Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games series. Suzanne Collins does and maybe, possibly, probably including Lionsgate.
Sunday comes quickly and Gale is making his way to the victor's village to meet with Katniss before going into the woods. It's the day before Katniss leaves for victory tour with Peeta and Gale isn't looking forward to not seeing her for a couple of weeks. He also isn't looking forward to his new job after what he said to Madge he feels bad and the guilt has been nudging at the back of his mine. The sun has only just woken up and Gale hopes he doesn't interrupt Katniss and Peeta like he did with Thom and Bristel. He knocks and waits, there is shuffling on the opposing side and Katniss slips through the door, closing it softly behind her. She spins around and smiles at Gale he smiles back and they silently make their way to the woods.
Gale can smell the wet grass as they cross the fence towards the woods, he bends down pulls some pieces from the ground, he rubs them in his hands before letting the ball of grass fall to the dirt. Katniss gives him a funny look. Neither of them want to sit on the ground so they make their way towards the woods. They both want to be in and out as quick as possible.
Katniss breaks the silence first her words echoing around the woods as she says them, "Gale do you think I should marry Peeta?" Gale's head snaps towards Katniss. She is looking guiltily at the ground. He glares at her but doesn't walk of like he usually would.
"Why would you want to marry him of all people?" He asks his voice dripping with disgust.
"I love him" she whispers.
"Why would you love him you've known him for less than a year" Gale looks around
"He knows what I've been through with the games. He knows what it's like to be looked at like a murderer" she heaves out.
"You aren't a murderer" Gale sits down at on a cold, damp log.
Katniss rubs her hands on her face "Didn't you watch the games at all, did you not see me kill Glimmer or that girl from four or the boy from one or Cato. I don't even know their names how horrible is that? I don't even know the names of the children I killed. Children Gale, children. And Rue, my dear Rue she shouldn't have died Gale. As evil and sick Cato and the other careers were they didn't deserve to die," Katniss suddenly looks sickly green, she sits on the log next to Gale her head in her hands.
"I thought killing a human would be like killing an animal. It's not, it's so much worse," Katniss can feel bile rise to her throat. She closes her eyes and swallows it down. "The games changed me Gale, I love Peeta and not in a spur of the moment kind of thing. I truly love him," Katniss manages to keep the bile down this time. Gale's face is red, she is supposed to fall in love with him, they were supposed to get married, they were supposed to have children, they were supposed to worry about their children on reaping day, It was always supposed to be Gale and Katniss. According to the plan it was never supposed to be Katniss and Peeta.
"I just want you to be happy, even if it means that you are supposed to marry lover boy," Katniss's eyes widen and she gasps as Gale uses the career's nickname for Peeta. Lover boy. Katniss never wanted to hear that name again and neither did Peeta for that matter. Gale's scrunches his eyes shut wishing he had never said anything and had kept his mouth shut. He opens his mouth to apologise but Katniss cuts him short.
"Don't say anything," Katniss demands flexing her hands defensively as Gale steps forward, "Don't Gale you've already said too much," Gale groans and sits back down on the log. Katniss grabs her game bag, she doesn't care that there is nothing in it, and she just can't stay in the same area as Gale for any longer. Her mind quickly flashes back the games and she throws up barely missing Gale's shoes. She pushes him away when he tries to help her. Katniss glares one last time at Gale before not bothering to stay quiet and marches away with the loudest stomps. Gale just stares at the bile in front of him, the smell slowly making it's way up to his nose. He leans back onto the ground his thighs resting on the log. Gale groans one last time, pulling at his hair wondering where everything went pear shaped. It was when Katniss told him about marrying Peeta.
Gale regrets everything he did and said the previous day, Katniss would never let him say goodbye before the victory tour. She's already gone with Lover boy, across Panem towards district eleven. He just wishes he could take every thing back.
Gale feels guilty as he makes his way towards town while everyone else makes their way towards the mines. He shouldn't feel like that he went through the same process as everyone else who applied for the job but Madge already knew who she was going to give the job to. She never gave him a date or time to start work, so he assumed he started on the following Monday morning at seven.
All the miners got the rest of the week off due to the mine collapse and Gale knew that none of them wanted to go back. He kept his head down not wanting to be seen or even recognised by anyone.
Madge is already standing outside the front door waiting for Gale. She is sitting on the porch swing, her legs pushing herself back and forth her face ridden with concern. She hears Gale make his way the three steps and quickly glances at him.
"You can't come in the front door" she blurts quickly.
"Why not? Am I not good enough?" he says his frowning
"No, no, no. No worker comes through the front door. I was just waiting for you, so I could let you know," she says fiddling with her shirt.
"It's this way, we'll go through the kitchen. I always go this way after I visit the meadow. Daddy doesn't like coal and dirt in the house," Madge explains. Gale follows her around the perfectly manicured front garden, down the side of the house and to the back door where he used to sell strawberries to her.
"You know this entrance quite well don't you?" Gale nods at her question
As he steps into the kitchen he can tell it hasn't changed from what he saw while it was open a year ago. The walls are still mint green with white flowery tiles. The cupboards are cream coloured and the bench is made out of wood, maybe mahogany but Gale highly doubts it. She leads him into a hall where he can see some stairs leading up to the next floor.
"Madge?" someone faintly calls from upstairs. Madge's face pales and she quickly looks at Gale.
"Get changed into your uniform I have to check something" she points to a small stack of clothes on a dresser by the front door. Madge runs up the stairs to do what's needed. Gale looks at the neatly folded clothes and raises an eyebrow. He looks around the hall not knowing where to change. He opens each door with one hand whilst holding the clothes with the other. They all seem to be rooms until he sees a handle under the stairs. He peeks inside and finds the smallest bathroom he has ever seen. Fuck it. He thinks, he can't find anywhere else to change. He has to bend his knees to enter but still knocks his head on the beam. He awkwardly changes hitting his elbow or head in places he didn't know a bathroom had.
While Gale was getting changed Madge was upstairs checking on her mother. Madge held back tears as she saw her mother's almost dead body lying on the bed. She sighed deeply.
"Is everything okay?" she asked leaning on the bar at the foot of the bed.
"May it's so good to see you again, it's been so long," Mrs Undersee smiled weakly at her daughter. Madge looked down at the floor beside her, eyes closed, breathing kept even, teeth clenched and hands tightening more and more on the bar every second. She hated being called Maysilee, her mother did it, Haymitch did it, even her father at times did it. She will never be that person, she will never try to be that person. She wants to be known as Madge Undersee, pianist, not Maysilee Donner, tribute. She always wants to scream at her mother when she is called May, but she knows she can't.
"I'm not May, mummy, I'm your daughter Madge. Remember me…Please" Madge begged trying not to sob out the words. Mrs Undersee gave her a questioning look before falling back to sleep. Madge left her to be and made her way back downstairs.
Gale puts on the last of his uniform on when he can hear Madge coming down the stairs her eyes slightly puffy. Gale doesn't say anything and Madge is extremely thankful, she wipes her cheeks before addressing Gale.
"You found the bathroom I see," She nods towards the door he just walked out of. Gale awkwardly stands in the hall, the uniform making him feel more and more uncomfortable. Madge steps closer to Gale and places her hands on his shoulders, she pinches the material and runs hers her fingers across the seam, she pulls at the jacket when she gets to the edge, the fabric giving a little. She runs her hands down the sleeve pulling again at the end. She shyly looks up at him and he gives her a questioning look.
"I'm checking to see if it's the right length," She explains trying not to grin. She kneels on the ground and adjusts the length of the pant leg trying extremely hard to not make Gale feel uncomfortable.
"Do you do this with all the employees?" He asks looking down at her.
"No just you," Gale smirks. Madge covers her eyes in embarrassment when she realizes what she had just said. "Don't feel special Hawthorne, we haven't employed anyone in over fifteen years. It's my job to make sure you know the ropes," Gale's smile fades. Madge stands up and takes a step back to look at Gale fully. Gale is wearing a white winged collar shirt with a bow tie, grey vest, grey striped trousers, white gloves and a morning jacket. She cringes when she sees him, it's not what he usually wears. She suddenly bursts out laughing and Gale glares at her. Madge composes herself.
"You look really uncomfortable, you don't have to wear the gloves," Gale hastily pulls the gloves off "Or the jacket," She smiles sat him.
"Oh thank God" Gale shoves the jacket off and onto the floor. He pick it up a neatly folds it. He puts both the jacket and gloves back on the dresser and turns to face Madge.
"Where to first?" He claps his hands. Madge digs into her pocket a pulls out two cuff links. They are gold and knotted. Gale gapes at Madge when he sees the gold.
"Can I sell these? They are probably worth a fortune," Gale asks picking up the objects and examining them.
"No they are uniform requirement, do you want me to put them on for you" she asks
"Um sure if you want" Gale give her his wrist and with delicate fingers she places them into the holes silently.
"A few ground rules" She says once finished.
"No going into the room on the upstairs first door on the right" Gale nods feeling at the cuff links not asking why.
"I'm not to sure what the other rules are but I'll help you along the way it's usually just the normal things, serving, tidying, being polite. That sort of things," Gale nods again and they both head off to start the day's work
When Gale arrives home he is too exhaust to stand. He never realized how tiring and eventful being a butler was. He had to stand and work or stand and not move.
Hazelle stands at the door frame silently laughing at Gale.
"Good first day?" she asks stepping into the room. Gale shrugs, his body still buried face down in the mattress. Hazelle leaves laughing and Gale quickly changes out of his work uniform and into some casual clothes.
"Gale, Thom and Bristel are here. They want to talk to you" Hazelle yells from the living room. As Gale enters he sees Thom swinging Posy around.
"Thom you'll make her sick" Gale says smirking "And you'll be the one cleaning it up"
"Yeah whatever Gale. We have some news" gale looks between the two of them.
"We are getting married" Gale is silent for a few moments before he bursts out laughing, his voice bouncing off the walls he roars and gives him the dirtiest look she can.
"You guys are getting married. Funny joke," He looks at them again and his laughter fades away "You guys really aren't joking" They both shake their heads.
"We've been together for five years Gale, Thom thought it was time, and he was right it is time," Bristel explains softly. Katniss now Thom and Bristel what is happening to everyone, Gale thought.
"I got an actual ring for her. I didn't even buy it from a proper jeweller I got it from my mum," Gale quickly glances down at Bristel's hand, there is in fact a ring with the smallest diamond on it, on her hand.
"Just be happy for us everyone else is" Thom and Bristel leave without another word leaving Gale feeling shell-shocked.
Posy came running into the room "Did you see Bristel and Thom are getting married" she giggled and jumped onto the couch.
"Yes Pose, Yes they are" Gale shakes his head as Posy continues to jump, he can feel a headache coming on and this isn't caused by alcohol.
AN: Hi again, I have very mixed feelings about his chapter (more on the negative side) and I really should not post it but I am. I don't know how much I can post at the moment for a few reasons which I will not be mentioning. I really wanted to post a chapter so I am not even sure if this is my usual writing, it doesn't feel like it. I just wanted to say I'm sorry if it's horrible. Please review (positive or negative I don't mind), I love reviews they always make my day.
Thanks Fangirlindenial17
P.S. remember I am only human, I am sure there are lot's of typos