Would have gotten this up hours earlier but was down. Have a good time reading!

Chapter Forty-Six

The silence in the room was palpable; drawn out by Effie staring worriedly at Haymitch who in turn, was carefully re-reading the paper in his hand. Her gaze shifted to the envelope at the same time that Haymitch noticed that there was something else inside. His brows furrowed as he emptied the contents only to find a silver necklace pooling on the palm of his hand.

The corner of his lip twitched.

"For someone who wasn't informed about this party and was dragged here at the very last minute by your cousin, he sure came prepared."

"Haymitch," she began. "I wasn't lying. I don't know what's on that piece of paper. And he has never… given me gifts before. You have to believe me," her voice was pleading with him to understand.

"What else has he given you? Why don't you enlighten me, sweetheart? 'cause I feel like I've been purposely kept out of the loop."

Haymitch had called her 'sweetheart' many times before but not with that much spite in his voice which made Effie visibly flinched. He quelled the urge to reach out for her. Any other sane person would have left the room but Effie had never wavered and had always stood up to him even when he had sprouted unpleasant things while he was drunk. She took a bold step towards him, her hands shaking as she pried the piece of paper – the statistics on Panem's current birth rates - out of his grip.

Effie drew a shaky breath, her eyes swept over the paper, taking the contents in for the first time since it was handed to her.

"Information," she held his gaze, "for the law. That's all there is. I promise."

He narrowed his eyes at her, thinking about what she said. Haymitch circled the room like a vulture with his hand propped on his hips. She stepped out of his way to stand by Tristan's crib. Effie laid a protective hand over her son's chest to give him comfort over the storm brewing in the room and to draw strength from the little soul. Even if Haymitch was looking at her with contempt, the knowledge that her children were far too young to hate her, provided Effie with the necessary calmness to deal with the given situation.

"You're telling me that all those information you've given me so far – the list of people married under the law, the names of members of the Council who voted for and against the law – you got it from him? From Adler?"

Effie nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I did," she frowned. "The information came from one of my contacts in the Capitol – that's what I told you."

"Not from one person. You led me to believe that you got it all on your own because of connections you have in the Capitol," he countered. Haymitch tilted his head and regarded her. "I didn't know you and Adler are chummy enough to be exchanging information."

Effie glowered, resenting the insinuation. "I haven't known him long!" she retorted.

Haymitch snorted derisively.

"You were eager for the information, Haymitch. Correct me if I'm wrong but you've never asked - you weren't bothered with questions of where they came from as long as you had something to go against the Council. I never thought it would matter so I've never told you. You want to know where I've been getting them? From him! He is the connection, Haymitch," she had raised her voice by the end of it.

Tristan squirmed, diverting Effie's attention away from Haymitch.

"You said earlier…" he trailed off, suddenly distracted by Effie holding Tristan out to him. She had lamented once that he was the only person capable of calming Tristan down. Haymitch cradled the child, patting him softly on his back. "You told him to stop. Stop what? Stop giving you those messages?"

The glint of dread and fear was back in her eyes.

"I did, yes," Effie nodded carefully. "I – I overhead the conversation you had with Felix on the phone. I know what's going on with you and Elias and Klaus. I know that I am somehow implicated right in the middle of this. The deal was me in return for help with the law, wasn't it?"

If Haymitch was surprised by Effie's revelation that she had known about her cousin and Klaus all along, Haymitch didn't show it. His face was a blank mask when he nodded in affirmation.

"Why didn't you take the deal, Haymitch?" she asked quietly.

His pacing ceased and Haymitch turned slowly to look at her.

"Would you have wanted me to?"

"He's offering you help with the law. Isn't that what you wanted – for an end?"

"There was no guarantee that the law will be repealed even with Adler on board," he answered simply, hoping that it was enough to appease her. It wasn't a complete lie, not at all. "And your cousin is a smug bastard. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction."

"Is that all?"

There was a hopeful glimmer in her eyes and knowing exactly what Effie was hoping to hear, Haymitch tore his gaze away. He denied her of it simply because he couldn't say them. Haymitch swallowed thickly.

The words were lodged in his throat.

What would she think of him if she knew?

He couldn't tell her that the thought of her with Adler made him burn with resentment. She would think him selfish. Why deny her a chance to be with someone who is smitten with her and could give her a good life when he couldn't love her?

He couldn't tell her that all he wanted to do was to protect her from being exploited by her cousin and that was the reason why he would never take the deal. He wanted to tell her that the bastard that she think he was, actually cares about her and that the decision of who she wants to be with after the law ended should lie with her and not dictated by a cousin who claimed to have her best interest at heart.

Those thoughts coalesced and broke apart in his mind where it stayed in fragments since he couldn't seem to vocalize any of his thoughts about her to her.

"Yes," he answered her curtly.

But you're missing the point, aren't you?, the traitorous voice hissed in his mind. You have no right to feel angry if she ended up with Klaus because that's partly why you wanted to end the law – for her to be free and lead the life she deserved, not stuck with a man like you.

We didn't have children back then, he thought viciously.

So she's staying then? Even after the law's repealed?, the voice egged on. I'm guessing there won't be a divorce.

His old man had told him once, a long time ago, that talking to oneself was the first sign of madness. Haymitch refused to have an inner monologue with himself.

Effie walked over to the window, leaning against it with her arms folded across her chest. She stared out of it, watching Finn with Katniss and Prim down at the front yard. Finn was sitting under Effie's apple tree with a plate in his hand, stuffing his face with dessert and letting the toddler lick the cream off his finger. It was sweet watching Finn playing the role of a surrogate big brother.

Katniss was standing nearby when she glanced up to see Effie looking at them from the nursery. A shadow of concern passed over the younger woman's face but Effie shook her head, giving Katniss a reassuring smile.

"I was just trying to help you with the law and the information Klaus had was important," she said. "I didn't think it would matter who gave it to me, not until -"

"Not until what?"

The years of alcohol abused should have dulled his mind but that wasn't the case. The rare moment of sobriety proved that his mind was still sharp and if he focused really hard, he could think quite clearly. As it happen, he was already two steps ahead and had figured out the problem that they were currently facing – with Effie getting help from Klaus – but he needed to get through to Effie first, to make her understand the grave she had dug for herself.

"Until I overhead your conversation with Felix," she said, turning around to face him.

She remained where she was by the window and Haymitch somehow sensed that Effie was trying to maintain some distance between them. "Haymitch, you're a proud man and all these years that I've known you, I have never known you to ask for help if you could avoid it. Not even from me when you could barely function. I – I didn't know how you would react if I told you that someone else was helping us gather the information and his information has been very helpful, so far. You would be more receptive if you think the information came from me."

"So you lied to me."

"I kept certain truths from you."

"It's called lying, sweetheart," he pointed out.

"Don't act as if you have never done that to me," she hissed. "I was helping you with the Rebellion and even then, you treated me on a need-to-know basis."

He dismissed that protest with a waved of his hand. not wanting to be dragged into an argument about a time in the past.

"When I became aware of the deal Elias has been trying to get you into, I called Klaus and told him to stop passing me those messages. I don't need his help and I didn't want a situation where you owed Klaus anything."

"But it's not me who owes him anything now. You should have told me," he said.

"I handled it, Haymitch! I wasn't going to run to you with something I could very well deal on my own."

"I don't think you're seeing the bigger picture here, sweetheart," Haymitch said. "Do you know what you've done?"

"Look," she threw her hand up in frustration. "I know you don't like Klaus and you don't want his help. I get it. I've told him to stop but how was I to know he would be here giving me this," she waved the paper at him.

"It's a trap, Effie," he spoke quietly.

The use of her name startled her. "I'm sorry?"

"They've got you in their trap. I don't know what you were thinking but there's a reason I've never accepted anything your cousin had to offer – I never wanted to be in his debt! But you… you… Don't you see? They had you right from the beginning. The moment you placed that call to your cousin asking to speak to Adler – because I'm assuming that's how you get in contact with him since you haven't known him long, after all – they had you. You're… How could you be so stupid?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't – What?" she jerked forward. "What are you saying? Are you telling me that they've planned this?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"Why would they do such a thing?"

"To get you!"

"No, no," Effie shook her head vehemently. "They would never do that. Elias would never do that."

"Don't be stupid," he snarled at her. "Your cousin has a vested interest in this. I don't know how much you know or how much of that conversation you heard, but a portion of his share is at stake here. I have seen people do worse for a lot less. And Adler," Haymitch snorted, "that man is in love with you. I bet you know that, too, and you're making use of what he feels for you to get what you want."

"He wanted to help me."

"Because he's in love with you," Haymitch barked. Tristan started crying. "It's alright," he whispered soothingly. "It's alright, peanut. Your mum and I are just talking."

XxX

"You're jealous," she said, naming the emotion out there for him. Effie beckoned for him to hand Tristan over but Haymitch shook his head.

"I didn't know we were discussing my feelings."

Effie blinked at him, noting that he never denied it.

"It's not him I love, Haymitch. It's not him that I want."

"Whatever debt you owe them, you pay for it on your own but he's not getting my children because you fucked things up. You went behind my back. You should have asked me -"

"I was trying to help you," she screamed at him and stopped short, pulling herself together when she remembered the guests in their house and Tristan who was there with them. "Everything I did, I did it for you!"

He frowned, holding on to Tristan a little bit tighter.

"You owe them a debt, Effie, and they're going to collect it."

"You're blowing things out of proportion. You accused them of planning it all out but we don't know that, Haymitch. What if Klaus was just trying to help?"

"Why would he help you if he gets nothing in return!?" he argued.

"I don't know! Maybe he wants the law to end as much as you do! You shouldn't just assume that he -"

"Stop trying to be on his side!"

Whatever self-restraint and shred of patience Effie had before this, evaporated at that very second.

"I am not on his side! I'm on yours, I've always been. Why can't you see that I'm not your enemy, Haymitch?" her voice cracked. Her hands shook with anger. He had never trusted her. After everything that they've been through, even when she thought he cared about her, he had never truly believed in her. Effie didn't know how else to get through him. "You need to realize that I'm your wife and that means I am on your side and I will stand by you. You're not facing this world on your own. I'm here and I was trying to help. I'm sorry for … I'm sorry."

They were back to staring at each other in suffocating silence. Effie was breathing heavily, shaking like a leaf. Haymitch said nothing still and after a prolonged stillness, she felt a sense of betrayal creeping in. It made her doubt everything she knew about Haymitch. She was certain that he would leave her alone to claw her way out all by herself. Hadn't he said the same just moments ago?

You pay for it on your own.

"I did it for you," a lone tear trailed down her cheek.

She tried so hard to be strong, to not let him see her break but it was getting harder to deal with him. On some nights, when Haymitch was asleep and she was alone with the twins, Effie couldn't wait for the law to end so she could get away from him. It was exhausting to be in his presence, to love him as much as she does, when he could never return the feeling. Haymitch would do anything to keep her and the children safe but that was the extent of his commitment to her. Effie knew Haymitch was capable of love because he loves his children. It was just her that he couldn't love. She hated having to compete with a ghost for his affection.

"I know," he nodded, startling Effie when he spoke.

Haymitch closed the gap in two long strides and by instinct, something that had been ingrained in her from her time in prison when she felt threatened, Effie hastily took a step back. To his credit, Haymitch wasn't offended by it. He shifted Tristan so that one of his hands was free and he touched her arm gently, coaxing her quietly. When she didn't run away, Haymitch pulled her towards him and enfolded her in his embrace. He held the back of her head as she pressed her face to the crook of his shoulder.

"You're not alone. We'll figure this one out – together."

Effie choked back a sob, nodding against his chest. Her tears soaked through his shirt. She wound her arm around his waist while the other hand rested on Tristan's back as Haymitch held his wife and his son close. Effie wished Ethan was there with them. It was comforting to be held that way by Haymitch - it felt like they were a family.

I didn't update last week because halfway through editing this chapter, I didn't quite like how Haymitch and Effie was turning out. Haymitch sounded horrible and mean, and Effie wasn't able to stand up for herself. I didn't want that so I took the time to re-write the chapter and I'm happy with how it turned out and I hope you like it, too.

From the last chapter, I know some of you were afraid that Effie might have been cheating on Haymitch but in Chapter 11, she said she would never do that and here, I wanted to reinforce the fact that she is loyal to him and that Haymitch is starting to realize that, too. Also, some of the theories you all came up with, like Effie secretly working with Klaus to have the appeal rejected is awesome! Wish I had thought of that. My explanation of what's in the letter/paper that Klaus handed Effie now seems to pale in comparison.

We'll see if Haymitch's accusation concerning Elias and Klaus is correct in the next chapter One last announcement, I have created Everything In Transit (you can find that on my page) for any prompts related to Consortium. So do check that out J

Please review J