Chapter 8

(Madge POV)

A date. Gale Hawthorne just asked me out on a date! I'm ridiculously excited, especially if you consider the fact that technically, we're already married. But I cant help but be excited. As far as I can remember, this is my first date ever! And it's with Gale Hawthorne! I feel like one of those silly girls from school that used to swoon at his feet just at the mere sight of him. And I kind of like how it feels. I know I blushed three shades of pink when he asked me. I'd had to bite my lip to keep from smiling so big. It's good, this feeling, this happiness.

Earlier that evening, while Gale was still at work, Tripp and I had been watching the video of the games. We hadn't made it through all of it. Not even close. The video wasn't just of the games, but also of reapings and interviews and training scores. We made it through the final pre-games viewing, the one with the interviews. I'd looked amazing in a blue gown and sapphire necklace. I do notice that my dress, once again, is covered in ruffles. I must have had the same stylist for my wedding as I did in the games. In the interview, when Ceaser asked me about Gale, I'd spoken so eloquently about how in love we were. And it didn't look as if I was exaggerating one bit. I'd wondered as I watched myself, the unfamiliar version of me, how it really felt to be so in love. Was it every bit as wonderful as I made it sound in that interview?

We'd decided to call it a night on the videos because it seemed like a good stopping point and he'd left just a few minutes before Gale returned. I figure I'll finish watching the videos tomorrow. My attention now is on Gale. Ever since he came home and asked me to go on a date, I can't stop staring at him. And I think he might be noticing. And it's so embarrassing!

"So how was work?" I ask, trying to talk instead of stare.

"Ehh, it was work. Dishwashing all afternoon. How about you?"

"The Medical Center? It was okay. There's an infection in my head wound where the stitches are. They gave me some medicine for it. And I met with my therapist. I like him I think. Oh, and they gave me a video of the games to watch."

"You're going to watch the games?" He asks looking horrified.

"Yeah. My therapist and I discussed how it may be helpful for me to see the me I can't remember. I already started watching it with Tripp earlier. I invited him to watch since he was in there with me."

"How far into them did you get?" He asks. I notice his face tighten a little but I'm not sure why. Perhaps just mentioning the games angers him.

"Only as far as the final pre-game interviews. The next video is the actual start of the games."

"Interview huh? You looked so stunning that night. That dress…it was perfect." He tells me, his face breaking into a slight smile as he recalls seeing me on the stage with Caesar.

"You think so? I loved the blue color but I guess I must have had the same stylist for the games as I did for our wedding because it was covered in ruffles again."

"When are you going to watch the rest of it?"

"I don't know. Tomorrow I guess. I don't have to go to the Medical Center so I may as well make use of my free time." I shrug.

"Oh."

"You can watch it with me, if you want to I mean." I tell him, unsure if he would want to see it. And for him, it would be seeing it again, since like Marah, he already endured it once.

"I'd like that." He tells me, his eyes staring at me, like he's thinking something but not saying it.

"Me too." I say, almost so quietly I think he might not hear me. But when I look up, he's still staring, a smile on his face and then I'm almost certain he did hear me after all.

As we get ready for bed, I notice him take a pillow from the bed and put it in the floor. I can't let him sleep down there again. "Um, Gale? You can sleep in the bed too if you want. I know the floor isn't very comfortable and it's cold."

"Are you sure? I don't mind the floor if it makes you more comfortable." He asks me hesitantly.

"Don't be ridiculous." I say, feeling embarrassed and just wanting him to turn out the lights so this conversation can be over. Thankfully, he does just that.

I crawl under the covers and lay my head back on my pillow. I'm very aware of Gale being under the blanket, lying next to me though he isn't touching me or even lying too closely.

"Goodnight Madge."

"Goodnight Gale." I whisper back to him.

(Gale POV)

As Madge gets showered so we can go to breakfast, I lay back, hand behind my head, and think back at how great last night was. She'd given me permission to sleep in the bed with her. Not in the way I would want of course as I couldn't hold her or anything but it was progress. Big time progress. She isn't scared of me. I'd made sure to stay on my side of the bed just in case she had second thoughts once we were both under the same blanket. But she didn't. Or if she did, she never said it or showed it. After she'd whispered goodnight to me, I'd layed awake for at least an hour, listening to her breathe so softly as she slept and then just as I'd been about to doze off myself, she'd said something. Not to me, but in her sleep, as she was dreaming. But it was what she said that kept me awake for another hour out of sheer happiness alone. Gale. She'd mumbled my name. At first, I'd thought she'd woken up but then I realized she was just dreaming. Apparently about me. My heart soared to a whole new level. I'd hoped she'd say more, listened closely hoping to hear more words cross those precious lips of hers. But she hadn't. And eventually, I'd fallen asleep.

This morning, I'd woken up before her and for just a few minutes, let myself stare at her as she slept beside me. Her face was relaxed and calm, lips slightly parted. I'd reached over, wanting to touch her face but held back. Things were going good and I didn't want to ruin that by having her wake up to me touching her as she slept. Instead, I forced myself out of bed and into the shower. She was awake, sitting up in bed, smiling at me when I came out of the bathroom. Seeing this made an instant smile spread across my face.

Now, as she showers, I decide that I need to make our date something really great, something truly worthy of being her first date. But what in the world can I do stuck underground in 13? Katniss. I need to ask Katniss. She'll be able to give me an idea maybe. Whatever it is, it needs to be special and it has to be perfect.

"Ready to go eat?" I ask as Madge exits the bathroom. Even in all gray, she still looks radiant to me.

"Ready if you are." I say as I hop to my feet.

At breakfast, they give us the same old boring oatmeal that they've served every day. Again though, it's free food so I won't complain. It may not taste fabulous but it serves it's purpose. I'm licking my spoon clean when I spot Tripp across the cafeteria, staring at us. He sees me looking at him and he ducks his head and turns away but not before I notice a purpleish bruise across the front of his neck. Thankfully, Madge's back is to him so she doesn't see him. It would be difficult for her to understand right now why I can't stand him. Maybe later, much later, after her memory returns, I'll talk to her about what happened. what I overheard him saying and how I chose to respond to it. She won't be happy about it. I know that for certain. But I think maybe when she remembers everything, she'll at the very least understand what happened with my temper and Tripp.

"Yesterday, Tripp saw that I wasn't enjoying my bland breakfast and he snuck some cinnamon and sugar out for me. Made this goop taste so much better." Madge tells me, just making conversation.

"Did he now? How friendly of him." I ask sounding less than enthused. If she notices, she doesn't mention it.

We've taken to sitting alone, for now anyway, because it makes Madge more comfortable. My family stops by to greet us, but just briefly. Posy bounces up and down in front of Madge, prattling on about her school. I guess 13 has some sort of program for little kids her age and it's set up like regular school. And apparently, she loves it. Vick and Rory look less enthused about school. Especially Rory. But it's not just that, something else seems wrong. I try to catch his eye but he won't meet my gaze. Something is definitely up with him. With everything going on with Madge, I haven't had much time at all for my family. As my family says their goodbyes and begin to head off towards their daily activities, I know I need to say something to him. "Be right back." I tell Madge as I get up and dart after him.

"Hey, Rory, wait up a minute!" I call after him. He turns and sighs but does wait for me.

"What?"

"You alright? You seem funny."

He hesitates and then looks up at me. "Yeah, I'm fine. Gotta go though, don't wanna be late." He answers glumly before turning back the direction he was headed and continuing on his way, not waiting for a response from me.

I know he's lying to me but I let him go. I'll try to catch up with him later and see if he's okay. He'll talk when he's ready so I'll give him some time before I push him on it. Back at my table I see Madge is finished eating and waiting patiently for my return.

"Hey, thanks for waiting. You ready to go watch that video?" I ask, smiling down at her. She returns the smile and stands beside me. Out of the corner of my eye I notice Marah Krull, arms folded over her chest, shooting me a death look. I ignore her, as well as the urge I suddenly have to give her the finger, and lead Madge out of the cafeteria and back to our unit.

She turns on the video device and then settles onto the bed next to me to watch. It's weird watching this now that I know she survives it. Watching it firsthand wasn't quite as easy on the nerves. I watch as the tributes rise from the tubes onto their podiums, panicking at finding themselves surrounded by water. I glance over at Madge and she's leaning forward, arms resting on her knees, eyes wide and glued to the screen. And then I realize she doesn't know that she knows how to swim. This is the reaction she would have had in the arena if I'd never been able to teach her to swim. She looks terrified.

And then the gong sounds bringing my eyes back to the screen as I watch her dive effortlessly into that blue water. I quickly turn my eyes back to her and she has her head cocked to the side in confusion and she turns to me.

"I…I can swim?"

"And you do it so very well. Impressive, huh?" I ask with a smile.

She nods, stares back at the screen and then back at me again. "How? I mean, did you…"

"Yeah. I taught you. Not for the games though, just for fun. Water in the arena was just a coincidence." I explain when she's so stunned that she can't even form a sentence.

She nods but doesn't say anything, just looks back and keeps watching. Her face is full of bewilderment as she sees herself throwing all the weapons and supplies into the ocean. "How did I get so, so confident and bold?" She practically whispers in way that tells me it isn't really a question for me to answer but just her thinking out loud.

She watches for a little while, every now and then, murmuring thoughts out loud to herself. She's completely engaged in the video, leaning forward, close to the screen. I find myself watching her and her reactions more than the video itself. When it comes up on the part where that monster creation is about to attack her, I reach up and pause it.

"Um, you may not want to watch this next part." I warn her.

"Why?"

"It's a little bit violent."

"But, they already told me I didn't kill anyone." She protests.

"You don't. This is different. It's what happened to your face and it's pretty gruesome to watch."

Her hand reaches up and delicately runs over the puffy pink scars that cross her face. After a minute, she looks at me. "No, I think I should watch. I want to see."

I lean forward and start the video again. I watch her only, not needing to see that horrific nightmare again. When it's over, she pauses it again and then just stares straight ahead at the screen.

"Madge?" I ask as I timidly move my hand closer to her, feeling the need to console her but not sure she would want me too.

"That was horrible." She utters so low I can barely hear her. Her chin quivers and I see tears brimming her eyes for a moment before she closes them. I go ahead and reach my hand out, placing it over hers. When she doesn't flinch away from me, I keep it there, gently stroking her hand.

"I know it was. But it's okay. You're okay now."

Her eyes flash open angrily. "Am I though? Because it sure doesn't seem like it to me!" She spits at me.

I hadn't expected this spark of anger and instinctively my hand retracts and I move back a bit. When she sees that, she softens and buries her face in her hands. "I'm sorry. That wasn't about you." Her muffled, sobbing voice tells me.

"It's okay. You're allowed to be angry." I tell her, excusing her outburst.

"Maybe. But it still isn't okay for me to take out my anger at you. I didn't mean it to be that way. I just don't have control over my emotions very well these days. It's something I'm working on."

"Madge, it's okay. Really. I'm full of temper and rarely able to control it. Believe me, if anyone can sympathize with flashes of anger, it's me." I tell her, giving her a smile. I really want her to know that it is okay for her to be angry. Or upset or happy or whatever she feels. I don't want her to feel like she has to hide or edit herself around me. Ever.

"You seem pretty in control of your temper to me." She observes giving me a skeptical look.

"Not always. We've had a few fights about my temper. Thankfully, you've forgotten them." I tell her, adding the joke on the end to hopefully lighten the mood.

She wipes the tears from her eyes and smiles the tiniest of smiles at my joke. "We had fights?"

"Well, just a couple. But that's all part of it, you know? The good, the bad, the amazing. All of it comes as one package deal."

"I think I've seen enough videos for this morning. Tell me about this date you're taking me on tonight." She says as she reaches over and turns off the device.

"Nuh-uh. Nope. It's a surprise."

"Seriously? You aren't going to tell me anything?"

I shrug. "You'll just have to wait and see. Speaking of dates, I have some prep work to do for that. Mind if I disappear for a little while? I can try to hurry and be finished in time to eat lunch with you before work."

"Okay, keep your little secrets. Make me suffer if you must." She teases dramatically.

"It'll be worth it, I promise."

"I hope so! And don't rush back just on account of me. Just do whatever top secret prep work you need to do and I'll just see you tonight for our date."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I know where to find you if I need you."

"Alrighty then, guess I'll see you tonight. Meet you back here tonight as soon as I get off work." I tell her with a sneaky smile.

I leave in search of Katniss and I really hope I can find her. I have an idea and I'll need her help to make it happen. But if I can find her, if I can get her to help me, it'll be perfect. Absolutely perfect.

I finally track Katniss down in the Defense Center. Because of the security level here, they make me wait at the front desk and have her come out to see me instead of me going back to see her. I can't talk to her here with no privacy though so I have to ask her to take a break. Luckily, she can take one and we walk to a nearby, empty corridor.

"So what's up?"

"I need a huge favor and because I'm your very best friend in the whole world, you have to do it for me."

"Oh geez, if you're laying it on that thick, it must be something huge. What do you want?"

"It is huge. I want to take Madge out on a date tonight. A first date. And it has to be perfect. I have an idea but I need your help to pull it off."

"You want to take your wife out on a date?"

"Well, yeah. But she doesn't remember us dating or as a couple or even as friends for that matter. Peeta thought it would be good to take her out, let her get to know me again. I already asked her to go out with me and she said yes and seemed really excited about it. Please, you have to do this for me!" I beg.

"Peeta, huh?" She smirks.

"Yes, now will you help me or not?" I ask impatiently.

"Of course I'll help you. Tell me what all you need me to do." She says as she rolls her eyes. Hearing her say yes makes me so happy that I grab her and pull her into a hug after which she shoots me a look that tells me I shouldn't do that again. She isn't the huggy-lovey type. And she tells me to get my enthusiasm under control.

After she and I go over all the details of my plan and she tells me she'll have to pull Haymitch in on it but that she knows he'll be fine with it. She agrees to take care of everything and I have to once again fight the urge to hug her before I hurry off to work.

Work goes by so painfully slow that I think I might never get out if this dreadful kitchen and get to my date with Madge. And it's all I think about all afternoon. On our break, I tell Peeta about it and he thinks she'll love it. He does me one better and offers to bake something for her too. He isn't sure what he'll be able to do but he tells me to come see him before I leave work and he'll have something for me to give her. Once dishes are finally all washed and my area cleaned up, I find Peeta.

"It's just simple sugar cookies. Don't have much to work with back here." He explains as he hands me two heart shaped cookies wrapped in a cloth napkin.

"No, it's perfect. Thanks so much. For the date idea and for the cookies, for everything. You have no idea how much I appreciate this."

"Anytime, glad I could help. Now go get to that date of yours, don't want to keep her waiting!" He tells me with a smile.

And I do exactly as he says, heading home to Madge just as fast as I can, taking the stairs two at a time in the hopes it will get me to her that much faster. Once I reach our door, I pause for a moment and take a deep breath. All my excitement has now been joined by nervousness and I feel like I'm about to take her on our very first date all over again.

A/N: Okay, okay, please don't kill me for making you wait for the actual "date" chapter! It's coming in the very next chapter, I promise! And it'll be worth the wait! Thanks as always for all your kind reviews and continued support of this story!