LAST CHAPTER! I can't believe I'm already done with this story(the first part at least!) it's been such a long ride and I'm so grateful to everyone that's stuck with me since the beginning, you know who are! So without further ado, I present the last chapter to Snares and Strawberries! Enjoy :D

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE HUNGER GAMES

Chapter 22

The sound of Effie's squeals wakes me up as she throws off my blanket in revulsion. "You slept on the roof! Young ladies sleep in beds!"

I groan, covering my eyes with my arm, "The sun's not even out yet Effie!" She ignores me, her bony hands force me up and screeching on about what a big, big day it is.

A bowl of hot oatmeal is placed in front of me and I have a totally of five minutes to stuff it down my throat before my prep team launches themselves at me. Luckily I don't need to take part in their mindless chatter today, they're far too occupied gibbering on about last night's festivities to notice my silence.

Cinna comes and brings me the white delicate dress I tried on yesterday, slipping it on me and helping me into the pink shoes. "Wait," he says, before I can move, grabbing a small sliver box from the counter where all the supplies used to make me beautiful lay. "I thought you might need this," he opens the box to reveal Rue's star pendent. I stand in shock as I see him take it out, thinking that it had been lost forever. "The grass fell apart so I ordered a new chain for it," he tells me. He turns me around, closing the clasp around my neck and my hand closes protectively around the pendent as tears spring to my eyes.

"Oh thank you Cinna."

"I thought you might need a piece of them with you today." I throw my arms around him, unable to convey how truly appreciate I am of his present. "Now don't ruin your makeup or we'll have to start over." He fixes my makeup so that I'm gleaming once more before kissing my forehead lightly, "One more thing." I'm worried anything else will cause me to break down completely but he only pulls out my small mockingjay pin out of his pants pocket, pining it to lapel of my dress, covering it with my hair so that it cannot be seen. He then takes the long chain that holds Rue's star and tucks it into my dress, hidden away from prying eyes. He smiles, holding out his hand to me and escorting me to the sitting room where the interview will be held.

Gale walks in clad in red and white just like me and he engulfs me in his arms. I hug him back, smiling as Caesar tell us to make ourselves comfortable. Gale tucks me in close again and I curl up next to him.

The camera bens rolling and Caesar address everyone in Panem, telling them how exited he is to be here with us. He asks me jokingly if I've gotten a hang of the showers yet and I tell him I have not yet mastered it, asking him if my hair smells like sunflowers. The entire interview goes along like that, Caesar teasing, joking, laughing along with me. Gale stays quiet, only saying things when he has to. He must not like the cameras. Finally though Caesar says, "Well, we know from the time in the cave that you were in love with Gale from what, age seven?"

I nod, "Yes, from the moment he saved me from those bullies."

"But Gale, I think the most fun part of the whole Games for us was watching you fall for her. When do you think you realized you were really in love with her?"

Gale pauses, shifting slightly, "I'd have to say when I found her passed out in the forest. There was so much blood and she was so still and I thought I may have lost her and I just never felt so lost, so hopeless." I hear a few people in the room sniffling and Caesar actually has to take a moment to wipe his eyes. Gale presses a tender kiss to my lips and I hear people in the room sigh at the sight of us.

Caesar moves on quickly from there, bouncing topics from wounds to allies to the finale. "Now we're all dying to know, what was going on in your mind when you opened you palm and saw those berries there?"

I bite my lip, not knowing how to say it . "I just felt so hopeless, I knew one of us had to go home but I could never kill him and he would never kill me. I couldn't bear the thought of losing him, of being without him."

"And Gale, what about you? What were you thinking when you put those berries in your mouth?"

"Just what she said. I couldn't live without her, I can't live without her." Caesar smiles at us, signing off to Panem and the cameras go dim. Everyone hugs us, even Caesar and the cameramen. I go to my room to collect my things but realize the moment I step into the room I have nothing to take.

We are taken through the streets in a car with dark windows, the train waiting for us to arrive. We say a hasty good-bye to Cinna and Portia, it's more of a so long than a real good-bye since we'll see them in a few months for the Victory Tour.

The train pulls away at its usual immense speed and I see Gale almost fall again as it takes off. Just like he did after the Reaping. It's funny now, how the little things have not changed. We eat a huge dinner, hardly listening as Effie prattles away again. Afterwards we all watch the replay of the interview in the same room where we watched the recap of the Reapings.

I excuse myself to go change and find myself back where I started this whole journey, sitting on the bed of the tribute train wondering where to go from here. I get up, rid my face of all the make-up and strip out of the white dress. I grab the first thing I see in the closet, a pair of flannel pajamas, and throw them on.

Maysilee appears on my bedside, sitting cross-legged as always. I resist the urge to throw myself at her, eyeing her cautiously. She smiles at me, "There are no cameras on the train, you're free."

A sound that is a cross between a sigh and a sob comes out of my mouth and the next thing I know I'm in her arms, the smell of peppermint overpowering anything else. "I missed talking to you," I say, hugging her closer.

She strokes my hair softly, hushing me, "I know, I know. I did too."

I pull away from her, a million questions that need answering rushing through my head. "Did you go see my mother?" A strange look passes over her features and she nods, mutely staring down at the floor. "Is she alright?" I ask panicked at her reaction to my question.

"Yes, she's fine, awaiting your return back home."

I relax, leaning my head on her shoulder. "I've missed you May." She stiffens and I look up at her face. She has that look again, the one I've seen her wearing allot these last few days, the look of weariness and absolute fatigue. "Is something wrong?"

"I have to Madge."

My face falls, my shoulders hunched over, "Oh, alright. When will you be back?"

"No, you don't understand. I have to go. I have to leave."

I stare at her, uncomprehending her words. "You're leaving me?"

She strokes my hair, sadness in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" I ask incredulously, trying to grasp her sudden revelation.

"I've done what I set out to do, everything else is up to you now."

"What are you talking about?"

She shakes her head, "You'll understand soon."

"No!" I say stepping away from her, "No, tell me what's going on! Tell me why you have to leave!"

"No one can stay forever Madge. I should have left a long time ago, but I couldn't leave you all. I'm so tired Madge." And for the first time I look at her, really look at her and I see how true that simple statement is. She maybe looking young and beautiful but there is an emptiness to her, an exhaustion of someone who has seen too much, as felt too much. Of someone who needs to be at peace.

I shake my head, backing away. "I'll never see you again?"

"I'll always be with you. You and your mother and Haymitch. I'll always be with you."

"But I'll never see you again?"

She gets gracefully to her feet, cupping my face in her hand. "We never truly leave Madge. Thresh, Rue, Ronan they're still with you. Everyone you love that leaves you is never truly gone. They live on, inside of you."

"But I'll never see you again?" I ask again because I have to know, I need to know if it's true.

"You will. I'll come back, when you need me I'll be here."

"I always need you," I tell her, the tears leaking from my eyes.

She shakes her head, smiling lovingly at me. "No, you're so strong Madge. Stronger then you think. You'll get through this. Believe me."

I've always believed her. I've always trusted her. She's my aunt. My best friend. She holds me close and I grasp onto her for dear life. "Did you say goodbye to Haymitch and my mother?"

"Mitch yes, your mother no. I was saving hers for last." She says it in such a way that I know it's not something she's looking forward too.

"Will you come back after you see her? Please, just one more time." I'm begging and I don't care. I don't want this to be the last time I see my aunt.

She doesn't answer and for a moment I think she's going to say no but instead she slowly nods her head. "Yes, alright. But I have to leave after that Madge. There are rules about things like this." I don't question her, too relieved that she agreed to ask her anything else. She kisses me once on the forehead before disappearing into thin air.

I sit down on my bed, trying to remember how to breathe. She's leaving. Going off somewhere where I won't see her again. I can't stay in this room any longer, the smell of peppermint threatening to choke me. I throw open the door, stalking down the hall to the sitting room.

I see Gale sitting in the plush chair next to the sofa, facing away from me. I wipe my eyes, putting on a brave smile as I walk behind him. Either he doesn't hear me or he's not paying attention because he doesn't make a move as I approach him. I wrap my arms around his shoulder, leaning my head on his. "I can't wait till we get home." He grunts in response, removing my arm from his shoulder and getting up to go sit on the other side of the room.

His rejection stings but I force myself not to get cross with him, he's probably just nervous about going home. He stands away from me again and I wrap my arms around his waist, my head laying on his back and I close my eyes as I faintly hear his heartbeat quicken. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he says a bit too harshly.

"Gale you can tell me anything."

"I said it's nothing Undersee." I freeze at the use of my surname and he once again pulls away from me, this time only walking two steps and facing me, but still looking away.

"There are no cameras on the train," I say quietly, wondering if the stress of it all is starting to get to him. His face relaxes and I smile slightly, relieved I figured it out. "You know you can tell me anything right?" I ask, reaching my hand out to squeeze his shoulder.

He places his hand on top of mine, squeezing it back. My face transforms into a smile when he quickly looks up at me, his hand still on top of mine. "You know none of it was real. You know it was all an act don't you?"

My smile falters, my eyes widening in confusion. He stares at me intensely, watching my every facial expression. "You knew," he says when I don't reply. "Of course you knew, it was your idea. With the interview, pretending to love me. It was your idea." I still say nothing, watching as his eyes grow stormy. "You knew. Haymitch said you knew. If we met up in the arena we were supposed to play up your star-crossed lovers idea. Your idea. He said it was your idea. You knew." His hand is still on top of mine and I snatch my hand away, taking a step away from him. His face hardens, his eyes grow narrow. "You knew," he says again, his tone getting harder. I say nothing and he looks at me intensely.

I take another step back, my heart pounding and my mind racing in confusion, in denial. All those nights spent in each other's arms, all the kisses, all the embraces. My heart does not slowly crack down the middle but rather breaks all at once, shattering into tiny fragments that can never be truly whole again. "You knew." He still says it as a statement but a weak one. "You knew didn't you?" Still I say nothing, my eyes staring into his. "Madge," he says gently, reaching a hand out to me. I jump away from it as if it were a burning branch.

"I knew," I say, forcing the words out of my frozen mouth. "Of course I knew. Like you said it was my idea." The words are quiet, fragile and weak and Gale's looks at me like a wounded baby deer. Something weak, naïve, something that has no clue what just hit them.

"Madge," he says again, taking a step towards me.

I take two steps back, my eyes anywhere but his face. "I knew," I say again, my voice even weaker. "I knew. I knew it was all an act. Of course I knew. Who would be stupid enough to not know?" My eyes flash towards his and his face is so soft, so gentle and he's looking at me with something that makes me sick. Pity. "Excuse me, I have to get ready for bed."

His eyebrows crease in confusion, "But you're already re-"

"Excuse me," I say again, turning on my heels and walking slowly back down the corridor. My thumb presses hard on the nerve on my hand but the tears are beginning to come on their own. My self-preservation kicks in and my bare feet hit carpeted floor as I sprint down the hall. I can feel him following me and my legs go faster and I burst into my room, slamming the door.

I fall onto the floor, the tears cascading down my face. Gale raps twice on the door and I refuse to answer, biting my tongue to hold back a sob. I grab a pillow off the floor that must have fallen from the bed when I slammed the door and clutch it tightly to my middle, burying my head in it, trying to muffle the my tears. He no longer has the right to hear me cry. "Madge!" Gale says, knocking hard. I lean against the door and he shakes the knob in frustration when it doesn't open. "Madge open the door. Please Madge, let's just talk about this." Talk about what? How every kiss, every caress, every touch was a lie? Just another way to manipulate the sponsors? Or how like a fool I fell for it. "Madge!"

"Go away Hawthorne!" I scream through the door, the pain and anger evident through my voice. Does a heart make a distinct sound when it breaks? The knocking stops and for a second I think maybe he listened to me but instead I hear his voice near the bottom of the door.

"Please Madge." I let out a sob, covering my mouth with the pillow again. I can just imagine him, sitting on the floor outside my door, his hand resting on the cold wood as he pleas for me to open it.

"Why?" I ask quietly. Why did you lie to me? Why did you break my heart? Why don't you love me?

But instead of answering any of those questions he says, "Because I want to make this right. You saved my life Madge, that's a debt I'll never be able to repay."

A debt. That's what this is all about. I let out a laugh, a loud crazed laugh laced with heartache. "So I'm just a debit to you, is that it?"

His fist pounds on the door, "Damn it Madge open the door!" I hear loud footsteps and Gale accusingly calls someone a liar and I hear them yell and scream at each other before one of the stomps away.

"I'm sorry sweetheart," A voice says through the door, before walking away.

I sink completely down to the floor, my body curled up in a ball as I cry. It makes sense now, why he always froze whenever I mentioned Katniss, the paled look on his face as he watched me shoot the squirrel that last day. It's not me he loves. It's her. It's probably always been her. He doesn't even have to admit, not that I'll ask, I'm not that gluten for punishment.

The smell of peppermint fills the room and Maysilee lifts my head into her lap. "You knew," I say as accusingly as I can but it just sounds like a broken little girl.

"Yes, I'm sorry."

"Why? Why didn't you warn me?" she pulls my face up to look at her, her blue eyes narrowed at me.

"You are stronger than this Madge. You will not let this break you." A sob racks through my body and she holds me in her arms, rocking me back and forth. "There is going to be rough times ahead of you but I know you can do this. You need to be strong." She goes back to stroking my hair but too soon she kisses my cheek and says, "I have to go."

"No!" I cry out, clutching the front of her dress.

"I have to Madge. I did what I set out to do. I started it, it's your job to finish it."

"Finish what? May you're not making any sense." She leans away from me, out of my grasp. "Please don't leave me here by myself."

She smiles at me, "You're never alone. I love you Margaret." I close my eyes as she presses her lips to my forehead, a single tear falling from my eyes. I open my eyes, expecting her to disappear as she always did. But this time she slowly begins to fade away, her image getting lighter and lighter and right before she's gone completely I see her face light up in the most magnificent, peaceful smile. And then she's gone.

"No," I sob into my pillow, screaming and crying and cursing the world.

I wake up to hear Effie's sugar-sweet voice through the door, calling me down for breakfast. I groan, stretching my arms out and getting up from where I fell asleep on the floor. I run my hand over face, surprised when my eyes feel sensitive and swollen under my touch. And that's when last night's events come rushing back to me. I crawl up to sit on the bed, curling the heavy comforter around me, closing my eyes again as the tears begin once more, my eyes aching as they run down my cheeks.

I must fall asleep again because when I open my eyes Effie is hovering over me, her heavy made up face full of sympathy. "It's almost time dear," she says, turning to leave but quickly changing her mind and handing me a small bottle of clear liquid. "It'll help, with your eyes," she says quietly before leaving me alone.

I stand up, walking slowly to the full length mirror that hangs on one of the walls. My eyes are red and puffy, my hair is in messy clumps that stick up around me. I place the bottle of liquid Effie gave me on the counter. I take a very short shower, not bothering to try to draw comfort from the hot water.

I dry myself off, opening the doors to the walk in closet, searching for something to wear when I find hanging all the way in the back, my white Reaping dress. I stare at it for a moment before unhooking it and slipping it on me. It's a little too big now but I hardly care at all. I search the drawers of the cabinet and find a small section of hair ribbons. I take out a pale pink one, tying my hair back with it. There is a mountain of shoes to choose from in a variety of heights, colors and patterns but I slip on a pair of tan flats, wondering if they were the same ones I wore on the train. I undo the pin from the white dress I wore yesterday and pin it back onto my Reaping dress.

I turn around to look at myself in the mirror. I'm me again. I dab the liquid that Effie gave me around my eyes and am amazed when the redness and puffiness all but disappear. I adjust my pin, tuck the chain of my necklace underneath the collar of my dress. I hear Effie rap lightly on the door across the hall from me, and the sound of light footsteps. I freeze as the footsteps pause in front of my door for a moment before continuing down into the hall.

Unable to put it off any longer, I take a few deep breathes and open the door. I stand unsure in front of my doorway, wanting to stall just a second longer. The shattering of glass breaks me from my reserve and I walk briskly down the hall, the opposite way Effie and Gale walked, to the last door on the train. Haymitch's quarters.

I don't bother knocking, throwing open the door to see him slumped over, shards of a bottle of whiskey tossed around the room. "May?" he says as he looks at me, his features rising up in vain hope. I shake my head slowly and he says something unintelligible, throwing another bottle of whiskey that crashes to the floor.

I close the door behind me, picking up a handkerchief from the nightstand and going over to him. His forehead is bleeding slightly, no doubt having been hit by a fly away shard of glass. He winces when I wipe the blood off, cursing under his breath. His eyes are puffy and red-rimmed and I wordlessly hand him the bottle Effie had given me. He expertly places a few drops on his fingertips, kneading then his swollen eyelids before placing a drop in each eye. The redness immediately subsides.

"He's an idiot," he tells me as I go back to fixing is forehead. "That boy, I told you he's not worth it."

He did tell me he's not worth it, but he also told me something else. His last words to me before the Games comes back to me. Just know I did it to get you home. Everything I did was to get you home.

"You told him to play me," I say, seeing his betrayal unravel before me.

"Not you, the cameras. To play up the star-crossed lovers for the cameras, for the sponsors. You have no clue how those Capitol idiots fell for it."

"They weren't the only ones," I say bitterly.

His expression falls even more and he shakes his head at me, "I did it to get you home."

"You made me a fool! Everyone knew it was a lie except me. Hell I think even Thresh figured it out! Everyone saw through it except me." I'm crying again but I'm too hurt, too angry to care.

"Hey now, you're about to be on camera in a few minutes you can't afford to be thinking like that."

I laugh maliciously, "Who cares? We're home, the Games are won."

"The Games may be won, but they certainly aren't over."

"What are you talking about?"

Haymitch grabs my shoulders roughly, forcing me to pay attention."You're in danger. The both of you. The Capitol never wanted two victors, and when you pulled out the berried, you defied them. The Capitol hates people making them look like a fool. Your only hope is that you convince them you two are so in love that you went mad at the thought of losing each other. That you can't be liable for your actions. But you won't be able to pull that off if you're the Ice Princess when we pull into the station."

My mind races at the information Haymitch provides. If he's telling me the truth then the Games are not over yet. "Gale knows this?"

"Yes, I told him before the ceremony."

"But you didn't tell me," I say.

"No, I knew you would perform better without knowing what the consequences would be if you failed."

"I didn't know I was performing," I say quietly.

Haymitch sighs, "I know. I'm sorry sweetheart. But like I said before, he's not worth it."

"I really don't need an I told you so right now." I take a good look at him, his face as aged years in a matter of hours, his skin is pale and his eyes are dull. "You look awful."

"I wouldn't be talking sweetheart." Tears come flowing down my face again and I throw myself into Haymitch's protective arms.

"I can't believe she's gone."

"I know," he says, his voice cracking as he hugs me back. "It's for the best. She's at peace."

Yes she's at peace will I rot here in my misery. I imagine Rue and Thresh and Ronan welcoming her with open arms, all of them happy and smiling. And for the first time in my life, I envy the dead.

Effie knocks loudly on the door, screeching for Haymitch to get up and get ready. "Five minutes till we pull in!" She shrills through the door before stalking away.

I pull away from Haymitch, going over to where a small mirror lays untouched on his dresser. "Is it crazy to miss someone who died nearly a decade before you were born?"

Haymitch walks up behind me, his face ashen in the mirror. "Yes, but we already knew you were crazy." I laugh, a sad painful laugh that nearly turns into a sob.

Effie raps on the door again, actually threatening this time. I adjust Haymitch's black tie that Effie must have forced him to wear. "Ready to put on a show?" he asks.

I give him my best Undersee smile, "It's what I was raised to do."

The walk down the hall takes longer than it ever has before. Maybe it's because I know I'm so close to home, or because I have Haymitch behind me, grumbling under his breath. But when I finally make it to the front of the train I find the real reason staring me in the face. The boy with the snares. He's dressed in almost identical clothes from the Reaping, except now his pants are the correct length and the shirt he is wearing is not visibly old and worn. But it doesn't matter what he's wearing because I can see it all in his face. The boy in the arena has vanished, the boy that held me at night and kept me safe is gone completely. But then again maybe he was never here to begin with.

Haymitch gives me a shove in Gale's direction saying low under his breath, "Camera-ready understand?"

I give him a tight nod, refusing to look at the boy next to me as we take our places in front of the train doors. I hold my hand out to him, still looking at the metal doors in front of me. He doesn't take it and after a moment I spare him a glance and find him staring at me, pity in his eyes. "For the cameras," I say, proud that my voice hides all my feelings, showing only emptiness. "One last time," I tell him when he still does not take it.

Something shifts in his face at my words and I see something that looks like regret but it comes and goes too fast for me to catch. I convince myself it was a trick of the light. He grabs me hand loosely, our clasped hands falling in the space between us.

Effie and Haymitch take their positions in front of us and Effie tells us, "Smile children, it's time to go home!"

Home. I imagine having to face my parents, Nora, Peeta after they have had to bear witness to all the things I did in the Games. Whenever I dreamed of coming home these last few days it's always been with Gale by my side, helping me get through the tortured nights, holding my hand when people looked at me in fear because of the things I did in the Games. Now I have no one. Not Maysilee, not Gale. I'm alone.

I feel the slightest bit of pressure on my hand I look to see Gale squeezing my hand, his face pulled in a small assuring smile. My blood runs cold as I look at him. How dare he. How dare he offer me comfort when he is the one that causes me pain? I return my gaze to the train doors, my hand going limp in his. He squeezes my hand again, perhaps thinking in his ignorance that I did not feel the first one. My only response is to continue staring at the grey metal in front of me. He does it again, harder this time as if demanding a response. I close my eyes, forcing the tears back. All the times the pressure of his hand squeezing mine returns to me, at Training Center, on the roof, those long nights in the Games when I truly felt I wouldn't survive the night. All times when we squeezed each other's hand, reassuring the other that they were not alone. But I now I am. And the feeling of his hand in mine is just another lie for the cameras. Another thing that has been taken from me.

I watch as our grimy little District Twelve station rises up to view from the window. The platform is thick with cameras and people. Everyone eager to welcome us home. Gale's grips tightens around my hand, I don't bother wondering if it was on purpose or if it was a reaction to the crowd. The doors begin to open, light streaming in from outside. I raise my head up, my smile in place as we step out into the light, readying myself for what is to come.

End of Book One

Don't hate me don't hate me don't hate me! I'm sorry I know I'm an evil horrible person and it physical hurt me writing this chapter! But look on the bright side, one down two to go! The sequel to Snares and Strawberries will be up, HOPEFULLY, in the next two weeks. Sorry it's going to take awhile, I need to finish my finals before I tackle the sequel. I'm still not sure what I'm going to call it, any suggestions would be great, but I promise it will be up soon. Shout out to my new beta reader, MirageMeister! Again forgive me for my evilness at making Madge's life completely awful, Review are much appreciated as always! Kisses from Madge/Gale/Haymitch/Maysilee