AN: Hello my lovlies. I rushed to update this chapter lest I'm forced to go into a radio-silence once again. Do let me know if you find any mistakes, I'd be grateful if you could point them out. :)

Chapter - 22

It's a weekday, but the school is closed. So are the mines. I met Rory in Town the other day, he was at the Justice Building to collect his tesserae for this month. I can imagine what anguish Gale must be going through, knowing his brother has taken on his responsibility upon his own shoulders.

Rory told me that Gale is back home, he is not fully healed, but good to go. He also told me that Hazelle has now found a new employer in Haymitch, which came as a relief to me. I was so worried about getting her work.

Which brings me back to today. Gale must be home with nowhere to go to, and Hazelle won't be home. Hopefully she'll take Vick and Posy with her to the Village for their regular check-ups with Katniss's mom. I really need to speak with Gale, his pride be damned; curfew be cast away to the depths of hell. I'll stay back if I go beyond the curfew.

I quickly pack a big loaf of bread, a few apples and a pear, pack a few pieces of meat and a large piece of cheese in my satchel, wrap myself in my thickest woolens and carry a large ledger book – for show. If anybody asks, I'm running an errand for my father, looking for newly-married couples who have been recently allotted a house. How much that excuse will save me under Thread's supervision, I highly doubt.

I almost run through the Square, not wanting to witness more barbarity. I make my way to the Seam in almost half the time it usually takes me. People disappear behind their doors when they see me, pull down their curtains; drag their children inside and shut the door on my face when I pass by. But nothing unfazes me. I know my purpose, and I need to see Gale. Today.

I finally arrive at his street and see Bristel and Thom idling along, kicking the snow which has mixed in with the dirt and the coal dust. They look up when they see me and give me a very disdainful smile. Normally I would be sad, that a good-natured person like Bristel would also greet me so coldly, but not today.

When I arrive at Gale's, I don't knock; I hammer on the door. Rory's tired face peeks out from behind the door.

"Hi, Madge."

"Hello, Rory. Gale's inside?" I ask him urgently.

"Come on in, Ma's not home though. It's just me and Gale."

Good. I would be scared to talk freely, Hazelle would definitely overhear me. He waves me in towards the room Gale and he shares, and himself disappears into the other room.

"Feel free to wait, Madge. Gale's probably in the shower."

"I'll wait. Thanks, Rory."

I decide to wait inside his room, but as I push the door to Gale's room open, I walk in on him trying to struggle into his shirt. He hasn't heard me come in yet, and his back is towards me. He is standing facing the window.

I don't realize when my mouth has fallen open in horror. It's only now that I have noticed how his back is mutilated, angry-red criss-cross marks spanning from one shoulder to another; right from the nape of his neck winding down to his torso. The skin is raised and cracked where the lashes had landed, so his back looks like a map of the District twelve streets. He must have sensed my presence because he spins around in a fluid movement; pulls his shirt up to his chest, covering himself, crosses his arms and glares at me.

"You shouldn't be here, Madge." His voice sounds distant and cold. "If you leave now, Rory can make it back within the curfew."

I cross the doorway, shutting the door behind me, and take a tentative step towards him, he visibly stiffens and then stills.

"I didn't come here all the way so you could show me the door, Gale." I reply gently, with just a hint of annoyance. If I speak too gently, he might think I'm pitying him and not talk to me at all.

I take a few more steps towards him till I'm only a few feet away from him. I want to give him space, but not too much that he might want to escape.

"It won't do you good to be inside a convicted traitor's house." He says softly, but his voice is hard; his words piercing.

"It won't do anybody good to be me either." I shoot back. "I'm that Undersee kid, remember?"

"Why are you here?"

I want to throw something at him.

"To burgle your house in broad day-light." I say exasperatedly. "To see you, Gale. Why else?"

"Like what you see, then?" He asks tonelessly. "You shouldn't have given the morphling."

My heart sinks. I didn't want him to know about that. But on the other hand, if Hazelle hadn't told him, he would go ahead and think he's indebted to Katniss, which again wouldn't be good. We've all seen what happened the last time Katniss had tried to help Gale.

I want to cry. This man brings out all the emotions in me, but in extreme. As much as I want him to be mine, he alienates me. As much as I want his joy to be mine, his pain to be mine, he pushes me away.

"Don't waste your tears on me, Madge." I don't even realize when I start crying.

All I want to do is throw myself in his arms and hold him tight. All my resolve from the last few days crumbles down and all I see is him. My Gale. The impossibly stubborn man who needs to find his way back to me; to find his way back to himself. When I have closed the space between us, when I have collapsed into him, I don't know. All I know is that I am clinging onto him like he's my lifeline and I'm crying my eyes out. I must have ruined his shirt, which he's still holding tightly to his chest. He doesn't hold me back.

He stands perfectly still as I cry and continue heaving sobs. At least he doesn't pull back or push me away.

"Quite a pair we are." He muses quietly. "The original star-crossed lovers."

"Shut up, Gale." I cry. "Don't you ever leave me."

A long while passes in silence. He sighs, says nothing. I continue heaving dry sobs.

"It's late, Madge. You need to leave." He says softly.

The room grows steadily colder, the chilling winds coming in through the chipped window frames. Gale's arms erupt in goose-skin, but he doesn't push me away. I reach on my tiptoes and place a light kiss on his cheek.

"I'll stay." I say. I won't take no for an answer.

...

...

"Don't hide your scars from me, Gale." She gently pulls me to her.

"I don't want you to see them." I am still standing against the window, afraid to move. I don't want her to see my disfigured skin. It almost feels wrong to destroy the innocence of her eyes; she's so pure.

"You are mine, Gale. So is your pain." She says resolutely.

"Earlier I was a poor miner from the Seam, Madge. Now I'm a criminal." I try to stand by my reason to stay away from her, but with each word she utters, I'm losing my ground.

"Earlier you were the Gale Hawthorne who I could never have. Now you are mine." she says with so much steel and finality in her voice that I am momentarily speechless.

"What they did to you will not go unpunished, Gale. But we need your help."

"The crack-down is absolute, Madge. No one will dare oppose Thread." I muse, sadly.

I would have, but my family would pay for it with their lives.

"Show me, Gale." She implores.

I slowly, finally turn and let her have a look at my mutilated, bare back. She draws in a sharp breath as she sees it up close.

I feel her cold fingers lightly running along the ridges cut into the skin by the whip, and where they touch me, I feel a warm, tingly sensation. God, I've missed her. I believed I'm seeing her for the last time when I was hanging from the whipping post. And here I am. I shiver from her touch, not the cold wind seeping from the broken window. I much too warm now. I want to tell her to leave; but after such a close brush with death, I grab the slightest good thing that comes my way. I try to stop the burning sensation in my veins that is associated with Madge, but I fail miserably.

Her fingers continue to trace each of the ridge-lines along my back, and fire follows. Its excruciating to try and ignore the feeling that Madge elicits in me. Its almost useless to try and resist. I give up fighting a losing battle and slowly turn back to face her, and am not surprised to see her tear-streaked face.

"I never got the chance to thank you enough, love." I say and slowly put my arms around her, pulling her gently to me.

She holds onto me tightly, careful to not hurt me. She pulls me down to her and places a feather-light kiss at the corner of my lips, as if I'm so fragile that it'll hurt me. Not able to bear it any longer, I capture her lips in mine and pour out every ounce of what I feel into this kiss. It's a new life I have received. Madge gave it to me. What gratitude and love I feel for her, what sadness I had felt when I thought I'd never see her again and sent her my silent goodbyes, I pour out into this kiss. She responds with equal fervor. I know she understands all the feelings that I want to convey to her, and she answers in the way she kisses me back. I know she's telling me to be strong, to fight, to stay with her. And I do. We both understand each other so perfectly, I marvel at the thought.

At last she tugs the shirt out from between us, and lays it aside, and silently asks for the ointment I've been given to apply if the wounds got too dry. It's on the bedside table. She takes it and motions me to sit as she busies herself with the careful task of applying the medicine while not snagging the skin.

I can't stop the sigh of relief that escapes me. I was craving this piece of normality of my life when I was in Katniss's house. I was enjoying the attention Katniss was showering on me when I was delirious with pain and dying, but it became unbearable once I was fully conscious. I am poor, but I have a lovely family, a place I can call home in its true sense; not a warped life like Katniss.

Then there is this wonderful girl, so selfless and pure. She risked her own life so I could live. I had no idea it was Madge who had delivered the morphling. I had jumped to the conclusion, like every other time, that Katniss was behind this. Katniss hadn't told me, not once, where it came from. Instead she led me to believe that she got hold of these expensive Capitol-made meds just for me; she cares for me that much. I had foolishly believed and felt so indebted to her that I could not even meet her eyes for a few days. My mother had, very unwillingly told me the entire story about the morphling, but only after I had wallowed in misery about how I cannot live with myself being so indebted to Katniss; my life belonged to her now. She also told me that Madge didn't want me to know; she said I wouldn't like it.

Madge finishes with the ointment, wipes her fingers on her handkerchief, wraps a soft blanket around me and sits in front of me. She takes a deep breath, as if preparing for one of her speeches that she loves giving me.

"The mines will reopen." She sighs.

"But I heard they are closed until further notice." I challenge.

She gives me a look as if to remind me that her source of news is infallible.

"The Capitol needs the mines to remain open, so they will reopen, but the conditions are going to worsen."

"They are already nice and peachy." I say darkly, sarcastically.

"Yes, but when I say worsen, I mean wages cut, hours and production quota extended, and there is a possibility that they'll send the miners to blatantly dangerous sites." She says with a somber expression.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked, confused.

"Not you, Gale. Everybody. Once the new rules come into effect, everyone of the miners must raise their voice. And you must lead them when the time comes. We cannot make a mistake like last time." She stresses on the last sentence.

"This time you must work with us."

I must. I cannot stand back and watch as my family starves, as my brother meekly accepts the possibility of becoming a Tribute one day. The fire had burnt out in me, but Madge rekindles it.

I nod my assent.

"Good. We must all wait out till the next few days. The Quarter Quell is around the corner. Now I want you to know that everything starts with the Quell." She says excitedly, her eyes alight with the spark that I love so much.

I look out of the window, and the sky is already darkening.

"Don't you need to be home, Madge?"

"That can wait, I can go back tomorrow. I take it Hazelle won't be coming home tonight?"

"No." he replies. "She's taken the kids to Katniss's mom. They would be late, so they'll stay back for tonight."

"Good." She smiles. "Now let's go, call Rory and have some dinner."

I slowly push myself off the chair and struggle into my long-discarded and neglected shirt. As I move towards the door, Madge pulls me back by my hand.

"Gale, 'Ad maiora natus sum'. Always remember that." She says before pulling me in for a kiss.

...

Note: Hey peeps, if anybody's wondering what the last line in Latin means, it means "I am born for greater things.". I almost don't want to, but can't help giving credit where it's due. The music that I listened to while getting this chapter out was "Dark Fur Elise", by Lucas King on youtube. I wanted Madge to play this version, but well, bad-luck.