Em: I CANNOT WAIT FOR THAT TRAILER. Glad you like it still! :D
anonime: It's AU so I made Rory little bit older than he is in the books but not by much they said 12-14... eh oh well. Prim is just a little older too.
Danger around every turn wasn't her forte. Madge hated the feeling of death being so normal now. Haymitch was talking about Gale's demise like it was a walk in the park. "Look" she said and slammed down her fork, staring her guardian down from the opposite side of the table. He raised an eyebrow.
"What, Princess? Am I bothering you?"
"You're not just bothering me. I feel like tearing you to shreds"
"With those hands?" he smirked. She growled.
"I can't even think of a decent word to call you right now" she furiously brushed her hair out of her face. Haymitch chuckled, stabbing into his meat.
"I just want to get you ready for the emotions" he said shaking his head. Madge pushed away from the table and knocked over her chair. She hardly looked at the mentor as she left the apartment. She wasn't sure where she was going. Gale was probably wanting some time with his family.
She was about to get on the elevator when she heard her name being squealed. Her blonde curls were tossed over her shoulder as she looked back at the girl rushing towards her. "Oh, Madge" Prim smiled and held up her hand.
There shining on her little hand was a gold ring. Madge's stomach dropped. "What is that?" she whispered and took the girl's hand in hers.
"An engagement ring, from Rory" she giggled, her face was bright red with blush. Madge wasn't sure what to say.
"Aren't you a little young for marriage?" Prim glared.
"I thought you would be happy for me" Madge raised an eyebrow.
"You're not even the same age as him. Why? Are you ready to move in with Rory? Have the huge responsibility of bills, worries, woes of adulthood? Why would you think that I would agree with this?" Madge was getting worked up. "Why? Aren't you just what- thirteen, fourteen?" Madge couldn't stop thinking and she was verging on hysteria. "You wanted me to be jealous" Madge said and growled. "I know. I can see it in your eyes" she moved Prim out of her sight and didn't look back at the young girl as she took off down the hall.
She only stopped at a storage closet. She flung it open, pulling her shoulder and popping the muscle. She let the pain calm her. Madge let the tears fall.
"Find your own closet" Katniss said quietly as she looked down her hands.
"Fine" Madge grumbled and slammed the door in her friend's face. Her shoulder hurt and she rubbed it with a hand as she searched the wall for another closet. She found one at the end of a hallway. She opened it and closed it. She slumped to the ground and looked up at the mops around her.
She kicked the bottom of her foot against the door and was satisfied with the rattle it made. She rested her head against the wall and looked straight ahead into the darkness around her. Madge brushed the hair out of her face and concentrated on her breathing.
The absolute silence led Madge to become overwhelmed in her sadness. All at once she broke down her eyes leaking all her woes that had been building up the past few days. She couldn't help thinking that this was the end. That after everything she would be left alone in the world.
"You're being stupid" she cried to herself but still snorted tears into her cupped hands.
"Madge?" she froze looking up at the closed door.
"Thom?" He knocked on the door and then it opened to show the scruffy man himself.
Madge shielded her eyes from the light outside but it disappeared as Thom closed the closet closed behind him. She felt him shift around until he was sitting next to her on the ground. "Did that sorry excuse of a miner break up with you?" he dryly joked, wrapping an arm around her.
"No" her voice broke and she wiped the back of her hand under her running nose.
"What happened?" he whispered and she could hear his hair pressing against the concrete wall behind them.
"Everything" she said in the same tone. "It's too much. Too overwhelming" she admitted, "life I mean" she said and looked over at him. She could almost make out his shadowy figure in the dark.
"Mhm" She saw the simple movement of his head bobbing into a nod.
"Gale's leaving… tomorrow. For this secret mission for my Godfather" she explained. "His… Gale's chances… are not.. the best" she sighed, letting out a few more tears.
"I see. Is this that rescue mission for Peeta?" Thom wondered.
"Yeah" she said surprised, "how do you know about it?"
"Gale asked me to help with it"
"Are you going too?" Madge whispered.
"No" he chuckled. Then Madge was upset,
"Why not?" she demanded.
"I originally said yes. Then Gale came up to me yesterday and told me I couldn't go…"
"Why did he do that?" she squealed angrily.
"He knew that you would be broken like this" Thom whispered, "and since I have no one, he told me to look after you… if he… you know" he finished lamely. Madge didn't answer for a few moments, mulling this over in the back of her mind.
"Thom-" her voice cracked.
"I know" he shrugged and she felt the movement through his arm over her shoulder.
"I miss Bristel" Madge admitted, "this would be so much better with her here"
"How so?" he swallowed audibly.
"All she would have to do is punch Gale in the arm… and then me" Madge started, "and then told us to grow up" Thom laughed softly.
"And that would make it better" he agreed.
"Put a light to things" they fell back to silence.
"She's not here though" the tone of his voice broke Madge's heart.
"No" Madge said calmly.
"She's never going to be here"
"No" Madge repeated.
"I was a rock… to everyone" Thom said looking over at her.
"I heard… I remember" Madge said thinking back to those times in the woods.
"Now I'm crumbling to pieces like sandstone. No longer the strong granite. And so is everyone else is too."
They left the closet a little while later, walking back, keeping their arms folded across their chests. They didn't bother to look over at each other or start a normal conversation. Thom dropped Madge off in her room and told her where she could find him.
"See you tomorrow… at the send off" he said and pulled her towards him so he could kiss her forehead. "Night Madge. Get some sleep" he smirked and left, stumbling slowly down the hall. Madge knocked on the door but it was already ajar.
"Hey sorry about earlier" she said to Haymitch lounging on the couch. He only shrugged. She didn't need to go into further apology, Madge didn't do anything wrong.
"Gale dropped off something… it's on your bookshelf" Madge left the living room and walked back into her bedroom. She picked up a little green box and studied it. Inside was an opal gem on a silver chain. It glinted off the artificial light in the room.
"Not a ring" she sighed and set it back on the shelf to collect dust. She sat on her bed and starred at it from afar. Finally she gave up glaring at it and took it out of the box. She unhooked the chain.
"Let me help you" she looked back at him as he walked into the room.
"Thanks" she sighed and let Haymitch wrap it around her neck. It looked nice against her skin.
"Pretty" he commented and she nodded, looking down at it. "He's smart" Haymitch said and moved her hair back over her shoulder. "He'll be back here at your side before you know it"
REVIEW. Poor Madge... (and Prim and Rory... hmm.) THOM isn't that part just so sad?- I had to bring him back into the story though.
Erin