Chapter Ninety-Nine; Moving On
(Stephanie & Haymitch's POV)
"I'll be Stephanie Trindlesworth-Abernathy," Stephanie announced with an air of finality.
Haymitch arched a brow at her in slight amusement. "Would you like me to get Isa's wedding journals out and you can rifle through them for a dress as well sweetheart," Haymitch teased.
Stephanie mock-scowled at him. "Can't I be excited about my own wedding?"
Haymitch passed her by, squeezing her shoulder. "I'm regretting saying yes already," he mumbled.
Stephanie shot up from her chair, following him. "It was meant to be you who asked me!" Stephanie called after him.
"Well, you never were one for following the rules sweetheart," Haymitch remarked off-handed.
"My mum proposed to my dad," Stephanie commented casually.
"Are there anymore Trindlesworth family traditions I should be made aware of?" Haymitch teased.
Stephanie swatted at his arm as they both dropped themselves onto the sofa. Stephanie immediately curled towards Haymitch and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close as he sighed deeply; though for once the sound wasn't tinged with despondency, but a strange sense of contentment.
Stranger was the sound still, given their circumstances. But peeking up at him through her lashes Stephanie indulged herself in a fond smile as she saw the light that had entered his eyes.
It hadn't completely banished the shadows, but for once there seemed to be light in the darkness.
Stephanie wasn't breaking down, Haymitch having to reassure her and himself over and over again that she would survive…instead, there was just this pleasant acceptance.
They were making plans – plans for after the Games. And Haymitch realised that was how you truly beat the Capitol.
A 16 year old boy had faced the end of his world 10 years ago, standing on the precipice; the Games looming before him, a lifetime of unfulfilled dreams and inconsequential years behind him… Now the Games loomed before him once more ten years later, but it wasn't a precipice.
Merely a stretch of darkness – a tunnel. And when they emerged from the other side there would be light again, not just the plummeting drop in darkness of blood-curdling screams haunting tangible nightmares with nothing but a vodka bottle for company.
He would have…a wife? The thought was strange given Haymitch had long banished the thought as feasible years before.
What woman would be able to understand why he would wake up in the dead of night, their dying cries still echoing in his ears ricocheting off his skull? What woman would be able to understand that sometimes he just couldn't face the day, that all someone had to do was tilt their head ever so slightly to the side like his brother used to do and he would be reaching desperately for the familiar weight and burning taste of the bottle?
And as Stephanie's fingertips lightly danced across his shoulder he realised…she would.
She had him given him his something to live for beyond the Games, and very slowly he was beginning to let the vice grip of horror and terror the Games had held around him these past ten years…lessen.
The Games weren't his life anymore. She was; Stephanie Trindlesworth – his wife to be.
…
(Stephanie's POV)
Stephanie shifted slightly in Haymitch's arms as distantly the sound of arriving cars reached her.
Frowning slightly, she brushed a kiss against Haymitch's jaw before shrugging herself up she padded over to the window.
Camera crews spilled out onto the pavement, milling about on the ground like a swarm of riled insects.
Stephanie's frown deepened as she observed them and she heaved a sigh. Bright and Lashes had at least 'warned' her – or perhaps exclaimed excitedly would be a better description, Stephanie considered briefly – that camera crews would most likely be arriving to get the tributes reaction to the news before the day was out.
Stephanie felt Haymitch standing at her shoulder, watching the proceedings below them with the same kind of distaste she felt.
"What's my reaction to the news?" Stephanie glanced back at Haymitch.
Haymitch seemed to consider for a moment before he returned her gaze steadily. "Let's try to blend in with the crowd for once, eh sweetheart?"
Stephanie cast him a fleeting smirk, the corners of her lips being tugged at stubbornly.
"You're shocked, can't imagine the reason for this, but at the same time you're overjoyed that you get to stay in the Capitol and attend all these wonderful events for a while longer," Haymitch continued and Stephanie felt her lips quirk again at Haymitch's completely uninterested tone that belied the enthusiasm the words were meant to impart.
Turning away from the window, Stephanie ran a cursory look over herself in the mirror, scrubbing a hand over her face as she tucked back the unruly strands of hair behind her ears.
Glancing over at Haymitch she met his eyes briefly, as they prepared in the minutes they had for what was coming.
Suddenly Haymitch quirked a brow and for a moment he looked amused and…Stephanie almost gawped openly in full shock – surely she was imagining such things!
For a moment she could have sworn Haymitch looked – somewhat…abashed? Even a slight blush rising?!
Stephanie made a point to commit the sight to memory as she grinned widely, intent on asking Haymitch what had caused such an unusual change in him when the lift arriving sounded throughout the penthouse.
Haymitch's expression immediately sobered; vestiges of anything other than keen observance drained from his face.
Inhaling deeply, Stephanie turned and sure enough Isa bounded into the room, bright smile and eyes shadowed in a soft blue and following her came the predictable camera crew.
Plastering on a more believable smile Stephanie looked to Isa expectantly, waiting for the escort to play her part and announce the obvious so things could get moving.
Isa rushed to Stephanie, grasping her hands with a crushing intensity that nearly had Stephanie wincing.
"Oh pet – It's wonderful!"
"Is it?" Stephanie said with only a slight quirk of her lips.
Haymitch drifted casually over towards them.
Stephanie had the slightly hysterical notion of suddenly grabbing Haymitch, kissing him soundly and announcing to the flabbergasted camera crews of the Capitol that she was engaged to her mentor Haymitch Abernathy of District 3!
The notion passed and Stephanie fought the wild grin that threatened as Haymitch cast her a side-long glance, quirking a brow at her in wry, questioning amusement.
"Well, he's here…!" Isa exclaimed, forcibly clapping Stephanie's hands together within her own at a manic pace.
Stephanie arched a brow, as the camera crew shouted words of what was garbled speech to Stephanie to and fro across the room to each other, setting up the necessary equipment.
She couldn't even find it in herself to be even slightly irked by Isa's dramatics.
She could only feel the lazy grin curl her lips. She was engaged – to Haymitch Abernathy!
The camera crew could ask her to doom's day about what she thought of Seneca delaying the training, and Stephanie didn't think she could find it in herself to be annoyed in even the slightest.
Out of the corner of her eye Stephanie caught the ghost of a smile playing on Haymitch's lips, even as he watched with sharp eyes those setting up equipment around them.
"He's here!" Isa tugged on Stephanie's hands, her full bottom lip protruding in a stubborn pout as it was clear that Stephanie was otherwise distracted.
Stephanie turned to face Isa, finally dragging her very indiscreet gaze from Haymitch. She smiled genially at a pouting Isa.
"Hmmm?" Stephanie hummed thoughtfully.
Isa tilted her head slightly to the side, a little perplexed by Stephanie's breezy demeanour, given that any other time camera crews had turned up to the penthouse Stephanie had been on the verge of fainting and now…she wasn't.
Haymitch knew he should probably warn Stephanie not to appear quite so…light-headed, except for the fact that he couldn't bring himself to check her.
He chuckled slightly before nudging Stephanie's shoulder with his own.
"Hey – sweetheart pay attention," he said lightly.
Stephanie sent him a mock glare before she gave Isa her full attention.
Isa was busy meanwhile looking over her shoulder, eyes narrowed as she clearly looked for someone.
"Who's here Isa?" Stephanie inquired, sharing one last grin with Haymitch who was attempting to look disapproving but failing.
"Oh, you'll recognise him!" Isa sent a pointed wink and a conspiratorial grin to Stephanie.
Suddenly Isa's words began to filter through and Stephanie cast a truly inquisitive look on Isa, ready to open her mouth to ask the obvious when a new figure bounded into the room.
Stephanie eyed the man as a ripple of girlish squeals sounded around some of the camera crew.
He was tall and slender, wavy brunette hair immaculately gelled with not a single strand out of place and a pair of warm green eyes that crinkled when he grinned – which he was doing now, and heading straight for them Stephanie realised.
Isa squealed in girlish delight and Stephanie winced as she glanced back puzzled at Haymitch, who looked just as confused as she felt.
Who on earth was this?
"Action!"
Stephanie heard the shout from someone beside them on the camera crew as the man rushed over to them.
And Stephanie suddenly yelped, caught the look of uncharacteristic shock on Haymitch's face as this new man in his pristine white suit, lifted her effortlessly into the air and twirled her round with a bright sparkling laugh, the cameras making sure to catch it all.
Stephanie dug her nails into the man's shoulders as he looked up at her beaming, disconcerted to say the least by her sudden loss of steady grounding, and by the random stranger who had decided that swinging people through the air was an acceptable form of greeting.
Stephanie breathed a sigh of relief as her feet connected with solid ground before her brow furrowed fiercely, as the random stranger decided to extend his strange greeting ritual to pulling her close flush against him, so her face became buried in his shoulder, his flowery scent choking its way down her throat.
Instinct kicking in, she drew her knee back about to make the fresh stranger regret his actions.
However the next words from Isa stilled her completely, as the escort launched into an animated tirade to the cameras, dabbing at her eyes emotionally as she gestured to them.
Haymitch's face paled, but there was little he could do during a live Capitol broadcast that would not have repercussions.
Stephanie drew back slowly, feeling sickness roil in her stomach, her head swimming. The man held her still about the shoulders, as he spoke to the cameras.
Stephanie felt her gaze irretrievably drawn to Haymitch as they exchanged a long look.
"And Miss Trindlesworth!"
Stephanie snapped around at the sound of her name after a moment's hesitation and delay.
One of the camera crew leaned forward eagerly with a wide enthusiastic smile, his hand outstretched with a microphone.
Stephanie looked at him warily, feeling a clammy sheen begin to cover her.
"Miss Trindlesworth, how does it feel to be reunited with your Capitol Lover?"
Stephanie swallowed the lump in her throat as the man who stood with his arm around her still, swiftly answered for her.
"Well, when my darling Stephanie made the appeal I just knew I had to come forth! And I think the training being delayed is a sign that we should use our time together before my darling goes into the arena…"