A/N: Thanks, everyone, for the continued support. Your passionate response to the last chapter was a great encouragement to get this chapter out quickly. Thank you, RoryFaller and JohnnyStormsGirl, for the beta.

Saving Madge

Gale took a deep breath before finishing his sentence, "I love you, Madge Undersee!" He was playing with fire antagonizing Snow on national television, but what other choice did he have?

The audience cheered and clapped and then quieted with confusion. Everyone, including Caesar, looked at Gale. In the last forty years no one had ever stunned Caesar into silence before. Gale had just done it. After a moment, Caesar composed himself and asked, "Madge Undersee? The District Twelve Mayor's daughter?"

"Who else?" Gale asked innocently. Haymitch's words about becoming unforgettable in the public's eye came to him.

"So all this time you've been talking about Madge Undersee?" Caesar asked needing further confirmation. Gale nodded. Still stunned, Caesar continued, "So you and Madge are together?"

Gale laughed a little and said, "I wish it was that simple. No, we're not together, but I let her know how I feel about her a few months ago. One day I just went for it. Out of the blue I kissed her."

"Out in the open, you kissed the Mayor's daughter?" Caesar asked dumbfounded.

Gale smiled; he had him just where he wanted him. "I may be in love, but I'm not stupid. She's the Mayor's daughter and I'm nobody. She's rich and I'm poor. The Mayor would've had my hide if he found out I kissed his princess within his own realm. So I took her to the other side of the fence. That land is not under the Mayor's control; it belongs to Panem...to all of us. She was terrified and I just went for it. I kissed her."

Before he knew it the audience was 'awing' and 'ahing' him. These people in the Capitol lived for drama and what could be more dramatic than a love triangle. Especially when it concerned the nation's sweetheart, as Madge was nicknamed. Her romance with Spinner had brought her into the public eye and now he'd made her truly unforgettable. He'd taken the rebellious kiss between them upon his head and off hers. The whole nation would want to watch her reaction to the games and Snow wouldn't be able to touch her. At least not until the games were over. By then, he'd be home to protect her himself. The districts would see this as an act of rebellion, but the Capitol citizens would see his actions of crossing the fence as romantically brave.

"Well, that's quite a surprise," Caesar expressed. After a moment he asked, "So you volunteered for Madge Undersee? Because you love her? Your plan is to win, become rich and then pursue her?" Gale nodded. Caesar continued, "What about Spinner? She's in love with him."

Gale shrugged and said, "I think I'd stand a chance against Spinner if we were on even grounds. What do you think?" Capitol citizens would relate to this. They didn't have true love in their lives and they switched lovers faster than the changing seasons.

A collective, "Yes!" came back from the audience. It sickened Gale to reduce Madge to their shallowness, but he'd do it for her…to keep her safe. He would deal with the guilt of throwing such a curve ball at Spinner…he'd figure out a way to make it up to him later. Madge became Spinner's girlfriend to save him; he just declared his love to save her. As long as they all made it out alive and untouched by the Capitol's filth they'd figure out a way to move forward.

The cheers of yes soon turned to, "Gale and Madge! Gale and Madge! Gale and Madge!" By the time the buzzer sounded the audience had shortened their chant to, "Gadge! Gadge! Gadge!"

A hush fell across the town square in District Twelve as all eyes fell on the Mayor's daughter seated on the stage. She knew everyone looked at her for some sort of confirmation or explanation. She refused to cast her eyes down and cower away from anyone. There was only one person whose eyes she searched. Only one person that deserved to know her true thoughts and feelings on everything Gale said. Madge searched the front row where the tribute families sat. She kept her eyes moving until they settled on a pair of tearful gray ones.

She didn't know what to expect. Sadness and anger, maybe. But the matriarch of the Hawthorne family only had tears of understanding in her eyes. She only had compassion for the girl her son loved. Madge's eyes teared up along with Hazelle's. The Mayor quickly dismissed everyone; he wanted to take his daughter home. He didn't want anyone to question her motives. Gale had just done her a big favor by saving her from Snow for now, but he wasn't sure how the district residents would react to Gale's admission of love for Madge.

Before her father could stop her, Madge quickly made her way down the steps. She found Hazelle immediately and hugged her. Gale's mother rubbed her hands on Madge's back comforting her. "I don't know why he just did that," Madge explained crying into Hazelle's shoulder.

"Don't worry, sweetie. Gale must have a plan. After keeping his feelings hidden from everyone for such a long time, he must have a reason for going public with his love," Hazelle comforted Madge.

"Madge, we need to leave now," she turned around to Spinner's frantic voice. When Madge lifted her head, she also saw her father urging the people to go home.

Spinner suddenly pulled her behind him and said, "Do not take even a step closer. I've fought and killed before and I'll do it again." Madge peered from behind Spinner and saw an angry mob – all men with dark hair and gray eyes. She grabbed the back of Spinner's shirt tighter as she closed her eyes and buried her head into his back.

"Your boyfriend's not going to save you forever. He may be a Victor, but we won't let you string along a boy from the Seam." Someone pulled her away from Spinner. Hazelle's cries of 'stop' were quickly lost in the angry rants of the crowd. Madge found herself pulled deeper into the crowd and further away from Spinner, her dad, and Hazelle. Why weren't the peacekeepers coming to her rescue? Before a full-blown panic attack set in, two steady hands pulled her closer and Madge held on to his shirt like a lifeline, "Peeta!"

"I've got you," he consoled her as he put an arm around her protectively. He turned to the crowd and said, "Back away. No one touches her."

"Gale is your friend and you're defending that girl? Where are your loyalties, Everdeen?" someone from the crowd asked, a mine worker.

"My priorities are with Gale. Where were you all when our fathers died and left us helpless? No one came to our aid back then when we were all starving. Gale and I only had each other and our families to depend on…" Peeta said angrily.

Thom interrupted and added his weight, "Gale loves her and he's my friend. You've all gotta go through me to get to her."

"And me," the petite Seam girl said fiercely. No one in their right mind would cross paths with Bristel; she pulled out a big knife from under her shirt for added effect. Madge had no idea where she could've gotten a knife like that. Thom hurriedly hid the knife under her shirt again as he took her hand in his own.

"And me," Hazelle added bringing all her children along.

"Fine," the crowd grumbled as they all dispersed.

"Ma, you and Mrs. Hawthorne should take the kids home. I'll be home soon," Peeta said. Madge sent her father home too.

Soon enough the only people left in the town square were Peeta, Madge, Spinner, Thom, Bristel and Darius. Even the other peacekeepers had cleared out on Darius' word to make sure everyone went home without causing any trouble.

"Why didn't you help when the angry mob was carrying me away?" Madge asked Darius angrily.

Both Spinner and Peeta said, "Calm down, Madge."

Before Madge blew up on Peeta, Darius said, "Madge, you're in a lot of trouble. Cray got word from the Capitol this morning to keep an extra close eye on you and to not help you if any of us found you in need of help. Cray specifically told all the peacekeepers to ignore your cries for help."

"I told you Snow knows about the kiss between you and Gale. Do you understand what Gale's just done for you?" Spinner added.

"He took all the blame upon himself." Suddenly she needed to sit down and process everything. Now it made complete sense why Gale confessed his love on national television and why he lied about the kiss. Her head spun. Why did he do it? The only answer to that question was the infinite amount of love for her and selflessness he carried in his heart. Just a few minutes ago she couldn't process anything and now her head was spinning with the possibilities of what his interview meant. "He admitted to crossing the fence in front of the nation," Madge thought out loud, all color draining from her face.

"He took Snow's focus off you and upon himself," Peeta agreed.

"Snow will make the arena hell for him," Madge whispered.

"Well, he's already promised to do that to all the tributes, right?" Peeta reasoned.

"So what do we do now?" Madge questioned. She noticed Spinner bring Thom and Bristel up to speed on everything thus far.

"For your sake, let's hope a lot of reporters from the Capitol show up soon to capture your emotions and reactions to the games," Darius said amused. The red-haired peacekeeper knew Madge enough to know how important her privacy was to her. With Spinner, it had been different. She wasn't showcasing her true feelings, but with Gale they'd all see the real Madge and her very real feelings.

"I'm not worried about me. What about Gale?" Madge exclaimed.

"The rebels will take his admission as a good sign. He's given the districts hope. By admitting he took you on the other side of the fence because it served his purpose he's paved the path for others to do it too. He's planted that seed in everyone's head. The rebels will spread that message as the take-away from Gale's interview." Spinner explained. Then he turned to Madge and said, "Don't worry about Gale. He'll have help in the arena. The rebels will make sure of that much. Especially after that interview."

It was Peeta whose warmth and friendship she sought when she wanted a shoulder to cry on. They were both in the same boat except that Katniss wasn't in as much trouble as Gale. "We can't give up hope, Madge. It's all we've got to hold on to. You and I will get our happily ever after with Gale and Katniss."

"Katniss doesn't even know anything about the rebellion. Don't you remember what Spinner told you just yesterday? How can they help each other if they're not on the same team?" Madge argued.

"I have faith in both. You know Katniss better than anyone. She gets angry easily, but eventually when she thinks things through she'll come around. No matter what happens she won't ever hurt Gale. And Gale won't hurt her. If she doesn't find out anything and doesn't ally with Gale, she'll ally with the girl from Two. They'll both be okay." Peeta said. It was hard to tell if he was consoling himself or Madge. Thom and Bristel wanted in on the plans. For now there wasn't anything for any of them to do other than see how it all played out over the next couple of days.

Tomorrow morning Gale and Katniss would be thrown into an arena with twenty-two other children to kill or die.

"You two go home and try to stay out of trouble because remember no help will come," Darius explained pointing to Madge and Spinner.

Bristel added, "Don't worry, Madge. Us girls stick together. I got your back." Madge laughed and hugged her new friend, another gift from Gale. Ironic he said she had everything while he had nothing and he was the one giving her one gift after another.

Prim hugged Peeta as soon as he walked in the door. "Hey little duck, what're you doing still up?"

"Waiting for you," she answered squeezing him even tighter. "Is everything alright? Is Madge okay?" Peeta nodded not sure how much to share with his little sister. "Peeta?"

"Yeah?"

"Does Gale really love Madge?" Prim asked.

"Yeah, I think he does. I think he really loves her," Peeta replied.

She cried into his shirt and asked, "I want both Gale and Katniss to come home."

"I do too, little duck." Peeta lifted his little sister's chin up and wiped her tears. "Remember when you were younger what you used to say about Gale?" he asked with a forced smile.

Prim smiled and said, "Yeah. I used to say, Gale can do anything." Prim laughed and continued, "I used to think he had magical powers. My first birthday after dad died, we were really upset and Gale showed up with his family. Neither family had had any food in days and he showed up with squirrels and fish just for my birthday." Prim said reminiscing.

Peeta laughed indulgently and said, "And Gale said, he couldn't do this every day, but for your birthday he summoned all his powers and made the food appear. And what a feast it was. For months you thought Gale was a genie." Since that day they'd always celebrated their siblings birthdays together as one big, happy family. Peeta hugged his sister, resting his chin on her head and said, "Gale's still got his magical powers. He'll figure out a way to make it home and somehow bring Katniss back with him too. We have to believe."

"I believe in him. Gale can do anything," Prim whispered with slight hope in her words. Peeta's eyes met his mom's. She wanted answers from him but he shook his head. It was best if she knew nothing or little. Things were about to change in their world and he had to do everything he could to keep his mother and sister safe.

"Come on, I'll take you to bed."

Peeta lay awake in bed even after everyone else went to sleep, thinking about Gale's interview. For a moment, back in the square, he'd thought Gale may say he loved Katniss. It could've been a good lead into the games. Gale and Katniss fighting for love to keep each other alive. He'd closed his eyes and resigned himself to seeing the girl he loved called someone else's girlfriend. Peeta had a new understanding for everything Gale must have felt watching Madge and Spinner together. He would never blame Gale for hiding anything from him. Now that Gale hadn't confessed fake love for Katniss, Peeta took a breath of relief. He wasn't sure he had a heart big enough to give that to the rebellion. He loved Katniss and he wanted the world to know she was his and he was hers.

He turned his thoughts away from that train and on to moving forward. The wheels in his mind churned with possibilities of how District Twelve could rebel. Freedom had once been a pipe dream – one he was even afraid to dream of, but now it was a real possibility. Gale and Katniss were fighting their battle in the Capitol he needed to do what he could in Twelve. He heeded Darius' advice that they needed to wait before they took any hasty steps, but that didn't mean he couldn't start with little steps in the right direction. He made up his mind that in the meanwhile he would rally the seam folks and ask Manna, Katniss' brother, to rally the town folks. There was no reason District Twelve couldn't rebel. They needed someone to lead them and show them the way. Gale was born a rebel. Peeta, the rebel, just took his first few breaths in a world of possibilities and hope.

After the anthem, the tributes slowly filed back into the Training Center lobby and on to the elevators. It took them a few hours to get past the screaming crowds. Though the chants were mostly incomprehensible, Gale's name rang through often and clearly. Cato sneered at him on his way out. Clove raised an eyebrow at Katniss which Katniss answered with a nod finalizing an alliance between the two.

Katniss reached the twelfth floor before anyone else. She paced the space in front of the elevator waiting for someone…anyone to come up. Gale came up first; the entourage of escorts and mentors was seated deeper into the crowd and it would take them some time to get out.

As soon as Gale stepped out she slammed her palms into his chest and pushed with all her might. He was stronger and she didn't catch his hunter reflexes off guard. Katniss was only able to push him back slightly causing an urn behind them to shift and fall on the ground – shattering into hundreds of tiny pieces. He wrapped his hands around her arms and stopped her movement forward.

"What're you doing? Are you out of your mind?" Gale asked vexed.

"You had no right! No right to make a mockery out of me in front of the nation. In front of my family and Peeta. I could've denied there was something between us. But I didn't because I didn't want to humiliate you in front of everyone," shouted Katniss.

"So what? I should've made a mockery out of Peeta by confessing fake love for you?" The elevator doors opened and the crew walked in, Effie, Haymitch, Cinna and Portia.

"What's going on?" asked Effie with a note of hysteria in her voice.

"I got off the elevator and she attacked me…unprovoked." Gale explained.

"Attacked him, why?" Haymitch turned on her.

"He ridiculed me in front of the nation. In front of my family."

Before Haymitch could reply, Gale cut in and said angrily, "This has nothing to do with you. Open your eyes and see what's happening around you."

"Gale!" warned Haymitch. Katniss watched an unspoken conversation pass between Gale and Haymitch, highlighting her anger even more than before.

"I don't know why I bother, it's about Gale for you since the beginning," she said to Haymitch throwing her hands up in the air. A part of her wanted to make a dramatic angry exit, but another part of her wanted Haymitch to deny it.

Before Haymitch said anything, Gale angrily said, "Get over yourself!"

Haymitch warned again, "Gale!"

"Whatever," he said dejected and stalked off towards his room with his long powerful gait.

She didn't want to cry in front of Haymitch, but a few traitorous tears escaped her eyes. Cinna wiped them off her cheeks and asked, "Want to go up for some fresh air?"

"Maybe later," she said giving him a hug before disappearing into her room. She didn't miss the worried look or shrug between Haymitch and Cinna. Katniss paced her room angrily, reeling over Gale's interview. He'd made himself unforgettable. She thought of the way everyone chanted his name and cheered for him. It was obvious he was the one who'd come out a Victor. Fear also settled in because she now had confirmation that he wasn't here to protect her. He was really here to win the games. She was alone. She had to fight alone. Katniss curled up on her bed and cried until she fell asleep.

She woke up to a dark room, disoriented and hungry. Everyone must have gone to bed because all the lights were off in the suite. She grabbed a sandwich from the refrigerator and made her way up to the roof for the much-needed fresh air. The roof was dark but she saw his silhouette against the endless lights that always shone in the Capitol. She didn't know how he heard her, but without turning around he sighed and said, "I'm sorry for blowing up on you earlier. I've got a lot on my mind and I had no right to take it out on you."

"We all have a lot on our mind, Gale. You're not the only one," she said sarcastically, but immediately chided herself to be nicer. He was trying why couldn't she?

Gale turned around and said, "I know. I'm worried about Madge."

"You really love her don't you?" Katniss asked.

"Yeah, I do. She's in a lot of trouble. I spoke my true feelings at the interview, but it had nothing to do about confessing my love for Madge or causing you any humiliation. If it wasn't for protecting Madge, I would've never shared anything about her with the Capitol citizens."

"She's in trouble just because she kissed you?" Katniss asked confused.

With a condescending look, Gale said, "Don't be crazy. She's in trouble because she kissed me when she's supposed to be in love with Spinner and it was obviously done on the other side of the fence. Have you forgotten crossing the fence alone is punishable by death?"

Katniss sat down as her head processed everything. She'd been too busy being angry over the betrayal that she hadn't given much thought to anything else. "So she's not in love with Spinner?" Gale shook his head. "Does she love you too?" Gale nodded. Katniss sighed.

Gale took her silence as a cue to explain himself, "Madge is in trouble. I had to do something to help her. I trust Spinner and Peeta, but I can't let both of them carry all my responsibilities."

At Peeta's name her eyes teared. Gale took a seat across from her and said, "I don't think I could lie about loving someone, but even if I could, I'd never do that to Peeta. It isn't easy watching the girl you love, become someone else's on national television, even if you know it's fake. The jealousy…the pain sears through not only the heart, but it pierces through the soul. I couldn't put Peeta through that hell. I've been there."

Now the tears flowed like a steady stream out of her eyes. "I've misjudged you." She stood up and continued, "You deserve to win and go home." She ran off.

Gale stood up quickly and caught her. He pulled her back into an embrace and whispered quickly in her ear as the words rushed out of him. It was his last chance to tell Katniss everything, "I'm your friend. I care about you. I want you to go home to Peeta and Madge. Don't do anything stupid. There's a rebellion in the works. We've tried to tell you. I didn't volunteer to become rich; I volunteered to start the fight. Fight with me!"

She pushed back on his chest to look up into his eyes and asked, "How?"

"Be a rebel. Rebel the games," he whispered.

"I c-can't. I'm not strong like you. I don't know how to do that," Katniss said scared and confused. She tried to pull away from Gale, but he kept a strong grip on her wrist holding her there.

He needed her to understand. He needed her to stand with him. Together they'd be stronger. The only way to ensure her safety was to keep her under his watchful eyes. She looked into his eyes and continued, "I promise not to get in your way. But let's face it. Neither one of us will be able to kill the other. You need to go home."

"We'll figure out a way for both of us...maybe even all of us to go home. If we don't fight each other, we can all go home," he said. Could they, though? The plan was to not kill and stand up against the gamemakers. Would that be enough?

She must have seen the indecision in his eyes because she freed herself and said, "That'll never work. I don't want it to come down to just the two of us. I'm not a rebel! I don't know how to rebel. Good luck, Gale." Katniss ran away before he could catch her.

Gale whispered to the black night, "Yes you are. You already did by not showing your skills to the gamemakers." She was a rebel and she had no idea. Her inherent nature was rebellious. Everything she'd done in life was against the norm. Snow wanted everyone to fear the reapings, but Katniss never did. Snow wanted everyone to stay inside the fence, but she didn't give it a second thought when she crossed it with Peeta. Snow created a separation between the Town and Seam, yet she fell in love with someone from the Seam. Snow wanted to give her an easy way to win, but she'd already decided to sacrifice herself for him. They were more alike than he'd ever realized. They were like two peas of the same pod. No wonder destiny continued to push them towards a friendship; they'd make the best of friends. Too bad, he thought. It took him this long to see the real Katniss. Would she ever see the real Gale?

A/N: So, not what you expected? I've been slowly working towards this moment - when Gale announces his love for Madge to the nation and realizes that he and Katniss are very alike, meant to be best-friends, no matter what their backgrounds. Good-bad, what do you think?