Hey there, everyone! :) Well, this is chapter 37, and my story has over 10. 000 views now, whew! I want to thank every single one of you for reading, reviewing, following and/or favouring my fanfiction. You totally make my days!

This time I tried a new layout, with more space and so on, because TheGirlWhoWasOnFire21 gave me the hint that my story is very difficult to read. Well, I hope it's better now!

Oh, and: This story has been written for [very] young readers, so... I can't give you more in this chapter.

Thanks and XOXO, Sarah

Haymitch was a fast learner. After the real dressing down Effie had given him, he had realised life was far easier when he played the game the way she wanted him to. Meaning that he stopped hiding her make-up and telling her cock-and-bull stories about his geese, accepting that she dressed and behaved as she always did. While Effie tried to not annoy the shit out of him. It worked pretty well.

But what was bad about this deal was that she didn't allow him to drink. She had taken away his liquor and hidden it, maybe as a kind of revenge for the make-up thing, and now he couldn't find it anymore. It was nowhere- neither in the kitchen nor in the living-room or in the bedrooms. He had even had a look at the geese shelter, but -of course- he had found nothing. He thought about Effie while his whole body shook uncontrollably, about what she had done with his alcohol -had she just thrown it away?- and he wondered if she knew what the cold turkey did to him, anyway. One day, when Effie was taking a small afternoon nap, he sneaked into the bathroom and searched for his precious bottles. They were here, they had to be here.

It was good that life in the Capitol was so exhausting, because it meant that Effie was all sleepy and weary while she stayed with Haymitch. She seemed to see her stay in District 12 as some kind of vacation, and there was really not much to do down here.
Haymitch could truly understand her. And Effie being sleepy meant he had enough time to search for his liquor.

He rummaged around in the clothes basket and the small bathroom cabinet, but he found nothing. Where had this damn woman hidden his Whiskey? His Gin? His good old Scotch? He felt anger and fury overcome him, and then panic. Because he heard her footsteps, and they came closer and closer. Effie was awake. She would enter the room and she would immediately catch what he was searching for, and he really didn't want this. But instead of standing his ground and facing her, he hid behind a steel towel rack next to the door. Why the hell had he done that? Haymitch blamed it on the lack of alcohol and the poor condition he was in.

But he knew it was too late to quit his stash when Effie stepped in and closed the door behind her. She yawned and watched her mirror image, then she reached for a hairbrush and began to crew out her rumpled blond hair. Haymitch tried to mentally influence her, to send secret messages to her subconsciousness to convince her she had to leave the bathroom right now, but it didn't work. No, it really didn't. Because instead of leaving, she started to unbutton her dress. She slipped out of the sky blue fabric and neatly hung it up on a wooden clothes hanger. Haymitch felt like a peeper when he watched her removing her navy blue lace underwear, but unfortunately there was no way to get out of this room without being skinned alive, so the only thing he could do was to lean back and enjoy the show. Oh, and it was a good show.

Finally, Effie stepped into the shower and a few seconds later, Haymitch heard the sound of running water. And the National Anthem of Panem, because Effie hummed it constantly while soaping her body -Haymitch tried to keep himself from picturing it in detail, the situation was already embarrassing enough for both of them- and shampooing her hair. He thought about slipping out of the room while she was washing herself, but he was sure she would notice it.

When she had eventually finished, the room was full of water vapour, because Effie liked it hot. It was when she stepped closer to Haymitch's towel rack that he realised she would detect him as soon as she would reach for one of the cloths to dry herself. He was right. And so it happened that she took exactly the one towel that covered his face and looked squarely into his guilty grey eyes that had already seen too much.

The expression on her face changed rapidly. First of all: shock. Then: shame. And finally an indefinable something between hate and fury.
"Uhm... enjoyed your shower, sweetheart?", Haymitch asked and slapped on a big, hopefully amiable smile. And Effie wrapped the towel around herself, turned round on her heel and swept out of the room. Haymitch swallowed, left the small space behind the rag and followed her. He heard the door of her bedroom shut and ran square to it. She was surely too ashamed to talk to him now- at least he thought so. But when he opened the door, a furied shout rang out and something hard and heavy hit his forehead.

"Get out of this room!"

"Ouch!", he said and touched his head. He looked down and saw a single man's shoe lying on the floor. "Why are you pelting me with shoes?"

"I wanted to give them to you as a present!", she hissed. "Because you have not one decent pair of shoes. But you don't deserve them, Haymitch, not if you are spying on me while I'm taking my shower!"

"Keep calm, sweetie, I didn't want to-"

"Oh, just because I kissed you you think you can presume to watch me when I'm all naked, right?"

"That's what adults do, darling, watching each other na-"

The second shoe hit his head, this time with more vigour.

"That hurt!", he uttered indignantly and felt a thin stream of blood trickling out of the small wound above his left eyebrow. "What's wrong with you, Effie Trinket? Throwing things is not very polite, my dear child!"

"Do you know what actually isn't polite, Haymitch?", she asked, cocking her head and glancing at him with angry eyes.

"Peeping people when they're naked?", he asked, ready to take shelter.

"Exactly. But as it seems it's that what adults do, watching each other naked, then why don't you show me what you have to offer?"

She smiled waspishly and pointed at his shirt.

"What about beginning with these buttons, Haymitch? Come on, just undo them and let me watch you while you don't wear any clothes, let's see if this also amuses you."

He stared at her, trying to find out if she meant it. But eventually he shrugged and unbuttoned his shirt. The puzzled look on her face told him she would have never expected him to obey, and it was worth a mint. He doffed the shirt, rumpled it and threw it on the floor. There had been many times people had seen him bare, days when he had been too slaughtered to even open his eyes, days when he had had to be washed and clothed by some poor Avoxes, or – and it was really nothing to be proud of – by Peeta, who had so often taken care of him. But it was quite another matter to be observed by Effie's blue half-shocked,half-curious eyes.

"So what?", he asked impatiently and opened his arms. "Not good enough for Miss Effie, huh?"

She stepped closer, hugging the towel to herself and cocking her head.

"What's that?", she asked, and her warm, still wet fingertips carefully touched the white scar that ran across his belly.

"That's my token from the Games", he told her. "My keepsake. Marks me as a victor, you know?"

He could tell by the look in her eyes that she had understood.

"The girl", she said. "The one that hurt you. Your very last enemy, the one with the missing eye, right?"

He nodded.

"Yes. You saw my Games. Was a very ugly wound, huh?"

"Why have you kept the scar? You could have let them remove it."

"I just wanted to keep it. That's all. What about your feet?"

He could feel that she wanted to back away from him, that she didn't want to talk about it, but he grasped her shoulders and forced her to look him in the eyes.

"The Capitol tortured you, princess. And you left the scars on your skin. Oh, not every scar, of course. But those on your feet. Because you don't want to forget."

She shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes.

"It was too expensive", she muttered, but he just laughed at it.

"You have enough money, darling. No. No, we both know the truth. Admit it, Effie. You're not as brainwashed anymore as they always wanted you to be."

"Leave me alone!", she whispered and tried to free herself, but Haymitch only wrapped his arms around her and pressed her against his half-naked body. Under all those tears and weak attempts to push him away from her, he could feel her excitement.

"Oh, and Effie?", he said, ignoring her constant nervous babbling. "I know about the ones on your neck."

He could see them, tiny white scars right below her hairline. She probably didn't know that her wig did not cover them very well.

"I don't want to talk about this matter now", Effie said and somehow made it to slip out of his embrace. "And might you leave me alone for a few seconds?"

He eyed her suspiciously.

"Why?"

"I just want to put some clothes on, it's impossible to talk to you like this. Oh, and please take this shirt and cover yourself."

Nope. This time he would get from her what he wanted.

„No."

Effie perked her eyebrows up and looked at him.

"Excuse me?", she said.

"No!", Haymitch repeated and folded his arms. "I'm not going to put on that shirt, and you, sweetheart-", he stepped closer, "I like it when you're wearing towels, and you have nothing to hide from me, remember?"

"Oh, I forgot that my body belongs to you now that you have seen me naked while you were hiding behind a towel rack", she responded snappishly and yet backed away from him. Somehow the whole situation scared her, she had never ever been half-naked in bedroom with Haymitch before, and she really didn't know if she liked it. He looked strong despite everything the alcohol had done to him, and the very sight of his bare skin made her nervous.

Effie shied away from him, but he followed her, step by step, until her back touched the wall.

"You can't always escape, Effie", he said, then he stroked her wet hair and kissed her. Effie liked his smell, the softness of his lips, and she caressed his neck with one single, trembling finger. She could tell by the touch of his strong, demanding hands that pressed her against the wall that he enjoyed the kiss as much as she did, and she slowly released the towel. It fell to the ground and after a few, delicious seconds during which she felt the kisses Haymitch planted on her neck sending little frissons of pleasure through her aroused body she realised in shock that she was all naked, and she pushed him away from her.

"What are we doing, Haymitch?", she whispered and ignored his lustful gaze. She wanted to reach for the towel, but Haymitch grasped her wrists and smiled at her.

"Whatever adults do."

Effie couldn't help laughing when she saw the seductive look he gave her, and she wiped the beads of blood away that left the small wound on his forehead.

"Poor darling", she muttered, and she could see that he was pleased by this term of endearment.

"I'm not poor at all."

And he kissed her fingertips that were now covered with his blood, gave her a fireman's lift and put her to bed.

"I know that you are missing the Capitol."

Effie looked up, surprised and puzzled.

"Why do you think so?"

Haymitch just stared at her, and she sighed.

"You are right. I am homesick, of course I am. But who could blame me for it?"

She smiled apologetically and patted his hand.

"I mean, certainly, District 12 is very lovely, although there is a lot to improve, but … you just can't compare it to the Capitol. I have nothing to do down here, and somehow... I have the feeling that I have to go back soon, Haymitch, we don't want everything going out of the window, do we?"

"Yeah, Effie, the Capitol can't exist without you, sure."

Effie shook her head and closed the book she had been reading.

"That's not it, precious, just look at us! We're sitting on this meadow again, reading books or-"

She noticed what Haymitch did in the very moment and pursed her lips.

"-or bothering caterpillars. Stop that now!"

She whipped the grass stalk out of his hand and examined the small green animal that was sitting on a flower in front of him.

"I didn't bother it, I just poked it, caterpillars enjoy that!", he explained patiently, and Effie shook her head.

"No, actually they don't. Haymitch, do you think this is the life I want to lead? Sitting on the grass, watching you annoying insects and going home at evening to eat bread and beef jerky?"

"Hey, we're not married, you can lead the life you want to lead, so go ahead!"

Effie watched him slouching on the picnic rug and closed her eyes. He was not a very classy company, and she needed her home and everything it offered her. She missed it so much.

But she would miss Haymitch, too.

She opened her eyes again and took him by the hand.

"You could come with me, you know?", she asked and smiled at him. "I would be so glad about it."

But Haymitch only shook his head.

"I like being with you, but... I just need a pause, you know? Too much Capitol at once is not good for me."

She nodded and failed to hide her disappointment.

"I can understand that."

Haymitch laughed and tried to take her wig away.

"No, you don't."

She struck at his hand and touched her green locks to make sure everything was in place.

"Of course I do. Maybe I do understand more than you think."

"Alright, sweetheart. If you say so."

He sighed and watched the caterpillar crawling around on the yellow petals.

"When will you leave, then?"

Effie hesitated.

"Goodbye, darling."

They kissed one last time, then Effie rushed in the train because the doors began to shut.

"I will call you!", she promised, although she knew he couldn't hear her. He looked so very lost and lonely without her, the only sight of it saddened her. But there was no reason to be heavy-hearted, and both of them knew that. Because, yes, it was a farewell, but they would see each other again. Soon.

She blew some kisses at him, then the train got under way and District 12's rail station disappeared on the horizon. Effie returned home.