Title: Gale's Guide to Hunting and Fishing

Summary: Post-Mockingjay AU. Gale and Madge go camping in District 2 after the war. Gale/Madge.

Rating/Warnings: Upper T. Fluff warning.

Disclaimer: Just borrowing SC's characters and letting them be happier.

Author's Note: Mini-story set after my multi-chapter fic "On What Grounds," although it's not necessary to have read that; I tried to write this as a standalone piece. (For background: AU where Madge survived. Gale and Madge found each other after the war in District 2 and are in a relationship.) Title inspired by Melissa Bank's book, The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing.

This is something I wrote last November that I've been meaning to polish and post, but life intervened and I don't have much time for writing anymore. I miss it, though, and wanted to at least get this story up. There are five parts, which I'll be posting in pretty quick succession.

Gale's Guide to Hunting and Fishing

Lesson #1: Recruit a Partner

Or, How to Persuade Your Girlfriend to Go Camping

He knew by now that Madge was not a morning person. When they stayed at his place, he could at least do other things around the house while he waited for her to wake up (on the mornings when he didn't stay in bed to wake her up, which admittedly happened frequently; she was irresistible and he didn't get to see her often enough). This morning, for example, he was fixing the zipper on his sleeping bag. Blue fabric was strewn across the kitchen table in front of him, a sea of nylon and down "guaranteed," according to the salesperson, to keep him warm even on cold autumn nights in District 2's mountain air. Well. He'd see about that.

The sound of Madge's bare feet on the carpet in the hallway caused him to look up from his work. Hair still tousled from sleeping, she was wearing one of his T-shirts and a bright smile. Within seconds she crossed the room to his side and kissed his cheek with an exaggeratedly loud smack.

"Morning, Sunshine!"

He ignored the "Sunshine" nonsense and automatically snaked his arm around her waist as he showed her what a real morning kiss should be. When he released her he added, "There's coffee already."

"I knew there was a reason I loved you," Madge said with a wink as she pulled away and poured herself a cup.

He pointed to a plate on the counter. "And my mom and Posy dropped off those muffins yesterday. Posy's learning to bake."

Madge's eyes widened at the sight of the fluffy mounds oozing fresh blueberries. "I knew there was a reason I loved them, too." She reached for a muffin and took a bite. "Mmmm, delicious. These must be the berries Vick's been toiling over in that garden."

So far, so good. Still nibbling on her muffin, Madge moved back toward him so he could pull her onto his lap as he worked on the sleeping bag. Neither of them believed in wasting two chairs when one would do. Madge's bare legs were warm on his and he took the opportunity to squeeze her appreciatively. He loved these moments, when it seemed natural to see her more than just on weekends. These mornings were a glimpse of the future, to a time when Madge finished up her conspiracy investigation and gave up her apartment in the Capitol so they could move to the property on the mountain outside District 2's old borders. Until then, they made the most of the few moments they could cobble together.

He went back to work on the zipper, but could sense Madge studying the maps he'd left scattered on the table below the sleeping bag. He'd been counting on that; she was physically unable to restrain herself from snooping.

"Is this that new lake you were talking about?" she asked, pointing to a blue splotch on the nearest map.

Bingo. She got it. He'd planted the seed by mentioning the lake on the phone to her a couple of days ago, suggesting they hike to it together. The need for the trip was more urgent now, though he wanted to avoid mentioning why.

"Yeah," he said, still focused on the sleeping bag zipper. "I thought we could go today."

He felt her nodding. "Sure. The lake sounds pretty." They usually spent their weekends in District 2 together going on day hikes in the mountains, visiting his family or her aunt and uncle in their nearby village, or attending various concerts, lectures and political events. Gale by far preferred anything but the political events, which usually required wearing fancy clothes and dealing with suck-ups and the self-important blowhards they were sucking up to. The concerts and lectures were okay, but Madge liked them more than he did—she was endlessly curious about new intellectuals and performers emerging in the post-war freedom. To Gale it was time wasted indoors when he could be outside.

"Gale?" There it was. He paused his work on the sleeping bag in anticipation of the question he knew she was about to ask. "How far is that lake from the road?" Madge held her finger and thumb between the road and the lake, and then compared that length to the map's legend. "It looks like . . . six or seven miles?"

More like ten, and over some pretty steep terrain. But that might scare her off. "It's a decent distance," he allowed, and then dropped the sleeping bag entirely so he could wrap his arms around her waist. Lowering his voice, he spoke softly into her ear in the way she usually couldn't resist. "But I promise it will be worth it." He pushed away the hair along her neck and gently kissed the smooth skin below her ear, causing her to shiver and unconsciously lean back into his chest.

But then she pulled herself toward the table again for a closer look at the map. "Wait—won't getting there and back be too much for one day? We missed getting an early start."

"I thought we'd camp overnight," he said casually. Deliberately. "We'll come back tomorrow."

Despite his nonchalance, he felt Madge tense up. Ever since they'd gotten stuck in the forest overnight when they thought hostile, armed thugs were pursuing them, she had found excuses to avoid overnight camping trips. She was fine on day hikes—enjoyed the scenery, happily explored the surrounding areas with him, and could even keep up with his pace—but she would get anxious whenever they stayed out past sundown.

He shifted her on his lap so he could see her face and switched to a more serious tone. "Madge. It's important to me."

She bit her lip and watched him. In a small voice she said, "Can't we stay here tonight?"

"It's already fall. In a few weeks it will be too cold to camp anymore . . . "

Madge seemed to brighten at that, which made him reconsider his approach. He tried again. "The thing is, my family doesn't know how to hunt—"

"Neither do I," Madge inserted defensively. She had a tendency to volunteer examples of how she was different from Katniss.

"I know, Madge," he said pointedly. Then he continued. "When we lived in 12, I was going to teach the kids when they were older, but here I barely know anything about the terrain or the animals."

"You'll learn," Madge said, touching his cheek as she spoke. "Every time we go for a hike, it seems like you know twice as much as the last time."

He nodded. "I'm learning, but I want them to learn, too. And you."

She seemed caught off guard and shot him a confused look. "I thought . . . hunting was going to be something you did with them . . . without me. A family thing."

"You are family." It would be formal soon enough, and in the meantime they all already considered her a Hawthorne. Madge's eyes got watery and she suddenly leaned in to kiss him. He could feel her trying to pull him past the point of no return, but as soon as he realized her strategy he pulled away.

"I still want to go camping tonight," he said firmly.

Madge exhaled testily through her nostrils. "I really think we could have a better time here." To emphasize her point, she reached under his shirt and started to run her hands up his chest.

To his surprise, he found himself jumping out of the chair. He hadn't expected her to use his own tricks against him. In the back of his mind, he was proud of her for stooping to his level. But he had more important concerns at the moment.

"Wilkins and his whole stupid alliance blocked the national vote again yesterday!" he blurted.

Madge froze in recognition of the significance of the news. He hadn't had a chance to tell her when she got into town last night because, well, talking became a lesser priority whenever they first saw each other after any kind of separation.

"They don't think the wealthier districts are getting a fair shake and should have more delegates in the national assembly," he explained. It was the same argument those jerks always raised, but it seemed to be getting more traction lately, probably because without travel restrictions more citizens were immigrating to the wealthier districts for employment. With the increased populations, those districts were developing even more political clout.

"The vote has to go forward," Madge said slowly, processing what he'd told her.

"Believe me, I know. But holding a vote and losing would be a huge setback, which those jerks are fully aware of. They're using it for leverage. Paylor's meeting with their whole little gang this weekend to work out a deal." He thought Paylor would be able to fix the mess, but the fact that the vote on the constitution had been derailed—again—made him uneasy. "Everything could go to hell again, Madge. Fall apart. Leave us in chaos."

"It could," she said skeptically, "but it doesn't seem like it will. At least, not anytime soon. There are too many good people working together on these things. People like you, Gale."

He flinched at the reminder that she thought he was good—he wasn't and was trying to make up for that with his current job—but the important issue right now was that there were no guarantees any of the rebuilding efforts would succeed. Madge had to understand that. Stepping toward her, he grasped her shoulders. "Madge, before Katniss and Peeta were reaped, wouldn't you have said that it would have been impossible to get rid of the Capitol? But look at us now. Anything can happen. Good or bad. What if there's another war? Another Snow? Another Coin?"

Madge didn't respond right away, but after a few seconds she squinted at him. "What does this have to do with going camping tonight?"

"I want you and my family to be able to survive off the land if you need to. If you and I go this weekend, I can teach you some basics and then we can show the others next weekend. Before the weather gets too bad."

Madge frowned as though he wasn't making sense. "But we have you, Gale. We don't need to know as much as you do."

"What if something happens to me?" he demanded. "What if we have kids and I die and you have to escape and they're depending on you to keep them alive but you don't know how—"

"Gale." She put her hand on his arm to silence him. He was embarrassed that his voice had grown so tight with angry anxiety but he held her gaze so she understood how serious he was about this.

Madge watched him for a few moments, and then with a sigh looked back down at the map on the table and took a deep breath. "Fine. We'd better get going."

A/N: This will be 5 chapters. I'll get the next one up soon!