Well, it's been a long time and I've missed everyone! I'm writing a new ship, some Haymitch/Effie love, yay! Some forewarning, this story is not light or fluffy. It's rated M for a reason. Disturbing images and behavior, torture and war. There will be happy moments, but not for awhile. The chapters won't be very long but it's flowing better for me that way. I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 1

No one is coming. No one is coming for me. It will go on and on forever and no one will come.

As Effie Trinket let these thoughts rumble about in her mind, the door to her cell opened. She wondered if she'd get the knife or the shocks today. This new thought made her want to giggle, for they had tried many things to get her to tell her secrets; she still had her secrets and they still had her.

Her mother and sister had been torn apart by some muttation President Snow had wanted tested before the scaly ravenous beasts were released to hunt Katniss Everdeen. She had heard Peeta's screams of constant pain and fear…until they abruptly stopped. Persephone, her pretty little puppy, so sweet and gentle, had been served to her in a stew. Snow was kind enough to inform her of the main ingredient while wearing gloves lined with Persephone's fur, little tufts of white-blonde sticking out of the cuffs.

"Mommy and Sissy were eaten by lizard men."

"I know, sweetheart."

The clunk of a torture kit being deposited on the stainless steel table next to her chair woke her up a bit.

"They're going to eat Katniss, but I don't know where the Girl on Fire is. How will the lizards find her?"

"I don't know. Maybe they'll just sniff her out."

She pondered that as her restraints were double checked by her visitor.

"Hmm. I'm sure you asked Peeta where she was. He wouldn't tell you, so you made him scream. Then you made him stop. My poor strong boy, I'm very proud of him, you know. He was a Victor."

"I know that, I watched both of his Hunger Games."

Effie noticed the preoccupation in his voice and began to panic slightly. It was always worse when he took too much time to choose his instrument.

"Let me go."

"I can't do that, you know that."

"I don't know anything and I would like to go home."

"Effie. We've talked about this. I'm not trying to get information anymore. I just want to make this last as long as possible. I want you to know, deep in your heart, that no one will ever come for you. They left you to rot."

Her eyes filled with tears and her lower lip wobbled. He turned to face her with a long delicate blade in hand.

"I know, Haymitch. No one is coming. No one is coming for me. It will go on and on forever and no one will come."

"That's right, Princess."

As the blade sliced into her skin and her screams echoed around her, Effie Trinket kept repeating one thing to herself:

"I still have my secrets…and they still have me. Oh, God, they still have me."

Peeta Mellark was still in bad shape, but at least he was coherent. As Haymitch sat by his bedside and tried to get the boy to talk to him, he could feel his frustration leaking into his tone.

"Peeta, I just need you to try and remember anything you can about what President Snow mentioned about the Rebels. We need to know if any of our plans have been compromised."

"Blood and roses, I can still smell his stench. I can still hear the screams and the laughter and the crying."

Haymitch sighed as he stood, knowing he wouldn't get anywhere with the boy today. It sickened him, making Peeta relive the torture Snow had put him through. Looking sadly at him, he turned and started for the door of Peeta's room.

"She always seemed so controlled. That's why it was worse to hear her screams than the others. But then when she laughed…I wanted to tear my ears off. "

Stopping at the door, Haymitch looked quizzically at Peeta. Who the hell was the kid talking about?

"Sometimes she screamed for you. Or was she screaming at you, for you, to stop? "Haymitch! Haymitch, please!" and then she would scream some more and then the laughter would come."

Frozen in his spot he could do nothing but stare at Peeta Mellark in horror. One word escaped his lips in a ragged whisper.

"Who?"

The boy stared at him vacantly as he answered, as if he were actually hearing those awful sounds again.

"Effie. I keep wondering why you didn't save her when you saved me."

Haymitch felt his blood freeze in his veins, his heart stopped and then stuttered back to life. Just as suddenly a white hot rage filled him and he roared as he made his way as quickly as possible to Command. His mind was feverish and Haymitch Abernathy just kept repeating one thing to himself:

"They have my Effie. No, please not Effie."