"Eff, we got a problem" Haymitch said over the phone to a half-asleep Effie.

"Well hello to you, too, Haymitch. What's wrong? It's almost morning." Effie sounded extremely tired, after all it was around 11:45. Haymitch knew she would be asleep by then, but they had a bit of a situation and he needed to talk to her.

"Katniss, she can't do the shoot. She just tried to defend her uh... 'cousin' and got whipped. There's a new Head Peacekeeper. It's bad." Haymitch sounded furious, he never gets worked up over the kids.

"It must be, you sound sober." Effie teased into the phone.

"Hilarious." He wasn't amused. "I dunno what to do, Eff. Snow wants this wedding but it's not gonna happen. Her face is-"

"Wait... her face? Why in the world did he whip her face? He must have been out of his mind! Does he know who she is? That is Katniss Everdeen! The Girl on Fire! That's what he should be... Fired!" Effie is now yelling.

"I know, Effie. Her mother's a healer, she's takin' care of her face right now. She just sent me home 'cause of the blizzard." Haymitch calms her down. "I feel bad. The boy's even worse. 'Bout 40 times. He's half dead at Katniss' house. Her mom's gotta take care of him, too."

"Will he be alright?"

"Katniss' mother said so, and she's the best healer around. She used to help all the time with mining accidents and whippings. He's in good hands."

"I hate to say it, but I am a bit jealous, Abernathy." Effie giggles a little into the phone.

"You should be she's single." Haymitch jokes, and leans against the wall switching the phone from one hand to the other. They both laugh for a moment.

"You would never- uh do something like that. Right, Haymitch?" Effie stops laughing for a moment.

"'Course not, sweetheart. I love ya. I would never cheat on you. Now the real question is, would you?" It's silent for a moment. They both know that if Effie stays 'single' for too long in the Capitol, it might cause suspicion. She has told her friends of one night stands she has had when she was drunk or when she was alone at a bar, but they were all lies. They would always ask her why she didn't have a boyfriend, that she's getting older and loosing her looks and she would tell them that she wasn't ready for anything serious. Now Effie is infamous in the Capitol for never wanting anything other than one time things, but she didn't care as long as she got to see Haymitch.

"It wouldn't be cheating, it would be keeping us both safe. Right? I mean, it wouldn't be for my benefit, it would be so we're not both imprisoned or executed." Effie's eyes started to water.

"Yeah. As long as you're not doing it to get away from me. It's not that easy, Trinket." Haymitch's voice is low, but he forces a laugh. "Other than those Capitol turds you have to get with, you're mine."

"Manners, Haymitch!" Effie gasps over the phone.

"There's the Effie I know and love. Sorry, Princess." Haymitch laughs, this time it's genuine. She really does bring out the best in him. Effie begins to laugh too and she snorts which causes Haymitch to laugh louder. He brings out the worst in her. They balance each other out so perfectly, it's clear that they were meant to be.