"Are you sure you'll be fine on your own?" Haymitch asked as they stood by the train station. Normally, he wouldn't be as worried about her but lately, her health declined. Even her stamina took a shot. It really worried the people around her.

"I'll be fine," Heather told him. "Besides, if something happens to me, they'll take me to the hospital."

"That'll be the first place they'll take you once they see your acne," Katniss said.

"Hahaha," Heather rolled her eyes as she faked a laugh.

"She's right, though," Haymitch shrugged.

"Why do you have to go to the Capitol, anyway?" Katniss asked. "Is there some kind of event only specific victors get to go to?"

"Uhh, you could say that," Heather said. Even though she promised to tell her everything, Heather couldn't bring herself to talk about her prostitution. It was like talking about her games. Thankfully, once Katniss saw how painful it was for her to talk about it and left the issue.

"Oh," Katniss covered her mouth. "I'm sorry, I forgot you don't want to talk about it."

"It's okay, we all have our slips," she smiled at her.

Heather glanced at her wristwatch. "Well, I guess I have to go now."

She hugged both Haymitch and Heather goodbye then got on the train. The train was less packed than it normally was. The people Heather was able to glimpse were all government officials. There was no sight of any average Capitol citizen.

During most of the train ride, Heather slept dreamlessly. It was weird because she got enough sleep these nights but she still felt tired. Something wrong really was going with her body.

A train attendant ended up waking her up when they arrived at the Capitol. Surprisingly, Plutarch was there to pick her up personally. Heather thought that she was going to spend some time in the Victor Tower before meeting up with him. Nevertheless, she was happy to see him.

"Plutarch," Heather called out his name with a smile as she reached her arms to hug him.

He accepted her hug and led her to his car.

"What are you doing here?" Heather asked. "I thought you were going to pick me later."

"I was, but I was passing by the train station anyway and thought this was more convenient," he said as he opened the door for her.

"Are you going to take me to your place or the tower?"

"My place," Plutarch said. "There's a lot we need to talk about."

Heather nodded but she couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed because she wanted to go see Finnick and her other friends if they were there as well.

Plutarch resided in one of the highest buildings that surrounded the President's Manor. Of course, that was a given since he was a gamemaker. They stayed silent side by side as they rode up the elevator. Heather found the silence uncomfortable and wanted to say something but nothing came to mind when she searched for conversational ideas. They were living in dark gloomy times with the recent revolts from the districts and the Capitol's tyrannical ways got more aggressive than imagined.

Finally, the elevator opened and they stepped into his apartment. Even though she hasn't been here for a long while, Heather still was familiar with his house, probably because he didn't change things around much.

"Is Laelia's room still around?" Heather asked as she took off her coat.

"Yes," he nodded. "Do you want to see it?"

"If you don't mind," she shot him a sad smile.

They walked together down his hallway and stopped in front of a bright orange door. Taking a deep breath, Heather gathered all her courage and stepped inside the room.

Everything still looked the same as usual.

Which crushed her.

Her princess bed was made with all the pillows fluff and her blanket tucked neatly. The posters of her favourite bands and things still hung on the wall, including a picture of Heather. Her toys were organized on the corner and there was no dust in sight on her bookshelf.

Heather's heart became heavy in her chest as she glanced around the room as blinked away the tears. Laelia Heavensbee was Plutarch's daughter and she was his entire world. Sadly, she had problems with both her lungs and heart. Three years ago, she passed at only 11. She was the entire reason Plutarch joined the rebellion as her death helped him understand the pain tributes' parents go through.

"Everything looks the same," she said underneath her breath.

"I don't think I ever will have the courage to throw her stuff away," Plutarch told him as he leaned against the door.

"That's okay," Heather said. "I do think I would do the same if I had my dad and my brother's stuff."

Plutarch opened his mouth to tell her something but he was interrupted by the low rumbling sound of her stomach. He chuckled while Heather bit her lip in embarrassment.

"How about we eat something first?" he suggested.

"Yes, that'd be lovely," she smiled sheepishly.

Moments later, as they ate, Heather began to tell Plutarch about Bonnie and Twill. She told him about how she and Katniss came to meet them when they went out to the forest. He listened to her carefully as recounted to him every detail of that day that she could remember.

In return, Plutarch told her about the other revolts happening around the country. District 4 began their own protests as they destroyed essential parts of their ships to avoid doing work. This worried Heather instantly as she began to wonder about Finnick, Annie, and Mags. District 3 also began to rebel as well but he hadn't been able to get hold of what's going on there since the rebelling recently started.

"Do you think I was wrong to tell her the truth, Plutarch?" Heather asked, regarding the topic of Katniss. "I don't want to overwhelm her but at the same time, I feel bad for keeping her in the dark."

"I personally don't think it was a good idea," he said. "Keeping her clueless might have worked better for our plans. I know she's good at acting but President Snow will be keeping his eyes on her most and he's-"

"Really good at uncovering lies, I know," Heather sighed. "We'll just have to work on it."

"But we really need to do something," Heather said. "We always say that but end up doing nothing and this just really frustrates me. I mean, the people are inspired and we have everything ready, all we need to do is act yet no one is doing something."

"Patience, Heather," Plutarch told her as she huffed. "Besides, President Colin and I started developing a plan to start the new revolution."

Heather narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Not because of Plutarch but because of President Colin. While she may seem like a kind woman on the outside, Heather felt like there was more to her and didn't trust her a bit. "You do?"

"Yes," Plutarch said and pushed his plate away, placing his elbows on the table. "It involves the Quarter Quell."

Then, he told her of the twist this year.

The sound of the fork hitting the floor echoed through the room as Heather was paralyzed in her seat. She stood there for a good while, still in fear as her mind processed this piece of information.

"I-it can't be," she whispered. "He can't do this!"

Plutarch lowered his head down. "I'm sorry."

"B-bu- part of being a victor is-" Heather couldn't even finish her thought as she got choked in her sobs.

Plutarch let Heather cry in peace as she let her feelings out. Her anxiety levels shot up. Thoughts of her friends going back to that hell-hole caused her to cry even more as she couldn't imagine the trauma they will face back there. This wasn't fair. Being a victor meant that you wouldn't go back to the arena yet here they were, breaking that rule. They couldn't do this.

Her hatred for Snow intensified and while she wanted to feel some sort of anger, all she felt was exhaustion. She was tired of feeling this unfairness happening to her and her beloved ones.

No doubt, something has to be done about this, but what?

Suddenly, an idea popped into her mind.

Snow wanted to see the victors in the arena. Well, he will but there will be no dying for certain. Heather would make sure of that.

And so, Heather told Plutarch her plan.

The next morning, Heather woke up feeling extremely nauseous. Getting out of bed as fast as she could, she sprinted straight to the bathroom, barely reaching the toilet when the vomit escaped her mouth. She stayed there for a while, unsure of whether or not she was done throwing up.

Eventually, she started to feel better but she still sat in the bathroom for a few minutes before getting up. Outside the bathroom, Plutarch was leaning against the wall as he was waiting for her to get out of the bathroom.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "You've been there for an awful lot of time."

"I'm okay now," she said. Heather was about to ask him to take her to the hospital so she can figure out what's wrong with her. For the past month, she's been getting nauseous randomly. The metallic taste on her mouth would come and go and her sense of smell got heightened all of a sudden.

Then, it hit her.

Could she be… pregnant?

It could be possible, the signs were all there after all. But then she remembered how she and Haymitch didn't use protection when they had sex for the first time. At that time, she didn't think she'd get pregnant because her menstrual cycle had just ended and there would be no eggs for the sperms to fertilize so the chance of pregnancy happening would be low. It was only at that moment that she realized sperms could stay alive for several days inside a woman's body.

"Plutarch?"

"Yes?"

"Can you get me a pregnancy test?"

He blinked, taking in what she just had told him. "You want me to … what?"

"I've been having pregnancy symptoms for a while now," Heather said. "I didn't suspect it at first because I thought my menstrual cycle is still intact but that's probably spotting. So, can you?"

He nodded, "Yes, of course."

"Thank you," Heather said with a grateful smile. "I know this is a lot to ask of you."

"That's alright."

While he went to go get her the test, Heather went back inside the bathroom for a quick shower. When she was done drying her hair and dressing in new clothes, Plutarch hadn't returned yet. She wanted to cook breakfast for him but the Avoxs working for him were already done with that.

Fifteen minutes later, he entered the house, clutching a bag on his side.

"Do you want to take it now or eat first?" he asked her.

"Let's eat," she told him. "Besides, I don't have the need to… you know."

They ate their breakfast together in silence as they couldn't further discuss Heather's plan while the Avoxes were present. However, later on, they began to chat about Laelia and their good times with her. One would think that talking about your dead loved one would be painful. And it was, but only at the beginning of the grief journey. As time goes on and they get better at grieving, talking about their beloved dead one becomes easier.

But sometimes, it would bring feelings of melancholy and sadness with it but not much.

After they finished eating, Heather dreadfully went to the bathroom to take the test. Five minutes later, the test turned positive.

Heather was pregnant.

At first, there was some shock but it dissolved easily as she had suspected this. Then a warm feeling consumed her heart. She was pregnant. She was going to be a mother. Well, she already was a mother but this time, it was going to be biological.

She and Haymitch were going to have a baby together. The mere thought of this brought a permanent smile on her face that she believed was going to be stuck with for the rest of the day. Even thinking about Snow didn't upset her. If anything, this news fueled her determination to end this era of tyranny this year.

From what other victors told her, Heather knew that Snow wouldn't let her abort her baby. Not when this news would bring joy to the citizens. No doubt, he was going to advertise her pregnancy and she'll have to do interviews and meet-ups with the citizens so they can talk to her about the baby. Most of all, she knew he wasn't going to touch her baby until they were old enough to enter the games. The chances of that were high and especially if he found out that the father was Haymitch.

This fact annoyed her but alas, it solidified her desire and resolve to make this Quarter Quell the last Hunger Games ever in the history of Panem.

Taking a deep breath, Heather exited and saw Plutarch waiting out in the hallway, on the way. He raised his head when he heard the door open. He was about to ask her about the result but the smile on her face said all.

He gave her a small smile. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," she said. "I- this is all crazy."

"Yes, I felt the same way when my ex-wife was pregnant with Laelia," he told her.

"Yes, but," she paused. "Is it wrong for me to be excited even though they'll be born in hard times?"

"Of course not," he said. "I'd be concerned if you weren't happy."

"I suppose," she admitted.

"If you don't mind me asking," he said. "May I know who the father is."

"Um," she stared at him blankly as she debated on whether to tell him or not.

"Do you not know who he is?" he asked.

"No, no, I know," she shook her head. "I don't know if I can tell you."

"Well, it's not like I have anyone else to talk to about this," Plutarch said teasingly.

"Yeah, but he, the father, likes his privacy," she said, puffing out her lips as she exhaled. "Well, good thing he feels indifferent about you though."

Heather paused for a second before saying. "It's Haymitch."

Plutarch scrunched his eyebrows as he processed this. "That.. actually makes more sense than I'd imagine."

She laughed.

The next few days, Plutarch and Heather spend it together, formalizing the plan she came up with. They discussed possible solutions for the faults in her plan and how they were going to inform crucial people they needed of the plan. Most importantly, they talked about how they were going to achieve all of this behind Snow's back, which was going to be very difficult given how perspective the man was.

Sadly, Heather had to schedule a meeting with Snow to tell him of her pregnancy which was going to occur today. Even though she knew nothing serious was going to happen to her, she was still nervous.

Plutarch escorted her down to his building lobby where they hugged goodbye. After meeting up with Snow, Heather was going to return back to District 12.

"I'll try to come back here as soon as I can," Heather whispered in his ear. "We have much to discuss."

"Yes," he said. "Hopefully, when we meet back here again, you will finish the first phase of our plan."

Heather nodded, "I imagine you would talk with President Coin?"

"As soon as I can," he confirmed.

Outside the building, there was already a driver waiting to take her to the mansion. Immediately, Heather put a mask of indifference on and entered the car. Throughout the car ride, Heather deconstructed her anxious thoughts and emptied her mind. Her meetings with Snow were always mentally draining so she had to pull her together.

Once arriving at the mansion, an Avox came and led her through the network of hallways and doors to the President's office. Raising her fist, Heather knocked gently against the oak door.

"Come in," came Snow's smooth calm voice.

Gathering all her strength, Heather pushed open the door and entered the room, closing the door behind her.

"President Snow," Heather nodded at him in greeting.

"Miss Mildbreeze," Snow said with a graceful smile. "Or is it Mrs. Abernathy now?"

Heather's body froze in place. How could he have known? The small ceremony was held in Peeta's place which Haymitch suspected was not bugged since Peeta was the one with the less rocky relationship with Snow between the four of them. Maybe they were wrong after all.

"I have to say, I was quite disheartened that you didn't invite me to the wedding," he said.

Quickly, Heather composed herself together. "Well, it was a small wedding and quite last-minute."

"I heard," he said, picking up some paper on his desk. "I must say, I was surprised to know about the budding romance between you and. You had nice things to say to each other."

"Well, you can't expect to know everything," Heather said boldly.

Snow paused her movement. "Yes. Sadly, that is the truth."

"Now, would you be kind enough to tell me the purpose of your visit?" he asked.

"I'm pregnant," she told him, maintaining eye contact with him.

His eyebrow moved a mere millimetre as his face remained particularly unfazed. "I see."

They kept staring each other in the eye, the only sound heard in the room was the ticking of the grandfather clock. Next, Snow broke the eye contact and moved to his screen. He typed a few things in there before he turned back to her.

"Miss Everdeen's photoshoot will take place in a few months," Snow told her. "By then, you'll probably have developed your baby bump. There will also be a photoshoot arranged for you and your pregnancy will be announced to the people."

Heather nodded. Not that her consent mattered.

"I've also arranged for a doctor to come to check on you in an hour or so to see how far you are," he said. "In the meantime, you'll see in one of the drawing rooms, I trust you'll be able to entertain yourself there?"

"Of course," Heather said as she stood up. "You needn't worry."

"Oh, and Miss Mildbreeze?"

"Yes?"

"Congratulations."

"... Thank you."

In the drawing room, Heather didn't need to wait more than a few minutes before someone entered. At first, she was surprised that the doctor came this fast but instead, she saw Seraphina Snow, President Snow's granddaughter, standing by the doorframe.

"Heather, you're here!" Seraphina said joyfully with a smile. She walked in long strides, reaching Heather in a mere couple of seconds.

"Hi there, Seraphine," Heather barely got up from her seat before the girl launched herself at her, hugging Heather tightly. "Woah, someone missed me."

"Of course, I did," Seraphina said as she kept holding onto her. "How come you haven't been here for a long time?"

She must not know about what was happening in the districts. Most citizens of the Capitol probably didn't.

"Oh, there had been a change of system in the district and things got complicated so I couldn't come here," Heather said as they sat together. "What about you? How have you been?"

"I'm okay," she said. "Not the worst time here but not the greatest."'

Heather nodded. She would've asked her about what's going on in her life but she didn't have the capacity to care for her. Her relationship with Seraphina Snow was a complicated one, it didn't only confuse others but Heather herself didn't know what to think of it. On one hand, she could see the goodness in the girl and the limited kindness that she possessed. Seraphina was, of course, raised in ignorance of what's happening around in the other districts. But on the other hand, Heather couldn't find it in herself to be sympathetic to Seraphina, as she herself was being discriminated against by the Capitol society, since she wasn't what a granddaughter of a president should be. Still, as time went by, she found herself caring for the girl.

"I can't wait to graduate next year," she said. "Though I'll still have to convince Granddad to let me live by myself."

"Have you thought about where you want to live?" Heather forced herself to ask.

"I was to live by the rivers, never the mountains," she said excitedly. "The view there is amazing but it'll be hard to convince Granddad of that since he always says that area is dangerous."

"Uh-huh," Heather said absent-mindedly.

"I don't know why he thinks so really. I mean, it's like there is going to be a repeat of the rebellion," Seraphine said, huffing out as she crossed her arms.

At the word 'rebellion', Heather choked on air. Immediately, Seraphina jumped, looking around for a way to help her. Finally, she settled on patting her back while Heather got her breathing pattern to normal.

"Are you okay?" Seraphina asked. "What happened?"

"I just choked on air," Heather explained. "You shouldn't mention a rebellion, Seraphina. It's not appropriate."

"Oh," Seraphina frowned at the realization of what she said to her. "I'm sorry."

Heather nodded. "Just don't do it again."

"Okay," Seraphina clutched her hands on her lap, an apologetic look still etched on her face. "Can I ask what you're doing here? Is there a last-minute party going on?"

"No, no, President Snow arranged for a doctor to come to see me and I'm waiting for them to arrive," Heather told her. "That's it."

"Doctor?" she looked more confused. "But why? Is something wrong with you?"

"No, no," she shook her head. "It's just a check-up to make sure the baby is okay."

"Baby?" Seraphina scrunched her face. "What do yo-"

Then her eyes drifted to Heather's stomach, which Heather was covering instinctively during their entire conversation.

"You're pregnant," she stuttered out. "B-but how- I mean, I know how but who? Who's the father? And when did this happen?"

Heather held back a smile and failed. "I just discovered a few days ago, and as for the father, I think I'm going to keep that one a secret."

It was already bad enough that 2 people know, well 3 once she tells Cashmere, about Haymitch being the father before he even found out about this news. And she knew how he didn't like when people were upon his business so

"What? Can't you please tell me?" Seraphine said with a pleading tone.

"Sorry but I will not," Heather said, grinning.

"Is it because you don't trust me?" she asked.

"No. In the first place, I'm not going to tell anyone but a few selected people," Heather told her.

"Does Granddad know who it is?" Seraphina asked.

"Yeah, he figured it out."

"Of course he did," she nodded. "Granddad is really smart."

Unfortunately, Heather thought.

While they were waiting for the doctor to come, Heather and Seraphina watched a random show on TV. Heather didn't pay much attention to the show as she contemplated on how she was going to inform Haymitch of her pregnancy. I mean, she could always outright tell him but she wanted to tell him specially. A way that would make him ten times happier.

Just imagining the wide smile on his face, Heather found herself in a wide smile herself as a warm feeling took over her chest.

After an hour and a half passed, the doctor arrived with two nurses, who carried a bunch of devices with them. Heather requested Seraphina to get out of the room, which was saddened by but she still obeyed. The check-up itself didn't take a long time. The doctor had the nurses take some tests on her to make sure everything was fine. When it turned out that everything was fine, the doctor told Heather that there is some last thing that needed to be done and said that it would be her favourite.

Heather was confused, especially so when one of the nurses put out the light and the doctor rubbed some sort of cold lotion on her stomach. One of the machines they brought alongside them was set up.

"So how many weeks along am I?" Heather asked the doctor.

"Around 2 months," the doctor told her. "10 weeks to be exact."

One of the nurses brought over a small screen and positioned it over Heather's stomach. The other nurse was typing something on the machine and pushing buttons. A moment later, an image was projected on one of the walls. Heather stared at it in confusion before she realized what it was, thanks to the heartbeat she heard coming from the machine.

"I-i-is that t-the-" Heather turned to the doctor and pointed at the wall.

"The baby? Yes," the doctor nodded with a smile. "Though by the looks of it, I would say babies."

Heather looked back at the image and focused more on it before letting out a loud gasp.

She was carrying twins.

So there you go, the surprise. GHWIOJWBNWv, I've been waiting for this moment since foreva. How do yall think our man Haymitch will react when he hears of this? Unfortunately, you might have to wait for a while to see his reaction. Due to personal reasons, I won't be updating until September. I know, it sucks but c'est la vie. Rest assured that I'll return, with more updates that is, I plan to finish this story by the end of the year, fingers crossed.