Zuko held onto Katara's limp hand as she lay in the emergency room's bed. Zuko wasn't sure what she had endured while she was locked away for seven days. He placed his head on his forearm, seven days. A whole fucking week had passed before they had figured out the hideout and another three and a half hours to reach her. Zuko squeezed Katara's hand and released it as he stood to pace the room.

The week had gone by so slow. Threats were sent to him and the Fire Nation, there were territory crossings and one dead Fire Nation brother. Ozai had all but disowned Zuko again. Zuko was staying in his uncle's old apartment closer to the edge of Raava.

There were many, too many, close to fist matches between Zuko, Sokka and more often than not Hakoda. Zuko couldn't blame him. It was his entire fault.

Zuko turned to look at the bed; Katara's hair was laid over her left shoulder. Seven Days.

The first two days were chaos. Zuko was ready to rip all of his hair out. Maybe he could still pull of that pony tail his mother always put him in. Zuko's fist pulled at the longer hair and then rammed into the wall next to his door.

"Zuko!" Ozai busted through his door, "Out! Now! I want you and your shit out of my house, out of my jurisdiction, out of this fucking city!"

Zuko quickly grabbed a backpack and began piling in clothes, not even bothering to argue. Some time away from this place would do him some good. He stuffed the cash wrapped in the third t-shirt in the bottom drawer down into the backpack, too, Ozai watching each and every move. Zuko shoved his shoulder against Ozai's as he walked out quickly, only stopping once to kiss Azula's forehead and a promise to be back. Zuko's truck wheels squealed out of the drive.

Sokka was quick to answer his call, "No call. No new clues."

Zuko grumbled and hit the steering wheel, fuck. "I'm on my-"

Incoming call 'Ice Princess'

"That's her!" Zuko hung up on Sokka and answered.

"Hello-"

"You have the money?" The voice graveled across the line.

"Let me talk to Katara." Zuko kept his voice as grounded as he could. There was rustling and Katara's voice whimpered.

"It doesn't look like she wants to talk." There was an echo of a slap.

Zuko's foot pressed a little harder on the gas as he fled down the highway, "Sokka will meet you with the money. Let Katara go."

"I want the money."

"Where can we drop off the-"

"We'll come to you when you have the money." The graveled voice interrupted and then hung up.

Zuko slammed the on his breaks at the stop sign. He threw his cell phone down in the floor board. "FUCK!"

How the fuck were they to know when he had the money? Where was he supposed meet them? If he could just get to them- If he just knew where they were, it would be easier to get the money. Right?

When Sokka met Zuko to bring him into the jurisdiction, there was a lot of tension. The stares, and glares, from the other members of the Southern Waters were almost too much. Zuko had seen many take steps toward them as they walked up to the house, but there was always someone to hold the other back. There were a few of the larger men that reached for their sides, undoubtedly to grab a gun or knife. Zuko swallowed hard as they finally made it into the house.

"Why is he here?"

Zuko almost cowered at the voice. The voice wasn't scary and gritty like his fathers, but very authoritative and almost calm. Calm was always more scary than raised voices.

"He's here to help us find Katara," Sokka said squaring up his shoulders to his father.

"He's the reason she is gone," Hakoda looked down to his son with a stern look then over to Zuko. "Why are you here?"

"I want to help, sir," Zuko gulped and tucked his head to hide his scar, "especially since it is my fault," He added in a whisper.

There was moment of silence; Zuko spent that time calculating what he was going to do if he was forced back on to his father's side of the line. There was a wall of cuts waiting for him to cross, just so they could say they had been the one to take out the banished prince. He could get Sokka to drive him, maybe, to the cliffs; from there he could get a ride out of Raava and to his uncle's old apartment.

"Dad, he knows the kid that took Katara. He is the closest thing we have to her right now. We need his help," Sokka spoke up.

Zuko raised his head to look between Hakoda and his son. Had it just been months ago that Zuko had drove Katara up onto the property? Time seemed to fly by, but now with Katara not here it seemed to slow to a standstill.

Hakoda looked over to him, "When we get my daughter back, you are never to return here. I don't want to hear from or see you again. You have grace to stay until my daughter is back. Then," Hakoda stalked to Zuko, "You and my daughter will not talk or speak to each other ever again. Are we clear?"

Zuko swallowed, his body screamed at him to say no, beg Hakoda to let him to continue to see Katara, but his head wasn't following the rest of his body to stay completely still, it nodded. When Zuko's eyes slid down to the floor, so did his heart. "I'll agree to those terms."

"Good, then let's start with what you know." Hakoda sat down in the living room's large arm chair.

On day three, it was much the same as well as day four. But when the phone rang on the fourth day, Zuko's stomach dropped. Katara was tied to a chair a large male behind her with a glinting silver knife pressed to Katara's thin throat. The normal words were exchanged, Zuko watching every tick of Katara, every little wobble of her chin and the fat tears that ran down her cheeks. And as the gravel voice rang out his goodbye, the knife that had been on Katara's throat cut through her shirt and through the skin on her collarbone. Katara's screams deafened his ears for the rest of the night.

Day five and six were long, very long. Late night and early mornings, no one slept. Sokka, Zuko and Hakoda stood around the phone. The Southern Waters on a constant look out. On the end of day six, Suki came running through the River's house, out of breath and crying. "Found… Her," Suki collapsed into Sokka.

Sokka held onto her and looked over her head to Zuko, he nodded and Zuko grabbed his keys. Sokka was quick to place a kiss to Suki's forehead and lay her on the sofa with a promise to bring Katara home. Sokka scooped up the bag and slid into the truck beside Zuko.

Zuko pulled up to a house and parked to a circle of motorcycles. Zuko flew out of the truck and in through the house. The people at the table stood quickly but Zuko slunk down the hall as Sokka pushed into the throng. Zuko shoved past two who were close to a door. An arm came out and grabbed him before he could make it to open the door. He spun around to see Jet.

Zuko slammed Jet back into a wall, but not before Jet threw an upper cut punch to Zuko's jaw. Zuko shoved Jet again and Jet's head bounced against the wall. He threw Jet down and the boy landed hard with a thud and struggled to get up. Zuko pushed open the door to see, "Katara!"

Tears burned in the corners of his eyes, he pulled down the blindfold around Katara's eyes. Zuko sighed happily at the sight of those blue eyes that blinked multiple times. Zuko never thought he would be so thankful to see a Southern Water's eyes before.

Zuko was yanked away from Katara; Jet's fists threw for Zuko's face. Zuko fell backwards and Jet landed on top of him. Zuko struggled under the hands of Jet and finally pushed hard enough for Jet to tumble away. Then the air was stolen from the room as Jet pointed the barrel of his gun at Katara, "I'll shoot!"

Golden irises watched as Katara's blue eyes filled with tears. Zuko clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth as his mind went a thousand different ways and through a thousand different thoughts. He looked between the gun and the girl he was falling in love with. Katara's eyes filled with large tears.

"Don't do this, Jet." Zuko slowly stood and held out his hands in surrender. "Don't hurt Katara."

"I didn't want to, man." Jet slid behind Katara and held the cold gun to her temple. Katara whimpered and blinked away tears. "I don't want to."

Zuko's golden eyes hardened "Let. Her. Go."

"No," Jet's voice rose, "no, she's my way out."

"Way out?" Zuko's forehead crinkled, and took one small step. "What do you mean?"

"Like you don't know," Jet snarled and the gun pressed a little harder, making Katara wince. "The Dai Lee," Jet held onto Katara tightly and pointed the gun across the small space to Zuko. "Don't take another fucking step."

Zuko stopped mid-step and raised his hands again. Jet moved the gun back towards Katara. "I thought the Dai Lee moved out years ago."

"Fuck no," Jet snorted, "They've been intermingling with the Southern Raiders way back before you got that shit scar."

Zuko caught the movement and his eyes ran down her. Katara's hair was mused and there was a strip of cloth over her mouth. There was a dark bruise across her cheek and her shirt was torn across her shoulders. The true evidence of what the Dai Lee was doing. It took all of Zuko to not rush to her. "Right," Zuko nodded and kept his hands up. "You said this is…"

"I'll use the ransom money to pay off my debt to those shit-lickers." Jet hissed.

Zuko watches as Katara shook her head slightly and Jet's hand clamped over her jaw. She winced and tried to pull away from Jet. Zuko took multiple steps forward and Jet pointed the gun in his direction when he was only two steps away. Katara sagged in her chair as Zuko looked down the barrel of a gun yet again. "I'll pay you. Just let me have her." Zuko offered, begged, for Jet to just let Katara go, "Look, there's no way you're making it out of here alive. My dad knows where I am. He'll be here pretty soon."

Jet lets out half laughter half air, "Who do you think gave me the idea?"

Zuko stopped and looked Jet over. There was no way that his dad would do that. He wouldn't plant the idea for Katara to be… Surely not-Zuko shook his head with a stern voice and stepped closer, "Just drop the gun, Jet." There was a loud click that echoed through the air.

"No," Jet shook his head. "I know that your life means nothing to you. But hers." Jet gave another humorless laugh. "You'll do anything to save her."

Zuko watched all the life just drain from Katara as her chin hit her chest. Zuko began to step towards the two.

"That last step and she's dead. Gone." Jet was shaking. "Zuko, I don't want to but I will. Your money isn't any good. I've tried! Your father wouldn't give it to me, and he would just laugh if you asked for the amount I needed. You'll never get the money."

"No, but I will." Sokka stood in the doorway with a gun trained on Jet. Sokka tossed a backpack with a loud thud a few feet away from Katara and Jet. Zuko heard a deep cry come from Katara.

"It's a little more than half," Sokka shrugged, "I'll give you the other half plus some if you let go of my sister."

There was a loud click in the short silence and a low chuckle from behind Sokka, "That's not going to happen, boy."

Sokka turned to see Long Feng and stepped back farther into the room. His gun now shifted to Long Feng, "Who are you?"

"Long Feng," Zuko whispered from his spot as many nasty memories flooded his mind.

A smirk lifted on Long Feng's face, "Well at least one father taught their kids correctly."

Jet took a dive for the backpack and a shot was fired. There was a scream and Zuko looked to where Jet laid half on the backpack blood soaking through his shoulder. Long Feng stepped past the other stunned three and kicked Jet off the backpack, Jet screamed in pain. Sokka grabbed a hold of Katara as took off to the man who had just moments ago held a gun to her head. Long Feng snorted at the gun Sokka had trained on him.

There was a long moment of heavy breathing and cries coming from Jet. Sokka let Katara go and she pulled away the gag. Two people came barreling through the door and held onto Jet. Zuko watched as Katara ran to Jet and began pushing his own shirt into Jet's wound, "Zuko and Sokka go!" Zuko and Sokka both looked at her for a moment. "Don't fucking let him get away!" That moved them, Zuko and Sokka both walking quickly to the door. Zuko turned and looked at Katara one last time; he wasn't ready to let her go. "I'm fine. Just go!"

Zuko ran after Sokka and tossed Sokka the keys to his truck as they jumped in to take off after Long Feng and a few other cyclists. Sokka sped off after them until a line of trees and he sped to an opening that the truck would fit through only getting about a block in before he had to slam on his breaks not able to go any farther. Sokka hit the steering wheel multiple times and the two cursed. "W-we can catch him on the other side!" Sokka backed the truck up at full speed back to the clearing before taking off to the road. They drove in the same direction as the motorcycles had taken off in. Zuko banged on the door as if that would make the truck speed up.

Sokka yanked the wheel when the trees ended and watched as three motorcycles weaved in and out of the bushes around the empty field. Zuko heard two pops of gun shots and slid down, "Look out!" Zuko shouted as the windshield busted into a million pieces. Sokka stopped and shielded his face with his arms.

Zuko's blood coursed quickly through his veins and he felt the large rush of the adrenaline. Zuko looked over to Sokka to see him picking out pieces of the glass from his arm. His chest was heaving as he took in deep breaths, "A-at least no one was sitting in the middle." Zuko looked to where Sokka nodded his head. Two bullets imbedded themselves into the worn leather of the middle seat. Zuko swallowed and rested his head back against the small head rest.

"We still have a chance," Sokka pressed back on the gas to take after the Dai Lee.

Zuko shook his head, "No, we know who's behind all of this now."

Glass jostled around between the two, the seats and the floorboards, as Sokka turned the truck back to the paved road. Zuko could feel small sharp shards dig into his thigh. But he couldn't care as he answered the call from Katara.

"Zuko?"

Zuko swerved back to the bed as Katara blinked her eyes, she moved slightly and winced. Zuko was to her in the next blink. He pulled her hand to his lips, "Katara, you're okay."

"Then why?" Katara looked around at the small room.

"We just wanted to make sure you were okay. We didn't know what had happened to you. Plus a nurse said it wouldn't be a bad thing for you to have an IV." Zuko rambled between kisses to her knuckles. "Agni, Katara."

"You're awake!" Sokka busted through the door and a small grimace graced Katara's face.

"I am. Will you get me some water?" Katara briefly looked over to Sokka before turning those blue eyes to Zuko.

Zuko felt blessed to see those sparkling blues looking at him again. His throat clogged up with emotion. His heart felt so full but yet so heavy, "I'll get it."

Sokka turned to him with large eyes, "N-no, I-"

Zuko shook his head, "I'll tell the nurse you are awake."

He turned and walked out, swallowing his heart back down. He had made a promise. And if this incidence was anything to go by, it was probably for the best that they never see each other again. If he hadn't started liking her then the Dai Lee never would have taken her. It was his fault and now he needed to take the consequences.

"Room 203 is awake and requesting water," Zuko whispered to the nurse in the hall. She nodded and began to push the cart away. Zuko turned and watched her push the cart into Katara's room. When the door closed again, Zuko made his way outside and to his truck. It was muggy and with no windshield still, there was no point in turning on the air conditioner. He would just have to get a new windshield tomorrow, now that he didn't have any plans.

And here is where I ramble to you about how sorry I am about not uploading sooner!

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