Day 1: Mistletoe And Wine:It is that time of the year when mistletoe and mule wine lead to all sorts of shenanigans!

Let it snow

Effie was cleaning the last table that evening, the bar wasn't crowded, but she knew exactly what was the reason. She always spent Christmas the same way, she closed the bar by midnight, turned off the lights and bought a bottle of wine to her room above the place. She had stopped to celebrate Christmas since the end of the revolution. She hadn't had anyone anymore. The friends she had had during the games were now dead or they were bitter at her. Some of them whispered bad words when they saw her, only few of them were looking at her with pity and she had always hated those kind of looks.

This year she hoped for midnight to arrive faster. The only client she had was annoying, drunk and he thought that if he flirted with the bartender he needed to use word "babe" all the time. She had enough of him and if she wasn't a lady, she would have caused a scene so that guy could have gone home.

Why was she still working in that place? She asked herself the same question all days. But she knew the answer- the boss of that local was the only one who had accepted her as an employer. She had worked for Plutarch for some months, but then she had quitted because of the rumors. They had said that she had had that work because she had spread her legs for the Head Gamemaker. She hadn't liked it, and she hadn't wanted to cause Plutarch more problems. Now she was a bartender. And her boss was a bald man, whose hands groped her at every occasion.

Remember where she was, She woke up from her thoughts again and She turned around.

"You had enough, I think," she said, looking at the guy who had another bottle of beer in his hand.

"Don't worry babe, I won't leave you here alone." he murmured.

"I can take care of myself, while you don't. I'll call you a cab." she said, heading to the bar.

"I wouldn't need one if you'd let me sleep with you." he grinned.

"Hey! This guy's given you some problem, sweetheart?"

Effie turned around to see who just entered the bar, she smiled brightly when she saw his Seam grey eyes, she didn't know how he did this, every time he showed up there her smile became brighter and at once all the problems went away or weren't so important to her.

"Haymitch, what are you doing here?" she asked, still smiling.

"Besides looking at your smile?" he joked, making her blush. "I didn't have a place to go and you said that the bar is open until midnight so…"

"Glad you came. I didn't have very good company, as you can see." she nodded at the guy in the corner.

"Is he bothering you? I have a method to make him leave." he said.

"Do you?" she said, cleaning the glasses.

"You want to try it out?"

"Bring it on, Abernathy."

The victor stood up from the chair, he took a few steps towards the guy who was now talking to himself, trying to pour the beer into the glass in front of him. Effie was watching how Haymitch sat beside him, whispering something in his ear. The guy looked at him with pure fear in his eyes and after a moment he stood up, putting some money on the table.

He wore a cote, forgetting about the scarf and after a second he was already gone. Effie looked through the window, he was running down the street, trying to catch his scarf flying above his head.

"What did you tell him?" she asked with the smile.

"It will be my sweet secret." he grinned, sitting on the chair in front of her.

"You don't know that most of the people tell their secrets to the bartender?"

"You know many secrets, Sweetheart?" he asked, looking straight into her eyes.

"Yes."

"Okay then. I'll tell you my dirty little secrets, but first… I need a drink."

"I don't think-" she started to say, but he cut her.

"I need it. I just want a bottle of the best whiskey. The usual, you know. And the guy… I know him… he was a sponsor, he liked to go at very naughty parties and he's married."

"I always forget that you were very good when you wanted to," she whispered, setting a bottle of whiskey in front of him.

"What?"

"Nothing. Well, I'd never gone to a Games' Party. But you were very Handsome and..well. You are handsome.." Her voice trembled.

"You've just called me "Handsome"?" He grinned .

Effie looked at him as he took a sip of the whiskey from the bottle, the way he licked his lips and how he smiled made her heart pounding and her legs became lighter. It was weird that he made her feel that way even after all those years. Effie turned around pretending to do something with glasses, she didn't want him to see her blushing cheeks.

After a few seconds he spoke again "Why don't you drink with me, Sweetheart?"

"I do not like whiskey, but thank you. Plus If I drink, I have to pay for it. " She answered pacatly.

"What would you do now if I wasn't here?" He asked with curiosity.

"I would be upstairs, with a bottle of wine probably." she said taking few steps to close the door.

"You'll lock me here?" he asked, "I'm your prisoner now?" He arched an eyebrow and he had a flirting smile on his face.

"Don't be preposterous. I'm just closing the front door, we will take the other exit."

"Like I believe it! But you Know I wouldn't mind to be here with a woman if I know her name and if I know the real colour of her hair. They are really dark, sweetheart or you just coloured it?" He asked looking at her.

Dyed Haymitch, people said to dye their hair, not to colour them, She tried so hard to not correct him. She would have been exposed herself.

He had came about two months ago, stumbling into the bar looking drunk. It had been three years since she last saw him. He had looked older and like he hadn't shaved for weeks. He hadn't recognised her. How could he? He was drunk as skunk and she had dyed her hair. They were dark now. She had wanted to change the colour because she cannot wake up every morning looking at her image on the mirror. Every time she had been looking at that, she would have been thrown back at the months she had spent in prison and at the time before when she had been an escort. So she had took a drastic decision.

He had return the week after and then he was there every week, the same day like he had a schedule as he'd never had in his life.

Sometimes They talked. Others they didn't. He just sat at the same corner and he drank the bottle of whiskey she gave him. He had never recognised her. Or so she had thought.

His voice warned her that she didn't answer his question yet.

She turned around facing him. "It isn't my real colour. But I won't tell you my name. It's more interesting when you don't know something. It's mysterious."

"Do you like the mystery?"

"Depends on the kind of type. Sometimes I does. Perhaps you could reveal me why an important person like you is here in the first place, couldn't you?"

"Yes.." he nodded, "and if I told you… I would have to kiss you…" he lifted his sigh quickly, looking at her amused face, "I mean to kill you…Not that I want to do it, but the quote is said in this manner. I would have to kill you not to kiss you…" he looked down to his shoes.

She laughed. For the first time since three years she re-heard her real laugh. He looked up at her and he felt proud.

"I got it. I'll pour you a glass of water, I can't let you go out in this weather after drinking alcohol." She said to distract him.

"You are such a good citizen." he joked.

"In fact I am." she agreed, while pouring him the water.

"I'll drink it if you drink your wine. A glass of it." He smirked

"Ok, we have a deal." she agreed.

The streets were already dark when it started snowing. The white fluff covered the streets, making them more dangerous, because of the snow lot of streets were closed, just in case someone wanted to feel like a rally driver. Effie and Haymitch didn't move from the bar, it was almost midnight when the Victor pulled himself out from the chair.

"Where are you going?" she said quickly, looking at him.

"It's almost midnight. You said the bar was open until midnight."

"Well, I have a spare bed upstairs." She suggested. Maybe she shouldn't have left him drink all of that whiskey.

"If you want to fuck me you could ask. I might say yes."

"Haymitch! Language."

"Okok! I was only joking. But I would like to know your name… or is it some kind of secret?" He raised her eyebrow.

"Do you have any other questions I can not answer to?"

"Many, but I'm still waiting for your name. I can't talk with a stranger." He tried again.

She smiled, putting a chair on the table.

"You won't let it go, will you?"

"Yes, I'm stubborn, it's one of my virtues." He winked.

"And you will sleep here if you won't stop to ask me this question."

Haymitch gave the room a quick look, the only comfortable place he could lay on was the floor, but he didn't want to sleep there for any reason. He saw how She moved from one table to another and cleaned all of them, preparing them for another workday. She stopped by the jukebox standing in the corner, Effie gave him a quick look and after a moment she put her rubber into her jeans and took a pence from the other pocket. She put the money in the machine and after a second the music filled the room.

Oh the weather outside is frightful

But the fire is so delightful

And since we've no place to go

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

"I hope you don't want me to sing" he asked, standing up from the chair.

"Sing no, dance…yes." she said, coming towards him.

Effie put her hand on his shoulder, while the other was already in his touch. She lifted her sight, he was looking at her, her ocean blue eyes met his grey and after a moment the rhythm of the song carried them away. Haymitch hold her tightly while they danced lit by the reflection of the lights. He lifted his gaze at the woman, she was beautiful, her face was now lit by the street light, the snow which was now covered the whole street makes the light even brighter.

Effie put her head on his chest, she closed her eyes listening to the song filling in the room. Haymitch pulled her closer to his body, he never knew she can be so soft and fragile, after a moment he lifted her head and put a sweet kiss on her lips.

"What was that for?" She whispered.

"Tradition," he said seriously, furrowing his brows.

"Tradition? You always kiss girls in bars?" she asked.

"No, mistletoe." he answered, looking at the piece of the plant hanging above their heads.

"That or you just wanted to kiss me." she smiled, biting her lower lip.

"Effie, you had been the one who had told me that capitol people kissed each other when they found themselves under the plant. "

"Yes, but-" wait, what? Effie.

He looked at her with a smirk on his face. She blushed, realizing that he knew who she was.

"You had really thought that I will not recognise you after all that years we had worked together? And after the kiss like we hadn't kiss each other before."

She struggled to escape from his arms and he let her go.

"What now? Are you going to laugh at me?" She looked fragile and her voice trembled.

"No. I'm just here to ask you again that if you want you could come with me in district twelve. The children missed you. "

"I hardly believe that Katniss misses me. Haymitch, I'm not angry with you. Not anymore. So I don't need your pity or worse I don't want you to help me because you feel guilty." She didn't want to obligate him in anything. He had already saved her more than once. He hadn't needed to. They weren't anything. They had only slept few times. They hadn't even had an agreement or a deal. She could have countered the number of times they had slept together on her hand.

"It's not guilty. I wanted to try okay? We just have to live together and see what the life will reserve to us... shit! The boy didn't say it with with these words.. What I'm saying is that the children are better now. I know what I want and if you are interested- "

"I'm not." She tilted her chin up as to prove her point.

"Then why you flirted with me when you had thought I didn't know who you were?"

"I.. I don't know okay? I was...well it doesn't matter anymore. You don't have to do anything for me. I have a work, a roof, dresses. I can't live with you when I know what I felt for you, but you don't. I will fall in love with you again. I just can't be a warm body or worst be a fantasie about your dead girlfriend. "

He had once called her Marian, while they were fucking. It had been their second time they had fell in bed and it had hurt so much even if she had had only a crush on him at that time.

"It had happened once. I was wasted and I don't know, shit. Princess, listen I had a conversation with Peeta and he helped me a lot. While looking at him and Katniss I had just realised that I had missed someone, you. Please, Effie, come with me. We are still a team, right?" Now he was begging and she felt bad.

She had really missed him and the children. But could she live with him? Maybe they could try and if he hurt her she would come back at the Capitol and forget him for real this time. She had aknowledge her feelings after the announce of the third quarter quell, but she had fell in love with him through out the years while they had been working. Maybe they could have a chance now.

"Prove it. " She challenged him.

Haymitch took a step toward her, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her closer, he crushed his lips on hers, sucking her lower lip. He lifted her up, kissing her lower and lower, she wrapped her legs around him, moaning every time he kissed and sucked her neck.

"I missed you too." she whispered between kisses.

"So, will you come with me? The children planned a party for only closed friends on Christmas day and-" he started only to be interrupt by her even if a lady shouldn't interrupt others people when they are talking.

"Stop talking… kiss me." she demanded, when her tongue entered his mouth.

"Bossy" he smiled looking at her eyes before kissed her hungrily.

She grinned. Maybe she had done the right choice by giving him a second chance. It was always Christmas.

Author's note:

What do you think? This is my first long one shot that I've ever write. Sorry for the mistakes, I'm Italian.

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