Prompt: Baby on a doorstep.
Disclaimer: I don't own.
It was a normal Sunday morning at Gale's apartment. He was about to head out of his morning run. He opened the door and nearly tripped over the baby left on his doorstep.
He froze staring at the baby in shock. He bent down and picked up the kid and the basket it came in and carried it inside. He opened the carried it inside. He opened the letter.
Gale.
This is your son, Hunter. Take care of him.
Glimmer
He stared at the letter and then at the baby. Then he calmly reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He hit the 4 and let it speed dial.
"Katniss? I have a baby on my kitchen counter."
"Gale it's 2 AM here, I don't have time for games."
"Kat I am not kidding."
He snapped a picture and hit send.
"Fuck Gale."
"What do I do?"
"Call Madge?"
"Princess? Why would I call her?"
"Becuase she is the only person we both know and trust that lives in the same state as you."
She hung up and Gale sighed.
He hit the 2 button.
"Hello?"
"Madge?"
"Gale?"
"Listen, I need help. Can you come over to my apartment please, like now?"
He rattled off the address and hung up.
Half an hour later, Madge arrived with two cups of coffee.
"Black. The way you liked it."
He took the coffee and her eyes land on the baby.
"Oh!"
She peers at it and Gale watched the two interact. Madge coos over the child and the child laughs. Gale glowered. He watched her bend down, blonde hair pulled into a pony tail over one shoulder, blue eyes laughing. The baby had dark hair and pretty blue eyes the same shade as Madge's.
Madge smiles and touched his feet and Hunter looked up at her, with what Gale swore were hearts in his eyes.
"How cute."
"Thanks, he's half mine."
"He has your smile and that Hawthorne charm."
She blushed as what she said sunk in and Gale scratched his head.
He looked at her and Madge sighed.
"Is this why you called me?"
"I called Katniss and she didn't take too kindly to be woken up at such an early time."
"Ah."
"I need help."
"You need my help. What you see boobs and think Mommy?"
"I know nothing about babies."
"You helped raise four, five if we counting Katniss, kids."
"But I was never in charge of a baby!"
The baby began to cry and Madge laughed as Gale paled.
"Oh, is big bad Hawthrone scared of a little baby." She teased him.
She placed her coffee on the table and shrugged off her jacket and undid the straps holding the baby in place.
"Hey sweetheart."
"Is Daddy being too loud?"
She picks him up and positions him correctly in her arms.
"You a cutie."
"His name is Hunter."
"Hunter Hawthorne."
She walks aroudn the room with Hunter in her arms and she coos at him. Gale marvels at how right she looks with his child in her arms. Dressed in jeans and a casual shirt, she looks like she fits in his house.
"He is going to need supplies. We are going to have to hit the stores."
"We can take my…."
"We can't. We can, however, take mine, since I still have the carseat from when I was babysitting Finn's kids. "
So off they went Gale, Madge, and Hunter.
Gale was overwhelmed by the amount of things a child needs.
As they went aisle to aisle, Madge suddenly paused.
"Wait, you are keeping him right?"
Gale nodded.
"Of course!"
She smiled.
"Brave man."
She looked at prices and pulled out her phone to compare brands and prices. They drove store after store to get things. When they got home, she showed him how to change a diaper, since he was unable to come with her into the women's bathroom.
Gale didn't understand how he was able to set delicate hunting traps but couldn't figure out a simple diaper.
Madge found it hilarious.
Madge ended up crashing on his couch the next few days until he got the hang of things. Even when she went back home, she still spent most days with them. Eventually, she moved in before anyone knew it Hunter was turning one. It was a big deal.
Gale, Madge, and Hunter drove down to Disctrict Twelve, a small town located in Texas. It was a long drive from Miami, Florida but better as it allowed Gale and Madge to discuss things before they arrived home.
"So I told my mother I'm bringing my son and a friend of mine."
"I told Peeta I was coming down for the weekend with a friend."
Neither said anything about how everyone probably knew they were coming together.
"Did you find a place?"
"Dad and Mom moved into a smaller house. Peeta and Katniss can't take me in since Clove and Cato are camping out in their spare room. Finn and Annie are staying with Haymitch. Johanna hung up on me. Fox and Thresh's house is being taken over by weddins plans."
"You can always stay with me."
"No, it's fine! I can stay…."
"In the inn my family owns?"
She laughed.
"Guess I didn't think it through."
Gale reached over to squeeze her fingers.
"I'm glad you are coming."
She squeezed his hand back.
"Me too."
Gale drove like that one hand on the wheel, the other intertwined with the woman next to him.
When they got to town, Madge straightened up and Gale released go of her hand. They parked in front of Gale's home next to the inn.
The two entered the house with Hunter curled up in Madge's arms.
Gale was met with the sight of his younger brother Rory making out with Prue Everdeen.
"Rory Hawthrone!"
The two jumped away from each other and Prue blushed as she recognized Gale.
Rory stared at his brother in shock.
Emily Hawthrone entered the room and pulled her oldest son down for a hug.
She beamed at Madge and cooed over Hunter, her first grandchild.
Dinner that night was a noisy affair. The Hawthrones, the Everdeens, the Mellark brothers were all there. The newly enganged Cato and Clove were there with little Rue. Hunter and Rue were ebing passed around from person to person and the two loved the attnetion.
However, eyes were on Gale and Madge.
Peeta noticed how Gale was brush his fingers on her shoulder or elbow. Clove noticd the way Madge would look at Gale with a smile on her lips, hands toying with her necklace. Rye Mellark and his wife Bristol, noticed how a part of the two was always touching.
Even Katniss, ever oblvious to everything related to love, could tell something was going on. She noticed how Gale's ring finger had a light band, as if he wore a ring.
Emily Hawthorne and Evelyn Everdeen exchanged looks as they watched the two interact.
After the babies were put to bed, and the younger kids, including Prim and Rory, were set in front of a movie, while the adults talked.
Katniss and Clove, who were both policewoman, fired off questions that would have left lesser people reeling or confused.
However, Madge and Gale had no problem answering the questions in what could be considered reheareased answers.
It was amusing to Gale to see how annoyed Katniss was getting with them. He could tell Peeta was biting back a laugh while Cato was snickering with Rye.
"So how long have you two been married?"
Evelyn Everdeen jumped in with her own round of questions that left Gale and Madge stunned.
"What?"
Emily laughed at her son's expression.
"I know you son. You look at Madge the way your father looked at me. You have a light band on your finger where a ring would be. You went to Vegas a year ago."
Madge laughed and laced her fingers with Gale as he slipped his ring back on and she pulled her ring and chain from under her shirt.
"We got married in Vegas about a year and half ago. We planned to get a divorce and decided while we waited for it to go through to see other people. Gale met Glimmer and I met Marvel. We found out they were cheating on us and Gale and I considered trying to work things out. As soon as the diovorce papers went through we started dating again. Then Glimmer dropped off Hunter and it all fell into place. We are getting married again when Hunter is older."
"Although in our hearts, we are still married."
Emily and Evelyn held out their hands and Cato sighed as he pulled out his wallet.
Katniss and Peeta stared at the couple in shock. Gale laughed and kissed Madge's hair.
"You were right Princess. Moms always know."
She kissed his hands.
"I'm a mom. I know everything when it comes to my kid."
So I'm pretty bad at updating during breaks. I have been really sick so that's why nothing has been up or pm being checked. my am trying to get as many things up before i start classes next week. Hopefully it works out.
Love you Wallflowers
-Queen