A/N- Here goes nothing~

I stumble all the way home with nothing on my mind but Gale. His words haunt my thoughts, and my lips crave the taste of his. I want him to love me, but maybe I wasn't made to be loved.

When I finally reach my destination, I wait on the front steps. I'm desperately afraid to enter. Taking a deep breath, I go inside.

Theo is the first one to see me. He runs over and envelops me, and I feel safe. I don't say a word, and I don't have to.

"Never do that again," he whispers as he's still hugging me. He lets go of me as he hurries to the kitchen. "You must be hungry," he says as I nod. He fixes me a large plate filled with food, and he pours me a glass of water. I quickly gulp down the water first, and I eat the food just as fast. Realizing how thirsty I am, I have a couple more glasses of water.

"Thank you, Theo," I say as I clutch him against me.

Looking over Theo's shoulder, I can see my father. He is watching me, expressionless. I slowly remove myself from Theo's embrace and prepare for the worst.

"Hello, father," I say quietly.

My father ignores me and looks over at Theo.

"Theo, can you leave me and Madge alone, please? Thank you."

Theo shoots me a look of sympathy as he gradually makes his way upstairs. It's not long before the only people in the room are my father and I.

"You were gone for three days," he says simply.

"I was?'

"Where were you," he asks me, oddly calm.

"I can't tell you."

His calm demeanor instantly changes from calm to furious. He rushes over to me and slaps me across the face. Hard.

"You are a disgrace," he spits. "You ran away and caused everyone to worry, and you won't even tell me where you've been." He hits me again, harder than last time.

Shock is coursing through my body as he continues to yell at me.

"Were you with that Seam boy," my father asks as he punches me again. I stumble back this time, almost falling. "Where were you, Madge?"

"Please stop," I whisper as I shield my face with my hands.

"Stop what? I'm disciplining you. Maybe you'll finally behave." He hits me again, and I fall back.

Lying on the floor, I begin to cry.

"Please stop," I whisper over and over again through my sobs.

He ignores my tears as he leans in and whispers, "Next time you run away, don't come back."

I weep louder as his words burn into my skin.

He goes upstairs, leaving me behind.

I can't stay here.

I leave the house, and I start to walk to the only place where I know I'll feel welcome.

…

My hands are shaking as I knock on Peeta's door. I'm scared for him to see me so vulnerable, so weak.

He is slow to answer the door. When he finally does, I break down as soon as I seem him. His concern for me is obvious as he leads me into his home.

"Hey," he whispers soothingly as he tries to make eye contact. I keep my eyes glued to the floor. "What's wrong?"

"Everything," I whisper back, my voice cracking.

He holds me against him, trying to comfort me. I melt into him, loving how my body perfectly entwines with his.

He releases me as he leads me to the couch. I sit next to him, resting my head on his shoulder. He puts his arms around me, encompassing me in his warmth. Seeking more contact, I wrap my arms around him as well. I don't care if he loves Katniss. Right now, he is mine. And that's all that matters.

"What happened," Peeta asks quietly while he strokes my hair gently.

"My father…," I say as I begin to break down.

"What did he do, Madge?"

I hide my face into the crook of his neck as I say, "He beat me."

Peeta doesn't say anything for a while, but I can feel his body tense up. His hand stops caressing my hair. He doesn't move, and it makes me nervous.

"Peeta," I whisper.

He doesn't answer me as he gets up from the couch. I'm confused as he crouches down to look at my face. His fingers ghost over my skin, over the bruises left by my father.

Peeta winces as he whispers, "I'm so sorry."

I close my eyes as I whisper back, "It's not your fault."

The sensation of his fingers on my face is replaced with his lips. His lips kiss every bruise, every mark my father made. My stomach ties in knots as I wait for him to kiss me, but he never does.

I don't feel his touch anymore, so I open my eyes to see a confused Peeta in front of me.

"Kiss me," I whisper, craving his love.

"I can't."

"Why?"

"I love Katniss."

The words sting me, and I wince.

"Please love me tonight. I'll leave tomorrow, but please love me tonight."

He looks pained at the decision I'm forcing him to make.

I take advantage of his sympathy as I say, "I need you tonight."

These were exactly the words I needed to say to him.

His lips were on mine before I knew it. He kisses me passionately, desperately. I kiss him back with as much intensity as he does. His hands are tangled in my hair and mine are wrapped around his neck.

Peeta moves his body on top of mine as he continues to kiss me fervently. I wrap my legs around him, wanting to be closer to him. At the same time, I feel extremely guilty because Peeta is not mine. He belongs to Katniss.

My thoughts make me kiss him harder. This is what I had wanted all along, right? This was what I had been waiting for. It feels so wrong, though. I keep imagining Gale instead of Peeta.

I stop kissing him and push against his chest gently. He stops, too, but he looks perplexed.

"Do you love me," I pant.

Peeta is panting as well when he replies, "I do."

"Tell me."

He wipes my hair out of my face as he whispers, "I love you, Madge Undersee."

I smile as I say, "I love you, too, Peeta Mellark."

I'm the one to kiss him this time, and we begin to kiss each other forcefully all over again.

I never want this night to end.

We eventually stop kissing, and I fall asleep wrapped in the comfort of his embrace.

Keeping my promise, I leave him in the morning.

A/N- I love you all! Review! The more reviews I get, the faster I'll update!