5.

Katniss had this ridiculous notion that, in normal houses where mothers didn't sleep all the time because they couldn't make themselves care more about their children than their own grief, people ate waffles on Sunday mornings. She wasn't sure where she had gotten that idea. Too much TV maybe.

She had this ridiculous picture in her head, of the five of them eating waffles in Haymitch's kitchen, for some reason. They would laugh and be happy like other people – normal people – did.

There were no waffles that morning.

Only the bleak dim light of dawn slowly slipping through the library's windows, making them all blink and shake themselves a little. They had spent half the night poring over books and they were no closer to determining what was wrong with them – if something was wrong with them.

At least, she figured, stifling a yawn against her closed fist, Effie was dressed now. Although it must have said something about the Art teacher that the dress she was currently wearing wasn't any longer than the nightgown she had had on the previous night. Saved for Peeta, who had put his clothes back on when he had come down from whatever magic trip Effie had bewitched him with, the rest of them were still in their pajamas.

She could have done without the sight of Haymitch's bare chest but since the man had already accepted to host her and Prim for an indefinite amount of time, she thought it would be unfair to dictate what he was supposed to wear in his own house.

"Katniss, focus." her Watcher said without even looking up. "Effie, stop fidgeting."

Katniss and Effie shared a commiserating look before glaring at the man.

"Please, do not talk to me like this." Effie huffed.

Haymitch kept staring at his book, lazily switching the page. "Sorry. Don't let me stop you from burning a hole in my table."

The witch gasped and took her hand off the wood. Katniss hadn't noticed – well, it was hard not to notice the glowing hands – but her fingers had left indentations in the wood.

"Oh, I am so sorry!" the woman exclaimed. "And it being mahogany and all!"

She sounded so genuinely dejected that Katniss fought a smirk, meeting Peeta's eyes over the rim of her book. Peeta looked both amused and very very tired. She supposed they all looked tired though, in all fairness.

"I'm going to make more coffee." Prim yawned, tossing away the book she had been perusing – a book that Haymitch had sworn didn't contain anything too traumatizing; her sister had wanted to help and, given that she was concerned too, Katniss hadn't been able to say no this time.

Even if the thought of her being in any kind of danger…

Terror came back, quick and overwhelming. The pain flared in her chest and she had to blow slowly with her mouth to work through it.

Effie and Peeta watched her with sympathy. They had both done their share of pained breathing in the last few hours. Haymitch was better at hiding his own panic.

"That's why she's my favorite if anyone's wondering." Haymitch commented in a casual voice that didn't fool any of them.

"She is too young to be drinking coffee." Effie pointed out.

"She doesn't like coffee. She'll make herself cocoa." Katniss muttered and then tossed the book she had been reading on the table. "This isn't helping."

Haymitch closed his book, rubbed his eyes and glanced at the pale light trickling through the windows. "We should hit Ripper's. It should be close to empty by now. Good time to catch her alone."

"You think this might be related to Katniss' Slayer dream?" Effie asked. "To the Careers?"

He snorted. "You don't?"

His grey eyes flickered to the wooden pathway on the upper floor, tracking something none of them could see. He hadn't been very talkative about his own problems, he had told them a very vague story about being stalked by ghosts – fake ghosts since none of them could see them and there were no other signs of haunting apparently.

"Even if it's not them… Maybe Ripper will know something?" Peeta interjected. "I wouldn't mind a walk… Katniss and I can go…"

He didn't make it sound like a statement, more like a question. He sought her gaze too.

She knew it was the most logical course of actions. She was the Slayer, it was her job to get the information and getting out of the house would be good but…

"We shouldn't separate." she blurted out. "It's a bad idea. What if something happens to one of us? What if…"

Terror and pain. She took a shaky breath, wincing, and clutched her shirt right over her heart.

"Easy, sweetheart." Haymitch's voice was soothing, reassuring, and Katniss made an effort to remind herself the panic was constructed by whatever had a hold over them. "I'm gonna go. Effie's coming with me. You stay here and keep an eye on that sister of yours, sounds right? If you feel itchy, go down and train for a while. You could show Peeta one move or two. With Prim there to supervise."

"I think you mean chaperone." Effie corrected in a distracted hum, trying to shake the magic off her fingers again. "Are you certain I should go out in public? I am not sure…"

"You can control yourself." he countered in a voice that brooked no argument. "I need you with me to distract me from…" He didn't finish the sentence. He just shrugged. "I need you with me."

"We shouldn't separate." Katniss insisted. "What if we get lost?"

Peeta hesitantly reached out and covered her hand. "We can't get lost, Katniss. We'll be here and they are just going to the bar and back." His face darkened and he suddenly snatched his hand back, searching Haymitch's gaze. "But maybe I should come with you. I don't want to stay alone with them. What if…"

"You won't hurt anyone. Not Katniss. Not Prim. You're not that kind of person." Haymitch cut him off firmly before turning to Katniss. "Nothing's gonna happen to any of us if you're not there to protect us. I can handle myself. So can Effie." Then he looked at Effie. "The Hellmouth ain't gonna poison your mind. You ain't gonna lose control of the magic. And you ain't turning into a power-hungry monster. And you…" He studied Prim who had just come back with a trail loaded with mugs of coffee. "Nobody's kidnapping you again and we're not gonna send you away. I need you to keep that psychopath cat of yours from murdering me." Prim giggled and he winked at her. "Plus, you make the best coffee so I've got to keep you."

Katniss wasn't sure how a few words could help so much but they did. Maybe because he actually meant them and there was so much belief in all of them that…

"You are not going crazy and they are not here to drag you to hell." Effie offered softly, reaching out to squeeze his arm. Her hands had stopped glowing golden.

Haymitch flashed her a smirk that didn't reach his eyes. "We're taking the bike."

The witch immediately huffed. "Absolutely not. My car…"

"I ain't driving that shit on wheels again and you ain't in any state to drive." Haymitch cut her off. "Besides, the bike's quicker. I've got a spare helmet."

"But it won't be glittery pink." Prim whispered for Katniss and Peeta's sake only, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

Peeta smiled for the first time that day and fished his phone from his pocket. "I'm ordering it. It's too good to pass."

Katniss found herself chuckling with the two of them, leaving Effie and Haymitch to their bickering. The deal was done anyway. Haymitch told her she had ten minutes to go put on some pants while he went up to get dressed.

"How about some breakfast?" she suggested, eyeing her sister. "You need to eat something."

"So should you." Prim pointed out.

"We all should." Peeta approved. "How about pancakes? I'm pretty sure I saw a ready-mix in a cupboard. It would be better from scratch but I don't think Haymitch's got the right stuff."

The suggestion was met with overall approval and they relocated to the kitchen. Prim and Katniss watched him make the pancake dough, a little impressed even though the ready-mix stuff did seem simple enough that even Effie might have managed it.

They paused to see the two Watchers leave though. If only because Effie looked completely out of place on that bike. Katniss bet Peeta she would freak out and she was a little disappointed when she didn't. Still, the witch clung to Haymitch hard and kept her eyes closed when he started the bike and they could hear her surprised shriek over the roar of the bike when he sped down the street.

All throughout breakfast a part of her worried itself sick over Effie and Haymitch – about what could happen to them – and she could tell both Peeta and Prim were fighting their own inner fears but, all in all, they had a nice enough time. She was almost surprised by that.

Peeta went back to the living-room while the girls excused themselves upstairs to get dressed. Prim was doing her hair in their bedroom, in front of the slightly tarnished mirror on the wall when Katniss came back from the bathroom, her own hair already bound in a hasty braid. She hesitated for a moment and then sat at the foot of the bed.

"What are your nightmares about, little duck?" she asked.

So far, their nightmares had seemed to target either their greatest fears or their deepest insecurities – when the two weren't related… Haymitch's guilt, Peeta's mysterious fear of… something, Effie's anxiety over her control of magic, her own terror of losing people… But her sister's sudden fear of abandonment… Did it come from the kidnapping? It had happened months earlier and Prim had sworn she was okay. She had seemed okay. But had Katniss been too hasty to put the incident away? Was it still tormenting her?

Prim didn't answer immediately. She was doing her hair in an elaborate braided hairdo and she had pins wedged between her lips. "You were going to send me away. Yesterday. The night before yesterday. You wanted to send me away and then you had Mom shipped to that clinic…"

"It's the best thing for Mom." Katniss argued, a little defensively. "You agreed. And it's different, Prim. Mom's…"

"Mom's sick." Prim finished. "I know. But it was a little convenient for you anyway." Her sister shrugged, avoiding her eyes. "I know it's not fair that you've got to take care of me like that… That it's not right… And Haymitch… Haymitch has to take care of you now. He's got to because he's your Watcher but I'm not…"

"You heard him earlier." she interrupted again. "You're his favorite." She had hoped it would lighten the mood and her sister did smile a little but it didn't reach her eyes. "And nothing has to change anyway. It's not because we're staying here… He's not our dad, Prim, and he's not going to be. He doesn't get a say. I don't mind taking care of you. Hell, I love taking care of you. I'll always be here to take care of you. We didn't move here to get parented. We just moved here because it's safer."

Prim finally met her eyes in the mirror and the look on her face was far too serious for a twelve year-old. She didn't say anything but her thoughts were written there clearly for Katniss to see anyway.

In all honesty, and while she would probably have denied it out loud with fervor, having an adult around who actually would care and might be willing to make some of the daily important decisions didn't sound that terrible. It scared her in different ways than the idea of losing her loved ones did but, altogether, it also made her feel some relief.

"You should go check on Peeta." Prim suggest. "I'm almost done."

Leaving her sister in their room was enough to make her anxiety spark up again. Peeta had been downstairs alone for so long… What if something had happened? What if something had happened to Effie and Haymitch who were so far away and whom she couldn't help?

The pain in her chest was so sharp she could barely breathe.

The library was deserted and she had to fight the panic, she had to make herself walk through every room on the ground floor before finally noticing the open door that led to the basement. She found him there, hitting a saggy punching-bag again and again. He had barely taken the time to bind his hands so he wouldn't hurt himself, one of the thick bands was already unraveling.

He didn't seem to hear her coming and since she was naturally discreet, he didn't spot her until she tapped his shoulder. It was only thanks to her Slayer's reflexes that she avoided the fist he flung toward her head. His eyes widened and he immediately stepped back, his hands held in front of him. "I'm so sorry. I'm…"

"It's okay." she was quick to counter. "I should have called out. You didn't hit me."

Peeta's breath itched painfully, the fear and panic obvious on his face. "I'm so sorry. I thought… I thought hitting something would make me feel better. I just feel so…" A flash of sorrow passed over his face, quickly replaced by disgust. "I feel so angry."

She frowned, almost asked him what he was so afraid of because accidentally hurting other people seemed like a weird terror to have for a boy who, granted had muscles and strength, but who was by all definition normal and rather nice – not to say gentle – on top of it.

"Peeta…" she whispered.

"I'm scared I'm going to Hulk out." he confessed in a rush of words, pressing his hands against his face. "I'm scared I'm going to hurt someone just because I'm so angry I can't control myself. I'm afraid I'm going to become…" He shook his head. "I shouldn't have come down there."

"You can't hurt me much." she pointed out. "I'm stronger. Besides, super fast healing. We can spar if you want."

He shook his head harder, shooting her a pleading gaze. "I don't want to risk it."

"Okay." She shrugged. "But I can't look at books anymore. I need a break."

"We could watch a movie." he suggested half-heartedly.

The thought of sitting down for at least an hour and a half made her twitchy. "How about I teach you how to shoot?"

Prim's voice drifted from the top of the stairs. "Can I learn too?"

Her sister flashed her the grin Katniss could never say no to. She rolled her eyes, a smile stretching her lips. "Okay."

It took a few minutes to organize. She had to find and select weapons that would suit both Prim's smaller frame and Peeta's bulkier one. She finally settled on a supple – but dusty – bow that she found wedged behind a weapon trunk for Prim and a heavier crossbow for Peeta. Then she placed bottles and various objects at different distances in the backyard invaded both by moles and weeds – she regretted a little the fact that Effie's cleaning spell hadn't extended to the outside of the house and she made a note to ask the woman later if she could do something about that since she was anxious to use her magic anyway. It would be nice to see where you were going when one wandered out the back.

Teaching Prim and Peeta how to shoot was both funny and aggravating. They did their best to follow her instructions and emulate her stance but they were both hopeless at it. Still, for a moment, not unlike when they had shared breakfast, the distraction seemed to work well enough. When Prim's arrow grazed her first bottle, she jumped on the spot, stretching her arms up in victory, prompting Katniss and Peeta to start laughing at her enthusiasm. She soon joined in anyway.

They were laughing so hard, Katniss had tears in her eyes and her stomach was hurting in the best way. It was a touch hysterical but it was a nice relief to the tension that had been building since the previous day.

She blamed their fragile state of mind for not hearing the newcomer's arrival – that and Haymitch's wild backyard that muffled sounds.

By the time she noticed Gale, it was too late. He was standing there, scowling at the three of them, glaring at Peeta…

"What are you doing here?" she asked. She hated how defensive, how tense she sounded. She had been avoiding her best friend – former best friend? – as much as possible since the talent show and she had no patience to dive into that can of worms right then.

"I thought you might be in trouble but clearly you're having the time of your life." Gale spat, his glare switching targets. The venom in his voice took her aback a little.

"Don't talk to her like that." Peeta growled, suddenly standing right next to her.

Gale didn't have the presence of mind to calm things down – that or he was hitching for a fight. "What's your problem, Mellark?"

Katniss barely had time to snatch the crossbow from Peeta's hand before he launched himself at Gale.

The first punch was thrown before she could get in the middle.

Dum dum dum! It's showdown time! Should we have waffles do you think? Let me know your thoughts!