A/N: Had this idea and was just testing it out.

Disclaimer: I am not Collins.

Home Tonight

Haymitch observed Effie silently from the doorway as she gazed out of the kitchen window watching his geese milling around. She had arrived that morning and had waited for him at the train station before giving up and making her own way to Victors Village.

When she arrived at his house, he was passed out drunk on his living room and was rudely awaken by her loud screeching voice screaming at him and his lack of manners. He had apologised and Effie had grudgingly accepted it after awhile.

Making his way towards her, Haymitch slipped his hand around her waist and it rested splayed across her stomach. He pulled her back against his chest, his lips grazing her ear lobe.

"I missed you," he whispered, kissing the skin below her ear.

"And I, you," she replied, turning around to look at him.

"Then stay. Stay here with me. Got a big house, wouldn't mind sharing with you," he mumbled against the soft skin on her neck.

She laughed. Twisting around to face him, she laid a hand on his cheek, the other brushing his hair away from his face.

"Stay and keep you company?"

"Hmm," he nodded.

"And my job at the Capitol?"

"Quit. Paylor wouldn't mind," he replied sucking the sensitive spot on the hollow of her throat.

"My apartment in the Capitol?" her hands gripped the kitchen counter as she felt his hands gliding up her waist to her rib cage.

"Sell it," a hand cupped her breast, slowly massaging the areola, stiffening under his attention.

She arched her back, unconsciously pushing her breast further against his hand. He smiled. He placed his lips next to her ear and whispered, "I'll show you why you should stay. This monthly visit you make isn't working for me, sweetheart."

Effie was about to answer when crashed his lips against hers. Their kiss turned hungry and desperate as his hips pressed against hers, trapping her on the kitchen counter, his rock-hard erection already pressing against her stomach.

Her fingers ran through his hair gripping it at the base of his neck. His hand slid up from her breast to her neck as he swept her long blonde hair to the side exposing the soft creamy skin of her neck.

He trailed his tongue from her throat to her earlobe, inhaling Effie's natural scent and the citrus perfume she sprayed. Such a sweet, sweet combination, he thought to himself.

He sucked on her neck, intent on leaving a bruise, a mark; his mark on his Effie. Her nimble hands began to claw on his shirt, unbuttoning it. He caught her wrist, stopping her.

"Got a faster way," he said as he pulled his shirt over his head and flung it away.

She ran her hands over his chest, circling his neck and pulling him down for a kiss. He ripped the front of her pretty red dress and slid it past her shoulder. It pooled around her slender legs. She sat there in her black lacy bra looking at him with those blue round eyes.

"You tore my dress!" she exclaimed.

"Problem?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Yes! I just bought -" he kissed her, swallowing her protest. His tongue slid past her pouty lips and circled hers. He lifted her up to the counter, her legs wrapped around his waist, his lips never leaving hers.

Her hands travelled down to his pants, unbuckling his belt. Her eyes were closed, her tongue fighting for dominance with his. She pushed his trousers down and he stepped out of it.

Her hand slipped past his boxers and tantalisingly gripped the shaft of his hardened member, gently stroking it up and down. He gasped and buried his face on her shoulder.

"Eff, oh god, Eff," he moaned, his warm ragged breath tickling her neck as he panted.

His hands grabbed her wrist and pulled it out of his boxers; he saw her looking at him in confusion.

"Stop, stop," he begged, "you go on like that, sweetheart and I wouldn't last,"

He leaned forward and kissed her lips, she opened her mouth deepening the kiss. Her legs once again wrapped tightly around his waist, pressing his naked chest to her.

His hand moved from her neck to unhook her bra. And when he finally managed to unfastened the hook, he slid it off her and threw it carelessly behind him, landing somewhere in the kitchen. He moved to take off her knickers before he got rid of his boxers.

He looked at her as she stared back at him under her half lidded eyes; he dipped his head, taking in one of her nipples in his mouth. She gasped.

His other hand moved to massage her other breast. She threw her head back, tightening her grip on his hair. He lifted her off the counter but his feet snagged on the boxers pooling on his ankle. He lost his balanced and they both came crashing on the kitchen floor, Effie sprawled on top of him.

She untangled herself, laughter ringing in his kitchen. He watched her straddling him, her legs on either side of his taut, lean physique. She bent forward kissing his lips, a chaste kiss, teasing him. His eyes locked on hers as she took him in.

Haymitch's eyes fluttered shut, enjoying the feel of him inside her. His hand gripped her waist and he was sure, it would leave some kind of bruise. He guided her, trying to set a pace he would like.

"Faster, Eff," he grunted. She indulged his request. And, the rhythm changed as their movements became more hurried and urgent; each trying to get a feel of the other, skin to skin; hands roaming freely, desperate; lips mapping out every inch of the exposed skin.

He felt her walls tightened and clamped around him; he knew she was close. He urged her faster, and with a shuddering intake of breath, he came spilling inside her and, she followed a second later, uttering his name like a prayer.

They lay beside each other, on the kitchen floor of his house, trying to regain control of their breathing.

"So?" Haymitch asked. He turned to face her, his head propped up by his elbows, a finger trailing up the length of her arm.

"Oh? You want me to tell you how great you are?" she teased, knowing full well that was not what he meant.

"Eff..."

She sighed and began to gather her scattered clothing. Haymitch's eyes followed her as she stretched out to retrieve her bra on top of the refrigerator, he watched as she slipped into his oversized rumpled shirt.

"Haymitch, let's not spoil this weekend, alright? Let's just... Can't we just enjoy it?" she asked, turning around to face him.

He frowned and began to stand up, "So this is how it's gonna be? You come visit me once a month, stay here for a couple of days, we fuck & you go back to the Capitol?"

"Haymitch, you know that's not-"

"No!" he roared, kicking the stool on the kitchen counter beside where Effie was standing. Effie jumped, alarmed.

"Listen to me, sweetheart, the Capitol has been screwing with me ever since I was 16. You have a lot of nerve if you think I was gonna let a Capitol bitch like you screw me again and again," he hissed at her, jabbing his finger on her chest.

"Capitol... Capitol what?" she screeched, losing her temper. "The very same Capitol bitch you were fucking just moments ago? Oh, don't make me laugh, Haymitch," she snorted in a terribly unlady-like manner.

Haymitch glared at her and walked out of the kitchen, tired of having the same fight over and over again. He didn't even know what Effie wished to gain by her continued residency in the Capitol. She must be so foolish if she thought getting a new job, a new apartment and dressing a little less obnoxiously was going to help her heal, rid her of her nightmares, restore normalcy to her life.

Haymitch couldn't even begin to fathom how she could live in the city that broke her and very nearly tortured her to death. He saw her scars; he could guess how bad it was. There may have been a new government but the Capitol would still hold the memories of the time she was held prisoner.

Oh, Haymitch thought suddenly, memories. Of course, the Capitol held good memories for her, too. She grew up there; she had spent most of her life there.

Haymitch wouldn't leave District 12; this was the only place he knew. This was his home. But, couldn't Effie make a home here at Twelve with him?

"Haymitch? You still mad at me?" Effie asked cautiously, standing at the doorway observing him.

"No," he shook his head as he took a swig of drink from the bottle in his hand. She remained standing there, unsure if she should approach him.

"Do you hate it here, Eff?" he asked her, looking up at her.

"I don't," she answered truthfully. She approached him slowly and settled down next to him.

"Then why?" he took her hand in his and held it.

"Because... It's too soon, Haymitch. The Rebellion just ... everything is only just settling. It's been barely a year since the Rebellion ended," she told him, resting her head on his shoulder. His hand came around her and pulled her closed to him.

"So?" he asked, not quite understanding what she meant.

"The memories are still fresh. Memories of the Games... The Reaping. They still remember who I was,"

Haymitch leaned back against the worn out sofa as what she said sank in. She was afraid. Afraid of being judged by the people of District 12, she was afraid people will hate her for all the years she pulled out the names of innocent children, the children she had escorted to the Capitol for the Games. He squeezed her shoulder, to show his understanding.

"They will remember it still, Eff. Two years from now, five years from now, they'll still remember," he told her, planting a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"I know," she told him softly. "But... But it wouldn't be so vivid, would it?" she asked uncertainly.

"I mean, a few years from now... Well, with all the rebuilding of the Districts and the new laws President Paylor is setting up, the people from the different Districts and the Capitol will integrate with each other. There will be new laws to allow visitation and transportation between the Districts and the Capitol. It won't be so bad, will it, Mitch?"

Haymitch wasn't sure who she was trying to convince, herself or him. Nonetheless, to abate her worry, he nodded.

"No, maybe not so bad, maybe they'll realise you're not such a clown now that you're not caked up in ridiculous make up," he told her. She elbowed him.

"Hey!" he exclaimed.

"Give me some time, okay? Please?" she pleaded, looking into his eyes. Effie wouldn't lie to him and looking into her clear blue eyes, Haymitch knew that he would willingly wait for her. It wouldn't be so different from how things were. He had always been waiting. Before the Rebellion, he had waited for the next Reaping, the next Games, the next two tributes he would have ultimately lost. Now, he spent his time waiting for her to visit every month. No difference. Not like he had anything else left to do.

One day, he knew that she would be here with him in Twelve, for good this time.

"Okay," he replied simply. She smiled, her face lighting up, she stretched and plant a soft kiss on his lips.

"Thank you. I love you, you know that, right?" she told him.

"Yes, sweetheart, I know."

Thanks for reading. Do leave a review and let me know what you think.