A/N: See Seneca does have a sweet side…when he wants to show it.
Ch. 7 (SC POV)
Well this is going to be interesting to say in the least. I didn't think Snow would get involved in all of this so early. I figured he would give us a few days to get this all figured out before he made it this big public thing. The lights went up and Caesar turned to look at me with his big cheery smile. "How are you tonight?' He asked and for some reason his attempt at small talk was starting to grate on my nerves.
"Why don't we just skip the pleasantries and you ask your questions?' His face fell and he took a moment to compose himself before the smile was right back on.
"Right to the point. Who's the girl?" He asked and I saw the picture of Aven and I at the café.
"A friend of mine, is that all you wanted to know?" I heard chuckles and Caesar shook his head and smiled.
"Seems as if she's more than a friend." He was luring me, he wanted me to say it first.
"Perhaps, now why don't you ask the questions you really want to ask." I said crossing my leg and wrapping my arms around it.
"Rumor has it a lucky lady has captured your heart." I nodded and gave a small smile.
"So she has."
"And would this lucky lady be her?" He asked and I knew there was no way I could turn this around on him.
"Yes, she is." I said and I heard several awwsss coming from the seats in front of us.
"This doesn't look like Chara." I stiffened and so did everyone else when her name was mentioned.
"No, someone else." I said planting a fake smile on my face, but the hatred was still evident in my eyes.
"She's not a Capitol woman though is she Seneca?" He asked touching my hand and I jerked it away.
"Why would you assume that?" He just laughed and so did everyone else.
"While she is beautiful she bears no marking of the Capitol." He said and I had to gave the man credit for doing his homework.
"You guessed right, she's not Capitol. She's from the districts." I said and some gasped while others just made noises of disgust.
"Forgive me, but Gamemakers have no reason to travel outside the Capitol do they?"
"No, she was in the Capitol for a short time. We exchanged letters and phone calls. She came back and well…here we are." I said and Caesar's smile was back on his face.
"And how long was this?" I shifted in my seat, let's see she's 20, which would have made her legal about 4 years ago.
"Almost 4 years." His eyebrows shot up with a look of surprise.
"Awful young isn't she? How old is she?" I waited the accusations I knew were bound to come.
"20." I said and just like I thought there were several things yelled. He motioned for them to quiet down and they did.
"So she was barely legal when you started talking to her." I nodded and so did he.
"What was a district girl doing in the Capitol?" Damn, this was a tough one to lie my way out of.
"…Business. With her father." There that wasn't a complete lie.
"Mhmm so this is the girl you ended your ten year relationship with Chara Long for? A district girl?" I didn't like the way he said it, if I had it my way this interview would be over and he would be dangling for the ceiling by his tie.
"Chara and I had nothing in common aside from where we came from. She had nothing to do with it." I said.
"Much of Panem believed you and Chara in love. In fact they thought it would be Chara you married." He said raising an eyebrow in a challenging fashion.
"There was a time I loved Chara yes, but I don't love her." That may have sounded harsh but I really didn't like that they were focusing on her so much.
"But you love this girl with you?" He asked and I nodded with a smile on my face.
"Very, very much.' I said and again the aws were heard.
"And what is it you love about her?" He asked and my smile got larger.
"She's head strong, independent, strong willed, compassionate, caring, and there's this fire in her. No matter what she's going to fight you every step of the way." Caesar nodded.
"You know, so many people say they're in love, but you…you are." And it was like he finally believed me.
"I am, she means a lot." I said with a soft smile.
"I can tell, which district is she from?" Would this give her away?
"12, her father's rather…important." I said and whispers followed trying to figure out who it was.
"The Mayor's daughter?" I chuckled and shook my head no.
"No, much more important than him." I said, which left basically for her to be a peacekeeper's daughter or Haymitch's.
"Then her father is a peacekeeper." Again I shook my head no.
"Maybe I should just say her name." I said and several yeses were heard throughout the crowd. Caesar motioned for the crowd to be quiet.
"That'd be lovely, everyone's been in a fit trying to figure out who she is." I took a deep breath before letting it out.
"Aven Whitlock." It was still, no one dared to move, speak or even breathe. I just told all of Panem I was in love with, and marrying, Haymitch Abernathy's daughter. That the woman I loved was supposed to be the mentor for district 12, one of the youngest victor's alongside Finnick Odair.
"I'm sorry, did you just say Aven Whitlock. The district 12 mentor?" I nodded sliently.
"Yes."
"How could possibly have even met her, you weren't Head Gamemaker." I squirmed around in my chair, uncomfortable with him finding anyway he could to shoot this all to hell.
"Never underestimate someone who wants to see a person." There, that should work.
"So anyway you met Aven, and…you loved her?"
"I watched her in the games, her personality drew me in. That started the letters, phone calls and here we are."
"She would've been 14, you 26…you didn't see a problem with this?" People murmured and I knew this was about to get ugly fast.
"Things weren't like that, I was worried for her. Not trying to seduce her." Which earned a couple of laughs.
"So then it turned into something more?"
"Once she had reached the age of 16 yes." I really hoped she was paying attention because I had no doubt in my mind Caesar was going to want an interview with her as well.
"Why didn't you propose the past three years then when she's been here?"
"Her mental state was still a bit jumbled, I wanted to be there for her anyway I could. And back then it was the best friend." He nodded.
"So she came back, and then what happened?" Acting as if he were a girl waiting for a friend to tell all about her boyfriend.
"I asked her to marry me." Simple as that.
"Out of nowhere you just ask her to marry you?" His voice incredulous.
"I let her go for three years, it wasn't happening again." I said with finality in my tone.
"Noble, now here's a question on everyone's minds. Are you two going to have children?" Oh you have got to be kidding me. I ran my hands over my face trying to figure out what to say.
"It's never come up in conversations." Well it hadn't, I hadn't even really thought about it if I was being honest.
"6 years of talking to each other and it never came up?" He asked with an eyebrow raised.
"No, but I guess that's one we need to have now. Thank you for bringing it up." I grumbled and he patted my knee.
"I think that's all, thank you." He said shaking my hand and I shook his. Well this was going to be ackward going back to get her. I walked to the tribute housing and into 12's living room. Aven jumped up and ran into my arms while everyone else looked anywhere but us.
"Hello darling, you ready?" I asked and she nodded.
"Thanks for looking out for her." I called and they all nodded before I helped her into her coat. We walked in silence for a while before she asked.
"How'd the interview go?" My eyes shot up.
"Did you not watch?" she shook her head no and I gave a sigh of relief.
"I was going to, but dad said it'd probably be best not to." I nodded.
"Well he was right about one thing." I said jokingly and she rolled her eyes.
"Why? What happened?" She asked as I unlocked the door. We walked in and hung our coats up. I sighed and sat down on the couch leaning my head back and covering it with my hands. She sat down next to me and snuggled close. "Seneca?" She tried again.
"We need to talk." I said taking her hand in mine and rubbing my thumb in circles over it.
"Okayy about what?" She asked staring at me oddly. Well this was awkward.
"Children."
A/N: For those confused the majority of what he said in the interview was a lie. He can't just go out and say yeah she's marrying me because I'm keeping her tribute alive. He really did love her back then though.
