Chapter 3: The Party

He was a bit late to Effie's party — partly because he did not want to be there, and partly because Plutarch had invited him for drinks and he couldn't very well refuse. Luckily he had gotten the directions from Johanna who, thankfully, was staying in the same hotel he was, and there were so many people inside the apartment that he was left pretty much unnoticed. Only Octavia had greeted him, also looking very different from how she used to be — he hadn't even recognized her at first — and she was busy playing hostess so she didn't linger for a chat.

He made his way for the bar car, as he usually did, and poured himself a whisky. The music was loud, he could tell most of the people attending the party were Capitols, and he really did not wish to mingle. He'd just make sure Effie caught a glimpse of him and he'd be right out of here. Everything about his party was on his nerves— the baby thing, the insemination thing, the fact that Effie would be pregnant by tomorrow possibly, the fact that she still wanted him to be okay with it, and the fact that he did not want to think about how he felt about all this.

It was unnerving.

He was pouring his second whisky when another guy stood beside him. Haymitch did not offer him a drink, but the guy looked pretty much out of place and grabbed the bottle and poured himself a glass as soon as Haymitch set it down.

He noticed the guy downed it all at once. He often did the same, of course, but he was an alcoholic very used to the drinks from the Capitol, whereas this guy didn't look very familiarized with the environment.

He couldn't help but chuckle when he noticed some of the whiskey was actually dripping from the guy's chin.

"Sorry," the guy mumbled. He was almost as tall as Haymitch but he was definitely younger. Well built but too skinny to be a soldier. "This whole thing is getting on my nerves. Only Capitols would throw this sort of party."

"And apparently it's the latest trend," Haymitch mocked.

The guy nodded seriously. "It is. This is the third I'm attending. They lost a lot of kids last year."

Haymitch nodded. No point in going that way to ruin a conversation. He took a sip of his whisky, intending to finish this glass and go look for Effie.

"First time I have a starring role, though," the guy said awkwardly, smiling. "I was hoping they wouldn't want me to do it here but the little guy is adamant that I do. I've been avoiding him since I arrived. I think his name is Flavius? You probably know him."

Haymitch almost choked on his drink, and that was not something that happened only when he was mildly drunk. It took him a moment to focus on the guy and actually see him. His hair was dark and he had dark eyes, and Haymitch guessed that he was good looking. But kinda plain. What did Effie even see in him?

"Starring role? So you're the semen guy, huh?"

The guy gave him a nervous smile. "Yeah. Sorry, forgot to introduce myself. I'm Barry."

Stupid name. And he had terrible manners. Didn't Effie notice that?

"You're Haymitch Abernathy, of course. You're a legend. It's an honor to meet you," the guy continued.

Haymitch poured himself another glass. "Yeah, yeah. So you gonna do it here, now? Seems like a lot of pressure. Doesn't it feel awkward?"

Barry shrugged. "A little, not gonna lie. But they pay well. I could use the money. It's not like it's a lot of work, if you know what I mean."

"Right," Haymitch drank the whole glass at once. "So you got a lot of kids or is this your first?"

Barry looked around the party, uninterested. "This is my first. I'll see how it goes after this one. Maybe I'll do more. They were very interested, at the company. They said I have a great sperm count."

"Fabulous," Haymitch rolled his eyes.

He was saved from elaborating when Johanna arrived, looking very amused at seeing Barry and Haymitch together, apparently. Haymitch wondered if he could escape before even hearing her voice.

"Barry, Flavius is looking for you. It's your time to shine," she arched her eyebrows suggestively. "The bathroom in the corridor. That's your main stage this evening."

Barry flashed him a smile. "Nice meeting you."

Haymitch merely lifted his glass towards him. He watched as Flavius quickly got a hold of the man and everyone started clapping like he was some hero of sorts. Haymitch felt nauseous.

"So," Johanna leaned against the cart. "Trinket tells me the two of you talked and are friends again."

"Yeah, sure."

"And you don't think this whole baby thing is insane?" She asked. Always straight to the point. "I told her she's nuts. Barry is cute and all but her kid may have dozens of half-siblings walking around."

"Why do you care?"

"Because we've got each other's backs," Johanna said impatiently. "I don't think she'd be a bad mom, actually. I pity the child because she'll be all controlling. But then I pity her because the child will keep her up and probably throw up on a few of her beloved outfits. It's her choice," she shrugged. "It's this insemination thing I don't like."

"She does whatever she thinks it's best for her," Haymitch said, a little too diplomatically.

"Yeah, well. Guess that means a guy jerking off down the hall so she can do what's best for her," the girl said, clearly disgusted. "I mean, you'd think these people would be more sensible, but no. Insemination parties. And did you know the doctor is in here somewhere? He's gonna take the sample later. Gross."

Haymitch downed another glass.

Johanna eyed him critically. "You look like shit."

"Trying not to think about that guy jerking off right down the hall."

She did cringe at that. "I know. So clinical. Trinket can take the fun even from that," after a moment, she smiled. He did not like it. "Of course, you would know."

Haymitch glared at her.

"Don't go there," he warned.

She raised her arms in surrender. "It was just a little comment," she chuckled. "She's in the balcony, if you wanna say hi before you decide to get the hell out of here."

He rolled his eyes, watching as Johanna walked away. Choosing against having yet another glass of whisky, he poured himself some if only for later, then he moved from the bar cart, and his feet naturally led him to the balcony. He was surprised to see it empty save for just one person, and he opened the sliding door carefully to slip away from the party.

It felt much better outside, definitely. The music wasn't so loud and the air wasn't so puffy. Effie was leaning against the wall, watching the traffic lights on the streets below. Haymitch leaned his back against the wall, beside her, and didn't bother with a greeting.

"Met your semen guy," he commented.

Effie raised her head to look at him now, and he met her eyes. Her hair was loose and that was how he liked it best.

"Don't call him that," she scowled, then pursed her lips. "What do you think?"

Haymitch shook his head. "Seems like a nice guy. Guess he's not bad looking. You do know your kid may have a lot of siblings if he keeps doing this. Could be weird, in the future."

Effie shook her head. She seemed a little disappointed, for some reason. Maybe he had already drank too much. "You've been talking to Jo, I see."

He took a sip of his whisky, not bothering to reply.

"You really sure about this?"

Effie sighed beside him. She turned around, her back to the wall, and watched the party from the darkness of the balcony with him.

"When I was a child, I wanted three children," she told him quietly. "Two girls and one boy. Or sometimes I changed it to two boys and one girl. I would get married when I was around thirty, then I would have the children a few years later. We would live in a big mansion, and every year we would spend the summer holidays near the sea."

"So you're a few years late. No big deal."

She laughed. "Yes. Quite," she looked at the floor before her, apparently lost in thought. "I won't have the husband anytime soon. Or the mansion. Or the three children. It was always just a fantasy and I know that, and I am a little sad this is not at all how I envisioned this happening. But I am not uncertain, Haymitch."

Haymitch nodded. He turned his eyes towards the party once more. It was better than to feel Effie's gaze on him.

"Quite a crowd, in there," he went for a safe comment instead of adding to the subject. It was not his life that was changing here. "Feels like the old days."

Effie gave him a serious look. "Yes. Don't judge Flavius and Octavia for it. They are still adjusting. We all are."

"I know."

His tone was soft. She understood he did not mean anything by the previous comment. She smiled. "Most of them are from work. This is a farewell party too."

He found himself matching her smile with his own. He didn't know why he felt so sad.

"Never understood why people wanted kids," he commented. "In the districts you usually couldn't help it. Either that, or abstinence. And, let's be honest, when you don't have any sort of entertainment or joy in life, it's hard to avoid it. But here in the Capitol," he gave her a pointed look, "I always figured people realized they were fucked up and children got them to start again. Little carbon copies you can teach and guide through life."

Effie narrowed her eyes. "I don't want a carbon copy."

He snorted. "Funny you'd say that, and not deny that you're fucked up."

She squirmed a little. "Well, we all are, aren't we?"

"Yeah, I guess. If you don't mind doing that to the kid. Me, I couldn't do it. But then I'm a drunkard who sleeps with a knife," he smiled at her, not unkindly. She did not meet his eyes. "I wish you luck, Effie."

It was then that she met his gaze. She nodded in thanks, apparently deep in thought. She recovered a moment later — always the mask of propriety, always too good at pretending.

"I should go back. It's rude to hide when the party is for you," she joked, but he knew she was actually being serious.

He nodded as she stood up and took a step towards the door. "Yeah, you should go. Hey," his fingers brushed against her elbow, "don't be a stranger."

She pursed her lips. "Fix your phone. Then maybe I will call you."

"How do you know it's broken?"

"Maybe I have tried calling you in the past."

He left it at that, watching as she walked away. Today she wore a yellow dress, plain but that hugged her just right. She looked great.

When she reached the door, she seemed to hesitate. He was still in the same spot as before, watching her. She looked at him over her shoulder.

"I would have gone with you. If you had asked."

He wondered if the words should have surprised him.

"I know, Sweetheart."

The hint of a sad smile crossed her face, and she still looked at him, though he wasn't sure if there was anything else to be said. She left the balcony and went back inside a moment later.

Haymitch drank the last of his whisky and turned to look outside. He took a deep breath.

There. Mutual understanding. That was what he had hoped to achieve when he invited Effie for coffee the day before, wasn't it? No more loose ends. Unresolved issues were resolved. And yet, he felt like crap. He clearly didn't drink enough for this. He should go back to the hotel, drink himself to sleep, forget about this whole trip and dread the day when Effie Trinket's voice would greet him on the phone.

He still wasn't sure if he should fix it anyway.

At any rate, it was high time he escaped this party.

His head was killing him.

That was the first thing he noticed.

It was pounding. It felt like a thousand horses were running over his brain.

The second thing he noticed was that he was not comfortable at all. This didn't feel like his bed at all. It felt too hard and too cold to be a mattress.

That prompted him to open his eyes and everything was so fucking bright. So, so white. He groaned and closed his eyes again. He hadn't felt this bad since the Quarter Quell, if he was honest. What the fuck did he do last night?

Well, first he should find out where exactly he was, because it was so fucking bright he had had no chance of looking around. He tried opening his eyes again.

And he groaned again.

"Shit," he spat, but did manage to keep his eyes open. Okay. This was his hotel bathroom. That was good. "Who the fuck let the lights on?" he asked no one in particular.

He was inside the bathtub. And soaked. Okay. Not his worst spot for a nap. Could have been worse. His pants were on, shirt was on. Meant this was not a planned bath. Also not his worst moment. The tub wasn't full, though. That was also good. He might have drowned otherwise. He was usually a clever drunk, though. Clever enough not to kill himself, anyway.

He tried to stand up, but his head was spinning. He sat back down.

"Fuck!"

"So you're finally up, then?" a voice rang through his ears. Loud. So fucking loud. "I thought I'd have to call a doctor or something."

"Could you not shout?" Haymitch asked not so nicely. "What the fuck are you doing in my room?"

Johanna laughed. "This is my room, silly. I'd joke that we shared a mad, passionate night but you look gross," she sniffed. "And you smell pretty bad. You were so out of it I had to bring you to the hotel. Flavius had to help me carry you. You should really consider changing your diet of booze and booze."

She was talking way too much.

"Flavius?" Haymitch mumbled. He remembered Flavius. "Flavius. I'm gonna kill him."

"Yeah, I figured. He looked pretty guilty. I found you in the bathroom of his apartment completely passed out. Flavius said he had given you something to lift your spirits," she let out a laugh. "It was fucked up, if you ask me. When you woke up before we brought you here, you were in a shitty mood."

He tried to remember. He remembered the party. Talking to Barry. He remembered Effie. He was going out… and Flavius stopped him. Damn the man. Offered him something to cheer him up. He was perfectly well. He didn't remember taking anything, just drinking. But he must have. He remembered nothing after that — not the rest of the party, or passing out, or talking to Johanna later, or even coming back to the hotel. Nothing. He had a total blackout.

He hated those.

Haymitch groaned and rubbed his eyes.

"What did he give me?"

"I don't know, but it was some sort of drug for sure. Maybe it's one of those things where you can drink and not get sick or something. You weren't hyped when I saw you, but you had trashed that bathroom. It wasn't pretty," she frowned. "I was gonna call for Trinket because she's always known how to deal with you but Flavius didn't want her involved. Said we would spoil her fun. So we brought you here instead, but I couldn't find your room's card. No problem, though, because you crashed in the tub after we tried to sober you up."

"Fuck," he mumbled again, opening his eyes. "Sorry about that. I don't remember shit."

"It's fine," she rolled her eyes. "That can't be the first time this happens to you."

"It was never this intense, no," he blinked twice, heavily. "I really don't remember anything. Fuck."

"Relax. I found you in the bathroom, passed out. I only noticed because I told you to head that way and you were taking your time. You were alone the entire time, and then we brought you here," she explained. It didn't ring any bells at all. "Don't worry, I kept my hands to myself."

"Thanks for that visual," he replied sarcastically.

"You should give Trinket a call, though," Johanna said, ignoring him. "She called me earlier and she was disappointed you didn't say goodbye, and she said your train leaves in an hour, so—"

"Shit. I was out for that long?" He asked, now standing up. "I gotta get a move on."

His head wasn't spinning anymore but it hurt like hell. When he pressed his palm against his forehead, it hurt even more.

"Yeah, you hit your head on the wall when we put you in there. Sorry," she did not look sorry.

At least Effie had always been careful enough not to leave him any bruises when he was drunk in the past, he couldn't help but remember.

He mumbled a quick thanks to Johanna and tried to find his room's card key; luckily it was still in his shirt's inside pocket, along with his knife. He needed to grab his suitcase and the boxes Effie sent the kids, check out of the hotel and be in the train station in less than an hour. And take a shower, he noted. Johanna was right, he smelled pretty bad, even for his standards.

And if he had any spare time, he'd give Effie a call.

It was only two months later that he heard from Effie; he had never actually called her again after her party, but he figured Peeta kept her updated on everything because he would occasionally mention that she had called. The kids hadn't been very curious about what he had been up to in the Capitol, and he didn't really go into any specifics. Katniss had been very touched by the clothes Effie had sent them, and he knew she had called the former escort herself to thank her.

Haymitch tried not to think of what he had left behind, or of what he'd hear from Effie next time he spoke to her. He continued life pretty much like before; he fed his geese, he drank, he walked around — maybe Johanna was right and he did need to lose some weight — and he drank some more. The boy still lectured him constantly about the booze, and Katniss more often than not snapped at him not taking care of himself.

Right. Because he was the only person in the village who was a little self destructive.

Either way, his phone — which had been fixed a few weeks ago, no big deal, it was not because of Effie — rang early one morning, and he had jumped at the noise because he had accidentally napped on the couch again. Even if he hadn't gone to sleep an hour ago, it was way too fucking early.

"What is it?" he barked at the phone. Nowadays the only people who called him were bank employees to offer him new deals, telemarketing people offering new channels for his tv, and sometimes Plutarch.

"Good morning to you too, Haymitch."

That shut him up. Her voice was loud, her accent was infuriating, and he had missed it and dreaded it at the same time. He leaned against the wall, sighing. It was too early for this.

"Hey, Sweetheart."

"I did tell you I would call if you fixed your phone," she explained. "How are you? Please do not tell me you have not slept yet."

"I've slept, if you must know," he rolled his eyes. "And I'm fine. Same old, same old. How's Four treating you?"

"It's been… pretty good, actually," she told him softly. It was even earlier in Four than it was for him. Trust her to be up in an ungodly hour. "Better than I hoped. I'm really enjoying it. I'm living about a block away from Jo and Annie."

"Yeah, the kids said. Lots of beach for you."

"You do realize it's winter, don't you, Haymitch?" Effie sighed. "How drunk are you?"

Haymitch scrunched up his nose. "Not that drunk."

"I see," her words were slow, as if she was thinking about what to say next. He waited. He was pretty sure he knew what she was calling about. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear it. "What is that noise?"

He frowned for a moment, then realized what he was talking about. "Oh, the geese. They're waking up, probably. Impeccable timing as usual, Princess."

"It's only eight in the morning for you, Haymitch. It's a weekday. Normal people are up and about."

"And I ain't ever been one of those normal people you're talking about."

"That's true, I suppose," she still sounded unsure. "I'm calling because I wanted to tell you that I—I'm pregnant, Haymitch."

He hadn't expected that. Fast, like a bandaid. Painless. Quick. Okay.

It took him a moment to recover.

"Guess the district guy worked fast, didn't he?" his voice sounded strained to his own ears. "Worked on the first try, then?"

"I… Yes, you could say that," she sounded flustered.

"Congratulations, Sweetheart," he said quietly.

There was silence on the other end of the line. It felt like an outer body experience for him. Effie was pregnant. He was congratulating her. How the fuck did this happen?

"Thank you, Haymitch," she said diplomatically.

"You gonna tell the guy?"

It took her a second to reply. Maybe the connection wasn't very good on her end of the call.

"The guy—you mean Barry?" Effie sounded unsure.

"I don't know, you got any other semen guys I don't know about?"

"No, no, I—I will not call him. It's not like that."

"Yeah, would be awkward," Haymitch commented, scratching his head distractedly. "Don't think that's a phone call any guy would want to get," he joked, but Effie didn't laugh. Probably not a good joke to tell a pregnant woman, he figured. "You doing alright?"

"Yes. Yes, I'm fine," she replied quietly. "I don't really feel any different yet."

"That's good," he mumbled. It was a good thing, he thought. "Still happy with the project?"

He tried to sound happy for her. This was her life. She planned this. She thought she could handle it. It wasn't his place to judge.

"It's following its schedule, so I'm happy, yes."

"Ah. Kid takes after you, then," he said.

This time she did laugh.

"Let's hope so," she said. "Haymitch, I—"

A loud noise startled him, and he looked into the kitchen to see one of the fucking geese on top of his table. Eating a sandwich Peeta had probably left for him.

"You little shit," Haymitch snarled.

"I beg your pardon?" Effie's tone was almost hysterical.

"Not you, Sweetheart, one of the fucking geese," he was quick to say. "Get out, you little fucker. Out!"

The animal didn't even flinch.

"I'm gonna have to hang up, Sweetheart, or I'll miss my breakfast. Or maybe I'll have a goose for breakfast," it was too early for this shit. "I'm happy for you. You should take care."

"Okay," Effie said, sounding a little astonished. "You could call me back when you have some time."

"Yeah, sure," he mumbled, still eyeing the goose with pure hatred. He definitely couldn't save that sandwich. "Good luck, with this… thing."

"Yes, well, good luck with your geese."

She sounded detached when he ended the phone call, but thought nothing of it as he made sure the goose was out of his house and threw the half eaten sandwich for the others to eat, making sure to close his back door and window. He did not want any surprises for lunch.

He found a muffin the boy had left for him from the day before and ate half of it before going back to the couch to catch some sleep — intentional sleep, this time. He tried not to think about Effie. He decided it was better not to call her back, anyway. They didn't really have much more to speak of. And she hadn't seemed very friendly towards the end.

In retrospect, he probably could have worded her project better than calling it a thing.

He spoke to her again about three months later. She hadn't called him again and he never even asked Peeta for her number, so it was a surprise for him, when he was walking back home from the market, to see a bright pink spot on the entrance of Peeta's house, and a black car parked right in front of the gate.

It actually took him a moment to recognize her, because her hair looked longer and she was… well, she was big.

Not so big, but it was pretty much unmistakeable that she was pregnant. And she was really pregnant. He had known that for three months, but it only seemed real to him now that he had seen her.

"Oh, there's Haymitch," Peeta said as he got closer. "Look who's here, Haymitch!"

The kid looked like… a kid. It was nice to see him happy. Katniss was lingering behind the boy, and even she seemed a little pleased.

"I see that," he said patiently, putting his bags on the sidewalk and climbing up the few steps to Peeta's door. Effie looked at him expectantly. "It's good to see you, Sweetheart."

She greeted him by giving him a hug, right away. It felt a little weird — not because he was not expecting it, but because the bulge between them was hard to ignore.

Haymitch felt pretty awkward, not that he'd ever admit it.

"It is good to see you too," Effie said, her eyes brighter than ever. She looked back to the kids too. "And you as well. Look how different you are! You are both looking so well, my victors."

Katniss looked a bit embarrassed by the sudden display of affection and rolled her eyes good naturedly, but Peeta smiled brightly.

"Not as different as you, though," the girl remarked, arching her eyebrows towards Effie's stomach.

"Right, yes. But hopefully I will be just as I used to be in a few months," Effie said. "Really, the doctor keeps telling me I should put on weight. Never in my life I thought I would hear that! But of course I must watch it because I do want to be a good looking mother."

"I'm sure you already are, Effie," Peeta said, and Haymitch tried not to roll his eyes. It was good to see them all together, though.

"Oh, you are just as sweet as ever, Peeta," Effie noted, looking positively touched. "I am really sad that I have to be going. You really should try and clear it with Plutarch about coming to visit me in Four. It will be summer very soon and that is the best weather to have, or so I have been told," she babbled, looking to be in high spirits. Haymitch was sure he hadn't seen her looking so well since well before the Quarter Quell. "I have two spare bedrooms but one is in the process of becoming a nursery, you understand. I have been having such fun with that. But of course you are welcome to stay over. It would be no trouble at all, it really wouldn't."

"Yeah, well, maybe in a few months," Haymitch stated slowly, knowing it wouldn't be so easy to grant Katniss the right to travel to a touristic destination in the middle of summer.

"You are invited too, Haymitch, of course," she was quick to say. "And you could visit Johanna and Annie and little Levi, too. He is the cleverest little thing!"

"You should visit us more often, Effie," Peeta said kindly. "Between the three of us we have a lot of room to accommodate you. And your baby, when the time comes."

"That is very kind of you to say, Peeta. Perhaps we can arrange something soon," she said brightly. "But now, I am afraid I must be going. The train should be fixed soon and I do not want to be late."

"We all know you'd hate that," Haymitch teased, sharing a look with Katniss.

He watched as Effie hugged both Peeta and Katniss tightly, kissed their cheeks and made them promise to call her. Peeta offered to walk her to the gate, but she declined, saying she didn't want to trouble them; after that, the boy gave him a hard look, and Haymitch understood he should accompany her back to the car.

It was a good day for her to be in Twelve, he thought. It was sunny and he supposed one would notice that the district had its fair share of changes. People were beginning to occupy the remaining houses of the village and there was talk that they would expand the neighborhood. He didn't care much about those, as he'd rather be left alone, but some life into the village was never a bad thing.

"So the train broke down or something?" Haymitch asked as they reached the sidewalk and Effie waved goodbye to the kids.

"Yes, some minor problem. They said it would be fixed in an hour, so I thought I would stop by and see how my victors were doing," she said brightly. "I am on my way to Thirteen, for work. What a coincidence that the train would stop here, of all places."

Haymitch picked up his bags from the sidewalk and put them on the first step leading to his house, right next to Katniss'. Effie smiled warmly at one of his new neighbors, who also greeted them, as she passed by with her two children in tow, a boy and a girl.

"I am astonished at how this district has changed. It still has much room for improvement, of course, but you can see how progress has finally arrived here," she commented.

Haymitch nodded. "Yeah, we're a long way from the Capitol, but we're getting there," he said, watching as she looked around with great interest. "You look good, Sweetheart."

She seemed startled at his comment, and the one hand who was not holding her handbag actually stopped to rub at her stomach a little. He started walking again, not really in the mood of having to invite Effie into his house. He was pretty sure it was a complete mess and she would have a heart attack if she saw it.

Effie narrowed her eyes.

"I hope you are not being sarcastic."

Haymitch snorted. "No, Sweetheart. Cross my heart."

"Well, thank you, then," Effie smiled. "I have been trying not to fret, but I do feel like a whale."

"You're fine," he scoffed. "You feel good too?"

"Yes, for the most part, now that the nausea is gone," she sighed. "I usually end up completely exhausted each evening, and sleep like a baby through the night, which is news for me. But very fitting, since I am indeed carrying one."

He laughed at that. "I guess you're right."

The two kids playing ahead on the road were rather loud and Haymitch looked at them, feeling a little unnerved at the screaming. Even if it was all child's play, he felt on edge. Effie, on the other hand, seemed unfazed by it. In the past, he would have thought she would have complained of their manners. He noticed her hand was still rubbing at her stomach.

"You know what you're having?" he found himself asking.

Effie nodded, turning back to face him. "It's a girl."

"Got your carbon copy," he joked. "That can only be trouble."

She smacked his arm. "Oh, do stop it. I'm not that bad."

"No, you're not. I'm only joking, Sweetheart."

She sighed, looking back at the children.

"Did you truly never wanted it?" Effie asked. "I obviously wanted them, before, but now I see children and I can't wait for her to be here."

"Gonna be a while until she can run around like that," he smirked, then sobered up as he noticed Effie was still expecting an answer. "And no, I never wanted it. Before I was reaped I didn't want to risk having children because they could be reaped. And afterwards… you know what happened to my family."

Effie nodded thoughtfully, her eyes going from his house to the bags near their feet, before she raised them to meet his. "And now?"

"Now?" He was surprised. "I got everything I need."

"Geese and booze?" She teased.

"More or less, yeah," Haymitch laughed. "No kid should have to deal with me as a dad, Effie."

"I think you underestimate yourself, Haymitch, truly."

He crossed his arms in front of him. "'There anything you want to tell me, Princess?"

She gasped. Of course that would outrage her.

"Oh, really, Haymitch, must you always be so crude?" She scoffed, but he thought her voice sounded sad and not its usual indignant tone. She took a deep breath. They had reached the gate, and her driver was waiting for her. "I should be going. It was… it was very good to see you."

"You too, Sweetheart," this time he was the one to move to hug her. She felt tinier than normal in his arms, and he figured she must have toned down those absurdly high heels she used to wear. But there. The bump wasn't so bad once he got used to it. "You take care of yourself. And this girl."

He pulled away, and he thought he saw her eyes glisten slightly.

But Effie only smiled. "Yes. I will."

She stepped away to get into the car, and he noted that, indeed, she had ditched the impossibly high heels but she still wore heels that he thought were a little too high for a pregnant woman. Not that he would ever tell her, of course.

Haymitch nodded at the driver and waved back at her. He didn't stop to look back at her until he reached his door, and by then the car was rounding the corner.

He entered his house and took a bottle of whisky from one of the bags, opening it and drinking it straight from the bottle.

He tried not to think of her and how she glowed under the sunlight.

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who's left a review so far, feedback is so very important and makes me happy! Let me know your thoughts on this one :)

Next chapter: there's a time jump, we get to see Effie's POV of some things and we meet the Trinket baby!