Soli Deo gloria

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the Hunger Games.

Effie decided to ignore Haymitch and turned to the two Mellark children. Smiling a pleasant smile, she bent down =and said, "Now, what would you like to do before dinner?" Haymitch groaned and leaned back in his chair and Effie ignored him, still smiling at Lily.

Lily looked thoughtful for a moment before shrugging and saying, "I dunno."

"You don't know, Lily dear," said Effie. She had a sort of habit of always speaking with proper words and such and had put it upon herself to make sure that her little godchildren didn't say words like 'dunno' or 'gonna' or anything of that sort.

"I don't know that?" said Lily innocently, cocking her head to the side in puzzlement. Benjy looked up at his older sister and then to Effie with wide eyes, almost looking like he himself wanted an explanation, too.

Effie blinked and said slowly, "You have to say 'I don't know,' not 'I dunno.'"

"Why?" asked Lily.

"Because it's the proper way to speak," said Effie matter-of-factly.

Haymitch let out a groan and said, "For Pete's sake, princess, let the kid talk the way she wants to!"

Effie turned her head and frowned at Haymitch. "If we let everyone talk the way they want to, these poor dears would have learned every curse word in the world from you, Haymitch Abernathy."

"They'll learn them at one point," Haymitch pointed out.

"But not at these ages," said Effie, and she turned as if she had settled the matter. She cleared her throat and clasping her hands, said in a gentle voice, "Now, Lily, are sure that there isn't anything at all you would like to do?"

Lily looked at Effie for a moment before straightening excitedly and saying, "Can we go play in the creek?"

It took Effie a moment to realize that the creek that the little girl was talking about was beyond the place where the fence had once been, out in the woods. Effie had only been in the woods a couple of times, and she did not like going and getting dirty nor going in with just Haymitch to help with the two children.

"Let's not do that today, Lily. Is there anything we can do around the house?" Effie asked.

"We can bake something. I really like baking. Daddy and I baked cookies for after supper," said Lily with a smile.

Effie let out a bit of a nervous laugh before saying, "I-I'm not too good at baking."

"I can teach you," Lily volunteered.

"Don't even try, kid," said Haymitch, "she's unteachable. She'll burn everything."

Effie threw Haymitch a look and Lily said, "Then how do you two eat?"

"With incredible difficulty," said Haymitch.

"Haymitch!" said Effie. She did not like being criticized, especially in front of her little godchildren. She looked around the small living room hurriedly and found a green pillow that went with the sofa on the floor. She quickly picked it up with two fingers and tossed it at Haymitch, who flicked it away.

"That all you got, princess?"

Lily giggled as Effie, smiling, said, "Not at all."

At that, Benjy let out a gurgle and Lily immediately wrinkled her nose. "He smells now," she said.

Effie blinked and said, "Excuse me?"

"You have to change him," and Lily wrapped her small hands around her little brother and prepared to lift him and place him on Effie's lap. Effie, not trusting the six-year-old, quickly scooped him up and held him on her lap.

"What did you mean by that?" Effie asked nervously.

"Oh, for Pete's sake, princess," groaned Haymitch, sitting up. He moped his face with one of his hands before muttering, "You need to change the kid's diaper."

Lily giggled and Effie threw Haymitch a look. She wasn't sure how to go about doing such a thing; she had never spent much time with little babies (children 12 through 18, mostly, of course), and every time she had attended a party in the Capitol with friends who had little children, they always took care of the little children in another room or had the Avoxes take care of them. Now, with no other mothers or Avoxes around, Effie wasn't sure what to do.

"How—Haymitch, would you be a dear and do it? It is a boy, after all," said Effie quickly.

Haymitch wrinkled his nose, "I'm not taking care of the kid. Remember, it was your idea to come over here, princess. It's your job to take care of the kids, not mine."

"Haymitch!" Effie shrieked, making Benjy look like he wanted to cry.

"Yes?" said Haymitch in a gruff fake sing-songy voice.

Effie looked at him and huffed before saying, "Never mind!" She sighed and looked down at the baby. He was sitting upright and sucking his thumb, not knowing exactly how much trouble he was causing for her.

Lily reached over and grabbed Effie's sleeve and pulled it to get her attention. "I can help you," she said with a smile, "I've watched Mom do it sometimes."

Well, relying on a six-year-old was not all that helpful, but it was the best Effie had to work with. "All right," she said in a defeated voice, "where do we go to take care of it?"

"The nursery," said Lily matter-of-factly, leaping to her feet. She quickly ran around the couch, under the kitchen table which was set with plates, cups, and silverware and napkins (bless Peeta) and ran up the stairs, two at a time.

Effie sighed and managed to get to her feet. Not knowing how to hold him exactly, she held the baby at her hip lightly so that he was not clutching her. Turning to face Haymitch, she patted her wig back into place and said, "We'll be a minute."

To her annoyance, Haymitch merely nodded and giving them a wave, said, "Have fun, princess."

With a huff, Effie turned away and as she walked around the sofa, "Why do I put up with you?"

"Dunno," she heard Haymitch say as she rounded the kitchen table.

Effie groaned and carefully went up the steps, making sure that she didn't trip. She had a baby in her hands and her wig was already threatening to slip at any moment. At the last couple of steps, Lily popped her head around a corner and said, "You comin'?"

"I'm right here, Lily dear," said Effie with a quick smile as she came to the hall.

"Well, hurry up," said Lily, "I found a puzzle in my room we can build later."

"You found a puzzle already?" said Effie, surprised that the girl was able to locate something by the time it took her to get up to the second floor.

Lily cocked her head and gave Effie a curt nod. "I'm fast."

"I can tell," said Effie as the little girl whipped back into the nursery. Effie stepped into the room and looked around. It was not the first time she had been in here; she had often come up to fetch Benjy when she and Haymitch came over for dinner. There was a blue crib that was like a small bed with high walls. Under it was a tiny cradle. The walls were baby blue with orange suns and green trees. There was a little table set up as the changing table and there was a little dresser all painted with birds and leaves, like the woods.

Effie headed over to the changing table. She gently placed Benjy onto the table while Lily watched from a footstool near one of the open windows. Effie backed away a foot and put a finger to her lips in thought. What to do now, exactly. . .

"Need some help?" Lily asked, her little legs swinging from the footstool.

"Maybe, but I'm sure that I'll figure it out," said Effie quietly, tipping her head. To her amusement, Benjy, still sucking his thumb, tipped his head as well, his big grey eyes looking back at her.

A minute passed and Lily said, "Mom's usually done by now."

"Your mother has had a lot of experience in taking care of little children, Lily," said Effie quickly, "I'll still an amateur."

"You don't play with many kids besides us, huh, Aunty Effie?" said Lily.

"Not many," Effie admitted. While most kids were adorable, she usually stayed away from them. She enjoyed playing with her godchildren, though, because Lily was very polite and Benjy was a baby with Katniss usually around to take care of him. She wished Katniss was here now, though. She wasn't sure what to do.

"Want me to do it?" said Lily with a bit of annoyance in her voice, making her sound like she could but didn't want to.

Effie sighed and said, "I would be pleased if you did, dearest."

Lily sighed and skipped off her stool and gently pushed Effie out of the way. Effie coolly stood back and let Lily, who was very experienced in being an older sister, set her brother back up. "I didn't know you could do that," breathed Effie as Lily slipped Benjy's white pants back on. Lily smiled as she lifted Benjy off the changing table and placed him on his small hip. "You're only six!"

"It's not that hard," said Lily matter-of-factly, "I'm good at taking care of babies; Mommy said so."

"I think she was quite right," said Effie, bending to meet the little girl's eyes.

Lily smiled back and then looking back to Benjy, her smile faded and she said curtly, "He's hungry."

Effie wasn't prepared for this turn of events.

"How—how do you know that?" she asked, looking at the baby, who was staring back at her with those piercing grey eyes.

"He's eating his thumb," said Lily, "he usually just sucks it, but when he's hungry, he tries to eat it, and oh"—he began to whimper and turned back to Lily, letting out small cries—"that's a sign he's hungry, too. Usually he tries to eat his fist; he's been switching it around a little lately."

"Oh, all right," Effie said, a little concerned and a little confused. She had never been hands-on like this before, and she felt a little foolish that Lily knew so much while she knew so little. Katniss had told her that there was bottles ready for him. She decided that it was right about time for dinner for herself and Lily and Haymitch anyways.

"Let's take him downstairs and get him a bottle," said Effie, and she bent down so that Lily could give her him to take down the stairs.

"Is it dinnertime yet?" Lily wanted to know as Effie straightened and gently put Benjy on her hip. "I'm hungry."

"Yes," Effie said, fluffing her wig, "yes, I believe so."

Lily grinned brightly and said, "YEAH!" and she zoomed out of the room.

Effie called as she came to the door, "No running, Lily dear!"

She stepped out into the hall in time to hear Haymitch yell, "Let the kid run, princess!"

Effie sighed. Despite her not knowing much about dealing with children, she was sure that Haymitch probably had less experience than she did to let kids run around wherever they wanted to.

She hurried down the stairs, jostling Benjy, making him whimper more. She emerged in the kitchen and looked around. Her mouth dropped open when she saw that Lily was fitting on small oven mitts, looking at ease and eying the oven.

"Lily, don't do that! You'll burn yourself for sure!" said Effie hurriedly, walking in her stilted steps toward the girl.

Lily pouted and shoved the mitts off, saying, "Daddy lets me take stuff out." She continued looking annoyed with Effie as she walked over to the green sofa.

"You could easily get burned!" said Effie.

Lily ignored her and leaning over the sofa, tipped her head to the side and said, "Hey, Uncy Haymitch, can't I take stuff out of the oven?"

"Your father let you do that?" Haymitch asked through closed eyes.

Lily nodded and noticing that he couldn't see her, said, "Yeah."

"Be my guest," said Haymitch.

"Haymitch!" said Effie as she crossed over to the kitchen table. She scanned over the table and noticed a little chair that looked different than the others. She had seen Katniss and Peeta sit Benjy and Lily in there (well, at least Lily when she was smaller), so she decided to put the baby there. She carefully set him in, saying over her shoulder, "Do not encourage her! I will not let one of my godchildren get burned!"

Haymitch humphed and said, "Well, then how the hell are we supposed to eat if the food's stuck in the oven?"

"Haymitch! THE CURSING!" Effie said in a warning voice. She sighed and composing herself, said, "Would you fetch it please?"

"No," said Haymitch.

"Haymitch, please, I'm getting Benjy's bottle," said Effie, heading into the kitchen area where there were three bottles lined up.

Lily wrinkled her nose and said, "He likes it when you hold him when you feed him."

"I can't at the moment, Lily," said Effie. She looked over the bottles carefully. Was there a particular one that she had to choose or could she just choose a random one and he would be fine?

"Don't forget to heat it," said Lily.

"What?" said Effie. Back in the Capitol, they had formula, none of this goat's milk. She didn't know that she had to heat it up and she didn't know how to heat it up. "How?"

"Let me do it," said Lily, "or will I burn myself?"

Effie sighed and said, "Well, if you must."

Lily smiled and started to put together a bottle.

Effie sighed and looked around. There was a pitcher of water ready to be poured into the glasses on the table. She walked over to the floating island and grasped the handle on the pitcher and went over to the table. Benjy let out a cry as she began to pour the water.

"Haymitch, can you please get the food out of the oven?" she said, looking over to the easy chair where Haymitch was slouching.

To her surprise, he sat up, groaning, and got out of the easy chair. He went and grabbed a pair of oven mitts that Peeta had left out, fished into the oven and pulled out a casserole. "Happy now, princess?" he said gruffly as he carried it over to the table and set it on a pot holder.

"Yes," said Effie with a smile.

Haymitch grunted and slid into the chair that was at the head of the table.

Lily raised her eyebrows and giggled at the two as she set a plate of sliced bread on the table with one hand and handed the bottle she had heated that was in her other hand to Effie.

"Thank you, Lily," Effie said warmly, and she gently sat down in her chair at the foot of the table.

"'Thank you, Haymitch,'" muttered Haymitch.

Effie gave Haymitch a look as Lily clasped her little hands together. She nodded for Effie to do the same, who nodded for Haymitch to do it also.

"Dear God, thank you for this food, amen," said Lily. Smiling, she unclasped her hands and said, "I say that every night."

"Very nice," said Effie warmly. She turned to Haymitch and said, "Help Lily, Haymitch."

Haymitch wrinkled his nose but obliged by taking the mitt he had left on the table and lifting the casserole dish covering. It was a dish with rabbit and grain and spinach.

"I don't like spinach," said Lily, wrinkling her nose.

"I don't really care. Just eat it," said Haymitch, spooning some onto her plate.

Effie raised an eyebrow and offered the bottle to Benjy. He looked at it and made a grab for it. She let him have it and he sank back in his little chair, drinking from the top.

"Do I have to hold it for him?" Effie wanted to know, looking a bit worried that she was handling the feeding part of the babysitting wrong.

"Naw, he can hold it by himself," said Lily as she began to cut up her meat.

They ate in silence for a moment before Haymitch said quietly, "Can you pass the jam?"

Effie did a quick survey of the table and sitting back down, said, "There's no jam on the table, Haymitch."

At this, Haymitch groaned, and standing up, he moved past the table to the cupboards, muttering something about "why the hell do the kids not have any jam on the table. . ."

Effie merely smiled and let the language slip for this one time.

It is physically possible for young children to change a diaper. I hope you liked it, and please, let me know your thoughts!