A/N: Thanks to NurseKelly for her beta.

"Where is Madge?" Posy asked Gale from her perch on his shoulders.

Gale didn't want to think about what happened to Madge or anyone not with them. His sister's fascination with the Mayor's daughter was something he discussed with his mother, but she dismissed it as Posy hallucinating during her fever.

Regret about the Mayor's daughter gripped him. He knew Madge was infatuated with him. It was hatred for the Mayor and his treatment of those who lived in the Seam that kept him from pursuing her. Instead he focused on the more attainable Katniss. And look how that turned out. She was dead or going to be shortly. And she was prepared to die for Peeta. You don't do that for someone you don't love.

"We should stop," Thom said, coming up behind Gale. "A lot of the older folks and young kids can't keep going."

"We'll stop at the lake. It's over this next hill," Gale explained. They had been walking toward the lake where Katniss took Gale since last night. Nine-hundred-and-fifteen people moved much slower than two teenagers.

Thom nodded and began to spread the word.

"Gale?" Posy said, leaning her head forward to look at his face. "Did you hear me? Where is Madge?"

"We'll look for her when everyone gets to the lake." He despised lying to his little sister, but how could he tell her Madge was dead.

He heard sniffling and turned to see Vick close by. His little brother ran his shirtsleeve over his face. Gale reached out and squeezed his shoulder.

When Madge exited the tunnel, she found an overgrown path leading north. According to the map she found in the journal, it would bring her to a large lake. When she reached the top of a nearby hill, she looked back and saw thick, black smoke billowing into the sky. Distant explosions could still be heard. Most likely, the coal underneath the Seam was on fire. There will be little left of District 12 if that happened.

Having never been in the woods except one time with Katniss for a disastrous archery lesson, she found herself jumping at each sound. As it got darker, the sounds seemed louder. She walked faster until she was running. It was then that she tripped over a tree root, which caused her to tumble down a small hill. She cut her knee, which caused blood to show through her long skirt. There were scratches on her hands, which failed to stop her tumble, and a cut that stung her cheek. Lying in the dirt, staring up at the stars, Madge began to cry. She rolled into a fetal position and saw the faces of Rory, Vick, Posy, Hazelle and Gale. Did she save them in the winter only for the Capitol to kill them now?

Eventually Madge needed to get off the cold hard ground. A combination of sore muscles from her fall and the day of walking along with the forest sounds, moved her onward. She'd used a power cell for the flashlight already and didn't know how long they lasted, so she moved slowly with intermittent moonlight. The pain in her knee reminded her to move with caution lest she take another tumble.

Hours went by as Madge made her way through the night into the early morning. She was at the point of sleep deprivation where she wasn't sure if she was awake or dreaming. Birds flew out of the bushes ahead of her and she thought she heard a shout. One of the birds was pierced by an arrow and fell out of the sky. A shout of 'yes' drew here eyes to the top of the small hill in front of her. Three figures stood there, the shortest one had a bow and pumped his fist.

Rory Hawthorne didn't think he'd be happy ever again after the destruction he saw the other night. Gale made him wrap Posy in his coat and carry her, hiding her face from what was happening around them. The smell and the screams were so bad that he nearly smothered his sister to keep her from knowing the suffering their neighbors faced.

Once they reached the woods, Gale led them first to a hiding place where his and Katniss' weapons where, two bows with seventeen arrows and a fishing net. It wasn't nearly enough to provide for over nine hundred people, but they would have to make do. The fact that Gale trusted him with the other bow gave him a sense of pride he hadn't felt since Madge praised him for feeding his siblings for three days with the little food she brought. Madge. Happiness at his good fortune while hunting gave way to sadness.

As they left the district, Gale led them past the Mayor's house. It was a burning, smoking shell of a house. Vick screamed and it tore at Rory's heart. His little brother had a crush on Madge, not that Rory could blame him. He thought she was amazing himself. Her death sent Vick into depression and he refused to eat.

"Who is that?" Oran shouted from the top of the hill.

Rory looked around the forest and saw someone moving in the trees. A flash of yellow between the branches and trunks gave their presence away. "Hello!" he shouted, causing the person to stop. He continued down the hill hoping it was someone else who escaped the district.

"Rory?" It was a soft female voice that Rory never thought he'd hear again.

"Madge!" he screamed, dropped his bow and ran to her.

She was still wearing the long pinkish dress she had on at the Hunger Games viewing. Her hair was a mess, falling out of her fancy braid. She had a cut across one cheek, but he thought she was an angel just like Posy always said.

"You're alive," she said as he reached her and picked her up into a crushing hug.

"You too! We saw your house. We thought…" He couldn't finish.

"What's going on down there?" Oran shouted.

"It's Madge! The Mayor's daughter," Rory called as tears flowed down his cheeks.

"Posy? Vick?" Madge started.

"They're all safe. Ma, too. Gale saved us. He led us out and hundreds of others out of the bombing."

Madge continued to cry and hold him tightly. He thought she might split him in half, but he didn't care.

"I doubt Gale will be happy you found another mouth to feed. Especially after losing two arrows," the teenage boy carrying the pheasant that Rory shot sneered.

"I have a knife in my pack, so you can make more arrows," Madge whispered to Rory. She kept her arm around his waist to keep herself upright and to prove that he wasn't a dream. The adrenaline rush she got from finding out that the Hawthorne's were alive was fading. Exhaustion was returning.

As they approached the encampment, Madge saw small groups of people huddled together. At first glance, it seemed like a lot of people.

"Madge!" A boy's scream echoed through the clearing.

She looked up and saw Vick sprinting toward her with Posy's little legs pumping to keep up. A fresh set of tears started to fall.

"Watch out," Rory warned, taking a step back and removing her pack. "They're glad to see you, too."

"Vick, Posy," she answered as the youngest Hawthornes flew into her arms, knocking her to the ground. She suppressed a groan of pain when her knee hit the ground, but she enjoyed a moment of welcome.

"Madge," Hazelle was next to hug her after she helped her up. Posy was permanently attached to one side and Vick the other.

"I'm so glad you're all okay," Madge said, her voice breaking as she spoke.

"How?" Hazelle asked as she pushed hair from Madge's face.

"There was a room under our house. It was there from ages ago. It led to a tunnel that left me in the woods outside the fence," Madge explained. "My mother… she saved me." Madge closed her eyes and tightly squeezed the children under each arm.

"Madge?" Gale spoke from behind her.

Madge opened her eyes and turned with Vick and Posy still holding her. "I'm so glad you're…"

She couldn't finish her words because Gale Hawthorne hugged her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her against his chest.

"I'm so glad you're alive, too," he said close to her ear.

At that moment Madge knew she must have a concussion from when she fell down the hill.

TBC

A/N: I've always wanted to write something about Madge escaping and meeting up with Gale and the survivors in the woods.