Thanks for all the feedback for this story! Hope you enjoy this next part!

The characters of The Hunger Games Trilogy do not belong to me.

Thank you to Chelzie for her awesome beta skills – she's a doll!

Lazy

Part Four: Indulgence

"Your flask is in the top drawer of your desk," Annie said as she sat down on the couch. "All the way in the back."

Haymitch went to the desk and eagerly pulled open the drawer. Reaching his hand inside, he felt around until he made contact with the cool metal of his flask. The muscles in his body began to relax in anticipation as he pulled it out.

He could practically taste the whiskey on his lips.

From the corner of his eye, Haymitch spotted the small woman sitting on the couch watching him.

Annie had somehow managed to inherit Effie's piercing stare.

It was the stare that had stopped him dead in his tracks the first time he saw his wife, and the one that got him to set up the play area for the kids when they were younger, or take out the garbage.

And apparently, the stare that stopped him from opening the flask.

Haymitch sat in his chair and looked over at Annie. "How are you, sweetheart?"

"I missed it here," she replied quietly. "This is the only home I've ever known—the only one I want to know." Annie turned to look out the open window and a sigh escaped her lips. "These memories keep coming back – of my time in District Four with him." She met his eyes again. "He used to tell me that I owed him. I needed to take care of him – not to complain…never complain…"

Annie squeezed her eyes shut and Haymitch rushed over as she began rocking back and forth, her hands tightly gripping the cushions.

"Annie, sweetheart?" The soft, sad voice calling out to her was not his.

Haymitch looked up to see Finnick standing next to him. His eyes were trained on Annie, warm tenderness in his usually cool pair of sea green.

She was the girl who Finnick managed to kiss during his stay at their home.

At the same time, however, Haymitch knew that it would be Annie. She was always willing to give, always saying yes, even when it wasn't good for her.

It was both her best and worst trait.

What Annie didn't realize was that a willingness to make people happy and take care of them could have some effects—such as having someone like Finnick fall in love with her.

Haymitch had watched the usually calm, confident man over the last few days and saw the way he stared at Annie. He remembered Finnick as a boy—lonely because his calm visage was sometimes seen as arrogance, especially to the hotheaded ones of the group, Johanna and Gale.

It was Annie who saw right through that and, of course, Effie. He would often find the three of them in the kitchen when the kids were younger. Finnick would be at their table, eating whatever Annie had made while Effie told them stories of her childhood.

The two ate it up like the other kids did.

Effie's childhood was full of love and happiness even though she had lost her momma at a young age—her father adored her and treated her like a princess.

She never had to hide under a bed listening to the creaking bedsprings of her mother's paramours, or feel the restrains on her small wrists as a man who was supposed to take care of her did unfathomable things to her young body.

Finnick knelt in front of Annie, cupping her face. "Breathe." Her face had turned blue but his hands slowly brought her back to life. Then he was slowly pulling her into his arms and onto his lap so he could rock her.

Haymitch met Finnick's eyes, sharing a mutual sadness over Annie's destroyed innocence.

"My little girl..." Haymitch smoothed her dark mess of hair with his weathered hand. "You owe no one but yourself. You need to care for yourself first before you care for others. Effie wanted that for you. I want that for you."

"I can feel it happening," she suddenly whispered against Finnick's chest. "The shift in the air." Annie turned to him from where she was perched on Finnick's lap. "Something tells me that I'm going back to District Four. I have to go back to District Four."

"Then you won't go alone," Finnick declared and she went slack against him as his Capitol-insured lips brushed against her temple.

Haymitch looked into her pensive eyes and reached out his hand to hold her tiny one protectively.

"You won't ever be alone."

"That's my girl," Peeta cooed into her ear as Katniss rested against him, her back against his bare chest as she nestled in-between his pajama-clad legs. Moving her damp hair off the side of her neck, he placed a gentle kiss on the soft skin. "Just relax."

"Peeta," she said, her eyes closed and mouth curled in a slight smile. "We have to meet them downstairs soon." Katniss took his hand in hers, her lips capturing each of his knuckles in a gentle, open-mouthed kiss. "I promise I will make it up to you."

"How?" Peeta asked as he undid a button on her top—the other half of the pajama set. His hand cupped her bare breast as the other one reached under the elastic of her panties. He kissed her neck again, tasting the sweat of her anxiousness. She groaned when his pushed his fingers inside her and she shifted onto her knees so he could delve deeper into her wetness. "Relax, baby. "

"How can I relax when all I want to do is lay you back against this bed and kiss every part of you?"

Then Peeta's mouth was on hers, his tongue coaxing her own as Katniss rode his hand hurriedly—

The door burst open and Johanna rushed in. "COME DOWNSTAIRS QUICKLY!"

He and Katniss pushed apart quickly, scrambling to cover up what they were obviously doing.

Johanna stopped only inches away from their bed, smirking as she watched them neaten their appearance.

"I know what you were doing," she said off-handedly. "It's not like we all haven't heard it before."

Katniss glared at her. "We get it, Johanna. Can you please leave now?"

"Sure, Mockingjay," she replied patronizingly. "You might want to button up and put some bottoms on though. Don't want to give Gale another reason to stare." Her eyes went to Peeta. "Though I see where the pants are." Johanna winked at him, briefly glancing at his clothed crotch. "No longer the little one, I see."

Before Peeta could react, Katniss was jumping off the bed, reaching forward to grab and twist the top of Johanna's shirt. She yanked Johanna towards her, meeting her eyes challengingly.

"Feisty, aren't we?" Johanna responded, though he swore he saw a hint of fear in her eyes.

Peeta went to Katniss, his hand closing over her wrist. He could see that her iron grip was causing her hand to tremble. "Let go, Katniss."

"Don't ever call me that again," Katniss warned the other woman, her voice shaking with anger. "Or the next time you do, it will be your neck."

Her hand released the other girl and Johanna stumbled back.

Peeta turned to her. "We'll be there after we've changed."

Johanna nodded before turning to leave the room. "Fucking crazy," she muttered as she slammed the door behind her.

Turning, he saw Katniss sitting on the edge of their bed—her face in her hands as she cried.

Peeta understood her pain. She did not want to be the Mockingjay anymore. The name, the persona, was slowly dying away as they brought one another back to some semblance of a normal life.

Johanna's mocking was a painful reminder that she might never escape her past.

"You are so much more than that." Peeta knelt before her. "You are the greatest woman I know; my future wife and one day, the mother of my children. Don't let her take that away from you."

"I'm not that person anymore," she sobbed, her shoulders shaking. "But it will always haunt me." Her shining eyes met his. "How will I tell our children? How do I explain who I was?"

"We will tell them together," Peeta assured her. "It is our story to tell. I wasn't exactly innocent while we were apart either—remember that." He smiled up at her softly, content to think that she thought about their children and their future. "Our children will be resilient ones, and they will understand."

After a moment, Katniss took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. "You're right."

Peeta reached forward to push the hair stuck to her forehead away and their eyes locked. He wondered how they managed to stay apart for so long, when just thought of ever having to let her go caused his chest to ache horribly.

"I'm in love with you," he said suddenly. "Just you—Katniss Everdeen. Not the Mockingjay—" She flinched at the name. "Just you."

"Is there a difference?" she asked quietly.

"Yes," he replied simply. "I've always loved you but something else grew out of that—a deeper connection and the realization that I can't live without you now that I have you. It's a scary thought for both of us—being in love. The people who were supposed to show us how to love failed horribly, but together, I see hope for something better."

Katniss wrapped her arms around his shoulders to embrace him and she let out a shaky breath. "I'm so in love with you, Peeta," she whispered into his ear. "So much that I can't even breathe sometimes."

"Will you marry me, Katniss?"

She chuckled into his shoulder. "I thought that was the plan."

Peeta pulled away and took her hand. "This is me making it official." He grinned at her. "Plus, I'm already on my knees."

Her lips broke out into a smile and Katniss took his face in her hands, leaning forward to kiss him quickly.

"This is me saying 'yes' officially."

Haymitch looked up when he heard the loud footsteps and seconds later, Johanna appeared along with Gale. He could see that she was visibly annoyed; her usually pale face sporting bright red stained cheeks and her shirt was slightly askew.

"What happened?" he asked her as he slowly stood up from his place on the couch next to Finnick and Annie, both practically asleep against one another.

It was well past midnight and the children were already tucked in, which made this meeting time convenient though tiring for all parties.

"I caught those two upstairs practically riding each other and then little Mrs. Mellark had a freak out," she told him angrily.

"It wasn't exactly unprovoked," Gale told her with an amused smile. "You were practically ogling Peeta's junk." The drama of before had been long forgotten on his end.

"You would take her side."

"Enough," Haymitch said and then looked to her. "Are they coming down?"

"We're here." He looked at the doorway to find the pair hand in hand.

Katniss walked in first, her pajama top swaying against her hips and wearing a pair of boxer shorts that were probably Peeta's. Her legs were covered by a pair of long knitted socks that reached her thighs. Peeta wore the matching bottoms but had put on a faded black t-shirt.

They looked tired but there was something else in their eyes, a joyfulness that he remembered fondly. One that he had felt with Effie until the day she had taken her last breath.

He hoped for so much more for them.

"So now that we're all here," Haymitch began. "Why don't you tell us what's going on, Johanna?"

Johanna went to the desk and grabbed her legal pad.

"Coal in District Twelve, a possible oil source here, and now methane crystals—natural gas in the District Four cave." Johanna put down her legal pad and looked up at them. "What do they all have in common?"

"They're all resources," Finnick said simply.

"Right—specifically non-renewable resources," Johanna continued. "If this is the pattern, then I'm willing to bet that the other sites have the same kind of thing."

"Why would Snow want all of this?"

"Simple," she replied. "Control. Power. How the hell do you think Panem even got started? We were fighting other countries for these resources, starting wars, and killing our children all for the thought of being the most powerful country, plus we were wasting our own. When we defeated them, we turned against each other – until nothing."

Johanna took a deep breath. "Now that he's on top, Snow will do anything to keep that from happening again." She looked over at Haymitch. "If Snow has all of these resources in his hands then he pulls the strings; he holds and withholds at his discretion. That creates fear – and obedience."

"Except that Haymitch and Effie wouldn't let go of this place," Peeta said. "You have the one thing that he possibly needs and neither of you knew it."

"I'm willing to bet that Effie's dad knew though," Gale added.

"From what I remember, the old man wasn't a big supporter of Snow when he was first getting started," Haymitch recalled. "So what now?"

"We confirm each site," Johanna told them. "Annie—"

"—I know." Annie sat up warily. "I need to go to District Four."

"I'm going with her," Finnick said.

"So am I," Haymitch added and met the girl's eyes. "I promised."

"I can go to District Twelve," Gale said. "I know a few people there and can poke around. I'm sure that the miners aren't happy with the state of things."

"I have connections in the Capitol so I can get some transportation up to the Great Lakes," Johanna told them. "The last site is about a day's drive from the Capitol, and there's a small town right next to the river where you can stay." She looked over at Katniss and Peeta. "You think you two could make it up there?"

Katniss nodded after a moment.

"I know the place." She turned to Peeta, her eyes pained. "I was born around there."

He took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

Haymitch's mind briefly went over Katniss' file. She was the only child of the Everdeens. Her father had worked at the mill in the small town while her mother was the homemaker. Her father's quick death had torn her mother apart and had caused the woman to drag her young daughter into a cold river so that they could join her beloved husband.

Her plan only half worked because there Katniss Everdeen stood, and she seemed to have lived ten different lives when all she wanted was to live a simple one – as a wife and a mother.

"So when do we go?" Katniss asked after a moment.

"It's best that we leave tomorrow night," Johanna told them. "It would look suspicious to see a bunch of cars all taking off in the middle of the day."

"What about us?"

The group looked up to see Prim, Rue and Rory squeezed into the doorway.

"What are you doing up?" Haymitch asked and Prim went to him, her bright blue eyes sad.

"Are you going away?" The way she looked at him broke his heart. "Like Effie?"

He tried to stop the tears but found himself hastily wiping them away before speaking.

"No, sweetheart," he said softly. "Effie didn't want to leave, but God decided it was her time. I'm only going to be gone for a little while, but I'll be back—I promise." Haymitch turned to the group. "Maybe I should just stay." His eyes met Annie's sad ones. "I'm sorry."

"We heard what you were talking about," Rory said suddenly. "And I was wondering if I could go to District Twelve with Gale—I think I might have had family there." He looked over at the taller man. "That is, if you'll let me come with you."

"Sure, why not?" Gale grinned at the boy. "It would be nice to have some company on the road."

"Prim and Rue can come with us." Haymitch looked over to where Katniss stood with Peeta. She gave Prim a gentle smile then looked over at Rue, who was half-hidden behind the doorway. "If they want to come, that is."

"You sure?" Haymitch asked her nervously. He looked down at Prim leaning against him and she gave him a quick nod. "These two could be a handful." He pinched Prim's nose affectionately. "Especially this one."

"We would love to have them with us," Peeta replied easily. "I'll bring them to the garage for a day; they can meet Portia and Octavia, too." He looked at Prim, then at Rue. "What do you think?"

Both girls nodded excitedly from where they stood.

"Well, now that we have that settled," Katniss said, her hands on her hips. "Off to bed." She turned to Haymitch. "Especially you."

Prim went to the older girl and Katniss put an arm around her affectionately. Rue joined them and the three walked out of the office.

Everyone began to tiredly filter out of the room until it was just Peeta and Haymitch.

"She's becoming more and more like Effie," Haymitch told him after a moment.

"That's all Katniss wants," Peeta replied. "To be like her—to be with the man she loves and have a house full of children."

"Promise me you'll give her that."

"I swear it on my life."

Haymitch woke up and found himself covered with a blanket, his head resting on a plush pillow.

"Breakfast is ready." His eyes went to his desk where Annie had set a plate for him. He sat up slowly, stretching his tired muscles. "I should stuff the cushions on that couch. That can't be good for you."

"What time is it?"

"Around seven," Annie replied, the dark circles under her eyes standing out on her ivory face. "Couldn't sleep."

"I could tell." Haymitch patted the spot next to his on the couch. "Let's talk."

Annie went to the couch and sat quickly, trying to rest her hands on her lap but failing miserably. He could see her fighting the urge to fidget. She used to do this during stressful situations when she was younger, like when the boys would fight or Johanna threw a tantrum.

Effie always knew what to do to get her to calm down, but the damn woman never revealed her secrets.

Instead, Haymitch took one of Annie's hands in his.

"Should we go to District Four? You say that you're okay, but I don't think you are."

"Everyone expects me to go crazy," Annie suddenly said. "Sometimes I think I might—but I don't want to feel that way anymore! I want to be normal! I want to be happy!" Tears fell from her eyes. "I just want to be loved."

The last sentence came out in a bare whisper, his dear Annie's unrequited wish.

"You are loved," he told her. "Not just because you cook or clean or make masterfully clever food." Haymitch lifted her chin. "You are loved because you are selfless, you're kind and you're brave."

She met his eyes. "Maybe that's why I need to go—so I know that despite what he told me, I can go on to love. And it won't be because of obligation, it will because I choose it."

"You are stronger than you know," he said after a moment.

"Effie always told me that. It's what always brought me back."

The rest of the day was spent in preparations.

Haymitch checked in on all the children. Gale and Rory would be taking off in the evening after dinner in an unregistered silver pick-up truck that Peeta 'rented' while he was in town with Finnick.

"I'll need to paint it quickly," Peeta told his foster father. "Any paint around?"

"Check the storage," he told him and spotted Katniss watching the two as she sat on porch railing dangling her bare feet, her skirt just barely hitting her knees. "And don't take her with you."

God help him if someone found them in there— it seemed best to keep them separated until they were in the privacy of their own room.

"I'm good on my word," Peeta replied with a grin, then looked over at Katniss. "I'm not so sure about that one though."

"Good luck," Haymitch said before walking up the porch and nodding at the woman. "Be good."

"Spoil sport," she muttered in response, but her mouth was trained in a smirk.

Haymitch couldn't help but grin. "If you even think about doing anything, just remember it was the same storage that Effie—"

She covered her face in embarrassment. "I've heard the story, Haymitch. Effie told us many, many, many times."

Haymitch heard the front door creak open and saw Annie coming out with a canister in one hand and a pitcher of water in the other.

Rushing over, he took the pitcher before it could potentially slip from her hand. "What are you doing?"

Annie gave him a nervous smile and nodded her head over to the area past the trees.

"Come and see if you'd like," she told him. "I think I figured it out."

"Can I come?" Katniss asked curiously and Annie smiled, taking her hand so that they could walk together. The two always had a bond, though it seemed like they never really spoke. Effie once remarked that Katniss' strong personality and Annie's gentle nature complimented one another.

Annie knelt down onto the dirt and opened the canister, placing it in front of her.

Peeta had now joined them and was standing next to Haymitch.

"I needed to find a way to identify whether or not there was oil on the property," Annie began as she took some of the dirt and put it into the canister. From where Haymitch stood, he saw that the bottom of the canister had a white powder—her own creation. "It would be useless for us to even dig and there's a good chance that the surface soil would show its presence. I needed an opposing base to oil."

"Water," Katniss answered for her.

"Exactly, but I needed something stronger to draw it out."

"Draw what out?" Peeta asked in anticipation as he knelt in front of the canister.

"This." She looked up at Haymitch, who handed her the pitcher so Annie could fill the canister. They all leaned forward to look inside. The soil remained at the bottom but they could see that the white powder underneath was dissipating.

In a matter of seconds, a cluster of bubbles floated up from the soil, creating a large, inky circle on the surface of the water.

"May I?" Peeta asked Annie and she nodded. Reaching forward, he stuck the tips of his finger into the water and upon pulling it out rubbed the substance along them. "Holy shit—it's oil."

"You did it," Haymitch said and pulled Annie up from the ground to hug her. He looked up at the sky. "Effie, our Annie is brilliant!" His eyes met the young girl's and she beamed at his happiness. "I'm damn proud of you."

"What's going on?" Finnick was walking towards them with Gale and Johanna following quickly behind. Annie ran towards him and Finnick caught her quickly, twirling her in his arms. "What did I do to deserve this?" His bronzed cheeks were flushed as he gently placed her back on her feet, his hand finding hers once she was standing solidly.

"Annie confirmed that there is an actual oil source here," Katniss informed the three. "If we can find out what the resources of the other places are, then we'll have something real to scare Snow with."

Her eyes were full of steel as she looked at each of them. "This isn't just about keeping our home anymore. This is about Panem getting out of his grip."

"Are we starting a rebellion?" Gale asked with a crooked grin.

They already knew their answer.

"You okay on money?" Haymitch asked Peeta as he placed the last of the bags into the Chevelle. "The girls are tiny, but they eat a lot—all that energy just doesn't come from age."

"We'll be okay," he assured his foster father.

Haymitch peeked through the window into the back of the car where Prim and Rue slept against one another. "Prim gets motion sickness and Rue sometimes has nightmares—"

"They're going to be fine," Katniss said as she walked down the porch steps towards them, blankets in her hands. "These are for them so they're more comfortable in the back of the car." She smiled at him and reached up on her toes to kiss the older man's cheek. "I promise that I'll take care of your girls."

"I have no doubt about it," Haymitch replied with a soft smile. "You're a mother hen if I've ever seen one."

He looked at his watch. "You should head out now. I'm sure that Gale is well on his way." He had left in the newly painted black truck with Rory and Johanna, who was going to her office in the Capitol to meet her contact. "Good luck—you have my number." He held up the phone that Johanna had given him before she left. "Just remember, nothing specific in our conversations."

The couple nodded and Katniss reached forward to hug him. "We're going to be okay."

He wasn't used to seeing her like this and his eyes met Peeta's.

"She's going soft because of you," Haymitch told him with a smirk. Katniss huffed at him before heading to the car.

"Oh, she can still kick some ass if needed," Peeta replied. "Why do you think Johanna was so pissed the other night?"

"I remember Effie and myself being very aggravated with them when they were younger," the older man recalled. "The peril of adolescent girls."

They watched Katniss open the door quietly to move the passenger seat. She unfolded a blanket and placed it over the sleeping girls, then returned the seat to its original position.

"I'll protect them," Peeta told Haymitch as Katniss settled into the passenger seat. "They're all very precious to me."

"I have no doubt." Haymitch looked at his watch again. "You should head out." He embraced the man. "Good luck."

Peeta nodded firmly. "You too."

"Are you ready?"

Haymitch looked over at Annie, her green eyes watching him as he surveyed the house. He had no idea how long they would be in District Four. This would be the first time in a long while that he would be away from his home.

He was afraid that when he returned, Effie's presence would suddenly be gone from the home they created. If she somehow lingered there, would she think that he abandoned her?

"Getting there," he told her.

Annie nodded after a moment. "Finnick is waiting in the car whenever you're ready." She headed to the front door and turned to him as she opened it. "I put something in your bag—just in case you miss home."

Walking out, she closed the door behind her quietly.

After a moment, he knelt down and unzipped the duffle to look at what Annie had placed in his bag—it was the photo of the group as children from tallest to the smallest and his Effie, who was all smiles. He brushed her face with the pad of his thumb before placing the picture back in his bag.

Going to the door, Haymitch turned and looked around the house, whispering a silent goodbye before walking out and locking the door.

To me, this is a small chapter, but I think it has a lot of information. Now you know why Snow wanted Effie and Haymitch's house so badly. As you know, oil is hard to come by nowadays and I imagine it is that way in this alternate Panem.

The substance that Annie created is something I made up—a detergent of sorts that pulls out the chemical properties of oil when it meets water. Not exactly super clever, but I think our Annie is a smarty-pants.

The next chapter will be run between Haymitch in District Four as he investigates with Annie and Finnick, and Peeta, who travels with Katniss back to her hometown. It's not exactly a happy homecoming for either of the women. There will also be some calls from Johanna and Gale reporting their findings during their own assignments.

Hellos, reviews, and feedback are always welcome on Tumblr, FF, and AO3.

Thanks for reading, boos.

Until Part Five, JLaLa