4

There was something like aggressively making tea and Effie Trinket had perfected it into an art form. She had learned from the best, after all. Caesar had always been fond of letting her know he was giving her the cold shoulder by ignoring her and giving his teapot his sole focus.

Well, she was lacking a teapot, the proper apparatus or even real tea and her Watcher would have been appalled at what she called tea but it was the Seam and not London and she had to adapt somehow.

She dipped the tea bag into her mug, glancing through the window over the sink at Haymitch's overgrown backyard a few times. She liked her own kitchen better, it was more aesthetically pleasing, but she couldn't deny his felt more lived-in. The whole house felt more lived-in. In part, probably, thanks to the loud laughter of the teenagers in the other room.

The laughter wouldn't last long, she figured, they all wanted details on the Order of Tarakas and they wouldn't be patient for much longer. It had been hard enough to convince Katniss to go back to the Village earlier as it was.

So… Really, it would have been easier if Haymitch had left her to her hostile tea making and gotten a head start on the explaining like a good Watcher ought to do.

But no.

Instead of that, he was leaning against the farthest wall watching her, prompting her to fix her tea with passive aggressive moves that would have made Caesar weep with pride if it hadn't been a cheap tea bag and a washed out mug.

"Look…" he finally sighed. Just as well because there was only so long she could keep pretending to make tea. "About earlier…"

"There is nothing more to say." she cut him off with a fake bubbly cheer. "You were clear enough."

She dropped the used tea bag in the trash and fished a spoon in the drawer, stirring her drink so hard it audibly clicked on the porcelain. She didn't turn away and kept staring at the yard through the window, fantasizing about using a spell to make it more… civilized. It wasn't the only thing around there that she would have liked to civilize.

"Sweetheart." he growled.

It was funny how quickly he could change intonations on that word, how it could go from a word of endearment in the early hours of the morning to a demeaning pet name. She wasn't sure where it was situated right then. Perhaps somewhere in between.

"Yes?" she hummed, taking pain to still sound pleasant.

He pushed himself off the wall. She tracked his progress across the room through the sound of his footsteps. He paused short of touching her which, at least, showed he hadn't lost all sense of self-preservation yet.

"You're done sulking?" he challenged. "Cause I'm trying to not start a fight here."

"I have no clue what you mean." she retorted, taking a sip of scalding tea, still refusing to look at him.

The fight, as far as she was concerned, had started the moment he had called her professionalism into question in front of the children. She was a firm believer that adults, particularly adults who were in charge, should not fight in front of children. Not about the things that mattered anyway. Disagreements were fine. Calling each other out on things the children should trust implicitly was not.

Perhaps he didn't have as much self-preservation as she had thought however because he slowly wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her into his chest. She had to be careful not to spill her tea because he jostled her and she pursed her mouth very tight.

"I was pissed off 'cause Katniss was struggling and you were just standing there." he admitted, irritation still flaring in his voice at the memory.

And yet he still had the guts of propping his chin on her shoulder.

She had to fight the urge to shrug him off.

"I was not just standing there, as you say. I was waiting for an opportunity to use magic because I did not have any weapon and because I would have been more of a liability than a help. Partly because of my outfit, I will readily admit it, I did not expect to have to fight when I was getting dressed this morning." she snapped. "But if you think for one second I wouldn't have tossed myself in there to shield her with my body if I had had to, you are being both offending and hurtful. I know my duty and I would sacrifice myself for her."

His arms tightened around her. "That doesn't sound as reassuring as you want it to be."

She was three seconds away from telling him to go fuck himself and since she abhorred vulgarity, she made a giant effort to keep her mouth shut. She swallowed the words back by gulping an unhealthy amount of tea.

"I ain't gonna tell you how to dress." he continued when it became clear she would not say anything. He tentatively nuzzled her neck and she wondered what it meant that he couldn't actually say he was sorry instead of trying to coax her into forgiveness. "But right now we need to be ready all the time. So maybe…" He plucked the mug from her hand and placed it on the counter. Then his hands were on her hips and he turned her so she was facing him… "I love your tight skirts, you know." His hands slid down the side of her thighs, all the way to the back of her legs… "But maybe we can agree that if you can't lift the skirt when you need to or can't move well in it… It should remain in your closet for now."

His hands slowly traveled up until they had found her ass and he squeezed, a smirk slowly stretching his lips.

She narrowed her eyes at him and tilted her head to the side. "Is the skirt lifting meant for fighting demons or for your own convenience?"

He picked her up and deposited her on the kitchen counter before she could even process he had moved.

"Both." he granted, leaning in to kiss her.

His tongue was distracting and despite her best intentions, she responded to that kiss eagerly. Even if she bit the upper lip that had so recently been cut open, drawing a pained hiss out of him because the flesh was still tender.

The skirt wouldn't allow her to spread her legs so he could step between them and, from all the offenses it had caused that day, she thought that was the one that might convince her to trash it.

It was probably for the best though.

She could still hear the loud rumble of voices in the library and she knew it would only be a matter of time before one of the children walked in and interrupted.

And she still had things to say.

She drew back, ending the kiss in a way that made him frown and blink in a dazed sort of way. He must have recognized the serious look on her face because he let out a small sigh and placed a hand on either side of her, leaning in but not quite caging her in.

"I am not a fighter." she stated very clearly even though she had done so several times since they had met. "If pressed, yes, I will be able to defend myself in that way but it has never been natural for me and, frankly, I hate it. I hate getting so close to enemies that are dead more often than not, I hate breaking nails, I hate the exertion and I hate getting hurt. I am not good at enduring pain, I am not good at taking punches only to hit back. I loathe it. I will avoid physically engaging demons every time I can."

Haymitch's face softened. "I know but sometimes…"

"I am not a fighter, Haymitch." she cut him off, repeating it more firmly. "I am very well aware that you are accustomed to a certain kind of women, that you find that sort of strength and skills attractive… But you should realize right now that I am not a Slayer. Or one of the daredevil demon huntresses you are no doubt used to sleeping with. There is a reason I chose to become a Watcher instead of a Council Operative once it was obvious my time as a Potential had come to an end. It is all in the title. Watcher."

He waited a few seconds, probably to make sure she was done, and then he looked down at her lap. Maybe because it was easier than looking her in the eyes.

"Being a watcher doesn't mean you just watch while your Slayer gets her own hands dirty." he pointed out, not be contrary but because he felt it needed to be said. "At some point, you've got to get in the fight." She opened her mouth to argue but he went on before she could let out a word. "But I can give you that, you're better at battle magic so, yeah, you should play to your strengths and maybe I was being an ass earlier 'cause I got scared for the girl." He licked his lips and looked up. "You're a fucking great witch, Effie, and you're an asset in battle."

"Thanks to you." she whispered.

She had been scared of her own magic before she had come to the Seam. And she still was in some ways but he had opened up possibilities for her… He had helped unlock a part of her that she didn't know existed and now… Now she felt power coursing through her veins and it felt natural. Right.

He dismissed her words with a careless wave of his hand before cupping her cheek, nudging her chin up with his thumb.

"What they teach you at the Academy and being an actual field Watcher are two very different things." he said quietly. "You've got solid instincts and you're good with setting up a training course but you need to learn how to take the hard decisions under pressure. And how to live with the decisions you took afterwards. Today… I'm sorry, sweetheart, today you should have helped her, with magic or with your fists. You should have thought of something. You've always got to think of something when your Slayer has her back to a wall. Metaphorical or otherwise. That's your job."

He softened the criticism as much as he could but it wasn't the rebuke that made her frown or made a pool of dread burn in her stomach.

"Katniss is not my Slayer." she objected slowly.

He held her gaze. The smirk stretched his lips again but it didn't reach his eyes, they remained a stormy grey. "Yet."

Such a small word to do such terrible damage…

She grabbed his wrist just as he was letting go of her face, squeezing it hard. "I thought we agreed we would ignore Coin's ludicrous orders for now?"

"We are." He nodded. "But…" He closed his eyes and let out a deliberate slow shrug. "If I fall, you're up."

Her whole body ran cold.

Her instinctive answer was to refuse. The more she thought about the last few weeks, the more things made sense suddenly. The way he had let her take over some parts of Katniss' training, the way he let her speak first when they did research, the way he deferred to her from time to time when they organized patrols… She had thought he had probably indulged a little too much with alcohol to trust himself when that had happened but…

"You have been training me." she realized, frowning. "You…"

He thought there was a chance, an important chance, that they would fail to prevent the ritual and Snow would rise again. Because it had been foretold by a vague prophecy she should have had the wits to keep to herself.

"You're good." he said again. "And I trust you to take over. But you've got a lot to learn, sweetheart."

He thought if the prophecy came to pass he was going to die.

"You…" she repeated but he kissed her before she could say any more.

He kissed her with a desperate sort of urgency.

"I do like strong irritating women with tempers who can kick my ass and won't take any shit from me." he confessed against her mouth between heated kisses and it took her a few moments to remember her little speech. "And, yeah… I'm attracted to that but, fuck, Effie… With that succubus… When you kicked down that door… You had a sword in one hand… A fireball in the other…" The relentless kisses made it very hard to focus on what he was saying but focus she did because it sounded very interesting. And pleasing. And she wished she had thought to send the children… somewhere before she had started making tea. "That was so hot… I wanted you so bad… You're so fucking hot… Remember thinking… You're the hottest woman I've ever seen… Don't care if you're using swords or knives or stakes or fucking fireballs…" His hands had somehow tugged her blouse out of her skirt and his palms were running under the fabric, ghosting over her ribs… "So fucking hot… You're a fucking badass… How do you not know that? So fucking gorgeous too… Smart…" His mouth wandered down her jaw, to her neck… "So fucking perfect…"

She wasn't entirely sure how her hands had ended up in his hair but she tugged at its roots, pulling him back to her mouth so she could kiss him again…

"The children are waiting for us." she regretfully reminded him when his fingers toyed with the clasp of her bra.

He groaned in disappointment but wisely stepped back after a few more kisses. He leaned against the table while she hopped off the counter.

"For the record…" he grumbled. "It's unfair we get cockblocked by our kids when we didn't even get to have fun making them."

She shook her head at him and quickly fixed her clothes, letting him vent all he wanted because she knew he was simply trying to convince his erection to go away. It was his fault, really, he should have known better than to start something they couldn't finish.

"I cannot have children." She tossed it out there, casually, just in case the comment was aimed at more than expressing his frustration. He was unwilling to talk about their relationship or its casualness so the idea that he was actually considering making babies with her was probably stupid but…

"I don't want children." he replied, just as casually. He left it at that. He didn't add that he had buried enough of them even though she heard it anyway.

It was wonderful how adept they were at conveying important things through fake nonchalance.

"Then it is probably a good thing we found some already made and almost grown up, isn't it?" she retorted brightly.

"Probably." he humored her, letting his hand trail on her waist when she walked past him. "Ain't that tea cold by now?"

She glanced down at the mug she had grabbed by reflex. It must have been lukewarm at best but she couldn't go back to the library without it given that her whole excuse for spending so long in the kitchen had been making tea. If she came back empty-handed the children would know that they had been..

The children would know that they had been arguing far from prying ears because they had no reason to suspect they had almost jumped each other's bones, she corrected herself.

"Probably. You ruined my tea." she sighed. "Typical."

He smirked at the teasing tone under the fake aggravation and pushed himself up to follow after her. He quickened his stride to push past her right before they reached the library.

"The things I'm gonna do to you tonight, Princess…" he whispered in her ear, making her shiver.

She was certain his face let nothing on, so she did her best to school her own features into a neutral expression.

Prim, Katniss and Peeta still exchanged the knowing looks she was quickly getting used to and she preferred to pretend didn't exist.

"So." Haymitch said, flopping down on one of the empty chairs around the table. "Battle plan. Go, Katniss. How are you gonna deal with two big lizards and their katanas?"

Effie sat down far more gracefully, noticing without really noting that Prim had her homework in front of her even though she didn't seem to have made much of a head start. She flashed the girl an approving smile and the twelve years old beamed back at her at the small attention. They should spend more time with Prim in a not-demon-related way, Effie mused and she vowed to talk to Haymitch about it later.

When Katniss would be done glaring at him. "You were supposed to explain what they were."

She pursed her lips at the Slayer's hostile tone but Haymitch didn't even blink. "How's that stopping you from figuring out how to take out demons with katanas?"

"You said they were more samurai than ninjas?" Peeta politely cut in, aiming his question at Effie.

"I meant the Order of Tarakas is known to have a code of honor." she answered, shooting Haymitch a look. "And getting to know your enemy before trying to vanquish him is not a bad thing." Katniss proudly jutted her head up and gave Haymitch a look, smug and triumphant. Sometimes, Effie felt as if she was dealing with two particularly annoying brats. "However, these demons did not show any magical talent that you saw and you should have at least a few ideas about how to approach that battle."

Katniss deflated and Haymitch slouched a little more on his chair, propping his left ankle on his right knee. It was his turn to look smug and triumphant.

It looked better on him than it did on the girl.

Effie tried not to be too infuriated.

"They're some kind of freaky genetic mutation from another race of demons." he finally droned out.

"The original race scorned them." Effie hummed, tracing the rim on her mug with a distracted finger. "The name itself is a mockery. In that demon's language Tarakas means sewer."

"They're calling themselves the Order of the Sewer?" Prim asked, eyebrows shooting high.

"They took it as a badge of pride after they slaughtered their brethrens." she winced. "They are assassins, mercenaries… But they only take on contracts if they deem the target worthy."

"The Council hired them a few times although they will probably never own up to that…" Haymitch snorted. Effie shot him a surprised look and he shrugged. "Don't look like you don't know some shady stuff happens behind closed doors."

"Okay, great." Katniss interjected. "So they're assassins and they're after me. It's the Careers, yeah?"

"Likely." Haymitch approved. "We need to swing by Ripper's to see if she has leads about the witch anyway… We can always ask."

"We have been making a dent in their newborn vampires army." Effie sighed. "I do not think it is a leap to conclude it is them. They are more likely trying to keep you busy for a little while. Which worries me…"

"You think the Reaping's close." Haymitch guessed.

She tapped her finger against the rim of her mug thoughtfully. "We have been waiting for them to make a move for weeks. Mother must be right… Somehow, there must be some element missing from their ritual…"

"So we figure out what it is." Haymitch shrugged. "First thing first… The sewer lizards." There was a taunting edge to his tone, as if he didn't really considered the Order of Tarakas to be a real threat. He hadn't been that dismissive earlier with a katana at his throat. "Katniss. Battle plan."

Katniss was many things but a tactician was not one of them. She tended to rush into battle, not think ahead.

"What does it matter?" the girl scorned. "We don't know when they will attack again and…"

"Effie's gonna send a message. You want a place and a time." Haymitch countered.

"How are you going to send a message?" Peeta frowned and then his expression brightened, leaning forward toward her. "Are you going to use magic? Can I help?"

Effie fought her smile faced with his enthusiasm. The boy had barely managed to move a pencil and he already wanted to do complex summoning rituals – which she had strictly forbidden on pain of being grounded until he came of age.

"I will send a mail. They have a website." she answered.

The teenagers all gaped at her.

She didn't look at Haymitch. Because she was pretty sure Haymitch was fighting off his own laughter.

"This is not the nineties anymore!" she huffed, a little defensively. "One has to live with their time. Even demons."

Katniss was the first to recover. "Alright. Fine. Why would we send a message?"

"Think." Haymitch encouraged, managing to sound both supporting and mocking all at once.

"If we choose the place, we're more in control." Peeta answered when it was clear the girl wouldn't. "And we can make sure nobody accidentally gets hurt."

"Except us or the demons." Katniss deadpanned, turning back toward Haymitch. "But even if we kill those two, they're just gonna send more, aren't they?"

Effie and Haymitch shook their heads at the same time.

"Unlikely." she determined. "They are sterile and there aren't many of them. You already killed one and I suspect the Careers only hired three. They do not come cheap. If you kill them all, the Order will refund the Careers and they will leave it at that. Three deaths in their rank would already be a disaster for them."

Katniss watched her for a few minutes and then shrugged. "Then we get them to the woods and we kill them."

"Why the woods?" Haymitch asked, a little impatiently.

"Cause you wanted me to control the place." the girl sighed.

Haymitch rubbed his face, looking both tired and a little desperate. "Effie, why are the woods the worst idea ever?"

She pursed her lips because she didn't like feeling like she was back at school. She also didn't like the idea that he was training her to take his place.

"Assuming we are doing this tonight, there will be limited visibility." she explained slowly, so the girl could follow her reasoning. Katniss didn't appear particularly grateful for the lesson. "Besides, you know the woods but we do not so we would be liabilities when we could both be otherwise helpful. Our movements would also be limited. And I would risk setting the whole forest aflame."

"What, you mean if you actually use magic instead of just standing there this time?" Katniss snorted.

Effie recoiled a little, hurt passing on her face before she managed to school her features again.

The girl made a face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I know you were trying to help."

Effie stood up. "I will go get changed. Haymitch, text me with the time and place and I will send a mail."

"Sit back down, we're not done." he dismissed her with a lazy wave of his hand. "Battle plan."

Katniss rolled her eyes. "I suck at battle plans. That's what you want me to say?"

Effie slowly sat down because she thought she could feel what was left of Haymitch's patience evaporating. "What are the assets at your disposal?"

The Slayer stared at her blankly and then shrugged. "I won't be able to use my bow and the knives weren't a good idea so… Sword?"

"Sword." Effie agreed. "However, I did not mean that sort of assets. You have Haymitch and I. We each have our own particular sets of skills. What would you want us to do?"

The blank stare became stormy and Katniss scowled as if she had personally insulted her. "You're not assets, you're people. You're family. And you're not taking any risks."

The simple honesty in the girl's voice moved her.

"Hard decisions." Haymitch muttered.

For her benefits, Effie supposed.

She sighed. "Fine. Here is a battle plan: we will use the smallest graveyard in the north. The field is as flat as we are going to get without taking it to town, it is open and it will limit the risk of civilians getting caught in the middle. You and Haymitch will engage one of them with swords, I will take on the second one with magic. We kill them. You and I go on a short patrol while Haymitch visits his favorite demon bar for information. We come home and go to bed."

Haymitch smirked. "I can live with that."

Somehow, she had the feeling he meant the go to bed part. She shot him a look.

"What do I do?" Peeta asked. "You forgot me."

"I did not." Effie denied. "I would like you to stay home with Prim. The Village is protected but they sent assassins after us so I would still feel better if…"

"Yes, of course." the boy agreed at once, nudging Prim's shoulder. "Sounds like it's you and me and pizza tonight."

Katniss smiled gratefully at him and Effie relaxed. She had feared complaining and arguments but she should have known better. Peeta was not Gale.

She checked the clock and calculated. "Well… I think we earned ourselves an hour of downtime before we have to head out. Haymitch?"

He nodded his agreement.

They both started to stand up only to freeze at the same moment when they realized the children were sharing awkward looks.

"What now?" Haymitch sighed, placing his hands on the wooden round table and leaning forward.

There were more awkward looks, a few 'you go first' motions between the three of them and, at last, Peeta flashed them his best sheepish smile…

"Funny story… We wanted to ask if we could skip patrol Saturday so we could have a movie night?"

Haymitch pinched the bridge of his nose as if he was fighting a particularly virulent headache.

Effie pursed her lips hard to fight a laugh.

Well, at least hayffie seems to have made up ;) Let me know your thoughts!

For beta reason, we'll go on a small hiatus for the hollidays =) so we'll back on air on the 5th ;)