mgowriter's note: Effie and Haymitch are my favorite characters from the books and I love them now even more after watching the movie :] Haymitch is Haymich, but when writing this, I took his physical description more from the movie.

Chapter 1: The First Time Inside His Kitchen

Effie bristles against the cold winter wind as she steps out of the train, and hugs the rich, white fur coat around her tightly. She steps carefully into the antique car that awaits them, along with Cinna and Portia. The prep teams have already gone ahead of them, eager to get to work on Katniss and Peeta, and the camera crews are to follow, after everyone has been assembled.

The ride through town is short, with few things to marvel at along the way, and even fewer now that the streets are more vacant due to the colder weather. When they arrive, the Victor's Village is a welcome sight. Twelve houses are equally spaced around a wide oval that stretches two blocks long. The two nearest houses have warmth and life exuding from them, with brightly decorated exteriors and glowing fireplaces visible through the windows. The third is a shadow of the former, with no lights visible and much sparser decoration. The groundskeeper has made some obvious attempts to cheer the place up, but somehow it doesn't take.

Cinna and Portia are grinning as they part ways to see their victors. It has been six months and there is much to do, much to catch up on before the tour. Effie is left standing in her orange colored spike heels, on a small patch of pavement recently cleared of the ice and snow. She considers following them for a moment, eager to warm up from the cold, but changes her mind and heads for the third house. The schedule states explicitly that everyone must be assembled for the photo shoot at noon. She trusts Cinna and Portia to make Katniss and Peeta presentable, beautiful, and on time, but Haymitch is another matter.

. . .

The door to the third house is slightly ajar, and after three tries at knocking, Effie lets herself in. It's her first time inside Haymitch's house, although she's been assigned to District 12 for the past five years. A ball of nerves suddenly takes hold in her stomach.

She wrinkles her nose against the unpleasant odor that greets her, and steps carefully through the messy debris of the large entryway. In the kitchen, she's immediately greeted by an overpowering smell of alcohol, so much so that it burns her throat. Splattered glass litters the floor, along with puddles that indicate recently spilled liquor. Effie sighs to herself. He must be more drunk than usual. Haymitch would never waste liquor like that.

She clears her throat.

"Haymitch?" she says hopefully. If he threw the bottle, then he might at least be still awake.

She tries again, louder this time. She hears footsteps after a few seconds, coming from upstairs.

"Look," Haymitch starts to speak before he enters the room. "I said I'll be ready, didn't I? That means you don't get to—"

He stops midsentence, as he looks up from the towel he's holding and realizes Effie is standing in front of him.

She gasps involuntarily. Haymitch stands in his bare feet, bare chest and arms, and wet hair that's been carelessly combed through with his fingers. The only thing that he's wearing is a white towel, wrapped around the lower regions of his waist.

His expression turns from irritation to bemusement.

"Well hello, Effie. I didn't expect you so soon."

Effie is speechless for a few more seconds, until she forces herself to take a deep breath.

"Haymitch," she begins with eyes now closed. "You're wearing nothing but a towel. And you're dripping….all over the floor."

Haymitch smiles as he walks toward the kitchen table. "Haven't you heard, Effie? It's the new fashion for winter. That…pumpkin color you're wearing? It's so last fall."

Effie's eyes open instantly. "That's not true. This was designed by Ariel Yvento."

"Who?" Haymitch asks as he rips off a piece of still-warm bread from the loaf on the table.

"Ariel Yvento. She's the most famous designer in the Capitol!"

She catches his grin as he moves to the pot of the stove and pours himself some coffee.

"You're making fun. Of course."

"I'm sorry Effie," he laughs. "I meant no harm."

"Aren't you cold?" Effie asks, watching him swallow the bread in practically one bite and take a swig of the coffee.

"When you're as fit and muscular as I am, you don't even notice the winter."

He pauses a few seconds for effect, before taking a drink out of the closest liquor bottle.

"Just kidding. I've got my own portable heater right here." He takes an even bigger drink before setting the bottle down.

Effie sighs in a mixture of exasperation and disgust. "Just make sure you're ready by noon. Outside. And dressed appropriately!"

She turns to leave, aware of Haymitch's eyes following her. Despite the cold, and the snow that's leaving watermarks on her shoes, Effie allows herself a grin as she first makes her way to Katniss' house. In all the years she has been an escort for District 12, she has never seen Haymitch in such a good mood. Maybe he's finally happy to have a victor, and two at that, after so many years of mentoring. And the comment about staying warm…well he did have an okay build, for someone who spends the majority of his days consuming alcohol. She lets herself picture the strong lines of his arms once more before she forces herself to clear her mind. Whatever's gotten into Haymitch, it can only be a good sign.

Effie is genuinely happy when she sees everyone assembled inside the house, and she clasps her hands for quiet.

"Attention, everyone! We're about to do the first outdoor shot, where the victors greet each other at the beginning of their marvelous trip."

She sees the frown on Katniss' face and turns toward her. "All right, Katniss, big smile, you're very excited, right?"

The camera outside cues for Katniss, and Effie, sensing her reluctance, gives her a healthy push outside the door. It's the official start of the Victory Tour.