...Well, huh, here we are, it would've been up sooner but I had a few technical difficulties with technical-, um, -al-, -it-,-ties?... Pff! I dunno! Read please!

"The two children will be informed of his arrest immediately and we'll confirm a hearing this Saturday to have his sentencing." The officer looked down at the teenager sitting in the chair with his hands cuffed and his eyes downcast. "After all this time, their parents' killer finally caught. Should be interesting."

...

"Zuko what the hell are you doing in here?!"

Zuko looked up from where he was sitting on his cot and saw Jesse glaring at him angrily through the bars.

"Have you completely lost your mind?!" the younger boy yelled throwing his hands up. "This is exactly what Jet wants is you out of the way! How are you making anything better?!"

Zuko looked down at his hands. "It's why we broke up in the first place," he said quietly.

"And this is supposed to get you back together?" Jesse demanded. "Why do you always have to go and do all these stupid, impulsive-," he gripped for the right words, "things!?Tell me do you enjoy stirring up all this drama? Is that what you do in your spare time is you go home and think up other stupid dramatic things you can do to make your life more exciting?"

"Don't you start lecturing me about my life," Zuko warned in a low voice getting up and standing at the bars so that he was looking down at Jesse. "You think I wanted everything to end up this way? I don't plan all of this stuff to happen it just does and now I'm paying!"

"You're not paying Zuko, you're throwing your life down the drain for some stupid girl!"

"Don't you call her stupid!"

"I'm not finished!" Jesse interrupted before Zuko could say more. "Think of everything you've been through before and then all that other shit she put you through! She is not worth it!"

"She hasn't put me through any-,"

"She has and you know it!" Jesse yelled as if he was trying to get his voice through a sound proof wall.

The door opened suddenly and a police officer came in with a nightstick in his hand. "He acting up?"

The two boys were staring at each other intensely and the officer stood in the doorway awkwardly.

"No sir," Jesse said finally. "We're fine." Zuko clenched his jaw and his eyes slipped away from Jesse's to the floor.

"Okay then. You got three more minutes."

When he was gone there was silence until Jesse broke it again. "Zuko, listen. You're my brother. Period. If you're hurting, I'm gonna help you. Because of her you've been hurting for a whole year when you shouldn't be, you don't deserve more shit."

Zuko didn't say anything.

"If she doesn't come to her senses soon, dump her for good. She's not worth it." He reached through the bars and squeezed Zuko's shoulder. The boy flinched as if he would pull away but didn't move then Jesse turned and walked towards the door.

"Jesse." Zuko's voice stopped the boy in his tracks but he didn't turn around.

"Yeah?"

"Brothers?"

"Yeah. Brothers."

Zuko smiled slightly for the first time in a long time. "Thanks."

Jesse turned halfway and his green eyes met Zuko's golden ones. He nodded then opened turned back towards the door as Zuko retreated to the back of his holding cell.

...

When he opened the door he stopped in his tracks as Katara jumped back. He looked down at her big wet blue eyes and he knew she had heard everything. Katara put her thumbs into her jean pockets and looked away from him.

Jesse closed the door behind him and looked at her. "What are you doing here?"

Katara didn't answer and she looked everywhere but at him. "I think you should go home." he said to her silence.

"I-," she stopped and blinked to keep the tears away. "I just want to talk to him." her voice came out as a whisper and she looked at the ground by Jesse's shoes.

She tried to walk around him but he stepped in front of her. "You'll only make things worse and he doesn't need that."

"Jesse please I-," she pulled something out of her pocket. "He wrote this- and I- please." she tried to pass him again he stopped her again.

"No." was all he said. "Go home Katara." his expression remained stone cold.

"Son," the police man in the room stood up and started towards them. "She has a right to see him. She was affected by the boy's crime."

"She's the one who ruined his life!" Jesse yelled. "She shouldn't be allowed anywhere near him!"

"All the same, she has the right. Now I'm going to have to ask you to step aside." Jesse glared at the officer and his jaw tensed as he looked back at Katara.

The girl looked away from him. "Yeah I'd have a hard time looking at me too," he said then he moved away from the door and she hurried passed him after a moment's hesitation.

...

Katara looked up and saw Zuko standing at the bars staring at her. Aw man maybe I should've listened to Jesse.

"Hey," she said softly walking towards him. She remembered the letter in her pocket and she pulled it out. "I got your letter," she smiled. "Your poem was amazing."

Zuko didn't say anything; he only studied her as if looking for something or someone different.

Katara bit her bottom lip. "Zuko, why are you here?" Because you wanted him here.

He didn't answer, he just stared at her. Katara saw his jaw clench. "You probably don't want to see me," she said with an uncomfortable chuckle. "I wouldn't want to see me." She walked until she was about a yard away from him. He reached up slowly and grabbed the bars and hung there as he looked down at her; his flaming eyes searched hers.

"Strange isn't it?" she started again. "When we first started going out, I never thought anything would ever come between us." she looked at her feet then back up at him and swallowed. "I'd really fallen for you Zuko." she tried to smile but the last part came out choked as her tears returned. "You were not like any other guy I've ever met. You were my boyfriend. And my best friend." she wiped a tear away. "I could talk to you about anything."

More tears fell and she wiped them away impatiently. "I- I'm sorry. I was the one who ruined everything Zuko. Not you." Zuko still stared at her and didn't say anything. "When I found out about you and my parents," she looked for the right words. "I freaked out. I mean," She looked at the ceiling and back at him emotion filled her voice. "I've been looking for someone to blame for so long! I wanted to be mad at someone! My parents were murdered Zuko! I was so confused, and mad and I had all these feelings built up and I didn't know which one I was supposed to feel. And on top of that, seeing you with Mai..." she saw his grip on the bars tighten. "I don't blame you for anything any more."

She laughed suddenly. "Like that'll make anything better!" She said more to herself than to him. "I was wrong to blame you in the first place."

She stepped towards him until only the bars separated them. Her hands lifted and she hesitated before putting them on his chest. He tensed under her touch but she didn't move her hands. "I wish I'd've realized before this all happened Zuko." He still looked at her. "I've never stopped loving you. I made a huge mistake in breaking up with you. And-," her breath hitched in her throat. "I wish you would forgive me."

Zuko remained silent. She put her hand on his cheek and brought her face up to his. She tried to read his eyes the way he was reading hers but his emotions were well masked behind his blank expression. "Zuko..." her voice trailed off and she brought her lips to his. He didn't kiss her back and she pulled away when she realized he wouldn't respond. She looked up at his blank face and searched his eyes. Tears poured out of hers and she turned away. "I'm sorry."

She ran out the door with her hands over her face right into Jesse.

He looked down at her tearful face and for a while just looked at her then put his arm around her shoulder. "Come on." he said. He guided her out of the police station and walked her home.

...

By the time they were on her block, Katara's tears had dried and she walked quietly along side Jesse.

"Here we are," he the stopped in front of her house. "You got your key?"

Katara nodded and pulled her key out of her pocket.

"Good. See ya." he stuck his hands into his pockets and turned back down the street.

"J-Jesse," she said making him stop and turn around. He looked at her expectantly. "Do you really think that, that I ruined his life?"

Jesse took a breath. "Katara, I know Zuko. He's a very passionate person. He's never stopped loving you. You've affected his life more than you know. In a way, it's good. But now he thinks he needs you like he needs air; and you need him. You keep being so stubborn, and you'll throw your best chance at happiness down the drain." he shook his head. "Zuko's probably the best guy you'll ever meet. The way you've been treating him-,"

"I didn't mean to. I just-,"

"Exactly; you just. What about Zuko Katara?" Jesse searched Katara's face and she cast her eyes downward again. When she didn't answer him he turned back down the street leaving her standing with a lot on her mind.

Well, there's my chapter. I rewrote it three times and I'm still not entirely satisfied with it. But whatever, the next one will be better I promise. REVIEW PLEASE! And no demands! You know who you are... ;)