I don't own the Hunger Games Trilogy.
I probably shouldn't write one of this. It just wouldn't leave me alone. I am a raging Hayffie fan and have read a lot of fanfics. I wanted to try one of my own. Let me know what you guys think. I apologize for any mistakes.
Chapter 1
"Finally did the math. Didn't you sweetheart?" Haymitch had brooded since the news of the new Quarter Quell were released.
"You have to promise. Peeta has to survive." Katniss said desperately in front of him. Haymitch gulped some more whisky from his glass. Peeta had pleaded for Katniss's life forty-five minutes before the girl made an appearance.
"If he's reaped I'll volunteer but you and I both know that if I get reaped he will volunteer." Haymitch reasoned. Katniss cried, she pleaded once more, "You can help him like you helped me in the arena. You have to promise Haymitch. Peeta has to win."
"No one wins the Hunger Games sweetheart. They survive." Haymitch said with a deep frown.
"Just promise." She sat down and drank with him until that boy Gale retrieved him.
The oldest victor from District 12 swore once more and put himself another glass of liquor. He would have to compete once more. It was the right thing to do. He would not let the kids die. Peeta and Katniss they deserved to be happy. They deserved to live. They would help each other and survive the horror. All he had to do was make sure Katniss and Peeta lived.
The phone rang. His phone never rang. Haymitch picked it up out of curiosity more than anything else. "Collect the package in front of your house now."
The man heard the phone go dead and swore under his breath. He heard a knock and fisted his knife. He approached the door silently and opened it swiftly. There was a brown box. He closed the door and left it there for a while until his curiosity got the better of him. Twenty minutes after the mysterious box arrived Haymitch Abernathy picked it up and placed it on his cluttered table. He debated whether to open it. It had the Capitol seal and therefore was mandated to open it.
Haymitch did so. There was a letter addressed to him and a package detailing the procedures for the upcoming Hunger Games. The letter was standard issue, the same letter he received every year as a mentor. He was about to discard it when he noticed something. Plutarch Heavensbee wrote this letter.
The first two paragraphs were Capitol trash about Panem and its glorious past. The third paragraph was different however. This was pure Heavensbee. He had met the man for the first time a few weeks ago with Peeta, Katniss and Effie. The escort of course knew the new Head Gamekeeper. She gushed over him and introduced him to the man. The kids were somewhere else as per Effie's orders. Haymitch was indifferent to the man but paid him a little more mind when he showed him the watch that sported the mockingjay symbol. Some had called it the symbol of the new revolution.
Mr. Abernathy, as you are aware these new games will be nothing sort of extraordinary. It is imperative that we meet at your earliest convenience. Of course this meeting will take place as soon as you reach the Capitol. It will be a pleasure to understand more about the fine craft of watchmaking.
The rest of the letter was just as standard as the first paragraphs. Watchmaking, the Mockingjay, Heavensbee hinted at the mockingjay, the revolution.
The thoughts mixed and swirled inside his head. He saw the bottle and drank for the rest of the night. He wanted oblivion, sleep that would only come after drinking a bottle or two. Sleep came rather too late, the mockingjay featured profusely in his alcohol infused nightmares. He saw the bird, mother, Mathew, his brother. Ivy no longer featured in any of his dreams. He had forgotten her face; he could only remember black glossy hair and the smell of fresh lilies. She was not there. His mother stared at him and did the three finger salute, as did little Mathew. He turned as saw Peeta and Katniss coming back from the arena, bloodied and injured. Peeta spoke to him. "She has to live. We don't matter. She has to live. She is the mockingjay."
He then saw a peacekeeper point a gun at his brother first. Mathew had looked so scared when the man in the white uniform pointed the gun. A shot to the head, and then he heard his mother scream once more. The peacekeeper pointed to her heart. Lastly Peeta and Katniss, with berries in their hands, lifeless in the arena.
Haymitch yelled and woke up. He threw up all over his bed and soiled himself. He walked unsteadily to the unkempt bathroom and dry heaved over the toilet. A shower, he needed a shower. He wanted to drown in the shower but then remembered Katniss and Peeta. They had to live.
The next morning dawned bright and early. He felt the sun on his face and heard her voice. "Wake up. You have a big, big, day ahead of you. The cameras are ready and we have less than an hour to make you presentable." Her voice sounded shriller than ever. In a way he welcomed her high-pitched voice. He cracked one eye open and saw her wearing one of her ugly wigs and a ridiculous dress make out of butterflies. He noticed then that there were other people around him too, a man and two women looking distastefully at him and the surroundings.
"Leave the clothes here. I will make sure he bathes and dresses." Effie said dismissingly. The citizens of the capitol left, the girl even mouthed a thank you as she closed the door behind her.
Haymitch moved from the bed then. He was naked and moved to the bathroom. Effie followed him. "It isn't fair. You already won." She cried.
He sighed. "Of course it isn't fair. Honestly sweetheart, do pay attention." He said and washed his face. "I need a drink."
"No drinks. Katniss was going to get married. Peeta and her are supposed to be safe. Now one of them will die." Effie cried.
"Not if I have any say over it." He muttered. Effie had a keen sense of hearing. "What do you mean? There will only be one victor this year."
Haymitch nodded while he looked for a drink. "Katniss will win."
"What if Peeta is reaped?" She asked with a hint of sadness in her voice. Effie liked Peeta better. He could tell, hell, he liked Peeta better. The boy had a good soul and deserved s good life. Katniss would live a hundred lifetimes and never deserve Peeta.
He turned around and caressed her pale face. She looked so ugly with all that make up. He preferred the other Effie, the one who smiled lazily at him when they were intimate, which was too few and far between the twelve years they had know each other. It was a rather practical arrangement; two discrete, consenting adults who used each other's bodies to relieve stress or so he thought until last year. When she came crying to his bed, asking him to hold her. The rule of two victors had been a trick. There could only be one victor.
"You will say Peeta's name even if you read mine in the slip of paper. I will volunteer as tribute. Katniss will come back to Peeta and they will live." Haymitch said with a determined glint in his eyes.
Effie blinked, those eyelashes were too heavy for her delicate eyelids and face. "I can't. I won't let you die. They will know the Capitol will know." She said with a broken voice.
He grabbed her arms and shook her. "You will. Do you remember their names?"
She nodded. "We owe them. Say their names." He saw her eyes brim with tears.
"Ash." He started and she repeated after him. "Alana, Lief, Laurel, Moss, Lily, Timothy, Rose, Gabriel, Sandy, Sylvester, Tania, Anya, Sage, Frank, Greta, Peter, Hazel, Ivy, Ralph, Reed and Tulip." They finished together. "They are all dead. Do you want to add Peeta or Katniss to our list."
Effie shook her head. "You will die." She stated the obvious once again.
"I will but I know you will take care of the kids. Can you do that for me Princess?" She nodded. "They will not die. Sometimes when I see Katniss I remember Alana. Do you think they are related? She had pretty grey eyes like her and you."
"Seam eyes princess." He retorted and kissed her cheek. He could not afford to be gentle with her outside of the privacy of his home.
Effie seemed to come out of her trance and looked at him. "Yes, a big day. Shower first. I'll have someone clean your bed. There is vomit all over it." The woman bustled around and left him to his peace. Haymitch showered, and even complied with her choices for attire. He was ready for the reaping.
The district's square was full of people as it always was when the reaping day came. Effie walked up the steps and intoned. "Happy Third Quarter Quell. As always, ladies first." Haymitch did not fail to notice her hand shook as she grasped the only piece of paper in the glass bowl.
"The female tribute for district twelve is Katniss Everdeen." The kid merely nodded and held Peeta's hand. Effie moved to the other glass bowl. "Very well and now the male tribute for this year's Quarter Quell is Peeta Mellark." Effie's voice intoned with a high-pitched voice. Peeta smiled at Katniss.
Katniss looked at him with desperate eyes and he knew then. If he ever had any doubts they were dispelled then. "I volunteer as tribute." Haymitch stepped forward. Peeta refused instantly. "You promised." Peeta hissed and looked at Effie. "He can't do that. I don't want him to volunteer for me. I refuse. I will be going to the Games with Katniss." The boy's pleas were drowned by peacekeepers.
Katniss raised her hand in response to her mother's mockingjay gesture. Haymitch did it too. Soon the peacekeepers dragged them there and then. They were to get on the train for the capital before a riot started.
"How could you do this? You gave me your word. You chose her before, you owed me this." Peeta charged as soon as they entered the cabins. The boy pushed him to a wall. Haymitch pushed back. "I chose you this time. You will not have to go back to the arena." The older man offered.
"You cannot protect her. It had to be her and me. I would have protected her make sure she won." Peeta roared and tried to punch him.
He pulled out his knife. "Step aside boy. I will make sure she stays alive." He then grabbed a bottle of wine and left for his cabin.
"You will have to train; both of you and the sponsors… Haymitch you have to tell Peeta about our lists and the best way to approach them." He could hear Effie's voice trail down the halls. He uncorked the bottle with his knife and drank it all before the hour was up. He drank another bottle of something or other and passed out on the floor.
Effie must have found him and somehow managed to get him back on the bed. He woke up in the middle of the night with a raging thirst and an equally troublesome headache. He moved and found her next to him. She was asleep, her face peaceful, she must have forgotten to get rid of all the crap on her face.
He remembered the first time he saw her without make up. It was after Frank's death. The boy had made it five days, longer than any of their previous tributes. Effie ran out and got sick all over her bathroom. Frank had been impaled and killed brutally by three careers. She cried, wiped her face and heaved at the same time. "He was supposed to win." Haymitch helped her up. "He should have never slept so close to the cornucopia." She slapped him hard.
"You don't care. Frank was a nice boy. He was a very nice boy and had manners." She sobbed and hit his chest time and time again. Haymitch watched as the make up came off. The fake eyelashes, eyebrows, she almost looked normal but for the ugly red wig. She must have noticed, because in less than five minutes she screeched and had him out her bathroom.
After then Effie became real, less of a mannequin and more of a person. The capitol woman was selfish, vacuous person but a person nonetheless. She did not speak of her breakdown. They continued insulting each other and avoiding each other most of the time.
The man watched as her chest rose and fell. He remembered the first time they had sex. It was only five years ago. Greta and Peter, cousins, dead in the bloodbath. They were town kids. Effie did not cry this time. She got drunk. Drunken Effie was a horny Effie. He tried to pry her wandering hands away from him but she was relentless.
"We could have a lot of fun Haymitch." She whispered, her voice contrasted from her usual pitchy tones and screeches. It was low, sultry, beckoning. Haymitch had had his fair share of women over the years. A lot of girls threw themselves at him when he first won the games. The man had been so broken after his family was killed. He took refuge in alcohol and sex.
She kissed him hard and then it was all a blur, a haze of touch and sex. It had been extremely satisfying for both of them. Haymitch had pulled the wig off and had seen her real hair for the first time. Effie had beautiful blonde hair, unlike his dirty blonde looks. Her hair was medium length and soft to the touch. She moaned when he ran his fingers through it. Effie's body had felt heavenly under his. "We need protection." He muttered when the woman's hand grasped his erection. "Capitol Injections." She whispered breathily and kissed him hard. He never expected proper Euphemia Trinket to moan and ask him to fuck her.
In that moment he forgot that Effie believed in the Capitol, that she was a bystander and took active part in sending children to their deaths every year. All he wanted was to be inside of her. He had her that night many times, until they were both exhausted. He had to give it to Effie. She seemed more ashamed than him to have committed such act with him. Those had been her exact words. "It was despicable and we should never speak of it again. It was a mistake."
Haymitch had retorted with something hurtful and tried to forget all about the hot encounter until the next year when it was Effie who cornered him in the train. He whispered roughly. "Couldn't stay way could you Princess?" That had marked the beginning of their unspoken agreement. Effie was the one to seek him. Never once had he initiated anything and it was Effie the first to leave.
He had not expected Effie to be in his bed but she was there and for the first time in their agreement he reached out first. He caressed the side of her face. "What are you doing here Princess?"
She pretended to be asleep but he could feel the tension in her shoulders. He felt a little proud. Effie was so very responsive to his touch. He ran his fingers over her arm and felt the tell tale goose bumps break over her skin. "I know you are awake." He kissed her neck and moved the strap of the thin nightgown she wore.
She turned and kissed him lightly. "You reek of alcohol." She pushed back. "You can go back to your cabin." He said gruffly.
She did not move but kissed him again. He kissed her back and rolled them until she was underneath him. She looked up and moved his greasy hair back. "I pulled your name out." She said in a whisper. He bit her thin lower lip. "You did very good sweetness."
"Is it terribly wrong that I wished you hadn't volunteered." Light blue eyes looked at him with sorrow. This was dangerous. Effie was not supposed to look at him in that way. She looked as if she cared. This woman could not care. He did not care about Effie.
"Don't speak nonsense Effie." He grabbed her breasts. She moaned but tried to slow his frantic caresses. She grabbed his hands and gently posed them over her hips. They felt bigger, she felt different. He slowed down and took her lead. She murmured his name as he thrust into her. It felt so incredibly good to have her. Effie kissed him giddily when Katniss and Peeta were proclaimed victors. He had never been able to resist her. The last time he had her had been at the beginning of that blasted tour. That had been three months ago.
Haymitch focused on her milky shoulders. He kissed them carefully, methodically, with unprecedented care. Effie was in the mood for talking. He did not want to argue. It felt too good for her to storm out in the middle of what they were doing. "I don't want you to die. I don't want Katniss to die either."
She looked about to cry. The man did the only thing he could. He kissed her deeply, shutting her at last. Effie's tongue met his. She wanted to speak but he didn't let her. He exploded inside of her, with Effie calling out to him. She reached her climax, and kissed the side of his face gently. This was new, so very uncharacteristic of her. She was not one to linger but this time she pulled him back and to her chest.
"You will have to train. Peeta wants to start training you and Katniss immediately." She frowned when he rolled his eyes.
"Do not roll your eyes Haymitch Abernathy."
"I know I have to train Princess but what is most important now is for Katniss to form alliances and for you to network. We need all the sponsors we can get. You need to work with the boy and have him milk his love for Katniss as much as he can." She perked a little.
"We are a team. We'll make sure those kids live." She used her most serious voice. That voice annoyed him the most.
He nodded. The next thing he knew Effie was fast asleep by his side.
They arrived to the Capitol early in the morning. Effie was her usual self, hurrying, tsking, and annoying everyone especially Katniss and him.
Peeta was becoming a close second in his list of people to avoid. The boy pulled him aside when he inched close to the open bar. "We have a week and a half. You are a drunk. Your body will go through withdrawal for a couple of days. We have to make sure you are at your best."
Haymitch had never actually attempted to stay sober. It did not hold any appeal to him whatsoever. Nor did he plan to start any time soon. It had been hell on him, the last time anyone imposed sobriety on him. He made his views very clear to Peeta then. "No."
Peeta did not move away from him. "But you will. You volunteered. It should have been me in that arena with her." The boy looked angry once again.
"What purpose will it serve if I was sober? Katniss can take care of herself. She will outlast us both. She is a survivor."
"You'll be dead weight for her. You'll slow her down. She will worry about you. Katniss will become distracted and I can't have that." Haymitch wanted to believe Peeta cared about him. This was not the same boy who baked him bread and made sure he was alive. He was a young mind with only one goal. Keep Katniss alive.
"No more alcohol." Peeta grabbed the bottle from his hand and threw it across the room. Haymitch closed in on him until Effie appeared out of nowhere. "Hurry along, we have a tight schedule to follow. Now, now Peeta, come along dear. You have got to meet Plutarch. He's the head Gamemaker. I am sure he will sympathize with your plight to keep Katniss safe." She grabbed Peeta and bustled around him. Haymitch grabbed a bottle from the cabin and drank from it.
Katniss and her prep team were already in the pent house. Effie and Peeta were to go there too. Haymitch followed them from a safe distance. He felt somebody tap his shoulder. The man turned violently and came face to face to one Plutarch Heavensbee. "Walk with me Mr. Abernathy."
Haymitch did so. He had been intrigued since he received the box from the man. "It was almost heroic what you did for Peeta. You volunteered for the boy. You shouldn't have." The man said with an air of unimportance.
Heavensbee led him to his quarters. "What is the purpose of this?"
"Don't play dumb Haymitch. I know you can feel it. The tour, the masses are unhappy. There is a revolution coming and we have the face of it.
"Katniss." Haymitch said.
"The Mockingjay." Plutarch replied. "She is the face. These games, they have gone long enough. It is time. We can stop this."
Haymitch laughed. This was not the first time someone approached him about a revolution. The Capitol was incredibly adept at squashing such uprising. This Quarter Quell was a clear example. Snow wanted Katniss dead. She was getting too big, too strong for all the wrong reasons.
"You have no resources, no power to start a revolution. The districts are not powerful enough. The Capitol had control over all of them. Not to mention districts 2 and 1 will never rebel against the Capitol." Haymitch went to the liquor cabinet and poured two glasses of whiskey.
"Now, I say you help me. Katniss wins these games and she marries Peeta. The Capitol is happy and Snow is happy. No more insubordination, just Katniss and Peeta, perfect love story."
Plutarch shook his head. "I thought you had more spine. Let me show you something." The man moved to one of his monitors, a hidden one behind his desk. "This is District 13." Haymitch saw pictures of deserted lands and then swiped the pictures to find underground bases. People, survivors, Haymitch grew up with stories of the Dark Days and how District 13 rebelled. The Capitol bombed the land until there was nothing more.
"Impossible." He couldn't hide his disbelief.
"Very possible my friend. The revolution will start. What do you say Haymitch?"
In that very second he made a quick snap decision. He raised his glass and sealed his fate. "To the Mockingjay and the revolution."