Finnick Odair was not known to be a man who waited around for others to sort things out for him. He was a firm believer that if you wanted something done, you had to do it yourself. Which is precisely why he was less than pleased to be putting his wife's life in the hands of other people while all he could do was sit around and wait... He despised waiting. So he decided to take matters into his own hands.
He had convinced himself he was doing this for the good of the mission, to aid in ridding Panem of its oppressors and fight for a better future, definitely not just so he could make sure his wife was protected. But when opportunity quite literally came knocking at the door, who was he to turn down the chance?
The oblivious Peacekeeper, who had just been doing the rounds and checking the surrounding buildings for any stragglers, was Finnick's unsuspecting victim. When he came tapping at the glass window of Tigris' shop mere seconds after the trio had vacated the building, Finnick sensed that this was a perfect moment to cover their tracks and ensure that Dahlia remained safe.
Before anyone knew it, there was an undressed soldier restrained in Tigris' basement and Finnick Odair was bounding out of the shop clothed in a pristine white Peacekeeper uniform. But if he hadn't been in the right place at the right time, Katniss, Gale and Dahlia would've been discovered before they could move any further. With their new Peacekeeper escort, the trio were able to discreetly bypass the other security officers on the lookout for them, which made Dahlia so overwhelmed with relief that she didn't have the heart to reprimand Finnick for pulling such a reckless stunt.
"You are so lucky I love you, Finn." She had hissed under her breath as Finnick dragged them past another set of Peacekeepers.
The sheer fury evident in her voice made the man gulp nervously and reply with a meek, "Yes, love."
But just when the end seemed almost within reach, a building behind them was hit by shelling and the resulting explosion caused everyone to duck down on the ground for cover. Screams echoed out around them as chaos broke out, Dahlia and Finnick instinctively huddling together to avoid becoming separated by the mob.
"It's the rebels!" One man yelled in absolute terror as the advancing ragtag army of soldiers began to unleash rounds of gunfire upon the defenceless crowd.
Peacekeepers were being targeted all around them and Dahlia suddenly became aware of the disguise Finnick had clothed himself in. Struck with horror, she ripped the helmet from his head and threw it to one side, desperately attempting to use her cloack to shield Finnick's blinding white uniform from the view of the rebels. Who knew they'd be under attack from their own side?
The Capitol soldiers returned fire, trying their best to dig in and defend the city against the oncoming swarm of troops. But another explosion from the building where some Peacekeepers had found cover signalled that they were extremely overwhelmed by the rebel forces.
"Mama!" A young girl's voice cried out, making Dahlia and Katniss turn to find the child that had spotted them earlier. She was sobbing over the body of her mother, a feeling that was all too familiar to Dahlia. Though to witness and fear death at such a young age was something that every child in the districts could relate to. "Mama!"
They had no time to dwell. With verbal encouragement from Gale, the group of four struggled to their feet and sprinted off through the crowd, leaving the poor girl in the yellow jacket behind. Their bodies were hunched in an attempt to dodge any stray bullets that may fly their way, Dahlia and Finnick gripping to each other as they ran.
As they reached a concrete barricade, Finnick easily hurdled over it before turning back to help Dahlia scale it. With her long heavy cloak weighing her down and dragging on the ground behind her, it was difficult to find her footing on the smooth rock. Finnick started to lift her over just as an armoured truck was blown up just a few metres away from them. The force of the eruption sent the man tumbling backwards, arms instinctively wrapping around his wife to protect her as she landed on his chest.
"Are you alright?" Finnick shouted over the noise in concern as Dahlia had been more exposed to the blast than he had. Luckily, they had been far enough away to avoid the worst of the damage.
Dahlia yanked the hood of her cloak down, no longer caring whether people would be able to recognise her in the confusion, and huffed out, "Never better. You?"
"This isn't how I saw our Capitol honeymoon playing out." Finnick quipped back in amusement, a suggestive smirk toying with his lips as he admired the sight of Dahlia hovering above him. "But I must say I'm enjoying the view."
Finnick always knew how to make Dahlia smile in the most inappropriate moments. And she would never understand how he could still be so attracted to her while they were caught in the middle of a dangerous crossfire. But she didn't have time to scold him for his teasing remarks. Instead, she shook her head in admonishment (trying her best to disguise the tender grin on her face) and staggered to her feet.
As Katniss peered behind her to check on what was happening, Dahlia quickly grasped her arm and pulled her up with a shout, "Come on!"
The two men flanked their sides, both of them now carrying white guns that didn't belong to them. They vaulted over another barrier and darted under a marble archway where numerous civilians had paused to take shelter. However, just as the group had passed through the tall structure, an artillery shell crashed into one of the pillars and sent the whole design crumbling into rubble. Still, the squad had to keep pushing on.
One frantic Capitol woman shoved through the middle of their group, forcing Dahlia and Finnick away from the other pair. Katniss and Gale ran on ahead, oblivious to the sudden disappearance of their two allies who had been eaten up by the frenzied crowd. But the Odairs were stubborn and refused to be separated from each other. With their hands still firmly connected, they were stable pillars in the panic of the Capitol citizens. Unyielding anchors in the eye of the storm. Nothing would pull them apart or stand in their way. Not when they had a purpose to fulfil. Fuelled by unwavering determination, Finnick managed to elbow people out of their path and pull Dahlia behind him until they reached the standstill on the other side. Yet what they saw when they were free of the mob didn't fill them with the relief they wanted.
Attempting to catch a moment of respite, Katniss and Gale had temporarily hidden themselves behind a heavily armoured tank. But as they had just witnessed with the archway, bigger objects were much easier targets to aim for and hit accurately. They had just put themselves right in the firing line.
"Katniss, get away from there!" Dahlia yelled out, hoping the pair would be able to hear her voice through the overwhelming flurry of noise. Unfortunately, the realisation came far too late.
The vehicle was struck forcefully by a missile, sending Katniss and Gale tumbling away from each other from the aftershock. Though it was just as well they were blasted out of the way, because the truck groaned from the power of the detonation and was knocked backwards until it toppled onto its roof. It would've crushed the pair had they not moved in time. And the troubles didn't end there.
A squadron of Peacekeepers had picked Gale up from the ground and started dragging him away to another truck. Dahlia and Finnick immediately attempted to ram their way through the crowd to help Katniss, but were halted as a few straggling soldiers spotted the Mockingjay with her signature bow and arrow. She was their priority, not Gale.
Drawing her sword, Dahlia slashed at the Peacekeeper nearest to her while Finnick rapidly fired his stolen gun at the ones located further away. They worked together as a swift yet ruthless team, cutting their way through any opponent blocking their way to Katniss. Finnick provided the cover, Dahlia provided the steel. And soon, they found themselves fighting their way past the Peacekeepers without breaking a sweat.
As the one standing closest to Katniss, Dahlia surged forward to where the girl had sunk to her knees behind the flipped truck. "Katniss." She whispered hastily, bending down in front of the girl as she gasped desperately for air. The poor teenager was dazed by the battle raging around her, lost in the confusion and chaos of war. But as Finnick joined Dahlia's side and the two brought Katniss' focus onto them, she started to regain her composure. "Come on, little bird. You're almost there."
Dahlia held her hand out for the girl, watching her eyes harden in determination as she transformed from a vulnerable young girl into a strong unyielding warrior. With a nod of resolution, Katniss slapped her hand into Dahlia's and allowed herself to be pulled from the ground. The two women, guided by their helmetless Peacekeeper, tugged their hoods back up and ventured back out into the chaos.
They hiked up their cloaks as they jogged through smoke and gunfire in the direction of the Presidential Mansion. Finnick did his bit to clear a path for them, Katniss still clutching Dahlia's hand like a little sister clinging to her protector as the older woman pulled her through the mess.
"Stop!" Finnick cried out, pushing the pair away from a spiked concrete sculpture as a missile whistled towards it. All three managed to shield themselves and each other from the blast as the debris was sent scattering across the square. "Everyone okay?"
Neither girl seemed to be able to find their voices in order to answer Finnick's question. Instead, Katniss motioned towards a mob of refugees who were all running to the gates of the mansion and the trio silently agreed to head towards that area too.
Sprinting as a group, they made a beeline for the gathering of citizens clamouring to get inside and joined on at the back. Gripping tightly to each other, they began to weave through the compact mass of people like one long snake slithering through the tall grass. More and more civilians were flooding in from all angles, each one screaming and begging for safety. The heartbreaking melody was soon coupled with the dull voice droning on over the PA system.
"Stay calm." It announced blandly on a loop, clearly doing nothing to soothe the pain of the citizens clawing their way to the promised sanctuary. "Bring your children forward. The gates will open momentarily. The children will be received first."
The infuriating voice spouted on and on, echoing around in Dahlia's ears as they fought their way through the swarm of civilians. Katniss continued dragging them through, focusing solely on the mansion in front of her which kept disappearing from view with all the struggling Capitol citizens. Until finally, the Mockingjay spotted a stationary truck parked in the middle of all the uproar.
Surging towards it, Katniss gave Dahlia little warning before she was slipping out of her grasp and dashing away. "Katniss!" Dahlia called out, though her voice was easily drowned out by the cries of the Capitol. She just about managed to keep up with the girl as she swerved past the crowd, comforted by the feeling of Finnick hanging onto her cloak to stay with her. As Katniss' head popped up above the rest of the population, Dahlia latched onto the side of the truck just below her with Finnick slotting in behind. "You can't just run off like that! We've got to stick togeth--"
"They're separating the families." Katniss gasped out, her eyes wide and teary as they became glued to the devastating scene in front of her. "The children, they're-- They're taking them away."
Dahlia gazed up at the girl sympathetically, knowing how much she was saddened by the brutal impact the revolution was having on the youngest citizens of Panem. The children were the only ones who were truly innocent in this war. As she reached out to offer words of assurance to Katniss, Finnick nudged Dahlia with his head tilted up to the sky.
"There's an aircraft approaching." He alerted her, hooking his finger under her chin to direct her focus to the hovercraft rumbling overhead in the distance.
Dahlia's eyes widened in recognition as she quietly mumbled, "That looks like a District Thirteen hovercraft."
"Katniss, get down." Finnick ordered immediately, equally concerned by the advancing aircraft and whose side it was on. If it was indeed from District Thirteen, bombs were about to be dropped. "Katniss!"
But Dahlia and Finnick were proven wrong as the underbelly of the craft revealed a white Capitol symbol displayed proudly for everyone below it to see. The crowds grew silent as the hovercraft soared overhead and released small packages attached to parachutes. The parcels floated down gracefully, whistling a tuneful song reminiscent of the sponsor's gifts from the Games.
The refugees cheered out in relief, stretching their hands out to receive the offerings from the Capitol. They believed that Snow was showing them mercy, providing them with the aid they were promised. Yet something felt off about the situation, if only to the three Victors in the crowd. Katniss, Dahlia and Finnick couldn't shake the feeling that this selfless act had selfish intentions. This time, their suspicions were correct.
As soon as the parachutes made contact with the hands reaching out for them, the packages detonated in the air. Finnick and Dahlia barely had the opportunity to shield themselves from the blast before they were knocked off their feet. Their bodies landed away from each other, arms extended out across the distance separating them. Even in their unconscious states, they yearned for the embrace of the one that held their heart.
Dahlia's eyes fluttered open weakly, immediately greeted by the sight of Finnick's motionless form lying just out of her reach. Their fingertips were centimetres away from touching, agonisingly close yet still so far. With one last burst of strained desperation, she stretched her hand out until her fingers finally clasped onto his. That was all she needed.
The fight was over. She squeezed his hand three times as the chaos raged on around them. They could both rest now, content in each other's grasp. They could finally be at peace. They finally be free with the one they love.
And when they awoke, a new era of liberty had already begun.