Hey y'all. should I even bother saying sorry about the late update? I will anyways.

Hope you like this, finally decided on this route, I guess it doesn't really matter too much because it was the ending of this that mattered.

Madge waits for the hot water to steam up the large bathroom before stepping into the shower, allowing the running stream to wash away the tears and tension. The whole night just felt like a nightmare, the very things that she had been afraid of this whole time. It had all been a game of chance really, that she chose today of all days to forget her car keys, that she happened to bring the purse containing the slip of paper holding his address, and that his apartment happened to be only two blocks away from the restaurant they had ate at. Somehow it just seemed to be right, somehow the pieces just fit, she just needed someone to be there for the only way that Gale could be.

She hesitates before knocking on the door, but she convinces herself that it's the time for her to finally face him. When she sees his face behind the door she felt a strange rush of relief, and then she breaks. She falls into his arms without thinking, really crying for the first time since her world went upside down. For whatever reason that Madge cannot conjure herself, he doesn't say anything and just holds her, for the Madge is more than grateful. The gesture wasn't exactly rare for the two, but after all this time, Madge didn't know what to expect.

After what seemed like forever, she turns the water off and steps out of the shower, the entire room filled with a thick layer of steam. She wraps herself with a towel, and to her dismay realized that she didn't have a change of clothe. She was just about to slip back into her dress from earlier, when there's a knock on the door.

"Madge?" It was Gale.

"Uhm yeah?"

"I thought you probably wouldn't want to wear your dress again, so I brought you some of mine stuff. Their clean and probably a lot more comfortable, I'll just leave it next to the door if you want it alright?"

Relief washes over her, and she smiles about how Gale just always knew what she needed.

"Well I'm gonna go downstairs now, to you know, give you some room, and stuff."

Madge almost laughs at his awkwardness, as she hears his footsteps trail away. She trusted Gale enough to know he wasn't like that.

She opens the door just a bit, and the cold air that rushed in made her shiver. She quickly grabbed the pile and clothe and shut the door again quickly. She quickly put on the oversized grey t-shirt and the pair of white shorts, the fabric was soft, like its been worn down, this gave her a sense of comfort too. Gale was so tall that his shirt easily reached her knees.

She studies her reflection in the large bathroom mirror, the row of light on top of it probably making her look a lot better than she actually does. It was a big contrast from what she saw in the mirror earlier that evening, Gale Hawthorne's shirt instead of the pure white dress, her hair loose and wet instead of all done up and shiny. At least she was herself now right now, just Madge Undersee in the purest form possible. She was done trying to impress people. It was just like all the times before when she had to dress up for the capitol, and what did that ever lead to anyways?

Tears threatened to leak out of her eyes again when she thought about the night again, it wasn't really what happened that broke her down, it was the implication that it carried, the implication that she was not able to be liked for just Madge.


Gale waits in the kitchen, a spoon in his hands stirring casually in the cup of coffee he had made her the girl down the hall. He was just staring into space, wondering what had happened to hurt Madge so much. It's not that he's never seen her like this, because there had been times back in district 12 where she'd cry to him about her troubles and he would just hold her the same way he just did. But rather, it was the fact that she had seemed so strong, and determined a few weeks ago, and her breaking down like this just goes to prove Gale's belief that it had all been an act. She was not okay, she was far from okay.

He hears the water being turned off, and waits for her to walk out. However after a few minutes passing and still no sound of footsteps approaching, he begins to worry, and starts to debate on whether or not he should go check on her. He needed to know that she was okay, but at the same time, he knew Madge, and she's not the type of girl who wants people to worry about her, especially when she was feeling bad enough as it is. Finally after five more minute, he decides to go, and just as he was getting up, he hears the door creak and he sits back down, breathing in relief, pretending to not to have been paying such close attention this whole time.

She makes her way slowly to where he sat, a timid smile on her face, which he secretly thought was adorable.

"Hey," he greets, "Are you feeling better?"

He gets a small nod in reply.

"Well I made some coffee," he tells her. She smiles again and makes her way to sit on the chair beside him, accepting the mug and taking a long sip from it.

"I'm gonna say this again, Madge. You might not want to, and it's totally fine if you don't, but you can talk about this you know. I won't judge."

Madge keeps her eyes on the steam rising from her mug, hesitating for a long time before looking up to meet those sharp silver eyes.

"Why doesn't anyone love me Gale? Am I just not capable of being loved?"

The question took him by surprise, he had expected something along the lines of something about home, or some guy at work mistreating her, but her not being loved? She was freaking Madge Undersee, beautiful, kind, everyone liked her. Well, maybe he didn't once upon a time but that was different, it was more like her status than Madge herself. Plus he was just another teenage idiot back then.

"What are you talking about? How can anyone not like you? Tell me what happened Madge."


Tell me what happened Madge.

How was she suppose to explain everything to Gale? How can she explain the whole breakdown she had after her "date" with Toni? It would just all sound stupid, just make her sound weak.

"Well, it's actually kind of stupid I guess, now that I think back, it's more like what all of it reminded me of, I guess," she starts, "You remember Toni?" A slight, angry nod tells her that he does. "Well, him and I have been hanging out lately, and even though I made it pretty clear that I wasn't interested in relationships, he was still so nice to me. He took me out on Friday nights, we'd watch movies, eat."

She could tell that this information is already starting to displease Gale, but she went on anyways, "And today, we went out again, and you know he was as sweet as always. Then at the end of the night, he kissed me." Again she notices Gale's brows furrow, and she herself is grimacing at the memory. "I don't know why, but I kissed him back. I just thought, why not, he's been so nice, and maybe it's because I haven't realized how lonely I've been but I kissed him. And I was thinking that maybe this could work, maybe I can learn to be happy with this guy, but-" the rest of the night actually becomes a blur to Madge, all she remember were snippets, because her head had been spinning, spinning because of how badly it had turned out.

"And then, and then he just stopped. Just laughed and said something about how easiet I am compared to even what he had expected, and how the whole thing was just some sort of a bet to see if he can get to the untouchable girl." Gosh, the story sounded stupid to Madge when she said it, like she barely remembers why it made her so upset, "I know, it wasn't a big deal, but it did because it just went back to the main problem I've had my whole life!"

Her voice was starting to crack again, and instinctively Gale grabs one of her hands and squeezes.

"Every single time I get closer to people, and start trusting them enough to open myself up something always happens and everything gets taken away from me. I just get hurt one way or another and either way I always end up alone!" Suddenly Madge realizes the irony of the situation, and lets out a cold chuckle, one that probably sent a chill through the man in front of her. "And here I am talking to you about this from all people. You! Gale Hawthorne of all people who's hurt me the most out of anyone." She didn't want him to tell him this, she had been determined to never show him how much he meant to her and how much he's hurt her, but it just came out, and shockingly it made her feel better.

"Madge," Gale starts, his voice full of guilt, at least Madge is desperately hoping that it was guilt and not pity, because that was the last thing she needed at the moment.

"It's okay," she says, "don't try and change things just because I told you this, because it doesn't change anything." She pulls her hands away from hers to wipe her eyes, shuddering a bit at the sudden lost of heat. "You don't have to pretend that things aren't what it is, I can't take all this pretending anymore."

Before she had time to register things though, her hands were pulled away from her face and a warm pair of lips was meeting with hers.

It was gentle, but passionate at the same time. It wasn't like the fast desperate kiss they had shared before, it was a emotional kiss that somehow conveyed the emotions that Gale must have been feeling at the moment. It takes her a long time to register the turn of events, and she debates on pulling away. But she'd be lying to herself if her heart was not pounding furiously in her heart, she said she didn't miss him, or that she didn't picture feeling his lips on hers again.

So she wraps her arms around him and kisses him, putting all the built up emotions into the kiss. All too soon he's pulling away, but only to whisper the 4 little words "I love you Madge," before crashing his kips back to hers again.


Happyish ending for the chapter? Don't worry it's not gonna be that easy just yet, there's still gonna be insecurities, doubts, and all that stuff. I hope it was okay, I'm sorry if there's mistakes but as I mentioned before schools been crazy lately.

Thoughts? Some of you thought about rape, and I did think of that idea, but I thought it wouldn't be very realistic and I really don't like writing dark things. I think this idea is actually really random but it fits with the theme I'm going for her so yeah.

Please please tell me what you think and I'll edit things out if there's mistakes or things that don't make a lotta sense

Thanks for sticking with me here