His hand was already on the door and before he could twist the knob, "Gale can you please clean up the table!" He sighed, "Yes mom," He jogged over to the small dinner table and piled up all the plates and placed it in the palm of his hand, then he scooped up all the cups and held them in a tight grip with his fingers. He weaved around all his younger brothers and placed the dishes in the sink in a sloppy heap. He wipped his hands clean and then rushed over to the door "Bye Mo-," "Wait!" His mom interrupted, jogging over to him and licking her hands. She reached up to her tall son and straightened out his hair. She smiled a kind smile, "You behave. And tell Madge I said hello," Gale smiled and kissed his mother on the cheek, "Thanks mom,"

In a flash he dashed out the house and ran across the village as fast as he could, hopping over fallen tree logs and avoiding the storekeepers that were leaving work to finally go home and rest. He ran through the Seam, quickly waving to Greasy Sae, in his mind hoping she wouldn't say anything so he could keep running to the Mayors house to see Madge. But Odds weren't in his favour (yeah that saying applies outside the Hunger Games. In District 12 they use it as a joke since the Odds were never in their favour for anything)

"Gale! Would you do me a favor dear?" Her elderly voice so kind when she spoke. Gale stopped running and mentally sighed, 'Why doesn't someone just shoot me!' He turned to his right and walked up to her. "Of course Sae," "Tell your mother that I loved her gooseberry pie. After my husband died it's been very hard to eat but that defiantly helped," She forced a smile. Gale softened, "Absolutely. I'm really glad you enjoyed it and I'll tell my mother your thanks,"

Sae closed her eyes and breathed a laugh, "If only you were 30 years older. But you would know about love, you're on your way to see Madge aren't you? And I'm making you wait! What's wrong with you, she won't stay that beautiful forever, go!" Her voice rising with humor. "You be good to her!" She called out to him as Gale began running again.

His feet trembled on the fresh green grass of the Mayors yard and finally he hopped onto the white wraparound porch of the Ranch styled mansion. He reached up and grabbed the golden door knocker and banged on the door.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

"Hello. How may I help you?" the maid, a woman in her late twenties said cheerfully as she flung the door wide. "Hi, is um… is Madge home?" Gale had never had to ask for a girl before, usually they came running for him, banging down his door. But Madge was different, she didn't chase after boys or was extremely needy, she was calm and adventurous and was happy with what she had and would never beg for more.

The maid looked him up and down before smiling, "Come in, you must be Gale. Let me tell her your hear," She said, grabbing Gales wrist and literatly pulling him into the house. She shut the door and ran upstairs excitedly, passing a butler, a man in his later 40. She whispered something of "He's here!" before disappearing somewhere upstairs. The butler looked at him and creepily smiled before vanishing into the kitchen. 'I guess no secrets are kept in this house' Gale thought to himself.

Gale heard a rattle from a room adjacent to him and leaned forward to look in the room. A plump man in a grey suit was waddling through, nibbling on a round sugar cookie as the butler from earlier walked by his side. "Ah, you must be ," He said smiling, holding out his hand without the cookie but ironically still had cookie crumbs stuck between the fingers. Gale outstretched his hand and took the Mayors, "Sir, good to see you," The mayor pulled back his hand and went back to eating his cookie, "My daughter tells me you are a rebel?" Gales eyes widened a little in surprise, "I'm sorry?" "You do not vote. I was sure hoping a man like you would find politics very interesting and was hoping you would vote for me in the next elections," Gale cleared his throat in awkwardness, "Oh yes I'm sorry. I don't think voting for me is really important as all of Panem is still in depression from the Dark days. What point does it make to have mayors run the place when the Capitol is essentially in control?"

From upstairs there was hurried footsteps and soon they both saw the maid running down the stairs. Her voice was breathless, "Sh-she will see you know," Gale smiled, "Thank you. Good seeing you Mayor," he said before jogging up the stairs. He didn't need directions to know which room was hers, it was the one with the large windows facing the Seam. He would remember seeing her standing there watching over the town as him and Katniss would go to the Hob to trade or eat lunch.

He reached the door and knocked softly. The reply was in the sweetest voice, "Come in,"

Gale gently pushed open the door and was greeted by white walls with thin gold strips, a small yet fancy chandelier that hung over the huge white sleigh bed with fluffy white comforters and gigantic white with gold edge pillows. But it wasn't the royalness of it that made him smile, in fact that defiantly wasn't it. While everybody else starved and lived in one room sheds they lived like kings. It was the sight of Madge sitting on the bed, her blonde hair damp for her recent shower, her skin clothed in a cotton white nightgown, and in her arms she stroked the bunny he had given to her.

He walked over and sat at the edge of her bed, seeing her criss-crossed and slowly petting the bunny, scratching its head as it closed its eyes in happiness. He smiled, "I'm guessing you really like it. Its not to late for my family to have it as a snack," "Oh stop it!" She laughed, pushing him playfully in the shoulder. He leaned his hand down in support and felt aged paper. "Oh, I'm sorry," He said immediately picking his hand up. He looked down to see an old book with parchment tied in with an almost straw like string. Madge sighed, her voice becoming sad. "Its okay, it's pictures of me when I was younger," She got up and put them bunny down in its glass cage before flipping through the brittle pages.

She stopped on one page with a picture of her and another woman hugging her. They were both in a bright green meadow, the sun bouncing off there perfect hair and there blue eyes as clear as the sky. Under it in black cursive letters it said, 'mom and I' he remembered hearing about when her mother died in a Peacekeeper riot during the Dark Days. She had just been walking down the streets of District 12 at the wrong time and was beat to death.

Gale looked up at her, "You look just like your mother," Madge smiled at that, "Thanks. I was hoping I would look like her and not my dad. He looks like a potato," he laughed, "At least you don't smell like a potato," Madge raised her eyebrows in surprise and somewhat curiosity, "Oh yeah, what do I smell like?"

The fresh scent of her shampoo flooded his nose. He intaked the smell while trying not to make it obvious, "It smells like… fresh Strawberries in the meadow during the summer," he smiled, lifting his hand to stroke a stray hair out of her young face. "But I know how to make it smell like fresh sheets," She raised her eyebrows and before she could open her mouth to ask Gale climbed on top of her.

"Gale!" She laughed as his body completely overpowered hers. She stopped fighting and stared at him. His eyes a cloudy sky blue, the grey mixing in and drawing her in. Gale looked back at her, her bright blue eyes cheery. He smiled as he entwined their fingers together, "You are so beautifu-," "Dinners ready!"

Both their heads snapped to the door of the room to see the maid happily looking at them. She walked out of the doorframe "Just letting you know," She sang. Gale looked back at Madge, "Will you meet me tomorrow in the meadow at this time?" He asked, trying to sound seductive. He usually never had to try to seduce someone but he really wanted to see her again. Madge thought about it for a minute, "Hmm. No," Gales heart dropped, "Why not?" He didn't mean to come off impulsive or rude but he had to know. Madge smiled at that, "Well you have to kiss me for my answer to be a yes,"

Gales heart beat faster at the moment she spoke and he started leaning in "I can do that," He was coming down, their lips so close, just like in the forest, so close… her breath smelling of vanilla mint. Their lips were right there and then

"Better hurry before Dinner turns cold," The maid said randomly walking by the door again. Madge laughed as she crawled out from under Gale, " I will see you tomorrow," She said as she walked over to her attached bathroom and before she closed the door she peaked over at him and whispered teasingly, "Maybe,"

Gale stared at the closed door and smile before forcing himself to leave. 'Gosh she was so hot!' He smiled to himself as he jogged down the stairs. He saw the mayor as he was approaching the door. The butler opened it for him but before he stepped out he yelled out "Oh Mayor Underseas? I change my mind, you can defiantly expect my vote this year," He smiled before exiting the house.

That smile never left his face for the rest of the night.

-During dinner-

Madge sat around the table with her dad, the servants placing plates of wiggly jellos and juicy meats in front of her. The maid came in and poured her another cup of fresh steaming French coffee. She smiled down at the blushing girl and couldn't help but say something. "Gale seems like a friendly guy,"

*Thanks so much for reading my story! I just had to continue to show my thanks! Hope you like it :D

Hunger Games belongs to Suzanne Collins