A/N: A nice little fanfiction I wrote not too long ago. Set after MockingJay. I hope you enjoy it. Reviews are welcome.
I own nothing, The amazing Hunger Games belongs to the amazing Suzanne Collins! :D

Things change. (Haymitch and Effie)

Things had changed. Since the victory of the rebellion, everything had changed. We had taken over, there was no more war, no more games, something that the districts had dreamed of for so long, and yet, we still lived in a world of darkness. Our district had a new face, but it's past was all too clear. The grave in meadow remained with a surface of dirt. Hopefully, when fresh grass takes over, district twelve can begin their attempt to turn away from it's scarred past and hunt for a brighter future.

Some had already began there's, Katniss and Peeta, already expecting their first child, I'm happy, but I can't help feel jealously, the child can be born without worry, without the knowledge that they might not live past twelve. It will be born into safety. I often felt like that, I look at the new children of the district, I even felt the same way with my geese. They will live their lives never knowing how truly fortunate they are, they may live in this district, but they will never have to stand in a reaping, never watch a family get torn apart by a piece of paper. Never walk onto the stage, onto the train, into the capitol, into the arena, into their grave. They will never be able to comprehend what true pain and fear is. Never. They are lucky, I can only hope that they appreciate what they have, as it could vanish right before them.

My mind wanders back to Katniss, I remember here as the girl who enraged her escort by stabbing a mahogany table, who survived the games twice, who was the Mockingjay. She was strong, nobody could ever deny that. But, there was someone stronger, someone who to me is underestimated, the Mahogany lover herself, Effie Trinket. To me, she was the bravest out of us all, she had been brought up to love the games, to love everything that we were against. She manage to treat each tribute like her own child, only to watch them die. She'd sent friends into the arena, and still managed to keep a smile on her face. She didn't deserve to be tortured by the capitol. And after all that, she managed to rebel against everything and still remain standing strong. She was so unchanged once she'd recovered, the only detail that showed her torment was the look of fear that often lived within her eyes. Although I never admitted it with words, I was so glad that she was still alive.

I had thought of Effie almost too much since the rebellion, I remember witnessing the day they'd brought her back to us, she was so weak, her eyes never opened, but she listened. I was there when she recovered, that's when I saw the real Effie, inside and out. She wore no capitol clothes or make-up. Her hair, underneath all the dirt was blonde. Her body, within the medical gown was small. Her face, without the make-up, was beautiful. A truly remarkable woman.

I studied the insides of my house for a short moment. Filthy. But, it didn't bother me. Effie would be visiting today, but our meeting wasn't going to be held in my home. I had kept myself isolated in my house for so long, this would be the first time I'd left, apart from tending to my geese. Of course, she wasn't coming down specifically for me, no, she was visiting our once 'star-crossed' lovers.

I humuored myself slightly by imagining Effie running around their home just being Effie, tidying, chatting, hugging and squeezing. I had to admire her enthusiasm sometimes. But as she finally arrived I was proven wrong, completely wrong.

As I peered through my window, my eyes locked on her as she was unaware of my presence, she seemed different. I had expected her to be her usual chirpy and annoying self, but she still had the persona of the dying prisoner we recovered from the Capitol, the torture victim that I had to fight for….to keep her alive. The look of pain, fear and horror still remained deep in her eyes, the manner of which she walked had gone down to simple shyness and almost reluctance.

But one thing that struck me most was that she no longer possessed the Capitol fashion, she wore no bold or crazy outfit, no dress that had a ridiculous design, she looked…..she looked normal. He outfit was simple, still fashionable….but normal. She wore a simple skirt, a dazzling pink top with peach waistcoat, a pair of heels and her blonde hair was flowing down her back like a cape of curls. Her face was clean as well, she only wore a modest amount of discreet make-up on her lips, cheeks and around her eyes, she was clean of any ghost white face paint or bright colours. I was stunned, Either with shock or amazement, she just looked so different, some might even go as far as to use the word beauty to describe her.

As Katniss' door opened I could tell by the amount of time that Effie stood on the doorstep that I was not the only one who was shocked by Effie's change of appearance, Soon enough she entered.
As cruel as it may sound I did not want to get caught in all the bubbling conversation, I prefer to be present during the awkward silences so I can be alone with my thoughts for a while. I decided to wait, wait until the catching up was done so I would only get caught in the minimal amount of conversation. I had dressed in nothing formal, my usual scruffy T-shirt and trousers, I never did like the hot summers, but the cold winters are just as discouraging. I was preparing to pour myself an alcoholic drink until I was disturbed by a hurried knock on my door, I opened it and my eyes fell onto Peeta, his face portraying a similar look of shock as my own did when I first laid eyes on Effie.

"Haymitch, Effie has arrived-"

"I know." I interrupted.

"Are you coming over?" He questioned in a hurried voice.

"Sure." I replied.

"H….Have you seen Effie." I nodded. By this he knew that I felt the same as him, he dropped the conversation as I followed him out of the door.
Peeta entered his own home first, I waited a moment, preparing myself for the moment ahead, it was either to be filled with buzzing delight, chatting, hugs and laughs…..or the complete opposite. As I gently flung the door open all eyes fell on me.

"Hi." I mumbled. Effie rose from he seat, she placed her hands on my shoulders and half hugged me almost awkwardly.

"Nice to see you, Haymitch." As she said this to me she flashed me an endless and beaming smile, but, there was an element of it that made the whole thing seem an act. I guess I could say that for the first time since she was brought back from the capitol, I was worried about her.

"Thanks-" I began. "Nice…uh…nice to see you to." She ended our awkward hug and retuned to her previous seat, I sat on the same sofa, but not right next to her. Peeta and Katniss sat opposite us.
As she always did, Effie sat in her straight and perfect posture, as for me, I was satisfied with a comfortable slouch.

I didn't really pay full attention to the conversation, I remained awake during bits that I could contribute to, but, I spent most of the time just thinking…..Thinking about the past, Mainly the rebellion. How it lasted for so long and since things had ended it was like nothing had ever happened, I found it incredibly hard to understand how everyone could just move on without even acknowledging the past, I know dwelling in the past can be unhealthy, but, acting like nothing had ever happened can be just as bad.

Then I began to think about the future, I had accepted a long time ago that it held nothing for me, with or without the games, I had guessed that my current life would forever remain the same, but the situation was different for others. I looked at Katniss, her stomach had only enlarged slightly but it was clear. I was in high spirits knowing that after everything she has been through that she will still be able to start her own life with the one she loves….something I was never able to accomplish.

Then, Effie came into my mind, I recalled my previous thoughts about her, I remained clueless about her experience during the rebellion, but to be able to kill the spirits of such an elated woman, it must have been something unimaginable. It was something I wish I knew, but, I was not going to just burst out with question, If I didn't find out, I would keep it that way.

I assumed others felt like this - no one had brought up Effie in the conversation much, I think I recall her talking about her current life in the capitol, how things are so much different there now, I didn't receive the details. No one mentioned, her clothes, make-up or the way she was acting, I'm sure the phrase 'There's an elephant in the room' would be appropriate.
I tried to remain as unnoticed as I could, Until the conversation began to flow about me.

"What are you up to these days, Haymitch?" Effie questioned sweetly. I was prepared to give her one of my usual shrugs as an answer, but that would create more questions.

"Not much…..I raise geese to keep me busy."

"Oh, interesting. I never saw you as much of an animal lover." She replied.

"I'm not….not really. It just passes the time and stops me…." My words trailed off, I knew mentioning my drinking would kill the mood, even though everyone knew I drank, It didn't have to be the topic.

"Well….good luck with that." She beamed at me with her forced smile. I nodded and flashed a small grin in her direction.

The topic of conversation remained on the subject of what pregnancy was like for Katniss, I didn't pick up much of that either. Talking with people was never a talent of mine. Ignoring people was.

Eventually our meeting came to an end, Effie decided that she must leave to be able to make it back to the Capitol before it's unusually scheduled rush hour, Katniss needed rest and I was just plain board. Goodbyes were similar to our greetings, friendly and awkward hugs. I left eagerly, I did not drink while I was there, it was the first thing I did as I arrived home. I poured myself a large glass and slumped down onto the sofa. I took regular sips, treating the alcohol more like a life saver drink than an enjoyment one. I poured a second glass but left it unattended on the table. I gazed at my clocks, each one informing me that it was ten O'clock at night. Still relatively early.

"Haymitch?" Called a sweet voice from outside of the door. "Haymitch? Can you hear me." I was not quite sure who I was expecting to find behind the door, but, I was not expecting who I found. The open door revealed a very innocent looking Effie.

"Trinket? What are you doing back….here?" I questioned stoically until my last word.

"Ummm, I….I don't really know….I'm sorry, I should go."

"No…You can stay…..come in." I moved aside to give her entrance. As she passed me, she stood nervously in the centre of the room. "You can sit." She obeyed. I sat next to her.

"I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

"No….of course not."

"Haymitch, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come here."

"No, it's fine-" I paused for a moment. "-Effie….Are you okay, I know that things have been hard, it's just that…you don't seem yourself." She remained silent for a little a while.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"What about the way you're dressing?"

"That's just simply….because…even though I live there, I do not wish to be a part of the capitol." Her voice broke slightly.

"You can ignore this question, but, Effie…during the rebellion, what happened to you…when you were in the Capitol…what did they do to you?" A few stray tears began to fall down her face, she brushed the first few away, but, she then let them fall. "I'm sorry." I mumbled.

"No….I can tell you. But, first I would like….to say thank you."

"Huh?"

"You fought to keep me alive, to make sure I was taken away from the Capitol, you….you saved my life." I was not sure how to respond for this, I'd never thought about those events in the way that she conveyed them. She then recalled my previous question. She removed her velvet waistcoat and let it drop to the floor.

"Lift up my top." She whispered.

"Excuse me?"

"My top, Lift up the back of my top." I was unsure at first, but the look of fear in her eyes was replaced by determination. I raised the back of the soft fabric, what I saw caused me to release my grip and gasp silently. Her back was covered in long cuts that had scabbed over. I could tell by looking at them that the source was a whip. I could not believe that they would whip women.

"They….they whipped you?" I stuttered. She nodded slightly. "Effie….I…..I don't know what to say-" Before I could even think about finishing she placed her head on my shoulder and began to cry, I wrapped my arms around her delicate body for comfort.
"You're safe now-" I whispered. "You'll never be hurt like that again….I promise." A noise came from her, a whimpering noise that sounded like 'Thank you'. "Effie, not matter what you or anyone else my think, you are strong, incredibly strong, I think you're the strongest out of all us, to be able have had the job of an escort, to send people in the arena, to be tortured, to rebel against everything you were raised to love and to still keep your head held high-" I gently moved her head to make her look at me. "-You hear me, Trinket? You are the strongest person I know."

"You….you really think that?" I wiped the tears from her soft, pink cheeks.

"I know it. So don't you ever forget that, you hear me?" I said softly. Our faces moved closer together, only slightly.

"Thank you, Haymitch-" She whispered. "-Thank you so much." My reply was not made up of words, but of actions. It may have happened slowly, but it happened. I moved closer until our noses were touching, then I gently brushed my lips against hers until it became a true kiss. She wrapped her arms around my neck as mine remained on her waist.

Our kissed depend slightly - almost to a feverish level, but, soon we broke apart due to our need to breathe. She looked at me with adoring eyes, eyes that no longer showed me fear, a facial expression that I knew was truly happy. My only words for her were:

"I love you."

A/N: Hope you liked that. :)