A/N: Thank you for the wonderful reviews and response. I'm always amazed by the number of people reading this story.

I'm trying something new with this chapter. In honor of Valentine's Day, I've tried to create a fluffy chapter while they still have their heavy talks.

Thank you, RoryFaller, for the beta and continued support.


Sensual Kisses

When Madge opened her eyes the next morning, she was disappointed not to find Gale in bed. She knew he was an early riser, probably from his days of hunting in District Twelve. Once again Gale appeared with a perfect cup of coffee only moments after she first opened her eyes. Not only could he move quietly, he still heard the slightest sounds around him. Madge grimaced into her cup of coffee; too bad he'd put on a T-shirt already.

"So, what's on the agenda today?" she asked. She knew they had a lot to discuss, but somehow it was the last thing on her mind.

Before Gale could answer her his phone rang and he took it outside. When he walked in a few minutes later, he asked, "Are you okay if Stu wants to come over to talk to both of us in a few minutes?"

Madge nodded even though all she really wanted was a day alone with Gale. There went her day of lounging in bed all day with him. She sighed and got out of bed to get dressed. After she dressed she found Gale rummaging through her closet. "What are you looking for?" she asked cringing at his disorderly hunting.

"I'm trying to find some underwear," he said non-chalantly.

Madge's cheeks heated immediately and she replied, "Umm, I didn't bring any down. It was sort of embarrassing."

Gale looked up and smiled mischievously at her mortified expression, "Hmmm, I suppose I'll just have to go commando."

"Gale!" she scolded. As she turned to leave him alone in the closet, he caught her wrist and pulled her back to him. Without any words, he bent his head down and caught her in a passionate kiss that only the ringing doorbell brought them up for air. Madge pulled back from him with a grin and pecked his lips quickly once. "Get dressed," she commanded as she ran out the door. She could hear Gale's laughter.

"Good morning, Ms. Undersee. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice," Stu said as Madge opened the door for him.

"Please call me Madge. It's a pleasure to see you. I hope we didn't completely ruin your party last night," she said as she stepped aside to let Stu in.

He shook his head and took a seat on the sofa. Madge brought some coffee and saw Gale coming out as she walked into the living room. He looked irresistible in tight dark blue jeans and a soft-gray T-shirt; she briefly wondered if he went commando. As if reading her thoughts, Gale winked at her and once again she felt her cheeks heating up.

Stu shook Gale's hand as Gale said, "Madge and I haven't had a chance to talk about the party or about Archtur yet." Stu nodded.

Madge sighed and said, "Just tell me the truth. I want to know."

Gale took a seat next to her and held her hand as Stu said, "Madge, I told you last night that I knew your father and had a lot of respect for him. When I found out you were alive, I wanted to reach out to you, but I didn't want you to think I was using your closeness to the President for personal gain since at the time my company was bidding a lot of government projects. Then President Paylor introduced Archtur to me, as your boyfriend. I thought it was a way for me to help you while making sure I wasn't using you. I hired Archtur as a manager and soon promoted him to a Vice-President and gave him a lot of leeway in his work and authority within the company. He led me to believe that you were both still dating and even that he planned to propose to you last night."

Madge gasped as Gale squeezed her hand in support. The lies that Archtur told about her made her hate him. Madge Undersee had been taught to never hate anyone so this was a new feeling for her.

Stu continued, "When I saw you and Gale together at dinner, naturally I assumed you were friends because of your father."

Madge looked at Gale curiously at this statement and he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and said, "I'll explain that later."

Madge nodded. So Stu continued, "But as the night went on, I admit I was confused by your closeness to Gale since I thought you and Archtur were serious enough to get married soon."

That explains the confused looks he gave me last night when I was close to Gale. Madge sighed because at least one mystery from last night was solved.

Before Stu continued, Gale said, "Madge, when I went on the balcony after our dance, I heard Archtur and his friend Malc talking about stealing money from the Government and from Pan Construction."

Madge buried her head in her hands as she cried, "No!"

Immediately, Gale put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him, "I'm sorry, angel. It's true. He was stealing money by using your name to carve a clear and easy path for himself and his friends. I'm sorry you had to find out like this." He kissed her forehead. Stu smiled at the tender, loving moment between two people he respected and cared for.

Madge buried her head in his chest and cried. Gale held her, rubbed her back and let her cry it out of her system. Stu waited patiently looking heartbroken at Madge's distress.

The anger and some embarrassment began to take over and Madge stopped crying and looked up sheepishly from Gale's chest as she said, "I'm sorry."

Both men said at the same time, "Please, don't be." Gale picked up her hand and kissed it offering his support.

"Madge, your father worried about people using you because of his position. He was worried Snow would use you and he worried people in District Twelve would use you against him. He did everything he could to keep you safe. And now I've allowed you to get used under my watch. I feel like I've failed a dear old friend. So I am the one that needs to apologize," the distraught elder gentleman offered.

Madge and Gale both assured him he had nothing to be sorry about. He was used just as badly as Madge had been. Gale would make sure Archtur rotted in prison for the rest of his days. He wouldn't let him get away with any of it.

After apologizing profusely to both Gale and Madge, Stu rose to leave. Madge squeezed Gale's hand to still him on the sofa as she walked her father's friend to the door. At the door, Stu kissed Madge's forehead in a fatherly manner and said, "Madge, if you need anything please don't hesitate to call me." He paused and looked at Gale for a moment and then back at Madge as he continued, "I do not know the nature of your relationship with the General, but I know your father would approve of him. He trusted Gale and believed in him."

On impulse Madge hugged him before he left. As soon as the door closed behind Stu, Gale was at her side. He took her hand and asked, "Are you alright?"

She smiled and said, "I think I am. I feel a load lifted off my shoulders and a lot of things are becoming clear now."

"Do you want to talk about it or do you want to know more about what I found out about Archtur?" Gale asked her.

She shook her head and said, "No. But do you mind if I just have a few moments to myself?"

Gale kissed her forehead and lightly pecked her lips as he walked out the door. He smiled and said, "Come up whenever you want. I'll be waiting."

I'll be waiting…three simple words that meant everything to Madge. He'd be waiting for her whenever she was ready to take the next step. Suddenly those three words made all of Archtur's betrayal and her heartbreak mean nothing. Madge stood with her back to the closed door of her apartment and smiled thinking, I'm ready, Gale.

When Madge entered Gale's bedroom, she heard the shower running so she made herself comfortable on the bed waiting for him to finish. She must have dozed off because when she opened her eyes, there he was standing wrapped in a short towel that did very little to cover his tall, muscular frame.

She'd slept in his arms, even slept on his bare chest; she'd kissed him several times, but she'd never seen him quite like this. A thin-film of water glistened on his torso and his hair was wet and tousled from towel drying it. Madge bit her lip. There was a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach that she'd never felt before and could not identify. Her eyes moved down his chest to the towel hanging low on his hips, held together with a simple tuck of an end. The towel barely made it down to his mid-thigh, showcasing his strong, muscular legs down to large bare feet.

To call the feeling in her stomach fluttering butterflies would be an understatement. When she moved her eyes back up to his face, she noticed his eyes were really dark – reminding her of coal from District Twelve. Gale raised an eyebrow at her and she flushed immediately.

Slowly he took a step closer to her and Madge gulped. Gale extended his hand and she took it mesmerized by him. She wouldn't deny him anything; nor did she want to. He pulled her up a little so she was on her knees; he was just about to kiss her when her cell phone rang. Madge sat back on the bed as she looked at the caller ID.


Gale couldn't see the name on the caller ID from his angle, but he glared at her to clearly tell her not to answer the phone. Madge smiled at him mischievously and answered, "Hi, Katniss. How are you?" What? Katniss never calls. In the last six months Madge had lived in District Two he was only aware of two phone calls; both of which were initiated by Madge. He had never talked to Katniss on the phone; he'd only had a few terse conversations with her in District Twelve when he visited his family and ran into her. Neither he nor Katniss had done anything to seek the other out.

"Busy with work, mostly," Madge replied into the phone.

Gale hated only hearing one side of the conversation so he stood there imposingly in his towel hoping to intimidate Madge enough to hang up the phone.

"You never were for too many words. I wouldn't miss it for anything. I'll be there. Have you told Gale yet?" Madge asked Katniss with a smile on her face. Gale sat next to her on the bed, not being able to resist her smile and nibbled behind her ear. She tried to push him off, but he was quicker and stronger.

He briefly wondered, told me what? Just get off the phone, Madge.

"I just came over to his place; do you want to talk to him now?" Madge asked Katniss. Gale shook his head vehemently. He wanted Madge to get off the phone, not hand it to him. Katniss was ruining their moment.

The young man sighed exasperated as he took the phone from Madge's outstretched hand, but not before he gave her a clearly disapproving look. "Hello, Katniss. How are you?" he asked trying to sound cheerful yet feeling anything but.

"Do you think you could come to District Twelve next weekend? Sorry for the short notice but Peeta and I…well, we'd like you to be here for our toasting on Saturday," Katniss asked.

His body tensed immediately. It wasn't because she was getting married; it was just because that's what Katniss did to him. Talking to her brought images of the bomb that killed so many innocent children and medics; it brought front images of how coldly she'd rejected him and blamed him for everything. It wasn't just what Vick said, but also Madge's experience with Archtur that made him think about his own rejection from Katniss. She was supposed to be his best-friend and understand him better than anyone else. She wasn't supposed to judge and abandon him even if she didn't love him romantically.

Just as anger brewed inside him, he caught sight of a small smile on Madge's face. He smiled back at her and put an arm around her waist. He needed the strength the sweet, innocent angel next to him provided without even trying. If an angel like her could still want to be with him, he knew he'd be okay.

Katniss explained the plans for the toasting briefly. After a series of terse 'ah-has' and 'okays', he finally said, "That's wonderful, Katniss. We'll be there," and he hung up the phone.

Gale tossed the phone on the bed and looked at Madge. She flushed under his intense gaze and asked, "What?"

He wanted to throw her back on the bed and kiss her and make love to her, but he didn't want Madge to get the wrong idea behind his intentions. The moment is definitely ruined. Gale took a deep breath and said, "I have an idea." She raised her eyebrow at him so he continued, "Remember you said you have a lot of vacation time and you never use it?" Madge nodded so he continued again, "How about we go to District Twelve today?"

"What," she asked surprised.

"Let's go today. I can fly us there. You said you'd go with me some time. You just told Katniss you'd go for their toasting next weekend. So go with me today and spend some time with my family."

"Gale, I don't know."

He stood up and turned to pin Madge under his gaze with a raised eyebrow and asked, "What is it? You don't want to go with me, don't want to spend time with my family, or…,"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as Madge got off the bed and slammed into him and for the first time caught him in a fierce kiss, "I'd go to the end of the world with you as long as we were together."

They stood there entwined kissing passionately; Gale was happy following her lead on this kiss. They hadn't said it, but he knew they'd just taken the next step. He smiled into the kiss.

When she pulled back, Madge gave him a dreamy smile and asked, "If I'm ready to go in an hour, will that suit you?"

He smiled and pecked her cheek. "I'll call Gavin and have him take us to the hoverport. We'll surprise Ma and Pose; they'll be thrilled to see you."


Madge was packed and ready to go, waiting for Gale. She turned on her video phone and dialed Nona.

"Miss Under…I mean Madge, how are you? You look radiant. Anything you want to share?" Nona teased a little. In the year that Nona had worked for Madge, she'd never felt comfortable calling her Madge. The last couple days, Madge and Nona had had several heart-to-hearts and talked about their feelings for the two handsome Hawthorne brothers.

Madge felt her cheeks heat up a little and said, "I'm taking the week off."

"What?" Nona asked shocked.

"Believe it. Gale and I are going to District Twelve to spend some time with his family. Then Katniss and Peeta are planning on having their toasting next weekend and we'll be back after that. Don't tell anyone about the toasting; they're keeping it under wraps."

"Oh, Madge. I'm so happy for you. I told you Gale was totally smitten by you. Have a great time and don't worry about anything here. I'll make sure everything stays under control here."

"Thanks, Nona. I can always count on you. You should talk to Rory and see if you can take a few days off and come too, with him." Madge suggested.

Now it was Nona's turn to blush as she sheepishly said, "I'll talk to him. I doubt he'd want to go to Katniss' toasting though."

Madge sighed. No, Rory and Vick wouldn't go home for that. Nona broke into her thoughts and asked, "Have you told Gale yet?"

"Told me what?" Gale asked sitting next to Madge and putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Can't you make some sound when you come in? You almost gave me a heart attack," Madge scolded but leaned into him.

Gale laughed as Nona, blushing profusely, said, "I'll talk to you later, Madge."

She tried to end the call but Gale stopped her and said, "Wait, Nona. You've known me for six months now. You can't still be intimidated by me. You're important to Madge; Madge is important to me. I think we should spend some time together and get to know each other better."

Madge started laughing as Nona looked like she may pass out. "What?" Gale questioned innocently. "I'm being nice and honest."

Madge took pity on him and kissed his cheek as she said, "I know you are. That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me." Madge sighed dramatically and cast a glance once at Nona and then looked back at Gale. "Although, if you spend time to get to know Nona better, it'll be for both me and Rory."

Gale looked confused at Madge and then at an extremely uncomfortable blushing Nona. As understanding dawned on him, his eyes widened and he asked Madge, "Rory and Nona?" Madge nodded. He continued, "But I thought he met a girl through friends; not through you."

"He did. I guess what's meant to be will always find its way," Madge replied.

Isn't that the truth? Gale crashed his lips on Madge's. There was no question in his mind that they were also meant to be and he showed Madge that through his kiss. When Madge and Gale came up for air, they realized there was only static on the video screen and that Nona had already hung up at some point. Madge shrugged and Gale just caught her in another kiss.

After Gale helped Madge into her seat on The Hob, he climbed into his own seat. "You know that you're the first girl to be in here?"

Madge nodded and kissed his cheek as she said, "I'm honored. Thank you." She watched him meticulously prepare for take-off.

A few moments later, with his long arms, he reached over and pulled the belt from the other side of her head. "What are you doing?" Madge questioned flushing.

"Making sure both my girls are properly ready for take-off," Gale answered with a sly look.

As his hands moved towards the belt, his lips found her neck and nibbled. Madge closed her eyes at the strange sensations travelling through her body. He gave her a quick peck on the lips and clicked her buckle in place letting his hand lightly trace her body all the way from the right side of her neck, across her breasts to the left side of her waist.

Madge closed her eyes once again as her hands clammed up. The inside of the jet was small and Gale seemed to fill the entire space including all the space inside her mind. He squeezed her waist next to the buckle and let his fingers trace down to her thigh. Her eyes were still closed as she was doing her best to breathe in and out. All other coherent thoughts had left her some time ago.

"Scared?" he questioned.

Madge opened her eyes and looked him straight in his eyes and said, "No. Not even a bit."

The smile on Gale's face was all she needed to know how much she meant to him. Madge wasn't scared; she trusted Gale with her life. So she gave into the adrenaline rush as he flew the jet up in the air. Everything from above was different; she'd never seen the mountains of District Two from the sky. They looked majestic yet small from up above. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach again and she wasn't sure if it was because of the flying or because of the look of pure enjoyment, satisfaction and pleasure on Gale's face. He was definitely beautiful. To call him anything else would just be an injustice.

A few minutes later, Gale leveled the jet as they were far above the clouds. Surrounded in a cotton-like palace of clouds, Madge felt like a fairytale princess. As a young girl she'd read a few fairytales and her imagination paled considerably next to this real moment. She looked over at her prince and said, "Gale?" Why does his name always come out as a question when I want to say something important?

Gale laughed, probably thinking the same and asked, "Madge?" His hand skimmed across her thigh and took hold of one of her hands resting in her lap. Madge smiled.

"When I saw Vick in District Eight, he suggested that I should talk to you about my feelings because you'd understand better than anyone else."

Gale squeezed her hand and brought it up to his lips for a quick kiss as he said, "Madge, talk to me. I'll always be your friend before anything else. You can tell me anything."

She couldn't stop herself and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek as she said, "Thank you. Is it okay if I talk about Archtur for a minute?"

Once again Gale squeezed her hand in support and nodded his consent. She began nervously, "You know I never dated anyone in District Twelve?" He nodded again giving her the time and space to continue this at her pace.

Madge was nervous; she didn't want to talk about this, but she knew they had to discuss it in order to move forward properly. She took another deep breath and continued, "After District Twelve," her voice broke a little there and Gale kissed her hand again.

"Afterwards, I didn't have the will or any desire to even think of a romantic relationship for years. Then I met Archtur and he showered me with attention and flirted with me. After spending years in loneliness, I felt wanted and I fell for him. We started dating, but I didn't have any dating experience so I didn't know what to expect. I was just happy because I thought I was in love and he loved me back. When Archtur told me he was not in love with me and broke up with me, it crushed me. I had no doubts; I believed it with my heart and head that he loved me only to find out he didn't. I felt lost; I felt as if I was adrift in a sea of sorrow. My life…my future felt as black as coal."

A few tears fell out of her eyes and Gale set the jet on auto-pilot. He took her hand in his left one and moved his right arm around her shoulder. Even in this awkward space, he found a way to comfort her and hold her. Madge wiped her tears and gave him a small smile…taking comfort from the strong man seated beside her.

She continued, "I was weak and I let myself get sucked into depression. I wallowed in my pain and never even gave my heart a chance to get over Archtur…to move away from that experience. I don't know if I was punishing myself or if I was simply being stupid, but I didn't allow myself to let go of the pain. It was almost that if the pain was there then that meant I was still alive…I could still feel. I think it even meant that I wasn't just some silly girl or that I hadn't done anything wrong."

Gale kissed her hand again, letting her say what was on her mind. Madge continued, "Then I met you and the future suddenly looked brighter. I had always been attracted to you and I was attracted to you immediately again."

Finally Madge smiled a little at that and Gale smiled back. "I liked you, but something felt wrong even though it felt right in so many ways. My simple mind couldn't make sense of the desires and feelings you awakened inside me. Seeing Archtur again made me realize that it had been a long time since I had been over him. And once again, that felt wrong. It felt wrong that I had once loved him and now that I had you in my life, I didn't feel anything for him anymore."

"Guilt. That's what you were feeling. Not wrong, but guilt." Gale finally spoke. "Madge, I know a thing or two about guilt too. I felt similar guilt when I started liking you. For years, I've asked myself, but never had an answer…did I love Katniss? I still don't know the answer. But I know what I feel for you is nothing like what I felt for Katniss or anyone else. And I've known that for some time now. And trust me that realization brought a whole different kind of guilt forth. But then I realized that if someone as pure and angelic as you wanted to be my friend, kiss me and dare I hope wants to be with me, then I wasn't going to care about that guilt."

Gale looked meaningfully at Madge and continued, "You've made my guilt disappear. When you and I are together, it feels so right that there's no room for guilt of any kind in there. Not guilt over Katniss, the war, the rebellion…not even those damned bombs. When I look in your eyes, I don't see the guilt of the past; I see a future where I want to be the kind of man that deserves you...the kind of man that does things right. Do you think you could give up your guilt for me?"

Madge couldn't control herself and un-buckled her seat belt. She leaned towards Gale and hugged him as she nodded into his chest. "I want to, Gale. Guilt over Archtur is nothing compared to you. I'd do anything for you."

Gale bent his head down and kissed her. Madge kissed him back. You're not desirable, Madge. Archtur's words come back to haunt her as she looked up at the most amazing man. She could almost take the next step with him...she'd do it for herself because there's nothing she wanted more than to be with Gale, but could she do it to him?

Madge moved back into her seat and buckled herself again. Archtur had lied to her about so many things, could he have lied to her about her desirability too? Gale kissed her often, but he always stopped easily too. Madge was so confused, she felt like pulling her hair out. Could I be desirable? Does Gale want me?

The distressed girl was fed up with such questions and there was only one way for her to find out. She had to do something on her own and it was time for her to take charge of her life. Madge knew she'd fallen in love with Gale, but she couldn't tell him that just yet. All the stars seemed aligned for them and there was only one thing holding her back. Gale would have to want her; she wouldn't let the most amazing man become tied to her out of honor or loyalty.

Gale raised his eyebrow and she smiled sweetly back at him. Madge decided to not talk about her lack of desirability with Gale; she resolved to become desirable. The girl, who finally felt alive after years, vowed to herself that she'd make Gale want her more than he'd ever wanted anything or anyone else.

Gale leaned over and kissed her cheek as he said, "I have to take it out of auto-pilot now."

Madge nodded and let her hand brush up against the inside of his thigh and up to the bare skin of his waist underneath his shirt. Gale groaned as Madge smiled at him demurely. Operation drive-Gale-crazy was on!


A/N: I know there's still a couple of topics of conversation they didn't yet cover...I haven't forgotten, they'll be in the next chapter. Stay tuned for some Hawthorne Family time, which I can't seem to get enough of.

How was the guilt/Katniss/Archtur conversation? Did I mix fluff properly with the heavy talks/thoughts?

Happy Valentine's Day!