Quickie:
First, I must thank the wonderful PFNelly for being Beta Reader for this chapter.
Disclaimer Applies

…Catch…


Katara was floating. Darkness surrounded her and she wondered if it were only dark because her eyes were shut. It made no sense. Darkness was meant to be cold, but yet she felt completely warm. It was an amazing sensation, the comfort she felt. There were no worries in this void for the moment, she didn't have to worry about her cancer, her wish, or whether she would die the moment she touched the floor. It was wonderful being blissfully unaware.

She fell against the floor with a jerk that was softer than she imagined. Her sapphire eyes snapped opened and stared up. She saw a small distant dot that she imagined was where she fell from. The cracks that she felt let her know that this floor was old or unkempt, probably both. Her eyebrows knitted together as she squeezed her right hand. She turned her hand up and brought it close to her face. The darkness was too thick for her to see the item, but it was smooth and warm.

Glancing up and then back to the floor, she gasped. She should have been dead. She could see the two-by-four that she grasped and she still should have suffered damage. A human couldn't survive that type of fall.

"It's impossible," Katara muttered.

A sudden spark and her body lurched forward. She quickly jumped to her feet as flames erupted around her. Her stomach protested the movement and she grimaced in pain before her gaze turned to the room around her. It wasn't a room; it was more like a square held up by two walkways that led to more darkness. Underneath her feet, the floor had faded paint of an image of a golden flame. The outer edges had small tiles of gold. Every two feet there was a small candle that had just lit. Her gaze turned to her hand where she could now see the object in her hand. It was a ruby the shape of an opal and half the size of her fist.

"Improbable."

There was that voice again and now that she was sure she wasn't dying she knew it wasn't in her head. She quickly stood up and spun on her heel. She didn't expect to see a person here, especially one dressed as the man in front of her. He wore a simple black velveteen vest with red trim that was left open at his belly button. His pants were just as black as his vest and his pants at his ankles were tied with crimson ribbon. His upper arms had a single gold band.

"Here's the rules," he suddenly said as he stepped toward her, his feet simply had a black bandage around his arches.

"Who…"

"First rule, don't interrupt cause I'm not explaining this a second time."

"Sokka!" Katara finally yelled.

The boy with the golden eyes sighed in annoyance and flicked his hand. Her mouth slammed shut and she reached up to find her lips melded together. He grinned as she glared at him.

"I am a Jinn and you just happened to find my tomb…that ruby in your hand. Normally, Jinn don't grant wishes because we are better than humans…but since some dead idiot trapped me in there…I now have to show gratitude to you for releasing me," he quickly explained.

Katara tried to poke through her lips with her tongue. They truly were melded and this guy had something to do with it all.

"There are rules," he held up a finger. "Equivalent exchange is required if you want someone brought back from the dead, I refuse to be any type of whore…if you try to wish it…I will make you wish you had never been born, I can make anyone you want dead, don't try to wish me free…it simply won't work."

He was holding up four fingers by this point and Katara had given up trying to pry her lips apart. He arched a single black eyebrow at her.

"Any questions?" He asked with a smirk. Katara glared at him.

With a snap of his fingers Katara could feel a warmth upon her and her lips returned to normal.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Katara angrily sputtered, her brown face going red with anger.

"Prince Zuko of the Jinn," he casually replied causing her left eye to twitch.

Katara deeply inhaled and coughed as the musty air sunk into her lungs. Now was not the best time to let her temper get the best of her; after all, she was alone with a strange, lip-melding man. She just had to buy time until her brother came and got her.

"You mentioned wishes…how many?" Katara questioned, still not believing him.

Zuko crossed his arms and replied, "There's no limit."

Katara snorted and replied, "Nothing is ever unlimited or free. What's the catch?"

Zuko's smirk vanished as he stared at the woman. He raised a pale hand and cupped his chin as he regarded her.

"You're a smart girl; the only catch is that this is the chance of a lifetime. How many of me do you think are just floating around?"

"So what do I do to get a wish?"

She was still skeptical of this being. Nothing in life ever came without a price. This being and what he was offering was too good to be true. She didn't want to get her hopes up.

"All you have to do is utter 'I wish'."

"How come the fall didn't kill me?"

Zuko's eyes narrowed and he replied, "You wished to not die."

"I didn't wish for anything." She hadn't spoken aloud. In her mind she knew she said something about unfinished business. "I didn't even speak aloud."

"Fine…so I changed a few things around to get a proper wish," Zuko admitted with a shrug.

"You changed my wording to serve your purpose," Katara rightly accused. "You can't be trusted."

Zuko vanished from her sight and she froze. The action was so sudden that it proved that he wasn't human. There was that warmth again and she knew that he was near. The warmth was spreading around her shoulders and waist. He was solid again and his arms were wrapped around her where she had felt the warmth. His hold was too intimate for her taste.

"You trust so many…but I merely save your life and you distrust me."

She remained tensed in his grip, now definitely not trusting him. His grip on her was unwavering. Her fingers tightened on the jewel.

"You can't trust those who manipulate," Katara softly spoke.

"It was for a good cause," Zuko sharply reminded. Most humans would be grateful that they could live another day. This one seemed bent on proving him untrustworthy and adding to his delicate control on his temper.

Katara's lips thinned in thought. There could be hundreds of reasons and yet she was denying an important one, her life. She imagined she was becoming untrusting like her brother. Her eyes fluttered shut and she knew she didn't want to be like Sokka, suspicious of every little detail.

"I'm throwing down a rope!" Sokka shouted, his voice echoing.

"Make a wish…my mistress," Zuko urged. "I can't disobey those that have held my tomb."

Katara's eyes slid open and she glanced up. The rope was too short for her to reach. She could feel Zuko shift as he followed her gaze.

"Just say it," he urged, his breath hot on her ear.

"I wish the rope was long enough to reach me," Katara finally said.


Zuko watched her with careful eyes as she begun to climb the rope. Katara dropped his ruby tomb without a second thought as she looked towards her freedom. He didn't have to make an elaborate show to make his powers, but a signal helped focus his energy. A quick quiet snap of fingers and his ruby became a pendant upon a crimson ribbon around her neck. It was only a matter of patience now.

When she was far out of his sight he felt the pull of his tomb. It never let him stray far from it. Zuko closed his eyes and began to focus. It had been…he wasn't sure how long since his last release, but it had been awhile. His temperature rose past his normal and he simply burst into a flame, vanishing. There was no smoke or evidence as the candles that he had lit snuffed out. It surely was beautiful being made of pure fire.

Now, it was only a matter of time and patience until he could burn with the freedom of a real flame.


Author's Note:

Once again, thank you PFNelly for being a beta for this chapter. You helped it come along very nicely. Thanks to Nephertiri reviewing the first chapter.

Any feedback would be wonderful,
Till the next chapter.