Warning: These one-shots feature heavy subjects, including alcoholism, drug abuse, and torture... so far. Now adding: depression, cheating, heartbreak and underage. I'll add more as the story wears on, just in case.

Disclaimer: Credit goes to HannahSongla for the story idea. Please go check out her Hayniss story similar to this - Sweetheart. Credit goes to Suzanne Collins for the verse and the characters. I don't really own anything but the text of these one-shots. And no, that doesn't mean the song lyrics or the playlist. Enjoy c:

AN: In Not About Angels, Hope is a product of something right before Katniss' Games - she goes to Haymitch in desperation for comfort and one thing leads into another, meaning she's pregnant during her Games and she gives birth after the Victory Tour. Making Hope 2-years when the rebellion is won. In this verse, Hope is a product of something started the night of the Quell announcement - where instead of discussing futures and such, Katniss and Haymitch get smashed and well, you know. Except, they repeat it often. Hope isn't actually created until three weeks before the reaping (which was the last one's verse) and she's born two weeks after Haymitch is rescued from Snow. Sorry if it's all very confusing.

Song: This Love by Taylor Swift

This Love

In silent screams
In wildest dreams
I never dreamed of this

Haymitch took a shallow breath in before exhaling, counting in his head to five hundred by fives and attempting to stop his heart from beating so quickly. When he was little, his mother used to count to five hundred by fives too soothe him, her voice calming him and occasionally putting him to sleep. It was to keep him leveled, to keep his temper problem in check and not have him blow a top. Now he must soothe himself, he must ground himself so that he doesn't go drifting off into the shrieking silence that threatens to envelope him every waking minute of his life. Today of all days, he must fight whatever demons that threaten to brew inside of his head. Today he must cast aside his troubles and worries and focus on the now and whatever is here.

"Push, Miss Everdeen!" One of the District 13 doctors instruct, calmly yet firmly. His voice brings the older man out of his haze, focuses his vision and helps him come back. Haymitch can feel the pain in his hand tighten as the woman holding onto him groans loudly and attempts to push out the life living inside of her. Fighting the tears in his eyes as the intensity and purity of the moment fully hits him, he presses a kiss to her forehead and gives her hand a small squeeze. She doesn't acknowledge him, but at least she knows he's there for her, and that he will always be there.

The nurses instruct Katniss to push again, calling out that she's crowning - whatever that means. Haymitch crouches next to Katniss' ear, whispering words of encouragement and love into her ear, making sure she knows that she's almost there and that she's doing great. That she knows he's here, and she's not alone in this. Maybe it's the excited 'ooh's' from the nurses, or maybe it really is his words, but she pushes with renewed strength. Katniss screams in pain, cursing flying from her mouth at rapid speed - things that make her mother blush and go back to guiding her daughter through birth. Amongst those curses, he hears his name multiple times. At some point, she even bellows that he's never touching her again, how she's never letting him knock her up like this ever again. He chuckles drily, knowing that the promise is empty.

It takes another long and painful hour of pushing, of cursing and screaming and frantic hurrying around, before the shrieking wails of their newborn baby fill the room. There's is a hush amongst everyone - nothing but the sounds of their child crying - before loud cacophony of cheers and congratulations from the nurses - "It's a baby girl!" - burst and penetrate it. Not that Haymitch can't hear any of it. All he can hear is the hushed 'I love you's' from Katniss, and those precious sounds of life from his daughter and his heavy breathing. He can feel, he can hear nothing else but that. It seems as if his weeks of torture inflicted by Snow, months of physical strain on his body and years worth of mental damage seem to wash away in that moment.

It's barely moments later when they place their baby in Katniss' arms, and Katniss shifts on the bed so that he can sit next to her and see their child. Fresh olive skin - not a single scar or blemish in sight. She's small - five pounds and eight ounces, mostly because she was premature - but beautiful all the same. Haymitch's slate colored eyes peer up at them, and his heart swells.

"She has your eyes," Katniss says aloud. "and she has her mommy's nose... oh god, she's beautiful, Haymitch."

"I knew she would be - she's just like her mother. I'm going to have to beat people off her with a stick," he teases. Katniss smiles at him, a tired and small thing, yet one filled with love and happiness. For once in his life, Haymitch feels like he's done something right. A strange new feeling, a feeling that he's never felt before, one that makes his heart jump and lurch in his chest. It takes a moment for him to recognize it as pride.

"I have the perfect name," he says, allowing their baby to grasp onto one of his fingers. Katniss looks up at him, curiosity filled in her eyes. It takes a moment for him to speak around the sudden lump in his throat. "How about Hope? I mean, it's cheesy but I think it's perfect, especially since it took a lot of hoping and praying that-"

"I love it," Katniss says, hushing him with a kiss. "I love it. Hope Abernathy, no middle name. I think that's perfect."

"Just like her."

This love is good
This love is bad
This love is alive
Back from the dead