Dahlia confided in Finnick. She never wanted to keep any secrets from her husband, so she told him everything. Snow, Coin, the bombs... all of it. He listened to every detail she spilled before coming to the same conclusion that she and Katniss had agreed on. Coin was not here to liberate Panem, she was here to take Snow's place. Only this time, she'd disguise dictatorship as a democracy.

"We can't trust Snow," Finnick had murmured quietly, arm wrapped around Dahlia's shoulders as they shared their thoughts. "But we can't trust Coin either."

Nodding her agreement, Dahlia added, "Just because the war is won, it doesn't mean the fight for peace is over."

"It seems it's only just begun." Finnick muttered bitterly, realising that they had all been pawns in Coin's quest for power. Now they had to rid Panem of yet another tyrant, this time without prompting another war. "So what are we going to do about--"

Their secretive discussion was interrupted by a knock on the door and Gale entering, making the Odairs quickly halt all conversation. The boy stood awkwardly in the door, nervous under the icy glares of the two Victors most devoted to Katniss. They knew what he had done and he knew he would find no forgiveness with them.

Clearing his throat in an attempt to diffuse the tension, Gale stood to attention like the soldier he was with folded arms and a wide stance. Still, Dahlia and Finnick regarded him coldly as he announced, "President Coin has asked for a gathering of all the remaining Victors."

Exchanging a glance with each other, the two came to a silent understanding. Coin was planning something, and calling for this meeting meant that the Victors were now forced to be involved. Once again they found themselves at the beck and call of another domineering leader. Would they ever be freed from their lifetime of servitude?

"Well, we'd better hurry then, Finn." Dahlia sighed sarcastically, shooting a dirty look at Gale as she pushed herself from the chair. She stuck her hand out for Finnick, who didn't hesitate to latch on as he also stood to his feet. Strolling past the Hawthorne boy with her eyes narrowed fiercely, she viciously spat out, "Before she drops another bomb on us."

Gruffly humming in agreement, Finnick made sure to knock his shoulder harshly into Gale's with enough force to send him stumbling a few steps backwards. They marched along the corridor away from him hand in hand with their heads held high, knowing that they could handle whatever came their way as long as they were together.

When they arrived at the meeting room, they found a large circular table with seats spaced out around it. All the other surviving Victors were already there except for Katniss, who Dahlia assumed Gale was going to fetch next. They had positioned the chairs far enough away so that none of the Victors were within touching distance of each other, an effort to keep them from communicating privately between themselves.

Coin stood proudly at the head of the table, smiling warmly at the two newcomers as they entered the room. That's when Dahlia knew that things were definitely going Coin's way. The woman was far too happy to see the pair that had consistently been a thorn in her side. And the tight-lipped smile did little to hide the smug expression twisting her features, especially from Dahlia's perceptive eyes.

Squeezing his wife's hand, Finnick silently conveyed that he was on her side through this gathering no matter what. The Odairs would always stick together.

Skirting around the edge of the table, the couple politely nodded at each of the Victors in acknowledgement as they made their way to two empty seats situated too far away for their liking. As they settled behind the chairs, Finnick began subtly sliding his along the floor to get closer to her. When Coin looked their way, he quickly engaged in conversation with Peeta who was sat on his right. Dahlia giggled quietly at his childish behaviour, making Finnick discreetly wink at her out of the corner of his eye. Though when Coin's critical gaze darted along to land on her, Dahlia didn't hesitate to stare right back, almost daring the woman to confront them. Disappointingly, Coin backed down without much of a fight, pursing her lips in disapproval as she averted her eyes. If she was on the hunt for support from these Victors, she would not be getting it from Dahlia.

They only had to wait a few more minutes until the doors opened again and Katniss strolled in with a look of confusion. "What's this?" She asked Coin as all heads turned to face her.

"The remaining Victors." She replied in a feathery light tone as she gestured to the free chair on Dahlia's left. "Won't you join us?"

Dahlia scoffed under her breath at the way Coin offered the invitation as if she was giving Katniss a choice. Because none of them wanted to be there. They were summoned. And no one could decline an order from the President.

The Victors took their seats, Finnick nudging his chair even closer to Dahlia's as Katniss joined her other side. The two women briefly bowed their heads to each other in respect, assuring themselves that they remained allies in this next round of battle. Whether it be with swords or words, Dahlia would defend Katniss through anything.

Once everyone was in their chairs, Coin started to address them, "I have invited you all here for several reasons, but first, I have an announcement. I have taken the burden and the honour of declaring myself Interim President of Panem."

It was obvious she'd been bursting at the seams to reveal this news, a grin of genuine delight stretching the corners of her lips. But no one else seemed too excited by the information. Nor did they seem at all surprised. Coin had finally got what she wanted. Complete and undisputed control of Panem.

Haymitch let out a disbelieving scoff, boldly voicing the question that every Victor was asking in their heads, "Interim? Exactly how long is that interim?"

"We have no way of knowing for certain." Coin seemed far too pleased with her reply, Dahlia noticed. For a job she claimed was a 'burden', she sure did seem eager to hold onto it for as long as possible. "But it's clear that people are far too emotional to make a rational decision. We'll plan an election when the time is right."

"For who?" Dahlia mumbled to herself, rolling her eyes at the honourable facade Coin was putting on. Once she had this power, she would never willingly give it up.

"But I have called you here for a far more important vote. A symbolic vote." Coin continued, unaware of the growing disdain forming in the minds of numerous Victors at the table. "This afternoon, we will execute Snow. Hundreds of his accomplices also await their deaths. Capitol officials, Peacekeepers, torturers, Gamemakers." Dahlia couldn't help but feel that Coin wanted her name on that list too by the way her eyes had briefly flicked over in the young woman's direction. She knew her head would've definitely been on the chopping block had Katniss not secured the safety of all the Victors captured by the Capitol. Dahlia suspected Coin now severely regretted agreeing to that deal. "But the danger is, once we begin, the rebels will not stop calling for retribution. Thirst for blood is a difficult urge to satisfy. So, I offer an alternative plan. Majority of five may approve it. No one may abstain. The proposal is this. In lieu of these barbaric executions, we hold a symbolic Hunger Games."

Silence greeted her suggestion as all the Victors struggled to wrap their heads around the idea. Dahlia and Finnick had stiffened in their seats, eyeing each other with equal amounts of shock. They had just fought in a war to put an end to a barbaric regime which sent innocent children to their deaths and now they wanted to start it up again. What message would they be sending to the citizens of Panem if the children were once again forced to pay for their parents' mistakes? That was a system which valued revenge more than justice.

Suddenly Johanna burst into laughter, shaking her head in disbelief before asking for clarification, "You wanna have another Hunger Games with the Capitol's children?"

"You're joking?" Peeta murmured incredulously, horrified that this would even be considered a valid option.

"Not in the slightest." Coin responded sincerely, showing how committed she was to the proposal she put forward.

Haymitch let out another scoff as he questioned, "Is this Plutarch's idea?"

"It was mine." Coin answered smugly, seemingly proud of her own suggestion.

"Of course it was." Dahlia retorted sharply, folding her arms over her chest as Coin turned to her in outrage.

Attempting to feign tolerance for the girl, Coin questioned her, "What do you mean by that?"

"No amount of Capitol blood will be enough to fulfil your idea of justice. The only person who needs to pay for their actions with death is Snow." Dahlia argued passionately, hands curling into tight fists as she felt her anger and frustration swell inside. "We need to stop punishing children for crimes committed by other people. The children of the districts have been paying the price for their ancestors' defiance for 75 years and look where that got us. Nine people sitting in a room debating whether to gamble with the lives of more children. The cycle needs to stop! Before we spend another 75 years sending innocents off to die for a war they had no part in."

Coin seemed infuriated by Dahlia's outburst, lips ready to curl into a snarl before she regained her composure. As calmly as she could manage, she softly explained, "It balances the need for revenge with the least loss of human life. You may cast your votes."

"No." Peeta spoke up immediately, banging his fists gently on the table. "No, obviously not. This is crazy."

Then Johanna perked up and chimed in with her own opinion, "I think it's more than fair. Snow's got a granddaughter. I say 'yes'."

"So do I." Enobaria proclaimed, surprising no one as she sided with Johanna and advocated for death as the punishment. "Let them have a taste of it."

"You guys, this way of thinking is what started these uprisings." Peeta pointed out, making Dahlia's head whip back and forth to keep up with the conversations.

Annie is the next to voice her decision, confidently announcing, "I vote 'no'. With Peeta."

"I vote 'no' as well." Haymitch declared, leaning forward in his chair with an exhausted look in his eye. "So would Alaric if he were here with us."

Dahlia's heart clenched at the mention of her father, leaning more and more towards voting against the notion with every second that passed. Though Katniss and Finnick were also yet to make their opinions heard, staying silent while everyone else debated back and forth.

"Well, he's not." Johanna exclaimed harshly, knowing that no matter how admired Alaric was, he wasn't there to influence the vote. And the reason why he was not there was a driving force behind the decisions. "Because Snow and the Games killed him."

"No." Beetee stated firmly, unwavering in his choice as he turned to Coin. "We need to stop viewing each other as enemies."

"It's down to Katniss, Finnick and Dahlia." Coin sighed, realising that the odds of them ruling in her favour were not great. The three Victors who despised her the most were the ones who would determine the result of the vote. She believed she was facing defeat.

Dahlia was steadfast in her convictions and maintained her view that Panem needed to stop paying for blood with more blood. Apart from Snow. The blood that he had made decades of innocent children spill would be enough to fill all the lakes and rivers of Panem. To account for all his sins, only one more life should be taken. Snow himself.

But when Dahlia turned her head to gauge how Katniss had reacted, she found the girl already looking her way with desperation in her eyes. A plan was brewing in that young girl's mind, one that would hopefully rid them of two unwanted presidents. Dahlia could sense what Katniss was begging her and Finnick to do.

With one subtle dip of her head, Dahlia conveyed her compliance. They would stand by her decision and support Katniss in whatever she did.

Relieved to have the pair onboard, Katniss glanced back at Coin and declared, "I get to kill Snow, with Dahlia by my side."

"I expected no less of you." Coin replied with a hint of fake sympathy in her tone as Dahlia eyed Katniss in surprise for wanting her there as well.

Katniss' features hardened resolutely and she came to her final conclusion, "Then I vote 'yes'... For Prim."

Never removing her eyes from Katniss, Coin prompted the final two Victors to cast their votes, "Finnick? Dahlia?"

The Odairs exchanged a knowing glance, their hands brushing against each other under the table. They had made their promises, sworn their allegiance and now they had to follow through with their word. Katniss was staring at the pair pleadingly, willing them to trust her. But Dahlia and Finnick knew what they had to do.

"I vote 'yes' with the Mockingjay." Finnick announced loud and clear, briefly slipping into his Capitol persona to assure that Coin didn't suspect any deception. With a cocky smirk on his lips, he leaned back in his chair and jested, "Let them feel some real fear for once."

Then the pressure was placed on Dahlia's shoulder. It was four votes either way. Her judgement would make the final decision. After her earlier outbreak, everyone expected her to vote against the symbolic Games. Even Coin had started to hang her head in defeat. But, as Finnick always said, Dahlia was full of surprises.

"I'm with Katniss." Dahlia affirmed with careful words, watching the shock flood the faces of all those who assumed she would answer differently. "Justice will be done."

No one looked more surprised than Coin, whose features quickly morphed away into an expression of delight. With a beaming grin, she proclaimed, "That carries the vote. Excellent. We'll announce the Games tonight, after the execution."

Katniss sent a grateful nod in Dahlia's direction, realising how difficult it must've been to go against her morals. But the Odairs trusted Katniss and she trusted them. They just hoped they could make the presidents pay for all their wrongdoings.

The eyes of Panem would be watching. The Black Dahlia and the Mockingjay would be seeking justice. And the spilling of innocent blood would be answered with the blood of the guilty.