I own nothing except for my obsession with Gadge.
By the time Gale had woken up Madge was long gone. He had figured as much. There was a lot more that Madge had to do and had to be done to her than Gale did. He was pretty much wash and wear.
There were butterflies in his stomach, but hardly from nerves; he was excited. Excited to start the rest of his life with the woman he loved. To make a life for themselves; he was anxious to start the new chapter in his life with the woman he loved. It had always been his dream to start a family, a big one, but after Prim and the war Gale hardly thought he deserved the happiness that he knew would come from it. He didn't think he deserved happiness period. But Madge changed all of that. He would never truly be able to thank her for that.
It brought him back to the day he saw her in that hospital in District Two.
She had bumped right into him, almost knocking him to the ground. Part of it had been his fault though, since he wasn't paying much attention to anything around him. He should have noticed the blonde, who was practically clinging to the walls. But he hadn't been paying attention, he was too busy cursing the base's policy on mental health check-ups every six months; it was just unnecessary. If he was crazy they would sure as hell know it. He hated going to the psychologist. How do you feel about this? How do you feel about that? He sure as hell never really told the truth, and after awhile they just grew tired of him and signed the forms releasing him.
"Oh gosh! I'm so sorry!" The blonde said clutching to his arm.
"You should be more careful," Gale muttered annoyed, until he looked down at who he was talking to.
She was wearing sunglasses, but wasn't walking with a walking cane. Was she blind? Shouldn't someone be leading her around?
He recognized that hair and those facial features from somewhere.
"Well I'm sorry, but I just had surgery on my eyes, cut me some slack."
"Madge!" A red-headed nurse yelled, running to Madge's aid. "You stubborn girl. I told you not to walk around without your walking stick, and you definitely shouldn't be all the way in this wing."
The blonde turned to the nurse. "I was testing it out. I can see! It's just really blurry right now."
"Madge?" Gale asked confused. What could she be doing in District Two?
"Do we know you?" The redhead asked, moving Madge away from him.
"Gale?" Madge asked, turning away from the nurse and began taking small steps toward him.
Now, everyday he thanked the base for forcing mental health check-ups. If it hadn't been for them he would never had known Madge was in District Two so she would never have befriended him. They definitely wouldn't be getting married now. The thought made him uneasy. What would his life be like without her? It was too ridiculous to even waste his time considering. Fate had brought them together and that was all that mattered that they were together now. He couldn't waste his time wondering what his life would have turned out like without Madge.
Peeta, Rory and Vick were already awake, talking in a semi-circle.
"Hey," He greeted them, walking toward the group.
"Nervous?" Peeta asked, a grin on his face.
Gale looked over at the baker. "Nope. I have absolutely no reason to be."
Vick smiled at him. "And Madge is probably the prettiest girl in Panem."
The hunter nodded. "That helps too."
"I don't know what she'd want with you," Rory joked, "I mean the most attractive Hawthorne is right here," he motioned toward himself.
Peeta cackled loudly and obnoxiously.
"What are you, twelve? Madge is twenty-one."
Rory stood up indignant. "I am not twelve! I am sixteen years old!"
"Sit down, little brother. I know how old you are."
Peeta interrupted the sibling spat. "Do you think we should wake up Thom and Haymitch?" He looked down at his watch, worried. "We have to be at the Justice Building in a few hours and all of us still have to shower."
"I'll take Thom," he motioned toward the tent behind him, "You take the knife-wielding lunatic." The young men went their separate ways.
When Gale arrived at the Justice Building, there was no sight of Madge, their friends or the female members of his family.
"Girls take soooo long!" Rory groaned, putting his head in his hands. He was uncomfortable in his dress clothes, hell they all were. He could tell by the way his brothers kept tugging on the necks of their collars, as if they were struggling to breathe. Thom too. He kept cringing every time he walked, as if his dress shoes were pinching his feet. But Madge had insisted. She said if she was wearing a beautiful gown then they could at least wear ties and tucked in shirts, though Gale had been forced to wear a complete suit, since he was the groom and all. Peeta and Haymitch seemed to be the only ones who didn't really mind, they had probably grown accustomed to it from their time with the Capitol.
And then Madge entered in, wearing a peach dress with a ruffled neckline that stopped underneath her knees. She was wearing brown leather high heeled sandals, making her at least four inches taller. Her hair was down in refined waves. Their female friends followed her, dressed in their best. Of course she looked nice, she always did, but Gale hardly considered that dress a gown.
"That's what you're wearing? I'm wearing a suit for that!" Gale motioned toward the garment in question.
"Gale you didn't think I would walk into the Justice Building wearing my wedding dress did you? Where's the surprise with that? God you're boring." Her hands were on her hips now. "This is just for the papers. I wanted you to be surprised at the Toasting. That's what really matters." She turned to her soon-to-be mother-in-law. "You'd think he'd know better, right?" The older woman nodded.
Gale shook his head, laughing. "You are so ridiculous! You know the Toasting is happening at our house right?"
She grinned up at him, linking arms with him. "I'll be your ridiculous wife, and you can be my boring husband."
He took her hand, walking them towards the section of the Justice Building devoted to marriage licenses.
Twenty minutes later, the couple emerged grinning and waving papers in the air.
"We're married!"
"Or at least in the eyes of District Two," his mother stated. In District Twelve, no one felt married unless they went through with their own Toasting ceremony. It was just how it was.
Madge and Gale went their separate ways, back toward their house. She still had to change into her dress.
Gale thought the drive to their home was tortuous, but this was worse. He was waiting outside their house, for Madge to get out of the car. All of their friends and family were inside the house, waiting for them. The door was open, and he could hear them singing a traditional song of District Twelve, even Ada and Sadie had learned it for the occasion.
If they had gotten married back home in District Twelve, if there hadn't been a war, it might've been similar to this. Though Ada and Sadie wouldn't have been there. And Madge would probably have just worn her mother's Toasting dress, or her own Reaping dress. And they wouldn't be standing in front of this three-storied house. They would have been standing in front of a house similar to the one he had grown up in. Two bedrooms and in the Seam. Their children would hardly have any room to even breathe, but they would have made due, just like his family and the Everdeens had.
But this was better, so much better. Madge deserved everything that the world had to offer. Like what he could only assume was a beautiful gown to be married in. And a spacious house for them to raise their children and eventually grow old in. Working in the mines, Gale never thought about growing old, figuring out that he wouldn't probably reach old age. But now everything was different. It was more than just a possibility that he would be able to grow old with Madge, maybe even becoming grandparents. A smile lit up his face. Goddamnit where was this woman? He wanted to get married and he wanted to do it now.
But before Gale could continue complaining, the door to the car opened and Madge appeared.
Her hair was still down in the same refined waves, but now a sparkling pin adorned her hair, pinning one side of it away from her face. But the peach dress was gone, replaced by a long white lace gown, trailing behind her. The dress was strapless, so Gale had a perfect view of her long elegant neck, beautiful shoulders and prominent collar bones. All of his favorite spots to kiss, other than her lips of course. That was definitely worth wearing a suit for. The sight in front of him was worth anything in the world to him.
As soon as she was within reach of him, Gale grabbed her hand, intertwining it with his. They crossed the threshold.
She grinned shyly at him, blushing.
Hazelle was full on bawling by this time.
Posy skipped around the couple and the living room, leaving a trail of flowers wherever she went, and then returned to her mother's side.
Their friends and family were gathered around the living room in two groups, leaving a space for the couple to walk toward the fireplace.
Gale led Madge toward the fireplace. Bending down, he positioned the logs just right. He placed a book of matches in her palm. She stuck the match, and placed the ignited match onto the logs.
They grinned at each other when the fire took, heating the room.
Peeta appeared at their side, a small loaf of bread in his hand on a long fork, as not to burn their hands.
Madge placed her hand over his, and together they toasted the bread. The blonde blew on the bread, in a sad attempt to cool it.
"A knife," Thom handed the couple the shining blade.
Gale cut two pieces from the loaf, and fed one of them to Madge. She bit into it, trying hard not to smile with her mouth full. But she couldn't help herself.
A flash overtook the room. All eyes went to Sadie, who was grinning sheepishly. For future posterity, she'd say when questioned later.
Then Madge grabbed the other piece and fed it to Gale. Now she had a grin on her face and he did too. This was it. They were married, finally.
"I now pronounce you man and wife!" Thom announced and their friends and family clapped happily.
The groom laughed, taking his wife's face in his hands. "I'm going to kiss you now." He whispered very as a matter of fact, before placing his lips onto hers.
"Now to the party!" Vick yelled happily.
Gale opened the door for his wife, helping her inside. She grinned at him.
"Thank you."
"Anything for you, Mrs. Hawthorne," he leaned forward kissing her. "I love you. Do you know that?" He asked against her lips.
She smiled at him; she loved hearing him call her 'Mrs. Hawthorne.' It was positively one of the best things in the world to come out of his mouth.
"Get in, Mr. Hawthorne. We've got a reception to go to."
The groom jogged to the driver's side, hopping into the SUV. He put the key in the ignition starting to the car, but before he drove off he looked over at his bride again. He reached down, intertwining his hand with hers and kissing the back of her hand. His eyes met hers. "You are everything to me, Margaret Maysilee Hawthorne." There was an intensity in his eyes, that brought tears to her eyes. They leaned in toward each other, and he rested his forehead on hers. "We should get out of here soon, or they're going to have a party with no bride and groom." He brought his lips onto hers, kissing her slowly and passionately. "There will be enough time for this tonight," he winked at her. Madge blushed heavily. He ran his hand down her cheeks. "My blushing bride."
The reception was to be held in a meadow not too far from their home. It was in that meadow that Gale realized that he loved her and that they often spent their Sunday mornings hiking. There was a huge clearing, big enough to fit the circus sized tent that they had ordered to fit the band, bar and tables for the long list of extended friends and coworkers that needed to be invited.
By the time they got there, everyone else had already arrived. When they entered, everyone's eyes fell onto them and they all began to clap and cheer for the newlyweds. Madge had her arm around Gale's waist, and his arm was around her shoulders. She clung closer to him, never being one who liked being the center of attention. Gale squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, kissing her hair.
They made their way around the room, greeting everyone. Mostly it was just a lot of their friends and coworkers. From Gale's commanders and some of his grunts to Madge's fellow teachers, principals and superintendents. All had come to give their best to the happy couple.
When they finally made their way to their wedding party table, Peeta was standing, microphone in hand to make a speech.
He grinned at the bride and groom before starting. "First and foremost, I think another round of applause is in order for the beautiful couple." Sounds of clapping filled the room. "During the Hunger Games Katniss and I were known as the star-crossed lovers, but I think the name is more deserved by these two. You see back in District Twelve, Gale hated Madge and I mean hated. I'm sure none of you can even imagine that looking at them now, kissing and smiling at each other, but I swear ask Katniss or even Madge herself." Both girls nodded, laughing. Gale had his arms crossed over his chest, angry. He didn't like being reminded of how stupid he had been back in District Twelve, of all the wasted time he had spent hating the woman he would love in the future. "However, that didn't stop poor little Madge from having the biggest crush known to mankind on him. God, I remember that. It even rivaled mine on Katniss. She was crazy about him, and every single time he'd pass her in the hallway he'd always say some snide remark to her. You see Madge was the mayor's daughter and Gale was from the Seam. Total star-crossed lovers in the making if you ask me. Fast forward to the bombing of District Twelve. Shrapnel and debris from the bombs severely damaged Madge's eyesight to the point that she was basically blind. She made it successfully to District Thirteen with us, thankfully. Yet somehow in District Thirteen Gale and Madge never really met up with each other to start their whirlwind romance. Instead it took an entire year for them to meet in District Two, where Gale had been transferred to work with the Mockingjay Militia and Madge was meeting with the best opthamaologists in Panem, who happened to be in District Two, to have a corneal transplant done and she was there recovering after her second surgery. She was walking the hallways, testing her barely recovered eyes when she bumped into none other than Gale Hawthorne." Peeta paused, choosing his words carefully. "So many microscopic events could have happened so they would never have met each other in that hospital. Personally, I believe in fate. When I see the way they look at each other I know that fate would have led them to each other. They're soul mates. Two people made for each other. It's a beautiful sight to behold... I just want to thank them for letting me in their lives. I wish them all the happiness in the world." The crowd erupted in applause as Peeta sat down.
As soon as their guests quieted down, Gale stood up, microphone in hand. He was holding the microphone so tightly that his knuckles were rapidly turning white. His hands reached into the jacket of his suit and from it emerged a crumpled piece of paper.
"Let me apologize beforehand, I am not as eloquent as Mellark over there. So bear with me. I know back in the Old Days when there were churches all over, during a wedding ceremony they used to recite vows to each other, and I liked that idea so I'm doing it now in front of all of you. Well they're not really vows, but more of a declaration of my love." He took a deep breath, turning to face his wife. "I've been writing these since we got engaged by the way, so I should at least get credit for trying." Laughter filled the room. Madge smiled at him, urging him to go on. "I don't want to talk about the hard times in the past or anything like that. I'm not here for that. I'm here to celebrate the future I'm going to have with my wife." Gale looked around at their guests. "Any of you who know me know that I am no music aficionado like Madge, who most of you know is a pianist. None of you are going to believe me when I tell you this, I already know this, Madge included. It was in the same meadows we reside in now that I realized I was in love with her. She was sitting on this tree stump, looking away from me, probably fumbling with her hands, she does that when she's nervous. And the sun was shining down on her, lighting up her face. Her blonde hair was shining in the sunlight. It was absolutely breathtaking, I can tell you that. And it was then that in my head a song began to play. Do not ask me how it came to me because I don't know, but this moderately paced sonata began playing in my head. Then, I didn't realize that Madge had played it for me before because for the most part most of Madge's music sounds sort of sounds the same to me, sorry." Madge smiled at him and he could see the glossiness of her eyes. "Everyday since then this song has played in my head every time I see Madge. It sounds really weird, but I've grown accustomed to it. Depending on the circumstances a different part of the song plays. It's so odd, but really nice actually. Those kind of songs, the ones without words, are the hardest to figure out. I can easily figure out the songs with obvious emotions. Anger, easy. Happiness, easy. But love? I guess how could I figure out love before I had even fallen into it. But when I did fall into it the sonata came with it. You are a song in my head, Madge, with a wonderful melody and tinkling notes that rise and fall. Always developing and changing. You're simple yet filled with depth. Played with precision, passion and grace. I love you. I could go on and on about you, but I'll save my breath. I am so thrilled to be given the opportunity to spend the rest of my life with you, and I will spend each day trying to prove to you just how much you mean to me." He placed the microphone on the table and sat back down, exhaling deeply. His wife grabbed his face, kissing him passionately on the lips. He could feel the hot tears on her face transferring themselves onto his. Everyone was clapping and howling at them loudly. He was smiling into the kiss. When she broke away she was staring into his eyes as if they were alone and as if there was no one else in the world except for him. She couldn't even hear that everyone was clapping loudly and obnoxiously. He was the only thing she could see or hear.
Wedding night anyone?