Sorry for the long update time, I was on vacation. But now I'm back! Alright warning: this is where the Mature comes in, so be warned. It's my first time writing anything like this so be warned about that too. Other than that, enjoy!

Chapter Seven

The curtains were tightly drawn shut so all Gale could see were the shadows cast by the furniture and by two figures moving about in the Undersee's living room. Despite the fact that he may have not been getting a particularly good visual, he did have excellent audio to the inside of the house.

Usually, if this were any other girl, he would probably just have left or waited inside her room, not wanting to get mixed up in anything that wasn't his business. But this wasn't just any other girl. This was the girl he was rapidly falling in love with, the enigmatic woman who rarely let him see inside of her. So even though he had been raised better he couldn't control himself. Any clues to the inside of her life, and maybe even some of her thoughts was better than what he had, which was a whole lot of nothing. Gale never realized that he have hour-long conversations with someone and yet still know barely anything about them. Maybe he was exaggerating. He did know some stuff. He knew that she had the same hatred for the Games and the Capitol as he did. He knew that she was funny and intelligent, but as for all of the deep emotional stuff? Her thoughts on him and their "relationship" if she even considered it to be one? That part of her was unknown to him.

He was standing by the side of the house, at the back door, trying to be as invisible as possible as he looked into the window at the side of the house. It gave him the same view of the living room, but he was less conspicuous this way. His body was pressed against the cool brick of her house. Imagine how embarrassing it would be for someone to see him, either mistaking him as a thief or a peeping tom. Neither of which he wanted to be accused of. And then her father would find out and he would probably have him flogged in the square.

"Maggie, please. I am begging you. I'm your father, you just have to forgive me." Mayor Undersee was pleading to his daughter. Why was he asking forgiveness? What had he done to Madge?

He heard Madge laugh, but it wasn't the king of laugh that automatically brought a smile to his face, filling Gale with warmth that he couldn't explain or get anywhere else. Instead it was dry and bitter, and didn't sit well with him. "Now you're my father, Arthur? Well that's rich. Now that I've raised myself, you're my dad?" He watched her figure walk away from him, only to turn back around and take a step in her father's direction. "I used to wait up for you to come home from work, do you remember that? I slept on that couch every single night for over a year. But you never came home early, not even once, and I know that you weren't always working. I waited every night that year for you, and then I saw her. Well one of them. I never waited up for you again. Talk about a waste of time." Another dry laugh escaped her lips. "And you may have her forgiveness, but you will never have mine. Ever." The anger in her voice was shocking to Gale. She had never seemed to him as someone who was capable of such hostility and resentment, especially not toward her father. He had always taken her for a daddy's girl, the mayor's little angel. But maybe it had only seemed that way because he was obviously desperate to make reparations with a very unwilling daughter. And in public, at district events, she always stood by his side, the picture perfect daughter. Damn did that girl know how to act if this was how she really felt about him.

There was shuffling, the mayor's figure moving toward Madge's and then she yelled, "Don't you touch me!" There was a pause, the mayor's sharp intake of breath at his daughter's outburst. "You disgust me. Do you know that? She's dying. And now you want to ask for forgiveness? You just want to be cleared of your conscious before she goes. Well it's not going to be that easy Arthur, at least not as far as I'm concerned." The anger was falling away from her voice and Gale could hear her pain. It made his chest tighten and ache. "I feel bad for you, Arthur." The mayor didn't reply. "Because when she's gone, you'll have no one left."

Gale walked away from the side of the house, and walked toward the back towards Madge's room. He climbed the white oak that stood outside of her room and into her window. They were still yelling, but their voices were muffled and he couldn't make out much of anything from up here. He didn't mind this time though; he had heard enough downstairs.

But he couldn't help but ponder what he had heard. What had Madge's father done to strip him of all her respect? It had something to do with a woman and her father, and obviously asking forgiveness from her mother and Madge. Had he slept with another woman? Cheated on his ill wife? He had noticed how she didn't even call him "Dad," but instead used his first name. And it had been some hurt that both her and her mother shared? He wasn't going to pry. After all, he wasn't supposed to be listening in the first place.

Suddenly, there was a minute of silence followed by bare feet padding up the stairs. He knew the footsteps to belong to none other than Madge herself; the rhythm she ran up the stairs to. He could recognize them now that he spent a good amount of time waiting for her to ascend the stairs to find him waiting in her room, mining shirt off along with his boots. But this time they were still on.

Thankfully so, because this time she definitely didn't look happy to see him. In fact, she certainly looked on the brink of tears, the wetness brimming her eyes. Her blue eyes met his and she shook her head. Her arms were wrapping tightly around her body, as if she were trying to comfort herself with a self-given embrace.

"Not tonight Gale," but she choked on her words and a sob escaped her. Quickly, Gale grabbed her in his arms, holding her to his chest. He rubbed her back as she let out a few more sobs, clutching the front of his shirt and burying her face in it.

Rapidly she pulled away and pushed Gale away from her. He was dumbfounded. What was she doing? Finally she had let him get inside. Even if he didn't know the particular happenings behind her tears, she was letting him see some real emotions.

"Get out," she muttered under her breath. It was obvious that she was refusing to look him in the eye, for some reason or another.

"What?" even though he knew what she had said, it still bared repeating. One step forward, two steps back. Always the same thing. He was only allowed a hint behind the mask, before it was all taken away.

"I don't want you here, how else can I get that across?" Her eyes were downcast. She couldn't even look him in the eye to say it.

Gale grabbed her arm. "Why do you keep pushing me away?"

She looked up at him, but she didn't answer. "Out." She turned away from him, shaking his hold off of her arm. "I just want to be alone."

Reluctantly, Gale climbed out of the window, never turning back. If she didn't want him there then he wasn't going to force her to accept his presence.

He stood outside of the mayor's house, and by the white oak tree leaning against it trying to decipher what had happened inside of Madge's room. Why was she acting like that? It wasn't as if Gale wasn't willing to listen. He was all ears.

She had looked so broken. So hurt. Why wouldn't she just let him make it better? If she was dealing with the inevitable death of her mother, he could help with that. He had lost his father four years ago, it was still a fresh wound as far as he was concerned. And if she was dealing with something he wasn't unfamiliar with, he could still be someone to lean on. That was all he wanted. Was that too much to ask for?

"Fuck that," he muttered under his breath. With a grunt, Gale climbed the tree again. He wasn't just going to let Madge have all the say in their relationship. If he wanted to stay and comfort her then he was going to do just that. Fuck this constant back and forth bullshit. He wasn't going to just let her push him away. He had some pull in the relationship as well. It wasn't just always what Madge wanted.

Gale successfully climbed back into her bedroom without making much of a sound. She hadn't closed her bedroom window, thankfully, which made the trip back up that much easier.

Her back was facing him when his feet steadied themselves on the hard wood floors of her bedroom. The blonde was sitting at the edge of her bed, looking at the blank expanse of her bedroom wall. She wasn't crying from what he could tell. Her breathing was even, and her body wasn't heaving in sobs or anything like that. Suddenly her voice filled the room, addressing him, despite the fact that she wasn't even facing him. "Do you realize that once my mother's gone, I'll be completely alone? I'll have no one left." She paused, taking a deep breath. "No one's going to care about me the way she does, love me the way she does. You know, no one loves you like your mom does." The blonde looked over her shoulder at him, and he couldn't bear to see how fragile and broken she looked. She may have not been crying right at that moment, but her eyes were still glassy. Her shoulders were slumped. This was the girl behind the mask, someone who feared being alone. Feared being unloved. Feared being forgotten. Maybe that was why she was constantly going guy from guy. To prove to herself that she could be loved? Gale didn't know. He wasn't a goddamn shrink. He was just a regular miner who just happened to be in love with the mayor's beautiful broken daughter.

He took her small face in his hands, forcing her to stare back at him. "You listen to me, and remember this. I don't know what happened between you and you father, but I know he does love you. But even despite that. You will never be forgotten and overlooked because I care about you Madge. I care what happens to you. I will always be there for you when you need it. You mean a lot to me."

Although he should have been prepared because Madge is a surprising individual, he wasn't. He wasn't prepared for Madge to launch herself at him, crushing her lips against his, along with the rest of her body. There was desperation in her kisses, as if she could never get enough of him. As if he was her drug, and with each kiss she perilously found herself chasing the dragon. Gale only knew this because it was a familiar feeling to him. His hands were exploring different, unchartered places of her body. God, he thought, please for once in my goddamn life let me have what I really want. I have absolutely nothing, just let me have her. All of her, he pleaded.

Each time her body was exposed to him, he took his time taking every piece of it in. But this time, things had gotten further than just examinations. Madge tore off his clothing until he was only left in his navy blue boxers with frayed edges, but she hadn't even noticed. How could she have? Everything that was happening was teeming with passion. Her lips against his, her bare skin against his. He felt as if his whole being was burning and he welcomed it. It didn't even feel like he was in control of his body anymore; everything was instinctual. He couldn't even remember reaching behind her to unclasp her bra, but when he looked down there it was, purple, and lyaing limply on the floor. And his hands had already moved themselves to cupping her newly released breasts. The blonde moved her face down and proceeded to kiss his neck, gently biting and teasing the sensitive flesh. A groan emerged from within him, from deep inside him. After leaving a few more lingering kisses, she made eye contact, whispering, "I need you." I need you. He repeated it back to himself in his mind, again and again. She didn't just want him. He wasn't just some disposable plaything to her anymore. She needed him. The look on her face told him as much too, pleading and hasty. It had seemed to him as if she was partially surprised that she had let it slip out of her mouth in the first place.

She was completely vulnerable to him, exposed in her peach panties. It was almost as if she were asking him if he would have her. He had all the power now. The power to reject her, to leave, and make her worst fears a reality.

She tugged at his boxers, kicking them off the bed and he made work of stripping Madge of her underwear. She lifted her hips, making it easier for him. When they were finally both exposed, Gale paused, lifting his body off of hers to take her in. His eyes took in her body, covered in flawless pearly pale skin. After the first few moments, she began looking anxious and propped herself up by her elbows. She looked as if she was going to say something, but he stopped her. "Beautiful," he whispered, he moved his head down, brushing hips lips against hers. "So beautiful."

Her eyes widened slightly at the compliment, but she said nothing.

"Are you ready?" She asked, pressing her forehead against his. Her stare was unrelenting, searching for any signs of uncertainty. There weren't any as far as she could tell.

He nodded and bent down again to kiss her.

Being the more experienced of the two, Madge made the first move when she took him in her hand. Gale groaned at the contact. She led him to her entrance. "Just go slow, okay?"

Gale nodded, and pressed into her a little too rapidly for comfort's sake. The blonde grabbed his shoulders tightly and hissed his name through her teeth. The miner froze and promptly began apologizing over and over again. Madge reassured him, as her breathing began returning to a semi-normal state, or as normal as it could be while doing what they were doing.

"Take two?" Madge offered, a smile playing on her lips.

"Again, I'm sorry." A blush appeared on his cheeks. "I guess I was a tad over zealous."

She laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Okay, when I say slow, I mean it, this isn't just for my sake."

Gale smiled and kissed her on the lips. He pressed into her again, savoring the feeling of her surrounding him. After testing her with a few long strokes, Gale found a slow rhythm that suited him. They rose together and sunk together into her mattress as their bodies moved to the rhythm that he had created. Sweat matted his hair to his forehead. His breathing grew heavier by the second.

The blonde beneath him brought her hands up and caressed his cheek. "Do you need to take a breather?" It was as if she could read his mind. "I mean if you need as if you're getting too worked up, we can just take pause for a bit." Gale nodded and situated his head in the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent of wildflowers. Goddamn. That was not the right thing to do in this situation, because it only served to further work him up. He groaned.

"What?"

"Do you have to smell so goddamn good?"

Her chuckle filled the air.

A minute or so later, her voice rang through the air. "Remember to breathe, okay?"

Gale began his slow and steady pace again. It was a lot better than he had thought it was going to be. He had always heard about sex from all of his friends, and especially down in the mines from his fellow co-workers, but it was so much more than they had ever made it seem to him. So this is what it's like, he thought, to be inextricably tangled up in another person. To feel completely whole and to give yourself up to another.

Sooner than he had expected, he felt himself reaching his peak, but he raged against it. He wanted Madge to reach hers too, but she didn't look nearly as close as he definitely was.

Madge looked upon his face, at the way it was contorting and she knew what was happening to him. "Let go," she whispered smiling, "just let go."

The miner's strokes began deviating from his rhythm more and more as he began reached his peak and then he finished. He felt as if he were completely void of energy, as if his tank had reached empty. His body collapsed onto hers and before he could even fight it, he was drifting off into sleep.

I hope that wasn't too terrible. Review please.