Chapter 5

A.N. Hey guys! So I know I've been gone for a while and I apologize, my muse hasn't been cooperating with my Hayffie feels. We're arriving in the Capitol! So hold onto your hat! And to everyone who reads this, have a Happy New Years! I wish you all the happiness in 2013. As always, enjoy and please review and let me know what you're thinking.

Haymitch awoke to a loud banging on his door.

"Let's go Haymitch! We're nearly there! Wear the blue suit!" He groaned at Effie's voice. Couldn't that woman leave him alone for two minutes?

Rolling out of bed he dug through his suitcase – which he never bothered to unpack – until he found the suit the escort had been referring to. He made a face at the clothing, he'd made it sort of a personal mission to be nice to the woman seeing as he had almost killed her… but if she thought that meant she could control his life she had another thing coming. Throwing on the suit he stopped to briefly look at himself in the mirror. Ever since the incident almost two weeks ago he hadn't been allowed any alcohol which had definitely taken its toll. He clothes hung loose on him and his skin had a yellowish tint, his eyes looked more sunken and blood shot than usual. Still, he had to admit that after the first couple of days he had started to feel better. He wasn't sleeping, but he wasn't dead so that was a plus.

Closing the suitcase he dragged it to just outside of the room and he left it there before he went to the dining car. He might as well enjoy the relative peace and quiet that he would get before they reached the Capitol, because as soon as they got there everyone was going to be on his back about training. He didn't know why either, it wasn't like any tributes had actually won under his guidance, if anything they seemed to die faster.

"Haymitch! We were just talking about you, come join us."

Haymitch looked over at Effie, prepared to tell her off but it got stuck in his throat. Why did she have to be so civil? She was making it so much harder, making him feel that much more guilty. Capitols and their damned manners.

Effie's wig was a pale blue today, her outfit and make-up done us so that it matched but still managed to look utterly ridiculous. He'd never understand why she was so obsessed with wearing wigs, he'd seen her natural hair on more than one occasion and it looked better than any of the clown-dos she wore on a daily basis.

"All good thing I hope," he mumbled as he took a seat at the end of the table. They'd spent almost three times the normal duration on the train and the tributes still looked pathetic.

Effie ignored his comment, "Well as you know we'll be reaching the Capitol in just a few hours. I think we should start to discuss a plan for the arena."

Haymitch laughed in a sharp bark, shoveling some food into his mouth. "Plans? How about this: stay alive."

He saw the muscles in Katniss' jaw tighten and smirked. That was somewhat of a good sign, most of the time when he told the tributes that they simply cried or gave up. If he was lucky they did both.

"Manners, Haymitch." Effie chirped icily, shooting him the same look his mother used to give him when he tracked dirt through the house.

He was just about to answer when the boy spoke up, what was his name again? Peter?

"No. You need to help us. That's your job!" Haymitch could have laughed at the innocent determination in the boy's voice.

"In case you hadn't noticed, my job isn't exactly voluntary. And you're in no position to order me around. Relax! Enjoy what's left of your life." He chuckled.

Thud!

Haymitch looked down at the knife that was lodged into the table beside his hand, he couldn't help but admire the girl a bit, mahogany was a dense wood.

Effie huffed in indignation, "That is mahogany!"

Effie's outburst seemed to have killed some of the tension in room and Haymitch brushed his bangs out of his eyes, meeting the girl's gaze.

"Alright listen. I'll help you when we get to the Capitol, but in case you haven't noticed I'm going to be a little busy. So you're going to have to work around my schedule. Take it or leave it."

He watched the two nod before polishing off his food. That was another thing he'd noticed, even though his detox had made him lose weight, he'd been eating more than he had been in a long time. After a few minutes both the girl and the boy had left, probably to go and wallow in self-pity before they got to the Capitol. He was just about to take another mouthful when Effie's slender fingers wrapped around his wrist.

"Geez woman…"

"Haymitch Abernathy. You are the mentor for District Twelve and I'll be damned if you don't at least try and help those children!"

He jerked his hand away from hers, "Listen sweetheart, I said I would help them but I got that mandatory therapy crap to go to."

Effie's eyes seemed to widen when she remembered that that had been part of the deal, or maybe it was the first she was hearing of it, he couldn't have cared either way. It was enough to shut her up and it was good enough for him.

~.~.~.~

A few hours later Haymitch stood, ready to get off the train when it finally stopped in the station. It was going to be hell out there; it always was when the tributes showed up. It had been the same when he'd first gotten there in his Games, all rallied up and excited even though the chances of his survival hadn't been any higher than theirs was. Steeling himself, he stepped out when the doors opened with Effie at his side. Usually, there was little attention focused on them, the majority went to the tributes.

Not this time.

As soon as they stepped out they were bombarded with questions and bright flashes from cameras.

"Haymitch! Is it true that-"

"Effie! How is your recovery?!"

"-stop drinking?!"

The voices all seemed to blend together, and the constant flashes were blinding, and a side glance at Effie told him that even she wasn't enjoying the attention. Which was a first.

Wrapping an arm around Effie's shoulder he pulled her through the crowd, and to her credit she didn't trip despite the 6 inch heels she was sporting. When they finally managed to get indoors and up the elevator, the commotion seemed to end. A quick glance around the apartment told him that the tributes had been whisked off to be made beautiful.

As soon as they walked in the door Effie pushed away from him, her eyes flashing with barely concealed rage.

"What was that?!" she demanded, tapping her foot on the ground and looking at him as if he had an answer.

"How would I know?" he shrugged, "They're your people princess."

If looks could kill he would have been dead.

"Well someone had to tell them Haymitch! And it wasn't me!"

"Oh! And I just jumped at the chance to tell them that I'd stabbed their precious escort?"

Effie made a sound of frustration as she turned away from him, pacing back and forth in front of him.

"Well, what are we going to do?" she demanded.

Haymitch laughed, "We? There is no we. I have therapy to go to, and you're going to stay here and do… whatever the hell it is that you do."

This only seemed to add to Effie's anger and Haymitch would have sworn that if he face turned any redder she was going to pop a blood vessel. Suddenly, a knock at the door caused the argument to pause almost instantaneously. The tributes would have just come in, which meant that it couldn't have been anyone that should have been on that floor.

Haymitch answered the door halfway through the next knocking session and groaned when he saw who was on the other side. Just his luck, peacekeepers.

"Haymitch Abernathy? We're here to escort you down to your counseling session which is set to start in ten minutes."

Haymitch gaped at them. Ten minutes? They'd just gotten there! Sighing he glanced over his shoulder at Effie before reluctantly following the armed guards. They would have to continue their conversation later. After about a ten minute walk he entered a small office that looked like the inside of a house, couches and chairs set up to be a waiting room and a small desk meant to be reception.

When they entered the receptionist looked up. Her platinum blonder hair was piled atop her head in a beehive and her eyelashes were so long he swore they could have touched her lips.

"Mr. Abernathy?" she asked even though there was no need. "Dr. Pilfer will see you now, go right on in."

Biting back a sharp remark, Haymitch stepped into the cramped office that was straight off of the waiting room.

It was going to be a long hour.

A.N. I'm sorry it's short but I wanted to leave it so that I would have something to write. I'm expecting to update when exams finish and I don't have any work to do, so hopefully at the end of January. Hope you like it!