DOUBLE UPDATE! – MAKE SURE TO READ PREVIOUS CHAPTER!

Chapter One-Hundred-and-Forty; Losing

Electra sighed heavily as she slumped against Haymitch's doorframe, staring morosely at the smashed object on the ground.

"Haymitch, why when you get like this do you smash the things you actually like? I mean that was a good bottle of whiskey; your favourite. I understand your need to let things out with your fists, but could you not smash something like – Isa's phone say, so I don't have to listen to her?"

Haymitch didn't even look at her, didn't even raise his head slightly. He was slumped over the side table in his room, hands braced heavily as he panted with exertion.

The side table was the only thing in the room that seemed to have miraculously escaped his wrath.

Ignoring the fact that Haymitch quite evidently wanted to be alone, Electra entered the room and gingerly picked her way through the debris towards him.

"Hey!" Electra poked him in the ribs.

"I told Stephanie we were over," Haymitch whispered hoarsely.

Electra sighed, "yeah, I kinda gathered; what with you tearing the place apart and her out cold on her bed."

Haymitch gripped the edge of the table tighter for a moment.

"Why didn't you tell me you had fallen in love with your tribute when you rang me?" Electra asked. "Then I could've told how much of an idiot you were over the phone, without having to drag my butt to the Capitol."

Haymitch sighed as he turned and slumped down to the floor, utterly exhausted. He had had no sleep at all last night. He raked a bloodied knuckled hand through his hair and Electra pursed her lips.

"You should get those cleaned," she said, nodding towards Haymitch's hands.

"Ellen I know you've never been one for subtlety but, could you maybe take the hint and leave."

"Pfft, don't tell me you're going to pull the whole 'I want to be alone' spiel on me? – That's the precise time you don't want to be left alone, only you're too thick to see it – "

"Who's sitting with Stephanie?"

"Tiny Tim," Electra immediately replied, "who, may I also say, she treats like a brother! –What, did you just decide to play happy families this year rather than prepare for the Games? Can't say it's the wisest decision you ever made."

"I didn't decide anything."

"If you're going to try and claim amnesia now, I'll warn you – it won't work."

"I take it Stephanie has told you – "

"Everything. Pretty much. Girl, sure had a lot on her shoulders and it seems you're the one she usually turns to. And with you and her on awkward terms as it were, I stepped in for you to sort out your fiancée's or rather ex-fiancée's emotional crisis. No thanks necessary."

"What happened at the medical facility? Does she know why she faints now?"

"Question; given that you clearly still love her and vice versa, why are you in here tearing up the room and she's out cold on her bed?" Electra responded, ignoring his questions.

Haymitch sighed heavily, "if she's told you everything then you have to know about him."

Electra smirked grimly, "yea, seems him has become a pretty prominent force in things – still doesn't explain why you're essentially stepping aside for him to make a pass at your fiancée."

"I'm not st - ! You know what he's like; he can't be trusted, he has absolutely no conscience."

"That's nothing we didn't know before."

"He'll blackmail her."

"Blackmail her to do what?"

Haymitch shot Electra a candid look.

"Ahh," Electra mused, "and how does ending things with Stephanie protect her from Seneca's possible blackmailing?"

"Think what he would do if he knew what about me and Stephanie?"

"From what Stephanie tells me he already does," Electra muttered.

"I guessed as much," Haymitch confessed, "he's already blackmailed her using her sister against her, threatening to kill her sister's unborn child."

Electra's expression was grim as she listened, "you think he'll blackmail her using you?"

"It's twisted and it hurts me in the process – "

"In short everything Seneca could ever want," Electra surmised. "But if Seneca already knows about you and Stephanie isn't it a bit late to start cutting ties with her now?"

"If Stephanie no longer loves me he can't blackmail her using me as leverage."

"Well I hate to break it to you – but that girl is still in love with you. She's heartbroken at the minute yes, but hating you – no. She blames herself, thinks she pushed you too far."

"I could hardly blame Stephanie for him."

"What if he really loves her?"

Haymitch looked at Electra, frowning deeply. "Are you serious? He doesn't understand what it is to love anybody but himself."

Electra sighed, knowing that for Haymitch to admit the possibility that Seneca might legitimately love Stephanie was for Haymitch to also admit that the monster he always maintained Seneca was, was actually a man. Something that was nothing short of impossible for Haymitch. Haymitch could concede that in the most basest sense Seneca 'loved' Stephanie, but anything more Haymitch couldn't believe.

"He rang last night," Electra said suddenly.

Haymitch's eyes turned to steely flint, "what did he want?"

"To put him on the phone to Stephanie of course."

"Is that your debt paid to him?" Haymitch asked sarcastically.

Electra snorted, "course not," she replied obviously, exchanging a knowing look with Haymitch.

"Well I think you're an idiot for ending things with her; you're both a mess now and I think you may have permanently broken Tiny Tim."

"I thought you said I was an idiot for falling in love with her."

"That too. But you can't fix that; it's already happened. Now ending things with her – fixable, just go into her room now and make up. Kick Tiny Tim out first of course."

"Have you listened to a word I said?"

"I have so don't go repeating it. It won't sound any better or less idiotic the second time around."

Haymitch ran a hand through his hair again. Electra really did try his patience at times.

"You're doing your sacrificial act again," Electra remarked drolly.

Haymitch's gaze snapped to her, "what?"

"I doubt you realise you do it, but yea – you do. Like how you wouldn't let me mentor tributes the past five years because you took on that responsibility and guilt yourself. Or how you're sacrificing the one thing you want most right now – being Stephanie, in an attempt to protect her,"

"What are you saying?"

"That you're an idiot. You need to think of yourself a little more. So what if Seneca propositions her? Stephanie's a big girl, she can deal with that situation herself."

Haymitch glared hard at Electra. "Sometimes I really hate you Ellen."

"No you don't. You hate what I'm saying because you know it's the truth. Deep down everyone has a natural instinct to look out for themselves and themselves only. It's not selfish, it's human nature."

"No Ellen; I'm pretty sure that's the exact definition of selfishness."

"Fine then, call it what you want. But believe me if everyone just looked out for themselves the world would be a much simpler place. You would always be able to understand one another."

"The world would be a bigger hell than it is now if he everyone thought like you do."

"Ugh, really? Okay then, I see falling in love has made you a bigger idiot, but I won't push it. You know I care for you, you're like the kid brother I never had or something."

"Well you know that's how Stephanie thinks of Frenkin."

"Yea, well I wasn't stupid enough to pick up my surrogate brother before the Games rather than after."

Electra stared at Haymitch for a long appraising moment.

"Do you know if I didn't know any better, I'd say you broke things of with her because you're afraid of losing her. And I get that, really I do – protect yourself, look out for yourself – you know that's always been my motto."

"Stephanie will win the Games. I won't lose her," Haymitch stated firmly.

Electra blew out a long breath as she swivelled lightly on her heels. She looked once more mournfully at the bottle of smashed whiskey, clicking her tongue before she made for the door.

She paused at the threshold, looking over her shoulder, her one blue eye brilliantly bright.

"I wasn't talking about the Games Haymitch."

Thanks to girlworthfightingfor for the review; awk I'm really really flattered! Yea, I thought there should be a character who would be able to understand Stephanie as it were :P And, would I be right to say – in a kind of twisted sense – that you liked the outcome of this chapter? Haymitch/Stephanie no longer an official thing in this story? :P