Two chapters today again - as I mentioned yesterday, I'll be on break until Saturday now for academic-y stuff that I need to go to. Hopefully, I've ended this set of chapters on a sort-of cliffhanger ... hopefully. Haha!

Thank you guys, and I know I always say this but I have to because I mean it sincerely, for all your reads and reviews. Your support keeps me going!

The train was rather eerie at night. Everything was going to schedule - there hadn't been a hiccup even. Haymitch was ready to board the train dressed decently. And Effie passed word to him when she could that Cinna wanted to speak with him. Effie didn't like how Haymitch seemed to expect this.

She felt left out - as if there was more going on than she knew.

Wrapping her robe tighter around her body, Effie kept on passing by the cabins. She knew Haymitch was going to come to her - but now that she had this nagging suspicion there was something he wasn't telling her, she wasn't about to wait for that.

Without knocking, she opened the door to Haymitch's cabin. He had been finishing off a bottle of wine - searching for a corkscrew to open another. Effie pressed a finger to her lips. He acknowledged her quietly and went on his search.

"You think they're listening?" he asked in a low voice when Effie was finally close enough.

She nodded. He handed her an extra glass and filled it. "You know they are," she replied with a sip. "And what aren't you telling me?"

"Am I already in trouble with you?"

Effie shook her head. "Just don't keep things from me."

They were practically mouthing the words - keeping their voices as low as possible.

"Cinna should've just come straight to me."

"See. You are keeping something from me. What?"

Haymitch gently guided her to his bed - stealing a kiss when he could - a quiet one though. If there were people listening, they may know someone was in the room - sure - but they didn't have to know it was Effie.

And it was better they didn't know it was her.

Effie sat on the edge of his bed. Haymitch searched for the usual pen and paper that were always complimentary on the train. When he found them, he joined her and simply wrote:

"Uprisings."

Effie took the pad and wrote, "More?"

"Rumors."

"Of?"

"Things that need to be kept in the dark."

Effie gave him a look.

"For now," he whispered. "They'd expect me to be stupid. I imagine soon they'll start ganging up on Cinna. But you - you can move around them easier. And the less you know, the safer you are."

"But -"

"And the more that helps us."

Effie pulled the paper off the pad and shredded it, stuffing the waste in an empty bottle. Haymitch could tell by the way she moved, she still wasn't happy.

"Trust me," he muttered into her ear before kissing the skin just below it.

Effie took another sip of her wine.

"Come on …" Haymitch pushed aside the sheets, the heavy comforter.

The tense mood in the cabin shifted soon - keeping quiet became a sort of strange test that often ended with Haymitch having to cover Effie's mouth to hide her giggling. Just for a little while, they had forgotten their problems. Effie fell asleep comfortably for the first time in years, her body against Haymitch's and the room smelling of wine.

It was only a little while later that sleep was disturbed. A knock on the door. Effie felt a bit of fear rush through her, but Haymitch kept a straight face, opening the door just enough.

Effie could hear Katniss' voice. Haymitch left the cabin, sure to shut the door behind him.

Curious, Effie pushed herself up and sat against the headboard waiting for him to return. The room felt colder now. She grabbed the nightgown that Haymitch had somehow managed to pull off of her and slipped it back on before bringing the comforter up to her chin.

When Haymitch returned he shut the door and flicked on the light. He was wet.

"Fell in the snow," he muttered, starting to strip off the wet clothes.

Effie cocked her head to the side - waiting to hear more. But Haymitch said nothing until he was back in bed with her and the lights were out.

"Snow," he repeated - but he didn't mean what was outside.

Effie turned in his arms to face him.

"Threatened Katniss," he said. "He knows it's a game. He's watching. Closer than ever."

Effie felt that fear in her again. Even though she wasn't cold anymore, her body was shaking. Haymitch's fingers felt like ice when he pushed her hair from her face.

"They shouldn't have to … they …" Effie felt at a loss for words. Haymitch kissed her, told her to get back to sleep - she had to get out of his room soon enough, anyway, to start the day tomorrow. "We still have time," Effie said quietly. "Let's not waste it."

Haymitch had to hand it to Effie sometimes - when it came to schedules, she knew how to keep one. Even if she made it up earlier that morning, she budgeted just enough of her time to slip back to her room and cake on the usual Capitol garb that was starting to make her look almost unrecognizable to Haymitch. It was when she smiled he could see his Effie, the one under all that crap.

"Katniss seems a little jumpy today," Effie said, returning from breakfast after making sure Katniss and Peeta were safely in the hands of their prep teams for the arrival in District Eleven.

"Well, who can fucking blame her, princess?"

Effie shook her head and fixed Haymitch's collar - it was stuck under the vest he was buttoning up. "I'm merely pointing it out."

"I think by now she's used to my ways. I don't think you have to warn me about jumping down her throat."

"I only do it -"

"Because you care. I know. No one upset. I get it." He kissed her. "You look ridiculous today."

"Don't tell Cinna, then. He designed this."

"To look obnoxious?"

"To look Effie Trinket, you idiot. Now, lunch is in ten minutes. Are you still hungover?"

"Yeah - how come you aren't? We split that bottle."

"But that's all I drank. And I hold my wine better than you. Nurse it over lunch."