AN: Okay so first of all i'm SO SO SO SO SO SORRY that it took me this long to update. I'm a bad writer, but this is the last chapter, I hope you've enjoyed this story and I want to thank everyone for the support you've given me through this story, it was truly appreciated :) I love each and every one of you!

It took Effie a whole two months to be able to feel completely safe around Haymitch. It took another month for her to seriously contemplate what Peeta had told her about telling Haymitch what had happened to her in the Capitol. What she didn't expect was for herself to bring it up one night after crawling into Haymitch's bed after yet another nightmare.

"You know, Sweetheart, you should just skip the waking up in the middle of the night to come in here and just stay in here to begin with. The screams are really startin' to become a problem," Haymitch said with a smile as he wrapped his arms around her as he had started to automatically do lately. Effie buried her face into his shoulder before starting to sob violently. Frowning Haymitch tightened his arms around her. She hadn't sobbed so violently after a nightmare since she first moved in, it had to have been a particularly bad one. "Eff?" he asked tentatively, stroking through her hair. "Sweetheart, what happened?"

Effie shook her head sadly. She didn't want to talk about the nightmare. She had other things she had to say. "Haymitch, I don't want to have these nightmares anymore. I want them to go away!"

Haymitch sighed softly kissing the top of her head. "They'll never go away Effie, but they will fade in time. They'll get easier."

"They never come when you're with me. I don't drift away, I don't have nightmares, I don't have crushing emotions bubbling up inside me, pulling me back under. You help them, Haymitch. You make them easier." She took a deep breath moving so that she was staring up into his eyes. "I want to tell you what happened, Haymitch. I want you to know and understand what happens when my mind wanders back to those moments."

Haymitch nodded slowly, seeing the determination in her eyes. He knew she needed to do this. Taking her hand in his for support he sat up and leaned against the pillows, urging her to do the same thing. She did so squeezing his hand tightly, tears already running down her face. "Just start at the beginning."

Taking a deep breath Effie began her eyes moving down to their clasped hands. "They found me in the crowd watching the games on the big screen in the Capitol. I followed the peacekeeper because he said President Snow needed to see me. I trusted them. I didn't know what was going on, I just knew that the feed had been cut off. I thought he was going to tell me what was going on as I was the district twelve escort. I – I thought that I was safe." She took a deep breath, feeling the tears come thick and fast as her voice broke on the last word.

Haymitch reached around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. "You're safe now, Eff. I promise, you're safe."

"The first thing he did was ask me what was going on," she continued as if she hadn't heard him. Haymitch resigned himself to thinking that she probably hadn't, withdrawing into her own mind as she told him what happened, her voice becoming more hollow and detached with every word. "When I told him he didn't know he began to get more aggressive, threatening me, telling me if I liked my tongue I should talk. When I still couldn't tell him anything he put me in the prison... a few hours later I heard Peeta, Johanna and Enobaria join us. Annie came a few more hours later. They'd take us out one by one, asking us what we knew. If we didn't talk we are beat and tortured. I don't remember much from some of them, just pain. So much pain. I'd go inside my head, try to think of something else. You'd usually come to mind. I think I called out for you to help sometimes. I don't really remember, that's just what Peeta had told me, the few times they tortured us in our cells. I remember the electricity and water and how they'd take some sick enjoyment from breaking bones or running blades across our skin slowly just deep enough to cause serious pain, making us bleed for hours.

When the others escaped they began to get rougher and rougher with me, trying to get me to tell them things I didn't know. They got angry and they took it out on the one person left behind. I – I can't stop thinking about how, on the last day I was there, just before they found me they... they..." she broke off sobbing loudly, unable to control her voice or her emotions any longer.

Haymitch turned her head around to face him, knowing that this was important. "What did they do, Eff?"

"They strapped me down to do the surgery. They were going to cut out my tongue... and they - they were inappropriate, Haymitch. I was found before they got very far. The rebels took over quickly and took out the doctors and peacekeepers. I was so scared, Haymitch."

Haymitch gathered his quickly rising emotions as he gathered Effie into his arms holding her to his chest tightly. He kissed the top of her head and rocked her back and forth. "You don't need to be scared anymore, you're here, you're safe and you're loved."

Effie froze in his arms and pulled away from him quickly. She stared at his face searchingly for a moment, stunned at what he had said. "L-Loved?" he asked weakly.

He ran a hand over his face as he realized what had slipped from his mouth. "I did not want to tell you like that. At all. But yes, Effie. I love you."

"But, why?"

"I told you, Trinket. You make me wanna play the hero. These past few months, I've fallen for the broken girl and I want to piece her back together."

Effie smiled softly. "You already are."

She leaned in and kissed him feeling a weight leave her shoulders. Now that Haymitch knew, and still wanted to keep her around she felt like she could really move on with Haymitch in her life. He would help her. She was still broken and battered but she felt for the first time since she had been captured that she could finally put the pieces back together. It would take a long time, but she could do it. Especially with a man she knew she could love with everything she had left.