Prompt: could you write something where after the war effie is trying to make it work in the capitol and a rumour gets back to her that haymitch might be dating someone in 12? whether its true or not :)

This is going to be my last update on HADS for a couple of weeks due to me moving house. I hope I can start publishing promps back around the 18th so keep tuned!

The Parents Trap

Effie's apartment was a matchbox and entirely too expensive for what it was. Two rooms, a tiny bathroom, peeling brown paint on the wall…

As she sat on the rickety stool next to the counter that separated the living-room from the kitchen – if a tattered couch and an antique TV made a living-room, that was – she wondered how she had fallen so low. She toed off her shoes and lit a cigarette, not sure if she was disappointed or relieved not to have gotten the job she had just been interviewed for. Working as a secretary for a model agency had never been her dream.

Come to think of it, living in a pitiful apartment had never been her dream either.

The phone rang and she hesitated for a second, not sure she wanted to answer it. Sometimes, people found out her number and called to insult her. It was better than the threat letters that kept being forwarded to her. She could hang up on a call but she never managed to stop reading once she had started one of those letters.

It might be Peeta though and so she reached out and picked up the old phone bolted to the wall, stretching the cord as far as it would go. She missed the time she had state of the art technology and could walk around while talking.

"Effie Trinket speaking." she greeted, making sure to put the required cheer in her voice.

She took a drag of her cigarette immediately after. Her eyes roamed around and finally spotted her ashtray on the coffee table. She reached for one of the empty takeout containers that accumulated on the counter instead and flicked her ash in there.

"You found a job yet?"

Effie smiled, the tension leaving her shoulders at the sound of Johanna's voice. "Not yet, no."

"Good. So you've got no reason not to get the hell out of this fucking city." Seven's victor argued, as if they were taking up an interrupted conversation – and they kind of were, she supposed. Effie insisted she had to try and get her footing back in the Capitol, Johanna kept arguing it was the most stupid idea she had ever had.

"How are Annie and Finn?" she asked. She knew she had an open invitation in Four, that if she packed and left today, there would be a room waiting for her at Annie's. It had never tempted her before but, right then, she wasn't sure she would have refused. She was tired. So tired. Her situation seemed hopeless. Nobody wanted to hire the last living escort. Nobody wanted her to be the last living escort. Most people would have gladly seen her dead in a ditch somewhere.

"Great." Jo dismissed impatiently. "You've heard from Twelve lately?"

She frowned. "No. Should I have? Are the children…"

"You need to get your ass over there. Right now." Seven's victor demanded.

The forgotten cigarette was consuming itself between her fingers and she nervously brought it to her lips. "What is wrong, Johanna? You are scaring me! Is one of them ill? Is it Peeta? Did he relapse?"

"It's Haymitch." Jo sighed with clear impatience.

Effie's stomach churned with dread. She had feared hearing those words for years now, ever since his alcoholism had gone completely beyond control. It's Haymitch. She licked her lips and closed her eyes, imagining the worst. "Is he alive?"

There was a pause at the end of the line and she quickly figured out she might have overreacted.

"Sure sounds like it." Johanna snickered. "Look… You still want him or what?"

"I beg your pardon?" she huffed. "You know very well…"

"Yeah, yeah, you'll play the offended denial card another time. This is serious." Jo cut her off. "Simple question, Trinket. Are you just punishing him or have you moved on?"

Wasn't it a question for the ages…

After her rescue, her relationship with Haymitch had been more than rocky and it had taken a turn for the worse at the end of Katniss' trial when he had left for Twelve. She had been angry at what she had perceived to be another abandon and she had lashed out. He had asked her to go with him – out of guilt, she had been sure at the time – and she had kicked him out the door. He had promised she would always be welcomed in Twelve no matter what, that he would wait for her there… She had laughed at him, she had actually laughed.

Not her proudest moment. By far.

Her anger had deflated and she missed him so much it hurt sometimes but months had passed now and she didn't know how to fix things. She talked to the children at least once a week but she never called him. She wouldn't have known what to say. They never were great talkers.

"What is going on?" she asked eventually.

Johanna let out another sigh and there were murmurs on the other side of the line, which made Effie think Annie wasn't far way – or was listening to the conversation and giving her friend instructions.

"So here's the thing… Haymitch got himself another housekeeper." Jo said.

She didn't see what that had to do with her or her complicated relationship with him. "Good for him. He can certainly use the help around the house."

"Thirty. Dark hair. Pretty." Johanna insisted. "Katniss thinks she's doing more than just the dusting."

"Katniss thinks that?" Effie snorted dubiously.

"Yeah, I know." Jo chuckled. "But lover boy got angry at her for telling me… Made me swear I wouldn't tell you."

Effie blinked, ignoring that last part. The cigarette was more ashes than anything by then and she dropped it in the plastic container. "I see." Katniss wasn't the most observant girl and she wouldn't have trusted her to spot an affair but Peeta… Peeta was a different story. "Is it serious?"

"Katniss seems to think the bitch's set on him." Johanna confirmed. "She thinks he may be sweet on her too. My guess is he's probably fucking her but it's Haymitch so he's also probably not that sweet on her yet. You can still make your move."

"Why would I?" she scoffed. "A nice District woman… It is all he ever wanted, isn't it? If he is happy…"

"Oh, please…" Jo sneered. "Take your head out of your ass. Can't claim to be your number one fan but fuck if it's not obvious you fucking love him. And he fucking loves you. You better not let a fucking nobody win just so you can keep pretending you still have a life in that fucking city."

"Johanna…" she hissed. "I have no right to…"

There was a noise in Four, a yelp that was clearly Johanna's and then Annie's unusually stern voice cut her off. "Effie. Go to Twelve and get Haymitch back. Right now."

"Annie…" she sighed.

"No." Four's victor snapped, her voice wavering a little. "Not everyone get second chances. Go to Twelve and get him back."

Before she could answer, the phone was handed back to Jo who didn't seem pleased at all. "Good job, Trinket. Now the nutjob's upset. But what she said."

Seven's victor hung up, leaving Effie to flinch at the loud slamming of the neighbor's front door. Thoughts were swirling in her mind. She could picture her, that woman. She knew Haymitch's type, it was her exact opposite.

She grabbed her packet for a new cigarette but it was empty and she sighed. What wasn't empty in this place?

She was filling her suitcase before she even knew she had made the decision. It was probably sad that everything she wanted to keep could fit in it. The rest… The rest she could leave behind.

It was a long train ride and she changed in the small restroom once they left Eleven behind. She had chosen a short velvety red dress that she was positive he would like. He had always liked her in red. It wasn't as expensive or fancy as what she used to wear, she didn't have the means to afford haute-couture, but it would have to do. She let her hair loose and obsessively checked her make-up in her pocket mirror all the way to Twelve.

It was colder than she had thought it would be and she regretted the lack of jacket but she soldiered on, heading down the road that would take her to the Victors' Village, dragging her pink suitcase behind her. She was struggling a little with her new black heeled boots and she was dismayed to realize they were covered in dust by the time she actually saw the broken fountain at the entrance of the Village.

At that point she hesitated.

Perhaps she would do better to go to the children's first. She would shout surprise in a cheerful tone and babble nonstop until they stopped asking questions. It was rude naturally but probably less rude than showing up on an ex-not-boyfriend's doorstep with the clear intention of getting rid of a possible new girlfriend. It would certainly be subtler. The children would probably invite him to dinner and it would be easier for her to… reconnect.

That was the smart plan and she was a smart person.

Except when Haymitch was concerned, apparently, because she found herself heading straight to his house, cursing him in his mind for always making her do reckless things. The house looked the same as when she had last seen it, perhaps a little more lived-in – and of course there were the monstrous noisy birds Peeta had told her about in length wandering all around the yard.

She eyed them with open mistrust as she dashed from the gate to the front door, ready to use her suitcase as a weapon if the need arose.

It was like Haymitch to choose that sort of unconventional pets: filthy, unapproachable and with a lot of teeth.

One of the geese was lurking near the three steps that led to the door and Effie glared at it as she knocked, more focused on the bird than on the wood. She hadn't really rehearsed that part. She had refused to even think about that part for fear of agonizing on what she would or should say. Now she was pretty sure her first words after almost a whole year of silence would be to condemn his choice of pets – which would certainly lead to a fight.

The door opened and she turned, ready to comment on his atrocious tastes in animals only to gape when she found herself faced with the potential girlfriend. She fitted Johanna's description down to the T. In her thirties, long glossy dark hair, clear eyes that seemed to waver between grey and blue… Beautiful in a simple unsophisticated way Effie could never hope to achieve with her ugly curly hair and plain face. She missed the times she was a fashion icon. She missed the times she had enough money to hide her imperfections beneath layers of make-up and expensive clothes.

"Yes?" the woman said frostily after a moment of silence.

"I would like to see Haymitch." Effie stated. She was surprised to hear her voice sound so assertive, not challenging but commanding. Just like she used to be.

"Who's asking?" The woman didn't look impressed. She eyed her from head to toes dismissively and leaned against the doorframe as if she was at home. It infuriated Effie to no end.

"I do not believe it is any of your business." she hissed, narrowing her eyes at her.

"Haymitch's not home." the woman declared.

"Well, then." she huffed, trying to push her way inside. "I will wait for him in the living-room then."

There was a small struggle as Effie tried to enter the house and the woman tried to keep her out.

"Who do you think you are?" the housekeeper shouted at long last.

"Who do you think you are?" Effie retorted, raising her voice higher, her accent sharpening in her irritation.

"The fuck's going on here?" a familiar voice grumbled from behind the woman. "Can't a guy sleep in peace?"

They immediately stopped struggling. The woman stepped aside, looking contrite. "I'm sorry, Haymitch. I tried to get rid of her but…"

The sentence lingered, the conclusion obvious.

Not that Haymitch seemed to care. He had finally caught sight of her and he looked halfway between stunned and incredulous. He said nothing though, he was frozen on the last step of the stairs, looking ridiculous in sweatpants and a tee-shirt that had holes in them, and Effie nervously smoothed her dress to smooth creases.

"It is well past ten a.m., Haymitch." she pointed out. "You should not be sleeping and you certainly should not be still in your pajamas when you have people over. What would people think, I wonder?"

The sound that escaped him was a chocked chuckle and before she had time to process, he had crossed the distance between them and he was hugging her. She hugged back though. She most definitely hugged back, burying her face in his neck and breathing the familiar smell of him in, completely forgetting the woman who was standing there, confused.

"I missed you." she whispered before he could say anything. "I missed you so much."

"Took your sweet time getting your pretty ass down here, Princess." he snorted.

He pressed a lingering kiss against the side of her neck, the kind that couldn't be mistaken for a friendly gesture of affection. She took her cue from that and captured his mouth, kissing him hard until he parted his lips and let her deepen that kiss just how far as she wanted it.

When they finally stopped, a bit breathless, she was pleased to notice the woman wasn't anywhere in sight. Good.

"You said you would wait for me." she hissed, whacking his shoulder. Hard.

He groaned and rubbed the area she had hit even if she couldn't have hurt him that badly. She pretended to be more confident than she actually was when she let go of him to reach for her suitcase but he simply stepped aside and held the door open for her as if it was completely natural for her to show up on his doorstep unannounced. He nudged the door shut behind her and buried his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants. "I'm here, yeah? Didn't run off into the wild."

She pursed her lips and abandoned her suitcase in the hall to go straight to the living-room, annoyed to realize the woman hadn't actually left. She was moving stuff around in the kitchen, banging pots together.

"Then why do I have to hear from Johanna that you found a new housekeeper?" she snapped, taking pain to keep her voice low. She didn't want the disagreeable woman to intervene. She wasn't eager for that sort of scene.

He blinked and then ran his hand in his – too long, he needed a haircut – hair, his face quickly shifting from annoyed to amused. "You've been here five seconds I'm already confused."

It didn't sound like a bad thing so she folded her arms in front of her chest and pursed her lips in an irritated pout. "You need to let her go. I am here now."

His eyebrows shot up. "Yeah, and I don't exactly see you as the perfect housewife so…"

"I won't do casual again." she warned in a huff. "If you want me to stay, it will be on my terms."

He studied her for a moment and then dropped on an armchair. "Did you sniff too much hairspray again? You're not making an awful lot of sense right now, sweetheart."

She glared at him and barely stopped herself from stomping her heeled boot. "I want us to be exclusive."

It occurred to her he might very well get mad and be within his rights to do so. After all she had showed up there uninvited to make demands when she had been awful the last time she had seen him.

He swallowed hard and nervously reached for an half-empty bottle of something that had been abandoned on the coffee table. "Fine with me." he mumbled before gulping a few mouthfuls down only to repeat, louder. "Fine with me."

That had been easier than she had thought it would be. She relaxed a little and shot an uncertain look toward the kitchen. "Then, go tell her it is over. And be nice. Not too nice, mind you, but... It is never pleasant to be the rebound relationship."

Again, he studied her but this time he ended up smirking. "You think I'm fucking my housekeeper."

The banging grew louder in the kitchen, making her think they weren't being as discreet as they thought they were.

"I know you are." she growled, pointing an accusing finger at his chest. "Katniss told Johanna and Johanna told me."

"Katniss." he repeated with a chuckle. "And you trust Katniss' opinions on relationships, yeah? 'Cause she's an expert and all."

"Peeta confirmed it." she insisted, becoming a little less sure of herself the longer he sat there and clearly fought laughter.

"The boy's been trying to get you down here for ages." he mocked. "Thinks I need you or whatever. Guess he thought jealousy might do the trick." His grey eyes roamed over her, lingering a little on her legs – like always. "You know, sweetheart, if I'd known that's what it'd take I'd have found a woman quicker… It's been a very long year. My hand's been cramping."

There was a final bang from the kitchen and then the woman's voice rose in the house, obviously exasperated. "I'm done for today, Haymitch! I'll be back tomorrow morning bright and early. Wear pants."

He rolled his eyes but quickly shot Effie a guilty look. "She walked on me naked once. Not on purpose." She pursed her lips and he sighed. "She's got a guy in Six. He's doing some rebuilding work so they can save money to buy a house, they wanna get married. Happy?"

She felt her cheeks turn crimson at her own behavior. "I was really rude."

"Just your usual charming harpy self." he taunted. He placed the bottle on the floor and uncertainly outstretched a hand toward her. "I'm glad you're here."

She took his hand with just as much hesitation.

It all felt surreal now.

And stupid.

And…

He tugged and she sat on his lap willingly, melting against his chest with something akin to relief.

"I am glad to be here." she confessed in a whisper even though her voice soon turned teasing. "I am even gladder you do not have a mistress."

"She ain't even my type." he snorted.

"She is your type." she huffed. She would not be placated by lies.

"I'm strictly into blondes lately." he countered, nuzzling her neck. "I said I missed you yet? 'Cause I fucking did."

"Well, then." she sighed "I guess it is a good thing I came."

"Peeta's gonna be unbearable." he chuckled against her skin, not seeming to mind.

Peeta was very smug but Effie barely noticed.

She was too busy being happy for that.