An Unlikely Pair

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By: DarkGiggle

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, I make no profit so please don't sue me.

Warnings: Un-beta'd and looking for a beta. Rating and violence level will go up.

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PART 4

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It is close to being a good thing when Effie Trinket tries again to get things under order and announces, "Now for our boy tribute!"

It sobers the audience instantly and sours any ounce of cheer that was here before. I almost miss it, better they laugh than fear. She grabs a name and goes to the podium hurriedly. I just have time to hope it's not my brother when she calls out, "Gale Hawthorne."

The name chills me to the bone. No! No! No! Not him! He doesn't deserve this and his family so needs him! My blue orbs fly to him but he just looks stiff and pale. Then the screaming starts, not him of course but his family, his sister and youngest brother are yelling 'no' from their mother's arms. I don't know their names. She looks stricken and a glance to Rory shows he already has wet trails running down his cheeks.

Resolutely Hawthorne marches to the stage and when Trinket excitedly asks for volunteers for one horrifying moment Rory opens his mouth. The glare that the hunter sends him is ferocious and shuts him up quickly. No one else makes a move to volunteer so Mayor Undersee begins to read the damn treaty rapidly.

His body is three feet from me but his mind must be on his family. Although his whole face appears impassive I know him enough to see how his beautiful eyes flicker between rage and worry. His hunting keeps his family from starving, who will hunt for them now? I look to Katniss, yes she will try but she has her own family to worry about. Katniss by herself is not likely to be able to take care of everyone. When she goes down my Madge will really be alone.

I find Prim in her section; she is wet faced, terribly sad but her head keeps switching from her sister to Hawthorne in worry. Mrs. Everdeen is harder to spot but like when she is not healing, she is her usual solitary oblivious lump. Prim is a smart girl, she knows what can happen; her sister will have to take out many tesserae to help and it could land her here on stage next year. If the situations were reversed it would be better; he is already 18 and could take out all the tesserae he needs because there won't be a next year for him.

A scan of the crowd shows many unhappy faces, even among the peacekeepers. He has friends, allies, people that will miss him and people that are helped by his trades. He is someone important, in a small way, to District 12. An uneasy urge begins to awaken in me.

My eyes go back to his family, they are huddling and shaking together, so hurt and hopeless. I can almost feel him get stiffer by the second beside me; likely he wants to go comfort them. A decision goes off in my head almost before I realize it. Gale Hawthorne needs to return home and I need to find away to help him.

Mayor Undersee finishes speaking and nods for us to hold hands as is custom. The hunter is reluctant naturally so I reach out and hold it. It's the first time we've touched without trying to rile the other up. His rough hand is bigger than mine but he doesn't fight me. I try to force an empathetic smile for him but all that comes out is a small sad one. It can't be helped; aside from my brother there is no male I want here less.

The anthem plays, I've never hated it more and as it ends the peacekeepers corral us to the Justice Building. It's only as we are ushered to separate rooms does it hit me that I have to let go of his hand. Oops. Mine releases his with a mumbled sorry then some ass-wipe shoves me into what has to be the finest room in all of 12.

Just seeing all the velvet upholstery, silk tablecloths, porcelain lamps, dark stained carved wood figurines makes it all sink in for me, makes it real for me. Holy mother fucking shit! I'm going to the hunger games. I have a moment of panic then remind myself life wouldn't be worth living through anyway if I stayed quiet. Life without my one friend, being forced to witness her death, watching her family crumble into nothing, also being useless while watching Hawthorne die and watching Katniss self destruct trying to save two families is not an option I would choose. Besides, at least this way spinsterhood is one less option.

The males in my family charge in, scattering my thoughts and engulf me in crying hugs. They accuse me, scream angrily at me all while holding and kissing me. Tears and apologies stream out of me, but I just couldn't let it be Madge, not my Madge. They don't understand, they can only see they are losing me and I feel loved but shamed for doing this to them. Too soon our time is up and many jackasses have to haul my strong brothers and father away.

Next comes Mayor Undersee, I nearly don't recognize him; he looks so conflicted. I knew he cared for me but I never dreamed it was this much. He is blabbering paradoxical things. How grateful he is, how I should have kept silent, how much he will miss me and how I belong here in 12. Then he says he will do anything he can for me. It takes but a second for me to know what I want. I ask him to treasure Madge, to not let her fade like her mother. They are harsh words, it is the first time I've said them aloud but they need to be said. I tell him Madge has so much vitality in her that she suppresses and it needs to stop. Second I ask him to freely give more grain and oil to the Hawthorne family. This puzzles him until it is explained that Madge will loose her only other friend Katniss Everdeen in the huntress' struggle to help two families. As soon as he understands it's for Madge that he needs to help he hugs me again and agrees. Once more it's the jackass peacekeepers that have to drag my visitors away.

Next to arrive is the one I want to see most: Madge! My Madge! We embrace, she holds me, I hold her and distantly I hear the bastards say we only get a minute as punishment for struggling. One minute? No words are said; we already know each other so well we don't need them. I feel her pressed to me, her heart beating, her lungs breathing and her warmth spreading. My most precious person is alive and she will stay alive, I would not have it any other way. I do not regret my decision. The minute is over far too quickly but we don't care. The damn bastards have to pry us apart but we don't care. Two hold my arms and one throws her over his shoulder, just before the door closes she grabs something from her dress, tears it off and tosses it at my feet. I look; it's her pin! This pin is so important to her but she is gone before I can refuse.

When the craptastic retards release me and leave I snatch the golden piece from the floor. This was her aunt's pin; she was ecstatic when her mother gave it to her last year for her birthday. I've always liked this Mockingjay pin but I've never touched it before. I knew it was special to her thus I left it to be solely hers. It's heavy in my hand, making me realize that it is solid gold! I should find away to give it back… but a part of me doesn't want to, this could be my token and it will be nice to have a piece of my friend in the games. I'll just have to be very careful and return it to her on my corpse.

Rory surprises me by coming through the door, so much so that I don't automatically smack him away when he lunges for me. His arms encircle me and at first I think he is trying to cop one last feel but then he is crying. I'm stunned and it takes a while to get my head together enough to pat him on the back. Why is he crying for me? I can't think of anything about us to say to him (I'd always just thought of him as an annoying pervert), so I tell him his brother can make it but I will do my best to send Hawthorne back anyway, not to take a tesserae because I made the mayor promise to give them more supplies and to have hope that they can move to the victor's village soon. He pulls away. Something is wrong; his face is even sadder! Shit what did I do wrong now?

He sighs and says, "You really are great but now I won't get to marry you, Peeta."

For the first time it occurs to me that he might not have been joking about that. That he actually likes me, likes me as I am and not just for my body. I have never thought of him that way yet the idea that any boy, even this squirt, could truly want me elates and crushes me. This timing could not have been more unpleasant. Maybe I would not have been alone after all. I look at him, really see him; in a few years, if he had told me he honestly liked me I would have given him a shot. Yet at present I have no warm feelings for him so I do the only nice thing I can think of. I place my hands to hold his face lean in and kiss the bridge of his nose. He just blinks up at me. "That's the best I can do, you're the first and only person I've ever kissed."

He moves to hug me again however the peacekeepers call time and he is forced to leave. I have to sit after he is gone. My chest hurts and maybe I don't want to go to the games now. My mind tells me to buck up since it's not a choice now.

When Katniss enters it is a relief that she came, now I can tell her-. The relief stops when I notice her lips look a little fuller than normal. She, for sure, would have been one of the people to visit Hawthorne. A dark mood creeps into me, I don't know what it means but now is not the time.

"I'm glad you're here." I lie as talking with her is like ripping teeth out.

She looks uncomfortable. "I needed to say thank you."

Oh. I had no idea she actually felt something so deep for my Madge. I smile and wave it off, "No need, we're all friends and it's natural I would take Madge's place." Okay so we aren't friends but she's just made me so happy it's an easy lie.

She appears confused and shakes her head. "No, I mean thank you for the bread… and offering your lunch the next day."

The bread. She is here to thank me for the bread. This Bitch is here for the Fucking BREAD?! I knew it! For years I knew it though hoped it wasn't true! It was cruel if it was true! She doesn't care one bit for my Madge and is only using her so as not to be totally alone! ARR! I want to beat the hell out of her but I just smile more at her. I can be a great actor when I need to be. "Don't say thank you for that, it was the right thing to do. I wouldn't be much of a person if I didn't help." I say as sweetly as I can, although the words are true, I'm faking my gentleness. "You just needed a bit of help that day, everyone has their days when they do." I pause, "Although it seems like you haven't needed any since."

"That's just it! At lunch I saw the dandelion because of you too and you gave me hope and bread and Prim's alive because of you!" She explodes.

Okay, so something got lost in translation or something… I don't fully understand but this is off the topic I want. I shake my head, "No, Prim is alive because of you and you are what is needed to keep her alive so please don't take out too many tesserae for Hawthorne's family." Her lips, damn things, open but I hold up a hand to stop her. "The mayor has promised me he will give extra grain and oil to the Hawthorne family and I am going to try my best to get him home. He is a hunter anyway so he could make it on his own. That being the situation please don't rush out to take tesserae until the games are over, he may come back a rich victor and Prim needs you."

She is stiff and shocked thus I give her a few seconds to sort herself out. "Why?" is all she finally comes up with.

"For our friend Madge," I remind the bitch, "she won't have me so she'll need you and you need to not be too busy keeping both his and your families alive." I don't trust her with this, this could be falling on deaf ears, "Please remember to be there for Madge too."

Then she asks me something ridiculous and very un-Catpiss-like, "Do you love her?"

"Naturally I love Madge." Then add, "But we're not like you and Hawthorne, she is my best friend nothing more or less," for no real reason, or so I tell myself.

She frowns in anger, "No! Gale and I are just partners- er friends too."

It is insistent and sharp, like that is the way it should be. Who is she convincing? Then I think of her lips again, the dark mood lifts and I feel pity for the both of them. If there is one person in 12 that should hold her heart it should be him, would be him. I know she has hardened herself but to do it so much, really? Poor Hawthorne, you're doomed. "My mistake then," I say easily. "But you will hope for your friends as our Madge hopes for me, yes?"

Catpiss only nods then leaves on her own. Wow, not even the full three minutes with that one. Not that I could really expect much more if she doesn't let Madge and Hawthorne, the two people that want to be close to her, through her defenses.

It is sent to the back burner when a second Everdeen takes her place. Sweet Prim just spends the whole time crying for me and promising she will always miss me. A lump takes over my throat so all I can do is hold her and rub her back. I did not think I mattered so much to her.

The door opens once more and I'm unnerved by who steps in. The witch decided to come it seems, oh joy. We stare at each other from opposite ends of the room for a few seconds then she starts with, "District Twelve may finally get another winner."

Huh? Where in this crap bowl of a world did that come from?

She continues, "He's a hunter, he could make it."

Ouch. Big ouch but what was I expecting? I smile at her, "Yes he could then you'll have to deal with another Seam victor, his whole family and all his friends. I know they like the bakery bread and they'll love the cakes, perhaps you will see all of them often enough to get very cozy." This visibly turns the witch greenish and makes my smile genuine.

When she recovers she frowns, "So you'll just find somewhere quiet to end it all? How shameful yet how unlike you." Her sky blue eyes pierce the sky blues she gave me. "No, you're planning something, something risky and ridiculous I'll bet." I never call my mother stupid; inane yes, silly yes, stupid no. However, this unsettles me that she could know me that well.

I think about going into our pattern of arguing but it just seems so foolish with me going to the games. I shrug and answer, "If I have my way Hawthorne will be coming back."

My mother, for maybe the second time in her life, does something she thinks is very un-lady-like and rolls her eyes. "I knew that Seam trash was too handsome for anyone's own good. I just thought you had more sense than that."

"No, it's not like that." I respond as calmly as I can even as my cheeks warm. With a hand she waves the matter away, reaches into her ever-present bag and pulls out that thing! Oh freakish god of delirium please let this be a hallucination! "No."

"Yes. You need to stop humiliating this family and put it on. You don't want a repeat of the stage do you? Besides you'll likely need sponsors for whatever imprudent plot you're scheming."

My brain scrambles for something, anything to counter as she holds it out yet it stops when the thing seems longer for some reason. "What happened to-"

"I took out the stitches I put in, you've grown in the last year."

I scowl at her as I start stripping. Now that she mentions it I see the dash line on the hem I hadn't seen in my earlier distress. So that means the damn thing is already a year old and she was still going to send me out with it indecently short. I wrap Madge's pin in my binding cloth then step into the vile symbol of skank-hood. Now it is four inches longer, I still shouldn't bend over too much.

The witch gives me a once over then moves to leave. "Fix your hair and remember to be lady-like for the car." Once more her hand goes to her bag, "These are from your father", a white parcel is set on the table near her and she is gone.

I know what it is; it's cookies, to be specific it's honey cookies. Though my father is giving me honey cookies my eyes stay on the door for a moment as if expecting more from her for an unclear reason. The feeling is not simple to shake off but my messed braid needs fixing so I concentrate on it.

The cookies are added to the pin in my bindings. No one else is coming I know and it's okay but suddenly I don't want to leave the few that matter. My Madge, father, brothers, Mayor Undersee, Prim, Rory and even the people of 12 who were silent; I'm luckier and more foolish than I thought. I should have seen their feelings for me sooner, should have recognized and appreciated what I had sooner. I should have not pitied myself so. Or at least I should have remained in blissful ignorance because now I really, really don't want to die.

Part 4 End.

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Side Note: I am looking for a Beta for this story. My grammar is all self taught and I daydream too much to always make things clear on paper. I posted parts 3 & 4 together in hopes of enticing any of you betas out there. If you're a normal reader don't count on these double postings happening again.