SATURDAY
She woke up the next morning well into the afternoon. After showering and getting dressed she made her way downstairs. The house was empty, though there was a note for her downstairs. Peeta was at the bakery and Katniss went out to hunt.
On their wedding day?
Effie looked around the spacious house, taking in the painted walls, and the décor. The entire house looked like the perfect match between Katniss and Peeta. There were pictures everywhere, pictures clearly painted by Peeta.
The house was lived in, and filled with love.
Love.
Suddenly she had a great idea. She wanted to surprise Katniss and Peeta for their ceremony tonight. She just needed to grab a few things. She made her way back upstairs to get her purse and then made her way out of the front door, heading towards Town.
XxXxXx
Not ten minutes later Haymitch made his way into Katniss' and Peeta's.
"Effie?" he called out.
No answer.
He called her name again, and was still greeted with silence. He made his way upstairs and saw that the guest bedroom was open.
She wasn't here.
He searched throughout the house just to make sure, and then cursing, left.
XxXxXx
Effie had just reached the edge of town, passing an alley, when a man called her name. She turned around.
"That is you. Effie Trinket?"
She looked at the man, slightly older than Haymitch, and nodded. The man approached her, and she noted he was from the Seam: gray eyes and olive skin.
But he was nothing like Haymitch.
The next thing she knew she was up against a wall.
"You stupid bitch. Do you remember Canola Whey?" He had his forearm against her throat, and she wouldn't have been able to gasp out yes even if she wanted to.
Because she certainly did remember Canola. Thirteen years old. Dark hair. Gray eyes. Small little thing.
Effie had pulled her name during her fourth year as Escort.
"Canola didn't last past the Cornucopia."
"I know," whispered out Effie. "I'm sorry."
"You're sorry?" he snarled. "Not as sorry as you're going to be."
He backhanded her so hard that she fell, her head spinning. She saw stars and could taste blood.
She eyed him for a second, spit out the blood in her mouth, and then charged him. She kicked him and hit him, scratching him on the face with her nails. He pushed her away, roaring.
Before she could respond or say anything, or do anything else for that matter, Haymitch came out of nowhere, grabbing the man, Haymitch's hand around the man's throat.
"If you ever wanna eat solid food again you better listen up really well," Haymitch said darkly. "You touch her again, I'll fucking kill you, and I don't know anybody who'd give a fuck that you were gone."
The man was turning purple and then Haymitch hit him in the face. Then he palmed his face and hit his head against the brick wall.
The man crumbled.
Haymitch walked over to Effie and grabbed her off the ground. "Are you fucking crazy?" he snapped. "What did I tell you? You go nowhere without me, Katniss or Peeta. Got damn it Effie, I rescued you once. Wasn't that enough?"
His anger would have angered her, only she felt him trembling as he embraced her. He pulled her towards him, burying his face in her neck and running his fingers through her hair. Before she could even appreciate it, though, he was pushing her back to look at her.
At that exact moment about half a dozen men came out of nowhere, all dressed in black, Mockingjay pins pinned on their shoulders, guns drawn.
Effie screamed and Haymitch immediately turned around, holding out his arms to protect Effie.
"Boss, is everything okay here?" asked one dark-skinned man.
Visibly relaxing Haymitch jerked his head towards the man crumbled on the floor. "This one needs a hospital. He attacked Effie. He may or may not have a concussion as my fist may or may not have run into his face a couple of times."
The leader nodded his head to the other five men and they lowered their weapons. "We'll take care of it, Captain." The dark-skinned man nodded his head and two men hurried over to the man, still unconscious. "You two should get back to Victor's Village."
Haymitch nodded and grabbed Effie's arm, pulling her along. They walked in silence, Effie having no trouble at all keeping up.
When they got to Haymitch's he slammed the door, locking it behind him, and marched her to the kitchen, sat her down, and immediately crouched low so that he could look at her.
His eyes blazed when he saw the bruise forming on her cheek. He gently reached out and touched it, scowling as she hissed. He got up, forcing himself to keep calm, biting down the rising anger in his chest, and grabbed a towel. After soaking it in water he returned to her, squatting again so that he could wipe her mouth.
"You pack a mean punch," he said quietly.
"You should know," responded Effie.
Haymitch snorted. "You never hit me like that."
"Well… I've taken a few classes over the years." Her eyes darkened. "If I ever get taken again, they'll be in for a rude awakening."
"Don't talk like that," he snapped out, and she blinked at him. He got up and turned around, throwing the towel in the sink. He gripped the counter, telling himself to calm down.
"Haymitch—"
"What the fuck were you doing?" Haymitch turned around. "Didn't we tell you it wasn't safe?"
"I wasn't thinking. I just wanted to surprise Katniss and Peeta for their wedding tonight."
Haymitch didn't get a chance to respond. At that moment there was a knock on his door. Effie jumped and Haymitch held out his hand, motioning for her to stay seated. He reached behind his back, his hand gripping his knife, and made his way to the door. He peaked through the peephole and relaxed.
The dark skinned man from earlier walked in and Haymitch closed the door behind him.
"How is she?" asked the man.
"Stronger than she looks," responded Haymitch, and Effie felt her heart skip a beat.
"I thought we agreed she wasn't supposed to go anywhere alone."
"Well she's also stubborn as shit." And even in the anger in his voice, there was also underlying fondness in it.
"Well Whey is at the hospital. Did you want to press charges?"
Before Haymitch could speak Effie said, "No."
Haymitch looked at her, his eyes searching hers for several moments. When he turned back to the man in black, Haymitch shook his head. "No."
"Okay. Well Paylor's been informed. You might want to give her a call, and you need to come down to the office and fill out the necessary paperwork."
Haymitch sighed. "I'll be down there later."
"Does she need a doctor?"
"I've been through worse," Effie said standing.
The dark-skinned man smiled at her. "That you have." He nodded to her, then to Haymitch, and left.
"What in the hell was that about?"
"Paylor has all the Districts secured that have surviving Victors. Long as nobody messes with us, you'll never see them. They're like the modern day Secret Service. Paylor hand selected each man for each District, and that said man then picked a team. Katniss and Peeta don't know."
Effie stared. "And you're the one Paylor selected to protect Katniss and Peeta?"
"What makes you say that?"
"He called you Boss."
Haymitch didn't answer and Effie stared at him in awe.
Haymitch sighed and walked back up to her, eyeing her face. "We need to get some ice on that before it swells. I'm gonna go to the fridge. Do me a favor and just stay put, okay?"
"I'm sorry," Effie told him, and he stilled. He turned to her, and for the first time he let his guard down.
"You scared the shit outta me, Princess. Up until I saw you fight back. You're not a damsel in distress."
"Doesn't make you any less of a knight in shining armor," murmured Effie.
XxXxXx
"That one's Katniss. See the scowl? Not to mention the 'All of this is beneath me' air about her." Effie laughed at the goose, whose scowl did rival Katniss'.
"Please don't tell me that's Peeta," Effie said, pointing to a goose that followed Katniss around, worrying over her.
"Course it is. And he has a bit of limp. Caught his leg in the fence on his second day here."
Effie bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.
"Johanna's over there," pointed Haymitch, talking about a haughty looking goose with spiked hair. "And Annie." A goose that was more red in color than pink was off by itself, looking dazed. "That bastard over there," said Haymitch, "is Beetee. Smart little bugger. He thinks he runs the show."
"That one must be Paylor."
"Yes. The rest of the geese worship the ground she walks on."
"I take it it's safe to assume that's you, lying facedown in the dirt?"
"Yah that's me. He's a right pain in the fucking ass too. I don't know how anyone ever dealt with me."
"Well leave it to a goose to teach you valuable life lessons about yourself."
"Fuck you," Haymitch said, grinning.
Effie laughed.
"And I am…?"
"You can't tell? You're the bossy one pestering me of course." Effie stared at the last goose affectionately.
"I bet she keeps them all in line."
"Yah, she picks which goose gets to get cooked."
Haymitch closed his eyes the minute he said it.
"Effie, I didn't—"
He didn't expect the slap, but damn it he deserved it. He cheek stung long after she'd left.
XxXxXx
"I left you to take care of Effie for two minutes and I come back to a bruised cheek?!" Katniss barged into his house, her face dark, her hair flying behind her.
"I tried to stop her," panted Peeta. "Katniss, Effie explained what happened. It's not Haymitch's fault."
"Like hell it isn't."
Haymitch sighed. "It's days like this I miss drinking," he muttered, and Katniss' eyes narrowed. "I was just joking."
"What else happened? Effie's upset. What'd you do?"
Haymitch sighed and closed his book, standing up. "I might have told Effie I let her goose pick which one gets cooked."
Peeta and Katniss both stared at him.
Then Katniss said, "You're impossible. She's still in love with you, you know that right?"
"Katniss," warned Peeta.
"No, he' needs to know, because he's too stupid to see it himself."
"Are you really talking, Sweetheart? Not you, Katniss Everdeen, who had to wait until she was on a beach in a Quarter Quell to realize it? Or even worse he had to get hijacked!"
"And Effie was tortured!"
"Will you two stop?" Peeta snapped. "You two both took years to see what was always right in front of you. I got my second chance, and you have yours, Haymitch. Don't blow it."
"Who the fuck even said I wanted one?"
They both stared at him skeptically.
He sighed again and sat down, putting his hands in his face, because the truth is, if he'd realized anything, one look was all it took for him to realize that he was still hopelessly in love with Effie. "I need a fucking drink."
"Haymitch," Katniss said quietly, her voice warning.
"Well I do! Between you two, and Effie fucking getting attacked, and the fact that it's a new day and age so I can't even kill the bastard for putting his hands on her…. I'm starting to stress the fuck out."
"Well I suggest you get over it," Katniss said coldly. "Now we have to go and pick up my mother. The wedding's in a few hours. I expect you to have made things right with Effie by then."
She gave him a look to prove that she wasn't playing, and then they were gone.
Haymitch muttered the entire way to Katniss', stomping as he did so.
He barged into the house and found Effie on the phone. She held up her hand at his entrance, said a few more words, and then hung up.
"I don't have much time," she said, as if nothing was wrong. "Octavia, Venia, and Flavius are on their way. They came with Mrs. Everdeen, though Katniss doesn't know. I need you to help me set up."
Haymitch just stared. "She's going to kill you."
"I doubt it. They're also bringing outfits designed by Cinna. A real wedding dress he made, not that God-awful dress Snow made Katniss wear for the Quarter Quell. He's made a suit for you too—quite a few, actually, but I think you'll like the one I selected."
She was running around like a chicken with her head cut off as she talked. A few moments later Haymitch heard a car pull up, and then the door opened.
"Absolutely no tears unless they are happy tears," Effie said immediately.
"We know," said Venia with a tight smile. "Where should we set up?"
Effie looked at Haymitch and Haymitch rolled his eyes. "My place," he sighed, and Effie gave him a smile that nearly made it all worth it.
The next couple of hours were a blur. Katniss cried when she saw her former prep team, and cried even harder when she saw the dress Cinna had made for her. Peeta had a tux, and Mrs. Everdeen had a dress made for her as well, though it wasn't a Cinna original.
The reason why Peeta had gone to his bakery was obvious as there were several cakes on the counter. Mrs. Everdeen cleaned the squirrel Katniss caught while Effie and Peeta made a few fancy dishes for the wedding.
Twenty minutes before show time, right before she put on her dress, Effie made her way upstairs and knocked softly on her own guest bedroom door. Haymitch was dressing in there since his house was currently occupied.
She didn't wait for a reply. She just opened the door.
Haymitch was nearly dressed. He was buttoning his shirt.
"I told Flavius I'd kill him if he tried to give me a haircut, so I don't wanna hear your mouth about my hair," he said.
She smiled softly. "I'm not here to talk to you about your hair. I was just making sure you were nearly ready." She gave him a once over, her breath catching in her throat at the sight of him in his crisp, clean, eggshell colored suit. She walked up to him, grabbing his tie off of the bed, and wrapping it around his neck. "I suppose it's pointless. You're no longer drunk, and today is not the Reaping. Still, old habits die hard."
He grabbed her hands, holding them, and she forced herself to look up at him.
"I'm sorry about earlier," he told her.
She sighed. "I know you didn't mean anything by it." She finished tying his tie and then her hands made their way down his chest.
Firm. Square.
Just like she remembered.
She looked back up at him, her hands resting on his chest. "Are you ready to give our Mockingjay away?"
"I am."
"Good. Let's go marry our Tributes."
