Epilogue

His dreams always took him back to her. Those dreams were one of his best and at times, the most painful. He dreamt of her smile and the way she threw her head back when she laughed. He dreamt of her sitting at the edge of his bed, stroking his hair. She never spoke in his dreams and he wondered if it was because he had forgotten what she sounded like.

It had been years and tried as he might to hold on to everything that reminded him of her, there were memories that were starting to fade. He voiced out his fear that he would soon forget her face only once but Peeta, always so attuned to human emotions, assured him that if it was within his power, Haymitch would never forget how Effie looked like. Haymitch's bed room was filled with paintings of Effie, drawn from their memories of her.

It was from those paintings that Willow Mellark came to know about her Grandma Effie, the one person that she had never met but had heard a lot of from her parents and her Grandpa Haymitch.

Talking to Willow about Effie and telling the girl stories about her became one of Haymitch's favourite past time even though he had never admitted it out loud to anyone.

"She would have doted on you," he nudged the girl as he ran his fingers through her knotted blonde hair.

She snuggled closer to him on the bed. "Do you love her, Grandpa?"

"Very much," he answered and it was only to Willow that he would confess such a thing without a second thought.

"Like how daddy loves mummy?"

"Yeah, just like that."

"Are you gonna fall asleep on me again?" she scrunched her nose.

Willow had grumbled to her father once about how Haymitch was getting boring because he wouldn't play with her much but Katniss had soothe her child, trying to make her understand that Haymitch wasn't as young and as agile as he used to be. He would like to spend more time with the girl if he could but he was always so tired lately.

"Nah," he mumbled but his eyelids were growing heavier.

He heard Willow calling out his name. He heard her moving around his bed, playing with her dolls and talking to herself before she faded away and he fell asleep.

When he woke up, the morning light filtered through his bedroom window and he cracked his eyes open. He froze and stared.

"Effie," he rasped.

"Hello, Haymitch," she smiled.

It was just like in his dreams. She was sitting at the edge of his bed, looking just as she did when she was an annoying ghost in his house. The corner of his lips lifted upwards into a smile.

"You're talking," he pointed out. "You never talked in my dreams."

"Special circumstances," she told him, "and you're not dreaming. I'm here."

"Here where?"

"Your house, of course," she laughed. Her eyes were bright and her gaze was gentle. "You've been so brave, Haymitch. I'm so proud of you. You lived your life with the children and with their children, and you weren't alone. I was so afraid that you'd keep to yourself and shut people out but you didn't, and you made me so happy."

"How'd you know?" he frowned.

"The people you love never truly leave you, Haymitch. I was watching you for thirty three years. To see you with family make me glad," she beamed at him and then her eyes twinkled.

He blinked slowly and nodded. Haymitch inhaled deeply.

"Oh, Chaff wants me to tell you that he thinks you've gone soft. I told him it's just Willow and the effect the girl has on you but he just laughs it off."

"He's gone mad, that fellow."

"He's bored. He's determined to drive Finnick up the wall while he waits for you."

Haymitch fixed her with a look. It was odd to hear her talking about his friends that way but he supposed, she had more years with them than he ever did.

"Is it time?"

"Yes," Effie exhaled. "Yes, it is. Are you ready?"

"I'm not gonna be a ghost like you were, am I?"

Effie laughed and the sound washed over him. He leaned back against the pillow. Her laughter was a source of comfort to him, especially now.

"No, not if you're ready to leave everything behind."

"I am," he said just as she had said the day she moved on to the other side.

"Come now, Haymitch," she extended her hand towards him.

Haymitch stared at it. A part of him was fearful because he remembered all the times that he couldn't touch her but another part of him wanted so much to feel her again. In the end, the latter won and he raised his shaking hand, weak and old, and clasped her hand.

She squeezed his hand as if to reassure him and his frail heart nearly gave out.

"Oh, sweetheart…" he sighed and held on to her hand tightly. He never wanted to let go, not if he had a choice.

"I'm real. I'm right here. You're going to be okay, Haymitch. We're going to be together again," she spoke softly.

Effie gave his hand a gentle tug and he felt himself sitting up and moving off the bed. He stood next to her, hand in hand.

"That's you," Effie pointed to the bed as she rested her head against his shoulder. "You're here but your body's there."

"This is fucking weird."

"Language," she admonished him.

They watched as Willow woke up next to him on the bed, shaking him awake. They saw the confusion and the fear on the little girl's face before she ran out, screaming at the top of her lungs for her parents.

"Grandpa Haymitch won't wake up. Make him wake up! Daddy, make him wake up!"

Haymitch watched as Katniss pressed a finger against the side of his neck to feel for a pulse and then shook her head at her husband. Willow had started crying as she buried her face on Haymitch's chest, sobbing uncontrollably. Katniss had her face pressed against Peeta's neck.

"They gonna be okay?" he asked.

"They will be," she nodded. "They have each other."

"And I have you."

"You have me," she kissed his cheek. "Forever."

When Effie left him in Part 4, he would be about 47 so 33 years later he is 80.

Alright, that's it! I'm done breaking your hearts. I really, really enjoyed writing this story so I really hope you enjoyed it too! I know it's mostly sad but hey, they're together again! Please leave a review and let me know what you think of this chapter!

Again, thanks so much for reading!