50. 5 Months & 7 Weeks
Effie was smiling as she scooped dirty plates off the table, listening to Peeta coo at April. She didn't think she had stopped smiling all week, truth be told. Haymitch stole the plates from her hands just as she was about to start on the dishes, discarding them in the sink to wrap an arm around her waist and nuzzle her neck.
He had been smiling a lot more too lately.
His other hand found her stomach and if she had thought she couldn't smile harder, she was mistaken. It was a bit thrilling to keep such a secret. She wanted to burst with it because the idea of having another child was making her… happy.
She was still scared and a bit apprehensive. She wasn't thrilled about the pregnancy coming so soon after the last one. She wasn't ecstatic about the idea of being forced to spend more time than necessary at the clinic. She knew there would most likely be difficulties down the line but…
She couldn't quite bring herself to care for now.
Yes, a second baby seemed like a folly. But it was a folly she would gladly reconcile herself with.
Haymitch seemed to be of a similar mind. He freaked out a lot about how much she ate and about how much she rested and he was generally overprotective but that was only to be expected, she supposed. Every time she could see the fear invade his eyes, the enormity of the situation settling in, he picked up April and cuddled her until he was calm once more – and to say he had once mocked her for using Snowball as a teddy bear…
It would take a while to come to terms with the news, she figured: not to bask in happiness or curl up in sheer terror but to find a balance.
"And now we're going to pretend that we don't know Mama and Papa are being mushy right behind my back." Peeta's voice suddenly declared, clear and serious in the kitchen's silence. "It's an important skill to have, April."
Apparently delighted with the game she didn't understand, their daughter giggled.
Haymitch rolled his eyes just as Effie glanced to check Peeta was still sitting at the table with his back turned to them – which he was.
"I'm allowed to kiss my own damn wife, boy." Haymitch grumbled, slowly dropping his hand off her stomach.
"Sure." Peeta laughed, bumping the purple stuffed elephant's trunk against April's nose. "It's just you start kissing Effie and then you forget to stop. I'm trying to teach April not to end up traumatized."
"Fancy yourself a comedian today, do you?" he snorted, dropping back on the chair he had occupied during lunch.
The soft smile was back on Effie's lips and she decided to busy herself by fetching coffee cups before she could start crying at something so stupid as her family being completely normal. She still kept a sharp eye on the dog. Snowball was sitting next to Peeta's chair, tracking his movements with unwavering attention, sometimes edging an inch closer…
She knew what he was after.
"Snowball if you touch that elephant there will be dire consequences." she warned when the dog dared place a paw on Peeta's thigh, not too far from where April's leg was dangling. "It is not your toy. Bad puppy."
Snowball looked down, properly chastised and both Haymitch and Peeta laughed. Suddenly, though, the dog forgot his sad act. His head snapped up and he stared at the backdoor, his body all tense as if ready to bolt…
"Haymitch?" Effie asked uncertainly, taking a step back, away from the potential source of danger.
Peeta half rose, April safe in his arms, while Haymitch's hand flew to the abandoned knife on the table…
Then the backdoor opened and Snowball started barking in earnest, darting to the newcomers and jumping up in joy. His strength and weight made Katniss stumbled back into Johanna who bumped against the doorframe and let out an impressive string of curses. Bags tumbled everywhere.
"Yeah, yeah… I'm back, you stupid furry thing." Katniss mumbled, awkwardly patting the dog on the head. "How bigger are you gonna get anyway? You look like a small polar bear."
Her grey eyes eventually left Snowball to look at them with some uncertainty.
Effie realized they were still staring and had yet to say a word. She opened her mouth to greet them properly, to comment on how nice a surprise it was, but Peeta was quicker.
"Katniss." the boy whispered with open awe.
Effie and Haymitch exchanged a look.
"Hi." the girl replied, clearly guarded.
"Not exactly the warm welcome we hoped for." Johanna snickered. "Wrong time or what?"
"Not at all!" Effie exclaimed, finally breaking free of the odd spell that had fallen on the room. "Come in! Come in! I'm so glad to see you!" She hugged Katniss first, a bit gratified when the girl briefly melt against her. "I missed you so much." she murmured in her victor's good ear.
"I missed you too." Katniss admitted in a very low whisper that didn't carry much further.
Haymitch was right behind her and she let him hug Katniss like he was obviously dying to, turning to Johanna who hastily stepped back with her hands raised in a defensive position. "Don't you even think about it, Trinket."
Ignoring the implied threat, she advanced on Seven's victor and embraced her all the same. Jo remained tensed and she pushed her away after only a few seconds. She gave in a lot more easily to Haymitch's welcome hug, Effie noticed with a pang.
Watching the children greet each other was painful.
They stared at each other, apparently unsure how to breach the distance…
Effie took pity on them and plucked her daughter from Peeta's arms, giving him a gentle not quite subtle nudge toward Katniss while she was at it. It seemed to do the trick because he stopped gawking at her and flashed her a beaming smile. He crossed the distance in a few large strides and when he opened his arms, Katniss stepped forward willingly, if a little carefully.
She heard Haymitch sighed in relief next to her.
Johanna, for her part, rolled her eyes.
"Mind if I use your shower?" she asked, picking up the bag she had dropped when she had come in. She was gone, stomping her feet up the stairs, before Effie could answer or tell her where to find clean towels.
Katniss broke the hug, her cheeks a little flushed, and cleared her throat. "I wouldn't mind a shower either. I'm gonna go home and change."
"Does that mean we get to keep Jo?" Haymitch complained, making a face. Effie whacked his arm but he simply shrugged. "What? She's not miss little ray of sunshine."
"Now, that is really uncalled for." she rebuked. Although not particularly untrue.
"Can we talk?" Peeta cut in before they could start arguing, searching Katniss' face almost with despair. "I mean… Not now if you want to rest or… Can we talk soon? I have to go back to the bakery, you could come when you're done, I… I will close up early."
"I'm not sure I want to go to the bakery." Katniss spat, a flush of irritation on her cheeks.
"Delly doesn't work there anymore." the boy said quickly. "I… Katniss, I was so stupid."
"Yes. You were." the girl declared, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Effie was feeling very out of place and was subtly trying to convey to Haymitch they should leave the room but Haymitch, rude as he was, seemed to think the conversation concerned him too. Not that the children really noticed. Katniss shrugged. "But I was too. I will come by later."
Before Peeta could thank her or Effie could repeat how good it was to have her home, the girl had grabbed her bag and had fled through the backdoor, forgetting to close it behind her as she was prone to do.
"You still need me to help you with the plumbing or you want to do that tomorrow?" Haymitch asked after a few seconds, displaying more tact than Effie would have given him credits for.
There was apparently a small leak in the kitchen at the bakery that Peeta would have liked to fix before it turned into a flood. And for some unfathomable reason he seemed to think Haymitch was an expert. Effie had suggested more than once calling an actual plumber, remembering only too well how it had ended the last time Haymitch had tried to fix something plumbing related – with her moping the floor and him very very vexed.
"No, let's go." Peeta mumbled, sounding star-struck. "It shouldn't take long anyway."
Haymitch shrugged as if to say he was in charge and then turned to Effie. "You're good to stay here with Jo? 'Cause…" His grey eyes briefly darted down to her stomach and back up. "Try to take it easy, yeah?"
Peeta was fortunately too focused on staring at the door Katniss had just gone through as if it would make her come back quicker to notice anything odd.
"I will be fine." she promised. He still looked a little worried so she rolled her eyes, the soft smile stretching her lips again. "I will take a short nap."
Relief immediately flashed on his face. "Good. You do that, sweetheart."
He pecked her lips – probably longer than was totally proper in front of the boy – dropped a kiss on April's head and followed Peeta out the door. They hadn't left the backyard yet that she heard him ask Haymitch if she was alright and why she should have been taking it easy. He muttered something about her still recovering from the last big panic attack even if it had been close to a month now.
She shook her head and turned to grab the purple elephant, intending to put April down for her nap before cleaning up what was left of their lunch. The stuffed toy was suspiciously absent from the table, the chair or the immediate vicinity.
So was Snowball.
"Oh, that dog!" she scowled. She tracked the puppy down to the living-room where he was lying on his bed, looking far too innocent. She pursed her lips at him. "Where did you hide it?" Snowball tilted his head to the side, playing confused. "None of that. I know you stole it. Bad puppy. Very bad puppy."
It would come around eventually and April was getting fussy so she abandoned the search to carry her daughter upstairs, wondering a little what was taking Johanna so long. Seven's victor wasn't exactly partial to long showers or baths. She had mostly mastered her water phobia but it didn't mean she enjoyed soaking any more than Effie liked staying in an untidy environment.
She heard absolutely no noise from the bathroom all the time it took to change April's diaper and place her in the crib. She watched her daughter stare at the dancing stars and unicorn of the mobile, gently petting her hair until her little eyes closed, marveling at the way her fingers clung to the cat ragdoll in her sleep. April was so beautiful, so perfect… She could have stared at her all day.
Still, there was a mysterious disappearance to solve.
She hurried to her bedroom to grab the baby monitor, planning on knocking on the bathroom door on her way back. It turned out not to be necessary because Johanna was fast asleep on her and Haymitch's bed – to be fair, it was the only bed upstairs but still it wasn't done to steal someone's bedroom like that.
Effie didn't want to disturb her so she simply took what she had come for and left, softly nudging the door shut behind her.
The now – blissfully – free of junk guest room was staring back at her from the other side of the corridor but what they would do with it was still a bit unclear. She wanted to turn it into a bedroom for April so the nursery could be free for the new baby. April shouldn't have needed it as much by then and she had seen so many darling examples of little girls' rooms in the magazines her mother kept sending that she was dying to give her daughter something just as cute.
She didn't want to go too fast though.
It was early days still and if something happened to the baby…
She briefly placed her hand on her stomach and retreated downstairs. Cleaning the kitchen didn't take long and she moved on to the living-room, a bit flustered because she hadn't been expecting any guest and it wasn't exactly up to her standards.
Haymitch would certainly have had something to say about the way she ran left and right with cleaning products but after a simple hour of work, everything was like she wanted it – the missing elephant having been found behind the armchair and Snowball banished to the backyard to contemplate the errors of his way. She forced herself to lie down on the couch because she was starting to feel a little dizzy.
"You are going to insist on having all our attention, aren't you?" she chuckled, slipping her hand under her blouse to gently rub her stomach.
This pregnancy felt different from April's. With April she had spent so long being terrified of losing her that she hadn't really connected with the baby until a few months in. That time… She felt the connection already. She felt it down to her guts. And she loved that baby. She kept telling herself it was too soon to be hopeful, that her medical history meant she had to be careful with her feelings to the risk of getting her heart crushed, that they didn't know if it would stick yet… But she loved that baby and nothing would trump that.
Perhaps it meant she had healed a little… Perhaps it meant she had learned to be hopeful again.
She must have dozed off a little because next thing she knew, she startled awake to a baby crying. She sat up immediately, swung her legs off the couch, but the moment she tried to stand up, she had to sit back down and breathe. She didn't need to glance at the clock to know it must have been close to four in the afternoon because the wave of nausea was fresh and strong and apparently morning sickness didn't only just happen in the morning.
"What's up with you?" Johanna's voice drifted through the baby monitor. "They left you all alone?" Effie relaxed a little and took a minute to make sure she wouldn't throw up before finally standing up once more, albeit more carefully than before. "Not like your mom to leave you like that. What's up with your mouth? That hurts?"
Alarmed by what Johanna was saying, Effie forgot any thought about her own discomfort and rushed upstairs. Seven's victor was standing next to the crib, rocking the baby, a finger in her daughter's mouth for whatever reason…
"Her gums are irritated." Jo mumbled. "Might be a tooth coming up."
"Oh." Effie frowned because she had noticed April had seemed really intent on sucking on her own hands lately but she hadn't made the link and now she felt terrible about it. Had her daughter tried to tell her she was in pain and had she missed it? "How do you…"
"I remember from Finn." the victor shrugged, fishing the pacifier from the crib and popping it in the baby's mouth. "There are those plastic rings… You put them in the freezer and then you let her suck on it. Helps."
They had purchased those, hadn't they? They had purchased almost everything when she had still been pregnant. She hesitated for a second but Johanna made no move to hand April back and her daughter seemed content for now so she turned to the dresser and rummaged in the bottom drawer – the one that was full of things they didn't have an immediate need for. She found what she was looking for still under wraps and held it out for Jo's inspection. "Is that the one?"
Seven's victor gave it only a cursory glance. "Yeah."
The mood was quickly becoming awkward but Effie wasn't entirely sure why. Jo looked embarrassed to be caught rocking April and, more than that, to not seem able to let go of her. She wanted to suggest going downstairs to the kitchen so they could have tea – with lemon in her case in the vague hope it would soothe her stomach – but she was certain Johanna was working something over in her mind and that if Effie said the wrong thing, she would close up and storm off. She sat on the rocking-chair, waiting for Jo to either say it or…
The small swaying of the chair wasn't doing anything for her nausea and she made a face, instinctively placing a hand on her stomach as if it would soothe the raspberry-sized baby causing all those problems.
"What's wrong with you?" Jo asked, all suspicious.
Her eyes were studying her, probably seeing everything Effie was trying to hide and ticking off neat little boxes.
"Nothing serious. I haven't been so well since the thing with the Peacekeeper." she dismissed, choosing to follow in Haymitch's footsteps with her lie. "I don't sleep well and my body is making me pay for it."
It was more honest than she would have been with the children but Jo was different. Jo had been right there with her and while she had tried to shield her as much as she had been able… Well, the fact was Peeta and Annie had been the ones to protect and that duty had tacitly fell on her and Johanna. They had been allies in those cells. They had been…
She closed her eyes, not really wanting to let her mind go there.
"Where is he now? The guy?" Jo asked, her voice sharp and icy. If she found him, she would kill him. Effie knew that with clear certainty. Haymitch might have been tempted but Johanna would never pause to think.
"Gone." she whispered. "He left a letter if you are interested. Peeta kept it."
The boy had seemed to found more peace in it than she had. She didn't care about the Peacekeeper or his reasons. She didn't care if he was a nice young man who had lost his way. She didn't care if they had brainwashed him into doing something he thought was his duty.
All she cared about was that she had been hurt, her friends had been hurt, her son in everything but blood had been hurt.
"Only interested in making him bleed." Johanna growled, predictably.
"Do not threaten to murder people with my daughter in your arms if you please." she sighed, forcing her eyelids open to check April was still alright. The baby was now busy trying to grab the short strands of hair framing the victor's face.
Jo rolled her eyes but turned her attention to the child. She never made silly faces or even attempted to start one of those ridiculous conversations Effie and Haymitch found themselves having so often with the baby but April didn't look disappointed or unsettled about that. She didn't cry out, she didn't fuss too much… It seemed she felt safe with Johanna.
"You ever regret keeping her?" the victor asked. The question took her aback and she frowned at her, wondering where that came from. Her blue eyes shot to the younger woman's flat stomach but before she could voice her question, Jo scoffed. "I ain't knocked-up, Trinket. Just… When you came to Four the first time you said you didn't know if you wanted to keep her."
"I was not sure I would be any good for her." she amended. "I wanted to do the right thing."
"Yeah." Johanna sighed, making April bounce once or twice to keep her entertained. The move was perfectly calculated. Not too strong, not too weak. Experienced. "Thing is… You had a point. People like us… They shouldn't have kids. We're fucked up. Too fucked up. Told Annie in Thirteen. Would have told Finnick too if he hadn't gone and gotten himself blown up."
There was still pain in Johanna's voice when she talked about Finnick, even after all those years. Effie could understand. Too much had been happening after the war for her to grieve properly for everyone. Her own grief had been a big blurred ball of pain and dead friends.
"I would never have been able to give her up." she said quietly. She didn't dispute Johanna her point because as disturbingly blunt as she was being, her argument was valid. "At least if I had… I would never have come back from it. I love her too much. It would have destroyed me."
"Yeah, that's what Annie claimed." Johanna shrugged. "And I didn't get it but I figured I owed Finnick 'cause… There was nobody else, was there? Haymitch had to take care of Katniss. You were stuck in the city with Peeta. Beetee couldn't wait to get the hell back to Three. Heavensbee… Fuck knows what he would have done with a victors' baby… A reality show probably." She shook her head. "I was the only one left."
"You are not some default choice, Johanna." she chided her. "Finnick would have wanted you to look after his family. You know that as well as I do."
"Maybe." the victor granted, looking at April instead of looking at her. "But I've always thought it would be… At first I thought I'd stay until the baby was born. Then, Finn was there and Annie was in too deep so I stuck around but I told myself it'd just be until the boy could take care of himself well enough and now…"
Johanna hadn't sounded so frenzied in a long time. Not since the war. Not since she had appropriated the visitor chair in her hospital room. It might explain the drinking Katniss claimed was overboard, Effie mused.
"Now you do not want to leave anymore." she observed quietly because it didn't seem like Jo would be able to say it by herself.
"Kids die." Johanna said bluntly, cradling April closer to her chest as if by reflex. It was odd and touching to see, the total contradiction between the harshness in the victor's voice and the gentleness of her touch. Jo had been taking care of Finn for three years and it showed.
"Not ours." she countered firmly.
It didn't seem to calm Seven's victor anxiety and Effie was a little bit relieved when she crossed the distance between them to hand April over. She felt better once her daughter was in her own arms even if that meant Johanna was now pacing the length of the room, making her even dizzier than she already was.
"I wasn't gonna come back from Seven." Jo announced – and Effie realized it wasn't exactly a big surprise. "Once I was there, I was gonna call Annie and tell her I wasn't coming back. I did call but before I could say anything, she handed the phone to Finn and…" Johanna's voice faltered and she buried her hands in her hair, pulling at the short brown strands. "He asked when I was coming home."
"He misses you." she pointed out. "You are as much his mother as Annie is."
She wasn't sure anyone had ever put it that bluntly for her before because Jo suddenly froze and turned to her, anger and uncertainty battling on her face. "How is that fair?"
She frowned, confused. "I don't understand what you mean."
"He marries her, dies and leaves me to raise his kid." Jo sneered. "How is that fair, Trinket?"
She pursed her lips, feeling a pang of pain at the memory of Finnick's cocky grin. He had been so young when he had died. So young… And he would have been an amazing father, she knew that without a doubt.
"I don't think any of it is fair." she sighed. "But I fail to see where the problem is, Johanna… Finn loves you, you love the boy, you and Annie get along well… Are you so unhappy in Four that being alone in Seven would be better?"
Johanna stared at her hard for the longest time. Then, she crossed her arms and walked to the window, looking out as if the street below held all the answers. Effie had to strain her neck to keep her in her line of sight but it seemed to be Johanna's aim. Whatever she had to say, she didn't want the weight of Effie's gaze while she said it.
If she said it.
Johanna Mason had only confided in one person as far as Effie knew and that person had been long dead. They were all friends, family even. That was the term they used. But she was well aware that some were closer than others and that, in that unit, Jo had always been a little apart, a little alone. Seven's victor was a loner, it was who she was and they respected that but… It wasn't good to keep everything bottled up inside like she did.
Effie knew for certain she had never searched for professional help after the war, that she hadn't talked to anyone about what had happened in those cells… Talking about it with Haymitch was always painful and it was never casual but it always somehow helped to put words on it, her own words, her own narrative. It helped to appropriate what had happened with sentences, to take some control over it. Effie couldn't help but wish Jo could find someone that would help her the same way Haymitch did for her.
She thought it was about that.
What else could it be about?
It was the main reason Effie had been reluctant about keeping April and hadn't Jo brought that up? Wasn't she afraid of the same thing for Finn? After all, Johanna helped raise him but Annie was his mother, Jo was just the Aunt who lived with them, she didn't have the same degree of responsibility. She was, for all intents and purposes, the boy's second mother but she could have run if she had so chosen, she had no real obligation to stay. And she might feel it would have been safer if she didn't. It must have been about that. The cell or her time in the arena, her instability…
If asked, Effie would never have pretended Johanna Mason was the best candidate to raise a child.
"She doesn't know." the victor said, so low she almost didn't catch it over the noises April was making around her pacifier.
"Annie?" Effie clarified. "What doesn't she know?" Johanna's jaw clenched. Her body was tense, ready to snap. And it dawned on Effie. "Oh, darling… Did you fall in love with her?"
She wasn't certain how that was going to work. As far as she knew, Annie was pretty much Finnick-oriented and…
"What?" Johanna scoffed. "No! What even…" Seven's victor rolled her eyes, turning to face her – to better glare no doubt. "Capitols. Always have to see the wrong in everything. So what? 'Cause we live together, you think I wouldn't mind tapping that tree? You're really…"
"Alright, alright. I understand." Effie huffed, vexed. Perhaps she was letting the romantic in her speak and so what? "Then, pray tell, what doesn't Annie know that would be so terrible?" Shame flashed on Johanna's face, quickly followed by pain. "Oh." She didn't want to jump to conclusions this time around but… "Oh. When?"
For a moment, Effie wasn't sure she would answer at all. Gone was the defiant aggressive victor, Johanna looked… She looked like she had in the privacy of their cell. Weak. Defeated. The arms she had crossed in front of her chest were less a commanding posture now, she was almost hugging herself.
"He loved her." Johanna said quickly. "He always loved her. She was the one, you know. Greatest love. The whole fucking fairy tale thing." It seemed important to her for that to be acknowledged so Effie nodded once. Jo turned to face the window once again. "Love is weird."
"That, I won't dispute." Effie chuckled, a bit sadly.
"In the city… It was another world." Jo snapped, a bit defensively. "You know how it was, you remember. Haymitch fucked you. It wasn't as bad as that. Haymitch fucked you so…"
"Language." she chided by reflex, glancing at April. "And I fail to see how…"
"So what if it happened a few times…" Johanna continued, apparently not having even heard her. "It was in the city and it doesn't count. He only loved her. I was just…" She shrugged. "Stuff happens."
Effie realized she wasn't as surprised by the news Finnick and Johanna had slept together as she probably ought to have been. They had always been close. And Jo… Well… Effie should have figured it out sooner probably but with Annie in the picture, she hadn't thought Four's victor would…
"I am not judging." she promised.
Johanna was right.
The city had been another world, the Games… The Games had distorted everything, had made everything ugly. It was human to have sought some solace in the middle of them. And she was certainly no one to tell Johanna what had been right or wrong. How many boyfriends had she cheated on with Haymitch?
The Games had been a very ugly bubble in the year where very bad things happened and not only in the arena.
"Annie doesn't know." Jo insisted. "Nobody knows." The victor spared her a glare. "You don't tell her or I'm gonna make sure you won't tell anyone anything ever again."
"Please." Effie scowled. "Give me some credit." She studied the victor, fingers drumming on her daughter's back as she hesitated. She couldn't not ask in the end. "Did you love him?"
"Love is weird." was the immediate and only answer she got. Johanna took a deep breath and rubbed her arms, clearly unsettled. "Do I tell her?"
"Do you think you should?" she countered gently. "The way I see it… Perhaps some things are better left unsaid."
Annie was fragile and easily unbalanced. What good would it do her to know her best friend had been having an affair with her dead husband long before they even got married? Honesty was often the best policy but in this case… In this case she wasn't sure. It seemed a bit selfish for Johanna to unburden herself to the price of Annie's hard earned peace of mind.
"Yeah." Jo sighed. "That's what I thought too. Just… Sometimes…"
"It becomes too much." she supplied knowingly.
"It's just not fair." the victor sulked. "He should still be here. I'm the one who should be…"
"No." Effie cut her off. "Only madness lies that way, trust me." April started crying and no amount of rocking would soothe her. "She is hungry." she explained apologetically.
Johanna waved her hand and they made their way down to the kitchen without further ado. Since she didn't protest, Effie handed her daughter back to Jo while she got the bottle ready only to grab her back to feed her. She was still peculiar about who she allowed to do that.
Johanna was still looking in the distance and, when Effie eventually placed the empty bottle down, the victor blinked.
"She was the love of his life." the younger woman repeated blankly.
"It doesn't mean he couldn't be the love of yours." she commented wisely, squeezing her shoulder.
Johanna shrugged it off and stood up to rummage through the cupboards like a very ill-mannered person. Effie let her do as she pleased, only requiring she prepared enough for two when it became obvious Seven's victor was making herself some tea.
She watched her eat through her stock of chocolate chip cookies, orienting the conversation on her travels instead of pushing the issue.
It was a difficult piece of information to swallow though, she mused much later, once they had all had dinner together and Johanna had retreated to Katniss' house – where there was an actual spare bedroom. The house felt empty suddenly, without the children's voice calling each other, laughing or simply talking loud…
She was tired and grateful that Haymitch had volunteered to take care of April. When he eventually walked back into the living-room, he looked a little worse for the wear too. She was sitting in the corner of the L shaped couch, Snowball sprawled on one side of her with his head on her lap – eager to earn her forgiveness for the earlier theft – and Haymitch wasted no time in dropping on her other side, cushioning his own head on her thigh.
"Competing for my attention, are you, boys?" she teased, a little distracted.
She stopped petting Snowball to comb her fingers through Haymitch's hair – which the dog took offense at and nudged her hand, which was how she ended up with both hands busy.
"I'm fucking dead on my feet." he muttered. "Always the same thing with that boy… He gets me to the bakery for one thing, then we end up moving furniture and what not…"
"It keeps you in shape." she teased.
He grumbled something under her breath she didn't catch. It was probably for the best anyway.
"How's the jellyfish?" he asked, perking up a little. He reached out blindly with his hand but there was no easy way for him to access her stomach behind his head and he gave up quickly enough.
"Still making me eager for the morning sickness nonsense to be over." she sighed. And then she pouted. "Johanna ate all my cookies."
He snorted. "Ask Peeta for more."
Her pout deepened. "He will get suspicious."
"I'll go to the store tomorrow." he surrendered without much fight. That was the one good thing about being pregnant, Haymitch was much more likely to do what she wanted. "We need more diapers anyway."
"We are low on apricot jam." she hummed, tugging a little on his hair.
"I'll stop by Sae's and ask her for more." he mumbled. "The kids talked."
"Did they make up?" she asked eagerly.
"Can't say." he shrugged. "Peeta had me moving stuff by then. Couldn't hear. They're on talking terms… Beyond that…"
"We will see, I suppose." she sighed, hoping they would all soon get past this and go back to how it used to be. She relaxed further against the back of the couch, completely exhausted. "Haymitch?"
"Yeah?" His voice was rough and she figured if they didn't go to bed soon they would fall asleep right there.
"I swear I will murder you if you ever let this slip but…" she hesitated. "Did you know Finnick and Johanna…"
He briefly tensed and then relaxed. "Didn't know for sure but… Chaff and I had our idea. She told you?"
"She feels guilty because of Annie, I think." she whispered. "I told her not to say anything but I am not sure it was the best advice."
He reached for the hand that had stilled in his hair and brought it to his lips. The familiar itch of his stubble on her skin was welcomed. "It's the right call. It was a long time ago anyway. What's the point of bringing it up now? Let sleeping dogs lie, yeah?"
"I feel sorry for her." she admitted quietly. "She's always been so lonely… She takes care of Annie and Finn but… Who is taking care of her?"
Haymitch mulled that over for a second and then sighed. "That's your way of saying we need to pay more attention to her, yeah?"
"She is one of ours too." she reminded him. "We lost Finnick but… She is still here."
He kissed her hand again. "I hate it when you make so much sense, sweetheart."
Katniss is baaaaack! Let me know your thoughts!
