Chapter Fifty-One

There was something about the way she smile that pierced through his being and made him think that all that was bad could be good again. It made him believe.

He had known her for years and he knew to look for her real smile. Effie smiled with her eyes and if she is happy, he would know. The smile on her lips was a mask and that he did not trust. That was the smile she put on during the Games.

But tonight, her smile was radiant. She beamed at him each time he caught her gaze. Her blue eyes sparkled like sapphire gems. Haymitch chewed on his food thoughtfully, wondering what had put her in such a brilliant mood.

"Do you like the food?" she asked.

"It's passable," he swallowed and added hastily, "it's good."

Haymitch began to get suspicious when she came out with two cups of tea and his bottle of whiskey sometime later. She snuggled up to him on the sofa, watching some mindless show on television.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" he teased, pouring a good measure of whiskey into his tea.

"No, I'm trying to get you to relax."

"Who says I'm not?"

Effie smirked at him and stood up, tugging on to his hand.

"It's past midnight," she whispered, looping her arms around his neck. She kissed the corner of his lips. "Let's go to bed."

Haymitch soon find out that when she said bed, she did not mean sleep. Effie straddled him as her fingers made quick work of the buttons of his shirt exposing more and more of his skin. She kissed him deeply and stroked the side of his face. Haymitch moaned quietly as he allowed his hand that was roaming her back to drop lower and lower to her legs. Her skin prickled at the feel of his calloused palm on her thighs when he slid his hands under her nightgown.

"I must have done something right today," he murmured, lifting his head off the pillow to press a kiss to her breast.

"When I'm in a good mood, it's because you did something right?"

"Yes."

"But never when I'm in a bad mood?" she asked.

"Never," he nodded.

Haymitch watched her hungrily as Effie pulled the nightgown off. His hands were on her in seconds; exploring, mapping and tracing faint flawed lines on her skin. Effie squirmed uncomfortably but Haymitch stayed her hand.

"Can you turn the bedside lamp off?" she asked.

From the first night that they were together, Haymitch had always turned the lights off. A year ago, he thought it would be easier for them consummate their marriage if they did not have to see each other but that one time had set a precedent into the future and each time, she always asked him to turn it off.

"It's okay," he told her quietly. "It's just me. I'm your husband. It's okay, Effs."

He kept his eyes on her as he ran his thumb over some of her scars.

"See," he said, "I haven't run away screaming."

She gave him a small smile. Slowly, Effie began to warm up to him again. They spent a lot of time kissing. Haymitch wanted nothing more than to flip her over and take her but he allowed her the space to be comfortable, to set the pace until she was ready.

Her thumb brushed against a thin scar on his ribcage.

"How did you get this?"

"I fell from a tree," he answered her after sometime. "It was stupid. It was arrogance, and arrogance can be a dangerous thing. Told my brother I could climbed the tree higher than he ever could and the branch snapped."

He smiled at the memory but before he could feel anything else at the memory of his brother, Effie kissed him. Haymitch thought of nothing else since then but he saw how Effie's eyes kept flickering towards to the audio monitor.

"They're asleep," he panted, reaching up to palm her breast. "God, Effs, don't think about them when you're naked on top of me."

That made her giggled quietly.

"It just feels so wrong when our kids are just next door," she moaned.

"If they hear anything, they won't remember it," he said as he rubbed her clit. "I can't take you teasing me anymore, sweetheart. If you're going to fu –"

Haymitch broke off. His eyes fluttered close, mouth opened slightly as he felt Effie taking him in. Without missing a beat, Effie started to rock back and forth, bringing him deeper inside. Haymitch groaned loudly. His hands flew to her hips, guiding and lifting her as she moved. It did not take long for Effie to feel her muscles tensing and coiling. She leaned forward with her breast pressing against his chest. Haymitch fisted her hair in his hand, anchoring her to him as he grunted loudly in her ear.

Their fluid movement gave way to erratic thrusting. Effie moaned and writhed with Haymitch holding her close, his hips lifted up each time to meet her.

Time had taught them a lot about each other. Haymitch knew her weak, sensitive spots and all the right places and ways to kiss her. He could distract her, make her moan and leave her wanting more if he kissed her properly. Effie played the game just as well. She knew how to make him lose control and how to hold him over the edge until she could coax the word 'please' out of his mouth.

Effie rode him until Haymitch became breathless and until the sound of their panting filled the room. She turned her face to bury it against her neck, nails digging into the skin on his shoulder when the orgasm shook her body. Haymitch wrapped his arms around her petite frame and pressed her close. With a loud grunt, Haymitch met his release.

"You have to tell me what I did today so we can have a repeat of this," he said the moment he caught his breath.

Effie pushed herself up but made no move to get off him. The radiant smile had given way to a gentle, loving one. Haymitch swallowed thickly; his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

She touched his face gently. Her soft thumb brushed against his cheekbones, a finger trailed down his nose. Effie thought about the conversation he had with the twins earlier.

I don't know what kind of father I'll be.

He would be a good father. Effie believed that whole heartedly. She picture him with his two boys, teaching them all that he had promised and her heart swell with contentment. She thought about how he had asked them to look out for her. Laced between his threats to embarrass them and his insecurities was the unwavering promise that he would protect them, protect her and his family. This man is the father to her children and there was no one else she would rather have.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked.

Haymitch has his flaws. She has hers. But what Haymitch never realized was that his flaws and his fears made him into the man he was now and it made him into a good person. Haymitch was damaged but that experience and that lesson had taught him things he would not have learnt otherwise.

"You're a good man," she whispered.

And I love you, and I hope one day, you'd understand just how much.

XxX

Within the space of three months, the twins had started to crawl; Ethan first, followed by Tristan. Effie and Haymitch realized then that nothing in their house was safe. They rummaged through everything curiously; scooting on their bottom and propelling themselves forward on their stomach before learning that they move faster on all fours. Effie was quick to call Felix, asking him to ship safety gates to Twelve which Haymitch put up at the top and foot of the stairs and the entrance to the kitchen.

As the months crept up on them, so did the third appeal. It was a fine Thursday morning when Haymitch left District Twelve for the Capitol. The twins were used to the big space in the living room which allowed them to roam and crawl uninhibited. The train's small space made them feel trapped. It was their first train ride and in order to keep them occupied, Effie tried to engage them with the sceneries outside which worked for about fifteen minutes. Mostly, the twins were cranky and uncomfortable which affected Haymitch's mood. By the time they reached the Capitol, Haymitch and his sons made for a terrible company and the only person with a cheery smile on her face was Effie.

Haymitch held the train door open for Effie and as she passed by him, Effie stretched on her toes to plant a chaste kiss on his lips.

"Don't look so sour," she smiled. "The children will be in a far better mood once we're off the train."

Effie, as usual, was right. Once they were on the platform, the sudden bluster of activities made Ethan excited and as Haymitch carried him, Ethan wriggled and kicked his little legs. He squealed excitedly, waving his hands around. Effie had an easier job with Tristan who was more subdued, watching his surrounding curiously with his big grey eyes.

Felix was waiting for them at the train station and the moment he saw them, he ran forward.

"Oh, my darling baby Ethan," he cooed.

Delighted at the chance to palm the overactive nine months' old toddler to someone else, Haymitch handed Ethan over to Felix. He went off to check on their luggage.

"Look at you! Look at you both. So, so chubby!" Felix exclaimed, pinching each of his nephew's cheeks in turn.

Effie smiled indulgently at her cousin before turning to Tristan. "Say hello to Uncle Felix," Effie said. She took Tristan's hand and waved it at Felix's direction.

"Whatever did you feed these two, Effie? They're certainly grown since I last saw them!"

"That's what kids do," Haymitch rolled his eyes, "they grow."

"Ah, there you are my little ray of sunshine. I know I can always count on you to brighten up my day," Felix muttered under his breath.

"Oh, enough you two," Effie chuckled. "Let's go before the children gets cranky again."

The group got as far as the entrance of the train station when a sudden bright flash of light blinded them enough to make them stop. Effie blinked in confusion, looking for the source of it as did Haymitch. His eyes swept through the crowded station and at corner of the station, hiding behind a public phone box, Haymitch saw the photographer. He would have gone over to the man but a sudden movement to Haymitch's right distracted him. A young man with tousled green hair pushed past the crowd towards them. The photographer had given up the idea of hiding from his subjects and followed closely behind. Haymitch put two and two together.

"We need to get out of here," Haymitch said urgently, steering Effie by her elbow.

Felix followed Haymitch's gaze and scowled when he saw the man.

"Benedict," Felix muttered out of the corner of his mouth to Haymitch. "He's been pestering me for days. I think he might have followed me here. I'm so sorry."

"Mr. Abernathy!" Benedict called out. Haymitch turned to look over his shoulder and saw the mini recorder in Benedict's hand. He was running after them breathlessly. "Are you here for the appeal?"

Haymitch cursed under his breath. That questioned had managed to capture the attention of the curious crowd. Another flash of light went off.

"Please don't take any photos of my children," Effie requested politely, not that it mattered because the photographer raised his camera for a close-up of Tristan. "Haymitch," Effie's voiced out uncertainly, "keep them away -"

Haymitch stepped in front of Effie, cutting off the photographer's view of her and Tristan. Next to him, Felix lowered Ethan into the stroller, pulling the shade down just enough to shield the child. He then straightened up and winked at the photographer. Haymitch looked at him as if he had lost his mind.

"I'll make a nice cover for your papers tomorrow," Felix smiled. "The babies are not as photogenic as me. So go on then, take my picture."

Ignoring Felix, Benedict shoved the recorder in Haymitch's face, "this is the third time that you will be filing an appeal. Is the third time's a charm?"

Haymitch frowned at the invasion. He wanted to push Benedict's hand away but it could be taken wrongly and he really did not want the news to run a story of him assaulting a reporter. Once was enough. He had learnt from it.

"How optimistic are you that it will succeed?"

"It will," Haymitch growled. "If not this appeal, then the next or the one after."

"It would seem that you are not willing to let this go," the reporter queried further.

"If the Rebellion has taught you anything, it's that everything ends. The law won't take 75 years to end, I can assure you that," Haymitch told Benedict. "I won't answer any more questions. Let us through."

Haymitch wrapped his arm around Effie's shoulder and guided her out using his body to block the photographer from taking any further photos of them. The crowd had swelled in numbers making it nearly impossible to make their way towards the car Plutarch had waiting for them.

Effie and Haymitch were no strangers to reporters and photographers. They knew exactly how determine and pesky they could be so it came as no surprise to either of them when Benedict side stepped them to walk alongside Effie.

"Mrs. Abernathy," he raised the recorder up to her, "just a question. Only one question, if you please! What is your personal opinion of the law and do you agree with what your husband is doing?"

In her arms, Tristan fidgeted. Effie's hand rested lightly on the back of his head as she pressed the toddler closer to her chest. All she wanted was to protect her son from the crowd.

"She's not answering your question," Haymitch snapped at the reporter.

"Does your husband have your fullest support in repealing the law? He will make you a divorcee if the appeal succeeds."

She stopped dead in her tracks. The stroller Felix was pushing behind them collided into Haymitch's leg. He whispered something in her ears but Effie had somehow managed to block him out. He glanced at her petrified face and knew he needed to do something. Haymitch tugged on her hand but Effie stood rooted to the spot.

Before he could stop her, Effie turned to look at the reporter and then stared directly at the photographer whose device was focused on Effie. It was blinking red, recording the entire scene.

"Haymitch is trying to help everyone else who has been victimized by the law," she said. Her next words were spoken quietly but the camera caught every word of it, "sometimes, you have to tear out a limb to save the body."

Alarm bells started ringing in his head. The media would have a field day with that. By next morning, Haymitch was proven right.

"Do you want the law to end as much as he does? And if so, are you reasons aligned with him or purely selfish? We have speculated – "

Effie could not hear the rest of his question. Her breathing had quickened. Her eyes darted around, taking in the throngs of people. Effie swallowed thickly. All the signs were there; her hand was clammy, it was starting to feel difficult to draw in breath and she was perspiring. She hated the feeling of being trapped and caged. It reminded her too much of prison. She was about to have an anxiety attack in the middle of a public place.

"Haymitch, Haymitch," she called out desperately. "Haymitch, please."

"I'm right here, sweetheart," he squeezed her shoulder. "Take a deep breath. I'll get you out."

"There are too many people," she rasped. "Don't leave – You can't leave me here."

"I won't let go," he reassured her.

He glanced over his shoulder at Felix and motioned towards Effie. Felix's lips thinned into a disapproving line and he glared at Benedict. He understood what Haymitch meant about Effie.

"Keep moving," Haymitch instructed. "The car isn't far off."

Consortium hasn't seen a hayffie smut for a while now, so I thought I'd you some before we get into some other serious stuffs ;)

Thanks for reading and your continuous support and motivation. Please review!

A/N: Chapter Two of this has been rewritten, somewhat.