A/N: First off, I am so sorry its taken me like a month to update. Part of this is because my sister got in a very bad car wreck, so I was taking care of her and having to take her to appointments and such. I also work full time as a captioning assistant, meaning I sit at a computer for 8 hours a day with my carpal tonal wrists posed over the keyboard, so in all honesty, typing some more when I get off work is the last thing I want to do. But I hope that you guys are still here for the story, I have quite a bit left in store for Haymitch & Effie so please stay tuned! As always, thank you so much to all of you who have added this to your alerts, and I'd love it if you guys left a review to let me know if you like it (or even that you're still reading this story). Ok, enough talking, here's the next part =]

Chapter 5

Today was the start of training, which meant Effie was going to be busy. She and the other escorts had several meetings lined up, including one with the head gamemaker, which she was most excited for. Haymitch had a day filled with meetings as well, but his main purpose was to find out as much information about the other tributes from their mentors as possible. This was easier for him than he'd thought, since everyone else was eager to brag about their tributes. A hint of guilt ran through his veins at the thought of how little he'd paid attention to Shanna and Trent, but it passed quickly. Harley was in and out all day, distracted and too happy to be taking it seriously, leaving Haymitch to do most of the work. By the time dinner rolled around, Haymitch was actually really excited to find out how the tributes' day had gone. He was so busy listening to their stories that he barely glanced at Effie. Dessert was cleared away, and Effie disappeared with it. Haymitch didn't notice until the tributes were heading to their rooms, as he turned to look for her.

"Hey Harley, where'd our escort get to?" Harley took a long last swig of his drink and rocked back slightly on his heels.

"Oh, she's got a meeting early tomorrow with the gamemaker since he ran late today and had to reschedule. I guess she lives right around here, she said something about going to stay with her parents for the next couple of days"

The news cut right through his good mood and sent his stomach dropping. She was staying with her parents? Maybe training wasn't all that important to her role here as escort, but this seemed like an effort to avoid him. Had he misinterpreted what happened last night? He had spent the whole day looking forward to tonight, telling himself that she would be his reward for actually focusing on the tributes all day. Damn these capital girls and their games.

The expression on his face read clear through to Harley. "Haym, whatever you got going on with her…I need you to focus. People in the capital are very different from us. She is no doubt focusing on her job as escort, and you'll only be in her way." He surveyed Haymitch's face a moment, deciding if his message was getting through. "Don't get me wrong, I am very pleased to see you finally coming around to the ladies, you know I've been waiting for this too long" a soft chuckle escaped him, much too gentle for Haymitch's benefit. His strong hand clasped the younger man's shoulder, his head shaking slowly to himself. "Just remember who the enemy is".

Haymitch trudged back to his room, trying to decipher all the messages in that brief conversation. Harley was often openly sentimental with Haymitch back in the Victor Village, but this felt different. Deciding he felt irritated with the warning, Haymitch cast the conversation to the back of his brain and lay down in his bed.

0o0o0o0

The week flew by, the pressure escalating with each day's passing. It was finally the end of training, and the day the tributes were to be scored. Shanna had been far too chatty in training, barely visiting any of the workshops or building any skills. She was so enamored of Trent, all she did was flit around behind him or gossip with a few of the other tribute girls who were equally useless. Trent on the other hand was born to be a warrior. He excelled in most of the workshops, and had a real talent with knives that was curious to Haymitch.

The group were seated in the living area, gathered around the projector wall. The stylists were mostly perched on the edge of the couch, except for Shanna's main stylist, who was seated virtually in Shanna's lap, their hands clasped together in anticipation. Harley sat in the center of the couch, an avox standing directly behind him awaiting orders for drinks. Haymitch was seated surly at the end of the couch, slouched down as low as he could go with still being able to see over the drink resting on his belly. Just as the projector switched on to the announcers discussing pointless stories and speculations, Effie teetered into the room and sank onto the arm rest directly next to Haymitch. He glanced at her from the side of his eye, but she acted completely engrossed in the program.

Not surprisingly, the tributes from the first four districts received the best scores, as they had already banded together to be the super killers known as the careers. What was a surprise was that the four tributes from districts 10 and 11 all received higher scores that rivaled the careers. Outlying districts rarely garnered these kind of numbers, so it was something to watch out for. Shanna received only a four as her score, but Trent got a nine, something they could definitely work with. The group sat around talking until late in the night, when Effie finally sent the tributes to their room for the night. Everyone started to disperse, until it was just Harley, Haymitch, and Effie left in front of the projector. Highlights from past Games were playing, but no one was watching them. Swirling his empty glass in his hand, Harley stood up to leave. Just as he was about to leave the room, he turned around as if to say something, but instead winked at Haymitch.

Haymitch turned to look at the lovely creature perched on the couch next to him. She had relocated from his armrest to the space on his other side sometime after the scores had been announced, as she had excitedly been discussing theories with one of Trent's stylists. Haymitch had spent most of the night just observing everyone, listening to their point of view on the whole situation. But mostly watching Effie.

He had been thinking about her all week, curious about why she was staying away, what she had been thinking of as well. She sat so close to him, he could feel her body heat as she pressed against him time and time again as she talked. He wasn't sure it was intentional, but he had the feeling it might be. As the two sat side by side in the room, she turned her face to him, her makeup turning flaky from the long day. He reached out a hand absent-mindedly and brushed at her cheek.

"All that make up you wear is probably killing your skin you know" He had meant it innocently, but her face pinched into an offended scowl.

"My skin is just fine, thank you" She snapped, turning her face and nose to the ceiling.

"I just meant…you have such…God you're so beautiful, I don't know why you paint yourself up like this" He was leaning in toward her now, trying to get her to look at him. Her mouth popped open in surprise, and she slowly turned back to him, her eyes meeting his startling gray ones.

"You…you think I'm beautiful?"

"Yeah, I seen you that day without any makeup, remember? You look way better just like that"

Her hand ran through her thick pink curls, debating if he was more complimenting her appearance or insulting her fashion. She decided it was a compliment.

"So, you've been avoiding me all week…really needed some space, huh?" His face was open and honest, no smile adding meaning to his question. Effie sighed and scooted a little closer to him, disguising the action as though she were readjusting her skirt.

"Oh no, no, no. Not at all, I hope I didn't give you that impression. It's just that this is my first year, and I know I'm probably not going to get much rest once the Games start, and I thought it would be nice to stay home this week with my family where I could really focus" He continued to stare at her, unconvinced.

"Didn't you want to see me? I mean, damn Effie, I sure thought about you all week" He laughed as he turned away from her, a pink warmth growing on his cheeks.

"Actually, you crossed my mind quite often, Haymitch" She watched as he turned his eyes back to hers, and she reached out to grab his hand. He looked down at the tiny hand in his, his thumb caressing the back of her hand. She gave his hand a tiny squeeze. "Is the offer still standing to see the view from your room? I'm sure the capital will be having another street celebration that we could watch". His face lit up, and he pulled her to her feet. One arm quickly wrapped around her, drawing her up to him, and he bent his face down to kiss her. Reaching up, she ran her fingers through the hair at the base of his head, pleased when she heard him let out a low growl.

"You can see the view of whatever the hell you want in my room, lets get outta here" He rumbled into her ear, and sped off toward his room, their hands still clutched together. She struggled to keep up with him in her high heels, but adrenaline pushed her to stay to close behind. Once outside his room, he stared down at her and just grinned. She sweetly smiled up at him, again unsure what was going through his head. He pushed the door open, motioning for her to head in first.

His room was the exact mirror image of hers, only much darker and more masculine. The color scheme was a dark, metallic palette, mixed with deep wood. It fit him very much in her opinion. She slowly walked around the room, looking at each item, trying to think what exactly she was doing there. Facing the large wall of windows, she pressed one hand to the glass to steady herself as she looked down at the streets below. Although they were twelve stories up, the crowds filled the air with their cheering and celebrations. Haymitch silently came up behind her, one hand resting over the one on the window, his other gripping her hip.

"what do you think?" He said into her ear, his lips just breaths away. A shiver ran down her spine, sparking a warmth within her. She closed her eyes as she felt the hand on her hip start to wander. He traced her side up to her ribcage, then came to her front and pushed her back against him. Her hips instinctively pressed backwards against his, and she felt him let out a quick breath. Bringing his face down to her, he started to kiss along her jawline and neck. His hand traced along her ribcage to her other side, holding her in a hug-like embrace, before coming back to trace the underwire of her bra. Her eyes opened slightly, as he playfully pulled at it with one finger. The sneaky expression on his face turned her on so much, and she craned her neck up to him to try to kiss him. He turned his face away, his expression never changing save his eyes turning to meet hers. She felt herself melting into this moment, wanting to turn towards him, but felt his other hand still pinning her left arm to the window. His hand flicked the underwire once more, before moving up to her neck. His long fingers traced her collar bone and down to the small circle pendant she wore. Her chest had grown flushed with her excitement, and he grinned at the effect he was causing. Slipping his finger in the pendant like a ring, he slowly rolled his hand back and forth a few times, teasing her with the touch. She impatiently closed her eyes, just as his hand traced the curve of the top of her breasts. "You know, I'm beginning to think you have freckles all over" He smirked at her, finally releasing her left hand, allowing her to turn to face him. She leaned her back against the window, staring up at him. He looked so curious, so mischievous, she had to laugh.

"Oh is that right? And do District twelve boys find freckles appealing or appalling?" She joked, trying not to blush at the hand he had replaced back on her hip. He just grinned, sliding one finger into the band of her skirt, surprising her. As he snapped the elastic, Effie pulled his face down to hers. Grabbing her behind the legs, he pulled her up onto him, the kissing fast and fierce. She ran her fingers through his hair; he tried to suck on her neck roughly. Still holding her up, he walked over to his bed and gingerly lay her back onto it. She stared up at him a moment, hunger and lust visible in her face. She didn't realize the position she was laying in until she noticed Haymitch examining her. Crawling slowly toward her, he ran one hand up her leg, gently pushing her knees further apart. He cocked his head to the side, his mouth forming a slight oh. She tried to sit up and adjust herself but he gently pushed her shoulders back down, kissing her a moment before coming back to her legs. He rested one hand on each knee, then slowly started to stroke from her knee to her ankle and back up. One hand switched to circling her knee, then started to trail down her inner thigh. She started to pin her knees back together and laughed nervously.

"Haymitch…" She said quietly, and he stopped to peer around at her. She was bright red and looked almost startled. His other hand gripped her knee kindly.

"You ok? Want me to stop" He said gently, leaning between her legs to give her a sweet kiss. His heat and pressure on top of her was surprisingly comfortable, and she nodded at him to continue. Grabbing his face in her hands, she gave him a long, hard kiss, pinning his sides with her knees. He grinned into the kiss, and kissed back harder. One hand traveled up her side, untucking her blouse from her skirt and tracing the soft skin it exposed. She gasped slightly at his touch, which brought a smile to his lips. He kissed her once more before kneeling back. Grabbing the hem of her shirt, he slowly rolled it up to her head where she helped him take it off. She gulped as he sat back and stared at her. "Pink lace, I should have known" he laughed quietly, and she playfully punched him. Coming back down towards her, he kissed her deeply and came to lay on top of her. Suddenly he rolled them over so that she sat on top of him. He adjusted his hips under her, bucking her up slightly.

"Oh yeah, I can get used to this" he said, raising his eyebrows at her and bouncing her again. Laughing, she gripped onto his shirt. She tugged at the shirt clumsily a few times, then sat back, waiting for him to take it off. He obeyed, and lay back to smile up at her. "Come here" he growled at her, and she lay down across his chest to kiss him.

Laying in this position, she could feel him growing harder by the minute. She moved her hips slightly to adjust and felt him groan. Biting his lip, she did it again and again intentionally. He closed his eyes and dug his fingers into her hips, commanding her to continue. Feeling like things were moving too fast, Effie carefully climbed off of him and curled up next to him, her head on his chest. He groaned and rubbed himself slightly, but wrapped his arm around her. Kissing the top of her head, he asked "too much for tonight?" She nodded and smiled shyly up at him, the hand on his chest tracing his muscles slightly. "That's ok, that's ok. Damn you know how to hurt a guy" He laughed, but rubbed her back reassuringly.

A few moments passed this way, both just laying quietly and listening to the crowds below. Haymitch glanced down at her, and felt the urge to just push her a little further. Rolling her onto her back, he leaned over her and kissed her long and hard. She kissed back, her knee that wasn't trapped below him coming up to meet his side. He traced her side again, slow enough to create a wave of goosebumps to follow his fingers. He came up along her ribs, over the center of her bra, and swiftly into the cup. Her eyes popped open and she paused the kissing a moment as his hand held her breast, his sleepy eyes watching her intently. He kissed her gently, and then turned his face down to what he was doing. He squeezed her breast slightly, feeling the weight of it, and then brought his hand to her shoulder. He stroked her shoulder, her collar bone, her neck, and then slowly slid the strap off of her shoulder. She lay quiet, nervously waiting for him to do what she knew was coming. He kissed her a moment more, his hand rubbing her upper arm warmly, sneakily moving the bra to fall further on its own. She took in a deep breath as he left her lips once more to turn to what he was doing. His hand moved down to the loosened cup, and slid it down, exposing her breast entirely. He stared at her a moment, heavy lids scanning her skin, before his hand came to trace the bottom curve. He gently cupped it once more, then ran his thumb over the nipple. Repeating this motion a few times, it became hard, and he grinned back to her. She lay there, unsure of what he was thinking, if that smile was laughing at her. He straddled her and kissed her sweetly, his hand releasing the other side of her bra as well. Pausing a moment, he leaned back to pull the other cup down, exposing her entire chest. He just stared at her a full minute, not saying anything. Cupping a breast in each hand, his face cracked into a huge grin.

Effie still didn't know what he was thinking, and it was starting to bug her. She'd always been small chested, and she had been pretty insecure about it the past few years. And here she lay in bed with Haymitch Abernathy, the one guy she really cared about, and he was just laughing to himself about her bare chest. As if reading her mind, he bent down to kiss her hard and growled "God you are so beautiful" and roughly wrapped his arms around her. She melted into this embrace, casting aside her insecurities and enjoying all the new sensations coursing through her.

The kissing had become very aggressive, and Effie couldn't avoid the sense of urgency coming from Haymitch. She pushed him away and leaned back on the pillows, wiping her mouth.

"You ok?" He asked, panting heavily.

"Haymitch, I…ugh, this is really hard to say. I um, I think we need to stop. For now" She stared at him, scared of how he would react. He searched her eyes a minute, then rolled off of her, growling.

"yeah, no, I understand." He was shamelessly rubbing himself and running his other hand through his hair at the same time. Adjusting her bra backup, she looked around the bed for her shirt. Finding it, she through it back on quickly.

"Sorry about this, I just think…I still kind of can't believe this is happening"

"You're telling me. Damn, you are so much better than I even imagined" He gave himself one last tug and then rolled onto his side to look at her. "Go on, its ok, I'll walk you to your room" Hobbling a little as she got off the bed, Effie straightened herself up and cautiously peered out into the hallway. No one was around so she darted across to her room. Haymitch strolled casually across to stand behind her as she unlocked the door, his hand coming to rest on her waist. She pushed the door open slightly, then turned to face him. He was so handsome with his sleepy, confident smile, she wondered what exactly she was doing right then. Bouncing on her toes, she pulled him into a goodnight kiss. His hand boldly traveled down to her ass, gripping her hard and almost lifting her up. She released the kiss to look up at him, seeing his pleased smile.

"Goodnight Haymitch, I'll see you tomorrow" She said, trying to back into her room. Giving her one last squeeze, Haymitch nodded and backed away.

"Goodnight miss Trinket, thanks for giving me something to really think about tonight" He grinned, and marched back to his room.

Effie turned quickly to her room, shut the door, and climbed into bed completely dressed. So stunned by the night, she fell asleep in full makeup and didn't care.

A/N: Ok, so thank you to any one still reading this, please leave me a review just to let me know you're there and that I should keep updating this