For Celeste (sngsngsnyrslp)
Honor and Duty
Asking the General
Colonel Gale Hawthorne was nervous, really nervous which was something pretty unusual because Gale barely got nervous. But he was about to meet General Undersee, one of the top generals of the Republic of Panem, and also the father of his hopefully wife to be.
So far he'd only met General Undersee three times and Gale thought that he hadn't left a very positive impression. Sure, he had a Distinguished Service Cross and was the youngest colonel in the army, but that didn't really help him when General Undersee wanted his only child to have a normal life. A life with a civilian husband, kids, a nice house with a white picket fence and probably a dog or two. Gale looked down on himself, frowned at his polished boots and straightened his shoulders in his uniform. He knew that asking for permission to marry Madge was the honorable thing to do, but right now he wanted to say "screw honor" and just grab Madge and elope with her. Gale had a healthy dose of respect for General Undersee and he also wasn't ashamed to admit that he was afraid Madge's father would say no. Gale didn't know what to do if the General actually turned him down so he figured he'd cross that bridge later.
A throat was cleared and Gale's head shot up. General Undersee's secretary Effie gave him a slight smile and cheerfully announced, "He's ready to see you now." Gale nodded shortly, took a deep breath and rose from his chair. This was it. The next few minutes would decide his whole future and he desperately hoped that the odds would be in his favor.
He walked into the General's office and came to an abrupt stop when he saw Mrs Undersee sitting in one of the chairs in front of the desk.
"Gale, it's so lovely to see you," Mrs Undersee exclaimed and gave him a warm hug. Gale gave her a charming smile and thanked his lucky stars. Madge's mom had liked him right from the first time Madge had introduced them and he was suddenly feeling a lot more confident about his future with Madge.
He turned to the General and offered his hand, "Sir." One of the most powerful men of the Republic of Panem squeezed his hand a little too tightly and then sat down in his chair. The General mustered Gale and finally decided to speak, "So let's see it, Hawthorne."
Gale frowned, "I'm sorry, Sir?" Mrs Undersee softly tsk'ed at her husband, but kept quiet. "The ring you want to give our Madge. Let me see it before you'll ask your question."
The Colonel almost didn't manage to stop his mouth from falling open, how the hell did the General know? Caught completely off guard, Gale fumbled the ring box out of the pocket of his pants and gave it to Madge's father, "My father gave it to my mother." The General nodded, opened the box and looked at the ring inside. He then passed the box to his wife who gasped in delight, "Oh Gale, it's lovely!"
Gale smiled slighty, relieved that at least Madge's mom liked the ring, "Thank you, ma'am." He rose to his full height, took a deep breath and made eye contact with General Undersee, "Sir, I would – " "Tell me, Colonel, does my daughter know that you've decided to take a desk job?" Gale stiffened. So that was how the General knew! He should have known that the General would do another background check after Gale had asked for this meeting. He knew that Madge worried every time he was away from her so he had asked for a safer job. If he married Madge he wanted to have a more normal life; dying in combat and leaving Madge - maybe even a little Hawthorne or two - behind wasn't an option. "No Sir, I wanted to surprise Madge." "Good. And do you think that you will be satisfied with a mere desk job?" "James", Mrs Undersee chided her husband gently. "Don't be so hard on him."
Gale gave a terse nod of his head, "Sir, Madge and my family are what's most important for me, I'd be willing to sacrifice anything for them. I'm happy as long as Madge is happy."
General Undersee folded his arms in front of him, "Hmmm. I know how much you love your family and that you're an honorable guy, Hawthorne. I don't need to see your medals to be aware of that and I like your answer so ask your question."
Mrs Undersee turned in her seat, gave Gale an encouraging smile and looked at him expectantly. Colonel Gale Hawthorne fixed his gaze on the General, thought of Madge's bright smile and soft kiss this morning and with a confident voice he said, "Sir, I love Madge and I hope you and your wife will give me permission to ask Madge to become my wife."
Mrs Undersee beamed at Gale and after a few seconds which seemed like hours for the young Colonel, General Undersee nodded, "Permission granted. We'll expect you to have Sunday lunch with us at least once a month and we'd love to have at least two grandchildren." Mrs Undersee eagerly nodded while General Undersee winked at Gale who was slightly stunned. He shook hands with Madge's father, stammered a "thank you, Sir" and then hugged Mrs Undersee who introduced herself was "Maribelle". Finally, General Undersee clapped Gale's back, "So, when will you ask our Madge, son?"
A/N: Reviews are much appreciated and Gale's engagement ring for Madge is the image for this story.