(A/N – I do not own The Hunger Games or the characters in any way; all rights are reserved to Suzanne Collins.)

Pearls of Rebellion

The first time Haymitch declared his love for Effie was when all hell broke loose. He remembered that day clearly, when the force field had been demolished and Effie Trinket, the air head escort for District 12, had literally thrown a suitcase into his arms and told him to run.

She had been acting strange all day... as if she knew what was going to happen; Haymitch, understandably, never knew that she had been part of the rebellion all the long. He never understood how much she had done for Haymitch and their tributes; instead, he tended to ignore her.

But that day, when the force field was finally brought down, Haymitch finally saw Effie for who she really was.

A brave but scared, confused woman, who had really been fighting for the District's cause than the Capitol's.

He remembered how she came out with a suitcase full of his clothes and shoved it into his arms while screaming at him to "go!" He remembered how he refused at first, irritated with her forcefulness and complete misunderstanding of what seemed to be happening, but she didn't stop; instead, he remembered her turning around on her heel and screaming words at him as angry tears spiked her at her eyes. How Effie had told him what they would do to him if he stayed, how Effie told him how much his tributes needed him, and above all, how Effie had told him she'd take his place for the sake of the rebellion he knew he thought she knew nothing about.

Choked up and worried, he remembered how he stalked towards her, and in a one smooth sweep, embraced the small figure in his arms; his words, he clearly knew, were incoherent but strung together to form a somewhat understandable apology and thanks.

Effie pushed him away, but he remembered how such a heavy sadness shone in her eyes as she kept the palm of her left hand lingering on her chest before dropping it to her side.

And the guilt, he felt now as he thought back to that day, overwhelmed him as he wrapped his fingers around the fabric handle of the suitcase.

"Come with me," he remembered saying. But Effie refused, and now, as he looked over the skyline of District 13, his thoughts remained on that one woman who was now, he was hundreds of miles apart from.

"Good luck, Haymitch." Effie's voice rang inside of his head, continuously, because he knew he should've done, tried, something more to get her to leave with me.

And as Haymitch closed he eyes, he remembered his response. Clasping her hand in his, Haymitch left her with four words. "I love you, Effie."

A/N – I wrote this for a small Hunger Games fanfiction competition. I really enjoyed writing this one-shot and so I hope you enjoyed reading it!

Please leave a review, they make my day.

Thanks, Katie1995. :)