Me: Hey guys… *nervous cough* wow it's been a while since I've uploaded hasn't it?

Lupe: I don't mind! At least I don't have to keep up with you!

Zuko: I'm not talking to you…

Me: Well… um… you see… I really don't have an excuse.

Zuko: Lupe, please inform Bridget that she's an idiot and that she's lazy!

Lupe: Okay, Bridget Zuko thinks-

Me: I HEARD HIM!

Zuko: Please tell her that if she's gonna sneak behind my back with that CASTIEL! Then she can go suffer.

Me: Don't bring Cas into this! :(

Lupe: Wait whose Castiel?

Me: An angel *lovestruck*

Zuko: He's from that damn show Supernatural.

Me: Ahhhhh *swoon*

Lupe: Oh my God.

Zuko: Tell me about it!

Me:….

Zuko: Heeeellllluuuuuu?

Lupe: Heelooo? Are you there?

Me:…

Zuko: Are you still there?

Me: What? I'm watching an interview!

Zuko: What kind of interview?

Me:… Supernatural….

Zuko: *rage!* *kills bridget!*

Random person: OMG THEY KILLED BRIDGET!

Lupe: THOSE BASTARDS!


This is the way you left me,
I'm not pretending.
No hope, no love, no glory,
No Happy Ending.

Happy Ending- Mika


Happy Ending – Chapter 11

Zuko and Katara looked at each other and then back to the woman. They didn't speak until Katara whispered, horrified. "Who are you?"

The woman still ignored Katara though the men behind her shuffled around in anger or discomfort. The woman maintained her bow, though stiffened in shock, as if she couldn't believe that the insignificant young woman would dare speak to her.

Zuko was trapped in his mind thinking through all the faces of the Fire Nation nobility, they were the only people who had seen him enough times and close enough to recognize him even without his scar. He was sure he had never seen this woman before even in passing. How could she have recognized him so easily, she couldn't have, all his public appearances were made in his full Fire Lord costume and this woman was defiantly not one of the people he was socially involved with. She couldn't be a servant because he knew all of them by sight, if not by name. The only solution is that she could not have recognized him with his disguise in place. He began to laugh breaking the silence.

The woman looked up from the bow with a quizzical look on her face. "My lord? What is so funny about this situation?"

"Yeah, what's so funny about this?" Katara hissed out of the corner of her mouth, but Zuko kept laughing. He squeezed Katara's hand hoping she would get the message.

"You think I'm the Fire Lord?" He asked in lighthearted tones. "Really? Isn't he supposed to be in the Fire Nation? I haven't been there for three years!"

"Fire Lord, if you are to fight on my side then you must know I don't take jokes lightly. Since you don't know I will let you off with a warning." She said in a patronizing tone, which instantly annoyed Zuko.

"I've already told you, I'm not the Fire Lord." This was different from the last time he denied her; he was forceful and flashed his swords dangerously.

The woman sighed, "Maybe we should start over. My name is Li Fay. I am leading this operation, and you, despite who you may have disguised yourself as, are Fire Lord Zuko."

"Look, I don't know what your childhood trauma is but we really don't want you to get mixed up with this, why don't you just let us walk out and we'll forget we've ever-" That is as far as Katara got to reasoning with Li Fay before she was cut off by a fire blast from behind her.

Katara fell and got up growling her water whip at the ready and struck out against the man. Li Fay took no notice of this except to call. "Fire Lord, control your girl friend or she will be harmed. We have no trouble in doing this you must understand."

Zuko hesitated before calling "Katara," She looked back at him, water held aloft ready to strike. "Please, come here." He hoped that she could see what he was trying to tell her, we'll fight later.

She glared at him and then she saw the signal. Her eyes widened in enlightenment and slowly dropped the water to the ally street. She inched slowly towards Zuko never letting her eyes to drop from the man she was fighting. Once she gotten within his reaches, Zuko grabbed her hands and squeezed them.

"Very good, I'm glad you are not so noble as to not take orders." Li Fay said. Zuko shrugged.

"I lived as a peasant for a year before being Fire Lord. I learned how to do a lot of things." He replied coolly. "Now can you tell us what we're doing here?"

"Let us start from the beginning and that coincides with your crowning,

"As you were giving that speech to the Fire Nation and its hostiles, I saw the message in your eyes. I saw what you could not express with words, as all great leaders can with one another. I saw the true story, how you were forced by the Avatar to defeat your sister, which was probably the only good thing that came of the coup. We could not have an insane leader when we needed to stage a second war. We needed someone smart, and calculating, and ruthless. We needed your father Fire Lord. But then he had his bending taken away by the Avatar. Regrettable, but not relevant to my plan. We still had you, you see? And as soon as I saw your message in your eyes I knew. You were better than your father, you were cunning enough to deceive the Avatar."

"So I came here. I started waging my own war waiting for you to join me. I started taking over this town, I started destroying crops, and I bided my time with small threats such as these until you came. I knew you would join me, and our cause. Our cause? You may ask. Our cause is to finish what your father started. Colonize the Earth kingdom into the new Fire Nation, destroy all Earth Benders, Water benders, and theAir Benders, except for those of whom who are loyal to us. Like your friend here, Katara, that's what you called her in the shop. I know you Katara, you are a master Water bender, you were instrumental to the fall of Azula, but you helped the Avatar, you were one of his greatest allies in the war against us. I will let the Fire Lord decide whether your offences are too great to let you live. "

"Fire Lord I appreciate the pressure you're under but you must understand, I have fought this war on my own for 15 long months, and now you come as an ally to assist me. We need to make your presence here known, let the citizens of the Earth Kingdom tremble before us. We are to light the town on fire, and watch it burn to hell. Tonight. What do you say? Will you join us?"

Zuko and Katara looked at each other, both complete shock mirroring each other in their faces. Then they looked back to Li Fay and then back to each other. Zuko eyed each of the men surrounding them. "What's the chance of breaking out of here?" Zuko hissed in Katara's ear

"On my own? Slim." Katara replied in an equally quiet voice.

"Okay." Zuko shrugged in a normal tone. And shot fire in a circle surrounding them and push outwards towards Li Fay and her soldiers. Katara summoned her water around her arms and Zuko parted his wall of fire. Katara jumped through the space and whipped her water at the men blocking the way out of the alley. They didn't know what hit them.

Zuko held his fire out in front of him until Katara was clear and then backed out slowly of the ring of fire. "Hurry up!" Katara yelled anxiously. Zuko closed the fire with a final push outwards and ran.

Katara and him high tailed it, pushing through the crowd with a frenzy. "What inn were we meeting Aang and them at?" Zuko asked Katara checking behind him for a brief second. He could see someone else pushing through the crowd. "Keep going!"

"Down here, first we need to shake the crazy bitch." Katara puffed. "Any ideas?"

"A few, follow me!" He shouldered past a two women who shouted curses after him and they plunged into the hustle and bustle of the market. Stalls lined every inch of the street and each one selling a different type of crop, or pastry, or even toy. Zuko pushed his way through and Katara kept close behind him. "Quick under here!" They both ducked under a meat stall, the woman tending it jumped.

"What the hell are you kids doing?" The woman screeched. Katara and Zuko both made shushing noises and begged the woman to keep quiet. She looked up and her face paled. She instantly put on a nervous smile.

"Hello, would you be interested in some cow-pig today?" She asked in a formal stiff voice.

"No, have you seen two kids run by here?" Li Fay asked in a smooth voice. Zuko's clumsy hand found Katara's and squeezed. The woman shook her head silently. They heard a sigh and the woman's shoulders slumped.

"Thank you so much!" Katara said in a rush. She kneeledbeside the cart and the woman just nodded. Zuko kept starring at her.

"I've seen you before." Zuko said as he frowned at the woman. She looked different; her hair was not as sloppy but with more gray hair. She looked like she was in better clothes also, different from the loose farm clothes she wore when he saw her. There were more wrinkles lining her face but she looked happier than the last time he had seen her.

"No, you haven't and I don't know-" She started trying to sound tough but like last time she faltered. She faltered because Lee, her son ran up.

"MOM!" He shouted. "Mom! That lady came by and you told me to come find you whenever she was nearby!" Zuko smiled. Katara was just confused.

"Lee!" Zuko said. "Do you recognize me?" Katara grabbed his arm.

"Let's just go." She begged. He looked back at her and deliberated for a second. Then shook his head.

"Just hold on a minute." He begged, she had on a disapproving look. "Please."

"Fine. A minute, we need to go." She snapped. He gave a smile and turned back to Lee and his mother. Lee gasped.

"…Fire-" He started but Zuko covered his mouth before he could say anymore.

"Glad to see you too, but please don't use that name around me." He whispered. "Would you mind giving my friends and me a place to stay for the night?" He asked Lee's mother.

"If it bugs that evil bi-" She looked at Lee "lady, then you're welcome to stay as long as you want."

"Thank you, we have more friends at a hotel down the street, we need to get them first, we'll meet you back here." Zuko said and the woman nodded. Lee looked at him in awe, but as soon as Zuko returned the gaze he averted his eyes.

"Come on Katara." Zuko said taking her hands and leading her into the throng. "Try to blend in."

"Who are those people?" She asked tired of being confused.

"I met them when I went on my own after the attack on the North Pole and I kind of… screwed up. Well long story short Lee got in some trouble with a few soldiers and I got him out of it, in a very fiery display. Not one of my better works." Zuko bit his lip and looked down at Katara for her approval or (more-likely) look of shame.

Katara just rolled her eyes. "You always used to screw up like that." She said indifferently. Zuko gave a half smile.

"Thanks," He muttered sarcastically.

"Are they good people?" She asked ignoring his comment.

"They are smart, reasonable people. Their son Lu-Ten was off fighting in the war when I met them and I looked up his name when I became Fire Lord. He was with the first ship of prisoners to be sent back to their homes. Lee wanted to be just like him." Zuko recounted wistfully. He wanted Lee to have the family he could never have.

"You really liked them didn't you?" She asked quietly, keeping her head on a swivel looking for any sign of Li-Fay or any of her ilk."Yeah, the inn will be just up here." Zuko said jerking his chin in the general direction. They walked the remainder in silence both watching out for trouble. When they went in, Aang, Sokka and Toph were all sitting down at a table. Sokka looked glum but Toph and Aang looked especially happy.

"Oh hey." Aang said looking up, all of them turned around. Once they had caught sight of Katara's and Zuko's faces they knew something was wrong.

"What happened?" Sokka asked.

"Bad things, very bad things." Katara said. "We need to go."

"Go where?" Toph asked. "What happened?"

"I know some people who owe me a favor they're letting us stay there while we get this whole mess sorted out." Zuko replied cryptically.

"What. Mess." Aang spoke through gritted teeth.

"We'll explain on the way." Katara said. She met each of their eyes. "Come on."

Sokka sighed. "How come when we think we can finally relax something else happens?"

Katara and Zuko shrugged. "Our good luck ran out?"

Aang laughed dryly. "What are you talking about, we never had luck." Sokka nodded along concluding this was a point.

"But still the lady who's chasing us is crazy we need to get out of here." Katara said.

"Just one person?" Toph asked a little skeptically. "You two are masters of your element and you-" She pointed to Zuko. "Have your swords. And you still are running from just one woman?"

"Yeah, only her and her whole network trying to take over the town and burn it to the ground, not to mention her freaky dream in which she basically rules over me and I become her bitch." Zuko hissed.

They all looked at him and Katara for a second and then Sokka said. "We'll leave…"

"Good, now come on we wasted enough time as it is." Zuko said forcefully. They swiftly walked out and met Lee and his mother speeding in their direction.

"There you are. I'm Lee." Lee said very nervous and excited at the same time. He looked at all of them his eyes fell on Toph. "Are you really blind?"

"Yeah, but she can still see you." Aang said putting on a scary smile. Lee went white and gulped. Toph's lips twitched into a smile.

"Lee enough!" His mother said. "I'm Hiriba. We need to get out of here." They all nodded and Hiriba started leading them on.

Once they got out of the village Aang blurt out, "Who is the woman who is chasing us? Doesn't she know the war is over?"

"Li Fay had been trying to lead this cult long before the war ended." Hiriba explained. "She would stand on a box and preach the new laws and the old laws that reinforce our miserable lives. When you declared the war was over she disappeared and all the towns' people were relived. We had heard her exploit our captivity under Ozai's rule and no one was sad to see her go. That night the first house went up in flames."

"We thought it was just an accident at first until we found the note nailed to the shop of the family whose house was destroyed. It was a warning to anyone who dared oppose the glory of the Fire Nation and that, until we declare ourselves a Fire Nation Colony again they would burn another house. We opposed for about a week then the attacks became more brutal the last of which was they hung a doll on the door of their shop. The family had a little girl." She looked down at her feet for a second, mourning.

"We officially became a Fire Nation colony after that and the attacks stopped for a while. We were deliberating how to handle the situation. We were thought that sending a messenger with a plea for help would be the best but our plan was found out. Li Fay and her cronies took the messenger to the middle of the town square in the middle of the day and burned him alive." She choked on the last words.

"They said that the town was under her regime now and we have been quarantined, not in the way that no one could come in or out it was that none of the towns' people could leave, or speak to any strangers. Those who tried or who were suspected of were killed."

Zuko listened to what she was saying with a heavy heart. Somehow he blamed himself. He should have been more attentive in external matters, he should have been proactive, and he should have somehow foreseen this happening and prevented it.

Katara watched him with worried eyes as she saw him spiral into guilt that he had no right to feel. She reached for his hand and he gently pulled it away asking "Can I have some water to wash this paint off?" She sighed and tried not let the hurt reach her face as she bended some into his cupped hands.

"Can you really fly?" Lee asked Aang, breaking the gloomy silence. The Avatar gave a small smile.

"Yeah, and I can do this!" He made his air scooter and jumped on it grinning brightly. Lee laughed and tried to break the sphere while Aang evaded. They laughed while the rest of the party morosely thought of how bad this had become. It was obvious that they couldn't leave the town to fend for themselves but everyone was lost on how to go about removing Li Fay and her troops.

"Mom?" Someone called from in the distance. "Lee?" A man came running up the path a knife was strapped to his hip and he warily placed his right hand on it. His left one was missing.

"Sensu, we have guests." Hiriba said simply. "This is The Avatar, Toph, Sokka, Katara and-"

"Fire Lord Zuko." Sensu said a bit in awe, which made Zuko feel worse. He should not be idolized; his missing hand was enough proof of that. "Thank you, I never got the chance to do it in person. Thank you for releasing me back to my family." Sensu bowed and Zuko looked away uncomfortable.

"It was nothing." He stated simply and Sensu tactfully chose to move on seeing his uneasiness.

"Well hello, welcome to our humble farm." He gestured down the road where you could already hear the squealing of cow-pigs. "It's an honor to have you here." He smiled and led them on talking casually to his mother and Lee.

"Thank you for letting us stay here." Aang said, Sensu nodded back and Toph sidled up to Aang and talked to him quietly for a bit. Katara caught up to Sokka and whispered.

"What are we going to do?"

"Well I was thinking we were going to rest but whatever you want to do I'm up for it." Sokka answered avoiding the real question.

"You know what I mean." She huffed.

"I don't know, this isn't something we can just blow off but we only have one chance to do it right, if we do it wrong the whole town will get destroyed. We need a plan." Sokka concluded.

"I don't know how we're going to find them again, I mean Li Fay just kind of cornered me and Zuko. We had no idea where she came from." Katara admitted.

"Well were going to have to think of something." Sokka sighed.

"What happened to the man-with-the-plan?" Katara said teasingly. Sokka grinned back.

"He needs food for fuel at the moment. We skipped lunch remember." He said. Katara laughed.

They reached the farm soon after the siblings' conversation and they were told that they could stay in the barn. Zuko instantly went to a corner and closed his eyes pretending to sleep. Katara watched with empathy for her boyfriend, but grief and worry for his self blame overwhelmed her.

It would be a long night.


Well hello there! Sorry it's been so long I'm sorry! And I hate to give you this crap but it's really the best I can do(LIE!) And it's true I really am watching a Misha Collins interview right now… (I'm guilty…) And I PROMISE! Next chapter will be fluffy! And scary and awesome! :) I really hope at least.

In other news I am really kind of proud of my best friend! She made varsity soccer as a freshman (I may be a freshman I may not be don't ask) and they made it to playoffs! And they just won their third playoff game! I'm very proud! :D

Now for something completely different! If any of you have ever seen the show supernatural it's amazing! :D And it truly is awesome! Now, if you've had enough of my horribleness for a chapter *blushes* Again I'm sorry!

Lupe: I also apologize it was also my fault for the chapter being late. I was busy with homework and my own writing and well a lot of things. Enjoy and keep Reiding (If you understand this put it in your review ;))