Chapter Three.

A.N. You guys continue to amaze me with your amazing reviews that feed my soul and my feels. I've not quite figured out what I'm going to do but in approximately 1500-2000 words from now we'll know. Anyways, if you still like it (and even if you don't) please let me know in a review and as always, enjoy.

Effie Trinket was not in a good mood the following morning. After her initial nightmare she'd slept on and off restlessly the rest of the night, scared she would have another. She did feel better physically though, her stomach wasn't as sore or sensitive and her head felt clear of sedation and was now filled with exhaustion. Trying her luck, Effie decided to make her way to the washroom and see how much damage control she would have to do. She could only imagine what she must look like; and if she looked one tenth as bad as she thought it was not going to be a good morning for anyone.

When she reached the bathroom she flipped the light switch, taking a deep breath she looked at herself in the mirror. She almost cried at her reflection: her pale face was accentuated by dark bags under her eyes. Her hair – her natural blonder hair that was - looked absolutely dead. Her pores hadn't been scrubbed in days and her skin was getting oily… and that was only her face. Cringing she quickly stripped and went to turn on the water. As the water started to run she paused, could she shower with the bandage on? She couldn't exactly take it off could she?

One cue she heard someone enter the room, she briefly wondered if it was Emerald but she realized that didn't make sense because she'd been on duty the night before. Grabbing the robe hanging behind the door she slipped it on, secured the tie and opened the door to the washroom, peering into her room.

"Looking for someone Princess?"

Effie jumped when she heard Haymitch's voice. Didn't the man have any manners? Why did he have to scare her all the time?

She glared at him, "It's rude to scare people Haymitch."

"You make it too easy Trinket. What're you hidin' in the bathroom for?" He asked as he casually walked around the room before landing in the chair he'd been in yesterday.

"I'm not hiding; I was going to take a shower." She said as she watched him warily, reality and her nightmares making her nervous.

He smirked, "And how's that going?"

"It would be better if you left. And besides, I have this bandage so I can't shower."

Haymitch laughed, "Sure you can Princess. That's what the plastic cover is for. Keeps the water out."

Effie raised an eyebrow, "How would you know?" It's not like Haymitch had any medical training.

He shrugged, "Been banged up a few times."

Effie stared at him for a moment, she really didn't want to shower when he was in the room. It's not that she didn't trust him… but she really didn't. Besides, he had no reason to be here; he should be with Katniss and Peeta giving them advice to help them in the arena.

"Where are Katniss and Peeta?" She arched an eyebrow as she questioned him, feeling more like an escort than a patient.

He frowned, "Who?"

Effie rolled her eyes, "The tributes Haymitch; where are they?"

Haymitch shrugged, "Their rooms. Not much to do while the train's held up. Can't start training until we get there."

Now it was Effie's turn to frown, she'd forgotten about the rockslide. "I see. Well you should go talk to them."

"Why?"

"Because it's good manners!" Effie bristled, "Haymitch, they're lives are depending on your advice!"

Haymitch stared at her for a moment before relenting. "Fine if it'll make you quit your naggin'."

Effie grinned, feeling triumphant. "Thank you. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to take a shower."

Haymitch muttered something under his breath as Effie turned away and she shook her head lightly, deciding it wouldn't do anyone any good to give him another lecture on manners because – like a typical man – her words went in one ear and out the other. She closed and locked the bathroom door and closed her eyes against the onslaught of uneasiness that clouded her senses. Why, when he wasn't in the room did Haymitch make her nervous? When she'd been talking to him in the room she'd felt fine, but now she wanted to sit in the corner and cry.

Frowning, she slipped off the robe and stepped into the shower, the hot water working wonders on her tense and arching muscles. Slowly, so she could enjoy the water longer she washed her hair and body. The shower helped her to clear her mind and to relax for what felt like the first time in years, even though it had only been a few days. When the water began to run cold Effie reluctantly turned the water off and stepped out pulling a towel around her. She did feel better, she felt refreshed and clean… almost back to normal.

Drying off she stepped in front of the mirror and gave herself a hard stare. There was a little more colour in her cheeks and it made the bags look a little less extravagant. She wished she had her makeup with her so she could cover them up; if she cleaned up her appearance maybe she could clean up her mind a little bit. Shaking the negative feelings away she combed out her hair and dried it as best she could with the towel. There wasn't much she could do; she didn't have much to work with as everything she owned was in her room.

Slipping back into the main room she felt much better. It was ludicrous for her to feel nervous around Haymitch; he was nothing to be afraid of… well at least that's what she had thought. Effie glanced over to where he'd fallen asleep in the chair; she wasn't going to wake him up. You only made that mistake once.

"Effie!"

Said woman spun at the mention of her name and couldn't help when a grin split her face.

"Good morning Emerald!"

Effie really like the young nurse, who was still sporting the green hair but with pink scrubs. She was innocent and represented the Capitol perfectly, not to mention she was also a splash of colour in her otherwise white room.

"Have you heard any news about the rockslide?" Effie asked. It had to have been bad for them to be stuck in the same place for so long. And what effect would this have on the Games?

Emerald shrugged apologetically, "Sorry Effie. They're trying to clear it as fast as possible but it seems the rocks landed in some pretty tricky places. They don't want to cause any damage to the train or the workers."

Effie nodded. No doubt they had Avoxes working out there trying to clear the mess as well as some peacekeepers. It really didn't matter so long as the mess got cleared as quickly as humanly possible; it had already caused such a huge mess.

Effie took a seat on the bed and was elated when her abdomen didn't throb. It was still sore but she guessed that was because of the stiches, which probably wouldn't come out for a few weeks yet. She felt fine though, just anxious to get out and back into her own clothes where she could take control of her own life again.

"Has the doctor said anything about when I can leave?" Effie tried to keep the hope out of her voice but it was hard.

Emerald smiled and nodded quickly, "Yes! He said you could be discharged tonight if you feel well enough. He said that everything looked okay and you would just have to come back in a couple of weeks to get the stitches out."

Effie beamed, barely holding back a squeal. "That's wonderful news! Thank you Emerald."

The young nurse gave her a big smiled before finishing up and slipping out of the room in a matter of ten minutes. Effie couldn't keep the grin off her face and she sighed happily. Oh it would be so good to be back in her own room with her own clothes and to be able to eat real food and have her own bed back. The best part was she would be able to get out before the train got back into action, and she could rearrange her schedule so that everything worked out perfectly.

Suddenly remembering he was there Effie looked over to see Haymitch looking at her with an amused look on his face. Effie scowled at him, no doubt he was going to find some way to make fun of her and her situation, but she wasn't going to let him ruin her mood.

"Do you really have nothing better to do Haymitch?" She asked. Her voice laced with annoyance.

He smirked and took a sip from his flask, "You think someone with no visitors would be happier to see a familiar face."

Effie blinked and frowned a little. "That's only because we're on the train."

Haymitch shrugged and put the flask away and they settled back into an awkward silence that always seemed to surround them. She wished he would just leave because he was making her nervous again and she wanted to feel the happiness that she'd had five minutes ago again. The knowledge that after she got out she'd have no reason to avoid him made her feel even worse.

Effie's shoulder slumped a bit as her thought began to weigh down on her. "You never apologized you know." She whispered.

Haymitch's eyes disappeared under his bangs but Effie didn't back down. She deserved an apology after all she'd been through and she was sure as hell going to get one. She wasn't going to let Haymitch intimidate her.

"Well?" She demanded.

Haymitch maneuvered himself so that he was sitting properly in the chair, leaning forward and resting his arms on his legs. Effie felt hope flutter in her chest but it died when Haymitch did nothing more than stand up and leave the room. When the door shut behind him she stared at it for a moment; shock paralyzing her. When she recovered she glared at the door before putting on some slippers; he was not getting away with that. Not only was it bad manners but she deserved an apology!

Pushing open the door she stepped into the almost empty corridor. It was almost eerie how quiet it was but then again, there weren't many people who got sick or were injured on the ride to the Capitol. Effie was more than ready to storm the train until she found him but he anger faded when she saw that he was sitting in the chair right outside her door. She stopped short and just stared at him; he had in his in his hands and his shoulder were bowed as if he were carrying the weight of the world on them. Effie almost felt bad for him.

Silently, Effie took a seat next to him; feeling slight triumph when there was no pain in her stomach. He hadn't moved so far, had made no movement to suggest that he was aware of her presence.

"I was back in the arena." His voice was so quiet Effie was sure she'd imagined it.

Effie blinked, what was he talking about? He hadn't been in the arena in almost twenty-five years. It dawned on her like a light being turned on; He was talking about his nightmare. Not wanting to spoil the moment Effie kept quiet, hoping he would continue talking.

Haymitch sighed as he dropped his hands and stared at the floor. "It was just a nightmare. But it felt so real. I didn't realize I was awake until I saw the blood on my hands and by then it was too late…. I'm so damn sorry Effie. So damn sorry…"

Effie said nothing as Haymitch let his sentence drop off. She'd expected his apology to bring some peace to her but she felt… the same. Worse if it was possible. She felt bad because of whatever monster of a nightmare had kept him captive. Felt bad because it was like that for him almost every night; felt bad because she had judged him.

"Haymitch…" She stared but he put up his hand to stop her.

"Don't. Just… don't" He sounded tired and Effie watched as he stood and walked down the hallway, leaving the medical ward.

Effie sat in the chair for a long time after Haymitch had gone. It was when Emerald came over to ask if she was okay when she realized she'd been sitting there for a couple of hours.

Effie laughed lightly and waved her hand, "I'm fine. I just lost track of time! Silly me."

Emerald regarded her as if she didn't quite believe but nodded after a moment. "Alright, well you're okay to leave now if you want."

Effie smiled and nodded; thanking Emerald she went to collect her things from her room. There wasn't much, just some of the things that had been brought in to make her feel more at home. She was in and out of the room within five minutes; she hadn't been able to reclaim her clothes, they'd been ruined by the blood.

Within ten minutes she was back in her assigned cabin on the train. When she walked in everything was the same as it had been when she'd woken up in the middle of the night nearly five days ago. The bed had been made, but the clothes she'd set out for the next day were still hanging neatly behind the door, and her shoes still lined along the wall. Taking a deep breath Effie took a set on the bed, this was the second time in the span of a one day that Effie was left feeling hollow by something she assumed would bring her comfort. She stared at the outfit hanging on the back of the door, it was going to be a long night.

A.N. Thank you guys for all of your reviews. To Rose who reviewed as a guest: Thanks for your review! I got it in my e-mail but I couldn't find it to moderate it. Please don't cry! Just leave me more awesome reviews!