I have a prompt request: I'd really like a post-MJ story where Effie gets pregnant. She and Haymitch decide to find out the gender of the baby before it's born, and one of them isn't happy with the result. I'd really like to see Effie comforting Haymitch about the gender of their child or vice versa.

Moving Forward

As soon as they were back at the house, Effie made a beeline for the tea she had secretly been craving for more than an hour. Appointments at the hospital were always drawing out and the blueberry tea Katniss had bought her the other day was all she had been thinking about during the long waiting. It also gave her something to do with her hands.

"I will do it." Haymitch offered, closing the backdoor. "The doctor said you shouldn't overdo it, sweetheart."

Making advantage of the fact her back was turned, she rolled her eyes. "I'm making tea not building a house."

Haymitch didn't argue, he simply sat at the kitchen table and stared at the bowl full of apples. His fingers were twitching, sure sign that he was yearning for a drink but he hadn't touched alcohol since the early stages of her pregnancy and she knew he wouldn't give in to the temptation now. Haymitch was nothing but stubborn and once he had accepted the news that she was indeed pregnant with his child, he had tried to get better. There had been setbacks, of course, Haymitch had never wished to have children and Effie had been very sure that after her stay in the Capitol cells she would never be able to carry one so it had come as quite the surprise to learn she was with child. It had required adjustments on both parts but she was thrilled and Haymitch was slowly starting to get excited about the prospect even though he still acted very warily with her baby bump.

She simply hoped the latest doctor appointment hadn't destroyed the last few weeks of slowly getting used to the idea of having a baby. Haymitch had been uncharacteristically quiet since the ultrasound and the news of the baby's gender: no mocking remarks, no jokes, no comment of any sort… That was most unlike him.

She waited until the water was hot and the tea brewed before she addressed the proverbial elephant in the room. "We should start thinking about names… I have several books on the subject, choosing the right one is of the utmost importance. Of course, I suppose it would be traditional to name him after you or one of our relatives…"

"No." It was sharp and definitive but it told her more than a long speech.

Effie poured him some tea even though he didn't ask for it and placed the mug in front of him after taking a seat. It only took a second before he grabbed the mug. It might not have been whiskey but the act of holding something full of liquid was still comforting to him for some reason. She didn't think he was aware of it.

"You aren't happy with the ultrasound result." She decided there was no point beating around the bush. "Would you rather we were having a girl?"

She honestly didn't care one way or the other, she already loved the child and she would have loved him if he had two heads or six arms. She was actually quite relieved not to be expecting a girl… Girls in the Capitol were little more than dolls paraded around in pretty dresses and expected to be just as quiet as their porcelain counterparts. Effie had excelled in the exercise but that didn't mean she didn't feel a pang of regret each time she saw little girls running freely alongside boys, getting dirty, laughing and having fun. District Twelve was very different that way. She wasn't sure she would have known how to combine her own experience with the freedom she would have loved for her daughter to have.

Haymitch shrugged but didn't offer any explanation.

"I'm sure you two will have the most amazing times." Effie tried to cheer him up. "You can teach him to climb trees or…" She stopped and frowned. "No… No, forget this, you aren't teaching my son to climb trees or do anything remotely dangerous. Nevertheless, I am quite sure you will find a lot of ways to bond with him. You will do just fine."

"I will suck." He rolled his eyes. "We're too screwed up to hope for better, nothing new there. That's not the problem."

She bristled a bit faced with his persistent pessimism, that was a recurrent concern of his but it wasn't the crux of the matter so she put it aside for now. "What is, then? What is bothering you?" She took a sip of her tea, watching him turn his mug one way and then the other. She waited for a few minutes but he wasn't forthcoming with an answer. "Haymitch…" She was reluctant to insist. Haymitch was easy to antagonize and the best way to address an issue was often to pretend letting go of it and find another way to make him talk. "Please, tell me what is bothering you."

He didn't storm out yelling which she counted as a small victory of sort. She was careful not to reach for his hand or to do anything that would make him think she was seeing this as a proof of weakness on his part. She even held her breath.

It took several more minutes before Haymitch finally started to drink his own tea. "My brother was ten years younger than me. When I think back all I can remember is a baby trotting after me." He snorted. "He was falling on his ass more often than not."

Effie hid behind the rim of her mug, a bit taken aback. He never talked about his family, never. What little she knew about them was the result of drunken mumblings and discreet enquiries on her part.

"And… You are afraid our child will remind you of him?" she asked tentatively. He didn't answer, only glared at his tea like he was wondering why he had told her in the first place. "Perhaps, it isn't a bad thing, Haymitch." she insisted despite her better judgment. "Perhaps, it is time to… let go of your grief and remember him with something other than pain."

He stood up so quickly the chair clattered on the floor. He picked it up but he wouldn't look at her, he started rummaging around the kitchen, banging cupboards open and closed in a quest for a liquor he wouldn't find. When it dawned on him what he was doing, he started preparing the geese's food angrily.

"I apologize." Effie offered softly. She approached him cautiously – she wasn't afraid of him but she didn't want him to leave the house in a rampage rage that would only take him to the Hobb to get hammered and forced her to pick up the pieces afterwards. "I didn't mean to upset you but at some point… We have to mourn and grieve and let go of our past or we will never be able to build a future. It doesn't mean you should forget just that… Perhaps you should forgive yourself. You didn't cause their death. It wasn't your fault."

He was gritting his teeth but that didn't matter. She could hear what he was thinking as clearly as if he was shouting it. It was his defense mechanism, his only way to cope with the guilt : it was the Capitol's fault henceforth hers. He was only reluctant to accuse her because she was carrying his son and the doctor had warned them against upsetting shocks of any sort.

"I couldn't protect my family." he hissed. She grabbed his hand before the geese would have nothing to eat but miniature crumbs – he was making a real mess. He finally looked at her then and it was almost pleading. "How am I supposed to protect this kid?"

"We will do our best and we will make sure he always comes first." She placed his hand on her stomach. "He's not your brother. He won't be your brother. No one will hurt him or threaten him. He will grow up free." She believed it. She had to or nothing made any sense, all those deaths, those hardships… She had to believe in a chance for a future. "And you won't be the only one responsible for his safety, Haymitch. I think I could commit murder if anyone threatened him…" She intertwined their fingers, directing his hand on the spot where the baby was moving. "It is part of the maternal instinct to protect one's child."

Haymitch noticeably relaxed. "I can teach him how to chat girls up… When he's older." It was hesitant but a smirk was playing on his lips and that was enough for Effie.

"You could." she grinned. "If you knew how."

He rolled his eyes and kissed her silent. "How's that for chatting up?"

"Bad. I'm pretty sure "chatting up" requires actual "chat"." she snorted.

"You are a very annoying person." he told her but he still kissed her again.

Effie was happy to let him.