12.

The other shoe dropped on the following Monday night.

In the end, Katniss had declared herself happy about the zoo outing even though she never wanted to go again because of the long drive. The animals were all she had been talking about for two days straight and he had been relieved when she had dropped dead asleep against his chest earlier that night. There were days when even hours at school wouldn't tire her enough for him to get some well deserved personal time.

Once he had tucked her in, he settled in the living-room with a book and a cup of tea that would he would have liked better spiced up with something. He was still struggling with that since he had relapsed. The thirst for liquor came and went more or less strongly but… It was still present, no matter how many times he cursed himself for distressing Katniss a few weeks ago.

He had barely read a few lines, trying to focus on the book instead of on his longing for whiskey, when there was frantic round of knocking on the front door. He put the book aside and went to open it with a frown – it was too late for any casual visitor and if it had been Chaff he would have simply come in through the back door.

He didn't really have time to register what was happening before Effie was on him, her arms locked in a death grip around his neck, her face buried in his shoulder. He instinctively hugged her back, nudging the door closed with his foot to prevent the cold air from coming in.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I apologize for coming unannounced." she muttered against his neck. "This is unacceptably rude."

"Don't be stupid." he scoffed. "You can come any time you want." He frowned. "Care to tell me what you're upset about?"

For a second, he thought she would deflect the question. She did that a lot. Rant and complain about useless little things but when it came down to real problems… She was selfless in that way and it was a paradox he sometimes had troubles conceiving: she was so shallow and self-centered at times but every time people she loved needed something she moved heaven and earth for them.

"I am not allowed to see Peeta anymore." she whispered.

"What?" His voice raised without his consent and he immediately shot a wary glance at the stairs. Katniss didn't come trudging down though so he turned his attention back to Effie. "What do you mean you can't see Peeta anymore. That's bullshit. You pay for the kid's school, for the kid's medical bills… You pay for everything. They can't just…"

"Liddy is his mother, she can do anything she wants." she said, her voice strangled with the emotions she was trying to suppress. "She said I overstepped my boundaries, that I grew too comfortable, that…" She took a deep breath. "She doesn't want me to take care of him anymore. I didn't say goodbye, I…"

The sob wasn't exactly surprising but Haymitch was taken aback all the same. He had never seen her cry, not even when she had been so angry and upset with him after the nightmare incident.

"They can't just…" he tried to argue but she shook her head.

"They can do anything." she snapped. "If I insist… Peeta is their child not mine, I have no rights. I have no rights…" The arms around his neck loosened their grip. "I am sorry, I shouldn't have come. I did not want to be alone. I…"

"It's alright, I told you." he frowned, brushing her hair away from her face. "You were right to come. Look, I'll talk to them. I…"

"You won't do anything. This is my problem." she cut him off, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "You can't… We can't make it worse for Peeta. Hopefully, Liddy will calm down soon. I will just… I will stay back for a few days and then I will contact Dylan. Yes… Yes, I will do that…"

He couldn't quite tell if the cheer in her voice was fake or due to the optimism she always seemed to muster in every circumstance. He cupped her cheek, trying to erase the smudge make-up but he only made a bigger mess. With a sigh, he drew her against him again and kissed her temple.

"The kid deserves better than them." he insisted. "Lie low for a few days but if it doesn't work… Look, from what I've seen, you're doing most of the caring and you're paying for everything… Maybe it's time to get a lawyer."

"They are his parents, I am no one. I have no rights." she retorted. "The money I spend does not mean anything. You cannot buy a child, Haymitch."

"They're unfit." he spat.

"And there is no way to actually prove that without going to court and, even then, it is not a given." she hissed, breaking the hug. "Peeta has been through too much already. He loves them. I won't… I won't do this to him."

He didn't completely agree with that but she was upset and he could tell arguing would lead nowhere except to them fighting and that wouldn't solve anything.

"Let's go to bed." he suggested "Maybe that bitch will rethink tomorrow."

"Language." she chided him with a pathetic sniff. "I cannot… I should go home."

"Don't be stupid." he frowned. "It's late. No reason you can't sleep here."

"Katniss…" she argued.

He buried his hands in his pockets and shrugged, a little ill-at-ease. "She might as well get used to you being around more, right? I mean… Look, a night a week at your place is fun but…" He let the sentence trail off, unsure of how to finish it.

"You want to take a step forward?" she asked. "Now?" She shook her head. "You have the worst timing, Haymitch."

"Why do you have to talk about steps and stuff?" He rolled his eyes. "No need to make this complicated. I'm just saying. You can come without calling first. You can spend the night. I don't mind."

Her face softened and, for a second, he was scared she would start crying again. She brushed a hand against his cheek and pressed a kiss at the corner of his lips.

"You are sweet." she whispered.

"Does that win me any point?" he smirked, leaning in to steal a real kiss. He kept it short and mostly innocent. He didn't want her to think he was saying things only to get in her pants – he would have loved to get in her pants but not when she was that upset. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's go to bed."

She borrowed a tee-shirt and fell asleep snuggled against his side. There were worse ways to fall asleep and there were worse ways to wake up than by being coaxed awake with kisses.

"I am leaving." she whispered. "I have to go home and change before opening the shop. I will call you later?"

He mumbled a sleepy assent, turned around, and went back to sleep.

When his alarm clock buzzed, she was long gone and the sheets on her side were cold. He made Katniss' breakfast and fed the cat, all the while pondering the Peeta problem. He didn't find a solution.

It was odd not to see Effie when he dropped Katniss off. The girl lingered with him outside, clearly waiting for her friend, but when the hour grew near and there was no sign of the boy, he told her to go play with Finnick, Jo and Annie inside. He waited a bit longer and, finally, just as the bell rang, a car slid up the pavement, Peeta hopped out and to the gate, in too much of a hurry to notice him.

Haymitch pursed his lips and went straight to Effie's shop.

There was only one customer and Cinna was taking care of him so he made his way to the checkout counter where Portia was arranging some trinkets and accessories. She glanced up when she noticed his approach with something akin to relief in her eyes.

"She's in the back." the stylist told him before he even asked.

He nodded and made his own way there. The back of the shop was a huge room full of boxes overflowing with fabrics, wooden mannequins, tables with a ton of glittering thingy and pins, and a sewing machine. Effie was sitting at one of the tables, tapping the end of a pencil on a sketchbook, her shoulders slouched and her gaze lost in the distance.

He cleared his throat, wondering if he had been right to come. They were on her territory there and he hadn't exactly been invited. "Hey, sweetheart."

Her eyes shot to him, surprised but not unwelcoming. A slow smile found its way to her lips. "Haymitch." She immediately frowned. "Is there a problem? Is it Peeta? Is…"

"Everything's fine." he promised. As far as he could tell anyway. "Just wanted to see how you were holding up."

She blinked and that easy fake smile was back on her lips. "Oh, I am perfectly fine. I am afraid I overreacted last night. Everything will be right as rain in a few days, you will see."

He did see.

A few days didn't make a difference.

She held on for four days and contacted the Mellarks. She was shot down.

He only learned about it because Cinna called him in the middle of the afternoon, more or less ordering him to haul his ass up to her place. He spent two hours there, alternatively trying to comfort her and to convince her to try something legal. She wouldn't relent on that point, she didn't want to put Peeta through anything like that. She didn't want Haymitch to make contact either. So he was reduced to holding her while she cried. He quickly decided seeing her cry was similar to watching Katniss cry – it tore at his guts and he hated the feeling of helplessness that went with the sight.

He dragged her back home with him and she had to wait in the car while he picked Katniss up from school. She didn't want to let Peeta see her in case it came back to Liddy's ears. He parked a few streets away just in case.

The boy wasn't faring much better than she was and it was impacting on everyone.

It was confusing to the kids, both Katniss and the rest of their friends. None of them understood why Effie wasn't taking care of Peeta anymore and the boy had been growing more and more sullen with each passing day – not that Haymitch had any direct contact with him. Someone dropped him off on the edge of the clock every morning and one of his brothers picked him up every afternoon. Peeta shot him yearning looks every day but he had never even said hello. Haymitch figured he hadn't dared with one of his brothers there. To be fair, the brothers appeared to be trying to cheer the kid up. The one who came the most regularly always had a pastry for him and always greeted the boy with a smile.

Peeta wasn't smiling back anymore.

When Katniss spotted their car and the woman waiting inside, she frowned and looked up at Haymitch in confusion. Sensing the problem, Effie checked her reflection in the mirror on the inside of the sun visor and stepped out.

"Hello, darling." she greeted her with a bright smile that was as fake as her nails. "Do I get a hug?"

Not the right approach.

Katniss' face closed off. "You're mean."

"Katniss." Haymitch snapped.

"It is alright." Effie immediately tempered, crouching to be at eye level with the girl. The hem of her dress was brushing dust off the pavement but she didn't seem to care. "Why are you angry with me, Katniss?"

"Peeta is sad!" the girl immediately accused. "You left him."

"Is that what he thinks?" she whispered, pain flashing in her blue eyes.

"His mom says you don't love him anymore, that you've found another kid." Katniss hissed. "That you replaced him."

"That is a lie." Effie snapped.

The girl scowled. "He says so, he says you love him and you will come but you never come anymore."

"I want to but I can't." she tried to explain. "It is an adult problem. It is complicated."

"Bullshit." Katniss spat.

"Hey." Haymitch rebuked her without much heat – given the time she spent around him and Chaff, that wasn't the worst she could have picked up.

"That is a very bad word, Katniss." Effie chided her without batting an eyelash. "You should not say it."

"You're not my mommy." the girl retorted. "You can't tell me what to say."

"Yeah, well, I'm your uncle and I'm saying watch your tone." he warned, grabbing her under the armpits and sitting her on the hood of the car. He held out his hand to Effie and helped her up. "Okay, sweetheart, you want the truth?"

Katniss hesitated, her scowl still stuck to her face, but eventually nodded.

"Haymitch, they are children and…" Effie tried to argue.

"Peeta's mom's a nasty person." Haymitch cut her off. "She doesn't want Effie to see him so she can't see him. You understand?"

Her brow creased into a frown. "But he's sad."

Effie's breath caught in her throat and she turned her head away.

"That's why she's nasty, because she doesn't care about that." he answered.

"But Peeta loves Effie." she insisted. "And he says she loves him."

"Of course I love him." Effie breathed out. She jutted her chin up and forced a smile on her lips, suddenly fussing over Katniss' scarf. "But his mother has her reasons, darling, and she is his mother. Tell me, is he well?"

Katniss stared at her as if she was stupid. "He's sad."

Haymitch sighed. "Not helping, sweetheart."

The kid looked confused. "Why can't he go live with Effie?"

"She's not his mom." he shrugged.

"You're not my Daddy and I live with you." the girl pointed out.

"It's different." he winced.

She pondered that for a second and then kicked the hood of the car with her foot. "It's stupid."

"On that we all agree, I think." Effie declared. She touched Haymitch's sleeve. "I will call a cab and go home. I do not think…"

"You're coming home with us." he cut her off. "You're upset."

"Haymitch…" she insisted.

"Look, you're either coming home with us or we're going home with you." he said.

"Your child is upset because of me and I would rather not deal with this right now." She lowered her voice and angled her face away but Katniss had the ears of a hunter so it was all very moot. "Please, I…"

"Upset about what?" the girl asked, clearly not sure if she should keep glaring at the woman or not.

"She's sad 'cause she misses Peeta." he answered, not in a habit of lying to his kid if he could help it.

"Are you done?" Effie snapped. "You are not making any of this easier and I swear…"

"Well, that's stupid!" Katniss exclaimed. "You're sad because you miss Peeta, he's sad because he misses you. Let's get Peeta and go home and we can watch Brave or Toothless." She paused a second and then eyed Effie. "And I will let you braid my hair 'cause it's all tangled and Uncle Haymitch doesn't know how to brush it." She ran her fingers through her hair to prove her point and they got stuck halfway down.

"Yeah, let's throw some shade at Uncle Haymitch." he grumbled. "One day, I'm going to cut your hair off while you sleep and we'll see who will be complaining." She stuck her tongue out at him. "Watch the cheek, sweetheart."

Effie clicked her tongue. "That is not very ladylike."

Katniss rolled her eyes and hopped from the hood to the pavement. "We're going to get Peeta?"

It took the whole trip home for her to truly understand they couldn't just grab Peeta and it was only when she glimpsed the tears in Effie's eyes – tears the woman did her best to hide behind bright cheerful smiles – that she finally shut up about it.

Katniss was an oblivious person, more often than not she couldn't see what was right in front of her nose, but Effie's distress was hard to miss. The girl ordered Haymitch to make Effie hot cocoa, she settled the woman on the couch, wrapped the blanket they sometimes used in the evening around her knees and finally disappeared upstairs long enough to come back with Buttercup under one arm, her Mockingjay and Lady under the other and a hairbrush and hair ties in her hands. She dropped everything next to Effie – the cat immediately scampered away – put a dvd on, thrust Lady into the woman's arms – a loan, she was clear on that – and climbed on her lap so her hair could be properly taken care of.

Haymitch watched the whole scene with a fond smirk.

All the more so because Effie got stuck watching Brave again. She didn't seem to mind though. She brushed Katniss' hair, braided it, and then held the girl close to her chest – something Katniss wasn't exactly happy about but suffered for a while.

There was an odd tension during dinner, a cloud of sadness that hovered over them all and was still very much present when Katniss went to bed. The girl requested a bedtime story but barely listened to it at all, toying with the Mockingjay in her hands.

"Is it forever?" she asked, at long last.

"What?" he frowned.

"That Peeta can't see Effie." she pouted.

He sighed and brushed the dark tendrils of hair from her face. He didn't want to lie, not even to make it better. "I don't know, sweetheart. I hope not."

She thought about it for a few seconds and then grabbed his sleeve. "If Daddy and Mommy and my Prim come back… I can't see you anymore too?"

"I…" he faltered. "Katniss, you know they're not coming back. I'm sorry, sweetheart, but… They're not. And even if they were… It's two very different situations."

She looked away. "What if someone takes me away?"

"Nobody is going to take you away." he growled, the very thought giving him murdering urges.

"So you're mine forever?" she insisted.

"Forever and ever." he snorted. "We're stuck with each other."

She tugged on his arm and he lied down next to her, waiting until her breathing had evened out and he was certain she was asleep before leaving her room. He didn't like seeing his kid upset any more than he liked seeing Effie sitting on his couch with a vacant look in her eyes.

"Is she asleep?" she asked when she saw him.

"Yeah." he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "This whole thing is pulling a number on her."

"I am sorry." Effie offered, genuinely remorseful.

"Yeah, well…" he shrugged. "Not your fault, right?"

She flashed him a small smile that didn't reach her eyes and stood up, smoothing her green dress mechanically. Her blue eyes were sad when she turned them toward him but her steps were confident. "Would you take me to bed, Haymitch?"

Such a polite way to word this shouldn't have been as hot as it was. He didn't ask if she was sure. She needed this, he figured, needed him – and that made him want to roar with possessiveness and perhaps a little pride.

In an effort to be quiet because of the kid next door, they were also slow and it made the building up all the more rewarding. He fell asleep like a stone.

Which was probably why he had troubles opening his eyes when he heard voices. He opened an eyelid and spotted Katniss at the foot of the bed, wary and scowling. Effie had switched on the lamp and was trying to convince the girl to go back to bed. Katniss had her stuffed toy firmly gripped in her hand and was obviously dead set on not returning to her bedroom.

"She sleeps with me when she has nightmares." he slurred sleepily, taking off the arm that was still around Effie's waist and shuffling to the edge of the mattress so there would be some space in the middle of the bed.

"Right now, it is not a good idea." Effie replied, not departing from her smile but very firm. "Katniss, darling, why don't you go back to your room and one of us will come read you a story…"

"I want Uncle Haymitch." the kid retorted petulantly.

"She can sleep here." Haymitch grumbled. "If you have a problem with that you can take her bed. Or the couch."

He wouldn't let anyone kick his niece out of his room when she needed comfort, not even a woman he may or may not have feelings for.

"Oh, for the love of…" Effie muttered. "Would you wake up properly and realize why she can't get into bed with us right now?"

The whack on his shoulder did the trick. He was naked. So was Effie. And the sheets weren't as clean as they ought to be.

"Shit." he breathed out.

"Language." She clicked her tongue, her eyes focused on Katniss. "I will make you some warm milk, would you like that?" Clutching the sheets to her chest, she snatched his shirt from the floor and slipped it on without flashing anything – a feat, if anyone had asked Haymitch. "Haymitch will do some cleaning first and then we can all go back to bed."

"It's night." Katniss frowned. "You don't clean at night."

"You do sometimes." Effie denied, not missing a bit. "How would you like some warm milk, then?"

Katniss' grey eyes darted from her to Haymitch and she placed down her Mockingjay very deliberately at the foot of the bed, clearly making a stand. "I'm coming back after."

"Of course, dear." Effie replied, leaving the bed. She smoothed the shirt and ushered the child out of the room, tossing him a pointed look.

Haymitch rolled his eyes but climbed out of bed and made a quick job of putting on some sweatpants and changing the sheets. It didn't take him much more than five minutes. By the time he wandered downstairs to fetch them, Effie was just setting a cup of milk in front of the kid.

"Are you having a sleepover?" Katniss asked, a touch of mistrust in her voice.

Haymitch remained in the shadows of the corridor and leaned against the wall, not keen on dealing with that line of questioning himself. That was a note for the posterity: they should always get dressed once they were done, in fear of being busted by nosy toddlers.

"Oh… Why, yes." Effie hummed, sitting down at the kitchen table, wrapping her hands around her own cup of warm milk. "Is that alright with you, darling? Do you mind if I have sleepovers sometimes?"

Katniss sipped from the cup before shrugging. "I don't mind. Why don't you have pajamas?"

To her credit, Effie didn't even bat an eyelash. "I forgot them."

"Oh…" the girl said. "Uncle Haymitch can give you some. You can't sleep naked, you'll be cold. You should have asked him."

His lips twitched with amusement.

"I will be sure to remember next time." Effie grinned, hiding her smile behind her cup of milk. "Did you have a nightmare?"

As always when she was uncomfortable, Katniss started swinging her legs. "Yes."

"Do you want to tell me what it was about?" Effie probed carefully.

Haymitch leaned in slightly, interested in the answer. Katniss was monosyllabic when it came down to her night terrors. Effie clearly perceived the movement because her eyes darted up at him and right back to the girl.

"I miss my Daddy, my Mommy and my Prim." Katniss mumbled after a couple of minutes. "But I love my Haymitch and I want to stay with him." Her legs swung harder under the chair, sometimes hitting one of the wooden legs and bouncing back. "Is it wrong?"

His heart ached but he didn't quite know what to answer to that. How could he explain that he was grateful to this sister he never knew for the gift she had unwillingly given him? Katniss had revolutionized his life from start to finish. She had given him back a purpose, a reason to get out of bed in the morning and to fight through the day…

"No, it is not." Effie whispered. "I am very sure your mother, your father and your sister would want you to be happy. And I am also very sure they would be glad to see you so happy with Haymitch." Her lips stretched into a smile. "Do you want to hear a secret?"

Katniss tilted her head. "Okay."

"I think you are making Haymitch very happy." she declared in a ridiculous hush hush tone.

"That's not a secret." the girl frowned, then her mind jumped tracks as it was often prone to do. "Finnick knows everyone's secrets."

"Does he, now?" she hummed.

"Yes." Katniss answered seriously. "He trades them against sugar cubes."

"How peculiar." she commented, her eyes meeting Haymitch's. He stepped out of the shadows, announcing he was done with the cleaning. Katniss rubbed her eyes and held out of her arms to be picked up and carried upstairs. Effie stopped him with a soft touch on his shoulder. "Perhaps I should leave…"

"Why?" he frowned.

"You can have a sleepover with us." Katniss yawned. "Uncle Haymitch will give you pajamas."

He snorted at that and wriggled his eyebrows above Katniss' head. "Yeah, Princess. I'll get you pajamas."

She pursed her lips in disapproval but didn't fight it when Katniss' fingers grabbed a fistful of the shirt she was wearing and dragged her with them. The second he placed the kid down on the bed, she snatched her Mockingjay and made herself at home under the covers, right in the middle.

"Sweatpants or boxers?" he asked Effie, opening a drawer.

"Boxers." she sighed, catching the pair he tossed at her and pulling them on quickly. "If this is to be a regular thing… Would it be alright if I were to leave a couple of night clothes here?"

"Sure." he shrugged, trying to curb down the panic that wanted to rise. It was practical, he told himself. There was a child in the house, certain appearances needed to be maintained.

They climbed into bed on either side of Katniss and it was awkward for a while, right until Katniss buried against his chest like she was used to doing after a nightmare, her Mockingjay safely wrapped in her arms. He tried not to read too much into it when she reached out and grabbed Effie's shirt again, tugging her closer until they were all like a nice human sandwich. He calmed down when Effie's hand found his though.

It was the little things, he figured.

Of course, when three days later Chaff clapped his shoulder while he was feeding the geese, he was a little less calm – little things or not.

"So, a little bird told me someone forgot to bring their pajamas to a sleepover." Chaff mocked with a wide grin. "I'm told it's silly."

Haymitch glanced in the direction of the backdoor.

"She's in the kitchen with Katniss." he said. "You might want to speak lower if you don't want to get murdered. She can be scary."

"Someone's whipped." his friend chuckled.

"Like hell." he scoffed, only to amend. "She's threatening to cook. I'd like it better if I could not get poisoned tonight."

Chaff didn't seem able to stop laughing. "How domestic."

"Shut up." he growled, dumping the rest of the grains in the pen. He kicked the wooden railing and buried his hands in his pockets, debating over talking to his friend about his current problem or not. It would involve teasing probably. Haymitch didn't really like being teased.

"Spit it out, buddy." Chaff said. "What is it?"

He hesitated a little more, glancing at the closed back door. It felt like a betrayal but he still cringed. "She asked if she could leave a couple of things over and I said yes 'cause it seems logical, right?" Chaff's mouth twitched but he kept silent, so Haymitch went on. "Now I've got a drawer full of her clothes, there's a ton of shit on my bathroom sink and she brought her spare hair straightener. What the fuck do you need a spare hair straightener for?"

"The hell if I know." his friend shrugged.

"She's here all the time." Haymitch continued. "And I don't mind, mostly. It's just… It's like she's taking over the place completely."

"How's the kid dealing with that?" Chaff frowned.

"Giving me pointed looks I pretend not to see and scowling a lot when Effie tells her off about her manners." he winced. "I guess her house's too big for her and she misses the boy."

"Yeah." his friend sighed. "Any news on that front?"

Haymitch shook his head, not bothering to hide his anger at the whole thing. Chaff would know anyway. He knew him better than most.

"She tried reaching out to the Mellarks again yesterday." he said. "The dad's not the problem, it's the mom. She's on a war path against Effie." He shrugged. "The dad said Effie should just be patient." Haymitch clicked his tongue once in annoyance. "The kid though… He doesn't look good."

"That's a lot of bullshit." Chaff scorned. "Look, you remember my friend Seeder? She's a good lawyer. I could give her a call if…"

"She doesn't want Peeta to be dragged in the middle of a custody war." he cut him off. "Last time I tried suggesting it again she screamed bloody murder at me."

They had also ended up doing it against the wall but that was beside the point. She was using him to blow out her anger and her pain and he was alright with it. At least that was a way he could help since she wouldn't let him get involved.

"That's a mess." Chaff commented before lifting his eyebrows at him. "So you're letting her move in 'cause she's miserable? Not sure that's a bright idea."

"Can't kick her out, can I?" he grumbled.

"Question is… Do you want to?" his friend replied.

Haymitch shrugged instead of answering.

It was complicated.

He had been alone for a long time before Katniss, and, after that… He and Katniss had a way to do things, a routine that Effie was disturbing and that they were forced to warp around her, to include her. The shift from two to three wasn't exactly smooth and tensions were rising between them all.

That was the complicated answer.

The easier answer, the answer he wasn't ready to contemplate was: not really.


The shoe drooooopped. And a lot happened! What did you think?