Requested by captainhadeslover: I really love the Between Lives fanfics. They are amazing. Could you do one where Haymitch meets Annie? That would be really cool.

Meeting Annie Cresta
(37 years old)

The electronic tablet on her lap beeped once. Whatever it was, it made Effie scoot to the front of her seat, tapped the small glass window separating the driver from the passengers so that she could give him her address and instruct that they be driven there.

"And uh, why are we going to your apartment?" Haymitch turned his head slowly towards her, blinking lazily.

"It's Finnick, he's over at my place," she told him which only gave rise to more questions.

His head was buzzing with the effect of the alcohol but he was certain he had heard her right. His brows crinkled in confusion before his eyes darken. "I thought I was the only victor you would invite over. What changed, sweetheart?" he chuckled.

Haymitch leaned forward, pushing her hair away from her shoulder with his nose and grazed the side of her neck with his teeth. It wasn't gentle and Effie hissed at the slight pain it caused.

She pushed him away. "Don't be jealous. It's unbecoming."

His only response was to tighten his hold on her wrist.

"This is Finnick we're talking about," Effie scowled.

It infuriated her to have to reason with him when he was in this state; half-drunk and fuelled with a tinge of jealousy. It had happened more often than not lately and she didn't want to think what this possessiveness might mean – for her and for them.

"You took him under your wing – he's one of yours – and I wouldn't betray you like that," Effie told him. "Besides, Finnick doesn't need me to want him that way… The way you want me," she added, pushing the boundaries a little bit further just to see how he would react.

Haymitch frowned and leaned back away from her. He stared out of the window, neither confirming nor denying her statement. He hated the feeling of wanting her and lately, each time he returned to the Capitol, he was finding it difficult to control the want. It was dangerously close to crossing the fine line into him needing her. He didn't need that. He had carved a life alone and he was fine being on his own.

When they arrived, Effie trotted ahead, leaving him behind to brood on his own. Haymitch shook his flask and sighed when it turned out empty. Her apartment would have alcohol. That thought lifted up his spirit a little and he hurried after her out of the lift.

Finnick was waiting outside the door to her apartment. He wasn't alone. He had his arm around a trembling Annie Cresta – Finnick's tribute, now a victor – and was trying to hold her upright.

"Is she okay?" Effie asked looking at each of them for an explanation.

Annie had spent a long time in the hospital, recovering. Effie and Haymitch had not been allowed to visit due to the delicate nature of injuries but Finnick told them that she had a difficult time trying to grasp reality. There were rumours that she had gone mad but the Gamemakers were swift to crush it. They needed their Victor and they pushed the doctors to fix her even though Chaff, brimming with anger on behalf of Finnick, had tried to explain that it was not something that could easily be fixed.

"I had to get her out of there," Finnick explained. "They were crowding her, wanting to talk to her and take photographs with her. I had to do something. She was -"

"Losing it?" Haymitch asked.

His eyes slid to the seventeen years' old Victor. She was petite and she seemed fragile standing next to Finnick.

"Hey, Annie," Haymitch stooped slightly to look her in the eyes.

"Hello, Haymitch," she rasped.

"Oh, she knows who I am," Haymitch pointed out and grinned at her. "That's a good sign. What's the matter, kid? What's in your head?"

"Stop it," Finnick snapped.

He shot Haymitch a look. Effie shifted, ready to step in again in case they flare up. It wouldn't have been an isolated incident since the 70th Games started.

When Finnick had begun pulling every string he could to manipulate the Games and get Annie out of the arena alive, Haymitch had made his displeasure known. For Finnick to do what he had done, inconsequential of the fact if he had succeeded or not, it would mean that he now owed important and powerful people a lot of favours. The kind of repayment they would demand was what made Haymitch pulled him aside, demanding that he think it through only to have Finnick threw it in his face.

"You haven't cared about anyone in a long time. You don't know what it is like," Finnick spat, arguing with him. "You live for yourself but I don't. I know her. I know her."

"You're doing this because you think it's your fault," Haymitch retorted

"It is my fault!" Finnick had raised his voice but as quickly as the anger came, it left him. He looked defeated when he repeated, "it is my fault, Haymitch."

Haymitch was fully aware of what had happened, of course. Finnick had refused one of Snow's favoured Minister but short of killing Mags to teach him a lesson and risk losing control of his most valuable victor, Snow had rigged the Reaping. There was only one name in the female tributes' bowl. Annie was important to Mags which by extension meant that she was also important to Finnick. When Mags had her stroke and was partially paralysed, Annie had cared for her. She assisted, cared and looked after Mags' every need. She was there each time Finnick had to leave Mags alone when he was called away to the Capitol. It was well known that Finnick was brought up by Mags so to have her carer thrown into the Games was enough of a warning to Finnick.

"I'm sorry, Effie, for ruining your night," Finnick's eyes darted between her and Haymitch. "But your apartment was the nearest and I thought…"

"Have this conversation inside," Haymitch ordered and gestured for Effie to let them all in.

Finnick led Annie to the sofa and sat next to her. He held her hand, rubbed soothing circles on her back and spoke to her in a low voice. Haymitch watched them, intrigued.

Whatever Finnick was doing, it seemed to work. Annie was a lot calmer now than she was just moments ago.

"She okay?" Haymitch asked.

Annie lifted her head to give Haymitch a hesitant smile.

"Mags and Finnick told me about you," she said. "You… You play chess with Finnick… He tried to teach me back at Four but – "

"But he's rubbish at chess," Haymitch smirked.

"Have you two been friends for long?" Effie asked, coming out of the kitchen refreshments. "He hardly talked about you! We only knew about you from Mags."

"My, my sweetheart, don't pry," Haymitch teased.

Annie smiled shyly. "I've never spoken to Finnick before until Mags fell sick and I was… I was often at her house."

The soft clinking and rattling of the saucers as Effie poured tea and served it to them made Annie's green eyes widened in fear. She fidgeted and jumped at each sound. She was gripping tight the edges of the cushion.

"Finnick," Haymitch called out. The boy tried to pry the cushion from her grip but she wouldn't let go. "She's not going to last here. You have to take her back home the first chance you can."

"I would have taken her home to Mags right after she was extracted from the arena if I could but she needed to stay for the Crowning," Finnick answered. "I need your help, Haymitch."

"What?"

"I - I have an appointment tonight… I did try to put it off. I told them I'm the mentor and I need to attend the Crowning with Annie. That's today and once it's over, I have no excuse. I can't make Annie stay here in Effie's apartment. There'll be a search party. So, will you … Will you please take her back at the Games Centre and keep her company. She shouldn't be alone. I should be back by tomorrow morning."

"You want me to stay with her till you're back?" Haymitch asked him incredulously.

He threw Annie a sceptical glance. Annie needed someone other than him, someone who could do a better job and the boy was out of his mind to be asking this from him, knowing his penchant of getting drunk.

XxX

Without Finnick around, Annie withdrew into herself and grew quiet. Effie tried to engage her in small talks but it was fruitless so they settled into an uncomfortable silence in the car.

The Games Centre was crowded with fans awaiting the arrival of the newest victor. When they emerged, the crowd went wild. Annie stood rooted to the spot, startled and unable to act until Effie gently nudged her forward.

They didn't get far before their path was blocked by two Peacekeepers. They addressed Annie directly. "You couldn't be located at the Crowning party. Where were you?"

Annie whimpered. Her eyes darted all around her. Her shoulders drooped slightly as she raised her hands to cover her ears, rocking on the balls of her feet. Effie seemed a little uncertain as to what she should do. Haymitch stepped in front of Annie, shielding her from the Peacekeepers, and partially blocking the paparazzi's view of her.

"We took her out to get some fresh air. You know how suffocating Crowning parties can be, yeah? Showed her around the city – all the good places, the bars and all. She's a Victor now, right? Gotta show her new home," Haymitch winked.

He felt someone reached out and bunched the back of his shirt together. Annie, his brain supplied the answer. Effie would never do that, especially in public. He needed to get Annie inside, away from these people. If she had a complete meltdown here in public, the media would swoop on it like vultures.

Acting purely on instinct and on the urgency to take Annie away someplace safe, Haymitch reached back. His arm was around the shaking girl, holding her to him.

"Look Annie, I'm gonna get you inside but we got to get through this crowd of people. Don't look at them or their cameras if you don't want to."

"Let's go, Haymitch," Effie gestured when the Peacekeepers parted the crowd to let them through.

Annie did as she was told. She pressed her face on Haymitch's shoulder and clutched on to him desperately. He led her inside the Games Centre and up to Four's suite.

She asked for Finnick once before spending hours just staring ahead blankly. It occurred to Haymitch that she might not even be with them. Annie didn't respond to any of them calling her name. Effie tried desperately to reach out to her before she admitted defeat and tried to do something to busy herself.

In the end, with a bottle in hand, Haymitch was the one who sat next to Annie. He said nothing to her. He just sat quietly with her, occasionally gulping from his bottle, and kept her company. When Finnick walked in a few hours later in the morning, she barely blinked but she rose to leave for the train station when he whispered in her ear.

With Annie safely in the train and gone from the Capitol, Haymitch thought that was the end of the 70th Games. He would see her again during her Tour and then wait the six months before Effie came along for the next Reaping. Another year, another messed up Victor.

None of them expected a torrent of media speculations on the nature of relationship shared between Annie and Haymitch. There was a picture of him with his arm around her plastered on the front page newspaper the next day. Haymitch exploded at the implication that he would take advantage of a teenager the way the papers had insinuated. In his rage, he threw a full bottle of whiskey he would never have wasted otherwise. Effie snapped at him for making a mess and Finnick promised they would think of something to deal with it.

He returned to Twelve with the mess still hanging over his head. Effie spent the next month dealing with the media but it soon died down when Finnick was spotted with the daughter of a senior Gamemaker and Chaff, while drunk, accidentally blurted out that Finnick was looking to settle down.

While that was going on in the Capitol, in his house in District Twelve, Mags had called him one day. Annie was oblivious to everything that was happening in the city which was good for her well-being and recovery.

"How is she?" Haymitch asked.

"There are good days and there are bad days. You know how it is."

Haymitch exhaled, pressing the receiver to his ear. "She can't come back to mentor the tributes, Mags. I've seen her and she won't make it. She ain't like us. It'll break her."

"She's already broken," Mags sighed. "My poor girl... My poor, poor girl."

"You can't come back either - you got to rest," Haymitch pointed out. "You ain't the person you were when I was 16. You're getting old."

Mags came back the next year to mentor. She told him she wanted to prove him wrong. She might be old but it didn't make her any less useful. Haymitch rolled his eyes at her but neither Haymitch or Finnick addressed the real reason why Mags returned. This wouldn't be the only time Mags stepped up in place of Annie.

Finnick is a bit more angry than we've ever seen him because he's under stress, he feels guilty and at nineteen, i think people are much more easily angered at that age. I've always had my own headcanon/background of how Finnick and Annie knew each other, and how they fell in love but since I've never attempted to write an odesta fic, I never had the chance to explore it until now. So I'm glad for this tiny bit of opportunity. I don't think Haymitch interacted much with Annie (or at all) in the books/movie (did he? I can't remember) so I hope his interaction with Annie here was okay. :/

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think.