Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games!

A/N: Not related to the other stories in this collection.

Madge didn't know how long she had been sitting in the cafe. Her mind was everywhere and nowhere.

This is really happening.

As Madge took a sip of her coffee, she didn't even realize it had already gone cold.

It all started two weeks ago.

Gale had brought home her favorite food: Chow Mein, Orange Chicken, and Egg Rolls from the little Chinese restaurant down the corner of their street. As soon as he entered their apartment, the smell permeated the room. Madge leaped off the couch and grabbed the bags from him.

"How'd you know I was starving?" she asked, already taking the boxes out.

Gale threw his coat and keys onto the chair nearby. "Lucky guess."

She gave him a quick kiss before he went to change. Madge walked over to the kitchen and pulled out two plates and silverware, ready to dig in. As she began to load her plate with some chicken, her head began to spin. She sat down and rested her head in her hands and the headache disappeared a few seconds later. Madge shook her head and continued to load her plate.

Gale came out of their room, grinning as he saw Madge stuffing her face. He swiped the egg roll off her place and took a bite.

"Hey!" she yelled, slapping his arm. "That was mine!"

"I know, but yours looked the best," he said, swiftly avoiding another slap.

Madge rolled her eyes and grabbed another egg roll from the box. Before Gale could take hers again, she took a big bite and moaned.

"So good," she sighed. "Have I ever told you that I loved you?"

Gale grinned. "Maybe once or twice."

The next morning, Madge found herself sitting by the toilet, clutching the seat as if her life depended on it. She felt the nausea filling her head once again and hurled her head over the seat, dispensing all the contents in her stomach. The smell of her own vomit filling the bathroom only made her feel even more sick. Gale had always been a deep sleeper, and he was still sleeping soundly despite the sound of her puking.

Madge wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and groaned. Her mouth tasted sour and bitter. She flushed down the contents and slowly stood up. After brushing her teeth three times, she walked back to the bed. The sun hadn't risen yet, and Madge laid back onto the bed. Gale instinctively reached out for her and she rested her head against his chest.

"So cold," he muttered.

HIs light snores filled the room once again and Madge let the steady rhythm in his chest lull her back to sleep.

"So I think I got food poisoning from yesterday."

Gale looked up from the newspaper he had been reading. Madge took a sip from her coffee. He finally took note of how her face seemed a bit paler today and saw the dark circles under her eyes.

"From the Chinese food?" he asked.

Madge nodded her head. "I was throwing up all last night and this morning."

Gales brow shot up. "Babe, why didn't you wake me up?"

"It wasn't a big deal," she said. "I mean, while I was vomiting my guts out it felt like hell, but it was fine after. I think I'm going to call in sick today though."

Gale reached over and rubbed his hand alongside her back. "You should've woken me up though. You know how even an earthquake wouldn't wake me up."

Madge laughed and rested a hand onto his knee. They sat in silence for a moment until Gale stopped rubbing her back.

"Wait," he said, his brows furrowing. "I ate the exact same thing as you, and I feel perfectly fine…Are you sure you're feeling okay, Madge? Maybe we should get you checked out."

Madge immediately shook her head. Ever since her mom passed away last year, Madge found herself not being able to step a foot inside a hospital.

"I'm fine Gale," she reassured. "It must be a cold then. I'll be fine after I get some rest."

Gale continued to look at her, worry filling his handsome features. Madge sighed.

"I'm really fine, I promise," she repeated. "And shouldn't you be off to work now? It's almost nine."

Gale looked at his watch and shot up from his seat. "Shit, Haymitch is going to kill me!"

Madge laughed as Gale began to run around their apartment. After finding his bag and coat, Madge handed him a travel mug filled with coffee.

"So you're sure your okay?" he asked one more time.

"Yes Gale. Now go!"

Madge moved towards him to give him a kiss but he pulled back.

"Don't want to get sick," he said with a wink, and slipped out the door laughing.

"You ready, babe?" Gale's voice echoed down the hall.

"In a minute!" Madge yelled back.

She reached behind and grabbed the zipper of her dress. It would only zip half way.

"Gale, I think I need a little help!"

She tried again but the zipper wouldn't budge. She finally gave up and looked at her reflection.

Did I gain weight?

Madge had bought this dress a month ago and it should still fit. Gale entered the room, dressed in a crisp white dress shirt and black pants.

"Can you help me?" she asked, turning her back towards him.

Gale grabbed the zipper and tried his best to pull it up without ripping it.

"It won't budge, babe," he said, already confirming what she knew.

Madge let out a frustrated sigh and sat on the edge of their bed. "I don't understand! I bought this dress a month ago! How can it not fit?"

Gale glanced at his watch, they were already late. "I don't know, Madge but we're running late. Is there anything else you can wear?"

Madge looked up at him, her eyes burning with tears. "How can I find another dress when this was the dress I had picked out! My feet are killing me in these heels, the dress doesn't fit….nothing's going right! Maybe you should go by yourself."

The tears had already begun to ruin her makeup and she angrily swiped it away. Gale stared at her, not knowing what to do. Madge rarely had a tantrum like this, and so Gale just sat beside her and carefully wrapped an arm around her waist.

After calming down, Madge leaned onto Gale's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Gale. I don't know what just came over me. I've been feeling like shit the last couple of days and I'm taking it out on you."

Gale rubbed her arm and kissed her forehead. "It's fine. I know this day is important to you."

It was her father's first Christmas party without her mother and Madge had been the one to plan it this year. She had been stressing over it for weeks and everything had to be perfect. After a couple minutes of silence, Gale finally spoke up.

"Madge…I don't want you to be pissed at me but this is kind of important, alright?" he asked carefully.

Madge lifted her head from his shoulder. "What?"

"We're really late at this point," he mentioned, glancing at his watch. "In fact, it started…as of five minutes ago."

Madge shot up off the bed. "What are we going to do, my dad…he never knows what to say in front of a large crowd and he's there by himself! This is all my fault! I just had to have a breakdown over this stupid dress that's not even all that important!"

She began to pace back and forth, chastising herself even more. Her dress zipper went down even more with each movement.

"Madge, I think the first step is to figure out what you're going to do about your dress and go from there," Gale suggested.

Madge laughed and grabbed the zipper, pulling it down all the way before slipping out of it. She was now standing clad in a lacy black bra and matching underwear.

Gale's brow shot up as his eyes soaked in the woman standing in front of him. Even though they have been married for six months, Madge still managed to surprise him with how beautiful she was.

Madge noticed Gale's reaction to her undergarments and grinned. "This was supposed to be an early Christmas gift forafter the party…"

"You little minx," Gale said, pulling her onto his lap. "How do you expect me to stand beside your father, knowing that under whatever you're wearing, you have that underneath?"

Madge laughed. "It's all about self-control."

After the party, Gale and Madge took a cab back home. Madge cuddled against Gale as they walked back to their apartment.

"Hey, I have to make a quick stop by the drug store. Need anything?" she asked.

"I'll go with you," Gale replied.

Madge shook her head. "No you don't need to. I'll be quick. You go in first."

She gave him a quick peck onto his cheek and before he could object, quickly walked down the rest of the street.

The bell dinged as she entered the small store. A middle-aged man stood behind the counter and muttered a greeting before turning his attention back onto his phone.

Madge swiftly walked down the aisle, scanning for the particular item she had needed. She finally spotted it and put it in her basket.

"Will this be all?" the man asked.

Madge nodded.

After handing Madge the bag, she quickly stuffed it inside her purse, and zipped up her coach, bracing herself for the cold winter night.

When Madge returned home, Gale noticed that she had no bag in hand.

"Did you buy anything?" he asked.

Madge took off her coat and shook her head. "They didn't have what I needed."

"What did you need?"

"Nothing important," she replied. "And besides, don't you have something more important to be curious about?"

She then proceeded to unzip her dress and let it slide smoothly off her body. Gale grinned and scooped her up, causing Madge to scream in surprise. She began to nibble on his neck and shower it with kisses.

Gale gently placed her onto their bed and loosened his tie.

"Best. Gift. Ever," he whispered.

Gale had his arm hanging loosely around her waist, and his light snores indicated that he was already deep asleep. Madge slowly removed herself from his arms, grabbed her robe, and slipped it on. She then walked to the living room, toward her discarded purse and bent down to retrieve the bag she had stuffed just hours before. With shaky hands, she took out the item and walked towards the bathroom.

Madge sat on the toilet waiting for the timer on her phone to go off and every minute that passed by felt like an hour. Her phone finally vibrated, and she grabbed the stick on the counter.

It showed two lines.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed reading this one as much as I had writing it! :)