Disclaimer: I do not in any way own The Hunger Games trilogy, they all belong to Suzanne Collins. You know what belongs to her. Everything else belongs to me.

This is a story (all about how, my life got flipped, turned upside down. lol jk) I have had in my head and I thought I would start it out. I'll probably alternate between my stories each week. I'll try to update both in one week, but absolutely no promises. I have another story in the making too, but it is a very complicated story that I'm having trouble with. A lot of things need to connect and connect well, so I have to figure all of that out. That might make an appearance soon too. Either way I will move from one story to another in hopes that I don't get writer's block.

This story will alternate POV from Gale to Madge. Though I'm pretty sure there are a few times where chapters of Gale's POV will appear twice, it will mostly alternate. However, I will tell you at the beginning of each chapter.

*Note about the Summary: This is a Gadge story. I didn't add too much in the summary because I don't want to give anything away. Please stick with this story and trust me, you will find out how this story will work soon enough.

I think that is it so enjoy!

Gale POV

Chapter 1

Life wasn't like it was. I used to dream of a place where I didn't have to live in fear of being Reaped. Where I didn't have to worry about starving. Where I didn't have to worry about my family.

A safe place.

In that place I would have a good job. No, not just good, a respectable job. One where I was one of the top. I wouldn't have to answer to anyone. And where I got paid a large amount of money. My family would be set for life. Ma, Rory, Vick, and Posy. Maybe I, too, would have a family of my own.

I would be happy.

Funny how life gives you all of the things that you wanted, and you still weren't happy.

The new government took over and, thanks to Katniss, no more Reapings. People weren't starving, or if they were, the new government was working on helping them get food and shelter. While my family was safe in 12 and set for life.

My job as one of the top generals in the military got me loads of money. There were very few people I had to work under, otherwise I was the boss. My pay check was large enough to split in half, giving fifty percent to Ma and the kids, and still have money to spare.

But, I wasn't happy.

I lost many friends to the war, not all of them deaths. Katniss no longer wanted to speak to me, and I didn't blame her. Rory, too, didn't want to see my face.

That is why I stayed in 2. I didn't particularly want to, but it was the only place that I could truly feel welcome.

12 wasn't home anymore. Not because of the people not wanting me there. There were plenty who still did and asked for me to come back, if not to stay, at least to visit. Ma. Vick. Posy. Thom. Even Greasy Sae asked about me on occasion. But it wasn't that. There were too many memories in a place that wasn't there anymore. I had set foot there once after the bombing to do the filming for the Mockingjay promotions, and I never wanted to return again.

The only thing still from 12 that was in my life was Madge. She had been in the Capitol for a recital when the bombs hit 12. The third body that was found in her house that everyone thought was her was actually her mother's maid.

The Capitol found out about Madge being in the city and took her for information. But she didn't know anything. Madge's father had made sure she was kept out of the Rebellion for as long as he could. He thought sending her to play the piano in the Capitol would keep her and the district safe, by showing that they were still loyal. But his plan didn't work.

Madge was freed when the Rebel forces opened the cells at the Capitol. The President was planning to keep her healthy and try to use her as bait or ransom. However, we had moved too quickly for him to do anything so she was relatively unharmed.

The first time that I bumped into Madge was at the hospital in 2 where she was being examined for anything the Capitol may have put in her or done to her. They found a tracking device injected into her arm and was told to come back multiple times for multiple tests to be sure there was nothing else. I was in to check on a friend who had been shot in the arm during a fight in the northern part of the district.

She noticed me first and before she could approach me she was pressed to the wall by one of my bodyguards. I immediately recognized her and had him set her free. We had become somewhat friends during Katniss' time in the Hunger Games and when I thought she was dead I did feel sad for her loss.

But here she was, alive. We caught up and soon became very close. I had helped her to get a job working in intelligence, but she didn't end up liking the job. Instead she chose a job at a local town in the library, which after a long time of not seeing her, is where I was heading.

To me, she, and the other few friends that I had, was a sort of home.

Ma used to say, "Home is where the heart is. It isn't always a place. Sometimes it's a person, or people, or things."

"What is home to you?" One of us Hawthorne children would ask every time.

"Home is all of my children," she would answer with a loving smile.

It was questionable as to where my heart was, seeing as it felt like I didn't have one anymore. But I knew that where I wasn't the most miserable was with my friends in 2. They always made me feel welcome, alive, and, dare I say, happy. It was the only place that I could laugh without feeling completely burdened or smile without feeling completely guilty.

If that was what having a heart and feeling happy was, then I guess I was in the right place.

I walked into the library and nodded to the batty, old crone of a librarian who always sat at the checkout. Mod forever had a sour face for anyone who wasn't under the age of twelve. Even sweet people like Madge couldn't bring a smile to her face. It was only the children of district 2 who could bring just the smallest of smiles to her lips.

"Remember this is a library, Mr. Hawthorne," she growled as I passed by, ignoring my military title completely.

My response was a tight lipped smile as I walked past. I flew down the aisle, looking for the sight of long blonde hair between each set of bookcases. I finally found her towards the back of the library putting away books from a book truck.

A smile grew on my lips at the sight of her, but I didn't want her knowing that I was there just yet. I walked down the aisle as smoothly as I could, bringing my hunting skills into action. As I got closer I could hear her humming lightly as she put away books.

She went to put away a book that was just out of her reach when I said in a deep voice, "Hey there, beautiful. Need some help?"

I watched as she froze and let out an annoyed sigh before turning towards me with a fake smile on her face. She must have thought it was some random jerk hitting on her. But that fake grin turned into a real one once she recognized who it was.

"Gale!" She gasped in surprise. She dropped the book down on the truck and ran into my chest, throwing her arms around me in the process. "Oh my god! I'm so glad you're safe. I've missed you, when did you get back?"

"Shush!" A loud, gravelly voice came from the side of the library. Old Mod must have followed me, knowing we would get loud.

I decided to ignore her and Madge's stage whispered apology, and hugged the woman in my arms back. It was over a month since I last saw her so she at least deserved a hug.

I breathed in the familiar sent of strawberries. "Hey Madge."

She pulled out of my embrace and smacked me on the arm lightly. "You big jerk. I was worried, not hearing from you once the whole time you were gone. I didn't even know when you would be back."

"Well, we had a lot of work to do and we didn't know how long it would take."

She laughed. "I know. But it would have been nice to hear from you to know you're alive."

"Can't get rid of me that easily," I responded with a wink.

I was rewarded with a scoff and a roll of the eyes. "Your winks don't work on me, mister. Would it hurt to pick up a phone and call, or at least apologize for once?"

"Just thinking about it make me cringe."

"Oh Gale, you're such a child."

Madge laughed at my frown as she went back to the task at hand. She picked up the book she previously had and stood on her tip toes to try to put the book in its place.

I watched her struggle to reach the shelf for a bit before finally saying, "Need some help?"

"No, I can do it myself."

My eyebrow rose, "And I'm the child?"

She huffed, "If I can't reach it, then I can get the step ladder, that's all I'm saying."

"I can get it for you," I offered, grabbing the book from her hand and putting it in the open space of the shelf. "See?"

She gave me a quick smile as a thank you, but then sighed. "I know, but I have other ones on the truck that are much higher that even your six foot four frame can't reach."

"Well, with your five foot eight inches plus my six foot four, we should be able to reach it right?"

She looked at me in confusion before she realized what I was implying. I took a step towards her, but she matched mine with a step back. It only made me grin.

"Come on, Madge." I took another step forward.

"No," she said with a blush, stepping back.

"It's not like you'd have to balance or stand on my shoulders. You'd just sit there." Another step forward.

"No." Another step back.

Before we could repeat our tango I lunged forward and grabbed her around the waist. She squeaked really loudly, which resulted in another shush. Madge clamped her hands over her mouth while I playfully frowned at her.

"You heard the old lady. Now shush."

I placed the blonde woman so that she was facing the bookshelf as I crouched down behind her. Then, I pulled lightly at her hips, encouraging her to sit on one of my shoulders.

"I swear, Hawthorne, if you drop me," she threatened with a whisper as she warily sat down. I had to roll my eyes at that feeble threat.

As soon at her butt hit my shoulder, I stood up. She let out another loud squeak, again resulting in another scolding. But this time she was up and steady on my shoulder, supported by my arm.

"Okay, I'll pass you the books and you tell me where to go."

She huffed lightly, but relented telling me the books on the top shelf of the trolley all needed to go up top. We worked together quickly, talking about my work as well as what she had been up to. We both are better listeners than speakers, except for things we are passionate about, but we'd been friends for so long it wasn't hard to find something to talk about.

A half an hour later, we'd gotten all of the books from the top shelves back up. I slowly kneeled down to let her off of my shoulder and she turned around with a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Gale."

"It wasn't a problem, though I think you owe me a massage now. My shoulder is sore, have you gained weight?"

Her mouth fell open in shock as her cheeks went bright red and she smacked me on the arm. "Gale Hawthorne! How dare you! Didn't your mother ever tell you never to talk about a woman's weight? What would your mother say?"

I laughed, loving to get her all flustered. "I think she'd beat me before she said anything."

"As she should!" She joined in my laughing and then added playfully, "And you better get up, or my husband might get the wrong idea."

"Why might I get the wrong idea?" a voice from the end of the aisle asked in confusion that quickly changed to mock anger. "Hawthorne, you better not be proposing to my wife!"

I turned to see my friend, and occasional bodyguard, Milo Bana with a playful, angry look on his face. He was still in his uniform, so he must have just got back like me.

"Milo!" Madge gasped as she ran into the arms of her husband. "I spoke your name and you're here, like magic," She cooed before she gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Or like the devil," I said sarcastically as I stood up, making Madge laugh and Milo frown.

"Funny Hawthorne," he responded before bringing his full attention to his wife. "And how has my sexy librarian been?"

"Really Milo?" She laughed, blushing prettily. "Kind of tired, but I've been good, just working. Waiting for my handsome men to come back, like usual."

"Hey! Don't put your husband on the same level as another man."

"The truth hurts," I interjected as I approached the couple. Madge pulled out of Milo's arms, with a roll of her eyes, to allow me to give him a quick hug. "Good to see you back man. You were gone for longer than me."

"A month and a half, yeah. I'm so glad to be back. I've missed everyone. Hanging around with all of those Capitol citizens is too much. They're too much."

"Bodyguard for General Powell I'm assuming?"

"Yeah. You know how he loves to be the face of the new government and socialize at all the peace-making parties since you won't take it anymore. Man, it was better being a bodyguard for you. All he wants to do is party and have sex with random Capitol women. Doesn't he realize we guard his room? I do not want to hear-"

"I'll leave you two alone," Madge interrupts. "It looks like you have come catching up to do and I still have a few hours of work. Plus, Mod looks like she is about to pop a blood vessel."

We all turn to see Mod with a huge frown on her face. Her wrinkles only seem to emphasize the intensity of her disapproval. "Out in fifteen minutes or I will call the cops on you for loitering."

"Yes, Ms. Mod," everyone said in harmony as she scuttled back to the front. No one knew her last name, or if she even had one.

"Fifteen minutes, just enough time for a quickie Madge," Milo said and wiggled his eyebrows.

I took that as my cue to exit. "I'll meet you outside."

Heading out, I laughed as Madge went beat red and punched him in the arm. She pushed him jokingly aside so she could wave goodbye to me. However, the blonde only got to two shakes before she was swiftly pulled back into the aisle by Milo's tan arms.

I chuckled at the amusing couple. Madge needed a fun guy like Milo in her life. They were a prefect balance of each other. I was glad they were together, though meeting under odd circumstances. Having two of my best friends under the same roof was convenient as well.

As I approached the front I saw the old crone standing near the phone with her eyes on the clock. She finally noticed me and narrowed her eyes in discontent. Remembering my upbringing, I nodded to Mod, who huffed at me, before I headed outside to wait for Milo.

The cold February air slapped me in the face and I was not a happy camper. Next time, I'll have to be sure to make Mod really infuriated to satisfy me. But for now, I really hoped Milo was joking and would be out here pronto.

Author's Note: So many 'm' names. I'm sorry! I didn't realize that I used that many until I started writing. I had chose the names as I was writing and now I'm attached.

What do you think? Anything you expected or did not expect? I'm hoping you were a little surprised they aren't married.

Predictions, critiques, suggestions, or comments are all accepted and encouraged! Please leave a review. Thanks so much!