Author's note: Sorry it's taken so long to update this. I got distracted by an Everlark story called Just Friends. You should check it out. But I promise not to get distracted again. I don't know how many more chapters there are, but you'll be blessed with many more after this. And it's all pretty fluffy. A little angsty at times, but mostly fluff.

Happy reading!

Chapter Six

Haymitch kissed Iris's temple. "I'll come back tomorrow."

She nodded mutely and continued to stare out the window.

He sighed and shook his head and left. It was days like this, where she just sat there doing nothing, that he wondered if it was worth it to try to save her. He nearly bumped into Katniss as he walked out the front door. "Oh, hey." He said.

"Hi." She smiled. "What's new?"

He shrugged. "Not much."

"She still staring?"

He nodded.

Katniss sighed. "I went out to get her new meds. The doctor said it should help, but..."

Haymitch clapped her on the shoulder. "You're doing a good job, Katniss."

"I used to think so." She looked around the yard of her childhood home. "It's not fair, Haymitch. You recovered. People recover from ailments all the time. Why can't she?"

"Depression is a hard one. When you're an alcoholic or addicted to pills or a behavior, you take away the thing making you ill. You can't take out your heart or your mind, kid. Doctors try to treat it the best they can. Some people can beat it. Some can't."

"What if she really does it one of these days? Just succeeds with her threats? Doesn't even threaten? What are we going to do?"

"You have custody of Prim. The two of you would get help and grieve. But you would have to keep living your life."

"She would never do it to us, right?" Her voice was small. So unlike the take-charge person he was used to.

"It wouldn't be about you or Prim or me or even your dad. This is about your mom not feeling like she belongs here because her mind is telling her so. And I don't know how many more times we can save her before she finally decides she isn't worth saving."

Katniss nodded. "So you think I should prepare myself for the worst?"

Haymitch shrugged. "I think you should just spend as much time with her as you can and try to prove life is worth living."

She nodded and gave him an awkward hug. Neither was very affectionate, but they loved each other and had agreed it was important to show it. They made their farewells and Haymitch went home. He'd been invited to that party for Effie. It was probably a bad idea to go, but he wanted to see her outside of those walls.

And he just plain wanted to see her. She was sweet. And she was pretty. And he wanted to know more about the skittish person that peeked out every so often to show her true self. She was someone he would have spent time with in his party days.

He made supper (frozen TV dinner, as usual) and sat in front of his flat screen. Top-of-the-line. It had been his reward to himself for making it a full five years sober after his last relapse. He'd worked hard for that. Deciding not to move away had been tough. It's the reason he was so easily pulled back when tragedy hit. Caleb had been a good man and the main force to clean himself up in the first place. He supposed Katniss being so much like her father had helped clean him up the second time and decide to stay that way.

There was nothing that caught his attention. He finished eating and got himself ready for the party. He wouldn't stay long, he promised himself again.

It took him a little to find the place. It was in the more upscale part of town. He had never been there on purpose. He took a wrong turn once and it was even more frightening than the bad part of town. Too much money spent on useless things. Where was the world going?

He finally found it and parked on the street behind a fancy red car that was probably bought outright and cost more than his house. All the rest looked just as costly and he felt so out of place.

Effie opened the door and smiled hugely. "Hi! Come in!" She stepped aside and motioned him in. She handed him a cup of punch and introduced him around. "And this is Cinna. You remember Cinna?"

"I do." Haymitch shook his hand. "Nice digs you got here."

"Thanks." Cinna smiled. "It's my favorite place to be. I even have my studio here. Effie, why don't you show him?"

"You don't mind?" Effie asked.

"You work there, too. And show him your room." Cinna winked and walked away.

Effie blushed slightly and looked at him uncertainly. "Would you like a tour?"

"Sure." He followed her into the back of the massive house. She opened a door to reveal a big room with a large selection of fabrics on one end. A mannequin stood in the corner beside a tall table scattered with drawings. A smaller table was on the opposite end of the room with a much more organized grouping of sketches. Along the wall beside it was a set of dresses.

"This one's mine." Effie said, walking to the organized desk. "Cinna does the sketches and then I go over them and make suggestions if they need a little tweaking. We just started this afternoon, so I don't know how successful we'll be."

"You'll do great, Effie."

She smiled. "Thanks."

"I can't stay. It's not right." He looked around the room. "Good luck with this."

"Thank you." She watched him a moment. Then she grabbed his face and kissed him. This was longer and not as rushed as their first kiss had been. His arms came around her as he kissed her back. He knew he shouldn't. It was a bad idea.

He broke it and stepped away. "Sorry. I really do have to go."

"Would you like to meet for a cup of coffee? Saturday? About eleven?"

He watched her hopeful expression for a moment and then nodded. "Sure."

She lit up. "There's this cute little place on fifth. Perk Up." She shook her head. "As far as coffee puns go, that one's not the best. But I love it. The coffee's great."

"Good. I'll meet you there." He hurried out before he did anything stupid like kiss her again.

On Saturday, Haymitch easily found the café Effie had mentioned. He ordered a black coffee and sat down on one of the outdoor tables. It was pretty out, maybe a bit nippy, but it would quickly warm up like most spring days.

Effie waved enthusiastically when she saw him. "You came!"

"I did." He smiled almost grudgingly. What was it about this woman that made him act so out of the ordinary? He wasn't a smiler on his best days, but she seemed to bring it out of him.

"I'll get my coffee and come right back out." She hurried inside.

Haymitch watched her through the window as she chatted happily with the barista. She laughed and the sound carried out to him. She seemed happy, far happier than she had while she was within the walls of the treatment facility. Had Cinna done this to her?

She walked out, her bright green dress catching the sun. It hugged her in all the right places and he admired the sway of her hips as she walked the few steps to the table he'd chosen.

"So how are you today?" He asked, bringing himself out of his thoughts.

"Oh, just great." She gushed. "Ever since I've been out, Cinna and I have had such great talks and I feel so much better about myself. I've gained another pound."

"That's great!"

Her smile brightened slightly at the praise. "And Cinna has signed me up for his gym so I'm going to maintain weight a healthy way. I'm seeing a nutritionist and getting myself on a good diet. I've got cookbooks full of recipes I want to try. I'm so ready to just grab life by the horns and run with it."

He smiled again. She was just so happy. He hoped she could keep it up. "I'm happy for you, Effie."

"I'm happy for me too."

They sipped their drinks and watched people walk by for a while.

Eventually Haymitch said, "About the other night…"

"The kiss?" Effie's face dropped.

"Yes. It can't happen again. I'm your counselor."

She slid her hand across the table and draped her fingers over his. "Can I request a new one?"

He watched her hand a moment and then turned his over. He swallowed. "That still won't make it okay. You're still associated with the facility where I work. It's against policy. And it is advised that you don't see anyone new in a romantic or sexual capacity while still recovering."

She nodded and tried to pull her hand away, but he held fast.

"But I haven't made a bad decision in a while." He gave her a wicked smile.

"You've finished your coffee." She pointed.

He looked over. "You still have some."

She smiled and drank the last of it. She stood and led him away. He wasn't sure where they were going, but at the moment he felt like he'd follow Effie pretty much anywhere. Within reason, of course. He wasn't entirely stupid.

She stopped at a black SUV that looked brand new. "Cinna let me borrow this." She dug around in her purse until she found the key and pressed the button to unlock it. She looked around and then hopped into the back seat and pulled him inside.

He smiled nervously and leaned over her. It had been so long since he was with a woman. No one held his attention anymore now that he was free of the alcohol. He never found anyone interesting enough when he was sober. So he'd lost himself in work and taking care of the girls and Iris.

But here was Effie. Soft and bubbly and full of life. She tasted like sugar and chocolate, no doubt from her coffee. She smelled like paper and colored pencils and some sort of spicy perfume. It was driving him mad. He hummed against her skin as he moved his lips over her jaw and down her neck.

She took in a sharp breath and clutched at him as his lips met the juncture between her neck and shoulder. He paid it more attention and she began to writhe and moan beneath him. She sighed his name as he finally made the return journey. Their mouths met again and Effie started pushing at his shirt.

That brought Haymitch back to reality like a bucket of ice water thrown over him. He sat back and pulled down his shirt. "Request a new counselor. Maybe tell them you'd just feel more comfortable with a woman instead of a man." He patted her leg awkwardly and got out of the car.

He sat in his own and rested his head on the steering wheel. "Stupid." He mumbled to himself. But she sure is hot.