Here's the part two and there's a lot of things going on here.

Chapter 10
Part Two

When he came to, Peeta was curled in a ball at a corner of the room. With a loud groan, Haymitch pushed himself up. Peeta's eyes tracked his movements before he looked away, wary and afraid.

"You might have a concussion," Annie told him. "I – I won't be able to tell until you're awake."

"I think I'm fine," Haymitch mumbled.

He gratefully accepted the glass of water Annie handed him and was careful to make sure he only had a few sips so that there would still be enough for everyone.

The back of his head was tender to the touch. Just when he thought he was slowly recovering from having his head slammed into the wall by Fox, he now had to deal with this. Frankly, he thought, if he didn't have a concussion from the repeated trauma, it would be a miracle.

His gaze fell on the new bottle of whiskey that had been delivered into their holding room. The bottles from the previous days were under the bed, not all of them empty but certainly had been opened and drank by him at some point.

Annie who saw what was holding his attention, pleaded like she had before, "Don't drink it, Haymitch."

"Hmmm," he grunted non-committedly. He scanned the room and that was when he noticed the lack of biting remarks and sarcasm. "Where's Johanna?"

"They took her." It was Peeta who answered. "They took her. Fox…"

Haymitch's immediate reaction was to turn his head towards the room where Fox had done his work on Peeta but it was empty and his stomach churned at the thought of Johanna being back at the Training Centre, electrocuted repeatedly for answers.

"When was this?"

"A few hours ago," said Annie.

"You could have stopped me earlier," Peeta voiced out suddenly with an edge to his voice. "You didn't stop me. I – I don't know… I don't know what's gotten into me. I didn't mean to – What's wrong with me? What's wrong with me, Haymitch?"

Peeta sounded so small like a lost child and he looked like it with his arms wrapped around his knees, rocking back and forth.

"I don't know," Haymitch told him truthfully. He got up from the bed and made his way over to Peeta where he settled down next to him. "They did somethin' to you. That's obvious. You know it, I know it. We just don't know what exactly it is but it messed up you in some ways."

"Yeah," he agreed. "I – I don't feel right."

"Tell us about yourself," Annie added helpfully. "You can talk to us."

Haymitch nodded in agreement, "go on. Tell us something."

"Talk about what? I don't know -"

"Tell me your name for starters," Haymitch shrugged. "That's got to be an easy enough start."

There was a long pause as Peeta thought it over.

"My name is Peeta Mellark," he began slowly. "That's Annie Cresta and you're Haymitch Abernathy. We're in…" he glanced around. "We're in the Capitol. My home – I live in District Twelve but there is no District Twelve now."

Peeta looked up for confirmation.

"Fire-bombed, yeah."

Flashes of Twelve burning broke into the forefront of Haymitch's mind and his hands shook. He reached out blindly to his right until his hand closed around the neck of the bottle and he took a swig, forcing his body to relax.

"I was a tribute in the 74th Games and during the Third Quarter Quell where I was with… I was with Finnick, Johanna and Katniss. Katniss was there… Midnight," he gasped suddenly. "See you at midnight. She never came back and then – What happened to your fingers?"

Haymitch frowned at the abrupt change of topic. Peeta must have noticed the awkward way he was holding on to the bottle.

"Can't feel my fingers much," Haymitch muttered.

"Did I do that?"

"You didn't. It was Fox. He needed somethin' from - "

Speak of the devil, Haymitch scowled as Fox slammed the door open.

He had Johanna propped up and was dragging her limp body into the room. When he released her, Johanna crumpled unceremoniously on the floor like a rag doll. They all stared at Johanna, bald and bruised, and once again completely drenched.

"Shaved off her hair," Fox explained casually. "The smell was starting to get to me. Your turn Peeta, come on. Haymitch has been talking to you, hasn't he? And that's not good. He's interfering with our work trying to reconstruct your old memories like that. Oh," Fox added with a high note, "got some people you might know."

That was when Haymitch and Peeta both noticed Darius standing next to a female Avox. When Katniss and Peeta first arrived at the Penthouse, they had said her name was Madge which Haymitch knew not to be true.

"What do you need with them?" Haymitch asked once he recognised them.

"Peeta's new cell mates. Say goodbye to your friends now, Peeta, you won't be seeing them anytime soon."

XxX

The room where they worked on Peeta before remained empty but Haymitch figured he was nearby the area because they became very familiar with his screams, day after day, and night after night.

Annie asked repeatedly what was happening but Haymitch had no answer for her. Johanna's condition was slowly deteriorating as Peeta's had, and he was helpless to do anything about it. Haymitch saw the way the muscles on her calf contracted involuntarily, an effect of the multiple electro shocks. She had been on the bed for hours now. Neither Annie nor Haymitch trusted her to walk without collapsing.

"They've got to do something in Thirteen by now," Haymitch muttered.

"They backed out, chickened out probably – District Thirteen," Johanna said. "Or we're worth nothing to them anymore."

It was late at night - it had to be because Annie and Johanna were both asleep - and he had volunteered to take watch if only because it meant he could have a drink or two without them looking when Philo came for him.

Haymitch went quietly without a fight, glancing back one last time at Johanna's and Annie's sleeping forms.

"You're her mentor," Fox snarled into his face. "She trusted you so there must be something you know that you're not telling us."

"Katniss doesn't know anythin'. We agreed not to let her or Peeta in on the plan, not with Snow watching."

"So you're telling me that she had no idea she was to be what they're all calling the Mockingjay? That she was supposed to fight a 'rebellion'? I find that difficult to believe."

Haymitch shrugged. "She had no idea what she did when she raised those berries during the 74th Games. She had no idea what she started. We saw the potential she has, we seized it. She's different – that girl. She's the fire we needed but she doesn't know the effect she has on people. She only wanted to safe her sister. That's all."

Fox sneered. "What else then?"

"Snow ain't happy, is he? Told her to do everything she can to shut the districts up. She did. That girl played along. Peeta went along when he knew. Got fucking engaged just to please everyone, didn't they? It wasn't enough. The Quarter Quell happened then to teach us all a lesson. We ain't stupid. We know what the Quell was all about. Katniss still knew nothing. Might have suspected somethin' was wrong at some point but I said nothin' to her. Nothing about Thirteen. She only wanted to save the boy. You kill him, you'll turn her even more against you," he added, an attempt at trying to keep Peeta alive for as long as he could.

"She's already against us from the start. In fact, she was in District Eight this afternoon. Took down two of our fighter planes herself. Made a grand speech about it too, calling for everyone in Panem to stand together, threatening the Capitol. Your girl's fighting back, Haymitch, and you must know this was going to happen. YOU MUST KNOW!"

Fox's loss of control at the end had no effect on Haymitch. His mind had latched on to the fact that Katniss was in District Eight. It wasn't part of the plan. Katniss wasn't supposed be in any of the districts. Her safety was important to the Rebellion. They would try to keep her safe and alive as much as possible. Everything she was supposed to do to help the cause was to be done underground in District Thirteen.

What was it Fox had said? Katniss made a rallying call. She went out to District Eight to rally the fighters. They had taken the propaganda acts out there.

His face betrayed nothing.

Whatever and however the propos were done, it was happening. Thirteen was delivering what they promised they would do.

XxX

The next time that Haymitch saw Peeta, it was from a hologram in his interrogation room. Fox had allowed him to watch the interview which he said was done in the Presidential Mansion and Annie was there too with Peeta, for encouragement.

Peeta looked even worse than before. Wearing a black suit, he looked thin and sickly. His fingers were idling on a white rose as he spoke to Caesar Flickerman. When Peeta began to address Katniss, imploring her to think about the people she was working with and if they could be trusted, Haymitch pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

If they were ever rescued, if they ever made it to District Thirteen, he was worried of how Thirteen and President Coin would view Peeta or worse still, he wasn't sure if any rescue would be attempted now when Peeta had publicly questioned them.

Peeta wasn't the only person the Capitol targeted after Katniss appeared in District Eight with her propos. Johanna bore the brunt, too.

District Seven fell into rebel control soon after. Johanna was tortured for hours, accused of masterminding the rebel's attack in District Seven before she was reaped. Haymitch feared for her life.

Physically, she was nothing like the girl he knew. The gown hung off her frames, her ribcage jutted out from the thin cloth and she wasn't taking in any food. She couldn't. She threw up even if they tried to give her water.

She requested and demanded for his alcohol to stop the pain but he flatly refused. He didn't think it was wise to give it to her. She accused him of being selfish for wanting to keep it all to himself.

Being imprisoned and tortured was slowly getting to each of them. Their argument lately was vicious and brutal, and Annie was screaming her head off, caught in the middle of both Johanna and Haymitch.

The Capitol was not oblivious to this and Fox made use of it.

"You know what you're doing here, don't you? You must know," Fox said during one of Haymitch's many interrogations.

Haymitch said nothing. He hasn't been speaking for days now. His silence had driven Fox up the wall which gave Haymitch immeasurable satisfaction even if it means he was battered and bruised.

He continued staring at the palm of his hands, picking off dead skin and rubbing the dirt while ignoring the question entirely.

"I'll make a bargain with you. You tell me what's going, the plan and people's role in it – Johanna, Peeta, Katniss and Plutarch Heavensbee - and I'll see about getting you out of here."

Haymitch blinked, surprised by the turn of events. He wondered if Johanna had been offered the same. Fox saw that he had his attention and went on trying to win him over.

"You don't want to spend the rest of your days, the rest of your life here. You want to get out, don't you? You want to be free. You don't want to be in this war. You don't want to choose sides. You want out. Drink as much as you like without worrying when I'm going to put a stop to it, meet some woman and maybe settle down, have kids. I can give that to you. I can talk to the President about it if you cooperate with me. Think about it, Haymitch. Think about what you're sacrificing by being quiet, what you're giving up and what you can get by working with me. I want you to really think about it."

Haymitch did. He sat on the chair for a long time just thinking.

He wasn't stupid. If the Rebellion failed, the Capitol would kill him before they let him walk free. To President Snow, he was too dangerous to be allowed to live.

If the rebels won and that was a big if to him, he might be dead before they get to him. The circumstances were leading to him not having a very high survival rate from all the beatings his old body was forced to endure.

He might still have a chance now if he were to accept Fox's offer. He was sure the Capitol intended to use him to show Panem of another cooperative Victor. He had refused to let the Capitol use him once so was he going to stoop that low just because he was imprisoned, tortured, starved and made to watch his friends suffer?

Take it, a voice whispered. You'll live. You can't do this anymore. You can't watch Peeta and Johanna and Annie suffer. Take it and get out.

Haymitch gritted his teeth and pinched the flesh of his palm so hard he left nail marks on it. He couldn't do that to any of his kids. He couldn't abandon them just like that and Effie…

What would Effie say? She was in Thirteen with Katniss and if she was doing what he intended her to do, then she was there looking out for Katniss. He was supposed to look out for Peeta. She would expect the same from him. She would despise him. He can't live with that.

He was stronger than this. The Capitol could take everything from him but he still had his honour and his dignity, and Katniss was fighting back. She was fighting back. He shouldn't give up his fight.

"Go fuck yourself," Haymitch muttered.

He didn't expect to be shot. Haymitch recoiled from the force of the bullet entering his shoulder.

"I'm not giving up on you, Haymitch," Fox chuckled, slipping his gun back into the holster. "You think about it, like I said. If you don't want to cooperate, it'll be a bullet to your head the next time, but for now… Well, maybe being in withdrawal will give you some motivation. Cut off his supply," he barked at one of his subordinates.

They still wouldn't let him die from the withdrawal, it would seem. He didn't know if that was a good thing or not. They would make sure he suffered until he caved in.

"They're starting it?" Johanna asked when their single tray of food was delivered without any bottle of whiskey to go along. "Cutting you off?"

"Yeah," Haymitch nodded.

He tried not to move so much because his shoulder was aching beyond belief. In fact, his entire body was in pain. He wasn't breathing right. He thought maybe he might have broken a rib or two from the kicking Philo had given him the day before.

Annie sat next to him. She couldn't lean against him or rest her head on his shoulder so she just sat next to him, humming under her breath when they were suddenly plunged into complete darkness.

"Power's been cut off!" they heard a Peacekeeper yelled.

He saw Johanna's silhouette moving towards the door and he heard the knob turned.

"Thought I'd try," she muttered.

"We're completely cut off," they heard. "No power, no electricity!"

District 5 – Something must be going on in Five.

"You sure we can't make a run for it?" Haymitch pressed.

"The door isn't working. You want to try breaking that glass window?"

"Maybe they're coming for us," said Annie hopefully. "Maybe Finnick is here. Katniss, too. This is a distraction."

"I'd like nothing more than to believe you, Annie, but I ain't holding my breath," Haymitch said, pushing himself off.

He threw himself against the glass panel and crumpled from the pain. The gunshot wound radiated from his shoulder to his arm and chest, the throbbing pain from his sides intensified.

"Did it at least crack?" he wheezed.

"Don't know. I'll try," Johanna said and failed just like he did. "I wish I have my fucking axe!"

"You scream any louder and they'll come for us. Shut up, Johanna."

They were using the bed to try and break the glass window down when the lights came back on. Haymitch saw the small cracks and he thought, given a little bit more time, they would have succeeded.

Instead, they had Philo sneering down at them when he understood their plans. "That was pathetic," he laughed cruelly. "Peeta's at the Mansion, getting ready for another interview. President Snow sent his invitation to the three of you. Get up now."

The last thing Haymitch expected was to come face to face with President Snow. When the three of them was escorted into one of the many rooms in the mansion, Snow was sitting on a chair with his legs crossed in front of him. On the table before him was a spread of food, a feast. Snow gestured for the three of them to take their places.

"Don't do anything," Haymitch muttered out of the corner of his mouth to Johanna because he was trying to quell the urge to attack Snow himself.

He wanted very much to lunge across the table and stab the president with that butter knife lying at the tip of Snow's fingers but to do so would be suicide. There were too many Peacekeepers for him to not get shot.

"Join me – make yourself comfortable. Have something to eat," Snow gave a crooked smile, "or drink."

Driven by the sudden extreme thirst to have alcohol in his system, Haymitch's feet led him forward. He reached out for the wine but Johanna pulled his hand away.

"Don't," Johanna stopped him, glaring at Snow. "It could be poisoned. You - "

"President Snow," Caesar interrupted, "we're ready."

Peeta looked ill at ease behind the camera. His eyes flickered from the screen to them sitting with President Snow surrounded by Peacekeepers and he recognised the threat.

"Peeta, the people of Panem deserves to know of the attacks and the reports we've been receiving from Peacekeepers fighting bravely to keep the peace in the districts," Caesar began. "Tell us a little about it."

Peeta's physical transformation was so drastic there was no way people in District Thirteen could miss it. It was good, in a way, that Peeta was appearing on television because it would give Thirteen a chance to see how different he was from the first time he gave an interview as compared to now, and Haymitch hope they were smart enough to know that Peeta had been coerced and send in a rescue.

"… of the savage attack on the hydroelectric dam… in District Five. I'm begging for restrain and decency – "

"… strung up a man, they said who murdered three."

Haymitch wasn't expecting that. Nobody was expecting that. His chair scraped noisily as he stood up shocked to see scenes of Katniss in the ruins of District Twelve interspersed with Peeta's interview. Peeta himself had lost his focus, distracted by the thought of Katniss watching his interview.

Haymitch understood what it meant. Somewhere in District Thirteen, Beetee was interrupting the Capitol's broadcast just as they had talked about before. They had planned this and Thirteen was seeing it through.

"Katniss, are you there?" Peeta breathed, hopeful.

Caesar called his attention back, trying to control the Capitol's broadcast once more.

"… the dead man called out for his love to flee."

Peeta's eyes widened and he leaned closer to the camera as if he could reach out and touch Katniss. Haymitch took a step forward but a Peacekeeper pushed down on his injured shoulder, forcing him to his seat.

Peeta ignored everything else. His entire focus was on the camera pointing at him. He stared into it and when he spoke, it was clear he was addressing Katniss without anyone prompting him.

"No one can survive this. No one is safe now, not here in the Capitol, not in any of the districts," Peeta said and then his face hardened. "They're coming, Katniss," he told her as the Peacekeepers rushed forward, "and in District Thirteen, you'll be dead by morning!"

The cameras cut.

Peeta fell to the floor, taking blows after blows. Johanna was quick to grab the butter knife Haymitch saw on the table earlier and stabbed it on the hand of the Peacekeeper holding her down.

"What the fuck does he mean?" she screamed.

"That's a warning," Haymitch said, recognising it for what it was even as he was slammed to the ground when he tried to get to Peeta. "He's warning Thirteen."

"They're going to kill everyone," Peeta was screaming. "They're going to kill everyone in Thirteen, Haymitch! Everyone will be dead! Bombed and buried! Everyone will die!"

Effie, he gasped, trying to fight his captors off. Effie.

So let me know what you think by leaving a review? Can you feel Haymitch's despair throughout the chapter? His desperation? His worry for Effie now in Thirteen? I hope you liked part two :)