A/N: Thanks everyone for reading and especially everyone who's taken the time to review. Thanks for Belle453 for her beta. :)

Gale stared at the message from Runa. She wanted to talk again. Considering her abrupt departure from their last conversation, he didn't know if that was good or bad. He thought about his schedule for the afternoon and when he would be home. Then he wrote back: "7pm?" He wanted time for one other call first.

"7pm," she answered.

He sent one more message before getting back to work. As soon as he was home that night he made his call.

She answered quickly, looking tired but smiling at him through the screen. "Gale. I got your message. What's going on?"

"Hi Ma," he answered. "I just didn't want to keep crossing paths. Hope I didn't mess up your schedule."

"Don't be silly, I'm glad to hear from you. We've had such a busy week here." Hazelle looked over her shoulder at something off-screen.

Just then Gale's teenage sister Posy appeared in the corner of the screen, waving one hand toward him. "Hi Gale! When are you gonna come visit? We haven't seen you in forever. Sorry, can't stay to talk, I got a date." She said the word date with relish. "Bye!" Then she grinned and disappeared off-screen again, as Hazelle called after her about her curfew.

"A date? Really, Ma?" Gale asked.

Hazelle laughed. "She's sixteen, Gale. It's Friday night, and she's going out with some friends. She just told you it's a date because she knew how you'd react. Now why don't you tell me what's so urgent that you called off our thrilling game of phone tag?"

"Can't I just want to talk to my family?" he asked with an overly innocent smile.

Hazelle raised one eyebrow. "If you want to pretend nothing's wrong, go ahead." Her look softened. "But you know you're going to tell me eventually. Why wait?" Gale pressed a finger to the bridge of his nose. He couldn't say he was surprised.

He needed to talk to somebody. He couldn't go telling anyone here in District 2 about Madge. Ma was the best person for it, but he hadn't mentioned Madge - or Runa - to his Ma since the last time he saw Vick. She had warned him against betraying the Bihars and that very night Madge had run out on their date. He'd decided to keep his mouth shut after that. Now she'd run out on him again, shutting down the video call when all he'd been doing was trying to understand why she was still pretending to be Runa.

He said, "You remember when I told you about Madge Undersee?"

"I remember. It's not every day I hear that kind of news. So it's really her?"

"Yeah, Ma. She told me. She told me what happened to her, and there's no reason for her to be hiding. She did nothing wrong," he told her.

Sternly she answered, "Gale. You can't turn her in. It's not your decision."

He ducked his head and ran a hand through his hair. "I know, Ma. But it's complicated."

"Tell me," she said.

He looked away. "Well I'm kind of dating her? Which ... makes it complicated."

When she didn't answer, he looked to the screen and saw Hazelle's raised eyebrows and the hand covering her mouth, suppressing whatever her reaction was. After a moment she lowered her hand and asked, "Kind of? In my day you were either dating or you weren't."

He rolled his eyes. He knew he wouldn't be able to hide his feelings for Madge so he gave up trying. Frustrated he answered, "Fine. We're dating. But only barely. And last night she hung up on me, so maybe that means we're fighting now, I don't know." Before she could answer he added defensively, "I wasn't telling her what to do. I was just asking a question, and she got all upset."

With that, Gale launched into an explanation of what had happened over the last several weeks. He didn't share the details of Madge's past, or his added guilt knowing she'd been in the prison when they rescued Peeta and the others. He glossed over a few other of the more intimate details, but he told Hazelle about archery practice and about that terrible first date. He explained about meeting Purnia, his reconciliation with Madge/Runa and their recent time together, as well as her continued resistance to telling her friends the truth. Hazelle pursed her lips thoughtfully as she listened to him.

When he finished she commented, "this really matters to you."

The way she said it she could have meant anything, but Gale knew better. He knew she meant his feelings for Madge. "It could," he admitted. "Except every time I think things are going well, something goes wrong and she flips out on me. At the restaurant over I don't know what. And now this. I swear, Ma, she's an emotional minefield."

"That doesn't sound like Madge," she argued mildly.

Gale laughed. "She'd totally agree with you. She'd tell you she's not Madge anymore. Not that we would know if she had changed."

"She has a point. Ten years is a long time."

"But how can I even date her if she's living a lie?" Gale grumbled. "I can't keep spending time with her friends if I have to lie to them about who she is."

"Gale," she said cautiously, "You think you need to solve this, but there's not always a quick fix. Don't rush into a decision you might regret later. Or force her to. Last time we talked about this you didn't even know what the consequences would be for her if she did come forward."

He shook his head. "She didn't do anything wrong. Whatever the consequences, it can't be that bad. I could help her."

"It's not just the legal issue," she chided. "Her whole life would change. I'm not saying she shouldn't, and I know why this is so important to you. But have you explained it to her?"

He sighed. "No, but…."

Hazelle looked fondly at him through the screen, her forehead creased slightly. "She told her story, Gale. She opened up to you. You want to do this right, you've got to be honest with her. You don't need me to tell you that. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

After a pause, she smiled lightly and asked, "any chance we'll see Miss Bihar in District 13 sometime?"

Gale felt a slight flush cross his face, remembering how he had so flippantly invited Madge to 13. That possibility seemed a long way off, now. "Ma! Bit early for that don't you think? We've only had two dates."

Her smile widened. "I'm not trying to pressure you, Gale. Just know she's always welcome here, whatever her name."

"Thanks, Ma." Gale allowed a small smile in return.

She nodded. "You'll work it out, I know you will. You both just need some time to sort this out. But be patient Gale. If this has been her life for ten years, I'm sure she's got her reasons. You can't expect her to change her mind overnight."

Gale wasn't feeling very assured, though she was probably right. He hated the situation, but Madge had told him what had happened to her. Maybe they just needed more time. If she was willing to give it to him.

Hazelle let the topic drop, having advised him as much as she felt he needed. They talked awhile longer, about the family and about life in 13. Gale marked the dates on his calendar when she filled him in on Vick's plans to visit over the school holiday.

Gale forced himself to grab dinner while he waited until 7pm - a simple sandwich and a beer. His communicuff read 6:59 when she called. He thought briefly about making her wait, but he was just kidding himself. He ran a hand through his hair and answered quickly. He took in her somber appearance as she appeared on his video screen. She wore a bulky sweater and her loose hair almost covered her tattoo.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," he answered, trying to gauge her mood. For a minute they both just looked at each other through the screen.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I really don't want to fight."

Gale chose his words carefully. "Neither do I. I wasn't trying to attack you yesterday. And I'm glad you told me about what happened during the war. I just wish I understood better."

She nodded slowly. "I overreacted, but." She sighed. Her teeth raked at the edge of her mouth. "You act like it would be so easy and it's not easy. I don't understand why it has to matter so much."

"I'm sorry. I know it's not easy, but I can't ignore it." Then Gale realized what she had just said, asking him why her identity was such a problem for him. And it wasn't the first time. She'd been asking him the same thing, practically every time they talked. His Ma had been right. To him it was self-evident, but it wasn't to her. He hadn't been open enough with her, and hadn't explained himself to her. Still, he balked at telling her about his past mistakes. "Maybe we both need another chance to explain ourselves. Will you at least talk to me about it?" he asked.

She wiped at her eye with one hand, her expression tense. "Of course we can talk about it."

He wished he was there with her. "Good," he said with a small smile. Then he added, "I miss you." He hated having this conversation over video call instead of in person.

Her look softened. "I miss you too. I was thinking maybe this weekend –"

Gale frowned. "I can't come to the Capitol every weekend. And don't take this the wrong way, but more time with your friends is not going to help this situation."

"No, I get that," she answered shaking her head. "It's not what I meant – but if you aren't too busy, what if I come there?"

"To district 2? That would be great, but this weekend? It's too long a trip; it doesn't make sense. You have finals and everything."

Madge assured him, "It'll be fine. I'll bring my schoolwork with me. I could catch the morning train, and study on the way."

"You would do that?" he asked.

"Of course I would. Video calls are fine for what they are, but I'd rather talk in person, wouldn't you?"

Gale immediately agreed. He never imagined she would want to come to District 2 - at least not during the semester. He'd thought maybe she would visit him once she was done with finals, if they were still together then. He agreed to meet her at the train station. Then she said she needed to pack and get some studying done before the morning. They said goodnight, each anxiously awaiting the morning and the next time they would see each other.