A/N: Oh my gosh, I'm soooooo sorry! I know you guys have been waiting so here is chapter 3. it's not my best and I have had AWFUL writers block but anyway here you go...
"What? No! Absolutely not!" Haymitch gets up to leave nearly tipping the mahogany table and all of the food onto the floor. I guess he figured it out too. "Haymitch! You can't just leave the table without excusing yourself!" I call after him getting up from my own seat
"Why not? You just did." He smirks turning back towards me. I roll my eyes "Stop being childish"
"Says the one who dumped snow on my head and also, I believe we've already had this argument today so if you'll excuse me, a bottle of white liquor and I had this pretty good thing going before dinner." He begins to walk towards the door again but I stop him "Haymitch can I talk to you for a minute."
I pull him out into the small corridor linking the two carriages of the train together just outside the door. "Right, what do you want? I've already said I'm not doing it." Haymitch states matter of factly.
"Haymitch" I begin
"Effie"
I sigh and continue "do you think I'm stupid?"
"Do I have to answer that question?"
I sigh again and place my hands on my waist "do you think I don't know about the rumours, the whispers?"
"What rumours?" he asks looking confused
I glance round me to make sure no one is listning,"the rumours of rebellion Haymitch."
His face suddenly grows hard and he looks almost sober "how did you-"
"How did I know? What does it matter? I know." I say raising my voice a little
"Effie you shouldn't know about that," He raises his voice but then closes his eyes for a moment and pauses "you're putting yourself in danger."
"I don't care. I think that the least we can do is help these kids out after what they've been through and what they are about to go through. We need to be careful and make sure that Katniss, Peeta, you and me are on steady ground. We need to make sure that we are in the favours of all the people that know, like me. We need to make them like us because if we don't, and the rumours are true, then they will stay and fight on the wrong side in this war and guess who the first people the Capitol will come after are if it does happen? Us. So all we can do is pretend like you, me Peeta and Katniss don't know about it and seem as innocent as possible."
"But they don't know anyway, do they?" he says, his voice full of concern.
"I sincerely hope not because they don't need to get caught up in all this." I say a little more calmly
"So you're saying that the Capitol will like us if they know how to dance."
"Have you listened to a word I just said?"
"Yes I have, and I agree but I don't see how dancing is going to help." He says, raising his voice slightly
"Because it will make them seem almost oblivious if they are dancing round like- well, two kids in love. Without a care in the world."
"Fine. I'll do it but I'm gonna have to be pretty drunk first, I haven't danced since-" his face saddens
"I know." I say almost apologetically "just don't knock yourself out okay?"
"No promises there Princess." He says with a smile.
I roll my eyes but make no effort to stop him as I know it would be pointless.
We all end up back in the dining car with the tables and chairs pushed up against the wall, thanks to the kids. "Right lets get this over with" sighs Haymitch walking in from the corridor. "I don't have the plague Haymitch." I sigh taking the last sip of wine that I've been drinking over the few hours that Haymitch has spent drinking himself into his habitual drunken stupor. Katniss plonks down in one of the chairs and fiddles with the high heels she will be wearing for the victory tour.
In consolation for the dancing lesson I made her wear a pair of shoes suitable for dancing in.
"Right come on then!" I say gesturing for the kids to stand. Katniss looks extremely uncomfortable as she walks over to the middle of the room.
"All right, we'll start at the beginning." I say cheerfully
"Might be useful" retorts Haymitch and I scowl at him.
I start by teaching them the basic hold and then move onto the footwork. I'm not sure that the kids are doing it badly to get on my nerves or they genuinely have two left feet.
The next dance I show them is a dance that has originated in the Capitol and will most likely be performed when we get there.
"For fucks sake! Do we really have to do another one?" Haymitch moans
"Haymitch, language!" I yell "yes we do... Now to begin this dance – Peeta you need to take hold of Katniss' waist and Katniss you put your hand on his shoulder." They both obey and smile secretly to each other. I wonder what they're up to. "Haymitch, can you just co-operate. Please. Now put your hand on my waist." I sigh when he doesn't move. "Haymitch! Hand. Waist. Now!" I almost yell, I swear if that man doesn't move in a minute I wi- I'm cut off mid thought when he actually puts his hand on my waist. He actually listened to me.
"Now, just put your hand in mine-" I say regaining my composure
"No way-"
"Do I need to remind you that we are, in fact, on a train? And once your precious alcohol is gone, it's gone. So if I were you I would just do what I've told you to do to avoid an unfortunate accident. Okay?"
I can see him run this over in his mind before taking my hand. Some emotion flickers across his face but it leaves as fast as it comes and I can't tell what it is. Probably disgust. Charming.
We continue to show Katniss and Peeta the rest of the dance involving some rather awkward confrontations and getting a little too close for comfort to my drunken colleague. I can feel his eyes on me so I either look at the floor or the kids, occasionally glancing up to see if I am correct and I find that I am.
I can feel the heat rise to my cheeks so I look down to the floor feeling self-conscious all of a sudden. Are my hands sweaty? Has he noticed I'm blushing? Can he hear what I'm thinking? No of course he can't hear you, silly girl. I can now feel my heart thumping heavily in my chest and I must be breathing faster because all I can feel is my dress getting tighter. "Effie are you okay?" I look across to Peeta and smile, though I am definitely not okay. "Yes, I- I erm - I just need to sit down that's all." I close my eyes once I have found a chair and bring a hand up to my forehead. Why am I feeling like this? What's wrong with me?
"Peeta would you be a dear and fetch me a glass of water?"
"No, whisky." Haymitch cuts in, sitting down in a chair across from me and I shoot him a look.
"Water-" I correct
"Whisky." He says again and Peeta leaves the room looking confused, closely followed by Katniss.
We sit in silence, me still trying to return my heart rate to normal until I can't take it any more. "Thank you." I say plainly, still looking out of the window as I have been for the past minute or so. I think this takes him aback for a moment as it takes him a while to respond. "What for?" he says just as flatly as me. "For the dancing." I say looking away from the window and over to him. "Well I was gonna do it... you threatened my alcohol." I laugh lightly and shake my head. "You should laugh more you know," he says after a pause and I laugh again
"Why?" I smile
"It suits you." I bite my bottom lip though I am smiling uncontrollably and shake my head.
"You'd be quite pretty if you took all of that shit off your face and that sheep off your head." he says gesturing towards me. I blush and look down at my hands neatly folded in my lap. "And I think you would be quite the gentleman if you were sober once in a while. You can be charming when you want to be and when your not busy insulting me." I say, a smile creeping onto my face.
"Ahhhh" He says as though he has just come up with some ingenious thought.
"What?"
"That's why you felt faint all of a sudden. I never knew I had that effect on women." He grins cockily and I throw the cushion from my chair at him. It just misses his head though he catches it anyway. I start laughing again and go over to retrieve my cushion.
I walk over to the side of his chair and outstretch my hand waiting for him to give me the cushion back. He doesn't. "Sweetheart, why should I give you back this cushion? After all, you did throw it at my head." he tilts his head to the side.
"Haymitch give me the cushion back." I moan leaning over his chair slightly as he holds it just further out of my grasp.
"No" He grins, infuriating me even more than before.
"Haymitch give it to me. Now!" I lean over even further holding out my hand as far as humanly possible. He continues to do this until I can't physically lean over any further. "Haymitch!" I yell, but as I do so, I trip over his foot and end up awkwardly in his lap. We stare at each other for a minute not knowing what to do.
"We bought bot- oh are we interrupting something?" says Peeta from the doorway, taking a few steps back when he sees the two of us. "No, no. Just tripped, that's all." I say covering it up with a fake smile as I cross the room and take both glasses from him. I walk back over to the table in front of Haymitch and place down the glass of water in front of him. "You know, I think I would prefer whisky after all." I smile at him, pull the cushion from his grasp and make my way down the train to bed.
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much love ~ H x