Effie let Haymitch deal with making the kids eat something before bed. She went into her room and thanked the Avox who watched her. Victoria was fast asleep. The Avox left her very detailed notes of how often she ate and when she was changed last. Effie kicked off her shoes and unpinned her hair. Haymitch sauntered into the room and smiled.
"They're both absolutely wrecked." He kissed her softly.
"They blew off steam, they'll be alright. No one's died from a hangover." Effie reminded and dropped her jewelry onto a little tray. The silver ring never left her thumb.
"Want help with the zipper?" Haymitch asked after shedding his jacket and loosening the tie.
"Yes, I need to shower."
Haymitch pushed her towards the bathroom and unzipped her dress. He nipped at her shoulders as she shivered and pressed buttons on the touch panel near the shower.
"What were you saying earlier about getting me home?" Effie smiled.
"Get in there and you'll find out." He laughed.
Effie hopped into the shower and went about washing her face and hair before Haymitch joined her. He kissed her hard and deftly picked her up. Effie curled her legs around his waist and enjoyed his deliberate kisses along her neck.
He ripped open a condom and braced her against the wall as he slid it on. "Steal those from the kids?" Effie teased.
"Your purse." He nipped at her lips and slid deep into her.
Effie gasped and tipped her head back. He thrust into her hard, his fingers digging into her hips. "You're mine." He breathed between breaths for air and feverish kisses.
Effie moaned quietly, "Yes, I'm yours." She knew he needed to hear it.
"Only mine. Forever." He whispered and kissed her hard.
Effie grasped his face as they kissed. Forever sounded lovely but now she doubted she'd have it.
"One day everyone will know you're Effie Abernathy. You'll never be someone else's." He breathed.
Effie smiled, "Say that name again." She scratched at his back so close to finishing. His jealousy and possessiveness was fueling her passion.
"Effie." He breathed, "Abernathy." He punctuated with hard kisses, whispering it over and over into her ear.
"Haymitch!" Effie cried out sharply and felt her body tense and coil.
Haymitch kissed her hard and finished moments after. Effie held tightly to him as he set her down and they soaked in the warm water. She rested her head against his chest when a crash alerted her and Victoria started wailing.
"What was that?" She shut the water off. Haymitch left first and grabbed a towel.
Effie wrung out her hair and found her silk robe. She grabbed Victoria and rocked her into being quiet. She heard muffled voices and laughter and decided to see what was going on. She found Haymitch still dripping wet handing two cups of water to the kids.
"I thought they went to bed?" Effie asked.
"They both passed out on the couch, decided to leave them there. Sunshine here wanted water and broke three glasses." He nodded at Katniss who waved sleepily.
"Why are you guys always wet?" Peeta asked and laughed at his own question.
"The birds and the bees like the shower." Katniss laughed.
Effie rolled her eyes, "It seems this is your area of expertise, I'll leave you to it."
She set Victoria in her crib and returned to the bathroom to use the quick hair drier. She dressed for bed and picked up Victoria again who just babbled in her crib.
"You've gotta sleep little girl." Effie sighed and rested the baby against her chest as she laid back. She rubbed slow circles into her back and she hummed a little lullaby. Half an hour later Victoria was passed out after a feeding and Haymitch came back in.
"Want me to put her down?" He asked.
"Mmmhmm." Effie said tiredly as he picked up the baby.
Effie rolled over and a few minutes later she felt the bed dip. "Babysitting the drunks is so much fun." He groaned.
Effie smiled, "I've been doing it for years. Wait till someone pukes. That's when the fun starts." She sleepily poked him.
He grumbled and wrapped an arm around her and fell asleep promptly. By the time morning came around Effie was the only one up. Victoria babbled in her crib but hadn't cried for food yet. She took the time to curl her hair and find a nice maroon pencil skirt and a white silk blouse. When she was finally dressed Haymitch began to wake up. Effie placed Victoria on his chest.
"Hello little bug." He mumbled and secured his hands around the baby.
"Im gonna go get the kids up. Give her a bottle soon." Effie chirped and kissed him and the baby.
Once she opened the door she walked over to the large windows and pulled open the curtains. The kids where sprawled over the couches, wrapped in thick blankets. The morning light streaming in earned painful groans from both of them. "Rise and shine, you champagne fiends!" Effie laughed.
Katniss threw a pillow at Effie, which she dodged. "I'd say good morning but I think you two could use a pick me up. And Katniss dear, you'll have to throw much harder than that to actually hurt me. I've had years of Haymitch throwing shoes at me. Those bruise.." She dug around the kitchen and found pain killers and poured two glasses of orange juice.
"Two of these should do the trick for the headaches. You need to shower and I'll have breakfast sent up. Train leaves for 12 in 4 hours." She handed off the pills and juice. Peeta was he first to get up and slump off towards his room.
Haymitch emerged from the room dressed with Victoria crying. "She wants you, Effs." He remarked. A crying baby was enough to get Katniss up and fleeing for her room.
Haymitch grabbed her tablet and started ordering breakfast for all of them. Effie cradled the baby in her arms and sat down in a chair while she fed her a bottle. "Did daddy dress you again?" she asked Victoria.
Haymitch chuckled, "What, it matches, doesn't it?" He looked up.
Her yellow dress had embroidered butterflies, and her little leggings were blue. Not a choice she would have picked but it did work. "Sure, babe." She laughed and rocked Victoria gently in her seat. "She's cute in whatever she wears."
Half an hour later Cinna, Portia and their teams were seated at the large table. Victoria was in her carrier, playing with a mobile that hung from the handle. Katniss and Peeta seemed in better spirits but hadn't yet warmed up to the idea of food. It was a loud and cheerful affair for breakfast. They wouldn't be seeing the teams until they arrived back in July for the next games. Avoxes and other people were sent up during breakfast to take their things to the train.
Cinna sat near Effie and Haymitch during breakfast and slipped a paper into Effie's lap. "What is this?" She asked as she finished eating her toast.
"I thought you'd want to see these yourself before they were all over the gossip channels." Cinna said softly.
Effie thumbed through the pages filled with details from the ball. One whole page showed her dancing with several of the men that Snow tried to pair her with. The article went on and on about how Seneca had barely been dead and she was parading around with many men. One picture showed her and Haymitch looking at each other from across the room. The caption insinuating, she was tarnishing Seneca's reputation. She tossed it aside not giving it another though.
"It's just a trashy magazine. They make up stuff all the time." She sipped her coffee and swallowed her pride. She didn't want the others knowing this trashy magazine had gotten under her skin. Her reputation was everything as an Escort. Without her contacts, connections and image she'd be unsuccessful at her job.
"Look at the last page." Cinna pointed out and finished his coffee.
Haymitch was interested now and grabbed the magazine back. He flipped to the back page and his expression grew stormy. Effie looked at Cinna then Haymitch, "What… What is it?"
Haymitch tilted the page and Effie spotted wat she had worried about several times last night. It was a candid picture of her and Haymitch kissing. She felt the blood drain from her face. The kids further down the table seemed to pick up on something happening and watched Effie carefully. Effie took the magazine and dropped it on the floor beside her chair. "What are people saying about it already?"
Cinna shrugged, "Mostly I've heard that most people are thinking it's a celebratory kiss. Others think there's something going on."
Haymitch chuckled darkly, "Well, why wouldn't they? I have her pushed up against a pillar. Only an idiot would think that was celebratory."
Effie hushed him as she watched Katniss whisper to Peeta. Their gazes falling on her and Haymitch. "Not now. I don't want this ruining this nice breakfast."
Haymitch seemed to ignore her request. "It's all over the news isn't it?"
Cinna nodded, "I suspect the reporters will be all over it at the train departure."
Effie sighed and shook her head, reaching for more coffee from an elegant carafe in the middle of the table. The elevator doors slid open and President Snow was escorted in with two Peacekeepers. Effie heard Haymitch curse and start to stand up.
"Sit down!" She hissed under her breath and stood up. Katniss and Peeta looked horrified. Cinna scooted closer to the baby. She approached him, her stomach coiled in knots but the fake smile plastered on her face said otherwise. "President Snow, what an honor." She chirped.
His gaze fell on Effie and the displeasure she saw in his steely eyes made her blood run cold. The smile fell from her face. In barely more than a whisper he addressed only her, "You're right to be worried, Miss Trinket. You and Mr. Abernathy will see me in the foyer."
He turned towards the now silent table. "I've come to wish my Victors a safe journey home. I trust you will be pleased when you arrive in 12 for the final celebration of the tour. Monthly parcels will be sent for each family in the entire District for an entire year. As I understand it will be greatly needed by some. I do look forward to seeing how young Miss Everdeen and Mr. Mellark fair as new mentors. You have inspired many."
He turned toward Effie and fixed her with a firm, displeased stare. With that he left for the foyer and sat. Haymitch got out of his seat and approached Effie. "What did he say?"
Effie swallowed slowly and looked up at him, "He's angry and needs both of us to see him in the foyer."
He turned back to the table, "We'll be right back. Last minute schedule changes."
Katniss saw right through the lie and stood up. Haymitch snapped his fingers, "If you know what's good for you, you'll sit down and finish your food!"
Katniss sat and fixed Haymitch with a reproachful gaze. Effie went into the foyer and sat. Haymich followed after a moment and sat on a couch separate from Effie. As if that would fix the damage that had been done.
Snow was silent for a while, uncomfortably silent. Effie toyed with the silver band on her thumb and slipped it off. Fearful that anything would give away her attachment to Haymitch.
"I have been a lenient man, Miss Trinket. Time and time again you seem to push that boundary." He stated without more than a glance at her.
"Sir, I haven't…" Effie started and quickly stopped when he raised his hand to stop her.
"I had my suspicions when I first visited. But I trusted that you were right in your confirmation that several men could have been the father of your bastard child." The word bastard hung angrily in the air.
Effie watched Haymitch noticeably stiffen at the comment. She lowered her gazed, knowing all good things came to an end. She had been allowed too much happiness.
"I see now that only one man is the father. A victor and an escort, a love child. Valuable information. Wouldn't you say so, Mr. Abernathy. You've made a new family for yourself, o doubt to replace the one you lost." Snow said maliciously.
Effie straightened up. Haymitch looked ready to lose his temper. "Sir, it's all my fault."
"Bullshit!" Haymitch said quickly and stared at her.
"Mr. Abernathy you'll do to remember your place.." He said lowly, the Peacekeepers guns trained on Haymitch. His eyes looked wild and crazed and Effie could no longer hold his gaze.
"Yes, Victoria is probably his child. There's no relationship, sir. We've never gotten along. It's unfortunate that Victoria is his child. I would have rather it been one of the other men I was seeing." She didn't look at Haymitch.
"I wish I believed you Miss Trinket." Snow said with finality. "I believe you know pictures are worth a thousand words. In this case, tens of thousands." He tossed many pictures of Effie and Haymitch together. Stolen kisses, embraces, touches. Over many years.
Effie felt her heart hammer in her chest. Hot tears rush down her cheeks. The silver ring weighed heavy in her clenched fist.
"So that leaves me with a predicament. Pictures do not lie. Thousands of people are viewing this picture now. They'll soon discover that you've lied to them all. They'll see that Victoria looks like Mr. Abernathy, and not one bit like the man you've led them to believe is her father. I offered you security with Victoria's future. Crane's name would have carried her far. I asked you to lie and make it believable. You've done just the opposite with your careless actions, Miss Trinket. You know what becomes of liars who work for me, don't you Miss Trinket?"
She nodded and fixed her gaze on the floor. If they were going to shoot her she didn't want to see it coming.
"I don't think you do. So I will lay it out for you and Mr. Abernathy. You're post in District 12 is over. You're only visit to 12 will be each year on the reaping and any subsequent victory tour should I allow your sham of a District another victory. You are a Capitol citizen and so here you shall remain. You're access to train travel will be revoked until I decide you need it." Snow snapped his fingers and the Peacekeepers restrained Haymitch who had risen from his seat. "As for your job, I haven't the time to replace you. So this will be the last year you serve District 12. I have yet to determine if you'll serve another District or quietly retire. The men I brought to the party for you, will be men you will publically date. By years end you will marry one of them. I have grown tired of District 12 and its penchant for rule breaking and defiance."
Effie couldn't breathe. She could feel Haymitch's eyes on her. Her hands trembled. "Sir, what about Victoria?" Effie breathed in a voice as quiet as she could manage.
Snow smiled, "I am not cruel Miss Trinket. She will be stay in the Capitol with you. After all Mr. Abernathy is ill-suited for single fatherhood."
Effie internally counted. The reaping was 5 months away. Victoria's things were in 12. "Sir, Victoria has many things in District 12 that she needs."
Snow stood up with finality, "That is no longer my concern. You are wealthy, Miss Trinket. You should have no problem providing for your daughter. Or perhaps one of your new suitors could provide for her." He motioned for the Peacekeepers to go to the dining area. "I expect Mr. Abernathy and the "kids" as you call them on the train within the hour."
I sat with this chapter written out for months. Getting them to this point took forever and god I hate how easy it was to blow everything out of proportion. What are you thinking/feeling? Because I'm dying just reading it again. Poor Hayffie! :( :( :( Did this blindside you or did you suspect something like this would happen all along? Honestly, how could it not happen. They flirted with the line of discretion so often.