Chapter Text
11 minutes after The Break Up -The Stairwell.
Ever since Madge had noticed that her favorite skinny jeans had become a little uncomfortable she’s been taking steps to be healthier; opting for tea instead of hot chocolate at Starbucks, getting off the subway a stop early and walking the rest of the way, only having one slice of Peeta’s red velvet cake instead of two, that kind of thing.
At work, she takes the elevator to her thirteenth floor office; the object is to lose weight, not give herself a heart attack after all. But at home, she takes the stairs to the fourth floor apartment she shares with her friend Katniss. As far as she can tell, she's the only resident in the building who even knows there is a stairs.
So she's surprised to find Gale Hawthorne sitting on the stairs between the third and fourth floors. His head in his hands and his whole body shaking. It takes her a moment to understand that he’s crying. She doesn’t have to wonder why. She can guess.
He hasn’t seen her yet, and there’s no way she wants to alert him to her presence. She backs away slowly intending to go back down to the third and take the elevator up to her own floor. But her shoes squeak on the faded linoleum and Gale’s head shoots up, trapping her in the heat of his gaze.
They’re both as still as statues for a moment. Madge is struck by how devastated he looks. Gale is not her favorite person, but her heart immediately goes out to him. It’s compassion that compels her up the steps towards him. “Gale-”. She can hear the pity in her own voice and cringes.
“Don’t. Just don’t,” Gale spits. “You never thought I was good enough for her so don’t pretend to be sorry now. You got what you wanted.”
“I’m-”
He shakes his head furiously and storms past her down the stairs. The sound of his feet echoing is gone by the times she moves on.
She finds Katniss sitting on the couch in their living room. She’s staring into space. She looks upset but dry-eyed. “I broke up with Gale,” she says. Madge can hear the pain in her voice.
“You did the right thing,” Madge says gently. “You’re not in love with him. It’s better for everybody to be honest with him. He’ll see that, one day.” Madge doesn’t tell her about finding Gale crying in the stairwell. She doesn’t know if it’s for Katniss’ sake, or Gale’s.
3 weeks After The Break Up - Molly Malone’s Sports Bar.
Madge passes Molly Malone's Sports Bar almost every day, but has never been inside. She's never been inside any sports bar, for that matter, nor cares to rectify that. But her colleague at work has had a baby and named her Molly; and Molly Malone’s sells t-shirts in all sizes, with their logo of a baby drinking milk from a re-purposed Guinness bottle emblazoned on the front. Madge thinks it will be a cute gift for the baby.
It’s early in the evening when she calls in, so it’s not very busy yet but it’s more crowded than she expected. She tells the bar-tender what she’s looking for. There’s no baby-sized t-shirts behind the bar, but he knows there’s some in the stockroom and goes in search of them. Madge looks around the room as she waits. Her eyes almost immediately land on Gale Hawthorne. He’s with a group of friends in in a booth, sharing a plate of wings and drinking beer. He’s scruffier than she’s ever seen him before. She wonders if growing a beard is the male equivalent of a post-breakup haircut for girls.
She looks away quickly and hopes he doesn’t see her. She’s not entirely sure what the protocol is in situations like this. They’re not friends exactly, but she knows him and years of etiquette lessons have drilled politeness into her. Though the last thing she wants is another encounter with Gale. It’s very likely he doesn’t want to talk to her either, so it would be impolite to impose herself on him, she decides. Better to pretend she hasn’t seen him and make a quick getaway. She wills the bartender to hurry back so she can execute her plan.
Madge becomes aware of a presence at her elbow, and when she lifts her eyes she finds Gale standing beside her. Her heart sinks. He’s not here to talk to her about the game last night; he wants to talk about Katniss. She mentally curses the bartender for being so slow and gives Gale a polite smile. “Hi Gale,” she injects just a hint of surprise in her greeting.
“Madge,” he replies.
“I’m just picking up a gift for my friend Lydia. She’s just had a baby and named her Molly. So I thought it would be cute to get her a t-shirt from here.” Maybe if she keeps talking, the bartender will get back before Gale has a chance to ask any awkward questions.
Gale’s not having it. He interrupts her bluntly. “Is she dating him yet?”
She looks down and runs her finger over a watermark on the highly polished surface of the bar. She feels so uncomfortable. Why did she come in here? Why couldn’t she have just bought a cute onesie like everybody else? “Lydia? She’s married.”
Gale cuts his eyes at her. He’s pissed at her, but she can seen he’s in pain too. He needs to know.
Madge considers her answer. Are Katniss and Peeta dating yet? He’s been a near permanent fixture in the apartment since Katniss broke up with Gale. He’s been spending the nights there too. They talk and text all the time when he’s not there. They cuddle on the couch, and hold hands when they think Madge can’t see. Katniss denies they’re in a relationship and they haven’t technically been on any dates yet.
“No,” Madge says. “Not yet.” It’s not the whole truth, but it’s not a lie either. She hopes Gale takes note of the ‘yet’, in case he’s fostering any hopes of a reunion with his ex.
Gale smirks bitterly. “But they are fucking.”
She looks down at the watermark again, unable to look at the pain in his eyes.
Gale makes a sound of despair and sinks onto a bar-stool. He rubs his face, trying to get himself under control before going back to his friends. Madge worries he might start crying. She wants to reach out and offer some sort of comfort, but she knows he wouldn’t welcome it. So she wraps her arms around herself instead.
They might not be friends exactly, but she hates seeing him like this. She feels a need to say something to him. “Nothing happened between them while you were with her.”
Gale snorts. “Nothing physical, maybe. But you can’t honestly tell me that there was nothing between them before she broke up with me. There’s more to cheating than just sex.”
“I’m sorry,” she says in a small voice. It’s pathetic, but she doesn’t know what else to say. He’s right. Katniss and Peeta have something special, and it began while she was dating Gale. He has every right to be hurt and angry by Katniss’ betrayal.
Finally the bartender returns, apologizing for the delay. Madge pays him for the t-shirt but doesn’t leave right away. She lingers by Gale. She doesn’t want to be stuck with him, but she feels she should stay. Maybe it’s guilt, because she knew that Peeta and Katniss were falling in love and rooted for them without ever really giving much thought to how it would affect Gale.
“Go,” he says without looking up.
She shifts from foot to foot for a moment before deciding to just do as he says. She can’t do anything for him, and he’s in a bar with his friends after all. He’ll get wasted and they’ll take care of him. “OK. I’ll see you around, Gale.”
He catches her wrist gently before she leaves. She looks at him in surprise. When she meets his eyes, she sees unshed tears there, and her heart clenches in sympathy for him.
“Thanks for being honest with me,” he says.
She nods and bolts.
4 months after The Break Up - Panem Town Square.
Shortly before Christmas, in a South American country Madge would have a difficult time locating on a map, a hill collapses. It kills dozens of the miners digging away underneath it and causes a landslide that wipes out a number of small towns and villages, killing scores of people and leaving thousands homeless.
Coming a week before the twelfth anniversary of the Panem mine collapse, it strikes a chord with the residents of Madge’s home town. The mayor’s office organizes a drive to collect food and clothing to send out to the stricken families and survivors. Madge is home for Christmas. Her mother is unwell and she’s taking some time off work to help care for her. She volunteers to help out with the drive. Amongst the other volunteers, she meets Katniss’ little sister, Primrose, now a med student.
The sheer generosity of the people of Panem is staggering and the small band of volunteers are soon swamped. They call for reinforcements. Prim calls Katniss who’s busy, but Peeta comes in her stead, with a box of fresh doughnuts for everyone helping out.
Gale Hawthorne arrives near lunchtime, laden down with heavy looking bags and accompanied by his little sister. Madge watches warily as he approaches her station. As far as she knows, it’s the first time he and Peeta have been in the same room since the break-up. She expects fireworks and can only hope that Posy’s presence will help keep a lid on matters.
“Hey,” Gale grunts and heaves one of the bags onto the table in front of her. “Baby clothes.”
Madge goes through the contents of the bag. As he said, it’s all baby clothes and blankets. Most of it is hand-knitted, it all looks new and unused. She wonders where it came from.
Gale must sense her question. “Ma likes to knit, so she makes a lot of baby clothes and stockpiles it until someone she knows has a baby. Because our baby is too big for them now.” He touches the top of Posy’s head and messes her hair a little in an affectionate gesture. Posy was born two weeks after the disaster at the mine that killed her father.
“This is really great, thank you so much,” Madge says, touched by their thoughtfulness.
“The food goes over there,” Posy says, pointing to the station manned by Peeta and Prim.
Gale’s expression darkens as he lays eyes on Peeta, currently playing some kind of slapping game with Prim.
“You know, you can just leave all your bags here and I’ll sort it,” Madge interjects, hoping to avoid a confrontation between the two.
“The bag is really heavy,” Posy says, nudging Gale to do his job. He lifts up the bag with a grunt and carries it over to the table. Madge follows them over, ready to intervene if necessary.
Prim and Peeta have stopped playing and watch him approach. Madge can see that Peeta is nervous, but Prim is smiling and she rushes out to hug Posy and gush over how tall and pretty she’s gotten. When Gale leaves the bag on the table, she hugs him too.
“Hi stranger,” Prim says. “You look great. Nice beard.”
For the first time, Madge really looks at Gale. The scruff he was sporting last time she saw him as grown into a full beard. Usually beards do nothing for her, but Gale can really pull it off.
“I’ve always said the Hawthornes got all the best genes,” Prim teases. She looks to Peeta for his agreement. He makes a noncommittal sound and keeps unpacking the bag Gale brought without looking up.
“I want him to dye it white for Christmas, but he won’t because he’s a Grinch,” Posy giggles.
Gale gives her a half-hearted smile.
“Oh that would be awesome,” Prim agrees, clapping her hands. “You should do it for our Christmas party.”
“I’m not going to the party,” Gale says bluntly.
Prim’s expression falls. “What? Why not? You have to come.”
Gale shrugs. “I just don’t feel like spending Christmas Eve with my ex-girlfriend and the guy she cheated on me with.” He glares at Peeta, daring him to argue. Peeta continues to unpack and refuses to meet Gale’s eyes.
Prim looks between the two of them, ready to argue with Gale and confused by Peeta’s unwillingness to defend Katniss.
“Let’s go, Pose,” Gale says, walking away. Posy shoots Peeta a very impressive glare and follows after him.
“Is that true?” Prim asks, she sounds like she’s close to tears.
“It’s complicated, Prim,” Madge says when Peeta stays silent. “And this is not the best place to talk about it.”
Prim nods and goes back to helping Peeta, but the earlier camaraderie and closeness between them is gone and for the rest of the morning they work in silence. Madge fumes at Gale.
She’s further pissed off when they next four donations are clearly from people just trying to get rid of junk. One bag contains fourteen faded bikinis and several pairs of worn out flip-flops. She feels like throwing them back at the donor.
At that point, Madge decides she needs a break in case she yells at the next person; so she eats her lunch quickly in a back room and braves going outside for a walk. Even though it’s freezing, she needs the air. There’s some kind of Christmas market taking place in the park opposite so she crosses over to take a look. She diverts her path when she spots Gale sitting on a bench, his long legs stretched out in front of him.
Madge stomps over to him. “You know, that was a real douche move,” she spits out.
He looks completely unruffled by her presence. “Yeah, but I owed him one.”
“Why would you say that to Prim? It was so mean. You really upset her.”
Gale scowls at her. “All I did was tell her the truth. Am I supposed to be sorry that she found out that Perfect Peeta isn’t actually flawless?” He stands up to go, but whirls around and jabs his finger almost in Madge’s face. “I’m sick of everybody acting like Peeta is a fucking saint. The guy is an asshole. He knew Katniss had a boyfriend and still went after her. Now the Everdeen’s think he’s the second coming and I’m…” He deflates and shakes his head. “Forget it. You don’t care.” he flops down onto the bench again, looking defeated.
She could just go. There’s no reason at all to stay. Yet, she finds herself perching beside him on the bench.
They sit in silence for a long time, watching kids playing on the swings. Madge realizes that one of them is Posy.
She's surprised when Gale starts talking. “Before Katniss and I dated, we were best friends. Her family was like my family. I love Prim like a sister. Since Katniss broke up with me, they haven’t texted or called me once. It’s like I never mattered because now they have Saint Peeta, the Perfect.”
Madge reaches out and pats his arm. “You know, Peeta’s not perfect.”
“Yeah? Name me three faults he has,” Gale says dryly.
Three? Why did she open her big mouth? It takes her a minute to think of even one because Peeta is actually the closest to perfect that she knows.
“Um… he always leaves the toilet seat up. Always.”
Gale rolls his eyes. “OK, that’s barely one.”
“No,” she insists. “That’s a big fault. I nearly broke my tail bone one night because of it. You never left it up.” It’s a quality she took for granted until Peeta started spending so much time at their apartment. She has a memory of Gale once telling a really funny story about how Posy trained all her brothers to put the toilet seat down when she was six.
Gale must be thinking of the same thing because he grins affectionately in his sister's direction. “Got any more?”
Just as Madge is afraid that she’s going to have to lie and make up a flaw, another one jumps into her brain. “Yes. He always clips his toe nails in the living room, and they must grow at twice the speed of normal toe nails because I swear, the living room carpet is covered in his toe nail clippings. Every time I walk on it, I find another one. It’s disgusting.” She shudders at the thought.
She expects Gale to laugh, but he just looks at her sadly. “Sounds like he’s living with you guys.”
Damn it. “Pretty much,” she admits reluctantly.
“Happy Christmas to me,” Gale mutters. He pushes himself to his feet. “I should get Posy home.”
“Wait,” Madge jumps up so she’s facing him. “There’s a third... Peeta knew Katniss was in a relationship and he still pursued her. That was really a douche move.
He nods once in appreciation. “Happy Christmas, Madge.”
11 months after The Break Up - Miguel’s Pizzeria and Jazz Bar.
Madge isn’t really into Scott, she’s hoping he’ll let their relationship fizzle out. But when he calls her to ask her to dinner on Saturday night, she says yes. She’s looking for a distraction. Her mother’s condition has taken a turn for the worst and it’s really only a matter of time now.
Two minutes after Scott picks her up, she realizes she should have said no and gone to the movies by herself instead. But he tells her that he’s booked a table at her favorite restaurant so she resolves to just enjoy the meal and cry off with a headache afterwards.
Miguel’s is heaving when they arrive. It’s a hugely popular spot and even with a booking, there’s always a wait to be seated. So they get drinks at the bar and try to find seats on the leather couches. It’s packed and Madge doesn’t think they have a hope of finding a place to sit until she feels a tap on her shoulder.
It’s Gale. He’s sitting on a couch with an incredibly gorgeous woman beside him. They squeeze up to make room for her to sit. Scott perches on the armrest.
“Hey, I almost didn’t recognize you without your beard,” Madge exclaims.
Gale rubs his chin. The beard is gone, but there’s still some stubble. Not for the first time, Madge is struck by how handsome he is. Prim was right. He did get all the best genes. “This is Rain. Rain, this is Madge. She’s… uh, a friend from home.”
Madge shakes Rain’s hand and introduces Scott.
“So, Gale and Rain,” Scott says. “That’s an ominous coupling.”
Gale laughs like somebody who’s really over that joke already.
“Actually, my full name is Rainbow,” Rain chirps.
From the way, Gale bites his lip to keep from laughing and turns his head away from Rain, Madge can tell this is brand new information to him. She stifles her own laughter.
Rain and Gale chat with them for a minute before the server tells them their table is ready, leaving Madge with her date.
Maybe it’s because her head is full of her mother, but Madge finds Scott to be extra obnoxious tonight and by dessert she’s lost all patience and breaks up with him. He calls her a bitch and storms out, leaving her with the bill.
As she’s waiting to pay, she finds herself standing beside Gale.
“Is everything OK?” he asks. “I saw your date leave.”
“Ugh,” Madge shakes her head in annoyance, she doesn’t even want to waste her breath talking about him. “Good riddance. How was your date? Where’s Rainbow?”
“She’s in the ladies room,” Gale says, checking over his shoulder to see if she’s returning. “I was just getting used to dating somebody called Rain! I keep trying to imagine a conversation where one adult says ‘hey, let’s call our baby Rainbow’ and the other adult says ‘ Good idea honey’. And I can’t.”
Madge snorts in laughter. “Yeah, what kind of weirdos name their child after a weather phenomenon, Gale?”
He grins. “Gale is an old family name.”
Madge grins. “Apart from her name, how was the date?”
“Good. I think.”
“You think?”
Gale shrugs. “Dating is so weird. I’ve never done it before. I’m used to hooking up at bars you know; that’s easy. And with Katniss, it just happened. It was natural. But with dating, there’s all these rules and conventions you have to follow. It feels like we’re playing some sort of game. And everybody else is on expert level and I’m only starting off.”
Madge knows he won’t have any trouble picking it up. A good looking guy like him, with his charm and a great job; he’d have no problem getting dates. “It looks like you’re doing OK so far, Rain is gorgeous.”
“Yeah, and she’s fun. I’m enjoying hanging out with her. But it’s not going to go anywhere.”
“You’re still getting over Katniss, it’s a process,” Madge tells him. “It’s good to see you dating, instead of moping.”
He laughs ruefully, straightening up as Rain joined them. “We’re going for a drink down the block, if you’d like to join us.”
“Thanks, but I’m going to go home and eat a lot of ice cream.”
They walk her out and insist on waiting until she’s in a cab. Madge waves them goodbye and watches them walk off, hand in hand. It makes her feel a little lonely.
18 months after The Break Up - Graveyard, Panem.
Madge is surprised at the large turnout for her mother’s funeral. Adelaide Undersee spent the better part of two decades quietly suffering in the confines of her own room. She rarely endured visits, and anybody who cared enough to attempt it in the beginning gave up as the years went by.
Sitting by the graveside, Madge runs her eyes over the crowd. It’s the only thing keeping her from crumbling to pieces now. Some people she recognizes easily; her father’s fellow politicians, or the nurses and care-workers who nursed her mother through her illness. Others she has to search her memory banks for, and try to recall names from her childhood. There are many others she doesn’t know at all, and whom she suspects are showing their faces to curry favor with her father rather than to say goodbye to her mother.
Standing at the back, head and shoulders above most of the people, is Gale Hawthorne. She’s not sure why he’s here, but she appreciates the gesture.
Afterwards, Madge wants to stay at the graveyard. She’s not ready to face a house full of people just yet, and there’s a peaceful, tranquil atmosphere at the graveyard. Her father offers numerous times to stay with her, but she assures him she’ll be fine and tells him to go. She knows that he’ll take strength from all the well-wishers at the house.
Madge gathers the cards from the flowers and sits on a stone bench close by her mother’s plot to read through them. After a while, she hears the sound of machinery and looks up to realize they’re about to fill in the grave. She can’t watch that, and jumps up. She’s still not ready to go home, but she doesn’t want to leave the graveyard either, so she walks around the many paths weaving through the plots.
For the first time in days, she feels a sense of peace. She’s glad to see the graveyard like this; bright and sunny and full of flowers and greenery. It helps her imagine her mother somewhere similar, peaceful and happy and finally free of the torment of her illness.
She almost trips over Gale before she sees him, sitting in front of a grave. A glance at the headstone tells her it’s his father’s.
He climbs quickly to his feet. “Madge, I’m sorry for your loss.”
She shakes his hand. “Thank you. Thank you for coming to the funeral.”
“Katniss is sorry she couldn’t make it. I was home for Rory’s 21st birthday, and she asked me to come on her behalf,” Gale tells her.
“Oh.” She didn’t know Katniss and Gale were in touch. Are they friends again? “Well, thank you. I knew Katniss couldn’t come, but I really appreciate you being here in her place.”
“I wanted to come,” Gale tells her. He glances at his father’s headstone. “She came down to the mines every day during the search and… She was very kind us. I’ve always remembered that. I wanted to pay my respects to her.”
Madge had never known that. After the mines collapsed, the schools had been closed and her father was incredibly busy organizing the search and rescue operations. She’d been sent away to stay with relatives. She’d always assumed her mother had spent that time in bed. She couldn’t picture her down at the mines with the frantic, grieving families. “Thank you. That’s really good of you, Gale. I really appreciate hearing that. I didn’t know she’d been there.”
Gale nods. “There were a lot of people here today who remembered her for that and came to pay their respects to her.”
She thinks of all the faces in the crowd today she had wondered about. The people she had thought were there to suck up to her father were there because they remembered a kindness her mother had shown them twelve years ago. The tears that Madge has been holding back all day are now streaming down her cheeks and nothing will stop them. She blindly fishes in her pockets for a tissue.
She tries to stop crying but the tears are coming faster and harder now. She's aware that Gale is awkwardly patting her back. In different circumstances she'd probably laugh. She can practically feel his discomfort. As her tears continue, Gale moves closer. His hand begins to stroke her back in slow circles. After a while, he slips his arm around her shoulder and gives her a side hug. It's weird and bizarrely nice at the same time. Eventually her sobs subside and she gets herself under control.
She pulls away, feeling embarrassed and opens her mouth to apologize.
But Gale gets there first. “It’s OK. I know what it’s like. Are you alright?”
She nods.
“Do you want me to walk you home?”
“No, thank you. I'm alright. I kind of want to be myself. But thank you, Gale, for everything.”
He gives her a small smile and pats her arm awkwardly. “No problem.”
She nods at him and walks away. Her heart is fuller than ever, but she feels lighter too.
1 year, 8 months after The Break Up - Madge’s new apartment (Maybe. Hopefully.).
One of Madge’s favorite things to do is to browse through property websites. Partly it’s out of sheer nosiness because she likes looking at other people’s apartments, especially if those people are millionaires and have incredible apartments. Mainly thought it's because she’s always had an interest in interior decoration and is looking for ideas and tips for when she has her own place. She dreams of having her own apartment in the city but buying is expensive so for a long time, her online property search is just daydreaming.
Shortly after her mother’s death, Madge learns she has inherited a large sum of money. Far more than she expected. She had always known there was a trust fund, but had believed the majority of it had been spent on her college tuition. She's shocked and stunned to learn that she has enough to buy a place of her own in the city. Finding a place she really loves turns out to be easier than anticipated. Her years of virtual snooping have given her an excellent insight into the city’s property market and a thorough list of what she is and isn't looking for.
She makes a list of places she wants to see and arranges appointments. Top of her list is a small, one bedroom apartment in a building that’s over a hundred years old. The price is high, due to it’s desirable location. But it’s been listed on various sites for months now and hasn’t been snapped up, so Madge senses a deal.
She drags Katniss along to view it. The apartment is even smaller than she imagined. Somebody has been very creative with the photographs they used online. It hasn’t been renovated in a long time; possibly forty years if the wallpaper in the bedroom is any indication. There’s a very funky smell emanating from the carpet. Madge realizes that any money saved on buying will be spent on renovating. Yet she loves it.
It has high ceilings and tall windows letting in plenty of light. It will be bright and airy in summer, and small and cosy in winter. It has most of the original features. Despite the odd smell, there's a wonderful feeling in the apartment. There’s so much potential. She can already envision herself sitting in a big armchair, by the window, reading a book; or making breakfast in the kitchen; or taking a long luxurious soak in the old-fashioned claw-footed tub, which she will definitely be keeping.
It's hard work keeping a lid on her enthusiasm and excitement in front of the realtor. Thankfully, Katniss is there to point out all the flaws and work that needs to be done. It helps gives the impression that Madge isn't that interested. Then the realtor asks if they'd like to view the apartment next door.
It turns out, the two small apartments were once one much larger apartment, divided in two by a previous owner looking to maximize the resale value. The second is pretty much the same condition, it's smaller but the décor is a little more modern and it doesn't smell nearly so bad. It's only been on the market for two days.
She feels certain that she can talk down the asking price for both, and renovate the two of them with the money she's inherited from her mother.
Katniss is the only thing that keeps Madge from making an offer on the spot. She manages to convince Madge to leave and think it over. They go back to the apartment she shares with Peeta and over pizza, Madge enthuses about the apartments they viewed while Katniss argues that buying the two is pointless and a waste of money. It's Peeta who advises Madge to get the opinion of a surveyor and an architect before making any decisions. “The renovation costs could be a lot more than you think,” he tells her.
When Madge asks if he can recommend anybody, it's Katniss who suggests she asks Gale. He's an engineer, not a surveyor or an architect, but he'll definitely be able to recommend somebody good.
And that's how Madge ends up emailing Gale. To her surprise, he's very interested and enthusiastic about the idea and emails her back with lots of questions. She's thrilled to have somebody knowledgeable to discuss it, she tells him all her plans and he's able to answer a lot of questions she has and offer some ideas of his own. After a few days of emails back and forth, Gale asks if he can see the apartments for himself.
Madge makes another appointment, and on Saturday afternoon she and the realtor meet Gale outside the building. They spend about an hour looking around the two apartments. Gale inspects everything, he points out features she missed and listens attentively as she giddily describes exactly how she envisions the remodeled apartment.
Afterwards they go for coffee in a place nearby so they can talk it over.
“So, what's the verdict?” she asks.
Gale pulls out his notebook. Madge loves that he made notes. “This is just my opinion, you still need to get an actual surveyor in. Structurally, it seems in good condition. There's no damp, the wiring seems sound, the building is well maintained, the original features are intact. The dividing wall should come down easily. I think that they need some work, but it's mainly cosmetic.”
Madge beams in relief. Her giddiness is off the charts now. “So, you don't think it's crazy to buy the two of them?”
“I think it was crazy to split the apartment in the first place. If you can afford the two, then yeah, I think you should go for it,” Gale says. “I think it will be incredible when it's done.”
“Thank you,” she smiles. She does a little happy dance in her seat. She itches to call up the realtor and make an offer. It's killing her to wait. What if somebody gets there first?
Gale tears out a page of paper from his notebook and copies some names from his phone on it. “For the surveying, call Gilbert. He's the best; if there's any problems at all, he'll catch it. I'll give you a couple of architects, but I think the best person for this job is Suzanna. She did a similar thing with her own apartment and she's incredibly good. The others would do a great job too, but I feel she's the best person for this job.”
Madge puts an asterisk beside Suzanna's name. “I really appreciate your help, Gale.”
He waves her thanks away. “It's fun. If I could afford it, I'd do something like this too,” he tells her.
“Everybody else thinks I’m crazy to buy two apartments,” Madge sighs.
Gale laughs. “Katniss told me that I was to talk you out of it. She might actually kill me for not doing what she said.”
“I sort of thought you'd feel the same way; that it was a waste of money to buy two when one would do,” Madge admits.
“Probably in the past I would have,” Gale admits. He takes a bite of his cake before continuing. “Katniss doesn't think you're crazy, by the way. It's just that she's so used to having to count every penny that it's almost impossible for her to imagine buying something you don't need. I was the same for a long time. It's one of the reasons we weren't good together. We never did anything we had to pay to do. Or if we did, it would be at the cheapest price possible. Like if we went to the movies, we'd sneak in bottle of water and share a small popcorn. I don't think we ever had a dessert each in the whole time we dated, we always shared.”
Madge points her fork at the chocolate cake he's devouring by himself. “What changed?”
“I started dating other people, and I quickly realized that most woman expect to have their own starter and dessert,” Gale says. He shrugs. “I don't know exactly. A lot of things changed once Katniss was out of the picture. I just realized it's OK to splash out now and again if can afford to.” He grins at her. “Besides, it's your money, not mine.”
Madge laughs. “Speaking of dating. How's that going for you? Is Rainbow still in the picture.”
“Rainbow, no that ended. I’m still dating, there's a few women, but nothing to tell my mother about. How about you?”
She shakes her head. “I'm not dating anyone at the moment. Since my Mom died, it just seems so shallow and pointless, you know? I think I’m done with dating. I want a relationship. I want something meaningful.”
“But how do you get that without dating?” Gale asks. “The only way to meet new people is by going to clubs and going on dates. It sucks. I can't picture ever having a real relationship like I had with Katniss with any of the women I date. Katniss and I were best friends first. We knew each other for years before we started dating. There was a deep connection there, real intimacy and understanding before there was ever anything sexual. It seems impossible to me to develop that kind of relationship with somebody you meet in a bar.” He blows out a breath. “Sorry for the rant.”
“No, it's fine. It's exactly how I feel,” Madge says. “I want to fall in love with my best friend.”
“You and Katniss would make a very cute couple,” Gale teases.
Madge slaps his hand. “Jerk.”
He grins at her, but his smile fades. “I miss being in a relationship.”
“Do you miss Katniss?”
He ponders that question for a while. “Yeah, I miss her. I miss what we had, what I thought we had. I miss our friendship. But that doesn't mean I want to get back together with her. I’m over that.”
Madge squeezes his hand. “You'll find it.”
“You will too,” he assures her. “It's another reason to buy the two apartments; It's an investment for when you have a family.”
“Yeah, you're right,” she says. She hadn't considered it before, but now she does. One day she'll share that apartment with somebody special. They'll cuddle up on the couch together, share their meals in the breakfast nook together and soak in that big tub together.
She wants it so badly, it hurts.
1 year, 11 Months after The Break Up - Panem National Park.
Independence Day Falls on a Friday this year, so Madge makes the four hour drive home to spend the long weekend with her father. She's been trying to get home more often since her mother's passing because she hates the idea of him rattling around in the big, empty house by himself. She's hinted at him selling it and getting a smaller place for himself but so far he's resisted any attempts to have a real discussion about it. He's been supportive of her new apartment, but she knows that he really wants her to return to Panem one day, hopefully with a brood of grandchildren in tow, and raise them in the family home.
They go to the town park to watch the fireworks display on Friday evening. Her father meets up with some friends, so Madge wanders off to soak up the atmosphere and hopefully find some of her own friends. Now that she's spending more time in Panem, she's trying to reconnect with her old friends who never moved away.
She doesn't find Delly or any of her school friends, but she does see Gale Hawthorne sitting on a bench eating doughnuts. He's by himself. It's hard to gauge his mood from a distance.
As she approaches him, he finishes one and immediately starts another.
“Hungry?” she asks as she takes a seat beside him.
He holds out the box for her to take one. “I'm comfort eating.”
She selects a doughnut from the box. So he knows. She's glad she doesn't have to keep it from him. “You're drowning your feelings in doughnuts?”
“I always bring Posy to watch the fireworks. But this year she told me she wanted to watch them with her friends instead.” He pouts adorably. “My baby sister is too cool for me.”
Oh. That's not what she expected him to say. Madge laughs, and holds her hand up to her mouth to prevent a spray of crumbs from her raspberry glaze. “She was always too cool for you, she was just being nice by hanging out with you before.”
Gale cuts his eyes at her. “That's mean, Undersee.”
“Sorry,” she says, though she's still grinning at the pitiful expression on his face.
He shakes off his glumness. “How's the renovation project going?”
Madge has been keeping him up to date with all the work, but she fills him in on anything that's happened since her last email to him. When she finishes, she realizes he's sitting up and staring at her with a gleam in his eye. “What?”
“Are you free for a couple of hours tomorrow night? Around seven?”
“Why?” She's not committing to anything until she knows what he has in store for her.
“I need help with a thing and you're just the person for the job.”
She sighs. She does owe him. “Fine, I’m free.”
“Great. It's slightly illegal. Wear good walking shoes.”
So the following evening, Gale pulls up outside her house in a green pick-up that looks vaguely familiar to her.
“Who does this belong to?” she asks as he pulls away.
“My friend Thom. You know him I think?”
She nods. “Delly's boyfriend? With the broken nose?”
“That's the guy,” Gale says with a chuckle. “Anyway, he's proposing to Delly tonight and he needs a little help to get it set up. That's where we come in.”
Madge squeals a little and grabs his arm. “Seriously? That's amazing! Oh my god, Delly will be so happy. This is so cool. I just had lunch with her today, and she has no idea. She's dying for him to propose.”
“That's good to know,” Gale says.
They drive a little way out of town, then Gale turns up an old dirt track that leads into the woods of the national park. It's a bumpy ride and Madge has to brace herself against the dash to prevent injuries. Eventually Gale comes a stop in an overgrown clearing.
“We have to walk the rest of the way,” he tells her, climbing out.
From the bed of the truck, he grabs several bags. Her hands her two. “Can you carry these? It should take us about ten minutes to get there.”
They're kind of heavy but Madge can manage them for ten minutes. Gale meanwhile slings a long bundle of cloth and sticks over his shoulder and grabs another two bags before heading off.
Madge follows in his footsteps. “What are we doing exactly and how is this slightly illegal?”
“Did Delly ever tell you about her first time with Thom?” Gale asks. At Madge's negative response he continues. “They were supposed to go camping, but then his brother-in-law fell off the roof and had to go to the hospital, and his sister went with him, so Thom and Delly ended up watching his nephews. They built a fort out of sheets for the boys and played camp out. And then when the boys went to bed, Thom and Delly crawled into the fort and desecrated it in very unholy ways.”
“That's cute.”
Gale nods. “Anyway, his idea is to set up a tent here in the woods and propose to her there. And it's kind of illegal because you're only supposed to camp in designated camping sites, but he wants to do it in this place because it's where they always hike out to.”
“Do you think they've desecrated that place in unholy ways too?” Madge jokes.
Gale pauses and frowns, the realization just hitting him. “Now I do.”
Madge laughs.
They reach the spot a few minutes later, and Madge drops the bags to the ground in relief. She flexes her hands and arms to get some feeling back in them.
Gale lowers the tent and bags he's carrying. “You OK?”
“Yep.”
He sorts through the bags, pulling out a rolled up air mattress and pump and sets them up. “Can you watch that and I'll get the tent set up.”
Madge has to hold the nozzle in place to make sure that the air goes in. She watches Gale as he sets up the tent. It's literally made from bedsheets that have been stitched together.
“He paid my mom to sew them,” Gale says when she comments on it.
“What if it rains?”
“It should stay fine, but I have a nylon tent I’m going to leave for them just in case.”
Madge is impressed. “He thought of everything.”
When the mattress is fully inflated, Gale sets it on the ground sheet and fixes the tent around it. It only takes him a few minutes to get the tent set up. When he's done, they step back and admire his handiwork.
Gale claps his hands “Alright. I’m going to go back and get the next load. In the meantime, you can decorate the inside. Everything you need is in that bag.” He points to the canvas rucksack that Madge had hauled to the clearing.
In it she finds sheets and blankets, plus garlands of flowers. She covers the mattress with the sheets and strings the flowers through the poles above the mattress. Gale returns and tosses in some pillows and cushions, deliberately targeting her. She giggles and fends him off. He leaves a bag of battery powered candles, which she situates around the tent. When she's done, she climbs out to find Gale creating a path from the woods to the tent door, marked with lanterns and more battery powered lights.
In the twilight of the evening, the effect is magical and very romantic. “Delly is a very lucky girl,” she says.
Gale grins. “And Thom is going to get very lucky tonight.” He pulls out his phone and types a quick message. “They'll be here in about forty minutes.”
The last task is to gather up the empty bags, which Gale folds into one large one and hides away in the hollowed truck of a dead tree close by. There's one last bag, from which he pulls a bottle of champagne and two flutes, a small bag of rose petals and a black velvet ring box.
They climb inside the tent, making sure not to dirty the sheets with their boots.
“Nice work,” Gale comments. He lies down on the mattress and stares up at the jersey ceiling. Madge lowers herself beside him.
“Did you ever think of proposing to Katniss?” she asks and immediately bites her lip. It's a stupid question. She shouldn't have broached the subject. But it's been on her mind a lot lately. “Sorry.”
Gale closes his eyes. “I wanted to, but I knew she wasn't ready. I thought if I waited long enough she'd change her mind. Guess I was half right.”
Madge props herself up on her elbow. “You know?”
“She called me during the week. She thought it was best it came from her,” he says.
“Oh. How do you feel about it?”
Gale rubs his face and laughs ruefully. “It's complicated. My ego is bruised, I guess. It hurts a little still. But I’m OK with it. I’m glad she's happy, but I also kind of hope that he gets run over by a bus at the same time.”
“I never thought you weren't good enough for her,” Madge blurts out. She remembers him saying that to her when she'd found him crying on the stairwell minutes after the break up. He didn't give her a chance to refute it then and she's wanted to ever since. “I though you weren't right for each other, but I think you're a good person Gale and any girl would be very lucky to have you.”
He cocks his head to the side to look at her and smiles. “Thanks Madge,” he says genuinely. He reaches up and touches her cheek. Maybe the gesture was supposed to be playful, but the moment he touches her, an electrical charge runs through them. Madge realizes that she's hovering right over him, all she has to do is lower her face three inches and their lips would meet. She swallows as Gale's gaze drops to her mouth.
Then his phone beeps and the moment passes.
“It's Thom, we have ten minutes,” Gale says. They straighten out the sheets and plump the cushions. Madge scatters the rose petals and Gale lays the ring in the middle of the bed. They climb out and lower the flap.
Gale grabs Madge's hand and they hurry out of sight. They duck down behind the trees until they hear the sound of approaching footsteps and then Delly's squeal of delight as she sees the glade for the first time.
“Come on,” Gale says, tugging Madge along so that Thom and Delly have some privacy.
They make it back to the truck in no time and Gale drives her home. Neither of them mentions the moment in the tent.
When they pull up in front of her house, Gale thanks her for helping out.
“It was no trouble,” she tells him. They fall silent, facing each other in the darkness of the cab. For a wild, impulsive moment, she considers leaning over and kissing him, but instead she bids him goodnight and climbs out.
2 years after The Break Up - Haymitch Abernathy's backyard.
Normally, Madge would never dream of wearing white to a wedding, but as the bride is wearing red, she decides it allowed. Besides, it's not really a wedding, it's the 'celebration of a marriage'. Just to be sure, she had sent a picture of the dress to Katniss two weeks in advance and Katniss had insisted that Madge wear it.
Still, as Madge walks into Haymitch Abernathy's backyard, she can't help but think she should have worn the purple dress she'd brought with her to Panem as a back up. She tugs on her hem and wonders if she has time to go home and change before the newlyweds arrive.
But it's already too late. Somebody announces that “they're here”, and the small crowd gathers and faces the house to watch Peeta and Katniss emerge together to cheers and loud congratulations. The couple are hand-in-hand and beaming. Even Katniss who usually abhors being the center of attention is smiling so widely at her new husband that she barely notices how all eyes are on her. Katniss looks so beautiful and radiant in her flame red dress that Madge thinks all brides should wear red. She relaxes and stops worrying about the color of her own dress.
Madge grabs a glass of wine and finds a seat on a plastic lawn chair and chats with a Mellark cousin as Peeta and Katniss mingle with their friends and family. They had married in a small ceremony in the town hall, witnessed only by Prim and Peeta's brothers. Katniss hadn't even wanted to have any kind of reception, but Peeta, with Prim's help, and persuaded her to have a party. She's agreed to a casual barbeque in the backyard of her uncle Haymitch's house as a compromise.
Uncle Haymitch was a functioning alcoholic who lived on the outskirts of town, on a large unkempt property. Somebody had managed to cut the overgrown grass to accommodate the forty or so guests, and had strung up lanterns and put out patio furniture. It was a million miles away from the formal nature of every other wedding Madge has ever been to, but she loves it. The only tradition that Peeta had insisted on was a three tier wedding cake which he'd made himself and which was proudly displayed on the back porch. Madge's mouth waters just thinking about the cake.
When Katniss and Peeta approach the table she's sitting at, Madge jumps up to hug them and wish well. As Madge is hugging Peeta, three people walk around the side of the house. For a moment, she thinks it's Gale accompanying his mother and sister before she realizes it's his younger brother Rory. Once again she's struck with the thought that the Hawthorne family got more than their fair share of the gorgeous gene.
When she pulls away from Peeta, Madge sees that Katniss is watching at the Hawthornes with a look of disappointment. “I guess he didn't come,” she says softly.
Madge's eyebrows shoot up. “You asked Gale to come?”
Katniss shrugs. “I know it's weird. I know we'll never go back to being best friends, but I still want him in my life. He's family, you know? He said he'd come.”
“He probably meant it when he said it, Katniss,” Peeta says. “But maybe it was just too hard for him still. Just because he didn't want to be here today doesn't mean he hates you.”
Katniss looks doubtful, but she smiles anyway and heads towards the Hawthornes to welcome them while Peeta moves on to the next table. She chats briefly with them before rejoining Peeta.
Madge finds herself watching the Hawthornes who have been joined by Prim. They all look relaxed and happy to be here. Her thoughts drift to Gale, as they have so often since that evening in the tent.
She hasn't seen him since. He's been promoted at work and seems to spend a lot of time traveling, but they still email each other a lot. Probably more than ever, actually. And not even about the apartment any more. They discuss a lot of other things too – bad dates, and great new Scandinavian TV series, and annoying co-workers and Gale's new, very loud neighbors. She hadn't mentioned the wedding, or anything to do with Katniss and Gale had never brought it up either. She'd assumed that he wasn't invited, though he had mentioned he might be home that weekend.
In truth, though she hadn't expected to see him at the wedding, she is hoping to see him before heading back to the city. She wants to have a conversation with him in person, she wants to find out if seeing him in the flesh gives her the same butterflies that she gets when her email alert pings. Judging by the fluttering in her stomach when Rory stepped into the yard, the answer is going to be yes.
The implications of that scare her.
Later, after the food has been eaten and the cake cut, Peeta's brother sets up his iPod with a special wedding mix. The music is fun and catchy, and almost everybody is dancing. Madge has kicked off her heels and enjoys the feel of the grass under her feet. She feels a tap on her shoulder and spins around to find Gale.
She freezes on the spot. “Hey.”
“Hi.”
“You came.”
He nods and glances around. “Yeah. I just got in. I'm not staying but I wanted to stop by and wish Katniss good luck.”
“That's really good of you,” Madge says. “I know it will mean a lot to her.”
Gale glances over to where Katniss is sitting with Peeta, her eyes are on Gale. He looks back to Madge. “Will you be around for the weekend? Maybe we can grab a coffee together?”
Madge nods. “I'd love to. Text me.”
“OK.” He nods his head in Katniss' direction. “I'll go say hello to the newlyweds.”
Madge walks over the drinks table and pours herself another glass of wine, pretending not to watch as Gale hugs Katniss and then gives Peeta the briefest of handshakes. They talk for a few minutes before he walks over to his family. Madge can see the relief and happiness on Katniss' face. She grabs her new husband and pulls him out for a dance.
Gale chats to his mother for a little while before he hugs her and leaves. Impulsively, Madge grabs her shoes and hurries after him. He turns in surprise when she calls his name.
She's not sure why she's followed him, or what she wants to say to him.
“I'm fine,” he tells her before she say anything. He sounds like he really means it. “I'm not going to go cry in a stairwell or anything.”
“I'm not... I didn't... That's good, but it's not why I followed you out here.”
“OK.” He sticks his hands in his pockets. “You look good, by the way. That's a pretty dress.”
She looks down, flustered, and picks at a blade of grass that's sticking to the skirt. “I wouldn't normally wear white to a wedding but Katniss told me I should wear it.”
Gale chuckles. “I wasn't having a go at you. It's really a great dress.”
“Thank you,” she says. Her cheeks are burning. He turns to leave again, but she doesn't want him to go. She wants him to stay. Or she wants to go with him. “Can I get a ride with you?”
Gale frowns. “You want to leave now? You looked like you were having fun.”
Madge shrugs. “Yeah, I'm tired. I was going to call a cab in a few minutes but if you can give me a ride, that would be great.”
He narrows his eyes. “I really am fine, Madge. If you're worried about me, don't be.”
She moves closer to him. “I'm not worried. I know you're fine. Really, I just want to go.” And it was true. She'd much rather spend fifteen minutes alone with Gale in his car, then another hour at the party. “Let me just grab my purse.”
“Alright.”
She hurries back and collects her purse and says a few quick goodbyes, grabs another slice of cake and makes her way back to where Gale is waiting. He's propped against the gate, munching on a piece of cake.
“Oh, you have some. I was going to give you this,” she says, holding out the pilfered slice. He makes a grab for it, but she holds it behind her back.
“Don't make me wrestle you for it. I'm a lot bigger than you,” he jokes. But there's a glint in his eye that sucks the breath from Madge's body.
She swallows and shakes her head to clear it of images of wrestling Gale. “No. I'd hate for you to get fat.”
Gale laughs and pulls up the bottom of his shirt. He pats his toned stomach. “Thanks for thinking of me.”
Madge tears her gaze from his abs. “That's my pleasure.”
He gestures to the street. “I'm parked down the street.”
She falls into step beside him and laughs as he produces another slice from one of his pockets. Deciding that he's adequately catered for, she starts eating the slice she'd brought with her.
“This is really good cake,” Gale says. “I'd probably have left me for him too if he made me cakes like this.” He stops beside his car and finishes the rest of his cake in one bite before opening the door for her.
Once he's settled in, Madge turns in her seat to face him. “Why did you come today? I can't imagine going to the wedding of one my exes.”
Gale sighs. “There were a couple of reasons. Did you know Rory and Prim are dating?”
Madge shakes her head.
“They're pretty crazy about each other. I know they're really young, and there's no guarantee, but there's something about them that makes me think they'll make it. Which means Katniss and I really will be family.” Gale sighs. “It got me thinking. I don't want things between us to be awkward and tense forever. Katniss is family and that matters to me more than anything else. Today seemed like a good day to put the past behind us and start fresh.”
Madge smiles at him. “I think it was really great of you. It meant a lot to Katniss.”
“Thanks,” he says gruffly.
“Was it hard?”
Gale is silent for a moment until he pulls up at a red light. “Not as hard as I thought it would be. I expected it to really hurt, to know she was married. But actually, I really am fine. I'm glad she wasn't wearing a big white dress. I don't know if I could have handled that, despite everything.” The light turns green and he turns the car in the direction of her house. He shoots her a grin. “I'm still kind of hoping that Peeta gets run over by a bus, but like only breaks his leg. That's progress.”
Madge laughs again. “You're the bigger person.”
“I know.”
She leans back in her seat, feeling relaxed. “It was a nice wedding. I think I'd like something like that. What about you?”
He shrugs. “I don't know. Getting married is a big deal, I'd think I'd like to celebrate it properly... Don't laugh-”
She shakes her head to indicate that she won't.
He looks a little embarrassed as he admits “I really want to do it properly. I want the church, and the flowers and the girl in the white dress.” He looks at her then, his gaze so intense and deep that she has to look down. She fiddles with her hem. Her cheeks flush when it hits her that she's wearing a white dress. He doesn’t mean it like that.
But when she looks back at him, he's still gazing down at her. She realizes with a start that they're in front of her house and he's not driving any more.
“You have frosting,” Gale says, gently wiping his thumb under her lip.
Madge feels her breath catch at his touch. Gale pulls away and sucks the frosting from the tip of his thumb. They sit in silence for another minute before Madge remembers that she's supposed to get out. “Um, thanks for the ride.”
“Sure.”
She climbs out of his car but pauses as Gale climbs out too. He tugs on his earlobe uncomfortably. “Madge, will you be free to get that coffee with me tomorrow?”
“Yes, of course. Text me when you want to meet.” She internally cringes at how eager she sounds.
Gale smiles. “I will.”
It looks like he wants to say more, so Madge waits, but when he remains silent, she smiles at him and turns towards her house.
“Wait,” Gale calls. She spins back to him. He's looking up at the sky, summoning his courage. When he looks back at her, she gives him an encouraging smile. “When I said that I wanted to put the past behind me and start fresh, I meant that. So, this isn't about getting back at Katniss somehow. I want you to know that.”
A thousand butterflies take flight in Madge's belly. She nods.
Gale steps towards her. “Instead of coffee, would you have dinner with me? As a date?”
She nods again. “I'd love to.”
A huge smile breaks across Gale's face and he sighs in relief. “Great. I'll pick you up at seven tomorrow?”
“I can't wait,” she tells him.
“OK then,” Gale grins.
They stand smiling at each other like idiots for another moment, before Gale climbs back into his car and drives away. Madge watches until his tail lights disappear around the corner. Then she goes inside, already counting down the minutes to their date.