A/N. Thank you all for the lovely reviews and alerts, I'm sorry that it took so long to update. Enjoy!

All the characters in the Hunger Games belong to Suzanne Collins.

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"Do you have family, Effie?" Haymitch asks. I pay my attention back to him after looking around at our surroundings. I still don't know why he chose this busy café in the middle of the day to talk. Haymitch seems to know what he's doing so I kept my mouth shut even though I'm feeling uncomfortable with our companies; shady Capitolites who wouldn't make my acquaintances even if they were the last people in Panem. It's a good thing they ignore us while I can bet my button that an escort and a victor having lunch together is not a usual scene here.

"Yes…," I trail, not knowing where he's heading with it.

"Unlike you, there's no one left I love. There's no one they can use against me," Haymitch says. Oh, if only he knows how wrong he is.

"Haymitch..." I say softly. My heart is shattered at his words. His loneliness is apparent in his voice, honest with the absence of sarcasm. Not only that I empathize with him as my care for him have grown all these years, but I'm also thinking of how he would feel about his daughter. Would he be happy to know that he's not alone or more distressed because of the extra liability that is Rosie?

"Not what you expected, huh sweetheart?" he asks breaking my silence. "Now you know better than sticking your nose in other people's business. They are not wrong when they say what you don't know can't hurt you," he says with a sneer. He finishes his drink with a gulp as I remain quiet.

In the past, I might jump at the chance of helping Haymitch, a chance of doing something right and being really helpful for once but his earlier words hit me hard. At first I was just curious of Haymitch's backdoor deal with Finnick but now that I slowly comprehend the implication of being involved in their doings, I can't do it. Rosie is my priority now and I can't do anything that will risk her safety even if it means that she can't know her father.

"My advice sweetheart," Haymitch says rising from his chair, "think wisely. Well, if your stupid wig doesn't make you incapable of that," he scoffs before leaving me alone with my thoughts.

"Aren't you friendly with the new head gamemaker?" asks Haymitch as he keeps his eyes on the screen, now featuring our boy tribute limping away from the careers, his ankle was sprained earlier in the games.

"Seneca Crane?"

"Yeah. Didn't you two have something together?", he says as he swings the glass in his hand trying to make a point.

"I don't know him well if that's what you're asking," I answer nonchalantly. "And if he still wants to talk to me," I continue with a mutter under my breath. I'm pretty sure anything positive that I had with Seneca was ruined when I told him we should stop seeing each other. He is probably the nicest gamemaker I know and unfortunately, I had damaged whatever it was that we had that may give my tributes advantage in the games.

It is one of the many reasons why I don't let anyone knows about Rosie. Other men who have slept with me would ask if they are the father and sooner or later my acquaintances would find out that none of the Capitolites I know is her father and fingers will point to Haymitch, the only District man that I'm close with. Everyone is free to copulate with anyone they desire but heaven forbids that you have a child without a monogamous partner. Unmarried parents will marry eventually and if you accidentally conceive, there are ways to get rid of the unwanted baby. After years of sending kids to their death, I can't bear to kill another child consciously, especially when she has a chance to live.

The boy's cry of pain as a spear hits him from behind brings me back to reality. I cringe when the boy from Four pulls out the spear roughly from our boy's body, already seems lifeless facing the ground. When no canon was sound after a moment, the career turns the boy's body with his foot and stab him with the spear again right on his heart. The canon sound is heard in a second and I continue breathing again. At least it was quick.

Just when I thought the horror for the night is over, the screen now shows our girl tribute behind a bush, apparently not far from the scene earlier, as another camera shows. Mabel can't hide her fear and I gasp aloud when I see the girl from One creeps behind her. I mentally tell her to run but I know there's no chance for her to escape the impending death. Sparkle locks her arm around Mabel's neck and drags her towards the other careers. Shocked by the action, Mabel didn't have the time advantage to escape and tried helplessly to release herself but Sparkle is too strong for slim Mabel. Sparkle dumps her in front of the other careers. I brace myself for the coming brutality; if the one from Four liked it fast and easy, Sparkle likes to make a show of her kills. The careers were distracted when there was a rustle of leaves nearby, taking the moment, Mabel tries to run away but before she gets far Sparkle's sword slices her stomach open from the side. Instead of making it fast, Sparkle sits on her, torturing her some more as I look away, digging my long nails onto my sleeves. When it seems like the careers are gone, I look back on the screen at the sight of Mabel's bloody mouth moving as if she's saying something. I can't catch her but maybe someone at home could. The sadist beauty knows well how to kill someone slowly. I don't know how long it has been until the canon sounds but it sure seems like forever. As I sat there watching her, I took whatever drink it was in front of me and not until I had it that I realize how hard the liquor was. Haymitch looked at me fascinated when I took my second in one swig.

"I don't know why you drink so much, it doesn't seem to go away however many drinks I have," I tell Haymitch as I'm about to take my third. I make a reminder to not drink too much because the last time I did, Rosie was conceived.

It was similar to this night; our tributes died violently. One tribute was ripped apart by a mutt and another one was killed mercilessly by a career. Mutilated is the more appropriate term I believe. I remember I took Haymitch's bottle from his hands, ignoring his protest and finishing it at once. I then cried with my body shaking while I muttered "they are just children" repeatedly. Haymitch rubbed my back trying to calm me down and I don't know who started it but our lips met all of a sudden. I was surprised but I didn't attempt to stop it and neither did Haymitch. When we did stop, I tried to breathe normally as we stared at each other. I was the first one to break it off and left the lounge. I was more drunk than I thought when I stumbled on the way to my room. I felt Haymitch's hands on my arms helping me to stand and I couldn't help but leaning on him when he half-supported my body as we walked to my bed. The next thing I know, we laid on my bed with his hot breath all over my neck. I dismissed the annoying voice in my head that kept telling me that it's Haymitch's warm body on top of mine and I should stop. I couldn't. I'd take anything that would ease the pain at this stage and his kisses were doing just that. Only when I woke up naked next to him the next morning with pounding head that I thought, I probably should. I slipped out of the bed quietly and made my way to the bathroom. I will never know what his reaction would be since when I finished showering, he was already gone. None of us brought it up and he didn't say anything until he boarded the train back to Twelve.

Remembering the incident I stop from taking the fourth glass and call it a night. I leave Haymitch alone with his drinks pretending not to hear his comments on how the last time I was that drunk, I couldn't get enough of him.

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A/n. If you noticed, there are several references from THG series. Also, I raised the rating to M just to be safe, I don't know if it's necessary but who knows.