Hi everyone!

Here's my second Avatar story! I loved Book 3 because I loved seeing Zuko with the group, but I felt like the entire 3rd Book was a bit rushed, especially on the emotional side. I also felt like it went very quickly from Zuko-the Fire Nation prince who chased, hunted, hurt and nearly killed the Gaang, to them accepting him into the group (obviously except for Katara). They didn't see any of his transformation from the person they knew to the person he became; it makes sense why they reject him at first. I feel like there should have been a couple conversations about that, to help them see him as he is now.

I also was really curious at the idea of "what if Zuko *didn't* burn Toph's feet when she came to see him?" What would they have talked about? How would that have changed things? So I guess this is just going to be a slightly altered re-telling of how Zuko joins the group, plus some more of how they all really begin to not only trust, but care about him. And vice versa. :)

I'm going to start this from his talk with them at the Western Air Temple, and it'll be pretty much the same as the show for the next chapter or so, and then it'll change just a couple things, but stay mostly in-line with canon, along with some of my own ideas to fill in between the Book 3 episodes. Suggestions of what you'd like to have seen in Book 3 would be totally awesome!

Hope you guys enjoy and I'd love to hear your thoughts! :)

~cosette141

Zuko stopped where he was, on the far side of the Western Air Temple. The spacious structure circulated the sounds of their voices, bringing them easily to Zuko's ears. They'd landed not long ago.

He swallowed hard, feeling his heart beat faster.

They were kids.

Teenagers and kids.

Just like him.

Zuko listened as they sifted between topics, trying to regroup. He could hear the desperation, frustration and somber in their words. He knew their invasion failed. Part of him hated himself—did he need more reasons?—for not helping them. Not warning them.

He'd taken his sweet time deciding what the right thing to do was and they'd suffered for it.

The world suffered for it.

"Evil and good are always at war inside you, Zuko."

Zuko shut his eyes.

He'd hoped to have Uncle with him, now.

At least with Uncle, he could figure out what to say to the people he spent a year hunting down.

At least with Uncle, they might be more inclined to trust him. Something told Zuko that Uncle's been on their side this entire time, from day one. Never too upset with a failure to capture the Avatar. Never needing too much of a reason to help them.

"If it weren't for the Avatar and his friends, you'd have frozen to death!"

Zuko felt the bitter cold all over again, clawing around his chest.

Uncle had always been kind to them.

He'd been grateful to them.

He'd fought side by side with them.

And he'd stood patiently at Zuko's side, waiting for him to realize something he should have known all along.

"...firebending teacher now?"

Zuko lifted his head.

The Avatar's friends—Sokka and Katara, the only names he knew—shifted the topic of their conversation.

He was looking for a firebending teacher.

Something else Zuko had hoped Iroh could be here to help him with.

But he's had enough of Uncle's help; he's had barrels full of help that he never accepted. He missed his chance back in Ba Sing Se, when he made the worst decision of his life.

He couldn't fix what he broke with Uncle right now. He'd have to hope and pray and pray to Agni he could earn his uncle's forgiveness.

But his relationship with Iroh wasn't the only one he broke.

He was here now.

He could fix this.

What he broke.

"But where are we going to find you a firebending teacher?"

Zuko let out a breath.

That was his cue, right?

So why did it feel like his legs were frozen to the floor?

He screwed his eyes shut, trying to remember what he rehearsed.

So, I can teach the Avatar firebending.

I have a lot of experience.

I mean, you know.

From when I was attacking you.

Zuko clenched his jaw.

I'm good now.

You can trust me.

And there was suddenly the waterbender's face—Katara. In the Catacombs. Looking at him without anger or hatred or even fear. With a sort of… understanding.

A kindness.

The beginning of a trust.

Zuko grabbed his hair.

This is so messed up.

"Oh, and you'll love the all day echo chamber-"

"I think that'll have to wait."

Zuko lifted his head sharply, the young female voice hitting his ears at the same time a sudden fearful tension thickened the air.

Now or never.

The moment they saw him it was their eyes he noticed first. Before any of them drew their weapons and fell into attack stances. Each set of eyes fixed upon him, except the little earthbender, who for whatever reason was looking off to his left. But what he saw in the others—the original three—was identical.

It was apprehension.

Then recognition.

Then the smallest bit of shock.

And then, it was fury.

But it was the fear in their eyes and their taut muscles that hit Zuko the hardest, hurting him so deeply in his chest that it hurt to breathe.

"Do you think, in another world, we could have been friends?"

He hurt these people.

These kids.

And they were terrified of him.

Please Agni let me know what to say.

"Zuko!" cried the Avatar, whipping his staff into an attack stance beside the others. Time seemed to speed back up and Zuko looked hesitantly at them, trying to will his dry throat to make noise.

"Hello," he said, forcing a smile. "Zuko here."

I thought I WASN'T going to say that—

"I, uh," said Zuko to fill the tense silence, "I heard you guys flying around down there and thought I'd wait for you here…" But out of the corner of his eye, Zuko saw the giant flying bison walk toward him determinately, and Zuko turned. It eyed him critically, then let loose a roar that made him flinch violently, suddenly terrified that this was how he was going to die.

But a giant tongue licked him wetly from his ankle to his shoulder and Zuko let himself relax.

Slightly.

The Avatar lowered his staff a little, his glare slipping from his face in surprise.

But—even as the beast licked his face again—Zuko knew that wasn't nearly enough. He wiped off the slobber and tried— "I know you must be surprised to see me here."

But the Water Tribe boy—Sokka, Zuko chastised himself—spoke before Zuko could explain himself. "Not really," he said with a glare, "since you followed us all over the world."

Zuko felt himself wince.

So that was the wrong thing to say.

Zuko felt his heart beat even faster. "Right, well...um…" What else had he planned?

Agni it was hard to remember under their glares.

He let out a short breath, feeling like the thread he was hanging on was getting thinner and thinner.

Just dive in.

"Well, anyway, I've come to tell you that I've changed. And, uh… I'm… good… now."

Only suspicion deepened in the Water Tribe peasen—people. Kids. Warriors.

The earthbender as well.

The Avatar's glare hadn't returned since the bison licked him.

"And I think I should join your group," said Zuko quickly. Then, almost forgetting, he turned to the Avatar and said, "Oh, and I can teach firebending. To you…"

That changed all their faces, shifting them all into different levels of shock.

Not exactly surprising, since the last time we saw each other, I was attacking them.

But though shocked, they didn't look angry… at least momentarily.

Zuko allowed himself the smallest bit of relief. Something's working.

But when the silence continued, he said, "So… I, uh…"

The earthbender reacted first, saying with surprising edge from such a small girl, "You wanna what now?"

The waterbender's glare was suddenly back, and deeper than before. It was almost piercing. "You can't possibly think that any of us would trust you, can you?"

The venom in her voice stole his breath.

"Maybe you don't have to live with it."

The look in her eyes now, it was so different from that day. Then it was soft and kind and sweet. "How stupid do you think we are?"

He deserved that.

He deserved every part of that.

"Yeah," interjected the Water—Sokka. "All you've ever done is hunt us down and try to capture Aang!"

Zuko couldn't breathe.

Agni, they had every reason to hate him.

Are there even words to make this right?

"I've done some good things," said Zuko through a tight chest, desperation choosing his words fast. They waited, and Zuko suddenly blanked. But the bison was still staring at him, and Zuko said, "I could have stolen your bison in Ba Sing Se—" Don't tell them you considered that! "—But I set him free." Hope waned inside him like a dying firelight. "That's something!"

The bison licked his back again, and Zuko stumbled.

Still looking somewhere over his shoulder, nearly making Zuko want to turn to see what she was looking at, the earthbender said, "Appa does seem to like him…"

The firelight grew brighter in his chest.

But the—Sokka wasn't having it. Hope lived and died in the same half a second as he jabbed a finger toward Zuko and said, "He probably just covered himself in honey or something to get Appa to lick him. I'm not buying it."

No.

Please.

Desperation clung to Zuko's heart.

He dropped his head, searching for words. "I can understand why you wouldn't trust me," he said, "and I know I've made some mistakes in the past—"

"Like when you attacked our village?" shouted Sokka, fingers tightening around his weapon.

"Or when you stole my mother's necklace," said the waterb—Katara, and Zuko felt his chest freeze because dammit, he did, and he knows how hard it is to lose a mother, and still he did that purposefully and gladly—"and used it to track us down and capture us?"

Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES.

But couldn't they tell he was trying to make up for them NOW?

"Look," he said, voice strangled with a losing battle, "I admit I've done some awful things. I was wrong to try and capture you and I'm sorry I attacked the Water Tribe." He pressed a hand to his head, feeling dizzy. He could not go home. He could not be back on his own. He needed to be here. They needed him—they needed someone to teach the Avatar. And he… he needed to make this right. The apologies tumbled out one after another, so maybe that's why he didn't think his next one through: "And I'm sorry I sent that Fire Nation assassin after you."

The confusion in their eyes shifted in an instant. Jumped straight to surprise.

And back to a fury that was even deeper than before.

But he didn't notice that at first as he went on, "And I'm going to try to stop him—"

"Wait," snapped Sokka, and Zuko lifted his head, seeing furious faces.

Oh, no.

Oh, no, no, no, no—

"You sent Combustion Man after us?!" demanded Sokka.

And, again, Zuko felt his chest tighten so rigid he thought it would break. "Well, that's not his name, but—"

"Oh, sorry," said Sokka, words dripping with hateful sarcasm. "I didn't mean to insult your friend."

"He's not my friend!" stressed Zuko.

The earthbender jabbed a finger at Zuko but her gaze didn't follow it. "That guy locked me and Katara up in jail and tried to blow us all up!"

Zuko fought the urge to groan.

This can't be happening.

He's lost.

There's no way they were going to forgive him.

There's—

But only one of them was still silent.

The Avatar stood still, his face frozen in an unreadable expression.

My last chance.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" asked Zuko softly. When the Avatar didn't say anything at first, he tried, "You once said you thought we could be friends." His last, last chance. "You know I have good in me."

The Avatar held his gaze. And perhaps he caught Zuko's true meaning of the statement. That maybe the Avatar also knew that Roku was Zuko's ancestor. It was Zuko's last card to play. He was out in the open, laid out to dry.

The Avatar looked to his friends. Zuko felt his chest constrict as they glared back at him.

The Avatar looked back at Zuko, wearing the same glare as if they had given it to him in the single glance.

Zuko felt his entire body grow cold.

"There's no way we can trust you after everything you've done." A glint in his eye, something that closed off and sealed. "We'll never let you join us."

Zuko felt his jaw drop.

He imagined this to be difficult, not impossible.

He can't…

They can't…

He left everything for them.

Everything.

He needed to fix this.

Needed to.

Katara fixed an even more venomous glare toward him. "You need to get out of here. Now."

No.

Zuko squeezed his eyes shut, desperation fueling him. "I'm trying to explain that I'm not that person anymore!" He stepped closer, and they flinched as one.

"Either you leave," said Sokka firmly, "or we attack."

All he has left.

"If you won't accept me as a friend," he said thickly, and if he had any pride left it was gone with the words, "then maybe you'll take me as your prisoner."

He sank to his knees, lifting his hands in surrender.

Until a stream of heavy water struck him in the face, knocking him backward. He breathed half of it in and he coughed, blinking the water away from his eyes, seeing the once kind eyes in slitted anger.

Like he and she completely swapped positions from when they first met.

"Get out of here," she growled, "and don't come back."

Zuko picked himself up.

"And if we ever see you again…" Something almost dangerous passed through her eyes, chilling him to the core. "Well... We better not see you again."

Zuko stared up at the four faces from where he dripped, soaking wet, to the floor.

He once thought he would have them on a Fire Navy ship as prisoners, his key to be welcomed back home.

He once dreamed of getting lucky and finally catching them at a weak point.

He once dreamed of their pain as his glory.

He never dreamed he'd find himself here, at their mercy, begging their forgiveness.

And he never dreamed that he would want it more than his own father's.

But it was done.

And he knew it.

He picked himself off the floor in silence.

He walked away, not looking back, feeling their glares at his back.

And the firelight died.

a/n: next chapter will be posted soon! :) thank you for reading!