Hello! I am back :) I would have posted this over the weekends but I was binge watching the Walking Dead, totally ruining my life. That aside, prepare for a whole load of discussion up ahead in this chapter!

Chapter Sixty-Eight

The smell of slightly burnt toast permeated through the kitchen, infused with the rich aroma of coffee. Effie leaned against the counter with her hands cupped around the mug and her face partially obscured by the steam from the hot beverage.

"It's true then?"

Haymitch nodded. He held up the photograph that came in the mail this morning with a note from Plutarch – Fulvia and I will be there in two days – for Effie to see. It was a picture of Adler holding on to a little girl with dark hair and hazel eyes. She could not have been older than the twins.

"He confirmed it after Plutarch gave his word that the information will be kept between us."

"She's a beautiful child," Effie said, her eyes were transfixed on the photograph.

Her boys meant everything to her but as far back as she could remember, Effie always dreamt of having a girl of her own; a little girl she could dress up, doll up and braid her hair for. Effie meant what she said when she told Haymitch nearly two years ago that it didn't matter if she was carrying a boy or a girl but she couldn't help the tingling sense of desire to have a baby girl. Haymitch would never agree to another child, and they didn't need another complication when the law was still such a big issue in their life.

"What's her name?"

"I didn't think it was an important fact to remember. Does it matter?"

Her eyes flickered up to his and she smiled. Trust him not to remember details like that. "Wouldn't the government find out about this? Klaus could get in trouble and the girl…"

"Difficult to prove," Haymitch answered, reaching out to take the mug from her hand. He drank from it which prompted Effie to pour another cup for herself. He was always taking her drink simply because he couldn't be bothered to walk the short distance to get his own coffee. "There are no paper works, no trails to implicate any parties. Adler didn't adopt this child. He bought her which meant that the child's birth certificate still reflects her biological parents as her parents. It's a black market trade, Effs, the same with all the contraceptives. Money under the table, no paper trail."

"That will only make it more difficult for you and Plutarch to prove to the Council. You have no evidence to show that any of this is going on."

Haymitch shrugged.

"Someone just need to tip it off to the Council. They'll send their team of investigators to snoop around. Maybe they'll hear something, a rumour or a whisper of someone buying a child but they won't have the documents to make any arrest, not in Adler's case at least," Haymitch said. He was sure there will be others who would insist on a fresh new birth certificate which could be dangerous. "That's how they know about the illegal abortions and the sterilization. It just has to be brought to their attention."

"Maybe we shouldn't," she crossed her arms. "It's not our place, anyway."

They had this conversation a week ago and Haymitch really disliked repeating himself.

"You're only thinking 'bout Adler, Effs. I know all he wanted is to have a child and his own family but you need to think bigger, think outside of him. You need to consider that there could be something more sinister – a child syndicate ring going on, maybe? Anythin' can happen to those children. They could be amputated and made to beg for scraps on the streets."

Effie's eyes darted to the twins playing in their play pen at the sitting room. She tried to imagine selling them away. She imagined of them being taken away from her and made to play on people's pity for money, and the thought made her blanched.

"How did you even come up with something like that? How did it even cross your mind?" she lowered her voice. "Isn't… The Family and Social Services pays visits to families, don't they? To ensure everything is proper and that the children are well taken care off?

That made him scoff in derision.

"Yeah and how many times have they visited us to check on the boys ever since you gave birth? Never. They only ever came that one time because they received a report that you may have a difficult pregnancy. They came to take you away to that facility. They came to childless couples like Jo and Gale, and Plutarch and Fulvia to harass them. They have no way of knowing that Adler's child is no longer staying with her biological parents. Children can be sold and mistreated, and thrown in a syndicate without them ever knowing until it's too late. The law is flawed, sweetheart, and the policies in place are showing more cracks that solutions."

Effie dropped heavily on the stool across from Haymitch, breathing slowly through her nose and out through her mouth. He patted her hand, his finger playing with her wedding ring absent-mindedly.

"Exton told me to find silver linings," she said slowly. "And I – Elias won't bother us anymore, would he? Felix told me Elias is furious."

"Wouldn't be surprised," Haymitch snorted. "We managed to keep Adler's voluntary help with the law from him long enough so now that he finally realized he lost Adler, I don't expect him to be anything but furious. He lost the opportunity to control Adler's company and you're worthless to him now."

Effie winced.

"I'm just saying that he can't use you to trade with Adler anymore. That's all."

"I know," Effie whispered. "I remembered what Klaus said about not wanting it to be another forced marriage. You think Elias found out about that, too?"

"'Course he did. He isn't stupid. He's got it all figured out once he knew Adler volunteered to help with the law. He can't give you to Adler in return for the company and the deal he's been trying to get me into won't work no more. He can't force me, he can't make me give you up," Haymitch grinned.

Effie froze, staring at her hand as she mulled it over.

"What's the matter?" Haymitch asked.

At the end of the day, if he decided to let her go, it wasn't because he had his back against the wall. It wasn't because he didn't have any other choice. He would have a choice and he chose to let her go. Effie wasn't sure that was any better.

She clutched her chest and cleared her throat.

"Elias is plotting his revenge against Klaus, I know it. Telling me about his daughter was just one of those. I imagined he wants Klaus to be imprisoned for that. He has a share in Klaus' company, Haymitch, and he could have a hostile take-over from there."

Haymitch shrugged, standing languidly as he collected their mugs to place them in the sink. "That's not our problem," he told her. "What goes on between those two stays between them. I don't care about any of their companies or their shares. Other than keeping you and the boys safe, my only concern is to try to keep Adler out of prison. His information is all that I need. It's invaluable."

"That's probably Elias' plan, too. With Klaus in jail, he won't be of any use to you. Maybe he's trying to hurt you that way," Effie nibbled on her lower lip. "It doesn't matter to him anymore if the law is repealed or not. He won't gain anything from it. He's just…"

"Sadistic?" Haymitch gave her a wry smile.

"My stomach coils each time I think about what he was willing to do with me. I'm not just a pawn, Haymitch. I'm …"

"Yeah," he nodded and lifted up his hand. She stepped into his arms, letting him embraced her. "You're not a pawn, Effie. You never were, not to me. You're a mother and a wife, remember that."

She played with the button on his shirt with her ear pressed against his chest as he held her close and she wanted more days like this.

"Your cousin's still out there and even if this may seem like it's over, you promise me you'll be careful. I don't trust him and something tells me that there's another shoe that'll drop at any moment. Things always go wrong."

"Maybe this time it won't. Not everything goes wrong all the time."

XxX

Effie would tell him later that night that she, together with Peeta prepared dinner for their guests but he knew from experience that it was mostly Peeta doing the heavy lifting while she probably helped to stir and add ingredients as she was instructed. Both Katniss and himself had been banished to the living room for babysitting duties before Effie called for her to set the table.

"There he is! Our future son-in-law!" Plutarch exclaimed loudly the moment arrived. He walked over towards Tristan and picked the child up. "What do you think, dear? This is …. Well, I'm not very sure how to tell the boys apart!"

Fulvia nodded enthusiastically, pinching the boy's cheek until Tristan gave a kick, which sent Effie into a fit as she tried to apologise for Tristan's behavior.

"He doesn't like to be smothered," Haymitch smirked in Plutarch's direction.

"If our baby's a boy, we'll marry him to Katniss' daughter!" Fulvia said, turning her attention to Prim.

"How is an arranged marriage like that any different than a marriage law?" Katniss muttered loud enough for Haymitch to hear.

"If the kids aren't up to it, they don't have to have babies," Haymitch replied sarcastically under his breath. He could have sworn Katniss turned green at the thought of her daughter having babies.

"Will you be finding out the gender or keeping it a secret?" Effie asked once they were all seated at the dinner table.

After she was told of Fulvia's pregnancy, Effie had invited both husband and wife to Twelve for dinner to which Haymitch had no objections since he could very well use that opportunity to discuss some matters of the appeal with Plutarch.

"Oh, we want to know," said Fulvia as Plutarch nodded in agreement. "It will be easier for us to think of names."

When everyone including Effie echoed that sentiment, agreeing with Fulvia's reasoning, Haymitch shot his wife an incredulous look. That wasn't what she had said when she insisted on not knowing the twins' gender.

"I never thought pregnancy was for me, never thought I'll be pregnant," Fulvia smiled wistfully. She rested her hand on the bump which was barely visible under her dress. "I wanted children. I've always wanted one but I never thought I'll carry the baby myself! It's funny how things turned out."

Peeta paused, placed his fork carefully on the plate and asked, "what do you mean?"

"I would have gone for a surrogate," she answered only to be left slightly flustered at the faces of confusion looking back at her. Katniss, Haymitch and Peeta waited for an explanation. "Well… Well, in the Capitol, before the Rebellion, we don't… There is an option for a surrogate. That was how I planned to have a child… How most women planned to have a child … for someone to carry the baby to term. Surely, this is not a foreign concept?" she laughed nervously.

Haymitch blinked slowly as he mind processed the words. The glass of wine was halfway to his lips. He chanced a glance at Effie but she didn't seem fazed by that and he wondered if things had been different, would she have gone for that option?

He shook his head imperceptibly. If things had been different, he would be drinking himself to a stupor alone in his house. He wouldn't be married to Effie and he wouldn't be a father.

"Why would you do that? Get someone to do the job for you?" Haymitch frowned.

"Medical complications, Haymitch," Effie rested her hand on his thigh. "Some women can't carry the child themselves so they pay someone else to … assist them. A few years before the 74th Games, there was a rise for … for surrogate mothers. It was an easy way to have a biological child without having to go through all the trouble, the weight gain, the 9 months of pregnancy and not…not everyone wanted to go through the pain of childbirth."

"It was a lucrative business," Plutarch chimed in.

Effie grimaced at Plutarch's words. She had been trying to ease Haymitch into it but Plutarch had no tact, as usual.

"Business?" Haymitch spat.

"It makes perfect sense," Plutarch nodded as he scooped more mashed potatoes on his plate. "Why go through it all when you can pay someone to do it? Hassle free!"

Katniss fixed him with a stricken stare. "The bond between the mother and child during pregnancy, that's not something…" she trailed off, looking at Peeta.

"You are right, of course! Even now, we are trying to bond with the baby. I've been talking to my child each night. Did you do that too?" he looked at Haymitch and Peeta, and without waiting for them to reply, he went on. "No need to look so scandalized. Nothing to worry about, it's all in the past. Surrogacy is a dwindling trade now since the law came about."

"During the Rebellion, President Coin saw the merits of it," Fulvia mentioned it casually.

Haymitch's head snapped in her direction. "What?"

"I think she might consider assigning some women to be surrogates in Thirteen after the epidemic. They were looking for ways to boost their own population. I wasn't supposed to know this but I overhead. Soldier could be so careless sometimes!"

"Whatever the case may be, President Coin did prepare me for one thing," Plutarch chuckled. "I learned to go through the days without coffee in Thirteen which was good practice for my situation right now. Fulvia has developed a dislike for the taste and smell of coffee."

Haymitch rolled his eyes. He had to sit through Plutarch complaining on and on about Thirteen's lack of coffee for days on end.

"How is the appeal coming along?" Peeta queried.

His question was quickly followed by Ethan's plastic bowl clattering to the floor.

"Don't think the kid approve of you talking about the appeal at the table," Haymitch grunted.

"My apologies, I didn't know the topic was out of bounds during dinner. I was just asking because…" he looked over at Katniss who nodded at him. "We've been getting things in our mail about how the law aimed for couples to have two children."

"You're not affected by the law," Effie said. "You were married well before the law came into effect."

"Nothing to worry about," Plutarch said. "These brochures tend to make its round from what I heard. As you are aware, the government has always encouraged its citizens to have at least two children. Those not married under the law, like Katniss and Peeta, were not mandated to have children, and if they do, they're not required to meet the minimum number unlike us. That's the only difference."

Haymitch kept quiet. He knew all those already.

"I'm not ready," Katniss blurted out. "Prim is still so young."

"We were going to wait a few years," Peeta added.

"So wait," Haymitch shrugged. "What's the problem? You don't' have to - "

"Except there is a problem," Peeta clenched his jaw, looking mildly incensed. His hand twitched, prompting Katniss to curl her fingers on his hand to calm him. That didn't escape Haymitch's notice. "They think Katniss still owes them something. We don't owe people anything anymore!"

The wine glass he was clutching on shattered in his palm.

"Peeta, calm down," Effie said quickly, moving her chair closer to where the twins were seated to protect them if need be.

"I'm not going to let them make use of Katniss anymore. She's not the mockingjay anymore. It's over. It's over!"

"Peeta," Haymitch tried to keep a level tone to his voice. He could do this with his eyes closed. He had done it countless times and he knew the tell-tale signs of Peeta's episode just as he knew Effie's. "Nobody is asking Katniss to be anything."

"He's right, Peeta," Katniss said. "President Paylor didn't ask me to be anything."

"She said people look up to you still. She said you should lead by example."

"Yes," Katniss nodded. "Yes, she did but nothing about the mockingjay."

"The President wants you to have another child now?" Plutarch asked, filling the missing pieces.

"Yes," Katniss affirmed. "I won't do it. I'm not ready."

"See, boy," Haymitch spoke to Peeta. "She won't do it. She knows what she wants, this one. Katniss doesn't have to do anything anymore. She's done enough. You've done enough. You live your life now with Katniss and your little girl."

"Make her listen," Peeta breathed deeply, clenching and unclenching his fist to calm himself. "You said so yourself – she's a reasonable person. Make her listen to her people. If only there is a way for everyone to vote on this law, maybe she will listen. Our opinion matter now, doesn't it? Isn't that what we fought for?"

"A referendum," Fulvia gasped, her eyes lighting up at the idea. "I have read about this before from an old book that was banned by the Capitol. Most democratic countries have referendum on national issues - bring the question to the people. We can bring that back," she turned in her seat towards Plutarch, eager and excited by the idea.

Even Plutarch seemed enthralled by the prospect, a smile already forming on his lips. He raised an eyebrow at Haymitch.

"See, Peeta," Effie nodded. "Anything old can be made new again. Plutarch and Haymitch will find a way to work this vote into place, I am sure of it. Please, dear, do not worry too much."

Please review and let me know what you think! I appreciate it and thanks for reading!