Prompt : Hello! Are you still taking prompts? If so, then I was wondering if you could do one where they're in District 13 & all the victors (ie. Finnick, Johanna, Annie, Peeta, Katniss, & the like) are all worried over Effie (since they just busted her out of prison) and Gale can't understand why. But then he sees how she's diff. especially with Haymitch & he ends up respecting her? You're amazing, by the way. Just thought I'd add that there X3

And

It made me want to see a second part where Effie is left in District 13 practically dead, beaten, n*** in there somethiing like the roses a a gift for Haymitch, it would be nice to see this in the Victors POV like this chapter and maybe Gale can recieve a punch in the face from a very angry Johanna cause he would really like to see Effie dead... (i wanted to hit Gale so bad)

So I did a matchup of those two prompts because they were very similar. I also consider this very AU given that in my mind, Effie was freed after the Capitol was taken. I hope you like it!

Understanding

Finnick followed just behind Johanna and Annie. They were running at full speed in Thirteen's corridors, not caring about who they were bumping into on the way. When they finally reached the surface, Gale, Haymitch and Plutarch were already waiting on the hovercrafts landing ground. Haymitch was pacing a few feet from the other two.

"Do we have news?" Annie asked Plutarch, more kindly than any of them could have done. "Is she alive?"

"Unfortunately." Gale grumbled.

Finnick took a preventive step to stand between Haymitch and him but Haymitch didn't seem to have heard. He was scanning the sky, clearly waiting for the hovercraft that was bringing Effie back to them. The rebels had attacked a detaining center earlier in the day. It hadn't been a total success, most of the Capitol soldiers had managed to escape with several prisoners but some had been left behind. From what Finnick had heard, it wasn't pretty. This was no victory for the rebels, the prisoners that they had managed to retrieve were all linked to someone in the rebellion in one way or another and in a critical shape when they weren't already dead. Finnick doubted that Haymitch had taken the news that Effie had been left for dead very well. It was a message for the rebels: their loved ones weren't safe.

"You shut up, Hawthorne." Johanna warned, pointing an accusing finger at Gale. "You just shut up."

Effie wasn't Johanna's biggest fan by far and Johanna wasn't very fond of Effie either but the two of them both loved Haymitch in their own way and that was enough for a tentative truce to exist between the two of them. Johanna glanced worriedly at Haymitch who was still pacing, staring at the sky, a hand on his hair and the other rhythmically clenching at his side. Finnick thought the man probably could kill for alcohol right about then.

"Gale, please." Plutarch sighed.

"She's a fucking escort. Who cares if she dies?" Gale shot back.

Johanna was on him before any of them could do anything. To be perfectly honest, Finnick only forced Johanna to move back by grasping her around the waist after the first blow because Annie was disturbed. She always was when she was faced with violence.

"You're insane!" Gale shouted, feeling his cheek where she had punched him.

"You want more?" Johanna taunted, struggling against Finnick.

"Stop that." he snapped. "We don't need that right now. Hawthorne, if you can't control yourself, go back inside. And you…" he shook Johanna to make his point. "… do you really think Haymitch wants to see that?" Haymitch, as a matter of fact, was seeing nothing but the clear sky. It was as if they were ghosts. He didn't acknowledge them and he was so obviously distressed Johanna's anger seem to deflate suddenly. Finnick let her go. "Play nicely." he instructed before wrapping an arm around Annie's shoulders to comfort her.

"Do you know if she's going to be alright?" Annie asked Plutarch. "How bad are her wounds?"

"They're all in bad shape." Plutarch answered darkly. "I don't know more than that."

"Trinket's tough." Johanna said, folding her arms. "She will make it."

"Yeah, she's tough." Finnick agreed, less convinced than he would have liked to be. She was tough but she also hadn't known pain or abuse before her incarceration, who could say how her body would have reacted to that?

Gale looked at them with bewilderment. "I don't understand. You're victors, she's an escort. Why do you care? If I were you…"

"Don't finish that sentence and don't presume to know what we would think or do." Annie cut in with that sternness that had convinced Finnick long ago that she would make a great mother one day. "She's our friend."

Johanna winced but didn't correct her.

"She's a good woman." Plutarch added. "She didn't deserve that."

"And the kid she sent to their death did?" Gale snorted.

"She did what she could." Finnick snapped. "Everything's not black and white, there are shades of grey, boy."

The epithet came so easily to his lips it was weird. He was more used to be called a boy than to apply it to someone else but Gale looked very much the part right then. A child who fancied himself a soldier. Not much younger than him, but younger enough that Finnick knew what war was really like. Wars weren't always fought with guns and he had watched Effie battle with her conscience for years. She did her best for her tributes even when Haymitch couldn't be bothered, she tried to help, she wept when they died… She was a good person and she was Finnick's friend so he wasn't going to let him insult her in front of him.

"Once in, never out." Plutarch whispered. "That's what Gamemakers say. It goes for escorts too."

Gale didn't look convinced but he didn't comment either, so Finnick counted that as a win.

"Go to him." Annie nudged him towards Haymitch. "He needs a friend."

He kissed her brow softly and walked closer to Haymitch.

"She will be alright." he said, as soon as he was in earshot. It was a stupid promise because when did they ever get lucky ? And Haymitch must have known it too, he didn't stop pacing. "I bet the first thing she will do is scold you about your beard. When did you last see a razor, Haymitch?" It wasn't even a stubble anymore at that point. He didn't get an answer and his friend continued to walk hence and forth until Finnick caught his arm to stop him. "She is going to be okay." He tried to sound harsher, more convinced.

Haymitch's eye were glassy, unfocused, his mouth was pinched, he looked pale. Finnick realized with a startle jolt that it was the first time he had seen the man truly afraid.

"They said all prisoners were left for dead." Haymitch's voice was rough and cracking in despair. "Two died when they brought them on the hovercraft. They didn't seem very optimistic about the rest of them."

"Effie's different." Finnick swore. "She's a fighter."

"Is she?" Haymitch's chuckles were bitter. "Fighters always get the worst of it. She was there because of me. If she dies, it's on me."

Finnick squeezed his shoulder in a desperate attempt at comfort. He could hear the echo of Johanna and Gale's voice as they argued about people and shades of grey in the distance but Haymitch didn't seem to notice. Finnick got the impression that he wasn't noticing much, even him. They were talking but Haymitch's mind was miles away.

"No, it's not." Finnick lied, because it kind of was. Just like it was his fault Annie had been dragged into this. "She wouldn't want you to think that."

"She…" Haymitch started only to fall silent when Annie's cry alerted everyone. She was pointing at a dark point in the blue sky.

It didn't take long for the hovercraft to land but for Haymitch it must have been like forever in a nutshell. Finnick stayed next to him when the doors opened and they started to take gurneys out. Medical teams swarmed the landing ground but they didn't see her anywhere.

"We lost two during the flight." the rescue mission leader told them. "A man and a woman."

Haymitch looked ready to collapse. Finnick didn't feel much better, he ran a hand on his face.

"I want to see her." Haymitch breathed out.

The rebel winced. "I don't know if it's such a good idea, sir. It wasn't pretty."

"I want to see her." he growled.

"Haymitch!" Johanna appeared beside them suddenly and clutched his arm. "She's over there. She's conscious."

They ran to the other side of the landing field to a man in a white coat who was kneeling next to a gurney. Annie and Gale were standing a little on the side. Finnick stopped beside them but Haymitch almost threw himself at the ground in his haste.

"It's bad but she's alive."Annie whispered.

It was bad indeed. Finnick wouldn't have recognized her. Gone were the wig, make-up and bright clothes. Her hair was dirty and cut short, she was so obviously starved her skin clang to her cheekbones and she was dressed in rags stained with blood. The medic was patching things up as urgently as he could but Finnick could tell she was losing blood.

"Effie." It was almost a whimper, Haymitch looked pained.

Her eyes fluttered opened.

"This is going to hurt." the medic commanded without lifting his eyes from the wound he was trying to dress so they could move her to the medical wing. "Distract her. Talk to her."

"Haymitch." Her voice was coarse but there was a ghost of a smile on her lips.

Finnick's hand found Annie's when Haymitch cautiously brushed Effie's hair off her face.

"Hey, sweetheart." Haymitch smiled with relief. "Gave me quite a scare, here."

"You know how I love to make an entrance." She bit her lip when the medic tightened the dressing.

"Yeah." Haymitch snorted but he kept petting her hair with a tenderness Finnick would never have suspected he could give. "Should have guessed."

Effie put her hand on his cheek clumsily, her arm didn't seem to work so well, Haymitch caught it and secured it against his face. Her eyes were full of tears.

"Are you real?" she whispered.

He pressed a soft kiss to the inside of her wrist. "Yes, princess. I'm real. You're safe."

Next to Finnick, Johanna cleared her throat. Finnick wondered if she was embarrassed or touched.

"I missed you." Effie's voice cracked and, in seconds, her cheeks were wet with tears.

"I missed you too." Haymitch tried to wipe them away but there were too much of them. "We all did, right people? Look, everyone came to wait for you."

Finnick stepped around the medic so she could see him more easily. "Hello, beautiful."

Effie blinked twice and her hand left Haymitch's cheek to be outstretched to him. He took it and crouched next to her.

"Finnick…" She tried to squeezed his hand but she was too weak. "Annie? Is she…"

"She's right here." he reassured her. "She wanted to see you. Jo, too." The girls stepped into her sight and waved. "See? Everyone's safe."

"The children?" Effie asked. That question was directed at Haymitch who hesitated.

"They're good." he replied at last.

Her eyes closed so Finnick stroked her hand softly to remind her she wasn't supposed to sleep yet. The medic wasn't done.

"You?" She was clearly hurting because she was breathless.

Once again Haymitch hesitated. "I'm fine now you're here."

"Okay, we need to move her. You can see her after we're done with her." The medic said, signaling at two other soldiers to take the gurney. Finnick let go of her hand and stood slowly.

"Haymitch." She called out, in panic.

"I'm staying with her." Haymitch declared. The medic seemed about to protest and then took a good look at the man and shrugged.

Finnick watched the gurney hurry in the underground tunnels of District Thirteen with a huge feeling of relief. Effie would be alright.

"Well." Johanna joked. "She does like her exits too, after all."

"Should we follow them?" Annie asked.

"No." Finnick sighed. "Haymitch's with her. We will get to see her later."

He turned to them with a smile and noticed that Gale was still standing there. They stared at each other for a while until Gale nodded and walked away to offer his help. At last, Finnick thought, the boy understood.