Exam ended yesterday so I'm back to regularly updating this fic! :)

Chapter Seven

The world seemed to have faded into the background as Emmanuel's panicked admission magnified and rang in his ears. You're my uncle.

It sounded extremely odd when he mentally repeated it in his head. He had never found himself in such a capacity before. Haymitch knew his roles; a victor, a friend, a mentor, a rebel but not this. Not some patriarchal replacement figure that he was certain he was slowly becoming.

But isn't that what you've been to Katniss since her Games?

"Haymitch?" Emmanuel called out uncertainly.

Haymitch was acutely aware that the pair of them was attracting odd stares from random passers-by but they were the least of his concern. Haymitch turned around slowly, his mind still processing and churning the turn of events.

He tilted his head as he regarded the boy standing in front of him, rocking on the balls of his feet nervously.

"I'm sorry," Emmanuel repeated.

"I heard you," Haymitch sighed and jerked his head. "Come on, let's go."

"So, umm, you're not leaving?"

"I could," Haymitch answered casually, giving Emmanuel a side long glance. "If you step out of – "

"I won't! I promise, I won't," Emmanuel answered hurriedly.

They made their way back to Effie's apartment in silence with Emmanuel occasionally glancing at Haymitch warily. Haymitch knew his silence was making Emmanuel uneasy and the boy wouldn't be the one making small talk in fear of setting Haymitch off.

"So… She told you about me, huh?" Haymitch said, breaking the stillness between them.

He heard Emmanuel's sigh of relief. "Yeah, since I was young. She'd come over for dinner at every other week each time and right before she had to leave for the Reaping, and sometimes, she'd complain about you to Mum and Dad."

Haymitch arched an eyebrow. "Oh, do tell."

"Well, she said you're always drunk and you made no effort to help the tributes. She told us that … it's like you just gave up on everything. Mum and Dad always said to get a promotion, get a better district but after several years, when I was a bit older, she told me quietly that she can't just leave you alone. I don't know why she told me, maybe she just needed to let it out and I was kid, nobody was going to take me seriously if I repeated it."

He turned to look at Emmanuel, surprise at that bit of information.

"She said that?" he questioned the boy.

Emmanuel nodded. "She told me you're actually a good person with a – and I quote – 'sour disposition'. She said you could be funny when you're sarcastic and insulting everyone else but her, that you could be nice at times despite your rudeness."

"Right," Haymitch nodded. He never bothered to know what Effie thought of him. He assumed that her impression of him mirrored the rest of the Capitol - he was the inebriated mentor.

Reacting almost instinctively, Haymitch grabbed Emmanuel's upper arm and yanked him back off the sidewalk. The speeding car gave a long angry honk. Too engrossed in getting his story across, the boy had stepped off the kerb without looking for oncoming traffic.

"Oh," Emmanuel said, wide eyed. "Thanks. See, could be at nice at times."

"What else?" Haymitch inquired, his curiousity mounting by the minute.

"I don't remember all of them but she would tell me stories of what you did. Getting into fights when you're drunk, vomiting on her shoes, passing out at random places at the Penthouse, you know, those kinds of things."

"Your aunt needs to learn to keep her mouth shut," Haymitch grumbled.

"Well, she actually told me that as an example of behaviours I should avoid as an adult, the detrimental effect of consuming too much alcohol."

Haymitch gritted his teeth. "She set me as an example?"

Emmanuel laughed. "Yeah, but I thought you were rather interesting, in all honesty. So I don't think it really worked the way she intended to. Then… a few years back, the tune change, she told me stories about being rescued. She said someone was by her side at the hospital keeping vigil, she thought it might be you but she wasn't sure. Effie was under heavy medications at that time, I think?"

Haymitch kept on walking, neither confirming nor denying the story. He didn't know and it caught him by surprise to find out that Effie might have been aware of the fact that he had watched over her when he couldn't sleep at night while at District Thirteen. He had to make sure she would make it through the ordeal alive, that she wouldn't just go in her sleep.

When she regained full consciousness, and with it the ability to communicate, Haymitch had been immensely relieved. She had specifically prohibited him from visiting, something he was quick to jump on and accepted almost gratefully because he didn't know how to face her. That was the first clue he had that Effie Trinket was furious with him. Despite that, Haymitch kept tabs on her while she was still in the hospital. He gleaned news of her recovery from Plutarch or the nurses on duty.

"Oh, that you're grumpy," Emmanuel added, pulling him out of his thoughts. "How could I forget that? I think she likes you, you know? You're her friend whether you realise it or not."

That was not something Haymitch wanted to know. It just served to reinforce the fact that he failed her when he allowed her to be captured and then left her to fend for herself after she was released from the hospital in District Thirteen.

XxX

Haymitch went straight to his room once they reached, uncapped his flask and collapsed on the bed, drinking every last bit of alcohol in it.

At some point, he must have fallen asleep; taken a nap without even realising because when he opened his eyes and peered out of the bedroom window, the horizon was tinged orange as the sun began to set.

He rubbed his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he had taken nap. It must have been years ago before he was reaped, when his sleep wasn't haunted with faces of the dead. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he had not had anything to eat since morning.

As he made his way to the kitchen, he noticed the living room which was in a complete mess. Emmanuel may have cleaned it up in a hurry when Maria came over but it had quickly become a dumpster. Emmanuel's jacket was thrown over the back of a sofa, the pizza box from the day before was on the coffee table along with several mugs and empty cans of soda. Haymitch was used to living in such an environment but he knew Effie would not appreciate them turning her house into a pig sty.

He thought since Emmanuel was Effie's nephew, he would have inherited her obsessive need to organise everything but apparently, Haymitch was wrong. Emmanuel was as laid back as Haymitch was.

When he entered the kitchen, he saw Emmanuel by the stove, stirring something in a stainless steel pot. Haymitch pulled a chair and sat heavily on it, pouring himself a cup of cold coffee from that morning.

"You're cooking?" he asked dubiously, walking over to Emmanuel. He peered into the pot to see something gooey.

"Yep, mac and cheese," Emmanuel answered as he began to divide the dish into two plates. He sat across from Haymitch; arms folded in front of him on the table as he waited for Haymitch to pass judgment.

"Not bad," Haymitch said. "Never had this before."

Emmanuel smiled, taking a mouthful of his own food. "You never had a lot of things. What do you even eat?"

"Squirrel," he answered and laughed at the look on Emmanuel's face.

"How's Effie today?"

Haymitch swallowed and looked down at his plate, contemplating if he should tell Emmanuel the truth.

"She had to be sedated," Haymitch told him truthfully.

Emmanuel was not a child and far from stupid. If he was in the boy's position, Haymitch wouldn't appreciate being lied to especially about someone he cared about.

"What? Why?"

"She was agitated, breathless and she got angry."

"Why was she angry?" he pressed Haymitch further. "Did you say something that would make her angry?"

Haymitch shrugged. "I think she's been angry with me all these while."

"What do you mean?" Emmanuel asked, frowning in confusion. "Didn't you save her from prison?"

"Why was she even in prison in the first place, kid?"

Emmanuel stopped chewing, laying down his cutleries carefully on his plate. "She was captured by President Snow."

"Why?" Haymitch pushed him, forcing Emmanuel to think and evaluate.

Emmanuel gave Haymitch a look, not understanding the necessity of the multiple questioning. "She didn't make it out in time. The hovercraft you were in left before she could reach it. She was delayed, she said."

Haymitch inhaled sharply. "Is that what she told you?"

"Well, isn't that what happened?" Emmanuel countered.

"No," Haymitch shook his head. "That wasn't how it went down. What happened was… I left her. I left your aunt. I thought – Nobody knew if she was on our side, you have to understand that. She played no active role in the Rebellion other than her genuine concern for Peeta and Katniss."

"So you left her because she's not on your side?!" Emmanuel demanded, his voice tinged with the beginning of anger.

"No, I left her because taking her with us would seal her fate. Snow would mark her as a traitor which she wasn't. Her loyalty to the Capitol may have been wavering when she saw what Snow was capable of the moment he decided to throw victors back in the arena but she didn't make an outright stand against the Capitol. I thought she would be safe, Emmanuel. She was still a Capitol citizen. There was no guarantee that District Thirteen would have accepted her either. They did not take kindly to outsiders especially those from around here - Katniss' prep team were imprisoned."

"Oh my god," Emmanuel gasped, staring at his plate in shock. "Oh my god, you abandoned her."

"I did and I'm sorry," Haymitch told him sincerely.

Emmanuel kept quiet, his eyes staring uncomprehendingly at the plate of food before him. Haymitch watched him carefully. He had told the boy the truth and there was nothing else to say. Finally, with a deep breathe, Emmanuel looked up.

"Tell me one thing - at that point of time did you act out of her best interest? Not because she was a burden to you or anything? Not because she couldn't help you with your war?"

Haymitch blinked in surprise. He was not expecting such a question from a fourteen year old boy. He never expected Emmanuel to be able to think that abstractly.

"I did it to protect her. I thought it was for the best. If there had been another way, a way that would not result in her coming to any harm, I would have taken it."

After what seemed like an eternity, Emmanuel nodded. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah."

"That's all? Just okay?" Haymitch asked unbelievingly.

"It's not me you have to apologise to, right? Did you explain all this to her?"

"I tried but she got hysterical."

"I can't say I'm surprised," Emmanuel told him. "Maybe you should try again. So why didn't we hear from you after the war?"

"I knew she was angry. It occurred to me that she may not want to have anything to do with me."

"Is that the truth?" Emmanuel raised an eyebrow.

"Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?"

The teenager shook his head. "I think you're the only person who ever bothered to tell me the truth. When my parents died, everyone kept saying that it would be okay, it'll get better. I didn't want to hear that, you know? I wanted my parents. They didn't even tell me they were dead until Effie came to claim me a few weeks later."

The immense relief Haymitch felt when he realised that Emmanuel did not think of him any less was immeasurable. He made Haymitch promised that he would be allowed to visit Effie after his school and detention the next day and then treated Haymitch as though he had not just been told that his only living relative was left behind during the Rebellion.

"Did you ever miss her after the war?" Emmanuel's voice pierced through the silence that had settled in. Haymitch looked up.

"Miss her?" he repeated. Did I?

"Yeah. I mean, I don't know, I miss her when she had to leave for a couple of weeks during the Games. She's always around and so cheerful, and she'll bring me out whenever she can because my parents were always too busy."

"I do, I supposed. In a strange sort of way; if you could actually miss someone who gets on your nerves half the time. I think it's the arguments we have that I miss. It's nice having someone to disagree with instead of …" Haymitch trailed off, unsure why he was even admitting such things to a mere boy.

"Instead of the lonely silence of your house?" Emmanuel asked, his lips twitched in amusement.

Haymitch inclined his head, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the statement.

"Effie said you're not much of a talker but I disagree," Emmanuel said, carrying their empty plates and dumping them in the kitchen sink. "I think I bring out the best in you. Or maybe you just enjoy talking to me."

Emmanuel winked. The boy was a tease and Haymitch couldn't help the way the corner of his lips curled upwards in a smile.

"Go and clean your room," Haymitch ordered instead. "And the living room while you're at it."

XxX

Effie's bed was unoccupied when he stepped into her room the next morning. Further interrogation of the nurse on duty told him that she had been scheduled for another private session after her outburst yesterday.

Haymitch sat in the empty chair and took out a book Emmanuel had borrowed from his school library about post-traumatic stress disorder. Minutes passed before finally, the door opened and Effie stepped in.

She did a double take when she saw Haymitch lounging on the chair by her bed.

"Hey, sweetheart," he greeted.

"Hello, Haymitch," her voice was soft and gentle as she sat perched at the edge of her bed, across from him. The anger that dominated her yesterday was gone.

Haymitch closed the book and put it face down on the night stand. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"You alright?"

Effie nodded. "I'm sorry for what happened yesterday, for screaming at you like… like I'm crazy or something."

"You're not crazy, Eff. And, it's alright, I deserve it."

"Let's just forget about it, Haymitch. Never speak of it again. What matters is now, right? I'm alive and well, and I have Emmanuel to think about."

Haymitch clenched his jaw. It was tempting to do as she said, cast it aside and never speak of it again. But it wouldn't be right.

"You're right, you know. You do deserve to know. I'll tell you one day when the topic of war doesn't put you too much on edge. How about that?"

"It sounds good," she smiled at him. Effie looked worn out and tired, she had dark circles under her eyes and her skin was pale. Still, he thought she was pretty, simple and delicate, and he liked her looking natural like this. His hand moved to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

Effie blushed. When Haymitch realised what he was doing, what he had been thinking and worse, that he had been staring at her, he hastily pulled his hand back clearing his throat uncomfortably.

"I was thinking, maybe a change of scenery would be good for you," Haymitch said, laying out his idea carefully to Effie. "You could go somewhere, someplace away from the Capitol, you know? Take a break, let your mind rest and I think the timing's perfect, too. Emmanuel's having his school break in two days," he pointed out.

Effie bit her inner cheek as she thought over what he said.

"Is this your way of washing your hands off us, so that you could return to Twelve?" she asked timidly.

"What? No – no, that's not what I meant at all," Haymitch assured her.

He noticed how Effie tended to be more suspicious ever since the war. The Effie he was used to was slightly more naïve - the world was her playground, safe in the belief that nothing could harm her. She had changed, they all had.

"I mean, just spend time with your nephew. I think the Capitol holds too much negative memories for you like it did for me."

She nodded her affirmation. Her eyes glazed over as a memory played itself in her head. "Did you know that there are prisons in the training centre? It's underground, some sort of bunker and prohibited to escorts and mentors. I only found out because…"

"I know, Effie. I got you out from that place. You remember?"

"Yes. I don't like passing by that area anymore." Effie blinked and the haze in her eyes dissipated. "We watched too many children die at the training centre, didn't we, Haymitch?"

His hand found hers and he held on to it, feeling the slight tremble in her hand. He remembered all the time her fingers crept up to curl around his hand as they sat together at the plush sofa in the Penthouse watching one of their tributes lose their life in the arena.

"Listen, Eff, about what I told you – "

"That I should leave the Capitol?"

"Leave? No, I mean take a break. Get away for a while and then you can come back."

"Okay," she nodded, warming up to the idea. "But where should I go?"

"You said you wanted to visit Katniss and Peeta, you could do that. You could go to Three and visit Plutarch, or Four to see Annie and her kid. See for yourself how Panem had developed, that kind of thing. I don't know, it's a free country now."

"I like the sound of that. I could bring Emmanuel with me, he would like it, too. See places he has never seen before."

"Yeah, that's the idea. But first, let's see if we can get you out of this place," Haymitch grinned, patting her knee and pushing his chair back as he stood up to talk to the appropriate person in charge.

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In Chapter Eight, Haymitch & Effie encounter a slight problem.