Disclaimer- Not mine…I promise.
A/N: I'd like to take this time to apologize for my two-month plus disappearance from . I was in Italy on study abroad…and it was amazing! But now I'm back and here's a chapter to hopefully make up for my absence.
Solidarity
Katara woke up to a cold breeze blowing across her face. That should have been her first signal that something was wrong. Instead, she assumed the cave was drafty and snuggled closer to Zuko for warmth. Then she realized he wasn't nearby. That should have been the second sign. Blinking confusedly, she tried to sit up and figure out where he had gotten to.
It was that moment that her eyes cleared and she took notice of her surroundings. She was outside, it was daytime, and she couldn't move her arms or legs. She struggled in vain for several minutes, only to feel ropes rubbing against the skin of her ankles and wrists. What had happened during the night? More importantly, what had become of Zuko? Terror began to flood through her, replacing the blood in her veins with ice as she lay bound on the earth.
The sun cast warm rays onto her as she lay struggled on the ground, trying to devise a way out of this new mess as a way to prevent panic setting in. It was all so scary and confusing, mostly because it had happened while she was asleep. Who would have done this to her? They hadn't hurt her, but they had still kidnapped her and done spirits knew what to Zuko. Why would someone do this to them?
For a brief, fleeting moment, she suspected Azula but then realized that was impossible. The former princess had no idea where they had gone, plus the likelihood her leg had healed overnight was almost zero. Katara's stomach re-knotted itself in a new wave of fear as she realized she had no idea who had kidnapped her. She also had no idea where they had taken her.
Footsteps echoed in her ear and thudded closer on the ground. Her nerves clenched and re-clenched in an odd combination of fear of impending events and exhilaration at finally seeing who was responsible for kidnapping her. The sounds of someone kneeling, and then a voice met her ears.
"Good, you're awake." The voice was male, and uncannily familiar. More importantly, it was a voice she thought she'd never hear again. She twisted awkwardly, almost unwilling to believe her own ears.
"Jet…but under Lake Logai…I thought…you were dead!" Her wide eyes met tanned skin and brown hair; they took in a smile and sparkling brown eyes that used to reduce her to a giggling mess.
"I nearly was. Hold still; I'll untie you so we can talk like normal people."
She did as he asked, continuing to marvel at this new development. Trepidation still sat like a stone in her stomach. Jet had proved long ago that he could be reckless with human life. If he had kidnapped her, what else would he do? More importantly, what had he done to Zuko?
Once her wrists and ankles were free, she sat up to face him, twisting and flexing the joints to get rid of their lingering stiffness. She made eye contact with Jet again; still afraid to believe what was right before her eyes. Questions rushed to her lips but she kept her mouth closed for the time being.
He was still as handsome as she remembered. A small smile danced at the corners of his mouth, and she recalled how his smile had the power to make her ignore everything and everyone else around her. Finally, she asked one of the questions plaguing her mind.
"How did you end up out here?"
"Well, the last time I saw you, like you said, was under Lake Logai, and I nearly did die then. But Longshot and Smellerbee got me to a Healer in Ba Sing Se, who was able to get me out of danger. After that they took care of me, and eventually we were able to leave the earth kingdom. We drifted for a while, making money at odd jobs for food, hiding out where we could, stealing what we couldn't buy. Once we got wind of the battle, we headed to the fire nation to bring down Ozai and his army."
Katara's stomach clenched as she thought of Jet's hatred for fire benders. At the same time, a memory of Azula lying injured on the ground flashed into her mind. For the briefest of seconds, she wondered if Jet or one of his friends had been responsible for Azula's injuries, and not Sokka.
"How did it go? Did you succeed, I mean?"
Jet's eyes darkened momentarily as he looked at the ground, then he met her eyes again. "We still don't know. Even though the bulk of the fighting's over, none of the three of us know what happened to the fire lord or to the avatar."
Katara nodded, trying to take everything in. She was about to reply when a new voice cut into their conversation.
"Three of us? I think you mean five." The voice was female, with a tough edge to it that brought a smile Katara's face. She glanced in the voice's direction and was immensely pleased to see Toph and Haru standing nearby. The sight of her friends lightened Katara's heart more than she thought possible, and moved quickly to hug both of them.
"It's so great to see you guys." Her voice was weighted down with relief and other happy feelings as she spoke.
"You too, Sugar Queen. Can you let go of me now?" Toph said as soon as she was embraced by the water bender.
Katara laughed and complied, relieved to see her friend hadn't changed at all. She looked around at the assembled group and remembered Zuko. She turned to face Jet, preparing for the worst.
"When I went to sleep, someone else was with me. When you kidnapped me, I assume you got him too. Where is he?"
Jet started to reply, but Toph beat him to it. "You mean Sparky?"
"I do. Is he here with us? Is he ok?" Protective instincts stirred as worry and fear quickly replaced the happy emotions inside her.
"He's over there." Haru motioned to near where Katara had been tied up before. Sure enough, Zuko was lying on the ground, tied in a similar manner, and apparently unconscious. She sighed in relief and moved to kneel by his side, untying the ropes at his wrists and ankles. He appeared unharmed, which only added to her good feelings. Smiling in relief, she rested one hand on his cheek and was quiet for a long moment. Knowing he was okay brought her more comfort than seeing her friends had. The idea of having to go on without him right now was terrifying, more terrifying than being kidnapped by unknown villains.
She became conscious of three pairs of eyes on her and a new question sprang to her mind. "How were you three responsible for kidnapping and tying us up? It's not like you don't know who we are."
"That's because it wasn't us who kidnapped you." Haru spoke earnestly, and for the first time Katara noticed that he had shaved the beard he had been sporting the last time they saw each other. "Jet's friends took care of that part. They thought you might have been supporters of Ozai and figured it was best to take you unawares."
"Once Longshot and Smellerbee turn up, I'll have them apologize to you." Jet looked slightly embarrassed for his friends' actions. Katara smiled gratefully and shook her head.
"You don't have to. We're both okay. I would have done the same thing in their position. Especially considering the circumstances we're in today." She looked down at Zuko's unconscious form and realized she didn't want to leave his side until he woke up. She shifted her position so she was sitting and moved her hand to his shoulder
Her actions spoke for her, and her friends had the grace to move closer so they could talk more easily. First Toph explained what had happened to her during the battle. She had been cornered by four fire nation soldiers after getting badly injured and was nearly burned to death when Haru snuck up and enclosed them all in pillars of stone. The two had taken off together for safety, and had run into Jet and his friends after passing the cave where Zuko and Katara had slept.
"Have you heard from Aang?" Katara's voice came out shaky and worried, despite her best efforts. Not knowing what had become of her friend was upsetting, but it was more so because he was the Avatar.
"No. The last time we talked he was going to fight Ozai. You remember that right?" Toph's blind eyes still looked straight at her in inquiry.
"I do. And we have no clue what happened in the fight?"
"Right." Jet nodded and would have said more, but Zuko began to stir at this point, and distracted the entire group's attention.
Katara watched with bated breath and smiled in relief when his eyes opened. He was obviously disoriented and confused, but he was otherwise okay, which was enough for her. She helped him sit up, and threw her arms around his neck.
"Katara, it's okay, I'm fine. You don't have to worry." He gently rubbed her back as she fought back tears.
"I know, I'm just…I was so scared for you." Despite her best efforts, a tear fell down her cheek and her voice cracked.
He put his arms around her waist in a hug and for a long moment they sat together in silence, blissfully unaware of everything else around them, including Toph elbowing Haru in the side as he opened his mouth to speak. They parted slowly, but stayed sitting close to each other.
"It's good to see you conscious, Sparky."
"You too, Toph." He greeted Haru and Jet in a courteous manner as well, and then asked a question that had been burning in Katara's mind for some time. "Where are we?"
Jet leaned away and retrieved a map of the fire nation territory from his backpack. He spread it out on the ground and pointed to an empty section near a small town.
"We think we're around here, but there's no way to be sure until we get to a town."
Zuko nodded, carefully scanning the map with a look of intense concentration on his face.
"We're near Angmar…if I remember correctly, it's one of my father's favorite military bases." He pointed to what Katara had been hoping was a town. "We should check it out regardless, but I think our best bet is to move away from there."
"You're probably right…one of us can do that when it gets dark." Jet nodded in agreement. "Where were you guys headed anyway?"
"We're not entirely sure right now…we just wanted to get away from the battlefield. What about you?" Katara quickly repressed the painful memories that started to creep into her consciousness.
"Well, right now we're trying to figure out how the battle came out…and if it went badly, we want to go back to the fire nation…and kill the Fire Lord." Jet spoke with conviction and a passionate fire burned in his eyes.
Katara heard Zuko's sharp intake of breath and decided to steer the conversation away from Ozai. She reached for his hand and squeezed it comfortingly while she spoke up. "Have any of you heard from Aang?"
Toph shook her head sadly. "Not since the battle started."
An eager light shone in Haru's eyes as he opened his mouth. "What about you two? Do you know what happened to Suki and Sokka?"
Now it was Katara's turn to inhale sharply. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying and Zuko spoke up before she had to.
"They didn't make it." He reached for Katara's hand, which had been lying on his knee, and squeezed it gently.
Toph's blind eyes opened wide in shock, and then her gaze dropped to the earth beneath her feet. Even sightless, she appeared immeasurably sad. Jet cleared his throat after a tense moment.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Thank you." Katara smiled in appreciation and their conversation gradually moved to less emotional topics.
Night fell, and Haru volunteered to scout out the area surrounding Angmar. Toph went along with him for safety, leaving Jet, Zuko and Katara at the camp the three had previously set up. Longshot and Smellerbee had yet to return. Zuko built a fire as Jet handed spare blankets to Katara.
"It gets cold here at night. I think you'll need these."
"Thanks, Jet." She accepted the soft rolls of fabric and took a long moment to look at the warrior standing near her. He was still as good-looking as when she'd regained consciousness and as she remembered from their meeting in the earth kingdom, but now she didn't go weak in the knees when his face relaxed into a smile. No longer did she find herself staring at his shiny brown hair wondering what it would be like to run her hands through it. Most importantly, she had stopped getting lost in his brown eyes. It had taken two years and a number of near-death experiences, but she had finally gotten over her adolescent crush on Jet.
"What? Is something bleeding that I don't know about?" He had an odd look on his face that had just replaced his smile.
"No…why?"
"You were looking at me kind of funny just now. So there's nothing wrong with me?"
"No there's not." She paused, trying to find the right words. "I was just thinking that I'm glad it was your friends who kidnapped us." She smiled her gratitude and relief.
"I am too." He smiled in reply and returned to poring over his map of the fire nation.
Feeling better than she had for a long time, Katara returned to where Zuko had sat down with his side facing the fire and made herself comfortable in a similar position across from him.
"Are you okay?" The former prince was staring broodingly into the flames as they danced before him.
His eyes darted to Jet, still reading the map, and then met hers. "Do you think he'd really kill my father?"
She was briefly lost for words. "I…I don't know. I don't doubt his bad feelings towards fire benders, and it's likely he sees the Fire Lord…your father…as the epitome of everything he hates about fire benders. It's still hard to say what he would do if the opportunity presented itself."
He nodded in acceptance and understanding, then sighed heavily. "I hate that it's plaguing me like this."
"What do you mean?"
"The Fire Lord is the man who banished me from my home. He sent my mother away as well, and was responsible for some of the worst memories of my childhood. I hate him…and I shouldn't care whether he lives or dies. But the man is still my father…he's still part of the reason I'm here today. This is the way I've been feeling about Azula, too. I hate it."
He looked so conflicted and so tortured that it was all Katara could do to reach out, put her arms around his neck, and rest her forehead against his.
"I know this is going to sound ridiculous," she began in a soft voice, making sure their eyes met. "…but I think it's good that you're thinking about the Fire Lord like this. The same is true for your sister. It shows you've still got a heart, and a conscience…and those are two things I'm not entirely sure either of them has."
Breaking their eye contact, he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled while looking at the ground. She waited patiently until he met her eyes again then leaned in and kissed her, one hand resting on the back of her head. Their kiss ended after a long moment and he seemed to find his voice again.
"Thank you…for believing in me. And for so much else I don't know how to say right now."
Katara smiled understandingly and leaned in to initiate another kiss.
The couple continued talking until the moon rose and Haru and Toph returned with a report that Zuko was correct. Angmar was still a fortified military base, and it was full of fire nation soldiers recovering from the battle. They would have to relocate as soon as possible. Longshot and Smellerbee made it back alive as well, although empty handed, and it was decided that they should get a good night's rest and figure out their next move in the morning.
Zuko and Katara quickly dropped off to sleep wrapped in each other's arms and in the blankets Jet had given them. Longshot and Smellerbee, equally exhausted by the day's activities fell asleep just as soon and the same held true for Toph and Haru. The only person whom sleep evaded was Jet.
The young vigilante lay on his bedroll, staring at the starry night sky and thinking hundreds of thoughts. Most of those thoughts focused on Katara, and on his amazement at the way events had unfolded.
She had become even more beautiful than when they first met, and, despite the obvious hell she'd been through since their last meeting, she was as kind and sweet as he remembered. Her blue eyes still sparkled when she smiled and gleamed when she felt sad. Her hair was still the same gorgeous brown color he remembered, though he appreciated it much more now than he had in the past. Her mother's betrothal necklace was still tied around her slim, graceful neck.
It was shocking, though, that she was so enamored with Zuko. After all, he was part of the nation that had taken her mother.
Sighing in confusion, Jet rolled onto his side and found himself facing the couple. They looked to be asleep, with Zuko lying on his back while Katara was curled against him with her head on his shoulder and one arm draped across his chest. Then, out of nowhere, Zuko kissed the top of her head and said something in her ear. She smiled happily up at him and kissed his lips. The look that passed between them was one of complete trust and affection. They kissed again, and as the kiss evolved into full-on making out, Jet got the sense he should stop watching.
Turning onto his other side, away from the fire and the kissing couple, Jet looked out at the surrounding forest. Aside from feeling like an unwelcome voyeur, there was some other feeling he couldn't quite identify. His eyes closed in a vain attempt at sleep and Katara's face flashed into his mind.
He realized it was jealousy, which was very strange as the last time he could remember being jealous was before he was ten years old. That was when a new thought hit him. He had feelings for Katara. The problem was that his feelings were about two years too late.
Aggravated now as well as jealous, Jet shut his eyes and resolved to get to sleep as soon as possible. Dwelling on past and present circumstances would get him nowhere, and he needed his mind clear for tomorrow, when they had to figure out what to do next.
Zuko's eyes opened early, while the sun was still rising. Katara continued to sleep peacefully next to him, and almost everyone else in the campsite was also asleep. Only Jet was awake, sitting on his blanket and staring at the fire with a clouded expression on his face.
After being careful not to wake Katara, he moved closer to Jet. "You're an early riser too?"
The brown-haired vigilante nodded. "I didn't sleep too well last night."
Zuko nodded understandingly, looked at the ground briefly, then decided to say what had been nagging at his mind since he came to the day before.
"Jet, there's something I need to ask you."
"What is it?"
"Did you and Katara ever…I mean, was there ever anything between you?"
"No." The young man shook his head. "She had a crush on me when we first met…but it wasn't anything like what she feels for you. I can tell."
The conviction in Jet's voice caused Zuko to meet his eyes. "You can?"
"It's the way she looks at you. It's like she couldn't trust anyone else more and she wouldn't want to because as long as you two are together, she feels safe. Actually she feels more than safe. She feels loved, and cared for and protected…like nothing could hurt her."
"It seems like you've spent a lot of time watching her." Zuko felt his eyebrows rise as Jet finished speaking.
"I know…and I didn't mean to. It's just that she's so beautiful sometimes it's hard not to. But I promise, there's no threat coming from me. I can guarantee she doesn't want anyone else."
Not quite sure what to say, it was all Zuko could do to nod. He respected Jet for keeping his distance, but didn't like how closely he had obviously been watching Katara. One his hands had unconsciously clenched itself into a fist in his lap and it was difficult to tell if Jet noticed. Their conversation died out at this point, and Zuko was saved from having to say something else when Katara appeared by his side.
"Good morning." She said through a yawn and leaned into Zuko.
The young men uttered their greetings and Jet watched without surprise as the fire nation prince put his arm around her and kept her close. The two young men locked gazes without trying to. There was a dark, warning look in the fire bender's eyes as he dropped a kiss on her forehead.
"Everything okay?" the water bender looked them both in the eyes. The tension in the air had suddenly gotten thick enough to be cut with a knife.
"Everything's fine. So we need to figure out where to head from here right?" Jet reached for his map to avoid having to meet Zuko's eyes again.
"I think we should try and get supplies from Angmar." Katara spoke matter-of-factly and firmly, leaving little room for argument. "Zuko and I don't have anything, and the rest of you shouldn't have to provide for us."
She paused to draw breath and continued before they had a chance to interrupt her. "And before either of you say it's not safe, we can go back at night. Toph and Haru pulled it off yesterday, so there's no reason the rest of us shouldn't be able to do the same."
Jet chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully. He didn't like the idea of Katara getting in harm's way, but she did have a valid point. He was trying to formulate an argument when a new voice entered the conversation.
"I agree with Sugar Queen." Toph had materialized next to Jet with an understanding look on her face. "I know you don't like the idea," she continued, meeting his eyes with her own sightless green ones. "But there's nowhere else nearby and besides, it's not like we can't all defend ourselves if something goes wrong."
Eventually Jet conceded and the group made the decision to return to Angmar at nightfall. To pass the time during the day, the individual benders began to spar with each other for practice while Jet and his friends alternated between watching and busying themselves with other tasks throughout the campsite.
After Katara scored a narrow win over Toph, she sat down next to Zuko, who had been watching, and met his eyes with her own.
"So what was going on with you and Jet this morning?" Her voice was curious and a little annoyed, probably because she didn't know the whole story.
"Like he said, nothing was going on. We were just talking."
She sighed in aggravation. "Don't lie to me, Zuko. You looked like you wanted to strangle him when I walked over. What happened?"
The fire nation prince inhaled and slowly exhaled while looking at the ground. "We were talking about you actually." Her eyes widened in surprise and he continued speaking before she could stop him. "I asked him if there had ever been anything between you two. He told me you'd had a crush but that everything was okay because you obviously felt differently for me than you had for him."
"I did have a crush on him but…but that was two years ago…wait, how does he know how I feel about you?"
"Apparently he's been watching you…us…very closely. He started spouting about the way you look at me and how it's obvious I make you feel safe and protected. I was annoyed because it sounded like he was spying…and I don't like the idea of him watching you so closely."
Katara nodded, a smile slowly creeping onto her face. "He shouldn't have been watching us like that…but he was right."
"What was he right about?"
She placed a hand on the side of his face and leaned in close. "I care for you more than I ever thought I cared for Jet. Like I said, I did have a crush on him, but it was more on his image of a tough freedom fighter than anything else. I found not long after we met that he was more obsessed with his hatred for fire benders than anything else, and it hurt."
She paused, trying to find the right words. "But, then, it was all for the best. Because now that we're here…together…I feel safer than I did even before the battle. And that's because of you. That's something else he was right about."
"He was right about…?" Now Zuko was confused.
"About how I feel when I look at you. I do feel safe, and I do feel protected. When we're close like this," she dropped her hand from his face to his shoulder and leaned into him, "and you put your arms around me," he found himself complying without thinking too much about it. "I feel like nothing could hurt me because you're here. That might not necessarily be the truth, but it's the best feeling I've felt in a long time and I don't want that to change anytime soon."
All words escaped Zuko when she finished speaking. Instead, he angled his head so their eyes could meet again without her having to move. The ocean blue orbs that met his gaze shone with admiration, respect, love and honesty.
The final sentiment was the most important to Zuko in that moment as he realized his jealousy and anger had ultimately been for nothing. The beautiful water bender in his arms was his, regardless of the appearance of any former loves or other circumstances. Despite everything that had happened to them so far and everything that was going to happen, he knew beyond any doubt that as long as they had each other, they would be able to survive whatever life threw their way.
TBC!
A/N: A little longer than the first two, but overall I like it. I'm not sure when the next one will be out, but I have plenty of ideas, so rest assured that it will appear eventually!