A/N-Enjoy! Oh, and remember to REVIEW, PLEASE! Really does make my day! Thanks to everyone who did!

Disclaimer-I don't own the Hunger Games

"Her days are numbered," I hear someone whisper outside of my closed bedroom door. Tears fill my eyes. My mother is dying. I knew it!

"Well, what can I do," my father asks frantically, obviously unaware I'm awake.

"Nothing, really. The best thing you can do is to make her death painless. She's going to be in a lot more pain than usual," a man with a Capitol accent informs my panicked father. I'm guessing he's one of those fancy Capitol doctors. My mother has had so many different ones it's hard to keep track.

"There has to be something I can do! Anything! I'm not going to let her die," he says as his voice rises into hysteria.

"Keep your voice down. You're going to wake Madge up." I hear footsteps starting to go down the stairs. Those footsteps don't sound like my father's. They must be the doctor's.

"Please," he pleads. "I'll do anything! I'll give you any amount of money! I'll give you everything I own! Just please don't let my wife die!"

"She's going to die," he sighs, "and there's absolutely nothing I can do about it."

I hear footsteps quickly going down the stairs and exiting the front door. It doesn't sound like my father moves from his spot. Eventually, though, he does leave the house. I'm left all alone in this big house with my deathly ill mother and the maids as well as the butlers.

My feet immediately carry me to where my mother is sleeping. I sit on a chair next to her and wait. I wait for her to get up. I wait for her to tell me it's all a mistake. I wait for her to hug me and tell me it's all okay. I wait for her to tell me she's not going to die. That's when the tears fall.

I grasp her hand as hard as I can and sob. "Don't leave me here alone," I shriek. My mother doesn't answer. The doctor probably drugged her again. "Answer me," I scream. "Mommy, tell me you're not going to die!" Why my mother? Why does she have to die? "I don't want to lose you," I whisper, my tears making it hard to talk. "I can't lose you," I yell again, my voice rising again. "You can't die! You can't!"

I hear a set of footsteps coming to my mother's bedroom. It's probably one of the maids or one of the butlers. I begin to shake my mother's fragile shoulders. If I was thinking clearly I would know not to do this, but I'm not. "Why won't you answer me? Mommy, answer me! Wake up!" I can't believe I do, but I expect her to wake up. I expect her to comfort me, but she doesn't. She usually never does.

One of the butlers, Theodore, strides in mutely and lays a hand on my shoulder. I roughly shake it off. "Madge, why don't you let your mother rest."

"Rest? Rest! She's always resting," I shriek. Tears rush down quickly. I don't try to stop them. I gaze back at my mother. "Wake up," I whisper to her. "Please, wake up."

"Please, Madge, come down and have some breakfast."

I shake my head frantically. "My mother is dying! Dying, Theo!"

"I know," he replies calmly. I look back at him again and meet his gaze. His eyes are pained.

"The doctors won't do anything to help her. They're just going to let her die."

"I know."

"Is that all you can say!"

"What can I say, Madge? Your mother was a wonderful woman. She loved you very much. She loved your father very much."

"Was," I mutter under my breath, feeling the tears coming back stronger. I know he didn't mean to say it like that, but it hurt just the same.

"Come on, Madge," Theodore repeats, laying his hand on my shoulder again.

"No," I say forcefully while staring at my mother. I have to remember her. I will not forget a single detail about her.

"Your father expected you to act like this," he mumbles, more to himself than to me. "He doesn't want anyone to wake your mother up."

"She never gets up after she's been drugged," I state. "Trust me, I've tried."

"Come one, Madge. I made you some pancakes."

"I don't want it."

"If you don't come down voluntarily, I'll have to force you." Yeah, right.

"I'd like to see you try."

He bends down and scoops me up and begins to carry me out of my mother's room. The action takes me by surprise, but I quickly recover. "No," I yell, kicking and punching. "Mommy!" I punch and kick as hard as I can. He puts me down, and I think he gave up. I try to run back to my mother, but he grabs me by the waist and carries me down the stairs. I instantly become hysterical again. "Wake up, mommy! Please wake up!" We reach the bottom, but I don't give up. "Don't leave me here alone! Don't leave me! Please, don't leave me!"

I kick, scream, and punch until I can't anymore. Theodore stays silent through the whole event. He absorbs every hit and kick, but he doesn't let me go. God forbid I spend time with my mother in her dying days. Is this what she wants? Does she want to go quietly in the night without a last goodbye? Does she want to die?

He finally does let me down, but I don't move. I begin to sob again. I squeeze Theo with every last ounce of energy I have left and just cry. She'll never see me grow up. She'll never meet my children. She'll never be at my wedding. She'll never meet my husband. She'll never be there.

"I'm sorry," I cry into Theo's shoulder. "I didn't want to hurt you."

"I know."

I cry and cry. "Where's my father," I ask him when the tears stop coming. My voice is still shaky even though I try to steady it.

"Work."

"He can work during this," I screech.

"Honey, he has no choice."

I remove myself from his arms. I can already see bruises beginning to form from where I hit him, but I pretend like I don't notice. "He's the mayor. He can work at home."

"I think he needs some time alone."

"He's always alone, Theo. My mother is dying and he's at work like nothing happened."

"Madge, don't be like that."

The butlers and the maids pretend not to watch me, but I know they are. "He never told me."

"He wanted to, but he never had the chance."

"Stop defending him," I shout again.

"Margaret, don't raise your voice at me. I know these are hard times, but-," he is cut off by me briskly walking to the door. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Out," I answer without sparing a glance over my shoulder. I slam the door as hard as I can on my way out, too.

I don't know where I want to go. I just saunter aimlessly through the streets. I observe the houses, the shops. Before I know it, I'm in town.

I don't realize it, but I'm on a direct course to the bakery. Crap. I decide to keep going. What are the chances he'll see me? Well, luck hasn't been on my side lately.

Of course when I happen to be strolling in front of the bakery with my head held low, a blonde spots me. He just happened to be exiting the bakery. Stupid crappy luck. "Hey, Madge! How are you?"

"Fine," I reply politely, but keep up my pace. He jogs to catch up to me. Can't he see I don't want to talk to him?

"What's wrong," he asks, his voice laced with genuine concern. I don't answer him. Instead, I look away so he can't see the tears that are forming. I do not want Peeta Mellark to see me cry. "Madge?"
"What," I ask, my voice squeaking.

"Are you okay?"

I shake my head. I don't trust my voice. I just know if I open my mouth I'll start crying. I thought I cried myself out.

"Madge?" He holds his hand out to stop me. It works. "Look at me," he says gently. When I don't listen he takes my chin and forces me to look at him. "Hey, what's wrong," he asks gently when he sees the tears that are already rolling down my cheeks.

"It's true," I sob. He removes his hand as I place my face in my hands.

"What's true," he asks gingerly.

"My mother is dying."

"I'm so sorry."

"They won't even let me spend any time with her!"

He wraps me in his comforting embrace. "Why?"

"I might wake her up. God forbid I do that. Did you know my father never even told me?"

I just noticed that people are beginning to watch us. I don't really care, though, at this point. "How did you find out then?"

"I'm a good eavesdropper." My voice is much steadier. The tears lessen. "Do you know where my father is right now?" He doesn't answer. "He's at work. My mother is dying and he's at work." We stand in silence while I continue to bawl.

"Remember when you told me you'd be there for me?" I nod my head into his shoulder. "The same goes for you. Whenever you need me, I'll be here. I promise." I realized at that moment that I'm not alone.

A/N-What do you think? REVIEW, PLEASE! I'd really appreciate it! I'll also update tomorrow if four people review! So, please review!