My Undying Love

Chapter 6: We're in this together.

"Alma, Plurach leave. We are done with this conversation. Now leave." Haymitch says, he is only a few inches away from me. I need to hug him, but I won't anywhere near Coin. 

Coin hesitates for a moment, still watching the situation unfold, but eventually, she turns and leaves the room, taking Plurach with her. As soon as the door shuts behind them, Haymitch turns back to Effie. He is mere inches away from me now, and I must look so small and vulnerable in front of him.

"Finally." I say quietly, almost a whisper, I feel like crying... He thinks that I probably doesn't want him anywhere near me right now. So, he just stands there, watching as I struggle to hold back tears.

"Effie, I'm sorry," he says quietly. "I'm so sorry for not telling you sooner."

I close the distance between us, and wrap my arms around him, "Shut up Haymitch, just hug me." Haymitch's surprise quickly turns into relief as Effie wraps her arms around him. Without hesitation, he pulls her closer and envelopes her in a tight embrace.

He buries his face in my hair, taking in the familiar scent of my shampoo. The one that he had missed since he left this damned place. 

"I dont actually care about you and her being married over 17 years ago..."

Haymitch lets out a deep sigh, his body relaxing slightly at her words. He lifts his head from my hair and looks her in the eyes. "Really?" He asks, a mixture of surprise and relief in his voice. 

"Really. Now lets show her that."

Haymitch grins at my comment, understanding exactly what I means. He knows that Coin is probably still standing outside the door, listening to their conversation. He pulls her even closer and places a kiss on the top of her head.

"You're a genius, sweetheart," he murmurs.    "Am I Haymitch, or am I just, Effie being petty?" I say raising my eyebrows, laughing...  Haymitch chuckles, "Both. You're a genius when you're being petty."  He says as he runs his fingers through my hair,  relishing the feeling of finally being able to touch me again.

"Is Katniss alright?" I say, remembering that she was with him on his mission.    Haymitch's expression darkens as he thinks about Katniss. "She's alright, a few scratches and bruises but nothing serious." He pauses before continuing. "But.. there was a moment when things got pretty hairy." I am confused by that sentence.. "What do you mean..?"

Haymitch lets out a deep sigh. He knows that this is going to worry Effie, but he knows he can't keep it from her."We ran into a squad of Peacekeepers while we were out on the mission. Katniss and I had to fight them off, and things got pretty intense," he explains. "and then...?" my tone intensifies, pulling from the hug slightly, to look into his eyes.

Haymitch reaches up and cups my face with his hand, gently rubbing his thumb against my cheek. He can see the worry and concern etched across my face and he hates that he's the cause of it. "We were able to take them out, but Katniss-" he pauses, wincing as he relives the moment in his mind. "Haymitch, what happened, Katniss... what?"

Haymitch takes a deep breath before continuing, "Katniss was hit. One of the Peacekeepers got a few shots off before we took him down, and one of them grazed her shoulder."

"Oh." Haymitch nodded, "But like I said, she's okay. She's resting up, being treated by the medics." He paused, rubbing his hand across my cheek again, "She's going to be just fine, I promise."  I nod then I feel the need to ask something...

Haymitch can sense that I'm thinking about something, and he gives me a reassuring smile. "What is it, sweetheart?" He asks quietly. "Haymitch, you asked me *something* before leaving.." Haymitch's eyes widen slightly, realizing what I'm referring to. He hadn't forgotten about that moment, he'd been thinking about it non-stop since it happened.

"Yeah... yeah, I did," he says, not breaking eye contact with me. "and I thought about it..."

Haymitch holds his breath, waiting for me to continue. He must see the hesitation in my eyes, and he knows that whatever I'm about to say next is about to change everything.  

"and, well, I think... yes...?" I feel Haymitch's heart skips a beat as he hears my answer. He had been preparing himself for the possibility that I wouldn't feel the same way, but hearing me say yes had completely thrown him off guard.

"You... you think yes..?" he repeated, disbelief in his voice. "Yes. I want to marry you."

Haymitch's eyes widen in shock, a mixture of disbelief and joy washing over him. He had hoped and wished more than anything to hear me say those words, but hearing them actually come out of her mouth almost didn't feel real. "You're not messing with me, right? This isn't some kind of joke?" He asks, a hint a skepticism in his voice. "Haymitch, baby. I love you."

 Those three words hit Haymitch square in the chest, causing his breath to catch in his throat. He had wanted to hear me say those words to him for so long, and now that he finally has, he almost doesn't believe it's real. "Say it again," he whispered, his eyes locked on mine. 

"I love you. I love you Haymitch, so fucking much." 

Hearing me say it again almost does him in. I can feel his heart pounding in his chest, and a smile slowly spreads across his face. "God, I've waited so long to hear you say that. I've tried to imagine what it would sound like, but nothing prepared me for actually hearing it..." He trails off, lost in the moment. I giggle, "Shut up and kiss me."

Haymitch doesn't need to be told twice. He immediately obliges, pressing his lips to mine in a deep, passionate kiss. All the years of pent up emotions and longing comes pouring out as he kisses me, holding me tight against him. "I missed you."

Haymitch pulls back from the kiss, gasping for air. He rests his forehead against mine, his breath ragged."I missed you too, sweetheart. So damn much..." He replies, his voice rough and filled with emotion. 

"so when are we telling people?" I ask, my face close to the nap of his neck. 

Haymitch wraps his arms around me, holding me close to him. He can feel my breath on his neck and it sends shivers down his spine.

"As soon as possible," he whispers in my ear. "I don't want to keep this a secret. I want everyone to know that you're mine. That you're marrying me." he tells me before adding, "But first, I have a question for you." I smile to you, "Oh?"

Haymitch smiles back, a hint a mischief in his eye. He cups my chin in his hand and tilts my  head back slightly, forcing me to look into his grey sparkling eyes."I know that we have a lot to figure out... wedding plans, living arrangements, all that stuff," he starts, "But right now, there's one thing I want to know more than anything."

 "And what's that..?" Haymitch grins, his eyes never leaving hers. "When can we tell Katniss about this?" he teases, his tone playful. "Whenever you want.. but she should know, that we are her real parents first."

Haymitch's smile widens at my words. He knew that telling Katniss about their engagement would be a big deal, but the idea of calling himself her father suddenly had an entirely new meaning now."Yeah, we should definitely tell her that first." He agrees, pulling me closer to him. "But how do you think she'll react?" I hesitate, "Lets find out baby."

Haymitch nods, a mix of excitement and nervousness in his eyes. "Alright, let's do it. We're in this together."   He takes my hand in his and leads me toward the door, preparing himself for Katniss's reaction.