Disclaimer: All stories are individuals of themselves and are unrelated to each other.

Gale comes home late, his feet dragging and a scowl plastered on his face. His back hurts, his shoulders are tense, and all he wants to do is crawl into bed. The front door swings open and he hears tiny footsteps padding in his direction, and he forces a smile to his face.

"Poppa!" the boy cries. The second Gale's son is in sight his smile is genuine, bright like the blue eyes of his baby boy. Moments later Madge peers out from the kitchen and smiles sweetly as well, watching her two favorite men together. "I missed you!" he cries. "You're late!"

"I know, kid," Gale says. He reaches down and scoops his son into his arms and squeezes him to his body. "I know. Work ran over."

His son Leo presses his hands to Gale's cheeks. "I don't like it," he says with a frown.

"Me neither." Gale kisses his forehead quickly and sets Leo back on the ground. "Go help your mother with dinner so I can freshen up," Gale says. Leo nods and goes to run into the kitchen but stops at the last minute, swinging back around and turning to his father. "What is it?"

Leo slowly strides up to Gale and juts out his bottom lip. "Can you read me a story tonight?" he asks. Gale's eyelids are already heavy but he tips his head forward. "Promise?"

"Promise," Gale nods. He nudges Leo back toward the kitchen. "Now go on." Leo's grin is incredible, and he quickly sprints to the kitchen where Madge is still leaning out and smiling at her husband. Gale takes a few strides to her and pulls her toward him. "Hey," he murmurs.

"Hi," she says back. He snatches a kiss and she frowns. "You're covered in coal," Madge says, swatting his chest.

"That's what the mines do, Babe," Gale says. He pulls her toward him again and delivers another kiss, despite her protest. When they part he asks, "Dinner almost ready?"

"Should be done in a few," she nods.

One last kiss and Gale leaves his wife for the bathroom so he can scrape the layer of coal from his body before they eat. Gale lumbers into the bathroom, shedding his jacket on the way. He passes Leo in the kitchen bouncing on his toes and asking Madge if he can stir the pot. With a smile Gale reaches the bathroom and shuts the door. Almost instantly the happiness from his family seeps through his pores and back into the ground. He's so tired it's absolutely unbelievable. All he had ever wanted was a family, a life with a woman that he loved, and now the mines are taking his dreams and crushing them.

Marrying Madge had its complications. She was the mayor's daughter and her move to the Seam was a big scandal, but she was worth it and Gale was deeply in love with her. It happened by accident, the two of them getting together, but that's how all the best things do. It had something to do with strawberries and a get together at Katniss's with some wine. Madge brought a gentleness to him that no one else could manage, a calmness to his rage. Every now and then she'll have to reign him back in, remind him of the Peacekeepers in District 12 and their cruelties. He itches for a revolution but Madge isn't going to let him get into any trouble until the time is right. The perfect balance.

And now, all these years later, he has the most beautiful son. Another baby is on the way, Madge hasn't even started showing yet, but for now he just has Leo. His hair is wild and curly like his mother but dark like Gale's, as is his skin. His eyes, though, they're filled with the brightness that Madge holds within. Little Leo is sweet and kind and most definitely a Mama's Boy. Every day he grows a little taller, his hair a little wilder. Leo is Gale's definition of perfection, a collision of all things great wound up into his own son.

But the mines.

God, they're killing him. He never knew how hard it would be to balance a family with work. It isn't his fault he's gone 12 hours of six out of the seven days in a week suffocating underground. If Gale could choose he would spend every waking moment with his family. That's just not plausible, and that kills him. One day, he prays, things will change. But for now, this is how they are.

After scrubbing himself off Gale changes into some clean clothes and enters the kitchen where Madge and Leo are already sitting at the dinner table. Leo looks toward his father with wide hopeful eyes, he looks at him as though he's the most incredible person to have ever existed. Gale longs to be that person, a man that Leo can look up to.

"You are," Madge had told him one night. "Brave and determined, someone who loves his family."

"Mm," Gale had frowned and let the topic breeze by. He supposes all of this is true, but he wants to show Leo that there's a life outside of mines and destruction and death like in District 12.

"That's what the woods are for," Madge whispered. "When he's old enough. Gale, you're incredible and he knows that."

"I just wish we didn't live here," Gale muttered. She squeezed his hand. There was nothing that could be done.

Now he must focus on the present, his boy in the seat next to him and his wife in the other. They say a quick prayer before Madge starts spooning out stew for them all. Leo gets his first because he eats the slowest and is the baby. Then Madge gets her own and Gale his own.

"What'd you do today?" Gale asks his son.

Leo brightens. "Momma took me by the school," he says. "She said I'm going to be there one day!" Madge bites down on her bottom lip to stop her smile from getting too wide. She loves listening to Leo talk just as much as Gale does. There's an excitement in him that Gale forgot existed in today's world. "Then we went to Aunt Katniss and Uncle Peeta gave me a cheesy bun! They're so good."

"They are," Gale dips his head in agreement.

"Then we went to the field with them and we picked a whole bunch of dandelions for the stew!" he says. Gale reaches over and grabs Madge's hand, studying the wedding ring on her finger. She cleans it every day. It's just as beautiful as the day he gave it to her. It used to be his mothers. "Then we went on a walk and helped Mr. Haymitch take care of his geese and then we…"

Leo talks all through dinner, babbling about what he and Madge did and what he hopes to do tomorrow and maybe Gale can come and the list is absolutely endless. Gale nods his head and gives encouraging smiles to his son as he talks, all while rubbing Madge's knuckles.

Soon enough dinner is over and Gale is the first to stand. He collects the dishes and places them in the sink. Then he walks over to Leo, bends down, and presses a kiss to his forehead. He does the same to Madge, and then bids them both a goodnight. Gale makes his way to the bedroom, his feet still dragging and his eyelids increasingly heavy with every step. He lowers himself onto the edge of the mattress and lets out a deep breath before rolling his shoulders back.

Before he can even climb backwards on the bed Madge is leaning on the doorframe watching him. He cocks an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she whispers. She shakes her head and gives him a small smile. "It's nothing."

Concern outweighs fatigue and Gale sits up straighter. "What'd I do?"

Her shoulders lift. "You promised Leo you'd read to him," she says. Gale lets out another deep breath. "No, Gale, it's okay," she shakes her head and stops him from standing. "He understands that you work all day, he knows you're tired."

"It's no excuse," Gale grumbles. He pushes himself to his feet and brushes past a protesting Madge, turning the corner to Leo's room. He's sitting on his thin straw mattress, making an old stuffed toy talk with a deep voice.

"I can read you a story," the toy says. "I know all the words. Poppa will read you one tomorrow."

"I promised I would today," Gale says. Leo looks up, dropping the toy, and frowns. Gale moves into the room and lowers himself onto the edge of the mattress.

"No, it's okay," Leo says. His voice is small, he fiddles with his hair. "Momma said you're tired."

"I'm never too tired for you," Gale tells him. Leo bites the inside of his cheek, much like Madge does when she's upset, and finally looks toward Gale. "Come on. Go pick one out." Leo blinks a few times, his long eyelashes fluttering. "I'm serious," Gale laughs.

Scared he's going to change his mind, Leo leaps to his feet and rushes to the old bookcase in the living room. Madge brought over a bunch of books when she moved and Leo's favorite is a thick old fairytale book. He likes the knights the fight the dragons. Gale moves back onto the mattress and waits for his son to return. He can hear Madge in the kitchen doing the dishes and Leo's tiny footsteps as he rushes back.

"Got it!"

"Good," Gale smiles. Leo hands his dad the book and climbs over him, nestling into Gale's side. His eyes are hopeful as Gale opens the book and Gale quickly reaches over and messes up Leo's hair, causing the boy to giggle. "What should we read tonight? Ah, what about this one? Ten Thousand Gnomes."

"I like that one!" Leo says.

So Gale reads. Leo curls against Gale and stares at the pictures, sometimes his eyes drift to the words and he asks which is which. He's still learning his alphabet, but he's very intrigued with words. Another thing Gale thinks he got from Madge. They're barely five pages into the story when Leo starts to snore.

Not wanting to disturb his son Gale shuffles off of the mattress the best he can without making too much of a ruckus. Leo's a deep sleeper, he doesn't stir. Gale picks up the stuffed toy and tucks it in Leo's arms before pulling a blanket over him and kissing his son's forehead, whispering a goodnight, I love you.

When he finally reaches his bed Madge is waiting up for him, the most beautiful smile gracing her lips. Gale slips under the covers beside her and tugs her body flush against his.

"You're so good to him," she whispers, kissing up his neck. Gale hisses through his teeth as her mouth works its way up his chin. "He loves you so much, Gale."

"I feel awful," he murmurs back. His hands tighten around her hips. "I wish I could give him everything."

"He doesn't want everything," Madge says. "He just wants his dad to read him a bedtime story every now and then." Gale tilts his head down and their eyes meet. "You are everything for him." The weight that had been in Gale's heart, in his lungs, vanishes with her words. "It's okay to be tired and go to bed early sometimes, but you know that's not living. That's not what you want. Don't let them smother your flame."

"Mm," he pulls Madge's chin up and kisses her quickly. "God, I love you." Even if the mines, the Capitol, were to smother his flame, Madge always knew what to say to light it again. "I promise I'll be better."

"You'll have to," she says. Madge reaches down, guiding his hands to her stomach. "I can't entertain two of 'em all on my own."

Gale chuckles and nods again. They tangle themselves in each other and he falls asleep a better man.