Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games, and I don't do this for money. I doubt anyone would pay me...

"Does Katniss know how to swim?" Madge found herself asking Gale. They were snuggled up together on her bed with the bed sheets wrapped around them. They had gone straight to Madge's house after she got out of school. It was the first day of the games. It was the first day of the pain that could last an exceedingly long amount of time. Staring at the arena moments before the tributes arrived, Madge found herself consumed with worry for her friend.

"Yeah," Gale answered. "She's a strong swimmer."

"How'd she learn?" Madge wondered out loud. She didn't expect Gale to necessarily know the answer. Katniss seemed to know a lot of things without a reason to know.

"There's a lake in the woods," Gale explained to her surprise. "I think her dad taught her. I'll take you there sometime." Madge smiled at the thought. She liked to imagine future times with Gale. It seemed the present seem less doomed.

"How do you think Katniss will react when she finds out about us?" Gale shifted uncomfortably on the bed. Madge suddenly grabbed his hand in fear that he wanted to leave. He was never comfortable watching the games.

"I don't think she will find out about us," Gale sighed.

Madge nodded, and she felt a stinging in her throat. She wondered if Katniss knew how many people she would be hurting if she died. Gale seemed to sense Madge's unhappiness or maybe simply felt it himself. Whatever the reason, he wrapped his arms around her waist as the countdown came to an end.

"Three, two, one!" The second that the voice called out the number one, all hell broke out. Madge tried to follow what was going on, but her eyes couldn't keep track of the fight. She felt herself become sick from the sight of so much blood. The opening battle was always the hardest for Madge to watch.

"I'm going to get some water," she said trying to hold in her vomit. She practically fell out of the bed. She grabbed her robe, and started to stumble towards the door.

"Don't you want to see how Katniss does?" Gale called.

"She'll be fine," Madge reassured him. "She's got to stay alive long enough to take care of Peeta." She found the handle of her door and pushed herself out.

She made it to the bathroom where she grabbed a paper cup and started to fill it with water. With a shaking hand, she brought the cup to her lips. They were dry like they always were when she felt sick. She barely tasted the water before she felt that she couldn't hold it in any longer. She fell in front of the toilet and started to throw up into it. Strong hands were holding her hair back.

She rid her stomach of its contents and fell back into Gale's arms. He kissed the top of her head and rocked back and forth with her in his lap. He had put a pair of pants on in the time it had taken her to get to the bathroom and fill a cup of water. Obviously, she was sicker than she thought. The lights of the bathroom were too bright. Madge had a pounding headache that would give her mother's a run for their money. Beads of sweat were building on her forehead.

"Why didn't you tell me that you felt sick?" Gale asked nervously.

"I was embarrassed," Madge admitted. "It doesn't matter. You figured it out anyway."

"You never have to be embarrassed in front of me," Gale assured her. "Trust me completely. There are so few people we can trust; so, trust as much as you can with the people who have confidence in. Okay?" Madge nodded into Gale's chest. "Let's go back to your room."

Gale stood up, and Madge struggled to hold onto his arms. She put weight on her wobbly legs and immediately felt herself falling. Gale caught her. He started to laugh.

"Looks like I'm still a little shaky," Madge chuckled apologetically.

"No problem," Gale shrugged. He swooped her into his arms and started to carry her. It was the first time that Gale had ever carried Madge, and she couldn't say that she liked it. She didn't like the feeling of helplessness. Still, she was too sick to walk.

Gale dumped her on her bed and sidled in next to her. She put her head back on his chest while his arm wrapped around her back. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the sounds coming from her TV. Gale gently brushed her hair back from her forehead wet with sweat.

"You didn't throw up last time we watched the opening of the Games," Gale pointed out. "What do you think it was about this one?"

"I don't know," Madge answered. "I just felt really sick all of a…" she stopped mid sentence. Something tickled at the back of her mind.

Her period. It was a week late. Madge had hardly thought about it before. Her period was often irregular, but this sudden bout of sickness made her wonder. She bit her lip in concern. Her voice shook as she spoke.

"Gale," she quivered, "Did we use a condom last time?"

Gale stopped cold. He took his hand off of Madge's hair and gulped. He pursed his lips. He slowly exhaled and shook his head. They didn't always use a condom. Years before a doctor had told that an illness had left Madge infertile. Neither Madge nor Gale had sex with anyone else. Often, the condom seemed like an unnecessary precaution.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Madge persuaded him. "That doctor said I can't get pregnant. My period's just a little late." Gale nodded, but he seemed to have lost the ability to speak. Madge settled back into his embrace, but it didn't last long.

"I think that you should check to make sure," Gale recommended. Madge was about to argue, but she saw the look in his eyes. Besides, she knew that she should. She was just afraid of the outcome.

Madge gave directions to Gale to her mother's bathroom where he would find pregnancy tests. He was back within seconds and helped her to the bathroom. When she got there, Gale held her hari back as she threw up one more time.

"I'll wait outside," he said awkwardly. He shuffled out of the bathroom, and Madge was left to stare at the strip in her hand.

Gale slouched against the wall outside her bathroom door. He ran his fingers through his own hair. Would he have to marry Madge? It wasn't that he didn't love her, but he wasn't ready for marriage. Madge was still in school. Neither of them was ready to get married. The door slowly creaked open.

"Um," Madge hummed. "It's positive." There were tears running down her face. She threw her arms around Gale and buried her face in his chest. "It's fucking positive!" she cried. "How the hell did that happen? That fucking doctor!" She was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Shh," Gale soothed. "We'll work through this. You'll be okay. We'll be okay."