This is dedicated to our lovely, wonderful friend Belle453 on her birthday.

Without moving from her bed, Madge can just about reach the corner of her curtain; enough to tug it back a couple of inches to reveal a patch of clear sky outside.

"I think that's the first time since October I've seen a blue sky." She turns a little in Gale's arms and nudges his side. "We should do something today."

"I know exactly what I want to do today," he says with a smirk while running his hand up her thigh to cup her bare ass and pull her closer to him.

Madge giggles as he peppers kisses along her neck, but she pushes him back just a little. While she has no objection to spending another day in bed with Gale, it's a beautiful, dry Sunday morning and she wants to get out and enjoy it. And quite frankly, her vagina could use the break.

"Where do you get your energy from?" she asks as Gale's hand slips between her legs to tease her.

"I have eight months of fantasies and dreams to work through and, uh-" he stops, his attention caught by something over Madge's shoulder.

She twists to see what it is. There's a photograph of her parents beaming down at them from her night stand. "Is it the picture?"

"No." Gale carefully nudges a book from the middle of the pile behind the picture and holds it up so she can read the title. Irish names for your baby. "Anything you want to tell me?"

Madge blushes. "No. Nothing like that. It was in the swap box in the library one day so I brought it home to read… When I first got here, I was trying to open a bank account." Gale makes a sound of despair, and she nods in agreement. "It was a nightmare, and the lady serving me was kind of a bitch. Her name badge had this word on it." She flicks through the book to the S section and taps her finger under a name. Sadhbh. I asked her how to pronounce it and she said 'Sive'. I thought she was taking the piss out of me because I was a foreigner, so I yelled at her and demanded that somebody else serve me."

Gale's body is shaking with laughter.

"And then, the next day I told Delly the story and she told me that is how it's pronounced and I haven't been able to go back to the bank since. So I saw this book in the box and decided that I should probably learn how to pronounce people's names. Turns out the world has been pronouncing Caitlin wrong this whole time."

Gale takes the book from her and turns to the M pages. "What would you be called if you'd been born here?"

She has already looked it up. "Máiread, I guess, that's the closest to Margaret."

"Máire, maybe, or Muireann," Gale says. "Oh, no this is the one. Meabh, meaning 'intoxicating' or 'the cause of great joy'. That sounds right. I have been intoxicated by you from the moment we met and you cause me great joy every day. Most recently, last night when you were on top."

Madge smiles brightly at him and pushes him onto his back, positioning herself so that she's sitting astride his hips. She rocks against him, feeling him grow hard beneath her. "I'll show you great joy."

"I thought you wanted to go do something," Gale says, though from the way his tight grip on her hips holds her in place, Madge is reasonably confident he's only teasing her.

"I've decided, I want to do you," she says.

Since moving to Dublin last year, Madge has become a huge fan of the singer Gavin James. So Gale had scored major boyfriend points when he had produced tickets to his sold out gig for their first real date.

Madge is on a high from the concert, as she always is after watching live music. "That was amazing, thank you," she says, kissing Gale soundly when they emerge from the venue. "Do you want to go for a drink?"

She half expects Gale to say no. They're in the Temple Bar area of the city; an area that Gale usually loathes and Madge had quickly learned to avoid at nights, especially on the weekends but loves to visit during the day. At the weekends, the area is thronged with tourists, including hoards of stag and hen parties from the UK, but tonight, a blustery January weeknight, it's quiet, though there's still a lively buzz that shows why it had become such a popular area with revellers in the first place. That's probably the only reason Gale agrees to staying there for a drink.

He steers her into a pub and she grabs two seats while he gets them drinks.

"Can I keep these?" she asks, holding up their two tickets.

Gale settles into the seat beside her and wraps his arm around her shoulder. "Sure."

"I want to put them in my Ireland scrapbook. Or I might start a Gale scrapbook and put them in that." She smiles and puts them into her purse. "We are so lucky you were able to get them."

"I bought them last October actually," Gale admits sheepishly. She looks at him in surprise. Gavin James wasn't the type of musician Gale normally liked. "I knew you liked him so I was going to ask you to come with me, but then I chickened out because it was four months away and I thought it would be weird."

"Gale…" He had been planning to ask her out that long ago? She has to bite her tongue to keep the 'I love you' back. It's far too early for that, but right at this moment her heart swells with love for him. She leans in and kisses him instead. "Thank you." She grabs a fistful of his sweater and pulls him in for another kiss.

Madge is not normally one for such blatant displays of public affection, but she's overcome with the romantic gesture and still buzzing from the concert so pulls him even closer, letting her hands roam over his chest and through his hair.

It's Gale who pulls away, looking flustered and pink-cheeked, though he keeps his arm tight around her.

"This is nice," Madge says, meaning that they can be openly affectionate. It's fun sneaking around at work, but she likes being able to kiss Gale whenever she wants or to touch him when she feels like it.

"Yeah, one of the advantages of coming here I suppose is that nobody…. oh for fuck's sake. This is such a small fucking country."

"Is it somebody from work?" Madge asks, looking around the pub.

Gale shakes his head. "No. See yer one over there, in the blue?" He jerks his chin very slightly in the direction of a tall, striking woman in a cobalt blue dress. "And the one she's talking to." A gorgeous redhead. "I used to go out with both of them."

Madge's eyebrows shoot upwards.

"Not at the same time," Gale clarifies hastily. "I went out with Lisa when we were in second year of college. And then Roisin about two years ago."

"Oh." Madge analyses the two women. Both tall and gorgeous. "For how long?"

"Six, eight months, something like that." Gale takes a sip of his beer. "I didn't even know they knew each other. They didn't when I knew them."

Across the room, the two women become aware that Gale and Madge are watching them. They grin and wave, clearly they had seen Gale long before he had spotted them. He groans quietly as they saunter over.

"Hello, Gale," they purr.

He stands up to greet them with a quick hug. "How do you two know each other?"

"Oh, we met on the ex-girlfriends of Gale Hawthorne Facebook page," Lisa says. She winks in Madge's direction. "Look us up."

"This is Madge," Gale says, sitting down again. "Lisa, Roisin."

"It's nice to meet you," Madge says. She slides her hand down Gale's thigh in what she hopes is a subtle but clear message. He's mine now. Gale catches her hand and weaves their fingers together.

"So how long have the two of you being going out?"

"Um, about a month now," Gale tells them.

"God, you're fierce coupley for only a month," Lisa teases. "How's he treating you?"

"Very nicely," Madge says with a smile for her boyfriend.

"Good to hear; he was a disaster when we were going out," Lisa grins, giving his knee a nudge.

The girls chat with them for a few minutes, mostly filling Gale on people he used to know but lost contact with. Their brothers are dating, which is how they met each other. Madge takes it as a good sign that Gale's ex-girlfriends still seem fond of him, though she really doesn't like how they keep touching him and she's relieved when they go back to join the rest of their friends.

Madge and Gale finish up their drinks. They walk hand in hand to the city centre to catch the Luas back to Madge's apartment.

"They're nice. How come you broke up with them?" Madge asks.

Gale shrugs. "Dunno really, things just ran their course with both of them."

"Oh." She wonders if that could happen to them. Will he get bored of her in a few months?

"No," Gale says, stopping abruptly and pulling her to him. "I know what you're thinking, and you can stop it right now. Things with them were never like it is with you. I've never felt like this about anybody else. Not those girls, not Katniss, not anybody."

Madge kisses him. "Me too."

Gale grins and wraps his arm around her, holding her to his side as they walk together.

Gale walks into the office that Tuesday morning looking ridiculously cute in a hand knitted sweater. It's burgundy, with flecks of blue and grey that bring out his amazing eyes.

It takes all of Madge's self-restraint not to throw herself at him.

Delly had organised a girl's day out on Sunday to celebrate her birthday and on Monday Gale had been attending a course; so they haven't seen each other in two days, which is the longest time they've been apart since getting together at Christmas. They've texted and talked on the phone non-stop, but Madge is going out of her skin with a need to touch him. Especially now when he looks extra cuddly in that sweater.

Instead she has to settle for a nonchalant hello as he sits at his desk and turns on his computer.

Pretending that nothing is happening between them and that they're just good friends is so hard.

She manages to act normal for thirty minutes before excusing herself to make a cup of tea. She boils the kettle and waits for Gale to join her. But when she turns around at the sound of footsteps behind her, it's Delly who walks into the kitchenette and not Gale.

"Have you and Gale had a row?" Delly asks.

"What? No. Why would you think that?"

"Before Christmas, you spent about eighty-five percent of your time flirting with each other and giving each other 'fuck me' looks. And I know Gale stole all the strawberry ones from the roses and gave them to you. But since we came back, you two barely talk to each other and you act like you're just work colleagues."

"We are work colleagues," Madge reminds her, turning back to the task of making her tea, hiding her bright red face from Delly.

Delly scoffs. "Madge, I have spent the last eight months watching the two of you flirt your arses off and fall in love. You are not just work colleagues. Plus, Declan Ryan said he saw the two of you shifting at the Christmas party, so I know something happened."

It takes every ounce of composure Madge has to act normal, because she would love to tell Delly, to tell anybody about her relationship with Gale. She's bursting to talk to somebody about the great guy she's dating and how happy is is. Instead, she attempts a flippant tone. "Was that before or after Declan tried to steal that Garda's hat?" She puts the milk back in the fridge, grabs two fig rolls from the packet and picks up her tea. "There's nothing to tell, Delly."

Back at her desk, she messages Gale with a quick rundown of her conversation with Delly. When it's sent, she risks looking up at him. He shrugs and types quickly.

Gale
So we were too convincing?

Madge
Guess so. We need to go back to acting normal.

Ten minutes later, Gale stands. "I have a meeting with Beetee on four. If Jackson comes looking for that report, tell her I'll have it for her after lunch."

As he passes her desk, he leans over and grabs her last fig roll, popping it into his mouth whole and grins at her as he walks off.

An hour later, her IM chimes again with another message.

Gale
Meet me in the stores on Two.

Madge makes a show of looking in her drawers for something, then huffs. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

She walks towards the stationary cupboard, then as soon as she's out of sight, dashes for the stairway and hurries down to the floor below. The company favours an open-office plan, so the suite of offices on the second floor are mostly used as store rooms. Gale is loitering in the doorway of one of them.

He smiles when he sees her coming and steps into the office. She rushes to join him, barely getting the door closed before they wrapped in each other's arms and kissing hungrily. Gale presses her against the door, lifting her so that her legs wrap around his waist.

"God, I missed you," he says when they break apart.

"Me too," Madge says, pulling him back for another kiss. She keeps kissing him until she feels him grow hard against her. "OK. We should stop here." Before they get carried away.

Gale nods. Without letting her down, he walks backwards and plops into a chair with her in his lap. "So, Delly is onto us."

Madge toys with the collar of his sweater. This is the item of clothing she's going to steal and keep as hers. "I wish I could tell her; she's my best girlfriend here and I really want to talk about you with her."

"So tell her. Delly's sound, she won't blab…. Besides, I don't think she's the only one who has copped that something's happening between us. I don't think we're as clever as we think we are."

Madge laughs. "So we stop trying so hard to pretend there's nothing going on, but be discreet." She kisses him again. "Can I stay at yours tonight?"

"Of course. I've got football training tonight, but I'll be home around eight. I can give you the key if you want. The lads won't mind you being there."

She shakes her head. "I'm going to see if Delly wants to go for drinks. We're going to be talking about you, so if your ears are burning, that's why."

Madge goes back to her desk first, Gale follows a couple of minutes later. He winks at her before turning his focus to his work.

Across the desk, Delly is watching them, she raises a knowing eyebrow at Madge.

Madge turns to her computer and taps a message to Delly.

Madge
Have drinks with me tonight and I'll tell you everything!

Delly squeals so loudly that everybody in the office turns to look at her.

Except for Delly, no one at the office makes a big fuss over Madge and Gale finally admitting they're together. They don't have to formally declare their relationship to Human Resources, or anyone else for that matter. If anything, it's harder to convince people that they weren't together before Christmas.

Madge doesn't exactly know how she feels about that. On one hand, she's tickled pink that people have been assuming that they're dating. On the other hand, it takes the fun out of telling everyone that Gale is her boyfriend.

She shivers in pleasure at the word. Boyfriend. Even after a month, she still can't get over the fact that Gale isn't just a crush anymore. He's her boyfriend. Or, as Delly calls him, yer fella. Whether or not people thought that was a big deal, to Madge it certainly is. No one's ever going to take the fun out of that.

Or so she thinks.

Wiress doesn't seem to mind that some members of her team have paired up. In a way, she even helped make it happen. She was the one Gale swapped with so he could be Madge's Secret Santa.

"I saw her pick your name out of the tin," Gale admitted on Christmas morning—the morning after their almost-first time in the bathroom at his mother's house. "So I asked. Several times, actually."

Madge laughed. "That explains a lot." She'd assumed Wiress and Gale were talking more because of Secret Santa, and she was right—just not in the way she expected.

So, one month later, when Wiress calls them both in for a meeting, Madge isn't worried. After the holidays, productivity is picking up. She doesn't expect to get anything more than a quick, if well-deserved, lecture on why employees shouldn't make out in the kitchenette.

Wiress clears her throat. "As you know, Delly and Thom are both sick, and the doctor has ordered bed rest for at least a week."

Madge takes a sip of the tea she brought with her. "I told her she would catch his cold." Not that it stopped Delly from going over to Thom's for some Benylin and chill.

"Yes, erm." Wiress looked uncomfortable. "I called this meeting because I can't afford to be another two people short. Your business is your business, as long as it doesn't affect our business. But, well, I can't afford members of my team giving each other diseases."

Madge nearly chokes on her tea. She knows Wiress doesn't mean that kind of disease, necessarily, but now that the image has crossed her mind she can't unsee it. "We'll be careful," she promises, keeping a straight face.

By now Gale has had enough exposure to Madge's mental process to know exactly what she's thinking. "We definitely won't catch any diseases from Thom and Delly," he adds with a wicked grin.

"Good," Wiress replies, oblivious.

After the meeting, Wiress speaks to Madge in private. "One more thing," she says in all seriousness. "I don't mean to scare you, Madge, but in the past we've had employees lose their expat status because of relationships."

Madge's heart plummets. Wiress quickly adds: "I'm not talking about your employment permit. As long you continue to work here, we will always make sure you can do so legally. But the company might decide that you're no longer eligible for rent assistance or the cost-of-living stipend if you put down roots here—marriage, a de facto relationship, children."

Madge lets out a nervous laugh. "Well, Gale and I have only been together for about a month. We aren't really thinking about any of those things." They haven't even said I love you yet, let alone talk about getting married, moving in together, or having kids.

Wiress nods. "I know it's early days, but I thought I should let you know. Once you lose your expat status, it's much harder to get it back. Theoretically that shouldn't be a problem, because presumably you and your partner would support each other, but what if you separate?" She gives Madge an apologetic look. "I'm not saying that's going to happen. But it's best to know these things so you can make an informed decision, if and when the time comes."

Separate? Who said anything about separating? The thought is so upsetting, it makes her want to throw up. But Madge covers it up the best she can. "I appreciate it," she says sincerely. "I'll keep that in mind. But you're right—it is early days."

Once she's back at her desk, however, she stares blankly at her computer screen for a few minutes. There's nothing to worry about, she tells herself. If it ever comes to that, her salary's enough that she can afford to live in Dublin even without financial assistance from the company. She wouldn't be able to save as much, and she'd probably be better off living in a cheaper apartment, but she'll get by.

Then again, would she want to stay here if she's no longer with Gale?

She presses her hands to her face, willing her pulse to go back to normal. What about the opposite? Even if she and Gale went the distance, could she really see herself settling down here? She came here for the experience and for the adventure. For the freedom she didn't have in the States, because she was a politician's daughter. And she's come to love Ireland so much, and Gale and his family and their friends have made her feel so welcome. But they can't replace her old friends, her parents, Aunt Maysilee, even her grumpy Uncle Haymitch. And she could never ask Gale to give up his life here—not in a million years.

Let's cross that bridge when we get there, she thinks. Don't worry about whether you would want to stay. As long as you can, you'll be grand.

For the first time, her subconscious use of Gale's favorite word doesn't give her the warm fuzzies. They're one month into the relationship—she's supposed to be living in the moment. She isn't supposed to worry about how long the moment is going to last.

But she can't help worrying. While her contract, her visa, and her expat benefits seem safe—for now—the conversation with Wiress has reminded her that all of those things come with an expiry date. The unbearable thought comes to her that maybe her relationship with Gale has an expiry date, too.

Gale pops the Bluray disc into the player. "This time we're really going to watch something," he jokes. "No distractions."

Madge forces herself to smile. "I didn't hear you complaining before."

He smirks at her. "My mouth was too busy to complain."

They settle into their usual TV-watching position: curled up together on the couch, his arm draped around her shoulder, her head nestled in the crook of his neck. Out of habit, her hand sneaks up under his jumper. In the past, she's always done this as a prelude to getting his clothes off. But now she just wants to remind herself that he's real.

He gives her a squeeze. "You're awfully quiet."

"I've been having to cover for Delly," she tells him truthfully. "I'm exhausted."

He presses his lips to her forehead. "All right."

It's one of Posy's favorite films: something called Song of the Sea. Madge doesn't really know anything about it, except that it's Irish, animated, and critically acclaimed. But the opening sequence is so beautiful, and the music so hauntingly sad, that it isn't long before she feels hot tears rolling down her cheeks.

She sniffs, as quietly as she can manage, but there's no point. Gale can hear everything.

There's a look of alarm on his face, and he immediately pauses the film. "What's wrong?"

What could she say? They're not ready for this conversation. But, at the same time, she can't lie to him.

She gives in. "It's just… something Wiress said earlier." Her cheeks are flushed with embarrassment as she explains. "It's ridiculous, really," she says, after she's told him everything. "We're young, we just got together… this isn't supposed to be on our radar. It shouldn't be, not for a long time."

He doesn't say a word, and for a moment Madge is convinced that she's already scared him off. But then he puts his hand under her chin and lifts it so she's looking at him.

They kiss.

They must have kissed one hundred, three hundred, five hundred times before this. But now he's kissing her like he's never had before—like he's starved for her, but starved in a way that can't be satisfied by sex alone. In his arms she feels like she's the most precious thing to him. Like what they have is the most precious thing in the world.

When they part, Gale licks his lips, as if he's savoring the last lingering taste of her kiss. "I can't tell you what the future holds, Madge." He says it quietly, but his voice is deep, husky, and full of emotion. "And I can't tell you what to do. All I know is that I think… I think I'm falling in love with you."

Her heart soars. "I think I'm falling in love with you, too."

Outside it's dreary and cold; the depths of an Irish winter. But here, inside, there's nothing but warmth and light, Gale and Madge melting into each other.