2.

Katniss followed Haymitch into the kitchen, wondering why tonight was so weird. She dropped on a chair and buried her face in her hands for a moment, letting the exhaustion wash over her. It was a good thing the next day would be a Saturday or she would probably have fallen asleep in Math again.

"Do you often spar with Effie in the middle of the night?" she mumbled, a little mocking.

She was clueless about that kind of things, she would be the first to admit it, but she wasn't that clueless that she couldn't take that kind of hints. She would have bought the training excuse if they had been doing it in the basement and if Haymitch's belt hadn't been undone.

Haymitch paused in front of the open fridge, his back on her, then he grabbed the carton of milk and sniffed it before pouring it in a pot.

"Sometimes." he answered a little too casually. He disappeared from the room long enough to come back with his crumpled shirt. He didn't bother with shoes.

By the time Peeta and Effie came back down with reports that Prim was settled, the hot cocoa was ready and Katniss was already holding her mug tight. She could feel the warmth of it under her palms but she didn't seem to be able to shake off the cold.

"I had a nightmare." she finally explained, swallowing hard. "It was… It was so real."

"Slayer dream." Effie hummed, her shoulders going rigid. "That's never pleasant."

"What would you know about it?" she hissed. She knew she was jumping at her throat for no good reason but she was tired and scared and Effie's dress was annoyingly red. Under the weak neon lights of Haymitch's kitchen, it looked a sad sort of crimson that reminded her of the rivers of blood in her dream.

"I have them occasionally." the woman offered with pursed lips. "I know you are tired but it is no reason to be rude, Katniss."

"What do you mean, you have them?" Peeta frowned. "I've read about Slayer dreams. Aren't they supposed to be only for… the Slayer?"

"The clarity of vision Katniss probably experienced tonight, yes." Effie explained. "Nightmares as omens of an apocalypse or when the imbalance with the forces of darkness are too great are common to all Potentials. They were stronger in my youth, I will admit, but they still happen from time to time. They are impossible for me to decipher though, they simply leave me with an impression of foreboding."

"Yeah?" Haymitch asked, his interest clearly piqued. "You still have them? Even so old?"

That warranted him a dark look and lips pursed even tighter. "Are you calling me old?"

"You know what I mean." he dismissed.

"You were a Potential?" Katniss cut in before they could get too seriously into bickering.

It didn't seem to be new information for her Watcher but Effie had never informed her of that little fact.

"Perhaps we could dive into my past another time." the witch deflected. "What was the dream about?"

She told them, adding all the details she could remember. The vampires, the dead children, the blood flooding the ground, Snow… She was shaking again by the time she was done and she tossed Peeta a grateful look when his hand hesitantly covered hers.

"It does not mean it will come to pass." Effie declared. "Slayers dreams are warnings, they do not…"

Haymitch stood up a little too abruptly and walked over to the counter to grab one of the sticky bottles of moonshine on display. They all watched, silent, as he poured himself a glass and downed it before refilling it again.

"Haymitch." the witch said firmly, a little reproachfully even. "Slayer dreams do not predict the future."

"They're a good enough indication in my experience." He snorted. "Snow's gonna rise and we're all gonna die."

The way he said it sent a chill down Katniss' spine.

"We have to leave." she whispered. It was the only logical course of action, the only sensible one.

"Do not be preposterous. We cannot leave." Effie huffed. "Our duty…"

"Fuck duty." Haymitch interrupted her, his back still turned on them. "It's her life."

"She is the Slayer." the Art teacher reminded him.

"Stop saying that like it means shit." he snarled, refilling his glass for the third time.

"We're leaving." Katniss insisted. "All of us. We're going to find a place not too far and regroup. And…"

"I'm not going anywhere." Haymitch countered.

"You just said…" she argued.

"Snow's my fucking responsibility." he snapped. "If he breaks free, I'm gonna have to try to kill him."

"And get yourself killed in the process?" Effie scoffed.

Another glass of liquor was downed. "If that's what it takes."

The Watcher's voice was hollow, bitter…

Katniss swallowed hard, torn with what her survival instinct was screaming at her and… "I can't leave you behind."

"Then, I guess you're not going anywhere either." Haymitch shrugged, finally turning around.

And she saw it on his face, the knowledge that he had never truly believed she would leave. Because she was the Slayer and it was her duty to protect everyone from evil master vampires who wanted to conquer the world or die trying. Probably die trying.

He had snapped at Effie because he wanted it to be her choice, not because she felt she had to. Well… Fuck.

She turned to Peeta. "You…"

"I'm staying with you." her friend pledged before she could finish. He squeezed her hand. "Until the end of the line, pal."

She hadn't even noticed he was still holding her hand.

The moment felt huge somehow. They were sitting close and there was an intensity in his blue eyes, a resolve… Yes, the moment felt huge. As if she was on the edge of…

She wasn't sure. But it scared her for different reasons that her nightmare had.

"Is that another pop culture reference you think I should know about?" she asked, to break the oddness of it.

His smile was immediate and a little boyish. "MCU is next on our movie nights."

Planning movie nights when they were willingly vowing to risk their lives might have been a bit ridiculous but, for some reason, it made her feel so much better. She squeezed his hand back and turned to Effie who was inspecting her manicure.

When the female Watcher realized all eyes were on her she gave a one shoulder shrug. "Do not look at me. My orders are clear, I am not going anywhere."

She made it sound light and a little dismissive but Katniss nodded to her in thanks all the same. They could use her magic powers.

"I think we should send my mom to that clinic." she said next, turning to Haymitch. She didn't like having to ask. She didn't like imposing on him so much but… "The doctor's been on my case for months about that."

"You don't trust her not to invite vampires in again." Peeta remarked.

"I don't trust her to protect Prim if it comes down to that." she agreed. "And the trailer park isn't safe enough."

"You don't say." Effie muttered under her breath before taking a sip of her cocoa. It must have grown cold because she winced.

Haymitch's grey eyes were on her but he remained silent so Katniss trudged on. If he wanted her to spell it out, she would spell it out. "We should move in here. Prim and I. She'll be safer here with one of you while I'm on patrol."

The safest bet would have been to send her sister away but she had no one to send her to.

Still, Haymitch was silent, his face closed off and his eyes boring into hers.

Effie and Peeta were looking at both of them in turns.

Katniss' heart started racing in her chest when she realized with a sickening feeling what his silence meant. He didn't want them. And why would he? His job was to teach her and mentor her, not take care of her. He didn't want his house invaded by kids who would prevent him from sparing with his neighbor witch in the library in the wee hours of the morning. He wasn't her father. He didn't owe her anything.

Still, the feeling of rejection was so strong, tears pricked her eyes.

Her cheeks burning red, she turned her head away.

"Never mind." she spat. "I'll think of something else."

She could feel Effie's concerned gaze and the glare Peeta was directing at Haymitch. She had a feeling the witch was going to offer her house and Katniss would have no choice but to accept, already knowing it would be a nightmare. The Art teacher would probably insist on rules and curfews and all the things Katniss didn't need.

She wasn't looking for a parent – and she told herself that firmly, no matter how much she had come to rely on Haymitch without even realizing it – she just wanted a safe place. She had thought Haymitch was that for her but apparently she had been wrong.

The tension in the kitchen was so thick that when he finally spoke, everyone startled.

"This house's the first place Snow will strike." he said. "He's gonna come after you 'cause you're the Slayer and he's gonna come after me 'cause that's what he does best. And here's the first place he's gonna look for us."

"May I suggest we move, then?" Effie cut in. "It pains me to say it now that my house is finally finished but this town is not short of empty places…"

"We can't hide. He's gonna find us." Haymitch shook his head. "He's gonna find me."

The fear in his voice was palpable and it shocked Katniss. He was always tense when they discussed the Careers or Snow but… She had never heard him so afraid before.

"He can't get inside." she pointed out. "Even if he knows where we live…"

"He turned my brother and sent him right back here, hoping we'd let him in and he'd kill us all." he snapped. "Don't tell me he can't get inside 'cause I promise you he can find ways."

There was a long awkward silence.

"What do we do then?" Peeta asked after a while. "If there's no good option, why not run with the safest one? Strength in numbers, right? This place has locks on every doors and windows, there's a small armory in every room and there's a powerful witch across the street. It's like Fort Knox. Sure, there's a risk but… I think it's safer than the trailer and there are less people around who could become collateral damage if there is a fight."

It was so like Peeta to think about possible innocent victims when she had only been thinking about her sister and herself that Katniss squeezed his hand again. She should probably let go, she told herself. She was behaving like a frightened child.

"If you do not want to host the girls, I can." Effie offered in a tentative voice. "I can add magical protections on both houses too. It won't be one hundred percent safe but…"

Haymitch made a move as if to bring the empty glass to his lips and then, upon realizing there wasn't any more liquor in it, he placed it down on the counter and grabbed the bottle's neck, directly gulping down from it.

"Ain't that I don't want the girls around, sweetheart." he grumbled, locking eyes with Katniss with a little too much intensity. "Ain't that I don't want you around, girl. Any other time…" He shook his head again, slouching a little, looking defeated. "You've got no idea the games Snow gets up to… It's… It's gonna be dangerous to be around me."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere either way." Katniss argued. "You're my Watcher."

"Maybe I shouldn't be." Haymitch muttered, his eyes dropping to the floor. "Maybe you just stick away from me… Effie can…"

"No." both she and Effie refused at the same time. The witch took the time to send Katniss a slightly hurt look before huffing and turning toward Haymitch. "Your experience with Snow is invaluable." She clucked her tongue and waved her hand. "It is too soon to worry about all this anyway. We can reconsider the arrangements if and when necessary but, for now, Snow is still very much trapped in hell. We should focus on stopping the Careers." She reached out and loosely coiled her fingers around Haymitch's wrist. "I agree with Katniss. The girls would be safer here with you."

It took almost a whole minute before Haymitch looked up at her. They exchanged a long complicated gaze that made Katniss feel like an intruder.

She decided it was a good time to take her own hand back from Peeta. The boy startled a little and looked a little disappointed but he covered it with a small smile that she answered with one of her own.

"Alright." Haymitch finally agreed, turning back to Katniss. "Alright. Let's fucking go to bed now. We can talk about the rest in the morning." His gaze shifted to Peeta. "You wanna stay too?"

The question was so purposefully left open Katniss couldn't tell if he meant for the night or forever.

"How many guest rooms do you have?" Peeta snorted.

"Prim and I can share." she offered. "We're used to it."

"There is always my guest room." Effie suggested, flashing Peeta an amused smile. "I know it is very pink for your taste but it is yours shall you ever need it. You know that."

"Thanks, Effie." he answered with a softer smile. "I think I should go home tonight, though."

He stood up and it seemed to put an end to the impromptu reunion. Rubbing her eyes but unable to shake the weird exhaustion from her bones, Katniss mumbled her thanks and her goodnights and staggered up the stairs.

She felt like she could drop dead.

°O°O°O°O°O°

Haymitch waited until the boy was back in his truck and moving away before grabbing Effie's wrist. He knew she was puzzled by the fact he was bothering to walk her back to the end of his driveway because he usually never did. He trusted her to cross the street at night without getting herself attacked – and he trusted he would hear if she did get attacked.

She frowned at him, tilting her head a little to the side in question.

They had become a little too good at reading each other in the last few weeks. His heart was in his throat and he was half convinced she could tell.

He didn't often freeze with panic. That wasn't him. He had seen too much, done too much… But the thought that Snow… It was the kind of terror that was mind-debilitating. He couldn't go through that again. Watching his family, his friends die one by one…

"I will have to inform the Council Katniss is living with you now." she told him quietly, glancing at the open doorway behind him.

"Inform away." he managed to croak out, sounding less sarcastic than he wanted.

Her eyelashes fluttered down and then up again. "I am not going to ask if you are alright because it seems like a stupid question."

"You should leave." he blurted out.

She frowned, confused. "You are the one holding my arm."

He let go, his fingers trailing down the back of her hand. "I mean leave town." She opened her mouth but he lifted his hand in the air to stop her. "I know you think you don't have a choice, what with Council bullshit and fate and everything but I'm giving you one, right now. It ain't gonna end well, Princess, I can feel it in my guts. Leave town. Go back to England. Get yourself a life that's not cloaked in fucking darkness."

She cupped his cheek and, for a second, he let himself regret the fact they hadn't finished what they had started on the round table in the library – and he made a note to himself he needed to dispatch that used condom before one of the girls found it.

"I made my choice and I am staying." she told him with a small smile. "We're a team, aren't we?"

He closed his eyes and shook his head, burying his hands in his pockets. He could feel the lace of her panties against his knuckles from when he had hastily stashed them in there so the kids wouldn't see. He didn't offer them back.

"Just think about it." he urged.

She pressed a ghost of a kiss on his lips and then she was gone.

He watched her stride across the street, not going back inside until she had safely reached her house.

He had a bad feeling.

A really bad feeling.

The same sort of bad feeling he had had the night his brother had been late to come home.

The same sort of bad feeling he had had every time he had lost a Slayer.

There you have it! Katniss isn't as clueless as she seems. Sometimes. Haymitch is freaaaaaking out. Will we survive this episode do you think?