Surprise! Its been forever since I've done a back to back update so I hope you all enjoy this fast update. Shout out to my beta Mirage Meister for proof reading and fixing all my slip ups so fast. Anyways as always, ENJOY :D

Chapter 10

Gale's POV

He kisses her. No, she kisses him actually. I saw her reach up onto her toes like she always had to with me. Not quite like with me though, her feet almost always left the ground then.

She saved Bristel. Thom and Bristel ran out right after me. Thom told me everything while Bristel jabbed her bony finger into my chest, demanding I march right back in and apologize.

And that's what I was doing, I was going to apologize. I told Rory to go home, which he did after a few empty threats on my end. I saw from her porch when she turned and ran out the back door and rather than go through the see of blondes to reach her, I walked around the back. And that's when I saw them. She reached up and kissed him, that green-eyed Townie. My mother told me she saw Madge with him, the old Head Peacekeeper's son. I thought she was mistaken though; Madge isn't stupid enough to associate herself with someone like him.

But as I saw them get tangled up in one another I realized how wrong I was. At first I thought it maybe it was a fluke, she was obviously upset and the guy took advantage of her fragile state. But then she kissed him again.

I don't remember getting home. I could vaguely hear Rory yelling at me and see Ma scowling at me, perhaps she started to lecture me, but I didn't hear any of it, just walked straight to my room. I grab one of the two overly fluffy pillows on my bed, holding it tightly over my face. Does she understand what's happening to her! He saw she was upset and took it as opportunity for him to tongue her throat. No of course she wouldn't see, she only ever sees the good in people, just like that little Mellark twit. Both of them, golden, optimistic, open-hearted chumps.

She doesn't see she's being taken advantage of, she probably doesn't even realize what there's to be taken advantage of! She's a Victor, rich, famous, powerful, witty, funny, good natured, kind, has the most dazzling smile I've ever seen. Beautiful beyond belief and she doesn't even know it.

Sometime later the sound of laughter seeps into my open window. The voices get louder and I hear laughter and happy conversations. Soon I hear the piano playing a simple familiar melody and loud out of tune voices begins to sing happy birthday to her. I can just imagine her, all red faced and looking down with a grin on her face as everyone serenades her. I hope she's having a good birthday.

I roll over on my stomach, burying my head still buried in the pillow. She's seventeen now. Seventeen but as smart and wise as someone twice that. She's so smart, but still naive. And innocent. The image of her clinging to Thresh's freshly dead body comes to mind, and I hold the pillow tightly over my face.

Maybe not so innocent anymore. The Capitol made sure of that. I chuck the pillow high into the air, watching as it sails across the room and lands with a dull thud by my window. The piano starts up again, but this time it sounds different, like too many notes are playing at once for it to only be Madge playing. I wonder if it's that Keres kid, sitting too close to her as they play a duet.

Tomorrow. I'll tell her tomorrow. I'll tell her I'm sorry for what I said, happy belated birthday and to stay away from that weasel because all he wants is her money and to get in her pants. Tomorrow.

Tomorrow comes too fast and I find myself stalling; apologizing to Rory for 'embarrassing him' and explaining to Ma what happened, helping Vick with his homework and even braiding Posy's doll's hair before I finally force myself out the door.

There's a shuffling noise before Madge swings the door open, revealing her bright smile. Her hair is undone, falling in a messy mop of ringlets across her face, her clothes are slept in and disheveled. It reminds me of breakfasts on the train and in the Training Center, even of the muddled days in the cave where her breathe retched but I kissed her anyways. And she looks just as beautiful as she did then.

That is, until her smile promptly disappears, her eyes becoming shut off and distant as she realizes I'm not who she expected. The mere thought of who exactly could she be expecting with that welcoming smile of hers is enough to make my hands ball into fists.

She crosses her arms in front of her chest, her expression unusually hard as she coldly asks me, "What do you want?"

I clear my throat, the perfect words I've been practicing all morning completely vanished from my head the moment I saw her. "I came to uh, apologize. For my behavior." She raises her eyebrow, her eyes still hard as stone. "I shouldn't have acted that way. Especially when I knew it was your birthday. I was just surprised to see Thom and Bristel. Thom, he told me about what happened, what you did that night."

She squirms slightly, clearly uncomfortable and nervous. "What were you thinking, Madge?" I probe, trying to reign in my feeling of frustration. Doesn't she know what could have happened to her? She could have been killed or worse, someone could have taken her away from me forever. "Why in the hell were you wandering around in the Seam at night?"

"I wasn't wandering. I got lost."

I open my mouth to tell her that she shouldn't have even been in the Seam period, but I force myself to swallow the words down. "I just… can't imagine what I would have down if something happened to you. There are bad people in this world, Madge."

Her eyes are trained on her bare feet, her voice tiny as she replies, "I know, Gale. Don't forget we both witnessed first-hand the evils of man."

It always amazes whenever she says something against the Capitol, especially something so pointed as calling them evil. "Just, don't do it again. Please."

"I don't plan to," she says, a small smirk beginning to form on her soft lips.

I nod, watching as she bites down lightly on her lower lip. "Is there anything else?"

"Yeah," I say, rubbing the back of my neck. "I, um, never got to wish you a happy birthday. So, yeah happy birthday."

Her luminescent smile appears on her face and my whole body grows warm at the sight of it. "Thank you, Gale."

Now would be the tome to slip in a warning while she's in a good mood. But it's been too long since I've seen her truly smile and I don't want it to be gone so soon. "How does it feel, being seventeen?"

She shrugs her shoulders, her arms uncrossing. "A year older than sixteen."

"Just wait till eighteen, it feels at least two years older that sixteen."

"Oh at least," she jokes along with me, chuckling quietly. I can feel a smile on my face as I look at her, remembering how easy it was to talk and joke with her. She always got my humor. "So, I better get dressed," she says, looking down at her cotton shorts and silk pajama top. "Can't go to the butcher dressed like this."

I doubt if either of the butcher's teenage sons would mind if you did.

"I'll see you around, Gale," she tells me, a smile still on her face as she goes to close the door.

I jab my foot in between the doorframe, stopping her from closing it all the way. "You should stay away from that guy Madge."

A slur of cuss words race through my mind as she slowly opens the door wider, her smile dimming quickly. "What did you say?"

Oh subtly be damned.

"That guy... the Townie with brown hair. Stay away from him. He's no good."

Any trace of her smile is gone, her voice harder than before as she asks, "Why would you think that?"

"Because he's a Peacekeeper's son! The Head Peacekeeper, before Cray in fact. The one we've all heard stories about. He was ruthless, he killed too many people to even count! If you don't believe me as Mrs. Everdeen, she remembers trying to keep the flies away from all the whipping victims."

"I know perfectly well who his father was Gale. He told me weeks ago."

"Then don't you realize he's just using you?! People like them are only with you if they want something from you!"

Her eyes are ablaze as she glares up at me and it so reminiscent of all the times I used to purposely rile her up just to see her eyes fire up like that that it almost knocks the breath out of me. "People like them! Like who? The Capitol, the Peacekeepers? Because he's not part of either of those."

"Oh come on, Madge, wake up! The apple never falls too far from the tree and he has Peacekeeper blood in his veins! Power, bloodlust, anger all of that is in him!"

"How can you make a generalization like that? You can't say all Peacekeepers are awful when you know that's not true."

I know who she's talking of before she even finishes her sentence and I cut her off before she can change the topic to stereotyping and generalization. "Darius is one man. He is a good man, but for every one of him there is a thousand who would kill you sooner than look at you. And that was the type of man his father was, and that's what kind of person is hiding behind that nice little cover of his."

"You don't know that. You don't even know his name. You're doing exactly what you always do, what you did with me for years! You judge people by their looks, their money, their parents. All things out of their control. How many times do you have to be proven wrong to finally realize you are wrong?! It took you going into the Games with me to realize I'm not the spoiled Capitol lapdog you took me for!"

"I just don't trust him, Madge!"

"Why?!" She exclaims, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Because he's different, because he grew up differently then you?" She stops suddenly, blinking rapidly as if she just figured out some piece to the puzzle.

She shakes her head slowly, her eyes looking directly into mine. "No, I don't think you distrust him because of any of that. No. In fact, I think you're jealous."

Anger seeps through my body and I try to force myself to calm down before I punch a hole into the wall. "Why would I be jealous? He has nothing I want."

Her eyes widen, hurt flashing in those brilliant blue orbs of hers. It only takes me a second to realize why.

She thinks you mean you don't want her, a voice inside my head tells me, tell her that's not what you meant. Tell her the truth.

But I don't even know what the truth is anymore.

"Look," I start, shaking my head to try to get my thoughts straight, "don't you think it's foolish to be displaying yourself with him so blatantly when we are supposed to be a couple?"

Her face hardens and her eyes burn with a kind of fire I don't like, and when she smirks this malicious little smirk I just know she's going to say something that is going to make me angry. "Like you are not being blatant with Katniss?"

I take a step back, too shocked that she brought Katniss into this to be angry. "That's different."

Madge crosses her arms again, looking at me in a condescending way I didn't think possible for her. "Oh really? Please do enlighten me on how it's different?

My eyes narrow at her. You want to fight dirty, fine.

"I don't kiss her in my backyard for one thing."

If she's surprised by my revelation she doesn't show it, only raises her eyebrow at me as she calmly retorts, "No, you only kiss her in the privacy of the woods."

My body freezes as her words hit me like a ton of bricks, leaving me staring into her impassive face. How could she know that? It was only once, one kiss, deep in the woods. How could she possibly know that?

"You followed me," I accuse, scowling at her.

She laughs once, a cold hard laugh that I don't like one bit, "Geez, Gale, try to reign in that ego of yours. Not everything is about you. I was just curious about the forest. I decided to sneak out for a bit. Who would have thought I would get to see the big show too?"

She stops for a moment, her eyes moving to the ground as she continues, "Besides, no one has to catch you in a kiss to see what's going on between you two. Just look at your face when she's around, and it's plain as day."

I swallow thickly, my eyes glued to her face. She really is an amazing actress; if I didn't know her so well, I wouldn't be able to hear the pain in her voice. Her arm tightens around her middle and my body craves to draw her into my arms.

Tell her. Tell her that you're confused, that you were wrong when you said everything was a lie. Tell her. Just say something.

"So you're using this Townie to try to get back at me?"

I curse myself the moment the words are out of my mouth.

Madge's eyes narrow to slits, her voice as colder than ever before as she states, "I would never use anyone."

The meaning behind her harsh words make me flinch. She knows I never meant to use her. "Madge, I didn't mea-"

"Save it, Gale," she cuts me off, standing up straighter as she faces me. "I know what you meant. And I would think that you of all people would know me better than that."

"I do," I say quickly. "Which is why I think you're moving too fast with this guy. You don't even know him."

She shakes her head. "No. I still don't believe that. I still think you're jealous. I think that you took me for granted, and now you can't believe someone else wants me-"

"For goodness sake of course he wants you! Everyone wants you! You're smart, witty, beautiful, funny. Who wouldn't want you?"

"Do you?" her eyes stare into mine, her face full of hope and fear all at once. "Do you want me?" My throat is dry, my heart is pounding so loud I know she can hear it. "Gale, tell me it was real, tell me you were just jealous, say you want me."

Her voice is soft, scared. I know how hard it is for her to say those words.

And even though my head is screaming at me, even though my thoughts are clouded with doubt I still solely shake my head.

"It wasn't. I'm not." My eyes met hers and I can see the tears welling in her beautiful eyes. "And I don't."

The words sound false and it feels wrong and a part of me wants to take it all back the moment I say it. It doesn't feel like the truth, but I don't know what is.

Madge's eyes are on the floor as she nods her head once, a sharp motion that must hurt her neck. She looks so small standing in front of me and slowly she starts to back away from me.

I can't let her go yet, I can't allow her to lock herself away from me again. "Madge-"

"Don't worry, Gale, when the Victory Tour comes I'll put on a good show. I'll make sure the only thing the cameras see is a pair of happy Victors."

Her head slowly rises up and I nearly lose my footing at the amount of pain in her eyes. Pain that I inflicted.

"Madge…" my voice trails off, not knowing what to say to fix this.

"I'll see you around, Gale," she says once more, the meaning behind it so different than when she did before.

This time I let her close the door shut and as I hear the lock click into place, I feel as if I've just lost her forever.

So what'd you guys think? I hope you all enjoyed it because I don't think im going to be doing another Gale POV for awhile, I want to keep this mostly in Madge's point of view so while we might see more of Gale's PoV it wont be for a while. Okay Please Review! Kisses to all, love you guys!