Disclaimer: "I came here to inquire about your china pattern. I intend to buy you and your new husband a spoon."

(An: The title for this is gacked from "Long Walk to Forever" by Kurt Vonnegut. It was the intended title for the piece. If you can find it, I suggest you read it- it's fluffy and sweet but never falls into sap. Anyway, this was one of the challenges on the Longerbee LJ. Me being me, I couldn't have all of these drabbles just be drabbles. The story's a bit incoherent because there are only fifty instead of one hundred, but it's understandable.)

15. First:

It was first love, as pure and clear as snowmelt on a mountaintop. Not to say that it was any less complicated or confusing than relationships later in life, when things like age and the past and old flames can get in the way, it was just more straightforward. There were no past relationships to drag them down; neither of them had been rejected before. And once they figured it all out, they wondered why on earth they had waited so long to do something. Shyness wasn't an answer, not for something so strong.

"Stupidity?" she suggested, and he laughed.

12. Fast:

She could run faster than all the other boys. Despite Jet's misgivings about letting her into the group (girls had cooties, after all), there was that undeniable fact. They had no messenger hawk, and her bare feet could carry her almost as quickly as one of those birds on the hard-packed forest floor.

That fleetness meant she was the first one at his side when he was hurt, the first one to show a kind of self-conscious concern, and that he was the first one to fully accept her presence in the group (if not the first to like her).

13. Slow:

It was mostly because her speed annoyed him. She never slowed down, rarely paused to look around, and it was even rarer when she stopped to think about what she was doing. That was about as different from him as you got. And she didn't like him either; it was the turtle and the rabbit glaring at each other from opposite sides of the finish line again.

It was only when he realized that he wanted to be the person to make her slow down that he admitted he maybe sorta thought she wasn't too annoying. But still too fast.

29. Guilt:

Maybe he had judged her too quickly (and wouldn't that be ironic, when he was accusing her of being too fast). She got along with all of the other Freedom Fighters well (except Sneers, but Sneers didn't get along with anybody). She was the only one the Duke would talk to besides Pipsqueak when he first joined, and she had a talent for dealing with young ones in general. And the real rub was that she was nice. Argumentative and easily angered, but nice nonetheless.

Which meant that he only wanted to dislike her since it would be easier. Damn!

30. Repentance:

So, in his own way, he made up for it. He dissuaded anyone who would curiously follow her to bathe (usually with a sharp look, sometimes an arrow), and he managed to get Sneers to quit tormenting her so much (since Sneers was an asshole, it was quite satisfying).

He didn't tell her about his efforts, of course. Now that he wasn't casting her in a bad light, he was starting to like her, and, well… she was a girl. He had no idea how to treat her. So he just did his best… without actually approaching her, of course.

20. Burn:

Jet loved teasing Longshot. Not much got to the archer, so when Jet found something that worked, he milked it. And Smellerbee worked. Oh, did she work. Just after she joined the team, Jet brought her up and noted Longshot's immediate reaction: a scowl. "What, don't you like her?" Longshot frowned, and a sly grin crept onto Jet's face. "Or maybe you do, and that's the problem." Longshot looked outraged, and that was proof positive. He cackled and never failed to use her as leverage after that. Even though Longshot kept shooting him Et tu, Brute? looks, "It's too funny."

37. Joke:

At least Jet never tried to tease him when Smellerbee was around. He knew not to push it that much… and he also knew that Longshot wouldn't hesitate to pin him to a tree just because he was the boss.

He never outright teased Longshot, no… but he usually snickered when Smellerbee walked by (she'd make an obscene gesture at him but keep walking). The only reasons Longshot didn't outright murder Jet were A) Jet was a good leader, B) there was no good place for body-hiding, and C) Smellerbee didn't seem to know why Jet kept laughing at her.

40. Freedom:

Smellerbee never really understood the meaning of the word, even though she claimed to fight for it. The Fire Nation had really only glided in and out of her so-called life before the Freedom Fighters.

But it was nice, she supposed, to eat without having to worry about dirt or rotten bits or running from whoever you stole from, to have your own room, a place that belonged to just you, to do whatever you wanted with your spare time instead of having to worry if anyone had taken your stuff while you were away from the rathole called home.

39. Battle:

They fought a lot. Some of that was actually fighting together- they made a good team, after all- but quite a bit was arguments. But could you really call them arguments when only Smellerbee spoke?

All she knew was that it only served to anger her further when Longshot never replied, just shook his head and tried to walk away.

"Talk to me, dammit!" she snapped, grabbing his shirt. Longshot had only looked at her cooly from beneath the brim of his hat- What makes you so special?

Smellerbee shut up and backed off, since she'd often wondered that herself.

41. Animal:

She fought more like a cornered animal than a girl. Her movements were swift and angry- a wildcat protecting her turf. She had lived alone on the streets before the Fire Nation destroyed her town, so she didn't really have a personal beef with them until they tried to take away the only home where she'd been really happy.

At least, that was what Longshot figured from observing her discreetly… or, at least, he thought it was discreetly.

Smellerbee saw him, though, and wondered why he kept staring at her if he disliked her so much. He was so weird…

17. Hate:

Jet knew all about hate, so it would be best to ask him about Longshot. She was too young to remember her parents, and they hadn't been killed by the Fire Nation anyway; they died of plague. She was a Freedom Fighter only because of Jet.

But amazingly, he looked at her, utterly confused. "Hate you? You bug him, yeah, but that's only because he's being stubborn."

Now she was confused. "But-"

Jet wasn't listening; his face turned contemplative. "In fact, I could have sworn he had a crush on you."

She punched his arm; that was just crazy talk!

21. Hat:

He was so touchy about that coolie hat. Like it was valuable, instead of an old straw one that was about to fall apart. When she asked Jet about it, he rubbed his neck, frowning. "I guess you wouldn't understand… You don't have anything from before."

"Before what?"

Jet glanced at her, and she understood. She supposed she'd have to be nicer to him now; she'd gathered bits and pieces of Longshot's background from the other Freedom Fighters, and while she didn't know the whole story, she knew it was bad. It had left him without a voice, hadn't it?

22. Armor

Smellerbee, at least, was obvious; she wore her armor on the outside. His was on the inside, and the chinks were hard to find. If there were any, that was. Smellerbee was doing her best to be nicer to him, but she wasn't good at it. She didn't know how to please him, or how to speak to him, or even just how to soften those eyes that were so often a silent accusation. It was incredibly frustrating, and it made her wonder why she was even trying.

Then she finally got him to smile, and all her doubts ceased.

23. Wet

That was the worst part about guard duty- the rain. You couldn't stay under an awning if you wanted to do your job right, so, invariably, you would get soaked. Not fun. Needless to say, Longshot hated guard duty, even though his hat kept the worst of the rain off. It just seemed like he always got the nights when a storm was coming.

Smellerbee hated getting wet almost as much as he did, so he was surprised when she came out onto the platform holding an umbrella. "Nice day," she commented dryly, moving closer so they could share it.

36. Dance:

Longshot looked at her dryly as if to say, What's your angle?

She knew she had to be careful about him, so she just shrugged. "I was bored. You're one of the only sane people around here."

His lips twitched at that, but he refused to humor her with a full smile. Instead he sighed and looked out under the umbrella. The rain had begun to peter out.

Smellerbee bit back a frustrated sigh of her own. She knew she couldn't push it, though; Longshot would spook otherwise. How was she ever to befriend him if the weather kept interfering?

26. Compromise:

A truce was in order. So she waited, trying to find a good time to approach him. There wasn't any, so she surprised him. He was out on guard duty again, staring off into the distance. She slipped off the roof and beside him, fancying she made barely a sound.

But it was enough to alert him, and he whirled, an arrow nocked in a blink. Then his arms were around her and he was whispering, "I could have put an arrow through your silly head!" Fierce from fright only. Much like her.

And she realized no compromise was needed.

28. Ice:

Smellerbee had never seen the puddles freeze before. Her old village was balmy and warm, and the temperature rarely dropped to freezing. But winters in the Freedom Fighters' part of the forest were harsh, and the canopy provided little shelter.

The wind was howling, the snow was thick, and it was almost impossible to see, but she still made her way to Longshot's hut and crawled into bed beside him. She was too cold to be shy or think about it, and he welcomed her warmth gladly. Funny how a rare ice storm was the beginning of a rarer friendship.

14. Pain:

Pain was no stranger to the Freedom Fighters. It loved to greet the new members, and it loved the seniors even more. It slept with them, after all, and laughed when they woke screaming in the night. Sometimes it even followed them around during the day, riding on their back like a demon hogmonkey.

Smellerbee didn't like Longshot- not yet, anyway, he was still too distant and his eyes could be like stone- but he knew the tricks for dealing with pain. Especially how someone sleeping beside you could make the dark bearable. And his silence didn't make false promises.

16. Breath:

Smellerbee was sleeping peacefully, and oh, how he envied her. All he could think about was her breath on his cheek and her heartbeat fluttering like a nervous bird against his shoulder and her skinny arms around his neck. It was annoying, being older: you felt this sort of stuff about someone who wouldn't have to suffer through anything of the sort for another year or two (she had never struck him as an early bloomer when it came to emotions).

And the worst part was he wouldn't change a thing. Except her shirt, maybe. It itched him something fierce.

34. Flowers:

The main problem with picking flowers for Smellerbee was that she was allergic to damn near everything. He never confessed to leaving the plants scattered around her room, although he figured she knew; he just liked doing it, that was all. He knew she liked them, and anyway, it made him feel like he was actually doing something about his crush instead of just bemoaning it to himself. After all, wasn't a gentleman supposed to pursue the object of his ardor with flowers?

Except that just about everything that grew in the forest made her sneeze! It was insanely frustrating.

18. Love (refer to "Burn"):

Six-odd years later. That silly Water Tribe girl. Finally, a chance to get his own back!

But Jet just replied, "Hey, at least I can tell 'Pretty girl' from head-over-heels-" The fierce look on Longshot's face silenced him before he could utter the dreaded l word. Jet shrugged and clapped the archer on the shoulder. "Hey, denial isn't healthy."

Longshot glowered at him. It wasn't love. Couldn't be. It was just some dumb crush he couldn't shake. It was crazy talk!

Jet laughed and walked away. When Katara came looking for him, Longshot facepalmed and pointed. Crazy… but maybe true.

27. Fire:

He wasn't afraid of her; he was afraid of getting burned. When she touched him, heat would bloom from the spot, and he would pull away. He liked that warmth, but it scared him, too. He tried to call it a crush, but that heat said otherwise. That heat had other things in mind. Things he barely knew about, things she, at thirteen, almost certainly hadn't even begun to think of. Probably the scariest thing, though, was that he liked it. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't deny that, and eventually, he wouldn't be able to deny the fire, either.

9. Stumble:

Longshot had never had a problem navigating the trees. That smooth jump from tree to ground had never been an issue for him; most new Freedom Fighters slithered down the trunk rather than risk a twisted ankle, but Longshot had always been able to.

So, Smellerbee thought, he could be forgiven for swearing at her like that when she passed and blaming her for his sprained ankle. Even though she hadn't the faintest why he was blaming her when he was the one who had stumbled at the sight of her without her armor. He could be so weird sometimes…

25. Sick:

Smellerbee realized Jet was sick after the town was destroyed. When Longshot got her down from the trees, he dragged her to the village with a heartsick expression. He gestured at it, and for once, even the thickest person wouldn't have needed an explanation of his mind.

They left to find Jet a few hours later, and he spoke so blithely about it. Smellerbee had heard Fire Nation soldiers talk about the Fire Lord, and she realized they sounded a lot like him. Now Smellerbee was the one who was heartsick, but she still whispered, "Things need to change, Jet."

10. Risqué:

Seeing either of her companions naked had never been such of a much when they were living in the treetops. It was annoying when they caught her bathing, but that was only because she got so little privacy instead of offended modesty.

Catching Jet unclothed was… interesting, and she would always watch with a smirk that was probably similar to his when he saw a pretty girl. But seeing Longshot the same… that did something to her. Even remembering all the times they'd swum in the river together didn't still her heart or cool the flush high in her cheeks.

(And there is the first chapter. The second will be up tomorrow. Review!)