'MUTE'
Xxx
She was never meant to go there. She was never meant to live. Whatever powers had worked in her favour, or how ever many gods were on her side, Effie Trinket was not supposed to have a second chance.
She had woken up in a busy, white room. A nurse, who was barely a teenager, had asked her her name but she couldn't say it. Her mouth would move, but the words just wouldn't come out. It was a mixture of fear and sheer confusion. People were being nice to her. Offering her smiles and waving hello.
"You're very pretty" a young girl had said one night, walking over to Effie's makeshift hospital bed. Effie had never been described as pretty before, especially not by any child. Children, if anything, feared her. Her crazy hair and vibrant colours, not to mention everything her presence represented. She was the reaper. The grim reaper. But now, now she was pretty?
Xxx
Effie had been hiding out like a scared child, in her apartment, on the edge of the Capitol, when the bombs had hit. She'd been taking a shower at the time and had been thrown, like a rag doll, from her cubical. It all happened so fast. She'd found herself wandering the streets in nothing but her towel, hiding in the shadows, watching as the rebels tore through the city. They were targeting anyone Capitol, hunting them down like foxes, burning their wigs and clothes and bodies. She'd found another half destroyed home, as she'd crept through the streets and took shelter. When more bombs had hit, she had been shook so violently, she'd passed out and now, now she was here.
"Do you know your name? What district are you from?"
Name? District? Didn't they recognise her?she thought. But then she remembered, she had been in the shower when the city had been attacked. She had had no recognisable traits left on her. No Captiol dress, no golden wig, no painted face. She was unrecognisable, she was invisible, she was….safe.
Safe until she opened her mouth, she thought. Then they'd know. They'd all know. They'd know that she wasn't from a district. She wasn't some poor, captive slave from the Captiol, who had been rescued by a team of rebels. She was the Capitol. She was the enemy and she was in grave danger if they ever found out. So Effie kept her mouth shut, Effie stayed silent, Effie remained patient number 419 of sector 2, rescued on mission, carried on craft 26 to district 13 and tagged, 'mute'.
Her file was marked un known and her pages remained blank. She was a nobody. A no one. She had been given the chance to start over, so she took it.
Xxx
It took her a few months to really settle in. Unbelievably, the easiest part of the transition into life in 13 was, not talking. She had been given a job as a doctors assistant due to the graceful and quick manner, in which she moved about. She was slick and precise and patients warmed to her very quickly. It was her smile, or so they'd said. It was honest and true and her 'disability' or inability to talk, made her seem quite trust worthy with secrets. She would sit at a patients bedside for hours, enjoying their tales and stories. Effie soon became quite a favourite in the hospital bay.
She found herself becoming happier, slowly but surely, as each day past. Patients would ask for her, doctors would fight over her and the nurses were always paying such lovely compliments to the 'mute' with the beautiful ashen hair. Her hair had always grown fast. She used to like to cut it short and hide it underneath her wigs, but now, now she was becoming quite fond of it. It changed her, made her look like a completely different person and she liked that.
The doctors had given her the nick name 'blue' because of how bright her eyes would shine in harsh lights of the hospital bay, and it kind of just, stuck. She didn't mind it, it was better than being called 'the mute'. In the process of keeping up her little innocent act, she'd also pretended not to be able to read or write, just so that no one would ever make her tell her real story, through paper and pen.
So, Blue it was.
They'd even given her her own name tag now, so that the patients knew who to call for.
Life was going well. She had friends, she had a job, she had a roof over her head and she was settled. She wasn't at all prepared for her perfect bubble of a whole new world, to be pricked and burst and scattered to the wind, that long and humid day in the hospital bay.
They wheeled him in on a stretcher and she recognised him instantly.
"Blue, fetch the morphine" a doctor yelled. Haymitch was unconscious and bleeding badly from his leg.
"Blue!?"
Effie snapped out of her trance and did as she was told. He was unconsious, he had his eyes closed, he would not see her. Of all the people who had to come back into her life, it had to be him. She passed the morphine to the doctor and got on with the rest of the job, helping to patch him up.
She tried her best not to look over his face. His familiar, worn face, that brought back so many memories for her. Happy and sad. If she looked at him, she would become lost in him, she would fall apart and they would all know her secret. They would all know who she was. She noticed that her hands were shaking. Her hands never shook. The doctor noticed too.
"You ok, blue?"
Effie nodded once, and kept her eyes on Haymitchs wound. She prayed he wouldn't open his eyes, not yet. She couldn't be recognised, not now, not after she had been so careful!.
Suddenly Haymitchs body started to convulse. One doctor yelled something to another doctor and sudden Haymitch was being held down, as a needle full of something went into his arm. The feel of something foreign in his body made him react. He was half out of it, half with it and probably thinking he was in a nightmare. Without warning, he bolted upright and reached out, grabbing at the nearest thing to hand. It just so happened to be Effie. He held her tight in his grip, Effie struggled against him in complete fear of being caught out. Then, to make matters worse, his eyes shot open, locking on her pale blue orbs.
For a split second her heart stopped. He'd seen her, he was about to say her name, she knew it. His eyes searched hers, wildly, as she waited for him to say it. Call out her real name. His mouth opened, he tried to form words, but the morphine hit strong, and before she knew it, he was once again unconsious, and she was once again free. She didn't stop running til she was back at her bunker and the door was locked tight.
Xxx
She avoided his bedside, as best as she could. Hiding in the shadows, keeping her head down and only looking his way when he wasn't looking hers. She watched him heal, she watched him learn to walk on that leg again and sometimes, she even watched him sleep. It was comforting to her. It was her little secret, another one. But, she had missed him. She had missed him so much and it only came apparent when she found him back in her life again. She usually snuck down to his ward in the early hours of dawn. The rest of 13 would be sleeping, accept of course, the night nurses and doctors, who Effie assured, it was only because she couldn't sleep either. She would quickly visit one or two other patients, would would always settle on him last, and sit by his side and watch his chest as it rose and fell with sleep. The morphine had settled his nightmares sje found, and she took the quiet time to study him, his features and his hair, and let her mind wander to the good times. Their constant bickering and battling, the drunken arguments and fumbles in the elevator. It used to remind her that she was still alive. It was contact with another human, it was her one true constant, he was her one true constant. Now, all she seemed to have, were her pretty eyes and her simple nature, that people seemed to warm to. It was some comfort, she supposed.
Xx
There was a knock at her door one afternoon. She wasn't meant to be working today and that's all people ever seemed to bother her for, so she approached, cautiously and looked through the spy hole.
Haymitch. It was him. He must have been discharged, she thought. But why was he at her door? Did he know? Had he known all along, from the moment he'd grabbed her at the hospital, and looked into her eyes?
She began to panic but he wasn't leaving. After a few deep breaths, she pondered the situation. So he knew? No one else had come battering down the door, maybe he had kept it a secret. Maybe he just wanted to see her, talk to her. Maybe he'd missed her too? The thought of it made her skin tingle. She decided to be brave today. At least she would have a friend in here, at least she would have her Haymitch back.
She opened the door, with her smile bright and welcoming, then suddenly remembered, it had been so long since she had spoken, she'd almost forgotten how. A lump rose in her throat, the words got stuck and nothing would come out
"Hi, I'm…Haymitch" he stuck his hand out to her, but she just looked at it, a little confused. Why was he introducing himself? Was someone watching them? She looked down the hall, fearfully, but saw no one else. Haymitch seemed to notice her discomfort so he shoved his hand back into his pocket and took a step back.
"Sorry," he began "you probably won't remember me…"
She looked at him like he was crazy.
"I'm the idiot that grabbed you, in the hospital, couple of weeks back?"
Again, she stood confused.
Haymitch watched her frightened eyes. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her, but those eyes of hers,had been on his mind since they put him under with the morphine.
"I know you don't, um…speak. I just wanted to come and say sorry, for scaring you, if I did…" He felt like a teenager again. Seeing her up close, she was far prettier than he remembered and it was testing him. He was sweating a little. "I also wanted to say thank you."
Effie cocked her head to one side and watched him as he shifted awkwardly on his feet. He really didn't recognise her?. She found it shocking that instead of being relived, she was almost sad.
"The doctors told me you watched over me sometimes, at night."
Effie's cheeks suddenly burned red with embarrassment.
"Oh, no, no please, don't be embarrassed" Haymitch begged. "I, um, well, this may sound dumb but, I'm used to having real bad nightmares at night, but, I think, in someway, I knew you were there. It was comforting, I haven't slept that well in a long time." He ran a hand through his hair "the morphine helped too, I guess, but, well, thank you…"
Effie couldn't do anything but nod. She really wished he would leave now, she could feel her tears starting to swell up. Maybe he noticed too because he backed away a little more.
"Well…I'll, I'll leave you alone now. You're probably, um, busy." He stuck his hand out, slowly this time and she found herself taking it. Their palms met in a sweet hold and her skin began to tingle again. She'd missed those big, rough hands.
"Haymitch…my names Haymitch"
Effie smiled. She knew who he was. She nodded politely and pressed her free hand to her chest.
"Blue? Right?" Haymitch asked, and she nodded gingerly. "Like your eyes I guess. Beautiful"
Effie pulled her hand back and blushed.
"So, I'll see you around…I hope" he said finally, before walking back down the hall. He even looked back over his shoulder, just the once, before he turned a corner. But it was enough for Effie to miss him already.
Xxx
As if by fate, they found themselves bumping into each other far too regularly. In the dinner que, down the winding corridors of 13s main building, the fitness and training ground and most often than not, the library. He was always so polite, a real gentleman. Of course, he'd always start the conversation and finish it, he'd tell her stories and jokes and read the news paper to her. She knew she could happily read it by herself, when no one else was looking, but she enjoyed the time with him. Over the passing months, she looked forward to their little meetings. Meetings that soon became less accidental and more on schedule.
"You remind me of someone, you know" Haymitch said out of the blue one day, as he closed the book he had been reading to her. Without realising, she had been resting her cheek at his shoulder, enjoying the hum of his voice, his low tone resonating, as he read each word from their book. She lifted her head, a little embarrassed, and looked at him.
"Just, someone from the past, that's all. It's strange" he said, looking back at her intently. Effie shifted uncomfortably, and wrapped her arms around herself.
"Silly isn't it?" He smiled, re opening their book. He was about to continue when he felt a soft, cool hand at his arm. He looked at her again and she was shaking her head.
It wasn't silly. She was silly. Stupid even. She parted her lips and took a breath, she wanted so badly, to tell him the truth, but it risked both of them now. People saw how friendly they had become, if it came out that she was thee Effie Trinket, he might be accused of knowing the whole time, it could endanger them both. She closed her mouth again but he noticed a sudden sadness in her eyes. Suddenly, he took her hand in his, entwining their fingers, sending a spark of electricity through her body. She'd begun to fall in love with these hands of his, his eyes, that were so kind, his patience with her, his voice, everything. She felt him warming to her too. Glances that happened far too often and lingered on for far too long. He'd see a stray curl, from her ashen waves, and tuck it behind her ear like it was second nature. He'd take her hand in his, as they walked amongst the training grounds, taking in the morning air. And best of all, her guilty pleasure would be when he would place an arm about her shoulder sometimes, when she would lean against him and listen, sleepily, as he read her the paper. He was falling for her too, she could tell. But that scared her. It was a lie and she hated herself for it.
"Are you, um, busy tonight?" He asked sheepishly, closing the book again after noticing her sudden dis interest in it. She looked up at him with hopeful eyes and shook her head.
"Come a walk with me? After dinner? There's something I wanna show you"
She smiled suspiciously and it made him beam. Her eyes glittered at his smile and he had to swallow to stop himself from blurting out the name.
In that moment, as he studied her beautiful blue eyes and her suspect grin. He remembered back to were he'd seen a look like that before, many a times. It was so her, the woman who he missed, who Blue reminded him of so much, and it made his heart sink a little.
He'd never got to tell her how he felt. That day when gangs of them had gone in to the city, to pull back the rogue and raging rebels. Reaching her apartment, finding it blown to smitherines, had broken him. He had gone too late. She was gone, most likely buried beneath the piles of rubble or murdered by one of the rebels. He tried to imagine her last few moments. Scared and alone. Would she have been waiting for him? He felt a soft hand again and noticed Blues worried eyes, questioning his sudden tenseness.
"Sorry sweetheart, just a bad memory, that's all"
She pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek for comfort, the way Effie used to, he remembered. Whenever she woke him from a gruelling nightmare or whenever their tributes died in the games.
He took a deep breath. No point dwelling on the past, right?. He had to live for the present, the future. And right now, he had a beautiful girl in his arms and he suddenly felt that the gods were giving him a second chance.
Xxx
They met at the edge of the training grounds and walked hand in hand into the near by forrest.
Effie hadn't taken her eyes off him all night. Over dinner and during their evening walk. The low growl of his voice, soothed her as he told her stories of his past and comforted her from the chill in the air. He told her stories that she already knew of course, but, he didn't need to know that. She relished in hearing them again. She relished in his company.
"Here" he whispered finally, as they approached a small clearing in the trees. "This is what I wanted to show you"
The clearing opened out onto a large lake, that went so far out it could have been mistaken for an ocean. The water was so still, it looked like glass, and the moons reflection bounced off the surface, lighting the entire space. It took her breath away. Effie froze for a moment. Never had she seen something so naturally beautiful. Haymitch tugged on her hand and gave a slight chuckle at her reaction to the scenery around them. He walked them to the edge of the lake, where the water met the pebbles and sat them down on a large log.
"Beautiful, isn't it" he said. Keeping his eyes on her the entire time. As Effie gazed up to the stars, the moon made her blue eyes sparkle like saphires, it was hypnotising.
She took a deep breath in, allowing the fresh night air into her lungs, before nodding and turning to look at him. She squeezed his hand, thanking him for bringing her here. She wanted so badly to say the words, to tell him the truth, now that they were in private but, she was so afraid he would hate her for it.
"You see, right over there? Way way over there?" He pointed and she let her eyes follow his finger. "That's the edge of what used to be my district. District 12. Home"
Effie noticed his saddened tone and squeezed his hand again.
"It was a shit hole but…." He let out a sigh and met her gaze. "You never realise what you had, til it's gone"
She couldn't have stopped herself even if she had wanted too. She leant in, quick and thorough, pressing her lips against his and cupping his face in her hands. He held back for a moment, a little shocked, but mostly just enjoying the sensation of her soft warm lips against his thin, cool ones. She edged herself closer, deepening their kiss and finally he began to kiss her back, pulling her close and parting her lips with his tongue, as it explored hers.
It was perfect. Beautiful even. The scenery began to melt away as the kiss took them over, completely. With her eyes closed tight, Effie thought back to the first and last time they had kissed like this. She remembered they had been in the penthouse suite. The fire had been roaring and neither of them had gone to bed, fretting over the day ahead, the quarter quell. It had reared it's ugly head and their victors were, once again, to be thrust into danger and possible death. The grief had overcome them and they had succumbed to a moment of bliss. Just for a moment, just for a minute. It had been the last time they had seen each other before Effie had fled to her apartment in the city and Haymitch had left for district 13.
"I'm….I'm sorry" Haymitch said suddenly, pulling his lips from hers and screwing his face up at some kind of painful memory, it seemed. "I'm so sorry Blue. But, I can't"
She looked at him, feeling saddened and a little rejected. But, understanding that he had demons, and that he had never been one to fawn over a woman for comfort. It had always been the bottle, she gave him he benefit of the doubt.
They sat in silence for a minute and Haymitch huffed and pondered on what words to say next.
"It's not you. I promise." He finally said. "It's just… I'm finding it so difficult. You…you remind me of her so much"
Effie cocked her head and waited for him to continue. She knew he had loved before, at least one time. When he was a young man, but surely, she couldn't remind him of his girl?.
"You have the same eyes, you know." He continued, looking at her intently. "That's the first thing I noticed about you. You might even have had the same smile but, she didn't smile much when I was around, and who could ever tell anyways with all the makeup she used to wear"
Makeup? Effie thought. Women from district 12 never wore makeup.
"I'm sorry blue. I didn't mean to lead you on…I just felt….being close to you, made me feel like she was still here, still with me."
Effie couldn't help the sting of jealousy that twinged in her gut. Whoever he was taking about must have been long gone but, whoever she was, clearly had the only thing that Effie wanted most in this world and always had done. His heart.
"I think, in time perhaps, I could maybe….when I'm over her, I could…we could…" He was lost for words. He desperately didn't want to say 'when he had gotten over her' because, getting over her would be forgetting her.
"I lost her. In the war. I was too late and I lost her. I never even got to tell her how I felt"
Effie let out a sigh. As heartbreaking as it was to hear him talk of another this way, it was awfully romantic and sad.
"I loved her, so much."
Effie ran a comforting hand down his arm, the way she used to when they stood side by side, watching the games, but she felt him shiver beneath her touch. Like it was another bad memory.
"Effie used to do that too" he said suddenly. Making her freeze at the sound of her own name, falling from his lips. It had been so long since she had heard it, she had almost forgotten it. "That was her name by the way. Effie. Effie Trinket."
She gasped and pulled her and away, Haymitch noticed and narrowed his eyes "sorry…did…did you know her?"
Out of fear, instinctively, she shook her head quickly, but all of his words fell into place and it knocked her sideways.
"Blue? Are you ok?"
No, she wasn't. She was terrified. Terrified and guilty and sick. She felt so awful, so disgusted with herself. Here he was, mourning the death of Effie Trinket, the woman whom he apparently loved but never got to tell. Well now she knew, and here she was, lying to his face, letting him believe she was someone else, she should have known she could trust him, why didn't she tell him sooner?.
She felt the words strangling her.
'Its me! It's me!' She wanted to scream. But the words wouldn't come out, they couldn't. She opened her mouth and tried, so hard. But they were stuck and they began to make her want to throw up. She panicked and in her flustered state, Haymitch confused it with rejection.
"Blue I'm so sorry, if you think I led you on, I guess I did…..ugh, I'm such an idiot. Don't hate me, please!" He took her hands in is but she snatched them away
"Blue? Please. I couldn't cope if you hated me. I'm so sorry, I just need a little more time"
Time for what, Effie thought. Time to get over her? Move on? She didn't want that. She wanted him to know, so bad, but she couldn't do it. So Instead, she fled. She jumped up off the log and ran so fast, she almost knocked him off it too. He stood to follow her but he heard her tears and let her go on ahead, thinking all he had done was break her heart. But, unbeknown to him, all he had done, was mend it again.
Xxx
He waited til morning to see her, then called on her first thing. During the night he hadn't slept. Instead he had kicked and cursed himself, asking himself why he was jeaporadising a possible happy future, with a beautiful woman, because of what he'd lost in the past. He'd thought and thought and thought all night long. Fighting with his conscience, telling himself she was gone. She was gone. And saying it over and over again, in his head, 'she's gone, she's gone' but, saying it just made it all the more harder to accept, and indeed, he wasn't ready to let go. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
Xxx
"I'm sorry"
Was all he could say, when she eventually opened the door to him, with puffy eyes. Had she been up all night too?
"Forgive me?" He said again.
But she shook her head and took his hand, leading him into her bunker.
She had been awake all night, it was true. But she hadn't been up all night, crying with heart ache. She'd been up fighting with a way to finally tell Haymitch the truth, and now, there was only one possible way to do that. She knew she had to try.
"You…" It was quiet and it was painful but it was there. It was a sound, a word and Haymitch leapt toward her, taking her by the arms, eyes sparkling with hope.
"Blue? You're talking…I mean, can you? It's ok, take your time"
But his excitement just made her feel worse.
Come on Effie. She cursed herself. You've been practicing this all night. You can do this. You must.
"You…you have nothing to be sorry for" she croaked. Tears immediately filled her blue orbs as she felt Haymitch tense at her tone. He was battling with a familiar sound, the sound of her voice. Effie may not have used it in a long, long time, but her accent was still unchanged, just as she had feared.
"What did you say?" He asked, in a shaky voice. His hands dropped to his sides and he stood back, shaking all thoughts from his head. He was imagining it. He was sure.
"I'm the one who should be sorry…Haymitch"
"Don't!" He protested suddenly. "Don't say my name, not in that voice! What- why are you doing this? How- ?"
He looked her up and down thoroughly. That voice, her voice. Those eyes, her eyes. How was this possible.
"Haymitch, listen…"
"No! Stop! How are you doing this! Why? Your not her! Your not her, she's dead! I'm going crazy" he rubbed his eyes then placed his head in his hands, anything to drive the voice away. It was haunting him. First in his sleep, now this. He couldn't take it, it was heartbreaking. "You're not real. I'm dreaming. I'm not here. You're not real. You're not real"
He felt soft, cool hands at his, pulling them away from his face.
"Yes. I am. I'm…so sorry Haymitch. It's me. It's really me….it's Effie."
Xxx
He'd walked out on her that night. He hadn't known what else to do. He needed time to come to terms with what happened, who she was, what he'd thought he'd lost.
She'd told him everything. She told him about the explosion, about witnessing her people being slaughtered on sight. She'd told him how she had hid in fear and had called herself a coward. She'd told him how she'd woken up here, in 13, petrified that they were going to kill her, convinced that they knew who she was. But finally, when she knew she was un recognised, and because she was alone, out of pure fear, she went along with the pretence.
Months, she had kept up her little act, happily. Until the day she saw him again, until she realised she was no longer alone.
Xxxx
After a sleepless night, after thinking back to the memories of them, after coming to terms with the fact that he hadn't been falling in love with someone else, but he had been falling back in love with her. He wondered why he was wasting anymore time away from her, and so he turned to the only other person he could trust to help him. Plutarch.
Xxx
"It's true!" Plutarch sang, as Effie opened the door to her bunker. Her eyes widened in terror, who else had Haymitch told.
"H- Ha-aave you come to kill me?" She stuttered, but Plutarch merely laughed out loud and pulled her, unwillingly, into his arms.
"God, no, Effie." He bellowed, holding her close, but she tensed and couldn't get Haymitch to meet her eyes. "It's so good to see you Effie. I thought, we thought you were…."
"You were right to be causious Effie" Haymitch suddenly stated, dryly. "It won't be safe for you here, if more people found out. Your going to district 4" he stated, but he still wouldn't look at her.
"What? 4? Why? When?" She asked, prying herself from Plutarch.
"So you can start your life again Effie, you won't need to hide anymore, not there. There's a place for you with Annie Cresta" Plutarch beamed, like he was giving her news she really wanted to hear. "She's very excited to meet you, she told me that Finnick used to hold you in high regard. I asked if she knew of any lodgings for you, near by. But she insisted you stay with her"
Effie smiled slightly, not wanting to seem rude, but there was only one thing that would ever stop her from accepting the offer to move to 4 and it was still avoiding her eyes and leaning against her door.
"Ok" she said, saddened by Haymitchs ignorance. "I'll go. If that's what you both want…"
"It's what's best, for now" Plutarch stated, darting his eyes between Haymitch and her and noticing the tension. "Haymitch just…wants you safe…"
Haymitch shifted uncomfortably on his feet.
"I'll ah…I'll leave you for a moment. There's a hover craft leaving at noon. I'll let you pack and meet you there?"
Effie nodded weakly and Plutarch left.
She waited for Haymitch to follow him out but, he just closed the door and flicked the lock shut. Effie barely had time to draw breath before he finally came back to life, pulling her into his arms and kissing her hard. He cupped her face and deepened the kiss, parting her lips with his tongue desperately, swallowing her breathless moans against his mouth. They kissed this way for what felt like an eternity, grasping at one another's clothes, trying their hardest to be closer to one another. It was only when she felt faint from the euphoria of it all, that she parted them slightly, keeping her nose pressed against the side of his, as they caught air.
"Sorry" Haymitch sighed breathlessly "I couldn't do that in front of Plutarch…he's always had a thing for you, you know"
"Plutarch?" Effie questioned, wrapping her little arms around Haymitchs neck "…just Plutarch?"
Haymitch kissed her again "no, not just Plutarch"
He rested his forehead against hers and wound her up in his embrace.
"Sorry about how we left things… I was in shock, I had to…process"
Effie nodded.
"I can't believe you're here" he sighed
"I'm so sorry Haymitch. I couldn't tell you, I was so scared" she replied quickly
"Of me?" He quizzed "didn't you trust me?"
"Yes! Always!" Effie said, looking into his eyes "I didn't trust myself, I have a habit of falling apart around you…I wanted so badly to tell you, to say your name. Haymitch. I thought if anyone found out I could talk, they'd make me tell them who I really was, and as we got closer, I risked you getting into trouble too"
"Don't worry about me, sweetheart" he pressed a soft kiss to her nose
"But I do" she replied "I always have done."
"I know…" He agreed, chuckling lightly. "But, let me do the worrying from now on, ok?"
A sad look fell upon Effie's face. "You're sending me away…"
"To protect you"
"But you're the only one I feel safe with"
"I know, princess." Haymitch said and propped the crook of his index finger under her chin, tilting her head up so that he could look into her beautiful eyes. "That's why I'm coming with you"
Her smile almost hurt his eyes, it shone so bright. He mirrored her grin and held her close as fresh, happy tears brimmed in her eyes.
"We've both been given a second chance, Ef. You think I'd ever let you go again?" She shook her head contentedly "Good" he breathed "Let's start this new life, together. What do you say?"
Effie took a deep breath in and pressed her lips against his, greatful that she was no longer mute, greatful that she could finally answer his question, without doubt and without fear.
"I say…Yes."
Xxx