Firstly, thank you for all the reviews and the feedback you've given me. And thanks also to Cathy who reviewed on the Ballad, helping me look up the Chapters with Johanna - thank you so much! Secondly, this is an apology - this chapter is relatively short after I edited it. The original draft was a lot longer but there are things there that I needed more time to think over.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this regardless of its length.

Chapter Sixty-Six

Twice Haymitch tried to bring the marriage law up – once during dinner and another while she was curled next to him on the sofa with Ethan – and twice he changed his mind. He didn't want to fight and argue, and he wasn't sure it would not lead up to that. Being delicate was not his forte and no matter how much he ran through all the scenarios in his head, he didn't quite know how to broach the topic without Effie thinking the worst. He certainly didn't need her to think that he wanted to get rid of her or abandon her while in the state that she was in, and he certainly didn't want her to think that the law was more important than her on going treatment.

Perhaps it was his luck or perhaps it was Effie being thoughtful, which still came as a surprise because he knew just how selfish Effie could be sometimes, but she was the one who brought the subject up. She wandered into the kitchen one night where Haymitch was discreetly trying to take a drink. At the sound of her approaching footsteps, he slammed the cupboard door shut, gulped the remaining dregs of whisky from his glass and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before he turned around to face her, deftly hiding the glass behind his back.

"I can smell it, you know?" she shook her head in amusement.

"Hmmm," he hummed and threw her a grin. "The boys are asleep so I thought I might have a drink."

"There's something you should see," she said, beckoning him over.

Effie spread the morning's paper at the counter in front of him, pointing to a small, easily overlooked section on the fifth page.

It was convenient how all the unsavoury news was sequestered at little corners of the papers while the news that in the government's opinion, people should read about were front and centre in the first few pages.

Any unwanted news could have easily be left out of the papers but the administration was smart. . To do so would make it seem like they were hiding information so it was published but in a manner that would easily be missed.

As it were, the first two pages of that morning's paper contained reports of excited couples welcoming in their new baby and interviews with those who exalted the benefits of the baby bonus scheme which led Haymitch to wonder just how much they were paid for that interview. There was even an advertisement which took half the space on page three for the new talk show with a marriage expert. Haymitch wrinkled his nose in disgust because clearly, based on its placement, the advertisement was far more important than the article Effie was about to highlight to him.

"This woman," she pointed to the blurry photograph of a woman taken as she was cuffed by the authorities, "stabbed her husband on his shoulder. Twice. He's in hospital receiving treatment and he's pressing charges against his own wife."

"Yeah, I saw the headline. Didn't manage to read through the entire post before Tristan woke up this morning."

"Apparently, she's been enduring verbal abuse from her husband since they were married about a year ago."

"It's reported?"

"No. I did some digging around. I know someone who happened to know the lawyer representing her. I think that's going to be her defense."

"Digging around?" Haymitch crossed his arms, studying her carefully. Effie's and Plutarch's contacts in the City had been helpful thus far but Effie had not done any "digging around" since she relapsed as far as he knew. Was she working without telling him?

"What are you going to do, Haymitch?" she asked, gnawing on her bottom lip.

"I'm not a lawyer, sweetheart."

"You know what I'm talking about," Effie exhaled. "You have not been working on the appeal for a few months now since I…. Well, I'm doing okay. You can see it for yourself anyway. I'm getting better and I don't want you to put that on hold for too long on my account. Maybe it's time you return to it."

He blinked and unfolded his arms, moving to stand in front of her. "Exton put you up to this?"

"Ex… No, he didn't. Why did you ask?"

"Nothing," he shook his head. "Listen, the appeal is not completely abandoned. Plutarch's working on it on his end but it's just going really slowly. I want to be completely sure that you –"

"I'm fine. I know you worry about me," she quirked a smile and took his hand, "but don't be. I don't like waking up each morning to see reports of abuse or suicide in the papers."

"Then don't read them."

"I know ignorance is bliss but it doesn't always work, does it? I want to help in whichever way I can even if I know I won't be of much help like I used to before the twins were born. Work on the appeal, Haymitch. It's important, you know that. As much as I am afraid of what will happen to our family without the law to hold us all together, you and I both know that the law cannot continue any longer. Look at all the spousal abuse, at the abandoned babies, at people like Jo who nearly got herself killed trying to be sterilised. I still keep the article with her interview on it and I know it was an effective deterrent measure especially coming from Johanna but how long will that last, Haymitch? People will forget her words and her warnings in a year. I will help where I can."

Haymitch nodded as he brushed his thumb against her inner wrist.

"You can help when the children aren't keeping you busy. It'll be good to… focus on something," he murmured. "Sometimes I wonder if anyone's truly happy with how their life turned out after the law came into effect. Except for Elias and his wife," he added as an afterthought, "because they're profiting off each other. They don't count."

Effie laughed lightly.

"Emily," she said. "You remember her?"

"Twelve's former librarian? That girl?"

"I saw her just yesterday at the hospital. She was visiting her mother here in Twelve. The poor woman was taken ill. Emily came with her husband, a quite mousy young man, and they were with their little girl. Only two months old. She was adorable. I was thinking…. maybe we can try for a girl."

Haymitch's reaction was exactly as Effie thought it would be. His eyes widened as a look of horror and fear passed his face. The chin that he propped on the palm of his hand slipped. Haymitch straightened up immediately, moving towards the cabinet where he kept his drinks while giving Effie an incredulous look.

"What?" he choked out.

"It would be lovely for the boys to have a younger sister! I can picture them as the big brothers."

He swallowed thickly. "I can't… You're not… Two kids, Effs. The law only asks for -"

"Oh, I'm only joking, darling," she patted his shoulder with a smile at the joke Haymitch didn't even find remotely hilarious. "The boys are enough to keep us on our toes, I know that."

"Good," he sagged in relief. "Good."

"It makes me happy to know that Emily found some form of happiness," Effie added wistfully. "She seems to be enjoying District Five from what I gathered. Regardless, do think about what I said, Haymitch. You should work on the appeal again. You gave people hope of having it repealed, you can't take it away."

Haymitch made a noise at the back of his throat.

It was Katniss' job to give people hope, not his.

Thanks for reading and please leave a review!