A/N: I'm sorry to tell you, my loves, this will be a very short chapter. When I was writing this and breaking it up into chapters, I felt the need to have a bit of a landing place between the last chapter, before the launch, and the next several, which will be pretty chaotic, and as close to (mostly book) canon as I could get it.
Just as the sky in the east gets lighter, Cinna, Portia, and Effie come through the door. With a strangled cry, Effie throws herself into Haymitch's arms. Then Portia puts an arm around his waist, and her head on his shoulder. He puts one arm around her shoulders. Cinna comes up on the other side, joining the crowd of arms around Haymitch. He puts his head on Cinna's.
They break apart, except for Effie, who's still clutching him like he's a life raft and she's an overwhelmed swimmer.
Haymitch shakes Portia's hand.
"It was an honor, working with you," he says. "I know Peeta will say the same."
She's smiling and nodding, but her eyes are wet, and the smile trembles.
Effie lets go of him and runs to his room, bawling.
He turns to Cinna, takes one of his hands in between both of his.
He looks into Cinna's coffee-colored eyes and says, "I don't know where we would be without you. You made our kids stars. I'll always be grateful."
Cinna puts his free hand on Haymitch's back, and kisses his cheek.
"I'm going to go wake up Katniss."
Portia and Cinna leave the sitting area. He's not supposed to see Katniss and Peeta before the Games. Even a minor infraction could topple their house of cards, so he makes his way to his room, to Effie.
She's lying face down on his bed, hiccuping and crying like a small child. He sits beside her and smooths his hand across her back.
"Peeta and Katniss wanted you to know how much your help has meant to them," he says, his hand rubbing small circles across her shoulders, not wanting to wrinkle her dress.
She sniffles and says, her voice muffled by the pillow, "I helped them...into the arena," she sobs.
"Hey, hey," he says, not at all sure how to respond to that.
He feels torn. He cares about Effie. He doesn't want to make her feel worse than she already does, not when there's so much more to come.
He's helped more kids into the arena than she has, anyway. There's nothing either of them can say to the other that will mitigate the damage done.
"They still made certain I'd tell you that you were the best escort they could have had, and they send you their love."
Effie's sobs redouble, and Haymitch wonders if he should have kept his mouth shut after all.
She slowly gets herself under control, just as the sun shines into his bedroom window. It's a new day.