A/N: For my fans from other fandoms, I won't desert you. The dynamics of this duo intrigues me, so I couldn't resist playing around with them.

The wonderful Suzanne Collins owns these characters and the world of Panem, not me. If I owned Gale there is no way he would have run off for District 2 without anyone at the end ;-(

Thanks to InceptionErection for giving me the encouragement to publish this.

Madge stared at the bowl of strawberries on the kitchen counter. They meant so much to her that she took one in her hand and studied it as if to etch it in her memory. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Smell was the strongest trigger of memories and triggering memories was something Madge planned on doing a lot of the next week. The scrumptious berries didn't grow in town or in the Seam, but she was certain they grew in other Districts. No matter where she would end up, the smell of strawberries would be a reminder of three important things.

They always gave the sixteen-year-old something to look forward to once a week. It was one thing her father would pause for on his mad dash out of the door. This gave Madge about five minutes of his attention per week. As the Mayor of District 12 and its nearly 9,000 residents, he was too busy to spend time with his daughter. He provided her with everything he deemed necessary for her to live a comfortable life. Her father's desire to shower her with material things only separated her from the others and kept her from the one thing she really wanted. A friend.

The only person she could remotely call a friend delivered the strawberries to her house. She doubted that Katniss Everdeen would call her a friend, but to Madge the time they spent together in silence meant more to her than a hundred sleepovers. The Mayor's daughter learned at a young age that everyone either resented her families' wealth or wanted some type of favor from her father in exchange for their friendship. It led to a lonely upbringing. When she started being paired with Katniss for class projects, the two began to sit together at lunch as well. They didn't speak much and never talked about girly things. The few words spoken usually involved class work, a new rumor or Katniss's sister, Primrose.

Strawberries brought someone else to Madge's door. A crush on the most handsome boy she'd ever seen. Boy? Could Gale Hawthorne be called a boy? He stood over six feet tall when he was barely a teenager. His handsome face caused almost every girl in the District to swoon at his feet. Madge knew if he so much as smiled at her she would melt into a puddle on the ground.

It wasn't just his handsome face that attracted her. It was his strength, loyalty, love for his family and rebellious nature that held her attention. Most of what Madge learned about him she found out by overhearing conversations. Katniss, his best friend, rarely spoke about him except when she referred to things Gale taught her about the forest and hunting.

The clock chimed 1:30pm. Only half-an-hour until the Reaping. She took a deep breath and headed to her mother's darkened chambers upstairs. Madge's mother suffered headaches that incapacitated her for days. To escape the pain she used ample amounts of morphling.

"Mother?" Madge called quietly as she entered the darkened room.

"Margaret?" her mother's weak voice came from her bed in the corner.

"Yes." Madge's heart leapt in her chest. Her mother remembered it was her and not her mother's deceased sister.

Maysilee Donner had been a tribute for District 12 in the 50th Hunger Games. The Districts only living Victor, Haymitch Abernathy, won that year. Everyone who knew Maysilee said that Madge looked exactly like the aunt she never knew. It was a common occurrence for her mother to call her by her aunt's name.

Madge sat on the edge of the bed and put on a dim light. Her mother's golden hair was mostly grey, her face sunken in and coloring nearly white. A stylist would come and make her mother look presentable for the public when she would go out. Around the annual Hunger Games she never left her bed until they were over.

"Mother." She grasped her mother's hand. "I'm here."

Her mother's glazed eyes seemed to recognize her and clear for a moment. Madge smiled and squeezed her mother's hand more tightly.

"You are so beautiful, princess," her mother said softly. "Your pretty dress. Is it a special day?"

"Yes, Mother," she replied with a lump in her throat. Madge reached out to touch her mother's cheek. "Today I will do the most important thing I've ever done in my life."

"Your wedding day," her mother sighed. "I'm sure they'll get me up soon. I can't miss my princess's wedding day now can I?"

A sob threatened to wrack Madge's body. A wedding was something she'd never have. Madge Undersee would never have a date, attend a dance, have a boyfriend or experience her first kiss. Today Madge Undersee was going to bring honor and respect to District 12. For the first time in the history of the Hunger Games, someone from District 12 was going to volunteer.

As Madge said goodbye to her mother, she saw a change come over her face, the clarity in her eyes disappeared.

"Maysilee," her mother said as her hand weakly raised to touch the mockingjay pin on Madge's dress. It has belonged to her aunt and she wore it proudly to honor the sacrifice the Donner family had made in the past and because the mockingjay was something that the Capitol despised because it shouldn't exist. Since Madge was on her way to her death, she saw no reason why she couldn't remind people that the Capitol can't control everything.

"Got to sleep, Audra," Madge said, her voice breaking.

"I love you, my dear sister."

"And I love you," Madge paused, memorizing her mother's face as the older woman fell back to sleep, "Mother."

Madge walked slowly down the hallway and paused outside her bedroom – her refuge. Should she go inside and look at her things for one last time? The teenager quickly dismissed that idea. It might make her late if she looked at her precious books, the only thing besides the pin on her collar that she cared about.

The sky was clear and there was barely a breeze that afternoon as she walked to her fate. Madge's eyes were drinking in all the sights she could. She noted how green the lawns were around the houses in her neighborhood and then how drab the buildings looked in town. Odd how she'd never noted that most of the District looked the same. People in town thought they were so much better than those who lived in the Seam, but their homes and businesses had a similar color and design. A brief smile touched her lips as she imagined the anger she'd stir up in both the Seam and town if she ever pointed that out. The pure hostility in Gale's eyes that morning when Katniss brought the strawberries was only a sampling of the anger she'd face.

As she got closer to the center of town she noted that she was overdressed in her pristine white dress. Her father expected her to wear the closet full of clothing and she usually disappointed him. Madge had started to wear her school uniform all day because she just wanted to fade into the background where she'd been relegated. Today was the first time she dressed as nicely as her father wanted her to. And Gale Hawthorne spoke the first words he ever said to me because of it.

"Good luck, Hawthorne," a young man said in front of her as he headed to the seventeen-year-old section.

Madge hadn't paid attention to who was around her, so she was shocked to see the ramrod straight posture and broad shoulders of her crush not far in front of her. A moment of fear hit her as she realized she'd never see this young man again. Sadness threatened to over power her. Why did his first words have to be so hateful? If only he'd smiled at me once.

She fell in step a bit behind him as he bid farewell to his family, two younger brothers, a little sister and his mother, before he lined up to check in. She saw Katniss and Prim on their way to the table where the girls had to check in. Families stood around the square behind the pens where the children were separated by their ages. Cattle organized for the slaughter.

A strange thought took over Madge's mind as she looked at the man in front of her, clad in a blue shirt with sleeves rolled up showing off powerful forearms. What would it feel like to be held in arms so strong? She'd overheard enough stories from girls at school about how amazing Gale was. Madge wasn't entirely certain what they were talking about, but it made her turn red nonetheless.

Gale paused in the shadows by himself while the boys in front of him waited to give a blood sample and be checked in for Reaping Day. It was almost 2:00pm and she needed to check in, but here was an opportunity for Madge to do something crazy. Something she would never consider in a million years. Taking a deep breath, she stepped up the boy who towered over her by at least a foot and tugged on his shirt.

"What?" he snapped as he turned around. His arms were crossed over his chest and cold steel eyes bore into her. He furrowed his brow when he recognized her. "What do you want?"

"I-I need to… Could you step over here?" Madge motioned to an alcove in the building at the entrance to the plaza. She could see cameras mounted on the top of the giant screens and buildings to catch the faces of the children going to their death this afternoon. I don't need this played in the Capitol.

They stepped aside, annoyance written on Gale's face. "What could you possibly…" he started, but was cut off.

Madge rushed forward, grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked him forward. Her lips crashed into his and before he could respond in any way, she let go and nearly fell backwards. Licking her lips and tasting strange flavors that she would only classify as Gale, she felt her face flame.

"Huh." Gale looked like he had been hit by a train. His eyes were wide, mouth partially open and arms dangling at his side.

"I always wanted you to be my first kiss," she said with a smile. Madge quickly walked around him and nearly ran to the line at the girls' table. There was one thing she could take off her list of things she'd never done. She couldn't help but touch her lips and think of how surprisingly soft and warm, Gale's mouth was. It was always in a scowl when he was on her porch step, so she assumed it would be hard, kind of like kissing a piece of rock. Madge arrived at the table to have her blood sample taken with a broad grin spread over her face.

When she moved toward the area for the sixteen-year-old-girls, she glanced back. Gale was staring at her with a slightly less shocked expression on his face. Knowing that she might trip if she didn't look forward, she flashed him a farewell smile and then turned toward her death. At least he's not scowling.

TBC?

A/N: I know there are many alternate Reaping stories, many that are really good, but this plot bunny took over my brain the last few weeks. Let me know if you think I should continue.

Thanks for reading.