I'm a horrible person, but as my username suggests, I'm a college student and the last semester has been hell. It prevented me from getting to ever post anymore chapters for this story, and I wholeheartedly apologize. BUT. Now it is summer, and I have 12 weeks of freedom to post whenever I can. Please forgive me? Okay, enough of my pleading. Enjoy, and please review with suggestions :)

The next morning found the District 12 team sitting around the breakfast table; all but one feeling much more relaxed than from the night before. Effie, naturally, had arrived to breakfast first. Peeta shortly followed, and Haymitch and Katniss were the last to arrive. Haymitch sat himself across from Effie, and Katniss sat across from Peeta. There were a few tense moments after the couple sat down. Haymitch stared at Effie until she was forced to acknowledge him. He nodded his head to them.

"Good morning, lovely team." He greeted the other side of the table.

"Good morning!" Peeta said cheerfully. Effie mumbled a quiet greeting, and Katniss nodded to the other side of the table. Haymitch looked between the two women and then at Peeta. He finished chewing the bite of his breakfast he had managed to take, and spoke again.

"Okay, this is ridiculous. Effie, come with me. Peeta, Katniss for the love of god, entertain your selves." Haymitch stood from the table and waited for Effie to join him. After a deliberate pause, she did rise and follow him out of the food car. Out of habit, Haymitch walked to his room. It wasn't until he opened the door that he remembered why he slept in Katniss' bed last night. The room was still just as wrecked as it had been the night before.

"Take a… seat." He waved to the debris.

"What happened in here?!" Effie asked, bewildered.

"Doesn't matter. Okay, Effie… spill it. What's the problem?"

"I don't have a problem, Haymitch."

"Bullshit, Effie. You and Katniss cannot be at each other's throats any longer. So, we need to get this all out.

"I think it's sick, Haymitch; whoring around with that child. You're a victor Haymitch. You could have any woman that you could want. So why would you choose that girl? I have been trying to get you to sober up for years, ever since I met you. Yet, after frolicking with the girl for only a couple of months, you give up drinking. You approach the games as depressed and taciturn as ever, year after year, and yet with her you found hope. I just don't understand why she was able to do everything for you that I couldn't." Haymitch stared, open-mouthed at Effie. They had been partners for years, but he had never realized Effie felt that strongly about him. She began to approach him.

"Haymitch, come on… she can't possibly be that good." For every step she took towards him, he took a step backwards.

"We haven't—"

"You haven't? That's a shame. Tell me, Haymitch, I've never known you to be a patient man. A man has needs; let me help you with those needs. I won't make you wait. Come on, besides… I'm not about to go off to the slaughter."

"Effie—" Haymitch warned. He took a step back and his back met the wall. She cornered him. Before he could finish his warning, Effie pressed herself to him. Before he could protest, she pressed her mouth to his in an earnest, desperate kiss. She kissed him hard, trying to illicit some response from him. Before he had realized, she pressed her forehead against his, breathing hard. Not knowing what to do, Haymitch slipped around her and walked to the other side of the room.

"Well… that was… horrible." Effie spoke up. Haymitch turned around and just stared at the woman. "I mean really, that was just bad."

"Effie—" Haymitch started.

"No, Haymitch. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I just couldn't stand the idea of you picking her without even giving me a chance." She then laughed, "My god, that kiss was horrible. Oh dear…" She laughed again, but this time she continued to laugh. Haymitch watched her warily. Not sure whether or not to take her continuous laughter as an insult, or to be relieved at the change. He opened his mouth a couple of times to say something, but Effie's laughter continued to disturb him. After a few uncomfortable, laughter-filled minutes, Effie finally managed to compose herself.

"Oh, Haymitch, I'll ease up on the girl. All is forgiven. Now, I will go and give our tributes a quick rundown of our schedule." She patted Haymitch on the shoulder and giggled as she left the room.

"Well alright, then." Haymitch said to the empty room and followed her out. What greeted him in the train car warmed his heart considerably. Katniss and Peeta were laughing together. They guffawed and cackled about some joke that had been told before Haymitch and Effie had entered into car. Haymitch was happy to see Katniss smiling and laughing with someone who wasn't himself or Prim. As quickly as the warmness filled him, the cold feeling of reality set in. Most likely one or both of them were going to die in the next month.

"Okay, listen up. Here is how your training is going to go. While on the train, we will discuss strategy. We won't start physical training until we reach the Capitol. They're more… equipped than we are. It'll be up to you two whether or not you want to be trained together or not." Haymitch took the opportunity to look at Katniss. She smiled reassuringly at him.

Peeta and Katniss looked at each other before answering, "Together." Haymitch smiled.

"So be it. Okay, everyone can do their own thing for now. We'll meet up and start after lunch. Katniss?" Haymitch held out his hand to her, and she took it. He led her out of the car and toward her room.

As soon as they were inside of the room, Haymitch closed the door behind them. Katniss turned to him,

"Haymitch?"

"Sweetheart, it's been an… interesting… morning."

"What happened with Effie? She seemed to be in a much better mood when she came back in."

"Uh… well… Katniss.. she kissed me." Katniss stared at him. Haymitch felt compelled to continue.

"She cornered me and kissed me, and then she laughed." Katniss continued to stare at him. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Well say something sweetheart."

Katniss couldn't contain it anymore. The giggles burst forth from her in waves. Her laughter filled the room. She tried to stop, but she couldn't. Haymitch hung his head.

"Oh, not you too, sweetheart."

"I'm sorry, Haymitch. I just can't help it," she managed to get out through her giggles. "Effie kissed you? Effie did?" she continued on. Haymitch dropped his head.

"Yes… Effie kissed me and found the whole experience to be.. 'horrible' I think she described it.. multiple times." He said, sounding slightly put-out. By this point, Katniss has collapsed on the floor in laughter. However, when she heard the dejectedness in his voice, she rose and walked over to him. Haymitch was standing by the door, his back to Katniss. He had a firm scowl placed on his face. He couldn't understand it. No woman had ever said his kissing was "horrible" before. It was quite a blow to his ego. What if Katniss thought he was a bad kisser too and had just never said anything? What if she grew bored of him because she found his kissing as deplorable as Effie had? Wrapped up in his worries, Haymitch never saw Katniss coming. She tugged on his shoulder, and when he turned around, she backed him into the door. Feeling an eerie sense of déjà vu, Haymitch tried to speak,

"Katniss—" Before he could continue, Katniss claimed his mouth with a kiss. It had been awhile since Katniss had kissed him with that much passion; since before the reaping. Haymitch wholeheartedly responded. They kissed like that for what seemed like forever, but was only minutes.

Haymitch ran his hands down Katniss' back and came to a stop at her hips. He then moved them lower to cup her rear. With a silent encouragement, Katniss moved her arms around Haymitch's neck and used his shoulders as a means of pulling herself up. Haymitch helped by lifting her further into the air, allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist. Haymitch carried her over to his bed; the one piece of furniture that hadn't been subjected to Katniss' rage the previous night. Setting her down, Haymitch crawled on top of her.

"What was all that for?" He asked, hovering above her.

"You sounded sad, and I wanted to make you happy," she responded easily to him. Haymitch looked into her eyes and saw her sincerity. Here she was, about to face twenty-two tributes from eleven other districts (for some reason he couldn't include Peeta in those numbers), all of which wanted her dead, and she wanted to make him happy, because his ego got a little bruised. He rolled over to the side and pulled Katniss into his arms.

"Oh, sweetheart, you have no idea how happy you make me, and you know what?" he asked.

"What?"

"You're going to win this thing, and I know exactly how you're going to do it."

Katniss turned her head around to look at him,

"Oh yeah? And how's that, Haymitch?" Haymitch smiled down at her.

"Well let me tell you,"

A/N: If you would like to take a guess as to what Haymitch's plan is, feel free to pm me, or simply review. Thanks for reading!