Gale

Madge stares at me as if she's not sure I'm real. I stand still not wanting to scare her. From the moment, I first came face-to-face with Thread, I've only thought of Madge; every lash of the whip that hit my body, I pictured Madge's touch – her kisses. I've wanted to see her and hold her ever since and now she's finally here within my reach. I insisted Mrs. Everdeen let me go home today; I promised her that I would take care of myself as long as she let me go. When I came home, seeing Posy snuggled up with Madge was exactly what I needed – it was an affirmation that there are still good people in this world – love still exists – humanity still exists. Ma filled me in on everything Madge has done while I've been gone; she's been hurting but she's taken care of my family before herself. I need to hold Madge but I'm afraid to make a move. Peeta Mellark, of all people, told me about Madge's arms; he is the one that took her to the doctor. Her bandaged arms make my blood boil but I keep my anger in check for now. Right now Madge is my priority and I don't want to scare her. She's still frozen in place.

Softly, I whisper, "Madge?"

Her eyes tear up and she takes a step closer to me. She places her hands flat on my chest, making sure I'm real. I stand still letting her take her time with this. Her hands form a fist with some of my t-shirt material inside the fists and she lets her forehead slowly and softly rest on my chest. Madge finally let's go everything she's been holding back and she sobs into my chest. Slowly, painfully, I bring my arms around her; I can't yet take them all the way around her but both my arms make it to her sides and I'm happy I can hold her. I can't yet lift my arms enough to rub her back or her hair. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ma leading the kids into the other bedroom – giving us a moment of privacy.

"I love you, Madge." I whisper softy in her ear.

Madge looks up at me and we finally kiss. She stretches up as far as she can careful to not touch me anywhere that may hurt. She puts her hands on my face and it's just what I needed – the warmth and tenderness of her touch on my skin.

"Miss Madge, Miss Madge?" Madge and I both turn to look where that sound came from. It's Rose; she continues, "Your mom is not doing well. Dr. Lem is with her now and she's screaming for you."

"Go! I'll meet you there in just a little bit," I say to her.

She shakes her head but before she can protest, I kiss her again and say, "Madge, I'll forever be grateful to your parents for keeping you away from the square that day. Don't be mad at them, they did the right thing. Now go, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"No, you stay here and rest. I'll come back." She declares.

"Madge, I need to exercise my legs. I need the walk. I'll be fine. I'll see you there." Madge leaves grudgingly with Rose.

Posy and Vick both put their heads down on my thighs and I ruffle their hair and say, "Hey, it's okay. I'm here. We'll be fine." I get a tentative smile out of both of them.

Ma locks us both in a bedroom so she can rub the numbing salve on my back. The effects of the one Mrs. Everdeen rubbed in the morning are starting to wear off and every inch of my upper torso screams in pain. I don't have to turn around to know quiet tears stream down Ma's face as she takes in my back. After I re-dress, I give her a hug; I hold her and let her cry into my chest. She needs to get it out of her system and she can't do it in front of the kids. I know none of them are going to let me leave easily so I say, "Madge helped us all when we needed her; I don't think we could've gotten through the past few days without her. She needs me now. Her mom is very sick and I don't want to leave her alone."

Posy nearly pushes me to the door as she says, "Come on Gale, move…hurry up! The princess needs you." We all laugh and I know we'll be okay.

Madge's dad meets me outside; he looks like he may have aged years in less than a week. He looks down unable to meet my eyes. I don't know the right words to tell him that it wasn't his fault, that I'm glad he kept Madge away from the square, and that I knew I was doing something illegal. Before either of us says anything, Madge walks out. She walks past her dad – ignoring him completely – and gives me one of her gorgeous smiles. "Mom's finally asleep. You ready to go?" Madge has showered and dressed in simple clothes and she looks beautiful. I don't want to leave like this with her. Life is short; it can change anytime. I turn to her father and ask, "Sir, would it be alright if I take Madge out for a bit?"

The Mayor nods; turns to Madge and says, "See you tomorrow, honey. You kids stay safe."

Madge starts walking without even acknowledging her dad. I turn to him and say, "Thank you."

When we're behind her house I nudge Madge and say, "Madge, he's trying. Look, he even let you leave with me for the night for the first time ever. Your mom didn't even have to scare him." I tease her but she just keeps walking. I sigh realizing how deeply all of this has affected Madge. Obviously, I didn't think there wouldn't be any repercussions. But Madge loves so fiercely and passionately that this may leave a permanent scar on her. I shudder to imagine her state during my whipping. My eyes catch her bandages again. Mellark told me she badly hurt her arms trying to get to me but I still don't know how. I pick up her arm in my hand. "Does it still hurt badly?" I ask bringing it up to my lips to kiss it.

Madge gives me one of her brilliant smiles and says, "Not now, it doesn't." She's still holding back for me. I'm going to have to get her to open up and talk about it. That's the only way she's going to be able to let go. I know Madge well enough to know that she put herself in the mode of taking care of me and my family in order to get through this. She doesn't want to think about herself – she's still in that mode and I need to snap her out of it. As soon as we reach her shed, I pull her to me. My back is still fairly numb so I'm able to take my arms all the way around her. We kiss for a long time. Finally, Madge pulls back and takes my hand to lead me to the sofa which she throws back into a bed, "Sit down," she smiles at me. I do and then pull her in my lap so I can kiss her again.

She pulls back again after just a moment and I say, "Madge, please talk to me. You're really scaring me; I'm worried about you."

She laughs and asks, "You are worried about me? Gale, nothing is wrong with me."

I situate myself on the bed on my stomach and pull her next to me. She cuddles up next to me and I say, "Tell me about that day." It takes me a while to convince Madge to talk about it and I steel myself to hear it; I'm not sure I want to know but I need to hear it and she needs to say it out loud. She won't ever properly deal with it if she doesn't get it out once.

I put my arm around her and Madge finally tells me everything that happened…how they handcuffed her, how she could hear it all through the loudspeakers, her painful pleas for them to let her go, the betrayal she felt, how she pulled hard enough on her wrists to fracture a bone and it still did her no good, how she grew more and more desperate with each one of my lashes, how scared she was that they'd kill me, how she told her parents she hated them, how fast she ran in the snow to bring me the morphling, how everyone had a valid excuse for why she couldn't be near me when that was all she wanted, how she snuck into Katniss' house and sat up all night - the first night - with me while Katniss slept with her fingers laced through mine, how badly she wanted to yank Katniss' fingers away from mine but she didn't, how she thought she had let me down when Rory signed up for tesserae, how she made a deal with her dad to wipe out everyone's tesserae records, and how Posy's screams for me still resonate through her ears.

I can't believe everything she had to go through…all for me. The pain from my lashes is nothing compared to the pain that Madge carries in her heart. I sit up and my hands automatically clench into fists itching to throw a punch. Now I understand why she is so upset with her parents; I'm still glad they kept her away from the square but there had to be another way to do it. I get up and start pacing – I'm angry at the world for her. How dare anyone try to keep her away from me when she is all I needed? I am so angry right now that I could start the rebellion on my own. I have half a mind to march out of here and destroy everything in my path.

Madge gets up to stand in front of me; she puts both her hands on my face and says, "Hey, you're crying. I don't wa…,"

I bend my head down and kiss her. I don't need anger and hatred around her, Madge inspires love. I can fight the world later, right now I need to take care of Madge. I lift her up so I don't have to bend so far down to kiss her and as she lightly wraps her legs around my lower waist, so she can support her own weight, and she says, "Gale, you'll hurt yourself."

"Don't care. I just want to be close to you."

"I love you, Gale."

After some time of kissing, Madge jumps down and wants to take off my t-shirt; I'm scared to let her see my back. But I will never deny Madge anything. I ask, "Are you sure you want to see it?" She nods and I take my shirt off. Madge slowly walks behind me and rubs her fingers lightly over my back. She hugs my back – her arms wrap around me under my arms and lay flat on my chest. I cover her hands with my own and the feeling is exquisite. She pulls back just a little and I miss her hands – her body. She's back only a few seconds later and I inhale sharply; Madge has taken her shirt off and her bare body is now pressed against my bare back; her cheek rests just under my shoulder. I close my eyes and relish in this amazing feeling of skin-on-skin contact with Madge.

Madge turns her head just a little and kisses my back. Her name escapes my lips as if it's a plea. She moves her hands to my back and continues to kiss it. I close my eyes again as I lose myself in the feelings Madge invokes in me. Most of the lashes were on my back but a few times the whip wrapped around my body and left marks on my chest too. Slowly Madge moves around to come in front of me as she kisses the bruises on my chest. I pull back just a little bit because I want to see her. She blushes beautifully and casts her eyes downwards. I put my finger under her chin and raise her face so her eyes can meet mine. "You're beautiful, Madge."

I bend down to pick her up in arms and she protests that I'll hurt myself. I capture her lips to stop her protests and she moans in pleasure. I'll admit to myself that picking her up isn't as easy as it used to be but the feelings of her hands, her lips and her bare skin on mine has an adrenaline rush coursing through my body that just leaves me feeling wonderful; there's no space for pain in there. I want to spend the whole night kissing Madge; making her forget about the last week. I lay Madge down on the bed – my lips never once leaving hers. When they move down to her neck, she arches into me and I feel like I'm on the verge of losing it. I lay my hands flat on the bed and push off; if I don't stop now I may not be able to. Madge quickly wraps her legs around me and says, "Don't stop today."

"Madge…,"

She puts her finger to my lips and says, "You promised to never deny me anything you could give me."

"Madge, I'm not going back on that promise but this is different. You're scared and hurt right now," I say. I want her too and this feels right but I want to make sure the timing is right for her…that she wants this for the right reasons. I also know how vulnerable she feels right now; I don't want to hurt her more than she already is.

"Gale, I want this. I've never wanted anything more. I want your love tonight to replace all the pain of last week…I want you."

I take it slow; I kiss every inch of Madge's body. I continuously tell her I love her and that she's beautiful. I give her plenty of time to change her mind. Her words – I want your love tonight to replace all the pain of last week – tug at my heart and I know for her, I'll be able to stop anytime she wants me to. She never once tells me to stop; still I ask her one more time if she's sure and she replies, "Yes. Please? I need you."

Madge and I make love and it's perfect. Afterwards we lay awake naked with our legs tangled around each other for a long time. Sleepily, she murmurs, "I love you, Gale," into my chest. I pull her closer and tell her I love her too. Just a few minutes later, she shoots up into a sitting position and says, "Oh! I completely forgot." Then suddenly self-conscious she looks down at her naked body as the blanket fell down to her waist when she sat up; she blushes deeper than I've ever seen her. Madge pulls the blanket up to just under her chin and gets out of bed. I want to laugh at her but I don't because I don't want to embarrass her further. She walks backwards as she wraps the blanket around herself and then she blushes deeply again because now I'm lying in bed completely naked with no blanket to cover myself. She turns quickly holding the ends of the blanket together around her back and comes back with a yellow bottle. She makes sure to keep her eyes on my face and finally I can't take it anymore and I laugh. She glares at me and I say, "Come here. You're so cute."

Madge completely ignores my outstretched arms and says, "Corn brought this for you. He said it would help with pain, scarring and muscle degeneration."

"Madge, I think I worked my muscles enough today, don't you think?" she blushes again and orders me to turn over so she can apply it on my back. I do as I'm told; she massages the cream into my back and asks, "How does this cream feel?"

"I don't know if it's the cream or you but it feels great," I reply. The bond that she and Corn have formed is incredible to me. It's easy to love Madge because she's a wonderful person but even I appreciate Corn for the way he takes care of her – like a true older brother. I make a mental note to respect their relationship in the future unlike last time when I gave Madge a very inappropriate kiss just to upset him. If a guy had kissed Posy like that in front of me, I would've probably broken all his bones. Oh great! Now I'm thinking about boys kissing Posy – this is all Madge's fault. I pull Madge next to me again, two more kisses and we fall asleep wrapped around each other.

I wake up early in the morning; Madge is still fast asleep. Madge's face is glowing; her cheeks have a touch of pink to them and there's a small smile on her lips. Waking up next to a naked Madge is an indescribable feeling – something I want to do for the rest of my life. Last night was amazing; I know it felt right and we both just needed each other. I know Madge well enough to know this isn't going to be a regular occurrence...something I will committedly support. So I get up quietly and put my pants on. She likes it when I sleep without my shirt so I leave that off. When I get back in bed, Madge rolls closer to me. When Madge wakes up and looks up at me she has the brightest smile and the pinkest cheeks – she looks lovely. I bend down to kiss her and she blushes even more. I hand her my t-shirt so she can put it on; last night she was embarrassed about being naked and it's probably better for my control that she's covered up.

She rolls me over to look at my back and asks, "How's your back?" She immediately applies more lotion on it before I can even answer.

Madge lies down next to me again and says, "I completely forgot but Corn also brought a letter from Johanna. Want to hear it? I haven't read it yet either." I nod.

Margaret,

Before I start with anything else, let me tell you that I haven't been able to stop laughing ever since Corn told me about his interaction with Handsome in your shed and at your back porch. Now I really want to meet Handsome, I think he and I will get along just fine. So Handsome can kiss, eh? And you…trying to use me to spend the night with your boyfriend…nice! All joking aside I think Corn really likes Handsome – says he's just what you need a 'no bullshit, I take care of my girl' type of a guy.

"Madge, how many times is she going to call me handsome? And does Corn tell her everything? I haven't even met her and I'm already scared of her," I interrupt Madge.

Madge just laughs, "At least he approves of you," she says and continues with her letter.

Now to the more serious stuff. I'm sure you know by now that 8 rebelled. They have a lot of casualties but if anyone can handle it Paylor can. According to Paylor, Coin is letting refugees into 13. Unfortunately, there's no easy way to get there but Paylor is allowing people to try to escape if they want to. The Capitol is sending in more peacekeepers everywhere. We are scheduled to get 200 more by tomorrow. We're working on rebelling here too…we're really close but it will depend on the new peacekeepers. For the first time since the day I was reaped for the games, I am allowing myself some excitement for the future. This is going to work. Corn is working on it than when you move to the Capitol, I will too. Corn can fill you in on the rest. He's stopping by here on the way to see you so I know he'll be impatient (tell Handsome I feel his pain) to leave right away. This one is a completely surprise trip, I didn't even know he was going to see you. Until next time, Jo

Madge folds the letter again and before I can say anything, she says, "Wait, there's another letter. She unfolds another one and starts reading.

Madge, Corn just told me why he's going to see you today. How is Gale? How are you? I wanted to come see you too but Corn says this isn't the right time. He doesn't want to bring any attention on you and I get that. I know Gale's probably in a lot of pain but I'm more worried about you. Take care of yourself and Gale. I know Corn will do everything he can to help. Make sure you listen to him, he knows about this stuff. I'll be in touch soon. Jo

Madge had started crying while reading that letter but she jokes with me, "See, she called you Gale – didn't call you handsome even once." I sit up and hug Madge. Corn and Johanna – two people I whole-heartedly approve of in Madge's life. I grudgingly even throw Mellark in there; he did take care of her the night of the whipping. Which brings me to Katniss…what to do about Katniss? Obviously she needs to be told about Madge but the last time I tried to tell her it didn't exactly go over well. I'll have to talk to Madge about it. But not today because today is still for Madge.

I pull back, give Madge a quick kiss and ask, "So what do you want to do today?"

Madge kisses me and then says, "I want to lie in your arms for little while longer and then I want to go back to your house to spend some time with everyone there. You've made me feel better and now I want to make sure the kids forget about last week too. I want to have a really fun day with them. But Posy's still sick so it'll have to be something indoors and at your house."

I kiss Madge and say, "I love you! I know just the thing. Do you have playing cards at your house? We used to have a set; my mom, dad and I used to play but I haven't been able to find them for years. Unless my dad gave those to you too." I tease her and she swats me with a pillow across my face. This leads to a very fun pillow fight and a lot of kissing afterwards.

Madge applies more cream on my back and then I walk Madge back to her house because she is going to pick up the cards and her guitar. Then she wants to go into town before meeting me at my house. We don't need to be seen together out and about. For now, I'm a criminal and I don't want to endanger her in anyway.

Letting her out of my sights is harder than I thought. We stand at her back porch and share a few more kisses. I hear someone clear their throat and I release Madge, expecting to see her dad. But when I turn, it's Peeta Mellark I see standing there. I link my hand with Madge's and she says hello politely to him. I've decided to be nice to him so I nod at him too; I've also decided to start calling him by his first name.

Peeta says, "Gale, may I talk to you alone?" I nod, kiss Madge on her forehead and tell her that I'll see her at my house.

Peeta and I start walking towards the seam. He asks, "How's your back?"

"It's getting better. Corn brought some magical cream from the Capitol that they use on victors after they lift them out of the arena." I know I'm giving too much information but I want Peeta to know the truth. I want Peeta and Katniss to join our fight. I want Peeta to ask me questions.

"I didn't know you knew Corn."

"He's like a brother to Madge, so yeah, I know him." I say simply. Just keep asking me questions and this will be great.

"How does Madge even know someone from the Capitol at that level?" Peeta asks curiously. Perfect, right where I wanted him.

"That I'm not supposed to talk to you about. But you should ask Haymitch." There's a little payback for Haymitch for what he did to Madge and hopefully Peeta will find out about the rebellion and we can speed things up a bit.

"So you and Madge…how long?"

"About 8 months."

"Why haven't you guys told Katniss?"

"We wanted to when you guys got back from the games but Haymitch wouldn't let us tell either of you anything until after the victory tour. He said the tour would be hard enough and neither of you needed anything else added to your life. He wasn't sure how Katniss would react to it. And then I tried to tell her on Sunday and that didn't go well either. We got into a big argument and I never got the chance to tell her." I explain.

"I think Katniss loves you. I saw it when she took a lashing for you – she just threw herself in front of you. You should have seen the way she fought her mom when she was treating you. I don't think Katniss would take it well; she's going through a rough time. Snow's been threatening her, she wanted to run away and now she wants to start an uprising in District 12. Haymitch talked her out of it."

"All that doesn't mean love. Katniss may think she loves me, but she doesn't. I would've thrown myself in front of her and I would've fought to get her the best care – that could just as well be friendship. People know you and Katniss. They will listen to you…fight for you. You guys could start an uprising and everyone would follow. But I guess Haymitch doesn't want that from either of you."

Peeta takes a moment to take in that information. I add, "Most importantly, I want to thank you for taking care of Madge on Sunday night and for taking her to the doctor on Monday. Haymitch, her dad and even my mom wanted her to stay away from me because they weren't sure how Katniss would handle it and they wanted to keep her mom's focus on my care instead of other drama. Frankly, I give Katniss more credit than they do. Either way, Madge really needed a friend that night and you were there for her. I owe you."

Peeta shakes his head and says, "What is it with you and Katniss about owing people?" I shrug my shoulders and he says, "I know…it's a seam thing, right?" I laugh.

After another short silence, Peeta asks me, "You really love Madge, don't you?"

"Yeah, I really love her. She's a part of my family."

"And her family…," he trails off.

"Absolutely approves of us."

"So now what?" Peeta asks.

"Now, I think it's time to tell Katniss the truth. I may not be in love with her but I still care for her. I don't want to lead her on by any means. The longer this has been going the more wrong it feels to keep it from Katniss."

Peeta gets a thoughtful look on his face; it's the kind of look he usually got when he would be in deep thought during the interviews or games…usually before he dropped some sort of a bomb – like when he told the whole country he loved Katniss. He finally speaks up, "So, how far are you willing to go since you owe me for helping Madge?"

"Depends what you want. I won't kill anyone for you." I say and then almost immediately want to kick myself for saying that to him.

"No, I wouldn't ask you to do that," Peeta says sadly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way."

He smiles and says, "I know; don't worry I joke about it too. In fact the first time I met Corn, I threatened him with my 'I've killed with my bare hands' speech so he'd stay away from Madge. But, here's how you can re-pay me. Don't tell Katniss anything yet. I want to find out if she loves me or not. If you tell her you love Madge and then she tells me she loves me, I'll never know for sure."

I look at Peeta. He has a point; I'd hate to be in his shoes. I'm just glad that Madge loves me the way she does. I've never doubted her love for me. I can see why he wants this but this just brings me back to square one. First I didn't tell Katniss because of Haymitch and now because of Peeta. "Ok, I won't tell her until you give me the clear. But when she finds out, you're taking all the blame for it. I don't want Katniss' wrath on me."

Peeta laughs and we shake on it. We're outside my house and I invite him in because Vick and Posy are obsessed with him and this would definitely make them happy. Madge comes over with the guitar and cards. She also picked up some cookies from the Mellark bakery - fitting. Just as I predicted Vick and Posy love Peeta. I teach them all a game called 'Gin' that my dad had taught me. Peeta lets Posy partner up with him, which she thinks is the greatest thing in the world. I roll my eyes in my head. Vick quickly claims Madge as partner since Posy never gives him the chance otherwise. Rory and Ma pair up – leaving me all by myself. I even show Posy how to play a memory game with the cards and she loves it. Later Madge and I play on the guitars together for everyone. Even Rory plays a song that Madge must have taught him. Just before we call it a night, I grab Madge's hand and pull her next to me as I say, "For you." I sing along while I also play my guitar to "Sweet Little Blue Eyes." I've played it for her before, I've sung it to her before, but I've never done both together.

When Peeta is leaving he asks Madge if she wants him to walk her home and Madge tells him it won't be necessary because she might stay here.

Posy chimes in and says, "Princess Madge, you have to stay here. Can I sleep with you and Gale again like we did at your place?"

Rory and Vick both ask at the same time, "When did she do that?"

I pat Peeta on the back and hurry him out of the house before this gets any more embarrassing. I'm glad he knows the truth about me and Madge but we don't need to share EVERYTHING with him.

A/N: I hope it comes across that Johanna is afraid to love anyone but without realizing it she is falling in love with Corn - she fully trusts him and without acknowledging it - they actually have a very close relationship.