Disclaimer: Suzanne Collins's characters, not mind!

"…so you see, you have to send a rescue squad to get them back."

Coin looks at me with a hard face.

"Soldier Hawthorne, this is a serious and risky maneuver; the prisoners the Capitol took are of no use to the rebellion."

I stand up, the chair I was sitting in knocked over. "What do mean, no use?" I shout. "Have you seen what Mellark's doing to Katniss? What Madge's done to me?"

"What Ms. Undersee has done to you," she repeats, observing me with an air of cold amusement. "And what's she done to you, Mr. Hawthorne?"

"What she's- hell, I don't know!" I run my fingers through my hair and bark with cruel laughter. "Maybe she's getting tortured, maybe even killed!"

Coin continues to look at me, her fingers lightly pressed together in front of her.

"Please," my voice breaks. "Please, bring them back. Bring her back. I'm begging you."

"Considered, Soldier Hawthorne. I'll notify you when a decision has been made; you may go."

As I'm leaving, I hear her pen scratching upon paper; the hairs on my neck inexplicably stand.

Strawberries. Today's lunch includes strawberries.

I chuck my fork down, stand up, and stride away; Katniss gives me a confused look, but I ignore her. Strawberries. Strawberries for lunch.

He knocked on the back door, waiting. The door opened and revealed her shocked face. "Gale?" she said, coughing a bit. "What are you doing here…shouldn't you be at school?" As if he forgot why he was there, he started and pulled a small, brown bag out of his jacket. "I heard you were sick, and I thought you might want some strawberries. They're not much use for sickness and stuff, but you know, I thought, maybe…" He lost his train of thought and awkwardly stuffed his hands in his pocket. She looked at him with a mixture of gratefulness and hope. "Thank you."

In training, Katniss asks me in an undertone, "Why'd you skip out on lunch?"

"Uh, I just, I don't like mashed potatoes," I improvise wildly.

She frowns, confused. "We didn't have mashed potatoes for lunch."

I shrug, then turn away.

In the middle of practice shooting, Haymitch walks in.

"Another interview. You two," he points at Katniss and me. "You two should probably see this."

Both Katniss and I drop our weapons and sprint past him.

This time, it's both Mellark and Madge. Mellark is dressed smartly in a black tuxedo with red trimmings: the fire he and Katniss both burned with during the Games. Katniss swallows, and her eyes are fixed on Mellark's face. I observe her for a few moments; I remember when Katniss came home and had mixed feelings about her fellow victor. But now, I can see it clearly in her eyes: she loves him. She's massaging her temple, something she always done when she's nervous or agitated. Her eyes glimmer with fear, panic, and depression as she stares at Peeta Mellark onscreen.

Madge is stunning: she's dressed in a pale, teal dress. The dress hangs right above her knees and the neckline is a bit low, but I don't mind. Her hair is hanging loose this time, and my fingers twitch at the sight. She and Mellark sit down in chairs set up next to each other, and the interview begins. As Caesar and Mellark begin with light banter, Katniss grabs onto my arm.

"Peeta," she hisses. "Look at Peeta's eyes; there's something different."

I study Mellark for a few seconds; she's right. Mellark's blue eyes, usually so clear and gentle, are sharp and have a strange edge to them now. Mellark is now talking about the war and how he wants a cease-fire; he's been provided a map and he's pointing out various destructions in the Districts. He then addresses Katniss, who's clutching my arm with a desperate strength.

"Katniss…how do you think this will end? What will be left? No one is safe. Not even you, underground, in District 13.."

The screen suddenly cuts to black, and there are shouts of "Turn it off! Turn it off!" A cry of pain, probably Mellark's, is heard, and Katniss screams. Then, there's a shriek that cuts me to my core.

"Gale! Gale! Get of there, they're going to bomb 13!" Madge shouts. "Gale!"

Her screams of panic turn into yells of pain, and I suddenly find myself lunging at the television. "Madge! Madge!" I yell as the entire system shuts down. I'm left crumpled on the floor in front of the TV, my hand reached out to try to grab her.

Katniss kneels down next to me, her hand on my back. "Gale," she says gently. "Did you…did you become friends with Madge?"

I nod my head, and her lips tug up in a small smile. "At least something good came out of those Games," she says. "We need to move. Now."

"Why?"

"Didn't you hear her? They're going to bomb 13."

The wait is long and agonizing; we're trapped in the bowels of 13 as the bombs thunder overhead. Katniss and Prim are entertaining the citizens with Crazy Cat, but I don't feel up to watching a cat chase a splash of light around.

The mattress I'm lying on is cold and stiff, and I automatically shift to the left, leaving a space on the right side of the mattress.

He scooped her up despite her protests, and gently tossed her on the bed. She curled up on the right side as he crawled next to her, wrapping both his arms around her waist. She burrowed into his chest and sighed deeply as he slowly combed her hair with his fingers. "Are you okay now?" he softly asked. She sniffled and didn't reply, so he pulled her closer into him. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he pressed his lips to her head.

I curl up in a tighter ball and try to go to sleep.

This chapter is a bit messy and sucks overall, sorry...I'm trying to get the timing and story flowing! Review, please?

EDIT: To one of my reviewers, I assure you this is NOT going in the direction of Unexpected; this story will be very different from Jenn's.