There will be a sequel to this, though I'm not sure when. CHRISTmas is my favorite holiday like in the whole world, and I'm ALWAYS in the CHRISTmas spirit, so I thought I'd make a CHRISTmas one-shot. How would you all like the sequel to go? What would you like Haymitch to buy Effie? Let me know!

HAPPIEST SEASON OF ALL

Rated K

"But what is it?" asked Katniss.

"Why it's Christmas," Effie responded, staring at the people seated at the dinner table with her. "It's the most wonderful time of the year, the happiest season of them all."

Katniss shared a glance with Haymitch, who just rolled his eyes. "That's the same line she gave me," he grumbled. "And then she proceeded to call me some other man's name."

Katniss arched an eyebrow while Effie sighed dramatically.

"I called him Scrooge." Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch all stared blankly at her. "Seriously? He's only one of the most famous Christmas characters of all time. I'd put him right under Santa Claus."

"Who?" asked Peeta.

"This is ridiculous. Haymitch, I know you've heard of Christmas."

This time Haymitch sighed. "Yah, I've heard of it, but everybody in 12—especially people from the Seam—were too poor to celebrate it. Nobody in the Districts celebrated it, except maybe Districts 1 and 2. We know the Capitol celebrated it, but how they did without snow is beyond me."

"Are you ever gonna explain what it actually is?" Katniss asked again.

"It's a day where you celebrate with your loved ones. And as long as you have people you love around, you don't have to be rich to celebrate it," Effie said pointedly.

"Well then I was the poorest of them all," Haymitch mumbled bitterly.

"Well you're not poor anymore," said Effie softly after a few short moments. "Now exchanging gifts is traditional, but we don't have to. There will be, however, lots of cooking. And we should decorate. Haymitch, you and Katniss should go to the woods and cut down trees—"

"Why would we do that for?" Haymitch asked.

"And Peeta and I will go into town for decorations," continued Effie as if Haymitch hadn't spoken. She was already up, rummaging around for her coat. She walked up to Haymitch and he automatically helped her put it on without even thinking about it, causing Katniss and Peeta to share an amused glance.

"I'll get a list together tonight of all the things we'll need, and I'll be by first thing in the morning. Oh, this is so exciting. Christmas in 12! God bless Paylor for reinstating it as a national holiday." She had hugs for Peeta and Katniss. "Come along, Haymitch. I want everybody in bed early. We have a big, big, big day tomorrow."

They all stared at Effie, who had stopped talking as what she just said hit her.

Her eyes instantly clouded and Haymitch was next to her in an instant, his hand on the small of her back.

She never really talked like her old self, unless she was talking about manners—some things would never change—but when she did, she nearly always went off, into another place, and another time. Normally if Haymitch caught it in time he could stop it.

"Effie?" he said gently. He cupped her cheeks, forcing her to look up at him. "Effie." He said it a little harshly, but her eyes started to clear.

"Haymitch?" she whispered. "What's going on?"

"We were just talking about Christmas," responded Haymitch.

"Christmas?"

"Yah. We were about to head home so you could start on your list."

"List?"

"Of decorations."

"Decorations?"

Haymitch glanced at Katniss and Peeta, who immediately chimed in.

"Yah, Haymitch and I are gonna get trees tomorrow," Katniss said, walking up to them.

"And you and I will go into Town," said Peeta.

"Oh. Right. Right. Of course. Yes." She turned to Katniss and Peeta, kissing them both on their cheeks as if she hadn't been one second away from being trapped back in that cell again. "I'll see you both tomorrow. Thank you for dinner."

Haymitch grabbed his coat and put it on as they made their way across to their own home, Haymitch holding her hand in a rare form of affectionate display.

"I'm okay," she whispered, squeezing his hand. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He squeezed her hand in return, and they made their way into the house. Haymitch immediately went to start the fire while Effie went upstairs to change into one of his many shirts she'd made her own over the course of the past few years.

When she came back downstairs she had her red hair pinned up, a pair of black leggings on, bright pink leg warmers—again, some things never changed—and one of his grey flannel shirts.

She also had a clipboard in her hand. Where it even came from he didn't even know.

She sat down next to him on the couch, her feet in his lap, and instantly started jotting things down.

It was the smile on her face that had him asking the question. "This event's important to you, isn't it?"

"It's the holiday of all holiday's, Haymitch. I think it'll do the Districts good. Paylor's doing all she can to make sure that they're not as poor as they used to be. And people don't have to exchange gifts."

"But you want to," he said matter-of-factly.

She stiffened. "What? No. I mean we've never." Her hands were everywhere, in her hair, on her neck, in her lap. She wasn't as good at hiding her feelings anymore. Not like she had been before the Rebellion, when he'd never even suspected she was in on it.

Haymitch absentmindedly rubbed her legs, lost in thought.

He didn't know what to call him and Effie. She'd shown up on his doorstep a year and a half after the Rebellion, in the dead of night, and he thought she was a bloody dream, only she wasn't. That strong front she had put on before he had bought Katniss back to 12 had disappeared. She was broken, battered, and bruised, and it took her another year before she finally came out of her shell.

It had been a fight that did it.

She'd been freezing one night, but she hardly ever talked, so she didn't ask him for another blanket, and to find her shivering by the fire in the middle of the night sent him over the edge. So they'd had their first argument, and whatever was said was neither here nor there. All that mattered was that she had fought back, and things had gotten better after that.

Things had gotten complicated the first time she made her way into his bed. It hadn't taken long for the kisses to start after a nightmare—his or hers, it didn't really matter. And things got even more difficult when those kisses that they never talked about started happening during daylight.

And then she slipped into his shower one night, about a year ago, and that's really all it took for things to get extremely complicated.

Except it wasn't complicated. She wasn't his Escort, and he wasn't her Mentor, and yah, they fought every single day, but that's why they worked. She'd made a home here, not just in 12, but in his house, in this God-awful house that used to be so lonely.

Now he always had something to come home to.

"When is this Christmas?" he asked her.

"The 25th," responded Effie, and she seemed to be satisfied that the other subject was dropped.

Only it wasn't.

"I wanna exchange gifts."

She dropped her clipboard.

"Don't be ridiculous Haymitch," she told him, her cheeks red. "Christmas is a feeling. The fact that I get to spend it with you and our kids… that's gift enough. We're alive. We're safe. We're… happy. Aren't we?"

He looked at her. He stared at this beautiful woman who was currently comfortable enough to put her feet in his lap. "Yah, Princess," he said, reaching in for a kiss. "We're happy." When he backed away from her she smiled at him.

It had taken way too long for him to get her to give him that kind of smile.

"Then that's all I need this Christmas."