10

"All your dates do involve demons hunting." Effie teased, taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

They were lazily looping around back alleys to get back to the bike, wrapping up patrol. They had visited two cemeteries already, had dispatched their share of fledglings and had even swung by the Hellmouth where everything was as deceptively calm as usual. Before all that, Haymitch had treated her to dinner at Greasy Sae's – which mostly meant she had eaten a sad bland salad while he devoured a hamburger but still.

"Who said it was a date?" Haymitch grumbled, flexing his fingers against hers.

She wasn't sure who had reached for the other's hand and she wasn't entirely sure why he had been allowing the hand holding for so long. Maybe because even now that she had healed the cut on her shoulder and that most of the bruises had magically faded, he was still a little freaked out by her injuries.

"Peeta." she hummed. "He said we should enjoy a date while they had their movie night."

Haymitch's lips twitched into a smirk and he rolled his eyes. "Wondered how he had convinced you to approve their little party… Smart boy… "

It was true that she had been the one to grant them permission but if Haymitch had truly objected, he would have made it known.

In her opinion, Katniss deserved some rest, as their discussion that afternoon had clearly proven, and it wasn't such a hardship to take over patrol for one night.

"Are you sure we shouldn't go to Ripper's again?" she asked, changing the subject.

Haymitch had gone the previous night and hadn't come back with good news. The half-demon was aware the Careers were planning something because all the demon world was apparently abuzz with the news but she didn't have any information to share. Not about the vampires and not about a possible dark witch.

"Don't think she lied to me." He sighed, becoming more serious. "And I'm tired."

She was too. Her magic was still unbalanced, her body still hurt in places she hadn't known she owned and she had set enough vampires on fire that night that she really wanted a shower to wash out the smells of burned flesh and back alleys stench.

"It is strange though…" she pointed out, finishing her hot chocolate in a long sip before tossing the cardboard cup in an overflowing trash bin. Trash littered the ground in those alleys. It stank of filth, urine and decay. No wonder vampires and demons loved it. "A powerful dark witch wandering around town… I should have sensed her by now."

Not that her powers were one hundred percent foolproof, far from it. But if someone as powerful as her mother moved on her territory… She would have detected her within the first twenty-four hours. Either the witch wasn't as powerful as Elindra had let her believe or she hadn't been doing magic – but a dark witch who resisted the urge to do magic for more than a day was unheard of. Dark magic was addictive. Even Effie, who tried to keep to light magic, ended up casting at least one spell a day.

"A lot of it is strange." he grumbled. "Why the fuck haven't they made a move yet? Sending assassins is child play, any of them would have done a better job."

The vampire came out of nowhere. Well… Actually, he came from upward, which told Effie he must have been lurking on a roof nearby.

"Sweet." the vampire said, licking his fangs while staring straight at her. "If you beg nicely enough I might give you the gift of eternal li…"

The vampire looked down in surprise at the stake Haymitch had just driven through his heart.

"The lady's spoken for." he replied casually just as the vampire burst in a cloud of dust.

Effie stared at the pile of dirt on the ground, unimpressed. "They always have to monologue."

"Don't complain." Haymitch snorted. "Makes it easier." He sighed and checked his watch. "You think it's safe to go home now? I'm dead on my feet."

"Does that mean no sex tonight?" she challenged, letting her lips stretch into a provocative grin. "And there I went and bought a sexy lingerie set just for our date…"

"Ain't a date." he insisted but the way he was looking at her told her his mind was suddenly a lot less sleep oriented.

"You just told that vampire I was spoken for…" she pointed out.

"Sorry. I'm sure it'd have been a love story for the ages." he mocked. "You and the undead."

She wrinkled her nose. "This thought is disgusting, let's never revisit it again."

He let out a hum, fighting a smirk. "Oh, I don't know… I'm starting to see the appeal… I'll be the vampire, you can be the witch-Slayer…"

"Do I get to do the stabbing, then?" she innocently asked. "I will need accessories… Is there a sex shop in this town?"

This earned her an actual genuine laugh. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into his side, trying not to mind that he was still refusing to acknowledge whatever they shared was more than just… casual. It was so obvious to her that it was more than that… Hell, she felt a lot more than she should have been and…

"You think the kids finally kissed or what?" he snorted as they walked out of the back alley to a wider street.

Civilization at last, she mused.

"We should not gossip." she rebuked.

"What? Like they don't gossip about us all day long?" he challenged. "I know I'm old but I ain't deaf, sweetheart."

She could see the bike parked a few feet away and she let out a soft sigh of relief at the sight. "It distracts them from the looming apocalypse. Isn't that why we let them gossip? I thought that was the point."

Not that they had actually discussed it but…

"Yeah." he granted. "Still. The way that boy's looking at her… She could do much worse."

"Like that Hawthorne boy." Effie made a face. "Oh, I do not like that one."

"Safe bet to say he doesn't like you either." he retorted.

"Peeta is so sweet." she continued, ignoring him. "I do wish she would realize he is completely in love with her. She will not find better."

"True enough." he nodded, fishing his keys from the pocket of his jacket. "Though he better stay away from the girl's room." He made a face. "Or make sure I don't know it's happening."

"Well, now…" she huffed, accepting the helmet he handed her. "You got me to gossip."

"Yeah, like that's hard." he muttered under his breath and avoided the whack to his shoulder with a smirk and a wink.

She pursed her lips, making sure the helmet's clip clicked into place. "You are not as charming as you think you are."

"I'm pretty charming though." he argued, getting on the bike.

She hopped on behind him, wishing he had agreed to take her car instead. She truly didn't like that bike.

"Not as much as me." she insisted for the sake of the argument.

"That's cause you put the bar high." he replied and kicked the bike to life before she could think of something to retort.

It was a merciful short trip because he drove far too fast.

The lights were still on when they parked in his driveway and it soon became obvious the children weren't done with their movies. Katniss and Peeta were on the floor, sitting very close, while Madge and Prim shared the couch. Effie refrained from commenting on the mess of half-empty boxes of pizza, the cans of soda and the huge bowl of popcorn that spread from the coffee tables to the floor.

"We'll clean up." Peeta promised, following her gaze.

Haymitch dismissed that with a wave of his hand. "Can wait tomorrow."

It was his house and so Effie pursed her lips tight and swallowed back her own opinion.

"Do you want to watch the end of the movie with us?" Prim offered as soon as they assured Katniss there was no problem on patrol. The girl was already moving a box of pizza from an empty armchair.

Haymitch made a pained face at the thought of being forced to watch what clearly was a romantic comedy and Effie took pity.

"That's so nice of you, dear, but I am still tired… I think I will go to bed." she hummed. Haymitch tossed her a quick assessing look – because it had been sort of implied sex would be happening, she supposed. "Haymitch wanted to borrow a book. I am sure he will be perfectly comfortable on my couch until you finish your movie. Do not rush on our account."

The children all exchanged looks. Even Madge.

She figured the excuse was a little feeble.

"Sure." Katniss deadpanned. "Enjoy your book."

"Maybe I should crash on your couch." Peeta muttered to her, triggering some giggling from Prim and Madge.

Haymitch rolled his eyes

"You know what, fuck off, the lot of you." he grumbled, the tips of his ears growing red.

She gasped at the unforgivable rudeness. "Haymitch! They are children!"

Children who looked more amused than shocked but still.

"We were trying to be considerate." he spat, as if she hadn't spoken at all.

"No, actually." she snapped, low enough that it wouldn't carry further than him. "We were trying to set the right example."

"If Madge's sharing with the two of you, Peeta gets the guest room." he told Katniss, ignoring her. "If Madge's taking the guest room, Peeta gets the couch. I don't want you alone on the other side of the street the whole night, kid. Don't make me tell you the rules about boys and bedrooms again, either of you." He grabbed Effie's arm, not enough to hurt but firmly enough that when he tugged she followed. "We're upstairs if you need something but it better be important."

"What has gotten into you?" Effie huffed, mid-stairs, as she finally recovered from his weird outburst.

The living-room was strangely quiet but she was sure the children would discuss that at lengths once they were sure they were out of earshot.

"They all know what we're doing." he muttered "What's the point of hiding it?"

She opened and closed her mouth a few times and then realized he wasn't wrong. Appearances, though. Appearances had been the point.

"We do not want to confuse them." she finally countered. "We do not want them to think we are in a relationship."

Her voice wavered, betraying more than she was comfortable with. He ushered her in his bedroom and slowly closed the door behind him, taking longer than necessary before facing her again. There was a weird intensity in his grey eyes when he met hers.

"We don't owe them an explanation." he decided.

She crossed her arms defensively. "I believe we do. They are ours, you realize. They are entitled to answers."

He let out an irritated sigh and then rubbed the back of his neck. "Look… Don't wanna discuss… this." He awkwardly waved between the two of them. "Still say there's nothing to discuss, alright? But… They all know we're sleeping together and I'm tired of the walks of shame in the morning… If they ask, you tell them it's none of their business, but, you want my opinion, they ain't gonna ask cause they're used to seeing us sneak out of each other's house."

She crossed her arms a little tighter. "You are sending mixed signals."

On one hand he didn't want to discuss their relationship – refused to acknowledge they had a relationship – and on the other the way he had been behaving lately… Even taking into account he had been thinking – was perhaps still thinking – that he wasn't long for this world…

"Let's not make it more complicated than it is." he demanded, crossing the distance between them. He stepped right into her personal space and she let him. He coiled his hand at the back of her neck and she let him. "I like fucking you… You like fucking me… Don't mind spending time with you… Let's just…" He kissed her. Hard. "Let's just, yeah? And if we survive this, we'll see."

It didn't take a lot of convincing on his part to get her to respond to his kisses. Or to take off her clothes. She did resist when he tried to push her on the bed but only because she wanted to drag him into the shower first. They were sweaty from patrol and they reeked of death and decay.

He kissed every one of the bruises that were left and every one of those kisses was an unnecessary apology. He hadn't made her fight with the sword although she had wanted to make a point. But it was nice to know he still felt bad about their argument from a couple of days earlier.

She was so tired and the shower sex had made her feel so boneless that she fell asleep as soon as her cheek was cushioned on his shoulder. The last sound she heard was his chuckles as he tugged the blankets higher to cover her body so she wouldn't get cold.

She was a light sleeper though.

They both were.

They woke up when the children eventually came upstairs to go to bed – they were probably trying to be quiet but one thing a pack of teenage girls was not is quiet. Haymitch grumbled and rolled on his side, half awake. She snuggled behind him, pressing her legs against the back of his thighs.

"Ain't the little spoon…" he muttered.

She snorted against his shoulder blades and let the sound of his breathing lull her back to sleep.

By her estimate, barely an hour had passed before she woke up again, startled. She wasn't sure what had alarmed her enough that she was already sitting when she properly emerged from her slumber, not until Haymitch tossed an arm around her waist and tugged her back down.

"It's nothing…" he slurred. "Just the girl sneaking downstairs… Guess the boy got the couch."

Was it simply that? She strained her ear but couldn't hear anything. The house was the same quiet it always was at night. If she listened closely enough she could barely make out the sounds of the ancient boiler as it struggled to keep the heating on.

"You are awfully calm about that." she commented.

"I'm pretending very hard I'm dreaming." he retorted.

She muffled her chuckles in the crook of his neck and tossed a leg over his hip just in case he decided to go rain on the children's parade after all. She also resolved to talk to Katniss about birth control first thing in the morning. She didn't think the girl would do anything just yet – Katniss was very reserved after all, it wouldn't be like her – but better safe than sorry.

In minutes, Haymitch was snoring again.

Effie couldn't go back to sleep. Adrenaline was racing through her body even though she couldn't explain it. She felt hyperaware of everything. Her fingers tingled with the faintest pulse of magic and there was something at the back of her throat… Something that tasted odd.

Magic.

Magic that didn't belong to her.

Ancient and terrible.

And the threat was close.

She didn't even have time to shake Haymitch awake before it reached the house.

°O°O°O°O°

Katniss made sure to be extra quiet as she sneaked out of her bedroom and down the stairs.

She couldn't sleep.

She blamed it on the lack of patrol. Her body was full of unspent energy.

She told herself she would grab a glass of water, maybe warm up some milk, and then she would go back to bed. And yet when she reached the bottom of the stairs, she headed to the living-room instead of toward the kitchen.

Peeta was bare-chested.

He had tossed the frayed blanket they kept on an armchair over his legs but it slid away when he sat up. They stared at each other for the longest time; she stood on the threshold, he remained sitting on the couch…

She didn't know how they went from being on opposite sides of the room to them kissing against the wall like there would be no tomorrow. She felt like she was on fire. It wasn't just the kissing, it was the way his hands roamed on her body, the way her own fingers kept traveling all over his bare skin…

The sane part of her knew there would be hell to pay if Haymitch wandered down and caught them. The sanest part of her reminded her this was the kind of behavior she always judged stupid when other couples did it at school.

There was a bigger part of her, however, a mad part, that wanted nothing more than to keep on kissing Peeta until her mouth went numb, that wanted more, that wanted…

He drew back suddenly, a slightly dazed look on his face… "Did you hear that?"

She wouldn't have been able to hear anything over the loud beating of her heart.

"Probably Buttercup." she dismissed, leaning in. He looked far too kissable with his hair all over the place – that was her fingers' doing, she figured – and his lips a little swollen from the kissing.

He leaned back with a frown. "No, I think it was…"

Three loud knocks echoed throughout the house.

Someone was at the door.

"Stay back." she ordered, switching to Slayer mode in a second. She silently made her way to the front door, vaguely heard the sound of another door opening upstairs – Haymitch's, she guessed.

Another loud round of knocks.

Too loud to be natural.

They echoed throughout the house like drums.

She couldn't have explained why she reached to unlock the door when Peeta hissed at her to wait and when she could hear the precipitated footsteps of her Watchers hurrying down the stairs. She felt compelled to open it.

Magic.

She hated it.

She half expected a monster to be standing behind the door but it was only a black man in his thirties who, for some reason wore skin-tight black jeans artistically slashed at the thighs, an equally tight black shirt and a red leather jacket. He had a diamond stud on his left ear and, more troubling, large tainted sunglasses on his nose even though it was the middle of the night. He looked, in short, like what she would have expected an old rocker to look like.

The stranger looked at her and she looked at him and the moment stretched into infinity. The rest of the world faded away.

Finally, he smiled.

"You must be my girl on fire…"

To Be Continued...

And this is the end of this episode... On a niiiiice cliffhanger XD What did you think? Will evelark now manage to make it a whole evening without angry kissing? Will haymitch keep his good resolution of pretending nothing is happening? Is he the little spoon? Did you like it? Any guess as to who's at the door? I want to know it aaaaall!

As for what comes next: in all honest I haven't yet finished the next episode because I want it to be just PERFECT and it has been stressing me up and I've been obsessing over it XD I am hoping to have it finished very very soon though because I'm like two chapters to the end so no worries, it will get done, I'm just being very fussy because it will be what one can call a season finale XD (and yes there will be another season after that) So, all that to say I am hoping the next episode will be read to start on the 8th of March but I can't make any promises right now so I will keep all of you updated on tumblr. I hope you will be there anyway! I'm excited to share the next episode! There will be quite a few guest stars ;)