Chapter One: The Arrivals
"What time are Prim and her friends due?" Peeta asks his flustered wife.
"'Friends?' Is that what we're calling them?" Katniss stops her compulsive dusting to answer her husband. "7:00 they're coming straight from the airport. - Oh that reminds me, Prim never got a chance to tell Uncle Haymitch the situation so…"
"So don't mention the fact that your sister is dating a couple."
"She's not dating a couple, she's very clear on that. The three of them are in a relationship, together," she says as she picks up her dust rag again.
"So, 'Lovers'?" he suggests and his wife wrinkles her nose to show her disapproval. "'Friends' it is, then," he says as his arms encircle his wife from behind, putting an end to her assault on dust that isn't there. "The place is spotless Katniss, relax, it's just family here tonight."
"That's what I'm afraid of," she says snuggling back into his arms. "Why are we doing this again? Can't we call and cancel? Say I'm not feeling well."
"We cannot cancel." Turning her in his arms so he can look into her silver eyes, Peeta cups her face in his hands as he replies. "Because, we have a lot to celebrate with our nearest and dearest. Today is my beautiful wife's 30th birthday, we just moved into our dream house that we painstakingly restored with our own hands, and…" A loud pounding on the door interrupts Peeta's thought.
"Haymitch is here," the couple says in unison.
Peeta moves to the door to answer it. "Haymitch! You're on time."
"Want to get the best seat near the bar before a horde of Hawthornes descend on us." The man ambles through the door to Katniss. "Happy Birthday Sweetheart. You're getting old."
"So are you, old man." Katniss is surprised to see that he put some effort into his appearance this evening. Gone are his ever-present dirty jeans and in their place a pair of dark blue Dockers. He is still wearing his usual flannel shirt, but it's clean and pressed, possibly even new. "You need a haircut," she says as he hugs her.
"Gotta give the Old Bird something to bitch about."
"That "Old Bird" isn't old and was your girlfriend for 15 years," she reminds her uncle and he snorts. "Be nice tonight, Haymitch. I can't take a scene."
"I know, I know Sweetheart, I'll be on my best behavior. Can't say the same about her. You know she wants me back and when Effie doesn't get her way, she can be mean."
"OOOKay, just don't let her get to you then."
"I plan to sit back and enjoy the comfort of my family," he says waving his arms around to emphasize the sarcasm.
"Don't get too drunk tonight."
"I plan to get just the right amount of drunk, don't worry. Oh Shit, here they come."
As Katniss and Haymitch were talking, Peeta opened the front door to the next group of guests. Hazelle Hawthorne is flanked by her two youngest children, Vick and Posy. Vick bounds in the door, attacking Katniss with a big hug. Posy is the complete opposite to her brother, barely lifting her eyes from her iPhone. "Hey" is the only greeting Peeta receives until a very disheveled Hazelle elbows her in the arm.
"Say hello properly young lady and wish Katniss a Happy Birthday."
She actually lifts her head this time and with a roll of her eyes greets her friend. "Happy Birthday, Katniss."
"You may think you're better than the rest of us because we don't go to that snooty school of yours but you will not be rude. I didn't raise no rude children." Posy rolls her eyes again at her mother's obvious error in grammar and turns to curl into a ball with her phone in the corner of the sofa.
Haymitch can be heard mumbling something about "child of his" and "whack on the head". Hazelle shoots him a dirty look to which he simply raises his glass. Peeta joins Vick in conversation as Katniss welcomes Hazelle.
"You look upset what's wrong?" Katniss asks as she hugs the woman who holds a special place in her heart.
"Happy Birthday, beautiful girl. It's nothing for you to worry about dear. Not a story for tonight. Tonight is all about you and Peeta and this beautiful new house.
Katniss smiles, obviously proud of the work she and Peeta have done. "What's going on Hazelle?"
"Nothing just one of my boneheaded children making a bad decision."
"Rory?"
"For once, no. No, this time it's the genius over there." Vick hears his mother address him.
"I thought we weren't talking about it tonight, Mother."
"Fffffft" Hazelle scoffs.
Katniss not wanting a full out Hawthorne fight before the party even starts, changes the subject. "Is Rory bringing his girlfriend tonight?"
"Ffffft, girlfriend. Hardly! She's almost as old as me. And yes, "The Woman" will be here. Can't pass up free drink that one."
Crap, Katniss thinks, wrong topic. She tries again, "How about I give you the grand tour?"
Hazelle turns to her daughter "Posy, Posy! Katniss is giving us a tour of the house." Posy responds with a grunt and a wave of her hand. Now it's Hazelle's turn to roll her eyes. "NOW Missy!"
"It's OK, Hazelle. She'll see it later." Hazelle cuts her eyes to Katniss in a way that Katniss knows means she cannot argue.
"Posy, NOW." Posy stands and joins her mother and Katniss as they walk to the kitchen.
"The Kitchen is all Peeta…" Katniss begins, as there is another knock on the door.
Peeta opens the door to Rory Hawthorne with "The Woman," his very blonde, amply endowed and very much older girlfriend. They are wrapped in each other's arms and kissing.
"Rory! Thanks for coming…" Peeta waits for a reply as the couple pulls their lips apart.
"Peeta, this is my girlfriend, Cashmere." Cashmere smiles at Peeta and extends her left hand for him to shake. Her right is still wrapped around Rory. She smiles while tucked tightly under Rory's chin.
As they step into the house Cashmere comments, "The house is beautiful. Rory tells me you and your wife rehabbed it yourself."
"Yes, we are pretty proud of it…"
"Couldn't you buy something new?"
"Katniss and I both love the craftsman aesthetic, we were determined to make it a modern house, while remaining true to the …"
"Oy, Breadboy, don't close that door!" a loud voice from the walkway calls.
"Jo! You made it! Katniss will be so pleased. Rory, you know Katniss' friend Jo. This is his girlfriend, Cashmere."
"No shit, really?" Jo scoffs.
"Of course I know Jo," Rory says "She has no filter."
Realizing Rory heard her snide comment, Jo tries to backpedal. "It's just such an unusual name. Cashmere, like a sweater?"
"Thanks, do you like it? I picked it myself. Oh, look Rory; your mom is here already. Hi Mrs. Hawthorne!"
Mumbling under her breath, Hazelle looks at Katniss "Mrs.? She calls me Mrs. We could have gone to school together, who does she think she's fooling?"
"Hello Cashmere, dear. Did you have a nice drive…?" Hazelle leads Cashmere away so Katniss can greet her friend.
"Jo! You're here! Thought you didn't leave the city on the weekends."
"Wouldn't miss this for anything. I have a feeling this is going to be an interesting evening."
Rory kisses Katniss on the cheek before hurrying off to join his mother and girlfriend. Jo and Katniss watch him go.
"So how old do you think she is really?"
"We don't know. Hazelle calls her "The Woman."
"Well it's better than 'The Crone'." Katniss and Peeta both laugh. "Breadboy, show me to your liquor! Oh wait, never mind, I see Haymitch." Jo heads off to the bar leaving the host couple a moment alone.
"How are you holding up?" Peeta asks.
"I'm OK. If we make it through the evening without tears or bloodshed, it will be a small miracle."
"And just think, Effie's not even here yet!" The doorbell chimes a pleasing melody. "Finally! Someone used the doorbell!"
"You and that bell. I swear…"
"It had to be right."
Katniss and Peeta open the door as a couple to the last of the Hawthorne clan. Gale has arrived with his wife, Madge and their soon to be four year old twins, Zoey and Zach. "Happy Birthday!" Gale and Madge yell.
"Thank you! Welcome, come in." Katniss replies. "Zoey you look so pretty in your dress." Katniss tries to engage Zoey. She and her brother are going through a shy phase. "Is it new?" The shy girl hides her face against her mother, clinging to her pregnant belly.
"Hey Buddy." Peeta tries to engage the boy. "I got movies and puzzles for you guys to play with, they're in your corner in the den." Zach steps behind his father.
"Hey, what did your mother and I say?" Gale reprimands his children. "You don't have to speak all night, but you must say "Hello, Goodbye and Happy Birthday to Aunt Katniss."
"Hello," Zach says peeking around his father's legs.
"Goodbye," his sister adds.
"Happy, Birfday," they say together.
"Thank you," Gale says. "Go on. Go find the puzzles Uncle Peeta left for you."
"Ruff!" Zach says
"Meow!" His sister joins in as they run out of the room.
"Did your kid just Meow?" Katniss asks.
Madge gives her a look that can only be acquired by the exhaustion of being 8 months pregnant while chasing twin toddlers. "It's a new phase. They pretend to be a cat and a dog. I don't know why, but honestly, I don't care. They're much quieter as pets. They come when I call as long as I call them Kitty and Puppy. And remember last month when I couldn't get them to eat? Well now, I can get them to eat anything, all I have to do is put it in a bowl on the floor." She looks down at her belly. "I'm just too damn tired to fight them, so I play along."
"Well, come in and sit down. We'll eat as soon as Prim and her friends get here." Katniss and Peeta escort their guests to the living room.
"Oooh that's right… How is that going to work? Are they all going to stay in one room?"
"Shhh. She hasn't told Haymitch yet. I don't know, I guess they'll do whatever they're comfortable with. I have three beds ready just in case."
"I can't believe you allow this …" Gale butts in.
"You told him?" Katniss looks at Madge accusingly.
"Of course I told him, and he's not going to judge or say anything. Right Gale?"
"Yes, Dear. But Katniss…"
Katniss holds up her hand. "She's an adult. She makes her own decisions and I can't do anything about it. She's very clear about it all, she has her reasons. And she says she has feelings for both of them."
Peeta joins the conversation in defense of his wife. "Gale, have you met Rory's girlfriend?"
"Point taken," Gale concedes with a shake of his head.
Meanwhile outside in a big black SUV...
"OK, run me through it one more time," a very handsome, well-put together and well-built man says.
Effie turns to the dark haired hunk next to her. "It's Katniss' birthday. Her husband is Peeta, he's darling. Johanna is her friend, don't tell her anything, she can't be trusted. The Hawthornes are our old neighbors, Hazelle is the mother, and kids are Rory, Vick and Posy. Her eldest, Gale is married to Madge and they have the sweetest twins."
"And your ex?"
"He'll be the one by the bar."
"Heavy drinker?"
"He can be, he was. But he sobered up quite a bit, for the girls."
"And for you too?"
"I suppose, he did for me too. Just warning you, Haymitch can be…"
"Wait, Haymitch? Haymitch Abernathy?" He questions.
"Yes, you don't know him do you?"
"It was a lifetime ago. I was an embedded journalist with his unit in Desert Storm."
"Oh no, now this will never work. I thought you knew."
"No. You and your staff just called him 'The Ex'. Don't worry, Effie. It was a long time ago and I was so far in the closet back then. Even if he remembers me, he wouldn't know."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"Ok, you ready?" He gets out of the car and walks around to open her door.
"In case I don't get the chance, to tell you later. Brutus, thank you for doing this." Her words have a breathy desperation in them.
"Anything for you, Effie. I just don't understand why you need me."
"He has this way of getting to me. We've seen each other two times since I left and I ended up in tears both times. It's not going to happen this time."
"Maybe this time you'll end up in bed with him."
"I can't go down that road again. I've moved on. Tonight's objective is to get through it, see Katniss and Peeta's new house, wish Katniss a Happy Birthday and to leave before Haymitch can get to me."
"Gotcha," Brutus says as he pushes the doorbell. Effie straightens her skirt and reaches to straighten Brutus's tie when the door opens.
Katniss opens the door. "Happy Birthday Darling!" Effie exclaims as she enters the house. "Don't you look beautiful! Where's that handsome husband of yours?"
"I'm right here Effie," Peeta says joining Katniss at the door. "Did you find the place OK?"
"No trouble at all! Oh, Children, this place is gorgeous! And what a lovely door chime that was."
"It took Peeta three months to pick it out."
"Thank you Effie, I'll give you the grand tour in a moment. First, who is this?" Peeta says.
"Oh silly me, Katniss, Peeta, this is Brutus Sullivan."
"Nice to meet you both, I'm Brutus, the new boyfriend."
"Well, come in Brutus New Boyfriend. Come in, we were expecting you." Peeta and Katniss escort the couple into their living room to join the rest of the guests.
Across the room Johanna spies the new arrivals and elbows Gale. "Shit, Trinket brought a date! Oh I knew tonight was going to be good."
The last guests arrive, letting themselves in while the rest are chatting. Everyone stops and stares at the three gorgeous individuals standing in the doorway. Primrose Everdeen stands tall and beautiful with her blonde hair cascading over one shoulder. On one side of her is a tall dark skinned man, broad in the shoulders with a huge smile. On the other side is a petite curly haired beauty. Huge brown eyes open wide while she waves her fingers at the group. "Hi!" she says.
"Everyone, this is Thresh and Rue," Primrose says putting her arm around the waist of both. "My roommates."
Peeta looks to Katniss and mouths, "Roooommates."