Madge

Closing my eyes, I expected the worst, the Capitol shoving me off in a hovercraft, sending me to one of their torture chambers, transforming me into an avox, and dumping me with some half-baked Capitol family, so I could serve them for eternity. The reality of it all actually shocked me. Yes, it was a Peacekeeper, but not the one I was expecting.

"Madge? What are you doing here?" Darius, one of the assistant Peacekeepers shouted over the fence.

"I should ask you the same thing, but that's beside the point. Why'd you scare me like that?" I yelled, cradling my nose. Darius and I literally almost bumped into each other. I would've kept my mouth shut and continued talking to Katniss and Gale, but upon seeing the uniform, I panicked, falling head first into the fence, causing the screams, and therefore, making it seem like the worst had happened.

"Ha, scared you, didn't I? You should've seen the look on your face! Priceless."

"Not so priceless when you give almost give an Undersee a heart-attack." I mumbled, wiping the dirt from the seams of my dress. It was quite usual for Darius to act this way, especially around myself, and Katniss, however, because I was the mayor's daughter, he tended to keep his playful side a secret from my father, saving all the practical jokes and such, to ourselves.

"Shut up." He smiled. "By the way, you still never answered my question..." I sighed. Darius could be such a pain sometimes. Why my father even allowed him to become in such a high ranking position, I'll never know."

"Helping some friends. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be going now." I rolled my eyes, turning back in the opposite direction. This was one battle that I refused to let him win.

"Those friends wouldn't be, say, Katniss and Gale, would they?" He asked, causing me to stop dead in my tracks.

"And what if they were?" I said slowly, not wanting him to catch on."

"You'd really think I'd bust some of my favorite people? C'mon Madge! Give a guy some sympathy here!" He whined.

"You are such a child." I stated bluntly, giving him a curt look.

"Geez, talk about feisty. But you know, there are some people who are dying to know where they are." Darius replied, his tone becoming more serious.

"You mean the Capitol, right?" I shuddered, knowing all to well that they were defiantly looking for them. Darius shook his head.

"Actually, I was talking about Hazelle and Lilly. Saddest sight in the entire District. Lilly doesn't even leave her house, and hardly treats any patients. People'll be lucky if she lets one or two in a day! And Hazelle! Don't even get me started about her!"

I felt my heart drop, guilt growing at the thoughts of Hazelle and Lilly. From Katniss's descriptions, Lilly didn't seem to be the world's best mother. Then again, no mother should have to go through what she'd been through, what with loosing her husband, going through a huge depression, having her own daughter turn her back on her, and even worse, witnessing her youngest be taken from her by the Capitol. Hazelle was a bit stronger then Lilly, but it was no doubt she was probably upset too. She'd probably get over the fact that Gale left, if it was just him alone. However, seeing how close her family was, it was probably a complete disaster, once she figured out that both her oldest and youngest went missing. Sighing, I choked out the first words that came to mind.

"Bring them over here. Both of them. They need to know what's going on." I said, not meeting his gaze. Darius was about to question, but seeing how quiet I was, he knew this was no time for games. Nodding, he hurried off in the other direction, while I called for Katniss and Gale.

Hazelle, Lily, I'm- I'm Sorry.

Katniss

The woods fell silent, with the occasional sound of our own breath. What had just happened? I jumped as I felt Posy cling onto my leg. Wrapping an arm around her, I lifted the child up, brushing back loose, strawberry tufts from her head. Sensing our fright, Gale immediately went to asses the situation, leaving Posy and I to fend for ourselves. I couldn't explain why, but the sound of screaming started haunting me, especially since what happened back at the beach house. Sighing, I threw away my emotions, focusing more on the well being of Posy and Gale, as well as myself. My first point of order? Calm Posy down.

"Ssh, Posy, it's okay. It was probably nothing." I assured her in a soothing voice, gently rubbing circles against her back. She whimpered in my shoulder.

"I want... I want mommy!" She sobbed, burying her face back into my shoulder.

"Posy, we've made it so far. You really want to give up just because you were scared?" I asked, hoping this would get her mind off of Hazelle.

"I'm not scared." She sniffed, causing me to smile.

"Exactly. You're related to Gale, and he's not afraid of anything, right?"

"Right!" She giggled, her tears beginning to fade.

"I don't know, Catnip. Some days made me wish I could be like Posy." Gale responded faintly, causing Posy's laughter to grow even louder.

"You're an idiot. Now, what happened?" I asked, as I set Posy down to be held by her brother.

"Madge is fine. She said she'll be here in a minute, but other then that, nothing."

"So the screaming was-"

"Darius. She saw the uniform, and thought it was someone from the Capitol. The fence got in her way, and she ended up slamming into it, which explained why she called out for us. False alarm." He finished, placing Posy on top of his shoulders. I gave them a small smile. It was times like this that made me think back to our earlier days of traveling. Despite our many set-backs, we were actually making progress. I knew that soon, I'd be able to strengthen my sisterly bond with Prim, just as Gale did with Posy. We just need to find a way to the Capitol.

"So, Undersee, what's up?" Gale asked, as Madge approached us, clearly out of breath.

"Guys, I don't know how to say this, but-"

"Gale, don't even think about it." I snapped, shooting him a look. I knew damn well that he'd try and make some smart remark.

"You know me so well, Catnip. Continue on, Madge."

"It's about Hazelle and Lilly. They're coming here. Now." She spoke, her face flushing. Gale and I went wide eyed.

"Are you serious? Why would they be coming? This is terrible!" I shouted, pacing. Gale smirked.

"I don't think it'll be that bad, Katniss. Think of the positive. Maybe-"

"Positive? Gale, you know how she is. If we see her now, I may never be able to find Prim." I sighed, crossing my arms.

"Katniss, listen, I swear, I won't let them stop you from going. It's just, that... Well... You know what, just take Gale's advice, it won't be that bad!" Madge said, forcing a smile.

"Madge, have you met my mother?" I asked. She stiffened, knowing I was right.

"Shut up and be serious. We'll be stay here for a bit, get some much needed supplies, then head into the Capitol and get Prim back. Once we're done there, we'll leave, and never ever have to worry about any of this, for the rest of our lives." Gale finished, grabbing my waist.

"Promise me that." I whispered, as our bodies grew closer and closer. Suddenly, without warning, our lips pressed together, something I'd never expect from Gale. I hadn't imagined how warm they would feel against my own. Or how those hands, which could set the most intricate of snares, could as easily entrap me. (Okay, that was a lie. Remember back when we were on the outskirts of 13? If that wasn't a kiss, then I'm not sure what was.) For a moment, I almost forgot where we were, and what we were even doing. All I was focused on was Gale's succulent gray eyes. And for the smallest second, I actually felt a connection much stronger then friendship. Was it love? I highly doubted it. Then again, I was just full of surprises.

"Still got it in you, Katniss." He smiled, once we stopped, realizing we were alone, his smile grew even wider. "Madge is one smart girl." He quipped, before leading me back to the group.

As we grew closer to the fence, Posy's shouts of glee could be heard. From just the sound alone, Gale already knew what was going on. Hazelle was spotted, and Posy was ecstatic. Lilly, was no doubt already waiting with her. Sighing and facing Gale, I faked a smile.

Let's just hope the odds are in our favor.

A/N

Haha, who would've saw that coming? Re-reading Catching Fire in school. Thank god for having the same reading/literacy teacher as last year. She's freaking awesome. The small Galeness was based off the seventh chapter in CF. ;3. Lilly is also my name for Katniss's mom. I thought it'd be cute to name them all after plants ^-^. And was I the only one pronouncing Hazelle's name wrong? I always thought you said it like Hay-Zoll, when it was really pronounced Hay-Zell. I also used a quote from CF, and a reference to one of the previous chapters. Anyone spot it? ;). Anyway, I'll leave you all with that tonight. Tomorrow, is indeed a very special day. Expect the next chapter, and a message. Night!

xoxoxo ~ Seri