I'm insanely sorry this took so long for me to post.

I live on the east coast, and we were pummeled by Hurricane Sandy, so I had no power for two weeks. Then, when things returned to normal, I wrote this chapter and just needed to finish a few paragraphs when my computer broke. It was so bad that none of my programs (word, chrome, etc.) would open so I couldn't finish writing. So I brought into the tech lab at my school and the guy who was going to fix it told me he would back everything up, wipe the computer, and restore everything. Which would fix my problems. Turns out he didn't do the backup and I lost EVERYTHING. This is my school computer, too, so I lost all of my notes, papers, and projects in addition to this story. On top of that, I just got back from being on vacation for a week outside the country.

I'm sort of all over the place, but things are beginning to feel like normal again, and I was able to re-write this. Thanks for sticking with me!

Quick recap: Gale and Madge are reunited in Two, sitting on the couch talking about what happened while Madge was MIA/assumed to be dead. This chapter picks up right where we left off last chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 4

Gale POV

The lights begin flickering and Madge stiffens beside me, her breath catching in her throat. "It's okay, just the power going out," I tell her, my fingers finding a lock of her hair. "They're switching the power lines so they're underground. They said not to be surprised if there were some power problems this week," I explain, trying to figure out what it is that has her on edge. She nods absentmindedly, taking a shaky breath.

"What's this?" I ask, rubbing my thumb over the exposed skin of her collarbone where there's a small white scar. It's perfectly round, about the size of a pea. I notice another one, identical to the first, about an inch to the right. Before she has a chance to respond, a loud sizzle comes from outside as the transformer blows out. I can feel Madge's nails digging into the skin of my arm, and her palms have begun to sweat. I can see tears welling in her eyes, threatening to spill over. It's only when she sees the sparks raining down onto the street and screws her eye shut that I put the pieces together. The scar. The skittish behavior with the electricity issues.

"Madge...what did they do to you?" I ask cautiously. She just shakes her head and starts crying. "Hey hey hey," I say. "Take a deep breath, you're fine. You're safe, I promise. They can't get you," I tell her, gently removing her iron grip from my arm and pulling her to my chest. She starts crying even harder, pointing to her scar and trying to speak, but the tears are muddling her voice to the point of incomprehension. "Another time," is all I say, and she nods, frantically swiping at her eyes.

We sit in comfortable silence for a while before I can see her eyes begin to droop. She stifles a yawn before turning to me. "Stay?" She asks, and I nod without hesitation. "Jackie's at work until the morning and Reed, her fiancé, is visiting family in Six until the end of the week. Just us," she says, standing up with a yawn. I nod and get to my feet.

She leads the way to her room, and flops right on the bed. She doesn't even bother taking off her shoes, and by the time I take mine off, she's already fast asleep. I, on the other hand, spend nearly an hour trying to ward off nightmares and fall asleep. Which I should be thankful for, because an hour is practically record speed for me. At some point, Madge begins to stir, waking up long enough to take off her sweater and toss it onto the floor, leaving her in a black tee shirt, before falling right back asleep, snuggling into me. Eventually, I fall asleep with her head on my chest.

In my dreams, I'm back in the Capitol alongside Katniss, Finnick, Boggs, and the rest of the crew. We're running down a brightly colored city block. Before rounding the corner, we all stop so Boggs can check his Holo to make sure the next block is safe. After giving the 'all clear', we set off down the next block, weapons poised and boots stomping against the pink cobblestone. Castor and Pollux are running backwards in front of us, doing their best to capture our every move. Cressida is calling out orders to the two "insects" as Katniss calls them.

I'm focused on the street that lies before me, my bow loaded with an arrow and poised to shoot if anything should get in my way. I look over at Katniss, but she isn't there. I yell for everyone to stop, but nothing comes out. No matter how loud I scream, I'm not making a sound. Everyone runs right past me, leaving me alone on the bright city block. I try yelling for Katniss, but this time, my mouth won't even open. I'm startled by a bloodcurdling scream from right next to me. I spin to find the source of the sound, but it isn't Katniss who I see.

Instead, I see Prim lying on the ground at the corner of the street, the end of her blond braid singed and ash smudged across her face. I can't move my legs to get to her, though. She stays on the ground, her screams getting louder as a silver parachute floats down right onto her lap. I try yelling again, but it's worthless. I can't move or speak. I stand there, no choice but to watch. The unopened parachute sits on her lap. She's screaming even louder, if that's possible. All of a sudden, she stops screaming and locks eyes with me. She gives me her usual, happy smile. And then the parachute goes off, leaving nothing but a pile of ash and a cloud of thick black smoke behind.

"Gale," I hear before I can process anything. I'm still frozen in place. "Gale," the voice says again. "Gale!" It becomes more frantic. I can't get to you, come to me, I want to scream. "Gale! Gale!" the voice is getting louder.

I frantically open my eyes to see Madge sitting up in bed, looking over me. My upper body is covered in a thin layer of sweat, the most uncomfortable type. I inhale quickly and deeply in an attempt to catch my breath and get my bearings. Madge's hand is on my shoulder, and she repeats my name. I look up at her. One look is all it takes for me to realize that she wasn't just waking me from a nightmare. Something's wrong. "What's wrong?" I ask, sitting up quickly and taking her face in my hands, looking her over.

"I don't know,"she says. "Something's not right with my head. My heart, too. It's beating so fast, I...I can't..." she manages to get out before her eyes roll back in her head.

"Madge!" I shout, shaking her, but she isn't responding. I swear under my breath and jump out of the bed, quickly grabbing her sweater off of the chair. I do my best to drape it over her shoulders before scooping her up off the bed and into my arms, praying that the rain has stopped. I run out the door, moving as fast as my legs will carry me down the street and all the way into town. I'm especially grateful it isn't far. I know the way to the hospital. It's only a few weeks old, and very modern.

I burst through the door and a nurse sees me and runs up with a wheelchair. She helps me place Madge into the chair gently while asking me a slew of questions, many of which I don't have the answers to. She eventually gives up and takes Madge, who is still unconscious, down the hallway and through a set of double doors. I race after them, but another nurse stops me. "Proper attire is required," she says. I give her a funny look before she points to my feet. That's when I realize I'm not wearing shoes. "Please-" I begin, but she puts up a hand, silencing me. She points to a section of chairs on the other side of the room. I try to speak again, but she points again, not even looking up from her computer. Reluctantly, I take a seat in one of the uncomfortable chairs and stare at the clock. After several minutes, the cranky nurse gets up from the desk and disappears into an adjacent room. As soon as the door swings shut behind her, I get up and quickly slip through the double doors they brought Madge through a little while ago.

I take the hallway all the way down to another nurse's station, where I am beyond thankful to see a familiar face. "Jackie, hey, I didn't know you worked here. Please help me," I say. She points down a long hallway. " Take the stairs at the end of the corridor to the third floor. Room 317. They have to do tests, so she may or may not be in there. Either way, she won't be conscious," she warns. I nod, thanking her before hurrying down the hallway and up the stairs. I pass room after room until I see 317. I quickly slip into the room before anyone can see me and yell at me for my lack of "proper attire."

Madge is laying in the bed against the wall, hooked up to several machines. Her chest is rising and falling quietly; the only audible sound in the room is the heart monitor's steady beeping. Everything about it reminds me of when Katniss was in and out of the hospital in Thirteen. I sit in the chair next to the bed, reaching over the bar on the side of the bed and taking her small hand in mine. I can't help wonder when it will stop being like this- having each other back for such a short amount of time before something happens. Our fight back in Twelve, the bombing, the mission, now this. I must sit like that, holding her hand and just thinking for hours. Nurses come in and out, but every time they are accompanied by Jackie, who seems to be running the show. Eventually I fall asleep sitting up.

The next thing I hear is my name being called by a vaguely familiar voice. My eyes snap open, registering Jackie standing next to me. "Jackie, hey. What's going on?" I sit up quickly, wiping the spot of drool from the corner of my mouth.

All of the tests came back negative. The next step is to do another body scan," she says quietly.

"Another body scan?" I ask. I was unaware there was a first body scan.

She nods. "The one we did last night came back clean. We're going to do a different type. Basically she will lay on a board which will slowly move her through a magnetic machine which will show us what, if anything, is wrong."

"Are you sure it wasn't just a one time thing?" I ask. She nods again. "She still hasn't come out of the sedative, and we cut it off about an hour ago. We thought she'd be up and responsive by now, but she isn't."

"Yes she is," Madge's groggy voice interrupts. Jackie spins around and I stand up quickly, giving Madge's hand a squeeze. "Ah, there she is," Jackie grins. "Here I am," Madge says cheerily.

"How do you feel?" I ask. "Like shit," she deadpans. Jackie and I share a look. "Kidding. I'll be fine. What, uh, happened to me?" She asks after a second. "We don't really know yet. You woke Gale up because your head was hurting and your heart was beating rapidly, and then you passed out. He brought you here and we ran some tests, but everything came back negative."

"What time is it?" Madge asks suddenly. I check my watch "Ten past nine," I tell her. "At night?!" She asks frantically, pointing at the window, which shows the dark sky. Both Jackie and I nod. "I was supposed to be at work at nine this morning I need to-" she begins. "I called in for you, they said not to worry, that you haven't taken a day off yet and they want you to take the week off," Jackie explains. Madge nods and thanks her, the panic and stress on her face dissolving. Jackie's pager goes off and she promises to check in later before disappearing through the double doors.

"You never told me what you do," I remind Madge. "You're right," she says.

"So?" I poke her arm.

"Sooooooooo" she says, drawing out the word until she runs out of breath. "It's going to sound dumb," she warns.

"No it isn't," I assure her.

"Ugh, fine. I'm a JFP," she says, looking carefully at me.

"A JFP?" I ask with a laugh. She nods with a groan. "You're serious?" I ask.

"Yep. Go ahead, get all of your laughing out of the way now," she clucks her tongue.

"My girlfriend is a JFP? That's hot," I say, not putting too much thought behind my words. I do, however, notice the color creep onto her face at the mention of the g-word.

"That's hot? Not the reaction I was expecting. But I'll take it," she laughs.

"So do you like, carry a gun?" I can't help but ask. She nods. JFPs are the newer, better peacekeepers. JFP means justice for the people, and is basically a squad of officers who go around and make sure the district is safe. However, there are no whippings, curfews, or harsh rules. A black button down, khaki pants and boots have taken the place of the tacky white suits, and JFPs are free to do as they please as soon as they clock out for the day. If Madge is a JFP, though, I can't help but wonder why I never saw her. I mean, the district is big, but the majority of it is surrounding villages of housing. The hustle and bustle of town is just above one square mile. We both live right on the outskirts of town, not even a mile from each other.

"When did you come here?" I ask.

"About four weeks ago," she says.

"From?"

"Six. Reed, Jackie's fiancé, was visiting his sisters in six and met me at the market where I worked. He said I looked familiar and we put the pieces together, and when he got on the train home, I went with him. Now I live with him and Jackie," she says with a smile.

I nod, trying to process my thoughts. "I'm just trying to figure out how we haven't run into each other yet, especially if you're a JFP," I say.

"I mainly work in the area of the district behind the left train station. It's very much like the part of the Seam back home where the Hob was," she says. "We stay in one spot all day usually," she adds.

"I've never been back there before, so that would explain it."

"But it doesn't explain why I never saw you on TV," she says.

"Haven't been on in a while. There hasn't been much going on in my field so they haven't needed me for a couple months," I say.
"Your field?" She asks. "Let me guess...you're a world class weapon maker? Or a big wig government executive! No, wait, better yet, you're a top secret spy," she guesses.

"Covert intelligence," I laugh.

"Wouldn't have expected anything less," she laughs with me.

"Well... I am kind of a big deal," I say, getting another laugh out of her.

"So covert intelligence?"

"And government liaison," I add.

"Of course," she says as the door swings open. Jackie walks in, followed by a middle aged woman in a long white coat. "Dr. Kent, this is Madge Undersee. Madge, Dr. Kent. She'll be taking over from here. I'll leave you guys to it," she says with a smile, making a quick exit.

"Gale Hawthorne," I say, standing up and extending my hand to the doctor. She shakes it fairly firmly before pulling Madge's chart from the foot of the bed. Our hands subconsciously find each other as the doctor clears her throat and flips through the chart.

"Well, Madge. We ran some blood tests to see what it was that caused you to go unconscious last night. Your oxygen levels were normal, your blood pressure is perfectly healthy, and you aren't malnourished. We also did a CT scan, which is basically a giant x-ray of your body. We couldn't find anything out of the ordinary, though. We would have just chalked it up to dehydration, except it took much longer than it should have for you to come out of the next step for us is to do a magnetic resonance imaging test. We call it an MRI, and we put you on a rolling board which slides you underneath this big magnet and scans your body. It's much like a CT scan, and will look for anything abnormal that wouldn't have come up on a CT scan- spinal injury, brain tumor, soft tissue damage, that kind of thing."

Madge's face is as white as the bed sheet and her grip on my hand has tightened considerably. "We're going to be ready for you in about twenty minutes," Dr. Kent adds. Madge nods. "A nurse will be in soon to get you. I will see you later, it was nice meeting both of you. You're in good hands, Madge, I promise," she says with a smile. We thank her, and the second the door closes behind her, Madge breaks down crying.

"Talk to me," I tell her.

"What's happening to me?" she chokes out.

"I wish I knew," I say. "One thing I do know, though, is that everything will be fine, okay? Nothing bad is going to happen to you, not after everything just started being good again," I say, even if I don't completely believe my own words.

"They're putting me in some sort of magnet, Gale! They expect me just to be okay with everything they're doing, too. If you weren't there last night, I...I don't know.." her voice trails off.

"But I was there, so don't...just...I don't even know. Just know that Jackie wouldn't let them do anything wrong, right? All you have to do is say no, and they won't do anything. If they lay a hand on you without permission, I swear I-"

"Trust me, I know," she says, attempting a smile. "I'm just scared," she adds. I nod.

"I know,"I say, my breath catching in my throat as she continues to cry. I give her hand a squeeze. "You know I won't let them hurt you," I say.

"And what if it's something beyond your control? What happens then?" she practically shouts.

"Whoa, calm down, take a deep breath. Tons of things have been beyond my control, beyond your control, beyond our control before. We have always been okay in the end. Look where we are right now. Together. If we made it back together after all the shit that's gone down in the last year and a half, nothing can get in the way that we can't handle," I say, pushing the hair out of her face so I can see her eyes. They're glistening with tears, but still the same shade of blue they've always been.

"I know," she sighs eventually, wiping her eyes. "You're right, I'm worrying over nothing, I'm sure it will all be okay," she sniffles.

"It will be," I say.

"If you're being optimistic about something, I guess that's reason enough to believe you," she laughs. "You got me," I say, holding up my hands in surrender.

"I love you, do you know that?" she says after a moment. I nod, "I know," I say, leaning in and kissing her. She smiles as I pull back. Good timing, too, because the door swings open and Jackie walks in.

"Hey, guys. Madge, we're ready for you. I'll walk you down," she says.

"Can Gale come?" Madge asks before I have the chance to ask myself. Jackie shakes her head. "Nope, no one is allowed in the room, it's all computerized. You'll be back in an hour or so, though. He'll be right here," Jackie says, smiling at me. I nod at Madge. "I'll be waiting," I tell her. She sighs and then nods, getting out of the bed. I stand up and she wraps her arms around me. "I love you. You'll be fine, it's just a test," I whisper in her ear, embracing her. "I love you," she says back before letting go and slipping on a pair of hideous hospital-issued slippers. With one last look over er shoulder, Madge follows Jackie out of the room.

A/N: Thoughts? Let me know what you think happened in the Capitol and what you think will happen next chapter! If you're right, I'll give you a shout out :)