Disclaimer: All stories are individuals of themselves and are unrelated to each other.
Madge exits the bathroom pulling stockings up her legs. She hobbles on one foot as she slides the fabric up one of her calves. "Gale," she calls out. With no response she calls his name again. "Gale!" She groans and pulls her stockings all the way up. "Gale Hawthorne! Are you ready?" her question rings without answer. Again Madge groans. She straightens her dress down her thighs and brushes her hair behind her ear. Madge storms into the bedroom and finds Gale digging through his ties. "Why didn't you answer me?" she murmurs.
"You were talking?"
His voice is monotone. Clearly he heard her. He just didn't want to respond. He spends enough of his time listening to her yapping voice, why can't he have just a moment of silence?
"Wear the red one," she says, pointing to the ties. Madge marches over to the mirror and reaches down for some lipstick. "That way we'll match." With a grumble Gale yanks the tie off of the stand. He spends a few minutes staring at his reflection trying to teach himself how to tie a tie, but after a few moments of being unable to get the think knotted correctly Madge frowns. She drops her lipstick on the counter and spins around to face him. "How long have we been doing this?" she sighs.
"Too long," Gale snaps back. Madge rolls her eyes and finishes his tie with ease.
Six months two weeks and four days.
That's how long they've been doing this. And Gale still doesn't know how to tie his own damn tie.
Of course there are other things that he's been a bit more concerned with, such as the Underground, or maybe the few remaining Loyalists or Extremists. But no, Madge has to scold him for his inability to tie a tie.
She straightens the red fabric across his chest and offers him a bright smile. "All done," she says. He wishes she wouldn't act when they were alone. She steps back away from him and motions to her dress. "What about me? How do I look?"
"Like you always do," Gale grumbles.
Madge sighs and frowns again, glancing over her shoulder to look at herself in the mirror. "Say something like you mean it, Honey."
Gale bares his teeth. "You look beautiful, Darling." She can hear the sarcasm in his voice, the underlying tones of anger. Madge accepts this as a compliment anyway, it's the best she's going to get from him. She twirls the wedding ring on her finger and spins around so she can see her entire reflection. "Why do we have to go to this anyway?"
"You know why," Madge says. She reaches for her drawer and pulls out a cigarette case, engraved with Gale's name. "Here." Again Gale grumbles and slides the metal box into his pocket. "At least pretend you're going to enjoy yourself."
Instantly Gale's face morphs into something different. A smile. What seems like a genuine one. "Anything for you," he coos out. Ah, yes, there's the doting husband he's supposed to me. Madge grins but Gale drops his mask immediately. "Let's just get this over with."
Their hands are linked as though they're each other's anchors. In a way they sort of are. Madge keeps Gale from jumping off the deep end. Gale keeps Madge from screaming in the middle of the night. The war has done their damage on both of them, even now that it's passed.
But the way they walk down the street like this, that's not what they're portraying. They're a couple in love. Newlyweds, or well, sort of. They both smile brightly as they stroll under the streetlights. To anyone walking by it looks as though Madge and Gale are enamored with each other. Of course underneath it all they're squeezing each other's hands trying to cut off the circulation.
It was Haymitch's idea, sending them to the District 2. Gale couldn't go back to 12, not after his bomb killed so many innocent children including Prim. And Madge, she didn't have any family anymore. She needed something to occupy her mind or she was going to go insane.
The job is simple enough and they're both good at it. The only downside to it is the fake marriage.
Madge had been spying on her family for years when she was younger. She crept around her house with her ear to vents, listening to secrets flowing through them. She knew how to get Capitol citizens to tell her anything she wanted to know. As she got older she would sneak around her father's office dig through his files to learn whatever she wanted. In District 13 she had learned how to defend herself. She had specialized training with knives and poison. After combining the two together she became practically unstoppable.
Gale had an insatiable desire to destroy whatever remained of the Capitol. When he found out that there were still Loyalists to the old system he couldn't stay away. There was an Underground formed for the Extremists who had started implementing plans now that their president was dead. He was trained physically, Gale was always a strategist, but now he had to put his mind to work.
"It's to keep your cover," Haymitch had told them. They'd both signed on for the program once the war was officially over. "If either of you were to go into this as single units you'd be easier targets. This implements a backup system."
Madge was too lonely on her own to say no, and Gale was too desperate for something to do. So they both signed the papers. And now, here they are, strolling down the street in District 2, married.
If anyone was to search through any official database it would say that Madge and Gale are legally married, but it's all a front. At least Gale hopes it's a front. He doesn't plan to do this for the rest of his life, especially if it means being tethered to Madge Undersee. She's good at what she does, extracting information and keeping secrets, but there's something about her he just can't swallow.
She pulls on his hand before they reach the giant home up ahead. "Divide and conquer," she reminds him quietly. Gale nods, casting his eyes in the direction of the house. At home he can be short with her but in public he must love her. He reaches up, bushing her hair from her eyes. "Seven after ten."
"I know," he tells her. "We've been doing this for a while, remember?"
"Yeah." Madge swallows hard and looks back. "We don't want to be late."
In the house Madge greets the owners with hugs and smiles. "It's so good to see you again!" she cheers. Gale used to think that Madge Undersee was quiet, but he's learned that she's just a very good actress. Gale shakes hands with the men and kisses the cheeks of the women. They're two powerful figures in society these days, Gale having been on the Star Squad and Madge having been the mayor's daughter. All of their "friends" are famous in some way, powerful with either influence, money, or both. "I feel like it's been weeks."
"Oh, you two look so lovely," the lady of the house smiles. "Champagne? We have some on the balcony."
Madge takes Gale's hand and thanks the woman, pulling Gale after her. Though he's always been fairly good at social interaction he finds these parties difficult. He has to be someone he's not, someone he's grown up hating, and it kills him.
"Names?" Gale murmurs.
She smiles. "The woman is Tristian. Husband, Alexander. We met them at the Garrison's party." Gale nods his head, thankful that Madge is good at remembering things Gale clearly doesn't care about. "Target—"
"I know who the target is," he grumbles. A man named Fox Reynolds, suspected of funneling money to the Underground to help them build bombs and acquire weapons. "Madge," he stops her before they reach the balcony. Outside they can hear people chatting and laughing. "Don't get too close this time," he warns, and not angrily.
Last time they had a target Madge ran her mouth too much. It usually worked in her favor but that time it hadn't and her cover had nearly been exposed. The man got angry and almost violent and though Gale doesn't necessarily like that Madge is his partner he would hate not having a partner even more.
"I can do this," she tells him. "You can, too." Gale sighs and looks back to the balcony. "Let's get out there."
At almost ten o'clock Gale pulls out his cigarette case and Madge make a big show of her noticing. She storms over to him in the middle of the conversation she's having and snatches it from his hand. "How dare you!" she yells. People around them still and fall silent, turning to listen. "We talked about this, Gale!"
"Madge," he tries to reach for the case but she holds it out of his way. His hands rest on her bare shoulders as he tugs her toward him. "It isn't a big deal," he says quietly.
"Isn't a big deal?" Madge's voice is loud and shrill. "You know I hate it when you smoke!"
"Madge," he tries again, glancing around. "People are staring. Quiet your voice, okay?"
"I will not!" She forces his hands from her shoulders and hobbles backwards. "I can't believe you're doing this!" And just like always, tears begin to fill her eyes. Even though it's just pretend Gale doesn't like the feeling in his chest at seeing her like this. "I can't believe you," she croaks again, and then she's pushing through the crowd to get away from him and back inside.
Gale sighs and drags a hand through his hair, turning away from everyone staring at him to collect himself. He always feels so phony after a little outburst like that. And just as Madge had planned, someone suddenly finds their place beside Gale.
"Trouble in paradise?" a man asks. Gale turns to face him and finds himself face to face with Fox Reynolds. Gale lets out a huff of air and shrugs his shoulders slightly. "My wife hates it when I smoke too." He extends his hand. "Fox. Reynolds."
"Gale," Gale responds. "Hawthorne." They shake hands and the man's eyes light up. "I've heard a lot about you," he says.
"And I've heard a lot about you," Fox responds. "Big player in the war."
"Did what I had to," Gale shrugs.
Fox glances over his shoulder toward the doors into the balcony. "Listen, Alexander's got some freshly imported cigars upstairs. It'd be away from everyone, your wife wouldn't even have to see. How'd you like to try some?"
Gale dips his head, "Yeah, sure. That'd be great."
Madge forces her fake tears to fall and rushes through the house, opening and closing doors until she finds a bathroom. She sits down and drops her head into her hands and sighs, and then commands herself to gasp for air. She sniffles loudly a few times before lifting the cigarette case and running her hands over the engraved Hawthorne.
Gale doesn't actually smoke. He hates it. Says it makes his lungs burn and reminds him of when he inhaled too much coal dust back when he worked in the mines. She knows if all goes according to plan he'll have cigars tonight, causing his voice to be raspy. She sniffles again and then is suddenly blinking away fake tears.
They've been doing this for six months and she thought maybe after some time he'd start to look at her differently. They never got along in 12 and she understood that then, but she had hoped now after all of this time he might see someone who's been there the whole time. Gale still looks at Madge as though she's unattainable, as though she's too fragile for this world or this job or too soft.
Her heart aches whenever he shuts her out and she tries her damned hardest to pretend like it doesn't upset her, but it does. She understands that they can't be lovers, it would hurt too much if anything were to happen to the other. It wouldn't be logical and would cause them to stop thinking rationally in times of danger – and they've been in plenty. But why can't they at least be friends?
Suddenly there's a gentle knock. "Hello?" a soft voice calls. "Madge, is it? Are you in there?"
She sniffles loudly again and wipes at her eyes. "Who is it?"
"My name's Helga, I saw you run out. May I come in?" Helga. Perfect. Madge shifts from where she is and opens the door, allowing Helga to enter the room. She's a lovely woman, tall with long flowing brown hair and bright brown eyes. Unfortunately (or fortunately) she's married to Fox. "We've met once or twice at galas."
"Yes," Madge nods, dabbing at her eyes. "I remember."
Helga smiles, "Good, I didn't want this to be weird." The girls laugh as Madge lets out a deep breath. "I'm sorry about your husband. Mine smokes as well and it drives me up the wall. He always comes home and his jackets reek with the stuff."
Madge nods again, diverting her eyes. "Gale promised me he'd quit once we were married," Madge tells her, and then her eyes fill with tears again. "But he hasn't and I just feel so awful."
"Oh, sweetie," Helga stoops down to Madge's height and reaches out, grabbing her hands. Helga's been in the upper crust for a long time, and Madge is still fairly young. She must feel some sort of maternal instinct kicking in when she sees girls crying. "It isn't your fault he's acquired the habit. I'm sure the fact that he smokes is no reflection of how much he cares for you." Madge won't look at Helga but her chest hiccups for air. "How long have you two been together?"
"We've been together for a few years," she fibs, the usual tale. "But married for about six months now." Helga nods and Madge holds up her ring. "Look," Madge wipes at her eyes to show the woman her piece of jewelry. "It was his mothers." She takes it from her finger and hands it to Helga to allow better view. "Isn't it beautiful?"
"It is," Helga nods, smiling. The ring is absolutely not Hazelle Hawthorne's. It would never be this fancy or beautiful. This expensive.
She hands it back and Madge shifts, "May I see yours? Oh, it's lovely. Your husband must really have spent a lot on it."
"Oh, of course," Helga pulls the ring off and hands it to Madge. While this happens Madge moves so the cigarette case falls from her lap and Helga reaches down to pick it up. As she moves Madge taps a microscopic recorder onto the ring, so small that Madge can only see it because she knows what it looks like. "Here you are," Helga rests the case back in Madge's lap.
"Thank you," Madge exhales. "This is beautiful. I've never seen a diamond so lovely before." She returns the ring to Helga who smiles at her prettily. "I'm sorry I'm so emotional," Madge tells her, wiping at her eyes another time. "I just wish he thought about feelings every once in a while."
"I'm sure he does," Helga says. "What do you say we get back to the party, hm?"
Gale lets the smoke fill his lungs and tries to hold it as long as he can before exhaling. God, he hates this. How come Madge can't be the smoker? His throat burns and he tries not to cough and thankfully succeeds.
"Good shit, isn't it Hawthorne?"
Gale nods in Fox's direction, "Smooth." Suddenly Gale makes a face in Fox's direction. "Hell, is that from the Capitol?" he asks, looking at the watch. Fox glances at the watch and extends it in Gale's direction. He's had the damned microscope on the tip of his finger for a long time now and as he observes the watch manages to stick it on. "That's really nice."
"It was actually my father's," Fox says. "Wear it every day." Perfect. Gale takes another drag from the cigar and lets the high he's getting numb his nerves.
After a bit of conversation and a few more puffs the men decide to make their way back downstairs. "I should find my wife," Gale says to them, departing after thanking them for the time.
He weaves his way through the crowd until he finds Madge and an older woman – Helga Reynolds – leaning over the balcony deep in conversation. Madge turns her head at the perfect moment to find him and she fakes anger, turning away. Gale makes his way to her, saying hello to Helga and asking if he can speak with his wife privately.
"Of course," Helga nods, winking at Madge.
He starts out loudly, "You know I'm trying to quit." But his voice slowly lowers as Gale slides his hands around her waist. He lowers his chin to her shoulder and noses her ear. "It's done," he whispers. Madge smiles and leans into his grasp. She tilts her chin up to look at him and their eyes meet. She nods once as well. After staring into each other's eyes for a moment Gale says, "You ever think we're too good at this?"
"Absolutely not," she whispers back. "This is the easy part." It only gets harder now that they have the microphones and trackers on their targets. Madge blinks a few times, "Think it'll be believable if we call it an early night?"
Gale thinks for a minute before reaching up and tilting her chin so he can kiss her. Madge ignores the way her stomach flutters when his lips meet hers. She spins in his grasp and tangles her fingers into his hair. He's acting, she reminds herself. This isn't real. But God, it feels real, and she wants it to be real, so she kisses him with fervor.
"I think they'll believe us," Gale exhales before feathering another kiss to her upper lip. His hand finds hers. "Let's get out of here."
They share a bed. They have since they started this whole thing.
They say that it's to keep up appearances just in case, and that their apartment doesn't have a guest bedroom and it wouldn't make sense for one of them to sleep on the couch, but really they like the comfort it provides. Both Madge and Gale have nightmares and when they wake in the middle of the night to find they're not alone its reassuring.
Usually Gale will wake up in a cold sweat, take a deep breath, maybe pace for a bit, and then go back to bed. Madge never stirs. But today when he finally pulls himself from his terrors he finds Madge hovering over him with wide, pale blue eyes. Her golden hair is dangling down to almost reach his face. He sits up in a panic and she pulls away.
"Hey, you're okay," she tells him.
Gale pushes her aside, "Go back to sleep." He slides from the bed and pads away from her, leaving their bedroom and into the kitchen. His mom used to make tea for him when he was a child and had bad dreams so he's started doing that again. It's calming and he can't be in there if Madge is awake. Just as he gets a kettle on Madge peeks into the kitchen. Gale cocks an eyebrow at her but then turns away. "You should go back to bed."
"I tried waking you," Madge says softly. "You were shaking." Gale huffs and drops himself into a seat at the table. "I have bad dreams too, Gale." He lowers his head into his hands while Madge stands in the doorway, staring at him. She doesn't understand why it's so hard for him to open up. It helps to speak about these things. He tugs on the ends of his dark hair and says nothing, and eventually Madge takes the seat beside him. "Talk to me," she whispers.
When Gale lifts his head to look at her his eyes are rimmed with red and wet. He holds her gaze before croaking, "No." Madge's chest feels tight but she doesn't relent in her stare. "Because this doesn't mean shit to you, Madge. And it sure as hell doesn't mean shit to me." With his words she finally looks away, fighting off a sudden batch of tears. "You and I are coworkers. You are not my wife. I don't care for you like I would a wife. I don't need to talk to you."
As steadily as she can, Madge responds, "I want to help you."
"You can't," he murmurs. "It's too late for that." She shakes her head but he growls, "It is."
Madge squeezes her eyes shut and stands, not looking at him as she moves toward the doorway. Before she can leave she stops. "You'd have to be crazy to think you don't mean anything to me," she tells Gale with her back to him. He shifts in his seat but she doesn't turn. "Don't come back to bed," she says. Madge leaves as the kettle hisses, signifying the water is ready.
In the morning neither of them look well rested. Gale gets ready for work, a job in an office that has access to bank accounts all across Panem where he has to sit at a desk, and Madge prepares for a morning of socializing. They don't make eye contact as he leaves, and when he's gone Madge feels a weight in her stomach pulling her down. She collapses into a seat at the kitchen table and dials for Haymitch.
He answers on the first ring. "What's happened?"
"I don't know if I can do this anymore," Madge rasps. "I need to see you."
"I'll be there by lunch." Haymitch hangs up and Madge drops her head into her hands, trying her hardest not to cry.
"Did you see this?" the man in the cubicle beside Gale asks. His name is Jon, he's a tall lanky man with a patchy blonde beard. Jon extends the paper in Gale's direction with a big bold headline. Capitol Loyalists Take Another Train. Gale swears under his breath and snatches the paper. Last night while he was at some fancy party to gain Intel, the Underground was making another fucking move. "I can't believe this."
"Any deaths?"
"Three of the train workers," Jon tells him with a frown. Gale scrubs at his face. "Must be hard for you to see stuff like this." Gale looks at the man beside him who's shrugging. "You fought in a war for freedom and people are trying to stop it."
"They can't stop what I fought for," Gale grumbles. He tosses the paper back to Jon and sinks into his desk chair. Gale busies himself immediately and tries to reason with himself that he's still fighting in this war, his moves just take longer and are more thought out. He's fighting this war with skill and knowledge rather than brute force. It's difficult for him. Not even an hour into the morning Gale gets a phone call. "Panem's Accounts, this is Gale," he says, his usual intro. "How can I—"
"Donner made it to the final what?"
"Five," Gale answers without a beat. "What do you want?"
Haymitch scoffs. "Don't be a dick to your superior, Hawthorne." Gale glances over his shoulder to make sure no one's listening. "I'm coming to 2 today. I'll be there for lunch. Madge called me."
"Why?"
"She wants out." Gale feels himself go cold. "What the fuck did you do?" Gale struggles to relay an answer. Last night couldn't have made her that upset, could it? Gale curses himself. Maybe not just last night, but every other time she's tried to work things out between them might have. She's always been incredibly supportive and he repeatedly shuts her down. He rubs his temple to get rid of his quickly forming headache. "How was last night's job?"
"Shitty. But fine."
"I don't know why you hate those parties so much," Haymitch says. "You finally get a life in the lap of luxury and it sickens you." Haymitch lets out a deep breath. "I'll talk to Madge. Then you. Can you get away?"
"2 o'clock."
Haymitch hangs up after Gale relays the time. It takes Gale a minute to lower the phone back onto stand.
He doesn't hate Madge. Really, he doesn't. Maybe back in 12 he did and maybe here in 2 she's a struggle, but he doesn't hate her. In fact, he likes the feel of her hand in his, and he likes the softness to her voice. He also likes the way she doesn't hesitate to attack when threatened, the way her eyes flash when she gets angry. He likes the way she's fearless, how she goes into every situation willing and ready, not scared of what could happen.
But she's Madge Undersee. Why can't he get past that fact?
Okay, and maybe it's more than the fact that she's Madge Undersee, but also the fact that just because they come home to a small apartment every night doesn't mean they're safe. The war never ended for either of them. If the head of the Underground was to figure out that they're getting closer and closer to discovering who he is, Gale and Madge would both be dead in a second. Whoever he is has too much power.
Gale checks over his shoulder again before attaching a device to his computer that scrambles the server, meaning no one can see his screen besides him. He can't be traced. He types in a few numbers and pulls up the Fox Reynolds account. He scrolls through a few different numbers before swearing under his breath, picking up his phone and quickly dialing Madge.
She answers on the third ring. "Hawthorne Residence."
"Panem's accounts," he says. "This is Gale."
"The sound of the song," she responds. Gale presses the buttons on his key to reflect Katniss's four tune Mockingjay whistle. "What do you want, Gale?"
"Have you checked our investments?" he asks. Gale hates talking in code. On the other end Madge hurries to grab the tablet that Haymitch provided for them, typing in a large combination of codes before pulling up an account. Gale hears a bit of fuzz on the other end. "Are the numbers clear?"
"Give me a minute," she scowls. Madge adjust the tuning a bit until voices come in perfectly. "Got it. What do you need?"
"2 thousand dollars," he responds. Madge rewinds the tape on Fox's bug until she gets to 2 a.m. and lounges back in her chair. "You busy this morning?"
"I am now," Madge sighs. Gale scratches at his jaw. "See you for dinner."
Before she can hang up, "—Wait!" Madge hesitates as Gale sighs. "I got a phone call today," he tells her. "You know from who." Madge still doesn't respond. "Why?"
"Why?" Madge echoes. "Because I'm tired of feeling like I'm alone in this, it's making me go mad, Gale." She shifts the phone, repeating, "See you for dinner." Madge hangs up before he can say anything else.
Madge spends the rest of the morning listening to the bug Gale placed on Fox Reynold's watch. She doesn't hear much but she does write down a few names. Fox was still at the party with his wife Helga until very late, so any business deals he must've done were early in the morning. She reads about the overtaking of the train car on her tablet while she listens patiently.
When they first came to District 2 everything was very fast paced. Madge and Gale took down a number of the Underground very quickly, but soon realized that they were only the pawns. The Capitol is always playing a game, and the lower men are always the pieces. They soon learned they wanted to take down the leader of the Underground, and learned that it was definitely someone in the upper crust of District 2. Now it's a guessing game, putting together the facts and the information that they gain before going on hunts.
There's a sharp knock on the door before it swings open. Madge is on her feet with her fists up at once but she lowers them when Haymitch strolls in.
"Thank you for waiting for me to answer," she frowns. Haymitch is the perfect cover for the leader of the Mockingjay Force, the spies that work to dig out the rats that are left. Everyone thinks he's a broken old man with the war over and he keeps up his front of taking care of geese, but Haymitch has always been sharp. He needs to be doing something. And he's great at this. Haymitch shrugs, slamming the door behind him. "Why did you call Gale?"
"Why did you call me?" he asks. Madge sets her jaw, something she's picked up from Gale, and lifts her shoulders. "Why do you want out?" Madge shakes her head at Haymitch who's looking at her with defeated eyes. "I pulled a lot of strings to get you where you are, Sweetheart."
"I know," Madge rasps. She lowers herself back into her chair and blinks away tears. "I know that."
"You told me you wanted to do this for your father."
"I do," she insists, though her eyes are swelling with tears. "I just, I can't do it with him anymore, Haymitch. He hates me and I—I can't. I can't." She drops her head into her hands and presses the heels of her hands into her eyes. "I feel like I don't have anyone." All of her friends here are fake, people she associates with because she has to. She can't call Katniss or Peeta. Gale's her only real source of communication and he hates talking to her. He hates being around her at all. "It almost hurts more than losing them."
"Sweetheart," Haymitch walks toward her and rests his hand on her shoulder. "I know you're stronger than this."
She shakes her head. "I'm not, Haymitch," she cries. Madge has tried for so long to stay strong through this all. After losing her parents she was practically cationic, when Peeta returned and only barely recognized her from his treatment she nearly ended things. She thought this would be a fresh start with Gale, that she could sort her life out and focus on one task, but not even he wants to be around her and it's agonizing. "I need to get away from him."
The front door clicks shut and Madge looks up, finding Gale standing in the doorway. She doesn't know how long he's been there, how long he's been listening. His eyes are dark, his lips parted. He transfers his gaze between Madge and Haymitch before sighing deeply and marching to his room.
Madge distances herself from Gale and Haymitch the best she can. When Haymitch follows Gale into the bedroom and then there's a fit of yelling she leaves their apartment, pulling on a coat to face the cool air of District 2.
She goes to a park. It's not very big, there was never any use for natural space back when the Capitol was in charge, but there's a patch of grass and a small stream and some trees. It reminds her of the woods back home, back when Katniss would take her out and try to teach her to shoot. Madge was never good with the bow and arrow, but knives she learned very well.
After some time someone lowers themselves onto the bench beside her. "We need to talk," Gale says. Madge turns away from him and he huffs. Gale only knew she came here because this is the only place she likes to go. That much he knows. Madge refused a tracker when it was offered to her, saying she understood the benefits of such but refused to be subjected to the government like that, even if she is working for it now. "I want to apologize."
"No you don't," Madge returns. "Haymitch is making you."
Gale groans and rubs at his forehead. "That's not true. I want to." Madge doesn't turn to look at him. "I'm too hard on you," he grits out. "I know I am." They're both silent for a moment, listening to the wind rustling the leaves of the trees, before he speaks again. "It's easier for me like that. To shut you out."
"Why are you telling me this now?"
"Because Haymitch told me I had to choose," Gale says.
"So Haymitch is making you."
"Madge," he growls. She turns to look at him and finds Gale with his eyebrows furrowed. Again he's silent. She stares at him until he speaks. "I've lost a lot of people." First with the bombing, then with the war. Not all of the ones he lost are dead, either. "Sometimes… sometimes I don't know what I'm doing anymore." Gale shakes his head. "I hate this. This sneaking around that we do. It's infuriating, it isn't fast enough for me. But it's making a difference, and that's what I'm trying to do. Make a difference." He reaches up to tug on his dark hair. "Haymitch said either fix things with you and keep this up, or quit it altogether. And I don't hate you, Madge, I don't."
She reaches out and rests her hand on his shoulder. "Gale," she whispers. He tenses, sucking in a sharp breath and squeezing his eyes shut. "I want to do this just as much as you do." Madge never saw real action in the war, her unit was never deployed. But ever since the bombing she's been angry and upset. The war against the Capitol isn't completely over yet. "But I can't if you're not going to talk to me."
Gale lets out the breath he held and turns to look at her. "I'm sorry," he croaks. "We're good at this."
"We are," Madge nods. She cups his cheeks gently. Madge has done this so many times before, but usually there were people around to see. Gale leans into her palm and lets his eyes fall shut. "Please stop acting like we're strangers," she pleads.
He nods his head, "I will." Gale reaches up, covering her hand with his. Again, something they've done plenty of times before but never like this. "Will you stay? So we can finish this?" His eyes ease open. "I want you to stay."
Madge's eyes find his lips and then struggle to lift to meet his gaze. "I'll stay."
Back in their apartment Haymitch is collecting data from the Tablet. Madge frowns, snatching it from his hands and making a rude face that he mimics in earnest. "There's nothing new on Fox, Haymitch," Madge mutters. "I would've told you if—"
"You check the wife?" he asks. Madge and Gale exchange a glance. "Helga Reynolds?"
"She's bugged," Gale answers, "but—"
"But because she's a woman you didn't think she could be in on the Underground?" Haymitch asks. Madge rolls her eyes so hard she can almost see her brain. He yanks the Tablet back from Madge and pulls up Helga's file immediately. "Her uncle was on the table for Head Gamemaker after Seneca but Plutarch beat him out. Her mother owned three different beauty salons in the Capitol. Her father, executed during the war for funding Peacekeepers." He thrusts the Tablet back into Madge's hand. "Do your damn research," he grumbles.
Madge kicks herself for not being open to all option. She should've known there was a reason why Helga was ordered a bug, too. "I'll go through recording," Madge says, gathering her things and retreating into the bedroom for silence.
In the living room Haymitch gives Gale a onceover. "Can you handle this?" Haymitch asks.
"I can," Gale nods. He looks down the hallway at the bedroom door Madge has just shut. "We can," he corrects quietly.
"Good. You two have an Intel swap at 1900. The usual spot. Tyrell and Georgia." Gale moves to grab a notepad and jot all of this down. He doesn't always have the best memory with these things. "If I get another call from her, Hawthorne, I swear to God I will end you." Gale looks up from the notes he's taking and sees a dark look in Haymitch's eyes. "I didn't want her on this in the first place. It's dangerous."
"She knows that."
"I don't want her dead thinking no one cared for her," Haymitch says. "That she didn't get anything accomplished." Gale stands up from where he's hunched over and meets Haymitch's eyes. "Don't fuck up again. Clear?"
"Crystal."
After Haymitch leaves Gale enters the bedroom where Madge is frantically taking notes. He eases himself to the edge of the mattress. "Anything?"
"I'm so fucking stupid," she murmurs to herself. "Helga's the one transferring funds. It's been her the whole time." Gale tips hid head as she scribbles something. "How did we not see this before?" she says, clearly frustrated with herself.
"We know now," Gale responds. "It won't help to beat yourself up over it." Madge sighs, looking up from her notes tiredly. "Get any names?"
"I don't know if it's a name," Madge admits, looking back down. "But Helga keeps referring to someone or something named Long Ed. Like, Long Ed's front, or Long Ed's papers." She gnaws on her bottom lip. "Code, maybe." Gale edges backwards to get a better look at her notes and she hands them to him. "I think it ties into the person we're looking for. An Edward, maybe?"
"Maybe." His eyes dart over her words but Madge takes notes in code and that's hard enough to crack. "Think you can figure it out?"
She shrugs. "I can try."
"What's this?" Gale asks, tapping to the corner. There's a little picture of a diamond with rays coming out of it. Madge's ears turn red and she dips her head. "What?"
"It's just a doodle, Gale."
"Oh." He hands her back her notes and she quickly turns the page so the doodle is gone. "We're meeting up with Ty and Georgia tonight." Madge's eyes light up. Back in 13 she and Tyrell were good friends, on the same unit in training. They have this way of talking to each other that Gale doesn't understand and it frustrates him. "1900."
"Sounds good," she smiles. "I'll, um, look into this until it's time to leave."
Madge and Gale lace hands the second they get outside. He pulls her close, partly because of appearances but partly because he's so relieved that she's agreed to stay he feels like he can breathe again. Gale knows he has to treat her better. He's known for a long time. But living a double life isn't easy and he doesn't have anyone to take it out on but her. She leans into his grasp and he smiles.
Appearances, he thinks. But he likes the feel of her so close.
"Ty!" Madge cheers. She drops Gale's hand and rushes forward, throwing her arms around a thin dark skinned boy. He's gained a bit more color out in the air of District 2 compared to constantly being underground in 13. Ty hugs her back tightly and then Madge turns to Georgia and hugs her as well. "It's so good to see you guys!"
Gale shakes Ty's hand when they arrive and then hugs Georgia quickly. "Great to see you," Gale says.
"You're looking lovelier than ever," Ty tells Madge, who's still smiling. The way her face lights up relieves Gale a little considering she looks so happy, but doesn't like that it's directed at Ty. "Anything for us?"
"Only if you do," Madge says back. She and Ty lock eyes and then share a laugh before she turns to Georgia. They both trade bracelets storing Intel. "Know anything about anyone named Long Ed?"
"Ed?" Georgia repeats, cocking an eyebrow. "No, but we'll look into it."
"Madge," Gale grabs her wrist and pulls her back to him. "We shouldn't stay too long." She looks up at him with sad eyes and he sighs. "I'm sorry," he tells her softly.
She rests her hand on his chest, "I know." Madge glances over her shoulder at Ty and Georgia and smiles once more, waving at them before pulling Gale away. "Best not to linger."
They start walking away and Gale reaches down and laces their hands together. "Hey," he murmurs. She looks up at him, her blue eyes shining. "Wanna stop and get a milkshake, or something?" She blinks a few times, nodding her head. "This guy I work with told me about this place on Main Street," he tells her, pulling her down the road. "It's not cheap."
"Oh, no," Madge feigns panic. "We are so poor, working for the government." Gale throws his head back in a laugh and pulls her closer. "We have work to do," Madge reminds him.
"This counts as working," he whispers back. "We're being present in the community." Madge swings her arm around his waist and laugh as he dips down. "I'm glad you chose to stay," he murmurs.
"Me too," Madge admits.
Gale and Madge spend the next few weeks attending big parties and trying to collect more Intel. They bug a few more people of interest but Madge spends most of her time listening to Helga's conversations trying to find out all she can about Long Ed. She and Gale don't grow immediately closer, but after Haymitch's visit things do get easier.
Gale still has trouble opening up to her but when he wakes in the middle of the night and she's staring at him with wide worried eyes he can't help but cave. He's making a real effort to keep her around and she's appreciative of that.
"Find anything?" Gale asks one morning. Though he has to go to work Madge doesn't, she stays up late listening to Helga in real time. Madge yawns and shakes her head as she prepares Gale's coffee. "What about the stuff from Ty and Georgia? Did you finish going through it?"
"Mm-hm," Madge murmurs. She spins and hands him his mug. "The Underground has branches," she tells him. "Georgia's been looking into the drug aspect. Those remaining from the Capitol are desperate to get their fix, she's been catching basically one a day." Gale sips his drink, thankful that Madge knows how he likes it. "Ty's been helping her, mostly, but nothing about anyone named Ed." She wrinkles her nose. "We'll figure it out," Madge says tiredly. "I can feel it."
"Mm." Gale hopes so. Another train was hijacked last night and six people died this time. Mostly there were weapons and explosives on board. "I've got to go. But stay safe today, alright?"
Madge cocks an eyebrow at him. "I'm going to sleep for a few hours," Madge tells him, smiling. "But I'll try not to fall off the edge."
"Ha-ha," Gale frowns. The urge to kiss her forehead before leaving arises out of nowhere and Gale shoves it aside, not understanding it. Their fake domesticity is getting to him. "See you for dinner," he says.
About an hour until lunch Gale's phone rings. He's been going through the Reynold's account again, hoping to find something that will link him to an Ed or and Edward but is continuously coming up short. He answers the phone, "Panem's Accounts, this is Gale."
"Gale?" Madge croaks. "You need to get out of there. Now. Evacuate the building."
He sits up straight. "Madge—" she hasn't used any code to confirm that it's her. "What—"
"Strawberries!" she nearly yells into the phone. Their emergency word when there's no time to explain. "There's a bomb on the third and sixteenth floor! Get everyone out, now!" Madge hangs up the phone and Gale shoves a device onto his computer, quickly downloading everything he can onto a chip to take home in case this is real.
Gale leaps from his seat and sprints to the wall, pulling down the fire alarm. Immediately the ringing fills the air and the sprinklers start at once. He moves away from the wall so no one saw it was him that's pulled it and quickly makes his way back to his computer. Jon is scrambling to gather his things and Gale's download is almost done. The second the screen turns green with success he pulls the chip out and puts it in his cigarette case.
"C'mon, Jon," Gale practically drags his co-worker from the place. They're on the seventh floor and Gale doesn't have any time estimate as to when the bombs are going to go off. "We should hurry."
He and his co-workers and all those in the building begin to file out of the building. When they pass the third floor Gale's anxiety spikes and he pushes Jon forward faster. Soon enough they're outside and Gale looks up, watching the 20 story building slowly evacuating. He wants them to hurry but he knows saying anything might give him away. Mostly people are milling about in confusion. A fire truck arrives and races into the building and Gale wants to scream.
That's when the bombs go off. Everyone outside begins to panic and run from the building but Gale's anchored to the ground. It reminds him of 12, of 13, of that time in 2 at the nut, and he can't move. The building begins to crumble and one of the firefighters finally grabs Gale's shoulder, forcefully pulling him away from the scene.
Then he's sprinting, running away from the collapsing building as fast as he can because soon enough everything is going to be destroyed around them.
When Gale makes it home he feels like he's just survived a cave in at the mines. He pushes open the door and sees a flash of blonde, and then Madge is against him. Gale stumbles until they're pressed against a wall, holding one another.
"Oh my God," Madge is saying, over and over again. "I was so scared, I was so scared." Gale readjusts his arms so he's squeezing her against him. Madge's entire body is shaking, and then he realizes his is too. After a long break of silence Gale looks up and finds Tyrell sitting on the couch, his face full of relief. Madge pulls back and looks up at him, still focused on Gale. "Are you hurt?" she asks. Her hands cup his cheeks. "What happened? I couldn't watch the news until I was sure you were okay."
"I'm fine," Gale murmurs. "A lot of people got out. I don't think everyone, but most everyone." Madge nods and he lowers his forehead to hers. "You saved my life," he croaks.
"It's what we do," she answers immediately. Gale's eyes are locked with hers and he reaches up, brushing a strand of her hair from her face. "Are you hurt at all?"
"No," he shakes his head. He can't stop staring at her, the blueness of her eyes is enough for him to get lost in. Her thumbs brush against his cheeks and neither of them say anything for a long time. Finally Tyrell clears his throat and Gale forces himself to look away from Madge. "You been here all day?" Gale asks.
"Didn't want Madge to be alone," he answers.
"I called him," Madge says. Her hands have slipped from his cheeks to latch onto his shirt, still too scared to let him get too far. They've faced danger head on a few times but Madge had never felt like she would lose him like she did today. Even though Ty is part of the conversation now Madge still won't look anywhere except at Gale. "He kept me busy."
"Thank you," Gale says. Tyrell stands and Madge slowly turns to look at him.
"I'm glad you're alright," he responds. His eyes drift from Gale to Madge and he smiles. "I should get back to Georgia. Share with her what we found out today."
Gale looks down at Madge. "You found something?"
Ty smiles and dips, "She's a smart one."
"She's right here," Madge murmurs, not liking being spoken over. Gale slides his hand down Madge's back, tugging her hip toward him. "Thanks for coming." Tyrell dips his head again and says goodbye, leaving Madge and Gale alone together. Madge looks up at Gale before throwing herself at him again, needing to feel his strong arms holding her. He sighs into her hair and squeezes her as close as he can. "I was so scared," she tells him again.
"You know that this is part of the job," Gale says back. "The risk. The danger. The death."
"Neither of us are going to die," Madge tells him. "We're going to find the leader of the Underground and squash him and live to tell the tale."
Gale curls his fingers through the tips of her golden hair. "Let's hope so," he whispers. After a beat, "What'd you find today?"
"It's not anyone named Ed or Edward," she tells him, pulling up her notes to show him. "It's an anagram."
Gale squints. "Golden?"
"I think it's a trait of whoever's in charge of the weapons and warfare front. Ty helped today, said the people they've been tracking keep talking about a Donna Dim. We played with the letters a bit and—"
Gale glances down at the notes. "Diamond?" They'd been using two n's when they should've only had one. "You think the leaders of the Underground is a group?"
Madge nods, tracing a line down. "The black market has been led by a Dale Rem. Or Emerald. And there's a Rob Zen in accounting and money handling."
"Bronze," Gale murmurs. He shakes his head. "So it is code." Madge nods and Gale digs in his pocket. "I pulled out some files I'd been looking at before leaving the building," Gale tells her. He plugs the chip into the Tablet and a list of accounts pops up. He scrolls through them until finding what he's looking for. "Here, look. Robert Zen," he turns to Madge. "Might've changed the name to make it seem more believable."
"Wow," she exhales, nudging his hand aside to get a better look. "This has got to be him. See who they have transfers from." Gale taps a few buttons and Madge nearly leaps. "Look!" The Reynold's account is the most recent people the Zen account has received a pay from. "This has got to be it," Madge says. She looks at Gale, her eyes bright and excited. "How do we find them? If these are fake names?"
"Lots of tracing," Gale murmurs. His specialty, really, but not something he particularly enjoys. "The best chance would be to team up with Ty and Georgia and work on grabbing someone from the drug game and interrogating them, following up a line of people. But if they've already been doing that—"
"Which they have," Madge frowns.
"Then tracing it is," Gale says. Madge reaches over, grabbing his hand. "I can start now. Maybe have a name by tomorrow."
"Gale…" Madge pulls his hand until he looks at her. "You should get some sleep." He opens his mouth to protest but she shakes her head. "You work best when you're not exhausted. And since I'm pretty sure work will be cancelled tomorrow…" she trails off and smiles a little. "You can sleep in and then wake up and we can dive straight in."
He stares at her for a few seconds before nodding his head. "Yeah. You're right." Gale doesn't move right away but he does close down everything on the Tablet. "Come with me?" Madge's face fills with shock at his request but she nods regardless. He lowers the Tablet to the table and offers his hand to her, pulling Madge to stand with him.
After changing and getting into bed Gale pulls her close.
"Madge," he murmurs. "I meant what I said earlier." She looks up at him, the moonlight filling the room making her eyes bright. "That the danger is part of the job."
"I know that," Madge responds. She props herself up, her golden hair falling down her shoulder. "I wouldn't hesitate to give my life to protect what we've learned, what we know." Madge shakes her head, quiet for a moment. "I know you would do the same."
"I would," he nods. Gale would rather die than give up what he knows, especially now that they're closer than ever before. "So you know—"
"That we could die? Of course." She licks her lips and studies his face. "That doesn't change anything for me," she admits. "How I feel."
How do you feel? He wants to ask her but in a way, he thinks he already knows. And Gale can't ask because if they were to end up dead it would make it worse, so much worse. Maybe that's why he's been so reluctant to let her in, he's realizing now. Because this is not a safe job, and letting Madge in would result in pain if things were to go wrong.
Gale shifts in his spot and Madge hesitates before lying back down. "Goodnight," he murmurs.
She drapes her arm over his chest, waiting to see if he'll push her away. When he doesn't, she snuggles closer. "Goodnight," she whispers back.
"Uh-huh," Gale says into the phone. The plastic is cool against his ear and his eyes are hardly open. "Yes, sir. Thanks. I'll come by the building as soon as I'm ready." Gale hangs up with a click and turns to find Madge sitting at the kitchen table, her eyebrows high on her forehead in an unasked question. "It was the office," he tells her. "They've found a temporary building to relocate to with a select number of employees."
"The building was bombed two days ago," Madge says, sipping her coffee with a frown. And since then they've been working incredibly hard to put a name to a codename and it's proving to be naught. Maybe the change of scenery will help get his gears turning.
"They know that. But they're also a business that can't afford to lose any more money." He walks over and grabs her drink to take a sip considering he finished his mug already and there's no time for him to get more. She likes her coffee sweeter and it tastes funny, but he needs it to wake himself up. "I should go in. They have all files backed up, with full access to the server I can really follow a trail now." Madge nods, but doesn't look happy about it. In fact, she looks kind of scared. "Hey, I'll be fine," Gale murmurs.
"Yeah, I know." Gale's always been able to take care of himself, and the new building probably will be incredibly safe and full of additional security.
Gale grips the mug, letting it burn his hands. He tries to offer her a smile, "Just let me know if there's another bomb in my building, okay?"
"Mm-kay," Madge sighs. Gale gives her back her mug and then brushes his fingers over her cheek, fingertips still warm from the cup he'd been holding. Madge looks up at him, meeting his gaze. "Just… be home for dinner," she whispers.
"Absolutely," he returns.
The building Gale goes to is disgustingly busy. People are running back and forth, a few computers have been set up, and lots of people are barking into phones. Everyone looks exhausted, and they move quickly as though they're scared if they sit for too long another bomb will get the building.
The security is huge, a lot more than before, and Gale can't help but be grateful. He sinks into the seat assigned to him and looks over at Jon who's typing dutifully into his computer.
"Hey," Gale murmurs, "I'm glad you made it out okay." Jon's eyes flash up at him and then down, almost nervously. "I think we're safe now."
"Gale," Jon shakes his head. "We shouldn't talk." Gale makes a face at him but Jon just goes straight back to work. "Thank you for getting me out. But we—we shouldn't talk." Again, Gale's eyebrows collide and a scowl takes hold of his mouth. "Not here," Jon adds, and then he's working again.
Gale stares at his co-worker another minute before turning back to his computer. He fires it up and logs into her account, receiving access to his files. There isn't as much privacy here as there was in his old cubicle so it's harder for him to look up accounts he has no business in, but Gale makes straight for the Zen account as soon as he can. He's inserted the sever scrambler so if anyone was to trace the computer they'd find nothing, and the chip at the same time so he can download everything he finds.
There's a connection between the Zen account and the Reynold's account, as well as some other high names around District 2. By the time his shift is over Gale feels closer to discovering who at least one of the people leading the Underground is, and from there discovering the others.
When Gale leaves he stops at Jon's desk. The man looks up and blinks a few times before looking away.
"What's gotten into you?" Gale asks. "I know you're shaken from what happened, but—"
"Don't go home," Jon says quietly. His eyes are stuck on his desktop screen. "Trust me. Don't go home."
Gale shakes his head, "Why?" But Jon doesn't respond, and Gale notices that the man's hands are shaking. He takes a step backwards. "What did you do?" Gale rasps, suddenly fearing the worst. "Who did you talk to?!"
"I didn't know," the man croaks, "but I—just, don't, Gale!" Gale grabs Jon's shirt and pulls him away from the prying eyes, into the men's bathroom, and locks the door. He throws Jon against the wall, his eyes burning. "I made a mistake!" he yells again.
"What. Did. You. Do."
"After it happened," Jon starts, rubbing his hands over his face and trying to spit the story out as fast as he can. "I was just talking. Talking around. Making sure people were okay. There was this guy, he looked so mad. I hadn't seen him before. Thought he must've worked in a different part of the building. I thought it was because he'd lost a day of work. Some people are crazy like that!"
"Get on with it!"
"This guy, he, he said something, I didn't think anything of it. Wondering about who knew, wondering about the fire alarm. I told him I saw you get up and pull it." Gale sinks backwards, he'd swore no one was watching. "Did you know, Gale? That something was happening?"
"You told him my name?" he asks.
"I didn't think anything of it!" Jon nearly shouts. "'Gale.' 'Gale Hawthorne? From the Star Squad?' I thought he was just curious!" Jon's still shaking, his hands opening and closing frantically as though he's trying to calm himself. "This morning I saw him again, and he—he gave me money. He thanked me for telling him about you."
"What'd he look like?" Gale demands. "Tell me!"
"Short. Brown, no, blonde hair?" Jon squeezes his eyes together. "Brown hair," he says. "Brown eyes. His voice, it was smooth." Gale's mentally flipping through people in his head. "He had a beard, it was darker than his hair color. Almost black, but not yet. His teeth were so white…"
"Listen to me," Gale strides forward. "You can't tell anyone about this," he growls. "Do you understand?"
"I don't," Jon admits, shaking his head. "You saved us, Gale! You saved so many people! And I'm worried he was involved, and if you go home—"
"You need to get out of this building," Gale says, commanding his voice to stay as sincere as possible. "You need to go to your house. I'll call you tomorrow. Until then, you can't talk to anyone. Do you hear me?" Jon blinks a few times, not registering what Gale's telling him. "I need you to trust me, Jon."
"I do," the man responds. "You saved us."
"Then do this for me," Gale please.
"Don't go home," Jon says again. "For me."
Gale shakes his head. That's not an option. He reminds Jon another time to keep to himself before returning to the bathroom door, unlocking it, and sprinting for the exit. He needs to get home as soon as he possibly can.
"Madge?" Gale pushes open the door hesitantly, scared to find something he doesn't want to see. The house is still. He steps inside and shuts the door behind him. "Madge?" Gale tries again, desperation in his tone. "You here?"
He strides into the bedroom—empty. The living room—empty. In the kitchen where Madge would normally be preparing dinner he finds it ransacked. The Tablet that holds all of their information, Gale checks for it right away, is missing. So is Madge.
On the table is a white piece of paper with a quickly scrawled out number in dark ink. Gale reaches for the phone on the wall and dials right away, forgetting his training to alert Haymitch of something like this and needing answers right now.
"Agent Hawthorne," a cool voice answers on the first ring. It's a man and his voice is like silver.
"Who is this?" Gale growls. He spins around, still desperately hoping to find some sign of Madge somewhere. "What do you want? Where's—"
"Margaret's with me," the man responds. "Oh, she's a lovely thing. All soft and warm. Curvy." Gale feels his blood run cold. He stops spinning and struggles to place his thoughts. "So full of sunshine."
There's a muffled scream in the background that might be her, but Gale is still holding out. "Prove it," he croaks.
The phone rustles a bit and then there's a gasp for air, "Fuck you!" Madge screams. Her voice is full of fear and Gale's brain kicks into overdrive. "Don't tell him anything! Gale don't tell—" her voice is cut off when a sharp smack echoes through the air. He hit her. Whoever the fuck he is, he hit her.
"Let her go," Gale croaks. "You fucking bastard, let her go!" He swallows the terror pulsing through his veins and takes a deep breath. "Let her go or I swear to God I'll kill you."
"I think you'd try regardless," the man responds. "Here's what's going to happen. You're going to give me the name of your direct supervisor and their current location. And then I'll leave Margaret here for you to retrieve, if you still want her."
"Don't do it," Madge is saying. Her voice is resigned, scared, tired. "Gale, don't do it."
"That's not going to happen," Gale grits.
"Then she gets a bullet in the head," he answers.
"Don't tell him, Gale!" Madge screams. "Gale, remember what we talked about. Remember what we talked about! Don't you tell him anything!"
At the sound of a gun cocking he panics. Gale ignores his training. He ignores the fact that he could blow this entire operation to bits. Because all he sees is Madge restrained with fear glistening in her blue eyes. He sees her limp body. A bullet in the brain. Her blood pooling on the ground beneath her. And he refuses to accept that.
"Abernathy," Gale croaks. It becomes automatic. "Four Springs in District 7. Room 215."
Gale hears the gun fire, and then the line goes dead.
After listening to the dial tone Gale's brain immediately kicks into overdrive. He dials the emergency hotline which will get Haymitch to a safe place before anything is to happen to him (as well as Gale's family back in 12 who have had a secret agent watching over them this whole time), and then dials Tyrell and Georgia. He can't breathe. He can't fucking breathe.
Making sure he has his cigarette case in his pocket Gale goes to the bedroom to pack a small bag but then realizes there might be traps here or maybe bugs the people left to track them. Gale sprints from the house and makes for the rendezvous point after making a few short turns and ducking through stores in case anyone was watching him.
When he meets Tyrell and Georgia they whisk him away to their home in the city, allowing Gale finally a chance to breathe.
"We received word before we left to meet you," Georgia tells him. "Haymitch got out safe."
"That means Madge isn't," Gale growls. He drops his head into his hands and tugs on his hair.
"The Underground isn't as sturdy as we are," Ty tells him. "And I doubt they have many people in District 7. If they're sending someone to find Haymitch they'll just walk into a trap but either way it would take them a while to get there. We have a few hours." Tyrell sinks onto the couch beside Gale and pulls out his Tablet. "If I can hack into the system I can locate where Madge's Tablet is, and hopefully she's there too."
"Do you know what this guy looks like?" Georgia asks.
"No," Gale shakes his head. But someone does. "There's a man. At my work. Jon. He tipped the guy off somehow. He's at his home, he could probably help you come up with a sketch."
"Give me his address and I'm on it," Georgia nods. Gale scribbles out the address and then she's gone, ready to help in the best way she can. Georgia's an incredible sketch artist and if anyone can get down a good look of the guy, she can.
Tyrell goes straight to work, hacking through the servers to get Madge's location. "We'll find her, Gale," he says softly. Gale's returned to placing his head in his hands, pulling on his hair and trying to swallow the hatred he feels for himself. Not only did he possibly throw away the entire operation, but also might've lost Madge in the process. "Just a few more minutes until I get a hold on the Tablet. Okay?"
Gale grunts, nodding his head. "Thanks, Ty," he murmurs.
Tyrell smiles at him and Gale lifts his head. Ty doesn't give any speeches, doesn't try and convince Gale that everything'll be alright. He just works until he has something. "Got it," he exhales. He turns the Tablet to Gale that shows a small green orb radiating. "It's stationary. This is our best bet." He taps a few buttons to get the location. "Looks like it's at one of the parts of the Nut that wasn't rebuilt."
Gale swallows thickly. The Nut was in his past. Madge is his current, and possible future, and he has to get to her now.
"I'm ready when you are," Gale rumbles.
After suiting up and making sure Ty's Tablet has enough energy to last them until they get to Madge, they start on the trip. The ruined part of the Nut is only about twenty minutes away from Ty and Georgia's, and the entire trip there makes Gale anxious. It feels good to have a gun in his hands again.
Either the gun went off and killed Madge like the man with cool voice threatened, or the gun that fired was not in Madge's direction. He can't even consider the first because it makes his chest hurt.
When they arrive at the Nut they take the necessary precautions. Gale wants to go right in but is talked out of it by Ty who isn't willing to risk his life. Tyrell does a scan with his Tablet and finds that there's only one body inside the crumbling ruins, and it's still warm but fading quick.
"It's either Madge or some sort of decoy," Ty tells him. "Let's go."
Gale doesn't hesitate to maneuver through the broken boards and bricks. He pushes past the dark memories that are surfacing, the time with the war, the bodies falling, and commands himself on. Soon enough they break through an opening and Gale scrambles across the floor.
"Madge," Gale croaks. She's restrained to a chair like he thought but there's no blood. There's a hole in the wall where a bullet must've gone through, letting a strand of light stream into the room. "Madge!" She may not have been shot but she's not conscious. Her eye is swelling up, her lip is split, her head is rolled back. Gale runs to her and cups her cheek, finding her body limp. "Madge, c'mon, c'mon," he taps her cheeks and presses one of his hands to her jugular, relieved to find a heartbeat no matter how slow it is. "Madge," Gale pleads.
"Gale, she might've been drugged," Ty says. He's found the Tablet on the floor, the screen cracked, void of any information. "They took all your notes."
"We've got backups on the servers," Gale says. He fumbles to untie her wrists and pulls Madge into his arms, gently throwing her over his shoulder. "We've got to get out of here."
They take her back to Tyrell and Georgia's, Gale taking a pinprick of her finger to find out what's in Madge's system. While Tyrell runs the test Gale lays her down on the bed in the spare room and waits for her to wake. He treats her wounds the best he can, using Capitol made products that will heal them quickly.
Hours later when her eyelids flutters and Gale's heart soars with relief her bruise is nearly gone. She squints into the room and Gale leans forward, cupping her cheek. "Gale?" she croaks. Her voice is raspy, dry. He leans back, fumbling for the glass of water Tyrell brought in earlier for when she woke. He hands it to her and she drinks greedily, propping herself up on her elbows to finish it. When she's done he grabs it, placing it back on the nightstand. "You broke oath," she forces out.
"I know," he murmurs.
"For me," she adds.
Gale swallows, nodding again. "I know," he repeats. Gale moves to sit on the edge of the bed. She grabs his hand, her eyebrows coming together. "I—I had to."
"You should've let me die," she tells him. Madge's eyes are filling with tears, her chin is quivering. "I was ready. I knew I was ready." But Gale's shaking his head vehemently, squeezing her fingers as fat tears roll down her cheeks. He reaches forward to brush them away gently, not wanting to hurt her. "Haymitch—"
"He's fine," Gale whispers. "He got out, he's fine."
"But now they know he's—"
"There's no proof," Gale tells her. Everything's been risky but they've gotten lucky. "And you're alive. And it was worth it." Still, her chin is quivering and her cheeks are wet. "I was wrong," he rasps. "I know that. I know I was wrong by giving him Haymitch's name and I was wrong to not think things through today but I—" the door cracks open and Tyrell peers in, his face incredibly happy as he enters.
"Hey," Ty cheers. "You're up." Madge wipes at her eyes and nods, smiling in his direction. "We did a blood test on you. Trace amounts of morphling in your system. You'll be okay."
"Mm," Madge dips her head. "Thanks, Ty." She looks toward Gale and then back at Tyrell again. "Can you give us a minute?" she asks.
"Of course," he nods. "Georgia just got back with the sketch of the guy. Just send Gale when you wanna talk."
"No problem." Ty shuts the door and she turns back to Gale. There's a long pause before she says anything. "You told me you would die for this," Madge whispers.
"I would," Gale nods. He means that. He wouldn't give up a damn thing if someone tried to beat it out of him. He would rather die in pieces at gunpoint or from loss of blood or any of those things then tell anyone what he was doing. "But the moment I heard your voice…" Gale shakes his head. "I'd give my own life. Not yours." Madge blinks a few times before reaching forward, her fingers brushing his cheek. "I couldn't let you die, Madge," he murmurs. "I can't. I will always put you before the mission."
He's lost too many people, and though he didn't know it before he can't lose Madge Undersee. A life without her would be the end of it for him.
"Gale…" he places his hand over hers. "What are you saying?"
"I…" can he say it? Looking in the eyes of Madge his chest feel warm. "The war," he tries, looking away from her. "It's… it's made me…"
"Gale," Madge tips his chin up to make him look at her. "The war's been hard on both of us," she whispers. "I lost my whole family. You've been through so many things. I know it's been hard." Gale's nodding, feeling a pain behind his eyes he can't quite explain. "And this, the two of us doing this…" her chin quivers and he moves so he can pull her onto his lap. Gale pins his forehead to hers, cradling her cheeks gently. "You always, you told me we're just co-workers," she sniffles.
"I want more than that," he breathes.
"It…" Madge blinks hard and gnaws on her bottom lip. "It wouldn't be realistic. We… we would put each other before our duties and—"
"I already did that," Gale tells her. "Today. In case you forgot." Madge's mouth curls upwards. "I didn't, until you were in danger I didn't…" Madge tilts her head back and their noses brush. He can feel her warmth breath against his lips. "I've made a lot of mistakes," he croaks.
"I know that," she whispers. "But Gale… you saved my life."
It's what we do, he thinks.
He says, "Because I love you."
Her lips meet his immediately. Madge slides her hands behind his neck, pulling him in as close as she can. They've kissed before, God they've kissed before but never like this, never for themselves. Gale's hands don't know what to do, first knotting in her hand and then grabbing her shoulders, then her hips. When her tongue slips into his mouth Gale groans, desperate to have all of her. They roll on the bed so Madge is beneath him.
She winces a little and Gale pulls away. "Fuck," he cups her cheeks, looking her up and down. "I'm sorry, I—"
"I'm fine," she breathes, shaking her head. "Kiss me again." He does as she asks and Madge pulls him closer. The second her hands slide up under his shirt there's a gentle knock on the door.
"Madge?" Georgia calls.
Gale breaks the kiss breathing heavily, and in the dim light of the room her eyes twinkle. "I know you made mistakes," she whispers. He dips again, needing to kiss her. "I love you anyway. I have, Gale. I have." Georgia knocks again and Madge slides her ankles around Gale's waist, pulling him close. "I love you," Madge tells him.
"I love you," he echoes.
They say it, again and again. Another knock.
"We should open the door," Madge whispers. Gale shakes his head, kissing her again. He never thought really kissing Madge would feel like this. "Gale…" How's he waited so long for this? There's another knock. His lips move down her throat, her fingers knot in his hair.
The door swings open, Haymitch standing in the doorway. Gale rolls off of Madge and she sits up quickly.
"You're a load of shit, Hawthorne," Haymitch grumbles.
The lecture lasts for a few hours. The threat of being taken off the case. The threat of execution for breaking code. It's directed at Gale but Madge argues in defense of him, never letting go of his hand. Gale apologizes profusely but Madge shushes him.
"You saved my life," Madge tells Gale. "All they have is a name. And what are they going to do with a name? Nothing, Haymitch."
He glares at Gale, then shifts his gaze to Madge. "I want you two off this case."
"Absolutely not!" Madge yells. "We're closer than ever to this, Haymitch! I've seen the man, and I've—I know who's involved. We can make arrests before this goes any further." She holds up the sketch that Georgia brought back. "I've seen him before today," she says. "At a party. His name's Jefferson."
"And what's he's in charge of?" Haymitch frowns.
"Weaponry. He's Long Ed."
Gale shakes his head, "How do you know that, Madge?"
"His ring." She looks at Gale. "When we first met the Reynolds I put a bug on Helga's diamond ring." She looks back at Haymitch. "She's Dona Dim." Madge explains how she figured it all out. As Jefferson held a gun to her head it all clicked into place. It's their rings. She grabs Ty's Tablet and pulls up a reference list, cross matching names with rings. "I know it doesn't seem like a lot but it is. I've been listening to these people talking for months, everything they do is in code."
"There're five of them?" Haymitch asks, taking the Tablet to see what Madge is showing him.
"And every Thursday night is when they have their meeting. Tonight. There's a decoy group that meets as well, trying to set people off. Haymitch, I know it sounds crazy but I know it's true."
He takes the Tablet and stands. "You two stay here," he tells them, starting for the door. "We'll contact you in the morning."
Ty and Georgia let them have the spare bedroom.
"They're going to make moves," Madge says, pacing the room. She balls her hands into fists and unclenches them. "Tonight. Without us."
"You're in no state to make arrests anyway," Gale tells her. "And in the long run it would blow our covers." Madge turns to Gale who's sitting on the edge of the mattress. "If we charge into their meeting zone and end up being wrong? We'd be fucked." Madge sighs, sinking into the seat beside him. Gale grabs her hand. "I want to go, too, Madge. It's just not logical." He reaches up, brushing her bruised cheek. "I really want to go," he murmurs. "But I'd rather be here with you."
"We're so close to catching them," Madge says, leaning into his hand. "And then it'd all be over."
"Not all of it," Gale shakes his head. They're under oath. They could be reassigned a mission if they wanted. "Just this branch of it." Madge nods and exhales. "It's been a long day," Gale whispers. "You should get some sleep. Okay?" Madge blinks a few times before shaking his head. Instead, she arches up and presses her lips to his. Gale melts into her, cradling her cheeks gently. Madge lays back in bed and pulls him with her, sliding her hands up his chest under his shirt. When she fumbles to get it over his head Gale breaks the kiss. "Madge?"
"I want this," she breathes. "Please, Gale."
He's nodding at once, sliding his own hands up her hips and under her shirt. His hands burn when they touch her skin and she sighs into his mouth.
"Have you done this before?"
Madge laughs, throwing her head back as he nibbles down her throat. "Yes, Gale, I've done this before." He pulls away to give her a look and she laughs again. "It just wasn't very good in the closets of District 13."
"The closet—what?" his eyes bulge. Madge arches to get his lips again and he meets her with fervor. "I'll make it good," he whispers, parting. "But you should try to be quiet."
"Mm…"
Madge wakes up pressed into Gale's side. His body is warm and his thumb is rubbing across her hip. She looks up at him and he smiles sleepily.
"You've been holding out on me, Hawthorne," Madge murmurs, pressing her face back into his chest. He chuckles, tugging her closer. "We've been at this for six months and you just—"
"Quiet, Undersee," he laughs. She peers up at him again and his smile slips. "I don't think I've called you that in a long time."
"Not since 13," she says. Gale lifts his hand from her hip and reaches up to brush her cheek. "I'm so used to being Madge Hawthorne now," Madge tells him. "I forget I'm still Undersee."
"Whether or not we were actually married, you'd still be Undersee." She nods a few times, looking away from him. "We should go get breakfast, or something. Ty and Georgia are probably—"
"Yeah," she nods. "Besides, there might be news." Gale bends down and kisses her quickly before moving away from her and sliding out of bed. After hurriedly pulling on an assortment of clothing and deeming themselves presentable they exit their guest room to find Ty and Georgia. They're at the kitchen table with a pot of coffee waiting for Gale and Madge, and they smile when they see them. "Morning."
"Morning," they both call back. After grabbing their own mugs Madge and Gale take the seats across from Ty and Georgia. "Wanna read the paper?" Ty asks, sliding it in their direction.
On the front headline in big bold words.
Underground Over – Shocking Discovery of District 2 Elites!
After a morning celebration full of cheers and laughter, everything is a blur. Haymitch wants them out of District 2 immediately and by afternoon, after saying goodbye to Ty and Georgia, they're on a hovercraft that's taking them back to 13.
The seats are comfortable and Gale has never felt more at ease with his arm around Madge's shoulder. She snuggles into him, her bruises mostly gone from her kidnapping just a day ago.
"How did this end so quickly?" Gale murmurs. Madge wraps her arm around Gale's chest, hugging him from the side. "We gave them a few names. They got them in the middle of the night. And now we're onto something new?"
"It would appear so," Madge says. Gale's always preferred the action when it comes to an arrest, but with his and Madge's position in intelligence they don't get to do it often. "Maybe you could switch. To one of the teams that makes the arrests." He looks down at her but she's stubbornly staring at his chest. "You like that part more."
"I mean, yes, I do," Gale nods. "But…" he shakes his head.
Madge looks up now. "But what?"
"But I'd need you with me," he tells her. "If I switched. I wouldn't… we've been at this too long."
Madge's lips curl upwards. "So you want to keep this up? The two of us?"
"It works," he nods. And he can't let her go now. "No matter where they send me, I need you by my side." He doesn't think he trusts anyone more than he trusts Madge Undersee.
"What about when it's all over?" she asks. "When we get out?"
"I'll need you then, too," Gale tells her. He dips down, pressing his forehead to hers. "What do you say to that?"
She arches and kisses him quickly. "I'd say bring it on," Madge whispers.
A/N: Happy Gadge week! I know the ending is quick and abrupt but I don't know a hella lot about spies and I wanted to leave it open for possible follow ups in this universe! I hope you liked it!