at her door instead of her husband. "Where is he? If you're back, where is he?" She questioned, looking past the pair strained on her tippy toes, searching down the road for him. Her eyebrows knit together, stepping out in between the two to get a clearer look at the road. Where was he hiding? If this was supposed to be some kind of joke, well, it wasn't very funny. She just wanted him here, not Katniss, not Peeta. Just Finnick. Just her love.
"Annie, Finnick's not coming home," Katniss said, looking at her with a saddened expression. She had seen this look before. People had given it to her for years after she had won the Hunger Games. They were sad at what had happened to her, that the nightmares had crept into her mind and taken a stronghold there, putting up quite the fight against the part of her that was still sane after it all, against Finnick whenever he tried to help her come back to him. Why were they looking at her like that? Why wasn't Finnick coming home?
"Is he on another mission already? Why isn't he coming home, Katniss? Finnick promised he'd be coming home today. He promised," Annie murmured, a pout crossing her features. He had promised to come home today, so why wasn't he here? She needed him to come back. Peeta was probably tired of helping to care for her. She wanted her Finnick. He was supposed to be home today. Katniss was home, so why wasn't he?
Katniss took her hand, and lead Annie back inside the house, sitting her down at the kitchen table, not letting go of her hand as she began to explain why Finnick wouldn't be coming home today. They had gone on the mission to the President's house, but something had gone wrong. They had been attacked, and Katniss hadn't been able to get to Finnick in time. Katniss was apologizing, over and over, but she didn't understand. What had happened to Finnick? Where was he? What did she mean she hadn't been able to get to him in time? None of this was making any kind of sense. She was confused.
It was then that Peeta kneeled before her, taking her hands in his, looking at her sadly as he told her that Finnick wouldn't be coming home today because he had died on the mission. That her Finnick wasn't going to be coming home today, or ever again.
It took a moment for her to process the information that she had been given, but when it all came together inside of her mind, she shook her head, pulling her hands from Peeta's and latching them over top of her ears, continuing to shake her head in denial. But he had promised.
The nightmares took over. Being told of the death of her parents was happening. There had been an accident while they had been out fishing. She watched her District partner's decapitation. She watched the other career tributes she had been with drown as the damn broke, the roaring of the ocean filling her ears with its pulsating destruction. She could feel the water rushing past her, around her, causing her to tumble to the floor.
She stood blindly, eyes shut tight against the visions as she made her way from memory to the window. Glancing outside up at the sky, her hands on her ears, and tears falling down her face unnoticed, the skies had cleared. The clouds had gone away, and there were the stars, twinkling down on her. Finnick had been her star, and now he really was one, watching down from up above. But she needed him here. How was she supposed to do this by herself? How was she supposed to go on without him? How was she supposed to live alone?
It was as she cried over the stars, over the loss of her star, when she felt the baby kick for the first time. Somehow, things would be okay, because she wouldn't be alone. She had their baby, she would still have a piece of her star with her always, though it wasn't all of him like she wanted. And she knew she would have to fight the nightmares, she would have to fight the madness for their child. She would take care of it, just like Finnick had taken care of her.