9.

"I don't like it." Haymitch grumbled for what must have been the hundredth time.

Effie pulled the designer jeans higher on her thighs, hopping a little to get them all the way up and wriggling this way and that to get comfortable in them. Not quite the sexiest look. She wished he had remained in the bedroom but that would have been considerate and Haymitch was not a particularly considerate person.

"So you said." she deadpanned. "Repeatedly."

When she had announced her intention to go back out with him to look for the children, he had not been happy. He had followed her all the way back to her house and right into her walk-in closet.

"Effie, you can't be doing more magic." he insisted.

"And I won't unless it is absolutely necessary." she retorted. Her hands flew to the lapels of the flannel shirt she had borrowed from his dresser and then, instead of taking it off like had been her intention, she buttoned it all the way up. She had intended to swap it for something warmer but she liked the feeling of his shirt against her skin. I was comforting. "I told you. Peeta needs to accept what he perceives to be his inner monster. He might need me to talk him through it. I am coming with you. End of story."

Haymitch was glaring.

She took a second to appreciate how much stormier it made his grey eyes look. She did not let herself appreciate the rest too much.

Because he was not a man who made the same mistakes twice, he had geared up before leaving his house and he was now a walking armada. There was a sword swung over his left shoulder, the hilt poking out next to his head, stakes were strapped to his thighs, his knife was wedged in his old combat boots… The leather jacket only made the whole package more appealing.

He looked just good enough to eat and if the circumstances had been different…

"I've known a lot of fucking stubborn women and you're worse than them all." he accused.

"Given who the women in question were, I will take that as a compliment." she retorted, grabbing a jacket from the rack. She didn't even check the color wouldn't clash with the shirt. They were in a hurry. She was anxious to get to Peeta.

"It wasn't." he snapped. "Those girls were bad enough but if you were one of my Slayers…"

She crouched down to push on a white rectangular molding panel under her shoes collection. The hidden compartment shot out and she contemplated the assortment of common weapons she rarely used. She did prefer her enchanted weapons. Against vampires though… Sometimes classic was the only way to go.

"First of..." she cut him off. She grabbed as many stakes as she could carry, a few bottles of holy water and a wooden cross before pushing the hidden drawer back in place. "I am not one of your Slayers and you are not the boss of me. Secondly, I am not a girl who needs your guidance. And thirdly, I am supposed to be in charge now or have you already forgotten?"

Not that Coin's word had a real impact down there but…

She was getting back to her feet when he suddenly grabbed her arm and hauled her up. Before she could blink she was pinned to the wall by his hips, one of his legs between hers, his forearm perpendicular to her throat. He could have crushed her pipe if he had applied pressure but she thought the choke hold was more a reflex than a real threat because she could barely feel his arm against her throat and he took it away almost immediately.

"As fun as this might be, we do not have time." she purred. It was more irritated than amused though.

He was more irritated than amused too.

"You're reckless." he accused for the second time that night.

"I am anything but." she hissed. "You are being stupid. I got lightheaded earlier but I am fine now. I have been doing magic since before I could walk, Haymitch, trust me when I say I know what I can and cannot do." She tilted her head to the side and shot him a challenging look. "Either I am a powerful witch or I am not, at some point you will have to choose. Which is it?"

She didn't believe it herself. She still thought the idea was ludicrous and more frightening than it was worth. But…

He scowled, anger and helplessness fighting on his face. "You're a pain in my ass."

"Kinky." she remarked calmly, batting her eyelashes.

She truly thought he was going to start shouting. He let out a deep breath and leaned his forehead against hers instead. "Just… Be careful."

Don't want to bury you.

The words had sent a chill down her spine earlier, mostly because he had truly meant them. He had buried all the women he had ever cared for save from Mags. She could understand where the apprehension was coming from, all the more so given how the Lachnoc demon had affected him…

"I can safely promise you I will do my utmost best to survive no matter the cost." she whispered. "You do not need to concern yourself with me. You should focus solely on Katniss."

"Yeah. I should, right?" he scoffed and finally moved away from her. She immediately missed the warmth of his body and she couldn't help the shiver when he muttered the rest. "This was the worst idea ever. Fucking temptation."

She wasn't sure he had meant to say that much aloud and she wasn't sure what she ought to answer.

They needed to have a talk about their not-so-casual relationship, she figured. A real one. But now was not the time. Now they needed to save the two thirds of their children.

Her phone started ringing before she could tell him they needed to get a move on.

"Katniss." she said for his benefits after having checked the ID before immediately swiping to accept the call. "Did you find him?"

"Need help." the girl demanded, breathless. "Peeta's hurt bad. Meet me at the fountain."

Effie's blood ran cold. "I am on my way." She carelessly slid the phone in the back pocket of her jeans and met Haymitch's anxious eyes. "Peeta is hurt. Will you insist I do not do magic now?"

"It's never been about you not doing magic." he spat. "Don't twist my words. I'm just worried…"

"Well, now you have reasons to." she retorted, heading downstairs.

They started jogging down the stairs and they ran all the way to the lonely fountain that stood near the desolate entrance of the Village. They arrived first and she didn't miss the way Haymitch scanned the dark night outside of the metal gates, his hand hovering on the stake strapped to his thigh…

"Even if she is out here, she cannot get in." Effie reminded him, a little less aggravated. "She would not even be able to see us."

His meeting with Enobaria had clearly shaken him.

"She has a thrall." he said quietly. And he hadn't told her that before. Vampires who could weave a thrall were rare but dangerous. "You can throw one off?"

She hesitated and then shook her head. "I never had causes to try."

"I can. Snow had a thrall too." he added after a loaded pause. "I don't like any of this shit, sweetheart. I can taste upcoming disaster."

There was a crash in the overgrown bushes in a yard to their right that prevented her from answering. They both whirled in that direction at the exact same second, Haymitch pulling out his stakes and Effie slipping one of hers free with her left hand and lighting a fireball in her right.

Katniss' face appeared, looking pale and ragged under the unflattering glow of the lamplights. She still looked better than the boy tossed across her shoulders. She ran a little hunched over and carefully put him down at their feet. Effie was already kneeling down to inspect the damages.

"The dog?" Haymitch asked, scanning the darkness behind the girl. He was still in fighting stance, ready to give them cover…

"Gone." Katniss coughed, sweaty and out of breath. She let herself fall down to the ground and grabbed Effie's wrist. "Save him."

Effie's throat was closing though as she assessed the state the boy was in. There was a bad gaping wound on his side, the shoulder was hurt and, worst of all, the leg. The leg looked almost torn off and it was a miracle he hadn't already bled out.

She could heal small gashes. She could heal bruises. She could…

She looked up at Haymitch, helpless and terrified like she had rarely ever been. He read her like a book and dropped to his knees next to her, his stakes slipping out of his fingers. He reached for Peeta and then seemed to think better of it and placed his hand on her shoulder instead.

"We can call 911." he said calmly but the calm in his voice sounded far too fake.

"Too late." she answered. "They won't get here in time. That leg…"

"It's my fault." Katniss cut in. "I had to… I had to get past the dog somehow and… I should have understood sooner but…" The girl shook her head and hugged herself, half-glaring at Effie with tears in her eyes. "Heal him. Use your magic."

"I won't have enough." Effie whispered. "Even if I burn it all…" But did it matter? She took a steadying breath. "Alright. Alright, let's try."

"Use me." Haymitch offered. "Don't have much power, no real one, but… Take it. You can do that, yeah? Tap into it."

What Haymitch had in terms of magical powers was equivalent to the flickering flame of a candle. It wasn't enough by far.

She shook her head and pressed her left hand in the ground, digging her fingers in the dry earth. "I will use Earth magic. And if I don't have enough there is always…"

"No." Haymitch cut her off. "Not that. Ever. One taste is all it takes, Effie. No. Price's too high."

Katniss' gaze was darting from one to the other but, in the end, she didn't ask. She grabbed Peeta's hand and held it trapped in hers. "Please, save him."

"There's no price too high." she countered for Haymitch's benefit. "You should keep a knife ready though."

Because if she had to do what she truly didn't want to do… If she had to tap into the Hellmouth's corruptive magic… There was no foretelling what she would become. She had seen a glimpse of it when the fear demon had clawed his way into her heart.

"Like hell." he spat.

She laughed but it was a frightened little sound. Then she closed her eyes and focused before Peeta could slip away from them. She put her right hand on his forehead and she… Pushed.

She quickly reached the limit of what her powers could do. She tried to focus on the leg but the wound was extreme. She was pretty sure that, medically, the only thing to do at that point would have been to cut it off properly. It was mangled almost beyond repair.

He was too weak.

The spell he had cast earlier had cost him like a first spell always did, never mind one that ambitious. His body had taken the toll of that.

She reached deep within the Earth for the familiar tendrils of magic, ignoring the dark sticky ones of the Hellmouth for now, power flooded into her and she channeled it directly into the boy's body. She couldn't heal him yet but she could make him a little stronger, ease the fever… She felt the wound on his side closing. Not enough to entirely heal but it would be good enough for now. It stopped bleeding…

She was bleeding.

Her nose and her ears.

She felt it trickling down her upper lip and her neck.

She felt Haymitch's arms come around her, supporting her…

She reached into him because she needed more power and he had offered. But it was barely a drop when she needed an ocean…

"Shit." he groaned, his arms tightening like steel bars around her stomach.

She let him go.

Not enough.

Not enough.

But Peeta was less pale and his breathing had eased.

By her estimation they had gained some time. A few minutes, not much more but…

She poured more into him, aware that she was supplementing her magic with her own vital strength, but what else could she do but…

"Stop." Haymitch suddenly ordered. "Effie, stop. Right now."

She obeyed, almost relieved, and sagged into his arms, breathing hard.

"What are you doing?" Katniss asked. Her voice had a hinge of hysteria to it. "What are you doing? You can't stop! He's not okay yet! You can't stop!"

"It's killing her!" Haymitch snarled.

"And he's dying!" the Slayer shot back.

Haymitch immediately softened but his arms remained strong around Effie. "He looks a little better. We're gonna call for an ambulance and…"

"He'll lose the leg." Effie mumbled between long deep breaths. "I need to finish."

"The only thing you're gonna finish off is yourself." Haymitch replied and then sighed and then… Then she felt his nose against her nape and she figured he had rested his forehead against the back of her head. "We need better options than you killing yourself or you turning into a Hellmouth black witch."

She could taste iron on her tongue and it took a moment to realize she had bitten the inside of her cheeks.

"Options." she repeated blankly, tuning out Katniss who was screaming at them to do something, anything.

I've got a theory. But you ain't gonna like it. I've been reading up on Lachnoc demons… They create illusions, exploit latent fears… But they can't create the kind of power you've been showing, sweetheart. Losing control of your magic, the Hellmouth thing… Seems legit. But there's no way the demon increased your power.

It had terrified her when he had said that.

And now…

Now…

"Alright." she whispered. "Alright…"

She closed her eyes, tried to imagine a bubble around her mind like Caesar had taught her even though she still despised trances, and once she had successfully more or less isolated herself from the outside world, she took a good look deep down.

She had never let herself do that.

In her opinion, there were risks in looking at yourself a little too closely.

She found her power. In her head, it was a pulse of light right in her belly. It wasn't literally there of course, but that was how she liked to think about it. It was small and reliable. Not too bright, not too hot. Average by every aspect for a witch.

She embraced it.

She was still scared, had always been scared, because if this was a ball of light, she had always imagined her mother's power would be a pool of dark sticky liquid and she had always suspected that under that bright light, she might have a lake of darkness of her own.

But she would drown in a lake of darkness to save that boy.

She would do anything to save that boy.

She embraced the light and held it tight until she faded within its entirely safe limits and there…

There was no pool of dark sticky liquid, no lake full of darkness…

Only light.

An ocean of it.

Golden light as far as she could see. Feel.

Golden light that filled her up.

Not just a ball in her stomach but a gentle stream slowly filling her whole body.

Power.

Raw power.

Hidden in plain sight.

And it wasn't so scary anymore because…

"Warm and tingly like a kiss…" she whispered, opening her eyelids.

She knew they were glowing gold.

Then she dipped into Earth magic again with her left hand and pushed everything she had at Peeta and the night was pierced by the golden halo of her body. Her head fell back, her mouth opened in a silent shout… Distantly, she could see Katniss gaping at her, she could hear Haymitch muttering encouraging praises in her ear, she could feel Peeta's heartbeat becoming stronger...

Flesh and muscles and sinews and nerves mending themselves.

She felt the strain.

Of course, she felt the strain, she was powerful but that did not make her a goddess, but she kept going until she was sure the leg would stay attached and the worst he would feel was a temporary ache in his body. Once she was certain he was safe, she dropped the healing spell.

She hadn't meant to drop herself in the process but it was good Haymitch was still holding her.

He gently lowered her to the ground as Peeta sat up with a gasp. She watched Katniss jump on him, tossing her arms around his neck only to draw back and punch his arm. Peeta looked dizzy but he didn't have time to protest because then the girl was hugging him again and crying a little and it was all so…

A calloused palm cupped her cheek and suddenly there was a face hovering over hers and she smiled because…

"Do you know…" she giggled. "I think I might be in lo…"

Another hand covered her mouth before she could say it.

Haymitch looked partly relieved, partly worried. "I think you might be very high right now so best not make stupid declarations."

High. Perhaps she was. She had never done drugs but… It felt like a high. A magical high.

She poked his palm with her tongue and he slowly took his hand away, brushing her blond hair back.

"I have power after all." she said, sounding almost puzzled.

"Told you." he triumphed.

"Rude." she commented because a gentleman should never rub a lady's nose in her mistake.

He chuckled but it was strained. "You're not gonna end up in another coma, yeah? I don't need to get you to a hospital?"

She blinked at him and slowly sat up. "I don't think so. I've never felt better."

She was… energized. Her body was thrumming with life. And power. Like a sponge full of liquid. Which must have been the worst metaphor ever and made her laugh for five minutes straight.

Everyone was staring at her, she knew, but she didn't care.

"To bed with you." Haymitch finally sighed and lifted her up.

"Bed, yes. Wonderful idea." she hummed. She waited until he had her in a safe bridal hold and Katniss was helping Peeta to his own feet to suck his earlobe in her mouth. "I want you."

He jerked his head away from her and tossed her a mild glare. "Behave."

She pouted but settled back with her head on his shoulder, content to watch the children for now. Katniss was helping Peeta, his arm stretched across her shoulders… The boy looked worse for the wear, confused, but Effie knew he would be alright after he had some sleep. If the girl ever let him get some. She seemed intent on lecturing him well into the night and he gazed at her with open love.

She only wished Haymitch would ever look at her like that…

Well... It was close, wasn't it? What do you think will change now? Will everlark be less awkward? Will Effie become evil? Will Haymitch get some fucking rest? XD You tell me what you think!