I saw Gale smile for the first time since he came home.

His sister was telling a story of some guy named Carlton at her school. And her joking tone caused a smile on his face. He was happy.

I want to ask him later that night, after they've gone for the night, about it. But I don't have to, not really. They're happy. They aren't struggling and there isn't anything else in the world that Gale wanted then to give his family the best life possible. That's why there was that smile on his face, such a genuine and loving smile that was only reserved for his family.

It's kind of why he had some sort of vendetta against me for a while. Because if I went around them they'd start wanting things he couldn't give them. He could barely give them food some nights, and there I was with my fancy capitol dresses and more food then I knew what to do with.

It took me a while to understand why he was like that, why he hated me for things that I couldn't control, it took me a while to realize that it wasn't me he hated, it's who I was. If that makes sense.

So, I tossed all of that aside. Whenever I went to visit Prim I'd wear my gardening overalls and I'd tie my hair back in a bun. And, I don't know why the material things mattered, but after a while he started to really see who I was.

And now that he doesn't remember me, it's like I'm having to start all over. I have to find a way to make him see who I am again. To make him understand that I'm more than what he saw on the outside. And it's going to be a lot harder this time.

I'm sitting cross legged on the couch, a pile of quizzes I'm grading on my lap, when I ask Gale if he was going to bed. And when he responds with a simple mumbled answer, one I could barely decipher, I shake my head at him.

"Wrong answer. We need to talk."

And with that, I lead him into the nursery.

"Okay." I say, resting my arm on the stack of boxes. "These clothes were given to us by your friends. That chair was your mothers. The only things in here that was given to us by someone who wasn't your friend of family was the blanket Brin gave me and the crib that we bought together."

He looks slightly confused and I'm not standing a few feet away from him, my gaze not breaking from his.

"Why would your friends and family give me things for my baby?" I question, but I don't wait for an answer. I can't, if I hear the words he says it might cause me unnecessary pain. And I don't need anymore stress right now. It's not healthy. "Because it's your baby, too. I know it's hard for you to realize that, you don't know what's going on. The last memory you have of me is probably you selling me strawberries, you could barely stand me, so how in all of Panem could I be having your baby? That's what you're thinking right?"

I don't need him to say anything to know that I'm right. I still understand him, even though he doesn't understand me.

"I don't care how you feel about me right now, Gale. I mean, of course I want you to love me again, but I can't force that on you. But I do know that even before you got to know the real me you were a good guy. You'll always be a good guy. You can't just sit around all day, wondering what's going on, who you are now, and what you're doing with your life. I know it's eating at your insides, you feel so helpless. But, sweetheart, you've got to be that guy that I know you are. I don't know what you're going through, I don't know what it's like to lose memory of everything good that's happened to you in the last few years, but I want to help you. If not as your wife then as your friend. Can we at least try that for now?"

There'a look in his eyes. One that took me a minute to recognize, because it was so foreign for so long. Its the one he wore when he'd go to the hob, go out in the woods. It was the one he wore when he'd go without something for one night so his little sister, his growing sister who needed more then him, could have a nice heaping bowl of soup.

He's coming around. He's realizing that I'm not lying, and it brings those butterflies back to my stomach, the ones that I had long ago in 12 when I first started talking to him, when I'd first give him a piece of my mind.

But I still don't give him time to respond to what I'm saying.

"I called your family to come out here because I know they can help you, too. Because, believe it or not, we've got secrets from each other. Secrets of our past that we find ugly, that we don't want the other to know about. They know more about you then I do. So you're going to try, if not for me or for our baby, then for them. For your brothers and sister, for your mother. For Katniss, because she called the other day and wants to help you, even though she can't come out here. For all the people who care about you."

I see something in him, something that was so rare that I don't know how to even describe it. He looks defeat, almost, but not hurt or wounded or anything that a person who's just been defeated would look like.

And he nods. Then, the sweet sound of his voice fills the room. And my heart melts at the words he said.

"Everything just so different. My sister is eleven, my brother almost eighteen. Hell, Rory's out on his own with a girlfriend now, when last time I saw him he was crazy in love with Prim, even though he wouldn't admit it. And then there's where I live. I'm not in Twelve anymore. I'm not a coal miner like I thought I would be my entire life, then you're going to have a baby, my baby and I just don't understand how any of this happened."

He doesn't understand? It clicks in me, in that moment, that he didn't read that history section I gave him when he was in the hospital. But, that didn't make any sense. Gale wanted to know, he would have been overjoyed that things were so different now.

No more suffering, no more starving children, no more games. Things were as normal and as wonderful as they could be.

And so, when I ask Gale if he didn't read it and he confirms my suspicions, saying he was too tired, he'd look at the page and it was exhausting to try to read. He'd only try when he was alone, and that was always after a mass amount of nurses and doctors came in to examine him. Which, I suppose makes sense.

I walk into our bedroom, sit on the bed, and tell Gale I'm going to tell him everything. He's apprehensive, but eventually agrees to listen to my stories.

I tell him about the reaping, about how Prim was called and how Katniss volunteered.

I tell him how I gave her my Mockingjay pin.

I tell him about Peeta's interview, and then I tell him about their strategy in the game.

I tell him about them coming home, about the uprisings it caused.

I tell him about the Quell, and how we helped the Victors train. How he helped with snares and I gave them newspapers.

I tell him about the bombing of Twelve.

I tell him about Thirteen.

I tell him about him training and working with Beete.

I tell him about everyone that we cared about, about everyone that died. Including Prim.

I tell him about Katniss shooting Coin instead of Snow.

I tell him basically everything.

What I don't tell him is anything about our relationship, how we got together. I don't tell him about the bombs he made and how he thought he killed Prim.

I tell him what he needs to know, what I know won't hurt him. And the entire time he doesn't interrupt. He's fascinated.

And, when I'm done, he looks like he believes me.

It's then when I realize that he trusts me. He doesn't have any reason to, from what he remembers I'm just the spoiled little Mayor's daughter. District Twelves perfect little Capitol groomed angel.

But he trusts me.

That how our relationship started. He told me he trusted me, he trusted me to walk Prim home from school and he trusted me to be a friend to her.

I've never seen a clearer step in the right direction.

Fun fact of the day, this isn't the original chapter I had planned for chapter six. That one will be posted next, but I felt like if I jumped from the last chapter I had posted into that one it wouldn't make much sense and it would look as if the story was being rushed, and this one just kind of came to me last night. It kind of feels like it's a little messy, but keep in mind this is a story that Madge is writing, and she has no formal writing training. I'm not sure what I think of this approach for this particular story, but it's how I wrote my NaNoWriMo story and I got lots of positive feedback on that.

Also, a few notes for you guys on where this story is going.

Halfway through the next chapter we'll be exactly halfway through this story. I plan to post that one next week as planned.

After the next chapter, there won't be an update until the first week of February, if everything goes according to plan.

I've posted before that I'll be gone the last week of the month, but I've got a 12 hour car ride that I will be writing in. I don't know if my hotel will have WiFi so that's why I'm not promising any updated during that time.

To make up for that, I plan to finish this story during February, so hopefully updates will become more frequent.

You guys are awesome, thanks for being there for me. I want to reply to all your reviews, and hopefully I'll be able to as soon as finals are over. So make sure to check your inbox this weekend.

DFTBA, and I'll see you next week.