Epilogue.

2 Years Later…

The woman emerged from a world of white.

The layers of taffeta were so heavy she had feared getting lost in there for a second. Hands at her back immediately fastened the small hidden zipper the moment she had the dress on correctly but she didn't need to glance at Katniss' reflection in the mirror to know what the girl was thinking. She only had to take a look at herself in the narrow glass pane mounted on Haymitch's old wardrobe.

"I look like a cake." she proclaimed.

Katniss snorted but didn't rush to contradict her. "I mean… It's not as bad as it could have been?"

She had to admit it wasn't. When her mother had proclaimed, immediately upon arrival, that she had brought a proper wedding dress with her because she was certain Effie wouldn't have been able to find something suitable in Twelve… She had been really scared it would be something she would hate on sight.

She had never truly gone back to wearing outrageous fashionable dresses. She liked her clothes simple nowadays, classy but simple. And this wedding dresses with its numerous layers and fake fabric flowers was anything but simple.

Her blue eyes traveled to the dress she had originally planned on wearing. It was hanging on the bathroom door… She had taken it out of its hiding place the moment Haymitch had left the house to go get ready at the children's…

"I think… I think I want to wear mine." she said, wrinkling her nose. The moment she said it, the decision cemented in her brain. It had been a long time since she had needed Doctor Aurelius' reminder that she needed to assert herself but she had no doubt that, if she were to send Katniss to fetch him in the small crowd of guests gathered in the backyard, he would tell her just that. This was her day and she should be able to wear the dress she wanted.

She had designed and sewed it herself from scratch and she was very proud of it. Haymitch kept telling her she should start a dressmaking business but she wasn't sure. She had started seriously sketching clothes again a while back but actually making them was more recent and they didn't always turn out good. Besides, she felt like it would have been clinging to a dream of her old self… She had enough money that she didn't need to worry about work and… She liked doing it for her own enjoyment.

"Won't your mom mind?" the girl asked curiously, already unzipping the offending wedding dress that must have cost a fortune. Effie felt a tinge of guilt at that thought but she hadn't asked for it and she knew a bribe when she saw one.

"She's the one picking fights everywhere." she dismissed, trying her best to ignore the old sensation of dread stirring in her stomach. Her mother and her sister had wanted to be there when she got dressed but she had insisted she would be alright with only Katniss to help, that she didn't want to make a big fuss out of it… Even Johanna and Annie, who were her bridesmaids, were waiting downstairs… Although she supposed the fact she hadn't asked Lyssa had also been a source of tension…

Her relationship with her family had strained over the years. Maybe it was Effie's fault for not conforming to the idea they had of her, maybe it was their fault for trying to make her fit back in a spot she had outgrown.

After Haymitch had been forced to leave for Twelve with Katniss, after they had – painfully and reluctantly – came to the agreement she would stay behind in the city until Peeta was well enough to join them… Her family had been very present at that time and she was grateful because if she hadn't been able to call her father when the government had come knocking to seize her apartment and her assets now that Haymitch was gone, she would have probably lost everything. As it was Leo had performed miracles and he had won a trial that had unfortunately pushed her back under the spotlight.

Those weeks had been difficult but good for her ultimately. It had forced her to stand on her own two feet, without anyone there to catch her or make decisions for her however well-intentioned… It had been good.

What hadn't been good had been Elindra's horror at the perspective of her eventually leaving the city for Twelve – she had apparently been under the misconception that she and Haymitch would either stay in the Capitol or move to Four as was planned, Twelve hadn't been part of the deal. Her mother had tried to turn her against Haymitch, swearing high and low that all the sordid anecdotes she had suddenly chosen to impart were true, throwing old boyfriends and girlfriends at her, throwing tantrums and lecturing her at all times of day…

"Why did they bring the lawyer?" the girl asked curiously, carefully laying the expensive dress on the bed before picking up the one hanging from the door. It was a soft shimmering gold instead of white.

Effie hadn't wanted to marry in white.

White was too…

White reminded her too much of the world she had been born to, of the fog, of hospital rooms…

"I invited him." she admitted. Leo had been very helpful when she had been in the city and he was a nice enough man. Besides, she was quite certain from her monthly calls to Lyssa that he was either courting her or already dating her although their parents didn't seem aware yet… "He's a friend."

Katniss scoffed even as she handed the dress. "You've got so many friends I'm surprised Haymitch didn't throw a fit."

Effie pursed her lips as she slipped the dress over her head, doing the zipper hiding on her side herself. "Only close friends. And there isn't so many people… Is there?"

She asked the last part uncertainly. She had promised Haymitch long ago the wedding would be small but it was a long time in coming and she had made friends in the District… The children were there, of course, Annie, Johanna and little Finn, Greasy Sae and her granddaughter who, as promised, was the flower girl, her parents, her sister and Leo, a couple of people she had befriended in Twelve, Plutarch, Doctor Brown and Doctor Aurelius because they had both been treating her for so long as this point they were important to her…

"No." The girl shook her head. "I'm just teasing. But when Peeta and I get married, it's only gonna be you, Haymitch, the two of us and a fireplace. I thought Haymitch'd be the same."

She resisted the urge to ask when exactly the children would get married. At this point, they had been engaged a long time… Although… So had she and Haymitch. She wasn't sure why they hadn't done it before…

It had never seemed a priority.

After she had brought Peeta back… It had taken a long time to find a new routine in that devastated District. It had taken a long time for the children to reel back. It had taken a long time for Effie to feel at ease, to make new friends, to find a way to keep herself busy, for her and Haymitch to find a new balance…

And, of course, it had taken a while to redo the entire house so she wouldn't have to deal with that perpetual itch at the back of her mind. His house had been too familiar, as rundown as it used to be, and so they had made it a project of theirs. While the whole District was rebuilding, they had rebuilt his house, changed every room, coats of paint and new furniture… They had turned it into a real home, complete with a gaggle of geese, two stray cats she regularly fed even though they would never come inside and the recent acquisition of an adorable ball of fluff. She hadn't been sure about the puppy but Haymitch had looked so desperate to take him in…

"You look beautiful, Effie." Katniss breathed out.

She blinked away those recollection that threatened to bring tears to her eyes and took a good look at her reflection. Her make-up was simple but tasteful, the dress fitted like a glove… It was knee-length but the bottom would bounce with every step and while the bustier was simple the back was made of intricate lace that had given her all the troubles in the world to sew. Some of the scars poked out but they didn't really bother her anymore, not when Katniss didn't mind hers.

"So do you, darling." she replied with a smile because it was the truth. Katniss was wearing green. All her bridesmaids were wearing complementary shades of green. "Would you do my hair, please?"

Her hair, as usual, was a mess of curls that Katniss did her best to tame into a complicated braided hairdo.

"Is it the best day of your life yet?" Katniss teased while she worked.

Neither of them really thought the actual wedding was important. Effie would have probably been happy to never go through with it in the end but her mother was relentless with the nagging every time they talked because living together without being married was apparently not very proper and Haymitch had actually genuinely seemed to like the idea of officially tying the knot so they had set a date. Effie had enjoyed planning a party and getting all the people she loved together but… She already felt like she was married, that was the thing. They had toasted bread over her oven the night before Haymitch took Katniss to Twelve… It wasn't binding but to them it meant everything.

Everything had seemed so bleak then… Katniss had still been mostly unresponsive, Peeta's recovery was stalling, the prospect of separating for who knew how long…

Submerged with a wave of affection for that girl who had come so far, she met her grey eyes in the mirror, her lips stretching in a soft smile. "I love you."

The children had long gotten used to her random declarations of love. Katniss didn't even bat an eyelash. "I love you too. And you're ready." They both took a minute to check and admire her hair, then Katniss grabbed her hand, her expression turning serious. "How's your head? Any headache?"

She frowned a little, more amused than anything. "Haymitch made you promise to check on me, didn't he?"

The girl snorted. "Guilty as charged."

She shook her head but the smile didn't vanish from her lips. "No migraine. No itch. I've taken my pills, I'm fine."

She wasn't always.

There were days when, despite the treatment, she couldn't leave her bed because the migraine was too strong, days when a small thing would trigger the itch or, rarer now, the fog. Episodes had fortunately been few and far in between for the last two years, though. Twelve was a world away from anything she had ever known… And yet the impact on her life was tangible. She couldn't always do everything she wanted, she couldn't always keep up with the children or even Haymitch, and it was frustrating.

It could have been worse but it was frustrating.

Doctor Brown never stopped trying to improve her treatment though.

Katniss studied her attentively, looking for the lie because Effie wasn't always honest about her health, and eventually nodded, apparently satisfied. "Let's go, then. If you're still sure you want to marry that old grump, I mean."

There was no bite in the words, only affection, and Effie was certain that if she had tried to run away Katniss would have tied her up and dragged her back kicking and screaming. She might tease Haymitch a lot but she loved him like a father.

She let Katniss lead the way out of the bedroom and down the stairs.

Annie and Johanna were waiting at the bottom.

Johanna, not surprisingly, looked impatient. "Finally! They're fucking ready for you but please take your time, Trinket!"

Annie handed her and Katniss a bunch of wild flowers tied up with a ribbon each and kissed Effie's cheek. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you." Effie grinned.

"Right, ignore me, then." Johanna grumbled.

Katniss elbowed her – not quite gently. "Let's do this. Let's get Effie married."

They were having the ceremony in the backyard – to her mother's utter disapproval and horror – so they had to go through the kitchen… Her father was waiting there, hands clasped behind his back, looking a little bewildered as Greasy Sae's granddaughter Maggie talked a mile a minute… If he was disappointed – or even aware – that she wasn't wearing the dress her mother had picked for her, it didn't show.

Tadius smiled at her and offered her his arm. "Are you ready, darling?"

She nodded so Katniss, who was apparently in charge of coordinating everything – a frightening thing in itself – nodded to someone outside and music started flowing… Maggie did a splendid job of tossing flower petals everywhere, even on the porch, then Katniss walked out first, trying for the slow pace that matched the music…

"You know, if he was not from Twelve and had very poor manners… I would actually approve of this one." Tadius declared, as Annie followed Katniss out. Johanna lifted her eyebrow at that comment, then rolled her eyes and followed after the others.

"I love him." Effie answered firmly, fairly sure her father was just teasing. He and Haymitch got along, she would even say they were friends. They exchanged rare books Effie would never have been able to read because she hadn't improved much on that front, argued about politics while insisting they weren't fighting even when they called each other an idiot, they played chess every time Tadius used the excuse of a business trip to pop over for a surprise visit…

"I love you." her father retorted a bit awkwardly, after clearing his throat. "And no one will ever be good enough for you. But he does come close. I promise he will still be my favorite son-in-law when Leo finally finds the courage to propose to your sister."

"What a shiny stamp of approval…" she deadpanned, flashing him a grin. "Shall we?"

"We shall." Tadius humored her, leading her outside.

Effie didn't see any of it.

The fairy lights woven in the trees and hanging overhead, the flowers, the ribbons that turned the backyard into a magical place… The two rows of chairs, the faces of the people who were all staring at her with smiles and murmurs of how pretty she looked…

She didn't even see Katniss, Johanna and Annie waiting for her next to Twelve's mayor or Peeta who was grinning like a fool on Haymitch's left.

All she saw was Haymitch.

His grey eyes met hers and never wandered away.

Everything else vanished.

And with every step that took her closer to him, she forced herself to remember something good about them, like the time they had danced at the Harvest festival even though she didn't remember how to dance at all and it had looked very ridiculous… Like the time they hadn't talked to each other for three days because of a stupid fight but had eventually resolved the issue by falling into bed and not leaving the bedroom much for three additional days… Like the time he had kissed her in the snow by pulling on her scarf or the time he had whispered he loved her in her ear…

Haymitch had promised her a lifetime of new memories and he had delivered.

But she was greedy…

She wanted more.

She never wanted to stop making new memories with him.

The End

And it's over! Thank you for coming on this wild ride with me. This fic will forever be special to me because I carried it for a long time and really tried to push the concept as far as I could even through the writing so... I hope you liked it! Thanks for reading! See you soon!