HEY GUYS! This is a story about Hayffie after the war. My friend (jojo167) and I () are writing this story together. Hope you enjoy!

"Split up and see if there are anymore rebels around here," says the man with the dirty blonde hair and scruffy suit.

The guards nod and head off in different directions, leaving the man with a fellow guard. He scouts down the left corridor and is just about to turn into the other hallway when he hears a weak cough.

He stops in his tracks and heads back to where the voice came from. He peaks into the cell and sees someone completely unexpected.

"Effie?" asks the man with disbelief in his voice.

The woman stares at him with hollow eyes. She's sitting in the corner of the cell, curled up with a torn blanket. What used to be golden, silky hair is now frizzy and charred. Her cheekbones are sharp and she has lost a remarkable amount of weight.

"Princess, let's bring you home."

The man motions for the guard to pry the lock off. When the doors swing open, the man rushes in and carefully picks the woman up. She wraps her arms around his neck and lays her head on his chest. She notices the faint smell of alcohol still lingers on his clothes, but she finds comfort in them.

The man jogs as fast as he can without hurting her. They hurry to the hovercraft and he gently places her on a mattress. He reaches for her hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze.

"You came back for me," the woman says softly.

The man chuckles and rubs his thumb over her hand. "Of course I came back for you, princess. Life just isn't the same without you."

She laughs softly but ends up having a coughing fit. The man hands her a glass of water and she takes tiny sips of it.

She nods her head as she stares into his umber eyes. A shiver runs down his spine, but it's a good shiver; the kind that makes you smile. "Thanks, Haymitch. You didn't have to save me; you could've left me to die there, but you didn't," she says.

Haymitch smiles and says gently, "I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if I left you there, knowing I could've saved you. Guilt can do so much to a person."

She nods and looks down at their hands, which are still intertwined. She looks up at him with her big cyan eyes. "Are Cinna and Portia alive?"

Just the sound of those names sends a pang to his heart. His face falls and the woman notices the forlorn look on his face and the wrinkles that appear on his forehead.

"They're gone, aren't they?" says the woman quietly.

The man nods in reply and bites his lip to stop the tears from falling. He takes a deep breath and exhales.

"What about the prep teams?" she asks again.

"Cinna's prep team are still alive. But Portia's aren't. They were killed alongside with Portia," he replies sadly.

The woman nods. "Poor things. They were innocent; they didn't know anything, did they?"

Haymitch shook his head. "I couldn't risk it. It was too dangerous. But they're dead, either way. I feel like I could've done something to save them, maybe something I could've saved to stop Snow from killing them-"

"No, Haymitch," the blonde interrupts fiercely. "Their deaths were inevitable. Nothing we should and could have done would've helped them. We should just accept their fate and move on, but never forget the beautiful memories they've given us. You hear?" she says with a firm tone.

The man smiles and places a kiss on her hand. "Thanks you, Princess. I needed to hear that."

Tears are threatening to pour down the gruff man's face but he swears that he won't break down now, not when Effie needs him the most. He can almost see the life fading from her eyes. Effie tries her best to smile but through the mask she's putting on, Haymitch can still see the pain and sadness in her eyes. His eyes blur for a second but he quickly gains his composure.

"You must be tired. Why don't you have some rest?" Haymitch whispers. She gives him a slight nod and she closes her eyes. A tear slips out of her eyes but he quickly wipes it off. "Shh… Don't cry, I promise that everything's going to be alright…"

Her breathing becomes steady; he knows that she's asleep. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't try harder. I'm sorry I didn't do anything. I'm sorry I couldn't be sober enough to save you. I'm sorry about everything…" He murmurs. Haymitch collapses onto the plush couch. He should be happy shouldn't he? They've beat President Snow and saved all the Districts but why does he still feel so unsatisfied and empty?

He knows that he's saved countless lives but he's also let countless people die. He had already lost everything when President Snow was in power; he could deal with that. He could drink away his sorrows and block out all the pain but he can't walk away from his failures no matter how hard he tries. He can't bear the burden of all the people's deaths. Even after all this hard work, it wasn't good enough. He could have done something but all he did was watch his comrades fall down one by one…

He still remembers a time when things were so much simpler, where his young mind couldn't comprehend what was really going on. He didn't need to worry about being reaped, he didn't need to worry about losing anyone and he didn't need to worry about protecting his loved ones but of course things are never as simple as that. People die everyday, people cry, people lose it, is there anything you can do about it? Yes. But how often do you see people standing up and helping the fallen up? Never.

At first, after Snow stole everything away from him, he tried to pick up the remaining pieces and glue it back together but every time he tried, the more hurt he would get. Eventually, he just stopped trying and left the past behind. He remembered how his mother always told him that sometimes things aren't so simple but he must always remember who he is and not who other people want him to be. He never understood his mother until now. Sometimes you just need to stop being a puppet and cut the strings yourself, too bad she was right… Things just aren't that simple.

He thinks about all the people he lost and the people he still has. His mother, his father, Maysilee, his friends, all dead… Katniss, Peeta and Effie is all he has left. If he lets them slip out of his fingers like sand, he won't be able to live with himself.

He strokes Effie's hollow but soft cheeks. Her body may be there but he knows that it's only the shell of the old Effie. She might never be the perky, happy woman she was but Haymitch swears that he'll do anything for her. He caresses her hair while lightly planting his lips on her cheek.

"Effie I'm sorry I didn't come for you earlier." He finally lets a tear roll down his rugged cheek knowing that Effie is asleep and won't see him break down. He knows that she's someone he will make sure he will never let go.

Well, how did you like it? Both of us will be alternating between Haymitch and Effie's POV. Also check out our stories:
jojo167- Incurable Love (CatoxKatniss) and True starcrossed lovers (Clato)
Me- The Spark (CinnaxPortia) and Silent Screams (Lavinia's story)

REVIEW, FAVOURITE AND ALERT ;)