Sugar Cakes: Thanks for the reviews!
JJ: I loved writing the Red Riding Hood story! My favorite so far! I'll do I follow up chapter of the hospital scene for ya.
Madge survived bombing and is currently being forced into the mission to rescue Peeta from the Cap. AU.
She hoped no one would recognize her. Madge had been to the Capitol a lot as a child. The government knew her when she came with her father. She looked over at Gale. His eyes were concentrating on the tunnel road. "What if..." she said to him.
"Don't." He said gruffly.
"But what if..." she sighed and looked out at the black tunnel walls.
"Then... I don't know." He sighed. "Get out of there."
"But what about Peeta?" She said. "We can't leave him there."
"No- you leave him and get yourself out. Do you understand?" His grey eyes flickered over her.
"Yes." She said quietly.
"I don't want to lose you." He whispered. "I never wanted you to do this." He growled, his knuckles turning white on the wheel.
"I guess... I felt the need to prove myself." Madge murmured. "To the others."
"Haymitch used you." Gale said, shaking his head.
"Stop saying that." She said, grabbing his hand and pressing her lips to it. "You said that last night too."
"I know but I'm right." He said.
"Alright." She pulled on her new short brown hair. The curly ends were fun to spring between her fingers. The car slowed as they reached the gate. "This is my stop." She said, oddly cheerful.
"I could back up right now." He said, not meeting her eye.
"I'll be fine, Gale." She said and opened the car door.
"I love you." He said, grabbing her arm.
"I know." She said and leaned forward. Gale kissed her slowly, to make the moment last. She smiled as she pulled away. Gale tried to memorize everything about her. "I love you too."
"I'll be here." He reminded her. "Remember that you're my first priority. Not Mellark."
"I know." She said for the second time. Gale sat for an hour. He watched the darkened tunnel in front of him. He couldn't stop imagining her smiling face as she ran through the gate to him. When Peeta finally could be seen through the shadows he stood, getting out of the jeep.
"Where is she?" He called. Peeta limped against the wall.
"She told me to leave her." The blonde called out to him.
"No, no, no." Gale slammed the door, "that wasn't the plan." He leaned down covering his sweating face with a hand.
"She'll be out." Peeta said, looking behind him as he closed the gate behind him.
"It was never about you." Gale snarled, "this whole thing." Gale opened and slammed the car door again. "She wanted people to think she wasn't worthless."
"She's brave, she isn't worthless." Peeta's eyebrows knitted together.
"I told her that." He sighed, "but she didn't want to hear it from me." He turned away from the man across from him. "It was your damn girlfriend." Gale leaned against the tunnel wall in front of the car. "I don't understand why her opinion matters so damn much."
"You love Madge." Peeta said, finally realizing.
"Of course I love her." Gale said turning back to Peeta. "She's wearing my engagement ring."
"I should have told her to leave me." Peeta said after the initial shock of the situation.
"You should have." Gale growled. "You should have said that a thousand times." Gale opened the car door and slid into his seat. "Get in." He gestured to the passenger seat.
"Planning to leave without me, Mr. Hawthorne?"
"Wasn't planning on it." He smiled looking up at his fiancée. "I wanted Mellark to feel bad."
"Looks like it worked." Madge made Peeta shift to the back. "He looks like some fed him baby food." She closed the door. Gale laughed loudly and reversed the car.
"Was she there the whole time?" Peeta murmured.
"Not the whole time." Madge grinned.
"There was a sheer moment of panic there." Gale said, pressing on the accelerator. They shot out of the tunnel in silence.
"Good." Madge smiled slightly, "wanted to keep you on your toes."
Gale scoffed, "I knew you could do it."
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Erin