There's one day I'm working when Wren and Finn show up. I groan and try to duck behind the counter but they see me.

"Were you trying to hide from us?"

I scoff, "not at all." I look back at my manager. "I'm taking my lunch break." She nods and I pull off my apron and follow my friends. "I feel like I haven't seen you guys in forever."

"Because you haven't." Finn tells me and I laugh hurrying through the snow to get to Finn's car. I have a thirty minute break for lunch and usually I eat in the break room, but I have friends today.

I shake the snow out of my hair and Finn turns around to face me. "How are you? Wren told me... she told me what happened."

"I'm fine now. Gale... he's been great about it."

Finn nods. "Good, good. Any luck on the birthday present? It's almost been a year." I burst a bright red and fumble over my words. "Oh my god!"

"Why the hell didn't you tell me!" Wren shouts shoving me lightly in the arm. I blush deeper and drop my head to my hands. "When did you two have sex?"

I blush more and groan. "Do you guys really need to know this?"

"Yes!" They both shout and I groan again.

"Our six month, alright? Happy?"

Wren shakes her head. "Nope. Not yet." I groan. I know she's going to ask how it was and it was amazing, because Gale knew what to do and I did too. But what Gale and I did was between us, not between Finn and Wren. I know that I'll eventually tell Wren, but I couldn't tell Finn. That's just too weird.

"I'm not talking about this right now."

Finn grumbles. "At least tell us if he treated you well?" I nod and Finn grins. "That's all I needed to know." My face turns cherry red. "How many of those condoms have you used?"

"Finn!" Both me and Wren shout. It's only been three weeks since we first had sex, but... it's become common, now. We can't seem to get enough of each other, and that's completely alright with me. I'm on birth control and we make sure to use protection each time, so we're as safe as we can get. "Don't you think that's a little personal?"

"Nope," Finn laughs, "not when I'm the one who got you them."

I groan and bury my face again. "You two are insane."

"But you love us."

"Sure," I laugh, knowing that my face is still burning, "whatever you guys say."

"I feel really awkward here," I murmur, staying close to Gale.

"Don't. You know me, and you know Am and Tabitha. Don't feel awkward." He presses his hand into the small of my back and we move forward into the wedding hall. An usher shows us our seats and slowly we make our way there. We're seated along with everyone else at this wedding, and Gale introduces me to some of his military friends who are seated around us.

"Oh, so you're the famous Madge. We've heard quite a bit about." I blush and bite my lip to prevent from laughing. "Gale over here talks nonstop about you."

"Alright, alright, I think you've embrassaed me enough." Gale scowls, sitting down as the music starts.

I snicker and lean into his side. "So you talk about me, hm?"

"They've all been out to get me for ages." I laugh and give him a quick kiss. One of his arms drapes over my shoulder and his other hand rests on my thigh, because I know he wants to drive me insane this entire wedding. Apparently I'm driving him up the wall with the dress I'm wearing, this must be his payback.

The wedding procession starts soon after, with Am's little three-year-old niece as the flower girl, following the rest of the group that's walking. We're told to stand up and then Tabitha's walking down the aisle.

"She looks beautiful," I whisper and Gale nods.

"Am looks like he's about to fall over." I bite my lip to keep from laughing. I hope that whoever I end up getting married to gets emotional or I'm turning around and walking again.

We sit down and Gale puts his arm around my shoulder again. They talk for ages. About unity and objections (thank God no one objected) and love and all this stuff that I try to pay attention to, but can't. And then there's the fact that Gale keeps sliding his hand up my thigh and under the hem of my dress.

Amos and Tabitha say their vows to each other and exchange rings. Both of their hands are shaking, but they're smiling. Tabitha looks like she's about to cry. The priest talks for a little bit longer, until, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

The two have their first kiss as a married couple and everyone in the room stands up and claps as Amos and Tabitha release from each other. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Mr. and Mrs. Amos Justus!" The new couple walks down the aisle and I can't keep from smiling.

Eventually, we file out of the room we're in and into the reception hall. There's a crowd of people surrounding Amos and Tabitha to take pictures and stuff back in the wedding hall.

Gale pulls me away from people and into a back hallway quickly. "Jesus Christ, you're driving me nuts." I laugh and he pulls me towards him quickly and presses his lips onto mine. I tug him closer by his tie and he groans into my mouth. Gale's hands slide down my back and rest on my hips.

"Gale, what if they come out?" I pant.

"They'll be in there for a little bit. Pictures take a while." His tongue slips into my mouth. "Can we just leave now?"

I laugh and push him away slowly, but he keeps me close. "No. But when we get home..." I wink and Gale groans, pulling me close again.

We venture out into the reception hall again and find that Amos and Tabitha are just making their way into the hall as well. They have their first dance as brunch is being brought out and then the rest of the people here get pushed onto the dance floor to dance as well. Gale pulls me close to him and I carefully wrap my arms around his neck as his snake around my waist.

No one actually dances, Gale and I just sway around to whatever song is playing and he keeps me close. He's literally just complaining about how he wants to go home. It makes me laugh though, and I think that's what he's trying to do.

The reception goes by smoothly, with toasts and eating and dancing and there's love everywhere. "I've never seen him look so happy," Gale murmurs to me, after we've eaten and we're sitting at the table with some of the other military people and their families.

"They look so happy," I tell him and he smiles, squeezing my side.

When we can finally make our way to talk to them, Gale chats with Amos for a little bit, and I talk to Tabitha. "If he doesn't treat you well, I'll send Gale in."

The bride laughs, looking over at her new husband. "I don't think that's going to be a problem, Madge. Gale treating you well? According to Am, he talks about you constantly." I blush and give her a tight hug before moving to Amos.

"Congratulations." I give him a smile and a hug and Amos grins.

"Just a wedding, no big deal."

I laugh, "treat her well."

Amos laughs. "Madge, I'm more concerned whether he's treating you well." I blush again and Gale and I leave soon after. We barely make it into Gale's apartment through the snow that's building up before he pulls my dress off and carries me to the bedroom.

It's nearing the end of January when a snowstorm hits District 2.

Thankfully, the night before I had stayed at Gale's, so I'm at least with him during this.

"Why is it so cold?" I whine, pulling the covers tighter around my bare body, from the previous nights activities.

Gale chuckles and tugs me gently towards him. "One, you're naked. Two, we're snowed in. Power went out last night."

"What?" I whip my head around and look around. It's dark, even with the curtains open. Quickly, I crawl out of bed and pull on my underclothes and grab one of Gale's thick sweatshirts out of his closet. Gale laughs and opens the covers to allow me in again. He's already half-dressed, wearing a pair of sweatpants. "When did the power go out?"

Gale shrugs. "I think around three. I grabbed a few more blankets when I woke up because you were shivering and yelled at me to get more."

I chuckle and shake my head. "I don't remember yelling at you. Or even waking up, for that matter."

My boyfriend laughs and wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me towards him. "C'mon. Let's get some more sleep, it's five o'clock." I groan and curl into his warm chest, drifting off almost immediately."

The next time I wake, I'm on the couch, blankets wrapped around my body. There's a roaring fire and it makes me feel all warm inside. Gale's tinkering with a radio, I think, and he smiles when he sees me. I slowly move so I'm sitting in his lap. "Figured it would be warmer in here." I nod and he continues doing something with the radio. "They think that the power in this area will come back on around three this afternoon, but we'll still be snowed in for a while."

I nod and he moves us back to the couch and tightens the blankets around the two of us. "What do you want to do?"

I snort, "there isn't much we can do, Gale. I mean I'd much rather eat than do nothing, but the oven won't work and I don't want to open the fridge."

My boyfriend laughs and nuzzles into my neck, pressing a soft kiss there. "We do have a pantry, Madge. I hope you know that." I shove his chest and he nearly falls off the couch, but he's laughing.

The power does eventually come back on, and I rejoice by making some spaghetti. "Y'know," Gale murmurs, wrapping his arms around me from behind, "I kinda liked not having any power. Just means that we had to be closer." I flush quickly and he kisses my head. "It smells amazing, babe."

I try not to smile. Even after almost eight months, any compliment Gale gives me makes me smile. He makes me so happy inside, it's just a bubble that keeps expanding and expanding with every day that I spend with him.

It's the third day we're stuck in the apartment when things get a little complicated. Gale had put on some old movie from America, or whatever it was, and it's absolutely terrifying. It's something called a horror movie, but I just think it was creepy. Something about a cannibal.

For the majority of the movie, I had my face buried into Gale's chest. "Gale why in God's name are we watching this it's so creepy." I say quickly, burying my face again.

Gale chuckles and tightens his grip on me. "It's almost over, then we can go to bed."

"Go to bed?!" I squeak, looking up. "I'm not going to be able to sleep after this!"

And I'm completely right. I stay close to Gale as we get ready for bed, because I'm terrified that the thing from the movie is going to come get me. Gale chuckles. "You're being ridiculous. Madge, nothing is going to come get you. And besides, if Hannibal was real, I wouldn't let him get you." Gale presses a kiss to my head. "C'mon, get in bed." I sigh, but unclench my arms from around him and crawl into bed. Gale follows soon after, flipping on the television and finding something funny to watch, a sitcom from a really long time ago about a dad trying to raise his three daughters, or something.

After a while, I get really bored and start talking. "Gale, why wouldn't you let Hannibal get me?"

"Because you're my girlfriend," Gale murmurs quickly, tightening his grip on me. We're laying in a way that I can't see his face. "Because you're the most wonderful person I've ever met, and," I blush and smile. "And I love you." He says it so simply, like it's no big deal.

My smile drops instantly. There's the answer to my question from Thanksgiving. He does love me. My heart pounds in my chest, and after a little bit, I guess Gale realizes that I'm not going to say anything, because he sighs. "Let's get some sleep."

About two seconds later, I pull myself out of bed. "I gotta pee." I tell Gale quickly, scurrying into the bathroom and flipping on the light.

I slide down the wall and will my tears away. No, I'm not upset that he told me that he loved me. I'm just upset because I had nothing to say in return. I really like Gale, I know that much. But loving him? I've never been with anyone long enough to even consider loving them. But Gale?

I don't know.

And it scares me.

Several minutes later, there's a knock on the door. "Madge? Baby, you alright?"

"Yeah," I force out, "I don't feel too good."

Gale sighs. "I can hear you lying through your teeth, Madge. Let me in." So I slowly stand up and pull the door open. He looks hurt and defeated. His hair's all mused like he's been running his hands through it. Eyes a stormy grey.

"We should talk about this," Gale murmurs. I shake my head. "Madge," Gale groans, pulling me out of the bathroom.

"I'm sorry." I mumble, "I just... I'm just..."

"You're afraid," Gale suggests quietly, and I nod quickly.

"I'm terrified." I force out, blinking for the tears to disappear. I collapse against the wall and even though I will for them to disappear, the tears cloud my eyes anyways.

Gale lumbers over to me, gently running his hands down the sides of my arms. "What are you afraid of?" He asks quietly, wiping my face. His gentle demeanor only makes this harder.

"I," I start, taking in a sharp breath, "Everyone I love I lose. I lost my parents, I lost all of my friends from 12, I lost Kenton, I lose everything I ever start to love. I used to move around so much that I never made friends or had relationships or anything," I croak, wiping my face, "and this was the one exception. I made friends and I have relationships and I have you and I'm so scared that if I admit to you, to myself, about how I feel about you then something will happen and I'll lose you too. I-I couldn't do that, Gale. I can't lose you, not after everything that's happened." I cry, finally caving into his grasp and falling onto his chest.

He doesn't let me stay there for very long, though. "Hey," he whispers, his hands sliding up to my cheeks, "hey, don't cry. Madge," he murmurs, wiping my face once more, "that's... that's just what love is. You take risks and I understand if you don't want to but, Madge, I love you. I have for a while, and I thought that you felt the same way too."

"I-I," I want to tell him that I do, that I love him, but I can't. Instead, I take a shuddering breath, "I need some time, Gale." He looks at me for a moment, before nodding.

"Okay," he whispers, brushing a curl behind my ear, "okay. We don't have to talk about this now." I nod weakly and give him a tight hug. Gale returns the hug and holds to me. "Hey, it's okay, Madge." Gale wipes my face again. "Let's get some sleep. We may actually be able to get out of here tomorrow."

And that night, Gale holds me closer than ever, and I know because I don't get any sleep because I'm replaying his words in my head over and over again.

A/N: Yay love is wonderful except when it's not said back. That will be fixed soon, though. Thoughts on the chapter and Gale's confession?