Title: "Haymitch in the third quarter quell"
Summery: What if there was a rule change during the reaping for the third quarter quell and Haymitch went into the arena with Katniss, Not Peeta.
Contains: Haymitch/Effie. (Hayffie/Heffie)
Genres: Romance. Hurt/Comfort. Action.
Characters: Haymitch Abernathy. Katniss Everdeen. Effie Trinket. Peeta Mellark. And the Quarter Quell tributes.
Rating: T/M.

Author's notes: Hello. I hope you enjoyed my first ever hunger games fanfiction "Sorry, But I can't love you (Haymitch and Effie)" This is my second one and it's more Heffie! This is set during the third quarter quell during Catching fire where instead Haymitch goes back into the arena with Katniss instead of Peeta.

This will contain numerous chapters so if updates are slow I'm so sorry. Reviews are ALWAYS welcome and they help me to keep writing, it's always helpful knowing what people think of my writing.

So please, read, review and enjoy! (:

Haymitch in the third quarter quell.

Chapter One.

Effie has been to many reapings throughout her life, she had seen family's and friends broken apart by the reaping and the games, she has seen the sadness and heartbreak in people's eyes, she had seen her own tributes taken down in the arena in some of the most horrific ways imaginable. But when it came to the third quarter quell, things were different. Effie knew the souls being reaped. On a normal reaping it wasn't as bad as this, she had thought that being chosen for the games was a once in a lifetime honour, something a person would treasure until they died, but over time her views had changed ever so slightly, and by knowing the people she would be sending into the arena, against experienced killers, it was something that could shattered even the strongest person's heart in seconds.

Katniss and Peeta, her first winning tributes and Haymitch, a man she'd worked with countless times. She had strong feelings for all of them. Despite her original bad attitude and stubborn nature, she had come to love Katniss, Peeta was just shy and sweet, with a twinkle in his eye that told people he'd do anything to protect the ones her loved, she had loved them as if they were her own children, cherished their presence as much as she could before the games, and she had just come to love Haymitch in her own little way, as much as she wouldn't admit it out loud, deep down the thought of Haymitch kept her heart beating and allowed her to keep her chin up and smile on everyday.

"Welcome-" She began with a voice that was on the verge of cracking. Normally, the thought of yet another hunger game made her bubble with excitement and as a result was annoyingly loud and chirpy, but this time, it was different. Her voice was quite, shaky and full of sadness. And her face, normally it was home to a bright smile, this time, a look of pain-her eyes close to tears. She knew she had to send Katniss back in, and she had to pick one of the men, but there was something that made it worse. "-to the 75th hunger games, this year we are….blessed with witnessing the third quarter quell!-" She tried to sound exciting and overjoyed, but she physically couldn't.

There was silence. The silence of death. "-Before we find out which brave man and….woman will be taking part in this….wondrous event I have to announce a small rule change-" She swallowed hard. "Unlike normal, volunteering will not be allowed, so….whoever's name is picked out will be the one going into the games." Katniss' face may have had a tint of sadness to it, but in it's own way, it remained calm, for she knew she was going in anyway, but the there was Haymitch. He knew that Peeta would have taken his place so he could protect Katniss, he was grateful, for he believed he could never back into the arena, thiegames he was forced into ruined him enough, they gave him terrors that visited him every night, terrors that he nursed with large dosses of alcohol, he didn't think he could handle a second time. And Peeta, he desperately wanted to go with Katniss, but now, he might not have the chance.

"Ladies first" Effie crocked. She allowed her hand to swim above the single piece of paper in the reaping bowl-Even though everyone knew who's name lay upon it. She took hold of it. "Katniss Everdeen" She announced. Katniss moved up towards her, stood beside her with a plain expression and gazed towards Peeta. She didn't know who would be picked, but she vowed to protect whoever came in with her, protect them with her own life.

"Now….to select our…..male tribute." Like before, her hand swam above the two pieces of lonely paper. She couldn't bare the thought of sending either one of them back into the arena, to let the capitol dress them up and twist them ready for the haunting game, but if she had to save one, she knew who she'd save…..She grasped a name. As she unfolded the paper tears welled into her eyes, she blinked them back as best as she could. She swallowed hard a couple of time, everyone knew whoever's name was on the paper, was a person was very dear to her. She swallowed hard several times before she could find the strength within her to choke out the name.

"Haymitch Abernathy" Pain shot onto Haymitch's face. He couldn't go back into the arena. He couldn't! But still, he walked over to Effie. They both looked at each other for a while, pain and horror smothered over there faces and filling their eyes. "We…We have our tributes that will represent district twelve in the 75th annual hunger games. Katniss Everdeen and…Ha…Haymitch Abernathy" Effie was a mess. Every fibre in her body had slowly melted with pain. She had just sent two people she dearly cared about to their possible death, the feeling she received from that eats away at her, it's a feeling very few people can cope with. Effie didn't know how long she could remain tranquil?

Everything remained silent. The surviving residents of district twelve pressed three fingers to their lips and raised them to the tributes, Katniss doesn't hesitate to return the loving gesture, Haymitch ponders his situation for a few moments, he looks into the eyes of the crowd as if they moved as one, then, reluctantly, performs the gesture of great loss. As they were lead away from the crowd, Effie found it drove her to insanity to try on focus on the world around her, so she ignored the possibility and accepted the obviousness of the task's impossibility. She thought about Katniss, about that poor young girl her volunteered to go into the arena so her sister could live.

And now she was going back into to fight, without even making the choice of whether she wanted to volunteer or not. And then there's Haymitch. Haymitch a man that was ruined by the games, because of his name being picked, because of what he had to do in the arena, because of the torture his mind forces him to face every time his eyes close. Effie, much like other capitol citizens often get excited about the games, but the way Haymitch is often makes her ponder about what the hunger games are actually like. Her thoughts deepened into the emotions her hear kept locked away, she imagined herself with Haymitch, in a peaceful world where the games didn't exist and neither did President Snow.

A world where everyone could be happy and live without fear surrounding them and lurking behind every dark corner. A world Katniss and Peeta could be happy and a world where she and Haymitch could be happy…together. The perfect world she often dreamed of. The perfect world she dreamed of that would come true. No matter how impossible her desires seemed, she always intended to make them a reality. He thoughts remained so deep that Effie was oblivious to the questions being thrown at her by Katniss who's tone remained mulish.

"Hmmm?" She questioned lazily.

"You okay?" She enquired, now sounding more caring and concerned.

"Of course, Dear." She lied. "I'm…Uh, I'm just a bit tired that's all. I'll be back to my usual self tomorrow." As Katniss threw her a look that clearly stated she didn't believe a word she just said, Effie had expected some kind of sarcastic comment from Haymitch about her being her 'Usual self' but he remained abnormally hushed, his eyes showing the depth of his thought, but also, the depth of his pain.

It was then that Effie discovered they were boarding a train, how long had she shut out the world around her? How long had she remained in absolute solitude? In the end, the doors to the train slipped shut and she was temporarily free from the outside world. But she knew it wouldn't last forever. Everyone remained silent, they found their own way to their quarters and remained there until their meals began to chill on the eating table. Peeta had no choice but to take charge of Haymitch's role of advertising his tributes in the hope that he could receive sponsors from the citizens. Effie would accompany him similar to what she did with Haymitch-who was not present at the dinner.

"Do you want me to go and look for him, Effie?" Peeta offered in his usual shy tone.

"Don't trouble yourself, Dear." She croaked. "I'll go and locate him." The others began to pick up of Effie being slightly out of character, less chirpy, less orderly, less…..Effie. They didn't like it. Effie ambled down the corridors in a slight rush, the first place she agreed with herself to check was of course, the bar car. She poked her head through the door and was greeted by one of the largest selection of spirits and alcoholic drinks any person could possibly imagine.

The one thing she wasn't greeted by was the thing she hoped she'd discover most, Haymitch. The only other place she could consider checking was his quarters, she unhurriedly crept through a selection of corridors, trying desperately to recall where his quarters were, but eventually after searching endless, cars, corridors and rooms, she found him.

He was curled atop his bed, in deep slumber yet shaking and moaning with fear. With each step smaller that the first she crept to his side and gazed at him. When in this state, he seemed fearful, so alone, so helpless. She couldn't begin to visualize what kind of haunting terror he must be living within his nightmares. He persistently trembled feverishly, she placed a soft hand to his damp arm in an attempt to sooth him. As she made contact, he gripped her side and neck, yanked her across him onto the bed then in one swift move made it so he was on top of her in a killing position.

"Ha…Haymitch! Stop! It's me Ef….Effie!" she gargled and choked her words out until his grip on her throat was released. She coughed heavily until her breath came flooding back inside her.

"Sorry." He grumbled. She remained in a state of complete shock, not really being able to contemplate what had just happened to her, she had never been manhandled in such a way.

"Do forgive me, Mr Abernathy. I should not have crept up on you."

"I'm glad you did." He admitted truthfully.

"Excuse me?"

"If you hadn't have woken me, I would still be in my nightmare."

"What do you see, in these nightmares?"

"I see…..I see the games, the games that I was in, the things I did in the arena." He tensed his hands and teased them into fists. Upon realising that he was still positioned on top of her, he moved instantly to sit beside her, even though every part of his body wanted to fling him from the conversation and down to the bar to soothe his tortured mind with a drink.

"Is that why you drink?" She questioned shyly. She got a half-hearted nod in response. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" He groaned as he massaged his temples.

"If I'd had know that's what the games did to you, I wouldn't have been so excited about them, and I wouldn't have thought they were such a marvellous thing."

"It's just what you do." He replied coldly.

"I'll change." He questioned her about this, not with any kind of words, but simply with his face, a face smothered with pain and question. "The games, I can change the way I think, for you."

"You don't have to do that, if you were brought up to….believe that they are something great then you should try to embrace the way you feel. You don't need to change for some drunk."

"It's only right. The games aren't nice, they're….they're horrible, torture. But I can keep it hidden, between you and me, so I can remain a good enough escort." She paused briefly. "Your not a drunk."

"Woman, I drink endlessly!…..I wish I didn't, I wish I could just find some way to….to block out the haunting memories of the hunger games."

"There isn't a way?"

"It's too late." He sighed, knowing that he would forever be a test subject in the life of alcohol.

"It's never too late." She told him, her voice full of hope. She began to imagine her daydreams.

"When you've been in the games it is. Once you've been there, done things and seen those kind of monstrous things… it changes you! It changes you beyond repair, where screaming at the top of your lungs with such fear and anger is the only way to briefly remove the pain, but only briefly, It come back, it keeps coming back, everyday, every night! It keeps coming back to torture me!" He gasped for air and lets himself sweat and pant as he attempts to calm himself from his pointless rant.

"Haymitch…?" Effie's voice is soft.

"I wont survive back in the arena, Trinket. I just wont. I can't do it, not a second time!"

"You can Haymitch, both you and Katniss are strong, you can do this!"

"No! Katniss is strong, I'm not I'm weak, she comes out of there alive and takes control of her life, but look at me,I'm just a pawn in the drinking game." There's silence for a moment. "Only one person comes out of that arena alive."

"Then do me a favour?"

"What?" She leans towards his cheek, she plants a half kiss there and before leaving she whispers.

"Stay alive for me."

Author's notes: Woo! There you go, chapter one finished. I really hope you enjoyed this. Please leave reviews they make me keep writing and really make my day.
I'm really enjoying this so chapter two shouldn't take too long.

Hope you liked it! (: